Almond Sugar Cookies

After making almond milk, once finished straining you're left with almond but pulp. I didn't want to throw the pulp out so I decided to make sugar cookies using them.

I couldn't find a recipe for the cookies without then using dates and I'm not the biggest fan of dates so I made one up.

Cream 1/4 cup of butter

Add almond pulp, I had about 3/4 cup, but it would have been better with more. (Freezing the pulp works well too because it'll last a long time!)

I added a tbsp of honey, then added about 1/4 cup white sugar.

About a cup of all purpose flour was added.

Now mix!

Roll into balls, then press them flat gently. Or you can use a cookie press.

I baked mine at 350°F for about 14 minutes! Then ate them with a glass of almond milk. 

Results:

The cookies were still raw on the inside, but the bottoms were browned enough that I couldn't place them back on the oven without burning them.

I'd probably try lowering the temperature and toasting the almond pulp before using it. Maybe look at a sugar cookie recipe and alter that a bit.

All in all, the cookie doesn't taste half bad while it's only half cooked.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Butter or Margarine

3/4 cup (more or less) Almond pulp

1 tbsp Honey

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup flour

Directions:

1) Cream sugar and butter together, add honey, almond pulp and flour and mix well.

2) Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes. 

Grandma's Brooch

Finally finished grandma's brooch! Hopefully it makes it to Korea all in one piece!

26 gauge sterling silver rose, a pearl in the center, with a stainless steel tie tack on the back. 

My Buried Life Project

Video:

http://youtu.be/VwYzEthl_cA

Author's Note

          Seventeen years, nine months, and eighteen days; that's how long I've been alive.  In that time, a lot has happened in my life.  I've done things I wanted to do and things I didn't.  Soon I'll be graduating and that makes me think, what do I want to do for the rest of my life, what are all the things I've been able to accomplish so far, and where will all these things take me?  With all that in mind, I was able to create this bucket you see below.  Within the bucket list, I have one hundred times I hope to accomplish before I die. There are some things that I can proudly say I can check off the list, and there are others that may have to wait a while until I can begin them.
          Life's an interesting topic.  There are so many things people want to do in life, and so many things we aren't able to accomplish before we die. In my life, I find that I have things handed to me all the time, but when that happens, I don't always take the opportunity.  Because of that, I miss out on all sorts of things. Everything that's happened in my life shapes who I am as a person, even in the tiniest way.  Within the list below, you could probably pick out a few different themes.  One would probably be creativity.  I love making things, it's always been a passion of mine to craft and make things.  I guess the reason for that started when I learned that I couldn't exactly draw using some paper and a pencil.  So giving up on that, I decided that there are others ways to be creative than just on paper.  Art is all around us, whether you consider some things to be art or not.  I took up band classes because I loved music.  Music class in elementary school was probably always my favourite class.  I was also in the school's choir until middle school hit, and even then, although I didn't take choir, I took choral (which is basically choir, but as a class instead).  Music has always been a big part of my life, for many people it is.  It's a way of expressing your emotions through a whole new experience.  All different forms of music are also different art forms.  Singing, playing an instrument, everything.  Along with music I gained an interest in baking.  I love to bake, mostly because it makes people happy.  I love seeing people eat my food and smile.  Lately I've been moving away from the baking aspect of it all and more into the presentation.  Decorating cakes has got to be a new hobby I've picked up.  People eat with their eyes first, and if something looks pretty, people will probably want to eat it more.  I also love seeing their expressions as they look at the cake I made.
          I'm not sure what will happen in the future and I don't know how much time I have left.  I wanted to make a list of things I do before I die that are easy to accomplish, but will take me on a journey. My list consists of things that I am able to accomplish in both short terms and long terms.  Everything on my list are things I've always wanted to do, and things I recently decided would be a good and fun idea.  Thinking about one hundred items seemed difficult at the time, but the second I put pen to paper I was on a roll.  I got forty things in one sitting and it didn't take long to fill the rest of the list up.  When I sit back and think about life, I start to realize that we're not exactly given a lot of time.  Sure it's expected that each person lives to be around eighty years old, but of those eighty years, I've already finished over seventeen, and most of my life I'll be busy working, starting a family, etc.  That means that there won't be as much time to check off everything on my list as I hoped.  That all being said though, I hope to be able to make time in my life to accomplish each and every one of these items on my list.  It may be a long road and there are probably going to be some things that I never finish, but it'll be a fun and satisfying road.

