Live

The Power of the Internet

I was just recently looking at my stats, and it seems that I have been visited by over 70 countries. Sure, many of my visitors might not have enjoyed my posts, or spent a lot of time here, but the fact remains that I more or less have reached countries all over the globe. This is what really inspired me to write this post. We each hold in our hands the power to immediately broadcast to the entire world. This is a first ever in history. This also means that for the first time ever, our parents have less experience in a field than their children. Think about it, in every specie on Earth, the parents would’ve experienced everything their children is experiencing… expect for the human race in the 21st century. This relatively new ability that we have gained is really miraculous. It’s a miracle. You are reading something that is immaterial. You can’t hold this in your hands, this is made of almost nothing. You can read this from anywhere on the globe, or even in space aboard the ISS. This blog is a miracle.

Speaking of miracles, I am a miracle. You are a miracle. So many things needed to go right in the right order for us to physically exist. In fact, this world is a huge miracle, The very fact that we are able to exist, to have the necessities to live, to build a civilization, to have this piece of technology that you are using to read this, is a miracle. A lot have changed in the past year for me personally, but I think the most important thing I learned is to live. To live this miracle, no matter how things are, no matter what is wrong, or what is right.

LIVE!

So get out there, and do what you have to do, and live. Enjoy as much of this miracle as you can. Make it count. Make this gift count. And help other people live too. Anything, from small to big. I can say from experience, that a gesture, no matter how small, counts. Live, and help those around you live. I think that is the most important thing… ever.

5 Rules of Happiness

Finding happiness...

Everything we do in life are all done to achieve the ultimate goal: Happiness. The most depressed gets one life, the happiest gets one life as well. However, a happy life is full of good memories and no regret. On the other hand, a sad life is full of regrets and sorrow. Happiness can be hard to achieve, with so much stress and pressure in our modern lives. Mae West once said “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” Over the years, I have managed to find ways to be happy. Here are my top 5:

1. Forget About Yesterday

Yesterday happened. Without a time machine it is impossible to go back in time and change what happened. Instead of dwelling on the past and events that have happened, start fresh. Open a new chapter and start again. Do not let yesterday get in the way of today. To be able start, you must stop. So stop worrying about the past, and you will be happier.

2. Be Optimistic

Humans have all evolved to be pessimists, and think about the worst case scenario because it has the most survival value. Imagine this: A monkey running around in the forest. When it sees a tiger, it can be optimistic and hope to become friends, or be pessimistic and run for his life. Running away from the tiger have proved to be the most successful, thus their children will run from the tiger. After many generations, most optimists have been removed from the gene pool as they are simply not able to survive. So today, humans are mostly pessimistic. But the difference today, most situations aren’t about life and death. For example, after a job application, humans can worry and think “I won’t get the job”, or think “I will get the job”. Obviously, thinking “I will get the job” will make humans, us, happier.

3. Physical Exercise

Your body and mind are connected, so believe it or not, physical exercise can make you happy. Chemicals in your brain are released to reduce stress and depression; and increase energy and happiness. Without getting too technical, chemicals released include dopamine, and endorphin.

4.  Be With Friends and Family

Humans are social animals, thus being with the people we love will naturally make us happier. Friends and family can comfort, and inspire. Directly through their smiles and jokes, and indirectly with their presence; they make us happy and well, happy. It works perfectly just like math: (family+friends)+(you)=happiness.

5. Organize

Organization is truly key. Clutter can cause stress. It has been proven that the sanctuary homes should be isn’t possible with clutter. The next time you are stressed out in your room, organize it and see how your environment can really affect your mood. A slight side note, but not only will decluttering reduce stress, it will make finding things so much easier. Not only physically organizing, but planning and being prepared helps too. Stress from “what do I do”? And “Oh no, I forgot to do that!” will be gone. Reduced stress is (obviously) great to improve overall happiness.

Hopefully these tips will help you in becoming happier ( 🙂 ) and living a better life.

iOS 5 Tips and Tricks

I thought that owning multiple Apple iDevices, I might share some cool new features of the newest operating system, iOS 5. If you have anything to add, feel free to to comment.

1. A computer is no longer necessary! Any device can be set up, backed up, synced with other devices, and updated right on the device. Backups and syncs is done using iCloud. But if you do want to sync and backup with a computer, it can be done wirelessly through local Wi-Fi.
2. iCloud can sync everything over everything. This means if you add an event on your Mac at home, it will appear on your iPad, iPhone, etc. If you add a contact at work, it will appear on your Mac and your iPhone, and your iPad, etc.
3. The new notification centre keeps all your notifications in one place. Simply swipe  down and you’ll be able to see your notifications, weather, and a stock ticker. Notifications now simply pop up on the top of your screen causing little disturbance. In the lock screen, swiping the little icon beside the notification will launch whatever the notification is. For example, you can listen to a voice message in the lock screen.
4. With Newsstand, subscribing to electronic magazines have never been easier, in the App Store, visit the “Newsstand” category to purchase new subscriptions. Also, several newspapers including the New York Times are incorporated into Newsstand.
5. If you have an iPhone, you can take a photo with a tap of a button on the lock screen. The capture button now can also be activated with the volume up button (iPad 2 too!). Also, under the “option” tab, you can enable grids.
6. Safari now have a “Reader” button in the URL box, this is for reading articles without the distractions (ads, related posts, sidebars, etc.). Also, with Reading List, you can save a page to read later. Safari has a private browsing feature located in the Safari section of settings too.
7. The iPad 2 now have multitasking gestures. Swipe up with four/five fingers to open the multitasking bar, swipe sideways to switch applications, and pinch to go back to the home screen.
8. AirPlay can now mirror your device through Apple TV so you see what your audience see.
9. Mail now supports rich text (bold, italics, etc.) and have other new features including swiping to hide the list of mail items (iPad).
10. The new built in app Reminders allow you to create lists on any date.
11. iPads and iPod Touches join in with iMessage, they can text using their Apple ID.
12. Twitter is now integrated into iOS 5. You can even tweet using Siri!
13. Hotmail is now an option when you create a new mail account. This means it is possible to sync with your Hotmail account on your iDevice.
14. On the iPad, the keyboard can be split by using two fingers and making a splitting gesture. This make it more convenient to type with two thumbs (if that is you). This can be disabled in settings (if you’re not the thumb typer).
15. You can create text shortcuts in the keyboard setting.
16. You can see how much space your apps are taking in settings>general>usage.
17. On the iPhone, you can create custom vibrations for different contacts. Simply turn them on in the accessibility setting and add vibrations in the sounds setting.
18. The weather app now has an hour by hour forecast.
19. Maps are now compatible with AirPrint. Roll up the edge to find a new print button.
20. iOS 5 can now identify different headphones and save different volume settings for each.

All in all, these are 20 tips and tricks that I can think of. But again, if you have more, add them into the comment section. Thank-you 🙂