Category: entertainment

A Music Journey

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Every event has a soundtrack in my mind. After going cross country skiing in Yosemite, this past week, my mind is full of new bands, new songs and new rhymes that highlight and sum up the fun times of the trip.

Of course there’s always the classic artists that play a large role and debut on such a trip these artists include people such as Johnny Cash and Bob Marley as well as bands like The Who and The Clash. With these pastimes also come old, iconic songs such as Jolene as well as new alternative covers of these past hits.

Next comes the worst of the songs: recent pop songs. These songs are often synthesized rubbish by groups who lip synch and Hip Hop artists that try and impress by remixing old classics. These along with other cheesy artists will irritatingly stick in your head but make you laugh because of their catchiness.

Finally there comes the new music, new tastes, different sounds and great bands.

By sitting on long car journeys everyday I heard lots of different songs and artists, which is very exciting for me as a music lover.

So now that my tastes have been expanded and my pallet rejuvenated with the fresh sounds of others I am ready to get exploring on the biggest music journey now that I am home.

Little Dragon.

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Little Dragon.

Enjoy laying in bed, relaxing on the sofa or chilling outside on a warm night? I have the perfect music for you and it comes in the form of Little Dragon.

Little Dragon is an electronic band from Sweden. Immediately you hear electronic and think how can this be relaxing in any way. For those who think that, not all electronic is crazy club, beat filled music. Being classified as electronic means that a band uses synths and other electronic equipment in some form in their music.

The band came together in 1996 releasing two albums since they formed, Little dragon in 2007, Machine Dreams in 2009 and then Ritual Unions last year.

Since coming together the four-man group has gained lots of support from indie lovers across the globe. They also have produced songs with famous groups such as the Gorillaz.

Little Dragon blend different music sounds together to create calm, cool and relaxing rhythms.  Throughout their albums they sample different genres, drawing from sounds of soul and pop and jazz and blending them with the smooth vocals of lead singer, Yukimi Nagano.

This band produces lively but relaxing music that is perfect for any evening, so give them a listen.

A Gift From God.

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Angel Food Cake

There’s always some sort of delicious food staring at you as you check out your groceries. Today as I checked out my healthy dinnertime ingredients this one item was angel food cake.

With a deal price of $1.99, how could I possibly resist? After all God or maybe an angels placed it there for a reason.

The purpose being that I could taste or sample a piece of heaven and that is an extremely appropriate word to describe angel food cake. Heavenly.

the I don’t know if the angels used their floaty, soft wings to beat the batter or if God created some kind of miracle, but as I chomped down on the first bite my mouth hit air. I could only describe it as how I would imagine the texture of clouds. It was light, airy, but unlike clouds we see in the sky, sweet and vanillary.

I tried angel food cake and I liked it. By taking one simple step I experienced something great, a gift from God.  So take a gamble in life and be tempted because you never know you may experience something out of this world.

Vacation…ain’t it so sweet

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Finally I got out of the school and back home. I was so happy to finally get home and kick back in my big chair just watching NFL network. I get one week to myself, and I couldn’t be happier with it.

Recently, I was involved in my school’s production of the evolution of America. I had a lot of fun with it, and that was my last event before the vacation. While I’m upset to be leaving all the fun experiences I had behind, I am very much looking forward to my week off.

Tomorrow, I will be doing a new Worst Person. The NFL Scouting Combine has just officially kicked off, and there’s nothing but insults from me.

Stay tuned everyone!

The Musical!

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Well, this week has been a big blur of practicing for the musical. It has been very busy and very, very hectic. From sorting costumes to remembering cues, it has been a very challenging feat for all involved. But, tonight, it all payed off in our opening night performance of Utopia in America.

We have been preparing for so long now, but I still didn’t feel extremely ready in the beginning of the night. I was extremely nervous, but we had run through it quite a few times, so I was confident that everyone else knew what they were doing; it was just me I was worried about, because I’m so air headed sometimes.

Musicals are so stressful and time consuming, and get me really nervous. I mean, we’ve been practicing since a few months ago, and our directors have worked harder than ever to make this perfect, and everyone in the cast wanted to make it nothing less than that for them.

There were some extremely funny moments, some moments where we messed up a bit, and some moments where it was more perfect than I ever remember it being in the past. Even though it was very hectic and busy, it was still extremely fun and, in the end, not as stressful as I had thought.

I’m just glad to have the first performance out of the way, so everyone is even more prepared for tomorrow’s two showings. And, everyone that watched it said they liked it, and I think they genuinely meant it. Overall, it was a very solid first show and I couldn’t have hoped for anything better.

Down

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“I don’t know where I’m at
I’m standing at the back
And I’m tired of waiting
Waiting here in line, hoping that I’ll find what I’ve been chasing.

I shot for the sky
I’m stuck on the ground
So why do I try, I know I’m gonna to fall down
I thought I could fly, so why did I drown?
Never know why it’s coming down, down, down.

