Asian Outlook | Fall 2019 Issue #2 by Asian Outlook

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Volume XXXVII, Issue 2

contents ASIAN OUTLOOK 2

ASIAN OUTLOOK

opinions 8 | On Casting: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before | Samantha Wing 10 | Going Away for College is Popping Your Bubble -- Or Not | Emma Shen

Cover designed by Michelle Pao & Lily Tang. Covers’ backgrounds by Starline on Freepik.

letter from the editor... DEAR READERS, I hope you’re all having a fantastic winter season – it’s begun to snow outside, so I hope you’re warming up with hot chocolates and friends. I also hope they’re not trying to steal your hot chocolate. This issue, we’ve got a pretty interesting roundup. Most of our pieces are introspective works, looking into their own experiences and how those reflected in their lives. Something new we’re trying, though, is a crossword puzzle! It’s boba themed, so make sure to get any addict friends over when you get there. My favorite drink is based off of bubble tea – in Taiwan, it’s called Qing Wa Xia Dan, which is a bit of a mouthful, but in English it’s Frog Eggs. Don’t worry, though, no wouldbe frogs were harmed in the making! It’s a mixture of fig jelly, limes, sugar water, and tapioca. I personally think it’s the best summer drink out there, so I guess you can try it then if you save this magazine? I’d like to thank my amazing eboard for all the work they put in, especially our president Michelle. Without her constant work (and worrying), we’d be doing nowhere near as well as we are now. From our contributors, to our copy and layout editors, to all the people that do work behind the scenes, the club would not be able to function without their help. Good luck on your fall finals, everyone, and don’t forget that Asian Outlook is always looking for more submissions, whether it be photography, politics, opinions, life stories or anything in between. In the end, the community is what keeps us going, and we hope to interact more in the years to come. Brandon Ng Editor-in-Chief

ASIAN OUTLOOK EXECUTIVE BOARD FALL 2019 President Vice President Editor-in-Chief Conscience Editor Secretary Treasurer Copy Editor Layout Editor

Videographer Audiographer Publicity Chair Event Coordinator Intern

Michelle Pao Rina Weng Brandon Ng Emily Lin Lily Tang Isabella Weiner Michelle Tan Ashley Zhang Alvin Liao Anita Liu Samantha Wing Tao Yang Claire Choi Mike Natrella Sherry Dang Justin Roman Emma Shen Allie Wu Thomas Hur Kylie Wen Courtney Fu Celeste Pietrzak Sabrina Qiu

EDITORIAL POLICY Asian Outlook is the art, literary and news magazine of the Asian Student Union of SUNY’s Binghamton University. Originally conceived and created to challenge, redefine, re-imagine and revolutionize images and perceptions associated with Asians and Asian Americans, Asian Outlook also serves to protect the voice of those in the minority, whether by ethnicity, gender, and/or political orientation. All matter contained within these beautiful pages do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Asian Outlook reserves the right to edit submissions and publish work as deemed appropriate. Prospective contributors are encouraged to discuss their work with the editors prior to submissions. All submissions may be submitted as e-mail attachments to ao.editor@gmail.com.

CONTACT POLICY Uninvited contact with writers and contributors is strictly prohibited. Please direct all questions, comments and complaints to: ao.editor@GMAIL.com

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Vol. XXXII, Issue 2 3

Censorship in Sports:

More Than Just a Game? Photo by Blizzard (Twitch).

