Woman In Progress

This project was joyfully nerve-wracking.

Some time in October 2011, I started subscribing to the updates of a lot of prominent web designers and developers on Twitter. I’m glad I did, otherwise I wouldn’t have known about a competition that could challenge my creativity. Chris Coyier (@chriscoyier), who is associated with the web design blog at CSS Tricks, posted an update about something called the CSS Off (http://unmatchedstyle.com/cssoff/index.php). The CSS Off, which has now ended, was a worldwide 2-week competition for web developers to show off their coding skills. Us developers were all using the same design, but what mattered is what we did with code to arrange it into a one-page website. For the laypeople reading this: think of this as a competition for chefs. We are all told to create a multi-layered cake. Everyone creates a dessert with a similar structure, but uses their own special ingredients, and makes their own unique touches with icing. At the time of this posting, the competition is over–but many of us who participated are sharing our entries with each other. What I’ve seen so far is impressive and inspiring. I await to see who the judges of the CSS Off determine to be the grand prize winner, as well as the other top winners of the competition.

Participating in the CSS Off has been one of the best experiences for my career as a web developer in 2011. My prominent reasons for joining in the competition were not because of the prizes (the grand prize is a MacBook Air), but to encourage myself to finally get up to speed with the latest methods of web development. Initially, I knew it would be a big challenge for me, and there was an initial hesitation on my part. But you know what? I needed to test my skills against other developers, and I believe many are more advanced than I am. With that in mind, I was determined to move forward and learn what I could learn. The next two weeks were challenging, fun, and simultaneously nerve-wracking. This experience was like a crash-course of getting up to speed with the latest in web development.

At one point, as the November 3rd deadline neared, I almost wanted to quit–I knew I wasn’t going to have the time to put in all the interactive elements I wanted.  I desired to submit a “perfect” entry, according to the vision I had in my head. Also, I was  just weary of the frustrations I had with some interactive elements, and I was missing my daily gym workouts! Fortunately, I reminded myself that:

• I’ve been coding/designing for years. My coding skills are actually pretty good in relation to the current standards of web development.
• It would be silly to “tuck tail and turn around” right now, after all of the hours I put into my project so far.
• My submission may not be perfect, but according to some of the Tweets of other contestants in the #cssoff Twitter topic, others are finding this project challenging as well.

I then thought to just “do my best” and at least provide the minimal requirements. What matters is that I submit something. How am I going to grow if I don’t push myself forward?

I submitted my entry the day before the deadline. Sure, my project needs more work–but those details are not readily noticeable to the average web surfer. I am experiencing joy for my accomplishments. Also, I am enjoying seeing the work of the other contestants, as we have shared our entries through Twitter. One of the contestants, @daljo628, offered to host the entries of a handful of contestants on a site he registered: http://www.knucklelodeon.com. You can find my entry on his site under Misty Shaw, as well as on my own site. Also, check out the entry of @daljo628! He gave me some helpful tips on a website element I was struggling with.

Well now that the competition is over, I ask myself, “now what?” Participating in the CSS Off has inspired me to locate some professional web development and design organizations in my local area. I can learn from others who know a lot more than I do, and gather with people who have a common interest and similar ways of thinking. Connecting with like minds will definitely help with my growth as a web developer.  Since I live in Southern California, locating these types organizations is super easy. Also, I’ve wanted to create my own design of this blog (it’s currently a free design I found through WordPress.org), as well as redesign my whole website and make it more up-to-date and dynamic. Promotional tools such as more business cards need to be created, my LinkedIn page needs a serious update, and essentially, I just need to get “out there” and show the world who I am and what I can do. ‘Cause I kick ass.

Life threw me a curveball, but let me borrow a Chevy Equinox for my troubles.

On May 3, 2011, I was involved in a “fender-bender” on my way home from work. I had the green light and the right of way, but another driver accidentally turned left into my driver’s side. Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt, and neither was he and his passenger. While he suffered a fallen bumper and a slightly crushed hood of his Honda Civic hatchback, my Ford Mustang also suffered bruises. One of the upsides to this was that it happened near one of the most reputable body shops in Orange County, a body shop I have been thinking about using lately. I and the other party were able to drive our cars into their lot, and we began the business of exchanging information. A policeman came by to make sure both parties exchanged the right details, but I guess he didn’t feel the situation was serious enough to file a report. Everyone was amicable, and the other party determined they were at fault. Their insurance company are paying for all damages and my car rental. We are both getting our cars serviced at the body shop that was near the accident. All in all, the post-accident process went smoothly, much better than I thought it would. The driver’s mother, who was his passenger, offered me a humongous container of chocolate treats for my trouble! I thanked her, but only took one tiny treat. I came out of this a happy woman, despite the circumstances.

