index
000 Manifesto
001 Atomic Theory and Wasting Time
002 Recapped: March 2025
003 Health is Wealth – Notes on Pilates
004 Recapped: April 2025
welcome to
the magpi
𓅪
a passion project by theia gabatan.
Recapped: March 2025
A non-exhaustive summary of my media diet from this month. Things I’ve read, listened to and watched.
THINGS I’VE BEEN READING:
I’ve been watching a lot more video essays this month which has taken the place of written essays that I would normally read.
[NON-FICTION] The Good Ancestor by Roman Krznaric // I started this book in November 2024 and finished it earlier this month. This is one of those books that should be read slowly over time so the ideas really marinate and settle and convert into behavioural change ✱✱✱✱
[NON-FICTION] The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer // I really enjoyed this and it’s a good intro to gift economies. I did however find it extremely repetitive. It’s an extended version of this essay published in Emergence Magazine ✱✱✱
[FICTION] The Garden of Time by J.G Ballard // On a big short-story kick as I ease back into fiction. This is one of my new favourites that explores how the wealthy have the means to suspend reality and insulate themselves from the outside world – though ultimately it is a futile exercise in escapism ✱✱✱✱
[NON-FICTION] Anatomy of a Trend by Henrik Vejlgaard // I wanted to learn more about how trends emerge and trend cycles, this was a good intro albeit quite outdated ✱✱✱
[NON-FICTION] [CURRENTLY READING] The Aristocracy of Talent by Adrian Wooldridge
[NON-FICTION] [CURRENTLY READING] On Creativity by David Bohm
THINGS I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO:
H.O.O.D by KNEECAP ✱✱✱✱
Silver Springs by Fleetwood Mac ✱✱✱✱
KALAMANTINA by Saint Levant, Marwan Moussa ✱✱✱
Mr. Brew by El Michels Affair ✱✱✱
Get Your Brits Out by KNEECAP // Really obsessed with the energy and vibe of KNEECAP, feels very punk and anti-establishment ✱✱✱✱
I’d Love to Change the World by Ten Years After ✱✱✱✱
Corrida by Charif Magarbane ✱✱✱✱
[ALBUM] Cartoon Darkness by Amyl and The Sniffers ✱✱✱✱ // Punk is so back 🤘🏽
Customer Service by Sugar Pit // Retail/hospitality employee anthem ✱✱✱✱
Human Fly by The Cramps // I love the Cramps but also everything about this song reminds me of a fly ✱✱✱✱
THINGS I’VE BEEN WATCHING:
I’m back on Youtube so my watch history is EXTREMELY overinflated this month.
[VIDEO ESSAY] How to Erase a People by uncivilized // Genuinely one of the best things I saw this month. An incredible deep dive into Indigeneity, forcible displacement and Indigenous connection to the land. It reinforced for me this idea that land is not just a resource to be exploited, but a gift and a relationship between man and nature, which when harmonious is mutually beneficial ✱✱✱✱✱
[TV SERIES] Severance Season 2 (2025) // I’ve been a Ben Stiller defender since The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (this film defs influenced Severance) and I’m so glad he is getting all the hype he deserves as a filmmaker/storyteller. I loved this season, and I loved all the little nods and references to Classical Greek/Roman Mythology (Orpheus x Eurydice, Persephone x Hades, the Underworld, Labyrinths) ✱✱✱✱
[SHORT] Life of a Doduo by Pokearth // Something very wholesome about someone’s passion project being the creation of David Attenborough-style mini-documentaries about Pokemon (sidenote: the fact that this is how Doduos are meant to fly absolutely sent me) ✱✱✱✱
[SHORT] Cat’s Cosmic Dance with the Bird from Flow (2024) // This is my not-so subtle way of telling you to watch this movie because it is a masterpiece and a beautiful reflection on struggle, death, adversity and life but with animals. A singularly unique visual language and proof that passion and meaningful stories will always have a place amongst AI/profit-driven slop ✱✱✱✱✱
[VIDEO ESSAY] How Empires Fall and Why The US is Next by uncivilized ✱✱✱✱
[DOCUMENTARY] No Other Land (2024), Directed by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor // This was a hard watch, but I urge you to watch it ✱✱✱✱
[VIDEO ESSAY] The Insane Graphic Design in Severance // How seemingly innocuous design choices can reinforce structures of power and control ✱✱✱
[VIDEO ESSAY] A Marxist Analysis of Shrek by trolleybolley // I need to write another Shrek essay and publish it this time lol ✱✱✱
[TV SERIES] Adolescence (2025) // Another hard and disturbing watch, but extremely timely and important. An insight into incel culture, toxic masculinity, and how sinister and pervasive the normalisation of gender-based violence is in young people ✱✱✱✱
[VIDEO ESSAY] The Secret to Good Airport Design: Aesthetics vs Efficiency by Architectural Digest // I love liminal spaces, and airports are my favourite liminal space. This deep dive into how they’re designed is FASCINATING ✱✱✱✱
[VIDEO ESSAY] Piracy is Morally Correct, Actually by noRugrats ✱✱✱
[VIDEO ESSAY] Fascists Have No Drip: The History of Fashion in Fascist Italy by Taipeiqueen // Validated my suspicions around the popularity of clean girl aesthetics, quiet luxury, and the beige-ification of fashion ✱✱✱✱
[CLIP] “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”
[VIDEO] A Tour of Walton Goggins’ Home by Architectural Digest // I always knew this guy had taste, and this video proves it
[VIDEO ESSAY] How F1 Exploded by Wendover Productions ✱✱✱✱
[VIDEO ESSAY] The World is Poorly Designed. But Copying Nature Helps // A nice beginner intro to biomimicry and biophilic design principles ✱✱✱✱