#Foodporn
Roman empire had 35% of world population under their rule during second century AD. Emperors enjoyed the finest team of chefs in their palace whom they can choose for succumbing to their impulsive food cravings. At a point, they had 70 chefs in the palace waiting for the golden moment of being called in for making the dishes for the emperor. Now my friends open their Zomato app to find the best fine dining restaurants in Bangalore at a radius of 5 kms and hundreds of chefs waiting for you to serve in any day you choose. With Fresh Menu app— the gourmet chefs bring delicacies home. Never before indulgences were celebrated by the market so instantly.
#MyMusic
While listening to Anoushka Shankar’s sitar performances (which a thoughtful friend gifted me) in my car’s sound system — I value the thousands of hours she has put in last 25 years to perfect the art and give me the finest sounds she can produce with her divinely prolific instrument of music. While driving through the traffic in Kochi, I listen to her stage performance in France attended by an elite audience. She is the Tansen who makes me feel like a Mughal Emperor.
By appreciation, we make excellence in others our own property. — Voltaire
#TakeMeThere
The other day, I was flying to Mumbai from Kochi. I was humbled by thinking about the value of how many people is synchronised for getting me transported from Kochi to Mumbai. An Uber driver who picked me up early in the morning and dropped me at the airport, a CISF guard who verified my identity (by doing that he ensures my safety and security — because he does the same exercise with all of thousands of passengers entering the airport) — and then to the airline counter who asks whether I need a aisle window seat as I’m tall and travelling economy class — and then moving to the entire crew of the aircraft including the pilots who safely transports us to the destination. This is incredible — in all terms.
How hundreds of people help you to achieve what you want at a cost which is superbly negligible comparing the work which is happening there — economies of scale working magically.
It is great to be grateful for the seamless transactions conducted in itself like a flawless symphony to make our little things happen in a big world.
In an interview with composer AR Rahman, he confessed that it took three months for him to compose Chale Chalo from Lagaan to put together the musical elements which create the feelings of celebration, energy, inspiration and progressive rhythm without forgetting the fact that it is happening in the movie in mid eighteenth century somewhere in Kutch village, far away from civilization. He painstakingly puts the chords together, bring the singers and tell the story, and he himself putting his soul into the music to create a magical composition which stood the test of time. And I listen to this piece of music after exhausting days to energise myself. How an artist whom I don’t know can impact your life with the work he did sitting far away and fine-tuning it till it becomes a potion which you get addicted for!
Geniuses are working hard for you to make your life richer.
Be it your fund manager, digital marketer, strategic coach, film maker, favourite TV anchor, Uber driver or even your Tinder date – everyone is working and striving to make your life better. Because internet works on reviews.
More than we hate bad reviews, we love good reviews. Or is it otherwise? That is why we see people striving for excellence – hungrily doing awesome stuff to woo us!
The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude. — Friedrich Nietzsche
#RumiQuotes
Lovers across the world share Rumi’s quotes in Facebook messengers to remind each other of the beauty of a love relationship in a lustful world. How a 13th century Persian poet inspires lovers across the world? Well constructed memes about his deep thoughts on love is most searched on internet, and he is described as a best selling poet, especially in United States. It creates a feeling — “hey, this is what exactly I feel like telling you.” People have delegated to articulate their deepest feelings about love in this contemporary world to a Sufi mystic, who if lived now won’t get US visa?
#MyMovie
A 500 member team led by a creative genius called Rajamouli is producing a roller coaster war epic movie Baahubali in the barren lands of Andhra Pradesh, with a world class crew, for last two years — only to make your otherwise mundane Saturday evening filled with adrenaline at a cost INR 300 at a VIP movie hall somewhere in Kochi. Watch the crudest violence produced with the most sophisticated VFX technology. This is where visual effects outperform your capacity to dream.
#RealKhan
A school going child in a small town in India is taught Math by a MIT Harvard alumni who also worked as a Hedge Fund Analyst in United States, using the online platform Khan Academy. Math tuitions done by a top notch guy is free.
Only because it is available free for your neighbour also, doesn’t make it small.
#myapps
Name the top 5 apps you use on your mobile. Let me guess. Facebook, Whatsapp, Youtube, a news app, Messenger, Instagram. All are free. And these apps take 80% of our internet time — helping us to connect with people and stay updated.
If you give monetary value to it, how much it would be? For all the dopamine rush every other time you unlock your phone.
Bite sized ownership to everything
The economies of scale and sharing economy has created a whole new world of magic to enjoy life. We are on this earth for a lease period of 80 years (considering life span to be increasing with all advancement in healthcare) and ownership is overrated. Our new generation needs money to get educated, but not to enjoy too much so that they never work. Ownership is good for practical purpose — only when you are selling it and making money and building something with it. Otherwise, appreciation is far more enjoyable than ownership. You feel light. Ownership comes with responsibility.
Airbnb offers you a world full of potential home-stays — you can stay wherever you want. Brain needs novelty. We want excitement. And new places trigger new experiences. That too welcomed by the finest hosts who want you to write good reviews about them. They scaled trust to a larger level through verified hosts and guests. Internet is creating trust. Because it gives more information than earlier.
We can enjoy things without owning it. We can enjoy it more if we don’t own it.
A free market economy has created a competitive playground where everyone plays their level best to perform and give extreme value to others – this makes us a collection of kings who are living highest quality of life in the history of humankind.
Originally published at medium.com