Monthly Archives: August 2024

Walt Disney World: Things to Know and Places to Visit

Posted on by
Reply

In May of 1965, Walt Disney Productions purchased almost 28,000 acres of land in an area southwest of Orlando using multiple dummy corporations. On October 15, Disney decided to announce its creation by asking the Governor of Florida to confirm the rumors of a new location, calling it “the greatest attraction in the history of Florida.” This resort, opened officially on October 1st, 1971, is what we now know as the Walt Disney World Resort. It includes 4 different parks – Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. The now 50,000-acre property also includes various other locations, including water parks, a sports complex, and various golf courses.

Some things to know

  • Stay hydrated. The Florida weather, especially during summer, can be pretty extreme, due to high humidity and heat, and staying hydrated can help visitors withstand the conditions.
  • Stay cool. Find air conditioning, or even use a portable fan to avoid the weather and reduce the risk of heat stroke.
  • Plan ahead. On average, around 160,000 people visit the resort, so making reservations and knowing where to go can make visiting easier and faster.

In addition to these 3 tips, guests should also know that Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios both have a thing called virtual queues. Enter the queue online with the My Disney Experience app, which will provide a group number and an estimated time for getting in line. When the provided number is displayed on the screen above the ride’s entrance, visitors can scan their tickets and step in line. This system was implemented in 1999 to reduce the chances of overwhelming wait times.

Places to visit

Disney World is a place filled with many different and unique experiences, but some stand out among the rest. Some rides, for instance, are quit exhilarating and are worth riding such as TRON Lightcycle / Run. TRON is a unique ride located in Tomorrowland, strapping in riders as if riding a motorcycle, and hitting a top speed of 60 mph. Riding TRON at night is even more of a spectacle, as more of the lights illuminate to increase the thrill. Also an equally thrilling ride, the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Featuring Aerosmith accelerates to a top speed of 57 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds, catapulting straight into multiple twists, turns, and loops.

In addition to those two rides, Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, located in Asia at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, is also very exciting. The ride is portrayed in a Tibetan village, where riders board a train and travel up and into Mount Everest. The ride features many loops and turns, but the fun starts when the train stops and plunges into the depths of the mountain at 50 miles per hour.

In addition to rides, Disney World features a very wide variety of restaurants. Epcot has 11 pavilions representing different countries around the world, allowing visitors a large pallet of places to enjoy. One example is Shiki-Sai, located in japan. Shiki-Sai offers some of the most delicious sushi one could ever taste. In addition to Japanese cuisine, Italian dining at Epcot is equally superb. Via Napoli features delicious lasagna, pasta, and their specialty Neapolitan pizza.

In all, Walt Disney World is a very exciting place, with many different opportunities and experiences for visitors to enjoy.

Books about Disney World are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

The Golden Key by George MacDonald

Posted on by
1

The Golden Key is a short novel by George MacDonald. The story takes place in a mystical forest called Fairyland. Mossy is a young boy who learns from his great-aunt about a golden key hidden at the end of the rainbow. Mossy does not know what the key would unlock, but he feels a strong desire to obtain it. One evening, while Mossy is looking out of his window, a rainbow suddenly flashes across the sky.  This reminds Mossy of the golden key, so he darts out of the cottage to get closer to the rainbow. To his delight, he reaches the end of the rainbow and finds the golden key.

Meanwhile, not far away, a young girl named Tangle is chased out of her home by fairies. She is led by a strange creature known as an air-fish to the cottage of an old woman named Grandmother. Grandmother then sends out an air-fish to look for someone else. That person turns out to be Mossy. The air-fish returns with Mossy, who has the golden key in his hand.  The two children then embark on a journey to discover what the golden key will unlock.

This book is difficult to describe. It seems like a magical fairytale, but the imagery feels more intense than most children’s stories. The story is extremely mysterious and fantastical, and it seems to have profound spiritual significance. I sense that this book is intended to be an allegory, but I am not sure about its overall meaning. The main themes seem to relate to the journeys of life and death, as well as a hope in life after death. I found this book to be charming and delightful, even though I was baffled at times by its symbolism. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading a dreamlike story that is deeply mystical and imaginative.

