Goodbye 2017

Photo by Adam Birkett

Looking back, I viewed 2017 in a negative light. And I was right to a certain extent. Trump proved to be a jackass by banning trans people from enlisting in the military (thankfully that's been repealed). Threatening some Vietnamese immigrants with deportation even though they're protected under an agreement made back in 2008 between the U.S. and Vietnam that allows those who came to the U.S. before 1995 to stay even if they have deportation orders. As well as, taking away the DACA program, and other measures. It also didn't help that 2016 wasn't a good year for me personally, so that helped shape my view of what I thought 2017 was going to be.
However, this year I learned a lot. I learned about the incredible solidarity and human empathy people can have for each other. I learned just how powerful money can speak in this world, whether it's used for good or bad. And how small and kind of pity my problems are in the grand scheme of the universe, and how humbling that is.
2017 was a year of growth and getting better (or at least trying). Whether it was drinking more water, trying out the bullet journal system, finding out my sleep schedule, getting out of my comfort zone, etc. Overall, trying to find out what works for me and what didn't.
I've also had a lot of amazing opportunities this year from being an editor over at the Stay Bookish zine (link) to being a treasurer for AASA. From being a secretary for VASA to being an unexpected dog owner. And honestly, yes it's a lot of hard work and quite stressful at times, but it's been pretty fun, and I wouldn't trade in those experiences for anything else in the world.
To be honest, I didn't expect myself to travel quite a bit more this year. Whether it was to Arizona, Washington, or even Colorado where along the way I've met quite a medley of people who still help me continue to grow to this day. I've also met an interesting group of people in Utah and connected more with some of the people I've already known.
And I know that it sounds cheesy when I say that I wouldn't change anything (well maybe a few parts, I'm still a bit of a perfectionist) but overall, it's been a good year for me personally. Yeah, there are a few bumps along the way, and truth be told I'm not in the greatest place mentally right now, but I still wouldn't trade it in for anything the whole world, even Hamilton tickets. Hopefully, 2018 will be just as okay.

And now the weather:
Stargazing by Kygo ft. Justin Jesso

 ~ Stacy N.

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Circles

Photo by Tuur Tisseghem

Give me something to think about, and my thoughts will cycle around and around it like an obsessive wolf circling her prey.
Pause.
I know exactly what to do to get out of it, but still there's a part of me that's resistant. That's afraid of the consequences.
Pause.
So to get out of that cycle, I work and focus on something else. Whether that's schoolwork, actually being at work, some club officer stuff, or whatever.
Pause.
It works for a moment. But when it's quiet, while I'm driving, listening to music, reading, or watching videos, or whatever, my mind can't help but go back to circling those thoughts. About my future, certain parts of my past, about me in general, or even other things.
Pause.
I don't know how or what to feel. It's just there like some kind of glob, and I'm not sure if I want to sort it out.
Pause.
So I write it all out, but I don't know if that's going to help.
Pause.
I take a moment to breathe because what else can I do?

And now the weather:
idontwannabeyouanymore by Billie Eilish

~ Stacy N.

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A reading memoir

Photo by Jay Mantri

Reading never really interested me until the summer after sixth grade. But the funny thing is, throughout elementary school, I was always involved in reading, somehow, some way. In first grade, I was part of the AR (Advanced Reading) club that mainly tested my reading comprehension. I would read a variety of books and then take a test about the book. And the only reason why I was in it was because my first-grade teacher, Ms. Howard, oversaw the whole program and, I guess she saw potential in me and asked me to be a part of it. I agreed because it gave me something to do after school. But that was really one of the only times when I actually read. When I got home from school, I would usually watch TV or play.
My older sister also used to take my siblings and me to the library a lot and read to us there, even checking out some books to read to us at home. That was fun, and it piqued up my interest, but I mainly just went because I wanted to check out some of the movies and grab a free cookie on the way home or some ice cream from Arctic Circle if my sister was nice enough to buy some that day.
It wasn’t until the third or fourth grade when I got slightly more interested in reading. My teacher, Ms. Meenen, was reading a fantasy book to the class about dragons. I wanted to read along and better envision the story. So, the next day when the class went to the library, I got the book and read along with her. It was very interesting, and I genuinely enjoyed the story, but that still didn’t really inspire me to want to read on my own.
It wasn’t until sixth grade when my teacher, Ms. Hansen made everyone do reading bingo that I started to read more on my own. Basic gist, as part of our Language Arts grade, we had to independently read five books from different genres and then write a little paper on the book. I learned a lot about FDR, read Marley and Me and cried of course, and in general actually start going to the county library by myself. However, what made me really enjoy reading was the book Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke. It was unlike anything I’ve ever read before, dragons, a journey, and adventure. That made me want to read more books like it and other books in general. And I did, and I haven’t stopped since.
In conclusion, dragons helped me gain a love of reading.

And now the weather:
Rich Love by OneRepublic

~ Stacy N.

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Why I protest

Photo by Alice Donovan Rouse

Protests, fear, curiosity.
Why do I continue to go? Even though I know that it could get violent; even though I'm tired of the fact that we have to continually fight for what seems like the same things over and over again; even though most of the people in charge won't care that much, etc. Why do I continue to go?
Because it would feel wrong of me not to go. Because I find it one of the best proactive methods of showing your displeasure with a system that I realize was built on social injustice. Because it's effective to a certain extent. Because protesting is a privilege and I should use that privilege often and do it for others who can't be able to make it for whatever reason.
Because I want future generations to live in a slightly better world, even though I know everything won't change overnight that it may not change at all, in fact. I still want to fight for a future that is hopefully a bit better than this current state, for a generation that deserves to be treated like a human being, who shouldn't walk around in fear. And I know it's going to take centuries or maybe even a millennium or never for discrimination to go away, but at least fighting is better than being silent. Silence means that you've given up, that you've sided with the oppressors, that you just don't care for a better world. A better world that can't happen if people don't do anything.

And now the weather:
Surefire by John Legend

~ Stacy N.

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College: Level 3

Photo by Brad Stallcup

I'm exhausted. I knew my schedule was going to be pretty busy this semester, but I didn't expect it to be tiring this early on in the year. But at the same time, I prefer this over doing nothing all day.

Classes:
ENGL 5885 - Adolescent Literature
It's a fun class, but a lot of hard work because you're divided into groups and assigned a book, and then your group has to teach the class said book. My group got The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and we are in the middle of teaching it right now. It's not bad this time around because it's mainly discussion based. And surprisingly, not surprising, it's a lot easier teaching college students than seventh and eighth graders, which is what I had to do last semester. Plus, it helps that the teacher is hilarious, and always has a creative excuse as to why he's late to class.

