Social Assistance, Poverty, and the Cost of Living

I've written about Disability and poverty before.  And now we're getting in to the election season here in Canada again, so it's a topic that's coming up.

My friend Katrina Sauvé, has written the following and given me permission to repost it here:

In Response To: http://notable.ca/breakdown-this-is-the-minimum-amount-of…/…

as someone who has lived on OW/ODSP:

housing: geared to income shared housing is the ONLY thing you're going to be able to afford on the under $500/month that these programs give you

yes, that does not work with some people's mental needs, sucks to be them (and if I had enough money to change that, I would)

Transportation: $141/month? so not happening.

if you're not working, you probably can limit your bus trips to once/week and budget accordingly. yes, if you're disabled but the government hasn't admitted it yet, you're kind of screwed 'cause you won't be able to get your laundry AND groceries AND appointments all in that day

if working, you probably want to get a discounted bus pass (yes, Kingston, and hopefully other cities do give a discounted monthly bus pass to low-income persons. I advise you/your workers look into this)

Groceries: I manage to get groceries for about $200/month (or at least I spent $200.14 on all food in the month of May 2015)

tips: things like the Good Food Box Kingston are your friend; cooking big batches and and freezing the leftovers is your friend; lentils, beans, pork and potatoes are your friends; pasta and rice are your friends; buying in bulk as much as possible is your friend; if you will eat sausages/baloney/hot dogs/liver/tongue etc, they are your friend; dairy, fresh/frozen fish, high quality cheese, chocolate/candy and soda pop are your enemies, buy as few as possible of those (though do get yourself some single serving yogurts and either sour cream/ice cream/cheap cheese so you aren't missing out on calcium etc), also avoid any beverages but water, tea/coffee, water w/ flavouring

if you are on OW, you CANNOT afford to eat out unless it is at a soup kitchen, you will NEED a soup kitchen (and yes it sucks), and you may need the food bank. If you do not take advantage of these services, YOU WILL GO INTO DEBT. You do not have enough money to AFFORD to go into debt. USE THE FRICKEN SOUP KITCHENS/FOOD BANK.

Entertainment and Dining Out:

if you are on OW: FREE THINGS. do ALL OF THE FREE THINGS. let yourself have about $10 (aka ONE film/cheap eating out) PER MONTH to keep yourself from going crazy

yes, you will go into debt that way. do it anyway

ODSP: you can eat out two or three times a month if you keep it at or under $12 per time... you are allowed to substitute a film or show for one or more of these. if you are careful, you can do ONE convention/holiday where you pool money w/ others/stay w/ friends PER YEAR. Choose wisely, set your budget ahead and save $20/month ish towards that.

Drinks: Alcolhol is not worth it on either OW or ODSP. it is far to expensive for the joy it gives you. If a friend is buying you alcolhol that is ok, don't buy it yourself.

Health and Fitness: the gym is not worth it for the money you have, especially since you can do things like walk every day, run, bicycle (buy a SECOND-HAND bike for $40 ish at a police auction), skate (Play It Again Sports is your friend for reasonably priced skates, find outdoor/free rinks in winter or even cheap skates through local rinks) or swim (yes, A half-decent swimsuit, cheap towel/bag are worth the investment, as is the cheapest swimming place in town)

if you are on OW: depending on if there is water nearby, you may be able to swim w/ friends for free, if there are no ponds/rivers/lakes, consider any funds you spend on swimming/skating as part of your ~ $10/month entertainment fund

parks often have skating rinks set up for free in the winter

Walking/running/biking are your friends

does all of this seem unreasonably hard?

IT IS.

THAT IS THE POINT OF THIS WRITING.

If you have the energy, GET INVOLVED IN POLITICS and lobby for HIGHER tax rates for corporations, LESS of a wage gap and MORE money for those on ODSP/OW (or even a GUARANTEED MINIMUM INCOME that will let someone survive, if slightly uncomfortably).

I spend $5/year on NDP* membership, because, from what I can tell, they most support those of us who are low/no income.

Greens and Liberals aren't bad choices either.

*NDP, for those outside of Canada, is it New Democratic Party.  See, we don't just have one Liberal/Democratic party... we have at least two.... Three if you count the Green Party. 

Me? I'm looking at the article and wondering how they're making their estimates.  Cause yeah, if you go out for drinks and shit, stuff is going to cost. ($18 for an alcoholic drink????) 

