Saturday, December 31, 2011

relieve stress/ business mind/ Afghan girl news

Dec. 29 Relieve stress: I read in YM magazine a long time ago about how writing in a journal can relieve stress. For example, before you have a big test, write down your feelings. Then when you go into the test, you will do better. It's because you expressed yourself and then you can then focus on the test than your feelings.

I don't know if you noticed this, but for the past couple of weeks I haven't been writing about my office job search because I was busy working at my restaurant and my 2nd part-time job. I have another interview to go to today, and I'm stressed. So I'm going to write about the job interviews that didn't go well.

Rejects: I didn't get a call back from that industrial company that was really far away. It was the one that I didn't really want to go to, but I did anyway.

There was the hair salon that didn't call back either. I felt that even if I added I could work on Sat., they wouldn't think I'm a good candidate. I'm sure the person they hired, will appreciate it more than I would.

That dispatcher company didn't call back either. It was the availability. I think they were looking for night shifts and people who are more flexible in working any shifts.

There was the car dealership one that I was interested in working at. I actually called them back to see if they would hire me. Instead I got an answering machine and left a message.

Call backs: Then there are the places that call me, and then I call them back and leave a message where I specify about a job interview. They don't call back. I called this industrial company that's not too far away to get to. I left one message on Fri. and one on Mon.

I'll throw in that college and this assistant position where I left a message. They don't call back.

Medical office assistant: I went to a job interview to become a medical office assistant. It was okay. There are two locations. One place I can take one bus to get to, and another place that takes 2 buses to get there. There is inconsistent scheduling like two weeks you work days, another two weeks it's nights.

There is going to be a few days training and they will hire right away. If I'm going to keep my restaurant job, then the restaurant will have to work around this clinic job. This clinic is hiring multiple positions.

Friends: Afterwards, I was waiting for the bus and talked to this middle-aged East Indian woman Meerna who was also being interviewed for the same position. She said that she hopes she got the position and that I got it too. She told me that she got laid off from her hair salon because of a rival hair salon that took most of the business when it opened.

She's been unemployed and is looking for a challenge.

We got on the bus and sat on different places. Then we got off at the same stop and we wished each other good luck.

Three days ago, I was waiting for the bus and talked to this woman Barbra while waiting for the bus. She works at a print shop that prints things for industrial companies, mainly in Fort McMurray.

Job article: I read this in 24 News last week and I think I read a similar article back in 2009, also from 24. It's about how people think the holidays of December is where companies aren't hiring when they are. They may be busy with holiday parties, but they are hiring for Jan. It's proven today when I had a job interview for a position that starts next month.

It's also proven again yesterday. I got a call from a dental office. I read the ad without a company name or address. I faxed my resume. I did look up the fax number on the internet, but it didn't provide any info. They gave me their address, but it was so far away. I would have to take 3 buses to get there.

Dec. 30: I called that company that called me yesterday. I left a message, but it seems to be a big company. They may not get back to me. But I feel good that I called.

I also talked to Barbra at the bus stop again. She told me about a Christmas party at her work.

Business mind: I was thinking about that Zappos creator Tony Hsieh and how he has a business mind. It got me thinking about other ways to make business.

The Sausage Factory: I mentioned The Sausage Factory episode where Gilby lets teenage boys rent out porn tapes, though it's against the rules. Later on, all these teenage boys started coming into the video store and it really increased business. Gilby doesn't have a business mind. He's just nice and easygoing and is a teenage boy himself. He didn't go after the goal of: "I want the assistant manager position so I'm going to be creative and think of ways to help increase business."

Wishbone: I got a flashback of the TV show Wishbone from 1995-1998. Here's it's description from imdb.com: "An intelligent and witty dog imagines himself in the role of characters from classic books and gets involved in similar real-life adventures."

I must have been 11 yrs old when I saw it, but there was an ep where the kid Joe wanted a business of his own, and thought of buying and delivering groceries. Joe read a business book: "Make personal connections with the customer." His friend Samantha was putting flowers in the grocery bags and Joe said that's how you make you a personal connection. Samantha said she was just being nice and not thinking about business.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112225/

The Baby-Sitters Club: Another example from my childhood was the book series The Baby- Sitters Club. The character Kristy was was 12 yrs old thought up the idea of: "What if you needed a baby- sitter? Instead of calling 5 people to ask if they're available to baby-sit your kid, you can call one number and are able to get a baby-sitter?"

I've read these books since I was 8 yrs old. I kept reading them until I was 14. I do reread the books when I was in high school. The entire time as a kid and teen, I wouldn't say I have a business mind. Now I'm 26, and read the business section all the time.

Kristy has a business mind and her business idea was average, if I were to grade it. Her idea was convenient, it's about supply and demand. I would say that it was good for a 12 yr old and her jr. high friends to run it the way they did.

Afghan girl news: I found this story on Yahoo about Sahur Gul who's a 15 yr old girl in Afghanistan was found beaten up and locked in a toilet for 5 months. She defied her in-laws who tried to force her into prostitution.

This line stood out: "The case highlights how women continue to suffer in Afghanistan despite the billions of dollars of international aid which has poured into the country during the decade-long war."

At least the article kind of ended with a bit of an upbeat note: "Last month, the United Nations said that a landmark law aiming to protect women against violence in Afghanistan had been used to prosecute just over 100 cases since being enacted two years ago."

This is why I keep forwarding and posting these Amnesty International emails to my friends and put them on my blog. I also like the women's magazine Marie Claire for writing serious articles about women in 3rd world countries. The world needs to be informed about what's going on and how to change and fix these problems.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/afghan-girl-locked-toilet-5-months-officials-165016469.html

Dec. 31: To close on a good note:

Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Your last chance to make a tax-creditable donation in 2011

This is from Amnesty International:


Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your activism.

Thank you for believing in human rights.

I just wanted to re-send my year end message to you, and remind you that if you haven't yet made a donation, that you only have 3 days left to receive a tax receipt for making a donation in 2011 to Amnesty International. If you've already made a year-end donation to us, please accept my thanks on behalf of Amnesty International.

Please click here to make your donation now!

I invite you to click on the link below to read my year-end message, or click on the video below to the right.

Read my end of year message by clicking here.

2011, this 50th anniversary year, draws to a close with a strong dose of both inspiration and outrage. Inspiration from the Middle East, from Cote d'Ivoire and from Burma. Outrage about today's human rights tragedies, from Attawapiskat to Damascus, and points in between.

Inspiration and outrage. That is our voice for human rights. That is your voice for human rights. And without your voice, without your support, none of this would be possible. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your activism. Thank you for believing in human rights.

As we enter 2012, there is still much for us to do together.

Please make your end of year donation to Amnesty International's life-saving work now.

Thank you,





Alex Neve,
Secretary-General
Amnesty International Canadian Section

p.s. Your support is essential for us – the truth is, without membership contributions, there is no Amnesty International. The more funds and supporters like you we have, the greater our impact will be. Please donate today and contribute to ensuring the world's human rights for us all.

jokes/ photo booth/ truth or dare

Dec. 27 Jokes: I got this from Daily Silly. It's a short joke; set up and punchline:

"A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument!"

Dec. 28: Here's another joke, but it kind of has a twist to it:

A man goes to the doctor and says: "It hurts when I press here" (pressing his side) "And when I press here" (pressing the other side) "And here" (his leg) "And here, here and here" (his other leg, and both arms) So the doctor examined him all over and finally discovered what was wrong. He exclaimed, "You've got a broken finger!"

Holiday joke: Here's a somewhat of a holiday joke.

After being away on business for a week before Christmas, Tom thought it would be nice to bring his wife a little gift. "How about some perfume?" he asked the cosmetics clerk. She showed him a bottle costing $50. "That's a bit much," said Tom, so she returned with a smaller bottle for $30. "That's still quite a bit," Tom groused. Growing disgusted, the clerk brought out a tiny $15 bottle. Tom grew agitated, "What I mean," he said, "is I'd like to see something real cheap." So the clerk handed him a mirror.

Comedy comparisons: I got some more examples about "getting scared about things that aren't supposed to be scary."

There was The Simpsons ep where Bart goes to kindergarten. He then drew this disturbing picture. Marge shows it to Homer.

Homer: Ahh! Burn it! Send it to hell!

Or the one on The Simpsons where some kids go to school on a snow day. The kids were watching this really bad Christmas movie. After the day was over, they open the doors and it turns out they're snowed in and trapped in the school.

Kid: We're going to miss Christmas.
The kids scream.
Principal Skinner: I fixed the dvd.
The kids scream even louder.

Photo booth: I was watching Jay Leno and there's a segment called "Photo Booth" where people get free photos from this photo booth. However, there's a woman host who talks to the people in the booth, and it's funny.

Cut to a married couple in the booth.

Host: How long have you been married?
Woman: 20 yrs.
Host: How about your husband leaves for a moment?
The Husband leaves.
Then this 20- something yr old guy enters and sits beside her. He then takes his shirt off and he puts his arm around her.

I'm like: "What?" Then I got this vibe it kind of felt like a strip club. You're in a booth and someone takes his shirt off for you.

Truth or Dare: There was a segment between other Jay Leno correspondents Mikey Day and Trevor Moore. They were playing truth or dare on the street. Mikey dares Trevor.

Mikey: I dare you to get people to sign a petition.
Cut to Trevor wearing a sandwich board saying: "Pave the Rainforest."

Trevor is walking around with a clipboard and no one was signing it. But he manages to get a group of 3 people to sign it. If I remember correctly, the 3 people were young looking, in their 20s.

Ebay: There's a segment called "Stuff we found on Ebay." Is it sold or not sold? There was a guitar that was made out of a toilet seat. It's a toilet seat with the guitar strings on it. It was sold. Cut to the Tonight Show band having the guitar. So the show bought it. lol.