By Evan Lau

S PROTESTORS FLOOD THE STREETS OF HONG KONG FOR THE FOURTH MONTH IN A ROW, there are no signs of the riots stopping anytime soon. Hong Kong, a former British colony was returned to China in 1997 under its “one country, two systems” policy, which gave Hong Kong separate autonomy from mainland China and guaranteed freedom of speech. Beginning in April 2019, chief executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam along with the Hong Kong Security Bureau proposed an extension of its extradition bill to include mainland china. Essentially, Hong Kongers could be sent to China for punishment for criticizing the Chinese government despite being guaranteed free speech. Hong Kongers fearing the encroaching influence of mainland China immediately took to the streets to voice their revolution for a prodemocratic government. The Hong Kong protests have garnered massive media attention, putting major international media brands with major financial ties to China in precarious positions. Mass media, including the likes of the NBA, NFL, and esports leagues have had their fair share of political discussion on live broadcasts. On October 8th, professional esports gamer and Hearthstone player, Ng Wai “Blitzchung” Chung, was punished shortly after winning a Hearthstone Grandmasters match for showing support for the liberation of Hong Kong during a postgame interview. Chung came on live stream covered with a gas mask, which symbolized resistance, and yelled, “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our age!” as broadcasters Virtual and Mr. Yee ducked under the desk in disbelief and surprise mid-broadcast. Blizzard Entertainment, the publishers of Hearthstone, immediately cut the live broadcast to a commercial break, fired both Taiwanese casters, and stripped Blitzchung of his prize earnings and proceeded to ban him from participating in any Hearthstone competitions for 12 months (now reduced to 6). Blizzard released a statement explaining that while they respect “one’s right to express individual thoughts and opinions,” any behavior that causes public dispute and offends a portion of the public viewership could be punishable by removal from the Grandmasters and total prize earnings be reduced to $0. Fans are particularly critical of Blizzard’s response because they are partially owned by a giant Chinese-based tech company, Tencent. It’s no breaking news to hear of esports players being punished for breaking tournament policy, however, by banning Blitzchung for his actions, the esports community rattled with anger as they saw through Blizzard’s financial motives to please its Chinese partners.

ASIAN OUTLOOK

Following the ban of the Hearthstone player, Riot Games, which runs multiple franchised leagues for League of Legends, addressed their outlook on political issues having a place in the sport. Global head of LoL esports, John Needham, stated that generally, sensitive topics such as politics and religion should be kept separate from the sport and that the focus of the broadcast should be to deliver the fans an entertaining gaming experience. Furthermore, Needham emphasized that Riot had a responsibility to keep its employees and fans from escalating further political unrest in certain areas. Fans throughout social media were quick to criticize Riot Games as another puppet of Chinese investors because they are also owned by Tencent. During the League of Legends World Championship group stage, casters reportedly told to be cautious of addressing the name of qualifying team, “Hong Kong Attitude” as “HKA” instead of their full name. Despite communications lead, Ryan Rigney, of Riot Games openly denying those reports, were multiple instances of casters slipping up to correct themselves on live broadcast when saying “HKA.” The controversy even extends to the NBA, where Houston Rockets GM, Daryl Morey, tweeted his support for pro-democratic Hong Kong protestors (now deleted), which prompted Chinese organizations and sponsors to pull support from NBA events in China. Specifically, the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers were set to play in Shenzhen, China, but were banned from speaking to the media for their usual postgame interviews by the Chinese government. Demands from the Chinese government even went as far as to demand that Morey be fired from his position for openly tweeting his political opinion. As a league that prides itself as “being more than just basketball,” the Chinese market could be extremely volatile for the NBA to tap into. The growing influence of Chinese companies in sports leagues leaves fans questioning the amount of power Chinese investors have in the entertainment industries. While freedom of expression is heavily emphasized in sports media, regulations must set in place to keep live broadcasts professional and free of offensive speech. Should sports leagues and its athletes keep their content strictly focused on the game or should they be encouraged to use their platforms to influence an audience beyond their league? Despite having the potential for major economic growth in Chinese markets, sports leagues may question entering due to significant backlash from fans.

https://twitter.com/lolesports/ status/1182711322791698432/photo/1 John Needham address https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/ blog/23179289/ Hearthstone Grandmasters ruling https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/ article/3032538/nba-china-crisis-why-adamsilver-had-little-choice-back-rockets-gm Daryl Morey - Rockets GM incident (explained) https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=uXEP02K3g5M&t=329s Youtube Video “Blizzard f*cked Up” https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/9242/ hong-kong-player-blitzchung-calls-forliberation-of-his-country-in-post-gameinterview Article “Blitzchung” calls for liberation of HK https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asiachina-49317695 https://dotesports.com/league-of-legends/ news/riot-games-appears-to-censor-hongkong-during-worlds-2019-broadcasts Riot Games castersWW

As a league that prides itself as “being more than just basketball,” the Chinese market could be extremely volatile for the NBA to tap into.

