tinyreviews

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Tiny Review: A Man 2022. Investigative procedural with a theme of identity.

I like the 1st act, where the mystery is set up in a heartwarming manner. The procedural 2nd act is good too. But the last act kinda peters out. I think it’s because there isn’t really any shocking or twist reveal.

That ending scene left me wondering what happened though. And it took me a while to puzzle out what happened: Akira finally understood the appeal of switching identities.

A Man (Japanese: ある男, "Aru otoko") is a 2022 Japanese psychological thriller film directed by Kei Ishikawa, based on a novel with the same name by Keiichiro Hirano. It stars Sakura Andô, Satoshi Tsumabuki, and Yôko Maki.

#a man 2022 #a man movie #japanese movie #psychological movie #thriller movies #mystery movies #sakura ando #satoshi tsumabuki #yoko maki #movie review #2022 movies

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Tiny View: Philosophy of Happiness

What’s essential in this modern day? What makes a good life? What ideals, once mastered, enable happiness to fall effortlessly into place?

Explore

Be curious. Stay curious. Never lose that sense of wonder.

Look: Pay attention. To the big stuff. To the small stuff. To nature and our environment. To how things come together, go together, in marvelous ways. To how life finds a way.

Play: More to the point, create! Distill, press, filter, mix and remix your experiences into something creative.

Select: All these magical moments, write them down, take pictures of them, etch them into memory. Keep the ones that resonate, good or bad, and make them a part of yourself.

Produce

Production fills our bellies. Production gives us nice things. Production pays the bills. Be so good they can’t ignore you.

Deep Work: These days, the ability to focus on one important task is becoming increasingly difficult, and becoming increasingly valuable. Shallow, distractible work is common, cheap, and a trap. Train yourself to have intention and priority. Master yourself.

Atomic Habits: Develop a consistent routine. Adjust your habits. Show up and do the bare minimum. Be purposeful and effective in your everyday behavior.

Become: Be that person. Celebrate small wins. Make small changes. How you do anything is how you do everything. Become the person you would admire.

Reduce

Minimalize: Declutter your space. Declutter your mind. Sometimes, it’s best to let things be. But sometimes it’s best to let things go. Keep what’s needed. Discard everything else. Enough said.

Protect

Protect the vessel through which you experience the universe. Simply put, cultivate a healthy life. Good food, good exercise, good sleep. Good thoughts, good words, good deeds.

Exercise: Walk in daylight. Jog in daylight. Run in daylight. Skip. Squat. Plank. Pullup. Pushup. Heck, just hang on a bar for as long as you can. Do something that gets your heartrate up. Do the bare minimum, but do it consistently. Make that vitamin D.

Nutrition: Whole, nutrient-dense foods. They go by the moniker “superfood”. I think they are just food, everything else is not-food. Chicken, eggs, peas, leafy greens, fruits, nuts and berries. Fatty fish. Salt and plain water.

Relationships: Find your family, no, forge your family. Find yourself. Forge yourself. Be gentle to people. Be gentle to yourself. Be firm with people. Be firm with yourself.

Sleep: Life revolves around rest and sleep, not the other way round. Plan your rest. Darkness, silence, comfort, emptiness, no distractions. Your bad day started last night when you failed to prepare for sleep. Win at life and sleep.

That’s all of it. How to live a happy life to 150. See you in the 22nd Century!

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk. Universe bless.

#tiny view #being abel #happiness #habits #philosophy #universe bless #ted talks #deep work #atomic habits #exercise #nutrition #health #relationship #sleep

[tinyreviews]

Writing Tips: Write A Story In 6 Beats

Need something quick to outline your story with?  

Here is a simple structure that combines all the popular beats in all the popular structures:

Normal World: Establish the protagonist’s everyday life, as a baseline for their growth throughout the story.

Inciting Incident: A significant event propels the protagonist out of their normal world.

New Journey: The protagonist makes a decisive choice that escalates the conflict and drives them further into the new world.

Midpoint: A major turning point that raises the stakes and pushes the protagonist to a new level in their journey.

