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Tag: Jake Gyllenhaal

Confucius, The White Album, Donnie Darko, Tim Ferriss, and an Islamic Saying

Sunday Supplement #158 (May 19th, 2024)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

Please take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“By three methods may we learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is the noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”

– Confucius

Book of the Week:

The White Album – Joan Didion 

Joan Didion was a journalist, writer, and screenwriter. She is considered a pioneer of the New Journalism school along with the likes of Hunter S. Thompson, Gay Tales, and Tom Wolfe.

The White Album is Didion’s look at the aftermath of the 1960s in America in the realms of counterculture, the Hollywood lifestyle, and the history and culture of California.

I never heard of Joan Didion or her works, but a friend passed along her book and told me about her screenplays. I found both areas intriguing.

Didion’s examination of the era from her perspective is balanced with a memoir-esc reporting of personal events she was going through.

I found it interesting to experience a view of a turbulent time in America through the eyes of a journalist living in the midst of many of the historical events.

Movie of the Week:

Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko is a bizarre film about a troubled teenager who escapes an unexplained accident and becomes plagued by visions of a man in a bunny suit, who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes in his suburban town.

That brief description tries to encapsulate the plot of Donnie Darko, but the story excellently explores the human experience of the different ways of navigating life.

The main character, Donnie, finds that many in his community focus on outward appearance and put on a face that everything is good and life is lovely. He attempts to understand his own fears and challenge those who act as if negative emotions should be ignored.

A young Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the leading role, and the supporting cast has many excellent performances, including Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore, and Jena Malone.

I found Donnie Darko to be one of the few movies about adolescence that addresses the awkward and scary experiences their world can be. The film isn’t all doom and gloom, though, and I highly recommend it if it piques your interest.

Brainfood of the Week:

The Lessons, Hacks & Books That Changed My Life – Tim Ferriss | Chris Williamson

Tim Ferriss is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, top-rated podcaster, and lifestyle blogger. I’ve featured his podcast interviews, books, and quotes in previous Sunday Supplements.

Chris Williamson hosts the podcast Modern Wisdom, where he interviews leaders across various fields and discusses current events, politics, philosophy, science, and hobbies.

Tim’s podcast has recently passed one billion downloads. In this episode of Chris Williamson’s podcast, Tim discusses his biggest lessons from two decades in the self-improvement arena.

I find interviews and podcasts like these amazing brainfood. Hearing someone speak about the wisdom they’ve picked up along their journeys is a worthwhile addition to your routine.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Whoever knows himself knows his Lord.”

– Islamic Saying

I could find an exact source for this Islamic saying. Some attested it to a Hadith, while other sources stated it was a message pulled from various Quran passages.

Regardless of the source, I found this passage a powerful reminder of how important it is to reflect on your beliefs and actions.

When first reading this quote, it can automatically trigger religious beliefs or a higher power. I like to think about the rightful actions these higher powers and spiritual texts refer to.

Reflecting on this, I ask myself if my thoughts and actions align with my beliefs and who I want to be.


Reflect on who you want to be, act in accordance with those answers, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Pema Chödrön, Flowers for Algernon, Brokeback Mountain, Eckhart Tolle, and an African Proverb

Sunday Supplement #24 (October 24th, 2021)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.”

– Pema Chödrön

Book of the Week:

Flowers for Algernon – Daniel Keyes

A mentally disabled man, Charlie, undergoes an experimental program that increases his intelligence. His journey mirrors and coincides with a test animal, a mouse called Algernon. The story is told through Charlie’s diary entries and focuses on how he perceives the world after the brain operation increases his IQ and begins to change his life. The procedure goes into uncharted territory as Charlie’s intelligence expands and surpasses the doctors behind the experiment. When Algernon starts to show signs of deterioration, Charlie fights to make sure the same doesn’t happen to him.

This short novel is one of the most heart-wrenching books I’ve read. Every high school student should have to read this before graduating. If it has slipped through the cracks in your life, I highly encourage you to check it out.

Charlie’s realizations of the world he lived in and how some people treated him before he knew their true motives is stirring. And the change in his character as his IQ grows paints a vivid image of hubris and arrogance. The themes of morality, love, cruelty, empathy, and intelligence vs. wisdom are powerful.

Flowers for Algernon is a sad read but one of the most important books I’ve read in my life.

