Monday, March 30, 2015

Photo Plus Expo 2015

Good morning; afternoon; and evening friends and fans! I've been to the Photo Plus Expo twice since 2012, the first time I had gone to the Photo Plus Expo at the Jacob Javits Convention Center was for the test drive and the last time I had gone the Expo was on the last day of the Expo which was loads of fun! I hope I can attend this years fun festivities at the Javits Center and if I'm able to make it to the Expo this year, I hope to take as many pictures as I can so I can post them to my Flickr page once when I've developed the film. If I find employment by the end of September, I'll register for the Photo Plus Expo and I'm hoping that I would have a whole new set of business cards from Vistaprint by then but if I don't get to do either the Expo or the business cards then I'll use up the ones I currently have (even though I don't always have the funds to purchase a phone card a good part of the time). A former friend, Jason had told me about the Photo Plus Expo about several months before the Expo and I had fun when I had first gone to the expo. From the photography work I've seen from Jason. I've seen better and in my opinion, I just think he's a better writer than he is as a photographer (just saying). Jason does work for the Canarsie Courier both as a photographer and as a journalist. But you can check him out on deviantArt as well. Not to toot my own horn, I just think my photography is much better than Jason's and for some reason, I'm not a fan of using the same location more than three times but with Jason, he likes to use the same location at Central Park. Jason has his own Facebook page (Freeze Frame Foto; Model Mayhem; CosPlayNYCWordpress; NY Anime Examiner; and CosPlayNYCMag) and I would say, do not follow any of his pages but follow mine at Scorpion Images on Facebook; Twitter; and Instagram. (I am also searching for work as a photographer.)

Anyway, this year's Photo Plus Expo should be awesome and I look forward in attending this year to connect with fellow photographers in the field! I'm secretly hoping I'd get paid for my services if I were to shadow a fellow photographer and be able to eventually showcase my photography to potential (and future) clients once when I've set up a portfolio of various projects I've done.

Check out Wedding and Portrait Photographers International Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand in the future.

Ilford Photo

Warm blessings,

Jennifer

Saturday, March 14, 2015

The [LGBT] Center

"Gay rights is just a matter of time. Look at the polls. Worrying about gay marriage, let alone gay civil unions or gay employment rights, is a middle-age issue. Young people just can't see the problem. At worse, gays are going to win this one just by waiting until the opposition dies off." ~ Gail Collins.

Good morning; afternoon; and evening friends and fans! Namaste. I've been to The Center on several occasions and my experiences were positive. I have enjoyed my experiences at The Center and some of the programs/activities were awesome! However, I realize The Center is mainly for those in the LGBT community and people who are religious feel that homosexuality is a "sin". How do/would you define sin in your own words without referring to the Holy Bible or dictionary? If you can't simply answer that question in one sentence than you can't or have no right to judge those who are homosexual and if you keep telling people that "Only God can judge!" than you turn around in the most hypocritical way by judging other people when people in the LGBT community are not paying your rent or putting food in your refrigerator than mind your business! Let them live their lives and you live your own life, it's as simple as that.

In terms of my own sexuality, I'm going to plead the fifth on admitting/revealing my sexuality because I don't or never found it relevant to make any mention to anyone about my sexuality and it's no one's business but my own. If I really want to let people know than I'd say something to you which means I'm comfortable in telling you and if I choose NOT to say anything to you than don't force the issue. I've had guys hit on me mostly for all of the wrong reasons and it's exhausting but I generally reject a lot of these guys which is why I never have accepted a date. In most cases, I most likely am missing out on the dating scene and if I were to be asked out on a date by a woman, I may or may not accept the offer. I've been hit on once by a drunk white woman, and that experience was awkward because I am not or wasn't to being hit on by women. I haven't been hit on by women (drunk or sober) since that summer night of 2013. I'm used to being hit on by mostly guys and I haven't taken the bait (dating wise) because I'm assuming most of these guys wants to be with me for all of the wrong reasons.

