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Allan's Philosophy Podcast

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Phun-size Philosophy # 40 – Spoilers

When something gets spoiled it becomes corrupted and is altered from its original condition. The actions that external factors give away hint at or may even completely reveal the unexpected and usually without you requesting it. Spoilers usually deal with endings or surprises and areas from which you are excited to be revealed but only after delving into the story elements. Usually when there is a potential for a spoiler, it means you have been given a back story and in a plot there is usually a suspenseful point. If you have no background in the story there is less attachment and the ending has less significance but it will usually ruin it for you in the future if you ever wish to read or see the story in the future. Good stories always have some huge point where the action and suspense rises significantly attracts the attention of others. Most people enjoy being surprised or inspired by enchanting tales that can engross their attention through certain tropes. If it’s a horror movie, you’ve got the stereotypical blonde cheerleader and if it’s the comedy you’ve got the bearded guy (who happens to be named Allan) who likes people to join his lone wolf pack and sing about tigers. With spoilers it usually relates to predictability. If you know how a story is going to end without it actually being spoiled to you, you know that it is predictable. It doesn’t necessarily ruin the ending and enjoyment level but it does have the potential to ruin it. That is exactly what spoilers will do for a majority if not all of the time. Spoilers will most likely ruin the endings and that great feeling internally you get when presented with an amazing storyline. You get a sense of satisfaction from finding out what happens at the very end of a good movie. This sense of satisfaction only comes if you actually were concerned with how things were going to turn out. If you don’t care that (SPOILER ALERT) Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father than you don’t care that I just told that to you. The philosophical significance of spoilers is that they completely change the perspective from which an individual will look through. The unfortunate thing it that it is most likely for the worst now that you know what will happen but it also lets you prepare yourself for what’s to come. I have to say though that in movies (and books because spoilers can apply to them too) you usually look forward to seeing where a story takes you because you become involved in and emotionally attached to the characters and their roles in life. There are those that regardless of how many times they watch The Notebook, they will still cry at the very end when you find out the old people were the young loving couple… oops probably spoiled that. : P

-Allan Nicholas

Phun-size Philosophy # 39 – Catching Up

Catching back up means you are getting back to a position or spot in life where a majority of others are currently at and involved in. For instance, if you want to catch up in math you need to be learning the material the rest of the class is supposedly learning together. Because everyone has different perspectives, abilities, work ethics, etc it is inevitable that at some point in time some of the individuals involved, say in the math class, will get lost or even possibly get ahead of where the rest of those involved are expected to be. If you are one of these individuals, it means that you yourself have fallen behind. It could also mean a couple of other things like you have chosen to spend your time in other ways than on your main objective and choosing not to complete the task at hand. It could also mean that the task presented to you takes more time for you to accomplish than it does for others. These two examples set the basis for reasons why you fell behind the expected progression. There could be plenty of valid excuses like the time consuming obstacles just require more work and effort from you than they normally to do anyone else. This may be because of a disability which in that case, your environment should accommodate your specific needs like providing you with more time to allot to your specific task. It is important to remember that everyone has their own pacing. Not everyone is good in math or can speed read so you need to consideration that everyone doesn’t work with the same skill level in the same subjects as everyone else. With things like deadlines, they help by trying to keep structure and timing to make sure that everyone is on the same path on the same page. One negative of trying to catch up is that you must do more work in less time. If you need to catch up you will need to make up for lost time. If this is the case then your performance when compared to others may suffer because they’ve had adequate time to complete the requested tasks while you will not. The important thing about getting caught up is that you are being brought up to speed. You get debriefed on what has happened and transpired while you were working to get caught back up with everyone. Being current and up to date is very important (see my Current News post for more). Once you finally get back up to speed it is important to stay there in order to effectively improve your life and not use up as much time to just fall behind again. It reminds me of how when I walk next to a person with really long legs I need to sporadically jog a little just to catch up because I gradually fall behind. I get to the same place they are but by doing more work. Check out more at http://humanpoweredpodcasts.squarespace.com/!

-Allan Nicholas

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Phun-size Philosophy # 38 - Accusations

When you make an accusation it means that you have a belief that somebody had committed a certain act. The thing is that that accusation may not be a commonly held belief or is noticed by the general public so you announce it. By making an accusation, you make public that some negative events had transpired. You put egos on the line and it sets the stage for determining what actually occurred and most likely one person will go out negatively impacted by the accusation. If you accuse somebody of a crime and they are proved innocent you look like a liar and you lose your credibility and respect. Even if you prove your point you need to be careful because the remaining audience may start to view you as a tattletale. One the other side of the spectrum, if the accused is found guilty, they will probably be indicted and receive consequences for their actions. In order to make your claims valid there needs to be some proof or physical evidence in order to convince and sway others to take your accusations as the truth. Your argument is only valid if you can effectively prove your point. You need to provide examples that can accurately and fully represent your viewpoint and be expressed clearly so others may see the current situation as you do. If you can do this you can most likely get others to believe what you are claiming. The accusation is only the first step though. You need to then rally support and gain followers built around that claim in order to be successful in proving your point. If you can get others to back up your beliefs, your argument gets fortified and is more likely to be accepted. After all, your argument is only strong if you can get others to agree with what you have to say and doing so by clearing getting your message across. All of this doesn’t matter however, if those in authority disagree. In a democracy everyone should technically have an equal say but those in power are the only ones who can really act on those words and make decisions that override all other thoughts. The final judgment comes from authorities who provide over the current setting. Almost regardless of whom you get to believe you, the final decision and word comes from those who are in power. In a trial, the judge is one of the prominent figures who gets to determine who the guilty and the innocent are and the consequences as well. So before you accuse your brother of stealing your food, make sure you are on your parent’s good side.

-Allan Nicholas

Monday, September 27, 2010

Phun-size Philosophy # 37 - Getting Involved

Getting involved means that you decide to take part of the world and go out and explore all the great things it has to offer. You apply yourself to different situations and you try and use your time wisely in order to have a successful lifestyle. You don't want to waste away the limited amount of resources and time that you are given by not trying to reach your full potential and be as successful as you can be. The way you operationalize the word success is huge in determining what you should work and strive for in life. The main point of getting involved is to provide meaning in your life. By getting involved you get a better sense of what you may enjoy doing with your life in order to instill values as well as positive emotions too. When you get involved, you take advantage of opportunities that are around you. By being proactive and taking the initiative, it is a very important in order to find out about what is available to you and utilizing them before it's too late. In order to get involved, you must dedicate time and effort to a goal. Hard work and determination are a vital part of seeing the intended end result you desire. You must also try your best to find and scope out the most viable options from which you build and develop your life off of. If you want to play a role in something occurring, the only way is to be the change that you want to see happen; you can't just sit around and wait for it to happen. If you do decide to get involved, you need to take caution and realize that you become associated with it. You need to be careful and make sure that you only get involved with something that would aspire pride from the general public. If you name becomes attached to a certain act or name, you want to be able to appreciate the work you’ve done and be proud to say that you did such a thing. The important thing about becoming involved is that it is a necessary part for the advancement of society and your collective being as well. If you sit back and don't strive, you won't progress or have your dreams come true.

