10 Of The Best Winter Activities in NY

Have you ever been bored during the cold winter days that only consist of watching TV and sleeping for a crazy amount of hours? With these winter activities, there’s no way you’ll feel that way again!

Coming home from months of hard work, piles of assignments, and tons of stress, I was ready to spend some time with my family and friends. I had already been thinking about the things we could do during the entire month I would have off. But sometimes, it’s hard to think of what to do during the holiday season when it’s so cold outside! To battle this problem, I have come up with a list of a few holiday activities that are bound to make your days wonderful!

1. Ice Skate at Bryant Park

2. Build a Snowman

3. Watch Christmas Movies

4. Make Hot Chocolate and Cookies

5. See the Christmas Lights at Dyker Heights

6. Make Snow Angels

7. Decorate a Christmas Tree

8. Go Shopping

9. Visit the Tree at Rockefeller Center

10. Go sledding

11. Get Your Nails Done

12. Make a Gingerbread House

13. See the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular

14. Listen to Christmas Music

15. Spend Time With Your Family & Friends

Sometimes, all we need during the holiday season is our family and friends; the people we love. All it takes to have fun is to be in their presence, but sometimes we need to go out and have some fun. I’d like to believe that Christmas and the holiday season are never over, but eventually, they do have to come to an end. So, enjoy what’s left of the winter season, because hopefully, spring will soon be on its way!

by Leave a comment

Best Christmas Songs of the Year

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — but nothing beats the festive holiday music!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — Christmas, of course. During the holidays, we can’t get away from the brightly decorated houses, Christmas sales at some of our favorite stores, tons of love and food, and most important, the Christmas music. When I was a little girl, the best part about Christmas was the presents, my new dollhouse, or Nintendo, but now it’s most definitely the Christmas music. Music during the holiday season is so merry and cheerful. It brings us all together and puts everyone in the holiday spirit. The festive music is what makes the holiday season the wonderful time of year that it is. As a Christmas music lover, I wanted to share some of the best Christmas songs of this year, according to the BillBoard Holidays 100s. These songs will definitely lift your holiday spirit and brighten up those frigid winter days!

1. All I Want For Christmas Is You Mariah Carey

2. Jingle Bell Rock Bobby Helms

3. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree Brenda Lee

4. Hallelujah Pentatonix

5. It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year Andy Williams

6. The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You) Nat King Cole

7. A Holly Jolly Christmas Burl Ives

8. Feliz Navidad Jose Feliciano

9. Mary, Did You Know? Pentatonix

10. Last Christmas Wham!

11. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Gene Autry

12. White Christmas Bing Crosby

13. Let it Snow Let it Snow Dean Martin

14. Blue Christmas Elvis Presley

15. You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch Thurn Ravenscroft

16. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas Michael Buble

18. Sleigh Ride The Ronettes

19. Wonderful Christmas Time Paul McCartney

20. Mistletoe Time Justin Bieber

The holiday season is already here, so in other words:

by Leave a comment

Shocking Netflix Series: “Black Mirror”

After watching just one episode, you’ll think twice about using social media and technology. This show will show you the truth behind technology and what it can do to our world.

Black Mirror is a Netflix series that has become more and more popular, with season 3 recently released, a.k.a. six more episodes of binge-watching quality material. If you haven’t seen the show or any of the episodes, you should know the series is dark, almost twisted. Most of the series takes place in a twisted version of our present day, where technology has confined us in several ways. It’s the perfect show for our technologically-obsessed world. Each episode of Black Mirror (named for the way our screens look when powered down) paints a different and alarming picture of our future gone technologically wrong. This show might be dark and depict some of our biggest nightmares but here are 10 reasons why I think everyone should watch it, even just one episode:

1. It’s perfectly appropriate for our society, because it focuses on our codependent relationship with technology and the media.

2. It shows the dark side of technology.

3. There is so much real world application.

4. You never know the “whole deal” of the episode until the end.

5. It’s an anthology — so none of it has to be watched in order. It doesn’t matter if you watch the first episode last or the last episode first!

6. It can be pretty terrifying — it leaves you with fear and worry about our world.

7. There’s almost always a message. Each episode is meant to say something different about our future and present-day life.

8. It’s hard to find a solution to the problems the show introduces, which makes the viewers want to watch even more — maybe you can be the one to change things for future generations or maybe it’s just too late.

9. Even though the show depicts doom and disaster, it’s often crushing our hearts with spectacular stories about grief, love, and loss.

10. There’s such a wide range of stories that there’s no way you won’t be able to relate to the show in some way or another.

