Wind
April 15, 2020
Sun Blazing.
Uphill battle.
Trees stood still.
Grass, stubborn.
We ascended to the peak.
Disappointing.
Lizards were omnipresent.
Small kicks on the way down.
Not good enough.
April 16, 2020
Refreshing burst at the summit.
It kept us moving.
Soft sway filled the sky.
As the breath of the clouds navigated the mountain.
Tranquil winds showed us the way home.
Birds followed happily.
April 20, 2020
4.5 miles of muggy air.
Pure misery.
Sun beats down on our wary bodies.
No redemption until the end.
When a grand gust shook the trees.
Blowing away our fatigue
Relief.
Mocking birds celebrate in the sky.
A new trail, another day.
April 21, 2020
Trite air hung heavy.
Diminutive currents hit us, rounding the mountain.
Nothing special.
Dull, hazy.
Trees barely swayed and the grass did not try.
Birds seemed bored out of their minds.
April 22, 2020
Sizzling, no scorching.
Unbearable.
Lizards laid relishing the sun.
While we were afflicted by headaches.
Not even a small gust came to lift us up.
It just pushed us down, down, down.
Asphalt radiated heat.
Shade didn’t help.
A miserable walk for blithering fools.
April 23, 2020
Nothing grand.
Nothing dull.
Just there.
It just was a breeze that existed on its own.
Trees danced and shimmied.
Birds sang.
We walked.
April 27, 2020
Trees danced as if it was a country hoedown.
Birds soared through the skies.
Grass jumped from side to side.
Refreshing and crisp despite the heat of the sun.
We ascended quickly.
And descended slowly savoring the gusts.
A lovely day, I wish could last forever.
A Dream Short Lived
“I wanna have the same last dream again, the one where I wake up, and I’m alive.” This is the first line from one of my favorite songs, called The Adventure, by Angels and Airwaves. It’s a song I listen to quite often, and this opening line I’ve always heard, or overlooked. But then, a crisis emerged, one that we would experience only once in our lifetimes. Before we knew it, the world ground to a halt; completely shut down. Everything we knew, and everything we did, was suddenly gone. Everything we took for granted suddenly vanished. Then, the line made sense. It had meaning to me for the first time, and I could feel its power, and how it relates to what we’re all going through now. This is the story of how one line has delivered a sincere, and clear, message.
Part 1: The Dream Itself
It all started in January, the month after the new, and infamous, Coronavirus was discovered and began to spread around the world. Everybody thought nothing of it, and we went about our daily lives. I was just having another day at my small private school, where I had been for only about a year, and I had mixed feelings about the place. By that time, I wasn’t enjoying myself anymore, and I had outgrown the small community. The school had turned to rust, because it felt like every day was the same, and the challenges were sparse. That was before the dream, when I thought that attending a private school was as good as it would get.
But then, a new possibility emerged, a new room that I hadn’t seen before. It was the end of another day, and as I got changed after physical education, I read my text messages. I found that I had the opportunity to enroll at a new school, High Tech High Mesa. At first, this different school system seemed like a distant, and near impossible, endeavor. As a matter of fact, my family had been trying to get me into this school system for years. But now, the possibility wasn’t as far away as before. There was a catch however, and that was despite my liking for the private school diminishing, I couldn’t just leave, and it was hard to part with the old school. The small music program was the hardest, as I was the lead player in the orchestra, having played cello for about six years. The other hard part to leave behind was that the school was like a large family, where everyone knew each other. It took me a few days to make my final decision, but in the end, I opted to leave my small private school behind, in light of something far more superior, and memorable.
But then I realized that my decision was one of the best ones I could have possibly made. Upon my arrival at my new school, I entered the best dream I’ve had to date. However, it was in the middle of the night. I found myself with a challenge no one else had, getting caught up. To make the situation even more difficult, I had to go to my old school to finish finals, and close out my time there. However, the process took about only two weeks, and I quickly became one of the top people, academically, in my class. All of the sudden, school seemed easy, and I actually began to like education. I used to have a rough reputation, and felt unstable at times. But now, I felt like I was on top of the world. Most importantly to me, I actually had friends at this new school, something that seemed impossible at every other school I was at before. The hands-on, project-based learning made the experience even better for me. Little did I know that this sudden change would affect something else I do outside of school.
Outside of school, I’m a model railroader, and part of a 6,000 square foot model train layout in Balboa Park, known as the La Mesa Model Railroad Club. It was a voluntary effort, and up to my point of entry at the new school, I felt pressured, and wasn’t being myself. This affected my overall performance there, and it led to inadvertent consequences. However, similar to my new school, I was now satisfied and I became more relaxed instead of stressed. The train club became yet another happy place for me, just like it was supposed to be when I first joined in 2017.
By now, I felt like I was living my life to the fullest, and became the person I originally hoped to become. My entire life was a dream, and it changed course significantly in a short amount of time. Amazingly, my life changed from a simple yes or no question, like a light switch being turned on. My life was changing, and it would be altered again far too soon, as I met an obscure disposition, one that I still don’t understand.
Part 2: Longing for Return
Unfortunately, like all dreams, this one was short-lived and I would soon find myself back in the same boat I got out of. I woke up, as if in a nightmare, on March 13th, a rainy Friday. This would be the last of my good days, as of now. While working on our small farm, during physics, I got some interesting news. The news would turn my life upside down, and take me back down the road that I hated, and didn’t want to return to. It was a different situation though, one outside of my hands, and one nobody saw coming, nor faced before. It was a situation about the Coronavirus, and two vital parts of my life were about to come to a screeching halt. By now the new Coronavirus, infamously named COVID-19, was spreading rapidly internationally. The disease was spreading violently, and unforgivingly, like the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire in Northern California, which burned about 500,000 acres, and was deemed California’s largest wildfire. I was hearing about this virus, and its threat, but I thought it was distant, and that it wouldn’t, under any situation, spread violently. But little did I realize that my life over the next few months would be shaped around distance.
The news was from Brett, High Tech High Mesa’s principal. It was bomb-dropping, and I learned that school would be closed for 3 weeks, due to the Coronavirus, which I then learned became a pandemic, a word I had never even heard of before. It was a possibility at first, but then became much more than we all thought of. The same day, and weeks before, my new found friends and I made jokes over the virus, and it became a regular concept of humor. But then, it wasn’t a joke anymore, and everybody was caught off guard. The rain was to fall for the next week or so, bringing the end to our good weather, and the best six weeks I have ever experienced.
At first, the knowledge of being out of school for 3 weeks wasn’t any issue. But the same day, as I sat in advisory, I learned that the La Mesa Model Railroad Club was to shut down also, meaning that all I had to look forward to was nothing. Absolutely nothing, a phrase to describe complete emptiness. Then it hit me, what I once thought was never going to affect me on a personal level had suddenly done what I thought it wouldn’t. However, there was still one source I had, the beach. I began going here regularly, until its eventual shutdown a few days later. Then, the century-long weeks began, as quarantine became a reality.
