Hi, welcome back to Wanda’s Area! In my first post, I wrote about making room for the parts of life that don’t come with a deadline. This time, I want to share a video that gives that idea a simple starting point: one second. Between graduate school, work, and figuring out life in New York, it’s easy to describe a week by what got finished. But what would I choose to remember if assignments and checklists weren’t the whole story?
My pick is One second every day, a TED talk by filmmaker Cesar Kuriyama. He explains his project of recording a second of each day and bringing those fragments together into a longer film. At about eight minutes, the talk is short enough for a study break, but its central question can stay with you afterward: which parts of an ordinary day deserve our attention?
Featured video: Cesar Kuriyama, “One second every day,” TED2012. Allow about eight minutes. Watch on TED or open the transcript.
I’m featuring this because it connects directly to what I want this blog to be: a place for the details that don’t fit on a résumé. A cup of something warm, the view on the way to class, or a meal shared with someone could all become a small record of a day. None of those moments needs an impressive caption. I like the possibility of asking “What would I like to keep?” alongside “What do I need to do?”
The video format matters here. A written diary can explain what happened, while a moving image can preserve a gesture or a tiny change in someone’s expression. The quick sequence of clips also invites us to make connections between moments that happened far apart. For readers who enjoy everyday-life videos, that makes the project both enjoyable to watch and interesting to think about. As you watch, notice which fragment catches your attention—and whether it is the most dramatic one.
There’s also a connection to living between cultures. Having studied and worked in China and the United States, I’m interested in how a place becomes familiar through ordinary routines. If I made a version of this project, I might include a familiar dish or a small detail from a New York street. For anyone who has moved away from home, these details could become a way of telling a story about belonging without needing to explain everything in words.
My education background leaves me with another question: what can we learn from the moments we choose? A short collection might help us notice how much of our attention goes to work, friends, food, or time alone. It would still be an edited picture of life, shaped by what we leave out. I wouldn’t want this idea to become another daily requirement or a reason to stage a perfect week. Some moments can simply be lived.
If you feel like trying it, start with seven days. Save a brief clip when something catches your attention, choose one second from each day, and put the seven seconds together in order. Keep the result for yourself if you prefer. Then ask: what did I notice that I might otherwise have forgotten? If you miss a day, just continue—the point is to make room for your life.
What is one second from today that you would want to keep? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
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