Hopkins is a diverse university where an incredible mix of cultures, academic interests and personalities coexist and thrive. Here is the section where you can publish your unique thoughts, ideas and perspectives on life at Hopkins and beyond.
Okay, let’s be honest – how many times have you scrolled through your Facebook timeline and seen pictures of your friends at awesome school events that you didn’t even know was a thing until then? One can never doubt the wonderful magical weekend that is Spring Fair, but unfortunately besides that we don’t really have other major school-wide events to look forward to during the year.
Sometimes, transitions are difficult. They are especially so when they involve relinquishing my sky-high floral platforms to a horrid Rubbermaid bin labeled “Fall,” and bringing out my now-foreign fur coats, studded leather boots, and cashmere sweaters. And it’s not that I don’t absolutely adore my fur and cashmere; it’s just that when it comes to dressing for winter, well, it’s a bit of a challenge to strike perfect sartorial harmony and emit my personal style while wearing puffy windbreakers and fuzzy socks, as I try to avoid developing frostbitten appendages.
If someone asked you what was the most commonly said word or phrase around your house, what would it be? For me, it would be “¡Cálmate!,”which means to calm down. In my house, all ends of the emotional spectrum on touched on a daily basis, but the one that never seems to have had enough time in the spotlight would be excitement. It’s not that amazing events don’t occur frequently in my family, it’s just that we all get so excited for anything.
Each year, for a weekend in the middle of September, Barcelona hosts the festival of “La Mercé.” Somewhat unintentionally, I found myself in Barcelona in the midst of the festival, smack dab in the center of the plaza of Sant Jaume.
The day that hip-hop heads have been waiting for in anticipation is finally upon us: iconic rap legend Eminem’s album, Marshall Mathers LP 2, has finally hit the shelves.
Hip-hop is in a bit of a shaky place these days, since the music that gets the most buzz is less thought-provoking and more…well, twerk-provoking. Where can the hip-hop fans of Homewood find inspiration within all these allusions to MDMA and beats that Mike Will made?
It hasn’t been easy trying to see James Blake while at school. Whenever he’d announce a US tour, he’d only come through D.C.’s 9:30 Club and it would be at the most inopportune times. Whether it would be during finals period or on a weekday when I couldn’t juggle schoolwork and going to a concert in D.C., seeing James Blake perform live seemed to be a quixotic goal. But I remained patient and optimistic, knowing that Blake would perform in D.C. at the right time during the school year. So when I heard about the James Blake show this past Saturday, Nov. 2nd, I knew I couldn’t have asked for a better day and that I had to go.
Have you ever told yourself that you could achieve a goal, only to try it and fail miserably? Afterwards, you felt convinced that you could never come close to achieving that goal. Well, at the very least, you’ve told yourself you can do it.
As Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo came to a close three weeks ago, we fashion enthusiasts were predictably left with two thought-provoking tasks: interpreting what in the world it was that we had just witnessed, and equipping ourselves with enough understanding so that we could then properly appreciate the thrillingly unconventional Japanese approach to fashion.
Half of the semester has already come and gone, so this is the time to remind ourselves that we must TREAT OURSELVES.
Confession: I may or may not have an addiction to postcards. This is probably a symptom of what many study abroad students find themselves suffering from, a condition that can only be described as “wanderlust.” The symptoms range in severity. There’s the constant stalking of the BuzzFeed travel section, the entire shelf devoted to travel books, a list of 206 different bookmarked places to research, an ever-increasing list of trips on the horizon and a quite unhappy credit card courtesy of your new best friends: Kayak and hostelworld.com. Oh yeah, and then there’s that pesky addiction to postcards.
I don’t know about you, but it seems like Halloween just crept up out of nowhere. Spending so much time focused on schoolwork and extracurricular activities can really make you lose track of time, so it’s completely understandable if you haven’t gotten a chance to pull together a costume yet.
Within music, there has always been an overlooked relationship between mental health and creativity and ingenuity. That doesn’t mean that one can’t be creative if he or she isn’t depressed or manic. But sometimes, it does help having an unhinged mind to help fuel your musical drive.
Well, Hopkins, you did it. You finally got past that rush of exams that marks the halfway point of the semester.
Imagine waking up in a warm, sunlit room on a Sunday morning in June. The crystalline light and invigorating summer warmth radiate through the windows, enveloping you. Barefoot, you drape yourself in a white linen button-down top and a dewy pastel-yellow pocketed bell skirt, as you draw in the fresh morning air. You feel easy, light, and free.
Hopkins students really don’t know what free time is.
This past weekend BET hosted its annual Hip Hop Awards, an event dedicated to doling out accolades to the most deserving artists in hip-hop.
It's an age-old question that plagues Hopkins students everywhere: