I have read many books and watched many films.

It is hence difficult for me to pick out a clear favourite.

But let's give it a try.

My favourite novel has to be Haruki Murakami's Wind-up Bird Chronicle. I adore the lone protagonist striding in the hostile and utterly alienating urban landscape and the almost fantastical adventures he has having sex, fighting monsters real, imagined or within. There were some striking scenes that were etched in my mind. That of the person in the well...whose existence at that point was made meaningful in the momentary  sun ray and whose life became empty after he was rescued. The irony of it strikes me and left me feel perturbed and in a state of disequilibrium.

My favourite biography is definitely Nelson Mandela's Long walk to freedom. Through it, I lived vicariously as a freedom fighter. He's my personal hero ever since.

My favourite non-fiction book is without a doubt, Thomas Sowell's Basic Economics 4th Edition. Being a history student, I often looked at current affairs and a wide array of issues from a political and historical point of view. That is natural given the nature of history as a subject that studies historical figures, institutions, constitutions and historical events. Thomas Sowell's Basic Economics revolutionizes my worldview and opens me up to another way of looking at things...another lens in which I can adopt to examine ideas and objects. I find that utterly refreshing and enlightening.

My favourite film should be The Lives of Others. Being a history student, I am often drawn to films set in history and with historical significance. Through the film, I witnessed the humanity of villains who were conditioned to hate, to harm and to only think in very narrow and constrained ways. I find it extremely touching; more so than any of the tear jerker films I have seen. There is hope in humanity.