All Seems Lost: The point of no return where the protagonist is at their lowest.

Climax: The final conflict the protagonist overcomes to achieve their goal.

Bonus:

New World: Provide closure to the story and protagonist’s growth.

If you want more meat on these bones, add subplots that setup these beats. Or subplots that setup those subplots. Or new characters with their own minor arcs.

This is part of my Writing Tips series. I publish writing tips to this blog.

#writing tips #writeblr #story structure #story beats

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Getting banned is a badge of honor. Go Streisand Effect!

"Read Banned Books" a new full page cartoon essay published in The New York Times Arts & Leisure section today.

#book banning #streisand effect

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If nothing, rain shadows and flow of water from high to low elevation should be the bare minimum. So many other features can be extrapolated from here.

reminder to worldbuilders: don't get caught up in things that aren't important to the story you're writing, like plot and characters! instead, try to focus on what readers actually care about: detailed plate tectonics

#worldbuilding #writing tips #writeblr

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Do the bare minimum.

It's hard to go from nothing to something. But it's easy to go from nothing to barely something.

It's a good start.

do you ever not write for so long that you’re almost afraid to? like what if I’m dumb now

#writing tips #writeblr

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Real life seldom make good story, actually.

UNPOPULAR WRITEBLR OPINIONS go go go

I'll start: editing the first draft is fine, actually

#reblog

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Tiny Review: Parachute 2023. Modern tale of a neurotic girl.

It’s an apt, relatable, timely portrayal of modern mental health problems. But it’s all premise and no catharsis.

It also got me thinking how modern life is ill-suited for humans. Unless we are really disciplined and aware and fortunate, it’s too easy to fall into modern traps. Dopamine, comparison with the top tier, instant gratification. Unhealthy thoughts, words, habits, relationships and lifestyles.

I wonder what the title Parachute refers to? A slow, seemingly dangerous but actually harmless, descent?

Parachute is a 2023 American drama film directed by Brittany Snow in her directorial debut. It stars Courtney Eaton and Thomas Mann.

#parachute #parachute movie #parachute 2023 #courtney eaton #thomas mann #experiential movie #drama movies #brittany snow #movie review #2023 movies

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Tiny Review: Sleeping Dogs 2024. A Russell Crowe Movie.

It’s kinda like a sci-fi story. The plot hinges on the convenient missing memories and then remembering crucial details again at convenient times.

Sleeping Dogs is a 2024 American crime mystery thriller film directed by Adam Cooper in his feature-length directorial debut from a screenplay adapted by Cooper and Bill Collage from the 2017 novel The Book of Mirrors by E.O. Chirovici, and starring Russell Crowe and Karen Gillan.

#sleeping dogs #sleeping dogs movie #russell crowe #karen gillan #adam cooper #crime movie #mystery movies #thriller movies #detective movie #movie review #2024 movies

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Tiny Review: LaRoy, Texas 2024. Fargo remake.

This reminds so much of a souped-up Fargo. Sad, bumbling characters get caught up in darkly serious situations, in a small town American suburbia. And we can’t quite tell how it will all end.

Hits my sweet spots. Highly recommended.

LaRoy, Texas is a 2023 American crime thriller comedy film written and directed by Shane Atkinson. It stars John Magaro, Steve Zahn, Megan Stevenson, Matthew Del Negro and Dylan Baker.

#laroy texas #fargo #john magaro #steve zahn #megan stevenson #matthew del negro #dylan baker #crime movie #thriller movies #dark comedy movie #movie review #2023 movies #must watch

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Chapter transitions

Ways to Skip Time In Your Stories

Finding ways to skip time in stories can feel challenging. Writers often worry it’ll make their work feel too amateur or negatively affect their pacing. 

The truth is that every author includes ways they skip time to maintain their pacing and plot. Check out a few ways to do it with confidence. 

1. Start a New Chapter

Yes, it’s really that simple. Go back to your favorite books and note how each chapter ends. You’ll likely find a few of these tricks that transition the story in ways that match the story’s flow.

