Cooking: Julia Child and Knife Skills Class Essay

Since I stopped devouring books and using the computer much (because reading triggers migraines), I’ve been bored. I hate being bored. Every hands-on craft I try causes wrist pain that I haven’t been able to conquer. Baking is fantastic, but consuming all that I make isn’t a smart dietary strategy. So I’ve decided cooking will be my new hobby. Although deciding to do something I’ve never particularly liked for fun is a little weird, it makes a lot of sense. I’d love to have a hobby again. I like food, I need to eat, and eating better food would probably make me feel better. By approaching cooking as a hobby instead of a chore, I hope it will be fun, not the high-pressure job of reforming my diet. Ideally cooking will become something I want to do, not have to do. These are the guidelines I’ve established so I don’t exhaust myself. Is it contradictory to set goals for a hobby? Use Simple Recipes I’m currently taking Mark Bittman’s (aka The Minimalist) no-nonsense approach: Make better food in less time with fewer ingredients. I’m starting small with his very short cookbook, How to Cook Everything: Quick Cooking. It isn’t an overwhelming tome, but a short introduction to tasty basic recipes. A perfect housewarming gift for someone in their first apartment, the book includes variations for the more experienced or adventurous cook. I’m supplementing with The Minimalist Cooks at Home for variety. (It’s out-of-print, but is available used. ) I’ve owned it for four years and have liked the few things I’ve made from his books. Now my plan is to approach it methodically. Like Julie and Julia, where blogger Julie Powell set out to make every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering The Art of French Cooking. The Minimalist’s goals are much less lofty, but the idea is the same. Buy Ingredients for One Meal at a Time. This is to avoid wasting food and feeling like I’ve failed. I broke this â€Å"rule† one day into my plan. Because this is a new hobby, not a resolution, I’ve no need to beat myself up. Good things hobbies don’t have rules. Besides, I still think I can do it. Learn New Techniques This is the part that turns work into entertainment. I’ve always been reluctant to cook meat on the stove. In fact, I’m reluctant to cook meat at all. Not only do I get to produce an edible product (however bad it may be), I expand my skills and learn new recipes. This will make my hobby more fun in the future. Tomorrow I’m taking the knife skills class I’ve wanted to take for years. It’s a morning class, so I’m confident I’ll make it this time. I’m already daydreaming about future classes. Do It I made my recipe plan yesterday morning, then Hart called to say he had a work dinner. I felt crappy, so it was fine, but my motivation is far weaker than 24 hours ago. I hope applying the techniques of the knife skills class will boost my overall motivation. Clearly there’s little difference between my new hobby and a New Year’s resolution. Since resolutions usually fail, I’m relying on the power reframing. It’s an essential skill of every optimist.

The importance of music

Music first formed in ancient time and continued to develop simultaneously with civilization. It is said that without music, our world would become boring. Why music is so Important? Why many people spend a lot of time on listening to music? In fact, music affects us more than we know. Music plays Important roles in our life: It connects people, entertains us and has other uses In particular times. First, music connects people. Different ages, different classes of people come closer getting know each other through music.Specifically, many international encores was held worldwide in a Joint effort to exchange culture and struck up or develop friendship. The countries, as a result, can lead to a multilateral development agreements. Moreover, the people in those countries can be pleased thanks to the influence of music idols. In addition, music can heal the breach between people. It reduces seriousness among those who are in debates. Familiar melodies bring back their memories, throw th em back to their happy time In the past and it reconnects them In spiritual level. Besides, music encourages humanitarian actions.People often hold charity concerts and music makes them easy to emphasize with unfortunate lives. In other words, music brings us together. Second, music entertains us In many ways. After long hours working hard, listening to our favorite rhythm can help us relax or even stimulate our brain in order to keep on working efficiency. Furthermore, after a stressful day, music is one of the best ways to entertain. It can be exciting, gentle or soft, depending on the listeners' sense. An amazing way to enjoy music is to attend concerts, theaters or just turn on TV and sites to our favorite songs.Moreover, if you can play musical instruments, it will be the best way to enjoy music. Playing music by ourselves, we understand completely the song and get closer to the singer. Music is an important part of our life. Entertainment Is the thing cannot be denied when we talk about music. Finally, music also has many good uses to people. Apparently, with music, we can express ourselves, our feeling, our thought and our emotion. For example, when we are sad, we prefer to listen to sad song like † unchain melody † In order to show our sadness. Moreover, music can create particular atmosphere for different situation.For instance, people prefer to open solemn music in some formal occasions. One more use of music is that it builds up nation esteem. Specifically, when listening to nation anthem,we are proud of our country more than ever. In short, music has many incredible uses that strongly affect our thoughts, our emotion and our work. In summary, music plays important roles in our life. Not only are the young people influenced by music but also the old can't help enjoying the rhythm. Music relaxes us, assists us with many good things but its uppermost effect Is to bring us together.It is hard for us to Imagine a world without music, that wo uld be boring and full of sadness. The importance of music By painlessly 2 is so important? Why many people spend a lot of time on listening to music? In fact, music affects us more than we know. Music plays important roles in our life: it connects people, entertains us and has other uses in particular times. Their memories, throw them back to their happy time in the past and it reconnects them in spiritual level. Besides, music encourages humanitarian actions. People often Second, music entertains us in many ways.After long hours working hard, listening to amazing way to enjoy music is to attend concerts, theaters or Just turn on TV and Entertainment is the thing cannot be denied when we talk about music. Finally, music we prefer to listen to sad song like † Unchain melody † in order to show our sadness. Influenced by music but also the old can't help enjoying the rhythm. Music relaxes us, assists us with many good things but its uppermost effect is to bring us together . It is hard for us to imagine a world without music, that would be boring and full of

