to be in complete control of your emotions (or to be void of any emotion) is to be powerful beyond any measure

Let me Twitter that for You

The New American Generation has shifted into a world that is now hyperconnected. Compare 2012 to 2004?... "Facebook didn't exist; Twitter was a sound; the cloud was in the sky; 4G was a parking place; LinkedIn was a prison; applications were what you sent to college; and Skype for most people was typo." - Thomas Friedman on "How America Fell Behind"

Technology is accelerating at a relentless pace...

Below is the world's first virtual shopping store that opened in Korea. All the shelves are LCD screens and the customer chooses his/her desired item by simply touching the screen and checking out. The checkout then has all the items already packaged in bags and ready to go.  I present to you, the long-awaited entry/path into an automaton-controlled society where our thoughts and actions are controlled, where the food we eat, the things we buy, our method of leisurely activity and exercise is bottled, packaged, easy-to-use, synthesized through hormones and chemicals, simulated in climate-and-environment-controlled settings, available via Prime or expedited shipping....

"1984" meets "5th element"...

And to think, how "simple" we were just over a decade ago....

I think the picture above says it well. Suddenly a simple "You've Got Mail!"is no longer music to my ears. A decade later, with over three email accounts directing me towards work, law school, and personal commitments, I have only paper mail to look forward to; but this too is anti-climactic, seeing as how "snail mail" paper correspondences nowadays usually consist of bills or solicitations to invest in another interest-seeking, credit-sucking, money-hungry form of plastic freedom that eventually  promotes my adventures in retail therapy...But that's a different story. :)

magical

“Butterflies are proof that we can have a second chance at life.”

You Ef Oh

My friend's grandpa once said something interesting about aliens, claiming that we are the very aliens we fear will some day encroach us. Somehow sounding a bit Orwellian-esque, I think there is some truth to Grandpa's words.

That we are able to even conceive the intricacies that make up these alien existences means they could be a mere reflection of what we will one day (soon?) become; not to say we will necessarily morph into an ominous, three-eyed greenish extraterrestrial (though who knows what vitamins can do to us nowadays), but it may very well be that we as humans will in fact reach our own demise because of our transcendence in all things. So, perhaps then, the only thing we should truly fear is ourselves, because we will probably assume such unearthly advancements and technological superiority that we will become those very strange creatures we fear...the ones that smother humanity, driving it into ruins (if 2012 doesn't get us first :p).

Lately I've been thinking about two present-day innovations which in an effort to set society forward is in fact detrimental to our well-being:

...One does not need to go to a local park in order to play tennis. Nowadays, gaming consoles such as the Wii make outdoor activities like tennis easily accessible indoors. Rainy day? Tennis courts are too far away? No other partner to play with? That's okay! Just grab a 'wand' and your nunchuck, get in your 30 minutes of a linear workout, and call it a day. The experience in and outdoors must all be the same...

...One does not need to grab a book in order to read. Nowadays, virtual audiobooks will simply read to you your favorite pieces. No need to build your lexical skills or enhance your use of superfluous vocabulary in an effort to raise your IQ or hold a normal (dare-I-say deep?) conversation; besides, who ever has the time to pick up a (heavy) book and READ. Time is money, and we simply do not have the time to read. But we all have time to listen, perhaps we can listen to Tolstoy's, "War and Peace" while we play Tennis on the Wii. Now THAT'S what I call multi-tasking, and we Americans love to multi-task.

On that note, my coworker, Nicole, asked me if our simplification of life is a product of Americanization; is the Western world blameworthy for it's effort in trying to make things faster, easier, and more accessible? Are all of these products an "American fad"?

On another note, there must be reasons why the U.S. government siphons our access to technologies years at a time. When webcamming via cellphones became a popular fad in Hong Kong over one decade ago, U.S. phone companies were barely just introducing us to motorola-type 'razr' cellphones. Use of cellphone webcamming just recently was introduced to us here in the United States upon the semi-recent release of the iPhone 4. Why so late? I digress..

....Is making everything easy to use, ready-to-ship, at-our-fingertips, and at the click of a button something that will in fact hinder our livelihoods?

It's too early to tell or perhaps even too late.

Perhaps we are in fact the very alien creatures we've created, speculated about, and long feared. Perhaps Grandpa was right, and slowly but surely we will come to some day one day become detrimental to ourselves (and to society). Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...

But even if we are the aliens we've for so long painted in our imaginations, no worries- we come in peace.

Richard, from Texas...

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave."

sunday

It is quite a magical feeling when you realize that at any given moment you could meet somebody who will shake the very ground you walk on. Just think: in a matter of seconds, the course of your entire life could change because of that "chance" encounter...

Believe

Love and happiness are ubiquitous but only if you choose to believe in their existences. Your reality is as loveless and as unhappy as you make it to be. Realizing the true potential and existence of these two most sought-after, incomprehensible emotions means you are equipped with the power to wish them away or to embrace the magic that may come towards you in your life...all because you choose to BELIEVE...:}

Sushi with a Stranger

It's time to practice what I preach.

2-cents

In these few short months, I have endured the death of a once-close friend, the loss of a coworker, the growth of a new friendship, the advancement of opportunity, the unnecessarily dramatic undertakings of relationships, and the perpetuated curious mixture of what embodies a perfect-less, asymmetrical life.

Do all that you want and love because life is limitless and any moment can permanently change the course of the rest of your day, week, month, year, or life.

Never wish away your life- by moments of anticipation for future events. Never lose sight of your youth. Never forget that love, happiness, and friendship are fleeting and you will never even sometimes realize or appreciate what you have until what or whom you have is no longer existent in your life- be it permanently or not. Lastly, never say never. :}

So live for yourself and possibly even tentatively, by yourself. Seek to love and cherish and value your own mind, body, and soul because the more you age, the less you live, and the less time you have to truly appreciate your own essence in this busy, relentless, robotic world. Do no lose sight of your senses, in every sense of that senseless word. (Re)discover the thirst you have for living life barring boundaries. Cherish the opportunity to travel and to learn and learn and LEARN and grow. Challenge your dispositions and welcome change. Incite a conversation between you and a stranger, you might learn something new or even make their day.

Live and let live. Live with balance, live with openness, do something different every single day of your life, drink some good ol' humble juice, help the elderly in need, be kind, and lock your pride in the closet. Stop living life like an automaton-technologically crippled, socially grappled, and behaviorally antagonistic, because you only live once, so make it harmoniously happy. :}Don't let people tell you what to do (hi), unless their advice is worth your 2-seconds.

And if not for me then for the people or strangers who care, love, and/or interact with you....SMILE.


It won't kill you.

Trust me. :]

Corazón

'‎"It's impossible," said pride.

"It's risky," said experience.

"It's pointless," said reason.

"Give it a try," whispered the heart.'