But apparently, that's all we young people are doing these days, lounging around our excellent downtown apartments, cooking all the meals, taking each other out on dates, and drinking in excess.  

Right... I'm sorry, isn't there a recession going on? Isn't there something like only a 5% job growth for most parts of our country? Don't our older generation complain that we're living at home and not doing anything?  Maybe cause we don't have jobs and don't have money to do any of this shit???? 

Oh, and of course, how many of us are on ODSP/OW? You know, living below the poverty line? 

Yeah, fuck this shit, let's all get out there and vote.  

Hair Autonomy

Recently, I've started to cut my hair.  Doesn't sound all that impressive, does it?  Well, at first it was just trimming the back of my neck, doing my own bangs, you know, little touch ups here and there.  The bangs thing was fairly regular enough that I bought my own pair of sheers because I found that hair dressers, no matter how nice, and they make awesome efforts at this, never quite get what I'm trying to describe how I want my hair.

And repeat visits, yeah, it might try to clear up what I want, but it's expensive, both in terms of money, time, and social resources. So I took matters into my own hands.  

Some of the results were more successful than others; I'm not exactly trained at this.  But I got a bunch of good feedback from numerous sources, including people who generally I expect them not to give an opinion either way, and friends who give honest feedback.  I figure, the only way to get better at something is to practice, so I continued on.  

And then I got the idea to cut my hair not only really short, but shave it.  For a number of different reasons, ranging from comfort while I sleep with my CPAP, to cosplay dedication, to why the heck not?

I thought about it for a while, even looked up shaving techniques and shaving for cancer fundraising campaigns.  I even tried talking to my parents about it.  Their response was... mixed.  "Oh, you don't want to shave. Go to [hairdresser] and get it cut short."  It felt really uncomfortable to talk about this to them, and I walked away from it trying to figure out why.  

Why is shaving one's head such a thing?  I asked myself this and started getting the itch to cut more.  

Not self-harm cut.  Since I was a kid, when I was angry or upset, or maybe even just frustrated, I'd cut things.  My mom's lunch bag, my brother's shirt, I'd even grab chunks of my hair and cut.  When I did that to my hair, Mom would whisk me away to the hairdresser to get it "fixed". Even with limited access to safety scissors, I went to the hairdresser a lot. I think it speaks a lot about how my mom views my decisions about my hair that years later, it took a family counsellor to convince her that as an adult, I don't need her permission to dye my hair and the remarks she'd say were very inappropriate, not to mention hurtful.  

I thought about that as I started cutting my hair the shortest it's ever been.  As I cut, I also posted pictures on my Facbook to document my transition.

   

The pictures of my hair like this, got comments about it being art.  Which I suppose is a way of looking at it I haven't considered.  But the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of my photographs as an art.  After all, it's documenting my journey, and various learning about cutting one's own hair, towards self-expression.  

I don't really see it as any different than when I compose and post images of my medications for the day, my dermatillomania scars, my migraine updates; I see it as sharing not only who I am, but my life and what I go through, and how I share, with friends, family, and yes, the public. As long as I am willing, and I control the lens, I don't see the problem with it. 

Except that art can be political and/or a form of activism.  I live in a situation where I can express myself through art freely, not only in my country, but also in terms of my personal intersectionality. I am a white woman, most of the time seemingly abled in public, who maintains privilege from a middle-class background, including my wardrobe.  

Two things come to mind when I'm cutting my hair.  

One, I think about how a lot of the questions I get when meeting casual acquaintances is centered on "why"; they want to know why I cut my hair in such a style.  The most negative comments (from family, I might add) expresses concern that I'll be judged badly, or that I'll regret it (it's hair, it'll grow back), or that it'll be ugly. 

I usually don't care about physical appearances too much, but I can't help but think that their concerns and negative attitudes is based on a rather limited view of beauty.  And an ugly view on society too.  So far, I've yet to be treated badly for my hair.  Could it be that people see my hair as only a small apart of my appearance?  There is the possibility that people have made assumptions about my lack of hair and my health, or that my various intersections of privilege has shielded me.  But why can't this be beauty?  

Second, I think about how many possible ways in my country where someone like me not be able to cut their own hair, in the way that they want.  For self-expression of their gender, or beauty ideals, or just to style their hair their way! In a different situation, it might be difficult for someone to style their hair because they live in an environment where they have no control over those decisions, whether by relatives or care staff, coercively or outright deciding for them.  

