The Student Snapshot - Edition 5

Page 1

Student Snapshot The

EDITION 5 MORDIALLOC COLLEGE


THE STUDENT SNAPSHOT

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR JACK CROWE

The second wave of lockdown has undoubtedly been a challenging stage of the pandemic that we didn’t expect. While spring is upon us and the sun is back out, let’s hope for the best and that we will be able to have a nice Christmas together. Fortunatey, all this down time has given us the opportunity to work on our little projects. Some may be working on jigsaws, exercising, or maybe just spending time getting to know our selves. Either way, the team has come together to produce another edition of The Student Snapshot (which happens to be my favourite edition so far). We’ve covered a range of fun and enticing articles you may enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee. Need some baking ideas? We’ve got that covered. Need to look at some cute pets to brighten your spirits? We’ve got that too! Take a breather, sit down with a snack, and enjoy edition five of The Student Snapshot!

JOIN THE TEAM Want to be a part of the team as a writer, photographer, artist, designer or editor? We are always looking for new recruits with a variety of ideas and new persepctives to help expand our future editions. The aim of our magazine, after all, is to provide students with a voice and influence. If you would like to be heard by the school community, you can join by emailing Jack Crowe (cro0031@mc.vic.edu. au) or by joining the Google Classroom with the code: ul5fawn

DESIGN Front Cover Artwork: Jeneya Tran

Editors: Emma Schultz and Daniel Loza Magazine Design: Jack Crowe, Aaliyah Zaph and Emma Schultz Page Artwork: Alisa Kvashko


MORDIALLOC COLLEGE

CONTENTS 3. Team Playlist............................................................................Collaborative 4. Pets of Mordialloc....................................................................Collaborative 5. Main Street Cafe Interview....................................................Emma Schultz 9. Artwork.....................................................................................Elishka Collis 11. 35 Things to do in Isolation....................................................Beth Michael 13. We are Living in Unprecedented Times..........................Timothy Whitford 17. Strange Creatures................................................................Lilly Fruitman 21. Baking Ideas............................................................................Kate Schultz 24. The Incredible Life of Anna May Wong..................................Aaliyah Zaph 29. Poem for 2020.....................................................................Georgia Dorrity 31. Anonymous Thoughts on Quarantine....................................Collaborative 34. Artwork..................................................................................Scarlet Broad 35. Cinderella vs Beauty and the Beast.....................................Lilly Fruitman 38. Quiz..........................................................................................Kate Schultz 41. Rock Shrines.......................................................................Jade Goodman 43. Looking on the Brighter Side.................................................Collaborative

WRITTEN BY // Lilly Fruitman

17. 24. 35. Am

ovie rant written

by Lil ly

Fr u

itm

an

MARSHMALLOW

4. 34. 11.

e g an

This is Marshmallow! She is a freshwater turtle and she is about 4 years old. Isolation and quarantine hasn’t really affected her at all. She is always really curious and enjoys watching TV when she thinks we don’t notice her watching. When she goes outnecklace! of her Deathly Hallows Anywho, I found her quite woode and the ‘I love you’ at end seemed very forced as was th sheRanting likesis the walking around and climbing ontothethe Movie istank the name. game. Despite everything rest of her acting. I didn’t even buy her hate for Gaston. The THE INCREDIBLE OFthe ANNA MAY anyone has ever seen, live LIFE action remakes are by far the WONG windowsills, (well, ones that reach the floor at WRITTEN BY //They AALIYAH biggest industry in the world today. areZAPH also the number again it wouldn’t be a remake without an actor/actress w feel nothing for *cough* Scar *cough*. least.) one genre one can screw up horribly. Speaking of which, I wish to explore the filmmaking techniques and decisions of two live action Disney remakes known as Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella – I know I have no life. But hey, those reading this probably don’t either.

Say hello to Marshmallow

Mask

Lily James on the other hand, screams ‘Cinderella’. I didn even know who she was until I watched the movie (that a lie, I saw her in Darkest Hour and just didn’t know h name). While Watson puts on a sweet, loving personali there is no doubt that Lily has the complete advantage of


TEAM PLAYLIST

our quarantine tunes

In this time of uncertainty and fear, society as a collective has turned to the arts and media as a place of comfort, and a source of much-needed entertainment. Being a diverse group of students, ranging in grades, ages, genders and more, we thought it’d be fun to share our quarantine theme songs with you, compiling them into one playlist.

Groupie Love Lana Del Rey feat. A$AP Rocky

Smoke Signals Tessa Violet & Cavetown

Lies Will Jay

invisible string Taylor Swift

The Judge 21 Pilots

Rebel Jasiah

Would That I Hozier

Mariposa peach tree rascals

Break My Heart Dua Lipa

LIKE I WANT YOU Giveon

BUAKAW City Morgue

Yoko Ono Moby Rich

The moss Cosmo Sheldrake

3

The Bones Maren Morris & Hozier


MARSHMALLOW This is Marshmallow! She is a freshwater turtle and she is about 4 years old. Isolation and quarantine hasn’t really affected her at all. She is always really curious and enjoys watching TV when she thinks we don’t notice her watching. When she goes out of her tank she likes walking around and climbing onto the windowsills, (well, the ones that reach the floor at least.)

Say hello to Marshmallow

LENNY This is Leonardo (Lenny). He is a 1 year old spoodle who is loving but also very naughty. He loves to chew underwear, singlets and socks and has an obsession of barking at other dogs so I wouldn’t recommend taking your dog near him. He can’t take his nose away from cheese or eggs and gets all the attention he can get. Lenny is enjoying quarantine as he gets a walk almost every day unless the weather is bad.

