( I love April. I always have and always will love April. Heck, I even like the sound of it. April. This was supposed to be an April's List, but life got a hold of me and April became May..)
My life falls into place with a routine. I know that every morning I have to wake up at a certain time and go to work. At work, I complete my tasks. Then I go home, and repeat the cycle again tomorrow. In the busyness and routine, I become more grounded, I improve, I am slightly prouder of myself. I do not know what to do with myself if I didn't have a routine. I'll binge watch TV shows unnessasarily, I'll mop around the house, I basically turn into a sloth.
However, routines do have its side effects too. One day morphe into the other and become this huge blob of mess called your days, and it becomes difficult to differentiate one day from another. Some days do stand out though. My birthday in April stood out. My birthday is usually really simple but I always feel very much loved. Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah. I think my life lately has been filled with gratitude. I am so thankful for the people in my life, I am grateful for the job that I have, for the diploma I have, for the degree that I am about to take, for the classes that I teach. Allah has been so kind and merciful. Subhanak ya Rabbi.
Things that stood out...
1. BOOKSTORES: How to Read More Books in the Golden Age of Content
I used to read so much as a teenager and the older I became, the less I read.
When our internet connection got cut off at home for 2 weeks last year, I read so.many.books. Our internet was then fixed, and the books went back to the shelves to collect dusts :') I don't really have an excuse. After school or work, I am always too lazy to read, and usually succumb to *drum rolls please* SOCIAL MEDIA AND NETFLIX! (which sucks). So this video? Totally relevant.
Max (the face of the video) spoke about content diet before proceeding to search for the most beautiful bookstore in Western Europe and meeting a few people to advice him on how to read more books. I just love this video A LOT. He's very articulate, the video is interesting and beautifully shot.
2. Ways to Change the World Podcast - Jameela Jamil
Ever since acne waged a war against me in January 2018, I've been having a lot of self-image issues. It doesn't help at all that when we open instagram, youtube and other social media platforms, we are constantly bombarded with images of women who appear to be perfect.
It got to the point that I was feeling sick and repulsed by images in general. I hated looking at all these seemingly perfect-looking girls online and I hated looking at my own image in the mirror.
Back when I lived in Yemen for 6 months in 2013, I remember feeling so at ease at the fact that there were no billboards and advertisements to be found anywhere. While some might view it as an economic stunt, I just felt so at ease. Our TV cabel was in Arabic, so I didn't watch TV at all and our internet came and went, since electricity and connection wasn't stable at all. The only source of image I got were from the movies and TV series I watched. There was no FOMO, no 'here's a better house, a better car, a better lifestyle, a better fashion style' and I felt like I lived up to my name: to truly live and exist.
In this podcast, Jameela Jamil speaks about airbrushing, weight-loss and vanity. She speaks about the toxic influence that social media and 'celebrities' have on young girls and how we place value on looks rather than our worth. I love the way she speaks and the message that she carries.
Series //It got to the point that I was feeling sick and repulsed by images in general. I hated looking at all these seemingly perfect-looking girls online and I hated looking at my own image in the mirror.
Back when I lived in Yemen for 6 months in 2013, I remember feeling so at ease at the fact that there were no billboards and advertisements to be found anywhere. While some might view it as an economic stunt, I just felt so at ease. Our TV cabel was in Arabic, so I didn't watch TV at all and our internet came and went, since electricity and connection wasn't stable at all. The only source of image I got were from the movies and TV series I watched. There was no FOMO, no 'here's a better house, a better car, a better lifestyle, a better fashion style' and I felt like I lived up to my name: to truly live and exist.
In this podcast, Jameela Jamil speaks about airbrushing, weight-loss and vanity. She speaks about the toxic influence that social media and 'celebrities' have on young girls and how we place value on looks rather than our worth. I love the way she speaks and the message that she carries.
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine
This is literally my favourite comedy series ever. I love each and every character, even Hitchcock and Scully lol. It's a simple, easygoing, feel good show. It's now on Season 6 but Netflix Malaysia doesn't have Season 6 yet so I've been rewatching it from the beginning again.
- Romance is a Bonus Book
This series shows the struggles of a late-30 divorced single mother who has been out of the working world and wants to start working again. It is set in a publishing company and it was really cool to see how books are published! Besides that, the usual toxic masculinity that is usually in korean dramas ain't in this one and Cha Eun Ho (the male lead) and Kang Dan-i (the female lead) scenes make my heart melt. Also.. Cha Eun Ho is played by Lee Jong Suk. Nuff said.
- Something in the Rain
I was really excited when I watched Romance is a Bonus Book and that made me want to watch another kdrama. I didn't like the plot of this (too dramatique) but I watched it till the end anyway. The best thing to come out of this series though: Enduring by Lee Namyeon.
Movies //
- HOMECOMING: A film by Beyonce
- The Bounty Hunter
- Definitely, maybe
- The Perfect Date
See you again soon.
Aisyah.
