Writing Journal

1.)

At a young age, my father and uncle had great impact on the things I’d like to do, and certain decisions I’d make about my life at the time. I vaguely remember going to Walmart with my Uncle a while back, I may have been 6 or 7 years of age. At the time, Walmart was a dream that had come to reality, all the toys I could imagine, practically unlimited food, and bikes, I loved bikes. So, I would get incredibly excited any time my Uncle would take me there. One time, as the two of us were walking down the toys aisle, he introduced me to these weird looking balls with line openings all over them, I’d assume that the odd looking ball failed to excite me in the moment. Reasonably so, a ball was a ball even to young me, nothing really special about it. Out of absolutely no where, that weird shaped ball with opened creases of lines transformed into an incredible monster. After that moment, I had fallen in love with these “odd balls,” and began collecting as many as I could, anytime I went to Walmart with my Uncle. I collected at least 50 of these things. Later I learned that they were called Deka Bakugan’s, and were based off of characters from a cartoon dating back to 2007. I ended up giving away all my Bakugan’s to my little cousin a few years ago but the time I spent with them is a cemented a precious memory.

My father would display anger when I’d bring home a ton of Deka Bakugan’s exclaiming, ” What are those anyways? It’s a waste of money Ali, grow up already.” I was only like 10 at the time, but he would frequently push bothersome remarks of developing maturity on me. Of course, in the moment, I’d feel anger and resentment, as I wanted to have fun and he would strip that sometimes, but looking back I’ve realized everything he’s done has been purely for my benefit and now no part of me has any sort of anger or hate towards his resolve. My father was strict, even with small things like Deka Bakugans, but he made sure from a young age that I developed a balance between fun and serious stuff.

On the other hand, my Uncle would pour fountains of memorable experiences on me every time I’d be with him. Whether it be bowling, basketball, movies, laser tag, golf, baseball, or even just casual board games, I would always walk back to the footsteps of my house after a long day of enjoyment with a massive grin on my face. My entire collection was dedicated to him, those little weird balls brought me temporary joy, but the trips to Walmart forged unforgettable memories.

I’ve only recently realized that the acquisition of materialistic items provides brief joy whilst the memory of truly genuine experiences with the ones you hold dear to yourself provide eternal happiness.

 

 

2.)

Though it doesn’t feel right to call it a collection due to the short time commitment towards this specific object, I plan to do so anyways since nothing else is coming to mind. I had a friend, sophomore year of high school, s weird individual to put it lightly, he would surprise me everyday. From the way he could talk, all normal one day to a completely different man another, to the outfits he’d pull off, a professional business coat with some raggedy shorts underneath, he never ceased to amaze me. He seemed to be well acquainted with all sorts of things, sports, politics, videography, social media, business, and he was quite talented at a bunch of niche things. I found him to astounding in so many ways. Last year, I had him in my Spanish class, and I remember him vividly going around showing this video on his phone to a bunch of people in our Spanish class. Seemed normal at first, just some experience he felt the need to share around, normal until I saw some of the reactions his video was getting. I saw of the most disgusted faces I’ve ever seen in my life, a few students got up and left the classroom for a few moments, a friend of mine, one disgusted easily, claimed that he was on brink of throwing up. While all these people seemed to be out of it, this guy was laughing uncontrollably. At this point, I had to see the video, my curiosity couldn’t be defused with flames of fear. Luckily, he came over to me voluntarily to show me the video. It was a 7 minute video made over the course of 1 year, and it included a montage of him collecting people’s hair. He’d go to local salons, barbershops, even places way out of town, like Newburgh and Poughkeepsie to collect hair. At this point, I’m confused for several reasons, what is the purpose of this? And, why were people so disgusted? What happened next in this video, made all those crazy reactions I had seen justifiable. This man made a vomit + hair cake and ate it, for the sole purpose of content and reactions. To be fair, he did achieve what he set out to, but in no manner is it worth in my mind. He claimed he spent a year collecting hair because he plans to make this an annual event. I was mind-blown, questioning what goes on in this man’s head.

