I haven’t had a big win in poker for a long time.

While there are potentially various reasons for this, one of the main reasons I’ve only just come to realize and embrace is that I’m not a good loser.

How good I am at the game is debatable, but what I do know for certain is that I was spending considerable time off the felts “getting over” downswings, bad beats and repetitive mistakes.

You see, when you’re running good — it’s fairly easy to keep going, no matter what your skills. But when the running ain’t that good, well, that’s when your poker and life skills are really put to test.

A good student of the game, when faced with adversity, would simply course-correct by putting to use the knowledge he/she had gained over the years.

I had clearly stopped being a student for I wasn’t learning from experience.

Somewhere it had become more of a challenge to prove to myself and others that “Not only can I play poker, but I can also be the best” rather than simply playing and enjoying the game for what it is — a game of smarts.

While the internet is filled with success stories of professional poker players that win big, what’s really missing is the stories of how good these winning players are at losing, how good they are at dealing with bad days, downswings, bouncing back after making mistakes or running into bad-beats.

How these winning players get right back up after falling, without tilting or having any emotional attachment to the who, what and why of misfortune, makes them good if not really good losers.

And so, while there’s an equal opportunity available to anyone who’s looking to learn and master the art of poker; to have an edge and be a winning player, your best bet is to start with being a good loser.

If you enjoy Jay’s words, be sure to also check out his art.

Jay Mavani (aka jaymavs) is a Mumbai based crypto visual-artist, photographer & storyteller. He’s known to express his passion for problem-solving, creativity, philosophy and humour by playing with various canvases.

To know more about Jay, you can check out his website or follow him on Twitter.

Boom, biddy bye bye.

There are many stories you come across in life, but there are only a few that truly stay with you. I had never heard the story of a Chinese farmer until just a few years ago, and when I did, it almost instantly changed my outlook on life.

A farmer and his son had a beloved horse who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbours exclaimed, “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.”

A few days later, the horse returned home, leading a few wild horses back to the farm as well. The neighbours shouted out, “Your horse has returned, and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.”

Later that week, the farmer’s son was trying to break one of the horses and she threw him to the ground, breaking his leg. The neighbours cried, “Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.”

A few weeks later, soldiers from the national army marched through town, recruiting all boys for the army. They did not take the farmer’s son, because he had a broken leg. The neighbours shouted, “Your boy is spared, what tremendous luck!” To which the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

It‘s impossible to tell whether anything that happens is good or bad.

You never know what the consequences of misfortune or good fortune will be, as only time will tell the whole story.

Things may look great at the start, but over time it may not become what you had imagined it to be. Similarly, you may feel bad about something but some day it could very well be one of the best things that ever happened to you.

“Trust that the universe is unfolding as it should.” – Max Ehrmann

Everything changes you see. The universe is ever changing. There is no room for judgement, for nothing is truly black and white.

This story helped me understand what it means to just “be”.

To be able to forget the sorrows of my past and not worry about the uncertainty of the future - to be able to truly live in the present, and start seeing life as not good or bad but just as is.

And so I wonder, did the story of a Chinese farmer do anything for you?

Maybe so, maybe not. You’ll see.

It was like any other Friday — a good ol’ VR night in with the boys.

As expected, we bumped into friends and friends of friends through the night. While almost everyone we met was cool and friendly, there was a married couple in particular that were a bit too cool — a bit too friendly.

We met them quite early into the night and they continued to party with us everywhere we went. Virtual drinks continued to flow and so did our conversations.

What was thought to be light hearted flirting at first, suddenly turned a bit questionable especially when her husband was nowhere to be seen.

Out of nowhere — she asked me if I would have sex with her, and her husband.

“What the fuck!?”, I replied. I panicked as I realized my friends were not around either. She quickly put her virtual hand on mine and tried to calm me down. She told me that this was completely normal, and I should relax.

She told me her husband is very open-minded and sometimes even enjoys watching her have sex with other men - virtually and in real life.

“What the fuck!?”, I replied again and just as the coward in me kicked in, I instantly pulled my hand away from hers. Not only did I deny her offer, I said “Sorry” and immediately walked away.

I found my friends in the other corner of the virtual bar and told them what had happened but as expected, none of them believed me. They assumed I was being my usual silly self.

I felt weird, also because I was kind of scared too. The virtual alcohol clearly wasn’t helping either, so I decided to leave in the hope of exiting the state of unexplainable worry that I had found myself in.