What Now?

          I have my list, I have my one hundred things to accomplish before I die, so now what?  How do I get started, and where do I start?  In my list you may find that a theme within would be adrenaline.  I'm a huge adrenaline seeker. I love that thrill you get.  Sure right before everything I begin to second guess and freak out about it all, but it's always a lot of fun and I'm always so glad I did it.  Like number fifty, I want to live my life with little regrets.  I can't say that I want to live life with none, because that's probably impossible.  There are already things I've done that I regret and there's no way to turn back time.
          There's one place that I've always wanted to go to, and that's Canada's Wonderland.  You don't have to go through the hassle of flying out of the country and you still get to have a great time!  I chose to place "go to Canada's Wonderland" on my list because I found out that I was getting the chance to do so!  I recently won gold in the Skills Manitoba Competition which meant I would be able to go to Toronto.  Within the itinerary was to go to Canada's Wonderland! I was really excited and added it to my bucket list because it not only is something I've always wanted to do, but it's something I can proudly say I've accomplished and can check off.  This past Friday, I got my chance to complete this item on my list.  On Friday, June 6, 2014, I was able to go to Canada's Wonderland and I had a great time.  We walked around in a group consisting of four teachers, Mr. Yak, Mr. Bilous, Mr. Rogowy, and Mr. Cardinal, and four students, Andrew Land, Lauren Slegers, Will Laterveer, and myself.  It was an awesome experience.  We went on as many roller coaster as we could.  Sadly we only had about two and a half hours to go around, but luckily it wasn't a busy day and the longest we waited to get on a ride was ten minutes.  Usually with everything else we were able to get on right away.  We all went on the Leviathan and the Behemoth too which was scary and a lot of fun! Lauren and I sat together for quite a few of the roller coasters holding hands and screaming the entire time!  It was probably one of the best few hours in my life so far.  We all had a ton of fun, and everyone had gone on every ride we could.  I backed out on the Mega drop though because it's just a  ride I can't take, but while they were doing that I went on a different ride on my own.
          I'm so happy I got the chance to finish something off my list and I'm grateful for the experience.  It was a blast spending the time with friends and people I know.  During that experience in Toronto we all became closer and good friends.  Canada's Wonderland was a fantastic experience and I hope to go there again some day with my family.

My Bucket List

1) Plant a Garden

2) Make it out of high school alive! (Complete June 26, 2014)

3) Build my own house

4) Renovate a house to sell

5) Have a picnic in Assinaboine Park in my grad dress with friends

6) Go skydiving

7) Go bungee jumping

8) Make a two or three tier decorative cake

9) Finish making a brooch for Grandma (Complete June 11, 2014)

10) Get over my fear of spiders

11) Get married one day

12) Finish playing the game Persona

13) Learn to apply make up

14) Be the "mom" for the day

15) Make a sundress

16) Build a funky couch

17) Pie someone in the face

18) Get my own place

19) Buy a car... Any car that looks decent and works

20) Finish a painting

21) Make stained glass

22) Hopefully place at Nationals! (Complete June 7, 2014)

23) Go to Canada's Wonderland (Complete June 6, 2014)

24) Travel to Italy

25) Send a note into the sky

26) Make a time capsule to open up in 10 years

27) Go back to Korea to visit my cousins and grandparents

28) Learn to play piano successfully

29) Learn to play the guitar

30) Start a family

31) Make ice cream successfully

32) Begin my retirement savings plan by age 20

33) Go rock climbing

34) Meet the Duggars, Gosselins, Jones'

35) Cook food over a bonfire

36) Sleep out under the stars

37) Write a book

38) Write a song

39) Make a documentary about something exciting in my life

40) Start a fire from scratch (Without the use of a lighter or matches)

