Month: November 2012

Put Your Hands Up!

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My ears are full of screaming and my arm just couldn’t stop waving with other people.

My eyes are obsessed with the colorful lights and my heart just couldn’t stop beating to the same rhythm as the music.

This is surely an unforgettable night – Nov. 3rd, 2012.

BIGBANG is a popular Korean K-Pop singer group from Korean Entertainment company “YG Family(link)”. The group is made of 5 energetic young boys, they are G-dragon(link), T.O.P, Taeyang, Seungri, and Daesung.

BIGBANG is one of the most popular singer groups in Asia. They just released their new album “Alive” this spring, and they are now bringing the new album to a concert tour around the world starting this March in Korea.

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How could you?

frog31 Comment

defef

Injustice what is it

why does it happen?

If it a tree drops its leaves,

whom do you blame?

If a spider makes a web,

whom do you blame?

If a fish breathes water,

whom do you blame?

If a bird flies,

whom do you blame?

If a snake shakes its tail,

whom do you blame?

If the ground shakes

whom do you blame?

If the universe expands,

whom do you blame?

If a writer writes,

whom do you blame?

If a painter paints,

whom do you blame?

If a poet writes poetry,

how could you blame?

Soccer

kirbyfullyloaded3 Comments

Football, or as we Americans call it, soccer.

Yes, I’m aware that the above is not a complete sentence.  However, the winter sports season is my favorite, as I get to play soccer.

Now, I hate running.  Even though I do cross-country in the fall and track in the spring, I am really not a runner.  I wish I was, but I’m not and that’s just how it is.

That aside, I love running in soccer.  I love the sprinting, and the distance.  My friend Ally and I run at least two additional miles after practice every day.

Here’s the other thing: I’m terrible at soccer.

I played as a kid in one of those coed AYSO leagues.  The only thing I remember from that was when a kid named Peter fell off the monkey bars near our practice field and got a concussion.  I was sad because he was never the same when he came back, and I had a crush on him.

I played again in seventh and eighth grade on the school team, and wanted to play my freshman year of high school.  But, I popped out my knee during cross-country and skipped a year, joining back up as a sophomore as left wing.

I’m currently the only left-footed player on my team, so I guess that’s something.

But back to the point, I’m awful.

I just can’t seem to get my kicks right and I don’t know why.  But that’s ok; I don’t mind.

Who needs aim when you can just smash?

That’s what I do.  I just barrel into whoever is in my way and pass it to the players on my team who actually have all that fancy ball-handling down.  It’s a party, and I like it.

I love the physicality of soccer, the movement, the heat.

There’s something incredibly fierce about the pace and the nature of the game.  It’s like an unexpected dance, the opposing team always has you guessing.  You have to figure out how to move with them, anticipate their actions and take your queues.

Of course…I’m a horrendous dancer, but that’s mostly irrelevant.

In My Free Time…

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

Everyone has a favorite pastime, something they do when all else fails. Mine is watching movies. And let me be clear on something – I’ve watched a lot of movies.

It’s because of the amount of movies I’ve watched that I’ve decided to make this post.

To be honest, I’m not a very big fan of most the movies which are in theaters these days. There are a few here and there that get a laugh out of me, but other than that they just aren’t as good as others out there.

For example, The Dictator. This is by far not my kind of movie. I went to go see it when it was out with some friends, and despite the racism, sexism, and just plain offensiveness of this film, I actually found it quite funny.

A movie along the same lines which I didn’t particularly enjoy was 21 Jump Street. I mean, it’s funny, it’s got Channing Tatum in it (obvious plus), and it’s a good concept. But let’s face it. How many other movies are out there with the exact same story line? The answer is way too many.

Act of Valor came out last year, and I went to see it with my dad while my brothers were with my mom. This was a hard movie to watch, but that very possibly could have just been me. I have a tendency to be a bit squeamish at times. All in all though, I thought this was a good movie. An aspect of it which I found particularly interesting and appealing was the fact that the actors were real Marines. It added an element of reality.

Almost everyone has heard of the romance Dirty Dancing, and I’ll admit to having a small crush on Patrick Swayze. This film is decent. It has everything one could want in a romance. Dancing, rebelling against parents, guy from the wrong side of the tracks… You get the idea. But although I do love this movie, I don’t find it to be very original. At least not anymore.

The Rebound however is a movie I enjoyed quite a bit. It was funny, and although it was predictable, there was an element of difference to it. And I love Catherine Zeta-Jones. Especially in her other movie, No Reservations.

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Bonfire Night, what is it?

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er

Today is a day that most American’s don’t even know exist or acknowledge. Today is Bonfire Night. This event was brought to my attention by Mrs. Beverly (an OVS art teacher). Being as curious as I am, I decided to look up some information to learn more about Bonfire Night. Here’s what I found.

Bonfire Night commemorates the survival of King James I after a group of conspirators attempted to assassinate him and to blow up Parliament. The assassination plot is known as the Gunpowder Plot because the conspirators attempted to blow up Parliament with barrels of Gunpowder. The explosive expert of the conspirators was a man named Guy Fawkes, it was his job to smuggle the gunpowder in the House of Lords and ignite it. Unfortunately for Guy Fawkes (and the rest of the conspirators) he was caught before he could ignite the gunpowder.

