Writing Samples

Trauma can be physical, mental, or spiritual. Any kind of these can affect all aspects of health and wellbeing. Some serious conditions that lead to trauma are war and its aftermath, childhood sexual abuse, and natural calamities.

It can be a singular event or, as with Mary, recurrent. Sometimes, as in cases of domestic violence, trauma is chronically present.

People respond differently to trauma. The psychologists say the commoner responses are feeling inadequate and incompetent, or on the opposite spectrum, powerful, intense emotions. They are mostly negative. One may fail to stop themselves from tearful episodes; others get numbed and are unable to express any feelings, grief, or pain.

Once they imbibe the impact of what transpired, they may feel guilty and ashamed. A survivor from an accident feels guilty about surviving when the accident has killed their kins. Some may feel guilty about not showing remorse, and the feeling can stay.

People can react in unexpected manners, both adults and children. Some indulge in risk-taking behaviors as if nothing matters now.

Long after the incidents, people continue to have flashbacks and nurse difficulty in forging meaningful relationships. They torture themselves for the pain they bear.

Mental anguish can have physical components like headaches, stomachaches, and chest pain. They encounter strong negative emotions in the wrong places and circumstances, often reliving their past.

One may develop trouble connecting, insomnia, and hypersensitivity to things happening around. There can be changes in appetite and inability to enjoy things or hobbies they did in the past.

Intense trauma can lead to post-traumatic stress episodes that are cruelly oppressive conditions difficult to get rid of.

Trauma does not need such powerful aftermaths when we open ourselves up and allow grief to settle in. When we allow others to soothe us, encourage us, and assure us. We can also learn the gift of resilience from trauma (Pagán, 2018).

Love is beautiful. In a world that can often be so dark and full of malice, it is the only saving grace, again and again and again. It is often easy for us to confuse love with something that takes too much time, that cultivates jealousy and anger and hatred. But, if you think about it, love is the emotion, the sentiment, and the commitment that saves us from all of the things that negate it. It is what allows us to go beyond jealousy, to learn forgiveness and redemption, and to overcome frustration or spells of rage that can be so intense they make us feel as if we are consumed with hate of those we feel too deeply for. And, the most important thing about love, which we also often forget, is that we choose it.

My dear reader, it is chosen by us, it is something we proclaim, it is engendered by our souls. We wake up choosing to be in love every day, not just with someone else, but with our own souls, with little precious things like sunlight and small plants, a hot meal and a good movie. One of the most beautiful things about love is that it is unlimited and unconditional. We do not need to bind it to time or to a specific being. It flows free and abundant, as is ours to vest upon who we choose- be it a free-spirited dog, a well-built home, a lazy afternoon stroll, or a whole other being.

With this spirit, we will go into guns blazing into a reading of different affirmations that surround love. Before getting to these, however, humor me and read the next few segments with me, as a prayer, and something to carry forward with you, always.

Dear black man,

You are so deeply loved. The world is vain to wage war and anger against you. It does not realize the humility and grace with which you have been born unto this earth. Sometimes, against its own better interest, it cultivates pithy self-hate within you, and forces you to transform into someone you are not- a being devoid of love. Love is all around you, and most of all, it is within you. Over so many years, hate and prejudice have tried to destroy you time and again. But here you are. Rising and thriving.

Dear black man, you are so loved. By your sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, cousins, by your maker himself. You are loved beyond all measure, and each infinite love is testimony to your divinity. Forgive, forgive the errors of time and the prejudices of men, and rise beyond what brings you down. Forgive the little ways in which others have failed to show you how much they love you, and instead look within you, for that divine spark of infinite being that you are. You are dearly adored. And the love you may give can bring down barriers. There are many ways that you may use the love you have within you to make the world a better place. Give love whenever you get the opportunity. Love as a role model. Your love has the power to extinguish an enormous amount of animosity.

The value of who you are is much more than you can possibly imagine. In this day and age, your race should never be a point of contention. Do not let strangers at your periphery hamper your sense of respect and self. The world does not have the right to impose its standards of value and dignity on you. Do not doubt that you have any intrinsic worth since you were created for God’s glory by the maker of this universe. You are rare and raw, indomitable and exceptional. Hold your color up, not down. Wear it like an armor, a shield, an identity that is magnificent. Just like you are.

You are needed and you are heard. You have been born with a divine purpose, to show others the path unto light. People around you thrive because you are standing tall, setting an example for them. Pain and suffering are commonplace in our society. You’ve lived through a lot of heartache and hardship. And yet, you still have that feeling of pure bliss! Your delight must be understood in all its strength and dignity. The grandeur of the divine race from which you come is reflected in a deep-seated delight. A delight that is unrestrained, unfettered, and expressive in every way possible. Joy that is compassionate, sensitive, and raises the spirits of all who meet it.

Show the world how brave and loved you are by returning it tenfold.

Most of us already understand the “skeletal” frame of a budget. We know what it is and what it is supposed to do. The problem is that our understanding is mainly negative. We would avoid the entire concept if we could and run away or turn our nose up at just the very mention of it. Many of my friends used to feel the same way when I tried to make them feel accountable for spending on things they could not afford. A common theme was for them to come to me when something happened, and they always would ask what they could do.

I would then help them look at a budget differently. They could still spend on the same things after a few months of planning. It wasn’t that they couldn’t buy the expensive outfit they had their eyes on or enjoy that $300 pair of sunglasses. But, they had to save up for maybe another week and make a category for “extra” expenditures. Then, they could use the money under this category to do whatever they wanted without falling short on cash for rent or gas!

Wouldn’t you say this feels much better than sitting down with a cup of coffee late at night, worrying about how much we have spent throughout the month? I remember the horror on my friend’s face when I calculated their expenditures and told them they had spent $2000 in 30 days on just food. This included wasting $600 on just pure junk! I’m not saying everyone has it this bad— there are always people who want to go the cautionary route and limit mindless spending— but I’d say that in this age, all of us need to know this, even if it feels difficult to stomach at times.

Our ideas on budgeting may come straight from the heart, as opposed to the mind. When this happens, the first thing we feel when monthly accounting is around the corner is frustration. The irritation quickly expands to anger and then a feeling of “to hell with it!” Why would you say this happens? From what I’ve seen, budgeting is as simple as it gets; we’re the ones who add complications to it. I know this sounds unreal right now, so let’s break down what a budget really is and, more importantly, why you don’t need to treat it like a red room of torture to run away from!

At the very onset, I’d say that it’s pretty different to “have” a budget and to have a working one. It takes time and work to have a “usable” budget. Just turning to your bills because you’re out of options and need to know where all your money went isn’t a great way to budget or to function. Many of us have dreams. We want to get married, have kids, send them to good schools, enjoy a proper lifestyle, go on the occasional expensive vacation, and buy the latest gadgets. In keeping up with all these demands, we tend to forget, as my father would say, money doesn’t grow on trees unless you win the lottery or some other such pursuit. But even then, you’ll be surprised at how quickly the money vanishes if you don’t account for it. In other words, money is not an unlimited resource; whether you have a million dollars or $3000, you have to work with what you’ve got.

You could go ahead and be spontaneous and spend your next paycheck on a fancy vacation, but what good will that do if you don’t have enough money to pay your bills when you get back? So, being mature with money means finding a balance between what you need and want and your short-term and long-term goals. Your budget is the friend who will help you make sense of this mess. YES, that’s right, your BUDGET is your FRIEND!

Now, studies and polls show that Americans aren’t the best at planning or budgeting their money. In 2013, only 32% of people polled by Gallup said they used a budget to keep track of their income and expenses. Even fewer people took the time to make long-term plans for their money, including good investments and savings. In 2016, the US Bank also found that only 41% of all respondents were making a budget.

On top of that, Americans are known for having a hard time in saving money. The problem with this is that if you don’t have money to help you out during the stormy season (when things get hard, as they usually do at some point), you’re more likely to make bad decisions and get into debt you don’t need to. Let’s say you have a medical emergency, or your car breaks down without warning and all of a sudden you need $1000 that you don’t have. This means you spent more than what you need to cover essential emergencies! To make up for this, you either need to take a loan or, worse, borrow from your friends and family.

Trust me; a time comes when people in your life lose faith in you because they think you’re too immature to take care of your expenses. You give the appearance of constantly being in debt and spending your money on things you don’t need– even if you try to explain why you made those expenditures!  DEBT is NOT your friend!

The budget comes into play now. Just like businesses need budgets to make sure they are spending money wisely (and not more than they can afford), people need budgets to keep track of their money and make sure they are living responsible, independent lives that don’t depend on the kindness of others for small amounts of money.

A personal or family budget keeps track of how much money comes into the home as well as how much money goes out. It can help a person or a family spend less and save more, but at its core, it is just a tool for planning or keeping track of spending. The goal of budgeting is to avoid unpleasant or even disastrous financial surprises by being careful about how you spend your money. Planning ahead lets you save money for future goals (and dreams!) and figure out how long it will take to get you there. Plus, any excess money you save goes into those luxuries you want but feel guilty about investing in!

