she's back

“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.” - Frank Zappa

I started this blog only midway through this year, and I'm already at 3k, it's amazing! To celebrate, I thought I'll name some of my favourite blogs on academia/aesthetic tumblr, who have been consistently producing good content.

@gaaaandaaaalf (studyblr/history): one of the first blogs I followed, and still remains one of the best! She posts her own gorgeous study inspo photography, as well as regularly recommends fiction and non fiction books on a wide variety of genres, which are very VERY useful if you want to do some research on south asian history/culture. her content is A+++ and she is ridiculously well-read, all you need is to go through her ask tag and then you'll see,, just....what a nice aesthetic studyblr, I stalk her content whenever I'm unmotivated or need a dash of inspiration.

@desi-dark-academia (DA aes/varied): you know how you tend to have some comfort tumblrs, and scrolling through their feed is like spending time with a friend? Yeah. chances are everyone who sees this post already follows her, because this blog is an asset to the poc academia community, I said what I said. initially followed her because of the lovely and creative moodboards, but there is so much more to see and like, especially if you don't like the gloom of generic DA. also if you go through her ask tag you'll realise that she is a wonderful and thoughtful person, and I love seeing her interactions with followers :)

@joysofdreams (DA/studyblr): bangladeshi academia blog, with a super chill vibe. idk if she has made any moodboards recently but she has a few REALLY pretty hijabi academia moodboards. Asides that, her feed is very diverse and visually appealing, including art, photography and textposts. I love seeing her interact with my posts, it always cheers me up 💚

@darkacademiacottage (DA/cottagecore): she is also a pretty popular name in poc academia circles, and she more than deserves it, because her content is GORGEOUS. she is pretty active and makes a lot of beautiful content, mainly focusing on Black representation in dark academia and cottagecore. I love her colour palettes and the way she balances two polar opp. aesthetic subcultures perfectly in her creations. Another thing I love is that she emphasizes on using dark skinned faceclaims in a time when Tumblr is oversaturated by colourism.

@bluereevesphotography (photography/DA): exquisite photography blog, focusing on historical sites and foggy moors and just the general whimsical reclusive escapism of dark academia, I have spent hours going through the photographs on this tumblr, especially the ones taken in old castles and churches and the Scottish woods. If you are having a bad day please check out this blog, I promise you it will make you feel better.

@darkmacademia (DA/studyblr): she is another popular DA blog whom I must mention because she has a LOT of amazing original content and creations including photography, musical edits, text compilations, fashion ideas....just loads of aesthetic stuff. a very organized and well made DA blog, and ngl I'm pretty jealous of how talented she is, just check out her sketches and reinterpretations of paintings/sculpture or her song edits, and you'll see what I'm talking about! a good place to start if you're looking for varied and interesting content from the community and, like me, are sick and tired of the same 10 posts about hosting a bacchanal or yearning in the woods.

@seaoflove (aesthetic): found this blog only recently but I'm probably making an understatement when I say it's a treasure trove. Not necessarily DA, but chock full of painting compilations, poetry recommendations, thoughts and musings about music, art and life. Idk how many times I found a quote or a piece of art that captured my mood at that exact moment. excellent tumblr, full of melancholia and loveliness.....going through the content here makes me feel like the main character in a phoebe bridgers song or a banana yoshimoto novel sjsnsbbs.

@meherunissa (aesthetic): another new discovery, another desi tumblr I love!!!! the warm and comforting feeling of going through desi fashion photography, pretty shots of mughal architecture, jewellery and artefacts, seeing desi people in moodboards and DA inspired compilations.....always a feeling I cherish. Rigidly eurocentric aesthetics can be tiring sometimes, it's so wonderful to find other desi blogs, and I love mughal aesthetics :)

angel; is there anyone you’d do anything for?

galaxy; what fascinates you?

melody; favorite artists?

silk; what outfit makes you feel confident?

rose; favorite flower?

sun; favorite season

film; favorite movie/tv show?

gorgeous; what do you like in a person?

diamond; favorite color?

infatuation; first crush?

dream; how long do you sleep on average?

brilliant; what celebrity do people say you look like?

perfume; favorite scent?

fleece; have any pets?

pigment; what color is your hair naturally? if you could dye it any color which one would you choose?

charcoal; do you have a good relationship with your parents?

ocean; do you take a yearly vacation?

murky; biggest fear?

devotion; are you taken?

lingerie; what do you wear to bed?

daydream; best memory?

joy; best feeling you’ve ever experienced? 

masque; what’s your skincare routine?

valentine; best gift you’ve ever received?

parchment; favorite book?

garden; do you have a garden? plants? 

oasis; dream destination? 

sense; best subject? favorite subject?

footprints; do you want kids?

rainbow; what’s your sexuality?

sweater; do you prefer loose or baggy clothes?

nail laquer; punk or pastel?

