Hello everyone, hope you are well today! Inspired by a post I read on Tony Burgess’s post, “The Thing About: The Virus“, I thought about various efforts to help find a cure and treatment for COVID-19.
IBM’s World Community Grid allows anyone with a computer, smartphone, or tablet to donate their unused processing power to advance scientific research on various topics ranging from health, poverty and sustainability. I’ve been a member for several years. It’s neat when I take a step away to eat lunch or a jog, my computer is playing a part in helping perform calculations for AIDS research.
You can learn more about their current projects here: Active Research You can learn more about their program here: About
Shelley’s quote peaked my interest today. How often do we neglect this area of our lives dismissing play as being infantile and frivolous? Throughout history, many influential people asserted the importance of play.
Albert Einstein: “Play is the highest form of research.”
Mr. Rogers: “Play gives children a chance to practice what they’re learning.”
Johan Huizinga: “Culture arises and unfolds in and as play.”
Abraham Maslow: “Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.”
Roger von Oech: “Necessity may be the mother of invention, but play is certainly the father.“
Play relieves stress by releasing feel-good endorphins. It improves connections with your relationships which can help ward off depression. Play helps increase vitality and helps replace negative beliefs and behaviors. For adults it can be something small like flirting with your partner, joking with your coworkers, or enjoying spontaneity with your relatives.
A Young Adult’s Playground
There are patterns which emerge in one’s life, circling and returning anew, an endless variation of a theme.
Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel’s Chosen
A few days ago, I received a gift in the mail. As I unwrapped the box, I was stunned by the beauty of “Mysterious Lion”, a wooden Unidragon puzzle. I found out my thoughtful siblings mailed it to me as a surprise for my birthday. Mom called the night before and laughed when I told her I received a “toy”.
My eyes got watery. Unintentionally, the gift was rather meaningful and symbolic for me. VJ invited her readers to think about circling this week. For me, the invitation to play again was coming back full circle. I remembered the joy I felt to complete a puzzle as a child. Even though it’s been a while since I physically completed one, I was always attracted to things resembling a puzzle. Circling around the idea of solving a mystery.
My heart swelled a bit when my Facebook wall was flooded with lovely messages from local friends. It’s a strange sight to behold since I’m typically not active there. Since the quarantine however, all sorts of groups popped up to hang out. I had trouble choosing a non-profit to invite donations this year. So, I created a short video featuring non-profits that help the local community to drum up support.
Google Arts and Culture partnered with more than 2000 museums all around the world. I virtually explored some of these spaces and their exhibits. In the evening, I watched Verdi’s opera, Un Ballo de Maschera, a free nightly streaming at the Metropolitan Opera.
I had a very small gathering to celebrate in my cozy home. My roommates created a tasty meal of BBQ ribs, asparagus, mashed potatoes, ambrosia salad, chocolate cake with coconut-pecan icing. My boyfriend helped me build a desk as we enjoyed chatting with one another. My friend gave me hilarious t-shirts, Hawaiian floral hair clips, makeup which I’ll probably feature soon on Instagram.
Creating this banner made me feel pretty happy and features my bright personality. 😉 Sometimes it’s the little things that can bring a smile to your face. 😊
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there! What a time to be a mom! I wrote an open letter to mom this year:
Dear Mom,
There’s really no one like you.
I mean, who else tickles my feet at 5am just to get a head start on the day? You tell me that there’s so much to learn, to explore, and to do! I’ve learned how precious time is and just how much can be accomplished within the 24 hours.
You are a beacon of strength and resilience with steadfast convictions, unwavering belief and faith in spite of fear. You are an outspoken straight shooter which used to fluster me, but at least I knew what was on your mind.
Your astounding generosity is shown in all the little things you do. All the meanwhile, you can be a mischievous prankster just to keep me on my toes. There’s never a dull moment! I miss your inquisitive interjections during movies we watch.
If you really wanted to do something, you don’t wait for other people to get on board with you. You just do it! A powerhouse. A busy bee. I’ll never forget the day when you wanted to go shopping, I didn’t get ready fast enough, and you actually left me in the dust. >_<
You and dad always believed that great opportunities don’t come everyday, so you recognize and seize them with every chance you get. You create opportunities by teaching yourself.
