Day: November 10, 2023

My Issue with Thanksgiving

uwucutiepatootieLeave a comment

I don’t think I’ve ever met someone whose favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I understand that it is time to reunite with family and celebrate, but it just stresses me out way too much. I always have a big thanksgiving with about thirty people and I feel like I’m being tested the whole time. People always ask what college I’m going to, how I’m doing in school and what my interests are. My cousins, who are older than me, are all in college or have recently graduated. All of them have their thing. They are all basically amazing athletes and students. They all go to really good colleges like USC or NYU and they act like those are really easy schools to get into. I understand that it is important to think about college, but they have been asking me which one I’m going to since I was in fifth grade. My Thanksgiving dinner is way too formal. There is a whole seating chart that separates me and my immediate family, so I’m silent most of the dinner. My final issue with it is the food. I despise Thanksgiving food and I always end up only eating mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pie. My family doesn’t really eat on Thanksgiving, so their stomachs are empty by the time we have our dinner, but because I don’t eat that much at dinner, I am hungry the whole day.

“Thanksgiving Autumn” by Element5 Digital/ CC0 1.0

Music

kittenqueen3Leave a comment

I used to hate listening to music while doing homework because I swore I could never focus with music playing. Over the summer, I was traveling a lot, and all I did was listen to music. I almost always had an Airpod in, which made my trip so much better. My family is very loud and chaotic especially when traveling. I often get travel anxiety as I always feel like I forgot something and worry about being on time as my mom is notoriously late. Music became my escape whenever my family would get too loud or I would feel overwhelmed. I would put on my noise-canceling headphones and turn on some music. I often make a new playlist as I get bored and my music taste constantly evolves. I’ve been listening to a lot of Drake, Taylor Swift, Frank Ocean, SZA, Travis Scott, Alex G, Future, Cigarettes After Sex, and Olivia Rodrigo. My music taste isn’t very original but I enjoy it and stay tuned for a blog on my Spotify wrapped.

“Headphones Music” by JESHOOTS.com/ CC0 1.0

what is my passion

purcyLeave a comment

I wish I had something to look forward to. It’s so much easier to work hard when I’m working towards something. Just the satisfaction of getting an A is not enough for me to work towards getting all As. The most frustrating part is that I know I could do it but I just don’t have any motivation to be exceptional. If I was working for a college I really wanted to go to or a job I really wanted that would be perfect but I just don’t have that. I feel like everyone around me is working towards something important and I’m just floating. I don’t want to float anymore. I’m trying to just pick something to work for but it’s not the same as finding a specific passion. The thing I do with my life every day of my life is not something that I could really make money doing, it wouldn’t get me far in a career. I want to do something that I enjoy and I really hope it comes to me soon.

Photo cred: @grandpix

New Winter

pottymouth818Leave a comment

I’m excited for Christmas this year because I’m almost guaranteed a white Christmas. My family has recently bought a new house in Mammoth. This house is a house where everyone gets their own room so that means less fighting and everyone getting their own personal space. Since it’s large enough for my parents to be convinced we’ll be able to enjoy it, we’re packing up and spending Christmas in Mammoth; hence the white Christmas. I’m hoping that we’ll all be able to enjoy Christmas and the entirety of winter in Mammoth without stepping on each others’ toes. Everyone could fit into our old place but I have a feeling that the new house will be a much more inviting place for the whole family.


Since we’re going up for both Thanksgiving and part of Christmas break, I’m also hoping that I’ll really be able to improve my snowboarding skills. Last year I randomly decided that I wanted to Snowboard so I went all in and bought all the gear and now it’s too late to go back. So far, I’ve actually liked the process of learning how to snowboard significantly more than skiing. I don’t regret my decision at all.


I’ve never been a pro at anything on the mountain, I’m the type of person who would get in your way. To me it’s never been competitive, the whole thing is a joke in the best way possible. When I want to go fast I do, but I thoroughly enjoy face-planting in the snow by trying tricks I know I will never be able to accomplish and taking my time on the way down. Long story short, I’m looking forward to a fun winter.

“Snow Winter” by FOCA Stock/ CC0 1.0

The struggle

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Kyiv, Ukraine. It is yet another Russian bombardment. My friend Nastya is awake and running down into the bomb shelter at 3 am. Again. In just a couple of hours, sleep-deprived, she will be sitting at the desk as if it’s normal day. Only 4 months ago she participated in an extremely competitive selection process which made the education financially feasible for her. During the two former years, in spite of ceaseless airstrike sirens and a constant anxiety, she had been studying – relentlessly. And her hopes paid off – she earned a scholarship to study in an Architectural college in Kyiv. Even so, there was a price to be paid – more intense airstrikes and even less security. Like this, without much sleep, and amidst this overwhelming chaos, she has completed 2 months of her studies. Nastya followed this path because she knew – this might be her only chance, a morbid one, but a chance for a better future. Her example is a constant reminder of how absurdly fortunate I am. What if a person like her had opportunities like me? In some disturbing sense, wars are necessary to cultivate people that are going to grit their teeth. Comfort kills. Struggling is just another word for being alive.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa2.jpg/298px-Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa2.jpg

Yin & Yang

godgoldngloryLeave a comment

I never necessarily understood the term “opposites attract.” Like, what does that even mean? If two things have completely opposing characteristics, how on earth could they ever work together? Well, I’m confident in saying that I now understand the contradictory concept.

