Michelle Obama at WWDC

Got to do an interview with Michelle Obama. 😉 It would be super cool if this were true though.

On a serious note, I got to see and hear her speak from just few feet away at WWDC yesterday morning. (Tuesday - June 6th, 2017)

Speaking to a crowd of entrepreneurs and creators, she made an excellent point about inspiring others. The world will be a different and much better place if each of us can inspire at least one person. You don't need to be popular in order to do so. In fact, the best and most effective way to inspire someone is through one on one interaction. It makes deeper connection and longer lasting impact.

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For someone with her stature, I was amazed to see how easily and instantly she was able to connect with such a large and diverse audience.

It was not just the inspiring words she said, but also the way she spoke. Her mere presence and pleasant demeanor very naturally portrayed humility, elegance and power but most importantly - simplicity.

Of all the things she said, these words really stuck with me “We need great minds with great hearts".

I feel truly grateful for having had this wonderful opportunity.

Age

A few days ago, after many years I grew an year older :D Some thoughts crowded my mind. And this is the way they decided to express themselves :

age is just a number
every year, we just get dumber

we are supposed to get wiser and smart
not everyone here has mastered the art

we tend to do what people expect
just to gain everyone’s respect

going with the flow is what we do
what’s on our mind, we seldom pursue

profession, relationships, sports, religion - everything we label
ideas that don’t fit, when asked to explain, we are unable

rules are meant to control chaos
but somehow we let them be our boss

the mistakes we make, we don’t accept
in order to blend in, we don’t correct

we try to fit in, show off, be bold and gaudy
in reality, we are just a 5 year old in a big body

not sure what made me write this - I’m not a poet
given my “profession”, I should have remained quiet

i must own this “mistake” I made
the words I put together, some forcefully fed

everyone expects a poem to rhyme
but I’m not gonna do that here

i’m done

@advantej

 

Now go back. Fit in. Do whatever you are doing.

Capturing the Yosemite Horsetail Fall

I was in Yosemite with a group of photographers last weekend (Feb 25-26, 2017). This was my first time in Yosemite and I was super excited. Yosemite is more popular in Summer but for photographers winter is pretty exciting too. The snow covered rocky peaks, icicles, frozen waterfalls. It’s beautiful.  One of the main reason is to shoot the horsetail falls which is a seasonal waterfall that flows in winter and early spring. If the weather conditions are just right, around sunset the light falling on the waterfall makes it glow. Photographers go bonkers to capture this phenomenon and try to secure a spot hours in advance. It looks kinda - crazy.

We were not sure if we would get to experience the phenomenon that evening because a bunch of clouds were luring and blocking light for most part of our wait. In addition, it was very windy up near the waterfall, so the water was spreading out instead of a steady down stream.  So even if it lit up it won’t present itself like all the other popular pictures you can find online. In fact many photographers had started packing.

Lucky for us, some clouds cleared up just for a small window of about 15-20 minutes. The light moved from the bottom of the mountains making its way up to the waterfall. It was just mesmerizing. I think, the wind - by spreading the water - in fact gave a unique perspective,  different than most of the popular photos out there.

 

I took a bunch of photos and made a small video clip to give an idea of how the light behaved.

It was super cold for the two days I was there. Many times while taking pictures, I couldn’t even feel my fingers. But it was totally worth it!

Experimenting with Fasting

Fasting = Mind Blown!!! (And brain opened even more)

I'm reading The Complete Guide to Fasting book and have just started experimenting with fasting.

I'm already on Bulletproof(BP)/Keto lifestyle (for most time) and intermittent fasting since February 2016 and have reaped it's benefits like weight loss, brain fog loss, focus, energy, improved blood results etc...

I love learning and experimenting which led me to the fasting book. So since before the holidays I started experimenting with 24 hour fasts every few days. A longer fast still intimidated me. However, I started my 24 hour fast Sunday afternoon and after 24 hours I wasn't hungry so I decided to continue. It's Tuesday afternoon and I still haven't had a full meal. I have been having BP coffee though in the morning and lots of water and occasional nuts (just once) I'm hoping to get through today. Let's see.

But right now, I am feeling amazing. My brain seems to have opened even more and I feel alive.  Since last night my productivity has gone up too. It's raining outside and what people might say is a dull day. But I feel super energized. Omg, I LOVE this feeling.

I just wanted to write this down for my own record but I thought I'd share it with everyone.

Passion? Anyone?

Have you found your passion in life? This question was raised during a session at the Bulletproof conference I recently attended. It gets raised many times in life. The reaction, as one might expect was a mixed one. I believe there is much more to life than one single passion. As you learn and progress, your perspective changes. You may experience something that you have never done before. While you may still like doing something that you have been doing for a long time, there are many more things you might get passionate about. I have always been passionate about technology and music. But in the recent past I have developed a very keen interest in classical guitar, photography and aviation. Every time I’m pursuing any of these activities, I forget time. I feel being in my element But if someone were to push me to answer the initial question, I’d say my passion is to learn new things!