You gotta love Love

I attended a fundraiser dinner tonight at MIT. It was at Morse Auditorium, this large hall with life like paintings on the wall that seemed staight out of the Renaissance.

Poeple chatted, their murmur filled the room with a hum. Food was set on long tables along one side of the room. I found classmates and sat down at the same table.

Coincidentally, a shy boy and girl sat at the same table too. She, from Bangladesh. He, clearly not. As American as possible. And a physical chemist at MIT.

They were comfortable in each other's company and spoke to us through gracious smiles. Little did we know that the twosome who seemed too young to be out of bed past midnight were actually married! And had been that way for the past four years!

As the evening progressed, dinner was eaten and digested with dessert. The couple had eyes only for each other. They were both fun conversation. But they saved the best for just the two of them. They settled into each others arms and said sleepy goodbyes when we rose from the table to leave.

Love does exist. In the disparate combination of blond hair and auburn. In Asian accents and Western ones. It knows no boundaries. And it's wonderful to see it alive and well.

The Little Things that Matter

Good journalism lies in the details. I've been hearing that plenty the past month and a half.

Get what the people said, in exact quotes. Get what they were wearing, what they were doing at the time of the incident you are reporting, their reactions, facial expressions, neighbours' views, family and friends speak - anything that helps "breathe life" into the subject. Make him "come alive" in your writing.

At first, I though the advice was a bit over the top. But then I realized that journalism is all about the people it covers. Their stories, their lives, their experiences. Journalism is the tool that makes them heard to the rest of the world. Peoples' role is pivotal and therefore they need to be captured as accurately as possible in a story. And that's where the details make all the difference.

Now I realize that while details are the answer to superior journalism, it's also applicable to almost everything else. Excellence lies in the details. It's what makes the distinction between better and the best. It's the line that divides acceptable from perfect. It's the difference between almost there and far beyond.

So pay attention to the details. Don't forget to smile or eat a good breakfast. Get eight hours of sleep and donate to charity, in time/money. Love your job but love the people in your life more. And most importantly, love yourself enough to make the effort.

You never know when it will be the day that the little details count.

Speeches and Scream

It's amazing how language has the potential to be a primary means of communication to a trained tongue and ear, while still sounding like gibberish to foreign ones. Perhaps music and love really are the only universal languages.