Looking for light

So I just got power to where I live after 5 days of not having any. During that time I had a lot of reflection and thinking, since there was nothing else to do, about how much we take for granted electricity, light, gas, etc. And how people lived with no power and with only candles at night everyday. What was important was the sunlight yo see and get all the chores and work needed to live and function done before it got dark.
I am happy that I do not have to base my life off of when the sun rises and sets thanks to the great minds that have invented technology and improved upon it to make thing easier, more comfortable and convenient. I would like to assume that people will think about these same things and learn and grow as an individual and a citizen. I can only hope they do. Today when i was walking I saw one of these lines for the gas station stretching hundreds of yards. I could not believe how long the line was and also in jersey people can't pump their own gas. An attendant has too. That is Weird to me I think also causing the long lines as well as the demand. It was also announces that gas is going to be rationed in most of all north jersey. I am happy that I do not have a car to worry about. Lastly I cannot believe how savage and disgusting people are during disasters looting, breaking into things stealing because most likely they did not prepare properly before the storm or they are just selfish scumbag people that do not care about any one except themselves. People like this are the most scary part that people have to deal with during disasters like this. We need to be prepared at all times for when disasters hit. Not only when they are just upon us.

Line of cars for gas

Line of people with gas containers for gas

Hurricane Sandy

No power. no one on the road.

So I have had the privileged  to deal with Sandy and all that she brought. I have no power and all of Newark has had no power for a day and all mass transit has been shut down for now 4 days and buses are finally running again. This was also the week that I was to start working at the school but that is not possible right now because I have to no means to get their with no transit and no car . But it has also taught valuable experiences and lessons and how worse things could actually be, such as flooding, the hurricane could have been a bigger category. Yesterday I went Outlet Hunting in and around campus so I can charge my phone and get semi connected to the world and let my family and friends know that I am alright; the importance of power is all we know and I can see why people freak out and do stupid things when there is no power for more then a day or two (for me going on 4 days). I have looked at the bright side of all that has been going on and it has made realize the basics in life and what is really important. Having no phone, computer, lights or other technology I have found ways to stay busy, but not having any has put a damper on writing this blog and being on social media (not the most important things). Last night with no power I had candles and was reading and doing some writing with it, which is kinda hard if you don't have multiple use of candles. what else can I do. Doing this reminded me that this was how anything was done at night before the invention of lights. It sucks not having them but I really didn't mind dealing with it for hopefully no more then a couple days (meaning today needs to be the last day). It was not the best time for Sandy to bring all these problems but it happened and I am dealing with it and learning and how I can use this knowledge for 

future events.

Cops on every corner to watch for looting

Music that you should Check Out

Those looking for some new music and artists that are good and I think will be more recognized one day have come to the right place because I have found some great people. I remember one time I heard a song from Foster the People and I thought they were amazing then 6 months later they were huge. They were on the today show and everywhere. I knew they had great music where was everyone else for the past 6 months. So maybe one day this will happen to one of them.

This first Group is my favorite,  Graffiti6. I think the lyrics are good and live performances are good too. The lead singer has been a music writer and has written stuff for One Direction.  The first single they released was "Free" but I think there best song is the music video below "Annie you Saved me". 

Next is a kid called Connor Maynard from the UK also with a song that I like (below) "Vegas Girl" which is weird for him to sing about when he is not even 21 years old yet but the song is not bad. He also has a song with Neyo called "Turn Around" check it out and let me know what you think.

Jaren ~  LLT

K-POP

I accidentally came across K-Pop (a style of music) one day on YouTube when I was looking for a song I heard but really didn't know any of the words except for a maybe 2 or 3  from the hook, which I most likely miss interpreted anway. So one of these videos came up as a result and I wondered "What is this?" So I watched the video and it was a group of Asian guys (I am not sure what specific group, sorry) singing and dancing in some language that I don't know, then a line or 2 in english. I have never seen this before and it was funny and actually not that bad (at least to me) for this song. But if you search K-Pop in YouTube there are countless videos like this. Here is your introduction into K-Pop, a whole genre that I did not know existed until recently. The videos below I found with the subtitles too.

Comment and let me know what you think.

Jaren~ LLT

This first video is from LED Apple- Times Up. .

