One does not simply walk into Costco

One does not simply walk into Costco... without a shopping cart. Honestly, who are we kidding here? I tried it today. Laughable.

Sewing!

Hi. Haven't been blogging. Been busy. One awesome thing that's taken my time is sewing. I got a sewing machine from an aunt recently and it hung out in the box awhile. Then in between homework I wanted to see if I could figure out how it worked. I did!!!

I started sewing scraps & felt just to try it out. It's an incredibly thrilling feeling to figure out how something works and making something you enjoy. A definite happy thought.

I made some drawstring bags. Husband got the Marvel ones I made as lunch bags. The others were experiments with piping, felt & ribbon.

It's pretty awesome. Went with mom & sister today to pick out fabrics & things they wanted. Sister wants a pillow with dinosaur print - so cute! My mom wants a half flannel half regular blue lap blanket so I made one. I think she wanted a full bed size blanket but I can't make that big yet. Sort of annoying but anyway.

That's been my new joyful work & addiction. Learning to make bags! So dangerous! :)

Alas, been so busy. Sad but with the holiday, I'm looking forward to the extra time off work to be able to work on school. It's very sad but at least the project is half interesting - building a librarian resource website, just takes a lot of time & work. * sigh. If I have a friend or 2 reading this - this is why I have no social life.

Anyway here's to joyful work. May I wish my future is filled with it.

The Count of Monte Cristo

I'm hooked! It's been ages since I've been able to be sucked into a book. The last one was the Game of Thrones series. I've tried a number of books since then but wasn't able to get past a few chapters.

I was bored and awake early a Saturday morning trying to find a way to kill time before officially waking up. Tried the iBook app and found this book previously downloaded.

Started the first chapters and behold was surprisingly hooked. Loving it :) I missed this. It's lovely getting engrossed in a book again. Back to my chapter now.

Pen

I got a personalized pen for my 3 years of hard work. It means a lot actually and a really nice gesture from my current boss. A month ago my 3 year work anniversary went by unacknowledged. I thought it was a bit rude, but got over it. This morning - very nice gesture. I have a pen with my name on it! I am flattered, feel appreciated and love it. Wooo!

Rawr

Happy Halloween!

I was feeling festive & happy this morning. Everyone was dressed up, decorating and in a Halloween mood. I even got zombified.

Then the true horror of work started and I became an angry, grumpy and irritable person. Sad and blue was I, and still am.

We even tried to cheer up by going out after work. Eh.

Not sure why I get so blue. I guess I'm feeling overwhelmed with work & school. Blah.

More coffee tomorrow, closer deadlines and more messes to clean up after.

Debbie Downer.

Bring on the zombies.

Rainbows! :)

One of my favorite things about rain, rainbows! Double Rainbow! What does it all mean?

Rainy Days

I love rain. Today there was thunder and rain. I've had tons of sunny days and never enjoyed my office or window view as much as I've loved it today - a drenching rainy day. People even came in to see from my window how heavy it was raining. All day I've sort of zoned out and enjoyed the rain. I can watch the rain and not think about work or worry so much. There is something wonderful about this rainy day and I'm really loving and appreciating my office window view. First time I really appreciate this perspective.

Thanks God :)

Giving

Trying this out. Got some books on CD, and, how old school is this, got a CD player, and am going to do more walks with books rather than music.

This is the first one I'm trying. We'll see if it helps the life & stress management.

Quilts & Values

I went to a quilt show today. First time ever. It was suggested by an aunt-in-law. She is a quilter, I'm a total newbie but interested in it, so we went.

It was pretty awesome. It was so cool seeing local art and crafts-woman-ship. Apparently they're also hosted by guilds of women, a community. I also chatted with my coworker's wife, and had a really nice time hanging out with my aunt. She got me a quilting book and a sewing machine she had laying around.

Some photos. I'm super excited to learn something new. :) Go Art!

I Get By

So, this past week went alright. It could have felt worst. Instead, I think what helped, what really helped, were friends. It was a record breaking lunch out every day with a friend, except Wednesday where it was too crazy & I didn't have any food in my stomach until about 8pm. Turns out that day was also Yom Kippur Jewish holiday where you fast. So I fasted, so I think that makes me honorary Jew-ish.

Anyway, socializing and being myself and just venting and making it through. I have been more social. As a result it really does help and feel better. The Beatles really did say it best. "I get by, with a little help from my friends."

