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ISSUE 1
NEW BEGINNINGS
Dear Grandpa
Aerozeta Anantaputra
Dear Grandpa,
It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’m sorry that I haven’t been writing to you. I’ve been preoccupied and overwhelmed by a lot of things since the last time I wrote. I haven’t been feeling well, and honestly, I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately. A friend told me that this might help me feel better.
The Shining Beryl
Chiquita Widjaja
Beautiful, mighty and mysterious. Those are the three words most people would use to describe the sparkling sapphire water; the ocean. That is until you find yourself in the middle of it and feel yourself slowly losing air and sinking deeper and deeper every second. You keep kicking and screaming but no one came. You keep crying and reaching for help but all you can feel is the dark, cold and eerie around you. Eventually, your screams become muffled and all hope of keeping your head above water are washed away by the tide. You become quiet and lifeless. You let the ocean core sucks you in because you’re tired of swimming. But then one day, there in the corner of your vision, you see a speck of light.
split ends
Alisha Dinara
Letting go of the past is unquestionably a difficult thing to overcome. Past friends, love interests, pain, and trauma tend to linger in the depths of your mind, unyielding to the passage of time. Regret and grief can hinder you from changing as a person; Split ends breaking off and preventing the growth of your character.
krayon hitam
Nadya Pandora
This collage holds a vivid memory of me realizing what daydreaming is. I was at my classroom for an after-school activity, art and craft class. I remembered drawing the classic two mountains, a sunny side up in the middle of them, and the stick-styled birds flying in the sky. For a whole two hours, me and some of my friends tried our best to make ours look the coolest it can be. Best student of the day always got a sticker pack (glittery keroppi that day) at the end of the class. Who hates freebies and cute stickers anyway. Some of us (me and "si teman" happen to be one of them) worked hard on the drawing. Some were only there to play. While some were super chill and just enjoying their stress-free time. Think it was a typical fun day for a middle-schooler.
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life cha(i)nges
Fayna Aurelia
An internal study within a conversation of how I have let words define me at different, non-linear points in my life and my struggles with self-reinvention and learning to bound myself to this earth gently, instead of holding on to dead weight.
New Era
Gadisikal
We don’t know what’s going to happen on the next day, next decisions, next impact of our steps. All we can do is just hope and predict as time flies by. But this is not an end. It took a long way down for me to understand the meaning of every beginning and when the time has come to be released.
Conversations With The Wind
Kyara Ferbena
When the voices get a bit louder and your thoughts race back and forth, where do you go to stay grounded? How do you get back in the driver's seat? Is there a place— a sanctuary that resets your state of mind, somewhere you go to, or wish to, when the world around you feels too much to handle? Did something/one come to mind?
A New Door
Maeca Camus
When we open a new door, a lot of uncertainties awaits us. We fear the idea of the unknown and the risk of experiencing something that could tear us apart. Anxiety and what ifs lingers our mind for not knowing what’s next.
honeywarm
mrrlors
It’s classic, I believe, to talk about a childhood long gone when we’re discussing New Beginnings(™). It’s a ritual to grow up, to lament on a time past before you move on forward to greener pastures; but I think it’s also important to remember, to recall how we got here. It’s not enough to merely acknowledge, but also to reminisce and consider. Honeywarm is a piece that conveys that faraway sense of nostalgia and childhood, invoke those memories and bask in it so we can move forward knowing. It’s important, before our new beginnings, that we remember where we came from and bring the positives with us forward (e.g., the memory of a tree’s shade, corner arcade, diner milkshakes.)
Figuring Things Out
Elizabeth Tania
It's a poem titled Figuring Things Out. It's about moving on and unlearning things from an old relationship to getting a fresh start and new perspective on how relationships work.
The Internet’s Ever-Growing Obsession With Romanticized Productivity
Kat Anderson
It’s pretty incredulous to think that the first seeds of insecurity sowed itself within me under the guise of beautiful lettering and aesthetically pleasing school notes posted online, at merely fifteen years old. I’m seventeen now, living in the midst of the pandemic, and these types of content have grown even more rampantly all over social media - especially with the transition to remote online learning - eventually becoming an Internet phenomenon that has shaped a new paradigm for productivity among young adults - they call it: studyblrs.
P*rs*v*ranc*
Lucy Stacklin
people say that it’s hard to write without the letter ‘e’, as a writer whose self expression relies on the infinite alternatives of words, losing a letter means to lose an intricate pillar and be crippled and disadvantaged, but I went through constant loss of the essential support in my life--even several at once--yet still survived. This poem is a juxtaposition of lacking the complete alphabet and not being whole from losing parts of your individuality but still persevering [and hopefully, creating meaning and beauty in the chaos].
A Long Overdue Introspection
Z
This personal essay aims to describe the consequences of my near-obsession to be normal and have a perfect life. Questions surrounding my identity which have grown to be unavoidable as I grow older, have now forced me to confront my beliefs on why I ever had to be “normal”. In doing so, I reflect on some important events in my past that have contributed why I’ve grown to hate the abnormal. This introspection then culminates in the realization that all those abnormalities are not to be hated, but to be learned from and embraced to get to a more realistic idea of who I am.
Isolation
Allen.
this poem is a symbolism of a person who has, for such a long time, continued on living in his comfort zone. it explores their blissful ignorance in their own world. in spite of the abundant joys, the person still questions the necessity to break free and start fresh into their new beginning. we often fear other people’s judgment given prevalent strict expectations in society, many people construct protective ‘shells’ of their own to prevent the outside world’s cruelty from tampering with their happiness while neglecting individual shortcomings.
Game Over! Continue?