This show is fascinating but this is a warning: if you are brave enough to watch, you might just find yourself questioning the meaning of your life and what your future holds. You might come to the realization that maybe technology isn’t as great as our society has made it out to be.

by Leave a comment

A+ Christmas Gifts to Give When You’re Broke

These gifts will leave the receiver and the giver more than thrilled — all under $25!

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year– twinkling lights, the smell of pine and bright decorations enlivening our neighborhoods. But maybe not so much when it comes to gift giving. As college students or teenagers we find ourselves looking for spare change in all of our jacket pockets and flipping our rooms upside down just to buy a bag of chips or a cup of coffee. So how are we supposed to buy Christmas gifts for all the people we love? If you have a job you might be able to earn some money and put it to the side, but saving has become an unbelievable task for many of us. But don’t be down about this holiday season, because there are lots of things you can do or gifts you can give that are thoughtful and unique! And lucky for you, I have a few quirky and fun gift ideas for your best friend/girlfriend — all under $25!

1. Marble Earbuds

Marble Earbuds, $6.99, Tillys

2. Rainbow Ice Cream Sandwich Bath Bomb

Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich Bath Bomb, $14.69, Oh Deer Sugar

3. Plum & Bow Elephant Tea Mug

Plum and Bow Elephant Tea Mug, $16, Urban Outfitters

4. Love at First Slice Pizza Snow Globe

Love at First Slice Pizza Snow Globe, $16, Urban Outfitters

5. Zodiac Charm Necklace

Zodiac Charm Necklace, $16, Urban Outfitters

6. Real Ugly Socks Sweater Sock DIY Box Kit

Real ugly Socks Sweater Sock Do-It Yourself Box Kit, $12, Urban Outfitters

7. Eleni Rainbow Choker Necklace

Eleni Rainbow Choker Necklace, $18, Urban Outfitters

8.Recover X UO Bloom iPhone 8/7/6/6s Case

Recover X UO Bloom iPhone 8/7/6/6s case, $24, Urban Outfitters

flower

9. Fuzzy Boot Sock

Fuzzy Boot Sock, $5, Urban Outfitters

10. Amelia Glass Display Frame

Amelia Glass Display Frame, $10, Urban Outfitters

11. Katherine Cherries Embroidery Cap

Katherine Cherries Embroidery Cap, $15, Brandy Melville

12. Wylie Flannel

Wylie Flannel, $25, Brandy Melville

13. Reina Velvet Bodysuit

Reina Velvet Bodysuit, $22, Brandy Melville

14. Hooded Bear Robe

Hooded Bear Robe, $19.53, Forever 21

15. Snowman Print Knit Leggings

Snowman Print Knit Leggings, $13.93, Forever 21

These gift ideas are just a few of many that are fun and affordable. But remember that Christmas is not only about gift giving. Christmas is the time of year to appreciate your friends and family, spend quality time with those you love and eat some amazing food. The warmth and joy of Christmas brings us all together and when you have Christmas in your hearts, it doesn’t matter what’s under the tree.

by Leave a comment

Murder on the Orient Express (Movie Review)

Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is one of the most popular mystery novels ever written, and 40 years later it has finally been adapted for the big screen. Kenneth Branagh played the role of both the director and the star, Hercule Poirot, the brilliant detective. Murder on the Orient Express tells the story of an exceptional detective attempting to uncover a mystery murder of a train passanger who asked for his protection several hours before death. What was meant to be a time for relaxation, turned into an in depth murder investigation on the Orient Express. But although there are enjoyable moments in this classic, there is a lot that keeps it from reaching the heights to which it aspires to.

Chance brings Poirot onto the Orient Express, but he is met by a group of strangers, way too many to name. Some of them include a secretive governess (Daisy Ridley), the doctor whom she pretends to not know (Leslie Odom Jr.), a gangster-like art dealer (Depp), and so many more. There are way too many characters to remember. And then one of them dies. Those of you who haven’t seen the movie might not know who, but once that character is murdered, everyone left becomes a suspect.

The majority of the film takes place in the same location, on the Orient Express, and although the views from the train are beautiful, the lack of change in location begins to prolong the plot. And because the film focuses so much on Poirot, we don’t get to know any of the other characters, other than maybe their name and profession. The only time we get insight about the millions of other characters is when they are introduced or during their interrogation scene. We don’t have the time to get invested in any of the contributing characters and therefore, we care less about who the murderer actually is. Giving the other characters a more equal time on screen as Poirot, would have made the mystery more compelling.

Murder on the Orient Express is a film that tells the story of a substantial murder mystery but it isn’t one that takes you by surprise or shocks you. The film begins to drag with the constant interrogations and it is likely that you can predict who the murderer or murderers really are. The all-star cast and the epic mustache of Poirot are some of the only things that make this movie memorable in the slightest. Without the cast and the magical mustache, Murder on the Orient Express would not be worth watching.

by Leave a comment