Links I sent my friends #2
Curated recommendations worth sharing (articles/movies/shows/outfits/recipes/more)
Hello dear readers!
I’m approaching the halfway point of my six week trip in New York and it’s finally starting to feel a bit like home. As a Londoner, I’m no stranger to living and working in a big city, but New York really is something else. The energy, the buzz, the pace.
summed it up perfectly in her recent post ‘48 hours in New York City’. (Side note: I highly recommend giving the post and her whole newsletter a read):what i love about new york is, coincidentally, what i despise about it. the chaos, the pulse of energy vibrating through its streets, the endless array of food and shopping adventures; those scorching summer days, where the air is thick with humidity and the day’s soundtrack is a cacophony of horns and train whistles. but it's also the intimate experiences: pressed against strangers on the subway, feeling the stickiness of sweaty thighs or huddling together for warmth during the dark days of winter, seeking refuge from the cold in cozy cafes.
It’s also a city that is immensely inspiring, which has led me to made a lot of new discoveries that I’m sharing with you in this post.
Let’s dive right in!
TO READ
💻 The Dark Delights of a Millennial “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” in the New Yorker: The 2005 blockbuster ‘Mr and Mrs Smith; has to be one of the most iconic movies of all time (admittedly largely because of the explosive romance between future spouses Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie), so when I heard that it was being remade into a tv show, to say I was excited to would be an understatement. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine star as spies working for an agency that requires them to pose as husband as wife. It’s a show filled with dark humour (maybe in part due to its partnership with “Fleabag” creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge), exciting plot twists and just the right amount of action. Whether you’re drawn to spy thrillers or character driven dramas, this modern take on a true classic is worth watching. And this review in the New Yorker does it justice.
📖 Head First: A Psychiatrist’s Stories of Mind and Body: This collection of clinical stories by Alastair Santhouse challenges the idea of what it means to be well. As an eminent psychiatrist, the author draws on his unique experiences to show the ways in which our minds shape the way we understand and react to physical symptoms, as well as how our emotions determine which treatments we are given. Santhouse touches on topics ranging from the stigmas surrounding obesity to chronic fatigue to suicide.
📷 See 11 Winning Images From the Close-Up Photographer of the Year Awards: This article from the Smithsonian Magazine rounds up 11 images honoured in the Close-Up Photographer of the Year contest to draw attention to nature’s little details. Some of the images are absolutely stunning and make me want to pick up my camera again and revive my old hobby.
TO WATCH
🎥 “Ripley” on Netflix: Based on the 1955 crime novel ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’, the eight-episode limited series is now available on Netflix. The show follows Tom Ripley, played by Andrew Scott, who is a con-man that is hired by a wealthy shipbuilder to convince his son, Dickie, to return home in New York from Italy. Upon arriving in Italy, Tom becomes enamoured with Dickie’s lifestyle and falls into a world of lies, deceit and murder.
💻 “1-Hour Study With Me in New York” on YouTube: This YouTube video inspired me to create my very own study with me video and upload it to my channel, which has existed video-less for far too long. I’ve always loved watching study with me videos and being in beautiful study spots, such as the New York Public library and Jefferson Market Library have made me excited to share my very own.
🏙️ “My REAL Thoughts on NYC” on YouTube: Taylor Bell is a long time favourite YouTube of mine. If you haven’t watched her videos yet, why? Like seriously. I discovered her in her management consulting days, which admittedly only came to an end very recently, and have watched every single one of her videos since.
TO LISTEN
🎶 “Strawberry Jam” playlist on Spotify: I created this playlist a while ago, but only recently renamed it to ‘strawberry jam’ because this playlist makes me feel like I’m having a slice of perfectly toasted sourdough bread, with a thin layer of strawberry jam. Why, I hear you ask? Honestly, I couldn’t tell you. I guess it’s a little insight into the way that my brain works. I associate this simple food with music that is happy, should be played in summer and around friends.
🎧 Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones: A fairly recent purchase for me, these headphones have very pleasantly surprised me. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t buy these in part because I have been seeing them ALL over my socials and love how they look, but the sound quality (in particular how incredible the noise cancelling is) is amazing.
