Fencing - What it means to me, as a young woman

In light of International Women's Day, I'd like to talk about fencing.

Me on the left, a few years ago in Arizona

Last year, my college fencing club's coach brought her friend to one of our practices.  It's always enjoyable to meet and bout against someone new, especially if they're friendly and jocular, as this older fencing veteran was.

When it was my turn to get on the strip to fence him, his face beamed.  "I love fencing girls!" he told us.  "You know, I couldn't do that until it was allowed several years ago, because they're so delicate!"  I chuckled politely while side-eyeing my teammates.  DELICATE?!

In the spring of seventh grade (gosh, that was in 2009), I asked my mom to enroll me in a weekly fencing class that took place in our town's community center.  My motivation?  I saw this as an opportunity to 1) try out a seemingly cool and unique sport 2) have an excuse to stop playing golf — the sport that my family pretty much centers around, and since I'm nowhere as good as my sisters, has led to constant feelings of inadequacy.  Woo!

Little did I know that after those classes, I would be so captivated by fencing's demand for both quick feet and quick thinking that I would join a real fencing club, become actually interested in competing, and feel empowered as a teenage girl.

When you're seventeen years old and win champagne at a local open event

Of course it felt good and boosted my confidence to have won a few medals and done well in some women's events.  But it was practicing in my club with, and fencing in local tournaments against, people of any gender (and of practically any age) that really developed me as a person, by teaching me how amazing inclusiveness can be in athletics.

I can't think of any other sport that has sanctioned competitions in which individuals of any gender — as long as they're over thirteen years-old — can enter.  The opportunity to fence an adolescent, adult, or "veteran" man not just in practice, but also in legitimate tournaments, gives me the ability to thrash or be thrashed by him in sports and contests where I normally couldn't.  Consequently, I'm not restricted by and prejudiced for being a young woman; I win or lose bouts because of comparative experience and skill.  Gender and age are not disadvantages.  Rather, fencing has taught me that these are aspects of my identity that I should be proud of.

Throughout my fencing career, it was clear that female role models in the sport are definitely abundant.  My coach has told my teammates and me that the greatest fencer who ever lived is in fact, a woman: Valentina Vezzali.  A winner of six Olympic gold medals and fourteen World Championships for women's foil events, Vezzali is also a mother, as well as a politician.

Additionally, the flag bearer for Team USA at the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony was Mariel Zagunis, two-time Olympic champion in women's saber and the first U.S. fencer to win gold in a century at Athens.  More recently in the news, saber fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad will be the first U.S. athlete to compete in the Olympics in a hijab, later this year.

Valentina Vezzali, celebrating a touch.  Fencing can get hecka emotional.

While I've never been, and am nowhere near their international level, these women, along with many others, never fail to amaze and inspire me.  It's so refreshing to see women represented, not just as successes within their own "women's only" events, but for the sport as a whole.  Fencing's inclusivity has transformed my approach to athletics, as well as other realms; without these experiences, I'm not sure if I would be as passionate as I am today about the importance of empowering women.

Some less eloquent (and probably more spiteful) variation of this thought entered my mind when I went en garde and faced that older, somewhat sexist male visitor from that day at practice a year ago.   That maybe, I could change his perspective on fencing women, even if it was just for a little bit.  That maybe, I needed to teach him what I personally learned over the course of my seven years of fencing.

And after the bout quickly ended with a decisive score, I like to think that I did — to put it "delicately."

鄧麗君, 祝你生日快樂

In my mom’s old camera, there exists old footage of middle school-aged me practicing for “Chinese School Idol,” which is what exactly what it sounds like - an American Idol-like competition at my Chinese school.  

As most other American kids at that day and age, I didn’t have any clue what pop culture was like outside of the U.S. Consequently, you can imagine picking out a good song in Mandarin would be difficult. My only resources for Chinese and Taiwanese media were my parents. And so, without much choice, I had to completely rely on them. They immediately pointed me to Teresa Teng.

