Top 10 Mitski Songs

 10. Old Friend 
    This song is about someone who has lost someone close to them and misses them very dearly. They are begging for a chance to meet up and simply talk about nothing in particular, which I think is something most people want deep down when a relationship ends, and although they are unlikely to ask, the desire to do so is expressed in this song. My favorite lyric, "I'll take coffee and talk about nothing, baby."

9. Square

    Here, Mitski shows how she feels objectified and pressured to live in the shadows of other people. She demonstrates how doing this has hurt her, and how badly she just wanted to make them happy. However, in time she's learned that it shouldn't be this way and that she wasted her time. Best lyric, "God's very simple, and love doesn't burn. Maybe you'd offer me all that I yearned for, but I was still waiting for something to earn. Silly me waiting."

8. A Pearl

    In these lyrics, Mitski explores her faults in her relationships, and how she has internalized the bad habits and traumas of her past partner. She compares her past to a war and says it left a pearl in her mind that she can't leave alone, but truly no one says it better than her. "I fell in love with a war, and nobody told me it ended, and it left a pearl in my head and I roll it around every night just to watch it glow."

7. Fireworks

    In this song, Mitski imagines herself having moved on from her sadness and living as an average woman. She talks about mundane things in a way that seems peaceful, but she also recognizes there will be moments that it comes back, such as when she sees fireworks. Best line: "I will go jogging routinely."

6. Francis Forever

    Here, Mitski sings about how she craves the gaze of the person she loves. She only wants their attention and misses having them around, not only that but she can't stand the idea of not existing in their life or mind. "I don't need the world to see that I've been the best I can be, but I don't think I can stand to be where you don't see me."

5. My Body's Made of Crushed Little Stars

    Mitski is extremely relatable in this song, in which she talks about how she doesn't feel like she's doing enough, but she has really big dreams. She wants to do well, but she's just so scared to fail. In her desperation, she gives herself an ultimatum: "I work better under a deadline, I'll pick an age when I'm gonna disappear, until then I can try again."

4. Once More to See You

    Once again, Mitski is in love. She describes the relationship as a secret affair, hidden from the public. However, doing this is eating her alive because she wants the world to know how much she loves them. "If you would let me give you pinkie promise kisses then I wouldn't have to scream your name on top of every roof in the city of my heart."

3. Bag of Bones

    Mitski digs at her insecurities in this song, describing how she feels used and judged by harsh lighting. She asks the lights to spare her for just one night but feels as though they never will. Most well-written lyric, "I can take just a little bit more, let's shake this poet out of the beast."

2. Class of 2013 

    This song is for everyone who has a rocky relationship with their mom. Mitski sings to her mother, asking for kindness and a place to rest. She tells her she'll be quiet, and she'll do her best not to be a burden. Best line: "Mom can you wash my back this once and then we can forget and I'll leave what I'm chasing for the other girls to pursue."    

1. Pink in the Night 

    Mitski describes herself as glowing in the night, as she years for the person she loves. Her love in unconditional, and she just wants the chance to love the person better than she had before. My most favorite lyric "I know I kissed you before but I didn't do it right, can I try again try again try again and again and again and again."    

I've Heard the Same Audio 9 Times in a Row Please Help

     Have you ever spoken to someone, and you can tell how much time they spend on an app? You can hear it in their voice and the phrases they use and reuse. I initially remember this happening when people used Vine. The Infamous "What's 9+10?" and "Damn Daniel" or even "1738" were phrases I heard and said almost everyday when they were popular growing up, as I lived with two brothers and was easily influenced myself. For us, it was a sort of kinship. It was an inside joke that our parents and all elders were outside of, but we could use it to foster relationships with other people of our own age. 

    Yet, when the Vine app died, this sort of occurrence wasn't as common. That was, of course, until Musically became TikTok, and everyone became obsessed again. Now, a crucial difference between Vine and Tiktok is that in the former, most people created their own videos and individual ones would go viral, or become popular. However, in TikTok, creators are able to use the sounds of other people and explore them in different contexts to explore their meaning and appeal. Because of this, the video itself doesn't need to go viral if the sound is sufficient enough for people to create something new with it. Also, since multiple videos can be created using the exact same sound, one is more likely to hear the same sound multiple times on TikTok even if they are only on it for a few minutes. 

