Camping

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

This past weekend the Juniors went on their class camping trip. Personally, I love camping. Some of the best memories I have are of camping with my family and friends. So of course I was excited for this trip.

We were told it was going to be cold before leaving, and so me being me, I packed my ski clothes. That was probably the one time I’ve over-packed and it’s been a good thing.

We left school Friday afternoon and drove up towards Mammoth, California. The minute we stepped out of the vans after our five-hour drive, I was glad I had stuffed my bag with extra clothes until it was bursting at the seams.

That night, we struggled to get our tent up in the dark. The tent poles would numb our hands, forcing us to take turns trying to set it up. It also didn’t help that the four of us had no clue how to set it up. But with help from our teacher, we were eventually able to get it standing.

The next day we took a trip to the local fish hatchery, which was apparently one of the largest rainbow trout hatcheries in the West. Or something like that. From there, we continued to a much needed trip to the natural hot springs.

Definitely the highlight of the trip right there.

There were two different pools – we called them the party pool and the senior pool. In the party pool they did belly-flops and covered each other in mud. My friends and I were not a part of that. We went to the senior pool (which wasn’t actually a senior pool, we just decided to relax and enjoy it) instead. It was so nice sitting in the hot water and looking at a stunning view, even if the water wasn’t exactly the cleanest.

After the hot springs we headed back to the camp and another freezing night. We attempted to make beef stroganoff for dinner, which didn’t work out too well. As soon as dinner was over we all crawled into our tents and sleeping bags and huddled for warmth.

The next two days we spent hiking. We hiked quite a ways the first day, and the second day we made the short trek to the Devil’s Postpile, and then continued on to Rainbow Falls, which was amazing.

The night after our hike to Rainbow Falls was our last, and we froze our toes off yet again. In the morning, we woke up, packed our bags, and loaded into the vans.

We took a small detour to Pie in the Sky up the road, and had some 0f the best pie I’ve ever had. The Pecan Chocolate Chip Pie was to die for.

After our detour, we loaded back into the vans for the five hour drive back to school – and some much needed showers.

Overall, the trip was fun. We may have been cold and hungry, but the things we did and saw were really cool. We also grew much closer as a class. It was definitely worth it.

Daph

Do video games make people violent?

infamousdolphinLeave a comment

Due to the new release of Grand Theft Auto V, the fifth part of a huge franchise well known for its irrational amount of violence, anti-gamers from all around the world have risen to social media to protest.

GTA 5

Their purpose is to stop violent video games from entering the hands of the so anticipating gamers. Their argument? Video games turn people into violent murder machines. However, considering that the most violent thought I get while playing this game or any other is how brutally I wish to devour a pack of Doritos, it is safe to assume that a large portion of gamers are not influenced in real life by actions performed in-game.

But how about those who are? For example, Andres Breivik, a Norwegian mass killer guilty of murdering 69 people and setting bombs in government facilities was linked to the extended use of violent video games. However, Breivik was diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia and was also abusing illegal substances. Also, his motive for the attack was Islamophobia, which is not preached in any video game. Anyhow, Breivik did refer to games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as training tools that helped him sharpen his aim.

After the massacre, some video game retailers in Norway banned violent video games temporarily. Blaming video games for the actions of a criminally insane man is as ridiculous as blaming the car for the actions of a drunk driver, or even blaming alcohol.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders_Behring_Breivik

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/09/12/training-simulation-mass-killers-often-share-obsession-with-violent-video-games/

The Real Battle For Syria

infamousdolphinLeave a comment

Asides from the rumors of the United States arming rebels, the Obama administration hasn’t truly intervened in the ongoing Syrian conflict all that much until recently. The deployment of chemical weapons in Syria caused a major disturbance that cried for the US government to step in. However, is a US intervention truly necessary? Or is it just fresh lemonade for America’s insatiable oil thirst? Most people would argue that the purpose of an intervention is to protect refugees and civilians. Others would argue that the US is after Syrian oil fields. Unfortunately, both of those assumptions are wrong. We all wish it was just that simple; however, considering America’s Predator Drone rampage in Pakistan, it is safe to assume the Obama administration doesn’t really care about civilians, and Syria’s oil fields resemble a droplet of water in comparison to Iran’s massive ocean.

Bashar Al-Assad leader of Syrian government.
Bashar Al-Assad, leader of the Syrian government.

So one may ask, why is the United States of America meddling in this foreign mischief? Simple, the answer is oil. Not Syria’s oil, but rather Iran’s. In 2010, Syria, Iran and Iraq set a plan in motion which was set to build a pipeline connecting the south of Iran, through Syria and into Europe. Seems harmless right? Considering that all that precious oil will most likely end up in western hands. However, the original plan was to include Qatar, one of the world’s largest oil producers, and a beloved ally of the USA, to supply a pipeline that would go through turkey and into Europe. Nonetheless, Bashar Al-Assad, the ruler of Syria, decided that its enemy Sunni states shouldn’t be involved, so he denied their participation. Instead, Syria chose to stick with the Iraq and Iran plan with Russian support over the Qatar and Saudi Arabia option with American support. If Syria, Iran and Iraq  permit the involvement of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the Nabucco pipeline, a project set to diminish European dependence on Russian energy would be successful. However, Iran and Syria refuse to support the Nabucco project and decided to stick with the Syrian pipeline, also known as the Trans-Arabian . Nabucco would go through Turkey instead.

