“The more you're willing to pay, the more valuable the prize. The question is: Are you willing to pay the price?”

1: “Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.”
George Washington

2: “Never try to lock the virtue’s door with the key of vice
It may lock forever; never to be opened again”
Munia Khan

3: “I’m not denying their kindness,” said the Rani. “But after all kindness isn’t the only virtue.”
Aldous Huxley, Island

4: “The more you're willing to pay, the more valuable the prize. The question is: Are you willing to pay the price?”

5: “Know you not that a good man does nothing for appearance sake, but for the sake of having done right?”
Epictetus

They say that hindsight is 20/20. When I look back at the things I've thought and done, I see the mistakes of a young man, trying to find a sense of meaning and purpose in the world, battling any regrets along the way. As the older person I am now, I realise this is human instinct at play, and that we are all trying to find a sense of meaning and purpose.

How we achieve meaning is what varies. One may aspire to become a world-class painter, an innovator that makes his or her way into households, or perhaps they aspire to climb a mountain, be it physical or metaphorical. Greatness comes in all forms.

The problem many, if not all, of us face is putting our dreams into action so that they do not exist exclusively in our minds. Frequently, the most ambitious goals are the most expensive, not necessarily financially, but one's personal resources such as time and energy. It's been said that the more we are willing to pay, the more the valuable the prize. We ought to ask ourselves if our dreams are worth pursuing or if they're something we flirt with in a fantasy world.

I've personally set myself goals and admittedly, some are far more ambitious than others. It's not necessarily a physical thing I'm searching for, but rather a sensation of life satisfaction, coming in the form of emotion from myself and the people around me. I ask myself how I can achieve this.

I think of advancing my personal education as a keystone towards my goals. Knowledge is power as is so often quoted. But I believe this to be true. As we age, our way of thinking tends to become more rigid, like some kind of mental concrete. We become less open to ideas as we become more cognitively dissonant.

I try on a daily basis to ensure that I stay open-minded and free-thinking. It doesn't stop me from making mistakes - if anything it makes me more likely to stumble on them. But I am often exposed to new ideas and some of the best lessons are those when we're down. 

Sometimes this can conflict with my personal life. As I pursue my education goals, the people around me may view my aurora as being somewhat blunt or cold. Sometimes I'm aware of it, sometimes I'm not. Regardless, none of it is with bad intention. I believe it somewhat of a necessity that things like enjoying time for hobbies, travel or relationships must be placed aside in order to achieve my goals.

It's a double-edged sword of course. I want to be a good friend and have time to enjoy life outside of the classroom and books. Pursuing a high level of competency in knowledge does not supplement a lack of varied experiences. We ought to avoid chasing a dream with such fervor that we miss the little bits of beauty all around us. Sometimes we should slow down and enjoy the sights.

As with everything in life, it's all about balance. Perhaps that should be our goal, in the end. Education is infinite. We can't know all there is to know, but it is worth the effort if it can inspire change and motivate people to emerge from stasis. I want to be as knowledgeable as I can while I am young so that some day in the future I can apply this power to build a better tomorrow.

“In our time, the curse is monetary illiteracy, just as inability to read plain print was the curse of earlier centuries.”

1: “One of the greatest pieces of economic wisdom is to know what you do not know.”
John Kenneth Galbraith

2: “We have always known that heedless self interest was bad morals, we now know that it is bad economics.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt

3: “99 percent of all statistics only tell 49 percent of the story.”
Ron DeLegge II, Gents with No Cents

4: “In our time, the curse is monetary illiteracy, just as inability to read plain print was the curse of earlier centuries.”
Ezra Pound

5: “Geniuses and prophets do not usually excel in professional learning, and their originality, if any, is often due precisely to the fact that they do not.”
Joseph A. Schumpeter, Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy

Wealth and money are two different things to some people. For me, wealth doesn't necessarily reflect financial prowess but having a lot of money does. Wealth is a more "holistic" view of a person's happiness. They can be wealthy with experiences of traveling, or perhaps they are wealthy in a life of accumulated education and knowledge. The definition of wealth is as unique as the people who possess it.

Money, to me, is the strength or buffer zone of someone's financial capital. Bill Gates once said that how rich someone is would be to test how long they could survive with the money they had saved. I wholeheartedly agree with this concept. Like all resources, control over its quantity depends not only on how much there is initially, but how long it takes to deplete it.

People earn money by work, for the most part. There are of course exceptions, but for you and I, we have to earn our money in whatever ways we can to ensure our survival and livelihood. In Australia, there are three types of people when it comes to monetary success.

The first are the losers. Harsh label perhaps, but it reflects their spending habits. The losers spend far more money than they earn - fancy house, car, clothes, the whole nine yards. This might occur because one may want to enjoy a personal sense of achievement or perhaps to impose onto others that they are "successful" in life - "keeping up with the Jones's" as it is commonly referred to. They take out loans from the bank or the people they're close to more frequently than other people.

The second group are the winners. These are the people who spend money only on things that will yield a profit. They are calculative people and it has paid them dividends. Any excess is cut and sometimes an outsider may view their financial decision-making as "stingy". While they win in the financial game, they are often viewed by outsiders as hoarders and ungenerous.

The last group are the people who spend within their means. Their salary may be low, but so are their spending habits. Some may be richer, but they can afford to spend a bit more. Regardless, what they make and what they spend are in harmony. They do not go into debt, but they're not swimming in bank notes. From what I've observed throughout my life, most people in Australia fit into this category.

Being conscious of one's spending habits is an important life lesson and one I'm still learning myself. As I am being exposed to new situations as I mature, I have to look at my spending with a more critical eye. But sometimes it's good to splurge. A celebration for hard work is deserved.

In cases like these, we can't be excessively calculative with our money. After a year of hard work, it is absolutely within reason to indulge in an amazing holiday to a place on the other side of the world. We have to respect our non-financial well-being too.

Ultimately, we do not want to be in a position of debt. It hurts our wallet and reinforces bad habits, but more importantly it can damage our relationships, especially if we have to resort to borrowing from people close to us. It reflects our eagerness to feed our egos instead of developing relationships that do not depend on money.

“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”

1: “Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.”
Gertrude Stein

2: “Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have.”
Winston Churchill

3: “The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”
Paulo Coelho, Alchemist

4: “Never, never, never give in!”
Winston Churchill

5: “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”
Martin Luther King Jr., A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

When I was younger, I was naive not only to the world outside my school, but to the realities of life as well.

Back in elementary school, I had a dream where I would run my own car company. It was a wild dream and even then I knew it. But I liked cars (despite not being able to drive yet) so I felt that such a dream was entirely possible, provided I put in the effort. 

