Speaking of cardboard box, my most fond memory about it was when Dena used a cardboard box for a bobsled race with her friend down the stairs in our house. She was about eight or nine years old. Another memorable moment was an episode of Spongebob in which he and Patrick order a TV just so they can play with the box. When Squidward, their grumpy neighbour, ask why they throw away a brand new TV Spongebob replies, "We don't need television. As long as we have our imagination!" Never underestimate the power of \i-ˌma-jə-ˈnā-shən\.
I'm fascinated by cardboard boxes. I love the info graphics on it. I love the print of numbers and letters on it that indicates a serial number of a product. I love its construction: paperboard-corrugated paper-paperboard sandwich. I love that they are available abundantly and practically cost nothing. I love that I can make about four A5 journals from a medium size box and none of them are identical. What else can I make?
I'm not much of a talker when I run. I'm amazed how some runners can talk all the time while they are running. Sunday. Three runners. Two guys. One girl. As they were catching up and passing me I heard the first guy said"...mile twenty. I was inside a tunnel, couldn't feel my legs, hardly breathing, was about to quit when I see a light at the end of a tunnel and I swear I saw Jesus in the light, his arms were wide open. So I told my legs to keep going and you wouldn't believe how fast I went." The second guy said,"Wow!" The girl said,"Really?" I bet the other two were not much of a talker either. I didn't know running can be a religious experience.
A guy handed out a small angpao envelope to diners in a hectic street cafe. A Chinese dragon blinking its eyes right outside the cafe. No acrobatic jump. What a joke! A guy underneath a busy crossing bridge. Playing beautiful music with his violin. What a treat!
Don't be alarmed if you meet a Pram Ranger in subway station in western Tokyo with no escalator or lift. If you carry a stroller or some heavy bags he will lend you his super power to carry them down or up the stairs. I'm not sure if he can throw a punch or fly or save you from a bad guy. But I'm pretty sure he has a giant heart. Why is he doing this? Because he can! Tadahiro Kanemasu, you are an awesome human er...super hero!
Drawing has never been easier, cleaner, greener, faster and more fun! Who would have thought that a graphic tablet can make my life easier? Before I knew Wacom Bamboo I have to draw on paper, scan it, often time redraw it, rescan it, until I'm happy with the result. Now I just draw on the tablet with a pressure-sensitive stylus, edit it on the spot and that's it! The only thing that still bothers me is with a stylus my lines are a bit wobbly and shy, with a Snowman marker my lines are muscular and loud. But I save at least a good ten to fifteen minutes! Why do I feel it's important to save time when I have all the time in the world? Go figure.
It's always delightful to see or to hear from former students. An enthusiastic scream of my name top with a big hug. A courteous and polite handshake. An encouraging Facebook message. Hello Lakesha, Arnando, Artisa!
Finally! I found a cool interactive book by Keri Smith in a grown up section of a book store. I love her definition of "mistake": Happenings or occurence by which the creator does not have complete control over the final outcome (end result) that result in conclusions the creator did not predict. We might also call them "experiments". A book that encourage readers to make a mess. I think everyone who grew up being told to color within the lines, or to draw and color objects in a certain ways need to do the activities in this book to jump start their right brain. Go ahead make a mess. You'll feel better.
A young mother pushing a stroller through a hall in a mall. Busy texting and smiling. Completely oblivious of a plant in a giant pot the middle of the hall. Her toddler munching something joyfully. Good thing she looked up from her mobile just in the nick of time. Phew! That was close.
