A Few of my Favourite Things (2023 Edition)

Past Lies by Celine Song: This understated story of two school kids in South Korea, reconnecting years later, was my favourite movie of the year. GQ perfectly captures its essence: “the most heartbreaking thing about the film is the heartbreak of saying goodbye to infinite possibilities, of mourning all the lives you could’ve lived”. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture.

Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones by Dan Buettner: Travel around the world with author Dan Buettner to discover five unique communities, where people live extraordinarily long and vibrant lives. The Netflix show transports us from Okinawa, Japan, to the Greek island of Ikaria and Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, in a quest to elucidate human longevity. The secrets? A dozen factors including plant-based diets and a sense of purpose, or ikigai.

Tour de France: Unchained: Even keeping in mind Netflix’s incredible ability to bring viewers behind the scenes of various sports competitions, from F1 to the NFL, nothing prepares us for this raw and thrilling look at the gruelling world of elite cycling, epitomized by 21 day-long stages of the Tour de France. The cyclists demonstrate next-level grit, physical endurance and mental toughness for a shot at the yellow jersey. Particularly interesting were the team dynamics at play.

The Bear, Season 2: After highlighting the inaugural season in the 2022 edition of my favourite things, I was again blown away by Season 2, where main character Carmy moves past the Italian beef sandwiches and gets a shot a building the restaurant of his dreams. The New York Times review headline is spot on: “Season 2 is more uplifting, more team-focused and more magnificent”. Indeed, this season focused on the painstaking process of opening a fine dining restaurant. Perhaps the most interesting narrative is how each team member of the misfit crew grows up, hones their craft and contributes to the vision. And episode 6, Fishes, ie. the Christmas episode, is as incredible, chaotic and unpredictable as it gets — with a few cameos to boot.

Succession, Season 4: After highlighting the excellent third season in the 2021 edition of my favourite things, there was no way to ignore the fourth and final season. The Guardian nails the title of its review “Succession finale: a perfect, terrible goodbye”. The season concludes the saga of the backbiting Roy family on a typically brilliant high note, exploring new personal depths for the sibling protagonists. The HBO series won the Emmy for best Drama series and earned a leading 27 nominations and 6 wins, with most of the cast either winning or earning an acting nomination.

[Kids] Trash Truck: If you’re looking for a family-friendly gem, look no further than this Netflix show. The great music and pacing make the wonderful positive stories, whether about the value of imagination or sharing, shine. A truly beautiful time capsule about the innocence of childhood, starring a young boy, Hank, along with a few of his animal friends, and of course, a trash truck.

The Greater Wings by Julia Byrne: The album is a poignant and ethereal exploration of loss, resilience, transformation and the journey through mourning toward renewal​. Written after the sudden death of her collaborator and producer, the album intertwines grief with hope. Byrne’s spectral voice and delicate instrumentation — featuring strings, harp, and piano — craft an intimate chamber-folk soundscape.

Neo-Romance by Alexandra Streliski: This is a great neo-classical album inspired by Romanticism, exploring themes of love, imagination, and resilience. Composed in Rotterdam, it blends minimalist piano with emotional storytelling. The album’s lush, evocative piano pieces often feel like film scores, ideal for fans of composers like Ludovico Einaudi. Also great for moments of quiet reflection.

The Record by Boygenius, an emotive indie rock album exploring vulnerability, friendship, and self-discovery.

Desire, I Want to Turn Into You by Caroline Polachek, blending ethereal melodies with unique synths and cinematic elements​.

Nightingale by Mammal Hands: This song was my on repeat “ad nauseam” song of the year, for the original jazzy build-ups and the sax solo. As their Spotify bio reads: “Captivating, ethereal and majestic, Mammal Hands has carved out a refreshingly original sound from a disparate array of influences, (…) drawing on their love of electronic, contemporary classical, world, folk and jazz music. Mammal Hands have forged their own path away from the musical mainstream and their unique sound grew out of long improvised rehearsals, (…) while their hypnotic live shows have seen them hailed as one of the most exciting bands in Europe”.

