It brings to mind the phrase, "Big fish in a small pond,
or small fish in the ocean?"
Here I was sipping my pina coloada in Honolulu. I felt so
authentic drinking it because whenever I would have them back home this is
exactly what I think of with the song “Over the rainbow” playing in my head.
This drink was the essence of my being. All fourteen of us were sitting at a
table with non-stop laughter. We were always the loudest ones at a restaurant
and I loved it. It was all about my drink, the view, and us. For a moment I
looked around and everyone and everything I saw and realized that if this were
the happiest I would ever be I am fine with that. I had no responsibilities,
nothing to hold me back.
I know that I am
just a small part of this big world, but I liked that. No one knew who I was in
Honolulu or even paid attention to me. I loved being a tourist and learning
about different cultures and meeting new people. We went to the beach and the
pool and explored as much as we could. I bought a flower clip, which ended up
being the most annoying accessory on the planet, but felt like I was obligated.
I mean I was in Hawaii for heavens sake! I even went as far as taking a lei out
of the garbage and pretended that I got “leid”. I had no responsibilities,
nothing to hold me back. I was going to soak up every part of this culture as I
could. And it was okay to make a fool of myself because it was on to the next island for us!
I love the way you've set up your blog to reflect the story and the setting. The image you use in this post of the pina colada is great at giving an overall feel to the post. The brightly colored drink with a huge pineapple wedge is so iconic of a Hawaiin island vacation. And the video of the song that you placed is also very well known and gives a very tropical vibe. Playing the song while reading the blog posts gives the reader a feeling of being in the story and experiencing it for themselves. It's really soothing and relaxing which is exactly how the main character is feeling.
ReplyDeleteThe writing style and layout is simple. But if anything I think that works in your favor because the narrator is just enjoying a simple pleasure. Enjoying not having to have any worldly responsibilities or trying to make anybody happy but herself. The thoughts are not broken up in bits and maybe that's because of everything that the narrator is taking in on her vacation. She's having fun and laughing with a large group of people. There isn't time or need to stop and take a breath. And she probably doesn't want to, because she doesn't want to waste a second of this amazing time. I thought it was interesting that you incorporated the quote about being fish in a small pond and sort of repeated in later on when the narrator says she is just a small part of a big world. This idea adds to the "awe" factor of the whole experience that is being described in the blog.
I would maybe consider making the layout of your text and media more meaningful to the reader. For example, maybe adding the video to the beginning and having the reader play that before beginning to read so that they can read along with the music. A little bit more about the culture of Hawaii could be mentioned too. I just think it would make the narrative more intriguing. Other than that, I really liked the feel of your blog.