Monthly Archives: November 2023

Time Management

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As finals slowly approach, I have often found myself stressed with school and sports. Balancing school, sports, and extracurriculars has proven to be a struggle in my life and many others. Learning how to manage time has proven to be a beneficial skill in life, but it is challenging to learn. 

Here are two ways you can master time management:

  1. Creating a To-Do List
  • There’s a reason why creating a To-Do list is so popular: using a To-Do list can help you keep track of homework, upcoming projects/tests, and chores around the house. To-Do list lets you plan your study time and mark what you complete. Using a list helps you monitor your assignments. A bonus is that checking off a task is a motivator to finish homework.
  • If you prefer to keep track of your To-Do list online, there are many websites (and apps) to do so. I enjoy Pomofocus; this website has a To-Do list and a Pomodoro timer. This leads me to my second point–use a timing system!
  • Benefits: Checking off tasks creates a sense of accomplishment, limits stress, and lessens procrastination.
  1. Utilizing Timing Techniques
  • A timing system allows for the allotted time of working and breaks. The Pomodoro Strategy arranges 25 minutes of work time and 5-15 minutes of rest time. This enables users to have time for work and breaks. Studies have shown that people with gaps between study sessions are more productive than those without. 
  • The Pomodoro Technique has helped me set realistic goals when studying by creating small steps that gradually build up to my main objective.
  • Benefits: Increases accountability, reduces distractions, and improves productivity.
  • An extra note: Looking ahead in the next week or two is essential when planning your study time. This can help you stay on top of upcoming tests and projects.

Final Notes!

Since I have used these strategies in school, I have never missed an assignment and had time to study for exams. Though these two tips seem like small factors in the large scheme of things, setting a To-Do list and timing techniques significantly improve time management.

Organizing your time is essential to being a successful student, employee, and athlete. Using these methods will help you maximize your productivity in a small amount of time.

Thank you for reading!!

– Gwendy M.

Dolphin Day!

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Today, I had the opportunity to go to Laguna Hills Beach and swim with dolphins! It was an incredible experience I could never forget!

I swim competitively for a team called Evolution, and every Saturday, our team picks a specific beach to swim at and have fun. Usually, I hate morning practice because I have to wake up early, but today, my sister convinced me to go saying, “it will be a fun experience!”.

At first, I thought “yeah, sure it will”, but as soon as we started warming up I couldn’t help but keep staring at the sea and seeing fins pop up and out of the water and quickly go back under the waves. I was startled, because at first I thought it was a shark, but I soon realized sharks don’t surface to breathe very often, and soon came to a conclusion that they were dolphins!

Everyone on my swim team was talking and were excited to see the dolphins, but not me. They were swimming awfully close to the beach, and I heard from someone once that dolphins liked to swim near people, and could bite you. Because of this, I was thinking about not swimming at all. But my coach kept telling me that dolphins won’t bother you unless you bother them. I started calming down, so I ran into the waves and started swimming.

We had to swim past 3 buoys in the water, which was around 1000 yards, since we also had to swim back to the sand. Just my luck that I went in late that day, and I was the last person swimming, trying to catch up with the group. I was swimming for a good 5 minutes when suddenly, a huge figure popped out of the water and I was on the verge of screaming. It was a dolphin, and as soon as it appeared, it disappeared under the waves. That dolphin was HUGE! It was so close I could almost touch it! I was fearful, and started sprinting to catch up with the group. My heart beat was extremely high, and every thought in my head was “catch up with the group, get back to shore”. After about 5 minutes, I was so close to catching up with the group, almost 20 meters, until I took a breath and looked down. Something was moving below me and I was so terrified! I finally managed to catch up with the group, dead last and shaking.

Today was a day I definitely wouldn’t forget!

-Alia Charles, 8th grade

Quick Tips for AP Bio

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I know many students nowadays are stacking up on AP courses, especially the AP sciences: AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Environmental Science, and even AP Physics.

There are other AP classes of course, but I guess I just wanted to give some advice if you are taking AP Bio this year as well as how to pass the exam and get good grades in the class. I took AP Bio last year (got an A in both semesters and a 4 on the AP test). Overall, I thought it was a really meaningful class and is something you can learn and use the rest of your life. So, here are some tips:

  1. The most important thing in AP Bio is not actually memorizing material! Yes, there are a lot of processes that you have to remember (Krebs Cycle, DNA replication…etc..), but it’s more important to understand the logical processes. How does this work? How does that work with this system? One process that worked for me was to read through the textbook and then brain dump everything I remembered. Then, for the things you forget, you can go back and fill your notes in! It’s a great way to practice your active memorization skills.
  2. I would say the other important thing is to use your AP Bio Princeton Review Books if you have them. I think there are some used ones in the library that are very cheap! They are great, especially for summarizing the most important materials. I would recommend using your school provided textbook and the AP Bio reviews at the same time, so that you can have 1. double the amount of information 2. It acts as a great review!
  3. The quizlets, Khan Academy videos, as well as some of the online free AP Bio tests are great to use to practice as well. Use the quizlets for the class tests! (p.s some of the questions actually popped up on the exam!) Also, the Khan Academy is great for when you don’t understand a topic since they honestly oversimplify everything. There are good online free AP Bio tests that you can use from Varsity Tutors. Nearing the day of the AP test, there is a public 2013 MCQ and FRQ exam posted from College Board (it was very helpful btw and also contained an answer key!)

