Shiv's Newsletter #11
Welcome to the eleventh edition! Oh-le-le 💪
👋 Hey homies! Novak Djokovic just won his 23rd Grand Slam title in men’s tennis at the French Open, also known as Roland-Garros, in Paris. Meanwhile, fellow Serbian Nikola Jokić is one win away from bringing home the NBA championship for my Denver Nuggets, which would be our first title in franchise history. LFGGGG!!
📖 ICYMI, here’s the last newsletter from April 28th, which feels like a decade ago, where I talked about Dreamville Fest and gave a preview of my podcast episode which is OUT NOW on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you like to pod. Thanks to everyone who listened already, hope you enjoyed my Barack Obama impression :)
🔁 May Recap
Time for a quick May recap. Here are a few highlights from last month:
🗽 Going for Game 2 of the NBA eastern conference semifinals with my bestie Bhavs at the iconic MSG arena (Knicks won the game but Miami advanced)
🏝️ Flying to Miami for my sister-in-law Vishwa’s 30th birthday celebration with my brotha Krishna and a whole crew for the weekend
💒 Witnessing super wholesome moments at my friend Josh + Sofia’s wedding in Seattle featuring the Lakeside boys and Saackie (Saalik + Jackie)
🌆 Our friend Rishika visiting NYC from Antwerp for the first time ever and showing her the city from Manhattan’s High Line to Brooklyn’s Dumbo
In addition to these, I’m grateful for all the peaceful evenings at my home in LIC when I whipped up a Trader Joe’s dinner (guys, my penne arrabbiata hits different) and read my book about the global semiconductor supply chain in the US, China, and Taiwan.
Last month also brought with it a range of complex emotions from grief and uncertainty to joy and gratitude. I am lucky to have a strong support system to help me move through moments of discomfort, gain a sense of perspective, and experience growth.
If you’ve been reading this newsletter, you may already know about my journaling practice where I write down three things I’m grateful for every morning. I built this habit into my morning routine at the start of this year. As we approach the halfway mark of 2023, I’m introducing a section below where I will pick a couple entries from the past month and share them with y’all here.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." — Ferris Bueller (via
’s Third Nature newsletter)❤️ Grat List
Grateful for shooting hoops during the week - one evening Saqib Ali, one of the guys from the front desk, was coming to kick me out during closing time at 10pm and instead took his blazer off and challenged me to a game of 1 on 1. I accepted, of course, hit a couple mid-range shots, plus a lil step back jumper too, but ultimately he won 7-6. Imma need a rematch, Saqib!
Grateful for discovering a new world of music - last weekend I went for an afterparty celebrating the 10th anniversary of MoBlack Records with a lil squad (s/o Divi, Sarina, and Sana). Meeting incredibly talented artists like Oktave and Cisummi was dope. I put together a playlist with the afro/tribal house songs we heard that night. Finesse and Canoa are VIBES, iykyk!
Do you like this new section? Let me know:
🏝️ Upcoming Travels
June 16-18: Québec, Canada
Heading to Montréal this weekend for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix 🇨🇦
👀 Recommendation Zone
📚 What I’m reading
🇺🇸 The US debt limit deal saved the economy but it set an awful precedent by Tim Fernholz | Quartz
🇨🇳 China is back on the map for global business leaders by Mimansa Verma | Quartz
🏀 The ridiculousness of Nikola Jokić illustrated in a single shot by Marcus Thompson II | The Athletic
🇺🇦 Why are we in Ukraine? by Benjamin Schwarz, Christopher Layne | Harper's Magazine
🎧 What I’m listening to
Forms Of Love by Adam Port, Alan Dixon, and Keinemusik
Sittin’ On Top Of The World by Burna Boy
Losing My Religion by Samantha Loveridge, Treetalk
All My Life by Lil Durk featuring J. Cole
Thanks for reading! Send any championship rings, Nitefreak remixes, and F1 race predictions. Let me know if you have any feedback by hitting reply!
With gratitude,
Shiv