Pearl Harbor + Honolulu 2016

Hey everyone! Today is the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii and I wanted to share some pictures from when I visited it. In August, I went to Honolulu and Maui. While I was in Honolulu, my family and I visited the Pearl Harbor memorial. At Pearl Harbor, there are memorials for the USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, and the USS Utah, which were destroyed beyond repair during the attacks of December 7, 1941.

The USS Arizona lies in Pearl Harbor where it had sunk. The memorial is built over the ship, and visitors have to take a minute long trip on a boat to the memorial. The USS Arizona and the USS Utah are able to be seen by visitors because the remains of the ship lay on two different sides of the harbor. The USS Oklahoma had huge hole, and sunk a few miles from its brother ships. The memorial for the USS Arizona is the only one I saw, but it was such a nice experience because the memorial is a truly beautiful. If you closely into the harbor, you can see the oil that has continuously leaked from the ship for 75 years, and there is no way of knowing when it will ever stop.

The memorial is seen as a sacred site in honor of all the people who died on December 7, 1941. For survivors of the USS Arizona, when they die they have the option to have scuba divers put their ashes into the sunken ship. Currently, there are only six veterans from this ship alive.  On this sign, it talks about how when the divers put the ashes into the ship, it's like the soldiers are returning home to their fellow soldiers.

At the memorial, there is a list of all the people who died on the day of the attack from all the ships. The whole wall is filled, and it has the first initial and last name of the soldiers.

Pearl Harbor also has two museums about World War II, and the involvement of the United States during the war. Also, the museums had artifacts from the ships, letters from soldiers, old uniforms, stories, and so much more. It's like walking into a time capsule of this event, and it's so interesting. I loved reading about the people who gave their lives to their country. Also, going to the memorial and the museum made me more connected to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and it made everything more real. There's a difference between reading about an event, and actually seeing the faces of the fallen, and the place where it happened.


Other Pictures from Honolulu ( Oahu):

Honolulu is so far away from New York, but once I go to the Island I was so happy. It seems like everyone is just so happy and friendly. Oahu is the most populated island of Hawaii, and is filled with tourists from the mainland and Japan.

 I lived for all the fruit that was accessible to me in Hawaii. All the fruit is so fresh, and almost everywhere has at least one smoothie option. For breakfast one morning I had a pitaya (dragon fruit) smoothie bowl with strawberries, bananas, mangoes, coconut shavings, and blueberries.

My family and I went on a bus tour around Honolulu, and the views were spectacular. I also got to see the veterans cemetery that is filled war heroes, celebrities, known and unknown soldiers. Hawaii is a place with such a rich history, and I was so glad to be able to experience it.

Right when I took this photo, the tour guide pointed out that Obama grew up in Honolulu. Since I have never been to Washington D.C, this is the closest I have been to something that is connected to the president. Although there are tons of beaches and palm trees in Hawaii, Honolulu is a metropolitan city.

If you have ever seen Hawaii 5-0, you might recognize this building... :) In reality, this is a government building, and there is an older, identical building right across from it that was also in Hawaii 5-0.

I obviously had to post some picture of me from Honolulu, so here is a picture of me when I learned how to paddle board  in the lagoon at my hotel. Coincidentally, people were filming for Hawaii 5-0, when I got out of the lagoon.

On my last day in Honolulu, before I went to Maui, I went on a walk to try to get to a mountain. After walking about 1.5 miles and then realized  that the mountain was very far away. The walk was very nice because of the view of the clear water and all, but since it was August, the sun was blazing hot.

 I hope you liked my post about Pearl Harbor and Honolulu. This month, I will be posting about my Maui experience, but I felt it was appropriate to post about Pearl Harbor today. 

                                                                            xx
                                                              Christina Madeleine

My Month in Photos: November 2016

Hey everyone! I know I did two photo posts this month, but that was about two specific events that I wanted to share about. I haven't been updating frequently, and I really want to share what I have been doing. For 2017 I am planning to get myself organized and post on a schedule, but until then I am going to post a lot in December, and for now I am going to show you all what I forgot to share.

 I am in AP drawing this year, so this is the fourth of twenty four pieces that I will have to create this year. I am currently on piece six (so I am not even 25% done, but I have faith that I will). If you can't tell, this is a drawing I did of a pipe in my school.

 As seen in my photo post on Union Square, this is a poster from the NYC Love Rally/ Peaceful Protest.

This was the Empire State Building the weekend of Veteran's Day.

 This is the post-it note wall that now complete covers Union Square, and it's filled with peaceful and inspiring messages (with the exception of a few).

 This is the fifth of the twenty four pieces I will be doing this year in my drawing class.

