I really cannot empathize with the waves of people claiming that this is the worst movie they have ever seen, because honestly I LOVED SPRING BREAKERS. It's definitely not plot-driven, but it is an art film with breathtaking visuals, stunning use of color, and mesmerizing repetition. The main problem people had with it, I think, came from their expectations. People thought it was going to a mindless spring break movie, when really, it's much more thought-provoking and twisted than a two-hour ragefest. This may have been intentional - drawing in an audience wanting instant gratification and thoughtless fun, then pulling a bait and switch, similar to what the girls experience in the film. Ultimately, I think this film is about trying to figure out the balance between living in the moment/to the fullest/having fun in the present vs. staying in your comfort zone and looking out for your well-being in the long term (i.e. staying out of trouble, doing well in school, etc). I think it's about figuring out at what point you reach "enough." How much of this destructive fun can you take? At what point does destruction get too destructive? That balance is something I think about quite a lot, and it's something I've been struggling with recently, so I'm 10000000% in favor of this movie. So brilliant.
Cathy and I saw this film together over my spring break, at 12:30 in the afternoon in a nearly-empty theater. The one other occupant left immediately when the credits began. And the end credits song was "Lights" by Ellie Goulding. So naturally, we ran around the whole theater and full-on danced until the guy came in to clean up the theater. Afterward, we filmed a review in my car, and I think it turned out really well (:
Sunday was my niece's 3rd birthday and I really could not have asked for a better time. My family, as well as my boyfriend went to (what used to be the San Diego Wild Animal Park, but apparently is now called) the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The weather was beautiful, we got to see all of my favorite animals, and I was feelin' the love all around. My niece, Audrey, was paying particular attention to me, asking me to hold her hand and go on the carousel with her and demanding that I stay with her all day. I got to joke around with my stepsister and her husband, and my parents were being especially lovely. They always are, but everyone was just so genuinely happy this day, it's worth noting! And it was lovely to have all of those family components mixed with with an incredible hangout with my boyfriend (:
BABY ELEPHANT!1!1!!! And I certainly do enjoy seeing elephant family lovin'. Also, in case you haven't noticed, lions are adorable. They sleep just like my dogs at home... I couldn't handle it upon first sight. Though I adore the lion sleeping on the hood of this jeep, my favorite has to be the lioness below, on the left in the third picture. Reminds me of myself. What a flawless, majestic creature hahaah.
Also, until April 7th, there is this thing at the Safari Park called "Butterfly Jungle," where you get to step into a giant atrium/cage/thing full of butterflies. You just walk around and there are butterflies fluttering about everywhere, and they land on you and it's just an all-around cool experience. I'm doing a terrible job of articulating what exactly it is... But hopefully you get the general idea. I was kind of afraid of them when I first stepped in, but it doesn't take very long to get used to butterflies surrounding you. Unfortunately, I think because I was maybe wearing a cheetah-print cardigan, none landed on me. But still - amazing!
A Close-to-Perfect Day.Forgive all of the corniness that is about to ensue, but I'm so fortunate to have had this great start to my Spring Break, and to have so many great people to share it with. Particularly my lovely boyfriend, seeing as he's the newest edition.Question: Are you ever a little, little, little bit unsure of where you stand with a person, nervous that they'll get sick of you after a full day in your company, or scared that there will be awkward pauses that cause you to cringe and hope the ground swallows you up? I was the tiniest bit afraid for my boyfriend to come down and spend the entire day with my family and me, but I'm so glad that it happened. It was literally one of the best days I've ever had, and all of my worries have completely dissipated. I think I can officially cross #9 off my New Year's Resolution's List. I can more than think out loud in front of my boyfriend; I can nonsensically babble, I can share whatever is making me anxious, I can sing for no apparent reason, I can do anything without fear of rejection. It's an amazing feeling, being in love. Spending 30 hours together, and that not even being enough. Wow, this post is cheesy as hell, but it's the truth. And it's a blog - you gotta bring everything back to the big, lifey picture. Such a wonderful day, a wonderful year thus far, and something that's shaping up to be a wonderful life.
First reaction thoughts on A&E's new show, Bates Motel, including pretty unintelligible blurbs about the actors and an examination of rape culture in relation to the show. Oh yeah, BIG TRIGGER WARNING:There is a rape scene in the later half of the episode. I'll talk about that more later on, but I don't want you to be caught off-guard! Though the show is based off Psycho, and violence is to be expected, for some reason I really was not prepared for sexual violence to occur when that guy broke into the Bates' home.
Also, I don't know why I had assumed that I was way behind the curve on this show, but I thought I was about to construct a review that is completely irrelevant and outdated. However, apparently the season premiere was March 18th and the first episode is the only one that has aired. So yeah... here we go.
