...So, not long ago I was approached by a professor who wanted to conduct an online winter interim course. It involved one of the science disciplines: social science. I was uncertain if I could take part, but only because of my workload. I had the interest, but the availability is what I questioned. Long story short, I made time to partake in the first-ever online course. It was a course that was in collaboration with Stanford University, and in part, with a department within the Microsoft Corporation. Anyone who participated in the course was offered the chance to travel to Stanford at his or her leisure, plus, he or she was also offered the opportunity to apply for a prestigious internship with MS as part of the package. The requirement for taking the course and being able to take advantage of the perks was that the person(s) had to maintain an A+ (4.0) in the course. Not only did the students have to maintain good grades through-out the three-week course, but the students had to find other students from the respective college/university to help take surveys and fill out reports. The students who were chosen also had to be in good standing with good grades.
I was extremely picky in who I asked to help me out, and hindsight being 20/20, I would make the same choices - again and again. I had three of the best students (a.k.a. "student -helpers") assisting me. Each time I had a survey and/or a research form for each person to fill out for me, all three of my "student-helpers" came through for me. Not only did their timeliness to return the data back to me help me with my essays and reports, but the [thorough] manner in which each "student-helper" filled out his or her data, well, it greatly contributed towards me always having an abundant amount of good, vital information from which to pick. Through hard work and the help of three awesome "student-helpers," I not only received the good marks needed to pass the course, but I am also eligible to visit Stanford U sometime in the summer [2015], and if I choose to do so, I am also able to apply for an internship with Microsoft.
The kicker, if you will, pertains to the internship with MS. Applying for such a position is something I would have aspired to obtain not too long ago; however, lately I have been reconsidering my career path. What does that mean? Well, my goal to get my B.A.T. in computer programming, computer networking, computer gaming, or to become a network administrator or a database administrator...all of those comp-sci careers have been put to a halt. Being in college again has opened up other doors for me, and I am once again considering a career in the humanities. Who knows, maybe my long-ago dream of becoming an attorney is also not off the old proverbial table. Many years ago, I began a trek towards becoming a corporate attorney and I minored in finance, but making money and being wealthy is no longer what I wish to do these days. Tangible wealth does not beget happiness, it merely dawns a path of regret that many do not see until it is too late. [Tangent]...Anyway...Perhaps the career in the computer science field is also going to elude me, but by my own accord.
These days I find myself being drawn towards helping other people, so that in turn, they may help themselves. The life of an altruist is only enhanced by the good he or she does for other people, and the only thing that can impede an altruist's will is the person who stares back at him or her in the mirror. Yep, these days I want to look at myself in the mirror and know that the person staring back at me is helping other people and no longer places monetary value on life's achievements. Lately, my mantra has taken a significant turn. My new-found belief is that success is being happy with oneself and helping other people.
AnYwAy...there are three special and important [in his or her own way] people that I would like to thank for all the hard work that he or she put forward while helping me get through the winter interim course. Thank-you a million times over to: Wendy, Gerardo, and Ana. Without your indulgence and cooperation, I would have had a truly difficult time getting through the course - much less having passed it with high marks. You guys rock. You are solid individuals, and I expect good things from each and every single one of you. I know I have said that over a thousand times [exaggerating], but I honestly do mean everything I ever told each of you in person or wrote to each of you in an email, text, and such. Keep up the good work, guys, and maybe one day I will be able to repay the favor. I am always here and around. I never forget a favor, and I never turn my back on a friend. Maybe the opportunities I was afforded through partaking in the online winter interim course will pan out for me... Wherever I go and whatever I do, I will always think of you three.
~ When good fortune is bestowed upon your doorstep, embrace it, love it, enjoy it, but always pay it forward.
~ Dora Dominguez Carey
✔©✔
Monday, January 26, 2015
Sunday, January 25, 2015
WELCOME to Familia Dominguez: Our newest addition to the family, Giana Evalyn!
The legacy continues...
Baby Gamboa:
Giana..."Meets grandma Betty!"
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Sunday, January 25, 2015
(My beautiful sis and my gorgeous new great-niece)
"Finally grandma Honey and Giana meeting in person for the first time on Sun Jan. the 25 th,Yay!
(Thx for sharing the pic, sis Aurora)
Saturday, January 24, 2015
WELCOME to Familia Dominguez: Our newest addition to the family, Giana Evalyn!
The legacy continues...
