09Sep 2021 by aryask@gmail.com
Chaos, trust, and play

Chaos, trust, and play

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Photo from WisdomFlowYoga.com Feet on the wood, bodies in soft contact rolling around in a big studio. Large windows, no one spoke, someone giggled in one corner, a loud THUMP in another. A quiet aliveness carried the room. This is a snapshop of a contact improv jam in San Diego, California. The picture above is not of this particular story, and before continuing the story, let us look at what is improv, and specifically contact improv.  Improvisation, or improv, is unrehearsed or unscripted action and it comes in many disciplines: drawing, dance, drama, music, comedy, in sports, even at work. Improv is the land of creativity and fresh ideas, and the basic principles include:  - Be present - Say “yes and” to ideas - mistakes are an invitation to create - Make your partner look good Essentially, it's about listening in…
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05Sep 2021 by aryask@gmail.com
Loss, gain, and economic growth

Loss, gain, and economic growth

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BeeNow podcast, Episode 57 In this episode, Ree and I share stories from our time in Wan Zhou (万州). We tell the story of our cab driver who had to re-adjust his hopes for his children's future because of a policy change. And the story of a sweet old lady who runs a coffee shop with her daughter and how the policy change actually benefited them. The stories reveal the human heart and how economic development affects people in different ways.
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06Aug 2021 by aryask@gmail.com
Dilly-dallying with Amiee

Dilly-dallying with Amiee

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BeeNow podcast, Episode 56 "A bunch of tickets took me around Europe, a wanderlust heart showed me around the East and West coast of America, a foodie mouth brings me to Chengdu, a camera leads me to Chengdu’s streets and alleys, my blog shares all kinds of thoughts and stuff, my small little kitchen hosts interesting people from different places. My name is Amiee, nice to meet you~" In this episode, Amiee shares her journey as an outsider, not knowing much, to finding a sense of home in Chengdu. She talks about her connection with street photography and her process of waiting and observing. We also discuss finding happiness in the mundane, how to get through when feeling blue, quality me-time, homie time, and the value of learning by doing. What is dilly dallying you ask?…
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25Jul 2021 by aryask@gmail.com
A private happiness

A private happiness

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My little drawing I ordered my food. She took my money with a dead expression on her face and gave me the receipt. I was invisible to her and it was clear that she didn’t want to be there. I wondered and asked, "what's your favorite thing to do when you get home after work?" A smile spread across her face like sunshine and instantly she replied, "oh take a shower," giggling as if she’d been secretly thinking about it all day. “yeah definitely take a shower.” I replied, “mmmmm good choice.” I walked away and returned to my depression.
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17Jul 2021 by aryask@gmail.com
homies

homies

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She shouted, “what are you writing?! Are you judging me?” These are Ree’s words as I’m interviewing her for my research on intimacy. Ree is my girlfriend, 6 years now, but the interview isn’t about our intimacy, instead, I'm looking at the relationship with her best friends. Whenever Ree says “I’m going to see my girls,” there’s a private happiness behind it, makes me curious. I’ve been intrigued with the topic of intimacy for a long time because it seems to be at the heart of the human story; It’s been at the heart of my life story at least, especially intimacy with self (and I don’t only mean masturbation). Intimacy with others shows up with those we call homies, people who you feel at home with, who listen and…
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