A Light Vent

I needed to vent a little bit, so why not come onto Blogger to express my feelings to the internet. I decided to actually vent about my feelings, or my lack of expressing them.

Yes, I run a blog here on the interwebs, yet why do I think of myself as inarticulate? Well, I feel like what I express to the internet is only a small fraction of what I actually think. I can't be the only one who thinks like this right?

Perhaps its just my personality, and how I like to think to myself. Sometimes, I feel that in my mind, I'm thinking in a language not English, not Chinese, or any other real language that I can think in, but just the language of my mind.

This has been a somewhat random "Random Rant," and a post that will give me the desire to post even more!

Hannah's Random Rants: Friends on Facebook

Hello readers! I'm back with another rant, and this time it is about the magical world of Facebook!

Facebook has become an addiction to many. Some use Facebook for their games, others use it to post photos of the friends, family, and food. Others believe that Facebook is about getting the most likes, or the most friends.

Vying for the most number of friends on Facebook is my pet peeve. Though those who implore for likes can be a nuisance, those who compete with others for the "most friends on Facebook" award is what utterly irks me.

I'm not talking about the people that have five hundred friends (I, myself have five hundred friends on Facebook), and I'm not bashing people with one thousand friends on Facebook. I understand having the presense of hundreds of people viewing your profile is nessecary for school and other occupational purposes, but some people do not think that's enough: they think that adding someone after they met for five minutes is worthy of being their friend on Facebook. There are even people who add friends of friends they have never met! There are even rare scenerios where I've had friend requests from people I have no relation/mutual friends.

Remember that Facebook should be used as a social media outlet to connect with your friends and family, but also follow the post of businesses and famous people. Your friends on Facebook are meant to be YOUR friends. Are you friends with someone you met once?

I have added some people on Facebook after meeting them once, but that is because I know that I will communicate with them in the future. There are even some people that I see everyday and talk to that I don't even add on Facebook.

I guess my point here is this: don't add people on Facebook you barely even know. You never know what they will do with the information you share to them when they become your friend on Facebook.

Facebook is an amazing outlet for connecting and aiding our communications, but I honestly hate it when people just add me, even though I don't have a clue who they are or when we will ever talk again.

My Relationship with Disney's Frozen (Review)

Frozen, the latest animated Disney-princess film, came to theaters on November 27th, 2013
(Thanksgiving Week), but truthfully, I did not see Frozen until Christmas! I finally decided to write a review after A) finding out that many people still haven't watched it B) watching it a second time and falling in love all over again, and C) because I thought this blog was due for another review of some sort!

This review will be slightly unorthodox. I highly recommend skipping the summary section if you do not want to know the ultimate spoilers. Generally, the movie is about two sisters, Anna and Esla, who grow up as two seemingly isolated princess' trying to find their paths.

~~~~~~~~~Summary--SPOILER ALERT~~~~~~~~~~

The movie begins with Anna, the younger sister, pouncing on her older sister, Elsa, in the middle of the night vying for a midnight play session. Elsa agrees and runs into a grand ballroom with Anna. It is revealed that Elsa has magical snow/ice making powers. While playing among the snow, Elsa accidentally hits an ice shard into Anna's head, bringing Anna into a coma. Esla and Anna's parents run into the room, immediately taking Anna to a group of trolls, who reveals that Esla's power is both a curse and a blessing triggered by fear. The trolls revive Anna, but warn Esla that if she harms her sister's heart, there will be no way to revive her.

The fear that the trolls mention drives Elsa into a prolonged isolation, where their palace gates are closed and even her own sister is isolated. For years, Anna vies for Elsa's attention, but does not get it. When their parents die in a tragic boating accident and Elsa comes of age, the gates were finally forced to open after years of isolation.

Kristoff's reindeer, Sven 

The adventurous Anna explores their kingdom of Arendelle and meets one of the guest of Elsa's coronation, Hans of Weselton. They fall in love instantaneously and venture off around Arendelle until the coronation.  Hans proposes to Anna, who happily accepts.

Anna and Hans asks Elsa for their hands in marriage, but Elsa rejects. Angered by this, Anna demands to know why Elsa doesn't allow "true love," but instead startles Elsa and her fear. Elsa runs off into the mountains and casts an eternal winter on her kingdom. Anna runs off to find Esla while Hans takes over the kingdom temporarily.

Anna travels through the harsh winter conditions to find Elsa. Along the way, she encounters Kristoff and his reindeer, Sven, and Elsa's childhood snowman, Olaf. Together, the travel up the North Mountain, where Elsa was thought to be. After days of travel, they find Elsa's snow palace that the had built. Anna offers Elsa to return and unfreeze Arendelle, but Elsa does not know how. Elsa becomes agitated by Anna's constant pleading that she accidentally strikes Anna's heart. Kristoff takes Anna to his family, who is revealed to be the trolls. The trolls explain that only an act of true love would undo the curse. Therefore, Kristoff and Sven run Anna back to Arendelle to get a "true love's kiss" from Hans.

Meanwhile, Hans has summoned a search group to find Anna and Elsa. They found and captured Elsa quickly and return back to Arendelle. Elsa is placed in a cold prison.

There's a "real" aspect of this Disney movie where
each character doesn't have a "perfect life."

When Anna returns to Arendelle, she implores Hans for a kiss, but Hans only leaves Anna to die because he reveals that he wants to take over the kingdom. He tries Elsa of treason for Anna's "death" so solidify this fact. When retrieving Elsa, Hans realizes that Elsa had escaped the prison and caused a raging blizzard in the storm. He runs after Elsa telling her that her actions are what killed Anna. Her despair stops the storm. Meanwhile, Olaf finds Anna left for dead and takes her to Kristoff, who Olaf reveals to be in love with Anna. In the clear fjord, Anna almost reaches Kristoff, but instead runs to Elsa, who is almost murdered by Hans. Anna throws herself between Hans and Elsa be for Elsa is killed, but turns into a solid ice block.

Anna suddenly thaws, forcing Olaf to realize that this was the act of true love that undos the curse. Elsa's calm peace at mind allows her to thaw Arendelle and control her powers and help Olaf survive the blazing heat of summer. Arendelle cuts its ties with Weselton, kicking Hans and his family out. Anna and Kristoff share a kiss and Elsa and Anna promise that the castle gates will never be shut again.