To this point it is obvious that the reason the United States wishes to topple the Assad regime is to gain control of that pipeline and restart it. This time with the main participation of Qatar and Saudi Arabia. This also explains the constant intervention of Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who have been supplying weapons to the Free Syrian Army and the rebels. To summarize, the pathetic excuses of the Obama administration are specifically designed to maintain the public distracted from the real intentions of the US, which are and will always be to obtain more oil. A perfect example was set in the Bush administration, where George W. Bush claimed that there were WMDs present in the region of Iraq and invaded the country. The US found no WMDs and the entire war just ended up on another pipeline that  the dutch company Shell now controls.

Links:

http://www.eia.gov/countries/cab.cfm?fips=SY

Just a Little Bit

indigoshellLeave a comment

I’ll consider myself an avid rider for the moment. The first time I rode a horse was when my trainer plucked me off the ground, from atop a tall horse mind you, and plunked me down onto said horse. He then proceeded to gallop 6467, the horse’s racing name and number, at full speed.

It was exhilarating and supposedly terrifying too, though I don’t recall feeling any fear. I remember my eyes tearing up due to the wind and the world around me reduced to blurry shapes. My heart was beating to the sound of stomping hooves.

I rode and jumped Tai Yan, sun in Chinese, for two years before stopping due to health reasons.

One of the first things I saw upon arriving at OVS was an Equestrian coach, sitting on a horse, and watching the cars go by.

The first day of sports I nearly hurtled myself into the barn to reunite with equine life.

After two more years riding horses and training ponies I’d say I’m quite familiar with equine creatures, big or small.

Little Bit was a dwarf miniature horse.

Dwarf. Miniature. Horse.

DWARF. MINIATURE.

IN WHAT WORLD DO HORSES COME IN THAT SIZE.

During camp I finally got a chance to explore the Back Pastures. Malachi, the Dromedary Camel, was the focal point of the back pastures, mooing and grunting and giving icky sloppy kisses.

After escaping Malachi I look around and practically trip over what I thought was a baby pony.

“Hey Little Bit!” our counselor croons, bending down to pet the creature. “This is Little Bit, our Dwarf Miniature Horse!”

OH MY GODS.

I stood gaping for a full minute trying to make sense of the little horse.

I did not understand how horses could be dwarf miniatures.

I felt like I had grown six feet because we were surrounded by miniature horses and they were so tiny. Little Bit dwarfed them all though and I was just speechless because it felt like Mother Nature bungee-jumped in front of my face waving a flag and said “NOPE”.

But not in the bad way. Walking around the mini-horses was an adorable experience but every second of it I was thinking “what is going on what is happening where am I what world is this.”

I’m still slightly in shock and denial.

Our Savage World

frog3Leave a comment

h7h

We all used to crawl into the ground,

Long before civilization was around.

Then came a bolt or burning stick,

Melted flesh would make one sick.

Through pain there is joy,

We unlocked nature’s burning toy.

Cooking of prey became the norm.

Raw flesh became a thorn,

In the side of a healthy life.

Why did we cause our own strife?

A simple way to live is what we had,

We evolved and now society is glad.

For what?

To work, and stress and to make our mark.

I would say our society still lives in the dark.

A warrior’s sting

frog3Leave a comment

gg5

The bee buzzes, flying in the afternoon sun.

They came, not from the sky but from a hive.

It was a hive of distrust and betrayal.

Buzzing and dancing the bees fled from a dying land.

They fly, oblivious to the pain they cause.

While responsible for life their stingers,

can cause death.

They swarm as a group, attacking any outsiders.

Their loyalty lies with the group.

Those who wish to become one of them,

simply cannot.

Their method of communication makes all attempts at diplomacy fail.

When aggravated they valiantly go to their deaths, not for the individual but for the sake of the swarm.

Such and enemy will never be stopped

only delayed.

1-0…. Again

callmemaybe321 Comment

Well we just played our first game of the season on Wednesday and just like last year’s first game…. WE WON!!!!

It was a great game against Thacher’s JV squad, but we came out on top.

The game started of with an upbeat tempo.

One of our running-backs, Min Choi, scored a touchdown on the first play of the game.

I thought I was going to be a lot more excited when that happened, but I felt like crap.

I had been fighting a gnarly cold all week and I still am.

I had crap in my lungs making it hard to breathe, and I was just generally exhausted from being sick.

