Life is but a thrill…

Today’s Random Thing—found this through Simple Design:

I love the statement this calendar makes! Because it’s true. Our days are not defined by what happens to us, but how we perceive moments.

It’s like photography. You can travel to the greatest sight in the world and realize that dozens, perhaps millions of other people have seen and taken a picture of the exact same thing; yet, what makes a shot provocative is not just due to the content in the frame but how it is captured. It’s all a matter of perception, perspective, and execution of the photographer. Some of my better photographs did not occur when I traveled through Peru, Europe, or Asia (although I’ll admit Italy was gorgeous), they happened when I was simply taking a walk through my typical suburban neighborhood.

Similarly, we can’t rely on great things happening to deem our lives as spectacular. Hate to break the dream bubble, but life more often consists of mundane tasks than thrills. (Such as driving through traffic, doing laundry, and cleaning the house just to name a few.) However, we shouldn’t be daunted by our mediocrity. Though life may not be glamorous 24-7, it doesn’t mean we can’t make it fun.

So how do we let the little things that would ordinarily bore us thrill us instead? Here’s what I propose:

1. You have to want to have fun. It’s amazing how many people would rather complain than do anything about the situation. It all starts with mentality right?

2. Surround yourself with like-minded people who agree on having fun. The reason why I have decade old friendships is because we all take pleasure in the enjoyment of food. It doesn’t matter what we eat/inhale—whether it be In-n-out, a taco truck, brunch at a cafe in San Francisco, or a simple meal cooked at home…we indulge in every detail. We’re happy to be alive just to eat. Hallelujah.

3. After you’ve decided that you want to have fun, make a plan. Any plan. It could be bringing your camera to work and snapping pictures during your lunch break. If you have a long train commute, pack a book. Books are so underrated these days. Pack your lunch creatively. Draw eyes on your orange. Something.

4. Let go of preconceived notions. If you really want to be a rap star in your car as you’re driving through traffic…Go for it. Get creative. And have no shame.

5. Whatever you do, just stop complaining. Old-age advice, but we’re all subject to forget.

Cheers to the next 341 days of 2012! May it be a thrill.

TRT: Chinese New Year Flower Fair

This past weekend, I spent a relaxing day with my gals in San Francisco. After brunch, we decided to go to Chinatown for no better reason than to walk around. Lucky us (no pun intended), the Chinese New Year Flower Fair was going on at the same time! The fair is usually held right before the official lunar New Year (January 23rd), just in time for families to purchase their “lucky” items. The air was chilly, the streets were festive and bustling with people. Numerous red-tented (lucky color) booths stocked “auspicious” flowers such as snap dragons, orchids, and chrysanthemums. Kids waved colorful windmills in the air; adults cradled flower stems wrapped in day-old Chinese newspaper.

It was a blast. And to think this is just the beginning of the celebration soon to come…

Crowding the streets along Grant and Pacific Avenue.

Some happy friends.

Apparently socks are sold too!

Guess what, we bought some snappers!

My first time playing with Pop Pop snappers!

Snappers make us feel like kids again.

Surviving my first CES!

I am glad to be back in the real world after spending three days immersed in a boisterous mayhem of state-of-the-art electronics, gadgets and accessories—otherwise known as CES (Consumer Electronics Show.)

Interestingly, when people ask me what I thought of CES and whether I saw anything inspiring, my first response was not about the products, but how incredibly cool and unique each booth was designed. It’s pretty baller, for lack of better words. I was talking to my boss who said a booth like Samsung or Nikon would cost at least half a million to construct. (I can’t even dream of half a million dollars.) Even a small quarter of that space would cost at least 50 grand. Baller? I think so.

Which leads me to…Today’s Random Thing: Woot!’s booth!

I thought I might as well feature this first since I happened to come across their video of how they constructed their nifty adobe with “crazy monkeys” and all.

Cool, right? Goes to show everything is a process.

Anyway…besides killing my feet, here are other tidbits of CES and what made it awesome. (I apologize in advance for the low image quality…These were all taken from my phone.)

Arriving at the convention center! This place was huge. HUGE. Think Costco x 20

Trying to look professional with my badge.

One of the registration halls...Surprisingly quite empty!

The view from our hotel room. I am not used to this. I usually see a nice gray parking lot.

Can you see how THIN these screens are? To think that our TV was once a box...

I just liked their logo design and decided to take a picture of it.

Microsoft was pretty baller.

Cool headphone display. Seriously, browsing CES was like the ultimate window shopping experience.

I thought this was a really cool fundraiser campaign by NRG: For every minute you bike, they donate $1!

Who thought I'd find a free gym at CES?

And I raised $130! Since I couldn't contribute to meetings, I contributed in my own ways.

And here we have a popular hottie that everyone wanted to take a picture with.

Beer shamelessly served. I love it.

Don’t touch my sandwich.

Today’s Random Thing: Anti-Theft Lunch Bags by the. (a duo collaboration, Sherwood Forlee and Mihoko Ouchi)

These are absolutely hilarious. These bags are bully-proofed to prevent fellow classmates, coworkers, or roommates from stealing your food! This should be a whole set. Tupperware, saran wrap, cups and plates…anything but the food.