Movie of the Week:

Brokeback Mountain

In the early 1960s, a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy develop a relationship when they take a seasonal job herding sheep on Brokeback Mountain. Hardships beset them as they navigate their lives in a time that doesn’t welcome their relationship. Marriage to their girlfriends furthers the complications for both the men and women. The movie beautifully depicts each character’s struggles and is a landmark in Cinema.

Ang Lee directed the stunning film and won Best Achievement in Directing, becoming the first Asian person to receive the award. Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michelle Williams all received nominations for acting. The movie won Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay (Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana) and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures – Original Score (Gustavo Santaolalla). It was also nominated for Best Achievement in Cinematography and was famously nominated but not the recipient of the award for Best Motion Picture of the Year.

Brokeback Mountain came out in 2005 when it still wasn’t a widely accepted part of life to show in film. The movie was often referred to as the “gay cowboy flick” and was the recipient of many cruel jokes. An attitude.co.uk article paid tribute to Heath Ledger’s response when asked what he would say to people who believed the movie’s gay themes to be disgusting. The question represented a point of view that wasn’t widely criticized at the time and was handled amazingly by Ledger.

There are many reasons why Brokeback Mountain is a brilliant film. And the impact it made on the times is one of its lasting legacies.

Brainfood of the Week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JZdecMzaWY

Aligning with the Present Moment – Eckhart Tolle Teachings

I’ve highlighted Eckhart Tolle in two previous Brainfood of the Week posts, Sunday Supplement #7 and Sunday Supplement #18, but I still come across clips of his I think are worth sharing.

In this video, Tolle discusses becoming okay with the present. Many people have an antagonist relationship with the present moment, which causes a lot of unnecessary suffering and happiness. People can believe that a future moment is more important than the current moment. When this happens, you are never truly at home with the now; you are always looking forward to some other destination. And when there is little future left, some people turn to the past and think about previous moments.

Tolle states that one of the most important things in life is being aware of your relationship with the present moment. Is the now welcomed, appreciated, or accepted? A worthy goal is to have a harmonious relationship with the present moment. And coming to alignment with the present moment can bring about a shift in consciousness.

That is a brief summary of what Tolle talks about in the video. Check it out, and check out his other videos and writings if it calls to you.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“He that beats the drum for the mad man to dance is not better than the madman himself.”

– African Proverb

This proverb reminds me of how we can be aware of others’ mental states but not always be empathetic. There can be someone who is upset or aggressive, and we make a judgment about who they are and how they are behaving. And at our worst, we can exacerbate the situation by provoking or laughing at that person. It might not be conscious, but this behavior can come up when us versus them mentality or an outsider is present. The African proverb provides a pulled-back perspective and shows us how we can be better.

In Sunday Supplement #10, I highlight David Foster Wallace’s “This Is Water” commencement speech. Wallace talks about how our certainties and judgments can be and often are totally wrong. At one point, he gives an example of someone cutting you off in traffic and our choice of how we respond. Most of the time, we don’t choose, and we just react. What if that person’s son or daughter is hurt, and the driver is just trying to help them as soon as possible? It might not be the case, but we have the option of how we view the situation.

These are reminders of how I can make my thoughts more conscious and what can happen if I choose not to practice that discipline.

Be aware of the music around you, choose how you dance, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Brianna Wiest, Haruki Murakami, October Sky, Robert Rodriguez, and Romans 12:2


Sunday Supplement #5 (June 13th, 2021)

Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.

I hope you take something away from this post that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“One day, the mountain that is in front of you will be so far behind you, it will barely be visible in the distance. But the person you become in learning to get over it? That will stay with you forever. And that is the point of the mountain.”

– Brianna Wiest

Book of the Week:

Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami

I’ve read eleven Murakami books. His prose always reads like stepping into a dream. Many of his stories have otherworldly elements, but they keep the reader grounded in a setting that feels familiar. It is as if he writes about a place that is around the corner, just out of sight, waiting for you to come and see.

Norwegian Wood is one of Murakami’s more straightforward novels. It follows Toru Watanabe as he reflects on his college days in 1960s Tokyo— a time marked by political and cultural upheaval. The narrative picks up after the death of Toru’s best friend, Kizuki. It explores Toru’s relationship with Kizuki’s girlfriend, Naoko, and how they cope after Kizuki’s death. Even though they take different paths, they are still connected by the past.