Possible objects to collect: My own nails and napkins

Interest: I don’t know could make some fun stories to tell my kids or something. I’m also kind of into this thing about how the way your nail looks can tell you about your health, so that could be interesting. And with napkins I want to see how high I can stack all the ones I’ve collected.

Criteria: Nails- Nail cutter. Napkins: Anytime I get food from some restaurant, I’ll ask for extra napkins.

 

3.)

The Hamsa hand is worn as a layer of protection from the “evil eye” and negative energy in general. Representation of protection in the Jewish and Islamic Cultures. The Hamsa Hand or also known as The Hand of Fatima, originates from the daughter of Prophet Mohammed(PBUH) of Islam, named the founder, and the Miriam, the sister of Moses, thus directly correlating to the original religions themselves. The actual object is a palm shaped amulet commonly used in jewelry and wall hangings. Each finger symbolizes 5 different chakras related to the strength of different parts of the body, representing the pillars of Islam. The object is sold in several differing materials, gold, silver, diamond, crystal and even fabric. Though it is widely used by both Jewish and Muslim people, its origins pre-dates both religions and is attributed to the goddess Tanit who was a Phoenician lunar goddess, worshiped as the patron goddess at Carthage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.) Kitsch Object:  Rubber Duck

I, frankly, had no knowledge of even the word, “Kitsch” let alone “Kitsch Objects,” and following a search on the internet for a definition also failed to enlighten me. It wasn’t until I looked into specific modern examples of kitsch objects that I realized the true meaning, essentially they are just “meme objects” in a way. Seeing the rubber duck as an example lit a bulb in my mind, bulb of nostalgia. As a child, I would bathe with my two brothers, we would be in there for hours on end, my mother would get frustrated and annoyed because we would make such a mess in the restroom. I don’t have.a memory of how we acquired these ducks but I do remember just bathing with them in the tub at a point in time. I’ve recently that, generally speaking, young children are naturally reluctant to bathing, thus parents introduce the rubber duck with a bright color and fun design to ease and sooth children whilst bathing. Myself and my siblings certainly didn’t have that issue, we would volunteer for baths. Ducks simply made our bathing experience even more exciting. Of course, as we grew older we moved away from frequent baths and consequently the rubber duck were forced away as well. The memories remain though, fond memories. These ducks really hit the ground running in 1947 when sculpture, Peter Ganine, filed a patent for a duck toy that he had created out of a vinyl. The addition of the bright yellow color and the squeaker caused a major burst of reproduction and the success is as we know it. The outlandish amount sales for such a simple object propel it’s Kitsch characteristic, I personally saw a nostalgic aspect and was therefore instantly interested. I tried to find one of these ducks around my home as I finish this writing piece but I wasn’t able to, a little saddening.

https://www.stneotsmuseum.org.uk/articles/the-history-of-the-rubber-duck/#:~:text=Rubber%20ducks%20really%20hit%20the,and%20sold%20across%20the%20world. 

 

5.) Iconic Object

I wanted to choose an object from my own culture. shalwar-kameez, an iconic piece of clothing, is worn by people all around Pakistan. For one’s like myself and others whom have been engulfed into the American “culture”, we only wear shalwar-kameez on special occasions. You’ll see people on a daily basis, in Pakistan, wearing shalwar-kameez. The shalwar and kameez were first introduced into South Asia by arriving Muslims in the north in the 13th century: at first worn by Muslim women, their use gradually spread, making them a regional style, especially in the historical Punjab region. The shalwar-kameez is a widely-worn, and national dress, of Pakistan. If someone were to ask me to describe my culture with one object, it would undoubtedly be shalwar-kameez. This piece of clothing is both a physical and spiritual representation of our culture. I say spiritual because in our religion, Islam, the salwar kameez is considered to be a modest and conservative dress that adheres to the principles of Islamic dress code. Worn by both men and women to signify their sense of faith and piety. Eid is a 3 day celebration taken place after a month of difficult and strict fasting. During the month of Ramadan, which corresponds usually to May or June in the Gregorian Calendar, Muslims fast, from sunrise to sunset, to develop discipline, establish a sense understanding for the less fortunate, and step closer to God. Following this month, we celebrate for 3 days with family, and we’re required to dress properly. Most people wear a nicely woven shalwar-kameez on these 3 days to exemplify their culture and religion. Completing the 30 days of fasting is honestly an inimitable feeling, and the days of celebrations following just make levels of internal satisfaction sky-rocket.

