THE POWER OF ... SERIES
The power of a hobby
by Lorna Gordon
Productivity and being busy are seen as good things , so sometimes we forget to do something fun and relax instead of being busy all the time . One way to still feel ‘ productive ’ but get some mental down time is to take up a hobby , and I ’ m not talking about watching TV or scrolling on socials for hours .
Hobbies can be creative or active and have many benefits for us . If it is a new hobby then you will have to take the time to learn it and meet the challenges it gives you , this is the same for knitting as it is for learning to fish or starting to train for a marathon . The challenge of learning can be really frustrating to begin with , but once things click into place your new hobby will be something you look forward to doing in your spare time .
Activities like painting , art , woodwork , sewing , knitting and even gardening can be a way for you to express your creativity . These activities are very mindful , allowing you to focus
PODCASTS
One Five Seven Years
by Lorna Gordon
This month ’ s poddy is actually an episodic drama rather than a podcast . It looks at the idea of extended life , where you could live until you were about 160 years old .
While this doesn ’ t sound too exciting if you aged in the normal way , with an extended lifetime , you wouldn ’ t look or feel that old . You essentially have two decades of your , thirties , forties , fifties and so on , which would present huge ramifications for everyone , not just the people with extended life .
Each episode focuses on a different person and how ELS ( Extended Life Syndrome ) affects them and the world we live in . What would you do if you were married then found out that only one of you had extended life ? What if extended life was seen as witchcraft , or you were serving a life sentence in prison for murder ? Life as we know it
on what you are doing and block out the other more stressful parts of your day ; they allow you to relax .
If you make something from your hobby it can be tempting to see it as a way to provide an additional income for you . While this could be a way to make some extra cash , I would warn against this as it can take away the aspect of fun and turn it into and job instead of helping you relax .
Hobbies can be a way to get out and be social . If your activity means you have to take classes or join a group then you know you are going to be in the company of people who share your interest and this helps you form new friendships . This social interaction is something we have been missing over the last couple of years so it ’ s a fun way to start getting into the community again and relieve feelings of isolation .
If you are not sure what you would like to do with your time , have a chat with friends to see what they do in their spare time . Local libraries quite often have groups or run classes , as do TAFE ’ s and colleges , and you could check out the local Men ’ s and Women ’ s sheds . YouTube is also a great source of information to learn crafts if you can ’ t find an in-person class and of course , social media groups can be very helpful to find things like running groups or other sports teams who are looking for members .
Hobbies have many benefits - apart from making a finished item that you can be proud of . ( Image by Andrew Ruiz , Unsplash )
One Five Seven Years is a short series produced by the BBC . would have to change , along with laws , working life , sports and any number of other things .
This is a short series produced by the BBC for their Limelight podcasts ( there are some other really good short series by Limelight as well ), each episode is designed to make you think about not only your morality , but your morals too . It ’ s well worth a listen , each one is only about 30 minutes , but they all pack a punch .
If you want to listen to it , you can find it on most streaming services or you can go to www . bbc . co . uk / programmes / m001c6x3 .
Siena ’ s NOTEBOOK
Binge Worthy TV • Movies • Books • Reviews & News
I ’ m an 18-year-old student , passionate about all things movies , TV shows and the occasional book . I am excited to talk about my favourite films / tv shows and review some new ones in a fresh and informal way . I love analysing and critiquing forms of media and watching people review my favourite shows on TikTok has inspired me to write reviews of my own . Siena Piggott
STAR WARS : ANDOR
Are my Y12 finals just around the corner ? Yes . Should I perhaps be studying for them instead of writing this review ? Probably . But that just shows how much I love this show . I remember going to the cinemas in 2016 to watch Rogue One and coming out absolutely blown away by how captivating that story was , and Andor is no exception . In the Star Wars universe , Andor is set around five years before the events of Rogue One and A New Hope ( 1977 ). It follows a younger Cassian Andor in his formative years of the rebellion and the beginning of his dedication to the cause .
Right off the bat , the fact that this show is going to be 12 episodes long per season is worthy of
Image : IMDb acknowledgement . Most of the other Disney + shows have been an average of six to nine as Syril Karn , who is just so complex episodes long , which limits the amount I don ’ t even know how I feel about of character and plot development . him . The only way I can describe him But , as of right now , we are six episodes is morally grey and I am all for morally in , and you can immediately tell that grey characters . they are taking their time to tell a great Most of the characters are neither story . good nor evil and Andor successfully
The characters all feel fully fleshed manages to blur those lines , making it out with their own motivations and that much more realistic and engaging . layers ; even the bad guys and smaller Everyone operates in this grey area side characters feel three dimensional . full of espionage , acts of rebellion , and It ’ s also interesting seeing who Cassian betrayal . was before he joined the rebellion , and Another thing I find beautiful about how he got to that stage of his life . Also , Andor is that it was mainly filmed if you have a keen eye and an obsession on location in the UK , meaning that with Star Wars , there are call backs the settings felt so genuine and fully or references to Rogue One in each transported me into the universe . The episode which is both cool and heartbreaking . Sometimes the episodes every wide shot is breath taking , from
cinematography is unmatched , and
meander a bit , but the build up to the the industrial slums of Ferrix to the action episodes is so worth it . This is the utopian city planet of Coruscant . type of Star Wars content I want to see . I think it ’ s safe to say that this is one It ’ s gritty , dark , and feels like sci-fi . of the most ambitious projects Star
Diego Luna steals the show with his Wars has done and it has really paid off . brilliant portrayal of Cassian , and the For me this show is up there with The fact that he is an executive producer Mandalorian ( 2019 ), from the plot to of the show and had a lot of input on the characters and the cinematography . the character makes it more special It ’ s bound to become a Star Wars classic to watch . But also , Alex Lawther was whether the toxic Star Wars fans like it just amazing in his role as Karis Nemik or not . and Stellan Skarsgård plays such a
From my extensive time on TikTok , fascinating character that I can ’ t wait to I feel this show is not acknowledged find out more about . But honestly , all enough , even though it is in my top five the actors in this show make me care so pieces of Star Wars media . much about every character . One that Andor is available to watch on stands out , in particular , is Kyle Soller Disney +.
9 / 10
14 ISSUE 150 // NOVEMBER 2022 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT