Global Posts

Google Maps, Alaska, 2023

Google Maps, United States of America, 2023

“Stony Man (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 10 Feb. 2021, www.nps.gov/thingstodo/stony-man.htm.

“Humpback Rocks Hiking Trails.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 25 July 2016, www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/humpback-rocks-trails.htm.

In the summer of 2021, my mom, brother, and I packed the car for a long six-hour ride to Charleston, South Carolina. As it was the midst of summer and we were heading further into the south, we all knew to pack light. My suitcase was packed with tank tops and jean shorts that I knew would keep me decently cool on these humid summer days. We were going to visit my mom’s best friend, Kelly, and since the three of us had never been before, we got the full experience of Downtown Charleston.

We finally arrived at a parking garage after spending no less than 30 minutes searching, gotta love Charleston traffic, and left to venture downtown. Kelly first led us to the Charleston Pier to show us the harbor view. Instantly walking down the pier the wind began to pick up, blowing the crop top I was wearing around me like a flag. In hindsight, I probably should’ve known better than to wear a loose shirt near a body of water but 16-year-old me wasn’t as knowledgeable about fashion as I claim to be now. However, as I walked to the edge of the pier my worries about the practicality of my outfit washed away in place of awe. It really is a beautiful view, especially on the day we visited. The clear sky melted into the blue waterline of the bay. After watching ships pass by for a while, we decided to begin walking to our next destination. 

As we made our way down the walkway, I couldn’t help but stare at how beautiful our surroundings were. On our right was a gorgeous view of the beaches of the harbor. I have to be honest and say it took everything in me not to run down that beach and jump in the cool water. Summers in South Carolina are no joke! I reframed though, instead gazing at the townhouses on our right. They reminded me of those in the Upper East Side of New York, a place I’ve always admired and wanted to live. As I admired the houses though, my mom was quick to drop a reality check on me about the cost of a house like that in this location. Never say never, Mom! 

We neared the end of the walkway, taking us into a place Kelly described as the White Point Garden.  I couldn’t help but sigh in relief as we approached the garden. The trees were so beautiful and strong, but most importantly, they were casting a shade. I dropped down on a bird-poop-ridden bench with my mom and just relaxed, people-watching in the process. We were watching two dogs play with each other for a bit, missing our dog, Penny, back at home, but grateful for the vacation away. 

Our last stop on the downtown Charleston experience was a little Christmas shop we stumped upon. At first, we all filed in there for the air conditioning but after we looked around for a bit, we realized how cute of a store it was. The store called A Christmas to Remember, was filled exclusively with ornaments, but pretty much any ornament you could imagine. My brother and I wandered around the shop, occasionally making fun of an ornament we thought was ridiculous. After departing the store, we all agreed we had our fill of humidity for the day and decided to head back to the hotel, putting a close on a great day. 

I add this travel experience to my blog to highlight the fact that even though you may have an outfit mishap, it doesn’t take away from the experience! Fashion doesn’t always come first when it comes to memories.

Hello everyone! Today I have made a video tutorial on how to use the app “Whering” as this is one of my favorite apps to organize my closet and find new styles with the clothing I already have! If you’ve ever watched the movie Clueless and wished you had Cher’s high-tech closet, this app is the next best thing. Enjoy!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gxF6uvq6dg_KVB5HnVpGa_7VhTjFyyG4/view?usp=sharing

It’s no secret that The Devil Wears Prada has become a standard to be held to when it comes to fashion movies. The stylization of their main characters has been praised repeatedly, making this movie a classic for many. This iconic film takes us through the journey of the main character Andrea while she survives her new job working for her devilish designer boss, Miranda. 

It has been said that what you wear is a reflection of your personality and mentality, which this movie uses to the highest potential. It would be criminal not to start with the stylish icon of this movie, Miranda, whom both Anna Wintour and Liz Tilberis inspire. Overall, Miranda’s style can be described as effortless yet expensive. The first glimpse we catch of her is of her red Prada pumps. which is a way to show Miranda’s dominance and power as the color red is associated with strong emotions. She also often sports many purple pieces as this color is associated with royalty and wealth, which again, symbolizes power. The only time we see Miranda not dressed to the nines is when she dealing with a divorce, signifying how when she is not stylized, it is due to something severe. Without all of the boldness that she usually wears, she looks more fragile and down to earth, matching her emotions at that moment. 

Onto our main character, we first see Andy in a frumpy blazier, a wrinkled white shirt, a lilac sweater vest, and ill-fitting black trousers. This signifies her underqualification for this job. As both Miranda and Andy wear purple in their first meeting, though Andy’s shade is much lighter, it hints at Andy’s potential to become Miranda. As the movie progresses we don’t see her style changing at all. This reflects how little she cares about her job; that she’s just doing what she needs to without learning anything. When Andy finally realizes the treatment from Miranda isn’t changing because she isn’t either, she seeks out a makeover. She ditches her old sweaters in exchange for Chanel and Prada. When she realizes how she is becoming more like Miranda, her outfits become disorganized, showing the inner battle between her past and current self. When she decides to quit, we last see her in a turtleneck, bootcut jeans, a leather jacket, and boots. This is the perfect outfit for her as it is a great representation that even though she learned from that job, she’s still the Andy she was before, just with better outfits. 

