Category: journalism

Stuff having to do with the world of journalism.

Girls Soccer

Soccer11Leave a comment

The girls’ soccer season just started, but I was told that I’m not allowed to play in the first game because of my club team, which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, because all of my club teammates are allowed to play scrimmages with their high school team, and I’m not. If this tournament weren’t such a big deal, I wouldn’t play in it, but this tournament will be the first time my team plays as NPL, and my team needs every player they can get this weekend. Hopefully, the OVS girls’ team will be ok without me, but they might not do so well. But it is their first game, and no matter who they have, it always tends to be bad. I also hope that Paloma comes back soon because I feel like people listen to her the most, and I have a hard time getting my teammates to listen to Mrs. Carver and me when we’re doing a drill. 

PC=pintrest

Juno – Movie

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This movie was the first to ever make me cry. It is a coming-of-age comedy-drama (woah, mouthful) about Juno, and planning her unplanned pregnancy while also going through life and school that comes along with it. I find myself reflecting on the movie, from its soundtrack to its storytelling, it’s overall just an amazing movie.

The movie’s humor reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite, which is also an amazing movie, if you haven’t watched it, with a mixture of Superbad, which is also an amazing movie, if you haven’t watched it. It’s just so dry, yet also so well done, and it looks like it had the budget of a McDonald’s Happy Meal, but it’s amazing.

Now, I’ve seen a lot of movies, but this one is definitely one of my favorites. Sure, the description I said above sounds like a show you would watch on Netflix whenever you really don’t want to, but you have finished your favorite series, and it’s amazing.

P.C. – Pinterest

18th Birthday Thoughts

brownbeansLeave a comment

As my 18th birthday inches closer and closer, the reality of becoming an “adult” is starting to creep in. My birthday is on the 19th of November. As I am writing this blog, it is just two days away! Just like any other girl, growing older is scary. Everyone says you should enjoy your youth while you still have it, but how am I supposed to enjoy it when it seems like the whole world is praying for my downfall? As a girl, youth is prioritized; no girl wants to think about themselves as old. Being a teenage girl is the best thing ever.

The more I think about it, the more useless it is to worry about age. It is what makes us human. I would like to say I’m not scared of getting older. But that would be lying. I’m so scared. Especially with the world my generation is inheriting. I find it hard to believe that a girl like me can succeed in such a world. It seems like something is going wrong every day, and that we are regressing. It is a scary world out there, and I don’t know if I’m up to the task.

Yet, I try to have hope for the future, even if each year added to my age seems like another year closer to impending doom. I’m trying to see aging as a beautiful thing. With age comes new experiences and new wisdom. My grandma is one of the beautiful women I know, and that is partly because of her vast wisdom. I wish I could be as graceful and beautiful as she is. The world is a dark and dangerous place for a girl like me. The only thing I can do is stay determined and remain focused on my goals. While not forgetting to cultivate my friendships and cherish the people I love.

credit: Pinterest

Finals

ackley4167Leave a comment

Finals are coming up right around the corner, and I am more stressed than ever. I already feel unprepared, even though we still have 3 more weeks, including break. I don’t understand why humans are required to put in so much work to academics when, in the end, we all die. Obviously, the skill of being knowledgeable in life is important, but why does it have to drag to this level? There are some finals I am confident about, while others I have no idea how I am even going to start reviewing the material. The fact that we put everything we’ve learning in a semester in one test is crazy. But to be honest, I always stress as much as I can about it and end up doing fine. It’s just the concept of studying for every single class. I’m just going to accept my fate and pray that I do well. Test-taking isn’t my strongest quality, but I know I am capable, and if I can do it as a freshman, I can for sure do it as a sophomore.

“School desk are arranged exam“/ CC0 1.0

That damn phone

myfatcats2Leave a comment

My mom was right, it is that damn phone. Every time I go on my phone, I know I should be doing something more productive, but instead, I sit and scroll through TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest, and genuinely enter a flow state. Not a good one, though. I’ve started to notice that my eyes will start to hurt if I’m on a device for too long. My eyes start to get fuzzy, and it looks like I’m dreaming. Even though I’m aware of this happening, I still continue to sit on my phone. It’s a problem. When I start studying, I have to put my phone in a different room from me or give it to my mom. Honestly, everyone should do that; it’s helped me study better. Anyway, I need to limit my phone usage exponentially. It is a PROBLEM. This is how Apple gets you: they make everything look so appetizing to your eyes, and it makes you want more. They are probably watching me now that I said this. Anyways, being on my phone and seeing these unreal bodies and unreal beauty standards lowkey makes me hate myself, so I need to just stay clear of like the industry?? I don’t even know. To sum it up, phone = bad for eyes, self-esteem, and studying. Mwah bye.