Not ready to let go
Cause then I’d never know
What I could be missing
But I’m missing way too much
So when do I give up what I’ve been wishing for…”

-Jason Walker, “Down.”

Every year at Ojai Valley School we have a show at the end of the year called the Festival of Talent, which is exactly what it sounds like.  Last year we had a particularly beautiful performance by two fellow OVS bloggers, theotherblackgirl and rangerthecat; however, the former graduated.

They sang “Down” by Jason Walker, a song from the hit TV show “The Vampire Diaries.”  The show is based off a book series of the same name, written by Lisa Jane (Ljane) Smith.  But I’m getting off topic.

They did an amazing job at the show, a duet that left everyone speechless.

I apologize for the shaking and coughing.  It was freezing, I had no tripod and clearly, I was coughing.

You can compare it to the original:

So what’s this song really about?

Well, I don’t think I know.  I’m kind of super lame about the “interpreting the artistic and hidden meaning of stuff.”  So I couldn’t tell you what the artist meant or even what the general public thinks.

But I can tell you what it means to me.

It’s about someone who can’t find love.  This person has been standing around, waiting, hoping, wishing for the right person to come around.  It sounds like perfect love entered his/her life once, but it failed.  The singer is stuck on said love and is unwilling to forget it, for fear of it coming back and not being there to reciprocate.  Or maybe he/she is afraid that love was so perfect there will never be anything else like it.  Either way, this person is going down because of the loss.  He/she is confused why it felt like they could “fly” when they were in love, only to realize they were “stuck on the ground” and then they “drowned.”

It is entirely possible I missed the point completely.  But that’s what it says to me.

Sound familiar?

The Sound.

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The sound is deep.
It resonates throughout the room,
The chamber of my heart,
And the corners of my fingers.
The sound is gorgeous.
Irresistible.
It sends shivers down my spine,
Raises my skin,
Flutters my heart.
How I long for it to be closer.
Not across a world
Or a room
But behind me.
Heat seeping to my shirt,
A breath behind my ear,
A whisper.
A whisper of anything:
Everything.
Just to hear that deep sound.
Just to send shiver to my spine,
Send bumps to my skin,
Send flutters to my heart,
Send a longing directly through me.

Your sound is deep.
It resonates throughout the room,
And throughout the chamber of my heart.

A Time for Change.

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Change is healthy.

Today, before I left the dorms for the Ojai Farmer’s Market, I made a spur of the moment decision to change my room around. My bed has been rearranged. My dresser once cluttered with various cosmetics and toiletries is now bare, my small pink and white refrigerator brandishing those same perfumes and toothbrushes.

It feels good.

I spent a large part of my day cleaning and reorganizing and reopening and removing. I usually feel a need for this sort of change at the end of the school year in the dormitories.

Today was different though.

As I am beginning to sum up my five years at Ojai Valley School, writing the last pages of my high school days, priming for the next chapter of my life, I am slowly growing more anxious, scared, and unsure.

What is undeniable is my insatiable desire to graduate. 

I don’t know what it is. A part of me does not want to leave, knowing how much I will miss this place, a part has been growing since September. I guess I am scared to leave this small hill that blessed me with so many happy, great memories but, I think I am too scared to leave the people I love so much behind.

But time is surely passing by faster this year…

I only wish that I make sure this year is great. I am happier than I ever was with my friends and the people I surround myself with. And I want to leave feeling elated and proud.

COLLEGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that is what I cannot get off my mind. Where will I GO!? I find out the results of my Early Evaluation application to Wellesley College. But after that, I have another dreaded MONTH of waiting for results. Goodness gracious. The college process is absolutely dreadful. Hopefully, great news will unfold in the upcoming weeks!!

Wish Me Luck.

 

BMX

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I will never be able to understand fully how these athletes are able to do the things they do on a bicycle. While watching videos of BMX riders I learned that they possess key elements that allow them to do the things they do. They have balance:

They can fly:

They can flip:

And they can fall:

Fall really hard:

So in conclusion I think that this is a tough sport to be a part of and for those who are involved in it I salute you.

I love watching the crazy things that these guys can do on a bike, it simply amazes me every single time. I wish that I was as good as these guys and girls at a sport.

Jack Penate

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Jack Penate

Jack Penate is a singer and songwriter from London. Armed with a guitar and an excellent voice he is a man that puts his heart, soul and passion into his lyrics. He is a man who exhibits true artistry and charisma through his music.

Jack released his first album, Matinee in 2007, which debuted at number 7 in the UK album charts. Two years later, in 2009, he came back and released his second album Everything Is New and now has recently returned with new material including the single No One Lied. 

His music visits many genres and could not be labeled as anything other than alternative because many of his songs are indefinable as a genre and this is what makes him great. Each song has a different tempo, strong but simple lyrics and is full of quirkiness.

Jack Penate is an extremely gifted artist that’s music can evoke many emotions depending on your mood.

So give Jack Penate a listen.