How I've changed this year.

Looking back on this school year is pretty great. Of course there have been some extremely embarrassing moments and but some pretty great ones too. Every school year is a balancing act of school, friends, and fun, this year more than most. Even though I have failed the balancing act this year, its been a pretty good one.

Pic credit to me

    This year started with a close group of friends and feeling extremely self conscious. Slowly this year has moved and progressed, so have I along with it. I went from a self conscious social outcast, to someone is still a total outcast but I can socialize with others now and I feel quite good about myself, even self confident. Even 180 days of school days and about 9 months of school year seems like it would go slowly, it hasn't. This year has gone by so fast that it's simply crazy.

     In terms of academic changes, I have lost some of my momentum to reach my goals. But I also have improved in areas as well. Such as English. This year I have gone from barely being able to articulate my thoughts in writing to being able to write four blog posts in a single night. All though that might not sound like much, it is to me.  My whole life english has been my worst subject and a major struggle for me. So my english teacher must be doing something right. Thanks Mr. Parker! As for as my other subjects they have stayed the same. Math and Science are still my two best subjects and History is
getting harder every year. But you know what they say, "hard work, pays off". Band is getting better and better every year and is now more fun than ever. I can't stop looking forward to marching band this summer!

    This year has been a year that has allowed me to feel better about myself. I owe so much to my friends because they have supported me the whole way! I feel like i'm about to be free. (I hope that didn't sound like a hippie). Well anyways I hope you all had an awesome school year so far!

Spring Time Flowers

It is spring time, the time of year that represents, new growth and regeneration. Spring time is a beautiful time of year with many blooming flowers and budding trees. Some of my favorite flowers are:

3) Boat orchids- Boat orchids are stunning and subtle flowers. Everyone knows what a orchid looks like, but boat orchids are different. They are not quite the same as their popular cousins. Much like people normal orchids are like stereotypes. Boat orchids are different like real people. They grow in different ways and are differnt colors naturally.

Pic Credited to Google Plus

2) Sakura trees- Sakura trees (a.k.a cherry blossom trees) are beautiful trees. Every year in spring they explode in thousands of little pink blossoms. When the petals of these flowers end up falling down to ground, they fall slowly, like snow. The petals fall together and slowly separate and go their own separate ways. Falling cherry blossoms are a beautiful metaphor for people and the journey of life.

1) Lilies - Lilies are my all time favorite flowers. They are be bigish  and come in many different colors and patterns.  The lily can be found all over the world and are a relatively hardy plant.  To me the lily represents beauty and strength.  

Flowers can be used to represent many different things and people. Just like flowers ever person is beautiful in there own way.  Comment your favorite flower and why it's your favorite.

BBQ time of year

Its nearly that time of year again. The time of year where there is no school, and the only worry you have is teenage drama and what you're going to do this week. I'm talking about summer. The warm time of year when you don't have to worry about multiple feet of snow and below freezing temperatures. During the summer there are so many fun things to do, but I'm only going to mention a few of my favorites. Not in any particular order.

Journey and Steve Miller Band Concert 2014
Pic credited to me

1) Cliff Jumping/Diving - Summer the only time of the year where you can go to any cliff lined lake or reservoir such as, Lake Powell or Flaming Gorge, and go Cliff Jumping. This is one of my absolute favorite things to do ever. There is such a thrill of a dropping 70ft in to a body of water or diving off a 30ft cliff. Words just can not explain the thrill.
2) Marching Band - This is an activity that only appeals to a smaller group of people. Not everyone finds enjoyment and fun from marching for long period of time in hot weather. Though for the people who do, this is one of the best things to ever happen to us. Music combined with being outside and exercise is truly wonderful. But probably for most of you readers band isn't your thing.

3) BBQs - BBQs are a fun social event where you can see friends that are both old and new. These summer parties are always fun, especially when you throw fireworks into the mix. Plus there is always great food and fun.