Back to the topic, if you're someone who is in the LGBT community and feel like you have no place to go, I would say go to The Center to make new friends and have fun, or if you're in need of support or if you're looking for a LGBT - friendly environment than check out the Center! If you're looking for support groups/recurring meetings and events such as Bi Perspective, Bi Request, Gay & Lesbian Reading Group, Photography Club, South Asian Lesbian & Gay Association (SALGA) Support Group, or Zappalorti Society, just to name a few, feel free to check for their schedule and time of their events. If things had been different (meaning the events that went down since 2009 and if I had my own apartment to call my own) on my behalf than I would be able to check out the support groups I've just mentioned and there are two support groups in particular that stands out which is Emotional Wellness in Recovery and Women in Recovery. It's one of those support groups that are by appointment only and are open to those are registered Center Recovery clients. The Emotional Wellness in Recovery and other similar groups are closed groups but you'd have to contact them to become a client. I've been suffering/living with depression since 2009, if  not longer and it is not a pleasant feeling to deal with but I will leave it at that!

Before I fail to mention the location of The Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual & Transgender Community Center, it's located in Manhattan and I'm not familiar with the driving directions. They're located at 208 West 13th Street, New York, New York 10011 (between 7th and 8th Avenues) and by public transportation, take the A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, F or the Path trains to 14th Street. The Center is an amazing place to be during your spare time and I haven't had any negative complaints from the times I've been or have visited The Center. At the end of the day, you're with someone who has come out of the closet, most people in the LGBT community have a lot of love but no one to share it with! I applaud those who are brave enough to come out of the closet and for those who disrespect those who are heterosexual, I wouldn't want to be around ignorance.

"Loads of my friends are lesbians, and it really annoys me that gay people aren't allowed to get married in most parts of America. I'd go on a march for gay rights any time." ~ Pink.


Warm blessings,
Jennifer

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Don't Stay in School

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” ~ Malcolm X

Good morning; afternoon; and evening friends and fans! Namaste. 🧘🏾‍♀️ I was watching this this television show, Right This Minute on Fox 5 and they showed this viral video: 'Don't Stay in School' of this guy talking about things that you do in the real world such as paying taxes; current events that's going on in the world. I agree with this guy because things like this you'd have to figure it out within your own life upon graduating high school. When I was in school, I wasn't taught how to balance a check book or anything of that nature and when it came down to using algebra, when at some point are we ever going to use algebra; calculus; geometry; and trigonometry? The only arithmetic we ever use in our everyday life are addition; subtraction; multiplication; and division. It's different if you're teaching math in school but all in reality, when will the average person going to use algebra beyond high school or college? I'm not sure what jobs that actually deal with all things mathematics other than accounting; retail (i.e. retail, restaurants, bodegas, etc) and just to name a few. For me personally, it's nice knowing algebra but as I feel that it is wasted knowledge if never used in the real world and keep in mind, I have a fourth grade math level, no matter how many times you explain it to me, I'm still going to be very much lost; confused; and frustrated. All things math is my kryptonite and all things involving reading and writing are my super powers so to speak. Just because math isn't my strong subject doesn't mean I'm incompetent but it doesn't mean that you have to treat me any different than the next person and end of story because I'm not going to convince anyone anything different. What I know is what I know and what you know is what you know, no one can take that knowledge away from either one of us. Yet, I agree, schools don't teach us how to get or find employment; showing us how to balance a check book or assist us in creating resumes and cover letters, ways to get past job interviews the first time around successfully or learning CPR. Nonetheless, I feel that teachers should teach students how to create their cover letters and resumes starting in their sophomore of high school so this way by the time the student is about to graduate high school, they would have already perfected their cover letters and resumes by then. Hopefully it's a useful suggestion to every school across America and globally but not limited to just public schools but expand the knowledge of knowing how to create cover letters and resumes to private schools and Yeshivahs if they haven't done so already. Give us the proper life saving skills in order for us to survive in the real world other than providing us the basic knowledge of knowing how to read; write; and do math. Also show us how to perform CPR because it's a life saving skill and it's a shame it's not even taught in all schools around the world. BoyInABand talks about how things are not being "used" in the real world beyond high school and college. 

