Check it out.. say what?

Hello friendly stranger!

Did you know Brian WIlliams and Lester Holt rapped?
Me neither.

But you learn something new everyday:
Brian Williams Raps "Rapper's Delight"

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Aside: When I watch brilliant, comedic clips from talk shows like this one, I wonder who is behind the scenes, putting these together. Jimmy Fallon gets the credit, but the genius who made the supercut deserves a raise!

500 Miles Away From Home

Hello friendly stranger!

I'm swamped in work, so this'll be a quick one.

Been listening to random study playlists on 8tracks, and when this song came up, I dropped everything. The singing is unadorned yet gorgeous, and I can't help but smile at this retake on a song I thought I've forgotten.

Here it is: 500 Miles - Justin Timberlake feat. Carey Mulligan and Stark Sands

With all this hipster/vintage wave coming around, maybe more artists should take up making covers of folk songs?

Happy listening!

Parking Tickets, Driving Smiles

Hello friendly stranger!

A few days ago, I wrote a blog post about random acts of kindness. Well, through my usual (and seemingly endless) peruse of the internet, I found a shining example of a RAK.

Here is the video: Parking Tickets That Make You Smile Prank - Sam Pepper

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Don't want to spoil it for you so watch before you read on!

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I love this video for a number of reasons. 

First, Sam Pepper (the "prankster"), is so unpretentious. You would have assumed he was Canadian, given his ceaseless apologies, had it not been for his Brit accent. 

It's also interesting to see how vicious people became when given a "ticket". They didn't look closely to see what was placed on their windshield, and did not inquire as to why they might have been fined. The sense of injustice and bitterness towards parking fines resulted in uncontrolled animosity and spews of nasty words. I wonder what was going on in the minds of the prank victims when they realized their antagonism was unwarranted. Relief? Delight? Maybe guilt, or shame?

Finally, I loved seeing the expression on each person's face when they realized they were the random winner of a cosmic act of good will. There's nothing like the joy felt from being the receiving end of kindness.


Aside: Just realized this is the first post I've made before midnight. I guess inspiration only strikes me in the wee hours. That, or I'm a vampire. 

Moments

Hello friendly stranger!

Wonderstruck. What does it mean, to be wonderstruck? I don't think I've ever used the expression in my life, except perhaps in the context of Taylor Swift's perfume from several years ago....

However, yesterday I watched a video portraying such awe and and amazement that the expression I saw could be described as none other than wonderstruck.
Here is a 15 month-old girl, who experiences rain for the first time in her life:

Kayden + Rain

I know, adorable right?

Yet, this clip had me thinking of how unappreciative I've become of the small pleasures in life. The little miracles. What if everyone could be overcome with such wonderment for the simple joys — like summer rain, carnival cotton candy, street music, children's laughter... I think the world would be a better place.

Here's to the simple moments!

Random Acts of Kindness

Hello friendly stranger!

We live in a whirlwind world. Each day is filled with packed agendas, to-do lists, classes and meetings. We prioritize our responsibilities and map out our goals. We track our lives by ticks of the hour hand, walk with our heads down, eyes on our phones.

And sometimes we forget we've wrapped ourselves in a bubble of me, me, me. What do I want? Where should I go next? How do other people see me?

I'm not trying to be patronizing; I'm equally guilty of self-centredness. But it's so important to be aware of our actions.

A quick poll of a 7th grade class about life-goals will garner many similar wishes to make better the world. I truly believe everyone can carry sympathy and goodness in their hearts -- sadness for famished children or sympathy for victims of injustice.

I just think that we sometimes get lost. We want to settle down first, build a stable life and find a secure job before committing to donations to charities or volunteer hours to a local shelter. Along the way to our quest for personal achievement we forget the rest. Those who lack opportunities, lack basic necessities, freedoms or support.

We don't all need to be superheroes of the planet, not right away at least. Start small. Say thank you to the tireless caretaker in your school. Drop off a box of baked goods at your local police station. Leave anonymous notes of encouragement for Valentine's day. Treat a homeless person to lunch and help them shelter from the cold. Small and simple -- a random act of kindness is all it takes to get things rolling. There's no better day than today.

Start by making someone smile. And I promise, you'll be smiling too.

:)