Blog me...curiosity redefined

        I coined the term 'pro-take' and it stands for protein intake. The argument with veggies is that we don't get sufficient proteins in our diet.  The actual question is - do veggies prefer more carbohydrate intake than proteins? Reality says yes. Veggies might argue that they don't need that much protein compared to the carbohydrates, but nevertheless isn't balanced diet the ultimate goal.             A good source of protein can be any of these: whole grains,       beans,        soy foods,        nuts and seeds  broccoli,        spinach,        yogurt,       walnuts,        peanuts  cauliflower,        peas,       kale,       lentils,      paneer     ...

       I was always fascinated with good movies, especially those spine-chilling thrillers. My favorites have always been crime thrillers. Few to quote :  Drishyam - Indian remake (possible remake) of Korean thriller "Perfect Number" Cold eyes - Korean thriller Juror 8 - Korean law film based on the remake of American film '12 Angry Men'     Have you ever wondered what is in such a fictional story? Is it the sudden change in the plot? Or is it the flush of hormones that your brain receives when the plot makes you sit on the edge of the seat? What drives us to such movies? Is it the story, the narration, the direction, the acting or a combo of all these?     Coming back to India, we had our share of luck as a movie-goer in KGF, Bahubali and a few. But comparatively there is a dearth of good movies, that is my opinion. No doubt, there are a lot of releases and some are star-studded while others are hyped. But ultimately the audience does not ca...

          Ever tasted the 'Kimchi', the spicy hot South Korean pickle? No, then you are missing something here. For those who heard it for the first time, consider the Indian version of mango pickle, with cabbage instead of mango in it. I have tried cooking 'Kimchi' at home. It came out nice, except that my 'Kimchi' was not fermented for long days.          By the way, did you hear about the news on 'Kimchi' lately? If you have not heard of it, so far, the manufacturers in South Korea are facing a huge crisis. The shortage of cabbage started the price increase, the Chinese competitors offering a low cost version making it worse. The ultimate damage is that last year almost 1000 odd kimchi makers were shut down or had to shift temporarily their core product to an alternate one. Isn't it surprising?     Kimchi in South Korea, is as popular as Sushi in Japan. The food (kimchi) is a side dish but with innovation creeping into the f...

           Today I was craving to have a 'veg-puff' in the nearby bakery. Yes, it did turn out to be good, tasty and yummy. The realization of my wants and the fulfillment made it all the better. It is at that moment that I felt life is beautiful when you keep it simple.            Extravagant lifestyle may have its own advantages, but nevertheless the simple living is any day better. The icing on the cake is when I was able to feed a hungry dog that was ogling at my veg-puff. Obviously, I wasn't sure if it will eat my puff, so I gave it a bun. The satisfaction of feeding the hungry made my day. The dog was asking for more. I feed it another bun. Simple pleasure indeed.          Have you ever felt that the reason to keep your life simple? If not, try it. There are minimalists at one end, meditators at the other end, but once you are on the true path to your destined place, it is bound to make you happy....

          When I hear the word ‘Game’, it gives me a sense of pleasure. Yes I always loved sports, be it cricket, table tennis, table pool. Isn’t the competitiveness in the game that drives us towards it? The thrill of winning from a losing situation, the character building sportsman spirit, the rising hormones while playing all makes it interesting, yet fun. One part is the outdoor games, but the thrill is totally on the online games, I heard. I honestly am not much into any online gaming. Now, I always wondered what goes into making these online games. Let me start with the basics of any game: a)       Goal – What is the point in playing a game without having a goal? It is after all, the ultimate reach that drives us to succeed or loss. But the secret is not to get entangled in the specifics of the outcome, but to play to our true potential. b)       Rules – Formulation of the rules, and adhering to it,...

 All these are created using elements in Canva. Nature has its own way of expressing the beauty. Only if you have the eye to see it.

      Lately I have been fascinated to know why the EdTech industry is crashing. Isn't that the topic running around in media now a days? This blog is not to assess that question, thou. We all know that EdTech as an industry is maturing itself. It saw its nascent stage, the growth and its consolidation. Time will tell us where does it lead us to. The current job losses in EdTech, the mergers and the hiccups in general will all settle down with time. Those who survive would definitely be the ones that stick to their value addition. It is not the marketing stunt, the cost factors, the current trends that will make a company survive, but the real value add to the customer (learners in this case). As the market consolidates, only few survive. I just hope the market correction leads to a better EdTech companies blooming rather than just surviving. Needless to say, the market correction takes care of it automatically.       Outside the EdTech industry, I believe ...