Thank you all friends :) you make this life bearable when sometimes it feels unbearable.

The Joys of Management

I wish I could post about my wonderful 3 year anniversary honeymoon. I always accidently call it a honeymoon every time we have an anniversary - I guess that's a good thing :)

Anyway - instead, I have to vent about my first day back at work. Overall it was a good day. Only one incident happened while I was gone, and it was such a stupid preventable incident. It was just my team being lazy and irresponsible while I was gone. So I have to lay down the law tomorrow and sort of turn into a bitch, or the scary un-fun boss. Yeay.

I hate this. I hate this part of my job. It's the worst part of my job. The part where I have to tell people I respect, admire and trust, that they have lost my respect, admiration and trust. The part where I have to berate them, professionally, about not doing their job. Really? Really?

So I had to spend some time writing, and thinking, and planning, what to say to them tomorrow. I've had to spend time and energy on something that, is not fun.

So yes, I get practice, woooo, miserable.

I guess it will be good, because this is the first time I'm laying down the law and sort of calling them out and I've got to be really good about it. I'm basically establishing my alpha and they've been kind of whiney and bitchy lately, so it's a good chance to establish my dominance. Laying down the law.

Still.... why is it so stressful? It's probably because it's the first time I've ever really had to lay down the law in an unfriendly way. I suppose this would come around eventually. I should take comfort in that? Maybe this is good? Is this my happy positive overly optimistic self coming through, yup. But it's also partly true. Did I really expect they would never F up or that I would never have to deal with this type of situation. I guess I can look at it as a positive experience. Try to make it a positive/better experience. It's stressful because everything that happens changes the group dynamic and I need to make sure that people remain happy workers still doing what I tell them, yet also at the same time scolding them? huh? How to do that?

I have a coworker I love chatting with after work, because this person is a good person to talk to, but also because I feel like they give good advice and they've got a really good head on their shoulders. Talking out this issue with him was helpful but also helped me process some of this stuff. Talking with husband is good too and blogging is good. This is me practicing sharing and really sharing my stresses. Usually I bottle this and figure it out on my own. Maybe I need more input and help on this stuff. Maybe I should talk more to other people who know how to do this and to just do it.

There is no manual for being a good boss. There's not even a training program. Most of the time it's just, hey, you're great at your job, let's promote you and let you manage people, even though you may not be really ready for it, but I guess you learn on the job.

So anyway, that's it. I'm starting a category called "The Joys of Management" unfortunately. Maybe i'll post some good stories too. Usually though, a lot of times I sort of hate the stuff I have to do. It's a lot of people managing and politics. Learning new skills. Keep thinking of job as a training ground for better things. Also, overall, despite the bumps in the road, overall we are doing pretty well. But don't let them know that.

A Space Invasion

Another repost :) this was pretty cool too. 

Invader recently invaded "space" with these airborn tiles! (originating out of Miami)

 

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/wooster/~3/0KgplHmFh_8/a-space-invasion

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Literature vs. Traffic

Repost from another blog - so cool!

From Luzinterruptus:

In June, we went to Melbourne to carry out a large-scale installation, our largest so far, at the Light in Winter festival.

This year's theme was "reading", for this reason they asked us to recreate Literature vs Traffic, a piece that we had previously installed in New York in a subversive manner and which they now offered us the opportunity to expand it and make it grow for a month. 

To the other side of the world we went, going from the sunny summer in Madrid to a mild and rainy winter, with the romantic intention of converting the modern and somewhat cold architecture of Federation Square, into a cozy, human and intimate space, which encouraged reading and tranquility.

We had 10,000 books discarded by public libraries because they considered them to be obsolete, that the Salvation Army was responsible for collecting and donating them to us, altruistically of course, we also had our lights and the help of a lot of friends with whom we lived for a month doing the work of assembly and installation.

The objective of this piece? The same as the first time that we carried it out, that a river of books overflowing into the physical pedestrian spaces and installed itself in the space allocated to cars, stealing precious space to the dense traffic in the area, in a symbolic gesture in which literature took control of the streets and became the conquerer of the public space, offering the citizens, a space (not as big as we would have liked) in which the traffic withdrew yielding ground to the modest power of the written word.

We managed, after a tough battle against the weather, to change the appearance of the plaza progressively for a month, and that on the night of June 30, a lane of the busy Flinders Street became a space for reading and coexistence, lit by a dim light that paled under the powerful LED displays installed in the plaza.

