Refusion Magazine May, 2020
Special Issue 1 on COVID-19
tory of Pandemics, The Environmental Impact of Covid-19,Back to School in the Corona Epicentre, Adaptin
Copyright Š 2019 by Cindy Hu.
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from Refusion Magazine Ltd or Cindy Hu. refusionmagazine@gmail.com cindyhu2013@gmail.com
Refusion Magazine Ltd.
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION
4 About Us 5 Our Team 8 Sponsors
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FEATURE: COVID-19 The History of Pandemics by Sandra Chang Differences: The COVID-19 Response by Nora Zhu The Environment Under COVID-19 by Cindy Hu School Under Covid-19 by Catherine Lim Back-To-School in Wuhan by Cindy Hu The World After Covid-19 by Victoria Liu Keeping Busy During COVID-19 by Matthew Mallia
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CREATIVE PIECES Poetry: I Hope by Sanjana Karthik Poetry: Reflections in a Barren Grocery Store by Ashlee Tam Song: Ruins by Stanford Guo Monologue: Hope by Nora Zhu Art Submissions by Sheldon Storey, Chiara Susanto, Parul Yadav, and Alpha Yu Comic: Hellfire Dishwasher by Alpha Yu
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Who Are We? Founded in 2019, Refusion Magazine is a students led company that provides a common platform for people to lead and express through writing and design. United by a common vision of increased information and the values of identity and involvement, Refusion Magazine strives to give a platform to all people and organizations to express their ideas.
Our Goals The goal of Refusion Magazine is to connect the ideas of students across Canada and to foster an environment in which people could showcase their talents. We want to create content for youth curious about current events, science, literature, and the ideas of others; this overall makes our readers more informed, allowing them to make better decisions in their lives.  Through our articles and reviews, we also want to take a stand against climate injustice and human rights abuses.
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Our Management Team Cindy Hu
Catherine Lim
Ashlee Tam
Andy Liao
Editor in Chief Cindy has always been passionate about creating positive change. In 2018, Cindy's trip to Costa Rica made her realized the devastating effects of plastic. Being an avid speaker who has already traveled across the world, she decided to write a speech voicing her concerns.  She presented this speech at TEDxBrighouse and was later invited to give the same speech at a water company called flowosophy.life. She has also acted in "The Hit Squad" and an environmental short film called "Watershed". Production Manager Catherine is an avid reader who reads books of any genre. Her passion for reading has led her to write many literary analyses; Catherine's analysis of the book "No Friend But the Mountains" can be found in the literature section of this magazine. Aside from reading, Catherine also wants to make a positive impact on the community around her; she does this by volunteering at the local food bank every Thursday. Social Media Manager Ashlee is an innovative and easy-going individual with a love for art, pop-culture, and technology. She enjoys Chinese Gongbi painting and calligraphy and has had her art displayed at a Chinese painting exhibition in 2018. Through her talent and creativity, she has become a valued member of her school's yearbook team and service and leadership committee. Promotions and Communications Andy has a profound passion for public speaking and journalism. His passion for speaking has enabled him to voice his ideas as he works with his peers on various projects. As a leader in his school's Model United Nations Club, he tries to help students envision a future society that is more equitable and peaceful. Andy is looking forward to sharing his ideas with you in Refusion Magazine.
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Our Writers/Contributors Sanjana Karthik In 2019, Sanjana began using poetry as a platform to voice her thoughts. She attends writing clubs around her community and has started writing and open mic events at her local recreation center. Despite this being her first year writing poetry, her work has already been published in Cedar books, WestWard Quarterly Family Magazine, and Poetry Institute of Canada.
Stanford Guo Stanford's passions lie within the realm of music; he is the Junior Music Steward at Southridge School and has attended music festivals for both piano and voice. Through dedication, Stanford was nominated to be the Vancouver International Music Competition delegate for voice. He hopes that you will enjoy reading Refusion Magazine!
Victoria Liu Victoria is a grade 11 student and an elite golfer. She is also the cofounder of Next Generation Gold, an organization that aims to inspire young generations through the game of gold. She likes to express her ideas through the form of writing. She is very eager to share her thoughts with Refusion Magazine and students.