Circe by Madeline Miller: A Spoiler Free Review

Posted on by
Reply

Circe by Madeline Miller is a retelling of the witch Circe from Greek Mythology. She is the daughter of the titan Helios and a nymph. The gods, fearing her witchcraft, banish her to a deserted island. Here, she forges her path – honing her craft, meeting infamous figures of mythology, and being pitted against the wrath of men and gods alike. She’s torn between the mortal and the divine, and forced to grapple with what it means to be immortal. 

I really, really enjoyed this book. It’s one of the most unique stories I’ve read, chock-full of beautiful writing and characters. It’s definitely one I’ll be rereading for a long time to come.

In Circe, I particularly enjoyed the writing. The way Madeline Miller weaves her words into prose is mesmerizing. It’s almost lyrical in its flow, natural yet riveting. I would often read the same paragraph multiple times to soak in the words. This also comes into play as Miller describes the gods. She forgoes many physical details, instead describing things like the sound of their voice and the power in their presence. You begin to fear them the way Circe does. Additionally, the passage of time from the start to the end of the book is beautiful. At the end of the book, you look back and remember all she has gone through – it feels so long ago since she first stepped onto the island. You lived through it with her, in a sense. That feeling of passed time once I finished the book for the first time was overwhelming. 

No one book is enjoyable for everyone. Circe tends to be very character-driven rather than plot-driven and relies on mostly introspective focus. She is isolated on her island, after all. Thus, there are not so many dramatic action moments as dramatic personal moments. Plus, some consider the pacing to be somewhat slow and uneven, especially towards the latter half of the book.

All in all, I enjoyed Circe’s rich, bold 385 pages. It bursts with life and thought, and it holds a proud place displayed on my bookshelf. It is definitely a recommend from me. 

Circe by Madeline Miller is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Book Review: The Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Posted on by
Reply

Foretelling a possible dystopian future, the Scythe features a world of immorality ruled by a sentient, all-knowing AI called the Thunderhead. However, death is still a necessity for humans as a result of the overpopulation on earth, causing humanity to form the scythes—similar to real-life grim reapers. They are chosen from billions of humans to kill anybody they wish—be it mass murder or a public execution—and are not under the control of the Thunderhead. Featuring Citra Terranova, a newly appointed scythe apprentice, she navigates her conscience through a world a murder as she competes for the scythe position against a fellow scythe apprentice she might have to kill.

The Scythe is a heart wrenching story that leaves people wondering if this could possibly happen in the future given Earth’s direction towards AI. The author beautifully characterizes the motives and backstories all plot characters, leaving no plot hole overturned.

What I loved the most was rather than telling the obvious story of overthrowing the ‘tyrannical rule’ of the scythes, we learn the scythes’ story instead. While many people feared the scythes, not all scythes were willing to become one, similar to Citra’s situation. As a scythe, they needed to leave behind their humanity and family and walk a solitary path alone as a murderer. But even through all that, they’re still human. The author cleverly details the inner struggles of many scythes who committed suicide due to their conscience, others who lavished in the power, and finally some who killed with compassion.

Additionally, many political schemes arise in the scythe world as beliefs over mass execution vs. private murder clash. What lengths would humans go through with the power to kill anyone?

Overall, this is one of my favorite dystopian books and I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in dystopian!

The Scythe by Neal Shusterman is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The House on Mango Street

Posted on by
1

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a classic book that I believe should be read by everyone, of any age. This novel is composed of short vignettes following the life of a young girl named Esperanza living in a small house in Chicago. The descriptive storytelling style is broken up into 44 short stories, each one no more than two pages in length, totaling a little over 100 pages. It is a fairly quick and easy read, and it can be referred back to at any point without having to reread the entire thing. I first heard of this book in middle school, when I had to read about five of the vignettes. Those have stuck with me, and have continued to be some of my favorites, along with the new favorites I discovered through reading the whole book.

I believe this book should be read by anyone of any age, mainly because of the variety of characters that are introduced. Readers get to learn about Esperanza’s neighbors, who are all quirky in their own ways. We learn about Esperanza’s siblings, her friends, the younger kids on the street, the people who move in and out, the teenagers, the adults, and the elderly. Her neighbors are a diverse cast of characters who each have their own struggles in life, but they form a community on Mango Street. One of my favorite things about the novel is how it is told from the eyes of a young girl. I find that I could relate to her at any age, from reading it when I was in middle school, about the age Esperanza is in the book, but also reading it as I get older when I can see her growth and relate to other characters.