Our piece served as a backdrop for many things that happened there during these days. Of course, it was the scene for a multitude of photos taken by the curious and visitors, in addition it was accompanied by  many other pieces installed during the festival of light, and to commemorate the el summer solstice it was used as the stage for the dance and performance piece Walking Through Words, directed by Tony Yap and Yumi Umiumare in collaboration with various communities from the city.

On the final night, the overflowing river of books, was offered to the visitors who took their time choosing the most interesting to take home from the thousands installed there. In addition 9 artists from the company Yumi, conducted an impromptu and magical performance that ended in a donation of books to the occupants of the cars that were circulating in the vicinity, who, stupefied opened their windows to receive these mysterious presents.

 

 

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/wooster/~3/h2MluZsTzzM/literature-vs.-traffic

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Dreams of Thailand

"It's not nostalgia. I knew it then, like I know it now, that I had something special."
My quote!

I started writing about a dream I had last night, and it turned into this ridiculously long reflective post where stuff came out that I didn't even know or think would come out as I was writing. The journey right, being more important than the end.

Anyway, below is a long winded post about my thoughts and feelings of something from my past. I'm working on sharing, writing and expressing myself more for self development, so I hope no one takes my post the wrong way. Am in a good place in my life, but this brought up all sorts of thoughts and feelings and issues that I guess are still there but I didn't realize it.

Feel free to skip - or read :) Cheers.

Picture from U.S. Department of State - International School of Bangkok, Thailand

I had another weird dream. I think I'm going to start keeping track. It seems to happen when I drink a new tea that day before. Yesterday I tried a new English Breakfast tea that was delish. Last night I had a very bizarre and real feeling dream that sort of stays with you and leaves you emotionally in that dream even after you wake up. It also causes me to reflect and think about stuff. One of those. You can skip these posts if you like :) I'll preface them with "weird dream" or something. 

Anyway, this one I'm barely remembering exactly what happened now, but I specifically remember feeling happy and at home. It's like that really belonging and excited to belong feeling. I was in Thailand taking a school bus somewhere and talking to someone, and then walking around the city with its weird buildings and dirty streets, but I remember feeling really at home and so incredibly happy. I woke up upset, because it wasn't real. I tried to go back to sleep into that same dream, but I knew I was awake and couldn't really go back. 

This reminded me of my real life. I was in 8th grade the first time I moved to Bangkok, Thailand. My dad was living there as a businessman for his international company, and I was going to move in and live with him for 8th grade and high school. My mom and dad took turns taking care of me, but instead of one weekend here and one week there, I got years between living with both of them, and summers visiting the other one. 

Mom had me ages 0-4ish years old. Dad had me 4-7 years old. Mom had me 7-13 years or so, and around then, before 8th grade started, I went to live with my dad where he was, in Bangkok, Thailand. 

So anyway, the point was, being in Bangkok, whether it was the place, the time, the people or a combination of all of it, was the first and only time I have ever felt so utterly safe, welcomed, happy and at home. Everything felt perfect, like I really belonged there and everything I knew fell into place in this weird perfect way. I remember being nervous on my first day of school, then as the bus drove into the school, I had this overwhelming sense that everything was going to ok, but not just more than ok, great. It was like the beginning of something great, some spark, some magic in the air and the potential and opportunity were all there. 

Everything in my life that year was "right". I was popular and my life was filled with great friends. Family life was good as well and everything fell into this weird feeling of perfect or awesome. I even kept a diary because I knew this was an important time and that it was significant to me. 

Then dad got reassigned and we had to move away so 9th grade, freshman year, we lived somewhere else, and Bangkok was this dreamy memory, one year of perfect awesomeness. 

The dream and the memory of Bangkok in that one year make me really sad and happy at the same time. I spent a lot of time in high school upset from moving all the time but also of not staying in one place and letting me grow and blossom. I compare it to a new plant, constantly uprooted to a new location and unable to grow any real roots, getting sick and frail. That's how I felt emotionally. Thailand felt like "perfect soil" to me, and then we left and kept moving around and I never fully recovered. 

