Coming to An End?

When I first started this blog, I was not only new at the school and shy, but a bit skeptical about the idea of having a blog. I was scared of what the people reading would think about it (even though I'm pretty sure only about three people actually read my blog). Over the course of having this blog I've grown as a person, made new friends, and become more comfortable with sharing my interests and experiences. Sometimes of the course I'v had trouble thinking of things to write about, or how to make it appeal to the readers but I've learned from not only this blog and class, but my whole experience while here that I should not care what people think of me because I am who I am. And trust me, I know for a fact that that is definitely easier said than done.

photo of me, taken by me

Although letting go of your anxiety or worries of what people think about you is difficult, I think it's really important and this blog helps to be able to do that. Because I can be myself when writing these posts. Not only because maybe some people reading this are not from this school, or state or even country. I highly doubt the reality of that, but imagining that helps me feel more comfortable being myself on this blog.

I've also learned over the course of this year that this blog is kind of like my personal diary that I can write down my thoughts and opinions inside. I can rant about things or express my thoughts and feelings, as if it is my diary. Only a few people will read it anyways, and so I like the idea of being able to post my thoughts.

As for how this blog has helped me become who I am today... I don't feel much different but I do know I'm more comfortable with talking to people and sharing ideas. I am still quite shy and quiet around people I am not close friends with, but in the end at least we have something to talk about. If I am at some sort of get together and see a fellow Honors English student that I don't really ever talk to, here's one more thing to talk about to keep it from becoming awkward, haha.

Overall, this blog has been a really great experience, and although I don't think I am going to continue posting, I am looking forward to reflecting on these blog post when I get a bit older. I think it'll be cool to look back at these blog posts in ten or fifteen years. Anyways, to finish off this final post, I want to thank whoever reads this for reading it. This has been a fun journey and I enjoyed writing these posts, even if no one ever read them! I also want to thank my friends for being the two or three people who read my blog and you can check them out on Teen Travel Tips and Anything And Everything.

Thanks for everything,
Ariel

Festivals, Ice Cream and Crane Necklaces

Picture of Calpico, taken by me

This previous weekend on Saturday I went to a Japanese festival in Salt Lake City with my friend Marea from the blog Anything and Everything. The festival was held on a street, with various vender, for both food and other items like clothing and accessories. They also had a few game tents or booths, and two separate stages with different performances going on. It was a very cool experience and I got to try some very good food, and drinks while there. I had a teriyaki beef bowl and successfully ate it with chopsticks, haha. We also shared gyoza, which for those who do not know, is a Japanese pan-fried dumpling.The food was delicious and I enjoyed it a lot. While at the festival I also tried a White Peach Calpico, which is a Japanese carbonated drink, that is almost milky, similar to Yakult (Yakult is another Japanese drink).

Not only were there vendors at the festival, but there was also a small store that had knickknacks, candy, accessories, jewelry and many other cute items. While there, my friend and I both purchased delicate little necklaces with a gold circle pendant that has a crane etched in. It is supposed to represent or bring good luck to person who is wearing it. I also purchased a pack of miniature colored pencils, that actually work. In comparison to my pinky finger, each colored pencil is about half the length.

Ice Cream, photo taken by me

My friend and I shopped, ate and watched the different performances before heading to The Habit, a fast food restaurant to get ice cream cones. Throughout the day I had a lot of fun exploring, taking artsy pictures and just walking around spending time with my friend. It was a great experience and although I do not know a ton about the culture and lifestyle it was super cool and interesting to be involved for the day!

I am hoping to go back to this festival next year, or find another one similar to it wherever I am (since I am most likely moving). The festival was an amazing and fun experience and I hope that next year, whether I'm here (in Utah) or in Florida that I will be able to find another festival or cultural event like this one and spend a fun day with friends exploring.

Overall I had a very fun time and ended up going to see Park City High School's production of Anne Frank afterwards. I hope you enjoyed this blogpost and make sure to check out Anything and Everything if you'd like, Marea writes some pretty cool posts. Anyways, see you next time!

