Relying on Technology for Communication

   I came across this article from The New York Times written by Sherry Turkle, titled "The Flight from Conversation". She talks about how people have become dependent on technology that they use these devices for communication. Instead of talking to people, i.e., living and breathing entities, people in today's world prefer to talk to devices. In fact, some people (according to the article) want Apple to make Siri more intelligent so that he or she can confide to the app--the way that a person talks to another person. Don't you find that scary? Because I do. And that's exactly what I fear with this Siri app. It's like people prefer speaking to an app instead of talking to his or her friends. Or confiding his or her deepest secrets to an app that does not breathe. I guess this is one of the reasons why I don't have an iPhone because I find it too overrated--that, and I don't have the financial capability to pay for its monthly phone bill. If I get a cell phone though, I would try not to rely on it too much. Okay, to be honest, I'm afraid that I will become too dependent on my technological devices--that I would rather use them than spend time with friends. That I'd rather be alone playing my iPod on my ears or reading an article on my netbook than talking with friends.

   I try to be less dependent, even though I know that my efforts are not enough because I still use my iPod everyday. There is never a night on a weekday that I use my laptop. Heck, I spend less time curled up in a corner and reading a book because my laptop is always in front of me. I even use my iPod while eating (shudders). Which is why I plan to spend more time reading books (either paperback or hardcover) than on the Internet. I plan to spend more time with family and friends than with my laptop. I plan to spend more time with myself on times I need peace. 

   That said, I still want to try to be less dependent of these communication devices. The irony of this post though is that I'm using a blog to express what I think instead of discussing this article with someone. Ugh. I hate myself. I really should move and do something about this. Something like ending this post. Not the blog, but the post. I've fallen in love with my blog that I don't think I'll be able to give it up.

Homecoming Part III: When the day comes

   I can't remember how many times I've asked my mom this question: When can I go to the Philippines again? I went to the Philippines in the summer of 2010 because it was my sister's wedding, an important event in our family's lives. It is almost two years since I went there, and sometimes I wonder when this day will come again.

   Just to clarify, I don't use the phrases "go home" or "go back", such as, 'When can I go home again?' or 'When can I go back to the Philippines again?'. Nope. I try to refrain from using these phrases because I don't want to call my former home country my home when I already have a new home. Here. Canada is my new home now, so I might as well learn this new country and culture. Easy for me to say, but very difficult to execute. Especially if one is surrounded with people (or communities) of the same ethnic culture.

   Of course I want to go to the Philippines again someday. Just not now. Not this time. First of all, I don't have the financial capability to buy a plane ticket to another country just because I feel like it. What can I do? I'm a student. I'm poor. So instead of saving up for a trip to the Philippines, I'd rather save up a few hundred dollars for a trip around the country. "Explore the Philippines first before you explore other countries.", some hardcore nationalists or conservatives in the Philippines might say. Yeah, okay. As if it's that easy to save and just buy a plane ticket. Not to mention the travel expenses. And the extra expenses for dining out, treating family and friends, going out with friends and buying them gifts (or pasalubong), and giving away money to families like a bank machine... Okay, I'm diverting to another topic, and this is one topic I'd rather talk in another post due to the broadness and complexity of it.

   So for now, I am enjoying the present. A vacation in the Philippines, that might happen in three or four years. As much as I would love to go there this year, I can't. I have to be practical. Even if it means not going to the Philippines for a long time (but not really long. Because I might not be able to take it. I still want to go there before I hit 30. Maybe after graduation I might go there. If I have enough money.). 

Paralysed and depressed

   There is nothing depressing about this post. Nothing. I promise.

   The earth is now in the spring equinox so snow won't be coming until late fall and there won't be another cold and depressing winter until mid-November or December. Or maybe it might snow before April ends. One will never know. This is Canada afterall. But just because I'm talking about paralysis and depression don't mean that I'm paralysed and depressed. Far from it actually. But I'm not saying that I'm happy right now, at this moment, because I'm not, and that's an entirely different story, but I am happy today. Of my present disposition in life.

   I was reading an old blog post titled "Paralysis" about this Filipino woman I met on the bus. She told me she missed the shopping malls and Filipino foods. On my mind, I don't blame her. But I was surprised when she told me she has lived in Canada longer than me. And the reason why she missed the Filipino culture was because she didn't like this new culture that she's living in. I find that disappointing, because I think (and as I wrote on the post) that one should learn the cultures of a new country--especially if he or she is permanently living in the said country. I'm not saying that one should completely forget about his or her culture, but he or she should make an effort to accept a new culture into his or her life. I don't want to judge the woman because I don't have the right to judge her. However, with her manner of speaking it sounded like she didn't want to assimilate into a new culture.