Or they must appease the people they live with, living in at least a faintly toxic environment or situation.  Or it's just not safe for them to do so.   I think about how in activism, we push for things like body autonomy, freedom of choice, freedom of expression; how much can be taken for granted with being able to cut and style one's hair?  

With both thoughts, the act of hair cutting becomes a rebellion, a defiance.  To go against perceived notions of physical beauty, to redefine beauty, but also acting for one's own body autonomy.  The freedom of the self. 

Still Here

My badge for IMFAR

  
I have most of my report on IMFAR done, I'm just working on the last day.  It's taking a while because all of a sudden I'm having bouts of over-sleeping and insomnia, which is messing with my schedule, including taking meds.

I'm also trying to keep on top of a class that is very heavy on the class participation (arg) and is in seminary format.  Meaning, group work!!!  Group work to look over the readings for the week and then lead the student discussion. 

And I was in charge of the week right after IMFAR and it feels like the attention and focusing parts of my brain are on strike.

Anyways, report will be up soon. 

To Yeti

If you see my twitter and Facebook being flooded with pictures of a little white cat, it is because today Yeti is being put down.

Mom and dad say that she wasn't feeling well, not eating or drinking. They took her to the vet. Turns out all her organs are shutting down and she's dying. The vet can only make it happen painlessly and quick.

So afterwards, we're bringing her back home and laying her to rest amongst the roses she loved so much, by the house.

I remember bring Yeti home for the first time. It was after Lunamus died, we had gotten used to being a two-cat house. And we wanted a cat that would mentally stay young. So mom called all the pet stores and requested to be put on the notification list for simease- cross kittens.

I was walking home from high school, in my kilt and rowing jacket, when mom and Loren pulled up. "we're picking up Loren's cat," they said, and I got in. We were the first to respond, so we had the pick of the litter. And so we got the prettiest, more playful girl there.

She would climb up curtains and furniture, so Loren named her Yeti. Since I had Nibbles, an older cat that didn't like the young kitten, Yeti stayed in Loren's room for the night until Nibbles got used to her. At Christmas, she'd climb up the Christmas tree and sit in fake branches. As she got older, she loved to curl up under the tree and in boxes and corners.

Lately, she took to curling up at the foot of my paintings, which I found funny. I had used her temperament as inspiration for my character Kithara, and her colouring for another character, Joshi, both of Amhelaki Misadventures. The painting she liked was of those two characters.

 
She liked going outside and exploring, constantly getting into places where she shouldn't be. I've caught her sneaking downstairs into the basement, where the cats aren't allowed because of the sewing machines and because we keep it free of cat hair for guests with allergies. It was also routine to check a couple times a day where she was, especially at night. Once or twice, she did let locked outside for the night, but in the morning, she'll be on the porch, sitting on the rockers, waiting.

She loved sitting on the patio furniture, or in the flowerbeds by the house when she wasn't exploring the yard. She hunted birds, catching one last june, and bugs. When the neighborhood cats came by, she'd chase them off, but never got into fights.

She liked people, loved having attention and being petted, although only when she wanted it. She and dad had a routine; he would sit down to put on his shoes for work on the stairs, and she would circle around him, purring and then crawl into his lap. They would sit there for a while until she would jump off and he would go to work.

For everyone else, if she rubbed your leg and purred in the kitchen, you could pick her up and cuddle with her, but she fully expected food afterwards. Elsewhere, she's walk away and expect you to follow her to where she curled up. There you could pet and comb her, but not pick her up. She would just wiggle out of your grip, and jump down, or else walk down your back and jump.

She liked exploring too, would get into the neighbor's yards and then run back when she heard our door opening. Couldn't keep her on a leash or collar; she was double jointed and very flexible, would just slip through it. But we didn't worry, once we found that she knew the boundaries and didn't go near the road. She liked to go out the front door, and then circle around the house to the back to be let in.

The two times she stayed on her leash was when we took her for walks. Once, to the lemoint point conservation area. She'd walk for a bit, then stop to check out things off the path. Some times we'd carry her, when it looked like she was tired. Second time, we took her on a walk to the convience store for milk. She was doing the same for that, but the way back she walked the entire way, in the lead.

Even though she'd wander the longer she was outside, she always came home.