~Ariel

Looking For Alaska Book Review

Looking for Alaska is a young adult novel, written by John Green about an emotionally unstable, teenage girl named Alaska Young. It is told from the perspective of high school junior Miles Halter, also known as Pudge by his friends. Miles or Pudge is a new student at Culver Creek Preparatory High School in Alabama. The novel follows Pudge, who does not receive a very warm welcome to the school, Alaska and their friends Chip also known as The Colonel and Takumi, through their junior year of high school. On Miles’ first night at Culver Creek he is thrown into a lake as a prank performed by the Weekday Warriors, a group of rich students at Culver Creek. Therefore, it is the group of friends' goal throughout the novel to out-prank the Weekday Warriors to get them back for their cruel prank on the new kid. Throughout the story John Green gives a bit of background on the character’s past and explains events or experiences that may affect the way the characters are in current time, such as when the whole group of friends get drunk and play a game of “Best and Worst Days”. As the book progresses Alaska becomes more unhappy with her life and sometimes a little moody. Small events pertaining to her attitude eventually lead up to a reckless incident, leaving Alaska dead and her friends in a state of depression. After Alaska Young's death Pudge spends most of his time in mourning until the Colonel decides they need to solve the mystery of Alaska's death. Was it suicide? The quick and fast way out? Or was it really all an accident? While trying to figure out what really happened Pudge, The Colonel and Takumi decide to have one final prank in honor of Alaska, which was respectably the best prank of all time in Culver Creek's history of pranks according to the book.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Overall I thought this book was really good and left me a bit awestruck. It had a great plot, diverse and amazing characters, and a fantastic ending. Although this book was sad and had me in tears the storyline and charcters were very easy to connect with. They felt very real and had opinions and emotions that were relatable and understandable. It really felt as if each character had their own personality and were not just characters. Green did a very good job of making these characters their own person rather than them all sounding and acting as if they were created by the same author. Green also includes details that help make the story more realistic and interesting. The emotions that the characters have make the book more enjoyable and help to make it feel like something I personally could connect with more. The setting also helps make the scene and story easier to imagine and visualize in your mind.

To conclude, this book was fantastic and if you have not read it, I definitely recommend reading it. It is a beautiful piece of literature that I would gladly read multiple times, and usually when I can read a book more than once, it's a pretty good book... Well at least in my opinion! If you would like to see a larger summary and description of this book and the author you can check out Wikipedia's page!

-Ariel

The Neighbourhood, and Florida

So just a few days ago I was looking at some of my favorite band's songs on google when I decided to look at tour dates. They had recently been out of the country on their previous tour so I expected to see some foreign country or town, but first thing on there is Salt Lake City. I was so excited to see that The Neighbourhood would be here on May 13 but I figured I wouldn't get to go because my parents aren't huge fans of the Neighbourhood and neither are any of my friends. But to my surprise, I recieved a text from my mom yesterday morning that I didn't see until after school that she had purchased tickets for me to go see them. I'm honestly so excited because I have never seen them in concert and they have been my favorite band for quite a while now.

Image of The NBHD courtesy of Rock On Philly

I am overly ecstatic about this after reading reviews of their concert and honestly cannot wait. According to every review I have seen Jesse Rutherford (the lead singer) is very charismatic, loves interacting with the crowd and really knows how to make sure everyone enjoys the show. Also he supposedly has a great sense of humor and I just can't wait to experience this for real instead of just reading the reviews. Counting down, 28 days!

Next, I have been quite busy lately due to the fct that we are selling our house, so I have moved into a condo in Bear Hollow, but it's quite cozy and my room even has a gas fireplace! I was definitely not excited to move into the condo in the meantime until we move to our next destination but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Now you may be wondering where our final destination is, and as it says in the title of this... my family is most likely moving to Florida. In February we went to Naples and Marco Island, and decided we really liked Marco Island and on the day I shadowed at the school I really enjoyed it. The teachers and students were very nice and welcoming and although I am sad to leave behind Park City, and as much as I will miss my friends here, I am very excited to start fresh for the next few years of high school.