Lenny does a snooze!

Last edition, we invited the school to contribute pictures of their pets, which we then compiled together into an extensive guide to the pets of Mordialloc College. We loved having your pets featured in the magazine so much that we’ve decided to make this a routine - every edition you can expect a couple of pets to be grace the pages, so be sure to tune in every term and keep an eye out for your furry friend!

PETS OF MORDIALLOC showcasing our iso buddies

4


the effect of coronavirus on small businesses WRITTEN & DESIGNED BY // Emma Schultz

5


MAIN STREET CAFE

I was interested in the effects coronavirus had had on some local businesses within the Mordialloc area. I had the chance to speak with Jimmy and Luke, the owner and manager at Main Street Cafe, to find out more about the effects Coronavirus had on their business and some ways they have adapted under the new economic climate.

HOW HAS YOUR BUSINESS BEEN IMPACTED BY THE RESTRICTIONS? JIMMY: Once this covid thing hit -- March the 22nd ,it was a pretty big shock, the whole business came to a standstill. No one knew what we were allowed to do, what we could do, all that sort of stuff. It was a pretty big impact, it impacted our staff [and] their employment. We went into survival mode moving forward -- how do we operate? How do we get through this? HAVE THERE BEEN DEDUCTIONS IN SALES THE PAST 6 MONTHS? [When] covid hit we had quite a big reduction in sales. We’ve been operating at about 15-20% of what we were originally doing. You can imagine going from a full restaurant of about 80-90 people to now only catching people as they walk past the window. Especially now when people are only allowed out for an hour each day. Essentially it “dropped off a cliff,” for lack of a better word. We’ve got six restaurants as part of our group (main street, side street, sunnyboy, bang bang eats, mamma franca, parkers pavilion) that are in the mordialloc and parkdale area, so any deductions could be multiplied by six, so it’s quite a big impact. HAVE YOU HAD TO DO ANY STAFF CUTS DUE TO THESE DEDUCTIONS? The sales went down and the revenue was not even close to what it used to be so obviously you have to make a lot of cutbacks here and there. The question went to a lot of staff: we could put them on Jobkeeper which was a federal grant from the government, which would help each business stay afloat. Between the six shops we had close to one hundred staff that we had to organise, and having to cut down 10-15% of that staff was a lot of work and stress, and involved a lot of organisation. This jobkeeper has really helped our businesses stay afloat. IN WHAT WAYS DID THE STIMULUS PACKAGE HELP SUPPORT THE BUSINESS? [To get money from the stimulus package] you had to show that you had a decrease in revenue by 30%. The relief involved a $10,000 package which was a covid relief package for each business, we got this for most of our stores but one store missed out. When you have several businesses operating for many years you have creditors as well (people that you owe money to). As soon as your revenue stops or decreases [your ability to pay] gets affected too, you need suppliers to get stock and supplies in on a weekly basis, and they need their money as well. They were probably going through the same sort of circumstances. On a weekly basis we were communicating to our suppliers on how much we could afford to pay them.

6


HOW HAS YOUR BUSINESS HAD TO ADAPT TO THE NEW RESTRICTIONS? HAVE YOU HAD TO INTRODUCE NEW SERVICES (SUCH AS HOME DELIVERY), WHAT WERE SOME OF THE COSTS AND CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH THESE CHANGES? LUKE: As you can imagine there was a pretty big shift from going from dining options to just takeaway so we did adjust our takeaway menu. We moved toward user friendly foods such as sandwiches, bagels -- things you could eat on the go. Especially in the first couple of weeks as we had a lot of stock from our old menu, so our chefs put in a lot of work designing takeaway items that would still use our existing stock, so we wouldn’t have to throw it out. Something new we’ve introduced are the weekend warrior feasts, which is a big family roast that we serve on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday night which is something we hadn't done before. It is a big pack that feeds four people, so again the chefs worked very hard to make that takeaway friendly, kid friendly and dietary friendly. It has been a very interesting and sudden process, but [overall] it has been a smooth change into that industry. DID YOU HAVE DELIVERY SERVICES BEFORE THE OUTBREAK? We were on Uber eats, but it only made up an extremely small portion of revenue. Now, uber eats has gone from maybe 1% of revenue to about 10-15% which has been a pretty big jump. With the weekend warriors we are set to start delivery in that as well, which we’ve been using our own staff to deliver. WHAT WERE SOME OF THE COSTS INVOLVED IN SWITCHING TO TAKEAWAY? With the weekend warriors, the cost is more in the staff hours, redesigning menus, throwing around ideas, double checking, triple checking to make sure it can work -- but there is always the risk that it won’t work so there is cost in that sense. [With] Uber eats, a significant portion of what we make is taken (30%) which is quite a large chunk of items which wouldn’t have a high margin anyway. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR CONCERNS FOR FUTURE POTENTIAL OUTBREAKS? Definitely. I think there’s always an element of concern and worry and trying to err on the side of caution. We went into stage three a couple of months ago, then we came out and now we’ve gone back in and I feel that we are more prepared [this time], but that doesn’t make it any easier. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, which makes it very hard to plan special promotions because you simply don’t know what the world is going to go through.Were there any differences between the stage 3 and stage 4 lockdowns? WERE THERE ANY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE STAGE 3 AND STAGE 4 LOCKDOWNS? Huge differences. Being on the ground and dealing with people day to day you notice a big difference in many parts, such as people’s general mood. In Melbourne, I think we’re very lucky with so many cafes that sometimes we almost take it for granted going out for dinner or brunch a couple of times a week. In the period between lockdown there was a real sense of community, with people going back to their local cafes and beginning to enjoy not having to worry about the washing up, and chatting with their local barista and their servers.

