Category: potpourri

Time

venturatrekerLeave a comment


Sometimes, well actually most of the time I feel like I have absolutely no time to myself.  I go to school, and usually make it home by 6 30 after soccer practice and everything, then its dinner, shower and by the time that’s all done it can be as late as 8!

Next of course like a good student I spend time doing homework and when that’s all done its straight to bed, because the next morning I have to be up at 6 30.

Now obviously I am complaining, well that’s true, but I did choose to go to OVS and take AP classes, but that still doesn’t mean that I do not deserve some R and R.

Usually that’s what the weekends are for, but between family events and soccer games, those are gone too. Sometimes I really just feel like running into the woods to be completely alone for just a few hours!

To Help or Not to Help

therightliberalLeave a comment

With the recent GOP debates, there has been talk of the question of foreign aid and whether it should be given, and if it is, to whom?

I find it disturbing that so many people find that we as a country should completely cease giving foreign aid because of our financial woes. And here is why.

Sure, our economy is not doing as well as it used to. In fact, we have been experience serious financial problems that could spell the end of our reign as kings of the world.

But, the people of America are still far better off than those of most countries. Even the lower class of the US is making more than most. So although we are experiencing hard times, this is nothing compared to the daily lives of others throughout the world.

So why then are so many talking about cutting off foreign aid? They claim that we need to “take care of ourselves first”. But guess what, we are humans before anything else. And we do need to take care of ourselves, but that means our entire species.

Although we associate ourselves as Americans, we have to realize that we live in a world made up of billions of people just like us. And why should we have excess when they have nothing?

I know that the many will say life is not meant to be fair and I would agree with that. But is it not our moral obligation to help those with less if we can?

I feel that we are slacking as a country in our contributions to the world. We may contribute much as far as the world economy and infrastructure, but what are we contributing when we look at it person by person?

I think we need to go on a mission to make people smile. Take the money from the pointless wars we have been fighting as spend it on giving to those who need it. We can survive with less than we have and I have a sneaking suspicion that we will work harder as a nation to improve if we have less.

We are a hardworking nation but it is not that others are lazy, simply unfortunate. Whether you are a Christian or Muslim, Jew or atheist, these is no good reason to hoard our good fortunes and ignore the rest of the world.

We will not always be the super power that we are, and when we are in a position of needing help, do you want to look at another country that is rolling in luxury and realize they will give nothing of it away? I hope not.

Let us continue, and build, the foreign aid programs we currently have in place. Let us go and help those who need it and create a stronger and more unified world. Let us go out and get allies in new places and teach people that Americans are willing to give. Let us be just.

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

rangerthecatLeave a comment

Recently, I was feeling quite nostalgic and took a trip down memory lane into my childhood, and tried to remember some of the things that made it so great.

Here are a few things that I hope I can go back to one day, just to re-live those memories.

#1: Play-doh

This was the most amazing stuff when I was young. It could turn into ANYTHING. Dinosaurs, cars, spaghetti – and it came in so many colors. I remember I used to make it with my mom and we would dye it with food coloring, so we could make it any color we wanted.

#2: Etch-A-Sketch

These were so fun, and so hard to actually draw anything on, but they entertained me for hours on end.

#3: Saturday Morning Cartoons

Waking up early to watch my favorite cartoons. It would sit there for a few hours and waste away 3 hours just hanging out with my sister and laughing at our favorite shows.

#4: Where’s Waldo?

Spending an hour looking at pictures of little people and trying to find some dude in a striped red sweater… It was the most pointless activity that somehow kept me completely entertained.

#5: TY Beanie Babies

Every time I went to the store, there would be a new one I wanted to get. They were the best items to collect.

#6: Legos

BEST. THINGS. EVER. I had a spaceship kit that was Always my favorite. Even when I was just sticking random blocks together, it was fun.

#7: Mario Cart Racing

I would always lose, but my brother and I would play this all the time.

#8: The Magic School Bus

I would be so excited to watch this in class some days during school. I mean, that school bus was so awesome, I always wished my teacher had one of those busses.

#9: Lunchables

I would feel like the coolest kid having on of these for lunch in elementary school. Everyone was jealous. It was so much better than a PB&J like everyone else had.

#10: Pillow/Blanket Forts

They were like a whole new world. They were fun to make and were amazing places to hide out and do whatever you wanted. I miss these too much.

What’s Left Of Us…?

yrreskrap2 Comments

Yesterday, a fascinating idea struck me as I ate breakfast in the cafeteria. As I was looking at the various awards in the display case (that will be handed out the day before GRADUATION), my eyes fell upon one award in particular. It is indeed, in my eyes, the ugliest award: a rock glued onto a metal platform.

 

But it made me think. And I talked to (thebrownguy) about this and I wanted to share this thought with you. I am curious to know what you feel.

What would happen if the world ended now?

If all that was left of us was dust and scraps and rocks attached to metal platforms, what would later civilizations think? Would they see our accomplishments? The progression we have made? The technological breakthroughs, the scientific knowledge, the intellectual beings we came to be?