To be honest, if you really love science, then you will really have a fun time with this class! The labs were really meticulous, but they are tested on the AP exam, so I would also just recommend looking over those before the exam as well. Good luck!

AP Biology books are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

My Favorite Baseball Players

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This is a list of some of my favorite baseball players–not necessarily picked based on their talent level. I first became captivated by the sport in May of this year when my family and I went to see a game where the Los Angeles Angels were playing the Minnesota Twins, and I haven’t lost interest since. While the Angels are definitely the favorite in my family, not all of the players on this list are from the team.

#1: Zach Neto:

Zach Neto #9 of the Los Angeles Angels turns and throws to first during the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on July 31, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

The Angels’ twenty-two-year-old rookie shortstop wasn’t originally one of my favorites. To me, he was just another new player that I had to remember. But as I’ve watched him play throughout the season, I’ve definitely changed my opinion. The reason for this is not just because he’s fun to watch–although he undeniably is. It’s because he’s young and eager and while he’s not always the most patient at the plate, he has talent and potential. He’s unquestionably someone to watch out for in the years to come.

#2: Adley Rutschman:

This is one of the many non-Angels players that I like. This young player is unarguably talented–he’s one of the Baltimore Orioles’ best catchers, if not their very best. He was named one of the American League All-Stars this year and got the opportunity to be one of the youngest All-Stars of the modern era. He ended the year with twenty home runs and a batting average of about .275 for this season–and he’s only been playing in the major leagues for a few years.

#3: Andrew Velazquez:

Andrew Velazquez

He’s a veteran player and has been playing in the major leagues for years, getting bounced around from team to team. He only has twelve home runs in his entire career, and his batting average is well below .200, but the aspect of him I like is that he’s always willing to step in where he’s needed, whether that be at second base or center field, and always plays with a smile on his face. He’s currently with the Atlanta Braves, one of the best teams in the game, although he played most of his games this season with the Angels.

#4: Randal Grichuk:

Los Angeles outfielder Randal Grichuk runs the bases. He was unclaimed on waivers.

He’s another veteran player and one of the Angels’ outfielders. He was traded to the Angels in July from the Colorado Rockies along with teammate C.J. Cron for a couple of the Angels’ pitchers. The Angels were desperately in need of outfielders at one point this season after losing left fielder Taylor Ward and center fielder Mike Trout to injuries, so Grichuk was their substitution. He’s been playing in the major leagues for almost a decade and shows every sign of continuing his career next season.

As you can probably see, I haven’t chosen all of these players for their talent or what team they play for. I like their attitude about the game and I love watching them play. Please tell me in the comments who your favorite players are!

GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo (Album review/comparison)

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Olivia Rodrigo came out with her second studio album, GUTS, recently. Now most have heard her chart-breaking songs from her last album, SOUR, like “Drivers License” and “Deja Vu”, with the album as a whole hitting around 300 million streams. But her new song “Vampire” itself has reached about 100 million streams and the album, GUTS is at 200 million streams so far with an upcoming world tour to it. At only 20 years old she has had a very successful acting and music career winning 3 Grammys. On her new album there are 12 songs. My personal favorite songs are “Lacy” and “Get Him Back!”

Lacy, is a 2:57 minute song which dives deeper into comparing oneself to this perfect type of person named Lacy. I love this song because of how relatable it can be and the metaphors she uses in the song like, “skin like puff pastry” and “eyes white as daisies” portraying the amount of effort and potential time she put into this song. It is more of a mellow song with amazing lyrics.

Get Him Back!, a 3:31 minute song dives deeper into the idea of a toxic ex knowing all the bad or annoying things he did but also remembering the fun times with him and deciding if you really want them back or if you just miss the idea of them. The song is very upbeat, fun, and not to structured which gives a unique vibe to it.

I personally love this artist but her new album does not impress me as much as her old one, SOUR. She is overall a very talented artist with so much more to give! I recommend you check out her new music and even her old music!

Ordem Paranormal: Quarentena

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Contains minor spoilers for the series

A virus has spread throughout the world. Unknowingly, you have just volunteered your life to stop it. Five teenagers are taken by an industry called Pancea, and it’s your job to stop this outbreak. With nothing much but a mistrustful guide, an unremovable glove, and a… hamster? You have to find the cause for this disaster and fix it.

