Imagine someone asks you: "How much on say, the scale from one to ten, can you remember about your everyday life?" An unusual question, I know, but just imagine. I know what I'd answer: "Five." That's right-five! I mean, I remember so many people, paces, timetables etc. It's all somewhere there in my brain. But when time goes by and your surrounding become just all-too-familiar, you start to discard some details. For example, just a few days ago (and I know this is going to sound funny) I noticed that the handrail of the stairway in my apartment block is made from wood and metal! Even though I go past it EVERY SINGLE DAY, I'd never paid any particular attention to the material it's made of or its shape. "What does it matter?" you ask. Well, it's actually a pretty huge deal! Don't you see? We grow so used to things being the same all the same, we lose our ability to notice, to remember things the way they are. You don't believe me? Close your eyes and try to picture a place you visit every day-your office, your school-anything! Can you remember simple things like how the objects there are positioned, their shape and colour? How about the walls-what colour are they, are therе any paintings on them? If you can recall such details, well congratulations-you either have a photographic memory or you are actually aware of your surroundings. You see, it's like one of those memory testing games where they give you a couple of different pairs of pictures to remember and then they turn them upside down and your task is to recall the exact spot of each pair. But in our case, instead of a few minutes, you've had your whole life to remember! Now that I think of it, it's actually pretty scary how fast I forget things that I was so used to seeng. So next time, you go past that familiar corner shop or the supermarket that used to be an office block, try to remember. Being aware and exploring are important survival techniquies, especially nowadays. The world today moves faster than we tend to realise and if you fail to catch up, you'll end up thinking: "Well, that wasn't here yesterday!" Also, once you get used to noticing things, you'll discover things that escaped you before. For instance, today I was out for a walk and even though a big part of me was somwhere else, I didn't fail to notice some of the things happening around me. A particularly vivid memory is that of a young boy, say about 4 or 5 years old, chasing his grandpa along the pavement, roaring as if he were a lion or a tiger. The memory of their smiles and the sound of their laughter seeped in my mind and  didn't leave me throughout the whole day. Even as I'm writing this I feel a smile forming on my lips. You see, it's these small things that make life seem so much more meaningful and vivid. So give it a try! Don't t force yourself to be aware, but rather find that part of you that longes to explore, to find, to know and just let it take over...