consumed and curated in nov '24

michelin stars, mac miller, marketing predictions, and more

There are two counteracting forces that are essential to growth: consistency and change.

Consistency; because it takes time to build things, let them simmer and learn from the findings along the way. Consistency also ensures an independent variable, giving you the vision to see it relate and adapt to rapidly evolving external variables: people, culture, interest, etc.

Change; which is yielded by those external variables, is a productive level of iteration influenced most importantly by intuition. Change is essential to ensure relevancy, impact, and meaning.

Too much consistency without change can lead to stagnation, where the fear of disruption keeps you rooted in place, even when the world moves on. On the other hand, too much change without consistency can create chaos — efforts scatter, and long-term growth becomes unsustainable.

This delicate balance between consistency and change has defined my relationship with this newsletter. I’ve been writing it for a few years now, and that fact alone surprises me more than anyone. I’m a chronic try-and-dump type of person. My parents have lost many hairs trying to keep me glued to a niche — yet, to no avail, I’ve shifted lanes more than O.J. in his infamous Bronco.

But this newsletter has been a steady growth, with little tweaks and changes along the way. I’m adapting to signals of my intuition while embracing the consistency that I’ve cemented in the last few years. I said I’ll write 24 letters this year and I have one left — and it’s a good one. But for now, here’s this: my monthly letter, reworked slightly, with more changes to come. Read to the end for thoughts on what I’m looking forward to in 2025.

i’m feeling lucky

If Spotify Wrapped was describing this playlist, it would say something like:

Your December playlist has Mulled Cider Permafrost Indie Soft Rock Ethereal Sky vibes.

Do, with that, what you will. It’s a great set of 40 songs to end the year with.

[Archive playlist can be found here, and in my spotify bio]

the michelin man

I don’t really understand why a tire company sets the standard on restaurant quality. Why do we revere their lists like moths around a lightbulb and comply with + just for a star or two? It’s an odd jump to make, from cars to food — although, I do kinda respect Michelin for the multi-hyphenate energy. They somehow pivoted from 20th-century countryside driver guides and road expertise to being the final word on fine dining. Bravo, Michelin.

The Michelin Guide just landed in Texas, and although we flocked to the listings like moths around a lightbulb, their picks are not it. If you’ve read time : taste : cost, you understand how much I value the integrity of a restaurant experience, from the hospitality experience to the way the ingredients sit on your tongue. My rating of good quality food rarely extends to the photogenic-ness of food, which seems to be the way that Michelin assembled the top listings in Texas. At least for the ones in Austin, I can say that these restaurants charge a hefty fare and pose well for cameras, but the quality ain’t quite top notch.

One of the few places that absolutely deserves a Michelin-star — and maybe a new set of Michelin winter tires — is Semma. It’s the only Michelin-star Indian restaurant in NYC and it’s superb. (Literally: Semma means ‘super’ in Tamil)

When I visited in 2022, it was surreal and homely. Surreal, because I really didn’t expect to be eating dosa and kozhambu (read: ko-rum-bh) at a fine-dining spot in Greenwich village. Homely, because I was eating dosa and kozhambu at a fine-dining spot in Greenwich Village, far from Tamil Nadu. Somehow they managed to upsell the authentic Tamil Nadu food experience in New York City and still deliver; the tire man approves, and so do I.

This Bon Appetit video takes you behind the scenes, with a jovial walkthrough of the kitchen, dish prep, and story behind Semma’s cuisine. Head Chef Vijay Kumar is an absolute bundle of joy and proves that he cares about his job. Which seems like a low bar nowadays but I can respect someone that shows up for their job with a penchant for it rather than a necessity to keep it alive. Nonetheless, it brought tears to my eyes to hear his Tamil-washed English and see the inner workings of a quality restaurant. It also makes me emotional to see this kind of thing on a Bon Appétit video — this is the kind of “media representation” I wish I had as a kid.

the tiniest of desks

Somehow Mac Miller’s tiny desk has become something of a tombstone in a frequently visited digital graveyard, one where we all coalesce in the comments section to remember his aura and swimmingly good lyrics. Amidst the tones of melancholy and banter, banter, banter, I can’t help but question the impeccable timing of his performance. Just weeks before his passing, we are blessed to witness an authentic rendition of 3 songs. How did we get so lucky?

In a recent video essay by Mic the Snare called “What Everyone Misses About Tiny Desk Concerts”, we get a unique perspective on how the concerts are made, from the eyes (or ears, actually) of Josh Rogosin, the audio engineer at Tiny Desk since 2014. He explains the intricacies of mixing vocals and sounds for unique bands and unfamiliar talents, from Coldplay to T-Pain to Superorganism.