On first thought, I really liked the episode! Unfortunately, I've only seen the first half of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (I know, I'm the worst), so I don't know how quality the show is in comparison to the film. The movie is iconic, so I'm guessing die-hard fans probably don't feel too open to the show's existence. But I don't think the creators are doing a classic re-boot; I think real effort and care is being put into this project. Now note that you're reading from the perspective of a fairly unbiased party, and at that party, I would certainly recommend watching it.The trailers and promotion for this show have had my curiosity for a while now, which is I think why I though I'd long-since aired. But being done with finals, now was the perfect time watch.
As you'd probably expect, the show has quite a creepy quality to it; the music sets an ominous tone, the set certainly gives off the vibe of a place filled with "dirty secrets," the relationship between Norman and his mother could easily cross into Oedipus territory, and often the intensity of Freddie Highmore's stare made me uncomfortable, as it should really... Though some of his acting was a tad off in this episode, I think that really is the natural of the character, and I have high hopes for Freddie Highmore in the rest of the season. That kid was captivating in both August Rush and Finding Neverland, before he'd even reached his teens, so I'm sure he will show off his natural talent and acquired skills as the show progresses.
But I have to say Vera Farmiga's performance definitely made me the most uneasy, and in turn, made the episode. There is something very volatile about the mother's personality; she hardly reacts at the beginning when faced with her husband's death, she impulsively moves her and Norman around in the quest for a "fresh start," and she trusts absolutely no one and encourages her son to do the same. One moment she'll be tender and joking with her son, saying he is the best thing to ever happen to her, and the next she lets this fade into a sick jealousy, cutting Norman off from the rest of the world. Sometimes she'll seem overjoyed, then a scene later she'll be upset in a way that strikes the viewer as unpredictable. It certainly makes the show fun to watch; I could never tell what her next move would be.
I don't know if I want to make this an excessively long post about rape culture, but it's been on my mind a lot with the Steubenville rape case itself, and how terrifyingly it was covered by the media. So here's a paragraph, which really makes this review worth reading:
After her attack, Norma Bates insists that they cannot call the police because, "This will be public... It will ruin us! It's going to make me a laughing stock!"That line actually broke my heart. I understand that to report such a case would be bad for business, but to further insist that she does not want people to know because it will make her "a laughing stock" really just SCREAMS the fucked-up horrors of rape culture. Yes, she was raped and then preceded to kill her rapist, and the fact that she believes that will cause people to mock and laugh at her is beyond sickening to me. But it makes sense, considering that is a reality in our society; in fact, our community has responded much fucking worse towards victims who report their assaults. After the rapists of the Steubenville case were rightfully convicted (though not for nearly long enough, nor were they treated harshly enough by the media), Jane Doe got numerous death threats and online harassment about how the situation was entirely her fault. How she robbed her attackers of their "bright" and "promising" futures. The whole thing is appalling to me. Obviously, the show couldn't have planned their premiere to coincide with the emerging of this topic, but I hope maybe people will pause during that scene and just THINK ABOUT WHAT NORMA'S LINE MEANS, not just in the context of the show, but in the context of her as a woman in our present-day society. And maybe this scene, traumatic as it is to watch, will cause the audience to think even more about rape culture, because there are still those who do not believe it exists. Awareness of its actuality will someday lead to its elimination.
Alright, that's all I got for you right now. I'm not sure where the show is going to go from here, or how Norman Bates will transform from a seventeen year-old who vomits at the guilt of a dead body in his motel bathtub into one of the most iconic killers in cinema history, but I think I will definitely stick around to find out! With school, it's really hard for me to keep up with television shows. But I think this one will be the show I choose to watch weekly, if I possibly can. Great start to the season, and maybe I will update as the weeks progress! (Also, I'm stoked that according to the trailer below, the girl with Cystic Fibrosis may the love interest! That would be cool, wouldn't it?!)
My brain may actually be disintegrating. While most people finished finals today, or yesterday, or maybe even Monday like my roommate, I have my last final tomorrow. But the thing is, my brain physically hurts. And I am honestly so tired, and I think I'm experiencing some kind of stress cold. As I have previously mentioned, I was burned out long before finals week. And though I have been able to endure up until this afternoon, I really feel I have no choice but to surrender for the night. Good luck to you if you have a final tomorrow, or soon, or eventually <3 As said by some random post that I saw on Tumblr, your mental health is more important than your GPA. Keep that in mind, because I definitely am.
So I AM GOING THE FUCK TO SLEEP... if you are in need of some laughs, please click below.
Today, I had my final lecture for my Asian American Studies class. Such an incredible course; it really fed my love for critical analysis, the books we read were usually extremely interesting, especially the last two (which I will go more into later, during Spring Break.) Not to mention that in my discussion section, we analyzed modern pop culture like Korean hip hop (during which we were shown the "Are We There Yet?" by Dumfoundead music video, which I mentioned in February's Music of the Month post. Ugh, so good.) and the Harlem Shake. How one definition of the Harlem Shake can mask an original meaning. Amazing, amazing! I'll probably go more into depth as to why I loved this class during Spring Break, but for now, I want to leave a quote here.
