Tag Archives: things to do

Places to visit in Kauai, Hawaii

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Kauai is one of 137 islands in the state of Hawaii. Also known as the Garden Island, Kauai is revered for its lush landscape with steep cliffs that meet aqua-blue water. I had the privilege of visiting this island last June for about a week. Prior to going on this vacation, I researched this island and found it to be extremely helpful when wondering what to do or see. When going to Hawaii, most people flock to Oahu; and while this island is pretty and has amazing food, Kauai is remote and prettier (in my opinion). Below are places and things to do if visiting Kauai.

Beaches

  1. Tunnels Beach – This was my favorite beach on my visit to Kauai. If you are looking for a place to snorkel, Tunnels is the place to go. At Tunnels, the coral was huge and there was a large variety of sea life. The best part of this beach is the view of the mountains in the background with the beach at your feet.
  2. Anini Beach – Located in the northern part of Kauai, Anini Beach is known for being a family-friendly beach. The water at this beach remains shallow for about 30 feet out. However, the best part about this beach was the amount of turtles. When I was snorkeling, I believe I saw turtles 15-20 times. Another pro about this beach is that there is a lot of shade so beach umbrellas aren’t needed.
  3. Hanalei Bay – Hanalei Bay is one of the most popular beaches in Kauai to visit–and for good reason. At this beach, you are surrounded by panoramic views of golden-sand beaches and a range of mountains. Also, there is a pier that you can jump off of for fun.
  4. Poipu Beach – This is another family-friendly beach on the south shore of Kauai. Poipu Beach is great for snorkeling and relaxing. A con of this beach is that it is always crowded. However, if you are in the area of Poipu, stop by this beach.

Hikes/Other Activities

  1. Kalalau Trail – Hiking is a major activity that you HAVE to do in Kauai. This particular trail stretches 22 miles in length (you have to have a permit to do all of it). I only hiked to Hanakāpīʻai Beach which was 4 miles round-trip. This hike was so beautiful and the views along the coast were gorgeous. After the beach, you can hike to Hanakāpīʻai Falls (8 miles roundtrip). Overall, Kalalau Trail is a must-do when visiting Kauai.
  2. Waimea Canyon – Waimea Canyon is named the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and was formed from the collapse of a volcano. The unique terrain of this canyon is an attraction you should see. I believe that you can hike this, but my family and I just drove to different lookouts to see the Canyon.
  3. Lydgate Farms Chocolate Tour – As a chocolate fanatic, I was so excited to visit this Chocolate Farm. While you can book a tour to explore the farm, I just went to the gift shop. At the gift shop, an employee gives you a chocolate lecture where you learn about the origins of the cacao and try the products. I’ve tried a bunch of chocolate in my life and I can confidently say this was the best chocolate I’ve ever had. Lydgate Farms makes their chocolate in small batches which was evident considering how delicious the chocolate was.
  4. Na Pali Coast Boat Tour – Last but not least, you NEED to go on a Boat Tour (or helicopter tour) to see the Na Pali coast. I would recommend going with the company Captain Andy’s and booking the “Na Pali Raft Day Expedition.” On this boat tour, we went through sea caves, snorkeled, ate lunch at an ancient fishing town, and saw the Na Pali coast. This was hands down my favorite memory from the trip. The Na Pali coast is breathtaking and the water was the color of blue Gatorade. In addition to doing cool activities on this tour, you’ll learn much about the history of Kauai and its people.

Places to Eat

  1. Wishing Well Shave Ice
  2. Kenji Burger
  3. Wailua Drive-In

Photos

Tunnels Beach

Na Pali Coast

Wishing Well Shave Ice

STEAM Stations: Coding Day

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Previously in January, the library held their first STEAM Station to begin the new year. What is STEAM Stations? STEAM Stations is a library program that the Teen Advisory Board organizes that prioritize different aspects of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math). The library’s first STEAM Station was Coding Day; a station concentrated around coding.

For those who missed it, Coding Day had three mini stations all centralized around binary code:

The first station was our name activity. Essentially, it taught all participants how to write their name in binary code in a fun, artistic way. The activity was an art based project where participants would choose two colors (one to represent 1s and one to represent 0s)  so they could create their name in binary code. By coloring in specific squares to fill in the ones and zeroes, they were able to create their own, unique binary block that spelled out their name.

