Oh so exciting trips.

Coming up very soon, I have the wonderful opportunity to go on a mission trip. Destination: Xicotepec, Mexico.

In a few short weeks, I will be packing my suitcase full of toothbrushes and toothpaste, and flying to Mexico City. This is through a club I am in at school.
Interact Club is something I joined my sophomore year, persuaded by my friend Christine, who was starting it. Since she was just establishing the club, she got a few close friends together(including me) to form the board. I didn't know what the club was until our first meeting, but I eagerly called dibs on vice president, which happens to be my postion today.

Our main goal of the club is to provide international as well as local service. Our international focus is to bring dental supplies to school children in Xicotepec, a village in Mexico. We raise the supplies through the school year, and bring them on the annual trip in early March.

Last year was my first time on this trip, and it was amazing. The thing that sticks with me the most is that we were able to play with the school kids. I spoke no Spanish, and most of them spoke no English. But besides this, I was still somehow communicated and had a lot of fun.

Going on this trip again is very exciting. I will see a lot of familiar faces, and meet even more new ones. The children are playful and lovable, and the adults are extremely kind. Not to mention, it was absolutely beautiful there.

The primary school we were focusing on was about a half an hour away from where we were staying. The way to get there was a long and winding road, that was on the side of the mountains. We were up high, and there was a valley below us. Clouds were underneath us. It was an spectacular sight. Not to mention, my two school friends and I sat in the bed of the truck(there weren't enough seats, and it wasn't against the law), so there was nothing between us and the scenery.

I am very eager to go back. I plan on video-blogging while I am there, talking about everything I do there. I will also post normal blogs about it when I get back. Stay tuned.

He is We

He is We is a band I have recently become attached to. The band originates from Washington state, where Rachel Taylor and Trevor Kelly met and started jamming together. They have been described as a sort of Indie Pop.

Typically, Rachel writes the songs, and Trevor writes the music.

The first song I heard of their's was, "All About Us."

A very cute song. Personally, I think it has the potential to be a first dance song for a wedding.

This band's music has pretty original lyrics, which I like a lot. There are lines in verses that sometimes wow me, because they seem so novel. Rachel has a beautiful voice, but I have not heard Trevor accompany her in singing. It would be interesting to hear them sing together. Maybe that's not his thing, but I still remain curious.

Some of my other favorite songs of their's are as follows:

^Another potential wedding song.

One of the things that crossed my mind about this dynamic duo: are they in a relationship? Well as it turns out, no. Rachel is actually married. I have no more information on that bit, unfortunately.

Well that's all for now. I shall delve deeper into the world of muscial Youtube, and hopefully make another music post soon. Farewell.

Style check.

I don't do these very often, but here's a post about fashion. In particular, a certain trend I am very fond of.

I don't even know if I should call it a trend. I wouldn't be able to confidently tell you how popular it actually is. But I like it, so I am writing about it.

Leggings under shorts. Typically, shorts are worn by themselves, and leggings are thrown under a dress or skirt for an extra boost of warmth when it's chilly(or if you forgot to shave). But I am loving the combination of the comfort and casualness of shorts, with the versatile and refreshing pair of leggings.

One major bonus is that I can wear shorts in the winter, without exposing my legs to the brutal weather. Another plus? You don't have to be as careful as when you are wearing a skirt or dress. Obviously, if you wear a skirt/dress, you have to be classy about it. Knees together, or legs crossed. That's nice and all, and necessary when you wish to wear a pretty dress, but it can get tiring. There are certain days where my laziness causes me to absolutely refuse crossing my legs, so thank the Lord I happen to be wearing pants.

I am also not the type of person who can sit still for a long period of time. Pants and leggings meet that requirement much easier than skirts. And leggings add a whole other piece to the outfit. You can choose different colors, textures, or patterns. I personally find the urge to buy every unique pair of leggings/tights I lay my eyes on, sure of myself that I could find some way to make it work.

They are casual, but can also be very dressy, considering what type of shorts you are wearing as well. So be cautious, but test your adventurousness too. Maybe you'll find this trend as pleasing as I do.

