Category / Life Lessons

by Landaverde

I love EGGS!

I could survive off of tomatoes, beans and egg.

Eggs in particular hold a special place in my heart…. and my Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat posts. Eggs have been part of my diet since childhood. As I have grown up and learned about the world, my egg recipes have also matured.  

Which brings me to poached eggs. Aka the most intimidating of all egg possibilities. Let me show you how easy it is to poach an egg! (full video at the end)

  1. Fill a pot with water, about ¾ of the way.  

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  2. Bring the water to a gentle boil (this means you can see bubbles coming from the bottom of the pot at a medium rate).
  3. Now to the egg, crack an egg into a small bowl or cup. I prefer a coffee mug because the handle comes in very handy (see what I did there)? img_0175
  4. Back to the water. Use a spoon to stir the water until you create a vortex. Get a good speed going so the vortex will move on its own, BUT not so fast that the water will spill.
  5. Once the vortex is going, pull the spoon out and GENTLY drop the egg into the middle of the vortex.
  6. Since the water is still going in circle, it will prevent the egg from spreading and instead it will wrap around itself.
  7. Let the egg cook for a couple of minutes until the whites cook and you can no longer see yellow. So about 2 to 3 minutes.
  8. Once it’s done. Use a large spoon to take the egg out and place it on a paper towel so the excess water will be absorbed. Remove the paper towel… Add salt, pepper and hot sauce.. slowly break into the egg and watch the yoke slowly run off. It’s truly a magical sight. 

And that’s it! You my friend, are now an official egg poacher! Poached eggs are a great way to impress a boy or girl, parents, friends and any food lover! So use your new power wisely!

A note to non-egg lovers: you live a sad sad life.  

If you tried this, send me pictures! 

Here is a video of my friend poaching her first egg following my extremely precise directions.

by Landaverde

The Mariachi “Singer”

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“De la Sierra Morena, cielito lindo, vienen bajando, Un par de ojitos negros” is the opening stanza to Cielito Lindo, one of Mexico’s most popular mariachi songs. This is the line I began to sing when I was asked to MC Noche Latina during the fall of my sophomore year at the University of Georgia. Let me share a little bit more about this event.

Noche Latina has been hosted by the Hispanic Student Association for the past 15 years.  With over 400 guests, it is one of the largest student-run cultural celebrations in Georgia. Think delicious food from across Latin America and a medley of professional performances.

Now back to me.

Needless to say, the pressure was on. Did I mention the MCs weren’t required to sing? But as we prepared for the event, singing mariachi seemed to fit so well into the program. As the Mexican of the duo, I had to take on the mariachi part; it was almost my birthright. One small problem…I am not blessed with the “gift of song”. Actually, saying I am not a good singer would be an extreme understatement. I am not being cute and trying to be modest; I am a terrible singer. So naturally, I agreed to take this on. Why I decided to say yes is beyond me, but I did, and I am actually glad that I did.

This was the first time I experienced the feeling of sheer terror.  I spent five months preparing for the event. Most nights, I would wake up in the middle of the night and question my decision. Why did I say yes? I am not singer. I have never spoken in front of more than 20 people, let all alone sang. Could I pull this off? What would a good excuse to get out of my commitment?

The night of the event I went on stage, put on a sombrero and started to sing my heart out. Thankfully, Cielito Lindo is very well-known song so the audience quickly joined in. It was amazing.

I have yet to face a task that duplicates that feeling of sheer terror I had before walking on to the stage but when I do, I know that I will be OK. I’m not scared of the outcome of my performance. If everything turns out great, then I’m all set. If everything turns out terribly, then I will have a great story. Don’t get me wrong, I still feel scared, doubtful, and nauseous when I take on something new, but sheer terror is now a welcomed sign of uncharted territory ready to be conquered.

When I need a little boost of confidence, I recall the night I “sang” in front of 400 people while wearing a giant sombrero and survived.  So there isn’t much I can’t do. Big database… I will query that. Semi complex code…I will debug that. Executive presentation…I got that. Cute boy…I will say hi. New city… I will make friends.

And I won’t even need a sombrero.

I would love to hear similar stories. What experiences do you pull from when you need a little confidence?

by Landaverde

My Personal Motto

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My personal motto is: I WILL figure it out.

This motto perfectly describes how I tackle all aspects of my life.

When I say this phrase, it is not a shaky response at fear of the unknown, but a commitment to learning something new.

In the face of adversity, it is the phrase that takes away all self-doubt and lets me get to work.

It is my way of acknowledging not that I may not know how to do something yet, but I am about to learn something new.

When I joined my current team, I had to figure out how we used every detail of a customer in our auto pricing strategy… I had an IT background.

When I was offered my first post-college job, I had to figure out how to move from Georgia to New Hampshire … I had no money no family outside of Georgia.

When I wanted to go to college, I had to figure out the process on my own… neither of my parents graduated high school.

Because of the many times I have used that motto, I am now armed with plenty of confidence to reach out to anyone and ask just about any question.

Today, I might not know how to do something, but I will not let that stop me from saying yes to a new opportunity because I know I can figure it out. After all, I have done it before.

What is your personal motto?

by Landaverde

Why I Always Wear Black

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If you have never personally met me, you can probably recognize me as the girl wearing all black in the middle of summer. I actually wear black 90% of the time both at the office and in everyday life.

People, my mother in particular, used to ask why I would always wear black when there are so many other options. Also, I am Mexican and have skin that goes pretty well with most colors #naturallyTanSkinForTheWin. I honestly don’t know when the shift happened. I’m pretty sure I used to wear purples and pinks at some point in my life. The more I think about it. I am still not 100% sure. What I do know are the benefits to wearing one color 24/7.

  • When shopping, I can focus on one color group
  • Black is a color that can be formal and casual AT THE SAME TIME – I don’t have to worry too much about feeling over or under dressed in most settings. (life tip: when in doubt, always over dress)
  • Clothing is often seen as a way to express yourself. I’m pretty loud and bold so wearing black clothing is probably a good balance. If I do feel like adding a little extra to an outfit, I have an extensive collection of statement necklaces that help.

Without a doubt the best benefit is: when I wake up in the morning, I can pick out a pair of bottoms and a top and there is a pretty good chance it will go together. It’s almost like having a uniform. I don’t have to spend a lot of time thinking about what to wear or stressing about it first thing in the morning. I have actually come across a few articles that a talk about the benefits of narrowing down clothing options or creating a work uniform.

“It was a waste of energy to choose anew what to wear each day”

Why Zuck and other successful men wear the same thing every day

“Decision fatigue refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision making.”

8 Reasons Successful People Are Choosing to Wear the Same Thing Every Day

What are you wearing tomorrow?