Weekly Tuneage :: Bastille

Thanks to a friend of mine on Facebook, who posted a status that she couldn't stop listening to the band Bastille, I decided to look them up...at 1 in the morning (I clearly make excellent life choices).  Anywho, I wish someone would have told me about this band earlier because I'm in love. 
Bastille is a four-man band from London, England that expanded from a solo project founded by Dan Smith. The song Pompeii (above) has over 38 million plays on Spotify and 32 million plays on YouTube. This song is amazing, I can't stop listening to it. Apparently I'm really late to the party on this one since the video was released January 30th of this year....Oops. This is a definitely catchy song that's bound to get stuck in your head, but in the best possible way. Take a listen and tell me what you think about Bastille. Till next time xx, Sierra P.S. Expect a Spotlight post about this band and a review of the EP Haunt very soon! I'll go into greater detail about the band there.

Mayday Parade announces new album!

According to Property of Zack, alternative-punk band Mayday Parade announced their new album Monsters in the Closet to release on October 8th, 2013. Panic! at the Disco's new album also drops on the same day, so fans of both bands (like me), are either gonna be really happy or really sad that day.

But most likely very happy.

Here's the album art for the new album!

Hope everyone's having a great Monday!

Till next time xx,

Sierra

Monday Mix :: slow your roll.

And we made our peace with lonely nights, and you healed our broken hearts.

I have a new mix I made for Monday, finally!

This mix is a bunch of slower songs to help your mind relax. It's kind of indie, bear with me. I realized I've been listening to some real mellow, slow songs lately, so I put them all together. It's really good if you're trying to unwind before bed or want something soothing.

slow your roll. from erraberra on 8tracks Radio.

Tracklist:

Islands // Young the Giant
The District Sleeps Alone Tonight // Birdy
Jezebel // Iron & Wine
Delicate // Damien Rice
As I Lay My Head Down // Other Lives
Los Angeles // Peter Bradley Adams
Write It On Your Skin (Acoustic) // Newton Faulkner
93 Million Miles // Jason Mraz
Sleep Apnea // Beach Fossils
Islands / Intro (mashup) // The xx vs. Young the Giant
Royals // LORDE
Come Away to the Water // Glen Hansard
All My Days // Alexi Murdoch
Naked As We Came // Iron & Wine
Hey Love // Jason Mraz

Thanks for listening! Tell me what you think in the comments below :)

Don't forget, you can follow me on 8tracks!

Have a happy Monday (as best as you can for a Monday, anyway)!

Till next time xx,

Sierra

Weekly Tuneage :: Vance Joy

 
I'm taking advantage of plural nature of "tuneage" and posting multiple posts (if you haven't noticed already, I really really REALLY like talking about music).

This is Riptide by Vance Joy. I need to gush about this: I'm head-over-heels in love with this song. Vance Joy, an indie-folk artist from Melbourne, Australia has really caught my attention. It's been on repeat for days (and I really do mean days). The use of ukulele matches so well with his voice. I'm currently teaching myself how to play this song on the guitar (it's only three chords and a capo, but super fast strumming pattern). Really upbeat song that puts me in a sunnier mood.

So yeah, check it out. He's currently touring with his new album (or album in progress, I'm not entirely sure) in Australia, Canada, and part of the U.S.

ALSO, if you like this song you should seriously listen to the Tram Sessions version below. It's beautiful and wonderful and rad.

Enjoy the awesome music and let me know what you think!

Till next time xx,

Sierra

(Also, I won't be surprised if this becomes "Daily Tuneage" soon....We shall see.)

Women's Sizing is Seriously Screwed Up (but it doesn't have to be)

Illustration: Ian Dingman (source)

Inconsistency in sizing: a pandemic in women's fashion since the dawn of mass manufacturing (and by that I mean the 1930s). It is the cause of so much hassle that could easily be avoided. This is often known as "vanity sizing."

As a fellow lady, I have run into this problem many times. I'll go to a store and pick out a cute pair of shorts. This is a size 5, I say to myself naively, they aught to fit me just fine!
Try them on in the dressing room, they won't go past my thighs. Yet the shorts I wore into the store are a size 5.

What is the deal with that?!

As a matter of fact, I have 3 pairs of the same jeans, from the same store in the same size, that all fit differently: one too big, one too small, the other one just perfect.

I don't understand how that's possible.

Men don't really have this problem. Their sizing makes sense. For example, a man's pants size is usually based on the measurement of his waist and inseam. Once a dude knows those numbers, he can find a great fitting pair of pants in any store he goes into. Easy as pie. (But possibly not for much longer).