PC- Pintrest

A Rainy Drive to a Lookout

zombiegxrlLeave a comment

I really love driving in the rain. I plug in my music and crank up the volume. I pull out of my driveway and hear the rain begin the patter on the roof. I open my sunroof and let the droplets project shadows and shades across the interior of my car. Under the cover of clouds, I drive. I drive to friends’ houses, I drive to school, I drive to the store, I drive to the beach. My favorite drive to do is to any lookout. I drive up and up until I reach a spot that presides over the land below. I park and take it all in. I turn up my heater and turn down my music. The sound of the rain soothes me as I look out onto the landscape below. I am calm, I am happy, I am thinking. I find that this particular circumstance is where I think the best. I cry out all the sadness that reaps my heart. I laugh out all of the giggles trapped in my lungs. I relax, letting the sounds flow through my ears. All of my emotions seem to be soothed in a rainy car at a lookout.

Picture Credit- Google

Film Review: Everything Everywhere All At Once

StrawberryMushroomLeave a comment

Everything Everywhere All At Once is a film that, on paper, by all means, should not work; its story is convoluted with so much happening, with elements taken from various conflicting genres such as action, comedy, drama, romance, absurdist fiction, and science fiction.

And yet, it is one of the most expertly crafted and passion-filled films I’ve ever seen.

While the movie is crammed with so many genres, themes, and unconventional ideas, it somehow manages to excel at everything it tries. Its generic action movie premise centered around the multiverse—a concept that has been overused and grown stale in modern media—is harnessed to enhance its narrative and its themes, rather than serving as a simple gimmick; the multiverse is presented as a parallel to the overwhelming abundance of possibilities and choices in modern life.

Within infinite possibilities, there is so much to be envious, confused, and disappointed in. The choices we made or didn’t make may have driven us away from a more successful or happy life. And yet, this mindset of trying to find meaning in everyday life by chasing extraordinary achievements is what often blinds us from appreciating what we already have.

Without explicit spoilers, the film ties together all its characters and plot lines in service of conveying the theme of cherishing the seemingly insignificant gifts we have, instead of trying to find meaning in a meaningless world.

Everything Everywhere All At Once - Evelyn chases Joy

Picture Credit: Google

Ten Things Curently I hate

Bl@ckBe@nsLeave a comment

Credit: Google

I feel like I don’t hate a lot of things, but I do have random things I just don’t like right now.

  1. College Applications (they make my pockets hurt)
  2. College Writing (It makes me feel like over sharing to a randome person )
  3. Homework (I just don’t like homework, and the senioritis is getting harder to resist)
  4. Math (I miss when there wasnt letters in math problems)
  5. Not having money to spend (I’m just broke)
  6. Taking out my hair after having braids (It’s disappointing to think my hair grew a bunch, only to find out it grew like a centimeter)
  7. Having to take care of my hair (Spending 4+ hours gets aannoyinng really quick)
  8. Not having superpowers (I wish I could fly, so I wouldn’t need to spend money on a ticket)
  9. Having only twenty-four hours in a day ( I wish nighttime were longer)
  10. Having to completely grow up ( Taxes, bills, and other things, also just how much money goes into being able to live, and just finding a job in the current market)

Sports

LetsGetSendyy6767Leave a comment

Ojai Valley School is known for its prestigious athletics. Our Division 20 varsity winter sports teams are all incredible options for showcasing talent and getting scouted by top colleges. With the options to choose between basketball, soccer, and weightlifting/yoga, my impulse was, of course, to do yoga.

I am by no means a soccer player or basketball player, which led me to make this decision. In the first week, I experienced pure bliss and tranquility lifting weights and listening to my Drake. Life was perfect until the nightmare of mandatory yoga was inflicted upon me.

I reluctantly walked outside without a mat to participate in, quite honestly, the most excruciatingly painful physical experience my body has ever endured. My knees gave out against the firm brick flooring, and I began to cry as holding the cat cow pose reduced my masculinity to zero. I was humiliated. When I couldn’t bear the suffering much longer, I opted to use a bench press as a yoga mat, which proved to be even more difficult as I fell and was made fun of by at least 50 girls.

At that point, I knew this sport was too difficult for me. I simply could not compete and decided to give up. As of now, I am on the soccer team, which I feel will benefit my future and help me get scouted by a Division 1 college team.

Hatha, Ashtanga : Which type of yoga is right for you? -

P.C. Google

Break

riceandsoysauce4Leave a comment

As Thanksgiving break rolls around, I can barely contain my excitement. Not only do I get a break from school, but I’ll also be able to see my family and friends. It has been over three months since I’ve seen my friends, which, for me, is way too long. I’ll finally get to eat soooo much food, which really brings the whole trip together. Stuffing is my favorite, along with mashed potatoes and turkey, but when everything is piled onto one big plate, it becomes pure deliciousness. I usually won’t eat breakfast or lunch on Thanksgiving Day to build the suspense, making it all that much better. I’m also excited because once we get back from Thanksgiving break, it will be so close to winter break, which is something I’m really looking forward to. I’m going to a resort in the mountains of Canada that can only be accessed by helicopter. We’ll get to snowboard, snowmobile, and play in the backcountry snow. It’s all very exciting.

PC: Google