Internet Gem: Prancercise

"We are going to let loose & cut the noose."  You can't make this shit up.

Neat Stuff: Creative Market

My boyfriend passed this find on to me today: Creative Market.

Cool Chicks: Annie Leibovitz

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

At my Objectif's photography class last night, we studied Annie Leibovitz, a famous photographer.  My teacher said Annie has the uncanny ability to befriend anyone, making them feel instantly comfortable -- that's the secret to being a good portraitist.

Cool Chicks: Regina Dugan

(Source: All Things Digital)

This article hit the nail on the head.  Regina Dugan is a bad ass .

PhD in Mechanical Engineering.
First Female Director of DARPA (the super crazy R&D department of the US government)
Google Executive for Motorola
Demo-er of Jetson-like electronic pills & tattoos (start this video at 14 minutes)
Sassy.

She did a lot of "epic shit" at DARPA & wants to do the same at Motorola.  

She believes boredom is the enemy of innovation.  Good thing she looks to be anything BUT bored.  Here's the more "epic shit" in the future under Regina Dugan.

Cool Chicks: Mary Meeker

KPCB Internet Trends 2013 from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

In university, we were asked to tell a guest speaker our career plans; I said I planned on working in consulting.  The professor told me in front of the class to "enjoy being single forever, drinking beer & eating takeout alone in a hotel room" (to be fair, there was some truth to the statement).

Things that are Awesome: G+ GIF

If you upload 5 or more photos to G+ in a row, it automatically stitches it into an animated GIF (read more here).  The product is actually called Auto Awesome.

I also realized that I take lots of photos of elephants

Things that are Awesome: Crash Course

I'll admit it -- I like a good YouTube cat video, but I'm also glad that content is getting better.

There's 100 hours of video uploaded EVERY MINUTE on YouTube, and there's not enough cat tricks in the world to fill that amount of time.

One of my favorites channels right now is Crash Course, starring a pair of quirky and/or hilarious brothers that teach 10 minute animated lessons on history, literature, chemistry, ecology & biology.  It's great for adults & kids.

If they were my high school teachers, I probably would have fallen asleep in class less.

My favorite kids from Bhutan

I met these two adorable kids in Thimphu, Bhutan last week.  Check out their adorable faces

Travel Now & Then

In 2004, I traveled abroad for the first time.  I spent the fall of my junior year in London.

My previous "international" trips consisted of a 2 week family road trip across Canada in a rented camper van (let's just say I'd appreciate it more now) and a mission trip to Juarez (i.e., the Mexico-side of El Paso) where we magically tried to convert people using broken Spanglish.

That being said, I consider London to be my first "real" travel experience.

Cool Chicks: Anais Nin

(Source: John Pearson)

Confession: I'd never heard of Anais Nin until I started reading Brain Pickings.  I picked up her volume 5 diary at the end of 2012 and devoured it -- it's as if I found a kindred spirit in her writing.  

She thinks and experiences life in a way I'd like to.  Her words are poetic, thoughtful and deep -- I want to underline every sentence.

Bhutan Takeaway: Personal GNH

(Source: Me)

I hate returning from vacation.  It always makes me depressed.

I really like my life in Singapore, but it can't compare to the joy of traveling.  I have a high need for freedom (see choice theory), and I feel the most free when traveling -- free from mundanity & minute grievances of everyday life.  

So, rather than immediately reentering normal life, I'm trying to digest Bhutan because travel births thought, as Alain De Botton eloquently describes in the Art of Travel:

"Journeys are the midwives of thought.  Few places are more conductive to internal conversations than moving planes, ships or trains.  There is an almost quaint correlation between what is before our eyes and the thoughts we are able to have in our heads: large thoughts at times requiring large views, and new thoughts, new places.  Introspective reflections that might otherwise be liable to stall are helped along by the flow of the landscape."

Mindful emailing

(Source: Kyle Peirson)

I have a love / hate relationship with email.  

Have we created a monster?

(Source: Me - Marina Bay Sands)

I like technology.  It really can do amazing things.  But, I don't think we've properly adapted to it.  

Yes, we use technology in incredible ways -- to connect with families across continents, to accomplish more in a day than we previously could in weeks or months & to access the world's information at our fingertips.  

