Category: Balance
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Finding Purpose in Redemption: Lessons from Ordinary Angels
Read more: Finding Purpose in Redemption: Lessons from Ordinary AngelsDuring a recent flight to Paris, I stumbled upon the movie Ordinary Angels, starring Hilary Swank. I hadn’t heard of it before but decided to give it a try—and it spoke to me deeply for numerous reasons. Inspired by a true story that took place during the 1994 North American cold wave, the movie follows…
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How a Manga, a Middle School Friendship, and a Global Perspective Shaped My Vision
Read more: How a Manga, a Middle School Friendship, and a Global Perspective Shaped My VisionMy short trip to Paris to visit my dad also gave me the chance to reconnect with my best friend from middle school. We met at a prestigious middle school in Paris, located near the Eiffel Tower, surrounded by stereotypically wealthy French students. He comes from Algerian ancestry, and I am of Chinese descent, which…
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Unlocking the Mind: The Interplay of Mental Illness, Music, and Brain Health
Read more: Unlocking the Mind: The Interplay of Mental Illness, Music, and Brain HealthToday, I wanted to delve into the sixth song of the album Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, released by Dream Theater in 2002. It’s actually a 42-minute epic divided into eight distinct parts. I listened to Dream Theater quite a lot in my 20s, and this particular song holds a special place in my heart.…
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Rediscovering Life Through Lost in Translation and the Power of Reflection
Read more: Rediscovering Life Through Lost in Translation and the Power of ReflectionI’ve watched Lost in Translation several times. The first time I saw it, I was told about a movie set in Japan starring Bill Murray. At the time, I was still learning Japanese at university. Watching it again after living in Japan for a while, my perception of the film had naturally shifted; living in…
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Lessons from Starcraft: Balance, Unity, and the Power of Shared Values
Read more: Lessons from Starcraft: Balance, Unity, and the Power of Shared ValuesI first played the game Starcraft while visiting my family on Reunion Island. A cousin, who shared my love for games, introduced me to it. Back then, the Internet was still emerging, and we used old Windows operating systems like Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Millennium. Thinking about that time feels nostalgic. If you’re fortunate…
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Lessons from The Last Samurai: Addiction, Redemption, and Cultural Unity
Read more: Lessons from The Last Samurai: Addiction, Redemption, and Cultural UnityThe Last Samurai by Edward Zwick stars Tom Cruise alongside renowned Japanese actors such as Ken Watanabe and Hiroyuki Sanada. The movie brings together American and Japanese cultures, and while it includes some inevitable clichés, it does so thoughtfully, adding authenticity by casting Japanese actors. (Unlike many productions that cast non-Japanese Asian actors for Japanese…
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Building Empathy: Lessons from “Another Day in Paradise”
Read more: Building Empathy: Lessons from “Another Day in Paradise”A French friend I met in Japan once sang Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins during a karaoke session. While I knew Phil Collins as the drummer of Genesis (yes, I’m not that young, though it’s still not my generation), I hadn’t heard this particular song before. The beauty of karaoke, especially when you…
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The Power of Neuroplasticity: A Path to Lifelong Learning and Personal Growth
Read more: The Power of Neuroplasticity: A Path to Lifelong Learning and Personal GrowthI don’t really remember how I started watching his podcasts on YouTube, but Andrew Huberman’s podcasts are always a pleasure to watch or listen to. For those who are not familiar with him, he is a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford University. He begins his podcasts by telling his mission is to provide at no…
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Final Fantasy VII: Reflections on Environmentalism, Corporate Power, and Collective Change
Read more: Final Fantasy VII: Reflections on Environmentalism, Corporate Power, and Collective ChangeThe seventh installment of Final Fantasy, developed by Square Enix, is perhaps the most globally recognized entry in the series, having been widely released on the original PlayStation. Recently remade (Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth), the game has been acclaimed by both the gaming community and fans worldwide. One of the…
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Namie Amuro: The Heisei Diva and Role Model
Read more: Namie Amuro: The Heisei Diva and Role ModelNamie Amuro is one of Japan’s most renowned artists, earning the title “Heisei Diva” upon her retirement at the close of the Heisei era. Often referred to as the Queen of Japanese pop, she is celebrated for continuously reinventing herself and her style throughout her career. Despite experiencing ups and downs, she consistently bounced back,…