As I got to the parking lot, her husband appeared from nowhere and asked me why I was leaving. I told him that I was tired and wanted to take a break from the Metaverse, but he didn’t care to listen and instead told me to stop panicking and that he “knows”.

He spoke to me about their ‘open relationship’ and explained how it all works.

He assured me that I had nothing to worry about, plus the fact that they always practice safe sex. At first a tad surprised, I was quite impressed to know that people wear protection in the Metaverse too. I mean, how in the world does that work?

He then told me that if the threesome was too much, then he’d be happy to just watch me have sex with his wife. And just when I was about to respond, he stopped me and said that all I had to do in exchange was to advertise some kind of a virtual bathroom cleaner.

“You’re a blogger, I’m sure you have a following — don’t you?”, he said.

If the offer of having sex with his wife while he watches wasn’t absurd enough, to have to advertise a virtual bathroom cleaner in exchange for it was just bizarre.

I couldn’t help myself but wonder how any of this had anything to do with a bathroom cleaner, and a virtual one at that. To tell you the truth, the advertiser in me was rather intrigued.

However, I declined their offer and left because I am a person with high moral standards and strong willpower.

Just as strong as Mr. Chamak, the super strong virtual bathroom cleaner — now available in scented lemon, rose and fucking vanilla.

If you enjoy Jay’s words, be sure to also check out his art.

Jay Mavani (aka jaymavs) is a Mumbai based crypto visual-artist, photographer & storyteller. He’s known to express his passion for problem-solving, creativity, philosophy and humour by playing with various canvases.

To know more about Jay, you can check out his website or follow him on Twitter.

Boom, biddy bye bye.

I’m sure I speak for most if not all of us — the term web3 was rather new at the start of 2021 but since then it’s quickly become a phenomenon that almost everyone including my 15 year old niece is familiar with.

I mean, who isn’t talking about blockchains or NFTs today?

I was quite intrigued by what the web3 “future” holds for individuals like myself. As an artist with strong roots in advertising & marketing, I’ve always been known to explore the unknown or jaywalk if you will, and so it wasn’t surprising when I decided to quit a close-to-perfect job of leading Marketing & Strategy (3yrs+) for the world’s biggest poker brand in India, and jump right into the world of web3 — all this at the age of 39.

The transition from web2 to web3 wasn’t as complicated as I had thought it would be.

I’ve spent the past 90 days in learning about all things crypto — how a blockchain actually works, what it means to be truly decentralised, why gas-fees are just as painful as school breakups, how to mint and sell NFTs, why Twitter is such an important gateway to learning about crypto and NFTs, what in the world is a DEFi, what life would be like to work in a DAO and so on.

The list is truly endless but rather fascinating if you ask me. Thankfully, as an artist (designer and writer), my skillsets were valid in this space from the get go— how I put them to use is of course slightly different.

While my learning has only just begun, I couldn’t wait to get my hands artistically dirty — and so, I’ve already been playing around with various canvases in trying to see what works best for me creatively.

The who, what, where, when and why.

Now, a lot of my friends and ex-colleagues often wonder what I’m up really up to on the otherside, and so what better than to document a day in my life — or shall I say a day in my junglee life?

You see, I’ve been a digital-nomad of sorts since 2014 and so “remote working” isn’t new for me. For many years, I was fortunate enough to travel across Asia and Africa using my skills as barter, but now I’m very much in India and living a life that allows me to casually switch between a concrete and natural jungle.

Originally from Mumbai, I now live on a small farm in the middle of a jungle (literally) somewhere in Jambrung, Karjat (Maharashtra).

To be able to grow my own vegetables and fruits, generate my own electricity and have 24/7 access to clean water has always been a dream of mine and I’ve been lucky to make it a reality since a few years now.

So, what’s it really like to juggle the unknown for Jay — let’s take a look, shall we?

// Mornings

5:30–7:30 — I’m an early riser so my day begins super early. Mornings are usually very calm. I get a chance to play with my dog, breathe clean air, embrace the sounds of the jungle while sipping on some hot chai.

What I do miss about being in the city is how easy it is for me to simply order breakfast via a food-delivery app, but what I don’t miss at all are sounds of car horns and buildings that are always under construction.

Thereafter, a short stroll through the farm with my dog is a routine that just cannot be skipped. There’s a small lake which is about a kilometre away from my home and it’s for sure the best place to go and do a whole lot of nothing.

