The last time I remember having a problem understanding emojis was way back in September when my 13-year old daughter was staring at me in disgust from the other end of the kitchen table. I had just responded to my daughter’s text asking if she could go to the mall with large amounts of her friend’s emojis and for some reason she looked horrified at my answer. She texted, “Can I go to the mall…

It all began when I developed a headache. Not the pulsating headache that comes with a migraine, more of a dull throb behind my left eye during a Zoom call and it was still lingering in the morning. A pain like that usually gets taken care of with ibuprofen in my world. But considering the circumstances, which were not normal as it was a pandemic, every ache in my body made me ask: “Is this…

The time is now 3:17 AM and I’m in my kitchen, furiously arguing with my Alexa. “Alexa, turn off the lights in the living room,” I instruct for the fourth time, each desperate plea more exasperated than the last. “I’m sorry, but I cannot seem to find a device called living room lights in your profile,” comes the answer over the speakers with the blue light rotating. My hopes of her actually being helpful at…

Ending a romantic relationship can be very challenging both emotionally and physically, and given the current world, it is even more difficult when everything is connected online. My ordeal started three years ago when my relationship came to an end. I was unprepared to deal with the complex task of unraveling two intertwined lives, both physically and emotionally. For me, the practical level of the separation – packing boxes, handing over keys, and dividing furniture…

The phone call always interupts at the most inconvenient and unideal moments. It can be anything ranging from me attending a meeting, taking a drive on the freeway, or even waiting in queue at the grocery store. The second I see my mother calling, a part of me panics. The last thing I want to do is talk to her, but I can already guess how this conversation is going to go. “Marcus, the internet…

Yet again, yesterday found me turning a simple task at work into yet another opportunity for self-commendation. The real situation was much more mundane. I had helped a colleague who was trying to complete and troubleshoot a presentation. Almost, I helped them, and I did almost start a huge rant on LinkedIn about how I “facilitated a critical communication strategy pivot leveraging cross-functional expertise to drive stakeholder alignment.” In simpler terms, that translates to “I…

A week ago I shared a picture of myself relaxing on my deck. That post alone got me around 350 likes and over 40 comments, most of which were “living the dream” or “so jealous right now”. In the image, I could be seen mid-sipping my steaming cup of pour over coffee while my mac was covered with stunning eye-catching mountains in the background. What my followers did not see was the reality that was…

Like you, I have voice and video calls scheduled on different days during the week for meetings. As if that wasn’t taxing enough, yesterday I had 7 back to back video calls lined up. I noticed something quite distressing on the last call. I looked like I was a hostage placed in front of a camera and noted that stale people licked cleaner in comparison to me. Some people struggle with a blank stare, most…

My anxiety mounts as soon as a visual hint appears warning me of the worst—the moment the battery meter flashes ominously red. Now I need to deal with the discomforting patter of my heart, a light sweat forming on my brow, and most dangerously, a powerful need to look for a charging station; all this while trying to avoid “battery anxiety.” It stems from a modern emotion alongside the pronounced fear of death, public speaking…

Each and every Sunday my family follows the same schedule. Coffee is brewing, the birds are singing, and my New York Times crossword is loaded on my iPad. Simultaneously, my screen time report has arrived and gives me a notification. It was delivered “on time”, like a sadistic stalker. And what do my eyes behold at this ungodly hour? An astounding 5.4 hours, marking a staggering 22% increase from the previous week. “5.4 hours?…” How…