mervelek 1st generation author

at a gathering, while explaining how anything could become possible if the foundations of mathematics were changed, someone jokingly challenges him to prove that he is god by using 1=2. russell responds with, "put god and me in a room, how many are we? two. but if two equals one, that means there's only one person in the room. so, i must be god."

i'm not the kind of person who complains about everything, but here i am! this happened a while ago when i went to see dune 2. the cinema was crowded, and we all settled into our seats, waiting for the movie to start. on the right side of my seat, a woman was sitting alone. then a lovely young couple walked in and sat on my other side, each holding an xl popcorn. while they walked, the smell spread all around and it was tempting, and i thought about getting one for myself.

the moment they sat down, immediately started pouring popcorn into each other's mouths, completely unaware of the enormous amount of noise they were making. since the movie hadn't started yet, i was holding onto the hope that the noise would be drowned out once it did. wrong! they were right next to me, and somehow, they had a magical popcorn that never seemed to run out, no matter how much they kept chewing, nonstop, full speed. the lone woman i mentioned earlier couldn't take it anymore and left within the first 15 minutes.

in the end, i left the movie regretting that i hadn't just watched it at home, where i could eat my own popcorn at a fraction of the cost and in peace. is this newly developed intolerance toward people, especially when we're alone, about being jealous of couples in a masked way, or is it a legitimate complaint?

on the one hand, i want to see movies on that gigantic screen with epic sound systems, but on the other, i love my cozy place at home where i watch movies, usually by myself, without being disrupted by strangers' behaviors.

maybe the middle ground is the way to go; just see movies during off-hours on weekdays to get the best of both worlds.

dark academia is known as a subculture where a dark, nostalgic aesthetic blends with deep intellectual curiosity. gothic architecture, old libraries, worn leather-bound books, rain-darkened university corridors, and a melancholic mood are its cornerstones. (see: harry potter)

everything from ancient greek philosophy to classic literature, art, and history is open to deep exploration. but this journey isn't just about knowledge; it's also about confronting the darker, more complex parts of oneself.

it promotes the idea that education is about inner enlightenment rather than superficial success. it offers a world filled with the scent of coffee, cold stone buildings, poems written in dim light, and sleepless nights spent chasing unfamiliar words. alongside the romantic glorification of knowledge, themes like death, loss, and loneliness lurk in its shadows.

in the end, dark academia is shaped not just by old books and classical music but by the desire to explore the endless depths within. in a way, it's as much about the passion for knowledge as it is about the art of bearing the weight that comes with it.

it's an incredibly educational show. there are many lessons to take away for both kids and adults.

--spoiler--
as mentioned above, the series features many strong female characters. take 'katara,' for instance. she's one of the strongest characters, not just among the women but in the entire show. toward the end of the first season, our heroes travel to the northern water tribe to learn from the great waterbending masters there. but as soon as they arrive, they encounter a backward mindset.

the male masters refuse to teach katara because she's a girl. according to their system, girls can only use waterbending for healing. katara can't stand such a senseless and primitive view, so she stands up to the system on her own, and she's not afraid to challenge one of the tribe's most talented waterbending masters in the process.

the show also doesn't engage in shallow political correctness by just writing strong female characters for the sake of it. for example, through 'azula,' it presents a brilliant female villain, a character type we're only just starting to see these days. it shatters the ridiculously naive idea that 'if women ruled the world, everything would be sunshine and rainbows.' the show bluntly tells us, 'whether you're a man or a woman, unchecked power will eventually corrupt you.' when you think you've got everything under control, all you'll really have is loneliness, with nothing but your insatiable ego and ambitions by your side.

through 'sokka,' the show praises logic and science. in one episode, our heroes come across a village where everyone believes whatever the local fortune-teller says. even though the nearby volcano is showing signs of erupting, no one believes it because the fortune-teller said nothing bad will happen this year. but in the end, they see that sokka's rational warnings were right. with aang's help, the village is saved from being buried under volcanic ash.

'toph' teaches us that our limitations don't have to hold us back. as a blind earthbender, she's incredibly strong in every sense. the fact that she can't see doesn't stop her from becoming the only living metalbender. she's an amazing character who even makes fun of her blindness and is totally at peace with her 'disability.'

