My Favorites

Series & Movie

The Toys That Made Us

How does a toy turn into a global brand remembered for generations? The Toys That Made Us pursues the surprising design, production, and brand stories behind the familiar toys of our childhood. The series, ranging from LEGO to Barbie, from Star Wars figures to Transformers and My Little Pony, covers the journey of products that have become part of popular culture today, from the first idea to the store shelves, with the narrations of the designers, executives, and collectors who created them. Conveying unexpected decisions, competition, and occasional failures as well as successes with a humorous narrative, the production offers an entertaining viewing experience that brings nostalgia together with the worlds of design, creativity, and brands. Those curious about the stories behind the products and how the brands that are still in our lives today were born can watch the documentary series on Netflix with Turkish dubbing and subtitle options.

The Toys That Made Us – Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/tr/title/80161497) 

Perfect Days

Directed by Wim Wenders, Perfect Days centers on the simple and orderly life of Hirayama, who works as a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Hirayama's life, which he spends with his work, the music he listens to from cassettes, his books, his passion for photography, and his small daily rituals, gradually begins to change with unexpected encounters. Focusing on the small moments of life that we often overlook rather than big events, the film builds a serene narrative on routine, loneliness, happiness, and what a "good enough life" might mean. You can watch the production, which brought Kōji Yakusho the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival and earned an Oscar nomination for Best International Feature Film, on MUBI in Türkiye.

Perfect Days – MUBI (https://mubi.com/tr/tr/films/perfect-days)

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The story of Walter Mitty, who travels the world in his dreams but does not stray far from his safe routine in his real life, evolves in a completely different direction when he goes after a missing photograph frame. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, in which Ben Stiller is both the director and the lead actor, combines its visual journey spanning from Iceland to the Himalayas with a warm story about stepping out of the comfort zone, being curious, and truly getting involved in life. You can watch the production, which is an enjoyable option for those who love travel, adventure, and feel-good movies, on Disney+ in Türkiye and rent it via the Apple TV Store.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – Disney+(https://www.disneyplus.com/tr-tr/movies/walter-mittynin-gizli-yasami/3mLNWw23zD4R) 

The Wild Robot

Stranded on a deserted island, the robot named Roz must learn to understand nature and the world of the living creatures on the island in order to survive. However, over time, her journey goes beyond mere adaptation; it unexpectedly turns into a story about caregiving, belonging, and friendship. Adapted from Peter Brown's bestselling book series, The Wild Robot is a visually powerful animation that addresses the relationship between technology and nature through empathy, learning, and living together with differences, rather than pitting them against each other. Offering different layers for adults as well as children, the film is a remarkable production for those looking for a warm alternative in the animation and sci-fi world. It can currently be watched on Netflix in Türkiye; additionally, rental/purchase options are available on the Apple TV Store and Amazon Video.

The Wild Robot – Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/tr/title/81934566)

The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House

Close friends since childhood, Kiyo and Sumire move to Kyoto to pursue their dreams of becoming maikos. However, the two young women who set out on the same path together gradually discover that their talents and passions take them in different directions. Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House is a tranquil nine-episode series that brings the themes of friendship, tradition, daily life, and finding one's own path together with the warmth of Japanese cuisine. Focusing on the beauty of small moments rather than big dramatic breaks, and the meaning of eating together and being part of a community, the production offers a peaceful viewing experience for those who want to discover food culture and different lifestyles. You can watch the series on Netflix in Türkiye.

The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House – Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/tr/title/81325501)

Book

To Live – Yu Hua

Regarded among the modern classics of Yu Hua, one of the most important authors of contemporary Chinese literature, the novel To Live centers on the life story of Fugui, the spoiled son of a once-wealthy family, spanning over the years. Going through changing social conditions, losses, hopes, and the unexpected turns of life, Fugui's story presents a powerful narrative about human endurance, the bond established with life, and the ability to keep going despite everything, behind its simple narration. Embracing births and deaths, happiness and losses with the same naturalness, the work is an impressive reading option for literature lovers who want to reach a universal human experience from the story of a different geography.

A Short History of Nearly Everything – Bill Bryson

How did the universe begin? How did we learn the age of the Earth? How do we actually know the things we know today, from atoms to galaxies, from fossils to the emergence of humans? Bill Bryson pursues the biggest questions of science with his award-winning popular science work, A Short History of Nearly Everything. Explaining fields such as physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, and biology through intriguing stories, extraordinary scientists, and surprising discoveries instead of an academic textbook language, the work offers a comprehensive yet accessible journey for those who want to take a closer look at the world of science. The book, which was also awarded the Aventis and Descartes prizes, is a strong option for curious readers who love to ask, "How do we know this?"