As I was gone from school, I got updates from another staff member in the High Tech High community. In every update, the possibility of returning on the set date of April 7th became more and more diminished. This followed after California Governor Gavin Newsom shared his opinion on how California schools may not reopen in the 2019-2020 school year, and then the stay-at-home order not long after. Eventually I got the inevitable news, stating that we wouldn’t be returning to school on April 7th, and that school would be moving online. My confidence at this point was damaged beyond repair; written off. My life became a nasty mess, and my school was reduced to online learning, like rubble, something nowhere near what it used to be. My happiness turned to anger, and I felt this all the time.
However, what angered me most was how I felt like a cursed child. For years, I hated school, and never found it effective. I always felt down, especially through middle school, and part of 9th grade. But then a sudden change led to new beginnings, and I finally found what I was looking for, the perfect learning environment. But because of something outside of my control, it was all taken away from me. It feels like a streak of bad luck, and that the entire ongoing crisis is centered around me.
It’s hard to tell whether or not my life is a mess, or that I’ve taken a loss. On the outside, it seems like I’m doing just fine. Both my parents are still employed and receiving paychecks, I have a roof over my head, and I eat three meals a day. However, right now, my life is a tale of two worlds.
The first is the outside world, the one that makes it seem like I’m thriving, considering the current circumstances. However, nobody has to scratch the surface very far to find the reality of how I feel inside. The other world is the one deep inside of me, acting as the complete opposite, making me feel insecure, and depressed, just like I was before I joined the High Tech school system. This place is one that gets my hopes up and crushes them, as well as giving me the feeling of being cursed. While it may seem like life, externally, is far more important than what happens inside, the mental mind is one that is far more powerful, and controlling.
This simultaneous collision of two worlds reminds me of a book I read called With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. This book talks about a teenage mom who’s a talented chef, and has experienced many ups and downs in her life. However, through the journey of a culinary arts class her senior year, Emoni, the book’s main character, experienced a dramatic change to her life. Throughout the story, she followed her culinary dreams passionately, and eventually took a trip to Spain, to further expand her knowledge about culinary arts. This experience ended up making her a far better person overall. On the outside, before, she felt over confident, and on the inside insecure. However, through culinary arts, her two worlds formed together into one. I’m hoping that the COVID-19 experience will help me grow overall, and make my two worlds form together into one, but only time will tell.
My life was great, like a dream, a new reality. But then, as it was taken away from me, I longed to return to that dream I once had. I lost everything from the Coronavirus, and it gave me much difficulty in continuing on. Unfortunately, the reality is that my life won’t ever exactly be the same, just like I want it to be. What’s disappointing is that reality always wins over a dream, but all I want to do is relive that lively dream again. Maybe someday I will, but that all depends on what you, the reader, does to change the route of this dangerous crisis.
A Letter to My Future Self
Dear Me,
Lately, our world’s been going through a lot. As I’ve been inside, mostly in solitude, I’ve done a lot of reflecting, and I’ve realized all of the little things I have taken for granted. So, if you’re reading this and you're able to be around others and roam freely, don’t forget when you couldn’t…
I hope that you’ve made friends with the reflection staring back at you. I hope that you’ve learned to be kind to yourself and have some compassion for where you are at this point in life. Most of all, I hope that you’ve learned to stop thinking, and release all of your thoughts. I hope you’ve learned to live in the moment, even just for a minute.
A minute, so easily taken for granted. You see, you tend to think that tomorrow is promised but in reality, nobody owes you another breath. Nor does anybody owe another smile, another laugh, another step. You aren’t promised anything but this exact moment in time. And by all means, please, take advantage of that moment. Spend it working towards your goals, spending time with those you love, and learning what impact you want to make. Work towards the future, and stop dwelling on the past. You are so much more than one memory.
Memories, I hope that you’ve made plenty. I hope that you’ve met some great people and left all the toxic ones. You tend to gravitate towards people who alter the way that you act, and I hope that you’ve learned to be authentically yourself. Along with that, I hope that you’ve stopped caring about people's irrelevant opinions about you. I hope that you’ve stopped longing for others' approval of who you are. I hope that you finally approve of yourself and accept all of your flaws and quirks. I know that this all seems so unrealistic, especially now. But maybe, me in the future, you have realized that these goals and hopes are in reach, and that they are possible.
I genuinely want you to figure out what you care about and who you are as a person. To do this you need to stop being so afraid of speaking up for what you believe in. Stop being so scared to show what you care about. Stop being scared to show your creative expression, whether it be art, writing, or anything else.
This one hits home right now: stop being scared to show your face. Whether this is taken literally, how it's intended, or metaphorically. You’ve always been a shy girl, scared of social interaction because of others' judgment.
Stop being so ashamed of who you are because I promise that you have absolutely no reason to be. You were created to be who you are now and then. Never was there a mistake, just a lesson, a “happy accident.” -Bob Ross
You tend to look at your mistakes like defining moments. But in reality, those mistakes are the same ones that led you to who you are today. And right now, you are so very far from perfect. I hate to break it to you, but nobody is, and you will never be. That’s 100% okay… but if I know myself the slightest, I’ll still be discouraged by “remember that one time you…”
At the end of the day, you’re a glass-half-empty type of person, always so negative. The type that only sees what’s gone wrong. Because of this, you don’t realize how much you’ve accomplished until it’s recognized, specifically by others. I hope that you’ve learned to appreciate yourself before being handed a medal for it. Because in the end, the trials and errors, tears, and sweat, are your prizes. Those are the signs that you’re getting somewhere and you’re trying. You’re pushing yourself, not staying stagnant. So push yourself, remove yourself from your comfort space. That is how you will improve.
Improve, just try. My biggest aspiration for myself is just to be a good human, one who really lives and is truly themselves. One who looks their fears in the eyes and doesn’t give them a second thought. The type of person who lives by their core values and beliefs. The type of person that you want your little brother to look up to.
I can start this today, and I’ll share this piece with those I love. Participate more in class. Give myself breaks and moments alone to do absolutely nothing. Ultimately, breathe through the stress and keep working towards my goals.
I hope that me in the future will smile at this letter and remember how far I’ve come.
—You from the past
Write your own letter using this template!
Hawaii Trip 2019
On the 21st of February, 2019, I was able to go to Hawaii with one of my best friends, Kayla. We’ve known each other for 9 years, and we’re basically like sisters. In fact, we’re even both Russian. The reason we traveled to Hawaii was because we had a cheer competition there. Unfortunately, my family couldn’t go because my Grandpa had cancer, and he was living with us. My family had to stay home to take care of him. Honestly, I’m glad they didn’t go, because otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to go with my best friend, her mom and sister. They are pretty much my second mom and sister. Anyways, I’m going to get on with the trip now, so enjoy!
Day 1:
*Beep, Beep, Beep*. Oh my goodness, it's 5:30 in the morning, and I never wake up this early! I think to myself. Wait, it's time to go to Hawaii? Hooray! I can’t wait to get there, and swim in the clear blue ocean. I’m also really nervous though, because I feel like I’m going to forget something, and I really don’t want to forget anything to do with my cheer stuff.
“Sasha, time to get up”, says my mother.
“I know mom, I had an alarm you didn’t need to tell me”, I replied.
