Infinite Golden Floors

Introducing the new Infinite Golden Floors

2020-10-11T16:20:00.002-04:00

Hi there! If you've found your way to this site, I'd like to direct you to the new and improved Infinite Golden Floors. I won't be using this one anymore, so please visit me there!

INFINITE GOLDEN FLOORS

2019 in Review

2019-12-31T09:30:00.000-05:00

What a year it's been. I hope I'll be able to write and edit this enough to post before the new year, but either way, firstly, I'm wishing you and your family a happy and healthy 2020.

So much has happened in my life in 2019. Where does one even begin? Actually, I started the year off standing on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris, by myself and surrounded by thousands of strangers. Then, after a few hours of sleep, I took the train to Salamanca, where I studied abroad for my short winter semester.

While studying Spanish in Salamanca (how do I always end up in language classes above my actual level??), I still got to travel quite a bit. My program was basically funded by a scholarship I got from my university, which is what allowed me to be able to save money and travel before (Paris and Luxembourg) and during my time in Spain. Luckily for us, our first weekend was already a three day weekend because of Epiphany/Three Kings Day in Spain. Rather than stay for what I hear is a wonderful celebration in Salamanca, some new friends and I jumped on a bus to Porto, Portugal. Porto was so fun and such a great experience for so many reasons. I have so many stories and so many cherished memories from that trip. Plus, Porto is now one of my favorite cities I ever visited, and I'm glad I got to experience it with friends the way that I did.

Porto

I also ended up going to Segovia (a mandatory school trip), Sevilla, and Cordoba. I've been to Spain so many times already (compared to every other country I've visited), but it's also one that I always want to see more of. I loved Andalucia and really hope to go back and explore more of it soon. In Salamanca, I also took a class on Spanish Culture and Civilization, which also prompted me to want to see the Northern and Western regions of the country...one day!

That culture class was also what really led me to my honors thesis topic. In class, we very briefly talked about how after the Spanish Civil War and Franco's regime, they decided to provide amnesty to those who participated in the regime so that the country could move on. While it seemed at the time like a good idea and the dark and horrific history was quickly erased and "forgotten," its legacy and harm continues to live on in Spanish society. Most obvious has been the debate over the exhumation of Franco's body from the Valle de los Caidos and the recent resurgence of the far-right (a la the Vox party). My Political Science thesis ended up exploring the nexus of artistic-cultural production, transitional justice, and collective memory in post-dictatorship Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.

Salamanca

And then it was back home and the start of my final semester. I actually missed my first day of class because we randomly started on a Friday, and our program ended that day in Spain. The semester was supposed to be calm, but I had to start and finish my thesis and also choreograph a dance and manage the logistics of my final dance competition, which was in March. Honestly, the dance stuff was some of the most stressful parts of the semester, and although I'm not completely happy with the end result, I accept that it was the best that I could do with my mental health and college priorities. I ended my competition journey in the same location that I had my very first dance competition, and my old dance studio was actually competing at the same competition, though in different categories, so I got to see some of my old teachers, and they got to watch me dance too. I'm proud of my small team and of what we accomplished, and I'm proud of myself for the long journey I've been on in terms of dance. It's something I'm still working through, but I hope to write about it in far greater detail one day.

Before I knew it, I finished my thesis (I basically wrote all 75+ pages of it in 6 weeks--I don't recommend this method!) and graduated! I now hold a B.A. in Political Science, a certificate in Public Policy (concentration in International Development), and minors in Human Rights and International Relations. I received two departmental honors (in Political Science), graduated Summa Cum Laude and Salutatorian, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. And honestly, that's all great for sure, but what matters most to me is how I've come and how much I've grown into myself and learned about myself in the past four years. College was truly a transformative experience for me, and while we all have regrets and it has been a roller coaster of a journey, it's the best decision I could've made on a personal front.

Graduation 1 (Yes, I had two graduations)

Then came my celebratory graduation trip with my family. I traveled back to Paris, this time with my whole family. Honestly, I enjoyed it significantly less, but maybe it was also because some of that magic fell away from the first time and also because I was basically the family tour guide and had to manage nearly every single aspect of the vacation. I did get to take a one-day solo trip to Le Mont Saint Michel, which was wonderful. After a week, my dad and sister came home while my mom and I continued on to Brussels and then Amsterdam.

I got to meet up with a close friend of mine in Brussels and spend a day with her, which was wonderful and filled me with such warmth. But it was Amsterdam that I truly fell in love with. To be honest, I didn't actually end up seeing or doing much there, but something about the atmosphere there really captured me. Although completely different, I think Amsterdam has a similar underlying energy as New York City. I know I didn't get to fully experience the city because I was with my mom, so I'm desperate to return there by myself or with some friends. After the first day there, I was already looking up graduate school programs in Amsterdam (something I'd already started thinking about), so who knows?!

Amsterdam

Upon my return home, I spent a few more weeks catching up with friends and getting some much needed rest (I'll be writing about the toll of travel on my body physically soon). Then I was thrust right back into academia as I worked on my research Fulbright application. I'm still waiting for the first round of notifications (when they announce semi-finalists), so please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Something else I'll write a separate blog post on is post-graduation transition and how rough it can be. I'm still in the process of it, and switching to your first full-time job is hard to manage. As I was working on my application, my friends, who had mostly been a similar boat of being unemployed after graduation, started getting job offers and started working. Suddenly, I had no one to hang out with, no one to talk to and commiserate with about that unemployed life. And it felt like I was getting nowhere with my own job search.

Living my best life in Sevilla

Safe to say, I did eventually get a job offer - for the position I'm at now. It's of course not a perfect job, but it's a good start. For me, this is honestly a buffer until I find out about the Fulbright, at which point I think I can better set a plan for the future. In the meantime, I will be (should be) studying for the GRE and brushing up my Spanish to hopefully eventually take the DELE C2 exam before the end of the year (let's see!).

It's been a little over a month since I started working. I'll be traveling for work in a few days, which is so exciting and a little hard to believe. I already have some goals set for 2020, but you know that'll be a post for the new year. ;) Let's see what the year has in store for me while I continue to reflect on the past year. Happy holidays, and happy new year!

Let's chat: What's your biggest accomplishment or best memory of 2019?

Loveboat, Taipei, in Fiction and Reality

2019-12-18T16:26:00.000-05:00

You don't know how excited I've been for Loveboat, Taipei. Among my many identities, Taiwanese American is one of them, and I was even more excited that there was finally going to be a YA book about Loveboat. I didn't know about Loveboat when I was young, but sometime in late high school, I started hearing about it. Operating relatively globally, my parents, who grew up in Brazil, had attended Loveboat, and one or two summers before I ended up going, my cousins also went on the trip. So the summer after freshman year of college, it was my turn to go.

Loveboat is, and can be, many things, but drama-filled is certainly a cornerstone of it. Loveboat, Taipei doesn't really fit my own experiences for many reasons (nor did I expect it to), but I think that the book captures the drama and romance and rule-breaking so accurately. Set against the backdrop of Taipei, the book sadly doesn't actually tell you all that much about Taiwan or Taipei, but I was surprised to find that by the end, I realized how much heart there is to the story.

The beginning of the book is quite slow, and I found it difficult to get through. There was a lot of set up that I do think was important to Ever’s character growth by the end. I almost groaned at yet another book, especially one with a Taiwanese American main character, with the typical ultra-strict parents stereotype. But I get it. My parents didn’t grow up in Taiwan, and many of my friends did have varying levels of such strict parents.

I also loved the way dance was fused into Ever’s character and to her story. Another Taiwanese American MC who dances and a wide range of styles too. I really connected to the way her parents approached her dancing - fine as a hobby they will pay for and might help me get into college but not as a viable career path (and don’t I dare think about studying dance!!)

Me trying to lead a dance class for my non-dance Taiwan friends

Anyway, the early stages of Ever being in Taiwan was also a bit slow for me. We got glimpses of deeper insight how she felt to be an American in Taiwan, a place she barely knows. Like I said, I was really expecting more on the atmosphere and setting. With a few exceptions and the fact that Loveboat is quite uniquely Taiwanese (I think maybe only Birthright is similar), this book could have taken place almost anywhere.

All that said, a little past halfway through the book really started picking up and got really good! The characters are really well written and are complex. The dynamics of their cohort was well done, and although again it didn’t fit my Loveboat experience, I easily connected it to how the program must’ve been like for my classmates. And rest assured, below I’ll talk more about my own experience.

Keelung's famous night market

The love triangle is one of the best I’ve ever read. Although I suspected which guy Ever would end up with, there were several times when I second guessed and was so compelled to keep reading so that I could find how which one she’d end up with. That suspense is one of the best parts of the book.

In addition, Loveboat, Taipei does a good job of handling friendships, especially ones formed over the course of a program such as Loveboat. I thought it was incredibly realistic, and there was almost as much of a focus on this aspect as with the romantic relationships. It shows flawed relationships, people making mistakes, and them genuinely making it up to one another.

Me and my Taiwan roommates / friends

The actual best part, however, is Ever’s character growth in particular. There were a few choices the author made that I didn’t necessarily agree with, but Ever’s rebellious actions was mostly believable. And I was pleasantly surprised with the complexity and acceptance Ever reached by the end of the book. Her life isn’t perfect and she isn’t perfect by the end, but she is able to handle her family situation with grace and compassion and humility, firm in who she is and what she wants but also understanding of her parents and willing to hold space for them. She sees her mistakes and actively makes up for them and for the hurt she caused. And she helped others to go on their paths too. Although some parts of this transformation felt a little forced, for the most part, the journey was very well crafted and meaningful, and you could trace how she got there. Again, truly one of the best character arcs I’ve seen in a while.

While Loveboat, Taipei wasn't the perfect book, I'm glad it exists and think that it does its most important parts extremely well. The tension and conflict is so real and tangible and kept me reading. I am a very biased reader of this book, so I think a lot of my personal qualms with it could be non-issues for most others. Either way, I'd recommend picking up the book!

----

I must say, it was quite fun to imagine how the other half lived during Loveboat. Let me tell you a bit more about my personal experience in Taiwan. Loveboat has had many forms and actually now varies quite a bit from country to country. I, too, did a 6 week program, but we were informed somewhat last minute that we would not be in Taipei for the program. Because of Loveboat’s reputation, the usual university did not want to host the program, instead opting to host other international students. So we were placed in Keelung instead. Keelung is near the northern tip of Taiwan, a port city, and about an hour train ride from Taipei.

My roommates, unlike most in the program, slept early and rarely wanted to go out at night. We did make weekend trips to Taipei (as you can imagine it was also much more difficult to sneak out from Keelung and none of the three of us really wanted to try anyway) and did a lot with just the three of us. And I didn’t like most of the other students, who were either way more into Taiwanese culture than me (that triple identity part of me never felt so out of place than among Taiwanese Americans I thought I’d understand and found I barely did) or just personalities that really don’t match with mine. I mostly don’t regret it, but it really wasn’t like the typical Loveboat experience. There were certainly others who had that heavy drama-filled experience, and I saw some of it and got roped in loosely to some, but for the most part, it was all very outside of my own circle.

Me and my roommates at Elephant Mountain

I was placed in the 6th level, the highest, even though I actually didn’t do too great on the placement exam. I just did better than the majority of students, who scored 50 or below (I think I got 74 or something). Unfortunately for me, because I was in the highest class, my class was mostly people who were really passionate about learning Mandarin, love Taiwanese popular culture (movies, music, dramas), and were really good at Chinese. I felt so out of place and out my depth. At least one of my roommates was in the class with me. I spoke to my teachers about at least dropping me down a level, but they refused. So I spent so much time studying, just to try to catch up on the basics and keep up with the basic level of my class. I probably could have failed my classes if I wanted to, but that’s not my nature. But before getting to Taiwan, I had thought that maybe I was ready to slowly go back to learning Mandarin again. I quickly realized I was not and that after so many years of horrible Chinese school experiences, I was still too traumatized and still hated learning Mandarin in a way that I never hate learning Spanish.

As you can imagine, then, I didn’t skip very many classes. We did have other culture classes and such that I definitely hated and maybe skipped some classes of, though... We also had to do a performance at the end of the program, which was tied to a “masquerade ball” that was really the dumbest thing and which we all hated. Anyway, each class worked on a different performance, and being in the highest class, with the only students who actually cared about class and wanted to do, of course my classmates were super enthusiastic about it. I promise I groaned and complained the entire time and definitely skipped as much of it as I could and did the very bare minimum.

All of this is to say that I had a very complicated relationship with my time in Taiwan. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting, and I’m still processing a lot of it. To be Taiwanese American in Taiwan is an experience... But going to Taiwan also helped me to reconnect with my Asian heritage and really jump started my journey of reclaiming that part of my identity and working through my internalized racism.

My mom, grandma, and I went to Taiwan a week early and took a tour around the major parts of the island, and I’m so glad we did that because Loveboat is such a particular experience and one that I had a hard time with. But during the tour, I saw some of the most beautiful sceneries, ate food I didn’t even know existed, and learned more about Taiwan and about my family history. While in Taiwan I also got to see family I knew, as well as family I had never known before, which was so interesting. I learned from my great uncle that my dad and his family had actually left by boat to Brazil from Keelung, only a short walk away from the university we were at. That felt particularly powerful. I also got to go hiking with my aunt and cousin (we’re actually a short distance “removed” by English measures that I don’t completely understand) and saw the freaking Milky Way Galaxy, an experience that really triggered my love for hiking. I spent so much time walking through night markets, drinking bubble tea and eating the most delicious food (seriously, I think I miss the food the most). I have a good relationship with my roommates, still. One visited this past year, and I’ll be seeing another when I’m in Switzerland for work.

