That would be the time period between this post and the previous post. Remember how I said I wanted to make a bunch of posts in my last post? You don't? Well, that's what I said. But, I got lazy. Actually, I've been busily working on a project with my brother (the first thing we've collaborated on in a long time; the last time was probably in middle school when we decided to beat a game together). That is something that I will present another time. Add it to the queue of things to write about.
Recently, things have been going well for me. If I could summarize my thoughts into one sentence right now, it would be: things are not as they seem. In Chinese, the word for "smart", has its roots in an idiom, which literally translates to "ear that's clear, eye that's clear" (except the first "clear" is in the sense of there being a clear path through the ear without anything blocking the passage, whereas the second clear is in the sense of things being clearly visible, bright, and open). Therefore, the Chinese word commonly used for "smart" would actually be more appropriately translated as "observant". Therein lies a subtle and interesting connection: observant people are smart, smart people are observant. Put another way, dumb people are not observant. Does this hold? I think it does. If we look at many of the groundbreaking discoveries and constructions in society, made by people most deem to be smart, these incredible events all started with a simple observation.
Magnetism was discovered when someone (presumably smart) realized that something transferred between a piece of silk and whatever he/she was using it to rub. Gravity was discovered when Newton grasped the simple concept that there was a force causing an apple to fall from a tree onto the ground. Computers were discovered when someone realized that a piece of silicon could be made either a conductor or an insulator by injecting different kinds and amounts of other elements into the material (this one actually involved much more than this simple discovery). At any rate, most things have their roots in simple observations.
While we may focus on cognitive ability as a measure of intelligence, I think that how observant a person is is a much larger indicator of a person's intelligence. Ever met someone who should be really smart, but due to a general detached attitude, just never does the things that he or she should be capable of doing?
Of course, I may be totally wrong. I may read this in 20 years and think that I was seriously clinically insane at the time. But, at least, this is what's going on in my head right now. And with that, here are a few observations I've made recently:
A pretty/beautiful girl (physically) depends not so much on her natural looks, but on her artistic skills and financial backing. This basically means that in this day and age, someone with money and talent for wearing makeup can look real good, regardless of her natural appearance. From a certain perspective this is a good thing, as anyone can be able to pursue happiness on a whole new level. From a different perspective, this is yet another source of superficiality and a financial drain. In addition, someone willing to marry a girl not prized for her beauty definitely isn't doing it because of her looks. Hopefully the relationship involves something deeper.
Never underestimate the commute and the boss. I am currently a contractor, with just a salary and no benefits or vacation. The job is somewhat challenging. However, this is the best job I've had so far. This is not the shortest commute I've ever had to a job, but it's a noticeable improvement from before (I am now making 40 min. trips to the office as opposed to 1 hour, saving myself... 40 min. per day; that's a third savings). And the boss has been great at filtering all the nonsense and preventing those really frustrating, stupid things from getting down to me. And so, I am able to just focus on the fun stuff, the stuff I like doing, and stuff that makes me feel like I'm being productive and contributing to the success of the company, and giving the company a fair return for their investment in me.
Macbook Pros with Retina Displays are quite nice. Never thought I would admit it. This is part of something more general: there are nicer things in life, which usually costs more. Of course, this doesn't mean all expensive things are nicer. This requires some discernment (and probably a lot of research). This Macbook Pro Retina is expensive, yes, but it pretty much is flawless (except that it doesn't have a numpad; I might be alone on this one). Recently, I also got a pair of Allen Edmonds shoes. Two pairs, actually, to be exact. These are $200 shoes (per pair). Two months ago, I would never have even thought of spending this much on shoes, let alone two pairs. However, after much research, and after wearing them, I consider them a good purchase. For starters, the material, workmanship, and design justify the cost of these shoes. Copious amounts of real, full-grain, uncorrected leather, made in the USA, using a design that is both stylish, and yet easily repairable are all things that demand a higher price tag. With proper care, the plan is that these will be the last pairs of shoes I'll ever need.
