Author: navraj22

Euphoria

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I really did not want to start watching Euphoria. I don’t know why. My friends all pressured me to watch the show and I simply didn’t want to. It was a tough sell, nobody could really elaborate what was so special about it. I had watched the first episode and did not feel connected enough to the characters and decided the show wasn’t for me. That was until last weekend.

I went over to my friends house and she put the new episode on. It got me invested in the show.

I am so mad I waited this long. I am really invested in the lives of every character, even though not caring about the characters was the thing that put me off in the beginning. The storyline is impossible and outlandish by design, but it undoubtedly sucks you in.

Personally, I really like Fez.

It is impossible to write this blog post without spoilers, so I now understand how my friends felt trying to convince me to watch the show. I can’t say too much, as that would ruin it. I can’t say too little, as then you wouldn’t watch it.

All I will say is, the many storylines that weave together is incredibly entertaining and I implore you to watch the show.

Don’t go below the picture if you don’t want a spoiler

PC: Esquire

(P.S. I hope Fez and Lexi happens)

Shithousery

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My favorite sport is football. Not the bloodsport played with the oval ball by yanks, but the beautiful game, joga bonito, or if you lack any sense of intelligence and cultural awareness “soccer”. Specifically the Barclays Premier League (also called the English Premier League).

The thing that sets footy apart is the fact that supporters of teams are allowed to be rowdy. Fans consistently scream obscenities, light flares, and heckle the players and opposition supporters.

Partizan Belgrade vs Red Star probably has the most heated rivalry (between fans) in European soccer. The clubs represent their fans’ political ideology and personal identities. These clubs’ fans have literally stabbed each other over support, and fights are a given outside every fixture. Most notably, fans light flares inside the stadium which seems like it should be illegal, but hey…it’s the Balkans.

VC: Copa 90

English fan culture is equally unique. Fans mostly just yell the most obscene and insulting things they can, oftentimes insulting dead relatives and getting into players’ heads. The chants they yell in support of their players are often touching and tailored to their players. For instance, Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters often chant, “Heeeeee’s Koreannn, He’s only on loan for a seasonnnnn, but we think he’s fookin brilliantttt, he’s Hwang Hee Channnnnnnn,” in honor of the Korean loaned star.

VC: The Wolfpack

These chants unite fans in ways unthinkable to American sports fans. Here is a foreign Man U fan leading the chants, known by all supporters, in a local pub.

VC: Football Away Days

I implore you to go explore the world of football chants, fair warning, it can get kind of raunchy.

VC: SommitSports

(THESE ARE THE RAUNCHY ONES PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!)

VC: SommitSports

These fan groups are stems for identity, FC St. Pauli fans broke away from Hamburg SV fans because of the racist, sexist, and all-around toxic supporters, forming their own group that stands for inclusion.

When fans or players are acting a little wild, it’s called “shithousery.” Here are a few examples.

VC: Vaulted

VC: Dan1S

Football > Ovalball. If this didn’t convince you I don’t know what will

Top 6 overweight rappers

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This is a half list, half internet roundup. Have a good one!

1)Biggie- main reason: not needed.

Biggie Smalls is undoubtedly the best rapper of all time. His lyrics were just as good as Tupacs but were presented with a much better flow. Also, bro was very large.

PC: Discogs

2)Action Bronson- main reason: shows, music, size, working out.

Action Bronson is my favorite rapper and chef and whatever he is of all time. His shows on vice are all incredible, his music has become my favorite of any rapper, his cookbook and olive oil are fantastic, and his workout journey recently has transformed him from short and wide to literally looking like the incredible hulk.

VC: Munchies

3)Rod Wave- main reason: good-ass music.

Rod Wave makes my favorite music to sing. He doesn’t get enough credit for his voice, which is actually really good, as most people tend to focus on the fact that he is 350 pounds and 5’6. Bro is wide.

VC: Rod Wave

4)Big Pun- main reason: size alone.

He’s 700 pounds. That’s all.

VC: Big Pun

5)Rick Ross- main reason: pears.

Monster is a top 5 song of all time, and also just about the only Rick Ross song I can name. He is just on the list for his two biggest fat guy moves of all time: pretending he likes pears and owning an insane amount of Wing Stops. “I eat pears now and shit like that…shout out to all the pear.”- Big Boss Rick Ross

VC: Spencer Mutsch

Honorable Mentions:

DJ Khaled- main reason: antics.