Upon being captured Guy Fawkes was taken to the Tower of London where he was tortured and forced to give up the names of his fellow conspirators.

Fawkes, along with the rest of the conspirators, were publicly executed.

On the night the Gun Powder Plot was foiled, the 5th of November 1605, the English lit bonfires to celebrate the survival of their king. Thus Bonfire Night was born.

Kentfield

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

I was born in San Francisco, CA., but I grew up in a little town about 30 minutes outside of the city. Kentfield, the little town that absolutely no one has heard of.

Kentfield borders Ross, which is another – slightly bigger – town in Marin. Our street in particular connected, beginning at a market in Kentfield, and ending at the Ross school. Kent Ave., if anyone lives near there.

As a family, we knew every inch of that street. So often we would climb on our bikes and go to the park, where we would sit, play with the dogs, or climb the play structure. That’s where I first learned to ride a bike without training wheels.

Another of our favorite destinations was Marche aux Fleurs, a small French restaurant situated comfortably in a petite plaza, with a deck looking out. We went there so many times, that I got tired of spaghetti with butter and parmesan.

Who knew you could ever get tired of that?

One time at Christmas, we went for dinner, and I ordered a steak. I can’t remember what cut it was, or what delectable sauce they listed on the menu, but my god it was good. Every time we went back I would ask the owner about it. Sadly, it was a one time thing.

Then there was Woodlands Market. If you are ever in Marin, please please please make sure you go there. You will never find a better place to shop for food, I promise you.

Woodlands was also my favorite deli. Every so often we would go get a sandwich. I would immediately unwrap it, looking for the square of chocolate enclosed in the parchment paper.

On Saturday mornings, my brothers and I would plead with my dad, begging him to treat us to a breakfast of mickey mouse pancakes at the nearby Willie’s Cafe.

I hold so many memories from growing up in Kentfield. Some small, others more significant to me. I haven’t been back since we moved away, and over time I have lost the desire to. I want that small California town to remain exactly as remember it, not as the disappointment it may be if we were to visit.

OVS you’ll be with me wherever I go

equestri vitam1 Comment

You never really realize how big of an impact a place has on you until you leave that place.

OVS has stuck with me ever since I left. I first realized it the first day I got to Italy and read our host family booklet, which said that 95% of the students coming here had never had to make their own bed before. And I sat there saying to myself “YES! Thank you, OVS!”

To give you more insight I’ll make a list of the things that OVS has taught me and have stuck with me even though I’m across the atlantic in a completely new culture.

I eat milk and crackers all the time and have gotten my host family into it too!

During our orientation retreat to the sea I was able to keep everyone interested with cool fun facts that I learned from Ms. Davis.

I still do my homework during what would be study hall hour.

I think I’ve formed permanent calf muscles from climbing up the hill therefore the hills in Viterbo are a piece of cake!

I managed to tack up my horse within ten minutes at the barn I’m riding at here. Thanks to Ms. Gustafson and Ms. Wilson always rushing me to get in the arena!

We’re reading BEloved by Toni Morrison in my English class which requires intense annotating to understand and I can’t thank Mr. Weidlich enough for the endless annotating you made us do.

And more than anything, I have a nice reminder of you everywhere I go, due to this awesome Italian clothing store that happens to be called OVS.

I miss you all dearly ❤ I’m excited to eventually be back with you all on the beautiful campus of the Ojai Valley School.

The Drafting Table

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In my home, in a secluded corner of the living room lies a large table with thin white sheets of paper laying over it. Thin metal wires line the sides spanning the entire length. A straightedge lies in between these wires hanging millimeters above the paper.

A bushel of pencils held together by a rubber band lay in a ceramic cup outside the wire.

I still feel the carpet from when I was a small child playing around it.

It has moved from house to house, the table itself changes but the items don’t. Each house has been drawn on it. From the renovations of my first house to the house in Ojai being built. When I wake up in the morning I can hear pencils drawing lines and ideas becoming reality.

This has been an important part of my creative process and it has made me a more complete student.

Having a father who was artistic and built himself from scratch makes me want to do the same. The drafting table in my house serves as a monument to the hard work and art.

So when I wake up in the morning when visiting home I am inspired to become the best I can possibly be.

Flower

frog31 Comment

r4t

A flower cannot grow alone.

It must find soil to have a home.

It starts as a seed, it probably won’t survive.

The odds are great the seed will die.

It’s a small chance but the seed succeeds.

It must steal sunlight and water from the tenacious weed.

With hope and care the seed begins to sprout.

It must fend off the occasional drought.

After a while the seed is a fully-grown stem.

Mother Nature can no longer extinguish it on a whim.

The stem will contain an invigorating power.

On it will grow a beautiful flower.

The flower will soon shoot its seeds into the air.

Once again the tenacious weed must beware.

Universe

kirbyfullyloadedLeave a comment

We came from darkness

In a flash, the universe was created

Molten rock, frozen metal and fiery space dust crashed and collided across the galaxy 

Stars were born from clouds of gas, nebulae

The sun exploded in the vast blackness

Casting its newborn brilliance into the universe

Misshapen rocks were sucked into its gravitational pull

The third rock cooled just enough to create water

Tiny organisms evolved

With each passing millennium, they changed…