7


HAVE THERE BEEN ANY POSITIVE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON YOUR BUSINESS? WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT DURING THIS TIME? JIMMY: The biggest thing for me is that humanity does continue to surprise you, because we’ve gone through probably the biggest change that we will see in our lifetime. When you look at the whole world from a bird’s eye point view we’re going through a pretty serious stage of our life, we sort of show it with a bit of stress and worries and concerns. [In terms of the business], you see the strength in the relationship you’ve built over the last 10 or 15 years: your customers, your staff, your supplier too -- is that we’re all in this together, and everyone is willing to help each other out in any every which way possible. Which is quite comforting when you look at the hospitality industry and what we’re trying to achieve -- we’re all about making our customers happy, making our staff happy and providing a service that we are really passionate about. It just reassures you that people are beautiful at the end of the day, and we all want the same thing. LUKE: It’s quite humbling being able to come into work and know that you are not only surrounded by workmates and customers but on both sides of that, quite close friends. In a time when you’re not going out and catching up with friendship circles you really lean on those closest to you, and for us, that’s our coworkers. For me, it’s been quite reaffirming knowing that we are quite lucky at Main Street to have such a supporting circle of coworkers, owners and customers. DO YOU THINK THAT THE RESTRICTIONS ARE GOING TO HAVE AN EVERLASTING IMPACT ON YOUR BUSINESS? JIMMY: For sure, we are constantly thinking about how we are going to get through these troubled waters at the moment and what’s on the other side. I think the old hospitality business of just having a restaurant, a cafe or a bar [and] just serving customers is gone -- it’s going to ever change and evolve into something that’s a safe environment. We’re seeing a lot of click and collect now, which I think will always be around. I think this whole situation has made us think about our business model, how we adapt, how we change to what’s happening in the world today. So, I think it’s going to change things for the better.

8


AR

TW

ka

h is El

s

llin

Co

9

// BY K OR


10


11


WRITTEN BY // Beth Mitchell 12


WE ARE LIVING IN UNPRECEDENTED TIMES, OR ARE WE?

13


WRITTEN BY// Timothy Whitford

“In these unprecedented times.” “We are living in unprecedented times.” “These times that many have called unprecedented.” It is all over the news and media. The COVID-19 pandemic, and the lockdowns resulting from it, means that we are living in apparently ‘unprecedented’ times. But are we actually living in unprecedented times? Let's take a look at whether we are in fact living in unprecedented times, or not. To start with, the definition of ‘unprecedented’ (according to the Oxford English dictionary) is: Something “that has never happened, been done or been known before”. This means that if our current situation is unprecedented, then humanity has never experienced anything like this before. However, this is simply not the case. For starters, this is definitely not the first pandemic that humanity has faced. There has been the Black Death, the Asian Flu, and the Spanish Flu, just to name a few. Some lasted for years (the Black Death lasted for 4 years). Many past pandemics claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, with some claiming millions. For example, the Spanish Flu caused around 50 million deaths, and the Black Death caused an estimated 75 to 200 million deaths. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t even lasted a year yet, and has caused around 700 thousand deaths. So, we can safely say that there is nothing unprecedented about the number of deaths or length of the pandemic, or the fact that we are experiencing a pandemic. In fact, we are lucky that COVID-19 isn’t as deadly as previous pandemics, and as much as it spreads very easily, other pandemics have also spread just as easily.

On the other hand, lockdowns are less common in human history. However, they have happened before. Australia closed their borders internationally and between states during the Spanish Flu, but did not impose any official lockdown, although the closing of many industries in a way created an unofficial lockdown. Interestingly, the way the Australian Government handled the Spanish Flu, and the way residents reacted, have some remarkable similarities with our current situation. Australia initially was free from the influenza (flu). The Australian Government used maritime quarantine to try to prevent this flu from entering the country, but eventually it did. It quickly spread throughout Victoria and New South Wales, and states closed their borders. Soon after, the state governments started taking measures to reduce the spread of the flu, such as closing down schools, “places of gathering, and places of amusement”. They imposed laws which we would now call social distancing. Eventually, the government of New South Wales made wearing a mask mandatory when in public. Unfortunately, many people disobeyed this law, to the point that the police fined 50 people in one day for not wearing a mask. The medical advice around mask wearing kept changing as well. After “mounting public pressure”, the government relaxed the measures put in place. However, after a while a second wave hit that was much worse than the first. As you can see, there are some scaringly close similarities between the reaction to the Spanish Flu and how we have reacted to COVID-19, especially how the people urged the government to relax measures, which caused a second wave. This clearly shows that our situation caused by COVID-19 is not unprecedented. On top of this, there have been other worldwide events that made living tough for people that were not pandemics. Two prime examples are The Great Depression and World War 2, which caused restrictions that were much worse than what we are facing, and food shortages that were also multiple times worse.

14


“

ALSO, WE SHOULD LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

--

This pandemic has decreased pollution to a more sustainable level, and for a brief time decreased the amount of waste factories were producing.

