Month: May 2020

  • The Power of Habit

    Charles Duhigg

    There is something meta about me reading this book. I have my own book-reading habits – genres, number of books on the to-be-read shelf, and such. It is an example of the fundamental premise of this book – cue, routine, reward. Under normal circumstances, I reckon that this book might have landed up on my list 3-5 years down the line. But thanks to my wife D, it not only got into my shelf, but gave me a favourite book as well! Same cue, changed routine, same reward – the exact process to lose a bad habit and pick up/better a good one!

    Towards the end of the book, the author quotes William James – “All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits – practical, emotional, and intellectual – systematically organized for our weal or woe, and bearing us irresistibly toward our destiny, whatever the latter may be.” As a creature of habits, I wholeheartedly agree. Habits form character, and character forms destiny.

    The book can be helpful to anyone seeking to improve the self, whether it is in life or at work. From losing weight to raising children to building great teams, the importance of habits (individuals) and routines (groups), and the fundamentals of changing/bettering them do not change. The author demonstrates that in separate sections dedicated to individuals, companies and societies. Michael Phelps’ habits and routines, Howard Schultz’s (CEO, Starbucks) processes that have transformed not just how the organisation works, but employees’ lives, and Martin Luther King’s successful civil rights movement, all showcase a pattern that can be used to radically alter trajectories.
    I think the success of the book is also due to the excellent storytelling that converts what could have been a dry subject to one that is not just enlightening but entertaining too! I suspect there is some understanding of a reader’s cue-routine-reward mechanism here, because I was hooked soon as I started! 🙂

    There are a couple of wonderful analogies for habits at the end of the book – both using water. It captures the essence of the book beautifully, and encourages us to believe that we can choose our path, and swim wherever we want to.
    Pick it up. Now!

  • Stories – The Brew Chapter

    Back in 2014, when I told friends that I had visited a microbrewery in JP Nagar, they thought I had a hangover. It took a review to prove it. 6 years later, such is the level of gentrification that it’s become a multiple-choice question! Even if I exclude that abomination called The Yellow Submarine, and the meh Uru. Bangalore traffic has scarred us to the extent that it is less scarier than a potentially fatal virus. That’s how we landed at Stories in BTM.

    (This is interesting, because the post will be published only two months later. Would the virus scare be far enough in the rear view mirror?)

    As with most microbreweries, the place is fairly large, with multiple floors and sections. Lots of greenery, and not just the standard vertical version. Thanks to the ill-communicated “lockdown”, it was not overcrowded, though there was a fair crowd.

    A for Apple Cider for D, and B for Belgian Wit for me is how we started. The Wit seemed fresh and had a mild zing to it, an easy drink. I found the Cider a little too sweet for my liking, though D was fine with it. From the starters, we tried a Chowringhee Chilli Chicken, which was basic chilli chicken, and actually quite mild despite the name. The Chicken Suya Kebab was a much better dish and that was largely thanks to the gun powder coating.

    Though I wanted to try the Hefeweizen, I finally went with the Rauchbier. I had liked the version at XOOX, though that was an ale. This one was a lager, and milder as well, though the smokiness was very much around. The Fiery Chick pizza seemed like a good companion for the drinks, and with a combination of spicy chicken, chilli flakes, green chilli and mozzarella, it did that job just fine. An experiment followed – a Chicken Cannelloni that had a tandoori masala. Surprisingly, this was quite good!

    For desserts, there was an interesting-sounding Nutella Baklava, but we decided on a Decadent Mousse. This was brandy infused rich chocolate with some nice texture thanks to crumbs and sugar coated nuts.

    The bill came to around Rs.2500, which seemed par for the course. The service was prompt and friendly, though they did make a mistake with the bill. The playlist gave the place a lounge feel that matched the overall decor and ambiance.

    Stories – The Brew Chapter, 29th Main Road, Mahadeshwara Nagar, Stage 2, BTM 2nd Stage Ph: +918046809326

  • The idea of brand

    It’s been a little over a year since Mastercard launched its twelve-second sonic logo. Sensory branding isn’t new – from Mercedes‘ door closing to Britannia’s jingle to the Rolls Royce’s new car smell, there are many examples. But this wasn’t an isolated move, a month before that, Mastercard had done a revamp of its logo, ditching the brand name. After I wrote the language post, it struck me that both these elements of brand identity – two coloured circles without a name, and a jingle – are language agnostic. In a world of connected speakers and voice-enabled interactions, this does seem like, well, a sound strategy!

