Appreciation

It's so true, isn't it -- you never know what you have until it's gone.

My friends are looking out for me

Advice from the lovely Jeanne Huang.

Hatch

"It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad."

- C.S. Lewis

Early morning thought: too little, too late

Up writing my proposal paper on trafficking issues in NYC. Typical.
Got distracted by my early morning thoughts. Also typical.

The phrase "too little, too late" is such a sad one. I would never want anyone to experience this phrase, either on the "too little" end or the "too late" end. But undoubtedly just having "too little" is better than an experience that encompasses the entire phrase. With just "too little," it's implied that only one party gets hurt whereas with "too little, too late," it's likely that both parties are hurt at some point by the end.

Potentially overemotional week: day 1

Scathed a bit but surviving.


I lift my eyes up
to the hills.
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from You,
Maker of heaven,
Creator of the earth.

Arianna Huffington & Sheryl Sandberg: On women & success

I watched two TED Talks so far this week. I highly recommend both, but if you don't have much time, at least check out the first one by Arianna Huffington (Huffington Post). It's only 4 minutes long.

Arianna Huffington: How to succeed? Get more sleep.
"We are literally going to sleep our way to the top."





Sheryl Sandberg: Why there are so few women leaders.
"I learned something today. I learned that I need to keep my hand up."

The wisdom of Enzo

QOTD (deux)

Mallory: who could possibly reject you?
your so small and cute
me: hahah
Mallory: most of the time i just want to take you home and rub my face against you
me: ...



(She's never going to get the your/you're thing right, is she?)

Tony Porter: on being a man

"My liberation as a man is tied to your liberation as a woman.
I remember asking a 9-year-old boy, 'What would life be like for you if you didn't have to adhere to this Man Box?' He said to me, 'I would be free.'"

- Tony Porter

Mac MacGuff: on love

I wrote this in my Moleskine journal when this movie first came out & my mind was whirling a bit.



Juno: I'm just like losing my faith with humanity.
Mac: Can you can narrow that down for me?
Juno: I just wonder if like, two people can ever stay together for good.
Mac: You mean like couples?
Juno: Yeah, like people in love.
Mac: Are you having boy troubles? Because I gotta be honest with you; I don't much approve of dating in your condition, 'cause well... that's kind of messed up.
Juno: That's not what it's about. I just need to know that it's possible that two people can stay happy together forever.
Mac: Look, in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person is still going to think the sun shines out your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with.

Sunitha Krishnan: Sex slavery.

This gets me:

"We think it is easy money. We think it is shortcut. We think the person likes to do what she's doing. But the extra bonuses that she gets is various infections, sexually transmitted infections, HIV, AIDS, syphilis, gonorrhea, you name it, substance abuse, drugs, everything under the sun. And one day she gives up on you and me, because we have no options for her. And therefore she starts normalizing this exploitation. She believes, 'Yes, this is it, this is what my destiny is about.' And this is normal, to get raped by 100 men a day. And it's abnormal to live in a shelter. It's abnormal to get rehabilitated."

At the end, Sunitha Krishnan adds:

"I'm not asking you all to become Mahatma Gandhis or Martin Luther Kings, or Medha Patkars, or something like that. I'm asking you, in your limited world, can you open your minds? Can you open your hearts? Can you just encompass these people too? Because they are also a part of us. They are also part of this world. I'm asking you, for these children, whose faces you see, they're no more. They died of AIDS last year. I'm asking you to help them, accept as human beings, not as philanthropy, not as charity, but as human beings who deserve all our support. I'm asking you this because no child, no human being, deserves what these children have gone through."

Fishing industry

"Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or to teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry." - Bill Drayton, founder of Ashoka.

Is it time to MakeSense yet? (Almost!)

Jessica Jackley: Poverty, money -- & love.

Poverty, money -- & love [Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva]

"For me, the best way to be inspired...is to stop and to listen to someone else's story... Believing in each other, really being sure when push comes to shove that each one of us can do amazing things in the world. That is what can make our stories into love stories and our collective story into one that continually perpetuates hope and good things for all of us. So that, this belief in each other, knowing that without a doubt and practicing that every day in whatever you do, that's what I believe will change the world and make tomorrow better than today."