41) Make a kite that works

42) Be on Runningman (A reality Korean TV show)

43) Learn to read, write, and speak Korean

44) Get a tarot card reading

45) Change a person's life (For the better)

46) Finish a knitting project

47) Become a cake decorator

48) Become a jeweler

49) Play Sims and finish a life from baby to old age

50) Live life with little regrets

51) Invent a cool machine

52) Start a detox diet for a month or two

53) Create a recipe (Complete June 11, 2014)

54) Plant a tree

55) Read 5 books in 10 days

56) Find out what happened to my Flat Stanley from grade 4

57) Start a pen pal

58) Live with a roommate

59) Hold a penguin, preferably a little blue

60) Visit my elementary school

61) Visit my middle school

62) Break a vase

63) Burn my school work

64) Fill a pillar full of sticky notes

65) Milk a cow

66) Make butter from scratch

67) Take a pottery class

68) Go parachuting

69) Dress my kids in silly costumes

70) Reminisce about the past

71) Sponsor a child

72) Name a star after myself

73) Go on a sky walk

74) Build a cardboard boat that works

75) Catch a fish

76) Go strawberry picking

77) Make my own almond milk (Complete June 1, 2014)

78) Meet Taylor Swift

79) Start a business

80) Take part in a new successful TV show

81) Visit the Seven Wonders of the World

82) Learn a bunch of different illnesses and diseases

83) Get a dog

84) Get a cat

85) Sell something I've made

86) See a meteor shower

87) Visit Niagara Falls

88) Relearn to use chopsticks

89) Make a gluten free dessert that tastes good

90) Take a picture of myself everyday for a year to see the change

91) Get a professional massage

92) Open a coconut on my own without getting hurt

93) Adopt a child

94) Find the perfect mosquito repellent

95) Hold a snake that's taller than me

96) Go to Toronto, Nova Scotia, and PEI to sight see

97) Go to Vancouver to see family

98) Catch a fast moving ball without flinching and screaming

99) Make a photo album full of money throughout the years to give to family and myself

100) Go zip lining

Toronto Day 5

Last day in Toronto. It was such a great experience and everyone there was awesome!  The food was great, and people were great, the city was great. We got the results of the competitions during the closing ceremony. It was awesome!  I was able to win bronze in my category, but honestly, I would have left happy even without placing. The whole experience of going to Toronto was life changing. Although we were only there for 5 days, we felt like a family.

Winnipeg is actually a beautiful city at night will all the lights shining!

Toronto Day 4

Second day of Competitions. Today I was competing as well. It was a long day but luckily after all of it we had the chance to go to Canada's Wonderland!

Here's Everyone but me on the Mega Drop!

Toronto Day 3

Thursday was the first day of competitions. Luckily for me, my category was the only category to compete only on Friday. That meant I had time to walk around the area freely, taking many pictures and videos on all the things I saw. Everyone seemed nervous, but they all did great.

There were so many different categories! It all ranged from media productions to robotics to cabinet making to baking to hairstyling to plumbing!  There were so many more things there!  Taryn Wichenko participated in Job Search, Will Laterveer was in Public Speaking, Lauren Slegers was in Baking, Darren and Benton were in Media, Andrew Land was in Electric Wiring, Lian Pries was in Graphics, Jaden Desserault was in Web Design, and I was in Job Skill Demonstration.

While waking around there were a few "try a trade" things going on and I got the chance to plant strawberries and I was able to take home!

Toronto Day 2

Today was orientation day for the competition and it was the opening ceremony!  Before all that though, we decided to check out the CN tower! 

Check it out!

We went all the way up to the sky pod and the view was amazing!

After that, we rushed back to the hotel to get ready to ride the shuttle and get to the orientation and the opening ceremony.

Orientation was quick for many people, and after we went to an area where they served good and they had a little dance going on. It was a fun time. The opening ceremony was crazy!  They had lights everywhere and everyone was cheering and there was music!  I felt like I was at the Olympics!