“Well hurry up, were leaving in an hour.” I’m the happiest person alive right now, it doesn’t even feel real. I'm supposed to go to school today and tomorrow, but instead I’ll be in Hawaii with my best friend.
My mom pulls up next to the drop off spot at the airport, and Kayla, Megan, Kayla’s sister, and Jeanette, Kayla's mom, get out of the car, as I hug and say my goodbyes to my mom. I love airports so much, and flying. Sometimes I get bored, but it’s just so much fun for some reason.
Wow, look at that view. I’m sitting in my seat, looking out my window at the beautiful clear waters of Hawaii. Hawaii, wow I can’t believe I’m even here right now. That flight sucked though, because it was way too long. We get off the plane, and Kayla and I are bouncing around. We have so much energy, and can’t wait to get to the hotel, and go swimming.
As soon as we get to our hotel on Waikiki beach, Kayla and I go explore. We find a lagoon and some of our friends. For the rest of the night we take it easy, and just hang around the lagoon and beach.
Day 2:
“Come on guys get up, we have to be at Hanauma Bay soon”, Jennette tells Kayla and I, who are sleeping on the pull out couch. Today is our one free day in Hawaii. The only thing we have to do for cheer is practice, but that's later in the evening. We also have a team dinner.
We all ride in this van that picked us up at the hotel, and is taking us to the snorkeling place. I love driving in Hawaii, because it's so peaceful, and there's so many things to look at and see.
When we get down to the beach, Kayla and I see some of our friends, Sophia and Andrea, who are sisters. The rest of the time at the beach was spent on snorkeling and taking photos, like any other teenage girls would do.
“Hey you're not supposed to be on the coral”, some random lady tells us. Coral? That looks like rocks. My friends and I are standing on things that look like rocks. I guess it might be coral, but I mean we didn’t know that.
Right when we get back to the hotel, we get ready for practice. We’re going to be late, which is not good. Megan and I are on the same team, 3.2. We all start running and we can’t find how to get there. We see a shortcut, and all we have to do is jump over a fence, and we’ll be there.
“Guys, no, don’t go that way we should just go around”, Megan says.
“It’s fine, I can see everyone from our gym”, Kayla replies. Kayla and I go and jump over the fence, as Megan Goes around. We make it over just fine, get to practice right on time, and about 10 minutes later, we see Megan walking over.
“Told you so”, Kayla says to her.
We just finished practice, and now we’re headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. All we have is an hour before we go to dinner. The dinner is just for the athletes, so Kayla’s mom doesn’t go. After we’re all finished getting ready, we walk over to the hotel that we’re all meeting at, to walk over to the restaurant. Kayla and I walked with Andrea and Sophia. We were messing around, and I told Sophia to push Andrea in the bush, because Andrea pushed Sophia.
“Ok do it now”, I say to Sophia. Sophia pushes Andrea into this tall bush with lots of leaves, and Andrea falls all the way into the bush. All you could see was her feet, and everyone started laughing.
When we get the restaurant, the four of us all sit together. We ordered lemonade, and as soon as we got them, Sophia knocked hers over.
“Oh my god Sophia”, Kayla said. We all started laughing again. During dinner, we just talked and laughed about stupid things. Once we were ready to go, Sophia put on her jacket, and then her hand hit her drink a second time, and it spilled everywhere.
Day 3:
“Girls time to get up!” Jenette tells us. It’s 8:30, and we have to be at the convention center in an hour and a half. So, it’s time to get a move on, and get ready for our competition. I’m excited, because I love competing, and it's my favorite part of cheer. It just feels so amazing to be on that stage smiling, tumbling, and stunting. My favorite part of our routine currently is the stunt where I’m the flyer. Two people throw me up as I hold on to a girl in the middle hands, do a front flip over her, and land in the other people’s hands.
After we’re done getting ready, we head over to the convention center to get our hair done there. Doing our hair for cheer is so difficult, so we usually just have someone else do it. Once we are done doing our hair, we head over to the warm ups, and start stretching and warming up all our tumbling and stunting.
“5, 6, 7, 8 hang ten”, everyone says as we’re on the stage. I hear people in the front of the stage cheering for us, and it’s the best feeling in the world. Here we go!
“Girls you all did amazing”, our coach tells us as we exit the stage to go see our parents. We really did do amazing.
“Hey, do you guys all want to go over to the mall?” someone from my team asks.
“Sure”, Megan and I say. About 9 of us head over to the mall, to get some food and relax.
When we get back to the hotel, Kayla and I change into our bathing suits, and put some shorts over them. As we head down to the lagoon, we see some of the little girls from our gym. They tag along, and we all go swimming, and do stunts. At one point, we got one of these big byclec things in the water, and we all got on it. It started sinking, since there were so many of us getting on.
We get back to the hotel from swimming, and just chill for the rest of the night. It was a tiring day, and Kayla has to compete tomorrow again. However, Megan and I’s team won’t.
Day 4:
This is our last full day in Hawaii, and I’m pretty sure Kayla and I are going to cry, when we have to leave. We love Hawaii so much, especially all the swimming we get to do. This morning, I helped Kayla do her hair, as she put on her makeup. I just threw on some shorts, and a t-shirt, with my bathing suit underneath. It’s pretty hot today.
As we drive over to the convention center, I look out the windows, and think about how much fun we’re going to have at the luau tonight.
“Here you guys are”, the Lyft driver says to us.
“Thank you”, we all say back to him as we get out of the car.
Once Kayla is done competing, we wait around for her awards. My awards were yesterday, and we got 1st place. I can’t wait to get back to the hotel, and go swimming again.
When we get back to the hotel, Kayla gets her bathing suit, and Megan and I are already in our bathing suits, so we don’t have to. Kayla’s team planned to go to the beach all together, and Megan and I’s team wanted to go to this cool pool at one of the hotels by Waikiki beach. At the hotel, we swim in the pool, and the water slide they have. Some point while we were in the hot tub, these two boys got in the hottub and we start talking to them. It was really funny, because my one friend Zoey and I kept laughing. At the end of it all, we all followed them on Tik Tok, and they followed us back (I still follow one of them to this day).
Megan and I head back to the hotel to get ready for the luau. On the way up, we run into Kayla, and so we walk up together. Once we get into the hotel room, we quickly take turns taking showers, and getting ready to go.
After we’re done, we hurry out to the spot we’re supposed to get picked up by this bus that takes us to the luau.
When we’re on the bus, the driver talks about all the food that will be at the luau, and mentions something that sounded like “boys.” Kayla and I start laughing, because it was really funny. It turns out it’s called “poy”, not “boys”.
At the luau, we take photos, because it’s right on the beach, and it’s sunset time. Once we are done doing that, we go get these really good drinks, and food. After we all finish our food, the real part starts. The people dance on stage, and at one point, when they offer the girls and women to come dance on stage, I drag Kayla with me, and hula dance there, showing us two. When the boys went on to dance, it was so funny, because they were messing around.
It’s now time to leave, and Kayla and I are so sad, because that means when we get to the hotel, we have to go to be, and our trip to Hawaii will be basically over.
