I wrote this book review for a class in March 2020.
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Goodbye Stranger
By Rebecca Stead Hardcover, 287 pages, $16.99 I had high expectations for a novel with “Newbery Medal Winner” above the author’s name on the cover. Rebecca Stead’s three previous books have all received some sort of award or recognition, so I thought 'Goodbye Stranger' would be enjoyable. I was utterly wrong. The book follows Bridge and her friends Tabitha and Emily as they start seventh grade. Emily’s body is maturing faster than others, so she has caught the attention of a boy who wants “a certain kind of picture.” As an accident survivor, Bridge tries to find where she belongs at school and in life, in general. The three friends have one rule: no fighting. Whenever they are upset with one another, they don’t talk about it; they simply “put a pin in it” and let the negative emotions boil and fester internally until they explode. I couldn’t help rolling my eyes at the characters’ foolishness because I knew how things would turn out when they made decisions before thinking them through. The end of the synopsis inside the cover says, “From the author of 'When You Reach Me' and 'Liar & Spy' comes this captivating story about the bonds—and limits—of friendship.” This book wasn’t captivating at all. It lost me on page 10. The novel starts in September. Then the second chapter jumps to Valentine’s Day and switches to second person. It was jarring and confusing because there was no connection to Bridge, Tabitha and Emily; the characters had different names and I was trying to figure who the “you” was and what she had to do with the main plotline. As time moves forward for Bridge and her friends, the chapters that use second person are all titled Valentine’s Day and interrupt the main story about every other chapter. There isn’t any connection between the two stories until page 104, and it is a very slight connection, especially when Bridge is still in October. Aside from the shocking perspective changes, I couldn’t engage with the book because I did not like Emily or Tabitha. The dynamics of the friendship weren’t healthy because they never let each other express their emotions. Tabitha was annoying and Emily was someone I’d never be friends with because she acted like she was better than everyone around her. Only Bridge's thoughts really made sense to me. Emily’s and Tabitha’s parents were honestly more interesting than they were. Maybe I could have related to them more if I was in seventh grade. I did, however, appreciate the authenticity of the angst of middle school and of puberty. The title and cover doesn’t make any sense when thinking about the book as a whole. It shows Bridge having breakfast with her friend Sherm, a scene that has very little to do with the main conflict. The only reference to the title happens on page 213, which again has almost nothing to do with the main story. It seems Stead used up her good writing on her three previous books. I wouldn’t have finished this one if I wasn’t writing this review. At least I bought it at Dollar Tree, so I only wasted one dollar. |
'Abominable' perfectly blends reality and fantasy for the whole family
While DreamWorks Animation is known for its movies featuring talking animals and other fantastical creatures, its 2019 film “Abominable” portrayed the perfect blend of reality and fantasy through a heartwarming story about a teenager and her friends who help a young Yeti get away from villains and return to his family on Mount Everest. Super Bowl halftime show caused unnecessary uproar
Many people on social media said Shakira and Lopez over-sexualized and objectified women during their performance, but they were simply showcasing their Latina heritage in Miami, a city known as the capital of Latin America. Don't stress over the mess
My mom’s first observation when she visited me was the tidiness of my room, or rather the lack of it. My unmade bed and paper-littered desk stood no match against my roommate’s folded blankets and perfectly stacked textbooks. |
'Abominable' perfectly blends reality and fantasy for the whole family |
I wrote this movie review for a class in February 2020.
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While DreamWorks Animation is known for its movies featuring talking animals and other fantastical creatures, its 2019 film “Abominable” portrayed the perfect blend of reality and fantasy through a heartwarming story about a teenager and her friends who help a young Yeti get away from villains and return to his family on Mount Everest.
The movie starts in a modern Chinese city where viewers meet Yi (Chloe Bennett), her mom (Michelle Wong) and Nai Nai (Tsai Chin). The scenes with these three characters are only a small part at the beginning, but they set the authentic, sentimental tone for the rest of the movie. The interactions between Yi and her family accurately showed the dynamic relationships in an Asian household. Nai Nai’s concerns about Yi’s actions closely resembled conversations I’ve had with my Vietnamese grandmother. Yi’s relatability strengthened my engagement to the story. Viewers who can’t personally relate to the culture can still appreciate the legitimacy of the setting and cultural references. Director Jill Culton said DreamWorks partnered with Pearl Studios to ensure the films authenticity. “This is the first modern film that showcases a Chinese family like this,” Culton said in an interview with Fox 4 News Kansas City. “We worked back and forth, just to make sure every small detail was covered, so that we were being truly, 100% authentic to the culture and to China itself.” From the Yeti’s fur to the mountains and the steam rising from Nai Nai’s pork buns, the level of detail in the animation amazed me. The scenes were as beautiful and intricate as the ones in the “How to Train Your Dragon” movies. When the trailer said “Abominable” was created by the same studio as “How to Train Your Dragon,” my expectations were automatically set high. This movie well surpassed them by transferring the meticulous design elements from the hidden dragon world to real landmarks in China. I loved the movie’s score. It perfectly enhanced the suspense and tone of each scene. The music was all orchestral, building off the melody Yi played on her violin. When she played her instrument, I appreciated seeing the animation match the notes I was hearing. Her hand placement on the violin is a minute detail most viewers wouldn’t pay attention to, but the accuracy of her performances caught my eye since I’ve played the violin for more than 10 years. The movie synopsis on ResLife Cinema called “Abominable” an animated comedy, and all the expectations for it were met. The silly shenanigans from Yi’s friends Peng (Albert Tsai) and Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) provide a comedic relief that balances out the more solemn moments. Even though I watched the movie using headphones, my roommate had to move to another room to do homework because I laughed loudly and frequently. The plot of the movie was exquisitely carried out through strong conflicts and memorable character developments. It presents a good message about perseverance and the importance of family, especially with people other than blood relatives. The story full of adventure, teamwork and humor makes this movie enjoyable for all ages. “Abominable” is a must-see for everyone. |
Super Bowl halftime show caused unnecessary uproar |
I wrote this column for a class in February 2020.
