Quixotic Musings

"We live today not in the digital, not in the physical, but in the kind of minestrone that our mind..."

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:05:32 -0400

“We live today not in the digital, not in the physical, but in the kind of minestrone that our mind makes of the two.”

- MoMA’s Paola Antonelli, mastermind of Talk to Me: Design and the Communication between People and Objects, at a recent TED salon titled “Design Is Everywhere.” (via explore-blog)

The Privilege of Knowing

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:14:00 -0500

After a series of naps, answering emails and chugging dayquil I escaped quarantine and ventured to a small coffee shop around the corner.

Last night the barista sung out soulful R&B tunes in-between serving drinks disinterestedly. Later, I popped my headphones off and listened to her rant to her friend about the inequality of the public school system.

Tonight I walked in to get a caffeine fix, two male baristas sat in the strangely empty space that had been filled the night before.

The pastries that normally sit in a glass display were by the door in a box.

“Would you like one?”

“Ah, hm”, I eyed the blueberry muffin for a possible free breakfast tomorrow. ”No thanks”, I smiled. “Do you normally get rid of them at the end of the day?”

“Yeah we usually give them to homeless people.”

I paused. “Oh, well they definitely need them more than me!”

He read my name from my debit card and we all chatted—they both had only been here for a few years from Russia.

I’m struck by how often we forget to treat others like humans.

They offer me a free macaroon from behind the counter. I ask “Which one’s your favorite?” He points to a pistachio one, I thank him.

As I walked home I recalled the nail salons I treat myself to and the diligent women who file away.

I often ask them about their children, and if they miss their favorite cuisines from back home. They nod and smile surprised, always saying in a few words that they do. I ask for recommendations for places to eat authentic cuisine and try to pronounce their names— because in the end that’s all we want right?

To be remembered.

I see the people others pass by. I have the privilege of knowing.

thomasvong: Made With Paper

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:55:02 -0500

thomasvong:

Made With Paper

"‘If the girl had been worth having she’d have waited for you?’ No, sir, the girl really worth having..."

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:09:29 -0500

“‘If the girl had been worth having she’d have waited for you?’ No, sir, the girl really worth having won’t wait for anybody.”

- F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise (via katiearmour)

(via noraleah)

Bought my first piece of art for the apartment! Couldn’t...

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 17:28:07 -0500

Bought my first piece of art for the apartment! Couldn’t resist, it was so gorgeous. #nofilter #MarilynMonroe

"The strange and beautiful truth about the adjacent possible is that its boundaries grow as you..."

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 12:17:27 -0500

“The strange and beautiful truth about the adjacent possible is that its boundaries grow as you explore them. Each new combination opens up the possibility of other new combinations. Think of it as a house that magically expands with each door you open. You begin in a room with four doors, each leading to a new room that you haven’t visited yet. Once you open one of those doors and stroll into that room, three new doors appear, each leading to a brand-new room that you couldn’t have reached from your original starting point. Keep opening new doors and eventually you’ll have built a palace.”

- - Steven Johnson, The Genius of the Tinkerer, WSJ 2010

Live in the future, folks.

(via lexilewtan)

explore-blog: “Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep...

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:09:00 -0500

explore-blog:

“Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.” Neil Gaiman’s 8 rules of writing.

Lamb taquito heaven (at Hell’s Kitchen)

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 17:22:24 -0500

Lamb taquito heaven (at Hell’s Kitchen)

Madison Square Park #nofilter (at Madison Square Park)

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 23:23:55 -0500

Madison Square Park #nofilter (at Madison Square Park)

Beautiful new meditation center, an oasis after the storm. (at...

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 18:53:00 -0500

Beautiful new meditation center, an oasis after the storm. (at Kadampa Meditation Center New York City)

explore-blog: A tribute to post-Sandy NYC from Saudi Arabian...

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 11:04:16 -0500

explore-blog:

A tribute to post-Sandy NYC from Saudi Arabian photographer Faisal Almalki.