October by La Force: From Ariel Engle’s solo project, the song captures the introspective essence of fall in Montreal. It reflects on personal harvests and turning inward as nature changes. Its rich blend of soulful vocals and layered instrumentation evokes a unique sense of vulnerability and warmth, making it deeply resonant. And yes, another killer sax solo riffing in the background!

Underwater by Ludovico Einaudi: Ludovico Einaudi’s concert in Montreal was a magical experience that blended intimate piano compositions with evocative storytelling. Performing works from his latest album Underwater, Einaudi captures deep emotions with minimalist melodies. The performance reflected his global influence in contemporary classical music.​

YLUR by Sigur Ros: The music video for Sigur Rós’ Ylur directed by Sophie Hunter is a captivating blend of dance and imagery, set in a wasteland of confetti. It reflects themes of vulnerability and power, highlighting the uncertain future carried by today’s youth. The performance captures the delicate balance between hope and fear, offering a deeply emotional experience.

Outlive by Peter Attia: This book is a transformative guide to optimizing health and longevity, focusing on the science of aging, disease prevention, and improving quality of life. Attia, a physician, combines cutting-edge research on topics like exercise, nutrition, and mental health, aiming to help readers extend both lifespan and healthspan. The book challenges traditional views on aging and offers actionable strategies for living longer, healthier lives.

A Few Good Reads (2023 edition): I publish every year a separate list of articles, blog posts and longer reads from around the internet that I’ve enjoyed. View this year’s list here.

Magik by Colgate: So, one of the coolest technology experiences I had this year was brought to me by … a toothbrush! Colgate hits a homerun with an augmented reality experience that motivates kids to learn to brush their teeth, by meshing fun, gamification, rewards, costumes and selfies. And I am here for it! While the hardware casing for the brush is what makes it all possible, it’s really the app that brings it together!

Chat GPT-4 by OpenAI: In March 2023, OpenAI launched GPT-4, a historic upgrade to ChatGPT, significantly enhancing performance with improved problem-solving, nuanced language understanding, and multimodal capabilities, including image processing. GPT-4 outperformed prior models on academic and professional benchmarks, setting new standards for generative AI and offering users more powerful, versatile tools​.

Duolingo: This is a fun, interactive language-learning app that makes mastering new languages easy and engaging. With its bite-sized lessons, gamified approach, and personalized feedback, Duolingo has earned praise for its accessibility and effectiveness. It’s perfect for beginners or those looking to practice on-the-go. Highly recommended for language learners of all levels!

Lenny’s Podcast: Lenny’s Podcast is a must-listen for professionals in product management, growth, and startups. Hosted by Lenny ex-Airbnb PM Rachitsky, it features insightful talks with industry leaders, sharing strategies, challenges, and successes. What makes it unique is its actionable advice and practical frameworks tailored for ambitious listeners. Lenny’s engaging tone and thoughtful questions ensure each episode is both educational and entertaining. The episode with Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky was particularly memorable. You can listen in on Youtube or Spotify.

Talks at Google: This is a YouTube channel featuring thought-provoking discussions with global leaders, creators, and innovators across diverse fields. Hosted by Google, the series includes talks on technology, culture, arts, science, and personal growth. Speakers range from bestselling authors and actors to prominent scientists and entrepreneurs, such as Malcolm Gladwell, Margaret Atwood, and Elon Musk. With a focus on sharing ideas that inspire and educate, the channel’s variety and depth make it a premier destination for those seeking intellectual stimulation and new perspectives.

Maven: This is a platform for cohort-based courses, allowing experts to teach engaging, live courses online. It’s designed to streamline the process of creating, marketing, and running courses, providing tools like a landing page builder, student hub, and automated email marketing. A great place to learn about AI, product management, business and finance.

Mother Nature by Apple: Perhaps one of the more interesting examples of branded entertainment came from none other than Apple, in the form of a five-minute short film starring Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer and Apple CEO Tim Cook. Inc mentioned it was “meant to tout Apple’s progress toward its goal of making all of its products carbon-neutral by 2030 and highlight that the new Apple Watch is the first product the company claims meets that goal”, while drawing a contrast to its tech competitors.

