What I Learned in Boating School

      Throughout a year of literature forced upon my reluctant self, I found myself lacking impression nearing towards the final months of my reluctance. It was at this moment that yet another novel was pitilessly thrown towards us, and I found myself unable to even purchase the book for reasons only I may ever understand. Working ever so diligently to attain possession of the book on its due date, I walked into class with Into the Wild displayed humbly in my crackly, dry hands. Prior to our actual odyssey of reading the book, an introduction was presented and I knew that this book would be somewhat of a replica of my idealistic yet all the more possible pitiful aspirations. Excited I was; expectant: not so much. I did, however, work to mask my appreciation of the novel for I feel as though if I, as a third person party, were to observe my own self expressing excitement towards the novel's plot, a questionable sense of irritation would come upon me. I find it rather difficult to explain why I found a liking in the story, or any one concept for that matter, and I understand that such an idea is somewhat vague. Yet I consider my refusal to explain my liking as an explanation itself. I took it upon myself to read the entire novel (which I still did not own) within the matter of four days; this may also have been a result of there being four days left to read it. And although I find it difficult to provide a reason for my liking, I can say that as a whole, what I enjoyed most about the novel was a pleasant irony: how a book that the school system I was reluctantly placed into initially forced upon me and the presence of Utah flowing past me led me to realize that I may not, as profane as it may sound, desire attending college (or university) myself. And as I currently scratch my head, I envision myself in ten years, standing in the middle of a barren farm field, one sock different from the next, doing the same. And as I ponder once more, I realize the novel had somewhat of another benefit presented to me; I felt just a tad less special upon its completion; I was not the only one who had the unimaginable idea that she could do whatever she wanted. Yet after reading the novel I realized, I could. I may even consider purchasing the book. 

God's Path For Me

     Beginning my natural journey, of which God's only gift to us: money, will not be an object, I strip myself of all but bare necessities. I am left with banana leaves with which I make suitable clothing out of, and a hand-held CD player full of 80's pop. I begin my spiritual journey. Feeling more connected to the earth than ever only three minutes into my odyssey, I decide that traveling by car will not do, even though I do not yet know where I am going at this point. I decide to call up a pack of wolves to guide me to my salvation. Although this is slightly rare in the ninety-seven degree weather in July in Los Angeles, California, I am sure the wolves will be more than willing to join me on my adventure. We are off. About five minutes into the drive (which is being conducted on a sled tied to the wolves), I notice that the ride is not as smooth as I had hoped for, the reason being that the roads are quite rough and apparently not built for sleds, and we seem to be holding up quite a bit of traffic on the 101. I decide to ditch the sled and all but a single one of my wolves, whose back I climb onto and continue my journey as such. About forty minutes in, I notice a grumbling sensation in my stomach. Being away from society for so long, it takes me a while to once again recognize such a sensation as hunger. I had previously decided that nowhere in my spiritual journey should I consume foods that encourage sin, as God had told me in a dream one night that such foods are directly from the devil. Therefore, enjoying the beautiful natural world around me as I park my wolf on the pole of a stoplight on Beverly Drive, I feast on some raw, vegan, organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, low-carb, fat-free tree bark, accompanied by a salad of weeds that were ever so conveniently growing in a flower pot in front of Bloomingdales, and a wonderfully refreshing juice of herbs (as the man had told me as me sold me a bag full of this green substance for quite a hefty price and disappeared before I could even say thanks). Finished eating, I pause and think to myself, "Nature is gorgeous", as a tear drips down my face. With my energy supply replenished, our adventure carries on.
     I open my eyes in what seems to be the first time in days, seeing only a blur. I feel an aching pain traveling throughout my entire body, and an emptiness in my stomach. The light that peeks into the small cracks in my eyes blinds me. Have I reached salvation? Has my spiritual journey reached its zenith? Have I finally attained the ability to reach out to God? "God? Is that you God?", I whisper to myself, staring in front of me at what seems to be an angel in white. I later find out that is my doctor, and I am in room 305 of "God's Healing Souls" Medical Center in Nevada City. It turns out wolves really are not suited for California weather, especially with someone on their backs. My little trooper, however, managed to lead me all the way to Nevada City, California, where he and I both fainted: him, from an excess of heat and baggage (me), and me, from a lack of "proper nourishment" and a heat stroke, or so the doctor says. I find myself quite upset, yet manage to ask the doctor for some tree bark and weeds to replenish my energy as he sticks a bendy straw down a packet of pasteurized orange juice from concentrate, puts it in my hand, and shoves a spoonful of Jell-O brand processed chocolate pudding down my throat. I only hope it was gluten free.