(source)

For us ladies, however, it's a constant guessing game as to what size we really are, and it changes based on brand, fit, style, store, etc. I have pairs of shorts and jeans that range from size 5s to size 10s, and they all fit me just fine (heck, at one point the 5 was too big on me and the 10 was almost too snug).

What's also confusing is the numbering system itself. American women tend to like smaller numbers because then we are under the illusion that smaller is better (but really it's not). Because of that, it tends to be way more comforting to say "I'm a size 2" instead of "I'm a size 12" (or even worse, a size 24). Not only that, but the sizes change from even to odd numbers between brands! If someone is normally a 5, does that mean they would be a size 6 or a size 4 in even numbers? It's all very confusing.

I've also noticed this phenomenon internationally. While I was in London, I went to one of 3 H&Ms in Oxford Circus. The smallest size they had in pretty much everything was a 4 or an 8 (depending on the clothing item). I bought a dress that was a size 10 and it was the second smallest size they had, fits like a dream. Back in the U.S., a size 10 is one of the bigger sizes you can get and I wouldn't fit a dress that's a U.S. size 10.

Then as I looked on the label, it had different sizes for every country they marketed to.

This whole ordeal could be solved rather easily: base sizing off measurements instead of by God-knows-what. Take a page from men's fashion. It isn't that hard to measure your inseam, waist, and hip measurements, and it would make everything SO. MUCH. EASIER. The U.S. can use inches and everyone else can use centimetres, then we'd only have two types of sizes! Much more reasonable than seven.

What could inhibit this is our fear of big numbers. Women are subconsciously told that bigger numbers are bad and smaller numbers are good, which is why a lot of times we become self-conscious if our size is a two-digit number. It can be difficult sometimes to realize that a size 24 is tiny! (that means your waist is only 2 feet around, that's itty bitty).

Sizes even change over time. What's considered an 8 one decade could be a 12 the next. It even happens within a few years. What really pissed me off is when Aeropostale reformatted their sizes. I used to fit their size 5, and now I can barely get into a size 7 or 9. It's ridiculous.

In the case of some companies, they want us to feel bad about our size to make us think we aren't beautiful because of a number (I'm looking at you, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch). You're a size 00? Awesome! Size 14? Fantastic! Wherever you fall on the spectrum, it's totally fine. And yes, a double zero is a size.

I could be a size 10 in Hollister jeans (they tend to make their sizes REALLY small to make us all feel bad), yet I'm a size 2 in most dress sizes. That doesn't make sense to me. And I try not to think any of those sizes makes me "ugly" or "fat" (which is a dumb insult anyway, being "fat" isn't necessarily negative or unhealthy).

So, until the commercial fashion industry comes to their senses, the guessing game will march on. We can only hope that'll change someday.



Just remember guys and gals: you are more than your clothing size. It's just a number, and that number doesn't define you or your worth!

Have any awful sizing dilemmas you want to share? Write them in the comment section below.

Till next time xx,

Sierra

Weekly Tuneage :: Newton Faulkner

So... I'm trying out something new! I realized that I don't always have a playlist for Monday Mix because I don't always have the time to make one (though I'm currently working on one now...coming soon). Therefore, this'll be the mini version of that so you'll get at least one song a week.
One of my best friends Lauren and I are always sharing music, because we tend to like the same things. She recently recommended this song to me, "Write It On Your Skin (Acoustic)" by Newton Faulkner. I really really love acoustic songs, and this track has a sunny tone and his voice is amazing. I've been putting this on repeat lately, it just doesn't get old. The guitar finger plucking is so mesmerizing. Though, Spotify wouldn't let me listen to it because it's an English label and not available in my country. Boo. Not cool.
Anyway! It's a really lovely song and I hope you all enjoy.
Till next time xx,
Sierra

Five Reasons Why You Should See 'Pacific Rim' (seriously)

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars ★★★☆
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman
Rated PG-13

When I first saw the trailers for Pacific Rim, I thought it would be another dumb explosion-y action movie. I was very wrong.

01.) Fair Balance of Plot, Action, & Development. I have to hand it to Guillermo, he delved into more character development than most current action flicks. Though some critics would argue the characters aren't that likable, I beg to differ. 

(source)

Our main protagonists Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) are both excellent hero-material with their individual marred past affected by the Kaiju. They have drive, motive, and skill. Marshall Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) is also a sharp, commanding, and charismatic character that you can't help but root for, especially with his heroic backstory.

What was also unique was the concept of the Drift, where the two pilots of the Jaeger do a "neural handshake", causing their minds to meld and sync up for optimal fighting coordination. It's essential to the film's plot and adds an interesting dimension to the movie.

