Where My Imagination Feels Small

There are many instances presented to my life lately where I consider my rather creative and skillful imagination limited. The one thing similar in all these instances are the high stakes and heightened reality. Most of us are lucky and sheltered and will unlikely ever experience such situations; the end of a relationship, financial struggles, stress at work, an argument with a friend are all difficult, but still a fraction of intensity from these situations which I hope never to be a part of.

The recent earthquake and tsunami combines the worst possible scenarios - loss of loved ones, one’s home and possessions after surviving a catastrophic disaster while battling the cold weather, thirsty and hungry, and vulnerable to the possible effects of harmful radiation is unimaginable to me.

I actually watched the movie “Aftershock” right before it happened and it has helped in bringing me emotionally closer to understanding what those victims went through. I recently saw “127 Hours” too, about a man though accidentally trapped in a canyon, managed to overcome all the obstacles he faced through sheer determination and strength. There is something to be learnt from these survivors. These lessons will hopefully never be presented to us. And we shouldn’t need for them to to learn how to tackle life with such steely grit.

There are many unsung survivors out there - people battling illness, waiting to receive an organ, the list goes on. When you recognize them, please show them as much compassion and generosity as you can because unless you’ve experienced it yourself, you won’t know what exactly they must be going through.

iHeartMyFriends

The last time I blogged about an electronic product, I talked about my iPhone 3GS and how it improved my life. In fact, I love it so much I decided to buy the new MacBook Pro (featuring quad-core Intel Core i7)! So far, it’s been a life saver. I recently gathered a group of amazing and willing friends to help read out a musical I wrote. I had some problems attaching my MP3 player to the stereo. But it was easily solved by burning a quick CD of the song files that were also in my Mac. The music played on the stereo without a hitch!

I also considered recording the read on my iPhone but luckily, one of my friends suggested using iMovie on the Mac. For a tiny camera, it really captured a wide berth and in high definition nonetheless. The microphone also picked up people from a pretty good distance, but of course it helped that the room was quiet. I have to say, I am learning and loving iMovie. It’s inspired me to make more videos. Expect some great new edits on my YouTube channel!

Playing World of Warcraft is also fantastic on the Mac. Graphics are rendered more smoothly than on my PC, granted my PC is three years older. I got a spunky Razer Naga Special Molten Edition mouse to go with it. Sexy!! Also got a new pair of headphones with microphone. Only problem here was the Mac’s Line In port is not meant for a microphone. Bummer! The Mac does have a built-in microphone with an “ambient noise reduction” function.

All in all, I would say as a PC user converting to a Mac, it wasn’t too difficult. And what the Mac has over the PC is style. It’s classy. Environmentalists will also be happy to know that it’s made from recyclable aluminium and has a mercury-free energy-efficient LED-backlit display made from arsenic-free glass. As of March 11th, iPhone has also released the new OS 4.3. The new Personal Hotspot function works perfectly with the MacBook Pro to provide Bluetooth internet tethering. Thumbs up Apple! What’s next for me? The iPad 2? We’ll see.