-Allan Nicholas

Phun-size Philosophy # 36 - Teams

Teams are essentially the groupings of individuals working together. They are usually brought together for a specific reason tasked with a specific challenge or to solve a certain problem. Teams are usually comprised of individual parts and those who are a part of it have some judgment or power in the team. They are on it usually because they've made it past a certain cut off point and have a vested interest in the subject at hand. If there is no tryout period from which certain individuals get chosen to participate, then they usually join by their own free will and want of being involved. When you are a part of a team, you usually share a common goal with the rest of your teammates. You then collaborate with them in order to achieve an end result that is desired by all parties involved. For instance, if you are on a sports team you will work and do whatever it takes to try and achieve a common goal of winning a championship. The worth of a team is determined by the sum of all its parts. We have all probably seen the TV show called the Weakest Link. Well this show has some good values to be learned from it! I believe that you are only as strong as your weakest link so you need to be concerned with everyone on the team. A good way to maximize the amount of success your team will have is by playing to your team's strength and defending your weaknesses and improving both at the same time. Another influential factor in the amount of success a team will have is the chemistry involved in a team. In order to be successful you must also build off of each other. You shouldn’t bring down the team for your own ideals. There is a tremendous amount that can be learned from everyone who you work with and there is also so much that you can help others with. You must consider when thinking about teams is that there is a greater margin of error but also a greater chance of success if the whole team can work together as one. A member of the team's mistake could affect the performance of the team and you need to make sure there is the right people who are on the team in the first place. You can't control everyone on a team but you can try to create the best environment to create success. If done correctly, teams can accomplish way more than one person can alone.

-Allan Nicholas

Phun-size Philosophy # 35 – Tailoring

When I say tailoring you may think of getting your suit tailored to fit you specifically. When I am talking about tailoring I am referring to a more philosophical definition like making adjustments to meet a specific need or market. Tailoring means you modify different objects or events in order to suit their individual needs. You would do this in the first place because not all things work for the general public so you need to make adjustments specifically to those involved. For instance, not everyone likes reading so you need to tailor to their interests by making it an action or a romance novel based upon the individual in question’s persona. When I think of tailoring I think of creating a custom experience from an individual basis. Everyone is unique so what one person may want in their life will probably have some variations and discrepancies when compared to the next guy. This tailoring is basically formed by match ups that develop off of interests and likes. You normally want to be tailored to something that you can relate to or want to be around like what will provide you with positive emotions like happiness. These matchups are all based on chemistry and relationships. How well things can get along, work together, compliment each other, etc will all play roles in how well an event or object is tailored to a person’s specific wants or needs. There are also certain types or character traits that can mesh well together. There are people who get paid to go help people find their perfect matches and who utilize knowledge on how well an individual’s personality with mesh with their potential soul mate. In fact, meshing is a huge part of determining how successful a tailoring will be. If things go well with each other they will most likely have a happy and memorable future together. Check out more at http://humanpoweredpodcasts.squarespace.com/!

-Allan Nicholas

Phun-size Philosophy # 34 – Deadlines

Deadlines as defined by Google are the points in time at which something must be completed. They act as the restrictions that directly deal with the aspect of time. They limit what is capable of getting done by making time be the limiting factor. The less time you have to do something the less you can work to try and perfect it and make it better. They create a breaking point and try to force progression by setting a point in time when you have to have something accomplished by. It can be seen as a goal that is set in order to build upon in the future because if you take a lot of time to get one thing done then you won’t be able to do anything else or as much in the future with the remaining time left. The only catch is that it will only be work if the person who is being given a deadline is motivated to complete the task or are fearful of the consequences of not doing it. Those individuals involved must truly want to get something done or are too afraid to not meet the deadline in order to meet the deadline with intended results. When talking about deadlines you need to take into consideration what will happen if you don’t reach the due date like are there punishments associated with it. It is also important to recognize that those punishments get amplified dependent on the importance of the task that has a deadline. A common status that occurs to particularly lazy participants is procrastination. Procrastination is the state of mind comprised of laziness and a lack of motivation. Procrastination is actually a very bad quality to have because it is a hindrance to the advancement of society. If you possess such a trait like procrastination then you will inevitably face a crunch time when up against the clock. In desperate high pressure situations, keeping your composure is an important part and shouldn’t be influenced by the building stress from the looming due date. To prevent this, planning is the key to success. Figuring out a time line to utilize a planned course of action can effectively use your time to accomplish the desired outcome before the deadline. So when you’ve got a big project due next month, plan it out before it comes to the night before the deadline so you won’t have a breakdown from the stress.

-Allan Nicholas

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Phun-Size Philosophy # 33 - Favors

Favors are basically when you ask for help by members that you usually know to accomplish something necessary to your progression that you probably wouldn’t be capable of doing all alone. When asking for a favor you usually are requesting assistance that usually comes with a price. When you ask for a favor you will most likely become indebted and must return another favor when they are in need and other abide by other basic underlying rules as well. During the period right before you ask for a favor there is usually a time when you and the other parties involved barter and negotiate an agreement from which all of you can create a win win situation. For instance, somebody probably won't be willing to write your paper for you unless they get something in return like you walk their dogs for them. The thing also with favors is that they don't always involve paying another person monetarily for their services but it might require you spotting someone for some Qdoba one day. When it comes to favors there are usually conditions that apply in deals between friends and family. If people have a willingness to help you that means that those helping you will probably receive something out of the deal. They may not need to have a material reward or service in return for their helpful actions but it is also helpful and great to give compensation for those who have assisted you in improving your lifestyle. Whether it is a present or just a thanks, it can't hurt to repay the favor. Sometimes when you have made an agreement to have a favor done for you, there may be terms set by your assistance because receiving help becomes an integral part of success for society and individuals alike. When it comes to deciding terms and conditions that come accompanied by a favor, you need to consider the situation from which these favors are derived from. When your environment and surroundings start to create pressure and a sense of desperation, the willingness to accept and receive help goes up significantly. We've all heard the saying desperate times call for desperate measures and the more you need the help the more you will be willing to accept terms to a favor that you wouldn’t have normally. Favors are formed from the basis of friendships and trust because you would normally only ask friends and family for favors. You also need to pay back your dues because while it isn't a legal binding agreement, it does have the potential to ruin trust and friendship if a certain outcome occurs especially if you refuse to return the kindness and helpfulness others have afforded you. Favors are vital to life and improvement because they stress ideals of cooperation and working together to better the lives of others and benefit the well being of others.

