Gathering thoughts…
A world of little thoughts.
lately i've felt like time is compressed. or rather, it's malformed. it's not passing normally, is what i'm trying to say, i guess. i'm incredibly busy yet feel like i don't have much to show for it. most of it feels like a constant battle to keep up with gestures at everything it's too much sometimes. most of the…
There are 2 kinds of jobs. The first is where one needs to do something. This usually requires one to be physically present and trade in time and energy for whatever needs to be done. If one doesn't do something, the job is not done. This kind of job is mostly synonymous to low skill and blue collared work like a…
So I happened upon marketing by accident. I began my career as a psychological researcher. I was in charge of putting out flyers to attract people with major depressive disorder to a study where they could receive free treatment. One day, I was instructed to put fliers in doctor's office waiting rooms, cars in parking…
Is skimming through an article or a book reading? I find that in this age of information overload, we have become superficial readers (if that’s even a term), people who claim to read but aren’t reading. You’re collecting headlines - you’re trying to know a bit about everything - so that you can’t be called out for…
You'd be surprised by how many people are in the same situation as you. Last year, before graduating, I decided to study for a second degree. A lot of worries went through my head: "I'm behind," "I'm going to be the oldest," and so on. Many of these thoughts were just excuses to stay in my comfort zone, but I pushed…
It is something that I don't purposely wanna hold to someone, holding a grudge is something really tiring, but at the same time very hard to let go. It makes me get annoyed at the smallest things and quirks from a person that I usually wouldn't mind, but because of something bigger it just bothers. I should get better…
Every year, either December or our birthday makes us a tad existential. If not overtly, at least somewhere in our head, we are wrapping up a year gone past us. We try to evaluate, albeit half-heartedly, how far we've come, where we'd like to go, and so forth. It is like attempting to gain back the control that we…
Pari, you have an issue: 1. You assume for yourself where other people's boundaries lie, and tend to not believe them when they say where it is 2. In your intense need to people please and avoid conflict, you automatically regulate your own emotions and actions as per where you think their boundaries lie. This is…
A learning from recent experience. It’s natural to feel a rush of excitement when we meet someone we deeply admire, whether they are celebrities, industry leaders, or personal heroes. But putting them on a pedestal completely blocks the path to genuine connections. True connections are built on mutual respect and…
as current AI tools develop and more people use them. i have noticed subtle consistencies that pop up in stable diffusion. finding the consistencies and adapting them will be the difference from the average user to a unique user. one of the more obvious consistency are poses for portrait images. there are only a few…
The "techlash" — the widespread negative public perception of Big Tech — marches onward, gaining intensity with every new tech-related scandal. For major tech companies, the techlash has contributed to low profits, falling share prices, and fleeing users. It seems people are wising up to the negative side-effects of a…
Claude is a brilliant, and under-appreciated, alternative to ChatGPT. I've found its writing more relatable when producing long form content. In this post, I'll summarize the Claude Doc's best practices for effective prompts. First, describe your task well. "Think of Claude as similar to an intern on their first day…
More like five and a half years, something that began on February 14th, 2021, Valentines Day! A fun and joyful Sunday brunch with friends which extended into another impromptu meet up in the evening with another set of friends. A day of red outfits, red roses and endless champagne! Then the trajectory of dates started…
“My advice: get paid, do work you’re proud of if that matters to you, then focus on building culture in your community, your friend group, your church, whatever it is that gives you meaning. Work will never be that for you.” Source: https://buttondown.email/justinpot/archive/build-community-outside-of-work/ Me: nods…
we don't SET an intention -- we don't CHOOSE it we become AWARE of the intention within when i'm by myself, i flow and i get myself to a peak state of high but it is a very fragile state and very easily interrupted. so i kind of don't want to travel this winter because i don't see how anything external can be more…
