Monday, October 31, 2011

Travelling

Today while I was studying + Facebooking, I stumble with this really good article on the net. My friends shared it in the Facebook so that their friends can read (which I read it). Here I would like to share it to all my friends who visited my blog. Following is what is written in the blog (credit to the writer Jeff):



The other night, I had a conversation with a young woman who had a number of decisions ahead of her, one of which is whether she would go to grad school or travel the world.

I told her to travel. Hands down. No excuse. Just go.


Photo credit: Flickr (Creative Commons)
She sighed.
“Yeah, but…”

Never were more fatal words spoken.

Yeah, but… what about debt?Yeah, but… what about my job?Yeah, but… what about my boyfriend (or dog or car or whatever)?

“Yeah, but…” is pernicious. Because it makes it sound like we have the best of intentions when really we are just too scared to do what we should.

It allows us to be cowards, while sounding noble.

Most people I know who waited to travel the world never did. Conversely, plenty of people who waited for grad school or a steady job and traveled still did those things — eventually.

Be careful of the yeah-but. The yeah-but will kill your dreams.

I was so stirred by this conversation that I shared it with a group of about thirty young adults last night, many of which are asking these very questions.
The life you’ve always wanted

When you get older, life seems to just sort of happen to you. Your youth is a time of total empowerment.

You get to do what you want. As you mature and gain new responsibilities, you have to be very intentional about making sure you don’t lose sight of what’s important.

So if you still have a reasonable amount of control over your circumstances, you should do what really matters. Because life won’t always be just about you.

During early adulthood, your worldview is still being formed. It’s important to steward this time — to give yourself opportunities to grow. A good way to do that is to travel.

So, young person, travel.

Travel wide and far.

Travel boldly.

Travel with full abandon.


You will regret few risks you take, when it comes to this. I promise you.


There are three reasons to travel while you’re young:
1. Traveling teaches you to live an adventure


When you look back on your life, you will have moments of which you are proud and maybe a few you regret. It’s likely that the following won’t be on the latter list:
Bicycled across the Golden Gate Bridge.
Appeared on Italian TV.
Hiked a Mayan ruin.
Learned Spanish in three months.
Toured Europe by train.


They’re not on mine (fun fact: I’ve done all of the above)


What, then, will be?
Holding back.
Being afraid.
Making excuses.
Not taking more risks.
Waiting.


While you’re young, you should travel.


You should take the time to see the world and taste the fullness of life. It is worth whatever monetary investment or time sacrifice that is required on your part.


It’s not about being a tourist. It’s about learning the importance of experiencing true risk and adventure so that you don’t have to live in fear for the rest of your life.

2. Traveling helps you encounter compassion

In your youth, you will make choices that will define you. The disciplines you begin now will be with you for the rest of your life.


Traveling will change you like little else can. It will put you in places that will force you to care for issues that are bigger than you.


If you go to southeast Asia, you may encounter the slave trade. If eastern Europe, you may see the effects of genocide and religious persecution. If Haiti, you’ll witness the the ugly side Western paternalism.


Your heart will break.


You will begin to understand that the world is both a big and small place. You will have a newfound respect for the pain and suffering that over half of the world takes for granted on a daily basis. And you will feel more connected to your fellow human beings in a deep and lasting way.


You will learn to care.
3. Traveling allows you to get some culture


While you’re still young, you should get cultured. Get to know the world and the magnificent people that fill it.


There’s nothing quite like walking alongside the Coliseum or seeing Michelangelo’s David in person. I can describe the city of San Juan and its amazing beaches and historic sites to you, but you really have to see it for yourself to experience it. You can read all the books in the world about the Great Wall of China or The Louvre, but being there is a different story.


The world is a stunning place, full of outstanding works of art. See it.


Do this while you’re still young. Do not squander this time. You will never have it again.


You have a crucial opportunity to invest in the next season of your life now. Whatever you sow, you will eventually reap.


Please. For your sake, do this.


You won’t always be young. And life won’t always be just about you. So travel. Experience the world for all it’s worth. Become a person of culture, adventure, and compassion.
“What if I’m not young?”

Travel, anyway. It may not be easy to do, but find a way to get out of your comfort zone. It’s really never too late.

But if you haven’t gotten sucked into the routine of life yet, I implore you — travel. It will never be easier than it is right now for you to do that which really matters.

If you’re young, have you traveled yet? Have you seen what the world has to offer and how it can change you? What’s holding you back?

If you’re older, did you travel when you were young? What regrets do you have?



Visit Jeff's blog here http://goinswriter.com/travel-young/

In Dilemma....

10 days to my final examination Macroeconomics, yet I have no mood and stress to force myself to study. Everyday looking at the notes and books, but my brain start thinking something else (food, summer, sleeping, plans, games etc) OMG!!!!! Please someone give me some motivation to study.....

