#only good thing was learning how to skateboard and spending the pandemic with friends but gd do i wish it ended before college

[sickwithemotion]

nothing makes me feel ill like the old college experience

[jemmo]

‘get to know me’ tag game

rules: answer the questions and tag people you’d like to get to know better.

i was tagged by @ena-noya11 and yes this is old but ive been busy with uni and am not gonna miss a chance to rant about myself. but i wont tag anyone, just if you see this do it bc wtf not???

What do you perfer to be called name-wise?

jess, always jess. i cant remember the last time anyone called me jessica. although some people do call me moon which is cute

When is your birthday?

september 23rd

Where do you live?

im as british as they come

Three things you are doing right now:

let me see...im procrastinating from doing my dry lab work bc i cant go back into labs, im listening to my lovely new side m boys (rn its infinite possibilities by s.e.m, who lowkey may be my faves) and im knitting a jumper

Four fandoms that have piqued your interest?

1. atm defo hypmic. cant wait for the 3rd drb release to drop, in need hq black journey

2. also defo defo sk8 i really cant get enough of these skateboard gays, and ive ventured into ao3 and i dont regret it at all 

3. again, idolmaster side m (can you tell i like the 2d idols) i just binged the anime after finishing a uni project and the music is absolute fire i would sell my soul for all of them

4. i hate to say it but the promised neverland, bc the first season was so good and now ive picked up the manga, and personally every single situation ive headcannoned is better than what this season is giving me

How has the pandemic been treating you?

idk really?? like day to day it doesn’t feel that bad, but i feel like it isn’t helping me at all. this is my 4th year of uni which was supposed to be very lab heavy which hasn’t happened, and being away has really dropped my confidence in being able to actually do science. and as a shy person it’s just giving me an excuse to be distant and keep to myself which isn’t good bc i know i need to make an effort to be social. but at least ive been able to spend lots of time with my family which is great bc 3 years of uni has really taught me how much i miss them when im away

but it gave me the perfect opportunity to get into anime which is great bc as a person that in the past hyperfixates and jumps between fandoms, something tells me this is gonna stick

A song you can’t stop listening to right now?

KAIGEN by badass temple. no joke it slaps. as of rn i want them to win the drb, just bc of how hard that song goes

How old are you?

22. fuck im 22, 23 this year. it feels like i only just turned 18, how am i supposed to be an adult now

School, univerisity, occupation, other?

uni, im in my 4th masters year doing biochem (and genetics), although all im studying this year is plants plants plants 

Do you prefer heat or cold?

cold. defo cold. i dont mind the summer but ever since i got heatstroke a couple of years ago in a very very hot paris, ive been scarred

Name one fact others may not know about you.

i love love love watching costube, it is my gig. id love to be able to sew properly and make my own clothes

Are you shy?

definately. unless you are my family, i dont know how to act around you

Pronouns?

she/her

Biggest pet peeves?

people just not being concious of the fact that the world exists kinda?? like people that are just too preocupied with themselves. like its not that hard to just do a helpful job for someone. and you can be completely selfish about it, bc itll make you feel good to help someone else. just be nice.

What is your favorite “dere” type?

lol lowkey i love a bakadere, but only if theyre done well

Rate your life from 1-10, 1 being crappy and 10 being the best it could be.

probably 8, maybe even a 9. i have the best family, and im doing well at uni. i can just hang out, watch anime, do some work, do some crochet or knitting. i have lots of stuff to so and that i want to do which always feels great. but im also right at that turning point where im about to leave uni and have to figure out what my life is gonna be like which is terrifying, and im also at that point where i feel like my entire life revolves around uni work which kinda sucks bc theres other stuff i want to do, like learn to sew, or learn a language, that i just dont have time for. but honestly, i wouldnt have it any other way

What’s your main blog?

youre on it

List your side blogs and what they’re used for.

none. i dont have time or the mental capacity to cope with side blogs. this is just the mess of content and stream of concious rants you get

Is there something people need to know about you before becoming friends?

i SUCK at communicating. like i actively dislike communicating unless it is a 1 on 1 face to face conversation. so if i dont message you, it doesnt mean i hate you. i just suck at keeping in contact with people, and am working on it. so please just talk to me, bc ill never not want to talk

lol if you got to the end thanks and see ya 

[realdealmy]

Interview with Rizal (Minimum Wage)

A lil background of how you become a musician. What is the starting point of you be in a band? (maybe you can tell us a bit)