 This year I am the events coordinator of my school's feminism club (we call it W.O.W i.e Women in Our World). Our club got to host a summit in which we had 15 speakers come including people like Sara Horowitz, Abigail Disney, and many other inspiring women in the fields of business, theater, medical, politics, and more. We hosted a photo booth for the day, so all 85 of our participants could take pictures with out props. It was such a great experience, and I can't wait to plan it again for the second annual summit in 2017.

 I went to a concert on November 19 at Webster Hall for a group called Wet, this is a picture of Demotaped, who was one of the opening performances.

 The group is made up of three people, and their fan base is relatively small. Webster Hall had about 400 people in the room, so it was quite intimate. It was a very tame concert, and the music was wonderful. They have songs called All in Vain, You're the Best, and Don't Wanna Be Your Girl.

 The lead singer, Kelly, sang by herself for the encore. She also gave a small speech about how she was so happy to perform at Webster Hall, and it warmed my heart. People's dreams do come true.

This was what the outside of Webster Hall looked like on November 19.

 The weather in New York is very unpredictable. This was a selfie of me that I took during gym class in forty degree weather. I brought out my scarf, and Kate Spade ear muffs (that I absolutely adore them). My teacher told me that my ear muffs look like little furry animals, but I think they're really fun (and I got them for $55 cheaper than the original price because they were on sale).

 I spent Thanksgiving in New Jersey with my cousins, and this is one of the only pictures I have from it. I even posted it to instagram: @chriistinamariie

 This is the Oculus at the World Trade Center, and it's newly built and has a ton of stores to shop at it. I bought some Christmas presents there :)

 On November 26, I visited my grandmother in Orient, Long Island and she treated us to a very fancy dinner. Since I am a blogger, I just had  to take photos of all my food and of a view.

 If you ever find yourself in North Fork, Long Island I recommend this restaurant because it's in an old house, and they change the menu based off the season.

 The truffle mac & cheese was truly a thing of beauty, haha.

 This was my first time trying tapioca, and I think it's something I would have again.

Last but not least, this is my dog Bosco, and he loves this bed so much that he'll spend all day on it if he could.

Question: What did you do this month?

                                                                             xx
                                                              Christina Madeleine

Book Review: Angela's Ashes

Hey everyone! I hope all you Americans had a great Thanksgiving, and if you're not American that you have had a lovely thirteen days since my last post. As I said in my last book review, I am doing the Goodreads reading challenge, and I just finished book 26 of the 30 I want to read. It took me about three weeks to read my latest book because I have had just so much homework, and I have been very busy. The book I just finished was called Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

“When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.”

So begins the luminous memoir of Frank McCourt, born in Depression-era Brooklyn to recent Irish immigrants and raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. Frank’s mother, Angela, has no money to feed the children since Frank’s father, Malachy, rarely works, and when he does he drinks his wages. Yet Malachy — exasperating, irresponsible, and beguiling — does nurture in Frank an appetite for the one thing he can provide: a story. Frank lives for his father’s tales of Cuchulain, who saved Ireland, and of the Angel on the Seventh Step, who brings his mother babies.

Perhaps it is story that accounts for Frank’s survival. Wearing rags for diapers, begging a pig’s head for Christmas dinner and gathering coal from the roadside to light a fire, Frank endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbors—yet lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance, and remarkable forgiveness.

Angela’s Ashes, imbued on every page with Frank McCourt’s astounding humor and compassion, is a glorious book that bears all the marks of a classic.

My Thoughts:

I don't know if I would have picked this book out if I was just wondering through the bookshelves of a library because I usually go for fictional books. It's a very subconscious thing I do, but I almost always end up reading fiction, even if it's historical fiction. Both my parents read Angela's Ashes some time ago, so they recommended the book to me.

After having the book in my locker for about a month, I finally started reading it. You shouldn't go into this book expecting a super happy ending because the main character, Frank, has a rough life that gets way worse before it gets better. His family is in poverty, his father is an alcoholic, the mother doesn't have a job for the longest time because she takes care of the kids, and just his whole life is filled with struggle. For about 17 years of his life (from age 2-19 when the book takes place), the McCourts live in Limerick, the holiest city in Ireland. Since the book is written in Frank's point of view, there is much talk about nuns, brothers, priests, and how just about everything is a sin.

This book is a tough read because it's very far from my own life, so it took me awhile to remove myself from the present to fully absorb the book. I did, in fact, enjoy the book because there is a comedic spin to sad story. The book is a memoir, and Frank writes the way he thought when he was three years old, all the way to nineteen. The ending of the book is inspiring because it reminds me of how hard people worked to come to America in the 1940s and 1950s. The book contains a lot of vulgarity, especially from adults towards children, but that was what happened during that time period because of the whole children should be seen and not heard.