Parul Yadav
Nora Zhu
Cover Art
Parul Yadav is a 19-year-old student at Gargi College, Delhi University (India) majoring in English Literature and minoring in Philosophy. Recognized for her work in poetry and outreach, Parul believes in empowerment through work while connecting to a real change. Parul also leads an exclusive group of women entrepreneurs of PR, Digital Marketing groups, and writing agencies. Nora is a passionate advocate for human rights and wants to change the world for the better. Having done speech and debate since the age of 12, Nora has participated in national and international competitions. Recently, she placed 1st in the senior category in the British Columbia Provincial Public Speaking Competition. She uses her many skills to spread awareness about the LGBTQ+ community and women's rights.
Matthew Malia
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Matthew is an assertive student-athlete from Toronto with strong passions for writing as well as music. Matthew’s exceptional leadership skills ensure that he steps out of his comfort zone more often than not, resulting in a sense of realism and passion in his work. He looks forward to sharing his perspective with Refusion Magazine.
Our Writers/Contributors Sandra Chang Sandra is constantly dedicated and eager to learn new things in all aspects of her life. As a passionate junior debater, she strives to spread awareness through her writing and photography. She is highly interested in topics to do with children and their mental health. Sandra believes that through her knowledge in filming and passion of writing, she can contribute her own personal skills to Refusion Magazine.
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Sponsors and Parters
Polaris Film Corp.
Refusion Films 8
Feature: COVID-19
History of Pandemics by Sandra Chang
The world has been battling and dealing with pandemics since day one. These major pandemics have wiped out millions of people, and have made their own mark in history. The timeline of major pandemics have been traced from 1350 to the present day.
Historians estimated around 25 to 50 million people were killed. The Black Plague is said to be one of the biggest pandemics in history. During the time, public health measures were taken whenever trading ships would arrive at ports. They would have medical checks and would even isolate ships at ports for 40 days to ensure they were not carrying any disease. SMALLPOX - 1157 BC Historians have been unable to find the origins of smallpox; however the first signs of smallpox trace all the way back to 1157. Symptoms included rashes, fever, vomiting and body aches. Almost 300 million people died from smallpox in the 20th century. Smallpox spread through trading ships, just like the Black Plague. Thankfully, Dr. Edward Jenner was eventually able to develop a vaccine.
THE BLACK DEATH - 1350 The Black Death is known as the biggest pandemic in history. In 1347, 12 ships that were travelling through the Black Sea docked at the port of Sicilian in Europe. Many people on those ships were dead, and the ones alive were covered in black boils and pus. Historians believe that the pathogen responsible for the plague originated since 3000 BC, and slowly began spreading through trading ships. The plague was extremely contagious and could be carried in people’s clothes. The plague contained many horrifying and painful symptoms for the infected: swelling, boils, diarrhea, vomiting, aches, and fevers.
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SPANISH FLU - 1918 The Spanish Flu was first noticed in Europe, America, and Asia. The specific cause is unknown of where this specific influenza came from. Symptoms include chills, fever, and fatigue. The first wave of the Spanish flu began in spring of 1918. At the time, it seemed mild and containable. However, the second wave was more deadly. It is estimated that over 50 million people died during the second wave. In an attempt to slow the spread, the government encouraged quarantine and the avoidance of public places. HIV/AIDS - 1981 HIV was a mutation from SIV, a common disease among certain species of Central African chimpanzees. Symptoms of HIV include rapid weight loss, pneumonia, memory loss, and more. Almost 32 million people have died from HIV and over 75 million people have been infected. As HIV is mainly transmitted through bodily fluids,
situations like unprotected sex, birth, and the sharing of blood and needles may increase the risk of HIV. Fortunately, there are therapeutic and preventative vaccines for HIV. However, a cure has yet to be discovered. COVID-19 - 2019 Covid-19 began in a seafood market in Wuhan, China. On March 11, WHO (World Health Organization) declared Covid-19 a pandemic. The symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to the flu: fever, chills, body aches, sore throat, and dry cough. So far, about 2.76 million people have been infected with Covid-19, 760K have recovered, and there have been 194K deaths. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools have been postponed and many governments have enacted social distancing rules. During this difficult time, we have an opportunity to look back in history and admire the huge improvement and impact of the medical field. Thanks to healthcare workers and researchers, medicine, prevention, and treatment have been significantly advanced.
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Differences: The COVID-19 Response by Nora Zhu
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The recent COVID-19 pandemic has upset the precarious balance of our world, and as each country struggles to adapt to their new reality, some patterns and differences emerge.
