Wishing you happiness and good health in the year ahead! Here’s a selection of things that sustained and inspired me in 2023.
Audio Books: Listening to 20 books this year deepend my appreciation for the work of authors, scientists and historians. Thinking about the bigger picture helped reduce rumination.
Top 5:
- Ends of the World by Peter Brannen: geological history of Earth’s mass extinction events (Climate / Science)
- A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan: reflections on aging and innocence told against the backdrop of the rock music business (Fiction)
- Possible Minds: 25 Ways of Looking at AI by John Brockman: digestible essays by a diverse range of luminaries (Artificial Intelligence)
- River of Gods by Candice Millard: British explorers set out to find the source of the Nile (History / Adventure)
- How Not to Die by Dr Michael Greger: peer-reviewed science of nutrition points towards a plant-based diet for health and longevity (Diet and Nutrition)
Honorable mentions:
- In Love With the World by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: near-death experience of a meditation teacher on a “wandering retreat” (Mindfulness)
- Human Cosmos: Civilization and the Stars by Jo Marchant: a journey through history and science. NPR “Best Book of 2020” (Science)
- Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: childhood friends create video games, shedding light on work, life and digital worlds
- Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: behavioral science and rational/non-rational motivations (Science / Psychology)
- God, Human, Animal, Machine by Meghan O’Gieblyn: technology, religion, philosophy (Artificial Intelligence)
Reading list sourced from guest recommendations from Ezra Klein Show, NPR and Pulitzer Prize
Free Yoga: building core strength has done wonders for back pain and hip mobility
- Love Story Yoga: 2 free classes per week
- Mon 12-1pm @ 473 Valencia St: Vinyasa Community Class with Molly Barber
- Wed 6-7pm @ 8 Mission St: Vinyasa Flow at 1Hotel with Mia Rose
- Salesforce Tower Park: Outdoor class hosted by Fitness SF, open to public
- Fri 12:30-1:30pm, Vinyasa Yoga with Eli Pope
Bike rides: checking out neighborhoods and nature via pedal power
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3 Apps that have helped me replace doom scrolling with micro-learning
- Duolingo: 10 minutes a day helped me learn 825 Hindi words. 250 day streak and counting!
- Boundless: free ebooks and audiobooks via your library
- MemoryOS: practical techniques for memorization (paid)
3 Favorite Plant-Based Recipes
- Kale with Tahini, Lemon and Miso
Wash, trim and finely chop Lacinto kale. Steam to just tender (InstantPot 4 min, stovetop < 10m). Add juice of ½ lemon + 1 tbsp red miso paste + 1 tbsp tahini, mix to coat evenly.
- Vietnamese Cabbage Salad
½ purple cabbage thinly sliced (food processor)
2 carrots grated
1 clove garlic +½ inch fresh ginger finely grated
½ green chile pepper, finely chopped (to taste)
2 scallions thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lime
Small handful of mint leaves finely chopped
< 1 tsp salt
< 1 tsp sugar substitute
Splash of fish sauce (optional)
Top with toasted peanuts or pumpkin seeds.
- Baba Ganoush Hummus: why choose between eggplant and chickpeas when you can have both?
Top 5 Netflix Shows for inspiration, context and laughs
Also enjoyed Rome on HBO Max
