Tanning

I’ve tried to be on my tanning grind lately. It’s so random for this time of year, but I’m not complaining. It was just winter, yet somehow it’s been staying so hot and sunny lately that it genuinely feels like summer already. I’ve been. trying to make the most of it, going out during prime UV whenever I can. Sometimes I even feel defeated if I don’t sit out because of school or other reasons.

I’ve become so dedicated to the routine that I will try to avoid anything that involves being inside during peak tanning hours. I can’t risk missing the small window when the sun is in the right spot, especially since the recent heatwave. My favorite part of the process is getting inside and seeing my fresh tan lines; it makes the hours spent lying out feel so worth it.

I know I’m not the only one who absolutely hates the whole process of sitting around waiting in the blazing heat for hours. It feels like it takes forever, and staying still is the worst part, but the results are always worth it in the end. There’s something about having tan lines that makes life feel a little better, especially when the weather is actually cooperating for once.

It’s been nice to slowly gravitate towards summer. Even though it was just winter and it’s technically spring, being able to sit in the sun and get a tan will always boost my mood. I’m definitely going to try and keep up with it as long as the sky stays clear, because it looks like July in mid-April, and it’s the only thing getting me through right now.

ScienceShot: Tanning Ability Driven by Evolution | Science | AAAS

PC: Google

Blurb and Thoughts

Credit: Pintrest

I swear, when I don’t have a blog to write, I have some good ideas, but when it’s time actually to write one, my brain blanks. I would always do another movie review, but I don’t really have one in mind right now. Ten Things – I can’t think of ten things to like or hate at the moment. 

I also have to make it 150 words. Although I find it difficult, once I really get into my blog, I sometimes exceed the word limit. Like right now, the more words I can think about, the higher my word count gets, so all I need to do is think of words to use, like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Now that’s a fun word to say. 

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, I just searched up what it means. It does have a meaning; I thought it was a fun word to say that came out of a Disney movie. Anyway, I have reached and surpassed the word limit.

Instagram reels

My mother has an unhealthy obsession with overloading me with at least 10 Instagram reels a day. Usually, they’re all about topics I don’t understand or have no interest in. I only respond with hearting the message, so I would think she got the memo that I don’t watch most of them, but she keeps sending more and more every day. I honestly think reels are the best sometimes, but my mother and I are not on the same wavelength of humor. Sometimes after a bad day, Im exited to see what strange reels she’s sending me, but I think my expectations are higher than what she sends. I’ll even send her a reel now and then, but she doesn’t reply; she probably thinks of my feed the same way I think of hers.

She also likes to make group chats with my friends and send us what she thinks would apply to us. I love her effort of trying to bond with us through Instagram reels, even though our humor doesn’t always match, we still find it funny. My mother’s reels are a different universe. Once she discovered them, she never turned back. She loves adding in little inspirational quotes and speeches. I don’t know how her algorithm turned into her being a motivational speaker, a chef, and an expert on how teenagers act. Her reels are all slightly painful to watch, but I still watch every single one.

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2nd semester

I would always get told that the second semester of sophomore year is way harder than the first semester, but I wouldn’t listen. I thought that there would be no change and that I could get through it. I should’ve listened because I’m just now realizing that it’s harder in all aspects. The quizzes are more difficult and much more often than last semester. Theres not many assignments, but they’ve gotten more complex since winter break. I catch myself forgetting about quizzes, and when I do remember to study, I have barely any motivation to. Compared to last semester, units have flown by with nonstop action, with no time to breathe in between. At the end of the day, I complete all my assignments on time and usually end up studying for exams. I was in a flow state last semester because I had finally gotten the hang of it, but now I feel like I’ve been set back. I’m not trying to complain about how the work is too hard, and I can’t catch a break, but it’s a fact that this semester is definitely a change I wasn’t fully ready for. Somehow, certain aspects of my life keep slipping from my mind, even when I have so much time to think back. Hopefully, I can get back into my flow state and redeem myself, but I’m warning any upcoming sophomores to be aware of the shift.