I don’t think Loveboat was the earth shattering experience for me that it is for others. I definitely didn’t hook up with anyone or whatever. I don’t know that it had any profound impact on who I am at the end of the day other than making me re-examine my identity and reclaim that part of my heritage. I made some amazing new memories and some new friends. Maybe one day I’ll start studying Mandarin again, but I know that’s much further in my future now. When I first left, I said that I would definitely want to revisit Taiwan but not for another few years at least, and now that there’s been some distance and lots of learning and unpacking, I do feel ready - already! - to go back.

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When eighteen-year-old Ever Wong’s parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer, she finds herself thrust among the very over-achieving kids her parents have always wanted her to be, including Rick Woo, the Yale-bound prodigy profiled in the Chinese newspapers since they were nine—and her parents’ yardstick for her never-measuring-up life.

Unbeknownst to her parents, however, the program is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknamed Loveboat, where the kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines.

Free for the first time, Ever sets out to break all her parents’ uber-strict rules—but how far can she go before she breaks her own heart?

December 16

Afire Pages | Author Fancast

December 17

Artsy Draft | Lockscreen/Wallpaper

Sometimes Leelynn Reads

Lori’s Bookshelf Reads

Magical Reads | Playlist

December 18

Infinite Golden Floors | Loveboat, Taipei, in Fiction and Reality

Lyrical Reads | Moodboards

Kaitlyn Gosiaco

Kitty Marie's Reading Corner | Moodboard

Fanna Wants the World to Read | Why Fans of Crazy, Rich Asians and La La Land Will Love Loveboat, Taipei

December 19

Utopia State of Mind | Hand Lettering

Caitlin Althea

Shut Up, Shealea

And Once Upon

Bookathon | Loveboat, Taipei Book Tag

December 20

Read By Tiffany

Drizzle & Hurricane Books | Moodboards

Pages and Coffee Cups

Happily, Hedy

Not Just Fiction

Ambivertwords

Flipping Through the Pages | Favorite Mixed-Race Characters

2019 Favorites

2019-12-04T09:52:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year! 2019 has been an eventful one for me. I think I'll try to get another year-end wrap up reflect post before the holidays to talk about this year on a more personal front (I already have a book blog tour post that needs to go up next week). But in the meantime, enjoy my 2019 favorites. (Every time I make these posts, I remember that I should keep better track of what I watch and listen to, the same way I track what I read, because my memory is horrible.)

Without further ado, my favorites of 2019, in no particular order!

Favorite Books of 2019

Of course I'm starting with books. I am an old book blogger and semi-active bookstagrammer after all...

ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong

If you follow me on my bookish accounts, this shouldn't come as a surprise to you. The rest of this list is in no particular order, BUT this book is definitely my top read of the year. Which is not to say it's an easy read. I definitely want to write a full blog post about the book (I have a mini review on Instagram). Anyhow, I've recommended this to everyone while also knowing it isn't a book for everyone. I've never read Vuong's poetry--although now I want to--but you can tell the novel is written by a poet. Each word seems carefully selected, each image and metaphor clearly thought out. It's not a perfect book. It's definitely not an easy book. I sped through it, even while needing to put it down often because of the heaviness of it, but I know that most of my friends have had a hard time picking it up because it's so hard-hitting. It feels strange to see so many white people talk about it and relatively few of the Asian (Americans) I know discuss the book. Which is not to say that I'm the intended audience either, as a relatively privileged East Asian American. But there's something about that white gaze that tickles me a certain way. Either way, this book is surely one of my all time favorites, and I'm eagerly awaiting the paperback's release so I can purchase a copy for a little bit cheaper.

COLOR ME IN by Natasha Diaz

I reviewed this one for a blog tour! I loved it! You should read it!

THE FOUNTAINS OF SILENCE by Ruta Sepetys

I have sooo many thoughts on this one, and you can bet I'm planning to write a review on this blog and on bookstagram. It's a good one and does a good job of relatively lightly diving into a really dark history and into an exploration of societal collective memory after dictatorship. But as someone who has studied (and will hopefully continue to study!) memory and legacies of dictatorship, the book is still a little too clean and removed, but I guess it's because of the gaze of the main character...Anyway, more will be said, but this was one of my most anticipated reads and it mostly delivered. I'm glad it exists.

I WANNA BE WHERE YOU ARE by Kristina Forest

I also have a very, very short review(ish) post on bookstagram about this one! I should have definitely said more, but life, y'all. The perfect summer read for me, and Kristina is the sweetest. Ballet! Road trips! Black main characters and black love/romance! Need I say more?

THE MAP FROM HERE TO THERE by Emery Lord

Emery is one of my favorite authors, as a person and as a writer. To be honest, The Start of Me and You was probably my least favorite of her books. That doesn't mean much because I love all of them, so "least favorite" is weird to say. [Later Jess here to say that I double checked on Goodreads, and When We Collided actually had my lowest (4 star) rating of Emery's books, but I went back and changed TSoMaY to 4 stars because in hindsight it seems more accurate.] Aaaaanyway! I loved this one, and I definitely read it at the right time--as Paige was worrying about massive life changes that were coming up after high school graduation, I was dealing with transitioning out of college. The book still isn't as high energy fun as Open Road Summer (which remains my favorite Emery book), but it's so real.

HIS HIDEOUS HEART edited by Dahlia Adler

This one took me by surprise! It's been a while since I've read an anthology, and this one isn't my usual reading genre at all. But Dahlia truly delivered. I'm not one of those who read Edgar Allen Poe in high school or connected with his work. I read Tell Tale Heart and The Raven in 7th grade for Halloween. We probably spent a day on it and that's it. I went into this anthology, which retells some of Poe's work for modern, diverse audiences, not knowing or remembering any of the original works. I was surprised (I probably should've known about it lol) that the book includes the actual Poe originals at the second portion of the book, but full disclosure, I loved the retellings so much that I didn't even want to read the originals...oops. Some of them were scarier than others (don't read Caleb Roehrig's at night by yourself!), but each story was a joy to read.

RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE by Casey McQuiston

I know this will be on many a favorites compilations. It deserves to be on mine too. Do I really need to say much about this one? And hey, I wrote a mini bookstagram review for this one too! (Katherine's comment honestly made me chuckle, but I'm very glad I have some #brand.)

A BODY OF WORK: Dancing to the Edge and Back by David Hallberg

Dance memoir from one of the biggest names in ballet right now. Also planned to write a full blog post about this one. We'll see if that happens, but in the meantime, I also have a mini bookstagram review of A Body of Work (wow I was on a roll with reviews on Instagram--please give my bookstagram a peruse if you're the bookish type and haven't checked it out yet hehe).

OPEN ROAD SUMMER by Emery Lord (re-read)

I didn't intend to include two re-reads on this list, but I didn't want to have 8 books when I could have 10, so #9 and 10 are re-reads because they remain among my all time favorites and always deserve another shout out. As mentioned, Open Road Summer is my favorite Emery book, and I re-read it almost every year. I still love it. It's one of my most highly recommended, even though most of my friends, if not all of them, are no longer reading YA. This book just always delivers and never fails me. I turn to it when I'm in a slump, which is probably why I picked it up earlier this year.

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT by Dahlia Adler (re-read)

I was nervous going into this re-read because I was scared I wouldn't love it as much as I did the first time, but I'm so glad it still delivered. I first read LWaT in high school, and I wanted to see what I would think of it after having gone through college. I still love the book!! I haven't re-read the others in the series because I only have those on my Kindle and I do have a physical copy of LWaT. Anyway, y'all need to stop sleeping on the series.

Favorite Movies

Spider-Man: Far From Home
Captain Marvel
The Farewell
Parasite
Searching (2018 release but watched this year)

Favorite New Music

Fever Dream - Of Monsters and Men
Heard It In a Past Life - Maggie Rogers
New Ways - Leif Vollebekk
Busyhead - Noah Kahan
Oh My Messy Mind (EP) - James Bay
A Place We Knew - Dean Lewis
N - Anavitoria
Freya Ridings - Freya Ridings
Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent - Lewis Capaldi
Lover - Taylor Swift
Favorite Ex (EP); It's Your Bed Babe, It's Your Funeral (EP) - Maisie Peters

For more music I loved this year (but didn't necessarily come out in 2019), check out some of my Spotify playlists:

senior year: best compilation of music that I listened to and particularly loved this school year
post-grad confusion: not super extensive because I haven't updated it; music I've enjoyed since graduating

college graduation/college memories: music that reminds me of certain experiences, places, and memories from college; I made something similar for high school, but I feel like there's a lot that happened in college that I don't necessarily associate with music but with other things instead
playlist to get me through this polsci thesis: don't judge me! this is music that I could write/concentrate to without being classical/instrumental--it probably also changed a few times as I got used to certain music and had to swap it out

Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me by Julie Wright | Book Review

2019-10-22T09:30:00.000-04:00

Ever since I took a German Fairytales course in college, I've looked at retellings, particularly of the Grimms' tales (or the tales they helped popularize), in a different light. I've also been looking to expand my reading, especially now that I've graduated. So I was, of course, excited to be asked to join the blog tour for Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me by Julie Wright.

The book follows Charlotte Kingsley, a struggling writer who suddenly hits it big and gets a huge book deal. With the deal, however, comes a stipulation: a PR manager who dictates some major changes to Charlotte and her media presence. All in the name of sales, of course. She goes from struggling writer in an apartment filled with thrifted finds to a sparkling clean, inspiring self-help author. But all of this change is not so positively received, particularly by Charlotte's best friend-turned-boyfriend Anders. (Official summary can be found at the bottom of this post.)

The book was a relatively quick read, although the pace does drag in several places and does take a while to get into. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for some light romance, as I actually found that the romance isn't actually the central part of the book. I was pleasantly surprised by that and think it strengthens the book and the author's message. And I actually found that most of the plot build up in the book, although maybe supposed to be centered around the romance, really isn't revolved around Charlotte and Anders's relationship.

There's a lot going on in the book, from the publishing aspects to family drama to Charlotte's budding (I guess?) relationship with Anders to Charlotte's own internal struggles. I think these were all fairly well-balanced and in a refreshing way for a Cinderella retelling. That said, I don't know that I would really consider this a Cinderella retelling or even a Cinderella-type tale (it's okay if you don't know what the latter means, but it's something we spent a lot of time talking about in my German Fairytales class). I don't think it's a bad thing other than that it's advertised as a retelling. There are certainly elements that I can see were pulled from Cinderella, or rather from fairytales in general (particularly the Grimms' tales and the Disney adapted tales), but unless I knew this was a Cinderella retelling, I would not have pegged it as such. I would venture to say that in trying to make the story modern, it lost a lot of the connection to the original tale. I think the story could have been made modern without getting rid of the heart of the tale, which I do believe is what happened.

While there's a lot to the story that I thought could have been improved upon (pacing, characters, dialogue, how race/ethnicity is handled (especially with Kat and Anders), stakes), I think the strongest part of the book is the central conflict between Charlotte's "real" self, as defined by those around her, and her constructed, PR-directed self. It seems so relevant in the day and age of people talking about authenticity on social media/online. It seems so relevant to anyone on social media. It seems so relevant to anyone who has struggled to strike a balance between different parts of themselves, who has struggled to figure out who they are as they change and grow. Charlotte's revelation at the art gallery near the end of the book really struck me and caused me to pause while reading. Because it's exactly where I feel like I've been at in life but especially in regards to my social media (mostly Instagram) presence. I don't know how accurate the publishing portions of the book are (though, from my knowledge of the YA book industry, this seemed like a stretch and not super true-to-life), but the culmination of everything to that scene and to Charlotte's realizations by the end of the book were possibly the most real, most well-written parts and arcs of the entire book. It's what made the book really come together for me and made sticking with it so worth it.

Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me isn't a book that asks to be taken too seriously. It's a quick, light on romance romance novel. It doesn't necessarily even realize its strongest parts, but they come together and make the last third or quarter of the book really engaging and worthwhile. The book is great in particular, I believe, for the true young/"new" adult audience--those in their 20s and 30s. It hits at insecurities and challenges that I think are particularly found in people in that age range--coming from someone who is still only 22 hahaha. I don't think this book will be for everyone, but I did find it enjoyable and would again recommend it for young people (young women?) in their 20s and 30s or for those who are struggling to fill the distance between who they are trying to be and who they were and struggling to figure out who exactly they are right now.

Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me by Julie Wright

Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Release Date: October 21, 2019
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing
Art Direction: Richard Erickson
Design: Kimberly Kay

Can the fairy tale bring Charlotte the happiness she’s looking for, or was he always there to begin with?

A modern, reimagined Cinderella story.

When aspiring author Charlotte Kingsley finally gets published, she thinks all her dreams have come true. But the trouble begins when her publicity firm reinvents her quirky online presence into a perfectly curated dream life. Gone are the days of sweatpant posts and ice cream binges with her best friend, Anders, replaced instead with beautiful clothes, orchestrated selfies, and no boyfriend. Only, that carefully curated fairy tale life is ruining her self-esteem and making her feel like a fraud.

When a bestselling author takes Charlotte under her wing—almost like a fairy godmother—she helps Charlotte see the beautiful person she already is and the worth of being authentic. But is it too late to save her relationship with Anders? The clock is quickly ticking towards midnight, and Charlotte must decide between her fairy tale life and the man she loves, before he's gone forever.

About the Author
Julie Wright is the author of more than twenty novels, including the Proper Romance novels Lies Jane Austen Told Me and Lies, Love, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She is a Whitney Award winner and a Crown Heart recipient. She is represented by agent Sara Crowe. She loves reading and writing, playing on the beach or hiking with her husband and kids, and watching her husband make dinner.

Exploring Emotional Depth in Art

2019-10-08T09:30:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about and reflecting on my various creative processes and pursuits lately, and I started to notice a bit of a pattern. I find my strengths to be in exploring sadness and pain (emotional). This doesn't necessarily extend to what I consume in creative fields and there are, of course, exceptions, but I find that I draw upon darker emotions most, in my lyrics, my dancing, etc.