As I think about what happened this evening, I reflect on how calm I was during most of this process. The much younger version of myself would have reacted negatively, letting her emotions get the better of her. She would have been like a child, not taking care of business as soon as was needed. Because I was calm and cooperative, everything went smoothly.

As of late, there have been a few stressful situations in my life for which I am responding with a cool calmness. Well honestly, my initial reaction is still “freak out mode”, but I am noticing how quickly I snap out of it, as my Adult Mind steps in, and ponders the initial steps of solving a problem. For example, I was at the end of my first date with my current boyfriend. As we were in a large parking lot of an entertainment center, I couldn’t find my car! My initial freak-out response was, “My car was stolen!” or, “My car was towed away!” My date watched me as I quickly became calm and figured out ways to determine what happened. As I was just about to get a hold of the security office on site, my date found my car–it was just in another location of the lot, and I swore I parked it in another location. I was relieved, and we chuckled about it before we parted for the evening.

I’ve also been apartment hunting in the spring. I met a lady who needed a roommate for a condo she wanted to share with another renter. I liked the apartment, and she seemed to be a cool lady, so we decided to be roommates. As the days and weeks went by before the move in date, red flags began to pop up, such as her revealing to me that this was actually a sublet situation. She also wanted to make revisions to the rental agreement–in particular, restrictions on my guests. In addition, she ran my credit late just about a week prior to my move in. As much as I wanted to leave my current living situation, I ignored these flags. Except one. The “roommate-to-be” told me just days before I was going to move in that “she didn’t think it was going to work out”. Something about having my boyfriend over helping me paint the bedroom the previous weekend made her feel uneasy about me. I was very upset about this, but somehow, my voice did not translate this over the phone as I kept my composure. I guess she sensed that I wasn’t “getting angry” with her; she later recanted that evening and said she was freaking out; she would like to go ahead and give me a chance. My mind was already made up. I cannot live with a woman who doesn’t trust me, or wants to put restrictions on my living situation. Now because I kept it cool the whole time, I was reimbursed for the paints and painting supplies I bought for the bedroom. We cordially parted. As I type this blog entry, I am currently seeking a living situation more to my liking.

My attitude in these recent situations, including the car accident, has reminded me of how much more of an adult I am becoming. I am continuing to shed the aspects of the Misty of Days Past, and a more sophisticated, wiser woman is revealing herself. This stage of my adulthood is feeling wonderful.

Josephine Baker is gettin' down with her Charleston moves!

Last night I came to my dance studio early, and watched an Intermediate Charleston class in progress. Some of the moves reminded me of my dance classes in the past–those that were rooted in jazz. The people in that intermediate class were all dancing without partners, swinging out and adding their own finesse to their moves. Even before my Beginning Charleston class started, I was thinking of putting my practice of the Lindy Hop on hold, and practice the dance that is its predecessor. My Beginning Charleston class lasted 45 minutes, and was my easiest introductory swing class so far.

I found the very basic moves of the Charleston to be simpler than the 6-count and 8-count Lindy Hop classes I had taken in the past week. I’m still finding it challenging to be a follow and allow my partner to lead me. Then again, the men in my classes are beginners too, and are also learning how to lead correctly. I found that it was easier to be a follow for the Charleston dance than the Lindy Hop.

Now since I’ve grown up with hip hop music over the years, I would say that the Charleston looks like the “Kid ‘N Play” dance. If you’ve ever seen the movie House Party, you may remember Kid (Chris Reid) and Play (Chris Martin) having a sort of “dance battle” with two women. Seems like they created their own funky version of the Charleston with a hip hop essence. I’ve watched an Al Minns and Leon James excerpt from the 30′s, and I swear I’ve seen b-boys emulate some of those moves.

And now…I present to you below, The Funky Charleston!

Leon James and Willa Mae Ricker dancing the Lindy Hop. (Life Magazine)

Recently, I attended a birthday house party of a friend’s roommate. While celebrating with food and conversation, I noticed that one of the male guests was swing dancing with a couple of women, to high-tempo house and pop music. They were having so much fun that I thought, “Why don’t I get into swing dancing?” I realized then that I had been closed-minded to this style of dance for a long time.