I always wonder, what if I had stayed, how would I have blossomed and grown differently. It was high school after all. I would have definitely been a different person or how much better my life could have turned out. I wonder sometimes if that's why it took me so long to decide on a career or major or why I feel like I fell short, or always second guess certain life choices and decisions. I get restless with furniture, jobs or other things in my life, where I get tired after awhile and feel like I need something new. In Thailand, I never felt like I needed anything new and it was just everything I needed. I think in my mind or my soul I'm always moving trying to get back there to that feeling. 

Anyway tangent and a bunch of emotional sharing, but I guess that's what I'm working on with these blogs. 

This dream, made me remember what it was like to be in Bangkok my 8th grade year. If someone asked me what my heaven would be like, it would most resemble that one year in Thailand. It was like this complete sphere, this complete world, where everything fit and fell into place, and I fit along with it. It just worked. 

I'm not saying my life right now isn't good. I have a lot of great things in my life. In fact, you could easily argue I've had lots of great things in my life since then. You could reflect and argue that that time in my life wasn't actually the best, and that other years actually top it. I could easily reframe my thinking and ideas to dispute my idea. 

But I don't know how to express, what it feels like, when everything, absolutely everything in your life feels perfect, really perfect. That's how it was then, at that time, in those moments. 

In real life there is a mix of dark and light. I have a lot of great things in my life now, but there are also downsides and struggles somewhere. Honestly, that year in Bangkok had none of those shadows, struggles or incompleteness. It was like everything there was great or a constructive positive experience for me. It almost like I was really meant to be there in that time and place, and my life before then was leading up to that time, and afterwards in some way will always be compared to that time. It was weird and last night's dream reminded me of it.

It's not nostalgia. I knew it then, like I know it now, that I had something special.

I know it's not one of those "looking back I actually didn't appreciate it" moments.I cherished and appreciated every minute while I was in Bangkok that year because I somehow automatically and intuitively knew it was special.

OK enough of that. You'll probably see me revisit and talk about this topic again sometime. The best word for my experience is "perfect" and even that doesn't really convey it properly. 

That's the dream I had last night and the feeling I had this morning. It was a reminder of something I had, lost and missed, and still wonder about. It was beautiful, happy and sad. Maybe I have to give up this ghost. Or maybe I should appreciate having that feeling for the time I did. It's this weird positive enigma in my life that I will never fully understand.

I suppose the Buddhist way would be to appreciate it, and let it go, become unattached to the idea or feeling. It's a beautiful anchor though. Alas, we shall see. 

Freedom!

Maybe we don't appreciate freedom unless we're otherwise restricted. I just turned in my paper. Holy Hallelujah! It's still the beginning of the semester and the topic itself wasn't terribly difficult, it's just the discipline to sit down, do research on 4 encyclopedia databases and evaluate them. I can write and I can research, it's just that honestly I really really didn't want to. So hard to just do what you're supposed to do sometimes, even if the actual thing you're doing really isn't that hard. It reminds me of exercise or eating a salad. I dread it and avoid it like the plague, but it's not so bad when you're doing it, an actually you may sort of enjoy it in the process.

Now I have a half day of freedom. So precious before the next week of work and school begin. I'm super excited because my wedding anniversary is coming up and we have a Disneyland day & trip to Catalina planned!

What to do with my freedom? Whatever I want!!!

Stalling

I'm stalling because I don't want to start research & writing my paper. I even cleaned in a sad attempt to stall. Now I'm blogging. I might start a load of laundry next.

Anyway, I was on my work walk and saw this in the window of the library bookstore. Lol! Just wanted to share.

I guess I'll start my paper soon. Hopefully it's not crap. Ha ha - get it. Ugh! I don't wanna!!!! Ok. Wish me luck and some motivation.

Wasabi! Conveyor belt sushi LA

Holy Toledo! They have conveyor belt sushi at Wasabi at the Topanga mall in Woodland Hills!!! We already ate before we saw this. I was so tempted to eat again. Must try next time. So frickin cool. I hope the food is as good as the novelty factor.

Lady Bug

Guess what I'm going to be for Halloween?! Look at me, planning ahead. Most of my Halloween costumes are usually acquired or put together week of Halloween, which makes for hectic & awful costumes. Today, I saw this at target for $8 and can totally work it :) yeay!

Faces on buildings

Repost! This is great :)

A few months ago I started going through this phase where I was constantly looking out for faces (in places where you wouldn't find a face – just like here, on my Instagram), and I'm afraid it hasn't stopped.