Fun article: I got this from Emma Taylor through my blog. It's an article about "10 Famous Authors featured on The Simpsons."

http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.org/blog/2011/10-famous-authors-featured-on-the-simpsons/

Shopping: Today I did some shopping at City Centre mall. The clothing store Costa Blanca has closed down. Urban Behavior is about to close down. They're in their final days. Carlton Cards is now replaced by Papyrus. I read in the Edmonton Journal they are the same company. Papyrus is more classier and upscale than the family-oriented Carlton Cards.

There's a new store called Flurries. It sells leather boots and bags. I was at the mall a few weeks ago, and the GAP has closed down. On that one day it had that Free Store where they gave away free stuff. Now the store is empty.

Reading: I found this through Facebook from Ronald Peterson (from MADtv) and he put this up: "Date a girl who reads." The article was written by Rosemarie Urquico.

It's a really well-written about what is so good about dating a girl who reads. It's about my fave topics of reading and writing. It's kind of a quirky article.

http://nonamerah.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/869/

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

A special message from Sting (Amnesty International)

Dear Tracy,

When it comes to defending human rights, there is no organization I trust more than Amnesty International.

That's why I'm honored to join Patti Smith, the Dave Matthews Band, Adele, My Morning Jacket and a host of other artists for the upcoming tribute album Chimes of Freedom: Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International.

Amnesty understands that defending human rights requires vigilance, doggedness and a strong, global force for good. Right now Amnesty faces multiple, urgent human rights crises and needs your immediate financial support to tackle them head on.

Be part of the most successful, most honored global rights movement in history. Join me as a proud member of Amnesty International today.

Here's some of what we are up against:

Dozens of health professionals were arrested in March, apparently for treating wounded protestors in Bahrain. In September a military court found 20 of these doctors and health workers guilty of "inciting hatred of the regime" and "occupying the hospital by force."

The verdict brought prison sentences of 5-15 years. The health professionals are currently appealing the convictions.

Journalists threatened in Russia. Little progress has been made to increase the safety of journalists and human rights defenders who have the courage to expose abuses in Russia.

At least three high profile attacks, including the abduction and murder of human rights defender Natalia Estemirova, remain unsolved and uninvestigated.

Crackdown on human rights lawyers in China. Lawyers that challenge the government in court are threatened with suspension, disbarment and even criminal punishment. Where threats fail, lawyers are labeled dissidents and targeted with state violence. Human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng has been forcibly disappeared for more than a year.

These assaults on human rights must not go unanswered. Don't let the brave individuals I've highlighted become casualties of our silence and indifference.

Support human rights the world over by becoming a member of Amnesty.

Your gift is tax-deductible and will be put to work immediately. A generous donor will even triple your gift - but you must donate before December 31st.

Post Secret/ good news/ survival story

Dec. 25 Post Secret: There's a post card about a Post Secret:

"I saved this post secret in April during the most difficult year of my life and hoped that I would feel this way by the end of the year.

'This was a year of losses, but I am so happy with who I have become.'

It's December now and so much has changed. I've never been happier and I have everything I ever wanted."

Football player stops attack: I found this on Yahoo. This 18 yr old black football player Justin Richardson stops a teacher from attacking another teacher. It's between two women and one had a screw driver. Fortunately, Justin was there and was able to step in. Here's a video talking about what happened and he sounds very smart and calm. Good for him for having the courage to step in.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/highschool/blog/prep_rally/post/Heroic-football-player-stops-potentially-lethal-?urn=highschool-wp10312

Fight: I have saved an old email from Sherry. It's about stepping in fights.

Sherry: i occasionally do things like that, in defense of another person.. i am lucky that i have not been attacked over it

Me: Damn, you're brave.

Sherry: not always, and believe me i am usually feeling like i want to make a mess in my pants when i act like that, but sometimes you just have to protect someone, or no-one will....and sometimes by speaking up the aggressive one(s) snap out of it and get real and grounded again

Job: Today I worked on Christmas at my restaurant, just like last year. I get paid more because it's a holiday.

Christmas: On Christmas Eve, my family and I had dinner of roast beef and potatoes. Tonight we'll be eating the leftovers. Last night I called my friends up to wish them a Merry Christmas.

Zaib Shaikh: He is the lead actor in the TV show Little Mosque on the Prairie on CBC. He has recently confirmed me as his friend on Facebook. I have seen one episode of this show. They're going into their 6th season in Jan. 2012. It's kind of funny about a Muslim community living in a small town. I'm not Muslim, but I did find the show had a quirky small town feeling like the other Canadian show Corner Gas.

If you want to know more about him, I copy and pasted his info from Facebook onto my www.thevertexfghter.blogspot.com website.

The Vertex Fighter actors: I will throw in Zaib Shaikh to make an appearance in The Vertex Fighter. I can see him as a guy hanging out in the club.

I wrote about Sam Witwer before. He's the vampire Aidan on the supernatural show Being Human. I can see him as a fighter.

Dec. 26 Boxing Day: Today I worked and it was eh. I didn't really make any tips and I only worked in the morning. I could have worked in the afternoon, but it wasn't really busy and they were fine with 5 people working. Unlike on Christmas, it was busy and they needed me.

So I went home and then my mom and I went shopping. It was productive. I spent quality time with my mom as we look for work clothes for me. We went to a store that was closing down and looked for black shoes. There was none. Then we went to a clothing store and bought black dress pants for $15.75 for work. We went to another store for shoes, and there wasn't any.

Then I went home and washed my hair, and looked for a job.

Good news:

Found Girl: I read that Meri Yuranda is an Indonesian girl who was reunited with her family after 7 yrs. They thought she died in the tsunami on Boxing Day 2004. She lived with a woman and she was forced to beg on the streets. Yeah, well at least she's not a prostitute. It's confirmed that it really is her because of her birthmarks and scars. If they want more proof they could get a DNA test.

Coma patient wakes up: I found this story. This 21 yr old University of Arizona student Sam Schmid woke up from a coma after a few months. He had gotten into a car accident. Read here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/coma-patient-wakes-up-at-phoenix-hospital-after-nearly-being-taken-off-life-support/2011/12/23/gIQAFmIvDP_story.html?tid=pm_national_pop

I was reading in 24 News about how there was a suicide attack in Afghanistan. The good thing is that young men offered to donate their blood to victims right away.

Dec. 27 Charity: I was watching Pop Up Video, and they aired Eminem feat. Rihanna's "Love the Way You Lie." Meghan Fox and Dominic Monaghan are in the video. It said that MF donated her earnings from the music video to a women's shelter. That's good.

Survival story: I was watching the TV show Urban Legend last month. I've seen it before. It's where they show 3 urban legends, and you try to figure out which one is true. Here's a true story about a man named John Thompson. He lives and works on a farm, and he got into an accident.

His arms were cut off from farm equipment. When he came to, he went to his home. He tried to open the screen door and there was some difficulty. He called his cousin and told him what happened. I think he used a pencil to dial the numbers. The cousin then called an ambulance. The cousin came over, and found the dog was guarding the arm that was on the field. Both of his arms were then reattached.

Work: Today was busier at work than Boxing Day, so that's good.

Writing: For the past few days I actually went and worked on my Rain script. It turns out I haven't really been working on it since Aug.

Writing trust: I thought I had written myself in a corner when my characters don't trust each other when they work together. I talked to my friend Dan L. and he said it's about compromise. The characters have to compromise to be together. I would say the characters have to have a common goal.

It reminds me of Alias where Sydney and her dad Jack are double agents. They don't trust each other because they are estranged from each other. However, they have to work together to be able to take down the bad spy agency SD-6.

It's also been done on Prison Break. In the last season, there are some good guys who have to work with some bad guys to take down a bigger bad guy. I remember on the show, one of the characters mentioned that it's hard. It does complicate the show and make it more interesting to watch.

Writing tip: This is a writing tip that I have thought up: There's a difference between complicating the story, and making it too busy.

For example on an ep of Flashpoint, there is a bomb that Spike has to diffuse. To complicate it, he gets a phone call that his dad is in the hospital and that he may not make it through the night. He has to choose to either diffuse the bomb, and miss out seeing his dad before he passes away. Or quit trying to diffuse the bomb, and go straight to the hospital to see his dad.

The above ep was good. However, their other ep "A Day in the Life" was way too busy. There were 3 cases they had to run around town trying to solve. One with a woman holding a strip club owner hostage, talking down a guy who's about to jump off a bridge, and stopping a gun man from shooting up an office building.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

A reunion like no other (Amnesty International)

This is an inspiring video to watch.

Celebrate bringing home mothers, fathers, sons and daughters.

Dear Tracy,

The sweet embrace of freedom. A triumphant rescue of human dignity. A jubilant homecoming.

A prisoner of conscience has been released.

When you work for the release of those who are unjustly imprisoned, you are not only defending human rights, you are reuniting families torn apart by discrimination and oppression.

Being unjustly imprisoned is a terrifying ordeal. Dragged from their homes, disappeared, tortured – these men and women are persecuted for who they are, for what they believe, for the peaceful expression of their ideas.

But these prisoners met a massive, global force for good, a group of passionate individuals who shined a light into the darkness and demanded justice. The captors bowed to pressure, opened the prison doors, and set the prisoners free.

That force is you. That light is Amnesty.

This holiday season, celebrate reuniting families with Amnesty.

Share our special reunions holiday e-card with someone you love.

Because of you, fathers and mothers hold their children again. Sons and daughters live free. Families are made whole.

For prisoners of conscience and others unjustly imprisoned, the opportunity to make new memories with loved ones is a priceless, indescribable gift. Is there a sight more heartwarming than a family reunion like this?

I cherish these moments – they are a joy to behold and inspire all of us here at Amnesty. I hope you agree. After all, when you stood up for their human rights, you brought them home.

