Aspects of My Life in 2008，

1. What have you included in this video?

I included the most important aspects of my life in the year 2008. Since every year might be different, this video is only talking about 2008. First, I have pictures about different places I traveled in China this year as what I used to do almost every summer. Then I included few pictures of my family to show how that family is a very important part of my life and I like to spend times with them no matter what we are doing such as:BBQ, baking cookies,playing fire works in an illegal way and painting whatever we want on the walls . After that, I put few pictures about me and my friends in Six Flag. In addition, I added pictures about my interest-collecting things in sets, and tasting food from everywhere especially desserts. At last, I uploaded some photos that I took for fun. Although I'm not taking it in a professional way, but trying to show others' my view of looking at things that everything have its own beauty.

2. Which parts of the video related to relatively meaningful aspects of your life? Which parts related to relatively meaningless aspects of your life?

Basically, every part of the video is meaningful to me because I believed that people should not enjoy their life until everything is "perfect" but enjoy every single moment of their life even it might not be the most happiness thing in the world. Also maybe taking everything that happens to us in daily life as an experience of our life that will help us to "grow up" or learn something new every day. So every part of my video is meaningful to ME, maybe somebody elses too. If I have to say what is the most meaningful aspects of my life, it will be taking pictures. I started to take pictures in mid 2008, because I have the habit of writing blogs. But somehow I was getting lazy and busy, I don't have that much time to write blogs to record down some moments of my life. Then I starting to take pictures rather than blogs as a easier and faster way to record my life. During this summer, I starting to change my point of view of looking at the "purpose of taking photos". I think that taking pictures will help me to explain myself more and also can show people my perspective of looking at certain things. Although we all see "it", but we all look at it in different way. So taking pictures will really expressing my sight. To say what is the meaningless aspects of my life is in this video, I will say is to waste time on getting "perfect" on everything, although I am one of the person who is seeking for "perfect". I think that because as a human being who lives in this world, we only have one life and then we die. We should really tried to enjoy every moment of our life instead of upseting aboout things that might not be really that important. In addition, money can't buy time. Throughout the whole video, although some of the moments are meaningless such as feeding the fish, or walking around in the natural environment, I am still trying my best to enjoy it, because that's life.

3. What would you have liked to have included but weren’t able to?

I really wanted to includ my childhood in the video, but I'm not able to. Since I moved to the U.S., a lot of the pictues are in China. But for the 16 years of my life, I think the most meaningful aspects of my life is my childhood. It is meaningful because being a kid usually have no annoyance. Even though there is, it is always solved very soon. But as a teenager or adults, there's stress. When I was kid, the thing I did the most is SMILE. I smile because my first ten years of my life is simple and happy. I get to have the things that I want, and even things that somebody elses might not have. But once you grow up, things really gets complicated and people have to deal with it no matter what to keep up their life.

4. What seem to be some of the main criteria you use (emotionally +/or mentally) to assess how meaningful an aspect of your life is?

I think is both emotionally and mentally. Because I think that things don't necessarily have to be happy to be able to consider as meaningful. To be, meaningful is to learn or know something that I never know, so it will stays in my heart. The things that I will remember even though it has past for years, that is meaningful. If something is meaningless, obviously I would not remember it. Both emotionally or mentally, I enjoy every moments of my life no matter is it is meaningful or meaningless, because that's life.

My Aspects of Life in 2008 from B1z， on Vimeo.

5. Is there a pattern in what you find meaningful or meaningless? What are some of the elements in that pattern?

In emotionally, when something is extremely sad or happy that is so symbolic in my life, I will count that as meaningful, because I always learn something new. In mentally, I will take everything as life experiences. Eventhough some situations might not be meaningful to me, I will try to stand on another angle and make the situation meaningful. Again, I believed that every moment in my life is meaningful because I am CHANGING every second. Nothing is really such meaningful or meaningless, but we give the meaning to it. Nothing mean anything. But we give meaning to it. Same to life, we evaluate our life. One of the elements in the pattern is "value". In any situations, it depends on the value of the happening. If a stressful situations is being repeated, is definately a meaningless thing to me because I like to preceive new things in my life.

6. Looking at the video as a whole – is it a fairly honest/accurate depiction of your life? Does it make you seem interesting/special/exciting?

I think my video is honest and is an accurate depiction of my life because that is who I am. As myself watching the video as a whole, I think it is interesting to myself. But not necessarily interesting to the others. I kind of showing the pictures in a fast motion because I think that is how life it is to me everyday-seeing, learning new things in our daily life. I don't think it makes me seem interesting in the video from looking back at the video. But it is kind of special, because I think everybody have different experiences and everybody have their own perspective of what "meaningful" is. Throughout the video, I think it is a fairly honest depiction of my life. Although I'm not really showing my daily life in NYC, I'm trying to point out that everything that I get through everyday is a new experience for me and they are unique.

7. Does your life seem meaningful from an outside perspective? Is it from an inside perspective? Why?

I think my life seem meaningful from an outside perspective if the person is standing where I am standing. Because throughout the whole video, what I am showing are the new things that I experience in 2008. They were new to me once and most of them is my "first time" knowing it. It shows that I am changing everyday and that's the way I grow up. Also showing different cultures from the U.S. to China, it should be a distinctive experience.

8. What questions do you have about living a meaningful life at this point?

I don't really have a question about living a meaningful life at this point because I think that no matter what, I have to get used to it and deal with it. Is not like, things are not going on the way I wanted then I have to change it. I think the easier way is to change myself. Which I am right now, and make my life as meaningful as possible even though it might be meaningless.