Monthly Wrap! (July)

Monthly Wraps are blogs that are up on the last Sunday of the month which include:

1. Blogs of the month
2. Book recommendations 
3. What did I curate? Resources I’m binging on – of course, I’ll be choosing the major ones. Just a brim of how much I curate!
4. Reminders & Reflections to ponder – Of various of my reflections of the month, I’ll choose one or a few. And some re-realized reminders!
5. My writing journey/ my book updates 

Here’s July’s “Monthly Wrap!”

Blogs I wrote this month:

1. Blog 62: Worm & The Wise
2. Blog 63: Live a little?
3. Blog 64: Busy? Read this!
4. Blog 65: CREATE = ART
5. Blog 66: Monthly Wrap! (July)

Book Recommendations:

This month I could read 7 books:

1. Ultralearning by Scott H Young is a good book. Though we don’t use this term, we all already know this methodology of ultra learning. We’ve been even using it without being aware of the workings of the process. The author however, makes you aware of that process. And hence this book might help you learn the art of learning more consciously from now on.
2. The Art of Impossible by Steven Kotler is a great book! It gives clarity on high performance. And one of the key aspects that pushes us to embrace this book is that, this book has the latest scientific discoveries about the workings of our brain, it’s states, etc. And the author with extensive research of all those discoveries, has given a very practical guide for us to meddle with the art of impossible.
3. The practicing mind by Thomas M Sterner is a good book. It reminds us that any form of pursuit, including life, is more about the journey. He says, process over product. The author being a musician and a professional piano constructor, rebuilder and repairer, he shares his experience in ‘flow’ and through it reminds us the importance of ‘flow’ that helps us stay in the present.
4. Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks is a great book. If you are someone who is interested in music and/or neurology, you’ll love this book. By sharing case studies and his own experiences in dealing with various patients with neurological problems, the author brings us a great opportunity for us to understand the workings of brain more deeply.
5. The millionaire next door by Thomas J Stanley is not a book I would recommend to anyone. All it conveys is to be frugal and plan your finances. Apart from that, there’s irrelevant data like which automobile to buy.
6. The simple path to wealth by J L Collins is also not a good book on finance. I now understand why there’s hype around the book “Psychology of Money”, because there exists not many great books on personal finance. However, I still think “Psychology of money” is overhyped considering it unnecessary lengthy examples. But it is still a good book.
7. The Brain by David Eagleman is a refreshing book. It gives us a mini tour around our brain and its working. It is not deep, it is more like an index and thought provoking.

What I curated:

Movies:

1. Shang-Chi
2. Central Intelligence
3. Artemis Fowl
4. Ralph Wrecked the Internet
5. Death on the Nile
6. The Odd story of Timothy Green
7. Dead Poet’s Society
8. RRR (Great movie)
9. Rocketry : The Nambi Effect (I thought Kalam was great, then there’s “Nambi”)

Series:

1. Man V. Viral
2. Maggie
3. Rehearsal (watching)
4. Mahabharatha (re-watching)

Trailers:

• THOR 4: LOVE AND THUNDER Trailer 2 (2022)
• Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Official Teaser (Didn’t like)
• I Am Groot | Official Trailer | Disney+

Few (must watch) YouTube videos:

The Riddle That Seems Impossible Even If You Know The Answer

My New 1 Million Dollar Business

11 MUST HAVE Chrome Extensions for Productivity!

Nupur or Zubair? Single Handedly Responsible For Riots Across India

Reminders & reflections to ponder:

• Genuine attempts at mimicking something (except the nature), doesn’t make it art. In other words, A genuine copy is still a copy, not art!
• All that you’ve realized should impact your actions. If not, you’ve simply not realized.
• Mere acknowledgement of a truth is not realization of the truth. When there is no experience, there is no realisation.
• If your child does not have parts that you regret, then it’s not enjoying a fulfilling life.
• We all see our future. We see it in our imagination. We need to believe in, and do what we can. And observe how the future unfolds rather than enforcing it to happen in any particular way.
• Everyone is busy. All that matters is what they’re busy at. Living meaningful, balanced and hence fulfilled life, or merely existing, meaningless, unbalanced and hence unfulfilling loop of time.
• If you are underprivileged, you are privileged
• In any true art form, there does not exist the word ‘perfect’. The only word that exists is ‘ beautiful’.
• When you’re young, exercise is a choice. When you’re old, it will be mandatory/ compulsory. Choose wisely.

My Book Update:

• Have worked a little this month. Wrote the introduction to my next book.
• Since I’ve realized that these ups and downs are a casual part of any creative journey, I’m not making it too hard on myself. Again, it’s the perfect balance between being cautious and calm.

Thank You,

Yours Loving,

Sanath Kumar Naibhi