                                     

Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalwar_kameez

https://www.hatkay.com/blogs/hatkay/what-is-the-history-significance-and-alternate-names-of-salwar-kameez#:~:text=In%20Islam%2C%20the%20salwar%20kameez,by%20both%20men%20and%20women.

 

 

6.) Fashion and Identity

In Japanese culture, clothing is a major factor in identity recognization, in specific the Kimono. This dress is considered Japan’s national dress, and the origins lie in the garments that came from mainland Asia. Originally came about with the introduction of the kosode and osode, which are T-shaped robes with armholes of different sizes. This was introduced in the late Heian Period( 794-1185). Then, in the 19th century, the word Kimono gained popularity, and with recent times precise colors, decorative motifs, and weights of fabric is considered for each season. Clothing, here in America or the west land in general, is tailored to the shape of the wearer’s body, conversely the Kimono are cut and sewn from a standard size of fabric with specific measurements. Kimono have also become prevalent in animated Japanese TV shows, practically every animated tv show available has characters representing their culture in aesthetic appeal. I grew up watching animated Japanese tv shows so before long I picked up on the unique attire representing in all sorts of different genre’s. There are countless styles of Kimono, but no matter which style one chooses to wear their is one rule that everyone must follow. The left and right collars MUST form a Y, the left collar must always be over and right side must be under. Reason for this being, if one were to reverse the arrangement, it would be seen as a death garment in Japanese culture. A death garment is a pure white Kimono worn by the deceased so that he/she can safely go to heaven, and the collar arrangement of those deceased is reversed, right over rather than under. A theory being that, noble men in the past wore Kimono in this fashion, so it is done to show respect to the dead.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimono

https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/kimono#:~:text=Kimono%20symbolism&text=Specific%20motifs%20were%20used%20to,strong%20metaphorical%20and%20cultural%20meanings.

7.) Family Heirloom:

I’ve been playing cricket my whole life, some of my best memories with family members happened while playing cricket. The amount of cricket bats I have gone through is ridiculous, far too many to admit. There is one cricket bat I have that has never been used on the pitch, not once. My mother, upon returning from her trip to Pakistan, brought back a cricket bat for me. I initially saw it as any ordinary cricket bat, but my mother explained to me the significance of the bat she brought back home. She told me how growing up, her father, and her sisters would all come together every evening and play cricket in their lawn area. My mother grew up poor, so unlike myself, she couldn’t afford a new cricket bat every month. Consequently, my mother and her family kept that single bat alive for years. Of course, as life progressed my mother and her sisters moved out to pursue their own lives, so the daily cricket tradition came to an end. My mother went back to Pakistan to visit her family and brought back this bat, my grandfather wanted her to have the bat and potentially continue the tradition.

My mother gave it to me, since between my siblings I enjoy Cricket the most. As it stands, I haven’t used the bat once, just doesn’t feel right to do so. I also fear I’ll ruin the bat while playing and since it holds so much significance, doing so would be hurtful. I’ve chose to instead have the bat sit in my room, this way my grandfather and mothers past can stick with me and potentially invoke the importance of family within me.

