The Quarantine Hyperfixation that Stuck

Five months after move-in day and I have just about settled into my lovely IHouse single room. A kettle, microwave-fridge-freezer, wardrobe full of clothes, and semi-functioning radiator are now at my disposal. Yet my room is markedly different to my room back in Leeds, England (a 2 hour train ride from London, for those who need a reference); I have no sewing machine here.

Cycling through hobbies - rather, hyperfixations- was one of the things which kept me semi-sane during the various national lockdowns last year and the year before. Between riveting online classes, I started reading fiction for fun again, made some tacky jewellery, and then tried to learn Russian on Duolingo. (I may still have the Russian alphabet keyboard on my phone, but do not test me on anything other than “привет”). Each of these phases lasted for a couple of weeks before I needed to find something else to stop me doomscrolling on TikTok all day.

During my 5-hours-a-day doomscrolling era (don’t judge), my algorithm, which had worked out I was into fashion, kept feeding me thrift flips à la the videos in this compilation. I impulsively bought a sewing machine and decided to start altering and upcycling some of the clothes in the back of my wardrobe.

My first sewing machine. Featured image via (yes, sorry, it was from Amazon).

I bought this sewing machine and it served its purpose for a while, honestly. It even came with pre-wound bobbins. After a year almost daily use and abuse, RIP this sewing machine though (2020-2021).

My aim was to teach myself how to sew from scratch, and after allowing myself to watch one (1) YouTube tutorial on how to thread my machine, I began by hemming a pair of trousers which I would previously have to awkwardly roll up, and thus rarely wore. Lots of tedious stitch unpicking and re-sewing later, I had a now wearable pair of trousers.

After staying up for hours at a time wrestling with my machine, and upcycling the clothes I already had, I set myself a goal of making something from scratch. When my local charity shops reopened, I bought a baby pink bedsheet which would form the basis of the next stage of my sewing obsession. I started with a tote bag, then another tote bag, this time with better stitching, and then yet another tote bag for my little sister (my first client??) because she liked the ones I made myself. Then, I made my first pattern and constructed a corset top from that same cotton bedsheet. It was pretty rough but, after that, I was inspired to buy some fabric in a colour I would wear (those who know me know that I only wear dark pink, green, or purple monochrome outfits). After a few more hours, I now had a purple flower print corset top complete with bias binding and a lace up back!

You may be wondering why this hobby stuck and others didn’t. For someone who gets bored easily, I was also surprised. Some may think it is the sunk cost (hi econ majors) of the sewing machine, fabric, thread, et al., but it was more the sense of guilt I felt that I owned many clothes that I hardly wore because they didn’t fit me correctly. The coalescence of being an impulse purchaser (I’m working on it, don’t worry) and my intense reluctance to get rid of anything I have bought, left me with at least half of my wardrobe being almost unwearable.

Learning to sew was my first significant step towards slow fashion. Instead of buying a cheaply-made top that I kinda liked from a fast-fashion brand, I could now make the exact item I envisioned for myself by upcycling charity shop finds or from fabric I bought from a local craft store. When I wear an item I have made, I feel proud and confident- and the serotonin increase I get when someone asks me where it is from is unparalleled. I have started to curate my personal style, while still engaging with some current trends in a more sustainable way by upcycling and making clothes from scratch.

Sadly, the hotel sewing kit my mum brought me when my family came to visit Chicago recently is all I have for now, but I cannot wait to return home this summer to my new sewing machine- which actually has a warranty (but no pre-wound bobbins :/)- this summer.

Poetry for Peace in a Pandemic

There’s plenty of feeling that 2020 was a time for lost hope. While it’s true most people are undergoing very difficult circumstances, one thing UChicago has taught me is that self care and radical self love are fully necessary in the most difficult of times. Poetry is especially good for peace of mind. And writing is unquestionably calming. So let’s see how to bring a bit of peace into your daily life.

Image via Elliot Duprey

What is poetry even? Megan Thee Stallion has a breathtaking answer: Educational equity, feminist sex, and calling out the haters are all an everyday purpose for the hotshot. I listen to her during high energy unapologetic hours. Each time, she transcends musical norms and tropes with clarity and purpose, fiery passion fuelling her lyrics. She’s been able to ride the waves of fame with her larger than life personality and determination. UChicago lucked out by booking her before Hot Girl Summer was released, and now campus is forever blessed by seeing her in person last winter. She brought more color and better twerking to Reynolds Club than anytime else in its history, as demonstrated by its gallery of old white male presidents. 

