Photo Credit: Karthikeya Gautam Most of my photos are shot on the Pentax Spotmatic, which is a 35mm film camera with an M42 screw mount. I like to pair it with a 50mm f/1.4, which is the original lens manufactured for this piece, and one which, in my opinion, works like a charm on it. Before I get into my history with this camera, it would be a disservice not to provide a brief rundown of its own...
Photo Credit: Focus Features I’ll be honest—when I first saw the trailer for Conclave, it did not seem like my cup of tea. Knowing nothing except that it follows the classified process of electing a new pope, I was expecting a repetitive and preachy commentary on theology. But after devouring director Edward Berger’s brutal yet beautiful 2022 adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front, I...
As a general rule, I try to leave the house as little as possible. Continuously enabling me in this endeavour—no, lifestyle— is the fact that I am a second year law student. One of the greatest things about being a 2L is that I have even less occasion to leave the house than when I was a 1L. Some find this surprising given that 1L was more work and therefore required more time spent at home...
“Wanna try out my fuzzy pink handcuffs?” Sabrina Carpenter sings in her song “Juno.” This lyric has inspired an impromptu moment of fan engagement during Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet tour where she hands out fuzzy pink handcuffs to someone in the venue’s pit for being “too hot.” How exactly impromptu is this seemingly spontaneous moment, and are there any legal risks of liability artists...
One of my favourite reads and a book that has made the greatest impact on me is The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown. Brown is a social work graduate, researcher, and storyteller whose research focuses primarily on shame, empathy, and courage. She has spent time researching and discussing the concepts of “wholeheartedness” or “wholehearted living.” She shares that wholehearted living includes...
On 31 October 2024, The Sims 4, one of the most downloaded games ever, released its seventeenth expansion pack (and its seventy-second pack in general): “The Sims 4: Life & Death.” This got me thinking about my lifeline when it comes to the Sims, the series developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. I remember buying the base game around 2018, a time when I wanted to focus on...
Photo CredIt: ReVue CInema Earlier this year, the Ontario Science Centre permanently closed. Allegedly, the closure was due to structural concerns within the building— the roof was caving in, and there was reported damage to sprinkler and electrical systems. However, these structural issues did not appear out of nowhere: the roof was collapsing because the Science Centre was not provided funding...
Two Amber-stones of sunset glow Price any for them I’ll pay For they shimmer as lit ebony so That merchants of seven lands are frayed. I am enamoured, disturbed such That I have told of them tales replete How they are perfumed of misty lavender buds And reflected in them is Creation complete. They have burnt for centuries, it is said And will flame on...
The summer of 2024 was brat summer. Other artists tried to claim the summer with Taylor Swift commenting “SUMMER OF SABRINA [CARPENTER]” on Instagram and Taylor Swift’s own highly anticipated The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD) era. Yet, the oversaturated green and brat font was Gabbriette—everyone was inspired, including brands, advertisers, fashion and political parties. Anything that was a...
As the end of Brat Summer approached, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan embarked on their co-headlining North American tour, “Sweat,”in support of their newest albums, Brat and Something to Give Each Other, respectively. The tour stopped in Toronto, Ontario at Scotiabank Arena on 18 September 2024. The concert was opened by Shygirl, and, following a brief intermission, the co-headliners made their way...
Hello, everyone, from your Arts & Culture editor. It’s only a few weeks into the new school year, but I imagine everyone—like myself—is feeling the burn as readings begin to pile on and midterms approach. However, even as you’re killing the academic game, you must remember to take a break from the law school world for some time and do something you enjoy. Outside of schoolwork, my...
“We may have years, we may have hours, but sooner or later we all push up flowers.” Photo CredIt: LucasArts You have to be serious about a noir film. That kind of cynicism and brush up with hard-boiled reality isn’t pure escape. You might get a happy ending, sure—but then you might also hear whispers of “forget it, it’s Chinatown.” There’s a lot of prestige tied up in the genre, and there’s no...
