Sweet Potato Bread Recipe

I bought way too many big sweet potatoes so I decided to find something to make it with!

So I followed the recipe from here: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/6666/sweet-potato-bread-i/

With these exact ingredients:

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs (I use egg replacement 1 Tablespoon = 2 eggs)
` 3/4 sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup water
1 cup cooked & mashed potatoes


After:
I think the sugar is making it way too sweet like a cake. So maybe do it once more with half or even quarter amount of sugar.

Singapore / Malaysia Lor Mai Gai

At first I was following the recipe from rotinrice but I just cannot appreciate this taste. In the end, I tried making with lor mai gai with recipe from nyonyacooking.com and this is much much better.

From the layout and the way the information is given; I feel nyonyacooking is a better recipe and website. Sorry Auntie RotinRice.... No disrespect but the five spice and amount of oil in the rice is quite disgusting.

Hmm... after a day, I realised I do like the taste from Auntie RotinRice for the glutinous rice, maybe take away five spice and vegetable oil. Keep the rest.
The chicken is sort of tasteless so I will marinate the chicken overnight.


I will MERGE the two modified recipes below to create a better taste and efficient workflow (both for chicken & for the rice).

Modified Auntie RotinRice for preparing the rice:-

For the glutinous rice

• 2½ cups glutinous rice (soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight) (500g)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• ½ cup water (120ml)
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic (minced

Prepare Glutinous Rice

1. Prepare a steamer and allow water to come to a boil.
2. Drain glutinous rice. Place in a deep bowl. Add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, pepper, and ½ cup (120ml) water. Mix well.
3. Combine vegetable oil, sesame oil, and minced garlic in a small microwave proof dish and microwave for 1½ minutes on high. Remove and pour over the rice.
4. Place rice in steamer, cover with lid, and steam for 45 minutes.

Preparing chicken

• 4 oz skinless boneless chicken thighs (thinly sliced) (114g)
• 1/2 tbsp Shao Hsing cooking wine
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 inch ginger (peeled) (30g)
• 2 lap cheong / Chinese sausage
• 3 Chinese mushrooms / shiitake, soaked and cut into thin strips
• 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp corn starch mixed with 1/4 cup (60ml) water

1. Combine chicken, Shao Hsing wine, and soy sauce in a bowl. Grate ginger over chicken. Mix well and allow it to marinade for 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, fry prepared lap cheong until lightly brown in a medium size pot, about 2 minutes. There is no need to use any oil. Remove fried lap cheong, leaving the oil in the pot. Set aside.
3. In the same pot, sauté minced garlic until fragrant. Add marinated chicken and mushrooms. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in dark soy sauce. Pour in corn starch mixture and allow it to cook for 2 minutes. Sauce should come to a boil and thicken. Turn off the stove.

Modified Nyonya Cooking for preparing the rice:-

Preparing glutinous rice:

• 1 shallot(s)    
• 1 garlic clove(s) 
• 0.5 tbsp oyster sauce   
• 0.5 tbsp dark soy sauce 
• 2 tsp soy sauce 
• 1 tsp sesame oil

1. In a pan, heat oil over medium heat to sauté sliced shallots and minced garlic until fragrant. Reduce the heat to the minimum. 
2. Microwave: oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil. 
3. Transfer glutinous rice to a plate. Add the sauces in and mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of mushroom water. Steam for 45 minutes.

Preparing chicken:

0.5 tbsp dark soy sauce 

1 tsp shaoxing wine   

1 tsp sesame oil 

1 tsp sugar 

0.5 tsp ginger

0.5 tbsp oyster sauce    

100 g chicken meat

Chop chicken into bite sizes. Marinate chicken and hydrated dried mushrooms with the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, sugar, oyster sauce and minced ginger together with four tablespoons of mushroom water.

Vegan Butter

So recently I had a hard time trying to get vegan butter sticks for baking.