~~~~~~End Summary~~~~~~

I love this movie so much! Even though I love this movie so much now (I bought the whole album!), it wasn't always so. When I first watched the movie, I criticized the music for being a mix between Hercules and Tangled music. Also, I didn't feel "obsessed" with the movie until watching it a second time.

Frozen surprisingly has a lot of subtle symbolism. Olaf, the happy snowman, is created from Elsa's joy and happiness, while Marshmallow, the monstrous snowman spawned to protect Elsa's kingdom, is a creation from Elsa's fear. Doors also seem to be "gateway" symbolism in the movie. Anna and Hans song, "Love is an Open Door" represents the discovery and curiosity that the young couple experiences, while in "Let It Go," Elsa closes the doors, seemingly closing her mind from the open world. The phrase "closing/opening that gates" is also frequently used for Elsa and Anna's castle, which correlate to the mood of Arendelle.

Frozen is truly a special movie in my heart. It's different than the rest of Disney movies because it shows a true struggle that one can relate to without the overshadowing subplot of love. The movie is kept simple and concise with a focused plot. I seem to fall in love with every character (until the end). What I think intrigues everyone is the soundtrack. Each song itself tells a story, like how "Do You Want to Build A Snowman" transitions from Anna and Elsa's childhood to maturity.

Why is everyone obsessed with it though? To be honest, I can't say so myself, but I can guess, hypothesize and give my opinion. There's a special spark of magic when I watch it. It brings me back into being a kid and falling in love with every movie that I watched. From what I've read on the internet, many people love Frozen for being very relatable (to Esla's and Anna's character). I love it for its simplicity and quirkiness.

What gives Frozen its true "replay ability" is its soundtrack. Like mentioned earlier, the songs seem to tell the story on its own. Every time I listen to the album in order, I always feel like I am watching the movie all over again. Also, the endless number of parodies, remakes, and covers of Let It Go and Do You Want to Build a Snowman never seek to amaze me. Here's the videos of some of my favorites (if you aren't tired of them yet!):

Let It Go- Google Translate Version

An Explicit Version of Let It Go



Minecraft Version of Do You Wanna Build a Snowman

Applaud or Veto? 

Given the fact that I wanted to base this movie off my obsession of it, its a definite applaud. Its cheesy in the eyes of some for being a animated Disney movie, but in my opinion, it was better than Tangled, and one of my favorite Disney movies. In a few months (after all the awards are finished), Frozen's trend might die, but if you haven't watched it, you should to see what the craze is about! The craze has slowly died on me, but watching the videos of it makes me fall in love with it again!

For those who know me, get ready for a movie marathon with Frozen being on the playlist!

Hannah's Random Rants: Valentine's Day?

Happy Valentines Day! 

Hello readers! I've decided to create a section of my blog called, "Hannah's Random Rants!" I am unsure if I truly want to write a "Today in History" post every day, so I want to create a section where I may blog about philosophical ideas, issues in the world, or really, anything! Some of it may not make total sense because it is the spontaneous thoughts of my zany mind.

Since today is Valentine's Day, I started to wonder:

Why do we have special days for specific appreciations? Days like Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and Father's Day are specific days to appreciate the respected figure, but shouldn't we appreciate these figures everyday?

Not everybody can even call these days a holiday, because not everyone has a valentine, mother, or father. For the ones who do, why do we take one day out of 365 days (366 on leap years!) to give the recognition that we should be giving to them everyday?

At least for me, everyday when I come home from school, I greet my mother with a big, "HI MOMMY," and a great-big-hug. Yet on Mother's Day, I cook her a special meal and commit most of the day just to her. I understand that it is a day to make one another feel special, but why can't we as a society appreciate everyone's skill and occupation everyday? We can make it customary to value the worth in others everyday with little change.