A bit of outdoorsy Twitter in the morning doesn’t hurt anybody.

I look to Twitter for anything on NFTs, web3, crypto news, etc. At times, I’ll also do a bit of shit-posting because while my mother doesn’t approve of it, that bit sure seems to be a core part of why I exist.

Feel free to check out my Twitter, because why wouldn’t you?

7:30–9:00 — In addition to getting ready, I also map out the day (at times the whole week) by writing a list of “Things to Do/Learn/Design/Write/etc.”, without which I’m as lost as one can be.

Working in your own little environment is very relaxing — and I don’t know about you, but silence is golden.

Fun fact: I still write on paper because somehow writing allows me to commit and remember in a way typing just doesn’t seem to.

9:00–12:00 — Considering I’m very new to the space, a noob really — learning is an everyday exercise for me. I’ve already completed 3 courses (basics of blockchain, understanding crypto-currencies and how to make/sell NFTs).

At the moment, I’m doing an extensive course on DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) — there are a good amount of resources available on such topics across Udemy, Skillshare and YouTube of course.

Fun fact: Having shitty network is not helpful but can be good at times — you don’t always have access to the internet, but you get lesser calls.

I tend to spend at least 3hrs a day in learning something new or demystifying a web3 related doubt that I don’t understand so easily. At times, 3hrs very well leads to 5–6hrs a day depending upon the complexity of the topic/doubt.

Working remotely gives me flexibility to switch between learning-mode and work-mode without sacrificing my daily productivity.

// Afternoons

12:00–17:00 — All study and no play makes Jay a rather dull boy. I love to design and write! I don’t think I’ve ever seen either of the two as “work”. It’s all play to me especially when a blank canvas is nothing but my playground.

At the moment, I’m working on my first ever NFT collection which is partially ready, i.e. Crypto Sadhu. It’s a collection of 30 Sadhus hand-crafted by me, myself and I.

But why Sadhus you wonder, hey?

I’ve always been fascinated by Sadhus and with my recent liking (loving) towards the world of crypto-art / NFTs, I couldn’t help but imagine merging the two. All Sadhus are constructed from various graphic elements, psychedelic effects, abstract shapes, and of course vibrant colours.

Similar in nature, but unique in their own little ways. I believe we all have a Sadhu within us, waiting to be awakened. Are you ready?

Here’s a glimpse of the collection:

Fun fact: Short power naps in the afternoon are weapons in disguise — the effects of which are like ammunition in my creative arsenal that I wasn’t aware of for the longest time. I believe the most effective killer of a creative block is a power nap.

I’m also playing with another concept called Dilated Pixels — the aesthetic for which comes from my love for 8-bit video games and abstract-art.

In terms of writing, I’m still figuring out the best possible way to not only share but also monetize the words I bring to life in the world of web3.

The great thing about being a creator in this space is that you don’t have to invest money in crypto to make crypto — instead you simply invest time and effort in creating art/content and ‘sell’ it to earn crypto currency.

// Evenings

17:00–19:00 — They say health is wealth, which I now understand but sure had to learn the hard way. Of course, the pandemic didn’t help either.

I am now slowly getting into a rhythm of sorts by shuffling between walks, cardio and yoga — working remotely allows me to be really flexible with my agenda and timings.

Fun fact: To commute in city traffic and spend most of your day at an office isn’t the healthiest of ways to spend time.

But hey — it’s not just my body I’m working on.

I tend to mix my workouts with learning by listening to a web3 podcast or watching web3 content on YouTube.

The content I consume isn’t always planned, instead it’s almost certainly based on discovery. That said, I do have a few favourites. I’ve learned a lot from ‘Honestly with Tanmay’ on YouTube which features the funny Tanmay and the intelligent Akshay.

Their ‘Super Team’ podcast is also a great resource because of the variety in guests they bring onboard to talk all things crypto and web3.

A series of masterclasses and workshops by The Product House have also been instrumental in getting me started with my web3 journey.

Oh, and the 12 days of email-series to learn web3 fundamentals by OdysseyDAO is brilliant and I highly recommend it for beginners.

If you’re looking for proof on of how learning can be fun, the content Tanmay & Akshay create is just what you need.

19:00–21:00 — This is the time I give myself a break from the usual. No agenda per se, it could either mean keeping up with the day’s happenings on the internet, reading a book, taking photos, playing Age of Empires or online poker, catching up with friends/family and so on.