-Allan Nicholas

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Phun-size Philosophy # 32 – Deriving From

Deriving from something means that you have progressed from an originating point where things start developing their skills, abilities, and basically all other facets of life. For instance, you derive from your parents and inherit traits that they possess. It doesn’t just have to apply to the collective beings of humans though as it usually can include almost anything else in existence that has had multiple iterations and modifications made from it. When you derive from something you take parts of other things that are the help lay the foundation from which future things will come into existence from. In order to have a strong base to build off of you need to take hints, processes, ideas etc from previous generations that have been reinforced with time and experience. You know from basically the Stone Age that a round wheel is way better functioning than a square one so in order to build the next super car you need to take that into consideration and derive future ideas and concepts from past ones. This is where I like to go into the concept of originality because in some way shape or form everything is derived from something that has happened in past generations. Whether it has been a toothbrush or TV show, the underlying parts that it is comprised of have usually been done before. For instance, I found this little gem on the internet at http://tvtropes.org that basically summarizes all the different tricks and structures used in TV shows. By taking and mixing together these different tropes you can basically get the plotline or story of almost any show in existence. The important part when taking something from someone else is that you have to innovative in its implementation and basically but a twist on it in order to make it unique and a breakthrough product that can be used to better humanity. I need to stress is that with this post I am in no way condoning stealing or plagiarism or anything of the sort. With all great ideas there is almost always a copyright associated with it to ensure the protection of their intellectual property. Patents are another way to try and prevent fraudulent copies. They can be used by companies called patent trolls who hold onto patents of generic things especially in the technology sector. I know of one in particular that Apple holds on sliding an icon over from the left to the right. That means that if any other phone manufacturer tries to put an “unlock by sliding your finger” thing on their phone they would have to pay Apple royalty fees or risk getting sued for patent infringement. This is one negative I find with patents and while they are helpful, I believe at some points they do stifle innovation by taking ownership of ideas and actions. It could be a viable way for creators to be compensated and recognized for their creations or inventions but only if implemented correctly. Right now if you put in a request for a patent through the U.S. patent office it will take about 6 years for it to get reviewed and approved. That is not acceptable in my opinion. I think it is important to pick and choose and mix and match what has already been done to find out new combinations and possibly discover better meshes or iterations of already great things. I think that if you have a great vision it is possible to put other ideas and products to better use. There may be an intended use for a certain product but it is completely possible that it could be implemented in another fashion to achieve a desired result that was never thought of before. There are plenty of inventions that had come about by a mistake or accident. My personal favorite was the ice cream cone that resulted from an ice cream vendor running out of cups to serve his treat on so he asked a nearby waffle seller to wrap a waffle into a cone and voila, the modern day ice cream cone. Maybe you see a hole in society that could be filled by mixing two different foods together or something entirely different. The possibilities are endless!

-Allan Nicholas

Phun-size Philosophy # 31 – Being Content

Being content means that you are in a sense satisfied with your environment and current position in life. You get a feeling that all is well with whatever you have tried to accomplish and thus you have probably achieved success or your actions have resulted in the level of success you are acceptable with or have expected. Being satisfied means you are pretty much happy with what you’ve got. Sometimes we think satisfaction in life is derived from monetary and material gains but that isn’t always the case. People are almost always driven to get the latest clothes to be in style or the next greatest videogame. There has to come a point though that you could live a happy and successful life without those material things. They can be great and I do believe at this day and age they have become a necessary and integral part of society but they aren’t always the best form to act as a medium for happiness. The thing with being content is that it can be hard at times to be pleased with your current environment. Whether it is chores or homework or studying, there is almost always something looming over you and they probably come with pressing concerns on the well being of your future. For instance, if you don’t study for a test you may fail and then ruin a grade for the class. When we are faced with obstacles and challenges like these it can be hard to say that you are satisfied with how things currently are playing out. You have to realize that you can’t always enjoy what is going on in your life but that is important because that contrast then helps define what you consider to be happiness. The worse things are going, the greater you will notice, recognize, and feel a positive action or change in your life. There is one negative that I feel is associated with being content and that is you may feel less obligated to strive for improvement because you have everything you could possible want in life. I think that regardless of how things are playing out in your favor, you should always try to exceed the current boundaries and restrictions placed on you by your surroundings. I think this is a very important part of life and if you are satisfied you may become complacent with you actions and not apply yourself and take advantage of all the great opportunities life has to offer. It’s kind of like saying I can settle for a cheap Kia but why should I settle for less if I know with hard work and determination I am capable of getting a Lamborghini.

-Allan Nicholas

Monday, September 20, 2010

Phun-size Philosophy # 30 - Reverting Back

Reverting back means that you have gone away from something you are currently involved in to some other previous stage in your life. You may move back to a time that you appreciate more and most likely will accomplish more in and you undergo changes to basically reverse all changes that have modified your environment from the way it used to be. These changes and revisions have been seen before because you are reverting back to them. The main question is why did you want to change back but I will get to that soon. When you revert you are essentially going back to square one. Everyone has an originating point from which they develop and move on from. If you go back to the way things were you can in a sense waste time or other resources but it isn't necessarily always like that. To determine if it was a waste of time, money, or resources, you need to understand the motivation and reasoning for the switch. Usually the reason to go back to the start is because they liked the original way better. Anoth3er reason is that you could have also lost everything that you have therefore needing to go back to the basis and safe haven from which you have developed and built you life off of. It may not be because you lost everything either but just possibly because you need to take a break and go back to refigure your current predicament out and need to get everything situated and plan an effective course of action from which you can move on and improve your future. When talking about reverting back, you then begin to look at the different transformations that can occur in one's life. I believe that everyone is a dynamic character that will change dramatically as time goes on. There are many paths one can take and you can also try to revert back to the way things were. You can't always revert back to way things were because your environment is always changing and sometimes those changes are irreversible. For instance, you can't turn back the hands of time and through that people grow up and change perspectives and opinions that won't always be beneficial to revert back to the way they were. When you were a child you may wanted to be a superhero but right now I don't think that is a viable job option. : P The thing with reverting back to the way things were is that it may not necessarily help the progress of improvement in your life. With reverting back, you don't try new things that can be a very important part of progression because when you experience new things you widen your perspectives. If you revert back, you may not have anything to show for your hard work that has taken up time in your very busy life. Reverting back to the way things were usually shows your comfort levels because you may have liked the way things were and wish to live in similar surroundings. The problem with this is that you may lose opportunities to extend your boundaries if you don't take risks and try things you’ve never experienced before. This isn't always true however because you can revert back to your home town and living situations that you had as a child even though you went out into the world and made a billion dollars. It all depends on what you personally want to do with your life and where you see yourself going in the future.