So short of going to every restroom in town with my iPhone set to "snap" to capture these elusive faces, I gleefully found a link to "25 buildings with funny faces":http://twistedsifter.com/2012/08/buildings-with-funny-faces-gallery/ – and I loved them all so much that I thought you guys might too!

Yes, I'm a sucker like that.

Oh, and if you're into Instagram and enjoy at pictures of dogs, Asian food and the occasional illustrative titbit, my username is pikaland – look me up!

Source | Via

http://pikaland.com/2012/09/11/faces-on-buildings

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Hope

So last few weeks been pretty worn down & feeling blue. Work is super stressful. Health-wise haven't been feeling good. Been eating junk & my body is feeling run down & tired. Also I was a little sad because I've been feeling hopeless and dreamless.

See, most people have dreams, aspirations and goals. Things they really want and strive for. Besides dogs, and an easier job, I felt like I didn't really have any dreams. Felt like I was sort of drifting aimlessly on this rough patch of ocean, not really going anywhere but trying to enjoy the journey.

So on one of my work break walks around the area, I had a crazy idea. It was magnificent and it was, what you might call, a crazy dream. Not going to share it, because everyone should have their own, but it inspired me. It made me creative. It motivated me. It made me want to be me, adventurous, playful, fearless me.

It was a really cool dream and a really fun idea. It gave me hope in this long dark tunnel of blah I've been feeling lately.

So here's to dreams. I hope you have one that inspires you. I hope it gives you hope. Most of all I hope you have the means and luck to make it all come true. But, even if you don't, I hope your dreams make the journey better along the way.

9/11

Imagine....

GANGNAM STYLE

So this article in Yahoo about "Lifeguards mount protest after being fired over Gangnam video parody" led me to this video below and one of the most awesome Gangnam video below.

Lifeguards did a pretty great job, and the Gangnam video is pretty stellar. Thank you YouTube :)

Lifeguard Video


Gangnam Video

Yoga

Yoga is good for the body & soul. I went tonight since I was feeling hopeless and sad. Maybe it was a case of the Mondays, but I felt especially sad and hopeless and empty after work. Decided some dinner and yoga might cheer me up. Yoga definitely did. I feel renewed and a bit more relaxed even though it was a medium tough session and I'm all tight and unstretched in many parts of my body. I survived, felt the happy positive good vibes and kept going.

Shanti shanti shanti (peace) and Namaste.

Lia Sophia

Friend A had a Lia Sophia jewelry party. To the detriment of my homework and savings I went and had good old fashioned girl fun! We had a lovely sales lady who was fun to hang out with and wasn't at all overbearing, obnoxious or pushy (like other similar buying parties I've been to). She was nice and the jewelry was just fun to try on and play dress up. Best or worst of all - I liked a lot of things! Anyway bought 3 pieces which I'm looking forward to getting. I'm even thinking of hosting a party, hum....

I think the funnest part though, was just hanging out with the girls. I've been blogging more and as a result reflecting and writing and thinking more about stuff. I think that girl time has been seriously missing from my life! I am surrounded by testosterone at work & home, and am not at all girly girl so I think I've been more girly as a reaction/result of all the male-ness in my life. I've been into fashion, hair, nails, gossip mags, pink stuff and other uncharacteristically girly stuff. Friend A always organizes these great girls night things that I don't go to as much because I'm tired after work or have a paper due or something. I really need to start going and really spending more girl time!

That evening also got to hang out with long lost friend L who I haven't seen or talked to in a long long time. We're both swamped at our jobs, her especially, but it was really good to hang out with her too. I learned to vent some of my frustrations and it helped! It was also great to be around a kindred soul who got excited and girly about the same things I did.

Girl bonding time and girl power! Lovely way to spend my Saturday. Thank you ladies!

Roman Holiday

This is true. I know this guy. He has a kid. He named his kid Roman. Normal enough, but his last name is Holiday. Seriously! Best name I've ever heard and it's really someone I know. So fabulous, so amazing and so real. Lol!!!!! I'm still in shock and awe. :)

Belly Bombz

Amazing delish food truck today! Tried Belly Bombz. Got the spicy garlic parmesan wings, pork belly slider & garlic, thyme & parmesan fries. Amazing good and one of my new favorites! Go get some!

Cards Against Humanity

This looks pretty cool. You can download for free and print out at home or at store. You can also pay, but, we should get prints and play sometime? Who's in?

http://cardsagainsthumanity.com/

What is Cards Against Humanity?