Day 5:
Today is the day we have to leave, and I really don’t want to go. I just want to stay here forever, and go swimming, cliff diving, and more fun things. We only have about 2 hours before we have to leave, so Kayla, Megan, and I, all head down to the beach to get our last swim in. As we’re heading down, we see a rainbow, and a few minutes later, it turns into a double rainbow. I take a few pictures, as I’m in awe of it.
After we get back from our last swim in Hawaii waters, we take showers and pack everything up. We then head down to the gift shop, so I can get some presents for my family. For my dad, I get some Hawaii t-shirts, as if he doesn't have enough. For my mom, I choose a Hawaii smelling candle, and some lip gloss that has flowers inside. Lastly for my brother, I get him a few keychains, because he loves to put them on his backpack.
We’re now sitting on the plane, and taking in the last views of Hawaii, as we fly away back to our houses.
Due to the time change, it’s dark when we arrive home, which sucks.
“Oh my god, they got the bid”, Jenette says. In cheer, you can get bids to big competition, and for Kayla’s team they were trying to get a bid to get to Florida, and compete at Summit. Kayla starts crying in tears of joy as we tell the rest of the teammates that we’re on the plane.
As my dad drives us all back home, we tell him about all the fun adventures we had. I tell him how much I already miss it, and want to go back. I mean last night we were just at a luau enjoying Hawaii air.
The Reality of Processed Meat
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Take Care of Yourself DQ. We're back again, with some shocking facts about the meat you're putting in your body, and the toll it has on our environment.
*Cue weird piano music*
With the average American consuming 156 hamburgers a year, and each burger using up 425.1 gallons of water, we can only imagine the damage we are doing to our environment. Additionally, if everyone skipped eating one burger a week for a year, we could each save 22,100 gallons of water per year. This could not only be beneficial to our environment, but also our bodies. The effects on the environment are much worse. Scientists may use different numbers, mostly because there are many different types of beef, such as grass-fed, conventional beef, and natural beef. However, an article from Business Insider, gives us the update on conventional beef, a beef frequently used, and produced by, the United States.
Here are the numbers:
Conventional beef production requires more than 485 billion liters of water, per 1 billion kilograms of beef produced, and requires 5,457 hectares of land, per 1 billion kilograms of beef, which is equal to 54.5 feet of land. The worst numbers are methane, and the carbon footprint. As a direct quote from SoCalGas, methane that is released into the atmosphere, before it is burned, is harmful to the environment. Because it is able to trap heat in the atmosphere, methane contributes to climate change. Additionally, we are using 0.126 pounds of it, or in ounces, 2.016 ounces. The carbon footprint really brings it all around though, which is equal to 4 pounds of carbon footprint.
If that wasn't enough for you to feel at least the smallest amount of guilt, this might. The effects of eating red meat on a daily basis are many, but to name a few are heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even colorectal cancer.
I can hear the cons coming in now. But what about the protein and the fiber? My answer to that is simple plant-based protein. The stars of this show are beyond meat, and are impossible foods worth over 16 billion dollars combined. The even crazier part is that one Beyond Burger patty has the same amount of protein as an Inn & Out burger patty, with 20 grams of protein.
But yes, there are cons, as many synthetic types of meat are not perfected.
The amount of sodium can be very high in Beyond Burgers, and many people are cautious of the calorie count, which is one reason I haven't tried this particular brand.
I began my vegetarian lifestyle after staying a week in the slums of Ecuador. It was a healthier choice for me, and it continued to be so throughout my stay. It was a struggle for me once I came back to the states, but I did tons of research on foods that could be healthier for me. I eventually came to the realization that I was not only doing this for myself, but rather for my environment now. I recommend this to people right now, because having the time to do something meaningful for you, and others, makes a huge difference in your mood, and also can help your body and environment.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-healthy-is-the-new-meatless-beyond-burger
https://www.takeextinctionoffyourplate.com/extinction_facts/pdfs/BurgerFactsheet.pdf
https://www.businessinsider.com/one-hamburger-environment-resources-2015-2
When the Wave Crashes
Summers coming to a close in sunny San Diego. Down at the coast, the sun sets over the blue horizon, baking the landscape in a thick layer of heat. Its harsh rays reflect off the ocean's water, casting a pink-ish trail of freckles across my wonderstruck face. With a deep inhale, I breathe in the smell of saltwater and surf wax, their scents merging to create a strangely familiar and nostalgic smell. I shift back and forth on my board, my head and chest facing up to the sky, mesmerized by the world of color before me. Pinks, purples, blues, and even reds dance in a tango of light, painting a postcard-worthy sunset. I let my legs hang limply off the side of my board, allowing the natural rhythm of the water to carry me.
Down at the shore, few people pass by, mostly just locals enjoying the sunset. Around this time of year, the beaches stay strangely deserted. I find the mid-summer crowds tend to fall off around late August, most get bored and ready to move onto something new. Personally, I prefer the beaches during the later months of summer. Once we've passed the inevitable June gloom and the water warms to a nice 70°, making for the perfect evening swim or surf session. I stare off to the shoreline for a second before my gaze trails up to the sky. I watch as a lone seagull flies overhead, so engrossed in the world before me, I almost miss my dad's cries of excitement as he paddles towards me.
“Turn around, turn around!” He cries, eager to catch my attention. I snap out of my daze, turning my head to watch as a steadily growing wave approaches me. Slowly, realization dawns on me as I splash about, desperately moving at a sloth-like pace to turn my board around. Every second counts as I get in position, going through my mental checklist of steps to catching the perfect wave.
Weight even, toes barely hanging off the back of the board as I start to paddle. I keep my eyes up, facing forward as I await that familiar pull. Don't look back, if there's one thing I've learned it's never look back. There's no reason to, all it leads to is an unnecessary sense of fear and what-ifs. Careful, don't let your guard down, I warn myself. Are you still paddling? Don't stop, even when you feel the wave catch you, it's the only way you'll get the proper momentum to go anywhere. Now, I take one last deep breath as I feel the wave come on. Keeping my weight forward, I paddle hard, enjoying the last few moments of silence before I stand and the wave crashes into a storm of whitewash. I float for just a moment until I feel the inevitable pull as the wave sucks me into its fury. Without a second to spare I pop a leg up, steadily rising as I hover above the water. With a sudden drop, the wave crashes below me, pulling me with it as I ride it to shore. Shouts of excitement and laughter ring out behind me, my dad cheering me on as I go. A loud, enthusiastic laugh escapes my mouth, echoing over the rawr of the crashing waves.
Recently, I've found myself repeating this memory time after time in my head. Ever since I was young my dad has been taking me and my sister down to the beach to go surfing with him. That memory in specific I remember so vividly, the sweet late summer air, the calls of encouragement as I rode that last wave to shore. In these times of uncertainty and doubt, I find myself clinging onto this memory for support. It acts as a reminder to keep my head up, to keep paddling because no wave is too big, especially if you know how to take things one step at a time.
Corona-spiracy
Conspiracy theories are considered by many to be the epitome of stupidity and paranoia. And I understand why. Drawing connections between distinct events that don’t exist seems pretty inane. Conspiracies around coronavirus don’t seem to be any different. Just making stuff up and saying that it’s clearly the only explanation. But that’s where you’re wrong. You see, at first glance, many conspiracy theories seem dumb. But trust me, if you just fetch your tinfoil hats and suspend your disbelief, I think I can make these theories make sense.