Mental Hospitals Now Becoming Art Galleries

Meet Yayoi Kusuma, The Woman Recently Dubbed The World's Most Famous Artist
By: Priscilla Frank
Source: Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/08/yayoi-kusama-most-famous-artist-in-the-world_n_7018862.html?utm_hp_ref=arts   
   
     Yayoi Kusuma, born in Japan in 1929, now eighty-six years old and resigning in the Seiwa Hospital for the Mentally Ill, is named "the most popular artist in the world" (Frank, 1). She began having hallucinations of polka dots at the age of ten, which, to her, were symbolic depictions of earth, moon, sun, and humans. It was these hallucinations that found their way into her art, composed largely of the polka dots themselves. Kusuma's explanation behind the dots lied somewhere along the lines of them "help[ing] to 'obliterate' her sense of self, allowing her to connect with the infinite universe" (Frank, 1).  Her artwork, prominent in Asia, is viewed by millions of people, leading to one of her exhibitions having the highest attendance of any other artist in 2014. Kusuma has expressed her art in the form of sculptures "stemming from a lifelong phobia of sex" (Frank, 1), to images of polka dots intermingling with nudity, combining art with the human body and form. Being in the mental hospital she is now, Kusuma is the least bit unmotivated to create, continuing to produce art daily.
     Art in its many forms, possesses endless abilities to convey, to portray, to draw in, and to isolate from all that lies around. Kusuma's otherworldly inspired artwork manages to draw the viewer into a different world aside from their own, pulling them into her own perceptions and giving them the "sensation of losing oneself to the surrounding noise, and somehow still finding peace" (Frank, 1). Her work truly shows that art can come from anywhere, anyone, and is one of the rare aspects of life that conveys no boundaries.

I Was Hoping We Could Change the Past

One Photographer's Honest Portraits Attempt To Answer The Question: 'What Is Your Biggest Regret?'

By: Priscilla Frank

Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/19/alecsandra-raluca-dragoi_n_6895626.html?utm_hp_ref=arts

     Twenty-two year-old London based Romanian photographer Alecsandra Raluca Dragoi has embarked on a photography project answering the one question people so often try to ignore: "What is your greatest regret?". Her project, titled "What is Your Biggest Regret?", works to capture photos of individuals in public spaces, providing the "models" with a window for opening up their past and expressing their thoughts on the present and future. Alecsandra works hard to gain the trust of the individuals in order to form a comfortable environment in which she allows strangers to open up on topics they would otherwise never want to bring up. "She displays a profound understanding of time, forgiveness, ad the power of sharing what's so long been repressed" (Frank, 1). Her project, however, is not limited to the photographs only she takes. She allows individuals from all parts of the world to send images to her Facebook account depicting them in similar forms, sharing their personal regrets and opening up to the world.
     In a society where everyone feels the constant need to conceal, it is refreshing to see people in their purest and most open form, expressing themselves completely, in ways that would otherwise seem unconventional. Alecsandra's project being a rather direct form of expression is a nice change from the abstract, presenting human nature in its most vulnerable yet also strongest state, where one is no longer restricted to his or her own thoughts and self but rather feels a sense of unity with all of human nature.

You Get Pink and You Get Blue.