Book review for The Gangster We Are All Looking For by Le Thi Diem Essay

Book review for The Gangster We Are All Looking For by Le Thi Diem Thuy - Essay Example Thuy gives us a shared feeling of the situation and we are placed in layers of captivity by the elders unintentionally though! The circumstances were beyond the control of the Vietnamese elders. Loss of identity and the ensuing struggles was the first phase in their life. Dealing with the consequences and ensuing struggle to get accustomed to the new surroundings was the second stage. The third stage was breaking free from the past and looking forward to the new horizons. By and large Vietnamese-Americans have translated into reality that every crisis is an opportunity and they have gone through the difficult process of establishing the new identity. One important question is whether the author is sincere about her writings. I have no doubt about that and she has recorded the narrations without any motivated desires and as such I give more credence to the narrations than any researched material. This history of this family is like the barometer of the history of Vietnamese people in relation to America. From destruction of identity to its reconstructions is not an ordinary effort. Certain features of the lost identity are lost forever and they can never be recouped, and the only possibility is their fond and painful recollection. The author asserts that she gets some satisfaction by thinking about the palm trees of Vietnam, her parent’s love story, the â€Å"gangster† dispositions of her father, and she even does not hesitate to name her mother as â€Å"bad ass†. The unfortunate incident of the death of her brother constantly bothers her. In the end, the novel leaves the reader directionless and destination-less. That perhaps was the plight of millions of Vietnamese people who suffered untold miseries on account of the long war. The suffering of the near and dear ones of the Vietnamese and Americans soldiers who died was also intense. Besides being a writer, Thuy, is a performing artist. She was born in Vietnam and her parents left Vietnam along with her. The family settled in San Diego. The author writes, â€Å"We live in the country of California, the province of San Diego, the village of Linda Vista.†(88)The author now lives in western Massachusetts. Her parents lived a violently troubled marriage and the author had to put on with this private family war and it must have impacted her psyche as an adolescent as her mind was impressionable. About her father the author writes, â€Å"...my father, a Buddhist gangster from the North...† (79) Like other Vietnamese who suffered on account of the war, the beginning of the new life was extremely tough for them, as they were seized with grief, longing and cravings for love. Every incident narrated in the story, has the reflection of these three elements. At the psychological level, the author enjoys a love-hate relationship with America. The atrocities committed by the American Army and the resultant devastation to many thousands of families were part of the hi story. America was then protector to a number of Vietnamese also, as the country was caught in an ideological civil war, which the author considers as more damaging than the American war. Coming to terms with the American way of life was not optional, but destined compulsion. She found everything new, the threatening technology embraced every segment of life, the cultural gap and the racist behavior of schoolmates, who clubbed all Southeast Asian immigrants as â€Å"

Writing Assignment # 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Writing Assignment # 2 - Essay Example First, there is no performance management system in place hence it is difficult to appraise or evaluate performance of workers. Since performance is not measured, the training and development needs of employees are also difficult to recognize. Further to that, it will be difficult for her to determine who deserves a promotion, a pay rise or who to transfer to another location if a vacancy arises as the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) of employees are not known. Another difficulty is aligning the jobs of employees with organizational objectives. Since there are no performance expectations or targets set, it is difficult to know if the employees are moving in the right direction and if company objectives are being achieved. Moreover, it is difficult to design rewards for performance if performance is not measured in the first place. This poses difficulties for HR director of improving performance through motivation. Lastly, it is difficult for her to help employees progress with their careers if no performance management plan is in place. As regards compensation, many difficulties are bound to be faced. Compliance with the law is vital for an organization which seeks to reduce costs of litigations. Since there is no strategy as to how employees will be compensated as employees are paid by number of hours logged in, it is likely for HR Director to come into conflict with the law such as law on wage and hours or pay legislation. There may also be problems with worker retention due to poor compensation. The HR Director will have to address the type of compensation plan to be put in place. It is to be based on task or skills, internal equity or external competitiveness, or is it fixed or variable? These concerns must be addressed and they are complex especially because they have to be in line with company objectives while at the same time in compliance with labor laws. One alternative to improving performance is

