curiosity never killed no cat

LOVE IT. Old Mr. Fredricksen would be proud of this National Geographic adventure.

Inspired by the small yellow house in the Pixar film, UP, this lifesize version was connected to 300 colorful weather balloons, was 1o stories high altogether, reached an altitude of 10,000 ft, and flew for about an hour. The experiment, conducted by a team of scientists, engineers, and world-class balloon pilots, was conducted last March as part of a National Geographic Channel series called "How Hard Can it Be?"

Why's it so brilliant? It proves curiosity reigns. It demonstrates how you can look at something and merely think its cool OR you can look at something and actually think about it. You can wonder how it works or if it's possible or if the process can be made easier or if there's something more complex going on or if you could do it on your own.....Just keep on asking until you understand or until you're content. Curiosity is what keeps us dreaming and going places in life.

heads or tails

the view from next door

Well you're probably plum tired of me posting about how I love realizing the world is so much bigger than just me, buutttt I couldn't resist. It's the US-Mexican border separating San Diego from Tijuana. Heads up, I'm not posting this to turn it into a political discussion. I just had never even thought about what the border would look like, and I am amazed that it so incredibly separate and distinct. It's like two completely different pieces of land or even two different worlds - well, actually that's probably because it is two different worlds. And only a single wall divides it. I don't know why it fascinates me so much. I guess because it shows how two places, two peoples, two worlds can technically exist side by side and yet be so different and separate. It's just something that made me sit there and stare at it and think for a few good minutes.

broskis

This is the story of how my little (now 6ft tall) brother is simply awesome.











Background: Like true Americans, my family has a rich tradition of loving Star Wars. And we have also all read the Harry Potter books, with the exception of my dad who - last time I checked - thinks Harry Potter might very well be of the devil.

My younger brother especially loves the far, far away galaxy. One day, I was doing homework in my room, and I could hear strange noises coming from the intercom by my door (it connects throughout the house). I went over to it to listen more closely and I recognized my brother's voice making explosion noises - "Pyew pyew! BABOOM!" I also thought I heard him singing...

Amused, curious and unable to concentrate on homework, I walked to my brother's room and found him playing LEGOs with both his Star Wars and Harry Potter sets. The sounds I had heard were the result of an enormous LEGO battle strewn across his floor, of which my brother sat in the middle, holding a triumphant warrior in each hand.

He then explained to me he had discovered something ingenious - that Dobby the house elf and Yoda the jedi master were long lost brethren, and they even had a theme song (which he sang for me and the chorus went something like "Two Bros! Out to clear the danger...")

I thought he was just a typical brother at the time but looking back, he was a creative little sucker. I mean, look at 'em, they have very similar features. Ahhh....I laugh every time I remember this :) My brother makes me happy.

Even better is that he could probably still sing me the theme song if I asked him to.

real floating lights

First off, I don't think I've met one person who didn't like this movie. . .

Tangled (2010)

Now, check this out. And if you're like me, and had no clue that the lanterns in Tangled weren't totally just made up for the movie, you might, like me, think this is way awesome.

Photo by Sanchai Loongroong

Look familiar? It's Thailand's lantern festival, Yi Peng, held on a November full moon each year. Hundreds of floating lanterns are launched to celebrate a time for tham bun, to make merit. The lamps are usually made with thin fabric and a fuel source like a candle so that when it's lit, the hot air gets trapped inside the lantern and lifts it into the air like a hot air balloon.

I came across this pic of the Thailand festival while looking at a website of random, cool photography. At first, I was surprised that it looked just like the ones in Tangled - but then, I realized, of course, Disney must have gotten the idea from Thailanders.

The point of posting about this is:

a) It's just really cool and I wish there were festivals like this in my country.

b) I realized something - that I really don't know much of anything about different cultures around the world. There are so many of us on this planet, and I pretty much have a hard enough time just trying to understand the guys at school (in my defense, they've definitely got their own culture). But there are entire cultures just as complex as my own that I have yet to be able to first even become aware of.

I'm really glad I came across this photo because it made me remember that I am just a small little girl in a small little town in a small little moment in time. There is so much out there to learn and experience and understand, and I really hope that throughout my life, I can keep having similar epiphanies to remind me of how much bigger than me the world really is.


P.S. I think it fitting that I listened to Tangled music while writing this.

perfect people

My little sis lives at home still. After trying to curl her hair for a few hours, she gave up for the day, started up the stairs, and said to my mother,

"I just want you to know. The people who go around looking perfect all the time have had a LOT of practice."

Amen, sister. Sure, it's kind of annoying. But who really has time to practice that much? Hence, why I don't spend more than ten minutes on my hair in the mornings.

But hey, for the record, baby sis, you're adorable and confident and fashionable and healthy and kind and perfectly beautiful already.

broken smiling pig people

Pretty much from the moment my high school stats teachers showed my class a TED talk, I've had a not-so-small obsession for TED. I listen to these clips while getting ready in the morning, cleaning my room, or while doing my homework. I have a million of them downloaded for free onto my iTunes.

If you're unfamiliar with it, TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas. Scientists, researchers, comedians, experts, explorers, photographers, designers, mathmeticians, survivors, and really just anybody from anywhere in the world can be invited to give a TED talk. Speakers are challenged to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less. They can be funny, inspiring, informative, persuasive, fascinating, or just entertaining.

I can seriously spend hours watching these videos. Annnd, in fact, I just did. If you're good with multitasking, it's great to have playing in the background.

I'm serious. Right this very minute, go check out TED. Or get a taste for them by watching below.

P.S. Watching the videos below might make the title of this post make sense.

i simply remember my favorite things

Old postcards, Wildflowers (pressed), Stamps, Old sheet music, Old books, Coins, Memorabilia, Old maps, Old black and white photographs, Antique Toys, Card decks, Antique marbles, Fossils, Antique bottles, Seashells, Autographs, Sea glass. . .

I'm not sure what it is that makes collections so interesting. . . maybe it's the fact that someone is so fascinated by something that they would give so much of their time to it.

At home, I have a pretty good sized collection of bookmarks. I was in love with reading as a kid. Many of them are homemade, given to me as birthday presents, or bought from places I would visit. I have ones made from wood, ones that turn colors when you rub them with your hands, and ones that have wildflowers pressed inside them.

The collector in this video is pretty intense, but it's a good reminder that you're never too old to start or stop collecting something. So what will be yours?