I do recommend this book for people who want a challenge, and also want to read the memoir of a child that grew up in poverty-stricken home. This book is very depressing, but it is and was the reality of many people in the world.

Some Favorite Quotes:

“He says, you have to study and learn so that you can make up your own mind about history and everything else but you can’t make up an empty mind. Stock your mind, stock your mind. It is your house of treasure and no one in the world can interfere with it. If you won the Irish Sweepstakes and bought a house that needed furniture would you fill it with bits and pieces of rubbish? Your mind is your house and if you fill it with rubbish from the cinemas it will rot in your head. You might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace.” 


“I know that big people don't like questions from children. They can ask all the questions they like, How's school? Are you a good boy? Did you say your prayers? but if you ask them did they say their prayers you might be hit on the head.”

Questions: Have you read this book? What books are you currently reading/ recommend?

                                                                          xx
                                                            Christina Madeleine

Love Trumps Hate

Hey everyone, in the wake of the president election in the United States, I want to share with all of you my feelings on the latest events. This was the first time that I have paid attention to politics. I always used to say how I identify as an independent, and I don't really care about the two main parties. This year my views have changed an incredible amount due to fact that I needed to educate myself on politics to understand this election. Although there were four candidates (equal numbers of men and women!!), the media and the people of America focused on the Democratic (nominee Hillary Clinton) and Republican (nominee Donald Trump).  The thing with this election is that both candidates were on complete different ends of the spectrum. We had Hillary Clinton, who had the same values as our current President, but also was a women (could have been our first woman president), and was more for equality for all Americans. She, obviously, had many flaws such as Benghazi (I learned all about it from VlogBrothers), and the email scandal. Many people also didn't like her, not because she was a woman (although some people do believe females can't be president but that's different), but because she didn't bring much change in the country from what we have now. Donald Trump, our now president-elect, was on the opposite side of the spectrum because he was a conservative Republican. He changed history because he is one of the only people ever to run for office in America (and is the only one to win) with no previous political position. The big problem with his campaign is that he used xenophobia, racism, homophobia, sexism, and more to get people to vote for him. The election was between two very hated people with two very strong, and opposite views. 

Now that Donald Trump is the president-elect, now more than ever people have to have their voices heard. His presidency gives many people throughout the country the idea that they are able to openly show their hatred towards a race, religion, etc and that it is perfectly okay. It is never okay to show hate towards a group of people because the actions of a few.

On November 11, 2016 I was able to stand among hundreds, if not thousands, of people in Washington Square Park in New York City. This was a peaceful protest against Trump. There were people of all genders, ethnicities, nationalities, sexualities, races, and religions talking about loving each other and fighting the hate in the world. This protest was meant not to be violent because nothing ever good comes from that.

I strongly believe in an America where all people will be treated equal. I can't let a leader have the interest of only one group of people (white, heterosexual, well off ) in his head. By protesting yesterday I was able to use the 1st Amendment (Freedom of Expression) to fight for my rights. My president-elect does not believe in abortion. I, personally, would not have an abortion, but because of my own personal choice I would never tell other people they can't do that. Planned Parenthood is an amazing foundation that does cancer screenings, gives out birth control, and does abortions for people in need of it. Yesterday, I protested Trump for women everywhere to be able to safely have control over their bodies.

Every person that I talked to at the protest is an amazing person. I was surrounded by people from 15 to 75, and they all wanted peace in the United States. These were not people who wanted to bring more violence because they have seen what hatred does. Hatred spreads like wildfire, and it's very hard in a short period of time to turn things around. I was not scared of a single person at this protest because I knew we had the same beliefs about human rights no matter what our financial status, race, religion, or sexuality was. I plan to fight for the rights of everyone for as long as I need to for everyone to be heard. I will not accept the xenophobia. I will not accept the racism. I will not accept the sexism. I will not accept the homophobia.  I will not accept the hate.

My friends and I walked from Washington Square Park to Grand Central Station with our sign. We walked up 6th ave with all the people on the way to the Trump Tower. All the protests shut down a whole avenue, and there were police everywhere making sure nothing violent happened. It was so empowering to scream at the top of my lungs for all the people across the country who are being oppressed. There were people videotaping, high-fiving, and taking photos of us. This was one of the best things I have ever done. I had such an adrenaline rush, and all I wanted to do on the subway home is scream "I HAVE A VOICE." My friends and I high-fived each other and did a group hug because we protested for something we fought for something we believed in. When we were walking the streets it was so encouraging to hear people go, "I love your sign", "keep going girls, "yeah! f#@& trump", and "I support you guys 100%." So many people smiled at us, or honked there trucks at us to show support. New York was magical on that night. The city takes on a feeling like no other.