1975; if you could time travel to any time period, what would it be and why?

tattoos; do you have/want and tattoos and piercings?

YA Novels

“Children of Blood and Bone” by Tomi Adeyemi

“Dread Nation” by Justina Ireland

“Finding Yvonne” by Brandy Colbert

“Tyler Johnson Was Here” by Jay Coles

“The Hate U Give” Angie Thomas

History

“The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander

“Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” by Harriet Jacobs

“Freedom Dreams” by Robin D.G. Kelley

“The Common Wind” by Julius S. Scott

Auto/Biography/Memoir

“The Autobiography of Malcolm X” Malcolm X

“Assata: An Autobiography” Assata Shakur

“Between the World and Me” Ta-Nehisi Coates

“This Will Be My Undoing” by Morgan Jerkins

“Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah

“Black Boy” by Richard Wright

Fantasy/Sci-Fi

“Skin Folk” by Nalo Hopkinson 

“Mumbo Jumbo” by Ishmael Reed

“Who Fears Death” by Nnedi Okorafor

“Dark Matter” by Sheree R. Thomas

“The Kishi” by Antoine Bandele

“Minion” by L.A. Banks

Comics

“Bingo Love” by Terrence Sage

“Rise of the Black Panther” by Ta-Nehisi Coates

“Black AF: America’s Sweetheart” by Kwanza Osajyefo

“Abbott” by Saladin Ahmed

“The American Way” by John Ridley

LGBTQ+

“Zami” by Audre Lorde

“Brother to Brother” by Essex Hemphill

“Under the Udala Trees” by Chinelo Okparanta

“Burnt Men” by Oluwasegun Romeo Oriogun

“The Color Purple” by Alice Walker

Poetry

“Helium” by Rudy Francisco

“Bestiary” by Donika Kelly

“How Much We Must Have Looked Like Stars to Stars” by Alysia Nicole Harris

“The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes

“The Black Unicorn” by Audre Lorde

Authors

Toni Morrison

Zora Neale Hurston

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Octavia E. Butler

Ralph Ellison

Samantha Irby

Personal Favorites

“Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

“Go Tell it on the Mountain” by James Baldwin

“We Were Eight Years in Power” by Ta-Nehisi Coates

“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison

“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe

Honorable Mentions by People in the Notes

“The Skin I’m In” by Sharon G. Flake

“Jazz” by Toni Morrison

“A Mercy” by Toni Morrison

“The Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson

Jesmyn Ward

“All American Boys” by Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds

“Just Mercy” by Brian Stevenson

“The Broken Earth Trilogy” by M.K. Jemisin

“Piecing Me Together” by Renee Watson

“Monster” by Walter Dean Myers

“The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead

“Sweet Thang” by Allison Whittenburg

“Shadowshaper” by Daniel José Older

“Dactyl Hill Squad” by Daniel José Older

“Midnight Robber” by Nalo Hopkinson

“The Sellout” by Paul Beatty

Editor’s Note:

- girls of color helping each other with complex protective hairstyles before class

- diverse study groups using ancient philosophies and myths to argue against modern systemic issues (ex. plutus)

- falling into research rabbit holes after learning about the whitewashing of ancient greece (the STATUES vex me)

- responding to racist comments with an eye roll and thoroughly researched and rehearsed responses 

- veering (slightly) off topic in essays to talk about racism and other issues close to their hearts, and getting a better grade because of it

- dealing with microaggressions from classmates and teachers- in a very da way- mysterious but direct (and lowkey pretentious)

“At some point in life the world's beauty becomes enough. You don't need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough.” - Toni Morrison

because we are often taught not to

noses

how i am coming to terms with my hooked nose

how i learned to love my big, ‘jewish’ nose — and, by extension, my religion: white

how i learned to love my big nose and lips

i’m proof you can learn to love a big nose

how i learned to love my face- nose and all

a journey of loathing and embracing big noses

love your big nose, because it connects you to your african roots

how i love my distinct (east) asian features

i used to be embarassed by my (east) asian features

how radhika sanghani learned to stop worrying and love her nose

bonus: the beauty of monolids, as told by 5 beauty bloggers

body hair

learning to love my body hair

a guide to loving your natural hair

coming to terms with my indian body hair in quarantine

leave my hairy arms alone

why it took me 19 years to embrace my brown skin and body hair

lebanese artist rallies againsts arab beauty standards (hair + nose)

embracing my body hair (…. kind of)

to those who feel left out by the body hair revolution: i see you

the black girls’ guide to shaving

skin

how i learned to love my skin color (tw: lightening/bleaching)

how i overcame colorism and learned to love my dark skin

my journey in loving my morena skin

why i love my brown skin (poem!)