You always made me feel beautiful inside and out even when I didn’t always feel like it. You never let me rest on my laurels and always challenge me to reach higher for the stars. You taught me to experience things out of my comfort zone because that’s where some of the most rewarding things in life happen.
You inspire me even with all your imperfections. You’re a super heroine. Have a relaxing Mother’s Day, Mom. It’s okay to have some downtime. 🙂
Good morning everyone! Inspired from an episode that I watched from the Food Network Star, I created this metaphor to symbolize the all the great experiences that I have checking out your blogs. I wrote this poem back in January 2018, but it’s been sitting in my draft box for a long time.
Blogs on WordPress are the countless types of desserts on the buffet of life Matcha Green Tea Cake Coconut Creme Pie Sinfully Chocolate Brownie Angel Vanilla Cake Pistachio Nut Pudding Sour Lemon Tart Raspberry Kolache Fortune Cookie Sitting on a plate looking delectable Various guilty pleasures Some may delight the senses You may be allergic to others Blending in with your morning tea, coffee, juice, or milk Each one delivers a unique experience
I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.
― Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt
On the one hand, I like deadlines. Its existence spurs me to action. On the other, I don’t like them. It forces me to make sacrifices and prioritize decisions.
What did I end up sacrificing this past month?
Time with my blog
Heart was willing. To-Do's ever so increasing. Energy was waning.
Out of all things, why does it have to be something that brings me joy?
Life doesn't make sense at times.
This year’s A-to-Z blogging challenge was a bust! I truly wanted to explore these topics more in depth! In the past, I was very spontaneous with my prompts and wrote whatever I was in the mood for which was surprisingly quite successful.
A2Z Survivor? Hardly (at least not for April)! Below features all the topics I wanted to write about this past month. I’ll certainly save them for later! I’ll probably change this blogging challenge month-long sprint into a year-long marathon.
a - Axolotl
b - Burj al Arab
c - Ciselure
d - Dogme 95
e - Entremets
f - Fallingwater
g - Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
h - Hanno the White Elephant
i - Isicathamiya
j - Juggernaut
k - Krampusnacht
l - La Tomatina
m - Michael Jackson's Manifesto
n - Neottious
o - Orlov Diamond
p - Paisley Underground
q - Qasida
r - Rose Trellis Egg
s - Songkran / Shibuya-kei / Sagrada Familia
t - Trumpets of the Martians
u - Umbilicanimism (American Beauty)
v - Viking Metal / Venetian Mask
w - Wonky Pop
x - Xuan Calligraphy Paper
y - Yag (Carmen San Diego Fanfiction)
z - Zen Manifesto
On top of that, I started a separate blog about project management for school thinking I could juggle another challenge…simultaneously! That was a certainly a no-go. I did manage to write about how AI is helping Save the Ghost of the Mountain. A pat on the back for something launched!
Do you have a niche for your blog? If so tell us more about it. I think it would be visual storytelling – I called my blog Culture Shocks to focus on sharing my reactions to new cultural experiences. I wanted to undergo great periods of growth, and jarring experiences would help me stretch outside my own boundaries and meet new people.
At the very least, it would attract those who relish in new adventures and seek novel experiences because variety is the spice in life. I figured I would have plenty of fresh content so long as I didn’t pigeon-hole myself as to how I conveyed these experiences to my audience.
Have you ever thought of niche-ing down and why? Yes, plenty of times! I think it gives me great purpose to be intentional about the audience I would be writing for who is serious about reading your content. It would motivate me to write even when I may not always feel like it because I wouldn’t want to let them down. I actually found old blogs I wrote years ago before Culture Shocks: 2009 – Trash to Treasure Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects 2012 – Exploration into World Literature 2012 – Confessions of a Parapsychologist Assistant At the time, I thought it was just easier having separate audiences for vastly different topics. I felt like if I could focus on a particular niche, then I might be more prolific. It’s difficult to write regularly for separate blogs and maintain different brand personas. Even while doing this challenge, I thought to myself, “Gee, wouldn’t it be easier to explore deeply about one topic rather than write from five categories?”
