Author Archives: Czarina D.

Some Volunteer Events You Can Do This Summer

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  1. Summer Reading Program Volunteer – this volunteer program is offered by the Mission Viejo Library for teens aged 13-17. The Summer Reading Program is an annual library tradition that allows children to be part of a program that upholds the importance of reading. This year’s program will occur from June 15 through July 31 and volunteers will accommodate families by explaining the rules and process, enroll participants with the use of provided laptops, and award certain prizes according to the participant’s age.

2. Team NEGU – this is organized by Jessie Rees Foundation whose mission is to “Help every kid fighting cancer to Never Ever Give Up!” Team NEGU allows individuals from any age to volunteer through different ways. One of them is the JoyFactory, which allows volunteers to make cozy blankets, write care cards, stuff JoyJars that are given to the children fighting cancer, and more. Another one is the JoyDrive wherein volunteers will choose from Team NEGU’s hospital-approved list of new toys and collect as many as they can together with friends, classmates, or co-workers. Another one of out many is doing Care Cards wherein volunteers will be provided a document that they can print and color with the use of their creativity. After coloring and designing the cards, volunteers can mail them to the foundation, and they will be sent out to the strong kids fighting cancer.

Things You Can Do During Summer

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Summer break has always been something we look forward to. 2 months of break after a whole school year is granted to students for not only relaxation but also a time to come across and experience different opportunities to learn and develop social skills and abilities. Various experiences can happen through family vacations, simple trips to the park, or while carrying out commitments of paid or unpaid activities.

One of the many things you can do this summer is try to get a job if you think you are ready and if you are in the right age to do so. Having a job can always be beneficial in terms of earning your own money to save it up for personal or education purposes or use it to spend on things and activities you want to do. Additionally, it can also be a nice way to develop new skills while being able to have real-world experience and start to build up your credentials at a young age.

Another thing you can do is volunteering at any type of program, event, or organization available. You can always search up available volunteer events near you and those that are within your interest like at an animal shelter, or even at events that you have not tried before in order to expand your experiences. It is always great to be able to give back to our community in any way we can.

Furthermore, students can also choose to take summer classes if they are able and willing to. You can take a class that interests you or a class that you are required to complete to get ahead of your credits. Although, just be aware that classes during summer are more fast paced. For instance, if you are a high school student and you take a class at a community college, classes are mostly only 8 weeks.

Overall, despite these suggestions to have a productive summer, do not forget to relax and have fun during this time of the year because it is only 2 months and it can happen pretty fast. Personally, during last year’s (2022) summer, I was doing these three things all at the same time as I was working for a part-time job at a fast food place, I was also volunteering at the Mission Viejo Library, and I was taking a summer class at a community college. But I was still able to successfully complete all of them, while trying to watch any show and going out during my free time. Always believe in yourself and do not be afraid to step out of your comfort zone!

TV Show Review: Running Man (Korea)

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Running Man Korea is a reality-variety show from South Korea that started airing in July 2010. The show airs every Sunday evening in Korea, and currently has 645 episodes (as of March 12, 2023). This is the longest running Korean variety show as it has been going on for more than 10 years. The current members are Yoo Jae-suk, Jee Seok-jin, Kim Jong-kook, Ha Dong-hoon, Song Ji-hyo, Jeon So-min (joined on episode 346), and Yang Se-chan (joined on episode 346).

In some episodes of this variety show, there are no guests so there will only be the members who will complete certain missions and games in order to win the race. Then some episodes have guests that came from different work backgrounds, some are actors, comedians, pop idols, sport players, etc. Those who win the race will receive prices, while those who lose will receive penalties.

The first time I got to watch an episode of this show was when my sister introduced it to me in 2016. I clearly remember that I got super hooked on watching past episodes (with English subtitles) of the show online during the summer of 2017, and I still remember how I couldn’t stop laughing because of their jokes and how they complete the missions. There are even episodes wherein there is a “spy,” so they need to find out who it is. I stopped watching the show when school started that year, but continued to watch the newer episodes in summer 2021. After summer 2021, I stopped watching again when school started, but currently, ever since January of this year, I spend some of my break/free time watching the newer episodes.

I could say that from the moment I first watched the show until now, the thing that didn’t change was the fact that the members (as well as the guests) and the show overall never failed to make me laugh out loud. The show is evidently not scripted, so you will get to see genuine reactions and interactions of the individuals within each episode, especially whenever they carry out games. I have recommended this show to different people, and they all replied that the show never disappoints! Moreover, it has personally helped me brighten up my day, most especially when I suddenly feel down. For all the people who are fond of watching reality or variety shows, I highly recommend watching it!

Book vs. Movie: Detailed Differences from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

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Warning: There are spoilers ahead!

1. First encounter

  • Book: Peter Kavinsky’s first scene was when he rolls up his black Audi the time he saw Lara Jean after her small car accident and asked if she was okay, pulls over his car and climbs out inspecting her car.
  • Movie: Peter’s first scene was when Lara Jean was backing up her car in the school parking lot with her sister Kitty and almost ran over Peter.

