Culture & Frontier

My family, my mother and father, are Sri Lankan immigrants who have grown and were raised in the midst of their very established and all encompassing South Asian culture. They transitioned from living within 1 to living in a completely different one that’s a melting pot of various different ideals, customs, and values. Though my siblings and I were born and raised America and participate and celebrate so many American customs and principles, our lives were not a complete loss of my ethnic culture and it in fact involved a great amount of influence in our lives.

Just one of the ways my culture steepened its hold onto my life is through dance. I was born, raised, and have lived in America which spouts a vastly different culture than that of my parents' native country. Where I didn't get much exposure through similar experience I did gain an awful lot of exposure through cultural arts which is what I most closely connect and channel. Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance form, has immensely influenced the events and turns of my life and also helped shape me as a person. Having to learn its theory and history, travel for it, and learn to enjoy it helped me appreciate roots and use many of the values taught through it like patience and discipline to guide my personal life.

Bharatanatyam stems from thousands of years of movement through Indian culture and still remarkably prevails today in America in its modern and most universal form. I began to learn Bharatanatyam when I was merely 3 years old and a primal reason for this was that my mother was my dance teacher. She learned the dance form in Sri Lanka, furthered her studies in India and pioneered the movement of westernization of Bharatanatyam along with many other immigrant dancers from India and Sri Lanka. 

Not only did I grow up dancing, performing and teaching bharatanatyam throughout my elementary years but Bharatanatyam extended its grasp onto my life also within my undergraduate experience. I’m on a Bharatanatyam dance team at Rutgers right now. We travel, compete, and compile with individuals and institutes across the national board to learn and expand our appreciation and cultivation for the art form. 

A flier for my dance graduation in 2014 (My middle name is Luxmi)

My culture allows me to bond and relate with many other individuals that stand in the same unique position of experiencing 2 very different but impactful cultures that influence life in its every day form. It also leaves room for ideological trailblazing. The morphing and contrasting of different principles and practices allows for different perspective which always leads to more knowledge that can be learned, taught and growing. 

Breaking News & We'll Throw in Some Laughs For you too

A quality of current society and the generational issues present with it are particularly characterized by the unique reaction to news-mockery, entertainment, memes. The vast filling of humor within national and global responses to crises may stem from the most convenient level of access to news we've had yet.

With the touch of buttons anyone ranging from any ages can learn what is happening in the world and with the advancement of technology more is to be discovered and reported. The combination of both an increase in coverage and increase in exposure yields for a lot more information to be passed through.

Though not all news is taken as a joke the influence of media steers the conversation into a largely jovial place. With television shows, talk shows, internet specialties, and many more versions of media that portray, assess, and many times mock current events, the info that is there turned into entertainment releases a new perspective in the minds of the people that watch it. With more and more of these bits of media popping up in regular life, everyone gets a taste of the influx of humor within news today.

The need for jokes to make news and information travel could be a reflection of the severity and proximity of our most devastating events but I wonder if joking about crisis alleviates, solves, or merely deflects problems. Should the comical culture of crisis be its own philosophical and ideological crisis within and of itself? 

The Plight of the Pseudo-Studier

Coming into college a new aspect of culture was study culture. There are hidden places and coves throughout every campus that students prop themselves down for 2 hours, 5 hours, 10 hours to prepare themselves for an oncoming wave of exams that they'll have to endure. Not to mention the largess and sometimes ornate libraries that even stay open for 24 hours of the day. With all the space and time spent you'd think these students would be prepared to score straight As. Some of them, maybe but many students-with all the space and time spent really accomplish squat when attempting to study.

These pseudo studiers lurk all around campus and throughout all hours of the day. I've seen them myself and I'd be lying if I said I've never been one myself. The pseudo-studier will lay out her books across a desk, make a list of the things she wants to get done, have a pencil in hand ready to go, and have her cell phone in the other. An hour killed doing, well, nothing as an occupant of the infamous internet and more time up for its grasp. With no doubt the pseudo studier's way is a well-intended process but sadly enough is proven fruitless time and time again.

Another pseudo-studying tactic of the pseudo-studier in subconscious attempts to avoid actually studying is the group study ploy. Gather a few friends and take them to the library or an open space optimal for studying. Bring a snack or two and bring your iPod speaker or not. This what was supposed to be a helpful and resourceful session of bringing bright minds together turns into a melting pot for distraction and ultimately wasted time. 5 minutes study, 30 minutes play. 10 minutes to read 2 of 20 pages about the homeostatic process of molecules within the body, 40 minutes to hear about Stacy and that boy and what he did to her, uh, body?

My heart goes out to all the pseudo studiers out there. You got it bad you really do. Okay, we really do. The only thing standing in the way of you is you and your friends or your friend really aren't providing any support here, only enabling the pseudo in pseudo-study and the enabler in you. Chuck the phone, ditch the friends, and sit your ass down to finally erase that pseudo and study!

