The Seemingly Endless, Violent Cycle

I sat down to blog today intending to write a review about a few movies I've seen recently, but before doing so I logged onto Twitter and saw breaking news headlines about something a little more important, so I'll just have to put that off for now.

According to a number of news outlets, there's been another movie theater shooting, this time in Lafayette, Louisiana during a showing of the movie "Trainwreck." It seems almost appallingly ironic that this has occurred less than a week after the announcement of the verdict in the case against the Aurora shooter, who killed 12 people during a Batman midnight showing nearly 3 years ago and was just today deemed worthy of the death penalty in the state of Colorado. In this current case, 2 people have been killed, as well the gunman who shot the victims and himself with a handgun. I haven't been able to find a source explaining what the shooter's motives were, because according to The Huffington Post, authorities have been able to identify the shooter as only a 58-year-old white man, but are not releasing any more details.

Aside from informing those of you who may not have known this happened, I'm also writing this because I needed a way to try and make sense of what's happening in this country. As most of  you have probably heard by now, the Sandra Bland case is stirring up a lot, (and I mean A LOT,) of controversy about the state of the police force in the United States, and the often apparent use of excessive force, especially against people of color. And now, in the  midst of yet another homicide, also a week after the gunman in Tennessee killed 5 military personnel, we are not only  having to cope with not being able to necessarily trust the authorities, but fear is being instilled in us in regards to each other. We can't trust those who are supposed to protect us, and we can't turn to each other for protection, either.

Given, one bad seed does not an apple make, and I know that not all police have a partiality for violence, and I know for sure that not all people are capable of murder. But here's the thing - maybe it's because I'm getting older and therefore becoming more aware, or maybe things are changing and changing quickly enough to make note of it, but it seems that the very thin, precarious structure of our society is starting to come apart at the seems. In regards to police violence, maybe it's always been a thing, but now people are starting to fight back and that's why there's been so much news about it. People of color, women, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, and every other person that's faced discrimination for whatever reason are no longer tolerating unjust treatment as anything less than an equal human being. And more power to them. I wholeheartedly believe that this country could use a wake up call. However, I have absolutely no explanation for gun violence, or really any violence, with or without a motive. In the case of these recent shootings in Lafayette and Tennessee, I really don't know how I'll be able to explain those incidences in a way that will help you, and myself, understand them, because I really don't think there's a good enough explanation. There is no reason for someone to shoot unarmed marines and navy officers in a military recruitment office that was open to the public, however you may feel about the military. There is certainly no reason to bring a handgun to a movie theater and shoot people you've never met before.

That brings me to the next argument - maybe the people who commit these crimes (the shooters, not necessarily the police,) have mental health issues and that's what causes them to believe murder/homicide is justifiable. That could very well be the case, which is why the government needs better ways of treating people with mental health issues. From what I can see, the issue of mental health is only really taboo for the older generations; my generation and those around it are leaps and bounds ahead on the road to accepting the importance of mental health. But again, you could tie the presence of rampant discrimination back into this argument and point out that the mental health label is more commonly used in regards to straight, white, male criminals. Anyone else is given a different according excuse.

Honestly, I don't really have any concrete answers to solve these modern (or maybe not so modern) problems that we seem to be facing. I don't know how to stop people from committing crimes or how to prevent cops from being any form of asshole or how to make people as a whole more accepting. I really don't know, and I'm pretty sure no one else does, either, because these things keep happening. All I know is that if we want these things to stop happening, it  needs to be a collective move forward. The majority needs to be those who believe in equality, in peace, in as little corruption as humanly possible, and then they  need to be loud in their effort to achieve their goals because the loud ones are the ones who make change. I, for one, intend to contribute.

P.S. - I watched the CNN story about the Tennessee shooting, but here's where I got my information about the Lafayette shooting, if you're interested.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/shooting-at-lafayette-movie-theater-reported_55b1918be4b0074ba5a406bd

Current Music Recommendations

So, as you know, I haven't posted since February, which means I haven't updated you on what I'm currently listening to since before that. So here I am, back and better than ever with the songs/albums/artists I'm currently listening to on repeat. You can thank me later.
(As always, each title is hyperlinked to the video for the song, when available.)


Le Chant des Sirenes by Frero Delavega (A song my high school French teacher introduced me to that I absolutely fell in love with.)

She's Kinda Hot by 5 Seconds of Summer (Thankfully not as sexist as I feared it would be, actually has a really good message)

Tiny Dancer by Elton John (How can you not love this song?)

Hold Me Down by Halsey (I adoorreeee this song and I want everyone to know it, and love it with me.)

American Candy (album) by The Maine (Jumped on this train and I never want to get off)

Black Magic by Little Mix (Top 40 isn't always a bad thing. Plus, the video for this song reminds me of the live-action version of the show Sabrina: The Teenage Witch and I loved that show so I kinda love this song.)

Like I Can by Sam Smith (I don't think Sam Smith is capable of making a bad song.)

Crave by Parachute (I've loved this band since I was like, 9, and their first two albums were EXPONENTIALLY better than their third one, but with this new single I'm hoping they go back to sounding the way they did in their hey-day. This is promising though.)

Fight Song by Rachel Platten (Sue me, I love this song.)

Woman (Oh Mama) by Joy Williams (This song is simple in it's composition, but it gives me goosebumps and I loved the Civil Wars so much, so since they're broken up I've turned to the individual members' music, and Joy does not disappoint. This song is frickin phenomenal.)

Renegade by Styx (Old song, still badass.)

Speechless by Lady Gaga (Another song that was popular back in the 6th grade, but still a jam nonetheless.)

Blank Space/Stand By Me - Live From Spotify London by Imagine Dragons (You haven't heard Blank Space like this before and you never knew you absolutely needed to until now. Just note that the Spotify version is better than the one I linked to but it was all I could find.)

I Guess I Suck But What Else is New?

I haven't written since the day before Valentine's Day. Which was a LONG ASS TIME AGO. So I'm back. And here to tell you about my life in all it's mediocre glory. I'm a nearly-creepy teenage version of a suburbanite blogger mom. Oh well.