I have never liked my "happy" songs. I have never felt particularly drawn or emotionally connected to happy or fun dances (perhaps why I'm so terrible at jazz and hip hop). I write characters struggling with "darkness." I prefer ballads, and I listen to what others consider to be "depressing" music, even--or perhaps especially--when I'm sad.

And only now am I really digging into why this may be. At first I thought it was because for a long time, I felt very withdrawn and inside of myself when I struggled socially in school before college. Also, writing was my form of therapy, of getting out my frustrations and sadness and anger. Then, I started realizing that perhaps for a long time, I saw the dark and heavy stuff as being more nuanced and/or complex. But now I see that happiness and joy are equally complex and varied emotions. Additionally, it's not just "happiness" that I struggle with in my art. I struggle with how to portray nostalgia or the way memory has a way of making hard times seem less terrible in retrospect, even as you know how hard it was. There are certain sadnesses I still struggle to write about, too.

I think there's more to it and that it goes deeper, both inside myself and also in regards to how we expect to consume things and how we view certain emotions. Part of my connection to pain and sadness in the arts comes from the ways in which I felt they portrayed so much of my experiences growing up, things I've spent very little time telling people about or sharing with others in my own art. It made me feel understood at times when I felt so very alone. I connected with those emotions in what I consumed creatively, so it shaped my own creative journey.

When I dance or choreograph, or when I listen to music, sadness and pain seem so much more tangible to feel and express--something grounded deep in my bones. When I reach as if something's pushing me or holding me back, it feels real. I can tap into deeply held sadness and pain that I felt growing up. The emotions written on my face are real, and I know how to make it nuanced, how to differentiate emotions and movements. On the other hand, all of my smiles feel exactly the same. I don't seem to connect to upbeat music the same way, and it makes me move and emote superficially. I struggle to differentiate dynamics in the movement or in the music, and it doesn't feel real to me or to the audience.

Real happiness, real laughs. I have the most amazing friends.

I don't want to glorify the dark emotions the way it can sometimes be romanticized in art. They are real and deeply felt, but I think my thoughts are symptomatic of something larger too. Of how we sometimes see happy, smiling people as superficial or fake. Of how we (and art) often portray happiness as a mask rather than something also deeply felt. Happiness is portrayed as being a certain thing, but we don't usually explore what that means or how that feels or how one experience of happiness and/or joy differs from another. We portray happiness as being carefree, as being free, as surpassing an obstacle or reaching a goal. But we rarely portray the small moments. We rarely look at how happiness can be mixed with other emotions. We don't tend to explore the nuance in happiness the way we do sadness. How does happiness and relief over a good test score differ from being with friends? And how does this differ from the larger, deeply felt happiness and contentment that is more encompassing? How does it differ from feeling proud and happy for a friend's success? Your own success? Even more, we rarely look at how happiness and sadness can reside together and share space--how we can be both at once. We think of strength through the lens of adversity and perseverance, but what does it look like when we're happy? Sure, we have an understanding of feelings like nostalgia and bittersweet, but there's so much more. Feelings that perhaps we don't have words for.

We think of happiness as a cliche in our art. Sure, in things such as writing, you usually need some kind of struggle and conflict. But I've read amazing books exploring different facets of sadness and similar. Rarely do you ever have a fiction novel that explores different facets of happiness.

And all of the above discussion is solely around happiness and sadness as emotions and feelings. When we add other feelings, it becomes even more complex. There are so many to be explored and to express. Ones that I'm not sure how to express creatively or to even talk about. It's like I cannot find the right words or movements or sounds. Feelings are not dichotomous, but sometimes I worry that I make it seem like they are when I am creating. How do you express some of the complicated thoughts and threads in your mind? How do you ensure and build up nuance in your work?

Maybe this is what keeps me from moving forward in my craft. I feel like sometimes I'm running out of different ways to write about sadness in my lyrics. But I'll try to write something happy, and it just feels so fake, so cheesy, and I hate it. Maybe I just haven't found the right way yet. But why is it that I'm so drawn to this and not to something else? Why do I find happy things to be fake or cliche or stereotypical? Perhaps some of it is the romanticization of struggle and pain in art. I don't want to think I'm adding to that.

Because there's so much nuance in all feelings, and we should aim to explore those too, to capture the full range of human emotion and experiences. So I will strive to do better. To be more nuanced, to experience more nuance, to explore more nuance. To write the stuff I hate or struggle with so that I can improve. To analyze my joyous writing the way I do my other writing, trying to unpack my existing prejudices. To keep practicing and creating, whether through writing or dance or music. I will strive to be better, and I hope all artists will too.

Would you guess that this photo was taken after one of the hardest summers of my life? Or that I would fall into one of my worst periods of depression shortly afterwards?

On Revamps, Writing, Social Media, and Fear of the Blank Page

2019-09-24T09:30:00.000-04:00

I don't know where to start with this post. I keep putting off writing because I know it won't be perfect, and I always want to put my best foot forward. But I'm going to commit to writing this, making minimal edits, and publishing it in its imperfect glory. It's been a while to say the least. Or at least, it's been a while since I've blogged regularly. To be honest with you, it's been a while since I've written anything that wasn't for school, for a club, and/or for an internship. This is terrifying because I've wanted to revive parts of my online presence for so long. I think I've made some headway on my bookish Twitter, and I'd say I'm pretty active there now. I originally separated this from that by making separate accounts--also because I want this blog to eventually take a different direction--but my bookish Twitter still brings me comfort, some level of privacy (I've asked almost all people I know "in real life" to not follow me there), and some sense of community. But every time I've attempted to revive my blogging, I've failed. I mean, if you only look at this blog, I failed to ever blog consistently.

I've come so far since I started this blog, though. This was supposed to be a place for me to document my thoughts and my experiences. I do regret never being consistent with journaling exactly because I've grown so much and have experienced so much in the past four years. In many ways I'm glad that I did all of that away from a blogging community. It's hard to now try to return, but I spent time with my peers, going out and actually experiencing things and learning and failing and picking myself back up. I'm glad that I only put out small parts of myself during the toughest times because I controlled what I shared, and I also knew I had a real, strong support system. Not having such a system was originally why I became so involved on the internet, from middle school through the end of high school.

Every time I've tried to come back to blogging, to bookstagram, to my online presence, though, I've been flooded with fear. Fear that I didn't have when I first started talking to people on forums, when I first joined Tumblr, when I first started book blogging. But I'm scared now because I built a small presence. I never had a big blog or book Twitter by any means. Even now, people hardly know who I am. But I wasn't invisible either. I have my bookish and blogging community, and I love them so much and am so grateful to still know most of them, wherever we all are in life now. But I had gone through that organic trial-and-error. I had had the space to stumble around, to figure out my own style, to build an audience. And then I left and it almost all went away. And now the online community is so different. Between trends and influencers and algorithms and all that, it's harder than ever to break (back) in. And yet I'm not starting from scratch. The content I post are maybe not perfect and will still change, but they're somewhat polished and refined and thought out and planned. I didn't want to spend all the time and effort and not see any results.

But people have started to realize how contrived and convoluted it all is. What began as something organic has become anything but. And now authenticity is valued, but there's also so much fake authenticity. The kind that is still palatable. On top of that, sometimes we've been so sucked in, so ingrained with all these algorithms and trends that we genuinely think we are being authentic and only later realize we aren't. I think that's what's been hardest for me nowadays, on top of feeling discouraged when I put out content I am proud of, only for a tiny handful of people to see it (and I am SO grateful to those few--I hope I don't come off as ungrateful). Then again, what even is authentic? Can't we have different parts of ourselves for different people? How do we determine which is more or less "real" or "authentic"? Can we be authentic and play by the rules of the algorithm (or attempt to because does anyone really understand it)? And even more so, there are people who knew high school me, and while I'm still the same in many ways, I am also very different. How much of that change do I change? How much do I still conform to my "old" self?

Add to all of this that I haven't written for pleasure, for myself in 3.5 - 4 years. It makes the question of audience and authenticity even more complicated because I don't know, maybe I've lost my voice along the way. Or at least hidden it away. Of course, there are the ways that I speak and write to my friends and family, but even that is sometimes filtered. We all think about audience, even if subconsciously or in a context where "audience" isn't the right word. We inherently know that framing matters. And almost everything I've written has been for someone else's gaze. I think the last time I wrote lyrics was the February of my freshman year of college.

Writing used to predominantly be for me. It was an outlet, one that is different from dance but no less important to me. I needed it because I never spoke the things on my mind, but I needed it to get out of my body, out of my head, and I had nowhere else to turn to but dance and writing/music. Where words failed I had dance, but otherwise, I put it down on a page, predominantly through lyric writing. I think there is so much power in words and in writing. It can also be therapeutic. But for the past few years, I've put writing (for myself) on the back burner. I've put creative writing on the back burner. And now I feel out of practice, and the perfectionist in me fears the blank page. I even fear the therapeutic aspects because I think there's a lot I'm afraid I'll unveil, that I'll have to unpack and work through. I used to trust the words I could put on a page, that I could craft into a song. And now I've lost that connection. I fear not having the words. I fear being too vulnerable in my writing. I fear writing for no one but myself. I almost fear not having that outside gaze. And it terrifies me to try to get all of that back. Because I know it'll be messy. Because I know it won't fix everything but will certainly make me cry. Because I don't know if I trust myself to be real with myself on the page anymore. Because I don't know if it's still in me, even while I know that it is.

Writing, whether for oneself or for others, is like a muscle. And mine has been out of commission for so long. But I miss it too. I long for it. So I'm trying to write now despite my fear of the blank page. I hope I'll be able to start writing creatively again, whether for myself or for others. I hope I find my way back to the magic of writing and songwriting. I hope that it's authentic to me in whatever I may think it means in that moment. I hope I find that part of myself that's gone away for a bit. I hope that it inspires me again, that I find that spark that first brought me online, that first brought me to blogging, again (although I'll need to write for my eyes only as well). I hope that once I start writing for myself again, some of the fear will start to dissipate.

I hope that this next phase will allow me to re-introduce myself. I hope I'll inspire myself and others again. And I also hope you'll see that this has maybe been me all along.

Let's see where these words will take me next.

Color Me In by Natasha Díaz | Book Review

2019-08-20T08:30:00.000-04:00

I didn't know what to expect as I dove into my ARC of Color Me In, but now it's one of my new favorite books. I should apologize before getting into my review because I haven't actually done this in a very long time and am a little rusty at this book reviewing business, but I am grateful to Sazón Book Tours for inviting me to take part in the tour for this book. Secondly, for relevant important background information, I am US-born and of Taiwanese-Chinese and Brazilian heritage, but I am monoracial.

Color Me In is a deeply moving and powerful book that spoke to some of the deepest parts of me. The book follows Nevaeh Levitz, a biracial Black and Jewish girl, navigating her parents' difficult divorce, race and white-passing, religion, a new neighborhood, family dynamics, and more. Nevaeh and I are in many ways very different, but in other ways we are similar. I'm from a fairly affluent suburban town outside of NYC, and I temporarily moved to NYC for college. I often feel like I don't fit in and am not "enough" for my Asian/Taiwanese-Chinese side nor for my Brazilian side.

Reading the book, you can tell that this comes from a deeply personal place for Natasha Díaz. The internal struggles Nevaeh goes through are so visceral, so real, so accurate, and so nuanced. For anyone who has struggled with their mixed identity, Color Me In speaks to that experience so well, even if you don't connect to the specific identities in the book. I don't want to say too much, in part because it's hard to put into words the way I feel about this (in the best way) and because I don't want to give too much away. If you want to understand what it's like for some of us who have very different, sometimes conflicting backgrounds, I think the book does it well. My heart swells every time I think about the representation here and how important it is, not only for those of us who can relate to it but also for the readers who cannot and get a peek into our world. Although vastly different from my own experience (and I don't claim to understand what it's like to be Jewish and/or biracial and/or Black), the book leaves me feeling so seen and reminds us that we are enough with every part of ourselves. I'm at the point in my life and journey and healing where I still have moments of feeling not-enough, and I often still don't feel like I fit exactly into any space, but I am also at peace with it and know that I truly am enough, but I think for readers like me who aren't at that point yet (as a teen, I wasn't), Color Me In will reach deep down and help them feel it in their heart and their core. This book is powerful and beautiful and soft and proud, through and through.

Additionally, Color Me In handles white-passing privilege and race extremely well. I was fascinated by the different personalities in the book, particularly Jordan, Nevaeh's activist cousin. Nevaeh and Jordan clash often for lots of reasons, a major one being Nevaeh's passing privilege and her lack of awareness. Díaz handles this with grace and nuance and love, and I am grateful to how this was explored on page, especially as Nevaeh made mistakes, grew, and learned to do better but in her own way. She made mistakes and owned up to them when she was held accountable. This process touched upon fragility, but it also beautifully handled redemption, never condemning Nevaeh--even if other characters do. Nevaeh makes mistakes, suffers the consequences, and she takes action to hold herself accountable for the pain she caused, intentionally or not. Whatever your personal politics, the book shows growth and what it means to use one's privilege to uplift. I was worried that the book would frame Jordan as being too "woke" or leftist or whatever other words you want to use, but she was not only balanced out and treated with the same care as Nevaeh and Janae (another one of Nevaeh's cousin) and Rabbi Sarah and Anita (Nevaeh's aunt) and all the other characters, and in the end, both Nevaeh and Jordan respected one another and opened up to one another. This transformation was beautifully done and spectacularly handled the "political" aspect involved.

Novel Aesthetic for Color Me In

As I was nearing the end of the book, I began to think about the structure of the plot of the book. It tends to focus for several chapters on one conflict or one major aspect of Nevaeh's life before finally switching back to something else Nevaeh is going through. At first, I thought that this was maybe a negative thing, and I could see readers who prefer plot-heavy books being disappointed. The book doesn't really have that huge climax moment but rather contains a more roller-coaster like plot, with several highs. In that way, the book is neither slow nor fast paced but something in between. I think that kind of lull works perfectly with this book and its aims, and I also think it's something that's true to life. The different plots/conflicts are inter-related and none fully over-power the other, and I think it's really well-balanced. The romance was kind of insta-love-y, and I don't even really feel like we saw any true connection or fully got to see their relationship, but I also think that it's not even close to the most important aspect or relationship in the story and so it didn't bother me as much.