   I guess this denial of accepting a new culture is part of an immigrant's experience, where he or she has trouble accepting the reality of living in another country. It is difficult to deny one's culture and learn a new one. This process makes one have a dual self, living two identities at the same time. It takes one to immediately transition from one self to another self in order to adapt to the environment and surroundings. I don't know how it goes for other people, but this is exactly what it's like for me.

    Keeping up with two cultures is difficult especially in today's technology where I have access to the Internet and I can chat or talk to my friends in the Philippines. But to be honest, I don't do it often. I used to do it a lot, like, everyday. I used to check my Facebook everyday and check my friends' Facebook updates everyday if they held parties or reunions. But that is so 2009 (because they had the reunion in 2009. heh.). Nowadays, I rarely check my friends on Facebook for two reasons: one, I don't have all the time in the world to spend looking up for their profiles everyday when I have other things to do on the virtual world and in the real world. Second, the more I see them, the more parties and reunions I miss, the more they have fun with their lives, I get jealous. There it is. I admit it. And I just digressed. But this example from my life is one of the reasons why a person denies a new culture. Why he or she does not want to learn a new culture because he or she does not want to miss out on what his or her friends are doing in their home country. I hope I don't sound cynical but I am sure no one checks my Facebook everyday (because I rarely update it) the same way I used to check it everyday. Unless someone really wants to know what's going on in my life, they'll make an effort to chat with me the same way I'll chat with them. Anyway, this is becoming too personal (and I don't mean to attack anyone) so I better stop. The point is, one reason why I used to be paralysed and depressed is because I close myself to new possibilities instead of branching out in this new country. So I tried to change. And it helped, quite a bit, because I can now see a change in myself (like rarely checking Facebook). I don't deny that I miss them, because I do. I miss them a lot. I miss my old friends. But that's it. That's where it ends. I already have a new life. I should just be happy that I have a whole new life ahead of me, new challenges that await me, new people who would like to meet me (I hope), and new places that I can't wait to travel. There is no use bringing up the past because I'm already living in the present for my future. 

    So one solution for an immigrant to not be depressed? Open up to a whole new life and accept the reality of it all. Difficult as it is, the learning experience is worth it. 

Looking Back

   Now that I think about it, I haven't really written a post about the day when I left the Philippines. It all seemed like a blur now, particularly that day when I traveled probably because of jetlag or culture shock.

   I left the Philippines on December 2007. I was a teenager then; I wasn't that young but I wasn't too old either. Everything was a rush because our visas arrived unexpectedly so we immediately bought December plane tickets in October. I didn't have time to meet all my friends for the last time. I only told a few people too, because I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. And my close friends knew this would eventually happen so they were not really surprised (I think). As for most people, like my high school classmates and friends, they didn't expect it.

   Within the four years that I have been living here in Canada, I want to think that I've accomplished many things. I learned more than I never expected to learn--especially at the university. I became more responsible. If the 19-year-old me would look at the present me, she would think, "You have grown a lot, Lora. You have changed." I want to think that I have changed for the better; although some of my friends think that I have lost my pride and nationalism due to my harsh criticisms when I was in the Philippines in July and August 2010. But what could I do? I was only telling the truth; all those criticisms were based on my observations. But of course they would never believe me. They might had thought that I completely changed. That I became more Canadian than a Filipino. I can't really blame them if they thought that way because they have never lived in another country before. Sure, some of them might had gone to Canada or the US for a vacation but that was it. A vacation does not last 2 years. It does not last 4 years. Once a person lives in a new place, he or she begins to adapt to the new culture because he or she is an immigrant. He or she, like me, is a person from another country. So if I visit the US and stay for 3 months, I would still not be able to fully assimilate myself into the culture. I'm not saying though that an immigrant should assimilate his or herself into the new culture. It takes time, and it also varies in every person. Even though sometimes I feel like I have fully immersed myself into the culture, there are times when I still cannot relate to what other people are talking about. I think it will never go away. But if a Filipino of my age starts talking about the cartoons in the 90s, then I can relate because I grew up in that culture. But now, I can say that I know less of the Philippine pop culture as I learn more of the Canadian culture.

