Author Archives: Kaitlyn Y.

5 Reasons To Join MVAC [Mission Viejo Activities Committee]

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  1. It’s Fun!

The events MVAC hosts not only bring joy to the community, but also create lasting memories for you! Each meeting, every event has left me joyous and I have walked out with a smile on my face. It is so cool seeing the behind the scenes of the events that this city has and is a great way to get involved, no matter the age! There is something for everyone! Everyone who helps out enjoys being there, you will enjoy being there. The welcoming atmosphere, the supportive members, and everyone’s eagerness to get involved feels like a reward every time. I can assure you that there is not a single moment where I have not enjoyed being there, participating, and helping out. 

  1. You gain such valuable experiences!

As a MVAC member, there are endless opportunities for event-planning, volunteering, communication, and leadership that you are able to learn from. The hands-on involvement has improved my organizational skills and communication, all while getting the opportunity to give back to the community. The experiences you gain here empower you to excel in any future endeavors. You truly learn so much from each event, whether it’s seeing all the behind-the-scenes planning or seeing the importance of communication. The effort that goes on behind each event gave me true appreciation for all the events we host and I’m confident that you will see it too! From all the events I have volunteered at, MVAC is truly like no other.

  1. You have an influence in decision making.

Whether you are a new or returning member, MVAC has always valued the opinions and suggestions of its members. Each monthly meeting is collaborative and engaging as they ask for feedback and opinions of each event. If you are looking to get involved, this is the place for you! I remember being mind-blown at my first meeting about how engaging the members are. You truly can make an impact here. It’s not a place you go and volunteer once at. There will always be more opportunities going on all year round. 

  1. MVAC has an incredibly supportive environment!

MVAC is full of exceptional people with all sorts of different experiences. When you walk into a meeting, you can immediately feel the warmth and welcoming energy that radiates from the room. Whether you are a new or returning member, you will feel the appreciation they have for all of their members. Each and every member cares about each other and by being in a room with like-minded individuals, you are bound to grow! When I first joined MVAC, I remember volunteering for the 4th of July Event where I met countless people, and the connections that I made was a driving factor in my decision to be so involved. Everyone wants you to be your best, everyone wants you to feel welcome. It is the perfect place to volunteer and meet new people.

  1. You can give back to the community.

Like I mentioned previously, MVAC allows you to truly make an impact. Immediately, you have the opportunity to become an active participant in the community. Whether it’s helping organize or participate in various events and programs, you feel the impact you make. You feel the appreciation. The gratitude you get from volunteering is truly like no other. Out of every event I have volunteered at, MVAC Events have always left me with a warm feeling in my heart. The opportunities are endless. Once you start, you won’t ever look back. Whether it’s the Spring Boutique, 4th of July Street Faire, Santa’s Arrival, or other event, there is nothing more rewarding than helping your community. 

Now that you’ve heard a little about my experience in MVAC, I truly hope you consider joining MVAC and hope to see you there!
Here is the link to join! https://mvactivities.com/join-mvac

Alex Rider TV Show Review

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Alex Rider is a 2 season show that features a typical teen, Alex, in London who lives with his uncle Ian and a housekeeper. Alex spends a lot of his time with his best friend, Tom. They sneak out to parties, have movie marathons, and go to school together. Tom aside, his uncle has taken him on excursions throughout the world and has taught him a random assortment of skills. However, Alex insists that Ian is the most boring person ever because he is a banker.

When Ian is killed in a car accident, Alex begins to question everything. He follows his gut instincts that are telling him that his banker uncle followed the rules way too often to ever being involved in a car accident. In the midst of his denial, he pieces together that his uncle is a member of the Department of Special Operations. He then has a scary encounter with the head of these operations and is recruited into the agency. It’s not that he wants to be part of it, but he ends up having to by force. The agency wants him because they need a bright, young teen to enter and scope out a mysterious school, Point Blanc. Located in the far-flung French Alps, Point Blanc educates the troublesome kids of rich elites to become respectable citizens. But not everything is as it seems; Point Blanc is hiding some sinister secrets, and although entering the school may be easy, leaving requires a different topic of discussion. This show then follows the infiltration of Point Blanc. 