Overall, this movie understands personal style and the ambiance it can give off to such a perfect level. The way each character has their own unique style that accurately shows the audience their personality without them having to utter a word is something movies have been trying to achieve ever since. Of course, most movies equip their characters with their own unique style, Clueless for example, but I can’t recall one using that fashion to tell a story of its own. The one movie I would say even comes remotely close is Mean Girls, and even then it’s just one character’s style we see reflecting the plot. With saying that, The Devil Wears Prada is leaps and bounds above the rest, making every viewer even the tiniest bit more interested in the fashion scene.

Introduction: https://blogs.longwood.edu/hardmaneg/introduction/(opens in a new tab)

Travel Experience:

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Video Tutorial:

Photo Essay :

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Review:

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Drum Tutorial

Genshin Impact: Repetition and Real Issues

Genshin Impact is a game that was released in 2020 and rose in popularity as quarantine continued. While it isn’t as popular now, many people found comfort in the gameplay and characters during a time when social contact was scarce. The game is known to have a lot of controversial fans and some believe the company that developed the game, miHoYo, encourages this. MiHoYo has reposted incest fanart on the official Genshin Impact X, formerly known as Twitter, official account. Many fans were rightfully disgusted by this and some even decided to stop supporting the game and company altogether. Some voice actors for the game have also claimed that they haven’t been paid for their work and many would argue they are the most important part of the game for bringing the characters so much life and depth. Genshin also uses a gacha system which means you have to gamble to get the items and characters you want so they can milk the most money from their majorly underage audience. However, Genshin Impact’s game design and character progression are the best parts of the entire experience.

Genshin’s storyline is what originally convinced me to download it, besides sheer boredom. The game begins with the player and their twin sibling arriving in the magical world of Teyvat. However, their arrival is interrupted by an Unknown God, who separates the siblings and sends the player plummeting to the land of Teyvat. The player awakens to find themselves in the care of a character named Paimon, who becomes their guide and companion. This, along with the loveable NPCs, is the main appeal of the game in my opinion. Each character has a unique personality, role, and contribution to the game’s story. A few of these characters include Jean Gunnhildr, Diluc Ragnvindr, Mona Megistus, Ningguang, and more. The vast majority of players have continued playing solely because of the diverse and engaging characters rather than the gameplay itself. 

One of the most vastly discussed criticisms revolves around the game’s gacha-style system for acquiring characters and weapons. Some players have expressed frustration with the randomness and cost of obtaining desired characters, which can lead to a significant financial investment. I’ve spent close to $50 on the game’s gambling-style method to obtain characters and weapons that I rarely ever actually got. With Genshin Impact’s fanbase being majority underage, a lot of players have resorted to using their parents’ cards without their knowledge to gamble on the game’s gacha system.

Genshin Impact also launched with a mobile device version as well as PlayStation 4, and most commonly PC. Many would argue that “being available on mobile platforms makes Genshin Impact more accessible to a broader audience,” but that is not necessarily true because of the overwhelming amount of space it takes up. Mobile players have reported issues with the game’s lack of controls, making it challenging to fully enjoy the game. The game consumes a significant amount of storage on mobile devices, which a lot of players might not have. This makes it much more difficult to play and enjoy on the go. 

Genshin also offers an online feature where you can play with other players if you would like. While this may seem like a fun idea, it causes many issues within the servers. Server congestion can lead to disconnections, long loading times, and other online-related problems. Players in different regions have reported varying degrees of connectivity issues, impacting the overall experience. Genshin Impact also does not have a player-versus-player mode, which may disappoint players who enjoy competitive multiplayer experiences.

Some players have expressed concerns about the lack of challenging endgame content. After reaching a certain adventure rank, all of the tasks become redundant and the storyline is halted until the next update. Redundancy in this context refers to content within the game that feels repetitive, similar, or unnecessary, leading to monotonous gameplay for some players. Players may find themselves repeatedly hunting down materials and defeating similar enemy groups for quests, which can make the gameplay experience feel repetitive and frustrating. 

While Genshin Impact has gained a crazy amount of popularity and praise for its world design and gameplay, it is not without its share of criticisms. These criticisms largely revolve around its endgame content, repetition, and server issues. However, it is essential to recognize that the game continues to evolve, with updates that include player feedback.

My Introduction To The Canterbury Scene

The Canterbury scene is a progressive rock subgenre created in Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s. The genre includes a blend of jazz, rock, and psychedelia sounds. I have no experience listening to music from the Canterbury scene and the purpose of this review is going to be to give unbiased and honest opinions on the subgenre. 

The Canterbury artist we are going to be reviewing is a group called The Wilde Flowers. The Wilde Flowers were a band that was considered to be the founders of this genre. The band was formed in 1964 and all members eventually parted ways and split. 

First song I will be reviewing is called “Parchman Farm”. The song consists of a good amount of jazz and rock fusions that really caught my attention. “Parchman Farm” creates a comforting sense of nostalgia to me. This would have to be one of my favorites I listened to.

Next track is one called “Memories”. “Memories” was very experimental and fun to listen to. It’s a song that suits every mood and sounds refreshing to the ears. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to explore their discography.

As I listen to more of The Wilde Flowers’ catalog, it’s clear that their music had an amazing impact on the jazz-rock fusion music scene. Their music is more than just sounds; they’re a snapshot of a time when the music industry was looking for something exciting. While the Canterbury Scene isn’t a very popular subgenre, it’s safe to say it should be.