i wonder.

curiouser and curiouser

[irenydraws]

so quite a lot of people expressed interest in a guide to lion dance! and since the lunar new year is coming up in a couple weeks, which means everyone’s exposure to lions is probably going to increase, i figured i’d go ahead and make it! right click + open in new tab to fullview, etc etc, i hope it’s helpful, although if you only take one thing away from this powerpoint, it’s this: lions are not dragons

disclaimer: i learned fut san style at an american university, and the senior members of the troupe were almost all from hong kong and taiwan, so most of my knowledge is drawn from what they taught me. lion dance varies widely depending on the style and the country of origin, and many schools do things differently! this is just an attempt to establish a baseline and give you a really basic intro to one of my favorite art forms. :)

[nubbsgalore]

swallows huddled for warmth. (source: x, x)

[weloveshortvideos]

[cindysuen]

sushi cat! 😛 🍣

[laughingsquid]

Google Demonstrates ‘Inceptionism’ Artwork Created by Artificial Neural Networks

[the-disney-elite]

Dale Baer’s pencil test for Disney’s Feast.

[inspiredbyhappiness]

stefan sagmeister's list of learnings

Complaining is silly. Either act or forget.

Thinking life will be better in the future is stupid, I have to live now.

Being not truthful works against me.

Helping other people helps me.

Organizing a charity group is surprisingly easy.

Everything I do always comes back to me.

Drugs feel great in the beginning and become a drag later on.

Over time I get used to everything and start taking it for granted.

Money does not make me happy.

Traveling alone is helpful for a new perspective on life.

Assuming is stifling.

Keeping a diary supports my personal development.

Trying to look good limits my life.

Worrying solves nothing.

Material luxuries are best enjoyed in small doses.

Having guts always works out for me.

[inspiredbyhappiness]

the gray-green surface changes to the bright colors of our three images, sharpening and deepening all at once. and although we don't speak, i know we all see it: together we look like our mother. her same eyes, her same mouth, open in surprise to see, at last, her long-cherished wish.

the joy luck club

[mymodernmet]

Mesmerizing cinemagraphs by Strasbourg, France-based freelancer Julien Douvier.

[vacilandoelmundo]

[inspiredbyhappiness]

Venice’s beauty enchants from dawn to dusk in Richard Lantz’s hazy, dreamlike series Venezia.

[birdcheese]

A fresh batch.

[inspiredbyhappiness]

resolutions

finish my website (seriously, before i won’t even need it anymore…)

focus and see things through. i can’t do everything well

stay fit, probably eat healthier i.e. cut back on the sweets

become a better lion dancer still applies as i return after a summer+semester’s hiatus

retain what i’ve learned better

spend less time doing things that aren’t meaningful, like browsing social media or preoccupying myself with material things

in fact, let’s make this the year of being meaningful. with connections, actions, etc.

[inspiredbyhappiness]

2014

looking back, a year is somehow simultaneously a very long time and one that goes by so quickly. i don't feel like much has changed, and yet i am ending this year with (and by 'new' i mean a 2014 development) new beliefs, new work experience, new stamps in my passport, a new relationship, new friends...the list goes on. i attended 2 universities, visited 8 countries, went on nearly a dozen flights (the majority of them alone), and spent more than half the year away from familiarity. some things were expected; others were completely unforeseen. exactly 1 year ago i couldn't even have guessed some of the ways i or my life would be different today. all i can say is that i am thankful for all of it. the good and the bad, the difficult, the awkward, the uncertain, the melancholic, and the blissful, the exciting, the meaningful, the surprising. so here's to the great unknown of 2015. 

and now for the annual look back on my resolutions:

i definitely learned a lot. but i've also realized that i'm not very good at retaining what i've learned, so i need to work on that.

hmm i think i'm doing okay in the friend department. could always be better.

i definitely physically explored a lot of new places. my summer in california, semester in london, and travels around europe were definitely full of new things and experiences.

some things i'm proud of: my internship project is definitely something i'm proud of from 2014.

learning to be unapologetic for who i am is still a work in progress.

i've made some steps in conversationality, under the guidance of a certain someone. still lots of room to improve though!

i definitely got stronger over the summer, when i managed to get a good gym routine going. hope it hasn't all gone to shit already before i start lion dancing again!

the website is...started. better than nothing i suppose!

[disneyconceptsandstuff]

Visual Development from Sleeping Beauty by Eyvind Earle

[mydarkenedeyes]

Jeremy Miranda

[inspiredbyhappiness]

what i brought back from europe:

chocolate digestives (biscuits) & candy from london

macarons & cookies from paris

wafers from vienna

chocolates from belgium

chocolate bars from switzerland

...i think i bought an edible souvenir from almost every city i visited. clearly you can see where my priorities are.

when the US customs declaration form came around i fibbed a little about the value of all of these items because i was embarassed when i realized how much i had spent on sweets and only sweets.

[newyorker]

Chang-rae Lee remembers an immigrant Thanksgiving:

My sister and I, ages five and seven, the only ones speaking English, are talking about the bird in the oven—our very first—and already bickering over what parts are best, what parts the other should favor, our conception of it...