Last month, I tried out a series of 5 things that I particularly enjoyed over that month. I found it a fun and reflective practice and so I guess I’ll continue with it, with this post marking its second iteration. Here’s my favourite book, cringe-worthy video, song, article and quote over May, 2020.

Favourite book: The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (translated by Ken Liu). This book is the first science-fiction book I’ve ever read and I loved it. The book begins with the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, where a girl witnesses her father being beaten to death in China. Four decades later, a string of inexplicable suicides lead a nanotechnology engineer called Wang Miao and the Beijing police to the mysterious online game called the Three-Body Problem which seems to be the key to these deaths and much, much more.

The synopsis might sound strange, but seriously, this book blew my mind. The storytelling was excellent, the character development of Wang Miao throughout the story is very relatable and the situation that’s depicted in this novel gave me some intense anxiety. There’s something stunning about science fiction that often goes unappreciated. As the author Cixin Liu writes in his postscript,

I’ve always felt that the greatest and most beautiful stories in the history of humanity were not sung by wandering bards or written by playwrights and novelists, but told by science. The stories of science are far more magnificent, grand, involved, profound, thrilling, strange, terrifying, mysterious and even emotional, compared to the stories told by literature. Only, these wonderful stories are locked in cold equations that most do not know how to read.

Favourite cringe-worthy video: Scott’s Tots. Anyone familiar with The Office (US) will know this scene as being one of the most cringe-worthy moments in the existence of television. If I ever feel too comfortable with whatever I’m doing and want to get a little shaken up, watching this 8-minute clip at 1x speed never fails to make me recoil with second hand embarrassment.

Favourite song: Que Sera Sera (Doris Day). This is a simple song based on the Spanish phrase “que sera, sera”, meaning “what will be, will be.” Originally sung in 1956, the simplicity of the lyrics and melody add no distractions to the comforting message I find particularly relevant during these turbulent times.

Favourite article: Young Delacroix on the Importance of Solitude in Creative Work and How to Resist Social Distractions. A few weeks ago, I noticed my mind was restless, constantly darting between one thought and another – never really stopping to be still. This seems ironic given the current peace of physical distancing, but I suspect physical stillness doesn’t correlate with mental stillness. This article gave insights from people much wiser than myself who have shared their thoughts on this idea of solitude and avoiding distractions, reminding me of the importance of taking some time to be still.

Favourite quote: If you want to be a grocer, or a general, or a politician, or a judge, you will invariably become it; that is your punishment. If you never know what you want to be, if you live what some might call the dynamic life — but what I will call the artistic life — if each day you are unsure of who you are and what you know, you will never become anything, and that is your reward.

– Oscar Wilde