Buttons!!!

I love buttons, the pin kind that I have a small collection of, and the image kind for links and stuff.  I've been busy working on assignments for school, but I do manage to browse a couple of places online, and decided I need a button.  So I made one. 

Feel free to use if you link to here.


And in other news, April is Autism Awareness Month, apparently.  Huh, that time of year again.  I always have fun with this, because I'm in Canada, and usually we have an Autism Awareness week sometime in Fall....

April is a rough month for me, to be honest.  The demands of schoolwork aside, it's an emotionally rough month.  April 1st is the anniversary of my Grandpa's death, and that was an event that deeply impacted me.  Each year, when it comes around, I am always struck with great grief.  Some years are better than others, some years I can get by just fine, other years I am struck with depression and anxiety, which shakes me up pretty badly.

Hopefully this year won't be so bad, but please excuse me if I'm a bit absent a while longer. 

I have written a piece for The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism for April.  I'm not sure when it'll be up, but I'm pretty sure that it will be, and I highly encourage people to check out all the stories they'll be posting for this month.

50 Best Blogs from OnlineUniversities.com

Edit: I've been notified that the whole 50 Best lists thing may be a scam. For the safety of my readers, I've removed the link to the post until further investigation.

I got this email sometime after my last post, and was first distracted by jubilant glee, the fact that I have two assignments due Friday, and a complete emotional crash that I'm not going to get into on here. Let's just say I had my hands full, and bounced around the entire range of human emotions, and almost the entire spectrum of functionality, within less than 12 hours.

Anyways, the email I got is this:

Hi Corina, We at “Onlineuniversities.com”, wanted to let you know that we featured your blog in one of our recent articles on our own blog. 50 Best Blogs for Special Needs Teachers, is linked below and could be a fun way to share this announcement with your readers. Either way, I hope you continue putting out great content through your blog. It has been a sincere pleasure to read. Thanks, Kaitlyn cole

I'm number #26, in the Neurodiversity section, where I am described as such: "In spite of its relatively lax update schedule, No Stereotypes Here still provides special education teachers with straightforward talks about the autism spectrum."

I'm mentally adding "from an autistic adult" onto the description, but am fairly pleased (and laughing; I have an update schedule?).

There are also some other interesting blogs on the list, some which I know, others than are new and which I'm hoping to get to know soon.

Poverty and Affordable Housing

This may seem a bit off topic-ish, especially with the news about Wakefield going on. To be perfectly honestly, I'm not entirely surprised that he's been found to have changed the children's data and it really hasn't changed my opinion about him (see The Triggering of Wakefield). So I'm going to continue on and address an issue that affects a lot of people, not just Autistic people.

Poverty and homelessness is an issue that face Autistic people, as well as people with and without other disabilities. A concern for those with disabilities is whether homeless shelters, women's shelters and other services are supportive of their disabilities, and uncertainty may be a big factor in whether disabled people access such services. Which kinda creates a cycle unless it's specified that services are accessible to disabled people.

My government has been working to create unique programs and services for people with disabilities specifically. One of these has been the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), a social assistance program that provides the basics: a little over $500 for living costs such as food, telephone, etc, and up to $450 for rent, per month. It's basically a safety net for people with disabilities if they are between jobs, or recovering from a bad period, and the program even includes an Employment Support services, and will cover some additional medical costs, such as service dogs, diabetes supplies, breathing machines, etc.

For the other services it doesn't cover, being on ODSP qualifies people to other programs. There's a lot of paperwork involved, of course, and it requires people to be as productive as possible while describing their worst days. But one of those programs in my city is the centralized housing list for subsidized housing, since $450 doesn't get you a decent place to live in this area.

The problem is that there's a lot of people on that wait list. My city does a magazine, profiling restaurants, venues, and highlighting city issues. In the latest issue, it reports that as of July 2010, there are 1,133 applicants currently waiting for access to social housing. With the given rate of vacancies in the city, it can take at least six months for a three- or four-bedroom unit, or up to eight years for a single-room unit.

Obviously, there needs to be more available units and in the magazine article, the issues surrounding making decisions on where to build mixed-income housing is discussed. However, due to various difficulties (such as the city's own zoning and building restrictions), it can take up to eight years for many housing units to start being built. In the meanwhile, there's still a lot of people waiting for places to live and call home.