Vlogbrothers. :D

There is a Youtube account called "Vlogbrothers." If you've heard of them, and follow them, then yay.

For most of you that probably haven't, they are two brothers, John and Hank Green. They are full grown adults, married, have jobs, and one has a little boy. They post 3 videos a week, directed at each other, talking about...everything.

They are pretty cool adults in my opinion. As you may have seen in the above video, John is a novelist, and Hank the creator and manager of Ecogeek.com. Their general interests include, but are not exclusive to: video games, literature, Harry Potter, music, politics, miscellaneous, and everything you can think of.

Hank also plays guitar and writes songs, which he often performs in his videos. Occasionally, there is a question video, where they answer viewers' questions. John has read from his own books in the past.

Recently, John has had a new book release, called "The Fault in Our Stars." This has been long-awaited, considering lots of his videos have included him just finishing the book, naming the book, finding a cover, and signing the preorders.

John had vowed to sign all copies that were preordered, which include about 100,000 copies (I own one!!!). He indeed succeeded, but with a pained hand.

I read "The Fault in Our Stars"(TFiOS) when I accidentally got an early copy(lucky me, only a thousand of those) in the mail. I found it to be amazing, but their was a new experience that came along with it. After following the Vlogbrothers for over a year, I have come to know John and Hank's style of speaking/writing, so reading TFiOS was strange considering I felt like I sort of knew the author. It was definitely a weird thing to think about.

These men have come up with their own jargon that pertains to everything about their videos. Everyone who follows their videos are Nerdfighters, and DFTBA(Don't forget to be awesome) is a general greeting. The description box is always referred to as the Doobly-doo.

Hank has a second channel, HankGames, where he solely videotapes himself narrating himself playing video games, sometimes with his wife, The Katherine.

I admire these two individuals because they have very distinct and awesome personalities. They are excellent speakers, and have very good taste and input on social issues. They are fun people overall, and I believe I would be pretty starstruck if I ever had the chance to meet them.











Post-Valentine's Day loveliness.

Yes, if I was writing a post about Valentine's Day, it would obviously make more sense to post ON Valentine's Day. My bad.

Valentine's Day. What has become of another commercial holiday is society's set expectations for men to give their ladies flowers and chocolates. Minimum. So if you're single, sucks to be you.

Well I disagree. I don't know a whole lot about the history of Valentine's Day, and I don't plan on explaining it all in this post, but what I do believe that Valentine's Day shouldn't just be about couples.

Think of EVERYONE you love. Family, friends, significant other. I think Valentine's Day should encourage you to go to those people you care about, and tell them you care about them. Simple as that. But of course, jewelry stores, chocolate companies, and flower shops thrive from their sales on this oh-so-special day, because people are pressured to do something extra special on that day.

Well, what's wrong with that? Nothing. But certain people tend to really take advantage of it. You want an excuse come mid-February to do something romantic for your man or lady-friend? Well, how convenient for you, because we have this holiday...

I have also heard many arguments against the practice of Valentine's Day.
"It's stupid. I don't need a holiday to tell my wife I love her, I tell her that every day!"
Quoted directly from one of my teachers this previous Tuesday. And I agree. Bits of gifts and romance are often most appreciated when the receiver is taken by surprise.

But doing NOTHING? What does that say? I think it should depend on your relationship. If you both agree to boycott the holiday, then go for it. But don't ignore him/her JUST because you think the holiday is meaningless. For one thing, they could actually be wanting something. Don't think of Valentine's Day as an excuse, think of it as another opportunity.

Personally, I would want to do something on the weekend around Valentine's Day. But something much more creative. If you know me, you know I tend to go against what's generic or traditional. Romantic dinner and movie? Naw, let's go on an adventure. Now THAT would be some serious bonding.

Maybe you're single? Big deal. If you're moping, stop. Having a special holiday doesn't make your relationship status on that particular day an accurate predictor of whether you're going to be forever alone or not. So get over it, and enjoy yourself. Don't get hopeless, because that's just silly.

That could be expanded into a lot more meaningful discussion about love and finding "the one," but I shall not get into that.

