Music From Their Hearts: 5 Seconds of Summer

My youngest sister has done it yet again and has introduced to me another band-- but this is not just "another" band, it's 5 Seconds of Summer a.k.a. 5SOS!!!

If you're not already aware, 5 Seconds of Summer is a pop/rock band from Sydney, Australia! (I KNOW!!!!) The band consists if Michael Clifford (guitar/ vocals), Luke Hemmings (guitar/ vocals), Calum Hood (bass/ vocals), and last but absolutely not least, Ashton Irwin (drums/ vocals). These groups of guys became a band in 2011 posting videos on YouTube. Luke, Micheal, and Calum knew each other from high school and they met Ashton over Facebook and after their first gig, Calum purposed to Ashton to join the band-- true story (link at the end of post). Although, I may have mentioned the instruments that each member of the band plays, they are by far not limited to those instruments; these guys are multi-talented! They each play instruments other than the ones they play in the band and I think that so cool!

Sure, being a One Direction (1D) fan, I feel that I should have known 5SOS a lot sooner because they toured with 1D for two years (2013-14), but in my defense I did not become a fan of 1D until this past summer of 2015. So I sadly didn't get to see 5SOS perform live, but nonetheless, One Direction shouldn't be the main reason of why I should know this band exist. 5 Seconds of Summer have come a long way and have worked really hard. They really try their best to write music that have so much depth that many people can relate to, which I have been guilty of! Since my youngest sister is such a huge fan, she bought their new CD that came out on October 23, 2015, Sounds Good Feels Good, and I can't stop listening to it! I have fallen in love with their music!!

As I think you may have gathered, I have spent the last two weeks of my Christmas break watching YouTube videos of 5 Seconds of Summer and I have not only fallen in love with their music, but for who they are. Their passion for music and how much of an influence it has been in their lives is what they want to do for other people, as well. It is so inspiring that as I've gotten to listen to their music and get to know them (a little) from interviews, 5 Seconds of Summer is band that wants to make a difference in the world and without a doubt have continued to do so, if they know it or not.

I guess what sparked this blog post was a video I saw, which was a segment of 5SOS's live show, The Broken Scene. On October 21, 2015, they performed in Atlanta, Georgia and the drummer, Ashton, was talking to the audience before performing their next song, Jet Black Heart, one of my favorite songs on their new album. Ashton mentioned the music writing process and the kind of music they, as a band, wanted to make. As I was listening to Aston talk, I felt an extension of what they hoped to accomplish. 5 Seconds of summer is not just another band, they are so real and authentic that the music they write is completely and utterly them. Their songs are composed of their own experiences. real emotions, and obstacles that they have gone through, as real music should be. They are more than just a band! More than the teenage girls you hear gawk over them because of how they look or act, which may be true (I also have been guilty of this). 5SOS is a band that wants to mean something and it has always been about the music and fans to them. If I could meet them, I would look them each in the eye and tell them that they have and always will mean something to the people they have made such an impact on.

"I think if we could write music that's from our hearts for you, it doesn't matter if they're worldwide hits that's for sure-- we don't give a damn. As long as they mean something to every single one of you guys, that's all I care about... I want this band to mean something to you, instead of some pointless sh** on the radio. We want to mean something to you!" -Ashton Irwin

Thank you so much for reading!! I love these guys, so I've added the links to which you can check out their music and social media!! Just click on the colored text! I hope your new year has gone off to a great start!

Official Website
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
itunes

Obligatory 2015 Reflection Post

Now it may seem really cliche of me to write a blog post reflecting on 2015, but I can't help it! This year has been so good to me in so many ways! I have grown so much in finding out who I am and really letting God take over my life. As I reflect back on the what I have done, I know I want to work so much more harder. My school and social life seem to dominate how I've spent my year and it has been beautiful: the good and the bad-- especially the good.

