Minimalism is not Starving

Sat, 22 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Getting Started: Netflix Minimalism Documentary. There are lots of articles and blogs online on Minimalism, so I am not gona give any gyans on it. Just my two cents on its interpretation and how it has helped me in a few ways.

Let’s begin: Every time I bring up minimalism in a conversation, the initial (read, instinct) reaction has been - come ‘on I work really hard and earn money to be happy and happiness is definitely in getting the best of the things I like - Ok, I agree, the only question I have is - how many of each?

There is always this strange dilemma of need vs. want. We always want something - not because we need it, just because either it looks good or someone gave good reviews on it.

Its hard to acknowledge the fact that we all buy more than our need - unless we go through a declutter exercise. Below is the list of my declutter exercise - Not is any specific order… just the dump.

Gadgets:

Oculus VR headset and Echo Show - BTW, I didn’t buy them both - received as a gift for presenting at an engineering conference. I used the VR headset only once (yes, just once). We never felt good about using it, but neither was I reluctant to give it away. I thought someday I will use it, and after ~1.5yrs - that day never showed up and it was still eating dust. Thanks to minimalism; I had the courage to sell it and bought something I would use every day for my new house. Same with Echo Show, its on it way out.

Stationary:

Just the intent of de-clutter; i realized - I actually had a pack of pens 10nos (arg! my Frugal Instinct) + pencil(s) + sharpener(s) + rubber(s) lying on my desk - btw, they were my own stock and not my daughters 😉. Similarly, with notebooks: 3 + 1 (rough + Journal) + sticky notes etc..

Question: Do I need all of them? Obviously NO!. Now - I just have 1 notebook + 1 pen Period!! If my pen stops working or I lost my notebook - I will write it down on some digital platform (desktop or mobile -which doesn’t feel good), until I buy a new one. Thats Ok.

Headset(s):

There is a sense of guilt as I type this - I had accumulated almost 5 headsets (all working) and all for the same purpose - attend meetings. Minimalism enabled me to take a note:

OnePlus; Anker Soundbuds Slim; JBL Reflect Mini; Sony WH-1000XM3; Bose SoundSport

All 5 of them were lying on my desk. There were times; I kept juggling around with each one - as I wasn’t sure which one had charge. On hindsight - I couldn’t convince myself, what was so motivating to buy (read upgrade) a new one. It could have been some fancy ad or one bad experience.

Now I just use ONE and I have the discipline to ensure I charge it each and every day at night - so that it is ready and available for the next day. For now the remaining ones are packed together and tucked away - I might sell it soon.

Shoes:

I had 5 (2 Running and 3 Badminton) - I don’t remember the last time I had played badminton; and about Running? Stop joking. Donated 3 of them and I am left with 2nos (1 each).

Question: Why did I buy 3 Badminton shoes? Well, if you have been playing in a club - this is bound to happened (depends on your will power) -as your fellow mates might advise 1) Cushion in your shoe looks very slim, it might not take the impact and damage your knee 2) The grip doesn’t look good, you might slip and hurt yourself etc..They were right, but the point is - There is ALWAYS something better out there; and you will never feel the sense of satisfaction…

Only Keyboard:

No mouse? Seriously?- Agree, this might sound a bit weird. I started with putting my mouse in the drawer. It was pretty challenging when starting off - but it’s possible.

What did I do? Started learning and using VIM extension - like For Chrome and For VSCode. Browsing without mouse is a strange feeling, but its awesome - try it out, you might not go back to using a mouse! - also, makes you feel a bit geeky 😁. BTW, how is this related to Minimalism? Well, I had 3 mouse (fear of - it stops working and lockdown 😟)

How VIM helped me as a developer (read, coding)? I will write a separate blog. BTW, VIM is 30yr old.

Clothes:

I don’t think anyone can escape this. Buying new clothes for a festival is not optional, and we have quite a few of them + sale. A Sunday evening declutter exercise - to my surprise I was able to get rid of ~60% of my wardrobe (donated), esp. the once which I thought would fit me (read, I will slim down) someday - and it’s been years. Now my cupboard looks very familiar (read neat) - I know exactly how many clothes I have and I can actually see each one of them 😍.

I have just started off with Minimalism, not sure how far and long - I would get along - But, for now the change it has brought it… I am really liking it and esp I am NOT STARVING!!

VLog - First Bicycle Ride

Sat, 01 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Technically it’s my first bicycle ride after ~20 years. I used to drive a lot during my school days. We used to cycle almost everywhere we went - school, tuitions, meet friends, cricket in beach, movies etc..

Note: Locally we use Cycle (for Bicycle) and Bike (for motorcycle).

I never really had the motivation anytime recently to buy a Cycle - but I always had a good feeling of driving one (read, old memories).

Fortunately I got hold of a cycle through a common friend (used one) - and I have to say it was pretty cool - Scott Aspect 950 an MTB. Honestly I wasn’t aware of this brand until I bought them 😉.

Lot has changed since my cycling days in school. First thing - there were gears and lots of accessories sticking around the cycle - still trying to figure out what each one is for.

Chennai is usually know for its hot weather. We jokingly comment, Chennai has three beautiful seasons - Hot, Hotter and Hottest 😄.

You remember those Fridays, where you slog yourself out and don’t really remember at what time you went and crashed on bed. The next day when you wake up - you kind of feel blank - It was one such Saturday. Evening around 5pm (Jul/26/2020) - the Chennai weather was unusual, it was cloudy and surprisingly with pleasant breeze - while sipping on my Tea - had a strange feeling to travel with the beautiful clouds.

I decided to go for a ride. Due to C19 the roads were pretty empty (unusual for Chennai). Before I realized, I had already driven 15 kms; well 15k it’s that long - agree, but for a first timer -it was, I started to feel the strain on my knees. I forgot to carry water 😓 - was kindaa exhausted. In Chennai we have a lot of tea shops (well, they also serve bajji and I love it etc..) - and I am usually OK to go grab one, stand on the road and sip it. But, due to the pandemic, I wasn’t very comfortable.

All that I could do was to just hang in there and think how to get back to home. Well, there were no other options - I have to drive all the way back. It started drizzling and I wasn’t prepared for the rains (no rain coat) too 😟. I started to drive back home with multiple pit stops almost every 2kms - luckily it was only drizzling, reached home around ~8pm.

After I reached home, took a hot shower - ate something - and crashed into my bed and woke up only the next day ~9am. I have to say it was one of the most pleasant feeling I had in decades - 12+ hours of uninterupped sleep wow!!. I don’t remember the last time I slept so long - it was DEEP SLEEP 😴. It was an unusual feeling; there was body pain - but I felt so good.

Honestly - Just for the deep sleep - I would do this many more times. I hope, I can cycle for the rest of my life!! - Joy of cycling ❤️

I feel guilty I didn’t click pictures, maybe next time.

Vlog | Jacob Aloysious