Is it true that you love me? | I dare you to kiss me | with everyone watching | it’s truth or dare on the dance floor…

 - Shakira, “Dare (La La La)” from Shakira.

Shakira may be the queen of unrequited love and break-up anthems, but if she has proven anything on her latest outing Shakira., it is that she knows how to tease a guy to bend to her will. Enticing a potential lover to show his devotion to the Columbian songstress, Shaki challenges her new conquest to play truth or dare with her out in the open (almost a little bit “let’s reveal a secret relationship”-esque).

With a kickass and electrifying melody, Shakira delivers the simple yet effective lyrics with such gusto I found myself screaming singing in key on first listen. The funny part is that I’m surprised Shakira has to try to get her love interest to show affection in public. I mean, if I were with her, it would be tasteful hand-holding and public pecks when applicable. Keeping it classy at all times, obvi (shoutout to an old friend from NYC who introduced “obvi” into my vocab – Uyen, my other friends hate you for doing this lol)!

But, alas, this public display of affection that Shakira craves is something I feel many of us can relate to. It’s one thing to know within yourself that you have that one special person, but it is definitely reassuring to feel “wanted” by someone in front of other people. And this sudden and shocking attraction, almost “love at first sight”-esque, is a fleeting feeling running rampant in my generation. It must be a maturity thing.

I mean, “your eyes got me drunk when I was sober.” We have ALL been there.

In terms of promotion for her Self-titled LP, with “Can’t Remember To Forget You” as the obvious cash-in on a collab with Rihanna to make Shakira’s amazing musical talents relevant again and re-energize the masses to get excited for her music, Shakira chose wisely. There was no other song on this LP that could really pack the “listen to me, bitch” punch Shakira packed on that single. And of course “Empire” is such an ethereal beautiful beautiful ballad. A classic yet contemporary bliss that confirmed to all of us just why we love her to begin with. I mean, that song is just the right amount of production and experimentation while all the while sounding perfectly in-sync with the rest of her back catalogue. And the video (as usual) is gorgeous. Shaki nailed it.

But “Dare” is that one song that can move albums (or get the consumer to hit the download button). It’s just the right amount of mindless pop and lustfulness mixed with Shakira’s anthemic and large presence. No one could even try to pull off a song this big. Not even my darling BritBrit. Her closest hit would be “Till the World Ends,” which is way too dark electro when compared to this gem. It’s just so fun and catchy.

In terms of the video, though, Shaki – leave the empty fields and locations that plague the beginning of the video to “Empire.” They belong there. Once other people started following you and dancing, that’s when the video started picking up. But, I kind of expected more (in the same way I expected more from Katy Perry‘s “Birthday” – great song but not-so-great video).

I’m sure Shakira will be singing all the way to the bank while the rest of us make terrible terrible mistakes in clubs all over the world. Thank you, Shakira, for giving all of us another reason to meet beautiful strangers and make our hips tell the truth :)

(I’ll leave you with “Hips Don’t Lie,” Shaki’s BIGGEST hit to date – the song went No. 1 in over 55 countries!)

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GRADE: ★★★☆☆

(“EMPIRE” WOULD’VE GOTTEN A ★★★★½)

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Everyone was trying to watch Neighbors tonight

Let me start by saying that everything about Neighbors was on-point. It was everything I expected. Plus some. From the witty and obviously R-rated risqué dialogue to the epic party scenes, I felt like I was watching a better version of the past couple of Judd Apatow comedies (Remember the sadness that was This is 40?) – and I love Judd’s films. Think the craziness of Van Wilder, except crossed with what SHOULD have been the party scenes from Great Gatsby.

The film itself takes the viewer on a journey of self-discovery. Many times people get thrust into situations they can’t fully comprehend and always wonder if they made the right decision – It’s all the identity crisis. I think the writer and producers were trying to hint at that internal struggle: getting old and wondering if you’re truly missing out on the world around you, if you really chose the best path. And the fact of the matter is that they portrayed and executed that conflict so well. In the end, everyone does grow up, but it’s all about being happy with the choices you make.