Instead, friendship and family are the heart of Color Me In, and rightfully so, given the content and soul of the book. From Nevaeh's relationship to her parents and her changing family situation, to Rabbi Sarah's own struggles, to Nevaeh's relationship to her cousins and her aunt, to Nevaeh's close friendship with Stevie, to Nevaeh dealing with bullies, to Nevaeh's relationship with herself, and to Nevaeh's relationship to her community and those within it. There's so much depth and breadth, and I actually also think the book quietly says quite a bit about setting up and maintaining boundaries and letting go of toxic people and those who can't or won't change. There's a lot that's perhaps unresolved at the end--or that people may have trouble/issue with, but I think real life, especially for a teen is like that--messy and sometimes imperfect.

If you couldn't tell already, I am in love with this book and all that it manages to do. I think it takes a lot of lessons and messages that activists and organizers and scholars talk about, teach about, and act on and puts it into a fictional story that is accessible and will reach many. What you take away from it is what effort you put in to really think about and internalize what Color Me In is trying to say. Díaz has created what I imagine is a book of her heart and therefore the book of hearts like hers. It's the kind of book that I think you can continue to get more out of with every time that you read it. I can't recommend this book enough, and I hope that you'll pick it up to read.

Watching Movies with an Aspiring Filmmaker / Film Buff

2019-02-27T10:30:00.000-05:00

This summer, I befriended someone who is really into film and is an aspiring filmmaker. I had the pleasure and honor of watching some of his short films, and we talked a lot about our artistic visions and the intersection of the arts and community organizing and social justice.

I also got a bunch of new film recommendations from him, and we spent a lot of time watching all different kinds of films--some that he loves, some new releases, and some that we just decided to watch together. I thought it might be fun to share those films and my thoughts on them because I definitely discovered some favorites and developed a newfound understanding and interest in film and directing.

Incredibles 2
Directed by Brad Bird

Incredibles 2 came out this summer while I was in Berkeley, so of course all of us were really excited about it and HAD to go see the movie. It was fun! It wasn't the best movie, but the nostalgia was so real and it was a good bonding experience for all of us early in the program. Most of the people in the theater were our age or older. Also, the Pixar short, Bao (which just won an Oscar), was AMAZING to see. Most of the people I was with were really confused though and didn't get it or appreciate it the same way. Sad.

Happy Together
Directed by Wong Kar-Wai

I didn't actually know this, but for some reason I had seen the beginning of this film before--I could not tell you why. Wow, you all. Wong Kar-Wai is a staple for any film buff, and as a Taiwanese-Chinese Brazilian, I especially love how this film follows Chinese and Taiwanese characters in Argentina and ends in Taiwan (I actually recognized where one of the passing scenes was shot!). But anyway, this is a tragic, gritty, real story. The use of colors is just something else in the movie, and the film touches on so many important issues. I hope to watch some of Wong Kar-Wai's other films soon!

Frances Ha
Directed by Noah Baumbach

We watched this one for fun/for the heck of it. It was funny to laugh at most parts of this film. Also, it's just so...white. It offered a nice touch of home for me, as it's set in New York (City). It's such a cheesy, kind of terribly scripted film, but like I said, it's kind of fun to joke around with someone about it and to not take it so seriously. Nothing memorable but connected to some good memories.

Princess Mononoke
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

I have a love-fear relationship with Spirited Away, another Miyazaki film and the only one I had seen before watching Princess Mononoke, but Miyazaki is such a staple, and I've been meaning to watch more Studio Ghibli films. Princess Mononoke blew me away! The messages in the film!! A group of us from the program watched this together, and it was such a good time. We talked about it a lot afterwards and about the connections that could be made between the film and real life and social justice. I don't even know where to start in talking about the film...in a very broad sense it's about the relationship between humans, animals, nature, and spirituality. But just go watch it.

La Mala Educación (Bad Education)
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar

Almodóvar is another name you must know if you're into film. I had also been meaning to watch an Almodóvar film for the longest time, and my friend came through! I love some of the shots in this film, and I think you definitely get a sense of Almodóvar's style. You also realize that his storytelling isn't linear, which is/can be confusing but also breaks the hegemonic US/Hollywood form that dictates how a story should unfold on film. Like many of the other non-US directors on this list, you also see the variety in storytelling and filmmaking across the world, the way that films don't have to follow the linear path that we're used to in the United States, the way that stories don't need high action or violence or whatnot in order to be captivating--sometimes it's just as much about small moments.

I've since watched another Almodóvar film, Volver, and am always looking for opportunities to watch another. I can't recommend his films enough!

Sorry to Bother You
Directed by Boots Riley

Another film that came out this summer. WHAT THE HECK, Y'ALL!! Sorry, that's all I still have to say about this movie. I have lots of mixed feelings about this one... There's so much to love, especially its unapologetic, unhidden anti-capitalist message. It doesn't hide it and for the most part doesn't dilute it. It also hits at complexity and complications and contradictions in the fight for justice. (Also, can we talk about the fact that WeWork is basically turning into WorryFree? They already have WeLive apartments...)

The first half of the movie is SO good and packs so many punches but in a simultaneously subtle and in-your-face way that is hard to explain unless you've watched the film. And then stuff happens and the plot gets so out of hand. I thought the writing in the second half of the film was pretty poor, and part of the resolution at the end is such a cop-out. Forgiveness and redemption need to come after one really makes a change and shows that they've put in the work.

The thing about Sorry to Bother You is that it makes a very new, very not-talked-about-in-media topic really approachable to people through the use of satire. The underlying message is strong and is obvious for those of us who get it, but it's also not so overt that a general audience would get too upset about it. To be fair, between the three similar movies I saw this summer--Sorry to Bother You, Blindspotting, and Blackkklansman--Sorry to Bother You was my least favorite, but this kind of satire also isn't generally my thing so maybe that's part of it.

Blindspotting
Directed by Carlos López Estrada

Blindspotting is definitely one of my favorite movies of last year or even the past few years. I don't even know where to begin. I guess that the first thing that I loved about watching it is that it was created by two people from Oakland, set in Oakland, and I got to watch it in Oakland and drive by some of the places in the film after the film (and on one of my last nights in California). So surreal. I also got to meet Daveed Diggs (he was in Hamilton!) and Rafael Casal in Oakland; I skipped class and went to an event they were having at Peet's Coffee. Those who know me know that I'm not really into rap/hip hop music. But this movie!! You can tell the passion and work Diggs and Casal put into the film. You can see their love for Oakland and also how they see the rapidly changing city. There's so much nuance in the narrative, in the characters, in the plot/storyline. There's so much to unpack throughout the film, from race to class to police brutality and more. Just wow. My friend and I both really enjoyed the movie, and I've been recommending it to everyone I know.

There you have it! There's no pattern to the films I watched this summer or really any way to tie all of these together, but there's something special about sharing a film and watching it for the first time with someone. I have such fond memories attached to these moments this past summer at Berkeley (which is much less fondly remembered, but that's a different story). I can't tell you what my friend thinks of these films as a filmmaker, other than that he spread his love for Wong Kar-Wai and Pedro Almodóvar with me and that I have a much better and deeper understanding of movies now. I'll watch a movie and a particular way something was shot will stand out to me, like when I watched Spike Lee's Blackkklansman.

What are some films you love?

Toward a More Inclusive New York Fashion Week

2019-02-19T10:30:00.000-05:00

In 2018, I was lucky enough to be able to attend my first (and second!) New York Fashion Week show. As a non-fashionista, it was really an honor.

The first one I attended was for three designers: Nathalia Gaviria, Eman Idil Bare, and Charles and Ron. I was there as a +1, and my friend was actually a VIP guest for Charles and Ron, which meant that we got to sit in the front row!

Nathalia Gaviria

Nathalia Gaviria is based in Los Angeles. The designer is largely known for her first two collections, NG: Black and NG: Gold, which are marketed as gender fluid/androgynous. Their spring collection gave off heavy Game of Thrones vibes. The pieces were flowy but with enough unique lines and shapes to feel structured. There was a lot of gold and silver jewelry and head gear, but I think it mostly complemented the overall feel and look well, adding some edge to the loose clothing.

Eman Idil Bare

The second designer, Eman Idil Bare, is probably my favorite of the all the ones I saw this NYFW. She is a designer, law student, award-winning journalist, and yoga teacher. Her line is ethically sourced and designed (with the help of female refugees in Canada), and you could tell that every part of her NYFW debut was purposeful. A Black, hijabi Muslim woman, you could tell that her designs are for women of color--and especially Black and/or Muslim women--by a woman of color. She hired all Black models and showcased both their dark skin and their natural hair. Many wore sparkling crowns and each exuded a different type of confidence. The clothes themselves were colorful, loose but structured, and very flattering. I don't know if I can explain what I mean when I say that it was obvious that the whole show was for Black women, by a Black woman, but it bled through every aspect. It was an honor to witness that power and strength, capped by the beautiful musical performance by Lula Saleh to close the second portion of the show.

Charles and Ron

Then, it was finally time for the designers I was technically at the event for. Charles and Ron are Maltese designers, and that identity is clearly infused in their designs. The music for the show was by a popular Maltese band called The Travelers. My friend, who is Maltese, lit up the moment she heard the song begin to play. You can also glean the country's island geography and feel from the colors of their clothes and accessories. It's bright, colorful, and emulates the perfect bright, summer beach day vibe. Additionally, their new designs feature images that used to be on Maltese coins.

Final Thoughts, pt. 1

I got to briefly meet the Charles, Ron, and their team after the show, which was such a privilege. Honestly, for my first ever Fashion Week show, it was an incredible experience. To also be able to sit front row is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I had literally thrown together my outfit the night before when my friend invited me to the show. I only had whatever I had brought to the dorms, so I had to work with what I had. I can't speak to Nathalia Gaviria's work, but I loved how the other two designers' work was deeply based on the celebration of their identity. You could tell that they were designs made by people that have it close to their heart.

Kovasky (Knockout) by Minika Ko

A short while later, I was also invited to the Kovasky by Minika Ko show hosted at Peridance Capezio Center. The show was sponsored by the Taiwanese Junior Chamber of Commerce New York (TJCCNY). As a dancer, I thought it was so awesome that the show was hosted at Peridance and that it featured two dancers, one Venezuelan-Italian and the other Taiwanese. The show also showcased the New Asia Chamber Music Society and jewelry and an art installation by Taiwanese artists. They even had pineapple cakes, one of the quintessential Taiwanese snacks.

The Kovasky Knockout Collection is truly one that can appeal to a wide audience but especially for young professionals. The designs themselves are minimalistic, professional but with enough edginess to also feel young and fashionable, and flattering. Most of the designs come in red, black, and white, and they really vary in look. Some pieces are much more suitable for traditional office environments, sitting somewhere between business casual and professional. Other pieces show more skin or include mesh portions. There are also capes (including ones with a giant tiger printed on the back), chic hoodie-style tops and dresses, and more.

The modeling cast was diverse. The clothing is high performance, low maintenance, and in the medium price range. Ko pitches her line as being envisioned for a female 007 (James Bond), and one can get that sense from her designs.

Having gotten some background knowledge on the creation of the Fashion Week show, I know how much Ko values supporting and crediting diverse artists. While her clothing is for a generic female audience, one can see the care she puts into the work, and with the Knockout line in particular, the embroidery is East Asian inspired and seeks to bridge Western style with Eastern art. I think this is a wonderful tribute to Ko's own roots and shows how deeply her Taiwanese identity influences her work.

Final Thoughts

The fashion world is still incredibly white, abled, cis, and otherwise catered to non-marginalized communities. But there have always been artists, designers, creators at the margins who are doing amazing work. They are just finally starting to get their due. Even if their work isn't explicitly for their community, they are clearly influenced by their identity, experiences, etc. We need to be better at supporting designers of color, designers with marginalized identities in creating work for their communities. We also need to be working to support models of all different shapes, sizes, identities, etc. I was glad that my first two New York Fashion Week shows gave a taste of high fashion but grounded in a sense of belonging and home, of embracing who we are. Here's to continuing forward to a more inclusive New York Fashion Week and fashion world more generally.

Rethinking the Idea of Traveling as an Escape

2019-02-12T10:30:00.000-05:00

Morgan Harper Nichols posted the below photo while I was studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain, and something about it spoke to me. I spent much of my trip reflecting on what it means to truly live in the moment, and I also spent a lot of time thinking about the past half a year or so. I'm not going to lie. Spring semester of my junior year was rough. I wasn't in the best mental state. Actually, that's an understatement. And then I basically went right into an intensive, 7 week public policy program at UC Berkeley. Those 7 weeks were some of the most intense and taxing weeks of my life in every way--mentally, emotionally, physically. (Maybe I'll write more about that one day, but that's not the focus of this post.) From there, I had a brief semi-break before hitting the ground running this past fall semester. If I thought my spring semester was difficult, my fall semester was something else. I was overworked, lacked motivation, dealing with serious mental health issues, overextended, still trying to recover from the summer, and working on my capstone project.

So when I got to winter break, I was relieved. I was lucky enough to get a scholarship to study abroad for the winter and used a mix of my savings and my Christmas gift from my parents to afford a short trip to Paris and Luxembourg before heading over to Salamanca. And although there were things that weren't quite easy or totally relaxing about studying abroad or even traveling beforehand, for the most part, I felt as though I was happy, relaxed, recovering, rejuvenating. It truly felt like I was coming back into myself and coming alive again. My trip to Luxembourg to visit a close friend provided me such a sense of happiness and comfort, and it allowed me to slow down and enjoy the moment and being in someone's company. Traveling around Spain and Portugal on weekends during my time in Salamanca was at times stressful but also beautiful and fulfilling. Being surrounded by amazing people (which is not to say my friends at home or my friends from the Berkeley program aren't just as fabulous), I could feel myself loosening up again. I laughed in ways I haven't in a while.