A couple of weeks before the new year was approaching, I began reminiscing and reflection about what I did this past year and how I've change as an individual. On first impulse I felt that 2015 was a place holder; a year that only contained time and nothing significant had happened, which is not the case because I started thinking about the people I grew with this year. In the book of Genesis, there is only one time, God says "it is not good" and that is when he sees that Adam is alone, to which He makes Eve. This not only proves that are we meant for relationship with each other, but a relationship with Him. Growth in relationship has been such a significant contribution to how I've been able to live life that I hope and pray that continues to grow.

I fully believe the Lord puts me in certain situations so that I may learn from them, which has allowed me to see various aspects of how to deal with things and I cannot begin to describe the support I had in that. My friends and family continue to be my foundation of who I am and why I'm still sane (well, maybe not completely sane), but I have walked with a handful of very close friends, who have helped me to discern and pray about certain situations that have risen in my life and I am forever thankful.  

Not only have I grown, but I have also accomplished some really cool things, I finished my first semester of my Junior year in college and I am now going in my second semester as a Junior (in the Spring of 2016). The workload this past semester has been crazy and I cannot have done it with the constant support of my friends, to which I was able to do two all-nighters-- the first two of my college career. Before the Fall semester of my Junior year started, I saw my younger sister, who is a Marine, graduate in South Carolina from boot camp! I took summer classes in San Francisco, became a fan of One Direction, and went to see them in concert (to which I've left a link for you to read)!! I find myself in constant disbelief of the amount grace that the Lord has blessed me with. 

I look back at 2015, and I look to 2016 with new hope and a life constantly lived with the presence of God. I take with me all that I've experienced and embrace many more lessons, adventures, memories, difficulties, and friendships!  

I look at 2015 as if I were departing with a homie (nodding to each other with respect). Sure, I could have started a new goal/New Year Resolution for myself and start it the next day before the new year, but I think the New Year means so much more. The New Year allows for new beginnings and a fresh outlook, 2016 calls for so many new things! Just recently, I've become a 5 Seconds to Summer (5SOS) fan-- thanks to my youngest sister, again-- not that it was a bad thing, I really like 5SOS and they're really talented guys! But along with the new interests, I also have set goals for myself-- rather than new year resolutions, I've decided to call then goals-- that I am very keen on sticking with! I look forward to what 2016 brings and I depart from 2015 as equals. 

Happy New Year and here's to new beginnings! 

Thank you for reading!

One Direction: On the Road Again Tour 2015

On Saturday, I was blessed with the opportunity of attending One Direction's On the Road Again Tour in Santa Clara and I must say that I am still processing what just happened this past weekend! Although I essentially went to the concert by myself, I met so many people along the way! Not only was seeing One Direction so mind blowing, the journey that took me to get there was just as amazing!

After some complications of how I was going to get to the Stadium. I knew I wanted to drive down to San Jose early because I didn't want to deal with the traffic: both the cars and the amount of people that were going to be there. So I left my house at 1:00p.m. and started the hour drive it took to get to San Jose. I also used my Google Maps so that I wouldn't get lost, but I had no end point because I didn't want to pay for Stadium parking and I had no idea where I was going to park my car. I then decided to get Quickly's which was about 5 minutes from the Great Mall and 18 minutes away from the Stadium. After putting in the end location the adventure began!

An hour that consisted of moderate traffic and 14 One Direction songs later, I finally made it to Quickly's! After buying my drink, I had to debrief myself about what I was going to do, so I took to Twitter. I found a couple people who were also going to the Stadium and were willing to carpool, but someone mentioned the Light Rail. So using my handy-dandy Google Maps, I found directions to Levi Stadium from the Great Mall and the directions were perfect!

It was 3:00pm and I knew that I wanted to eat before heading to the concert, so I went to the Great Mall and ate McD's and used the bathroom. Since my cousins live about two blocks away from the Great Mall, I decided to park my car in front of their house and walk to the light rail. Due to the fact that it was my first time ever using public transportation in San Jose, I was not against trying to make friends who might be also going to the stadium. When I got to the main platform, I made friends with a girl, Sarah, and her mom, Melissa. They were both so nice and very willing to team up to get to the concert because we were all not from are. Within a couple of minutes, more One Direction fans came to the platform and as a team, we all made our way to Levi Stadium! During this train ride, I got to meet so many more One Direction fans and everyone was so nice, but I felt that Sarah and her mom were the ones that took me under their wing! During this voyage, Sarah and I were talking about 1D and throughout the conversation we laughed so much! It was beautiful!

