Gastric acid

thehungryrunnergirlLeave a comment

Gastric acid helps digest food we eat, control propagation of viruses. The body secretes 0.5 liter of it, which is the size of 500ml bottle for every meal. When you’re hungry, its acidity becomes very strong that it can even melt metals!!!

But if the acid could melt metals, how does the stomach membrane remain unhurt? It’s because when the acid is secreted, simultaneously it secretes viscous liquid to make a protection of the surface. The viscous liquid is alkalinity, which neutralize the acid!

Makes sense!

BEST MOVIE.

yrreskrapLeave a comment

21 Jump Street is quite possibly the best movie I’ve ever watched.

It is a remake of a television series featuring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. Let me tell you, the combination is incredible. The theme of the movie was reliving high school memories.

Jonah Hill, the once nerdy high school outcast was cool when he did high school over again as an undercover cop. It was the opposite for Channing Tatum. The once popular jock was now considered “uncool.”

This movie had me laughing almost the entire time. It was my kind of humor. Stupid and spontaneous.

You MUST watch the trailer:

Wasn’t it funny? Did it make you laugh?

Now, you must get off your chair and turn the computer off and head over to the nearest theater ASAP to watch 21 Jump Street!

RELAY FOR LIFE!!!

rangerthecat1 Comment

Relay for Life is an extremely amazing event sponsored by the American Cancer Society. I have gone to if for the past 2 years, and I was looking forward to this years event. I had been counting down the days to Relay for Life for a while, and I was so excited when it finally came.

In the weeks leading up to RFL, I had been trying to raise money for the cause and needed $100 to participate in the overnight portion. So, I asked all of my family and friends and within just about a week, I raised the money that I needed. Overall, out school team raised $3,210! I thought that was pretty amazing. For that, we received a Bronze Medal award which means that we were a very valuable contributor.

I left early with my friend Evan to help set up our booth on Buena Ventura High School‘s track/football field. We decorated our booth with colorful paper flowers in support of this years “fiesta” theme, due to Cinco de Mayo. We also had a lot of colorful posters and other decorations. We sold these paper flowers, ceramic mugs & bowls, and auctioned off themed baskets including chocolate, beach, spa, and movie themes, in order to raise more money for the American Cancer Society.

At our booth, we had a lot of fun costumes and hats, and all of the students that came to support the cause dressed up in ridiculous outfits including banana suits and Dr. Seuss attire and walked laps. There was live music, fun games, and many cool and informative booths to visit, with anything from face painting to a bike auction.

In last year’s event, a couple who were cancer survivors had their wedding right on the field. It was a very special event and meant a lot to them. This year, sadly, the man’s cancer has returned. Fortunately, he was able to show up at the event with his wife, and it was very inspirational. He was walking around and having a good time. It was great to see all of the support they had from people at the event and I’m so glad they were able to come this year.

After dinner time, and after returning from a Battle of the Bands contest at Thacher school, my friend Wendy and I returned to the track to walk in the night portion of the event. There were a lot less people walking during the night, and it was very tiring. There were only 5 of us, until at about 12 o’clock, another faculty member and her boyfriend showed up to help us out. I think throughout the night, we managed to keep at least 1 member of our team on the track. Wendy and I took naps in hour increments, but it was too cold to actually sleep, and we would get up from time to walk some laps and warm ourselves up.

It was a very great experience. The Luminaria lit up around the track were very inspirational and a reminder that there have been so many people effected by cancer. It kept me walking and helped me realize how lucky I am to not have been effected too harshly by this disease, and also the importance of the support I was giving to this event.

Overall, the event was really great and I am so glad I have had these last 3 years to support a great cause. Hopefully, with all the money raised through all the Relay for Life events, more progress will be made in order to minimize the devastating effects of cancer and help find a cure. I am proud to say that was part of the OVS team. We did such a great job and I hope we continue this effort in the years to come.

Sleepyhead.

YourcupateaLeave a comment

Sleep

Being tired is sometimes the worst feeling in the world. You wake up early, feeling strangely refreshed after a long day and a short nights sleep. You get ready to go out or to work, really fit and keen to commence with the day. About an hour later this rejuvenated, energized state goes, replaced by overwhelming tiredness.

The urge to sleep has been bugging at me for about 8 hours now, yet I just can’t afford to do it. I have two AP exams tomorrow that I have been constantly studying for, I have homework and I have tasks to complete before I relax, close my eyes and drift into a peaceful dream state.

This sounds heavenly to me right now: sleep, dream, no more tiredness, heaven.

Right now I need to snap out of being a sleepyhead, maybe drink some coffee and continue on my study mission. Sleeping can remain a dream that will happen sometime in the future.

Toyota GT86/Subaru BRZ

therightliberalLeave a comment

It is a rare thing for a great sports car to come out that is under $30k that is front engined, RWD, and low to the ground.

But the new Toyota GT86/Subaru BRZ (referred to BRZ for the sake of my fingers) is just that and from what I have heard, the best affordable sports car to come out for years.

