From stickers to online magazines: Get your hands on some of these cool finds

Representation Pic

Curated by Jane Borges, Juhi Manjrekar, Christalle Fernandes and Gautam S Mengle

Visual artist, communication designer and rapper Sumit Roy is a vibrant expressionist. His exhibition, Boogie Woogie, which has been showcased in Delhi and Mumbai, has presented hilarious, yet clever form of art, mixed with typography; he also occasionally takes potshots at authoritative figures of the world, and celebrities. Along with his visual art, Roy has his own website where rap, art and archives blend together to present a fresh perspective. One of his Donald Trump artworks has been captioned "Teri Baggi Mera Ghoda", and takes a subtle dig at politics. Along with this, the website also has short films he has worked on, like Baari Hamari and Chowkidaar.
sumitroystudio.com

The joy of the random

With the Internet and AI popularising specific, customised results, the era of chancing upon fun trivia by accident is almost passé. A few good things still exist, like Mental Floss, an online magazine inundated with random facts. For example, on the day of writing this article, the lead item on the home page was about "why Americans refer to autumn as fall?". Now, this is something a lot of us have always wondered about, but while a Google search throws up hundreds of results that give more anxiety than answers, Mental Floss gives you an explanation in simple language with citations.
Our favourite part, however, is the Random Fact Generator, which has a random line of trivia every day. You can also get more through the More Facts Please button, and frankly, it's quite fun to read about how goldfish can distinguish the music of one composer from another or how the longest hiccup in history lasted 68 years. For this "chronically single" writer, this page also has a treasure trove of opening lines to use on dating apps, where the simple "how're you doing?" is now an unforgivable taboo.
mentalfloss.com

Did you buy kadio bodio yet?

The Bandra fair ended on September 17, and Catholics in Mumbai have took their customary trip to the suburb's interiors where the Lady of the Mount stands. Comedian Analee Cerejo captured the constant urge to check whether all and sundry have bought their fill of kadio bodio - the quintessential Goan sweet shaped like sticks - and the aunties grumbling about the crowds and having to jostle for space in the fair. We found it funny since she replicated the "Catholic aunty" look to the tee, with the huge pearl necklaces and umbrella. Another of her funny videos is a collab with Parsi comedian Zervaan Bunshah, where Cerejo subtly pokes fun at the stereotypes Catholics are assailed with in popular media. She also performs bang-on impressions of Jaya Bachchan. But we ROFL'd at the "collab" video between Rakhi Sawant and Jayaji.
@analeecerejo; Instagram

Scrapbooker Swifties, assemble

If you're a hardcore scrapbooker and a Swiftie to boot, you'd love these niche Taylor Swift-inspired stickers. Letters Under the Stars, a book and music merch platform, has stickers (Rs 390 onwards) themed after the singer's most iconic albums - Folklore, Reputation and Lover. We liked the mini-calendar sticker of "August" with the lyrics, "...sipped away like a bottle of wine". Use them as laptop stickers or phone embellishments to proclaim your Swiftie-ness to the world or add them to the obsessive page dedicated to the singer in your journal or scrapbook. They also have a Taylor collection of notepads, aesthetic bookmarks, and totes. Tote-ally the thing you need when you're trying to achieve a Swiftiecore vibe with your notebooks, accessories, or even wall decor.
lettersunderthestars.com

Keeping it cool

In the office or at home, a work desk is always incomplete without a table fan. But if the fan blades make too much noise, it could be an unwelcome distraction, especially if you are on a Zoom call, or trying to concentrate with a particular task at hand. The Gaiatop small desk fan (R499 onwards) might just be what you are looking for. It is compact - the size of one's palm, noiseless and USB-powered; yes, you'd be saving up on electricity. It also comes in fun colours, and with three-speed settings (low, medium and high) that provide the right amount of cooling, so that you don't sweat as you work.
Rs 499; amazon.in