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The 2020 Super Bowl halftime show caused an unnecessary uproar when Shakira and Jennifer Lopez performed.
Many people on social media said Shakira and Lopez over-sexualized and objectified women during their performance, but they were simply showcasing their Latina heritage in Miami, a city known as the capital of Latin America. Viewers, who criticized the performers, focused too much on Shakira’s hip movements and Lopez’s pole dance routine, so they failed to recognize the cultural influences involved in their performance. As the first Latinas to headline the Super Bowl halftime show since Gloria Estefan did in 1992, they wanted to be sure they celebrated their backgrounds through a variety of dances including reggaeton, salsa, champeta and mapalé, according to The Washington Post. “I feel incredibly honored and humbled to be, in a way, next to J-Lo representing the Latino community that is such an important force in the United States,” Shakira said in an interview on Shakira Media’s YouTube channel. Shakira also honored her Arabic roots through belly-dancing and a zaghrouta, the tongue-flicking gesture that was shared all over social media as a meme, which is often used to express joy or celebration, according to USA Today. “I know that the two of us together are going to bring that special brand of what we do, that maybe people, who haven’t even seen us perform, get to see something special that night,” Lopez said in the same interview. Some people labeled the performance as obscene and unfit for the most watched program on TV because the dance moves were deemed objectifying to women in front of the 102 million CNN reported were watching. Twitter user @AUBeard tweeted, “The Super Bowl halftime show was just a bad strip show. We have had so much positive discussion about not treating women like sexual objects, then they go & do this. You can’t cry that women need to be treated better then support this display of sexual objectifying.” Viewers fail to recognize that Shakira and Lopez had full control of their show. They chose every element that went into it. They had to approve their wardrobe and would have told their choreographers to change the dances if anything made them uncomfortable. They had the freedom to do so because performing is an art form. No one should be offended by how they danced because it is their decision. Northwest freshman Violet Symens enjoyed watching the show. She said she didn’t think there was anything wrong with the attire or dance moves because the performers have the freedom to make their show whatever they want. “If you’re a fan of performance and music, you probably enjoy it. I don’t see any reason to push that down,” Symens said. “They have beautiful bodies, they should be proud of them. If they want to show them off, that’s cool.” Shakira and Lopez put on a fabulous show in their own way. They should be admired for the diversity and athleticism they showcased in their celebration of women and their cultures. They have the freedom to show their bodies as they want. They shouldn’t be judged for doing so if people weren’t as angry when Adam Levine performed shirtless in the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show. |
I wrote this column for the Northwest Missourian in January 2019, originally posted here.
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My mom’s first observation when she visited me was the tidiness of my room, or rather the lack of it. My unmade bed and paper-littered desk stood no match against my roommate’s folded blankets and perfectly stacked textbooks.
“Kayla’s side of the room is cleaner than yours,” she said immediately. With the top shelf covered in decorative knick-knacks and half of my desk used as storage space for notebooks I never use and books I have yet to read, my workspace becomes messy quickly. Having a mess on my desk isn’t the end of the world. Actually, I am better off with the clutter. Several psychological studies have shown some benefits in keeping a disorderly work area. Researchers at University of Minnesota found that the participants in their study produced the same number of ideas regardless of the work environment. However, the participants who stayed in a messy room generated ideas that were rated more interesting and innovative than the people who worked in clean rooms. Historically, highly intelligent and creative people were pictured with a messy desk because a clean desk was considered a sign of laziness before the 20th century. Mark Twain, for example, chose to leave his desk cluttered whenever someone took a photo of him. Albert Einstein also kept a messy desk. He preferred the disorganization in his work environment. “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” Einstein said. I like my messy room. It may just look like a pile of papers and books, but I know where everything is placed. However, people may choose to keep a clean work area for other advantages, like improved health habits. According to the American Psychological Association, a study consisting of multiple experiments by Kathleen Vohs found working in a tidy room encourages people to eat healthfully, sleep better and give to charity more often. Professionals in the decluttering business say their clients typically experience less stress and anxiety, feel more self-confident and have stronger decision-making skills after cleaning their home and work areas. On the contrary, Columbia Business School professor Eric Abrahamson wrote “A Perfect Mess” to discuss the rewards of disorder. He said people often fail to recognize the opportunity costs of keeping a tidy work area. For example, devoting specific time to maintain an orderly environment means having less time to spend on projects. A messy work area is better for college students because the increased creativity will only help develop problem-solving skills which will be important when students enter the workforce. With jam-packed schedules filled with classes, study sessions, meal breaks, extracurriculars and sleep, students shouldn’t worry about taking the time to organize their desk. Every extra minute spent on assignments can add up to the 0.3 percent that differentiates an A from a B grade. A 10-minute nap is more beneficial than decluttering one’s work area because it boosts focus and productivity. The messy environment correlates with breaking free from conventional thinking and thus the ability to create new concepts. Our society needs more people with diverse ideas. Everyone should leave their messy desks alone and use the extra time for brainstorming instead. |