On top of that I was stupid and forgot to drink anything during the day which is unlike me. I was so crazy dehydrated during the game that I kept getting dizzy, and I didn’t really pay attention to what was going on; I kind of just played and that was it.

Anyways, it was still fun to play.

Playing a game is always fun especially when the score climbs and climbs and climbs, with nothing on the opposition’s side.

By about 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter the score was 44-0 in our favor.

Thacher ended up scoring shortly after that, but it wasn’t enough to make a come back.

We were very excited to play, and we as a team are looking forward to playing Trinity Classical Academy next week.

It is going to be a very tough game, as Trinity was 5th in California last year, but we are a different team then we have ever been.

Before our games and during practice sometimes I lead a chant where I ask my team what season it is. The answer to the question…. THE SEASON!

This is the season for OVS football. Almost our entire team is seniors. We have all played and started for 3-4 years. The total years between all the players is what all high school teams are looking for.

Not to mention, or defensive and offensive line adds up to close to 1,000 pounds of pure man.

I hope this season goes well and I hope we go undefeated. The only downfall to us going undefeated is that I made a bet with a teammate.

I bet him if we went undefeated I would pierce my nipple and my ear, and connect the two piercings with a chain.

I have no idea why I made this bet, but in the state of happiness I will be in if we win every game, I don’t think the pain will bother me.

Stay tuned to the blog to check on the well-being of my nipple, oh yeah and also how we do on the rest of our games.

This is THE SEASON!

Afterward.

eternity1030Leave a comment

Afterward, I have learned how to love
But you have gone long ago, disappearing in the crowd.

Afterward, having wiped away tons of tears I finally realized,
you were just one of the passerby in my life.

The eternal night of the midsummer when I was seventeen,
the night you kissed me
Since then whenever I think of the stars of that night,
sadness haunts me.

How do you think about me,
with smile or in complete silence?

Afterward, when I looked back
there was a time
when a girl was so in love with a boy
who would never come back.

Headbutts and Back Climbers

indigoshellLeave a comment

Goats are like a strange mix of dogs and cats. They love like dogs and play like cats.

There are a few goats in our camp’s animal nursery, and we could always go into their pens during free time.

One of my favorite things to do was just sit cross-legged on the ground and stare at the baby goats until they headbutted me. Regrettably, I’m a human, so I couldn’t headbutt them back. I used my hand instead and pushed against the kids, and they were surprisingly strong.

A couple weeks into camp I realized yet another thing I could do.

Although it wasn’t allowed, I found out it was really fun to let the kids jump up onto my back and let them balance.

At fist I didn’t enjoy it very much as their little hooves would stun me with sharp pain. Imagine a full-grown goat jumping onto a younger camper’s back and you’d get the idea to why the kids weren’t allowed up onto our backs.

Although I would spend most days with Stevie, Sarah, and Legolas, I would always get dragged to the nursery by one or more of my camp friends. There I would spend time “head”butting the little goats and allowing them to view the world from my back.

Goats seem to be just another under-appreciated animal.

Kevin, Kenny, and Nicholas Cage

indigoshell3 Comments

We had missed our flight.

What a way to start the first day of camp, eh? Arriving at 10pm in the dark gives a great first impression.

I had pulled an all-nighter as our flight was at 4am, which was a very stupid thing to do. I felt like death while waiting for the next plane to fly.

I was grumpy. I’m sure my little brother was too.

The car ride was awkward because everyone but my little brother and the driver was asleep.

I remember waking up and groggily stepping out of the car. The first thing I remember from the camp was a startling loud cry of a very, very familiar bird.

It was a peacock call.

All over camp, wandering freely, were peacocks. I was told that the peacocks roaming the main part of camp were called Kevin and the ones that stayed near the Animal Area were called Nicholas Cage.

During nighttime Kevin would hop up waaay up there in a pine tree, startling children walking underneath whenever they make a nighttime call. I had made a little game out of it; trying to find Kevin whenever he was in a tree. He was usually camouflaged too well among the branches and leaves but sometimes I would see the little jitter of his tail feathers.

The Animal Area was what it was called: an area for the animals of the camp. What we called the “Bird Aviary” housed many different species of birds: peacocks, pigeons, silkie chickens, and a lionhead rabbit.

The most valuable peacock we had was a half albino, half normal peacock, and he was settled in the Aviary. Prince Charming and his Princess, two albinos, were also in the Aviary.

When I was in China I grew up hearing the calls of peacocks day and night.

Most people wouldn’t expect there to be peacocks in China but for some reason there was a hotel that had peacocks in it.

Being at camp and hearing Kevin and Nicholas Cage cawing all the time brought a slight feeling of nostalgia.

After my five out of six weeks of camp was up I was told that the peacocks were actually called Kenny.

Why had nobody told me this earlier?

I had been calling them the wrong name for five weeks? But even the counselors called them Kevin!

I still call the peacocks Kevin. Old habits die hard.