“

So, considering what has come before us, what we are having to deal with is actually not that bad. We still have adequate access to food and healthcare, and unlike previous world events, we can still connect with friends and family through social media and other messaging services. Also, we should look on the bright side -- this pandemic has decreased pollution to a more sustainable level, and for a brief time decreased the amount of waste factories were producing. On a more personal level, our current lockdown means we have more family time, less travel time, and more time to do projects around the house that we would usually never get around to. There are many things you can do when you are at home, but some of us might have forgotten due to our hectic modern lifestyle. This is a chance to remember the simplicities of life. And a note to the year 12s: even though going back into remote learning this late in the year might seem like the

15

end of the world, remember that every year 12 in Victoria is facing the same situation -- it is still an even playing field. We should just obey the rules, and move on with our lives. Stay at home when you can. Wear a mask when you do have to go out into the public. Get tested if you experience symptoms. This way, it will be over quicker. But also, don’t blame the government for the second wave; we are all partly to blame, but this also means we all have a part to play to defeat this virus. Take comfort in knowing that people before us have faced very similar situations, and faced much harder challenges. Take comfort in knowing that these are not unprecedented times -- we are living in precedented times. Sources used: ABC, the World Health Organisation, and Britannica


BE SAFE AND WEAR A MASK!

16


STRANGE CREATURES Written and photographed by // Lilly Fruitman

17


18


The strangest creatures occupy our surrounds No matter where, there are plenty to be found In the trees or on the ground, they meow, squawk and bark They don’t disturb but rather give us a nice surprise in the park They sit on our window sill, they swim in the lake They sleep through the night and then chirp us awake Some we keep as pets through the hardships and strife Others rehash the importance of life Some of them float while some of them fly Like us, they rage, cheer and cry They accept food graciously and watch what we do Walking makes them happy but a chew toy does, too They work hard for their young and the homes they build When human children watch them, their hearts are filled Although with technology we can begin to comprehend They will just stare at us, blank, but with depth end to end As a separate species, we are kept at bay These strange creatures will understand in their very own way The same they are not and alike they will never be Like humans they have courage and valour like you and me

The strangest creatures occupy our surrounds No matter where, there are plenty to be found A friendship we share, where they will stay by our side While in we’re all isolation, our hopes are kept alive These creatures will remain til the end of time, The writing will end and alas, so has mine

19


e g n a Str s e r u t a e r C 20


Baking ideas WRITTEN BY // KATE SCHULTZ

Baking is a fun activity, but to get started you need some inspiration... so here are some fun baking ideas and recipes online to get started in your baking journey!

Search what is in the quotation marks for the recipe. Keep in mind that the website order may have changed over time. It will be the first thing that comes up.

‘Simple chocolate cupakes’ for chocolate cake/cupcakes

‘Monica’s Lemon Cake’ for lemon cake/cupcakes

‘Blueberry muffins recipe 21

‘Choc Chip Cookies’


‘Chocolate dipped strawberries recipe gourmet’

‘Quick and easy anzac biscuit recipe’

Australia’

‘Quick and Easy Brownies AllRecipe

“BAKING IS A FUN ACTIVITY, BUT TO GET STARTED YOU NEED SOME INSPIRATION”

‘Simple vanilla cake all recipes Australia’ 22


“GET YOUR BAKING JOURNEY STARTED”

‘Easy banana muffins Australia’s best recipes’

So there we have it! I tried to find some easy, but made from scratch recipes online that have ingredients that you will find in the shops! Some of these are basic (Chocolate dipped strawberries) some are less basic (lemon cake) but everyone of them will be fun to make, and a snack to eat!

Enjoy!

‘Easy crepe delish’ for crepes

23


THE INCREDIBLE LIFE OF ANNA MAY WONG WRITTEN BY // AALIYAH ZAPH 24


“Hollywood didn’t know what to do with her.”

But it was Anna May’s ethnicity that prevented US filmmakers from seeing her potential. They It’s a huge disappointment that Anna May Wong’s legacy hasn’t been properly recognised. were reluctant to create starring roles for the young Chinese-American girl, and instead opted Far ahead of her time, Anna May Wong to capitalise off of her fame by casting her in was considered the first Chinese American stereotypical Asian supporting roles. Essentially, Hollywood movie star and actress to gain they kept her around to exploit as an exotic edge international success… across her career she to white-washed films. became Old Hollywood’s go-to Asian star. Her success, however, was stunted by the rampant The other barrier stunting further fame for Anna racism that was all too common in the 1900s. May was the US’s anti-miscegenation laws. These laws meant that it was illegal for Anna May to Both of Anna May’s parents were California share an onscreen kiss with anyone who wasn’t natives - her father’s family had settled there during the Gold Rush in the 1850s. Her parents her race - even if it was a white actor playing an ran a laundromat, where Anna May worked and Asian character (which was extremely common at the time). With a lack of Asian males learnt Cantonese. Despite growing up in a also in the film industry, it seemed as diverse neighbourhood with a prominent though Anna May had no chance. immigrant population, Anna and her seven siblings were subject to racism and xenophobia at school, which led to them transferring to a Chinese Presbyterian school.

Growing up in Los Angeles meant that movies were actually filmed in and around Anna May’s local area, sparking a passion in filmmaking and the industry… a passion that was not supported by her parents. As a student, Anna May frequently featured in films as an extra, but it was at age seventeen, Anna May’s dream came true and she was cast as the leading actress in Hollywood’s first all colour, feature length narrative film ‘The Toll of the Sea.’ And at this point, it seemed like Anna May had made it. The American press was blown away by her performance. ‘Variety’ magazine complimented Anna May’s “extraordinarily fine acting.” ‘The New York Times’ offered tremendous praise, and hoped to see her again on the screen.

