So what's your take? I'd be happier as a cat in Lenny Kravitz's Parisian palace

True wellbeing is all about what you really need to flourish

Welcome to mostly cool stuff, a space dedicated to the the random things I come across online and offline that get my attention as per the dozens of screenshots, pictures and links in my phone to remind me about them.

Happy reading!

Coolness is like energy: it never dies, it just transforms

• The last couple of weeks I’ve been sucked into a London’s rental fiasco that has taken every ounce of my will to live in general and remain in this city in particular. Hence, I’ve been reading about feng shui, a traditional Chinese practice that focuses on the arrangement of spaces for balance and harmony, two things I’ve been in need of lately. Cliff Tan -architect, published author, and internet sensation- has come to the rescue with Feng Shui Modern, which I extracted from the piles of books I was meant to have already put into boxes as I thought I was moving but then wasn’t. Thanks to him, whether in book version or via his social media tips, I’ve realised the cause of my recent housing misfortunes lies on the arrangement of my room (in particular certain pointed elements) which is blocking the natural flow of Chi. The towers of packed/half-packed/unpacked boxes may have something to do with it. As Tan would say, now I know.

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• I’ve always said to anyone who cared to listen that I would love to be a cat. Recently coming across Claude, a very distinguished feline who is the hotel ambassador at Raffles with his own instagram account (@aristoclaude), has only confirmed my belief that I’m trapped in the wrong species. Apparently, Claude is one of the several members of this elite club of luxury hotel ambassadors, which also includes dogs. What a purrfect life, spent in spaces designed to make the Chi flow freely and oblivious to flat hunting and vicious estate agents…

@raffleslondonattheowoA Day In The Life Of Claude! 🐱 Join us as we delve into our guest, Claude the Cat’s, extravagant day with us at Raffles London at The OWO. From a purr-fect pampering session in L’Atelier Guerlain and afternoon tea in The Drawing Room to a paw-some night cap in The Spy Bar, this is the recipe for a spectacular day. #RafflesLondon #RafflesLondonatTheOWO #RafflesHotels #CatsOfTikTok #Cats

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• Habemus Papam! Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the successor of Papa Francesco (no English here, sorry) in a rather fast conclave. Prevost becomes thus the first North American Pope and he will be known as Leo XIV. Not saying he’s not qualified but this sounds like a strategic move to appease you know who.

  

  Robert Prevost, aka Leo XIV. We look forward to Conclave II with Ralph Fiennes playing him.

  As fast as the conclave has been, the internet and GenZ were faster and the memes and TikToks have quickly inundated social media capturing some funny scenes, like Cardinal Pizzaballa getting a bit distracted and bringing to mind Mr. Bean.

  

  The funeral of Papa Francesco, an event attended by Heads of State all over the world, has created an unexpected opportunity for a new meeting between Trump and Zelensky, which has been captured by photographers in what is already an iconic shot with the two men leaning towards each other, as if open to dialogue, and which has been described as a constructive encounter by official sources on both sides. A far cry from their meeting at the White House earlier in the year, so fingers crossed something positive will come out of this.

  

  And of course, as expected, viewings of Conclave, which is back in theatres in the UK, have soared and not only due to Ralph Fiennes superb acting skills. In fact, Politico reported new cardinals not familiar with the process resorted to the film to get a sense of what to expect from the process. I’ll say it here first so you can all come back later to tell me I was right: Conclave is on its way to becoming a cult classic that will be religiously watched (pun intended) and/or streamed from now own every time a Pope dies just like The Ten Commandments and Quo Vadis? became staples on television every Easter. Mark my words.

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• Mental Health Awareness Week is kicking off from 12th to 18th May in the UK, which is my cue to share with you the Global Flourishing Study, a five-year annual survey whose latest research findings have been now published after a study conducted with over 200,000 participants across 22 countries to assess numerous aspects influencing what makes individuals flourish and its possible causes.

  

  Unlike other surveys that put the focus on success or happiness alone, researches of the Global Flourishing Study are focused on the idea of flourishing as a concept that fosters holistic well-being and which encompasses not only positive emotions but also connection to one’s surroundings, physical and mental health, purpose and accomplishments, experiences of childhood, and financial situation. The study is aimed at identifying and understanding trends that may have an impact on people’s wellbeing and can help shape better policies to support individuals to flourish wherever they are. Some of the key findings have revealed that young people are struggling more compared to the past, that on average married/coupled people report higher levels of support, that people with job security are happier than people looking for jobs, and they also acknowledge the key role one’s upbringing plays into our adult wellbeing. So no surprises here since, as already suspected, growing up in an emotionally stable middle class family (and above) is the gift that keeps on giving later in life.