I can't think of a better place to be.

Reconnect with your loved ones. Introduce them to your passion for human rights with the Amnesty reunions holiday e-card.


In solidarity,
Curt Goering
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

funny video/ holiday jokes/ Asian- American Achievement

Dec. 14 Funny video: I was on twop.com "Unintentionally Funny TV Moments." Does anyone remember the TV show Life? It's a cop drama and it was on for 2 seasons. I never saw it, but here's a kind of funny video from the show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFfJ4ZC1AtA

Person: I do enjoy it when procedurals decide to do an episode about murder via video games or some such thing, because I usually get the feeling the writers have never actually played one before. Anyway, this clip from Life is seriously cracking me up. Especially the gaming montages. I'm glad to know that being good at Grand Theft Auto makes me a total badass.

Person 2: You also really have to wonder, did the kid have to play through the whole game every time he wanted to access his files?

I see there are 715 likes and 720 dislikes on Youtube. You either love the video montage or you don't. There are a lot of funny Youtube comments dissing it like it was a product placement.

I posted this on twop:

I have to say before I read the Youtube comments, I thought it was crappy. Are all these 8 people going to watch a girl play a video game so they could access the files? Shouldn't the rest of you guys be working on your computer on this case, or another case instead of watching someone play a video game? That is not productive at all when you are at work.

I thought the boss was going to be like: "Okay, you play the video game and call me when you get to level 10." It's so unbelievable. Thanks for sharing the clip. lol.

Dec. 20 Comedy comparisons: I have something to add to my comparison "Getting scared at things that aren't supposed to be scary." I remember this one from Family Guy where the womanizer Quagmire tells a scary story to the family.

Quagmire: And when he woke up in the morning, she was still in his bed. Ahhh!
Chris: That's it?
Quagmire: Yeah. And then she wanted to make him eggs. Ahhh! And he said: "Oh, I don't have time, I have a meeting at 12:30." She said: "I'll drive you there." Ahhh! And he said: "No, no it's at my office and it's like a half hour commute." And she said: "I don't mind, it's on my way to my kid's preschool." Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh!

You can watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yNaHQZrZ90

Dec. 21 Holiday jokes: I got this from Daily Silly.

This is my favorite one:

It was Christmas and the judge was in a merry mood as he asked the prisoner, "What are you charged with?" "Doing my Christmas shopping early," replied the defendant. "That's no offense," said the judge. "How early were you doing this shopping?" "Before the store opened," countered the prisoner.

This is an average one:

About two weeks before Christmas, a little Catholic boy decided to write a letter to Santa. He started "Dear Santa...", he thought "No, I will go to a higher authority", so he decided to write a letter to Jesus. "Dear Jesus, If you get me a bike for Christmas, I will be good for two weeks." "NO NO NO NO, I can't be good for two weeks," he thought to himself. So he started all over again... "Dear Jesus, If you get me a bike for Christmas I will be good for one week." "NO NO NO NO, I can't be good for one week," he thought to himself. So he quickly ran to the Study room and grabbed their statue of Mary, and quickly wrapped it up in a blanket. He started all over again. "Dear Jesus, I have your mother...if you ever want to see her again...get me a bike for Christmas!"

I like this joke. This is something for parents to teach a lesson to their kids, but they should clarify what the lesson is:

Sarah and her thirteen-year-old sister had been fighting a lot this year. This happens when you combine a headstrong two-year-old, who is sure she is always right, with a young adolescent. Sarah's parents, trying to take advantage of her newfound interest in Santa Claus, reminded the two-year-old that Santa was watching and doesn't like it when children fight. This had little impact. "I'll just have to tell Santa about your misbehavior," the mother said as she picked up the phone and dialed. Sarah's eyes grew big as her mother asked "Mrs. Claus" (really Sarah's aunt; Santa's real line was busy) if she could put Santa on the line. Sarah's mouth dropped open as Mom described to Santa (Sarah's uncle) how the two-year-old was acting.

But, when Mom said that Santa wanted to talk to her, she reluctantly took the phone. Santa, in a deepened voice, explained to her how there would be no presents Christmas morning to children who fought with their sisters. He would be watching, and he expected things to be better from now on. Sarah, now even more wide eyed, solemnly nodded to each of Santa's remarks and silently hung the phone up when he was done. After a long moment, Mom (holding in her chuckles at being so clever) asked, "What did Santa say to you, dear?" In almost a whisper, Sarah sadly but matter-of-factly stated, "Santa said he won't be bringing toys to my sister this year."

Asian- American Achievement: Carol Brown sent this article through my blog. It's called "20 Amazing Stats about Asian- American Achievement." I liked the article because it was interesting and informative. The last bit #20: "Asian- American students are achieving at high-poverty schools." These are schools that are underfunded and aren't really good, but these 30% of Asian and Pacific Islander students attend these schools, and are getting good grades.

#5: "Asian- American kids aren't more stressed than their peers." They had 5000 11th grade math students, of Asian-American and white Americans, and they have the same level of stress.

http://www.onlinecollege.org/2011/12/13/20-amazing-stats-about-asian-american-achievement/

Dec. 24 Christmas card: Earlier this week, my newspaper carrier gave my family a Christmas card. He had written and signed it as "Newspaper Carrier." My sister and I thought he should have added his name, and that it was a nice gesture.

Kim Jonj Il: I'm sure all of you have heard by now that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has passed away. Jay Leno made a joke about it.

JL: One of his successors could be Kim Jong Il's two sisters, Kourtney and Khloe Jong Il.
lol.

Get it? Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe are the names of the Kardashian sisters on the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Pop Up Video: This is a really fun show. I was watching the music video "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO. I learned that the pop duo are uncle and nephew. I didn't know that because I'm not really a fan of them. I do like their songs "Shots" and "Top of the World." Did you know that Hok from America's Best Dance Crew winning crew Quest is in the video? He actually choreographed it too. I thought that was cool.

They showed Dr. Dre feat. Eminem's video "Forgot about Dre." In it, the news reporter Jane Yamamota is a real news reporter who made appearances on 9 other shows. It kind of perpetuates the racial stereotype of "Asian woman news reporter." The neighborhood was also shot on the same set Desperate Housewives is now filmed in.

Video: What does Eminem's neighbors say about him?
Me: He's nice?
My brother was watching with me.
P: He's quiet?
Video: "He's friendly and shakes your hand."
lol.

Christmas: To close, Merry Christmas!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Re: Troy: The struggle doesn't end with me (Amnesty International)

Dear Tracy,

Given the number of families facing serious human rights abuses, I am pleased to announce that a special group of individuals has offered to triple any gift you make before December 31st.

You can fight human rights abuses with a contribution to Amnesty today. Act now and your gift will be tripled by a generous donor.

We will put your gift to work quickly, tackling human rights abuses around the world.

Thank you,

Curt Goering
Chief Operating Officer and Acting Executive Director
Amnesty International USA

911 call/ Grimm/ Billionare secrets

Dec. 20 911 call: I found this on Yahoo news. There's this 13 yr old girl who was home alone because she was sick. Two burglars came into her home and she ran into her home, and hid under the bed. She was talking to the 911 operator.

The two young men went room to room, and took the Christmas presents. As soon as they left the house, the police were already there. They were 19 yr olds and one was an acquaintance to the family.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/news-26797925/michigan-girl-s-shocking-911-call-27637222.html

Holiday Rush: I got this email from Shirley Zeilinger about my blog. It's called: “9 Businesses That Depend On The Holiday Rush"(http://www.businesscreditcards.com/bootstrapper/9-businesses-that-depend-on-the-holiday-rush/)

It mentions airports, Hallmark, credit card companies, and non-profits. They forgot to mention hotels because a lot of people go on vacations during this time and stay at hotels. They didn't mention restaurants, but they do get busy because people celebrate there. Also Chinese restaurants are open on Christmas.

Grimm: This is a TV show with Buffy producer David Greenwalt. It's supernatural about a police detective that has the ability to see supernatural creatures. This is from imdb.com:

"Nick Burkhardt discovered he is descendant of an elite line of criminal profilers known as "Grimms," charged with keeping balance between humanity and the mythological creatures of the world."

I decided to check out the episode "Lonely Hearts." A Driver hits a Woman with his car on the bridge. A mysterious man named Billy puts a hand over the Woman's mouth as the Driver calls 911.

Cut to another scene of a man who pulls out an ax from his suitcase and becomes a demon.

Det. Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) and his African- American partner Hank (Russell Hornsby) investigate the case. They talk to the husband of the woman who died, and who had domestic violence on him. They investigate leads to a Bed and Breakfast that's close by the bridge.

Hank steps on a toad by accident, and the B&B manager Billy turns into a demon in the water reflection that Nick sees. They leave, and Billy eats the toad. The entire time I was watching Billy, he looked so familiar. Then I remembered he was on a Criminal Minds ep months ago. The actor's name is Patrick Fischler.

I like the ethnic diversity here, when I notice an Asian guy cop Sgt. Wu played by Reggie Lee.

Cut back to the Demon with the ax who is looking for the detective who shot and killed his friend. He came to the station and asked Sgt. Wu, but he wouldn't give info to him. Demon walks past Nick. This is the 4th episode of the season, and I haven't seen anything prior to it, so I'm going to assume Nick did it.

Nick looks into a demon book, which is like on Buffy where the characters research about demons. His friend Monroe is a Grimm creature himself. It's played by Silas Weir Mitchell (he was Haywire on Prison Break.)

The demon is a Goat Demon Blue Beard who is a lover and who gets all these women. Monroe says if that Goat Demon touches you, they own you. Earlier, when Nick and Hank were at B&B, Billy touched Hank. There are clusters of missing women, victims of the Goat demon.