Of course, it's not perfect and there's more depth to be desired, but it's still something!

02.) Diversity! In a refreshing turn of events, there was racial and gender diversity in the leading roles! Idris Elba teaches all the younger actors how it's done and plays a multi-dimensional commanding officer of the Jaeger defense force, which are the mind-melding, copiloted fighting machines to combat the Kaiju.

(L to R) Kikuchi, Elba, and Hannum

Rinko Kikuchi plays a brilliant, strong, and powerful woman named Mako Mori. She's not overly sexualized and is respected by her peers. She even copilots one of the Jaegers with Raleigh. I'm definitely a fan of hers. Another character of color is Ops Tendo Choi, who's the command center whiz as he monitors the Jaegers and the Kaijus, played by Latino actor Clifton Collins Jr.

Not to mention writer and director Guillermo del Toro is hispanic himself.

03.) Talented but not "star-studded" cast. What I really liked is that the actors are known, but not mega-super-stars. Idris Elba is probably one of the most well-known actors in the cast, partially due to his extensive filmography. 

They COULD have picked people like Jessica Alba as the sexy love interest or Channing Tatum as our dashing hero to draw crowds, but they didn't. It helped the audience immerse themselves in the story more. 

Also, adding Charlie Day and Burn Gorman into the mix really helped for much needed comic relief after the back-to-back intense Kaiju battle scenes.

04.) No Gushy Romance. Praise the Lord Jesus. Romances in action movies
tend to feel forced and predictable. There's suggestion of something between Raleigh and Mako, but nothing is really initiated. Hey, just because the two of them understand each other doesn't mean they have to be in love, okay? 

And no big finale kiss in sight. And the peasants rejoiced.

05.) Eye Candy galore.

This part speaks for itself. Just look at them. Look.

I'm more than okay with this (source)

Aww so cute Rinko (source)

A+  (source)

Lord have mercy (source)

The unfortunate thing is that this movie doesn't pass the Bechdel Test, since there's only one woman with a major speaking role. Also I'm not thrilled with the other writer, Travis Beacham. He wrote actual flop of a movie Clash of the Titans, among other overloaded action flicks that I was no fan.

Don't believe the critics who say this movie is "stupid" or that it's "a flop" when it really is not. Guillermo del Toro's amazing directing has shone through once again. It makes the film a fun, adventure-filled thrill ride with characters you can cheer for (despite what other people say *ahem*).

So go see Pacific Rim! If you have already, what did you think of it? Tell me in the comments below.

Till next time xx,

Sierra

(WATCH) Panic! At The Disco's new single: 'Are You Nasty?" (BONUS Mash-Up)

Hello everyone! So I've been kind of M.I.A for a few days, I know. But I'm making up for it now.

If you haven't heard, Panic! at the Disco just announced their upcoming album To Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! to drop on October 8th, 2013, as well as a string of upcoming tour dates (including a handful of shows with Fall Out Boy on their Save Rock and Roll tour).

(source)

The new single "Miss Jackson (feat. Lolo)" is loud and intense. The video is gritty, dark, edgy, and a far cry from Nine in the Afternoon. Our frontman is roaming outside a motel in the Las Vegas desert looking for a darkly romantic "Miss Jackson," portrayed by Katrina Bowden.

After three years since their last album Vices & Virtues (one of the few albums that I enjoy every single track on), three-man band with Brendon Urie, Spencer Smith, and Dallon Weekes, is back with new material. This album has especially personal meaning for the band, taking its title from the book Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson and Panic!'s hometown being Las Vegas.

"The songs I was writing came from me seeing Vegas in a new light...when we left Vegas, we were 17, 18 and we were pretty bitter because we couldn't do all the things everyone else could. We couldn't play gigs, we weren't allowed in the bars, so we were pissed off," he said. "But in the past couple years I've visited Vegas quite a bit, and I started doing things I never thought I would do, like going out to clubs, and for some reason that really struck a chord with me. People go there to lose themselves in the moment, and drop their guard, and it hit me in a way. Like, 'Wow, I want to do that. I want to make music like that, that moves people, that's a party, that makes you feel good.'" (SOURCE)

Their single, titled "Miss Jackson (ft. Lolo)", has a very similar sound to Fall Out Boy's first single "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up)."Makes sense, the two bands are similar in style, genre, and are good friends. But in no way is this track a copycat. According to several fans, Panic! has been working on this album for awhile, even before Fall Out Boy's famous comeback.

(While you're at it, check out this amazing mash-up of the two tracks, "Miss Jackson Knows What You Did In The Dark". It's as if they were made to fit together.)

