New Hobby or Latent Passion

So lately I was thinking about picking up a new hobby, something new to learn, preoccupy my time, but something that I could do while I was doing one of my other hobbies. Then it hit me: photography. It may seem that I am just trying to emulate the recently graduated Subodh Kolla, yet the more I think about why I want to pick up photography the more I realize that I have been wanting to do this for longer than I thought.

I think it all started back freshman year of high school, when we had an art contest held for our school. My friend Chris Cortes wrote, played, and recorded his own music for the music category (which he won first, second, and third place since there was no competitor), a few people painted (which I have no talent for), and the third category was photography. Upon hearing this I went out and bought a Sony Cybershot 5 megapixel (which was big for its time) and figured, "how hard could this be." I had my mom drive me to the beach the next day, took a picture of the surf and thought, "hey maybe i'll win it." After I took the pic, I realized the lightening was terrible, and the picture, when blown up became extremely pixelated. Obviously, I had lost the competition, my picture probably thrown out and laughed out. This may have discouraged me from taking my camera out and about for the next few years.

Throughout high school, and mostly into my college career, I was exposed to more and more photography, mostly through Bo, Shy's stepmom Wendy and somewhat through David Wagner, and Subodh. My view on photography completely changed when I went up to Monterey and Wendy gave me a calender of the pictures she had taken from the previous year. The photos truely amazed me and I realized that an actual physical picture can mean a lot, more than just a mental image.

So we'll see where if I end up actually picking photography up and see if I enjoy it.

Goodbye Vicrum

So today was the last day I'm going to see Vicrum in around 7 months, he decided to go through with study abroad and is now going to attend Delhi University for Summer and the next quarter. Its going be really weird not seeing him around, talking to him almost daily, etc. I'm gonna wonder, how is he going to change in those 7 months? I always say, trips change you, especially big trips. I think he will be just fine though, perhaps come back more mature than ever, after seeing the harsh realities of the world: poverty, slums, beggars, waste, litter, polution, corruption, etc.

Perhaps while is gone, I will change as well. Vicrum to me is usually one of those fun loving guys that I love to goof around with, and he still always will be that guy to me. Yet, with him not around, I may have to abandon that side of me and become more mature on my end. And who knows, when he comes back, we both may enter a new level of maturity together, rather than just joke around with each other, which needless to say, just shows that time moves by very fast, one minute you have no worries, the next minute you have responsibility.

The Balanced Life

I think that our lives should all have a proper balance of things and the time that is given to us should be enough time to do everything we want. We all have our needs: social needs, physical needs, mental needs, hunger needs, sexual needs.

Morning:
Gym, satisfies your body's needs
Breakfast, satisfies hunger

Work day (school day)
8 hours of mental stimulation
Lunch

Post-work:
Possible nap (rest)
Dinner (can be social if with a friend)
Hanging out w/ friends, drinks (social needs)

then rest and do it all again the next day

The Power of Music

I am currently studying for finals and I remembered a thought I had for awhile now. Music is such a powerful tool and concept in the world. Music can change people's emotions, put them in a certain mood, inspire them, motivate them, music can really change the world.

Currently, I am listening to Piano Concerto No. 9 in E Minor by Mozart on my Pandora. Before this I really had my doubts about how productive I would be studying today, yet putting this radio station on has motivated me, put me in a study mood. Music really truly an amazing thing.