The Epic Conclusion

Just when you thought that one terrible blog, written by that one terribly obnoxious Asian, about that one terribly pretentious and generic topic was gone from your once peaceful life, and you could finally be at peace with life now that you knew that wannabe 15 year old Asians weren't writing snarky, narcissistic blogs...think again. That's right, my adoring legion of racially diverse (mostly Asian, I would assume. Got to look out for the brothers and sisters) fans and followers, your favorite blogger, Mr. Cameron M. Chang has returned to give you one last entry, a final sendoff to one of the most epic weeks in blogging history: The week where the phone addicted Chang took away his prized possessions, and legitimately managed to resist and stay away from his trusty companions for an ENTIRE WEEK. Pretty bad-ass if I don't say so myself. 

Well, as much as I'm sure it depresses you, I am back for the final blog of "A Teenager Without Technology" (which is a title have grown to loath more and more with each passing second). I am thankfully reunited with my phone and my other electronic devices and MAN OH MAN does it feel good. I missed them like a 2 year old misses his old, ripped, sweaty blue blanket (basically you just got a somewhat disgusting picture of my early years. Your welcome). When I used my phone for the first time I felt liberated. But the strangest part was that it felt significantly different. Nothing changed. My home screen was the same afternoon canyon shot, with light yellow lens flares peeking out in the background. That same white iPhone font hadn't changed either, same color and same text style. All the apps, contacts, feature, notifications, etc. All the same. But, when I held my phone up to my face, and gently pressed that black home button with intense anticipation, the screen seemed vaguely unfamiliar. At first, it was incredibly staggering. It almost mustered a look of slight confusion from me, but I maintained a pleasant smile, just because I was so relieved the whole ordeal was over. Of course, that 1st hour was typically underwhelming, but by the end of the day I developed more feelings of gratitude. That dark, depressing void that consumed my right pocket was now filled, and the world returned to a more balanced state for me.

Now you’re probably wondering, "Cameron, I get it. You’re happy. That's great. But what the hell did you learn from all of this"?Well, as cynical as this may seem, I didn't choose this project with the objective of trying to learn some valuable life lesson. I did what the guidelines required: Do something out of your comfort zone. Something that you will approach with feelings of uneasiness and fear. And, at first, when I contemplated doing this for my experiential blog, I brushed it off as a stupid idea, claiming "that I wouldn't be able to write anything and it would be boring for the readers". That's BS. I denied it because of the great amounts of fear I carried inside. I feared losing identity, I feared disconnect from a connected world, and I feared (possibly the most prominent theme throughout this blog) BOREDOM. Everyone fears boredom. Even the word boredom is, frankly, boring. Have you ever heard anyone using the word boring, or any variations of the word boring in a positive context? Of course not, and you never will. So, as sad as it may seem, I mustered up a lot of courage to take on this project. And, surprisingly, despite all the "intense" suffering I described vividly throughout the week, I'm quietly glad I did it. As I stared at the flashing, small screen of my iPhone 4S for the first time in over 168 hours, subtle feelings of sadness seeped into my mind. I was disappointed with myself, convinced that I felt this because I was "ungrateful" and that I had "over-hyped" myself. In fact, it was far from that. It was because a weird part of me longed for those quiet moments of nothingness, no media or distractions around. Just pure, tranquil, silence. 

Let's be real here though, I DO NOT MISS not having technology, because technology is freakin awesome. There were just some aspects of the week that I miss a bit, and I feel a bit grateful that I could take a short break from the noise and radioactivity, and relish in some moments of relaxation. Those were definitley the best moments.

The main points I took away from this project were: Boredom isn't as bad as we perceive it to be, sacrifice is hard no matter what the magnitude of the situation, and boy am I glad it’s over.

With these words, I bid farewell.

Best wishes,

Your friendly neighborhood Asian (even though in Del Mar/Carmel Valley that's like all of your next door neighbors...)

Cameron M. Chang