This summer, I befriended someone who is really into film and is an aspiring filmmaker. I had the pleasure and honor of watching some of his short films, and we talked a lot about our artistic visions and the intersection of the arts and community organizing and social justice.

I also got a bunch of new film recommendations from him, and we spent a lot of time watching all different kinds of films--some that he loves, some new releases, and some that we just decided to watch together. I thought it might be fun to share those films and my thoughts on them because I definitely discovered some favorites and developed a newfound understanding and interest in film and directing.

Incredibles 2 Directed by Brad Bird

Incredibles 2 came out this summer while I was in Berkeley, so of course all of us were really excited about it and HAD to go see the movie. It was fun! It wasn't the best movie, but the nostalgia was so real and it was a good bonding experience for all of us early in the program. Most of the people in the theater were our age or older. Also, the Pixar short, Bao (which just won an Oscar), was AMAZING to see. Most of the people I was with were really confused though and didn't get it or appreciate it the same way. Sad.

Happy Together Directed by Wong Kar-Wai

I didn't actually know this, but for some reason I had seen the beginning of this film before--I could not tell you why. Wow, you all. Wong Kar-Wai is a staple for any film buff, and as a Taiwanese-Chinese Brazilian, I especially love how this film follows Chinese and Taiwanese characters in Argentina and ends in Taiwan (I actually recognized where one of the passing scenes was shot!). But anyway, this is a tragic, gritty, real story. The use of colors is just something else in the movie, and the film touches on so many important issues. I hope to watch some of Wong Kar-Wai's other films soon!

Frances Ha Directed by Noah Baumbach

We watched this one for fun/for the heck of it. It was funny to laugh at most parts of this film. Also, it's just so...white. It offered a nice touch of home for me, as it's set in New York (City). It's such a cheesy, kind of terribly scripted film, but like I said, it's kind of fun to joke around with someone about it and to not take it so seriously. Nothing memorable but connected to some good memories.

Princess Mononoke Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

I have a love-fear relationship with Spirited Away, another Miyazaki film and the only one I had seen before watching Princess Mononoke, but Miyazaki is such a staple, and I've been meaning to watch more Studio Ghibli films. Princess Mononoke blew me away! The messages in the film!! A group of us from the program watched this together, and it was such a good time. We talked about it a lot afterwards and about the connections that could be made between the film and real life and social justice. I don't even know where to start in talking about the film...in a very broad sense it's about the relationship between humans, animals, nature, and spirituality. But just go watch it.

La Mala Educación (Bad Education) Directed by Pedro Almodóvar

Almodóvar is another name you must know if you're into film. I had also been meaning to watch an Almodóvar film for the longest time, and my friend came through! I love some of the shots in this film, and I think you definitely get a sense of Almodóvar's style. You also realize that his storytelling isn't linear, which is/can be confusing but also breaks the hegemonic US/Hollywood form that dictates how a story should unfold on film. Like many of the other non-US directors on this list, you also see the variety in storytelling and filmmaking across the world, the way that films don't have to follow the linear path that we're used to in the United States, the way that stories don't need high action or violence or whatnot in order to be captivating--sometimes it's just as much about small moments.

I've since watched another Almodóvar film, Volver, and am always looking for opportunities to watch another. I can't recommend his films enough!

Sorry to Bother You Directed by Boots Riley

Another film that came out this summer. WHAT THE HECK, Y'ALL!! Sorry, that's all I still have to say about this movie. I have lots of mixed feelings about this one... There's so much to love, especially its unapologetic, unhidden anti-capitalist message. It doesn't hide it and for the most part doesn't dilute it. It also hits at complexity and complications and contradictions in the fight for justice. (Also, can we talk about the fact that WeWork is basically turning into WorryFree? They already have WeLive apartments...)

The first half of the movie is SO good and packs so many punches but in a simultaneously subtle and in-your-face way that is hard to explain unless you've watched the film. And then stuff happens and the plot gets so out of hand. I thought the writing in the second half of the film was pretty poor, and part of the resolution at the end is such a cop-out. Forgiveness and redemption need to come after one really makes a change and shows that they've put in the work.

The thing about Sorry to Bother You is that it makes a very new, very not-talked-about-in-media topic really approachable to people through the use of satire. The underlying message is strong and is obvious for those of us who get it, but it's also not so overt that a general audience would get too upset about it. To be fair, between the three similar movies I saw this summer--Sorry to Bother You, Blindspotting, and Blackkklansman--Sorry to Bother You was my least favorite, but this kind of satire also isn't generally my thing so maybe that's part of it.