    It made me reflect on the larger idea of brand. Specifically, if brand is a perception in the mind of a consumer, what are the factors that are influencing the perception? Three broad areas immediately came to mind (more…)

  • The Grace of Kings

    Ken Liu

    The Grace of Kings is the first part of a trilogy named The Dandelion Dynasty. I really liked The Paper Menagerie & Other Stories (by the same author), so I bought this book soon as I came to know of its existence.
    Inspired by the Han dynasty, this is “silkpunk”‘s answer to the Game of Thrones! There is an emperor, there are palace intrigues, there are rebellions, and contenders vying for the throne. But that’s probably too broad a stroke, and is unfair to the differences.

    The main contenders are polar opposites – one is a sly wastrel who becomes a bandit and has an innate charisma and goodness that wins the hearts of the people, the other is a noble brought up in exile who believes in winning battles through sheer valour in the battlefield and has very clear ideas of right and wrong. They cross paths, become brothers in arms and rebel against the emperor. The metaphor of dandelion vs chrysanthemum is the philosophical underpinning of the book, and causes the clash of ideals. Also pertinent is how the gods of the realm have their own champions and do not shy away from meddling in the affairs of mortals.

    The book has a bunch of many interesting characters and though the pages devoted to them might not be many, the roles and their significance in the story arcs are very well defined. Between a narrative pace that is unflagging, and the twists that never end, the book creates a momentum that is hard to resist! That ensures that the few grammatical errors and the seeming ease with which main characters overcome obstacles, can be ignored.

  • La Casa Brewery & Kitchen

    Our intense contempt for Sarjapur Road’s microbreweries is well documented – Vapour and Hoot being the catalysts. Aurum pulled it back a little, and that’s why, despite my instincts, we decided to make our way to La Casa Brewery & Kitchen. Actually, a little more than instincts. Around 8 years ago, I’d visited the place with my colleagues. Some of us, who loved Khow Suey, persuaded a colleague to try it. Unfortunately, La Casa massacred the dish. Said colleague, to his credit, continues to be a good friend, or is maybe planning a cold revenge.

    The signs were ominous. Google Maps showed us an early turn to get off Sarjapur Road, to save 5 mins. That turned out to be literally an off-roading experience along unpaved roads that had garbage and pigs featuring prominently in the landscape.  La Casa Brewery & Kitchen is reasonably well done, and somehow manages to keep out the chaos of the road. Since only a few tables were occupied when we arrived and we were told we could sit wherever we wanted, we chose a 4-seater in the corner. Along with the menu, we also got a request to shift to a 2 seater “because Saturday night”. Unnecessary, we felt because there were no less than seven 4-seaters vacant. We pointed that out to him with the promise that we would shift if those got occupied. As predicted, didn’t happen.

    La Casa Brewery & Kitchen

    Craft beer was the sole reason for the trip. From the five that were available, we chose the Saison and the Belgian Wit. Completely lacking in spirit (not literally), they offered a perfect prelude to the meh that followed. In fact, the original plan was to use Zomato Gold for a 1+1 on drinks, but such was the quality of beer that we skipped that. Imagine!

    Bamboo pork was the first dish we asked for, and were told that it would be spicy. Predictably, it wasn’t. Spicy Dunken partially lived up to its name – the preparation was basic Chinese fare. We had lost the appetite we came with, and hoped to salvage some of it with a Kerala Style Irachi fry. On hindsight, a dumb decision. Whoever made it clearly hadn’t tasted the dish before.

    Dessert was fun. The only interesting dish seemed to be a Chocolate Opera. We casually asked what it was, and panic seemed to set in. In the third attempt, we figured out that it was a pastry. Since we’d had enough drama, we skipped.

    La Casa Brewery & Kitchen

    The bill came to a little over Rs.1400. I shall leave it there with no more comments.

    La Casa Brewery & Kitchen, 15, Amrita Engineering College Road, Kasavanahalli, Sarjapur Road Ph: 30456363