iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Just realised 2026 has been filled with so many danceable bangers 🎶 • Slayyyter • Robyn • Charli xcx • Madonna • Harry Styles (yes, despite the derivative melodies, I thought the whole album was fun)

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

This comedy about the afterlife gives a lesson in the ordinary, secure love. The leads give charming performances, and the humour relies on the quirkiness of its world-building and the clapbacks of Randolph's character. ETERNITY never tips into full melodrama, making it light, breezy entertainment.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

As a coming-of-age comedy about friendship and competitive dance, there's nothing new in BEST OF THE BEST. What it offers is a fun peek into the world of collegiate Bollywood dance in America, resulting in an engaging diaspora comedy and a playful tribute to the glorious excess of Indian cinema.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Travel writer and train enthusiast Tim Richards launched his latest book TRAIN EUROPE this week. A fun and delightful read with a very sleek design. Perfect as a gift or coffee table book. Available here: www.readings.com.au/product/9781...

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS is a witty take on consent and harassment in academia, wrapped in a cute, predictable romcom.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The silver lining, according to Alejandro González Iñarritu, is that despite where the world is heading, art will always persist. #digger

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The apocalyptic meta-comedy DIGGER may seem like an overt satire of America's messianic complex and the complicity of the so-called West, but ultimately, it is a reflection on the power of art as a truth-teller and its ability to poke fun at power, even as the joke is still on the viewers.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I imagine for someone unfamiliar with Filipino folklore & culture, FORGOTTEN ISLAND would be a fast-paced, sleek animation about memory & friendship. As a Filipino however, I was overwhelmed by the care the film put into the cultural elements & visual language that it became an emotional experience.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Switched from the Microsoft Surface Dock 2 for Business (1GK-00009) to the Dell Universal Dock UD22 so my office setup can support both Surface and non-Surface devices.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Okay, I forgot Walang Hanggan by Quest 🎶

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Post-2010, the music scene in the Philippines has evolved into something more confident and distinctly its own. These five instantly come to mind as favourites: Tadhana — UDD Buwan — juan karlos Multo — Cup of Joe Bawat Daan — Ebe Dancel Isang Umaga — Johnoy Danao

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Half Life and Barely Breathing are my go-to karaoke songs. And Spring Awakening is one of my all-time favourite musicals. A genius mix of upbeat tracks and haunting, beautiful melodies. Easily a top 5 musical for me. Safe travels, Duncan Sheik.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

This whole debacle surrounding the ginger singer is just another reminder that being "nice" is a currency of the privileged. Free Palestine.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The dark comedy series AFTER LIFE touches on taboo topics, with the dry humour only Gervais could deliver. It's cathartic without being sappy (mostly) and surprisingly affirming in the way it confronts grief and the bleakness of ordinary life.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

THE 'BURBS is a fun mystery-comedy with an endearing cast of oddball characters. The plot could be wittier, but it’s definitely Wisteria Lane with swag.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Sydney theatre companies have announced 2027 programming and it looks stacked! John Proctor is the Villain (STC) The Picture of Dorian Gray (STC) Next to Normal (Hayes) Be More Chill (Hayes) Game Set Match (Belvoir) Stereophonic (Belvoir) This Melburnian is jealous.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

So after some deliberation, two recent films have entered my all-time favourite list. Let's see how long they stay. Perfect Days (2023) The Life of Chuck (2024) Full list: boxd.it/d0lT0

boxd.it

Favourite Films of All Time

Favourite films of all time. Trilogies listed should be counted as one film (Dark Knight trilogy at #12 and Lord of the Rings trilogy at #17)

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

A private outdoor onsen makes a strong case for paradise 🇯🇵

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Starfield Library, Seoul 🇰🇷

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Winter is officially over when you start seeing hot air balloons hovering over the Melbourne CBD (this morning I only saw two)

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Excellent as background: Survival of the Thickest, Adults, Mid-Century Modern, Girls5eva, The Sex Lives of College Girls, NSFW (slow start but eventually grew on me) Great start but became stale: Abbott Elementary (I still watch it on flights), The Other Two Any recommendations?