ECON 2010 - Principle Of Microeconomics
As with all of my business classes that I've taken so far, it's been pretty intuitive. The teacher is interesting, occasionally funny, but he needs to speak louder. It's also pretty nice because he also lets us out early a lot, giving me more free time than I expected. Plus, the TA who holds review sessions on Fridays is also pretty funny. I like how she admits that she's a screw-up sometimes and then proceeds with a funny, awkward story, making Fridays easier to bear.

ENGL 5930 - Theory Race/Ethnicity/Nationality: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
It's a gut-wrenching class as I learn more about the horrors of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and how that plays into the racism that still exists today in America. The teacher is sweet and amazing, and I thoroughly enjoy all the discussions we have in that class. It requires a lot of work though because of the multimedia project and a Wikipedia page that I either have to come up with or modify.
Plus, it's unlike anything I've taken before because this time one of my required texts includes Beyonce's latest album Lemonade. It's a good album to listen to as I'm doing all of my readings for this class.

GNDR 3380 - Social Inequality
It's a useful class that is also helping me in my Theory of Race class a bit. I like how it talks about social class because that is one of the top inequalities that isn't talked about as often. It's also interesting to learn a bit more about racism, sexism, and other isms, even though I already know quite a bit about it. Honestly, the best part about this class is mainly the videos that I get to watch because they give you a lot of insight that is sometimes hard to capture in words.

Extracurricular activities:
I'm the treasurer for the Asian American Student Association (AASA) and the secretary for the Vietnamese American Student Association (VASA) this year. It's a lot of work but a lot of fun. And I admit it is frustrating at times, but that's always going to happen in any situation that I end up in.
One of my professors once said that I have a quiet kind of leadership that isn't loud and steeped in masculinity, and I never really thought about it till I got into these positions. I'm endlessly grateful too that I get to further develop my skills and take up a lot of opportunities that I wouldn't have imagined otherwise.
I'm also involved with the Canticle, my college's undergrad literary magazine, again. And it's going great so far, still just trying to get it a little bit bigger than last year. My other extracurricular activities include napping, but even I'm having trouble napping nowadays.

Work:
It sucks, but I'm tolerating it.

And now the weather:
I Dreamed A Dream Les Misérables cover by Darren Criss

~ Stacy N.

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I'm not really back

Photo by Andrew Nolan

The numbers (stats, page views, followers) got to me again, so I decided to take a break and learn how to de-stress and start enjoying various things again. That mainly came from stories. Stories that come in the form of video games (mainly Zelda) and TV shows (mainly The Simpsons, The Bride of Habaek, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, and other Korean dramas.) Even though I prefer reading because of how portable it is and how you don't need to charge it every day, I still like experiencing stories in other formats. Like video games because it's very interactive and there are many side stories that you can explore that sometimes books don't really give you. Or television shows where you wait for them to rip out your heart one week at a time (or, if it gives you the option, just indulge, and binge watch everything, but you're still heartbroken in the end.)
By experiencing different types of stories, I learn how to become a better storyteller. I learn which tropes should be avoided and which are common for so and so type of genre, and which can't be avoided no matter what. It also helps me learn a bit more about humans and how weird we are.

And now the weather:
Sober by Lorde

~ Stacy N.

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Part three.

Photo by Justin Schüler

He laid on his bed wishing for an us. But there never was an us, just a what if.

And now the weather:

Poor Heart by Yuna

~ Stacy N.

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Lost Boys

An interesting little short film about Rufio (one of the Lost Boys in the movie Hook.) It hints at some of the troubles that Rufio face (foster care, mom getting deported, bully), which isn't unusual for a Lost Boy. This makes me wonder if he ever sees his mom again.

~ Stacy N.

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Bullet Journaling

I tried bullet journaling* long ago. After watching this video, I got excited and productive and tried doing exactly what the video said. However, that got too overwhelming (and a bit confusing) because it felt like I was still following a strict structure, one that's almost like a planner but isn't.

*bullet journal: a planner, diary, and/or notebook in one. You can use any notebook or journal, but most people go with a dotted journal.

 Then a few years later I stumbled upon this blog post and a Nifty video.

The video and the blog post still had the original structure, an index, a key, a future log, a monthly log, and a weekly/daily log. But it was all customizable, and not everything was required. If you didn't want a monthly log, that's fine because your bullet journal is a simple reflection of you. If you wanted to have a place exclusively for quotes, that's cool too. If you wanted to go down the creative route, go right ahead. If you're like me and can't really draw then, it's fine to go down the minimalist route.

In general, just make it your own and have fun with it. If you're not having fun anymore, then you're either my friend who says that people who bullet journal secretly hate it but continue with it because they like making something pretty (funny enough, she also has a bullet journal.) Or you feel pressured to keep up with the pretty bullet journal style because everyone you know has a pretty bullet journal. If it's the latter, just change it up and follow what your heart tells you to.

~ Stacy N.

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Part two.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo

Finn had never been the best at being patient. If he did, he would have waited forever for Diggs. But when he saw that Diggs wasn't arriving anytime soon, he hopped onto the train before it could close on him.
His goodbye best reserved for other people.

And now the weather:
Fools by Troye Sivan

~ Stacy N.

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What happened to forever?

Photo by Jimmy Bay

She whispered in my ear stories that were never meant to be told, truths that were never meant to be believed, and promises that were meant to be broken. She held me like the world was going to be okay but it wasn't. She kissed me like we were going to be a forever, but forever was a temporary thing. Sooner or later everything and anything was going to die.

And now the weather:
Sorry by Halsey

~ Stacy N.

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The monstrous thing

Photo by Can Anh Khai

“Oh dear,” the doctor said, “oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.” They were looking at the x-ray, pacing back in forth in that small, neutral-colored room. Their hysteria was rising higher and higher with each step.
“What,” I asked, still laying down on that little patient’s table.  Instead of replying the doctor just said oh dear some more, causing my blood pressure to rise till it felt like I was close to exploding.
“Really doc, what’s wrong?”
“This,” was all the doctor said, looking at the x-ray in her hands, her pacing and oh dears increasing tenfold.
“What the doctor meant to say is,” I almost jumped up, I forgot that there was a nurse in the corner of the room. Ever still, ever silent, ever frowning. “That you’re slated for surgery soon.”
“Surgery?” Surely, whatever the x-ray showed couldn’t be that bad, could it?
“Yes, surgery.”
“But why?”
He only looked at me like I was stupid, but I’m not stupid, “to remove that love bug. It’s gotten longer since your last visit.” Oh, that. I forgot that was there.
“Okay,” I replied. His frown only deepened.
“Are you not worried that you could die from this Mr. Porter if  left untreated?”
“But, wouldn’t it be better to die in the name of love?” He only frowned, while the doctor continued to say oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

To prepare myself for my operation next week, I found myself watching videos of love bug removal surgeries. It was horrible, seeing them slowly take out the long, icky, yellow love monster. White teeth up and down its eel-like body, continually biting onto something to hold. I bet it smelled like nuclear waste and tasted like oil in salt water.
The aftermath left unprecedented results, different for each person. Whether it was multiple holes in the heart, one single hole, stab wounds in its lungs, or even no mark at all. That was when the bug was caught early on before it could do any actual damage. The longer the bug resides in you, the deadlier the damage.

