Avanti Vijay, Author at Spiegeloog

Camera Obscura: How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies

“How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies is not an autobiographical film, but the characters are definitely based on people close to us. The character…

Avanti VijayJanuary 13, 2025

Spiegeloog 431: Disconnect Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

“In Vietnamese, the word for missing someone and remembering them is the same: nhớ. Sometimes, when you ask me over the phone, Có nhớ mẹ…

Avanti VijayFebruary 26, 2024

Bacchus News & opinion Spiegeloog 429: Explore

Bacchus: Belonging Everywhere, Yet Nowhere: Exploring Who I Am

In the second year of my bachelor’s, my tutorial group and I decided to go to a bar to get to know each other better.…

Avanti VijayDecember 15, 2023

Camera Obscura Spiegeloog 426: Liberation

Camera Obscura: The Swimmers

“One death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic.” This infamous statement by Stalin summarizes why we need to watch movies like The…

Avanti VijayApril 28, 2023

Society Spiegeloog 425: Vision

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, What do I Look Like After All?

“I didn’t want any new clothes at all; because if I had to look ugly anyway, I wanted to at least be comfortable. I let…

Avanti VijayMarch 28, 2023

Culture Spiegeloog 421: Reflections

Dear Diary,

It often feels like each time I visit my extended family in India, something has inevitably changed since the previous trip: cousins growing taller than…

Avanti VijayOctober 17, 2022

People Spiegeloog 417: Science What is it like?

What is it like? – Beau Postma

Beau Postma What is it like to be a Psychology student? Four questions for Beau Postma (bachelor, second year). What is the most useful…

Avanti VijayFebruary 23, 2022

Society Spiegeloog 416: Language

The Silence of Sound

I observe silently as my uncle looks intently at the person talking, concentration evident on his face: eyes squinting, his mouth whispering the words he…

Avanti VijayJanuary 17, 2022

Camera Obscura Society Spiegeloog 415: Home

Camera Obscura: Instant Family

Photo by Film Affinity The best way to summarize the underlying message of the 2018 film Instant Family is with this quote: ‘It is not…

Avanti VijayNovember 22, 2021

Camera Obscura Culture Spiegeloog 410: Rainbows

Camera Obscura: Disclosure

‘I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been in a public space, particularly early in my transition in New York City, when I…

Avanti VijayFebruary 22, 2021

Bacchus News & opinion People Spiegeloog 409: Conflict

Bacchus: Diverging from my Doppelgänger

‘Why don’t you wear a nametag? One of you should really cut your hair shorter. Wait! Don’t tell me, let me guess.’ These are just…

Avanti VijayFebruary 17, 2021