Inspirational K

stunningpicture: Long-exposure photo of fireflies in a darkened...

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 08:58:23 -0400

Long-exposure photo of fireflies in a darkened Japanese forest

eccedentesiast: IMAGINATION

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 08:56:25 -0400

YOU’VE HEARD IT A MILLION TIMES. There are posters up all over your school: “R-E-A-D.” In some schools, students even get pizza for reading a certain number of books. Why do you think reading is so important? Is it a trick by the “powers that be” to make your life miserable and to take all the fun…

Well said!!

pearsonlabs: Top 10 disruptive edtech startupsTop 10 edtech...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 09:26:55 -0400

pearsonlabs:

Top 10 disruptive edtech startups

Top 10 edtech startups that you need to know about:
1) Top Hat
Pearson partnered with Top Hat earlier this year, and they continue to grow from strength to strength.
2) Learnist
This startup enables students and teachers to curate content (from websites, youtube, google docs, maps) on Learnboards.
3) Curious.com
A video-based online learning platform backed by former Apple chairman Bill Campbell.
4) Smartercookie
This is a cool “social network for teachers” which enables teachers to upload short videos of their lessons and invite other educators to give feedback.
5) Gradfly
Is an online platform for STEM students to showcase their experiments, enabling them to connect with colleges and recruiters using Gradfly.
6) Treehouse
Teaches coding, how to build apps and develop web sites - and are partnered by the likes of Twitter and Disney.
7) Meritful
Helps college students connect with startups and mid-sized businesses and visa versa. Students can upload their work for recruiters to review and use the platform to develop relationships with alumni. Very cool.
8) Duolingo
A clever startup teaching foreign languages with a stellar success rate.
9) Siminars
An online teaching platform that uses media in the place of traditional text.
10) Gamedesk
Ranked no.6 on Fast Company’s list of most innovative companies in education, Gamedesk is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Science Foundation (amongst others) and received a $3.8 million donation from A&T last year - go Gamedesk!
(via 10 Education Startups To Keep Your Eye On | Edudemic)

wearetheheart: youngmogulmedia: #Repost @DjVanwyck #Message...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 09:18:39 -0400

wearetheheart:

youngmogulmedia:

#Repost @DjVanwyck #Message #Truth #MogulMindset #YMMG #AmericanMogul2K13 #Inspire #Motivation
(via TumbleOn)

Let's Leave the World a Little Better Than We Found It

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:58:19 -0400

Working for nonprofits is definitely a rewarding path that I never thought I would travel down, and I encourage each and everyone of you to explore this path. Unless you own your own business, you hardly ever see your efforts in fruition. Also, the end result is not just financial contribution to the company, but rather societal contribution. You are able to see how your organization’s programs and mission are directly impacting the world around you. You are creating that change.

I understand that some people are short-sighted when it comes to nonprofit work. I honestly was that way too in the beginning. If you’re questioning how one person can change the world, it’s time to reroute your thinking. Everything begins with one person who influences other passionate individuals to realize their common goal. And anything worth doing is hard, but worthwhile. If you find a cause that moves you, inspires you, then DO SOMETHING. Even if certain nonprofits don’t have immediate openings for you to quit your corporate job to work full-time, they certainly can benefit from volunteers. They are working hard to create a better future for the rest of the world who aren’t contributing. The least you can do is volunteer some time or donate to the cause so they can continue to do good. And, if working on the front line of a nonprofit isn’t for you, that’s fine. There are a lot of management and administrative opportunities available, paid and volunteer. You can even reach out to a local, small nonprofit to offer help based on your expertise.

Let’s leave the world a little better than we found it. I promise you, it’ll be worth it.

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”...

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:52:50 -0400

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” ~Norman Vincent Peale

Different Kinds of Books

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 22:48:57 -0500

The books begging to be savored: These books sit beside your bed for easy access, they live inside your bag for a dull moment full of promise--they are books you will take your time reading, but because you never want them to end.

The books that change the way you look at life: These are full of insight, or just really awesome writing. They're modern classics that will mean something different to every reader.

The books that steal your whole day: Addicting and delicious, you can't put these down.

The books that steal your whole life: Much like the books that steal your life, these books are addicting--the only difference is that these books make you crave the same experience over, and over again.

The books you will always recommend: You loved them and they will forever be a top favorite for you, so why not recommend them whenever you can?

The books that will have you awake late into the night: Who needs sleep? Obviously not you when you're reading one of these books!

