No man is an island

No man is an island | For whom the bell tolls

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend’s were.
Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

John Donne
1572 – 1631

Top 5 pieces read (or re-read) in 2011

It’s December. The year is almost over, and this past weekend a friend asked me to reflect on 2011 and consider my New Years Resolutions from the start of the year.

I can’t remember my New Years Resolutions…

But to reflect on 2011… The cheekiest but true thing I heard this year was “The meaning of life is life”, and if I were to summarize 2011, or living life, by interesting pieces I’ve read or re-read since January 1, here are the top 5 (in no particular order):

• What you’ll wish you’d known | Paul Graham,  commencement address written January 2005, never delivered
• How will you measure your life? | Clayton M. Christensen, Harvard Business Review, July 2010
• What if the secret to success is failure?  | Paul Tough, NYTimes, September 14, 2011
• Do you suffer from decision fatigue? | John Tierney, NYTimes, August 17, 2011
• Steve Jobs’s commencement address | Steve Jobs, commencement address delivered at Stanford, June 2005

[Tiger Mom was also interesting, perhaps it'll make another list]

bit.ly ode to digital

facebook, twitter, linkedin, chat /
wordpress, gmail, calendar, maps /
evernote, pinterest, docs and forms /
mailing lists, youtube, music, and groups /
reading, creating, some bookmarking done /
connecting, expressing, and sharing fun!

[line 4 could use some suggestions]

Fireflies

There is something magical about fireflies, a childlike wonderment and delight at twinkles in the night.

In the US:

*

*

In China:

*

*

All over the world!!!

 

Questions

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
If a thought is not shared, does it exist?

***

Have you ever met someone whom you always thought was really amazing, but always felt weird about it because you didn’t really know why and it was just a gut feeling, and it wasn’t until much much later that you got “proof” that you were right about them being fantastic?

Is it too late to become friends now? Sad that there is so much lost time.

Three Videos

Three videos I want to (re-)share. They more or less speak for themselves.

Dance – Collide:

*

*

Dance, amazing animation, design, and story – Thought of You:

*

*

Good visualization of our thoughts via technology – Could Have Been:

 

7 minutes well spent. =)

Jack Vettriano

Jack Vettriano’s “Singing Butler” is one of my favorite art pieces (and long time wallpaper of my phone). I don’t recall who first told me the story, but they say Jack is a self-taught artist who started painting at the age of 21, when his girlfriend gave him a paint set for his birthday. Today, conscientious parents put their children in ballet lessons at age 3, tennis lessons at age 4, and violin lessons at age 5, and in contrast, Jack’s artistic pursuits and success as an adult become even more intriguing. Many success stories are intriguing for various reasons; this one for its seemingly accidental, spontaneous and undeliberate manner of birth. Not every Vettriano piece is a favorite, but there is a hint of magic in his story.

Wherever we are, something ordinary can become extraordinary. Starting with that inconspicuous paint set.

Because it’s pretty

If I didn’t spend all my time dancing, maybe I would paint.

A desktop image originally from a lifehacker posting.

Dear Sophie, Ad

Discovered a new favorite “heartwarming” commercial today by Chrome. Love the idea — would love to see it implemented — dear boys, please do this for your future children. Sophie, you’re one lucky little girl. =)

—

It also reminds me of this P&G ad from a year ago:

—

And this Subaru ad has the same concept:

—

Gotta love parents. Happy belated Mother’s day, and happy early Father’s day!

Decisions. Change.

There are easy decisions in life, where you know exactly what you need to do, where the path is laid out crystal clear in front of you, and you know what the best option is, and you commit to it, and you make it happen. And then there are difficult ones, where your options seem equally great, or equally disappointing. There are times when you know your options, but don’t know if they’re worth the effort. There are times when there seems to be too much risk.

How do you know that you are making the right decision? When should you maintain your course of action, and when is there a need for change? If things should change, should it be an internal attitude change, or an external change of circumstances? What about a combination of the two, a change or circumstance that makes naturally lends itself to constructing a more suitable attitude?