I went to an amazing talk the other day given by Celine Parrenas Shimizu, and it really got me excited again about going to grad school and becoming an academic. Shimizu gave what was probably the best lecture I've ever attended. She was engaging, extremely informative/straightforward without sacrificing content, and best of all, absolutely hilarious (she peppered her talk with personal anecdotes ranging from the time she was confused for a whore who could shoot ping pong balls out of her vagina to the time she and her friends were confronted by a group of women in prom dresses for "ruining" their experience of Miss Saigon).
I was so impressed by the talk that I immediately ran out after the lecture (and I do mean ran, because I had a class immediately following) and bought her book (and you should too! I haven't read it yet, but I will as soon as I finish the midterm paper that is, unfortunately, due in about five hours. Oh procrastination!). From what I gathered from the talk, Shimizu attempts to argue for an interpretation of Asian American female representation (particularly in film and theater) that goes beyond the simple good/bad, empowering/demeaning binaries and views performance as a site of agency and negotiation.
In any case, I was extremely inspired by Shimizu and the way that she talked about her research interests. I have a tendency to either sound overly academic (read: incomprehensible) or rambly (read: ditzy and confused) when I attempt to discuss anything remotely theoretical, so I appreciate someone who can deliver complex information in a way that is thoroughly accessible without being watered down.
Now comes the difficult part: Exactly how am I going to get from where I am to where she is? Does grad school involve some kind of miraculous process through which I will emerge from my cocoon of bumbling ineptitude as a beautiful, articulate butterfly..?
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