Monday, September 28, 2009

Life Changers

Note: This is an old post from my Multiply site last July 8, 2009.

Last week, I discussed primarily on Twitter because I tried using that community website. I never thought I would use it but I am actually visiting and posting updates on it as much as possible. Ever since my Join Date last June 23, I already have 55 updates. That is roughly 3.4 updates per day. I am not sure if this trend will continue in the following weeks but with the current pace of logging in at Twitter every time I open Mozilla Firefox, Twitter might be part of my routine for years to come.

Will it be or will I lose interest on it after some months? I do not see it happening right now especially given the fact that I get most of the NBA rumors (this year’s free agency period is awesome except that Cleveland – my team – lost in getting the legitimate free agents)

If I continue tweeting, it will be one of the things that would change my way of life. Over the past years, there is a lot of stuff that influenced or changed my routine. Other than the obvious ones (i.e., cellphone, Internet), I will be citing some of the memorable ones.

Guitar. Ever since I started to learn how to play the acoustic guitar during sophomore year in high school, my perception on music had vastly changed. I started to appreciate the beauty of playing musical instruments. I switched from listening to pop and R&B to rock. Rap metal helped in the transition but it would have been more difficult for me to get fond of the solo leads in rock songs if I did not pick up a guitar. Right now, I get ecstatic upon hearing smooth lead guitar solos. Playing the guitar was my hobby every week from high school to my first year at work. The level of satisfaction grew further after I received my first electric guitar (an Ibanez RG) as a birthday present last 2004. I have to thank Patsoy for enticing me to have an electric guitar because I was astounded upon hearing the various effects it could produce. I did not improve in playing solos but my guitar experience was sufficient for me to play melodies with my friends when we hang out. You can ask Ferdie about this especially after he sang to the tune of ‘Swing, Swing’ on a Subic outing before.

It has been quite a while since I last played my guitar but I might get my guitar pick one of these days and strum the chords of 1979.

iPod Touch. Three years ago, getting an iPod was the least of my priorities. It was expensive and… that’s basically it. When I finally had some savings and iPod Touch 2G was at stores early this year, I took the opportunity to get one. Maybe, it was because I appreciated how valuable it is during boring times when I borrowed Caress’ iPod Touch last year. Ever since I had this MP3 player, I get to play cool games like Tap Tap Revenge, iShoot, Bookworm and Monopoly during idle times. It easily wakes up my bored senses. iTouch also changed my driving habits. If you live in Antipolo and endure almost five hours of grueling traffic daily, you will need your favorite music every now and then. I seldom get to hear that on radio (except when DJ Monica is choosing the songs). I get more relaxed when driving these days because of my iPod Touch. I do not get to listen to the radio though but the overall satisfaction that this Macintosh device gives me outweighs radio listening easily. I also get to watch past How I Met Your Mother episodes from time to time as well. Thanks to Paul for buying this device for me in US.

Lost. Watching TV shows was not my habit during college. I sit hours in front of my PC chatting with my friends or playing card games. Everything changed after I watched the first episode of Lost in Studio 23. I was amazed by the picture quality of it. It was just weeks since I went to the islands of Palawan so watching the beach scenes in the show bring nostalgia to me. Kate and Shannon were uber-ly hot as well. I soon followed the show until I decided to buy the whole series in DVD. The first season of Lost has got to be one of the best seasons in TV show history. Because of Lost, I got enticed on following various TV shows: Prison Break, Heroes, Grey’s Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, Scrubs, That 70’s Show and House to name a few.

The Catcher In The Rye. Way before TV shows buzzkilled my interest to read lengthy novels, I was a huge bookworm. My literature craving started when I read the emotional, angsty JD Salinger classic during high school. This novel was the perfect fit for me then. I was driven mostly by teenage angst that is why I could easily relate to the Holden Caulfield’s feelings. The book was written in first person perspective, thus making it more emotional. I dwelled in escapist angst for nights thus prompting me to read several awesome novels like The Solitaire Mystery, A Song of Ice and Fire series, Harry Potter, The Alchemist, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Dekada ’70.

I may spend days and weeks when reading these novels but I will never trade the time I spent on it to other practical stuff because novels vastly changed my perspectives in life and it enhanced my repertoire.

Car. Ask me five years ago if I think I will drive a car and my answer would probably be an anxious NO. My father’s warnings on the potential dangers of driving may have an effect on it but I loved the luxury of being a passenger then. I have the freedom to sleep when I am stressed out and I do not have to worry on causing wrecks. This changed a lot when I started to work. Makati - no matter how traffic-infested that godforsaken city is – is a nightmare to a commuter. I get to line up for minutes waiting for an FX to arrive and getting my butt cramped in a corner with fat people for hours is not convenient at all. If I drive for two to three hours during peak hours, commuting takes longer than three and a half hours. But the best thing about driving is, I get to leave my gimiks whenever I want to. I do not care if it is quite late already because I know I am secured in my vehicle. I can enjoy the airconditioned breeze for all I want as compared to the hot and dusty atmosphere inside (or outside) the jeepney. Driving my car maybe quite expensive but for all the comfort and security it brings, it is a good premium to pay. I even prefer to drive my car when I am sick rather than sleep in an FX.

Let’s ask the ultimate question: does having a car mean you can get a girlfriend? Uhmm… no! That is actually a stupid question. Having a car does not get you a significant other but it gives you an advantage when you are courting. If you got a relationship because of a tangible asset rather than your whole personal package then that girl is not for real and you should consider dumping her. OK, your tangible assets can be one of the reasons but it should not be the only reason why you won her heart.

Limewire and Torrents. No need to expound on this one.

Multiply. Blog # 100 is near. ‘Nuff said!

Yahoo! Messenger. This has got to top my list. Way back in high school, my cellular phone had vastly changed my life. I normally chat briefly with my friends via text messages so when I learned of YM, I fully utilized it. Day in and day out, you can see me online. Chatting with my friends takes out the boredom out of me. I can still remember my internship days before when I was prohibited to use the Internet. Man, it was terrible. My morale was at a low because I felt like I was alone in an island. I did not feel homesick when I was in America last year because of Yahoo! Messenger. Reaching out has never been this easy.

Looking at this list, it looks like it is a long way to go before I consider Twitter as a life changer.

No comments:

Post a Comment