Adam Savage (of Mythbusters) Is Obsessively Made of Happy

January 14th, 2009

Thanks to my friend H for sharing!

Adam Savage’s talk about his obsession over the dodo bird and the Maltese Falcon is over 16 minutes long, but worth every fun minute. I agree with him about attacking big projects “feather by feather” (this is SUCH a “Getting Things Done” concept :D) and about how it’s not about the finished product. The point is doing what you love, loving what you do, at the moment, in the moment. Being passionate about things that interest you is made of happy!

Also, now I want to attend The Entertaining Gathering in addition to the TED talks. So many cool things, so little time!

Working For an Education Is Made of Happy

January 14th, 2009

I am of the opinion that people end up valuing most what they have to work their butts off at, be it a skill, a relationship, or an education. This high school program incorporates one 8-hour work day per week to help pay for their tuition, and this work day is mandatory. 100% of the student body graduated and goes on to college. This is remarkable because the kids who attend are not your average college-bound kids.

“One of my uncles, he got locked up when I was young, he always told me to stand up for myself, I see him as a role model, he taught me to defend myself.” Ramon Quevedo lives in South Central, Los Angeles where gangs are a normal part of life and looking over your shoulder is habit. He loves Al Pacino’s Scarface, the Oakland Raiders and video games. At eight, Ramon was angry and liked to fight and in middle school, Ramon was ditching, tagging, and involved in illegal activities having to do with drugs and guns.

Via SoCal Connected

I love stories of people overcoming their circumstances to become someone better. I love that this kid’s mom tried everything she knew to try to set him straight and did not give up. I love that this kid admits to his temptations, but knows which path is going to pay off in the long run. Keep working hard! Ramon Quevedo’s new future is made of happy.

Yet Another Sleepy Puppy Is Made of Happy

January 13th, 2009

0:05 is the BEST part of this video. HEE!

via the super-awesome blog Cute Things Falling Asleep.

Your soft little squishy self that can recover from bobbling about like that is totally made of happy!

Earthly Paradise Is Made of Happy

January 13th, 2009

My friend R just got back from Tulum, Mexico. My husband and I went in December 2007 with a couple of our friends.

Walking toward beach

Oh man. I miss it. I was one happy person. The thing is, it wasn’t just the wonderful weather and water and food. It was the sense of leaving everything behind, just living out of our small bags, eating real food, spending time outside everyday, with someone you love, with easy company, and seeing how people live in another part of the world, feeling connected. It really gave me a new perspective on life.

I’d love to see more of the world. I’d also love to go back to a paradise like this again. My memories of those balmy, breezy days are made of happy.

Where is your earthly paradise?

Dancing Matt Is Made of Happy, Old School

January 13th, 2009

My husband says it’s possible that someone out there has not seen Dancing Matt. I didn’t think it was possible, but if you haven’t, here he is. He travelled around the world and made videos of himself dancing fecklessly and recklessly happily in various locales. This is his 2008 project.

You should go to YouTube to watch the video in high quality! You can’t confine so much joyous celebration to mere low-quality. 🙂 Matt, you and all the world that danced with you are made of happy!

Enabling Entrepreneurs In Developing Countries Is Made of Happy

January 12th, 2009

This video follows the path of a $25 loan from London, England to Preak Tamao village, Cambodia. Kiva.org is a website that allows internet users like you or I to lend money to people that need it in developing countries, with the aim of empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty.


A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan from Kieran Ball on Vimeo.

Thanks to my friend H for the link!

It seems incredible that $25 can make such a big difference, but I remember that when my family of 5 moved to the US, we only had $75 to our name. Koreans and Korean Americans engage in a community lending circle called “gae” so I am used to the idea of individuals lending money to help others start businesses. I love that such a small amount can help. I think I am going to make a loan. I’ll do it this month, and make someone happy. 🙂 Kiva is made of happy!

Turning Tragedy Into an Opportunity To Help Community Is Made of Happy

January 9th, 2009

As we all know by now, many small businesses were attacked on Wednesday night in the midst of the protest that turned violent on the streets of downtown Oakland. Walking through downtown yesterday morning made be both sad and angry. There was glass everywhere, burnt debris in the street, garbage cans still tipped over, and store owners surveying the damage.

But now it’s time to come together as a community to try to make things right again. We need to support these locally owned businesses that have already been struggling through this difficult economy and now have to deal with this additional economic and emotional hurdle.

via dakotapie, Becks at Help me support Oakland business that were vandalized « Living in the O.

You may or may not know all that’s been going on with the shooting death of Oscar Grant in Oakland and the subsequent protests that turned into vandalism (see some info here: Perspective from a Protester). Becks of the blog Living in the O decided not just to talk about how awful that is, but to do something about it. She (I think? I am so sorry if this is wrong!) is getting the community together to get locals to increase patronage to the vandalized stores.

Turning tragic events into a way to proactively organize a community and do good is so amazingly made of happy. Thank you, Becks, for doing this for our community. I am an Oakland local so this means a lot to me.

Affectionate Lion Is Made of Happy

January 9th, 2009

This video has been floating around for more than a year, so it might be old news to you, but it was new to me. The intro snippet says:

A woman in Columbia found a lion cub, who was wounded and hungry. She took him home and raised him until he was too big. She then gave him to the local zoo, where she visits him every day. 

This is one of those cases where I have complex mixed feelings about wild animals being domesticated, but the lion was wounded when she took him in, so I think it is much better this way. Since he is living in a zoo and not released into the wild, I can just look at the incredible display of affection and just say, “Awwwwwww!”

Powerthirst Is Made of MenergyHappy

January 8th, 2009

Via reddit, I found youtube faceoff, which is a great idea. But via this site, I found these two AWESOME videos!

Powerthirst

and

Powerthirst 2: Re-Domination

Vote here!

I was made uncomfortably giggly. I literally laughed until I cried. I was like, “How do I justify putting these videos on the Made of Happy site?” when I realized that if I’m laughing until I’m crying, then I’m pretty happy, at least momentarily. So today, it is I who is made of happy!

Undying Love Is Made of Happy

January 8th, 2009


Everlasting love, by Bug-a-Lug (“,)

Suzanne Bernstein said she and her husband, Sidney, eat side-by-side when they go out, always walk hand-in-hand, and begin and end each day with “I love you.”

The couple from Weehawken, N.J., have been married 18 years and Suzanne said the relationship is as passionate as when they first met.

Now research exists to support her claim.

Stony Brook University researchers looked at the brains of Bernstein and 16 other people who had been married an average of 20 years and claimed to be still intensely in love. They found that their MRIs showed activity in the same regions of the brain as those who had just fallen in love.

“It’s always been assumed that passionate love inevitably declines over time,” said Arthur Aron, a social psychologist at Stony Brook University and one of four authors of the study, presented in November at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

“But in survey after survey we always have these people who have been together a long time and say they are intensely in love. It was always chalked up to self-deception or trying to make a good impression,” he said.

Read more of this awesome news at Stony Brook study supports claims of undying love — Newsday.com.

My heart still skips a beat when I look over at my spouse. We’ve been together almost 11 years and he still takes my breath away.