Weekly Roundup Episode 94: It’s Ok to be Alone
Welcome to another edition of Weekly Roundup!
There’s a quote I’ve come across on Instagram, with a Twitter handle made from Leonardo Dicaprio which I assume is some fan made account of some sort. The quote reads, “If you have the power to eat alone at the restaurant or sit alone in a cinema hall then you can achieve anything in life.” While I do agree eating at a restaurant alone is difficult as it makes one feel extremely awkward, watching film in a theater is an extremely easy activity to do alone in my opinion… You maintain full focus on the film you’re watching, without fearing of being distracted.
That quote strikes me as a bit fascinating: The idea of handling the basic activities alone, terrifies people. When I tell people the activities I do alone, I get a strangely concern or confused response. People can’t imagine doing activities alone or feel fearful about my well being, as they feel extremely bad that I sometimes go about participating life alone. While they’ll be some occasions here and there, where having company would be nice, however more than often I just don’t mind going about activities on my own.
When I was a junior in high school, I vividly remembered thoroughly enjoying myself doing an activity on my own. I attended a double feature at a movie theater Warm Bodies and Dark Skies. I always go to the movies typically with family and rarely ever with friends, but on a random day in February 2013 since no one wanted to see Warm Bodies… I decided to go by myself. I recalled the experience to be extremely satisfying. Enjoying the idea of experiencing a film without fear of being distracted by your family or peers is one thing, but I felt a massive weight lifted off my shoulders.
See I’ve always felt accustomed to the idea from being a child to a teenager, that I couldn’t be able to do things that I wanted to do, if I wasn’t accompanied by others. Not that I felt is was abnormal to do things by myself, I just always felt it wasn’t allowed since I have never done anything by myself before. Going to the movies by myself that day felt like a breath of fresh air, like I felt extremely happy that day. I feel it’s because it made me realize that anytime I wanted to do anything… I can simply just go out and do it myself, without feeling like I actually have to rely on someone to tag along.
I feel most people don’t like going out by themselves, is because they’re extremely uncomfortable by the idea of it. I feel the reason being is humans don’t feel it’s normal to be in any kind of state of loneliness or being in any state of silence. Which makes a lot of sense: Human Beings are extremely sociable beings after all. Another reason why those can’t handle going out by themselves, is most human beings are not in a place where they fully enjoy themselves. Self Love is more uncommon within human beings than you think, which is why many human beings fill the void by being around others. People are more in tuned with a great deal of insecurities, that’s why the idea of being alone terrifies them… How can you enjoy going out alone, if you hate yourself?!
I feel the idea of being comfortable going out by myself, wasn’t a surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed it right from the start. As being a complete misfit: I would have to learn to enjoy my existence, as being different can become extremely difficult to have others not only accept you for who you are, but be more willing to want to hangout with you. I felt I had a consistent relationship with myself, simply by loving the idea of my existence. Sure I maybe completely different and a bit weird: But I can’t help but admire someone with a massive unconditional loving heart, who has a unique mind that can’t compare with anyone else’s. So being by myself would come natural, as I know how to enjoy myself since I love myself.
I feel being by myself can be therapeutic. There’s a sense of freedom, you can think or say whatever it is you feel at the moment, without any fear that people are going to harshly judge you. Being around people can be difficult: You almost feel obligated to act a certain way and to hold your true self and thoughts back, because the idea of unnecessary confrontation is draining. Not for anything: Human Beings have become way too cruel, harsh, and extremely judgmental, especially in extreme measures. You don’t think exactly what one thinks: You feel you’re going to be crucified… That’s why there is an uprise in introverts now a days, having an accepting, understanding, and loving person is hard to come by. Not to say it’s ok to say offensive things or make another person feel uncomfortable: But a healthy way of life is allowing others to be who they are naturally, without fearing they’ll be judged for every little thing should be normal.