We got home at 9:15pm, and let me just say that I'm exhausted!

So far so good though! Competition for every category except mine is Thursday and Friday, but for whatever reason mine in on Friday. Then Saturday will be the closing ceremony and the metal ceremony!

Toronto Day 1

Woke up at about 6am, ate breakfast, then headed out the door at 6:30am to go to the airport.

We arrived at the airport at 6:55am, and left the port at 9am.

The view was nice.

Along the way we experienced some rough turbulence and Taryn Wichenko screamed and latched onto Will Laterveer. It was quite amusing.

We landed at about 11:30am and went for lunch at the hotel (Which was surpringly really good!) and after we settled into our rooms, we went out shopping in Dundas. The mall there was awesome! There were so many stores and I found a few nice things.

We arrived back at the hotel at around 10pm and headed off to bed. 

Crazy Spaghetti

I found this on Pinterest!  Is this not really weird but creative?!

Photo credit to http://theberry.com/2013/03/11/mind-blown-25-photos/mind-blown-14-4/

Where the Green Grass Grows

'Cause I'm gonna live where the green grass grows.

Tim McGraw, Where the Green Grass Grows

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RmRhCBeVnmc&feature=kp

Blackout Poetry

"Rules. A word for failure. Grade school consisted of taking recess, do sit ups on the cold gym floor. Then came high school, punishment for all. Listen up, NOW! Nowhere in 'the rules' were there any directions on how to play."

"The kid described him too tall for his weight. He realized his body was not too light for now, anyway. For a while he thought certainly he was. By age twelve, the kid knew he would be a pro athlete."

"Over and over  she always responded with a small nod. She always seemed to be the one that hid from the spotlight. She was always one away"

"In 1937, Tim was amazed, Tim said, I will learn to walk again'"

Birthdays

It's my brother's birthday today, but sadly I was stuck working. Since I didn't have time to bake a cake, I bought one from Safeway. After work we went to Tony Roma's and had dinner, then went home to have cake. I wrote on the cake, because that's the only thing I could do!

Marble Cake

I made a marble cake today.

Creaming the butter and sugar. Adding the eggs and vanilla and whipping them all together.

2/3 Vanilla, 1/3 chocolate!

Into the oven!

And the final cake is done!  Ignore the cracking on top. It wasn't actually overcooked or dry.

Not too bad of a baking day. Although it was tough baking with two little kids hanging around me wanting to touch everything! But I managed.

Dialogue Assignment

     "Hey Alice, what new, exciting things have happened to you lately?" Dorthy asked as she approached Alice.

    "Nothing really.  I fell down this rabbit hole and it led me to this crazy place called Wonderland!"

    "Really?  Well, Toto and I had gotten sucked into this Tornado and ended up in a place called Oz!  There were witches and this wizard, it was amazing!" Dorothy exclaimed excitedly.

    "Are you sure you didn't just hit your head, dear?" Alice questioned. "In Wonderland I met this strange cat called the Cheshire Cat!  And there was this blue caterpillar that would blow smoke rings in my face, all the while there was this mad hatter with me!" Alice bragged to Dorothy while sitting up straighter in her seat.

"That's great Alice," Dorothy replied, "but did you not hear what I just said?"

Alice responded, "Of course I heard you, but obviously my experience was much crazier!"

"That's not true though! How often do you get sucked into a tornado and land in some place called Oz?"

"Well how often do you fall into a rabbit hole and land in a place called Wonderland?" Alice retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I've had enough of this, let's just call it even," Dorothy decided in the end.

"Alright, alright. All is fair and even."

Eavesdropping Assignment

1) i) To the band room

    ii) It took about 15 minutes.

    iii) It was between Megan L, Micayla, Ryan, Mr. Johnson, and me. 

    iv) It was quite interesting. Definitely felt a little creepy at times, but since I was involved in the conversation as well, it wasn't too awkward.

2) I learned that there are many people who are very expressive with their hands.

3) Using action words while using dialogue gives the reader a more realistic thought of how the conversation may be going.

