Darkoshi

Happy New Year

2026-01-02T04:35:10Z

Random:

The purple talking llama in the ad distracted me so much that I closed the tab after it finished its bit, forgetting I hadn't yet watched the video I'd meant to watch.
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Near sunset, airplane contrails glow orange in the sky.
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Aluminum foil slightly crumpled and pulled out flat again is so pretty. A landscape of silver.

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mirror mirror on the ball

2025-11-22T04:19:36Z

It's the time of the year and time of the day when sunlight hits the small mirror ball hanging by the window in one room. It throws glints of light across the walls and across me. I give the ball a slight twist, and the bits of light dance around the room. It is beautiful to watch.

I've previously taken videos, wanting to show how neat it looks. But I lack time to upload and post them; there are other things that need to be done.

...Ahh well. I decided to go ahead post one of those videos. I didn't think it would take 5.5 hours* to accomplish, but there you have it. That's why I rarely do.

Video title: Sunshine & Mirrorball

*Sure, I also took a walk down memory lane, browsing through and renaming 150 photos and other videos. And I washed sheets and ate dinner and hung up on a phone call, and updated the video editor software.

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discardable beauty

2024-11-25T06:19:10Z

The chocolate bar wrappers of shiny gold and silver. If I didn't so take them for granted, I'd keep each and every one.

Rather than crumpling them up and throwing them away once the chocolate is gone.

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I've kept quite a few actually, especially the small ones of various colors from the Sjaak's vegan chocolates (they closed up shop a year ago but still haven't taken down their no-longer-functional website; odd. It no longer even shows the popup message about having closed up shop. Very odd). Compressed into various shapes, still some on this table, and in the container on that table, and in the box I brought back from work when the office was shut down.

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under a giant tree

2023-09-22T04:10:04Z

A restaurant in Guatemala includes a lovely-looking seating area under a giant tree.

Video title: Así es el RESTAURANTE DEBAJO del ÁRBOL GIGANTE en ANTIGUA GUATEMALA
Posted by: CELINAZ
Date posted: Sep 20, 2023

The video mentions it is an 89-year old ahuehuete tree - a type of cypress.

The next video shows more of the nice scenery and grounds around the restaurant, "El Trapiche de Don Tonito", which includes a coffee plantation

Video title: El Trapiche de Don Tonito
Posted by: Tenamit
Date posted: Apr 16, 2021

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autumn sunshine fluff

2021-09-23T21:53:28Z

I'm sitting outside in the sunshine, working. Every once in a while I see a round white fluffy thing floating by on the breeze. ( Tiny seeds with a ball of white hairs spread out around them - they look like these thistle seeds but are more likely from some nearby tree. Cottonwood, maybe. )

I look up, and up there, many many of these fluffy things are drifting by, glowing even brighter in the sunlight as they pass near the sun.

My camera does not pick them up well against the sky.

I chase a few, and catch one, and take it inside to get some close-up photos of it. Then I release it back outside, and it floats away.

What to call them? "Parachute seed" doesn't seem to do them justice, these delicate light floaty spheres.

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fireworks! pretty!

2021-01-21T03:03:11Z

I was NOT expecting that. They looked like they were exploding too fast to be real! At first I was trying to decide if they were real or not. But all that smoke, and surely the Pres and VP wouldn't be pretending to watch fake fireworks. So they were real, right?

Yes...
https://twitter.com/search?q=dc+fireworks

Here's a video of it from a distance without the music drowning out the sound of the fireworks:
https://twitter.com/rachelhopmayer/status/1352088841147060225

(Dang, I hope everyone nearby had ear protection. Wouldn't want our entire government to be deaf now.)

Oh so cool!
https://twitter.com/samadizayee/status/1352093186550878212

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Tết Tết Tết Fireworks!

2021-01-18T02:26:11Z

I like this Vietnamese song, it's rather catchy:

Video title: Liên Khúc Nhạc Xuân 2021 Remix KHÔNG QUẢNG CÁO - TẾT TẾT TẾT ĐẾN RỒI Mừng Năm Mới Phát Tài Phát Lộc
Posted by: Kho Nhạc Xuân Remix
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVEmLZpsuUM
Date posted: Jan 11, 2021

The above video is simple but oddly mesmerizing A young woman smiles a lot and walks through some flower beds and blossoming trees, in slow motion. There are fireworks effects overlayed. I wondered if those fireworks are meant to reflect how the woman feels (bursting with happiness about something/someone), or how someone else feels about her.

Not until watching the next video with another version of the same song, and translating the song name (Tet Tet Tet is coming), did I remember that Tet is the word for the Vietnamese New Year's celebration.

These are the BEST fireworks I've ever seen in a video. If you missed seeing ones in person this year, this may be worth watching in full screen:

Video title: Liên khúc nhạc xuân: Tết tết tết đến rồi + Xuân xuân ơi xuân đã về
Posted by: Trung Bui Thanh
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaN85BSLnMU
Date posted: Jan 28, 2019

(Did that firework display really go on for 32 whole minutes?!!)

The laser light effects in the beginning of the next video are spectacular (and the fireworks are nice too though they don't show up nearly as clearly as the prior video).
Based on the comments, they told people there wouldn't be a display this year to avoid crowds from gathering, but then did this after all and broadcast it live!

Video title: London's 2021 fireworks 🎆 Happy New Year Live! 🔴 BBC
Posted by: BBC
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpJIg_3DnLk
Date posted: Streamed live on Dec 31, 2020

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Glitter Tree

2014-04-12T19:33:42Z

I suppose it is time to put my glitter tree (aka "xmas tree") back in storage until next winter. Before packing it away, I want to enjoy the pretty lights and glitter one last time... aah.

One nice thing about having a glitter tree up this time of the year, is that with the windows open, and a gentle warm breeze coming in, the hanging tinsel and other shiny stuff moves and turns slightly(*), extra sparkly and more alive.

(* - what is a good word for that? I can't think of one. flutters? flitters? vibrates?)

Ah, maybe I should keep it out after all, even though it feels partially anachronistic.

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