Tag: Life

Celebration

The SF Symphony opening gala was beyond incredible. This was my first symphony experience and I can definitely see myself going many more times.

Before the symphony started playing Michael Tilson Thomas gave a quick overview of Roman Festivals. This was useful because I had done almost zero “homework” for the event (Apart from renting a tuxedo. Which I think I look excellent in). Once they started playing I was captivated. It was, simply put, beautiful. I was amazed by how the music makes you feel, experience, and in some ways, be a part of the four celebrations that Roman Festivals encompasses. The musical talent of the San Francisco Symphony is simply staggering. The second half of the event featured vocal performances. Here too I was blown away by how fantastic each of the vocalists were. The interplay between the vocalists and the symphony was delightful to watch.

If you enjoy music I would highly recommend going to the symphony.

End

(work and social engagements made it hard to post the past two days.)

I finished Immortality this afternoon on the bus ride back from work. I’m still trying to decide what I think of it. I will say that it is one of the most unique books I’ve read — the writing and narrative structure is very different, and honestly, not what I was expecting. Overall though, I still enjoyed it.

Next book — An Anthropologist on Mars.

Empire

I saw St. Lucia and Empire of the Sun on Saturday, 9/19 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. I’d completely forgotten I had agreed to see them (as this post should indicate) until my roommate reminded me a day before the event.

I’d seen St. Lucia at Coachella this year and once again they put on a great show. Their music is incredibly upbeat and cheerful (at least that’s how it sounds to me; I haven’t delved into the meaning behind the lyrics of their songs) and it’s pretty much impossible to be sad/unhappy while listening to their songs. Especially live.

This was my first time seeing Empire of the Sun. I’d heard that their concerts are an audio-visual extravaganza but I was not prepared for how good of a show they put on. The music, the lights, the visuals, the dancing, the theatrics — they all combined together for a pretty awesome performance.

Dog

My friends and I went to Trick Dog today where they had invited people to bring their dogs to the bar. It was a charity event, with proceeds going to the Family Dog Rescue and Muttville senior dog rescue. These two organizations had also brought dogs (who were up for adoption) to the event.

I had a great time. Dogs and good cocktails, how can it not be amazing?

The event did made me realize that I miss my dog back home in India. Even though we haven’t spent much time together I like to think that we have a special bond. I really enjoy spending time with him. He’s a great companion. And full of energy.

We went to Mission Cliffs after Trick Dog. Even though I went climbing on Friday I was surprisingly able to do most of the climbs I attempted today. I did fail at some of the new (I think) V0s that they’ve installed. It’s a challenge for another day.
I got introduced to a climbing game today: you play it in a group and each person attempts the course. After they finish it they deem one hold as “off limits” and then the next person has to do the climb without using that hold. This process then repeats, with the number of holds you’re not allowed to use monotonically increasing (because if you fail you’re not allowed to remove a hold). This game is hard. Very hard. Especially the later stages when there’s almost nothing left. But, it’s also super fun and challenging. Maybe I think it’s fun because it’s challenging.
The next time I go climbing in a group I’ll definitely try to get the others to play it.

One downside of climbing today is that my fingers are so bruised/hurt/sore that I can’t play my new guitar.

String

I rented a tuxedo for the first time today. It was a pretty interesting experience — I don’t think I’ve ever rented a piece of clothing before. I need the tuxedo for the SF Symphony Opening Gala that I’m going to next week. I’m pretty happy with the tuxedo I picked. Hopefully I’ll be able to pull it off.

On another note, I bought a new guitar today. Ever since I started playing guitar I’ve wanted to own a Gibson Les Paul. I’ve been meaning to get more serious about my guitar playing and this purchase should push me to do that.

The picture doesn't capture the beautiful blue color.
The picture doesn’t capture the beautiful blue color.

Heal

I went bouldering today after a ~2.5 week hiatus. Because of my Portland visit and MHacks I was not in town two weekends in a row which made it hard to climb. The last time I went climbing I injured my wrist pretty badly (I fell but didn’t let go of the hold in time, which caused my body to fall while my right hand was still gripping the hold. It was quite painful), so this break was necessary as well.

I mostly stuck to V0s and V1s today and my wrist seems OK, with little to no pain in between climbs. I’m glad I recovered fairly quickly. This whole experience did teach me the valuable lesson that I need to release my grip in time in the event that I fall. I also added wrist exercises to my workout routine in order to make them stronger.

Live

Concerts I’m going to this year —

  • 9/24: SF Symphony Opening Gala
  • 10/4: The Fratellis
  • 10/6: Alcest (unfortunately Hiatus Kaiyote are playing on the same day)
  • 10/14: Trivium, and Tremonti
  • 10/20: Judas Priest, and Mastodon (2nd time seeing Mastodon)
  • 10/22: Florence and the Machine (2nd time seeing them)
  • 10/30: Shakey Graves and Tennis (4th time seeing Tennis)
  • 11/20: TesseracT, Erra, The Contortionist, and Skyharbor (I bought VIP tickets for this event)
  • 11/28: Between The Buried And Me

Shoes

My Adidas Powerlift 2.0s showed up over the weekend and I got a chance to workout with them for the first time yesterday. I immediately felt a difference in my lifts. It was easily the most physically stable I’d ever felt.

I think this is the first pair of blue and white shoes that I've bought in a long time.
I think this is the first pair of blue and white shoes that I’ve bought in a long time.

I noticed that in my running shoes I had the problem that I used to tilt forward/backward at times, especially for the heavier weights. This problem was completely eliminated while wearing these shoes. The stability and support offered by these shoes helped me squat 260 lb, a personal best.

After lifting in these I can’t imagine wearing anything else.

Oh, I’ve also started reading while resting between sets at the gym. I think it’s a great use of time where I was essentially doing nothing. Well, nothing mentally engaging (most of the time, unless I’m talking to/texting someone) anyways.

Feel

At the beginning of 2015 I made a conscious decision to be less shy. My rationale was simple — I felt that I’d held back in the past and didn’t want to make the same mistakes again. While this was pretty hard for the first few months I gradually got more comfortable being open with my feelings. I think the turning point for me was when I realized that I’d rather live with the consequences of saying what I wanted than living with the regret of being silent.

Sitting on a rock near Multnomah Falls this weekend I had a chance to think a bit more about this. Maybe being less shy had lead me to wearing my heart on my sleeve. Maybe I should be more prudent and gauge and understand the situation better, and not not hold back sometimes.

Sure, this might be the more sensible thing to do. But at the end of the day it’s not who I am, or who I’ve chosen to be. Doing so would not be the reflection of the self that I’m aiming to become. I feel that people are less and less honest with each other in our society these days and this makes me sad. While always speaking your heart out is certainly the opposite end of the spectrum, it’s the end that I’d much rather be on.

For now I’m just going to embrace my current outlook and philosophy, be cognizant of the consequences, and move on. Who knows, maybe a few years down the line I realize that I’ve been a complete and utter idiot and decide to keep things to myself again. But today is not that day.