Here are some recipes for vegan butter that I would love to make and then create my own butter in case I don't have any.

https://lovingitvegan.com/homemade-vegan-butter/

https://www.vegan.com/recipes/bryanna-clark-grogan/bryannas-vegan-butter/

https://nutritionrefined.com/vegan-butter/

And the absolute holy grail of vegan baking @ http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/fats/vegan-butters/vegan-butter

Vegan Custard

I've missed custard so much. Imagine my delight at finding how to make custard here: https://amylecreations.com/vegan-custard-tarts/ and https://veganlovlie.com/custard-sauce-vegan-eggless/

I am going to try and see if I can make a custard berry pie today.

Vegan Quiche Recipe

I missed quiche every since I found out about our allergies. I've made a vegan version with modification from the recipe here: https://createmindfully.com/spinach-and-broccoli-vegan-quiche/

Tips: 

• Don’t skip cooking the veggies before baking the quiche. Even though you’re baking the quiche, the veggies need to be cooked ahead of time for overall taste.

 Cuisine vegan, gluten free

 Keyword tofu quiche, vegan quiche

 Prep Time 10 minutes

 Cook Time 45 minutes

 Total Time 55 minutes

Filling

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 6 cups spinach (or 2 cups chopped broccoli & 4 cups spinach)
• 14 ounces firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons white gluten free miso paste
• 1 tablespoon low sodium gluten free tamari
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Filling: Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent.
2. Add garlic, broccoli, salt and pepper. Cook until broccoli is crisp tender.
3. Add spinach and cook until it is wilted.
4. In a food processor combine tofu, miso paste, tamari, and nutritional yeast. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pour the spinach broccoli mixture in. Pulse to combine. 

About being minimalist in SG

Read later: http://www.jeraldinephneah.com/benefits-of-minimalism/

Vintage Reproductions

Check this out!

http://www.vintageproductions.com/index.php

Do I have clothes moth? What to do with potential moth holes?

Here are useful links:


http://goodreasonblog.com/2011/10/how-to-fix-moth-holes-in-wool/

https://tashamillergriffith.com/2014/02/28/finally-some-good-information-about-those-nasty-wool-eating-clothes-moths/

Panasonic Hairdryer

Read this later.

https://wonect.life/panasonic-negative-ion-hair-dryer/

Vintage or Reproduction Website Read

Just found this website. Will check out the information on this before I go further.

https://www.realorrepro.com/

Plant UML with Mac OSX

Followed these instructions from: http://macappstore.org/plantuml/

About the App

• App name: plantuml
• App description: Draw UML diagrams
• App website: http://plantuml.sourceforge.net/

Install the App

1. Press Command+Space and type Terminal and press enter/return key.
2. Run in Terminal app:
   ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)" < /dev/null 2> /dev/null
   and press enter/return key. 
   If the screen prompts you to enter a password, please enter your Mac's user password to continue. When you type the password, it won't be displayed on screen, but the system would accept it. So just type your password and press ENTER/RETURN key. Then wait for the command to finish.
3. Run:
   brew install plantuml

Done! You can now use plantuml.

Vegan Spiced Banana Bread Recipe

Prepping Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Yield: Bakes 2 loaves of banana bread

Ingredients

Dry bowl

2 cups (500ml) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon (7.5ml) baking powder
1 teaspoon (5ml) baking soda

Egg Bowl

5-6 mashed ripe big bananas
1/2 cup (123ml) coconut milk (this is used to create a softer crust)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice*
1/2 cup (125ml) white sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) brown sugar / demerrera
2 eggs  (1 Tablespoon Ener-G egg replacer powder into fluid)
1 teaspoon (5ml) cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) salt

Butter Bowl

1/2 cup (125ml) vegan butter, softened / melted
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x3 inch loaf pans. Whisk "Dry Bowl" ingredients ; set aside.

Mash "Egg Bowl" ingredients together in a large bowl with a fork until well combined. Stir in the "Butter Bowl" ingredients mix, then fold in the flour mixture until a batter forms and no dry lumps remain. Pour into the prepared loaf pans.

Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan, and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

eBay Canada Newbie Help

I've just started to sell on eBay as I am really hooked on selling after using Kijiji and FB Marketplace.