Baby Gamboa:
Giana..."Ready to go home!"
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Saturday, January 24, 2015
(Thx for sharing the pic, Rudy
a.k.a. "the proud daddy")
Thursday, January 22, 2015
WELCOME to Familia Dominguez: Our newest addition to the family, Giana Evalyn!
Giana celebrated her actual birthday today: Day of Birth!
She is a gorgeous baby.
May G-d's love and light always shine upon you, little one!
Our family is extremely elated and overjoyed by your birth.
The legacy continues...
Baby Gamboa:
Giana..."Ready for the World!"
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015
The proud parents:
Rudy and Veronica
with Baby G.
(Thx for sharing the pic, Rudy
a.k.a. "the proud daddy")
I posted this to show-off my brand new great-niece's family.
They are sitting down and includes my nephew, Rudy, and his family.
L2R: Rudy, his daughters Gracie and Gabby, and his wife Veronica.
And of course standing are my sisters and I with other family members.
L2R: My sis Betty, my sis Josie, my niece Michelle, me, My sis Aurora,
my niece Felicia, and my sis Eva.
Standing alone in the back (behind Aurora) is my brother-in-law Jabier.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Dora's Corner: Heartache: A Culmination of Love: Past and Present!
...For I am not Gatsby, but I have known a love so magnificent that mere mortals can never comprehend. I have had a Daisy in my life, but in my realm of the world, she came without a Tom. Daisy has entered my once-happy life and cruelly swung a pendulum of so-called love right before my eyes, but just like her doppelgänger from the haunting novel, this Daisy retreats ever so mercilessly with the pendulum. Like a thief in the night, she has denied me reciprocal love. This Daisy mocks me, but she does it without realizing what she does, but still, I wonder...is she fully aware of her actions, yet willingly continues on a destructive path to tear up my world. Robbing my world of a sweet love that I am certain that she has never known because she remains child-like in her rebellion of real love. No, there is no Tom in this story who can be held liable for Daisy's crude and unbearable actions, but still, there remains so much disregard by this Daisy for the kind of love that I offer. This Daisy continually avoids me and ignores me. Her true beauty I am sure she does not see, perhaps she silently carries a disdain for herself which makes her unable to share her feelings and her love with another. Poor, foolish me, it is I who must pay dearly for this Daisy's uncertainty and ambiguity which keeps her from extending any love to another. Yes, poor me, I must also suffer in silence; silent lucidity indeed. I must retreat or I will go mad, and I will forever be stuck in a maddening world from which there is no return. I must continue to love in unnatural reticence. Still, I keep on loving this Daisy regardless of where she is or how she feels - or does not feel. It is my penance to admire her in shame, and to forever love her while I remain alone and lonely, heart-broken and heartless, hapless and unable to be happy.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Dora's Corner: +Self-Indulgence: ...Have You Any Dreams You'd Like to Sell?
...Okay, so the song goes: "...have you any dreams you'd like to sell?"
I ponder this, to whom/which lover was Stevie Nicks referring to, as if we need ask...of course, it was Lindsey Buckingham himself for whom the beautiful lyrics and song ("Dreams") were written.
If she was asking her lover (ex-lover) to sell her his dreams so that she could better understand him, then I can definitely understand her. I can understand all too well how she was feeling. I, too, wish that a certain person would have sold me his/her dreams so that I could better understand him/her. But, oh, that was long ago...actually, not that long ago...the person is my muse of late. I would give anything for the sweet, beautiful person to sell me his/her dreams. To know the person, well, it might actually not only help me to know and like the person better, but perhaps, the person could know me and like me as much as I do. Reciprocate, reciprocate, reciprocate...
My own dreams, the ones that could come true, are delayed, and perhaps even dwindling, because each day that my emotions and feelings are not properly addressed, I am left haphazardly alone and sad and in wonderment of "what could be." It is a sad state-of-affairs in which I currently dwell and reside. I wish I could tear at the very fabric of myself to find the me who was ecstatically happy, somewhat fancy-free, and steadily secure...until that glance.
The glance that saw me crash into an invisible wall; the glance that made my knees fold; the glance that left me unable to breathe; the glance that made my heart skip a beat unlike any arrhythmia that my chest has been put through; the glance that has made my words turn awfully corny. The one special, phenomenal, beautiful glance that I began, and you answered, on that awesome and unforgettable Tuesday morning. I glanced your way, bid you fare salutations, you replied, and further added that the morning "was cold." I heard your sweet voice, and I looked back...then thunder struck...the glance...the glance...the glance. I glanced your way, and my heart you took. Oh, the pain of it all. I remain in an ambiguous, beguiling, and love-struck world...never knowing, never knowing, never knowing. Should I tell you, perhaps hidden is how my feelings should be left...no one gets hurt except my need to be with you. What to do, what to do, what to do...