Our chants were: WE REJECT THE PRESIDENT ELECT. BLACK LIVES MATTER. DISABLED LIVES MATTER. MY BODY MY CHOICE. PUSSY GRABS BACK. THE PEOPLE UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED. RACIST, SEXIST, ANTI-GAY, DONALD TRUMP GO AWAY. HER BODY HER CHOICE. WHO'S STREETS? OUR STREETS. PEACE.

Bernie Sanders said, "To the degree that Donald Trump is serious about pursuing policies that improve he lives of working families in this country, I and other progressives are prepared to work with him. To the degree that he pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environmental policies, we will vigorously oppose him."

I will never ask for my president to fail because I want to see my country succeed and become a place for all people. I am, obviously, not happy with the election out come, but I have a voice for a reason. My job, and the job of all people, is to get your voice to be heard. If this means that I will be marching through Manhattan a few times a month to protest a law, idea, or proposal so be it. I was surrounded by so much love at this protest. Love will always triumph over hate.

I leave you all with this. No matter who you are, always fight for what you believe in. Never let people tell you that you don't matter.

Until next time,

Christina Madeleine

OOTD: Halloweekend 2016

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in more than a week, I had 4 tests this week! I feel like when Halloween is on a weekday, the weekend before is when everyone celebrates it. Tomorrow, October 31, is actually Halloween, but my friends and I went to a party on Saturday and dressed up. On Halloween, my class is being Rosie the Riveter at school (there will possibly a post about this).

                                I was a devil for the Halloween party, and my friend was an angel.

My outfit:

Lace Up Shirt from H&M - $17 (about)

Tennis Skirt from American Apparel - $52

Lace Tights from H&M - $12

Steve Madden Boots

Horns from Ricky's - $3.50

I don't like to buy costumes from Halloween Pop-Up shops, so it's fun for me to make my own costumes, and of course go shopping to do so.

Question: If you celebrate Halloween, what are you dressing up as?
                                                                        xx
                                                           Christina Madeleine

Book Review: I Am The Messenger

Hey everyone! This time I am going to do a book review on I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. He is the writer of one of my favorite books, The Book Thief. I have been meaning to read this book for a long time, and I am glad that I was finally able to. This book took be a little more than a week to read. I think I am going to start doing more book reviews because I have read many books this year due to the GoodReads Reading Challenge (I am on book 25 of 30).

Synopsis from Amazon:

By the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Book Thief, this is a cryptic journey filled with laughter, fists, and love.

Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He's pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.

That's when the first ace arrives in the mail. That's when Ed becomes the messenger. Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains: Who's behind Ed's mission?

My Thoughts:

 This book, right off the bat, has different vibes than The Book Thief. Does that make this book bad? Not at all.  The two books are completely separate and shouldn't really be compared. This book has the same sort of feeling as Looking for Alaska by John Green, because both main characters are lanky boys who kind of have the odds against them in a sense.

The main character, Ed Kennedy, is a very funny character to me. He didn't go to university, and he drives a cab around. He lives in a shack with his 17 year old dog who loves coffee, and is called The Doorman. Ed Kennedy at first seemed like a character with no potential, and I felt like I would get bored of him very easily. I was pleasantly surprised how he gets himself together to complete tasks that seem impossible at first. He is smarter than he is made out to be, and Zusak emphasizes on how many books Ed has read, which is always a very good thing.

The other characters that are involved with the messages that Ed receives, make this story very unique. Without giving too much away, each character has something wrong going on in their life that which needs to be changed, and Ed is the guy who is destined to make the lives of these people better. The characters seem almost real because of their circumstances such as abuse, abandonment, loneliness, poverty, and just being down on yourselves.

This book also has the underlying theme of mysterious because the whole time you ask, "Who is sending all these messages and tasks to Ed?"

I really liked this book, and I do recommend it from teenagers to adults because it isn't written in a too complex way, and it's an interesting read that makes you think.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Some Favorite Quotes:

“Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are.” 

“It's not a big thing, but I guess it's true--big things are often just small things that are noticed.”

“You can kill a man with those words.
No gun.
No bullets.
Just words and a girl.”

“Only in today's sick society can a man be persecuted for reading too many books.” 

“People die of broken hearts. They have heart attacks. And it's the heart that hurts most when things go wrong and fall apart.”
 

Questions: Have you read this book? Also, what are some books that you recommend?

