Bahasa-bahasa asli di berbagai daerah di Asia sudah mulai punah, termasuk di Indonesia. Alasan fenomena ini banyak; salah sekiannya adalah politik, ekonomi, dan budaya. Salah satu contohnya adalah Indonesia, di mana penggunaan Bahasa Indonesia dipakai sebagai agenda nasionalistik. Padahal, bahasa-bahasa asli masih memiliki tempat yang sangat penting di tengah masyarakat modern. Salah satunya adalah preservasi budaya dan pengetahuan-pengetahuan yang tertuang dalam bahasa-bahasa tersebut. Saat ini, puluhan bahasa daerah telah hilang di Indonesia dan setiap dua minggu sekali, diperkirakan satu bahasa di dunia hilang. #BahasaDaerah #BahasaAsli #Adat #Kebudayaan

Gabby is a 56-year-old transracial adoptee, who describes her past self as the angriest, most bitter person. Today, that’s far from what you’ll feel when you experience her work, which is rooted in healing and joy. Ching Ching, a childhood taunt she heard from bullies, became a series of work Gabby made in 2014, where integrated Chinese porcelain to pay homage to her roots. Gabby has reconciled that her life experiences as a Chinese New Zealander was and will be different from her family’s, who are all white. She’s also connected with more adoptees and bi-racial folk who can relate to her story. Her art is not only making up for the years she denied her heritage, she’s creating a legacy for herself and the communities she cares for. Color: Haruka Motohashi

From Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan to Indian movie RRR, Asians had a lot to celebrate at this year’s Golden Globes. Michelle dedicated her award to her support system and “those who came before and look like her”. The movie RRR (Rise, Roar, Revolt) is the first Indian movie to win best original song, beating heavyweights like Rihanna and Taylor Swift. Ke Huy Quan won Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, which is only the second time an Asian actress has won this award. Now we hope Michelle will also win the Oscar for Best Actress, which will be another first in history for Asian women.

Have you heard of Zhou Yang Jie? It’s Jimmy Choo’s Chinese name, and the name he has gone back to recently. While Jimmy is known for designing couture shoes, today he’s focused on giving back and fostering the next generation of designers. But why did Jimmy step away from shoes? You might think of his shoes as a luxury British or American brand, but Jimmy Choo is a Chinese-Malaysian son of a humble shoemaker. He grew his vision to one of the biggest names in global shoe culture, and it all started when he made his first pair of slippers at 11 years old. Jimmy studied in London, where he was spotted by a Vogue editor. An 8-page feature on the magazine put him on the map, and brought clients like Princess Diana. When editor Tamara Mellon convinced him to create a luxury ready-to-wear brand, Jimmy realized his opportunity for expansion. In 2017, he sold his business and namesake for £896M. Today, Jimmy spends his time creating fashion academies including one in his hometown.

In October, 400 people in Asia died from crowd-related disasters. Why does Asia experience so many of these incidents and how does it relate to government leadership? And how can you stay safe and protect others in an overpopulated space? Crowd crushes can happen when too many people push into a confined space, above 5 people per square meter. In many Asian countries, regulations around crowds are non-existent unless it’s an officially organized event. Even if officials know that people will gather en masse, no one might take charge of crowd control - and in some cases, it’s the government that makes bad situations deadly. So from assessing the density of a crowd to listening to cries of discomfort around you, here’s how you can stay safe in a crowd.

Lai Lijuan, a 67-year-old woman, learned how to play video games from her grandchildren. She just won first place in the Ageless E-sports competition, after three months of training. In a world that rejects elders, Lai found courage and curiosity is a winning combo. Lai is a member of HK Evergreen Gaming in Taiwan, an all-senior e-sports team in Hungkuang University. Her gaming character, Morgane, has skills like burning enemies and protecting herself. But she wasn’t born with a love for gaming; in fact, Lai hated it. Her grandkids' obsession with gaming made her curious, and they ended up teaching her. When looking back at her life before gaming, Lai remembers depressing days where she should watch TV, scroll on her phone, and sleep. Today, she feels invigorated, confident, and closer to her grandchildren than ever. She feels younger, and reclaimed her value in society. Lai has found play.