From a spiritual advisor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92i5m3tV5XY For the past ten years or so, every morning, the routine is to make my bed, read some spiritual literature, meditate, and pray. Lately, I have gone back to the ole Headspace well for meditation. But sometimes, like today, I sit still for a few…
with eyes that grow flowers and a cool that blooms calm one that pinches your cheeks but before you blink is gone and you stay there, cherry blossom pink like a summer moment on a half-frosty morning or an April shower he walks on, hands in his pockets and eyes that could grow flowers
The simultaneity of continuity and change is one of the greatest paradoxes that shapes the way we lead our lives. Humanity has more or less perfected the art of passing down elements unique to cultures across generations. Culture ensures we carry the useful things forward with us. Things that aren't get changed. While…
this is the thing i wanted to talk about: i used to feel deprived in social interactions because i wanted something that i could not get. i didn't really know what it was exactly but i think it is: uninhibited intellectual-artistic playfulness and uninhibited intellectual-artistic curiosity i wanted someone to play…
I've been living in Singapore for a few years now. It's amazing to how advanced this city is. Coming back to the city, after a trip to smaller towns in Asia, feels like time travel. If you want a glimpse into what the future could look like, visit Singapore. Once the sense of awe subsides - it does keep coming back…
In honor of my birthday today, I'm giving you a gift. I’m sharing the knowledge I've gained in 65 years around the sun. Regardless of your age, you wll benefit from the lessons I've learned. Sunscreen. Lesson: I grew up in the baby oil sunbathing era. You can spend your money on sunscreen or frequent dermatologist…
It sometimes baffles me just how much a walk or hike in nature can boost my mental capacities. Being at home or work surrounded by books, notes and brilliant people just never get the cogs turning like the sound of birds chirping, water flowing and life happening at it's own pace. So, there I was in my local forest…
I was woken up by mom having really high fever and immense body pains. It was immensely scary. I was suddenly face to face with exactly how helpless I was without her. Also, my immediate reaction was anger towards her. Anger for being vulnerable. I don’t know why I react this way Just the previous night, had a…
A short one about an interesting sliding doors moment. Louis Menand’s 2021 review in the New Yorker of Glenn Frankel’s “Shooting Midnight Cowboy: Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic” contained a brilliant tidbit. It's believed that a key element contributing to the mood of Midnight…
Coming from a small village, it was pretty uncommon to hear people discuss things like wealth, assets, capital etc growing up. It was very strange and unsettling when I met teens from Mumbai. Many of them seemed miles ahead in their business vocabulary and had a strong sense of business more than most of the "biz men"…
This situation has helped me to understand one of the most important truths in life. We do not deserve to be happy. Both deservedness and happiness are human inventions that try to project a fictitious vital image that never materializes and, therefore, generates unhappiness. To explain this point we do not have to…
Vivi a última noite numa pista cheia de gente feliz e fervida. Encontrei amigos e conhecidos que não via há tempos. A música era boa. Dancei com a Ludo, Nino, Raquel, Guima e Chiara. Os DJs Vermelho, Davis, Âme&Dixon. Entortei de vez para o techno. Dancei. Derreti. Tomei cerveja bem gelada. As luzes estavam bonitas,…
I reflected on my Linkedin activity last week on the platform. The immediate response of my friends and their network within the first hour of posting felt good. People found the post amusing! So I of course HAD to post the same jab on twitter, and share a screenshot of the original post on my Instagram story. What…
Today was an intense day full of business strategy work - thinking big, maximizing impact, market analysis, etc. Networking, research, meetings, and repeat. However, my personal highlight of the day occurred in the night, on my way back from the gym. The streets were empty, the air was fresh and there was a slight fog…
We need a place in between Twitter and newsletters. We know that people want to be share in a variety of formats, a variety of lengths, a variety of fidelities. But the fact that no single platform currently allows this shows the vast opportunity for online social media to evolve. Who decided that a social media…
We arrived here on a Sunday evening. It was already 9 PM as we trudged out of the airport gates lugging a heavy pile of suitcases onto an empty road. Someone should have received us here and, after a few moments of panic and frantic WhatsApp calls, we found out that the driver was late. We sat down at a parapet on the…
I am less afraid of artificial intelligence than I am of the artificially intelligent.
