Curious Connections

Marimayam ( YouTube) Union  When it comes to house shifting in Kerala, one of the hassles is the task of dealing with the labour unions in the locality. Why? B'cos, they are given the de-facto rights to load and unload material belonging in a household.  This vested right given to the labor unions in Kerala are often misused.  There are many cases of highhandedness by the labour union in Kerala, due to which general public have a love hate relationship with them. This has caused negative perception, people go any length to avoid dealing with these people.  Two key reasons: 1. They often charge high loading or unloading charges 2. Often they create ruckus, bad mouth, if customers don't oblige  There are quite number of YouTube videos, TV news report on how it's played out in front of the public. Also, satirical series like Marimayam Series has few episodes about labour union, and of-course Village Office related topics are the butt of their jokes!  Ep 314 -...

 I'm just curious, so I thought I could list out all the Malayalee groups, Samajam and other association of people from Kerala which has their online presence in Facebook. Let me see how many I can find. Malayalees in North America  Groups in Facebook 1. Keralasamajam of New Jersey ( Facebook Page Link ) 2. Malayalee Association of Greater Philadelphia - MAP  ( 1k Likes ) Link to FB  ( Site: mapicc.org)  3.   KeralaSamajam SouthFlorida ( Facebook Page )   4. New England Malayalee Association (NEMA) 5.4K Followers ( Fb link ) Site name nemausa.org  5. Nair Service Society of California  ( Link to FB ) nssca.us   6.  Malayalees in America ( Social Link FB Group )   7. Niagara Malayalee  Fb page  https://www.facebook.com/niagara.malayalee   8. Kerala Association of Greater Washington - KAGW  ( https://www.facebook.com/kagwusa ) Website 9. World Ma...

  Money for nothin' and chicks for free I was exploring a new image creator site. Link  https://www.textstudio.com/   And while I fiddled with it, I read a newsletter, from where I picked this text - Are you Trading Copious Amounts of Time for Money? Source link :  https://www.thecreativebodega.com/    One of the person who's a big advocate of Rich Life is Ramit Sethi. He harped on this concept of leading a rich life, through his book (I Will Teach You To Be Rich   ), courses and newsletter. And, now many versions of rich life stories are flooding social media and books.  So, going with the rich life concept, what is rich life?  Let me ask Perplexity.ai about what it thinks about rich life? Here's the answer from the AI. 👇 A rich life is a subjective concept that goes beyond mere financial wealth. It encompasses a value-driven journey filled with experiences, relationships, and personal fulfillment that resonate with an individual's un...

I shared a Video of Njottajodiyan Plant and then this happened! So, I got to make a video!    My mom has been behind this plant for a long, long time. I head it so, soo many times, that it's time to get this plant from some source or another. Also, I plant to sell this online! Let me see how far this blog can help me to sell to Indian buyers of this Physalis angulata Plant. I have seen few videos on YouTube about the purported medicinal benefits. For example, it's used for blood pressure, common cold. However, I'm not seen any video on how to use this plant for medicinal purpose nor the scientific study..  Common Name of this plant - Ground Cherry  🌱Botanical Name :  Physalis angulata  🌱Malayalam Name : ഞൊട്ടാഞൊടിയൻ Mottaampuli.  🌱Tamil Name     : Perunkunni and Pottipallam.  More information on wiki   Physalis angulata I hope to make a video of this and I'll post it soon! But, when? Well, before October 22nd!...

KSEB Status on FB Couple of days back, power went out in Kumarapuram house. After waiting for sometime, I called the KSEB Office at Medical College. It was coming engaged, engaged and engaged.  Damit!  Again dialed and the number was on a perpetual engaged mode!  So, what's the next best way to get information? This got me thinking, and hopefully, the bigwigs of KSEB should be thinking about! So, here are few options that came to my mind!  1. KSEB should start a Facebook Page for every Sub Division and Section. For example, the best and most easy way to create an update on FB Page is by way of a text message on a colored square.( Sample Pic Given Above ) 👆 Any layman or lineman in KSEB will know how to use a colored square. Just choose a background color  can post a simple update any repair work or disruption of work. It's just a 1 minute work.  2. Set-up a ring tone which says of any electricity disruption. Why can't we use the ring tone to convey a ...

  Tvm Corporation Cleaning Workers  Removing Waste from Drains One thing I realized after reading the latest newsletter from Chris Borgan is about feeding the brains. So, what is feeding of the brain? Well, literally it would mean about ideas, concepts and experiences you're exposing to your brain. For Chris, he has taken up shooting pics, which exposes him to new connections. Probably, one thing leads to another. And, such activities feeds his mind, and fuels us to write and share it.  Bingo! I too feel the same, even thought I never thought about it. I take random pics or pics of places and things that I see. Later when I browse the pics, I feel there's a story to tell, a connection to be made. Many of such picture has resulted in giving fresh ideas or just stuffs on which I can write about. So, no writer's block in me! So, this is one way to feed the brain with new ideas and concepts. For example, the above two pictures ☝️ were taken when I went to have lemon juice fro...