Unlike most of the party games you've played before, Cards Against Humanity is as despicable and awkward as you and your friends.

The game is simple. Each round, one player asks a question from a Black Card, and everyone else answers with their funniest White Card.

10 Fascinating Dwarf Animals

Repost - dwarf elephants!!!

Many of the larger creatures that have roamed the earth are seen as grand and powerful. However, evolution moves in strange directions at times. Often as a result of living in isolation and without predators, an animal can begin to lose the need for its vast size, and each generation grows slightly smaller. Dwarf versions of huge animals are as entertaining as they are fascinating. Here are ten for you to enjoy.

10

Dwarf Elephants

Upon many of the islands in the Mediterranean Sea are fossils of tiny elephants. These are known as dwarf elephants, and represent several distinct species which grew smaller after being isolated. This is known as insular dwarfism, an effect where a large animal which migrates to an island finds a lack of need for its size, and in each generation the smaller offspring are more successful. Over time, the entire species finds its average size shrinks. Dwarf elephants are descended from large elephants which walked to islands before rising water trapped them there. Similarly, skeletons of dwarf mammoths and mastodons have been found on many other islands. The smallest of all the dwarf elephant species was Elephas falconer, which weighed 200kg and was only 90cm tall when fully grown. Unfortunately, most dwarf elephants went extinct about 11,000 years ago as the Earth's climate began to warm and the weather changed. Truly it is a pity that such wonderfully small creatures are not in abundance today.

9

Zanzibar Leopard

On an island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania, live a number of interesting wildlife. The Zanzibar leopard is among these, and is only half the size of other leopards, scarcely over 1m long. To further distinguish it, its spots are smaller and more evenly spread than those of other leopards. It is thought that leopards from mainland Africa walked to Zanzibar across the frozen seas during the last ice age, and that the Zanzibar leopard descended from these immigrants. Unfortunately, its population is despairingly low, and the only specimens are six skins, some taxidermied. It has never been studied in the wild, and has not been officially sighted since 1980. The local culture describes them as being the evil accomplices of witches, and consequently the leopard has been actively hunted even after it was listed as critically endangered. It is not even known if the Zanzibar leopard still exists, or, if it does, how much longer it can stave off extinction.

8

Europasaurus

One of the more famous types of dinosaurs is the sauropods, the long-necked giants who include Brontosaurus, Diplodocus, Apatosaurus, and Supersaurus. They were typically over 20m long, and tended to be at least 5m tall at the shoulder. They evolved from smaller ancestors; however, there was one line of sauropods which first evolved great size before isolation caused them to shrink again. Europasaurus' shoulders were about the same height as an adult human's, and it was only about 5m long. At first, palaeontologists thought that Europasaurus was the infant of larger sauropods, but close examination of fossil bones revealed them to be fully grown. Juvenile Europasauruses were only the size of housecoats, and the adults were comparable to horses, yet otherwise they resembled creatures which were normally many times larger.

7

Royal Antelope

The royal antelope is the smallest of all antelopes. It stands only 25cm tall and weighs a mere 3kg. It is closer in size to a pet rabbit than other antelopes. It evolved its small size not from isolation, like many other animals, but due to its diet. Antelopes are herbivores, and each species tends to eat specific types of foliage. A single tree can feed any number of antelope, as each different height lets each species eat leaves in its own range. The ancestors of royal antelopes ate lower leaves, and due to competition from other small antelopes eating leaves at the same level, it gradually evolved to become the incredibly tiny animal it is today. Royal antelopes live in rain forests in West Africa, and eat leaves in the undergrowth, lacking the height to eat the leaves off trees at all anymore. They are cautious, shy, and only venture out to eat at night time. Surprisingly, when scared, they can jump up to 2.5m to escape any potential predators. This is equivalent to a human leaping 18m from standing.

6

Balinese Tiger

The largest of all the cats, tigers grow to over 3m in length and weigh over 300kg. They are the third largest land carnivore and are an apex predator, hunting in solitude using stealth, cunning, and formidable 9cm teeth. There are several subspecies of tiger, including the Bengal tiger, Siberian tiger, and Java tiger. The smallest subspecies ever described is the Balinese tiger. These lived on the island of Bali in Indonesia. Tigers are good swimmers, and genetic evidence suggests that they evolved from Java tigers who might have swam across to Bali from Java. They were 2m long and weighed less 100kg, making them much sleeker and less stocky than other tigers. Their fur had a dark orange color and sometimes showed faint spots between the stripes. They hold a special place in the local culture and religion, and although revered, they were seen as evil and were actively hunted until their extinction in 1937.

