Author Archives: Sophia B.

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About Sophia B.

Hello! My name is Sophia and I love being a MV teen voice blogger!

The Porto Bookstore That Inspired J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series

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Harry Potter is one of the most best selling books in history. J. K. Rowling has sold more than 600 million copies, but where did she get the inspiration for her fantasy novels? Welcome to Livraria Lello, a famous bookstore in Porto, Portugal that inspired Rowling.

WHAT IS THE LIVRARIA LELLO?

The Livraria Lello was built in 1906 by two brothers, who created one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world with renowned architectural designs. The Livraria Lello has two stories that are connected by a magnificent staircase in the middle of the store. The shelves are elaborately carved and designed. When looking up, there are beautiful stained glass windows that read “Decus in Labore,” which means “Dignity in Work.” The Livraria Lello carries books in different languages, like English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. There are multiple genres to choose from, and each book has a specially designed cover that can be only bought at the Livraria Lello.

HOW IS HARRY POTTER CONNECTED?

Between 1991 and 1993, J. K. Rowling lived in Porto, so no wonder the beautiful city gave inspiration to the manuscript of the first Harry Potter book. The Livraria Lello is believed to have inspired the inside of Hogwarts and Flourish and Blotts, the bookshop for wizards in Harry Potter.

Books purchased from the Livaria Lello

WOULD I RECOMMEND TO VISIT?

Yes, I would absolutely recommend visiting the Livraria Lello. I had an amazing time exploring the bookstore with my family. 

I know that my advice will find you well and I hope you visit Livraria Lello soon!

– Sophia B.

Lisbon Summer Vacation

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This summer, my family and I went to visit Lisbon. Lisbon is the capital city of Portugal and one of the oldest cities in the world. Its history is rich, and the city is filled with enriching museums and dazzling churches. The city is home to brightly colored buildings and the iconic Portuguese tiles that line the charming streets. 

My family and I spent a week in Lisbon, traveling from LAX to Montreal and then to Lisbon. We stayed at the Hotel NH Collection Lisboa Liberdade, located on the famous Avenida da Liberdade. The hotel offered a beautiful view of the city, including St. George’s Castle and the vibrant buildings. After unpacking, we explored the city center and enjoyed a delicious meal at McDonald’s. We then dined at Rubro, a restaurant that I would rate 9/10 for its filet steak and fries.

On the second day, we visited Belem, a historic district in Lisbon, where we saw the Marques de Pombal statue, the Estrela basilica, and the Empire Square Garden. We also visited the Jeronimos Monastery, famous for its intricate architecture and the resting place of Vasco da Gama. The Church of St. Maria of Belem was also a visit. We then visited the Monument of Discovery, where we took photos of the Tagus River and Ponte 25 de Abril bridge. We also visited the Belem Tower, which was closed by the time we arrived. After sightseeing, we returned to the hotel for dinner at a restaurant that served Fado, a traditional Portuguese music genre with a melancholic essence.

On the third day, we visited the Royal Jewelry Museum and the Royal Palace Museum, where we observed the royal palace’s unique rooms and tasks. We then took a hop on hop off bus to Lisbon, visiting the historic Águas Livres Aqueduct, the national park (Parque das Nações), and the National Tile Museum. The tile museum showcased detailed tiles, primarily blue and white, influenced by the Qing Dynasty. We then visited St. George’s Castle, built in the 12th century. We ended the night with dinner at a small restaurant called Taberna Anti Dantas, where we enjoyed sea bass.

On the fourth day, we visited the Lisbon Earthquake Museum, where we reenacted the 1755 devastating earthquake. We had lunch at Pastéis de Belém, a pastry shop known for their famous cream tart, Pastel de Nata. We also visited the National Museum of Ancient Art, which took about 3 hours to explore. We also took the Santa Justa lift to enjoy the stunning view of Lisbon. Lastly we ate dinner at Cafe Niccola, where I had a salmon filet with roasted potatoes.

If you are looking to take a vacation, I highly recommend looking into traveling to Portugal, as I enjoyed my stay heavily!

Travel books about Portugal are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. They are also available to download for free from Libby.