Again, thanks to Chris Borgan for sharing such insightful and inspiring videos in his newsletter. I had read about BASQUIAT's work from a post by Seth Godin. and now it's written in a different style, with more juice for common person like me. So, what does it all say? Here're few comments from people on YouTube about who shared their idea about Basquait work.👇 BASQUIAT's You should go offline and should go deep.  Best advice in these time of fast consumption and superficiality. "Most of the flow that you will have while making art will come from all the things you are doing when you are not making art." That's something I always knew, but never put into words. Brilliant. 1. Source material 2. Steal like an artist 3. Have a message 4. Speed 5. Study Memorize Internalize The steps I got for any type of work really: 1) Get 2 reference sources, one visual, one philosophical/principles. 2) Just fckng do it. Create now, whatever really. Don't judge. Create...

Hot, Hot Soup  Recently I started buying soup bones for the ladies of the house. I feel, our help in the kitchen makes excellent beef soup with fresh ingredients, pepper, coriander leaf, dices of carrot and shallots. ( She makes the soup without tasting it as she's allergic to beef) It's just superb. I wish I could serve such soup to people who visit home. One thing I would like to add to it, bread rolls. Soup and bread roll could be an apt hors d oeuvres.  If I stayed in an apartment, I would have made this around 11AM and supplied this to many other houses in there! Made some money too in the process! Hundred bucks for a bowl of steaming hot beef soup. And, I would have easily made 1K in 4 hrs!  Anyways, I wish I could start Soup and Rolls as a side income.  Menu in Trivandrum could be Beef, Chicken and Veg Soup. And, in B'lore, it could be Chicken and Veg soup! What do you think of this? How about having a hot and fresh soup during winter months in Bangalore? I ha...

 Have you lately driven across Kumarapuram junction during peak hours?  I think the way traffic in Trivandrum has swelled in the recent past, the effect of this is see in traffic bottlenecks, gridlocks, and rise of high decibel honking.. I hardly honk. Well that's my nature. Sometimes, I feel I should honk more to alert people coming by the bend. Now, you know that I, belong very rare breed of people who are averse to honking. Do You Honk at Traffic Signals? I know I asked the wrong question? Most of us out here are honk happy! But, I'm just not made for this! One place honking is not required is at traffic signal, but now that stop has been taken by the fuc*ingaverage honkers.  Like it or not, we have to leave with it. It's just a way of life here. Perhaps I've crossed a certain age where my noise tolerance levels are dwindling.  Btw, the arseholes should be send for honking rehabilitation centers where they should be counseled or a honk should be kept right on head...

  Source: Manorama Online One news that's gives me jitters is when gold prices slide. Yes, you heard me right. It's not because I hoard gold in any form, but almost all gold is out there in some bank or private lender! Well, I hate to say that I have pledged it, but that's the cold reality.  Btw, I don't have to worry too much about it, though it may sound depressing! Reason is that, I have an indomitable spirit to grow! Yes, I'm doing bit-by-bit to earn income from couple of different sources so that I can earn and slowly pay out the gold mortgages.  Charting Gold Prices and Price of Mortgage Rate! While writing this, I was thinking of chat to track gold rates or gold mortgage rates. Well, we all love charts as it provides information is a understandable fashion. In this context, I wish banks like South Indian or Federal or ICICI or HDFC has an option in their banking app or site to see the price of gold in a chart format. It's not just gold price, but the pric...

  Whatsapp Forward - message This is a major flaw with most people. Especially for those who have achieved pinnacle of growth during their earlier phase of life. And, with such achievement, comes some sort of over confidence, lethargy and clout.  In simple words, we tend to sit on our wreath of achievements, without taking some time to grow, learn and unlearn.  I got this poster from a whatsapp message on my family group. Usually, it's a bunch of forwards which I delete without giving it a second look. However, this one got my attention. And, so I decided to print this and stick to one of the notice board I plan to keep at different spots of my house.  What do you think of this? Do you boast on your trophies or do you still try to find new areas of growth?  Just curious  Curious Konnections 

Screen Grab of Chase Jarvis Podcast Where is your creative mojo now?  Do you need time to savour the journey or do you rush in one journey after another?  How do I explore new possibilities without the pressure?  Check out this podcast to hear what Chase has to tell about creative pause. 

