This weekend I toured a school that was never at the top of my list, but after visiting, became the center of my target. Loyola Marymount University (LMU) was exceptional, and honestly, there was nothing I didn’t favor. The school is located in Los Angeles, specifically in the Westchester neighborhood, about four miles north of LAX. A prime location. With the beach Playa Del Rey being only 2.6 miles away, I practically have the ocean at my fingertips (an absolute non-negotiable). LA has diverse and delicious food, offering so many options. Aside from the location, the campus itself stands out on its own. The beautiful architecture was alluring. And unlike previous schools I’ve toured, the size of it didn’t consume me. Classes consist of an average of twenty students, meaning your teachers know you not only by name, but by character as well. The ability to form relationships with professors can be tricky, or even impossible at larger schools, but not at LMU. I could genuinely go on and on about the utter perfection of this school, but I would begin to bore you at some point. If LMU is not on your list, I would highly advise you to reconsider adding it.
There are only about two months left in this school year. Prom and spring break will be here in one week. I am not sure what I will do each time the break comes. To be honest, I honestly don’t know what to do since I have done most of the sightseeing I can do in LA. I will be staying with my roommate this break, but the thing I am most looking forward to is meeting up with my Japanese friends on Saturday and Sunday at first weekend of break. I usually don’t get to see them very often and spend a lot of time with them, so I am excited to going out to lunch, watching movies, and so much more. Also, it will be my roommate’s birthday during this break, so I would like to make it a memorable day by going on a small trip somewhere, riding many roller coasters at an amusement park, or having a nice dinner. Of course, I also want to go to beverly hills and do our usual routine that we usually do when we are at LA. After spring break, summer break is only 7 weeks away, so I want to make the most of my remaining time as an 11th grader.
I recently came across this instagram account, which takes out pictures from old archives, specifically of Los Angeles (@ forgottenmadness_la). They pin down the exact location of where it was taken and often colorize them. These pictures come mostly from the early 1900s. They are particularly interesting to me because I grew up in Los Angeles, so to see how much the city has changed is really incredible. It looked like a completely different place (obviously), but its so crazy when I can actually recognize a building or where something was taken. In one video they posted you can even see the old apartment I used to live in. In general, the entire account is a great example of how much electronics and new technology have changed society.
My latest addiction is acai bowls. My image of them was that of stylish LA girls eating them for breakfast. Acai bowls are full of nutrients and are known as a superfood. Acai also contains three times more iron than liver and 30 times more polyphenols than red wine. Therefore, it is effective in preventing anemia, aging, and lifestyle-related diseases. I first ate it in Hawaii when I was in the fourth grade of elementary school. At that time, I did not realize the appeal of shallow bowls. When I studied abroad in the U.S. in high school, near my school, acai bowls struck a chord with me. They are the healthiest of snacks, cold and happy. My favorite toppings are strawberries, bananas, blueberries, granola, and honey. These days I stock up on acai bowls every time I go out for the weekend. The number one drawback to these is that everything gets all tickly and hard in the freezer. But more than that, I’m a sucker for acai bowls. My dream is to visit different acai bowl stores while I am in the US.
Maybe it hasn’t been my year, but it has definitely been my weekend, because, on Saturday, I got to see my favorite band for the fifth time.
This time was the first time I’ve ever been to Emo Nite Day. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to happen, but the experience was way better than I ever could’ve imagined.
First of all, I never thought I’d be in a room full of hundreds of people jamming out to iconic emo songs, like I Write Sins Not Tragedies and Welcome to the Black Parade. The crowd during those DJ sets was just as exciting and wild as when the bands came on. It was an incredible feeling to scream all the lyrics with people who were screaming along with me and weren’t judging if my voice was horrible or not (sorry to the people near me because my voice was, in fact, horrible and really, really loud).
Saturday was the first time I ever got to see 30H!3 live. I only became a big fan recently, but their songs were still a big part of my childhood and I went crazy when they went on stage.
Then, I saw Mayday Parade. The last time I saw them was in seventh grade, but my friend and I continuously joked about how they never came to So-Cal. The times they did decide to come on their tours were weekdays or vacations when we were both out of town. Mayday Parade was one of my favorite bands during middle school, but I lost hope of seeing them live again.
But, I screamed when I heard they would be playing at Emo Nite Day alongside All Time Low and my middle school dreams were coming true. I was finally seeing Mayday Parade again and I got to hear Jersey, my favorite song by them, for a second time.
At the end of the night, after standing for six hours for the moment I’ve been waiting for since I bought tickets in August, All Time Low came on stage. The set was only an hour long, but they played all my favorite songs including Stella. Saturday night was the first time I ever heard that song live and I have the video to prove it, though my voice was louder than the singer’s voice in the microphone. Besides that, I finally checked off sitting on someone’s shoulders at a concert (Shoutout to my friend for keeping me on her shoulders for that long. Sorry I killed your neck, oops).
I know it’s biased because they’re my favorite band, but All Time Low performs the best concerts ever. During one of their songs, they released giant glow-in-the-dark beach balls into the crowd. There were always crowd surfers and people kept head-banging, singing, and jumping up and down during the choruses. Then, during Dear Maria, Count Me In, Luke from 5SOS came on stage and, while I’m not the biggest fan now, they were my favorite band alongside All Time Low in middle school. My former emo self was having the time of her life. They have the most unproblematic fan base, zero drama involving the band, and their concerts possess an energy that is always positive and happy.
I’m thankful for that night. For being able to head into LA for the night and let go of all the stress and drama of senior year and hold on to only good vibes from the evening. I know Emo Nite Day is only once a year, but I can’t wait to go again in the future.