Japan seem to be well-adjusted to their new way of life, with no panic nor increasing death rates to worry about. Some European countries have, unfortunatly,
China, upon realizing that COVID-19 was no small issue, enacted mass legislature immediately. People were banned from going outside, even for urgent matters, and those who were outside needed government ordained passes to be shown at mandatory checkpoints. These strict guidelines, in addition to a quick response, allowed China to get COVID-19 under control fairly quickly. Recently, China has even begun opening large cities such as Beijing. However, now that the rest of the world has been consumed by COVID-19, many are worried that China is celebrating too early, and should keep their restrictions in place for a while longer. After COVID-19 spread outside China, many East Asian countries were overwhelmed immediately. However, Japan seems oddly calm despite their proximity with China. The death rates in Japan is significantly lower than that of other countries, despite having a population composed mostly of people above the age of 65. The key to Japan’s success lies in their fast and comprehensive reaction. Almost immediately, all schools were closed and all public events were cancelled. Moreover, Japan promotes targeted testing for those who are deemed most at risk: the elderly and those with impaired immune systems. Furthermore, with hand washing and teeth brushing mandatory before and after each meal in primary school, the Japanese education system instilled the values hygiene and taught cleanliness from a very young age, with hand washing and teeth brushing mandatory before and after each meal in primary school. Thus, with the compliance of its citizens and the help of medical professionals, the Japanese government was able to control the spread of COVID-19 quickly. Today, the people of
handled the COVID-19 situation poorly. As many of use know, the pandemic was particularly devastating for Italy, a country that appears to harbor tourists year round. When news of COVID19 first reached Italy, the Italian government chose to ignore warnings from scientists out of fear of losing their tourism revenue. However, as the situation continued to worsen, the Italian government realized they could not ignore this virus any longer. Thus began a series of “partial solutions” aimed at quarantining cities that have outbreaks of COVID-19 while allowing the rest of the country to carry on as usual. As expected, these partial solutions did nothing to slow the spread of the virus and caused Italy’s death rate to surpassed every single country in the world. Moreover, due to the lack of accurate data, it is difficult to determine just how horrendous the situation in Italy is. From what is known, however, it is clear that other countries must look to Italy as a warning of the consequences if one chooses to ignore such a virus. The United Kingdom, governed by Boris Johnson. For now, Boris Johnson has chosen to ignore COVID-19, enacting no bans on mass gatherings, nor enforcing social distancing. Many news outlets criticize his decisions as immature and overly partisan. By basing his choices on politics rather than logic, Johnson is threatening the lives of everyone living in the UK. Clearly, as shown by the rapid increase in death rates in the UK, it is necessary that countries take action before it is too late. The situations in US and Canada differ quite a bit from each other. In the US, the situation seems to be steadily deteriorating as Trump continues to ignore the advice of scientists and encourage
resistance and chaos among the American people. Now, the US has more cases and deaths than both Italy and China, with the rates increasing daily. The reason for the failure of the US to contain COVID19 is due to several key mistakes. First, the US did not take this pandemic very seriously for a long time. Like Italy, they prioritized their Economy over the lives of their citizens, and only enforced perfunctory guidelines like social distancing and the cancelling of large events. However, what may be the fatal mistake of the US is that they are still not taking COVID-19 very seriously, with Trump going as far to suggest ingesting Lysol and lifting quarantine laws. Hopefully, in the near future, the US will begin treating the current situation as a real pandemic, and enact stricter guidelines. In Canada, the guidelines are unique to each province. However, most provinces, especially the busier ones like Ontario and British Columbia, have declared states of emergency. Although there aren’t too many strict quarantine laws yet, most people seem content to stay home and self-isolate, or at least maintain social distancing when going out for groceries and such. British Columbia is a leader to all of Canada, having already flattened the curve, with the situation improving every day. For Canada to become even better, we could look towards examples like Japan, where mask-wearing is mandatory. Multiple studies have shown that by enforcing mandatory mask wearing, it is possible to significantly decrease the spread of COVID-19, and in places like Japan, could even lessen the need for quarantine or social distancing. In conclusion, countries all over the world are reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic very differently, and hopefully in the near future, this pandemic will be a thing of the past.
