Will the real Volume 12 please stand up?
**The previous email was Volume 11, which I accidentally called Volume 12. My bad.
Hello everyone,
There is only one thing worse than a first draft and it is an ugly first draft. As some of you know, I have been writing a (short) thesis for my postgraduate diploma. I say this as kindly as I can, I have never encountered an uglier first draft with a quicker deadline. As I scramble looking for books and valid sources of information online, I have forced myself to write everyday no matter how ugly it is. What does one do when their own brainchild is ugly? When this reaches you, I would be very close to completing the dissertation on early Indian nationalist and modernist art in whatever level of finesse I could manage in a little over a month. Maybe in the next Volume or sometime in the middle I can attach some readings and snippets of material I used for my thesis.
When I was little the idea of writing books fascinated me. Somehow, as I find myself writing a second thesis it's safe to say my fantasies don't involve writing on a desk everyday. As of now, a fantasy looks like eating as much cake as I want with all of it getting metabolized instantly. Or riding a wild rollercoaster and eating cotton candy whenever I want.
I have attempted to seek more variety in the things I read and listened to this month. By now feeling like a houseplant is nothing new. I have already begun to bend towards the sunlight and may photosynthesize soon. Enjoy this month's collection!
BOOKS
Ants Among Elephants by Sujatha Gidla - I say this with all the naïveté that comes with someone who isn't very well informed about life in rural India for people of different castes. This book was eye opening, in a welcome way. I had my fair share of ouchies while reading this. The plot follows the lives of extraordinary people in Andhra Pradesh. The story spans from the pre to post Independence era. Please read this? It's very very very very very very very very very very good.
A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines by Janna Levin - I enjoyed the book even though the prose got a little too florid for my liking.
Untamed by Glennon Doyle - I didn't LOVE this book. People on Instagram are losing their minds over this book. It is not mind blowing, I repeat it is not worth the hype. HOWEVER it has gold nuggets scattered around which is why I'd recommend listening to Glennon on podcasts. Search the word Glennon and you will find that she's on every podcast you can find. Here's her interview with Goop.
Hello everyone,
There is only one thing worse than a first draft and it is an ugly first draft. As some of you know, I have been writing a (short) thesis for my postgraduate diploma. I say this as kindly as I can, I have never encountered an uglier first draft with a quicker deadline. As I scramble looking for books and valid sources of information online, I have forced myself to write everyday no matter how ugly it is. What does one do when their own brainchild is ugly? When this reaches you, I would be very close to completing the dissertation on early Indian nationalist and modernist art in whatever level of finesse I could manage in a little over a month. Maybe in the next Volume or sometime in the middle I can attach some readings and snippets of material I used for my thesis.
When I was little the idea of writing books fascinated me. Somehow, as I find myself writing a second thesis it's safe to say my fantasies don't involve writing on a desk everyday. As of now, a fantasy looks like eating as much cake as I want with all of it getting metabolized instantly. Or riding a wild rollercoaster and eating cotton candy whenever I want.
I have attempted to seek more variety in the things I read and listened to this month. By now feeling like a houseplant is nothing new. I have already begun to bend towards the sunlight and may photosynthesize soon. Enjoy this month's collection!
BOOKS
Ants Among Elephants by Sujatha Gidla - I say this with all the naïveté that comes with someone who isn't very well informed about life in rural India for people of different castes. This book was eye opening, in a welcome way. I had my fair share of ouchies while reading this. The plot follows the lives of extraordinary people in Andhra Pradesh. The story spans from the pre to post Independence era. Please read this? It's very very very very very very very very very very good.
A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines by Janna Levin - I enjoyed the book even though the prose got a little too florid for my liking.
Untamed by Glennon Doyle - I didn't LOVE this book. People on Instagram are losing their minds over this book. It is not mind blowing, I repeat it is not worth the hype. HOWEVER it has gold nuggets scattered around which is why I'd recommend listening to Glennon on podcasts. Search the word Glennon and you will find that she's on every podcast you can find. Here's her interview with Goop.
ARTICLES
Criticism Is My Love Language.
I haven’t read many good articles as you can see....I’m working on it.
PODCASTS
>> Modern Love - Sometimes It’s Not You, Or The Math with Laura Prepon - Laura reads Sara Eckel’s very popular essay about finding love later than others do and what’s really wrong with you. (Nothing is wrong with you)
++ Your Stories of Love During the Pandemic
>> 99% Invisible- The Anthropocene Reviewed - four interesting short episodes and a deeply enjoyable interview clubbed together. John Greene is an absolute delight to listen to.
>> TED Radio Hour - How to sleep during a pandemic with Matt Walker - if the pandemic has affected your sleep for the worse.
>> Design Matters - Roxane Gay interviews Debbie Millman - the tables are turned!! Debbie who always interviews others is being interviewed by her fiancée, writer Roxane Gay.
++ Design Matters - Ira Glass - he makes a balloon animal mid-episode. Ira Glass is a joy to listen to. He talks about the making of This American Life, his creative process and his journey. Checkitout!
>> On Being - Jill Tarter - It Takes a Cosmos to make a Human - (Description on the website) The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence — or SETI — goes beyond hunting for E.T. and habitable planets. Scientists in the field are using telescopes and satellites looking for signs of outright civilizational intelligence. One of the founding pioneers in this search is astronomer Jill Tarter. She is a cofounder of the SETI Institute and was an inspiration for Jodie Foster’s character in the movie Contact, based on the novel by Carl Sagan. To speak with Tarter is to begin to grasp the creative majesty of SETI and what’s relevant now in the ancient question: “Are we alone in the universe?”
++ Ocean Vuong - A Life Worthy of Our Breath - I have recommended Ocean’s book a few months ago and I will recommend this too. He has a way with words that is nothing short of magical. He talks about language, violence, being in a refugee camp, being Vietnamese American, and his experience as a writer and poet and so much more. If beauty was a brick, this podcast throws the brick right at your face. Kaboom!
>> The Mark Groves Podcast - QnA - Chemistry and Boundaries - Are you interested in that person or are you trauma bonding? Spotify recommended this and it was interesting.
>> The Mark Groves Podcast - QnA - Chemistry and Boundaries - Are you interested in that person or are you trauma bonding? Spotify recommended this and it was interesting.
WATCH
NYCxDESIGN Town Hall series hosted by Debbie Millman - all the sessions talk about the future of design. I haven’t watched all but knowing Debbie, I know they’ll be very informative.
The way we think about biological sex is wrong - my friend sent this to me, check it out.
An account I highly recommend following - Nicole LePera - @the.holistic.psychologist. I have been following Nicole for a while and her Instagram content is incredible.
I hope you find something interesting here. Send this to other people if you enjoy reading these Volumes. Having more subscribers will make me feel better about myself. I’m serious. Bring me more subscribers!!!!!
I love you very much.
Cheers,
Sachi :)
(Lockdown hair)
I love you very much.
Cheers,
Sachi :)
(Lockdown hair)