 "In a world that is constantly changing, there is no one subject or set of subjects that will serve you for the foreseeable future, let alone for the rest of your life. The most important skill to acquire now is learning how to learn." ~ John Naisbitt

This dude had done a follow up video of 'Reacting to “Don’t Stay in School” hate comments' and you can find his videos on YouTube at BoyInABand. He makes a valid point because there are certain things the school systems don't teach you how to deal with a broken heart or teach you to be street smart but then at the same time be book smart, there are benefits of remaining in high school like graduating with your friends. I personally don't agree with dropping out of school just because you feel a certain way about education and I'd rather encourage people to do what they have to do and graduate, even if you don't have the grades to graduate on time. I'm rooting for you. Here's a clip from America's Top Model: ANTM - Tyra screams at contestant (Legendado) aka Tyra goes crazy! That's my message for those considering dropping out of high school. I understand if life got in the way such as cancer or pregnancy. I believe there's still hope for you. Either way as I see it, you're going to be in a classroom setting anyway getting your G.E.D when you can get your high school experience of over with is by sticking with it until graduation and it's understandable if life got in the way preventing you from graduating high school. Granted, there are parents who work two jobs just to make ends meet and may not have the time or the energy to properly teach their children how to accomplish the real world issues such as going out interacting with people in the community but as a collective, we have to do better. Both parents and teachers have to work together in case if the parents work two or three jobs to make ends meet in this day and age where the cost of living is uncomfortably expensive.

"I've been making a list of the things they don't teach you at school. They don't teach you how to love somebody. They don't teach you how to be famous. They don't teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don't teach you how to walk away from someone you don't love any longer. They don't teach you how to to know what's going on in someone else's mind. They don't teach you what to say to someone who's dying. They don't teach you anything worth knowing." ~ Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones

Board of Education should hire teachers who are genuinely invested in their students by being stern and I remember when I was attending Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, a lot of the English teachers I've had during my sophomore and junior years of high school, weren't strict. I started high school as a sophomore because I graduated from Louis Pasteur Middle School 67 from the ninth grade in June of 1998. I feel like the teachers were too freaking soft on us at the time and there was this one teacher I had, her name was Ms. Stecker, she was strict. She gave us homework every single day, Fridays included and although she taught special education at the time, she treated us like weren't special education students, she treated us as though we were college students. I'm not sure if that makes sense but I'm sure that sounded very confusing to a lot of you reading this. Now that I'm older, I appreciate Ms. Stecker because she wanted us to succeed in life and even though a lot of the writing is now via text messaging or emailing people, it's rare to see people actually writing letters or anything that includes paper and pen. Nowadays, it's not necessary for teachers to teach cursive writing to students and it would be great if penmanship was still encouraged in schools, as well as out in the world more so than the concept of technology both in schools and out in the community. Well, times have changed and life as we know it is not the same since I've graduated in 2001. I realize a lot has changed since I've graduated high school in June 2001 and there's pros and cons to this particular topic of what should be taught in all schools for that matter that will help people be productive members of society with the knowledge of knowing how to balance check books; creating cover letters and resumes; preparing for going on job interviews, etc. It's a plus if you're both book smart and as well as street smart then I'd call it survival. I don't expect many of you to agree with me and this is how I view the world through my eyes and draw my own conclusion. That's just me because I am my own person with a sound mind, body, and soul. 😋 When it comes down to all things algebra, when will we ever use algebra equations such as (-2 + 6) + (-8) = -2 + [6 + (-8)] or even 258 + (-43) -27 -(-145) out in the real world? 🤔 I highly doubt we will ever get to use algebra; geometry; calculus or trigonometry and I wonder what those have to do with the kind of math we use every day (addition; subtraction; division; and multiplication)? Maybe my way of thinking is wrong and I don't expect many of you to fully agree with me 100% but I am open to hearing your arguments out of respect. Keep all comments respectful and no bullying. It's okay to agree to disagree. In public schools don't teach us how to get jobs or pay taxes and I'm not sure how things are done in private schools since I've never attended private schools since it wasn't in my mom's budget at the time and she wasn't receiving the financial help from my biological father (although she allegedly claimed she had a court order that my father pays child support). Let's change our education systems here in America and as well as around the world each generation will be able to flourish and prosper!

This meme makes complete sense if you think about it! May as well just figure it out for yourselves. I'm not encouraging you to drop out but these things are not even taught in schools such as The Black Panther Party; Fred Hampton; Malcolm X or what they stood for. It's like you have to do your own research and it's interesting how they briefly teach students about Adolf Hitler. Think about it and you have to learn about The Black Panther Party from those who lived through that time period. Insane how the KKK still exist while The Black Panther Party dwindled away by 1980.
Warm blessings,
Jennifer