Welcome to 5BF and here is the list of things I learned and thought upon in last week…
1: What I am listening to…
Rare (album by Selena Gomez): For the past two weeks actually, I have been listening to the newly released album of pop-singer and artist, Selena Gomez. I love Selena Gomez both for the artistic traits, such as her voice, her vulnerable songs, her desirably attitudinal ways of carrying herself, her gratefulness towards her fans – and also for her looks. (Being forwardly pretentious, for me, she is the most beautiful lady in our existing world). This album has many gems in forms of songs that are both vulnerably true to their not-so-appealing, painful and sad events, and as well as a celebration of coming out with them and cherishing the acceptance. My favorites songs from the album are: Rare (of course), Dance Again, Let Me Get Me, Crowded Room, and People You Know.
2: A couple of articles I enjoyed reading…
The Strangeness of Grief (V S. Naipaul): This long, almost a short-story length article is a beautiful telling of two grief-filled events in the writer, Naipaul’s, life. He has written both these tragedies with such tenderness and precision that it is hard not to feel for alongside the writer – and also see how grief, or the lack of feeling it, effects our perspective on life.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/01/06/the-strangeness-of-grief
Depressive Reality (Julie Reshe): However deeply dark and gloomy, this article is for the depressive realists who, after their depressive encounter(s), cannot unsee the dark realities of life. Here, Reshe introduces us, through the tale of his depression and his experience of researching about the effect of it, to the term ‘Depressive Reality’. Alongside, it is also a stark commentary on why sadness is okay and needs room for acceptance in our happiness driven culture.
https://aeon.co/essays/the-voice-of-sadness-is-censored-as-sick-what-if-its-sane3: What I watched…
My holidays continued for the past week so did my binge-watching of movies. Here’s a great pick from the past week’s viewings:
The portrait of a Lady on Fire (foreign film): Excuse me for not remembering the language of this movie, but the movie itself, I remember very well. Most certainly it would make its way to my long-awaited Top 10 movies of 2019 list, for it was what a film should be in my opinion. Slow-paced, a simple yet engaging story, and beautiful performances by the actresses. If you’re patient enough, and love watching great movies, it is highly recommended.
4: A video I enjoyed watching…
Beside books, articles, movies, podcasts, I also am habitual to watching informative and learning-centered videos on YouTube. I have, right now, many videos saved for offline viewing for whenever I get time, and here’s one that I watched this past week, and am happy to share with you all:
Islam, Judaism, and Christianity – A Conversation (SMAADallas): In this video, three religious’ scholars from each faith are gathered in a public conversation where they get the chance to explain their religions and highlights the general misconception about each religion. It is a funny, well-handled, and very informative, 1:10 minutes, video that would definitely excite those interested in these religions, and also about the positioning and value of these in today’s secular world.
5: Quote:
“Boredom is just lack of attention.” – Sam Harris