Readers, welcome to another month of Slow Digest series. 

Recently, my curiosity led me to try a trending ChatGPT prompt that has been making its rounds across social media. 

 “If my mind was a room, how would it look like?” 

And the reply I got, 

If your mind was a room, it would feel like stepping into a place where curiosity and possibility are constantly in conversation. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves (how can I say no to this?), a large corkboard crowded with plans and random sparks of inspiration that seemed too interesting to forget, a comfortable reading chair (I imagine brown leather) beside a steaming cup of coffee and a stack of books waiting their turn and fresh flowers on the table (because if there is no flower, it’s not meant for Ain Soofiyah) 
The room would be slightly cluttered, full of unfinished chapters and evolving plans (because I'm indecisive like that) Not chaotic, but overflowing with interests, questions, dreams, and stories. It would feel less like a room and more like a space where a life is continuously being built. 

That said, the room is probably more livable in theory than in reality. My mind may love living in clutter, but my physical space absolutely does not. 

Moving on, with this image in mind, grab your cup of coffee, make yourself comfortable, and take a peek at the sticky notes currently covering the walls of my brain. May had me mulling over luck, money, resilience, Korean monarchy, and a pastel-coloured hotel that somehow left me with an existential crisis. 

<film>
The Grand Budapest – This is my highlight movie of the month. First, I was drawn to the cinematography of the film, the majestic pink hotel and grand interior, an irresistible bait for a girl whose entire life revolves around aesthetic brain rot, but the first line of the movie, captivated me, 
“It is an extremely common mistake. People think the writer’s imagination is always at work, that he’s constantly inventing an endless supply of incidents and episodes; that he simply dreams up his stories out of thin air.” 
Here I thought, perhaps the beauty of this movie lies in its lines. But as I followed the story to the end, I began to understand why this particular Wes Anderson film receives such high praise. 
“To be frank, I think his world had vanished long before he ever entered it. But I will say: he certainly sustained the illusion with a marvelous grace.” 
is the line Zero narrating Gustave’s life retrospectively. It makes you wonder what kind of life you want to live, and how others would describe you once you're no longer part of this world. Zero tells us that Gustave lived with etiquette, beauty, and dignity despite the world around him collapsing. And I think that's a beautiful way to live. In a time when ideologies from every angle compete for our attention and identity, and when it becomes easy to lose faith that goodness will prevail, there is something admirable about staying true to yourself, refusing to abandon your values, and carrying your own definition of elegance through a system you cannot control. 

But when luxury and comfort were stripped away from him, Gustave’s dignity slipped, and the test of staying true to his values shook his morale. 
And you realize that it’s a privileged position to attribute someone's misfortunes to laziness. Like the tip of an iceberg, they are weighed down by infinite possible reasons that we never think of. It is easy to observe from a helicopter, but much harder to go underwater and see what is happening beneath the surface 

While writing this, I realised how closely this movie mirrors Malaysia's recent debates surrounding Rohingya and Palestinian refugees. Gustave hides behind a facade of high culture and blames Zero's misfortunes on laziness, and views himself as the epitome of refined education, entirely blind to how his own social class drives the systemic oppression of immigrants. 

And I myself have never had any real interaction with refugee communities, so I usually refrain from joining these debates online. I simply do not know enough to speak with certainty. But at the same time, I find it difficult to understand the intensity of the hostility that is sometimes directed towards them. 

Perhaps offering virtue as abundantly as Gustave bestowed upon his subordinate, Zero, is too much to ask. Perhaps to treat one as decent human being and passionate, not many has the capacity. Perhaps the real breakthrough lies in understanding that a survival-mode mindset functions fundamentally differently from one shaped by a stable security and modest upbringing. True empathy means recognizing that people can hold entirely different values without us needing to rank them hierarchically. At our core, we are simply different human beings operating under different circumstances, learning to tolerate and respect those differences. 

On a final, less philosophical note: the sudden graphic violence gave my system a total shock! As much as I loved the plot and wanting to stay until the end of the movie, my fragile heart was not prepared for the graphical scene. I spent the entire second half of the movie hiding my face behind my scarf. 

<drama>
The perfect crown - I’m not going to pretend here. I watched the show for its promising casts. Although by the final episode, the producers faced heavy backlash for failing to properly research Korean history during the coronation scene. I have huge respect for that level of public accountability. I honestly wish Malaysian producers shared even half of that meticulousness when it comes to scenes involving local customs and cultures. 

