Movie Review: Minimalism

"Minimalism. A documentary about the important things"

"We spend so much time on the hunt, but nothing ever quite does it for us. And we get so wrapped up in the hunt, that it kind of makes us miserable" said Dan Harris, author of "10% happier". People are sucked deep enough into the consumerism that we are blind from our actions. We behave on an autopilot, buying and getting stuff that we don't really need. Basically, society is so overwhelmed by the items people "need to" buy that people forget what they want, let alone who they are.

Vicious circle. Hooked - brought - bought. What do we miss? There's more to life than bills, money, and work. To be absolutely sincere, It's terrible to acknowledge that some people live to work and work to buy. Their life lays somewhere in between the aisles and somewhere in the middle of an online shopping site, doesn't it sound like a dystopia? Yes, it sure does. 

Well, you might ask: "If it is so terrible, what can I do to break out of this ever-going machine?". Here are three things you might try, which are mentioned in the movie: 

1. Meditate. We are always distracted by things like phones etc, and meditation is an antidote to these distractions

2. Be conscious of what you're consuming. You need to be authentically yourself to understand what is actually important to you and not to society. 

3. "Love people and use things, because the opposite never works."

Tanya's movie rate: 5 of 10, very inspiring though 

Watch an official trailer of this documentary :)

Mars - a living new Earth

Human race jeopardizes Earth every day. We pollute the air, water, soil, we produce so much carbon dioxide that we might end up with an enormous problem of global warming (we are on the way though). Furthermore, we produce tons and tons of plastic, which is far from eco-friendly material, let alone that Earth is already overpopulated. Population density has doubled in the last five decades: from 24 people per sr. km of land area in 1961 to 59 people per sr. km of land area in 2017! Well, 21 century is a time when people started to realize what they've done, so we started to look for ways to save not only ourselves but our planet too.

"Could humans live on Mars?" or "Can we colonize Mars?" - those articles were on the fleak, due to the fact that mankind decided to turn Mars into a new living planet. Mars, as the fourth planet from the Sun, is relatively close to our planet, so it's somewhat possible to get there if we need. Also, Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere and it means that it's quite possible to live on it, as it at least has an atmosphere. Mars is more Earth-like than any other planet in the solar system, making it an attractive second option for the human race. Without a doubt, differences overweigh similarities, however, we are facing a human race extinction. Thus, why don't we give it a shot, right? Moreover, hopes are really high as scientists recently have founded water traces on Mars. 

Elon Musk, as both hero life-changer of our times and a founder of the SpaceX, landed his plan on colonization of Mars: "Our aspirational goal is to send our first cargo mission to Mars in 2022. The objectives for the first mission will be to confirm water resources, identify hazards, and put in place initial power, mining, and life support infrastructure." This plan definitely can't be described as modest in any way. However, Musk is literally changing the world and people's perception of life. 

Even though we might have great plans on the Red Planet, it would be violent to keep destroying the Earth. Yes, it is immensely important to have a back-up plan but we need to focus on saving our ecosystems and sustain a healthy environment for all living organisms on our planet. Let's start with recycling, new eco-friendly materials, renewable resources, please. 

Movie review: Isn't it Romantic?

We all know how Romantic Comedies are basic and cliched: a beautiful man meets a pretty lady, they fall in love, then one of them realizes that he/she has feelings for somebody else, then boom: he/she falls in love with "the one" and then there is a cut for a happy ending. Isn't it right? Well, that's exactly what New York City architect Natalie hates so much that she ends up roasting rom-comedies for three hours in her office. Being a lead architect with no dignity or pride whatsoever, she is known as "coffee and bagels girl" in the office. And, if it wasn't enough, Natalie is a lifelong cynic - she doesn't believe in happily ever after, love or true feelings. This fact is quite depressing for Natalie's co-worker, who is madly in love with her. She doesn't have a clue about it, though. 

Well, the story continues with Natalie being trapped in a Romantic Comedy as a lead lady. Isn't insane? With all her mocking skills and a great sense of humor, this movie turns into a funny collapsing musical. While singing, trying to make guys fall in love with her and dancing her butt off in a club, she realizes what she really needed to do - to fall in love with herself. 

The stigma around perfect relationships is quite wrong.  People need to love themselves first, in order to love somebody else. This simple fact cuts off all toxic relationships and couples' mental health issues. "Isn't it Romantic" is a gentle reminder to fall in love with yourself first, which is just beautiful.

So, love yourself and it would be romantic.