These are the helpful FB groups for eBay:
eBay Sellers Helping Each Other 
eBay Sellers Anonymous 
Be On Look Out BOLO Buddies Resellers & Thrifters

eBay Thrifters Camp
EBAY Warriors Grow Your eBay Business

eBay-ing in Toronto, Canada

A few things happened. I've moved to Toronto, Canada. I've also started to go with eBay selling as I'd like to widen my client-base to the country and even USA (after getting into reselling at Kijiji.ca and Toronto FB Marketplace). I just don't seem to find enough information on eBay selling in Toronto or maybe I didn't search well enough. I will chronicle my findings here so I can refer to in future.

Websites on Enzyme

I need to explore this

https://growingorganic.com/probiotics/using-enzyme-solutions-garden/

https://www.thenutrientcompany.com/horticulture/calculators/fermented-plant-juice-calculator/

https://www.dudegrows.com/homebrew-fermented-plant-juices/

https://www.thenutrientcompany.com/horticulture-blog/culture-lactobacillus-lab-horticultural-use/

https://www.thenutrientcompany.com/horticulture-blog/how-to-make-your-own-liquid-plant-food-fermented-plant-juice-fpj/

http://www.enzymesos.com/what-is-eco-enzyme/how-to-make-eco-enzyme

Antiques and Vintage Resources

Beginner's antiques know how

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/leila83/antique-facts-and-design/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/Potteryandstuff/

Image / Faster Search
Search Ebay faster: https://picclick.com

Biggest Source for Antiques & Collectables

Kovels (I am a free member)

https://www.kovels.com

20th Century Forum
https://www.20thcenturyforum.com/

20th Century European Ceramic
https://www.ceramic-signatures.com/

Biggest Source for Vintage Clothing Labels

Vintage Fashion Guild
https://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/

Vintage clothing cleaning guides
https://www.racked.com/2014/10/27/7571855/thrift-store-vintage-clothing-stain-removal

Why you should thrift

https://thriftbewithyou.com/2016/11/02/7-reasons-why-you-should-be-an-op-shopper/

How to care for fur

http://fancythatantiques.com/diy-tips/fur-care/

How to wash & fluff your down jacket

Wash: https://www.livestrong.com/article/1002641-can-down-jacket-washed-instead-dry-cleaned/
Wash: https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/expert-advice/how-to-wash-a-down-jacket/
Fluff: https://www.livestrong.com/article/1000939-fluff-down-feather-jacket-after-dry/

FB Groups

To identify antiques

Antique Identification and Valuation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/75273609478095/

Crystal & Glass

My collection of knowledge base for crystal identifications.

Beginners start here:

How to spot high quality crystal & some history
http://lancasteronline.com/features/art-and-antiques-how-to-spot-high-quality-crystal/article_64958b6c-7f32-52a4-9231-c5a26bc6c980.html

https://aproperbostonian.blogspot.ca/2012/03/how-to-identify-crystal-pattern.html

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/determine-maker-crystal-goblets-102817.html

Acid stamp (Baccarat & Waterford)

http://www.tgldirect.com/blog/crystal/lead-crystal-5-techniques-for-identifying-lead-crystal/42/

Some information about glass

http://www.great-glass.co.uk/glass%20notes/glass.htm

Crystal Identification Database

Compare by Pattern: Replacements

https://www.replacements.com

http://www.tgldirect.com/category/replacements/crystal/

EAPG?

By Marks

http://www.great-glass.co.uk/index.htm

By Name & then by Pattern

Not a big database: http://matchyourcrystal.com/default.php

American Cut Glass

http://www.cutglass.org/

Pressed Glass

How to identify pressed glass

https://www.thespruce.com/faq-about-old-pressed-glass-149098

Miscellaneous

Cute history of Bohemia & Waterford

http://ezinearticles.com/?History-of-Bohemian-and-Waterford-Crystal&id=6423168

How to identify Waterford

https://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Identify-Waterford-Crystal-/10000000178674594/g.html

Glass Bottle History

https://sha.org/bottle/websitemap.htm

Pottery Marks & Identifications

Japanese Pottery Marks

One of the most accurate and complete site 

http://modernjapanesepotterymarks.blogspot.ca

Most modern Japanese Pottery Marks are Otagiri. Check here first:
http://modernjapanesepotterymarks.blogspot.ca/2017/01/otagiri-mercantile-company-omc.html

To find out more about Imari marks:
http://modernjapanesepotterymarks.blogspot.ca/2011/05/aritayakiimari.html