At the second station, participants created a binary code bracelet. Using binary code, they could match the numbers to the three colors of their choosing to create a beaded bracelet with their initials. Each color would represent one letter of their initial which they would then thread through colorful pipe cleaners that could tie around the participant’s wrist. Not only was it fun, but it provided another opportunity to try spelling using binary code. 

Finally, at the third station, participants created a paper binary calculator that could create the binary code for numbers all the way from 0 to 31. While the other two activities focused solely on spelling and creating letters with binary code, the binary calculator focused on creating numbers instead. It was a fun but easy math challenge that got participants thinking and learning numbers in binary code. 

Coding Day was a great success and had a very good turnout. While the event welcomed everyone 6 years old and up, plenty of young kids came and had a fun time creating art while also learning about how create numbers and letters using binary code. I had a fun time seeing their beautiful bracelets and unique binary names as I quizzed them with math problems using the binary calculator. While the event had many young kids, it was open for all ages to enjoy. All the crafts and activities are simple enough for everyone to try out but still fun to do and you get to leave with your own creations. 

While Coding Day was only a one day event, if you are interested in coding, check out the coding program at the Mission Viejo Library for availability. It is open for everyone so do not hesitate to try it out! Furthermore, there are two more STEAM Stations coming up. On February 8th, there will be Engineering Day and our final one on March 8th will be Biology Day. Each will be solely focused on their individual topics with fun and interactive stations for everyone to enjoy. It’s a fun experience that I hope more people come and check it out! Hope to see you all there!

-Nicole R.

The Benefits of Norovirus

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Currently, Americans are experiencing a huge outbreak of Norovirus (also known as the Winter Vomiting Disease). This means that many of us may be experiencing the effects of this virus now, recently, or in the near future. If you are sick at home like me, it can be tough to miss school or other activities. However, I have managed to scrape up a list of a few minor benefits* of having Norovirus.

Try New Things

When you have Norovirus, you can use the times you aren’t curled up in a ball to try new shows, books, movies, or games. This can be a great way to alleviate boredom and distract from how terrible you feel. You may even discover some new interests!

Get Work Done

Even though you can’t go to school, you can use your off time to catch up on some of the things on your “to do” list. For example, I’m writing this article while home sick with Norovirus! This might sound counter-intuitive since by missing school, you are guaranteeing yourself some make up work later. But if you dont want to be playing catch-up when you get back to school, try emailing your teachers asking for missed work ahead of time. This way, you can work on it at home.

Spend Time With Family

Chances are, if you have Norovirus, your family has it too (Norovirus is highly contagious). This means that you can spend time with them while you are all at home. Just make sure to keep a little distance– Norovirus mutates and you could re-infect them or yourself! 

Practice Positivity.

I admit, this one may be harder to accomplish while you are puking your guts out, but there are still ways to keep positive. Remember that the symptoms of Norovirus typically only last 1-3 days, so in 72 hours, you will most likely be feeling better.

In the end, life is full of ups and downs. Even in a situation like this, we can see how every cloud has a (however small) silver lining. I hope you enjoyed this article. To those who are sick right now: I hope you feel better!

*Take this advice with a grain of salt.

Cryptics: The Hardest Puzzles and How to Solve Them

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Be warned- cryptics are not for the faint of heart. These puzzles are confusing, convoluted, frustrating, and absolutely mind-boggling, to beginner and veteran puzzlers alike. There so many different ways to interpret and solve these puzzles; even after you’re told the answer to a particularly difficult cryptic, you still might stare at the clues wondering, “how on earth did they get that from that?” Intrigued? Me too.

At first glance, the British cryptic looks a lot like the American crossword. However, all of the clues are like riddles, with more than nine different ways to interpret them. There are typically two parts to a given clue: the “cryptic” (the riddle and answer) and the “straight” (a synonym for the riddle’s solution). The straight always includes either the first or the last word of the clue, but you don’t know which one. Here are some of the many ways to solve cryptics, with examples from The New Yorker:

