5 Things I Consumed Last Year (anniversary post)

on making it to your inboxes for a full year

Hello Nello!

Today is very special for me because it has been a year full of weekly recommendations (except some misses). Often when I am asked about how do I maintain an inventory of links and sources to share, the expectation is for me to have an exceptionally-well-structured-throroughly-categorized system but in real life, it is just thoughts, random sharing of links to a Whatsapp group (of which I am the sole member), storing links on Notes app, starred mails, bookmark tabs and so on.

On this day last year, I shared this newsletter - 5 Things I Consumed Last Week (Rejigged) and every week after that has been a new experimentation with sources, content categories and format. I have learnt and discovered a lot in the past year and some of the issues remain etched in my memory. So, here are some highlights for you :)

Thanks for tagging along with me in this journey, it means the world to me.

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1. Blue Bird by Charles Bukowski

there’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I’m too clever, I only let him out at night sometimes when everybody’s asleep.

A literary punch to the gut. A hyper-dose of reality, like most of Bukowski’s other works. A poem offers you the leeway to interpret it as you fancy and for me ‘blue bird’ signifies ‘childhood wonder’ subjugated by adulthood.

Bukowski’s works often describe a very adult world of alcohol, grief, a string of bimbos, and electric rage. And so, the bluebird is kept secret. Let out once in a while, when everyone’s asleep. Mesmerizingly illustrated!

It still remains one of my favorite poems.

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2. Mental Load on Womaning in India by Mahima Vashisht

No salt! Did you get bananas? We are out of lemon.

Any of this sound familiar? If yes, welcome to Adulting.

Mental Load is the invisible labour involved in managing a household and keeping a family fed, functional, and free of bird faeces.Performing none of these tasks requires an organ specific to the female anatomy. Yet, 99.99% of households run because the woman of the house shoulders this load.

When I read about Mental Load, it was like naming a disease you never knew had a name. A little link hoping and I found this mural of an article explaining (in a comic strip) how a lot of women go through this mental pressure of constantly keeping to-do lists in their mind.

Throughout the year, I ensured to not miss any of Womaning in India’s issues. I loved all of them. Here are some more to go into the rabbit hole:

The Raja Beta Syndrome, My experience with sexual assault and how the legal system fails women, The complex science of what women wear to work

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3. The Seen and the Unseen by Amit Varma

I spent a lot of hours listening to Amit Varma and gosh, it was mind-wrecking.

I don’t think I have heard anyone talking about books with so much passion. In this episode Nilanjana Roy talks about books, feminism, family, memory and the state of the world. If I can quote lines from essays & books like Amit and Nilanjana, all this reading will be worth it after all.

I absolutely enjoyed listening to these as well: The Loneliness of the Indian Man, Make Me a Canteen for My Soul.

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4. How to Read More Books in the Golden Age of Content by Max Joseph

If there’s anything that you should really really watch from this newsletter, watch this!

In this short film, Max answers the most basic question - how to find more time to read, the potential for uncovering the meaning of life within classic literature, and the habits one must establish in order to become a voracious reader.

In addition to his coverage of South America and Europe’s most stunning book stores (i.e. book store porn), Max interviews Tim Urban,founder of the OG blog Wait But Why, and Barking Up the Wrong Tree author Eric Barker, as well as the world’s fastest reader Howard Berg.

If this video doesn’t make you visit a bookstore, nothing will!

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5. Earnestness by Paul Graham

Graham’s blog to me is like that Uncle on the internet I always go to for some pearls of wisdom. This essay is not just about earnestness but entrepreneurship as well. Time and again, I have thought about how to really answer the question ‘Why you do what you do?’ but from now on, earnestness is going to be my answer - being interested in things just for the sake of it and nothing else.

It's also the hallmark of a nerd. Indeed, when people describe themselves as "x nerds," what they mean is that they're interested in x for its own sake, and not because it's cool to be interested in x, or because of what they can get from it. They're saying they care so much about x that they're willing to sacrifice seeming cool for its sake.

What are you most earn-terested in? What makes you click?

If you ever think, you are short of ideas, visit Paul’s website.

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It has been a rewarding experience, writing for you and myself every week. Here are some issues I enjoyed writing the most:

Happy reading folks! See you next week :)

and now you know why I write

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If you enjoy reading this, maybe share it with your colleagues, friends and family; it would mean the world to me :) or else Order a handrwitten postcard for them.

You can always reach out to me on dearhummingbird1@gmail.com. or connect with me on IG at _i__cook or use the comment section!

Always grateful for the love,

The Hummingbird🌺

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