Ordem Paranormal is a tabletop roleplay game series that features content creators from all over the world. We have Cellbit as the gamemaster, Baghera as Lucie, Quackity as Benito, Pactw as Diego, FoolishGamers as Jeffrey, and Roier as Luis. It is split into two parts: par tone, which took place online, and part two, which took place in Brazil in real life. The series is available on Youtube in English and Portuguese.

The scene starts out at an office in Mexico where Benito, Jeffery, and Luis sign up for the program. They’re not told much except for that it will help advance the future. A few of them are in it for the money, too. A similar scene is happening at the same time in Brazil with Lucie, Diego, a girl named Emi, and her dad. They are taken into a room and asked a few questions. Not even a few minutes later, both surveyor plant a drowsiness bomb and flee the room. All participants black out.

All of them arrive in a sweltering hot boiler room with a mechanical glove attached their left hand, and their right tied up. A stranger by the name of Micael hands them a key before running out of the room with no further explanation. After a few moments of Jeffrey consulting his pocket hamster, Wallace, they’re able to free themselves and flee the room. They’re met with a strange facility, where blood is stained everywhere and dead bodies litter the ground. The only thing going through their minds are “Where am I?” Micael is able to answer that. He tells them that a virus has spread all over the country, and that they’ve been blacked out for quite a while. The glove they have is the only thing protecting them from being infected too. Then, from around the corner, a disfigured creature stalks towards them. It has glowing, neon wires connecting human-like bodies together into an abomination. It moves jerkily, as if fighting for control. Little do they know, this isn’t the only one out there.

That is just the beginning of an entire series of incredible storytelling and jaw-dropping plot twists. If you’ve never watched a roleplay game, this is your chance. Personally, this was my favorite series out of everything watched, even out of professionally made movies. Cellbit’s ability to bring the player’s words to life plus characters you can’t help but root for make for one remarkable story. I fell in love with Ordem Paranormal, and if you watch it I guarantee you will too.

Yummy: A History of Dessert by Victoria Grace Elliott

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This graphic novel is one smart cookie. This graphic novel was informative, but not boring and droning and was tasty to look at. I liked many things about this book, mainly its images and lessons.

The book is divided into different sections, or chapters, for different desserts. The desserts shown are

  • Ice cream
  • Cake
  • Brownies
  • Donuts
  • Pies
  • Gummies
  • Cookies 

And

  • Macaroons 

Something I liked about this book is how they presented the information. This book has three main characters who are called sprites. They are named Peri, Fee and Fada. I love their designs because the colors are really bubbly and the images are all really curved. Like bubble letters. Back to the information point, these characters talk all about the desserts. They do science labs, interviews with “famous bakers” (one of the sprites dress up in costumes), recipes and story times where they read legends of desserts. You would be surprised at how many dessert legends there are. 

Anyways, there are not many recipes for a dessert book, but I love how many things are included. The author added maps so you can find locations and a lot of different cultures! And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. Cultures from all over the world are represented which was quite refreshing compared to other books.

To return back to my design compliments, this book has a really perky design. The colors are bright and dessert-like. The sprites are tiny and cute and all of the desserts look positively amazing. The design is impressive because the ilustrador had to draw dozens of desserts in the same format, which can be difficult to do.

To wrap it all up, I love this graphic novel. I thought it would be a bit boring because I normally don’t like non-fiction books, but this one was good. If you like baking, are interested in baking or just like looking at pretty drawings of food, I recommend this graphic novel for you!

Yummy: A History of Dessert by Victoria Grace Elliott are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Calisthenics for Beginners

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Are you interested in building muscle and working out? Yet, you don’t have the time or money to buy a gym membership/expensive equipment.

I suggest that you try calisthenics, which is a method of exercising entirely in the form of bodyweight exercises, meaning that you use your own weight and the force of gravity to build muscle. This method of exercising is excellent for those who are on a low-cost budget, yet still want an efficient way to workout and build strength and muscle.

Now what are some types of calisthenics exercises?

These exercises include Push-ups, Squats, Sit-ups etc.

Unlike traditional weightlifting, you do not use progressive overload, rather you can increase the intensity and difficulty of your workout, by using harder variations, for example, instead of a normal push-up, do a diamond pushup. You can also introduce more reps for each exercise per set.

For those of you who are new to working out, a “rep” is a single repetition of an exercise, such as 1 rep of a pushup being performing 1 pushup, a set is a set is a collection of reps performed one after each other. Take a 30-to-60-second break in between each set.

Keep in mind, that most of these exercises will only work 1 or 2 muscles, but they will each have their own respective variations which when performed can be used to work different muscles, such as close-grip push-ups rely more on the triceps, while shoulder-width pushups relying more on the chest.