5

King Island Emu

The emu is a flightless Australian bird similar to the African ostrich. They are typically 2m tall, weigh 50kg, and have long, thin, brown-grey feathers. They are good swimmers, can run at 50km/h, and have some of the strongest legs of any animal, easily able to kick through metal fences. On King Island, off the coast of the state of Tasmania, emus experienced insular dwarfism. Although descended from normal-sized emus, those on King Island were markedly smaller. They were 140cm tall and weighed only 23kg. Their feathers were said to be a dark brown and thicker than those of other emus. Europeans first described the King Island emu in 1802, however, when they decided to settle the island to hunt the many local seals, the bird had already died out completely. Several birds had been brought to France in 1804, and the skins of these are the only direct evidence left of the King Island emu. The cause of its extinction remains unknown, but is generally thought to be due to hunting by assiduous sealers.

4

Midget Buffalo

On Sulawesi, one of the many islands in Indonesia, live midget buffalo, two dwarfed species of water buffalo: the lowland anoa and the mountain anoa. Wild water buffalo are usually 3m long, 2m tall, and weigh in excess of 1,000kg. In contrast, mountain midget buffalo are only 70cm tall, 1m long, and weigh no more than 200kg. The lowland midget buffalo is only slightly larger, standing at 90cm tall. These tiny buffalo are comparable in size to a large domestic dog. They are the smallest of all wild cattle. Unlike other cows, they live alone or in pairs, and live a casual lifestyle of browsing leaves and grasses. They are hunted largely for their pelts, which are valued for their richness and quality. As a result, the midget buffalo is currently endangered, with each species having fewer than 5,000 members left.

3

Virgin Islands Dwarf Gecko

On three of the British Virgin Islands lives the world's smallest reptile. The Virgin Islands dwarf gecko is minuscule, measuring at only 18mm long and weighing a maximum of 0.15g. They live on rocky mountainsides, and tend to hide under stones in the moist shade. However, due to their small size, they are incredibly hard to find, and there are no estimates of the population size. It could equally have an abundant population or be close to extinction. Dwarf geckos are brown with a distinctive short light stripe behind each eye. Their feet have a special gripping surface that helps them climb vertically when needed. Females are slightly larger than males, and they reproduce during the wettest times of the year. Due to their small size, they lose water almost twice as fast as their larger relatives; this is thought to be why they hide in the cool, damp shade and why they reproduce only when water is plentiful.

2

Cyprus Dwarf Hippopotamus

Hippopotamuses are the second most deadly animal to humans in terms of deaths per year, outdone only by mosquitoes. Their tough, bullet-proof skin dehydrates easily, so they wallow in water during the day and emerge in the dark to graze. Hippos typically weigh 1,500kg, are 1.5m tall, and are 3-5m long. These enormous animals had a much smaller cousin: Hippopotamus minor, the Cyprus dwarf hippo. Dwarf hippos were only 75cm tall and 120cm long, weighing about 200kg. They lived on the island of Cyprus until 11,000 years ago. The smallest hippo surviving today is actually only slightly larger and is known as the pygmy hippopotamus which lives in West Africa. These are endangered due to poachers and local wars, and only 3,000 are left in the wild.

1

Homo Floresiensis

In 2003, strange bones were found in a cave on the island of Flores in Indonesia. These bones seemed to belong to diminutive humans, who were subsequently dubbed 'hobbits' after the halflings from Tolkien's masterpiece. They were only 1m tall and had a brain capacity which was smaller than that of modern chimpanzees. Nevertheless, the cave in which they were found shows the remains of stone tools and fire, and analyses of the craniums have shown that although their brains were small, the regions responsible for intellect were nevertheless the same size as those of modern humans, putting them on par with us intellectually. Hobbit skeletons resemble Homo erectus more than Homo sapiens, leading many scientists to postulate that they evolved from H. erectus and grew smaller in isolation on Flores. They are one of the most recent hominids known, and are thought to have been wiped out in a massive volcanic eruption 12,000 years ago. As with most hominids, there has been a great deal of controversy surrounding their study and classification. Further searches hope to expose more fossils from which we might learn more about these dwarfed people who hold a near-mythological place in our culture.

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