25

Throughout the 1920s, she was cast in successful films such as ‘Peter Pan’ and ‘Forty Winks.’ Critics loved her, excitedly praising her performances, but Anna May was beginning to realise that this would be the mere height of her success in the American film industry. So, Anna May did what every dismayed, hopeless young actress would do and … moved to Europe! In Europe, Anna May was a huge hit. German critics fell in love with not only her talent, but also her aesthetic, naming her “a great beauty.” Berlin critics were in awe of her culture and deliberately focussed on her Chinese ethnicity rather than her American citizenship. Austrian critics applauded her precise delivery of difficult German lines. In 1929, Anna May appeared in her first British film ‘Piccadilly’ as a supporting role, and was described as ‘outshining the [white] star.’


In the 1930s, American studios piqued an interest in employing a European star, and funnily enough, it was Anna May who was offered the contract. Excited by the prospect of leading roles and top billings, Anna May accepted and returned back to the US, starring in 167 performances of Broadway play ‘On the Spot.’ During her time in Europe, Anna May had developed a newfound confidence and expertise, and was no longer reluctant to stand up to directors and playwrights. In fact, when ‘On the Spot’ director instructed her to perform with stereotypical Japanese mannerisms, Anna May refused and instead used her extensive knowledge of traditionally Chinese gestures to further the authenticity of her character. Anna May was cast as the lead in 1931 film ‘Daughter of the Dragon,’ acting alongside fellow famous Asian actor of the time: Sessue Hayakawa. This would be the last time Anna May portrayed a stereotypical Chinese archetype character ever. Despite having the starring role, Anna May received a shockingly low $6,000, while Sessue was paid $10,000. Disappointed by this continuous lack of recognition, Anna May started to become more bold in her critique of defamatory portrayals of the Chinese in American media. In a 1931 interview, she exclaimed “why is it that the screen Chinese is always the villain? And so crude a villain – murderous, treacherous, a snake in the grass! We are not like that. How could we be, with a civilization that is so many times older than the West?” In 1934, after her mother’s tragic death, Anna May’s father and young siblings relocated to his hometown in China. Before departing, however, her father published an article in a magazine in which he expressed pride for his second eldest daughter and her career. This was really

special to Anna May, given her family’s previous disapproval to her choices. But the Chinese government was still not convinced that Anna May was a force of positive change. Rumours of Anna May being involved in romantic relations with other women were prevalent across her entire career, but were particularly scrutinised after her sexuallycharged scene with fellow female actress Marlene Dietrich (in film ‘Shanghai Express’). The Chinese government publicly shamed Anna May as a “disgrace to the Chinese race,” emphasizing their distaste towards her sexual portrayal of Chinese women. However, it’s actually believed that Anna May’s prevalence as a ChineseAmerican actress promoted the humanisation of Chinese people to the harsh, critical American eye. Americans genuinely admired her style, and she was awarded ‘The World’s best-dressed woman’ and ‘The World’s most beautiful Chinese girl’ by the Mayfair Mannequin Society of New York and Look Magazine. Unfortunately, this widespread admiration for the young actress didn’t stand a chance against the ingrained culture of racism in the US. She was told she was “too Chinese to play a Chinese” and the role that should’ve been hers was instead given to white actress Helen Hayes. Dismayed, Anna May returned to England for three years, where she ended up creating her favorite film of hers to star in: ‘Java Head.’ Historians believed she remembered it fondly as it was the first and only time she had an onscreen kiss with white costar. When Anna May returned to the US for the final time in 1935, she arrived, determined and forceful, with a goal - to be cast as O-lan in new film ‘The Good Earth.’ 26


27


Since 1933, she had expressed her dream to obtain this role, and various Los Angeles media outlets were praising and recommending her for the part. But the directors were unable to see past Anna May’s ethnicity, and didn’t even consider casting her as the lead due to the still prevalent miscegenation laws that prevented Anna May from kissing non-Asian actors. Anna May reportedly told the head of production, “If you let me play O-lan, I will be very glad. But you’re asking me – with Chinese blood – to do the only unsympathetic role in the picture featuring an all-American cast portraying Chinese characters.” Once again she left the US disappointed and hurt, this time embarking on a year long tour around China. She hoped to reconnect with her family and culture, telling magazines “I shall study the land of my fathers. Perhaps upon my arrival, I shall feel like an outsider. Perhaps instead, I shall find my past life assuming a dreamlike quality of unreality.” Anna May was welcomed to China with mixed responses - the government, and a lot of the population, were unimpressed with the Americanised girl and she found it hard to communicate with natives with different dialects, often having to use a translator.

Sadly, the pressure of fame combined with her lack of belonging led to Anna May turning to excessive smoking and drinking to deal with bouts of depression. She was forced to finish off her previous film contract, starring in non traditional Chinese roles where she portrayed successful, intelligent women. These films were disregarded by critics. Anna May Wong was truly ahead of her times, and it’s disappointing that her work wasn’t appreciated and recognised for its true quality during her lifetime. Anna May really pushed for the normalisation and acceptance of Asian people in American media, and was a pioneer in these equal rights movements.

28


29


POEM FOR 2020 WRITTEN BY // Georgia Dorrity ARTWORK BY // Alisa Kvashko

2020 is a year we do not adore, Fires, coronavirus, remote learning and more. This year hasn’t been so good for people young and old, But it is great how we’re staying both brave and bold. Stuck at home we can’t even roam. This will be over before we know, Following the rules is the way to go. As students we have been learning from home, Which has left most of us feeling alone. We can’t hang out with family or friends, But it’s great to see that everyone’s trying their best. You can still FaceTime or make a phone call, Sometimes you might be surprised--even throw a ball. I hope that you enjoyed my story, Let’s hope that next year will be full of glory. Hanging with our friends and getting more work done,

Let’s all look forward to 2021.

