July & August 2024 Cultural Highlights
TV shows and movies I am currently watching
Remembering Gene Wilder - A hero of mine due to Young Frankenstein, Stir Crazy and Blazing Saddles. This song is truly magical. The documentary was sad and delightful
Crime - Irvine Welsh’s thrilling detective series starring the incredible Dougray Scott and the inimitable Ken Stott.
Industry - Season 3 is now on HBO. I love this show. It reminds me of my old Barclays Capital Trading Desk days. I’m surprised how familiar it is: the jargon, politics and roles. Love the Jerry Maguire goldfish line.
Paris Olympics - My highlights were the men’s archery final and the men’s and women’s cycling races. How about that Tom Pidcock move on the final lap of the Men’s Mountainbike Final?
Books I am currently reading & recently read
Praiseworthy - Challenging, confronting, funny, beautiful moths, the swirl of tragic ironies. Shatters the heart of white Australia and its self deception. White Australia’s dealings with the first Australians from initial contact to the Northern Territory intervention shown in a comic, epic tainted by lies and violence.
Orbital -A recounting of the orbits of an international satellite. Ethereal, wondrous, lush descriptions of the planet earth. No borders can be seen from outer space. We are all one. We are all connected. We are all unimportant relative to the enormity of the Universe. This makes each moment of life, amidst the humdrum and everyday routine, valuable and precious.
Bel Canto - Enjoyable if not a little over sentimental. I would have liked it better if I liked Opera. Lovely warmth to the characters and such clear prose. Part of the reading effect is due to how disconnected the story is from social and political concerns. This provides the guilty pleasure and romantic privilege of a self contained world, separated and alienated from revolutionary concerns. The epilogue feels unnecessary and an over explanation.
The Arsonist - Chloe Hooper’s examination of the 2009 Black Saturday La Trobe Valley bushfires and the investigation and prosecution of the man who started the fires. The book is at its best when it details the harrowing tales of ordinary Australians trying to protect their homes and their lives. The book is fair in its presentation of the evidence and presents a dark, ambiguity when it analyses the motives of the Arsonist. A compelling, tragic read.
The Tower - Andrew O’Hagan’s analysis of another fire. He concludes that the narrative was framed to achieve political points against the Tory Council. Has anything fundamentally changed in respect of the main cause of the fire: the flawed fire safety building materials testing and safety framework? Have laws changed and resources increased to improve the testing, regulatory and enforcement of building fire safety standards? Of the 4,630 buildings with similar cladding, remediation has started on only 50%. The pace of change is to slow.
Our Own Voices: A collection of Singaporean mental health journeys - A range of experiences of mental health issues compiled with care and thought. Often harrowing, these courageous testimonies share the first hand experience of mental health challenges. I found these testimonies vital and hope more people read this book to understand how normal and ubiquitous mental health issues are. If you need to talk to someone about challenges and issues in your life, please don’t hesitate to call the Samaritans on 1767 & Whatsapp +65 9151 1767 or check out the resources here from MindSG.
Goodreads - See my ‘currently reading’ list on Goodreads to see what I am reading right now.
Podcasts
Always Take Notes - One of my favourite writing podcasts as it lets the writer talk about their craft and it’s very practical.
I think I’ll move these reports to My Substack