DJ Khaled is without a doubt the most interesting man alive. He documents everything on his Snapchat, from crashing a jet ski to getting lost on a jet ski. He always feels the need to drop motivational inspirational quotes that make no sense and always must say the most random stuff. He truly lives the most mysterious and magical life. He quit on hot ones after one wing but said “even tho I stopped I ain’t give up”. Though he doesn’t rap and his production career is questionable, he still films himself lathering his big ass with soap in his shower in his mansion in Miami. Enjoy some of his best moments as compiled below.

VC:Young Jizzle
VC: AkademiksTV

VC: Brody the Biz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv2WJX-x3wY

VC: Parus Boghani

Saved

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I nearly made the biggest mistake of my life.

Leading up to the college visit trip I took last week, I was adamant about applying and going to NYU. So adamant in the fact that I was prepared to apply early decision, meaning if I got in I would have to attend.

When I tell you I was saved by a thread I mean it. I was millimeters away from making the worst decision ever.

NYU was not the place for me. I had thought that going to a school without a campus would be fun, my experience this summer in New York made me feel free, and living in New York and attending school seemed ideal. This was mostly because I was with one of my closest friends whose sister went there, so we spent most of our time shopping and eating rather than being students. It was a whole different story at the school. The tour guide talked more about her getting cut from the quidditch team than student life and did many other similar things, making me realize that maybe I wanted more of a college experience.

I had just gone to see Michigan before NYU, where I went tailgating and sat in the student section at the Big House. My friend who goes there showed me around and showed me what it is like to be a student at a big school. I had the best time and realized that this is something I can’t go without in college. I also thought the traditional campus layout would make studying easier, everything was just more simple.

These two factors combined and made me realize what an idiot I had been. Judging my college choices on a fun week I had without considering schools, sheerly basing the biggest choice I will have made in my young life on location.

I feel super relieved I changed my mind about applying to NYU early decision, and that I went on the tour as the feels at the schools were different than the ideas in my head of what they would feel like. It feels surreal that I was that close to making such a big choice based on nothing.

PC: Knight Photography

Covid decides to run it back

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As of last week, I have now gotten covid two consecutive winter breaks. My take on Covid, at least how it affects me, is that it is more of an inconvenience than anything.

Not being able to taste sucks. It makes food borderline unenjoyable. I have been postmating food from all over trying to get a taste of something, but it all tastes like nothing. It straight-up sucks.

Other than that, I am congested and whatever, which isn’t too bad at this point, and I have brain fog. Maybe I don’t have brain fog but it is a solid excuse to procrastinate.

The most annoying parts are not being able to see my friends, play soccer, or stay caught up on school because I have a LAUNDRY LIST of shit to do, half of which I don’t even understand.

I am kind of concerned about OVS’s covid approach. Without guidelines changing, I predict that school will just become a place where the new variant spreads semi-easily. I hope that school provides online as an option at least, as leaving students who are sick in the dark about their schoolwork makes it very difficult to keep up, and if I hadn’t already had covid I would want to have the option to not have to go to school and get covid.

photo credit: CDC

Public Embarrassment

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I recently became my school’s varsity soccer goalie and was super excited for my first game. 5 minutes in, I got shat on. The other team’s striker shot a huge floater from outside the box. I saw the ball coming and thought I could get to it with ease. As I saw the ball floating in, I sheepishly backed up letting the ball hit the net above my head.

What a bummer.

I needed to have a good performance to guarantee the starting job and that is NOT what that accomplished.

Soccer Goalkeeper Jumps and Saves Stock Footage Video (100% Royalty-free) 34953853 | Shutterstock
PC: Shutterstock

The helpless feeling of the ball floating over my head. The swish sound of the ball hitting the net. The collective sigh of our fans and players. I heard and felt it all. I punted the ball out of the net disgusted with myself. Heading back to the bench I put on a show, slamming my gloves into the ground, taking off my shirt, throwing my shin pads. I could feel the judgment from players who were complacent in the goal and wanted to tell them to chill out, in fact, when one teammate gave me a glare and said something to me I just said “please shut up”.

Anyway, I have a game today and am hoping for better performance.

Goals

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I recently joined the soccer team. While at first I was intimidated by both the amount of running and the fact that I haven’t played soccer in 7 years, those nerves are now gone. They have been replaced by a deep sense of regret.

For most of the high school, I didn’t have the chance to play a “real” sport. My first high school didn’t offer league sports, just smaller less official sports teams. Thought I played everything, it wasn’t real. I didn’t feel the camaraderie of a team. Then I switched schools, excited about the possibility of playing sports.

