Whimsical Wanderings

Now I would like to preface this with the simple fact that I cannot beatbox well, but that doesn't mean I can't try, right? The whole reason for a hobby is that it brings you joy. So if you want to try beatboxing, there is no reason for someone to tell you no. Just go for it! It is almost comical to write "beatboxer handbook" as the actual art of beatboxing is individualized, and if you end up making a cool sound, more power to you. There are plenty of famous beatboxers who make very similar sounds, but their methods for doing so are completely different. That being said, there are some good places on the interwebs where you can find helpful tutorials, tips, or communities to help build your skills, no matter what level you are currently on. Now, I'd like to send a big thank you to LFT aka Lefty for helping me with all of this helpful information! He has been doing this for a while, and was so lovely as to supply you to the perfect places to visit on your bea...

Have you ever wanted to make a podcast? It has always been something that intrigued me, but I never thought I could keep up on it, or the fears of "what if people hate my voice" pushed me away from attempting. A couple days ago, even if I decided to pursue it no further, I decided to see if I could easily make a podcast, with no prior experience or knowledge. I have tried to do this with vlogging software before, but for a novice, I choose not to share simply based off of the utter failure it turned out to be. The vlogging software took hours to figure out (at least for me), and I never got anything done. Well, I am happy to say this is not the case when making a podcast! I found the easiest platform there is, that it took literally one extra minute to put together after I recorded what I was going to say, and it was off. Then, the app took care of the rest for me, and it works on distributing your podcast under your name to a bunch of other platforms such as Apple's ...

Language is something that I think we all take for granted. We speak and communicate. However, what comes out of our mouths has a lot to do with the culture we were raised in. This is the time of constant networking, and connecting across the globe for both personal reasons and business. Study abroad programs have become more and more popular, and many non-English speaking nations are now teaching their youth English in hopes to bridge the gap. That works for the basic needs of communication, but there is so much more to learning a language. Values, ideals, history: all of these are intertwined into the fabric of a languages grammar, spelling, or even their different vocabulary. So how does one learn a different language? Well, I hope to one day be a hyperpolyglot, but I am far from that right now. I find that different methods work for different people, and maybe you will learn one language better one way, and a different language better a different way. Nonetheless, here are the ...

I am someone who uses some very basic ASMR videos to fall asleep at least twice to three times a week. I usually go towards some sort of learning a language video, guided meditation, or just some nice music, but I have stumbled across a different kind of ASMR video that I absolutely love! Cooking and baking ASMR is not only very relaxing, it gives you great ideas for new foods to create! I watch this during the day, which is very calming, and gives you a pit of perspective on where you are right at that moment. You have the ability to choose what you do, when you do it. If you want to make some wacky muffin, or create your own flavor of bubble tea, do it! Here are my favorite channels for this sort of video: Cooking Tree Peaceful Cuisine

For the first 17 years of my life I had never sewn. It always seemed like the thing that people who had their life together did. My mother was never one to sew, which made the task of learning even more daunting, but eventually I decided to make my own choices! One week with a couple hours a week is all it took to get the basic skills to attempt most projects. Of course there are things I will never quite understand in difficult patterns, and that's fine. If you head to any craft store, I guarantee you there will be someone who understands what you need to find out. So where to start? Of course you can watch videos on YouTube, or check out classes in your local area, but I find the internet just as useful. For getting comfortable with the notion of sewing and tackling new projects, sites like Colette  seem very useful. Once you seem to get on a roll, you can find loads of patterns online like this or this .  Eventually you will feel you are in a place to experiment ...

We have little to no experience in coding... at least, until this year. Welcome to Arduino ! This is an open source coding platform, where you can put together hundreds of projects with the electrical layouts, codes, and pictures of operation provided! The actual hardware is around $20 for a basic board, and you can get a pack with different LEDs, resistors, wires, and other fun stuff for $40. The software itself is completely free and the possibilities are endless! They have tutorials to get you started, and some basic codes to practice on; or, if you think you're up to the challenge, take on bigger projects, like controlling a robot with your mind!