'zuko' shows us that we can change. he teaches us that we can't betray evil; we can only fight against it. zuko's transformation isn't a betrayal, it's a redemption. by changing, he saves not just the fire nation but the entire world. his journey is one of the deepest in tv history.

and then we meet one of the greatest characters in tv history, zuko's uncle, iroh. he could command armies, yet his favorite thing in the world is simply making tea. he reminds us that power and authority are overrated lies. to him, nothing compares to the joy of a good cup of tea. he's a man with a heart so big he helps everyone but couldn't save his own son. he holds no one responsible for his son's death, and he bears no grudges. he mourns at his son's grave with a deep, quiet sorrow.

and then we come to our avatar, aang. what can be said about him? despite his extraordinary power, he never uses it for evil. he could make the world bow before him, but that means nothing to him. his purpose is different. he chooses to be with his loved ones over ruling the world.

what makes him happiest is dancing wildly. what makes him laugh is sokka's terrible jokes. what fascinates him in this world is katara, and what matters most to him is soaring freely in the sky on appa. when he faces his greatest enemy, his only concern isn't whether he can defeat him but that he doesn't want to have to kill him. that's all that worries him. even if his enemy is a villain sworn to bring evil to the entire world, aang chooses to preserve life, not take it.
--spoiler--

avatar is an amazing animated series that can make you laugh out loud, move you deeply, and keep you excited at all times. on top of everything, it's such a well-made show that it's one of the few you can watch with your child without getting bored. it's not easy to appeal to people of all ages and genders. so no amount of praise for this series will ever be enough.

oh my, her obsession with black olives, playing with them like crazy, and after totally destroying the olive, spitting out the pit instead of swallowing it. when i toss her a green olive, she gives me that look like, 'what the heck is this? did you think i was an idiot?'

she absolutely hates all the noisy appliances in the house and will literally leave the room the moment they start running.

she is all about gossip, when my sister and i sneak into the kitchen and shut the door, our cat will come to the door and meow sadly. we think she's hungry or thirsty, so we give her food or water, and she couldn't care less. instead, she'll just hop up on a chair, sit where she can see us, and listen, glancing back and forth between me and my sister.

i swear, she picks her food brand! and she'll only eat from a glass dish, licking it just to hear that clink, but if you give her food in a plastic bowl, she won't even look at you.

even though she's a cat, she doesn't come over to rub against me asking for love or food; it's us who have to cuddle her and say, 'come on, let me love you, i'm your mama!'

and she has so many more weird habits, the little rascal.

i absolutely hate shopping. but if i had serious cash, i'm hiring a personal stylist and just living my life without a care. no more stressing about what to wear. i mean, why should i be thinking? i'm literally paying not to think, that's their job. i'm rich, baby. rich!

living alone can be really tough at times. you come home, cook your meal by yourself, and eat by yourself. even the dishes are just for one. the laundry is only for one person. you sit on a big couch all alone. you lie in a huge bed, under a double-sized blanket, but it's just you. man, it's hard!

do you know what it's like to walk into the kitchen alone? or to stare into the void while having breakfast at the table? you drink tea by yourself, wait for the night to come, take a shower, brush your teeth, and sleep alone. even your dreams are for one.

your books belong only to you. the pens on the desk are yours alone, and your notebooks are filled only with your notes. if someone knocks on your door, it's either the neighbor or the doorman. even your friends have become pairs, and you feel like there's no place for you.

such creative work from airbnb, absolutely loved them all! you can see all those icons on their homepage * basically they are custom designed places to stay to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

my favorite one is edna's house from the incredibles. the following image and its commentary, which is coming directly from the mouth of edna mode, made me laugh hard :)

image

"you might recognize that mural on the wall. it was a gift from a super whose supersuit i designed. he goes by the chiseler. exceptionally talented."

the only down part is they were only available for a very limited time, not sure why was that. they must have spent an astronomic number on those designs, to only shut them down after a month? that's crazy.

there's such a prayer in it that i practically blue-screened.