I faintly recall a few years ago a plan to start a portal subsidized housing. The idea is that people on the housing list can find a place to live on their own and get off the housing list a lot quicker.

It's like this: say I'm on the housing list. I've gone through the application process and have been approved for social housing. Instead of spending eight years couch-surfing or hopping between shelters or enduring abusive situations, I can look around for a place that meets my needs.

After some looking, I find a nice apartment that's easy for me to access the public transit system, a grocery store, as well as other services, or at least to be able to get to other services. I'm on ODSP though, and can only afford $450 a month, and the apartment is $750 a month.

I talk to the landlord/lady/person, and make an agreement with him that he'll hold the apartment while I apply to the housing list. Then I fill out a form, asking for support for the other $300 for rent from the social housing program. The landlord/lady/person and I fill out the details of the place, sign it, and submit it. If everything checks out, the housing list approves of it, and there you go, I have a place to live and I'm off the housing list a lot quicker.

Of course, I don't know all the specifics that this would have to be put into place, but I think it's better than a waiting game where one never knows when they're going to have a place to live. Also, it gives the people a sense of respect, dignity and control over their own fate.



Edit: minor editing over the difference between rent and ODSP; I really can't do math in my head.

Merry Christmas!

Two characters from my webcomic Amhelaki and I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Meeting the Autistic Artist

I don't think I've mentioned it a lot here, but I also do quite a bit of artwork, and sometimes I let people see my work. For the past month and a half, I've had a lot of my work at the Kerry's Place Autism Services Resource Centre in Belleville, Ontario, as part of the Spectrum Art Show. I kinda started the Show five years ago when I worked for KPAS.

Tomorrow, November 30th, I'll be at the Resource Centre from 2pm to 6pm for a "Meet the Artist" event. I'm being presented as an Autistic artist and Autism advocate.

If any of my readers are in the area, and have the time, it'll be awesome to meet some of you!


(yeah, a little last minute, I know. I'm sorry)

Remembering

Today is Remembrance Day and as I browse through the blog posts and twitter updates, I've been thinking.

I come from a Mennonite family, and so am a pacifist. I don't believe in war or that killing people is the answer to problems. I believe that a peaceful resolution is possible, and will work towards reaching that goal. And so, alongside a poppy, I don a button that reads "To remember is to work for PEACE".

It's a reminder that today, we don't just honor our veterans, but also acknowledge the goals to which our veterans made sacrifices for, the purpose in which they serve. Not only to protect us from potential physical harm, but to defend our rights and freedoms and the rights and freedoms of people all over the world.

Because when we remember war on this day, we remember the horrors of war. The rape, the torture, the mass murders of ethnic groups and the disabled.

We remember them as well, and we say "never again".


Never again will we silently witness the atrocities that occurred in the past.

But we're not done yet, are we? There are still wars going on, there is still people being discriminated against, people being abused, tortured, raped and murdered for no good reason. And there's really no justification for any of it. But as long as there is injustice, as long as there is hate, as long as every man, woman and child of every background and origin (and I mean, EVERY) cannot feel safe everywhere, we're not done yet.

And so, for the sacrifices of the past, the sake of the present and the hopes of the future, today we remember what has gone on before, in order to work for peace.


(this post was actually a little hard to write. I keep remembering my grandparents, Oma and Opa. They survived WWII in Russia. From what we know, Opa was drafted by gunpoint first by the Russian army, and then the German army before running away and surrendering to the American army. Oma apparently walked across Russia to follow the German army out of the country. They met in a refugee camp. Opa had apparently been engaged to another woman, but couldn't find her, and so married Oma. They moved to Canada when my Dad was 2 years old. That's what we know. They wouldn't say more and records from then are scattered and incomplete. Honestly, from what I do know, I can't blame them for not talking about it.)

Versatile Blogger Award

Julie of Julie Jabbers recently received the Versatile Blogger Award, and passed it onto seven bloggers, including Big Daddy Autism. He, in turn, passed it on to Kathleen at AutismHerd. And then she has passed it onto me!!! Specifically, this blog.

And as part of the rules, I have to share seven unknown things about myself and pass it along to seven more bloggers.