Or would they see an obvious path to self-destruction? Would they see a failure to come together, an overuse of natural supplies, greed, ignorance, pride? Would they find a fallen people?

I don’ t know. I think it is a little bit of both. Maybe one more than the other.

First off, everything on the internet would be negligible to later civilizations because there will be no electricity or MacBook to bring it to life. Which again, I hold ambivalent opinions on because it nullifies a lot of academia and creativity our society holds. Beautiful bits of knowledge that are held in educational websites, news, recipes, photography, or even blogs such as the OVS Journalism Blog will be gone. However, I would be relieved because of all the negatives the cyber world has brought us. Such as bullying. Or self-image issues. The tabloids. Peer pressures and social standards.

Most of what knowledge we hold will be represented by print. And with the newspaper industry slowly falling apart due to our society’s thirst for instantaneous news reports, what we leave behind in print will be very little. Kindles and Nooks will mean nothing with a dead battery. But with what little we have, I believe we can draw inspiration and perhaps a chance for change.

And our carbon footprint. The huge problem that most people fail to see or don’t care to fix. We cannot come together to solve such a simple problem. And the ramifications of our indulgent lifestyles will be shown in our oceans and the weather. It will be proven in the industrialization and in the air. The later civilizations will see how wasteful we were. Hopefully, these people will also take the initiative to learn from our mistakes and live with a more sustainable, eco-friendly initiative.

However, more importantly, it made me think about what I have done in my life and what I can do to make a change. It made me realize how I could start with myself to make the world a better place, as cliche as that sounds. As for me, I am going to college in mere months and I believe that, with the willpower, I can do something.

Now the question I want to ask is: What will you leave behind?

My Excellent New Years

rangerthecatLeave a comment

This year, I had no plans for New Years Eve until the day of.
I drove home with my friend from Tahoe the day before, and then on the 31st, I decided I would take a nice 7 hour drive to the Los Angeles area to visit some friends.

The drive, as always, was beautiful, despite being all lonely in the car for 7 hours. But the 101 never fails to be an amazing, comforting drive.

When I arrived in the area, I went and had an amazing sushi dinner with my friend Emma and her family, who I love dearly. It was a great start to a great night.

To end the night, I attended my good friends party, where I met so many cool new people and had an amazing time.

The next day, my friend and I decided spontaneously to take a trip to Venice Beach. He lives in the area, but I had only been there once before, and it was really great to return again. It’s such a beautiful place; there are so many different kinds of people, different shops, great beaches, and beautiful artwork.

We spent the whole day exploring the endless strip, sat in on a massive drum circle, and watched some graffiti artists at work; it was so interesting to watch them transform the art-covered walls.

And when the day was over, we ended the night with my favorite movie, Finding Nemo! Overall, I’d say it was one of the best New Years I have ever had. I only hope the next one will be as good 🙂

Anacapa Island

kirbyfullyloadedLeave a comment

I love the Channel Islands.  Just off the coast of California, these 5 little land masses are some of the most incredible spots on Earth.  Made up of  Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara, this archipelago is home to 145 species of animals found nowhere else in the world.

I went on a trip to Anacapa with my Ojai Valley School biology class and took a few pictures and chilled in some tide pools.  It was a lot of fun and very beautiful.  Lucky for me, the sun was out and it was warm.

The pools are deep and clear and kinda freezing. At least in early spring.  But the water sparkled and the waves were great.

The tide rushed in and out quickly, churning foam swirled between the rocks and obscured the pools.

Waves began building and crashing over the rocks in great greenish-white masses, soaking everyone in their vicinity . Including moi.

Me, (and my camera) getting hammered.  Good thing Olympus makes good waterproof gear.

How it looks when I’m not getting hit in the face ^^^  Nice huh?

He braved the splash zone

And got that as a prize.

I guess he was just asking for it that day…

I happen to be immensely fond of sea anemones.  They’re cute and squishy and occasionally colorful.  The green ones are the best and I’ve only ever seen three in my life.  Fortunately, that day was my third sighting:

Pretty isn’t he?  I only call it a he because I named him Zar.

Have you ever looked at obsidian (volcanic glass)?  Sometimes I think the water looks just like it.

I love the way it looks when the water streams off the rocks.

Not paying attention, here I am getting smacked in the face with my own camera.  Gotta love the waves.

White water!

I quite enjoy tide pools…

A purple sea star in the middle of early lunch.

Sea stars push their stomachs out through their mouths and envelop their food, pulling it back inside their bodies.  These echinoderms have no table manners.

As you can see, the tube feet have suctioned on to the mussel and arm bends around the shellfish to better maintain its grip.

All it all it was a good field trip, the best I’ve ever had.  If you ever get the chance, head on out to the Islands, it’ll be well worth your while.

Comfort Zones.

Yourcupatea1 Comment

Comfort zone

People create their own rules and boundaries, to which they comply. They create their own padded comfy cells, which they are reluctant to break out of. Often they are happy to remain in this space, in this comfort zone.