We also use it to indulge our bad habits -- to gossip, to stalk, to compare, to mindlessly entertain, to show-off & to ignore (for more, see my posts on Facebook & Pinterest).

Today, I photographed people outside of Marina Bay Sands.  You to judge how they use technology.

Headed to Bhutan this week

Ever since watching Jonathan Harris' TED talk on "The Web as Art," I've wanted to go to Bhutan.  He created an interactive art project on happiness in the last Himalayan kingdom, which I found incredibly memorable due to Jonathan's powerful use of symbols.

Here's the introduction to his project:

"In Bhutan, happiness is no laughing matter -- academics study it, spreadsheets track it, billboards tout it, conferences debate it, and every year, foreign intellectuals flock to Thimphu  to share their ideas about what exactly makes a person happy.  Instead of "Gross National Product,"  Bhutan uses "Gross National Happiness" to measure its socio-economic prosperity, essentially organizing its national agenda around the basic tenets of Buddhism.

The men of Singapore

Today, I wanted to practice documentary-style photography on my way to the wet market.  This little excursion soon turned up into me drinking beers at a hawker with a bunch of 50+ year old Singaporean men.  An interesting afternoon to say the least.  Take a look.

Keeping Singapore Beautiful

(Source: Me)

Singapore is immaculate compared to the rest of the world (especially Southeast Asia).  

Public transport works.  Only 1 in 10 Singaporeans own a car

Crime is one of the lowest in the world.  I can walk home by myself at 2 AM.

Two million trees have been planted on the island.  That's 1 tree for every 2.5 people.

It's illegal to chew gum.  The sidewalks are spotless

During my photography class on Saturday, I documented some of the workers that make this island beautiful.

Found your passion yet?

We're all looking for it.  

You know, that thing that gets you up in the morning.

That itch that you keep scratching.

That thing you can talk incessantly about.

You know, that thing that makes you feel alive.

How can you tell if you've found it?

Watch the video.  If you love something as much as he loves sodas, you've found it.

Fundraising Done Right: Charity:Water

Not all non-profits are the same.  For example, Charity:Water is a fundraising powerhouse.

Wondering how you can replicate their success (whether you're a non-profit or a start-up)?

A Life Alone

(Source: Maisie Crow)

Tom Rose lives in the same house he purchased as a newlywed 63 years ago.  There's one exception -- he now sleeps downstairs alone.   

NY-based photographer, Maisie Crow, captures Tom's heartbreaking transition after the loss of his wife.  

Maisie's images are powerful.  Tom's words are unabashedly raw.  Together, they tell a story of life, loss and the all-encompassing nature of life-long companionship. 

I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)I am never without it (anywhere
I go you go,my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling)
- e.e. cummings

Sending Money, Re-imagined

(Source: Google Commerce)

Sending money just got a lot easier.  In the US, you can now attach money in gmail with a click of the button.

Tell grandma to skip the card this year and send the $20 via gmail (with a youtube video attached).

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

5 Tips for Taking Better Photos

(Source: Flak Photo - Looking at the Land)

I lucked out.  

A friend from the Singapore office sold me his Nikon D300 for $400 SGD (about $300 USD).

It was a steal.  I had to buy it.  That's how I got into photography.

A Good Read: Gone Girl

(Source: Moon Hoon)

I'm a book snob.

I generally like 3 genres -- depressing, funny or some sort of social criticism.  I get nervous if a book becomes mainstream, especially if it's likely to be sold at the nearest Wal-Mart.

Gone Girl is the new "hit" book, debuting at book clubs around the US.  Its accolades include the NYTimes bestseller list & upcoming cinematization starring Reese Witherspoon.

I finished the book in two days.  It's clever & griping, ping-ponging the reader between two fully-developed narrators.  I have mixed thoughts on the ending, but thoroughly enjoyed the journey. 

Buy it now.

Why I work at Google

(Source: Thinkr)

Google's great.  Awesome perks.  Smart people.  Futuristic products.

But, management consulting also was good to me.  International travel.  Tons of frequent flier miles.  Smart people.

Why did I want to come to Google?

It's mission: "Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful"

Basically, I want more Kelvins in the world.

Mental Health Break: Atari

(Source: UFunk)

Need a little mid-day-pick-me-up (that's a lot of unnecessary hyphens)?

