My essentials: Erica Muscat’s cultural picks

1. Books

Greenlights (Audiobook) by Matthew McConaughey was just a random recommendation. I was hooked from the get go; no less so than by McConaughey’s Southern Lilt.  We experience ‘Greenlights’ all the time in life – an opportunity that comes at just the right time – like driving through a green light, barely missing as it turns red. These last few years seemed to be hurling red lights my way... But McConaughey claimed similar experiences as Greenlights. It made me hopeful as I reassessed my journey.

2. Film/TV

MAID (Netflix) was the last series to check into my memory bank of greatest series to date. A mother takes a job as a maid to support her child after fleeing her emotionally abusive partner.  I believe that as a Society we have begun to understand that the propensity to dole out abuse is often inherited. But so is the susceptibility to accept it...  That’s a frightening responsibility that requires serious self-reflection from parents, teachers and mentors alike. Definite Watch.

3. Internet 

I came across Vox’s Missing Chapter series on YouTube. My guilty pleasure is documentaries but I’ve always been wary of History documentaries; after all, history is told by the victors.  So Vox stood out because it was history told through the eyes of those who have lost. It’s jarring but I think it’s important to remember that people suffered in order for us to be here.  The minute we de-sensitize ourselves to that… the world will become an incredibly frightening place.

4. Music 

My dad passed away recently. He was an artist through and through – although he wouldn’t admit it at gunpoint. My dad had an incredible relationship with music – I could tell where his mind was at based on what he was listening to. The lyrics to Ben Platt’s ‘In Case You Don’t Live Forever’ expressed everything I wished I could say to him but couldn’t find the words… So I sang it to him instead. I’m eternally grateful for that song.

5. Place

My ‘little child within’ is a mini-adrenaline junkie; there’s nothing quite like a rollercoaster that comes with a story to get my heart soaring. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios was a particular favourite. But my little nephew seems to suffer from an amusingly similar predilection and I’m just counting down the days until I’m able to share his first Peter Pan ride with him at Disneyland. We’ll save chasing dragons until he’s a little bit older.