Author Archives: Aryan H.

Their Eyes Were Watching God Review

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In my 10th grade ELA class, we read the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. This story includes the themes of love and identity. The main character, Janie Crawford, reflects on her entire life throughout the story. She explains the restrictions of her childhood to the constant desire for love in her adulthood. As an African American, Janie has to frequently deal with discrimination and racism, but she continues to persevere.

Janie’s friend Pheoby Watson sits on Janie’s porch and listens to her story. She describes her grandma (Nanny) and the limits she placed on Janie. Nanny lived through slavery and emphasized security and protection. She valued safety over following dreams, contradicting Janie’s beliefs. Nanny forced Janie to marry an unappealing man named Logan Killicks since he can offer stability. Killicks does not provide the sense of love that Janie desires, and the relationship shortly ends. Janie’s next man, Joe (Jody) Starks, takes her away from Logan Killicks and charms her. They stay together for almost 20 years, and Jody promises a life of prosperity. However, he attempts to remove her identity, and Janie learns that she also wants freedom. Finally, Janie meets Tea Cake, who seems to be the love of her life. Tea Cake offers more than just wealth and status: a sense of kindness that Janie had never experienced. As Janie matures, she accepts his flaws and continues to love him. However, when he gets rabies, she is forced to shoot him as he attacks her.

Janie shows levels of growth throughout the novel. She begins to value herself and her identity much more. The story represents the African American community and brings attention to the issues they face. Hurston uses countless examples of figurative language to further illustrate Janie’s struggles to readers. She wants to prove the importance of following your dreams and maximizing your happiness. Their Eyes Were Watching God is a great example of the power of love and identity. It is a great piece of literature that has many twists and turns throughout Janie’s life.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Python

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Python is one of the most crucial and intriguing programming languages in the world. It was first created in the late 1980s by Dutch programmer Guido Van Rossum. He wanted to make a powerful language as intuitive as basic English. By doing so, people could express concepts in fewer lines of code.

Python is typically used for developing websites, analyzing/visualizing data, and automation. Because of its simplicity, It is incredibly effective in the real world. Since it has an elegant syntax and emphasizes readability, it is a great option for a beginner in programming. Commands such as “print” and “if, then” statements make Python a relatively easy language to learn. Other, more advanced programming languages, such as Java, have a much more complicated syntax.

Frameworks such as Django and Flask include Python and are exceptional for website building. In 2021, I created a standalone website for T-shirt shopping using Django, including Python and HTML. AI development is also reliant on Python as it is versatile and stable. It has powerful capabilities for all people, regardless of programming experience. In a society where technology has become increasingly vital, learning Python can be the first step to a career in software development.

Books about Python are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Great Gatsby

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About a month ago, I finished reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was an intriguing read as it illustrated 1920s society in America. The desire for wealth and prosperity outweighed people’s morals. The “Roaring Twenties” revolved around entertainment and consumerism because of the end of World War I.

In the novel, the main character, Jay Gatsby, was impoverished growing up but was able to gain wealth by illegally selling alcohol after the 18th Amendment was passed. Although he was proud of his money, it could never fully equate to happiness. The love of his life, Daisy Buchanan, whom Gatsby considered his soulmate, got married to another man when he went to fight in the war. However, he never gave up hope and always believed she would come back to him. Eventually, Gatsby met Daisy and attempted to rekindle their relationship. At one point, it seemed as though their spark was back and they could begin a new life together, but Gatsby pretended to offer Daisy more security than he actually could. His dishonesty was a major factor in their eventual separation. 

Toward the end of the novel, Gatsby is assassinated. As he is dying, he feels that his life is unfulfilling. Although he amassed large amounts of wealth, it could never fully equate to happiness. This story revolves around the American Dream and how it is an illusion. Gatsby worked to earn more money than he could ever need, but always felt like something (Daisy) was holding him back. He never actually achieved success because in his mind, Daisy was all he ever wanted, and she was the one thing he could never obtain.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Apple iPhone 15

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About a week ago, as it happens every year at this time, Apple released its new and improved iPhone, the iPhone 15. The original 15 currently has a starting price of $799, meanwhile the 15 Pro and Pro Max each have starting prices of $999 and $1199, respectively.