So that's pretty much it, but just because I'm going to see The Neighbourhood very soon, here is a list of my favorite songs by them:

1. West Coast
2. $TING
3. R.I.P. 2 My Youth
4. Cry Baby
5. Afraid
6. Daddy Issues
7. Wiped Out!
8. Sweater Weather
9. Single
10. Wires

The genre or style of their music is alternative and I would still suggest listening to at least a few of their songs even if that isn't your favorite style of music because they are very talented. But anyways, that's it for this post. Sorry it's really random but hope you enjoyed!

~Ariel the hoodlum

P.S. a hoodlum is a strong supporter and fan of The NBHD, I'm not a thug...

March Favorites

Now that March is somewhat close to coming to it's end, I figured I might share some things I enjoyed this month with you guys. This will include music, random products, food and other stuff, that probably don't all go together, nor have anything to do with March but I thought I would share them anyways.

1. The Neighbourhood has become one of my favorite bands over the past few months. Although most of my friends think their music is depressing, I really like the music and the lyrics. It is alternative style or genre and if you like Saint Motel, Walk the Moon, or The 1975, The Neighbourhood is fairly similar. If you do listen to their music, make sure to check out the songs West Coast, $TING, Daddy Issues, and Sweater Weather.

Image courtesy of Mashable

2. Another band I've come to like is called Two Door Cinema Club. Their music is alternative as well, but a bit more up-beat and fun. I personally like the songs Sun, I Can Talk, Something Good Can Work (The Twelves Remix), and What You Know. Two Door Cinema Club's music is similar to music from bands like The Wombats, and Foster The People.

3. I'll Give You The Sun, by Jandy Nelson, is my new favorite book. It follows the story of twins Noah and Jude. I find it to be a very artistic book and I really enjoyed it. It switches perspectives about every chapter. When the twins are younger, around the age of thirteen, it is told from Noah's perspective. Then later on when the twins are sixteen it is told from Jude's perspective. For a more descriptive summary of the story you can check out this website. Overall, it was a very good book and I liked it a lot, so  I definitely recommend it.

4. I have been drawing a lot lately and about two months ago I purchased some Copic Markers, which are very high quality and super great for people who are serious about artwork. Although they are a bit expensive, I find them to work really well and hope to purchase more. You can find Copic Markers at Michael's for about seven dollars apiece, and they have a variety of colors ranging from skin tones to bright and bold ones.

5. So this is quite different from most everything else I've mentioned but lately I've really been liking "Chobani Flip" greek yogurt. Pretty much it's yogurt with a little compartment on the side that you flip over and dump into the yogurt (I am really bad at explaining this). They have a lot of different flavors and toppings but my personal favorites are key lime crumble, almond coco loco, and chocolate haze craze. You can see all the different flavors on Chobani's "Flip" website.

6. I've also recently been painting my nails a lot and have come to find some new favorite colors and brands of nail polish. One is Sally Hansen's Insta-Dry, Color Me Good nail polish. It is a light mint blue-green color and it's super cute. Another color I really like is To Buy Or Not To Buy, a light lavender color with a bit of shimmer from Essie. Last but not least I love the color Ithaque from NARS, which is similar to a baby pink shade.

So I hope you guys enjoyed my March favorites and I'll see you in my next post!

~Ariel

Hope, A Short Story

Hello! Today I figured I'd share a short story with you guys that I wrote a little bit ago! The picture below is a drawing (not by me) of what I imagined Hope, the main character would look like. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy!

I walk down the hall studying the faces of all the students. It’s fun people watching, especially in school. You can always see how much alike everyone is. All the girls and boys come from perfect molds in the factories, and grow up to be just like their mommies and daddies. But not me; at least that’s what I like to think. Sometimes I feel like I have to be different. Even if people aren’t actually the same in looks, or height, or weight, or whatever, in the end really everyone is the same. We all have insecurities, and we all want to be like one another. That’s why I’m different I suppose. Because I don’t want to be like everyone else. I don’t want to come from the perfect factory mold. I want to be me.

“Hope, wait up!” I hear a voice from behind me and turn to see Cole.

“Hey,” I say, smiling. Cole is one of the only people in this school besides myself that isn’t afraid to be himself. I’m not afraid to be me, and neither is he.