What to Expect from a CUSD Girls Tennis Camp & Tryouts

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As the school year approaches, many high schools in the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) are preparing for the girls tennis season, as it is a fall sport. The preparation includes tennis camps and tryouts, where girls of all levels play each other to be placed on the team of their caliber. If you are looking to join your high school’s tennis team, listed below are what you should expect:

  1. Conditioning: During tennis camps the girls are expected to do a multitude of running drills to get their speed, endurance, and agility improved for the season. One drill is commonly known aspect “Suicides” where players line up on the baseline and then sprint to the lines below, making sure to touch the baseline again after each one. Another conditioning drill is relay races, where players divide up into teams and do one “Suicide.” Whichever team finishes first wins, and the losing team has to do whatever “punishment” the winners pick, like 10 squats or 10 jumping jacks.
  2. Hitting Drills: In both the tennis camps and tryouts, the girls play hitting drills with the coach on their court. This entails games where coaches feed players the ball, such as overhead and volley drills. There are other drills that include hitting forehand and backhand shots and then coming up to the net with an approach shot, followed by a volley and/or overhead.
  3. Practicing Serves: Players practice their serves simultaneously at the baseline during the camps. Usually while practicing their serves, there will be cones in the service box to target. This is advantageous since it teaches the players how to serve in match play by focusing on the corners. If you hit a cone, you typically will not have to participate in whatever conditioning the other girls on your court have to do.
  4. Live Ball: During live ball, the girls play games against each other, such as Queen(s) of the Court. In Queen(s) of the Court, there is either a single girl or two girls that are the queens on one side of the court. All the other girls have to challenge the queen(s) and if they win, they replace the queen(s) on the other side of the court. There are many other live ball games like Queen(s) of the Court that test how a player responds in match play.

I hope my explanation clarifies any questions you may have about how high schools in the Capistrano Unified School District operate their girls tennis camps and tryouts.

– Sophia B.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a dystopian novel about a teenage girl, Katniss Everdeen, living in a society where the Hunger Games are held every year. A boy and a girl, known as Tributes, are chosen by Panem, the capital of what was formerly North America, to participate in the infamous Hunger Games. As a result, all twelve of the Capitol’s districts are completely under its control. Every citizen is required to see the youth fight to the death until just one remains. Katniss Everdeen’s sister is chosen as a tribute but Katniss volunteers to take her place as the girl tribute from District 12. When it comes to making decisions between love and survival, Katniss Everdeen only has her hunting skills and keen senses to help her.

I LOVE the Hunger Games Trilogy SO MUCH! I was addicted to reading this book to the point where I had to force myself to put the book down and go to bed. While reading, Collins leaves you on a cliffhanger after each chapter. Also, I enjoyed how Collins described Katniss’ emotions, as I could relate to them. 

I didn’t dislike anything about this book. I highly recommend it to people who like action and a good dystopian novel! I have seen the movies at least 5 times and there is nothing negative I could say about this trilogy! 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

the-hunger-games

MJ: The Musical Review

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On March 30, 2024, my family and I went to see the Broadway performance, MJ: The Musical, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The musical is based on the life of the great King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Specifically, the musical was about Jackson’s preparations for his Dangerous World Tour. Between his Dangerous album tracks, such as “Black or White,” he’s getting ready to perform his biggest hits from the last thirty years of his career. As he practices, he makes things up as he goes along, modifying the set list and the choreography to suit his needs. To the occasional displeasure of his tour director and business manager, he is constantly striving to make the tour flawless. Additionally, the musical covered Michael Jackson’s rise to stardom in Jackson 5 with Motown Records and breaking away from his brothers to become a solo artist.

This musical was utterly AMAZING! I have been to multiple Broadway musicals, such as Wicked, the Lion King, Chicago, Moulin Rouge, and Hairspray. None of these were like the MJ Musical, as it was based on the real-life story of one of the most iconic performers of our time. 

I would like to explore some of the songs I exceptionally enjoyed.

The composition I liked best was “Thriller,” composed by Rod Temperton. There was sufficient energy to bring across the music, as there was a recreation of the “Thriller” music video with the zombie dance routine. The performers were singing extremely in tune and the audience was eating up every minute of the performance. The performers seemed very comfortable with the technical demands “Thriller” brought. Additionally, they sounded very well rehearsed and prepared, hitting all the high notes with ease. There was very good communication among the performers, as they danced in sync with each other.

Overall, I 100% would recommend the musical to others and I had an amazing experience!

-Sophia B.

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

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In my English class, we read the graphic novel They Called Us Enemy by George Takei. George Takei is an actor, known for his role as Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek franchise, author, and activist. They Called Us Enemy is a powerful graphic memoir of Takei’s life in the Japanese-American concentration camps during World War II.  