The other sense of freedom is you don’t have to wait on others, in order to go out and have fun. There have been SO MANY moments in my life in which plans are made, where I would have to wait on them to come through or whatever, as more than often they bail at the last minute or be the biggest flakes around. It’s an awesome feeling knowing that at any given moment, where you want to go out and do anything… You don’t have to fear it won’t happen, simply because you can just do it yourself. That’s why more than often I just rather make plans with myself, because the heartache and frustration of plans being canceled due to another person’s negligence is a crappy feeling to endure.
Over the years I’ve done a lot of fun activities by myself. Heck just this past Saturday: I went to The Weeknd concert by myself, as I had a BLAST. Half way through the concert three people next to me left early, as I was given so much room to lose myself within the music and got to dance freely. Yeah sure it would’ve been cool to have a date or be with a friend, however… I had way too much fun for my own good, as I got to fully expressed my excitement in singing along and dancing, life is meant to be enjoyed.
While I do enjoy going out by myself: They’ll be times where I do like some company. Dates are my favorite activity in life alongside with watching film in a theater, I love hanging out with friends whenever I get an opportunity, and a rare occasion with family. If it were up to me: I would be going out with friends once a month, going on dates bi-weekly. I feel it’s great to have a healthy balance of having time for yourself while having time with others… Sometimes you need to be with people, sometimes you need a break from people. At the end of the day: It’s perfectly ok to love and enjoy yourself, on that note time to talk about movies!
Hustle Grade: B
I’ve been holding off on watching this film for awhile, considering the fact I was originally suppose to attend a movie date in a theater with this lovely gal from California… She loves Adam Sandler and his films, so to her this was a perfect date idea for her, you don’t get too many girls whom get extremely excited for a movie date these days.
Hustle is a film that not only highlights the hard working journey one must take to succeed in becoming a pro basketball player, but the journey it takes to achieve your desires. You look at a guy like Stanley Sugarman (Adam Sandler) whom always wanted to be a coach, but unfortunately was stuck being a dead end NBA scout that went as long as twenty to thirty years. Sometimes in life: One must make the sacrifice in order to get where they need to be, as for Stanley that meant quitting his job, betting entirely on himself. So this film could be used as motivation for anyone, that sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith, within that leap of faith you continue to work hard and trust the process as sure enough you’ll get where you need to be.
I enjoyed the whole storyline within Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangomez) as a random construction worker from Spain, getting recognized from thin air by Stanley, as there can be a possibility of making it to the NBA. The film brings us knowledge in terms of the age requirement one from over seas can be qualified for the Draft, plus it highlights how much hard work, integrity, and discipline one must have in order to succeed as well. There’s also A LOT of hustle and grinding involved, where you must find some creative chops in order to be recognized as well, which I felt the whole #BoaChallenge sequence was a cool touch. It was a nice little underdog story, I enjoyed the character Bo Cruz as he’s someone you wanted to root for and wanted to succeed his dream to provide for his family.
I felt my biggest flaw with this film is most certainly the timeline, with regards to the combine. I felt it was poorly constructed, as given the indication Stanley has told Bo the combine is in two weeks as he must step it up… The process felt extremely longer than expected, not to mention putting the #BoaChallenge along with it now you’re questioning how exactly can this all fit in within two weeks of time?!
Overall, Hustle was a solid film. I recommend checking this one out, it’s a quality sports movie while also bringing a motivational feel good vibe along with it. I wish I actually attended a movie date with this one: Would’ve been a lovely theatrical date experience, but heck she made it up the following day with a dinner date so no complaints.
Inside the Mind of a Cat Grade: B
Funny story: Back in 2020 while my sister and her husband were out of town, I had to babysit their animals which one of them were a two month old kitten. As I was trying to sleep in the main bedroom: The kitten would scratch me with her paws, as before you know it she took over the entire bedroom as I had to sleep on the floor in the other room… That kitten was a nightmare for that entire few day stay. You can say my history with cats have been mostly negative: Whether it be that experience or some of my allergies kicking in, I’ve just never been much of a cat person at all.
I felt Inside the Mind of a Cat though the style and presentation does mimic the likes of a good ole fashion, worksheet in a classroom video assignment… I will say that this was a pretty informative documentary that really did help me understand cats better.
