Ryan Fukunaga

Category: Personal

  • Small Victories

    Things I have been getting better at over the last 6 months. Most of these things are small, but it’s important to keep track of the small victories as they add up over time.

    • Finishing Online Courses: So far, I’ve completed 3 short courses on LinkedIn Learning. These courses are a mix of professional and personal development. While 3 courses aren’t a huge amount, I finished what I started. Continuous learning is important to me, and it also means that I don’t lose my ability to learn.
    • Maintained my professional certification: This was just another course I had to take, but I did it, and that’s what’s important.
    • Fixed my laptop (twice): after accidentally spilling water on the keyboard, I replaced it. This was about 3 months after the SSD died, and I replaced that. Again, neither of these things is HUGE, but the key is that in both cases, I had working laptops within a week, and because of data back-ups, I didn’t lose anything important.

    What’s Next?

    I write about my small victories as a reminder that I actually did something beyond just getting by. Yes, there’s always more to do

  • 2021 – Looking back at 2020

    What have I learned?

    I know my posts are few and at random intervals. I was busier than ever in 2020, without the challenge of moving to remote work. There’s a delicate balance between keeping people safe while also ensuring that the organization/business survives to continue doing the good work it does. Not sure I did everything properly, but so far, everyone is still safe, and the organization has survived. Government support made a big difference, but our long-time funders continued to support us even when their donations were dramatically cut.

    So what does 2021 have in store? Not sure, but until there’s wide-scale changes, I think we’re in for another tough year.

    The question I’m still looking to answer for myself is, “How do I do more without causing myself to burn out?” I’m in the middle of a much-needed 2-week break, and this is the question I’m wrestling with. Not sure I’ve found an answer, but I’m working on it.

    It’s about finding a balance

  • Refurbishment Skill Building

    Recently I have been to build my hardware testing skills using only a Linux/GNU live boot USB of popular distributions like Ubuntu or Linux Mint. While I know there are specialized tools I could purchase or download, I’m trying to see how much can be done without having to buy anything or have a huge amount of technical knowledge. I’ve had some success doing the easy things like SMART tests, memory testing, checking temperatures, and battery capacity BUT there are 2 areas where I’m still building my skills – flashing the BIOS and GPU testing.

    Am I making things more difficult for myself by trying to use open-source tools primarily? Probably but I am learning a lot so for me it’s a win.

  • Markdown

    The last time I spent a decent amount of time learning code was in a high school computer studies class. I learned HTML, and it was the 90’s. In the twenty years since, I’ve basically learned enough to update a WordPress site, but that’s about it. It didn’t seem like my professional career would allow time to learn any more “code”.

    Then I found out about Markdown. Why Markdown? Because it does what HTML does, but the same syntax is used in GitHub and Slack, 2 programs I’ve started using.

    Learning the basics of Markdown is now my 2019 project. So I’ve created a HackMD account and started testing things out by building simple documents. I’ll let you know how it goes in 2020.

  • Public Speaking

    To get over my fear of public speaking, I joined my high school debate team. I wasn’t a great debater but joining that club allowed me to get comfortable speaking in front of crowds. Still not great at smaller social gathering (that’s a work in progress), in front of an audience I’m okay.

    3 things that work for me:

    1. Know what you’re going to talk about but not exactly how you’re going to talk about it.
    2. Have a “map” of your speech to know where the important points and how they connect.
    3. Practice before, even if it’s just in your head. Aloud is best, but a quiet moment also okay.

    These points have worked for me but I have also typed out entire talks when I had a time limit or was speaking on behalf of a group where the specifics of my speech were more important than the style.

    I have bombed. I have been stiff and robotic.
    BUT I have also done well and gotten better over time. I won’t ever be a GREAT public speaker but I’ll get by.

  • Refurbishing

    I’ve recent had slight career switch, moving from instruction into social enterprise full-time. I’m now working with Free Geek Toronto, a non-profit social enterprise that recycles and refurbished computers with open source software and give employment opportunities to those facing barriers to entering the work force. There’s a large managerial component to this position, but I also get to do some training / workshops as well.

    Lots of great opportunities for me to expand what I do.

    So if you’re looking for an affordable laptop, check out Free Geek Toronto!

  • Analytics

    So, if you found this by searching “Ryan Fukunaga” then simple SEO plug-in I’m using has worked! Now let’s see if I can do anything with this traffic…

  • Realistic Goals

    One of the most difficult things I find doing is balancing between everything I want to do and what I can realistically do. It’s easy to become overwhelmed. I know because it’s happened to me recently. So I’ve set out some guidelines for myself to keep the balance. Here’s the first

    Lists, lists, lists

    I’ve never had much of a memory for sequences. Spelling and telephone numbers always gave me trouble. Thankfully technology has been able to help me greatly both in recent years. Scheduling, however, is still struggle with daily. I use my calendar to give me all the details regarding every meeting, class, and workshop I’ve got to attend or run. Notifications pop up on my phone reminding me of important due dates (and birthdays).

    With more experience, I know this balancing act will become slightly easier.

     

  • Publishing Content

    So here’s the current challenge I have with my work: I don’t have any examples of what I’m doing. In a digital storytelling workshop, I get people to tell their stories and show them the tools necessary to do. Oftentimes, participants only want to share these stories with family and neighbours. The idea of putting it on the Internet usually doesn’t cross their minds, or does, and they don’t want to do that. These stories can be very personal, and it makes sense that they don’t want to share them with everyone. I don’t push the online publishing option because my goal is to get the story done, teach the skills, and build confidence.

    The last thing I want to do is use other people’s stories for my own gain. So I’m working on a strategy where, during the normal course of the digital storytelling workshop, I can suggest putting the content online organically, without being pushy and while respecting all points of view. These stories aren’t about it.

    Another option is to create my own story about facilitating a digital storytelling workshop, which is probably what I’ll do.

  • Next Steps

    So, a week into owning this space, I’ve done a little housekeeping, but not much else. So while I’m writing a “real” bio, I thought I’d take a moment to write a bit about myself.

    • For the last four years, I’ve been working at a non-profit community organization focused on literacy and community development. My primary job is as an instructor, but I also do a bunch of other things.
    • I worked at a social justice bookstore where I travelled all over the province (Ontario).
    • I’ve volunteered at a variety of organizations, including:
      • special education high school
      • outdoor sports/recreation club
      • youth recreation programs
    • For one year, I had two part-time jobs – at a record store and at a video rental store. I had no life, but I got to listen to a ton of music and watch A LOT of movies.
    • During university, I worked at an amusement park every summer. One day, I convinced my co-workers (off the clock, of course) to re-create the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds album cover.