    These are just some of my favorite summer activities. There is so much to do in summer and so much fun to be had. Summer is for fun and fun is always. My only wish is that I could ski during the summer. I look forward to seeing some of you guys out in the summer weather this year!

Mother's Day

    Happy Mothers Day!! Normally for Mother's Day I'd just make breakfast and clean the house. But because of the 'rocky road' of a year my mom and I have had. I decided to do something a little more special. We have had this old rusty milk can just sitting in our garage for years. My mom has been talking about turning it into some kind of planter, for as long as I can remember. So this year I made that idea come true.

Picture credited to me!

 This project took me about 12 hours to make but it was worth it. I sanded down the milk can for about 5-6 hours. There was so much rust that I actually had to weld to new piece metal to the can when I was sanding. After this whole sanding process it was time to decorate. After 3 cans of spray paint and some stencils, I was finished. I had a lot of fun working on this project and the reaction on my mother's face this morning was priceless. Now the only thing left to do is have her pick out a plant or two and plant them in the top.

    I love my mother so much. Even though her and I don't have the best of relationships. We try and that's what matters. To never stop trying is what keeps us from fighting 24-7. So no matter the relationship you have with your mother wish her a Happy Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day!

Symphony Club.

    Tonight I went with the Symphony Club to Abravanel Hall to see Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Orchestral Suite from The Ring. The Ring is a series of 4 operas usually performed over 4 consecutive nights. The total length of the 4 operas is about 15hrs. Tonight we saw and Orchestral Suite which was only 45min. The Orchestral Suite contained music from all 4 operas. The names of these opera are: Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerrung. Wagner wrote these plays over of about 26 years. Wagner is one for my absolute favorite composers.

Pic credited to SLCCFA

     A typical night at Symphony club consists of eating, listening and bus riding. First of all we normally ride a school bus down to city creek mall. At city creek we eat at the food court. The food court has many different types of food, everything from pizza to mexican food, and Asian cuisine to great american classics. Afterwards we walk to Abravanel Hall and listen to whatever performance we happen to be seeing, which usually starts around 8 o'clock. about halfway though the performance there is an intermission. The symphony useally ends about 10 o'clock. We get home about 10:30 - 11. That is our typical night at Symphony club.

Where in the World?!

For many traveling the world is a on their bucket list. This is also one my my wishes. I would like to share with you my top five places in the world where I would like to travel.

5. Paris, France

     Number five on my list is Paris, France I have been there once before, and had an amazing time.  I was in France for a week and half last spring. We spent most of our time in southern france, I saw the ocean for the first time during that trip which was very exciting!
    The three days that we spent in Paris was amazing. I don't really enjoy museums so the Louvre wasn't very fun. But the rest of the time was grand! The main reason I want to go back is because of the food. Also the city was extremely beautiful. I would love to explore the city.

Pic credited to Parisetoile

4. New York City, USA

Pic Credited to WGirls

 
  Next is the big apple. NYC is definitely a place I would love visit when I'm a little older. The reason that I want to wait is so that I can fully enjoy the night life! The other reason is the music! NYC is full of different types of music and I would love to hear all kinds of bands that I have yet to hear.

Pic credited to Batter Sea Buttons

3. London, UK

     Third is London. London is a place that I would love to visit just to explore the city. Also to be able to learn more about our sister country. Lastly I am a huge fan of multiple British TV shows. To see where in London these shows were filmed and the slight chance to possibly meet some of these actors is a very exciting prospect.




2. Les 3 Vallées, France
     For those of you who have read some of my previous posts know that I love to ski. Les 3 Vallées is the largest ski area in the world and is renowned for their skiing. Les 3 Vallées is french for 3 Valleys. Les 3 Vallées consists of 8 resorts. 3 Valleys has some of the best terrain in the world for skiing and is beautiful.