Ideas to End a Chapter

The protagonist goes to sleep (likely overused, but practical)

The characters end a conversation

One character informs another of a plot twist

Unexpected action occurs, like a car crash

2. Emphasize the Season

You don’t need to tell the reader exact dates or hours to pass the time. You could mention the season instead.

If a scene or chapter ends in the summer and you need your plot to start in winter, make your protagonist mention something about the leaves changing color and giving way to snow before your action picks up again. It will only take a sentence or two, so it’s also an effective method for short stories.

3. Visualize a Movie Montage

Imagine watching a movie about a character who goes on a summer adventure. They backpack through Europe, but they have to take a flight to get there. 

You likely wouldn’t see them standing in airport security lines, napping in a terminal or watching a full movie on their flight to their destination. Instead, you’d get a montage of them driving to the airport with a shot of their plane cruising over the open ocean.

Writers can do the same thing, minus the soundtrack in the background. Describe how your character got to their destination when a new chapter or scene starts. Your readers will get the general idea and appreciate getting straight to the plot that made them pick up your story in the first place.

Here are a few ideas to do this in just a few sentences:

One delayed flight and a bad airplane dinner later, I was walking out of the Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport with an aching back and excited heart.

My trip began with the perfect flight. I got an entire row of seats to myself, which made napping through the trip much easier. A flight attendant roused me awake when it was time to land. I couldn’t believe how fast I’d arrived in Athens that quickly.

My flight was just long enough to catch up on the movies I’d been missing over the last year. The landing gear bounced along the runway in Rome just as the Barbie credits started flashing across my iPad.

4. Showcase Some Confusion

Sometimes we aren’t aware of what time it is. We only know time has passed. That might be the best way to make time pass in your story if your protagonist gets confused, caught by surprise, or otherwise discombobulated.

These are some examples:

I woke up with a bad taste in my mouth. The sun was already peaking in the clear blue sky. How long had it been since my explosive video call with my ex the night before?

The time machine landed with a thud that knocked me to the ground. The control panel exploded in shimmering sparks. What year was it?

Working a double shift always left my brain spinning. I left work, walking across the parking lot with only the stars watching my back. I could feel the hours aching in my feet, but didn’t care what time it really was. I just needed to sleep.

5. Employ a Phrase

There are many quick phrases you can use to make your time jumps immediately clear. Consider using a few of these when you feel creatively stuck:

Later that morning

A few weeks later

After months of trying

Six hours later

The following week

As the store closed for the night

-----

There are many other ways to make time pass in a story. Starting with these could help you figure out the best way to move your story forward without disrupting its pacing. 

Remember, you’re in control of your story at all times. There’s always a way through creative challenges if you take a deep breath and try something new.

#writing tips #Chapter transition

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Tiny Review: Kung Fu Panda 4. Wholesome passing of the staff.

I went into this with very low expectations. The franchise has been quite lacklustre. The previous movie barely had any story.  

But this one, like its theme, brings change. It’s commendable that they are transitioning the franchise past Po and into a new generation.

I love Po’s slow acceptance of passing on the staff. And look forward to Zhen’s heroic growth arc, in the next one.

Edit: OMG, I realized this so late... Po's awkward transition into bad jokes is a reflection of him slowly becoming a father-figure(dad jokes)!

Hmm, I can’t help but think of the MCU’s transition as well. I think this succeeds where Marvel failed, because Zhen is a wholly different personality than Po.  

Whereas in the MCU, the successors were mostly gender/race-bended bland copies of the originals.

Kung Fu Panda 4 is a 2024 American animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation. It features Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, and Ian McShane, with Awkwafina, Ke Huy Quan, Ronny Chieng, Lori Tan Chinn, and Viola Davis. 

#kung fu panda #kung fu panda 4 #kfp 4 #zhen the fox #zhen #jack black #awkwafina #ke huy quan #ronny chieng #lori tan chinn #viola davis #dustin hoffman #james hong #ian mcshane #animated movies #martial arts movies #comedy movies #movie review #2024 movies

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Tiny Review: X-Men ‘97 Episode 5. WOW. Such feels. Must Watch.

