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Continue reading →: The Changing Seasons – Sept 2020The challenge. I didn’t go anywhere. What do I take photographs of? I’ve exhausted my little neighborhood, haven’t I? My world has shrunk, and like many, I don’t really venture beyond a small area. Yes, yes, COVID and all that, but the problem still needs to be solved. Ah, ha!…
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Continue reading →: What are your little joys?I try. I really do. After all, there’s no shortage of horrible news that makes you want to suck your thumb, strap on an adult diaper, and lose yourself in a tub of tears and ice cream. Salty! Happy Panda did a ‘Happiness is…’ photo series which is such a…
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Continue reading →: 📚 The gifts of a reading habitFalling in love with reading has been one of my biggest influences. I can’t imagine my life without a good book or even a shampoo bottle for me to read. I was thirteen when I walked into Waldenbooks out of utter desperation to do something with my time after I…
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Continue reading →: Changing Seasons – Aug 2020Hello, again. I’m back! Sorry about missing June and July, needed a break, but I’m ending the month with a holiday so I’ve got time and sanity back (momentarily). Most of August was tough though. I was juggling two jobs, teaching online and in the classroom. We went back into…
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Continue reading →: 🎥 Film Fridays – Death at a Funeral (2007)Some movies remind me of those long gone days of perusing indie video stores. Where you wandered down aisles and contemplated something outside your comfort zone. Sometimes you might have been hoping to bump into a handsome stranger, but that never ever happens in real life. Right? I might have…
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Continue reading →: 🎥 Film Fridays – Beautiful Accident (美好的意外)On a long haul flight, most likely from Hawaii back to Thailand, the BF binged watched Chinese movies while my nose was stuck in Norse Mythologies by Neil Gaiman. And after watching god-knows how many films, Beautiful Accident is what he remembered and recommended. This was years ago, so that’s…
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Continue reading →: Social media: self harm or much ado about nothing?Every day, I usually do a quick scroll though Facebook because: it has become a second inbox, it’s how I remember birthdays, and it allows me to stay connected to my family, friends, and students from around the world. On this particular occasion, I was having a giggle over the…
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Continue reading →: What do you value?Quicksand economies, medical crises, personal blows, you name it, there’s no shortage of external and internal factors that can cause us to reevaluate how we live our lives. A couple of years ago, I had a wake up call when I realized, like really realized, how much my mom and…
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Continue reading →: 🎥 Film Fridays – How to Train Your DragonFinally, it was my time to introduce a movie my BF hadn’t seen! Although to be fair I think he’s much more of a movie buff than I am. What saves me is when I was in high school theatre, we thought it was our creative thespian duty to watch…
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Continue reading →: 🎥 Film Fridays – JawsUntil recently, I never saw Jaws. Now you might find that odd, or you could argue that since I was born and raised in Hawaii, this made perfect sense. We don’t fear the water over here; we respect it. I grew up listening to the surf report on the radio.…
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Continue reading →: How to improve your mood (extra strength edition)Prior to 2020, life was plenty challenging enough, but after? As soon as we entered this new and momentous decade, 2020 took the reins, told us to reach for the sky, and it doesn’t look like its going to stop terrorizing us anytime soon. After months of isolation and contemplation,…
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Continue reading →: 🎥 Film Fridays – The GraduateI am not a fan of movie trailers. I think this is because trailers often do a poor job of grabbing my interest and often spill the whole story including plot reveals. When I was listening to Tim Ferris’s podcast with Brené Brown, she confessed that she likes to binge…
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Continue reading →: What’s your relationship with clothes?Clothes and I have never had any problems. Clothes have taught me a thing or two about penny-pinching, distorted body images, and beloved jackets. And just like how you change on the inside throughout the years, “my style” has evolved too. [Thanks, Marta for the inspiration for this post.] Childhood…
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Continue reading →: Changing Seasons – May 2020Hello! I’m back for another monthly photo recap hosted by Su (find out the details if you’d like to join here). For my birthday month, I decided to do something a little different. Please share yours too! My biggest wins: // getting published for my funny essay “Jumpsuits, not just…
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Continue reading →: 🎥 Film Fridays – 1917I have wanted to hang out with the cool kids, Darren and Sarah, doing their Film Fridays but it is a rare day when I watch a movie. Normally, I watch British panel shows or standup bits and specials. The last movie I watched before 1917 was months ago, and…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompts, Day 30: GratefulDespite participating in #365grateful for several years, I’d still wake up with an expletive as soon as my alarm went off on certain mornings. A gratitude (or even a mediation) practice is no magic pill, but many of us believe that it’s the Holy Grail to serenity, sanity, and everlasting…
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![Changing Seasons & Discover Prompts [April + List]](https://lanivcox.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/discover-prompts-changing-seasons.png?w=560)