Cut to B&B. Billy goes to basement and gives food to 3 cages where women's hands take them. Hank puts tracking device on Billy's car, but Billy walks. Nick follows while Hank checks the B&B garden. Nick sees Billy eat a toad. He also sees him turn into a goat. Nick calls Monroe to go to bar to watch Billy.

Police Captain Renard (Sasha Roiz) sees Demon with ax. Renard is evil and cuts off Demon's ear: "It's a lesson so you listen when I speak."

At the bar Billy is working his magic on a woman Lisa (Haley Talbot). Cut to Hank at the B&B and hears something downstairs and enters. A bed post turns into a snake- it was scary. There's gas in the basement so he passes out, and doesn't answer phone when Nick calls.

Billy goes to the B&B and turns off the gas. Lisa from the bar goes to the B&B and Nick gets her to leave so he can get to Billy. Nick gets beat on Hank and he's in B&B. He finds Hank, and Billy then locks them both in the basement, and turns on the gas.

There's gas, so they can't shoot the door or it'll blow up. When I saw Nick pull out his gun, I was like: "No, there's gas!" They break the door, and rescue the women. However, Billy and Lisa leaves together. But, wait, the tracking device in the car still works.

They find him, and there's a crazy chase after him. Billy turns into a Goat's head and runs. He gets hit by a car and is in an ambulance. A Female Paramedic touches him so he may escape since he can work his magic on her.

Review: I did see a second episode called "The Three Bad Wolves." I will give this show an average rating. It's well-written and well- acted, but I don't know if I can really get into this show. If you like the supernatural, you may like watching Grimm.

Dec. 21 Books: Florine Church emailed this through my blog. It's called "The 20 Best Books of 2011 You Should Read Over Winter Break." I read book reviews in the Edmonton Journal, the National Post, and the Globe and Mail.

Half are fiction, and the other half are non-fiction. There are the popular best-sellers like Bossypants by Tina Fey.

http://www.bachelorsdegreeonline.com/blog/2011/the-20-best-books-of-2011-you-should-read-over-winter-break/

Billionare Secrets: This was on 20/20 on Oct. 28, 2011. I had written about 3 self-made billionares, but here's one more. Tony Hsieh is a Zappos shoe maker who sells his shoes in Las Vegas. He makes all of his employees happy. He is the son of Taiwanese parents.

He go into Harvard, but didn't attend any classes. He did the readings and taught himself the material, and got all As. This proves he's smart.

He bought frozen McDonald's patties and cooked it and sold it college students. He made $5000-$10,000. This proves he's got a business mind.

He created a fun environment at his company: He gives free food in the cafeteria, medical insurance, and a life coach. Amazon bought Zappos for $2 million and he's a CEO. His salary is $36,000 so he's staying there, and he's not just in it for the money.

Tony says: "Success is if you lose everything, you can still be happy with yourself."

Here's some more info on him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hsieh

The Return of Joe Rich: I found this movie starring Sam Witwer. I saw him in the TV show Being Human. Joe Rich is about a guy who lost his job, and his wife. He has nowhere to go, but decides to work for the mafia. Check it out:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1540014/

Here's the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA8eFcjcpSU

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Troy: The struggle doesn't end with me (Amnesty International)

"The struggle for justice doesn't end with me." -- Troy Davis

Dear Tracy,

Troy Davis knew that the battle to stop his execution was about something bigger -- and so did his family. His sister Martina joined Amnesty more than a decade ago because she knew that other families, besides hers, were suffering at the hands of unjust systems.

Martina used all of her strength to battle two things: cancer and human rights abuses. In death penalty cases, families of both murder victims and death row inmates endure unknowable pain. Martina's body finally gave out on Dec. 1, ten years after her doctors thought she would live, and a few months after her brother was executed. I was so privileged to have worked by her side for a dozen years and to have been with her in her final days.

Amnesty members should feel proud that we helped Martina raise her voice for her brother. We are heartbroken by this loss, but we know what we must do. We must continue the fight for other families, because we are all connected as one human family.

Shine a light. Please join Amnesty today.

We have no time to lose. There are families facing serious human rights abuses right now.

Fatima Hussein Badi of Yemen may only have days to live. Arrested for the murder of her husband, she was questioned by police for hours without a lawyer. When she refused to confess, police brought in her brother Abdullah.

Fatima was threatened with rape in the presence of her brother, who then confessed to save his sister from being raped. They were both sentenced to death, and Abdullah was executed in 2005.

Yes, I will make a year-end gift to fight for human rights.

The pain of separation can be nearly unbearable. Shin Sook-ja, a radio announcer in North Korea, and her two daughters were sent to the secret Yodok political prison camp over 24 years ago. Yodok is notorious -- inmates are beaten and malnourished. Many prisoners die in detention.

Sook-ja and her daughters were punished because her husband, Oh Kil-nam, requested political asylum. Kil-nam has not heard from his family in 20 years.

These families wait for reunion, justice, freedom, a ray of hope.

We must stop this suffering before more families are shattered. Giving to Amnesty now will help to ensure that all families have an existence worthy of human dignity. Please, join Amnesty now, and give as generously as you can.

We must and we will continue this fight.

milestone/ speed dating/ flashback

Dec. 14 Milestone: In the interview where I had fun at, they asked me a question: "What have you achieved last year?" I usually get questions about: "What is the achievement you're most proud of?" I would say getting my high school diploma is something I'm most proud of because it was harder to get than my college diploma.

In college, I took what I'm interested in, writing. In high school, I had to take math and science which I'm not good at. I really had to think about what I have achieved last year. I said that getting my job at the restaurant and keeping it for a year was the biggest achievement last year. It took me 8 months to get the job, and keeping it and staying there is something to be proud of.

New job: Yesterday I started my 2nd job that's supposed to be temporary for the holidays. It reminded me of the two juice places I worked at for a short time during my unemployment back in 2010. The uniforms, the people, the environment was similar to the juice places.

Today I did my second day, and I dreaded coming to work today. I didn't like it. You work really hard and the pay is $1 more than min. wage. I'm getting the vibe that the managers don't really like me because I'm not really good. They will keep me around for the remaining time I'm there. I doubt they will offer me a job after the holidays.

Job interview articles: I got this from Alberta Job Centre. It's called "How to Handle the Five Killer Telephone Interview Questions." They provide good answers to "What is your weakness?" You should say that you find it hard to find the time to keep up with all the new technologies and skills related to your work. They said everybody experiences that.

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/content/index.cfm?objectid=3D4B5304-2219-80B4-53217D44D4091574&utm_source=Albertajobcentre.ca&utm_campaign=c96eb774de-AB_Career_Dec_14_201112_14_2011&utm_medium=email

Another article: "Do I have to Answer that Question?" It's an okay article, but you're really on the page to watch a Monty Python comedy sketch about a weird job interview. The interviewer asks questions that have no relevance to the job. At the end it was funny, but I was like: "What?"

http://www.albertajobcentre.ca/content/index.cfm?objectID=19BFF4E6-2219-80B4-53071BC9B5B7474A&utm_source=Albertajobcentre.ca&utm_campaign=28b1056173-AB_Career_Dec_07_201112_7_2011&utm_medium=email

Pregnancy employment: My friend Sherry and I were talking about how pregnancy affects your employment:

Sherry: if someone already has a trade like cake decorating, graphic design, accounting/bookeeping or sys admin/programming it is more possible to work right through the 9 months, if the employers do not feel the pregnancy to be a visual negative on customers. out of sight non-labour jobs are best.

Me: Any office jobs where you're sitting most of the time, shouldn't really affect your pregnancy. I remember going to college in 2006, and there was this librarian who was 9 months pregnant and was working there.

Flashback: Now, I'm getting a flashback of when I was a kid and there was this Ann Landers advice column. A woman wrote in saying she's pregnant and working as a waitress, because she needs the money. She doesn't like it when customers touch her stomach. AL says: "You should tell the customers that you are very sensitive to being touched and gently move their hand away."

Dec. 15 French service: That job interview to be a fine dining server has had an effect on me. It's the interview where I totally flopped and was asked questions like: "What's the difference between French and American service?"

Yeah, well I found a website about the service industry called www.tip20.com. American service is where the plate, glasses, and silverware are there when the guest arrives. French service is where the servers bring the tray of food to the guest. The guest then serve themselves.

http://www.tip20.com/3-types-of-service-american-french-russian/47

Then I read the article called "Hi! I'm the Waitress at your Local Nudie Bar." I recognize the pic because it was used on Post Secret. It's kind of depressing to read the article. The writer seems angry and doesn't like her job as a waitress.

http://www.tip20.com/hi-im-the-waitress-at-your-local-nudie-bar/939

This is a good website if you work in the restaurant/ service industry.

Dec. 16 Speed dating: So I finally went and tried out speed dating. I emailed 3 of my friends to come with me, and they didn't. It was a good experience. It was 8 min. of talking with each guy. It's about focusing on the purpose. It's to find a boyfriend. The first guy I talked to was nice and friendly, but I wrote down on the card "No."

There were 5 other guys I talked to, I was not interested in whatsoever. So it goes to my next objective to know where they worked at, and then learn something about their job and company. One company I will look up. Another guy, I told him that I see him more as a networking for work and TV producing because he says he's going to produce Youtube videos.

The last guy I talked to, I think there was a connection. We talked about these TV shows we both liked to watch. Also if you're not interested in this person, then it's still good to talk to them and see into their lives. Then I could use it for my writing.

Dream: Prior to this event, I had two dreams about it. Two weeks ago, I dreamed that Cordelia (from Buffy) and I were walking in an industrial part of town to go to the event. I think I missed it or something. Then the night before the event I dreamed that my parents and grandma won't let me go.

When I got hired at my 2nd part-time job for the holidays, I was nervous. I dreamed that I was 20min late for work.

