Author Archives: Gwendy M.

Best National Parks

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Over the years, my family has visited many national parks. Below you’ll find a small list of my favorite parks (worst to best).

5) Arches National Park

I visited this park in the year 2021, during the summer. Arches is located in Utah, near the town of Moab. This national park is gorgeous and full of hikes that range in mileage and difficulty. I liked this park because the arches were huge in size–I’ve never seen arches that beautiful and colossal. Some other pros about this park are there are many scenic drives if you wish to not hike. One HUGE con to this park is that it gets insanely hot during the summer. One of my memories from this trip was hiking in 100 degree weather at sunset time. Despite the hot weather, you should make a visit to this gorgeous park. Though this national park is beautiful, there isn’t much to do besides hike to the arches. Moab, the surrounding town is nice but small, so plan your visit to be around 3 days.

My Hiking Recommendations:

  • Delicate Arch (most popular and my favorite!)
  • Double Arch
  • Broken Arch

4) Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park was one of the recent national parks that I traveled to. I believe I went to this park in June or July. Glacier is located in Montana and spreads to the border of Canada and the US. Since I visited this park in June (or July), there were MANY fires, so most of the lakes and mountains were too smokey to see. Glacier is known for its icy-blue lakes; I was able to see maybe one or two. But, because of the fires, the lakes appeared gray. Despite this, I enjoyed this national park when we saw a glimpse of the huge mountains. Also, I remember seeing black bears, grizzly bears, and other wildlife. Glacier has great hiking trails and scenic drives; one of the most popular things to do is to drive through the Road to the Sun–which goes through most of the park. Known as the Europe of the United States, Glacier is a beautiful park to visit.

Awesome Hikes/Things to do:

  • Avalanche Lake
  • Hidden Lake
  • Highline Trail
  • Road to the Sun

3) Olympic National Park

My third favorite park is Olympic National Park, located in Washington. This park is extra unique because it has three different: rainforest, forest, and the ocean. I enjoyed this park because there was a variety of places to visit. The fact that Olympic Park has different biomes was extremely interesting. Personally, the rainforest ecosystem was my favorite, because it was lush and had amazing trees. If you are looking for a unique park to visit, I would recommend Olympic. A perk to this area is that there are delicious cherries in the summer; you can’t go to Olympic without eating them!!

My Hiking Recommendations:

  • Mount Storm King 
  • Hurricane Hill 
  • Hall of Mosses Trail 
  • Hole-in-the-Wall 

2) Zion National Park

Coming in a close second is Zion National Park, also located in Utah. I’ve visited this park twice, once in the winter and once in the summer. There are so many good things to say about this park–I love it so much. In my opinion, Zion is the best park to drive through. When you enter the gates, you are greeted with cosmic mountains that are unlike any other mountains I’ve seen. Zion houses a myriad of hikes, each with its own treasure. One of the most popular (and dangerous) hikes is Angel’s Landing. Although my parents did not let me finish the hike, the end of Angels Landing provides a 360 view of Zion. However, this hike is extremely challenging (it is all uphill until the lookout), and at the end, there are drops on each side of the path. The narrowest part of Angel’s Landing measures 24 inches–keep in mind there is traffic from both sides. Even though I have visited this park twice, I would like to go again (and try Angels Landing).

My Hiking Recommendations:

  • Angels Landing
  • Scout Lookout
  • The Narrows
  • Weeping Rock

1) Grand Teton National Park

My all-time favorite national park is Grand Teton, found in Wyoming. I would say this is my favorite park because of the beautiful mountains, lakes, flowers, and wildlife. One of my memories of going to this park was seeing a mother grizzly bear with her three cubs. Besides the wildlife, this park has AMAZING hikes with waterfalls, huge trees, and great views. Known for its jagged (and snow-topped) mountain peaks, Grand Teton is filled with gorgeous sights to see. A memorable lake to visit is Jackson Lake, which reflects the mountains in the water. I went during the summer, and at Jackson Lake, I remember there were many wildflowers around the perimeter of the lake. That, along with the backdrop of the mountains and its reflections made this park my favorite of all time. Whenever you are looking for an adventurous place to go, I couldn’t recommend Grand Teton enough.

