Album Review: Midnights by Taylor Swift

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Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album, Midnights, was released on October 21, 2022, barely over a week ago, and is already shattering world records. Midnights is a lyrical pop album with 13 tracks, which she has shared are the stories of 13 sleepless nights throughout her life. These beautifully written songs are deeply personal, and Taylor sings about emotional struggles in a raw and honest way.

Let’s get into some of the songs on Midnights:

Track 2: “Maroon”

“Maroon” tells the story of a failed relationship and the powerful emotions she felt throughout it. Taylor sings of many different shades of red, a color that symbolizes passion. Taylor has said that “red emotions” are the most powerful; with affection, love, and warmth on one side and jealousy, frustration, and miscommunication on the other; which are shown in “Maroon.”

“The burgundy on my t-shirt / When you splashed your wine into me / And how the blood rushed into my cheeks / So scarlet, it was / The mark thеy saw on my collarbone / The rust that grew bеtween telephones / The lips I used to call home / So scarlet, it was maroon”

Track 5: “You’re On Your Own, Kid”

In “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” Taylor sings of waiting to be noticed and loved. She tells of how she still felt alone after reaching fame; and how she hosted celebrity parties and struggled with an eating disorder, waiting for love to save her, but ultimately realized that she is on her own.

“From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes / I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this / I hosted parties and starved my body / Like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss / The jokes weren’t funny, I took the money / My friends from home don’t know what to say / I looked around in a blood-soaked gown / And I saw something they can’t take away / ‘Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned / Everything you lose is a step you take / So, make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it / You’ve got no reason to be afraid”

Track 12: “Sweet Nothing”

“Sweet Nothing” is a sweet and beautiful song about finally meeting someone who feels like home and just being comfortable around them. Taylor sings about how her romantic partner isn’t constantly demanding more from her and loves her unconditionally.

“They said the end is coming / Everyone’s up to something / I find myself running home to your sweet nothings / Outside, they’re push and shoving / You’re in the kitchen humming / All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing”

Track 13: “Mastermind”

In “Mastermind,” Taylor confesses to her partner that she was determined to win him over from the moment she saw him, so she “masterminded” a plan to make him fall in love with her. She confesses that she only manipulated him because of feelings of anxiety, because she cared so much. In the end, she realizes that her partner knew the entire time and played into her trap because he saw who she truly was and loved her anyways.

“No one wanted to play with me as a little kid / So I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since / To make them love me and make it seem effortless / This is the first time I’ve felt the need to confess / And I swear / I’m only cryptic and Machiavellian / ‘Cause I care”

Also, 3 hours after the release of Midnights, Taylor surprise released 7 more tracks on what she called Midnights (3am Edition). Her lyrical genius clearly shines through on this album, and I loved every minute of it! Give Midnights a listen!

-Lam T.

Review of Hamilton: Live at Segerstrom

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Recently, Hamilton came and performed at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. My parents got my brother, themselves and me tickets to the last show on the final day of their tour. I’ve been a fan of Hamilton ever since my friends and cousins got me into it a few years ago. Ever since then, I’ve listened to the soundtrack, watched the animatics on YouTube, and even got Disney+ just to watch it. But nothing I’ve watched could beat seeing the show live. Seeing the full show in person was a completely different experience than from seeing it through a screen. 

For those who don’t know, Hamilton is a musical based around the life of Alexander Hamilton, who was one of the founding fathers of America. It goes through all his accomplishments and everything he took part in, such as the Revolutionary War and the makings of the financial system in America. However, the musical also shows everything that happened in his personal life, and everything he had done or failed to do. If you haven’t taken a look at Hamilton (the songs or the story or both) I would highly recommend you do.

Despite how many times I listen to the songs, none of the recordings will blow me away in the same way hearing and seeing it live will. All the visual effects and sound effects within the songs created a whole new sense and feeling. You could feel the vibrations of the effects throughout the theater allowing shivers to run through my body. Being able to see and hear all the effects and visuals in person made everything more intense. The actors did a great job, and for the most part, I could understand what they said (probably because I’ve listened to it so many times). The choreography was stunning, the different kinds of lighting was awesome and connected well with the scenes, and the acting was phenomenal. The actors really did an amazing job, and they were very fun to watch. What’s even more exciting when seeing something live, is the fact that no show is going to be the same. The night my family and I went, the cast was different from any of the other days they showed. I won’t ever get to know what the other shows were like, how the characters sounded or anything. I am only going to know what my show was like, which makes the experience feel even more special. 

