We live in … interesting times. No need to point out how strange and interesting times have changed — we were all there. Now if we can make it just another year.

It seems like the future that any previous decade has foreseen it is different from the present we are living in now. There’s still no video-phone watches, still no flying cars — but we’re getting there. This is just my little survival guide for the last three months of 2008.

1. Drive less. Know that “rising oil prices” that we kept on hearing years back? Well surprise! It’s here — and boy, are we all feeling its effects. But I do believe that humans are more resilient than that. We come up with ways to make do with what the ‘valuable commodity’ police hands us. When we drive less, not only will it be good for the environment, it also means less money for gas and more money for food. If you need a car to get to work/school? Carpool.

2. Vote wisely. Did anyone see the debates last night? Well, that’s 1.5 hours of my life that I’ll never get back. There are so many promises for a better future, and no clear answers to get to it, other than getting our votes right. Regardless of who you stand for, if you think that the decision you’ll be making by November 4 is good for you, the people around you, and doesn’t harm anyone in your proximity, then by all means, do it! The future’s up to all of us. This election’s been touted as “the most important of the century.” Why shouldn’t it be? You’ll be participating in it.

3. Forget dieting, eat right! It’s not a matter of being the right weight or not, so long as you’re being healthy. Think about it: cavemen probably didn’t have diet programs, and they managed to evolve enough to get us here, in the present. Forget about counting calories, eat what you think is right for you, throw a little of meat, fish, vegetables and fruit and enjoy. Throw a little junkfood in there as well. When combined with number one, less driving, it’ll even out.

4. Read a book a month. So that’s three more books ‘til the end of the year. Compare what you’ll be getting after two hours of solid reading from what you’ll get after watching TV. It might teach you a skill that you’ll be using in a future job. You may learn something that they didn’t teach in college. Or, if you’re into fiction, it’ll stretch your imagination a lot more than visual media can.

5. Stick with family. It all starts at home. Haven’t you heard of Feist’s song, “It’s Cool to Love Your Family”? They may be embarrassing at times, but hey, you are too, sometimes. Put up pictures of ‘em in your workplace, or room — that’s bound to remind you who’s really important in this life. If, worse comes to worse, the oil prices skyrocket (even more) and food becomes expensive — at least you’ll have family. (To eat when you evolve into a cannibal.)