Alright, so. I'm officially a high school graduate, so that's cool. I graduated a month ago yesterday, and it was such a surreal process, I don't even fully remember all of it. I remember getting up really early to straighten my hair and do my makeup really nicely in a last-ditch effort to impress peers I'll probably never see again (if I'm lucky). Then my best friend/neighbor came over and we took a few pictures before driving off to get our other friend who lives across the divided highway in our town. We all then drove to school and took a shuttle bus from the elementary school where we students had to park to the high school, where our ceremony was to be held in the gymnasium because of the threat of rain that day, (it never ended up raining but thank God we were indoors because we all got outside after the ceremony and it was effing HOT). We all had to go to the lower level of the school and line up alphabetically up and down the hallways, and we seemed to wait like that forever. After a decade and a half of anxious chatter and cap adjustments, we finally got to process into the gym. From there, we found our seats and proceeded to sit through 3 hours of redundant speeches. Our principal that no one really likes apparently gave the same speech she gave the previous year, and the valedictorian's speech made me want to vomit a little bit because of how subtly condescending it was. And don't even get me started on the guest speaker, who fully admitted to have never done something like that in his life and blatantly didn't even attempt to write a speech. But anyway. I digress. Somewhere between getting our diplomas and tossing our caps, someone started tossing blow-up beach balls and an inflatable flamingo, and everyone loved it except the administrators but there was nothing they could do at that point. After that settled down, we all stood up, moved our tassels from right to left, and tossed our caps haphazardly into the air, which the administrators also didn't like but again, could do nothing about. Which was probably the best part about graduation, the realization that as soon as we got our diplomas, we were free of the public education system. We had no one left to dictate to us exactly what to learn and what to do and how to be. It was so weird, but also long overdue.

That night after graduation, the PTO sponsored an All-Night Grad Party at the local recreation center, and it was actually so much fun. We had access to the indoor pool, there was catering from literally every popular restaurant in our area, karaoke, gambling for raffle tickets, game show simulations, nail/hair/massage salon, candy bar, photo booth, volley ball, basketball, mini car racing, a magic show, huge and expensive raffle prizes, and this thing that's a cross between surfing and a mechanical bull. You had to be there... It was such a great way to spend the hours between 11 PM and 4:30 AM after graduation. I'm really grateful that the parents involved at our school pay more attention to us than our admin. It was also a really fun way to spend time with my peers before everyone splits up for good. Thanks to social media, I'll be able to keep up with people, but it definitely won't be the same. In some ways that's a good thing, but in other ways it's not because I am definitely going to miss people. Especially after I took the time to realize a good chunk of my friends are going to college out of state..

Speaking of college, I know where I'm going! I guess I'll let you in on the secret - I'm going to the College of William and Mary, and I absolutely cannot wait. I've been talking back and forth with my roommate, whom I have not met yet but she seems really cool and she's also from Egypt so that's cool. I've already planned out which classes I want to take and which clubs I want to sign up for and I'm just so excited to get started. I went to a New Students/Parents reception today at an alumni's house, and it was really informative because some current students were there and they answered all of our questions and were super nice and friendly. They also had W&M themed sugar cookies, and that always leads to good things. I'm about a month away from move-in day and orientation, and even though I'm a little nervous about leaving home, I am SO INCREDIBLY PUMPED to get started with the College Experience.

Hopefully I'm not so incompetent that I actually remember to chronicle it here.

My friends from homeroom shortly before the ceremony

Galentine's Forever (AKA Bows before Bros)

As I write this, I am sitting in my room with a full face of (might I say pretty fabulous) makeup, listening to a girl power mix-tape, happily recalling the best chocolate cake I've ever had in my life and how much I love my friends. Why am I doing such strange things? Because today is Galentine's Day, of course. For those of you who may  not be familiar with it, it originates from Parks and Rec, and is quite possibly the best idea to come out of television (that was a hyperbole for you literary geeks, but you get it). Today also being Friday the 13th kind of added to the grandeur of it all - like, let's go out and celebrate friend-love and gal pals but also HERE'S A MIDDLE FINGER, superstition, I'm gonna have fun anyway. 

Anyway, today at school everything just buzzed by in anticipation for tonight, in which three of my bestest friends in the world and I dolled ourselves up and went out to a fancy (AF) restaurant and pretended we were way more sophisticated than we really are. But it was awesome, even if I may have swore a little too loud and had to pull over because I didn't have money for a toll booth. Despite all of that, tonight was great. We ate delicious food and talked about anything and everything, and if it hadn't been for a curfew, we probably could've stayed there longer than the two hours we did. We talked about boys, and Senior Beach Week, and people we hate, and sketchy gas station attendants, and super-awkward religious people, and cats, and it was such a disgustingly good time, I'm honestly kind of sad it's over already. Every time my friends and I plan outings like this, even if they aren't as fancy as this particular evening, I always come away feeling like "Wow, I love my friends not just because they're my friends, but because they are genuinely amazing people." I love that we can talk to each other about practically anything, and that we're so comfortable with each other. And I think that's the whole point of Galentine's - friend-love is just as important, if not more important, than romantic love, because even when you're single, you still have your friends, who love you even when you feel ugly or sad or crampy or bitchy. And if your friends are anything like mine, they'll love you even when you're ugly, sad, crampy, and bitchy AT THE SAME TIME. I hope you, ubiquitous reader, have a wonderful Valentine's Day, even if you don't have a Valentine, because honestly - who needs one when you've got your Galentine? 

We were both wearing black shoes, black bags, red coats, red dresses, and we both drove red cars. We may or may not be the same person.

This dish had a very Italian name that I can't remember, so just know it was shrimpy and spicy and fantastic and the best pasta I've ever eaten. 

Chocolate cake with strawberry mousse layers, AKA the reason I will never eat Costco cake again

My Galentines <3

At the restaurant, looking super snazzy and red-velvety and floral

It's Not a Rejection, but Let's Be Real

Without any kind of preface, I'm just going to come right out and say that I have been deferred from 2 out of 3 colleges that I applied to Early Action. I was accepted into the third school, which is great because not only did I get in, I got into the Honors Program, as well as receiving a research grant and scholarship money. WHICH IS NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT. I know this. But it wasn't my first choice school. I was deferred from my first choice, and I happened to find out about that deferral on the afternoon of my 18th birthday party, which kind of sucked. And then, this past Friday, the last day of my first semester of my final year of high school, I got the news that I'd been deferred from yet another school. To make matters just a little worse, I watched my social media feeds fill up with updates about how literally everyone else seemed to have gotten in.

Most of the time, I think my life would make a pretty funny sitcom, because usually things are happy-go-lucky and hilarious. But this moment would fit right in with all the other awkwardly tough moments every good sitcom has once in a while to keep things interesting. Honestly, the worst part was that I'd convinced myself that I was a shoo-in to get in. I wasn't, apparently. And I'm not going to lie and say it didn't affect me, because it totally did. I cried for hours, although not immediately after finding out. When I first found out, I was irrationally angry. Then, later on when I had to explain to my parents that I didn't officially get in to yet another school, I started to get emotional. I cried in my mom's arms like a child, because it felt like a SUPER HUGE jab to my self-esteem and self-worth. That night was a definite low for me, because I couldn't stop myself from feeling like I wasn't good enough, or smart enough, or talented in any way.