Dec. 17 Date: So today after work, I got a call from the last guy I thought I had a connection with from the other night. His name is Glenn. I was at the mall, and it was in the afternoon, so I asked if he wanted to hang out right now. He said yes, because he's going to take a trip tomorrow and be gone for a few weeks.

So I was at the mall for 45 min. and did a little shopping. Then we met up and talked for an 1hr and 15min. Wow, I went out twice in one week. That's a milestone. lol.

Break: I'm kind of taking a break from my office job search. I'm only looking for an office job through one website instead of the usual four. I've been busy with my 2nd part-time job.

Dec. 18 Book: I know I just sent a weekly email yesterday, but I had to send one today due to this flashback. I'm really excited by it. I was reading the Edmonton Journal book review about The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg.

It's a book with 14 illustrations and a line from the short story. Burdick gave it to the publisher and said he will be back with the short stories to all the pictures. Then he disappeared. It still got published, and it's used to battle writer's block. There's an interesting picture, and it makes the mind wander and think of a story to it.

The original edition came out in 1984. This new edition has 14 big authors like Stephen King, and Gregory Maguire (Wicked) to write their own stories to these pictures. Here's the book:

http://www.amazon.ca/Chronicles-Harris-Burdick-Fourteen-Amazing/dp/0547548109/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324251995&sr=1-1

Flashback: My flashback is back in gr. 5, my teacher showed this book to the class and we were all supposed to pick a picture and write a story about it. In the book review there was "The House on Maple Street." It shows a suburban home lifting off the ground like a rocket. The line: "It was a perfect lift-off." I wrote a short story about that one.

I had cut my picture book into the shape of a house. I remember the class thought cutting the book like that was creative. The story was of a teen girl named Mariah, and she had to baby-sit two older kids (like 9yrs old) Lenni and Jamal. There was a younger boy who was younger like 5 yrs old. The house went into space, and something with one of the characters taking pictures of the stars and planets.

I named Mariah because of one of my favorite singers Mariah Carey. Lenni and Jamal are names from the TV show Ghostwriter. Baby-sitting was from my fave book series The Baby-Sitter's Club. This is like from 15 yrs ago, and I remember it. lol.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Last Chance - Sigg bottles, scarves and calendars before Dec. 25

This is from Amnesty International:


Shown in Photo: AI Sigg Bottles


Tracy,

There's still time to give gifts with purpose at Amnesty International's holiday sale. To get your order before December 25th, order no later than:

December 18th for standard shipping
December 20th for Rush Orders.

Thank you for shopping Amnesty and supporting our life-saving human rights work. Happy Holidays! Visit our store.


2012 CALENDAR - $13.99 $11.00


WEEKLY PLANNER - $12.95 $10.00


AMNESTY POSTER - $15.00 $11.00


BINH MINH LOOP SCARF - $30.00 $25.50


SMALL YEGO EARRINGS - $32.00 $25.60


PLEATED SHOULDER BAG - $35.00 $28.00


SOCCER BALL - $30.00 $24.00


FREE WEAVE SCARF- RUST - $18.00 $15.30


GOLD & SILVER BRAIDED BRACELET - $25.00 $20.00


FREE BIRD NECKLACE - $27.50 $24.75


ENDURING SPIRIT - $25.00 $15.00


VESSEL OF LIGHT CANDLE - $25.00 $21.00

The Vertex Fighter actors/ holiday jokes/ Death Valley

Dec. 12 The Vertex Fighter actors: Last night I woke up at 3am, and then I wrote down that I thought Aaron Douglas from The Bridge should be in The Vertex Fighter. He could play Banks. On The Bridge, AD plays the lead who's very serious, focused, smart, authoritative figure. Those are similar traits to Banks.

Degrassi actors: On the TV show Degrassi, I have mentioned that I really like James Edward Campbell (Fitz on the show.) There was a MMA storyline given to the character Drew played by Luke Bilyk. I can see him as a fighter. I do like Degrassi, so I might as well throw in all the actors from season 10 who I want to see make an appearance in The Vertex Fighter. These are the actors and the characters they play on Degrassi:

Landon Liboiron as Declan Coyne: He plays a good kid, so I see him as an extra.
Argiris Karras as Riley Stavros: Good kid, maybe a fighter.
Raymond Ablack as Sav Bhandari: Good kid, maybe a fighter.
Shannon Kook-Chun as Zane Park: Good kid, maybe a fighter.
Munro Chambers as Eli Goldsworthy: Good kid, extra.
Daniel Kelly as Owen Milligan: He plays a bully, so a fighter.

There are only 5 core characters. But the Degrassi actors can like all be extras and sit in the audience in the the Vertex club scenes.

Dec. 14 Holiday jokes: Here's the fun email. I don't really have the holiday spirit right now. Probably because I didn't decorate the Christmas tree or my house this year. I do get jokes emailed to me from Daily Silly. Here's some holiday jokes:

"Q. Why is Christmas just like a day at the office?
A. You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit."

A Russian couple was walking down the street in St. Petersburg the other night, when the man felt a drop hit his nose. "I think it's raining," he said to his wife.

"No, that felt more like snow to me," she replied. "No, I'm sure it was just rain, he said." Well, as these things go, they were about to have a major argument about whether it was raining or snowing. Just then they saw a minor communist party official walking toward them. "Let's not fight about it," the man said, "let's ask Comrade Rudolph whether it's officially raining or snowing."

As the official approached, the man said, "Tell us, Comrade Rudolph, is it officially raining or snowing?"

"It's raining, of course," he answered and walked on. But the woman insisted: "I know that felt like snow!" To which the man quietly replied: "Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear!"

Headlines: Jay Leno showed an ad about a doctor's name: "Noah Lott" like "Know a lot." Quirky.

There was ad for a psychic "Love Reading": "Free slice of cheesecake with reading."

Death Valley: I saw this on Halloween. Have you ever seen or heard of the TV show Death Valley? It's a TV show making fun of Cops, but this time the cops have to deal with supernatural things like vampires and werewolves. It's actually kind of funny. Bryce Johnson whom you may have seen play a cop on Pretty Little Liars is also on this show, playing a cop. He is handsome. He plays Officer Billy Pierce.

Billy and a Cop confront this Drug Addict.

Billy: Are you a zombie?
Drug addict: No, I'm just really addicted to crack, sir.
lol.

Later I channel surfed and caught another ep. In this scene, an old woman is keeping her zombie husband tied up and alive.

Woman cop: I lost my mom in the 7th grade. I miss her, but I have to move on because it's the only choice.

This is really supposed to be a funny and stupid show, but that was a really nice line.

Degrassi: I know, it's kind of late to be talking about Halloween, but I did find this funny joke. In the season premiere called "Nowhere to Run". A group of the kids go to a cabin in the woods. There is a guy with a chainsaw coming to the door.

Bianca: He must want a virgin. Katie, Claire, sacrifice yourself.
lol.
It turns out it was one of the kid's parents.

Stupid criminals: This is from 2005. I remember I was on Real Player news, and there were 2 college guys sitting in a car.

CG #1: You should give the cop the finger, and he won't do anything to you.
CG #2 gets out of the car and goes up to the Cop.
CG#2 gives the fingers to Cop. CG#1 is laughing in the car.
Cop pulls out his baton and hits CG#2 to the ground.
CG#1 in the car stops laughing and is saying "Oh my God!"
CG#2 runs away.

Me: That's what you get for disrespecting cops. That's the thing with people, you can't predict what they're going to do all the time. You can say that's police brutality, but those college guys were punks. This should be a lesson to all the people to not disrespect cops. I'm siding with the cop. When a guy is a jerk to you, you're going to be jerk back. It's a good thing he didn't pull out a gun.

What if this was taken to court? To sue the police officer for police brutality. It can go either way. Half side with the cop, the other half say he's too mean.

Comedy comparisons:

Getting scared at things that aren't supposed to be scary: I was watching Desperate Housewives ep "The Art of Making Art." Lynette was on her laptop, and then she slams it shut when her friend Renee enters. Renee thinks it was porn, but it was really Lynette making an online dating video:

Lynette: Hi, I'm Lynette. I'm 45 yrs old and I've been recently divorced after 20 yrs of marriage. I have 5 children and I'm a Cancer. Coincidentally, I have gotten cancer and beaten it, twice.

After watching the video.
Renee: That is the most disturbing thing I have ever seen.

Later Lynette goes to a bar, and this guy comes up to her and I recognized him as PI on Veronica Mars. His name is Ken Marino, I had to look up the actor.

It also reminds me of Spice World. Victoria (Posh Spice) was talking about her nightmare:

Victoria: I had a nightmare where I was performing and I wasn't wearing any makeup.
All the girls acted scared.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Holiday Sale - shirts, Siggs, and scarves for human rights

This is from Amnesty International.

Shown in Photo: Amnesty Apparel


Dear Tracy,

Shop Amnesty International's holiday sale and give gifts with a purpose. Save on fair-trade jewelry, scarves, bags and our holiday cards. Every purchase you make supports our life-saving human rights work. Visit our store.

P.S. We refreshed our store to make it easier to find the gifts you need - check out the new shop.amnestyusa.org today.

plain truth/ Polaris Project/ writer

Dec. 8 Plain truth: What I like about Tyra Banks is that she tells the plain truth and ask questions I want answered. Here's the part I found of that teen pregnancy episode. It's with the African- American girl Jessica who said she had two abortions and a miscarriage. Tyra pointed it out like she was buying lunch. It's not that Tyra was trying to be mean or snarky, but this was the plain truth. That's how Jessica sounded here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACqpKMxurDE&feature=related

Also when Tyra was interviewing the 14 yr old girl Sue- Ann. Tyra was asking her the questions about what her boyfriend does for a job if they are going to have a baby.