“You look nice today,” He compliments and I nudge him. I didn’t really spend time putting together my outfit so I was happy that it looked alright. I had put on a pair of black, ripped skinny jeans, black doc martins, and a nirvana t-shirt.

“Thanks babe,” I reply winking. And just for clarification, Cole and I are not a ‘thing’, I just call almost everyone babe, mostly my friends.

“Nothing to say about me?” He asks, gesturing to his outfit and hair.

“You look awful,” I say and chuckle. He smacks my shoulder but I know he’s joking and he knows I’m joking so we’re good.

“Why thank you,” He says rolling his eyes.

“You got it!” I exclaim as we round the corner into the language hallway.

“So, what’s up with you and Liam?” He asks and I blush a little.

“I don’t understand the question,” Is the first thing that comes to my mind so that’s what I say.

“Oh shut up, of course you do.” He says. I shake my head and look at the ground.

“There’s nothing going on between us.”

“Oh please!” He exclaims and I elbow him gently.

“Cole, nothing. Absolutely nothing,” I say as we round the corner.

“Fine, fine. I’ll leave it, but everyone knows you like him.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem. He doesn’t like me back.”

“Well, then don’t waste your time,” He says before entering his next class. I keep walking and head towards the science room.

Hope, image courtesy of SkyHDWallpaper

Science is honestly my least favorite, but I have it with Liam. Sometimes, that’s a plus and others it’s awkward. Well, I’m awkward. I walk in and immediately see him but take a seat at my assigned table and look at the floor. Sometimes we talk, but that’s usually when it’s the worst because I get so nervous. It’s stupid and I should stop but every time he looks at me my breath gets caught in my throat and I feel like drowning in my own thoughts. The bell rings and everyone stops talking then takes their seats.

“Class, today we’ll be working in partners on a lab. Please choose someone you will work well with,” the teacher says and I look at Liam and our eyes meet. I quickly look away, blush creeping onto my cheeks.

“Hey, Hope,” he says as he approaches me. I try to smile and nod at him.

“Hi,” I barely choke out, knowing I probably sound like a dying mouse.

“Would you like to be partners?” He asks and I look at him with my eyes wide.

“Uh, sure,” I reply.

He takes a seat next to me and I open my science textbook. We work on the project and talk like we’ve known each other forever until the bell rings and we pack up. He waves with a small smile as I exit the classroom and I can’t help but smile as I walk toward my next class. Cole taps my shoulder and I smile at him but don’t say anything.

“What’s up with you?” He asks while laughing and I look away.

“Nothing, I just talked with Liam,” I reply.

“Oh, how’d that go?” He smiles.

“Good, I guess.”

“Well, I got to go but good luck with him,” He says before walking into his next class and leaving me to walk alone. I still smile though as I think about Liam and science class.

“Hope, wait up!” I hear a voice say and turn around. I see Liam walking toward me quickly and my smile widens.

“Hey, what’s up?” I ask, a bit confused since we just talked a few minutes ago.

“I should’ve asked you earlier but didn’t have the courage. I realized that was stupid, and I was uh— wondering if you wanted to go to the dance with me?” He asks and my cheeks grow red.

“I’d love to.”

What did you think? I hope you liked it, and I'll be back soon with another post. If you like writing here is a great website for writing prompts to help get your story started. See you guys soon in my next post!
~Ariel

My Not Very Exciting Events Of March!

This March, not much has happened in my life. Honestly not much happens regularly but every English class it was mentioned that we should write a blog post if anything interesting or exciting happens and no matter how many times I racked my brain for an interesting event that occurred there was nothing. That is until yesterday, when I finally convinced my parents to take me down to Heber to take my permit test. I have been repeatedly asking them since my birthday but always got the same excuse. Finally after about a month it actually happened, because just yesterday before the test I had been fifteen for about a month and 7 days and still had not even gone to take the test.