Photo by Eduardo Leal/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Vol. XXXII, Issue 2 5

Lotus: A Self Reflection By Nortee Panpinyo

AST YEAR, I WENT TO THAILAND TO VISIT MY FAMILY. Despite the multiple arguments about money, politics, and religion, I was still happy to see them. We found time together to visit different places, from mega malls and beaches to wats (temples) and elephant sanctuaries. To this day, one place that stood out in particular to me is the lotus farm. When you first get off the river boat and walk into the lotus farm, located off the edge of Mahasawat canal, you’re greeted with both an amazing smell and sight. The lotuses sit so tightly grouped that the water beneath can barely be seen. At the time I went, only half of the lotus flowers were blooming, the rest enclosed like pale green cocoons. Being there gave me a sense of peace, a breather for the tired mind and heart. As I sat there by the water I realized how much I wanted to be a person that could create this view. How much I, too, wanted to create this bubble, a fragment of the world in which lotuses could blossom. Getting into and cultivating bubbles has always been easy for me. Throughout my life, I feel like I’ve always seen it as “How do I grow?” and “How do I help the people around me grow?” I always

ASIAN OUTLOOK

take on leadership roles because it’s really what I want to do - each person has a different story, perspective, and smile. But over time, it felt like I lost my own self. I had met with so many different people from so many different backgrounds and tried to be the right fit for each circle. Eventually, all of those people have meshed into who I am today. It became natural to meet new people and assimilate. What was hard for me to come to terms with was that it wasn’t clear who I was when I looked at myself. I’ve struggled a long time with who I want to become and what I want to do. As with many people, I struggled to figure out my identity. All I really knew was that I wanted to see the people around me happy. That train of thought ends up causing problems, though. In Asian culture, I think we value the collective rather than the individual. Rather than having to pick one or the other, I think we should have a special place in between. The collective and the individual should be a symbiotic relationship. We should learn more about ourselves to learn more about others. But there are times I forget to take a step back from the lotus flowers and look at myself. It’s something I

Background design by mbr from Pinterest.

often want to bring up, that we can get so caught up in our bubbles and the bubbles around us that we forget that what can be more important than the bubble is ourselves. I want the people around me to be happy, but I realized I needed to draw a line. What I wanted was not just to make my friends and family happy, but also to open my heart to people. It’s a feeling I missed dearly. Some days it feels like I have no passion, no drive to reach somewhere. Like many, I often think back to my childhood as a great time because it felt so simple to laugh and smile. As a child, I would’ve played in the lotus farm. As I’ve grown older, I think I’m content with just watching it. Part of me is still that child that wants to reach out to something, to someone. I’m writing this because I know there are people out there who feel like I do. People who haven’t really figured it out but are happy with the people around them. It’s nice to see others blossom, but have you? All I can do now is spill my heart out, with everything I say, everything I do, everything I write. Think about the people around you and the

bubbles you’re in, but never forget that you are a person whose existence is larger than any of these concepts. Bubbles are thin, lotuses are frail, and these metaphors are not meant to trap you inside of them. I know for many it’s not as easy to say that they’ll spill what they have inside out for everyone to hear, but I think. . . It’s worth a shot. Just to one person, or even just to yourself. As Asian Americans, how often do we hear the word “reflect”? How often do we ask each other about our dreams? How often do we talk about our mental health? Definitely not enough. Take a step out of the concept of bubbles, and look at the concept of you. I stared into that lotus field amidst family troubles, childhood trauma, and relationship struggles. I made the lotus field into my own fantasy, a place I could escape to. But in reality, I needed to face everything and instead of creating a bubble, understand what’s in one. Just as a lotus field can bring a smile to my face, a single lotus flower can be just as beautiful. Four lotus designed by Shelley Lambert from Pinterest. Center-piece lotus design by Kris Kivu from Society 6. Lotus garden picture by Visit China from Pinterest.