When I was in high school, my school participated in an international competition where teams of students were to design a car with 3d software, produce them out of balsa wood and race them against each other. My dream of running my own car company was still very much alive at this point in time, but my school already had an established team and it didn't look like they were looking for a new member. Despite this, I decided to start my own team with the intentions to rival my school's team akin to AFL's derbies or Holden vs Ford. I also thought that having extra competition would help both teams achieve new heights.

I was able to get two friends on board, but my plan fell through. I remember reading the manual for the 3d software I needed to learn, but it was all too complicated for me. It was the very basics and I couldn't find a way to make it work. Worst still, I didn’t seek help because I didn’t want to appear to be the leader that didn’t know what to do. I failed my team. I failed myself.

How was I going to run a car company when I wasn't able to even design a simple chassis on a computer program or swallow my pride to seek help?

As I've grown (and hopefully matured) over the years, I've learnt a lot about life. As a student, be it in elementary school or university, I would fall into the trap of thinking that I needed to know everything inside out, even if it was beyond the syllabus. I felt that it would be impressive to others and that I'd be rewarded for such initiative.

Indeed it did impress my teachers, but as I progressed through school into the higher years and onto university, such initiative became more and more unrealistic as there was simply too much information out there. It took me a while to understand that, and my grades suffered as I focused on areas that were never going to be examined.

Through the many failures I've experienced, I've learnt that we can't expect to be perfect or to always have the answers. In real life, bosses of giant companies that dominate the global market don't know everything. I used to think they did - why would they be the boss? Nowadays, I strongly believe that experience, ethics and empathy play a bigger role in our personal and professional lives. It's more important than raw knowledge alone.

It's been said that the secret of life is to fall seven times and to get up eight times. From who I was to who I am now, I endorse this statement 110%.

“Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves.”

1: “Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves.”
Horace Mann

2: “There are these amazing little seeds called compassion.  You should grow some.”
Richelle E. Goodrich

3: “It didn´t occur to me until later that there´s another truth, very simple: greed in a good cause is still greed.”
Stephen King, Wolves of the Calla

4: “I've purged myself of worldly goods; half my stuff is either being sold or going to charity. I need to go shopping.”
Christy Leigh Stewart

5: “Many love humanity only in order to forget God with a clear conscience.”
Nicolás Gómez Dávila

Our way of life since the beginning of mankind has continued to evolve. In the modern world of today, human innovation in technology and medicine are achieving incredible feats not only to extend or save lives, but to enrich them as well.

I need only to look at my phone and know that in a moment's notice, I can reconnect with an old friend. With my phone, I can watch the latest news, follow a celebrity or voice my opinions. It's a powerful device, but one I also believe has the power to take away the essence of living.

If we look back to the pre-internet and pre-mobile era, we realise that a lot of life we associate with today simply does not exist. Life was different then, and while I wasn't around during that time, I can envision a simpler day-to-day.

But as much as technology has grown, we are ultimately human. The human body, mind and soul hasn't changed in the last 50 years. We're the same as the earliest of modern mankind. Because of this, it's important to view humanity as the foundation that builds greatness and inspires storytelling.

The respect for all humans, realising that we're not all the same but rather that we're unique and yearn for understanding is what I firmly believe is my life's goal. Lending a hand may be a simple act to us, but for somebody else, it could change the course of their life. It's easy to forget the magnitude something small can create, akin to the butterfly effect.

Conversely, I can see the perspective of spending too much time in the interests of others is as much as a distraction as the modern technology around us, suppressing our opportunities to live a life we want. A life serving others is an incredible one, no doubt, but we can't forget that we are individuals too, and that we need to find time for ourselves instead of depending on others for our happiness.

I personally enjoy time alone, but as with all things in life, we need balance. We ought to live a life where we are alert to opportunities around us so that we can grow and develop as well as help others along the way.

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

1: “A good traveler leaves no tracks. Good speech lacks fault-finding.”
Lao Tzu

2: “Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you've never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.”
Judith Thurman

3: “No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow. ”
Lin Yutang

4: “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
Ernest Hemingway

5: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
Marcel Proust

Now that I'm in my mid-twenties, I feel like I've gained some good insight surrounding various facets of life. When I was younger I looked at many things in absolutes. All teachers had the answer no matter what the question. Having more friends was good. Nobody liked school and anyone who did was a "weirdo". Likewise, outcomes are all people care about. Nothing else matters.

Ernest Hemingway once said that "it is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end". At school I would always hear teachers say that the journey was more important than its destination. I understood that thought even as a child, but now I can wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment.

Almost, if not all, aspects of life are relative. Teachers don't always have the answer. None of us do. Having more friends do not directly translate to greater happiness. Some people thoroughly enjoy school. There's nothing wrong with that.

The journey of life is mixed bag of success, regret, joy and sadness. But despite its random nature, a challenging journey can give our lives depth, meaning and satisfaction as long as we continue to hustle. Everything can be spun in a positive way, given we have the strength to do so. The journey teaches us the power of experiences both positive and negative. 

I remember studying for a particularly important exam while studying pharmacy. Failing this exam would result in my repeating the whole unit the following year. I was studying with a friend around that time and we would bounce encouragement off each other, supporting ourselves whenever we felt weak. I remember thinking, "even if I fail this exam, I won't have failed myself because I've formed a incredible friendship along the way".

Conversely, I can see the perspective where the destination is more valuable than the journey. It comes as no surprise that ultimately that's what employers, family and friends care about. No one can put a value on somebody's personal experiences. It has no weight to them because they were probably out of the picture completely. In that light, I think it's absolutely rational to put emphasis on results or outcomes.

The truth is, both are important. But if we can focus on the journey, we can also expect great results. I passed that exam in the end. Sure, I passed because I was able to answer questions correctly, but what helped me succeed was power of friendship, which is ultimately the most important thing I learnt.

"Sometimes you have to get sicker before you can get better"

1: “A little chocolate a day keeps the doctor at bay”
Marcia Carrington

2: “Sometimes you have to get sicker before you can get better.”
Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle

3: “Save the Planet...Buy Organic”
Nancy Philips

4: “To wish a healthy man to die is the wish from a mind of sickness. To wish an ailing man to die is the wish of the ambitious.”
Roman Payne

5: “the body is wiser than its inhabitants. the body is the soul. the body is god’s messenger.”
Erica Jong

Jeannette Walls once said "sometimes you have to get sicker before you can get better". I can identify with this notion, through my personal experiences. To me, those words translate to the idea that one must make sacrifices or suffer hardships in the pursuit of anything great. That might be at work, school or even in relationships. The hardest or most challenging endeavours are often the most rewarding and inspirational. At the same time, I can see the point of view that chasing overly ambitious dreams can take away from life and enjoying the present moment.

When I was in high school, we'd sometimes be introduced to an inspirational speaker. I remember clearly in the 9th grade when I was on placement that aimed to enhance cultural, creative and practical learning. One time we had a speaker who was of Indigenous background. I recall being moved by how he was able to overcome the struggles of being a minority and a social outcast amongst those around him to achieve his personal goals.