No words can pin down what we call reality, but words too are real
Every time I need to tweak something on my work mac, I'm irked by the title of the settings pane. What every computer interface has referred to as "settings", Apple chose to rename "preferences". Settings implies a certain relationship between us and our tools. You set the fuel / air mixture of a carburetor for…
''We come for the jobs and stay for the weather.'' Famous words by a friend when I could not stop raving about the cool Bangalore evenings in May. Unlike coastal Mumbai, Bangalore which is set in a valley is a basin with pockets of land that collect water, eventually giving rise to lakes. I have almost no working or…
Remember when paper towel dispensers were exclusively mechanical? They did not require a source of electricity. Fewer moving parts. No motion sensors, no motors, lower cost of manufacturing. Sturdy, reliable, efficient. K.I.S.S. Sometimes, ascending the technological hierarchy results in superior products. Fuel…
Week two of the new routine and its going pretty well, but there are a number of hangups that I am having trouble with. The first thing is that I had a cigar last night and ended up staying up until 1AM which pushed my wake up to 8:30AM, which in turn, pushed everything else out. I have yet to do my piano and Spanish…
last night i slept worse than i have in months. i mean i’ve been sleeping like shit since we landed on this rock but last night the pain just took over me. the night before, i snuck out on my own to see if I could figure out what the orb was composed of. i thought, if i could just get close enough to chip off a shard…
India or Netherlands? Business or job? Self-made or ovarian lottery? There is no right or wrong. There are nuances to this question. M tells me to have an honest chat with my parents. She may be right. Sometimes, we make things up in our minds. Those thoughts reflect in our behaviour. That behaviour then attracts…
It's late, it has been a long day, and I am tired. Opening the laptop to write my daily post as part of the writing challenge feels draining and I don't really want to do it. So why do I do this? In those moments of doubt I should remind myself of the bigger picture. Often, the tasks that seem most draining are the…
What wellness practice(s) do you do for your business? Not too different from how I take care of my own health/wellness (e.g., annual check-ups, nourishment, movement, recovery/sleep time) - since about 2003 (more than 20 years), I do 3 types of SOLO / SELF activities, with minimal to zero discussions with…
Care is the gravity that holds a group together. It is the practical stuff of hospitality, like preparing for a meeting or cleaning up afterwards. It's also emotional work, like noticing that someone is not having a good time, and checking in with them. Without care, a group falls apart. It’s safe to assume that in…
Recently built my first kit guitar! Really happy with how this one turned out. After years of fixing up cheap guitars I was ready to build one of my own. Picked the kit up as a local guitar show and finished it in about a week. I also picked up a Harley Benton Tele Style guitar a few days before the show. It had a…
I did not expect this one: === anon8858 It’s finally happening. General Rodriguez will make a public appearance for the first time in 2 years. This is the longest time a public official has been outside of the public eye. Last year, the rumors of his death were the top conspiracy theory in the country. These rumors…
What if what I thought was wrong My perspective aren’t the right one The thought process is not the strongest one How do I forge it within myself To have intelligence I need to be hardworking and keep thinking on it Work on the details Been too lazy to think And that becomes a habit Even the type of bikes, the roads,…
The paradox of life is, It gives,the lightness of joy and the burden of pain; and takes,so we may learn the worth of what was given. Every gift of joy or burden of sorrow, arrives with the promise of its leaving. And though we may celebrate or grieve its passing, It was never meant to be kept....only experienced. Time…
Now, I'll admit. When I started the idea for this post, it was to declare, "We've entered the 2nd Industrial Revolution!" Good thing I checked. It's easy for me to get consumed in my own hubris of knowledge, but even easier for me to say, "whoops, let's rethink this." Reading and learning more about the concept of an…
one of my goals in life used to be to feel stoned without smoking weed and i realized that you can do that it's called art. consume it, make it. listen to music go on a run (yes specifically go on a run) it's very simple and this is why proust thinks that art is the purpose of life