Vol. XXXII, Issue 2 7

e h T l l A o T s I’ve y o B oved L re o f e B By Samantha Wing

ABSOLUTELY LOVED “TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE”. The series is not only iconic in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community but also to outsiders as well. I hope it is remembered as a key movie in the new wave of mainstream Asian representation in the media. I am proud of all the work of Asian actors and actresses do in playing complex and interesting film and TV characters to fight against stereotypes and make sure that young Asian-Americans see themselves represented truthfully and carefully in their media. To all the parts I loved, I have some qualms. Lana Condor, a Vietnamese-American actress, played the lead Lara Jean Covey, who is half KoreanAmerican. In the series the movie was based on, Lara’s Korean background plays a not-insignificant role in her identity. She visits her family on a trip to Korea and there is a scene where they wear hanboks to celebrate New Year’s Eve. (Note: This is in the second book, so I’m not sure if these scenes will be shown in the movie.) This, Asian actors pretending to be other Asian ethnicities, is actually fairly common in Hollywood. Examples include

ASIAN OUTLOOK

actors like Korean-American Randall Park playing a Taiwanese immigrant and father in the TV series Fresh Off the Boat and half Malaysian Ibanhalf English Henry Golding playing the Chinese Singaporean character Nick Young in Crazy Rich Asians. There’s something I find inherently concerning about these castings, with a common microaggression endured by the Asian-American community being that all Asians look the same. That all Asians are interchangeable, with Japanese-Americans being the same as ChineseAmericans or Korean-Americans because who can really tell the difference, and it’s not like it really matters. Except it does. Different food, traditions, languages, family ties. It means different historical backgrounds and a different home country. While there are many similarities in the Asian-American experience, there are also differences that shouldn’t be overlooked for fear of the homogeneity (of favoring of dominant cultures, like Chinese, or Japanese, or Korean over others) or because it is simply disrespectful to the cultures themselves to ignore its people’s contributions to history, their pain in oppression, or their amazing language, food, art, etc. I’m worried that casting choices like these can perpetuate the view that all Asians are the same within Hollywood and in public perception more so than it already is. I’m worried it seems like Asians are condoning being mistaken for another ethnicity if they are voluntarily playing these roles on screen. In To All The Boys series, the focus was that it was a high school rom-com where the lead happened to be Asian and doesn’t necessarily focus on race besides the fact that she is Asian in a role majority casted as white. But as in the books and as understood by many minorities, cultural background plays a role in your identity: how you see the world and how you’re treated by the world, whether you want it to or not. So by not casting a Korean American and only being concerned with having an Asian in the room, telling a generic Asian story, are they sacrificing an important part of the Asian-American story of respecting your family’s culture and background (be it Taiwanese, Filipino, Malaysian, etc)? If they include the scenes, are they putting actresses like Condor in a potentially uncomfortable position pretending to be from a different culture, or is it fine because it is just acting?

An argument against accurate ethnicity-specific casting is that it would then be harder to be cast for instance a Malaysian can then only play a role written for a Malaysian, fearing public backlash. If there were significant concerns over this issue, it would only make Hollywood more wary of casting Asian actors at all, leading to more instances of whitewashing. Think Emma Stone, a white woman, playing an Asian role in the 2015 film Aloha. I would counter that there are plenty of talented actors of all ethnicities who can play roles with the same amount of quality, possibly better with their background informing their character more authentically. I concede this is different for roles that are truly cast without ethnicity in mind, where it’s not specified (sitcoms, etc) where it isn’t necessarily important but still I feel like it’s important that if cultural background for the character is added that it reflects the ethnicity of the actor/ actress playing the role. However there is legitimate criticism that people from minority ethnicities, (for instance, someone from Myanmar) won’t ever have roles written about them. If they are cast first without ethnicity in mind, it is then a chance to lift up the minority and to bring their culture to the forefront of media. But this I admit seems idealistic. I don’t believe many show writers will care enough to dedicate research to these minority communities enough to portray their story carefully on screen especially when they know not much of the audience will resonate and that television isn’t really in the business of cultural education. This would also greatly limit the roles of people who are mixed race. Would they only be able to play someone mixed, or someone mixed the same way they are? Would a person who’s half or a quarter Chinese (and a half or quarter Italian or Hispanic) be able to play a Chinese character the same way someone who is fully Chinese can? To some extent wouldn’t the casting then have to rely on whether