-Allan Nicholas

Phun-size Philosophy # 29 - Breaks

Breaks are essentially the points in which you limit the amount of strenuous work and activities within a time period allowing you to rest. This recuperation period is where you derive your breaks from. They allow you to recover from the work and stress that you will inevitably go through in your daily life. Your day to day activities and escapades can have a huge toll on you both physically and mentally. Rest is a necessity in keeping up excellent performance because the draining effects work has on you personally has the same effect on your actions and abilities as well. Resting gives us the time to rebuild what was lost when you apply yourself to situations and give it all that you’ve got. You can last longer without rests if you don’t try hard in a situation thus giving you reserve energy and strength to continue on with your work. I don’t suggest doing this though because you aren’t doing your best in situations where you keep all of your actions reserved meaning you aren’t operating at your peak exhibiting the best of your abilities. Doing your best will tire you out faster but you can accomplish so much more and your level of ability will exceed way higher than your regular and normal work. You will be able to do much more with what you have because it repairs your functions so you may accomplish more than you could have normally. You come back feeling refreshed and ready to go. Think of it as being as good as new. If you take care of yourself it is scientifically proven that you can do more. If you get 8 hours of sleep you will perform better in school. If you eat healthy you can live longer. While I may not necessarily be the best one to tell you these facts because I don’t always eat healthy or sleep a lot, it is nonetheless important for you to take care of yourself in order to have a more prosperous future. Another cool thing about breaks is that it allows you to take a step back from your work and get a brand new perspective on what it is you’re working on. You can really get a big picture view when you step back from your focused work and make connections you may not have noticed before. If you take time away from a problem you’ve been rigorously working on, you can get a fresh new look that otherwise wouldn’t have been afforded to you so take advantage of them. I think Kit Kat got it right when they said give me a break, at least every once in a while.

-Allan Nicholas

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Phun-size Philosophy # 28 - Violations

Violations are basically the rule breaking and not following the set of guidelines for which people are expected to abide by. If you are associated with anything you usually have to follow some certain list of rules in order to continuing to receive the special privileges you’ve been afforded today. For instance, if you want to live comfortably in the United States you can't break any of the laws set up by the government or commit crimes as determined by said government. We have rules set up in the first place to create organized actions. By setting up rules, you create order from which you can direct the flow of progress for society. You also set up rules to avoid havoc and chaos so you don't waste resources or have unnecessary losses in other aspects of life. In life there are plenty of people who actively choose to violate said rules and a part of preventing and reducing these events is to understand what and why the perpetrators of said crime did so. Because there are laws for almost all aspects of life, there are also many ways to break them. Of course there is no way to refute or try and support straight up murder, there are many ways to view a situation and that is what lawyers and part of our justice system is about. What can be considered good by one person can also be considered bad by others. It is all based upon your upbringing and your environment that helps shape your moral code and what you believe is right vs. wrong. There are many situations in life that challenge our beliefs in what is right and wrong and those are where moral dilemmas come into play. If you are perceived by the general public to have committed and bad deed or denounced by the judge as being guilty, there are obviously going to be consequences for your past actions. There were probably punishments involved and they are used instituted in order to prevent future actions of similar caliber. There will inevitably be repeat offenders however and no matter how many repercussions they will undergo, they will continue to violate laws. There are certain inspirations and motivations to violate laws that come from both external and internal forces. Finding out the source for doing such a negative actions and exhibiting negative behaviors can also be helpful in the prevention aspect of crime fighting. The important thing to look at is to how improve the situation from the damage that had been caused and finding out how the perpetrators will make up for their mistakes. Will they do community service or will they have other consequences that make it clear to the rest of the parties involved that the wrongdoers will compensate those who they have negatively affected with their actions. Making up for what you did in the past is the first step in making the future better.

-Allan Nicholas

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Phun-size Philosophy # 27 – Compliments and Insults

We all at some point have been given a compliment or insult in our lives. It is an inevitable action that occurs in social interactions. It is our way to respond and evaluate the actions of others while letting them be aware of our opinions and perspectives. Compliments are the statements made where an external body was impressed by your actions or words so they expressed to you such a feeling. In general, it is associated with positive emotions because it incites pride in you because others reacted positively to what you’ve done. It is in a way encouragement and reinforcement because you want to receive similar compliments in the future so you will do semi similar actions. On the opposite end of the spectrum you’ve got insults where degradation comes because of hatred or disappointment. It can come through a variety of mediums like name calling. When it comes to insults I feel like it is important to recognize that they target a perceived weakness or specific characteristic of you that they feel they can utilize to make fun of you for it. It doesn’t necessarily have to be your actions that incite insults but could also just be the way you look or what you believe in that it enough to have a barrage of insults and curse words flying towards your directions. Religion and race are huge facets of a person’s collective being that is almost always under scrutiny by certain parties. Something to take into consideration when talking about compliments or insults is that they magnitude of their impact depends on the source. If a role model or your parents do either then it penetrates deep within your emotions and your future actions are usually dependant upon the approval of loved ones. You probably don’t want to do something with your life that your parents will disapprove or and I can definitely say that it is one of the worst feelings you can have knowing your parents are disappointed in what you’re doing. Both can have varying effects on life and both are tied usually to your emotions and especially your self esteem. This is of course only if you care about those who compliment or insult you but you can become depressed if someone you are crushing on calls you ugly or you feel accomplished if you teachers congrats you on a test. I do think that both insults and compliments have the potential to motivate you to do better next time. I say this because everybody’s words have some impact but it is how you respond to them that matters. It is good to turn the positive emotions received from a compliment and better to turn the bad feelings from an insult into the drive to do better in the future.

-Allan Nicholas

Phun-size Philosophy # 26 – Lost

When it comes to something being lost there are generally two different ways for which it can be expressed. One way to interpret it is by saying that something is no longer in your possession or control. This could be referenced when you are talking about losing the remote control in the couch and it usually applies to objects other than yourself. The second one which I feel like is the more philosophical definition is when you use the word lost in context of something is unable to be found. One of the biggest things that are usually hard to find in a person’s life is their purpose and the meaning to their existence. I will get more into this later but I like to refer to this popular saying first. When you are trying to find a way just think that “if there’s a will, there’s a way.” Even under insurmountable odds, the human spirit can make and do amazing things when put in the right situations. There are plenty of miracle stories where people have survived in even the most inhospitable situations. If you are stuck it usually means that you require external help to continue on. If you are lost on a trip you probably have to ask for directions from a local or require other assistance to get through path blocking obstacles that prevent you from pressing forward. Sometimes in life there are some advantages that allow us to get a leg up or avoid problems that others may face when they are on a quest to find what they are looking for. If your child has been kidnapped and you are rich, you can afford to hire a private investigator to find them for you. Sometimes in life you need to discover and find things on your own without the help of other means. It may be hard to find if you don’t know exactly what you are looking for to begin with but all the help in the world cant determining the right way to live your life for you. You need to continue living life and do things that interest you and maybe even stuff you might not particularly want to do. Through that you gain exposure and perspective to whole new ways of life which may help you find what you are looking for.