So let’s start with a simple one. Coronavirus was made by the Chinese government in league with the Illuminati to control the world population. Alright, so where do I start. This must seem really dumb. I mean, does the Illuminati even exist? Well my dear readers, of course it does. How can you explain the pyramids? The Sphinx? Or what about the moon? You think those are man-made, or in the case of the moon, natural? Of course they aren’t. They were built by a race of alien lizard men that hatched from the moon, which is an egg, and now control the world. They built the Sphinx and they built the pyramids. So with so much power, do you really think it’s a stretch to say that they also made Corona? Of course it isn’t. It’s obvious at this point. And now that I’ve proven this one, everything else will start to make sense.
So now for a more interesting one. Where does Bud Light fit in with this? Well, Corona Beer has suffered as a result of Coronavirus. Americans aren’t known for being the sharpest tools in the shed, and they fear buying Corona will give them Corona. Or it could just be that China is one of their largest markets. The fact that many people in China are staying home to avoid getting Corona is preventing them from purchasing copious amounts of Corona. No, it’s definitely dumb Americans. The most sensible explanation is often wrong. So who profits from this “corona-phobia?” Bud Light of course. They are the next biggest brand that sells beer. And I think that Bud Light paid the Illuminati with human sacrifices to make coronavirus and spread it around the world in order to cripple Corona.
Now for the final conspiracy. Who was orchestrating this at an Earth level? After all, the Illuminati watches us from the international space station, so who was running things on Earth? None other than Gretta Thunberg. Who else could it be? It’s not like you could possibly argue that it just happened naturally like the Spanish flu or the black plague. Who wants to stop environmental pollution? Gretta Thunberg. Who wants to save the polar ice caps? Gretta Thunberg. Who’s secretly an alien shape-shifting lizard person? Gretta Thunberg. And has this plan worked? Yes. Dolphins are returning to Venice, cities all over the world have much less smog in the air. Most importantly, the economy is collapsing so all those evil evil factories can’t operate anymore. I think I've proven this one.
Now, while I know it’s not the best time to remind everyone, I hope you were keeping your tin foil hats on. The government may have read your mind and could be on the way to arrest you and wipe your memory. But remember, reality is an illusion and we are all secretly slaves to lizard overlords. That’s all, don’t forget to like and subcr… oh wait, never mind.
Rebirth
Renaissance. A french word, meaning rebirth. The Renaissance, in short, was a rebirth of European culture from the 14th to 17th century. The art movement that came along with all of the advances in the sciences, literature, politics, and economics, has been on my mind lately more than ever.
We are currently experiencing a pandemic. For safety, we are undergoing a government-issued quarantine. Some people are using this time to pursue a passion, learn a new skill, perfect their craft, or anything to get their creative juices flowing. Personally, I have yet to try these things. But an artist named Chuck Styles is currently inspiring me to further consider that list.
Chuck Styles creates a lot of realistic portraits, often using vibrant paints to stand out against and complement the natural tones of humans. In my opinion, his art style is beautiful and I can’t say I’ve seen anything quite like it. I could stare at the paint for hours and continue to find more and more unique qualities and connect his pieces through more common patterns. His art is inspiring and one of a kind.
Scrolling through https://www.artofchuckstyles.com/, his writing, “Creating Art in a Crisis” jumped out to me faster than the Renaissance art movement presentation in Mr. David’s 8th grade art class. Out of all of Chuck Styles’ series’ that one grabbed me. Out of all the art movements we learned about, that one caught my attention. Probably because they were both born from a really dark time.
Styles’ series was sparked by the current pandemic and is described as “depicting this time period in human history”. And the black death ended an era and sparked the Renaissance. If there are artists out there right now that have the Same idea as Chuck Styles--which, I know there are--we could witness an entirely new and significant art movement!
Imagine living through a movement as eminent as the Renaissance. That could be our future. We still talk about it 400 years after it ended! ‘The Creation of Adam’ (specifically the hands) is one of the most recreated pieces in history! It was even a trend on TikTok a few months ago to paint those hands on jeans! What if, 400 years from now, if humans are all still doing their thing, they’re talking about and recreating your own or your friend’s/family member’s art piece? What if our art inspires people so long after it’s creation?
Even if it doesn’t last that long or is nearly that influential, I want to see this happen. I think it’s just one way to social distance together. It makes me want to pick up a pencil.
Homemade Food
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” - Sun Tzu
From this project, I felt like there was a new experience, by looking at a different way of cooking, and I really enjoyed my experience. There was a day where one of my teachers, Kyle, gave us an assignment to cook a meal for our family, and since I haven’t really been able to go out in the world, and see my friends, I have really liked that assignment. For the assignment, I made my family chicken ravioli. This is a dish I had never heard of, until my girlfriend, Alissa, told me about it. I ended up choosing that dish to use for the assignment. This assignment was a really good help for me to get an escape for reality, because cooking is a really fun hobby of mine. Cooking the ravioli was kind of a challenge, because my girlfriend recommended me to cook it from scratch, which I have never done before. All around, it was a fun experience to try a new way of cooking.
First of all, I had to go to the store with my mom, which took a long time, because she had to go to her office. I ended up waiting for her in the hot car, and I couldn't get out, because I didn't have a mask to go outside. But while I was waiting for my mom, my baby brother, who’s 3, was there with me in the car. The whole time, he was just watching my phone, so it was nice and calm. Then about 2 hours passed, and my phone ran out of battery. So he started crying, threw a tantrum, and I couldn't do anything to help him, since we couldn’t go outside, and I couldn't give him my phone. So I saw some of the toys he had on the floor of the car, so I handed him some, and he calmed down for a while but then started crying again. Luckily, my mom came back about 10 minutes later. So then, after my mom’s work, we went to the store to get ricotta cheese, because we needed it to use it as the filling for the ravioli. I also didn't go with my mom to the grocery store, because I had to stay and take care of my baby brother. This time my mom gave him her phone, so it was much calmer, but it was still really hot. Then she came back with some water bottles, and I felt so relieved to finally go home, and to be drinking cold water in the hot California sun.
The following day, I had finished school about an hour early, because I wanted to take a shower. Afterward, I went to the kitchen, only to find that my mom had all the ingredients out already. There were a lot of ingredients, because I made the dough for the ravioli from scratch. My mom walked me through making the dough, because I had never made dough before. That would be my first time. It was pretty easy to make, because you just roll the dough. I was about half way into rolling the dough, so I stopped for a little bit to make the filling, which was ricotta cheese, and spinach with some garlic. In the end, it was really good because I never thought of putting garlic in the filling, but it turned out really good. Then, after I let that cook, I started to make the alfredo sauce to put over the ravioli and chicken. For the alfredo sauce, I started off with butter at the bottom of a bowl, before I started adding in garlic, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, heavy cream, pepper, and garlic. It didn't have ricotta at first, and I liked it like that, because it was creamy. I like creamy food, but then my mom tried it, and suggested that I put ricotta cheese in it. I listened to her because I always do, and I just let it rest in the pot. After that, it started getting really hot in the kitchen, because the stove was on and my head started to hurt. I felt like taking a break, but I couldn’t because the grind never stops. I put the filling in the dough, and after that I started to boil the ravioli, which was the second-to-last step. It ended up taking some time, because I did a test, and it took some time to cook the dough. Then, finally as the raviolis finished up, I was putting them in a big wide pot, to share with my family. After I put the chicken, and the ravioli, in the pot, I topped it all off with the alfredo sauce. Once I was done, I served it to my mom, because she and I were the only ones home. It felt good talking to her normally, because I haven’t really talked to my parents. It was a joke, because of social distancing, but it just felt good to talk to her again.
