To: Those Who Have Reached The Coming of Age

Dear Modernity,

The other day I saw the most beautiful couple. 

This woman, a trailing bright blue coat and chestnut brown ringlets tight on her scalp, walking hand in hand with her son. The father, plainly dressed and hurrying to cross the street, caught up with them, only to join their connection. Handfuls of hands testing their strength as they lifted their son up and down, and up and down, and up and down, until he broke out of their love with laughter. I thought how wonderful it is to be able to love without thought. 

There is a certain trace of grief felt when you realize your wants and needs have changed. And changed so fundamentally that you can never go back. The journey lies in objectivity and progress, but flips your insides out with an ease that you can only call growth. It begs for you to notice.

I want to be happy in the way that the river flows and finds constant peace in its unending motion. In the way that trees turn red, yellow, orange, and bare, just to come back alive in the spring, knowing that they were never really gone at all. In the way that the goose, swimming against the current, knows it will make it home at the end of the night. I want to be enveloped and protected by nature, and return to dust feeling completely whole. Even the rock that weathers against the tide locates itself under my step scrunched. 

The question now is: when will it happen? 

Whenever it does, I imagine that day to the one day of my life where there is no doubt and no hurt. There is only divine femininity and blue jays singing their songs as the river continues to run and never stop. The baby squirrels will only burrow under the leaves with acorn gifts for their mothers. Huitzilopochtli crystalizing me for the rest of time. 

With hope,

V.L.A.

P.S. Adrianne Lenker – Already Lost.  

Sunset Serenade

Hello, and welcome back to Captured Moments! This week, while I was backing back from class, I captured a picture of the sun setting down above the lighted street. With the peaceful mood, I felt when I captured this image, the blend of nature, buildings, and the sky comes together to form a beautiful combination of colors. The street lamps add a glimmering effect as they extend all the way down the street. With the trees changing from dark green to a pretty autumn orange, they match the sunset’s light pink and orange shades to evoke a sense of blending harmonies, much like in music.

One of my favorite pieces, “Claire de Lune” (Claire De Lune) by Claude Debussy, perfectly captures the mood and setting of this image. The calm and fading light of the sunset evokes the same quiet and reflective sounds of Claire de Lune. As the day transitions into night, there is a dreamlike quality, much like the moving melodic lines in Debussy’s piece. At the end of the piece, the notes go up the keyboard and fade away gently. This rise in the musical score can be represented by the crane in the image, as it extends upwards in a gentle progression.

With the sun displaying warm colors, it serenades the peace and tranquility in the moment.

Quiet Corners

Hello, and welcome back to Captured Moments! While my previous blogs captured my life as a piano performance major, this year, I am shifting the perspective of “captured” in my blogs. I love to take pictures of everything I see—literally. So, I want to incorporate my love for photography into my musical life. 

I captured this photo while walking back to my house, because of the stillness and peaceful simplicity. The empty streets, sun going down, and quiet houses are translated to the gentle and nostalgic melodies of a certain song that I correlate this image to; “Gymnopédie No. 1”

Satie’s musical composition evokes the mood of this photo, as the slow tempo and harmonies blend to form a beautifully nostalgic piece. Much like the straightforward and clean singing lines of Gymnopédie, this picture has simple lines and minimalist texture. It is straightforward, yet full of complex musicality. 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL0xzp4zzBE) Performed by Khatia Buniatishvili.

Emotionally speaking, I felt a wave of nostalgic happiness as it reminded me of my childhood. I also felt a bit of sadness when I realized that time was moving fast. As sophomore year is finished, I will only have two years left at the University of Michigan. Being in the moment while I took this picture, I came at peace, standing alone and reflecting on the quiet corners of the street. 

To: All The People I Have Displaced In Stations (Some Formerly Known as Home)

Dear Home,

Today, I went on the best bus ride I have ever had. 

Upon entering, the tunes of 2018’s Top 50 Rap Songs followed me to my seat, reverberating off  the few others whom I shared the ride with. The words of artists (who I have never really bothered to familiarize myself with) followed along with the steady tempo of the bus rocking over Ann Arbor’s busy potholes. The day is cold. Yet, the sun is still shining. Reflecting off of the green leaves who are turning marigold with its touch.

During the ride, I quickly made the acquaintance of a small bee. It asked for the time, landing on my watch repeatedly. It must be in a rush, I declared. The bee, proceeding to land on my knee, nose, and shoulder, asked if I was its mother. Making me responsible for dropping it off at kindergarten on time. Imagining its peers, teachers, and classroom, the bee’s stripes lingered with me for a few stops. And almost as soon as it arrived, the bee left. And, I was empty. 

That is the best bus ride I will ever have. Mere minutes turned into definition, and whose definition means less to me than it may have meant to others. For instance, a bee whose life could have ended had it not stumbled onto my watch, my knee, my nose, and shoulder. 

I wonder if my absence is notable. If even recognized, at all. 

I wonder if you are trying to find me; I am achingly displaced from you.

Considerably, my autonomy here is double-edged; my individuality is heightened, my loneliness is at its call. Yet, in moments where I find a stripey buddy, I feel a notable pull towards you.

I am sorry for misplacing you, Home. 

Your appearance finds itself in the smallest of matter.


With love, 

V.L.A.

P.S. Here’s a continued thought – In My Life, The Beatles.

Chapter 11

Hello, and welcome back to Captured Moments! In this post, I include pictures from my last day in Ann Arbor until next semester!

I captured this image, and immediately loved how it turned out. Connecting to music, I reflect back on my time when I went inside the Michigan Theater and watched a performance from the Pops Orchestra. Music will always be an integral part of my life, whether I listen, play, or share.

I always think of sunsets when I play music, as they are very beautiful. Just looking at a sunset will help me feel relaxed and calm, just like when I play music. The pink hues from the sunset and the streetlights starting to light up, is such a wonderful view. When I captured this image, it serves as a reflection image to my freshman year of college.

My flight back home was the next day, and I captured this image to capture the clouds. It was a very beautiful view back home!

I hope you enjoyed reading my posts, and have a great Summer!

Chapter 9

Hello, and welcome back to Captured Moments! This week, I found a very interesting article that reflects on AI and Taylor Swift’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department. Before the release of her new album, there was a leak of a snippet of one of her songs. Fans, of course, wondering if it was AI generated or real, began spreading word about this. Even prior to this incident, there have been many instances of AI generated T-Swift songs circulating the internet. Fans generally can’t tell if it is AI. That is how scary and frightening AI is, as it presents how highly advanced the technology is.

Another artist that has also been affected by AI is Drake. A leak of a snippet of Drake’s diss track against Kendrick Lamar led fans to be confused of whether Drake himself had made it. Yet, the recording was grainy and not clear, in terms of audio, leading many fans to believe this was AI. However, Drake officially released the song in which fans now believe he wrote it. AI has caused a mess in the music industry, as more on more people become unsure of whether a song is genuinely from the artist.

I have attached the article for further reading. See you next week!

https://time.com/6968769/taylor-swift-drake-ai-vocal-deepfakes/