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K-drama 2.0

For a riveting multi-cultural experience, watch Pachinko, now streaming on Apple+ (2 seasons). It’s a multi-generational saga of a Korean family migrating from their peasant roots, into second class persecuted citizens in Japan and eventually striving for overachievement in the US. They switch between three languages, so Korean subtitles are in yellow, Japanese in blue, none for English. The depictions of everyday life are very authentic, with high realism, and first class productions, but the story is still a Korean drama. — KK

Daily Uplifting Messages

Messages for Life are short, inspirational emails that have been brightening my days. They arrive only on weekday mornings and always contain a positive message, like reminders to slow down, relax, celebrate yourself, and play. These messages convey a lot of wisdom in a very natural and relatable way. They feel like love letters from the Universe. — CD

Sudoku with boats

Remember how awful the Battleship board game was? This solitaire online version is nothing like that. Think Sudoku with boats, with a dash of Minesweeper thrown in.. Instead of random guessing, you use logic to figure out where ships are hiding. — MF

Barberries: tiny tart treats

I discovered barberries through a friend who praised their nutritional benefits, especially their berberine content. The dried berries I bought look like tiny, dark red raisins but pack an intense tartness – think nature’s Warheads. They make a perfect tangy addition to salads, yogurt, and cereal. — MF

Suggestions to make your life easier

I recently came across a Reddit thread that asked, “What’s your ‘I can’t believe other people don’t do this’ hack?” Here are some tips I had never heard of before:

• I have a keyboard shortcut on all my devices where @@ automatically enters my email address.
• When you’re cleaning up “goopy” stuff that can’t be absorbed, use two flat stiff things like the edge of two pieces of cardboard and literally scoop it up.
• I am shocked at the number of people that don’t put their sheet sets in the matching pillow case for storage until use. It keeps it all together!
• Clean out your fridge before grocery shopping! Eliminates mystery Tupperware and always reminds you of something you need to pick up.
• When tech stops working and you need to “turn it off and back on again”, turn it off, and ALWAYS wait 10-15 seconds or more before turning it back on. This allows the capacitors inside holding the memory bits to fully discharge, and it allows the device to fully reset fresh.
• 2 colour matched £10 flower bouquets combined are normally more varied and bigger than a £20 bouquet.

Check out the entire thread here. — CD

Color walks

I am working on a new book of my photography that has all the images arranged by color. That arrangement is surprisingly compelling and unleashes all kinds of new joys. This has made me very attentive to the idea of following a color. Rob Walker publishes a fantastic newsletter devoted to noticing things, called The Art of Noticing, and recently featured the concept of color walks, where you follow colors while walking, as a way of amplifying your ability to notice things. It really works. — KK

11/3/24