        I was watching a TEDx talk from Palki Sharma Upadhyay, a news reader from Wion. Yes she is known for her news series called 'Gravitas' and one thing that stuck my mind in her talk was 'Find your flavor'. The world is competitive, no doubt. We are all moving from macro-competition to micro-competition. With that it would mean, we are not bound by industry-specific competition or even company-specific-competition, it is more individuals competition over other w.r.t skills, intelligence, productivity, offerings, value adds etc.      Let me stick to teaching field for now. What makes a teacher find his niche? Is it the art of story telling? Is it the magic he creates on the stage with his performance? Is it the mesmerizing narration? Is it his command over the content? Is it the thought-provoking questions that he ask? Is it making them create something new?  Or is it just his charisma that the students love?    Oh yeah, the ingredie...

        Today my dad cut a papaya fruit for us to eat. What we all wondered was when it was cut opened, not  a single seed was seen. Isn't it surprising that the very true nature of plants and animals is to reproduce and survive? Of course, we (humans) have one more ability that is not just reproduce but pass on the knowledge gained to the next generation. But seeing an seedless one, just shock me.       After all, we all strive to survive and prosper. But in the midst of this so called survival, I just hope humans have not dominated to the extent that we have killed the instinct of survival of many other living things in this world. Did our greed of growing more plants led to increase in chemicals added to plants? Did this have an indirect impact on a seedless papaya? Should we be happy that we dominated over the nature? Or sad that we are about to kill a species?      'Save Soil' initiative by Isha foundation Sadguru, is one solut...

          Did you look at your face today in the mirror when you got up? I did. My hair stood out like a Rockstar's spiky hairstyle. After all I am happy I did not had to spend Rs500 at saloon for this. My own  early morning look at times amazes me.            When I look back at my life journey, I know things did not work out the way I wanted it to be. But isn't it part of the bigger plan that I mapped out to? Rather than worrying for the things not in control of myself, it it indeed a blessing that meditation is helping me to let go of things. Ever made a fool of yourself, if the answer is 'no', believe me you have not lead your life to the fullest.           Smile, life is just a play. We are damn too serious in it. Relax, just have fun.              After all, the design is meant for us to be happy. Do what makes you happy.            ...

        There is a gradual shift happening in the way we work, if you can sense it.  Yes this transformation is making us confined to our homes. The workplace is shifting to a small table or a couch at home. This is physical infrastructural shift, of course.        The other shift is the ability to remember or even process the information inside our brains is being handed over to machines.  Take a peek at the Alexa or Siri, the tools that are aiding human beings. These tools are easing out our life but also making us remember less. If you do not feel it now, you will in at least a decade from now.       Fast forward to 2050, we might even be creating, playing, colloborating inside the META world.  Imagine the workplace is our bean bags at home, wearing a VR goggles, a simple touch or even a thought is making the robot write a program for us.  Where does that lead to the human evolution as such. Aren't w...

        I was looking at a short video on Instagram on two guys stopping a truck carrying pigeons. They did something that amazed most of us, freed the birds. What a happy sight it was! It is after all the freedom that we are seeking in what we do. Be it the birds or animals or even the humans.         Wish we all have that kind of freedom in life to enjoy and do what we like. In fact, it is there. Just waiting for us to embrace it.  If only we know how to change our mindset, our frequencies will be reciprocated by the universe. If freedom is all that we seek, then don't stop. Poster created in Canva with help of template         Probably seeking freedom and solace is ultimate form of blessings. It is in this soul searching mindset that we find the path God has designed for us. May we get what we pray for.        To elevate to the higher self, we can try raising our frequencies. Yes one such way is just...

       We are what we do in our free time. It defines us, isn't it?  In the midst of this hectic life, I suppose what we do during our free time relaxes us, creates us, makes us, and even lives with us. If your job itself is your hobby, congratulations on a happy path ahead. If it is not, then it is our duty that we make sure our hobbies are fulfilling enough to make our lives richer.          Art, in any form, is considered the pinnacle of creativity. If your hobby is to be an artist for an hour a day, then we don't need a doctor for sure. Let the curiosity and imagination go wild in you.      I truly believe each hobby can teach you a skill or two that you can cherish in life. In fact, we truly get to know ourselves when your hobby itself is your passion. The learnings are immense. Imagine creating a world that is so full of life....my fantasy world is defined below: a) Making this earth greener and a happy place by clea...