I can’t sing enough praise for this episode, after the last filler one.

I am blown away really. Excellent setups and payoffs. Excellent use of music. Excellent action. Excellent characterizations. Bold story direction.

I am really thrilled at how they are gonna continue the story after this mess!  

Every past and present X-Men fan Must Watch!

X-Men '97 is an American animated television series created by Beau DeMayo for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics superhero team X-Men. It is a revival of X-Men: The Animated Series (1992–1997), continuing from where that series ends.

#x men 97 #x men #gambit x rogue #magneto #magneto x leech #animated series #tv series review #2024 #must watch #remy lebeau #gambit

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Tiny View: Choose Your Pain

Pain Is A Price

In some aspects of life, I pick the easy routes: novel, comfortable, whatever piques my curiosity, some might call them instant gratifications.

Our lives are series of decisions. Every day we face a cascade of choices, every choice comes with its own set of difficulties. The truth is, pain is a constant.

Pain is the price of ambition, the cost of change, and the reason for growth. It is also the result of easy choices, doing things only when we feel like it, and just plain bad decisions (or indecisions). 

We have the power to choose our pain.

Whether it’s the pain of discipline or the pain of regret, the pain of fitness or the pain of sickness, the pain of study or pain of ignorance, we are always choosing our pain.

For the longest time, I neglected my diet and fitness, choosing to use my time for other activities.

The Painful Path

The painful road often becomes easy and the easy road often becomes painful. This is the essence of choosing our pain. The easy choices—procrastination, complacency, avoidance, instant-gratification—may seem comfortable in the short term, but they lead to a hard life full of what-ifs and what-could-have-beens.

I had horrible adult acne. I was skinny and weak. My posture was horrible. My neck craned, my shoulders slouched. My chest caved in, my belly protruded out.

The hard choices, discipline, perseverance, accountability, though they may be uncomfortable at first, pave the way to a life that is ultimately easier and more fulfilling.

One day, I took a good look at myself in the mirror and was disgusted at how I looked and felt. The pain of not caring for my health and fitness finally came to bite me in the behind. I finally decided to make a change. I decided to embrace the pain of discipline.

Embrace challenges. Choose the pain that leads to progress, to achievement, to growth. Choose the pain that scares us, it’s often the very thing that helps us grow.

The Result Of Pain

It took a double dose of pain, first the pain of neglect, then the pain of discipline, before I finally reached a point where I was happy with my health and fitness.

Over the years, I stuck to a fitness routine and developed a habit of eating clean. At first, developing the routine and sticking to the habit was, well, a pain. 

But now, when I look in the mirror, I am happy with myself. My acne cleared. (The acne scars are still here, but I've accepted them. They are reminders to always choose the pain of discipline over the pain of regret.) My body is toned. My back is straight. My belly is flat. I look fit and healthy.

Best of all, I feel fit and healthy.

Now I am applying this mantra to my writing (I want to self-publish a fantasy novel).

Choose Your Pain

Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of pain. Don’t let the fear of pain deter you from the path to your goals.

Reflect on the hard choices you’ve been avoiding. Ask yourself, what pain will you choose? Will it be the pain of regret or the pain that leads to success?

The quality of futureyou’s life depends on this: Choose your pain!

#tiny views #choose your pain #philosophy #inspiration #motivation

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Tiny View: Abel’s Tips for Good Sleep

In my journey to live a long, healthy life, I progressively took steps to improve my sleep hygiene. Here are what I have adopted.

Darkness:

Use blackout curtains for best effect.

Light has a big effect on our circadian rhythm. By all rights, we should be in light during the day, and in darkness when it's night. Modern life and modern technology have upended this.

Light should not fall on us when we sleep. We should be sleeping in complete darkness, if possible.

