I Read What I Write

Nishanth asked me yesterday if I ever read what I wrote. I told him typically no. Then he joked that I should just write on a white board and erase it every time I wish to write more. Truth be told, I used to read what I wrote more often. I still have my past journals from when I was a child that I would flip through occasionally. In recent years though, I have wrote things of more substantial nature but rarely read them.

The famous novelist Toni Morrison said that she wrote her first novel since she wanted to read it. Similarly, for much of what I write, I wish to understand and reflect on my own ideas and thoughts. Writing serves to preserve that and creates a structure in otherwise haphazard thoughts. In other words, for much of what I write, I like remember what I wrote for myself to remember and not necessarily for others to read.

So I took some time today and read my past entries from November that's worthy of remembering:

1. Quotes from Shen Ge

"I have to stand up on two legs before I can run to any endeavor with full passion."

"It's suffocating to be surrounded by people you can't really relate to.

"I must build a strong foundation in a relationship with my physical presence before I can leave."

"Take a stand now and suffer in the short term for the long term good." 

"There should be a highlight of each day that I look forward to."

2. Look over maps! That was a childhood hobby of mine. Recover it.

3. The number of radio stations in the country is distributed according to its population density. Is there an equation which can connect the two values?

N = f(R)

where N is the population density in a 100 km radius and R is the number of radio stations in a 100 km radius.

4. Optimal life needs to have activities filling up every box between being alone and with others.

	Alone	Couple	Group
Work
Play

5. From Strengths Finder 2.0, I know I am Futuristic, Ideation, Intellection, and Significance. I should do some of the tips to improve my life.

• Read articles on tech, science, and research to gain fuel for my imagination.
• Study fields and industries different from my own.
• Organize groups that discuss my interest area.
• Write articles to give me visibility.
• Volunteer to speak in front of a group who'll admire my achievements.
• Imagine I'm on stage with my every action.

6. Alice, a Carnegie Mellon free software, encourages people to create animations and games. In truth, it is an example of a "head fake", making people think they're just playing games when really they're learning. I should do the same for my own projects to increase user usage.

7. Quote from Nishanth Sasankan

"One problem at a time. Don't try to do everything at once. Like a multi-stage rocket, if the boost comes too early, your rocket can explode."