Gathering thoughts…
A world of little thoughts.
One of the biggest news right now is the deepest image of the universe pictured by NASA through the newly developed James Webb Space Telescope. The picture shows hundreds of galaxies which could not earlier be captured by Hubble, NASA’s old telescope which has been replaced by the Webb. NASA’s website says that…
I'm discovering that when hardship strikes, it's tempting to wallow in self-doubt, but it’s more rewarding to put in the effort to prevail. Don't get me wrong, feelings are important but in the long run if your feelings keep you stagnant - then it's time to activate your will and fight for the outcomes you truly…
i’ve been rejected so many times in the last year or so. Countless job apps, applied to accelerators for funding, no nothing in return, even reached out to contacts. Nope. Gotten kinda numb these days. Must not lose hope. Maybe better days are ahead..
We were never taught how to be angry. Wrath was the province of God, and occasionally that of fathers offered insult. That, I think, is how I never noticed it seeping in at slights and kicks until it had long curdled in my marrow.
Its strange why my articlulation of ideas/feedback has not been upto the mark - despite spending time with clear thinkers. Second order thinking also tends to be a pain in the ass - a number of the decisions that I take spread ripple effects that I need to be vary of. Along with one & two, crisp writing especially in…
I'd like to sell 1000 copies of a self-published book this year. It's a side project, the book isn't written yet and I have no idea how to market it. There are a million ways to fuck this up. Fauzia Burke wrote a book in 2016 about online marketing for busy authors. She suggested figuring out your personal brand,…
We reset ourselves by feeling like we've reclaimed control of our environment. Most of us have learned repeatable behaviours that help us feel normal. I wrote about how a bath resets me in a piece earlier. For some, it could be cleaning or cooking for another person. Some people maintain to-do lists. I've also heard…
I have earned the guts to say this out loud the hard way. I don't HAVE TO do anything. I feel like doing NOTHING and that's what I'll do. I do the things I want to do and feel like doing. There's no shits left to give for anyone or anything else. Only a very calm space inside me where there's an absence of all kinds…
On a recent trip with my friends, I asked them if they were ok telling me how much they were worth i.e. how much money they had in the bank. During the trip, I had skirted around the question by asking what their "number" was. But that evening, I just asked if they'd be ok telling me. I've been thinking a lot about…
A very quick digital collage. I like playing with collage but I don't know if they're any good. Though how can you go wrong? I might pick this one up again and play with it further. Maybe I can just store these here.
Ahhh! a bold idea can spark conversation between those who never spoke before. it's weight is heavy before the conversation existed. it becomes lighter as the idea is shared in conversations with others...
You know when you see sketchbooks that belonged to people who sketched? They're wonderful to look bakc through. I am a person who draws, but much of my “sketch” work is done on the computer. I have a good chunk of files of things I’ve started or experimented with or copied to get a feel of, or something. I want to…
I just read "Selbstdenken" and I've been reading Byung Chul Han's "Agonie des Eros" and... Schopenhauer's language is even clearer and simpler than Han's... And Han is already rather acknowledged for his easy style. I think to be popular it's better to be easy-to-understand. That's why Harry Potter was such a hit. And…
OpenAI keeps shipping world-changing products at a ridiculous pace. And I’m terrified. The computer revolution went after scribes and accountants. The internet revolution went after mailmen and retailers. Now, the AI revolution is coming for the creative folk. And I like to think I’m one of them. It’s natural to be…
(original: 2009 April 18) in memory of jengyee: april 27 tree planting at Cal for the tree planting ceremony ... To commemorate Jengyee's lasting devotion to Cal, a beautiful California live oak tree will be planted on campus just south of Etcheverry Hall. We cordially invite you to join us for the planting and an…
You are a portrait of everyone you've ever loved. An incomplete puzzle, collecting pieces along the way. You are a window of stained glass carefully being put together piece by lonely piece. A whimsical collage collected from the pages of people's lives. You are tapestry woven with the threads of a million moments.…
A rule I like to use when deciding how to behave is to imagine myself from another person’s point of view. Would I engage with myself if I saw myself doing that, or being that way? It’s a way to get feedback without needing anybody else, and although not ideal, it’s a good place to start. Recently, I’ve been wanting…
it's so easy to take our greatest strengths for granted simply because they come naturally to us. and conversely, to normalize behavior that simply conforms to our surroundings. without stopping to ask the hard questions - to quiet the constant noise begging us to react to it, to be fiercely autonomous, it's easy to…
Sometimes I behave in ways I don’t understand and it’s like my soul has a goal and has decided how to get there.
AhhA an unexpected result from design presents itself as 'pure' dynamic creation. the next step for many is to panic or deem that design a failure. i like to think of it in terms of post-rationalization. now that design can succeed in a new form to tell more stories...
Time feels right to get my will paperwork in order. Did up my list of "who gets how much". Still have to mull end of life issues, and won't put it off forever, but nothing pressing right yet. Felt good last night being part of a family of choice. Wondering why I'm still hesitant about taking the big trip in September.…
Grammar is not the enemy of creativity—it’s the architecture that makes meaning possible. Beneath every sentence, every idea we attempt to share, grammar shapes the invisible scaffolding of thought. It teaches us how language works, not as mere ornament, but as structure. Without grammar, our words collapse under…
Some days, my brain can be a chaos of endless worries and scenarios that give me anxiety. These thoughts can be exhausting, but deep in my heart (very deep inside), I appreciate this aspect of my mind. It probably comes from my survival instinct, a part of me that is trying to anticipate and prepare for any possible…
The reason people are mentally and physically ill are usually social and economic. People need friends and a feeling of belonging. They need a sense of purpose. Financial security. A safe home and hope for the future. I read a story about a group of lonely, anxious strangers who were tasked with restoring a park over…
I'm sitting in my garden enjoying the last moments in my house, fresh air, tranquil and great weather. Time goes by so fast, feels like last week when I would come back to school to this feeling.