One of the biggest new features added to the iPhone 15 is the action button. This major addition replaces the ring/silent switch, which has been around since the creation of the iPhone, back in 2007. On top of just toggling between ring and silent mode, the action button is able to record voice memos, run shortcuts, turning on the flashlight, etc. It is a convenient way to perform smaller tasks, which enhances the user experience. The graphics have also been drastically improved in the new phone. The maximum brightness has been significantly increased since its predecessor. The 15 uses an A16 Bionic processor, which is not found in the original iPhone 14. Because of the USB-C 3.0, the the iPhone 15 has much better speed. It allows the phone to go about 20 times faster than the previous USB-C 2.0 port, creating a huge difference for the user. However, the iPhone 15 Pro is relatively the same as the 15. The only main difference is the camera hardware and quality, but for an extra $200, it may not be worth it for some.

Ultimately, the new iPhone 15 does have some tweaks and improvements compared to its predecessor. There is nothing extremely different that makes it seem like an entirely new phone, but it would be a good upgrade for a 2-3 year old phone.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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In mid-July, I had the opportunity to fly across the world to the Middle East and visit Dubai. It was a fascinating experience. In the early 60’s, Dubai was a complete desert with no buildings in sight. Now, just over 50 years later, there are many skyscrapers and towers, making it a beautiful city.

The most famous and well-known building in Dubai is the Burj Khalifa. With its 163 floors, it happens to be the tallest building in the world at a staggering 2716.5 feet (or 828m). Visitors are able to go to the top and see the city from above. The sandy origins of Dubai are still visible from the top, but the added buildings make for a fantastic view. Underneath the skyscraper, there is a giant area of water that somewhat resembles a pool. This place contains what is known as the Dubai Fountain. Each day, from 6pm-11pm, the Dubai Fountain show takes place every 30 minutes. It is a spectacular event with its bright lights and unique water movements.

Right beside the Burj Khalifa is the Dubai Mall, which is the largest mall in the world. In fact, the only entrance to the Burj Khalifa is through the Dubai Mall, which is why construction for both places began around the same time. The way the mall was built from the inside and outside is outstanding. The architecture was unlike any other mall I had ever seen. There are over 1200 retail stores and 200+ food and beverage outlets, making the mall worth approximately $20 million. Unfortunately, this also causes the item prices to be far higher than just shopping at Amazon.

All in all, Dubai is a wonderful city and I would highly recommend visiting it. It is a very tourist-friendly place and has some magnificent locations for families to visit. I greatly enjoyed my 9-day stay and would hope for other travelers to do so as well.

Sydney, Australia

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Recently, I went on a two-week-long trip to Australia and New Zealand. I visited many different cities, each having its own unique activities, which made me greatly enjoy the vacation. The first city we went to, which was my personal favorite, was Sydney, Australia.

Sydney is a beautiful place that features a mixture of buildings in the downtown area to an abundance of nature on the outskirts of the city. An example of this is Vivid Sydney. Vivid Sydney is a major event where the city is essentially covered with projections of light. It creates an aesthetic scenery for people to watch and take photographs. There are other ways to view this, such as by cruise. The cruise can take you across the Sydney Harbour to explore the city and view different structures. One important structure includes the Sydney Opera House, which is a performing arts center that is famous around the world. The building has a beautiful and unique design, which is what makes it so special and is the reason it took about 14 years to build. The total cost was also around $102 million in 1973, which is around $670 million today. Both Vivid Sydney and the Sydney Opera House are relatively close to the downtown area. The Blue Mountains, however, are 37 miles west of the city but are still an exceptional place to visit. The location features an outstanding view as it is almost 4000 feet above sea level. There are cable cars, trains, and skyways, which all allow people to look at the mountains from an even greater distance, adding an element of entertainment while also including the view.


All in all, this vacation was very enjoyable. There are many great parts of the city of Sydney that I would recommend. If you are to visit Sydney at any point in your life, make sure to make the most of it.

The Dallas Cowboys’ Offseason Overview (So Far)

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With the NFL training camps approaching in over a month and the draft/free agency being over, I wanted to share some of my thoughts and opinions on the offseason of my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys.

I think most people would agree that the Cowboys had a solid offseason. They fixed their two biggest needs, wide-receiver and cornerback, by picking up Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore. These are two excellent pickups, especially for the price the Cowboys got them at. Cooks was acquired for just a 2023 fifth-round pick plus a 2024 sixth-round pick while Gilmore was traded for only another fifth-round pick. Brandin Cooks has six 1000 yard seasons in his nine year career, which is one of the most in the league. Quarterback Dak Prescott struggled with interceptions last year (15 in 12 games). The main reason for this is because of his lack of wide-receiver help. His number 2 and 3 receivers, Michael Gallup and Noah Brown, had some of the worse separation in the league. Not to say Prescott is not at fault for these interceptions, but Cooks should be a major asset in the passing game and help him thrive. Meanwhile, Stephon Gilmore is a five-time pro bowler and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. Pairing him with another elite cornerback in Trevon Diggs could be a nightmare for offenses. The Cowboys also resigned some essential players, such as LB Leighton Vander-Esch, safety Donovan Wilson, and RB Tony Pollard.