It's through facing harsh realities and coming to terms with our unique situations that help us find a reason to break out of apathy and stasis. "The night is darkest before the dawn" is one of my favorite quotes from Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" and I feel it is relevant in this context. As we take on every challenge head on and avoid procrastination, we realise that we are capable of much more than we anticipated.

I reflect back on what I've been through and the difficulties I've tackled personally. I remember the countless failures when I played tennis and becoming frustrated at serving the ball correctly. Over the years through continued practice, my serve has improved vastly although I certainly wouldn't consider it competitive! That wasn't never my goal however.

On the flip side, I've also observed the brutality of intense dream-chasing where someone can be entirely consumed from being so focused on a goal they may never achieve. It's important to know one's limits. I remember a friend who would speak of big plans they had - dreams so wild and fantastic that it would make anyone question its plausibility. With goals set so high, failure is almost guaranteed. It can take away from life experiences and drain the soul.

But ultimately that is the price of success. We need to be smart about our goal-setting for it has to be both awesome and achievable. If there's a meaning to life, perhaps it's to learn not only about the world around us, but its inhabitants too. If our goals divide us from people or reduce the number of opportunities for new experiences, we should reevaluate them for life, in my eyes, isn't truly being lived.

First Flight

It's been a while since I've written here informally. My last few posts have been "somewhat sporadically spaced" if you will (I'm all about that alliteration lyf) and they haven't been a particularly good representation of my day-to-day as they once may have been many moons ago. Hopefully, this post will spell a return to form but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Over the past year or so, my close friends and I were looking at new hobbies to try. There were talks of traveling beyond the Perth metro area as one proposal (if you could call that a hobby). Pharmacy school ensured that we were planted in Perth for most of our uni days and the notion of visiting landmarks around Australia piqued our interest.

Another hobby we talked about was programming, fueling our interest in technology and exploring our fascination of how it can make our lives not only more fun, but more productive too.

Finally there was the discussion of remote controlled devices which eventually led to the topic of drones. Initially I was hesitant to embrace flying a drone for a hobby, as I had the misconception that they were all really expensive and liable to fail at any time. I saw it as a thousand dollars (which in retrospect is a severe underestimate of how much drones can really cost!) way up in the air waiting to get rekt wrecked in some inconceivable way.

As amusing as it may seem now, the experience I gained from embarking on my first flight and the many horror threads on drone forums remind me that this "crash 'n burn" scenario is still very possible.

But I, like my friends, decided to invest in a cheap drone just to test the water first. And the water was surprisingly good. While my mini drone was nothing short of useless, my friend's "more-than-capable" drone was a pleasure to fly, despite my flipping it over and crashing it a few times.

We quickly concluded that the fabled "hover function" found in the uber expensive drones was going to be a valuable asset in order to compensate for our lack of flying prowess.

I am always amazed by high quality drone videos on YouTube and the footage my friend managed to capture when he flew his drone in a park was no exception. The view he obtained from above the tree-line with the distance visible and some lens flare was magnificently majestic mate.

I was so inspired after flying my friend's drone and watching the footage he produced that I did some more research and discovered that buying a great drone with many clever features (like the hover function and live camera feed) would not cost an organ or limb.

After months of researching (and saving), I bought the DJI Phantom 3 Standard drone with high hopes (pun intended) and enthusiasm that it would rekindle my passion for great photography, film-making and ultimately, storytelling.

I hope you enjoy my "First Flight".

Choice and Travel

1: “They were two lovely choices. One of them meant giving up every chance of a decent life forever...and the other one scared me out of my mind.”
Frederik Pohl, Gateway

2: “He's in pain. I am, too. It strikes me that perhaps this is part of what we are fighting to choose. Which pain we feel.”
Ally Condie, Matched

3: “Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
Laurie Buchanan

4: “What people have the capacity to choose, they have the ability to change.”
Madeleine Albright

5: “Our minds are information vacuums. Either we fill them with thoughts of our choosing or someone else will.”
Ray Davis

Brainstorming

Choice - great asset and a key reactant for change

Choice can also cause pain, regardless of whatever we've chosen

Is there such thing as choice, or is it destiny's greatest illusion?

Choice is a powerful asset many take for granted, reducing them to simple decisions and short term goals. There was once a time in human history, and no doubt prevalent to some extent even in today's "modern" world, where the idea of choice and similar concepts such as freedom of speech and individuality were forbidden to common folk, but something reserved for the rich and powerful.

A country like Australia prides itself for its tolerance towards diversity of people and opinions. Freedom of speech and individuality are accepted notions in our community and some people have fully embraced their rights. People from other countries have not been so lucky.

North Korea immediately comes to mind. There's not much in the way of evidence that tells us about what happens there, but that's the very reason it sounds the alarm. There have been various accounts where people have been reduced to automatons, brainwashed from the outside world and numb to their own feelings and aspirations. Choices made by an all-powerful government without the democratic aspect a free people enjoy is the catalyst that locks away human potential, great achievements and a better tomorrow.

Ray Davis once said that our minds are information vacuums. Either we fill them with thoughts of our choosing or someone else will. One could only hope the authorities in North Korea take this quote to heart and realise the damage they have done to their own people, the people they are meant to serve and represent.

Choice can be harmful however. We are human, after all. We as humans, are susceptible to greed, desires for glory and power. We as human are fundamentally flawed. Despite being free to choose at our own will, damage can still occur. An example that comes to mind would be the USA's ongoing battle with its gun policy.

Its constitution permits ownership of a gun, underpinning its nature of a free country. It's this foundation however that is a possible cause for friction. We've seen it on the news - mass shootings around the country, prematurely ending the lives of people who carried so much potential. Gone.

Guns have changed so much since the American constitution was first unveiled. We have to ask ourselves if tradition outweighs human morality. In addition, is America's gun laws any better than the brainwashing of North Korean citizens, or perhaps that seen from Nazi Germany?

Choice is a sensitive topic and one that is so dependent on each individual. What is your intention? What do you choose to do with your life? It can be for good, but equally for evil. In light of this, would it be better not to have choice at all? Where do we draw the line? It's up to us to decide. Madeleine Albright once said "What people have the capacity to choose, have the ability to change".

We need to move beyond the concept of "me" and shift our focus to "us". It might be a crazy thought, maybe one that is overly ambitious. I want to conclude with one of my favorite quotes from Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple: "The people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do".

