A Serendipitous Sunday Surprise [15-July-24]
Sometimes there's some magic in those unexpected moments...
Oh hello there!
Unexpected interactions are one of the hallmarks of living in big cities. While Melbourne doesn’t have the same claims as say, New York, recent coincidence have made me realise maybe we do have some of that big city magic right here…
I’ll share my story in a second - but I wanted to know: where are you reading this from? Is it a big city and if so how do you feel about living there?
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Serendipity in the City
People often talk about cities like New York or London as places where something is always happening. It’s part of their identity — constant motion, endless events, a kind of electricity in the air. Especially in New York, there's this romanticised idea that you can bump into a friend or a colleague on the street without planning it. I’ve always found that interesting — the way people describe those chance encounters as if they’re an expected part of city life.
But lately, I’ve been realising that Melbourne has that same kind of serendipity — and in some ways, it feels even more special.
Unlike Manhattan, which concentrates people into a tight grid, Melbourne’s geography is more fluid. The CBD is compact and doesn’t dominate the social map in the same way. Instead, the city spreads out — into Fitzroy, Carlton, Richmond, Collingwood or the outer suburbs— and people tend to live, work, and socialise across a wider sprawl. There’s less gravitational pull into the centre, but there’s this quiet, ever-present hum across the whole city.
People do visit — not just for work, but for footy games, arts festivals, comedy shows, and all sorts of smaller things that don’t always get headlines but still pull people here. Just this week, a friend from Samsung was in town for a quick work trip. Nothing major, but it gave us enough reason for us to catch up. And while I was waiting to meet them, someone yelled out my name on the street - it was a work colleague I hadn’t seen in months — just casually walking down the street. It wasn’t planned. It just happened. And somehow that made it better.
That’s the part I love. Because Melbourne isn’t hyper-dense or overly centralised, so you don’t expect these moments. They sneak up on you. You think, “What are the odds?” And then you smile and go with it. To me, that makes it feel even more magical. In a city that’s you don’t expect to produce these chance meetings so often, it somehow does.
And maybe that’s what makes it feel more special here. In New York, it’s almost a stereotype. In Melbourne, it feels like the city’s pulled a quiet trick — brought someone back into your life just for a moment, just when you needed it.
There’s something quietly beautiful about that. Something that makes you feel a little more connected — not just to the people you know, but to the place you call home.
Podcast I’m loved listening to
Naval Ravikant on Modern Wisdom Podcast
This one’s long but packed — Naval distills a lifetime of experience into what sounds a lot like philosophy. He’s one of my favourite modern thinkers: someone who’s clearly associated with the “tech bro” crowd but not wrapped up in always being right. He admits when he’s wrong, explores contradictions openly, and doesn’t rush to simplify things that are inherently complex.
I love how he highlights nuance without trying to resolve it — like pointing out paradoxes not as bugs, but as features of life. It sharpens my thinking in the same way a surprising street encounter can sharpen your sense of presence. Unexpected, thoughtful, and somehow grounding.
Cool finds
This one’s not a brand-new purchase, I was gifted the Insta360 GO 2 — a ridiculously tiny action camera, years ago but didn’t really use it much - til now.
Originally I thought I’d use it for travel and fun angles, but recently rediscovered how useful it is for capturing candid moments without a big camera setup. It’s small enough to clip onto your shirt, stick onto a wall, or even just set down somewhere discreet — perfect for when you want to record something without being “the person with the camera.”
Fun fact: I actually used this to secretly record my proposal to my wife — it’s so subtle she didn’t even notice it was there. One of my favourite clips, ever.
The newer version adds more storage, a wireless viewfinder and higher resolution- I think I might upgrade soon!
Weekly Update
This week has been a readjustment into my historic “old” schedule - there’s a conference on so I decided to help out the department and cover the shortfall and cover colleagues in private practice while they enjoy a break like I have been for the past few months.
Some of what’s been happening:
I might’ve mentioned that a brand wants to work with me on some future videos - they seem super keen! Upcoming travels will probably put a spanner in the works but I’m quite excited about the possibilities.
This week was like my hours from a year ago and boy do I not miss it! I can already feel the creeping tiredness after about 10 days or so. Definitely glad that this is very temporary
I’ve only just settled back into a rhythm and already the next trip is almost here- this week was preparing for an even busier week with lots of meetings before I go away
I thought I signed up for a simple air-conditioning maintenance call - given the poor design, that involves cutting a hole in the roof of my apartment. Turns out the job is MUCH bigger than expected and will cost nearly 4x what I expected! Anyone need a spare kidney?! 🤣
Finding old footage of my proposal was very nostalgic- it wasn’t that long ago and already there’s been so many changes! Life does indeed move fast
Went and had a very nice meal at a restaurant I’ve been meaning to go to. Even though it was high end French cuisine, I was surprised to see so much of the menu was halal!
More details and photos over on the blog
Quote of the week
This one is the from a podcast I’ve been slowly digesting through the week…
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