My recommendations:

  • Jackson Lake
  • Jenny Lake Trail
  • Cascade Lake Hike
  • TA Moulton Barn (you NEED to visit this landmark!!!)

A Quiet Place–Movie Summary & Review:

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SPOILERS AHEAD!!

A Quiet Place is a movie which is set in the future where the population of the world has dwindled to an unknown number. Strange creatures have inhabited the earth and hunt people (and animals) by sound. Any sound from dropping a blender to stepping on a leaf will be heard by the aliens and will result in death. The name A Quiet Place is drawn from the need to be quiet and not utter a single noise. This movie is about the Abbott family’s silent life in the countryside of New York. The family consists of Lee (father), Evelyn (mother), Reagan (deaf daughter), Marcus (son), Beau (son), and a newborn baby (son). Since one of the children is deaf, the family communicates with sign language.

The opening scene of this movie is of the Abbott family traveling to a nearby pharmacy to get medicine for Marcus. During this scene, the youngest child Beau finds a toy rocket with batteries. Lee takes away the toy but soon after when the parents walk out of the store, Reagan hands the toy to Beau (who secretly grabs the batteries too). Later, as the family is traveling back home, Beau turns on the toy which makes a loud noise. Seconds later, the strange creature kills the young boy in front of everyone’s eyes.

Fast forwarding to months later, the mother is weeks from giving birth to a new baby. After the movie shows the Abbott’s typical life on the farm, Evelyn is days from childbirth. A series of events (stepping on a nail and dropping a picture) leads Evelyn to accidentally attract an alien to their farm. This happens all the while her water breaks. Unfortunately, Lee (the father) is gone with his son fishing while this happens. When he and his son get back, they quickly discover that Evelyn is having trouble giving birth. So, they create a distraction so that the mother can give birth. A couple of scenes later, the kids are being hunted down by a creature and the father sacrifices his life to save them. The movie ends with the rest of the family finding a way to kill the aliens.

Usually, I hate watching horror movies with jumpscares and scary moments. However, this movie was not scary at all. I found that it was entertaining to watch since the characters are very likable. The concept of having to live in silence was also provoking to think about. Overall, I would recommend this movie to those who want to watch something both interesting and suspenseful. 

A Quiet Place is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Book Summary & Review: Whale Done

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Whale Done, written by Stuart Gibbs, is the eighth novel in the mystery series FunJungle. In this adventure, Teddy Fitzroy heads to Malibu with his girlfriend Summer after his house is burnt down. When arriving at the mansion Teddy is staying at, the sleuths quickly discover the dead washed-up whale on the beach. However, something seems extra fishy–besides the stench of the dead whale. Before Teddy, Summer, Doc, and Cass (a Marine Biologist and close friend of Doc) can continue the autopsy, the whale explodes. On top of this fiasco, a local surfer named Sharky claims sand is being stolen from a nearby beach.

Teddy and Summer find their hands full with two mysteries. Closely after the explosion of the whale, the crew finds two college students fleeing from the scene. The detectives quickly chase after them and manage to catch one of the students, Chase. After extensive questioning, Teddy finds that Chase and Scooter (the other student) were tricked and framed by an anonymous woman. 

Later in the book, Teddy and Summer have conflicts in their relationship, and Teddy is forced to question the status of their relationship. Although they have hardships, Teddy continues to investigate with Doc and Cass. The small team finds that actor Jackson Cross who is deep into bankruptcy has been stealing sand to extend his property size, to make his house more appealing to buyers. Soon after, Teddy and Summer attend a movie premiere, which forces them to be together once again. When the movie finishes, the couple goes to an after-party, where they discover who the culprit of the dead whale is.

They find that Tris, a PR worker, who works for a shipping company caused the explosion of the whale by convincing the students to blow it up. She did this to protect the company TransPacific from having a PR fiasco and was paid much in return. (The ship bumped into the whale because they did not stay on maritime routes. This caused the death of the whale.) Whale Done ends with Teddy uncovering the truth of the two mysteries, and reconciling his relationship with Summer.

