Curious Connections

  Screen grab from Banff Website                                        ( Banff & Lake Louise Tourism | Official Destination Website                                                              https://www.banfflakelouise.com/ This is the first time I'm coming across a place called Banff. A person whom I know is on vacation in this place in Canada. Well, I haven't travelled outside India, so I don't know how to rate such places, especially the large expanse of snow covered wilderness.  Apart from the scenic beauty of this place, I was so interested in the website of this place, which had covered all aspects of this place.  Here are few key points which could be used in promoting our tourist spots.  1. Work I...

Friends Circle - Depleting after 40's  This is a problem with me and many others of my age. I have fewer friends, fewer calls or msgs to my phone. What's wrong? My circle of friends has shrunk? And, I'm the culprit? Who else can I blame it for?  I am mostly at home, doing a bit of gardening, cleaning, sweeping, watering plants, punching on my keyword, scrolling Insta for something catchy and my days are just wasted.  Wish or I should have gone out met people, shared my number, had more useful conversation and that could be the way to meet new people, hopefully out of that met someone that falls on my league.  Well, that's the way I know of how to make friends! Probably, I should start doing things what I know!

Screenshot of Wellness Series by The Hindu   I've been thinking of writing about this for quite long time. So, when I saw the poster about Wellness Series conducted by English daily, The Hindu, I thought it's time to pitch my plan into ChatGPT and get a detailed answer.  Well, I'm not happy with the answer it has provided. Somehow, I feel that these days ChaptGPT is holding back many potential points to non-subscribed users. Anyways, the answer it has given has the basic sketch of my plan. The plan is a suggestion to newspaper publishing houses to diversify into real estate biz, esp into developing Senior Living Homes !  Newspapers at the Peak of their Influence One thing for sure - most newspaper biz houses at their peak of circulation and influence had failed to realize the potential of real estate biz as a way to diversify their portfolio. And, now that portfolio is somewhat late to enter this space as this arena is populated with big players and money mongers....

Image Source: airbnb   I just went the need to write a post after seeing this beautiful airy house made with wood. The whole concept such a house embrace open space, nature, natural light, etc.  After seeing this picture, I was thinking of this - wouldn't it be possible for our local carpenters, architects, designers, etc to come together to make similar model houses which can be lifted and placed in picturesque spots of kerala.  What about such a house that could be close to a beach, where visitors can enjoy the full beauty of the location, yet give them modern amenities.  Well, making this does involve costs but it could be kept low with low-cost materials, wood, etc.  Now, imagine such a house by these locations: - near St Andrews beach or Kapil beach in Trivandrum. - At Bon Accord ( listed on airbnb site). The income from rentals could be used by tea estate workers in that location - by Neyyar dam site  - at a forest location inside Brimore area ne...

  Nanma Connect  "It was a simple, ordinary moment. I recently started the habit of taking hot rice water — kanji — something which used to be common in South India. As I sipped it, feeling the warmth and mild starch settle in my stomach, a thought struck me. This nourishing drink, full of energy and comfort, is something thousands of households in cities like Trivandrum throw away every day — down the drain, without a second thought. ( same in our households till last week when I started to drink it) And that’s when it hit me. What if this ‘waste’ could become a life-giving meal for someone who doesn’t know where their next food is coming from? What if we could connect kitchens, communities, and compassion through one forgotten resource — kanji? That moment became the seed of an idea — a voluntary food-sharing project where households contribute their leftover rice water, which is then collected, tracked through an app, and distributed to people in need at clean, community sp...

