The post-millennial era has Mark Zuckerberg and his team at Harvard to thank for. Who would have thought that the future of time-keeping, diary entry of thoughts, pictures and emotions are encapsulated in the form of Facebook.

We’ve become so connected and obsessed in documenting our daily lives from the mundane to the extraordinary. It’s amazing sometimes when we try to think about the fact that content is just at our fingertips. We can easily talk and share our opinions quickly, freely and (to some) anonymously – whether solicited or unsolicited.

I remember when I lived overseas where my lifestyle dictates me to be constantly online. Every time I notice that my phone battery is about to die – I feel like I’m about to die along with it too. The 'fear of missing out' from the virtual environment makes me jittery and neurotic. [FYI, the term has already entered into mainstream consciousness and made its way on the pages of dictionaries officially as ‘FOMO’.] I can’t find my way around because I have no GPS. I have no idea when the next bus is coming because I have no phone alarm – let alone the app itself. I’m not sure if the restaurant I’m about to go to still have enough seats. If my friends are on their way, I wouldn’t be sure how close they are to the meeting place. And if I’ve ordered food or having a great time, there’s no camera to capture the moment. And the list goes on and on…

It’s like a deer in the headlights scenario. The very idea of being offline feels more or less like a digital death and it is unimaginable. You see – it wasn’t like this before.

When internet and smart phones were not as widespread as it is now, (and that was how many eras ago, mind you!), people relied on common sense. If one had trouble locating a place, they'd go old school by asking people to point them in the right direction. The same goes with the time if one forgot to wear a watch. And if they're lucky, maybe meet a newfound acquaintance, a bit of small talk, a smile and little joke on the side to go along with it on a beautiful day. That’s pretty much more than you can get talking to actual three-dimensional people out there as opposed to your pocket-sized rectangular friend.

The sad thing is, in general, people have become too focused on their own daily affairs. Subconsciously, the habit of replacing the actual three-dimensional people over smart phones is prevalent in today’s society.

Take a good hard look around, provided that your device does not distract you, and you’ll see how people in the train, people who are eating out, people who are traveling and basically just people everywhere from all walks of life are plugged without acknowledging their surroundings.

For all we know, there are amazing things happening around us that we fail to see and perhaps, even take part of. And those are moments that we can’t go back to.

That guy who just slipped right across the street after stepping on a banana peel that happened in a space of 15 seconds would have been a funny sight. But we missed it – that 15 seconds alone is gone.

Let’s say, we did saw it and took a video of it. That would have been a potential gif or meme to go viral waiting to happen. But then again, so are capturing everything in our lives. It’s become, at times, a silly habit to take pictures of almost anything and everything we can think of from the food we eat to the clothes we wear.

Although it’s nice sometimes, but in the long run, it’s damaging us on how completely reliant we are to these devices. What if, just an exercise, we take away your smart phones (gasp!) for a day and test your memory skills. Try to witness the events that happened during the day and try recalling them at night. Remember anything special and specific – like, did you see that guy who slipped earlier? Did you notice his facial expression when it happened? How about the color of his shirt? Oh wait, was he wearing a shirt or a suit? See my point?

That said; give yourself a little favor to rely on your mental capacity to remember things naturally – without digital intervention via smart phones, tablets and laptops. And remember: GO OUT AND HAVE FUN! Be happy to be unplugged for a little while and relish the moment.


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Photo via CJ

There's nothing like coming across a book, a poem, a quote or even a well-written piece of literature that gives you a sudden epiphany out of nowhere. It just stops you in your tracks and realize how much it resonates with the things that you live by. It's amazing... and unbelievable both in equal measure.

And so, several years ago in the days of MTV at its peak, there I was, my adolescent self sitting on the couch tuning into my favorite channel. Then, out of nowhere, a video was played that was completely different to what I was used to then - a confection of pop, alternative, rock, r&b sounds. It was more about spoken words accompanied by a background music that I had trouble recognizing. Completely unlike anything I've heard before. So I listened closely with all my senses focused on nothing else but what was played on the screen.

Ohh... That was it - I was hooked. I really get it. It was a sort of tribute dispensing valuable life lessons to young generations like me. The words and advices that pack a punch and land in our ears and minds of things that shouldn't be taken for granted.

It was quite a generous effort. So I decided to track down the origins of the thought behind the piece. And there there, it was a beautifully written by a lady journalist named Mary Schmich published in the Chicago Tribune.

Thank you Mary. It has such a wonderful and inspiring message that it has contained some of my go-to mantras every now and then when certain situations call for it.

And to everyone else: May you find the same beauty that I myself found within it, too. So, without further ado, I am sharing to you. Here goes ---

Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who'd rather be Rollerblading. Most of us, alas, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an audience of caps and gowns, but there's no reason we can't entertain ourselves by composing a Guide to Life for Graduates.

I encourage anyone over 26 to try this and thank you for indulging my attempt.Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97:

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.


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Photo via CJ