sporeboy in delhi
About
"Some are given that chance to live on soil that is not theirs. It is in this humility you lose yourself, or discover your soul."
Sporeboy has moved to Delhi from Singapore. Come share in his little journey. Better yet, be inspired to join him. Come.
Meanwhile, Sporeboy is hatching a plan to promote the arts and build a social enterprise at the same time. Check out http://thearthack.com.
Photography at cargocollective.com/nicfoo.
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“Hell Yes!” - impulse with reason
“Jobs may have been impulsive at times, but he was always methodical.”
I am by nature impulsive. “Impulsive” today somehow seems like a bad word. People hardly mean it as a praise when they say “Dude, you’re impulsive! High Five!” Impulsive is bad. Not cool.
When an idea comes to me, I take a moment’s impulse to want to do it, or not do it. I am willing to drop what I’m doing and go do it. I get obsessed by it, and can’t wait to set things in motion to make it happen. Often, my ideas take a life of its own, and grow into something big. So it becomes a massive idea by the end of 5 minutes.
In these ways, I am impulsive. So was Steve Jobs.
Why do people in Singapore, since childhood till now, tell me to be less “impulsive”? Sure, if my impulsiveness has gotten me beaten up or gotten me into a fight, I can understand. I have never gotten into a fist-fight in my life. Nor run away from home. So, why should I be less impulsive?
Now, at work, seniors advice me to “slow down, smell the roses”. I know they mean well. But what does this advice really mean? Are they afraid I will tire out? Well, am I in a better position to understand that, or them? When I run a half-marathon, I don’t hear anyone telling me to slow down. Are they afraid I will trip and fall, running too fast? Or are they afraid I might catch up with them? Or is it a subconscious cultural thing?
Funny, having lived in 3 countries, I have only heard Singaporeans telling me this. Be less impulsive, slow down.
I really appreciate the caution. The only Shakespeare quote I know reminds me about that too, “wisely and slow, they stumble that run fast”. I am no Romeo.
“…obsess impatiently about a pressing problem that had to be dealt with immediately” - Brent Schlender on Steve Jobs
I may be impulsive, but my upbringing and Singaporean schooling has often clipped my wings with being reasonable. And I am often methodical about it. So perhaps I should say I am reasonably impulsive.
Derek Sivers speaks about a “Hell Yes!” Approach to decision-making; making bolder and quicker decisions (Article here). I think this approach works for me.
Source: Fast Company
So for now, being “impulsive” is fine for me. That said, I must learn to manage within the culture of not taking too well to being impulsive. But my final take away, for now, is best captured in the quote from the Fast Company article:
The difference between the aspiring entrepreneur and the one who’s building a forward-thinking multi-million dollar business lies in the ability to say “HELL YES” or “HELL NO.” Quickly. There is no yes. There is no maybe.
Only in Delhi. Arrogance is king.
Arrogance is king. If you have it, you win. Unless someone shoots you first.
I went for my regular morning swim. I leave my bag in the lockers that don’t lock. All the lockers don’t lock. I throw off my shirt and head for the pool.
Swim. Dodge. Struggle. Swim.
The pool is as chaotic as the roads in Delhi. Every man and woman for themselves. Those who swim backstroke and freestyle give themselves a permit to keep swimming straight regardless of who is in the way. Those swimming breast stroke like me can see oncoming swimmers, so we do all the dodging.
I should start swimming butterfly; everyone avoids you.
Finishing up my laps, I go back to my locker. Bag is gone. Empty. Panic creeps in. Shit. The bag attendant tells me to go find the lifeguard. I find my bag and specs on the ground next to the lifeguard.
Language barrier.
With my broken Hindi, I understand a member of the sports complex felt my phone inside my bag on vibration mode a disturbance to the changing room. And decided to take matters into his own hands and remove my bag.
What?!
In a city of honking and a cacophony of noises, a vibrating mobile phone in a crowded, wet and soggy changing room is a disturbance? Such bloody arrogance, that ‘member’. The audacity to remove someone else’s bag.
Only in Delhi. Only in Delhi.
The best part? You can’t do shit about it. You suck it up, or you shoot that bugger. A handful of other Delhites could well have done the latter.
Fish. Sea. Metal. Damp concrete. Smells of Mumbai. The smell of Mumbai never hit me so strong.
Smiling faces. Lazing dogs. Safe streets. Old world. New buildings.
5 days in Mumbai. Goodbye Mumbai. Hello Kerala. Back soon Delhi.
Steepest petrol hike in India; how Indian politicians create dramatic everydays for themselves.
Anna Hazare, gold excise, petrol hikes, 2G scam, retail multi-brand ownership…the list just goes on. Living on the edge I suppose aptly describes life now for the Congress politicians.
“Good moooooooorning Mumbai!” - Munna Bhai
Contemplating Mumbai.
The place where my life unwittingly took a turn. For good or for bad, I leave in the hands of the future.
Contemplating Mumbai.
The place where my life unwittingly took a turn. For good or for bad, I leave that in the hands of the future.
Mumbai.
The city I landed in when I first visited India in 2009. Then, India was a random place chosen as a stage for a blossoming romance then. Valerie was with me, and that was all that mattered. On hindsight, it being our first trip together, it could have completely backfired had Valerie not been a cool traveler that she is.
Now, I am back in Mumbai. This time for work. This time as a Delhi walla. I never thought I would say this, but as a Delhite now, I think I prefer Delhi to Mumbai. I could not fathom saying that when I first moved to Delhi in 2010.
Bomlhi. The contemplation of my Delhi reality versus my ideal city Bombay. Perhaps today it should be Delbay instead.
Airport and travelers.
Always gets to me, ever since I started traveling on my own in 2006. I still remember my first flight to England that year.
Airport and travelers. Since last year, I started also traveling for work. Not as cool as traveling for leisure. But airport and travelers still get to me.
More so, confident, self-assured travelers always catches my attention. Their coolness, unflustered by the airport madness around them, early for their flights. In their own world of quiet confidence. It nearly seems like they are waiting to enjoy the journey.
This is why I like to be early for my flights. To get some time to prepare for the journey. To enjoy the yatra.
Off to Mumbai again.