-Allan Nicholas

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Phun-size Philosophy # 25 – Anticipation

Anticipation is basically an expectation that you have for a future event. By having anticipation it means that you have to have some type of information, hunch, or intuition about a given situation that is most likely going to happen or else your anticipation will be empty and almost surely accompanied by disappointment. I could anticipate that time travel and teleportation will exist in my lifetime but I have no basis for such a statement so if it doesn’t occur within my lifetime I will almost certainly be embittered by this. If you can anticipate something it means that you can somewhat know the future and thus prepare for it. By anticipating something, you can usually accurately predict what will most likely happen in the future and can possibly even mold current events to have the future happen the way you want it to. In certain situations you won’t have the power to do so like if you anticipate the release of a major blockbuster movie you probably won’t be able to change the plot line to your liking. When an event’s future existence is anticipated by the general public, you start to see countdowns forming waiting for the said date to occur. You can see countless doomsday countdowns waiting for that fateful day in 2012 anticipating the downfall of humanity into apocalypse. The thing is though are the situations of outcomes like that unchangeable or will occur the way they are anticipated to? Another interesting thing about when others anticipate similar thing is the discrepancy in how one’s perspective of how an event will transpire when compared to another’s. Almost everyone has heard about 2012 but not everyone thinks it will be the end of humanity. If everyone knows when an event will occur it helps form a schedule for which all parties involved will abide by. Because people know my birthday is May 6th, my close friends and families will hopefully anticipate it and realize to wish me happy birthday. : P With anticipation there will inevitably be hype that is accompanied with it. We all form preconceived notions on how we believe an event will turn out the second we believe it will happen. Humans then usually compare the original views with how the event actually turned out and then emotions are the associated with those differences. If you thought a movie was going to be terrible but in actuality it was great you are surprised and happy. The thing is that you can’t always anticipate everything and sometimes you will be blindsided by other events. It can leave you unknowing and unprepared thus you are more susceptible to making heat of the moment decisions and responses which might not necessarily be the best thing for you and your future. Sometimes though, the best things in life are unexpected and the days in which you anticipate what is going to happen may not always be the most exciting because you are fully aware of it. I think some of the best days in my life have been days when I go on adventures spontaneously and without warning.

-Allan Nicholas

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Phun-size Philosophy # 24 - Small World

The world used to be vast expanses of the unknown a couple hundred years ago. As time has passed, there have been plenty of new unknowns and our maps have been constantly changing up until about a hundred years ago. There have been new and exciting frontiers into those unknowns whether it is Lewis and Clark traversing towards the West or Maslow traveling up the Congo River in Heart of Darkness, there always seems to be a location which we have no idea what is occurring there so we go and explore it. In this day and age there are only a couple of areas for which we consider the unknown. One of them is in the body of waters for which no human has entered before. Hundreds of feet underwater there exists an area devoid of the necessities of normal life for which we have no idea exists down there. The other is considered the final frontier which is space that we have almost absolutely no idea of what exists there and are continuing everyday expanding our knowledge base of these locations. In respects to another viewpoint of the "small world," that phrase usually refers to when someone knows another mutual friend and is usually associated with the emotion of astonishment because it is thought of as being a coincidence that your social network coincides with another's that is previously unnoticed. Tech is a huge factor in decreasing in a sense "the size of the world." It makes everyone interconnected and now with things like Facebook and Skype you will never lose contact with anyone again and it completely changes the landscape of the rest of the world. With these technologies our social habits change as well and with the world being "smaller" everyone knows more people and it is harder to keep things as personal unless you maintain small circles. The old habits which we find almost obsolete now like letters are being replaced by newer methods like texts and instant messages. It is also interesting to see its affects on our ideas of what is considered socially acceptable. Not responding to someone's text is less harmful to the integrity of your relationship than refusing to answer someone's call. It is also changing the landscape of a person's perception of what is considered a "friend." People add others on Facebook who they may never say a word to in the real world. If you know everyone under the sun then no wonder the world is becoming smaller.

-Allan Nicholas

Phun-size Philosophy # 23 – Current News

In today’s day and age it is almost a requirement to know what is happening in the environment from day to day. If you don’t you won’t be able to chat with your friends about the how last night's football game turned out. Or you can't talk to your boss effectively about how the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will affect your business relations. Knowing what is happening in the here and now is dependent upon the different events that have lead up to this day. They dictate what will happen now and is an important part of progression. Our history will affect us in a myriad of ways. It may come back to haunt us, or may bring back great memories. Regardless, the past is an important part of staying in the know because you need to know where you have come from to know where you will probably go in the future. This is why staying up to date with the daily events is so important. You need to know the ever-changing updates that happen from a day to day basis because each event or change can completely modify the landscape from which you live in. It can affect you directly and noticeably like your Dad getting a promotion and a raise at his job so you have more money to spend, or indirectly like the oil spill and how it will change the landscape in the days to come. Almost all changes in life will affect you in some shape or form. What if's also come into play in current news situations because you need to take into consideration what your current actions will affect your life as well as the rest of your environment too. Because of this, tracking current events becomes so important. Luckily for us, technology comes to the rescue. Things like Twitter, Facebook, and CNN let us stay up to date on all the latest information, whether it be social, political, business, or any other kind of news as well. And another thing about technology is that it makes staying up to date very easy to do so with things like trending topics on twitter and your news feed. All of these events that we can view help pave the way for the future. What we do now will set the stage for which we live by in the future and can shape the news of tomorrow so we need to make sure we make the right choices.

-Allan Nicholas

Allan's Answers Podcast # 19

This episode I answer questions that include how to be perfect, peace without force, seeing yourself in others, battle between good and evil, and losing something you've never had. Hope you enjoy!

Phun-size Philosophy # 22 - Instant Gratification

Instant gratification is basically defined as being able to get what you want right then and there when you want it without much work to get it. It has been popularized and made wide spread as technology advances especially with the internet. Google recently released a feature called instant search where as you type it shows the Google search results instantly! It is pretty crazy and I feel like that it definitely fulfills the instant gratification one would want in order to maximize their capabilities while exerting the least amount of force possible. You don't need to wait for a letter to come in the mail to communicate with your friends and family. There are also a myriad of other ways in which things ranging from communication, to entertainment, to almost all other facets of life. Technology allows us to receive instant satisfaction with almost everything we use it for except when it decides to break. : P When you start getting whatever you want instantly, you start taking things for granted and you will lose an appreciation of what it has taken you to get where you are today. Everything you do seems less important because it seems as if you can easily do something else just as easily if things don't go right with what you are currently working on. If you don't have to work hard to achieve almost anything, why would you take the time and effort to work on something that may not go your right way. Your patience also goes down because the longer it takes to accomplish something the more your interest or motivation decreases. It is very nice to receive instant gratification every once in a while, especially when you are having an off day. It allows you to achieve and gain some feeling of success because things come so easily. The only down side is that these accomplishments eventually lose their meaning that can potentially make your life mean less and less as well. Life will seem less exciting in my opinion because your actions lose their value. Hard work and obstacles provide a sense of victory and triumph knowing that it took time and effort. That sense is necessary to a successful life because you made something of it.

