GaGa .. Fashion, put it on. on meh.

Since there will be some down time from now until the next round of midterms (ugh I dont even want to think about tests anymore) I have resolved to update this blog more frequently.

Well yesterday I had some thoughts on Lady Gaga. I will not be ashamed to say that I, too, have fallen into the fallacy of Lady Gaga culture. It is a fallacy because it is not true; her culture only exists within her, and it cannot envelope others around her. This will contradict a few points I am about to make, however. Lady Gaga has this devilish ability to influence. I feel like she has been climbing the the mountain of power but has steadily approached the top through her success in the music industry. With this power, she has been influenced, and influences herself, by other people. For example, the first time I watched "Bad Romance" I thought, dang, Lady Gaga is so unoriginal. Anyone can tell you that her hand gestures mimick the King of Pop's signature moves, anyone can tell you that being the lead dancer with 20 backup dancers is a Bollywood trademark, and anyone can tell you that her ploys have all been done before.

But then I continued to watch her videos. Granted, I do not think they are socially appropriate or even morally appropriate. The videos are extremely explicit. So I wondered how her power translated into that explicitness. I wondered how she and Beyonce collaborated on Video Phone and then on Telephone, how Gaga's influence has had a profound effect on music standards. If she were in another decade, who's equivalent would she be? Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Patti Smith? Anyhow, she somehow was able to converge aspects of Michael Jackson, Bollywood, Beyonce, and Kylie all into herself. So, in being unoriginal, she essentially produced her own originality. Her own original combination of unoriginality.

Beyond that, I think she has a crude sense of fashion. The elements of her fashion are mainly futuristic-schemes. Of course, the fact that it is "futuristic" is only up to her interpretation. Remember, in the mid-1900s when plastic came about, and the whole world perceived it to be a thing of the future? All future schemes were related to plastic; plastic was the obsession; plastic was the miracle material, it had super abilities. Well, guess what? It still does, but we aren't fascinated by it anymore. Instead, we think flying cars are our future--thats what the UFO's and the sci fi movies have led us to believe, no? Anyway, our other preconception of the future is metallics. I dont understand Gaga's obsession with metallic schemes. I do not understand why she so desperately wants to associate metallics with the future. We have already discovered the elements on the periodic table, so if you wanna wear something fashionable that exudes futurism, then go wear some radioactive material!

And, in her fashion, she also aims to be original. But what I find ironic is: whenever somebody like Gaga tries to be so original--in terms of fashion--they can still be imitated. I can pull up pictures from Halloween where people are dressed like Gaga. That's not my point though.  My point is, even though Gaga wants to be "out there" doing her own thing with fashion, people are still able to imitate it and capture her essence. In my opinion, if she really wants to be Gaga fashion, I think she should not be predictable. I don't mind her pyramidal-schemed hats or blouses. I dont mind half-sewn spanish dresses. I adore her ability to create. But I hate that, in trying to be her own, people are still able to be her.

So, what I meant earlier when mentioning that her culture only exists within her and cannot extend beyond...is that she is someone who has taken the concepts of futurism and employed them through her wardrobe and risqué music videos. Gaga culture is just in that realm, and no where else. I do not think many people have the courage to be as unique as her. Not everyone can appreciate it when someone does something different. And that's why, although she has taken influences and can influence so many people, she is only in the realm of her own Gaga planet. I like her, and that's the bottom line. Do you think Gaga is original?
(polls)

The Cycle..of answering..to the Children of the Sky

World, Hold on...One day you will have to answer to the children of the sky.

So the past few days I have just been in finals mode. But the intensity of studying and the pressures of getting good grades somehow lead me to access the deepest recesses of my thoughts. Why have we, as humans, been created so cyclically? We all start life, live it, then end it. The cycle of life. Why are our emotions, too, so cyclic? We are mad, then we get sad, then we feel guilty (or some variation of this). Why are our relations so cyclic? We love, then we hate, then we forget. I don't know, this cycling, although seemingly predictable, doesnt satisfy my innate desire to connect the end to the beginning. Instead of forgetting at the end or dying at the end, why not continue and re-circumference our beginnings? Why is there only one beginning, why must we only get one chance. What is the importance of a first impression, and how can we never rid of the intial emotion or impression that we perceived of some one or some thing?
Among other thoughts, why are some of us more amibitious than others? I watched Precious last weekend and the reason why this thought comes up is because the mother was yelling at her daughter (who had been pregnant twice and stuck in middle school as a teen) that she was only good for welfare. No education will help her. Shit education, shit life. That's the cycle. And I cant help but think, even if education cant get her nowhere, why does the daughter's ambition matter to her? Anyway, my thoughts on the movie are somewhat critical. I did not particularly gain any insight from the movie; I felt like CRASH or Freedomland captured a truer essence of what racial tensions are like. However, I did appreciate Gaby's acting, she had moved me. And it wasnt on the typical scenes, either. It mostly came whenever she wrote in her journals and struggled to read. When I was a tutor for Kumon learning center, I remember yearning to teach the little children how to read. It is one of the most powerful, rewarding experiences you can ever endure--to teach a child how to read. I encourage anyone who has ever interacted with a child, even if they are your baby cousin, to at least sit there for a minute or 10 minutes and spend time teaching them the ABC's. When your life is ending, what will you have to say about who you helped? You may have fundraised for a cause, or fed a homeless guy on the street..but there is no everlasting gift better than teaching a child (or anyone for that matter) how to read.