According to a recent interview with MTV, frontman Brendon Urie discussed the meaning behind the song itself:

(source)

'Miss Jackson' is about something that actually happened to me when I was younger. I hadn't really talked about it, and I felt that if I didn't, I would keep thinking about it, it would drive me crazy,' Urie said. 'When I was younger, I would mess around; I'd sleep with one girl one night, sleep with her friend the next night, and not care about how they felt, or how I made them feel. And then it happened to me and I realized 'Wow, that's what that feels like? I feel really shitty.'

I predict that this album will be more amazing than the last few purely because of where the content comes from: the heart. Specifically, the rough experiences of the band's beginnings.

Of course most songwriting comes from the heart anyway, but they're exploring the upheaval of their past and how Panic! has stayed strong through it all. It makes for powerful material. They're coming full circle and it's a nice refresher for bands to revisit their past. I look forward to great things, as I did with Fall Out Boy. Let's hope they don't disappoint.

Sure, it's a newer sound, but that doesn't mean it's bad.

"Miss Jackson (ft. Lolo)" is now on YouTube and available on iTunes. Check it out.

Here below are Panic!'s most recent upcoming tour dates, click here for more tour information on Alternative Press.
Aug 1 - The 92.9 Concert at Copley - Boston, MA

Aug 3 - The Piazza at Schmidt's - Philadelphia, PA 

Aug 4 - Jewish Mother - Norfolk, VA 

Aug 5 - Canal Club - Richmond, VA 

Aug 7 - 12th & Porter - Nashville, TN 

Aug 9 - Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville, FL 

Aug 10 - Jannus Live - Tampa, FL 

Aug 12 - 20th Century Theatre - Cincinnati, OH 

Aug 13 - Firebird - St. Louis, MO 

Aug 14 - Radio Radio - Indianapolis, IN 

Aug 17 - Main Street Armory (94.1 The Zone's Bonzai) - Rochester, NY 

Aug 19 - B-Ryders - Bakersfield, CA 

Aug 20 - Velvet Jones - Santa Barbara, CA 

Aug 21 - The New Starline - Fresno, CA 

Aug 22 - Alley - Reno, CA 

Aug 24 - Gallivan Center - Salt Lake City, UT

As always, feel free to leave comments below!

Till next time xx,

Sierra

Spotlight // REVIEW: LORDE & 'Royals' (WATCH)

(source)

I was recently introduced to the artist LORDE, which is the stage name for sixteen-year-old Ella Yelich-O'Connor from New Zealand (yes, she's only sixteen years old!)

Let me tell you, I'm impressed and obsessed with this lady's music.

She released her EP The Love Club in December 2012 and her music has been steadily gaining popularity since, especially in the United States. The album's overall vibe is rhythmic, simplistic, soulful, and subtly vibrant.

For such a young talent, she definitely gives off a more adult vibe due to her soulful vocal tone. It complements the solo electronic-beat-heavy music style she favors.

With a voice that's best described as a combination of Adele, Florence Welch and Kimbra (another amazing Kiwi artist worth checking out), she still has much of her own spark. She exudes an aura beyond her years. A similar artist is Birdy, A.K.A Jasmine van den Bogaerde, seventeen-year-old sweet-voiced English singer. However, the two have opposite music styles.

The lyric material is creative and fairly "party-central", but in a more thought-provoking way, but more on that in a bit. 

Though I really enjoy her recently released single Tennis Court and the other songs on her EP, I'm gonna talk about my favorite song Royals.

This song was introduced to me, which was how I found out about this artist in the first place. Take a listen below:

First, the music video.
LORDE is very much a minimalist artist, in music choice (mainly beats rather than usual musical instruments) and in filmography. The simplicity really fits with the song's theme about not having a lot of money, but not caring. As you can see, the original version (with over 2 million views) barely has her in it, focusing on the plain aspects of the boys' lives. It shows more ordinary and mundaneness of every day life rather than the glamourous party scene in which she and her friends will never truly belong. Most artists tend to be the focal point of their own video, but LORDE takes a different approach with Royals. Most likely the US version features her more (which isn't that much still) in order to match a name to the face of a soon-to-be mega-hit. Now, the song itself. Not only is it catchy (especially the chorus, my favorite part), it's almost thought-provoking. For example:

But every song's like gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroom
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room,
We don't care, we're driving cadillacs in our dreams.
But everybody's like cristal, maybach, diamonds on your time piece.
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.
We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair.

She's commenting on how every song glorifies this partying lifestyle and how money is all that matters (awesome subtle use of hyperbole, girl). In the rest of the chorus, she admits she'd like to be apart of that life, but settles for living in the dream.