When we got to the Stadium at around 4:30ish, there were so many people! As we walked to get in line, some of the workers said that I had to check in my bag because it was too big. Since the Bag Check line was so long, I told Sarah and her mom that I would meet them in the stadium. They both agreed and said that they'd see my later :) The line for the bag check wasn't so bad until girls started screaming! My initial reaction was fear! I quickly tried to figure out what the commotion was about so that I could run away from what they were screaming at (if I had to) and everyone was pointing up at the stadium. I looked and there were several silhouettes, standing by the ledge and many of the girls assumed they were some of the One Direction band members. Now, during this momentary distraction, some of the girls behind me thought it was a good idea to cut me because there was a significant gap in front of me. *Shakes head out of frustration* I wanted to say something "smart" like, "Thank you for cutting me in line," or "That's very nice of you!" But instead, I shortened the gap, waited for about 10 seconds to see if they'd let me through, but NONE of them looked at me. Now this experience did not  at all make me think less of Directioners, so in order to get my spot back in line, I merely said, "Excuse me, just trying to get my spot back," with a smile. Since I was standing in line for about 10 minutes already, I knew who I was standing behind and I succeeded in getting the spot back! :D

The line continued to move and I got a text from Sarah, my new friend I met at the train station, and she said that after I got out of the bag check line, I could join them in line to get into the stadium, which was incredibly nice of them! I finally got out of line and went to find Sarah and her mom! It was such a blessing to get in line with them because the line was about a 3/4 of a mile long and they were about less than 1/4 of a mile in line! By this time it was about 5:50pm and they started to let people into the stadium!!

After we got through security and getting our tickets scanned, some of the workers were directing people to the proper "bridges" in order for people to get to their seats easier. Since, I had different seats than Sarah and her mom, our "bridges" were in opposite directions. We realized that we had to split up, so we decided to meet up after the concert so that I wouldn't have to go back to the Great Mall alone.

So, I made my way to my seat! Throughout the rest of the night, I made EVEN more friends and updating my Snap Chat story, and tried to make my phone battery last. 

I have never been to a One Direction concert before and I had no idea what kind of fan I was going to be. By "what kind of fan" I mean, the reaction I'd have when they finally took the stage. I wondered if I'd cry, scream my head off, or be really chill and rock to their music. (HA! I have no idea why I thought I'd be "chill"-- AT A ONE DIRECTION CONCERT!) I did scream my head off and I DID rock to their music, but I wasn't at all chill about it and crying wasn't an initial reaction either.

Throughout the show, some of the boys would talk, joked around, and continually would thank the fans after performing several songs. Knowing how much they really cared for their fans made me realize just how aware they are of why they are able to do what they're doing now. This also makes me think of that moment (TANGENT: Just thought of that short film One Direction did to promote their perfume "Our Moment" in 2012) in their X Factor journey when they were told that they would not advance in the competition. I feel that that moment played such a great role in how much more precious and greater being able to travel the world and sing is! But we have to thank Simon for making One Direction. I think a lot of that moment when the five of them were called out by name and made into a group. I really believe that is one of the greatest events in music history (taking into account all that happened now). I re-watched the two hour video sometimes and my heart jumps when their names are called out from the group guys that weren't advancing! 

With Zayn no longer in One Direction, the guys did such a great job filling in. I also noticed that Liam did a lot of Zayn's high notes and I have to say, Liam was AMAZING!! I legit got the chills when he did the high notes for the The Best Song Ever! 

When the concert ended I went straight to the merch table and I also caught up with Andre, who also attends Simpson University with me! After a good 40 minutes of being sardines, I finally got a shirt and made my way to get my bag from bag-check. Since the light rail was out of service, two employees were

The night ended with meeting two girls, who were also taking the bus, Lauren and Kelly! They were BOTH so nice and genuine! We talked about the concert, the personalities of more or less each band member and information about ourselves. I really hope I bump into them again! :D 

One Direction has THE BEST FANS!! 