I combed through a Teresa Teng CD to listen to my options, and was floored. Her pure voice filled my ears with words I couldn’t quite understand yet, but her delicate vibrato and melodies evoked feelings of longing and romance. I felt just as entranced by her as my parents probably were. For my first year doing “Chinese School Idol,” my teacher picked “Xiao Cheng Gu Shi” for my sister and I.  For my second year, I chose the song myself - "Yuan Xiang Ren."

"Yuan Xiang Ren" - the winning song

I forgot about Teresa Teng until recently, when I felt nostalgic and clicked on her Spotify page. Again, the same emotions hit me as they did when I first listened to her music. This time, however, I was curious to learn about Teresa Teng as more than just a really famous Taiwanese singer.

Born in Taiwan in 1953, Teng realized her passion for singing at a young age and actively pursued it as a career. She received a record contract in her teens, and eventually gained popularity in many other Asian countries, going so far as recording songs in not only Mandarin, but also Taiwanese Hokkien, Cantonese, Indonesian, Japanese, and English.

Although the People’s Republic of China attempted to ban her music during the 1980’s, deeming it too sensual, the black market enabled her to become a national superstar nonetheless; villagers in the remote countryside were even fans. The Chinese bestowed Teng the nickname “Little Deng,” as she shared the last name (and large influence) of China’s then-paramount leader - Deng Xiaoping.

Despite her huge Chinese audience, Teng never performed in the country and declined every invitation to do so. During the 1989 Tiananmen student protests, Teng performed in Paris to show her support for the students.

As a Taiwanese pop star, linguist, and even activist, I consider Teng to be a remarkable person, and can be a role model for not only Asian women, but for young women everywhere.  

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Teresa Teng. <3

A Gift of Sound and Vision

David Bowie influenced me in both big and little ways.  His album Hunky Dory remains my favorite of his (a recent Google search tells me it was also released on December 17 - my birthday day!!), with the utterly perfect "Life on Mars" to the all-around life-anthem "Changes."  I semi-bonded with my high school sophomore English teacher when he asked where I got the Heroes concert tee I was wearing, to which I embarrassingly answered "eBay."  When I created my League of Legends account a few years ago, I came up with "Case Oddity" as my username, which I thought was a clever homage and pun at the time, but no one really ever gets it.

Anyway, a ton of people have written more eloquently and more poignantly about David Bowie than I could ever have.  Although I, and many other of his fans, have never met him, it's obvious that he reached out to us through his art in ways that personally affected us.

Here's a few of my favorite David Bowie things from the internet.

"Dancing in the Street" - David Bowie and Mick Jagger

The dance moves.  The outfits.  The great "IDGAF" dynamic between this duo of famous rockers.  So delightfully cheesy and up-lifting.

"Pictures of David Bowie Doing Normal Stuff"

Often times when you think of David Bowie, you think of Aladdin Sane or Ziggy Stardust or perhaps another one of his louder personas.  This neat compilation of David Bowie doing "normal things" is a cute look at David Bowie being...normal?!

Analyses on David Bowie's Bulge

Many viewers report that David Bowie - specifically, his crotch - as Goblin King Jareth in the movie Labyrinth was responsible for their sexual awakening.  Which is hilarious, noteworthy, and very understandable.  I would kill to be in Jennifer Connelly's place.

Amber Humphrey's blog Nostomanic is full of quality posts such as her ratings of U.S. presidents.  One post that particular stuck with me was her open letter to Jareth about his infamous and noticeable bulge, and how it can be more efficiently utilized to hold other items because of its size.

Also, there exists a web page wholly devoted to his "area" as well.  It includes a purity test that exactly captures the thoughts and struggles that Bowie Bulge fans have always internalized.

David Bowie's 1983 MTV Interview

MTV recently uploaded a portion of their interview with Bowie from 1983, in which Bowie asked the interviewer, Mark Goodman, a very important question - "Why are there so few black artists being featured on MTV?"  Goodman tries his best to answer Bowie in a PC way, but it was apparent that Bowie had pointed out a glaring issue in the mainstream music industry.


