TO NEW BEGINNINGS. *cheers*

JANUARY 15, 2024

Queued Up

Moves by Suki Waterhouse

Gasp of Air by Lisa Curtis

Live Well by Palace

Birds Don’t Sing by TV Girl

Give Up Baby Go by Peach Pit

TIMEZONE by Måneskin

Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Given

My favorite take on modern-feminism

In the last 100 years, feminism has grown into something that is understood, but also misinterpreted by many. The people that understand know that all women want to be seen as equal to men. That includes sharing the ‘second-shift’, equal pay, being seen as more than just an object and so much more. To be honest, I was gonna write about what I think people who don’t support or understand feminism think and compare it to the book, but I don’t really know what it is that they don’t fathom so I don’t want to put words in their mouths. 

Florence Given covers many topics about modern feminism in Women Don’t Owe You Pretty. With chapter titles such as ‘You Are the Love of Your Own Life’, ‘Stop Scrolling in the Morning’, ‘What Did She Expect Going Out Like That’, and ‘Women Do Not Exist to Satisfy the Male Gaze’. The range in subjects is diverse while some of the chapters go hand in hand with each other. She

supports her arguments so well and I have used her arguments in real life situations. This book is the perfect size to learn more about feminism in general while introducing new concepts that make so much sense. It felt like in a way she was reading my mind because there were things I couldn’t think of how to explain, but she wrote these ideas tastefully. 

Florence Given not only wrote this book, but she also illustrated it. The vibrant color scheme and eclectic graphics makes this book stand out more than anything. It makes the topics feel a little bit more lighthearted and playful. Feminism isn’t supposed to be a hefty subject, you just have to open minded to it. Women Don’t Owe You Pretty makes it a more fun subject to learn about due to the illustrations paired with the topics.

Though I haven’t read many books focused on these subjects, I think that this is a good introductory good for young women who are open to learning more about modern feminism. 8.6/10

Ugly Betty

My new comfort show

Fashion is an industry that I, myself, am somewhat scared to enter. The beauty standards, adventurous styles expanding, harsh opinions on everything and trends coming and going every season. It’s not easy being the assistant to the Editor in Chief of Mode magazine, which is a high fashion magazine right up there with Vogue, Vanity Fair, etc. Imagine it’s the mid-2000s, you’re Betty Suarez, a 22-year-old Queens born Latina who lives at home with her father, sister and nephew. Their family works together to take care of each other through thick and thin. But the moral of the whole story is, looks don’t define you.

Betty walks into her first day at Mode flashing her braces with her big smile, bangs covering her forehead and a red poncho draped over her with ‘Guadalajara’ in large yellow letters. She was judged for her looks and was ultimately hired because the head of Meade Publications knew his son, Daniel Meade, who is the Editor-In-Chief of Mode wouldn’t be attracted to her. After finding this out, she was disappointed in the reasoning especially because she believed that they recognized her potential and fantastic work ethic. But Daniel and Betty develop a beautiful friendship throughout the series which makes up for the rocky start.

But what makes this show so special? Betty is immediately judged for her looks and is treated differently by everyone in the beginning of her career. She was made fun of and undermined by her co-workers because she looked and dressed differently than what the magazine portrayed. Personally, I didn't think her style was necessarily bad but it was unique. But they soon recognize how hard working, intelligent, caring and overall amazing she is. But she is still given a hard time throughout the series because she doesn’t change herself in order to conform to their standards. This show teaches the viewers to never judge a book by its cover because underneath there’s more than what meets the eye. It also teaches us to stay level headed when difficult situations arise. The same way Betty stays calm in tough times between a dramatic work environment and keeping her family's best interest in mind, on top of a rollercoaster of a personal life. This show is so heartwarming because throughout the show you are rooting for Betty and know she’s going to succeed in the end whether it’s in her professional or personal life because she is so collected

I binged this show hardcore and watched some great character development with almost all of the characters throughout the show. I really think a lot of people would enjoy this show because the drama, fashion and relationships keep you intrigued. It features America Ferrera as Betty and she is, as always, fabulous. 9.4/10

Wasian

I am thankful that I grew up in such a beautiful town. But central Virginia doesn’t have a very big Asian population in general, especially Filipinos. When we lived in Las Vegas, my parents were very involved in the Filipino community greatly due to them starting their website ‘Filipino Village’. Their website led to large functions with loads of yummy Filipino food (which will always be my favorite part of Filipino parties).