Photo CredIt: Toronto InternatIonal FIlm FestIVal As the school year began, the yearly Northern migration of Hollywood A-to-Z listers, their agents, distributors, and directors took place at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Despite the shift from Bell as the festival’s biggest partner to Rogers after nearly three decades of partnership, the festival felt largely the same as...
At daybreak, you find yourself searching for the light, You see clouds, birds, trees, and grass, but no light, As day passes to dusk, light’s husk is not to be seen, Twilight approaches, and to your dismay, darkness is in the queue, What would dark be without light? Dare not say fright! In the darkest hour, the moon’s beams descend into the night, Watching from afar, you stand as close to...
In All About Love, bell hooks (note that hooks intentionally does not capitalize her name) describes love as a deliberate action. Love is a verb, a thing we do, and we should do it intentionally. This is foundational for a loving ethic. Throughout her book, hooks argues how love has space in all aspects of our lives, including the workplace. In order to cultivate self-love, we need to surround...
An unauthorized guide to Osgoode’s best faucets and tap lamps. The Tap Lamps We are constantly surprised by the number of our peers who are unaware of the “tap on, tap off” lamps on the tables furthest away from the windows on the upstairs floor of the library. In fact, we are only sharing this information with Obiter readers because we are graduating and won’t be around for the inevitable fights...
I hope spring is coming soon because winter can kindly leave. Spring is the time to start leaving our homes again and (hopefully) start going on nature walks and exploring what Ontario has to offer. I’ve compiled a list of some routes I’ve hiked over the past few years, or ones that were recommended to me by friends. I’ve included the distance from Osgoode as well, and hopefully the...
Two Hollywood classics and a little reflection on life In the summer of ‘19, a few friends and I were making conversation on a patio—ice cold soda in tow. On impulse, one fellow recommended that we go shoot pool at a nearby dive. One thing led to another, and what followed was a summer of regular games and good times that’s become as sentimental as it gets. Two obsessions have lingered since then...
The 2024 Academy Awards are just around the corner, and somehow—between law school classes, summer job searches, and general late winter agony—I watched all ten films nominated for Best Picture. In my humble opinion, 2023 was a phenomenal year for movies. Many of my favourite films of the year weren’t even nominated for best picture, and I consider everything that did make the shortlist at least...
I remember when Taylor Swift’s 1989 album came out. After a couple of years of liking Swift’s music in secret, almost overnight, she became the new celebrity of the moment—it was now officially cool to listen to Taylor Swift. Many fans still ardently uphold 1989 as her best album—undoubtedly, it was the album with the most cultural influence, launching Swift from a country singer to a mainstream...
Obiter Dicta held a “found poetry” event on February 7, 2024, where attendees created blackout poetry. This is a form of poetry where words are selected from existing text (in this case, old published Obiter articles) and the rest are blacked out to create a new poem. Here are some of the fun creations from the event: Author: Grace Lawrence Men and women who live in a society as just...
Well, yes! With the highly anticipated release of Beyoncé’s country album, more folks are learning about the history of country music, with most Black folks—like myself—getting back into the genre. Beyoncé has received heavy backlash for the two country songs she has released from her new album, with folks calling her sound inauthentic (despite her being from the South) and criticizing her use of...
Last year, I wrote an article for Obiter Dicta about my now thirteen-year tradition of watching and ranking all of the films nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars. As previously explained, in 2023, I actively avoided watching films that received praise from critics or the film community at large. After the Academy releases the nomination...
An Angel’s Visit At night , an angel comes to me flying from moon. And behind the veil gives me a beautiful flower. Saying that it grew on the moon’s soil and now it belongs to me. Every night , on every petal of every flower , have I seen ; The reflection of your face and smelled the odor of your skin. ********************************************* When you sit beside me , I disconnect from...
This is a great recipe that requires minimal effort and dishes to show people that you can, indeed, bake! Particularly if you enjoy chocolate, and your sweet tooth craving is through the charts, I find that these brownies are the key to your perfect dessert. My brothers, who in combination are the pickiest and most annoying food critics, are always willing to break their diets because...