Wednesday, April 18, 2007

University talents

Sometime last week, I went to a musical at my school- performed by the University's theatre students. Initially I was a little wary of going because of some bad experiences I've had before with musicals(Producers for example...what were the Oscars people thinking??). This musical was called 'Smokey Joe's Cafe'- with 40 ROCK & ROLL SONGS! I wasnt sure if I would be able to sit thru that many songs...and more than me, I was worried about the friends that I was dragging along with me... both guys who would prefer a hindi/tamil movie to a long English musical. I knew I was under pressure...these guys were coming only to give me company and if the musical sucked, I knew they would let me know it! I wouldnt hear the end of it.

But, I was amazed with the show- Two hours flew by and I was left wanting more. There was not a single dialogue said during the entire 2 hours- It was nothing but song and dance (and I didnt know most of those songs) but I was thoroughly entertained. I was left in awe by the talent these guys and girls possessed. They could sing, dance, act...they could even run in huge heels...I was bowled over.

Even after I got home, I couldnt stop thinkin about those actors- They were just college kids, most younger than me....Kids doing their bachelors in theatre. And yet, they were so immensely talented in their field. I mean, I did my bachelors in Computer Science- But I'm nowhere as good in my field as these people were in theirs. I thought about what they had that I lacked and I narrowed it down to one thing: Something called PASSION! They probably got into theatre because they wanted to...they were and are passionate about what they are doing. But, me...I got into Computers due to some amount of compulsion... and I'm definitely not passionate about it. And last week I realized just how much difference passion could make!

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Scribbles from California

I arrived at Orange County, California late yesterday night. I'll be here for around 4 months for my Internship. Am excited and scared at the same time... Its an awesome place, lovely weather-lotsa things to do...but I've gotten so used to my life in Richmond...My friends who have become more like family, their pranks and jokes ( of which I WAS ALWAYS THE VICTIM), the house (always loud and lively unlike this one), my school and the school atmosphere, my lil corner in the lab where nobody cared about what I was doing, my room with that huge johnny depp poster rite above the bed, Panda Veg food, the Indian cart lady and even my annoying neighbor...I'm gonna miss it all!

But at the same time, I'm hopeful that I'll have a nice time here in California- Orange county is such a pretty place- wide roads, beautiful palm trees, and a nice breeze greeted me when I landed. OC is supposedly one of the richest counties in the US and it shows...I've been here only for a day and I've already seen 3-4 limos and hummers on the road...Nobody even gives them a second look here. The houses are huge..not multi storey buildings that go straight up like in Richmond city but spread around a huge landscaped area. My apt is very pretty- Its a two storey building with stacatto walls traditionally found in these warmer coastal areas. There are two nice outdoor swimming pools, lawn areas, and a gym. Today we went shopping for groceries and I was very happy to find that there are several different stores nearby...Best thing is that we can bring the shopping cart from the store all the way home from where the cart is picked up later... Only I know what a blessing this is...after two years of 'backbreaking shopping', carrying those grocery bags home in bookbags, this is def something to cheer about. Another thing that made me very happy is the public library that is just 5 minutes away... Disney land is also nearby and the beach is also reachable by car. So, there's so much this city offers, so much to do and so many places to see... I cant wait to explore them all.
Only thing I hope for is to meet good people here...cuz thats def something I had around me at all times in Richmond.