Author: 1998sakura

Fighting the Fear

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My school has a equestrian program, which I wanted to take advantage of. One year ago, I tried it out for a season. Since my roommate at the time was a rider, I was very excited to learn this sport.

It started out well – I was loving my horse and the sport, but then things started changing. Espada, the horse I was riding, started acting wild, and because I was a beginner, I couldn’t stop his behavior. Espada would kick other horses while I was on him and would try to scare me by jumping suddenly. On the last day of the season, Espada jumped with his back feet and started running. I pulled on him and was able to stop him, and luckily I didn’t fall. But that sudden act brought me to tears. After that, I couldn’t even look at the barn, because I would feel too scared.

Horse with girl

Photo Credit: Evelyn Brokering

I wanted to fight my fear, and I wanted to love horses like my roommate did, so this year I tried equestrian again. The first day I was too scared to walk toward the horse alone. Taking small steps each day, I pushed myself to do something I was afraid of. Day by day, I noticed I was becoming more comfortable around horses.

Now it’s been two months since I started riding again, and I no longer have any fear– I am able to walk and canter by myself. It’s the best feeling: to conquer a fear instead of letting the fear conquer you.

My next life…

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What a life pets have. Especially the pet who lives on campus: Jack the cat.

Jack is loved by students, gets full attention and is very spoiled. He gets food and treats from the teacher, Ms. M., everyday. Ms. M. even bought him food and water bowls, as well as a cushion for him to sleep on. These days, it has become a daily routine for Jack to come to her to get treats. He spends most of the day on her desk sleeping.

When we are in class, he meows outside the classrooms to let people know he wants to come inside. We always open the door for him, even if we are taking a test. He walks in and wanders around, and eventually rolls on his back allowing the students to pet him on the stomach. Everyone adores him and we all say “hi” when we see him, even though he ignores us. I want to be him in my next life.

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Jack the Cat — Photo Credit: Evelyn Brokering

Am I “Half”?

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Hapa, biracial, multiracial, mixed. There are many names people call me here in America. In Japan, where I grew up, people call me “ha-fu,” or “half”, because my mother is Japanese and my father is European American. But am I, and those who are mixed race in Japan, not full Japanese because we don’t look like standard Japanese people? I am a Japanese citizen, and my first language is Japanese. I consider myself to be both American and Japanese. I’m not only half of a country.

Photo Credit: media4.s-nbcnews.com

Ariana Miyamoto, Miss Japan 2015, is considered to be only “half” Japanese to some people. Her father is African-American and her mother is Japanese. She is the first mixed-race woman to win the title. She grew up in Japan, speaks the language and is a citizen. What more does she need to do to be considered “Japanese”? From my point of view, there is no question that Ariana is Japanese.

Here is an interview of her, done by BBC News.

Ways to not get sick of a song

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These days, I listen to music more than ever. I even need to listen to music when I brush my teeth. When I hear a song I like, I will go on YouTube to look at the music video to see how the artist expresses the song. But have you ever experienced getting annoyed by a song because you listened to it too much? I might have a solution for that.

Recently I noticed a really cool thing about listening to music. I noticed that when I don’t see the music video of the song, I get tired of the song quicker than when I see the music video.

For example, the song “Light It Up,” by Major Lazer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2LpOUwca94 . Most people would probably say the repetitive beat would make them sick of listening to the song quickly. Also since it is overplayed on the radio, one might think it is annoying.

Photo credit: http://www.wopvideos.com

But to me, because I saw the music video, I can listen to it many times without getting annoyed. Whenever I listen to this song, the music video of the cool animation figures dancing plays in my head. I never get annoyed or sick of the image in my head. So if you find a song you like, before you overplay it and get tired of it, go on YouTube and watch the music video. I don’t know if this will work for everyone, but I hope this works for you. It is magical.

Do you like the weather in Ojai ?

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Mark Twain once said, “The coldest winter I spent was a summer in San Francisco.”

This summer, I spent my whole summer vacation in the San Francisco Bay Area. To me, the weather there does not qualify as summer. It was foggy and windy most of the days and you always needed a jacket when you went outside. One might think that’s great weather for the summer because there is no heat, but I hated it. It made me feel dull and was very depressing.

Photo Credit: http://www.psychalive.org

I was very excited to come back to Ojai in September because the weather is the complete opposite. The summer in Ojai is dry and sunny all the time. The bright and warm sunshine makes me happy and more energetic. But I’ve noticed that when it rains in Ojai during the winter, I get a migraine and it makes me very sleepy.

The weather really affects how I feel physically and emotionally. So the Ojai weather is perfect for me.