                                                                      xx
                                                        Christina Madeleine

International Day of the Girl 2016

Hey everyone! Today is International Day of the Girl, along with Coming Out Day. I feel like these are two important days of the year and show how much we have grown as a more accepting world in the 21st century. I wanted to do a post today on the the importance of being a girl and how awesome it can be. I've been inspired today because of all the positive posts and videos that I have seen about being a woman.

I am a feminist, so to clarify for those of you who don't know the right definition of feminism it is...the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. Feminism to me means that I want all genders to be equal. I, personally, advocate for the gender pay gap to be closed because I don't understand why I shouldn't be paid the same amount of money as a male for the same job. I also advocate for men and women to not be forced in societal standards. Why do we use terms such as "man up," "you run like a girl,"or the use of a word that has made a lot of headlines lately due to Donald Trump.

Girls need to be supported in everything we do. The world was run by white males for thousands of years, and females became the oppressed sex. Girls are still seen as sex objects in many countries, and are forced into prostitution before they even understand their own body. For many centuries, girls weren't even allowed to have an education because their jobs were to clean the house and raise children. To this day, girls make up 2/3 of the amount of people in the world who are illiterate. Less than 40% of countries in present day do not give equal education for boys and girls. I am blessed that I was born into the life that I have because I get to have an education, and will be able to graduate from college and get a job. The United States is one of the countries that has made a leap (not a big enough leap, but a leap all the same) to give girls equal education because for every 100 boys in University, there are 103 girls.There are girls around the world who even if they want an education do not have the financial means to or are not allowed to by their family, government, or other forces. In countries such as Nigeria, school girls were captured by extremist groups just for wanting an education. How is this fair to girls? Why is it seen as illegal in many countries just to receive an education?

Girls deal with problems that nobody should be subjected to. Rape is a problem in all genders, but when we have political figures trying to stop non-profits such as Planned Parenthood, we fear for our future generations. Without getting too political, girls need a round of applause for dealing with a choice shaming society for whatever they do. I've seen stories of girls getting shamed for getting an abortion even though it's their own body. I've seen stories of girls getting shamed for keeping a baby no matter what the circumstances. How can a girl develop and prosper in a world where whatever their decision they get shamed?

I can go on and on about the statistics of women in the world and all the injustices they face, but now I am going to talk about the pros of being a girl and the empowerment we deserve.

Women received the right to vote in 1920 in the United States. At the time, this right didn't include all women, but it was a step in the right direction. This is important for me because in the year 2020, I will be able to vote for the president of the United States.

Women can be in the Olympics, and win medals in the sports they compete in. If you haven't learned anything from the Summer 2016 Olympics, then you should look to see how many women won medals in the sports they competed in.

Girls are the future. There is not a job or thing we cannot do. Just because people use the insult "like a girl," that doesn't mean that you can't do something. Yes, I am a girl and I can run, finish college, get a degree, be an engineer, be a soccer player, be a CEO, and anything else I set my mind to.

Everyone should work to build each other up because that's how we make progress. We live in a time with computers, iPhones, and technology that can send our message out in minutes. We need to raise awareness for those who are suffering from injustice, and support those who are trying to beat it. You don't have to be a girl to support other girls, but by not using derogatory terms to put others down is a step in the right direction.

Here are some videos that can explain the importance of celebrating girls:

Hurdles: Narrated by Emma Watson

"Like a Girl" by Always

"The Woman Card"

Emma Watson speaking at the UN in 2012 on Feminism and the #HeforShe Movement.

If you get anything at all from this post, it is to support girls because they are the future when it comes to progressing in society. It is the end of an era of oppressing women. Spread the word about International Day of the Girl, and fight for it to become an even bigger thing. 

                                                                   xx
                                                      Christina Madeleine

*If I said any things that are politically incorrect, it is not my conscious intention to do so*

Start a conversation below in the comments about feminism, the importance of girls, and whatever else in the comments below.

What I've Been Listenting To - Summer 2016

Hey everyone! As much as I hate to admit it, summer is coming to a close soon. This summer has been pretty fun for me (stay reading for some posts on Hawaii) and I hope you all have had a good time. I've also been obsessed with Spotify this summer, so I wanted to share what music I have been listening to this summer.

1. Me Before You soundtrack

This soundtrack contains:
                                         Numb by Max Jury
                                         Happy With Me by HOLYCHILD
                                         Unsteady (Erich Lee Gravity Remix) by X Ambassadors
                                         Til the End by Jesse Ware
                                         The Sound by The 1975
                                         Surprise Yourself by Jack Garratt
                                         Don't Forget About Me by Cloves
                                         Photograph by Ed Sheeran
                                         Not Today by Imagine Dragons

This soundtrack is amazing. My favorites off of it are the songs Not Today, Happy With Me, and Surprise Yourself. I absolutely loved the movie, but the soundtrack has actually been my anthem the whole entire summer. There are some sadder songs because of the plot of the movie, but the upbeat songs are pretty great and always manage to get me into a good mood.