I had been practicing a handful of dance styles over the last 10 years: jazz, ballet, West African styles, Indian styles such as Bharata Natyam and Bhangra, and hip hop. What I enjoyed about hip hop was its room for improvisation, and adding one’s own finesse to particular moves. In the last few years though, I found myself getting bored with hip hop styles. The latest moves and music had become kind of “cheesy” to me. I needed a new challenge, a new way of dancing that resonated with the way I like to move. When I saw those few guests at the house party spinning around and improvising, my interest in swing dancing began.

I started researching the origins of American swing dance, becoming familiar with the East Coast and West Coast styles. I studied the popular East Coast style, the Lindy Hop (based on the Charleston dance), which evolved in Harlem, New York in the 1920’s and 30’s. Ever since I first saw Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, I have been fascinated by the Lindy Hop scene. I surmise that a few of the moves in that scene are Lee’s nod to the most celebrated Lindy Hopper in history, Frankie Manning. I am currently studying the various swing dance styles. From what I gather at this point, East Coast styles, such as the Lindy Hop, are fast and “jumpy”. I am in awe of the energy and aerial moves of a popular Lindy Hop scene in a film named Hellzapoppin’ (shown below).  In comparison, West Coast styles are more sultry and rooted in the jazz style of dance. I like that West Coast styles can be danced to most music with 4/4 speeds, such as current R&B and hip hop. At this point, I have a LOT to learn, such as how to follow a man’s lead while swing dancing. Lindy Hop is a good style for beginners to get into swing, but I can see myself learning a lot more, like Shag, Balboa, and the general west coast style.

I went to an Intro to Swing class on a Friday night at Atomic Ballroom in Irvine, CA. I had fun learning a basic 6-step swing move, intuitively adding in the finesse of what I had learned in my jazz dance classes. After class, the dance floor was opened up for a weekly evening dance. I watched a large group of people from various age ranges and ethnic backgrounds dance a myriad of swing styles. I was asked to dance and shyly (!) accepted. I only knew the basic moves I learned that evening, but I anticipate learning more as I become skilled and confident about my dancing.

What also attracts me to swing music is its social aspect. It is a great opportunity to meet many people in a fun atmosphere. If you’re a woman, you have the advantage of being asked out by a variety of men onto the dance floor. If you’re a man, there’s lots of lovely ladies to practice your dance moves with. There was something else I noticed too–almost everyone put in some obvious effort in dressing up. Not too dressy, but not too casual either. As a woman, I enjoy dancing with nicely dressed men, and I’ll especially enjoy dancing with confident men with marvelous dancing styles.  These experiences are also a good excuse for me to dress up more often. I anticipate wearing my signature flowers (or feathers!) in my hair, donning more skirts and dresses, and even adding a touch of drama to my makeup. If I’m going to be asked to dance, why not accentuate myself?

I’ll be attending some more classes in the upcoming weeks. I can see this becoming a sort of addiction, especially if this type of dancing helps me express my whimsical spirit.

Kagomenda, inspired by the designs of Serge Mouangue. Markers and colored pencil on marker paper, 11" x 14".

In the last week of 2010, I faced my resistance of drawing in my sketchbook, and simply started doodling. The doodles transformed into sketches, and the sketches transformed into an illustration inspired by African and Japanese cultures.

Kagomenda is my illustration that is inspired by the woodblock prints of Katsushika Hokusai and the designs of Serge Mouangue. In recent years, a handful of friends, family, and acquaintances have experienced my fascination of Japanese culture. In 2009, I was amazed to read about Camer designer Serge Mouangue, who constructed African print fabric into Japanese Kimonos. Since I adore his work so much, I decided to create my own illustrative representation. It was a fun way to challenge myself to draw and play with color. I would like to create more.

What does “Kagomenda” mean?

The name Kagomenda is a combination of two cities: Kagoshima, Japan and Bamenda, Cameroon. It is a creative way to represent the home countries of two artists who have inspired me.

Why did I create this?

Since my childhood, I have been fascinated with the many cultures in our world. I feel very fortunate to be surrounded by a diverse amount of colorful communities in my lifetime. Mouangue’s creativity touches that part of me that desires to experience more cultural blendings. I have wanted to create art on this level for some time, and Kagomenda is a good start. The beginnings of my inspiration though, are from Hokusai. I recently changed the desktop image on my computer to The Great Wave off Kanagawa. After day two of examining the lines and colors of that image, inspiration hit like little shocks of electricity.

What processes/mediums did I use?

A MacBook Pro and a Wacom tablet, Adobe Illustrator, Copic markers, a glass-topped coffee table (for a makeshift light-box), colored pencils, and lots of fun and patience. Oh yeah, can’t forget my hands and eyeballs.

