I’ve eaten sushi my entire life, and never wondered about the history and traditions behind it were. In fact, I didn’t even realize there were types of sushi with rice on the outside and types with seaweed on the outside (I generally eat my sushi before I have a chance to look at it thoroughly). Rolling sushi looked really fun, and the chef also said it was affordable, so I hope I can try it myself sometime next year. I’m really sad that I didn’t get to roll my own at the event, but at least I got to eat a lot of yummy sushi. I really appreciate that there was a lot of vegetarian sushi!
Author Archives: D.tsai
Overwhelming strength from the queer community
I’m surprised I hadn’t watched Nanette before now; considering how strong it was, I really would’ve expected someone to tell me to watch Nanette as soon as it came out.
The overall flow of the piece was masterfully put together; it started with really lighthearted jokes, and slowly made the audience perform deeper and deeper introspection. Every part flowed into the next, and yet every part was shockingly unexpected, whether it ended with a punchline or an angry cry.
One of my favorite things about Nanette was how general the message was. Being a lesbian who grew up in a very conservative area, Hannah had many things to say about how the world treats the lesbian community. Yet, as Hannah continued talking, she started to put her stories in a bigger picture; it wasn’t just about the lesbian community, or even the queer community — her story was one about how faulty we are in the way we hold discussions.
It resonated with me when Hannah spoke about how comedy is counterproductive. In order to manipulate the tension in the room that makes jokes funny, she cut off stories short and never allowed herself to fully process her experiences, and in turn, she stopped audiences from hearing the full extent of her stories. When I was part of my high school’s journalism staff, I often ran into a similar issue. There were many things that I and the rest of the staff knew were important, but would be boring to read about. So, to increase readership, we often had to pursue fluff stories instead of fully giving justice to the stories that revealed something about the world around us. Apparently, this issue isn’t unique to high school journalism; Hannah spoke about how people aren’t interested in the full story, and instead want to hear counterproductive comedy.
I was also touched when she said that she had every right to be angry, but didn’t want to conduct discussion with anger. I feel like not bringing anger to discussion is an easy thing to say, but a hard thing to do. I could see that Hannah’s anger was intense — rightfully so, given her past experiences — to the point that this rage was an important part of her identity. During Nanette, Hannah would sometimes break from her composed style, revealing just how angry she was. So, I can see that for her to put aside this angry part of her identity, and to not use her stage as an outlet for her rage, must have taken every ounce of her willpower. Above all, Hannah’s piece demanded my respect because of her overwhelming strength.
Artivism
My sister is an artist, but she never really expressed to me what her art means to her or why she makes art. So, it was really cool to hear these three artists talk about the kinds of art they make and why they make art. I also found it really cool that these three artists, who did completely different styles of art, were able to connect and work together. I feel like in most professions, it’s very rare for people to have such a wide-reaching and diverse network. I also admire that they provide a space for marginalized groups to express themselves. I grew up in a fairly progressive part of California, and I still knew a lot of people who had trouble coming out in public or even to close friends. I like that the artists’ You Will Rise project aims to help people cope with how our world is currently structured; oftentimes, people are solely concerned with changing the world and forget that until the world changes (which could take a long, long time), there are suffering individuals who could use some support.
Binding books
I found the book-binding event really fun, because I was able to look at a lot of inspirational zines that they brought in before I started making my own booklet. I’m really glad that the Garden Door Press brought lots of different materials and taught us really simple binding methods.
Since writing was a big part of my childhood, I’ve always wanted to try starting a handwritten journal, but journaling always slipped from my mind because there’s never been a concrete catalyst to start it. I hope the small booklets I made are enough to convince me to start journaling!
Percussion Perspiration
Yamatai is exhausting. At the workshop this weekend, I played for only one hour, with lazy form, and my arms were already shaking. It was a really fun experience because I used to play in a band, but since coming to college, I have not been involved with music making. I had always been bad at tempo so I was very bad at playing these drums, and I have not used my arms for anything as intense as Yamatai drumming for several years, but it was nonetheless an amazing experience.
At the end, the four Yamatai members performed a song for us. What surprised me the most was how much movement there was; it was both an auditory and a visual performance, with huge, in-sync motions.
Smiles after Tragedy
A Man Called Ove was probably the most heart-wrenching and cathartic film I’ve seen recently. As the film progressed, it didn’t feel like I was watching a story; it felt like I time really was passing by. As I saw more about what kind of person Ove was and what kind of life he had been through, I started to feel the same way Ove did — after everything that life did to him, no wonder Ove hated so many things. Then, when I watched him continue life with his wife, and then grow close to his community, I felt a renewed sense of hope. Every time I saw the curmudgeonly Ove smile, I couldn’t help but smile a little myself.
Scary Bag
The canvas bag-making event was really fun. I drew a blue person on my bag. I’m really glad the event was offered, because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to gather the materials needed for canvas bag printing.
The only downside to the event is that my artistic skills were slightly lacking, so the person I drew on my bag looks slightly/extremely scary in dimly lit light. Sometimes when I get up at night, I wonder if it’s always smiling because it’s thinking about when it’ll eat my soul.
Certainty amidst doubt
I had heard of 50/50 before so I had high hopes for the movie — and my hopes were not betrayed.
I loved all the characters. I strongly relate to the mother-son relationship, and loved that it kept popping up briefly until the very end, when the mother and son came together and talked honestly about how they felt. What touched me the most was the main character’s relationship with his best friend. His best friend was more or less a wreck; he was horrible at taking care of the main character and often was insensitive, but it was also obvious how much he cared. In particular, I loved how perfectly his actions the night before the main character’s surgery and on the day of portrayed lightly masked love.
I am a little wary of how the movie almost ridiculed therapy, but I also appreciate the message that therapy alone is not enough (and I am also a fan of the romance that emerged from the bad therapy in the movie).
My favorite part, however, was listening to a cancer survivor speak about how 50/50 affected them after the movie. Hearing someone who had experienced the hardships that come with cancer explain how different scenes in the movie aligned with their real experiences helped bridged the gap between fiction and reality in my mind.
DIY Pet Toys
At the Make Toys for Rescues event last week, I used old shirts to make toys for cats and dogs at a local shelter. I’m glad that it was simple, so I can easily make toys like this on my own. I have a lot of old shirts back at home, so I look forward to doing this at home, either for shelters in my area or for my friends’ pets.
One thing that I wasn’t able to figure out was what kinds of shirts are easiest to work with. The person sitting next to me was working with a shirt that seemed to be of a similar material to my own shirt, but every time they cut or ripped it, a huge amount of cloth debris spewed out. I’m glad my own shirt was easy to work with.
Overall, it was super fun, and I really hope I remember this event when I go home for the summer and have lots of old shirts to work with.