Saya menyebutnya conveying efficiency atau bahasa indonesianya : kemampuan bertelor (dipopulerkan pertama kali oleh pak Khairul dan Mas Pandu). Conveyor belt berfungsi membawa suatu benda dari satu tempat ke tempat lain. Tapi kalo dari 100 benda yang dibawa dari tempat asal hanya 10 yang sampai di tempat tujuan, maka conveying efficiency-nya hanya 10% saja. Dalam analogi ayam, kalau si ayam banyak makan tapi sedikit mengeluarkan telor (hasil yang diinginkan) tapi justru banyak mengeluarkan kotoran (hasil yang tidak diinginkan), maka kemampuan bertelornya rendah (lho, kalo jadi daging gimana?).

Biasanya ini terjadi pas lagi ngerjain tugas akhir, nulis report, bikin paper, atau bahkan mau presentasi. Yang dibaca buanyaaak dan merasa mengerti, tapi ketika mau nulis, kok lupa, buka-buka buku lagi, malah lupa halaman yang mana.

Itulah yang terjadi dengan saya, banyak yang dibaca, tapi yang diingat sedikit. Banyak yang dikerjakan, tapi hasilnya sedikit. Banyak baca dan ngerti, tapi kalo ditanya lupa. Sering saya berdiskusi dengan supervisor, tapi akhirnya kandas tak sampai tujuan, "hasil perhitungannya itu sekitar..mmm.. brapa ya, lupa saya, nanti deh saya cek lagi, pokoknya besar-lah nilainya." Akhirnya apa yang terjadi? ya diskusi ga asik, kalau ditanya teman tentang suatu kejadian pun tidak bisa bercerita detail karena lupa.

Saya termasuk yang inputnya besar, tapi outputnya kecil atau r<1 dimana r=output/input. Perlu mencari cara baru untuk mengingat atau merangkum dan menyampaikannya kembali sesuai dengan aslinya.

Saya jadi ingat MindMap(R)-nya Tony Buzan. Memvisualisasikan informasi dalam otak, memvisualisasikan cerita, memvisualisasikan poin-poin penting, bisa dilakukan dengan MindMap(R). Memang betul, cara ini bisa dicoba untuk menngurangi beban otak untuk mengingat. Tapi sayangnya dia menyarankan untuk membuat mindmap yang penuh warna dan gambar. Setiap kata pun disarankan untuk diletakkan dalam satu garis. Makin susah dan ruwet menurut saya.

Mindmap-nya Tony Buzan, rumit.

Masih berfikir bahwa mindmap adalah solusi bagus tapi males menggambar, maka saya gunakan mindmap versi sendiri. Pak Khairul juga sudah memperkenalkan saya teknik ini sewaktu dulu bikin-bikin laporan proyek. Jadinya seperti ini:

Sharing saja, sampai sekarang pun masih mencoba memperbaiki kemampuan otak. Selamat mencoba!

I've been a huge fan of DMB for many years. They were my musical obsession before Taylor Hicks came along and pushed them into second place. I still often find myself reaching for their music when my soul craves the unique kind of healing only their words and music can bring me.

The underlying thread running through every song in their catalogue is the lesson of discovering the joys in life and celebrating all its aspects, both painful and wonderful. It is a tribute to Roi that Dave and the boys didn't cancel their show at the Staples Center last night, but instead used the opportunity to honor his life and his many accomplishments.

This message was posted at The Warehouse, the DMB's official website, early this morning:

As we sat this afternoon contemplating the loss of our brother, we wondered how we could possibly do a show today. Dave put it into perspective stating, "There's no place I'd rather be than here with you guys right now." We cherish special memories of our lost friend. Tonight, Dave told a story about LeRoi at a bar in Virginia where the cash register was near the stage and LeRoi leaned on the register because "standing had become a chore". Roi proceeded to play the most beautiful version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Dave said, "that was the day I fell in love with him. And I'm still in love with him." It's safe to say we all were in love with him. "It's always easier to leave, than to be left." -DM

The DMB Crew
Wednesday, August 20
12:27 AM PDT

Thanks for the music, Roi. You'll be missed more than you know. God speed.

Credit to TheLastStop07

Okay. I’m finally going to share a secret with the world, something I’ve never actually told a soul. Ready?