So right after school my parents picked me up and took me to the Drivers License Department and it was not very exciting, contrary to my parents beliefs. About every five minutes I caught my dad attempting to sneakily take a picture of me. After a while he finally stopped and then I took the permit test. I missed seven questions, so I barely even passed but luckily I did and the minute I was done taking it I had pretty much already forgotten the majority of the questions asked. My parents and another student coming to take the test had asked what it was like but somehow, I couldn't even remember the questions of a test I had taken just five minutes before. That's sort of sad, I mean come on Ariel... Really? This experience really was nothing special at all, but I am proud to say I can officially drive now... That is if there is an adult in the car with me, but that's besides the point. So as of March sixteenth I can now drive with someone over the age of eighteen, can't wait until I can drive by myself.

Picture of Miraculous Ladybug courtesy of TV Tropes

Not much else exciting has happened this March, but I have found my obsession with music by the band The Neighbourhood has grown, as well as my liking for a new animated show (Miraculous Ladybug, yes I do realize it is a children's show), but really neither of those things are very cool. Aside from those two events, I have also noticed how under-celebrated St. Patrick's Day is. Today I walked into school with a green floral headband and bright green sweater,
that I don't particularly even like, thinking other people would dress up in green attire, but really I saw very few people. Most teachers did not even wear green clothing. I was sort of disappointed this morning, but I just went with it. I still kind of regret wearing green clothing, but I mean what can you do?

As for any other exciting or memorable events, I have none. Overall March has been pretty boring, especially since there are no holidays other than St. Patrick's Day, there are no breaks from school, and next week the quarter is coming to an end, which means many many finals. Personally I am not looking forward to finals. Honestly I don't know anyone who ever is. With finals come lots of studying and stress, not that studying is a bad thing but stress isn't really a good thing. That being said, March has still been a great month, and due to it's lack of exciting events, it has been a pretty laid-back and relaxing month, which has been nice.

Anyways, hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's Day and enjoyed the blog post. See you again in the next post which will most likely be tomorrow!
~Ariel :)

My Ideal Reader?

Dear Steven Spielberg,

You are an amazing director who I really look up to. Your films have inspired me to take my time on the videos I make and work hard to make them look good. I really admire your work and hope to one day make films like yours. I especially love your film Super 8, which I had mentioned in one of my other posts and always love the classics like Jurassic Park, E.T. and Indiana Jones. I would love to someday meet you and even work with you, I think it would be an amazing experience and I would be honored to meet the person that has directed so many wonderful films.

Photo courtesy of One Life Success

I make YouTube videos, and always think of how much time and effort you must put into your films as motivation to try my hardest. I would like to become a successful director like you. You are someone I look up to and I appreciate all your work. You have inspired me to work hard on the thing that I love and put forth effort and time to make the end product. I hope to someday meet you or direct films similar to ones you have. My goal is to make movies that people enjoy and love and share with their friends because they enjoyed it so much, just as I do with your films.

I am a ninth grader who aspires to one day be as talented of a director as you. So far my blog has not mentioned my love for film much but in the near future I would like to share more about my hobby and love for film. I really admire you and your films, and you have inspired me to do what I love.

I know you, Steven Spielberg, will probably not see this blog post but if you ever did I would be incredibly amazed and honored. If you did ever see this post, I want you to know what an inspiration and amazing director you are. Your films are amazing works of art and just all around fantastic. I have enjoyed every film I have seen directed by you and know I will continue to love ones you direct in the future.

I look up to you for everything you do, you truly are an amazing director. Thank you so much for inspiring me and for making the wonderful films you have directed.

~Ariel

Old School, 2015 and 2016.

So 2015 has come to an end and we're already a few days into 2016, as well as semester one is coming to it's end. We have been having a lot of finals, and projects and large assignments due. This means a lot of studying, and last minute work, and all sorts of other school related things that take up time. I'm not saying doing these things is bad, but I have realized how much effort and time goes into your work, not only towards the end of the semester or quarter.

Coming from a private school, Treasure Mountain Junior High is very different; there are more finals, projects and assignments that count for a large part of your grade. Although this makes it hard and a bit more time consuming to get a good grade, I like the effort that you have to put into your work. I know a lot of kids feel lazy and usually don't like these types of things, and I don't either but as quarter to is ending I noticed how much I have enjoyed the school year.