Love it.

Agents of change.

Awww. You know you're special when someone not only quotes you, but puts your quote into some pretty graphic that looks like it belongs on someone's Tumblr page :)



Haha. Thanks, Jeannie.


PS - Yesterday, I made the comment that a sign that you've pretty much succeeded in my field, the sign that you've done something pretty spectacular with your life, is when you're mentioned, quoted, interviewed, or (best of all) highlighted by Nick Kristof. Hero.

Just because...

[via Alicia's Food For Thought]

Print is not dead.

I wanted to post this up a while back when Design*Sponge first presented the new design magazine Anthology.



I was reminded of this when I came across another video this morning. A piece created by Lane Smith titled It's a Book.



Not only are these videos adorable (I pretty much love everything about the Anthology one) but they remind me of why I have 2 bookshelves overflowing with printed pieces, about 10 more books strewn across my bedroom, and 3 more in the mail coming to me.

About Smith's book, Adam Gopnik writes in the New York Times:

“The moral of Smith’s book is the right one: not that screens are bad and books are good, but that what books do depends on the totality of what they are — their turning pages, their sturdy self-­sufficiency, above all the way they invite a child to withdraw from this world into a world alongside ours in an activity at once mentally strenuous and physically still.”

Perfect!

More water talk. #BlogActionDay2010

Just earlier, Mark and I were talking, and the fact came up that a lack of clean water kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. He mentioned that this was the fact that struck him the most about the water issue. It's pretty horrific and really puts into perspective how deadly water can be for many in this world (one in eight billion, actually). Not to sound callous, but it sounds about right. If over 38,000 children are dying every week because of water-related illnesses, then yeah, I can believe that the issue kills more people than all the wars and acts of violence occurring in our world.

Mark went on to comment that the Nobel Peace Price should go to the person who most alleviates the water problem.

Honestly though, there are so many who are working on this issue from so many levels. The solutions are already there. But it takes more than just organizations like Charity:water or Lifewater International to change the numbers. It takes people and mobilization. Unfortunately, for every great idea or solution we have out there, there is even more apathy and inaction.

I read this quote from Christian just yesterday as he was presenting MakeSense at the i7 Summit in Paris yesterday:

"Reward success. Celebrate failure. Punish inaction."

I know it was more in relation to the work that MakeSense is doing, but it made me think yesterday. Yeah, "punish" is a strong word but it's true that the biggest hindrance to development and progress in our society today is inaction, often driven by apathy. It is one of the things that keeps me up at night -- how can we motivate people to bring social change or to do social good?

It's been one of the things that has been on my mind a lot. It's one of the main reasons why The 3:18 Movement was birthed. And it so happens we're currently focused on the clean water issue.


Moving onward, I do have to say that I am incredibly glad for today. It has been such an inspiring day -- what with Blog Action Day (#BlogActionDay2010 #bad2010), The Feast conference (#feastongood), the RSA animation on Sir Ken Robinson's talk of social change, and a work meeting with some amazing & dedicated NYC women in fighting sex trafficking.

Today was the reminder I needed of why I do what I do and how much I love doing it.

Lastly, consider doing some of the following:

• Blog/tweet/FB/whatever about the water issue.
• Join The 3:18 Movement's campaign by either walking for a cause or joining the 3:18 team
• If you can't do the walk on October 23rd, consider sponsoring one of a walker. The money raised will bring clean water, health education, and community development to hundreds in Northern Uganda.
• Sign the petition below:

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Let's change the world :)

Breaking the news on Gchat...

Me: so i actually started...
uhhh
wait
dont yell at me
Gil: ....
i'm scared
Me: ok, well, i'm going to start an alcohol fast
hahah
Gil: WHAT?!
NOOOO
WHY?!?!??!
*sniff*

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

8 Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields [b] with fire.

10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

"There are leaders and there are those who lead."

This is a great TED Talk by Simon Sinek on how people can lead & inspire effectively.



"Martin Luther King gave the I have a dream speech, not the I have a plan speech."