Preparing for Executive Roles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Preparing for Executive Roles - Essay Example Therefore, they should make their strategies known by their subjects (Goleman, 2000). As leaders of a group, an executive officer should always be ready to take the blame if the projects that they are working on fail to work (Charan, Drotter& Noel, 2010). When it comes to decision making, it is always advisable to base one’s decisions of detailed information instead of using instincts (Kouzes& Posner, 2003). In order to spend more time with lower-level employees, an executive officer should make sure that he makes frequent casual conversations lower-level employees (Kampa-Kokesch& Anderson, 2001). This will help in knowing exactly how they feel about your leadership (Bass & Bass, 2009). Good listening skills can be applied through occasionally allowing employees to give their feedback during meetings regarding their performance and the performance of the team (Chait, Ryan & Taylor, 2011). When making decisions, an executive officer might benefit by letting the employees know what the decision is aimed at achieving and letting them give their opinions on the most appropriate choices that can be of benefit to the organizations (Daft, 2014). Before, giving out any responsibilities or introducing a project, a manager should introduce the strategies that they aimed at using to make the project a success (Cohen &Prusak, 2001). Accurate information can be sourced by making sure that the organi zations have all the resources that are needed in collecting the relevant information (Cross&Prusak,

Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Argument - Essay Example The Galaxy Tab S ad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3Kjj2ca4oQ is an example of an ad that uses sexual imagery, consumers’ love for reality and capitalizes on panic and paranoia to manipulate the audience into buying products which they apparently do not need. Moreover, advertisers use sexual imagery to chemically hook up the consumers. Naturally, after seeing someone attractive, the body’s natural response is to produce hormones. Subconsciously, the mind then associates the positive feelings with the product or service on the screen. This is why the designers of the Galaxy Tab S ad had to include a beautiful woman in the commercial and create an environment that instantly makes one think of love and romance even though the tab has got nothing to do with affection and amorousness. The cuddling, inclusion and mentioning of pregnancy all serve to create an emotional appeal that the audience can hardly resist. The creation of emotional appeal has served as an impeccable way of reflexively manipulating consumers considering the importance that they attach to the opposite sex. Taking the consumers away from the world of reality into the world of fantasy is significant as it makes them humorous and regaled. Unsympathetically, some commer cials evidently infringe ethics and norms by posting nude images just to entice the consumer. Such commercials erode morals while escalating the profits of the marketers. Slowly, the once moral society is closely being replaced with impunity, treachery and deception. Marketers are aware of the ostensible fact that consumers care about their health. One aspect that arouses panic and paranoia in consumers is the issue of their health as virtually all of them desire good health and a healthy tomorrow. They create ads that target specific audiences such as travellers, aficionados, expectant women

Pyschology Cast study assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pyschology Cast study assignment - Essay Example (Plante, 2005: 63). They believe in themselves, but their perception of their own self image is also affected by the feedback from others. In Steven’s case, his father’s constant criticism and ridicule in childhood, coupled with a lack of the father’s love, time, care and support may have threatened Steven’s image of himself as a strong person and a real â€Å"male†, thereby affecting his self esteem. In effect, his father’s behavior was tantamount to rejection of Steve, especially when he failed to sympathize with Steve when he was bullied, further eroding Steve’s self image as a male through a failure to identify with the only male he knew as a child. This has only been compounded by his mother’s attitude to him. Abnormal behavior may arise when the spectrum of basic needs that an individual has, such as air, water, food, love, belonging and self actualization, are not satisfied. (Simson and Strauss, 2003: 178). Steven’s mother was too affectionate to her son, so when she abruptly refused to let Steve into her bed, it appears likely that the boy would have perceived this also as a rejection. The causal act leading to the rejection was his masturbation, but he is unable to control this, thus placing him in a position where masturbation in the presence of a real woman appears wrong – leading to feelings of anxiety and guilt, with an impairment in his sexual function, as evidenced in his failure to perform with his girlfriend. Steven’s anger at his mother for ‘rejecting’ him is expressed in his anger against women, and the only time he is able to allow his sexuality to thrive without associat ed feelings of guilt, is when he sees celluloid women being hurt and violated because this makes him feel powerful. The feelings of depression Steven has been suffering from can thus be attributed to the conflict between his self worth and the reality of his parents’ ‘rejection’, which has produced feelings of anxiety and