Personally, I thought that this was entertaining, however, it was not the best. I’ve read a lot of Stuart Gibb’s books, specifically the FunJungle series. Over the years, I feel that his books have become slightly repetitive and predictable. Despite this, Whale Done kept me on my toes and was exciting to read. I enjoyed the character development of Teddy and Summer, this was a great bonus. If you are looking for a short and easy book to read, I would recommend the FunJungle series or any book written by Gibbs.

You can read this book at the Mission Viejo Library. It is available as an E-Book and Audiobook from Libby as well.

Response to Current Events: The 2024 Election

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If you’ve been keeping up with the news, I’m sure you have noticed that Colorado has banned former President Trump from being on the ballot. Despite your political stance, one must question if this is Constitutional. Is this action silencing the voices of voters from Colorado? If so, would that be against the First Amendment, which writes, “Congress shall make no law […] prohibiting the freedom of speech […]” (US Constitution). Are citizens forced to vote a certain way by removing a president from the ballot? Is the election being rigged by not having a fair amount of voting in each state?

Colorado stands on the 14th Amendment and argues that this allows them to disregard Trump on the ballot. The 14th Amendment Section 3 reads:

“No person shall be a […] elector of President and Vice-President, […] having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, […] or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability” (US Constitution).

From my understanding, Colorado is using this Amendment to claim that President Trump engaged in insurrection in the 2020 Election and on Jan. 6, 2021, a protest at the U.S. Capitol. One must question whether the 2020 election was a hoax; if Trump was doing shifty business, wouldn’t that mean he would have won rather than Biden? Despite claims that Trump cheated in the election, President Biden won in a landslide with 306 Electoral College votes, while Trump had 232. 

Another topic that has been vigorously discussed is the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6. Many have argued that Trump was behind these ‘attacks,’ which may be true (who knows). However, political commentator Tucker Carlson brought suspicious footage of police officers escorting rioters through the building to light. Democrats were seen to manipulate the information about the death of police officer Brian Sicknick. Video Linked Here. With this knowledge in mind, can President Trump be prosecuted for these ‘rebellions,’ or is he innocent? If he is clear, it would not be Constitutional for any state to prohibit his ballot.

Although you may see this situation in a completely different way, you must look out for the future of our country. Democracy is being lost with the power of the states increasing while our voices are being quieted. We, the country’s future, must protect democracy, free speech, and the Constitution.

Books about presidential elections are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. They are also available to download for free from Libby.

Book vs. TV Series: Percy Jackson

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Many Disney and Percy Jackson fans have long awaited the arrival of the TV series Percy Jackson. Having read the series, I immediately watched the first two episodes of the series that Disney launched. The series is chronologically ordered, starting with the first book The Lightning Thief. Episodes 1 & 2 are about Percy’s journey to Camp Half-Blood, the ‘death’ of his mother, and the beginning of his quest.

Overall, I thought that the first two episodes were decent; however, it wasn’t the best. One criticism I have is that some important scenes (and details) were left out. At the beginning of Episode 1, Mr. Brunner hands Percy his sword Riptide. However, in the book, Brunner throws Percy his sword and pretends it never happened. Though this is a tiny detail, I noticed that it was left out. On a larger note, one extremely important scene that was left out was the prophecy of someone dying. In the book, when Percy is on the bus, he looks out of the window and sees 3 women cutting a string–which foreshadows the death of his mother. While there are probably about 10 other scenes that were left out, I think that the show did a mediocre job of embodying the book.

Another small criticism that I have is that the characters from TV series look too young. While Percy is 12 in the book (and the other kid supporting characters are), the actors look way too young. If I did not have any previous knowledge of the TV series/book, I would assume that the characters were between the age of 8-9. Despite the actor’s youthful appearance, I would say Walker Scobell (Percy), is very talented. A final criticism I have is that some of the characters do not match the descriptions of the book. For example, Gabe, Annabeth, Clarisse, and Grover do not have the same characteristics as the characters in the book. Personally, I feel that it takes away from the story; but I’m sure the actors will do a phenomenal job for this series.

