Giving Up Facebook for Good

This past Lent, I decided I would try to be "cool", and give up Facebook for the next 40 some days to come.

I successfully resisted any and all temptations in the form of iPhone touch-notifications and emails to signify Facebook updates.

I did not look on Facebook once to get a scoop on so-and-so's Junior prom dress and so-and-so's latest embarrassing binge party with those tacky, red Solo cups. At first, I felt left out of the social scene, but by and by, I began to enjoy the metaphorical
"silence" of not hearing people parrot a given popstar's latest refrain, or megaphone totally useless and irrelevant thoughts and YouTube video links on each others' walls. This was nice for once. Finally, coming home after school meant I truly was coming home, without having to hear people's otherwise annoying rants, and not being jealous or caught up with a friend of mine's posting of a video on so-and-so's wall and not mine. Facebook is nit worth worrying about or dealing with.

I am glad I gave it up for Lent so that I could discover that my life is not only easier, but more enjoyable without it. I will use it very sparingly only so that I can arrange parties, keep people up-to-date on my car, and send private messages. No more of this profile picture business or needless drama and jealousy surrounding people posting on each others' walls and never my own.

Facebook all but made me feel social. Very few people ever took the time to private message or chat with me, and only a handful ever posted on my wall for the three years I have been a member.

By in large, goodbye Facebook. And wow, is that satisfying to say, that I am no longer a slave to the mass-market, mainstream obsession!

California: The Car Fan's Haven

Never have I witnessed a higher concentration of high performance and exclusive luxury cars in all my life as I have these past five days spent in the SF Bay area and SoCal. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Bentleys, Audis, BMW after BMW, Mercedes become commonplace and bourgeois, Aston Martins, Jaguars, high revs left and right along average city streets. E30s are nothing special, and 458 Italias are nothing new to see. It truly was where cars die and go to heaven. Oh, and the astounding roads, don't even get me started. 65 MPH speed limits are the norm, and legendary sweeping curves male up he bulk of the mountain paths. I could not believe my eyes half the time I was there.

Amateur Photos of Santa Monica Mall

After having dinner on top of the third floor of a Nordstrom's mall in Santa Monica at what was possibly the most gorgeous and hip restaurant interior, Sonoma's, my family and I walked throughout the equally, if not more gorgeous mall. The mall consisted of glassy features, slick and distinct architectural lines, and ambient lights; in other words, a utopia for me! Have a look at my way of showcasing such beauty, I insist!

SF Bay Area

San Francisco is possibly one of the strangest places I've ever been to. It can't decide whether it wants to be young or old, sunny or dreary, poor or wealthy, a cool city, or a business-oriented industrial town. Homeless people sleep outside Bentley and Lamborghini dealers. The town is akin to Denver in that it appeals to younger demographics. And it is also very much catered to Asian-Americans with its many cultural restaurants, shops, and meditational activities that can be seen throughout the street corners. Most surprisingly is the few number of homosexuals I'be noticed, or at least the few number that explicitly reveal themselves.

Personally, I have a hard time making sense of this town, deciding whether it's more European, American, or even Asian.

The Food Doesn't Matter

Any food can be fried, baked, chocolate-covered, battered, breaded, salted, corn oiled, and have all of these unhealthy things done to it. No matter what food this is done to, its nutritional value can range dramatically as a result. People may think chocolate-covered raisins, or plantain chips are healthy because the origin of the two unhealthy foods are fruits. By that same token any fruit, however, can be turned into a dessert or pastry, and thus, sure a tasty treat that is self-assuring because it was once a fruit, but a far more unhealthy food than anyone is ever willing to realize.