Louise Gluck is blinding on exposure. One of my personal thought leaders (sounds religious even though it’s not? eh good poetry is that level) and greatest American poets alive, Gluck has achieved fame, respect, and distinction because of her cutting and clear voice. Her poems seem like they are separate from modern problems and outside of time and space as one critic put it, but of course the language is a curtain hiding her profundity. Gluck is accurate, in my head appearing as a longbow archer clad in white, using the tools she has to always nail the heart and essence of things. She unlocks part of your understanding of yourself, of your world, and of the order of society. It answers deep questions like poetry can. 

Ocean Vuong is my superstar. He came from humble writing beginnings but now is the most fearless, most genuine, and most sensitive person who brings his full feminine and Vietnamese self into his work. One of the defining poets in coming out of the rich Asian American diasporas, we have only his authenticity, intelligence, wit, talent, and persistence to thank for the luminous, enthralling masterpieces and kind mentorship he extends to a nation. The quality of his work is certainly the best you see around. I read Ocean Vuong for beauty, for inspiration, for a gentle hand to lead me into a home, a war, an education, a life of failure and extreme success. If there was one person I would have people read in a period of heightened racism against Asian Americans, it would be Ocean Vuong. At a school that worships the written word, Ocean creates our gospel.  

Suggestions: Trevor, Aubade of Burning City

At an open event with the School of the Art institute of Chicago in October Vuong was at his kindest and most introspective. Write, he told us, most of whom were under difficult circumstances. I took away one lesson. Write for happiness, for joy, for your best selves, for creation, for radical self care, for stoppering the dark spiral, to let things go, to push your comfort further, and pursue your happiness. Write to care for others and yourself. Write because you need every advantage to thrive. Writing is like breathing, to amend Scout Finch. In a year where it’s been extraordinarily hard to breathe well for multiple reasons, it’s best to take as many deep breaths as you can.

Featured image via Andrew Chang

Skills and Hobbies You Can Pick Up Online to Stay Sane

The combination of being stuck at home, not being able to see your friends, watching Legend of the Seeker on repeat, and taking virtual classes can really play tricks on your mental state. For UChicago students, far from feeling like a carefree summer break, this period of time can feel extremely tedious. Nevertheless, the quarantine can be a blessing in disguise. Apart from slowing the spread of the virus, it slows life down and grants us the gift of time. Here are seven skills and hobbies that you can pick up online in order to stay sane:

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1) Learn a language - Learning a language opens a whole new world, and being able to communicate with someone in his or her language is an incredible gift. If you’re bored at home, take the opportunity during lockdown to learn to speak and write a new language. Even picking up a few phrases and using them on your parents can be amusing. For example, I learned from my roommate that “ndank ndank” means “slowly” in Wolof, which is a language most widely spoken in Senegal. This phrase is actually so deep and reflects an entire psyche of letting things follow their own progression and pace. This is especially relevant these days and a fitting reminder against the rushed productivity culture in general. Anyways, one useful free app is Duolingo. I’ve been using Duolingo to awaken my dormant Spanish skills and to maintain my Mandarin skills during the quarantine. If you are looking to learn Spanish, Señor Jordan has easy-to-follow lessons. Another useful app is Babbel. College students in the US have unlimited free access for the next three months. Babbel offers language lessons that you can curate to be relevant to your personal interests. Finally, Lingodeer is a fantastic choice for Asian languages like Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese. Users have reported high satisfaction at understanding their favorite K-dramas. You can also practice the language online by starting conversations with friends who already speak the language you are trying to learn.

2) Games: 

Uncharted 4 scene via.

• The classic Settlers of Catan, online

• Dominion - A deck-building card game, I like to play this whenever I feel like losing

• League of Legends - An addicting online solo or multiplayer battle game, free to download

• Type Racer - You may still get nightmares from Type2Learn keyboarding classes in elementary school, but Type Racer is a surprisingly fun short competition. Race your friends and see who has the fastest typing speed!

• Town of Salem - Town of Salem is essentially the online version of the classic deception party games Mafia and Werewolf

• Skribbl - A multiplayer online drawing and guessing game, akin to DrawMyThing

• Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection - Uncharted used to be one of my favorite video game series of all time (mainly the multiplayer). As part of Playstation’s Play at Home initiative, you can download Uncharted (as well as Journey) for free from now through May 5, 2020. Join Nathan Drake and other iconic characters on some thrilling action adventures.

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3) Jazzercise! - If jazzercise brings joy to the Grinch’s life and has a dedicated place in his schedule, it should for you as well. Working out at home can be such a drag. Maybe all that your workouts need these days is some flair. This fitness challenge is a fun, high-energy blast from the past.