RHCP's Flea getting a Bowie tattoo

And these children that you spit on as they try to change their worlds.
Posted by Flea on Monday, January 11, 2016

Not only did Flea write a really touching Facebook post about David Bowie, but the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist also got a tattoo in his honor, shown in a video on his Instagram as "Fill Your Heart" plays in the background.

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Thank you, David Bowie, for showing us to be unafraid in our own pursuits to self-discovery.  The very act of reinventing ourselves - whether small or large - is essential to our own growth as human beings - and perhaps the best way to respond to and investigate a world we're still making sense of.

GORGE-OUS ZINE

During winter break, I decided I wanted to make a zine.  Or a zine-y type thing.  So I took out a heap of magazines - most were old issues of Seventeen Magazine (S/O to 2008 T-Swift!!) - and tried to find some sort of inspiration/common theme in them.  What resulted was GORGE-OUS - basically a teeny tiny collection of simple collages that focuses on the relationship and interplay between food and body in teen magazines.  

I first noticed throughout my digging was this weird contradictory message about how girls should feel about their body.  On one hand, ideals of body positivity and loving yourself were sprinkled throughout the magazines quite a few times.  On the other hand, there were specific sections tailored for girls yearning for that "bikini bod," including workouts ("GET FLAT ABS") and dietary suggestions ("DON'T EAT FRIES") .  I felt this was kind of confusing.  Is my "natural self" pretty enough?  Do I listen to what I'm told to eat?  At which point am I allowed to accept and love my body?

Likewise, I discovered that Seventeen (I suppose I'm now umbrella-ing other similar girl-targeted media under Seventeen, as I'm sure they do the same) surreptitiously objectified bodies itself.  In most every issue, there was a recurring feature on which jeans/dress/whatever a women should buy, according to their "body type."  The types that weren't "tall," "athletic," and "petite," were identified as "apple" and "pear."  To me, designating the shape of a women's body - namely, those that don't align with the prevailing standards of beauty - as fruit is a little off-putting.  Wouldn't it be just as odd if we dubbed "tall bodies" as "celery" and "petite" as like, "baby carrots"?   For many in the beauty and fashion industry (not just Seventeen!), however, it seems that equating certain women's body shapes as kinds of food is more palatable.

What if instead, people just wear whatever they feel like wearing?  Because in essence, these kind of guides for buying clothes that are your "most flattering fit" are basically trying to find ways for your body to conform to the typical mainstream beauty expectations.  I mean, for some that may be what they aim for.  But if I'm a "tall girl" and want to wear baggy boyfriend jeans even though it's a technical no-no for my body type, I shouldn't have to feel a shred of self reproach.  

Lastly, a sort-of unrelated non-food-thing-but-still-body-objectification-thing was how Seventeen treated men (!!).  I'm far from a meninist/MRA/red pill reddit user, but I do know that guys are also harmed from expectations for their gender.  Like, imagine a men's magazine that has an article title "How to Meet Hot Girls!!"  Seventeen was essentially the same; it advised its readers on where and how to snag a cute boyfriend - not unlike male pick-up artists teaching people how to charm girls.  Seventeen defined the male psyche as basically sport-obsessive and masculine.  The simplification of males as dudebros contributes to the standard that "real men do this, this, and this!"  Another problematic and worth-mentioning issue with Seventeen's "love" section was the practically sole focus on just heteronormative relationships.  Besides the occasional reader-submitted story, the magazine didn't publish much advice for LGBTQ individuals.

ANYWAY, these were my semi-coherent thoughts when making GORGE-OUS.  It's a pretty short zine and doesn't take itself too seriously, but I had fun doing a non-writing creative thing and seeing how the collages almost formed themselves. 

Hope everyone's had a good holiday season, and Happy 2016!

(Video Music Credit: https://soundcloud.com/keyboard-kid-side-stuff/pure-pure-you-look-so-good)

Jingle Bells

Hey guys!  Here's a quick holiday playlist!

I'll be back with meatier posts soon; I just need time to finish up the work and forming my thoughts around them!

"We Wish You A Merry Christmas" - Weezer

"Sleigh Ride" - fun.