To conclude: Valentine's Day should be when you tell the people you love that you care about them. Like every other holiday(almost). If you are in a relationship, consider doing something special, but don't feel obligated to. Make sure whatever you decide to do(or not do) is well communicated with your partner. And if you are flying solo, enjoy yourself. Single time isn't necessarily time for looking for an opportunity to not be single. It's a time to learn about and grow to love yourself.

Happy Thursday. :)

Vlogging.

Vlogging: A blog composed of videos, in which the blogger discusses the topics he or she would alternatively write about.

I'm so proud of myself for writing my own definition instead of going to Wikipedia first! But I suppose just to be viable, I should Wiki it anyway.

"...a form of blogging for which the medium is video..."

Personally I think I worded it much better. But I digress.

I got my first video blogging experience by watching "The Vlogbrothers." The Vlogbrothers is a Youtube account, in which John and Hank Green post weekly videos to each other, also to be viewed by the general public.

Not only do I really like this Youtube channel, but I believe it to be a supreme example of vlogging. You will probably see a post in the near future, exclusively dedicated to Vlogbrothers.

Vlogging is something I've always wanted to try, although I do not have much expertise in cameras and computers. But on that note, I will be putting together a video, hopefully sort of vlog-esque, in less than two months. I will be going on a mission trip, and my team mates and I have agreed that we are going to bring back a video to show the experience. (There will also be a separate post on this trip in particular in the future.)

I find vlogging especially refreshing, because for one thing, you're not always in the mood to read. That's just a personal reason. There are moments where I cannot stand the look of words on a page or screen. When you are watching a vlog, you don't have to read anything. They just tell it to your face.

Another cool thing, is that vlogs generally show the speaker talking directly to you, so you get a voice and a face to the author. When it comes to the Vlogbrothers, they are also very entertaining to listen to. Therefore, this may show that someone's speaking skills may be greater than their writing skills (obviously, both generally go hand-in-hand, but one can still be more skilled in one versus the other).

So in the future, I would like to try my hand at vlogging on my own. It would definitely be a new experience.

Recently awesome movies.

Two weekends ago, I saw, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," at the movie theater. My first reaction was that it was a terrible movie. But I corrected myself quite quickly. It's actually a brilliant movie, about a terrible thing.

The main character is a 12 year old boy, whose father is killed in the 9/11 terrorist attack. In the story, he finds a key in his dad's closet, and decides that he is going to find what lock the key fits, hoping it's something his dad wanted him to find.

This movie is jam-packed with emotion. A tear-jerker. It is nominated for many Oscars, and I can see why. The acting is spectacular. Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, and now this new kid: Thomas Horn. They took my breath away.

I want to marry this movie. If that was legal, or possible. I want to marry it, and watch it seventeen times in a row with sparing intermissions.

Now, just this previous weekend, I saw "Chronicle." This was also an awesome movie, but probably not as spectacular when it comes to critics. It was about 3 teenagers, who happened upon a mysterious glowing object in a mysterious sinkhole, and suddenly have the power of telekinesis. Moving objects with your mind.

I didn't like the ending though. It just wasn't how I wanted to see it end. It's one of those movies that spiral downhill, then the worst happens, and nothing gets better. And only the last scene makes you able to wipe your metephoric tears, and march out of the movie theater, completely changed for the better. But really, NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS. It's just a stupid optimistic way of looking at things, and makes you wonder, "Oh...maybe it's for the better..." But no. The next day, you are feeling disappointed again. Because the main character with the really cute smile who started to really grow on you throughout the movie dies at the end. :(\

So in conclusion: Watch "Chronicle" with your friends. See "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" and fall in love with it. Then let's give "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" an Oscar, and save the rest for Alan Rickman.

No. Just, no. Stop.

Okay girls. I'm talking directly to you. This is going to be a really stereotypical blog post, so sorry potential dudes reading this.

There are certain things you should absolutely NOT do with your wardrobe...and no, I am not the fashion police, I am simply a girl trying to save the reputation of girls everywhere.

