He drew out a small blue box and started fiddling with it. The air tastes extra sweet today, one part excitement two parts anticipation. Gently he opens it the in privacy of his cupped hands, sneaked a glance, and shut it quickly. He sinks back into the large leather chair, allowing his thoughts to drift away into the wooden fans spinning lazily on the ceiling.

“I’ll have an apple crush please” Frank motioned to the bored waitress hovering beside him.

“…and to eat, sir?”

“I’ll wait for my friend thanks.”

“Very well.”

It’s all coming back now. The smell of scrambled eggs and tea wafting in along with the morning breeze.

“Sa-“

“Jake, I have something I need to tell you.”

“So do I.”

“Really?”

“OK, together 3…2…1…”

“Sarahwillyoumarryme?!”

“JakeIwannabreakup.”

Eyes open. Silence.

“You’re…joking right?”

“No, Jake I really can’t do this anymore. Goodbye.”

“Sarah, wait! Please. Let’s talk.”

The smell of scrambled eggs and tea. Big plush leather armchairs tucked in a corner. Golden fans. Warm wood.  Idle chatter. Marble tables. Quaint lamps on the wall. Rustic, yet modern. Lounge music in the air. Waiters with black barets. Aprons like skirts. Mocha biscotti on the side. The cute description of sugar on the pack. Little details. The serviette under the cup. The wooden menu holder. The bittersweet taste of mocha, the refreshing nose. Airy.

How the hell does one remembers these things, he wondered.

The blue box. That held the ring. That held its three round brilliant cut diamonds on a platinum band. That cost a year’s pay. That had I love you forever Sarah engraved on it.

Oh, right.

“Fuck my life.”

MORNING RUSH HOUR. A BUNCH OF PEOPLE ENTER THE TRAIN AND SIT. ANGELA TAKES HER PLACE NEXT TO A WOMAN. AS THE DOORS CLOSE AND THE TRAIN STARTS TO MOVE, SHE PULLS OUT A STRING OF MEDITATION BEADS AND START CHANTING ALOUD. SHE IS YOUNG, CHINESE, ABOUT 20ISH AND SPORTS A PONYTAIL.

WOMAN: (loud rapidfire)om mani padme hum om mani padme hum om mani padme hum om mani padme hum…

PEOPLE AROUND HER ARE SURPRISED BUT SAY NOTHING. A MALAY WOMAN SITTING NEXT TO HER GETS UP AND WALKS TOWARDS THE OTHER END OF THE TRAIN.

ANGELA: (too softly, shy) Ahem. Erm…

WOMAN DIDN’T HEAR HER. CONTINUES. EVERYONE LOOKS TOTALLY OBLIVIOUS TO THIS ANNOYANCE IN FEAR OF BEING DISRESPECTFUL.

ANGELA: Excuse me. Could you…

EVERYONE TURNS TO HER AND THE WOMAN STOPS. SHE PACKS UP HER BEADS AND EXITS THE TRAIN.

First it was matt black in the 90s, then silver at the turn of the millennium. White gained prominence briefly after that, before giving way to metallic black. But I think the future is a black and white combo - used in the right proportions to create a contrasting effect.

2010 Lumigon T1, S1, E1 series (runs on Android)

2009-2010 iMac

2010 Mini Countryman

Late 2009 Land Rover LRX concept

2010 Tesla Eye concept

And the good ol’ Imperial Stormtrooper

One thing that increasingly vexes me of late is paper. Paper products. Notebooks, newspapers, cards. In an environment where we have constant access to a computer in one form or another, why are we still writing post it notes?

Sure, paper is an incredibly reliable and cheap resource. And in many ways is here to stay. But the amount of time and waste expended in it’s use is quite significant.

For example, instead of taking notes in a meeting and transferring them into a proper presentation on the computer, why not type it on a laptop/smartphone and delete the digital note after you’ve copied all your notes in two keystrokes?

Books. BOOKS. Made of paper. We buy them and leave them on a shelf to feed the bookworms after reading them. And we have to go to the store to buy it, for more money because of shipping and costs of putting it in a brick and mortar store.

Is it any surprise why more people are moving to eBook readers? I know I will. At the very least read on your computer.

Newspapers. Yes you recycle just like any other responsible citizen. But you’re paying for a piece of limited, delayed, biased news coverage stuffed with ads. You have to flip through the whole paper to find what you want. And you’re paying more money because everyone in the distribution chain has to take a cut.

I hope you see how much time and money it costs to use paper, and we haven’t even touched on the environmental impact.

It’s already 2010. We’re in the second decade of the 21st century. We have the technology to be more efficient. Stop living in the 90s and make a change today.