Remember when T9 was all the hype in cell phone technology? I remember how cool I felt in middle school: moving my thumbs as quickly as if I was playing GoldenEye and knowing exactly which three letters belonged to which number without even looking. Most pre-teens and teens my age felt pretty much the same way. Isn't it weird to think that the newest generation of cell phone users won't get the same experience? As cell phones made the gradual switch to qwerty keyboards and touch screens, I remember wondering if my thumbs would be able to transition as well. I felt that there was no way a tiny qwerty keyboard could beat my T9 techniques and that I'd never want to switch. Yet now that I've finally made this transition, I can't help but admit that I don't ever want to go back. The full keyboard has been tremendously helpful, doing away with some of T9's flaws, like multiple words that had the same key pattern or inaccurate predictive texting. One of my friends, S, constantly has trouble with her predictive texting. Whether it's texts like "I'm saving tomorrow for din [fun] things" or "You're a genupus! [genius]," the prediction tool just doesn't seem to be her friend. Qwerty, in my opinion, has simply taken over.

This, though, extends to many aspects of life. The grass, my friend, does not always look greener on the other side if getting to the other side involves climbing a hill. People can often be extremely hesitant towards new things, especially when they involve a change from what they are accustomed to. The changed product often seems worse. Sometimes, the change can involve the slightest push or shove, like trying out a Qwerty keyboard, and within days, you have a new product you are accustomed to. This new product, in some cases, can be even better than the original.

Yet it's not just new products or texting techniques. As I move on to my next year of college, I started out the summer incredibly worried. With some of my best friends going abroad and some of the most awesome people I've ever met graduating, I found myself with two options: 1) Wallow through my next year of college with little care and no hope of fun or 2) Embrace the change of lifestyle, open myself to new friends, and remain connected to my other friends online. Yes, the change will take some effort and it's certainly going to be a different year. But, hey, who knows? With that little bit of effort and by welcoming the change, I could make my next year of college a qwerty keyboard, moving forward from an already incredibly amazing two T9 years.

Bottom line: Put in the extra work to embrace the change. You'll often find it's more than worth it =)

I found yet another random scratch on my car today and, as usual, I freaked out. As lame and materialistic as it sounds, there's few things I care more about than my car so you can imagine my (not-so-slight) anger when a blemish appears. This got me thinking. What if I drove a crappy car? The endless possibilities flooded into my mind. Just imagine.

1. Less Stress - I spend endless time and money making sure my car is clean and that scratches aren't visible. When you've got three or four dents and three or four hundred scratches on your car, though, one scratch is just adding to the collection. Heck, it makes the car look more like a classic. You lose all worry and the stress is virtually gone. Car wash? Psh. What difference will that make? Say goodbye to glossy finish and anti-scratch overcoats. You just gained yourself $25/month. Go out and buy your friends a round of beers (or grab a case for yourself. FUN NIGHTS)

2. No need for spare keys - Ever forget your keys in your car? Say goodbye to spending hours looking for a spare key or sketchily breaking into your car. Just leave your car there for the tow truck and go grab yourself a new dumpster dreamboat. It's a win-win situation. You get a new car and the guy working the tow truck gets something to do for the day. Now that's what I call effective.

3. Good way to gain money - And accidents? Heck you should go around looking for those. With each one, you'll probably get more money than what the car cost. The driver of the other car will have no clue which scratches and dents were there before the accident so you'd be making money. Even the "trauma" relief money will be more than what your car cost. Since insurance will be obsolete with your new and improved crappy car, the net gain is enormous because all you're paying for is licensing.

4. No one will break in! - Who wants to break into a '88 Camry when there's BMW's all around the city? You can use your crappy car as a safe - nobody is going to think that someone will be storing valuables in a car that old. You'll feel completely safe parking your car in even the worst of areas.

5. Get into every parking space - Even the tightest of parking spaces are now simple to get into. Parallel parking is now a breeze with your newly purchased crappy car. Simply back up into the spot until you hit the car behind you, then move forward until you hit the car in front of you, and then inch back again and you're all set. Parallel parking in under a minute. What more could you want?

Bottom line: I don't know about you, but I can't wait for my next car purchase. '85 Civic, here I come. 60 HP BABY!

(*Warning*: this post may trigger the allergic reactions some have towards science... Those with a liking for philosophy may be quite intrigued though. However, Wikiphiliac warns you: Read at your own risk.)

At least in theory, I would say yes. Our understanding of the universe is entirely dependent on the assumption that a certain logic holds true throughout everything, everywhere, and through all time. In fact, it is the foundation of the scientific method is -- a systematic method, grounded in reason, of uncovering knowledge about our universe. So what if that's not the case? What if the reason, or logic, that is so rooted in the human brain, that just seems to make so much sense, is not precisely how the universe works? What if, in fact, our reason is deeply flawed? What if reason is not so... reasonable?

Well, that's a hella deep existential question, but let it suffice to say for now that there's a load of circumstantial evidence that speaks otherwise. Reason, in its incarnation as the scientific method, is a self-correcting method. It seems very highly unlikely that this reason, and which has been verified by test after test, time after time, is anything but true.

But in real life, can we always trust reason to get us through tough decisions or confusing situations? I've always said with confidence, YES. I've always been one of those people to make decisions through systematic reason, not by following my gut. But lately, I've begun to question that. My unwavering faith in reason has begun to falter, just a bit.

Looking back at the past year, I've noticed that I've found myself many times in confusing situations, torn between conflicting paths and motivations. My paradigm of approaching these challenges has always been "Write down the options, and weigh the pros and cons. Reason it out." I've always been warying of submitting to my gut feeling, because, as we all know, our gut is not always "reasonable."

But now that I have the experience and time to reflect, I am beginning to see the pitfalls of reason. Often in real life (unlike when, say, solving a physics problem), there is so much uncertainty and grayness, that there is no one, correct way to reason out a situation. Instead, there could be a million ways to reason out the same situation. So trying to reason it out may at best, just be inneffective, and at worst, drive you crazy.

This is why as of late, I have begun to respect my gut a lot more. We all know our gut instinct is invaluable in certain situations -- like when sensing how people feel, or whether a situation is dangerous. But, now I have begun to see it's worth much more. Many times, when faced with a tough, or difficult situation, at work, or in academics, or elsewhere, our gut can tell us what's really good for us, and what to stay away from. On the other hand, reason, while in theory perfect, in practice, can fail miserably and confuse us.

So what do you think? When faced with a tough decision, what do you trust -- reason or your gut? And why? I feel those of us who are strict believers in reason and those who faithfully follow their gut ought to learn a little from each other.

At the end of the day, here are my two cents: Sometimes, you just gotta go with your gut.