Although everything I have said makes this offseason seem perfect, there were a couple moments that some people were not happy with. Dalton Schultz leaving in free agency to the Houston Texans could possibly be a problem in this upcoming season. The topic is controversial, however, as some believe it would make a major impact while others feel that it will not change anything at all. Schultz was definitely a solid tight end and a “security blanket” for Dak Prescott, but in my opinion, I don’t think it will be as bad as people are making it seem. Jake Ferguson, Peyton Hendershot, and newly acquired Luke Schoonmaker may be able to fill his role. Speaking of Schoonmaker, he was another addition that many Cowboys fans dislike. Coming out of Michigan, he was seen as a decent tight end that should be drafted in the mid-third round. However, the Cowboys decided to draft him with their second round pick, leaving many fans confused and furious. This move cannot be labeled as good or bad as he has not played a single snap of football yet but during the season, we can see how he plays and progresses to truly determine whether or not he was a reach.

Overall, the Cowboys had a successful and productive offseason and I am excited for this next season. It was the first time in a while that Jerry Jones made any significant acquisition in the offseason and the team has one of the best rosters in the league. However, there are still some question marks heading into the season. One of the biggest concerns is if Dak Prescott is capable of leading the Cowboys deep in the playoffs. He has all the talent around him, and Prescott is also a talented quarterback, but he will need to be consistent to get the Cowboys past the divisional round for the first time in almost 30 years.

The Dallas Mavericks’ Downfall

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Wow. I don’t think anybody expected the Dallas Mavericks to be in this position heading into the playoffs. Just about two months ago, the Mavericks had a 96% chance of making the playoffs following the addition of star guard Kyrie Irving. Surprisingly, things went downhill from there. Before the trade, the Mavs were slightly above .500 (a 50% winning percentage) and were consistently in between the 4-6 seeds in a tightly packed Western Conference. They were very mediocre and their superstar player, Luka Doncic, was having to play at an extremely high level every game for the Mavericks to even have a shot at winning. It was obvious that a change was needed in order for them to become contenders, and many thought the Kyrie Irving trade was just that. However, those people could not have been more wrong.

To start off, it is important to look at what the Mavericks gave up in order to acquire Irving. As shown in the image, the Mavericks gave up Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first round pick, and two second round picks. In return, they got Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris. At first glance, it seemed like the Mavs easily won this trade. However, if you look at it more in depth, Dallas lost a lot of their defense. Dorian Finney-Smith was the best defender on the team and Dinwiddie was decent on the defensive side of the ball. The problem with this trade was that the team lost their identity, which is not a good spot for any franchise to be in. In the 2021-2022 season, the Mavericks were known as a defensive team and arguably had a top 5 defense. This was the main reason they were able to reach the Western Conference Finals, as were consistently holding teams to under 100 points a game, which is a recipe for success. There is a saying that “defense wins championships”, and although the Mavericks had an elite offense with Kyrie and Luka paired together, their defense was atrocious.

Coaching is also very important in the success of any team, regardless of the sport. The Mavericks’ head coach, Jason Kidd, was considered a solid coach in the NBA. This season, however, there were some glaring issues with his gameplans. After letting Jalen Brunson leave in free agency, the Mavs went ahead and traded for Christian Wood in hopes for him to be the solid big man that they desperately needed. In the first half of the season, Wood put up solid numbers and was helping the Mavs win games alongside Doncic. However, after the Kyrie Irving trade, his minutes plummeted, therefore causing his stats to also drop. Kidd chose to start Dwight Powell for majority of the games. Many Mavericks fans, including me, were perplexed by this move. For some reason, Kidd continued to allow Powell to get starter-type minutes, even though he was playing awful. Fans were furious with the coach and were begging for him to get fired. Although this will likely not happen this offseason, it is something for owner Mark Cuban to think about.

Ultimately, the Dallas Mavericks’ downfall this season was mainly caused by their defensive woes and a few coaching issues. There are a few ways to fix these problems in the offseason, but there is also the risk of Kyrie Irving leaving in free agency since he is only on a one year contract. If he does leave and the Mavericks get nothing in return for a half-season rental of Irving, they will find themselves in a deep hole.