Hello All,

Here are a few things that I thought were worth sharing this week:

1. For all the Studio Ghibli fans out there, who love the kind, gentle demeanor and tribute to nature. The Philosophy of Miyazaki. Almost all of Studio Ghibli movies are on Netflix India now.

2. Though I have to admit, as much as I wanted to love Frank Herbert’s classic, Dune, I couldn’t. But, I stumbled upon these fine series of videos Ted-Ed makes on “Why you should read”. Beautifully animated illustrations that capture the emotions of a book visually. Maybe Dennis Villeneuve will make me re-evaluate Dune when his movie releases later this year ( hopefully ).
   

3. Just in case you are ever trapped in quicksand. Just one of those things one finds when they spend too much time on Reddit. But, hey, why not?
   

4. Just 4 women driving in reverse at top speed or at least the equivalent of that while paying a tribute to Vivaldi and Mozart. These women have a history of violins.
   

   The Tracks in the video :

   Vivaldi 'Four seasons' - Presto from summer

   Mozart - The Piano Sonata No 16 in C major

5. If you do not like Electronic music then you must check this out. An interesting approach to discovering new music.

6. The video begins with a disclaimer that it is distressing content, it should have said “Uplifting Content” instead. Check out how Anna Coleman Ladd, a talented sculptor gave badly wounded World War I soldiers a second chance by giving them a new face.

7. To me, Meera’s writing is like Miyazaki meeting Mira Nair. If you like tender articulation of good old Indian middle-class nostalgia of a simpler world. Then, spare some time and go read this beautiful story by Meera Ganapathi. I read the story to the sounds of my “discover weekly” playlist on Spotify and it seemed to fit the words seamlessly.

8. TV: After Life by Ricky Gervais: How does one find the sweet spot between obnoxious dark humor and sensitivity? Ricky Gervais in his masterpiece does that in all departments ( Writing, Directing, and Acting ). Do not miss this one.

9. Music:

   • Every 1’s a Winner by Hot Chocolate. I discovered this while watching the delightfully written Frances Ha by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. In fact, just watch anything with those two in it. Nerdwriter analyses the dialogue writing skills of Noah Baumbach.

   • Lay me down by Crosby & Nash: I have been a huge fan of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young for a long while. Their harmonious singing is on another level for me. This song is a fine example of that. I hope you have good speakers/headphones. Turn the volume up and listen.

   • Pink Floyd: Pulse Restored and Re-Edited. : Nothing more needs to be said about the power of Pink Floyd. They were way ahead of their time back in 1995 when this concert aired. Now, in 2020, they still put everyone else to shame.

   • Crowd sings Bohemian Rhapsody while waiting for Greenday to arrive. This has to be the clearest recording of the crowd at a concert ever.

10. Movies: The Handmaiden ( Korean ) Directed by Chan-wook Park. Imagine a Hitchcock meets Oldboy! Dark humour, sexual desire, social commentary, and revenge are all woven together by absolutely stunning production and visuals.

Thank you for reading.

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