Blindspotting Directed by Carlos López Estrada

Blindspotting is definitely one of my favorite movies of last year or even the past few years. I don't even know where to begin. I guess that the first thing that I loved about watching it is that it was created by two people from Oakland, set in Oakland, and I got to watch it in Oakland and drive by some of the places in the film after the film (and on one of my last nights in California). So surreal. I also got to meet Daveed Diggs (he was in Hamilton!) and Rafael Casal in Oakland; I skipped class and went to an event they were having at Peet's Coffee. Those who know me know that I'm not really into rap/hip hop music. But this movie!! You can tell the passion and work Diggs and Casal put into the film. You can see their love for Oakland and also how they see the rapidly changing city. There's so much nuance in the narrative, in the characters, in the plot/storyline. There's so much to unpack throughout the film, from race to class to police brutality and more. Just wow. My friend and I both really enjoyed the movie, and I've been recommending it to everyone I know.


There you have it! There's no pattern to the films I watched this summer or really any way to tie all of these together, but there's something special about sharing a film and watching it for the first time with someone. I have such fond memories attached to these moments this past summer at Berkeley (which is much less fondly remembered, but that's a different story). I can't tell you what my friend thinks of these films as a filmmaker, other than that he spread his love for Wong Kar-Wai and Pedro Almodóvar with me and that I have a much better and deeper understanding of movies now. I'll watch a movie and a particular way something was shot will stand out to me, like when I watched Spike Lee's Blackkklansman.

What are some films you love?

In 2018, I was lucky enough to be able to attend my first (and second!) New York Fashion Week show. As a non-fashionista, it was really an honor.

The first one I attended was for three designers: Nathalia Gaviria, Eman Idil Bare, and Charles and Ron. I was there as a +1, and my friend was actually a VIP guest for Charles and Ron, which meant that we got to sit in the front row!

Nathalia Gaviria

Nathalia Gaviria is based in Los Angeles. The designer is largely known for her first two collections, NG: Black and NG: Gold, which are marketed as gender fluid/androgynous. Their spring collection gave off heavy Game of Thrones vibes. The pieces were flowy but with enough unique lines and shapes to feel structured. There was a lot of gold and silver jewelry and head gear, but I think it mostly complemented the overall feel and look well, adding some edge to the loose clothing.

Eman Idil Bare

The second designer, Eman Idil Bare, is probably my favorite of the all the ones I saw this NYFW. She is a designer, law student, award-winning journalist, and yoga teacher. Her line is ethically sourced and designed (with the help of female refugees in Canada), and you could tell that every part of her NYFW debut was purposeful. A Black, hijabi Muslim woman, you could tell that her designs are for women of color--and especially Black and/or Muslim women--by a woman of color. She hired all Black models and showcased both their dark skin and their natural hair. Many wore sparkling crowns and each exuded a different type of confidence. The clothes themselves were colorful, loose but structured, and very flattering. I don't know if I can explain what I mean when I say that it was obvious that the whole show was for Black women, by a Black woman, but it bled through every aspect. It was an honor to witness that power and strength, capped by the beautiful musical performance by Lula Saleh to close the second portion of the show.

Charles and Ron

Then, it was finally time for the designers I was technically at the event for. Charles and Ron are Maltese designers, and that identity is clearly infused in their designs. The music for the show was by a popular Maltese band called The Travelers. My friend, who is Maltese, lit up the moment she heard the song begin to play. You can also glean the country's island geography and feel from the colors of their clothes and accessories. It's bright, colorful, and emulates the perfect bright, summer beach day vibe. Additionally, their new designs feature images that used to be on Maltese coins.

Final Thoughts, pt. 1

I got to briefly meet the Charles, Ron, and their team after the show, which was such a privilege. Honestly, for my first ever Fashion Week show, it was an incredible experience. To also be able to sit front row is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I had literally thrown together my outfit the night before when my friend invited me to the show. I only had whatever I had brought to the dorms, so I had to work with what I had. I can't speak to Nathalia Gaviria's work, but I loved how the other two designers' work was deeply based on the celebration of their identity. You could tell that they were designs made by people that have it close to their heart.

Kovasky (Knockout) by Minika Ko

A short while later, I was also invited to the Kovasky by Minika Ko show hosted at Peridance Capezio Center. The show was sponsored by the Taiwanese Junior Chamber of Commerce New York (TJCCNY). As a dancer, I thought it was so awesome that the show was hosted at Peridance and that it featured two dancers, one Venezuelan-Italian and the other Taiwanese. The show also showcased the New Asia Chamber Music Society and jewelry and an art installation by Taiwanese artists. They even had pineapple cakes, one of the quintessential Taiwanese snacks.


The Kovasky Knockout Collection is truly one that can appeal to a wide audience but especially for young professionals. The designs themselves are minimalistic, professional but with enough edginess to also feel young and fashionable, and flattering. Most of the designs come in red, black, and white, and they really vary in look. Some pieces are much more suitable for traditional office environments, sitting somewhere between business casual and professional. Other pieces show more skin or include mesh portions. There are also capes (including ones with a giant tiger printed on the back), chic hoodie-style tops and dresses, and more.


The modeling cast was diverse. The clothing is high performance, low maintenance, and in the medium price range. Ko pitches her line as being envisioned for a female 007 (James Bond), and one can get that sense from her designs.


