About Sarah...

Hi, and welcome to my blog! ^^

For those of you who are wondering why my blog's titled, "skimmy's blog ♥," skimmy is my nickname.

It's derived from "skim": the initial of my first name, "s," combined with my last name, "kim."

You can feel free to call me that~ 

I am very excited to be in the "Alternative Worlds, American Dreams" writing 125 class this fall semester; I think it will be a great start to my Wellesley english career.

One reason why I gravitated towards enrolling in this class, other than the fact that it fit almost perfectly into my schedule, was because of the title: "Alternative Worlds, American Dreams."

For my Junior year in high school, I took an english class called, "American Spaces," where instead of just American literary works, we observed the works of famous American artists such as Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock.

From taking an english class that was embedded in such different setting, I was able to open up my perspective to a wider range of literary art; after all, books are pieces of artworks too, where the author strives to portray his or her vision and convey it to the viewers, or readers.

Though in our english class, we will be more focused on science and genre fiction, I think there is a great connection between the two english classes: the idea of "defamiliarizing."

When Professor Brubaker mentioned the word, "defamiliarizing," at the end of class today (after the brief class discussion of Mohja Kahf's poem), I knew that I had found the right writing class.

She said that science fiction was a way to "defamiliarize," hence, another way to open up a "new perspective."

In my "American Spaces" class two years ago, my teacher used the same exact words to describe Abstract Expressionism; Abstract Expressionists "defamiliarize" objects we are used to seeing in the real world to open up new perspectives.

For example, Pollock's drip paintings are not there to depict what we see. Instead, they are like scenes seen through shattered glass; they shatter our perspectives.

So there goes the idea of "American Spaces"; the idea that there is a space full of perspectives for us to discover.

Rather artistic isn't it? ^^ (as you may have realized, I absolutely love art!)

Similarly, this writing class is called, "American Dreams."

As "American Spaces" class opened up spaces of perspectives for me, I hope that "American Dreams," too, will impact me and influence me to think further outside the box.

Well, there is my brief (?) introduction~

Below, I wanted to share with you something I wrote for fun a couple weeks ago... it's an interesting idea that I had since middle school about the relationship between man and clay.

Enjoy~ and I would love to have feedbacks!

Just recently, I was going through a stack of old papers. My mother was begging me to throw away documents that had been piling up on the shelf and my body, half asleep, ran through the piles, placing them in the waste bin. It was just then when I ran into an old essay I had written for my high school application named, “Erasing Memories.” I took it out and began reading it…

I guess it was some sort of an autobiography piece I had written about my middle school art project. It starts, “Although many of my memories from the past are invaluable, I believe that the school life I went through is what shaped me from a cube of moist clay to a ready-to-be-filled teapot.” Right then, one of the words stopped me: “clay.” Although I had forgotten this specific essay, I guess the thought has always stayed with me… the thought of comparing human life to clay.

If you trace back in time, history, or even the Bible, you will see that life is often compared to clay. For example, how did God create Adam, the first man? That’s right! From the earth, or otherwise known as, clay. How did the Roman Gods create Pandora, the first woman? Again! Out of clay. I figured, though it’s a clichéd expression to compare human life to clay, there must be a reason why all these different pieces of history and myth refer to such thought.

So here is the main thesis of the old essay I found: “You have to erase your memories and create yourself into someone who knows humility, who stands out not because of [his or her] looks, but because of the information he or she holds.” For the first time reading through, one may imagine, ‘How does clay come into play?’ Well, I thought the same as well, until reading further into the essay. Here is the younger “I” speaking here:

“I can imagine your surprised faces, but you will see why I am telling you to ‘erase your memories.’ Not so long ago, we, the eighth grade students, were creating clay teapots and vessels. At first, the task sounded so easy and simple. It was plainly effortless. However, when we were each handed a cube of clay, it was like being handed a blank piece of paper. When [our art teacher] saw our puzzled faces, [she] took a cube of clay herself and told us to ‘erase its memories.’ We basically put our hands into fists and harshly pounded [on] the chunk[s] of clay, which became pancake[s] after a couple of minutes. After the task was finished, each student picked a shape or form into which he or she would like to make the teapot. All of a sudden I realized, this piece of clay I was molding into a teapot was… me. All these years, all of these fourteen years, I [had] been so self-centered not only because I am an only child but [also] because I thought I was what kids my age would call “all-that.” I wasn’t opened up. I had enclosed myself into a cube. Now I had the chance. I had the chance to erase my memories and mold myself into a teapot that can be filled with water, what I call knowledge…

…Eighth grade, which is my current grade, is finally changing me from a cube of clay to an empty, humble, form of [a] sphere. Just a few months ago, I was ‘Miss. I –am-perfect.’ After the art lesson, which was only about a month ago, I have realized I am not the only teenager in the world. As my views [have] shifted from Michigan to New England due to my interests in boarding schools, I [have] stepped up a scale. I saw many kids, teenagers, [and] high school students at those boarding schools, who were also overachievers like me, and much more. When I was a cube, I thought that I was the best. Now that I am an empty sphere, I am willing to be filled with water, knowledge, humbly by going to a boarding school and learning humility. From then on, I should be able to earn a foot and a handle after I have gained wisdom to support my knowledge. Maybe even a spout once I am completely filled with knowledge and wisdom so that I can give out what’s in me to others.”

So I look back… and ask myself, ‘Have I truly erased my memories and advanced myself from a cube to an empty sphere?’ In answer to that question, I can only look at the floor. I am still a mere cube. I haven’t been broken down enough to be molded. Or rather, I haven’t broken myself down enough to shift my focus from myself to others.

Just a week ago, after completing my internship at a television network, I wrote a letter to someone who had introduced me to the opportunity and had mentored me during my time there. In it I recall writing, “Thank you for opening many doors for this clay-like life of mine.” After reading the letter in front of me, he asked, “What do you mean by a ‘clay-like life’?” I answered automatically, “I have a habit of comparing human life, especially mine, to clay. I call myself a piece of clay because I haven’t been molded yet.”

As I reread my old essay, I have been given the chance to reassess myself again. During my four years at high school, I was still a cube. I never really broke out of the comfort zone to meet new people and I was still very self-centered. If you have bothered to read this sermon-like writing of mine, I urge you to look back at yourself as well. Although we can’t reverse time, we can control and change ourselves. Become Adam again: a fresh new creation… not one that is tainted by the world. I won’t tell you to erase your memories. It’s impossible to erase every single memory a human stores in his or her head. But! I want to tell you to keep reforming yourself. Reform yourself into a pot that could hold and embrace others. And I promise… something will come back to you.