--

1: “Travel is glamorous only in retrospect.”
Paul Theroux

2: “may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.”
E.E. Cummings

3: “I don't want to go to Peru."
How do you know? You've never been there."
I've never been to hell either and I'm pretty sure I don't want to go there.”
Richard Paul Evans, The Sunflower

4: “No matter where you are, you're always a bit on your own, always an outsider.”
Banana Yoshimoto, Goodbye Tsugumi

5: “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The burdens of traveling is not a topic people talk about regularly. On the contrary actually, travel is a source of adventurous stories, and a valuable learning experience. Everyone loves to listen about the exciting prospect of traveling to far away places and be in awe.

Paul Theroux once said "Travel is glamorous only in retrospect". These words reminded me of a time I went camping with a few friends at Wellington Dam not too far from the town of Collie. It was my first time camping without the aid of school arrangements and going into the experience was both daunting and exciting.

The beautiful sky at sunset, and how the water became perfectly still, as if it had transformed into solid glass - those were highlights. Glamorous would certainly not be an adjective I'd use to describe what followed, however. As the sun departed for the day and night set in, I realised I was in for a rough night.

Preparation is key in the world of camping. And preparation we did very inadequately. As the moon rose, and stars glistened like diamonds in the sky, the air's temperature dropped like a brick. Overlooking this, I did not pack anything more besides the hoodie I wore throughout the day.

Darkness reduced our vision and our measly torches were like candles in thick fog - useless.

It didn't help that we didn't bring anything resembling furniture, such as a table or chairs. Instead, we resorted to spending much time in the car we came in, and that became our shelter for the night.

Sleep? What sleep? The minuscule insulation that my clothing provided ensured that I got as little sleep as humanly possible - half an hour in total would be pushing the envelope. I was too busy shivering the whole time, hoping morning was come.

And finally it did. The air was still cold, cold enough to instill a fairly vigorous tremor in me. But the scenery that the sun brought light to, that was nothing short of gorgeous. Dream-like almost. Considering how little sleep I got the night before, maybe I was dreaming!

But the pictures don't lie, and I took many that morning with my camera. I look back fondly at the memories of that trip, and while "glamorous" doesn't sum it up quite as well as I would've liked, it's taught me a lot about preparation, not just for travel, but for life itself. It's an old, but true saying to hope for the best but to prepare for the worst.

Art and Health

Common Theme: art

---

1: “The man who cannot visualize a horse galloping on a tomato is an idiot.”
André Breton

2: “An ice sculpture in the Sahara makes about as much sense as donkey left open gaping wagon, Sergeant (add cream cheese sparingly). ”
Jarod Kintz, This is the best book I've ever written, and it still sucks

3: “You don't have to make something that people call art. Living is an artistic activity, there is an art to getting through the day.”
Viggo Mortensen

4: “When you make music or write or create, it's really your job to have mind-blowing, irresponsible, condomless sex with whatever idea it is you're writing about at the time. ”
Lady Gaga

5: “The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.”
Leonardo da Vinci

Art, along with the written word, music and film, has played a vital role in the communication of some of the most powerful ideas throughout human history.

From graphic depictions of war, to the unusual representations of the world seen in surrealism, art has been a major cornerstone and landmark of the human race.

Viggo Mortensen once said that living is an artistic activity in itself. "You don't have to make something that people call art". Art, as well as any creative endeavour, is subject to the opinions of its viewer, and there is no right answer. Instead, the "correctness" of the art is, and should be, gauged by how powerfully it left the viewer feeling or whether it presented food for thought.

Truly great art is an investment. Made by one person, or by many, great art can inspire a whole nation to embrace new concepts and different perspectives. It can be a pivotal piece in a society's future.

Regardless, there will be those who will argue that art, being subjective by nature, is prone to misinterpretation and promote moral conflicts. Some will argue that science, mathematics and various fields of specialisation where there are results in the form of statistics and scientific proof, are areas that we as a community need to focus our efforts towards.

While there is truth to this belief, there is only so much science can tell us. And as finding the answer to the questions we ask, is there a possibility that we might not want to know what we don't know currently know? What if the truth is far bleaker than we hoped, and that perhaps it were better not to have found out?

Ignorance is bliss. For some people living in difficult, troubling or even dangerous times, science may not provide the comfort that everyone deserves to live out their life. Sometimes we need to paint a picture to show them that while as problematic their situation may be, art can bring people together, despite their differing views, and that a sense of community may be the answer we seek after all.

Leonardo da Vinci once said that the noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding. Perhaps if we all took a little bit of time in our day to enjoy art, or even as Mortensen suggested - seeing our daily activities as an art form, we would have a greater appreciation for not only ourselves, but also for nature, the universe and the people around us.

---------------------------------

Common Theme: health

---

1: “Money cannot buy health, but I'd settle for a diamond-studded
wheelchair.”
Dorothy Parker

2: “Getting fit is all about mind over matter. I don't mind, so it doesn't matter.”
Adam Hargreaves, Mr Lazy's Guide To Fitness

3: “We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.”
Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions

4: “the body is wiser than its inhabitants. the body is the soul. the body is god’s messenger.”
Erica Jong

5: “If we are creating ourselves all the time, then it is never too late to begin creating the bodies we want instead of the ones we mistakenly assume we are stuck with.”
Deepak Chopra

We live in an age where diseases that once killed us, or crippled us for life, now live in the history section of medical textbooks. Over time, we have become a great people and the numerous innovations and developments in modern medicine is one we should always celebrate - a true testament to the human genius in all of us.

And yet, every day there is news of war and conflict. It may warfare between people of different values and morals, to the mental conflict that might exist in the mind of a single individual which could lead him or her to commit horrible crimes. Regardless of the source, humans are far from healthy than we might believe.

While good health is typically attributed to being free of disease, in my opinion it is more than physical healthiness. Good health delves deeper than the skin, the flesh and the bone. It also lies in the mind, soul and spirit.

Kurt Vonnegut once said: "We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane". Here Vonnegut suggests a similar belief to my own. We cannot expect to be truly healthy, if our minds are plagued with thoughts of evil, such as greed or revenge.

Likewise, we cannot live a healthy life if our minds are not in sync with the present - that we might regret over past events or worry for the future yet to come. Fear, as Yoda once said, leads to anger, anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering.

As a person who is heavily involved in the betterment of people's health in the community, I believe it is paramount that I of all people should promote good health considering all facets of the human condition, and not solely the supply of medication.

The human being is a complicated, multidimensional creature and every one of them has different hopes, dreams and goals. While no one desires for illness, we also wish for our own prosperity and happiness. We are all human, one kind.

Steve Job once said in a speech: "No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there". Maybe if we can overcome the hurdles within the human condition such as greed, jealousy and hate that divide us, we can find the positive attributes that will help us work together and build a better future for the generations to come.

If there is ever a meaning of life, perhaps it is this.