Sue- Ann: My boyfriend says if I have his baby, he's going to stick around.
The audience laughs.
Tyra: Does your boyfriend have a job?
Sue- Ann: He does lawn work.
The audience laughs again.

I know the audience isn't trying to be mean or snarky, but they just couldn't hold back their laughter at this stupidity and lack of logic. Teen pregnancy is nothing to laugh about. What we're laughing about is that they are all so delusional.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPAhO2LvUGg&feature=related

Tyra asked Katheryn who's 16 and got pregnant on purpose.

Tyra: You were looking for a guy to go out and have a baby with? Because you wanted to?
Katheryn: Yeah.
Tyra: You sound like a 38 yr old woman who feels the clock ticking.
The audience laughs. Yeah, Tyra seemed to be trying to be funny here, but it's true that's how Katheryn sounded.

Then Katheryn talks about how she thought she could get on welfare, and then you hear some of the audience members groan and say "Ohh."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSnUzWmo02c&feature=related

Dec. 11 Group Therapy: Remember a few weeks ago I sent this email/ blog post about the Globe and Mail advice column called "Group Therapy":

I read this question for next week: "My best friend was happily dating a man for several months until he dumped her via text message. She is now pregnant and wants to keep the baby, and not tell him about it. I tell her he has the right to know, and she refuses. How do I persuade her?"

I said the woman needs to tell her ex-boyfriend because he should know that he has a kid. He may not be there for her or the kid, but he should at least know about it.

My friend Sherry: i would want to know what the text message was first. i think the friend should ask why the mom doesn't want to tell him and get her talking.....maybe he turned out to be an ass somehow. like, maybe he 'found someone better' in which case he will not be trustable. or maybe it had not been as happy a relationship as the friend thought, like if he'd started hitting the woman and when she told him backoff or bugoff he tried to put a guilt trip on her and it failed. or maybe he told her he'd been fixed so he didn't need to wear protection. only she knows, till she talks

Actual advice: The main advice was published by Lynn Coady that the woman does need to tell her ex-boyfriend this. She also has to tell her kid what his or her dad is like. That you can't play "keep-away" from one of your parents who made half of you. The other people's advice was go to court with a mediator to plan custody or child support.

The Simpsons: A couple weeks ago, they aired an episode called "The Book Job." I liked it because it was about writing. Homer and Bart recruit others to create a hit tween literature book. They talked about how the vampire subject has been "suck dry." lol. They brainstorm what is a hit like the lead character is an orphan like Harry Potter.

I can throw in the lead Elena on The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith and Alex in the Alex Rider mystery series by Anthony Horowitz. Lisa Simpson is experiencing writer's block so she procrastinates. Later Lisa becomes the face of the author of Homer and Bart's team of writers. It was a creative and fun episode with a plot twist ending.

You can read more about the ep here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_Job

Polaris Project: I found this website months ago, but I'm telling you now. The Polaris Project combats human trafficking. On the site, it says they work with survivors, and the operate the National Human Trafficking Resource Centre:

We are not a government entity, law enforcement or an immigration authority.
Call us at: 1-888-3737-888

To report a tip;
To connect with anti-trafficking services in your area; or,
To request training and technical assistance, general information or specific anti-trafficking resources.

http://www.polarisproject.org/about-us/introduction

Dec. 12 Fun: Today I went to the bank and the young East Indian woman teller recognized me from the Soup place. She asked me where I worked at now, and I told her at another restaurant. I worked at the Soup place for 2 yrs (2008-2010), and haven't worked there since it closed down in 2010, and she still remembers me. lol.

Celeb dates: That news bit about that woman who dates guys to get a free meal has a real effect on me. I don't know what guys she has to go on a date with. By all means the guys could be boring, or jerks. Then I thought: "I can't really enjoy a lobster or steak dinner if I had to sit and talk to the following guys":

1. Aaron Carter: He his Backstreet Boy Nick Carter's little brother. I hate his music and his videos when he came out with them in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I remember Britney Spears saying: "If you don't like me, then don't look at me." So I don't look at AC. Though I have checked out the reality show House of Carters, where all 5 Carter siblings lived together. It was an okay show. I hate his music, but don't hate him as person because he seems okay on the TV show and interviews.

2. Joe Francis: The guy who created Girls Gone Wild. I've seen him on the Tyra Banks show. I don't like how he makes money off this young women who are drunk and flash themselves. However, he did say that there is 48 hr window where a young woman can say that she doesn't want to be in his videos.

3. Howie Day: He's a singer, and he's a total jerk. There was a news story back in 2004, and he admitted that it happened. It was a story of how he invited some girls to his tour bus for drinks. He followed one young woman to the back as she goes to the washroom. He made advances on her, and she said no. He then locked her in the bathroom and another young woman said she was going to call the police. HD broke her cell phone.

Fortunately, he was arrested for disorderly conduct and had to pay a $200 fine and written apology. You can read it here. Fortunately, there were other women there so there was safety in numbers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howie_Day#Legal_trouble

Writer: The writer/ blogger in me then thought: "This woman could start a food blog. She could write about the reviews of restaurants, the service, and the food." A few weeks ago, there was an ep on The Simpsons called "The Food Wife" where Marge, Bart and Lisa start a food blog.

Published: So I got my poem "Downtown Streets" published by the Poetry Institute of Canada. I got the letter back in Sept. and I forgot to send the author release form. I don't know, I put it away. I then found it a couple weeks ago in Dec., and sent it. It was too late, but I emailed them and they said they will publish it in next year's poetry anthology.

I think I didn't send the release form right away because I wasn't as excited about it getting published as my two short stories were. I then misplaced the letter. Look, the point is, it will get published later.

Lynn Coady: She's the author of the book The Antagonist. I've read good reviews about it in the newspaper. She's also the writer-in-residence at Grant MacEwan University. I sent her my Rain script and it took a few months, but she finally got back to me today. The comments in the script were some things about grammar, and how there should be character descriptions.

She did say the story unfolded fast and the character Rain was established well.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Who inspires you? (Amnesty International)

We need a hero. Yours.

Tracy, we always remember our first.

I'm talking about the moment of our human rights awakening. When we realized a wrong had been done - to ourselves or to another - and felt compelled to make it right.

Whether that moment was yesterday or a lifetime ago, there is probably a person who opened your eyes and inspired you to rise up, speak out and defend basic rights.

Who is that hero? Recognize him or her publicly. Name the person who inspired you to care about human rights.

You can name anyone.

The icons. Martin Luther King, Jr. Aung San Suu Kyi. Desmond Tutu. The man who stood in front of a line of tanks during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

The defenders. Lydia Cacho, Rebecca Masika Katsuva, Yolanda Becerra Vega, and others working to protect the liberty and lives of those facing widespread human rights abuses.

Your circle. A parent. A coworker. Your high school civics teacher. The local activist who lit candles with you at a vigil. The Facebook friend who says, "Join me. Speak against this abuse."

Help us build a gigantic wall of human rights heroes - the people who lit the way, winning human rights battles large and small. Add your hero today and you could win a 2012 Amnesty calendar or the new Chimes of Freedom album.

Most importantly - have fun, be proud, and keep on being the world's strongest force for good.

Thanks for all you do.

Donate now.

Sincerely,

Curt Goering
Chief Operating Officer and Acting Executive Director


P.S. Don't forget, when you enter a hero you have a chance to win a 2012 Amnesty calendar or Chimes of Freedom CD. Click here to visit the Amnesty Hero Wall.

job interviews/ economy news/ job

Dec.8 Job interviews:

Car dealership: Earlier this week, I did a job interview at a car dealership. They called me and I said I can come in for an interview that afternoon.

I did one for them last year. This time I was interviewed by 2 different men. They asked me questions like "What's a good boss?" I said: "Honest, trustworthy, and smart." We even discussed a little MMA because they asked about my writing. lol. There's a little rapport there.

The interview was okay. There were 6 applicants for this position, and maybe a 2nd interview. He even said that a job may not be that good, if someone hires you on the spot. Like, you don't know much about the job and they don't know much about you. Suddenly they're willing to hire you so soon? Maybe if they're desperate and need someone. I got hired at the Soup place on the spot when we did the interview. But that was a good place to work, since I've been there for 2 yrs. I know there are a lot of companies like retail who hire people really soon.

Dispatcher: I did an interview this morning at this taxi company dispatcher. I got a call last night, and set it up for the morning. The interview was 5 min. long. One woman went in before me, and after I talked to the boss, another woman was waiting to be interviewed. They're hiring for 2 part-time positions. I told them my availability was afternoons and evenings.

He's trying to see what people's availability are, and see if they match to his company. That's happened before at this interview I did at a cafe that was going to open, and the one at a college food service. He mentioned that some dispatchers take shifts that end at 3am. I'm willing to work as late as 9pm. The office was small and smelled like cigarette smoke.

Hair salon: I went to another interview in the afternoon and it didn't go as well as the dispatcher. I got there and had to fill out an application that took me 25min. It was 3 pages long and I had to make myself sound good. There were 7 more interviews to go to, they were looking for one person to hire. They seemed to be interested in someone willing to work on Sat. and I wanted to work on the weekends at my restaurant.

I guess I would be willing to work on Sat. if they hired me, but I didn't say it at the end of the interview. They said that it closes at 9pm, but you may leave at 10pm. That's pretty late for me. Also, I felt it was pointless that I said I could work on Sat. Am I putting obstacles in front of myself? Yeah, maybe. The interview, she said my schooling didn't match the position. I said my customer service experience matches the position.

It was really busy when I was there. It's not just the holiday season to look good for parties, but it seemed like a really good hair salon that has a lot of business.

They did ask interesting questions in the application like:

"If you have nothing to worry about money or fear, what would you dare to do?"
"What would stop you?"
"What would motivate you?"