Another reference:
http://litaxulingkelley.blogspot.com/p/japanese-porcelain-marks.html

Japanese Collectables Research by Ebay seller
http://www.japanesepotterymarks.info/

Gotheborg Modern Japanese Marks
http://www.gotheborg.com/marks/20thcenturyjapan.shtml

Most Complete For Chinese & Japanese Marks

http://www.gotheborg.com/

Canada Pottery Mark Identifier

http://www.canadianpotteryidentifier.com/

Modern American Studio Ceramics (1946 onwards)

Searchable! Check here first:
https://www.themarksproject.org/search-marks


Pinterest, American Studio Pottery
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/kitschnware/american-studio-pottery-identification-marks/

Mostly American Pottery & Glass
http://www.cajunc.com/articles/pottery/

West Germany Pottery (from 1950s to 1970s)

http://www.potsandpots.com/

British Studio Pottery Marks

Mostly British Pottery Marks with some foreign
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/Potteryandstuff/studio-pottery-marks-1/
https://www.pinterest.com/Potteryandstuff/studio-pottery-marks-2/
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/Potteryandstuff/studio-pottery-marks-3/
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/Potteryandstuff/studio-pottery-marks-4/

Worldwide Pottery Marks Identification
http://www.ceramic-link.de/icd/pages/marks/marksindex.htm


Australian's Pottery Marks
https://australianpottersmarks.wordpress.com/

To ID pottery marks

https://www.20thcenturyforum.com/


Van Briggle Markings

http://www.clemhull.com/BottomMarkings.html

Beautiful Pottery Websites

What beautiful pottery these are!

Cute handmade pottery

Craftd Ceramics
Shiragaki Ware

How to be a tech Ninja!

Ninja Debugger & Ninja Troubleshooter

http://www.troubleshooters.com/debug_like_ninja.htm

New tools to explore!

http://www.archdaily.com/598489/22-websites-you-didn-t-know-were-useful-to-architects/

Vector models: http://pimpmydrawing.com/about.html

People & other (cutout) models: http://www.archdaily.com/777432/6-websites-for-ethnically-diverse-render-people

Beautiful Presentation

Also check these out:
http://growthtext.com/free-stock-photos/

I'm a sucker for beautiful presentations. Blame it on being in that company for 4 years.

One of the thing that we use most is stock images and here's a blogpost from someone who'd exhaustively gathered the best and free:

http://www.catswhocode.com/blog/50-sites-to-find-free-stock-images

http://www.powstock.com/

From the lists above, good sites:

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/ & http://absfreepic.com/

http://www.sxc.hu

http://www.morguefile.com

http://freerangestock.com

Free icons:
http://www.hereisfree.com/

http://www.everystockphoto.com (searches from a few sites, some may not be free)

http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/ - Collection of brands & logos from the world 

EDIT: 2015 May

I've found new love for making quotes tailored for social media and that requires a different type of stock photos.

Here's the new list for quote creation stock photos:

https://www.lum3n.com/

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/238646

https://designschool.canva.com/blog/free-stock-photos/


I need to check this out too:

http://benrequena.com/find-free-stock-images/


LOVE

Not searchable

https://unsplash.com/ - Creative Commons Zero. Oh my! Quantity and quality! Score!

http://picography.co/ - Creative Commons Zero

http://getrefe.com/ - Creative Commons Zero, might be searchable soon.

http://jaymantri.com/ - Creative Commons Zero

http://publicdomainarchive.com/ - Creative Commons Zero, Gorgeous!!! Professional!

http://www.gratisography.com/ - Woah!!! Absolutely gorgeous artistic creations. One of a kind. Very specific! Creative Commons Zero

http://travelcoffeebook.com/archive - Gorgeous one of a kind. Creative Commons Zero.

http://skitterphoto.com/ - Toooooo gorgeous! One of a kind. Creative Commons Zero.

http://littlevisuals.co/ - Beautiful small library. One of a kind. Creative Commons Zero.

http://www.lifeofpix.com/- Quite beautiful

http://epicantus.tumblr.com/ - Not bad :)

http://www.designerspics.com/ - Mostly specific stock photos with thematic use.