Once the sports seasons started, I picked golf because it was my best sport. I have done golf for the last 3 sports seasons since I began and have enjoyed it. I got food at the golf course, didn’t have to run, and enjoyed playing with my closest friends at my new school. This was awesome, but something I regret.

Just a week into soccer and I am already regretting my decision/inability to not play a real team sport during high school.

Practicing with friends, running, making saves. I remember all of these things from youth sports and middle school, and I miss the feelings associated with them. I miss being part of a team and more than anything, I am scared that this is my last chance to be part of a team.

I am going to make the best of this opportunity and I’m gonna push to get the starting goalie position. I want this experience to be memorable, maybe there will be an in conclusion blog in a few months.

PC: Sports Illustrated

Allow me to put you on.

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This is just a compiled list of stuff I have liked or thought is cool recently

Vests:

It is most definitely vest season. Recently, I have been waking up in the morning to an extremely damp 55 degrees, enduring 85-degree highs on the hill, then returning home to frigid cold. Ventura County can’t decide if it’s winter or summer, still clinging on to aspects of summer while embracing parts of winter. I guess it’s fall but I like my longwinded description better.

Anyways, I’ve been super hyped on vests recently, specifically this Stussy Sherpa Vest:

Striped Sherpa Vest - Fleece Outerwear | Stüssy
PC;

Mine is purple and green. It’s sick.

I like to wear it with shorts, a white tee, and my Birkenstock Bostons (which we will touch on later), but it can also be worn with jeans and a tee-shirt or literally anything. That’s the beauty of the vest.

Birkenstock Boston’s:

The most comfortable foot experience ever.

If you’ve been on the hill in the past month you may have noticed I have worn clogs every day for 2 months now and it’s safe to say there is no going back. I used to be really into sneakers, but recently, I find myself picking birks over every other shoe.

In my current period of grinding college applications and AP class homework into the midnight hours, I care far less about my appearance in the morning: as long as I apply the stick of Old Spice Fiji floating around my truck before being around my peers, I’m valid. That’s not to say these shoes don’t look great with most outfits, I just have been putting less thought into outfits and my tan Birk clogs are perfect for that. They are also great for slipping into after hours of cramming my feet into soccer cleats for 2 hours or for skipping down chicken trail.

They are just the best

Boston Suede Leather | shop online at BIRKENSTOCK
PC: Birkenstock

The Top Gear Radio Special:

Top Gear is my favorite show of all time. I was not a car guy when I got into it and still wouldn’t categorize myself as one, but there is just something about the humor, wit, and gab Clarkson, May, and Hammond have that makes me keep coming back. This is a radio segment from when the guys took over a random BBC station outside of London in 2006. The old news and hilarious traffic advice make this a must-listen. I play it in the car on my way to and from school periodically, and I really enjoy it. You don’t have to like cars. You don’t have to like Brits. Just listen. Trust me.

VC: Top Gear (posted by freshrigi)

Anyways, I might make this a recurring thing. Consider yourself

PUT ON

Thoughts on astrology

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Astrology doesn’t make any sense. How would the day one was born affect anything about them? 

I am always super doubtful about astrology because conceptually it makes actually zero sense, but whenever I open CoStar and check my horoscope it makes complete sense. What I read today perfectly summed up how I feel internally and affirmed a few thoughts I had. It talked about a “diversity of noises inside my body” which perfectly explained the many things racing through my brain whether it’s college, schoolwork, friends, sports, or my desire for free time. It connected this to the effects of these actions, which I won’t share, but it makes a whole lot of sense. Also, last night I had a think about problems I had with the way I was raised and the horoscope or whatever mentioned outgrowing childhood behavior patterns. It talked about feeling seized up and wanting something to happen while giving advice to grow. 

It made a ton of sense, but I wonder if I am just plugging applicable information into the broad and vague advice this app gives. I mean the gap probably wants as much engagement as they can to profit, so I feel like the advice given is purposefully broad and vague but in a way that can be determined as specific by people looking to have their problems solved. 

PC: Britannica

Halloween Costumes

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I was so disheveled this week.

I returned from my college tours: 8 hours of homework to do (I still have done barely any of it), a 2-hour drive to school, capstone assignments, college apps due in 3 days, student council events I don’t want to go to. I have a lot of random stuff on my plate.

I didn’t have time to create a costume. The three things in the back of my truck were golf clothes, a vest, and some pants. I decided to be this kid who was trying to dress up as Cheif Keef. I didn’t dress up as Cheif Keef himself as I didn’t want to appropriate culture so I settled for this dude.