Hamilton was great to listen to and watch through a screen, but seeing it live was a completely new and amazing experience and I couldn’t be happier to have been there to see it. Once again, if you haven’t taken a look at any of the songs or anything even pertaining to Hamilton, then I would highly recommend you do. It has an impressive soundtrack that somehow manages to tell the entire story, even without hearing the parts in between (especially since the story is told through the music). Even if the music isn’t your cup of tea, just try listening to it at least once. Now, if you do find interest in the musical and end up liking it, I would definitely recommend you to watch the next showing of it whenever they come to your area. Seeing this show live is something you wouldn’t regret if you already like the music.

-Nicole R.

Why Harry Potter is Completely Overrated

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Okay, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t read Harry Potter, because some people might appreciate it, but I’m very opinionated and I want to point out two of the most glaring problems with the series. If you stay until the end, I’ll also point out a much better alternative to Harry Potter, where things actually make sense.

Why is the Weasley family poor?

The Weasley family, regardless of their magical powers, are poor. This doesn’t make sense, because why don’t they just use their powers to spawn some gold? Or clothing, books, and food? There might be a wizard law against using magic like that, but Muggles wouldn’t know the difference between real money and magic money! The Weasleys could just magic up some gold, then trade it with a Muggle for whatever they need. Or, if magic gold isn’t convincing enough, they could magic some clothing and sell it to the Muggles for cash. So why are they still poor?

Why do wizard families send their kids to Hogwarts?

Hogwarts might turn out some of the most brilliant wizards in the realm of Harry Potter, but at Hogwarts, students are surrounded by incompetent and occasionally murderous teachers, dangerous classes, and multiple deaths each semester. In addition to this, Lord Voldemort and his minions are continuously attacking the school. This is definitely not safe, and if I was a parent I wouldn’t even consider sending my child to Hogwarts. Also, what kind of name is Hogwarts? You might as well call your school Pig Pimples.

Now, My Suggestion

Again, I’m not saying you shouldn’t read Harry Potter. Just because I think it’s badly written and poorly thought out doesn’t mean other people can’t enjoy it. But, if you agree with me and want a fantasy book with superior logic, then try reading The Scholomance, by Noami Novik. It has an explanation for everything I think is wrong with the Harry Potter series, and it’s just an overall good book.

If you know how to explain any of the two major faults I found in Harry Potter, please explain it to me in the comments. Thanks again for putting up with my criticism, and goodbye.

A Deadly Education (Lesson One of The Scholomance) by Naomi Novik is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Road to Redemption

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“Warriors’ future uncertain following loss and injuries” Jeff Zillgitt in 2019.

The Golden State Warriors were unstoppable.  They completely dominated the mid-late 2010s.  Obliterating everyone in their way, the Warriors went to five straight NBA finals, won three, and lost the other two due to injuries.  

However, during their journey to win their third championship in a row in 2019, the Warriors faced a multitude of injuries.  With Kevin Durant and Andre Igoudala out, plus Klay Thompson missing game three in the NBA finals, the Warriors found themselves down in a 3-1 deficit.  The Warriors got the win in game five to make the series 3-2.  During the third quarter of game six with the game going back and forth,  Klay was ahead in a fast break, and Danny Green jumped up behind him trying to block him. Klay fell because of Danny Green’s block attempt and tore his ACL.  He missed the rest of the game and the entirety of next season.  The Warriors lost in game six by five points and the Toronto Raptors won the championship.

Kevin Durant left the Warriors in the offseason and Klay was injured for the entire next season. With two of their three best players out of the roster, Stephen Curry had to carry the team.  Unfortunately, he broke his left arm five games into the season vs the Phoenix Suns in the first quarter.  The Warriors went on to finish the season 15-50, last in the Western Conference. 

The next year, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were set to return.  The Warriors were contenders again until … Klay Thompson tore his Achilles during a basketball practice before the season started.  The Warriors were left stunned once again.  Curry had to try to carry the team again.  The Warriors ended the season 39-31, as the eighth seed.  But the Warriors lost two straight play-in games and were eliminated from the 2021 postseason.

