Illusion!!

Have you ever thought about how perception develops? How magic can be performed? Even things you know for sure didn't happen... appeared to happen?

Just finish listening to a TED talk... it was true... we see things based on our past experience. No matter what we try, there will things that we just can't erase from the past. In fact, I don't think we ever erase anything in our brain. It might sit in the back corner waiting to be called upon at an appropriate time and place. Things that you thought you have successfully erased might one day surface unexpectedly.

That lead me to think about what we actually see? Is it the true? Is it the reality that we wish to see? Or is it just... an illusion? After all, we only want to see what we like. Things are only beautiful if we like it. Is it the brain or is it the eye that deceives us? What is it that makes us like one thing over the other? What is it that makes us see one thing and the other sees different things?

Not only our eyes can deceive us... the presenter can also deceive us with the image... distance, color, shade, shapes.. all these are deceiving after all. What got me interest is the dolphin illusion. I guess a lot of people would see the image that most children can't see. However, I realize... most people can still see the dolphin if the image was presented differently. How it was presented in TED... the image was blurry and not all the details were presented... and obviously from a far, it's hard to realize what it is that is being presented. However, if you look at the picture close up... you will see little dolphin dancing around. It's not hard to see... it's what you look for. It might show what our brain is looking for unconsciously maybe? Who knows what is going on in the brain at this moment? We can't control our brain 100% that's for sure... and yes, most of us don't learn how to control our brain. We mainly let the brain control us...maybe that's why there are pain, hatred, and love in this world. If we for once control our brain or at least learn how to control it, wouldn't the world be a better place? :)

So what should you see things with? Your eyes? Your brain? your intuition? What is it that you really see? Would you let the brain decides what it wants to see? Or would you decide what you want the brain to see? :)

it's getting near!

School will start in a few days. Whether I am ready or not... I have to be ready by next week. Sound kind of crazy but after spending a summer away, it was a different experience moving back here.

Life has been good so far except the ant invasion recently. Put out the traps but it didn't seem to help. So I guess tomorrow I will go and try to buy the Terro brand that everybody was talking about to see if it is going to help.

A tip of healthy fitness:

Everyone can do it at anywhere: if you have tennis shoes or running shoes, great. If you don't, find a carperted area, and run in place for 5 minutes. If you just start running, you can do it slow to get your body used to running condition. Hopefully, after a week of practicing, you can run a little bit faster.

Internet

I've learned that... the Internet is very wonderful!

You can:
- put your mail on hold by going to the USPS website (www.usps.com) . The limit is one month. So if you have less than a month long vacation, it can put your mail on hold in seconds.
- You can check out the weather! Worry about what to wear tomorrow at work, at school, or even just occasional outings? It's always good to check the weather before you choose which outfit you're going to wear. Remember: not a week before, not two days before, not a night before, but the hours before! (Site I often check: www.weather.com )
- You can look up where you want to go at your finger tips. maps.google.com offers very useful information. Their direction can get messed up a little bit if you will be traveling to a small town. It's best to actually familiarize yourself with the areas on the maps. Try to locate some landmark. Try to remember some name. Knowing the adjacent town will be helpful because it will help you to see whether you are going on in the right direction.

Those are just a few things...

School is almost here again.. for those who will be moving to a new area... try to spend a few days exploring what is around. talking to the local will definitely help. :)

good luck in the last few days