La Compil des Bleues by Orange: Telco Orange in France uses deepfake tech to showcase skill of female football players ahead of the World Cup, scoring 15 million ad views. Contagious writes: “The ad begins as a compelling highlights package of French football stars such as Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann performing expert pieces of skill and scoring wonder goals. But halfway through, the ad pulls the rug from under viewers by revealing the actual people behind the moments of football magic — players from the women’s French team”, helping to combat biases against women’s sport.

Moldy Burger by Burger King: BK went to extreme lengths to prove its ingredients are fresh: it let them rot! While CNBC notes that the ad divided marketing experts, I think it’s pretty brilliant to have the courage to portray your product in such an unexpectedly negative light in order to highlight its freshness element of its value proposition. Kudos!

Feat of Strength 3: Cyberbeast by Tesla: “During the Tesla Cybertruck’s first delivery event, Elon Musk showed a video featuring a Tesla Cybertruck racing a Porsche 911 on the quarter mile. The Cybertruck successfully completed the quarter mile in less than 11 seconds, effectively beating the Porsche” notes Teslarati. But most impressive and unexpected is that the Cybertruck had a pretty big handicap: it beats a Porsche 911 while towing another Porsche. “This video is a masterclass in marketing” was commented on Twitter.

Brian Chesky at Figma conference: At the Figma Config 2024 conference, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky discussed leadership from a design-driven perspective. He highlighted the importance of creativity, adaptability, and user-centric design in building successful businesses. Chesky emphasized how Airbnb integrates design into its operations and how it fosters innovation and navigates uncertainty, showing design as a competitive advantage

Tobi Lutke with Bret Taylor: In the interview, Tobi Lutke, CEO of Shopify, discussed leadership, emphasizing micromanagement in high-stakes moments and reflecting on inefficiencies in large organizations. He stressed the importance of customer-centric focus, experimentation, lean teams, and using AI for software development. Tobi also highlighted Shopify’s mission to empower entrepreneurs and balance structure with creativity.

Just go out and make something by Linus Ekenstam: This was a good reminder that genius is most often not born overnight! Ekenstam, through his tweets and content, encourages people to get out and create, urging action rather than overthinking. His message often focuses on blending creativity with technology, exploring the limitless potential of AI, and embracing innovation.

Bouillon Bilk: Bouillon Bilk is a contemporary restaurant in downtown Montreal, renowned for its inventive and refined cuisine, that has stood the test of time. Combining French techniques with modern flair, the menu emphasizes fresh and local ingredients. The food is serious and thoughtful, as notes Canada’s 100 Best, ranking it #34 across the country a few years ago. Its minimalist décor enhances the focus on exceptional food and service. In 2024, it will move to a new location on Ste-Catherine street, a stone’s throw away from the current location.

Epicerie Conserva: Located in Montreal’s Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, it offers a wide range of high-quality local products, including fresh pasta, meats, cheeses, and organic produce. Founded by former Hoogan & Beaufort alumni, it combines gourmet offerings with a zero-waste philosophy. As Tastet mentions, the space’s elegant design highlights artisanal goods, making it a top choice for home chefs and quick bites. Their daily sandwiches are incredible, as you can tell by their mouth-watering photos on Instagram.

Agriculture du Coin: This is a Montreal-based store focused on urban agriculture and sustainable living. It offers books, tools, and kits for growing food at home year-round, along with educational workshops. As Tastet notes. the space promotes food autonomy, with a mission to strengthen local food production through aquaponics and other sustainable practices.

Little Island in New York: If you’re in New York, you’ve got to check out Little Island! This floating park is a hidden gem, turning an old pier into a vibrant mix of greenery, art, and performance spaces. With amazing views of the Hudson River and the skyline, it’s the perfect spot for a quick peaceful escape.

Quai des Arts by En Masse: The Espace Go theater in Montreal is home to a striking mural created by the collaborative art group EN MASSE. Commissioned in 2011, the mural transformed a graffiti-covered loading dock into a vibrant piece of public art. The project featured ten talented artists, many of whom women, and covered an expansive 1,500 square-foot area with intricate black-and-white designs. The mural, which spans the walls and ceiling of the space, has become a visible and celebrated feature of Montreal’s cultural landscape​