Porto, Portugal

I thought things were getting better. I thought I was getting better, in a better mental state. And then I returned home, jumping right into this semester. During many of the long nights these past few weeks, I've returned back to the above image and quote from Morgan. During a coffee date with a good friend of mine, I realized that travel and these short trips are me putting temporary brakes on dealing with everything happening when I'm normally at home.

We're told that travel is life-changing, eye-opening. And I'll be the first one to attest to that. But it's often a step away from your "real" home life. Whether it's vacation or a study abroad/away, you put aside your usual stresses so that you can take advantage of the time you're spending away. You leave some of your worries behind, although replaced by others for sure. You may be living in the moment, taking it all in, but I think the reason we think of ourselves as coming alive when we travel is precisely because of this. You're in the moment, but if you're leaving behind your usual life, thoughts, stresses, worries, happinesses, what does that moment mean? I don't mean to place a negative or positive connotation on this.

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

One of the reasons I love to travel is precisely because I get to put aside my "regular" life, my usual habits and worries. That's a good thing. But I wonder how healthy it is to use travel to escape when you use it as a way to avoid dealing with problems. In the short run, it may feel great. It may even actually be good to get away, to get some space. However, what does it mean when you're running away from truly dealing with your mental health? What does it mean when you use it as a means to cover up your pain?

I certainly don't have any answers, but as I'm grappling with being home in New York again, this has been on my brain a lot. I want to be able to enjoy travel but to not use it as a means to escape or hide from my problems. I want to travel in a way that actually helps to heal. I think that's when getting away is without question positive and helpful. I want to be able to travel in a way that's a little bit outside of my comfort zone but in a way that will help me to grow without creating new traumas. In the same way I'm working on healing and "coming alive" and being in the moment in my every day life, I owe it to myself to also do that when I'm not home. I want to be fully present, with all of my struggles and pain and problems and all, and I want to be able to find my way through it, with people who support me and help me find that way.

We all deserve this process, and we all deserve to give ourselves the room to figure out what this means and what this looks like for ourselves. There's no one way or one reason to travel. Sometimes we all need an escape, a step outside our reality, but I hope it's not too far away that it just puts off or compounds our problems. I hope that in escaping, in taking that step away, we instead find the room to heal. I hope that we instead find space we don't normally have in our daily life and routines to grow, to heal, to come alive.

Berkeley, California

Celebrating Girl Power in Graphic Novels

2018-04-23T09:30:00.000-04:00

I'm really excited to be a part of First Second's Girl Power blog tour! Even though it's no longer Women's History Month, I think it's important to celebrate and uplift girls and gender non-binary / gender fluid children every day. And with the spring weather finally heading our way, it's a perfect time to pick up new books and spend an afternoon outside with kids reading books featuring amazing girl characters.

Today I'll be recommending some graphic novels which relate to two of my loves: girl power and travel. Each of these books transports the reader to a different time, place, and/or world and follows some inspiring, multi-dimensional young women. I should note that while I think these books are incredible and important for young girls, I by no means think that these should only be for women and girls. Everyone would gain from reading these books, and everyone should be reading these kinds of books.

Post-1906 San Francisco and a Parallel Fairy World

The City on the Other Side by Mairghread Scott, Robin Robinson

The City on the Other Side comes out TOMORROW, but I was excited to dive right into this one right after returning home from San Francisco. It's set in the wake of the 1906 earthquake and fire, switching between our world and a parallel fairy world, where the war between Seelie and Unseelie shape both their world and ours. Isabel learns about family, determination, and loyalty through her journey. What's more, the illustrations are colorful and gorgeous.

Girls and Aliens in Space

Zita the Spacegirl Series by Ben Hatke

You cannot talk about exploring different worlds and graphic novels featuring girl main characters without mentioning Ben Hatke's Zita the Spacegirl series. The 3-book series (a boxed set is coming out this fall!) is incredible. Zita is spunky, brave, clever, loyal, persistent, and more. The books are fun and have great character arcs. Zita befriends many creatures and it's very much about teamwork and the importance of helping others. I cannot recommend this graphic novel series more!

Star Scouts by Mike Lawrence

I have to admit that I'm recommending this before I've finished reading the book, but I think it's really important feature Star Scouts because the main character, Avani, speaks Hindi and is a new girl at school dealing with bullies while also being part of the Star Scouts unbeknownst to those around her. Yes to more WOC in space and sci-fi!

19th Century France, Royalty, and the Breaking of Gender Norms

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

I've featured The Prince and the Dressmaker on the blog already, but it was just recently released and movie rights were picked up by Universal a few days ago. I've seen so many people, including those who don't usually read graphic novels, gush about this book lately and for good reason! Besides the gorgeous illustrations and amazing story, it's truly a book for our time. It's so overtly progressive in a way that is so refreshing for YA graphic novels. I loved Jen Wang's In Real Life, but this feels so much more important. It really addresses gender roles and expectations and breaks those apart in a way that feels both contemporary and not (I mean this in a good way). I legitimately cannot stop talking about and recommending this. It's great for those who love and don't love graphic novels and can easily cross over for both younger and older audiences. It's a book for everyone!

Hilarious Gender-Stereotype-Defying Fantasy

Cucumber Quest: The Doughnut Kingdom (#1) and The Ripple Kingdom (#2) by DG Gigi

This is the type of series that you can't take too seriously. It's hilarious and perfect for younger readers/audiences. There's a wide variety of characters, both good and bad. Some are ridiculous and others hit at something a little deeper. I love the turning of the chosen one/hero trope on its head. It's kind of predictable and incredibly silly, but I think kids would really enjoy the series. Cucumber Quest is a quick read. A bit random at times but just a fun, enjoyable ride.

Inspiring Women in Real Life and From Around the World

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu

I'm a sucker for books/anthologies about women who've impacted and changed the world but have been left out of our history books. I love Penelope Bagieu's work, and Brazen is no different. The book features all types of women from around the world and from different cultures. It spans from far history to the current day. Some of these women are slightly more well-known while many of them are people I've never heard of, accomplishments I didn't even necessarily think to attribute to anyone. This is a fantastic way to expose readers of all ages to more history-making women!

What are some other "girl power" graphic novels that you would recommend? Have you read any of the ones I've suggested? Do you plan on checking any of them out? Let me know in the comments or on social media!

January TBR

2018-01-16T08:30:00.000-05:00

I rarely, if ever make monthly TBR lists because I'm a bit of a mood reader and prefer to just pick up what I'm in the mood for. But because I'm at my dorm for winter session and want to get a lot of reading done, as well as having some books I need to finish, I decided to create a TBR for January, although I may not end up sticking to all of it.

Now, I've already finished 4 books, all of which are on the list, and there are some that have not yet been released and one is my friend's draft, but the rest of generally the books I'd like to get through this month. I'm aiming to finish 1-2 per week, and I'm also open to changing to any other book I have at the dorms right now.

January TBR

1. The Epic Crush of Genie Lo | F. C. Yee

Genie Lo is one among droves of Ivy-hopeful overachievers in her sleepy Bay Area suburb. You know, the type who wins. When she’s not crushing it at volleyball or hitting the books, Genie is typically working on how to crack the elusive Harvard entry code.

But when her hometown comes under siege from hellspawn straight out of Chinese folklore, her priorities are dramatically rearranged. Enter Quentin Sun, a mysterious new kid in class who becomes Genie’s self-appointed guide to battling demons. While Genie knows Quentin only as an attractive transfer student with an oddly formal command of the English language, in another reality he is Sun Wukong, the mythological Monkey King incarnate—right down to the furry tale and penchant for peaches.

Suddenly, acing the SATs is the least of Genie’s worries. The fates of her friends, family, and the entire Bay Area all depend on her summoning an inner power that Quentin assures her is strong enough to level the very gates of Heaven. But every second Genie spends tapping into the secret of her true nature is a second in which the lives of her loved ones hang in the balance.

2. Spring's Awakening | Frank Wedekind

***The entire synopsis contains SPOILERS (I don't know why they did that but)***

Spring's Awakening is a tragi-comedy of teenage sex. Its fourteen-year-old heroine, Wendla, is killed by abortion pills. The young Moritz, terrorized by the world around him, and especially by his teachers, shoots himself. The ending seems likely to be the suicide of Moritz's friend, Melchior, but in a confrontation with a mysterious stranger (the famous Masked Man) he finally manages to shed his illusions and face the consequences.

3. Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race | Reni Eddo-Lodge

In 2014, award-winning journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge wrote about her frustration with the way that discussions of race and racism in Britain were being led by those who weren't affected by it. She posted a piece on her blog, entitled: 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race'.

Her words hit a nerve. The post went viral and comments flooded in from others desperate to speak up about their own experiences. Galvanised by this clear hunger for open discussion, she decided to dig into the source of these feelings.

Exploring issues from eradicated black history to the political purpose of white dominance, whitewashed feminism to the inextricable link between class and race, Reni Eddo-Lodge offers a timely and essential new framework for how to see, acknowledge and counter racism. It is a searing, illuminating, absolutely necessary exploration of what it is to be a person of colour in Britain today.

4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | J.K. Rowling [Re-read]

Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts is full of new dangers. A convicted murderer, Sirius Black, has broken out of Azkaban prison, and it seems he's after Harry. Now Hogwarts is being patrolled by the dementors, the Azkaban guards who are hunting Sirius. But Harry can't imagine that Sirius or, for that matter, the evil Lord Voldemort could be more frightening than the dementors themselves, who have the terrible power to fill anyone they come across with aching loneliness and despair. Meanwhile, life continues as usual at Hogwarts. A top-of-the-line broom takes Harry's success at Quidditch, the sport of the Wizarding world, to new heights. A cute fourth-year student catches his eye. And he becomes close with the new Defense of the Dark Arts teacher, who was a childhood friend of his father. Yet despite the relative safety of life at Hogwarts and the best efforts of the dementors, the threat of Sirius Black grows ever closer. But if Harry has learned anything from his education in wizardry, it is that things are often not what they seem.

5. Seven-Sided Spy | Hannah Carmack

In the midst of the cold war, the CIA’s finest and most fatal female agent, Diana Riley, vanishes. Kidnapped by the KGB and taken to the backcountry of North Carolina, she and her team of unsavory partners are forced to undergo illegal experimentation.

But, when the experiments leave them horribly deformed and unable to reenter society without someone crying monster, the previously glamorous and high-maintenance spies must escape KGB captivity and avoid recapture at the hands of Nikola, a ruthless KGB agent with an intense and well-justified grudge against her former flame.

6. The Key to Everything | Paula Stokes

College senior Oakland Fuller has always believed in signs and soulmates, so when both a therapist and a fortuneteller say that her repeated relationship failures are due to unresolved feelings for her high school boyfriend, Seth, Oakland tries desperately to get back in touch with him. Problem: Seth isn’t responding to her online messages.

To rescue Oakland from a pathetic Christmas break of sitting in front of the computer, her best friend Morgan books the two of them on a guided excursion of Thailand. When the girls meet a pair of American soldiers in Bangkok, Oakland takes Morgan’s advice and engages in a little harmless holiday hooking up. Sergeant Tyson Banks is the perfect mix of sexy and fun. Two weeks with him might just turn out to be the best relationship Oakland has ever had.

Until the day she spots someone familiar across a crowded temple complex—it’s Seth! Somehow the boy she’s been trying to reconnect with is in Bangkok too. If that’s not a sign, then what is?

7. Saints and Misfits | S.K. Ali

How much can you tell about a person just by looking at them?

Janna Yusuf knows a lot of people can’t figure out what to make of her…an Arab Indian-American hijabi teenager who is a Flannery O’Connor obsessed book nerd, aspiring photographer, and sometime graphic novelist is not exactly easy to put into a box.

And Janna suddenly finds herself caring what people think. Or at least what a certain boy named Jeremy thinks. Not that she would ever date him—Muslim girls don’t date. Or they shouldn’t date. Or won’t? Janna is still working all this out.

While her heart might be leading her in one direction, her mind is spinning in others. She is trying to decide what kind of person she wants to be, and what it means to be a saint, a misfit, or a monster. Except she knows a monster…one who happens to be parading around as a saint…Will she be the one to call him out on it? What will people in her tightknit Muslim community think of her then?

8. Code Name Verity | Elizabeth Wein

Oct. 11th, 1943 - A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun.

When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.

As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage and failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?

9. Between Shades of Gray | Ruta Sepetys

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives.

10. History is All You Left Me | Adam Silvera

When Griffin's first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he's been imagining for himself has gone far off course.

To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin's downward spiral continues. He's losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he's been keeping are tearing him apart.

If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.

11. Nina & Minerva

This is my friend's manuscript, and I'm excited to finally be reading it! I've heard about him working on it for years, and I'm hoping I'll love it. I'm not sharing many details because I'm not sure he'd want me sharing, so sorry. Hopefully one day you'll be able to hear more about it. ;)

What books are you planning to read this month? Have you read any of these? If you have, what'd you think?

2018 / Spring Semester Goals

2018-01-09T08:30:00.000-05:00

I'm not a big "resolutions" person, but after my fall semester and 2017 in general, I actually had some goals I had in mind for the spring semester and for 2018 in general. As I was writing this post, I actually realized that most of my goals are roughly the same (I re-evaluate after each semester because I think in terms of school years, not calendar years, usually). There are a few that are part of my yearly goals but not my semester goals, but there aren't many (basically, more networking and continue to practice/work on my language skills (Spanish and Portuguese if you're wondering)).

1. Spend less time on my phone

Lately I've realized just how much time I spend looking at my phone. I often use it as a crutch when I feel awkward or anxious, and I will aimlessly scroll through social media when I'm bored just for the sake of it. I could use that time so much more productively!

