Quirkbag Collection #6 – 07.06.25
Quirkbag comes specially to you this week in a format ever so different. It’s a week’s review!
Firstly, we’ll begin with some appetisers.
The Book
Over the last week, the book ‘Don’t Start A Side Hustle’ has captured my attention. It reads like a novel, but with a storyline subtly weaving in insights on creating passive income. Introducing various Passive Income Vehicles (PIV), the book describes how leveraging PIVs can help to create income detached from time input. A concept as elusive as wealth itself.
PIVs are fundamentally different from side hustles. A PIV primarily requires an upfront investment of time and energy, which then pays off dividends with minimal to no further maintenance. Side hustles, “by definition,” as the book describes, require one to work after hours to create extra income just to maintain a particular lifestyle—simply put, a second job.
A PIV would be like renting a house, owning some stocks, selling digital courses and some affiliate marketing. The impatient yet ambitious among us (yes I am referring to you whose brain has been wondering “what’s the secret?”) would surely think that the book must have lent itself to some “magic” to create these PIVs. Or it must reveal those coveted breadcrumbs that lead to wealth.
I regret to inform you that such expectations have not been met. Creating a PIV requires work. Progress could be slow. Results? Absent. Fear could be lingering. Uncertainty is most certainly around. This is where the winners are born – choose to walk on into the fog instead of turning around and staying within the clear air and you would find yourself in uncharted lands which may bring unexpected and unusual rewards for your troubles. For your convenience, the book even lists some common PIVs to consider.
The Friend Called G
Moving on to a social note in my week’s review, I got to learn more about a friend, who shall be referred to as G. We have been friends and work partners for a while now.
G is a cool guy. The kind of person who would belong to stories in Quirkbag because of his unique behaviour towards life and charming personal disposition. While we were both finishing up our work, we realised that we were both going to stay the night.
On a typical day, I would spend my time on a book, wondering random thoughts inspired by said book, and leave the next day. But not that day…Instead, I was brought on a tour of his memory lane, guided by his unfiltered camera roll. He traveled back in time (not literally) to relive some fond days and times from the past, spanning several years ago to recently. Meanwhile, I continued towards the future, seeing new aspects of this endearing friend.
He shared his penchant (inadvertently, as I inferred it from the stories related to his pictures) for doing quirky things. He wrote “HI” on a football field in school a couple of years back with his shoes, as the field was wet and footsteps made a distinct discolouration on the field.
He found inspiration in films and re-watched select scenes from movies with which he had emotional associations (one of the movies was The Lord of the Rings). Now comes the interesting part: we were inspired to watch the trilogy (spoiler alert: we watched the first 2 only) through the night just after dinner.
On Gandalf’s Advice
Two friends (hardly a fellowship) with free time enjoying a film marathon with cup noodles in hand in a private space. It is the 10-year-old kid’s dream. If you are wondering what “work” required us to stay the night in the office without actually working, well…we did the work and it’s a night shift of sorts.
As I think about the choices I made, it comes to mind that what Gandalf said was spot on: “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” I chose to invest time with a friend that night. He did the same. In every relationship, that apparently holds true if the bond is worth making. When I started this Quirkbag adventure, I would not have chosen to spend time (foolishly as past me might have rationalised) watching the trilogy at the expense of sleep and personal time. It would have been an easy “no”; shutting out the chance to learn more about people, about friends.
As I begin to say “yes” to more discerning choices that seem to reward my time beyond my self-indulgence in quirky lifestyle habits, I find it ever more so serendipitous that certain people are in our lives. I deepened my friendship from what seemed like a silly choice.
As time would have its way, it’s something to look back on as real friendships grow increasingly rare. While I won’t know what the future may bring and how time will separate the people in our lives, I know for sure that time stood still in that moment in the past, as nothing can take away the time spent with friends and family. Because I chose to do so with that time.
How to Spend Time?
As the weekend approaches, there is more free time to work on worthy adventures and make progress in our lives. Deliberately choose how you spend time to make time stand still. Lock it in history. Intentional time spent is time well spent, for none of it is wasted by letting it idly pass by.
Ironically, John Lennon is in favour of you choosing to “waste” time. He is quoted as saying “Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted“. I suppose that time still served a purpose.
I hope that your time spent on my week’s review has been time well spent and that it served you some food for thought. If not, here is some Lord of the Rings for your viewing pleasure!
But now, back to reality. Excuse me while I bring myself to the gym. What’s your week’s review?
Did you enjoy that? Click any chapter below to find out more stories.
#7 – 07.06.25 – My Week’s Review
#6 – 23.05.25 – I Can Do This All Day
#5 – 19.04.25 – Introducing Quest for Coffee
#4 – 11.04.25 – A Mediocre Man
#3 – 04.04.25 – What is Professionalism?
If you would like to explore my other adventures of self-discovery, click below. Are you ready?