2. Kings of Summer by Ayokay feat Quinn XCII

This song has the same name as a movie called 'Kings of Summer' but there is no affiliation. The song has a nice beat and has an indie/chill sound to it. This song is perfect for nights where you want to listen to some nice, summer-y songs with friends.

3. Francisco by Swim Deep

I feel like I've mentioned this song before (I've definitely mentioned this band) but I can't explain how much I love it. This band can be categorized with bands like the Wombats, and the 1975.

4.  Migraine, House of Gold, and Ride by Twenty One Pilots

Twenty One Pilots might be one of my favorite groups just because they have such a unique sound. Migraine is a song I a lot because it has a catchy beat but also has an underlying meaning which you can take as you want. The other two songs are very different sounding to each other but in all have lovely, talk-worthy lyrics.

5. The Ride Album  by Catfish and the Bottleman

According to Spotify, this band is similiar to the bands Circa Waves, Swim Deep, Arctic Monkeys, The Vaccines, and Wolf Alice. I only started listening to CATB recently and I know this album has had some mixed reviews by long time fans, but honestly I love it.


Question: What songs/ bands have you been listening to this Summer? Comment below!

ALSO: This was my 100th post on the blog! Look how far in 3 years this blog has come :)

                                                                         xx
                                                            Christina Madeleine 

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Hey everyone! So, I was supposed to have a different post up last week about a reflection on my exchange, but I've decided to hold off a bit on it. Today is a book review on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which is the newest addition to the Harry Potter series. If you don't know, I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I reread the whole series this year in preparation for the new book, and I've seen each movie over 10 times each. When I heard there was a new book coming out which is the script to the play in London, I was skeptical but excited. I am always on Pottermore (the official Harry Potter website) to keep up on what's going on in the wizarding world. JK Rowling posts some small blurbs and stories based off characters that we never really finished learning their backstories (i.e Remus Lupin, Lily, Snape, etc). I ordered the newest Harry Potter book while I was on vacation, and then it arrived the day I got back and I was super excited despite the bad reviews. Now, it's my turn to talk about it because I am slightly disappointed with the book.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

My Thoughts: (WARNING: vague mentions of spoilers)

First of all, this book is not written by JK Rowling but is approved by her because she has said that she is done with writing Harry Potter books. She wrote all seven of the incredible novels and then The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Hogwarts A History, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. She probably wants to move on from the series because if she ever gets new ideas she can just post them on her website. I am going to say this again, but this book is the script to the play because not everyone can go see the play.

Secondly, the old characters have no depth to them. Ron Weasley, this mighty character in the series, has his personality literally stripped of him and he's like that uncle that just jokes around all the time and tells lame jokes. Growing up has not suited Harry well at all because he's stressed all the time and he's not living life to the fullest. I understand that all these characters had to grow up, but the author got rid of key things that would keep the characters similar to the way they were as children. How can three characters who had an adventurous childhood want to settle down and do the same repetitive thing every day? I do like Hermione still, but she doesn't seem as bright as she used to be.

There are quite a few new characters such as Rose Granger-Weasley (who is literally on 10 pages and then she disappears for the rest of the book), Hugo Granger-Weasley, Lily Potter, James Potter, Albus Severus Potter, and Scorpius Malfoy. Of these children, the only two the story fully revolves around are Scorpius and Albus. Unlike his father, Scorpius is a character you learn to love right away. 

Thirdly, one of the parts of the book I loved was the mentions of Severus Snape, and Cedric Diggory. In HP 4 and 5, Cedric is mentioned a lot, but then he kind of is a memory for the rest of the series. I liked that they become 'relevant' in the new book, even if it's just a small amount of the time. 

Lastly, there is barely any point in the plot. It's very similar to the whole "teenager gets mad at parents so they decide to rebel' genre of books. I honestly think that if this book was written like a novel and not like a play, there would have been more room for details of what happened in those 19 years instead of just jumping forward. I really don't want to spoil anything but there are huge plot holes involving characters like Albus Severus Potter and Bellatrix Lestrange. The timeline does not add up with the old books, which makes me question how much the author worked to make sense of what happened. 

It hurts my heart that I have to be disappointed in a Harry Potter book because I never stop talking about the series. I want to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, but I am so upset with the book. I feel like I would have been happy without this book, just because there was some type of closure at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I still think people should read the book because it's another insight to the Wizarding World that I've grown to love. 