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse – Charlie Mackesy

A boy, a mole, a fox, and a horse... This extraordinary quartet, brought to life with Charlie Mackesy's simple drawings and brief dialogues, travels together on friendship, kindness, courage, hope, vulnerability, and the power of asking for help. Appealing to readers of all ages, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is more like a visual traveling companion whose pages you will want to revisit from time to time, rather than a classic personal development book. Reaching millions of readers worldwide, the work was later adapted into an Oscar and BAFTA-winning short animation. It offers a warm reading experience for those who want to take a short break during a busy day and look at the simple yet important questions of life from a different window.

The Hidden Life of Trees – Peter Wohlleben

When we look at a forest, do we only see trees standing side by side? German forester and author Peter Wohlleben explains in The Hidden Life of Trees that there is a much more complex world behind this familiar landscape. Combining his scientific research with his long years of forestry experience, Wohlleben scrutinizes the relationships trees establish with their environment, resource sharing, their ways of communicating with each other, and the unseen connections of the forest ecosystem. Allowing us to look at nature not just as a beautiful landscape but as a large system consisting of interconnected living beings, the work may cause you to take your next forest walk with slightly different eyes.

Music

The Story of the Vinyl: The Timeless Journey of a Format

Vinyl was the symbol of an era when music was not only listened to but also touched, seen, and felt. Starting from the 50s, when sound and recording technology developed rapidly, 33 rpm LPs as the carriers of album culture and 45 rpm records as the carriers of single-song hits remained at the center of the music world for decades. The time spent at the turntable and that first moment when the needle touched the surface of the record carried vinyl beyond an ordinary recording format. Representing the music, lifestyle, and spirit of an era, vinyl turned into an iconic object in its own right over the years.

However, with the 1980s, music listening habits began to change rapidly. First, the cassette emerged against vinyl with significant advantages such as practicality, portability, and recording capability. Then, with the widespread use of the Walkman, music became easily listenable not only at home but also on the go. With the popularization of the CD from the mid-80s onwards, digital sound entered the music world in a more compact and convenient format. Thus, while vinyl production slowly declined first and largely came to a standstill after a while, MP3 and digital formats offered new ways to access music in the 2000s. The once indispensable format thus silently drifted away from the center of our lives, not all at once, but with the change in technology and listening habits. It is even said that for a period in the early 90s, companies in Unkapanı made intense efforts to dispose of the records in their warehouses, while knowledgeable collectors gathered these records.

By the 2000s, an unexpected comeback took place. Vinyl re-entered our lives as a music format discovered by a younger generation. In the face of the unlimited access offered by digital music, it was rediscovered that holding a physical album is a different experience. This interest was not limited to second-hand records alone. The number of new vinyl pressings increased, old recordings were repressed; record stores became active again and events such as record days began to be organized. As a result, young people who had never experienced the golden age of vinyl joined the new followers of this culture. Thus, vinyl ceased to be a memory from the past and turned into a music format that is reproduced, purchased, and collected.

So why did vinyl regain value in an age where music reaches millions of songs in seconds? While digital music platforms made music more accessible than ever before, vinyl turned listening to music back into an experience. Selecting an album, taking the record out of its sleeve, reading the details about the content, placing it on the turntable, and being able to listen to a complete album became a different way of dedicating time to music and connecting with it.

However, explaining the resurgence of interest in vinyl culture today solely with a longing for a physical object would be incomplete. Behind the record, there were analog tapes, analog consoles, studios, microphones, and most importantly, the labor of musicians, arrangers, recording engineers, and producers. Listening to a record is not just turning a sound carrier, but also remembering the time spent making that recording, the human touch within the performance, and the process of music creation.

As a collector who has been accumulating records for many years, I have always viewed records not only as a physical format but as a medium that preserves an era and carries history. When I pick up a record from my collection, especially if it is a pressing of its time, I think about the year it was produced and the conditions of that time. Because music recordings also carry the spirit of the era they belong to. You can see this in the designs on the record covers, the differences in recording techniques, the performance style of the musicians, the preferred instruments and orchestration, and many other details.

At the end of the article, I would like to share a video for those who want to take a closer look at the production process of vinyl and the story of this format stretching from the past to the present.