🎙️”practical productivity, a talk with tim ferriss” on Spotify: This podcast episode, part of the show ‘anything goes with emma chamberlain’ was an absolute treat to listen to. As someone who has been interested in productivity for as long as I can remember, Tim Ferris has been someone that I look up to a lot. I’ve consumed a lot of podcast episodes and interviews where various people interview Tim and this one felt different - highly recommend giving it a listen.
TO EAT/DRINK
🍪 Crumbl chocolate chip cookie (NYC): The chocolate chip cookie from Crumbl in New York might be the best cookie I’ve ever had. Bold statement? Yes, but that’s how good it was. Easily a 10/10 (maybe even an 11/10). The small pieces of salt sprinkled over the cookie and the melting chocolate pieces throughout are nothing short of perfection.
🥗 LA-style turkey salad recipe: This recipe by Jamie Oliver, whether you love or hate the man, is one of the best salads I’ve ever made or eaten. It’s super simple to make, although does include quite a few ingredients. I’ve found that it’s both a summer or winter salad, which for the latter I adapt simply by adding in the turkey (or chicken) into the salad when it’s still warm.
☕️ Devicion coffee (NYC): If anyone knows me, they know I love coffee (like a lot) and I love sitting down in cute cafes with my laptop to work or study. So it is no surprise that one of the first things I did when arriving in NYC was to search for lists of the best laptop-friendly cafes. One that came up on basically every single list was ‘Devicion’. Having been to two of their locations across the city (the one in the Upper East Side and one in Williamsburg), I can completely understand why. The only downside is that it can get quite busy so finding a free seat isn’t always easy (but I’ve always managed with a minute or two wait)
MISCELLANEOUS
🍏 iPad mini (256gb, starlight): After months/years of dreaming about having a small portable, yet capable device, I finally decided to splurge on the iPad mini. Although a new one is likely to be released in under a year, I didn’t want to wait any longer and decided to get it now. And I’m so glad I did - I’ll be making a whole post/video about all the ways in which I use my iPad, but it’s truly an incredible device. This is the fourth iPad I’ve owned (2 were given to me for free by my university) and it’s easily my favourite one! Especially paired with the Apple Pencil (generation 2).
☑️ TickTick to-do list app: I was a die-hard TickTick user about two years ago and moved away from it largely because I felt overwhelmed with all of the tasks in all the different areas of my life. It felt easier to organise everything either on paper or in Notion, which is a little more customisable/flexible. Even though I do often still go back to Notion, I’ve found that in this stage of my life (where my life doesn’t revolve around studying and the overwhelmingness of being a student), TickTick is absolutely incredible and requires a lot less set-up/maintenance. With TickTick, there are so many ways to filter tasks, organise things into lists/kanban boards/timelines and integrate habits into my daily task list. There’s also a pomodoro timer/stopwatch and Eisenhower matrix (see picture) integrated into the app, meaning that there is no need for multiple apps. Can you tell that I am obsessed?
👜 Tote Bags: Although this is not a new obsession of mine at all, being in New York has intensified my love of tote bags and desire to own many more. I’ll be doing a full breakdown which ones I have bought/will buy in my upcoming newsletter edition ‘New York travel guide - introvert edition’, where I’ll be breaking down all the places I recommend visiting across the city.
ICYMI
I posted all the answers to questions I commonly get asked on my Instagram account in my most recent post.
The first edition of my ‘Links I sent my friends’ newsletter issues went down very well and I’ve received a number of DMs with encouraging feedback! If you haven’t already, be sure to check it out.
I’m going to be launching my new ‘Weekly notes’ newsletter issues, which will be an illustrated essay filled with real, exclusive pages from my journals/notebooks that week and lists from my notes app, as well as unfiltered thoughts, journal prompts, recipes and even more links to things I’m loving. Given how personal I want to make these, these are going to be for paid subscribers only.
Paid subscribers will also receive access to monthly podcast study Q+As (called Voice Notes), travel/food guides and deep dives into topics I’m fascinated by.
If you’d like to upgrade to a paid subscription (for less than a price of one single coffee per MONTH) and support me as a writer/creator/doctor, you can click here:
the sweetest mention ever !! listening to the strawberry jam playlist now :) also, don’t miss IXV coffee in fort greene! one of my fave spots.
p.s. if you’re ever interested in experiencing San Francisco from London, i’d love to house swap with you! hehe x