Take it in things that’ll RELATE to you - Not trying to remember all details that you’ve seen - like literally EVERYONE Yes it’ll be good to notice things that people don’t But focus on the right ones Smartness is all about relevancy (One good example is directions, maps are everywhere but relatable to you; people…
i'm starting to look down on people who don't read but at the same time i'm starting to worry if i'm reading too much? i wonder if i'm missing out on living my REAL life whilst i read about people living theirs i have a whole fucking routine of reading. (1) reading a rotating lineup of books but also looking for new…
Ahh i don't think we will ever see a way permanently remove 'bad' actors from our worlds. one one side of the venn diagram we have the 'good' actor, on the other 'bad' actor, the position intersecting both is our utopia. i question what will it look like...
Understanding and addressing the side effects and consequences of technology early can prevent them from becoming the foundation on which a product or an entire industry rests. Instead of hiding or ignoring these negative side effects, we can use them as design criteria. Any technology that mediates human attention…
I've always been a bit on the fence about journaling, but I've just come across a very good argument for it - clearing the human cache. It is true that we get bogged down in thoughts, I know I do anyway, and it leads to pages of messy scribbles as I write out hour-by-hour plans for the days ahead on the same page as…
There are many blogs and podcasts on failure. They're by people who are successful. There are many stories of miraculous pregnancies having carried through. Women share these experiences after having gone through each long day and week of their pregnancy and share these stories in hindsight. Not many people write…
I think some way or other people are connected. they always stay connected maybe not physically maybe not socially and even not mentally but you just have the instinct in you that you miss this person but somehow you have this gut feeling of what they have been doing or if something serious takes place in their life.…
i feel energetically a little STUCK do i: - do more yoga - get the package - read - write - eat - watch youtube (this seems almost certainly like a bad idea bc i am so annoyed with booktube people but i am curious about just one little video...) ? i'm hungry. fuck. my body has decided. i guess i'll eat leftover…
"When the going gets tough, you have to get rough" - Some person out there probably. The value of not quitting and staying in the game. This is pretty much an unfinished thought that I have that's come as a result of what's happened in this month. Like it's a little past mid-month and I already have had results and…
Journaling is the ultimate in self-care. Self-care is taking action to do what you need for your physical and mental health. Keep in mind your physical and mental health are intertwined. It’s challenging to have one without the other. Journaling is the most valuable tool for self-care. Writing a conversation with…
A thought on editing and proofreading, especially of your own writing. Most people, other than diehard digital evangelists, agree that reviewing a print out helps correct errors and make improvements that you might not have spotted on the screen. This sits alongside the idea, supported by research (see the article…
I don't know how I discovered the band Canyon City. But Spotify has kept serving up songs by them to me since then and I have become a fan. There is something soothing and gentle about the style of their songs that is instantly recognizable to me. Some lyrics from the song Run by them Now all the lights they turn and…
Is a mix of competency and warmth. Find the balance - you can’t be too friendly but don’t know anything at the same time. To have charisma you need competent And you need to radiate out with the right amount of body & language works (way of converse, thoughts, vocabs - language is the best way to exhibit & market…
Visualization is a strategy to create a mental image of your success. Daily journaling helps you visualize your success each day. Success in whatever you hope to achieve. It starts with identifying what you want to accomplish. I write a statement of intent. I will spend an hour working on organizing my archived…
Just today, I saw a tweet sharing an article I read last year, praising how phenomenal it was. The person who tweeted it had a larger following than mine. Had I shared the same link publicly, it wouldn't have made much of a difference as it did in his case. He will get praised for being well-read, cool, and…
White, fluffy, and cold, coming down from the clouds. What is it that makes snow so special, so magical? Is it because it's so rare for me, or is it the memories made during snow trips that make me unexplainably happy when I see it? Regardless, this is one of the aspects I love about Chile—being able to see such…
we never smile at people, thinking it's trivial. never greet upon meeting, cause it's said without meaning. never thought to reach out and stay, because-what will others say? we wanted to help them, there, but will the others spare? never went ahead to dance with our dear, we'll get judged-came this fear. never enough…
It is not easy to write anything. Everyone wants to write something. Preferably something good. Preferably something good and useful. Preferably something good, useful, and uplifting for the heart. But isn’t the very act of writing itself a kind of uplift for the heart? I will not settle that question now. Because my…
Well, not literally. What I mean is, the obsession brands had with a 'logo that pops', has now shifted to 'having a community'. With a logo, at least we were all on the same page about what it meant. With a brand community, it's essential to understand what it means and what you need in your brand before you can start…
More often than not we find ourselves doing things, either at the influence of the parents, society or the people around us unknowingly, almost in a mechanical trance but something clicks and we start questioning the act itself. Makes one wonder, are we consciously doing what we are supposed to do or are we binded by…
Exciting times! I just bought 2 holidays this weekend. In March I'm going to Cyprus for one week with my two older boys. D won't be joining us - She will've just changed her job and -although they say she can work anywhere she wants- she doesn't want to test them on this yet. But I need a week in the sun every Feb/…
It had been over 4 years since I last took some proper time off work, but the last 6 weeks have been great. I saw some amazing places, met some interesting people, spent time with some of my closest friends, ate some great food, and discovered some lovely alcohol (mezcal & pisco for the win!). Now that I'm back, I…
I'm not saying I have OCD and ADHD, but it takes me an hour to walk from my bedroom to my kitchen.