the actor was “Asian passing”? But then what are the characteristics that would be looked for those roles if not relying on stereotypes? I don’t have the answers to these questions and I think more voices on these issues need to be heard. But aren’t the victories still worth it? Isn’t more Asian representation of any kind a win for the community as a whole? At least these Asian roles are going to Asian actors, which is something we can’t take for granted, with the countless instances of whitewashing over the history of the industry. I agree and I am proud of how far we’ve come. I don’t think the examples I’ve mentioned of non-”authentic” casting diminishes the importance of these roles in empowering Asian-Americans and encouraging more of those stories to be told. I can see myself in Japanese or VietnameseAmerican actors even though I’m Chinese, because of similarities in our Asian-American experiences, but I also want spaces to be carved out to celebrate the stories of these specific ethnicities and cultures as genuinely as possible. Right now, interchangeable Asian casting may be the small price paid for more Asian casting overall. When we have more Asian actors and characters from different backgrounds in the mainstream, accurate Asian casting may be an ideal we can reach later. First we have to overcome the barrier that the role is just casted as white and with this respect, understanding, and a new pool of up and coming Asian actors, maybe then we could have ethnicity accurate casting with ease; a culture where Asian stories, from mixed races to less represented ethnicities, are commonly seen in media, playing a high school love interest and playing roles that reference their cultures. We just might not be there yet, but I hope we are soon. https://www.themarysue.com/asians-areinterchangeable-casting/ https://stylecaster.com/cast-asians-as-wrong-ethnicities/ Photo from https://medium.com/unarchived-writings/ to-all-the-boys-ive-loved-before-8d32f66e7561

Vol. XXXII, Issue 2 9

Going away for college is popping your bubble - or not By Emma Shen

“G

ET COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE.” When it comes to adulting, life becomes a not so easy process. Several new responsibilities suddenly pop up and it feels like there’s never enough time in the day to accomplish everything on your checklist. Now, add an even more drastic change, such as moving away for college. New environment, new people, new learning style guess what, your bubble was just popped! I can only imagine how much harder immigrating to a foreign country feels like - assimilating to a different culture while struggling to maintain your roots. But what if I were to tell you that the bubble you just popped is going to form again once you settle into the oncampus life. Not only are you going to be more sheltered with less exposure to people on a day-today basis than you were before, you are going to be catered to for a student only life. It’s no surprise, then, that you will succumb to an unhealthy lifestyle of laziness, wild parties on the weekend, and sleep deprivation due to endless amounts of freedom and privilege. That’s under the assumption that you will follow the crowd, do what’s “cool,” and take advantage of your parental guidance free life. Hopefully this was you in your first week of college and it slowly faded away, because, frankly, that’s a fantasy life and can only be afforded if you have money. Your duties and burdens will quickly catch up to you and collide with your escapism world. This is not everyone’s college experience. It is unique to you. What your personality type is, where you grew up, how you were raised, and how you mesh in with society. Who do you usually gravitate towards when at a social gathering? What qualities attract you to those types of people? How about making friends with people completely different from you? Immersing yourself in new cultures, whether it be international students or students from a different state.

10 ASIAN OUTLOOK

The purpose of going away for college is to gain new experiences, right? To have independence and freedom and roam around making choices for yourself. A fresh new slate with room for mistakes, failures, and, most importantly, memories made with lifelong companions. Maybe you will see acquaintances from back home, but now it’s your chance to start over and form your inner circle.

Where to go in search of friends? If you live oncampus, then your suitemates may seem like a good start. If you live off-campus, then your housemates. However, it is common to just be neighbors and never form relationships, especially in this day in age of social media - people lack social skills and forget how to interact with others. It takes your own initiative and interest to form that spark between you and someone else. Whether it be a conversation starter with a person you see waiting in line for

Image designed by Kraphix from Freepik.

food or someone who looks lonely on campus. I dare you! Take the chance! Having an open mind and a non-judgemental mindset creates avenues of opportunity for diversity and new connections. At first, the transition on campus may seem difficult, and feelings of anxiety, stress, depression, or loneliness may surface as you try to find your identity and sense of belonging. Being thrown in to learn life lessons of managing finances, preparing meals, consistently exercising, studying, being a part of organizations is a lot of novelty. To support all of this, we search for social circles to experience hardship together. That’s why there are so many bubbles within the general college bubble on campus. College is a great way to have self exploration and experimentation because of the new, profound freedom. Despite the obvious cliques formed all over campus, I believe there is a stigma of the feeling of being exclusive and leaving people out. Binghamton is diverse with certain strong communities amounting over 200 clubs for about 14,000 students. In SUNY Binghamton there are clubs, Greek life, religious organizations, on-campus facilities such as the Multicultural Resource Center, the Q Center, the Fleishman Center, special services for students including TRIO, EOP, Residential life, etc. You are bound to find your group of friends in the endless list of activities, particularly for a public university like Binghamton. The concept of being in bubbles in which we created ourselves is how society likes to categorize and label people. This is further promoted through the age of social media, reinforcing images of ourselves to our social circles. We systematize infrastructure and institutions to have power and control over others. Social media is a freeform platform, to which anyone who has access to the internet can speak their mind and consume media curated by themselves in an informal way.

