Category Archives: Movies/TV/Theaters

Is TJ Nails worth it?

The question is: Is the nail shop called “TJ Nails” really worth what you pay for, and the answer is, yes, in my opinion.

TJ Nails is located on 598 University Ave W, St. Paul, MN, 55103 their location is easy to find: you go on University by the Rondo Library and go across the street and go to the Fish Hooks, and turn the corner and there’s a sign that says TJ Nails. The nail shop does pedicures, full sets, French tips, and eyebrows. TJ Nails does a great job at doing a person’s nail or face feature.

When I go to TJ Nails, I prefer to get Sam to do my nails. I feel like when Sam does my nails he is more careful, and concentrates more, and he takes his time more. Sam is the only male in the shop, and he does a really good job, but everybody else does to. Your nails will come out looking gorgeous and they will last longer than two months.

If you start taking your nails off, most likely your finger nail that grew underneath will come off because you need some special solution to take them off. Your nails will be just like they were before you got them on, but your actual nail will be longer.

I prefer to go to TJ Nails, as they are a good buisness.

Kite Runner Book Review

The Kite Runner is about the coming of age story of a man named Amir. He grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan with a childhood friend that was inseparable growing up. Amir betrays Hassan’s trust, and they are separated. While Amir goes to America, and Hassan stays in Afghanistan, the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan and the Taliban takes over Afghanistan after the Soviets leave. When Amir comes back to Afghanistan post war, he realizes he has to make up for betraying Hassan, when they were children, by rescuing Hassan’s son, who now is an orphan.

This novel is a heart racing story about the impact of class and politics as they play out in people’s lives. It also gives a more human emotion to the lives of refugees that we don’t regularly see. Amir’s Dad, Baba, loses all his wealth in America, and has to work hard labor jobs in the U.S. This is a similar story to many immigrants.

This book is worth your time, and will definitely have you more interested in Afghan culture and refugee life. The journey that people take to get to a better life is sometimes frightful, but bravery comes through people while fleeing a country. This in turns shows how people are able to help one another through the kindness of their hearts.

Beyonce concert

Beyonce came to Minneapolis on Monday, May 23rd, to perform for the Formation World Tour at TCF Bank Stadium. The concert was scheduled to start at 7:00pm, but doors opened at 5:30pm. There was a delay though because of lightning and rain. The stadium was filled! Everyone had to evacuate TCF Stadium and go under nearby shelter. The thunderstorm didn’t stop the show though! Because of the delay, the go-ahead wasn’t announced until 9:00 pm.

Beyonce put on a great concert. She sang a mixture of old songs that everyone could sing along to, and some of her newer songs from her album Lemonade. Wiz Khalifa and other popular artists opened up for her. She also did a Prince tribute, that had everyone there feeling a little emotional, she covered one of his songs and had the whole stage lit up with purple lights.

Her performance was said to be the most satisfying Twin Cities concert ever. This concert was said to be, fierce, personal, and satisfying. There were pictures of her daughter and husband, Jay Z, pictures of her as a child and a teenager throughout the show. The show gave everyone a look into her personal life and her personality. The concert lasted for about 2 hours, the show ended with fireworks, ended with her hit song “Halo” and she was dancing in water.

Keshya Bailey-Phelps (11) and many other Highland Park students attended the concert on Monday night.

“Was the concert worth the waiting?” I asked Keshya.

“Yes! It was a lot of fun and worth the price of her tickets too. It did suck having to leave my seats and having to wait during the evacuation when I was already waiting all day though,” she answered.

“Did you like the mixture of her old songs and her new songs?”

“Yes, because I know so many of her old songs and I still listen to them and enjoy them today,” she said.

“What was your favorite part of the concert?” was my next question.

“The finale. She sang her new song “Freedom” and she was dancing in a pool of water and it looked so cool,” was her answer.

Overall, the concert seemed like it was a lot of fun.

Fields of Hair

Fields of hair is a beauty/barbershop located in St. Paul, on Minnehaha and Hamlin. It’s a beauty shop and barbershop combined into one, and was started by a women named Marcie S. Fields. She runs the hairstyle department, and was joined by her loved one. Together, they made a simple building into a succesful shop that they can gladly call their own.