  SUT Hospital Canteen To The Hospital Administration, SUT Pattom Hospital, Trivandrum. Subject: Feedback and Suggestions Regarding the Hospital Canteen Facilities Dear Sir/Madam, I am a regular visitor to SUT Pattom and have always appreciated the care offered at your facility. During my recent visit for a blood test, I stopped by the hospital canteen for a cup of coffee, as I often do. While I’ve previously noticed a few discomforts, this time I felt compelled to write to you, as some of these issues are becoming increasingly difficult to overlook. Below are some observations and suggestions that I hope you will consider to improve the overall comfort and experience for patients, visitors, and staff who use the canteen: Seating and Furniture: Uncomfortable Chairs: The current chairs in the canteen have flat wooden bases. While they are polished and compact, they are not ergonomically suited for comfortable seating, especially for those who may already be under physical stress. I ...

 I live close to the home and clinic of a well-known psychiatrist. Every day, I watch a steady stream of people coming and going from his consultation. A few wear visible signs of distress — furrowed brows, anxious body language, restless pacing. But most blend into the crowd, their struggles tucked behind calm expressions — much like you or me on any ordinary day. The psychiatrist himself is a senior practitioner, managing his entire clinic alone. It often makes me wonder: how does he engage with each patient? How does he listen, diagnose, and decide on treatment — whether it’s medication, therapy, or simple reassurance? As a layperson with growing curiosity, I started thinking about the types of mental health conditions he might be treating. Anxiety? Depression? OCD? ADHD? SEXUAL - Arousal disorders, Relationship stress, Drug Abuse? The list could be long and diverse. But does he maintain any data? Does he track patterns over time? Given that he works independently, I imagine he ...

 Dear KSEB Officer, This is something many of us go through every time the power goes out. We call the section office. And what do we hear? 📞 "The number you’ve dialed is busy..." Again and again. For 20... 30... 40 minutes. Then we give up. Can this be improved? Yes, and here's a simple suggestion: ➡️ Instead of a busy tone, let a recorded voice update callers: 📢 “Power to Medical College area is affected due to maintenance work and will be restored by 8 PM.” Just one message. It can save thousands of calls and anxious customers from guessing and waiting in the dark—literally. Here are two easy ways KSEB can keep citizens informed: 1️⃣ Set up auto voice updates on landline calls – Coordinate with BSNL to play recorded updates instead of busy tones. 2️⃣ Use WhatsApp Status & DP – Each section can post outage updates as status or image. Creating a poster takes just 2 minutes on Canva! These two platforms—calls and WhatsApp—are what most people already use. You don’t ...

Is it for Real? At our house, we haven't bought fish for the whole week. Also, today we are skipping it. This is quite unusual in our household, where its normal to have some type of fish curry on most days of the week.  The reason we avoided buying fish is the fear of contamination due to the sinking of the ship off the coast of Kollam. Also, the containers were carrying hazardous materials.  In our Kerala, it's typical for govt to issue directives for each-and-every thing. However, I found not much communication coming from the govt side. Probably, b'cos I don't watch news! Did you see any govt spokesperson briefing about the fallout of this container ship which sank in our coast.  Now that Pollution Control Board has declared that it's safe to have fish and that contamination has not happened! Can we believe what they say?  - Did they test different samples of marine life - Did they test the sand where the containers has washed ashore  - Did they test the wat...

Critical Thinking  I'm not sure if this is called critical thinking. Any ways, I found this line from a blog post and made it into a poster for myself! 

Flight to Phuket  There's one thing for sure - Malayalees are travelling and exploring other location beyond Indian shores! Btw, what are the objectives of such trips? Is it just site seeing with family or is it something more than that, when individuals ( men and women) travel to places like Phuket. Let me ask ChatGPT about this and find out what all could be reasons why single men and women who travel alone as well as in groups look forward to the kind of new experiences in Phuket. Here's what the AI tool has to tell more about the trend of single men and women travelling to Phuket and few things our state can do to bring such travellers back to its shores. 🔥 Why are more single men and women from Kerala (and nearby regions) flying to Phuket? Here are some possible reasons for the rising demand, broken into two parts: adventurous + sensual tourism and nature-based/experiential tourism. 🌴 Reasons for Travel to Phuket: A. Kinky/Sexual Adventure Appeal: Sexual Freedom & ...