-Allan Nicholas

Monday, September 13, 2010

Phun-size Philosophy # 21 - Affiliation

Affiliation is defined by Google as having a social or business relationship and is usually in place to provide benefits to all sides involved in the given relationship. It can also apply to other aspects of life besides just social and business but those are the main two reasons we form relationships in the first place. Social as we all know, is probably the majority of why we have relationships to begin with. They are the basis for where our networks form and are usually for the sole reason of making our lives interesting. Social relationships help contribute to providing meaning in our lives because we usually enjoy company and friendships. Getting along with others allows you to accomplish so much more in life and share good times and memories as well. If social relationships are usually set up to provide emotional change in life, business relationships are usually set up in order to financially change your life hopefully for the better. It doesn't always have to be money either but also for an increase in resources too. If you start an affiliation with someone else it usually means that you get special privileges and can get certain deals that others would have no way of getting. You can get access to things that others wouldn’t be able to like if you have a special friendship you get access to their trust and from there so much more. If you have a business affiliation with Kleenex you could get a free lifetime supply of tissues. The thing with affiliations is that you become associated with their actions and they do to yours as well. This means that what they do will then affect and impact you and your life especially your identity. This means that you need to watch who you associate yourself with. You need to pay special attention to this because as your relationships gradually develop all sides involved gradually become more dependent on each other. Some time down the road they may not be able to function without the other which isn't always the best policy to hold because it can make life go downhill quickly once the relationship falls apart. In every single relationship there is some dependency among the parties involved because in some shape or form you will probably require or need something from the other sometime during your life. When it comes to parents, we rely on them to provide sustenance and a good upbringing which will lead the way for a successful life. Sometimes the relationships we form are one way where one side "wears the pants" and becomes dominant. This means that one may have more power and determines the direction of which the affiliation will go. There are also many other symbiotic relationships from which all biological creatures interact with each other. In human society an affiliation is set up in order to provide win-win situation known as mutualism. In order to do so you must pick carefully because there are always going to be those people that you meet who will negatively impact your life. It can also be hard to change the affiliations you’ve made in life like if you've joined a gang they probably won't let you leave easily and you will quickly make enemies with opposing sides. So just make sure you know exactly what you're getting into when you are about to become affiliated with others.

-Allan Nicholas

Phun-Size Philosophy #20 - Special Treatment

Special treatment is in essence the way in which one gets preferential care that is usually provided with the intention to improve/worsen a situation. It also means that you aren't like anyone else in the fact that you are one of the only ones to receive such treatment from a given party and others don't share such fortune or pain depending on what party it is. Sometimes getting special treatments comes with perks and added benefits like handicaps that can give you an advantage if you are on a good standing relationship with those who you receive special treatment from. It can also go towards the opposite end of the spectrum where a negative relationship with someone will give you hardships and added distress in your life that you otherwise wouldn’t have if you have a positive relationship with them and can in fact make your life worse than it was from the start. There are many forms but the most popular form of special treatment usually comes in the way of favoritism. Favoritism according to Google is an inclination to favor some person or group. Things like favoritism usually come about because you have a unique relationship with someone. This relationship usually means that you have had prior exposure to this other person or thing which means that your pasts have built up and developed into what it is today. For instance, you probably wouldn’t let a random stranger borrow $5 because they haven't had the past experiences with you that help build a sense of trust thus making you willing to let them borrow some money. I have also noticed that people are usually harsher with people that they know well, like a best friend, because they are comfortable and know that regardless of what is said they will still probably be friends at the end of the day. I believe that things like favoritism aren't always the best policy because they can make others feel alienated or less wanted. You should always try to keep a level playing field and give everyone an equal opportunity in your perspective to become a friend or colleague. This means you should try to ignore prejudices and other viewpoints that can limit the growth and development of new relationships. The one thing about receiving special treatment is that it means you stand out in some way and have some unique quality about yourself. It may be your skills or personalities that make you be favored in the eyes of others, or it could be your unwillingness to be quiet in class that got you on your teacher's naughty list.

-Allan Nicholas

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Allan's Answers Podcast # 18

This episode I answer questions that ask how warped is my reality, would the world be a better place if everyone was more like me, and is it better to go with the flow or swim against the current. Check it out and enjoy!

Allan's Answers Podcast # 17

This episode I talk about why it feels good to be nice to others, if humans are essentially good or bad, and why humans can't be one big happy family. I hope you enjoy!

Allan's Answers Podcast # 16

This episode I talk about the inevitability of the end, dealing with the past, as well as when does responsibility start. I hope you enjoy this episode!

Phun-size Philospohy # 19 – Freedom

Freedom is the basis for what makes our country great. It is outlined in the structure of our constitution and it is essentially comprised of the famous line that everyone has heard before; the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” which basically allows you to live life the way you want to. But what exactly is freedom? Google defines it as being the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints. In my personal viewpoint it is the having the opportunity to make decisions for yourself and not be restricted by what others want you to do. When I refer to freedom I am talking about being able to think for yourself and then act on them too. In life there are always going to be situations where there are restrictions put onto your capabilities. Other factors involved in situations may not necessarily be your fault or placed upon your being but be because of a lack of resources, time, or money etc. While you can’t always control what restrictions get placed on your life you can choose how you respond to them and thus increase your freedom for future situations you may experience. Another thing that can be perceived as holding people down is authority. I am not saying authority is bad but it can limit your abilities to live for yourself because you must follow the directions of others. When it comes to people who have power over you, whether it is parents, teachers etc, you need to learn to be submissive to have a successful lifestyle and avoid unnecessary hardships. If they are demanding you do things that are morally wrong to you or will negatively impact your life then you should stand up and defend yourself but in general disobeying your parents just because you don’t feel like cleaning your room will usually never end well. Someone will probably always have power over you. Until you move out it is your parents. When you get a job it’s your boss. The secret to success when dealing with this is learning to adapt and make others happy in order to do so for yourself. Cooperation and getting along is key in a happy and successful life.

