And the Question is...

There are a lot of questions that can be asked to a person. What’s your name? Do you want to get coffee with me some time? What’s your number? These questions don’t really involve a lot of thinking. This is because the answer can just be a simple yes or no while other times it’s a rhetorical one. But has anyone ever asked you, “What do you want to remember forever?” 

This question will ask for an answer that can confound your mind to the extent where you cannot even provide a straight answer. When asked that question, a spiralling list will come rushing into your mind hindering you from producing a straight answer for the direct question.

I can’t even think of one thing I want to remember forever since there are a lot to remember. Also, a reason is because I’m still in the process of finding that memory I want to keep forever. While waiting for my world to find its meaning, I went ahead and asked others who I think have found theirs hoping I could get a clear idea of what I might consider real in my life.

“I want to remember those sweet moments I spent with Jeffrey. I waited for years and during that time, quite a number of smartphone models have launched until finally, he found me. It was hard to survive in a world without someone to hold on to when everything else goes wrong, and Jeff made that all possible. Just one whisper of love makes all my worries go as if they didn’t even exist in the first place.” – Martha, 24

“I want to remember I’ve been a good friend, sister, and daughter to those people I care about the most. I am a person who cares more for others than myself. I remember when a co-worker borrowed a portable charger which I needed the next day for a trip outside of town. End of the story, I lent him the charger since luckily, the trip was cancelled. Ha! I try my best to be as selfless as I could be because that’s where I find the happiness everyone is searching for.” – Sandra, 22

“I want to remember the first time I had my angel. The way she held my finger with her little fingers was like a piece of heaven to me. It was the day I knew my life has come full circle. Everything I could wish for has been handed down to me. I thought it was when I married my lovely wife when I realized it was only half of what my life could come to. Now I can honestly say, ‘I’m alright.’” – Nathan, 27

“I want to remember how God showered me His eternal love. Those undertakings I have to go through are all part of a bigger plan. Whichever path He puts me to, I’ll gladly take it and live through it like it is a blessing in disguise.” – Christian, 19

Forever is a long time and so are our memories. If you were given the chance to pick one you want to keep, don’t wait for a question. Rather, make every day seem like fit for forever.

May the Best Man Win

This phrase has been spoken to men when they are going for the woman of their dreams. Whoever proves his worth shall win the lady. This very phrase can also be employed with the dozens of technological devices being launched each month if not each week. At first, there was the computer in all its glory which led to the staging of the laptop computers. And then came up the models of mobility in terms of telecommunication – the glorious smartphones.

In just three months, a lot has happened in the world especially in technology where change has its own permanent seat. They all have something to bring to the public which made them different from other competitors in this game of advancement.  More breakthroughs are coming up, but for now let’s take a quick recap of what the first half of the year 2013 has presented. 

iPhone 5

After iPhone 4S, I expected Apple to wait a bit longer before it releases its crown jewel which is the iPhone 5 though there had been news about it just after iPhone 4S was introduced. The iPhone 5 features a 4-inch retina screen, ability to connect to known 4G LTE networks (Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint), its new Lightning dock connector, and a dual-core A6 processor. These characteristics made iPhone 5 significantly slimmer but twice as fast compared to the 4S. iPhone 5 possesses an App Store which is probably its biggest suit. Its users can browse from a million of apps and have it on their phone with a swipe of a button. Though it is costs a little higher than most latest gadgets, the iPhone 5 still comes first as the most-wanted gadget of 2013.

HTC One

When talking about beauty, HTC One won’t be defeated that easily. When it comes to the body, the One includes a high-grade aluminium unibody making it feel solid in the hand. However, the One rises on the hardware section as this is what makes the One in line with the sovereignties. This time around, HTC did its research as it clearly focused its attention on the music aficionados as this aluminium-covered device was created particularly to play real good music through both headphones and speakers.

Samsung Galaxy S4

The recent release from one of the tech giants of the century has garnered both positive and negative reviews. The Samsung Galaxy S4 outlined a number of amazing new features for smartphones. One of them will be the Air Gestures which allows you to view photos with just a wave of your hand. Like every great smartphone out there, the S4 holds a swift quad-core processor, 5-inch HD screen display, and is operated by Google’s Jelly Bean software. As for its plastic body which was part of the negative reviews given to the S4, consumers might not go for it especially our backpackers. Nevertheless, the S4 gets back by being the smartphone for neophytes which is highlighted by its Easy Mode feature making everything a lot easier to manipulate. Overall, the S4 is a wonderful smartphone but not for everybody’s tastes.

Sony Xperia Z

Last but most certainly not the least, is the Sony Xperia Z which has yet to be beaten as the first to launch the waterproof technology in smartphones. The world was amazed when it exhibited in the CES 2013 in Las Vegas early this year. Forbes even named it as a “mature” Android smartphone because it is as minimalistic as it can get but is packed with everything that you might need in a smartphone. What grabbed the audience’s attention is its water-resisting capability apart from the usual feature of Android phones which is the size. It arrives with a 5-inch full HD 1080p screen display which is powered by Sony’s very own Bravia Engine 2, and might I say, it has one of the greatest aesthetical designs for smartphones. Also, this baby has Qualcomm’s 1.5 GHz S4 Pro for a processor and IP5X which grants it its dust-proof ability. It still reigns at the top close enough to be levelled with the tech giants, Apple and Samsung. 

These lofty candidates have shown what they got and haven’t failed their audience. If we talk about market shares, we already have a winner. But when it comes to who aced the hearts of the millions, the best man is without question the...

Talk All You Want

I am a big fan of this TV series on Fox that I religiously watch every Monday night. Once, the main character uttered the words that bore truth about the selfishness of human beings. He said that people love to talk about other people’s lives because it makes them feel superior. Sad? Harsh? Of course! Unfortunately it’s a fact. If you are thin-skinned, you will never survive the atrocities of life.