"protect me from knowing what i don't need to know. protect me from even knowing that there are things to know that i don't know. protect me from knowing that i decided not to know about the things that i decided not to know about. amen.

lord, lord, lord. protect me from the consequences of the above prayer."

watching cartoons during breakfast. i enjoy it just as much as i did when i was a kid. jetsons just ended, and now i'm starting the wonderful adventures of nils. and to preserve that innocence and those lofty feelings, i am absolutely, not binge-watching. no way, never.

i'm sitting in my favorite armchair in the living room, staring blankly at the wall in front of me. i turn on the radio, keeping the volume low. these days, my head can't handle loud music anymore. the song playing doesn't matter - i just want some background noise, that's all.

i'm thinking... what am i going to do now? what will the new city be like? when will i actually start following through on all these new decisions i've made? and so on.

just as i'm thinking these thoughts, the song on the radio changes. a moment ago, i had no idea what was playing, but now this rhythm feels so familiar. all the thoughts in my head disappear, and my entire attention is caught in the song's rhythm. in the singer's voice, in the breaths between sentences.

thank you, radio. thank you, tom waits. once again, all my thoughts have drifted away. once more, i've been swept up in the rhythms, and tonight, i've forgotten everything.

online, as we all know, people present themselves as they want to be, not necessarily as they are in real life. we behave in ways we wish we could in reality. that's why i think many people online prefer staying anonymous * because if a friend saw what we wrote, they might mock us, saying, "that's not really you. what's with all this stuff? you're faking!"

but when you fall in love with that person online, you're giving them a chance to become the person they actually want to be. it's like saying, "i fell in love with 'the person' you introduced me to, so if you can actually be that person too, then come here, darling."

some succeed, some don't, and give up. i think what matters is giving that chance to ourselves and to the other person in hopes of meeting somewhere in reality.

i got to know him this year (see: eurovision 2024). he is my absolute winner. i like it when such things happen in the least expected moments. i wasn't expecting much from eurovision in terms of discovering songs to listen to over and over again, to lose myself in them. they made us get used to seeing shows & dances rather than pure, naked songs.

ok, enough complaining! this guy absolutely blew my mind. i don't even remember how many times i've listened to that song "mon amour" to this day, and his special performance where he does that acapella thing is something you gotta see.

and let's not skip the crucial part of his performance; his eyes * what lovely-looking eyes those are. it's been a while since i've come across someone who "looks" like him.

i've already become a fan, and he has great songs other than mon amour, here are my favorite ones belle, la recette, je te le done, viens on s'aime and mon amie la rose and much more... check his spotify!!

good things are like russian nesting dolls; they come with more good things within. as i ended up discovering more french artists, both old & new whom there was no way i'd discover otherwise. oh thanks to spotify's recommendations!

they must think honking will miraculously clear up traffic and make everyone speed ahead instantly. and those who join in after the first person are probably thinking they'll be granted the magical power of moving through traffic faster than everyone else.

if i could take a megaphone in that jam, here's what i'd say to them: listen up, my brothers and sisters: horns are for warnings. if you sense a dangerous situation, you honk to alert the other driver.

but please, for the love of god, love of your wife & husband, love of all things holy in your life, don't fucking do it in the morning! i'm seriously cursing under my breath, don't make me curse out loud first thing in the morning.

do you think people are out here at 8 am for a joyride? we all have the same problem, we all just want to get to where we're going as quickly as possible. stop honking for no reason! if someone could move, they would. no one's hanging out in traffic for fun, trust me!"

something i've been experimenting with for quite a while and coming up with the same conclusion. let's say i'm listening to new music to find some gems, yet as expected, i keep coming across a lot of shitty ones * and the more i keep going, the more lower-quality music, based on my taste buds, comes out.

and i just stop the discovery mode when hitting absolute rock bottom. then after i give myself some time to recover, something interesting happens as i get back to listening to one of those songs that made me think "meh" before; suddenly, after being exposed to truly horrible ones, somehow starts to sound actually good! and even i catch myself enjoying them and saving them on my playlist!

i don't think this only applies to music but to all areas of our lives. the thing is, i can't even comprehend how much shit is going through us without being noticed and falling into the acceptable box out of this extremely dangerous thing called comparison that is happening at the back of our heads non-stop, subconsciously, based on what's available to us at the given moment. and that's quite scary.