After suffering a torn ACL and a torn Achilles, Klay Thompson has finally returned to the game of basketball.  But Steph Curry and the Warriors were doubted, everyone thought the stars were aging, Klay won’t be the same after two major injuries, and the bench was inexperienced.  The Warriors finished as the third seed in the West. Then in the playoffs, the Warriors went on to beat the Nuggets 4-1 in the first round.  Beat the Grizzlies in six games in the second round. Demolishing the Mavericks in five games with Klay hitting eight threes in the final game to send the Warriors to the NBA finals.  The Warriors shockingly lost the opening game one to the Celtics but bounced back in game two to tie the series at 1-1.  Game three was a back-and-forth game through three quarters.  But in the fourth quarter, the Celtics completely outplayed the Warriors and won the game by sixteen.  Down 2-1, the world was sure the Warriors were done, on the road and down 2-1 in the series.  But Steph Curry shocked the world, playing the greatest game of his playoff career.  Scoring 43 points along with 10 rebounds and the Warriors tied the series at 2-2. In game five, Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson combined for 47 points and carried the Warriors to win by 10 despite Curry’s terrible shooting. Curry sealed the deal in game six, scoring 34 points with six threes, he lifted the Warriors over the Celtics in game six to win the finals four games to two.  Curry won the first Finals MVP of his career.  Stephen Curry and the Warriors simply owned the 2022 playoffs and did something very few thought they could do.  

Rated, by Melissa Grey

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I just finished reading the book Rated by Melissa Grey, and I really liked it! I always like stories when the point of view changes every chapter, and Melissa Grey definitely did it right! 

The main plot of Rated is that there is a Rating System, where everyone has a rating based on their schoolwork and social lives. This might sound okay, but in reality it’s very problematic. For example, if you’re smart but unpopular, then your low social ratings might cancel out your positive schoolwork ratings. If you have a low rating, then you won’t have access to good hospitals, good schools, or good jobs.

There are 6 main characters: 

Bex, who’s a workaholic. Bex has to keep her rating high for the approval of her parents, so she signs up for any activity that could boost her rating. She barely has any time to breathe! 

Noah, who’s a quiet photographer. His sister has been in and out of hospitals since she was very young, and when Noah’s parents’ ratings fall, they can’t afford to keep her in a good hospital.

Tamsin, whose rating is falling due to her rule-breaking. She knows that the ratings are superficial, and pretends to be a witch to scam her classmates out of their money. 

Hana, who’s an ice skater. She believes that the only way to stardom (and high ratings) is to be thin, which leads to a serious eating disorder. 

Chase, who’s a jock. Chase’s mom left and his dad is an alcoholic with low ratings. Chase’s only hope for a good future is to improve his ratings and get into college through a scholarship. 

Javi is a gamer. His parents died when he was young and his grandmother’s rating isn’t high enough to get a good job, so he has to support his large family on his own. He makes money by posting gaming videos online. 

The stories for each character were very impressive, and everyone had their own reason to hate the Rating System. Rated is a very creative story, and I would definitely recommend it! 

FIFA 22

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Although many people have heard of NBA 2K and Madden NFL, you would be surprised to hear about how less popular another sports-related video game is. FIFA 22 is my favorite video game, despite the fact that I don’t play or watch soccer. So, today I will be introducing you to FIFA, the soccer video game that allows you to play with many (and almost all) professional soccer teams in the world. Whether you want to play with a powerhouse like Real Madrid or a less popular team, FIFA will allow you to use your favorite players and replicate the most thrilling matches! 

Just like MyTeam in NBA2K and Madden Ultimate Team in Madden NFL, FIFA also has a game mode for you to create your dream lineup by collecting player cards. You can purchase these cards through auctions or pull them from packs. This game mode, FIFA Ultimate Team, makes you feel like a general manager! 

In addition, you can create your own player in the FIFA Career Mode. You can choose his height, weight, kit number, team, and position. Personally, the goalkeeper and striker (primary attacker) are some interesting positions I recommend trying in this mode. If you don’t want to create your own player, you can also play as someone who already exists, such as Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. 

There are other game modes in this video game, too. One of my favorite ways to play FIFA is through Tournament Mode where I get to choose a team and compete in their country’s league (Ligue 1 for French teams, English Premier League for English teams, La Liga for Spanish teams, and more). I like playing with Paris Saint Germain because of their super-team with Mbappe in the middle and Neymar and Messi at the wings. 

In conclusion, FIFA is an awesome game that I wish I had tried earlier than only a few months ago. If you ever need a new game to play, give FIFA a try! 

Album Review: Adore by The Smashing Pumpkins

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The Smashing Pumpkins can be described as one of my favorite bands with their first three albums not having a single bad song on them (in my opinion). Naturally, I decided to check out Adore and was surprised by its content and craft.