For context, during World War II there were two alliances. They were the Allies (including France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and China) and the Axis powers (including Germany, Italy, and Japan). On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Two months later, Executive Order 9066 was passed by President Roosevelt, forcing those with Japanese Ancestry to leave their homes for internment camps because they were not considered citizens, but aliens, or foreign citizens, to the US.

George Takei was around 4 when his family had to leave for the camps. He went to two camps, Rohwer and Tule Lake, surrounded by metal fences that would influence his sense of self-belonging for the rest of his life. The book explores the aspects of dehumanization and injustice committed by the US government through his family’s imprisonment in the camps. 

In AP World History, we learned about World War II and all its outcomes. Through my class, I discovered that concentration camps for Japanese-Americans were extremely detrimental. Once I read the book, I realized that the Japanese Americans were living, breathing human beings and they weren’t just a number. They were somebody’s mother, father, uncle, aunt, brother, and/or sister, and not just some identification code. They Called Us Enemy made me realize that what happened to hundreds of thousands of people was as real as ever and detrimental to all.

They Called Us Enemy is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Why You Should Play Tennis

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The facts don’t lie. Tennis is a racket sport with many physical and social benefits. I have been playing tennis for 6 years and absolutely love every second of it. Let’s dive into the top 4 reasons why you should play tennis.

  1. The Health Aspect

Besides the exhilarating fun of tennis, the sport has many health advantages. According to Better Health Channel (https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/tennis-health-benefits), tennis “increas[es] aerobic capacities, lower[s] resting heart rate and blood pressure, improv[es] metabolic function, increas[es] bone density, lower[s] body fat, improv[es] muscle tone, strength and flexibility, and increas[es] reaction times.” It goes without saying that tennis is a wonderful sport to keep your strength, agility, and general fitness up.

2. Tennis is the Number One Sport in the World to Live Longer

According to the National Institutes of Health (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30193744/), one can increase their lifespan by playing tennis with a whopping 10 years. Out of all sports, tennis is number one. Reasons for this include the social contact, the physical aspect, balance, and mental toughness.

3. Social Interactions

Tennis is a great way to connect with others in your community and can create lifelong friendships. For example, the tennis courts located at the City of Mission Viejo Recreation Centers are gold mines for those interested in connecting with others via the good game of tennis. Personally, I’ve met many good friends playing tennis and even my best friend!

4. Stress Reliever

In a natural process, playing tennis can help you forget about everyday concerns and increase your feel-good endorphins. As stated in Tennisct.com, “Tennis helps you deal with physical, mental, emotional and social challenges which in turn increases your capacity to handle stress.” Whenever I play tennis, I am so focused on the ball that everything around me disappears and the tennis ball is the only thing I’m thinking about. This same feeling is true for most players.

In conclusion, tennis has a multitude of benefits which are calling your name! Try tennis out and who knows, maybe you’ll fall in love with the sport!

Books about tennis are available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Libby.

How Listening to Music Can Affect Your Day

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Music is a huge part of my life. Whether it is playing the piano and viola or listening to my favorite songs, music makes me happier. Music is extremely powerful. No matter the genre, it affects our mood (either good or bad). Let’s dive into the different aspects of music.

1. The Benefits

According to “Northshore,” music can lower blood pressure, heart rate, cortisol (stress hormone) levels, and blood levels of serotonin and endorphins. It improves mood. Dopamine production in the brain can be increased by listening to music.

In addition, music is known to keep the brain young. Why you might ask? Listening to music is a brain workout and maintains mental activity during the aging process. This brain workout includes physical and chemical reactions.

2. The Negatives

Music has multiple genres and can range from classical to the complete opposite, metal music. While all the facts listed above are true, it depends on the genre of music you’re listening to. As stated by “Frontiers,” according to certain research, listening to depressing and powerful music might cause or worsen unpleasant feelings.

To expand on the depression-causing side effect of listening to sad music, the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans stated that listening to certain music can cause rumination (when recurrent thoughts or lingering on unpleasant emotions occurs). Rumination can especially happen to teens when they listen to melancholy music, causing them to dwindle on unfavorable thoughts or emotions.

Another negative of listening to music is the distraction factor. Personally, whenever I do my homework, I can never play music due to my tendency to lose focus. On many other accounts, choosing the wrong type of music to listen to while studying can create distractions. Rather than music helping, it is hurting.

I trust these facts will impact your perspective on music, either for the better or the worse!

– Sophia B.

“Headphones Music” by JESHOOTS.com/ CC0 1.0