I was glad when they told me that my surgery was next Saturday, but sad too. The monstrous thing made me feel oh so light and genuinely happy. Especially when I got to see him. Crazy haired, wild-eyed, looking like any famous K-Pop star. It was bad, it shouldn’t have happened, but it did, for months on end.
Months spent time growing the monster so it could kill me. Months full of wistful sighs and heart eyes. Months full of denial and rejection. Months spent wishing for something that could never have been mine.

And now the weather:
All I Want Is You by Tristan Prettyman

~ Stacy N.

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One possible way to approach racist comments

An interesting way to approach racist comments. Engaging in a conversation and asking them why they said it is helpful in making the other person reevaluate their choices. However, only do it when you know you're not going to get hurt (or in some cases, killed.)
No one really learns anything if they aren't taught why what they're doing is wrong.

~ Stacy N.

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Forth of July

Here you go, enjoy a series of videos, while I go into the background and think about what freedom really is, the cost of said freedom, and the millions of people who have been affected by the choices that make up the United States today (Native Americans and blacks in particular.)

Listening to this makes me wonder about the term "honorary white," some Asian American privileges that I have, and my role in the complicated race relations of the U.S.

~ Stacy N.

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Books You Could Put Aside Maybe to Read This Summer

Not featured is I Am More Than a Daydream and What Happens Now

I should have posted my summer reading list during the beginning of summer, but I didn't because of reasons. So, I'm going to post it now. Also, so far I've managed to read four of the fourteen books. I'm aiming to get at least halfway through the list, by the time classes start again.

• The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
• Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando 
• Gem & Dixie by Sara Zarr
• Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
• Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner
• Wires and Nerve, Volume 1  by Marissa Meyer and Douglas Holgate
• What Happens Now by Hazel Ureta
• Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
• I Am More Than a Daydream by Jennae Cecelia
• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
• 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
• Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
• Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter

Note the title is a quote from If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino.

And now the weather:
Jolene by Dolly Parton, cover by Miley Cyrus

~ Stacy N.

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Currently...

Photo by Jimmy Chang

Instead of reflecting on what June bought me, I'm going to focus on the now, like right now. So without further ado, let's get started.

Listening:
To Vietnamese music in the background and the sound of distant fireworks. Earlier, I listened to all the Hamilton music that is available (including the workshop version.)

Reading:
Other than what I'm typing out, I'm currently reading Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando. It's a cute summer read, and it's making me reflect a bit on the summer before I started college, which is nice and kind of sad. Last night, I finished Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It's an amazing memoir that makes you think a lot about anti-black racism in the United States, and how it's still continuing on today. Eventually, I'll write a longer post about the book once I gather my thoughts after reading the intensity of that.

Watching:
Nothing at the moment, other than a lot of Youtube videos, which I guess counts. Currently, I'm enjoying season two of Love @First Night, which is adorable and funny and dramatic and diverse in all the right ways.

Dreaming:
Who knows what. Ever since I got back from Seattle, my dreams have been disappearing on me like a magician's smoke. But honestly, I've been dreaming of a brighter future where the world isn't problematic as it is now. But the pessimistic/realist side of me says that that won't happen because it seems that humans have a tendency to hate each other for some little thing and then build a system around that idea. After all, history tends to repeat itself.

And now the weather:
Papercut by Zedd ft. Troye Sivan

~ Stacy N.

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Part one.

Photo by Griffin Keller

His heart has never been the clearest when it came to figuring out what he wanted.
Especially when it concerned Finn.

And now the weather:

Falling by Yuna

~ Stacy N.

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[Insert title here]

[Insert something long and insightful while I'm off planning for future blog posts, bullet journal stuff, and personal life stuff.]

~ Stacy N.

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A Numbers Game

Photo by Negative Space

In the past, when it came to blogging, I couldn’t help but see it as a numbers game. How many views can I get on this particular post, how many followers can I get after a week? Or something like that. And it’s been stressful when I wasn’t achieving what I wanted. That’s often why I would take months-long hiatus (other than dealing with college, work, and family related things,) I got scared and tired of all the numbers.
Lately, I’ve just stopped caring because blogging isn’t a numbers game. It’s about posting whatever you want because you want to share it with the world. It’s about being you and not caring about who reads it. That’s why I’ve been posting every day for nearly a month, to help me stop caring about the stats and just be me and post whatever is on my mind.
Though, I admit it's hard. A part of me still cares about how many views and followers I have. However, I'm really trying to dissociate myself from that because numbers don't tell me who's been impacted by my posts and who actually likes it.

And now the weather:
Fire and the Flood by Vance Joy

~ Stacy N.

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Nights like this.

You know what I miss? That moment of peace. The one that hugs you and tells you that it's going to be all right, that you will be safe (no matter how short it is), and that you're here, that you're alive and that's all that matters.
For me it came at one in the morning, when I was driving home from work, the place itself becoming a tiring memory. Hamilton would play softly in the background, Utah's heat finally becoming manageable, the lights quickly passed by, while I sped down a forty mile per hour road.
It felt safe and manageable and like nothing was going to bother me for just that moment.
And now the weather:
The Chainsmokers & Coldplay - Something Just Like This COVER by Evynne Hollens

~ Stacy N.

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Why do I blog?

One of the few times when I will

willingly wear a hat. 

To give myself a voice in a world full of voices.
To post my writing and other creative ideas somewhere.
To express my thoughts about various topics.
To learn more about myself.
To see myself change over the years (and slightly cringe) and appreciate who I am now because of it.

And now the weather:
My Kinda Lovin by CLARA

~ Stacy N.