Cover art for The Love Club EP, very "Where the Wild Things Are"

And we'll never be royals (royals)
It don't run in our blood,
that kind of luxe just ain't for us.
We crave a different kind of buzz.
Let me be your ruler (ruler), you can call me Queen Bee
And baby I'll rule I'll rule I'll rule I'll rule.
Let me live that fantasy.

It's certainly a different take on the usual crazy, exciting pseudo-life most of us wish we lived to some degree. In it's own way, it's a commentary on our greedy, consumerist culture.

My friends and I we've cracked the code.
We count our dollars on the train to the party.
And everyone who knows us knows that we're fine with this,
we didn't come from money.

LORDE isn't rejecting the desire to be apart of that completely, but addresses the reality of the situation: money isn't everything and we won't all be rich. And that's okay.

Final verdict: Awesome song, wicked beat, beautiful voice, pretty cool message.

Check out LORDE's full EP The Love Club on Spotify or iTunes (or wherever you listen to music)!

(source)

As always, I love hearing what you have to say. Do you dig LORDE? Love Royals or not? Tell me why in the comments below.

Till next time xx,

Sierra

REVIEW: 'Skins: Fire' Concludes, Makes all Fans Extremely SAD

**WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS** 

(don't say I didn't warn you)

Well, there you have it. Former-party girl turned inside-trader Effy Stonem's story is done. And I'm extremely sad about, and slightly disappointed in it.

our mysterious heroine, Effy Stonem (source)

In part two of "Skins Fire," Effy continues her affair with her boss and Naomi's cancer gets worse. Lovable Emily Fitch (Kathryn Prescott) comes to visit her friend and girlfriend from New York, however, Naomi still insists on keeping her illness a secret from her. In the meantime, Effy's illegal schemes are found out and she's investigated by the FSA for her illicit activities. Uh-oh. Soon Effy's plan falls apart around her  and her boss/lover lets her take the fall for the crime, even though he encouraged her to do it the second time. 

What really bothered me about the ending of Effy's story is the lack of closure. I assume the writers were trying to create a whole new setting for our beloved characters and show their growth and struggles in the adult world. But it really only did that. It would have been nice to have connections from Effy's old life rather and just focusing on Naomi and Emily's past (Emily was literally the only connection to the past). It could be symbolic of Effy moving on with her life while Naomi is constantly tied to the past (her cancer probably caused by all her cigarettes, I wouldn't doubt). And there was no mention of old beau Freddy (Luke Pasqualiano), which was quite disappointing.

The writers did stick with continuity when it came to characterization, thank God. Effy attempts to put on a brave face, but in always in search of assurance, primarily from the men in her life. First Tony, her older brother, and now Jake, her smooth but slippery boss with whom she gets involved. Even when hopelessly-infatuated Dom turns against her, she throws herself at him to win him back. 

Effy became more likable now that she's grown up, in my opinion, while poor Naomi was simply a heartache. I was really cheering for Naomi and Emily since the beginning, too.

It also was rather a grim ending. I thought the series finale with Freddy's murder and Effy's hospitalization was bad. Making Naomi's cancer terminal and sentencing Effy to jail is rather cruel as well. At least show Naomi dying or Effy being put on trial! We need some sort of closure, you guys. Something. Anything. Not what you gave us.

a gaunt Naomi in the hospital, suffering. (source)

Of course, they all did a stellar job acting-wise. Kaya and Lily really, really killed it. But I definitely preferred the first part of Skins Fire to the second.

And in all honesty, I've generally had more interest in Effy Stonem's character than Cassie Ainsworth's (Hannah Murray), who is our star in the next two-part series "Skins Pure."Unless the dude stalking her is Sid, I'll be kind of bummed.

After this episode, I'm not sure how much I'll enjoy Cassie's episodes. Maybe they'll deliver, or at least Cook's episodes might do some justice, and there's a (slim) possibility of introducing Effy or some of other other characters back with him.

Or it'll be filled with more gloom and tragedy! I wouldn't put it past them either way. Maybe I'll re-watch the original Skins to ease the pain.

All we want is some connection back to the past, is that too much to ask for?

Till next time xx,

Sierra

Mix It Up: Happy 4th, everyone!

Hello all! Happy Independence Day to all you American folk, and to those outside of the U.S.A. as well.

I made a playlist to kick off the celebrations! It's a combination of the music I think sort of embodies this country. Enjoy :)

Let Freedom Ring from erraberra on 8tracks Radio.