If you chose just one as your niche, how much would you miss writing about the others? Too much! There’s times where I feel like a skimmer rather than a diver. Though I do wonder: If I chose a niche, perhaps I can tie those topics with something unrelated and find some point of commonality which can provide a new angle on an established topic.
After Dr. Tanya’s question, Fandango shared a provocative question that also made me reflect:
What DID make me write today in the midst of my busy life? My last post was 2 weeks ago. I just finished working on a rigorous 3-month long project for work this morning. Safeguarding my sanity meant encasing myself in a bubble. My supervisor and CEO said to me, “It’s time to take a well-deserved break!”
I take such a deep breath, I didn’t realize how much oxygen I missed. I realize I blog when I want to chat about something, but I don’t really share in public. I can share random trivia tidbits without worrying about wasting other people’s time.
I look over to my left and my eyes fixate on my cute, whimsical owls, and my thoughts drifted into how I missed my whimsical blog. I once read a journal article titled:
The Power of Kawaii: Viewing Cute Images Promotes a Careful Behavior and Narrows Attentional Focus
I’m exhausted. I almost don’t want to stare at a screen. Yet, I miss the people in this community and want to stay close the proverbial campfire. While eating some ambrosia salad, I wrote this poem below with intertwined quotes:
Take a Deep Breath.
Do you know the feeling that DEADLINES induce?
Future date unmistakably marked
Yet, why does it feel imaginary?
Why doesn't iit feel as real as The Present?
Deadlines just aren’t real to me until I’m staring one in the face.
― Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief
Deadline looms around the corner Like a shadow in a dark alley Skin tingles. Hair prickles. Its impending presence
…grind us to the lowest depth of subjugation…
– William Williston Heartsill, Diary of William Williston Heartsill (entry Mar. 1863)
Everlasting companions: Anxiety, Stress, Exhaustion Gradually creep into one's well being Despite Deep Breaths' attempts to squash its vitality, Lassoing the infamous Trio proves quite difficult
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
– Ecclesiastes 4:12
Calling in for reinforcements Spiro-meters are important To measure the shortness of breath, but to tackle it? A Blessing Counter. A Kindness Barometer. A Playfulness Gauge. Maybe, a flexible Salvidor Dali's clock Or... a Clock that breaks quite often So that you can take a break along with it.
Focusing on the act of breathing clears the mind of all daily distractions and clears our energy enabling us to better connect with the Spirit within.
– Author Unknown
Not ready to receive my comeuppance Deadline taps me on the shoulder Delivers the final pummeling blow Just as quickly as It arrived It was gone in a flash and left without a trace.
Breathe deeply, until sweet air extinguishes the burn of fear in your lungs and every breath is a beautiful refusal to become anything less than infinite.
“CUT!!!” Director Cavanaugh acerbic voice sliced through the air.
Buzzing with energy from the two cups of coffee he drank, he chewed on his pen cap as he witnessed an interesting snapshot on his screen. It was linked to an underwater videographer’s feed. A fish inside a jellyfish! Could he turn this bizarre moment into a symbolic story left to the audience’s interpretation and imagination? The fish’s expression says it all. The gears were turning in Cavanaugh’s head
Try as the little fish might to direct its own path, the jellyfish will inevitability drag the fish wherever it pleases.Realizing its loss of autonomy, the fish’s eyes bug out in horror!
Cavanaugh wondered if he was insane for trying out an ambitious experiment after a period of hitting the doldrums. He was inspired by some prize-winning photos in a BBC article that he was browsing.
Image Credit: Anita Kainrath, from Austria, won Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year with Shark Nursery, showing baby lemon sharks in a mangrove in the Bahamas.
He wondered if he can authentically capture a live stream story letting the animals share their own stories. He was fascinated by their behavior. He couldn’t direct the animals, but then it wouldn’t really matter since his name wouldn’t be credited. During his time in film school, he was intrigued by a film movement founded in 1995 by Danish director Lars Von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg. They wrote a manifesto called Dogme 95. The “rules” were as follows:
