The meaning of life, the complete digits of pi, and why I still use Facebook
For our typography installation assignment, we had to answer some really deep questions first, supposedly to help unhinge our inner muses and open the path to enlightment. Sort of.
The questions definitely unhinged me. I ended up writing too much, an Academic Writing nightmare since it was definitely NOT a concise response, but hey, what can you do. I know what you can do. You can close this page, turn your device off and never look back. Or you can bear with me, dear reader, as I painstakingly type up my cringeworthy answers.
WHO THE (*badwordbadwordbadword*) AM I?
To be honest? I DON'T KNOW. Oh sure, I know the components I'm made of. I'm female, for instance. I'm also sarcastic, claustrophobic, I prefer journeys over arrivals, I like reading and cartoon strips and Indomie. But if I had to describe myself with only one sentence, if I had to choose a word that would define me for the rest of my life, I can't do that. I'm not sure anyone could. At least not sincerely. And I think that's the beauty of humankind. We're undefinitive. We are constantly evolving. I am not the same person I was two minutes ago, and I will be a different person tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that. And I would rather keep looking for myself, and continue exploring, rather than give a flimsy definition of what I think everyone wants to hear. Who am I? Why, I'm just as curious as you are.
WHY AM I HERE?
I never heard of UIC until half a year ago. And I didn't think I was going to take Graphic Design. Visual arts and literature, those were my backgrounds. But life is what happens while you are making other plans, so they say. But I don't mind, because I'm here to learn. There are many things they don't teach you in visual arts and literature, such as how to cut a polyfoam board properly. Believe me, you'll need it. Most kids go to school to get a degree and a job, but I'm here purely to learn. I want to explore as many different options as possible before I finally decide on a path. A degree and a job? That's just icing on the cake.
WHAT ARE YOUR INTENTIONS?
I want to explore the world and myself, to open my mind and do things I have never done before (such as hauling a shopping cart down two flights of stairs). I intend to meet people from all walks of life, and to discover myself---by pushing myself to limits I didn't know I had.
WHAT ARE YOUR CURIOUSITIES?
I love ideas and concepts, brainstorming, everything that has words---mainly books: political fiction, science fiction, fantasy, essays and poems, the way people shape language for different purposes. Yes, rhyme over reason, that's my motto. I like observing how people work, what makes each person tick. I love photography, letting the world tell a story through you. Traveling, being in motion, doing SOMETHING. I love corrosive humour, satirical works such as cartoon strips, anti-art and anti-ANTI-art, ridiculous topics such as why they're called unicorns and not unihorns, and wackier humour such as children's books (Roald Dahl and Lewis Carroll are still my favourite authors to this day). Finally, I love finding out why and how things are the way they are. I hate the term "philosophy" because it's so cliché, but if that's what you want to call it, go ahead!
WHO INSPIRES YOU?
A lot of people inspire me. Though I don't believe in having idols, I look up to my parents for teaching me not to be afraid of the future, and how to be independent and versatile. I look up to one of my art teachers, for always thinking before he speaks. I look up to my little brother for always forgiving my mishaps, and for his sarcastic wit. Roald Dahl, whose works greatly influenced me when I was younger, and opened my mind as I got older, for Dahl refused to conform to the grownup world and preferred to see everything from a child's eyes. I look up to the many authors whose works I love---Christopher Paolini, Pseudonymus Bosch, George Orwell, Cassandra Clare, Neil Gaiman, J. D. Salinger, Michael Scott, Judy Blume, Jacqueline Wilson and many others---whose words comforted me when nothing else could. To the artists who challenged my perspectives---Loui Jover, Benny & Mice, Lepolsk Matuszewski, my mentor Marintan Sirait, Teguh and Lovis Ostenrik, Van Gogh, Eddie Hara, the legendary Banksy, Marcel Duchamp, Gilbert Ford and Quentin Blake, to name those I can remember. I look up to my old Social Studies teacher, Ms. Fitri, for her charisma and confidence, and her ability to stay level-headed even in dire situations. For the characters in F.R.I.E.N.D.S. (despite being branded as "too American") for always making me laugh, and finally, I look up to Anne Frank, who showed that we are all humans, deep inside.
PS: Honourable mention to the "Humans of New York" Facebook page, which restores my faith in humsnity daily and the only reason I still use Facebook.