Author Archives: myl37

What Miyazaki is trying to say in Spirited Away…

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Spirited Away has been one of my favorite Studio Ghibli movies of all time. And watching it as an adult now has got me thinking of what kind of message Miyazaki (director, writer and producer of Spirited Away) has illustrated in Spirited Away. I personally believe that he has embedded many symbols in this movie in order for his audience to understand our society’s relationship with the environment.  One example is included in the Stinky Spirit scene. In this scene, Miyazaki portrays the relationship between humans and nature: the bicycle representing pollution caused by humans, and the spirit’s odor as green-house gas emissions. The once cleaned river god was covered in mud and trash that has been built up over time. I believe that having all the bathworkers and Chihiro come together to clean up the stinky spirit relates back to Japan’s early movement (1960s-1970s) to clean the environment.

I hope to watch more Studio Ghibli movies to understand what Miyazaki is trying to convey in his animations.

Pumpkin Fun!

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I’ve never painted a pumpkin nor carved a pumpkin before, so I was really excited to pick my pumpkin out and get creative. I painted my entire pumpkin a light blue color and drew eyes all over it. It’s not the best looking one out there, but I put a lot of work in it and I’m proud of the end result.

Fall is my favorite reason. And now that fall is here, with the pumpkin spiced lattes and the changing color leaves, it is time for me to take out my sweaters and be part of the season. One thing I love about Cornell is the scenery and it’s most beautiful in the fall. It is really nice to see the leaves changing colors as I walk up and down the steep slope. But the best part of the fall at Cornell is that it’s not too chilly. A simple long sleeve with a nice sweater is all I need to survive my day outside of my room; I don’t need to pull out my parka and my snowboots.

Now that Halloween is right around the corner, I’m really excited for all the spooky activities Ithaca is setting up for. I can’t wait to go trick-or-treat around Rose and stop by each RA.

Who are we to trust?

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There is a lot to unpack from the movie, Us. And while, on the surface, the movie succeed in scaring me, it also delivered some interesting metaphors behind the story of us vs. them. Throughout the movie, we get a sense of the animalistic vs. human nature theme from Adelaide and her doppelgänger, Red. It was revealed towards the end, where it turns out that “Adelaide” is actually the tethered that replaced the real Adelaide when she was younger. This grand reveal questioned the audience of how can we differentiate human nature/characteristics to what is considered barbaric/animalistic.

Another theme present in the movie is the idea of the idea of privilege. While tethered people look the same as any other human, they were abandoned, as their counterparts have freedom to roam above the ground. In fact, the director, Jordan Peele, said that “For us to have our privilege, someone suffers. … [and that] those who suffer and those who prosper are two sides of the same coin.” Peele used his movie to tell his audience about the close relationship between the privilege and those who suffer.

 

Quote from: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/us-director-jordan-peele-explains-what-his-horror-/1100-6467817/

The Tenenbaums’ Family Bond

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A lot went on in the film. It was wild from start to finish, making it more entertaining. I’ve never seen a Wes Anderson before so it was interesting to see one of his earlier works. While the plot of the movie was incredibly cliche, the aesthetics and acting in the film was on point. What really stuck out for me with the family bond that was emphasized throughout the plot. While the characters were eccentric in their own way, they came together as a family whenever one of them was hurt. They came together when the father was “dying” and when Richie tried to kill himself. Despite their differences, they were able to put things aside (for the most part) and be there for each other. For example, Etheline was crying over Royal’s “sickness” despite their rough relationship. On top of that, Chas is a very protective over his family, and while he didn’t have a great relationship with his father, he still showed some concerns for his father (when Royal fell from his bed).

Wes Anderson did an incredible job at beautifully portraying an eccentric family as a normal family with normal family conflicts and giving some of the characters a bit of a development. He showed that a family bond isn’t about being blood-related or not, but about the love and connection among the members that hold them together after years apart.

Above and Beyond

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Friday night, my friends and I went on a trip to the Fuertes Observatory. I’ve never been to an observatory before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when climbing up the stairs to the dome. It was dark inside and didn’t notice the big telescope at first. Fortunately, I saw many people taking turns to look through it. When it was my turn, I got to see Saturn and its rings. It was really grainy to the point where I thought it was just a picture. However, everyone there reassured me that I was actually seeing Saturn. We were also gifted in seeing a meteorite that night, which was awesome because I’ve never seen one before.

The ambiance at the observatory was relaxing and quiet, which was great to experience in the slightly cold weather. People would just quietly chat while staring up in the sky. This ambiance was what I needed to relieve some of the stress this week. It was raining earlier in the week, thus I wasn’t expecting to see so many stars above. Last year, I would often look up at the sky to see the stars, but, to my surprise, there were a lot more than what I usually see when I went to the observatory. It was truly beautiful and out of this world.

The Warmth of the Cancer Community

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In high school, I volunteered at a similar walk but for Alzheimer’s. Coming to the Cancer Resource Center Walkathon as a participant, rather than a volunteer gave me a whole new experience. Rather than organizing boxes and materials, I was able to fully interact with the people there. Not only were they cancer survivors or cancer patients, but they were friends and families that were indirectly affected by cancer. Being surrounded by those at the walkathon and hearing the encouragement from other walkers and bystanders made me realize how wholesome and supportive the community is. On top of that, I was able to understand the importance of support groups and the comfort they provide to those who are having a hard time talking about cancer in general. I’m really glad that I was able to be part of the experience.

Why is RENT so important in our society?

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It’s safe to say that there was a lot going on in Rent. From AIDs to poverty to freedom of speech, the characters of Rent sang their way through tough times with passion. Seeing the musical more than 20 years after it first premiered made the whole experience overwhelming. However, despite it being so, there’s a reason why the musical is famous. That is because it’s so revolutionary. Set in the 90s, Rent exposed the vulnerability of having AIDS, of being poor, and of having a different sexuality. But the show really puts these themes in the spotlight and made the audience sympathize with the characters and their hardships during the cold winter of New York City. The entire show itself was unconventional, which makes it unique and loved by our generation today.