Complement with this visual history of NYC’s destruction in fiction.

Wagyu beef, delish! #foodie (at Ootoya)

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 22:07:10 -0400

Wagyu beef, delish! #foodie (at Ootoya)

21 Most Valuable Things You Should Know

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:48:38 -0400

paulmederos:

I stumbled across these 21 things on Quora. They were shared by Anuj Agarwal, the founder of Feedspot.com. I wanted to pass them along, and keep this here as a reminder to my future self.

You never really know how much the people around you are hurting. You could be standing next to someone who is completely broken inside and you wouldn’t even know it. So never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have. And remember that there are two ways to spread light in this world: You can either be a flame of hope, or a mirror that reflects it. Be one of the two every chance you get.

The most important trip you will likely take in life is meeting others half way. You will achieve far more by working with people, rather than against them. Giving someone else a voice, and showing them that their ideas matter, will have a long-lasting, positive impact on the both of you.

Relationships don’t create happiness, they reflect it. Happiness is an inside job. Relationships are simply the mirrors of your happiness; theyreflect it and help you celebrate it. They are mirrors because they are a perfect reflection of your thoughts and beliefs. To reflect means to encourage you when you feel weak and challenge you when you feel strong, thereby returning you to your center. And to celebrate is to share the natural ease and joy of living from your center – of living in the now with clarity.

The more you give, the more you receive is a universal truth that applies to way more than charitable giving. It literally applies to everything. It has been described as the boomerang effect and that term is very fitting because you literally get back everything you put out there. It doesn’t matter if it is kindness, generosity, love, anger, frustration, money, etc. It all comes right back to you.

Timing is everything. There is a time for silence, a time to let go and allow your friends to launch themselves into their own destiny, and a time to cheer for their victories, or help them pick up the pieces, when it’s all over.

Actions are the loudest form of communication. What you do speaks so loud that others will have a hard time hearing what you say. So practice what you preach or don’t preach at all – walk the talk. And remember that there is often a major gap between what someone says and what they do. Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.

A healthy relationship keeps the doors and windows open. Plenty of air is circulating and no one feels trapped. Relationships thrive in this environment. Keep your doors and windows open. If a person is meant to be in your life, all the open doors and windows in the world won’t make them leave.

People are more what they keep silent than what they say. Pay attention to their quiet gestures. If you cannot understand someone’s silence, you will have a hard time understanding their words.

What others say and do is often based entirely on their own self-reflection. When you have people speaking to you who are angry and upset, and you nevertheless remain very present and continue to treat them with kindness and respect, you place yourself in a position of great power. You become a means for the situation to be graciously diffused and healed. A Zen teacher once said, “When somebody backs themselves into a corner, look the other way until they get themselves out; and then act as though it never happened.” Allowing people to save face in this way, and not reminding them of what they already know is not their most intelligent behavior, is an act of great kindness. This is possible when we realize that people behave in such ways because they are in a place of great suffering. People react to their own thoughts and feelings and their behavior often has nothing directly to do with you.

Sincerity is giving without expectation. Good character and true friendship is all about how a person nurtures another person who is vulnerable and can give nothing in return. So when you have been through tough times and come out the other side, look around you. The people still standing beside you are your true friends.

Not every relationship is meant to last forever. Some people aren’t meant to stay in your life. Some people are just passing through to bring you something – perhaps a lesson you need to learn, or memory that makes you smile years later. When the time comes, it’s okay to let go and move on with your life.

Learn how to eat healthy. Eating healthy can increase your lifespan by many years and you will also feel better during those years. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables are a great place to start.

Learn how to beat stress. A stressful life is is very hard on a person and their life is often cut short due to a stroke or heart attack. Learn to control stress early in life and take time to relax often. Learn to control stress or it will end up controlling you. You will wind up being irritable and unhappy. Going through life is a lot more fun when you are happy.

