Collector

I think I am a collector at heart. Just look at all the junk I've collected over the years. But lately, I've noticed that I don't only like to collect physical things, but non-physical things as well. I think the term "jack of all trades" is appropriate here. I like exploring different interests but never really have the time (or heart??) to delve deeper into any of them. But I like to be able to say that I've tried, that I know something.

Architecture. Lately, it's been architecture and design. I've always avoided architecture because when it comes down to it, it's an art.* But there's something to be said about aesthetics. Used in the right way, it can make people's lives so much better. So I've been attending a few architecture related lectures lately as well as reading some magazines about design and planning. It's ironic though if I want to go into geotech. There's really no need for architects in geotech... Seriously, there's not much you can do to a tunnel. They come in fixed shapes.

Languages. Learning languages is a time consuming activity. I really wish I can call myself fluent in more than one language. I don't think I am though. Only English. I think if I really tried, I can learn more languages. But actually, I think the "more languages" part attracts me more than "fluent" part. I can't seem to settle for any one language. I'm always hopping around and learning bits and pieces of others. It's fun. In the beginning, you make a lot of progress because you know nothing. So it's rewarding. And then it gets harder...

Linguistics. And last semester I took linguistics and that turned out to be pretty interesting. I even got some books on linguistics and language acquisition from a book sale. But of course, they're still sitting on my bookshelf, waiting to be read.

History. This is another one of those things I avoided in high school. High school history wasn't all that great anyway. But having taken two history classes at MIT, I find that I really enjoy reading about how people lived, their stories, their ambitions, etc. I've also done a lot of traveling in the past few years and understand the history of a place really adds to the experience.

Traveling. This one is really a collector's item. I've been to... You get the idea. At some level, I ask myself why I want to travel. Why do I want to go see the Great Pyramids when I can just google it on the web? Just to say that I've been there? That seems like a waste. But if that's true, then so are stamp and coin collecting. After you've "collected" the money, you can't use the things anymore. Is that a waste? Or is there something deeper in this?

Cooking. I like to experiment but I also like edible food. And I like to say I know how to cook many different things but usually it's just a hit and miss.

So what does this mean? What does it say about me? Am I just undisciplined and can't stay with one thing for a long time? It sure if I improve on some of these interests and skills, they will certainly become very useful. But then again, is it worth it to push yourself through something you don't enjoy?

[This is not supposed to be depressing or sad or anything like that. At least it's not for me. I like collecting. And displaying naturally comes with collecting.]

*Why do I not like/appreciate art? I remember going to art class in first or second grade in China. I think I really enjoyed it the first few times and said something along the lines of "Art is my favorite class" or "I want to be an artist." And then, someone completely shot this down by saying that art is useless and you can't ever make a living out of it. It's just like playing and people who try to be artists are being childish and should get a real job. I didn't want to end up like these people so from that day onwards, I didn't take art seriously. I treated it like playing hide and seek, Something could be fun but you can't make a living out of it. I mean, I still enjoyed drawing and such but I didn't take it seriously. I would look at art museums and artists with skepticism. Who knew an off-hand comment like that can have such a big impact?