The Production Process and Story of Vinyl 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-umNBbDK1s 

Podcast

Nasıl Olunur? (How to become?) – Nilay Örnek

Nasıl Olunur? where journalist Nilay Örnek extends her microphone to names from different fields whom she believes do their jobs masterfully, has created a rich oral archive of 250 episodes in its approximately seven-year broadcasting life. With its wide range of guests spanning from art to science, from gastronomy to architecture, from communication to literature, the program tries to understand not only "what people do" but also how they learned that job, what experiences they went through, and how they carved their own paths. You can access the 250-episode archive of the podcast, which can accompany those curious about the behind-the-scenes of different professions and life stories for a long time, on Storytel and Apple Podcasts.

Nasıl Olunur? – Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/tr/podcast/nas%C4%B1l-olunur/id1458003492) 

99% Invisible – Roman Mars

From a door handle we use every day to the street plans of cities, our lives are surrounded by design. But how much of this do we really notice? Prepared and presented by Roman Mars, the English podcast 99% Invisible goes after the often unseen details of architecture and design that shape our daily lives. Exploring the decisions behind buildings, objects, signs, cities, and daily habits through storytelling, the program is a delightful listening alternative, especially for those who love content that makes them say, "Why have I never thought of this before?" You can listen to the weekly podcast on its own website, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

99% Invisible – Official Website (https://99percentinvisible.org/listen/)

Articles of Interest – Avery Trufelman

Why did pockets take their current shape? How do some clothing styles become fashionable again and again over decades? How does the place where a garment is produced change its story? The English podcast Articles of Interest, prepared by Avery Trufelman, looks at fashion not only through trends but also through history, design, production, and culture. Researching the social and cultural stories behind clothes, which seem like one of the most ordinary parts of our daily lives, the program appeals not only to fashion enthusiasts but also to those curious about the unseen details of design and daily life. You can listen to the podcast, which has reached its eighth season, on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Articles of Interest – Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/articles-of-interest/id1455169228)

İşin Mutfağı (Behind the Scenes)– Theater

What kind of a journey does a theater play go through before the curtain opens? Prepared by the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality City Theaters, İşin Mutfağı – Theater takes a close look at the creative process behind the world we see on stage. Conversations ranging from the stories of theater artists entering the profession to bringing a play to the stage, from acting to the history of theater institutions, offer the opportunity to discover performing arts not only from the audience seat but also from the production side. You can access the program, which is a new and different listening alternative for those curious about the unseen labor and creative world of the theater, on Apple Podcasts.

İşin Mutfağı – Theater – Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/tr/podcast/i-%C5%9Fin-mutfa%C4%9F%C4%B1-tiyatro/id1886143485)

Youtube

Great Art Explained

What do you actually see when you look at a work of art? Prepared by curator and art enthusiast James Payne, the English YouTube series Great Art Explained centers on one of the world's important paintings or sculptures in each episode, decoding the story of the work, its artist, its era, and its unseen details in understandable language. Setting aside the sometimes aloof-seeming terminology of art history, the channel offers an enjoyable way to take a closer look at artworks without requiring expertise. Those interested in art or wishing to better understand the story behind an artwork they saw in a museum can access the series for free on YouTube.

Great Art Explained – YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@GreatArtExplained) 

Never Too Small

How creative can a small living space be?  Never Too Small, which produces content in English, closely examines projects that transform micro-apartments, tiny houses, and limited square meters in different cities around the world with smart design solutions. The videos in which architects and designers explain their own projects offer inspiring examples of the creative relationship that can be established among space utilization, functionality, and aesthetics. You can access the channel, which is a visually delightful area of discovery for those interested in architecture, interior design, or simply well-thought-out living spaces, for free on YouTube.

Never Too Small – YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@nevertoosmall) 

Khan Academy Turkish TR

You don't need to be a student to be curious about a subject. Offering the Turkish content of the non-profit international education platform Khan Academy, Khan Academy Turkish makes thousands of free educational videos ranging from science to economics, from mathematics to art history, accessible to everyone. Localized into Turkish by the Foundation for the Translation of Scientific and Technical Publications in Turkey, the platform provides a comprehensive digital resource for those who want to learn a new subject at their own pace or return to a field they were curious about years ago but never found the opportunity. You can access the content, which includes more than 12 thousand Turkish lesson videos, for free on the Khan Academy Turkish website and YouTube channel.

Khan Academy Turkish – Official Website (https://www.khanacademy.org.tr/)