4) Trivia - Trivia is an exciting pasttime. After that leisurely jazzercise workout, it’s time to take your brain to the gym (which complies with lockdown regulations). Here are several ideas to sharpen your skills and place you on the road towards MVP status for your trivia nights at the Pub when this is all over:

• Read about subjects you are curious about, whether that is U.S. presidents, Best Picture winners, or Olympians. Start at “Toronto” and somehow fall through the Wikipedia wormhole to end up at “Pliny the Elder.” Absorb information about the New Deal through song parodies. Go through old quizzes at Sporcle.

• Keep up with the news and pop culture! Even if you only spend a few minutes every day reading world news, you’re going to pick up on world leaders, geography, and important events simply because you see them over and over again. Bit of News is an easily digestible daily newsletter that summarizes the most important news of the day.

5) Learn to enjoy classical music with this free course.

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6) Origami - Origami is the art of paper-folding, its name deriving from Japanese words ori (“folding”) and kami (“paper”). My first foray into origami was in second grade after reading Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. There is a Japanese legend that says that if a sick person folds 1,000 paper cranes, then that person would soon get well. Hospitalized with leukemia, Sadako spent long hours in bed folding paper cranes and never losing hope. The story and the art of paper folding is fascinating, and you can learn to fold anything from a crane to a star to reindeer. Jo Nakashima’s Youtube channel and this blog are good resources to learn.

7) Reading - For me, there’s no such thing as reading too much. Reading literature is one of the great joys of life and does wonders for restoring my mental state. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to find entire libraries of books online. Whenever I feel depressed or just exhausted with life, reading becomes my escape. A couple of recommendations:

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• The Strong Shall Live, Louis L’Amour - In a collection of short stories, Louis L'Amour tells of the true heroes of the frontier, the survivors for whom remaining tough was as natural as drawing breath

• Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie - An enigmatic, drawn-out story that deals with India’s transition from British colonialism to independence

• Pale Fire, Vladimir Nabokov - A 999-line poem from murdered poet John Shade, followed by an unreliable commentary (and earlier intro) from his stalker Charles Kimbote

These are tough times, but hopefully some of these suggestions help. See you on the other side!

Featured image via

In Today's Burnout Culture, Useless Hobbies Matter

Only after I began to knit did I force myself to stop hating knitwear. The activity itself is arguably useless. I don’t sell my knitting, nor do I really give it to anyone. There is little to no return-on-investment on knitting; in fact, I found a beanie for sale at Forever21 for $3, less than a ball of yarn and a pair of needles, without even accounting for the time it takes to hand-knit the hat.

It isn’t efficient, either: a knitting machine, or even sewing, could accomplish the same job in a quarter of the time. Pulling fibrous yarns through each other to the clinking rhythm of my needles takes time. But it’s not only enjoyable, it is necessary. The world would be far more dangerous without this wasteful hobby.

Engaging deeply in a profitless hobby seems like the antithesis of what a productive young person should do. My former boss, an ex-investment banker, once told me that you should only do activities that will build towards a career. Neither training Ki-Aikido martial arts, playing tabletop RPG’s, nor knitting helps with any of my longer-term goals.

For such activities, their collective net worth is a net loss; the activity counteracts goal-setting and other important career skills, and it creates things that have no use for our society, which is why I call them useless. But the value in having a useless hobby is not its end result, but rather in its process.

In sharp contrast to the goal-oriented, results-driven perfectionist mentality that classes and work pushed onto me, I am able to enjoy the process of knitting. Mistakes merely tickle me. They can easily be undone and fixed before moving forward.

More important than the sensory engagement of knitting is its lack of expectations. If I don't create any standards to compare myself to, then there simply are none. I can let myself fully ignore the thrumming awareness in my mind that is my perfectionism. The idea of millennial burnout is spreading quickly, and the needs for perfection and optimization at its core demand a solution if we want to avoid crashing and burning out.

It’s telling that we have to engage in specific activities to relax, rather than having a lack of tension be our default state. Unlike other activities, such as watching TV shows or reading, knitting involves many more senses. My fingers brush over the yarn’s textures, each loop meeting a slight resistance and then almost popping through. The needles hit each other and release their small clicks under the whirring humdrum of activity around me to create a familiar echo for my ears. Finally, the piece I’m knitting grows over time, and transforms from a string into a two-dimensional fabric into a three-dimensional piece whose final form is in my mind’s eye.

Knitting is an activity I enjoy because it has no purpose in my life. The second I begin to drive it towards a direction, I begin to fret over my mistakes and think of what I can do better. Knitting, my useless hobby, is one of the outlets that draws me away from the structural problems that plague young career-driven generations. If we want to avoid the burnout that comes from productivity optimization, then we must allow ourselves to be unproductive. I’ll wear the hole in my hat with pride, thank you.

Featured image via