  1. Anagrams– indicator words usually connote violence (ruined, shattered), altered states (crazy, drunk), or reconfiguration (mixed, remade, new). EX: in the cryptic “Honestly crazy, in secret”, the word “crazy” suggests the word “honestly” should be anagrammed. This means that “in secret” must be the straight: a synonym for an anagram of honestly. In this case, the answer is “on the sly” (an anagram of “honestly” and a synonym for “in secret”).
  2. Hidden Word– words like “includes”, “hidden”, or “has” indicate that the answer is a sequence of letters hidden inside the clue. EX: in the cryptic “Error concealed by city police”, the word “error” is the straight. Another word for “error” is “typo”, which can be found in the middle of “city police” (ciTY POlice).
  3. Homophones: indicator words usually relate to sound and speech, like “heard” or “said”. EX: in the cryptic “Stringed instrument untruthful person heard”, another word for an untruthful person is a “liar”, and a homophone of liar is “lyre”, or in other words, a stringed instrument. So “lyre” is the answer.
  4. Double Definition: instead of having both a cryptic and a straight part, this type of clue has two straights, both definitions of the same answer. These are the only types of clues that are never combined with other wordplay. EX: In “Wear out an important part of a car”, a synonym for “wear out” is the verb “tire”, and “an important part of a car” is also a “tire”.
  5. Assemblage: this is a tricky one; there aren’t usually any indicator words for these clues. You have to break the answer into chunks and piece them together for your answer. EX: In the cryptic “Put down prosecutor’s animals”, “put down” is swapped out for “pan” and “prosecutor’s” is swapped out for “DAs” (as in district attorneys). Putting “pan” and “DAs” together gets you “pandas”, or another word for “animals”, this clue’s straight.
  6. Deletion: indicators include words like “headless”, “endlessly”, “first”, or “half”- a prompt to remove the start or end of a word. EX: In “A Creed of Christianity is 75% niceness”, 75% of the word “niceness” (6 of the 8 letters) is “nicene”, which is a creed of Christianity, the straight.
  7. Reversals: indicated by words like “turned back” or “reversed”, these clues are exactly what they sound like- just words in reverse. EX: In “Returned beer of kings”, “of kings” is the straight and “returned beer” is the cryptic. A type of beer is called lager, which, when reversed, becomes “regal”, a word meaning “of kings”.
  8. Container: another especially confusing type of clue. Indicators like “within” or “surrounding” prompt you to put one word inside another. EX: In “Horse in South Dakota is covered with spangles”, another word for “horse” is “equine”, and an abbreviation for “South Dakota” is “SD”. If you put “equine” in “SD”, you get the word “sequined” (SequineD), which is a synonym for the straight “with spangles”.
  9. Bits and Pieces: this type of clue has you select the first letters from a series of words. EX: In “House of Pain debuts ‘Jump Around'”, the first letters of “house of pain” are h, o, and p, which form “hop”. Hop is a synonym for “jump around”, which is the straight. So the answer is “hop”.

Most clues don’t just have one of these; they include multiple aspects combined! And it never tells you upfront which types it involves, nor does it tell you which part of the clue the straight is. If this brief explanation wasn’t too convoluted and confusing, and you find yourself intrigued by this boggling little puzzles, then I highly recommend trying out some of the New Yorker’s beginner friendly puzzles. Good luck, and happy puzzling!

Christmas in Julian

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Over the winter break, my family and I went on a weekend getaway to a small town called Julian, which is near San Diego and has a population of about 1,300 people. It’s a cute little town with really pretty Christmas decorations and delicious pie!

My family and I went on a goldmine tour in Julian, and it was a lot of fun. I learned many new things about the miners and how they dug up gold. The miners’ 1800s version of a head flashlight was a singular candle perched on nook in their mining caps. The gold diggers weren’t allowed to bring matches into the mine, so if his candle extinguished, he had to find his way out of the mine by groping in the darkness. IN PITCH-BLACK DARKNESS. When our guide turned off the lamps, we literally couldn’t see our hands an inch away from our faces.

At the end of the tour, we went to pan for gold. Our guide showed us how to get the gold dust and flakes to the bottom of the pan and get rid of the sand and water. I highly recommend going on the Eagle Gold Mine Tour if you ever go to Julian!

For the pie-lovers out there, the Julian Pie Company has the best pie ever. I myself am not even a pie person, but their pies are magical. My favorite is the mountain berry pie because it’s sweet, but also has that tart flavor. It has apples and mixed berries in it. Their original apple pie is sweeter than the mountain berry one and is absolutely delicious with vanilla ice cream. If you ever see a Julian Pie Company pie at a farmer’s market or grocery store, definitely add it to your shopping cart.