Face Exercise  

☝   Rainbow over the football field

Plant Stand Design  

Knee Strengthening Exercise  Recently I felt that my knee was giving away! Probably, it's the old ligament tear, which is showing up now. So, what are the options I have.  I gotta visit an orthopedic doctor. Second, I have to do my part of strengthening my knee. I hope this exercise helps.

Lighthouse - Somewhere  I live in a place where there's a beach with a beautiful lighthouse. And, when I visit this beach, I usually take couple of pictures of the beach with the lighthouse. So, for most of us who lives in this city, the lighthouse is taken for granted. It's there and it's been there for a long time.  Today, when I saw the picture of a lighthouse taken at night, I had another idea in my mind.  What if Kerala hosts a competition for people to take various pictures of lighthouse in our state and create a photo album in one of our tourism site? - Now imagine, if Kerala Tourism has a competition where anyone can take a picture and upload it on of the site. This site will be open to public to see and daily evaluators will screen the pictures and approve the good ones and move them to the main gallery. And, so on the main gallery, public will be allowed to vote. This would be a great movement for Kerala, where each month, public level engagement will happen aro...

  Correct foot massage. pic.twitter.com/h9cVTO8AfX — Learn Something (@EvoIution9) April 4, 2025   Foot Spa - Tutorial  

  Demand for Women in Spa Job in Trivandrum In a span of just few years, many spas has opened in Trivandrum city. Most of these spa seems to work on a slightly murky ground.  On of the problem in this space is the lack of professional players. Most spa owners are just after money - not just offering service as the top priority. Another aspect of this profession is the high demand for women to work as spa therapists.  Risk Factors of Working in an Unregulated & Non-Standardized Environment in Kerala Lack of Legal Protection – Many small spas operate without proper licensing or labor regulations, leaving workers vulnerable to exploitation, unfair wages, and job insecurity. Safety Concerns – In some unregulated spas, safety measures for female therapists may be inadequate, increasing the risk of harassment or uncomfortable situations. No Standardized Training – Without proper certification and training enforcement, therapists may receive inconsistent training, leading t...

The Kiss of Life ( Source: Instagram)  Came across the iconic photo of a electric linesman resuscitating his fellow worker who accidentally contacted a live wire. In the end, he managed to bring him down the pole, and then did a proper CPR which revived him.  So, after reading the above story, I was thinking of this - - -  Does our BESCOM or KSEB linesman know to do CPR when the need arises?  Is it part of their training on how resuscitate an employee when an unfortunate event happens? Do they conduct such drills so that they get to practice CPR and learn to do it perfectly Just thinking! 

Yoga Pose for people with Varicose Vein Problem Just sharing a Facebook reel by Vipita Karni on simple exercise that you can add to your morning routine.  Watch the exercises

Rise of AI Agent in Healthcare ( Now in Kerala)  In Kerala, we have lot of troubles that's brewing. One thing on the news is the rise of drug related offenses and problems. With many young people getting hooked on synthetic drugs, people of Kerala is waking up to see it's deep tentacles in every part of the society.  So, what can be done to provide support to people? Well, we have the traditional guidance, support, but is that just enough?  Introducing the first ever AI Avatar to tackle this problem and to Provide Guidance to People! What I'm suggesting is the use of AI in healthcare, which can converse with people in manner more than a chat box. For instance, Kerala Govt can get expert help in installing such systems by collaborating with Guildhawk's Digital Human Avatars! What say? Will it help in a small way to help the Gen Z  ( zoomers) to confide to an AI and get the right guidance during their troubled habits! I hope Kerala govt take such measures which are req...

Quote  This quote by Eckhart Tolle highlights how a strong attachment to the ego keeps a person trapped in time—constantly identifying with the past and seeking fulfillment in the future. It suggests that when we define ourselves by past experiences or long for a future outcome, we miss the present moment, which is the only true reality.