New York! (Carnegie Hall, the Met, and more!)

As you may or may not know, I live in Hong Kong (temporarily), and it’s currently summertime, a time for vacation, no school, and all together happiness. So for this year’s vacation, my family went to:

NEW YORK CITY!!!

(and later on Los Angeles)

The main reason we were in NYC was for my Carnegie Hall performance in my school choir. When I was younger, Carnegie Hall felt like a pipe dream, something that wouldn’t happen in a million years. Little did I know that I would stand up on that stage and sing in Carnegie Hall along with people from all over the globe. The Buena Onda performance at Carnegie Hall really felt like a dream come true, and during the entire thing, I was just floating with excitement and happiness. For classical singers, Carnegie Hall is top tier, there’s nothing after that.

I also met a ton of people through this experience. People from Houston, Brownsville (also Texas), Florida, etc. Living in HK has really given me so many opportunities that I am so grateful for, and I’ve learned a lot as well!

But New York City also has more to do than just rehearsals and performances, right? I got to visit so many interesting landmarks in New York, as well as eat some great food. To be honest, I had better food in Boston, but NY still had some yummy bites! One notable activity was the sleepover at the Natural History Museum.

My friend had asked me to go with her, her sister, and another friend, and of course, I said yes. The NHM in Los Angeles was my favorite museum ever, and I had heard so many great things about the one in New York, so I really was excited. It was such an amazing experience! We got to sleep underneath the scale blue whale and explore the museum at night (spooky!) It was like Night at the Museum, (but with fewer dinosaurs). Sadly, we were pretty jet-lagged so we slept early, but we still got to see so much. We saw a man from 1000 years ago who had died in a mining accident. We saw creepy shrunken heads and gigantic T-rex fossils.  Altogether, I loved the experience, and only regret not having enough time!

On my last day in New York, my family and I visited the famed Metropolitan Museum of Art. I had heard all about it, through the Met Gala along with all of the famous artwork. The temporary exhibit, all about Camp, was really remarkable and I learned so much about the history of Camp. Originally, Camp was a term used in the LGBT+ community, more prominently with cross-dressers in the 19th Century. Crazy, right? I thought Camp was just about outlandish and crazy fashion, since it was the theme of this year’s Met Gala.

All in all, I had a really great time in New York City. With all the names it is given (the City where dreams come true, the city that never sleeps, etc.), I think that NYC really is the city where dreams come true. And don’t worry, I’ll definitely be back.

India Trip! Part 1

I used to think of India as something crazy, dirty, horrible, and a place I would NEVER in 100 million years go to. But, the universe gave me an opportunity to come to India for a choir trip, AMIS. I go to an International School in Hong Kong, so I was able to audition and go to AMIS Asia Honor Girls Choir festival, which was held in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) this year, at the American School of Bombay. It’s very intensive. Very. We spend 3 days preparing for a concert on the 3rd day, practicing for up to 8 hours a day. It’s stressful and puts a lot of strain on us mentally, emotionally, and physically (our voices!!!) I was able to:

a) travel to an amazing country

b) make tons of new friends

c) learn about a new culture, and

d) sing!

This experience was crazy to me since I had never done, seen, or even heard of anything like it in the states.  Our repertoire was extremely difficult, and I’m so proud we were able to finish it in the time we did.

Here’s a video of another choir singing one of the songs we sang:

Las Amarillas — Gondwana Voices

On to the trip itself!:

Day 1 was uneventful. We just got to Mumbai very late at night and slept the night at the Sofitel BKC. Customs for e-visa in India takes a very long time, especially if there are a lot of people waiting in line. We were tired after a 7-hour flight, so this was a huge nuisance.

Day 2 was much better. We toured around Mumbai, with notorious traffic all along the way. We visited popular sites such as the outdoor laundromat, Dhobi Ghat, the Gate of India, the Victorian train terminus, and Marine Drive. Dhobi Ghat, the laundromat, was really interesting as there were so many colors and so much going on.  I noticed one man take a tan button-up shirt, and just pound it against a rock! He would hold one end and just fling it on the rock on repeat. I’d never seen that as a laundry technique so that was different. (In a fun way!)  The train terminus was beautiful and very cool to look at, but it was under construction so we couldn’t see it’s full beauty. We also only saw it from a viewing point, since in order to get in you have to have a ticket.