There comes a time when it’s time to break out get a taste of those flavors you have never experienced before. It’s a time to sample the things that you may either hate or love and see the wonders that lie beyond the self-created safe place.  It’s a time to fly.

Since moving to America I have realized that everyone has their own comfort zones whether it be their home, their country or even just their daily routine. Taking my friend to my first American  concert this Thursday  I saw how these boundaries exist.

As I pushed to the front surging with the crowd he stood unsure, moving with the people against his will. If he had another option he would surely have been at home playing video games, but he didn’t have that choice. The only choice he had was to become part of the crowd and embrace the music. So that’s what he did.

Speaking afterwards he was full of joy and “buzzing” with excitement. He had stepped out of his comfort zone and experienced something magnificent.

This week my 43-year-old mother is trying out an adult ballet class. Something she has loved from a young age but never had the opportunity or guts to do. Since moving to the U.S she has realized stepping out of ones comfort zone often brings you liberation and that is why she has decided to try something different.

So I encourage you all, take that extra step to do something different and you may find everything you have ever wanted.

Environmental Policies

therightliberalLeave a comment

I often question others sanity. Chances are it is me who is insane, but on occasion it seems that others are far off their rocker.

It was proposed, years ago, to build an oil pipeline from the oil sands in Canada, all the way down to the refineries in Texas. Luckily Obama delayed the building of it, but it is still being pushed for.

The reason for the proposed pipeline is far from surprising: money. And money in all sense. It increases the price that the oil sands companies get paid, it increases the refinery work in Texas and on top of it all, with all the transport, the overall price goes up.

But it is not the bogus price hike that will come from the ludicrous transportation; it is the environmental cost.

The whole process is full of pollution and dirty business. Tons of tar and other unhealthy things are pumped into the atmosphere as well as polluting water.

Oil is great, don’t get me wrong. I wish we could just keep using oil and not worry about it. But two things make that not possible. The first is that we are quickly running out and the second is that we are destroying the planet we live on.

And yet, we have no clear cut solution. Ethanol and biodiesel have to potential to replace gasoline usage for the most part. But that requires a lot of investing in switchgrass and distilleries.

There are other potential ways around oil but they all require us to change how we live everyday. With ethanol and biodiesel, we can keep our cars the same and we would not need to come up with a whole lot of new technology.

By doing these simple things, we can work to cut our dependence on oil as well as working to make the world cleaner.

But the key thing is that we need to wake up. It is not fun to admit but we are almost out of oil. We can choose to deny the facts and face a very harsh future or we can prepare and make the transition easier.

Debate

therightliberalLeave a comment

With the Republican debates (if you can call them that) going on right now, I was reminded of how much I enjoy a good debate (this is how it’s done), mainly because I have not seen one during this election.

You see, the Republican candidates are either too crazy and misinformed to be able to argue their point of view, or they are stuck on advertising themselves to America in what they think is the way Americans want to see them.

Gingrich (who is crazy evil) does seem to have a bit of skill at the game. Unfortunately his combination of hypocrisy and shear Darth Vaderness makes him so unappealing to listen to that he is mostly ignored.

The ignorance that is shown on the stage pretty much cancels out any interest I have in the debates beside entertainment and the crazy things they say. And that is unfortunate, because the art of debate is a great one.

The whole trick is to stay calm and look for that one mistake. If you can keep up with good rebuttals and attacks long enough, your opponent will slip up, and when they do, you must be ready to pounce.

Once you have seen the mistake you must attack. In this case, offense is the best defense. They can argue all they want but you will always be able to fall back on their mistake. Hopefully, they become flustered, allowing you to find more and more mistakes.

The goal, in the end, is not to convince your opponents they are wrong, but everyone in the room that you are right. It takes patience and knowledge, but when played properly, a debate can contain fantastic results.

I am constantly looking for someone to debate with, about any issue that is found to be controversial. To test myself I often argue the side I disagree with. By doing so, I learn the enemy, giving me the upper hand if I ever end up on the other side.

Debate is really and art form and one that is not used enough in today’s society. If we talked more about the important issues, the whole country would become better informed, hopefully leading to a better society.

So get out there and argue! Don’t just yell, look for the mistakes and attack, attack, attack!

TETRIS BATTLE!

rangerthecatLeave a comment

Tetris Battle is one of the most addicting games I have ever played in my life.

I used to make fun of people at this school who played it, including almost all of my friends. But one night I succumbed to the temptation and got sucked into the never-ending addiction.

Tetris is one of the oldest games for computers. I remember playing it when I was younger on my parents big old desktop computer.

Now, it is even more fun than ever to play a competitive version through an application on Facebook. You are allowed 2 minutes of time where in you and your opponent battle it out to see who can get the most points. At the end, depending on who wins or loses, you earn or lose stars, which help you earn a higher rank and win money so you can buy new cool features for the game.

The winner is determined by the number of “Lines Sent” – Higher number means you’re the winner!

You can play against one or more person at once, and also request to play your friends.

I know it’s terrible how much I love this game now. I really should be studying for final exams, but tetris battle is always lurking in the background, calling my name and waiting to distract me!