I thought senior year was going to go by super slow. But we are almost done with the first semester, and I realized that soon I won’t be a high schooler anymore.
College applications have taken up so much of my time, I kind of forgot to slow down and take in the moment. This morning, I caught myself thinking about the future and not focusing on styling my hair. It was probably because I got so little sleep last night, but I keep finding myself thinking about things that are beyond my control. I need to remind myself to take in my surroundings and enjoy the present moment.
I’m scared for the future after high school. I’ll be mostly on my own, living somewhere even farther from home, surrounded by many new people. I shouldn’t be too scared, it is going to be like dorm life times 100. Even the smallest school I am applying to is 10 times bigger than our school. I’ll also learn how to balance a job between all my activities and classes. I’ve had a job before, but those positions have all been temporary and taken place during breaks.
I’m as ready as I can be for college while still remembering to take in the little moments that make up life!
This has to be one of my favorite Barbie movies since I was little. The soundtrack is beautiful; even to this day, it gets stuck in my head.
So, the movie begins with Barbie on set, acting. The movie is some Princess and the Pea knock-off that involves zombie peas. She hates it, so mid-action she yells “cut,” which gets her fired from the movie and leads her to question her acting career. Later, she gets a call from Ken, and he wants to break up with her. This leads her to question her career and her relationship, and she wants to go to Paris to visit her aunt, Millicent, a renowned fashion designer. Her friends Teresa and Nikki tell her she needs to get away from acting and Ken to think, so she does. She books a flight to Paris and blocks Ken and sets off. When she does get to her Aunt Millicent’s design studio, she finds out it’s closing, and her aunt is quitting fashion and taking on multiple new hobbies. At first, she like ” why would you do that, you love fashion and designing and your amazing at it,” which her aunt replies with soemthing like, “I do, but my design are old and there are constantly new designers with fresher ideas” “If your audence doesnt like what your doing, does it make sense to keep on doing it?” ( She’s lowkey real for that). This leads Barbie to drop the conversation because she sounds like a hypocrite.
Later, she meets Elise, an aspiring fashion designer, and they start hanging out. As their friendship progresses, Elise shows her a wardrobe full of magical fairy creatures called flairies (flaire fairies). These flares basically just make a designer’s designs better by adding a little bit of Glimmer, Shimmer, and Shyne (these are also the three flares’ names).
While this is all happening in Paris with Barbie, Ken just found out that he broke up with Barbie, and he’s panicked. Turns out, when he was reading a script about a breakup for Raquelle, she recorded him and sent it to Barbie. In his panic, he tries to call Barbie and explain, but he’s been blocked, so he calls Niiki and Teresa. They tell him instead of just trying to call her, he should do a grand gesture to show her he loves her and didn’t mean to break up with her. So he books a plane ticket to Paris without a second thought and a suitcase. He goes through all these bumps in the road, like getting stranded at the Paris airport and having to get a ride from a pig farmer.
Barbie and Elise are planning to do a last fashion show to say goodbye to Aunt Millicent as she leaves the fashion world. She and Elise create designs and go shopping for materials. While they are planning, Aunt Millicent’s competitor, Jacqueline, and Delphine plan to steal their designs and also do a fashion show with them. While spying on them, they discover the flaries.
One night, after creating the designs, they say goodbye to the flaires and leave the boutique. Later, the flairies get kidnapped by Jaqueline and Delphine and are forced to shimmer, glitter, and shine their designs even though the flaires tell them they can’t. They even tell Jaqueline that the flairies need to like the design for the magic to work, and if they don’t, something bad will happen.
When the day of the fashion show arrives, Barbie and Elise realise the flaires are gone, and they need to cancel the show. Barbie refuses and tells them they have to do the fashion show and believe in themselves or something like that (Genuinely don’t remember what was said during this part of the movie, since I was too focused on the fashion show). So they proceed with the fashion show.
While the fashion show is happening, Barbie’s dog Sequin, her aunt’s dog Jacques, and a cat, Jilliana, rescue the flaires from Jaqueline’s store. As the fashion show is happening, Ken appears and proclaims his love to Barbie ( Mid-show, while his pants are torn and his panties are out, btw). As that is happening, the flaires come and shimmer, glimmer, and shine all the clothing and change Ken’s bummy outfit into a full set suit.
Jaqueline’s fashion show became a disaster, and all the clothing on the models melted and began to stink, so everyone had to evacuate the show.
At the end of the movie, they get invited to a famous designer’s mansion for a party.