Overall, being at Levi Stadium was amazing! The vibe was so unifying that being with other "Directioners" was an experience I will never forget. 

The whole experience was truly a blessing!

This was a long blog post! Thank you so much for reading!! Below are some videos

 I took from the concert!

-Jacky

One Direction Introduction to the Stage

Niall and Louis

One Direction

(Left to Right: Niall, Louis, Zayn, Liam, and Harry)

I would believe that everyone is familiar with the very well-known, very talented, and might I add, very attractive Boy band, One Direction!! As of June 22, 2015, I have become a fan of One Direction (1D), which I begin to wonder where have I been all this time #ImRealLateToThisFandom! After watching their music video, Night Changes, which I've attached to the end this blog post, their music is all I want to listen to! And with all my heart, I ask that you watch that video!! And when you do, I ask that you completely go in with a blank page. By "blank page" I mean that with every preconceived notion you've had of One Direction (unless you're already a fan), I ask that you get rid of it completely, that you fully commit to watching the video and let it take hold. Trust me, it's well worth watching!

Now, if you are indifferent of One Direction, please continue reading as I hope you, too might consider more or less what you're missing out on-- what I was missing out on! Or you may be the complete opposite and can absolutely sympathize with the One Direction Hype/ fandom and for that I'll give you a ciber high-five!  

If you don't know already, I am on my summer vacation, and since it's already late June, my little sister, Cristina, who is 14 years old, is also on her summer vacation and the person I have to thank for introducing me to the World of One Direction! During the summer, we've unfortunately been spending a lot of time together, such as recommending each other books, making each other laugh, annoying one another, watching the same movies, and ultimately listening to the same music. And THAT it where it started!! Listening to the same music! Not only would she listen to One Direction, but 5 Seconds of Summer and Little Mix, both of which I've also enjoyed listening to.

But as she kept listening to One Direction, the more I've enjoyed listening to them also! It then became conscious to me of my new fangirl obsession when I notice that my little sister was watching a video on her laptop and I decide to watch it with her. I then notice that it was a music video for one of the songs by One Direction. I continue to watch and by the end of it, I had a huge smile on my face. It was the music video to Nigh Changes! It was after watching that video that I HAD to see them in concert!!

This past weekend, Alice Radio (97.3 FM) announced that they are giving free tickets to see One Direction at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara!! My ears were glued to the radio and my thumb was ready to press send to call in to win those tickets! Sadly, I didn't win, so I checked online to see how much they were and they're a bit pricey, but I did find a good price, the cheapest being about $47 each! Although $47 may seem like a great price considering that it's One Direction, I currently don't have a job and my parents work so hard already. So for now, I don't mind listening to their CD on blast and going crazy knowing they'll be ONLY 51.4 miles away!

Overall, from watching the countless interviews, video diaries, and music videos, I genuinely believe that they're a group of really cool, hilarious, and chilled guys. Knowing and seeing that they take their home/roots seriously it remains such a foundation to how they live their lives, which will continue to make me respect them. I should also add, that there are videos of them where it seems that they can do anything they want, which may seem kind of rude and obnoxious that its a wonder how they get anything done but nonetheless, One Direction really cares for what they do and seem to really enjoy it!  Now, I hope you spread your wings as you, too, will fly into the world of 1D! #YourWelcome

Night Changes

I ABSOLUTELY love this video, my the end of it, I realized I was holding my breath!! I also thought it was so cool how they had the dates toward the end to mess up because it showed that these guys aren't perfect! And can I just gush at two scenes?!? (1) The "date" with Niall, I have to say was my favorite one! A nice date in, next to a fire AND playing Monopoly?! #YAAASSSS (2) The part where Harry sees a couple spinning on the ice and mouths, "We can do that" had me laughing so hard!! That was another one of my favorite scenes that I kept rewinding the video back to 2:59, it was hilarious!! :D

Best Song Ever

Thank you for reading!! :D

-Jacky