“I’m not really interested in creating the final version of anything. I’m much more interested in capturing a moment in time, and I think that’s what translates to the success of Tiny Desk and the style of recordings that I’m making. There’s something really compelling because it’s so… honest.” - Josh Rogosin

I love the way Josh frames the experience, because it’s much more from a journalistic viewpoint than we see it. To us, it’s a raw, live, in-your-living-room musical experience of Mac Miller singing Small Worlds while pinching out the best smile he can. But Josh and his crew were documenting a piece of culture, carefully capturing every EQ level and soft little voice to make it that much more authentic, even when viewed through a screen. These concerts are literally made for social media but with the magic of Josh’s audio engineering and the production crew’s finesse, we revere these videos as unadultered portraits of our favorite artists.

MTV Unplugged was the original standard setter in this genre of “music journalism”, and since then, we’ve seen quite a few quality channels of the likes. KEXC Seattle, Triple J’s Like A Version, and Pitchfork Live do a fantastic job, while COLORS and Coke Studio have their own stylistic takes on musical portraits.

I’ve seen hundreds of other Tiny Desk concerts and revisit the staples of Mac, Martin, and Paak constantly, making a mecca back to the genius audio engineering and simple setup of the desk. What are your favorite Tiny Desk concerts?

the state of brand in 2025

Red Antler is a marketing agency with some incredible talent and industry prowess. I look up to them often while setting north arrows at my agency. They just released their 2025 State of Brand Report, with valuable insights on brand building and marketing strategies we might see in the coming year.

When every brand tries to sound authentic and human, none do. We’re looking forward to a near future where brands go against the zeitgeist and focus on sounding true to themselves and their purpose. Not only is there nothing wrong with being a brand that talks and acts like a grown-up, but these are also the brands we desperately need in 2025. Consider this a free pass to scrub your 2025 content calendar of any emojiladen email subjects or social posts soaked in Gen Z slang.

Among other things, this idea of authenticity speaks heavily against the influence of AI and template-y marketing and design we’ve seen in recent years. A lot of this comes from a monkey-see-monkey-do phenomenon, with large brands setting the standard for what young brands should strive for. I can’t tell you the number of clients that come to me asking for “design that looks and feels like Apple”. My friend, you don’t have the quality product or budget that they do, sit down.

But still, what Apple and other established brands do well, is consistently focus on authenticity. Consistently ask the question: does this fit within our larger story and overarching ethos? It’s okay if it’s not necessarily within the constraints of a marketing sprint. Even if they have to bend the truth or embellish their product strategy, companies that are confident in their ability to tell a good story, reach deeper audiences. Moving away from a fast-paced, dopamine-like marketing strategy will help brands establish mature and authentic identities.

The most recent anti-example of this is the Jaguar rebrand, where they essentially bastardized the legacy of a 100-yr old brand in favor of forward-thinking vision. I’ll wait to place bets until after Jaguar rolls out their fully-electric lineup in 2026, but there’s something not-so-premium about sans serif fonts, bright neon colors and fashion models as the face of a luxury car brand.

It seems like an antithesis of sorts, coming from a marketing agency, where marketing and branding will need to be more subtle about the way they attract audiences. Focusing on authenticity and long-term growth needs to be a priority, especially in a world of social media trends and digital noise. In the same way we are attached to short-form content, we quickly forget about the brands that make a million micro-interactions with their users. Instead, drive deep, engaging connections through honest storytelling and sound products; the users will come because you’re building trust, not a brand.

link dump

what happens to your suitcase after you check it in

the Pantone color of the year is… poop

the future of shared virtual entertainment

insane conspiracy thread the luigi mangione story

I’m not planning on changing a whole lot for 2025, but this particular letter is a small step in the direction of change. If you’ve been here for a while, I’m sure you already noticed the slight changes, from the change in title (taking notes from Celine Nguyen) to a missing ‘through my eyes’ section (will add it back if I have good photos to share).

I’ve found there’s less friction in finding perfection when I give myself the space to create freely, supported by soft-walled guidelines that change along with my intent. The more I hold myself to an arbitrary standard of quality, the less quality I inherently produce. In this way, perfection evolves, and isn’t forced to stick to a self-imposed definition that expired years ago.

loaf of thought is a continuous experiment of my dedication to one creative output, with counteracting forces of consistency and change. So I’ll continue to redefine that definition of perfection with slight changes to the letter. From adding a few hand-drawn elements (did you notice???), to reformatting the structure, I want to add slight changes to this monthly letter to create more space for the idea-based essays that are sprinkled otherwise. And through the idea-based essays, which I’ve fondly called slices of thought, I’d love to explore new styles of writing and experimental voices.

Excited to hear your feedback and thoughts in 2025. For now, share this post with someone who might enjoy it!

have a lovely december, folks.

---

I wrote about my sister last week, read it here:

call me by my name