In 2023, I was lucky enough to see my extended family twice. In June, my aunt got married in San Francisco and that meant staying in a house with 17 of my family members and I was so thankful to spend that time with them. For Christmas, my parents and I went back to the same house and it was a lot more relaxed. It was my mother’s sister, her husband and my cousin with some more extended family sprinkled throughout the week. I love my family so much. As soon as we see each other after being separated for however long, I feel pure comfort. When I’m with them I really embrace our culture and I’m so proud to be Filipino. Not just when I’m with them, but all the time. I love telling people I’m half Filipino and Italian. I love talking about my parents because they are my best friends. But when we’re with our extended family, I’m finally surrounded with people who have been there my whole life and they look like me. Like I said earlier, I am thankful to have grown up in Charlottesville, but I wish I had more accessibility to Filipino culture. I’m excited for the places I live throughout my life and I hope I am able to find a community that will serve me lumpia, pancit, garlic rice, sinigang, etc. ;)

There’s no one else I’d rather be

Throughout my life, I’d had people play guessing games on my ethnicity, whether or not I’m aware of it. It doesn’t bother me as much as I think it should, but it’s just what I’ve always known. My mother is from the Philippines and my father is a New Jersey Italian, but he doesn’t quite fit the stereotype that comes to everyone’s mind. I grew up in Las Vegas and moved to Charlottesville, Virginia two weeks before my 10th birthday. Vegas has a huge Filipino community that I grew up with and it was quite a culture shock moving to an area with no Filipinos and I began to feel out of place. I was used to being one of the few asian people in my grade, but then I became one of the few in the whole school. Not only was I in a new environment with less people that looked like me, but we also moved farther away from my mom’s side of the family. 

I don’t want this to sound like I dislike where I grew up because that is not the case.

Collector of collaborations

NOAH KAHAN

Folk Malone, American Hozier, Jewish Ed Sheeran. Just some of the nicknames Noah Kahan’s fans know him by. What made him blow up in the last year? His album Stick Season. I had heard his name in the beginning of 2023 but didn’t listen to his music yet. To be honest, I didn’t think it was gonna be my style. But in August 2023, I saw him perform at the Iron Blossom Music Festival in Richmond, VA, and not to be dramatic, but his set changed my life. I believe I mentioned somewhere that I had a band a couple years ago, but his set made me miss performing so much and motivated me to get back into music in that way.

What makes Noah Kahan so great? His personality mixed with his unique writing style. I think he’s very vulnerable in his music because he touches on mental health a lot as well as struggles people relate to such as taking medication for your mental health, parents divorcing, feeling out of place throughout life, love and breakups and so much more. He is so talented vocally, but also writing wise which it caught the attention of many famous musicians such as Post Malone, Hozier, Olivia Rodrigo, Mumford and Sons and so many more. He has collected collaborations on his songs like they’re baseball cards. It’s crazy how much he has blown up in the last couple years. I first started listening to his album Stick Season and then his older music and he has changed his style a little bit. He has transitioned a little bit into folkier music but I wouldn’t say it’s full on folk. It’s similar to his style in his first albums but the folk hints in. I personally love it. 

I’m excited to see what happens in the future for him. I believe his fan base will keep growing because truly, he is phenomenal. His voice is distinct and clear singing lyrics you can tell are raw and he’s expressing his feelings exactly how he wants to. He is a unique person between his music and just his personality in general. During shows, his interactions with the audience is very silly and even what he posts online is just very him and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Song Recommendations

All My Love

Northern Attitude (feat Hozier)

Your Needs, My Needs

Homesick

Stick Season

False Confidence

Everywhere, Everything

Maine

Mess

Call Your Mom (feat Lizzy McAlpine)

Part of Me

Caves

Why I <3 Traveling

Why I <3 Traveling

Culture brings meaning to everyone's life

When I was three years old, my parents and I got on a plane and when we got to our seats I happily plopped into the window seat, buckled up, closed the blind, turned to my mom and said ‘I’m ready for my pretzels.’ Growing up, I had the privilege of traveling to many places around the United States as well as the world. Living in Vegas meant easy access to a large airport which led to many trips including visiting my grandmother in Michigan every summer, flying to Orlando to pick up a Volkswagon Bug with my parents and road tripping it back to Vegas, and visiting my mother’s family in the Philippines.

I’m writing this piece because I plan on writing more about the trips that I have taken and I want to give you a background on my travel life.

I believe that traveling is important because it exposes you to different cultures no matter where you are. Whether you’re an hour outside of where you live or on the other side of the world, you will experience something new and different. Traveling also makes me think about how many people there are in the world. I have a hard time perceiving size, especially how our planet currently holds 8.1 billion people that are currently alive. But traveling within the US or outside makes me think about how lives are being lived every single day. I am thankful for the opportunities I have had to experience these different cultures and There are so many more thoughts that come to mind about this when I’m out and about, but ultimately traveling makes me think about our world and how minuscule we are in the grand scheme of things. 

I love traveling. Right now I am in a place where I can’t travel very often due to needing to save money. BUT, I want to do more in the future. I’m excited to share some travel stories in the future!