Continue reading →: Changing Seasons & Discover Prompts [April + List]April was… // nice long chats with family and friends // going to be what it was going to be whether I was okay with it or not // blogging (almost) everyday! // cutting a lot of hair off (3-4 inches) // hot, humid and rainy // devouring…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompts, Day 27 + 28: Team & FocusLike most kids in Hawaii during the ‘80s, I enjoyed an abundance of free time and sunshine. My younger brother and I grew up in an enclosed neighborhood of tall rock walls and bougainvillea and hibiscus bushes. Even though I had a collection of Barbie dolls and her accessories, I…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompts, Day 26: HiddenAre you good at spotting hidden objects? Just for fun have a look at what Nature magazine has done. One of the things I did when the news first came out of China (regarding the virus) was avidly read scientific articles, and since I found myself returning to Nature magazine’s…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompts, Day 24 + 25: Elixir & MagicBeauty hacks come in all shapes and sizes, but budget beauty hacks that reuse materials you already have in the house are the best. I mean, don’t you just hate waste? For example, I’ve always felt a sense of loss after I’ve clipped my nails, especially my toenails because they’re…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompts, Day 23: NoteFriendly Notices! from Your Homeowners Association Date: November 2, 2018 Re: Courtesy Notice – Halloween decorations Dear Eleanor Gardens Homeowner: As you are aware, the Board of Directors wants to ensure that our community is an extraordinary place to live, and in order for this to continue enforcement of the…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompts, Day 21 + 22: Instrument & TempoInstrument: Electric kettle, French press, coffee Tempo: Slowly wake up, make coffee (drink it black, strong, with feeling). Instrument: Journal and Paper Mate Ink Joy gel 0.7 Tempo: With starts and stops, with pleasure and panache, scribble down yesterday’s events, thoughts, lofty dreams, goals, and to-do lists. Instrument: All-in-one Acer…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompt, Day 20: MusicI made a timeline. It’s called A Brief History of Lani & Music 😀 I’ve been participating in WP’s Discover Prompts for April and they’ve allowed me to dig in and get creative. Even though I’ve already shared music with PAIRS on Day 9, I knew I wanted to try…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompt, Day 18 + 19: New & ThreeThree new things that I have been doing: 1) Participating in WP’s Discover Prompts I’ve been blogging for ten years (but not all on WP), and I’ve never blogged every day nor have I ever participated in any WP challenges. I’ve tried to, but the timing was never right. Doing…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompts, Day 17: DistanceSocial distancing isn’t just the hottest catchphrase, it’s also a new way of life after COVID-19. • My kid can’t beat up your kid anymore. In fact, with these masks on I can’t tell which one is my kid. • Siblings no longer need to draw an invisible line in…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompts, Day 15 + 16: Scent & Slow// The world has slowed down, and I’m not sure we like it. // I live in an apartment in Thailand, so sometimes I smell what other people are cooking. When this happens I shut my windows because it’s often the neighbor deep frying garlic or fish. Now, if I’m…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompts, Day 13 + 14: Teach & BookWhat books have taught me (an incomplete list): // The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell – the comfort of solitude // D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths taught me that I could love a book so much that I refused to return it to the library // A…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompt, Day 12: Light“Is anybody awake? I’ve got to go to the porta potty.” Kari confessed. We were seniors in college, doing archaeological fieldwork at the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in Southwest Colorado. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding.” Sara rolled over. “What time is it?” Kari and Sara were my…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompt, Day 10 + 11: Orchestrate & BiteIt was the morning after Superbowl Sunday. The guys were about to get to their job sites, but they were lingering outside by their trucks with hot cups of coffee, talking about yesterday’s game in pairs or small groups. Usually their trucks would be idling, usually they would be scrambling…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompts, Day 9: PairsWhat are the five best books I’ve read paired with a song? Glad you asked. Challenge accepted. In no particular order (thanks to Jeremy for recommending the first two books), but this was not an easy list because I’ve read many wonderful books. I tried though to think about books…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompts, Day 6+7: Hands & BelowI am a giant tending to my plants on my apartment deck. Sometimes I start the morning by giving my plant children a stern look over. Is everyone okay? Who’s thirsty? I pick up dead or dying leaves. It’s important to make sure your little forest doesn’t have any fires.…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompts, Day 5: DishIt was American Thanksgiving, and like many other years, I was far from home. I was living in Eugene, Oregon, working part-time at a non-profit ISP, training to be a Waldorf teacher, and living in a house with a divorcee, Jo, who seemed angry at the world. Her best friend,…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompts, Day 4: StreetTake me back to Hawaii On Anania Circle Where you could feel the light, laughter, and sun Bouncing off the black pavement, On many afternoon. After long school days We played in the parks, Climbed the walls, trees, and dug into the ground. Across Kamehameha Highway In the enclosure As…
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Continue reading →: Discover Prompts, Day 3: SongDear Dangerous Kitchen, We had a lot of laughs, didn’t we? Who would have thought that a song would describe my childhood kitchen? Sure, maybe a heartbreak, a rekindled romance, or a perfect summer’s day, but a kitchen? At this point in my life, I’ve seen a fair share of…
Hello,
I’m Lani
Welcome to Life, the Universe, and Lani. I’ve been blogging about my experiences living abroad since 2009.
At this point, this site serves as an archive as I’m mostly active at No Girl is an Island 👉https://lanivcox.substack.com/ 🏝️where I have been both newslettering and continuing to craft personal essays on finding freedom in the fringes.
Thanks for stopping by, have a look around, and hope to see you over at No Girl is an Island.
Life, the Universe, and Lani 
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