If i were to take it to the very beginning, I would say my mom is the kickstarter. My mom is heavily into blues & rock & roll like B.B King, Muddy Waters, Rolling Stones,The Beatles & Queen. I remembered her getting me a Roxette at an early age on VHS. I watched it religiously and ive always thought the guitarist (Per Gessle) looked so cool playing the electric guitar. My mom had an acoustic nylon string Yamaha guitar around & i thought i could play the guitar by simply imitating Per, clearly I was wrong. It was harder than it looked! Fast forward to when I was a teenager, I discovered other types of music & subcultures like punk & skateboarding. I enjoyed the cheeky-ness and juvenile humor of bands like Screeching Weasel, Lagwagon, NOFX, Blink-182, Green Day. As natural progress would suggest, I started playing in bands around that time too. I guess my first serious step into recording & the music scene was the KL punk & hardcore scene back in 2009. My first ever band was Corporate Youth, we managed to record a 5 song demo with Mokhtar Rizal at his old house. I was nervous as hell, I couldn’t even strum a chord without breaking a sweat but it was a good experience and after that I was hooked with recording & playing music. Along the way til now, I’ve played in a few local bands including The Liberals, Orchestra of Wolves, The Hiroshima Lovers, Paranoid Pest. Currently I’m playing in Minimum Wage, Dum Dum Tak & a solo synth project which is under the working moniker “RFM”. What other thing that you do, beside being musician?

Other than playing music, I enjoy skateboarding, cooking good food, looking after cats & I’m currently learning the ins & outs of recording (pun not intended).

 How are you affected by this MCO?

This current Movement Control Order (MCO) affects me as musician majorly in many aspects. Minimum Wage had a show scheduled in April at Soundmaker, Penang alongside a sick lineup of local hardcore bands like Split Tongue, Bad Idea, Slave, The Fog (they’re from Germany btw) & SS Block. We had planned to release new material & merch at the show. The show had to be cancelled due to the MCO being extended til the 14th of April. Being in a new DIY band thats been around for a year, whatever we get from selling merch & playing shows really helps in sustaining the band. Getting back our capital & rolling it back into stuff like pressing, printing shirts, buying musical accessories is an amazing achievement for us.

We all have jobs & city life is hard. We’re not gonna get rich doing this & it’ll be great to just have a self sustaining unit where we can do whatever we want. It’s essentially about fun. This band is an excuse for a bunch of friends to get together, drink beer & play punk rock. It’s an outlet for us to try new things like recording, managing our asses, writing songs, get out of reality & expanding our creativity.

During this MCO, we can’t do any of (the above). We still have a bit of merch left but i think it’s wishful thinking to assume that anyone would buy it during these hard times. We recently released a single on our bandcamp which is https://mwhc.bandcamp.com

Currently we can only chat through WhatsApp, we check on each other to make sure everyones alright & “aspire” on what our next plan is for the band. Social distancing sucks but it has to be done. I miss being in a studio with my friends writing stuff & playing music together. Not doing the familiar routines & being quarantined can get depressing but we cope in different ways like spending time with family, keeping busy with work. I personally am working on my solo synth project. 

On the bright side of things, this MCO gives me ample time to work on music production, learn new skills like mixing tracks, experiment with i guess “unique” ways of recording, write music & practice playing musical instruments on my own. That’s my coping mechanism & I feel very blessed to be able to do that during these hard times. I’ve got 2 tracks done & I’m currently working on a 3rd track.  

You got any alternative way to make/sell/publish your artwork to public during MCO?

For now, I’ve got a messy drawing board of plans because I’m currently writing the music. My most immediate plan would be putting it out on soundcloud & bandcamp. Video’s something i intend to get into as well cause everything revolves around that nowadays. Visuals are key. (I guess 2020 is the year where Riz might get an instagram too!) I’m looking into selling my music on donation basis & when i have more tracks i’ll do a livestream. I personally always wanted to contribute to animal welfare or an organization that supports the betterment of a certain group of people. There’s a beauty in between in running a solo/DIY operation. Everything is a matter of a creativity. You sorta just try stuff out & if it works, why not? There’s not really a right or wrong way. You just learn something from the experience. I’m a take it as it comes kinda guy & i’m currently doing some research about it too through various articles online. So we’ll see what happens! 

Thoughts and hope during the MCO?

I think like everyone else on this earth, I hope this pandemic ends real soon. There’s a lot of anxiety & uncertainty in the air but hopefully we can all get back to our regular programming soon.

This MCO gave me a lot time to reflect on how lucky i am just being alive, well & still being able to do the things i love. Everytime i’m writing something or doing something, I just narrow into it & never take the ample time for granted. It’s truly a blessing to get to do what i do & I sincerly hope that everyone (also to whoever that is reading this and every stray animal) out there is safe, well fed & clean.

[brittanyinterviews]

Yohta Namba, Sous Chef at Marlow & Sons

Yohta Namba, Sous Chef at Marlow & Sons

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This interview was conducted via email in April 2020.