We want to consume media to our particular liking, which does not allow polarity. We like familiarity, as I’ve learned in Psyc 350 Human Memory. We are no longer exposed to opposing points of view, instead we click the like button on Facebook and Instagram with a false sense of connection. We seek entertainment out of our “friends.” The ego boosting social media that curates a false identity through pictures of the self, allows us to objectify and materialize our well-being and existence. It becomes scary when people feel more comfortable being lazy and following you on social media rather than talking to you in person. In the first couple of weeks, students are uncomfortable when everything is brand new. We have to build a new social circle in a foreign land while simultaneously excelling in our academics. Surviving the challenges in adjusting to a novel environment with foreign campus dining hall food, to buildings dedicated to academics, social gatherings, for students to be students. On the contrary, to many young adults, the overall campus experience is seen as a place of fun with friends. The convenience of everything being on campus and at close proximity to friends show the benefits of the college experience. Because of this, you can have crazy experiences at 3am and form memories all over campus. You get to meet people who are so different from you, from international students to immigrants or people who just grew up in a different lifestyle than you. It’s a time to immerse yourself in other people’s culture and appreciate diversity! At the end of the day, it all comes down to finding the gems that are compatible to be your friends. This is something personal. Bubble or not, people are people. If you don’t want to feel excluded or intimidated by certain social circles, you can always create your own. Quality over quantity and do what feels right.

It becomes scary when people feel more comfortable being lazy and following you on social media rather than talking to you in person.

Vol. XXXII, Issue 2 11

By Zokirjon Ergashev

Higher Beings

Affluence

Vol. XXXII, Issue 2 13

Boba n’Out

Asian Outlook @ Asian Night 11.02.19

Bubbles. Ha, sounds like troublllllllle But like seriously, why do y’all like bubbles From what I last heard, tapioca pearls won’t sustain you for that long Like your social capsules, Confining you to certain groups that, you still haven’t really been able to get out of,--could you, would you? There’s quality in besties They say honesty is the best policy And honestly, all I’m hearing from you is jealousy I’m not tryna trouble you But your mentality Looking a lot like the bubble tea straight from CIW 11 But some are feisty in reality, causing some casualties Trying to find your Boba bae , Bao bae that’s some sugar crush--There ain’t no issue with sticking to the OG tea - milk tea. Your friends sipping the tian mi mi comfortably thinking this is harmony

I get it. Bubbles are these comfort zones So familiar, it feels natural Ordering the same flavor, and always coming back for more You’re actually getting less, you see Keeping yourself to the same faces, same ways Say less, pop those bobas Bless Well, lemme spill the tea. Bubbles are temporary and that’s a good thing. They float around, eventually popping And also find other bubbles to attach to or even merge with-That in mind, bubbles are a part of self-exploration In today’s mass media generation; Through this we are with bubbles every day? Nah do you even hear what you’re SAYIN about bubbles

14 ASIAN OUTLOOK

In terms of health This alludes to the many articles on bubble tea and how it can cause cancer. But does it really?

These social groups may not last long. They’re limiting just like the casing the tapioca pearls are in.

This is the rise of the battle. Is it better to stay within your bubble or go out to explore? Sometimes tea can arise in friend groups. Do you consider that an issue in your life? Old-school

Mandarin for ‘very sweet’

We all have a favorite go to bubble tea drink. What’s yours?

The media is showing what the trends are and that’s influencing what people do for fun. Should people follow the crowd or diverge?

It’s alright to float within friendship circles. You’ll find yourself through the process and see who you can be comfortable with.

being temporary-Bubble tea being sugar more than tea You keep on consuming what you think to be The best thing in life, and comfortability---I don’t know what to say, then try to explore out of your bubble and all of life’s possibilities.