The Fratstars: Zac Efron and Dave Franco

So let’s state the obvious: casting should get a round of applause for the perfection they chose to have on film. Each cast member fit perfectly into the story and there was never a moment when I thought to myself, “It would have been better if they had chosen someone else for the part.” I was particularly surprised by how well Seth Rogen and Zac Efron worked together. Zac showed us that he is more than just a pretty face that can carry a tune and look good shirtless (High School Musical and That Awkward Moment, respectively). When it comes to the other cast members, Rose Byrne has proven herself time and time again as having such amazing comedic timing. And I’ve always loved Seth. Even when he’s high as a kite (which is pretty much any in his canon). And of course, Zac and Dave Franco played frat brothers really well. It does help that they appear to be the appropriate age to do so, adding to the overall credibility of the story. But again, between their bromance on-screen and the ease at which they slipped into the roles, I was blown away at how great their chemistry was. The casting was definitely on-point.

In terms of the storyline, it teetered on the fine line of fantasy and reality, but always found a way to present itself as a relatively believable situation. While I would never be caught participating in any of those shenanigans, I can see college students raging the night away in a similar fashion. And the storyline with Rose and Seth trying to hold onto their youth… It’s the perfect archetype for the frat. I mean, the frat represents everything they missed about being young: the crazy sex, parties, staying up late, not having responsibilities. When the biggest care you had was making sure you had enough alcohol in your hand.

Alcohol. All the time. Even in the morning! I’m not about that life lol.

I’ll bring it back to what really matters: did they photoshop Zac Efron’s body in this film? Like what the hell man. His body is sick. And every girl (and even a lot of guys) were cheering and giving him credit during his shirtless scenes. I mean, the movie is pretty much worth watching just for that (and the countless other eye-candy moments – remember, everyone is supposed to be in college). But the bonus is that it’s actually a really good film. And the pranks, a staple of any college film, are out-of-this-world. And not just those shown in the trailer; there are too many golden moments from this film. Side note: there is a lot of risqué content. Not necessarily the best thing to watch with your mother. And there are things that you can’t unsee. Ever :/

One of the many pranks the Fratstars play on the family next door after finding out who really called the cops on their party the night before.

Overall, the film will have you screaming “Hootie-Hoo” to alert all of your bros of the epicness on-screen (film reference, and in-film call-out to OutKast and Missy Elliott who popularized the phrase). Definitely worth the 10 dollar ticket price.

I’ll leave you with the very NSFW trailer:

Neighbors, directed by Nicholas Stoller

It’s been a while | I know I shouldn’t have kept you waiting | But I’m here now

Cheesy, I know, but I feel bad. Sorry for keeping y’all waiting. It’s been a rough couple of months (obviously NOTHING compared to the month that those Nigerian girls or even the citizens of the Ukraine have been going through – you should definitely pray for them – but I have been in my own relative purgatory), and I’m finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Let me start with some general updates:

• Took the MCAT
• Finished repackaging my thesis for publication — and it got accepted at the AEJMC conference in Montreal!
• Accepted a Board of Directors position on the Communication committee at American Advertising Federation-Baton Rouge
• Planned my brother’s bachelor party
• Dealt with the normal friend and family drama
• Dating.

So these past two months have really shown me the effects of putting words out there. Once something is published, it’s there forever. No one can take that away from you. While I had fun posting about my relationship woes of the past year, I think it is time for me to move past that and discuss topics I find more pertinent. Relationships and dating, those things are pretty much the same. They suck when you’re in your early twenties: no one really knows what they want, people lead others on, it’s all about experimentation. And that type of blogging can get old real quick. So I’ve resolved to not bore you readers with dumb anecdotes about mixed signals, potential matches falling for your best friends, people trying to live up to Ludacris’ “Area Codes” song. There is more to me as a person than those dumb stories, and also, it isn’t good to dwell on past negative experiences, especially if you plan on working toward a better and brighter future.

Another thing I noticed about myself, which I’m sure many of you may do too, is that I would reflect the perceptions others had of me – after going through those many trials and tribulations, I had started to question what made me so special and amazing. And that’s when I would let in a lot of stupid suggestions on things I should do from people who really did not know me at all. People will ALWAYS have something to say about your actions, btw. Because it is easier to pick out someone else’s flaws than it is to address your own. So my own self confidence started to waver (just a bit). And it was enough to almost shake me up (just a bit). But that’s when I realized that it’s not about how others perceive you – it’s about how you perceive yourself.