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How to write young adult stories in 3 simple steps

Photo by Michelle Spence

1. Make sure the teenagers are human. Don’t base them off of stereotypes. They have needs, wants, desires, and flaws like everyone else in the world.
2. Don’t write more than you need to. That goes for all types of writing. Don’t over-tell to the point where it’s overwhelming, but don’t under-tell to the point where it’s confusing. Try to find that perfect medium.
3. Trust the reader. Trust them to know what you’re talking about. If you're telling too much, you don’t trust them enough to let them figure out what’s going on. And if you’re not saying enough, you trust the reader too much, when in reality, they’re probably very confused.

And now the weather:

The Fault In Our Stars by Troye Sivan

~ Stacy N.

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A dog's best friend

I didn't really feel like writing a lot, so here's a cute short film about a dog and his new, unexpected friend.

~ Stacy N.

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To cut or not to cut (not a self harm post)

Picture by Kristina Paukshtite

Flowers bloom during the weirdest of times; when you’re driving to work, working out at the gym, or just trying to sleep away the day’s mishaps. There it is, growing inside your head becoming little giants. Soon, it’s all you can think about.

And you could either continue watering it or cut it down and focus on something else.

And now the weather:

Mixed Signals by Ruth B.

~ Stacy N.

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Her

Picture by Josh Willink

Kissing her felt like dying stars and the knowledge that you were going to live forever. Summer storms during a drought. A fragile hope that you wish wouldn’t break. It was great, and it was terrible.

And now the weather:

Shape of You - Ed Sheeran: The Filharmonic (Live A Cappella Cover)

~ Stacy N.

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Who is she?

Beautiful People is a writing blog meme hosted by Sky @ Further Up and Further and Cait @ Paper Fury. Every month they ask ten questions that are designed to help us get to know our characters a lot better. Sometimes it's themed, sometimes it's not like it is this month. So, without further ado let's get started.

Beautiful person of the day: Beth Angelina Dovens
Background story: She's a character I've created back in Jr. high school, and who's changed a lot throughout the years. A few of the things that remained the same though is that she's originally from the planet, Bionova, she's half fairy and half shape-shifter, and she has unusual powers. In the latest draft of the book, she has two moms, one who researches Earth and the other is a Bionovian politician. So for half the year, Beth and her moms live on Earth so her researcher-mom could do her work, and the other half of the year they live on Bionova so her politician-mom could do her job, which for the moment, is running for governor for this well-known city.

What’s their favorite place they’ve ever visited?
Earth: New York City
Bionova: the famous botanical gardens.

What’s one mistake they made that they learned from?
Not taking the time to understand things from her politician-mother's point of view. That lack of understanding creates some drama between them, but it's needed for my book to happen.

What was their favorite subject in school? Or favorite thing to learn about?
Beth is obsessed with anything flowers. Flowers help her cope with change, though it is hard to smuggle them onto Earth.

What’s their favorite flower/growing thing?
That's like asking a writer what their favorite book is, there's too many.

Have they ever made someone cry? What happened?
Beth ends up running away, which of course makes her politician-mother cry from all the worry and stress.

Would you consider them a reliable or unreliable narrator?
So far, she's been a pretty reliable narrator.

What do they dream about at night?
Ever since her researcher-mom died, Beth has been dreaming about happy (or in her own words, "taunting") childhood memories.

They’ve gone out for a “special meal.” What would they eat?
Rose soup at this local diner that's near her house on Bionova.

Do they have any distinguishing or unique talents?
On Bionova, there are different species. Each species has a specific power that pertains to them, for example, mermaids have water powers, phoenixes have fire powers, fairies teleport, shape-shifters shift into different humanoids, weres change into different animals, etc. So it's weird if you have no power, it's also weird if your power doesn't fit the power that most of your species has, and it could land you in a lot of trouble. For Beth, in particular, her power consists of changing objects into different objects, for example, she could turn a rock into a hairbrush. Which is pretty dangerous for her, if anyone else outside of her family knew.

What’s at least one thing they want to do before they die?
Become a famous botanist on both Earth and Bionova and to tell her best friend, "hey, I think I like more than as a friend." Let's see which one comes first.

And now the weather:
Once Upon A December (Piano Version)

~ Stacy N.

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Coming Out

Photo by Larm Rmah

There are a million different ways to come out, bake a cake, throw a party, just say that you're queer in a casual conversation, have a serious talk with people you love, etc. And the result could either be good or bad. The good being that you get love and support and are generally happier because you're not hurt in some way. The bad being that you're harmed in some way, kicked out of your own home, and/or forced to be who you're not. If you are in the latter position, the Trevor Project is a great resource that can help you. Meanwhile, find the light in small things and remember that you're a lot stronger than you think you are and that hopefully, it will get better.
Coming out is also a continual process. You don't come out once and suddenly the whole world knows, you have to keep on telling people throughout your lifetime. And it could either be easy or hard, it depends on who you're telling it to. Just remember your identity is not tied to you being queer, it's just one part of who you are.
Though, this makes me wonder, what about not coming out? And that's fine as well. Sometimes it's dangerous for you to come out because you know that you're not going to get the support you need and possibly get harmed in some way. Other times, it's just not needed because you feel like either everyone knows or it's just not part of your agenda.

And now the weather:
Heaven by Troye Sivan ft. Betty Who

~ Stacy N.

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A Seattle Overview

My siblings, good friend, and I found ourselves in Seattle this past week and a half. Mainly to relax and get away from Utah's heat and to get my older sister settled in with her Microsoft internship. So here's a quick overview of what happened while we were down there that could be easily explained with a cinematic vlog but isn't.

Day one: We land in Seattle; arrive at the hotel with some complications that were quickly taken care of; then we go have dinner
at a Brazillian restaurant with my family and my older sister's friends.

Day two: Today was the day that we explored Pike Place Market, which was busy because it was the weekend, and it was pretty warm and sunny out (that's rare for Seattle). There we witnessed the throwing fish event (a bit overhyped in my opinion); eat lunch at the Athenian Seafood Restaurant; and grab some delicious caramel coffee not at Starbucks (though we did see a pretty old Starbucks café). Then we left Pike Place Market to go find a grassy patch nearby and nap for a bit (well technically my whole family but me napped because I was too hyped up on coffee). After half an hour or so, we walked down to the Waterfront Park to ride the Ferris wheel and take some more pictures by the pier. Then we grabbed some ice cream and delicious lemonade on our way to the gum wall (which was not what I expected, it should be called a gum alleyway). Then we went back to the hotel finding some artsy flowers and the Garden of Remembrance on the way there. A bit later in the day, my brother and I made a quick trip to Target, which was three stories high and it had its own escalator for carts.

