http://youtu.be/E4_2gbx2Kxg This video is bursting with excitement and smiles, you'd think the kids won a trip to Disneyland... but the children are orphans from Cape Town, South Africa and they are simply excited. To say that they do not have much is an understatement, yet they really are just THAT happy to see a friend/volunteer whom they've missed in... Continue Reading →
Arthur’s transformation
http://vimeo.com/41271653 Although this video mentions a fitness program, Arthur's story is true and utterly inspiring nonetheless. His journey is not just about weight loss -- it shows a person's inner strength, earnest perseverance, and having faith in one's self against all odds. He demonstrated that the human spirit knows no bounds, and it motivates me in a way that only inspiration could.... Continue Reading →
Caffe Sospeso: The best cup of coffee
Caffe Sospeso ("Suspended Coffee") is a tradition in Italy that involves a customer buying a cup of coffee for someone who cannot afford it, as an anonymous act of charity. This started when cafe patrons in the working-class parts of Naples who experienced good luck would buy two cups of coffee and consume only one. The... Continue Reading →
Homeless coder launches ridesharing app
http://youtu.be/SctCxERhfFI I caught this story late last year and I've forgotten about it until recently, since I've been thinking about building another mobile app with friends. Although we launched our app a couple of years ago, I still remember the commitment that our tiny team had to make and the challenges we had to overcome since it's... Continue Reading →
Art amid war
Check out this beautiful 720-sq metre mural that Syrian artists built recently in Damascus. Using recycled materials, a team of six artists labored for six months to create this Guinness World Record-setting masterpiece in spite of all the strife that their country is experiencing. Wow. "In the difficult conditions that the country is going through, we wanted... Continue Reading →
Grandpa Dobri from Bulgaria
Grandpa Dobri from Bulgaria is not a typical 99-year old man. In the past couple of decades, he has been walking 15 miles from his home to the city of Sofia daily, so that he can beg for money. He doesn't keep the money however; he donates every single penny to the city's churches and... Continue Reading →
Disarming
Pedro Reyes is darn cool. An artist from Mexico, he transforms weapons into musical instruments. Need I say more? As thisiscolossal.com reported last week: "The team acquired a variety of rifles, pistols, and shotguns seized from drug cartels by the Mexican army and used them to build the musical devices that are controlled by... Continue Reading →
A 97-Year Old Microsoft Paint Artist
These are samples of Mr. Hal Lasko's art pieces made pixel by pixel via Microsoft Paint. This story blows my mind in more ways than one: 1. Mr. Lasko is 97 years old. Almost 100! 2. At his age, he is using a computer to draw. That's pretty neat. 3. Microsoft Paint. 4. Ridiculously cool... Continue Reading →
Spreadsheet Art
The artwork above were made via Excel spreadsheets. Who would've thought this was even possible? Maybe it's just my corporate-life-trained head, but spreadsheet art did not even cross my mind until I read about 73-year old Tatsuo Horiuchi recently. He saw other people build pretty graphs thirteen years ago, realized he can use it... Continue Reading →
Haircuts for hugs
In the past two decades, 82-year-old Anthony Cymerys sets up shop in a Connecticut park every week to give haircuts for the homeless. His fee? A hug. "It's all about being kind to people, and it works three ways. You feel good, the person you're doing it for feels good, and people that are... Continue Reading →
Katie’s 34 acts of kindness
Some people want a lavish party or a fancy present on their birthday. Katie decided to celebrate by doing 34 acts of kindness, while urging the recipient to pay it forward. To me, this is such a good reminder that anyone can do something kind for a stranger. It does not have to be grand,... Continue Reading →
Fran and Marlo
http://youtu.be/RI-l0tK8Ok0 Watch Fran and Marlo's impromptu piano recital. How cute is this?!