   Start all over again. Then look back after a few years. What have I accomplished in the last four years? How did my perspectives and ideologies changed over the past four years? Would I want to go back and start all over again?

   I'd rather not. I've had my ups and downs during the four years, but looking back, I prefer not to be paralysed and would rather look into the future. A bright and unpredictable future.

Technology and Me, A History: Part III

   I was reading Candace Spigelman's Personally Speaking: Experience as Evidence in Academic Discourse where in chapter three she talks about the construction of one's experiences in narrative writing. She argues that we, the storytelling humans (as Walter Fisher argues on the Narrative Paradigm), cannot capture the "real and actual" events in our lives based on contemporary theory (62). What we can do is "reconstruct" this memory, to experience these events into text and not the truth (63). I wrote my Technology Narrative paper before I read Spigelman's book so when I was reading the book I agreed on this argument, and the chapter on "Constructing Experience". As I mentioned in part two of this Technology Narrative series, I remembered bits and pieces of my childhood stories due to pictures or remnants of memories in my brain. I don't remember all my childhood memories, and if given the chance I would like to go back to see how I lived as a child, but not change anything. But let's not talk about it here, because my early experiences with technology is only a part of my childhood.

   I talked about the first technological tools I used, the pen and paper, in the second part of the series. This series is actually a four-part narrative series, the third part about the technological devices from my childhood at home, and the last part would be my technological narrative in school (from grade school up to high school.).

   Remember, I was born in the Philippines. I grew up in the Philippines. So the young me in the story is someone who grew up in the Philippines who had no idea (then) that she was migrating to another country (and culture). My parents taught us to not have everything we wanted. This taught me to value what I have, to not waste it, and to not fix something that is not broken. Despite not having everything I wanted as a child, looking back, I am glad that my mother did not buy me all the toys in the toy store. Instead, she bought books. Sure, we had toys, but not a lot. And I was fine with that. I was a happy kid growing up in the 90s.

   As I mentioned in my technology narrative paper, music is a significant influence to my life so it was no wonder that we have a music system at home. My mom told me we used to have a record player because my dad had his vinyl records kept. So growing up, I used any musical technological device. There was a tape player in the van too whenever we go on road trips and long drives. When relatives visit, the adults watched concerts (on VHS tapes) while the children played outside. On Sundays when there were no classes and it was cleaning day, my mom would turn on the radio. I remember during second grade where I used to watch Disney films on our VHS player after I got home from school in the afternoon. I first asked my mom how to set it up and when I learned how to do it myself, I watched films by myself because I didn't want to interrupt my parents who were busy with work (we had a home-based business). So at the age of 8 I was able to watch films by myself. I didn't just watch films or listen to music when I was growing up though.

   My two older brothers played the Family computer a lot while I watched them. I didn't play a lot; one, I had to fight over my two brothers, and two, I wasn't really interested. I preferred watching them play even though I could finish one stage of Super Mario or Battle City. My brother also played the GameBoy, and as usual, I would only watch him. If I did use the GameBoy, I think it was only for easier games. Whenever we visit my cousins, I would also watch them play Resident Evil on the PlayStation. 

Nokia 1011 - quite close to the first cell phone we had and this looks much worse. 

Nokia 3210 - a better phone than the 5110 but worse than 3310. 

Nokia 5110 with its interchangeable covers. I never really liked this phone; I don't know why. 

Nokia 3310 released in 2000. 

   Our household had a fair amount of communication devices that I used as a child. Because we had a home-based business, a telephone was necessary. I think it was in the mid to late 90s that I was introduced to cell phones. The first cell phone I held on my hands was a Nokia phone. It was a huge and heavy phone, but based on the time it was released, it was perfect. I'm not sure what the model name was, but the phone looked like Nokia 1011 but aesthetically better. There were other cell phone brands that emerged in the late 90s. Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and Philips were some of the brands, but Nokia was more popular. The Nokia 5110 and 3210 were the classic Nokia phones that were really popular before 2000. But after the clock stroke a new millenium, there was another popular cell phone that emerged: the Nokia 3310. This was the most popular and widely-used by most Filipinos; everywhere you go, almost everyone used this phone. I started high school in 2001, and a few of my classmates had cell phones better than the 3310. The Nokia 3310 was just a basic cell phone: it has a call and text message feature but it had better games and ring tones than 5110 and 3210. But after the 3310, everything changed. Again. 