"Take care the body. See you after the War."
This is the final line of the final book we read in class, "All I asking for is my body" by Milton Murayama. For whatever reason, this line really resonated with me. Maybe you have to read the entire novel to understand, but it's just a really powerful statement for me. Something about it just stuck in my chest. It's like telling someone, "Take care of yourself, and I'll see you once the hard times are over." There is something so strong and so inspiring about it. I repeated this phrase to myself the entire walk back to my dorm. It's especially impactful when you've seen the theme of the human body carried throughout the book, how it is abused by plantation work, how boxing can be a source of freedom, how the body is sexualized as you grow, how it must be subjected to the potential horrors of war in exchange for citizenship. I just loved the way this story, with its larger themes, was told through the metaphor of the body. It's not just the physical body to be taken care of, but the human soul. I am absolutely moved by it.
This is probably not making any sense outside of my own head, but I just wanted to share this line with the world before I go about my everyday. I think I'll make a sign out of this and post it in my dorm room, to look at as I exit for the day. A reminder to take care of myself and my body, and whatever happens out there, I'll be back in my safe space soon. Obviously none of my hardships have ever been even close to Kiyoshi's, but after seeing the world through his eyes for one hundred pages, I understand it's meaning, and knowing how significant that line is to him and his family causes me to feel so many things. I can't explain it.
Anyway, I need to get back to studying. See you guys soon!
Soooooooooo I know I have not been the most committed of bloggers in general, but I just wanted to put this post out there so I could take the pressure off myself officially. It is Week 10 in the UC quarter system, and that means that finals are right around the corner. Despite the fact that I am 500% done with this quarter, I need to get my ass in gear and begin studying. My goal for this quarter is to get straight As, and then perhaps by the end of next quarter I can get up to a 4.0! A bit lofty, but I shall try.
Spring Break for me begins on March 24th, so until then, I probably will not be posting any content. Except for maybe a post about becoming a published writer for an online magazine ;) we'll see!!
And if you are stressed about finals, take a deep breath! Though grades are very important, especially to me, it's not the end of the world if you do not do well this term. My big sis Serena got below a 2.5 GPA her spring quarter of first year, and then she came back this past fall quarter and made the Dean's List. Plus, school is not for everybody. Everyone's got a talent. Maybe cramming a ton of information into your brain while getting high off caffeine and slowing decaying in an uncomfortable library chair isn't yours. I feel like all of my posts have been super inspirational lately? Whoops, sorry. I won't get much more into it :P Anyway, good luck on your finals!!
Once again, a wonderful month for music! I've discovered a lot of new and glorious songs, including some that surprised me. I mostly have YouTube videos to show you, straight out of my likes. By some weird twist of fate, the most addictive song for me this month was "Stay" by Rihanna and Mikky Ekko. Also, I'm very much smitten with the video, but VEVO has disabled embedding. Here is a link to the official music video!! Below, you will find a lyric video. Which you really don't need to watch; just listen. Usually Rihanna's music isn't really my style, but give this one a chance!
And to compliment that, DAMN THIS COVER IS GOOD.It is by Peasant's King. Once again, embedding has been disabled by request, but I highly recommend that you click through.
To roll back in time a bit, I noted on a blank document the playlists I listened to while studying for midterms this quarter. That was definitely during the very beginning of February, so I hardly remember it haha. But through that experience, forcing myself to sit in the Academic Center for hours at a time and wanting to smash my skull in, I discovered that my level of productivity is in direct correlation with how well I'm vibing with my music.
In general, I definitely got hooked wutherings' 8tracks. And I ended up getting straight As on my midterms, plus one of them is being used by my Discussion Leader as an example to show the class so they may match it during finals. I'm not saying it was her playlists....... but it may have been her playlists. SO APPARENTLY IT'S QUITE FASHIONABLE TO DISABLE EMBEDDING THESE DAYS But these videos and these songs are worth the extra clicking effort.
Wiz Khalifa (featuring The Weeknd, bust mostly The Weeknd afsjhfjhdsf) - "Remember You."The music video is really weird, but the more I watch it, the more I fall strangely in love with it. And though I really don't like thelyric "make me remember you," (as if a woman has to earn the memory of a man? Whateva.)this melody gets stuck in my head all of the time.
Walk the Moon - "Iscariot" (obsessed with the simplicity of this music video, honestly.)
Little Dragon - Twice
Also, basically all that I listen to is my boyfriend's playlist on Spotify, "Just Another." I don't think it's possible to provide a link, but if you'd like to seek it out, go for it! For now, that's all I got for ya. Did you enjoy my descent into insanity over the fact that no one allows their videos to be embedded?! I would hope so!!
