I was walking for hours in the streets of Rome. It was summer and it was hot. I stopped and smiled at this man across the street. He smiled back. I looked down at my camera and took his photo. He was stoked to be photographed and I gave him my spare change.

What I’m reading: Seth Godin’s “Purple Cow”. Being remarkable is the hard part.

What I’m watching: “The Boy and the Dog” by deaf performer Hii_een. Clever storytelling and hilarious!

What I’m listening to: Grown Ups Read Things They Wrote As Kids. Funny, sad, weird, excruciating… funny. And I love listening to the Canadian accent.

Go see: La La Land. A charming film for artists and dreamers alike. I’m inspired to play the piano again. Note to self: Play the piano this year. ❤

I took this photo while standing on the Great Wall of China in Mutianyu. It’s rare to see blue sky in this part of the world. We were lucky that a thunderstorm blew across Beijing the day before and pushed away the smoke produced by all the factories. There are almost 2 million factories in China.

Beginning this year, 2017, at the start of each week I’m going to post a list of 3 to 4 things I’m reading, watching, listening to and a film I’ve seen that I highly recommend. I’m calling it ”Adrian’s Monday Starter.” To kickstart the year, here is my first Monday Starter. How exciting!

What I’m reading: Austin Kleon’s “Steal Like an Artist”. Brilliant, inspiring and true.

What I’m watching: The Crown on Netflix. At the end of each episode I find myself speaking in a posh British accent. Endlessly compelling.

What I’m listening to: Tim Ferriss’ podcast “What I learned in 2016.” If you need some energising and affecting words to kickstart the year — Tim’s most recent podcast should be useful.

Go see: Lion the movie. Beautiful and uplifting. Dev Patel absolutely nails the Australian accent.

Red!