   By the time I was in my third year in high school (equivalent to Grade 11 in Canada), most cell phones had these features: camera, video, built-in music player, polyphonic and monophonic ring tones, coloured wallpapers, and different sizes and shapes of phones. By fourth year, everyone in class had cell phones. Cell phones became a regular accessory because everyone had it. I was so used to seeing cell phones when I was 15 years old so sometimes I'm not fascinated with cell phones anymore unless these phones are made in Japan or South Korea.

    I've always thought that North America is still far behind the technologies in Japan and South Korea. Especially Japan. I maybe biased because I've always wanted to go to Japan. Or maybe because I grew up in a place where technology seemed to change as soon as I get used to one device. Take the BlackBerry and iPhone, for example. I'm not excited to own these cell phones, and I don't see myself buying one soon. First, because I don't need it. Second, I'm not interested. And alright, the third reason is that I don't have a budget for an iPhone plan that's more expensive than my monthly bus pass. Seriously, I don't see myself owning an iPhone in the near future. I know that I will eventually use a Smartphone, but not an iPhone. Even though I don't buy the latest cell phone in the market, I keep myself updated. And right now, the phone that I really like is the Samsung Galaxy SII or the Sony Ericsson Xperia. And yes, I just said that I prefer Asian-brand cell phones. Although I don't mind a Nokia phone in the future which depends on circumstances.

----

Spigelman, Candace. Personally Speaking: Experience as Evidence in Academic Discourse. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 2004. Print.


            If you want to see the old Nokia cell phone models, here's a link: GSM Arena Nokia cell phones. On page 6, I can count in my fingers the number of cell phones that I had never seen before I graduated from high school. So this gives you an idea that I was a witness (sort of) of the cell phone history (or timeline) and why I'm not too interested in getting a Smartphone right now. You could look at page 5, and again, I've seen most of these phones before I turned 16. 

Technology and Me, A History: Part II

   My most recent blog post was an essay I wrote for my Reading and Writing Online course about my technological history. I received my marked paper two weeks ago and after reading my professor's comments, I had a dilemma. I was thinking on whether I should delete the blog post where I posted my Technological Narrative final draft or just leave it to be a part of the Internet history (or my blog history). I did think about deleting it because her comments made so much sense than when I was editing my own paper (No surprise there.). But after a few days I decided I would just write a new series of technological narratives as blog posts that will be added to my academic and personal page, Homecoming.
   
   I know I mentioned way back when I started this blog that I prefer to remain an anonymous blogger and if I may reveal a few information about myself, there should still be anonymity in my identity. So in this series of posts, I will not name people I know in my life nor name places where I lived. But I consider this blog as my web site and link it from my Internet profile (like Facebook and G+ or for a class).
   
   Okay. Story of my life. As I mentioned in this post (and paper), I was exposed to technology at a very young age when I was growing up in the Philippines. It also helped that I grew up in the capital of the country, Metro Manila, where everyone in the city are up-to-date with the latest technology. If I grew up in the country though, like some of my cousins, then I would have a completely different story to tell. And believe me, I visited that place a couple of times and people in the country live a simpler life compared to Metro Manila.
   
   Pencil and paper were the first technological tools I used as a child, but I preferred reading than writing in my early days of education. I think I used a pencil more than a paper, because that's how children usually practice writing right? Writing their names on a wall using a pencil. Needless to say, I know my mom didn't like it. I don't remember being scolded for writing on the wall, but I'm pretty sure she was angry (But really. I was a growing toddler. At least I wrote it in pencil and not in pen. That's easier to erase.). And again, I was a kid. So the pencil and paper were not just my first technological tools, they were my best friends. If I came across a pen with either black, red or blue ink, these devices made my day because I was able to scribble, draw, and write anything that goes on in my innocent imagination. However, there was something bigger, better, and more colourful than my drawings. The television.
   
   I can never remember which of the two I was exposed to at a young age: the television or the pen and paper. I'd say tv, because some of my baby pictures have a tv in the background so I figured that my parents or older siblings made me watch tv before I learned to write. And isn't that how babies become exposed to technology too? Mothers and babies watch a soap opera. Baby has no idea what's going on in the show, while mother has used up the entire box of tissues. I think it's the same with radio too.
   
   Make-believe or not, I'm sure that I was exposed to these devices when I was a toddler because I either saw pictures or the memories were stored in the depths of my brain or the unconscious. However, I do remember my late toddler years or early childhood years and how technology became a part of my life--which will be posted soon (or just read the first part of this series to get a sense of my early beginnings in my technology narrative draft). 