  Hugo - Always Curious  Sometimes, I wish there's a drive-in place for pet owners to go out, have a coffee, walk their dog, interact with out dog owners.  Well, some place near Kazhakuttom beach side property or towards Karakulam, Nedumangadu side would be ideal. One thing important thing for any such space is good parking space for cars, space for walking the dog, benches for relaxation of the pet owners, and other amenities. Btw, our shitzu dog likes sweet potatoes. And, my partner boils sweet potato, mashes it and then mixes it with different food to make it appetizing for her. The usual items are chicken, fish, liver and sausage. And, is such a dog walk centre makes such types of unique and fresh dog food, then it would be a thriving biz and these pets would love it.  Btw, what all are your shitzu's pet peeves? 🤪 What do you thing of dog walkers in Trivandrum? Does dog boarding place provide such service?  Just curious? 

 What kind of books do you read? I mean the non-fiction ones! I keep seeing reels by many honchos which suggest many different books to read and I thought of compiling it here for my reference. And, hopefully, when I visit Blossoms Book Store in Bangalore, I won't run out of titles to buy.  So, here goes the list.    1.  sunvisideup ( Insta)    sunvisideup  Books Recommended  1. Rental Persons ( Pleasures of Human Company )  2. Seven moons of maali almeida 3.I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokpokki by Baek Se-hee ( From the emory Police (Yoko Ogawa), Three Body Problem (Cixin Liu) are all fantastic too.  2.  belmarmotion ( Insta)    belmarmotion ( Book Recommend)  1. Miyamoto mushashi ( The Book of Five Rings is a text on kenjutsu and the martial arts in general, written by the Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi around 1645. )  2. Book of Proversb, King Solomon  ( Holy Bible) 3. ...

  Champion in You! We all are champions! At least, at one point of time in your life. Do you remember the time when you felt like a champ, when you gave that stellar speech, or proposed a remedy, or found a solution in your family, or make it happen against all odd or just caught an defying catch near the boundary line, or you helped someone in misery or you just gave someone a best day of their life, or you cleaned someone's room...or whatever that may be!  Yes, all us of have that champion spirit in us. However, most of us loose that consistent steak of going the best. and then we loose that allure to become a A+ performer. Btw, what was your champion moments in your life. I have my share of such moments. And, one more thing, I was part of Champions Group at one stage of my life. . 

  Woman of Power I loved this which I saw on Instagram. How many of you know a complete woman? At least 3 things out of five qualities that you feel a women should ideally posses?  Here're the points from this poster: 1. Money in Pocket 2. Knowledge in Mind 3. Kindness in Heart 4. Confidence on Face  5. Responsibility on Soul Also, I asked ChatGPT to list out 7 qualities of a woman of substance, Here's the answer: Strength : Inner resilience to face challenges with courage. Compassion : A deep capacity for empathy and care for others. Wisdom: The ability to make thoughtful, informed decisions. Grace : Poise and elegance in handling all situations. Independence : Self-reliance and confidence in her abilities. Integrity : A strong sense of honesty and moral principles.  What about a man? What will be the qualities that makes a man stand out? Btw, this is a well written post on how to be a man by Steve Pavlina . If you're a man, I recommend you to read this. ...

Onam Special - Seasons Change &  Home Screen Changes!  Another Onam is here! For the state of Kerala, it's not a typical Onam. Here, Govt of Kerala had earlier  announced the cancellation of full scale onam celebration on account of Wayanad landslide, and in remembrance of people who lost their lives.  How's Onam for you? Today's Onam is so, so different from the Onam I can remember of. Well, people of my age ( in 50's can relate to it). Now, we have Alexa playing Onam songs, new age online shops and big  super-markets are really making a big harvest out of this season. ( It's money, and money only) I fell, all major festivities has lost it's real significance has it turned to a shopping fest! It's just brazen commercialization of all festivals. Commercial sense has taken over the human sense. It's ads on TV, on newspaper, textile shops are packed with people buying clothes and more. Are we happy at the end of the day with all these buying! I hope it...

  Screen grab of crash on YouTube I guess it won't be long, when cars on the road will be way more smarter than just mechanical boxes. Well, I mean it will be way much smarter than the current Tesla cars. In fact, the cars will have in built AI systems which will take control of the driving when there's a risky driving behavior or situation and guide the car to a safe spot.  For example, anti collision system, or systems which will slow down the car when a driver accidentally slams the gas pedal.  I thought of this after reading about a car c ollision which came in newspaper couple of weeks back. It happened in Kochi, when a person who test drove, lost control of the car and rammed into another car from the opposite side and then it crashed to another high-end Benz car. Due to this collision, the two high end car resulted in extensive damage.  Imagine such scenarios. We have heard many reports of drivers loosing control while driving. It can happen when they fa...