Fun fact: Did you know Daler Mehndi just bought land in the Metaverse and named it ‘Balle Balle Land’. Well, ain’t that something?

I suppose one of the biggest advantages of working remotely is you have less distractions + forced dependencies and so almost everything you want to do can be done however and whenever you want it.

Did I mention that I love to take photos — especially B/W photos?

// Nights

21:00–23:00 — At night, we happily go back to school! I spend an hour or so listening to people talk about crypto/web3/NFTs via Twitter Spaces.

It’s a great avenue for getting real perspectives on all things web3.

Twitter Spaces are very inclusive — you are invited to join the conversation or at the least ask questions and clear doubts if you have any. I absolutely love how welcoming the web3 community is in this regard.

At times they also allow creators like myself to ‘shill’ our work. One of the spaces I highly recommend is ‘Web3 with Dhee’, hosted by Dheeraj Shah.

Fun fact: The challenge with web3 is there are too many things to learn, but the beauty of the space is there are many ways to learn — for free.

Well, there you have it. This is what a typical day in my life looks like.

Considering I’ve only just gotten started — I guess it’s fair to say I’m not exactly working in web3, I’ve only just opened the door to the possibilities of web3.

And boy do we like opening doors like Kramer.

I turn 40 this November, and whilst I’ve always taken career risks, I’d say working remotely and trying to make it as an NFT artist + a web3 writer at this stage of my life is by far the riskiest move I’ve made.

Is it scary? Yes. But is it also exciting? Absolutely.

Is it stressful? Yes. But am I more stressed than before? Hell no.

Do I save more money? Yes. But am I making big money? Not yet.

Working & living remotely has allowed me to live a life less ordinary.

It’s given me a reasonable shot at work-life balance and genuinely reduced my stress/anxiety levels. Sure I don’t have a steady income yet and of course I’m living off my savings with the hope that I make it as an artist & wordsmith someday.

But if there was ever a real chance I could possibly give myself as an artist, it is today, thanks to the world of web3 — particularly NFTs.

And hey, god forbid but just in case this doesn’t work out — at least I’ll have another story to write about.

Legend has it that once upon a time, Jay was a creative-director with an inquisitive mind, positioned somewhere between a strategist and a designer.

Today, he’s the same except he’s now also a farmer, an occasional writer and a full-time crypto visual-artist. He’s known to express his passion for problem-solving, creativity, philosophy and humour by playing with various canvases.

To know more about Jay, you can check out his website or follow him on Twitter.

Boom, biddy bye bye.

Sadhu (IAST: sādhu (male), sādhvī or sādhvīne (female)), also spelled saadhu, is a holy person who has renounced the worldly life. They are sometimes alternatively referred to as yogi, sannyasi or vairagi.

Crypto Sadhu is a collection of 30 Sadhus created by me, myself and I.

I’ve always been fascinated by Sadhus and with my recent liking (loving) towards the world of crypto-art / NFTs, I couldn’t help but imagine merging the two.

All Sadhus are hand-crafted using various graphic elements, psychedelic effects, abstract shapes, and of course vibrant colours. Similar in nature, but unique in their own little ways.

The limited gang of Crypto Sadhu NFTs are glitching away in a rather colourful + psychedelic Ethereum universe at a fixed-price of Ξ 0.05.

And so, here’s a glimpse of my first ever NFT ‘Collectibles’ Collection :

Here are previews of the Sadhus that are already awakened (sold):

ethereum://0x60f80121c31a0d46b5279700f9df786054aa5ee5/4.959472767496467e+105

ethereum://0x60f80121c31a0d46b5279700f9df786054aa5ee5/4.959472767496467e+105

ethereum://0xabEFBc9fD2F806065b4f3C237d4b59D9A97Bcac7/4.959472767496467e+105

Phew! In case you’re vibing with the art, you’re welcome to check out the whole collection on OpenSea. In case you’re not familiar with what an NFT is, read this and if you’re unsure about how to buy one, this guide will help.

And remember, we all have a Sadhu within us, waiting to be awakened.

Are you ready to awaken yours?

If you enjoy Jay’s words, be sure to also check out his art.

Jay Mavani (aka jaymavs) is a Mumbai based crypto visual-artist, photographer & storyteller. He’s known to express his passion for problem-solving, creativity, philosophy and humour by playing with various canvases.

To know more about Jay, you can check out his website or follow him on Twitter.

Boom, biddy bye bye.