Technology and Me, A History

  How did technology and I met? How is it that I became used to the Internet at such a young age? How do I perceive technology now with today's innovations in technology? These were some of the questions that constituted my first assignment in my Reading and Writing online class that I will answer in this post, to show how my technological narrative affected my perception of technology now as a young adult in her early 20s.
  
  I have a vague recollection of technology when I was a toddler, but when I was in kindergarten onwards I remember the technological devices we have in our household that I once didn't consider as technology. However, before I list these devices, I should start with a pen and paper first, tools that are considered as technological devices according to my professor. Before I started kindergarten, I can write my first and last name using a pencil and paper. I'm not sure if there are other words I used to write because that was a long time ago. The chalk and chalkboard were the visual aids used when I was in kindergarten, but there was an array of visual aids in grade school and high school. Included in this post is my Technology Narrative final draft as an assignment for my Reading and Writing class online as an autobiography of how technology and I started way back in the 90s. 

Early beginnings 

     I was exposed to a variety of technological devices while growing up in the 90s. My family loved and enjoyed music so my father bought an entertainment system that included a television set, a cassette and VCR player, a receiver, a subwoofer, and two large speakers. I remember when our relatives would visit the adults would watch The Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over concert while the children were playing outside in daylight and watching the concert at night. There was never a day that the radio was turned off. Music was a daily part of our lives, and my parents’ musical influences were passed on to us as we were growing up. When we weren’t listening to the radio or watching a concert, my brothers and I played the Family computer or GameBoy. Sometimes I would watch my cousins play the PlayStation when we visited them. 

     We had a family business, so a telephone was necessary in the household. I think it was in the late 90s when my father bought a Nokia cell phone. It was a huge and heavy phone, bigger than a regular corded telephone. But since that was the first cell phone I had seen in my life, I thought it was amazing. Without my surprise, a few months later, I saw cell phones smaller than my dad’s phone. As I read magazines and watched television I saw these cell phones that have the ability to phone and send a text message. In 2000, most of the upper and middle-class groups owned a cell phone in the capital city of the Philippines. It wasn’t difficult to buy a cell phone; the market was competitive and the consumers have an option to choose from the array of phone plans. Text messaging was cheaper and becoming a trend compared to talking to someone on the phone. That time, cell phones were becoming viral and cheap so it was easy for a working class person to buy one. The marketed cell phones were smaller, lacked antennas, had larger screens, and more features. By 2005, in my last year in high school, everyone in class had a cell phone (including me). And this time, the phones were in various shapes and sizes. 

     Despite these devices that I grew up with, my earliest beginnings with technology was a pen and paper, tools that I used to write my name. I learned more words when I went to kindergarten. Kindergarten to high school institutions used the chalk and chalkboard. I had my first computer class in Grade 4 and was taught up to high school. Sometimes, the teacher would use an overhead projector for his or her lectures. Other times, class would be held at a room where the teacher would play videos and used a dry erase marker to write on the whiteboard. By high school, it was implied that all students were knowledgeable of Microsoft PowerPoint and that it was required to use for class presentations. Computer classes were introduced to the curriculum in the fourth grade in 1998 so I learned how to use it at a young age. These were the methods and technological devices I grew up and learned.Since our school introduced a computer class in the fourth grade, students were required to use the Internet once a week in the school library to get ourselves acquainted with technology. In sixth grade, I signed up for my first email address partly due to my older cousin’s influence. The Internet helped me communicate with my aunt who was living in Florida. I was the “mediator” between my mom and aunt because my mom didn’t know how to use email yet. I have never abandoned any technologies I tried before; on the contrary, my technological skills have improved. I still use the Internet and email, and I use my cell phone for phone and text messaging. Nowadays, I rarely email my family and friends because there is Facebook, Skype, and Yahoo! Messenger. I email when necessary, so I can’t say I have abandoned email completely. My cell phone, laptop, and iPod are the most important technological devices I own that I use every day. I won’t say that I text more than I email, because I think I spend more time on the Internet than my phone mainly because of university, my family and friends overseas, and my hobbies. These three have affected my personal life such that I rely on them most of the time such as when I need to talk to someone. 