Day three: We ate some brunch at 13 Coins. Afterward, we check out of the hotel and then go to an apartment complex near Pioneer Square and the International District. After settling into that place, we headed down to the Chihuly Garden and Glass and marvel at the beauty of it all before going into the Space Needle, and damn was it high. Apparently, it's going to be remodeled so that the observatory is entirely made out of glass, which seems pretty trippy in my opinion. Afterward, we end up at Capitol Hill and eat at this delicious restaurant called the Deluxe Bar and Grill.

Day four: This is the first and only day where I bother walking to a gym. It was a nice gym too, but it wasn't for me. After exercising, my family and I head to a Starbucks (when in Seattle grab as much coffee as possible because it is the coffee place in the United States) and a sandwich place which was conveniently right next door. Afterward, we head back to the apartment to rest and watch Parks and Recreation, which was the main show that we watched throughout our whole week there. A few hours later, we go to University Village to go shopping for both personal use and of course Father's Day stuff. One store that I was surprised to see was the Amazon bookstore. Yes, there is a physical building for Amazon Books, that isn't the warehouse. Apparently, there are seven other locations in the U.S. It's nice because it gives you the Goodreads rating and a customer's review of the book, plus, if you're an Amazon Prime member, you get an automatic discount. So, I was able to get a sweet deal on Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter. There was also a yummy pizza place called Elemental Wood Fired Pizza that we ate at later.

 Day five: You could read in my blog post here.

Day six: My siblings and I take a bus to the Microsoft campus and meet up with another one of my older sister's friends. The Microsoft campus is like beeing at a university, except, you get paid, you need a badge to access some buildings (like the mixer aka the cafeteria), and there are more offices than big sweeping classrooms. There we shopped for more Father's Day gifts at the Microsoft store, hang out at the visitor center, before going to grab some cool plastic visitor badges at the Mixer. Also at the Mixer, we ate some lunch, grabbed some boba, and watch some people breakdancing. Then my older sister managed to get the day off from work, so we then went hiking for about three hours to see a lighthouse at Discovery Park (I wish the beaches there were better for swimming). My older sister, being her usual, eccentric self, ended up doing the hike in a dress and high heels, which worked out well for the most part, in her case. Afterward, we went to a yummy BBQ joint before going home.

Day seven: It was our lazy day, so we did nothing for the most part other than watch Parks and Recreation and The Office while listening to the classic Seattle rainfall, as well as nap a lot. Eventually, that got boring, so we went to a movie theater to watch Wonder Woman (it's a pretty good movie), and eat at Elliott's Oyster House.

Day eight: My twin and I went to explore the International District again. There, I ate some delicious green tea ice cream that melted a bit too quickly for my taste, ate some yummy poke bowls, and bought another book even though, according to my twin, "I have enough books already" (I'm a bookworm, I need books to survive). We also relaxed a bit at this courtyard and listened to a musician and watched an old Asian lady play bean bags. Afterward, we went back to the apartment and rested for a bit before my brother, twin, and I headed up to Lincoln Square in Bellvue to meet up with my older sister and our good friend. There, we ended up exploring for a bit, mainly hanging out at this furniture store, before getting some dim sum at Din Tai Fung. That was a delicious place through quite busy, so be patient because you might have to wait for an hour to get a seat.

Day nine: Our last full day in Seattle. We ended up going to the aquarium, losing my brother (who was watching the fishes in the dome get fed), see some puffin mating (or as my older sister joked puffin porn), see some cute otters get fed, and other typical aquarium stuff. After that, we ended up at the Pacific Science Center and did some sciencey stuff, as well as, go into the tropical butterfly house where three different butterflies landed on my brother, my twin, and me. It was a magical experience. Then, we got hungry and went to grab some dinner at this BBQ place that had delicious lamb.

Day ten: I tearfully hugged my older sister and my brother goodbye (not really, but it was kind of sad to separate from them), before my twin, good friend, and I head off to the airport. There we ate some okay seafood, drink some more Starbucks coffee, and of course fly back to good old Salt Lake City, Utah. And honestly, it's nice to be back, especially since I realized that I'm not a big fan of rain and cloudy days most of the time.

And now the weather:
Utah's sun and ninety-degree day and also, Calvin Harris's song Summer.
P.S. I found myself playing Pokemon Go every single day since I ended up in Seattle, which is interesting though kind of boring.

~ Stacy N.

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They were never meant to be

An interesting film about autumn.

~ Stacy N.

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Cảm ơn bố

Cảm ơn bố, con thương bố nhiều lắm, và Happy Father's Day.

~ Stacy N.

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I love this country, even though at times it doesn't love me back

• Part of the reason why I stopped putting my hand over my heart whenever I hear the national anthem is because it represents a history that has repeatedly discriminated people who aren't white, able-bodied, males on a systematic level. Whether that was the three-fifths compromise, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, the Plessy v. Ferguson court case, the Chinese Exclusion Act, Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Trump getting rid of the bathroom rules that protects trans* students, the many accounts of police brutality, and more. It's hard to feel patriotic towards a country that actively tries to get rid of the rights of others. 
• Since Trump's election, there seems to be a rise in hate crimes. It's discouraging, heartbreaking, and frustrating whenever I'm looking through my social media, and I see whatever injustice just happened. However, I'm happy when I hear about the community gathering around to protest, to sign petitions, share it on social media, donate, march, etc. to protest against the social injustices.
• It's still a long way to go before we could get rid of prejudice, hate, and oppression (if we ever do fully get rid of it). And that is going to happen long after my lifetime, After all, Rome wasn't built in a day. I just hope that it comes sooner. 

~ Stacy N.

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Sadness

The only time I remember seeing my dad cry was at his mother's funeral.

~ Stacy N.

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Alexander Hamilton the biography review

Note: There are a lot of spoilers in this review, which shouldn't be surprising considering that it happened already.

source

Few figures in American history have been more hotly debated or more grossly misunderstood than Alexander Hamilton. Chernow’s biography gives Hamilton his due and sets the record straight, deftly illustrating that the political and economic greatness of today’s America is the result of Hamilton’s countless sacrifices to champion ideas that were often wildly disputed during his time. “To repudiate his legacy,” Chernow writes, “is, in many ways, to repudiate the modern world.” Chernow here recounts Hamilton’s turbulent life: an illegitimate, largely self-taught orphan from the Caribbean, he came out of nowhere to take America by storm, rising to become George Washington’s aide-de-camp in the Continental Army, coauthoring The Federalist Papers, founding the Bank of New York, leading the Federalist Party, and becoming the first Treasury Secretary of the United States.Historians have long told the story of America’s birth as the triumph of Jefferson’s democratic ideals over the aristocratic intentions of Hamilton. Chernow presents an entirely different man, whose legendary ambitions were motivated not merely by self-interest but by passionate patriotism and a stubborn will to build the foundations of American prosperity and power. His is a Hamilton far more human than we’ve encountered before—from his shame about his birth to his fiery aspirations, from his intimate relationships with childhood friends to his titanic feuds with Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Monroe, and Burr, and from his highly public affair with Maria Reynolds to his loving marriage to his loyal wife Eliza. And never before has there been a more vivid account of Hamilton’s famous and mysterious death in a duel with Aaron Burr in July of 1804.

