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Tag: Sean Connery

Leonardo da Vinci, The Rum Diary, The Name of the Rose, TED-Ed, and a Quran Passage

Sunday Supplement #180 (October 20th, 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:

“All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions.”

– Leonardo da Vinci

Book of the Week:

The Rum Diary – Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter S. Thompson was an American journalist and author famous for establishing a genre of journalism called “Gonzo,” where the writer becomes a subjective central figure and participant in the narrative.

Thompson’s most famous works are probably Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas and Hells Angels, the latter being a book Thompson wrote after spending a year with the motorcycle club to write a first-hand account.

The Rum Diary was Thompson’s second attempt at a novel (it was started in the late 1950s), but it was published in 1998, a long time after he became famous.

Set in the 1950s, the story follows a journalist, Paul Kemp, who moves from New York to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to work at a major newspaper. The novel depicts a messy, violent love story involving the Americans who work for the newspaper.

Thompson wasn’t a fan of the novel and, apparently, only agreed to publish it because he needed the money. I found the book engaging and a brilliant exploration of idealism, disillusionment, and lust.

Movie of the Week:

The Name of the Rose

The 1986 film The Name of the Rose was based on Umberto Eco’s 1980 Italian novel, which sold over 50 million copies worldwide.

Sean Connery stars as a Franciscan friar, William of Baskerville, who investigates a series of mysterious deaths in a medieval abbey.

In addition to Sean Connery’s BAFTA-winning performance, the supporting cast includes a young Christian Slater, F. Murray Abraham, Valentina Vargas, Michael Lonsdale, William Hickey, and Ron Perlman.

Jean-Jacques Annaud brilliantly directed the murder mystery period piece. Check out the reasons for the film’s R rating, but definitely give it a watch if it calls to you.

Brainfood of the Week:

How To Make Smart Decisions More Easily | TED-Ed

This TED-Ed video focuses on decision fatigue. It starts by highlighting a 2011 study on judges’ parole cases and how the time of day significantly impacted decisions.

Decision fatigue occurs when there are too many big decisions in our day. When we experience decision fatigue, we become prone to errors.

The video then highlights different ways decision fatigue can impact our lives and provides strategies for avoiding it.

I find it incredible how our perception of a matter can significantly change depending on our fatigue level. This video is a good reminder to avoid overloading yourself.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“And do not (contemptuously) turn your face away from people, and do not walk through the earth exultantly.”

– Surah Luqman 18

This Quran passage speaks to staying humble in life. Arrogance and cockiness come in many different forms, and I appreciate the examples in this verse.

When I typically think of unhealthy pride, I think of boasting. The first part of the Quran verse discusses turning away from people in contempt. This is a great reminder to check your ego and not judge others.

For me, this verse is a timely reminder to quiet my mind and attune to gratitude and humility. Our perceptions are our own to control, and this verse gives examples of wayward paths.


Decide how you want to perceive the world, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Louise May Alcott, Awaken the Giant Within, Finding Forrester, Marcus Aurelius, and a Zen Proverb

Sunday Supplement #30 (December 5th, 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:

“I am not afraid of storms for I am learning to sail my ship.”

– Louise May Alcott

Book of the Week:

Awaken the Giant Within – Tony Robbins

My first adventure into the self-help genre came in the form of Tony Robbin’s Awaken the Giant Within. He was the perfect entrance ramp for me on my journey of self-reflection and development. I’m not a massive fan of his voice or seminars, so I opt for his books rather than his videos.

Tony Robbins is one of the nation’s leaders in the science of peak performance, and he uses this book to guide people with the fundamental lessons of self-mastery.

Awaken the Giant Within provides techniques and strategies for mastering your emotions, your body, your relationships, your finances, and your life.

I first read the book around five years ago, and some of my favorite perspective tools stuck immediately. I particularly enjoyed neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and intention setting. 

NLP is an approach to communication where you focus on removing negative and limiting words from your vocabulary. The power of what you think and speak is highlighted, and the research behind the technique is fascinating. With intention setting, I found out how powerful it can be to shape how you want to participate in an experience before it happens.

There are many more brilliant techniques explained in the book, and all of them are worth exploring to see if they click for you. Tony Robbins’ work is all over the world for a reason.

Movie of the Week:

Finding Forrester

Finding Forrester follows basketball prodigy Jamal Wallace, as he is invited to attend a prestigious private high school. A chance dare connects him with a reclusive writer, with whom he refines and furthers his talent for writing while learning to express himself fully.

Mike Rich penned the brilliant screenplay that won him a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1998. Rich was picked up by Hollywood through his success in Nicholl’s screenwriting competition, and his script made it to the big screen in 2000.

Gus Van Sant directed the film, and the cast was wonderfully rounded out with newcomer Rob Brown and acting giants Sean Connery, F. Murray Abraham, and Anna Paquin. I’m still not sure how this movie completely missed the Oscars. 

The simple story is well done and is a thoughtful narrative of stepping outside your comfort zone. An underlying feel-good aspect of the movie is subtly done while addressing timely topics.

Finding Forrester didn’t receive the best reviews from critics, but it is worth checking out.

Brainfood of the Week:

Marcus Aurelius: How to Think Clearly — The Art of Improvement

The Art of Improvement is a YouTube channel that makes videos with the focus of helping viewers learn how to better themselves and how to be more productive. 

Much of the video focuses on breaking down some valuable lessons from Aurelius’s Meditations writings on living a balanced life.

Because of overstimulation, our brain limits our focus to what’s most important to us. This technique is useful to our survival but has the unfortunate side-effect of making us miss what’s going on outside of our perspective. We then can get easily distracted and removed from the present because of our thoughts.

Aurelius, in his writings, came up with methods to help himself be more aware and attentive. 

The Art of Improvement video highlights three of his methods to help improve the consciousness of your surroundings and yourself.

The discussed methods delve into breaking the autonomous loop of everyday thinking, seeing situations through an objective eye, and practices of decluttering the mind.

The video is a wonderful introduction to some of the brilliant lessons left by Marcus Aurelius in  Meditations. Let me know if you found anything helpful and applicable to your life.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Knowledge is learning something new every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day.”

– Zen Proverb

This proverb reminds me that growth isn’t always about addition. I tend to gravitate toward making sure I experience something new every day, even if it’s as simple as reading a chapter of a book or having a conversation with someone.

However, as I get older, I realize that eliminating bad habits or decluttering my schedule and the space around me makes a huge difference for my mental health.

Jesse Itzler, featured in Sunday Supplement #3, discussed how he did the math on how much time he spent watching college football each weekend and how many hours that would total over the next twenty years.

The short of that experiment is being more conscious of how we use our time. Itzler says if you only see your parents once or twice a year and are getting up there in age, you might only have a handful of visits with them.

This kind of reflection is the perfect example of how elimination can create space for more meaningful activities in your life.

Make space for something meaningful, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Mark Twain, The Pleasures of Reading, Murder on the Orient Express, Mr. Money Mustache, and Matthew 22:39

Sunday Supplement #1 (May 16th, 2021)

This is my first blog post. In it, I will discuss a quote worth pondering, 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:

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks and starting on the first one.”

– Mark Twain

Book of the Week:

The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction – Alan Jacobs

This book dismisses what has been referred to as the “right books” or “classic books” you should be reading. Jacobs gives an informative account of reading in America and delves into the many ways reading has been made into a dull affair. He then disarms this notion with the knowledge of how beneficial it is to read at whim, whether that is Harry Potter on repeat, Jane Austen, or comic books. His witty 162-page book about books helps remind any reader or former reader of the joy of reading a good book.

Reading Jacobs’s book helped me dismiss negative notions I had about what books I was reading. It also aided me in picking up a steady reading habit. I currently read a book a week on average. I mix it up between non-fiction and fiction, and I will provide recommendations for both in the future.

Movie of the Week:

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Murder on the Orient Express follows detective Hercule Poirot as he is tasked to solve a murder on the Orient Express train service. The train is stopped by heavy snowfall, and a body is found in a compartment the following morning. Poirot investigates his remaining fellow passengers to find out who the murderer is. 

The film is an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic novel helmed by Sidney Lumet. I love Lumet’s films, but I wondered if his movie would do my favorite Christie work justice. I read that the recent Branagh version wasn’t great, so I set my bar lower in case time wasn’t kind to the 1974 version. Thankfully, Lumet brought the story to life faithfully and wonderfully on the screen, and the age of the film helped make the look more realistic for the 1935 setting. 

In Lumet’s book Making Movies, he discusses a few interesting details about the production of this classic film. The all-star cast was full of movie and theatre heavyweights, including Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Jacqueline Bisset, Michael York, and Vanessa Redgrave. Lumet revealed in his book that both the theater and film icons were in awe of each other and needed to be prompted by the director to speak up at the first reading.

Another great story relating to acting was the choice Ingrid Bergman made in regards to who she was going to play. Lumet wanted her to play Countess Andrenyi, but Bergman was adamant over the role of Greta. She went on to win the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. That would be the only award the movie won at the 1975 Academy Awards, but with films like The Godfather: Part II and Chinatown in the mix, it had tough competition.

Although Murder on the Orient Express might not be the most remembered film from that year, it certainly is one worth watching. If you’re looking for an excellent classic mystery film, check it out!

Brainfood of the Week:

Tim Ferriss’s interview with Pete Adeney (Mr. Money Mustache) on his podcast The Tim Ferriss Show.

Both Ferriss and Adeney are bloggers. Tim is famous for his “life hack” posts and interviewing many top performers across various industries. He also has six best-selling self-help books on various topics. Adeney runs a famous blog with a focus on tips and lifestyle advice to maximize your finances.

In the podcast interview, you learn about Adeney’s life going up, his early career in tech, and retiring at age 30. All of this is explained in further detail thanks to Tim’s insightful questioning and Adeney’s candid and meaningful answers.

The 2-hour interview is worth checking out and is perfect for listening to on a walk or the commute to work.

Closing Prayer/Passage:

Matthew 22:39 – Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

I wasn’t raised under any denomination, but I did go to Catholic school and a Jesuit high school and college. This passage always stuck with me throughout the years. 

In the past year, I was shown how this phrase indicates that you must love yourself to love your neighbor. If you don’t have love for yourself, you won’t have any to give.

Make sure you’re filling your cup first, so you are full and can give to others.

Have a blessed week ahead!

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