The last ten days

Now I know it has been 10 days or so since you last heard about my summer ordeals, but rest assured the last 10 days have been breath-taking and eye-opening. To some the 10 days were filled with a dull, drawn-out, mind-boggling game of channel-changing. But my 10 days consisted of philosophical inquiry, mental relief, satisfaction and anguish through music, arguments, laughter, calculations, frustration, and happiness.

I guess I should start by saying this: with time positive things will arrive, be it improving on an instrument you have struggled with for 3 weeks or catching the game tying point in Ultimate Frisbee to boost your confidence tenfold or even understanding the philosophy that has dominated your psyche since birth. Yeah, I agree, the latter one is not something you would come across often, but hey I was thinking about that stuff almost everyday in the last 10 days.

One of the main successes I had in the last ten days was my ability to overcome failures in tabla playing. This last month provided me with a great challenge when it came to tabla playing. Whether it was the form, the strike of my hand to the drum, or my rhythm that was incorrect, I still couldn't play the harmonious sounds that once resonated through my entire home. My instructor had given me all the necessary tools to succeed and learn the lesson within a week, but I just kept on failing. I played tirelessly hour upon hour, failing each time I tried to improve in one area of my playing. Now I have been through a ton of failure in my life, be it through love, academics, family, hobbies, whatever, this failure was exceptionally difficult to overcome. I was in a slump. It took 3 weeks to get out of the slump, bu. THREE WEEKS! Shoot, I could have watched 42 hours of SportsCenter in those three weeks if I just quit when the slump started. Obviously, I didn't get to see those 42 hours of SC, but I did learn a huge lesson that just keeps on reappearing in my life. "Failure + Failure - Worry = success." Weird logic, but it makes sense to me! I am back on track now, folks.

This was definitely a lesson learned only through time. Over and over this lesson appears in my life. And now I realize it and will use it to my advantage, as opposed to the previous habit of ignoring it and worrying about my failures! Be happy, my friends!

The 5-week Ordeal that changed my life...

It all began 364 days ago where I partook in a journey that would change my perception of the world, of life, and of myself. It was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I was there to take a simple geology course and live in a University of Michigan estate, known as Camp Davis, for 5 weeks. It was in this area where I would build my first tent, climb my first mountain, get my first sunburn, have my first s'more, horseback, white-water for the first time, and even lick my first rock (it was gritty just so you know). But, most importantly I made some pretty gnarly friends. Some people that stood out and made my experience just that much better are acknowledged below:

i. Keegan Melstrom – This man taught me to just be me, even if he taught me indirectly. He enjoyed the luxuries of life, and allowed me to enjoy them as well, even though it took me a whole year to figure it out. He just took any opportunity that came his way and lived.

ii. Danielle Forsyth – Heck, I didn’t even notice this girl until she said she worked at JcPenney. And then, I talked to her, and go figure she apparently works with my Mom at the JcPenney where I used to live. Her smile is probably what struck me first. She loved to smile even when she was having her “shitty” days. And essentially, I should have learned from that. Smiling really does help.

iii. Rachel Beagan – I guess we just got along, but I don’t know how. We seemed to just talk one time sitting next to a camp fire on her 21^st and it was an awkward moment lemme tell you. Awkward moments aside, I never knew what it could have led to! A good friendship that will last. She taught me to not worry about anything. Be it love, academics, my interaction with people, family, etc. she taught me that there is always someone out there who is willing to listen and can help out. Letting the worries build up inside will make you explode. It’s always to have a good set of friends.

iv. Matt DeFauw – He is just funny. No matter what happens, he is so happy! Lesson learned: shake off the negative thoughts like a duck is able to shake off water from its wings

v. Alyse Opatowski -- I learned from her that life is just too short to not have fun. She was loads of fun to be around.

And only from these 5, they have impacted me so greatly. I know I am missing about 30 or so other folks that definitely introduce me to the wonders of life.