Pic credited to Les 3 Vallées

1. Tokyo, Japan

Pic credited to Buffalo Sa

    The number one place in the world that I would like to visit is Japan. Japan is my absolute favorite  country, Although I have never been there. Tokyo is a huge metropolitan area near the ocean, and about 90 min by public transit from the nearest ski resort. I love Japanese culture and would love to learn more about it since their culture is so much different than ours. It is also a very beautiful place no matter where you go. Japan is a place where I hope live for at least a year of my life.


 

      The world is a beautiful place full of many exciting adventures and fun to be had. Who knows what amazing things could happen out there!! So Where in the World will you go?

My Only Siblings Are Dogs...

     I am only child with two awesome non-human siblings. Reyna is a 12 year old black lab whose 12th birthday, we celebrated on monday. My brother is Radar, he is 8 years old, his birthday is April ----. My siblings mean the world to me and are totally awesome.

Reyna (Left) and Radar ( Right) My own Pic

    Most people that I know have some kind of pet, though most tend to have a dog or cat. If you have a pet then you know what I mean when I say that I love my dogs.

    To celebrate Reyna's birthday we made a doggie birthday cake with a peanut butter and honey frosting. Aswell they each got their own burger. Now we don't normally feed our dogs such unhealthy foods but since it was a special occasion, we decided to treat them to a great meal. Afterward though they fell asleep and didn't move for about an hour.

    My Reyna is getting older, and with age comes issues. She is having many joint issues and can't even get into the car or onto the couch without help anymore.  I don't like seeing the people/dogs I love in pain. So we try our best to help her have the best time we can. During the summer we go to the lake, while Radar runs up and down the beach, Reyna does a little swimming. We go for short walks and play ball. We still have a lot of fun as a family. But I hope that she will make it through the year and hopefully even though my highschool years.

    My other dog, Radar, is a sweetheart but he would love to eat a pug and despises most dogs. He is my alarm clock. When he hears my alarm in the morning he comes running downstairs and jumps on top of me to get me out of bed. I tell that getting tackled by a  80 lbs dog first thing in the morning gets you up.

     So that is a little bit about my awesome dogs. Please leave some comments about what I should blog about!!

When you Crave Onion Rings, you Make Onion Rings!

    I just spent the last half hour of my life making one of the most american foods that you can find, Onion Rings. In my own personal opinion I have three food that classify as most american 1. Burgers
2. Onion Rings 3. Hot Dogs. Although french fries are a close tie for third.

     So how to make onion rings from scratch is what I would like to tell you about today. Im going to start off with a simple list of ingredients.

My Pic

1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large onion
Flour (for coating onions)
Oil for cooking
Pinch of sugar if not using a sweet onion.

Now that's a pretty simple list of ingredients. Cooking the actual food is even easier. But before we start cooking we have to know how to cook with hot oil.

     First of all never ever let hot oil and water mix. Don't even have water near the oil at all. If the two mix hot oil will be sprayed everywhere. The hot oil will burn anyone and anything around you, including you. If an oil fire does start (which is very unlikely) put flour and/or baking soda on it. When cooking with oil I always have flour at least an arm's length away. If you have a fire extinguisher you should make you that you know where it is before you start to cook. After you are done remove oil from heat and let cool overnight, this insures that the oil is cool and no will get hurt when disposing of the oil. Now that we have gone over safety procedures, let's cook.

    First of all, when cooking get out all of the ingredients and supplies you will need for this recipe. This will make cooking quick and efficient.  For this recipe you will need:
1 larger pot with tall sides or deep fryer (I have not used a deep fryer. I do not know how to use one.)
1 large bowl for mixing in
1 blender for mixing
1 medium bowl for flour
Plate with paper towels on it
Cutting board
Kitchen knife
Tongs to flip onions and take them out of the oil.
Something to measure temp of oil. Candy thermometer or meat thermometer will work