Day 3, 4 & 5 were mostly rehearsal days, with a few specklings of interest along the way.

a) the Opening Ceremony. This started with a very long drum performance with 2 people playing their drums for up to around 10 minutes. Yep, 1-0. 10 minutes of just drum playing. It was loud!! But, it was a good wake up for everyone around haha. Afterward, there was a dance to a Hindu god and another dance to the same god. The second dance was actually performed by my homestay’s daughter, who was very kind to me during my stay.

b) Holi! Holi is where you can throw colorful powders at your friends and family, and they are WILLING! This was so fun and really crazy, and I loved the experience. I got a lot of powder on me, but it washes off the skin quite easily. I especially liked dumping powder all over the boys in my group, definitely worth the powder thrown at me.

c) Bollywood Dance classes. On Day 5, we learned Bollywood dances. An instructor came in and taught us how to do basic popular dances during a break in rehearsals. We danced to this really catchy song, (that’s been in my head for a few days), and learned about Bollywood culture.

The concert went very well (in my standards), and we managed to memorize all of the songs. I’m excited for what comes next since I’m traveling in India right now, and I’ll make sure to keep you posted. Stay tuned!

Album Review — Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande

 

    After the memorable Sweetener album pop star Ariana Grande put out last August, fans assumed that they would ride that wave out well into 2019. But Ariana surprised us all with her surprise single, “thank u, next”, released late November last year. Then she hit us all with more songs, including “Imagine” and  “7 Rings”, all up until her second album in the span of fewer than 6 months titled, thank u, next, the most vulnerable yet. The album includes the 3 singles she delivered before the album, along with bops like “make up” and “NASA”, along with very slow and heartfelt songs such as “ghostin’”.

    There are many standouts on this album, unlike the one or two hit songs from Sweetener. One of the most notable is the aforementioned, “ghostin’”, a very passionate and almost R&B-like ballad. In the song, Grande describes how she struggles with staying close with her loved one (thought to be Pete Davidson, her ex-fiance) while mourning another loved one (thought to be Mac Miller, her ex-boyfriend who passed away in September of last year.) The song has a slower tempo and feel than what she is usually known for.

    Another standout from thank u, next is the upbeat “in my head”. It starts with a voicemail from Grande’s friend Doug Middlebrook, talking about how Ariana was, “in love with a version of a person that you’ve [Ariana] created in your head, that you [she] are trying to but cannot fix. Uh, the only thing you can fix is yourself.” The entire premise of the song is how Ariana Grande, as Middlebrook said, is in love with a person that she’s conceived in her head. It’s charming and shows off Grande’s stellar range.

    I am a known Ariana stan, so I cherish each and every song on the album, if I had to pick my standout favorite, it would have to be “needy”. The lyrics showcase vulnerability she has never shown before, such as, “Lately I’ve been on a roller coaster/ Tryna get a hold of my emotions/ But all that I know, is I need you close” The chorus, “

    Though many have enjoyed her new album, it has also faced some severe and harsh criticism. From COS, Wren Graves says, “…there is one [song] that landed funny on my ear. “Seven rings” is a big radio hit, but in the context of the other songs, it sounds a little out of place. It leans on “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music, a song that has been performed many times in many different voices. It’s odd to encounter this off-the-rack melody when the rest of the album is so personally tailored.” “7 Rings”, in my opinion, is definitely the letdown on the album, though it is still a bop. Compared to the upbeat and meaningful songs like “bloodline”, or “fake smile”, “7 Rings” is a bit of a disappointment.

    I do enjoy this album a lot, and I think it deserves all of the acclaim and love it has received. It represents a lot about Grande’s life, but it can definitely translate back into our lives as well. At the surface, her music seems to be about her relationships. But it also describes the hard feelings of loss, mental health, and more.  Ariana Grande is definitely an artist to look out for.

Song Review: “Imagine” by Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande certainly had a very eventful 2018, what with the Manchester Bombing, and the tragic death of Mac Miller. But what came out of it was some of my favorite music of all time. The Sweetner Album is her definite best yet with emotional interludes and upbeat dance tunes. But what no one expected was for Ariana to already be back in the studio recording “Thank U, Next” and “Imagine”. While “Thank U, Next” is upbeat and has hundreds of millions of views on its music video, “Imagine” is my favorite with it’s slower beat and Ariana’s beautiful voice really shining through. And let’s not forget about those whistle notes at the end.