Another one of my favorite things about it is the dedication. The novel is dedicated both in English and Spanish to “The Women” or “Las Mujeres.” The House on Mango Street focuses on the female experience, highlighting female characters that Esperanza interacts with but also observes from afar. The stories about Marin and Sally highlight the struggles of being a girl and the story titled “Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut and Papaya Juice on Tuesdays” depicts Esperanza’s fear of becoming, as she describes it, a woman who sits by the window waiting for her husband. Esperanza wants to be independent, she wants a house of her own one day, that she doesn’t have to share with her entire family. I also loved how there were stories about Esperanza’s parents and her family as a whole. Rather than seeing her observe others, readers get to see someone who she really understands.

Ultimately, I loved this book and I can see myself referring back to it as I get older. If this was a required reading for you, I highly recommend taking another look at it, because it truly is an essential book for young readers. My favorite vignettes include, “My Name,” “Marin,” “Hips,” and “Beautiful and Cruel.” If you don’t read the whole book, I recommend reading those at least.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

All The Light We Cannot See By: Anthony Doerr

Posted on by
Reply
Anthony Doerr All the Light We Cannot ...

This novel is told from the perspective of two young children during World War II. The first is Marie-Laurie, a blind girl from the center of Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. The other Werner Pfennig an orphan, from a mining town in Germany who learned how to build and fix technical instruments by tinkering with a broken radio that he found.

When Marie-Laurie was twelve, the Nazi Regime began to occupy Paris, she and her father fleed to Saint-Malo and met her reclusive great-uncle, Etienne. The Museum of Natural History was rumored to own a diamond called the Sea of Flames, under the threat of occupation the museum director created 4 copies of the diamond. He then distributed these to 3 employees and hid one in the museum, but none knew if they had the real diamond. Soon after arriving in Saint-Malo Marie-Laurie’s father is called back to Paris and is arrested by Germans.

As the Nazi Regime, took power over Germany Werner’s talents for technology attracted certain local attention, and at fourteen was recruited to a specialized training program. He sees it as an opportunity to grow and get out of the orphanage that he’s lived in his entire life but his sister worries that he will be corrupted by Nazi propaganda. After 2 years of training at his technical school, he’s documents are falsified to make him seem like eighteen so that he’s able to fight on the front. After 2 years of rising through the ranks, Werner is assigned to Saint-Malo looking for radios, used by the resistance to broadcast their messages.

Marie-Laurie’s uncle begins engaging with in resistance work with the other French townspeople, but he’s agoraphobic so he’s unable to leave the house without intense anxiety. So Marie-Laurie works with her uncle by gathering messages from the resistance for him to transmit from his radio tower in his attic. Werner and Marie-Laurie’s lives begin to further intertwine.

I liked this book, I thought it had a good mix of suspense and historical fiction. I also really liked that one of the main characters has a disability, that is rarely seen in historical fiction. I think if you like historical fiction and has blind representation then this book is for you.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Album Review: Born to Die

Posted on by
1

Born to Die by Lana Del Rey was the 5th best selling album of 2012. Released soon after the success of her debut single “Video Games,” Lana’s old Americana aesthetic, emotional vocals, and descriptive songwriting, captured the world’s attention in the album Born to Die. With just 12 songs, she was able to set herself apart from the more positive artists that were trending like Katy Perry, who dominated early 2010’s music. This is most likely why is considered to be indie or alternative despite making pop songs. Here are some of the standout tracks:

Video Games: The song that catapulted Lana del Rey into the mainstream, “Video Games” is a somber pop ballad that describes the archetype of her lover ignoring her to play video games. But instead of leaving him, she decides to keep trying to get his attention. The production is slow and sad, yet hopeful.

Radio: One of Lana’s most commercially successful songs. Lana recalls how after she became famous everyone started praising her, even those who doubted her before. She sings about how her life is “sweet like cinnamon.” This has a typical pop song structure however the production sounds a bit more unique and melancholic.