Attribution

http://superfamous.com/ - Creative Commons 3.0 (credit)

http://raumrot.com/ - OMG OMG! Too gorgeous. Attribution required. But so gorgeous! Small library :)

http://foodiesfeed.com/ - Only on food. GORGEOUS!



With categories

http://www.upicm.com/ - Not bad :)

http://stokpic.com/ - Not bad. Require attribution.


SEARCHABLE

https://picjumbo.com/ - Searchable! Yes! Gorgeous!

http://pixabay.com/ - Also searchable. Also gorgeous!

http://isorepublic.com/ - Woah so gorgeous. One of a kind.



http://www.rgbstock.com/ - Check for attribution. Gorgeous :)

http://www.pexels.com/ - Very gorgeous!!! Require attribution.

http://magdeleine.co/browse/- Tooooo beautiful. Attribution required.

http://kaboompics.com/ - Gorgeous! Attribution.


http://finda.photo/ - META SEARCH for the unsearchable sites above. Search by colours.





PATTERNS

http://thepatternlibrary.com/ - with attribution.


TEXTURES

http://www.cgtextures.com/


VECTOR GRAPHICS

http://www.freepik.com/




INSPIRATIONAL

https://niice.co/



COLOUR PALETTE

http://www.pictaculous.com/

http://www.colourlovers.com/

An article by canva: https://designschool.canva.com/blog/color-tips/

The Single Most Important Trait of Personal Success by Lou Adler

Reproduced from here (https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130204210649-15454-the-single-most-important-trait-of-personal-success?_mSplash=1&sessionid=bfrpwHmVtRvGV8cVDWJ4)

Here are some ideas on how more accurately assess the most important trait of success:

1. Replace traditional job descriptions with performance profiles. The process used to promote people internally is a pretty accurate predictor of success since it’s based on the person’s past performance. A similar result can be achieved when hiring people from the outside by clarify job expectations upfront using a performance-based job description, or performance profile. Rather than box check skills, dig deep into the candidate’s accomplishments and compare these to what needs to get done. Patterns of performance and motivation will soon emerge.
2. Emphasize cultural and situational fit. While drive for results is a critical factor for on-the-job success, motivation to do the actual work is far different than motivation to get the job. Motivation to do the work is dependent on the content of the actual work itself, the leadership style of the hiring manager, and fit with the company culture. Hiring someone fully competent but a misfit on these factors is a surefire way to decrease motivation, reduce job satisfaction and increase turnover.
3. Wait 30 Minutes! More hiring mistakes are made in the first 30 minutes of the interview than any other time. If an interviewer instantly likes the candidate, he or she asks self-fulfilling questions to confirm this initial judgment. Candidates who fail the first impression bias are asked tougher questions for the same reason. By scripting the initial part of every interview, it’s possible to get past the first treacherous 30 minutes unscathed. Too many interviewers use the level of assertiveness to assess motivation. Waiting 30 minutes will clarify what’s actually being assessed.
4. Ask the Most Significant Accomplishment (MSA) question for every performance objective listed in the performance-based job description. In an earlier post I suggested that the Most Important Interview Question of All Time was to dig deeply into the candidate’s most significant job-related accomplishments. Since each of these MSA questions takes about 15-20 minutes to fully understand, it’s best to divide them among the interviewers. This ensures each interviewer is measuring the candidate against the same criteria and using a similar objective assessment approach.
5. Never (ever) violate the “No 2s!” rule. The NO 2s! rule refers to the 1-5 ranking system used as part of the debriefing process described in The Essential Guide for Hiring & Getting Hired. A Level 2 person is someone who’s not motivated to do the actual work required even though the person’s perfectly competent. These type of mistakes can be prevented by digging deep into what motivates a person to go the extra mile or take the initiative during the MSA questioning process.

You don’t need to be a Vince Lombardi to know that drive for results, motivation to succeed or will to get it done, is the most important trait of success. While it’s more difficult to accurately assess in people you don’t know, misjudging motivation to do the work you need done, is a sure way to hire the wrong person.