Thankfully, with the help of my super supportive parents and friends who are the best at giving pep talks, and a much needed night of sleep, I woke up the next day not nearly as torn apart about everything. I still masochistically checked  my social media, but throughout the day it got easier and easier to get over myself and think more positively. I keep having to remind myself that a deferral is NOT a rejection, although it isn't easy. But, when I got my first letter of deferral, my friend wisely told me something that I'd like to pass on to you - deferral isn't rejection, it's redirection. It's taken me until now to fully remember that quote, which I think is a sign that now, as I'm hashing out all the details for the world to see, I may finally be realizing that things aren't as bad as they seem. It may feel like nothing in my life is going exactly as planned, but as many seniors keep repeating to themselves, I'm going to be fine. I'm going to end up wherever I'm supposed to be, and everything is going to be okay. Everything is going to just fine. (Eventually.)

Things That Make Me Cringe (Or Not)

Things that make me cringe:

• When men tell women to fix their attitudes
• Off-pitch singing that's taken seriously
• Chicken pot pie
• People with absolutely no filter that don't care about being rude
• Oblivious stage whispers
• Butcher shops
• The look on someone's face when their [genuine and nonthreatening] hug has been rejected and someone pushes them off
• Calculus.
• The sound of open-mouthed chewing
• Dog whimpers
• Poorly executed selfies
• Oversleeping 

Things that definitely do NOT make me cringe:

• Puppies and kittens sleeping where they shouldn't
• Shredded cheese (I don't know why so don't ask)
• Acing a really  hard exam or test
• Beating  my instructor at a fencing bout
• When people try to tell a joke but can't because they're laughing so hard
• As of right now, "Love Me Like You Do" by Ellie Goulding (damn you 50 Shades of Gray for your bomb ass soundtrack)
• Tyler Oakley and his collabs 
• Concerts where you're squished up next to strangers and everyone's sweaty and singing really loud and even though it's smelly it's still kind of awesome
• Unexpectedly good hair days
• When babies grab onto one or two of my fingers
• Finishing a really good book

New Year New Me (Or Something Like That)

WELCOME TO 2015 FRIENDS!!! Despite not having posted anything during the month of December, I actually had quite an eventful month. And I'm here to tell you all about it, among other things, because my New Year's resolution was to journal more, and I'd like to think this is a form of my journal, minus the weird personal details. So here we go.

At the beginning of the month, I went with my fellow AP Government classmates to visit the Capitol building in Washington, DC. It was a whirlwind trip, and even though it took all day, it felt as if we spent most of our day getting through security checkpoints. We got to sit in on a session of the Senate, which sounds cool but was actually painfully boring, at least for my group, (we were the lucky ones that got to sit in on a discussion about the continuance of the postal service in Wisconsin and Vermont). My favorite part of the trip was the politically engaging discussion my friends and I had during the bus ride about feminism and social implications of police violence. Sometimes it surprises me how much I have to learn from my peers, and I consider myself lucky to be among some very intelligent people. (Not all of them are intelligent, mind you, but there definitely a few very smart people that I cherish.)

About a week later, a monumental event occurred. I turned 18. I know, I know, I'm shocked, too. How is it possible that someone such as myself is now a legal adult? Somewhere the writers of that rule are turning in their graves. I couldn't be more excited, though. I can now order things off infomercials, go out driving past midnight, buy lottery tickets and cigarettes, and get tried as an adult. None of these things I actually have an interest in, but it's the principle of the matter. And the actual day of my birthday was fantastic. So many people wished me a happy birthday, I found the need to post a Facebook status update just to let everyone know how loved I felt. It was kind of awesome, because people who aren't even really my friends sent me Twitter and Facebook messages and all day, I just wanted to curl into a ball and smile like an idiot because HOLY SHIT people like me. :)

At the end of that week, my friend and I threw a joint birthday party at my house (her birthday is later in December). That was yet another moment of utter joy, at least for me but also I think for my friend. My house was packed with all of our closest friends, and I wanted to gather everyone in a group hug and never leave that moment. If any of them are reading this, I hope you know that that party, and my 18th birthday as a whole, was the best birthday celebration I've ever had, and I can't even begin to express how much I love you all.

Then, of course, after a final week of school before break, which was filled with last-minute tests, quizzes, and a surprising two day run of hallway caroling with my guitar class, it was finally Christmas!! I love Christmas, even now as wise old legal adult, and I love having my family with me to celebrate it. Even this year, which felt a little weird because one of my favorite cousins has now moved to Utah for her job, I still felt constantly wrapped in a warm blanket of familial love and joy and chocolate (which we had a lot of). The only thing that sucked was that night, as everyone was packing up and getting ready to go home after their final slice of cheesecake, I felt super queasy and not at all festive and jolly. Later that night was absolutely awful, and the following day was even worse. After a quick Google search, I discovered that I had every single symptom of the stomach flu. Peachy. Luckily, I was able to get over it relatively quickly, and was back to normal by New Year's Eve.

In between Christmas and New Year's Eve, my mom and I went to my neighbor's wedding, who happens to be the older sister of my best friend. It was a beautiful reception held in their church, (the ceremony had been earlier in the day,) and I was so happy to see my friend again. I wasn't feeling 100% better, but found some weird kind of solace in the fact that my friend was suffering the same thing. We laughed at it and danced briefly in front of everyone before feeling queasy again and sitting down. It was a real bonding moment.

New Year's Eve was surprisingly eventful. I went to work with my mom earlier in the day to make some quick money (because Christmas money only goes so far, kids,) and then spent the rest of the day watching chick flicks, (The Wedding Planner, Miss Congeniality, and The Proposal, in order). And just as I was texting with my friends about how lame it felt to be home with your parents on New Year's, my cousins came over and we had ourselves an impromptu NYE party. It was pretty low maintenance, all things considered, but it was good to have people there  to celebrate the coming of the new year with. We watched Taylor Swift and One Direction perform in Times Square, followed by the dropping of the New Year's ball. Then we cheered with nonalcoholic beverages and took Polaroid pictures, as one does.

Alright, well, if you've read this far, I commend you, because Lord knows I can get hella boring when it comes to talking about my life and whatnot. I'm not going to make any promises (because that will just disappoint everyone when I can't follow through,) but I will definitely commit to trying to post more often. I'm currently reading the book Girl Online by Zoe Sugg, and the main character, Penny, runs a blog that she updates weekly. I think that is a tremendous idea. Maybe Saturday or Sunday nights? That definitely sounds plausible. I really want to develop this blog, not only for myself, but maybe because somewhere out there someone will find this and think I'm a super cool awesome person that writes really well. I don't know, maybe. I'd also like to try to use more of my own pictures, because I think I may love photography without outright admitting it, so this will be a great outlet for that secret love (not including Instagram, which I am sort of addicted to but also don't want to be obnoxious on). Ok, I've said enough, I should go do something actually productive now.