Obsessions: ✍🏽

Obsessions are interesting in that they can be unique to individuals and stem from spontanaeity or chance rather than practice like other habits, hobbies, or crafts. Usually people stumble on obsessions through accident and discover them by accident. You do something once, figure out you're enameled by it, and then just like that something clicks- you're obsessed.

At least, that's how it worked for me. Ever since I could remember I was oddly intrigued by penmanship. I started to write my name, my family members' names, friends' names, strangers' -whom I just met- names over and over again in different caricatures and styles. I created my signature in 15 different formats when I was in elementary school and the cursive lesson we had to take in the third grade was way more play than work.

Learning to develop neat and changeable handwriting was an outcome of this obsession I had when I was younger (and still do)  of exploring the different nuances of style through doodling. Embarrassingly or weirdly enough, this habit and obsession lead to me discovering that I have a favorite pen. The BIC "Xtra smooth" in black. It's as smooth as a baby's butt and works like a charm!

If anyone is in lack of an obsession or hobby to occupy yourself I'd recommend exploring your handwriting. All you need is a pen and a paper and you can do it anywhere! For all you know now it could just click.

How To: Fill in Your Eyebrows

If you told me this was a trivial activity to write an instructional about I wouldn’t disagree with you. Nevertheless, I can neither deny that it’s something some people wonder about nor say it doesn’t matter to me. Since I have very sparse eyebrows I like to shape and fill mine in to best frame my face and taste! Oftentimes my friends, acquaintances and sometimes strangers seem intrigued by the…aesthetic of my eyebrows. I know! So without further ado, here are the steps of how I groom, shape and fill in my eyebrows.

Step One: PREP

The best clean eyebrow to work with should be already groomed in whichever way that is preferable to you. I get my eyebrows threaded professionally and like for them to lean at a slight arch which they already follow. Everyone’s eyebrows are a different shape so a good tip is to follow the natural arch and shape of your own. 

Step 2: COVER-UP

When your brows aren’t at their best clean state, a popular option you can explore is to tweeze those hairs that stand out. If you don’t want to deal with the meticulousness of tweezing or the pain, don’t worry! A cool way to refine any stray hairs is by using concealer to cover them up! Take any brush or applicator and dab a skin-colored concealer onto the stray hairs. Pat and blend the formula in and your eyebrows will look freshly groomed.

Step 3: FILL-IN

My favorite part. To choose the right color for your eyebrows a general rule is for light haired folks to choose a color 2 shades darker than your hair and for dark haired people to choose a color that is 2 shades lighter. Using an angled makeup brush and your choice of eyebrow pomeade, powder, or any eyeshadow, apply the makeup onto your brow. Start at the angled point in your eyebrow and work your way outwards. Then move inwards to fill in the sparser inner area. Fill in the unfilled areas of what is left. Make sure to flick the brush with swift and short motions rather than dragging it out to replicate the image of hairs on your eyebrows.

Step 4: CLEAN-UP

I follow this step only when I’m sporting a heavier makeup look. You can choose to always or never follow it but if you are looking for a more dramatic and sharper look to your brows I’d recommend it (Keep in mind that if you chose to cover your stray hairs with concealer as directed in Step 2, this step might just be too much product). Take any applicator and outline your brow with a skin-toned or lighter shade of concealer. Blend the product out and your eyebrow will pop out. 

Hope this was helpful/enjoyable :) 

Old Friends, A New Lens

In preparation to complete this assignment I scouted out all of the people I best know and one particular relationship stood out. I decided to interview one of my closest companions, Zaina, and chose her among the rest because one quality of hers that always stands out is how amazing she is of a listener. Zaina is notably interested in helping others, offering advice, and hearing which is why I wanted to conduct an interview focused solely on her to not only change the dynamic of our interaction but also reveal more.

1.Choose 3 words to describe yourself.

Compassionate, dedicated, loyal. 

I definitely think these 3 words encapsulate Zaina entirely. She's a practitioner of empathy and and by her friends' sides at all times.

2. What is your biggest accomplishment?

My biggest accomplishment is finishing all seven Harry Potter books in eight days. The fifth book took two days. I like Harry Potter because it involves an entire fictional world that is built within the real universe. 

Zaina on the left, dressed up Harry Potter for Halloween (2016)

3. Who is your favorite person?

My Dad. He is compassionate, kind, intelligent and everything I aspire to be one day. 

4. Is there anything you don’t like about him?

No. 

5. Where do you see yourself win five years?

Oh god, working and living in the city with friends hopefully. I wanna live there because there is always something happening and there is always something to do. I’ve always wanted to live there since I was like five. 

6. What kind of friend of you think you are?

I think I’m a really understanding and caring friend. I think I’m really good at seeing things in other peoples’ perspectives and listening to their problems. 

I asked Zaina this question purposely to test whether or not she was aware of what kind of companion she has been to me and many of our other friends. It's interesting to know she does in fact know what role she plays within her relationships and I personally find her actions even more valuable because of her awareness of her part. 

Zaina & Me: BFFs

7. You have one immediate wish. What would you wish for? 

A healthy lifestyle.

(5:36 a.m.) Everyone hopes Zaina's wish comes true...