On a more personal note, I was inspired by Nature and its glorious beauty in this trip so much so, that I cannot even describe what I liked the most. I just LOVED it all. Be it hiking for 7 hours, horseback riding on the top of mountains, rafting for hours, or soaking up Vitamin D some 1600 ft above sea level, nature just left me breathless. I will leave you with these picturesque views of what I saw in this great journey. GO NATURE! WOOHOO!

DhaDha Dhin Dhin Dha / NaNa Tin Tin NaNa...Sounds like harmony to me

It all started last year, from what I remember. My mother was going to India and it was my one and only chance to get the one instrument I wanted to play all my life: the Tabla. I fell in love with this two-piece drum (primarily played in the Northern parts of India) when I grew up to the songs of Bhajans, or religious songs.

I came home one winter evening 1 week after my mom came back from India, to find the instrument lying in my room waiting to be played. However, I was told by my father not to get distracted, so I put off the tabla until 5 weeks ago. I could not believe how difficult the instrument is to play, but it comes with any challenge. Struggle at first, and then success with more work. I mean the first two notes (Na and Tin) took 3 weeks to master, but it definitely was worth the effort, as I can now play more difficult notes and endure more minutes of playing time without tiring.

And even though my forearms are sore from the intense practice I go through to be a top notch tabla player, I know that playing this instrument allows me to experience both relief from my stresses and a sense harmony. I can imagine myself years from now just letting the sounds of Na and Tin and Dha and Dhin resonate over my whole home as I play for hours. Heck maybe I will be good as Zakir Hussain. Just Kidding, he is ridiculous. Aight gang, gotta go practice!

So much for a lazy summer vacation...

As the first year of my young college career came to a close, all I wanted to do was relax and be lazy for the entire 4 months of summer vacation I had in front of me. Maybe I could go for a tan, workout some, chat it up on AIM and Facebook. Yeah, so much for that, except for the tan part. Almost everyday, I am slammed with articles to read, tabla to play, Gujarati to learn, puzzles to solve, working on muscles I haven't worked on for months, doing experiments for five hours, etc. Despite having so much to do, I enjoy being busy. Sure, it sucks doing an experiment that isn't promising and redoing the whole thing until it works, knowing all well I can mess up the entire experiment by a simple touch of my glove. Despite this tedium and workload, I always tell myself "Well it's either this or watching 5 straight hours of SportsCenter".

After absorbing the wisdom of hundreds of people I have met/seen/admired in the 19 years of life I have lived, and through some life-changing experiences of my own, I learned that I cannot waste 4 months of my life waking up at 11 AM and sleeping at 3 AM. The most opportune time to do a 6 mile run has gone; playing tabla that extra hour in the morning is gone; even reading a book that you have always wanted to read will just collect dust as more time is wasted. It hasn't sunk in that I need to wake up earlier until a few days ago. I mean, fine, I wake up every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7 AM, but what about Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday?If I were to get up at a time where the sun is halfway between rising and setting, well that just wouldn't be day now would it? I think it would be a half-lived, half energized, half appreciated, half day. I learned that this is not the way I should spend four out of seven days of the week.

So there is just one simple phrase that has been preached countless times to me by my elders:

Carpe Diem my friends. Carpe Diem. What a beautiful phrase, and so overlooked. When my Dad first told me that, I was an ignorant teenager and merely nodded to just move on with the conversation. Every year he and my Mom would always snare "Tejas, get up earlier. Don't live you life like this!" It hasn't hit me until now. Now, all I think about is living the best way possible without the need of materialistic monotonies to fulfill my life.

Only a few days can change a lifetime. Spoiled by the luxuries of home, I forget that life is too short even if I have only lived 19 years. I have begin to take order in my life, making goals for the day, smiling for no reason, help my parents even if I wasn't asked to, bug my brother (well that's just for fun), and living.

That's just it. This summer is all about me living.