30


ANONYMOUS THOUGHTS ON QUARANTINE

DESIGNED BY // Emma Schultz 31


Quarantine has been the hardest experience I’ve ever had. It is almost impossible for students who generally find schoolwork hard to do remote learning. It could’ve ended ages back but the previous lockdown’s restrictions weren’t strong enough; nor were many Victorians doing the right thing.

Quarantine is not as bad as it may seem, we can still do many of the things we usually could. For the sake of saving lives, we should all socially distance and wear our masks.

From one lockdown, back to face to face learning, and back into another lockdown. We have experienced many, how to put it, interesting events over the course of this year. Some of us have struggled with homework, some have gained one or two kilos, some have lost 1 or 2 kilos. In reality it really has not been that bad, the vast majority of us are still healthy, and somewhat happy, we can still learn at school, be it less productively, we still have access to things some people can only dream for. So I personally think this quarantine isn't as bad as the news claim it to be, fatality rates are lower than almost all known diseases, sure there are shortages, but that's just human "intelligence". Yeah, we should all just keeping wearing these masks until a resolution is figured out! :)

- george gorbatchev

I have mixed feelings towards quarantine. There's nothing more that I enjoy in online learning than a warm cup of coffee during class. It adds to a list of luxuries we don't necessarily have in school. Another one of these is the ability to type my SACs (in most cases at least), which I have found to be a lot more beneficial in the short term. Alike to most people however, I miss my friends and seeing my extended family. Completing every class in the same room everyday isn't as comforting as I originally made it out to be. With this said, I guess it allows us to look forward to the new opportunities we will have once this is all over.

- jack crowe

32


MOTIVATIONAL PIECE Who would have thought that we would live through remote learning again? Yet, here we are stuck back at home for Round 2--Round 2 of defeating Coronavirus, Round 2 of doing what we can, Round 2 of comforting our loved ones; Round 2 of being strong.It’s times like these where we need to take these matters into our own hands. We have all lived through this period in our lives. It's no different from last time. Remote learning has advantages and disadvantages. Whether this be sleeping in or not having to take public transport when it's packed. We just have to relive those moments. No matter what you say or do, you’ve taken time to complete the work given to you before. There’s no time to complain or procrastinate. You have the ability to choose what you do. You have what it takes to get this done. This won’t last forever. As a community, as a state, as a country, as a planet, we have to do what it takes to defeat this virus. Remote learning will soon no longer be in your education journey. This can be a one-off thing. This will certainly prepare us for more times of crisis. This pain that you live through is what you can certainly overcome. Life is unpredictable when it comes to what we do. Everyone around the world, it is not just you, has lived through this pandemic. It is sad to hear the rise in the number of cases on the news, but it’s just something we need to live through. The time is now to make people proud. The best comes from our soul, when we complete work under pressure or when we feel sad. The barrier we all need to jump together is now. We are in this together. Your friends, teachers, peers, relatives and motivators are here to support you. Everyone will continue to support you throughout those hard times.

Mordialloc College is a community where we all look after each other, in times of the positives and negatives. You're not alone in this. When it comes to hearing and seeing your friends, there is no better feeling than that. Despite not being able to socialise, there is always social media. It's a power platform that we can all take advantage of. COVID-19’s objective is to get you--to stop you. Nothing can stop you from you. There is a power in you during this time. The worth comes out now bigger than ever. This is you. You are sedulous. You are what people want in their lives. This will end eventually. You can achieve anything you want. You are amazing. You are phenomenal. You are brilliant. You are unstoppable. This wisdom you have will affect everyone around you. There is no time to give up. Failure will not defeat you in any way. Keep on going, and learn from it to grow. This is a phase of success. This control of failure will help you recognise the areas of improvement. Failure makes everyone stronger. I have no doubt that we’ll come back stronger, bolder and better. Even though it may seem like this forever, we, Mordialloc College, will continue to support you through those ups and downs. It is here where we share us. This ‘us’ is our personality, achievements, emotions and qualities. Take care of yourself. Take care of your family. Take care of what you have. You're in control of your mind. No one else can change your mind. It’s up to you to complete what you can to your personal best. Rise up with resilience each day. All you have to do is believe. The dream will come true. You are royalty. You are the power of the next generation to come. Never fear and persevere.

- jeremy thai-chan

33


Mask Buddies

ARTWORK BY // Scarlet Broad

34


Am

ovie rant written

by Lil ly

Fr u itm an

Movie is the name. Ranting is the game. Despite everything anyone has ever seen, live action remakes are by far the biggest industry in the world today. They are also the number one genre one can screw up horribly. Speaking of which, I wish to explore the filmmaking techniques and decisions of two live action Disney remakes known as Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella – I know I have no life. But hey, those reading this probably don’t either. But rather than trying to find some sentiment in the idea of nostalgic remakes, I am here to tell you and any misguided children involved why the live action Cinderella kicks Beauty and the Beast’s butt.

