Hisashiburi

The title says it all: it has been a while. A couple of years ago, a viewer commented on one of my posts. He told me that I was quite the writer, and that I should "keep writing, until the very end". Shortly thereafter, I took a nearly two-year-long hiatus. To the viewer - I regret my decision to have taken said hiatus. Now for good news - as of 1.11.11, I have returned to blogging, and would like to take a post to reflect on the past two years, and on life.

Since I last blogged nearly two years ago, a lot has changed. Several weeks ago, I reflected on the changes that took place in this short time span. I am an advocate for change, and would not be happy if change did not occur in my life, but for goodness sake, the past two years have brought a whirlwind of change.

As the new semester approaches, I am fully aware that my undergraduate career is near completion. Forty two months ago, I entered the University at Albany as an immature freshman. Forty two months later, as I peer back at the days of relentless partying, short-lived romances, and great exploration, it's hard to recognize the young man who once dreamed of a career in television meteorology, who held no interest in Asian culture, and who could not have foreseen his life as it stands on 1.11.11.

Aside - it's purely a coincidence that I write this post on such a famed date.

Since I always do this, let's put everything into perspective.

I was born on 22 October, 1988. This fell on a Saturday, and stood as the 296th day of the year 1988. Saturday, 22 October marked the end to the 42nd week of 1988. As of 1.11.11, I was born 22 years and 20 days ago, which can also be stated as 266 months and 20 days ago. More precisely, I was born 8,116 days ago, or 8,117 days ago if you include today's date. While my birth occurred shortly after midnight, for the sake of argument, I'll say I was born at midnight on 22 October, 1988. In that case, I was born 194,784 hours ago, which is equivalent to 11,687,040 minutes, or 701,222,400 seconds (all rounded to the nearest hour, minute, and second, respectively).

At this point, you might be rolling your eyes and considering clicking the "x" on the top right-hand corner of your browser. Before doing so, I challenge you to figure out your lifespan as of today's date, and reflect on the events, big and small, that brought you to this point. I challenge you to put your life into perspective. That's what this blog is about - placing a spotlight on life and developing new perspective. Growth is coupled with perspective, much like our atmosphere is coupled with the vast oceans that cover our planet. They don't work independent of one another, but rather together. Such is the coupling of love and happiness, two of the greatest elements of life one can achieve.

Enjoy each moment - aim for the stars - soar ever upward and embrace the open sky - you're on a lifelong journey.