El Chaltén, Argentina

Shortcuts - when we love them and when we don't

People love taking shortcuts in real life. Ozempic is a shortcut to losing weight. Tanning beds are a shortcut to getting tanned. Summaries are shortcuts to reading books. Few take shortcuts in the activities they enjoy. A hiker in Patagonia or climber on Mt. Fuji is not looking for a shortcut to finish the journey. There is a genuine desire to enjoy the experience. There is a genuine desire to improve one’s ability and skills. ...

Rakhigarhi mile marker

A visit to Rakhigarhi

Rakhigarhi (राखीगढ़ी), an archeological site in Haryana is dated to be 3000 BC and might be even older. As of July 2021, the site isn’t ready for visitors just yet. There is a museum but that’s under construction too. So, if you are planning to visit, just wait for a few years.

January 10, 2026 · 1 min      Travel
Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France

Three days in overhyped Paris

Paris is huge. Paris is spread out. Unlike Eastern European cities, Paris does not have a beautiful old town. In fact, the city is so overhyped that there is a Paris Effect named after it, where tourists expect to see a beautiful city but are disappointed when they arrive. Now, of course, if you travel to Europe, you have to visit Paris because everyone else does. Here’s my recommended plan for Paris. ...

Tokyo keeps growing while Japan's population is shrinking

Empty Japan, crowded Tokyo

Japan has 9 million empty homes, Tokyo is as crowded as New Delhi, though

A banner requesting people to star a GitHub repository

The real lock-in in GitHub is not the code, but the stars

GitHub stars have no value on their own. But ask yourself, what would differentiate a project on GitHub from GitLab if not for these stars?

Norwegian Breakaway

11-day Norwegian Breakaway East Caribbean cruise

We took an 11-day cruise in the Caribbean spanning 8 ports of call across 7 countries. The ship, Norwegian Breakaway, is an old ship. So, the amenities are lacking compared to our recent experience with the Royal Caribbean. Compared to our previous trip seven years back on Norwegian Cruise Line, The food quality for vegetarians has declined significantly, especially since the buffet is no longer open 24 hours. Furthermore, the dine-in restaurants are startled when we ask for vegetarian food. ...

Ceylon Air Force Motto

Sanskrit and Sri Lankan Air Force

The motto of Cyelon Air Force was “Per Ardua Ad Astra”, written in Sanskrit

Use REST with Open API

GraphQL is an overkill. REST is simple and easy to use. Open API is a specification that can be used to define RESTful APIs.

The Achilles heel of American capitalism

The Achilles heel of American capitalism

Costa Rica in 4 days

Costa Rica in 4 days

Costa Rica is the most beautiful of all Central American countries. Day 1 - San José Like most Latin American capitals. San José is a bit of a dump. Further, it rains a lot in San José. I would recommend leaving immediately for Jaco. Day 2 - Jaco I took a 2-hour bus from San José to Jaco. Unlike San José, Jaco is a beach town with a significant expat population. ...