Chernow’s biography is not just a portrait of Hamilton, but the story of America’s birth seen through its most central figure. At a critical time to look back to our roots, Alexander Hamilton will remind readers of the purpose of our institutions and our heritage as Americans.

- The more I read the biography, the more I realized that there are a lot of historical inaccuracies in the musical, like the fact that Burr wasn't Lee's second in the duel; Hamilton met Eliza before the ball; Angelica was already married before she met Hamilton; Hamilton was the only person at his wedding (his friends were busy dealing with the war and his family were too poor to get out of the West Indies); in the beginning, Hamilton wasn't entirely for the Constitution because of the 3/5's clause; he got sick a lot;  he wrote the infamous piece against President John Adams closer to the end of Adams' first term; Philip's duel happened after the election of 1800; Hamilton and Burr prepared their duel weeks in advance, giving them plenty of time to prepare wills, finish up their business, write letters, and just prepare for death in general; as well as, other inaccuracies. Overall, I would give the musical maybe a 60-75% chance of being historically accurate.

- I kept on hearing Hamilton lyrics whenever I'm reading the novel, like "Satisfied" when the prologue started talking about how Eliza won't ever be satisfied just by looking at her husband's bust; Jefferson comes home in "seventeen, suh, suh seventeen eighty nine"; "The World Was Wide Enough" when it came to the famous Hamilton Burr duel. In fact, almost all of the songs are used at some point, including the mixtape songs.

- Some small things about the musical make more sense now. For example, when Hamilton tells Lauren, "I like you a lot," it's supposed to imply Hamilton's bisexuality, and when Jefferson says, "Sally be a lamb darling," he actually had a slave named Sally, whom he impregnated. Also, fuck Jefferson when he says that he's for the common people and hates others for living a fancy life when he's also living a fancy life (he spent a fuck ton of money in France on furniture and wine, despite the fact that he's in debt.) He's also like, "I disapprove of the practice of slavery" yet he won't free his own slaves (which there were over one hundred of), and he was very against a strong federal government but when he became president he couldn't really undo what made the government what it was then without ruining everything (like getting rid of Hamilton's financial system, "his financial system is a / Work of genius."), he also twisted the Constitution a bit so he could have a justifiable reason as to why he should continue on with the Louisiana purchase, even though he was a strict constructionist in the past.

- Also, Hamilton reminds me more of the guy who just overshares everything and takes offense at anything that belittles his honor (he didn't have much when he was younger, so what he had then he protected very fiercely). That has gotten him into newspaper wars with many people, especially Jefferson (it got to the point where Washington was like please, both of you, just stop! And both Hamilton and were Jefferson were like, yeah, we'll stop, but then they continue doing it behind Washington's back). It also led Hamilton to write two of the most damaging pieces of his political career, the Reynolds Pamphlet and Letter from Alexander Hamilton, Concerning the Public Conduct and Character of John Adams, Esq. President of the United States, [24 October 1800] (basically much "An Open Letter" from the Hamilton Mixtape).

- Alexander also reminds me of me, we're both wordy. However, his wordiness was very eloquent that almost everybody couldn't help but love it. (Apparently, everyone had time to read 60 pages of Hamilton's work whether it was about the economy or the Federalist Papers).

- Overall, I had mixed feelings about him. He's overly ambitious, writes a fuck ton in a short amount of time (how much sleep did he get at night?), is easily hurt over his honor, had one known affair with another woman while his wife and children were "absent / On a visit to her father." Yet, he cares a lot. He cares very deeply about the nation, his friends, and family. During the affair, he would feel very guilty about what he did and try to make up for it by becoming even more of a loving father and husband. Even after Eliza forgives him, he's still very caring and tries his best to be the best he can be to his family by providing them the best education and housing and giving them his valuable time. He also turned back to God and started praying more, especially after his eldest son, Phillip, died. It got to the point where Hamilton insisted on having dying prayers said over him while he died so he could, hopefully, make it to heaven and see his son, Laurens, Washington, and his mother. Plus, he was a fucking genius when it came to designing our economic system, and how our government should run (albeit, some things probably wasn't that great of an idea like the Whiskey tax, but hey it worked.)

- I love how it starts and ends with Eliza. She's a forgiving person, and I wanted to hug her and protect her. She's also like her husband in some ways, good with running their household and a few volunteer organizations she was on the board of, and cares a lot about their family. Like Hamilton, she was also very determined whether it was helping set up the Washington Monument, making sure the orphanage worked, getting money from the U.S. government for Hamilton's pay during the Revolutionary War, or working on Hamilton's biography.

- Overall, the book does a great job of covering everything in Hamilton's life, even the gritty stuff. And the way Chernow writes, it wasn't that boring because it feels like a soap opera. He also writes it in a kind of easy to understand manner, even going so far as to change what the original document's words said (with a few exceptions) so that a modern audience could read it, while still keeping the context of the piece. So if you're definitely interested in knowing more about Alexander Hamilton as a person, not just distant founding father, a famous Broadway musical character, the guy who wasn't president but feels like he was (he did have a lot of influence during Washington's presidency and most of Adams' before he got kicked out), or "a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten Spot in the Caribbean" then definitely read this book. It's a lot of information, but it's definitely worth it.

- Fun fact Ron Chernow helped check the historical accuracy for the musical and every time something wasn't historically accurate Lin-Manuel Miranda had to defend his reason for doing so.

And now the weather:
The drunken history episode of Alexander Hamilton (Full episode costs about $2.00 plus tax).
This is: Hamilton playlist by Spotify

~ Stacy N.

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Perks of being a twin

A picture of my twin and me at our little brother's graduation.

As a twin (who doesn't look like a twin but really is a twin) there are perks to being a twin (as well as disadvantages but that could be another post later down the line) like....

