My essentials: Lee-n Abela’s cultural picks

1. Book

At the moment I am reading George Orwell’s 1984. This book was first published in 1949, and it scares me to death that Orwell’s vision at the time has been slowly seeping into our reality, in a very twisted way! We live in this constant, nagging feeling of being monitored, watched and recorded. On top of that, the bombardment of information found on social media nowadays (mostly nonsensical, unreliable and sensational) makes you wonder what human beings are feeding their brain, and if their thoughts are indeed their own. Is one allowed to think freely when surrounded by our modern-day ‘Thought Police’? hmm, I do wonder.

2. Film

Interstellar blew my mind! This movie goes way beyond any sci-fi movie I have ever watched. As a concept, it’s not too far off the mark from reality – the Earth is doomed due to environmental disasters. Fair enough. However, what struck me in this movie (spoiler alert) is the moment when the protagonist slips into ‘the black hole’ and all of a sudden, we are faced with the FIFTH DIMENSION! Say, what? I am still trying to wrap my brain around it.

3. TV/Internet

I watch, religiously, Ru Paul’s Drag Race. The sheer talent, stamina, creativity and perseverance is bursting at the seams! A dollop of drama doesn’t go amiss. Lucky for me, this series has been franchised all over the world, so there is always a programme kicking ass on the net for me to follow.

4. Music

The music I listen to tends to change according to the task at hand. If I am working on my laptop, I listen to classical music to avoid listening to lyrics and wandering off. If I am doing warm-ups and stretching, I tune in to Sigur Ros. Rock music feeds my soul. Italian songs are a constant when I am belting songs with my mother. Jamiroquai puts me in a good mood. If I’m having a shower, it’s got to be Sia. When I’m driving, I play mixes, carefully selected on my pen drive, my current personal fav is Polo and Pan. Scream Daisy holds a very special place in my heart.

5. Place

I’ve got so many places to visit in this lifetime and my reincarnations. My bucket list is aching for a visit to Japan. I have been fascinated by geisha, Japanese culture and cuisine for quite some time, and I long to experience the total opposite of what I’m accustomed to. It might be a case of the grass being greener on the other side syndrome. Whatever it is, if it has made it to my wish list, it’s bound to manifest.