My cool aunt showed me this video yesterday and it tremendously hit home. It's audio of Shane Koyczan's heart-rending poem fused with a beautiful collaboration of visual art. Schools and families are in desperate need of proper tools to confront bullying and this piece is the perfect starting point.
"I beg young people to travel. If you don't have a passport, get one. Take a summer, get a backpack and go to Delhi, go to Saigon, go to Bangkok, go to Kenya. Have your mind blown. Eat interesting food. Dig some interesting people. Have an adventure. Be careful. Come back and you're going to see your country differently. You're going to see your president differently, no matter who it is. Music, culture, food, water. Your showers will become shorter. You're going to get a sense of what globalization looks like. It's not what Tom Friedman writes about, I'm sorry. You're going to see that global climate change is very real. And that, for some people, their day consists of walking twelve miles for four buckets of water. And so there are lessons that you can't get out of a book that are waiting for you at the other end of that flight. A lot of people, Americans and Europeans, come back and go ohhh. And the lightbulb goes on."
So I thought I'd share my latest obsession, Emeli Sandé. I discovered this British phenomenon while watching The Brits and immediately fell in love with her fresh sound and fascinating persona. I'm 100% certain that this girl will eventually become a chart-topping success in America.
Next To Me is one of those songs that you'd belt out when you're home alone. Emeli's soulful singing over loose beats reminds me of The Noisettes, only with a stronger backbone.
And then there's Clown. This poignant ballad along with the silent film approach undoubtedly tugs at my heartstrings.
"It's about how I felt when I was trying to get signed. I was going to all these meetings and people were looking at me like "What do we do with you?" It's about not allowing yourself to be judged by others or to be taken for an idiot. I feel the video reflects that."
Just thought I'd muster a compilation of photos from my eventful weekend!
My friend Rose and I fished through innumerable heaps of distressed shorts and crop tops at the Wasteland Sample Sale on Saturday.
Overwhelmed by the racks of vibrant garments and hipsters.
DJ Tamara Sky killing it.
I was completely starstruck seeing Niki Takesh and took a sneaky photo of her as a result of my sudden shyness.
By good fortune, we stumbled across an amazing yard sale just across the street from the Sample Sale.
Couldn't resist snapping photos of the expressive street art plastered on every other wall.
Strawberry almond juice to gratify my current juice obsession.
For a while, it's been my top priority to explore The Cobra Shop. Now I can proudly scratch that off my bucket list! From the the vulgar merchandise to the eerie collection of Ferbies, I couldn't get enough of the 80's grunge vibe.
Our next stop was the prominent thrift shop, Jetrag. There were SO many vintage novelties in this shop that I felt more claustrophobic and less like Macklemore (even with that big ass coat).
Fun fact: Harry bought his Hooters shirt at Jetrag!
As a triumphant hurrah to our productive day, Rose and I walked to The Grove and ordered a delicious Nutella crepe. On our way there, we saw Left Brain from Odd Future sporting camouflage overalls and trying to blend in with a tree. It was glorious.
Purchases:
Studded denim jacket with distressed cross
Die Antwoord shirt
Eyeball lighter
Psychic tarot oracle deck
Overall, I'm extremely happy with my purchases considering I only spent thirty dollars! Next thrift shop outing, you're all invited.
Since Spring Breakers is finally coming out next week, I feel obligated to dedicate a post to the best teen rebellion films. Teens and rebellion go together like peanut butter and jelly (or Taylor Swift and boy troubles, HEY-O!), so obviously there have been numerous classics over the years. I've sorted through and picked my favorite scenes from five movies. So lock your bedroom door and crank up those emo tunes because it's about to get rebellious up in here.
The Breakfast Club
Bender is so mean. This movie slays me, though, because you know what happens whenever I have detention? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Where is my bonding experience with fellow angsty teens?
Ghost World
Look at how small baby Johansson is in this! Thora Birch is great in this, and the comic that the movie is based on is even better.
Heathers
A cult classic, Heathers is one of those movies that doesn't make sense until you see the entire thing. I remember seeing clips of the movie before actually seeing it and I was like, completely thrown. But after seeing the movie in all of its ridiculous glory, everything makes sense. Except Christian Slater's voice. That will never make sense to me.
Rebel Without A Cause
James Dean is such a babe in the 50s and this scene with poor ol' Buzz getting caught by his cool leather jacket teaches everyone that "chicken" is the worst game in the entire world because even when you win, you lose.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
This is the kind of rebellion that I can get behind! Skipping school with your best pals to sing a festive song in a parade. Sure, you totaled your friend's dad's car, but everything else is so PG and stress-free, it's glorious.
So my intention is to use this blog to document my life leading up to the momentous occasion of me departing for college (cue the oohs and ahhs). My main reason for this decision is because I have not even the faintest idea of where my life is headed. I guess I'm fed up with feeling aimless and insignificant; I want to do something that I can be proud of. I hate being so negligent and indifferent towards everything, and I shudder at the idea of going through the rest of high school completely apathetic. Hopefully this blogging thing will be refreshing and give me a new perspective on life.
I'm Ivie, a Los Angeles native raised by the wide blue skies that are bestowed upon every 21st century North American teen. I'm Korean-American and very newly sixteen. My writing tends to fluctuate between depth to shallowness within the span of each post, and my photography is the result of my narcissism. My weapon of choice is a Nikon D3100 with a 35mm lens. I'm currently a sophomore in high school and I hope to do something that I love one day, and be a positive contribution to society. I'll probably end up working nine to five at an office job and writing sappy love stories in my spare time. I hope not.
I have multiple personalities. I fall in love with ideas and art and people way too easily. My not so secret fantasy is waking up in a shoebox apartment in London while Harry Styles makes me breakfast in bed. I also hate a lot of things, like fruits with too many seeds, small talk, and scratchy comforters. Sometimes you'll like what I blog, other times you won't. I'm real, promise.