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The Environment Under COVID-19
by Cindy Hu
The COVID-19 pandemic, by forcing people to stay home and practice social distancing, has created a significant impact on the world’s environment. There has been a significant decrease in air pollution around the world. Esa’s(European Space Agency) satellite shows a significant decrease in nitrogen dioxide in Italy, a common chemical found in car and industrial emissions; this chemical is known to cause inflammation of human airways and decreasing vegetation. In some places, there has been a 10-30% reduction in nitrogen dioxide in the air. In China, researchers found a 25% decrease in emissions and a 40% decrease in the use of coal. In India, people who live up to 160 km from the Himalayas can now see them from their homes for the first time in decades. Furthermore, with a reduction in tourists, the venice canals are a lot clearer; this has caused some small fish to venture out into the canals. Photos of animals roaming the streets in some major cities have also circulated many social media platforms. However, COVID-19 has also brought upon many harms for the environment. Despite the strong calls for greater environmental action when economies re-open, there are several countries that have used COVID-19 as an excuse to relax environmental recovery. As China is slowly reopening its economy, the Chinese Ministry of Economy and Environment announced that they will be temporarily suspending all environmental regulations for the sake of quick economic recovery. Brazil has reduced surveillance on the Amazon rainforest. The indigenous populations that usually fend off poachers and protect trees from logging have also moved deeper into the forest to reduce the risk of contracting the virus. As a result, there has been an alarming spike in poaching. Furthermore, the sudden increase in demand for PPE has caused many factories to turn to single use plastics solutions in order to produce an adequate amount of masks, gloves, gowns, and testing kits; this has increased the disposal of single-use plastics, hurting the oceans and wildlife.
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COVID-19 has brought about many environmental changes. It is important for all people to know these changes and to look to the future and ask “what can I learn from this” and “how should we operate in the future”. Paul Monks, a professor of air pollution at the University of Leicester, says that the reduction of air pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic acts as the result of a large-scale experiment. At the same time, it is also important to realize that unless real environmental change is enacted, human society will move back to the way it was before the pandemic.
“Are we looking at what we might see in the future if we can move to a low carbon economy? Not to designate the loss of life, but this might give us some hope from something terrible. To see what can be achieved” - Paul Monks
School Under COVID-19 By Catherine Lim Since the first case last year, COVID-19 has spread at an unprecedented rate, placing tremendous pressure on governments all over the world. Most countries around the world have opted to temporarily close all educational facilities to further prevent the spreading of the virus; this decision that has caused conferencing software apps such as Zoom, Bluejeans, and Microsoft Teams, to surge in value. Forced to adapt quickly to the challenges, schools have chosen an alternate educational experience, finding ways to encompass all necessary facets of the learning experience online. When given the choice, it is obvious that returning to school and continuing education in a tactile  environment is preferable to the online substitute;
this is because online schooling is an uncontrolled environment in which educators are limited to the functions of the chosen conferencing software. Especially for teachers with little experience with such technology, hosting lessons and creating online assessments are proving to be difficult tasks. In addition, students are deprived of kinesthetic engagement within lessons, with little to no handson learning in and out of class. In the West, the reopening of schools is a conversation too soon, with numbers of cases rising everyday. The health liability far outweighs any losses within the classroom and, for the foreseeable future, educators will simply have to adapt to this new and ever-changing environment.
Back-to-School in Wuhan
By Cindy Hu
On Wednesday, May 6, more than 57, 000 Wuhan students returned to school. However, not all students are back in the classroom - only high school students preparing for their college entrance exam(Gaokao) were allowed back. It has not yet been announced when elementary and middle school students will be returning to school. All schools were disinfected multiple times before the students arrived and the desks were arranged to maximize social distancing. Some schools have even set up plastic partitions around each desk to further reduce the risk of spreading any germs. Furthermore, all students wore masks and had to have their temperature taken several times a day. It is clear that government officials are taking the matter of going to school very seriously. Officials have also said that all of the staff have received the virus test before returning to in-class teaching. In some schools, armed guards can be seen along with thermal scanners at the entrance.