Unless you have a magical source of money that never runs out, you will always only have a certain amount of cash each month, and this is what you earn. Also, there are some bills that must be paid every month, so a portion of your income will go toward those. The budget will help make sure that both sides of this equation balance out. This means that even if you only plan for short-term things, you won’t accidentally spend too much on groceries and then get a rent bill you can’t pay. Also, if you have long-term goals or big dreams (which you should), you will need to plan how you will pay for them and save for the future. This makes a budget even more critical because it will help you figure out how you will reach your goals with the money you have.

I’ll explain with an example. Let’s say you earn $3000 every month. At the beginning of the month, when the paycheck comes in, you sit down and make a list of the basics you should be spending on. You also note how much you expect to spend on them. So, imagine you plan on spending $500 on groceries in the month. You note the money going into your food bills every day. At the end of the month, however, you find you have spent $700 instead. Because of your homework, you automatically get to find out where the extra $200 went! Now, imagine you want to buy a nice phone that costs about $600. Next month, you are more careful and save the $200 you accidentally spent last month. This means you only need $400 more to get that thing you dreamed of!

First off, generative design relies on  AI technology is essential for the current context of existence. It allows human qualities like reasoning, communication, planning, and perception to be employed by software tools at reduced costs and increased efficiency. Just imagine how important it has become in the context of a world facing the aftermath of the pandemic. COVID-19 has forced many of us into the confines of our homes. It has been instrumental in early detection and diagnosis. As a matter of fact, it has even served as a way to screen, track and predict existing and future COVID cases.

Let’s take a minute to talk about the fantastic work done by a start-up that is using generative design. French firm Soliquid provides improvised 3D printing and material-saving 3D printing solutions. The company’s design and construction processes are simulated, refined, and standardized using parameterized and generative design tools.

Soliquid’s concrete 3D printing allows freeform printing without the need for support and saves material. Its seamless integration of the design-to-production process is made possible by a proprietary large-scale additive manufacturing technique and a generative design approach. As a result, construction firms can better come up with and execute innovative projects because of the lower risk of failure.

From streamlining to beautifying, generative design has simplified many of the time-consuming tasks that cause inefficiencies. In the past, product designers and engineers have used computers and contemporary CAD software to create new items, components, or bigger structures. However, generative design transforms the computer into the leading creative genius. For instance, it can help you make lightweight products that are far more durable than the conventionally designed stuff. This is another considerable advantage of generative design.

A mechanical engineer would specify the maximum size and weight of a component as well, as its load capacity and manufacturing process expenses. This basic function is all they need to do. AI-driven generative design will yield hundreds of design prototypes- each one meeting the stated criteria. Thus, generative design incorporates dynamic simulations into the development process. This kind of simulation during the process of designing parts helps in weight optimization while keeping key specifications intact.

Generative design comes with innumerable design choices. Since it is backed into the storage capacity of the cloud, it can produce multiple design iterations, even with specified limitations. A human cannot possibly think up as many variations, and because of these, it is easier to filter and choose options within the domain of generative design.

Who among us doesn’t appreciate creativity? Generally, creativity is something that happens to us. It is the result of a stroke of luck or some kind of divine inspiration. With generative design, it is calculated. Since design options created by generative design are far ahead of what the human mind can conceptualize, it can do away with all creative impediments.

Design choices generated using this technique closely conform to limitations, in contrast to manual methods that sometimes have compliance concerns.  Even in the presence of constraints that usually negate creativity, generative design overcomes all such blocks to give us multiple options to choose from.

Talking of creativity, generative design has been used extensively in vehicle component manufacture in recent years. The Volkswagen Innovation and Engineering Center in Cali, for example, wanted to do something to commemorate twenty years of its existence. Their desire was for something that would embody their core DNA while also demonstrating the latest automotive technology modeled on generative design.

As a result, the team took a vintage 1962 VW Bus and modified it with cutting-edge technology, including generative design to reimagine the wheels, wing-mirror arms, and many other components. It’s just a marvel to read about this. 

Overwhelming strain is put on engineers when last-minute modifications are made. Despite this, they must be inventive. Generative design has the benefit of being able to generate several innovative choices in a short amount of time. The methods are safe and ready to be implemented since the simulation is included as a feature in the design. Since it also needs fewer raw materials and less energy, it is far more sustainable.

The implications of this are so remarkable that generative design has impacted lifestyle and home goods as well! Phillipe Starck is a visionary regarding his contemporary ideas and design portfolio for household goods, furniture, and, you guessed it, space expeditions. He collaborated with contemporary furniture-makers Kartell and Autodesk research to build a chair that employed AI tools and advanced generative-design patterns. It’s the first chair to be created with AI.

Finally, generative design is a critical tool in   This deserves its section, so let’s take a little detour to what AM is, shall we?