the colors of life

tuesdays are usually busy, and though i had three classes today, with little time to myself, this tuesday was enjoyable. in the afternoon, i took a 30-minute break to walk to nefeli and buy myself a coffee. it is a recent and sweet discovery that having coffee with oneself is a delightful feeling and creates just the right atmosphere for introspection/analysis/reflection. the walk along memorial glade is ever peaceful, and every view of the campanile appears equally breath-taking.

in my user interface design class today, bill buxton gave a guest lecture. it was mind-blowingly good. the focus of the talk may have been design, but really it was what you wanted it to be, and you could take from it what you wanted to take. i wrote down some of his lines that struck me:

design is like swiss cheese. you have to leave enough holes for the imagination.

no matter how great you are, you can screw up royally.

"snap out of it" - every time you fall into that self-pitying place, look at it and snap out of it. every time some stupid business manager doesn't know what you're designing, shut the hell up and go do your bloody homework - it's your fault.

the best way to break down people barriers - sit down and ask them about themselves. you need to know every person in the social network who plays a role in your success. if you get this, and you want to change the world - it's a compromise. but if it means you can be successful and communicate, that's what it's about. and it beats being frustrated and going home and getting drunk.

i liked him a lot. not only because he talked so much sense, but because he exuded peace and calm with every word, no matter which it was. these are the kind of people i am most drawn to, i realize. so at the ischool tea, i found myself with enough guts to walk up to him and tell him how inspiring i had found his talk. to my limitless joy, he extended the conversation long enough to give me his personal opinion on my research area, and to offer me his advice if ever i needed it. his eyes were astonishingly clear and filled with honesty, reminding me of my brief encounter with ustad fahimuddin dagar almost 2 years ago. it is the ever-attractive look of having figured out life.

socializing at the tea felt like a big deal, because i was genuinely and deeply pleased to see the ischool crowd - professors and students alike. at 6, i headed to the vedanta society for an hour of meditation, and it brought much peace. the walk back on haste st. was uninterrupted and pleasant. it had stopped raining for the duration that i walked.

after an unusually productive evening at home, i now lie in bed listening to the sounds of the falling rain outside. what makes this sound so very moving, i wonder...

and after a long and eventful day, i realized something special. that when it is sunny, i look forward to the bright sunlight that will hit me as soon as i open the door to my apartment. when it rains, i look forward to the smell of the rain and the crisp green-ness of the world. when i walk up familiar paths, i enjoy the familiarity. when i walk up a new path, i love discovering the newness of it. you get the picture perhaps. a day full of classes gives me several classes to look forward to, while a day without classes gives me freedom to look forward to. the walk back home is always pleasant as well, and while being out after school brings me a great new experience every time, coming back home also always brings comfort. in short, every moment becomes a blessing - to appreciate, to be grateful for. the colors of life are ever so vibrant, should one only choose to observe.