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The World After Covid-19 A Summary of Yuval Harari's Article
By Victoria Liu
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“Humankind is now facing a global crisis” Yuval Noah Harari states in his article, “The World After coronavirus”. The coronavirus is perhaps the biggest crisis of our generation. This rampant
ignore: people do not know how they are being tracked, when they are tracked, and what they are being tracked. Even though the epidemic is over, governments can still use the same surveillance
disease has already taken hundreds of thousands of people’s lives. Humankind have the ability to fight off this disease and survive, but after the storm passes, we will “inhabit a different world”. Several changes have been made to our daily life already such as businesses have stopped, students can only learn from online school, travel plans have been cancelled, and most importantly, people are advised to stay in their homes. In order to fight this virus, people need to be able to choose what is the most important to them. There are two major choices to be made: totalitarian surveillance versus citizen empowerment, and nationalist isolation versus global solidarity. The topic of totalitarian surveillance versus citizen empowerment is explored under the subtitles “Under the skin surveillance”, “The emergency pudding”, and “The soap police”. There are two ways to stop this epidemic. One of the ways is for the government to monitor people. Today, there is the technology to track every single person of where they have been to, who they have contacted with and who carries the disease. China had the most cases at the start of epidemic, but due to the use of the advanced technology and ability to enforce strict rules, most of confirmed Chinese cases are cured and few new cases are seen. Many other countries have also utilized tracking devices. Scientists and governments want to take these technology to another level by monitoring the temperature of one’s finger and the blood pressure under one’s skin when clicking on, for example, a smartphone. It can track a lot of data to protect everyone and stop a new infection within days. However, the downside of that is also too clear to
system to not only predict future disease, but also collect data of people’s lives. At that point, people have to make the decision between privacy and health. It is a false choice because people should be able to have security while living a healthy life. This problem can be fixed by empowering citizens, the second method. Instead of monitoring and punishing people in order fo them to follow guidelines, governments and the media should tell people the actual facts. That way, people will be self-motivated to do what is correct and understand why. Usually, “a well-informed population is far more powerful than a policed, ignorant population”. The second vital choice is making “a global plan” between nationalist isolation and global solidarity. The spread of the coronavirus can be solved effectively by global cooperation. The US government decided to be nationally isolated from the rest of the world. The US leaders made it very clear that they “care about the greatness of America far more than the future of humanity”. However, the US administration has not made sufficient effort to stop the disease from spreading in the US. That country has the most amount of cases along with most deaths. Fortunately, the rest of the world are trying to work together. They have shared information globally, so everyone can benefit from it. Countries have mass produced medical equipment such as respiratory machines, safety suites, and masks. China is the country that has made the most effort in producing such equipment. Not only have it provided enough equipment for its own citizens, but also donated these equipment to many other countries. It also
sent medical personnel around the globe, trying to cure citizens of all countries. China has taken on the role as a leader in this epidemic and assisted to ease the whole situation. Another agreement that has to be made globally is travel restrictions. The economics of countries will be affected negatively, but the crossing of borders has to be restricted so that the virus doesn’t travel around spreading to more countries. At last, it is humanity that needs to make the choice, either continue nationalist isolation or adapt to global solidarity. The coronavirus is not only a test of the new technology and the power of a country but also a lesson on citizenship and humanity.
Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and the bestselling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century.He was born in Haifa, Israel, in 1976, received his Ph.D. from the University of Oxford in 2002, and is now a lecturer in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
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Keeping Busy at Home By Matthew Mallia With COVID-19 forcing people across the world away from not only things and places they love, but also their everyday routine, a question emerged: "What is there to do all day?" Statistics show that young adults have been spending their quarantine drinking, cooking, or playing video games. Instead of wasting away all of this free time, here are four things that will help keep you busy at home.
Podcasts Podcasts, conversations available on your phone, are turning into one of the best ways to become more knowledgeable in your spare time. With topics ranging from sports to comedy to stories, there is a perfect podcast for everyone. How about starting a podcast? All you need is a mic, some interesting people(while still practicing social distancing, of course) and a topic!
Take a Trip Around the World, from your Laptop Just because there are travel restrictions doesn't mean you need to stay cooped up in your room. Thanks to the world wide, web places and landmarks are viewable from a basic laptop or phone. With Google Street View, you can take in all the history from the Rome’s Colosseum, take a tour at the Vatican, and even cruise down the Venice canals.
Connect with Friends Just because you can't go to play dates or have friends over for dinner does not mean have to stop socializing. Call your friends on Zoom, Facetime, Skype, Discord, or Google Hangouts. Checking in with your friends is a good way to keep motivated and healthy.