1. Fill the bottom of pot with 2-3 in of oil. Turn on medium-high heat. Check temperature often. You want the oil to be about 375º F. If using deep fryer, follow deep fryer directions.
2. Peel and cut your onion. Peel away the outside of the onion. Cut the onion so that you get a circle, do this for the whole onion. You want each ring to be about 1/2in - 1in in width. After cutting seperate each circle into rings. You should be able to see the layers. If you can't fit your finger though the hole than the ring is too small and can be thrown away.
3. Now in the large bowl, blend the liquids: milk, egg, and oil on a low speed for about 1 minute.
4. Add your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt. Blend with the liquids till smooth.
5. Put the flour for coating the onions in the medium bowl. about 1/2 cup - 1 cup should be fine.
6. Once your oil is about 375º F you're ready to start cooking.
     - Start with your raw onion rings
     - Dip them in the flour so that they have a light coating
     - Then dip them in the batter.
     - Drop gently in the hot oil. Only have about 3 or 4 in the pot at one time.
     - Flip the rings when one side becomes golden brown, take out when both sides are golden brown
     - Place on the plate. The paper towels will absorb any extra oil.
7. If you would like you can put them in the oven at 150º to keep warm. Optional
8. Enjoy!

    This is one of my favorite recipes because it is so simple and delicious! You can use this recipe to feed a group or just a couple people! I hope that someone trys out this scrumptious recipe. Enjoy!.

The Magic of New Music!!

If you know me or have read my bio you must know that I love music. Music and band kinda rule my life. I listen to nearly anything and everything. The only exception is country music. I just don't like country (more on that story later).  Im going to share some music that is new to me from a variety of genres. In no particular order. But I

 First of all is "Uma Thurman" by Fall Out Boy

I decided to include this song because I've listened a lot of Fall Out Boy and this song is unlike the majority of their music. But also I love this song. This is one song that makes me want to dance and move non-stop. The album the "Uma Thurman" is on "American Beauty/ American Psycho" is actually pretty good album to pump you up for anything.



                                                Link to video ---->

Next is a song that I have only ever found on Youtube. "Hellfire" by Vonikk. This is a dubstep song created using synthesizers. This is song stands out to me because it's different from a lot of the dubstep that I have heard. Plus this is a great song to imagine that you are fighting some badass battle. I know weird thing to say. But its true. Anyways fun song with lots of dynamic contrast.





                                                Link to video ---->

On a completely different note, let's listen to some Jazz!  First of all, I have no clue what this song is called. But this is from a movie called Calle 54. Great movie for musicians or anyone! There are at least 3 things that make this song great. 

1. These guys look like they are having so much fun!
2. Great music full of amazing rhythms and rhythmic contrast.
3. Jazz Flute! Anchorman gave jazz flute it's reputation, but its musicians like him who really make it amazing.

Just grab a partner and dance along to this Latin beat.
                                             Link to video ---->

Last but not least, is "This is Gospel" by Panic! At the Disco! This is a song that I have come to enjoy due to having too much fun listening to music. I have recently discovered Panic! At the Disco! even though I had heard the name many times I hadn't heard any of their music. Great Band, great song. I bet that you guys have heard some of their other songs.  Plus great music video!




                                                       
                                              Link to video ---->


I have so many other songs that I would love to show you guys! But sadly I don't have enough time to post more often. But you guys should search for your next favorite artist any where you can, and listen to as many different types of music as possible.

Apologize... Why would I ever want to do something as crazy as that?

First of all, I'm going to apologize to all of those who happen to read this odd little place for my ramblings for my absence. And second of all for anyone who happens to need to an apology. An apology to be given or received from anyone or to anyone.

     Why, you may ask am I talking about apologies? To answer that question I must ask another. Why do we feel the need to apologize or to be apologized to? All people feel on a different level. Some may choose to feel with their heart or soul, while other choose to take a much more logical route to emotion. But for many we can't choose how, when, or why we feel.

