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Last week India passed a blatantly anti-Muslim law that seeks to naturalise millions of immigrants, except if they are Muslims.

In August of this year, India revoked the autonomous status of the Kashmir region, putting a communication blackout on the state. Kashmir has entered the fifth month of no internet and heaviest militarisation of any region in the world.

India is a secular, socialist republic. This bill is anti-constitutional and against the principles on which the country was founded

Naturally, there have been protests across the country. At the forefront of the protests are students from India's public universities.

Police opened fire on peaceful protestors in Jamia Milia Islamia University in Delhi, and Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh.

Ever since then, the ruling fascist Hindu nationalist political party, the BJP, has been doctoring videos and sending fake news all over the internet, discrediting protestors and labelling them as terrorists

Amidst the raging pandemic and our Government’s botched handling of it, GOI has found the time to book student activists under a draconian “anti terrorism” law called the UAPA.

Here’s a brief article about what exactly the UAPA is here. It was written in October last year so it’s before all of this, but it highlights the ways it could be misused, and why it’s a cause for concern.

Here’s another article about the same. Has proved prophetic, because our government NEVER fails to let us down!

Many student activists have been booked under UAPA, like Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita. Safoora Zargar, who is pregnant, has been jailed despite concerns about COVID-19 (and this being entirely under an unlawful law).

Here’s a quick twitter thread with the names of other activists booked under UAPA.

[Oh btw, in a completely different story, no charges have been made against those suspected of inciting violence at JNU. It’s under investigation, which sounds promising, but uh, we’ve seen what’s happened in the past. There’s not really a lot of hope there.]

Drinking enough water everyday

Meditating for 10min everyday/morning/before bed

Smiling to strangers when you make an eye contact in the public

Buying generic products instead of label, organic, etc.. ones

Reading everyday from 10min to 1h (or more)

Reading about as many different things as possible (e.g. history, quantum physics, ancient civilizations, neuroscience, genetics, film criticism, literature,  psychology, philosophy…) - read outside your comfort zone, read what bores you to death, read what you don’t understand

Taking up an online course on edX, Coursera, etc, spending at least 30min on it everyday after work/school

Moisturizing your skin everyday

Choosing stairs over lift or escalator

Going to TED.com and letting yourslef be surprised by a TED talk they’ve chosen for you, based on this quick test

Walking/cycling home instead of driving your car or using public transport

Striking up a conversation with a stranger, who’s wearing a t-shirt of your favourite tv-show/film, or who’s reading your favourite book, or who’s humming to your favourite band’s song…

Getting enough sleep (at least 6h every day)

Everyday taking a few hours off the technology (e.g. not using phones, laptops, internet, social media…)

Taking multi-vitamins everyday

Making regular health check-ups

Buying a cheap instrument at your thrift store (guitar, ukulele, piano, etc) and spending 15min everyday on learning to play it

Making a conversation with a barista at a coffee shop, cashier at a grocery store, or any other retail’s worker, while they’re serving you

Star every morning by writing 3 things you’re grateful for

Finishing every day by writing a journal about what you did, what you didn’t do, why, why not…

Writing down a list of affirmations (e.g. “It’s okay to make mistakes”, “I’ve done the best I can”…) and repeating them everyday and/or in times of distress/anxiety

Taking a different path to and from your work/school (even if it takes longer)

Switching from white/milk chocolate to dark chocolate

Switching from milky flavored coffee drinks (lattes, cappuccinos, etc) to black coffee, coffee with milk, espresso, or tea

Turning your youtube recommendations on and letting it take you wherever it goes, discovering new music, youtubers, diy videos on the way, etc

Asking people to teach you things they know about. For example, asking a barista about the difference between different drinks, asking your librarian for book recommendations or why they like those books, etc… Sometimes, you might end up with some free craft’s lessons

Cutting down on meat and dairy, eating more veggies, fruits, beans, nuts, and legumes instead

Going to library, closing you eyes, walking through the shelves, picking up random book, taking it back home, and reading it

Searching youtube tutorials on the skills you want to learn/get better at(e.g., drawing horses, planting plants, mastering eyeliner, wardrobe organisation…) and watching first 5 videos that come up, while taking notes or practicing at the same time

Drinking a glass of water, when you feel hungry, and waiting at least 20min before eating

Stopping to use sugar or switching to other sweeteners, e.g. honey, maple syrup…

Deleting all social media apps from your phone, only using social media on your laptop/PC

Making your bed in the morning

Putting you dirty clothes into the laundry bag, once you take them off, not leaving them laying around everywhere in your room

Buying a pack of same black and/or white socks and using them interchangeably, saving yourself tons of time while looking for another pair of socks

It means that you’re still here, although as tired as you may be of fighting, you’re here. And that’s what matters the most.

Just show up.

I used to skip class because the whole thing was so overwhelming: I had to get dressed in something clean even though I never had the energy to do laundry, walk to school, sit in class for up to three hours, plus pay attention, take notes, and participate in discussion. In reality, I was being a perfectionist, and life would have been a lot easier for me if I had Just Shown Up. By staying home because of my depression and anxiety, I wasn’t giving myself the chance to do any of that. I was such a perfectionist that being a “bad” or average student was unthinkable, so I stopped being a student at all.

so what if no one else gets how the things you define as successes are victories because you have to

so you got to work - success

you used public transport - success

you went to the supermarket instead of ordering online and didn’t just buy things you dind’t want because you got scared - MASSIVE success

Months ago when I was impatiently awaiting the release of the movie Crazy Rich Asians, I did not expect for the movie to affect me this much.

