Barbie Star Light Adventure

I spent the evening with my fave girl, Barbie. You would assume that most twenty-year olds have grown out of such things. This twenty-year old has not; along with my best friend Kadi, but you already knew that.

Just today, Mattel released the latest Barbie film, titled Barbie: Star Light Adventure.

Just take a look at this:

Barbie lives on a preserve planet  called Para-Den where her father and mother studied and cared for the creatures there. Barbie's mother had passed away, but her father remained on Para-Den to continue her work. I found that to be very cool. The film begins in a lush green forest on an Para-Den. You are suddenly thrown into a whirling ride as Barbie zooms through the forest on her hover board. After a careless crash, you discover that Barbie has a magical ability to move things through her mind and voice. That's important, obviously.

In this galaxy, they are governed by King Constantine, a strict, play-by-the-rule-book sort of guy, very uppity and staunch. The stars are slowly blinking out and fading to nothing. If it is not reversed, the galaxy will die. Constantine searches for gifted youth to aid him on a mission to travel to the center of Home Planet and restore the stars and their light to the galaxy. Naturally, Barbie is selected to go on the mission for her natural gift on the hoverboard.

Leo, Barbie, Sal-Lee, Sheena, and Kareena

Leaving her forested planet and father behind, Barbie joins forces with four other gifted teenagers. Sal-lee is a champion hoverboard competitor, she's fast and is a no-nonsense kind of girl. Kareena and Sheena are two telepathic twin sisters that can manipulate gravity. Kareena lightens objects while Sheena weighs them down. They're energetic and easily the happiest characters in the show. Lastly, Prince Leo, he's a pilot and an engineer with a ridiculous love for food.

The film shows their progression from strangers to friends as they train and prepare for their mission. In that time, Barbie has to learn whether to trust her heart and break away from Constatine's strict plan or to fall into obedience even if she may not agree with Constantine's plan. I'll keep the solution a secret since I don't want to spoil everything.

Would I watch this movie again? Most definitely. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this movie. Every second of the film is just so full of vibrant color and texture. There is so much to look and ogle at. The music throughout the movie is excellent. While not featured in the film, there is a song that plays in the credit that features Lindsey Stirling on the violin. It's my favourite song from the movie.

I'd have to say that this movie may be in my top five Barbie films. It's lighthearted, but also maintains a continuous plot line. There are diverse characters, great character development for certain characters, and a subtle but important message. 

This is a film I highly recommend to anyone who even has the slightest appreciation for Barbie. It's a winner in my eyes.

Oh and to all my die-hard Barbie fans wondering if the transformation sequence at the end was good, let me just tell you, I think it was both mine and Kadi's favourite.

To The School Quitters

Dear Students of All Forms and Types:

Unless you're school is like mine, you've had three months free of any sort of educational responsibility. Summer is what some people call it. But now the bells are ringing, the buses are revving their engines. Walmart has been cleaned of any cute folders, pencils, and notebooks, leaving only yellow legal pads and the notebooks and file folders from the cartoon that unfortunately no one likes. There's a sort of smell in the air that comes around every August, the smell of a new school year. Squeaky clean and brand new shoes mixed with never before worn cotton shirts and stiff and very tight denim jeans.

For those who are returning to the new school year, I welcome you. Now is the opportunity to learn great things. It sucks because you have to take tests on all of that awesome stuff and sometimes the teacher isn't who you hoped, but you are still given an opportunity to learn. For some of you who are more artistic, you are given the opportunity to create. For those who like to sweat, you are given the opportunity to work with a team and compete in a variety of sports. Go get 'em and keep your head in the game.

Unfortunately, this post isn't about all of those kids returning to school. It's about all of those high school graduates who are not returning to school. Whether it be because of work, money, or you just don't know what you want to do yet, it doesn't matter. This post is for you.