My father always told me, “without family a person is nothing.” Weather it be my father drilling the importance of family into me or the object my mother brought back do so, I’ve now understood how valuable ones around me are and to never take their presence for granted.

 

8.)

Guns, this object doesn’t fully serve its purpose until it has successfully destroyed something in it’s path. From eradicating animals to human lives, a gun brings continuous destruction. The first ever applicable gun was discovered in 1364 and was called, “hand cannon.” These hand held devices would work by means of a wick that would be connected to a touch hole, Gun powder and a projectile were loaded through the muzzle. Ever since that day, newer guns continued to be created. Now, we have some of the most destructive weapons known to man, capable of taking a life within seconds. The AK-47 now is considered to be the deadliest weapon now, total kill count topping even that of nuclear weapons. The first ever AK-47 wasn’t very adaptable, incredibly heavy and difficult to handle. Now, anyone can most likely handle an AK-47 to some extent.  Despite the pure destruction this object brings, humans continue to invent greater threats to humanity. I’m sure as we speak, there is someone out there working on the next, “deadliest weapon known to man,” for the purpose of even further destruction. How come we’re so obsessed with the destruction of each other? The root of the answer to this question is surely related to greed, greed is in every human’s genotype, and to acquire as many resources desirable and needed, we continue to disregard human life and run to our personal wishes. It is seen as either kill or be killed. Guns aid this propose, and despite the sad and disappointing aspect, it is the reality we live in. Debates regarding gun laws are constantly in question, should one be legally allowed to carry a fire arm at all time? The issue stands unsolved, conservative side arguing the right to allow fire arms and using the 2nd Amendment as evidence, while liberals believe and argue the opposite. I don’t know where I stand with this issue, and frankly I don’t care, it seriously hurts my head to think about. I understand the argument and all, but I feel as if all there is left is arguing nowadays. I could pick a side, but then even further arguing spews, and I don’t care for that. Short life, I’d rather not argue. Guns bring both physical and emotional eradication, yet some group of people over in Russia or here in the USA, are so excitedly working on the next deadliest weapon.

https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2023/surge-arms-imports-europe-while-us-dominance-global-arms-trade-increases#:~:text=Global%20arms%20exports%20have%20long,supplier%2C%20France%2C%20has%20narrowed.

https://www.si.edu/object/ak-47-automatic-rifle%3Anmah_439260#:~:text=The%20AK%2D47%20was%20designed,in%20the%20operation%20of%20firearms.

9.)

Wireless Fidelity has become so ubiquitous that life with the absence of it feels almost unbearable. I feel as if the necessity of Wi-Fi applies primarily to the newer generations, we grew up with Wi-Fi it has been integrated into our lives. Everything we do nowadays involves Wi-Fi, from school work, networking, connecting to family/friends, and even in times of relaxation we resort to Wi-Fi as entertainment. The internet, in specific, Wi-Fi allows the internet to run, and nowadays we’re the ones constantly chasing social media and online connectivity. Even though we live in an era with incredible technological advancements, I have difficulty grappling with the idea of Wi-Fi connecting us to the online world. In a simplified manner, Wi-Fi is the radio signal sent from a wireless router to a nearby device, which translates the signal into data you can see and use. The device transmits a radio signal back to the router, which connects to the internet by wire or cable. Though the idea itself makes sense, it seems non-applicable but that certainly isn’t the case as I’m using this technology as I write this. Hedy Lamarr was credited for the invention of the Wi-Fi in 1942, when she received the patent, later she was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame and named “The Mother of Wi-Fi.” During the 1940s the 2nd World War was in route, and anything the Americans could do to guarantee their victory was done, in this case Hedy Lamarr donated the technology to the US military to help fight the Nazis, specifically to help guide torpedoes under water without being detected. With this, the US army had an upper hand on the Nazis. In terms of actual creation, by manipulating radio frequencies at irregular intervals between transmission and reception, the invention formed an unbreakable code that could prevent secret messages from being intercepted. As time progressed, complex systems were created and we now have an incredible technology known as the Wi-FI.

