May 6, 2010

A Late Night Reflection

I stay awake for stupid reasons. It's 5AM. I've been "working" all day and night, but really, I should've been efficient and been in bed by midnight. Such is life (particularly in college right before your last final when you're just waiting to sleep in your own bed).

Late nights are glorious in their own right though. I know a number of people who are staunchly against staying up unnecessarily, but there's a special quality to walking back to your dorm at 6:00am as the sun is rising. The world is quiet for a short bit, and you really get a chance to just observe things as they are without distraction from other people, from incessant texts, BBMs, emails, whatever. You're just...present. You focus on what's around you, and the air smells so much fresher. You actually hear birds chirping, and you wonder WHY they only chirp when you're trying to work late nights. It's not that they only chirp then. It's that during the day, we're too rushed and busy to realize their songs.

It's a beautiful thing, really. Although my melatonin levels are completely out of whack, my eyes are dried from wearing contacts for too long, and my back slouches more every 10 seconds despite consistent effort to sit up straight, I love being up right about now. I'm going to love going back to my dorm to take a shower and bang out this final right after despite my lack of sleep. I'm glad I'm ending my freshman year this way.

What else could I ask for than to appreciate the beauty around me? I think it's fair to say that's a pretty baller way to exit.

AS

April 30, 2010

Protected Interests

Context: I know I haven't written in this thing in almost a year, but it's okay. Apparently, my tumblr isn't sufficient fun/inspiration/happiness/whatever for people, so after...a lot of requests, I've decided to sporadically update here.

I've been trying to figure out the same practice problem for my Managerial Economics final for the last 30-90 minutes (I've lost track), but perhaps if I write, I can go back to that with a clearer mind.

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Often times, I notice people get defensive about their interests - myself included. We'll talk about things we're passionate about like our passion is different and special in some way, that no one else can share that with us. I see this all the time when people talk about their music interests ("oh yeah, you're probably not into the stuff I'm into. It's different") or their majors ("Oh, you're doing urban studies? So am I, but what do you want to do with the degree? [I'm just trying to find a way to distinguish myself from you]") and a number of other things. It's kind of ridiculous though.

Why should we have an ego associated with interests? If you're into the same things I am, cool! Let's make some magic and do something awesome with our common interest. What we can create with that common interest could be something totally different and special. We're all much more similar than you think. If you're doing an Urban Studies major and I am too, cool! Let's find a way we can apply that knowledge together and create a better world together. If you are into the same alternative artists as me, great! Let's find a way to create an awesome collection of music and share that with one another to expand our musical tastes.

There's no need to protect your passions and interests. Share them with people and see if magic can be made.