TRACK LIST:

01. God Bless the USA // Lee Greenwood

02. Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue // Toby Keith

03. National Anthem // Lana Del Rey

04. American Idiot // Green Day

05. Tip It Back // Florida Georgia Line

06. American Pie // Don McLean

07. Party in the USA // Miley Cyrus

08. Pink Houses // John Mellencamp

09. America // Simon & Garfunkel

10. Livin' On A Prayer // Bon Jovi

11. Born To Be Wild // Hinder

12. Don't Stop Believing // Journey

Let me know what you think of it in the comments, and have a lovely and safe Fourth of July wherever you are!

For more playlists like this one, you can follow/check me out on 8tracks.

Till next time xx,

Sierra

REVIEW: 'Skins' is Back One More Time

Cue overwhelming excitement.

Kaya Scodelario as a now grown-up Effy (source)

British television show Skins premiered the first episode in it's final season (*sobs*) in a three-part series. Effy's story is titled Skins Fire. And our favorite characters definitely aren't children anymore.

The first episode stars the infamous Effy Stonem (Kaya Scodelario) at a dead-end job at a London hedge fund company and living in the big city with her flatmate Naomi (Lily Loveless). She notices a flaw in the latest business plan, and her stuck-up boss takes the credit for it. She takes revenge by learning all she can from an analyst who's head over heels for her and begins an affair with her handsome boss. Meanwhile, Naomi is having a hard time dealing with adult life, lack of motivation, and her long distance relationship with her girlfriend Emily (Kathryn Prescott), and soon finds out some horrible news (I won't spoil it for you). A move that's a bit faster-paced than in previous seasons, usually the tragedy strikes near the end. What's the motive behind that, anyway?

One thing I'm happy about in this new series is that they brought back characters from the first and second generations. Don't get me wrong, I had my favorites in the third generation, but they didn't hold a candle to the dynamics and overall likability of the first and second gen's characters. 

The timeline makes sense, since they're no longer in high school and moving into the big, bad world that they've already gotten a taste of in previous episodes. Not so much partying and shenanigans as before. They've matured (especially Effy), but are still intrinsically themselves. Effy's wild side still shines through her cooler exterior. It's refreshing and a fantastic step for character development without losing their appeal.

Also, the soundtrack to the episodes was, as always, amazing. Ellie Goulding premiered her new track on the episode, You, My Everything. The airy-voiced Brit brings a cool, modern vibe to match the longing tone of the episode. I definitely dig it. It will be released officially and available to purchase next month!

And here's the clip from Skins featuring the song below! [POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT]

Though it's not the Skins most of us are used to, the new direction works well for the series and its characters. It's almost as if the characters are maturing with their target audience. Not an original move, but excellently executed nonetheless (thank you Jess Brittain for the fantastic script).

I look forward to the rest of this season oh so very much.

How you do think this final series of Skins will go? What do you think of Ellie's new song? Leave a comment below telling us what you think!

Till next time xx,

Sierra

The #pros and #cons of Hashtags

In light of Facebook introducing clickable hashtags onto statuses, I felt this needed to be said.

Hashtagging. Unless you aren't part of any online social network, we've all seen it, most of us have used it (even ironically, don't deny it). Most of them looking something like this:

"Just ate a grape #yum #fruit #grape #sexy #summer #starbucks #ilovegrapes"

Hashtagging, if you aren't aware, is a method of tagging one's posts or updates with relevant tags so the post will be found when searched, or to keep one's posts organized. It originated on popular social networking platform Twitter, and branched off from there.

Gradually, the hashtags, named aptly for the "#" that precedes the tag known as a "hash", evolved beyond simple tagging. They became a way for users to include afterthoughts of what they just said. It's something that's evolved past simple tagging, although that still remains. For example:

"Just saw Iron Man 3! #totallyawesome #wouldseeitagain"

There are pros and cons to this new feature crawling around the Internet.

#PROS

01.) ORGANIZATION. The biggest appeal of hashtagging is that it's a form of organization. With hashtags, one can see a wide variety of posts on the same subject in one place. This is helpful for those searching for posts and information about puppies or the earthquake that just rocked Japan. It saves a lot of time for the searcher.

02.) ACCESSIBILITY. Part of the first pro, by using a hashtag, it makes said update easier to find for others. The tweet/photo/etc gets more recognition rather if it was left untagged (unhashed?). 

03.) CREATIVITY. With the power to tag an update with anything, one can create afterthoughts of their tweets, which can be pretty clever and add another dimension to the thought behind the status. A great example is of the hashtag "#StandWithWendy" for supporters Wendy Davis' filibuster to unite together and show their support and solidarity.

