Interests

Over the years, I’m lucky to have dabbled in a few hobbies and interests of mine.

The story so far:

• Archery - one of the most satisfying hobbies. I’ve always liked bow and arrows, presumably from watching all those Hindu epics on TV growing up. I wish I could find a decent archery club somewhere around here. I’m sure there are and I just haven’t looked hard enough.
• Computers and Technology - My original hobby since childhood that has transformed me along the way. Thankful for that year in school (perhaps 7th or 8th standard?) when they introduced a computer class. That perhaps kickstarted my entire life - woke up something in me that refuses to die to this day. This has consumed a large part of my life so far, mostly in a good way. The burnouts can be harsh. I hope I can do more substantive things with the knowledge I have in this field.
• Dancing - I learnt waltz or was it jive, almost 15 years ago. I can move and I can dance. And I like dancing. This is another of those interests that’s calling me, I think.
• Kayaking - not something I had planned to do, but I ended up doing a little bit of this while I was in New Zealand. Loved it for a while, but not sure I can do it for long periods of time. My lower back is not happy when I go kayaking. So, there’s that.
• Mechanical Keyboards - This one’s new. Like really really new. It’s not even a year old, I think. Maybe, I’ve spent a little over 6 months thinking, and tinkering with mechanical keyboards. I was a little into those mechanical typewriters, but these mechanical keyboards are a whole another thing. This hobby might encourage or create other things along the way. Thankfully, these don’t cost a lot, but they still cost a lot of money. I hope I don’t throw away as much money as I did with my photography equipment.
• Motorcycles - I wasn’t into racing bikes when I started. I had a heavy ass bike which folks told me that I would have difficulty riding. Enjoyed my 350cc bike for a long time. Hopefully, I can get back to riding a bike soon. A decent bike that I can drive for long in the country, with my significant other boo!
• Painting - This is a relatively new interest, of course. I started on this roughly 5 or 6 years ago. There’s been a lull since. I need to re-learn a few things and get back on the horse, so to speak.
• Photography - another of those things that I stumbled upon, cause I was given a camera or two over the years. I then turned it into something very expensive, bought half a dozen or so cameras - digital, analog, medium-format, point-and-shoot and what not. It was fun. Now, I shoot only with my phone and the photos are just as good, or perhaps even better.
• Stamp collector - I used to collect and trade stamps, until that hobby was quite literally beaten out of me. I don’t have any physical scars to show, but those mental scars persist. Weird that it was stamp collection that would leave a mark on my psyche like that.
• Writing - Over the years, I’ve been doing this on and off. A lot of it on my personal journal and stuff, and some of it on some fictional stuff. This is another thing I should do more of, which should tie some of my other interests together.

There are still things I want to do and try.

• I tried paragliding once in Napier, New Zealand. I would like to do more of that at some point.
• Building and flying model airplanes.
• Flying a small airplane or glider.
• BASE jumping - this might be a bit too far off - but why not aim for the stars, rather the earth in this case ;)
• Wood working and everything else that comes along with it.
• Dancing - need to make this official or at least go do some learning - perhaps Salsa or even contemporary dance. Anything. I just need to move and dance.
• Video and audio podcasts - podcasts about technology and the multitude of things I do.
• Moar painting and art.