Letter to Self
Dear Alex,
If you ever read this future self, I hope that person you have become is someone who is able to live freely and with the mentality that you can be yourself. Inherently life has always been strange. You may have felt like you've gone through the worst experiences of belittling words being shot towards you from time to time. You tried to get those words to just go right through you instead of impaling you and your self-esteem but it is clear that regardless of them going through you or not it will still leave a wound. Wounds that have the chance of completely hijacking your mind and mentality, creating a new personality. Though at the time of writing this I am not in a place I would like to be, I am wishing upon stars and beyond that, you will be able to grow into a person that you are happy to be with fewer insecurities and less sensitivity.
Sincerely,
Past You
My Experience with Online School
Hey, so have you ever been bored and stuck home quarantined with nowhere to go, not even school? But then you get school back, but online school, not regular school, and then you have to do everything online? Well if not, I will tell you what that's kinda like for me.
In my city and all around the world, we are stuck at home in quarantine and have to do school online because of a virus called the Coronavirus. There are many things that we are having to do in distance learning/online school but, today I will only be talking about one. That one thing that we are having to do, is read a book and meet weekly with a group of other classmates that are reading the same book. But first, let’s start this off by talking about what book we are reading.
My book group and I are reading this really good and interesting book. It’s a mystery book called “Patron Saints of Nothing” and as I said earlier, it’s extremely interesting. I’ve really enjoyed this book since the first day that I started reading it, the book just caught my eye and I couldn't help but keep reading. Before I go any further, let me tell you a bit of a backstory of what I’ve read so far. I’ll make sure not to spoil just in case you want to read it.
So, the main character is a boy named Jay, he is Filipino but lives in America, and is a senior. Something happens and he tries to figure it out. In my opinion, I say that everything just gets suspicious. But, that’s all I’ll say and I hope that you have the courage to go read this great book on your own. Now I’ll get into what my book group and I are doing with the book and our book clubs.
As I said before, we are reading “Patron Saints of Nothing” and it is kinda hard to read when you are in a group. I say this because we read at different paces and it is hard to be on the same page when we only meet once a week for our book club meetings.
In our book club meetings, we meet up as a group and talk about our book. Now, you may be wondering how do we meet since we are having to do everything over the computer? Well, we have a book club meeting once a week on an app called Zoom for about 30 minutes.
I personally don't like that we have to do online school because of Corona being all around the world. I also don't like being stuck at home quarantined and not being able to go anywhere.
There is one more thing that I would actually like to touch on before I end this. I want to talk about how I have experienced something that I never thought that I would do while being stuck at home. The thing that I have been doing is reading a lot and it’s really surprising to me because I usually only read when I have to. Now, I have been reading books a lot more. At the moment I am just reading “Patron Saints of Nothing” with my group and I am having fun with it.
I also enjoy having our book club meetings. At our first meeting, we just decided how we were going to work out how many pages we should have done by our next meeting so we can't spoil the book.
Now that you heard about my short story about what we have to do during online school, I now want to ask you if this has ever happened to you, what did you do during online school? Or, even just what you have been doing while being stuck at home?
Ramadan in the Time of Coronavirus
My Favorite Video Games
I love playing video games. When I am done doing chores, I just play for an hour and 30 minutes a day. My favorite game is Ark, but I do like other games like Battlefront II, Need for Speed Payback, Minecraft, Rocket League, Jurassic World Evolution, and Battlefront II. Occasionally, I like to play games like Minecraft but I mostly play Ark and Super Smash Bros. That's the game that I mostly play. When I first found out about it, I thought that it was just a survival game with different maps. Later I found out that it has a storyline in it. That's when I became interested in playing it. I started to do research about the storyline, and that is when it got more interesting to me.
The storyline is that something is going on on Earth and humans are building these ARKs that go to space to save lives. But, there is a catch, giant monsters destroy half the world using this stuff called corruption. Corruption ends up infecting all wildlife around it. Later, survivors go on the ARKs to fight the guardians, and one of the guardians used to be human. That guardian is named Rockwell.
There is another game that I enjoy playing, and that is Battlefront II. Sometimes my friends and I play. I think the last time we played was when we did a game night. Mostly I played Super Smash Bros. That was pretty fun. Need for Speed got old for me and even though I do not play it anymore, I still like it. Battlefront II is a Star Wars game that you can play with your friends for fun. There is a story about this game too but it is kinda boring. In Battlefront you can play as different Star Wars characters and play against other people.
Rocket League is soccer but with cars. It is kinda fun but boring at the same time. Need for Speed Payback is a car game where you just race and run from the cops. After completing the stories to those games, I stopped playing. Jurassic World Evolution is a game where you can unlock different islands and build parks and create dinos. Super Smash Bros is a game on Nintendo Switch where you can pick different characters and fight your friends. Those are the games that I like and enjoy playing. What are yours?
Summer
I and most people can't wait for summer to come. Personally, the most recent summer was the best summer I have ever had. Maybe the best time of my life. I spent almost every day hanging out with friends, spending time with family, going on vacations, to the beach, but most importantly, I was able to wake up whenever I wanted to. And I know that's how most summers are for people. But before this summer, all I did was surf, and stay home. Staying home for me is much different than the average person. For those of you who don’t know, my mom owns a daycare inside my house. Which yes, I know, is crazy. When I wake up, it's only to the noise of 12 children in the house, or some loud music, or kid shows like Mickey mouse. This is how I would usually spend my summers. But, something changed last summer, it was the best summer yet. In my gut, I don't know how much fun this summer will be, with COVID and all.
Of course, I miss summer, who doesn't? But think about it, if summer lasted eternally, you would get tired of it. You know that feeling at the end of the summer, you feel prepared to go back. In a sense, you want to return to school. Then, after the first week, you're tired of it, why? Why do we always feel like this? I believe that humans have the nature of always wanting more, once you get something, you're satisfied, but after having it, you want something else, something new and fresh.
This is what summer has always felt like to me, you want it so bad, so when you get it, you enjoy it until you eventually get tired of it. You want something new and fresh. You finally make it past school, the entire year, you soak up all the fun and joy, till you get bored. Then you kind of miss school.
For me at least, this also relates to basically everything. For example, when you get a new car, you love it so much, but after a few years, everything changes. It gets old, you want something new, you get tired of it. What once seemed like something you would never get tired of, you throw away.