Wisdom and Freedom

Common Theme: wisdom

---

1: “Non-violence, which is the quality of the heart, cannot come by an appeal to the brain.”
Mahatma Gandhi

2: “I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back.”
Maya Angelou

3: “Know you not that a good man does nothing for appearance sake, but for the sake of having done right?”
Epictetus

4: “Wisdom is having things right in your life
and knowing why.”
William Edgar Stafford

5: “Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.”
Niels Bohr

Even though our footprint as the human race exists only mere seconds on the clock of the universe's timeline, we have grown to be a intelligent species - one that can think both critically and emotionally.

Wisdom is developed through experience and time. Its cultivation period is lengthy but ongoing. We never stop becoming wiser.

However wisdom is not knowledge. It is beyond sheer memory. Wisdom is the application of past experiences to new situations so that we might not make the same mistakes we once did.

A great teacher once said to me: "Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, but wisdom is not putting a tomato in a fruit salad!"

In a similar light, it has been said that a good man does nothing for appearance sake, but for the sake of having done right. Wisdom teaches us to be more than skin deep, it teaches us about the layers below what we can see. The right course of action is no easy path to walk. It requires compromise and resilience. It isn't difficult to be tempted or lulled by easy choices, for the nature of man, and in fact the universe, is to seek out the path of least resistance.

Some say that wisdom comes from the mind and that humanity comes from the soul. Looking at our past certainly teaches us about the future, and by definition this is what makes us wise. However I believe wisdom extends beyond this notion, and that it does not exist purely in the mind.

Wisdom does not have to be logical. It's about understanding the emotions felt in a situation that moved us in such a way that we were compelled to change our old way of thinking, and to adopt a fresh perspective. Wisdom's legs is the soul, and we need its power to walk through the mud that life set in front of us sometimes.

Mahatma Gandhi once said: "Non-violence, which is the quality of the heart, cannot come by an appeal to the brain". Gandhi suggests that while violence may be the temporary answer to our problems, and indeed something we instinctively consider given the primal traits even modern human beings possess, it is not the choice of wise men and women.

While we share many similarities to animals, we have the powerful opportunity to be greater - to be a truly advanced species. Caving in to our own brutal tendencies that may have once served us well for survival in the wilderness, but it only enhances the notion that we have moved little from our origins. We can be more. We can bring the world to one that is beyond the sword. After all, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

-----------------------------------

Common Theme: freedom

---

1: “Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves.”
George Gordon Byron

2: “None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Elective Affinities

3: “Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.”
Toni Morrison, Beloved

4: “Those who do not move, do not notice their chains.”
Rosa Luxemburg

5: “No Statue of Liberty ever greeted our arrival in this country...we did not, in fact, come to the United States at all. The United States came to us.”
Luis Valdez

The human race has come a lot way throughout history. We have overcome various life-threatening diseases, withstood natural disasters and made the world smaller. We've done many great things, although a trade-off is not hard to find. Compromises had to be made.

Freedom is a quality many of us take for granted - freedom of speech, freedom of dress and freedom of religion just to name a few. But for some, freedom does not exist. Not in their world. Luis Valdez once said: "No Statue of Liberty ever greeted our arrival in this country...we did not, in fact, come to the United States at all. The United States came to us".

And sometimes we have to question if freedom is all in our minds. Laws govern the community, yet some feel more or less free than others. We should wonder why that is. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said that "None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free".

Freedom, in my opinion, is relative, like speed or weight - there's no single, definitive answer. We must endeavour to find our own sense of freedom and ultimately, happiness. After all, those who do not move, do not even notice their chains.

But what is a free world? What is freedom and how far does it reach? Our freedom, your freedom, my freedom - they may be vastly different things entirely. It's important we embrace individuality, and realise that a free world is once that accepts the differences between us. Differences may look to divide us, to segregate or categorise us, but let us use it to bring people together. Maybe that is true freedom.

We must strive to become a society that respects the values and beliefs of each person. My freedom can extend beyond horizon - it can be truly vast, but my freedom ends where yours begins and vice versa. Where our freedoms meet is where we must find common ground.

"Those who will not reason are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves" as George Gordon Byron once said. We can't let oppression and injustice define who we are. 

Let us be the ruler of our own lives, not that of others. Let us find our individual sense of freedom and the common ground we share. Ultimately that is what makes us human.

All humans die, but few have lived.

Nature and Gossip

Common Theme: nature

---

1: “The earth has music for those who listen.”
George Santayana

2: “I should like the fields tinged with red, the rivers yellow and the trees painted blue. Nature has no imagination.”
Charles Baudelaire

3: “The only noise now was the rain, pattering softly with the magnificent indifference of nature for the tangled passions of humans.”
Sherwood Smith

4: “Not just beautiful, though--the stars are like the trees in the forest, alive and breathing. And they're watching me.”
Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

5: “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.”
Winston Churchill

Nature surrounds us all, but few take the liberty of appreciating it. Nature is what makes us human - it gives us life and a home. Nature is like our bed - something we use every day but only sometimes will we make our bed. Only sometimes do we take care of nature, whenever it is most convenient for us.

Instead, we work hard to adjust nature to fit our needs and desires. We've come to a stage in our existence whereby we can alter nature, albeit to minor extents. Sometimes our egos grow beyond the horizon, and we forget the true power nature possesses. It can obliterate entire cities, it can disrupt whole ecosystems, and it can be the human race's ultimate demise. Nature can destroy lives if it chooses.

It is more important to realise that with the power to control nature (in small ways), we can contribute - not because we want to, but rather because it is our duty - to protect those we care about, including nature itself, our home. With great power comes great responsibility.

George Santayana once said "the earth has music for those who listen". Those who do not listen, fail to appreciate the beauty nature presents. It's not always our fault. Many people today lead busy lives - ones of deadlines, commitment and results. The busier they get, the further from nature they often drift as their work engulfs their life, and sabotages their happiness.

Nature can bring us back to what matters most. Life is not about spreadsheets and pie-charts. It's not about financial gains, while that is important as well. Life is about connecting with each other, and making the people around us live a better life since our intervention. Everyone is different. But one of the few things we all share is our home, the Earth - nature. Protecting it together also brings us together. Ultimately being with others is what makes us happy.

Haruki Murakami once said that "the stars are like the trees in the forest, alive and breathing. And they're watching me". We must also understand that nature extends beyond the Earth, and into the universe. And despite its sheer size, the stars are like trees in a forest, and it watches us, like a mother watches her child. While nature has nurtured us since the dawn of mankind, it can also destroy us, especially if we abuse it.

Carl Sagan once pointed out Earth from a photograph taken in space, a mere grain of sand in a beach filled with stars and space. It's a stark reminder of how minuscule we are considering the bigger picture. To paraphrase Sagan: Everything we've ever known and everything we've ever cared about was once on this tiny pale blue dot. We need to realise that nature is great and beyond human measurement, and that we must show humility in order to prosper both on Earth and one day, in space where our destiny lies.