Sometimes you have to go out of your comfort zone and you don’t know what you’ll find out until you try.

How to transition?? “Well. . . we have PLENTY of possibilities” Tiger Sugar, Kung Fu Tea We got a whole lot of variety Too expensive, drink ViVi; or even better, your local chinese bakery’s dollar tea Lychee, peach, matcha, mango, Strawberry, passion fruit, try adding some taro With me when I’m lost in Japan With me studying at 2 AM With me when I don’t know the new trend But most importantly with all my friends

If you’ve ever been to Taipan or Fay Da Bakery, you’ll understand this reference unique flavor

Us on Stage

First sip of bubble tea Got me feeling all bubbly My favorite comfort drink In my comfortability Always setting the mood With my favorite sweet brew Keeping me and the homies cool Can never have just one This fight was over before it even begun So to be in or find your bubble can be a double edged sword Forming solidarity and being narrow-minded So sometimes it’s hard to find the reward. That being, in a healthy space, and yeah, it’s hard to find it But if you, right now, are at least acknowledging the presence of these bubbles Then I’d say you’re off to a good start, even though it may seem subtle. Cashier: . . . So are you guys gonna order or what… . .??? What would you like? I’d like bubble tea without the bubbles And I’d like a large boyfriend from Yayas with the bubbles AND THEY’RE BOTH FINE

A consensus was made

Cashier:. . . . . . . . That will be $11.02?

Date of Asian Night

Vol. XXXII, Issue 2 15

By Caleb Qi

Bubbles pop

The very existence of a bubble also implies the existence of an event in the future, albeit far, of the bubble’s demise. You see, bubbles don’t last forever, or you wouldn’t call it a bubble. A financial market bubble bursts catastrophically, a social bubble disintegrates gradually, a soap bubble silently vanishes in an instant. The word bubble has a built in feeling of fragility and ephemerality.

Think of all the bubbles in your life The bubble of hope that your crush secretly likes you back, the bubble of homogeneous friends, the bubble of belief that you are prepared against your professor’s ammunition of quizzes and exams, the bubble that separates all that shit you have to do from a brief moment of zen. Yes, eventually they will all disappear. And the dichotomy will end in chaos. And you will think, what a stupid bubble, I wasted my time on that bubble. And that’s why it’s better to be edgy than bubbly.

Or ... maybe not?

Protect that thin, weak ass layer of hope against all odds. Everything might be going to shit, but at least you’ll have that bubble. That shiny, reflective, easily doomed bubble. That bubble that gives you strength when you imagine yourself as it in shitty situations. Look at it, isn’t it kinda cute? Weak as fuck, but kinda nice I guess? When you think about it, it’s almost magical. Bubbles can even give value to nothing but AIR. Ephemeral as they are, in their brief moment of existence, bubbles weigh equally, against the surrounding, perpetual, emptiness.

16 ASIAN OUTLOOK

I really like bubbles! By Shaiyan Hoissan

Bubbles floating in the air free of care no hint of despair going freely by, to wherever in the sky such a perfect sphere so pure, so saincere made so simple, full of purity so clean, never dirty wish I could be more like a bubble sometimes... Photo by Yasmin Dangor on Unsplash.

Vol. XXXII, Issue 2 17

18 ASIAN OUTLOOK

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GROWING UP IN FLUSHING,

I found myself trapped in a bubble. I was not aware of the diversity that surrounded me outside of the bubble of my community. Growing up, I began to traverse the streets of NYC and I found inspiration in what I saw. For this reason, I decided to illustrate different NYC landscapes with a chinese calligraphy brush rather than normal watercolor brushes. Bringing forth elements from inside and outside the bubble, this series was my attempt to merge my culture and the culture surrounding me with art.

- Anita Liu

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Vol. XXXII, Issue 2 19

A man spotted in the middle of Central Park making a big bubble to entertain the crowd. By Tiffany Yee

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echo by Ryan Zogheb

Vol. XXXII, Issue 2 21

Bubble Tea Shops! By Alvin Liao

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In My Own Little Bubbles By Allison Wu

Vol. XXXII, Issue 2 23

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