My roommate and I are literally the most opposite people on the planet. She is a night person, whereas I am a morning person (on the weekends, I usually wake up about four hours earlier than her). Her side of the room is messy a lot of the time, whereas I physically can’t function or think if mine is anything but perfect. She prefers to look at things logically, whereas I am an extremely emotional person. While we both get good grades, she is naturally very very smart so the effort she puts into school is about five times less than what I put in. She is quite the introvert, while I tend to be more extroverted. All considered, I think you get the point, that my roommate and I could not be more of different people. However, I don’t think I would trade her for anyone else in the world.

I think the term “opposites attract” stems from the conclusion that those with conflicting principles complement each other and help each other experience new perspectives. Analyzing your differences can also lead to making common connections of random similarities that weren’t originally apparent. For example, my roommate and I both share similar hobbies like playing both volleyball and piano. We also are both only children, and share a lot of the same food tastes. We also both sleep talk, except she does in Chinese, so she has an unfair advantage over me with that one. Anyway, coming to boarding school has made me realize the importance of finding people that can provide you with new outlooks on all aspects of life, as it will never be beneficial to stick only to what you know. My roommate and I have been rooming together for about two and a half years now, in our third school year, and we don’t plan on parting ways anytime soon. Well, that is if I can keep it together and not drop my metal water bottle onto the ground producing an ear-piercing crash at seven in the morning when she is trying to sleep in.

Yin Yang Logo and symbol, meaning, history, PNG, brand

PC: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQwJAqFKX4YMYzOAhGsgMzUGbY4cHrJAhnexA&usqp=CAU

How My Hate For Black Licorice Ruined My Entire Evening

godgoldngloryLeave a comment

One fun fact about me is that I have never liked black licorice. It’s honestly just utterly repulsive. Ever since I was really young, I always had a deep-rooted hatred for everything about it. Don’t get me wrong, red licorice is amazing – a very fine snack. Nevertheless, my opinion on black licorice is that it is absolutely offensive. No person should ever be putting that substance in their mouth. Until that fateful night.

Adele and I like to work on our precalc homework together because doing so alone is basically the same thing as committing suicide. So last night we had just started to do our homework, and this is where the night went downhill. Adele, like a literal crazy person, pulls out a bag of black licorice and starts eating it. She offers me a piece, which was the most fatal moment of my life.

Me, being the naive and stupid person I sometimes am, actually thought that my long-standing disgust for such a horrible thing might actually go away with time. So, I accepted her offer, and it was the kickstart to the worst night of my life. It was still the most disgusting thing that has ever come in contact with my taste buds. I can’t even put it into words how much I hate it. I don’t even want to talk about it.

Anyway, the rest of my night was undoubtedly ruined. My precalc homework took me and Adele an hour and 45 minutes. It was the most awful thing I’ve ever done. I hate trig. But not as much as I hate black licorice. I genuinely believe that the fact it ever came in contact with my mouth is the sole reason for such an awful week. After I took about 5 years off of my life by completing my math, I was so unmotivated that I did absolutely nothing and laid in my bed for the next couple of hours, procrastinating all of my work. My entire mood was thrown off, and it is still a little affected, even a couple days after the incident.

If anyone reading this has one takeaway, I would suggest to never let black licorice within a three-feet radius of you. Also, drop out of precalc if you have the chance.

Kookaburra Black Licorice - Furlong's Candies

PC: https://www.furlongscandies.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Black-Kookaburra-Licorice-scaled.jpg

Weather

graypenguinLeave a comment

In my last blog, I wrote about clouds. That is my favorite weather story. In this post, I’m going to continue that and write about my dislike of rainy days. Of course, rain is an essential part of life, but I feel a little down when it rains. Some people may find the sound of rain soothing and cozy.

I dislike rainy days not only because of the overall atmosphere but also because of the bad memories I have.
In Japan, where I live, it is normal for it to rain, and we are usually prepared for it, whereas in California, it doesn’t rain as much and we are not as well equipped. Especially where I am now, even a little rain can cause flooding.
I have a bitter memory of a time when I came back to the U.S. from Japan and could not go back to school because it was raining. I had a lot of bad luck, my cell phone internet was not working, and the hotels nearby were full, so I had nowhere to go. Finally, my friends invited me to their house and I was able to survive this misfortune.
For me, rain is not my favorite weather, as I have some bitter memories of it.　Rainy days are not my favorite, but perhaps they have their own beauty and charm. I am not saying that I dislike rain, but I hope that one day I will be able to appreciate its charm.

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Santa Rosa Island

leapingwaterLeave a comment

I just arrived back at school from our 3-day camping trip to Santa Rosa Island. It was my second time going to Santa Rosa, but this time was even better. The best part for me was that my best friend was on my trip, as well as my mum. We did a lot of hiking, which was a little difficult, but games and stories along the way made the journey easier. I feel like I got closer to a couple of my friends, which I am really happy about. I learned how to play so many card games, which was definitely a highlight of the trip. We also saw many whales and dolphins during both boat rides and saw the whales’ incredible breaching. I also really liked the fact that the camping trip was not too long, I don’t think I could go another day without showering. Overall, it was a beautiful trip, and I highly recommend that you visit Santa Rosa Island if you get the chance to.

pc:https://visitventuraca.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/35308159650_73711e9983_o-1.jpg

chem is not for me

kittenqueen3Leave a comment

I’ve always struggled with science but chemistry is extremely humbling. Last year I did really well in biology getting a 96% on my final and having a 93 in the class. I was very confident going into chemistry but I have yet to succeed in anything so far. I have failed every test or quiz and struggled badly every night on the homework. I have taken time to watch videos explaining the topics but I still need help understanding. Chemistry is a notoriously hard class and I believe I could do it but I truly can’t. I have a test on Monday and I plan on spending my weekend studying although I am certain that I am going to fail. Today I have a review session during class and we are taking a practice test I have a feeling I’m going to fail that as well. I hope this test goes well.