Decentralize

I wrote this twitter thread a while ago just at the start of the pandemic. Since my Twitter is used primarily for following individuals and not as much for sharing content, I figured sharing on my blog, despite almost a year later, would be a cool way to start the process of reconnecting with those who followed and enjoyed the earlier content. This blog was titled 'Into the Land of the Curious' 4 years ago, when I embarked on a one-year trip to Lappeenranta Finland. I have had numerous experiences since then, both professionally and personally, which has led me to adopt a new mantra that captures the latest societal and technological norms. I call it "Centralized Decentralization." The content below is a series of tweets describing why I believe that, due to #covid2019 , life will change in a profound way, in which the latest technological developments will blend with fundamental activities dating back to your grandparents' time. Here's the breakdown of system...

Greetings. It has been a while since my last post. I just renewed my blog domain as it was expiring in a few days - might as well put this thing back to use! As some of you may know, I left Finland and headed back to the US after the Spring semester's end to pursue personal projects this summer. I spent the majority of the past 2 weeks with my mom - keeping a relatively low-key profile prior to leaving Finland. Still, I was still able to mix some fun in. This included the following: Exploring the small "historic" downtown of Hickory, NC Visiting my cousin, Aunt, and Uncle in Apex, NC With my cousin Shreyas, Aunt, Mom, Uncle on a stroll outside their home in Apex, NC Visiting my brother Ani, Meghana (his wife), and their daughter Sonali in Baltimore, MD Visiting Asheville, NC and hiking through Pisgah National Forest with my parents Seeing old Duke friends Ketan and Prachi                                 ...

I was inspired to write this post after reading an essay published by Kevin Love, NBA player of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before reading the rest of this post, I recommend you read his essay first here : https://www.theplayerstribune.com/kevin-love-everyone-is-going-through-something/ It shows no one is immune to mental health challenges, irrespective of your income, profession, or other social labels. --- There is nothing more isolating than dealing with a mental health issue on your own. You may have friends and other people in your life you can share with, but sharing does not come easily. Not everyone has the emotional intelligence to listen to another person's, sometimes rational and sometimes irrational, hardships. Furthermore, helping one to deal with issues is an entirely different ball game. "Forget about it" or "Don't think about it" are commonly prescribed solutions within the circle of friends & family. If only it were that simple.. I suffered...

Yesterday evening, I made an impromptu trip to the movie theater to catch the film, Black Panther. Initially, I had no plans on seeing the movie, as I am skeptical of movies that are highly recommended to me. Additionally, my knowledge of the super hero Black Panther, pales in comparison to my knowledge of other Marvel Heroes such as Spiderman. However, once I saw headlines of the movie's director and cast making its way to LinkedIn, I thought twice. I am glad I did, as it was a beautifully made movie touching on important social and political issues. These issues covered everywhere from colonial Africa to modern-day Oakland. Issues, in no specific order: Military involvement in other nations Colonization and reverse colonization Racial oppression Women empowerment (in strength, leadership, and technology) People of color empowerment (in strength, leadership, and technology) Refugee Immigration Environmental Resources Cultural outreach vs. Isolation Am I missing anything? If you ha...

I discovered that the hip hop music I grew up listening to was not good for my ego. I would relate the messages from the music to my life, but the reality is my life is not what they are singing about. And while I can imagine myself having the life in which they sing about in their songs, it is not healthy for someone of my personality type to have those type of visions. When I have visions, I believe they are truly possible to achieve. But not all visions and thoughts are worth pursuit. Don't get me wrong, I believe some songs do have good messages, but the reality is, the majority I listened to do not. Perhaps I can treat listening to hip hop music to consumption of alcohol; good in occasional moderation, but not good to do on a routine basis. Some of them are quite comical, like "Mans not hot" by Big Shaq. But again, not great for the human ego. Naturally, I have been exploring new music that I think are having positive effects for me. I started out with the Beatles be...

The first month of 2018 flew by. I feel a bit hopeful for the future although there are still many unanswered questions, just like you may have in your own life. There are many topics I can choose to talk about. Today, as I have an hour before I head to the gym for my weekly basketball session, I will write about how I find sports, particularly basketball, to be a highly motivating part of my life. 1. Sports is about action. You can talk as much trash as you want on the court, field, whatever, but if you do not have action to back it up, you are considered to be a joke. If you do not play hard, you can lose the respect of your teammates who are playing hard. Playing in a way which garners the respect of your teammates and elevates their own play is admirable. That is leadership in a nutshell. 2. Sports brings out the competitor in you . Sometimes, many have told me, I can get quite competitive. And honestly speaking, I would agree with that assessment. It is an essential part of who I...