Read Watch and Listen

Sparks that set my Soul ablaze

Another lap around the sun next week. My 28th. It wasn’t that long ago I joined the workforce, at least that’s how I felt. Time flies, whether we are having fun or not.

For this week’s post, I’d like to share a list of my favorite books, movies, series and music. 28 of them. They’re wellsprings of insight.

These works influenced the way I experince the world. Each time I read, watch and listen to these works, my mind is set on fire with inspiration.

---

Read

Fiction

1. Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa

   It’s a fictionalized account of the life of legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. I love the detailed exposition that roots you right into that period of Japan, I especially love the craft it took to weave a story that involves a dozen active characters throughout the book.

2. Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder
   This book was my introduction to Philosophy by delivering a history of philosophy throughout the book’s narrative starting with the Ancient Greeks all the way to postmodernism. There’s a passage about Lego blocks that I find to be an illuminating insight to how the world works.

3. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
   It’s a children’s book, but even adults can use a reminder to figure out what truly matters in life, and keeping it in perspective. Always.

4. Hellblazer: John Constantine¹ by various writers and artists
   The Hellblazer series is set in the horror and arcane side of DC comics. What started as a spin-off of this mysterious and cool character, became a book that explores the horrors of humankind and provides socio-political commentary of the times. At its core, it’s a tale of that one saving grace that makes life worth it, our humanity. It’s a reflection of our lowest point and potential for redemption.

5. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
   Books by Hammett and Raymond Chandler explores the cynical and jaded side of society. It feels more real than know-it-all detectives or invincible vigilantes. The hero always gets in way over his head but gets by with his wit and grit.

Honorable mentions: The Last Samurai, The Dark Knight Returns, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Calvin & Hobbes, most books by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.

Non-Fiction

6. Incerto² by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
   Nassim Taleb’s volumes on risk and uncertainty is an eclectic treatise that ties finance, religion, politics and everyday life. Taleb challenges readers to think and rethink and think again. Dont get fooled by randomness, own up to your life, and to have some humility.

7. Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
   It’s a fun and easy to read book, showcasing how the tools of economics can be applied to everyday life, and can reveal the implications behind decisions. Pair this with Superfreakonomics and the podcast too.

8. The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt
   Ancient wisdom meets modern psychology, haidt explores the truths behind axioms of tradition by grounding it in empirical research. The idea is that its not about being rational or being emotional, its about how both can be aligned to help us live a more enriched life.

9. Moneyball by Michael Lewis
   The data revolution of baseball. How analysis and analytics can help us uncover deficiencies in our thinking and perception and exploit gaps for advantage. of course it has a caveat that models should not make all the decisions. I like Lewis’s other books too — Liar’s Poker, The Big Short and The Undoing Project

10. Scattered Minds by Gabor Mate
    Gabor mate uses his own experience and amecdotes of his add patients to untangle the web of mess that led to this. Really comes rom generations of generations of unkonwn and unresolved trauma. the deficit in executive function, our attention.. because we all have been left feeling a want of attentrion. paired reading with the Body Keeps the Score

Honorable mentions: Humankind, Exit Voice Loyalty, Power of Babel, and The Art of Strategy.

Watch

Film

11. Blade Runner (The Final Cut), directed by Ridley Scott
    the original cyberpunk film. Based on Philip K. Dick’s Do androids dream of Electric Sheep. It’s a noir flick with a sci-fi edge exploring themes of existence and living, and what makes a human?. The sequel, 2049, is pretty good too.

12. Collateral, directed by Michael Mann
    Tom Cruise in perhaps his most cerebral role and hte always magnetic Jamie Foxx as the underdog of this story. It’s trying to look at the idea of meaning and purpose and having a bias to action.

13. For a Few Dollars More, directed by Sergio Leone
    My favorite of the Dollars Trilogy. It’s a tale of revenge, greed and retribution. Great score and great acting too. Keep a close eye on Lee van Cleef’s Col. Mortimer Douglas.

14. Samurai Trilogy³ , directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
    Based on the stage play which was in turn based on the novel Musashi. I think it’s Nifune’s best role. Showcasing his range and screen presence in playing this wild rogue warrior to a journeyman focused on developing his skill and finally a true swordsman whose sole purpose is his craft. The trilogy has amazing cinematography.

15. Watchmen (Director’s Cut), directed by Zack Snyder
    Zack Snyder’s great work that defined for me what a great cinematic experience is. A great ensemble cast, top notch production design and value, and a compelling story told in the best way possible — the way the auteur sees it.

Honorable mentions: Man of Steel, Heat, Batman Begins, Batman v Superman, Taxi Driver, Seven Samurai, You Were Never Really Here.

Series

16. Billions
    A smart, erudite and witty show about power and wealth at the very top. that does not take itself too seriously nor do they let themselves turn into a parody. The show makes plenty of references to Game Theory, the occasional Nassim Taleb namedrop and plenty of cameos too. Oh, it’s got some brilliant acting from Paul Giamatti and the cast. The show got me interested in Poker and BJJ.

17. Better Call Saul
    The series has a great cast of actors and a compelling story. BCS, and its older sibling, Breaking Bad are the polar opposite to Campbell’s Monomyth — The Hero’s Journey. I like to call this antithesis the Villain’s Journey: The character’s pettiness, resentment and all-too-often surrender to their lowest selves turns them toward a dark path.

18. Marvel’s Daredevil
    I’m quite drawn to this show, especially the title charcter Matt Murdock. The son of a boxer. Matt is blind, a Catholic, a lawyer by day and a vigilante by night. The show’s main tension comes from the conflict Matt faces as he balances his faith, upholding the law, and exorcising his own demons by beating criminals to a pulp. Oh, Vincent D’onofrio as Wilson Fisk is absolutely terrifying.

19. Westworld
    The show has some great ideas and is great to meditate on, but the storytelling has some gaps in it. That said, Ramin Djawadi arranged and composed some fine pieces in the series.

20. Lucifer
    The show uses judeo-christian archetypes to tell this story of a dysfunctional family and the Devil climbing up Maslow’s hierarchy to redeem himself. It’s rather episodic in nature but it’s a lot of fun. 😈

Listen

21. God moving over the face of the waters

22. Hallelujah

23. Hurt

24. Komm Susser tod

25. Hijau

26. Sempurna

27. Time

28. Ecstasy of Gold

Honorable Mentions: Smile and What a Wonderful World

1. I know I’m cheating here, this isn’t one book, it’s a collection of several series of comicbooks. beginning with the original 300-issue run, several spin off stories and subsequent revivals of the series too.

2. Yes, I cheated again. But, N N Taleb himself sees it as series of long form essays collected into volumes that form the book, Incerto.

3. Okay, last one, no more cheating. But hey, it’s my blog, my birthday, my rules. 🥳