I have...a super power.

No really. Stop laughing. It's true. Noooo, I can’t fly, though that would totally rock, I can’t see dead people or scale tall buildings, and worst of all, I can’t “Wonder Twin Powers…ACTIVATE!!!” with anyone, but what I CAN do, is remember people to a freakish degree. I never forget people. I call it Social Photographic Memory, though that’s not quite what it is. Yes, I remember people I meet or sometimes even see just once, but beyond that, I can remember events, entire blocks of conversations word-for-word and things people tell me about themselves or their circumstances, especially if they’re unique. It’s all about people. I can’t find my misplaced debit card, historical junk in my brain or any mathematical solutions beyond Pre-Algebra. I CAN call up my Bio notes from college, but that’s only because I turned Dr. Spohn’s notes into song lyrics. Such things, most of which don’t benefit me at all to know, I will remember until the End of Days or unless Alzheimer’s or amnesia take my mind.

For that reason, I stopped grazing sports stats and I only read Box Scores if I miss a game because I retain all that info. I'd never play fantasy sports. My addiction buzzer sounds every time I consider it. I'd be obsessed with stats for sure. If I kept at it, with my innate pace and retention, I'd make an excellent radio sports announcer, but I have no plans to be one. Plus, I don't think listeners would take a female very seriously in that role. Not sure.

Anyway, one reason I remember things so vividly is my aroused senses intertwine with images, people, objects and events, turning them into lasting memories, infusing them into my brain. I remember not just things from when I was five, I remember BEING five, which helps me so much as a writer. I can recall not just the events, but the emotions I felt, the smells in the room, tastes, textures, etc. during given occurrences.

For instance, they're both gone now, but my grandfather’s name was James and my grandmother referred to him as Jimmer. She was the ONLY one who ever called him that. And she always did. Never James or Jim, just Jimmer. I wasn’t even two, and I remember the first time I called him Grandpa Jimmer. Everyone in the kitchen, my aunt, my uncles, my parents, cracked up, bowling over and everything. I totally remember the wonderful feeling, the sense of pride and accomplishment, for making people laugh. From then on, he was Grandpa Jimmer to me, and every grandkid after me, and I strove to make people laugh. But unfortunately, people don’t always get my warped sense of humor or find me very funny, cuz in case you haven’t noticed by now, I’m a weird one, a definite freak.

Another reason why I have Social Photographic Memory—and this is my secret part—is because every person I come across gives me a…hmm…a sensory impression I’ll call it, that is unique to them. It’s difficult to describe so I’ve never even tried. In the split second I see someone, and every time, I detect this texture in a person’s soul that triggers an instant yet momentary emotional response. Some are dull, others vibrant.

Like whenever my husband walks into the room, I get a peace that's so soft, like a dryer-fresh towel, all smelling nice and feeling warm. My best friend from college = a teddy-bear warmth. And my best, best friend—shhh, don't tell—who I‘ve known since age eight = a sort of tiredness, droopy like a rag doll. Her choleric temperament is strong and in the mid-90’s, she did make me physically tired because I could never say a right thing. And now, that’s pretty much how she feels most days. Another friend = a zippy jolt. She loves to travel and is always on the go.

Sometimes it’s linked to personality, interests, what a person is going through at the time I first see or meet them or how they’ll make me feel in the future. Things blur for me only when I meet a bunch of people at once like at a party or something. It's sensory overload. I’m really good at telling twins apart, although some crafty ones adopt each other's textures and can trick me. Someone who's guarded can be reminiscent of a stone wall or an onion. I can instantly know some strange lady loves cats even if she’s not wearing a shirt proclaiming it because her impression is tied up with cats. Totally creepy I know, but I'm hoping I can someday lend my super power to a character. I've never heard of anyone else, fictional or not, possessing my offbeat...whatever-it-is.

You want your writing to be as distinctive as the sensory impressions people give me. It needs to stand out in a crowd, be unforgettable and expose the deepest parts of your soul. And this beautiful power you possess to make your mark is called voice. Writing voice is as individualized as, well, voice. Every person has their own way of speaking. Even identical twins have differences, revealing their inner selves through attitude, emotion, diction, pacing, tone, word choice.