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

我终于二十岁了~~~

没想到一眨眼,我就已经二十岁了。今年,我会给我自己一个很大很大的礼物,连钱都买不到的礼物。那个礼物是我终于肯原谅我自己了,原谅我以前做过的傻事,原谅我以前做事没经过脑袋害到人家伤心流泪。全部人读着这片博客,如果我以前有伤害过你们,我想说对不起!GOMENASAI!!!

接下来我想对我的家人说我爱你。虽然有时我很忙没时间每天跟你们聊天,但是你们都每天一直支持我,一天比一天的爱我。我希望未来我会过着更加开心,更加快乐的日子。

PS: Hunter, 生日快乐!




Wednesday, October 5, 2011

iPhone 4S: To buy or not to buy


To buy or not to buy, this is the most important question for today because today was the first day iPhone 4S being introduced in the public in Apple headquarter, Cupertino. It's been quite some times Apple keeping this product under their sleeves, making people wondering what features they going to introduced in this new phone. Bloggers, news writers, geeks and other speculating what type of upgrades and new features going to be introduced this time by Apple new CEO, Tim Cook. All social network sites especially Facebook was filled with updates about the excitement of new iPhone. Well, it doesn't last long.....

Several new features being upgraded internally (camera, dual core A5 chips etc), but nothing has changed on the outside. Want to know what has been upgraded??? Let's get it started!!!

First, we talk about processor and battery life. The iPhone 4S features Apple's A5 dual-core 1GHz processor along with a dual-core GPU, an upgraded version form it's predecessor A4 chip. Apple says the new chipset will make the iPhone 4S twice as fast and offer graphics performance that is seven times faster than the iPhone 4's. With the powerful processor, the company claims the smartphone will be able to provide 8 hours of talk time over 3G, 14 hours over 2G, 6 hours of browsing over 3G, 9 hours via Wi-Fi, 10 hours of video playback, and 40 hours of music playback.

Next, we talk about the new feature of voice assistant being introduced called Siri. Basically, Siri is designed to deliver information or follow commands that you give it. For example, you can check the weather, ask for a contact's address, set up a reminder, get directions, and ask for obscure trivia like the height of Mount Everest. You speak with a robotic female voice (you can't change her identity) and access the feature by holding down the Home button.

Now, come to the camera part. iPhone 4S has an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus, flash, f/2.4 aperture lens, and a backside-illuminated CMOS sensor that allows 73 percent more light than the previous sensor and should deliver better low-light performance. A hybrid IR filter is also onboard for better color accuracy. Apple also claims the new camera performs 33 percent faster than the iPhone 4's camera, and the A5 processor has a built-in image processor that adds face detection and 26 percent better auto white balance. Videos also get a boost with the ability to shoot 1080p HD video clips at 30 frames per second and with video stabilization. It means a good news for those who lazy to carry around their camera around.

We all know that when iPhone 4 first being introduced 16 months ago, they have the issue about the connectivity. Today, iPhone 4S is being upgraded to a dual-band world phone, meaning it supports both GSM and CDMA. According to the review, what's yet to be determined is whether the carriers will unlock the preloaded SIM card, so users can swap it out for a prepaid international SIM card at their destination. We also don't know if the CDMA models will offer simultaneous voice and data over the CDMA network. Meanwhile, for GSM customers, the iPhone 4S now supports HSPA+ 14.4, so the smartphone is capable of reaching theoretical download speeds of 14.4Mbps down, 5.8Mbps up. It's certainly an improvement over the current model, but disappointing that there's no compatibility with the faster HSPA+ 21Mbps networks.

Apple newest operating system will be feature in iPhone 4S. Is it a good news for the users?? It is said that it is the world's most advance mobile operating system. It brings about 200 new features to iPhone 4S. Some of the features are notification center, iMessage and Twitter integration. If you want to learn more about this thing, click here.

Lastly, I'm gonna talk about the design and price. iPhone 4S looked exactly the same as its predecessor. The only slight difference changed is the back part of the phone, where aluminium case had replaced the glass cover. The price??? Currently I'm staying in Australia, so I don't know the real price here. But in US, the iPhone 4S will be available for preorder on October 7; it goes on sale October 14 from AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint in the U.S. It will come in black and white and pricing starts at $199 for the 16GB version, $299 for 32GB, and $399 for 64GB.
Comment:
To buy or not to buy??? My advice is for those who have iPhone4, don't buy because it was not a good investment. It will be better if we just wait for iPhone 5 to come out in another 2 years time. But for those who had waited for so long, and they don't even have a smartphone, GO GET IT NOW!!! And for those Apple geeks and Apple collectors, just do whatever you think is right.


PS: This is my first time writing a review on new gadget. It was all based on research and opinion.  R.I.P Steve Jobs. All right's reserved.