bad asians do LSD in the mountains

4 stoned philosophers yearning for a new world. a recap of thoughts, plots, schemes & dreams from our two-day creative retreat at big bear.

we headed to the mountains for fresh air and new possibilities. the U.S. is at war (as per usual), gen-z americans are in a “very chinese time of their life,” and the fabric of society is unraveling because nobody can tell if it’s real, AI, or worse– the truth. oh and i’m sure you heard the news about the pedo(files) who own this country?

now that we’ve got our historical context out of the way– let’s reset the table. who’s yearning for love? who’s feeling audacious? the revolution wants to come, will you let it? 💦

philosophy has been a great grounding tool for me as a woman who feels everything. i’m a sensitive pragmatist and romantic poet-existentialist, what can i say? philosophy remedies my intense emotions with the slow precision of critical thinking, crafting arguments, and ability to hold multiple truths.

HOWEVER [dramatically animates hands] there’s no amount of thinking or theorizing that will truly liberate us until we practice in community. i don’t believe real change happens by preaching, policing others or posting infographics on stories– it comes from our ability to resonate with others deeply so it creates a wave that disrupts first through chaos and eventually finds harmony.

Revolutionary movements do not spread by contamination but by resonance.… An insurrection is not like a plague or a forest fire — a linear process which spreads from place to place after an initial spark. It rather takes the shape of a music, whose focal points, though dispersed in time and space, succeed in imposing the rhythms of their own vibrations, always taking on more density."

― The Invisible Committee, The Coming Insurrection

revolution happens when you find others who quite litcherally, MATCH YOUR FREAK-QUENCY. so without further adieu, introducing my fellow baddie azn’s:

👩🏽‍🍳 Wendy “the wise” Zeng, close-to-the-source chef & my favorite contrarian. ♊️

🧠 Christina, the ever prolific storyteller, writing about all things culture x culinary x cannabis at Fruit+Flower Unfurled 🌸

last but not least, the brilliant world-building multi-hyphenate, drip queen of my dreams 💦 DJ GRACE KTOWN ❇️🚨🔊

revolution by resonance brought me to these incredible women 🌀🎵 there’s levels to our shared frequency: kids of immigrants, over achievers, recovering people pleasers, chronic yearners, drug dabblers, super strategic, highly intentional, full of whimsy & the spirit of excellence, booty-shakin bad azn TYPE BEAT.

‘Intention’ is the community word for ‘strategy’ 🤲🏽🧠

– chef wendy “the wise” zeng during this trip!!

we joined forces to take the skills we sharpened in order to survive corporate america, and apply it to new ways of being, thinking, working and gathering. it doesn’t take more than two scrolls on your phone to feel helpless in this dying empire we find ourselves in. we gather with these intentions– to name our grief, to celebrate diasporic cultures, and to manifest our collective dissent with joy & compassion.

notes from our initial brainstorm

james baldwin said to love america is to criticize her perpetually. as someone who holds so much love, i know that thinking critically is just as important.

“I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”

– James Baldwin

let’s bring it back to bad asians in big bear. day 1, we ATE GOOD and settled in. to my surprise we even hit the hot tub, or the “plot tub” cuz you know what time we on.

lobster. garlic. noodz 🤤

day 2 we took a micro hit of LSD, in the form of "trip tacs” courtesy of the chef. while we got ready for the day, business calls and other client projects trickled in and were handled with a quickness. the LSD hit around 1pm. that’s when christina pulled out her laptop and we soft locked the programming for our collaboration event.

the skies were clear and the air was crisp. snow was melting all around us. countless smoke and dance circles later, we managed to document the creative energy flowing through us and those cabin walls– philosophical riffs, a B2B chef x DJ set, and obligatory vibe/fit checks.

we wrapped the day making wontons 🥟🥁 mocking up flyer designs, and playing intimate board games while sipping the finest tea from wendy’s beautifully crafted tea set and ceramic cups.

you’re telling me that plotting for the revolution could be this sexy, soft and safe? hell yeah. i’m taking notes from christina’s veggie garden, wendy who literally went wild boar hunting days before this trip, and grace who springs into action just as smooth as her DJ blends (she literally fought a fire at wendy’s last event😂 IYKYK).

if you’re in LA (or wanna pull up 🌴) save the date 4/18. there’s more of this energy to explore. we literally had to go do drugs in the mountains to think about how we’d bring it all to you. find me on insta where i’ll be sharing more info on how to join us 🤸🏽‍♀️

xoxo,
existential shawty

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DISCLAIMER: THIS CONTENT IS INTENDED FOR STORYTELLING PURPOSES ONLY. ANY MENTION OF SUBSTANCE USE IS PURELY CREATIVE EXPRESSION & NOT ENDORSEMENTS OR FACTUAL CLAIMS. MAKE GOOD CHOICES!