The confidence you portray will be reflected by others back onto you. You have to be that source of light and reflect yourself onto silver-based mirrors – those have the best reflectivity lol. SIDE NOTE: I’m about to get really scientific on you… But really, think of the people around you as a body of water and your confidence as a ray of light reflecting on the surface. Every time you reflect your confidence onto someone else, they too will refract some of that confidence and essentially absorb it. You being a positive light source around your friends will not only benefit you but also your friends. So, it’s a win-win for all. Obviously your confidence will not make them automatically reach your level of confidence - Snell’s law, anyone? An index of refraction times the sine of the angle of incidence will equal the index of refraction for the substance the wave travels into times the sine of the angle of refraction. And since the refraction index for air is approximately 1 and for any other substance is greater than 1, that means the angle of refraction will always be less than the angle of incidence. In other words…

So, while your friends may not fully reflect back the same magnitude of confidence you exude,  you will be helping your friends by giving them some confidence to absorb and the rest can be refracted :).

Back to the non-physics lecture aspect of this post:

And the fact of the matter is this: I was too busy focusing on things that could have been instead of the amazing things that did happen. I mean, I’m a student on a professional board of directors! I’m getting published! I’m going to be receiving a third degree and going to become a doctor (in like seven years, but still it’s going to happen)! And I’m tall, dark and handsome and have some amazing people around me. While there is room for improvement (there always is, and it’s usually my driving force), those things are worth appreciating and celebrating, too.

The thing that I realized last night and this morning while talking to family and friends (you know who you are) is that life is too short to nit-pick at every little detail and get engulfed in all the negativity surrounding you. Like an atom, sift through those electrons and find yourself that neutron-proton center!

Okay, what I mean is that negativity can surround you, but you have to dismiss it and try to hold on to that positivity that is RIGHT THERE. That’s the thing. Maintaining a positive outlook on life can lead to a healthier self image, more positive outcomes and general happiness. And that’s the type of life I’m all about living, y’all. So say #ByeFelicia to all the trash talking and sadness around you and embrace the fact the you’re alive and great things are happening all around you, because, trust me, life is so much better when you’re surrounding yourself with positivity.

Like the MANY high schoolers and their parent chaperones, I, too, trekked to the movie theatre to see the phenomenal cancer-teen-angst novel “The Fault In Our Stars” be portrayed on the big screen last night. And unfortunately, I was quite disappointed by the visuals I saw. Think watered down Hollywood “Notebook” version of the indie dark sarcastic literary masterpiece.

ATTN: SPOILERS AHEAD

Let’s start with the main protagonist: Hazel Grace. While Shailene Woodley, a young actress who has shown us that she is a pretty talented individual, delivered lines with the same gusto I’d have expected from the “grenade” Hazel, I was surprised by how healthy she appeared on-screen. Throughout the book, Hazel makes a point to explain just how miserable existence is for her through her angst-ridden monologues. Yet, Shailene only appears to be slightly ill about three times at most throughout the whole film.

Another thing that could have helped the plot move along would have been the use of actual voice-over. The narration and progression of the plot by Hazel would have been the perfect device to establish the film within it’s genre and to also utilize a tool that has been proven to work multiple times (“Perks of Being A Wallflower,” anyone?).

On par with that was the rushed feeling I got while watching the film. I felt like they tried to force so much of the book into the film time available. By doing so, they limited themselves to having only a handful of scenes that seemed to convey the correct amount of emotion. Mind you, the theatre full of high school girls seemed to have disagreed with me on that point, seeing as they were bawling for the second half of the film.

The last thing that disappointed me was how the producers and screen adaptors left out key scenes in order to make certain plot points occur around the same time. For example, I was really excited to see Hazel and Augustus’ dinner exchange in which they poke fun at their dinner prepared by Gus’ mother. Another part was the delivery of the Fault In Our Stars line. The one about Shakespeare and how William had it wrong the whole time- the fault lies in our stars, not our circumstances. But, again, I feel like this is a problem I run into with most book adaptations.

Overall, I was disappointed in the film – things seemed rushed and at all how I expected. It’s a cute film that will definitely be raking in the big bucks this weekend, but don’t expect to be wowed. Unless not-so-great writing in a chick flick is your type of film (and if that’s the case, watch ANY of the Nicholas Sparks adaptations).