When I was writing about summer, something popped up at me. How is this year's summer going to be? With COVID, how are we going to enjoy ourselves? What protocols are we going to have to follow? Are we still going to be on lockdown? This is where my problems start, if you couldn't tell, I am an extreme over-thinker. I mean, like majorly. I always think, what if this, what if that? How can I fix this, how about that? But, I think this is a good thing, it keeps me on my toes, I'm always ready. I like to say, if you go in with low expectations, you will always come out more happy than if you over-excite yourself. So maybe this year's summer won't be so bad, maybe it will. But either way, we need to adapt and change how we do things so we can succeed through this hard time.
My Playlist for Getting Through COVID-19 ft. Kero Kero Bonito
“Break” —KKB
“Time Today” —KKB
“My Party” —KKB
“It’s My Party” —Lesley Gore
“Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows” —Lesley Gore
“Falling Down” —Lil Peep ft. XXX
“Life is Beautiful” —Lil Peep
“Material Girl” —Madonna
“Dead Man’s Party” —Oingo Boingo
“Dancing Queen” —ABBA
“Nowhere Girl” —B-Movie
“Time Today” by Kero Kero Bonito
I feel that “Time Today” represents what’s going on currently extremely well. This song talks about how Sara (the singer and writer), has a lot of free time, and during that time she thinks about her hopes and dreams. She decides that using the time she has to make plans was one of the best things she could do. At the moment, everyone is stuck at home with a lot of time on their hands. I agree with that way of thinking. I believe that people can either spend their time waiting and/or getting into bad routines, or you can make use of the resources you have to build knowledge and expand on your dreams (honestly just anything that uses your brain). I know that everyone is getting through this situation in their own ways, whether it’s food, procrastination, or exercise; but no matter what your coping methods are, it’s important to stay hopeful and strong. To focus on what you can do, and not vice versa.
“I’ve got so much time today. I’ve got hopes and dreams and plans all yet to be made, so look out the way 'cos I'm coming through now I got something to do; and I'll try, as I might, to keep up with the light.”
—Kero Kero Bonito
“My Party” by Kero Kero Bonito
This song relates to me personally during quarantine (and maybe a few others who had quarantine birthdays). The song “My Party” talks about how Sarah (the singer) is having a party, and that no matter who or what you’re going through you’re welcome to come; she doesn’t discriminate. As long as you’re willing to party. It also talks about how someone doesn’t necessarily need a reason to party, and that sometimes it’s okay to want to have fun. This reminded me of my birthday this year. Since my birthday was during quarantine, I didn’t really get the chance to celebrate. I didn’t mind all that much but missed my friends more than usual that day.
“I’m having a party. Everyone can come. By the way you’re invited! You seem pretty fun. I’ve got a massive sound system, the biggest in the world. DJ spins all the runes, that will make you move. I don’t need a reason to get down, but if it’s your birthday you're still welcome to come round. My Party.”
—Kero Kero Bonito
“Break” by Kero Kero Bonito
“Break” is a song that I feel could represent before, during, and most likely after quarantine. The song talks about how at some point everyone needs a break; we sometimes don’t believe we deserve one, but everyone does at some point. Most of the people I know (including me) were having trouble being stressed and feeling overwhelmed, to the point where it was difficult to get stuff done. Then, COVID became a concern near us, and school was canceled until further notice. Now that everyone has nothing to do, they want something to do; but when there’s something to do, that’s when no one wants to do anything.
“I know it seems kind of tough, but really it’s easy enough, for us to slow down the pace so we can all go take a break. In Fact there’s not much better than nothing at all, and that’s especially true, when there is something to do.”
—Kero Kero Bonito
Quarantine has helped me see how much I enjoy being around my friends, or just people in general. I plan on taking my freedom much more seriously once this is all over. I’m taking the time I have at home now to grow and learn. To build better ways to strengthen self-care. I’ll take the good habits I built during quarantine into the rest of my high school career. Taking time to nourish yourself is important, and I think that now is the perfect time to do so.
57 Bus Summary on Quarantine Mode
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.”
— Albert Camus, Nobel Prize-winning philosopher
During this quarantine, with all this COVID-19 I have been a little worried, bored and I feel like I should try to do something new, so here I am, writing my first summary about a book, and the book I am going to talk about is 57 Bus. But before this I want to make something clear, I know that people everywhere say that you have to be productive, do new things, take care of yourself, among other things and I'm trying, but also I know that for many other people it hasn't been easy at all, and it's okay, if you can't do new things or just don't want to, it’s fine, we are all experiencing it in different ways.
As you know, for all the students, the school is closed and we started doing online classes. Personally, it helped me a lot to see the importance of school in general. For my humanities class, they made a book club, each one decided which book they and I want to read and after each week I will meet the same people who are reading the same book as me. And for the same class we had another job, which is this one you are reading, is to write for two weeks for 30 minutes a day and then read everything we write and choose one or more to make a big piece of writing, during this difficult time I realized how much I like to write and read, and having this possibility is something very special for me.
Today I am going to talk about the book 57 bus by Dashka Slater, a story based on real events. To me, it’s very impressive. Check out the news clip of the real-life story.
This book tells the story of Sasha who is white teenager, agender and neutral meaning they do not feel like neither woman nor man. This book is made for the teenage audience, and the author's purpose was for teenagers to understand each of the characters and see some problems in the society in which they live.
“It seemed clear to me that teenagers would find the characters compelling and I wanted them to have a chance to grapple with the complex issues the story raises: issues about either/or narratives, about race, gender, class, justice and forgiveness.”
— Dashka Slater, author
The truth is that I have not finished reading it, but what I have read I liked very much because the book makes me feel different emotions and has taught me different things. In the first pages we can see a bit of Sasha's history, before the problem will unravel. There is one detail that we have to understand: Sasha used the pronoun they and before that Sasha was called Luke. At first I asked myself: “Who is Luke,?” I was super confused but as I continued reading I realized that they were the same person. I thought that Sasha was a girl which I know is wrong because it is a stereotype in names and I think that the author herself wants us to learn from her book to stop using stereotypes and stop believing that there is only the binary gender: male and female.
The other very important character is Richard, a black male teenager who is surrounded by people who loved him or at one point hurt him. He went through many deaths of loved ones, this was something that marked him a lot. His friends and the book describe him as a good person, very funny, kind, but sometimes he was influenced by his friends, leading him to do things that maybe they are not the best.
But what is the conflict in this book? Everything is based on a day that Sasha was riding quietly on bus number 57. They were asleep while their friend was with them too, so three teenagers around 16-17 years old approached Sasha playing and they began to talk to them and annoy them, but they did not listen and they were still asleep. One of the three teenagers began to see that they were ignoring him and got mad and said to another of his friends "do it, do it now.” And one of them set Sasha's skirt on fire. What they didn't think was that the fire would spread so fast in their clothes that they would cause third degree burns on 25 percent of Sasha’s body. They were hospitalized. The other teen went to trial, but since they wanted to give him a trial treating him as an adult, it caused many more problems on social media since some agreed and others did not, apart from that people were giving that teenager a lot of hate.