Procrastination

I know I haven't written anything in a while and I think I can fix that by starting to write out my random thoughts in passing. That's always fun. Right now I'm procrastinating my homework by listening to Leighton Meester's new (amazing) album on Spotify (it's called Heartstrings) while getting sucked into the never ending abyss of Teen Vogue blog articles. I really should do that AP Bio reading guide, but before I go, here are a few pretty pictures I took over the weekend.

My Summer in Movies

So Labor Day is tomorrow. That sucks. It means back to school, back to work, back to real life outside of the hazy bubble that is summer. I'm currently taking a break from scrambling to finish summer assignments (which are utter bullshit in my opinion, but that's a conversation for another time,) and I feel that I should make a post about something before I get sucked back into my never-ending academic life. So I'm going to talk about movies, because I've seen a lot of them this summer. Without further ado...
P.S. - Each movie title is a link to its respective trailer. You're welcome.

Lucy - This movie had the potential to be so frickin' awesome, and that's probably part of the reason why the final product is so disappointing. The theory proposed within this movie is that if humans could access 100% of their brain power simultaneously, we would be able to do unfathomable things. As you can see, the plot potential for this theory is exceptional, but the creators of this movie chose to take it in such a snooze-worthy direction. There was hardly any action, which would've saved this movie a little bit, and Scarlett Johansson's character was so underdeveloped it was almost laughable. We know hardly anything about her character at the beginning of the movie, and when things start to pick up for her, they sequence of events are hardly explained at all. Essentially, this movie was a big disappointment and a general flop.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) - Given that I saw this movie because I promised my 12-year-old brother I would take him to see it, I wasn't expecting much. I saw the previous movie starring James Franco, and it struck me as such a bizarre story. I had absolutely no interest in following up with Caesar and his ape crew, but when I found myself in the theater actually understanding what was going on, I was slightly confused. Despite the strange premise, it is admittedly a movie that sucks you in once you succumb to it. My advice to you is avoid succumbing to it if you aren't into civilized apes and apocalyptic San Francisco.

Boyhood - This movie was such a redemption in comparison to the previous movies I'd seen in theaters (aka the previous movies I've mentioned). THIS WAS SUCH A DAMN GOOD MOVIE. Being a film geek, I absolutely adored the fact that this movie is about a boy growing up from age 6 or 7 to 18, and it actually followed the same actors and actresses for 12 years. I read an article about the movie, and apparently they filmed for 2 weeks every year for 12 years to finish this movie. It's literally been going on since 2002. I love that the main boy is just about my age, and went through the same societal things that I went through. The music playing in the background was music that was popular during that year, the clothes they wore reflected the style at the time, the movies and books they talked about were what was popular. It was like looking back on a parallel version of my life. Although this character went through family issues I've never experienced, I still felt as if I knew him on a deeper level than just a movie-goer/actor level. You get to watch this kid grow up and go through different phases of his life and react to his surroundings and the people around him and it's just so real. It did go on for almost 3 hours, but the more I thought about it after I got out of the theater, the more I loved it. I was so excited about it, and I went to tell my friend from film club immediately. He hadn't even seen it yet and was getting excited about it just by my description. Ugh, basically what I'm trying to say is that I love this movie because it was like looking at a time capsule I could actually relate to, and I would see this movie again in a heartbeat. It totally made up for the movies that sucked, which ended up being almost all the other movies in theaters. (Editor's Note (I'm the editor, so my note) - after watching the trailer, and remembering the movie anew, I can say with even more conviction that I love this movie so damn much it almost hurts.)

If I Stay - First things first, this movie's soundtrack is phenomenal. There are well-known songs and original songs by the love interest's band that are surprisingly fantastic. Other than that, this movie really wasn't anything special. About 60% of the lines were too cheesy to take seriously, and the only characters I truly liked 100% of the time were Mia's parents. They were badass but still so loving, and I adored them. Adam, the love interest to Mia, wasn't too bad either, but he had his insufferable moments. I also can't bring myself to like Chloe Grace Moretz's acting, as much as I try. In this movie at least, it felt like she was hardcore channeling Kristen Stewart, and it was painful to watch sometimes. The plot moved too fast in comparison to the book, (which I read in 8th grade, thankyouverymuch,) and hardly gave any time to anything other than the love story between Mia and Adam. Which, if that's what you're there to watch, is great. But I was so hoping they were going to give me the full story, and of course, they didn't. Like I said, the only redeeming thing about this movie is the soundtrack, which quite literally rocks, (soft-rock, but still).

Divergent - So, this movie came out forever ago and I am so late to the game by mentioning it now, but I saw it for the first time last week so I'm going to talk about it anyway. It did a pretty good job of translating the written story to the screen, and the acting wasn't actually that bad. I like Shailene Woodley a lot, especially the more I watch her movies, because she does a very good job of keeping her characters real and not overly dramatic. Except for that one brief stint of teen pregnancy (**cough** Secret Life of the American Teenager **cough**), all of her projects have been enjoyable. I like the way she goes into character so full force that she becomes the character she's performing. As for Divergent, Shailene was great, Ansel Elgort as her brother Caleb was great, and even Theo James as Four did a decent job, (despite his haircut, which didn't suit him AT ALL, but that's a minor detail). I guess because I wasn't a die-hard fan of the book in the first place that I didn't feel one way or the other about the movie. It was good, all things considered, and it's a good action movie with just the right about of romance mixed in - not too much, not too little, a very delicate balance most YA Novels Made Into Movies can't seem to get right. All in all, this movie was not a waste of time, which is definitely a good thing in my opinion.

Almost Famous - Ok, so there is a short story behind my reason for seeking this movie out, because it most certainly isn't new and therefore I did not see it in theaters. So in the May 2012 issue of Teen Vogue, they did a two-page spread on One Direction just as they were infiltrating every media outlet in the United States, and subsequently the world. It was their "My World" segment, where the subject gets asked questions like "What's on your playlist?" and "Celebrity Crush?" One of the questions was "Favorite Movie," and there was only one answer listed, Harry Styles'. His answer was "Almost Famous. I love this film. It is beautifully directed and acted. If you haven't seen it, you need to!" Me in 2012 was decidedly on the hunt for this movie, because if Harry Styles loved it, I loved it. It took me 2 years and the act of growing out of One Direction a little bit until I found the DVD at Target for $5. I bought it and after letting it sit on my bookshelf for a few days, I watched it 4 days ago. And let me tell you, Harry Styles was 100% right about this movie. It is, in fact, beautifully acted and directed, as well as scored and edited and written. Kate Hudson is generally not my favorite actress in most situations, but she did SO FREAKING WELL in this movie, it's unreal. The complexities of the relationships described in this movie are fascinating and the fact that it takes place right amid the 70's rock scene makes it even more awesome, especially because that means the music playing constantly throughout the movie is amazing. 10 out of 10 would recommend. ;P

