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The home of book lovers : The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr.Morris Lessmore (click to view movie)

by Moonbot Studios

The art of Mathematics : Inspirations (click to view movie)

by Cristobal Vila

The childhood innocence : The Prize 

by Paula Markowitch

...  “What is a pessimist?” Cecilia asks her mother after she glimpses a telegram that contains precious little information about her missing Dad. Markowitch discloses information very slowly as the mother and child go about trying to survive by the ocean in a rundown cabin that lets in the fierce winds and torrential rain ...

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NICE THINGS

Come across these delicate designs and artworks. They seem to be in parallel in some way.

1....... Five from the ground

2....... Le vestiaire de jeanne

3....... Pip-squeak chapeau etc (from last season)

4,5.... Gustav Reyes

6,9.... ANVE

7,8.... Kicokids

10..... Le grenier

11..... Tony Orrico

Tony Orrico - artist, dancer, human spirograph - has transformed the human body at once into a precision instrument and a delicate paintbrush of the abstract. He interweaves art and mathematics with delicious precision. Beautiful rhythmic movement and sounds. Source via Brain Pickings.

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WOODEN TOYS

In these 8 years, we have built up a tiny collection of wooden toys with iza.

Wooden toys are beautiful ... the smell, the grain, the weight, the touch, the natural colors, the stained colors, or even the painted ones ... so solid and real ... I wish, after many years, we will see iza's children digging into the treasures of their mama.

Maybe, a little record on some books too ...

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MY MOTHER AND MY DAUGHTER

A FINE TIE. Interlacing into a knot. Binding us together.

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I'm thrilled and grateful! Thanks sweet Isa for granting us the Gorgeous Blogger Award. This is a kind recognition. For those who would love to be fueled with surprises, armed with fun and infected by her wittiness, please do peep into schlitzohren. ( please do click into the links )

5 questions come with the award:

1

When did you start blogging?
I started blogging in September 2007. At a time I became aware of the fact that iza had rarely seen her baby self in pictures. Her mom was keen on taking pictures but too lazy at printing them.

2

What do you write about in your blog? (what's your blog about?)
A photo journal.

A documentation of iza's growing path.

A record of parenthood.

3

What makes your blog special?

I think our blog is not particularly special. What made us unique is like everybody else, it's the unique context we live in.

If I need to identify a character of the blog, maybe it's filled with trips (both for business & leisure, and study trips from now on).

It may also be iza's unique experience. In her early days, her parents would bring her along for business travels whenever possible and placed her under the conference table in her baby stroller. When she started walking, she was always strolling in construction sites. In case the site was not suitable for a child to wander, she would be in museums or gardens waiting for papa ziggy.

4

What made you take up blogging?
My digital archive of pictures boomed. It became too difficult for me, who rarely organized and did printouts, to browse and share pictures among family & friends. A blog, as a visual organizer, helps me to screen and summarize the pictures. The blog makes revisiting precious moments an ease. The blog grows with our family memories.

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What would you like to change in your blog (if anything)?
No idea in inducing big changes at the moment. Only wish I could be persistent in keeping the documentary. Dreaming that for a day, iza would take over it and continue THE FINE TIE, knotting US together ... Maybe some minor attempts.

* Bridging of my double life of being a mother and a designer ...

* Bringing stills into motion ...

* Inviting papa ziggy as a guest author ...

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I would present this award to two of my favorite blogs by two graceful Japanese mothers.

Peacefully time : Soak into her peaceful space and be lifted by her delightful girl.
Sara smile : Meet the gentle soul and the soothing smile of little sara.

With warmest thoughts to their beautiful country and the future of our children.

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2001

In these three and a half years, every post marks the growing of us ... both iza and I. It also records the evolving of a personal journal to a precious little network linking a few mothers and children together.

When I went over all the posts again from the very first post last night ... so many memories recalled. I enjoyed seeing how a little girl has grown into a little lady ... and i missed her bob hair. I laughed at her funny talks and weird thoughts. I am surprised how many lovely trips we've made. I treasure every piece of her artworks from doodles to "fine" sketches. I relish our little collection of books and little treasures. I see, a little more clear picture, after the many struggles in the mist ... This little journal has documented how my eyes cannot stay away from my child and am almost forgotten who i am.

I thank this blogland for easing off my panic in browsing over tremendous archives saved in my computer (which are now quite impossible to dig into) ... and, i accustom to be selective and more organized through posting.

Though i'm overwhelmed by the massive archives ... i still need to do the back up. It's a far too important task in this digital era ... (i lost 3 months of archives last Nov). As i did, one single file caught me ... it was there before iza was born. The images contained in the folder were scanned from positive films ... the days before we adopted digital cameras. It was a trip to Belgium, Amsterdam and Rotterdam in Jan 2001. Iza was not there ... i found my eyes are excited again by the architectures, structures, forms, lines, lights ... i am desperate for a pure architecture trip ... touring around the buildings of Le Corbusier ( i want to go Ronchamp again, and more ), Alvaro Siza, Carlo Scarpa, Santiago Calatrava, Tadao Ando, Kazuyo Sejima ...

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