"My Christmas Tree" - The Supremes

"Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth" - Bing Crosby and David Bowie

"This Will Be Our Year" - The Zombies

"Auld Lang Syne" - Andrew Bird

Why You Should Consider Watching Anime

• The time: every day after school, early 2000's 
• The place: in front of the small TV in our kitchen
• The show: Pokémon

This was my first exposure to anime.  Sitting with my twin sister eating ice cream while watching Ash, Misty, and Brock journeying...somewhere (??) with their Pokémon, always ready for battle.  

In addition to Pokémon, we also had VHS tapes of two Sailor Moon movies (Sailor Moon R and Sailor Moon S) that we absolutely adored and rewatched constantly.  Sailor Moon was is basically life goals.  Who doesn't want to fight evil with your friends while having cool powers, cute outfits, and freakin' AWESOME transformation sequences.  Swoon.

So now, why should YOU consider watching anime?  I'm not going to lie, after elementary school, I definitely veered off and became uninterested in it.  When I heard the term being used, it basically conjured the image of geeky, weird dudes.  Anime club?  Nerds.  All of them.

Once I stopped assigning anime with these negative connotations and actually took time to watch shows that friends recommended to me, I found the genre truly rewarding.  In fact, if I were to make a top 5 or 10 list of my all-time favorite films and/or TV shows (including live-action), I'm positive a few anime would make the list. 

Anime is not just children's shows or hentai.  Yes, a few of those definitely exist and yes, a few of those are quite fan service-y, over-the-top, and just plain hyper.  But if you begin by checking out good starter ones, you may surprise yourself by wanting more.  Some are beautifully animated and thought-provoking, some are hilarious and fun, some are action-packed thrillers, and some have a bit of everything.  

I myself still need to watch some of the classics (i.e. Cowboy Bebop, Death Note, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood - anime fans reading this, don't hate me pls).  But from my own experience, I can make a few suggestions for dipping your toes into the world of anime.

Spirited Away (2001)...Or really any Studio Ghibli film.

I believe that there are two kinds of people in the world:  people who love Ghibli movies, and people who have not seen Ghibli movies.  In other words - in my opinion, Studio Ghibli should absolutely be what you start out with first.  They aren't "true" anime to me (director Hayao Miyazaki has critiqued the industry, and I would also argue that his films hugely differ in spirit), but they would definitely ease you in to some aspects of Japanese culture and animation.  Miyazaki's works are sort of similar to Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth (2006) in that they center around a young female protagonist living their own version of "normal" sprinkled with fantasy.  If you're into more mature action and blood and stuff, try Princess Mononoke (1997) first.  If you like coming-of-age stories, watch Spirited Away (my personal favorite).  If you want a light-hearted nostalgia trip, My Neighbor Totoro (1988) perfectly captures the zeitgeist of childhood.

Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

I wrote about this film already in my last post (more the reason to watch it during winter break, right?), but it is a classic and a great way to familiarize yourself with anime.  Sci-fi fans would enjoy Ghost in the Shell; as aforementioned, it was a significant inspiration for The Matrix.  I think I prefer the sequel, Innocence, which I actually watched first and can stand alone as its own movie.  I won't repeat myself too much here, but yeah.  Go watch these two.  Shoutout to Joe for showing these movies to me.

Attack on Titan (2013)

I credit AoT as the anime that got me back into anime, about a year ago.  Basically, it has an extremely epic premise that will captivate you from the first episode.  Humans are living in communities that are surrounded by huge walls to protect them from Titans - creepy giant humanoids.  The show follows the main characters as they enlist in the elite military force dedicated to battling these Titans outside of the walls.  It's a tad gory at times, but totally fun and entertaining.  I first heard about it on the episode of the Youtube series "Teens React" where they reacted to AoT.  I found myself echoing the teens in the video, yelping in awe of its badass action sequences.  Do watch that "Teens React" episode if you're interested in seeing how people who haven't watched anime before thought about AoT.

For another opinion, Youtuber movie critic Chris Stuckmann made a video about why anime is important and did a great job hitting these points as well.  I really recommend checking out what he had to say.