It's interesting to watch someone elaborate upon themselves in a setting as formal as an interview and especially when that person a friend with whom you share the most informal times with. I'm eager to learn more from this perspective which I've not explored as much when it comes to people I'm very comfortable with. 

Traveling for Dance

Friday 11:00 pm 

The air is live and everyone is happy. Meeting people from across the nation whose college lives and journeys fall along such a similar path of your own accounts for incredible feelings. My whole dance troop and I were in the heart of College Park, Maryland attending a mixer for the competition we were to attend the next day. The music was loud, the games were fun, and everyone was spirited to be there. I looked forward to more excitement and the same cool feeling.

Saturday 4:00 am 

No, that time stamp is no typo. Yes, my whole dance team arrived back at our motel at 4 o’ clock in the morning the day before our competition. After we attended the mixer for teams that traveled to be there, we snatched a room in the business building at the University of Maryland where our comp was being held. Our makeshift rehearsal went all the way through the whee hours of dawn all while we had to be up and getting ready at 7 that morning. My feelings of exuberance were quickly replaced by stress and exhaustion. I was going to be a long weekend 

Saturday 6:00 am

My friend jostled me out of bed, “Wake up! We have to get ready.” With only 3 hours of sleep we bustled out of bed and started attacking each others’ hair with pins and clips. The process resembled a small hill: it started when everyone was half alive and very slow then heightened with stress as we began to rush to meet our schedule for the day, and finally eased down as we were rounding up the last of us and we grabbed some surprisingly good breakfast at the motel’s kitchen. 

10:00 am 

“We have 20 minutes- we’re doing two run throughs!” shouted my captain as she walked across the stage checking the dimensions. The dress rehearsal flew by and before we knew it we would spend the next few hours anxiously waiting for our time on stage.

Saturday 6:30 pm

We entered the stage, the music was cued, the lights shined bright, and everything after was a blur. Applause echoed throughout the crowd and we walked off.

Saturday 9:00 pm

We stood surrounding the judges along with the various other teams that competed as well and watched the envelopes pass between their hands. The envelope with a 3 labeled on it was opened. A team name was announced and cheers fled the crowd. The number 2 envelope was being undone and before I know it my team is clapping and cheering; we won second! We received our trophy and exited the stage.

Saturday 11:30 pm 

The bar was lit as if though only brown colors were present in it. The dim yellow lights made the place feel like an entirely different world to step into. Soon enough strobe lights disrupted the sepia palette and the party music started to pop. The after party for the comp was something my fellow teammates and I were especially excited for. My captain handed me and another freshman girl a bottle of orange juice and said “Drink, or else.” Celebrating with my team was filled with free spiritedness and proved the opposite of the stressful weekend we all had endured. In a flash of a moment all I could think was "Wow, I'm going to do this all over again and then, all over again once more for the next 2 weeks." I was feeling a mixture of feelings of excitement, anxiety, and was already exhausted.

To the Grey

I’ve lived with the same four people and within the same 10 mile radius for 18 years of life and though this would seemingly warrant constancy, the environment that surrounded me rendered everything but. I grew up in a melting pot of sorts and I loved it. My town was colorful and melodious filled of people with many and very different ethnicities, cultures and dialects. After spending my basic education in such a town, coming to Rutgers for undergraduate studies was not that drastic of a change. In fact, I’ve met more people of different backgrounds and brands if you will that continue to change my perspective and for that I am grateful.

As a first generation American kid diversity and empathy for unfamiliar circumstances are ideas I consider very often and thoroughly. Having to develop principles and find direction within the midst of various and sometimes contradictory dogmas can be confusing and a lot of energy is outputted to cover a lot of self evaluation and interpretation. Corroborating an identity against different imprints and stencils but finding that none fit. After this assumption is accepted as fact the task is to use the mismatch resources available to pave the way and create one! I don't think at all that this a story exclusive to the kid of immigrant parents and I don't think these feelings are contingent to the displacement between two grid points on a map.

With time, change is guaranteed and everyone experiences these things. Aligning yourself to what you were taught, what you see, what you read and what you learn from experience is a task that is relatable by all and allows for growth. I’ve always thought if the circumstances allow it, its the duty of people to be introspective and discover the truth about themselves because a consequence to personal growth is societal growth and not many things are more valuable than so.

It’s my philosophy that this particular problem, the identity crisis, is a signal of advantage. I would imagine being fortunate and free enough to weigh the struggles of understanding yourself as a struggle at all is a luxury for people who live day to day trying to survive each one or support others throughout. I took a survey one time and the consensus at the end stated that if you live in middle class America you fall within the parameters of the richest percentile of the whole globe. I don't remember the exact percentage number but it was a single digit and that alone is flabbergasting.

That statistic forced a broadened perspective of our lands and fundamentally skewed the concepts of black and white. A valuable lesson that I think is perpetually reinforced throughout life and, well, growing is that nothing is black and white. The boundaries of law and action and between a moral compass and the chemicals within our bodies are staggered and many times broken; it’s all grey. 

Welcome to my first blog and the more to come.