I said I would produce my TV script. If I had the money, I would do it. Nothing would stop me. If I had the money, it would get produced.

Job interview tips: I got this from my friend Dan L. I've know him since jr. high. I called him last Sat. and he has a career at a company where he uses his college degree. He gave me his job interview tips:

Dan L: Be as interesting as possible. Be natural.

He said he thought of the tip when he was reading a celebrity interview with Robert Downey Jr. Dan L also does interviews when he writes articles, and some interviews he does are boring. I'll add this to my friend Jessica who also has a career with her college degree: "Show your personality."

My tip is: Be professional and likeable.

Economy news: A couple weeks ago, I was reading in the National Post about this recent college graduate. He was in business and he worked as a consultant for 6 months. Then he got his big break by getting a position on Wall Street. He went out with his parents to a restaurant to celebrate.

One week later, he's back at the restaurant and he orders a glass of wine because he was laid off from that position on Wall Street. It's disappointing to hear that you get a really good position, and then something out of your control, you get laid off. The article discussed there are a lot of positions that are ending, and they're not going to come back.

Dec. 9 Bus: Today I did another interview, but it's an industrial part of town. I had to take 2 buses to get there. It's 45min ride. The main thing is that the buses aren't very frequent. It's 30min wait times from 6am- 9:30am. It's 1 hr wait time from 9:30am- 3:30pm. Then it's 30min from 3:30pm to 6:30pm.

The bus driver was nice and gave me directions. And after I did the interview, he saw me running to the bus stop and stopped for me to pick me up.

Oil and gas company: So I did the interview, and it was average. There are 4 more applicants to be interviewed. The salary is good. My education and speaking Cantonese is an asset. I don't have experience in oil and gas.

Feelings: I'm going to be straight up here. I was feeling really stressed out and dreaded going to that interview. I think it's because I have never taken that bus route before, and it was so far away. I have done interviews in that industrial area before, but this was a little bit further.

Good: But I feel good that I got the courage and went to the interview anyway. If I didn't go to the interview, I would regret it and think: "What if?"

Question: There was a good question they asked at the interview, that I haven't gotten before: "Who would you refuse to work with?" I said: "Somebody who doesn't respect me, and who doesn't respect others."

Dec. 10 Friends: It was cool today at work. One of my friends got a job as a busser at my restaurant. We chatted a bit during work, and a little after work. She only works here on the weekends. I told her where I worked, but I didn't tell her to apply because she already has a job.

Job: Earlier in the week, I did an interview over the phone for a store. I gave them my availability and I guess it worked for them. I got a call today to work there temporary for the holidays. It's kind of vague, they told me to come at this time, but won't tell me when the shift will end. If it's busy I'll stay longer, or maybe I'll only stay for a few hours.

At the very best, I make some extra money. At the worst, they say they don't need me after that day. I have applied there a few times and have gotten a call from them, but never an interview.

Dec. 11: I just got a phone call from this downtown store. He said that I got this job ad from another job site. He had put it up on Job Bank and this other job site extracted that ad.

Guy: I hope you didn't pay to get the job ad.
Me: No, I didn't.

He asks about my availability for this part-time permanent position. I gave it to him about afternoons and he said it wasn't going to work for them. That's okay. I have worked at a clothing store before, but with the store I worked at, they kept changing the days and times and there wasn't consistency. The guy that called may have been looking for someone to work anytime instead of just afternoons.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Don't miss the biggest human rights event of the year - Write for Rights 2011

This is from Amnesty International:


Write for Rights logo

Tomorrow is International Human Rights Day.
Don't miss your chance to take action!



Here's three easy things you can do that are proven to have an impact:
Sign up




I write because it's right and I have been helped by these writings in the past. Good works.
Mutang Urud - former Malaysian prisoner of conscience

I will be at a hockey practice, and I will be writing letters with other hockey moms. It is important to show our children that human rights apply to everyone.
Jonquil - Rockland, ON

Last year was my first time writing for write for rights. It was truly inspiring to see how much change something so simple could make. I can't wait to do it again!
Chantelle - Winnipeg, MB



1. Write for Rights:

Case images

It's easy! You can choose from any or all of our 14 featured Write for Rights cases. Full details and mailing addresses are inside each case's page.

You'll be an active member of the world's largest Human Rights Day event, making a real impact on real people suffering from human rights violations. View the full list of cases for letter-writing in 2011

2. Shine a Light:

If you're in the Toronto or Niagara area tomorrow, join in a special Shine a Light event.

NiagaraYou can celebrate Amnesty International's 50th anniversary with us! Watch as Niagara Falls is lit in Amnesty yellow from 5:30pm, or join in a flash mob at the intersection of Yonge and Bloor in Toronto at 6:45pm, or find a Write for Rights event closer to you.

3. Make a donation:

Tell governments that you won't stand for anyone infringing upon your human rights - or anyone else's - and help Amnesty International continue its work for another 50 years by making a donation to the Write for Rights campaign today.

Amnesty International is 100% funded by our members - we accept no government money under any conditions. Put simply, without you there would be no Amnesty International.

4. Spread the word:

Write for Rights is making waves on social media today. Please spread the message! Here's what you can do:
Follow us on Twitter

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Use the hashtag #4Rights

Visit this page for ideas on what to tweet.

And don't forget to follow @AmnestyNow for updates!


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Five/ Paralympian cured/ dating news

Dec. 2 Five: I'm looking for a job and listening to the old British boy band Five interviews. You may remember them when they first came out in the late 90s. I have all 3 of their albums. Their songs are "Slam Dunk da Funk" and "When the Lights Go Out." Here's an interview when they first came out:

Abs: We just got together, and we're exploring what we can do together when you're in a house.
The entire audience of teen girls are cheering because it sounded sexual.
Rich and Scott are waving their arms to stop them.
Rich: Not like that, not like that!
Jay: He meant musically.
lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzqVysd-OFY

Neighbors from hell: Here's a segment about Five where they are the "neighbors from hell." You put these five guys together in a house, and one couple are angry at them because they are loud. There are these 3 guys who are the same age as the Five guys and they complained about how noisy they were.

It's funny to watch, but not funny if you're living next door to them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WlrfT--3ow&feature=related

Funny: I found that TRL interview that I saw way back in 2002. It really shows the guys chemistry and how they joke around. 1:15 sec in Jay talks about what music he likes. Then Abs talks and Jay pretends to look really interested in what he's saying. Then Rich talks, Jay and Abs then follow suit and pretend to be really interested in what Rich is saying. It keeps going to Scott and Sean.

I love how one starts a joke, and they continue it. lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrNrBMysWSI&feature=related

Scott and Rich: Here are Scott and Rich are from Five. This was in 2008. It's interesting. This group ended in 2001, but I'm learning some new info that I haven't until now. 1min into the interview, Sean wasn't in the "Let's Dance" video so I and I guess a lot of fans thought he quit. What's interesting is that Sean did quit, and the 4 remaining guys didn't know. The management said Sean was sick. Well a few months later, the group ended.

Also I learned that Scott has been with the same woman since the start of the boy band and till the end, and still now. That's like 10 yrs. It started in 1998 and this in 2008. They're married, have 2 kids, and a dog. The audience applauds. lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi69asWkIM0&feature=related

Dec. 7 Headline: This was a couple weeks back. A headline on Jay Leno said:

"Sheep slightly used."
Me: What?

My friend Sherry said: It's a bad attempt at humor. It took me a few minutes to realize what it referred to, and believe me, whoever put that ad had an odd sense of humor.

Me: Is this sexual? Are they talking about a used condom? Please explain.

Sherry: sexual i suspect. the connection i made was used sheep as in it had been used by a human male for intercourse purposes (there are many running jokes about men and sheep)

Holiday jokes: This was also on Jay Leno. He has a Facebook page. He put a question up: "What do you hate about the holidays?"

Zelda, a black woman posted: "People returning things to Wal-Mart when it's obviously from K-Mart."

Chris Hernandez: "Family ask you if you lost weight, when you haven't."

Jay Leno: That's a compliment. So what? You want them to call you a fat- ass?

Joke: This was a few weeks ago, Jimmy Fallon was on Jay Leno. They made a bet. If JF lost bet, he has to wear JL's denim shirt and jeans to work on his Late Night show. They're playing shuffle board, and JF lost the bet.

Cut to a clip of JF in a denim shirt and jeans on the Late Night show.
JL: He looked good.
Cut to JL's studio audience, and they're all wearing denim shirts.
lol. That was a good clip.

Dec. 8 Friends: Today I talked to my friend Chase who works at the mall. I haven't seen him in months and we both talked about our job search. I talked to my friend Dan L. on Sat. on the phone. We talked about job interviews.

Paralympian cured: I found this on Yahoo news. Paralympic silver medallist Monique van der Vorst was paralyzed from the hip down when she was 13. Now she's a 27 yr old hand cyclist. She was hit by a bicycle while training for the 2012 London Paralympics. She spent months in physical rehab learning how to walk. Now she can walk. It's a miracle.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=reu-paralympiancured_tv_repeat

Dec. 9 Dating news: This was on Jay Leno and it was real news. There was a piece about this 30 something yr old woman who was good looking and I think she was a professional business woman. She goes online dating, and dates 4 or 5 guys a week, just so she could get a free meal. She's not interested in the guys at all, she just goes out with them so she could go to a restaurant.

It says she picks with good jobs. Cut to a shot of her talking, and she is really overweight which is what the Jay Leno editors made her look like.

Woman: So-and-so bought me a $500 meal, and so-and-so took me to this place.
Reporter: She got a boyfriend now.
Camera zooms out and Jack-in-the-Box is sitting beside her.
Reporter: They go out and eat every night.
lol.

Rant: I don't really approve of this woman's actions because she's fake and uses guys to get a free meal. She's wasting this guy's time and money. She didn't seem to be struggling to afford groceries. Yeah, well at least she's only getting food.

