ALBONE

 My takeaways from the life and canonization of Saint Carlo Acutis. There is a canonized saint who liked Nutella. That is amazing. On September 7th, 2025, Pope Leo XIV canonized Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati. Both Carlo and Pier led holy and inspiring lives, but there's something about Carlo's story that resonates with me personally as a young Catholic living in the 21st Century. Just to give you a 411 on Carlo's life in case you don't know about him: He was born on May 3rd, 1991 He was Italian and lived in Milan with his parents He had a passion and talent for computer programming He died of leukaemia on October 12th, 2006 What I find inspiring about Carlo's life story is how...regular and relatable it is. He went to school like most kids. He wasn't that good at soccer (me too!).  He liked playing video games.  I mean...the man had a GameCube.  Yet Carlo was a really good kid. He wasn't perfect, but who is? One of his teachers remembers that he som...

 Nuclear fusion, lab-grown beef, trillionaires...and more! Bonjour, tout le monde. It's 2025. We're halfway through the 2020's and a quarter-way through the 21st Century. In my opinion, life on Earth is still a bit...normal. Now, that's not a bad thing. Life's good for a lot of people. I'm grateful for life. But I'd have imagined that 2025 would feel more...futuristic. Where are the lunar bases? Where are the flying skateboards? Yes, we've had a few major developments over the past few years, such as the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the public sphere, but it would be cool if we got some more futuristic technology or development. I thought I'd write a post with 25 things I think will happen by 2050. Now, I'm not a scientist. I mean, * ahem* I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Economics, so I'm  technically  a  social  scientist  (who cares?) , but my predictions don't have much empirical evidence to support them...

 A few thoughts on how to keep going in life. The APA (American Psychological Association) Dictionary of Psychology defines motivation as "a person's willingness to exert physical or mental effort in pursuit of a goal or outcome." Well, sometimes, that willingness simply isn't present in sufficient quantities, or isn't there at all. Motivation is something I'm sure everyone has struggled with at some point. We don't want to keep working on that project. We don't want to start washing the dishes. We don't want to get out of bed early. But things have to be done. So how do you stay motivated? Well, I'm struggling to find the answer myself, but I have a few ideas. It's advisable to start small. Say you want to learn a new language. Well, practicing for an hour each day would be good, but that's rather difficult if you're a complete beginner. So start with say, 10 minutes each day. Then after a week or two, maybe add another 10. You...

 Whether by land, air or sea, there's lots of ways to get where you wanna be. Happy New Year!  December was two months ago. It's quite a travel heavy month worldwide. Many people are on holiday and take their time to visit family and friends or go on vacation somewhere. For those of you who have had the experience of taking a flight, how do you find it? Personally, I find flying to be quite an engaging experience; meaning that you have to be engaged the entire time. You need to know where your passport and other travel documents are at all times, monitor the time so that you don't miss your flight, etc. There's so much to do both before and after your flight; I find the flight itself to be the least stressful part of the entire experience (but that's just me). All you gotta do is sit down and do something until you arrive at your destination. Then there's road trips. These can be more fun than flying due to the reduced level of preparation and the increased flex...

 Sharing some thoughts on a charming little film.  I re-watched Marcelino, pan y vino (‘Marcelino Bread and Wine’) with my family recently. Even though it was probably over a decade since I’d last seen it, I remembered most of the plot as it’s pretty straightforward. I’d say the film’s strongest point is its simplicity. [OBLIGATORY SPOILER WARNING] Set in 19th-century Spain, the movie mostly takes place in a Franciscan monestary, where one monk discovers an orphaned baby left outside the monestary, the titular ‘Marcelino.’ The monks decide to raise Marcelino like a son and the rest of the movie follows Marcelino’s childhood. The attractive part of the film to me wasn’t necessarily Marcelino’s exploits, but the lives of the monks. The simple life of prayer and work is one I found quite interesting. It’s good to be reminded of the different ways in which communities around the world can live. Being a monk isn’t easy (but who’s life is?), but it’s certainly meaningful. Pablito Ca...

An attempt to remind ourselves what Christmas is all about. I'd like you to imagine that your birthday is coming up (if it is actually is, happy birthday in advance!). You've been looking forward to your birthday for a while: it's a day to celebrate with your friends and family. It's not like this is the only day where you spend time together, but it still is special. About a month or so before your birthday, you notice that your family members have begun to put up decorations. As much as you're looking forward to your birthday, you can't help feeling a little perturbed at their early preparations. Your family have started preparing invitations as well. Finally, the day arrives. Once you reach the party venue; you hear sounds of music and laughter. Excited; you try and enter but...the door's locked. You knock on the door repeatedly, but no one comes to open it  You try calling for help. No answer; not even on your phone. No one can hear you over all the nois...