Dark Paradise: This is another example of Lana’s melancholic style. In “Dark Paradise,” she sings about a lover who passed away. He haunted her dreams and she fears they will not see each other in heaven. She also questions how she is to move on until they see each other again.

Summertime Sadness: This is inspired by Lana’s love for California summers. She sings about enjoying her life and the summer ending is bittersweet because of all the fun times she had. She says “If I go I’ll die happy tonight.” This perfectly describes how the summers satisfied all the experiences she wanted in life.

Lana del Rey is one of the most influential pop artists of all time. Her style has influenced Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Madison Beer, all young up and coming female artists. She is proof doing something different from what is trending will make you timeless. I hope you love this album as much as I did.

Inside Out 2: A Character Review of “Anxiety”

Posted on by
1


Inside Out 2, depicts the inner workings of a young girl Riley’s brain using emotions as characters. As a teen, the portrayal of one particular emotion “anxiety,” a cornerstone of teen emotion, intrigued me. A well thought-out depiction can help those who struggle with anxiety feel more understood.

Anxiety is shown as small and thin. She has a wide, unsure smile, has huge eyes, and has hair arranged like a troll doll. When Anxiety and the other new characters join the headquarters of Riley’s brain, there is immediate tension between her and Joy.

Riley goes away on a three-day hockey camp and wants to be liked by the girls. She wants to impress the coach to make the high school hockey team. Joy wants her to focus on spending time with friends and being her usual kind and goofy self. Anxiety takes Riley’s goals, makes them seem very hard, works tirelessly to make sure that they happen, while simultaneously changing the beliefs Riley has about herself. Before Anxiety, Riley believed that she was good enough. But after Anxiety appeared, Riley believed that she wasn’t. I felt that the conflict between Anxiety and Joy was pretty accurate. When we experience joy, it comes with a feeling of contentment. Anxiety doesn’t let us feel content. It keeps us out of present moment and launches us into a situation that doesn’t yet exist.

To prepare Riley, Anxiety asks a group of workers in Riley’s brain to draw potential scenarios and outcomes. They draw her missing a goal, falling on her face etc. To counteract, Joy drew positive images for Riley, like her scoring, making friends, being chosen for the team. However, in the end, Anxiety’s efforts were stronger than Joy’s. I found this to be relatable. One anxious thought truly holds more power than 99 positive thoughts.

The height of Riley’s anxiety appeared in the form of an intense panic attack. Riley was fidgeting, sweating, having trouble breathing. Inside her brain, Anxiety was creating a tornado of panic. I felt that this depiction of panic attack was perfect because of the connection between the body and the brain and how what originally starts as being negative thoughts, translates to a full physical experience. Riley was able to get through the panic attack by deep breathing, which in reality is one of the perfect things to do when you are going through panic attack. When her panic attack ended, Anxiety finally stopped moving, was worn down, and started crying. That is what happens when anxiety takes over, it is exhausting and leads to feeling lethargic and unmotivated.

I appreciate that, in the movie, anxiety was not depicted as a bad emotion, but as a feeling that has a purpose and intends to help keep us safe. Accepting that anxiety in moderation can be powerful in self-acceptance. I feel the audience will leave with better understanding of anxiety, with more compassion for themselves.

Six The Musical Review

Posted on by
1

When I was about ten years old and going through a heavy musical phase I discovered Six The Musical and I loved it. Six is about the six wives of Henry VIII (Henry the eighth). He wasn’t a particularly amazing king but he was remembered mainly for his wives and his death. However, this musical is not about Henry. It’s about is wives, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr. Something most people think is that Henry beheaded all of his wives, which is not true. He only beheaded two of them.

This is actually how the marriages ended between them:

Catherine of Aragon: Divorced because she couldn’t have a male heir and so Henry could marry Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn: Beheaded because she couldn’t have a male heir and Henry became interested in Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour: Died early in the marriage after giving birth to a child

Anne of Cleves: Divorced because she didn’t look like her portrait

Catherine Howard: Beheaded

Catherine Parr: Outlived Henry but couldn’t be with the man she really loved

In the musical the women talk about the hardships Henry put them through and they acknowledge how without the six of them no one would know who they are in the form of pop songs. The whole environment of the musical is like a concert and I love that part.

I would give Six the Musical an 1000/10 rating because the women in the musical are so talented and absolutely hilarious.