Future artistic projects

My intention is to create more illustrations based on the work of Mouangue. There are other avenues I would like to continue on the theme of world cultures as well, such as a blog I began about the national flags of our world.

Wait. A. Minute. I didn’t know you could draw!

Um…surprise?

A very small group of people, mostly my family, have seen my drawings of years past. I’m in the process of photographing these works, and it’s quite a challenge just getting the lighting right for the various mediums. On top of that, I’m also using my web design skills to create a site for them. I hope to manifest this sometime in 2011!

Comments are welcome.

Some time in September, I blogged about my car being broken into. My 4-year old aftermarket stereo was stolen. I have since installed a new stereo, and am pleased with it. In the last few years, I have wanted to upgrade to a model that had a USB port. I bought a Kenwood stereo through Crutchfield, installed it, and now happily ride through rush hour traffic listening to podcasts and radio shows such as the Friday Favecast.

Wait…WHAT? Your mind asks, “Did Misty really install her own car stereo?”

Hell yeah I did. It’s not difficult, really.

Several years ago I had to remove an aftermarket stereo from the first car I owned, since I was getting a new vehicle. Once I figured out how to remove the stereo, I thought to myself, “If it’s that easy to remove, then I wonder if it’s also easy to re-install?” With internet research, a few tools, and the help of a Crutchfield customer service rep, I installed the stereo into my next car. I smiled broadly as I turned the ignition and heard the stereo through the speakers of my second car.

I did it again in the autumn of 2010, this time using better tools and mounting it better than I did previously.

A couple of flash drives from PNY. I thank Sanjay V. for introducing me to these.

Since this installation, I’ve only used the CD player once. I prefer to use the USB port to listen to my music. It is so much easier to carry two or three flash drives than to carry loads of CDs. Each of the tiny drives I use holds 4 gigabytes of information. I use one of the drives for podcasts and audiobooks, and the other contains MP3s from my laptop. One of my drives is currently holding the content of 30 CDs, and it’s not full yet! If I ever lose one of these drives, I have my digital backups elsewhere.

Earlier in this post, I mentioned the Friday Favecast, an entertaining podcast “giving you the best in soul and progressive hip hop.” The show is hosted by Fave, who produces it from Houston, TX. I love how his show features music that is not heard on commercial radio. It’s an hour of good beats, fitness tips, and a touch of spirituality. I’ve discovered the Friday Favecast in the summer of this year. Fave will be celebrating the 4th anniversary of his podcast on December 10, 2010. I’ve listened to a slew of podcasts and radio shows from around the world for over 10 years, and now have the luxury of listening to them in my car. There will be a blog entry in the future about podcasts, radio shows, and the like in the future.

I am grateful to be able to listen to music in a more efficient manner. Below is my visually documented process of my car stereo installation. Enjoy!

Oooh! A project!

O Harness, I'm not scared o' you!

Hello, my pretty.

Wire crimpers love munching on connectors. *nom nom nom*

The latest trend in Nuveau Abstract Art

My car awaits its new toy. (and yes, I drive a manual, 'cause I'm a bad-ass.)

It's alive! MUHAHAHAHAHA!

Over the past year I have been exchanging messages on Twitter (i.e., “Tweets”) with a man from Bogotá, Colombia. He is currently studying Advertising at an art school in northern California, in the United States. One morning, I saw this Tweet from him, broadcast to the public in his stream:

Shit! Colombia is not Columbia, IT’S a country in south america, we speak spanish and it’s NOT all about cocaine. #GodDamnIt

He has been in California for a short time, and from that statement I surmised he was frustrated by the ignorance of people he encountered. The country Colombia can frequently be misspelled, and unfortunately its reputation of illegal drug trade is the first thought that may come to mind. What country doesn’t have its shady side, though? As I’ve learned, Colombia is richly diverse, and is known to have beautiful colonial architecture. One may recognize a familiar hustle and bustle of metropolitan city life in its capital, Bogotá.

Sensing the man’s annoyance towards people who have little knowledge of his home country (myself included), I reposted his Tweet for the followers in my stream. I immediately posted a Wikipedia link about Colombia afterwards. In that moment, an interest of mine was rekindled to learn more about countries of the world and their flags. Just recently I have read Chris Guillebeau’s book, The Art of Non-Conformity. In a section of his book, he encourages the reader to “Memorize the names of every country, world capital, and current president or prime minister in the world”, in the span of a year. This idea resonates with me, for I do want to travel to many nations in my lifetime. Being that I’m inclined to multiculturalism, having a greater worldview is beneficial for me.