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Forgotten Holidays

When I think of holidays, I mostly think of more major holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween, but I don’t bring any attention to underground holidays. I would consider underground holidays to be Groundhog Day on February 2nd, St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, and even Easter on April 5th, even though I celebrate. I think that the more popular holidays are automatically brought to mind because they are most people’s favorites and are mostly talked about on social media. A favorite underground holiday of mine is Cinco de Mayo because even though I don’t celebrate, in Spanish class, we usually do an activity that’s not academic. I think the major holidays are so major because they come with seasons and usually have people excited leading up to them. Once the holidays are over, everyone I’ve talked to feels like they already miss the excitement of an upcoming holiday, and the actual holiday is going by so fast. Sometimes I believe that the excitement for an upcoming holiday is better than the actual holiday itself because you never know what to expect, especially on Christmas. There are also some holidays that I personally have never heard of, like World Sword Swallowers Day, which honors professionals who can swallow swords and the few people who still practice it. I don’t even know where you would have to begin to learn how to swallow a sword, but I guess it shows that some holidays are so sneaky we didn’t even know to celebrate them.

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Clavicular

Recently, on my TikTok for You page, I’ve been getting a lot of videos about the guy called Clavicular, who looks maxes. He seems really scary, but he is kind of valid. He has done tons of injections, and something called bone smashing, where he hits himself in the face with a hammer, and I thought he was just really psychotic, but somehow everything he has done has juristically changed his appearance. The second he reached his “ascension”, which is reaching his prime, he blew up. He was kicked out of college because of his looksmaxing, and even though his life felt ruined in the moment, he became successful for looksmaxing. His career is just based on rating people and trying to get his rating up, but I’m lowkey really invested. His next part of his ascension is his double-jaw surgery, and I hope it goes well and that he doesn’t botch his face.

Hammer Tool” by Design by Matt/ CC0 1.0

Driver Education

I didn’t know driver’s ed would be so hard. I imagined it would be a few paragraphs to read and then take a test about it. It’s much worse than that; there are so many subjects and so many paragraphs about them that you have to read, which are hard to memorize. I haven’t even started practicing actually driving on the road yet, which I know will be so nerve-racking. I get that once you get comfortable with driving, it eventually becomes easier and turns into muscle memory. Everyone I talk to about driving says it’s not a big deal once you get the hang of it, but I’m not sure I ever will. I really want to drive, and I can’t wait until I can start practicing, but I just know I’m not gonna be a great driver. Anytime I’m driving with someone else, I always try and figure out how they’re so comfortable with every button, turn, or exit. I know how I feel is also how most people feel, but honestly, I have no hope in myself.

Driving Car” by Matheus Bertelli/ CC0 1.0

First Semester

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!

credit: Pinterest

Californians in rain

Usually, when it rains in California, everyone wears hoodies, jeans, leggings, or tennis shoes. Almost no one wears rain jackets, rain boots, or umbrellas because we’re so used to constant sun and dryness. In other states like Hawaii, Florida, and Louisiana, rainfall happens more often, so they know what to do; instead of Californians, who have no idea how to deal with rain. In other states that get more rain, people think it’s normal to just take a walk in the rain without noticing or being bothered. When people from California find out it’s raining, it turns to war, school gets canceled, everyone stays inside, and the heater is turned on. California only gets a couple of rainy days out of the year, so for the short time we spend suffering when we’re also remembering that the rain can be helpful in some cases. The rain can be nice when indoors because we can be warm and have free rain noise to fall asleep to.

Raining Raindrops” by Pete Nowicki/ CC0 1.0

Life after high school

I’m not sure what my plan is when I graduate from high school. The only thing I’m sure I’m doing is leaving Ojai. I don’t want to leave California, but I just want to go somewhere not too far. Santa Barbara or Los Angeles would be my top choices for choosing a college and a place to live. I could still visit Ojai, but I wouldn’t have to live here. I feel like I would have a lot more freedom if I left this town, and I would get to know more people. I know college for me isn’t soon, but it’s something that’s always on my mind. I can’t wait to be independent and on my own for most of my time. The thought of moving away from my family and friends here scares me a little, but it’s something almost everyone does, and I know I’ll get used to it at some point. My biggest fear is that I won’t end up liking the college that I’ve decided on and have to stick it out for however long I go for. Leaving a place that I’m so familiar with is a scary thought because it means I will have to familiarize myself with another area all over again. I can’t comprehend the fact that a big part of my future depends on what I choose to do in high school. I have to remind myself that I’m not the only one making a decision that decides my future, because everyone else is figuring out what they want to do just like me.

stack old suitcases“/ CC0 1.0