------------------------------------------------------

Common Theme: gossip

---

1: “Count Olaf sounds like an awful person. I hope he is torn apart by wild animals someday. Wouldn't that be satisfying?”
Lemony Snicket, The Reptile Room

2: “Gossip is just a tool to distract people who have nothing better to do from feeling jealous of those few of us still remaining with noble hearts.”
Anna Godbersen, Splendor

3: “Bittersweet? No, just bitter, the taste of your tongue.
Words you can’t have back, so they linger.”
Coco J. Ginger

4: “How would your life be different if…You walked away from gossip and verbal defamation? Let today be the day…You speak only the good you know of other people and encourage others to do the same.”
Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

5: “In small towns, news travels at the speed of boredom.”
Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Human communication comes in many forms, from writing to music. Our senses are always being utilised in order to pass on information and news. Sometimes, though, our words can be meaningless as evident by gossip, identified as the casual talk about others that more than often contains details that stray from the truth.

Anna Godbersen once said that "gossip is just a tool to distract people who have nothing better to do from feeling jealous of those few of us still remaining with noble hearts". While gossip is merely words, or pressure waves in the air generated by our vocal chords, it has the power to cause real damage or inflict pain in those with thinner skin.

Gossip is the talk of the weak - people who need a lie to be content with their life. And it isn't them to blame all of the time. The truth can hurt. Honestly, I can identify with those who hide from the truth. Some people use it as a defense mechanism to shield their own egos. It is simply human nature to do so. However, when the truth is bent so that one individual undeservedly benefits over another, we must seek the truth and expose it.

I've experienced gossip personally first hand and I do not doubt for a second that I am the only one. While it is important for us to distinguish playful teasing with gossip, knowing how to act in each case is a slow learning process. Dealing with rumors and petty lies constitutes a large part of our growing up and it helps us mature into better people. Maybe one day we will be people who realise the problems and frustration that gossip presents, so that we may choose not to participate in it.

Steve Maraboli once asked: "How would your life be different if you walked away from gossip and verbal defamation? Let today be the day. You speak only the good you know of other people and encourage others to do the same".

Let us take this advice Maraboli presents. Today is the day. Gossip not only wastes our breath, but it also has the potential to hurt others more than we could ever know. In a world that already has as many problems as it does, and many solutions to those problems yet to come, why should we drain our time for an unproductive cause?

Let us only speak of positive attributes, for those negative aspects may not speak wholly of one's character. I hope to see a day where people can live without the fear of lies conjured from thin air about them, and that we will seek the truth before submitting to the soap operas that is gossip.

Gossip is not bittersweet, it is only bitter, as Coco J. Ginger once said. Gossip is the taste left behind on the tongue as words cannot be taken back, so they linger.

Charity and Happiness

Common Theme: charity

1: “The one single use of things which we call our own is that they might be his who hath need of them.”
Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays

2: “Don't judge without having heard both sides. Even persons who think themselves virtuous very easily forget this elementary rule of prudence.”
St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way of The Cross

3: “Truly it is a blessed thing to love on earth as we hope to love in Heaven, and to begin that friendship here which is to endure for ever there.”
St. Francis de Sales

4: “Frequently give up some of your property by giving it with a generous heart to the poor ... It is true that God will repay us not only in the next world but even in this.”
St. Francis de Sales

5: “The purpose of any charity is simply to turn people's mirrors into windows. An outward view of the world's needs are vast in comparison to an inward one.”
Shannon L. Alder, 300 Questions to Ask Your Parents Before It's Too Late

Throughout history mankind has faced many adversities, from war to disease to natural disasters. The concept of giving back to society at a critical time such as these may seem counter-intuitive to survival. When our situation becomes dire, we often look to support ourselves no matter what the cost, even if it may compromise the wellbeing of the people around us.

The idea of charity is most powerful when we are weakest or most vulnerable. Our problems as a whole greatly exceeds each individual's difficulties. Without supporting those around us, we compromise indirectly to our own wellness. Focusing only on our own desires breeds for ignorance and jealousy. Generosity helps the community grow, but more importantly teaches us to be better people and to set an example for others to be inspired from.

It has been said that the purpose of any charity is to turn people's mirrors into windows, and that we need to comprehend that the world around us has far greater needs and problems to solve than our own. Only once we help each other through adversities, can we begin to help ourselves.

The discovery of Helicobacter pylori stemmed from an incredible feat of risk-taking. Barry Marshall, the researcher involved in the discovery and ultimately the treatment of H. pylori compromised his own health for the betterment of patients suffering from the disease. We have to follow Barry's example - not necessarily to drink a broth infested with bacteria, but rather to see the bigger picture, and realise that by helping others, we may inadvertently help ourselves, as evident by Marshall and Dr Robin Warren awarded the Nobel Prize.

In Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" we see a fictional, but no less inspiring example of altruism and charity. The scene depicted is one where a city called Gotham has fallen under the social structures that once made it great. In order to defeat the social corruption that plagues the city where those in authority and power cripple the citizens of Gotham, Bruce Wayne takes it upon himself as inspired by his father's ideals to become the Batman (or Dark Knight) - a symbol of hope in a time of desperation and injustice. In doing so, he chooses to sacrifice his public identity in order to confuse the public that he is indeed the Batman by leading a double life. Little could be a more powerful display of altruism.

-------------------------------------------------------

Common Theme: happiness

1: “A life of happiness, peace, and love is all within our grasp.”
Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

2: “Love is too precious to be ashamed of.”
Laurell K. Hamilton, A Stroke of Midnight

3: “The process of discovering your fearless self is of refinement, not adding. The best way to reconnect with your freedom is to look at the rules you have that govern your freedom.”
Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

4: “I'm choosing happiness over suffering, I know I am. I'm making space for the unknown future to fill up my life with yet-to-come surprises.”
Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

5: “I'd far rather be happy than right any day.”
Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Happiness is arguably one of the most powerful emotions humans have ever experienced, yet its sources can vary to great extents. For some, love brings happiness. Others view freedom as their happiness. Then there are those who view generosity and kindness as their source of happiness.

When we talk about happiness, we often elaborate more on what makes us happy, instead of how we can generate happiness in our community. It makes me happy knowing that I've contributed in some (small) way to the happiness of someone else.

Whether that be through improving their health to a heart-to-heart conversation to writing music that speaks to them or even a silly joke, I believe it is important to realise that happiness comes in many forms depending on the individual and situation.

Working in a busy community pharmacy with a great team has provided me with the motivation to improve my skills from a medical or clinical perspective, but also from a social or charismatic angle which only helps me help others find happiness, wherever they stand in life.

Elizabeth Gilbert once said: "I'm choosing happiness over suffering, I know I am. I'm making space for the unknown future to fill up my life with yet-to-come surprises". I can absolutely identify with Elizabeth here. One of the most powerful quotes I've ever heard is this - it's not who you are on the inside, but what you do that defines you.