Good Will Hunting - I quite literally started watching this movie for the first time 24 hours ago as I am writing this. Again, late to the game, but you just have to let me talk about this movie because OH. MY. GOD. So effing good. I love that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote this movie themselves, and Robin Williams, as always, was phenomenal. It seems, on the surface, that this movie is just about a troubled kid who happens to be a math genius getting help from a snarky therapist. But of course, it's so much more than that. It addresses the cost of a relationship in regards to what it's actually worth, relationships with people we've known for years and yet seem to know nothing about, and indirectly, the effects of the ineffectual foster care system, especially on people with untapped potential. It's not a feel-good movie, or a comedy, or a romance. It's a story about people, and a little bit about math, but you don't actually have to pay attention to the math so much as what Matt Damon's character does with it. Also, the woman who plays the love interest in the movie is the voice of Jane in Disney's Tarzan, just for future trivia knowledge. :)

I still have a lot of movies I need to watch, and as soon as I watch a good portion of them, I will publish another post about what I think of them. But, just to satisfy your curiosity, here's a list of a few of the movies I plan to watch sometime soon.

Uptown Girls
Casablanca
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
The second half of Pearl Harbor (saw the first part and had no motivation to watch the second half)
Dead Poets Society
St. Elmo's Fire
P.S. I Love You

One day, I'm going to have a t-shirt for each of my favorite movies, and they will include Changeling, and The Breakfast Club, and every Harry Potter movie, and Forrest Gump, and Almost Famous, and Boyhood, and American Teen, and Good Will Hunting, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and The Virgin Suicides, and 13 Going On 30, and whatever other movie I come across in my life that speaks to me. :)

Things That Are Keeping Me Busy

Between my last post and this one, a lot has been going on in my life. Ramadan just ended last week, (yes, I am an American Muslim teenager - one who wears shorts and shows her hair, but whatever), I started working for my dad again, and the Common App opened on Friday. The Common App, for all you non-American students out there, is a general college application that you can send to multiple universities at once. The one for the 2014-2015 school year opened on Friday, a fact I was unaware of in June, when I made an account to get a head start on my essays and such. That application was for the 2013-2014 school year, and was deleted at the end of July, much to my dismay. The fortunate side of all this was that the essays remained the same, and I ended up being able to fill out my entire Common Application in one sitting because I'd already written my essay. So that was good. :)

A Snapchat I put on my Snap Story documenting my inner turmoil over college apps

Aside from college applications and general school stress, I've also been very preoccupied with music lately. I just recently discovered the beauty that is Spotify, and it is literally my new obsession, (I know, SO late jumping on that bandwagon, but better late than never, right?) I'm listening to it as I write this, in fact, and I can't even believe I liked Pandora more than this at one point in my life. I still like Pandora because it's a simpler radio format, but sometimes I just want to listen to the same song over and over without having to buy it, which is where Spotify comes in and saves my life. Because of Spotify, I think I want to make more posts on this blog recommending music. I tweet all the time about songs I'm currently loving, but they hardly get any response (as far as I know), so I'm just going to blog instead. I'll include a list of the songs on my most-listened-to playlist at the end of this post. Honestly, music and makeup are some of my favorite things to blog about, so I might end up writing more about it. Books, too. Anyway, I'm getting off topic. Spotify is amazing and you should make an account RIGHTNOW if you haven't already. :) Moving on.

A screenshot of Spotify playing on my computer. If only it showed the number of times I played each song...

Yet another thing keeping me busy lately is makeup (as mentioned before, I love talking about it). I've recently come to the conclusion that I adore dark, vampy lipstick, and statement colors, even in the summer. I've bought 3 lip shades in the last 2 weeks that satisfy my longing for gothic/almost-ridiculously-colored makeup, and I am loving them. The first one was a Rimmel London: Kate Moss shade in 124 Bordeaux. It's creamy and smooth and it makes my teeth look so white because it's such a dark, red wine color that's almost purple. The second product was the Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain in 005 Parisian Passion. It's similar in color to Bordeaux, but it's a lip gloss-meets-lip stain. It goes on pretty pigmented but when it dries it looks like more of a berry color. It's really pretty on, though, despite it not remaining pigmented, and it isn't sticky like some products I've tried. The third product was actually a very recent purchase (two days ago), and it's a Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 440 Cherries in The Snow. It's a creme consistency, which I've found I like more than matte textures, and it's hyper-pigmented. I normally shy away from red lipsticks just because most of them have orange or pink-y undertones, which don't look good with my skin color and make my teeth look really dull or yellow. BUT THIS ISN'T ANY NORMAL RED LIPSTICK. This is the most beautiful red lipstick I've ever seen, and I can say that with conviction, (mostly because I haven't really seen that many red lipsticks, but still). This lipstick is bright red, with bluer undertones that, again, make my teeth look whiter (which I clearly look for when shopping for lip products), and when I opened the tube for the first time, I didn't want to try it on like I normally do with products I've just bought, because it looked so pristine and perfect and unreal. So naturally, I went home and took copious amounts of pictures of a single tube of lipstick before trying it on. Then I put the pictures on Tumblr because I couldn't NOT share this latest discovery. This upcoming school year is my last year of high school, and I made a pact with myself to be more adventurous with my style, (which is saying something because I already dress "weird" as my sister so kindly puts it). This includes more lipstick, because I LOVE THE STUFF AND I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT.

My super edited pic of the best red lipstick ever

One last thing I just have to talk about before I go. Okay, two things, but it's brief. Recently I started watching Teen Wolf (yet another thing I'm late to the game for), but OH MY GOD I love that show. My best friend and I have this thing where we'll pick a show and watch all the episodes together, and in the past it's been shows like The Lying Game (which sadly got cancelled halfway through the second season), and Kyle XY (which we never finished). But now it's Teen Wolf and we're both obsessed. The second thing is that I tried out one of those Sally Hansen nail design tool kits, and yet again, OH MY GOD those things are genius. I love nail art but never had the necessary tools to be able to do cool designs. Now, however, I can do allllllll the cool designs and I loovvvveeee it. :):) (I PROMISE I'm not sponsored by any company I mention, even though it totally seems like I am.) (Maybe one day I will be but not today.) :)

My caption for this picture on instagram was "Kinda proud these don't totally suck." Still applies. :)

Anyway, as promised, here's the playlist. I won't bore you with super long descriptions of why I adore these songs, because eventually all the descriptions end up being the same, so yeah, here they are, with short comments - as short as I can physically make them. ;)  ADORE THESE WITH ME, PLEASE!!!