    When put into this perspective, it is easier to see how people can become used to saying something aloud since they are always hearing it, especially if it is something catchy. This is how people have gone from saying "And I Oop-" to "Me Personally" and "Be F***** For Real". It's how psychological or spiritual terms such as trauma bonding and manifestation have come to be part of ordinary conversation among younger generations. The more time one spend on TikTok, the more they hear particular phrases and subject matters, and the more comfortable they become with discussing them on their own, even if they haven't done any of their own research. 

    

Five, Six, Seven, 8!

     Most people seem to be under the impression that in order to dance, one has to be trained to do so, but I can assure you that is not true! Now I'm not going to say to just throw yourself onto the dance floor if you've never done that before, but what if before you do that, you improvise your own dance to the music that you connect with the most but at home? 

    At first, you might feel kind of awkward or silly moving around, but that's okay. Dancing isn't just about moving in cool or attractive ways; it's about finding what feels right and letting the music take you away. I've found that one of the best ways to do this is to not watch yourself as you dance. This will help you focus on the music and allow you to stay within your body. From there its just about finding your rhythm and showing your heart just a little bit. Don't be afraid to let yourself smile like you're lovesick or act out a lyric word for word- just don't stop moving, even if something throws you off! 

   Being comfortable moving around in one's body is crucial if one wants to dance, and improv is just one way to start. Of course, one can also seek lessons, but I think this is more beneficial to people because along with helping you how to dance, it is helping you let go of the tension that builds up in your body over time. If you try this, you'll feel a moment where the world is gone and it's just your heart beating, and I hope after that you'll want to dance again. 

-Celeste

#Blog #Entry #7 #Influencer #BloggingForBreakfast

     Something that has always defined younger generations is their ability to use technology to reach people around the world almost instantly. People first found ways to virtually share their thoughts and lives through websites like Facebook, although they were more likely to only see posts of people they were friends with. However, it was in these early stages where the Pound Sign became a Hashtag, and people were able to broaden their horizons to find meme pages or posts about (literally) anything they want, from animal videos, to relationship posts, to #relatable posts. From this point on the world that one was able to explore on their phones was wider and more accessible than the world that was right in front of them. 

    Since then, the most popular social apps have shifted along the years beginning with Facebook, then Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Vine, Tumblr, Twitter, and most recently, TikTok. Each of these has allowed people to reach each other in different ways, but the usage of the hashtag can be consistency found in all of them, demonstrating that it has co-evolved with the internet and its users. For instance, they were mostly used at first to express emotion or eventfulness, such as #ILoveMyMom or #AtTheBeach. It was a way for people to give more of themselves to something they were sharing online without actually writing about it. Then, as people began exploring meme pages and subject-oriented accounts, they were able to use hashtags to find different posts about what they were interested in simply by typing up keywords into a search bar. This opened doors for people to interact with companies, websites, people, and groups that they may have never known about before. In turn, some were able to use this to their advantage. This is how people have been able to use hashtags to gain popularity for themselves or a cause. One of the most recent examples would be the #BlackLivesMatter movement that got millions of people around the world to protest police brutality and share their perspective online. However, this is also how #Influencers were able to gain wealth and popularity just by having a YouTube channel or posting on Instagram and selling products to their audiences.

To older generations, it might be unbelievable how far reaching their original Pound Sign has become, but nonetheless it only continues to advance. This is because there is no easier way for one to become rich than to become well-liked by millions, and utilizing a hashtag is one of the best ways for one to reach the audience they want and gain the momentum they need to market themselves. However, it is also important to remember that hashtags are not only used by capitalists but by ordinary people too. They're used when a fan page shares an edit, when a singer releases a new song, when a new dance is created, and when something really funny is said. There will always be negatives to the ways in which the internet is able to connect people together, but most are likely to agree that the positives far outweigh them.