-Allan Nicholas

Phun-size Philosophy # 18 – Doing What’s Right

We’ve all been taught by our parents that we should always do the right thing but what exactly does that entail and how should it affect our actions? I think that there isn’t always a clear cut right vs. wrong so it can be a very tough decision to make on what to do. What you may think as being right can be completely different from someone else’s perspective. What you believe is right is formed from your upbringing and morals, values, etc. What your family has taught you along with what you have experienced has developed your sense of justice and your views on what is that right way to deal with all the different situations your environment may put you through. Your own perspective and views on the world are then compared next to societies and the other parties involved in a particular situation. By varying the views, you are bound to get some form of arguments or disagreements. For instance if you are put in a situation where you can make a lot of money but step on your friends, someone who is greedy like Mr. Krabs would definitely pick money over the friends whereas someone else may not. Something that helps give general guidelines to what is the right way to act is the laws that our government set up. They help create a widespread consensus and rules which set the foundation from which citizens then build up their own ideals and beliefs of what is right. I am pretty sure that everybody thinks that generally murdering someone is wrong but then it brings up a varying opinion on whether capital punishment should be legal or not. Another thing to consider is that doing what’s right isn’t always the popular choice because what can be a fad or trend doesn’t necessarily follow those rules and guidelines but will gain followers by utilizing elements like peer pressure and manipulating other’s emotions to make them think that they are cool by doing such a thing. I think what everyone should do if they are weary on what to do is to always use your best judgment. Not all beliefs or values will hold up to all situations that you are bound to face in life so you need to take each situation with a case by case basis to live a successful life.

-Allan Nicholas

Phun-size Philosophy # 17 – Compromising Situations

Compromising situations are places in which you are put in a position where factors aren’t going in your favor. They usually don’t have any good things associated with them especially when they are revealed to the general public. Compromising situations can happen because you lack judgment at a certain time in your life where your actions are determined by the “heat of the moment.” Other times it just means that some action you have done completely innocently may be misconstrued and possibly taken out of context. You see on TV all the time when someone takes a picture of a person doing something suspicious and there isn’t any background on what was occurring at the time, it will probably create drama. Background helps define what was going on and helps clear any uncertainty that may create doubts or misunderstandings. If people take advantage of these compromising situations they may use it as leverage to get you to do things you might not want to do. There are many forms of this but probably the most popular one is blackmail where you must give into their demands or they will reveal something to the public you may not want them to. If it does get revealed it usually will tarnish your reputation or has some other negative impact on you and your identity. It will most likely change the general external perspective on your collective being for the worse. So what’s the best way to deal with this? I think you should stay strong and not bend to the pressure of others wanting to manipulate you because if you didn’t do anything wrong, you should defend your position. Now once a juicy rumor spreads like wildfire it becomes hard to quench but I believe that if you honestly didn’t do anything wrong then the truth will be revealed. If you did mess up you should admit to your mistake as early as you can so the consequences don’t build up and you don’t get revealed as a fraud. Now that would be one of the worse things that could happen.

-Allan Nicholas

Monday, September 6, 2010

Phun-size Philosophy # 16 – Acknowledgment

Acknowledgment is the whole process of choosing to recognize the existence of others in your surroundings and environment. It is the opposite of ignorance because you become cognizant of almost everything that is around you. As we make progresses in life and civilization advances, we continuously acknowledge that there is more to life. From dark matter to molecules, as humanity become more advanced we start becoming more aware of what really goes on around us. The thing is that is it up to the individual on how to respond and act to their environment. It is a whole different story when you are faced with living with something and recognizing how it will affect your life in the future. There are usually three basic methods for which people can choose to deal with whatever interacts with them and that is tolerating, accepting, and ignoring. Tolerating means that you are essentially putting up with something you wouldn’t willingly do because it isn’t ideal to you but will nonetheless probably for the sake of someone else. Accepting is willingly dealing with something without any resistance and basically assimilating it into your way of life. Some people choose to respond by not taking any actions and refuse to admit certain things and go with the whole “what you don’t know can’t hurt you” perspective. The thing is that if you continuously ignore whatever subject it is, then there a possibility of the situation propagating to the point where it is out of hand. You then have a chance of being blindsided so I think the best policy is to acknowledge whatever presents itself to you. By doing so you gain the capabilities of awareness which thus can lead to preparation and avoid any possible negative effects they can have on your life. By knowing exactly what things are capable of you can then make plans on how to deal and respond appropriately to whatever comes at you.

-Allan Nicholas

Allan's Answers Podcast # 15

This episode I answer questions ranging from what affects human morality to changing yourself for the better. I also answer questions asking where intelligence lies and are we stuck in unrecognizable patterns. Hope you enjoy!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Allan's Answer Podcast # 14

This episode I talk about knowing how someone truly feels and thinks on the inside, accidents of an accident, learning the truth, and making any situation fun with a change of attitude. Hope you enjoy!

Allan's Answers Podcast # 13

This episode I answer a record breaking 7 QUESTIONS! They include questions about poverty's existence, challenges, purpose determining value, why you don't do things, what is leadership made of, what makes others think deeper, and the feeling of lost bringing sadness. I hope you enjoy and come back for more!

Phun-size Philosophy # 15 – Options

We are all faced with options every single day of our lives. Options are all the possible choices that we are given. They are the different responses or initiatives you can take that act as a catalyst for future events. Those options are what lead the way for your path for the rest of your life. We’ve all heard the saying that anything is possible and I do truly believe that you can do anything you set your heart and mind to. Because of this, in a sense, all options are available to you but there are usually restrictions attached to them. For instance, if you want to become a doctor you can, but you need to work extremely hard to get into medical school, especially if you don’t have the necessary money, but with enough hard work and determination it can be pulled off. This comes with the important knowledge of realizing what is feasible and realistic to your current position. The catch is that certain tasks require more effort and resources that it would be wise to spend your time trying to achieve things within your reach. Having all these choices means that it can be possible to achieve great things but you may not be interested in the choices that are given to you right here and now. If you are born as a farmer’s child in the middle of rural Kansas and you don’t want to be involved in agriculture as an adult your options are probably very limited to what is realistic to your current situation. A person born in the middle of a city to rich parents has more options than almost anyone else but may not feel motivated to take advantage of everything they are privileged to have. Something interesting I’ve found out what that the more choices you have isn’t always good. It has been psychologically proven that more choices you are given means that person choosing has added stress because you make sure you pick the right one. Sometimes being told what to do is a good thing. What you personally should do when you are presented with choices is to pick what is best for you. There isn’t always a recognizable best choice in a situation and all the choices could benefit or be a detriment to you in varying degrees. The important thing to realize is that you just need to take what you’ve learned and apply it to the future. Maybe some decision you made didn’t turn out the way you wanted to. Well learn from it and make better choices in the future. You just want to make sure that you take advantage of all the options you are given and not take for granted all the opportunities we are so lucky to have.