• 5 Seconds of Summer's new album (AMAZING, I LOVE IT COMPLETELY AND WITH NO EXCEPTIONS).
• Ed Sheeran's new album X (THE ENTIRE THING IS A POETIC MASTERPIECE and it's a beautiful sophomore album and his newer sound is even better than his old one)
• Falling in Love At A Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg (cutest song to ever be put on an AT&T commercial) (Alternate music video)
• Salute by Little Mix (don't judge, it's kick-ass)
• Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus (covered by many, perfected by one)
• Fast Car by Tracy Chapman (sorta depressing 80's song, still awesome anyway, and probably one of my favorite songs because I could listen to it on repeat for hours and not get bored.)
• Year 3000 by Busted (WAY better than the Jonas Brothers' cover, bc it's the original)(except, not gonna lie, Joe Jonas circa 2006 was pretty attractive)
• Easy Love by R5 (so so so catchy)
• I'm Ready by AJR (Spongebob intro. 'Nough said)
• In Your Atmosphere - Live at the Nokia Theatre by John Mayer (his songs are beautiful and he is so good live and this song is so amazingly performed)
• Chasing the Sun by Hilary Duff (not the most amazing song but HILARY DUFF HAS NEW MUSIC SO I LOVE IT ANYWAY BC IT SOUNDS LIKE 2003 AND I LOVE IT)
• That Girl by All Time Low (I've loved this song for years now and Spotify lets me listen to it ALLLL THE TIME) (I swear I'm not sponsored by Spotify. If I was more people would read this blog).
• Happy Little Pill by Troye Sivan (I keep singing the Gucci part in my head and I don't even know if he's saying Gucci...)
• Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by STRFKR (even better than Cyndi Lauper, which is hard to do)
• She Ain't You by New Hollow (literally the only song released on iTunes by this band for YEARS but I love it, it sounds so much like a 90's meets late 80's rock/pop song) (Another song I could listen to on repeat forever)
• All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor (I had to.) (Emblem3 did a really cool cover of this song, too). 
• Maybe You're Right by Miley Cyrus (such a surprisingly good song)
• Love On Top by Beyonce (the music video for this song makes the song even better)
• Orbiting by The Weepies (BEAUTIFUL SONG)
• Femme Fatale by Nico & The Velvet Underground (weird at first but after you listen to it about 20 times you find yourself singing it to yourself so you like it by default)
• Who's That Chick? (feat. Rihanna) by David Guetta (a DJ remix song I actually really like) (don't watch the video in the dark, it's like strobe lights in technicolor) 
• Somebody to You (feat. Demi Lovato) by The Vamps (love the intro, Demi's part, and the chorus more than the rest of the song, but I still like the song a lot) (Never mind, just watched the video again, and I like the whole song equally. Which is a lot.) :)
• Twist and Shout (Cover) by The Vamps (Saw this for the first time, and it just made me happy bc even though they've released an album they're still doing covers, which is what they're known for and I find that cool) (The cover is also pretty good) ;) 

Pics from the Road

I know I haven't written in a while and that a few pictures is not a sufficient substitute for an actual post, but this is cool, I promise. I'm on a little road trip with my family and we have been driving through barren farmland for a few hours. The bad thing about this is that the view hardly changes and it sometimes feels like we're never going to see civilization again. The good thing is that every once in a while, we come across a creepy house or abandoned storage unit. This makes for great photography. Here are a few pictures that I've taken so far, for your vicarious viewing enjoyment. 

This Is Not a Metaphor

So. I just came back from seeing the "midnight" (which was actually at 9 PM) premiere of the movie "The Fault in Our Stars" and let me tell you, I've never been more satisfied with a book-turned-movie in my life, (I'm not including Harry Potter, that's a whole other story). Anyway, I was so incredibly impressed with this movie, because never before have I cried during a movie I saw in the theater. Obviously, I've cried watching movies, thank you "A Walk to Remember," but it was always while I was watching it alone, at home. I find it awkward to cry in public. But this is a movie that warrants tears in mass quantities. When I read the book, I didn't cry throughout the whole thing until I finished it. Promptly after closing the book, I burst into tears that lasted profusely for about 8 to 10 minutes. About the same thing happened with the movie. I was so overwhelmed by the whole situation, and the fact that I was finally witnessing the movie version of one of my favorite books, that I couldn't feel any emotion but excitement. And then when I did start to fully engage, all my emotions rewired themselves into nervous laughter. It wasn't until the final scenes where I really started to let it all out. I wasn't the only one either; the entire theater was sniffling and laughing and crying at the same time, including my friend who was sitting next to me. You can't blame them, though, because the movie was absolutely beautiful, and, dare I say it, pretty perfect. I can't say too much without giving away key plot points, but I was immensely satisfied with everything that went into this movie. Shailene Woodley is the perfect Hazel Grace Lancaster, and Ansel Elgort was the ABSOLUTE BEST Augustus Waters. Nat Wolff as Isaac was also amazing, and the cinematography and editing and special(ish) effects were executed astonishingly. I am so in love with this book, and this movie, and anything and everything having to do with it, (except for maybe the t-shirts. "Okay? Okay" is starting to get overused, except within the movie in which it is used sparingly but effectively and I love it). The soundtrack was phenomenal, and the settings were absolute perfection. I'm running out of extremely positive adjectives that I can use to express my feelings about this movie, so I will end this post here. But to all of you contemplating seeing this movie or reading this book, I recommend you do it at the next possible showing. It's one of those few movies that actually make you feel like the book was brought to life accurately, like those characters you pictured in your head are right there in front of you, saying the words you loved so much and doing the things you know will make you laugh or even cry. It's a movie worth more than the box office sums, or critic reviews. It's a story that lodges itself in your heart, and stays there, cheesy analogy be damned.

P.S. - Having just seen this movie, my friends and I are all very conflicted. We loved this movie so so so much, but we also feel dangerously empty and depressed. It's because the movie makes the characters feel so personal, like you could easily imagine yourself in their positions and what it would feel like to be so close to someone with a terminal illness. It scared us to go to that place where we thought about what would happen if one of us had cancer or even died. It's THAT kind of movie.

Sometimes I Want to Hide For 30 Years

Lately, I've been feeling a lot of stress. Which isn't so unusual in theory, given that I'm an American high school junior, but it's starting to feel a little overwhelming. I am currently preparing to audition for the highest level guitar class offered at my school, which I don't think I'm prepared for, which makes me feel like I can't do anything right and am totally inadequate. That, on top of all my AP exams and standardized tests, extracurricular activities, and oh yeah, prom, which is this Saturday, are really starting to get to me. I haven't cleaned my room in weeks, and it's giving me anxiety but I don't have time to clean it thoroughly the way I want to. My outfits and my hair and makeup are going to shit little by little every day, which just makes me feel great (insert a heavy dose of sarcasm here). I just tried to read an essay that I wrote MYSELF in French class, and I couldn't even get through it all without stumbling over the words. And I wrote the damn thing, what the hell is wrong with me? For the rest of the school year, I have one thing or another, (or multiple) to worry about every single day, and I don't know if I can get through it all without a few nervous breakdowns. Tonight, my family and I were going out to get frozen yogurt after my guitar concert, and I started crying because I couldn't stop thinking about how impressive and talented everyone else was and how I didn't measure up at all. I think everyone thinks I'm going insane, and maybe I am, but I can't help it. There is so much on my plate right now, and I don't know how I'm going to begin to get through it.