But, in terms of the book and soundtrack, now those are two pieces I can definitely get on-board with. “Boom Clap” by Charli XCX has been my jam for the past four months already and it still hasn’t lost its punch. The same goes for the rest of the soundtrack. It’s a nice little emotional roller coaster. The novel itself is a quick-read; a definite page-turner that will engross the reader from start to finish. I could really picture myself in the role of the protagonist or even Augustus, having said some of his over-confident lines occasionally to try to woo someone (and yes, SOMETIMES they would work ;) ). The part that really surprised me was Green‘s understanding of angsty dialogue. He NAILED the conversations among the characters. That was one thing I thought the film producers would not change at all. But alas, the two times they really screwed the pooch (once in the Van Houten scene and again in Augustus’ letter to Hazel) had me cringing and wanting the film to just end already. I mean, I cried (a little bit only ;) ) at the end of the book. But when watching the film, I never shed a tear. And visuals are usually when I start bawling like a toddler. But, thank GOD it didn’t happen yesterday lol.

So, if you really want to see a sappy retelling of a well-written story, pay to see “Fault In Our Stars.” Otherwise, wait for it to come out on Netflix or RedBox. I’ll leave you with “Boom Clap.”

Okay readers, I wanted to first apologize. I haven’t had the time to post here and it kills me every time I open my browser. I was hoping to have more time this summer to write some introspective and legitimate blog content, but classes and volunteering has gotten the best of me unfortunately. But please don’t fret – I’ll be posting regularly (and by regularly, I mean once a week at least) starting August 10. In the meantime, feel free to look through my archives.

Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it! (and with even better content :) )

“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.”

 – Robin Williams, July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014.

Today, as I was having dinner with my mom, I received four text messages from some friends. I read the first one: “ROBIN WILLIAMS COMMITTED SUICIDE.” I thought it was a Twitter hoax. There is no way Mr. Williams, a man who had brought so much joy to everyone’s life could have taken his own life. It just makes no sense.

I quickly flipped through the other three texts: “#RIPROBINWILLIAMS,” “Kittu I think my bf is cheating on me” and “DUDE ROBIN WILLIAMS IS DEAD.” So that was three telling me what I didn’t want to hear and one that I could handle in a jiffy. It just made no sense. And then things started to fall into place the more I thought about it.

First of all, suicide ideation (having thoughts of suicide) is one of those things that alienates the person feeling it. They feel all alone. That no one can understand the pain and suffering they have internalized. They feel that if they talk about it they can be viewed as weak and attention-seeking. And when it comes to celebrities, many times they are even more afraid to reach out to receive the help they need due to the attention it would receive. I recently read somewhere that Nicki Minaj was scared to call an ambulance one time when she was in a life-threatening situation because of what she thought TMZ would write. And I can sit here in my hotel room and tell you that it’s so sad that these people can’t even do normal things or at least get the aid they actually need, but then I also know that if Nicki (or in this case Robin) were to have called an ambulance (or a crisis hotline), I would be tempted to invade their privacy when they’re most vulnerable and watch/listen to the leaked footage of her or him receiving the help they need.

Side note: I have always hated TMZ, Perez Hilton and all of those other sites for their invasive journalistic tactics and would condemn them for their actions, I know that they will keep doing so because people want to know about that information. It is a sad, sad world we live in.

Another side step – Similar to this (people receiving the care and help they need), I remember back when I used to watch “The Soup” in high school, Joel McHale did something that made me respect him and the show: when Britney Spears was facing her own demons, he gave her a free pass to not be discussed negatively on the show during her trying time. I really liked that he and the producers did that. To me, it showed that while they were a show that thrived on kicking people when they were down, they took it only so far and would actually keep their journalistic integrity when the situation of mental illness or another life-threatening disease surfaced with a celebrity. But, alas, this type of “free pass” does not really exist at places like Perez or TMZ.

So, back to the matter at hand: Robin Williams. A man who brought so many smiles to others’ faces but was truly sad inside, so much so that his publicist released a statement that he was battling with severe depression.