This next one is another video that wasnt that bad From Teen Top, I think.

 

Sharing Stories

I've been doing a lot of traveling lately and have been having encounters with a lot of diverse individuals. Some were nice, some were rude. Some were young, some were old. And then there were some that just like to talk. But in the end they all had something interesting to say. I've done more listening than talking to these people but I really enjoyed hearing the stories they had to share. It may be that I was a psychology major but I thoroughly enjoy meeting people and seeing their different personalities and views on life. It's just so interesting how people have different views and beliefs but we all live on the same planet. We just take it all in differently. It's crazy. As I was writing this out at an empty table in the ballroom at this conference I'm attending, a waiter named Tommy just came over to talk to me about life. We talked school, life goals, and family. But more than that he's shared some advice with me that is priceless, his life story. I've gained experience just by talking to him, things that I never would've known if I never spoke with him.

I believe that as a person we can either take these encounters in and have our lives change because of them or we can discard them and pretend as if they've never happened. I try my best to take all that I can in and appreciate the things these people tell me and hope to become a better person because of it. I don't think people talk enough to each other these days and I think it's a shame. I hope that I continue to meet people with great and bad stories as my days continue....

Everyone has a story to share, what's yours?

Texting. Speeding. Driving.

        I came across this article the other day that really annoys me in general. Maybe it is because I think that this Law was a waste of money and a waste of peoples' time. This law is  getting a Ticket for Texting and Driving (also talking and driving with a hand held device).  Certain groups have really pushed for this dumb law and have wasted peoples time, money and then the government backs it up. It is tragic that people were in accidents because of people on there phone which is less likely then the risk of getting into accident from bad drivers. They say that using a phone while driving makes the roads more dangerous (I believe for people that are bad drivers to begin with or have no focus). You are stepping into danger every time you get into your car. At the end of the day people will still use their phone while driving even with these regulations. These laws are trying to control peoples behavior and that can never be done. What about every other distraction that happens in the car while driving, like kids, eating, music, other people, reading, etc.. So what is next that someone will want a law passed and need monitoring?
If people are so worried about getting into an accident is DON'T DRIVE. It is extreme but true.  
This article talks about finding better ways to catch people that are texting while driving. Police to spy on drivers suspected of texting in federal test.
Don't the Police have better things to do such as stop crime, make communities safe, and keep the peace. Rather then monitoring peoples behaviors'.  Just a logical thought. 

To continue about driving and roadways, A new study came out that driving fast reduces accidents. This Link, Roads with 80mph Speed Limit,  shows that studies done so far have shown that people comply with the speed limit more and the amount of non-fatal speeding accidents have decreased. It is because the faster you drive the more focus you need, reducing the need to do other things while driving. People with this crazy thoughts about making the road safer by slowing it down and monitoring people texting and calling to get a reality check and look at the facts. Even then most will not change their mind because they are emotionally driven for change. Most times people that are that emotional are very biased and cannot see any other perspective. 

I just want people to be cautious of the regulations they want and are happening so we can always have a choice in what we want, without someone monitoring us all the time over miniscule things such as texting while driving.  Does that really need to be monitored? Whats next?
 

Job Hunting

          It has been a month and a half since I moved to New Jersey to attend Rutgers University in Newark. But before I even moved I started applying for jobs online a month before. I filled out close to 200 applications before I got the job I got now that I start in a week. But before that I had to deal with a lot of BS.
The first thing I had to deal with was after all the applications I filled out i didn't have any job interviews the first week I moved out to NJ because I was going have a rental car and also i will be living very close to NYC and I couldn't find anything there. But the first few job interviews I had they were very sketchy. The first was in the city (NY) to do security. So I got there for the interview and the only requirement was to speak decent english. I have a degree even though doing security  isa job to make money but not for my education or qualifications and for a future career. So the interview was fine, the lady was maybe 25 interviewing me and the job was offered. There was an $80 fee for the training and I was fine with that until I had to pay $400 more for the training. This was not mentioned over the phone. The interviewer also was trying to force me to take the job, questioning me in my decision and that was the biggest red flag. And it did not guarantee a job so this job was not even a job so I did not go through with that.
Next was a job that you could work from home doing data entry. And I had an interview with a person over Yahoo Messenger. I thought this was a scam the second I the person emailed me about that. I went with it to see what would happen. Of course I had to buy some software which was $300 before I started to work. SCAM... The same thing happened, the person was very over bearing about working.
 Next was a Legit Scam from the beginning and i wondered how this would end. The person tried to get me to send money to someone from a check they sent me. I couldn't believe they sent a check which i searched the company and the person and there was nothing. Nothing existed that they said. It was a fraudulent company and check so I blocked them from my email and everything.
Finally, I got an interview at this school for students with disabilities and it is a legit school and it was similar to what I was doing back in California. It was great to finally find this job which I start this coming week.

