This post is just to say that I've exported all my older posts from this blog and moved them to my new wordpress blog back at my old domain (yay, I finally got it back!). I won't be posting here on blogspot any more, so for future updates, go to: http://www.dcruzin.com
And if you've been wondering what my countdown is all about, you can head over to my new blog and find out!
Monday, February 04, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
what makes you happy?
My friend told me about a blog post mentioning this fact:
In their fascinating study “Would you be happier if you were richer?”, published in Science, Princeton professors Alan Krueger and Daniel Kahneman, winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize for his work in behavioral economics, found that perhaps the best indicator of happiness was frequency of eating with friends and family.
While the paper is pretty academic, it does raise some interesting questions for why we (of course I'm included) seem to always be striving for more money. But I think all we're really looking for is love. Not the romantic kind necessarily, but the kind that true friends and family can give you.
In their fascinating study “Would you be happier if you were richer?”, published in Science, Princeton professors Alan Krueger and Daniel Kahneman, winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize for his work in behavioral economics, found that perhaps the best indicator of happiness was frequency of eating with friends and family.
While the paper is pretty academic, it does raise some interesting questions for why we (of course I'm included) seem to always be striving for more money. But I think all we're really looking for is love. Not the romantic kind necessarily, but the kind that true friends and family can give you.
Monday, December 17, 2007
dcruzinphotography.com launches!
I've been passionate about photography for the last 5 years or so, and only recently did I think I could potentially turn this into a business. Right now it's still just a hobby, but who knows what crazy plans God might have for me. Anyway, I just launched my own photography website at: http://dcruzinphotography.com/. Right now I am selling prints online through a website called Imagekind.
Since that site charges quite a bit for printing, and most of you who read this blog are friends or family, I'd be happy to do the printing and shipping myself for at least 50% off. So, if you see any photos you'd like to order either framed or unframed (maybe as a Christmas present for someone ;), send me an e-mail and I can hook you up!
As my last post alluded, to I'm trying to brainstorm ways to make a difference in the world, so I'm donating at minimum 10% of all profits to help Filipino street children go to elementary school (Yes, even elementary school there has tuition!). My aunt in the Philippines works with these kids through her church, and I'd like to lend her some support. I hope to either start a non-profit or partner with an existing one in the upcoming months, with the tentitive name flYp: Filipino Local Youth Project. Plans are still developing, so stay tuned (and let me know if you'd like to be involved!)
As for the photo site, here are some previews:
The sunset at Carmel Beach in California.
A jetty jutting out into the Pacific Ocean at Point Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco, California.
Sunlight streaming through the clouds from the Seattle waterfront.
Let me know what you think, and I'll be updating that site regularly with new photos and also posting the bigger updates on this site as well.
Enjoy, and feel free to join the Facebook group :)
Since that site charges quite a bit for printing, and most of you who read this blog are friends or family, I'd be happy to do the printing and shipping myself for at least 50% off. So, if you see any photos you'd like to order either framed or unframed (maybe as a Christmas present for someone ;), send me an e-mail and I can hook you up!
As my last post alluded, to I'm trying to brainstorm ways to make a difference in the world, so I'm donating at minimum 10% of all profits to help Filipino street children go to elementary school (Yes, even elementary school there has tuition!). My aunt in the Philippines works with these kids through her church, and I'd like to lend her some support. I hope to either start a non-profit or partner with an existing one in the upcoming months, with the tentitive name flYp: Filipino Local Youth Project. Plans are still developing, so stay tuned (and let me know if you'd like to be involved!)
As for the photo site, here are some previews:
The sunset at Carmel Beach in California.
A jetty jutting out into the Pacific Ocean at Point Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco, California.
Sunlight streaming through the clouds from the Seattle waterfront.
Let me know what you think, and I'll be updating that site regularly with new photos and also posting the bigger updates on this site as well.
Enjoy, and feel free to join the Facebook group :)
Friday, December 07, 2007
A date which will live in infamy. . .
Usually I don't think much about December 7th (except that it's my friend Elaine's birthday - happy birthday , btw!), but today I wanted to reflect a little bit on the 66th anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Earlier this year I was lucky enough to visit a couple friends in Hawaii and one of the places we went to was the USS Arizona Memorial which was built over the sunken battleship that serves as an eternal grave for 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors killed on the USS Arizona that day. It was a pretty moving experience to stand over the submerged wreckages and gaze down at the rusted hull housing all those soldiers' bodies.
I'm not a huge history nerd (yet), but World War II has always fascinated, frustrated and challenged me. Perhaps because of its role in Filipino history like the Bataan Death March or maybe it was when I visited Hiroshima while studying abroad in Japan and witness the place where 70,000 Japanese died instanaeously. I won't try to compare the two tragedies since I don't beleive human life can me measured like that, but after being dramatically moved at Hiroshima, it was thought-provoking to see Pearl Harbor and the site that marked the United State's entry into the war and let to the inevitable bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
I'm not a huge history nerd (yet), but World War II has always fascinated, frustrated and challenged me. Perhaps because of its role in Filipino history like the Bataan Death March or maybe it was when I visited Hiroshima while studying abroad in Japan and witness the place where 70,000 Japanese died instanaeously. I won't try to compare the two tragedies since I don't beleive human life can me measured like that, but after being dramatically moved at Hiroshima, it was thought-provoking to see Pearl Harbor and the site that marked the United State's entry into the war and let to the inevitable bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The USS Arizona Memorial.
The inside of the memorial, with the names of all those who gave their lives that day.
Looking up at the sky from within the memorial.
I'd like to think that, thank God, that war is over, and we don't have to deal with anything like that today. But the truth is that our world is broken and that tragedies due to war are still happening every day. Struggling to grapple with each of these realities, I want to forget about the past and close my eyes to the atrocities occuring each day. Yet, I think we're all called to take action somehow, but it seems overwhelming to think about it all at once. For me, the least I can do is keep these people, countries and political leaders in prayer and trust that God's master plan is being worked out somehow. I have to pick my battles carefully and figure out where I can make a difference (even in the smallest way), today. I have a little project I've been working on and in the next few days you'll hear more about how I'm trying to change the world, even one person at a time.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
STANFORD WINS BIG GAME
I know a lot has happened since my last update, and this isn't even new news anymore, but after 6 years (last win was in 2001), Stanford FINALLY beats Berkeley at Football. We have the Axe back and all my tears throughout the last 5 years are redeemed. I really wish I could have been there to witness it in person, but the next best thing I could do was go crazy in my living room in Seattle and take a video. It's about 10 minutes long, but well worth it if you want to see me act like a fool, or just want to enjoy Stanford beating Cal :)
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