• Having a natural armrest (only works if the other twin is shorter than you)
• You're never alone
• You have a best friend for life
• You are natural roommates (starting from conception)
• You could talk to your twin about anything
• You have another closet you could get your hands onto
• In other words, you share everything (which can get quite annoying)
• You could easily blame them for some of the mistakes that you did
• You also have a guinea pig who's willing to try out your bad cooking
• Ultimately, you have a special bond with someone who's been with you through thick and thin

And now the weather:

Light The Sky by Grace VanderWaal

~ Stacy N.

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A look in my life part 2 6-13-17

Sorry for the late post, the reason for that is, I decided to do another day in the life for today’s post. So here it is.
For context, I’m currently vacationing in Seattle and visiting my older sister who’s interning at Microsoft for the summer, so the times are going to be in the Pacific Time zone.

7:30 AM: Wake up (why I woke up this early after six or seven hours of sleep, I don’t even know) Go to the bathroom, come back, and just think about dogs, my family, and life.
8:00 AM: Go back to sleep and dream about dogs and my family selling veggies at Utah’s State Capitol.
10:30 AM: Wake up for real and start working on bullet journal stuff.
11:30 AM: Stop bullet journaling for a bit to get ready for the day, finish, and watch Parks and Recreation, and wait for everyone else to get ready.
12:00 PM: Leave the apartment to explore the International District and find a good Vietnamese restaurant.
12:03 PM: Walk down the street, taking some pictures along the way. I'm obsessed with the Instagram Boomerang app; it’s brought some cool pictures and hilarious ones. Whenever I record my brother, he’s either a dork that could end up in horror movies or a philosopher while my twin does the artsy poses.
12:09 PM: Make it to the Uwajimaya Market (an Asian grocery store) to look around only to end up leaving a minute later because of the crowded food stands (darn you, lunch rush). So we ended up walking down the street a bit more to end up at a Phở Hòa Noodle House.
12:13 PM: When we made it to Phở Hòa, two thoughts flashed through my mind, there are more white people here than at any of the other locations, and I like the California location more (I can’t remember which location it was.) As usual, I ordered bún thịt nướng chả giò (the main dish that I order at almost every Vietnamese restaurant that I go to), with Vietnamese iced coffee, and gỏi cuốn. Like any of the other locations, the food was still delicious, and the service was okay (you know if it’s an authentic Vietnamese restaurant if the service is okay/kind of bad but the food is still delicious. We, Vietnamese-Americans, have a slight reputation for being jerks.)

Forgot to take a picture with the boba, oops.

1:20 PM: My siblings and my friend finally finish eating and go out to explore some more of the International District. After a bit of walking, we end up at Yummy House Bakery, a Chinese bakery with really sweet boba (honestly, that wasn’t the greatest boba) but good desserts like flan.
1:51 PM: After a while, we left and explored the area some more before ending up at Kinokuniya Bookstore. This place has a really nice art station, perfect for bullet journaling items, as well as manga and anime collections (both in English and Japanese), tiny $11 rocks, and other items.

2:15 PM: After about twenty-four minutes or so we left and went to explore the Uwajimaya Market, which was right next door. It has both Asian products and some American products, which was useful and helped me with my homesickness.
2:42 PM: We finish shopping, walk back to the apartment, put everything away, before watching The Office. Well, technically, in my case, I worked on my bullet journal some more (which is taking forever because of procrastination, time constraints, and starting all over again because I lost my original one in a Walmart parking lot back in Utah.)

6:20 PM: After about four hours, my siblings, friend, and I get ready to go out for dinner with my older sister and her colleague. After about twenty minutes we make it out the door and order a Lyft, where, while waiting, a kind stranger complimented me on my outfit. Funny enough, my brother thought the stranger was talking to him at first.
6:58 PM: Make it to Mondello Ristorante Italiano, where we met up with my older sister, her guy friend, a female software engineer, and said engineer’s daughter. It was fun; we talked about a lot of things like Israel (where the software engineer is from), Doctor Who, what Microsoft is planning to do, and other various topics while eating delicious food like a spicy tomato soup with octopus and affogato.

10/10, would eat again.

Usually, I don't like coffee flavored
desserts but this is pretty good.

9:42 PM: We finally finish and call a Lyft back to the apartment. The driver was really cool and suggested lots of places that my family, friend, and I should check out soon like whale watching.
9:57 PM: We make it back home where I am currently finishing this up while everyone else around me gets ready for bed. Soon, I’ll go to bed and probably dream about dogs some more.

Note: all pictures were taken with my phone.

And now the weather:
Come With Me Now by Kongos

~ Stacy N.

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Letters part 8

Photo by Redd Angelo

Dear me,
I could say a lot of things right now like thanks for not going down a self-destructive path even though it might sound enticing. Or it's okay to not be dating anyone right now. Or don't date anyone for the sake of being with someone, do it because you are generally interested in their personality as a whole. Or the grayness won't last forever. Days will be days and nights will be nights, and they are what you make them out to be. Be happy, be sad, be joyful, be angry, be everything that you want to be and just know that you will be loved for it, though, not so much if you messed up really badly.

And now the weather:
Love Myself (Acoustic) by Hailee Steinfeld

~ Stacy N.

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A lovely pile of books

One problem with being an English major is that you get burnt out from reading so many books in a short amount of time, that it's hard to find a chance to read for fun. So here's a quick compilation of what I've read between March and now, which was mainly for class.

American Woman by Susan Choi

American Woman, this gifted writer's second book, is a novel of even greater scope and dramatic complexity, about a young Japanese-American radical caught in the militant underground of the mid-1970s.
When 25-year-old Jenny Shimada steps out of the Rhinecliff train station in New York's Hudson Valley, the last person she expects to see is Rob Frazer, a shadowy figure from her previous life. On the lam for an act of violence against the American government, Jenny agrees to take on the job of caring for three younger fugitives whom Frazer has spirited out of California. One of them, the granddaughter of a wealthy newspaper magnate in San Francisco, has become a national celebrity. Kidnapped by a homegrown revolutionary group, Pauline shocked America when she embraced her captors' ideology, denouncing family and class to enlist in their radical cell.
American Woman unfolds the story of Jenny and her charges -- Pauline, Juan, and Yvonne, the remains of the busted revolutionary cadre -- as they pursue their destinies from an old farmhouse in upstate New York back to California. Provocative, suspenseful, and often wickedly comic, the novel explores the psychology of the young radicals -- outsiders all -- as isolation and paranoia inevitably undermine their ideals. American Woman is a tour de force with chilling resonance for readers today.