-Celeste

Can You Even Name 6 Yu-Gi-Oh! Monsters

     People always say how good it is to try new things, and I would agree with that. Although I don't usually go way out of my comfort zone, like eating a tarantula or opening up about my feelings, I like to explore new hobbies, which I think all people can benefit from. Even if it's not something that one can profit off of, new hobbies can give one a sense of purpose and may even prove useful later on in life. An example of this could be playing games. It's likely that one gains satisfaction after being ranked number one on a leaderboard or absolutely annihilating their friend in a one vs. one match online, and, at least in my case, this process has also allowed me to believe in . 

    Another hobby could be watching a show... about a game! Take Yu-gi-oh for example, on the surface it's just a cute kids show about a card game, but in reality it is teaching life lessons and good humor! In case you've never seen Yu-Gi-Oh!, allow me to give you some insight. The show follows a teenager named Yugi on his quest to become the king of games by winning You-Gi-Oh! tournaments. The first episode starts with Yugi explaining how to play the game to his friend Joey. Each person starts with 4000 life points and must summon monsters and activate spell and trap cards to get their opponent’s life points to zero. Yugi wears an ancient magical Egyptian relic that his grandfather gave him around his neck which the show refers to as the millennium puzzle. This puzzle is in the shape of a pyramid and traps the soul of the nameless pharaoh. When mentioning that his grandfather owns a card shop to Joey, a teenager named Seto Kaiba overhears this. Yugi also mentions that his grandfather has a secret rare card which sparks interest in Seto Kaiba, who follows Yugi and Joey to the card shop. Once the grandfather reveals that the card he has is the rare blue-eyed white dragon, Seto Kaiba begins to bargain millions of dollars in order to get this card. As luck would have it, Kaiba is a CEO of a major company in the Yu-Gi-Oh world. After Yugi’s grandfather refuses Kaiba's offer, Kaiba leaves then hires people to go kidnap Yugi’s grandfather and steal his blue eyes white dragon card. Once Yugi learns of this, he is forced to go confront Kaiba. Once Yugi enters Kaiba’s building, he finds his grandfather wounded on the floor and Seto Kaiba with the blue-eyed white dragon card in his hands. Yugi demands to let go of his grandfather and the card which, of course, Kaiba declines and rips the card in half. Then Kaiba explains that has three copies of this card already in his deck and wanted to make sure that nobody can use it against him. This leads to Yugi and Kaiba's first duel where Yugi uses his grandfather’s deck. At the start of the duel, the spirit of the nameless pharaoh possesses Yugi and begins to duel for him, but Kaiba is still winning. Kaiba's strategy resembles his personality as all his cards are strong and are meant to be used with pure aggression; on the other hand, Yugi’s cards are weaker, but can get stronger if they are used correctly with his other cards, which also symbolizes how friendship and teamwork mean everything to Yugi. Throughout the duel, Yugi continues to draw weak cards that look (literally) like just an arm and just a leg which forces to play on the defensive side while he tries to think of a plan. Kaiba, however, keeps adding pressure on him by destroying everything he plays. When all hope is lost, Yugi puts all his faith in the heart of the cards and draws his card. In this situation, if he doesn’t draw something to make him win he loses everything. He draws the card Exodia, the forbidden one, and this card will let the user automatically win as long as they also contain his two arms and two legs (the cards Yugi was drawing throughout the duel). So, Yugi wins the duel, saves his grandfather, and episode one is finished. 

    This duel sets up the main theme of the show which is that individually, like the arm and leg cards, people will struggle and be more unlikely to succeed; however, through the power of teamwork and friendship, people will be able to overcome obstacles because they can combine their strengths together, like how the limbs were all together and Exodia was drawn, and its true power came to light.

    I don't think it's a stretch to say that we can all learn something from Yu-Gi-Oh!, but this isn't the only way. Sometimes some great lessons can come from places that most people wouldn't expect, but that's why trying new things is GOOD! No matter what stage a person is in their life, there is always room for improvement, and what better way to see what could be improved than with a little experimentation? Everyone deserves to feel like the best version of themselves, and even if trying something new doesn't help, I hope people also learned that it's an act of strength in itself to lean on other people for their strength and doing so may just help make it easier for one to survive the next battle on their own.

                  

-Celeste

Over 5 years later..