-Allan Nicholas

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Phun-size Philosophy # 14 - Secrets

This Phun-size Philosophy I wanted to talk about secrets. Secrets are basically the pieces of information that shouldn’t be disclosed to the general public or certain parties. This could be for a multitude of reasons which is a major part in determining why a secret is made in the first place. Secrets are kept hidden from basically everyone or just kept between certain people in order to prevent the spread of information. For a majority of situations, if every single person knew about a particular secret, most wouldn’t even care because they can't directly relate to the situation where the secret pertains to. If I heard about Juliet's from North Dakota's scandalous relationships with Farmer Joe, I would wonder why someone was telling me that. While humans like drama and scandals (when it doesn’t apply to them) because of the excitement they bring, I couldn’t care less about what happens to Juliet to be honest. It is natural however to be curious about your immediate surroundings and this could perhaps make you seem a little bit nosy. You can't know everything about everybody but knowing certain things helps provide comfort because you are kept in the loop. A huge part of secrets is what it is about and who is it between. These two questions help determine a secret's criticalness, urgency as well as how drastic the consequences will be if it becomes revealed. There are certain parties in life who are prone to revealing secrets easily. Depending on the situation secrets may just slip out or be forced out. Secrets are usually locked up but those who have a particular interest in discovering them can endorse a wide variety of tactics to uncover them. Interrogations have been a know technique used against the greatest spies in the history of humanity. The important thing to know is that secrets are usually confidential for a reason. Just like the post a wrote before about bindings, secrets usually have a contract with them. You need to preserve the integrity of a secret by not spilling the beans. If such a contract is violated there are usually always negative consequences associated with it. They can ruin a friendship or possibly put others in harm's way. There is trust involved in keeping a secret well… a secret. The best thing to do when given a secret is to keep it to yourself. That is of course if retaining such a secret can be damaging to the health of one's reputation, health, etc. Secrets can be tricky business but use your best judgment whenever presented with one.

-Allan Nicholas

Allan's Answers Podcast # 12

This episode I answer questions about perspective on the world and how it can affect your emotions, happiness in respect to selfishness, guidance between emotions and thought, general needs for happiness, and the moments of your day affecting your lives. Hope you enjoy and come back for more!

Friday, September 3, 2010

Phun-size Philosophy # 13 – Role Models

When you dissect the words “Role Models” you basically are saying they are the people who represent what you want to do with your life when you are able to. Being able to may mean that you grow up similarly to them or possess a certain skill or ability that can help you accomplish your dreams very similarly to how a role model did it. Google will tell you they are people, who are examples; who have their actions emulated by others. Role models are the people who you look up to. Because they are who you want to become you look to them or guidance and advice in order to achieve a similar status or fate. A role model can come in many shapes and sizes. One of the biggest and most publicized forms of a role model is celebrities. Because of the media and paparazzi, we are cued into almost all of their moves. Because many people aspire for fame and fortune, we correlate those actions to being the ones that will get us such success. Having a certain hairstyle or fashion sense won’t necessarily get you famous, but it is one step closer to being like Hannah Montana. While I wouldn’t advise you to take fashion tips from Lady Gaga, there are many people who look up to her and want to be like her. Another role model that almost all of you are familiar with is your parents. Their actions help dictate what you become in life and their teaching and guidance instill values that you take with you for many years to come. I believe that almost every little kid believes that their parents are the coolest people alive, and while maybe not so much as we grow up; their actions have been a big influencer in how you will live your life in the future. Regardless of who it is, we all have someone who has inspired us or accomplish something you wish you could too. I know I wish I could have invented the internet or sliced bread so I look up to those people who did so. See the thing with role models is that their actions determine yours. If you follow them doing what they do or what they have done in the past can most likely get you in the position you wish to be in to reach your dreams. If you want to be like Justin Beiber, try posting videos of you singing and dancing on the internet and see where that gets you. It might not necessarily get you that record contract you’ve dreamed of but it can’t hurt right? On second thought I don’t think anyone wants to see that. : P What I want to stress is that I think the important thing to be is your own personal role model. You shouldn’t be too dependent on external factors influencing your life to the point where you are eagerly waiting for the next edition of the tabloids. While you should ideally live your life for others, you should live it by your own dreams and feeling in order to be the happiest.

-Allan Nicholas

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Phun-size Philosophy # 12 – Power of Numbers

In life we all have those moments where we feel like we are on top of the world and nobody can compare to us right then and there. There are also times when we feel like we are nothing more than just a statistic and that our voice is being drowned out by the other 6 billion people in the world. We all have qualities that make us distinct and unique which is important in creating an individual identity. The thing is that out of the over 6 billion people in the world, at least one of them is bound to share similar qualities. Whether it is physical (yes I know I look like Frodo) or personality-wise, we all share qualities with others. It isn’t a bad thing because you need to have commonalities between each other in order to form successful relationships. In pure respects to the sheer mass of humanity, it is clear that the power of numbers gains its strength from quantity over quality. This ideology is an important part of life because it is applied to things that we hold very important. I wouldn’t have this computer to type to you if it wasn’t for mass production. When it comes to commodities, companies can’t completely forget about quality because a bad product won’t sell, but if they don’t make it cheap enough they aren’t able to create large amounts for distribution. The power of numbers credo doesn’t just apply to business but also in social respects as well. When it comes to your friends, it is much easier to do something if the whole group is into it. It is also easier to be coaxed into doing it, even against your will. This principle is called peer pressure. While the term isn’t necessarily a bad thing when not associated with actions it convinces others to do, it can be bad because it suppresses your ability to make decisions for yourself. Regardless of the situation where numbers apply, they can be a very powerful factor in anyone's life.

-Allan Nicholas

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Allan's Answers Podcast # 11

This episode is for September 1, 2010. This episode I talk about being more than we know, getting a life, the changes in life, and our different ideologies and how they play roles in our everyday lives. I hope you enjoy and look forward to tomorrow!

Allan's Answers Podcast # 10

This episode I discuss putting animals above humans, the obstacles of taking the first steps, being "grown up" as an adult, and what shapes our identities. I hope you enjoy!

Phun-size Philosophy # 11 - Ruins

This Phun-size Philosophy I wanted to talk about ruins and how it applies to things in life. If something is ruined, it is essentially at a point where it is completely in the opposite shape from which it originated from, that is unless is started out as a piece of crap. When something is originally created or made and is brand new, it usually has qualities that are at its peak. It is cool to think that once an inanimate object is created, its quality usually degrades the second it comes into existence. Unlike animate objects like humans, we continue to grow and physically peak at around our twenties but continue to improve other aspects of our beings like mentally. Just like when humans reach a point, they can no longer continue and will hopefully go to a better place when they die. Objects on the other hand just break and get scraped. Their afterlife may be to get recycled but unfortunately a lot of it just ends up in landfills and dumps. This is because when something is ruined it usually is beyond repair. They can’t be fixed back to its original status because of some irreversible cause. Some people try to catch things before they are past the point of no return by fixing them up. There is usually something you can do to make the subject's health better whether it is an object or a situation or whatever has been ruined, it just probably won't be as effective as new. Something to do is to determine when the object is worthwhile to fix or dispose of because sometimes it is just too resource intensive to try and repair. Sometimes the value of your time and effort isn't worth the outcome. Sometimes it is just best to trash (no recycle!) whatever it is that becomes ruined and buy or make another one. Letting go of your childhood blanket may be tough, but it probably wasn’t keeping you very warm with all of the holes in it. I hear snuggies will keep you very cozy.