how i learned to love my morena skin

how i learned to finally love my brown skin (tw: skin whitening)

how i learned to love my black skin

unfair and lovely (tw: skin whitening/bleaching)

learning to love my brown skin (brief mention of skin whitening)

how i learned to love the color of my skin

loving my brown skin: poem

here’s how i learned to fully embrace that my black is beautiful

hair

how “quarantine curls” reignited the natural hair movement.: black

real women share their kinky-curly hair stories

after 15 years, i’m finally starting to embrace my natural hair: black

how i learned to embrace my natural 4c hair pattern

embracing my naturally curly hair: nb

embracing (multiple types) of asian hair in all its glory

what it’s like wearing naturally curly hair as an arab american woman

india and curls

why you need to embrace your curly hair: arab

culture

i love my culture!: dominican

what does it mean to be african?

the love for my culture (poem/song)

how i came to embrace my culture: vietnamese

how i learned to embrace my culture: indian

my lunchbox moment: learning to embrace my culture: indian

embrace your unique latinx indentity

why is it important to embrace your culture and heritage with love?: nyonya

learning to embrace my heritage: AAPI (tw: cambodian genocide)

opinion: in our nation of immigrants, embrace cultural heritage: vietnamese (tw: violence against native americans)

how embracing my chinese heritage taught me how to respect myself and find the courage to become an entrepreneur.

embracing my family heritage: persian

embracing the african in african-american

how i learned to embrace my middle eastern self

embracing latinx culture

it’s never too late to get in touch with your cultural background: chinese-american

some ideas on how to start reconnecting!

how i embraced my cultural heritage: turkish

reconnecting: native

Studying Sanskrit in high school because of its cultural and historical impact and because its a beautiful language.

Being intrigued by the similarities between Hindi and Urdu and going on a deep dive about it.

Dramatically reciting Sanskrit poetry by heart whenever you’re bored.

Working hard, studying for hours a day, with someone occasionally handing you a cup of chai.

Being obsessed with India-Soviet relations in the 50s and 60s.

Having an extensive knowledge of Hindu mythology despite not being very religious.

Debating politics and economics in the evening when it’s dark with your friends.

Filter coffee is what keeps you going.

Amir Chitra Katha. Fat, hardcover collections on shelves, thin paperbacks lying around, everything.

Listening to the podcast Mahabharat by Dhruv Rathee late at night.

STOP Cramming

cramming is good for the short term, such as just before a test (i’m talking like an hour before), but shouldn’t be used as an effective study method. you only learn the information in the exact way you read it, so any practical application on your test won’t be easy to answer. you also will struggle with answering the same questions you studied for, but asked differently.

Spacing Effect

the spacing effect is essentially the opposite of cramming. instead of doing a 4 hour study session, break it up into groups of 30 minutes. do 30 minutes, take a nice long break, go back for 30, and repeat. that break in between gives your brain time to encode and store the information. this can be done in either one day, or over the course of a few days before the test.

Mnemonic devices are your best friend when dealing with lists of information

any sort of rhyming scheme, letter association, acronyms, etc. is proven to help you. any american can say ROY G. BIV and know exactly what they’re talking about, another example is HOMES for the great lakes. another major example is “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally”/PEMDAS for the order of operations. this helps with lists, i use it all the time in biology for stuff like the Levels of Classification or Characteristics of Living things. for AP Euro i remember “Descartes with a D” because he “Doubts and wrote Discorse on Method”.

Hierarchy Organizing for Midterms and Finals

by breaking information down into a hierarchy, you can figure out how to study all your chapters at once. these are often called “graphic organizers” and it takes the whole topic, then breaks it into subsections, then subsections of those subsections. here’s an example i found for my Memory unit

the whole unit is memory, the subtopics are sensory memory, short term, then long term. then comes the subdivisions of long term memory and so on. this is wonderful for study planning in regards to large information tests.

for the remainder of our term, we will be taking online classes; however, unlike others, our professors refrained from requiring us to have synchronous online meetings, so many of the things i have to do, i have to do on my own time. with this, i have been using notion to plan, organize, and manage my time, and i thought it would be nice to share how i do so!!

hello everyone! i thought i would share some keyboard shortcuts in notion that i use the most often and that save me the most time.

note: most actions from word processors, like ctrl + b for bold, will already work in notion!

#, ##, or ### + space to create large, medium, and small headings respectively

> + space to create a toggle block

/, the forward slash, lets you create any page you want. just type out what you’re looking for (i.e. page, table, link)

ctrl + \ toggles the sidebar on and off

ctrl + shift + n opens a new notion window (i use this for notetaking)

ctrl + shift + u lets you go up a level in the page hierarchy (i.e. from february to all months)

duplicate any content by holding option or alt and dragging. you can highlight as many blocks as you want

ctrl + / to change the type of blocks you have selected

ctrl + shift + p to move the page you’re on to another one (i like to use this for my article list to move them to my already read list