I ponder this, to whom/which lover was Stevie Nicks referring to, as if we need ask...of course, it was Lindsey Buckingham himself for whom the beautiful lyrics and song ("Dreams") were written.
If she was asking her lover (ex-lover) to sell her his dreams so that she could better understand him, then I can definitely understand her. I can understand all too well how she was feeling. I, too, wish that a certain person would have sold me his/her dreams so that I could better understand him/her. But, oh, that was long ago...actually, not that long ago...the person is my muse of late. I would give anything for the sweet, beautiful person to sell me his/her dreams. To know the person, well, it might actually not only help me to know and like the person better, but perhaps, the person could know me and like me as much as I do. Reciprocate, reciprocate, reciprocate...
My own dreams, the ones that could come true, are delayed, and perhaps even dwindling, because each day that my emotions and feelings are not properly addressed, I am left haphazardly alone and sad and in wonderment of "what could be." It is a sad state-of-affairs in which I currently dwell and reside. I wish I could tear at the very fabric of myself to find the me who was ecstatically happy, somewhat fancy-free, and steadily secure...until that glance.
The glance that saw me crash into an invisible wall; the glance that made my knees fold; the glance that left me unable to breathe; the glance that made my heart skip a beat unlike any arrhythmia that my chest has been put through; the glance that has made my words turn awfully corny. The one special, phenomenal, beautiful glance that I began, and you answered, on that awesome and unforgettable Tuesday morning. I glanced your way, bid you fare salutations, you replied, and further added that the morning "was cold." I heard your sweet voice, and I looked back...then thunder struck...the glance...the glance...the glance. I glanced your way, and my heart you took. Oh, the pain of it all. I remain in an ambiguous, beguiling, and love-struck world...never knowing, never knowing, never knowing. Should I tell you, perhaps hidden is how my feelings should be left...no one gets hurt except my need to be with you. What to do, what to do, what to do...
Monday, December 8, 2014
Self-Indulgence: Simply...Thinking of You!
Thinking of you, thoughts of you so provocatively innocent
If only you knew my heart and who I could be
Maybe it would envelope your heart with the love I have
I would gladly give it and ask nothing in return
Only wanting to listen to you, to see you, to tell you
Words are blocked by a lost soul that just wanders
Not knowing your world seems blasphemous
Being allowed to linger would be best, but doubtful
For the moment I remain enraptured by thoughts of you
Maybe one day my dreams might awaken a certain truth
The truth is what I have always feared, for you are so far
away
Must it remain that way, such trepidation to never know
You are often so close, but my heart deems you linger too
far away
The unknown is what truly terrifies the essence of me
That you see me and find emptiness as your heart seeks
another
I remain your secret aficionado and protector of innocence
One day perhaps clouds will guide your way to forever see my
heartTime always the enemy...I remain silent and still...still thinking of you
Dora's Corner: Plagiarism Story Continued: Literary Pirates Invade the College!
So, the story does continue.
Last week, before the morning lecture began in English class, the prof told us that some students had plagiarized, and that she was extremely disappointed at the fact that it had occurred. Frankly, dear prof, this person was just as disappointed (perhaps not severely as you were) at those handful of lazy and aloof students. Not only did their fragrant act of plagiarism hurt them, but it hurt the prof, and their fellow classmates [us] who arduously work at learning how to properly cite other people's work. The basics of citing is not so difficult to learn. IMO, it is another English-writing art-form that can and should be learned. For those of us moving on to other courses that require a lot of writing, learning how to properly credit others for their work is extremely important. For those not moving on to courses that will require them to learn how to properly cite, they need only think of plagiarism this way...if you wrote a song, painted a picture, created a tatoo, or anything which involved hard work, and was solely your property because you -- and you alone -- created it, you would be extremely pissed off (*) if someone took it as their own and proclaimed that he or she had created it. And, might I add that I used the word "pissed" in the preceding sentence because, chances are, that the people who do not think twice of stealing other people's property (and a written work of art IS tangible, thus, property) are probably the type of people who understand things when it involves the usage of an expletive. Pardon my blunt-force usage of this thing called physiognomy or the judging a book by it's cover, but if you steal someone else's work, I strongly disagree that much, if any, respect is due you.