Watch a Good Movie: Some Movie Recommendations Bird Box: Netflix’s Bird Box is as memorable as it is relatable to the world's current state. Malorie is going through each day without the any care in the world until she finds out she is pregnant. Worse yet, as she is leaving the medical facility, a mysterious force begins causing the people to commit suicide by looking them in the eyes. On the hunt for hope at a new beginning, the Malorie and her family embarks on a journey throughout the woods and down an aspiration that they’ll be left alone from the fatal force, all while being blindfolded. The Highwaymen: Released in 2019, this crime-drama features Kevin Kosner as Frank Hamer and Woody Harrelson as Many Galt. The former Texas rangers thatset out to track down and capture notorious criminals, Bonnie and Clyde. What is interesting about this movie is that it offers various unique perspectives from the justice side. Instead of focusing on the criminal, this movie portrays the perspective of law enforcement trying to take down the infamous duo.
Read a Book: Book Recommendation Mamba Mentality: The Way I Play Prior to his passing in January, Kobe Bryant shared with the world his approach to not only basketball but his life via “Mamba Mentality: The way I play”. Now widely used in all sports today, 'mamba', meaning using your mindset to crack an opponent, was a term coined by Kobe Bryant himself. Paired with stunning photography by Andrew D. Bernstein, Bryant takes us through some of the legendary moments that made him who he was.
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Creative Pieces
No one deserves To feel down No matter what people say
I Hope By Sanjana Karthik
I hope when you read this You lips Curve into a smile A frown you’ve called your own Departs for some time... Because you're happy I hope whenever you're feeling down There’s a glimmer of hope You are enraptured in... And you savor it A diversion, A person, An anecdote That makes you feel at home That even when life maltreats you, And directs its stones, Impelling you to drown, And fragmenting your bones You feel grounded
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And to those who have wronged, You should find happiness; Because it is a power That fuels us Into making amends Conquering animosity With the bond it lends Presenting the world A piece It’s misplaced For too long... How To be Strong
Reflections on a Barren Grocery Store By Ashlee Tam The moon glints grey and red. In another lifetime, the old woman across my house could be cooking minced pork and bok choy for her grandchildren, Tasting only homemade seasoning and the corners of borrowed romance novels. -Make sure you finish your riceInstead, she will spend the last of her moments this week, Drowning in a language she doesn’t understand, A breathless mess of asian descent in a jungle of noisy machines and idle tubes. A transient statistic. Patient sixty-three thousand, seven hundred and fifty one, Maybe fifty two.
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Song:
Ruins
By Stanford Guo
Sparks fly
In the Ruins
Flash across the bleak sky Break me
Ray of sun
Turn away a blind eye
Steal away my thunder
Through the Ruins
Don’t apologize
It’s just begun
wonders
Trapped inside of a cage
My insecurities
In the Ruins
of stone
Breath of air
Where the light of day Scorn me
Through the Ruins
turns to gray
Forged a false protection
Of despair
Can’t escape the prison I
Gave me the impression
In the Ruins
made
That you were there for
Ray of sun
My pride and hope fades
me
Through the Ruins
away
It’s just begun
Trapped inside of a cage
Ruins
of stone
Breath of air
Where the light of day
Through the Ruins
turns to gray
Of despair
Can’t escape the prison I
In the Ruins
made
Ray of sun
My pride and hope fades
Through the Ruins
away
It’s just begun
Ruins
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Breath of air
(Ah-ah-ah-ah)
Through the Ruins
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Of despair
(Ah-ah-ah-ah)
In the Ruins
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Ray of sun
(Ah-ah-ah-ah)
Through the Ruins
Oh Yeah
It’s just begun
Crash and Burn
Peeking
In the ruins
Right outside my window
Breath of air
See someone I don’t know
Through the Ruins
Gaze into my eyes
Of despair
Leave me with my
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HOPE By Nora Zhu
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
I’m walking along the railroad tracks by White Rock Pier and a daisy pushes its way out from the gravel. I’m climbing onto my roof and it’s 3am and the stars seem to burn brighter, embers embedded in the night sky. I’m biking with my friend and we’re biking on opposite sides of the road because no matter how carefree we seem, we are afraid. There are body bags piling up in Venezuela and patients sleep in coffins in Italy but from here, it only seems like a fever dream: until your aunt calls from China with a strangled voice asking you to send masks because they’re running out. Until you visit the empty shelves at supermarkets. Until your friend’s dad is sent home from the hospital even though he has Stage 4 cancer because his case wasn’t deemed as urgent enough to warrant a bed. It’s a strange kind of horror, one that cracks chasms within communities and dusts our world with a layer of melancholy. My friends and I joke about the toilet paper shortage and impulsive haircuts. We joke about coughs and DIY masks. We joke because we don’t