We make an active decision to be happy many a time. The world is not all sunshine and roses. It will beat us down and keep us there if we let it. But we can be stronger, we can be more. Despite the odds that may be stacked against us, choosing to be happy is ultimately the first step to being truly happy. We can't let suffering define us.

My personal take? Happiness is knowing that I've inspired someone to do something that they would not have otherwise done to make their life a better one.

Some people want to change the world. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. The only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they push the human race forward. Some may even call them crazy. But the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones who do.

Going back to my roots + 30 minute challenge

To say that I haven't written here in a while would be a severe understatement - my last post was uploaded in the middle of 2014! I can even remember writing that post (albeit vaguely).

And despite the massive time gaps that exist here, I get the occasional query about how my blog is doing, or rather if it is still alive - to which I reply that I am perfectly fine, thanks so much for asking!

But joking aside, I am always pleasantly surprised to be asked about progress of this blog, despite its large hiatuses and inactivity. While it may not look like much on the outside, I have actually invested a decent amount of time here, evident by over 180 draft posts not yet published.

There are a number of reasons why that may be, ranging from time constraints, to simply lacking a solid lead. I like to think that I maintain somewhat of a high quality set of posts here, rather than a large collection of posts that are "fillers" to serve an excuse of not having anything else better to say. Quality over quantity yo.

Having said that, looking back at all the posts that have already been published here, I have noticed a pronounced shift in my writing style. While a large portion of what I have written here is very cringeworthy to me in retrospect, it's important to note that these posts were made with a "tongue in cheek" demeanor, and are to be taken with a grain of salt!

You know, this blog started in 2010 where I wrote frequently. Almost like a journal. Back then my blog looked different, not like what you currently see. The background had an beautiful orange sky overlooking clouds below. It was actually a really nice picture, and I wish I still had it to show you!

Right now you may be asking: "but Ian, if your blog started in 2010, where are the posts?! I want to read your journal and delve into your deepest thoughts, just like Harry Potter did with Snape's memories!!"

First of all, that's disturbing af. Secondly, I took down the posts. Here is the truth: those posts were so cringe-inducing to me that I think I developed an allergy to my own writing! Reading each post required the hasty administration of adrenaline so as to avert the dire consequences of anaphylaxis.

I realise that while I have been caught up in a lot of work over the past year (2015) and months that followed my last post in July 2014, I am looking to get back into writing.

That is exactly why I am launching a new series here: the 30 minute challenges. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6.00pm I will be uploading TWO new posts, each of which will have taken me precisely 30 minutes to complete. That's an hour in total of nonstop writing, fresh off the press for your reading enjoyment! One post will be more argumentative and the other more personal. They will be based on one of, to all 5 random quotes I find on http://www.ellipsoid.org/gmi/random-quote-generator.

Given the nature of the challenge, don't expect the writing to be the best you've ever seen. There won't be any editing done once those 30 minutes are up - what you'll see here is all I managed to write! Since I am looking to improve my writing, I would also encourage you to provide me with some of your feedback - what you think I did well, or perhaps could do better in. Conversely, you are welcome to join the discussion and share your thoughts on the topics that will be raised!

I also realise that some people may have enjoyed the cheeky nature of my writing in past times, and to see my blog branch off from my roots may soil their hopes and dreams. Don't you worry now - heaven's got a plan for you! I won't be writing in One Direction only. There will be plenty of bad jokes (like the ones you just witnessed), goofy content and silly pictures to come. Inb4 writing more cringeworthy posts!

You can follow my blog via email, or subscribe via RSS feeds.

The Great Gatsby

Certainly has been a while hasn't it old sport?

Apologies if you've sat there for the past few months hitting F5 on my blog. Life got in the way.

Anyway what's more important is that you're here now and we're gonna have a jolly good time talking about The Great Gatsby, a movie I recently took the time to watch. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly suggest that you do before continuing since there will be spoilers for days.

I'm not going to lie to you though. I did absolutely no research on The Great Gatsby prior to watching it. Had no idea who the actors were, no idea about its genre - in fact, I was expecting it to be about a prison escape because it sounded like The Great Escape. I know right, what a n00b.

But now that BOTH of us have seen The Great Gatsby, there's a lot to be said about it. What really interests me about this film are the ideologies it presents, and there are a few. I'll just talk about one for now, otherwise I'd be here for hours.

The thing that strikes me the hardest about this movie is the sheer irony of your quintessential fairytale. How is it that a guy who devotes all his time and energy to be with a girl finds himself with a bullet through the heart? How is it that a guy who jumps through all the hurdles to see the girl of his dreams eventually gets cast aside? What gives?

Much class. So inspire.

I'm not going to say that Jay Gatsby is a knight in shining armour or a saint, and that all the ladies must flock to him right away, because that is simply not the case.

While his motivations may have been as superficial as others around him, there's no denying that Gatsby was more dedicated and loving towards Daisy than even her own husband. However, I wonder if his obsession and unfathomable desire for one woman did more harm than good. Conversely, perhaps Gatsby did not act sooner on his feelings and jumped in too late.

What does this say about the real world? Do these ideas still apply?

I firmly believe that most of us guys have obsessed over one girl at some point in our lives with zero success. As a health professional, let me tell you that it's a very serious medical condition known as "oneitis" - I suggest you check it out on WebMD. It is in that sense where The Great Gatsby speaks volumes. As for acting sooner, well, we can all identify with that one!

People always say "be yourself" when it comes to attracting others. Would you say that Gatsby was "being himself"? What exactly is "himself"?

Not everyone is born equal. Some are born poor, some are born ugly and others born into broken families. Gatsby is a man who dreams big, primarily driven by his family's financial struggles. Would it be more "himself" to accept his poor upbringing and do nothing about it? Would it be more "himself" to yearn for a life of luxury and bring about change? Why did Daisy eventually pass him over if he was just being himself?

Daisy you ungrateful braeijtcjalkjsrh!

 
What if he is simply incompatible with Daisy because he is not born with a name of wealth and security?

Additionally, were Gatsby's achievements truly what he wanted to achieve, or were they merely a stepping stone to Daisy's heart? Perhaps Gatsby deluded himself so much that he believed that everything he earned entitled him to be with Daisy.

What does that say about us? Should success in one area grant us success in other areas?

There are several dilemmas at hand here. I believe the combination of not being born into a wealthy family, bad timing and a number of false pretenses led to Jay Gatsby's demise.

What do you think?

Night Drive

I've always wanted to make a night time driving video.

I find driving at night therapeutic. It gives me time to think about the things most people think about in the shower.

Initially I intended this video to be a quick demonstration of what a relatively long driving video would look like if it was sped up.