1. EMMA WATSON VS LILY JAMES I’d like to begin by saying that both dresses already run the risk of original Disney design. But it’s not just the dress, it’s the obligated female actress in the dress. I don’t know who casted this film but I can tell Watson was never their first choice. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the young actors attempting new and exciting roles outside the wizarding world, but all I saw was… Hermione. I don’t know if it’s simply Emma’s way of acting or because she was in the HP franchise for so long that she hasn’t had a chance to stretch her acting muscles, but I felt as though her previous long running role as humble Hermione spilled into this movie. You can even see in the first musical number that she’s wearing the damn

35

Deathly Hallows necklace! Anywho, I found her quite wooden and the ‘I love you’ at the end seemed very forced as was the rest of her acting. I didn’t even buy her hate for Gaston. Then again it wouldn’t be a remake without an actor/actress we feel nothing for *cough* Scar *cough*. Lily James on the other hand, screams ‘Cinderella’. I didn’t even know who she was until I watched the movie (that’s a lie, I saw her in Darkest Hour and just didn’t know her name). While Watson puts on a sweet, loving personality, there is no doubt that Lily has the complete advantage of a Disney princess because she already occupies the adorable personality of a kitten and, not to mention, looks great in the colour blue. And although both princesses are in the midst of a rough city where they must endure hard labour, Lily James somehow maintains a prim and proper disposition when she’s in the presence of royalty, therefore making it understandable as to why everyone mistakes her for a princess. She owns every line, openly expresses her passion for animals and even better, she has moments on the dance floor with the prince where she doesn’t know how beautiful she is compared to the Muppet prom gowns everyone else was wearing. Her skirt has Swarovski crystals in it, for God’s sake!

IT’S NOT JUST THE DRESS... IT’S THE GIRL IN THE DRESS.


2. WHERE’S THE CHEMISTRY? With Beauty and the Beast, the relationship between Beast and Belle was established within the time it takes to eat a Dorito. You know those posts on Twitter of movies that are explained badly? The Beauty and the Beast one said “a girl develops Stockholm syndrome and talks to furniture” and that is exactly what this is. First, Belle swapped places with her dad so that he could live and she was forced to waltz around a crumbling castle with a grumpy beast who made it especially clear to his friends that he wanted nothing to do with her. The cliché here is that the angry Scrooge-like persona undergoes a change of heart. The only indication of this is that he eventually lowers his voice and man-splains her stereotypical womanly ways e.g. “ew! You like Romeo and Juliet? You’re such a girl!” She apparently found this funny and now suddenly because he has an enormous library and started sitting next to you at dinner, you fall in love with him? Like… what??? The other issue with their relationship is that it is built purely and exclusively on sympathy. Every. Single. Tender moment consisted of continuous ‘woe is me’ because Beast found it hard to make friendly relations with a neighbouring town. TRUST ME, Beast – we’re all going to have that problem after lockdown. One could argue that he did save Belle from the wolves (when she tried to leave) but he showed no desire or real effort to make anything else of their relationship afterwards and vice versa. So when it came to the iconic yellow dress and blue suit, their chemistry was virtually non-existent. He can do as many twirls and lifts as he wants, but it felt more like a friendship than anything else. Gaston’s death was the most satisfying

part about the ending. Beast’s death was prolonged, reaching for useless lines such as “at least I got to see you again one last time.” The “I love you” from Emma was forced and ten bucks says she had an eye drop person off camera the second the director said, “Action!” On the Cinderella side, Ella and Kit made a connection on a whole other level. As I am not fully aware of the many other interpretations of Cinderella and the Prince’s first meeting nevertheless Disney had achieved love at first sight between the characters. In the book I grew up reading, Cinderella went to three balls where she left at different times and wore the blue dress at the second ball. On an unrelated subject, you’d think the Prince would be able to recognise a girl he had met three times but hey, we’re here to discuss the movie. The producers of the live action Cinderella arranged for a scene before the ball where the prince and Cinderella first meet. This improved the entire story completely. Since Cinderella is a somewhat forgotten live action remake, I will explain what happens in the scene they have together. This is exactly the kind of connection Beauty and the Beast was lacking. It also sends a better message to kids about learning to love the person before the social status as opposed to making friends with furniture without the slightest consideration that you may have lost a marble or two. So when it finally came to the end where she tries on the slipper, he knows it’s her but simply for the nostalgia of it and as though it is an engagement ring, she tries it anyway. There were one or two moments where lines repeated too much for effect but the fact that despite who they are underneath they still call themselves ‘Cinderella’ and ‘an apprentice still learning his trade’, gives their characters depth and a MUCH better story to go on.

36


3. THE PRINCE & PRINCESS DANCE Now we come to the ultimate critique - the iconic ballroom dance. Beware, this will be a harsh one. 1. First glance Immediate happiness and undeniably moved. The Prince recognises her from their first meeting and stumbles on his words and nervously laughing, so much so that you can hear Richard Madden’s real accent. Lily James in her get up, occupies a beaming smile; she knows she’s beautiful and she owns it. For all the youngsters, she’s living their dream of simply just taking a room full of people by surprise. That’s why we have formal! Disney needs to take a break on the makeup. CGI aside, only a bland smirk and a dose of unsureness is evident from the prince’s face. The one thing Oscar-winning films have taught me is that even a little change in the expressions of the actors can take all the emotion out of a scene. The idea of non-fiction spilling into the atmosphere and presence of a scene is the most common mistake in movies today. And in case any of you Queen fans are still wondering, that was exactly why Rami Malek didn’t wear brown contacts in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – it was factually correct but the crying would not be genuine. So while the animators tried to make the beast look like a real creature, I could barely see anger let alone lust. Overall, Belle’s dress doesn’t need to be extravagant, just… more. Beast’s outfit looks fine, but the whole ‘getting ready’ sequence took all the sweetness out of it.