After watching the first two episodes of this series, my assessment is that while the series is decent, the book is much better. While I believe that you should watch the series, I would recommend reading the books first.

The Percy Jackson & the Olympians book series by Rick Riordan is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Basics of Camera Settings

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Hello! I hope that you found my previous article about starting photography interesting. This article aims to help those with DSLRs (digital singular-lens reflex) Cameras learn their settings.

One of the first and most important things to learn about your camera is what mode you are in. This ranges from auto, portrait, landscape, food, sports, and manual. Most photographers use the mode manual, which allows full control over all the settings in a camera.

Here’s a list of what each letter stands for in the picture above:

  • A-Dep = Automatic Depth (of Field)     
  • M = Manual                
  • Av = Aperture Priority
  • Tv = Shutter Priority
  • P = Program
  • Green Box = Auto
  • No Flash
  • CA = Creative Auto

When starting out, try the Auto mode for the first couple of times. However, as you continue using your camera, you’re going to want to learn how to use manual mode.

Next, you will want to learn the settings of a camera. The first is shutter speed, which controls how long (or short) your camera’s lens is open. Shutter speed is measured in seconds, and can go down to 1/1000 of a second on most cameras. The smaller your shutter speed is, the less light will enter your camera (and the faster it will capture a movement); use a small shutter speed when taking pictures of movement, or in bright spaces. Slower shutter speeds such as 5 seconds are often used for light painting, or for night photography. You can adjust your shutter speed by using the shutter speed dial, this is different for each camera, so make sure to search it up. I know this is probably confusing, so I’ll insert some helpful articles/videos at the end!

Another important setting is the aperture, also known as the pupil in your camera lens. According to Photography Life, “Aperture can be defined as the opening in a lens through which light passes to enter the camera” (Photography Life). Controlling your aperture makes the opening in the lens bigger or smaller. It is expressed in f-stops. A small aperture makes the hole in the lens smaller, meaning less light will come through. However, a large aperture will make more light come in. In addition to lighting, this setting affects your depth of field (what is shown in your photo–focused or unfocused). Aperture is confusing to learn about, so I’ll link a video in this article.

Finally, you’ll need to know the setting ISO. To simplify this term, ISO is a setting that will brighten or darken your photo. An ISO of 100 will darken your photo, but an ISO of 500 will brighten it. However, when using a high ISO, it creates noise–or graininess. You can adjust your ISO by pressing the ISO button on the right-hand side of your camera.

Hopefully, this article was helpful! Below are some helpful articles and videos that explain the concepts better than me. 

Camera Modes: article

Shutter Speed: article, video

Aperature: article, video

ISO: article, video

Video of an Overall Summary

Book Review: The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson)

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Two weeks ago, I started reading the series Percy Jackson. This series starts with the book The Lightning Thief. The book begins with an introduction to the main character Percy Jackson. He goes on a field trip with his classmates when a series of mysterious events occur (a monster attempts to kill him). Percy gets expelled from his school and learns that he is a half-blood, or demigod. This means that he is a child of a god and a mortal.

Later, Percy is sent to a camp for half-bloods and is sent on a quest with his friends Annabeth and Grover to retrieve Zeus’ lightning bolt; in the hopes of preventing a war. In this process, Percy discovers he is the child of Poseidon. As the chapters precede, Percy ends up returning the lightning bolt to the gods, and learns that his friend betrayed him by stealing the bolt himself.

Though this was the first Rick Riordan book I have ever read, I can confidently say that Riordan is an excellent writer. If you are looking for a series that is exciting, mysterious, and suspenseful, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a great contestant. I enjoyed this book because it was entertaining to read—there was never a dull moment. This book started out strong and ended strong as well. Despite the fact that The Lightning Thief is the first book in the series, Percy has much character development. I feel that he gains much wisdom after completing his first quest.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Stir-Fried Ramen

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I believe that I made this recipe last year when I became bored of eating ramen with broth. So, I did some experimenting (and research) to develop this recipe. Stir-fried ramen is a wonderful twist on traditional ramen. I find that this recipe is flavorful, easy, and delicious to make!! Please note that this recipe is inspired by Doobydobap, one of my favorite food bloggers. 