2. Read at least 1-2 books a month

Goal 1 leads into goal 2. My Goodreads goal is 35 books this year, since I read 30 books in 2017. I've already hit this goal for the month of January, but it'll be tougher once the semester starts. But I want to keep up with some non-academic reading. I'd love to read more than this number, but many of the books I want to read this year are also on the longer side, so I don't mind. If you have any book recs send them my way (although my overflowing TBR won't be too happy about that)!

3. Create creative content sustainably and mix it up

Most of the fall semester was spent choreographing, and my spring semester will definitely also have a lot of dancing because our competition is coming up! But February is also February Album Writing Month, so I'll be participating and hope to get back to some creative writing during the semester as well. I want to take some dance classes, read, write, etc but without burning myself out. This fall, I felt the need to constantly be creative in one particular way and burned out so hard. I think mixing it up will help a little bit!

4. Limit coffee consumption (max. 4x/week)

Friends, I drank so much coffee this past fall, and I don't want to do that to my body or my wallet as much this spring. So hopefully less coffee drinking!

5. Spend more time with friends and go do fun things

All of my friends agree that we've generally seen one another less. We used to go hiking, go to museums, get dessert, just hang out. I barely did that, and it made a hard semester even more difficult, so I want to carve out more time to see friends and maintain relationships.

6. Return to journaling, cooking, exercising

All three things I should do but didn't. Cooking will probably be the easiest...I just have to be less lazy! Exercise should also be fairly easy. At the least, I want to consistently do some of my PT exercises. But I used to feel so great in my body, and I just feel so weak now. With dance competition coming up, I should focus on strengthening again. Journaling will be the hardest, as that's never been something I've been good at. It's always something I've wanted to keep up, but I'm so bad at doing it. I hope to at least spend 5 minutes writing down thoughts about my day every day. I'm already off to a bad start, but better late than never! So much stuff happened in the fall, and I know I'll wish I had written about it, so I want to start now.

7. Keep up with blogging!

I really, really want to get back on board with blogging. I know I'll have a lot going on, but my goal is to just have one blog post a week, probably on Tuesdays. But this also involves more social media work and all that jazz. Hoping to schedule some posts so I have a bit of cushion space, especially since I'll be busy with FAWM next month (expect song postings here ;)).

Do you make resolutions? Goals? What are your goals for 2018?

Top 10 Books of 2017

2017-12-31T09:30:00.000-05:00

TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2017

Recap

Every year, I try to come up with my Top 10 books of the year list, and it's almost always a difficult process. This year, I had a mid-year post drafted and then never finished. I'm glad I waited until now to talk about the books I've read and loved this year, though. My goal was 25 books, and as of writing this post, I've read 30 books! Considering how little I've read in the past two years, I'm ecstatic to have read so many books this year. I enjoyed most of the books I read. A few I didn't enjoy. A few disappointments. But also some surprises and new favorites.

Here's some more info on the books I read this year:

# books read: 30

# adult books: 5

# young adult books: 20

# new adult books: 1

# graphic novels: 4

1 re-read

11 books by authors I've read before

23 books written by women

14 books written by PoC

17 standalone books

The List

In no particular order except for my top read of the year...

1. Wild Beauty | Anna-Marie McLemore

Magical.

Flowers.

Family.

Being found.

Unforgettable.

Brujas.

Beautiful.

2. The Darkest Minds (series) | Alexandra Bracken

Friends. Survival. Adventure. Lies. Secrets. Family. Love. Fighting. On the road, on the run.

3. Homegoing | Yaa Gyasi

Family.

History.

Legacy.

Slavery.

Blackness.

Courage.

Love.

Sacrifice.

Home.

4. The Hate U Give | Angie Thomas

#BlackLivesMatter.

Family.

Community.

Struggle.

Necessary.

Important.

Powerful.

5. The Girl with the Red Balloon | Katherine Locke

Magic.

Time.

Friendship.

Sacrifice.

Holocaust.

Cold War.

Love.

Bravery.

Heroes.

6. The Shadow of the Wind | Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Barcelona.

History.

Books.

Family.

Dark.

Mysterious.

Storytelling.

7. The Names They Gave Us | Emery Lord

Auto-buy author.

Family.

Faith.

Love.

Camp.

Illness.

Summer.

Heartbreaking.

That ending.

8. A Darker Shade of Magic | V.E. Schwab

Magic.

Fun.

Adventure.

Different worlds.

Friendship.

Family.

Loyalty.

Fast-paced.

World building FTW.

9. The Prince and the Dressmaker | Jen Wang

2018 release.

Graphic novel.

Friendship.

Royalty.

Love.

Fashion.

Expectations.

Identity.

Acceptance.

10. Turtles All the Way Down | John Green

Mental health.

Thought-provoking.

Heartbreaking.

Real.

Mystery.

Connections.

Spiraling.

Getting better.

Still gathering my thoughts on this one.

Honorable Mention. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe* | Benjamin Alire Saenz

Love.

Family.

Confusion.

Sadness.

Heartbreaking.

Sweet.

Friendship.

Feelings.

Finding yourself.

*NOTE: I have to explain this...so Aristotle and Dante was originally on my top 10 list. I really, really loved the book. But then some stuff happened in which the author made some terrible comments against/about a reviewer and blogger of color. I could not keep the book on my top 10 and promote it in that fashion, but the book was one of my favorites of the year. Thus, I've moved it down to my honorable mention and bumped Turtles All the Way Down up. I know I probably shouldn't even include Aristotle and Dante on this list at all, but the book broke me and healed me and was an amazing reading experience nonetheless. Nevertheless, I stand in solidarity and support for the reviewer and for all PoC, especially WoC, who are in the bookish community.

There you have it! My top reads of the year, although there were plenty of other amazing books not on this list as well. Some of these were 2017 releases and some were older. I loved them all. (I apologize for the lazy blogger in me who's rushing to schedule this post and thus isn't including any Goodreads/purchase links or synopses.

What were your favorite books of the year? Have you read any of my top 10 books? Are you planning to read any of them?

Must-Try Taiwanese Night Market/Street Foods

2017-07-03T08:30:00.000-04:00

Two of the things Taiwan are known for are food and night markets (called 夜市/yèshì in Chinese). From Shilin Night Market, Ximending Night Market, and Raohe St Night Market in Taipei to Miaokou Night Market in Keelung (northern Taiwan) to Rueifong Night Market and Liouhe Night Market in Kaohsuing (southern Taiwan), there is no shortage of night markets in Taiwan! And each has some pretty amazing street food.

Most of the pictures I ended up posting on Facebook from my Taiwan trip last year were of food. Or to be more accurate, I have an entire photo album called "Food Tour of Taiwan." Needless to say, one of the best things about Taiwan is the food! Taiwan also boasts some famous night markets. Given the number of times I crammed through throngs of people on hot summer nights in Taiwan, obviously there's a good reason for their fame. While Taiwanese food in general is ah-mazing (pineapple cake! sun cakes! beef noodle soup! dumplings and buns! "three cup" chicken! hotpot!), Taiwan's street food is of particular note.

But if it's your first time there and/or if you don't know much about our food, it might be overwhelming. Also, translations are weird, so you might be turned off of something that's actually really good! I'm going to start with foods and then get to drinks, but be sure to stick around because just thinking about those cold Taiwanese drinks has me longing for them this summer.

Food

Stinky Tofu / 臭豆腐 / chòudòufu

This is one of the classic Taiwan street foods. Notoriously known for its smell, stinky tofu elicits very different responses from people. Some people love it. Some people can't stand it. If you can get past the smell (it's not that bad, okay?), it's pretty good! There are many different types of stinky tofu. (If you find that you like it, you should trek out to the old street of Shenkeng (深坑老街), which specializes in stinky tofu.

Oyster Omelette / 蚵仔煎 / ô-á-jiān (Taiwanese pronunciation)

Another staple street food, the oyster omelette is always one of the first Taiwanese foods I seek out. It's like an omelette, but starch is added to it to make it thicker, and then there's usually a leafy green and, of course, oysters. You put a special sauce on top, and it's perfection. The problem is often with finding a good version of it among the many stalls, but trying a few different places isn't a bad option. ;)

Oyster Vermicelli Noodle Soup / 蚵仔麵線 / ô-á mī-sòa (Taiwanese)

If you're in Taiwan in the summer, soup is probably the last thing you want to eat/drink. But ugh, this is so good. Honestly, I'm not sure how to explain the taste of this. Just trust me.

Braised Pork over Rice / 滷肉飯/ lǔròu fàn

Okay. This is, I think, my actual favorite. I think the name pretty much says it all. The sauce is amazing and just perfectly complements rice (or noodles). My mouth is watering just thinking about it as I write.

Sticky Rice / 糯米飯 / nuòmǐ fàn

One of the first foods my mom and I got when we went to Taiwan. At the street market, they often take a few scoops of sticky rice and stick it into a bag. You can eat it with chopsticks or literally just out of the bag (#noshame).

Scallion Pancakes, Scallion "Crepes" / 蔥油餅, 煎餅 / cōngyóubǐng, jiānbǐng

Scallion pancakes make me think of chill weekend breakfast at home, but it's good at any time of day. Scallion "crepes" are fairly common as a breakfast food. It's essentially a scallion pancake wrapped around a filling, like egg or beef or almost anything, really. But scallion pancakes on their own are also just amazing.

Grilled Squid / 烤魷魚 / kǎoyóuyú

So, so good. Another straight-forward food. Sometimes served on a stick. Sometimes cut up and served on a plate. Sometimes cut up and served in a takeaway box.

Pork Blood "Cake" / 豬血糕 / zhūxuěgāo

Okay. Hear me out. It sounds weird/gross. It looks weird. That's what I thought too. But it's actually more grainy than anything (as in like rice/quinoa type texture because the blood is mixed with rice). Also, it tends to be dusted/coated in crushed peanuts too. It's not the best thing I've ever had. It's not the worst thing I've ever had. It's a cool food to say you've eaten.

Taiwanese Sausage / 香腸 / xiāngcháng

When I was in Taiwan, I remember dragging my friends around the night market looking specifically for this. Taiwanese sausages are very different from most kinds you'd find in the US. It tends to be smaller and sweeter, or at least that's how my taste buds interpret it. It's heavenly.

Taiwanese Meatball / 肉圓 / ba-wan (Taiwanese)

I actually didn't know about these until my mom suggested that I try some, but these meatballs are specific to the island. Essentially, it's translucent/clear gelatinous dough filled with any range of savory stuffings and then covered in a special sauce.

Giant Fried Chicken / 炸雞 / zhájī

Pretty straightforward. Not sure why this is so popular, but it is.

Guabao / 割包

Basically steamed buns folded in half and stuffed with something delicious.

Black Pepper Bun / 胡椒餅 / hújiāobǐng

Pork in a bun with pepper. It sounds really simple, and it is, but it is also really delicious.

Desserts

Shaved Ice / 刨冰, 礤冰 / bàobīng, chuabing (Taiwanese)

A must have in Taiwan. It's one of those classic desserts. There are many different varieties and toppings to choose from. The classic would probably be mango, but you also can't go wrong with most fruit flavors, red bean, grass jelly, and/or mung beans, among others.

Pao Pao Bing / 泡泡冰 / pàopào bīng

This is another type of ice cream, found mostly (only?) in Miaokou Night Market in Keelung. I can't really describe it. This post might be helpful.

Mochi / 麻糬 / muaji (Taiwanese)

Taiwanese mochi comes from the hakka in Taiwan (my mom is Hakka!). It's a little different from the Japanese version, but ugh, it's also so good. Usually, it's just glutinous balls (the same or similar to regular Japanese mochi, I think) covered with crushed peanuts, usually. Black sesame seeds are also popular, although I mostly just saw the peanut ones at night markets. You should give this a try!

Egg Custard / 蛋塔 (or 撻) / dàntǎ (tà)

Okay, I didn't see these in many night markets, but there was one vendor in the Shida Night Market who sold different flavored egg custards, which I HAD to try. I tried the green tea version, and while it wasn't fabulous, egg custards are a staple Chinese/Taiwanese dessert that you should try anyway, whether in a night market or not.

Peanut Ice Cream Roll / 花生冰淇淋春捲 / huāshēng bīngqílín chūnjuǎn

I didn't know this was a thing until I got to Taiwan, but it's basically peanut flavored ice cream with a dash of cilantro/coriander, topped with scraped peanuts, wrapped in a translucent dough. The peanut is scraped from a big block right in front of you. Okay, I have to admit. I am not a fan of the inclusion of the cilantro, but it's something interesting to try.

Drinks

Bubble Tea / 珍珠奶茶 / zhēnzhūnǎichá

Also called Boba, this is a classic Taiwanese drink. Bubble milk tea is just one of many, many varieties of cold drinks of a similar nature. There are different flavors, different teas, fruit flavors, drinks with tapioca pearls/grass jelly/lychee jelly/aloe vera jelly/coconut jelly, and more. You MUST try a few while in Taiwan. They're also super cheap, comparatively.

Papaya Milk / 木瓜牛奶 / Mùguā niúnǎi

Pretty straightforward! Papaya smoothie, basically.

Winter melon tea / 冬瓜茶 / dōngguāchá

My mouth is watering just thinking about dongguacha. I'm not entirely sure how to describe the taste, but you must try this drink. It's so refreshing on a hot Taiwanese night.

"Grass Jelly" / 仙草 / xiāncǎo

Honestly, this drinks section is probably the best one because each of these is literally my favorite. I've mentioned grass jelly a few times in this post already, and it sounds strange, but it's delicious. Grass jelly isn't a drink per say, but my favorite way to consume it is as a drink, whether in milk tea or on its own.

Aiyu / 愛玉 / àiyù

I didn't know about this drink until my mom ordered it when we were in Taiwan. Oh my goodness. It's my new favorite (maybe). Usually mixed with lemon, it's apparently made from fig seeds. It tastes nothing like fig though and is made into a jelly. At night markets, you'll see it in a huge bowl, and they'll scoop up jelly and syrup/water right in front of you when you order. SO SO GOOD, and SO SO REFRESHING.