Men, do not judge the female population for one skimpy outfit on one silly lady. Just don't. Most of us know how to properly cover ourselves up. The following rules are ones I have seen broken in person.

1) If you are wearing a strapless dress or shirt, do NOT wear your normal bra with straps. They invented a strapless bra for a reason, and that, my friend, is it.

2) Be a little modest about the chest area. A low-cut shirt is easily fixed with an undershirt.

3) Please do not mix up tights with pants. There is a distinct difference. No matter how fantastic your legs look, we don't want to show too much.

4) If you've had past injuries due to high heels, please keep your feet grounded. Flats are sensible and perfectly respectable.

5) Be careful when all you where as a shirt is a spaghetti strap tank top. Truly evaluate the skimpy-ness of it before you leave the home. Is its purpose to solely serve as an undershirt? Then don't wear it by itself in public. It's quite unclassy.

6) While we are talking about undershirts, please DO use them when you are wearing flowy or see-through shirts. Save yourself a wardrobe malfunction.

PLEASE double-check your outfit before you go into public. You may not only embarass yourself, but unfortunately other girls as well.

Generated sounds or respectable music?

Music has been changing a lot lately. Turn on the radio, and at least half the time a song comes on, you may not be able to pick out any actual instrumentals.

Because many songs are starting to become computer generated sounds. Autotuned voices to sound perfect, and a sick beat created by your dear lovely littlelaptop. Wikipedia has come to my aid in defining this, "computer music."
"Computer music is...a field of study relating to the applications of computer technology in music composition."
The article goes on in more detail, about how sound synthesis, digital signal processing, sound design, sonic diffusion, acoustics, and psychoacoustics all come into play when creating this electronic music. The result is what the audience hears as an awesome song. Great rhythm, and something you can dance to.

However, it has gotten a lot of criticism as well. The computer generated music got its start from the origins of electronic music, and has recently gotten another jumpstart from the sudden obsession with Dubstep. And again, Wikipedia helps with definitions:
"Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music...Its overall sound has been described as 'tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals.'"

Dubstep, I have found, is most well known for its characteristic WOB-WOB-WOB-ERRR-SHUH-WOB-WOB-WOOOOOOBBB-WAKA-WAKA-*bass drop.* It's much more distinct when you acutlally hear it.

Starting about...0:24 seconds, comes the WOB-WOB's. And as I've said, the majority of the song is computer-generated.

However, here comes the problem.

"WHAT IS THIS??? THIS IS NOT MUSIC...WHAAAT."

Criticism. Some people love it, some claim it to not even be music. So what's the difference? Music can be hard to define, and I refuse to go to Wikipedia for that defintion. To me, music is pleasant sounds you can sing or dance along to. But there are also more purposes than just that. The reason why we have so many genres.

Still, CAN you compare techno music to "regular" music? Considering one doesn't even have tangible instruments playing?

Personally I've concluded that computer music focuses on the dance aspect. You can dance to it. And that's all you do, conisidering the little vocals. It does not have a message or story to tell. Just sounds.

So you can dance to it. But to stretch the concept, you can dance to anything! Pound on a table, and shake your keys. You can make a rhythm easily. There is such a wide, undefinable gray area where music can be categorized.

When it comes to lyrical and instrumental music, I see it easier to find respect for the artist. They can sing, or play an instrument. Or their message is just plain brilliant. But honestly I am a n00b when it comes to how much skill it takes to create a computer-generated song. I would assume it takes a good ear to pick up pleasant sounds, but how hard is it really? I guess that's a question that I don't have an answer to yet. If it takes a decent amount of skill, and only a handful can really be successful at it, then I would say they are respectable artists. But at this point, I don't have any ground evidence to base that on.

But for artists who honestly autotune their voices...stop. If you do not enough confidence or natural talent to let your normal voice shine(or not shine...) then stop recording. Or at least don't sell yourself as a singer. Because that's not singing if you have to use a computer to fix it. That's like singers on steroids.

Not to point any fingers or anything...but:

Again, not pointing fingers...just cursors. The moment you use autotune is the moment I start to lose respect for the artist of a song. Sorry Miley.