Going to Julian over the winter break was really chill and relaxing. Here are some pictures to really bring you to this charming town!

Activities to Try in 2025

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2024 was full of amazing different adventures and ups and downs, so here’s 5 activities that I enjoyed and that you can consider trying in 2025!

  • Bullet Journaling – You can keep a daily log of different events such in your life such as rating your day, a dream tracker, anxiety tracker, the best part of your day, etc. and then see your progress throughout the year. You can also be more creative with it such as creating and decorating pages for each month or major event in your life.
  • Create fun challenges/goals for yourself – Maybe it’s completing a puzzle or reading more books this year. Finding a new challenge or goal to achieve can help motivativate you in the new year.
  • Yoga – It’s always important to stay active, but prioritizing your mental health and relaxing is also important. Yoga can help you achieve both, as a calming form of exercise for all ages. Additionally, you can also consider other calming forms of exercise such as Tai Chi.
  • Escape Rooms – Escape rooms can be a fun place for you to enjoy hanging out with your friends and family as you work to solve puzzles and analyze different clues.
  • DIY Crafts – This can be hobbies like crocheting, making jewelry, knitting, photography, or whatever you like to express your creativity.

Fun Party Games / Activities

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Whether it be a family gathering during the holidays, a friend hangout, or a school party, activities elevate the mood of a party by a great deal, and some may even argue that they are essential to parties. Here are a few party activities that are key to having a great party.

A party activity that is simple yet extremely fun is a game of musical chairs. Musical chairs are a game where numerous chairs are placed in a circle and music is played. Oftentimes, people dance to the music, but for some, they just like to stay still. Once the music stops, each person must find a chair to take a seat on. Musical chairs are set up so that there are less amount of chairs each round than people participating in the game. This way, when the music stops, one person will be left without a chair. This popular game is simple but easily one of the best ways to change the atmosphere of a party.

This next party activity is not as popular as music chairs and can be boring if not done correctly, but I think it’s worth trying. This particular activity does not have a specific name, but in this game, one person, the host, will be instructing the others to find specific items. For example, the host can say something like “Find me…” and proceed to say an item, such as a belt, a flower pot, or anything you can name. The first person to bring it to the host will typically get a price, but it is not necessary. 

Another enjoyable party activity is a game where a person is blindfolded and they have a bowl or any sort of container in front of them. In this game, the person will try to scoop up whatever is on the table, trying to compete with others to see who will scoop up the most. This game is typically done with money, but another alternative can be cotton balls. I think this is a lighthearted game that can lift the mood at parties. 

This final activity can be a bit challenging, depending on the party crowd, and is more for parties with close friends, but this last activity is a try not to laugh challenge with people. This one can be difficult and not as appealing, especially if you have friends who are not as easy to make laugh, but if this activity does go right, then cherishable memories will be created.

How to Leaf Bleach Clothes

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It was New Year’s Eve, but instead of celebrating with drinks and parties, my cousin and I sat in a cold garage that stunk of bleach. To give some context, my cousin had been inspired by hoodies and shirts that had leaf imprints on them. We wanted to try it out using bleach. It took lots of trial and error to find an efficient and effective process. Here’s what we did:

Materials: Cotton clothing, Paintbrush (that you don’t mind ruining), Bleach or any cleaning solution containing bleach, Paper plate, Book or other flat and heavy object, Leaves of varying shape, Steam iron press, gloves, and a mask.

  1. Go outside or in a ventilated area. Cover the floor if you’re worried about stains, and put on your gloves and mask.
  2. Pour the bleach into a paper plate, start heating the iron, and lay out your hoodie. Decide on a layout for the leaves.
  3. Take your paintbrush and brush bleach onto the leaves. The more you use, the more vibrant the print will be.
  4. Press the bleached side of the leaf onto the clothing and use a book to flatten it; Do not smear and hold for about 10 seconds.
  5. Peel the leaf off and immediately press the iron into the bleached area of the clothing. This should bring out the pattern.
  6. Repeat steps 3-5 for the rest of the leaves. You can reuse leaves as long as they are intact. 
  7. Leave the clothing out to dry in the sun, then machine wash.

The result should be an orange-brownish pattern of leaves on the clothing with the leaf’s veins and texture visible. If any of the above steps don’t work, there are a few things you can try. First, make sure your bleach isn’t expired. Second, if liquid bleach doesn’t show on the clothing, try a pasty cleaning solution that contains bleach. We used a Soft Scrub cleanser and painted that onto the leaves. Third, check that your clothing is 100% cotton. This is how ours turned out– Happy bleaching!

