According to French color historian Michel Pastoureau, there is no transcultural truth to color perception. It is society that makes color, defines it and gives it meaning.

When the news that a picture of an Irish potato sold for more than a million dollars made headlines, most of us couldn’t understand what made it so special. It’s not rare to hear people saying, “My four-year-old can draw that” while standing in front of an abstract painting or an experimental display. So, how do you know if something is worth considering art? And why do people regard paintings of seemingly nothing but colorful blotches and geometrical shapes as something legendary? If you are tired of pretending to like a piece of art without actually getting it, here is a guide for you to better your understanding.

Anime are magical. The Japanese animation industry builds intricate plotlines, complex characters, and fantastic animations for their anime. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the anime industry grosses over billions of dollars from all around the world annually. Their visual impact is just as strong as their elaborate stories. Music is just as rooted in anime as they are in the Japanese culture. The opening and closing tracks to some popular anime have topped major music charts in several countries. In Japan, music is a revered art, some of the world’s greatest musicians are Japanese and recitals and music competitions are the communal norm. There is thus an entire genre of musical anime at your disposal. In Japan, musical anime aren’t about crooning lengthy dialogues as done in the west. They are about expressing the musicality of a musician and his understanding of music. To get your started, here are The Week’s recommendations.

Prasanna Adhikari never knew how to do just one thing. His father, Pratap Adhikari, both a sportsman and a musician, raised him up to be just like him.

When I pick up a book to read I do so with certain anticipations. I’m not seeking for a life-altering read that will inspire me to shave off my hair and venture into the wilderness in search of Nirvana all Christopher McCandless style (except for a few times when I go all nihilistic on life, we all have our days)

The fashion industry, worldwide, has for years been a victim of piracy. Someone comes up with a concept and before you know it there are many inspired (read copied) versions of the same. And Nepal is no exception.

Studying medicine is demanding to say the least and most medical students barely manage to attend lectures and prepare for exams. But Mohit Karki claims to have made it a point to hit the gym for an hour every day throughout his college days. Yes, classes were grueling but working out, for Karki, was an escape, a release he couldn’t do without and he never compromised on it.

Learning a new language is no small feat. You will probably have to practice for months before you can even string together words to make a proper sentence. But let that not frustrate you and deter you from learning a new dialect.

If you find yourself tired and irritated at the end of the day, stressed out by school, college or work, it can get difficult to find a motivation to get up and do it all over the next day. In between all the hassle, you need some time, a few hours, to yourself when you can catch a breath and feel in control.

Gold ornaments aren’t the only jewelry we know of these days. Everything from silver to brass and various other materials like felt and wood is used to make accessories these days. And what’s more, people seem to be favoring these jewelry items over conventional (not to mention pricey) gold rings and necklaces. The Week caught up with four different contemporary jewelry brands to bring to you their stories.