Un-answered Questions that I have still:

Did Ginny not have any say in naming the kids? Really... Albus Severus, Lily, and James.

How old is Professor McGonagall?

How did Ron end up getting the job he did?

Where are all of Ginny and Ron's other siblings?

Sorry if this spoiled some parts of the book. I really tried not to say too much. I am sure that people will love the book, but I just found it kind of upsetting and disappointing at some parts. 

Questions: Have you read this book yet? Do you want to read this book? What are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree?

                                                                    xx
                                                       Christina Madeleine

 

Bands and Concerts: June 2016

Hey everyone! Obviously, I have a lot of posts to do considering I didn't update ALL SUMMER (please someone yell at me for that). I am going to call this month basically the month of writing posts that I should have done months ago. In June I went two concerts which were both GA (general admission) and I wanted to share my experience and some pictures. Both concerts were in Manhattan.

June 15:  The Neighbourhood (the NBHD) @ TERMINAL 5
Opening Acts: Kevin Abstract, and MOTHXR

*my pictures for the opening acts are pretty blurry, so I will just write about them*

Kevin Abstract : I previously didn't know who he was because usually indie bands pick groups and singers that aren't super popular to open up for them. I tried to listen to his music beforehand and it's pretty good in my opinion. He sings alone but he has 10-12 people on stage frozen the whole entire set. Some people had bandanas over their faces or wigs, and they were holding roses and flags.
His soundcloud is https://soundcloud.com/kevinabstract and he is also on Spotify.

Mothxr: I couldn't really hear this band very well when I was at the concert because the venue I was at was very loud and super crowded (I'll get to that). If you watched Gossip Girl, Penn Badgley (Dan Humphrey) is the main singer of this band.

The Neighbourhood: I love the Neighborhood, and have since 2013. They are one of the few bands I would listen to on repeat when I was in middle school. Their sound has changed a bit since the album I Love You (which contains the song Sweater Weather). One of my favorite songs by them is R.I.P 2 My Youth. If you look at some of past post I have definitely mentioned them before. Jesse Rutherford is one of my favorite people and being super close to him was actually amazing. If you look him up, he's currently dating Devon Lee Carson and their relationship is flawless (get the pun  if your a fan of this band).

About the concert:   This was my second concert at Terminal 5 (my first was was the 1975). This venue holds 3,000 people and it gets super crowded. My friend and I managed to push ourselves about three people away from barricade. The NBHD took so long to come out that people were passing out because everyone is packed together like sardines. If you are within the first five people from barricade, the security guards pour water in your mouth to prevent fainting. It wasn't my first concert, so I have gotten pretty good at being able top push myself to the front of venues with GA, but I wouldn't recommend it for people who want to do it for their first concert. ALSO there were peoples' hair all over me because we were that close. I recommend tying your hair up if you are going to go to a GA concert with over a thousand people. Also, I wore dark eyeliner and it was running down my face by the end of the concert because of the heat.


June 18: Swim Deep @ Webster Hall
Opening Act: Vista Kicks

Vista Kicks: First thing I have to say is that this band is going to be great. They are a group from California made up of four guys. They have a pretty good sound, they have a small album called Chasing Waves and the two songs I really liked from that album are 'Chasing Waves' and 'Mona Lisa'.  After the show my two friends and I got to meet the band and I got their autographs.

Swim Deep: This was my second time seeing Swim Deep live. The first time I saw them was when I saw the 1975 because they were the opening act. After that concert I became obsessed with the band and my favorite songs by them are Soul Trippin, King City, Namaste, and The Sea. They are a British band and have two albums called 'Where the Heaven Are We' and 'Mothers'. To see them, the tickets were only $15. My friend was able to meet Cavan from Swim Deep and take a picture with him, and the three of us were able to meet Tom. There are five people in the band.

About the concert:  This concert took place at the Studio @ Webster Hall. This venue is made up of three parts, there is the 18+ part where Jack Garratt was performing at the time, the club for 21+, and lastly the studio is for 16+. When we walked into the studio we were able to walk right up to the stage and stay front row because it was a very small room with a bar and some space for people to watch the band. In the end, I believe there was about 75 people in the room. It was so relaxed because the crowd was full of good people. After concerts at the studio, you have about an hour to meet the bands that performed and buy merch or just talk to them. I was able to talk to Vista Kicks and they were super cool (afterwards they liked my picture on Instagram, and one of the members followed my friend). I would definitely go see them again because they have a good sound. Swim Deep is definitely going to become more popular, and they give a good show.