Ingredients

1 Ramen Pack (Ichiban is a great brand)

3 Tablespoons Oil

1 ½ Tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 Teaspoon Black Vinegar

Splash of Sesame Oil

  • Optional – ½ Teaspoon Chili Oil, Green Onion for garnish, Fried (or poached) Egg for extra protein

Instructions

  1. Boil water in one pot, and heat a smaller pan on the side
  1. Put the noodles in the boiling water, and the oil in the warm pot. Cook the noodles for the suggested time on the package.
  1. In a separate bowl (where you will eat your food), mix half of the seasoning packet, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and chili oil.
  1. Pour oil into the sauce mixture you made in step 3.
  1. Take the noodles out of the water, drain them, and mix with the sauce.
  1. If you desire to have crispy noodles, heat the ramen in the pan you used to heat up the oil. If not, enjoy your stir-fried noodles!

Ramen Recommendations:

  • Sapporo Ichiban Tonkotsu Ramen (Pork)
  • Shin Ramen

Starting Photography

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As a high schooler, one of my passions is photography. In my freshman year of high school, I took a photography class. At first, I thought it was interesting but I didn’t think I would get into it. However, I discovered that photography was an enjoyable way for me to express myself and my creativity.

The first and most obvious step to photography is to buy a camera. While using your phone’s camera is great and totally acceptable, investing in a DSLR is a great option as well. Personally, I use a Canon Camera. I’ve found that this brand is reputable and easy to use. My camera body is a Rebel T6. This is a great starter camera to use. If you aren’t into Canon, Nikon, and Sony are other camera brands that I’ve heard great things about.

Secondly, finding a lens is extremely important. Though you may want to jump into portraits or nature photography, I’d suggest using a kit lens at first. These lenses are affordable and have fewer features than a telephoto or macro lens, but allow first-time photographers to learn the bearings of a camera.

Other equipment that you’ll need are SD Cards (to store your photos) and Battery Charges/Ports. Now that you have the required equipment, start taking photos on your camera. If you’re using a DSLR, put the camera in Auto Mode first. When using the Auto-Mode, the camera makes all the decisions for your settings; all you have to do is press the Shutter Button to take a photo!

I hope this small article helps you in your photography journey; stay tuned for more articles about general rules and tips!

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

Small Businesses to Support

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During Christmas, you may flock to common stores such as Target and Nordstrom. However, as you take the time to shop for family and friends, consider some of these small businesses to shop from during the Holidays.

Clothes:

Olive Lynn

This popular boutique sells a variety of clothes and accessories. Their most popular items are hoodies, sweaters, and tank tops. If you like colorful clothing, consider shopping at Olive Lynn.

Grey Bandit

Grey Bandit is another online clothing shop that sells trendy clothes with excellent quality. This store is known for its aesthetic designs + quality.

Jubilee Apparel

If you are looking for loungewear or streetwear, Jubilee is the place to go. Founded by influencer Katherine Beard, Jubilee Apparel’s main goal is to ethically make sustainable clothes with high quality. 

Food:

Lydgate Farms

This small business sells delicious chocolate with cacao beans grown in Kauai, Hawaii. I visited this chocolate factory during the summer, and I can confirm that this company sells some of the best chocolate I’ve ever eaten. Lydgate Farms makes their chocolate in small batches, which are carefully crafted to reach their full potential. This chocolate is rich in flavor and an excellent Christmas gift for loved ones. (P.S. The Dark Chocolate Hawaiin Rum is my favorite!!)

Pachamama Coffee

Pachamama Coffee has been around since 2006 and gained a strong reputation in the coffee world. This coffee shop has been featured in the New York Times, Wine Spectator, and The Fortune. Pachamama sells coffee sourced from different parts of the world–from Peru to Nicaragua.  If you are looking for a gift for a college student or family, shop at Pachamama Coffee.

Jewelry:

Coastline Color

Based in Florida, Coastline Color sells jewelry made with shells harvested from the Florida Coast. The owner offers customizable bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. Shop at this boutique for unique jewelry!