The books that are guilty pleasures: You're sneaky about these books, and though no book should be a guilty pleasure, you love to read those books that others shun because they're not popular, or classic literature.

The books that challenge us: These books are usually classic or contemporary literature that forces you to look beyond what you're used to, and to think about what the narrator or characters are saying. This isn't just a book you read, this is a book you absorb and let into your every waking thought.

Have any other kinds of books in mind? Feel free to add!

coffee-tea-and-sympathy: “Book Arch” by Rubinphoto2011

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 19:53:28 -0500

coffee-tea-and-sympathy:

“Book Arch” by Rubinphoto2011

Doing #2 & #3

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 17:46:41 -0500

Doing #2 - “Master How to Say ‘Hello’, ‘Please’, And ‘Thank You’ In Five Languages” p.14

This was too simple of a task for me. I have grown up bilingual (English, Cantonese), learned Spanish in high school, attended recreational community college classes for Japanese, minored in Mandarin and recreationally took Korean classes for two semesters in college. Oh, and I picked up a French book in middle school. So, I knew all the pleasant words and their equivalents for the languages listed in the book, except for Hebrew, which was a nice addition. Although it wasn’t necessarily an eye opener for me, I think that it’s a great activity for others who haven’t had the language experiences that I have had. It’s a great reminder that there are thousands of languages out there and possibly millions if you include dialects. Although English is the universal language, it’s intellectually stimulating to learn new words from different languages. You never know when you’ll need them, especially words such as hello, please, and thank you. Knowing such words make us respectful, global citizens.

Doing #3 - Remove Three Words From Your Vocab: Can’t, Never, and Stupid; “Are there any other words you want to eliminate?”

I use “stupid” a lot, especially on my sister and my boyfriend. It may take me a while to try to drop this, but I’ll definitely at least think twice before I use it next time. This activity is making me rethink my thought process—however paradoxical that sounds. Oftentimes, things aren’t done not because there are limitations, but because we limit ourselves. How refreshing would it be if I really don’t say “can’t” or “never” anymore? I’m tingling from excitement just thinking about it! These are self-restricting words that shouldn’t surface if we want to lead happier, healthier lives. Another word that I want to eliminate from my vocab is “hate”. Hate is a very strong word and I want to stop using it to describe people, things, and circumstances. I will think of others, but these four words are plenty for me to work on.

Doing #1 - “Create Your Own Personal Best Ice Cream...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 17:26:18 -0500

Doing #1 - “Create Your Own Personal Best Ice Cream Sundae” p.12

I was so glad that this was the first activity of the book! Surprisingly, I have never created my own ice cream sundae before. I have put fudge on ice cream at buffets, but that doesn’t really count. I actually went out to my local supermarket to pick up sundae ingredients for this task.

I call it: The “K-Sundae”! It has dark chocolate ice cream, fresh bananas, strawberry topping, and almonds. It may not seem like much, but it was PERFECT for me. :)

Time to get up and DO

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:46:03 -0500

After an impromptu sushi dinner last night, the boyfriend reluctantly brought me to a nearby mall. I wanted to just walk around, help my body digest the food we just ate. We walked aimlessly until he said he wanted to go to Game Stop. We walked upstairs and went in to browse at new game titles. Needless to say, we left without buying, like most Game Stop visits. We continued our way and passed a quaint, new board game store, or so I thought, called Marbles. I pulled the boy in and started looking around. The games were nothing like we’ve seen before. Wooden strategy games, brain puzzles, thought-provoking books—basically a store to feed your brain. I was entranced, and oddly, the boy was too. We spent nearly 20 minutes in the store, reading the books, testing the games. We fell in love with a board game and spent $35 on it…very out of character for us.

Besides the board game, I also bought a fantastic book. When I was in the store, I browsed through it a little and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to leave the store without buying it. It’s a book titled “The Book of Doing” and has a bunch of creative activities to spark your imagination and bring joy. But little did I know that it’s much more than that. I began reading it today…although for a book, there’s not much reading involved. It’s exactly what it is: a book of doing. The first several pages explains why the author, Allison Arden, wrote or rather made the book. And the rest of the pages involve everyday activities that are meant to make you see doing them differently.