     Even before a child is born, there are certain requirements already placed upon him or her, relating instinctively to his or her gender. Once a girl is born, she is paraded with pink, Barbie dolls, all other peace-promoting toys, growing older to take on a rather typical external appearance of long hair and tighter fit clothing for the most part, leading a job (if any) in a field where she is expected to work. To put it more clearly, a girl is rarely seen in construction sites on the streets, not because she is incapable of doing so, but because the idea seems so absurd that she does not even allow it to come to mind. As a boy is born, however, he is surrounded with darker shades of blue, monster trucks, a few building blocks here and there, and God forbid a doll ever cross his hands. As he grows older, he takes on the appearance of short hair (usually), loose-fitting appropriate clothing, and the job of some sort not atypical to the average male, i.e. possibly one expressing the immense influence the toys he played with at a young age (monster truck and building blocks and not Barbies) made on him: a job "not fit" for a woman.
     Yet one day a harmless bystander is standing on the corner of a street, seen observing a construction worker whose back is turned to the individual, shouting out orders to those the worker is seemingly managing. The bystander takes a moment to observe the back of the worker: short hair, a blue plaid shirt, baggy jeans with a few unintentional tears and paint marks. As the worker goes further out of sight and begins to hammer nails into the plank of a building, the curious individual ends his examination, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. It is a mere few minutes later when the construction worker reappears, this time in a form where his face is visible. The bystander glances up. The worker is a women.
     Evidently, it is possible for an individual in society, surrounded from day one with "gender roles" and expectations, to turn out opposite of what he or she is "supposed to be". Yet it is not often when the "construction worker", the "plumber", the "scientist", or even the "doctor" is a women. And it is not often when the "designer", the "hairdresser", the "painter", the "cleaner" is a man. It is true that what society expects unconsciously plays a roll on individuals, as they are born into what is proposed as "correct" from day one, mindlessly adapting and conforming. There are select individuals who, at an age where they gain a more substantial ability to think for themselves, manage to question such expectations and conformity, specifically related to gender roles in this case. A girl may never aspire to be a construction worker from a young age, only because she does not consider it as a task she is able to undertake or associate with. A boy will rarely be seen with a passion for designing clothing, because he is "not allowed" to partake in "girls' jobs". Yet when attaining awareness of such preconceived expectations and being able to fully consider the possibilities of life independent of gender, there are those few individuals who are "the women construction worker".
     That is the case on a specific scale. Gender roles have the ability to affect an individual until he or she gains awareness of such expectations. However on a larger scale, the concept of gender roles has, almost unconsciously, cemented a loose interpretation of who the women and who the man should be. This, although able to be broken but very rarely done, can be perceived as somewhat of a relation to the nature of man and the nature of woman, and is, therefore, a natural part of society. It may be inborn, that a woman, in a general aspect, conveys a certain "softness", of which the subtle opposite is seen in men. Yet the extent to which societal expectations have altered and exaggerated such natural concepts is where the issue lies, and where the confusion often starts to arise, once a boy feels a slight affinity towards the color pink.

"My Dream is to Grow Up as Fast as Possible"

Photographer Captures Portraits And Dreams Of People From 1 To 100 Years Of Age
By: Katherine Brooks
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/27/100-years-project_n_6763534.html?utm_hp_ref=arts

