By now, you’ve read a number of articles about how terrible twenty-twenty was so I won’t go into details how it went for me. Suffice it to say, I managed to survive and am currently enjoying the benefits of telecommuting.

I finished reading Harry Potter books #3 and #4 this month and currently reading The Order of the Phoenix. Does that sound like I’m making excuses for not being able to read more articles? Definitely.

Why are we learning languages in a closed world? (BBC)

Being a language enthusiast- dare I call myself this when I only know basic Korean and fundamental Japanese?- I find it fascinating to know other people’s reasons behind learning new languages. Quarantines might have made it to the list, boredom might be another, but the article mentions people wanting to keep their brains active. This is definitely saying something. If before, people only wanted to stay at home and relax by watching Netflix shows, now people want to learn something.

The Shortness of Life: Seneca on Busyness and the Art of Living Wide Rather Than Living Long (Brain Pickings)

Since I have lurked in Brain Pickings for several years, sometimes the articles I include in my current archive might have already been included in my other posts. I have to admit that this article looks familiar.

Learning how to live takes a whole life…

Seneca

What quarantine has taught me is being productive is overrated and people can choose their preoccupation and that whether we are being productive is a question we ask when we compare the result of our efforts against the effort of others. There isn’t any uniformity in how people use their time so qualifying the ‘quality’ of life based on how much work I finished in one day or how much rest I got on a weekend is a futile yet endearing exercise.

The most ancient supermassive black hole is bafflingly big (Science News)

There are so many things we have yet to learn about black holes. Though the power they hold is still scary, I can’t deny that they are fascinating. Perhaps, it is because there are still so much to learn that is why they remain fascinating.

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I’ve been so engrossed in reading the Harry Potter novels and playing Genshin Impact that I haven’t gotten around to reading more articles. However, I have another post in partnership with the The Write Reads on Twitter scheduled on the 18th of February so look forward to that. Ciao.