        In a semi-recent statement by the current Arizona governor, Doug Ducey, the necessity of college degrees in the current job market was highly emphasized, and Ducey proposed a plan of increasing the amount of Arizonan's with a degree in order to put them in a better position to get jobs and to help employers find more candidates (Gov. Doug Ducey, The Arizona Republic). As a college student myself, I  think that higher education throughout the state is definitely beneficial, but not for the same reasons that the Governor does. 

            To elaborate, Ducey mainly focused on the economic benefit of a higher college education, but I'm more concerned about the personal benefits that people gain from going to school. All my life, I've seen movies and heard people talk about how college was an experience that pulled them out of the ordinary box shaped mold that they were forced into during the earlier years of their education. Perhaps it's the newfound freedom most students have after joining college that allows them to be more open to outside influences and more willing to try new things, but whatever it is, it's a good thing! The same way that traveling is beneficial because it allows people to broaden their perspective, college allows people to pick new experiences, such as a new sewing class or party, that will help them grow into their own person. 

            Additionally, I had a hard time putting faith into Ducey's plan to help people get into college, seeing as though his method appears to be giving for money to schools, and I can't help but wonder how the money is being distributed. This is because I remember last year my high school sent an e-mail to all student and parents explaining that they weren't sure if we could finish our senior year because the funding that they had been promised was "on hold"and waiting for approval by the state. Now, my school did get the funding in the end, and I was able to do all the senior things I wanted to; however, if Ducey wants us all to go to college so much, why are schools like mine facing so much uncertainty? Some may call me a speculator, but I think it's pretty safe to say that Ducey either doesn't truly believe in what he said or he doesn't have the determination to make it into a reality because this situation is something I had never before experienced and also goes against basically everything he's said before. 

            Higher education is definitely something that would benefit Arizonan's individually, but to expand this opportunity to everyone we need a better plan than just more funding. Also, if Ducey wants to help Arizonan's gain more opportunities to join the labor force then he needs to find a more tangible way to keep people in their classrooms. 

-Celeste

Sources:

Gov. Doug Ducey, The Arizona Republic. “Ducey: Why Arizona Needs More College Grads.” The Republic | azcentral.com, 17 Sept. 2016, eu.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2016/09/17/arizona-needs-more-college-grads-ducey/90363958.

4ever influenced by the past

       I think it's fair to say that most people don't see any importance in learning about history. This makes sense as they are all dead already and knowing what year the Declaration of Independence was written isn't really relevant to today's world. However, I want to implore you to consider that history may actually extremely relevant to society despite how long ago it was. 

If you get rid of the way that school taught you to think about history (dates, eras, battle names) and think about it only in terms of what happened, you might be able to see how the past developed the foundation of the world we have today. 

As an example, let's discuss the Mongol Empire. In the early 1200s, tribes that were previously at war with one another were joined together by a man named Chinggis Khan. They had a population that was less than a million people, yet they had managed to conquer almost all of China, Europe, and East India and have the second largest empire in all of history. Although their methods were incredibly brutal, as they would give villages one chance to surrender then massacre all people (including women and children), this isn't what gave them a leg up on other countries. It was simply the organization of the military that allowed the Mongols to conquer others so quickly. Khan separated his people into units of 10,000, 1,000, 100, and 10 so that communication was more efficient, and new people who joined the tribe (conquered people) could be easily added into these units. Before he knew it, Khan had an entire empire that was loyal to him and in turn there was widespread peace across the empire. Despite having conquered so many places and people, the Mongols didn't add much of their culture into the world except for this military structure, which was then used by nearly all nations after their empire had fallen (Black plague). Although the Mongol Empire existed hundreds of years ago, it was able to lay a foundation for something in society that allows for one's country to be seen as strong and gives the people in that country a sense of relief since outside invaders are not a threat. 

Fun Fact: The Mongols killed so many people that it lowered the amount of carbon being released and cooled the temperature of the Earth!

While this was just one example, this can be done with anything, such as the beginnings of economic thought, social hierarchy, and belief systems. History teaches us about how things have began, and how they have grown to be what they are now. Understanding this process of a system or belief will allow one to be able to analyze how it works, how it fails, and how it can be improved. 

-Celeste