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Watching the news, rewatching an underrated show
If you have been following the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial, you must have heard Depp’s defence team testifying that she had a borderline personality disorder—not surprisingly, using her mental health diagnosis against her, leaning on the crazy-ex trope. The truth is that borderline personality disorder is far more complex than the defence suggested. Rachel Bloom’s comedy/drama Crazy Ex-Girlfriend series (which has been streaming on Netflix) brings this out fairly well. Before the title puts you off, you should know the creators stated it was a deliberate attempt to challenge one of the world’s oldest gender cliches. With great acting, an excellent screenplay, some hilarious parodies of popular musical numbers and a decent job of dissecting a mental health condition with sensitivity and nuance, this is a show worth checking out—despite some problematic stereotypes. —Preeti Zachariah
Listening to Harsha Bhogle on AI
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle is back in the podcast space—this time with Microsoft India’s first podcast series, Paradigm Shift. The eight-episode series will look at the kind of transformation and changes that are possible when the human mind and Artificial Intelligence (AI) collaborate in different areas. In the first episode, Bhogle—who also presented Spotify’s Mission Isro podcast in 2020—speaks to researchers and industry experts on how AI can make weather forecasting sharper and smarter. For instance, can an AI model predict a flood 15 days earlier? According to Microsoft India, the other episodes will cover a variety of topics and stories of innovation—everything from agriculture and healthcare to biodiversity, environment and climate change. —Nitin Sreedhar
Listen to the series on Amazon Music, Anchor.fm, Apple Podcasts, Spotify
Demystifying serums and self care
When I was recovering from covid-19 last year, my skin felt stripped of all moisture. It was dry, itchy, lifeless, despite the vitamins I was taking. Clearly, I needed a daily skincare regimen of cleansing, toning and moisturising. But the world of beauty serums, toners and acids is complex. While trying to demystify this modern vocabulary, I stumbled upon a Pune-based skincare platform, KOSA Wellbeing. I booked an online video consultation with its founder, Pooja Shah Talera. She recommended three products—a serum, toner and cleanser—from the French beauty label Biologique Recherche. I consulted her just once but the products have suited me. A year down the line, I may fumble with the pronunciation but my skin has never felt better. A caveat: There is no substitute for a good diet, proper sleep and regular exercise. Talera prescribes them too. —Jahnabee Borah
Being surprised by good plant-based meat
It takes a lot for an inveterate meat-eater to try plant-based “meat” products. But being on a doctor-recommended low-carb diet for months (and the environmental guilt of consuming animal protein for breakfast, lunch and dinner) will force even the most dedicated non-vegetarian to look for options. When I saw the newly launched Shaka Harry “Just Like Chicken” Hot & Spicy Nuggets on BigBasket.com, I thought “why not”, with the scepticism of someone who sees the value in plant-based meat alternatives but doesn’t really believe they can replicate taste. I was in for a surprise. In a blind taste-test, if you had given me these chicken nuggets and the real deal side by side, I would have found it difficult to say which is which. The nuggets turn out crisp when fried and go well with mustard/hot sauce. The only downside—it isn’t exactly carb-free, with around 18g of carbohydrates per 100g of product. —Shrabonti Bagchi
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