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

They're perfect for background or multitasking viewing, and because there's usually not much plot to keep track of, you can watch episodes months, or even years, apart and still keep up. Highly recommended: Hacks, Bait, Deli Boys, Starstruck, Ramy

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

The tradition of half-hour comedies has changed so much since its peak in the '90s. There are still great ones, and Hacks is the definitive example. But even in a streaming landscape increasingly dominated by character-driven, boldly written miniseries, there's still space for half-hour comedies.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

According to GPS and location technology company TomTom’s 2025 Traffic Index, these are the ten most congested metropolitan areas in Asia, based on the increase in travel time compared with free-flowing traffic.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

NOW OR NEVER FESTIVAL is lighting up the city #melbourne

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Social mobility is most fragile among the lower echelons of the Australian working class. BREAK OF DAY explores this beautifully in an evocative production featuring the magnetic Kat Stewart, supported by a brilliant cast, elaborate stage design, and a script that is accessible yet heartbreaking.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Supernormal's ever reliable lobster roll and their noodle of the week, steamed rice noodles with calamari 🥣🥣🥣 #melbourne

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

My review of FLOODLAND, a documentary about the devastating floods in Lismore, New South Wales, is now on my Substack. andreimartind.substack.com/p/film-revie...

andreimartind.substack.com

Film Review: FLOODLAND

Directed by Jordan Giusti; Bonsai Films, 2026; 91 minutes (documentary); limited theatrical release

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

BITTER CHRISTMAS is probably Pedro Almodovar's most self-aware work, acknowledging his recurring technique of weaving films within films, yet still managing to be extremely enjoyable and hilarious. Definitely my favourite work of his this decade. #miff2026

A middle aged man in yellow working on his computer and a younger man across him sitting on a couch

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER centres on an unlikely, riddle-filled relationship forged amid the endogenous wars of 1500s Japan. Tales of warfare strategy and treason emerge through conversations and psychological tension in this elegant period drama. #miff2026

Two seated samurais in Sengoku era Japan

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

"It is the secret of the world that all things subsist and do not die, but retire a little from sight and afterwards return again." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

A golf course with Wes Anderson textures is used as a microcosm of the hierarchy of Philippine society. FILIPIÑANA is as slow a burn as slow burns get, which is precisely the point: if you're at the bottom of the social order, you can keep moving and waiting, but no help is coming for you. #miff2026

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

As a character study, GOYO feels lacking, but in its exploration of a flawed system and a national psyche shaped by patronage and hierarchy, and especially as a follow-up to the powerful and gripping Heneral Luna, it's brilliant.

A Filipino general on a horse in front of his army, during the Philippine-American war in the 1890s

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

“Planters were politicians and politicians were planters.” Capitalists, colonisers and politicians have long shared interests — and often the same beneficiaries. Guardian traces how some of colonial Australia’s powerful figures profited from the slave trade. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

theguardian.com

Sydney’s sugar rush: how the colony’s most powerful profited from Australia’s slave trade

Australia likes to think its history is untainted by slavery but a new book traces how a who’s who in the NSW capital profited from the capture and sale of ‘blackbirded’ Pacific Islanders

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

The season opened with a rogue dragon and ended with a rogue dragonrider.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

As part of the ongoing Melbourne International Film Festival, my favourite Christopher Nolan film was reimagined with a brand new and live musical score by drummer Michael Cavanagh #miff #miff2026

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

This Japanese curry plate with crispy tofu, mushroom, and avocado is a vegetarian dream dish #melbourne

Japanese curry bowl with mushrooms topped with sliced avocado, and a side of crispy tofu

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Is it a feel-good movie with a silly plot? Yes Was I crying by the end? Also yes

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Even the simplest of dreams, like the beauty of flowers, can wilt under the weight of a world that's stacked against you. FUNERAL FLOWERS holds that fragility with delicate restraint. Lucy Ansell is a powerhouse in this heartbreaking work on innocence trapped by the direst of circumstances.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

If convoluted conspiracy theories are your thing, then eight episodes of I WILL FIND YOU can be a good multitasking background. I still found it enjoyable, especially if one can get past minor illogical details and a supporting cast with inconsistent performances.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Today I had a crash course in co-fermentation, where coffee beans are fermented alongside fruit to develop distinctive flavours. Peak Melbourne.

Two hologram cards for two different coffee flavours: Mango Lassi and Strawberry Cheesecake

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

That's true. Even in software and information systems I already heard this is already happening

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

BBC: For more than 20 years, the Philippines built one of the world's most successful outsourcing industries by selling the skills of its people to multinational companies. AI may not end that model, but it is certainly changing it, and risks leaving some workers behind. www.bbc.com/news/article...

bbc.com

How AI is changing jobs in the Philippines' outsourcing industry

AI is reshaping the Philippines' outsourcing industry, raising questions over the future of the industry.

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

MACKENZIE brings Macbeth's themes of ambition and destruction into the unhinged world of teenage celebrity stardom. The result is a hysterical, non-stop comedy of Shakespeare crashing into High School Musical and Lizzie McGuire. One of the most fun theatrical productions in recent memory. #melbourne

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Andrei @andreimartin.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

New semester of teaching begins

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