Check out this Google Easter Egg for Atari's 37th anniversary

A bag of experiences

(Source: Alex Chacon)

Alex Chacon decided not only to travel halfway across the world (which is a feat in itself), but he decided to complete his journey via motocycle.  He dubbed his 82,500 mile journey his "Modern Day Motorcycle Diaries."

It took 503 days to navigate 22 countries in North & South America.

Alex has a bag of experiences.

Only in Singapore: Gardens by the Bay

(Source: Me.  Super Trees)

I live in the future.  

Literally, I'm 15 hours ahead of San Francisco.
Figuratively, Singapore is Jetsonian.

When walking around the Marina Bay, it's like I'm in an urban planning model.  It's almost too perfect to be true.

Google street view (without the streets)

(Source: Google Street View; Everest)

Google's taken Street View to the next level -- places without streets.

Rekindling my childhood hobbies: Painting

(Source: Vincent Van Gogh - A group of cottages)

An artist.  That's what I wanted to be as a child.  

I remember decorating a cut-out person with my "ideal job" for parent / teacher night at my elementary school.  It was a no-brainer -- a béret & painter's palette adorned my paper creature.

Ai WeiWei makes me want to rebel

(Source: Study of Perspective - Hong Kong, Ai WeiWei)

A few weeks ago, I watched the documentary, Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry.  It left me wanting to rebel against something -- something meaningful.  

a·le·a·to·ry

(Source: Helminadia Jabur, Mount Bromo)

I learned a new word today: aleatory.  

It means dependent on chance, luck or uncertain outcomes.

It reminds me of this quote by Bill Bryson (note: I highly recommend his books):

“Not one of your pertinent ancestors was squashed, devoured, drowned, starved, stranded, stuck fast, untimely wounded, or otherwise deflected from its life's quest of delivering a tiny charge of genetic material to the right partner at the right moment in order to perpetuate the only possible sequence of hereditary combinations that could result -- eventually, astoundingly, and all too briefly -- in you.” 
- Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything 

A Short History of Nearly Everything articulates the aleatory element in life.  (or, in slang, it's pretty fucking incredible we exist)

Happy Mother's Day from Singapore

If you don't find this adorable (or shed a tear), I'm not sure you have a heart.

Happy Mother's Day from Singapore.

Ingesting Content

(Source: Dino Tomic)

I've been off of Facebook for 2 years.  I don't miss it.

I'm on other social networks - Twitter & Google+

So, what's the difference?  Why does it matter if I substituted one social network for another?

It's never too late

(Source: Bo Gehring)

Bo Gehring is an artist.  He recently won 1st prize in the Smithsonian National Portrait competition.  His award-winning work consists of video taping people lying on a milling machine while classical music plays perfectly in the background.

It's neat.  But, you know what's neater?  

He didn't start making art until he was 60.  He won this award at age 71.

The best sleep you'll ever have

(Source: Nikolay Tikhomirov)

I can't go anywhere without this.  I even use to wear it on the Google bus ride to from SF to Mountain View (nothing says professional like drool and an eye mask).

If you want better sleep, buy this ASAP: Bucky 40 Blinks Mask 

WTF: United States Gun Rules

(Source: Peter Gronquist)

Cody Wilson, a University of Texas law student & founder of Defense Distributed, recently released blue prints for the first 3D-printable handgun.  Anyone with an internet connection and access to a 3D printer can make one.

A bit scary, right?  Well, the US State Department demanded that Cody take down the blueprints within one week of posting.

Whew, what a relief... Except, it's still extremely easy to get a real gun.

Geek Event of the Year

(Source: Google I/O site)

Google I/O is coming!  Google I/O is coming!

For all of the non-techies out there, Google I/O is the equivalent of the Superbowl Halftime show, except instead of Beyonce, it's Google Engineers showing off their moves.

Engineering Toys for Chicks: Goldieblox

(Source: Goldieblox)

Want to inspire a little girl on her next birthday?  Then, checkout this kickstarter project!

The Second Amendment

(Source: Thumbs & Ammo) 

The Second Amendment was adopted on December 15, 1791.