37

2. Dance If there’s any CGI in Cinderella, it’s to make her waist look pencil thin; the entire set is real as are the people. The prince keeps a very gentlemanly posture and has as much fun as Lily in this scene. She giggles, she smiles and she gasps when they suddenly are very close to each other’s faces. Fills the room perfectly and with such ease. In Beauty and the Beast, there’s barely any expression on either of their faces. Lifeless. Emotionless. And furthermore… loveless. No smile or nothing from either of them; even as experienced dancers, they are also actors, don’t you forget. Emma Thompson’s version of Beauty and the Beast was beautiful but wasted on a wooden scene. 3. Departure No doubt Lily’s portrayal of the running away scene was much better than in the original movie. As opposed to “thanks, bye”, she attempts to explain her situation with “Lizards and pumpkins…” and comes to the conclusion that it’s easier to leave. And even though she has literally two minutes to get down 10000 flights of stairs, she stops to tell him she loved every second of the night, leaving him astounded rather than guilty. Alternatively, Belle looked at him. And ran for it. Finito. In conclusion, Cinderella is way better than Beauty and the Beast. Having said that, I will leave everyone with their own interpretations of the two as I’m in currently lockdown and have nothing better to do. We have TVs – watch them and enjoy both Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast.


Quiz

MADE BY // Kate Schultz

1.

What is the height of a basketball hoop in feet?

2.

Which animal is Abu from the Disney movie, Aladdin?

3.

Who is the king of pop?

4.

5.

6. 7.

Miss Adkins is an artist born in London. What is she famously known as?

Checkers were invented in which country?

Paddington bear belongs to which country?

In which country is the world's tallest building?

8.

Name the sea between Australia and New Zealand.

9.

10.

1989 is the album of which singer?

What did ancient romans use to dye their hair?

38


Quiz ANSWERS

1.

10 feet

2. 3.

Monkey

Michael Jackson

4. 5.

Egypt

6. 7.

Dubai, Burj Khalifa (You’re correct if you got Dubai)

8. 9.

The Tasman sea

Taylor Swift

10.

39

Peru

Bird poop

Adele


40


ROCK SHRINES PHOTOGRAPHY BY // Jade Goodman

41


"There will always be rocks in the road ahead of us. They will be stumbling blocks or stepping stones; it all depends on how you use them." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

42


43


LOOKING ON THE BRIGHTER SIDE 2020 has been a strange year for everyone. Who could have anticipated the wildfires in January, let alone a worldwide pandemic that is likely to last beyond this year. With this in mind, it’s important that we look after each other’s mental health and are able to find some comfort in our new lifestyle. To remind ourselves and each other of some things that make us happy, our team have put together a few of our favourite memories and recounts that make us smile. Hopefully they allow you to reminisce some of your own memories and find some appreciation in them.

44


Georgia Dorrity

Bethany Mitchell

A week before Victoria went back into lockdown my friend and I had a sleepover at her house. We went to a restaurant for lunch and had pizza for dinner; we also stayed up late and watched some YouTube videos. We both woke up early in the morning and watched some more YouTube videos. After that I started crying because I had such a great time and I didn’t want to leave my friend! When I got home I even cried again for the same reason. I texted her and told her that I was sad; she felt the same way but I was definitely more upset. When lockdown is completely over I hope we can do it again!

Before lockdown started me and my whole family on dad’s side went on our yearly family trip. We went to Yarrawonga which is in New South Wales, we stayed at the same caravan park where we stay every year which is in an amazing location! We did so many fun things including mini golf, ice cream trips, paddleboarding, swimming, playing at the park and more. I love paddleboarding the most because my older cousins take us out really far and we jump off our boards into the water. It was really great to see my whole family on dad’s side before we got stuck in isolation!

During the third week of remote learning (for years 7-10) there was a time when I felt bored and started a random conversation with my friend. I asked how she was going with remote learning and we were both explaining how hard it is; we also discussed some of our current issues and other stuff we were finding hard. I sent her some advice and she sent me some back. After we stopped chatting I felt so happy and proud of myself as I rarely ever get the chance to make someone’s day.

M I

45

E

M E


Aaliyah Zaph

Jack Crowe

My dog is four years old and is the most pretentious, aloof creature I have ever met. Not only does he act like we are his servants, he has a very demanding presence, stalking us around the house whenever he wants food, or a walk. He has quite the appetite for veggies, so we usually chuck him a few when we’re cooking or getting a snack, and usually, he cleverly catches them in his mouth. However, a few weeks ago, my sister tossed him a green bean and he missed it!! It landed on the ground, and he frantically scrambled to chomp it up - but it ended up stuck between his paw toes! Watching such an arrogant doggo trying (and failing) to get the bean unstuck from his toes was the highlight of my day.

To be honest, there are some elements of lockdown that I have enjoyed - the rainy days spent inside watching movies and cooking food give me a sense of comfort and contentment that doesn’t come around often. My attempt at cooking during lockdown has been a laughable journey, though I have made some accomplishments. From tik tok recipes to my grandma’s hearty favourites, I have cooked up a wide range of meals that have made for a thorough learning experience. The most appalling cooking fail I have managed remains a draw between blueberrycinnamon rolls (with a two ingredient dough that tasted like plain and crispy damper) and premade lemon meringue - yes, I somehow managed to burn premade lemon meringue in the oven. However, I’ve restored my self confidence and dignity with some choc chip cookies, brownies, and a large assortment of curries. While the burnt lemon meringue has lead to some condemnation of my cooking ability in my family, I can certainly say that eventually I’ll make something stunning that will make them forget about my poor food blunders (at least I hope so).

O S

R

46



Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.