Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1507818
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 SEPTEMBER 2023 6 ALMANAC My essentials MARELAINE FORMOSA 20, full-time law student, artist, activist I will be starting my 3rd year of law in the University of Malta next October, following a summer of rehearsals for MADC's One Act Festival. I always had a balance of a creative and an academic at heart, with both school and activism at an equilibrium. In fact, I was in multiple University organisations including USPA, GħSL, and currently MaltMUN, all while fighting with time to pass end- of-years. 4 5 1. Book 2. Film 3. Internet 4. Music 5. Place MY all-time frequented so- cial media platform is Pin- terest, be it for inspiration, for nail or outfit ideas, for crochet patterns, or for reci- pes. It is an endless platform which brings me joy. It is one of those platforms I use when I want to avoid the negativ- ity Facebook or Instagram might bring. While I might regret entering the applica- tion due to ending up scroll- ing for hours, the end-result is always a positive one. ANY choices related to music depend on my mood. Usually, I listen to music most while I drive, either through the ra- dio, or through my personal playlists. My taste ranges from pop, to musicals, to Eurovi- sion hits, to calm indie tunes. I like being the stereotypical singing in my car at the top of my lungs kind of girl, espe- cially with company to put a smile on their face. Thankful- ly, being a singer, I hope I don't sound like an excited seal, but more like Olivia Rodrigo or Sara Bareilles. MY all-time favourite place in Malta is Mdina, the Silent City. It is truly beautiful, and no mat- ter how much I travel, I can nev- er find a place with its charm. I love going there, taking a stroll around its narrow streets, and imagine what this small town went through in its past and present. What it saw; the fear, the happiness, the years gone by - it is a place I will always be in awe of and happy to go to, espe- cially when I drop by for a piece of cake at Fontanella. ONE book I read this last year was American Royals by Kath- erine McGee. Not at all a seri- ous intellectual book, but that is precisely why I started read- ing it in the first place. It is about America if it were to be a monarchy, with all its drama and romance; you can expect the cheesiness. I wanted to read it because the world can get so serious and stressful, so I needed a break from it all for the sake of my mental health. Thankfully, it even got me out of my reading slump. A film I watched that stuck out was Oppenheimer - the talk of the movie industry in August, but truly a must watch. Even though it may be seen as a con- troversial choice, the movie's cinematography was impecca- ble, and films depicting history are always interesting. It was challenging to understand the plot chronologically, and all the physics talk, but it still grabbed my attention like no other film did, and that, is Noble prize worthy when you realise my attention span does not last a long while when watching films. 2 Compiled by Laura Calleja suggestions by email lcalleja@mediatoday.com 1 3