The documentary featured several cat experts, whom became extremely passionate in their line of work, learning about the behavior and mannerisms of cats as they brought a new perspective on cats to the table. When it comes to a cat actually being attached to their owner: The owner really has to take it extremely seriously when it comes to taking care of a cat or else it simply won’t behave the way you want it to be or be attached to you in any regard. One may be amazed by watching the cats in this documentary, simply due to the fact there were a lot more loving, affectionate, and most certainly behaved than what we normally expect from cats.
Cats can become great pets: But it’s all up to the owner to reach that cats potential to get there. You have to be extremely patient, positive, and provide full on attention with a cat. It felt comparable to raising a child… There is no guarantee if the cat is going to like you, you really have to take full care of this cat, as the cat reflects on how well you treat it. It’s really not like having a dog where you can treat it unconditionally with love for a fair period of time, as the dog will give you endless love as you can be a little lackadaisical here and there, as dogs can quickly forgive you and still love you at the end of the day. That’s why most people love dogs: Dogs lift a weight off a human beings shoulder that it’s ok to make mistakes, as the dog will still love them unconditionally at the end of the day, while cats you have to be near perfect in terms of attention and treatment throughout in order for them to love you back.
Most of the guest speakers in this documentary were very informative whether it be discussing the cat’s behavior, how one can excel a cat’s potential in doing tricks, or even going over the history of cats as how they’ve made an impact on human’s lives for thousands of years. I’ve learned a lot about cats, as it was a pleasant and delightful learning experience for me. This documentary had a moral purpose in teaching viewers, whom aren’t necessarily cat lovers themselves, to better understand cats as a whole as I felt this documentary did indeed succeed in that area.
Overall, Inside the Mind of a Cat was a solid documentary film. I recommend checking this one out, both fans of cats and those whom hate cats can both enjoy this film.
Metal Lords Grade: B-
Metal Lords is a good ole fashioned unpopular kids, trying to start up a band, as within the process they not only become better at making music but their lives turn for the better at the blink of an eye… Something you would like to watch at one thirty in the morning.
Kevin (Jaeden Martell) was easily the best character in the entire film for me, as he poised a better lead than his co-lead Hunter (Adrian Greensmith). See Kevin is just your regular everyday band geek, whom barely gets noticed at all. As Kevin attended his first party he suddenly gets an urge to be more sociable and more bold, as he enjoyed the vibe of the scenery plus how much attention the band that played at the party gotten.
It was an adorable transition, I like how more determined and focused Kevin has become during this process of slowly but surely becoming a drummer, it really boosted his confidence as a young man. Plus the whole development with him and his friend Emily (Isis Hainsworth) was extremely cute, I like how loving and accepting Kevin is as a person, as while Emily was going through a rough period… Kevin helped picked her up from the ground, which later developed into a sweet relationship.
Even though the main flaw of this film is certainly Hunter, he’s an extremely unlikable character. However: Hunter does tie in with the characterization of Kevin. Even though Hunter doesn’t deserve a friend like Kevin, as Hunter has mistreated him and most certainly his girlfriend, Kevin realizes how much of an impact Hunter has made on his life. Without Hunter: Kevin wouldn’t be thinking of being a rock band like drummer, which did helped boost his confidence to where he can be more sociable, and have a chance at dating a girl. Kevin is a great example of what a good friend should look like: Doesn’t leave someone behind towards a mishap, as they acknowledge the good they’ve done for them as they can forgive and move past it.
I felt the music sequences were fun and energetic, something about the development of making music always excites me no matter what kind of music it is. There are a couple fun executed sequences that were also exciting to endure, including a reckless car chase scene and also the big escape scene in the finale, followed by the Battle of the Bands.
The film can be flawed by simply the lack of originality of this film, as there has been PLENTY of stories of this caliber told much better. There are also some silly mishaps, including one being completely unaware of a $13,000 purchase… I understand his occupation, but one making that much money how are you not self aware of your spendings for so long?!
Overall, Metal Lords was fairly decent. I recommend checking this one out, it’s not fine art but it’s still a fun cute quality watch that’ll jump start your day. -Mitch Smietana