When I finally watched Crazy Rich Asians and the Netflix film To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, I knew that both films have done just that.

Crazy Rich Asians is a romantic comedy-drama that tells the story of Rachel, an NYU professor who accompanies her boyfriend to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore and learns that he’s the son of the richest family on the island and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a teen romantic comedy that follows Lara Jean, a teen romantic who writes secret love letters to boys when she wants to get over them who then discovers her private letters have been mailed to their recipients.

Crazy Rich Asians is the first movie from a major Hollywood studio to feature a predominately Asian cast since The Joy Luck Club (1993). That’s 25 years ago. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before features a Vietnamese-American as the lead.

If this is not a big deal, I don’t know what is.

I am a first-generation Asian American. I was born in Manhattan, New York, raised in Brooklyn for eight years, and currently reside in Queens, New York. My parents are both United States citizens who immigrated from Hong Kong and Wenzhou, China.Growing up, I never went through the challenges that my parents faced when immigrating a foreign country–assimilating into the culture, and tackling language barriers and cultural differences. My sister and I both were born into a life that my parents had to learn from scratch. My parents faced a lot of struggles and made a lot of sacrifices to enable my sister and me to have what we have today. What I did not realize was that I’d face many of my own internal identity battles when it came to how others viewed me and more importantly, how I viewed myself.

Back in middle school, high school, and college, the question “Where are you from?” was quite popular. When I reply that I was born here, in the U.S., you already know what is coming- I get a response of “No, where are your parents from?” or “No, where are you really from?” That’s when I finally understood that I wasn’t American like everyone else, I was Asian-American.

As a kid, I never thought I was seen as different. I didn’t feel alienated because I was Chinese-American. I never felt not white. However, preconceived notions continue to be made solely based on race. Even though I was born in the U.S., went to school here, work here, will others ever accept and understand that I am American? Will Asian Americans be viewed as anything but foreigners?

Despite the 150-plus-year history of Asians in the United States, when Asian Americans are included in U.S. history, we’re often presented as a model minority and are lumped together as a hardworking, passive, and successful minority. I was and am often viewed as too American to be Chinese and too Chinese to be American. This is how it feels like to be a first-generation American and an Asian-American. It’s the feeling of being able to be on both sides, feeling included, but simultaneously feeling not included.

I’m tired of having to bear derogatory, racist, and stereotypical comments just because I’m Asian. I’m tired of others associating everything I do with the fact that I’m Asian. Asians are NOT all the same. If someone is Asian, don’t automatically assume they are Chinese. I’m not a doctor or a lawyer. I’m a fantastic driver, thank you very much (and even if I’m a bad driver, it’s not because I’m Asian. It’s because I’m a bad driver). Don’t call me or my food exotic. I’m a human being just like everyone else. I am me and just want to be me for me–I’m not my ethnicity, race, or skin color.

As a child, I didn’t get to see myself in TV shows, movies, or stories. There wasn’t anyone like me on the screens. With the release of Crazy Rich Asians and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, we saw two protagonists that happen to be Asian American.This shouldn’t be a big deal like this in 2018, but it is. Female protagonists of color are still rare in Hollywood.

In April 2016, I tweeted “America is still deciding what to think and do with Asians beyond offering comic relief in stereotypical roles” when Scarlett Johansson was casted as Major Motoko Kusanagi in the film adaptation of the Ghost in the Shell manga. The excuse is that there aren’t big enough Asian/Asian-American names to choose from. Well, without a conscientious effort, how will anyone ever break through and become familiar enough with the audiences to allow producers to confidently cast them to be a lead in a film?

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a film adaptation of Jenny Han’s book. Jenny Han turned down many film offers because some studios wanted the female protagonist to be played by a white actress. It’s important that Crazy Rich Asians and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before do well because we need to show Hollywood that movies with Asian leads are an option, too. We want this to start a domino effect whereby more diverse stories can and will be told.

In no way are these two films made to represent ALL Asians and all experiences, but it’s a beginning that will hopefully shift Hollywood executives’ thinking and affect their behaviors of funding more works from diverse voices.

Crazy Rich Asians had many moments that spoke directly to me. Not only that but Crazy Rich Asians proves Asian American representation can be successful too. The film opened on Wednesday, August 15th. The film made $35.3 million from Wednesday to Sunday and another $26.5 million for the second weekend (this weekend)–a current grand total of $76.8 million!

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a teen rom-com I wish I had when I was in high school. In an opinion editorial, Jenny Han writes “What would it have meant for me back then to see a girl who looked like me star in a movie? Not as the sidekick or romantic interest, but as the lead? Not just once, but again and again? Everything. There is power in seeing a face that looks like yours do something, be someone. There is power in moving from the sidelines to the center…Because when you see someone who looks like you, it reveals what is possible. It’s not just maybe I could be an actress. It’s maybe I could be an astronaut, a fighter, a president. A writer. This is why it matters who is visible. It matters a lot. And for the girls of 2018, I want more. I want the whole world.” Read Jenny’s piece here.

Watch these two films. Show up. Be curious for people different than you…that’s when inclusion begins.

Be an ally. Recognize your privilege (you can be privileged without feeling privileged), own your experiences, listen more, have uncomfortable conversations, help yourself understand, consistently learn and unlearn, and be proactive in taking responsibility for changing these patterns.

We still have a long way to go but seeing the films Crazy Rich Asians and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before doing well is a step in the right direction.

Masterpost 4 out of 50: The Motivation  Self-Discipline Masterpost