Frankly, every now and then I wonder what life would be without Wi-Fi, phones , and social media. My grandfather is always on about how peaceful life was without these “pesky” phones, and every time one of my siblings or cousins brings out a phone in front of him he asks us to put it away immediately. Even now, he doesn’t own a phone, he uses the home phone to call about. Part of me understands his reasoning, i do feel since my generation has grown up with phones we’ve become addicted and that addiction is both physically and emotionally harmful. Physically, sitting hunched over for hours can’t be beneficial and surely hours of blue light is straining. Emotionally, to which I think my grandfather is conscience of, a lack of person to person interactions. People just talk or text over the phone, computer etc. Not all people receive the physical interactions a human requires, and i assume my grandfather see’s that within his grandchildren, always glued to the phone. My parents often tell my siblings and I to limit our screen time as it seriously isn’t beneficiary.

Reflecting, though the invention of the Wi-Fi has revolutionized life and amounted countless positives, one cannot overlook the negative side-effects.

Links:

https://www.verizon.com/articles/internet-essentials/wifi-definiton/#:~:text=Wi%2DFi%20is%20the%20radio,internet%20by%20wire%20or%20cable.

The World War II-Era Actress Who Invented Wi-Fi: Hedy Lamarr

https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/digital-identity-and-security/magazine/women-technology-hedy-lamarr-mother-wi-fi#:~:text=It%20was%20developed%20by%20Hedy,secret%20messages%20from%20being%20intercepted.

 

10.)

Food is and has been a source of survival for myself, and all the other humans that share this planet. Among this yearning for survival, food betrayed me. Growing up food was my best friend, I devoured anything and everything I laid my eyes upon, no one stopped me. This was until I was diagnosed with Diabetes, my life had been flipped upside down. My family is from Pakistan, and only a handful of people in the country have diabetes. You couple that with an inadequate education, and any idea regarding diseases such as Diabetes goes out the window. This wave hit my family from all angles, completely shifting our perspectives, ideas, characteristics, and actions. My mother no longer allowed me to eat whatever I wanted, my father no longer bought processed foods to excite my tastebuds, my siblings no longer brought me candy from school, I no longer felt happy. My best friend had betrayed me. I began injecting myself with insulin before every meal, the physical and emotional pain of injections was jarring, I felt like an outcast.

I thought my life was headed downwards, but my families motivation bring back that smile of mine lit a spark within me. With the arrival of COVID-19, many people were forced to halt their lives, I chose to commence mine. A consistent routine consisting of healthy eating and proper exercise was all I needed. After a few months, my A1C levels had dropped from 8.2% to 5.1%. 5.1% is considered very healthy, and for the first time in my life I had achieved something, and I felt proud. Without my family, I couldn’t have done and I made sure to verbally express that to them. The amazing thing about all this was that the doctors discovered that my body had began producing insulin again, and therefore I no longer needed to constantly inject myself. Though I struggle here and there to maintain a proper diet, I have come a long long way and I can truly say that I am happy with where I am now. I had been reunited with my best friend.

All this summoned my decision to collect napkins. Napkins could be a by-product of my weekly or monthly visit of restaurants. My family and I do really enjoy, going out to restaurant and gathering for dinner. It’s a truly amazing time every time we go, and I thought that with napkins I could fulfil both this project and document every time I go out with my family. The one thing that prompts my interest in restaurant industry is that it is one of few places that allows for a sense of gathering and rejoicing.

Below I have provided explanations for all my visits this past couple of months along with photographic documentation:

The images above highlight my experiences these past couple of months. I went to dinner with my parents in Spring Valley a few hours away from here and documented my experience. On each of these napkins, I wrote about my experience at the restaurants, from visiting restaurants in New Paltz, to New Jersey, and fast food chains.