I once told someone, “I’m never gonna get a cellphone. I’ll be one of those people who you can only reach through a landline.”
I savored my offline self, really appreciating the great wide world out there without having to record every moment and posting it for the universe to see.
Of course, I ate my words shortly thereafter. There was Friendster, where I saw so many fake profiles of myself (plus all the wonderful testimonies) that I never had to put up my own account. I posted two blog entries on Multiply to raise funds for charity, and I had Saab Magalona coach me on how to do Tumblr. Still, only one post from me on that site.
A friend of mine makes sure she gets an account on all platforms and on every new social media app for the sole reason of beating out all the other people with the same name to it.
Technology takeover
Fast forward to my current history, more than a few thousand tweets and Instagram posts later, trying out Snapchat and getting invited to every single new social media experiment there is. Has technology really taken over? Yes and no.
I’ve been hacked, gotten trolled, ridiculed and been on the front page of a national broadsheet for my social media activity and no matter how some people think social media has taken over, I love my traditional media instincts merging with social media savvy. I still love taking wonderful pictures, the occasional selfie, writing articles on a tight deadline in between airports (like now), editing, “thinnifying,” choosing filters and just fussing over an image before finally posting it. Friends who know me well know that I have a “Filter Council” that decides which filter to choose. Talk about decisiveness.
What I have decided upon, really, is that I will embrace technology and make it work for me, with me. Never be scared of it. Love it instead, and it will love you back.
Okay, maybe I’m waxing a bit philosophical here because I’m still on a high from the other night’s Huawei Mate S launch, where all five senses were treated to a feast. There were visual installations with golden hands on the newly minted gold bars of Huawei Mate S, floral centerpieces to smell, a degustacion dinner by the chefs of Nobu no less, an auditory treat by John Lesaca on the violin and Nicole Asensio on vocals, and the incredible hosting skills of Sarah Meier tying everything together.
Beyond touch
The touch part? It came from the testimonies of industry experts, the ambassadors, icons, whatever you call it. “The icons embody the essence of the brand, which is built on an empowering history of making dreams possible. They have all made it in their respective fields but each of them retains that certain groundedness. Furthermore, the Huawei Mate S fits their lifestyles perfectly,” said Corinne Bacani, senior marketing manager of Huawei Philippines.
Suki Salvador says you can shoot magazine editorial-worthy images from this phone while Cher Tiu is gushing about the ease of how you can print everything from your Huawei Mate S device. JR Isaac is in love with the matte gold finish while Martine Cajucom is ecstatic over the beautifying features embedded within the Mate S. (I tried it, it’s true! No need to edit.) Amina Aranaz-Alunan finds the fingerprint sensor 2.0 perfect for her lifestyle while I adore its dual sim+LTE capabilities that allow me to write this article in another part of the world while making sure it beats the deadline. I’m currently roaming around Rome, typing this on my Mate S.
The night ended with a song, the wonderful juxtaposition of Nicole Asencio’s voice singing Dream It Possible, the brand’s vision translated to song. “It talks about how you’re unstoppable when your dreams come alive. It also encourages listeners to ‘take a shot, chase the sun and find the beautiful,’” said Jojo Vega, director of the consumer business group, Huawei Philippines.
Find the beautiful, take a picture and then share it for the world to see.
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