I was low-key disappointed by the ending when Ian decided to abolish the monarchy. I expected much more from his character and was looking forward to seeing the progressive changes he would bring to the Korean throne as king. Instead, the ending felt cut short. I wanted to dive deep into the writer’s hypothetical vision of what Korea would look like if the monarchy were still standing strong in the 21st century. How would it differ from the current system of governance? How would a modern monarchy navigate contemporary political and social challenges? 

But the drama failed to serve its own title. Ian’s struggle for the crown is essentially the same plot that has been sold in countless Korean sageuk dramas. Despite being set in a different era, there was nothing particularly unique about it. 

Still, you can see the message the producers were trying to convey; that a monarchy is no longer relevant in the 21st century (cough Kesetiaan kepada Raja dan Negara). 

<substack>

practical things you can do to increase your luck by Erifili Gounari

the part of luck that depends on personal agency

Read on Substack
I was scrolling through Substack when I stumbled upon this article. I clicked on it with zero expectations, but one line hit me and pushed me through a wall of fear every time I hesitated to ask for help. 

And really, I thought, what’s the worst that could happen? 

Rejection. 

And then so what? 

How much does one rejection actually cost compared to the infinite possibilities that could come from trying? 

Around the same time, I was reading The Richest Man in Babylon. There are plenty of lessons from that book that I want to share, but one idea perfectly supported what I had already been thinking: 
“Opportunity waits for no man.” 
The action I took from this article was simple: get at least 10 rejections by the end of the year. 

Instead of fearing rejection, I reframed it as an achievement toward my yearly goal. And if I’m nowhere near 10 rejections by December, perhaps I simply haven’t widened my surface area for luck yet. 

DM your mentor. Ask for advice. Reach out to people you admire. 

Funny enough, this mindset gave me the courage to take steps I used to avoid because I was afraid of being judged. Now that I’ve actually tried, I realise I haven’t received that many rejections at all. What I've received instead are far more opportunities than I expected. 

The funniest part is people are often more willing to help than we assume. 

A while ago, I DM’d someone I deeply admire for his achievements. We’d worked together on a few projects before (and you have no idea how relieved I am that I didn't slack off back when we worked together.). It took him a long time to reply, and by then I had already accepted that I was about to be ghosted. I was ready to count it as my first rejection. 
And then he replied: 

See? That’s how I learned that fear had been blocking me from endless possibilities when, in reality, people are often much kinder and more helpful than you think. :))))) 

Once you understand neuroplasticity your life will never be the same again by Tim Denning

And the story of a woman who didn’t like her brain and built a new one

Read on Substack
My coach once gave me a simple hack: do things repeatedly until they become effortless habits. He asked me to imagine myself as the successful version of me, as though a TV crew was following me around and documenting my daily routine. How would I spend my evenings? How would I carry myself knowing there was a camera watching me 24 hours a day? Who would I spend my time with? 

I immediately imagined myself as Nik Nur Madihah and Nur Amalina. If you grew up in Malaysia in the early 2010s, you’ll probably remember how often their names appeared in the news, and how documentaries would follow their routines as examples for students to look up to. 

Back then, I approached the exercise by imagining I was Nik Nur Madihah. Somehow, the habits I was trying to build became easier because I had a role model in mind. Eventually, the routine became natural. 

Now, retraining myself and staying consistent with good habits is not as easy as it used to be, no matter how much I want to do it again. But after reading about neuroplasticity, I finally understand why the exercise worked. 

The brain is constantly rewiring itself based on what we repeatedly do, think, and practise. 

Every small action is essentially a vote for the person we are becoming. Perhaps it’s time for me to revisit that exercise and consciously retrain my brain again. 

11 tools for unrotting your mind by Craig Perry

How to reverse brain-rot (first) then consume and create (properly)

Read on Substack
I've been enjoying Profound Ideas on Substack so much lately that I'm this close to subscribing. But knowing that I already struggle to keep up with the newsletters I'm subscribed to for free, and that the money could probably be put to better use elsewhere, I've decided to enjoy the free posts for now. 

So, there was one this time, my wellness coach asked me to draw with my left hand, with my eyes closed and without thinking. My mind was blank. I didnt know what to draw. So I drew one straight line, and with the eyes closed unartistic and underutilized side hand, you can’t really expect the result will be a straight line. I named the piece Stagnantly Miserable. 

I left the room with more miserable thoughts. My mind is especially vulnerable to the monsters of overthinking when I’m working late at night. I was running on low-power mode, yet somehow hadn't done anything productive, which only made me feel worse. I spoke to another counsellor, and we had a good conversation, it feels like my illness is cured with antibiotics, but coming across this article is like giving me a new hearty meal to look forward to for the next day to come. 

Find yourself a project, 
You don’t feel lost because your life is meaningless. 
You feel lost because you don’t have a quest. 
It helped me realize that what I interpreted as "being stuck" was actually "having nothing to work toward." 

For the skills I wanted to unlearn and relearn, I started building my own personal curriculum. It can be anything, really. Learning a new language, improving your writing, understanding personal finance, or diving into a topic you've always been curious about. 

Set your own goal. Decide on a timeline. Create the assignments yourself. 

For me, that meant finishing a course within a month, seeking feedback from mentors, experimenting with different approaches, and applying what I had learned in practice. Once I completed one project, I found another. Sometimes I found myself juggling two or three at once. Somewhere along the way, I stopped obsessing over how far behind I was and started enjoying the process of catching up.

Honestly, we know we’re changing as we grow older, but progress often feels invisible while we’re living through it. Without something tangible to work toward, it’s easy to convince ourselves that we’re standing still. A project, no matter how small, gives you a destination. You work on it, finish it, and suddenly you have proof that you’ve moved forward. Then you find the next thing that excites you and begin again. 

Document it. Track it. Celebrate it. 

And on the days when you feel lost, perhaps you can look back at those completed projects and realise that you’ve come much further than you thought. 

<book>
The Richest Man of Babylon – I really recommend this book if you want to begin your journey toward financial literacy as a beginner. It is a storytelling book based on ancient wisdom written nearly 100 years ago. Through stories and examples, readers can see where their financial decisions may lead them 10 years ahead. A few practical tips from the book are to save at least 10% of your income, budget your spending, invest your money, and own a home. 

But a few of the points got me thinking: are they still feasible in the modern age? The book explicitly introduces readers to the benefits of usury. However, usury is explicitly forbidden in Islam. I also love the point of prioritizing home ownership so that one can grow crops and build stability, but is it still affordable at this age? What about a car to move around? 

Owning a home may have seemed affordable 30 years ago, but with minimum wages growing slowly while property prices continue to rise, many fresh graduates can barely earn enough to meet their basic needs. Their salary may be enough to survive, but not enough to build a dignified lifestyle. 

And I could not help but wonder whether the financial system that helped previous generations own homes has also contributed to making home ownership harder for the next generation. 

But despite one or two points which I believe are not practical at this age, it’s still a basic book that everyone should read to get a basic financial literacy in managing money. Another point that I loved from the book is to not procrastinate whenever you encounter an opportunity. Seize it as quickly as you can because that is how you increase your luck. 

This is what I love about reading many pieces at once. Sometimes what you are currently reading connects with your next read. The Substack article encouraged me to increase my surface area of luck, while this book taught me to act quickly once an opportunity appears and not let it slip through my hands. 

The Simple Seerah: Part 2 – I love the simple seerah part one as I shared in this post and shared the love with my cousins. My cousin fell in love with the series too and later gifted me Parts 2 and 3, which I'm forever grateful for. 

The book started with the muhajirin and ansar happily greeted Rasulullah and his companion, Abu Bakr arriving Madinah despite threats from every corner to kill him. However, majority of the book focused on the details of second major war in Islam, which is Uhud. The story of Uhud has been retold to us all over again for over than 1400 years, that it has been compressed into a simple story: the Muslims were close to victory but lost because some archers disobeyed the Prophet's instruction. 

But through this book, we get a close-up view of Uhud war. We are brought into the lives of the people who lived through it. The Muslims had to face an army three times larger than their own. Three hundred men abandoned them before the battle, and there were differing opinions between the sahabah and the Prophet regarding the strategy. The munafiqin attempted to stir unrest and create chaos at every opportunity. The book captures vividly both the uncertainty they felt and the faith that kept them steadfast. 

The pages unexpectedly brought me back to the years of the pandemic. Two years spent at home, disconnected from normal human interaction, while watching the daily case numbers rise. For we too had that moment of waiting things will get better, not knowing how it will end and when the time comes. And the waiting feels extra-long and draining each part of us. But despite during that hardship, despite minimal human interaction due lockdown, we tried everything we could to survive the moment, bonds were formed between strangers and neighbors through #kitajagakita. Despite not knowing when the sun would rise again, we prepared ourselves for the day to come. And here we are. 

And when we look back at that moment, it reminded me that history is often remembered through conclusions, while the people who lived through it experienced every difficult step along the way. We remember Uhud as a battle the Muslims lost. But when you zoom in, you begin to appreciate the faith, resilience, and perseverance it took to live through it. 

Maybe that is what this month taught me, to not to be afraid of the messiness of life. People may remember stories through their endings, but the colourful, complicated process of building a life is worth cherishing too. Until the next stop ;)