When I graduated high school I was determined to be like everybody else. I was going to enjoy the summer and than join the big league university world that I had heard so much about. It was a mixture of apprehension and excitement, but mostly apprehension. I was dependent on only myself to pay for schooling and I still had no idea what I really wanted to do. I had hoped that all of those tests I took my senior year would help me narrow down my options. The only result I ever got was "You're so well-rounded, you can pursue any career you want." While I was pleased to know that I had received a well-rounded education and well-rounded career skills, it still did not help me to know what to do with my life, or how I was going to even begin.

So I enrolled at Weber State in graphic design. It seemed like an alright place to start. I met with my counselors and they helped me get enrolled. I went to orientation, I toured the school, I even got my student ID card. It should have been so exciting, but I was beginning to dread school. Reading over the cost of school and comparing it to the money I didn't have, I suddenly felt panicked at the realization that I could never afford college. (I was a bit melodramatic back then).

So I quit. Dropped out. Removed myself from the equation. Gave up. However you want to say it, I did. I reasoned that I would go back to University, just when I had the money. The plan was to work for one semester, and then start at the beginning of the new year. The new year came and the new year went. I started a new position at my job and began to work more hours and I was scared to go back.

At the same time, I felt like such an outcast. While all of my friends were deeply involved in their freshmen year of college, I was filling produce in a grocery store. When I'd meet friends and neighbors and update them on my life it felt like they plastered on a smile for me and pretended to be pleased for me and my decision. I'd hear the talk about how an education was the most important thing I could. I'd hear about how this person's child was blossoming in their freshmen year of college, I'd go onto social media and see all of the college selfies. I felt like I had uninvited myself from the biggest thing I could be involved in and it made me feel three inches tall.

I'm so grateful to my mom, who never gave up on me. She respected my decision and supported me; but she also knew that I'd need a push to start up again. She was the voice of reason in my melodramatic world of teen drama. She pushed me to save my money, to think about what I wanted to do. I wouldn't be where I was without her loving discipline.

On my way to work I would drive by the Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College. Most days, it blended into the bland scenery and meant nothing to me. Except one special day, it caught my eye. I had never considered that maybe there was another option besides university. I didn't know a thing about the ATC but I thought it would be worth a shot to look into.

Long story short, I enrolled and am now a current graphic design student. Since then, my life has flourished. I didn't realize just how sucky my life was when I was stagnant, but I'm not saying that the decision I made was a bad decision either. In fact I'm writing this post to encourage anyone who is taking a 'gap' year in college.

If any of you graduates feel like you aren't ready to start. Don't. It isn't worth spending a semester or a year's worth of college if you aren't even sure of what you are going to do. Studies have even shown that taking a break after high school isn't as bad as everyone thinks it is. Take a look at this article from Time. It says that sometimes it is more beneficial to take a gap year of college. It matures you, and gives you the perspective you need to be committed to the work you want to start. Some universities even encourage gap years by giving scholarships for when you return.

I can attest to the truth that when you take a break, it matures you. I know that if I had gone straight to college right after high school, I would have wasted not only my money, but my time and my energy. Having taken a year off I was able to develop skills that I wasn't able to in high school. I grew more comfortable around people. I developed a love for service and I realized that I loved being creative. It was during my gap year that I began my 365 day journal which I poured my heart into every day, creating something beautiful to behold every single day. It prepared me for the work I would be doing now in school.

There is no need to feel like you have to take off engines roaring and fired up right after high school. It isn't necessary to burn yourself out like that. If you need time to discover yourself, time to discover what you want to do, and time to save money for schooling, do it. People will disagree with you, I guarantee it, but as long as you have the intention of becoming something better, you aren't doing anything wrong.

My brain is a bit scattered and I hope that I expressed everything I wanted to today. This topic is so important to me, because I find I am so much happier than I imagined doing what I love and being in a place where I am comfortably paying my tuition on my own and still being able to learn what I want to. No one should feel like they're being pulled their way through school, not when this is about pursuing your dreams.

I wish students and 'gap' students the best of luck on their journey of discovery, because whether you are in school or taking a semester off, you are both discovering incredible things. Neither one of you are less or greater than the other and you both have such amazing things ahead of you. I wish you all the best. Safe journeying.

-Kenra