Recharged.

Just got back from Greece, the land of the Intelligent and once upon a time. a great empire. It strikes me as odd that many countries which once were great empires seem to dwindle in the area of modernization. But then again, it really depends on how we define modernity. Is it the development of skyscrapers with hundreds of floors, our modern version of Babel? Or the number of people who can afford to live 'unlived' lives in the virtual world? Athens lack what major metropolis consist of, monolithic metallic structures of all sorts but not its charm. It may seem like a poorer cousin of Italy but its picturesque countryside and islands are bountiful. I would never exchange that kind of natural attraction with any modern architecture - tallest or no. From my short two-week experience, Greeks tend to oscillate between two extremes. On one hand, they're the friendliest, nicest, warmest, sweet as honey type of people you'll ever meet. And on the other hand, they could be the ones ripping apart your holiday mood; arms folded, eyebrow raised with an 'I-hate-Asians' kind of look. I was partly amused and partly confused. Thank goodness I met more amusing Greeks than I did with the latter type. For a moment I somewhat recalled what a friend told me shortly before I left: There's no reason why anyone should be racist. Maybe there are. Maybe because we conversed too loud? Laughed too loud? Belched too loud? I don't know. Maybe we were just plain LOUD? :)

Anyway, it's time to tune myself back to work mode. It's been a good two weeks, a great start to a great year and I'm already thinking about my next adventure. But before that, you need to see this:

Message: To all of you who once told me that I can't change the world, or to the person in the mirror or to anyone else for that matter, simply because you were sceptical about the power of one to a world of 6 billion. Think again. Because Apple now says I (we) can :)

*Thanks Rae