“Imagine” has really captivating lyrics, and when you stop and think about the meaning of them, you realize that they actually come from a sad place. She is singing about a very happy experience, “Stayin’ up all night, order me pad thai, Then we gon’ sleep ’til noon, Me with no makeup, you in the bathtub, Bubbles and bubbly, ooh, this is a pleasure, feel like we never, Act this regular” But then she goes on to sing, “Imagine a world like that” Basically, she is describing something out of a dream, but then she brings that to an end by saying that it is only imaginary, only a fantasy. After all the pain she went through the past year, it only seems reasonable that she would imagine doing something so regular.

In my opinion, “Imagine” really brings out Ariana’s talent well and shows off that she can pull off some really high notes. But, along with her obvious talent, the song has some really emotional and sad undertones to a happy exterior. That’s why I think that this song is her best of all time song.

 

Check out the song here:

Body Image Essay: Why Body Image for Women Should be More Realistic

Imagine a woman smiling and laughing on the big screen. Her eyes are piercing and wide and her mouth falls into an easy smile. Her body is set so that she is skinny as a stick. Her legs go as long as Redwood trees and her feet are set into shiny pumps. The average woman or girl would kill to look like this, but they don’t see the horrible, ugly truth of being an actress or supermodel. There are four main reasons why media images of women should be more realistic, first that it would boost the self-esteem of women all around the globe,how it would help those who hurt themselves physically, how it would help those who are struggling with mental health issues due to their ideals for their body, and how women in the media affect those who are younger than their role models. Therefore, because of these reasons, media images of women should be more realistic.

    One reason why media images of women should become more realistic is because it would boost the self-esteem of women & girls everywhere. Since many girls and women idolize actresses or models, they put themselves down for not looking skinny or perfect like their idols. This makes them think  that they are not good enough, or not pretty enough, or not skinny enough when in reality, they are healthy. Also, according to mirror-mirror.org, “Together, Americans spend 250 billion hours watching television every year. According to the California State University at Northridge, advertising accounts for about 30 percent of all television air time. The average child watches 20,000 television commercials every year.” Most of the ads on TV are ads that contain unrealistic portrayals of women, and since we consume so many ads, it’s very easy for us to fall into the pit of low self-esteem. Next, since most teens are on social media platforms, such as Instagram or Snapchat, daily, they consume a lot of advertisements and content put out by influencers. If the influencers through those means posted more realistic photos, it would also boost the self-esteem of teens everywhere. Therefore, if the women in the media had more realistic body shapes and looks, it will altogether boost the self-esteem of many girls and women everywhere because they believe they can identify with a more realistic body shape.

    The second reason for why media images of women should become more realistic is because unrealistic images can make girls & women hurt themselves physically. Many women look up to famous actresses and models and then try to look like them/be like them by changing their lifestyle and habits, which isn’t usually healthy to their body. It is always good to exercise, but to do it so excessively isn’t good for your body either. They may also not eat enough or too much to try to match up with their idols.  According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ website, “Only about 5% of American women have the genetics to make it possible to look like these images.” If women everywhere knew this fact, they would probably be more confident in their looks and not hurt themselves. Your ideals for your body harming you is a very real problem. My friend struggled with trying to lose weight even though she was healthy already. She started to not eat and did a “strict fitness regimen”. It wasn’t healthy for her, and she got sick very easily. Eventually, she learned to accept herself. Also, having an unrealistic ideal for your body could lead to some very serious eating disorders and diseases, such as anorexia, bulimia nervosa, body dysmorphic disorder, and more. All of these are threatening and really hurt your body and quality of life. Therefore, if the images of women in the media became more realistic, it could prevent girls and women from hurting themselves.

    On top of media images being bad for self-esteem and physical health, the images of women in the media are bad for mental health. For example, if girls see so many unrealistic advertisements it could easily allow them to develop depression. If girls try to look like the actresses in ads and movies, they may develop the disorder and suffer from its symptoms. These are all very serious problems and could significantly change a person’s quality of life. Also, with social media, if someone’s physique doesn’t quite live up to their followers’ expectations online, it is very easy to cyber bully them, which leads to many mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, etc. Finally, your mental health can be affected if you focus too much on trying to lose weight. You can struggle with hallucinations from malnutrition which can harm your life and relationships very much. If we fix the idealistic images of women in the media, we can solve many problems.  

