I Am Not Ready for Christmas.

Period. I haven't purchased a single present for myself or anyone else this holiday season. Maybe 2020 I'll be more prepared for the holiday. This holiday season I am focussing on self-care and relaxation. It has been a crazy few months, and slowly down will be lovely. I will still have 8 shows at week at The Book of Mormon, so the holiday week it'll still feel a regular work week for me.

I will be purchasing a Christmas tree this week, though. I have to bring a little bit of festiveness into my home!

photo credit: shixart1985 2020 cookie Christmas decorations. via photopin (license)
photo credit: LezlieN Christmas bauble via photopin (license)

Parasite (2019)

Last Tuesday evening I went to see Parasite (2019). I heard many of my friends rave about it, so I was used my AMC Stubs discount for a ticket. It is categorized as a comedic dramatic thriller, so that should give you some insight to the strangeness of the film. I loved it and haven't stopped thinking about it since. Some of the main themes involved hosting, faking it until you make it, scamming, social standing, dreaming, scheming, and surviving. What makes something good? What makes someone bad? Nuance.

I don't see nearly enough foreign films, and I am very glad that I saw this one. I have to start seeing more films from different countries and experiencing different styles of storytelling. The language may have been different from mine, but the themes were ones I experience in American films. Subtitles also make me pay more attention to what I'm watching. Yeo-jeong Jo gave a standout performance as the slightly skatter-brained yet loving mother, Park Yeon-kyo.

Photo by KOREA.NET - Official page of the Republic of Korea on Trendhype / CC BY-NC-SA
Photo by KOREA.NET - Official page of the Republic of Korea on TrendHype / CC BY-NC-SA

Janet Jackson Appreciation Post #001

One of the first things anyone needs to know about me is that I am huge Janet Jackson fan. Ever since I can remember, she has been my favorite music artist. I was raised listening to her music, watching her music videos, and trying to imitate all of her choreography in my bedroom. When I was younger it was my dream to one day be one of her backup dancers on a world tour. I have since let that dream go, but lord, would that be amazing. I have always been drawn to her charisma, talent, and heart. If you need to know something about Janet Jackson, ask me - there's a 93% chance I'll know the answer.

Although I've been a fan of her my whole life, I have only seen her in concert 3x - and all within the last 2 years. I was supposed to see her live for the very first time in October 2015 in Los Angeles, but as fate would have it I ended up making my Broadway debut the same week. I chose Broadway over Janet. I think she would understand. When I was younger The Velvet Rope and All for You tours were both scheduled to play my hometown of Albany, New York. My mother stood on line early in the morning to buy tickets. Unfortunately, both shows were cancelled due to the stage not being large enough to accommodate the show. Fortunately, both of those tours were filmed and aired on HBO so I could still experience them. And then for a full circle moment, I took my mother to see Janet in July 2018 in my hometown, just before we sold our family home and all moved away for good.

I could write at length about her accomplishments and career, but I will save that and much more information for future posts. Below I've included some of my favorite pictures of Janet from various award shows throughout the years. Over the course of her career she has won 350 awards.

Intro Podcast #3: Topics

What will be discussed on this new podcast? Books, music, television, movies, and more!



Thank you for listening.

Intro Podcast #2: Speech Practice

In this mini episode I work on my speech.



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Intro Podcast #1: Hello

My first time using Anchor. Let the podcasting journey begin!


Thank you for listening.

What Has Blogging Done For Me Lately?

I have a lot of thoughts. My mind is constantly running and racing. I started interacting with blogs back in 2008. I realized that blogging allowed me to focus my thoughts and interests and discuss them eloquently. Growing up I loved to read and write but never felt comfortable writing in my own voice. When I speak I often speak in tangents. Writing and blogging allows me to better organize my thoughts to relay my message with humor and heart.

One of my life goals is to write a book. Blogging has always felt like the gateway to that. I want to write more personal essays in my free time. I used to write for fun and I lost that somewhere along the way. I subscribe to The New Yorker and I usually just read the personal essays and short fiction sections. I like to immerse myself in something I'd eventually like to do.

I want to commit to keeping this blog as a fresh start on my reintroduction to Blogger and blogging. This feels like a new beginning in my life as I complete college and move forward into 2020.