I had to put up with a lot of crap and scams to get to this job. I am happy that I have the capability to critically think and can ask questions to find out the truth. Any advice for people trying to find a career or any job to make money while you pursue your career watch out for these scams where people are trying to take your money. We already don't have much. I believe that no one should take a job where you have to pay a amount of money that is substantial to the job being interviewed for and to buy something before you can start working. Next tip, if anyone is giving you money for no reason, without doing work. It is most likely a SCAM. 
For the job I have now I and to pay for fingerprints but that will be reimbursed.  Be careful out job hunting and pay attention to everything going on.

Jaren ~ LLT

Marching band

Today I cam across this article that was on yahoo and Youtube. And I think that is that this is one of the coolest marching band shows that I have ever seen. It is a montage of some of the biggest video games since video games started.

I am just so impressed about the formations that they create and still playing music. No one should think that being in the marching band is easy and nerdy. To do what they do for 10 minutes takes a lot of  cardio, rhythm and being able to play music very well. If you have any doubts trying standing and marching for 10 minutes straight and if you cant do that, how can you talk about people that are in marching bands. 

When you watch this video, think about the hours of practice and training and marching that was done prior to this and, I think that you will appreciate the video and the creativity that much better.

Jaren ~ LLT

Yahoo! Marching Band Goes Viral...

Top Masters Programs

 The other day I saw this article (below) that really made me feel like knowingly going into debt to get my masters is worth the investment and stress. The program that I am getting is ranked 3rd on the list of top paying jobs with this masters degree. I was finally able to start relaxing about going back across the country for school.
Reading this article has helped me put that extra drive and determination to be the best and to succeed. Here are questions I have asked myself when a change is happens...
 
Where do I want to be? 
Am I pushing myself to reach my potential and goals? 
Am I ready to be inconvenienced on this journey?
  
Ask yourself these questions and see if you have accomplished all of them with your current job/school or new job/school.
For me I have taken the first steps to have a few years of inconvenience and stress for decades of enjoying the spoils and peace of mind from the hard work and sacrifices I will make.

Best-Paying and Worst-Paying Master’s Degrees

By Charyn Pfeuffer, PayScale.com

If you’re looking for the most bang for your postgraduate educational buck, some master’s degrees yield bigger financial returns than others.  

Katie Bardaro, lead analyst at online salary database PayScale.com, says that many of the top-paying master’s degrees are in technical fields such as engineering and computer science. “These are areas where it pays to get additional training and build upon the knowledge acquired in an undergraduate program,” Bardaro says.

Although Bardaro says any degree that allows you to increase your technical know-how is valuable when it comes to salary, she cautions that more education does not always result in higher income, especially when you factor in the cost of obtaining the degree. “Education is like any other investment, in that one needs to do some cost-benefit analysis before taking the plunge,” she says.

Below, we’ve ranked the 10 best-paying and five worst-paying master’s degrees and listed three top-paying, typical jobs for graduates and median, mid-career salary information. The master’s of business administration (MBA) is not included in this list.