Sexual orientation: I've seen people who are way more fake like being gay (and knowing it) and dating someone who's straight. Sexual orientation is harder, because how do you really know if you're gay or straight? Maybe you haven't found the right person yet so you date around.

I have seen on TV about people who are gay, but they date people from the opposite sex. I remember seeing this woman on Oprah say: "I have dated all these guys and I didn't connect with any of them. So I must be gay."

Flashbacks: This kind of leads me to a flashback of a newspaper article. Something about how you can smell a "gold-digger" a woman who's only interested in a guy's money. If you two plan to go for drinks, but then she calls to change it to dinner. She probably wants something more. I do recommend you guys go for coffee or drinks to make it more casual.

Another flashback is this Seventeen magazine quiz from 2002. It's about: "How good are you?" A guy you're not interested in asks you out:

A. Go out with him (free food) and then blow him off.
B: Go out with him because everybody deserves a chance.
I forgot what C was.

Another flashback was of 2005. I was working at a clothing store and this guy Jordan told me that I should totally go out with the new guy Jason.

Jordan: You should go out with him. Go out for some Chinese food, and anyways he's a guy so he'll pay.

Dating: My tip is for guys and girls on a first date, is to go for a drink or coffee. Dinner as the first date is too much pressure. It's like you have to sit there for the entire meal and there's more money put into it. If it's coffee, it's more casual and only a few bucks. If it goes bad, the date ends after the coffee's drank. If it goes well, then you can get a refill.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Send a letter of hope for teachers in Bahrain (Amnesty International)

The nightmare faced by two teachers in Bahrain. It's why we Write for Rights.


Dear Tracy,

The terrifying threats. "We can do anything to you. Anything." Mocked, tortured, threatened. Forced to sign a confession, without even being allowed to read it. Civilians subject to an unjust military trial.

This is the story of two former leaders of the Bahrain Teachers' Association, Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi 'Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb, who were arrested and ill-treated during this spring's protests in Bahrain. Jalila and Mahdi are among the 15 cases featured in Amnesty's Write for Rights Global Write-a-thon this year.

Write a letter for Jalila and Mahdi, and other urgent human rights cases -- join thousands of others worldwide to Write for Rights this December.

Your letters are urgently needed. Next week marks a key milestone in Jalila and Mahdi's case. One day after International Human Rights Day on December 10th, Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi 'Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb face an appeal hearing.

Why are these two teachers considered so "dangerous"? Because their trade union called for a teachers strike during Bahraini protests this spring -- protests seeking reform of a government that has used torture and excessive force against its own citizens.

Jalila and Mahdi have seen the horrific behavior of Bahrain's government firsthand. Mahdi spent 64 days in solitary confinement, where he says he was tortured. And when Jalila demanded a lawyer after her arrest, she says the authorities rebuffed her with the chilling words: "Who said you would have a lawyer in here? It's us, only us. And we have the permission to do anything to you to [get] the testimony we want."

After unfair trials before a military court, Jalila was sentenced to three years in prison, and Mahdi was sentenced to ten years. It's clear that Bahrain's authorities have no regard for human rights.

Don't let Jalila and Mahdi face their appeal hearing alone. Be there by writing a letter. It's not too late -- join us to Write for Rights.

Thank You,

Michael O’Reilly
Senior Director, Individuals at Risk Campaign
Amnesty International US

Human Trafficking/ Pregnant Bunny/ job interview book

Dec. 6 Human Trafficking: I was thinking about that this TV mini-series called Human Trafficking that aired back in 2005. They profiled about four women and girls who are lured into human trafficking. You can get more info on it here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0461872/

One is about single mom who is lured into it, because a guy took her from Europe to America, and she was forced into it. She was threatened that they will kill her daughter if she doesn't do it. This mini-series is really hard to watch, because it's dark, depressing, and intense. There's this one shot that sticks in my mind as I see this woman was being raped, and sodomized, and she wants him to stop, but she can't because they will kill her daughter. However, she manages to get to ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement agency) to help her.

The ICE agent is a woman who was actually abused and that's how she got into this department.

Another story was of a teen girl from Europe who thought she was going to be a model in America. She left a note to her single dad that she left. She told her friend where she was going, and then later the friend told her dad. Her dad then managed to get a job as a body guard for a human trafficker. That was how he managed to find his daughter.

A 12 yr old girl went to Thailand with her family and was kidnapped. They had to find the daughter and they were able to rescue her. You can watch this entire series on Youtube. Here's the first part:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4bLeY2xwtg

It was a real eye- opener for me. I have watched Law and Order: SVU for a few years already. From watching this mini-series, I learned at the end, drugs and weapons are trafficked the most. Then it's humans.

Prime Time: I think around that year, I had watched a part about human trafficking on the news magazine show Prime Time. If I remember correctly, they interviewed this Asian-looking girl who was saying goodbye to a friend. The Asian girl was then thrown into a van and she was forced into prostitution. She was threatened that her baby sister will have acid thrown in her face.

She was sometimes put in a dog cage, and fed dog food. When she was interviewed, she was disguised wearing a wig, and this purple lens sunglasses.

They interviewed this curly- blond hair girl and how she was at the mall. She worked there, and a young man and woman gave her this card to be a model. She wanted to make money, so she agreed. They took her to a salon and got her hair and nails done. They took photos of her with a regular camera. They said these are test shots. The photos were posted an a prostitution website with the rates. She was then forced into prostitution.

However, she managed to escape. My memory is kind of fuzzy here, but she managed to run.

Pregnant Bunny: I was looking up "Tyra Banks teen pregnancy" on Youtube to show you that African- American girl Jessica who said she wanted to have a baby so she can get her ex-boyfriend back. Instead I found "Pregnant Bunny." It's this 20 yr old woman Alana who got pregnant and became a prostitute 6 months along her pregnancy. She works at the Bunny Ranch in Nevada. This aired in 2009, and I missed it.

I watched the entire thing and it was sad. Alana's parents wouldn't support her and the baby. Her bills were piling up and if she worked min. wage at McDonald's then she can't pay all of her bills. She was desperate and then she called the Bunny Ranch. Her parents stopped communicating with her. Her older sister still supports her emotionally and told her to go to school.

Her ex-boyfriend says he doesn't know if he's the father, and there will be a DNA test. No one was there to support her. Tyra did talk about adoption, but Alana said she wanted to be a mom since she was 6yrs old. Throughout the entire show, Alana was crying.

A few good points was that the Bunny Ranch people threw her a baby shower because her family wasn't going to. The family was going to throw her the shower, but then when she said she was going to be a prostitute, they didn't have the party. The Ranch manager Dennis was supportive of her, because he does get 50% of her earnings. He stood up for her.

Tyra did ask the question: "After the baby's born, are you going back to prostitution?" Alana said in her ideal world, she would have a regular job and be home with her baby at 5pm. She hopes to finish school and be a pharmacist. You can watch the ep here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abeeY_95jkA&feature=related

Job interview book: My little brother checked out some job interview books. I read this one called Interview Skills that Win the Job by Michael Spiropoulos. It's a good, fast, and easy read. He gives you a common job interview question, and then gives you a good answer and a not-so-good answer. The comments explain why it's good.

Say you were dismissed from your last job: You tell in detail, be dispassionate (don't sound bitter or angry), don't use abusive language, tell what the situation and job environment. Then you say you were dismissed, and then you can get the interviewer's sympathy. Don't mention the dismissal in the first sentence. You need to soften the interviewer.

Or don't mention the dismissal at all if you only worked there for short period of time and/ or it was in the distant past. If you worked there for a short period of time, I wouldn't even put that on my resume so they wouldn't ask about it.

He talks about negotiating wages like giving a range. He mentions building a rapport and trust. That reminds me of the job interview I did that I kind of had fun at. I felt I was building a rapport.

Dec. 7 Job: I also want to add to that "Pregnant Bunny." Alana said when she was 4 or 5 months pregnant, no one wanted to hire her. Because even if she gets a job at McDonald's, can we guarantee she won't miss work for her morning sickness? She said her feet hurt all the time. Even if she doesn't miss work, she is going to miss maybe a month after she has the kid.

She may not come back for work, so you might as well hire someone who isn't pregnant, and have a higher chance he or she will stay there longer.

Delusional: I was watching Once Upon a Time about fairytale characters in the real world. There is an episode about Jiminy Cricket and in the real world he's a therapist named Archie. 10 yr old boy Henry believes that the fairytale characters are real. The ep was written by Buffy writer Jane Espenson. The evil mayor/ adoptive mother of Henry tells Archie that he needs to end Henry's delusions.

Archie (to Henry): A delusion is not real, and it's not healthy.

I found the African- American girl Jessica on the Tyra Banks show. She's the one who wanted to get pregnant as a teenager to get her ex-boyfriend back. Go to the 2:20min mark and you can hear her talk. She's the girl who came back on the show 6 months later and said: "After I saw myself on TV, I realized how stupid and ridiculous I sounded and looked."

What other words can you say to describe her? I would say delusional. If you look in her eyes, she looks like she totally 100% believed what she was saying. You can watch the entire episode about teen girls wanting to get pregnant, and teen moms. It's a good episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_W6QtmuDMU

Dateline: Now this guy who is 35 yrs old and is going to date a 12 yr old girl. He is 50% delusional. It's like he didn't really believe he was going to date a 12 yr old, but he wanted to believe it so it could make his actions normal. When in reality, he is grooming her and not dating her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14FZUc8_rWI

Criminal Minds: What's full-blown delusional are some serial killers on this show. In the episode "Slave of Duty" (starring one of my fave actors Wes Brown as the serial killer) is delusional. In this clip it's described that: "He fantasizes or he believes he's in a relationship with these women."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGx_EATqJNY