Tunes on Tunes

I am procrastinating homework. And one way I like to occupy myself is to blog, which I don't do often enough. I haven't made a post about music in a while, and I've been listening to a lot of new stuff lately that I want to share. If my writing at any point gets kind of loopy or incoherent, you'll have to forgive me because my room is currently OPPRESSIVELY HOT AND STUFFY.

Alrighty then. Here we go. :)

"Do It 2 Me" by Allstar Weekend - This song is so catchy, and even though it's obviously about sex, I don't really care. This entire album is full of catchy songs that I could literally listen to over and over. It's not new, but it's darn good!

"Chelsea" by The Summer Set - Again, not a new song, but SO GOOD. It's made even better by the fact that it was written for a girl named Chelsea, who happens to be Chelsea Kane from the show Baby Daddy, and she appeared in the music video, which I thought was especially cute. Then, when she was on Dancing With the Stars, they had to pick a sentimental song, and she chose this one. So cute, so cute. :)

"You're Not the One" by Sky Ferreira - I heard this song on Tumblr awhile ago, and I had saved a screenshot of it to remind myself that it was worth listening to again. When I found the screen shot, and listened to it to remember, I was justifiably surprised. I had always thought that Sky Ferreira made quirkier music, but this song is the perfect mix of bubblegum pop meets Marina and the Diamonds angst. I love it.

"I Blame Myself" by Sky Ferreira - As I was looking up the video for "You're Not the One" I stumbled upon the video for this song, and let me tell you, it is probably the epitome of "cool kid". It sounds like a song straight out of the 80's, (a decade I personally identify with for some unknown reason), heavy on the keyboard and synthesizers and it's just so cool and I love it. I so wish I had known about it, and Sky Ferreira, before I spent all my iTunes gift card money.

"God Only Knows" by MKTO - I first heard this song on YouTube after watching the music video for "Classic" and seeing the video for this song in the sidebar. The rhythm of the song is romantic, but dance-able, if you're into that (which I am), and the video is clever, to say the least.

"Girls Chase Boys" by Ingrid Michaelson - The first line in the song is "All the broken hearts in the world still beat, let's not make it harder than it has to be." On top of that, the actual music which accompanies the lyrics is not gloomy at all, in fact it's lighthearted and head-bop-inducing. If that doesn't constitute endless replays, I don't know what will.

"Fancy (feat. Charli XCX)" by Iggy Azalea - I don't normally gravitate towards rap or hip-hop music at all, and at first, the only reason I bought this song was because Charli XCX's part was really cool. But after a whole week of listening to this song within a playlist of 10 songs, Iggy's rapping started to grow on me. It's entertaining and funky and cool, and I think I like it. :)

"Wild Heart" by The Vamps - Words cannot express how much I wish this band's debut album would be released in the US. This song is available on American iTunes. BUT THAT'S IT. It's not that they're some lyrically genius, musical masterminds, but their songs are really good as far as pop music goes. And I don't like being denied things because of the country I live in, like c'mon America, get your shit together. Please and thanks.

"I See Fire" by Peter Hollens - THIS SONG IS BEAUTIFUL. Ed Sheeran did a cover of it for The Hobbit soundtrack, and I heard a remixed version of that cover on Tumblr, so I looked it up on iTunes. This is (I think) the original version of the song. If you don't like slow songs, it won't even matter because you will love this song. It sounds like the kind of thing you would hear on the Scottish Highlands during a medieval war. It's powerful musically and lyrically and it gives me chills.

"Dernière Danse" by Indila - This is a French pop song that we listened to in French class throughout this past month for a song analysis assignment, and as soon as I heard it, I distinctly remember thinking "I am so going to buy this song." I fell in love. It's so poetic, if you know what the lyrics are saying, and even if you don't have a clue, you can still appreciate the fact that the song is arranged nearly perfectly.

"Disconnected" by 5 Seconds of Summer - I bought the physical copy of 5 Seconds of Summer's EP "She Looks So Perfect" from Target as soon as I could, and I couldn't have been happier about it. This song was a physical copy exclusive track, so I had no idea what I was in for (I had listened to the other tracks on YouTube before buying the CD, just to make sure it was worth it)(It was so worth it). Disconnected was co-written with Alex Gaskarth, the lead singer of another band I love, All Time Low, and you can hear his influence in the tone of the song. It works out perfectly though, because the All Time Low influence mixed with the 5SOS spin creates such an amazing song. The EP only has 4 songs on it, and it's all I listen to in the car. As I listen to it now, I feel like I should be driving.

"Heartache on the Big Screen" by 5 Seconds of Summer - I remember finding the leaked cut of this song on YouTube about a week before it actually came out, and being absolutely blown away. As soon as I heard it, I was so angry that I couldn't buy it immediately. It's one of those songs that you instantly know will be stuck in your head for days. I love it not only for that, but also for the clever extended analogy, referring to a relationship gone bad in terms of movies.

"She Looks So Perfect" by 5 Seconds of Summer - This is the band's first single from the EP, and it is so much fun. From the beginning of the song, I find myself wanting to belt out every lyric. The video is also really cool, and kind of liberating because, while they have people in their underwear dancing throughout the video, they're not just stereotypical "pretty" people, they're people of all shapes, sizes, and colors, and that's awesome. Oh yeah, and the lead singer's vibrato is TO DIE FOR.

"Magic" by Coldplay - All I'm going to say about this song is that if you can't picture this being played at your wedding, what's wrong with you?

"Don't Stop" by 5 Seconds of Summer - I'm sorry I'm including so many songs from this band.... Actually, I'm not sorry, because I think I love them, and I'm not apologizing for that because life is too short to apologize for the things you love. But anyway, this is the absolute newest song they've released, and it's only currently available for purchase everywhere but North America, which sucks, but at least they released the lyric video for it on their YouTube channel so the whole world can listen to it. Thank God, too, because that song is damn good. And again, the lead singer's vibrato makes me want to die and burst into tears and laugh until I cry because it is so SO good.

Oppression in the Neo-Consumer Age

The older I get, the more I look around and see the injustices of modern society. I live in America, so I can only speak from an American perspective, but there is definitely something wrong going on here. 