4) The way people approach a subject and the amount of respect within the speaker's voice can determine their personality. People who may listen more than talk could either be shy or just very curious and a good listener. People who use nicknames rather than full names could mean that they are close to the ones they are talking to, or they're comfortable enough around the person they are talking to.

5) When there are more than two people in a conversation, I find that the conversation seems to last longer. Because there are more opinions to fly around, there's more to talk about. At the same time there are more interruptions as well because everyone wants to get their opinion out before the subject changes.

6) I learned that when talking to someone of a higher status than you, you tend to be more cautious of what you say. Rather than just speaking out whatever's on your mind, you would think it through quickly before spitting the words out. What's surprising is that that rule doesn't always apply. Some people feel comfortable around people of a higher status that they either don't care of the consequences, or they know that there won be any. 

7) With written conversations, it's difficult to portray emotions, such as sarcasm, sadness, etc. Although possible, people tend to only hear emotions through people they know well enough within text. Talking to a stranger and having them sarcastically write down something to you would be different than a friend doing so. Spoken conversations are easier to express your tone and emotions.

Little Projects on the Side

I made this dress on October 8, 2013. I went to a thrift store one day and saw this 4XL men's shirt and thought that it would look cute as a dress. Sadly I didn't take of picture of the shirt before I started cutting into it, but this shirt was massive!

I made the dress without a pattern and went from the top of my head. It still needs to be taken in more and the middle line where the skirt and top attach is crooked, but other than that I think it's a pretty nice dress. I made the back piece too small though, so now I have to sit with my back straight otherwise I'll probably rip the dress. 

So Many Thoughts, So Little Time

I keep looking back to this picture and it makes me both happy and sad. I remember the day I had to take this picture. We had to go to the gym and get up in the stage where they set up all the cameras. The photographer told me to put on the blue cloak and put a hat on me, then told me to hold the flowers and diploma a certain way, then he took some pictures. I can't say what was going through my head at that time though. I mean, it was back in 2002, I was only about 5 years old, graduating kindergarten. Funny how fast things change.

I've been waiting to graduate ever since my sister did 2 years ago. I guess it's just a phase I went through considering a lot of my friends were my sister's age and they were all graduating as well. I felt as if life just wasn't moving fast enough. Everyone was out of school or onto university/college while I was still stuck in high school.

Now I'm here. About a month and a half away from graduating and it's all a bit... scary. Definitely stressful. If I can say one thing, it's that I've been on a strange roller coaster with stress. One day I'm determined to the best I can do, and the next I'm ready to give up on everything. I even had a panick attack in the school halls after a really stressful day and had to talk with someone about things. As weird as it sounds, I'm pretty sure I'm right when I say that talking to people about my problems does not make me feel better. If anything it makes me feel worse, which is why this is such a strange roller coaster. Some days I'm too aware of how fast everything is going, and others I'm too tired to care.

I'm excited though. I don't know what I'll do after school, but I know I don't plan on going back to it, at least for a year or so. I hope that after school's all done and over with, life won't be as stressful. There's less to juggle because I won't have to deal with school, work, personal issues, homework, and tests all in one day.

Sure I'll miss it; I'll be scared and uncomfortable with the new life schedule, but I'll get used to it. That's what life's about; changing, adjusting.

Road Rage

I had to cut in front of this guy otherwise I'd miss my turn and he obviously wasn't happy. Turns out he was going about the same way as me until we hit Portage Ave. I needed to get to the far lane and he needed to get to the close lane, but I was on front of him and we were both turning right. Well, the driver was about my age, more or less, with a really bad temper! He was honking at me and screaming out the window telling me to go, even though there were cars everywhere and there wasn't even a chance to go.  We only waited about 2 minutes, but I guess that was 2 minutes too long. So the lights finally changed and while we both turned into our lanes, like a gentleman, he flips me the finger as he drives away.

I really don't understand people and their road rage. Honestly, some people just need to grow up and get over themselves. #ranting #RoadRage

Mother's Day

Today was a great day. It began at 12am.  I decided to start a painting out of the blue because I was bored and had nothing better to do.

