Enduring Handprints

"It well may be/ That we will never meet again/ In this lifetime/ So let me say before we part/ So much of me Is made of what I learned from you/ You'll be with me/ Like a handprint on my heart/ And now whatever way our stories end/ I know you have re-written mine/ By being my friend..." - Wicked, "For Good"  

[fromeastowest]

As I prepare to get off the 4 train at Franklin Ave., the person who is sitting in front of me asks as she points to the book I’m reading, “Who colonized them?”

I look at the cover of “The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017,” by Rashid Khalidi, and pause before saying, “Zionists.” She repeats questioningly, “Zionists?”

“But I’ve just started reading the book,” I say as I exit the train and mutters, “I’m still learning,” but I’m not sure she hears me. I’m still surprised that she asked me.

Another passenger who stood by the door diagonally looked at the cover of my book with skepticism too, or was it curiosity? I do stand out as one of the only East Asian presenting person on the train, as well as the only person reading. I wonder if I took it out after seeing everyone staring at their phone screens.

I’m still learning as Palestinians continue dying. As Sudanese continue dying. Russians run for refuge as the Ukrainian army retaliates in a war that started more than 2 years ago. M-pox spreads. Another surge and variant of Covid-19 hits. I’m still learning on how to manage all such information of violence and disease.

[fromeastowest]

[saindoux-deactivated20170828]

[dovemother]

‘Spring Rain: Okwui Enwezor on Ai Weiwei and the Sharjah Biennial’

Detail of T-shirt with text from Mustapha Benfodil’s Maportaliche/Ecritures Sauvages

[longreads]

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

In this week’s Top 5 we’re highlighting stories about:

- Restorative justice. - Donated bodies allegedly sold at Harvard. - An ER doctor who recognized her own catastrophic symptoms. - A fascinating career pivot. - Seven chimpanzees on the lam.

All this and the piece our audience loved most! Check out our Top 5. 

Sign up to get five new story recommendations each week. (It’s free!)

[fromeastowest]

Last story reads like the beginning to the “Planet of the Apes” and the story behind “Ein Bericht für eine Akademie” by Franz Kafka.

[fromeastowest]

The views of flora, water, bridges, and the NYC skyline.

Not pictured but also present: fisherfolk, runners, walkers, morning folk (God bless you), commuters, folks preparing for a 5k/half marathon, target personnel that gifted me 4 mini Twix because i really needed fuel and I forgot to bring it — THANK YOU, even though you were skeptical of my need, you finally gave into my desperation? Thank you, nonetheless— birds, cats, squirrels, little league youth, and me.

I can’t believe I completed, because I want to give up during several parts of this run. (Mile 6, Mile 11, Mile 15, Mile 17…but I did it) 20 miles!

[fromeastowest]

Person determined to feed the seagulls even when it is raining cats and dogs reminds me that we all need purpose to continue living.

[fromeastowest]

What a day for folks to gather for the climate march in nyc!!

[fromeastowest]

Waited 15 minutes for a express bus that was suppose to come and let three local buses go by in the process — finally rode the 4th local bus. Is this a metaphor about being fast paced or how inaccurate mta bus arrival times are?

Probably, both.

[fromeastowest]

All of feelings left unsaid, as family members have side conversations about each other would be the description for the Christmas gathering between cousins today. Is the root unmet expectations of feeling welcomed? Does the less confrontational way of having side conversations serve anyone? I could only see temporary relief, as it sows seeds of discord. Does transference always land at the person who listens the most? Why is there a habit to bully the one who does not want to shout?

The desire to be a part of something and also want to be an individual feels especially clear when the group is hostile and toxic in subtle ways. Sigh… Perhaps, the foundation was never fully stable. Even when we share the same blood, we don’t always see and love each other with compassion.

[fromeastowest]

Opinion | My Family Fought the British Empire. I Reject Its Myths.

“There is no future in England’s dreaming,” warned the Sex Pistols.

Can you respect the dead and be critical of their actions?

Yes

Yes

Yes

[fromeastowest]

Shakespeare in the Park 2022 - Richard III & As You Like It (Public Works)

I didn’t expect to get free tickets from the free distribution and working with CUNY and these two happy surprises made this summer more unforgettable. So creative and beautiful how Shaina Taub co-directed and wrote all the music for the community musical play, while playing the part of Jacques, which makes sense after really analyzing the character.

We can create the world and work that we want - we don’t need to bound by rules. I remembered really thinking that after seeing Danai Gurira cast as Richard III with supporting actors with disabilities, including the incorporation of sign language in the play, made me think that it is possible to reimagine how something like a Shakespearean play. Where can I continue to imagine how to do something differently that have been done routinely in one way? How can I be more inclusive and increase accessibility?

These songs from As You Like It prompt to reflect on the absurdity and idealism we imagine when we are pushed into certain circumstances or face obstacles in life.

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

AND EVERYBODY’S IN THE SHOW

NOBODY’S A PRO

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

AND EVERY DAY, WE PLAY OUR PART

ACTING OUT OUR HEART

YEAR BY YEAR, WE GROW LEARNING AS WE GO

TRYING TO TELL A STORY WE CAN FEEL

HOW DO YOU MAKE THE MAGIC REAL?

How do I tell the story and grow, while grasping for the magic or do I make the magic?

[fromeastowest]

So good to catch up with Peters after 4 years — I cannot believe that last time I saw him was also when he was going up to Midd for Russian School and now he is completing his Masters - what a nerd! If anyone is a language nerd, that kid is! Aber ich war froh, dass wir getroffen haben! Es war auch gut, um Bücher in der Bibliothek zu lesen. Haha, es gab einen Mensch, der in Sessel eingeschlafen ist - nur in der Middlebury Bibliothek oder der Bibliothek des Mittelbourgs… haha

[fromeastowest]

From dusk to dawn, it was good to be back at Middlebury!

[fromeastowest]

When I went on a walk with Sybille and Disa, I was able to see them in a different light. Disa was so sweet and it was so sad to hear the amount of trauma she had endured, including being locked up in a cage for two years. I didn’t know her type of shepherd dogs were used as watchdogs. It was so great to learn more about Sybille and her journey from Bremen, Germany to the states. Truly, it was a trip of making new friends or acquaintances as the Germans would more accurately term it.

[fromeastowest]

Macdonough Park - Vergennes, Vermont

It was good to take it slow and enjoy Vergennes. Nothing says small town feels when the bus driver on the actr knows the locals by name and they know the bus driver by name. Haha, but one bus driver definitely confused me with another Asian or lady… haha

[fromeastowest]

Chilling on the bench in front of the Hudson~

[fromeastowest]

I’m like mom, I want favor and good things to somehow justify the hardships, sufferings, and obstacles that I had to overcome.