Updates + February Favorites
In case you're wondering where I am, I'm everywhere and nowhere. In reality, I am balancing the work of the latter half of the quarter with absorbing entertainment at a pace that helps me unwind. I've noticed that my eye strain this quarter is absolutely in correlation with the fact that I've kept up with most of my assigned reading. It makes sense. I forgive my eyes for revolting against the 100-200 pages assigned per week. We'll sleep once the school year ends.
Last week I didn't post. Exhaustion made me forget, and I'll apologize for the lack of Tuesday's post. The absence of a Thursday post stemmed from realizing that I deserved a momentary break. This ends, of course, like all good things do.
So what did I do during the break? Classes, of course. But I also attended a wonderful panel on historic parallels to present-day orders, featuring my professor.
It was a phenomenal panel, highlighting both historic context as well as the issue of refugees. The Japanese community recognizes the signs of fear-mongering, and first reached out to the Muslim community. In this rising wave of Islamophobia, communities have to reach across intersectional divides and unite against fear-induced panic and paranoia. Solidarity and activism are recommended actions to take in order to prevent the past from repeating itself, and I'm relieved that so many people went to this panel. The room itself was filled to the brim.
Professor Provence, Professor Man, Professor Matsumura, and Professor al-Delaimy.
Photo taken by Farshid Bazmandegan.
The panel was phenomenal. I wish everyone could have gone, actually. Two hundred and forty plus students, staff, and locals is never enough, but it's a solid start.
Photo taken by Farshid Bazmandegan.
A photo featuring me & Sam, listening attentively.
I love the profile of my nose.
Photo taken by Farshid Bazmandegan.
Last week I also discussed cults with my best friend over frozen yogurt. Honestly, we always have the best conversations over frozen yogurt, tucked into the corner of the shop where we can take as much time as we need to question life and the ideologies that craft it.
I also attended a casual chat with another member of the history faculty, where we discussed the impact of global connections and how with history, we unravel too much and that's where the joy comes from.
I'm thankful for my university's History Department for creating the undergraduate lounge. It's cozy, complete with a comfortable couch and a nice armchair, not to mention countless places to charge our electronics. It's lined with bookshelves featuring published works from faculty members, and occasionally features free sweets (such as leftover bagels from casual chats with professors). A big thank you to Sally and everyone else involved in the project, the students thank you very much for it. :)
Favorites
We all know I had a set of Top 10 media to read/watch this month. February ended up being a month of constantly changing plans, which was unfortunate but allowed me to justify having a family Netflix subscription. At least we're making use of it!
Media
Planned Top 10 for February:
- American Gods
- Hollow City
Yuri on Ice!- Yowapeda, season 2
- A book on Nikola Tesla
- A book on Alexander Pushkin
Dope- The Secret of Kells
IrisCity 40
What I Actually Ended Up Watching:
- Black Mirror
- KANO
- Santa Clarita Diet
- Woman in Gold
- Yuri on Ice
- Happy People (a documentary about life in the Taiga)
- One Day at a Time
- Dope
- Iris
- City 40
- Girl Asleep
Sure, 4 out of 10 is absolutely failing, but I do admire the influx of documentaries that occurred. I do wish I read more works though, but that's what March is for. (Sorry, March.)
KANO is a baseball film, and much like YMCA Baseball, it takes place in the context of Japanese colonialism. I think these two would be outstanding to watch side by side to see how different nations treated colonization. I also watched Woman in Gold, which is about the Klimt paintings and the infamous trial. I didn't get a chance to see a panel from the lawyer himself while he visited our university (as it was a sold out event), and the story itself is breathtaking and very, very humbling. What do we see of our histories within film? How do specific directors highlight these historical narratives and the people present within them? These are all questions for self-reflection, and these same questions are ones that I face everyday.
I would also recommend One Day at a Time. I watched it in one go! It was a great laugh, helping me forget about the pressures of reality via sitcom. Not to mention it features a Latinx cast, which is something we don't see much of at all. Pair that with Gina Rodriguez's recent critique on the lack of Latinx representation in media, and you've got material to start a conversation. This is the sort of dialogue we should keep ongoing, as the ramifications of public representation are things that cannot be ignored. We can't be oppressing such a huge community--we deserve the opportunity to have our stories be told.
Regarding music, I've been listening, as usual, to my essay jams playlist because it is honestly a great playlist. Namely, it is only great because it is filled with music I know by heart, and there's a clear & present passion that rises within me whenever I mouth the lyrics on the way to school.
I have, however, really been loving Axel Flovent this month. I use the Forest Fires EP mainly for writing, and I'm elated to have discovered it. A big thank you to Spotify for recommending him. Icelandic music has consistently been outstanding.
Also, congrats to Moonlight on winning Best Picture! I haven't seen it yet (having missed the opportunity to watch it at school), but I plan on renting it this weekend after I finish my research paper.
As for apps, Super Mario Run continues to be a favorite, but Egg, Inc. has been taking over my life. And I've returned to drinking plenty of water with Plant Nanny! Special thanks to foursquare for having the best themed apps.
Skin Care & Hair Care
Listen, I have been absolutely loving Neutrogena's HydroBoost moisturizer. Probably because my oily skin really prefers gel moisturizers over cream-based ones, but it also feels really cool on the face. Now, it doesn't necessarily get rid of my oily features, but I have tea tree facial cleanser pads for that.
I also ran out of my regular John Freida conditioner this month, as well as the Micellar face wash (the latter of which I didn't like all too much because it encouraged my oily skin). Again I've returned to the Neutrogena facial cleanser I've used for ages, but for a new conditioner I merely shifted the product. This time it's John Freider's Dream Curls conditioner, which has been bouncing my curls to the heavens. Of course, my hair's long, so it doesn't really solve the frizz issue I've been having, but my curls are noticeably more solid. The issue with frizz is more my issue with having thin hair clashing against a curl's desire to curl as much hair as possible, but that's an issue for my future self.
Stationery
I received my pastel Sarasa pens this month, and I was overjoyed. The millimeter width is 0.5, my preferred pen, and the colors are fantastic. The issue I had with them (and continue to) depends on the angle I write with the pens at. It's fine if my wrist is directly over the paper, but if the paper itself is at an angle, with the pens at an acute angle in comparison, the ink has a tendency to stop. This I blame on the likelihood that the pen's tip only has a small amount of space to send ink through, and if I adjust the angle too much I stop it from spilling. Still, I really love the way my writing flows, and I especially adore the way it looks. The colors are perfect, really.
March Top 10:
- Moonlight
- Get Out
- Crazy Rich Asians
- Angela Carter's Book of Fairytales
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
Sending a big thank-you to the world for being filled with such wonderful people, such wonderful thoughts, and such wonderful ideas.
Keep blooming--it's almost spring.
Yours Sincerely,
Dianne