#CONS

01.) IRRELEVANT TAGS. By tagging a picture of an orange as "#orange," this allows said picture of an orange to appear if someone so desires to search for citrus fruit statues on Twitter or Instagram. By hashtagging it, the user is implying that they want their photo of their delicious orange to be found and appreciated by others.

HOWEVER, when said users tag their vapid statuses with useless tags, what I like to call hashtag abuse, it is all out attention-seeking. I call this tag abuse.

"Look at my pretty #toenails! #hot #sunny #onedirection #justinbeiber #nail #polish #spanisharmada"

I mean, for God's sake, anyone remotely interested in boy bands or Hispanic naval fleets will come across the picture of sandal-clad feet and wonder something like, "Why the hell is this in the tag?"
This person is basically hoping that by tagging their photo with irrelevant tags, it'll garner more attention.
The result: people looking in that actual tag will just be annoyed.

02.) PROMOTIONAL TAGS. I see it everywhere. Almost every single advertisement on TV, there's a little hashtag in the corner so you can tweet about the commercial you just saw. A lot of businesses are using hashtags to target who they market and sell to online. The same goes for television shows. For example, I watch the show Once Upon A Time, and I always see "#OnceUponATime" or "#OUAT" in the corner of the screen. 

This provides one uniform hashtag for viewers to use when updating their twitters about the episode. This is often called "livetweeting", giving play-by-play commentary on what's going on.
Now, by them providing the tag, it makes it even easier on the network to prowl Twitter and find out who's watching what and when.
This is simply another advertising scheme, trying to unify the users and gather them all in one place to figure out their main demographics. Tip to the advertisers and marketing teams: Adding it to every single commercial and TV show is really out of hand and unnecessary.

03.) IRRELEVANCE BETWEEN SITES. As we know, Facebook has started using clickable hashtags. We all knew this day would come eventually. However, this proves to be mainly service to advertisers if nothing else. People use Twitter and Facebook for different purposes. Twitter is for shorter soundbites while Facebook is much more extensive and languid (I use the term loosely). Most people just search normal keywords in Facebook, while hashtags are the best way to navigate updates on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. 

04.) USE OUTSIDE OF INTERNET. Every time someone actually says out loud "hashtag ____" un-ironically, the eye-rolling commences. Twitter =/= actual face-to-face conversation. It's the modern equivalent to the air quotes.
Like many an English teacher has told me: show, don't tell. Convey your emotions through your word choice rather than slapping on a "#sad" instead.

The best example I've had was when my English professor was talking about Hamlet if it was set in modern times: 

"Ophelia just broke up with me #woebegone"

I honestly cracked up at that.

Overall, I believe that hashtags outside of where they are relevant are seriously asinine. But, they do serve their purpose and are quite useful (but severely overdone in most facets of media).

What's your stance on the new hashtag craze? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.


Till next time xx,

Sierra


***NOTE: All examples used I made up on the spot, save the last one, and are exaggerated for emphasis. 

Gotta Have It #3

01. Around The World Leather Watch from Urban Outfitters
I'm pretty sure one of my best friends has this watch, but I love it!

c/o Urban Outfitters

02. Kirra Bralette from Pac Sun
I've been eyeing this baby up lately, but I'm waiting for it to go on sale. I love the color and the anchor pattern.

c/o Pac Sun

03. High-Waisted Button Fly Shorts from Forever 21
I can't wear that crop top without a pair of high-waisted shorts! These are exactly what I'm looking for: goes with everything, reasonable price, and all real pockets (nothing infuriates me more than fake pants pockets).

 

c/o Forever 21

04. City of Angels Muscle Tee from Forever 21

I love the look of muscle tees, and this one reminds me of the song City of Angels by 30 Seconds to Mars. And the triangle for the "A" reminds me of the 30 Seconds to Mars triad. Overall, I really like this top.

c/o Forever 21

That's all for this week! 

Till next time xx,

Sierra

The Chick Flick Stigma

Image made by Sierra, courtesy of IMDB for movie poster images

It's common knowledge that films, when being written and directed, either have a target audience in mind or naturally evolve one during the creative process. One of the most popular, and supposedly "embarrassing" categories of films are known as "chick flicks." 

Some prime examples that I came across of these types of movies are 27 Dresses, The Notebook, Pride & Prejudice, Legally Blonde, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Sleepless in Seattle.

A chick flick is a movie usually focused on romance, with occasional comedy, tend to have female leads, and have a handsome love interest for our heroine. The label suggest that they are considered for all women and only women to enjoy.  Because movies such as these are automatically labelled as such, men and women alike tend to automatically avoid them.