After this roller coaster of a year, from the terrible car accident that my bf was involved in to losing both my jobs (first laid off, second from lack of luck and judgement) and everything else in between, it’s been one helluva ride. It’s taken so much of me to convince myself that everything’s going to be alright…that this was meant to be and greater things will come. It’s never that easy, but after sitting and convincing myself for so long, this book has reminded me that it’s time to get up and do. Nothing good is ever going to come out of me sitting on my couch. I need to get up and start doing things, even small, everyday projects that I used to enjoy but never had time to do—painting, drawing, writing poetry, scrapbooking. The only thing that I’ve been doing these past weeks that are remotely close is cooking and blogging about it, but that’s not the same as doing something for myself.

As of today, I vow to live up to my expectations. I will do great things that make me happy. Time is valuable and I will make my time worth it. I will dedicate time to myself to do things that I enjoy. I will pick up old hobbies that I have put aside over the years due to “growing up.” And last, but not least, in the spirit of the book, I will do one activity each day without picking and choosing.

Thank you, Allison Arden, for helping me remember that there’s more to life.

Parents Need to Start Preventing and Stop Blaming

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:01:51 -0400

Parents Need to Start Preventing and Stop Blaming:

I’m a very sympathetic person and will shed tears for even strangers, but it never fails to irritate me when parents blame brands, companies, and the law for their own negligence. I understand that parents don’t have ultimate control over their children, but I do believe that proper upbringing will raise children to become rational decision makers.

Just several months ago, two young children in my town drowned to death with no adults present. Their parents actually gave them permission to venture out on their own and play without any adults. They were concerned when the boys didn’t return home after dark. Yes, this is a very tragic incident, but those parents should have watched after their children. To reach the park with the river that they were found at, one would have to cross multiple high-traffic roads to get there. It’s not like a neighborhood park with swings and a jungle gym—and these children actually told their parents that they were going to the park, thus the parents knew the obstacles that their children were going to face.

Another recent incident was when a teen with only a permit drove several of his friends in his new WRX while speeding on the highway, crashed, and killed all but himself. Also, tragic, but totally uncalled for when an uncle of one of the dead passengers blamed the law for having set such a “low” age to obtain a license—and he suggested that the age should be raised to 25. It’s absolutely absurd, because the boy who was driving the car, didn’t even have a valid license! There were also indications of the passengers not wearing their seat belts and that they were intoxicated or high. And to bring it back to perspective, where were the parents? To rule out questions of why an unlicensed teen was bought a new car—I was also bought a new car to practice in before I got my license, but it was no WRX, and I knew to drive it only with a licensed adult in the car.

Grieving parents would rather blame anyone else but themselves because they can’t live with the guilt of knowing that the incidents could have been preventable. Had they educated their children of consequences, of rational decision making, their children might still be here today. In today’s news about Monster Energy Drink causing the death of a teen, as other readers have noted, “You can overdose on most anything if you don’t use it as directed.” The packaging has a warning label and it has been noted in nutrition and health sources that children shouldn’t even be consuming caffeine. And now that their daughter is dead, the parents are questioning the regulation of caffeinated drinks.

I’m sorry, but shouldn’t it be the other way around?

Photo

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 19:15:53 -0400

Photo

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 19:14:42 -0400

Cyberbullying has to stop NOW

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 19:14:17 -0400

Cyberbullying has to stop NOW:

I’m so disgusted, upset, and angry right now. Read this story about Amanda Todd. She was bullied in real life and online. It’s horrible the things that people said to her. Please help spread the word and end cyberbullying.

Drive me wild: People tell me all the time to get out and do something with my life....

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 23:36:35 -0400

Drive me wild: People tell me all the time to get out and do something with my life....:

king-of-hyrule:

People tell me all the time to get out and do something with my life. To not be a loser or a drug addict or someone who means nothing to society. I’m young, I’ll admit. But I’ve tried and tried to take a step towards being who I want to be. You know who I want to be? I want to be me. I don’t want…

What a beautifully eloquent statement this is. I hardly ever read through such long text posts on Tumblr, but I couldn’t stop reading this. Props to you. I hope this helps motivate some of the younger people out there.

Photo

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 23:26:04 -0400

Simple designs that gets messages across. <3

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:17:45 -0400

Simple designs that gets messages across. <3

I love that about books too. That’s why I normally opt for...

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:16:36 -0400

I love that about books too. That’s why I normally opt for fiction novels, versus non-fiction. But isn’t it about time that someone says, “Of course your life will never be as interesting! You’re always just sitting there reading!”

If we want an interesting, fulfilling life, we must step out of our comfort zone and do the unexpected. We need to take our imagination a step further and make them into realities.

Absolutely enchanting.

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:12:04 -0400

Absolutely enchanting.