Dez's Bootcamp Experience (BRK)

Nicole Alderman wrote:That's some delicious looking bread! I hope it tasted as good as it looked!

It turned out pretty good.. nice crust formation and even middle.. like a big brownie! Still refining the recipe.. it’s missing something.. not sure yet what that is haha

Jen Tuuli wrote:Oh my gosh that cake looks so moist and delicious! And those shirts are a great look on you two.

Yes it turned out quite moist and yummy.. I made a non fruit topping version with the extra batter.. less fruit = more cake!

Thanks for the banana shirts paul!

Sounds like some prime batter for a muffin tin! Tiny, portable cakes.

Thanks for posting your updates Dez! I'm going to be joining the boot this Sunday (coming from california) and I am so excited! Any tips on what I should bring? I packed the obvious stuff like toothbrush, jeans, workgloves and boots.

POST 143 (DAY 150, Thursday, 2021.1.7)
[Evening Entry]

.. paul's generosity surprises me sometimes.. and in a good way.. it leaves me wondering, "if i were in his shoes, would i be as generous?".. well his shoes are pretty big.. but i think the short answer might be yes, i would be generous in giving.. RECEIVING, on the other hand is often times a less familiar feeling.....

STORY TIME: it was a saturday afternoon, in westwood california.. the outskirt of the UCLA campus, where i would later be attending undergrad.. presently i'm in elementary school, 4th or 5th grade.. i'm at the swap meet "helping" my dad direct traffic at our little outdoor shop.. we had the corner booth, vending printed T-shirts and engraved jewelry.. these kinds of booths were really in fashion back in the 90's.. "i'm hungry.. when can we eat?" i asked.. "how about now? what would you like? we can leave the booth for a bit, and you can have anything you want, today!" my dad replies confidently.. i said "mcdonalds.." sheepishly.. you see, i was young, but had it branded in my brain that we were "poor", which meant that mcdonalds was about all we could afford.. staring at the menu, everything seemed just way too expensive, so i picked two items from the value dollar menu.. my dad repeated gently, "you sure? you can have anything you want from the menu.." i gulped and said "yes, i'm sure." "okay.. i'll get those for you.." .. looking back to that time, i think "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? you should have gotten the big mac or the 20 piece nuggets, which is what you REALLY ACTUALLY wanted..!!!" i never told my dad that i totally lied about wanted nothing else.. i thought it was the right thing to do, at the time.. i'm sure some part of him knew that i was just exercising my modesty.. but at what cost does modesty become a lie?.. had i to do it again, would that pre-teen have picked all the juicy burgers as he saw in his dreams?--of course~! not because i deserve it, but because its okay to receive.. i know that now.. its okay to receive deluxe mcd's burger combo meals.. its okay to receive compliments and attention.. its okay to receive gifts.. its okay..

enjoy the pics~!

POST 144 (DAY 151, Friday, 2021.1.8)
[Morning Entry]

.. josiah and jen return from their vacation today.. i hope they had a refreshing time.. and it'll be nice to have them around again..
.. random thought.. i've been called the "nest labor warrior".. as i look around the kitchen in this moment.. i see things that could be tidier; and i somehow actually want to work on making those things tidier.. this was not always the case.. i used to look around my apt (or nest) in seattle, and wish it could remain in a tidier state more consistently.. so i decided to set off on a mission of training my mindset.. i wanted two things: 1) learn to keep a tidy space, 2) get paid to do learn.. so i applied for jobs in restaurants, where the kitchen would be maintained nightly, as well as throughout the day while working.. it worked!.. the principle i gleaned was this--do lazily something i dread 1,000 times and it becomes a less dreadful habit..

enjoy the pics~!

ps.. i feel like i'm starting to get back into rhythm again..

chi kim wrote:Thanks for posting your updates Dez! I'm going to be joining the boot this Sunday (coming from california) and I am so excited! Any tips on what I should bring? I packed the obvious stuff like toothbrush, jeans, workgloves and boots.

Winter gear and a smile !! 😊