Recently, for my English class, we had to create an essay question in which we contemplated a controversial subject. One of my good friends' question was "How does dress coding in schools enforce rape culture?" And ever since then, it got me thinking about all the different ways sexism is perpetuated in our modern society. It's the underlying message in songs, advertisements, movies, television shows, and of course, clothing. The more I paid attention, the angrier I got. I bought a Glamour magazine, and one of the cover stories was about what bathing suits guys prefer girls to wear. It made me sick. Why does it matter what a guy thinks about my bathing suit if I feel good about it? Women should dress for themselves, not men, but that seems to be a fact we continually forget or ignore.  

The reason I am writing this post today is because I was just made to change my clothes. By my parents. I came down wearing really cute red shorts with a 5 inch inseam that my mother bought me last spring, and white short-sleeved shirt from H&M. My dad saw me and told me I couldn't be dressed skimpier if I tried. I don't know what century he's living in, but it's like he hasn't looked around since the 80's. He honestly believes people don't dress any skimpier. And the worst part is my mom backed him up even though she bought me the shorts. So, because it's Mother's Day I changed to avoid conflict but not without an underlying resentment towards my parents. The skirt I put on instead does not go all the way to my knees but if I wear it low enough on my waist it seems to. The shorts offered better coverage overall, but they're shorter than the skirt so my parents had a problem with them. 

It just makes me so angry that I still have to bend to the archaic ideals of my parents. The problem is that by enforcing such BS rules, we are no closer to achieving equality between men and women. If women have to continually watch out for what they're wearing in fear of men's reactions, we are no better than we were 50, 100, 150 years ago. And it makes me so angry. 

What Katy Perry, Michelle Obama, and Oprah Have in Common

Feminism, in past decades, had a negative connotation, often being referred to as "the other F word." Feminists were assumed to be people who didn't shave or wear makeup and hated men and were thought of as "most likely lesbians." And God knows what men who were feminists went through, the select few of them that were actually around. But recently, the feminist movement is starting to be seen in a new light. As more and more women rise to powerful positions, and make their voices heard, females as a whole start to break stereotypes and rise above the preconceived notion of what a woman should be. People like Hillary Clinton, Angelina Jolie, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and even Katy Perry, Ke$ha, and Lady Gaga are becoming the faces of the new generation of women, striving to achieve bigger and better things, and empower other women to strive for successes of their own, as well.

What most people seem to misunderstand is that the whole point of feminism is not to shun men, or belittle them the way they've belittled us. It's to achieve great things on our own, without stooping to an unsightly level, whilst also helping other women succeed, and feel powerful, too. We can't move forward if we're so focused on avenging ourselves against the wrongdoings of men. We must take the higher road in order to see the effects of our hard work. Feminism also doesn't mean we can't appreciate and accept acts of chivalry. You can enjoy it when a man buys you dinner or holds the door for you, and still be a feminist. Being a feminist just means you believe in and fight for equal rights between men and women. By that definition, you should be able to enjoy being doted upon, while also being able to dote on someone else, without the stigma of it being your "place" to dote on a man.

On one hand, we have people like Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, and Oprah, who use their political and business positions to influence the situations surrounding them, in order to achieve a goal that benefits the greater good. But they don't just work solely for women. The initiatives and programs they organize and head, such as the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, and the Childhood Obesity Action Plan, (created by Michelle Obama), have goals through which they wish to help as many people as possible, of any gender. In that way, they are not only fighting for feminine equality, but human equality, which is feminism at its most basic.

And how can we forget the contributions of Katy Perry, Ke$ha, and Lady Gaga? These fierce females broke the mold of the common pop star, paving the way for the crazy antics of people like Miley Cyrus, post-Hannah Montana. Katy Perry and Lady Gaga are known for their outrageous and elaborate outfits on the red carpet, and have proven to women that you don't have to dress a certain way to get attention or respect. They taught girls that you can be outlandish and crazy and colorful and some people will think you're strange, but other people will think you're awesome, and those are the people worth your time. Ke$ha is infamous for having racy, raucous lyrics that take specific sexual jabs at men that most people are uncomfortable with. It's kind of ironic that a woman gets so much hate for lyrics that are nearly identical in message to lyrics of popular male artists, like 2Chainz, or Chris Brown, or even Justin Bieber. Ke$ha is literally giving these and all other men a taste of their own medicine, making them feel singled out and uncomfortable, the way their songs make women feel. And of course she gets hate, because she's innovative and clever with her messages. I completely admire her for being so blunt and raunchy, because if she didn't do it, someone else would've, because it was bound to happen sometime. These icons of pop culture have progressed the feminist movement by making people question the traditional roles and molds of women, by breaking them vehemently and extraordinarily.

In essence, feminism is necessary because women need to feel just as comfortable and powerful in their own skin as men do. We need to feel okay with or without makeup, dressed up or dressed down, singing one lyric or another. We need others to recognize our power and influence, and respect it. We need feminism because it's time that all people realize that it is beneficial to a more progressive society. It's time we get over our archaic notions of gender roles, and accept each other with all of our flaws and talents and give each other the respect we deserve as decent humans, no matter the gender.

GLEE'S 100TH EPISODE

I think I've waited a sufficiently long amount of time to write this given how excited I am about Glee's 100th Episode. Every US time zone should have seen it by now, but just in case I will tag this post with a spoiler alert. :)

Anyway, this episode of Glee was magical, to say the least. The original cast (most of them, anyway,) returned to sing some of their "greatest hits," if you will. Quinn, Puck, Rachel, Mercedes, Kurt, Sam, Tina, Santana, Britney S. Pierce, Mike Chang (the two-name Asian wonder,) and a few of the best guest stars, including Holly Holiday (Gwenyth Paltrow) and April Rhodes (Kirsten Chenoweth). There was a Diva-Off, Coach Sylvester shenanigans, a small but not too heart-wrenching Finn tribute, and beautiful re-renditions of some of the best songs from the show. My favorite by far was the redone version of "Defying Gravity" sung by Lea Michele, Amber Riley, and Chris Colfer, (Rachel, Mercedes, and Kurt, respectively). It was absolutely, positively perfect in every way and if I had any left over iTunes money I would buy it in a heart beat and maybe even the ringtone, as well. Actually, scratch that. I will buy the entire album for the episode (because you know there is one, right?) and I will download it and I will enjoy it for years to come and listen to it as I'm driving home from somewhere I hate (cough cough school) and feel all better. That's what I will do. And when this season of Glee ends, (which it will, and then the show ends forever - hold me while I sob,) I will buy the DVD set of the seasons that I don't have (seasons 4 and 5, to be exact), because Netflix cruelly takes away shows after a while, (thanks for that, by the way, I was just about to watch Teen Wolf).

Well, I guess I'm done with my ramble. For now. I just can't right now. I just can't.

PS - CHACE CRAWFORD IS IN THIS EPISODE AS QUINN'S BOYFRIEND AND I ABOUT DIED WHEN I SAW HIM BECAUSE HELLO GOSSIP GIRL FEELS. I CAN'T.