1. I am technically published in Scotland. In 2007, I studied at the Scottish Universities' International Summer School in Creative Writing, and wrote a non-fiction piece about my childhood that was published in their 2006-2007 publication.
2. I hate red-coloured candy. Not only does it not taste good, but I get migraine headaches from them too.
3. I dislike initiating phone calls, especially to strangers. I prefer to call places after hours and leave a message on the message machine.
4. I like dressing up and can even imagine writing zombie and scary movies, but I can't watch them.
5. I am either the best or worse procrastinator you'll ever meet. I can procrastinate at procrastinating at procrastinating to procrastinate.
6. When watching a TV/anime series, I will not finish it at night. Because I get depressed that the series is over in my head. I will actually put off finishing a series because I don't want it to end in my head.
7. I have, on occasion, out-geeked my geeky boyfriend. With references to stuff I haven't even watched or played.
8. EXTRA!!!! I like to hug grumpy cats when they're trying to sleep. (yes, it is my fault if I get bit or scratched)

Really? Seven bloggers? Do I really have to? Sigh, okay, let's see....

1. Mama Be Good
2. Genderbitch
3. Cracked Mirror in Shalott
4. Abnormaldiversity
5. Neuroskeptic
6. Autist's Corner
7. Comet's Corner

Ta-Da!!! I found seven bloggers.

Now the question is whether or not they notice......

:D

Lauren's Hope Review

For quite a while, I had been wanting to get a medical ID bracelet.  An Autism card is good for events where, having trouble communicating, a person can slip out a card and hand it out.  For other situations, when I'm possibly unconscious, I want something on me all the time that's noticeable to paramedics.  Especially when I consider the medical issues I have and medications I'm on.

I've looked at medical ID bracelet companies, including the ones with the yearly subscription so that you practically have your medical history a phone call away.  I've looked at some rather fancy bracelets, some completely plain and utilitarian bracelets, and they were all either too much money or not what I wanted to wear on my wrist every single day.

But then I came across Lauren's Hope  and was genuinely surprised.  The bracelets are a bit expensive, especially for someone with limited funds, but are elegant and beautiful. They are designed so that you only need one tag that you can remove and use with many different bands.  Yes, space is limited on the tag, and you'd have to replace it every time that your medications get changed, but it's a lot cheaper than subscribing to a medic-alert type service.

I love my Lauren's Hope medical ID bracelet, and I hardly ever take it off.  So I highly recommend it; at least take a look, you might find something that catches your eye!

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Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I know that I should be saying Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays, and get away with saying Happy New Year.

However, this is my holiday which I'd like to share the celebration. If you are celebrating a holiday, feel free to comment with your greeting. I know that Hanukkah is over, but better late than never?


Updates are going to be delayed right now, as the holidays are causing massive dysfunction in my ability to do things in general. I expect to be holed up in my room playing Kingdom Hearts, or trying not to fall on my ass skating, for quite a while.

Til then, have a good one!!


**Characters are from my comics the Lord of the Shepherd and Amhelaki Misadventures. Also, this image is available on DeviantArt

Zazzle Store

Yes, I got myself onto Zazzle, and, due the encouragement of many, made up a couple of shirt about reaching the two week mark of getting my H1N1 shot and not being more autistic yet.

Also made some other shirts. Trying to come up with some other designs and whatnot.




create & buy custom products at Zazzle

Shameless self promo, I know. But people have been telling me to make shirts for a while.

Chocolate Cake in a Mug

Yeah yeah, this is off topic. However, with all the anger going around about the Autism Speaks video, I want to share a little yummy with everyone. And what's a woman's best friend? Chocolate. So, I'm reposting this recipe from my cooking blog Aspie Cooking


5-Minute Chocolate Cake

Take a coffee cup.
Put in 4 Tbsp white flour, 4 Tbsp sugar and 2 Tbsp cocoa.
Stir really really well.
Add 1 egg.
Stir really really well.
Add 3 Tbsp water and 3 Tbsp oil.
Stir really really well.
Add a splash of vanilla.
Add 3 Tbsp chocolate chips (optional)
Microwave for 3 minutes in a 1000 watt microwave.
Let cool for 2 minutes.
Eat.

Since I didn't have chocolate chips, I added chocolate milk sauce (you know, the sauce to make chocolate milk) on top and let it smother the sides. Really good.

I emphasize the stirring. It's really hard to stir well in a coffee cup. Also, the cake rises out of the cup while cooking; it looks pretty cool. And lastly, it makes a bit of a mess in your cup, but no more than, say, hot chocolate.