Anyhow, the English prof appeared as if she had lost her best friend upon the announcement of the plagiarists in our class. There were many of them, which further added to the disgust and disappointment! I do not believe that the act of plagiarism should be noted as a reflection of the prof because she is an excellent instructor who takes time to teach each student in her classroom how to correctly write essays and how to cite other people's work. She offers each student an opportunity to meet with her in her office or in the writing hub/lab. Furthermore, the writing hub has plenty of other highly-qualified tutors and (convenient) hours of operation through-out the week for anyone interested in getting extra help.
Personally speaking, my writing skills have improved through my own hard work and sweat with the addition of working with the prof whenever I could, and by taking advantage of the hub. Frankly, it is beyond me why students do not take advantage of any lab because our hard-earned tuition has already paid for the usage of several labs. If sporting events were paid for via one's tuition on a community college level, such as it is on a university level, then students would take advantage of the opportunity. So, why not take advantage of the labs when you (or your parents) have already paid for them [rhetorical].
I would no soon steal someone else's literary piece than I would steal something in a store, and I would no soon put up with someone else stealing anything from me either. I would especially not put up with anyone stealing my own literary art. I would seriously hurt someone for that.
I plan on speaking to my prof about this. I mainly want to convey my own appreciation for everything that she has done for each of her students [includes moi], and that the lazy and careless students are not representative of who we are holistically as a class nor of who she is as an individual and a great instructor. She did not fail any of her students, but rather, a few jerks in class failed her.
Last week, before the morning lecture began in English class, the prof told us that some students had plagiarized, and that she was extremely disappointed at the fact that it had occurred. Frankly, dear prof, this person was just as disappointed (perhaps not severely as you were) at those handful of lazy and aloof students. Not only did their fragrant act of plagiarism hurt them, but it hurt the prof, and their fellow classmates [us] who arduously work at learning how to properly cite other people's work. The basics of citing is not so difficult to learn. IMO, it is another English-writing art-form that can and should be learned. For those of us moving on to other courses that require a lot of writing, learning how to properly credit others for their work is extremely important. For those not moving on to courses that will require them to learn how to properly cite, they need only think of plagiarism this way...if you wrote a song, painted a picture, created a tatoo, or anything which involved hard work, and was solely your property because you -- and you alone -- created it, you would be extremely pissed off (*) if someone took it as their own and proclaimed that he or she had created it. And, might I add that I used the word "pissed" in the preceding sentence because, chances are, that the people who do not think twice of stealing other people's property (and a written work of art IS tangible, thus, property) are probably the type of people who understand things when it involves the usage of an expletive. Pardon my blunt-force usage of this thing called physiognomy or the judging a book by it's cover, but if you steal someone else's work, I strongly disagree that much, if any, respect is due you.
Anyhow, the English prof appeared as if she had lost her best friend upon the announcement of the plagiarists in our class. There were many of them, which further added to the disgust and disappointment! I do not believe that the act of plagiarism should be noted as a reflection of the prof because she is an excellent instructor who takes time to teach each student in her classroom how to correctly write essays and how to cite other people's work. She offers each student an opportunity to meet with her in her office or in the writing hub/lab. Furthermore, the writing hub has plenty of other highly-qualified tutors and (convenient) hours of operation through-out the week for anyone interested in getting extra help.
Personally speaking, my writing skills have improved through my own hard work and sweat with the addition of working with the prof whenever I could, and by taking advantage of the hub. Frankly, it is beyond me why students do not take advantage of any lab because our hard-earned tuition has already paid for the usage of several labs. If sporting events were paid for via one's tuition on a community college level, such as it is on a university level, then students would take advantage of the opportunity. So, why not take advantage of the labs when you (or your parents) have already paid for them [rhetorical].
I would no soon steal someone else's literary piece than I would steal something in a store, and I would no soon put up with someone else stealing anything from me either. I would especially not put up with anyone stealing my own literary art. I would seriously hurt someone for that.
I plan on speaking to my prof about this. I mainly want to convey my own appreciation for everything that she has done for each of her students [includes moi], and that the lazy and careless students are not representative of who we are holistically as a class nor of who she is as an individual and a great instructor. She did not fail any of her students, but rather, a few jerks in class failed her.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
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