Why are people so ashamed to like these kinds of movies?

Some say they're "predictable" and follow the same formula. Though many have similar themes and plot lines, that doesn't automatically make it as a bad movie. Originality is difficult, anyone who writes fiction (or creates any other medium of art) knows this firsthand. It's not a bad thing to take similar ideas from other movies and model them after that. It will eventually evolve into something of its own. In a good film, there will be facets that stand out and make it great.

The term "chick flick" has a connotation of being of horrible, predictable, and lovey-dovey.

But these films have value. For example, Legally Blonde is about a college girl that follows her bonehead boyfriend to Harvard Law School in order to win him back, but soon she finds her passion in helping others and studying to become a lawyer herself. Elle Woods (played by Reese Witherspoon) is an intelligent, confident woman who doesn't compromise her own values and style to conform to her colleagues, and kicks lawyer ass while doing it. Her relationship with her new boyfriend (a huge improvement over the last) at the end is only a footnote. I think more people should watch movies like Legally Blonde, because it features a confident, bubbly, smart female lead that can hold her own in the cutthroat lawyer world without sacrificing her femininity. 

Reese Witherspoon looking fabulous as leading lady Elle Woods, image c/o Rotten Tomatoes

For those who claim these movies aren't intelligent enough, guess again. Some of these films are based off classic literary works by William Shakespeare and Jane Austen, such as Clueless (Emma by Jane Austen), She's The Man (Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare), and 10 Things I Hate About You (The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare). Pride & Prejudice, the novel and direct film adaptation of Austen's novel, is severely criticized at first glance because "it's all about romance", despite it being wildly popular among women. This is said like it's a bad thing. Austen's characters are complex and tell a masterfully, wittily crafted commentary on her society's ridiculous pomp and circumstance. She challenges these ideas through a romantic story, and uses Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship to make a statement.

Many of these romantic/romantic-comedic films make their own kind of statements, whether it's being true to yourself, believing in love, despite the circumstances; not judging someone without getting to know them, or finding that what you want has been right in front of you all along.

Yes, more often than not these movies get a bad rap right off the bat. "They're not realistic" they say. "They're too romantic" they complain. And my response to that is this: so what? These movies are touching, emotional, and often downright hilarious, if you give them the chance.

It's okay to have preferences, of course. Maybe romance isn't your style and you prefer action and adventure movies. That's totally okay. However, action and adventure movies could also be considered "chick flicks" as well, based on the fact that A LOT OF WOMEN LIKE THEM.

See the problem here?

People would even say that inspiring movies such as A League Of Their Own, a movie about women's baseball and breaking down traditional gender roles, as a "chick flick" because it's mainly starring women and focuses on the relationship of two sisters.

Really? Are you serious right now?

Riddle me this: why do we belittle movies with emotional elements labeled as "chick flicks" automatically? Is it because we think that having faith in love is silly? 

Or is it because women like them and women are the main characters, and whatever women like must be inferior? I know many guys that won't even look at a certain film twice because "it's for chicks", or are embarrassed to admit that they genuinely enjoy films like Love, Actually or Dirty Dancing. This includes other women who don't "want to be like other women". That's a downright shame, for people that think that way.

It's part of the classic stereotype that women are mainly emotional and men are more action-oriented and logic-based. This is a gross misrepresentation, since human emotions and logical decisions are all basic human qualities despite gender.

The term "chick flick" should be removed from our vocabulary. Everyone is entitled to liking any movie they wish, despite it being a "girl movie" or a "boy movie" (both ridiculous labels with sexist criteria). Romantic comedies can have male leads, and action/adventure movies can have (and should have more) female leads.

Not every romantic comedy will be a winner, but there are definitely more diamonds in the rough than many of us are giving credit to, buried under the stigma of the "chick flick" label. 

Let's start getting past that and enjoy a movie for what it is, despite what the main demographic it was geared towards.

Here are a list of my favorite so-called "chick flicks":

• The Princess Bride (I didn't know this was considered a "girl movie" since I've seen it over a hundred times, but it's my favorite movie of all time so it's going on here)
• When Harry Met Sally
• 10 Things I Hate About You (seriously, one of the best movies I've ever seen)
• Clueless
• Made of Honor
• 27 Dresses
• Sleepless In Seattle
• An Affair To Remember
• My Fair Lady
• Miss Congeniality
• Sixteen Candles
• Legally Blonde
• Pretty Woman

What's your favorite romantic/romantic comedy movie? Favorite movie from another genre?

Why do you think we shun these "chick flicks"?

Tell me in the comments below!

Till next time xx,

Sierra