I asked Marcie some questions based on how things are going, and the methods she uses to keep the success going. The questions I asked her were to help me get a better understanding on how she created a fascinating business, and ways she kept it stable. Some of the questions I asked her were:

  • What is “Fields of hair?”
  • What are some business techniques you used to keep the business going?
  • What made you want to start your own hair company?
  • What are some advantages and disadvantages about your company.

“Being on time, that’s the biggest thing” says Marcie. She keeps things in order and keeps her appointments and calls in order. Another answer from Marci about what techniques she uses to keep the business going is: “You have to be able to be dependent on time. Customer service skills are important especially making your customers happy. Customer service skills, make your clients happy which falls under the category “customer service skills”. When the customer lets you know what they want, that’s when the listening comes in. You need to get a visualization on what they want and you can’t get that if you’re not listening.” Her response about the customers relates to the saying “The customer is always right”.

One thing she cherishes the most about her shop and how she started her company is the freedom, which to her means that anyone is welcome.

Some advantages and disadvantages I asked her about her shop and the way things are set are listed below:

Advantages

  • Being my own person makes the moments stronger.
  • Spending time with my family matters the most, so I can make my own schedule when I work and when I don’t.

Disadvantages

  • No paid vacation since I set my own schedules. If you don’t work, you don’t eat.

My experience at Field Of Hair was nothing but sensational, positive, and well-mannered. The service was great, and the job was finished in a matter of time. I feel as though she listens and focuses on what the customer wants. She keeps things flowing, and gets people in and out with no hassle. I am satisfied every time I walk in there, and I hope to continue visiting such a pleasant shop.

Choir concert

Highland had its spring pop concert on May 12, 2016. Ms. Mendenhall had three of her groups performed. It started with her Treble Choir. They performed “Safe and Sound”, “Bella’s Final”, and “Landslide”. The last choir performed “Stitches”, “Let it Be”, and “Viva la Vida”. At the end of the choir concert they recognized all the seniors that are graduating.

A lot of the solos had good songs and made good choice with their picks. Of course, honors choir had the best set, also the best soloist. In the end, the choir concert was good and had good songs and choices.

The choir will take a big hit with most of the seniors leaving. Overall, I would say that it was a good choir concert.

Movie review: Captain America Civil War

I recently saw the movie Captain America Civil War.

This movie is about how Captain America (Chris Evans) leads a newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to defend and protect humanity. But after another altercation involving the team, government pressure leads to install a system of accountability for the Avengers, when the actions of the team results in some collateral damage.

The new decision divides the members of the Avengers, resulting in two teams—one team led by Captain America (Chris Evans) and his goal for the Avengers to remain free to defend and protect humanity without any government interference, and the other team led by Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) who strongly disagrees and supports oversight.

As the debate escalates it leads to an all-out feud with the others members of the Avengers, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) must pick a side to be on, and the others follow Tony Stark’s shocking decision to support government.

Overall, the movie was great. On a scale from 1-10 I would give it a 8.5 because it was in 3D and it was filled with nonstop action, and fun. This is a must see movie.

I recommend this film to people who like action movies and super hero movies.

Prom 2016

Prom was on Friday, May 6th, at the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul. Not everyone went, so here’s pretty much how Prom 2016 turned out for those who were wondering about how everything went.

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photo taken from the Highland Prom Dropbox

The doors opened at 7 o’clock, but a lot of prom attendees were all outside around Rice Park taking pictures before going into the Landmark Center. Around 8 o’clock the room was packed and the doors were closed. It wasn’t crowded, there was more than enough room. Against one wall there were beverages and snacks, towards the back of the room there were many tables for people to sit and stand around, there was also a photo booth – with funny accessories that were Gatsby themed, and in the middle of the room was the dance floor with a DJ on stage. Prom didn’t start to die down until around 10 o’clock.

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photo taken from the Highland Prom Dropbox

I personally think that it was very fun and was worth the money my parents and I put into it. The overall night made it all well worth it. The venue was beautiful and really made me feel like I was somewhere fancy and important, and there was more than enough space. The music was good because there was a little bit of everything, so everyone at one point was dancing or singing along. The photo booth was a lot of fun, when people were just sitting around, instead of being bored they got up and went in line for the photo booth with their friends. I had a lot of fun, because my group and I didn’t leave until around 10:30, we weren’t ready to leave.