But while I was editing this video I noticed uncanny similarities that driving shares with many aspects of life. A new idea is born.

I refer you to the start of our driving adventure. You begin in life not really knowing where you're going or where your life will lead you. Some of us have stronger ideas of where we want to go, some of us don't and that's fine. You don't always have to know the way.

So we drive on. Gotta keep moving.

You begin to notice that during your voyage you come across people driving in the same direction as you (in the video's case that would be the cars in the same lane). They represent your family, friends, workmates and members of society heading towards a similar goal as you. But it's not long until you must part ways and diverge lanes, just as we do in everyday life when it's time to say goodbye.

People will come and go in your life. As sad as it may seem, this way we get to meet different people and experience new things.

While you're driving along, living your life, you start to realise how beautiful the journey is. The lights, the quality time you've spent with the people you care about and the fascinating new things you've learnt along the way...it's nothing short of breathtaking.

Sure there'll be speed-bumps, hiccups and detours that get in your way but they just remind you to focus more on the journey, not the destination. It's okay to make mistakes, and we can't be afraid to admit them. We learn faster that way.

Then you realise how fast you're traveling. We sometimes forget how much time vanishes right in front of us. Nevertheless, there will be some people who like to live the fast life, to push their cars to the red-line. They yearn for the thrill of speed and the excitement of not knowing what's around the corner. I've never really understood that.

The faster you go, the more scenery and beauty you miss out on.

Other people prefer a leisurely cruise and to relish the great memories they've had. They don't mash the throttle or try to rush their lives. They don't like getting older. They want to be kids. They want to be naïve, to be oblivious of the messy world we live in.

Part of me likes to think that I'm in this category. I despise the idea of growing up. But if we don't grow up, that would be like driving in reverse gear all the time, constantly looking out of the back window and living in the past. That's just as bad as living life too quickly. You don't even get the chance to see anything before it's all over.

Perhaps the message I am trying to send out is not to live your life so quickly that everything whizzes past in a colourful blur, but not so slowly that you miss out on opportunities to see what the world has to offer. Find the speed that is right for you.

You only live once, so make this one the drive of your life.



Watch the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAla_liQhIg

Sim City Review

 
The latest instalment in the Sim City franchise saw overwhelming doubt and speculation months prior to its launch.

For fans, including myself, it’s been a long time waiting and hoping. I am happy to report that while the new Sim City has its flaws, gameplay is thoroughly enjoyable, visuals are beautiful yet informative, and the overall presentation of the game is clean and easy on the eyes.

No Sim City game has been easy. Its deep simulation meant a significant amount of “number crunching” in comparison to games such as Call of Duty where the only numbers you need to be concerned with is your health and ammo, as well as kill/death ratio, if you’re obsessively competitive.

The latest Sim City cuts back on the amount of number crunching. EA and Maxis have tried to make the new Sim City a more approachable game for newcomers. However, in doing so they have taken away the technicalities that defined past Sim City games.

While there are still numbers to play with in the new Sim City, it’s not as predominant as it used to be. Instead, most in-game data is represented as colours and 3D bar graphs.

Despite what some players have criticised the game as “dumbing down” to appeal to a larger audience, the new Sim City offers plenty of hurdles to overcome, even for veterans of past Sim City games.

The game feels rewarding more than ever, especially when you start seeing skyscrapers under construction and high density buildings developing, then being able to maintain them through taxes and zoning. Earning money in the new Sim City is as pleasurable as it has always been.

The new, somewhat omnipresent social aspect of the new Sim City provides a fresh set of challenges for players to feast on. In a way this game has become an MMO.

For instance, playing as a highly industrial city causes health and environmental problems that not only affect your city, but the entire region and its players. If crime is unresolved in one city, criminals can travel to another city wreak havoc there.

Dirty industry causes air pollution.

Should you and your friends play in the same region, everyone can contribute to “great works” such as an international airport which will provide lots of tourists and demand for city expansion.

Unleash your inner stalker. You can follow individual Sims in the new Sim City and see what they’re thinking and how their life is going. By listening to them, you can then tailor your city based on their needs. You really do get to play God.

Finally curved roads!

If you’ve got a decent computer, you’ll be pleased to know that the game looks amazing. Models are well sculpted and architecturally beautiful. Some complained that the new Sim City’s graphics look “cartoony”. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I personally love the sunlight’s reflection you get while moving the camera around your city’s skyscrapers and water. I like the blurring effect when viewing things up close as it gives your city a more cinematic feel. The day/night cycle and weather adds new layer of realism that past Sim City games did not possess.

The new Sim City’s in-game interface is clean and minimalistic. It has adopted a somewhat “clinical” appearance that looks fresh and modern, but potentially mundane to players who like StarCraft 2’s interface for the difference races. Buttons are small and city notifications do not interrupt your view too considerably. It’s an improvement over Sim City 4’s interface.

Sadly, this is where the positives end. The new Sim City’s downsides range from large-scale to small-scales issues.

The major concern that the majority of players had prior to launch was how prepared servers were to handle the inevitable flood of people trying to enter a game.

I had preordered the new Sim City, and downloaded it before the actual launch date (7^th of March). The download went well, and my hopes were high. Installation took a couple of hours so I was impressed.

Then I tried to join a game. It was a disaster. There weren’t any servers that could take me in and finally after getting into a server, I couldn’t join a game because of “an error that was currently being worked on”.

Sometimes I actually got to play the game. For about ten minutes. Then I got disconnected from the server and couldn’t rejoin.

I was locked out of my own city. That is unacceptable.

To this day, EA and Maxis are still working to fix server issues by adding more servers and increasing capacity, and I’m glad that the game is almost free of its server problems.

The new Sim City does not allow for any terraforming and maps are limited to “medium” size which is really too small for any real city to exist. Some buildings take up so much space (such as the Sydney Opera House) that you are forced to compromise entire suburbs to allow for them to be placed and expanded later.

Additionally, the fact that you require an internet connection whenever you want to play Sim City has received much debate. This is partially the reason why players experienced network issues from day one.

There are some smaller issues in the new Sim City and while they do not take away from the overall gameplay, they may cause some redness, swelling and tenderness amongst those who have OCD. The graphics, while pretty, can bug out sometimes sometimes causing higher terrains to cut into roads if viewed from further away.

I read in a recent EA blog post (http://www.simcity.com/en_US/blog/article/a-simcity-update-and-something-for-your-trouble) that “to get us back in your good graces, we’re going to offer you a free PC download game from the EA portfolio. On March 18, SimCity players who have activated their game will receive an email telling them how to redeem their free game".

Looks like EA and Maxis have learnt their lesson after all.

Sim City is not perfect, but as we get more and more updates, it’ll come close. This is a small step for making the best Sim City game yet, and a giant leap for making city building simulators a more enjoyable experience for new players and fans.