    Fourth of all, the images we see of women in the media are fake and misleading so much so that even the actresses aren’t the age they are acting as. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ website, “Most of the actresses on TV playing teenagers are in their 20s. By hiring older actors, studios don’t have to worry about shorter working hours and on-set schooling for minors. The actresses you see playing girls your age on TV are older than you in real life. Very few of them look like real teenagers.” Because of this, many of the girls that women look up to aren’t actually the age they are acting to be like, and therefore don’t look like they really are 16 or 17. This is a problem because it gives teens a false idea where they think they should look like a girl who plays a teenager in a TV show, though she may not be one herself. They might think that they aren’t as pretty or as tall or as thin as her but that’s because they are still developing when she is not.

    Some people may disagree with my stance on this issue, stating that many of the cases mentioned above are freak cases and that most people look up to models in a non-dangerous way.  But, though that is true, the “freak cases” should be treated with the utmost of importance since it is so serious when people hurt themselves. Others may also say that the women in the media need to look the way they do for their livelihoods and jobs, but the majority of women are normal people not in the film and media industry, and we should cater more towards the majority of people rather than this minority of women.

   With the growing presence of social media and technology, this topic is as important as ever, especially since we as a society spend so much time online and watching TV. But, it is undeniable that we should have more realistic role models, especially for women. Body image in the media is as relevant as it will ever be, and it is a resounding fact that we should all have realistic and attainable ideals for our body. If we keep trying to be something that, a) isn’t possible, and b) is not healthy, it isn’t going to help anyone. Therefore, because of many reasons, including mental health, physical health, and self-esteem, the unrealistic and horrible images of women in the media should become much more true to life and realistic to help girls and women everywhere.

Works Cited:

 

“Media and Body Image.” ACOG, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, June 2016,

   www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Media-and-Body-Image#how. Accessed 14 Jan. 2019.

 

“The Media And Body Image.” Mirror Mirror Eating Disorder Help, Mirror-Mirror.org,

   www.mirror-mirror.org/the-media-and-body-image.htm. Accessed 14 Jan. 2019.

 

“Barbie and Body Image.” Mirror Mirror Eating Disorder Help, Mirror-Mirror.org,

   www.mirror-mirror.org/barbie-and-body-image.htm. Accessed 14 Jan. 2019.

(Quick Update) Christmas & New Year

Hello, long time no see! I am going to have a new series of posts about my trip to Japan coming up! Hope you enjoy it. Here’s the rundown. I am currently in Japan (Hokkaido)  for the holidays (9 days), and I have a few days left to the trip. Here are the posts coming your way:

• Niseko pt. 1 & pt. 2
• Otaru
• New Years
• Sapporo
• Overall Japan Experience

The series (Hokkaido Adventures Series), will come out sporadically but I promise you will be really fun 🙂 The format will be in kind of an Act (like a play) kind of organization. Ex: Act 1: Experience

Stuff Stuff Stuff

Basically, that’s the gist. Enjoyyyy :0

Hong Kong Adventures: Hi Again! (Part 1)

Hello! No, I have not died. And no, I haven’t quit. I just took a short hiatus, and I am back now! A bunch of things have happened over the time I was gone, and I am glad to be able to share them with you! Here we go…

 

1. PEAK 

At my school, it is obligatory for us to come on a 5-day-long school trip. This is called PEAK, and it is for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. I’m just gonna focus on the 7th-grade trips, since I’m in 7th grade. There were 4 trips to choose from all with different “activity levels”:

• Tai Po Adventure (Level 1 aka the trip I was on)
• Week in the Wild (Level 2 aka the trip that was just kinda there)
• Week on the Water (Level 2 aka the trip I actually WANTED to be on)
• Sea to Sky (Level 3 aka the trip that I didn’t want to go on because…well I’ll explain)

Anyways, Tai Po Adventure was the ridiculed trip because it was supposed to be the “easy trip” and the one for “wusses”. Tbh, they were probably right, but I don’t care because it was fun. I mean, I wish I didn’t have to go, but I’m glad I went because it taught me a lot about myself, and I made friends. But I do wish I was on Week on the Water. Each trip did things in the nature, with some trips being “harder” than others. Week in the Wild basically did rock climbing, zip lining, that sorta stuff. Week on the Water, (the one I wanted to do), actually did cool things, like kayaking, SUP, and water sports. Sea to Sky was the hardest one, and the most bare bones. Lol. They kayaked from campsite to campsite, and then hiked from campsite to campsite. No thank you.

Finally, Tai Po Adventure had some fun activities too. We did a day-long gorge trek, (which felt forever), high ropes (which was pretty fun), and, my personal favorite, water sports (kayaking and giant SUP). All of these activities were great, but I did feel quite homesick during the trip, so that sadness always kinda overshadowed a lot of the fun I wanted to have.