Questions: Have you gone to any concerts this Summer or any at all? Who do you want to see perform?

                                                                      xx
                                                         Christina Madeleine

Guest Post: The Vienese Cure

 Hey everyone! My friend Nina went to Central Europe for nine days and wrote a post on it. She wanted to write for This Fashion Girl, but you can also check her post out at http://rainyday-writer.blogspot.com/. Her blog is starting off, and she is a very good writer and I think you should follow her for future posts.

                                                                 

The Viennese Cure

    I often hear the phrase, “that changed my life,” get thrown around in conversation as 

 

much as like or literally,but tend to ignore its inappropriately casual use. 

 

After this summer break, however, that phrase carries much more weight - my family’s 

 

whirlwind excursion to Central Europe genuinely changed my life. This may sound a bit 

 

cliché but, over a period of 9 days, I discovered my passion, found my ground, and learned 

 

the secret to happiness.

 

    In July, my family and I went with Adventures By Disney to the Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria. In Prague, we visited famous sites like the Astronomical Clock and the Charles Bridge. Surrounded by the Alps in Berchtesgaden, we hiked up the mountains and saw the old towns and majestic castles below. Finally, in Vienna, we walked along the Ringstraße and marveled at the beautiful city brimming with rich history and culture. Although these awe-inspiring sights alone are enough to spark change in a person, it was my observations and experiences that made my vacation transformative.

    Over the years, I’ve changed my dream job more times than I can count. I’ve wanted to be a fashion designer, a chef, a screenwriter, and, for about three days, a lawyer. Despite this rotation of varying professions, a few things have always remained true: a love of travel and exploring unknown places, a passion for getting to know and making friends with all types of people, and a steadfast motivation to learn new things. After telling my parents on the first night of the trip that our tour guides, Giselle and Andy, have the most amazing jobs in the world, my life goals took a sudden and major turn. I left behind all other notions of future profession and decided that I want to be an Adventures By Disney tour guide when I am older. Imagining I was in a cartoon, I pictured the clouds over my head rolling away and the sun shining down on me. Thinking about who I am and the things I have always loved and desired, this career path seemed to make the most sense. In that moment, my future seemed clearer than it ever has, which is the greatest possible breath of fresh air for an anxious teenager like me.

    Growing up as an only child with parents who have full-time jobs, I’ve learned how to entertain myself. This independence mixed with a very active imagination has, in the past few years, turned out to be a disquieting combination. Instead of living in the here-and-now, my mind is often off in a daydream. However, after my sudden change of ambition, I became much more focused and snapped out of my fantasy world. Rather than dreaming about how great my life could be, I started taking steps to better myself, like learning German online and going on college tours. I’ve moved from wishing good things would come my way, to working to make my dreams a reality. Armed with my newfound motivation, I feel ready for all that life throws at me.

    Many have written books, articles, movies, etc. on man’s never-ending search for happiness. Although some will disagree, I believe the Viennese have uncovered the secret to happiness in the proverbial feeling of gemütlichkeit. A German word with no direct English translation, it is often compared to our feelings of coziness and contentedness. Gemütlichkeit describes the atmosphere of the famed Viennese coffee shops, a social spot where one could meet and chat with friends or just sit quietly alone for hours on end. However, gemütlichkeit can be felt on the streets of Vienna as well. Coming from New York City, I feel the need to always be rushing somewhere or be stressed about something. It is the opposite in Vienna - everyone strolls through the small streets and alleyways, window shopping and admiring the old buildings. I could tell that even the locals had the time to stop and smell the roses. Because of this laid-back lifestyle, there exists a high quality of life in Vienna. Although I bought souvenirs on my trip, the most valuable thing that I’ve taken back is the gemütlichkeit mindset, something that I think will be especially helpful during stressful times in the school year. It’s important to remember that, despite how many things you have on your to-do list, you always have time to relax for a minute and adjust your mood so you never lose that gemütlichkeit feeling of contentedness - that’s the Viennese cure for an unhappy life of chaos and stress.

    Although I may change my dream profession some years down the line or one day snap back into my habit of daydreaming, my Central European vacation has helped to focus my thoughts, motivate me for my future tasks, and teach me how to go about my life in the most productive and fulfilling way possible. In addition, I’ve learned about fascinating histories and cultures, and saw some of the world’s most beautiful sights. Above all, this trip has instilled in me a beckoning sense of adventure and a curiosity for what life has waiting for me just around the corner. 

 Nina's Instagram: @n.curran (you can see more pictures like the ones above + other things because she lives in New York like me)

Have you ever been on a trip like Nina's? Comment below 

                                                                          xx
                                                           Christina Madeleine