The Inside Story of '?????' {jhuND}

If you are reading this, let me first start with a big thank you ??. '?????' {jhuND} is now 12 editions old with ~1,00,000 impressions.?These numbers belie the impact it has had. ?To my eternal disbelief (??) I have gone from being known as Aparna’s husband to being the author of '?????' {jhuND} .?It’s not a good space to be in.

Most assume that I started writing given my penchant for discourses on ‘nothing’.?But Rome was not built in a day.?Neither was '?????' {jhuND} . ? It all started in 2015, with restaurant reviews.?I was shy, so I hid behind a penname ‘Glibtalk’. ?Sharing one of the reviews:

"If you have fought with your wife or girlfriend, I would recommend this place for breakfast. Sitting is minuscule but the table outside in the corridor makes up for everything. With sun staring at you on a wintry morning, you are bound to win her over and just maybe even end up having an additional joker in your back pocket. Egg preparations are fresh and delicious and when topped up with coffee you feel in heaven. Prices will not matter but be prepared to shell out top end money. It will help in pitching for the joker."

The place closed down right after my review (??). However, I continued with my newfound passion, writing another 20 restaurant reviews over three years (2015-2017) until it was no longer fun. In 2018, I found an opportunity to transport 'Glibtalk' into a corporate environment as a newsletter in English & in Chinese for office colleagues. ?I no longer needed to hide behind a penname, but the sarcasms obviously went out the door.?

After a couple of years of newsletters, I married my expertise at ‘nothing’ with my writing skills to share my long-held beliefs, experiences, and life lessons. My younger one taught me editing skills that she had learnt at school. And I was ready publish.? The first few articles in 2021 again went under my penname ‘Glibtalk’. But my better half disagreed.

I won that argument and followed her advice (??) - I shut down the 'Glibtalk' LinkedIn account. ?And after about a year of incessant counselling, I mustered enough courage to begin publishing the articles in my own name and voilà?'?????' {jhuND} was born!?

Since the birth of '?????' {jhuND} it's been a whirlwind of a year! All of the 'doublespeak' behind each edition comes from my interactions with my family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances. Each edition takes around 6-8 weeks of prep, but post publication the engagement, the exchange of ideas and the back-channel messages have just been out of the world. And today is about celebrating this amazing partnership!!! As I log off, sharing with an excerpt from an interaction that's moved me the most since I started '?????' {jhuND}. All that I can end with is a ????.

...... just went through all the Jhund posts I missed - they are superb and my personal congratulations to you! I wish I’d read those 20 years ago, would have saved me some naive years ??..........Thanks again, .......