Hobbies That Will Help Pass Time

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Hobbies are things you do in your free time. Hobbies are essential, especially when you are bored, and everyone has hobbies. There are many hobbies out there, but these are some of the hobbies that I think help pass the time. 

  1. Crocheting

Crocheting is one of my favorite hobbies that I picked up. All it takes is yarn and a hook and you can make anything to your desire. Crocheting is harder than it seems, but once you get the hang of it, it gets easier. It takes hard work and dedication to start the hobby and make progress with it, but as you practice more, it gets easier. 

  1. Jewelry Making

Honestly, this hobby of jewelry making is so fun. It helps express your creativity through bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and anything jewelry-related. For this hobby, you need a bit more resources than usual and it’s hard to start because there is so much material that you don’t know where to begin. However, it’s worth it, so if you want to invest in a hobby, I suggest this hobby. Not only is it full of creativity, but when you finish, you feel a strong sense of pride and joy as you see your finished product.

  1. Sewing

This hobby is a bit more challenging and can take lots of practice. I don’t engage and practice this hobby much because I lack a sewing machine. I can still hand stitch, but it is too much work. This hobby will allow you to make so many cute things or alter your clothes based on your body. This can also lead to a career in fashion design.

  1. Instruments

Like Sewing, this hobby can be very challenging and requires practice. For playing an instrument as your hobby, you need the instrument, of course, and any additional things to the instrument. This hobby occupies free time, and it can be frustrating at times when you don’t know how to do certain things. However, with practice, you can play your first song, which can make you feel accomplished.

In conclusion, these few hobbies are worth considering when deciding what to do when you’re bored. 

Best Activities for the Holidays

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It’s almost Thanksgiving, which means the holidays are almost here. If you are looking for activities to do over the holidays, here are some of the best ideas for holiday activities this winter.

1) Go to an ice skating rink.

  • There are several ice skating rinks nearby in Orange County, including at the Irvine Spectrum. The Great Park in Irvine has one as well, as well as several others nearby. Many of these rinks have other various activities to do as well.

    2) Make a homemade wreath.

    • Making wreaths is another fun activity for the holidays. To make a wreath, first build a bouquet or bundle of plants. Then, either use a wire frame or a wreath base and attach the bouquet to this. Finally, tie the bundles together and decorate your wreath with flowers,

    3) Go on a holiday lights tour.

    • A great activity for the holidays and a family tradition for me has been to go on a tour of holiday lights around the city. In fact, Mission Viejo has a holiday lighting contest with a guide to the best lighted houses in the city. The guide can be found at this link: https://mvactivities.com/all-mvac-events/home-lighting-contest/.

    4) Go to a local Christmas event.

    • Another activity you can do over the holidays is going to a Christmas event. One of the best local events is located in Newport Beach, where there is a parade of lighted boats. It will be held this year from December 18-22. Orange County also has a winter festival in December at the location of the OC Fair.

    5) Make ornaments to decorate your tree.

    • Another one of my favorite holiday activities is making ornaments. It is great for anyone who is interested in crafts, and there are also a wide variety of ornaments you can make, including felt, beaded, paper mache, and salt dough ornaments, all of which can be made easily at home. You can also decorate your Christmas tree and your house with these homemade ornaments as well.

    6) Bake holiday treats to enjoy.

    • Baking holiday treats is also a good idea for the holidays. Cookies always make a great treat, and some cookies that are great to bake over the holidays are sugar, snickerdoodle, and gingerbread cookies. Another great holiday treat and one of my personal favorites is hot cocoa, which is great to make at home.

    7) Visit some local Christmas attractions.

    • There are many great local Christmas attractions to visit in Southern California. The Descanso Gardens in Pasadena has a lighted walk every Christmas, and there are several other local places with lights as well. Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland have Christmas events as well.

    8) Play holiday games.

    • Playing games can also be a fun thing to do over the holidays. One of my favorite holiday activities is to play board games with family and friends. Another activity that is great to do over the holidays is Secret Santa, where you can exchange gifts with family and friends. These are some of my recommendations for the best activities to do over the holidays, so feel free to try them out this winter.

    Ethan W.