• And now guess which country isn’t doing great when it comes to reported levels of personal wellbeing? Exactly, the UK. In fact, there has been previous research showing evidence that quality of life has declined over the past few years in the country and unfortunately it shows no sign of improving soon. Happy days!

  

  Current motto

• The MET Gala has come and gone but you can always check the best red carpet looks from the comfort of your home thanks to the internet. This year’s theme and accompanying exhibition was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which means one of the coolest and most stylish Black men out there, if not the most, was also co-chair of the event. Yes, we’re talking about Colman Domingo, who appeared in a show stopping golden and blue cape full of references to Black history and fashion pioneers like André Leon Talley.

• A podcast I’ve recently discovered and I’m completely obsessed with is Subway Takes. Created and hosted by Kareem Rahma, and first aired (can you used that for social media?) in 2023 the format follows an effective yet simple dynamic. Starting with the question “so what’s our take?,” subway commuters are prompted to share their strong opinions on any given topic under the sun as Rahma shows agreement or disagreement with them. However, as the show has grown in populartiy Rahma has interviewed not only anonymous people but also Cate Blanchett (she hates leaf blowers), Penn Badgley (who argues nothing isn’t a real concept), or legend Jane Goodall (who argues young people have an important role to play but don’t know how to play it) among many others popular figures.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Kareem Rahma has discussed how it feels to find fame as an influencer in his 30s, his non-chalant online persona (clad in a big coat, sunglasses and subway card in hand by way of microphone), and how he always dreamed of being famous before coming up with the idea of Subway Takes. If you haven’t watched the show yet (full uncut episodes are available on the YouTube channel) you are really missing out as this is one of the coolest things social media has given us in recent times and Rahma is a very enjoyable and enthusiastic host to see in action as people embark on a passionate argument about which hill they’re willing to die on.

• A few weeks ago I went to see Mr. Burton, a biopic on the younger years of Welsh actor Richard Burton and the crucial role his teacher Philip Burton played into his life, who became a mentor and adopted Richard so he could continue his studies and pursue acting. With a terrific Toby Young as Philip Burton, a convincing Harry Lawtey as the intensly moody and passionate young Richard and with an always great Leslie Manville (I wish she had a bigger role, but you can’t have it all), Mr. Burton is a real-life heartwarming story on the power of believing in your dreams no matter where you come from and more importantly on being supported by people who believe in your capacity to achieve them even more than yourself. That’s some flourishing in practice right there if you ask me. Lawtey has confessed that watching The Motive and The Cue at the West End last year -a play focused on the 1964 Broadway production of Hamlet with Burton on the leading role- led him to become ‘mildly obsessed’ with the greater than life figue of the Welsh actor. If that’s the case, that’s probably how he captured his raw intensity on screen for the benefit of all of us.

• Apparently drinking champagne and white wine could reduce the risk of sudden cardiac arrest, according to a recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. Before you kick off an epic bender in the spirit of preserving your physical wellbeing be aware that the research findings also highlight eating more fruit, staying slim and maintaining a positive outlook on life as equally mitigating factors. On second thoughts, wine and champagne are made of grapes after all, which count as one of your five a day. And if you don’t even eat while drinking you’re definitely staying slim and spending less, which is a major reason to be happy in this economy. Oh sod it, stop what you’re doing at once. It’s never too early to keep cardiac arrest at bay.

• Let’s finish this edition in the same way it started. In preparation for what I thought would be a transition into having my own London shoebox to personalise as I desired -all 30 square metres of it-, I’ve been watching lots of interior design adjacent content. I’ve come to accept I will never experience such luxury in my lifetime, at least not in London and definitely not in human being shape. However, since I don’t give up hope to reincarnate into a hotel cat one day, can I then please live in Lenny Kravit’s Parisian apartment/palace and have him talk to me about anything in his sultry voice as I follow him around purring in delight? Personally, Lenny Kravitz has always ranked high on the cool-o-meter scale but he’s now been catapulted to Mister Universe of Cool after listening to him explain how he’s curated every element of his Parisian home for his AD home tour. I love how he sees his home as a piece of living history reflecting his evolving taste and experiences that he now looks forward to passing on to his daughter Zoë.

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