2. Lara Jean’s letters

  • Book: Kitty sent the letters because she was mad at Lara Jean for joking about telling Josh that she had a crush on him.
  • Movie: Kitty sent the letters because she thinks that Lara Jean is lonely, so sending the letters would help her sister “find some romance.”

3. Confrontation about the letters

  • Book: Peter asked Lara Jean in the track field about the letter he got. Then the next day, Josh approached her at her locker and asked about the letter he received. She said that she already has a boyfriend so he doesn’t need to worry about what was written there, but then she runs up to Peter when she sees him in the hallway and kisses him.
  • Movie: When Lara Jean saw Josh walking toward the field track while Peter is asking her about the letter he got, she launches herself to Peter and kissed him on the track.

4. Fake relationship

  • Book: Peter suggested the fake relationship inside the room after their Chemistry class and to show that he is over Gen, his ex-girlfriend.
  • Movie: Peter suggested the fake relationship in front of Lara Jean’s house when he brought her home, saying that it will make Gen jealous which will help in getting them back together.

5. Ending

  • Book: It ends with Lara Jean writing a letter but only “Dear Peter” was mentioned, it ends on a cliffhanger which makes the readers unsure of what her decision about her feelings for Peter is.
  • Movie: Lara Jean wrote a letter to Peter saying she likes him and went to their school to personally say it to him as she read the letter out loud.

TV Show Review: The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.

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The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. is a Japanese animated series that aired its first episode in 2016. The series is about Saiki, a high school student who possesses psychic abilities, but chooses to live a normal life while trying to hide his supernatural power from all the people around him, especially his friends and classmates. 

I really liked the animation style of this series and most especially its characters, which are very well-made. The voice actors did such great jobs, although there are certain parts wherein the dialogues are quite fast, which some people dislike, but in my opinion, it is still certainly understandable, and you would not get lost watching any episode. The series contains a lot of witty and funny jokes that did not fail to make me laugh. Whenever I watch an episode, I will always have a good laugh because each character is comedic and has their own way of being funny.

I think that The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. is an underrated anime series, thus I hope that a lot more people will discover the show so that it will get the recognition it deserves. If you have always been interested in animated shows and/or movies and you have not tried watching this, you should definitely start watching, and you will not regret it! While for those who have never tried watching animated shows, I encourage you to explore and give it a shot!

TV Show Review: Friends

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Friends is a comedy television show that was first released in the 90’s, which shows the lives of six friends throughout its 10 seasons. The show was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and composed of the six main characters Rachel Green, Monica Geller, Phoebe Buffay, Joey Tribbiani, Chandler Bing, and Ross Geller.

Monica is considered as the “mother” of the friend group who likes to host occasions and parties since she has the passion of being a chef, and her best friend from childhood is Rachel, who is a fashion enthusiast and has an on-and-off relationship with Monica’s older brother named Ross throughout the series. Then Ross has a best friend, Chandler, who was his roommate during college, while their other friend named Joey became Chandler’s apartment roommate. Then Phoebe, who is my personal favorite character due to her free-spirited and eccentric characteristics, was Monica’s apartment roommate, but then later moved out, which led to Rachel moving into Monica’s apartment.

In the beginning of summer 2019, I decided to start watching Friends due to my friends’ recommendation. I finished watching the TV series after a month since I was hooked with its hilarious lines and story, and I could say that that month was full of laughs and cries. The show contains both sad and hilarious storylines from the characters’ personal lives to their experiences as a group all together. I really love their friendship in the show as it has unconditional love, bonding, and most especially, support. The show is also very relatable, especially to those people in their 20’s since it tackles the character’s work life and relationships.

To those people who really like comedy shows and movies, I highly recommend watching Friends. The show may be too long for some because it has 10 seasons, but if you want and need a good laugh, you should definitely add this show to your watch list.

Book Review: The Silent Patient

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The Silent Patient is a psychological thriller book written by Alex Michaelides. The story focuses on Alicia Berenson, who is said to be a murderer as she shot her husband in the face six years ago and hasn’t spoken a word since then. The murder, together with Alicia’s refusal to speak up regarding her husband’s death has caught the attention of the public and sparked the curiosity of a psychotherapist named Theo Faber. Ever since Theo had the chance to work with Alicia while she was in a psychiatric unit, he has been determined to discover the truth behind Alicia’s mystery.

I discovered The Silent Patient due to its rising popularity among readers. Despite not being a fan of thriller books, I was encouraged to grab the book and borrow it from the Mission Viejo Library because of the hype, and I could say that I do not regret choosing to do so. While reading the first few chapters of the book, there are certain parts where I felt like it was uninteresting. Although since Theo, the psychotherapist, continues to dig deeper into Alicia’s mystery, it kept me intrigued until the end of the book. There are various reveals presented throughout the story, making me wonder more why Alicia decided to carry out such actions. In the end, it did not disappoint me. The final twist was a shocker and I felt completely fooled as I absolutely did not see it coming. 

I highly recommend reading The Silent Patient to all the readers out there, especially those who are a lover of thriller stories. Also, even if you are not a fan of thriller books like me, it is still worth the try of reading it!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.