I think it's coming along quite well. I've been constantly revising it and adding and changing it a lot. Hence the white branch near the bottom. At first it looked like an awkward tail.

Finally fell asleep and woke up at about 11:30am, then my mom, sister, and my sister's boyfriend went to Red Lobster at about 2pm to celebrate Mother's Day. It was the first time going there for my sister, mom, and me. I'd have to say that it was a fun experience. My mom just likes to go out and do things with us, so she had a fun time.

After that, we went shopping for a bit at polo park, then headed home at 5pm. At that time my mom made plans with her friends to go out for dinner, so she had to quickly get ready and go for that. I'm guessing she didn't eat too much there though. She gave her friends the cupcakes that I made and packed for them and they apparently all loved them!

Finally, at the end of the day my mom asked me what I wanted to eat for lunch tomorrow. I wasn't too sure so I told her I'd think about it. That was at 9:50pm. At 11pm I decided I wanted pizza buns, so I got started on making them. It's now 12:44am and they're finally in the oven with a few more minutes left to bake!

It was a fun day and surprisingly I'm still not tired!

Mother's Day Cupcakes

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there!  I baked these cupcakes specially for the two mama's my in life. Some for Kyle's mom and some for my lovely mom! 

Ps- The cupcake and frosting recipes actually turned out really well! They taste great!

Just Something

I was hanging around in the jewelry room during me spare because I was bored. While being bore I drew this and many other things up.  I think it'd be a nice pendant with a pearl in the middle of the flower. 

So What?

http://io9.com/concept-art-writing-prompt-the-robot-barista-512050499

I believe the message in this visual is that some people get into such a 9 to 5 routine that they become almost robotic in a way. They wake up, go to work, do their job, then go home. Every step is memorized, there are no surprises. Your brain becomes wired into this routine that you can't get out of. 

Blackout Poetry by Austin Kleon

Not sure if you can read this but it says, "The first thing to be said is, poetry can be born no need to fret"

I just thought it was a true statement within a piece of poetry that was born out of another piece of writing. 

Quick Write- Undercover Deputy

Guide to be an undercover deputy trying to fit in at a high school.

1) Wear youthful clothes. No police uniform

2) Speak casually to others, don't speak with authority.

3) Make some friends. Helps to blend in more.

4) Don't look suspicious.

5) Stay calm, stay undercover, and finish your job.

Illusions

Photo Credit: Sun Rae Cho

My mom took this picture when she had gone golfing and I thought it was cool how the photo looks normal whether it's right side up or upside-down. 

Story Molecules

The chosen one, hero's journey, saving the world.

Love triangle, star crossed lovers, conflict, tragic heroes

Jerk with a heart of gold, getting crap past the radar, saving the world, the end.

Tedx Youth Talk Reflection

http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2011/11/20/12-year-old-app-developer-tedx-youth/

Last Wednesday as a field trip we had gone to the forks to watch some Ted Talks presentations. We had watched about 6 presentations and two videos. The presentations were quite insightful, but I'd have to say that some speakers weren't as prepared as they could have been. One speaker that stood out most to me would be Abigail. She started her presentation off with a spoken word then explained more in depth about her topic. Her spoken word was called, "Facebook is Not my Friend". Abigail explained how technology was getting in the way of human interaction and how we're losing the ability to interact with others in person. Within her spoken word she explained, "Facebook is not my friend, you are." I though that she was very well prepared and she was comfortable up on stage. Another speaker that stood out to me would be Seanne. He's an 8 year old boy who is awesome at playing the piano. The little boy played us a piece he composed all on his own and it was just so cute! All in all in presentations weren't too bad. The last presentation spooked me out a bit, talking about prostitutes and such, but it wasn't a bad day. 

Mom's Flower Ring

From wax:

To metal:

With stones:

I chose sapphires for the leaf instead of emeralds because green would be the obvious choice in a leaf and I liked how the sapphires looked against the silver better. In the flower is an amethyst.