• Melbourne

    Melbourne was a pre-favourite because of many factors – the Great Ocean Road, meeting friends, and skydiving! While Melbourne does not have the laid-back feel of Cairns, it compensated with great food, splendid street art, and a casual vibe.

    Stay

    In the well laid out rows and columns of Melbourne’s CBD, we wanted a place that would be well connected by feet or public transport. As always, a view would be welcome, and it had to fit our budget. Oaks on William checked all boxes, though we would have to manage breakfast on our own.

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  • Cairns

    Cairns finds a place in the Australia plan because of three words – Great Barrier Reef! As they remind you, there is nothing remotely close to it in terms of size and variety. But, after we got there, a bunch of things made us like the place a lot – the promenade, the community vibe, the relative slow pace, and a general small town feel, though it isn’t really a small town!

    Stay

    We wanted a place that would give us a sea view, and be near enough to areas we were planning to visit. The Cairns Plaza was perfect, and delivered on both counts. The check-in time, and this seems to be standard across the country, is 2PM, but if you get in early like we did, you can leave the luggage there.

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  • Smokehouse Deli (Whitefield)

    Our not-so-new Forum Shantiniketan mall in Whitefield, which has already “grilled” us in many ways – Uno Chicago and Punjab – has now given us a Smokehouse Deli as well! While the first two are relatively easy to spot, the new entrant is reasonably well hidden. You have to exit the mall through the back on the lower ground floor to find it! Our sangria plans helped us stay focused!

    The place is classic Smokehouse, though the Indiranagar version does a better job of localising the sketches. Thanks to the proximity to the apartments, there were noisy kids. Thankfully, that reduced as the evening progressed.

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  • Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

    Carlo Rovelli

    I was reminded of Yoda’s famous statement – “Judge me by size, do you?” after I finished this book. It is all of 79 pages, and yet, it manages to contain an excellent summary of the laws that hold together the cosmos. Or at least, the ones we have managed to understand. From Einstein’s general theory of relativity to the still misty realms of quantum mechanics to a fascinating lesson on thermodynamics, it is an absorbing read!

    I found questions that I have spent a lot of time thinking about. For instance, “Is reality only interaction”? A fantastic idea where science and philosophy meet. I also figured out a possible reason for my fascination for watching waves. There is a vague connection between the surface of the sea and the broad texture of the universe. (more…)

  • Efficiency, a zero sum game?

    In vs Amazon, I had cited Simon Andrews’ article – it might be “easy” to get about $50m, the journey to $100m and beyond gets tougher because efficiencies start maxing out. In this context, “efficiencies” relate to acquisition when building a DTC business. It led me to think of “maxing out efficiencies” in the broader context of the organisation and the business environment it operates in. (more…)