What's your favorite Taiwanese street food? Which would you most want to try?

Reacting: Solid. Cold. Words

2017-06-29T08:30:00.000-04:00

Following my first post, this too is a poem that I wrote in the creative wave I had the few days after the 2016 election. It does not necessarily reflect my current state of mind.

Solid. Cold. Words.

The words fly out on the page

fueled by hurt and

disappointment and

pain and

tears.

But my mouth is still

stock full of silence.

I have not even begun

to process the stream

of thoughts inside me.

I'm expected to know

what to say.

what to think.

what to do.

how to process and

speak intelligently.

But I cannot.

I feel lost and helpless,

like I could never do enough.

Yet I also feel inspired

and bursting full of love--but

how much love do I have to give?

Can it create a bridge over

the line drawn in sand?

The words fly out on the page

but the melody is lost.

Solid.

cold.

words.

nothing more.

for I do not know what else to give.

Concrete words to try to sort it out

but still I cannot find

the voice, the melody

that I believe is within.

Solid.

cold.

words.

which I will turn into actions.

Just not today.

header photo credit: Green Chameleon

Leadership and Learning to Let Go

2017-06-26T08:30:00.000-04:00

In an interview for a fellowship this past semester, I was asked what leadership means to me. My answer was pretty terrible as far as interviews go (and I didn't get the fellowship), but I've been thinking about that question a lot lately.

This past school year, I founded my college's first book club. Let me tell you, it was hard as hell. There's so much admin stuff involved in just establishing a new club, let alone run it once it's approved. And I ended up doing a lot of tasks on my own, especially after our first event happened. My E-Board was comprised of amazing people but none of us took the initiative, and I don't think any of us were passionate or committed enough. It always came down to me to plan and organize and then to just delegate tasks. I had so much on my plate and wasn't really able to dedicate myself to ensuring the club's growth, so it wasn't any one person's fault. It was just a lot for us, and thus, the club floundered for most of the year.

At the end of the year, I was thinking about how to move forward. Honestly, I wanted to call it quits and just not reactivate/recharter the club for next year. But of course I brought this up to my E-Board, and they quickly disagreed. They saw the potential growth that was still there for the club and reminded me of it too. In my frustration, I had become blind to the potential. But then came the hard part...

Patrick Tomasso

For some E-Board members, stepping down was easy. Others were more than happy to stay on board. Some club members were willing and eager to take up club responsibilities. But I had to evaluate my own place and role. As the founder and first president of the club, of course I want to see the club flourish and succeed, and I knew that I would always have some form of ownership over the book club. At the same time, I knew that I wasn't committed enough to see the club through, although I didn't want to admit it. I had felt weighed down by the responsibility of running anything this past year, but I thought that perhaps with a better E-Board, all of it could be turned around. However, I also knew that my fall semester would be my hardest one yet and that I shouldn't keep this responsibility. Plus, as I mentioned in my sophomore year reflection post, I'll be choreographing for my dance team next year.

It was hard for me to let go and step down, but the book club deserves more than I can give it at the moment. I offered to take a lower position, but we just had a meeting recently, and I realized that all the positions were filled. I looked at next year's E-Board and only felt a huge sense of relief, though. The new E-Board is comprised of amazing, committed people. They are passionate and willing to put in the time and effort we didn't this year. Realizing there wasn't a spot for me felt like a punch to the gut initially, but I also realized that it was the best decision for the Book Club.

This club isn't just me. It hasn't been since after I chartered the club, got it approved, and got it running. Sometimes, being a good leader is about being able to see your own weaknesses. It means recognizing the talents and leadership of others. It means knowing when to step up and also when to step away. It's trusting others and leaving them with the tools they need to succeed and thrive. Being a good leader means trusting people to take your place and knowing when it's time to let that happen.

I will still have a place in the Book Club. I'm still the founder. I still want to see it grow. I know that it can't happen under my leadership, but I can still support it any way that I am able. And letting that be my role now is both right for the club and for me. I've let go, and I hope that means that I've been a decent leader. I can't wait to see what the club that I started becomes.

What does leadership mean to you?

Please share, comment, follow me on social media, etc! <3

Header photo credit: Brooke Lark

Sophomore Year Reflection

2017-06-22T08:30:00.000-04:00

I've been sitting here, blank page in front of me, for a while now, bu I'm still not sure where to begin. Sophomore year was...a lot. Fall semester seems so far away now--as if it were years ago. It's been a hard year, and I'm glad it's summer now.

Overview

I don't want to make this post a series of events from my sophomore year, but here's a rough run down. In the fall, I had 5 classes and 2 internships. I liked my internships and thought I could handle both since one was flexible and the other was remote. Nope. Never again. I felt so worn out and exhausted the entire semester, and I felt like it was just draining everything from me. I hate everything and could not wait for the semester to be over.

My spring semester was a bit better. I studied abroad in Buenos Aires during winter semester. The course was fabulous though a lot of work, and while BsAs doesn't live up to Barcelona, I'm glad I went to South America. Anyhow, in the spring, I took my first 300-level political science class but also didn't feel particularly attached to/interested in most of my classes. I took a philosophy class which is probably my least favorite class ever (even more so than pre-calc and algebra 2/trig honors). At least part of my life felt like it was coming together, though. My polisci professor co-wrote a chapter in the anthology my internship mentor published and the co-author was speaking on a panel I was helping out at for the internship. I ended up meeting with her, and it also helped me establish a really great relationship with my professor.

The Bad

But sophomore year was also extremely hard for me. Last year, I wrote about not feeling home sick. This year, I did. The sophomore slump is so real, let me tell you. Freshman year, I was hit with a deep understanding of being vs. being lonely; last year, I could be alone and not feel lonely. But sophomore year, I felt extremely isolated from my friends, and although I did try to make time for myself--especially in the spring--it was almost always alone in my room. My friends were really busy and stressed out, and I rarely saw any of my friends not in my major. I hardly ever saw my best friend, who's a Sociology major and on the pre-med track. All of this really took an emotional toll on me.

This entire year, my emotional/mental state felt like it was constantly fluctuating up and down. On top of all this, I've just felt like i"m super behind compared to many of my friends and classmates. I'll have a more detailed post on this topic later, but I've been at the same internship for almost a whole year. I was fine with it for the spring semester because I was able to do something different than I had during the fall semester, but applying for so many internships for the summer and not getting any of them was hard. It was especially hard because most of my friends are doing really cool and incredible things and getting amazing opportunities. I know that a lot of it is just my mentality and the environment of my honors program, but it's hard to not let it get you down.

The Good

So, needless to say, sophomore year hit me hard. It kicked me down, and I've tried hard to not let it get to me. Even though it was difficult, a lot of it was good. I practiced some more self-care and I listened to my body a bit more. I reduced my meat consumption by a lot, I met amazing people when studying abroad, and I made some great connections. I went to DC with my public policy program and was super energized by it. I helped execute a protest at my school. I went to more bookish events, met my friends Alexandra and Aneeqah, met two other online friends who helped me get through much of middle and high school, saw my friend Willa much more often, saw some dance performance, etc. And! I was asked to be co-captain and choreographer for my dance team! I'm partially terrified because I've never choreographed before and this is a huge responsibility and undertaking, but for someone who has been dancing for over 15 years now, this is huge for me, and I'm also really excited.

Xan, Me, Willa, Susan Dennard, Victoria Schwab

My dance team!

My friends have been nothing but supportive, and I re-connected with an old friend, who has been really incredible as an additional support system and as someone who knew me before college. It's nice to talk to someone who knew me then and is sort of in the same place in life as me. We both support one another, and it's really beautiful, I think.

I learned so much about myself this past year. I can't believe I'm halfway done with college. Sophomore year of high school felt like it took forever to get there, but the past two years have flown by. This coming fall will be tough, but I just hope to continue to grow and get better.

Please share, comment, follow me on social media, etc! <3

Revamping Infinite Golden Floors

2017-06-19T08:30:00.000-04:00

Hello, lovelies! Long time no see...I think it's time we sat down to talk and catch up. I'd offer you some of the hot coffee I just made as I sat down to write this, but that doesn't work too well across a screen. But anyway...

How have you all been? I hope you've been well. It's been an interesting few months. I've been busy with school and dance and have been working hard and doing lots of self-care actions. I've been talking to people about world issues and politics and the like, and then I promptly require some time away from all the craziness. I can't even begin to comprehend what is happening in the world. Most of it just makes me angry and sad and fearful, but I'm trying my best, and I try to keep up with happy things too.

Of note, a club that I'm a part of at school recently organized a protest that I would deem successful for the moment. We're fighting against actions our college is taking against the Asian American Studies Program, which is vital now more than ever. It's a bit of a long story, but I'll direct you to our petition. Please spread the word! This is really crucial to me, to CRAASH, to our school, to NYC, to higher education, to all ethnic studies, to Asian Americans, and beyond. The whole experience has been so rewarding.

As part of my self-care, I've been watching some TV shows but mostly have tried to return to reading. As of when I'm writing this, I'm more than half-way done with The Shadow of the Wind, which is BRILLIANT. It's long but so enthralling. The writing is beautiful, and I look forward to reading it in its original Spanish one day. I can tell this will already be a favorite.

For some time, I was also getting back to creative writing. I participated in my 5th year of February Album Writing Month (FAWM) this year, but for the first time, I "lost," aka didn't write 14 songs in the month of February. But I wasn't too disappointed. I tried my best and still put out a few great song lyrics. I might post some here. I've just now started writing lyrics again. I still have some poetry I wrote post-election that I might still share, but most of what I write is really personal, so I'm deciding what to post...On a similar but different note, I am contemplating taking up novel-writing again. Or maybe just personal essays, if I feel I have something worthwhile to say and the means to say it. It's all a bit up in the air right now, but I'm feeling creative. (I'm also going to do a playlist post soon because February's playlist is one of my favs.)

Speaking of creating and writing...I have a grand new direction I want to take this blog in. It'll take a lot of time and effort, so it still won't be fully implemented for a while (and I think I'll write a separate blog post to talk about this more fully), but the gist of it is that I want to infuse my blog and social media with a bit more politics. It won't be all politics, all the time, and it will be as non-partisan as possible. I want to inform people about things that are happening in the world--things that matter to me but are sometimes overlooked or deemed too complicated to read about. I want to make politics accessible. I want to spread the word about issues you don't hear about on the news every day, but I want to present it in a way that's still appealing to millennials and "lifestyle" bloggers. This community can be far too removed from every day politics--dare I say, too white to need to care. But these are topics that I find important. And for people who are becoming interested in politics because of the current climate, I want to make it easier and more accessible, less of an upward hill. And I want to show-case wins and advocates and activists who are doing amazing work, locally, nationally, and internationally!

If there's an issue or topic you'd like to learn more about/care about--or people you'd like to showcase--please comment. Additionally, if you'd like to contribute and write an informative post, please email me at infinitegoldenfloors(at)gmail.com.

Lastly, I just want to talk about some lifestyle changes I've made...not because they're important for you to know about but because they're big steps for me. (1) I'm mostly sleeping earlier and waking up earlier. Okay, partially a result of having an 8AM class, but nevertheless. (2) I've mostly been eating vegetarian 3-4x a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. I'll talk about my reason why in a different post. (3) I've been trying to exercise more. Then midterms hit and it's been a rough patch, but I'd like to get back to it. (4) I'm trying to create more. (5) I'm trying to assert my opinions more. I'm trying to be more political, or I should say, not let things get to me and stop me from talking about controversial issues. (6) Trying to get out more and not get stuck with just schoolwork. (7) Save more money. Buy fewer books. See fewer shows. Limit travel. (8) More nature!

Me in my latest travels (Pantheon, Rome, Italy)

Anyway, I pass the mic to you now. What have you been up to? What have you been enjoying lately? What have I missed?

Please share, comment, follow, etc, and stay tuned for more! <3

How to Travel When You're Traveling

2017-01-12T07:30:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, lovelies! I've been meaning to write up a New Year's Resolutions post, but I'm actually studying abroad right now and have been busy exploring and studying. That said, I've also been traveling a lot, not just in terms of different countries and cities but also within Buenos Aires, where I'm taking class over the winter.

Before I arrived, my parents were very worried about my safety in the city while traveling around. And for good reason. At the same time, how one travels around a city can vastly change how they experience said city. Driving through New York City, for instance, is very different from taking the subway or the bus.

Walking

My favorite way to explore a new city, or even one I know well, is to walk! Of course, some cities are more walkable than others and sometimes the weather can deter you. Plus, depending on when you're out, it can also involve a lot of "street smarts." But by walking around, you can get a sense for the people, the architecture, etc. I think it's the best way to learn your way around; you learn street names and street layouts much more quickly, you are better able to find your way when/if you get lost, etc. Plus, you can stumble upon restaurants, shops, and coffee shops (if you're a coffee person) to try or to jot down for a future day. You get to experience different neighborhoods, and you'll see a wide range of different people.

Subway/Metro/Etc.

Whatever it's called in a given city, if there's a subway system, I always try to take advantage of it when I'm unable to walk. Some systems are better than others. The NYC subway is extremely extensive and is just something everyone should experience; it's such a vital part of the NYC experience and our lifestyle. Taipei's MRT system is very small in comparison but is extremely clean and efficient. The metros in São Paulo and Buenos Aires are much older, most don't have AC, and you better keep an eye on your possessions. Subway systems are also great ways to learn a city's layout. Taking the metro in Barcelona definitely helped me somewhat with directions and sense of place within the city.

Bus

Far from my favorite mode of transportation, buses can be the most extensive transportation systems. I personally think of them as being mostly a local mode of transportation, simply because it often requires much greater knowledge of a place, or at least all those bus stops. I feel that they tend to be the most full of locals of all kinds, although depending on the city it may be more of the middle/lower class. Whenever I successfully take a bus or learn a bus system, I feel so much closer to being a local or having a local's experience.