A time when:

• The US population was 4M people
• Women couldn't vote
• Blacks were slaves
• Semi-automatic weapons did not exist
• Columbine High School, let alone Colorado, had yet to be discovered
• Use in a militia did not include gangs, extremist groups or the mentally disturbed 

Should the same rules apply today as in 1791?  Probably not.

I don't trust Taboola

I just clicked on the article "Millennials: The Next Generation" from my G+ feed, and the sidebar widget by Taboola recommended the above articles for me.

I don't watch much Sci-fi, especially underrated Sci-fi movies
I'll know if I'm watching a Spielberg movie by the opening credits
I'm 29 and childless -- not sure animated movies are in my wheelhouse
I know Polygamy exists.  It seems like a strange lifestyle choice.  That's all I need to know.

Is this really what Time Magazine has to offer me? Good thing I subscribe to The Economist

Plastic Surgeries from Around the World

(Source: Ingrid Endel) 

We all alter our natural appearance.  Tattoos.  Hair dye.  Makeup.  Clothing.  Diets.  Tanning.

Plastic surgery is just more permanent.  

I don't like that the media makes people feel insecure about their appearance, but I see no problem if an adult decides to have plastic surgery (as long as it's for one's self, not for someone else).

I have recently discovered something new about plastic surgery -- it differs by country.

The Black Girl Project

(Source: Willow Smith, twitpic)

I usually don't look at 12 year olds for social commentary.  I promise.

Willow Smith is wearing a shirt from The Black Girl Project shop with the names of some feminist greats - Audre Lorde, Gloria Steinem, Angela Davis and Bell Hooks.

Need a car? Print it.

(Source: Michael Eden)

The Financial Times believes 3D printing could be bigger than the internet.

The Economist said 3D printing would transform manufacturing (and that was 2011).

Staples is the first US retailer to sell 3D printers (the Cube) at scale for $1.3K

We are on to a revolution.  

The Faces You Meet

(Source: Me. Lady Smoking in Burma)

I really like Dorothea Lange's ability to capture but the individual and what they represent.

I'm not as talented, but I've been trying to capture the faces I meet while traveling.

Teaching people to see

(Source: Dorothea Lange)

I stumbled this week across this awesome site: ArtBabble (isn't the internet full of treasures?).

At the end of this clip, Dorothea Lange says, "The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera."

Isn't that beautiful?

My Problem with Pinterest

(Source: Gwen Stefani)

My boyfriend's father visited us last week.  He's in the fashion industry and mentioned that Pinterest is the new fashion pinboard with one major exception -- Pinterest is shared & the pinboard was confidential.

Explore the Best Art Collections in the World

(Source: Google Art Project)

Art is meant to be shared.  Few people will ever be lucky enough to visit every museum or view every piece of art they are interested in.  Luckily, that's were Google comes in.  

Regardless of your location or income, the Google Art Project gives everyone with an internet connection the ability to see the best art collections in the world.

How Search Works (or cute puppies)

On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest), how much of a geek are you?

If you're on the high side, proceed here.  If not, go here instead.  It's like the matrix.

Buffett's Bullish on Women

(Source: Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada)

Women's equality talk is usually by women for women.  We're talking to the choir.

Warren Buffett, on the other hand, recently wrote an article about why he's bullish on America's future.  

Wondering why?  It's women.

"Fellow males, get onboard. The closer that America comes to fully employing the talents of all its citizens, the greater its output of goods and services will be. We've seen what can be accomplished when we use 50% of our human capacity. If you visualize what 100% can do, you'll join me as an unbridled optimist about America's future." - Warren Buffett

PS - Interested in learning more about Buffett?  Check out his autobiography, Snowball

A Treat: Fullerton Bay Hotel Pool

(Alan, my boyfriend)

Singapore is hot.  Singapore is humid.  Thankfully, Singapore also has AMAZING pools.

Are LEGOs only for boys?

Source: Blattner Brunner

Of course not (or so any mildly progressive person would say).

But, as of the end of 2011, 91% of LEGO sets sold in the US were intended for boys.

Lolla: Good food, good design

(Source: Honeycombers)

Zagat named it one of "The Top 10 Restaurants in the World."  HungryGoWhere (the Yelp of Singapore) gave it 100% (all 5 stars).  I could only get a reservation on Monday night.

I knew Lolla would be good...