(Conversely, when it’s time to wake, we should let maximum light on us. Turn on all lights. Open the windows, let light reach our eyes and skin. Even better, go out and walk in the morning sun. Set and reset our circadian rhythm, everyday.)

Silence:

Our minds should be resting(sleeping!), not processing noise, even if it’s background noise, even if it's noise we may not consciously register.

Wearing those moldable earplugs to sleep was a gamechanger. I don’t hear a thing. No sound jars me awake anymore. I sleep like a log every night now.

Comfort — Thread count:

Sleep in a high thread count bedsheet.

A typical bedsheet has a thread count between 180 to 300. The ones in high-end hotels have 900 to 1500. I think mine is 900 and I feel the improvement from my old sheets. I literally think it feels like silk(it's really just polyester). Even now, every time I lay in bed, I can’t stop thinking how smooth(silky!) the bedsheet feels.

Comfort — Mattress firmness:

If your bed is sunken and lumpy, it might be time to get a new mattress. I prefer a firm one(8 out of 10 on the “firmness scale”). I remember when I first changed my old mattress, I didn’t realise how uncomfortable the old one was until I slept in the new firmer one…

Comfort — Coziness:

I live in tropical Singapore. I love the heat and I used to sleep with just the fan on. But nowadays(curse you, climate change!), it gets too hot in the middle of the night that it wakes me up.

Now, I turn on the air-con when I sleep. It’s set to run until 3am. I find that the room stays cool till morning.

Emptiness — Stomach:

Best to consume all food and drinks 4 hours before sleep. The digestion of food affects sleep. Empty your bladder before going to bed too.

Emptiness — Mind:

Calm and empty your mind by performing slow, deep breaths. I find this really cathartic. Especially when I can take 4 deep inhales and exhales over 2 minutes, turn to my side and fall asleep.

Single Purpose:

This is my second most important tip(earplugs is the top). THE BED IS ONLY FOR SLEEP.

I learned this during National Service. As recruits, we were forbidden to lay on our beds during daylight. Since then, I realized this is a good rule.

I think we train our minds to associate bed with phone, or laptop, or food, or other things, when we do such things in bed regularly.

Train our minds to associate bed only with sleep, such that when we do lay on the bed, our mind goes “oh this feeling, yep, it’s time to sleep!”.

Care for futureself, have a good sleep.

#sleep tips #tiny views

[tinyreviews]

Tiny Curiosity: Disease vs Decease

Disease and Decease may sound the same. One might be tempted to think they share etymological roots. Unfortunately, they do not.

Disease Roots:

“Dis-”, a prefix in Latin, usually meaning "lack of, opposite of, apart, away".

“Ease”, from Old French aise "comfort, pleasure, well-being; opportunity," which in turn is from Latin root iacere "to lie, rest".

Decease Roots:

"De-", a prefix in Latin, usually meaning "down, off, away, from among, down from".

"Cedere" originated from the PIE root *ked- "to go" or "to yield."

While both words relate to health and mortality, "disease" focuses on discomfort or disorder, and "decease" on the departure from life.

This is part of my Tiny Curiosity series. I publish worldbuilding tidbits, trivia, etymology to this blog.

#etymology #diseased #deceased

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Tiny Curiosity: Etymology of Opera

Origin: The term “opera” comes from the Italian language, which in turn borrowed it from Latin.

Italian Roots: In Italian, “opera” means “work”, both in the sense of labor done and the result produced.

Latin Roots: The Latin word “opera” is derived from “opus”, which means “work” or “effort”.

Proto-Indo-European Roots: The Latin “opus” comes from the Proto-Italic “*opes-”, which in turn comes from the PIE root “*op-”, meaning "to work, produce in abundance".

Interesting Note: The term “soap opera” originated from radio dramas that were originally sponsored by soap manufacturers. These dramas were broadcast during the day, and their target audience was primarily housewives.

Related words from PIE root “*op-”: Opus, Operant, Operate, Cooperation.

This is part of my Tiny Curiosity series. I publish worldbuilding tidbits, trivia, etymology to this blog.

#etymology #opera #operation