The album cover of Adore

In the 90s, were one of the world’s largest bands. Riding off of the success of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, they had achieved their high position. When they released Adore in 1998, listeners were divided. Many were expecting a rock-oriented album; instead, they got a variety of electronic, piano-driven, and acoustic songs, quite a shakeup from their previous album.

Even though I knew that Adore would be a different listen than their other albums, the Smashing Pumpkins 4th album still took me by surprise. The songs on the album were unlike anything we had seen from them, with the sole exception being “1979” off their previous album. The song “Perfect” really shows this change.

“Perfect” has a heavy focus on synths as opposed to guitar. Additionally, a drum machine is present in the song, a change that can be partially attributed to the group firing their drummer after the release of Mellon Collie. Either way, the changes are positive, culminating in a great synth-pop song.

While this is, in my opinion, my least favorite Smashing Pumpkins album from the 90s, it is still a good album in its own right. I give it an 8.25/10. Go give it a go; it’s worth a listen.

My trip to El Salvador

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I had a dream that I went to El Salvador, but I never woke up. When I got back home, my parents told me it was real. El Salvador is an amazing country that I wish I never came back from. To start, here’s some background information about the small tropical country.

 El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America and the capital is San Salvador. El Salvador was originally populated by the Pipil, they called the territory Cuscatlán (Land of the Jewel) and the language they used was made primarily by the -ch- sound. Later they were taken by the Spaniards and they melted their national language and Spanish to create a whole new vocabulary! It’s mostly like Spanish but has more -ch-‘s than in most Spanishes. That’s all the background information I will provide today.

So now I will start with my dream trip, so to start my family and I landed in San Salvador and we got picked up by my fantastic family. We went to their house and had the BEST PUPUSAS ever and a great little soft drink, it’s called Kolashampan. When you say it rhymes with champagne, I think it’s fun to say. Our plane arrived later so we went to sleep almost immediately.

The next day we went to Tacuba to visit my abuela. On the way we stopped by a Catholic Church and the best little farmers market. The ladies carried baskets on their heads and the kids ran around with chickens! My abuela lives in an amazing ranch with so much yard you can get lost. She was so happy we came, we haven’t seen her in years. The ranch was like a ranch from a fairy tale. We spent one day there.

The following day, we went to one of the national parks of El Salvador. On the way we stopped at a volcano filled with a lake in the center. The national park that we went to is named Cerro Verde. The trails there were amazingly beautiful. There is also a giant active volcano on the side where you can see smoke coming out of the top. There was also a really fun park. 

The next morning, we went to see the ruins! There were pyramids buried in the hills. We saw some artifacts and got coconut water there. The artifacts were so pretty and had such fascinating details. The coconut water was in bags with straws poking out of the top.

After that, we went to see downtown San Salvador. We saw more churches that were so, so, so magnificent and learned about the one saint of El Salvador, Saint Óscar Romero. We also fed some pigeons. My cousin and I also went to Dollar City, and got junk food and toys. I got a giant coloring map of the world and my family spent the whole night coloring and drawing. It was perfect. 

The day after that, my parents and my tio went shooting and my tia, cousins, brothers and I went around trying to find a soccer jersey. Once we found it we went to a 16 foot pool with a diving board. We spent the rest of the great day there. Once it was late, my tios, mom and I went grocery shopping and we got delicious street food. 

The next day was our second to last, we went to a beach with pitch black sand. We also got a cabana with hammocks and we all fell asleep in them. The ocean there was warm! It was actually quite nice, not like hot icky warm. A good warm. There were also a couple of pools that were fresh water, no chemicals. It was so nice to get all the sand off. We also spent the next morning in the pool.

The last day we went to the mall to get our souvenirs and Spanish churros. They made the churros fresh in front of our faces and put some sweet sauces on it. There was caramel, Nutella and condensed milk. For dinner , we went to eat at a fancy restaurant our family really likes and we had fantastic rich food. At the end of our trip, we went to get -llao llao-. It tastes like Greek yogurt and you got to put on toppings! I put honey and a sort of almond granola.

That was our last day there and the next morning we went to the airport and went home. We had a layover in Guatemala and got some more cool stuff. And that was all.

My trip was perfect. It was so good I wished that our tickets did not work and we had to stay. Even now I wish I was there. For all those people who read the entire story. CONGRATULATIONS 🥳. You are a star. Overall, the trip was just too perfect. I don’t want to visit anywhere else and I just want to live there for the rest of my life. You should definitely visit the mystical place called El Salvador.