The true plot doesn’t begin until the fifth episode, but this doesn’t mean that the first few episodes aren’t boring. Just when you think you have the plot figured out, new complications are constantly introduced. It gives the audience a background and builds up to the infiltration. Then, the seventh and eighth episodes are when the show starts to become thrilling and adventurous.

The eerie Point Blanc Institute adds a strong sense of depth and a sci-fi vibe to the show. I personally loved the show and especially the finale. I would understand why it can be hard to stay interested in the first couple episodes because you want to cut to the chase, but since the show is only 2 seasons it should be a quick show to binge. Personally, I love shows that I could never predict. In the beginning the show had that typical spy show feel, but as it went on and the audience got to know Alex, it felt new and kept me on the edge of my seat. I was always being surprised and trying to figure how new plot twists would change the ending. However, these plot twists aren’t overwhelming. It doesn’t feel like you are being bombarded with random curveballs because the producers cannot come up with anything. The plot twists are seamlessly implemented. Overall, I would rate this show an 8/10. It is definitely worth watching, especially for the ending. I would recommend this to anyone who loves sci-fi and mystery.

-Kaitlyn Y.

The Alex Rider book series by Anthony Horowitz, on which this show is based, is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think Book Review

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101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think, written by Brianna Wiest, is a very eye-opening read. There are a range of topics covered in Wiest’s book, but they all tie down to changing the reader’s perspective.  She talks about daily aspects, goals, view imposed on by society and broadens the readers view on such topics. A lot of the essays written in the book change the way one views themselves. I would like to think that reading this book has made me see who I am as a person, my actions, and life in general in a different way.  One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “Your habits create your mood, and your mood is a filter through which you experience your life”. There are many wise words like this, that really make you stop and rethink about your actions and use of your time. 

I would definitely recommend this book as it is one of my favorites, however since it is not your typical fiction book, not everyone might enjoy it as I did I would specifically recommend this book to people that enjoy reading books or quotes that will change your perspective on life. Since there are many essays in this book, rather than typical chapters, it doesn’t have to be read quickly. Each essay doesn’t specifically relate to the next, so if you’re worried about not having enough time to read a book, that shouldn’t be a worry. It is difficult to specifically explain the book, because there is no storyline or plot, however it is definitely worth the try!

  • Kaitlyn Y.

101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think by Brianna Wiest is available to download as an audiobook for free from Libby

Book vs. Film: The Summer I Turned Pretty

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The very talented author Jenny Han’s book, The Summer I Turned Pretty, was recently made into a series that has everyone falling in love with the characters. Han’s book series includes the books, The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s Not Summer With You, and We’ll Always Have Summer. So far, the series on Amazon, The Summer I Turned Pretty, has one season that covers the first book in the series. The show is confirmed for a season 2 already, and fans are hoping for a 3rd as well. For those that haven’t read or watched it, essentially, the series features a girl, Belly, who visits her mom’s best friend’s summer house at “Cousins Beach” every summer with her older brother, who is best friends with the other two boys, Conrad and Jeremiah, that own the house. All the previous summers, the boys have viewed her as a child, but all of a sudden they finally see her as an actual girl. I won’t spoil it, but the romance that goes between the characters is really interesting to watch, as are the character developments they all make. One of my favorite parts about this show is the soundtrack which features Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, Jack Harlow, and more.. I would definitely recommend reading the books first, but it is so cool to see what you pictured and imagined come to life and the actors did a great job portraying their roles. If you haven’t read or watched it, this is just a warning that the next paragraph does have spoilers. 

There are plenty of differences between the books and the show, however I don’t think it takes away from reading/watching either. It’s different in a good way and exciting to see how things play out in both. The first general difference I noticed is that in the book, the storyline focuses mainly on the two families, however on the show we are introduced to many more characters in a lot of events like the Debutante Ball, and those characters do affect the chemistry aspect between people a lot. It seems like in the show, they’re building more of a sense of community rather than isolating one group of people. I really like this because it mixes things up. Adding onto that sense of focusing on more people, the two moms are also given more of a storyline and have their own drama going on, unlike in the books where they weren’t highlighted as much. This same thing is seen with Belly’s older brother, Steven. In the books, he left the beach house in the middle of summer, but on the show he is a lot more involved. Speaking of Steven, Belly’s best friend ends up having a crush on Steven, instead of Jeremiah like it was in the books. This adds tension between Taylor and Belly and personally I like Taylor in the show better than in the books.

