I was sad but also very interested in what would happen on the last episode of Queen’s Gambit as it seems that Beth has not really made any big character development in the previous two episodes that I have seen. As expected, Beth seems to fall in the same trap of some characters successfully being able to distract her from her chess competitions (in this case, alcohol). However, I am really glad to see that by the last episode, Beth is able to finally realize her chess playing skills and capabilities without the use of tranquilizers as she was still able to successfully visualize the game and successfully win. I think making the park scene in the end was really fitting in that it gave me, personally, the impression that it is so important to remember your roots because it is through your roots and the struggles you have overcome that shape the person you are today.
Author Archives: le94
Slow Pace Works for Me
As someone who has seen my older sister knit an infinity scarf back in middle school, I knew I wanted to try something hands on and arts and crafts related as well. This event provided me the perfect opportunity to try something similar to knitting – crocheting! As I watched the video and tried to follow, I found myself getting frustrated in having to simultaneously make sure I had followed each step correctly but to also make sure that I did not miss a step as the video was playing. Not surprisingly, I found the people in the video to make the task look so easy but once I try, the task becomes 1000x harder. To ensure that I was comfortable with the first few steps, I played around/experimented with how tight or loose I should wrap the yarn around the needle so that I can figure out what works best for me. The lesson I got out of this event is that it is okay to go slower than others as it is important to go at whatever pace works best for you and would make you the most comfortable.
Losing Close Ones One by One
I was super excited to watch episode 5 of Queen’s Gambit as I really enjoyed watching the fourth episode a couple of week ago. For this episode, I think the theme of this week’s episode is related to relationships. More specifically, we see that Beth reconnects with old classmates and, even at some point, both were in a relationship. I think Beth is particularly upset in that it seems as if for those who she cares about, they seem to turn their backs/leave her. For example, Benny, to a certain degree, gave Beth an ultimatum in that Beth’s passion and competitive drive in being a great chess player will always come first before him. For this reason, Benny decides to leave her although his opinion seems to be one-side and he did not seem to care about her reaction to their breakup. Overall, I hope Beth becomes comfortable with who she and surrounds herself by people who love her back by the end of the series.
Overcoming a Slump Hurdle
It was my first time in a long time watching any anime-related work as I used to feel physically nauseous for some reason whenever I watched along some anime with my cousins when I was younger. I have also heard about how this film is a classic in anime and many people have recommended me to watch it if I ever got the chance. I think there are some really important themes in this film that resonate with my life. For example, when Kiki had lost confident (in both her work life, as she could not continue delivering because of her lack of flying abilities, and personal life, since Jiji has left to spend more time with a pretty, white cat) and was in a slump, she had to remind herself to pick herself up together and soon was able to regain her confidence. I can relate to Kiki in that once something goes wrong, it is easy to conclude that nothing is going right but, in reality, only a small portion of my day was not going the way I had intended to. I also empathize with Kiki in that it can be hard at times to pick yourself up once you fall into a slump.
Tactics to Mask Lack of Self Confidence — Queen’s Gambit Ep. 4
As this was my first time joining this event, I was really looking forward to finally watch Queen’s Gambit as many of my friends last semester raved about how good this miniseries is. Although I did not personally get the chance to watch the first three episodes, one of my close friends was kind enough to fill in the details for those three episodes. While watching the episode, I could not help but be amazed by Beth’s chess playing skills and the intense atmosphere the miniseries was able to exemplify during the tournaments. In this particular episode, I could sense that Vasily Borgov and Beth show their lack of self-confidence in their skills. For Vasily Borgov, the fact that he is trying to find Beth’s weakness to distract her so that he could win the competition reflects how he feels the need to use these low tactics in order to win Beth (as he does not think his skills are enough). As for Beth, I think her belief of how she needs to take tranquilizers in order to win is a placebo effect and reflects how she also lacks confidence in being able to win a match through her skills rather than relying on the drug.
Improvement in Calligraphy Skills
I was fortunate enough to participate the second calligraphy event. I was really looking forward to attending this event as I had a great experience in the first part of the same event that was held a few weeks ago. I am proud to say that I can see the progress I have made since the last session. More specifically, compared to the previous session, I could feel that I had more control in as I was holding my brush when writing my name in cursive with varying thickness of strokes. I also noticed that I was able to connect from letter to letter more smoothly. One thing I know I can continue practicing on is to try and make my lettering size more proportionate looking as the first letter (which tends to be capital) is usually a lot bigger than the remaining lower-cased letters. Another thing I can work on is writing in a straight line as I tend to write my words at an upward tilted angle.
History is One Sided
After watching Faubourg Treme – The Untold Story of New Orleans, I was sadden by how many people seemed frustrated at how one-sided their history was being portrayed in textbooks, especially on the overlook of the people of Faubourg’s contributions to civil rights in American culture. This made me reflect on how many historical events that are taught in classroom settings are frequently one-sided. More specifically, historical events often portrayed in a different perspective, depending on where you live and who has the most power in having their voices and stories heard. For example, when Christopher Columbus had sailed the ocean blue, many had viewed him as this hero. Only recently, America’s image of Christopher Columbus has changed significantly and now recognizes him as a controversial figure for murdering indigenous people (especially Native Americans). Therefore, it is important for people to listen and consider narratives (especially those that do not align with history’s textbooks) of historical events so that these voices are not lost within history. Although the story of Faubourg Treme may not be commonly heard of, making this documentary is a good stepping stone in the right direction.
New Appreciation for Beautiful Calligraphy
I was really excited to attend this calligraphy class as I had been inspired after seeing many aesthetic youtubers write beautiful calligraphy in their bullet journals over quarantine. Now, I have a lot more respect and applaud those who can write beautiful calligraphy, after getting my first hands on experience. During the session, I decided to work on my lettering, specifically the letters that made up my first name. I found it really difficult to try and control the amount of pressure I wanted to place on certain strokes while quickly changing the pressure as I transitioned to the next stroke. By the end, I did see an improvement compared to when I had first started. However, I do have a long way to go for my lettering to look anywhere close to the youtubers. It was also nice being able to practice the lettering while listening to some background music. Overall, this event was a needed break and distraction from all the school work I had yet to finish. I hope to join another calligraphy event if another one holds in the near future.
Crisis Brings Unity
Prior to watching the documentary, I was unaware of how rollerskating culture is a big part of the black culture and found the documentary both sad but heartwarming at different times. While watching the documentary, I really felt the documentary reflected the saying of how in times of crisis, people unite. It was sad to see how many rinks where pressured, forced, and on the brink of closing due to a decline in popularity and the discrimination against these hangouts. However, it was also heartwarming to see many people across the country unite in Rich City Skate to skate their hearts out as the mission to preserve the rollerskating culture was on the line. Although the rollerskating industry has been decline in recent years, I think filming a documentary such as United Skates is a great first step in bringing awareness about how vital the rollerskating culture is to the black community and, hopefully, make rollerskating a popular activity again for future generations to come.