know how to cope otherwise. Because our generation has grown up using humour to cover pain and that’s the only path we know. Social distancing and quarantine brings an isolation far deeper than physical distance. The miles between myself and my friends don’t even begin to cover the loneliness we feel. We are the generation that will grow to inherit this planet but we don’t know how to take care of it. We don’t even know how to take care of ourselves. We have become desensitized to pain, to suffering, because everywhere we look someone is always suffering. So we laugh it off and avoid deep conversations. We don’t talk about my aunt and uncle in China, we don’t talk about my friend’s dad, we don’t talk about our friends across the sea in Spain and Italy who are scared to breathe. It’s easy to pretend it doesn’t exist. It’s easy to say “it’s not happening to me” and forget about it. But it will haunt you the same way it haunts all of us. In the emptiness that pervades shopping malls and intersections there lives the visceral monster of fear. The fear which permeates the air around us, making it hang thick like smog. In the face of such a monstrous thing as fear, as loneliness, as the complete abandonment of hope, people tend to hide. Just like how a kid thinks if they cover their eyes in a game of hide-and-seek no one will find them, we think that by ignoring the problem it won’t touch us. We think that by burying our head in the sand the crisis will go away. But somewhere deep down inside, we all know that’s not true. Hiding from a problem won’t fix anything. That said, if there’s anything I know, it’s that humans are fighters. We are here today because our ancestors didn’t know how to give up. Because we are descended from a lineage of people who are never content with reality. From cavemen to ancient civilizations to the present, we’ve always fought against the status quo, so much so that I don’t think we’d be human if we didn’t have the urge to resist. Resistance is written in our blood, it is carved into every vertebrae of our spine. The hope I carry within me is that in these times of crisis, the human race will unite, and the same DNA sequence that marks all of us as human will mark all of us as soldiers in this fight against ignorance and fear and loneliness. And so, we will resist. We will resist until the melancholic emptiness has been chased away. Until the bruises on the faces of the healthcare workers fade. Until we can hug our friends again.
One day, when this is all over, we will look back and everything will be nothing more than shadows disappearing into the setting sun.
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Art Submissions Sheldon Storey
Chiara Susanto
Alpha Yu
Parul Yadav
Sheldon Storey IG: @sheldon.storey
Afresh Botanical Therapy, a breath of fresh air. The houseplant becomes dependent on the carrier, the carrier becomes reliant on the prosthesis. The bond of the bodies, the inbetween exchange of life allows for a symbiotic relationship between flora and fauna.
Chin Up The theory of the clock, the time of a moment, the action of the weight of the stones allow time to slow and quicken, the aspect of the clock. The mechanism of the cuckoo clock, the foundations of the mind and the language of chin-up, hold your chin up, and the physical endurance of participating in the action.
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Chiara Susanto Never Truly Alone Social Distancing doesn't mean self Isolation! Reach out to your friends and family to get through this hard time via online.
Parul Yadav IG: @artbeam.parul
Chin Up A life in isolation is nothing new, communities like this have been isolated and invisible to the vast majority of the world for a long time. In our current context, Asians had been violently targeted- dehumanized, mocked and have been a constant topic among people from various countries around the world for belonging to a nation's that is rumored to be the origin of virus. My illustration is  meant to convey a strong yet beautiful message to my viewers for embracing every culture that exists.
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Alpha Yu IG: @shonen_bag_studio
Explanationless Explanation "This piece was born of a sense of inadequacy. I remember in November, I self-published my mango only for people on a discord server to harshly criticize it and make me realize that I really was not good at art and that I could not draw well. Then, my art teacher and parents began telling me that I could not make it into art school unless my art got significantly more competent. It sent me into a state of ebing in which the act of drawing became a pain, and I've spent the past couple months trying to overcome that and become stronger. What inspired me to make this piece was when I saw 15 yr olds on Instagram who could draw so much better than me. It made me feel small and helpless and I just wanted to collapse and cry. I felt dumb and edgy, like feelings were somehow invalid by how juvenile they felt, but I wanted to do it anyways. No tears came out though, so I draw the characters from my mango, One Neo Eon, crying instead. "
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ONE NEO EON Volume 1: Can a Robot Create?
For the following two pages, please read from right to left. Start at page 31 and read to page 30
Shonen Bag Studio
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START HERE
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