To put the salaries in perspective, the median pay per master’s-degree category is:

• Engineering and technology degrees: $110,000
• Arts and sciences degrees: $83,300
• Pre-professional degrees: $84,100

10 Best-Paying Master’s Degrees
1. Master’s in Electrical Engineering

• Median Pay: $121,000
• Possible Jobs: Senior systems engineer ($124,000), software developer ($112,000), senior electrical engineer ($108,000)

2. Master’s in Finance

• Median Pay: $120,000
• Possible Jobs: Vice president of finance ($170,000), finance director ($154,000), senior financial analyst ($83,500)

3. Master’s in Chemical Engineering

• Median Pay: $117,000
• Possible Jobs: Process engineering manager ($148,000), senior chemical engineer ($124,000), chemical process engineer  ($102,000)

4. Master’s in Economics

• Median Pay: $114,000
• Possible Jobs: Marketing director ($150,000), economist ($107,000), senior financial analyst ($104,000)

5. Master’s in Physics 

• Median Pay: $113,000
• Possible Jobs: Senior software engineer ($112,000), physicist ($93,400), secondary school teacher ($70,000)

6. Master’s in Computer Science

• Median Pay: $109,000
• Possible Jobs: Software architect ($124,000), IT project manager ($109,000), software developer ($96,100)

7. Master’s in Mechanical Engineering

• Median Pay: $105,000
• Possible Jobs: Senior mechanical engineer ($100,000), project engineer ($88,300), mechanical engineer ($86,800)

8. Master’s in Civil Engineering

• Median Pay: $97,100
• Possible Jobs: Construction project manager ($97,100), structural engineer ($86,600), civil engineer ($84,800)

9. Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies

• Median Pay: $96,200
• Possible Jobs: Physician assistant ($96,500)

10. Master’s in Management Information Systems 

• Median Pay: $95,000
• Possible Jobs: Senior software engineer ($105,000), IT manager ($92,600), systems analyst ($82,400)

Five Worst-Paying Master’s Degrees

1. Master’s in Counseling

• Median Pay: $52,300
• Possible Jobs: Guidance counselor ($59,000), mental health counselor ($48,800), social worker ($47,300)

2. Master’s in Social Work

• Median Pay: $56,900
• Possible Jobs: Clinical services director ($64,700), social worker ($54,200), clinical therapist ($50,900)

3. Master’s in Music

• Median Pay: $56,900
• Possible Jobs: Secondary school teacher ($55,300), elementary school teacher ($44,700), music director ($43,000)

4. Master’s in Library and Information Science

• Median Pay: $57,100
• Possible Jobs: Elementary school principal ($74,300), secondary school teacher ($54,700), elementary school teacher ($53,800)

5. Master’s in Education

• Median Pay: $60,000
• Possible Jobs: Elementary school principal ($74,300), secondary school teacher ($54,700), elementary school teacher ($53,800)

Source: All salary data provided by online salary database PayScale.com. Salaries are based on mid-career median pay. Median pay is based on annual salary plus any bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions and other forms of cash earnings. It does not include equity compensation, cash value of retirement benefits or the value of other noncash benefits (e.g., health insurance). A mid-career worker is one with at least 10 years of experience. For workers in this data set, the typical mid-career employee is 43 years old and has about 15 years of experience."

Gas Prices....

SMH... That is the first thing that I think everyone does when they pull into the gas station and see the price they well have to pay for a gallon of gas.  It boggles my mind that the price of gas per gallon has gone up almost a dollar in a month and a half. There is no justification for it. I heard on the news that something happened to a refinery plant slowing production or some BS. So one of the many plants that they use to refine oil couldn't operate for a day or so and that causes gas to rise 10 cents in a week.
I just feel like for a commodity that is used everyday and essential to do anything on planet, you would think that the public would understand a lot more about crude oil. A lot of us don't so we are naive so be believe the news and other outlets and we need to start educating ourselves our the companies will get away with anything .
I believe that the economy can never improve until gas drops in the $2 range. This will leave people extra money to save and/or spend to stimulate the economy. For me I don't want to spend any extra money on whatever I want because I want to make sure that I have enough money to pay for gas to get to work and back.
The last thing to think about is some finance company or some sort did analysis of gas prices and for every cent gas is raised is $1 billion more a day to oil companies.

DKR shooting

My heart goes out to all the victims and their families from the shooting in Colorado at the theater. It is hard to believe that there are people that evil and cruel that would attack innocent people trying to enjoy a movie. It is disturbing that there are people out in the world that get a high off of gross evil acts of violence. What is hard for me and a lot of people right now is why the person did it. Sometimes we will never understand why people do things like this, that is why it is hard to come to terms when things like this happen in society.

