sammkyu

I remember being in India and sharing with the volunteer group a “morning thought” that I had read about and decided to try and adopt – happiness is a choice. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that we have the power to make positive choices and to decide to do things that make us happier. I recently started reading Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar. It’s encouraging me to think about the different ways we decide to make ourselves happy. Do we decide to suffer for the time being and believe that our current sacrifices will be worth it in the long run? Do we live for the moment and ensure that we are happy now without regard for the future? Do we make the effort to balance it all – choosing to be happy in the present with the belief that our current decisions, if made well, will lead to happiness later on? 

Even more recently I stumbled upon 22 Habits of Happy People. Kind of like Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People but more habits and (arguably) a better outcome. Because I think it’s so important to be happy, and because I think that sometimes a simple reminder can make a huge difference, here is the entire list copied down for you.

1. Let go of grudges
2. Treat everyone with kindness
3. Regard your problems as challenges
4. Express gratitude for what you have
5. Dream big
6. Don’t sweat the small stuff
7. Speak well of others
8. Avoid making excuses
9. Live in the present
10. Wake up at the same time every morning
11. Don’t compare yourself to others
12. Surround yourself with positive people
13. Realize that you don’t need others’ approval
14. Take time to listen
15. Nurture social relationships
16. Meditate
17. Eat well
18. Exercise
19. Live minimally
20. Be honest
21. Establish personal control
22. Accept what cannot be changed

Kids are the cutest. Some of my favorites: 

What would you do on a first date that was turning sour?

“I’d run home and play dead. The next day I would call the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.” - Craig, 9

When is it okay to kiss someone?

“When they’re rich.” - Pam, 7

How would you make a marriage work?

“Tell your wife she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.” - Ricky, 10

Gorgeous photos showcasing the “Vertical Horizons” of one of my favorite cities ever, Hong Kong. A French photographer named Romain Jacquet-Lagreze created this series by looking up toward the ‘horizon’ created by the tips of the seemingly endless skyscrapers. Shapes, colors, lights, and reflections make for stunning images, all of which can be viewed at the artist’s site.

The fashion world loves a good ol’ “Who Wore It Better”? It’s the simplest of games, requiring viewers to decide which of a number of people wore a trend, item, color, accessory (anything, really) the best. It’s a question of personal style, taste, and choice. Recently, I stumbled upon an art world equivalent. Who Wore It Better is “an ongoing visual research project presenting associations and common practices in contemporary art.” The site pairs images showcasing similar works of art created by different artists. Where do these common themes come from? Plagiarism? Inspiration? Appropriation? Whatever it is, it’s certainly fun to compare and contrast. The site also allows submissions so if you see something, send it in!

The Instagram Blog is seriously awesome. If you don’t follow it already – and Google Reader doesn’t count anymore because that’ll be gone July 1! – you should definitely check it out. The images are beautiful, unexpected, and different. Murad Osmann’s recent #FollowMeTo project is a great example. He and his girlfriend are traveling around the world and they’ve found a beautiful way to share their journey. Murad photographs Nataly (who’s also gorgeous) as she’s holding his hand, leading him into all types of exotic places – the night markets of Hong Kong, rice fields of Bali, streets of Venice. It’s stunning!

I’m always a sucker for lists of good places to eat. This particular list is arranged by neighborhood, which suits my weekend explorer style pretty perfectly, I think. I see myself picking a NYC neighborhood I’m not as familiar with to visit one Saturday afternoon, making a reservation at one of these places for dinner, wandering around and getting lost for a bit, then sitting down for an exquisite meal. 

So far, I’ve been to No Fun for drinks and dancing, Beauty & Essex for an incredible mother-daughter dinner, and M. Wells Dinette for a quick post-PS1 meal. All three places were great!

Plus, already on my list of restaurants to try are NoMad, Mission Chinese Food (this is probably the spot in Manhattan that I want to try most at the moment), and El Toro Blanco. 

I’m liking how Hayden Lynch thinks eats. 

{4 Fancy Things}

Spring Loaded Ravioli Stamps: I can’t remember the last time I made ravioli (uhh because it was never) but these fun little stamps are making me want to give it a go. Perfectly uniform shapes that are easy to create thanks to these handy dandy tools. Someone mentioned in the comments section the possibility of also using them to make cookie bites. Yum! 

Crumpled City Maps: Maps made from “special technological material that makes them the lightest and most resistant maps on the market, as well as 100% water proof.” These babies are meant to be crumpled up and stuffed into your pocket, backpack, or purse. Can’t decide whether I love the idea of not having to worry about refolding maps along their original creases or hate the idea of carrying around anything crumpled. I think it’s mostly the latter… but I would still argue that the idea for this product is a good one! 

Soak and Strain Washing Bowl: The image speaks for itself! How could anyone argue that this isn’t a good idea?? 

Photo Hangers: First I used pinboards and most recently I have taken to Japanese Washi Tape straight onto the walls in order to display memorabilia and things I think are beautiful and inspiring. But I also love the idea of displaying photos, mementos, cards, and more using these adorable clips. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I recently joined the team at Fly Gyal – a dance fashion startup – to revamp the company’s editorial content as well as it’s online presence. I have been having a great time redesigning and curating what goes onto the Fly Gyal blog and keeping Fly Gyal’s growing audience updated on the book. One of the most fun things that I get to do for Fly Gyal, though, is photograph “Fly Gyals of the Week”. Basically I look out for fashionable dancers, ask them about their looks, and host a mini, on-the-spot photoshoot.

I was absolutely thrilled to find the lovely Josefine Carlson in Neil’s class a few weeks ago. She was a great sport about having a stranger come up to her and ask to take her picture. I had so much fun snapping her photo and wanted to share the images that resulted. Isn’t she beautiful?! Hope you like them!

Little kids giving pep talks are undeniably adorable. But this kid really got me with his emphasis on dance. Literally he says “it’s everybody’s duty to give the world a reason to dance.” How perfect is that?! Watch it because you like dance. Watch it because you need some encouragement. Watch it because you’re curious. You’ll like it.