       I personally feel that artists live life to the core, they experience the simple moments of life, appreciate it more thru words, drawing, clay, or other modes. Isn't it a wonder when you are given a gift that most are struggling with? It is simplicity that makes the difference. Those simple pieces of life like a hearty laugh, family get-together, lunch with an old friend, watching a sunset, smell of the earth on a rainy day, the aroma of the coffee, just make the whole so much better. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Live life like art, Let it be a daily part, Keep your open cart, So your heart can impart, God's grace will start, Begin a chart, Folks are smart, Just don't depart ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     I always wondered what makes Humans creative. Is it brought up? Is it the in-born talent? Even if we are not born to be creative, is it a skill that can be learned? Yes, it can be learned. In fact, any skill can be learned, if we have the dedication. But the question is how?     First I would say, 'Stop thinking'. Yes, the ultimate goal for Humans is to stop being who we are and let the supreme being guide us. It is the best way to be creative. I know, easy said than done. It takes practice to just empty your trash(brain). But there is no alternative. Inner w isdom will give the necessary insights for us to become creative.   Second, 'be a child'. We are had and even now have the child in us. We just have to invoke the inner child in us. Be curious and observant of the events, incidents, situations around us. Nature has all the answers. Creative juices will flow once we let our observations take precedence.     Third, 'Visualise'. Imagination...

     Interestingly I watched a video of a spiritual guru today where she said we are co-creators of reality along with the Supreme power. Yes, I agree we have all the power to manifest and create our own reality. But it does come at a cost, we are bound to face the consequences of the reality that we create.      Why not we look at it from another angle, why not surrender to the Supreme being to lead the life that he wants us to live? After all, aren't we going slow if we are not on the path laid out by Him? Ultimately He knows the best. If we deviate from this path, obviously, we are slow. Would 'surrender' be the solution to all the problems we have?      It is like a Samurai's sword move, elegant, fearless, guided by his intuition. Wouldn't that be more effective than our own move? Yes, it is the ultimate goal of the human being. Being thoughtless and being guided by supreme power within us. A perfect example would be Tai-chi.   ...

    I am fond of movies and among my favorites lies 'Lucy' acted by Scarlett Johnson. I recently watched it again. It just blows my mind every time I watch it. There is a certain kick, it gives me.  Imagine if we humans had the power to utilize our brains to even 20% like the dolphins. On the contrary, we are said to utilize less than 1% of our brain capacity. If only, we knew how to use it to the maximum. Can meditation be the solution? Or is it to raise our frequencies higher thru music, love, compassion?  Maybe it is the collective consciousness that can help elevate our frequencies higher?      You might have heard of collective consciousness, it can even be achieved by 2 or 3 people willing to improve. When your frequency resonates with the other and the response is multiplied, then we have taken it to the next level. I have felt this. Is this the 'bliss', mankind is looking for?    GIF - Created by me        Eve...

    I just met a stranger on one of the social media platforms lately. With the introductions around, I asked him who he was. He started with his work, nature of work, how he lost his job a year ago etc. I again asked him, who he was, as his work does not define who he is.     The biggest question is 'Who am "I"?'. Is the 'I', the work, the person in you, the qualities in you, the superficial ego in you?  Let me define the 'I' in me:   I am a human being   I am a dad, son, husband (roles in life)   I am a nature lover    I am a foodie   I am a blogger   I am an artist (pencil sketcher to be precise)   .... the list goes on. We are so much more in life than what we work and the titles that we hold in our job. We are Humans first.  Spirituality the words 'I am' has a very powerful impact on our minds. It is said that if you attach another verb to 'I am' then it influences your way of living thru manifestations. Few of t...

I now know the secret to living. It is simple. 'Just be'. That was easy. Just two words. 'Just' and 'be'. Let me add another word 'yet'. These 3 words are sufficient to live happily. Forgive me, as I am going back again. If only I knew the truth before. Is it ever possible to know the truth beforehand? It is a misconception that I get to know the truth before. Only when the time is ripe, secrets reveal themselves. Let me introspect myself, when does the time become ripe? Is it when you are ready? What does it mean by when a person is ready, the secret reveals itself. Is it the connection with a universal source of energy? Is it the lessons learnt? Is it the escape from the matrix? Don't know what this ready means. But the only thing I know is, the time has come. I am ready. Once you drink the juice of truth, the rest tastes bland. Thinking about what humans strive for their whole life, I was guided to a message that we look to pass the knowledge to o...