At my old school the eighth grade class was composed of fifteen students. This made it very difficult to make friends and meet different people. Although our class was very close, it felt weird not being able to go to a class with other people and make new friends. Coming to TMJH for ninth grade was a huge change, there being so many students and classes. At first it was overwhelming and difficult to adjust to but after coming here I have made new friends that I feel closer with than the other friends I had before. I have had a chance to meet a lot of new people and experience things I didn't have at my private school. I am looking forward to semester two because new semester means new classes and meeting new people. I am very shy but am hoping to become more open and meet new friends.

At my old school things were a bit different, not only because it was smaller but the teaching styles were different and I like coming to TMJH because it's new and a good change. I had been going to Park City Day School, the private school since I was in kindergarten and am very happy to be at a new school.

Picture of my friend Marea and I

Now switching gears to look back on 2015 I would say it's been a pretty great year, and although we're already 14 days into the new year I'm excited to see what the rest of 2016 holds. In 2015 I made some great new friends, had arguments with old ones but eventually found our way back together, and went through hardships but I wouldn't want my year any other way. I am so lucky to have the opportunities and friends I have, especially my closest ones who I can tell anything. My friends are so supportive and I'm so glad to have them in my life. So, to conclude this post, I know it's already 2016 but cheers to whatever the future holds!

~Ariel



P.s. if you want to check out my friend's travel tips blog you can click here, and if you want to check out my other friends blog for pretty much anything click here! :)

Surprises, Cracker Barrel, and Claw Machines.

The day after Christmas my dad woke my mom and I up, then immediately asked, "Do you want to go to Alabama?" At first I hated the idea, I mean sure I love seeing family but I hate having to leave after visiting. I didn't want to go, I didn't wan to have to cry when we left. But after waking up a bit more and coming to my senses, I decided taking a trip home to see family would be fun. We planned to leave in two days and fly from Salt Lake to Atlanta, Georgia then from there to Alabama and not tell anyone. It was going to be a surprise, and I knew it would be super fun so we all packed and two days later we got on the plane to head to Alabama.

Our plane got into the Atlanta airport at 7:05 and our flight to Huntsville, Alabama was supposed to leave at 9:15. When we got off the plane and checked our flight the display board read that the flight was delayed tim 11:36. We figured that couldn't be right so we checked the next closest display board and it still said our flight was for 9:15. We walked to the displayed gate and when we arrived there was no one at the gate, so we checked and all the display boards had updated to 11:36 departure at a gate on the other end of the airport. After walking back and forth about four times to different gates we eventually decided to ask customer service. The employee we asked had no idea what we were asking about so we finally decided at around ten, that it would be more convenient to just drive, so we rented a car and started on our five hour drive to Russellville, Alabama.

We arrived at our hotel at around 2:00 a.m. and decided we would surprise everyone the next day. The next morning we woke up, got ready and headed off to my grandparents' house to surprise them first. Both were very surprised and we spent a little time with them before they had to head to work. My dad went back to the hotel and my mom and I decided to surprise my cousin next. I told her I wanted to Skype and she explained that she was at her Nana's house and could Skype whenever. I suggested to call each other in thirty minutes before driving to her Nana's house. We knocked on the door and no one was home so I called and it turned out she had just left three minutes earlier to go to lunch. My mom decided we could go surprise my aunt then come back to surprise Alayna, my cousin later.

(Picture of my cousin and I)

We bought lunch and showed up at my aunt's house then enjoyed time with her before the three of us headed back out to track my cousin down. After many texts, calls, a trip to Walmart and three different houses we finally found her, and her reaction was great. We surprised most everyone else and ended up having a good trip. The whole family went to Cracker Barrel, our favorite southern restaurant, and had a great time. We later went to a Mexican restaurant called Casa Mexicana and my cousins and I attempted to win a stuffed animal from the claw machine, but all failed. Even though we wasted about six dollars trying to get cheap stuffed animals we knew we wouldn't win, it was still very fun.

The time to go home came around and I was sad, but tried my hardest not to cry, knowing what a great time I'd had surprising all my family and spending time with them. My trip to Alabama was great and a perfect ending to winter break. I hope everyone had as fun of a winter break as I did!

~Ariel