Winter in Los Angeles — Photo Credit: ImMovingtoLA
Winter in Washington D.C. — Photo Credit: HostelsClub
It is almost Halloween, Thanksgiving is only a month away, and fall has technically been in full swing since September 22. Yet, last week it was almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts of Southern California. Spud Fest happened last week at OVS and it was hot enough for people to be wishing they were in the dunk tank or the pool. At the end of Spud Fest, some students were so tired of the heat they had the remaining water and ice from the ice chests dumped onto them.
For some, 2/3 of the year being summer, and the rest being an awkward mix of cold and warm is heaven. But for those who live for the cold, the Southern California fall and winter seasons are not ideal. Currently, the weather in New York City and Washington D.C. is ranging from 50-60 degrees, with rain. Hopefully, Southern California will catch up soon.
Recently I had the good fortune to see Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge. It was at Center Theatre Group’s Ahmanson Theatre. The play in its original form is straight from the kitchen of a struggling family in cold war era New York.
A home drama usually staged in an actual house was turned into a play on par with a Greek tragedy. Staged on a sterile white floor boxed in by clear siding with sharp black boards on top, there was a black step leading to a crisp doorway at the back of the set. There were no changes to this set up.
There was a large black box that was raised and lowered at the beginning and end of the show that completely covered the entire stage and rested on the black boundary.
It felt like I was a giant looking into a world like my own, but not.
This was the work of Ivo van Hove. His interpretation dialed into human nature and what desperation does to the mind. It put all the attention on the actors, emotion, and themes that run throughout the play.
Accompanied only by an occasional drumbeat and Gothic church music, the actors carried every part of the play.
Photo Credit: www.centertheatregroup.org
It was an amazing way to spend a Sunday afternoon. My head buzzed afterward.
The play was a microcosmic view of modern life, it remains applicable today. Immigration, prejudice, the weight of living.
Last night I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of the Los Angeles Art Show to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
I have been to a few art shows before, but none compare to this one.
There was historic and contemporary art, the historic was romantic and detailed, while the contemporary was polished and fashionable.
Although I had a rough go-of-it in new shoes that I had not worn previously to this event, I was mesmerized by the thousands of painting, sculptures, and sketches covering the walls.
The set-up was stunning. A labyrinth of walls glowing with spotlights throughout an entire floor of the LA Convention Center was filled with hundreds, if not thousands of people.
After strolling around the maze of artwork for a few hours, my friends and I went home for the night.
On a cold and foggy day in down town Los Angeles two cars are parked side by side. Window to window hands exchange different bags. I am not sure what’s inside the bag, but I know it couldn’t be anything good.
I follow these two cars as I watch from above, on top of the bridge that they are under. As they drive away I exit the bridge and pull up behind one car. A flat black Dodge Challenger with red break calipers, and chrome handles. Pinstripes run down the side of the door. A chrome tip muffler extends out from underneath the chassis, it is a sound many cars do not make. We stop at a red light, the Challenger is rumbling so loudly that my mirrors are shaking. The man looks in his side mirrors, I am afraid I have been spotted. His face is tattooed, head shaved, and stretched ears. He looks like a high level thug.
I am no cop, just a person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I am not one to let something like this go. My name is Jax. I am just an average person. I wear a suit to work every day. I sit in a cubicle from 9-5 Monday-Friday. I live alone with my two dogs, no woman, just a single guy trying to make a living. Witnessing this exchange was not my idea of a Saturday morning, all I wanted was to drive to the beach in peace, but these stupid asses had to go and mess it up.
I see the Challenger turn into a parking lot. I drive passed his tail lights and turn around the corner. I don’t want him to think I am following him. I park along the curb and watch as he goes into the store. He comes out of the Vons with no bags, but he has been in there for almost 45 minutes. I run inside to ask a clerk if he bought anything, she tells me no. She’s an innocent looking girl, blond hair, blue eyes, and infinity symbol tattooed on her wrist. She looks trustworthy and I figured while I was in there I’d ask her for her number. She hands it to me on the back of a receipt. Julia is her name, I didn’t see her as a Julia, but it fits. I told her I would call her later, but that I had business to get back to. She asked me what I was doing, but I said, I’ll have to tell you some other time.
As many know, the NHL season was cut in half this season due to problems with a collective bargaining agreement, or CBA. It’s funny how in the past 2-3 years, labor issues have been a serious problem in professional sports across the board. The NBA and NHL lost games while the NFL lost certain preseason workouts. All three were greatly affected. However, this 48 game season of hockey (a full season has 82 games) has been nothing short of exciting yet confusing.
I’m a big New Jersey Devils fan. They lost in the Stanley Cup finals last year to the Los Angeles Kings, but I wasn’t torn up about it. I was excited to even get to the finals and win the Eastern Conference. That was way more than I was expecting last season, but it elevated my expectations for this season.
We aren’t the best team in hockey. But, we play very well. At least we can say we are better off than Columbus.
Regardless, the playoffs are fast approaching as there are about 10 games left for most teams in the regular season.
The NHL is ranked on a point system. A team is given 2 standing points for a win, 0 for a loss, and 1 for a loss in overtime or a shootout. In each conference, there are 3 divisions. This is the last year we will see this, as next year the league is realigning into four conferences. Anyway, there are three divisions in each conference, and the division leader in each makes the playoffs as the first, second or third seed. In order to finish off the playoff bracket, the next 5 teams in point standings are added to the bunch. 8 teams from each conference go to the playoffs, making a total of 16 teams.
Last night I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of the Los Angeles Art Show to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
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