     In the eyes of an artist, there may often seem nothing more perplexing and variable than people, who are often the inspiration for visions and works of art alike. And it is more often than not that the artist is working to depict an idea through their work, a story of people themselves. In the eyes of Danish photographer Keen Heick-Abildhauge, few cultures interest him more than that of the people of Russia,  a mass of diversity and life. Living there for some time, he managed to gain an insight into the lives of many of the people of the country, hearing stories, hopes, aspirations, daily accounts from those of any age. Yet the stories themselves "were complex, often so much that mere words didn't accurately capture their essences" (Brooks, 1). And with this failure to of verbal expression, Heick-Abildhauge turned to the world of photographs, depicting individuals ages one to one hundred (230 people in total), who shared with him their own stories, their own desires, experiences, what they hoped to be or no longer were. Through his photographs Heick-Abildhauge did not merely depict 230 disconnected individuals with 230 unrelated stories of their own, but rather a single story "of people living and growing in Russia today" (Brooks, 1), all sharing a queer similarity and life of a kindred nature.
       In the life span of individuals, they see much, feeling as though they know themselves most, and fully understand their beings in the present moment. Yet a majority of humanity, falling under this category, fails to notice the one single aspect most characteristic of an individual's lifespan and life itself: change. It is through Heick-Abildhauge's photographs where one is able to perceive this, how the individual human grows and progresses, not as a single being, but as a people. Throughout his work, one sees not the life-span of a single individual, but that of a hundred seemingly disparate ones, each consecutively older than the next. Yet it is through such diverse individuals, even, where one is most able to perceive the concept of growth and progression, feeling as though the one hundred depicted individuals are merely one in the same. As the dreams and aspirations of those newly born into the world, humble and light-hearted with no rather serious intentions in mind, progress with mid-age turning into inspiring motives, it is the addition of several more decades that brings these hopes back to their original state, and the people back to the children they used to be.

4 Years- Daniel; Place of birth : Yerevan, Profession: Goes to kindergarten, Passion or Dream: My dream is to grow up as fast as possible

 18 Years- Yulia; Place of birth: Obninsk, Profession: Student, Passion or Dream: I want to live until I am 100 years old. I also want to see new things and how they change during the time. I like to feel Russian

32 Years- Artem; Place of birth: Leningrad, Profession: Head of the cardiology department, Passion or Dream: I would like to become a member of the Russian Academy of Medical Science

70 Years- Vladimir; Place of birth: Malahovka, Profession: Driver, Passion or Dream: I want to have a long life

97 Years- Petr; Place of birth: Ural, Profession: Electrician, retired colonel, Passion or Dream: I dream of living for more than 100 years

98 Years- Roza; Place of birth: Gomel, Profession: Factory worker, Passion or Dream:I already have everything – everything that I would like to have

100 Years- Evdokiya; Place of birth: Smolensky area, Profession: Worker, Passion or Dream: I dream of walking by myself, being independent and alive

Holistic Healing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH5IMv2jeuk

    

      This short clip from the Seinfeld episode entitled "The Heart Attack" depicts George Castanza desiring a more natural form of treatment (with encouragement from Cosmos Kramer), thereby attending the house of a holistic healer. As the healer himself comes out, he proposes a series of (absurd) claims as to why George may be sick and what he MUST do in order to heal himself, taking care to mention the corrupt nature of conventional doctors and hospitals. As George slowly adjusts himself to this process, he opens up by having some tea made of seemingly suspicious and unheard of ingredients, after which he turns purple and is transported to the hospital.

     This scene satirizes the concept of "holistic healing", and more-so the healers themselves, as they claim that the concept of "western medicine" and conventional doctors are corrupt, while they take on every opportunity to diagnose their patients with every absurd phenomenon that comes to mind, merely to convince the patients of their "knowledge" and "wisdom", while simultaneously managing to make a large profit out of them. Their methods of "treatment" are, for the most part, ineffective in every physical way and may only heal the patient through the concept of the placebo effect. 

     The skit mainly makes use of the satirical technique of exaggeration, greatly overemphasizing the insanity of holistic healers and the measures they go through to fool their patients. By depicting the healer, Tor Eckman, engaging in specific tasks such as moving his metal container about in the air and advising George to shower in cold water, the scene exaggerates the extent to which holistic healers make use of what one may claim to be "insensible and useless" tactics, confidently claiming their effectiveness. 

     This use of exaggeration allows for this scene to be particularly effective in its use of satire. The character of the holistic healer as well as his name are fitting to the general stereotype society may place upon him or her. His clothing and home are sufficiently chosen as well. The actions the holistic healer does are accurate enough to be relative to the general concept of the practice yet exaggerated and absurd enough to clearly be understood as satirical and sarcastic. The complete and utter seriousness of the healer himself also allow for the scene to generally increase in humor and satire as the seriousness greatly contrasts with the absurdity of his actions.