Something about a Stellar Hangover!
Ah! wrapping up a busy November, that bled halfway into December filled with quizzes, submission and sleepless nights. Surprise!. But it was so much fun. Most of my courses are. But not all sleepless nights are fun. Some drain all the energy out of you. You know. We (students) have all been there. That’s why it’s important to take time off, recharge to full capacity and get inspired to keep you going, for the next big thing coming in the week. Whatever it may be, a lecture, a seminar, or that next Avengers trailer you have been waiting to rip apart. Yes! We are in the End Game now! Also, the dope Aquaman that dropped mid-November. Okay! Too much!? I will stop. So, how do you do it?
Here is how I go from System Crashing to Overclocked on all cores at the speed of light. The energy and that momentum are carried with me for at least the next 15 days. This is one of my favorite things to do. And I urge you to do this if you aren’t sure what to do.
I start by going to the darkest, least light polluted place I can bike to, at sundown. Get comfortable and settling down, turning off all light sources that can contaminate my night vision(at least the ones I can control). And wait. Wait until my eyes adjust to the darkness. After some time I can see a few dots and colors, but then the numbers increase and the colors are more distinct as time passes. And the portal is open, the night sky is lit. Sometimes fully and sometimes partially, then there is the moon in its usual phases. If it is a new moon week or the moon is set and I am in a dark enough place, I can also see a thin strip of the sky slightly brighter than the rest. It is the Milky Way. No matter what the situation is, there is always a familiar feeling of getting into the zone of absolute peace where I can work the problems, ask the hard questions and push boundaries for myself. More importantly, I get to think as much as I get to learn.
So there I am, laying down on the grass, sitting on the park bench, leaning against a boulder or hell even standing and looking up at the clear night sky. Then a random meteor streaks through the sky and the heart starts pounding, eyes open wider filled with excitement, looking eagerly to spot another. This feeling very frequent in the meteor season. I stay like that, say in a state of heightened senses, more aware than usual trying to solve a problem be it academic, mental, emotional or anything that is a hurdle in everyday life. Almost everytime I find whatever is that I am seeking. Sometimes I don’t. And that is okay because every time I go back home better than I was before. That’s what I do. I go out and look up!
So, In this busy season, I went out twice. I had a company once and we packed up in a short time. The next time, I was alone. I started around 8 PM. Since winter is here and the winter constellations have arrived rising through the hue of the diffused city lights when the sunlight is fading. Just the way I like it. It feels like meeting a group of friends after a long time. They don’t say much. Just help me navigate the night sky. It is easier in winter because I learned to navigate that way. I was at the edge of the city and it wasn’t ideal but it was clear enough to flip the switch. I sat there jumping from star to star. I had my binoculars with me. So, I also saw a few star clusters, a few planets, and the Orion nebula. I saw about a dozen meteors.
This was the last Sunday of November 2018. It was pretty cold here. Below zero actually. Sidenote: I was all geared up for it. My last winter here in Sweden was a disaster. The cold, lack of light and the reaction of my body to give me migraines was an “Interesting” experience. So, I was determined to make up my mind to keep me going strong this winter. I was also thinking a lot about time management. Around midnight, I had come up with a plan for my time management and was feeling confident enough to tackle the winter head on! So, I decided, It was time for little more adventure, take pictures of the sky and the moon. Adventure, because I had to take off my gloves to operate my phone and It was freezing. I clicked moon this time. It is not amazing but I had no tripod with me.
Then around 2:30 am I packed my stuff and cycled back home. I started Monday as happy as a happy triangle(I think triangles look the happiest among all the shapes, even though round is my personal favorite). Its been almost 3 weeks. The weather got gloomy, I didn’t get a chance to do It again. But I am still going strong. Have made a lot of progress in all my courses. I am also working with a small team and we are trying to set up an astronomy club for the students in the university. We have made a significant progress in that as well.
So, there is something about a stellar hangover that keeps me going forward and going back to get drunk with awe. For the 3 people, I forced to read this (and everyone else who might read it Being optimistic), I know we will be wrapping up 2018 soon, So look back on 2018, no matter what happened in this year, I am sure we all learned something new, and I hope we all learn more in 2019. Cheers.
Okay, Bye!