Learn to balance time between family and work. Do not get so caught up in your job that you lose track of what is important, your family. Getting money to buy things for your family is important so you need to find the fine balancing point. Time lost with your family can never be replaced. Being there when they need you is very important and you should always be there then if at all possible. If a family member or friend is in the hospital, try to visit all you can. Being there with no visitors makes for a very rough stay.

Learn to keep good friends for a lifetime. Having friends is a very big part of our lives. We are a social creature and to go through life without friends is incomprehensible. Friendship starts in early childhood and some people nurture these friendships their whole lives. Friends can help you through times of trouble and even help you build your house. Even if a friend moves away, it is easy to stay in touch will all the messengers and social sites on the web.

Learn to say you are sorry. We all make mistakes in life and to say you are sorry is important. Hurt feelings can grow out of proportion and you could lose a good friend because of it. Learn how to apologize and life will go smoother. Do not think that it is unmanly to say you are sorry. You can loose a spouse, friends, parents, or kids because of simply not saying you are sorry. . They say sorry is the hardest word to say and it is only 5 letters.

Learn how to forgive. This is something everyone should learn how to do. This can be as hard to do as saying I’m sorry. When we feel we have been wronged against, anger wants to rise to the top of our brain and take control of us. Some people might sulk and feel bad over this for a long time. Do not let this anger control you. Forgive and let it go.

Learn how to love. Some people go through their whole life without learning how to love. They are missing out on the best thing there is. True love will stand the test of time and being apart. This is a love that will outlast the shining stars and the end of time. So learn how to really love and it will come back to you over and over.[2]

If you struggle with a situation, but never learn the underlying lesson, it will come back to you again and again until you learn it … even though it may come in a different size box with a different color ribbon. [3]

We have the ability to create and shape our own future. We just have to realize that is the case and then choose to do something about it.

The most selfish 1 letter word…“I” - Avoid It

The most satisfying 2 letter word..“We” - Use it

The most poisonous 3 letter word..“Ego” - Kill It

The most used 4 letter word..“Love” - Value it

The most pleasing 5 letter word..“Smile” - Keep it

The fastest spreading 6 letter word..“Rumour” - Ignore it

The hardest working 7 letter word..“Success” - Achieve it

The most enviable 8 letter word..“Jealousy” - Distance it

The most powerful 9 letter word..“Knowledge” - Acquire it

The most essential 10 letter word..“Confidence” - Trust it [4]

Strive to keep your family happy and in good health. Spend as much time as possible with them and keep them all as your best friends.

Always Live Better than Yesterday!

Hope this helps :)

A rather eclectic tea house cafe. #Ireland (Taken with...

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:45:58 -0400

A rather eclectic tea house cafe. #Ireland (Taken with Instagram at Wall & Keogh)

Irish breakfast tea & an Italian panini. Delish combo....

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:43:53 -0400

Irish breakfast tea & an Italian panini. Delish combo. #Ireland (Taken with Instagram at Wall & Keogh)

The perfect cup of tea. #Ireland (Taken with Instagram at The...

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 19:42:58 -0400

The perfect cup of tea. #Ireland (Taken with Instagram at The Drawing Room at Adare Manor)

Sunrise in Ireland #nofilter (Taken with Instagram)

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:25:19 -0400

Sunrise in Ireland #nofilter (Taken with Instagram)

Photo

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:50:33 -0400

"Regret none of it, not one of the wasted days you wanted to know nothing, when the lights from the..."

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 22:12:23 -0400

“Regret none of it, not one
of the wasted days you wanted to know nothing,
when the lights from the carnival rides
were the only stars you believed in, loving them
for their uselessness, not wanting to be saved.
You’ve traveled this far on the back of every mistake”

- Antilamentation – a beautiful and poignant poem (via explore-blog)

"You can change the way people live their lives. That’s the only lasting thing you can create."

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 22:09:00 -0400

“You can change the way people live their lives. That’s the only lasting thing you can create.”

- Chuck Palahniuk (via explore-blog)