Not only is it sexy, its quick. Sure, a 4 cylinder boxer engine is not going to have the highest top speed but it revs high and delivers power quickly.

The creation of this car was not a regular one. Toyota and Subaru teamed up which quite frankly is a fantastic choice. Toyota has a great history with small sports cars like the s2000 and Subaru makes magnificent rally cars that are reliable. Both companies have a lot of experience with small engines and small price tags.

Together they seem to have created a car that can appeal to not only gear heads like me, but anyone who likes a good looking, manual car that is quick and affordable.

I haven’t been in one or even seen one in person for that matter. But from the reviews, specs and intuition I feel that this is going to be a great car.

League final

thehungryrunnergirlLeave a comment

Last Wednesday, the Thacher School held the final league meet for track and field. The weather was perfect for racing; cloudy but not too cold, about 68 degrees. Starting from 4 x 100m relay, which Ojai Valley School took the 2nd place! I ran the 800m, 1600m, 3200m and the 4 x 400m relay. There’s only about half an hour to 50 minutes between the events, so I had to recover as soon as possible. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but I had so much fun.

There were runners from Cate, Thacher, Providence Hall and us, Ojai Valley School. It was such an exciting meet! My favorite event was 4 x 400 relay, which was my first and last relay of the season.

Nice job OVS track team!

Thank you for all the people who came to watch and support us!

Cars, Cars, Cars

therightliberalLeave a comment

I love cars and I cannot fully explain why. There is something about them that just excites me and turns me into a little boy.

I think Top Gear said it best by calling that feeling the “fizz”, the feeling that certain cars give you that just cannot be explained.

I love going fast and yet I don’t need to while enjoying a car (although some cars just have to be driven quickly).

Being a poor teenager there is no way that I get to drive supercars and hypercars, just admire them from a distance.

And yet, that is good enough for me.

It is an art form that combines design with functionality. It is not something that can be replicated exactly but something that evolves and is interpreted differently.

A simple car that is made as cheaply as possible is just as impressive as a car that can go over 200 mph. It is the brilliant engineering in both.

Ultimately a great car is one that you can bond with, one that adopts human-like characteristics. That is the dream car, no price tag, no status, just a relationship.

My Current Musical Obsessions

yrreskrapLeave a comment

I think it is amazing what a voice and a guitar can do together.

I am currently obsessed with these two contestants of a Korean television show called KPOP Star. Before I start flooding this blog with videos of them performing, I’d like to mention that they both come from Southern California.
So Cal represent!


This is Woosung Kim. Actually, this is one of his first videos on the show. It includes a little bio about him. He also sings one of my favorite songs: Live High by Jason Mraz.
I LOVE HIS VOICE!!!
And although he can’t dance, he does not say no when the judges ask him if he can dance. He puts himself out there, shuffling at the end of the video to get a few laughs from the audience. Ah, just great!!


In this video, he changes a k-pop song into more of a ballad. Again, it is just his voice and the guitar. It’s pretty great.

This next video is of another contestant that I like as well. He got a little farther in the competition. His name is Jaehyung Park.


This song is a cover of Frank Ocean’s “We All Try.” He changes it up to have more of an R&B feel. To be honest, I like this version so much better!


If you know me, I am a big fan of Maroon 5. And when I heard him sing this song, I nearly melted right then and there.


This is another great video but my favorite one is the next one!


This is a song that I haven’t been able to get out of my head. I think he sings with such genuine emotion.

I hope you all enjoyed this blog and become fans too!!

Combinations.

Yourcupatea1 Comment

Beans on toast

There are some combinations that just go naturally together: pancakes and syrup, cookies and milk, and of course the classic all time American snack, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

These are all American traditions, none of which I have adopted. In England we have our own that strangely many people in the foreign country do not know. These are all things that I am unwilling to let go and still today practice on a daily basis.

Here are just a few of my all time favorites: tea and biscuits (yes you’d call them cookies), beans and toast, chips (fries) and mayonnaise, and these are only a few.

Ok these may all seem a bit alien to you but so do many of the things that Americans eat I mean pancakes and sausages, really? But you never know how good they are until you try them. So mix it up try some different combinations.

The mighty 12

venturatreker1 Comment


Today we played Midland in lacrosse.  For us this was our lynch pin game, the game we worked up to the entire season.  In the end we lost. But what I love most about our team is that the score does not matter.  Win or lose, we play every minute of every game.  Unlike many other OVS teams, losing does not deter us, because no matter what we grow and learn from our defeats and always come back stronger the next time around.

In today’s game we had one goal at the half, down by 6.  Even for Lacrosse that is a big lead.  Yet we came out playing harder than we had all game, and were rewarded with a goal, And let me tell you, you would think we had just won the super bowl we were so excited and jumping around.  Two minutes later, another goal, and we just won Gold medals in the Olympics.

The point I am making is that no matter what is happening it is important to always stick with it because no matter what you will learn from it and get better. Every game we’ve played this season we always walk away with our heads high, leaving it all on the field.