What we can learn from this is to embrace our loved ones (all our friends and family we invest our time in),  remember those who were lost, and to learn from this tragedy and become a better people. We need to help each other become a better people and teach our children values and the importance of being a good person. As we help each other people need to stop being offended or feel like you are being attacked when someone says something to you. You are not better then anyone else to be that way; you should reflect about what you did to see why someone made the comment in the first place. So, today let us reflect on our lives and find something to work on that makes ourselves a better person then yesterday.

Jaren ~ LLT

Who is this Girl?

 I want to let everyone know that I have awesome friends and we are going to be doing big things. Jordan Brown, she is my friend has been writing a blog about being positive and looking for the best in every situation. So while she has been doing a blog she has been writing a book called The Girl's Guide to Loving Life. So for all you girls out there you should definitely read her blog and Facebook page and get this book that has just became available . Even though this book is for women, I support my friends any way I can. So here is the link to her BLOG, Twitter, and anything to reach her and read her material and get her advice. Jordan, you make me proud!

whoisjordanbrown.com

twitter.com/whosjordanbrown

www.facebook.com/girlsguidetolovinglife 

Here is her Book Signing! If you cant go Girls order her book.

Jaren ~ LLT

Independence & Free Will

I hope that everyone had a great 4th! I had great time hanging out with the family and watching baseball and fireworks. It is nice to know I was able to yell and taunt the players of the opposing team without fear of being punished. This is why USA is great. We can voice our opinion and disagree with the government and other people and nothing would happen to us.

My fear is that the US is slowly starting to be completely run by the government. Always putting regulations on everything, trying to restrict something so we do not have to make our own choice anymore. For example NY, NY is trying to pass a law where fast food places only sell 12oz  sized drinks only any bigger is just too much sugar that you get from the soda. Really! Are we that dumb as humans that we have to have the govt tell us that we can't have a big drink because of sugar from the soda and they want to control people's health. Soda is not the issue. It is people's free will and what they want to put in their own mouth. This leads to the question, WHAT IS NEXT? What is the next law we let pass telling us how we should run our life. By the time people want change it will be too late and in too deep.

Everyone should read the book 1984 by George Orwell. Great writer. This book talks about a society controlled by the government. You will see some similarities from what you read and what is going on in our society today. It is some scary stuff. Let's not let it get to that point; let's do something now.
                                                                                                                                     

                                         Jaren ~ LLT

Beyonce

I was reminded the other day about this video of Beyonce because of the controversy about Lauren Hill at the BET awards. The video is Beyonce's song called "Dance for you" and I think that ever man and women would appreciate and thank Beyonce for this video. For me, this has to be my top favorite video that I have ever seen and like to watch. Beyonce out did herself. This video which is amazing, is compared to this video of the girl trying to dance to the music of this song and it is hilarious. I think that it should definitely be on Tosh.0 for a web redemption  or a video breakdown. For those that watch Tosh.0 know what I am talking about. Here are the videos and enjoy working! 
  
                                                                                                                                           Jaren - LLT
:)

This is the Funny video!
Start at 35 seconds.

How to Impress peers and adults.....most of all girls.

Some of the most important things in life is to have the respect of others and for others to like you. For me this was achieved through cooking and baking. The way to peoples hearts is always through amazing food. Food is a critical not only for survival but it is part of human interactions and socialization. No one like to eat by themselves, I for one, like to be around friend and family talking while enjoying food.  I am going to take advantage of this by using my skills and share it with others while gaining respect you deserve. So the other day I decided to make a Carrot cake and a Cream cheese frosting. I spent 45+ minutes online looking for recipes, reading reviews and comparing the ingredients to the everyone's recipes.  So instead of picking one I created my own and here is it.

 All the people that ate the cake said it was delicious and wanted me to make it for them whenever they needed a cake for their next party. 
Ladies if you like a man that knows how to cook you know how to reach me....