     Because I learned how to use the Internet at a young age, it was not difficult for me to use it for communicating with my extended family and friends. My knowledge of the Internet was an advantage because it helped me contact my family and friends without help. My first few months in Canada were difficult because I had no friends so I had to rely on the internet to communicate with them online. Instead of going out and meeting new people, I spent my time online to chat or talk with family and friends during weekends. Due to my technological capability, I was always online so I could catch my friends online and chat with them. The 14-hour difference (13 hours with Daylight Savings Time) was a hindrance for while it is night here, it’s daylight there so sometimes I go to sleep really late which made it difficult for me to wake up in the morning to go to work. This used to be my lifestyle, but once I became settled and realized that everything has changed, I no longer stay up late just to catch my friends or chat with them all the time. I chat with them whenever I feel like it, because I understand that we lead separate lives now. Most of my relatives are rarely online, but when they are, it’s usually the weekend so oftentimes I don’t go out on weekends just so I can stay and to talk to them. Sometimes, I teach my mom to chat and use Skype so she wouldn’t wait for me whenever I go out late on Saturday nights. This way, my parents can talk to our other relatives online without me or my brother’s assistance. 

     I am more knowledgeable about the Internet compared to before that I couldn’t last a day without it that sometimes I take a break. As a past-time hobby, I like watching Asian shows. They almost have the same format as the American television shows, but they only run for one season that lasts 16 to 24 episodes for Korean dramas and 9-12 for Japanese dramas. Each episode runs 45-65 minutes and has a variety of genres. I spend hours and days watching a 16-episode series that sometimes I would rather finish the remaining episodes than go out with my friends. But since I started university, I have been able to limit my use of the internet for unnecessary and time-consuming activities. It took some time for my lifestyle to change from when I first came here up to today, but nevertheless, the Internet has been a significant part of this change in my life. 

     To be technologically literate, one has to have a technological device for each activity he or she does. He or she does not use a pen and paper all the time, but a handy and multi-purpose technological device. When I used to use a pen and paper to write my thoughts, I sometimes had difficulty to free write because I pause after a couple of sentences to read what I have written which diverts my attention to the main idea I wanted to convey. With blogging, I have no difficulty free writing because I can write as long as I want quicker than writing in paper. If I need to stop to read the paragraphs, I can easily delete the words I don’t like. When I become accustomed to using a Smartphone or a BlackBerry as my “digital planner”, I will probably spend more time using it the same way I use my planner every day. This would be handy for my future professional life as a required technology. A cell phone would be necessary, and if it’s also an organizer it would help out a lot. I might use the laptop too, because I would need to be online all the time for documents or files that need to be emailed or forwarded for work. A music player, or my iPod (if my current one still works in the future), would be a supplemental technology to use whenever I need it. 

     In the meantime, I currently have these technological devices at home: a desktop, a printer, and two laptops; one is my brother’s and the other is mine. So every time I come home, I turn on my laptop and go online or do homework. I am content with my laptop, iPod, and basic cell phone and I have no wish to buy any new technological device in the near future. I recently bought a netbook that I bring to university which still makes me guilty because I know that I don’t badly need this device and yet I still bought it. I plan to buy a MacBook, but that won’t happen anytime soon, because my laptop and netbook are working just fine. I am not interested in the iPad or tablets as well; I don’t know why, but somehow since the launch of the iPad, it had never appealed to me in any way. I am also not interested in the iPhone because I believe that there are much better phones on the market than this overrated cell phone. I don’t need a Smartphone or a BlackBerry either, so cheap cell phone offers don’t appeal to me. I prefer writing, highlighting, and reading on a planner compared to Smartphones or an app for now. 

     I don’t have any technological “wish list” because I am satisfied with the devices I have now. It may not make me up to date with the latest technology, but I really don’t mind. If I buy a device one day after six months there will be a new model of that same device. It’s a waste of money, and as a student, it’s not really economical for me. My friend tells me that I should learn the latest technology, but to me it doesn’t really matter because technology is quickly changing even before my trusty pen runs out of ink.

  Analysing this paper, I can see that I have been introduced to technology since I was a child which has changed my perception of technology today where I prefer to spend less time online and more time in the real world due to the lifestyle I used to have during my first few years in Canada. This change in perception is due to my old lifestyle in the Philippines where the Internet was not a daily part of my lifestyle--only when I needed to do assignments. I used to spend my time with my family and friends than exploring the Internet. Unfortunately, I went back to this life when I migrated so once again I am going back to my old life where I would like to spend more time making real and personal communication. I just hope that I can do this seeing how today's society lives. A person is only given one chance to live, and I wish to spend more time exploring the wonders of the world than sitting on a desk behind a laptop.