Challenge yourself.  Ignore whatever preconceived notion you had about anime, and treat it like you would as any other form of ("Western") entertainment.  If you're a devoted moviegoer or Netflixer and haven't given the genre a try - give it a try.

Winter Break? Watch This.

Hey YOU!

Take a break from studying for finals to plan your "To Watch" list for Winter Break.  I humbly offer these shows and flicks to occupy your time.  Don't worry, I won't suggest my beloved Steven Universe; only movies or mini-series that definitely end in 12 episodes or fewer!  That way, you won't be binge-watching up through second semester/quarter, or have one show dominate your whole break.

Enjoy!

If you like The Matrix* and/or Ex Machina...

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

(Couldn't find a good Japanese trailer with English subtitles, so here's just the English dubbed version!)

Since a live-action movie is in the works with ScarJo as the lead (see a basic summary of my thoughts of that casting here), it's only appropriate to make sure you watch the original beforehand.  Ghost in the Shell is pure awesome.  In this sci-fi futuristic anime film, a sprawling electronic network connects the entire world, which humans can tap into through their enhanced cyborg-ish bodies.  Philosophical questions about "what it means to have a self" in a world of extremely advanced technology are studded throughout the action, and often make us ponder about our own future.  Ghost in the Shell also has a kick-ass female protagonist and beautiful animation to boot (don't watch the new version, make sure to choose the original!).

BONUS:  Watch the sequel, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence for more great philosophy combined with sci-fi action!

*I haven't watched The Matrix (I KNOW I KNOW), but I do know this movie was a HUGE influence on the Wachowskis and The Matrix.

If you like fantasy, Americana, and/or O Brother, Where Art Thou?...

Over the Garden Wall (2014)

(Cartoon Network has Episode 1 on Youtube, woo!)

ACK.  This is probably one of my favorite shows ever and was super psyched when I heard it got an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program.  OTGW is a 10 episode comedy-fantasy mini-series, featuring gorgeous 19th/20th American folk-inspired art and music.  Plot-wise, it's simply a journey of two brothers trying to find their way home.  The voice acting (Elijah Wood!) is spot-on, and each episode is both hilarious and captivating.  Go watch it.  Please.

BONUS:  Already watched OTGW?  Well, have you ever watched its pilot?  Tome of the Unknown is like, a secret whole other episode!

If you like "slice of life" style and/or thinking about social issues...

Seeking Asian Female (2012)

Meet Steven - a white, 60 something year-old man from San Francisco who aspires to have a young Chinese wife, whom he finds in Sandy - a native to Anhui, China.  The sometimes-complicated nature of "yellow fever" rears its head in this documentary, as we question the subjects' true intentions out of this interracial (and intercultural?) relationship.  This film is truly interesting and complex from start to finish; my opinions of both Sandy and Steven frequently vacillated from disgust to pity, as I simultaneously rooted for a "happily-ever-after" to their love story.

BONUS:  Seeking Asian Female filmmaker Debbie Lum also directed Youtube series "They're All So Beautiful" that further addresses yellow fever.

If you like Disney and musicals, specifically Aladdin and Wicked...

Twisted (2013)

From Team Starkid - aka, the creators of the popular Youtube musical A Very Potter Musical  (Glee's Darren Criss first garnered fame here as Harry Potter), comes a parody cross-over thing of Disney's Aladdin with the musical Wicked.  It's chock full of wit and jokes that any Disney fan will appreciate, while having pretty dang great musical numbers on its own.

BONUS:  One of Starkid's other musicals, Starship, uses puppets, pokes fun at the sci-fi genre, and echoes the plot of The Little Mermaid!

If you like Adventure Time and Studio Ghibli films...

Bee and Puppycat (2014 - now..?)

Bee, your typical young adult (i.e. figuring out life and stuff??) is suddenly thrown into new intergalactic adventures when she encounters a mysterious puppy (or cat..?).  With its adorable animation, quirky humor, and on-point voice-acting, Bee and Puppycat is a quick watch while we fans patiently wait for more episodes.

BONUS:  Creator Natasha Allegri's Twitter is a gem, featuring quality original artwork such as Paul Blart fanart.

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Happy studying and Happy Holidays~!