“If it doesn’t matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?” – Vince Lombardi

_____________________________________________________

Lou Adler is the Amazon best-selling author of Hire With Your Head (Wiley, 2007) and the award-winning Nightingale-Conant audio program, Talent Rules! His latest book, The Essential Guide for Hiring & Getting Hired, was published on February 1, 2013.

Keep the grey cells working

Now that I've graduated, well... everything seems to bore me.

But fret not. A friend sent this to me: https://www.coursera.org/

Yay! Loads of fun.

10 Secrets of Successful Leaders

Copied from entrepreneur.com for later reading!

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220518

1. Assemble a dedicated team. 
Your team needs to be committed to you and the business. Successful entrepreneurs have not only social and selling smarts, but also the know-how to hire effectively, says leadership trainer Harvey Mackay, who wrote Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive (Ivy Books, 1995). “A colossal business idea simply isn't enough. You have to be able to identify, attract and retain talent who can turn your concept into a register-ringing success,” he says.

]When putting your team together, look for people whose values are aligned with the purpose and mission of your company. Suzanne Bates, a Wellesley, Mass.-based leadership consultant and author of Speak Like a CEO (McGraw Hill, 2005), says her team members rallied around each other during the worst part of the recession because they all believed in what they were doing. “Having people on your team who have tenacity and a candid spirit is really important," she says.

2. Overcommunicate. 
This one’s a biggie. Even with a staff of only five or 10, it can be tough to know what’s going on with everyone. In an effort to overcommunicate, Bates compiles a weekly news update she calls a Friday Forecast, and emails it to her staff. “My team is always surprised at all the good news I send out each week,” Bates says. “It makes everyone feel like you really have a lot of momentum, even in difficult times.”

3. Don’t assume.
When you run a small business, you might assume your team understands your goals and mission -- and they may. But, everybody needs to be reminded of where the company’s going and what things will look like when you get there. Your employees may ask, “What’s in it for me?” It’s important to paint that picture for your team. Take the time to really understand the people who are helping you build your business.

“Entrepreneurs have the vision, the energy, and they’re out there trying to make it happen. But, so often with their staff, they are assuming too much,” says Beverly Flaxington, founder of The Collaborative, a business-advising company in Medfield, Mass. “It’s almost like they think their enthusiasm by extension will be infectious -- but it’s not. You have to bring people into your world and communicate really proactively.”

4. Be authentic.
Good leaders instill their personality and beliefs into the fabric of their organization, Flaxington says. If you be yourself, and not try to act like someone else, and surround yourself with people who are aligned with your values, your business is more likely to succeed, she says.

“Every business is different and every entrepreneur has her own personality,” Flaxington says. “If you’re authentic, you attract the right people to your organization -- employees and customers.”

5. Know your obstacles.
Most entrepreneurs are optimistic and certain that they’re driving toward their goals. But, Flaxington says, it’s a short-sighted leader who doesn’t take the time to understand his obstacles.

“You need to know what you’re up against and be able to plan around those things,” she says. “It’s folly to think that just because you’ve got this energy and enthusiasm that you’re going to be able to conquer all. It’s much smarter to take a step back and figure out what your obstacles are, so the plan that you’re putting into place takes that into account.”

6. Create a 'team charter.'
Too many new teams race down the road before they even figure out who they are, where they’re going, and what will guide their journey, says Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One-Minute Manager (William Morrow & Co., 1982) and founder of The Ken Blanchard Cos., a workplace- and leadership-training firm. Just calling together a team and giving them a clear charge does not mean the team will succeed.

“It’s important to create a set of agreements that clearly states what the team is to accomplish, why it is important and how the team will work together to achieve the desired results,” says Blanchard, who is based in Escondido, Calif. “The charter provides a record of common agreements and can be modified as the business grows and the team’s needs change.”

7. Believe in your people. 
Entrepreneurial leaders must help their people develop confidence, especially during tough times. As Napoleon Bonaparte said, "Leaders are dealers in hope." That confidence comes in part from believing in your team, says Maxwell, who is based in West Palm Beach, Fla. “I think of my people as 10s, I treat them like 10s, and as a result, they try to perform like 10s,” he says. “But believing in people alone isn't enough. You have to help them win.”

8. Dole out credit.
Mackay says a good salesperson knows what the sweetest sound in the world is: The sound of their name on someone else's lips. But too many entrepreneurs think it's either the crinkle of freshly minted currency, or the dull thud of a competitor's body hitting the pavement.