The backstory of how Murakami became a writer is as wondrous as his books. He married while in university and worked multiple jobs with his wife to make enough money to open a jazz café. After years of hard work -finding solace in music and books- Murakami went to a baseball game that changed his life. At the crack of a base-hit late in the game, the idea came to Murakami that he could write a novel. Over the next six months, he hand-wrote Hear the Wind Sing, his first novel. The first draft was understandably bad, but Murakami pursued the next draft in an intriguing way. He wrote it in English, then translated it back to Japanese. This allowed for Murakami to write in a much simpler style, differing from the literary language used by most Japanese writers at the time. 

When Murakami finished writing Hear the Wind Sing, he sent it off to the literary journal Gunzo. He didn’t realize he sent his only copy. A year later, Murakami received a call that his book had been shortlisted for their new writer’s prize. He has written fourteen novels and six short story collections to date. All but one short story collection is translated into English.

Norwegian Wood is one of the best novels to start with for readers new to Murakami. It is one of his shorter works and doesn’t have as many mystical elements that might distract some new readers. There is some graphic content in the book, and it splits opinion among his ardent fans, but I think it’s worth the look.

Let me know what you think!

*The backstory on how Murakami became a writer is from his introduction to Hear the Wind Sing

Movie of the Week:

October Sky

October Sky is based on the true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner’s son from a small town in West Virginia. Homer was inspired by the first Sputnik launch and began to learn about and experiment with rocketry. His endeavors were ridiculed by most of the town and severely discouraged by his father. Despite the negativity, and with the help of a few supporters, Homer and his friends reached far beyond the small coal-mining town they were born to.

Jake Gyllenhaal stars alongside veteran actors Chris Cooper and Laura Dern. His performance showcased his talent and ability as an actor even at a young age. It’s not too surprising that he would shine in front of a camera, though, given that his father Stephen is an Emmy-nominated director and his mother Naomi Former is an Oscar-nominated writer. Despite being around the entertainment industry, his parents wanted Jake to grow up outside of the Hollywood bubble. They kept Jake grounded and didn’t let him take many roles early on. October Sky was the first leading role his parents OK’d and was filmed when he was 17.

The movie came out in 1999, an excellent year for television and film. Debut seasons for The West Wing and The Sopranos, and release dates for The MatrixFight Club, and The Green Mile are just some of the famous milestones from Hollywood that year. Unfortunately, October Sky isn’t often remembered when recounting films from that time. 

Even though it didn’t make waves at the box office or in the press, the movie performed well with critics and audiences— a 91% critics rating and a 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes support that statement. It is an excellent feel-good film and one you should check out if you’re looking for an uplifting watch.

Brainfood of the Week:

Tim Ferriss’s interview with Robert Rodriguez on his podcast The Tim Ferriss Show

Rodriguez is a director, writer, producer, editor, composer… the list goes on. He is mainly known for his movies: DesperadoThe Spy Kids franchise, Sin City, and Machete

This interview is one of my favorite episodes so far on The Tim Ferriss Show. Tim’s prep work shows in the questions he asks and allows Rodriguez to cover a lot of his life story. His accomplishments in film are immense, and there are many tidbits in the interview that I picked up and incorporated into my own routines.

In part of the episode, Rodriguez delves into the making of his first movie— told in full in his book Rebel Without a Crew. While he was on break in film school, he raised $7,000 (partly by volunteering for a clinical pharmaceutical research trial) and wrote a feature-length screenplay. He then went to Mexico and virtually as a one-man crew shot the entire film with some help from friends and their connections. Rodriguez then did all of the post-production and drove to Hollywood to shop the finished product around. The result was a deal with Columbia Pictures and a spot at Sundance.

The episode also delves into other areas of Rodriguez’s career since his breakthrough and what he’s learned from the journey. There are some cool stories with name-drops like Robert De Niro and Quentin Tarantino sprinkled throughout. It’s an exciting listen and one you will surely gain something from.

Closing Prayer/Passage:

Romans 12:2 — Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The passage from Romans above reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend in college. My friend told me a Nigerian saying that I will never forget. Roughly translated, it means— “Only dead people cannot learn. If you are not continually learning, you are equivalent to a dead person.”

It’s a heavy reminder of what it means to believe we know everything. 

But to approach it from a positive place, I look at the Romans 12:2 passage and set the goal to keep growing and learning, to keep striving to be a better person each day.

Have a blessed week ahead, and I hope you learn something new!

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