Book Review: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

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The Outsiders is a book my school assigned me to read earlier in September, so I thought I would review it after finishing it. It follows the perspective of Ponyboy, a 14-year-old boy part of a gang of poorer families on the East side of town known as greasers. The greasers have a rivalry with the West side of town kids, known as the Socs, which is short for socials. The Socs are rich and have nice cars and clothes, which is one of the reasons the greasers despise them. Early in the book, Ponyboy is jumped and beat up by the Socs, and readers are exposed to the violent nature of both groups through jumpings, memories, and fights between the two groups of people, who seem to be polar opposites. Ponyboy is friends with a gang of greasers consisting of his brothers, Sodapop and Darry Curtis, and his friends, Two-Bit Mathews, Dally Winston, Johnny Cade, and Steve Randal. Throughout the book, Ponyboy and the gang get into heaps of trouble, relying on each other for help in the darkest moments of the book. One of these relationships is seen between Johnny and Ponyboy, who have always been best friends and support each other throughout the book. As the plot unfolds and both greasers and Socs are injured or killed, Ponyboy begins to realize the two groups might not be as different as everyone thinks.

I didn’t think much of it at first, but The Outsiders is a very good book. It has emotional moments that impact the characters’ lives in very detailed ways, a very good plot that is easy to follow, and really likeable and dislikeable characters, which makes the book, in a way, feel very alive and real. What makes it so intriguing is that this book is based on real-life events from when the author, S.E. Hinton, was a high schooler in the 90s. In fact, the book was written by her at the age of 15! It makes you wonder how such a good book can come from someone only a year older than me. The Outsiders is full of deep meanings behind everything, and without giving too much away, is pretty sad. The whole idea of two social groups, one poor and one rich, both thinking they are right and the other side is in the wrong, is really interesting and is explored thoroughly by Ponyboy throughout the book.

While it does mention some inappropriate topics for kids 12 and under, such as underage smoking, gang violence, characters from broken homes, and death, I think it should be suitable for anyone 13 or older. For anyone who is looking for a deeper book that still has a great story and characters, I would definitely recommend The Outsiders. That’s all for this review, so I hope you enjoyed it. Happy or reading!

-Brandt D.

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Cruising – A Different Type of Vacation

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Have you ever gone down a waterslide, ridden a roller coaster, rock climbed or tried walking across a tightrope hundreds of feet above the ocean? Sounds crazy, right? But a vacation cruise allows you to have these sorts of adventures and more! With so many of us planning our next vacation after such a long time dealing with COVID having shut so many things down for so long, I encourage you to take a look at all that cruising has to offer.

With over 50 different cruise lines available with over 320 different ships to choose from in the world currently, there are TONS of options for every type of traveler. There are cruise ships that sail in the ocean and ships that are solely built for cruising along rivers. Cruises can be as short as 2 nights or, currently, the longest cruise is 274 nights and offers its passengers a trip around the world, literally.

I recently had the opportunity to take a short cruise out of the nearby port in Long Beach, CA and visited Catalina, CA and Ensenada, Mexico. It was a great adventure, as I had never been on a cruise before. Before your cruise even starts, you decide what type of cabin you want, and there are lots to choose from, everything from an inside cabin, an ocean view, a balcony or different types of suites. What you choose depends on your preference and also on how much money you want to spend. Many people think cruising would never be an option because it’s too expensive, but there are cruises available for less than the cost of a hotel per night, if you really look for them. You might have to be flexible on your accommodations, however.

Once you are on the cruise there are so many things to do. Whether you like sitting around relaxing by the pool, playing Bingo or trivia for fun prizes, watching a show, or even playing basketball or miniature golf, there will always be something fun for you to do. There are special areas just for kids and teens, broken up by age group so you can meet others on board your age. The rooms have activities geared towards the specific age group including games, activities and video games and special parties. There’s also a variety of restaurants on board including a buffet, a main dining room or even special fine dining restaurants where you pay an additional fee, otherwise most food is included, which may result in you eating way more than you normally do in a day.

Sometimes you choose a cruise just for the cruise itself, and sometimes you choose a cruise for the ports you will visit. My family chose our destination just as a fun getaway right before school started back up, so it was a little bit of both, just to experience what a cruise was like and to visit a few places. Once in port, you can explore the town on your own or take a tour to a location that interests you. Every person who goes on a cruise will have a different experience based upon your likes and dislikes, so next time you don’t know where you should head out on vacation, check out all of the available cruising options as a different kind of vacation, especially if you’ve never experienced one before. You won’t be disappointed!