TIL that I can configure a global gitignore file that applies to all git projects, rather than having to configure .DS_Store exclusion for each project manually. I came across this reddit post about an unknown user in a person’s GitHub project, which lead to this StackOverflow answer about a certain user sainish having user ID 123456789 (that’s interesting), and about configuring a global gitignore:

echo .DS_Store >> ~/.gitignore_global
git config --global core.excludesfile ~/.gitignore_global

I recently found myself rewatching Yaavarum Nalam (I saw the Hindi version though, known as 13B outside Tamil Nadu), a film I first saw when I was much younger. I had only vague memories of the plot, but as soon as the flashback is explained, everything started clicking back into place. It’s fascinating how our brains store these memories - while I couldn’t recall the exact storyline beforehand, each scene triggered vivid recollections of how I felt watching it for the first time. The film doesn’t rely on the usual horror tricks; instead, it weaves tension through moments that feel disarmingly normal until they’re not.

There’s something masterful about how the film creates dread without ever fully showing its ghost, letting our imagination do the heavy lifting. While Tamil cinema largely went down the horror-comedy route after this, I can’t help but wish we had more films like Yaavarum Nalam. It’s one of those rare horror films that respects its audience’s intelligence while still managing to genuinely frighten them.

I’m currently at Srivilliputhur Andal Temple’s gopuram (temple tower), which is featured in the Tamil Nadu government logo/state emblem. This is an iconic 11-storey Rajagopuram of the Srivilliputhur Andal Temple, dedicated to Andal, one of the 12 Alvar saints of South India who was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu.

The logo shows this temple tower along with the Ashoka emblem at the top and the state’s name in Tamil and English. The Srivilliputhur gopuram was chosen for the state emblem as it’s considered one of the finest examples of Dravidian architecture and holds great cultural and religious significance in Tamil Nadu.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​