Sunday, February 27, 2011

Guatemala

Amidst the ruins that were once a testament to the mighty Mayan civilization, modern Guatemala is still rich with culture, yet struggling to keep up with the industrialized world. There still remain patches of rain-forest, hearkening back to the natural environment from which we all emerged.

There is certainly many a reason to visit the nation, and once there, further incentive to return. This author's short-lived stay will certainly be followed by a tour of the pacific side in the near future.


Flores


Ruins of Tikal

Sunday, February 20, 2011

AWESOME!

"Seinfeld" the sitcom which has reached cult status, has remained appealing and many can relate to its hilarious situations. As it was addressed in the episodes during which Jerry and George were marketing their pilot episode, the show about "nothing" could either be hit or miss. Now, there are Seinfeld naysayers, however many have found such a deep comical connection to the show, for the very fact that the most detailed and seemingly unimportant daily occurrences are highlighted and scrutinized.



Perhaps the reason why a sit-com like Seinfeld is still watchable is because it is the little things that are what we draw meaning from. This idea was reinforced for me when I came across a lecture by Neil Pasricha, author of 1000 Awesome Things, on Ted Talks. His talk was referring to the creation of his book, an expansion on his blog, which had gone viral in 2010. This Canadian author had experienced the highs of life, and had been sunken by the lows. Then amidst the lows, he realized that we need to stop and appreciate the little things that are constantly going in our favor; he realized how lucky we really are. In his lecture, he identified the 3 A's of awesome, and subsequently of happiness: attitude, awareness and authenticity.
Here's the video:


These awesome occurrences are evidence of our collective human nature; deep down we retain the childhood awe and curiosity, yet we simply forget to express it. Here are my top 15 awesome things from the book:


1. Illegal naps
2. Getting the milk to cereal ratio just right (neither cornflake beach, nor drowning in white)
3. Staring out a still water
4. Paying with exact change
5. Absolute silence
6. The smell of books
7. The gas arrow on the dash, indicating the side for the tank opening
8. Fixing electronics by smacking them
9. Hitting a bunch of green lights in a row
10. The smell of rain on a hot sidewalk
11. The friendly nod between strangers doing the same thing
12. When you're watching one of your favorite movies and you realize you don't remember how it ends
13. Getting a trucker to blow his horn
14. When you know your TV remote so well you don't need to look at the buttons
15. Remembering how lucky you are

AWESOME!