Another very very early morning, and another kinda late weeknote.
What’s been happening
The last week was spent traveling to and then relaxing in Coorg with its incessant rainy weather. Joined by a friend (Chaitanya), we were both working from there. The intention behind this workation was to try to turn down the knob for the dizzying pace at which days of the past month have gone by. And I’m happy to report that it was a reasonable success.
Most of my time in Coorg was spent sleeping for long hours, eating some lovely meals, drinking some great coffee, solving a good number of Sudokus, chitchatting with my friend, and at times walking. Also since it was a “workation”, a tiny bit of time was spent working as well.
Despite my best efforts, the first couple of days were spent recovering from the jet-lag caused by an overnight bus travel from Bangalore. I guess it’s a timely reminder to my hopeful self about the messy after-effects of traveling overnight in a bus with regards to my sleep. Every time I try and pray for the bus travel to not screw up my(unconventional?) sleep schedule, and every time without fail it messes up my sleep routine in an annoying manner. To add salt to the wound, the awful catching, bowling (barring Bumrah of course), and lower order batting by India in the first test match made matters worse. No early morning or overnight road travel for me for the near future at least. Thankfully some sanity prevailed over us, and we returned in a bus that departed in the afternoon.
Since we were spending most of our time indoors because of the rain I was solving almost 3-4 hard-ish Sudokus every day while I was there. It was a very different experience, and in a pleasant way of course, to be able to take a stab at a puzzle and almost enter a flow state while solving it in a less overstimulating environment far away from the city with the pattering of the rain and the chirping of the birds playing in the background. There was no printing shop near to the hostel we were staying at so my only regret is not printing out the Sudokus on a paper before traveling, and having to solve them on a laptop instead. I know there are some undeniable advantages of solving a sudoku on a laptop or computer, but sitting and concentrating in front of a screen for a significant duration also leaves me with a strange headache which is not really ideal. Also I believe that I’m a way better thinker with a pen and a paper in my hand. Regardless it was a revelation to discover that Sudoku can be a great anchor and company for me during travel as well.
There was also an expected splurge on coffee, spices, and chocolates.
Do I have enough awareness about my consumption patterns to be more mindful of my spending? To some extent, yes.
Can I reign myself in when tempted by nice looking stuff on display for buying? Mostly yes.
But can I stop myself from getting pulled in by the tastes, sights, and, sensations around fresh produce and ingredients? It’s an emphatic NO.
Notwithstanding the tiny bit of guilt I’m feeling for damaging my bank balance, I’m super excited to try out the new coffee and experiment with the Kachampuli (black coorg vinegar) I brought along with me.
Top Meals of the Week
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There was some great food at the Kitchen Table, especially the Bun Cha. Banh Mi turned out to be just okay, I was quite happy with the cook on the pork but the baguette I got from sour house was too dense for a Banh Mi. Maybe it’s time to take matters in my own hand, and start baking my own bread(!).
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Incredible filter coffee at Ainmane and BigCup cafe in Coorg. I think the time spent in Coorg was the final straw when it comes to me becoming a coffee snob after resisting this fate for so long. Sigh.
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I also really liked the Pandi curry at both Tiger Tiger and Coorg Cuisine, though I found the curry at Coorg Cuisine with the distinct tarty flavor of the Kachampuli coming through more in line with my taste.
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We were staying at The Hosteller Coorg, and the soya chili served in their cafe was too good for me to admit.
Art Diet
Reading
- Gaining some momentum with Dust Child. I’m now more than halfway through the book, and the different story threads are now coming together in an interesting manner. I don’t want to give too much away about the plot yet, but I’m really liking how the book talks about the generational impacts of the Vietnam War from the perspective of both the American Vets and the Amerasians who were left behind.
Listening
- I started listening to Lorde’s new album Virgin and was instantly hooked. I’ve never really heard any of her music before this, but the somewhat mellower electro-pop beats contrasting with the occasional chaos made me fall in love with it.
Watching
- I’m two episodes into The Vinland Saga, this time trying to make an earnest, serious attempt at understanding why my anime-watching friends can’t stop raving about it.
- A friend (Bala) reminded me that it was Bourdain Day on 25th June, so watched an episode of Parts Unknown set in Iran as a commemoration of sorts. It also somewhat helped me develop a more nuanced perspective around the ongoing conflict in the process.