Talking about other people’s lives makes us feel righteous, because we tend to compare our own mistakes with their mistakes. We hopelessly search for loopholes to make our lives seem more favorable than theirs. I take it that you experienced talking about other people too; it may also be called gossiping. If you already did it once or a couple of times in your life, then you should also know that when other people do that to you, you shouldn’t mind.

People will never stop talking

You must know that people were born with gossiping carefully encrypted in their genes. You must also know that people will never stop talking, especially now in our digital age where communication has accomplished great leaps of development; gossiping has never been so easy and convenient. Social networking sites have been mediums of professional stalking and gossiping in the world, plus you can now access them anytime and anywhere you want even in your smartphones.

None of your business

We should never forget that we are living in a free world, and whatever that goes on inside other people’s minds is none of our business. Each and every one of us has the freedom to think what we want to think, just as you are completely free to think what you want to think. The more you care about other’s opinions the more you give them power to ruin you. Don’t base your personal judgement to what other people thinks; you are your own person, and no one knows you better than yourself.

You can’t please everyone

Whether you be in your best behavior or not, people will still believe what they want to believe. You can’t just sway or curb someone else’s opinion by acting nice in front of him. As Dita Von Teese once said, “you can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches”. Just like the latest gadgets that electronic manufacturers produce everyday, they always say that theirs is the best, but once you tried to surf the internet for reviews, you will definitely see some negative feedbacks.

Bitches will always go bitchin’ and haters will never stop hating; therefore if you hear someone talk nasty about you, brush it off, stand tall, and let it go.

The Sweetness of Doing Nothing

With all the progress and developments technology has to offer, do we still have time to pause and simply do nothing? Nowadays people can get out of their houses without their pants on, but not without their smartphones. Everyday, we try our best to keep up with this fast paced world, running and working for dear life without stopping. The complete 24 hours of the whole day seems to be insufficient with all the things that we have to do and accomplish for the day. And what do we get after working our ass off for the whole day? Can you honestly and with conviction tell me right now that you are a hundred percent fulfilled with your life?

Sometimes it is best if you pause for a while, take a step back to have a better view of your life in a good distance, reflect, and just watch your life roll out in your eyes. Have you seen this movie entitled Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts in it? Well, originally it is a book that was later on adapted in to film because it really is a good one. It’s a story about a modern day woman trying to find meaning and purpose in life. 

Just like you and I, this woman is trapped in the world of useless commodities until she finally decided to give it all up in her desperate search for meaning. She went to different parts of the world trying to chase her heartbeats. One of the most striking lessons (at least for me) that I picked up in that movie is that part where they taught her the idea of the sweetness of doing nothing. Turned out that Europeans have this tradition where they, unlike the Americans, take some time off to savor their every moment.

You can start just by taking a day off, don’t go anywhere, and just stay at home all by yourself. This will work best if you remain alone for the rest of the day. Wake up late, and prepare a hearty meal, with your favorite wine. Don’t eat in a hurry; let it sit in your mouth satisfying your taste buds in all possible way. Enjoy every ingredient you lovingly added in what you are eating, and top it off with the kick of your wine on the side. To complete the equation, play your favorite chill and feel-good music. Turn up your player’s volume, or you can make use of your trusty mobile earphones so as not to disturb your neighbors. Stare in blank space, but not with a blank stare. Analyze your life and try to create a mental picture of what your plans are, how you want to implement those plans , and lastly make a firm decision on where you want your life to head on.

It turns out, doing nothing isn’t exactly doing nothing! You are simply plugging the holes in your life in the process. Don’t get so caught up in the ways of the world; keep yourself grounded and enjoy the sweetness of doing nothing.

The Social Contract

Relationships have become the foundation of all the things we do. They affect our decisions and ultimately, our actions as well. Whether it is within our intentions or not, our acts are often and in most cases, always directed by the relationship we are in. Just like our unconscious steps, so is an agreement between people being flaunted. This agreement is also referred to as “the social contract.” 

WITH YOUR BOSS

The social contract for work-related endeavours is to “suck it up and do your job,” especially when you’re a new recruit. You can’t say anything that is entirely the opposite of whatever it is your boss wants to happen. He doesn’t have to enumerate to you or print you a list of all the things you’re expected to do. Say he wanted you to greet him each morning? Do it! Pick up his laundry? Go! Call you in the middle of the night via smartphone, answer it! When talking about your career, your complete focus is necessary for it’s a line in your life you wouldn’t want to cut short. To keep yourself from thinking negative thoughts about your boss, think of all the people who you care enough about and make them the reason for your staying in the dreadful job you’ve entered.

WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Some of your friends, whether you are from the rich and famous sort or the carefree and nerd-filled kind, one or two of them is sure to have his or her personal dramas. The catch? You can’t easily escape because as friends, you’re bound to each other like the moon in the sky. If she gets overdramatic over a bad breakup, without word, you are expected to comfort and whisper only good things about her and bad things about the guy who broke her heart. However, don’t let it reach the point where you plan on an accident so you could “take care” of the man, if you know what I mean and I do believe you do. Part of the social contract is you should know how to rein in your friend when things go way out of control.

WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER

Let’s admit it, there’s not one relationship in this world that’s perfect. In a romantic relationship, compromise is an important attitude. Otherwise, I could assure you now, you won’t be reaching the following year with all the fights and shouting you’ve busied yourself into for a number of weeks now and all because he forgot to buy you the tablet folio you’ve been relentlessly pointing out to him last month at the mall.

We didn’t sign upon it, nor did we exchange words for its foundation. It’s just there without us even noticing, and it is exists with each and every person we encounter in life.