  Gimme Gimme Gimme  What does this song tell! ...weaves the image of a lonely woman who longs for a romantic relationship and views her loneliness as a forbidding darkness of night, even drawing parallels to how the happy endings of movie stars are so different from her existence ( Source: Wikipedia )  A Primer on 2024 -Let's open up  Have you thought how this song by ABBA rings true for many single moms and dads? Well, not just single mom or dad's. There are many married men and women who are lonely and left alone. What about spouses who are away for a long time? I often wonder if there were sites or forums where single people in their 40's and 50's and 60's could safely hang around and find suitable companions or find people with whom they can have safe conversation! Well, the biggest concern which stop people in this age group from meeting new people is privacy, and safety! If that part is addressed, then that could open the flood gates of senior meetups, datin...

The actor James Earl Jones who gave voice to Mufasa (The Lion King) and Darth Vader (Star Wars) passed away. He was 93 years old.  This is one of his memorable and thoughtful line.  “The secret is never forgetting that you’re a journeyman actor and that nothing is your final thing, nothing is your greatest thing, nothing is your worst thing,” Jones said. “I still consider myself a novice.

 Every year, new sellers, restaurants, bakeries, home cooks are entering the fray to side a wide range of Onam spread, sadhya, payasam, kits and more. This year, we have more options from Swiggy, granduer options at Lulu Mall Trivandrum and many other stores.  This post is a short compilation of Onam sadya, payasam and other kits which are sold in Trivandrum.  1. Square One Talent - Near St Mary's School   Contact 9495400800 for details or you can order online by visiting this link  Ponthalam Mudirikottu and Tea Kadala & Ada Payasam 2. Supreme Bakery, Kuravankonam  +91 471 2723322, 2724422 Supreme 3. Maha Chips ( https://mahachips.co.in/)  Vellayambalam  Maha chips known for Boli and Payasam Ph# +91 471 2722575 Maha Chips Website Image (Website Link  )

 This thought just popped out, while scrolling the insta feeds. What are you doing with the time on hand? Do you have a clear set of goals to achieve? Are you just on a critical mode, without realizing that you need to go ahead with own life! Are you serious about the value of time?  Are you serious about taking rest? How are you spending your planned time off? Are you serious about waking up early in the morning? Are you serious about making a checklist before going to bed? Are you serious about leading and fulfilling a rich life? At the end of the day, are you happy with the little progress you're taking?  #notetoself 

 After Covid many equations and social norms have changed in Trivandrum. For example, I see more small biz ventures from new gen kids. Also, I find many young girls at chai shops, and many girl gangs going around in Trivandrum late at night, hanging around with friends. ( wish I was much younger ) Apart from these changes, one upcoming trend is the entry of young people in food biz. Once during an evening walk at Church Street, Bangalore, I noticed many young people selling various kind of items from - cupcakes to designer T shirt to posters. All these changes herald new opportunities, new connections, new biz models and new type of behavior changes, boldness are shaping our life and biz. So, this post is about the entry of new gen folks in food biz, esp road side eateries and food trucks. Out of these, many people are doing for income and survival, some are doing to make a mark for themselves, showcasing their knowledge skills.  So, this blog post collates all such food biz v...

  Perplexity.ai Recently, I found Perplexity.ai which was mentioned in another popular blog. One thing is clear now, is the speed of AI tools in search, in content creation, image generation, editing is just mind boggling. And, the best part is that we are just seeing the beginning of the AI race.  What all will see in the years to come? I wonder how are generic content creators using AI tools for content generation?  For a employer, what's the criteria for taking a content creator? For instance an experienced content creator has to do better than a AI in terms of humanness, in aggregating various information in one post, etc. 

 I keep seeing stories of may young back-pakers on my Insta feed. And, some have unique travel experience, stories to share and many of them make money while they are on the move. I think, we're just seeing the beginning of a new lifestyle, a way of life for the new gen kids.  Backpacking is not new. However, what separates the current generation of backpackers from the earlier gen of travelers is the ease at  which they can create content and how it can be shared. Also, there are many ways to monetize travel or make money while they are away from home or any place.  1. Off the Cuff ( Instagram _rastaqueen_ ) Travel and Biz Out of Travelling   Young people are not bounded by the old rules. They are seeking life in full essence - see the world, enjoy the boundless freedom, space, and also become independent by creating value for others. In this case, she runs a travel company which organizes tours.  https://www.instagram.com/offthecuff_co_in/

e-district automation This is first of the series related to suggestions to make the work process smarter in a Village Office in Kerala I usually write things based on what comes to mind or based on such some assumptions.  But, this post, is based on the first-hand experience on the job as a village officers and my understanding of the typical work-load faced by Village Officers in Kerala.  Quick Primer about the Public Perception about Village Office Village Offices are generally seen in a bad light by the public. Any doubt about it! I mean the general perception is like that! The  reason for the negative perception towards govt officials are from the experiences aired by public. One reason is that bureaucratic process and delay makes it frustrating for people to get things on time. Second is that public think that govt officials find some loophole in the rules to delay the process or reject the application. Finally, these days Whatsapp video clip of bribery by village o...