Having gotten some background knowledge on the creation of the Fashion Week show, I know how much Ko values supporting and crediting diverse artists. While her clothing is for a generic female audience, one can see the care she puts into the work, and with the Knockout line in particular, the embroidery is East Asian inspired and seeks to bridge Western style with Eastern art. I think this is a wonderful tribute to Ko's own roots and shows how deeply her Taiwanese identity influences her work.

Final Thoughts

The fashion world is still incredibly white, abled, cis, and otherwise catered to non-marginalized communities. But there have always been artists, designers, creators at the margins who are doing amazing work. They are just finally starting to get their due. Even if their work isn't explicitly for their community, they are clearly influenced by their identity, experiences, etc. We need to be better at supporting designers of color, designers with marginalized identities in creating work for their communities. We also need to be working to support models of all different shapes, sizes, identities, etc. I was glad that my first two New York Fashion Week shows gave a taste of high fashion but grounded in a sense of belonging and home, of embracing who we are. Here's to continuing forward to a more inclusive New York Fashion Week and fashion world more generally.

Morgan Harper Nichols posted the below photo while I was studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain, and something about it spoke to me. I spent much of my trip reflecting on what it means to truly live in the moment, and I also spent a lot of time thinking about the past half a year or so. I'm not going to lie. Spring semester of my junior year was rough. I wasn't in the best mental state. Actually, that's an understatement. And then I basically went right into an intensive, 7 week public policy program at UC Berkeley. Those 7 weeks were some of the most intense and taxing weeks of my life in every way--mentally, emotionally, physically. (Maybe I'll write more about that one day, but that's not the focus of this post.) From there, I had a brief semi-break before hitting the ground running this past fall semester. If I thought my spring semester was difficult, my fall semester was something else. I was overworked, lacked motivation, dealing with serious mental health issues, overextended, still trying to recover from the summer, and working on my capstone project.


So when I got to winter break, I was relieved. I was lucky enough to get a scholarship to study abroad for the winter and used a mix of my savings and my Christmas gift from my parents to afford a short trip to Paris and Luxembourg before heading over to Salamanca. And although there were things that weren't quite easy or totally relaxing about studying abroad or even traveling beforehand, for the most part, I felt as though I was happy, relaxed, recovering, rejuvenating. It truly felt like I was coming back into myself and coming alive again. My trip to Luxembourg to visit a close friend provided me such a sense of happiness and comfort, and it allowed me to slow down and enjoy the moment and being in someone's company. Traveling around Spain and Portugal on weekends during my time in Salamanca was at times stressful but also beautiful and fulfilling. Being surrounded by amazing people (which is not to say my friends at home or my friends from the Berkeley program aren't just as fabulous), I could feel myself loosening up again. I laughed in ways I haven't in a while.

Porto, Portugal

I thought things were getting better. I thought I was getting better, in a better mental state. And then I returned home, jumping right into this semester. During many of the long nights these past few weeks, I've returned back to the above image and quote from Morgan. During a coffee date with a good friend of mine, I realized that travel and these short trips are me putting temporary brakes on dealing with everything happening when I'm normally at home.

We're told that travel is life-changing, eye-opening. And I'll be the first one to attest to that. But it's often a step away from your "real" home life. Whether it's vacation or a study abroad/away, you put aside your usual stresses so that you can take advantage of the time you're spending away. You leave some of your worries behind, although replaced by others for sure. You may be living in the moment, taking it all in, but I think the reason we think of ourselves as coming alive when we travel is precisely because of this. You're in the moment, but if you're leaving behind your usual life, thoughts, stresses, worries, happinesses, what does that moment mean? I don't mean to place a negative or positive connotation on this.

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

One of the reasons I love to travel is precisely because I get to put aside my "regular" life, my usual habits and worries. That's a good thing. But I wonder how healthy it is to use travel to escape when you use it as a way to avoid dealing with problems. In the short run, it may feel great. It may even actually be good to get away, to get some space. However, what does it mean when you're running away from truly dealing with your mental health? What does it mean when you use it as a means to cover up your pain?

I certainly don't have any answers, but as I'm grappling with being home in New York again, this has been on my brain a lot. I want to be able to enjoy travel but to not use it as a means to escape or hide from my problems. I want to travel in a way that actually helps to heal. I think that's when getting away is without question positive and helpful. I want to be able to travel in a way that's a little bit outside of my comfort zone but in a way that will help me to grow without creating new traumas. In the same way I'm working on healing and "coming alive" and being in the moment in my every day life, I owe it to myself to also do that when I'm not home. I want to be fully present, with all of my struggles and pain and problems and all, and I want to be able to find my way through it, with people who support me and help me find that way.

We all deserve this process, and we all deserve to give ourselves the room to figure out what this means and what this looks like for ourselves. There's no one way or one reason to travel. Sometimes we all need an escape, a step outside our reality, but I hope it's not too far away that it just puts off or compounds our problems. I hope that in escaping, in taking that step away, we instead find the room to heal. I hope that we instead find space we don't normally have in our daily life and routines to grow, to heal, to come alive.

Berkeley, California