When you write, your basic speaking voice should be emerging and spilling onto the pages, not Hemingway’s or John Grisham’s or your mom’s. Not that you should write exactly as you think or talk because you could be narrating from an evil POV or a sarcastic or unreliable one, or maybe you curse more than a work can stand. But your prose should contain your uniqueness and also be appropriate for your audience. Tell your story, poem or novel in the way only you can tell it. Voice is what I'm using to write this blog. It exposes so much about me, even if I never mentioned one personal thing. That's why writing on the whole feels so soul-baring. It is. It was pretty scary to hand my work over and have people read and critique it, but I took the bold step and just did it so I could improve.

Here are some things you can do to make sure your voice comes through in your writing.

∞ Relax and just write. Don’t concentrate too hard because it will stifle your voice. Just be free and go.

∞ Broaden your vocabulary. Learning new words all the time will give you a bigger reserve to draw from so your voice doesn’t become stale, so you’re not always falling back on the same crutch words and phrases.

∞ Know the basic writing pitfalls to avoid like misplaced modifiers, too many adverbs, adjectives, etc., so those glitches don’t muck up your prose.

∞ Break out of the clutches of cliché and search inside for some originality and zest.

∞ If grammar’s a weak point for you, get Elements of Style or a book like it to have handy when you hit a bump or have a question.

∞ Every voice has rhythm. Find your ebb and flow and boogie with it.

∞ Have confidence. Trust in your ability to tell the story.

∞ If your voice is eluding you or not sounding quite like the real you, shut out all outside influences so they don’t become infused in your work.

∞ Experiment with different voices, like an array of hats. Obviously from my blog, you can tell I look for the humor that’s all around me and don’t take certain things too seriously. But, I do take my writing seriously. And I use different voices for different mediums.

∞ Do writing exercises like free writing, random word stories or poems or writing first thing in the morning. Work specifically at discovering voice.

∞ Use your emotion.

∞ Write with authenticity and integrity. Be true to yourself. Don't mimic.

∞ Don’t puff up your work or make it loftier than it should be.

∞ Say aloud what you want to write before putting it down and see if it sounds like your true self. You can use a tape recorder for assistance. Or write it first and then read it aloud. Check for continuity and ask yourself if it sounds like you.

∞ Think positively. Published or not, consider yourself a true writer, seizing your passion, honing your craft, living your dream.

Voice can’t be enhanced, borrowed, copied or sharpened; it must be found. Make a lasting impression, and you can only do that when you tap into that inner you and reveal that to readers. When you find your true voice, your writing will sparkle and be a wonderful reflection of you. Then you'll be able to turn your voice into a brand. You can do it. Let the quest begin.

[Oh. And keep my secret on the down low. Thanks. I don't want the masses hounding me to find out what impressions I get. Sometimes words can't adequately describe anyway.]

~Signing off and sending out cyber hugs.

It's the combining of mental abilities; learning, asking questions, remembering, understanding, writing, talking, using technology, info gathering and sharing.....

with love and pleasure; money, security, comfort, creativity, relationships, beauty, and pleasure.

I am a firm believer that we are in the process of remembering who and what we really are and that we are far more powerful, intelligent and magnificent than we currently recall. Mercury and Venus add their energies to the many others supporting our "becoming conscious" and enjoying the pleasures Life has to offer. With this enlightened understanding ("remembering who we really are"), consider the beauty, love, happiness and peace we can create together.

"Knowing" combined with "love and pleasure" sounds like a combo platter I can go for.

Jasmine Guy thriving in a “Different World”
Atlanta native making debut as theater director (Mo'...)

Plus, whatever happened to this sistah?

Suzette Charles. 'Memba her?

Here is all I could find on her.

"Suzette Charles DeGaetano - 1981 Scholar

Just three years after being named New Jersey's Presidential Scholar in 1981, Suzette Charles DeGaetano claimed another national honor - the title of Miss America 1984. An accomplished singer who had appeared in commercials and educational TV programs, Charles swept the talent competition. After her service touring the nation as Miss America, Charles continued her musical career, performing with Bill Cosby, Stevie Wonder, Lou Rawls, Alan King, and Joel Grey. (source)

Plus, here is a site that posted a link where you can download her album.

What was always interesting about her career path is that it was Vanessa Williams' nude pictures that launched her career while Charles kept her clothes on and has been tossed into Neverland.