Thoughts: It's an interesting retelling of the Patty Hearst story, however, this time the story revolves around Wendy Yoshimura, a Japanese American, who helped Patty run from the police. It's exciting in some parts, especially near the end when it just focused on Jenny (aka Wendy) and Pauline (aka Patty). While it took forever to get through the middle because it dragged on much longer than it needed to. I also wanted to slam my head a few times against a wall for the blatant racism these two different characters expressed.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars


Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn

In Dogeaters, Jessica Hagedorn has transformed her best-selling novel about the Philippines during the Marcos reign into an equally powerful theatrical piece that is a multilayered, operatic tour de force. As Harold Bloom writes "Hagedorn expresses the conflicts experienced by Asian immigrants caught between cultures...she takes aim at racism in the U.S. and develops in her dramas the themes of displacement and the search for belonging."
"As sharp and fast as a street boy's razor" (The New York Times Book Review), Dogeaters is an intense fictional portrayal of Manila in the heyday of Marcos, the Philippines' late dictator. In the center of this maelstrom is Rio, a feisty schoolgirl who will grow up to live in America and look back with longing on the land of her youth.

Thoughts: The book is set in the Philippines after it became independent, showing how a country can't revert back to its original self without being influenced by the country that occupied it. An example would be how American products and media are heavily seen throughout the book. It's also a confusing book in the sense that there are a lot of characters, and it switches point of views often. Thankfully, there is a table of contents, so it's easy to make a legend of which chapter focuses on which character. The book is also interspersed with newspaper clippings and an anthropologist's thoughts about the Philippines, so you see both sides of the Filipino story, what people think it's like vs. what it's actually like.
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang

Based on a true story that stunned the world, M. Butterfly opens in the cramped prison cell where diplomat Rene Gallimard is being held captive by the French government - and by his own illusions. In the darkness of his cell he recalls a time when desire seemed to give him wings. A time when Song Liling, the beautiful Chinese diva, touched him with a love as vivid, as seductive - and as elusive - as a butterfly.
How could he have known, then, that his ideal woman was, in fact, a spy for the Chinese government - and a man disguised as a woman? In a series of flashbacks, the diplomat relives the twenty-year affair from the temptation to the seduction, from its consummation to the scandal that ultimately consumed them both. But in the end, there remains only one truth: Whether or not Gallimard's passion was a flight of fancy, it sparked the most vigorous emotions of his life.
Only in real life could love become so unreal. And only in such a dramatic tour de force do we learn how a fantasy can become a man's mistress - as well as his jailer. M. Butterfly is one of the most compelling, explosive, and slyly humorous dramas ever to light the Broadway stage, a work of unrivaled brilliance, illuminating the conflict between men and women, the differences between East and West, racial stereotypes - and the shadows we cast around our most cherished illusions.

Thoughts: It's not Madame Butterfly if that's what you're thinking, don't worry I also made the same mistake when I first heard the title. It does reference Madame Butterfly a lot though, but it twists it around in a surprising way. Instead of the "Butterfly" character immediately falling for the white Frenchman, they're pretty sassy. And then they realize that their sweetness could be used to their advantage. Overall, it's a play loosely based on a true story about the relationship between Bernard Boursicot, a French diplomat, and Shi Pei Pu, a male opera singer. And it twists gender expectations and breaks many tropes along the way.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu

From a 5 Under 35 winner, comes a razor-sharp, hilarious, and touching story of a son searching for his father . . . through quantum space-time.
Every day in Minor Universe 31 people get into time machines and try to change the past. That's where Charles Yu, time travel technician, steps in. He helps save people from themselves. Literally. When he's not taking client calls, Yu visits his mother and searches for his father, who invented time travel and then vanished. The key to locating his father may be found in a book. It's called How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, and somewhere inside it is information that will help him. It may even save his life.

Thoughts: It's metafiction, it's also like the movie Inception in a way, except it's in space and there's time travel. Time travel itself being really personal and more about going back into the past to fix your mistakes/regretting the mistakes you've made, except you can't fix it because it's already in the past. The main character, Charles Yu, is also just a regular, boring guy, not some hero who saves the universe from exploding. Overall, this book breaks what we think of science fiction by making it a personal story about the past and finding your family again, all without giant explosions, traveling to many planets, and villains.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars


Creative Writing in the Community: A Guide by Terry Ann Thaxton

Creative Writing in the Community is the first book to focus on the practical side of creative writing. Connecting classroom experiences to community-based projects, it prepares creative writing students for teaching in schools, homeless centers, youth clubs and care homes. Each chapter is packed with easy-to-use resources including specific lesson plans; case studies of students working with community groups; lists of suitable writing examples; "how to..." sections; examples and theoretical applications of creative writing pedagogy and techniques; reflection questions; and writings by workshop participants. Enhanced by contributions from directors, students, and teachers at successful public programs, Creative Writing in the Community is more than an essential guide for students on creative writing courses and leaders of community-based learning programs; it is a practical demonstration of the value of art in society.

Thoughts: It breaks the idea of writing as an individualistic activity by bringing the community into it. It also adds more meaning to art, and it gives others who normally wouldn't have a voice a voice. As already mentioned in the summary, it's a guide about how to do a writers in the community program, and it has essays about the effects of it. I've had to read it for my class, while also doing a similar writers in the community program where I taught seventh and eighth graders about how fun creative writing is. And it's definitely a fun program to do; however, it's also challenging especially if it's just barely starting up.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars


What Do You Do with an Idea? by Kobi Yamada, Mae Besom

This is the story of one brilliant idea and the child who helps to bring it into the world. As the child's confidence grows, so does the idea itself. And then, one day, something amazing happens. This is a story for anyone, at any age, who's ever had an idea that seemed a little too big, too odd, too difficult. It's a story to inspire you to welcome that idea, to give it some space to grow and to see what happens next. Because your idea isn't going anywhere. In fact, it's just getting started.

Thoughts: It's a cute little picture book about growing and expanding your idea before letting the world see it.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.

Thoughts: To be honest, I've read most of the book in eighth grade, but I never finished it or cared to till now. And, I can see why it's a beloved classic, it's full of characters that you could actually connect with a story that's pretty exciting and heartbreaking, and it doesn't trivialize teenagers. It's also one of the first young adult books that helped make young adult literature what it is now, and it was written by a young woman while she was still in high school. Which, I find pretty fucking cool because you don't often hear of teenagers writing about teenagers getting their work published, as well as, kickstarting a whole new literary category catered to their age group.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

And now the weather:
The Chainsmokers & Coldplay - Something Just Like This | Channa Mereya (Vidya Vox Mashup Cover)

~ Stacy N.

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