Nostalgia of dad

Dad used to be my hero. He used to be the one who I looked for comfort and protection. Things happened. People changed. The way I looked at him changed, but from deep down the bottom of my heart, I love him a lot.

My dad was a carpenter. He blew souls into ugly pieces of wood. He made our furniture. I still remember how spoiled I was when I asked for a customized bookshelf where I could make a fort underneath. To me, he was a magician. I spent my childhood with him because mom was busy working all day. His wood scrapes were my Lego. I built cities. I built villages. I built my dreams... "Daddy, when I grow up, I want to be a carpenter like you! So I can help you with work!" said little me. Dad smiled at me, "no, you're a girl. I don't want you to do hard work."  To me, dad was a superhero. He could lift me up and spin me around. "Daddy, I can fly! I'll be a superman when I grow up! So I can save the world!" I excitedly yelled while making flying gestures. He smiled and said, "no, you're a girl. I don't want the whole world to be on your shoulders." I was too little to understand what he meant. To me, he was a guardian. He literally kicked butts of those neighbor kids who made me cry. "Daddy, I want to be a boy when I grow up. So no one can make me cry!" sobbing little me said. Dad ran his fingers through my hair and said, "no, you're a girl. It's okay to cry. And if someone makes you cry, I won't forgive those people." At that time, I knew I'd always be daddy's little girl.

Time flew by. I didn't talk to him as much any more. We exchanged some awkward conversations when I was in high school, and I guess it is normal to any teenagers who have to go through "growing up" crisis. I changed. He changed. Life changed. But there's one thing I know is that his love for me will never change. It has been almost three years since I left Vietnam. I don't know how I endure with this feeling of missing my loved ones for so long. Sometimes, I just want to give in everything and come home, where I can be a baby. Sometimes, the cruelness of life makes me cry, but dad is not here to "kick their butts" like he said...

Perhaps, this makes me stronger. Perhaps, this makes me appreciate more what I am having. Perhaps, this makes me love my family more. And for sure, family is the greatest treasure that I have with me in this adventure of life. "We are sorry that we couldn't afford a birthday cake for you, but here is the glass of juice. We wish the best for you and we want to let you know that we love you very much, our princess." That's what dad said in my earliest memory of a birthday . Since then I know I am the luckiest princess in the world. Dad, I miss and love you a lot. And it's hurt...

Reproduction in Viral Media

Even though I have been studying about viral structures for two semesters, I am still amazed at how a medium can go viral in such a short time (tell me about Kony 2012). From Kim's reading, I spotted a term "pattern recognition." It caught my attention because it was how most of us try to analyze the viral structures of a medium. Last year, our meme project was about anti cyber-bully, and we picked up the pattern of "how to be" videos to create our media object.

In my psychology of creativity class, we use "pattern recognition" as a tool to associate clues and recall details. In this reading, this term comes to me as a way to direct and attract more viewers to the media object. For example, the series of "Shit people say" videos have become viral lately. This also touches on the remix culture (parody, remixed videos, etc.). If a video goes viral and any tag words that associate with that video will be used to direct the attention to later remixed objects. The reproduction of the media object reflects one individual's thoughts on the topic creatively. Let's take a look at this remixed video on a famous teenage movie Twilight:

Buffy vs Edward

It is funny how all those teenage girls go crazy over Edward a.k.a the sparkling "fairy," and from the remixed video, Edward is portrayed as a very creepy stalker (and yes, if I was the main girl character in Twilight, I would have called 911 when the sparkling vampire broke into my house, not daydreaming about him). The reproduction of that popular movie Twilight lets others express their freedom to criticize the medium. Thanks to the participatory platform of YouTube, it makes the remix culture grow faster. However, besides the power of using a viral medium to express one's political view, the reproduction might violate the copyright and the remixed content might not be comprehended by all audience.