2. School in general 

Okay, now onto school. Fun. In PE, we did a swimming unit, which was fun, but it sucked too haha. It was fun because the swimming part was fun, but my hair being wet afterward, and having to change right after really kinda sucked.

But NOW, we are on *fitness*. yAY. The other day we did our class in the machine area of the gym. Like the part of the gym at my school that has the fitness machines. There were 4, the rowing machine, the elliptical, the treadmill, and the bike machine. We rotated between those, and I got to do 2 machines: the treadmill and the bike machine. I actually was looking forward to using the machines, I actually really liked it, so yeah.

Okay, nothing else really exciting happened in school, other than the fact that the MS Play happened, I filmed it for a school news coverage thing, and that parent-teacher conferences are coming up. The only problem with parent-teacher conferences at MY SCHOOL is that the student has to be there too. Yep. You read that right. It’s no longer “parent-teacher’. It’s “parent-teacher-and why don’t we just throw in student too” conferences.

 

Thanks for reading Part 1!!! Part 2 coming out right after this!

Another week in HK: (Stand up paddleboarding, super typhoons, and more)

Well, it’s been another eventful week, and I have a lot to share. First of all, PE. Before last Thursday, I had been in Health class instead of the “classic” PE. But now, we are starting our first unit. Stand up paddleboarding. I was very excited to be able to paddleboard at school for PE. At my old school, the most exciting unit was soccer games. But when the day got closer, I knew I was actually not quite excited. I did not want to get my hair wet before class, and I definitely did not want to carry around a wet swimsuit around with me. But, obviously, that happened. We walked down to the dock and put on lifejackets. We then jumped off of the pier into the murky green water that was so cold, our bones shook in our bodies. We were then ordered to swim towards the paddleboards, about 50 feet away. My lifejacket kept floating up to my mouth, and I found it very annoying. Once we got onto a paddleboard, we had to lay down on our stomachs and paddle with our hands. I enjoyed it, but only minutes later, we arrived at the other side of the bay and we were done. It was so short! We then had to carry the paddleboards back to a boat shed, and climb up back into the middle school in our wet clothes. I really did appreciate being able to paddleboard at school, but paddleboarding in the rain, while being freezing cold was not my idea of paddle boarding.

Switching gears, a SUPER TYPHOON is supposedly headed for Hong Kong. Yippee. I’m happy since I  (maybe) get to miss school, but kinda sad since we have to stay at home (our apartment) for the entire time. I don’t want to risk going outside in such strong winds! For those in HK, stay dry and safe! Also, for those in North/South Carolina and that part of the East Coast, stay safe, and make sure you don’t venture outside during Hurricane Florence!!!! Hope all is well.

Bye for now, and see you soon!

Hong Kong: School! (DNR, Electives, Etc.)

I have started school for a few weeks now, and I have joined many fun clubs. On Mondays, I’ve joined Drama Club, Tuesdays, Baking Club, and Wednesdays, Dragon News and Radio. I love all of the clubs, especially DNR. Another significant part of my new school is the many fun electives. I am taking Drama and Public speaking for semester 1, and Choir and PE for year round. For semester 2 I am taking New Testament (required) and Cuisine. I cannot wait for Cuisine! I mean, cooking in school is really a great idea, since cooking helps me destress really well. I also, obviously, have regular “Core” classes. Core classes are basically ELA, science, math, etc. My favorite class (shhh) is ELA because I love the subject (reading & writing <3) and I absolutely love my teacher.

Bye for now! 🙂

PS: Sorry I haven’t posted in a while, I have been busy with school!

Hong Kong: Week 1 (and 3 days) 🤷‍♀️

It’s been about a week and 3 days so far, and I think Hong Kong is great! My only problems include weather, air quality, etc. In the 10 days I’ve been here, there’s already been massive heat and a Typhoon 1 signal. Honestly, I’ve been just laying around the apartment, waiting and waiting for the weather to get better. And then there’s the air quality. Now, I’m not saying everything has to be all green and “global friendly”, but if people would just stop smoking in crowds, and in my face, that would be very nice of them. Finally, if you have ever been to sleep away camp, or moved, or anything like that, then I bet you have felt the feeling I hear is called homesickness. Tbh, it isn’t exactly a joyride. But as time goes on, I feel more and more excited to be in Hong Kong, and less and less nervous and scared about what’s to be ahead. And now, I’m excited for what’s ahead! (Especially school 🎊)