But maybe you’re asking who can do that thing and why?? Well The person who set Sasha on fire is ………. I can't tell you who it is because the magic of the story would be lost. You will have to read the book to know it, and also to know other things like, what happened to the other two boys? What happened to the person who set them on fire? How is Sasha and what consequences did this accident have?
But what I can tell you is that things I liked during the book, what I liked from the pages is that they teach you many things. The pages not only have the story, but they leave you some teaching — for example as we know that all people are different, different tastes in music, different sexual preferences and each have their own gender, and that's why “we always have to adopt the language that people use to call themselves” as the book says. Among the beautiful pages of this book you can find many definitions:
¨Terms for Gender and Sex¨:
Agender:¨Doesn't identify as any gender.¨
Androgynous:¨Identifies as third gender that blends male female characteristics¨
Bigender:¨Sometimes identifies as male and sometimes as female.¨
Cisgender:¨The opposite of transgender; gender matches their birth sex.¨
Gender Questioning:¨Is unsure about where they belong on the gender spectrum.¨
Genderqueer:¨Gender identity doesn’t fit neatly into male/female categories.¨
Intersex:¨Born with sexual anatomy, organs, or chromosomes that don’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. Replaces the outdated and offensive term hermaphrodite.¨
Transgender:¨Feels their gender is different from their birth sex, whether or not they have physically changed their body or outward presentation. A transgender man is someone who currently identifies as male. A transgender woman is someone who currently identifies as female.¨
¨Terms for Sexuality¨
Asexual:¨Not physically attracted to anyone.¨
Bisexual:¨Physically attracted to both men and women.¨
Cupiosexual:¨Doesn’t feel sexual attraction, but is still interested in sex.¨
Graysexual:¨Mostly doesn’t feel sexual attraction but does occasionally.¨
Heterosexual:¨Physically attracted to people of the opposite gender.¨
Homosexual:¨Physically attracted to people of the same gender.¨
Pansexual:¨Physically attracted to people across the gender spectrum.¨
¨Terms for Romantic Inclination¨
Aromantic:¨Not romantically attracted to anyone.¨
Biromantic:¨Romantically attracted to both men and women.¨
Cupioromantic:¨Doesn’t feel romantic attraction, but is still interested in romance.¨
Heteroromantic:¨Romantically attracted to people of the opposite gender.¨
Homoromantic: Romantically attracted to people of the same gender.¨
Panromantic:¨Romantically attracted to people across the gender spectrum.¨
Quoiromantic:¨Doesn’t understand the difference between romantic and Platonic love.¨
Among other definitions that make you understand the book perfectly, the pages make you fall in love with reading, wanting to read more and more every time
¨Reading is like breathing in; writing is like breathing out¨
—Pam Allyn
So a piece of advice that I give you is that in this difficult time when we have so much free time and sometimes we are only thinking about things that don’t clear your mind, become active, not only physically but mentally allowing your mind to imagine. I invite you to write your ideas, comments and questions you have about the books that you read every time and I promise it’s going to be the best thing ever. The last thing I want to say is, as the book 57 bus says is each person in this world is so different from each other and it doesn't matter, because every little thing that we have makes us who we are now and we always have to respect each other no matter what.
San Diego: Life & Ocean
Our country alone has 4,429 cases confirmed with 165 deaths. As it is known for being a city on the Pacific coast, California is known for its beaches, parks, and warm climate. All the beaches in California have been closed since the coronavirus has happened., However, they’re slowly starting to open back up. It’s unfortunate that everything is getting closed because the people that took advantage of staying at home before Corona now wish they could go out.
When we were first told to isolate ourselves quarantine at home, when the virus had just become known, it was not taken very seriously. People wouldn’t listen and still headed out to the beach which had made the situation worse and unsafe for everyone. People would go on the beach which is not good containing all the older people at risk of the virus, and when the virus spread got worse, they eventually had to shut beaches down forcing us to self isolate at home which is hard for everyone that has to work or students that have their schools shut down. As we go through this quarantine, we now have to do online school so that we can continue with this school year. What’s tragic is the fact that seniors, eighth graders, and fifth graders don’t get to promote or graduate at school. Their events canceled which is disappointing and a big loss for those people. It’s very different and interesting using Zoom as our way to connect with others for school. With that, it’s also hard getting food to provide for students that usually count on school food. Along with the young people, elderly that can’t go out to the stores and get food for themselves or their families are having a tough time.
Food is a big necessity, as we go through this pandemic, we see people buying lots of food. We see people fighting over toilet paper and hand sanitizer. We see all the aisles in stores empty. People started overbuying products because people are scared they’ll run out of an item and won’t be able to go back to the store and get it, and so people who need those items the most won’t be able to get them because of people unnecessarily buying the products in bulk. These products include cleaning products, face masks, hand sanitizer, hand soap, diapers, and way much more. Fortunately, stores began putting signs above certain products that show how much a specific item we’re allowed to purchase; a limit.
Even though we’re supposed to be staying at home quarantined while having the approval to go out to get necessary stuff, even with masks, we’re still at risk of catching the virus no matter what. People are going out to hang out and have fun with a bunch of people and seem to not understand the meaning of “staying at home.”
Good thing is, places are starting to open back up. It’s slowly becoming normal again, and I’m sure the wait is going to be worth it. Everyone will forever remember the coronavirus outbreak that happened in 2020. It may even be in the history books for future generations.
Anyway, did you guys hear about those murder hornets?
A Deeper Dive Into Music
I feel like when we listen to music normally we only half listen to it. It helps us to feel, and to hear the catchy sounds, as we have a conversation or study. But when you literally have nothing else to do, but plug in your headphones, and ignore your other senses to hear the music intimately, it's different. There’s a deeper understanding, and it sparks conversation in your head. You feel things that felt just present before, such as major details that are incredibly important. You also get a chance to understand what the repetitive words in the song mean, and I think people overlook lyrics more than they should. Most people feel content listening to a fun song, rather than hearing how much passion and meaning is being put into them by the person singing the songs.
A song with a deep meaning could easily be misinterpreted, or just not fully understood. Maybe you understand most of what's being said, but there are references to situations, or what is being said, that are metaphors for something else. When you pay attention to certain songs, you can hear a bigger message than what you originally thought was there.
Song’s meanings can be manipulated through the key they’re written in. For example, some songs sound happy, where others sound sad, and a song could easily use this to mislead someone. Additionally, It might be in a high upbeat song but have dark lyrics. There can be many hidden meanings behind songs that you may not have realized before.
Omnipotent Paradox
Today, a puzzling thought occurred to me, which was that if God is incredibly powerful, then they should be able to create a rock so heavy that even they can’t lift it. However, if they cannot lift it, then they’re not completely powerful. After further research, I discovered this was called the omnipotent paradox.
As the days progressed, I began to do further research, and I looked at the two types of infinity. The first is countable infinity, which is just counting by a set amount up to infinity (1, 2, 3...). However, the type of infinity I found that could possibly put god’s power into perspective is uncountable infinity. This type of infinity is the number of decimals between any two numbers. By using this we can find the smallest number, which is 0.01. Moreover, in the bible or any other religious book, it never actually says that god is omnipotent. Therefore, we can safely assume that God is an infinitely small amount of all powerful, or more than omnipotent.