Jaren- LLT

Cake Ingredients:

2 Cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar tightly packed

2 teaspoons baking soda

1teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon all spice

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 eggs

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup butter depending how much butter flavor you want

1 cup pecans (optional, but recommended) 

Frosting Ingredients:

2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese at room temp

2 cups powdered sugar

1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 cup pecans (optional)

Directions: 

 Before you get started add 1/4 cup sugar to the carrots and mix to coat all the carrots. Set aside so the carrots absorb the sugar. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  You will need 3 or 4, 9" inch round baking pans lined with parchment paper then greased and floured, or it will be very hard to remove the cake. In one bowl combine the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg mixing them all together. In another bowl mix eggs, butter, sugar, brown sugar, and oil until thoroughly mixed. Slowly add the dry ingredients until it is all mixed. Then add the carrots mix until evenly dispersed. Finally fold in pecans.

Pour into the pans evenly and bake approx 40 min, checking at 30 minutes with a toothpick or knife. 

Remove then let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

Combine all ingredients except pecans in a mixer until smooth and creamy. You can adjust the taste by adding more powdered sugar (a little at a time) or vanilla if you want more of a vanilla taste.

Apply to the cake when completely cool, if not the frosting will melt and the cake layers will squeeze the frosting out.

This recipe can be used for cupcakes or baked in a sheet pan.

 This is a pix of mine. Hope everyone enjoys your cake as much as everyone enjoyed mine!

The Grass Isn't Always Greener on The Other Side: Appreciating What You Have

I recently decided to give up my video game habits and focus on reading and writing more. Back in grade school I used to read and write all of the time and I really enjoyed it. I figured its about time I get back to my roots and start doing things more fulfilling with my time. So here it is......my first blog!

I'm a huge fan of music. Its runs through my veins. Something about music just puts me at ease and can take me to another place, it's a powerful thing. The other day I was listening to Justin Bieber's (Yes, I'm a Bieber fan) new song  "As Long As You Love Me"  Ft Big Sean. If you haven't had a chance to hear the song you can listen to it here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AaQ5GG0qhM). As I was listening to the song Big Sean's verses really struck a chord with me. One in particular really got me thinking. "But, the grass ain't always greener on the other side, it's green where you water it". I'm sure you've heard the phrase that the "grass is greener on the other side" before but this Big Sean line put into a whole new context for me. "Its green where you water it".

A majority of life's simplest pleasures are taken for granted each day. I feel that living in today's society has created people to think that they need something new and better to make themselves happy.  A need for the "greener side of the grass". Whats so wrong with what we currently have? The other month my car broke down on me and I was furious. I instantly went out and started looking at new cars. I had no intention to fix the one I had. I wanted a new car. I had this vision that my life would be so much better with a new car instead of fixing the one that I own. But in reality, It would just be taking all of my money. Same thing happened to me when my home button wasn't working on my iPhone. I wanted to upgrade to a newer one, a 4S.  I had insurance to get my current phone fixed for free but I still wanted to get a newer one. Yet again, I wanted to spend money on a whole new phone. How did I become this person with a need for something newer, something better?

Most people don't know this but I used to live in a homeless shelter when I was growing up. My mother, my two brothers, sister, and myself all shared a family room. We struggled for the longest time and I didn't have a lot growing up by any means, but I had enough. I appreciated everything I had in my life and I told myself  that when I get older that I would always remember the little things. I've come a long way from the kid living in the homeless shelter, my whole family has. I've grown up. I've put myself through college, have my own place, a good job, and great lifelong friends. What more do I need? For the most part I've stayed close to my values but growing up in today's society seems to make people less appreciative for things that they do have. This new "norm" creates this constant need for more, for better. I think that's a good thing for the most part.  I think its important to have goals, dreams, and wants for yourself.  A "greener side" of life that you strive to someday have but we can't allow ourselves to forget about the little things along the way.  Like watering the grass that you currently have. Building your garden, instead of buying one.Our generation wants everything now.  If the browser takes forever to load on a website we immediately get frustrated and want a new computer with better internet. If the HD on the TV isn't working for the basketball game our entire day is ruined. I don't want to be that person. I want enjoy life and not have my happiness hinge on materialistic things. I think it's important to be patient, take time, and work hard for the things you want. Take time with everything in life, don't rush through it. So don't get me wrong, I still want a new car and I do still want a new phone. One day I will be on the greener side but for now I will appreciate the one that I have and continue to water it. And that's all I need and can ask for.

-Lewis LLT