Train

For travels entailing longer distances, trains are great! I often take the train home during the school year. I took an 11-hour train ride to Montreal once. I took the train to Figueres while in Barcelona. I took the train in and out of Taipei when I was studying in Taiwan this past summer. Trains can be great modes of travel depending on where you are, but they aren't always the most efficient forms of travel (11-hour train ride to Montreal vs. 2 or 3 hour flight...). One day when I go to Europe, I'll definitely travel around more by train, though!

Airplane

Of course, airplanes are great for all different types of travels. Depending on where you're going, they can also be the most time efficient methods of travel. And depending on the airline, season, and location, they can also be very cost efficient. I've yet to travel around much by plane, but I could see it being helpful in Europe (where trains aren't as efficient) and South America. (I can't speak for other locations, as I'm not as knowledgeable about transportation there.)

Trams, Gondolas, Etc.

These are always fun and unique ways to travel. Trams tend to be historic, while gondolas and such can be helpful in quickly getting to the top of hills and mountains and such. They offer great views and are totally fun!

Boat/Ferry

I get sea-sick, so this isn't my preferred method of travel, but there are some great reasons to take a boat/ferry. The Staten Island Ferry currently offers a great, free view of the Statue of Liberty. Taking the ferry from Buenos Aires to Uruguay is the best way to get there. And you can sometimes get lovely views of a city's sky/coastline!

Car

Also a not-very-preferred method is to travel by car. It can sometimes be really necessary to get to places. It can also be the most convenient or cost efficient, especially if you can drive with others and split gas costs. That said, you also have to deal with traffic, car-sickness (if you're like me), road rage (yours or others'), local driving laws, figuring out highway systems, etc. I personally also don't drive on highways yet and/or often don't have access to a car when I'm abroad/away, so that doesn't help much. But it's very helpful in, for example, getting to mountains or to places far from public transport. And sometimes it's just nice being able to travel around without relying on others. Plus, who doesn't want to take a road trip at least once in their life? I can't wait for the day I can do a cross-country road trip with my friends! West Coast, here I come!

Flying Ford Anglia, the TARDIS, the Hogwarts Express, Millennium Falcon, etc.

photo credit

Okay, okay, you might be a bit confused. I know, these aren't real methods of travel. But imagine if they were?! I would love to be able to travel around with the Flying Ford Anglia. You could use a car without having to deal with most of the hassles of driving (maybe just parking). As long as you're smarter about it than Ron and Harry, you could get around without anyone seeing, you can fly over beautiful scenery, and it'd probably be close to teleporting. It'd be like flying on an airplane but without being so environmentally harmful (probably). And it'd make a future road trip so much easier! My friends wouldn't have to deal with me needing to sleep in the car because I'd get car-sick otherwise. Just don't crash into the Whomping Willow ;)

Similarly, I'd love to travel on the Hogwarts Express. Of the fantasy methods above, it's probably the least flexible. But that scenery! I would honestly just love to sit in one of the cars with some friends. It sounds nice for a medium-length journey. And, I mean, who wouldn't want to ride the Hogwarts Express?

And then there's the TARDIS and the Millennium Falcon, which are actually somewhat similar. With the TARDIS, I'd be able to travel through space and time...how awesome does that sound?! Plus, if you're ever attacked, you would be protected. The TARDIS can also help translate languages! It's essentially like teleporting. You could go anywhere, at any time, almost instantly. It'd make travel so easy. Just take out all the dangers that come with traveling with the Doctor, or just steal it from him, and you're all set. ;) The Millennium Falcon is much larger and unwieldy, but you can jump to light speed and travel to galaxies far, far away. Plus, it has so much history and is such a classic Star Wars vehicle.

While these aforementioned methods of travel may not be possible, you can rent an awesome car for your next trip through Turo. You can take the infamous Aviato Escape from Silicon Valley or the Wagon Queen Family Truckster from National Lampoon's Vacation for a spin. They have all types of cars and can make those road trips and adventures a little easier! They're a great new car-rental option that you should definitely look into the next time you're in need of a vehicle.

What is your favorite mode of travel in a new place?

Reacting: Hollow

2016-11-11T07:30:00.000-05:00

photo credit

I've decided to start a new mini-series of blog posts called "Reacting," which is my response to the election. There are a million thoughts swirling around my head, and this has fueled me to start speaking out more. I often feel lost in the wave of activism, but I want this to be part of my contribution. If this picks up, I think I'd like to have other people write their own reactionary posts. Mine will range from poems and songs written in the aftermath, to blog posts, to activism messages. Really, it's just a collection of my reaction to this election, whatever form that may take at any given moment. This is the first post of many. This is in raw form. I wrote it in the moment and have not edited it. It may not be perfect and maybe worded in a way that I did not intend, but I want to keep it in its original form.

Hollow

I feel hollow,

torn down,

worn out,

like I've had the breath

knocked out of me.

There are voices

everywhere,

but they can't drown out

the thoughts in my head.

I feel hollow,

and I can't find words

for what's swirling in my brain.

There are voices

everywhere,

and I want to say something,

but I just don't have it in me yet.

We fight...

for love, for hate,

right now it almost

feels the same.

We play a blame game,

a name game,

but we're all the losers here.

Daggers leaving me

even more broken.

Not just a national tragedy

but also one within.

October 2016 playlist

2016-11-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

Hope you're all doing well! I'm sorry again for being so bad at posting. It's been a crazy, crazy few weeks. I think I'm just going to take this semester as it is (I'll explain it in a post near/at the end of the semester) and try to get this blog back on track next semester. I'll try to have some posts here and there but won't be dedicating as much time.

Just want to start off by saying, IF YOU LIVE IN THE US AND CAN VOTE IN THE ELECTION, PLEASE GO VOTE.

Anyway, this month has been crazy, but it's also been a great month in terms of my Spotify playlist! As I made the graphic below, I was just thinking about how much I love it. There are the two random Chinese songs from the day I couldn't kick my Chinese pop song listening session.

I don't tend to listen to my monthly playlists, but I think I'm going to have to make an exception for October's. Most of these songs are new to me, but I think they're fantastic.

Let me know what you think!

Listen on Spotify!

Please share on social media if you enjoyed!

Why Vote?: Register to Vote Today!

2016-10-11T07:30:00.000-04:00

photo credit

This November, Americans will be showing up at the polls (or online or via mail) to vote for our next President. But millions of eligible voters will not. There are many reasons for that, but I implore you to take a few minutes out of your day to register to vote (I believe it varies, but registration closes Oct 15th in NY) and then to go out and exercise your right to vote. Vote for your Presidential candidate, vote for you Congressmen and Congresswomen, vote for your local representatives, vote, vote, vote.

But why does it matter?

Good question...so many people feel as if their vote doesn't even make a difference. But it can, and you should still vote. (This coming from basically-guaranteed-blue NY.)

Vote because so many generations before you fought and died to ensure you have that right.

Vote because so many are still not able to, in the US and internationally.

Vote because some people want to vote but can't.

Vote because that is your voice in government.

Vote to show that you care.

Vote to make a change. (Local elections are so important and where you have the most impact. Local officials are also the ones who can make changes and policies that will directly affect you.)

Vote because it's your civic duty and because it's a privilege to be a citizen of a democracy.

Vote because the youth are counting on you and who you elect.

Vote because our troops fight to make sure you maintain that right.

Vote because it gives you, your community, and the issues you care about power.

Vote because it's too important not to.

Vote because it doesn't only impact you.

Vote because our international ties depend on it.

Vote because our environment/our ability to live in our environment depends on it.

Vote because it can change the world.

Vote because it might not.

Vote because you can finally vote in your first election (congrats!).

Vote because it shows politicians that you care...so they can focus on what you care about.

Vote because you can't complain about what happens if you don't.

Vote because your voice really does matter. (Perhaps the Brexit vote would have turned out differently if more young people, who tended to choose Remain, had shown up to vote.)

Vote because all your words and actions don't really matter to politicians if you don't show up.

Vote because you have to. (But actually, let's not joke about compulsory democracy because it doesn't necessarily work out well.)

Vote because you want to.

Vote because your voice matters.

You might not think your one vote will matter, but when every individual person goes out to vote, it can and does make a difference. How many Brexit non-voters do you think regret not going? How many people who skipped out in the 2000 elections wish they had gone out to the polls that day?

How can you register to vote?

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It's not as much of a hassle as you think it is, I promise! There are plenty of sites and resources out there. You can do it old-fashioned paper way. It's how I registered during my senior year of high school!

But since the deadline is coming up...you can check out these resources, which can give you state-by-state information.

Rock the Vote

Wrock the Vote (a personal favorite and perfect for Potterheads)

Now what?

Now that you're registered, first, congratulations! And of course the most important thing, GO VOTE THIS ELECTION DAY (psstt, November 8th) (next time around I'll leave enough time to write about absentee ballots, though I admit I don't know much about the process myself).

It doesn't matter if you're registered if you don't show up! Please go vote this year, even if you've refused to vote every election in the past. You matter, your voice matters, and your vote matters.

If you found this post helpful or interesting, please share it on social media and/or leave a comment below. You can also follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and by email (in the sidebar!).

september 2016 playlist

2016-10-06T07:30:00.000-04:00

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Happy October, lovelies! I sort of slacked off on the playlist front because I was away and not using Spotify very much, but last month, being back in school and all, I started creating my monthly playlist again. This one's on the short end again, but it also showcases some new loves.

I've been falling more and more in love with Ingrid Michaelson's new album, It Doesn't Have to Make Sense. And I highly recommend watching her music video for Hell No with Deaf West, whom I've been obsessed with since I saw Spring Awakening last year.

And for those of you who don't know, I'm learning Spanish. Up until now, I've been pretty reluctant to get into Spanish music for a variety of personal reasons, but then I found Reik, and I've fallen in love with their music. Their latest album, Des/Amor, features music that is such a great blend of a pop and singer/songwriter vibe. I don't understand half of what they're saying, but I just love the feeling of their music. (And so helpful when I need music with lyrics but won't distract me too much. My mind doesn't latch onto the lyrics as much.)

But without further ado, here's my September playlist!

If you enjoyed this post and would like to be notified of new posts, please subscribe by email or to my newsletter, which I'm in the process of working on (both links in the sidebar)! And if you found any new music favorites, let me know in the comments below or on social media! You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest!

Infinite Golden Floors

Introducing the new Infinite Golden Floors

INFINITE GOLDEN FLOORS

2019 in Review

Let's chat: What's your biggest accomplishment or best memory of 2019?

Loveboat, Taipei, in Fiction and Reality

2019 Favorites

Favorite Books of 2019

Favorite Movies

Favorite New Music

For more music I loved this year (but didn't necessarily come out in 2019), check out some of my Spotify playlists:

Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me by Julie Wright | Book Review

Exploring Emotional Depth in Art

On Revamps, Writing, Social Media, and Fear of the Blank Page

Color Me In by Natasha Díaz | Book Review

Watching Movies with an Aspiring Filmmaker / Film Buff

What are some films you love?

Toward a More Inclusive New York Fashion Week

Nathalia Gaviria

Eman Idil Bare

Charles and Ron

Final Thoughts, pt. 1

Kovasky (Knockout) by Minika Ko

Final Thoughts

Rethinking the Idea of Traveling as an Escape

Celebrating Girl Power in Graphic Novels

Post-1906 San Francisco and a Parallel Fairy World

The City on the Other Side by Mairghread Scott, Robin Robinson

Girls and Aliens in Space

Zita the Spacegirl Series by Ben Hatke

Star Scouts by Mike Lawrence

19th Century France, Royalty, and the Breaking of Gender Norms

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Hilarious Gender-Stereotype-Defying Fantasy

Cucumber Quest: The Doughnut Kingdom (#1) and The Ripple Kingdom (#2) by DG Gigi

Inspiring Women in Real Life and From Around the World

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu

January TBR

January TBR

1. The Epic Crush of Genie Lo | F. C. Yee

2. Spring's Awakening | Frank Wedekind

3. Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race | Reni Eddo-Lodge

4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | J.K. Rowling [Re-read]

5. Seven-Sided Spy | Hannah Carmack

6. The Key to Everything | Paula Stokes

7. Saints and Misfits | S.K. Ali

8. Code Name Verity | Elizabeth Wein

9. Between Shades of Gray | Ruta Sepetys

10. History is All You Left Me | Adam Silvera

11. Nina & Minerva

What books are you planning to read this month? Have you read any of these? If you have, what'd you think?

2018 / Spring Semester Goals

1. Spend less time on my phone

2. Read at least 1-2 books a month

3. Create creative content sustainably and mix it up

4. Limit coffee consumption (max. 4x/week)

5. Spend more time with friends and go do fun things

6. Return to journaling, cooking, exercising

7. Keep up with blogging!

Do you make resolutions? Goals? What are your goals for 2018?

Top 10 Books of 2017

TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2017

Recap

The List

1. Wild Beauty | Anna-Marie McLemore

2. The Darkest Minds (series) | Alexandra Bracken

3. Homegoing | Yaa Gyasi

4. The Hate U Give | Angie Thomas

5. The Girl with the Red Balloon | Katherine Locke

6. The Shadow of the Wind | Carlos Ruiz Zafon

7. The Names They Gave Us | Emery Lord

8. A Darker Shade of Magic | V.E. Schwab

9. The Prince and the Dressmaker | Jen Wang

10. Turtles All the Way Down | John Green

Honorable Mention*. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe | Benjamin Alire Saenz

Must-Try Taiwanese Night Market/Street Foods

Food

Stinky Tofu / 臭豆腐 / chòudòufu

Oyster Omelette / 蚵仔煎 / ô-á-jiān (Taiwanese pronunciation)

Oyster Vermicelli Noodle Soup / 蚵仔麵線 / ô-á mī-sòa (Taiwanese)

Honorable Mention. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe* | Benjamin Alire Saenz