Category: Uncategorized

Experience Trophies

~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment

Looking back at life, what are the moments you can instantly think of? Is it the meeting with that person, sticky situation at work place, failures along the way, hard-work that was not counted, getting ignored by someone or by all, or the time you felt you were left out from the list, etc.

Unlike my generation ( baby boomers), kids in their 20’s now are seeking experience over other things. I guess, it’s more of a pragmatic way of looking at life – heaping moments to think and opportunities for learning by exposing into different circumstances.

What do you say about experience?
What will you trade for an opportunity to experience something?

I wish I had someone to love me

~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment

I wish I had someone to love me,
Someone to call me their own,
Someone to stay with me al- ways,
I’m weary of being alone.
………

To all those who are alone in the world, battling their fears and feeling alone, with no one to tell their dreams. It could be single parent or someone who’s left to live life alone, fend for the children all by themselves, or just normal people who feel very isolated and those who don’t have anyone to tell their stories, journey and hope. Also, think of all those who retire to bed alone…

It saddens when these thought comes over. Well, we all go through such patches of life, which is inevitable. If you are in a happy relationship, you feel there’s someone at the end of the day to hear your tales, give you a nudge, a hug or serve you a happy meal, then you are one of the blessed ones.

Gold Price Soaring in 2020

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Gold Pledge Price per Gram

Gold pledge rate in BOLD hangs in front of this branch at Kumarapuram. It’s hard to miss this banner, where the rates tend to invite people to mortgage their gold in this branch. One thing I have noticed is the steady rice of gold price and the higher value for each gram of gold.

The price increase of gold will be good news for those who posses gold or those who are pledging gold. I fall into the second category of beneficiary.

Bull Run on Gold PRices

There must be some reason why gold prices are going on the up-tick. Who knows? Probably, it’s the corona virus effect or it could be the demand by black-money hoarders in India who find this as the best way to store extra cash.

There’s a section of people who will find this gold price surge very painful. They are the parents who have to buy gold as dowry for their daughter. Imagine the plight of low-income people who have small savings to conduct the wedding!

Turn Pest into into a Bio Resource – Water Hyacinth

~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment

Continuing the topic of Water Hyacinth, this video brings a different angle to this pest. It’s about making use of water hyacinth into something edible. Yes, you heard it right. Consuming water hyacinth could be a win-win solution as it will reduce the numbers which are not clogging our water bodies.

However, I’m yet to see any video made in South India where they show how to use hyacinth as vegetable dish – toran or Mezhukkupuratti, the common cooking of vegetables in our homes in Kerala.

Live River Fish Sale Counter in Trivandrum

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Mobile Fish Sales at Chalakuzhy Road

Stopped after seeing this Live Fish Counter at Chalakuzhy. I thought it would be the fish like Rohu or Katla. However, it was thilopia and two other fresh water fish, which was reared in ponds. These days, I am seeing lot many different businesses on the wheels.

Using a road side space for selling products is a big saving on rent and staff. I feel more of such business has the opportunity to grow in Trivandrum.

What other products can be sold in vehicles?

1. Fresh sea fish
2. Vegetables or seasonal crops ( Pineapple, Sweet Potato, Water melon)
3. Tapioca ( Seen couple of road side units)
4. Cheap ceramic plates, plastic or melamine bowls
5.

Disruption and Inflection Points.

~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment

Listening to Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, Rita McGrath talked about these points – disruption and inflection points. I had a fair idea of disruption – how technology of today are disrupting existing business, bringing changes, etc.

Inflection point was something new for me. In this podcast, she tells how companies, business or even industries should foresee inflection points. Inflection point is a change in the environment that creates a 10 times impact on your business whether for good or ill. As an example, the advent of digitization has created inflection points for sector such media, etc. (

Lesson here is to spot the warnings long before it really hits you or your business or your income stream or the economy.

Going by the sudden slow down of Indian economy, I wonder if we oversee the infection point. Did anyone saw it coming? What about the Reserve Bank of India or other economists?
What if it was informed and the information passed to the Government and then no one bothered to follow it?

Where to get naruneendi in Trivandrum?

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I had the feeling naruneendi drink was a Kerala centric coolant. That thought was wrong, as it’s used all over this subcontinent and more. I had seen it growing near my house, when we stayed near Karamana. I had even dug around the dry hard soil to get the roots, but most times it had broken near the base.

Angadi Shops in Trivandrum for Naruneeni Roots

Food Takeaway Plastic Mayhem

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Pothi Choru – Meals with curries in plastic wrap

Pothi Choru is popular in Trivadrum. There are home chefs who have championed in preparing delicious side dishes as made at home. Also, there are little hotels, like this one at Kumarapuram, which sells rice and accompaniments for Rs 60.

I bought two from this shop – one for my brother. The quantity of rice is humongous. Easily three people can share the rice and still have remaining one. All the other dishes, sambar, rasam, aviyal etc came in plastic sort of covers. I just opened the sambar, as other dishes appears boring.

Adding Plastic to the Pile
Is there a different way of packing food? What about some kind of paper or environment friendly item? Who will take the initiative to fix this? Will someone who is willing to take the effort, take the lead?

Please do!

Btw, what are the systems followed in other countries, like Singapore or South Korea or Netherlands? Probably, we don’t have to invent anything new – just copy the idea from a society which has found a solution?

Don’t Just Eye the Goals

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Another epiphany moment and the thought which followed it.

Most of us ( Including me) are good with eyeing things we desire. It could be a fancy car, a position, a job, a girl next door, a gadget, a garden, a vacation, a project, a perfect figure but how many of us really work towards it. We just eye it and then other things catch our imagination. The thing which we eyed remain as a fancy.

I remember when I saw a midle-aged handsome guy with a flat tummy, who wore kaki trousers and pants. At that instant, I thought I should be becoming one like him. Fit and carry myself the way he was able to do. Did I? Nope. The image of this man stayed for few days and then the it faded to oblivion .

Now, I don’t even remember his face, his attire. What if I had retained what I saw? Will that drive me everyday to be like him – at least try and shred few kilos.