I can’t believe we’re already ten weeks into the year! Just as a heads up, my post for week 11 might be late because I’m going out of town for a bachelorette party. I’ll be going on a cruise for the first time! This week I am on spring break, so maybe I will have enough time to read/listen/watch what I need to and post before I leave. I also still need to film my YouTube recap for February. Ah! Anyway, if you’re reading this, thank you! I appreciate your support.
Below are my reviews for this week:
Album: Vulture Prince by Arooj Aftab
4.5/5 stars
And I’m back to getting music recommendations from my mom. Mom, where do you find your music?! Vulture Prince is an album by Pakistani singer/composer/producer Arooj Aftab. This album is melancholic and just so beautiful. According to NPR’s article “On ‘Vulture Prince,’ Arooj Aftab Finds New Meaning In Familiar Words,” this album is dedicated to Aftab’s younger brother who passed away, and so, the album has themes of grief and longing. Aftab was nominated for Best New Artist during the 2022 Grammy Awards, and she won Best Global Music Performance for “Mohabbat, which is a song from Vulture Prince.
Vulture Prince is a very intimate, solitary album. As you listen, at times it almost feels as if it’s only you alone in a room listening to Aftab sing. The album is mainly sung in Urdu, and the only song that includes some lyrics in English is “Last Night.” This song also includes lines from a poem by Sufi mystic and poet, Rumi.
My top songs in this album are: “Diya Hai,” “Last Night,” and “Suroor.” However, I do recommend giving the whole album a listen and immersing yourself in it.
Book: Turning to One Another by Margaret J. Wheatley
5/5 stars
I’m part of a leadership program at my job this semester, and we were asked to watch these 7 Partnership Principles videos from Instructional Coaching Group on YouTube:
Jim Knight gives several book recommendations in these videos. After watching these videos as part of my “homework,” I went back and wrote down the titles for all the books he recommends because they all sound like great reads! Although he talks about how concepts from these books can be applied to educational leaders, and I can learn a lot to apply to my work, I know that the ideas are applicable to just about anyone.
I decided to read Turning to One Another by Margaret J. Wheatley first because, and this might sound silly, it’s one of the shortest books that he recommended. I guess I “cheated” a bit this week with my reading because I literally didn’t start reading this until just yesterday (Friday) and I finished it today. As an audiobook, it’s only 2.5 hours long.
Anyway, with my somewhat shallow reason for reading this out of the way, Jim Knight truly knows what he’s talking about. This book is short, but powerful. In this book, Wheatly essentially argues that so many of the world’s problems could be solved with a simple solution: having a conversation. Talking to one another seems inconsequential, but Wheatly argues that if we turn to one another and truly listen to each other, great things can happen. She reminds us to listen to others, but to make sure that we approach the conversation knowing that the other person is our equal, and that even if we may disagree with them, there is always something that we can learn from the other person.
Wheatly urges readers to have conversations with others about the things that matter to us the most and offers conversation starters, or questions that we can reflect on. The book also includes poetry, quotes, and stories of instances in which conversation has led to change.
This is another one of those books that I “read” as an audiobook, but would re-read as a physical book. I do plan on getting this book so I can revisit it. I hope you will also consider reading it! I was able to borrow it on Hoopla through my library, so I’m sure you could also find a way to read it for free if you’re not thinking of buying it. Again, it’s only 2.5 hours long as an audiobook, so you really have nothing to lose! I guarantee you will learn at least one new thing about the power of conversation, and I hope that it will leave you feeling inspired and hopeful just as it did for me.
Movie: Slumdog Millionaire – Directed by Danny Boyle; Screenplay Written by Simon Beaufoy
4.5/5 stars
I’m a bit late to the party, aren’t I? Don’t judge me! There’s several great movies that I haven’t seen yet, but I’ll get to them eventually. I’m not exactly sure why I hadn’t seen Slumdog Millionaire until now. It came out in 2008, so I wasn’t too young not to see this movie when it first came out. I know my parents watched it back then and highly recommended it, but I remember them saying it was also very difficult to watch. My family and I used to watch a lot of movies together either during or after eating dinner. I feel like we might have started watching it together once, but back then I used to fall asleep a lot during movies, especially after a meal.
In any case, I finally watched it, and I really enjoyed it. It’s got drama, romance, and some action. It’s a great rags to riches story with a satisfying ending. You are rooting for Jamal the whole way through.
At the same time, I know this movie has been criticized for different reasons, including how it could reinforce negative perceptions of India. I also didn’t completely feel that Jamal’s brother, Salim, was redeemed at the end.
Despite it’s potential flaws, I still think this is a great movie. I feel like we really don’t get many movies in the West that are set in India or with Indian leads. Off the top of my head, I can think only of this movie, The Life of Pi, and The Darjeeling Limited. I hope in the future the West can see more stories from India. I know there is a thriving film industry in India, and if anyone has movie recommendations for me, please share! Some years ago, my family and I were obsessed with the Indian epic action film Baahubali, so I can at least recommend that to you for now.
Thanks again for reading!
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