Plyometrics is similar to calisthenics, but instead of solely building strength, plyometrics focuses on building explosiveness, which is especially beneficial for athletes.

Now that you understand what calisthenics are, you need a plan of the exercises that you will do, thus, I have created a beginner calisthenics plan for you, which I used to use. You will require a pull-up bar for these exercises, which can be found for up to $60, and will be very beneficial to building your back muscles. I am currently using a Kakiclay pullup bar on Amazon, which can be used for multiple exercises on that single pullup bar. (This is not sponsored in anyway, it is just what I found on Amazon and seemed like it was worth its price.)

Day 1(Upper Body):

  • Pull-Ups, 3 sets x 8 reps, Muscle Worked: Latissimus Dorsi
  • Chin-Ups, 3 sets x 8 reps, Muscle Worked: Biceps, Lats, Rear Delts, Forearms
  • Push-Ups: 3 sets x 12-15 reps, Muscle Worked: Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps
  • Dips: 3 sets x 8-10 reps, Muscle Worked: Triceps, Chest, Shoulders
  • Plank: 3 sets x 30-60 seconds, Muscle Worked: Core(Abdomen)

Day 2: Rest Day

Day 3 (Lower Body and Core):

  • Squats, 3 sets x 12-15 reps, Muscle Worked: Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, and Lower Back
  • Lunges: 3 sets x 10 reps PER leg, Muscle Worked: Quads, Hamstrings, and Glutes.
  • Hanging Leg Raises: 3 sets of 10-12 reps, Engage lower abs.
  • Russian Twists: 3 sets if 30 reps, Use a weight or water bottle if too easy, Strengthens: Oblique Muscles on the Sides of the Torso.

Day 4 (Plyometric and Conditioning):

  • Box Jumps, 3 sets of 8-10 reps, Muscles Worked: Quads, Glutes, Calves, Hamstrings, and Hip Flexors
  • Depth Jumps, 3 sets of 6-8 reps, Same muscles worked as box jumps
  • Squat Jumps, 3 sets of 12-15 reps, Muscles Worked: Quads, Glutes, Calves, Hamstrings, Hip Flexors, and Lower Back Muscles
  • Lateral Bounds, 3 sets of 8-10 reps per side, Muscles Worked: Quads, Adductors, Abductors, Glutes, Calves, Hamstrings, and Hip Flexors
  • Burpees, 3 sets of 10-12 reps, Muscles Worked: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Core, Quads, and Hamstrings
  • Tuck Jumps, 3 sets of 12-15 reps, Same as Box Jumps
  • Clap Pushups, 3 sets of 8-10 reps, Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, and Core

Day 5 (Upper Body and Endurance):

  • Pull-Ups: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
  • Push-Ups: 3 sets x 15-20 reps
  • Diamond Push-Ups: 3 sets 10-12 reps
  • Planks: 3 sets x 75-90 second

Day 6: Rest Day

Day 7 (Full Body Workout):

  1. Pull-Ups: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
  2. Push-Ups: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
  3. Squats: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
  4. Hanging-Knee Raises 3 sets x 12-15 reps.
  5. Plank: 3 sets x 60 seconds

Remember that, the more proper form and less that you “cheat” out on your reps and workout, the better results that you will see, physically and mentally.

Make sure to stretch well before and after your daily workouts to avoid cramps and injuries. And make sure to consume protein after you work, out and carbs before you work out to supply you with energy.

Thank you for reading and viewing my calisthenics page! I wish you the best on your Calisthenics journey!

Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles

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Annie and the Old One is a Newbery Honor award-winning book by Miska Miles. Annie is a young Native American girl who is very close to her grandmother. Sometimes, when they are laughing together, Annie’s grandmother seems quite young. Other times, when her grandmother is quiet and still, Annie realizes that her grandmother is very old.

One day, Annie’s grandmother announces that she will “go to Mother Earth” when Annie’s mother finishes work on a new rug. Annie is deeply saddened at the thought of her grandmother passing away, so she decides that she must stop the rug from being completed. She does everything she can to delay her mother’s work on the rug. She even attempts to unweave the rug when her mother is not looking. Annie’s grandmother takes her to a quiet place in the desert, so that she can teach Annie about the meaning of life. Annie learns an important lesson from her wise grandmother that she will never forget.

This book is quite short, but I found it to be very poignant and meaningful. I especially liked the relationship between Annie and her grandmother. Annie’s behavior after learning that her grandmother would die seems understandable. I think most children would react in such a way to the death of a loved one. It was very touching to see how much Annie did not want to lose her grandmother. I was also impressed by the way Annie learned to cope with her feelings, out of respect for her grandmother’s teachings. I believe that this is an excellent book for children or anyone else to read about dealing with family death and finding purpose in life.

Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.