Avrilia Monica
When you’re playing an arcade game and you’re currently smashing it, then suddenly the screen says ‘Game Over!’ while you’re only 1 level away from victory, what will you do? The screen asks you if you want to continue the second game with the cost of 1 coin. Will you use the coin?
An Unexpected Gap Year
Ghina Furquan
I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have gap year before starting my first day of university. In my conservative Asian and Muslim household, taking a gap year was uncommon so I went straight into my very first semester of university after graduating from my sixth form college. I haven’t taken a proper break ever since; I got my first job not long after graduating from undergrad studies working at a firm in Jakarta, then my work contract ended, and the world went into lockdown mode.
should i be influenced?
Dara Larasati
During this pandemic, there is a significant rise in social media influencers creating content while promoting businesses. Despite some influencers recognising their responsibility as a content creator with their large platform, some showcase questionable behaviour which can influence their young audiences to perpetuate unethical actions or even hurt their well-being.
OPENED UP FRUIT
Denisha Hawari
when you open up a fruit, you get seeds in its insides. I would take it as a metaphor for rebirth.
m e t a m o r p h o s i s
Jesslyn Angie; LunARTography
inspired by the metamorphosis of a butterfly, this series depicts the process towards achieving unconditional self-acceptance.
Bangkit Dari Kematian
Fatimah Afnantwina Refyan
bagi manusia kelahiran kembali tidak selamanya berwarna, tetapi ada kelahiran kembali karena tuntutan atau desakan peradaban, maka mau tak mau ia harus lahir kembali menghidupi raganya di keadaan yang gelap, menyabotase diri sendiri, berjalan sambil merintih dan berdarah-darah menanggung keberlangsungan hidupnya.
Almond Blossoms
Star Jessalyn
An epiphany on finding the most powerful beginnings through discovering the significance in appreciating life’s simple pleasures.
Somewhere You Know.
Ribs
If you ask me where would I be right now? I’ll simply say the very moment and place you asked me that question. I’m scared of changes, yet I seek the thrill for the unknown. All the moments and all the seconds I’ve lived leads up to the moment you asked that statement. Between the seconds of thinking time, between the infinities of nanoseconds and so and so - I know I’m terrified. Things are changing, you see it I think.
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a study on brown eyes
Dara Larasati
Recite to me a quote from a piece which comments on the beauty of brown eyes. Tongue-tied? For years, brown eyes are dismissed by authors, emphasising the contemporary art’s unrealistic beauty standard which afflicts underrepresentation and insecurity towards readers who do not possess features in accordance with the standard. However, there is something mesmerising about brown eyes, shaped like the craters of Mars, in its own amaranthine, natural way which we must awaken to readers.
Astray
Allen.
our dreams are often contradictory as we yearn for various differing realities negating one another. from completely opposite backgrounds to inability to maintain order as the elements in our dreams persist complete integration, the tragic yet often humbling necessity us humans must adhere to is pursuing choices.
7 Days of Un/Productivity;
8-page Zine
Amara Audrina
Dear Reader,
7 Days of Un/Productivity is an auto-biography. Story of my life. Both sides of the page represent the highly productive and functional side of me while the other exhibits the disorganised and lazy self. I think it has a very literal and straight to the point narrative. It’s a reversible 8-page zine about motivation, time, and work ethic.
Easy Dreaming
Stefi Komala
​2020 has been a highly unpredictable year. 2 defining traits of these recent months include (1) the rising popularity of online classes and (2) discussions concerning social justice. Keeping up with both can be extremely tiring; when life is hard, many of us prefer to “sleep the depression away.” This inspired me to write “Easy Dreaming”. Essentially, this piece is my take on Burnout Syndrome and activism fatigue in relation to the current theme (new beginnings!)
Universal Beauty: A Myth or The “New Normal”?
Sheena Abigail
This essay reviews the history of “beautiful” and possible explanations as to how beauty standards are the way they are. With the recent changes in how it’s defined and having eliminated the judgmental and selective nature that it once carried, what are the implications for us? For the segregation between the “beautiful” and the “ugly”? Or has the definition even changed at all, or will it remain to be something we all dream for?
MITOSIS
Denisha Hawari
It looks as though it is a giant head splitting into another. in respect of mitosis, it is shown as though another way to give birth to a new life, by yourselves.
Re-Metamorphosis
Luthfi Setiawan
Re- metamorphosis explores beginnings that follows loss, such as the loss of something important to you as the result of trauma. In that case, even thinking about new beginnings can be something worrying or even frightening. But beginnings are always a chance to turn over a new chapter; a chance to reinvent yourself. That is something that I needed to tell myself time and time again growing up.
WOKE
Taura Pasha
These are your first steps, Your first steps are not going to be easy, It’s going to take some time until it all becomes worth it. You’re going to make your way to the top and all eyes are going to be on you, People are going to watch you, talk about you and copy your work while you’re making progress.
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Let's Talk About Sex
Eca Sebayang
Our world is evolving. The fourth industrial revolution, dubbed technological revolution, is on the rise; and everyone knows that when something new is invented/created humans will always find a way to use it for sexual pleasure . In an effort to break down barriers, Let’s Talk Abt Sex brings the “oh so scandelous” topic of sex into a teenage lens. Together we’ll discuss sex, yes just sex. Viewer discretion is advised. Deals with mature content.
The Fool, Come Alive
Mulan
This card of the Major Arcana is called the Fool and is represented by the number 0. Traditionally, this card represents new beginnings and the start of a new journey. The Fool is out for a new adventure accompanied by his dog, and he has an adventurous spirit filled with ambition and determination for his journey.
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