Aside from my own thoughts, I asked some people what they thought of Prom:

Did you think prom night was worth the money?
“I didn’t spend that much money, and I am glad I didn’t because I had a lot of fun and spending more money wouldn’t of made it any more fun.” Jocelyn Chavez (11)

“Yeah. It was a lot of fun and wasn’t too expensive for me.” Larissa Lopez (10)

“No, but it was a lot of fun and I personally didn’t spend a lot of money but for the people who did, I don’t think so.” Victor Minefee (11)

Did you have fun?
“Yes, so much fun. Dancing was a lot of fun.” Jocelyn Chavez (11)

“Yeah, it was fun.” Larissa Lopez (10)

“Yeah.” Victor Minefee (11)

What was your favorite part of the night?
“The music and dancing.” Jocelyn Chavez (11)

“Being with my friends and dancing.” Larissa Lopez (10)

“Being with my friends.” Victor Minefee (11)

For more pictures from prom night check out Highland’s twitter https://twitter.com/highlandprom_ (@highlandprom_) and https://www.dropbox.com/sc/dg5f92j3b34vw1d/AABdSdqhCo35iPP-8vXcHgo1a

Movie Review: The 5th Wave

I recently saw the movie The 5th Wave at Regal Brooklyn Center Stadium 20.

The movie is about how the human race stands on the brink of extinction as a series of alien attacks decimate the planet, causing earthquakes, tsunamis and disease. Separated from her family, Ohio teenager Cassie Sullivan (Chloë Grace Moretz) will do whatever it takes to reunite with her brother Sam. Fate leads her to form an alliance with Evan Walker (Alex Roe), a mysterious young man who may be her last hope. Forced to trust each other, Cassie and Evan fight for survival during the fifth assault from the invaders.

Overall, the movie was good. On a scale from 1-10 I give it a 7.3 because it has slow parts and is sort of boring in some parts, and sometimes you don’t know what is happening in the film. There are sad parts too, but overall it’s a good film.

I recommend this film to people who like action movies.

Beats vs Bose

In the world of sound and music, people want the best headphones and the best speakers. There are many really, really good speakers. The bad thing is that all the best speakers are huge, so you won’t be able to take them on the go. Beats and Bose both have found a way to get around that size obstacle: there’s the Beats Pill and Bose SoundLink.

Now, let’s talk about the Beats Pill. It does indeed look like an oversized pill, only with a flat foot on the bottom to keep it from rolling off the table. It’s sleek, slightly hip, and it’s available in a bunch of fun colors. A lot of people get the Beats Pill for its bass, which is totally understandable.

The Bose SoundLink isn’t exactly known for its bold design choices, opting for the more safe and reserved look in nearly every example. When the company does try to go for a more “fun” look, you end up with something like the company’s FreeStyle earbuds which sounded nice, but looked more like a pair of pants from the 1990s than something you wanted to wear on your head. Looking at the SoundLink Mini, let’s just be happy the company decided to keep it simple.

Beats and Bose both are very good, but now let’s talk about which one is better. Beats Pill has a decent bass, while on the other hand Bose SoundLink probably has a better bass then the Beats Pill. The Bose SoundLink mid-bass and the lower midrange is much better, and there is a nice depth to most of the lower range of frequencies. Highs are free of the rolloff that is so common on speakers in this size, but still, they never sound harsh or overbearing even as you push the volume higher. And that reminds me, the SoundLink Mini can get pretty loud; impressively so, considering the size.

So, in the end, if you’re looking for a speaker on the go I would go with Bose.

Jackie chans’s Project A

This movie takes place in China about 1983 when China’s Royal Navy is trying to capture pirates.    

The theme of the movie is action. Playing the main character of Sergeant Dragon Ma is Jackie Chan. He is part of the Hong Kong Marine Police’s effort to suppress the pirates, who have been raiding ships for months. Members of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, and the MP, who have  strong interservice rivalries, get into a fight in a bar. Shortly after this, Captain Chi (Kwan Hoi-san) releases all of the sailors to their commanding officer, and two of the MP’s ships get blown up.

Over all this movie deserves a 3 out of 5 stars

Even though the movie is a couple years old, I recommend this movie to all people that like action, and who don’t mind watching some old movies. Although this movie is not in theaters, you can watch it on Netflix, Hulu, or any other movie streaming website service.