Thinking about things

TV snobs love to hate on "Young Sheldon."
If you're not familiar with the show, Young Sheldon is a spin-off of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. And it follows the daily (mis)adventures of a young Sheldon Cooper as he navigates his life as a boy genius in Medford, Texas.

My siblings and I were raised in a Catholic household, which meant memorizing lines of prayer, fingers nightly indented with rosary beads, Sundays spent in church, and a lifetime of guilt.

Repression is also one of the core teachings observed in a Catholic household. As children, we were reminded and reprimanded on a great number of things: from how we conduct ourselves, to what we wear, and of course, how we speak.

And nothing is more repressed from our vocabulary than swear words.

The global pandemic forced all of us to shift our ways of life. Many reverted to old habits by revisiting lost loves and abandoned pursuits, while others found new hobbies that distracted them from the bleak reality. It's ironic how much we've explored even without stepping out of our homes.


While true, this isn't the complete picture of how the lockdowns affected everyone: these explorations were also luxuries for us who can work from home with uninterrupted livelihoods. But still, many have lost their sources of income, while others bore the burden of making sure that the world didn't stop spinning and fall into chaos. Some are fighting silent battles, as being stuck at home meant that they are also stuck in toxic environments.

The arts help people to cope in dark times – even during a pandemic that prevents us The arts help people to cope in dark times – even during a pandemic that prevents us from experiencing art and culture alongside others in the same physical spaces. We've curated a list of quarantine companions for whatever mood you're in. We thank these ladies for not letting the pandemic stop them from releasing music (while still ensuring proper health and safety protocols were observed in the process of producing these albums), proving once again how women are unstoppable.

It's been over a month since Taylor Swift surprised everyone with the release of her eighth studio album Folklore.


There were no hints, teasers, or fanfare with this release sans this tweet. Folklore did not only surprise us by catching us off guard, but also by departing from what we knew of Taylor's musical identity, yet again.