In the books, Belly had her first kiss with Jeremiah and he kissed her with the intentions of making Taylor jealous (because she liked him in the books), but since the show version of Taylor had a different love interest, Belly has her first kiss with an old friend, Cam. Their relationship doesn’t last too long as Belly ended things with Cam. In the books, it’s the other way around, but either way Cam knew where Belly’s heart truly was. Cam being there is a great asset to the plot because it allows the viewers to be empathetic as he was such a sweet boy. These are all somewhat minor differences, but some of the bigger ones include the fact that Belly actually had more chemistry with Jeremiah than she did in the book, creating so much more tension between the two brothers. Belly also doesn’t get a visit in the winter from Conrad, the scene is completely different. In my opinion, the biggest difference was the kids’ knowledge about Susannah’s (Conrad and Jeremiah’s mom) cancer. In the books, the kids all know about Susannah’s cancer. However, in the show, Conrad is the only one who knew about his mom’s disease. This is a huge explanation into why he acted the way he did. In the final episode, Jeremiah found out about the cancer which led to everyone knowing. This made everything serious and real, because Susannah didn’t want to go through chemo this time. Overall, the show and books were amazing and I truly think that since the author was involved with making the show, it had a great impact on the overall quality and vision of the show. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who likes rom-coms and tension. 

  • Kaitlyn Y.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

What Life Is All About

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Everyone seems to have their own outlook on what life has to offer and what makes life so precious. In my perspective, it’s the little things that make life worth living. When people think of what the rest of their life has to offer, most think about the major events like graduating or their wedding. Although those are major and amazing parts of people’s lives, it’s vital to notice that life goes a lot deeper than that. 

Life is a collection of small moments. Some of those are going to be good, while others may be bad. We don’t give those moments enough credit, the little moments where you look over and someone’s thinking the exact same thing, smelling a scent you remember, hugging someone you missed, etc. There have been so many days I’ve looked back on and all I seem to remember is the random person I saw dancing in their car or how perfect the weather was. Each day is like a treasure hunt, full of hidden beauties and it’s up to us whether we want to overlook or appreciate them. 

Live for the endless laughter, for the sunsets, for the little thing, and you’ll feel the joys of life. It’s not always about the bigger picture, details are important. So, if there’s something that you want to do whether it’s writing a book or smiling at a stranger, do it. Even if it doesn’t’ affect your life, it’ll affect theirs.  

-Kaitlyn Y.

Author’s We Love: John Green

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You may recognize some of the famous novels Paper Towns, The Fault In Our Stars, or Looking for Alaska. As you may have guessed by the title, these iconic novels were written by John Green. John Green is an American author, who makes content on YouTube, and is a co-creator of Crash Course. He attended Kenyon College and earned his bachelor of art’s degree with a double major in English and religious studies.

John Green is the New York Times bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, The Fault In Our Stars, Turtles All The Way Down, and The Anthropocene Reviewed. While the majority of these are novels, The Anthropocene Reviewed is a collection of essays that are nonfiction and awakening. He very recently went on a virtual tour for The Anthropocene Reviewed which took place from May 17th to May 22nd. His novel, The Fault In Our Stars was made into a movie, as was his novel, Paper Towns. Additionally, Looking for Alaska was made into a series on Hulu. On his and his brother’s YouTube channel (VlogBrothers) they help fight poverty by raising money and have planted thousands of trees in the past. On top of this, he teaches World History, Literature, Economics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Government, and etc., on Crash Course along with other people. 

Personally, I love reading John Green’s novels and seeing them in film as well. I’ve noticed that a lot of his books are deep, detailed, and original. His books have always made me think bigger and open my eyes to the different situations the characters are in. Overall, John Green is definitely an amazing author to check out and keep up with. He’s making a great impact on the world.

-Kaitlyn Y.

The works of John Green are available for checkout at the Mission Viejo Library.

Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events Review

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I remembered reading this series in the fifth grade, so naturally, when I stumbled upon this series again on Netflix I had to watch it. Although it has been over years since I’ve read it, I was still able to make connections. This series is all about the orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire as they try to get to the bottom of their parents’ sudden death. On top of this, they have to escape the clever Count Olaf who is willing to do just about anything to get his hands on the kids’ fortunes. Every episode gets them one step closer to uncovering the big mysterious deaths, which I must admit is like nothing I’ve seen before, but also includes Count Olaf and his clever disguises. Unfortunately for the three orphans, Mr. Poe (the man who is in charge of getting them to a safe home) doesn’t always see eye to eye. 

At first, I did think the series was a bit repetitive, but a couple episodes later everything started to get interesting again. There are points where you feel as if the plot is similar in every episode and personally, I’d rather watch a show that continues the same plot. After continuing the series, I realized that the more I watched the more the plot would continue, rather than seeming like every episode was a new story. Regarding the ending, it’s like nothing I’ve heard of before, but I would have preferred more closure. Although the ending wasn’t what I hoped for, it’s still worth watching because the story behind their parents is super interesting! I would rate this show a 8/10!

-Kaitlyn Y.

Guide to Crystals

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Quite recently crystals have sparked an interest in a lot of people. This got me invested in finding out what the whole point is, other than the beauty of the rock of course. With this curiosity, I decided to do a little research and discovered so many rad things about these crystals.

Each crystal contains a vibration and energy that re-aligns with your energy resulting in a higher vibration for you which is like a higher state of mind. There’s quite a lot of evidence and research from lab tests about these crystals proving this as well. The vibration is emitted at a constant frequency and uplifts you resulting in healing. Depending on what aspect you’d like to heal in, there are usually specific crystals sorted out for that job. One of the most common crystals is Rose Quartz and it’s used for a lot of emotional healing and love. Other healing powers of other crystals include balance, protection, empowerment, optimism, grounding, and even inner growth. There’s really a crystal for everything. There are even ways to energize your crystals. As I’m sure you’ve heard before, with a new year comes new beginnings and you should definitely consider checking a couple crystals out. I know I will be.

There are a lot of places where you can purchase crystals, but some of my favorites include crystals.com, crystalvaults.com, or other Etsy shops. There are so many stores and personal crystal quizzes! The options are endless.

-Kaitlyn Y.

The 100 TV Show Review

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The 100 is a Sci-Fi show consisting of 7 mind-blowing seasons. The show starts off in space when the station’s resources start running low. As a solution, they decide to send 100 juvenile prisoners back to planet Earth to see if it’s survivable. As they get sent to Earth, the 100 battle all sorts of problems. At the start of the show, we get to know the characters well as they arrive on Earth. Throughout the seasons, we get to watch the characters progress and push themselves out of their comfort zone, doing the unthinkable while facing the unpredictable. To truly understand the evolution of the plot, it’s much better to watch the series since I wouldn’t want to spoil it. The battles kick in immediately in the show as it’s a violent series. Despite all the violence, there is an emotional side to the show from all the sacrifices, deaths, stories, etc. It really gets you thinking of what’s out there and shines a light on how people change to survive. I would rate this show a solid 10/10. It’s full of surprises and really got me into the Sci-Fi genre. The details in the show are unexplainable and the plot line is something I’ve never seen before. 

– Kaitlyn Y

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott, Tobias Iaconis, and Mikki Daughtry

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Stella, a teenager that has Cystic Fibrosis whose entire life has been very routine-like is approached by a boy named Will. The catch is that Will also has Cystic Fibrosis and they must stay six feet apart at all times in order to stay safe. Hospital trips, medications, and nurses have been a huge part of Stella’s life, but to Will, this is all new. Ironically, their personalities clash. Stella could be described as a good kid, but on the other hand, Will likes to act out, giving the book an adventurous side. Fortunately, this doesn’t get in the way of them catching feelings for each other. Five Feet Apart is a book about their influence on each other with appearances made by other vital side characters.  

Even though I read this book a couple of months before the movie came out, I still watched the movie. I figured that some of you may have already heard of, or seen the movie, but I’m here to tell you to give the book a shot as well! It made me bawl my eyes out and allowed for more emotion to be felt. Will really added a fun and exciting element to the book that kept me on the edge of my seat and the impact they both had on each other really touched my heart. It’s a 10/10 for me!

-Kaitlyn Y.

Five Feet Apart is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.