“Many entrepreneurs are too in love with their own ideas and don't know how to distribute credit,” Mackay says. “A good quarterback always gives props to his offensive line.”

9. Keep your team engaged. 
Great leaders give their teams challenges and get them excited about them, says leadership expert Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Free Press, 1989). He pointed to the example of a small pizza shop in a moderate-sized town that was killing a big fast-food chain in sales. The big difference between the chain and the small pizza joint was the leader, he says.

Every week he gathered his teenage employees in a huddle and excitedly asked them: “What can we do this week that we’ve never done before?” The kids loved the challenge. They started texting all their friends whenever a pizza special was on. They took the credit-card machine to the curb so passing motorists could buy pizza right off the street. They loaded up a truck with hot pizzas and sold them at high-school games. The money poured in and the store owner never had problems with employee turnover, says Covey, who is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

10. Stay calm.
An entrepreneur has to backstop the team from overreacting to short-term situations, says Mackay, who is based in Minneapolis. This is particularly important now, when news of the sour economic environment is everywhere.

“The media has been hanging black crepe paper since 2008,” he says. “But look at all the phenomenal companies and brands that were born in downturns, names like iPod, GE and Federal Express.”

Engineering to Business

The things I do in the office these days are not exactly what I thought I'd be doing but still, it's quite refreshing (and draining as well).

I guess that's what career maturing is all about. And inline with that, I find these articles interesting...

On selling

http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/03/how-to-sell-your-company/

On negotiating

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2010/12/osama-bin-laden-stockpickr-and-everything-i-know-about-negotiation/

Priceless pictures from Google Maps...

http://9-eyes.com/

A better visio diagram

Believe in making the best of anything I do, so I've decided to follow these rules in my visio network diagrams:

1. Add title block to the network diagrams
2. Third-party network shapes
3. Manage network information
4. Generate custom network reports
5. Show IP addresses on network diagrams with "Label Shapes"
6. Link the network diagrams together
7. Save the network diagrams as web pages for ubiquity's sake
   

http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/visio-help/7-keys-to-better-visio-network-diagrams-HA001111912.aspx

Stage Backdrop Design

So before I forget, we needed a backdrop for the stage. So I've amalgamated the poster designs to come up with this. It was a hit!

Tears from the heart

Today, I received an email for my demoreel. I thought they'd forgotten. Turns out the process took a loooooong time.

But I had a problem. A real big one. I haven't finish my thesis yet. So I did not spend any time at all on my demoreel. And I'd like to graduate. I'd like to graduate first. Oh but I am so close. So close I can taste it. I am so close to my dream.

So I cry. I cried for a lost opportunity. But then I realise... I am employable! Somebody actually didn't think I am all garbage. And I am motivated. I am so motivated now.

Let's go thesis. Allons y!

Final Poster of Year 2010

I've taken inspiration from these 2 sites:


http://ratemyhagwon.com/2009/05/21/seoul-fashion-report-book-michael-hurt/


http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/2009/04/note-from-blayne-walsh.html

And was planning to use images similar to these:

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs44/f/2009/115/f/b/Legs_And_The_Pink_Tights_by_bluenote70.jpg



http://buttertoastboutique.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/dscn1162.jpg


But since I've already coloured the cartoons provided by Emily, I've decided to just use those cartoons anyway. And borrowing ideas from the first 2 runway posters, made these 2 for printing:

Design website

This webbie is an absolute delight! I heart.

http://www.septemberindustry.co.uk/

Found from a new random love : http://www.missmoss.co.za/

Digitizing traditional media

Well, not really.

But what happened was Emily didn't have enough time to colour her drawings. So she sent me her sketch.

To which I had to digitize in Photoshop (still using CS2) and then add colours.

Here's how: http://www.wikihow.com/Add-Color-to-a-Scanned-Picture-Using-Photoshop

And this is the final result!!



Skin swatches from: http://www.curvemeister.com/tutorials/Video/Using_Pinning_for_Skin_Tones.htm and http://www.curvemeister.com/tutorials/Video/PrepressTargetValuesForSkin.jpg