We’ve been having really mild winter weather, so far, but every time that I walk outside and it’s snowing it reminds me of that one scene in Fellowship of the Ring where they’re scaling that mountain in the snow. I realize my experience probably isn’t universal, but hopefully that clears up what the inspiration for this comic was.
Basil + Gideon is an ongoing narrative comic, if this is your first time reading check out the first installment here!
Stars dot the horizon. We pulled over on Highway 12, stunned by how fast the mountains swallowed the sun as it set. Feeling small surrounded by canyons, we recounted our blessings for being able to go on this trip. One : having the luxury of perspective to compare settings (Malaysia vs here) and two affording great company along the way.
Winter brings in few visitors to these parks. I looked on the bright side, it feels like we’re in untouched land since there are so few people her.“I like the pictures you sent me, they’re different than the Google ones,” my mum commented upon seeing my pictures of snow contrasting against the rocks.
I liked them too.
The general vastness of the rocks towering above forces you slow down. Each hike is scenic, prompting you to savor the view on top. It’s basically an adult’s playground, where you get to explore the nooks and crannies (staying on trail… of course) whilst enjoying the journey to the top.
This journey contained many firsts. It was my first time cooking vegan meat (not bad!) since it was hard to find halal meat and one of our friends is a vegan. To our pleasure, we also discovered that the town Moab, UT has pretty good Asian food and decent entertainment like an Escape room (a group activity where you have to figure out how to escape the room given clues). It was also my first time taking mostly film photographs on a trip.
Since we were found ourselves frequently in areas with no phone service, we played fun car games such as Around the World, Elevator and the Green Glass Door. Guessing the pattern and deciding it made up half the fun, the other half is watching others try to figure it out, watching frustration cross their minds several times.
Nonetheless, a trip I would recommend at least once.
(Photographs taken on Pentax K1000, Kodak Colorplus 200)
This month marks the beginning of a new year, new decade, and a new semester!
After a rejuvenating and fun winter break, I’m so excited for my new schedule of classes. This semester I’m taking 18 credits (wish me luck!) on all different topics. After taking all theatre courses last semester, I’m seriously looking forward to taking some more academic classes to balance it out.
Also this semester I have my earliest class yet, at 8:30 in the morning. Not quite as bad as an 8am, however it’s on central and I live on north so I have to leave my dorm well in advance. Not only is it my earliest, but it’s also my largest thus far, as a prerequisite class for a major.
While the class sounds pretty interesting, because it’s so early in the day I’ll likely fall asleep in it at least once or twice. I never try to, it’s just something that I can’t help when I’m tired. Unfortunately it happened on my first day of this class already. I was sitting close to the front of the auditorium, right in the center, so there’s no way the professor didn’t see me accidentally falling asleep. Way to make a bad impression!
Oh well! Guess we’ll have to wait and see how I do with the early classes this upcoming first full week of semester 2!
Me and my friend had this conversation right in the middle of “Memory” and I’m pretty sure we made everyone around us…very angry. This also may not be the last time I make a comic about “Cats” (2019) so. Get ready for that.
After a semester of interviews with other students in the arts, I decided to take stock of where I’m at so far with some inspiration from Rodin. Actual interviews start up again next week – I’m excited for where they’ll go from here.
Actress Awkwafina (Nora Lum) recently made Golden Globes history by being the first Asian American to win Best Actress, for her role in “The Farewell.” In “The Farewell,” she plays a Chinese-American struggling to figure out her own identity while attempting to protect her grandmother Nai Nai from the actuality that Nai Nai has only weeks to live.
Awkwafina has made quite a splash in the last couple of years, especially for her parts in “Ocean’s 8” and “Crazy Rich Asians.” She is notorious for releasing a song called “My Vag” in 2012, and other humorous and inappropriate rap songs. Part of her fame stems from her identity in opposition to the model minority stereotype, in which Asian Americans are expected to be quiet and submissive. Awkwafina’s performative personality in her music and acting roles have consistently portrayed her as loud and in-your-face, spunky, and refreshingly brash–a milestone in representation for Asian Americans.
Hailed as an irreverent, hilarious popular figure, some critics have attacked Awkwafina for building her celebrity upon appropriation of black culture. Is she simply a standout example of an Asian American who has garnered fame for her in-your-face persona, or has she actually profited off problematic cultural appropriation? While the answer may be tricky, I wanted to explore this issue further.
One writer explains that Awkwafina’s role as Peik Lin in “Crazy Rich Asians” demonstrates the appropriation of the “blaccent.” With wagging fingers, language such as “bawk, bawk, bitch,” and the use of “be,” and an overall sense of swagger, Awkwafina’s depiction of Peik Lin shows a cross-cultural connection to black vernacular. Yet, is she just portraying a character or is she complicit in a perpetuation of anti-blackness? The writer also suggests that maybe the quirkiness of Peik Lin’s character doesn’t stem from explicitly black language.
Cultural appropriation is not a new issue. Through media like Nicki Minaj’s “Chun Li” or Post Malone’s rapping, famous artists are no strangers to accusations (perhaps deserving) of stealing from other cultures. To some, cultural appropriation only occurs when someone from a dominant culture/ethinicity takes something from an oppressed culture (such as white people portraying black stereotypes).
Vernacular invented by people of color, notably black and brown folk, is commonplace among young people. Can a culture own language? This issue is particularly tricky to discuss in the current era–with the mixing and morphing of all dialects and accents in 21st century of America, the cultural diversity of people is abundant. I think this meshing of cultures is quite beautiful and is what makes our country so unique.
However, what is truly problematic about Awkwafina is the fact that her entire portfolio relies on the flamboyant, swagger-filled potrayal of a common stereotype of African Americans. This usage of African American Vernacular English and black mannerisms unfortunately has real-world harmful consequences for black and Latinx people, who are often discriminated against for not using Standard English, which is ethnocentrically thought of as culturally superior. While I am proud of the Asian American representation Awkwafina has helped achieve, it’s worth noting that her fame stems from a derogatory caricature of black people, which is inherently problematic in itself, no matter who the perpetrator is.
*As an Asian American woman, I obviously do not speak for any entire culture. These opinions are entirely my own.
