‘Cosmic Screw Yous’ is the term I give to situations where the entire universe conspires to NOT give me the one thing I want most and worked really hard for. It’s the opposite of what SRK says in the film Om Shanti Om.
‘Lol-Crying’ is a term for when I laugh at a funny joke, but the joke is on me.
'Eye-dancing' is an alternative term I made up for reading because it suits the way I read more. I jump, skim and speed-read like a maniac.
‘Pinnochio-ed’ is what I say when someone gets caught in a web of lies.
I used to consider myself excellent at English and often paid more attention to people’s vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar than the content. But this scene from the movie ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ blew my mind -
Now I don’t give a damn about rules. I make up terms all the time. I understand that communicating well is more important than being linguistically 'correct'.
Speaking of linguistics - here's an interesting article on the evolution of the word 'attention'.
Brain Food
My brain has a six pack and my body, a family pack. Here’s what my brain’s been eating (not to be confused with what is eating my brain) -
I watched ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ on Hotstar and the brilliant color palette in every frame caught my eye.
A whole lot of twitter. Check out whom I follow to discover some truly brilliant, talented and passionate people. Hit reply and let me know whom I should follow.
As for books, I’m still reading Naval R’s Almanack. I’m hoping to start ‘So good they can’t ignore you’ by Cal Newport or ‘And then there were none’ by Agatha Christie soon, depending on my mood.
Hit reply and let me know what you’re reading, or if you want recommendations in any genre.
Finance
Here’s a list of money moves I made this week -
I made a lumpsum investment using ETMoney (app). The growth rate is slow but I’m in it for the long term.
I learned how to apply for an IPO in Zerodha and applied to two.
I got in touch with a blockchain developer to understand the nuances and platforms for investing in cryptocurrency.
Disclaimer for points 1 & 2: I haven’t learned how to do market research yet. I wanted to start investing as I earn so I took my parents’ advice.
Since I started with mutual funds, I would suggest you start with the same. It’s relatively low risk depending on the fund and the returns are decent. Here’s a video that explains the ins and outs.
Keep in mind that you don’t need to understand everything to get started. And try to get advice on what to invest in from your family and friends who have experience.
I came across this podcast episode that discusses how our money habits and attitude towards it are cemented by age 7. It made me think about my own money personality, relationship with money, and understand how I can rewire my own mindset towards it. You can listen to it here.
How financially literate are you (newbie/familiar/knowledgeable/expert)? Do hit reply and let me know or leave a comment so I can write accordingly.
Tools and Resources
The NoCode Revolution is here. Webflow is a powerful web design and development tool that lets you build stunning websites with no code. People have built entire careers with Webflow. Give it a spin!
I’ve been facing difficulties communicating intent (joke/sarcasm/joy) over texts. This helped.
The Bullet Journal Method is an analog system I use to organize my life and get away from screens for a while.
A Quote and a Question
“Amor Fati” is to be in love with one’s fate.
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche explains it so - “that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it… but love it.”
How often do you let yourself be bored and stay bored, without distractions?
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"Lol-Crying" hit me hard
Yet another informative newsletter!! Great going Shamika!! :")