As a 16-year-old, I know I’m far from grown. And yet, every day, my thoughts, emotions, and opinions feel so different from the day before. A huge part of this is the characters in the TV shows I loveand love to rewatch. When I was younger, my opinions about characters and TV shows and movies were pretty black-and-white. There were the heroes and beautiful princesses I admired, and the villains that I unquestionably hated. But as the movies and shows I watch got more mature,

Hawkins 1989 graduation Stranger Things has never been a show that does things accidentally. Repeated imagery, epic character arcs, and clues left throughout seasons have proven that the Duffer Brothers are intentional with their storytelling. This is why I choose (even after it’s been disproven) to believe in the Conformity Gate theory. When you look closely, the evidence, hints, and unanswered questions across the seasons make Conformity Gate feel not only possible, but lik

Seeing Hamilton once is a fun experience. Seeing again, especially as a current AP U.S. history student, was transformative. My knowledge helped reveal new layers of the story, allowing me to connect the musical to the complexities of early American history on a deeper level.  The Founding Fathers With every viewing, I noticed more nuances in the characters’ ambitions, flaws, and relationships. Alexander Hamilton is not just a brilliant but also a controversial founding fath

Phoebe Bridgers singing Waiting Room live Phoebe Bridgers’ “Waiting Room” feels like reading someone’s diary through their guitar strings, beautiful, raw, and honest. The metaphors and emotional weight breathe maturity, but the content of the song shows Bridger’s true naivety, given that she wrote the song at 16 years old.  One of the most striking lines is: “If you were a teacher, I would fail your class / Take it over and over ’til you noticed me.” This feels like someone

Cover of Summer Sisters Judy Blume’s Summer Sisters is deeper than a typical coming-of-age novel; it’s a fun and thrilling, and sometimes unsettling representation and reminder of how growth can change you, your relationships, and your values. The novel follows friends Victoria “Vix” Leonard and Caitlin Somers over 18 influential summers, from the start of their friendship at age 12 to their 30th birthdays. Despite their contrasting backgrounds and personalities, the two forg

Tom and Summer (500 Days of Summer) When people talk about 500 Days of Summer, the conversation almost always circles back to Tom’s heartbreak. He loved her, she left him, and suddenly Summer Finn is framed as the villain—the cold, detached girl who refused to give the hopeless romantic the ending he thought he deserved. However, when I first watched the movie, I had a different take: Summer was not the bad guy. Summer was honest, Summer was passionate, and Summer knew what

My Poem!! A little different for the post this week! I thought I’d share a poem I wrote. This poem is a diptych poem, consisting of two contrasting parts. I believe that this poem reflects the evolution of my writing, while also showcasing the continuity of my creativity and interests.   I. In the sea of candles I dangle  Delicate. Fragile. Trapped. By the little stem sprouting from my lush exterior. Trapped.  Like a fish in a pond  Cutting through the sheet Slashing through

Monkeys seen in Penang Island Hi readers! So far, I've had a fairly packed summer, but the highlight HAS to be my trip to Hong Kong and...

The Queen Is Dead album cover As I prepare to enter my Junior year, I can’t believe that the time has flown by. I’m halfway through high...

Last week, I went and saw the play John Proctor is the Villain  by Kimberly Belflower. The play follows a group of students in a small...

Hello and welcome to my blog! This is my first post, and I'd like to preface by saying that while posting on here, I'm going to try and...