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Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself? 

Yohta: I was born in Japan. My mother is American, from SF, and met my dad when she was teaching English in Japan in the ‘80s. I grew up in northern New Mexico with my brothers, mom and her partner, Summer, where I lived until I was 17. I moved to Oakland to go to school at the California College of the Arts, and started cooking around the time I was finishing school. I’m currently a sous chef at Marlow & Sons in Brooklyn—well, not currently, as it’s closed right now due to COVID-19.

Brittany: Have you always been interested in food?

Yohta: My first real job was working as a dishwasher in a small cafe in Taos. Growing up, especially out in the country, there wasn’t a huge restaurant food scene—of course there was rich culture, with tons of ranching and farming around, but there weren’t a ton of chefs on TV or anything. I guess I sort of just started working, to make a paycheck, and kept growing. 

I’m lucky to have great cooks in my family, and being part of a huge family, food was always part of it. I have issues with the industry at large, but yes, food is an extremely important piece of connection for us. 

Brittany: Can you describe your first food memory?

Yohta: My brothers and I ate a ton growing up, so dinners were always a huge pot of curry, beef stew, or something hearty to keep us full. My mother has this amazing corn soup recipe that was one of my favorites growing up. 

Brittany: When we met, you were working as a line cook at Ramen Shop, a hip ramen restaurant in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood that's known for its dynamic varieties of ramen and a stellar brunch selection. Before that, you worked at other Oakland favorites like Camino and Penrose. What was it like working at such notable restaurants when the Oakland food scene was really getting attention? What did you learn working at these restaurants?

Yohta: It’s funny, I worked the least amount of time at Camino but I think it’s the job that I learned most from. Russ [Chef Russell Moore] is very particular, and kept me on my toes, and rarely let things slide. 

I was able to build really strong friendships and working relationships through these restaurants. Because it’s such a small world, you’re bound to end up working with familiar faces and menus. I worked with the same folks from Penrose that I worked with at Starline or Ramen Shop. Before Penrose I had last been working in catering in New York—totally different world. It’s cliché, but it truly is a community.

Brittany: You're now a sous chef at Marlow & Sons in Brooklyn. Can you describe the type of food a customer will encounter at Marlow & Sons? Is "Japanese-American farm food" still an accurate description?

Yohta: Right now, being in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant is closed. The only business in the Marlow Collective that’s open is the butcher shop, Marlow & Daughters—it’s such a strange, surreal time to be in New York. The hardest part is not knowing, but Andrew [Tarlow] and everyone in charge are great about keeping us all in the loop and staying positive about what the future holds.

Patch [Troffer] is also half-Japanese, is interested in exploring the food of his life and family, which feels comforting and familiar. He, we, are so committed to quality ingredients, quality cookery. I feel so happy about the food we are able to put out. Also a really sweet dude, so easy to work with. 

Brittany: Are you involved in coming up with new dishes? If so, can you describe the process of creating a new dish?

Yohta: I’ve put a few on—More often, the head chef Patch and I work on ideas together. He’s a super supportive chef, and is always open to ideas and feedback. Between Patch, the other sous Greg [Wright], and I, there is a lot of collaboration. Patch and Greg are also Bay Area guys, so we all sort of “get” each other. Really great dudes.

Brittany: Before you began your career in the world of food, you studied illustration at the California College of the Arts. Can you describe your current relationship with art?

Yohta: I’m happy I went to art school. I met some of my best friends and learned to look at things critically. I don’t make work as much as I used to, or would like to, but it’s always there.

Brittany: What do you eat when you're off the clock?

Yohta: I try to eat light, I feel like working in kitchens really loads your system with salt and fat. I have a sweet tooth, I love fruit. 

Brittany: How has living in New York, the Bay Area, and elsewhere influenced your work as a chef? 

Yohta: Hard to say, I think it’s more about the way we work—I feel like you can tell a Bay Area cook from a mile away. I’m lucky to have worked for so many great chefs, on both coasts.

Brittany: What are some of your favorite places to eat in New York? How about in the Bay Area?

Yohta: I miss Mexican food so much—my fave places are Tamales Mi Lupita and El Paisa in Fruitvale. I love Best Pizza in Williamsburg. 

Brittany: When you're not working, how do you spend your time?

Yohta: Cycling, running, and skateboarding. I got engaged last year, so we’ve been busy planning our wedding and future. 

Brittany: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

Yohta: I’m curious to see what will become of the food industry post-Corona. With a ton of places closing for good, I imagine there’s going to be a huge shift in how we get our meals, and how we all work. No plans yet, just open to the future and what comes next. 

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Photo by Javier Valencia

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Special thanks to Yohta for discussing his work with us. You can follow him on Instagram.