As you can see in the graphic above, 1 in 10 Americans suffer from some sort of depression. Most of those who do suffer from it never report their feelings to their doctors due to their own feelings regarding how society will view them. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma associated with mental illness. This stigma is a leading factor as to why many Americans do not receive the treatment they desperately need. And one of the leading causes of suicide is depression. They say that someone attempts suicide every 25 seconds in the US. And others have to deal with the aftermath every 26 seconds. In addition, research has been found stating that most of those who attempt suicide immediately regret their actions, trying to reach out for a way to stop their attempt (all things I learned while training with the BRCIC).

These past two months, I have been volunteering and interning at a psychiatric ward and at the Baton Rouge Crisis and Intervention Center, where I’ve learned more about how mental illness can affect not only the person afflicted with the disease, but also the community and environment of that person. These are usually people who have undergone much trauma and negativity and just don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Coping-wise, these people don’t know how to deal with the problems they are facing daily and believe that taking one’s life will solve everything. They don’t realize the extent to which their actions of taking or attempting to take their lives will affect themselves and those around them. They can’t see how things will get better. And they usually have no one who is willing to listen to them. And the really sad part is that this type of situation is so common – most of the time these people cannot even afford counselor, doctor/psychiatrist or other medical fees, they feel like no one really cares about their situation. I have seen/talked to so many patients that deteriorate their own mental capacities due to the pressures they place on themselves.

The bottom line is this: taking your own life is NEVER the answer. Remember that there are people whose lives would never be the same without you. If you are at all having thoughts of suicide, please call 1-800-273-TALK. Taking your life is a very serious decision. And is often not the only option to end the suffering and sadness that surrounds you.

I just really wish someone had told this to Genie before he decided to take his own life. The galaxy is missing one of it’s brightest stars tonight. Please don’t forget to pray for Robin’s soul and his family. And take some time to appreciate the legacy that is Robin Williams – he provided us with so much happiness, the least we can do is honor him now. Here is a link to his most memorable roles.

Sexy, yet innocent. Fantastical and over-the-top, but still somewhat tasteful. Ariana Grande‘s video for “Break Free” shows an Ariana who just has no more cares to give. See for yourself:

The beginning 25 seconds preps the audience for the hilarity of the approximately four-minute masterpiece. From stylized and themed homages to Britney Spears‘ “Oops… I Did It Again,” to the now iconic Barabella title credits featuring Jane Fonda at her best (recreated by Kylie Minogue in “Put Yourself In My Place“), to even the comic animation most represented in recent summer jams (look to Carly Rae Jepsen‘s “Call Me Maybe” and Katy Perry‘s epic “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)“), Grande pulls out all the stops to make create a fun pop video to an equally fun and powerful song. Side note: those boob cannons remind anyone else of Shakira‘s animation twist in “Objection (Tango)?” Or am I just the biggest pop music nerd out there?

Even the nonchalance she portrays through her freestyle dancing and hand throwing adds to the mystique of Ariana just not caring about what others may tell her to do – she’s “breaking free” from the confines of carefully-planned video concepts… Or maybe that’s exactly what she and her management want us to think…

Either way, the song is killer – it has Zedd‘s production written all over it. The lyrics are great, perfect for a summer jam – not too involved, but just enough to where it doesn’t feel like you’re losing brain cells listening to it on repeat. And Ariana’s delivery – flawless. It’s highly addictive, but not in an overwhelming sort of way. It must be all of the galactic zings and sound effects that keep it so fresh and futuristic. Another side bar: I totally dance to this song the same way she does. So yay for being on the same side as the artist in terms of interpretive dancing!

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RATING (of song): ★★★★☆

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In terms of the other song she released today (“Best Mistake”), the piano intro is so hauntingly beautiful. Reminiscent of something that Gatsby (as in Jay Gatsby from would play when thinking about Daisy or something. And that chorus. Wow. Talk about stripping it back and letting Ariana just use voice control and inflection to give the listener goosebumps. It’s just such a magnificent song. And even Big Sean‘s part is good.

With songs like “Best Mistake,” “Bang Bang” w/ Jessie J & Nicki Minaj, “Break Free” and “Problem” Feat. Iggy Azalea on there, I know her LP My Everything is going to be legen- wait for it… (what food group is yogurt and milk in?…) -dary!