My essentials: Dave Calleja’s cultural picks

1. Book

The Secret Life Of Salvatore Dali. I chose this book as this is an autobiography of the renowned surrealist artist. It covers his early family history, his early life, and his early works up to the 1930s. It recalls his life as a child in a small village in Spain and the progress of his artistic journey.

I love this book because surrealism is my favourite kind of art, and Dali is one of the greatest in the surrealist movement.

2. Film

All Is Lost is a story of a solo voyager on a yacht, which at night collides with a drifting shipping container. Robert Redford, the actor struggles with the open sea, and the fight to survive from a sure death.  The movie makes one reflect on our collective daily struggles in life. It makes us realise how life can be calm one moment and crazy the next. Being a sea lover myself, today I appreciate everything and everyone even more.

3. Internet/TV

I make it a point to limit my time on both the internet and television - to be honest, I am not a fan of either of them. Yet for the sake of relaxing after a day’s work, sometimes I do end up watching a Discovery TV series which would probably be about sea or nature, or a travel documentary.

The internet is my main source of news, daily info, and all the upcoming events.

4. Music

I have a diverse taste in music, and my preferences vary with my mood. I’m drawn to less mainstream genres, including rock, alternative, country, and electronic music.

The main things I look for in a song are the lyrics as well as the rhythm.

Lately, I have been listening to Echo and the Bunny Man – The Killing Moon, as it recounts everything from birth to death to eternity and God and the eternal battle between faith and human will.

5. Place 

I visited the Ionian Islands more than once and every time I go, I fall deeper in love with this place. The scenery and calm sea are reminiscent of living in the 1980s and the islanders there, are still laid back and living a worry-free, humble, and simple life. I can’t get enough of the emotions that this place generates in me.