Monthly Recap: March 2018

This is what I got up to this month.


Where I Went
Edinburgh, UK - a month without travel!

What I Read

Old Demons, New Deities -  This is a collection of modern Tibetan short stories. I normally don't read fiction, but this is one of the best things I've read in a while. It's a really good way to better understand the social and political issues facing modern Tibetans in Tibet, Nepal, India, and the US.

It also relates to a film I bought recently, Royal Cafe. I found it on Etsy and watched it with some friends. It's about the issues of refugee Tibetans in Paris, dealing with finding work, cultural differences, and a limbo political status. I thought it was really well done for an amateur and self-produced film. I hope they make more films!

I'm reading Oil and Water right now and will report back in the next monthly recap.

What I've Been Listening To
This song is from the Paprika soundtrack. I actually really like this soundtrack, especially Parade and The Girl in Byakkoya.

Paprika is a Japanese anime film, which is like a mix of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Inception, except more bizzare and absurd. It's so good though.   What I've Been Watching This leads me into what I've been watching lately. James and I have been having a Studio Ghibli marathon since February. We have one rule: subbed not dubbed. It's been really good. We've watched Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Castle in the Sky. Castle in the Sky has been my favorite. I can't really pin down why, but I just couldn't stop thinking about the film for about a week after we watched it. Of course the art and music are amazing, but I really liked the concept.

For my Chinese cinema course, we've watched some really good ones recently. My favorites for the Sino-Japanese War unit have been Devils on the Doorstep and City of Life and Death. They're good for very different reasons. Devils on the Doorstep is hilarious, traumatizing, and psychological. I really love Jiang Wen, who directs it. I also love the other film he made, In the Heat of the Sun.

City of Life and Death is about the Nanjing Massacre. It's done really well and actually looks like a documentary. It's such an interesting and powerful story.

Finally, the Good Place! I've only just started this show, but I already made it through the first season. It's a philosophical show about the afterlife, but it's also hilarious and the acting is amazing. It's a bit psychological as well, and it reminds me a bit of West World in a weird way.

Best on Instagram This was my best photo on Instagram this month. We had a huge snow at the first of the month and I took this from the 7th floor of one of the university buildings here in Edinburgh. What a view!

Inspiration
I feel like I've really been absorbing a lot of inspiration, but the first thing that comes to mind is the Harries twins, who were YouTube sensations about four or five years ago. They're great photographers and videographers. They just went to Bhutan to make a film about environmental protection. Their Instagram stories have been really interesting and I love this picture Jack posted at the end of their trip. Really makes me want to go to Bhutan...

Challenges This month has been really stressful. I've been working on three essays at the same time as well as managing all my classes and reading and other stuff. I've just finished up two of them and now I can focus on my last one, which is for Linguistics. I enjoyed it, but I've never written two big essays in less than two weeks.  The other challenge has been unemployment. I'm looking for a job for after I graduate, which has been consuming a lot of my time and emotional energy. I haven't gotten a response from anything I've applied for (or the Masters program I'm still waiting to hear from). So it's been a mix of the waiting game and staying on top of job listings, filling out lots of forms, and figuring out exactly what it is I want to do.  Highlights I think the good thing about these challenges is I think I've handled it all really well (maybe not emotionally). I feel pretty organized and on top of things. I feel like I have a good strategy for keeping on top of readings, taking notes, planning essays, finding jobs, writing down what I've applied for, and generally just being on it. I hope I can keep that up as I finish up essays and start preparing for exams.  One highlight has been a trip to the Botanical Gardens last weekend. It was sunny and warm and we walked all the way there. It was also a much needed day off!

We made kimchi this month. We have as a flat (3 people) 6 cabbages' worth. I think it's a bit much, but I am also very confident we will eat it all by the end of exams. 

Finally, it's starting to feel like SPRING! We've had a few nice days (and a lot of not nice ones). But here's some pictures from the nice days.