I love Los Angeles more than anything; it’s where I grew up. Because of that, it will always have a special place in my heart. I remember driving through Santa Monica when I was a little girl, not yet able to read well. I would always read it as “Santa’s Mouth” for some reason. That is something I will always remember. I used to move a lot as a kid, but it would never be from state to state. My mom and I would just move to different places in LA. Growing up in Laurel Canyon was special, and now I will always know my way around. We went from Laurel Canyon to Malibu to Santa Monica, and now we live in Ojai. I don’t even know if I want to leave California for college. Yes, I want to get to see more of the world and have different experiences. But the thought of going to college somewhere in LA has always interested me. Driving through LA now gives me the most gut-wrenching nostalgia. When I drive through LA, I listen to 2016 music and pretend I’m still in that era. My only worry was going to bed early. Now I go straight to my room and take naps after school.
There is a certain kind of chaos that hits at two in the morning. Not emotional chaos. More like a restless, slightly delusional urgency where my brain decides my entire life would make more sense if I moved my dresser three feet to the left.
It happens out of nowhere. I will be lying there, overthinking something pointless, and suddenly I am on the floor unplugging lamps and dragging furniture with the strength of someone who definitely should be asleep. It feels dramatic, but in a satisfying way.
The funny thing is that rearranging my room at that hour never feels overwhelming. It feels like clarity. My space turns into this physical version of my thoughts. Messy at first, kind of embarrassing if anyone walked in, but slowly starting to make sense as I move things around. A pile of clothes becomes less of a crisis. A crooked mattress becomes some kind of metaphor. Everything feels temporary and fixable.
I think that is why I love doing it. You cannot fix your whole life at two in the morning, but you can move your nightstand and pretend that counts. And honestly, sometimes it does.
This weekend and my club and I played a college showcase in Oceanside, San Diego. It was a 3-day showcase with 4 teams in each bracket. My team and I just moved up a level, so now we are NPL, but we were still playing teams a division higher than us. We went the weekend undefeated, with a tie in the first game on Friday, a 3-1 win on Saturday, and a 4-0 win on Sunday. I played almost the entire game every game, with only being out for 5 minutes each day. My teammates and I didn’t just play soccer; we also went to the mall, and many of us got lunch and dinner together. My mom and I stayed in a hotel right next to the fields, so it was very easy to go from the field to the hotel without going out of our way. My team has a very good chance at winning the state cup this year, and we could also win in Vegas, where there will be so many college scouts.
This past week was Thanksgiving break, and I had the lucky opportunity to have my friend Renji, who’s from Tokyo, Japan.
It was such a beautiful week with him and here’s how we spent it:
Friday 11/21: We had a day of classes but no sports, so we got picked up and headed to my house. We didn’t do too much, just ate dinner, played with my dog, and got him situated in the house.
Saturday 11/22: Today was jam-packed! We took my dog, Coco, on a walk in the morning, played tons of Fortnite and Clash Royale as two teenage boys should do. We cleaned up my room to help him get around, walked downtown, and played more video games after dinner.
Sunday 11/23: Easily the chillest day of break, stayed home all day waiting for my older brother to return home for the week from college, and that was it!
Monday 11/24: We’re finally joined at the gym by my brother, and that was nice. Renji benchpressed for the first time, and it was amazing! He was sore till Friday, but at least he had fun.
Tuesday 11/25: Renji and I went to Soule Park Golf Course with my friend Wyatt and hit balls at the range, which was a burst of pure joy! Watching Renji slice every ball for 45 minutes made my day! After, we went back to my house and played in the pool.
Wednesday 11/26: Wyatt came over, and I, Renji, Brody, who is my older brother, and Wyatt all drove down to Oxnard and went to Dick’s Sporting Goods, then Target in Ventura. Renji caused a scene in Target, and we had to leave immediately.
Thursday 11/27: Thanksgiving Day! We went to see my dad’s family in Seal Beach, and I told Renji to speak Japanese to all my family, but the lights were too bright for the kid, and he couldn’t.
Friday 11/28: Thanksgiving day 2, we had my mom’s side of the family’s dinner at our house, and it was very chill, we all ate more turkey and mashed potatoes, and all had food comas.
Saturday 11/29: Brody was gone! But Jay was here? Yes, Jay came late Friday night and spent the night. We all went to dinner at Ojai Pizza, then watched a movie that was insanely good, and I loved it and am obsessed. Sentimental Value, my good friend Ian joined us, and it was amazing.
Sunday 11/30: The worst day of them all, school was tomorrow, and Renji and Jay had to go back to upper, but it was a great week, and I’d do it again.
Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday. I have no trouble eating, but when it’s the fourth Thursday of November, my appetite seems to disappear. When I was younger my family had a huge and lively Thanksgiving dinner. My mom, dad, two half-sisters, my half-sisters’ dad, my grandparents, our baby-sitter, and our baby-sitters son were always in attendance year after year. So many people showed up to give thanks and enjoy a nice meal. I remember feeling overcome with happiness, warmth, and belonging during these celebrations. Things are different now. My parents got divorced, my two half-sisters moved out of state, their dad is never in town, my grandparents are too old to travel, my old baby-sitter is busy with new kids, and her son also moved away. This year I didn’t have a traditional Thanksgiving. I didn’t eat any Thanksgiving food, I didn’t see any family, and I wasn’t happy. Instead, I visited my mom and her new husband for lunch. We ate crab legs. Still a great delicacy but it just isn’t as magical as a traditional Thanksgiving meal. For dinner my dad dragged me along to a restaurant with his new girlfriend and her mother. Although I’m glad he is happy and has found someone he is thankful for, I don’t feel the same way towards her. Spending Thanksgiving without my family took away all the happiness, warmth, and belonging I once felt. I picked through disgusting pumpkin ravioli as my dads new girlfriend berated me with questions. I wanted more than anything to be at home with turkey, stuffing, and my own family. Everything that Thanksgiving is about has been stripped from me. I hope one day to start a family of my own where we prioritize each other especially on the one day designated for it.
Since it’s about to be Christmas, I will be reviewing Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Personally, I think it’s a 10/10 movie. The plot: 10/10, characters: 10/10, and theme: 10/10. It was my favorite movie to watch as a kid during Christmas time. So, the cast invloves Scrooge mcDuck as Ebenezer Scrooge, Mickey Mouse as Bob, Cratchit, Goofy as the spirit of Jacob Marley, Jiminy Cricket as Ghost of Christmas Past, Williw the Giant as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Pete plays the Ghost of Christmas Future. In March, I randomly would have it on. In June, with the weather at 100 degrees, you bet I was watching it. To me, it was just that good. I especially liked the version where it was the House of Mouse, with a marathon of other short stories that ended with the Christmas Carol. If you have young children, I highly recommend this movie for parents wanting a nice holiday movie to show their kids or anyone who just loves a good Christmas movie.
We had our first official OVS soccer game this week. Leading up to the game, I felt underprepared and totally not ready for the season to start. I was using hand-me-down football cleats in practice, and my new cleats wouldn’t arrive until the day of the game. I also didn’t have shin guards or soccer socks, so I was fully prepared to look so so silly or even be benched.
Luckily, I wasn’t the only one who was not at all ready. Dylan also had no socks, and half an hour before the game started, Mrs. Kocijan had to get some for us out of the student store. Mrs. Kocijan is a serious lifesaver. Dylan and I thanked her profusely for her help, and we quickly got ready for the game.
My new cleats were so lovely, and I could tell everyone on the other team was super jealous of how white they were. That lasted about 2 seconds because our field is covered in mud, and the other team stepped on me a lot. Even though the other team was super rude and pushed me so much, I managed to score a goal and celebrate with my team, who stepped on my cleats more, this time on accident.
After making such a fantastic play, the other team got even more jealous and upset at me. When I was dribbling down the field, a defender completely took my footing, and I fell and tumbled to the ground. He was silly for that because he got a yellow card and his coach took him out of the game. After the match, everyone reeled in their sportsmanship and complimented my new brown cleats.
The time is currently 5:34 a.m., and the temperature is sitting at a chilling 48 degrees. Unfortunately, I had to scramble my things together at the ungodly hour of 4:00 a.m. and step out into the biting cold to meet my driver. That said, I couldn’t be more excited to be heading home. Home, a place where the temperature still settles in the 70s and the ocean beckons with its warmth.
The flight isn’t terribly long, which gives me some downtime to work on my UC application. The PIQs don’t exactly fill themselves out, despite my hopeful expectation that they would. To speak plainly, I fear them. No, seriously, I am scared. It even makes me recoil to write the word “concrete.” I mean, I hate concrete. It is gray, dull, and brittle. Who wants to read about that?
Pulling myself back from that tangent, I am very grateful to have a week off from school, a rare chance to really focus on my college applications without the pressure of other deadlines. Hopefully, this week won’t shrink down to just two days, like most enjoyable weeks seem to do. Funny enough, the weeks that are grueling love to drag on, while the pleasant weeks fly by in a blink. I guess we will see.
OVS Journalism Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.