Life in the 25th Century

I was asked a short while ago, if I could visit any era, when would it be!? For me, from a very geeky curious side of me, I said I wish I could teleport myself to the 25th Century…and why not!? Why go back to an era that we already know of, I thought how about going to an era that we know nothing about as yet. Imagine, teleporting ourselves to the 25th century to see how technology has changed us, the future of AI and the amazing gadgets and products it offers. Society and culture itself will change massively, how has these influences changed us and the way we treat each other. I’m sure this will all be very different. Curious!? I know I am!

One other important factor is how are we treating the planet, any different than we are today!? I’d hope that it would be better, but is it enough? Maybe the technology isn’t there, maybe the planet decided to take care of itself and send us all into another ice age. How would we deal with adapting to the new environment, survival would be the key priority in our life - that’s if it didn’t wipe us all out in the process making us extinct like the dinosaurs!

So, have I left you curious…have I created a conversational piece? There is certainly plenty there to create a good debate and more. For me, this has certainly got the creative juices flowing producing more theories and new ideas for future article snippets.

The Great Wall of China in Beijing © Mark Ovens

The Great Wall of China in Beijing © Mark Ovens, from Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. I love a good photo!

The bug for travel

It’s nice to be traveling again, it’s something I have really missed. Without a doubt, I’ll be planning to do more this year. 2020, I love the sound of that year…’twenty-twenty’ and I’m going to make it the best by focusing on my travels and scheduling trips away. I’ll be scanning for bargains as I did before and I’ll be satisfying my curiosity by visiting more wonders of the world. 2020 is going to be all about me and achieving more of the goals that I’ve started to set for myself over the last couple of years.

I love exploring and I look forward to many more adventures this year!

The hanging spheres at Karlskirche! © Mark Ovens

The hanging spheres at Karlskirche in Vienna, Austria! © Mark Ovens, from Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. I love a good photo!

I’m partial to a little exploring! © Mark Ovens

I’m partial to a little exploring! © Mark Ovens, from Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. I love a good photo!

Spreading my wings

I’ve found myself so busy that a lot of my online assets, including this one has been neglected. I have done so much and have really packed it in, so much so I have had very little time to post. Although I’d like to share, I’m not one to divulge everything I’ve done online and share to the world, but I can say though, that I’ve been active, I’ve my spread my wings and have enjoyed the feeling of liberation with not being a slave to any device or felt the need to update all my social media channels…although if I have posted anywhere, it has been on Facebook just to keep a log of everything I’ve done. That’s one place I can share my memories privately.

It’s been quite a nice feeling, although admittedly I could post more about myself but I am still rather private. But I will try and do better.

Like anything, the secret is to achieve the right balance. I do think some people share too much online, giving away too much information without even realising…it’s in the meta data, right!? But now GDPR is here, then that’s another area that will tighten up I guess, as many people are posting data about themselves they don’t even realise. So bear that in mind, consider whether you’re happy about sharing publicly your location, behaviour and habits. You’ll be surprised how much somebody can find out about you!

Very calm indeed! © Mark Ovens

Very calm indeed! © Mark Ovens, from Norwich, Norfolk. I love a good photo!

I do like this shot; leaping into the new year, like…!

I do like this shot; leaping into the new year, like…!, Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. I love a good picture!

The new year is fast approaching

Well it’s not long now before this year is out and the new year is in. I’m amazed how quickly it comes around. This year has seen a reasonable amount of change, on the most part, it has introduced to me new friends, friendships that have grown into something I now value greatly.

I have disappointingly lost the odd friend too, for two very different reasons. One is just purely because values change and outlooks differ. In some cases, people just change, sometimes not for the better. The main thing is, I’ve glained more friends compared to the ones I’ve lost. To me, that’s what matters most. One friendship unfortunately ended abruptly due to their passing, their life taken away too early, this was a real shock and really adds a very different perspective to your life and outlook.

So as I reflect on this year and looking forward to what’s ahead in the new year, one thing is for sure, I will be bringing some amazing friendships with me into 2018. I look forward to the time I’ll spend with them and the adventures we’ll have together.

So for 2018, I want to continue to explore, grow my new friendships…let loose and be brave. I’m sure I can manage that! Now I need to come up with a new list of challenges for the coming year. I already have one in mind, I just need to consider some others. I’m hoping I’ll achieve them, just like the ones I’ve achieved this year. So to you all, set some goals, challenging and enjoyable ones. All the best for the New Year!

When you try to be clever with mirrors! © Mark Ovens

When you try to be clever with mirrors! © Mark Ovens, Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. I love a good picture!

A level of acceptance

I’m very much one of those who feels very disappointed when I’m let down, especially as I stick to every commitment I make, my word is my bond and I’m quite proud of that. I just wish there were more people out there who would see the importance of this. If you really knew me, you’d know this.

I guess it’s another sign of how society is changing, technology is allowing it too easy for people to cancel commitments, but in a way that enables a person to hide behind a text message rather than talking face to face or even picking up the phone. I would like to see less texting and more people talking again, a price of a call is very little these days or even free for many mobile users as part of their inclusive minutes. Technology is great, but it can have it’s downsides too, especially when it comes to human/social interactions.

Kiddo and I feeling all celeb-like backstage at the theatre, hanging out in the dressing room! © Mark Ovens

Kiddo and I feeling all celeb-like backstage at the theatre, hanging out in the dressing room! © Mark Ovens, Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. I love a good picture!