I would like my self-education to benefit others as well. So, I’ve been inspired to create a blog primarily about flags. In doing so, I may well become a vexillogist as I learn more about the representative banners of the world. I intend to post basic details about each flag so that other readers can learn as I learn.

I’ve created The Flag Blog (flagblog.tumblr.com) on the Tumblr platform. The nature of this topic is suited for the idea of microblogging. At the date of this posting, I am currently working on restyling the design of The Flag Blog theme, to make it look more visually interesting. I hope you enjoy the content in the meantime. In honor of the Tweet that spurred me on, Colombia’s flag is the first entry in this blog.

Thank you, Alejandro.

I have more than a handful of blog topics I want to write about. For example, there is an update about my successful “do-it-myself” car stereo install after a recent incident. Actually, if it wasn’t for said incident, I would have missed another opportunity for personal development. This will be detailed in a future entry!

I could wait for the perfect time to write my next blog entry, but then nothing will get written. So, this update will suffice.

While those writing ideas are simmering in my brain, I am in the process of creating an online portfolio of my creative work from years past. I have a lot of drawings, paintings and such stuffed away in tote portfolios, and I thought, “This work needs to be displayed in public! This is part of who I am!” My visual creativity may not be displayed in a Parisian museum, but do have the technical know-how to exhibit my creative pieces online (*said with chest sticking out proudly*). In addition to editing the work I’ve photographed, I’ll be designing, coding, and scripting the page(s) to display my art. The layout will also be sketched and mocked-up in these beginnings as I consider the overall development. That’s what us web designers do.

This project may sound like a lot of work. It is. I LOVE doing stuff like this though–drawing up a plan that involves technical creativity, and then bringing it to manifestation. The birthdate is November 15, 2010, but could even be Dec. 1st. You know, life happens.

Other than that, I’ll continue to sweat it out at the gym, be social, watch a handful of anime, and find interesting food at Trader Joe’s.

On a recent Sunday morning, I discovered that my car had been broken into. Rear panel window busted. Car stereo gone. A bunch of CDs were missing as well–maybe those thieves will become new fans of  Tanya Morgan and Saul Williams? Fortunately I have the purchased MP3s on my laptop. Fortunately my laptop was not in my car.

This was the first time (and hopefully the last?) that I’ve had this experience. I was initially shocked upon discovery, but in that same moment I felt a calm come over me. I knew that nothing of  extreme value was left in my car. Items could be replaced or repaired. The biggest thing that made me upset though, was having to spend my precious time making phone calls and getting this situation taken care of so that I could go on with my day. Getting a cop to check out my car, calling my insurance company, driving my Mustang to the car wash to vacuum shards of glass, among other related activities, sucked 4 hours out of my day. Not only was my Black Pony violated, but those jackholes soured part of my Sunday. In the words of Samuel Jackson, “Yes, they deserve to die, and I hope they burn in hell!”

Okay, maybe that punishment is too harsh. How about torturing the violator(s)/thieve(s) by binding them to chairs, making them watch every single Naruto filler episode…in Hebrew?

Well, me being me, I looked at the bright side of the situation. That stolen aftermarket stereo was over 4 years old, and I had been wanting to replace it for some time. I have desired a model with a USB port, since I was getting tired of burning CDs and having loads of them in my car. These days I listen to a lot of podcasts, or mixes made from the music on my laptop. Carrying a handful of flash drives (probably on a keyring) would be an easier option. I think this would be really helpful for the Japanese podcasts I want to listen to during my commutes, for I can change the files on the flash drives with ease. I won’t  have to accumulate a pile of burned CDs. I bought a stereo online from Crutchfield.com recently, and it’s on its way.

There are some other upgrades I would like for my car, like finally exchanging my stock speakers for aftermarkets, and I definitely need some new tires. I’m looking forward a smoother ride with a nicer-sounding system. In the meantime, the tinny sound of my iPhone’s music apps will have to suffice.

Hiragana: A-line

Last summer I attempted to teach myself the basic Japanese syllabaries, Hiragana and Katakana. Since I haven’t practiced writing Kana since last summer, I’ve struggled to remember what these characters sound like when I see them in public areas. In order to refresh my memory, I’ll blog about my re-learning of Kana. I figure it’s a fun way to learn how to read and write in Japanese, and it also gives me an excuse to play with my Wacom tablet.

The first line I’ll re-learn is the A-line, which is equivalent to basic English vowel sounds. You can find more details about this set of characters at zojineko.com. I will be using this website in tandem with Yasuko Kosaka Mitamura’s workbook, Let’s Learn Hiragana.