What is that change? Its still stuck in thick fog unfortunately. I think that this may be a slim change, but what we can do is create an appreciation day for everyone. Simply an appreciation day. This make my post very redundant and contradictory, but I think is a step to more peace in the world.

What do you guys think? I want these rants to act as a discussion board where you guys can express your thoughts. 

Love life and eat noodles <3 

A New String of Ideas

Hello readers! Lately (for the past few months), I've been fresh out of ideas for my blog, which is why my blog has been lacking. "Today in History" didn't interest me for a long while, through I missed important historical events like Pearl Harbor and real events like the death of Nelson Mandela.

I've had the urge to continue my Today in History posts and write about my travels. Next in my Passport Experiences might be about not a particular place, but a particular type of travel! I hope to publish these soon, so stay tuned!

Today in History: The Navy Again?

Two days ago, I mentioned the Battle of Valcour, one of the first battles for the United States Naval Force. Today was the true beginning of an American Naval Force. Thought not yet the United States, the United Colonies of the New World establishes its Continental Navy on this day in 1775 after approval from the Continental Congress. Months before, violence between the British and colonies broke out in the Battles of Lexington and Concord, sparking what would be the American Revolution. This navy was key in the success of the revolutionaries, as they successfully attacked British merchant ships and secured several victories for the Colonies.

An image of the White House
in 1800. The mansion was much
smaller before it was rebuilt after
it was burned down during the
War of 1812

The American Revolution was obviously a success, as seventeen years later on this day in 1792, the cornerstones of the White House were laid. Originally, the executive mansion was build it a white-grey color. Though construction started on this day in 1792, it wasn't until November 1st, 1800 that Second President John Adams welcomed his wife, Abigail, and himself into the mansion. Every president since Adams lived in the White House.

Texas is one of the largest states in the United States, both by size and by population. This day in 1845 marks their date of near statehood, as the Texan state constitution was ratified. Pending approval by Congress, this would make Texas the 28th state of the United States. On December 29, 1845, Texas was granted statehood, as set off by a chain of events during the Mexican-American War.

Nearly four years into World War II, Italy declares war on Germany, one of its former allies, and joins the side of the Allies. Italy had already entered the war in June of 1940 with an invasion of France, though Italian dictator Benito Mussolini decided to make a deal with General Dwight D. Eisenhower to surrender Italy to the Allies. Allowing the Allies to land on Salerno, Italy, they were able to push the Germans back up the peninsula.

Each miner was pulled out individually
to safety through the capsule.

In more modern news, this day in 2010 was the day the last of the 33 miners trapped half a mile underground were saved. After being trapped for over two months, they were greeted by the president of Chile, Sebastian Pinera while being hounded on by media from all over the world. Throughout their entrapment, I still remember the news coverage and the videos from inside the small, confined mines and worrying for the safety of the miners. Its amazing how fast this event has already past, as each day is another day in history.

Today in History: A True Columbus Day!

A painting of Colubus and his crew
arriving in the New World

Happy Columbus Day weekend to those in the United States, or as my history teacher puts it, "Thank Columbus for Killing Many Native Americans Day." Columbus Day this year is October 14th, but this day in 1942 marks the day Italian explorer Christopher Columbus lands on the Bahamian Island of Watling in the Bahamas. Believing that he had hit the shores of East Asia or India, he named the natives "Indians." Columbus's journey to the New World began on August 3rd, 1492 in Palos, Spain, the maiden country that supported his journey. This was the first of four expeditions to the New World by Columbus, though his whole life, even after his death, he believed that the land he had found was a passageway to East Asia. In reality, Columbus unlocked the door to Spain's riches and power.

A portrait of Lee during
the Civil War

When visiting San Diego in October, advertisements for Octoberfest are everywhere. When visiting the events of history, traces of Oktoberfest begin on October 12, 1810. This day in 1810 marks the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Louis and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, where a large festival was held in front of the city gates. Horse races would always take place in front of these city gates. Many wanted to repeat this festival once a year, making Oktoberfest and annual festival known for its large alcohol consumption. More than 1 million gallons of beer are consumed annually during this festival in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

A promotional photo
for Oktoberfest

For Civil War enthusiast, this day marks the death of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in 1870. Lee, age 63 at the time, died a peaceful death at his home in Lexington, Virginia. After the famed war general ended his military career with the end of the American Civil War, Lee served as president of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. The school changed its name to Lee College shortly after his passing.

The Three-man crew
upon Voskhod 1

The bowels of the land outside Earth always seem to intrigue human beings in the world, though humans themselves seem to be in competition with each other to discover space. October 12th, 1964 marks the first time a multi-person crew spacecraft was sent into outer space. This two day mission abroad Voskhod 1, with the three astronauts aboard without space suits, depicted Russian's dominance in the Space Race in the 1950s and 1960s. This tide turned in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the United States began to surpass the Russians in advancements of astronomical studies.