Pic credit to Golden Gate Park

      In my life I have many people to apologize to and many people whom owe me an apology. But in our lives there will only be one person that an apology will ever mean the most to and that is yourself. Because only you can ever be you. Your memoir is still being written and you can still forgive yourself. Our choices don't define who you are it is the choices you make afterward and afterward in an infinite loop of choices.

      There are will always be moments in your life to regret and moments to cherish and sometimes they will be one in the same. Im not telling you to be perfect or strong or even to always be true. I'm telling you and myself that we can forgive ourselves for when we aren't strong and can't make the choices that we might have wanted to. To apologize is to forgive. And forgiving isn't always easy but it is possible.

     So I apologize to myself for all I have done in the past and to all of those around me. So I ask you to forgive yourself and move on from whatever might be holding you back. Do whatever you may need, but live in a way that will make you the happiest. So take this apology and apologize to someone and forgive someone else. So why would I apologize? So that I could leave all the crap behind and move forward.

Looking at colleges, The Joy of being in high school!

     One of the many joys of being in high school is looking forward to college life. But first you have to decide what college to go to. When it comes to selecting a college you should first decide what you want to do for a living and/or what your going to major in. Once you have decided what your going to major in then start looking at schools with the best departments and programs for your field of study. Then look at the other things that are important to you, such as band programs, sports, nearby places and other things that you would like to go do while in college.

     As an example I will use myself. I want to be an astrophysicist so I would double major in physics and mathematics and minor in astronomy. Some of the best colleges for astrophysics are MIT, California Institute of Technology (CIT), Princeton, Stanford, Cambridge, Harvard and University of California (Berkeley and Santa Barbara). But personally I don't want to be on the east coast. So I will narrow down my choices to CIT, Stanford, University of California, University of Washington, or possibly Univeristy of Oregon (for chemistry and physics programs). But to make my college years most enjoyable I have 5 things that are a must.

Picture credited to The Atlantic

 1) The school must have a strong football team. But not because of the football games. Because schools with great football teams usually have a great marching band program. Marching band is one of my most favorite things I have ever done. 2) There must have many nearby places to go see local bands. Nothing is better than a good local band. 3) Must be within a 10 hour drive of a ski resort so that if an epic storm is coming in a I can head out and go skiing for a couple days. 4) Local coffee shops. Personally, I can do homework the best with a giant drink and being in a public place. Already when I am extremely stuck on an assignment or working on a large project I go to a coffee shop. 5) Not in the middle of nowhere. Preferably I would be able to get around either by bus, bike, or walking and with many places to go to away from school.

      So this is the joy of being in high school. Stressing about your future, dreaming about getting away from the house and starting your own life. But when looking at the big picture we have 3 more years until all of us freshmen will be going off to college and leave all of our friends and family. That is really scary, exciting and a little sad at the same. But I don't you but I am looking forward to college!!    

The Good, The Bad and The Improving.

My own pic. This is Brighton! I love this place!

So a couple weeks ago I wrote a 6 page essay on arranged marriage in Japan for my Honors English class. By the end of the paper I finally was able to spell 'arranged' correctly without the help of spellcheck! Let me tell you guys something, I am not a good writer. I am decent and I can get my work done plus I can articulate what I want to say and thats the important part. My spelling has been horrendous as long as I can remember and English class has always been my worst subject and I would normally much rather be doing Math or working on a science project than do an english project. By the way it might sound like I am hating on myself right now but I am not. All of us have something we are good at and something that we could improve on.
     Every single one of us in this world has something that we are extremely good at and love to do. For me that is skiing. We all also have something to work on. But the worst thing any of us could ever do would be is to stop improving. We all can improve at everything that we do, that is one of the joys of being human. For example I began to learn how to ski when I was two years old and when I was 6 I hit a wall in my improvement. I couldn't become any better, so to fix that and surpass my wall I joined Brighton Race Team. After 6 years of racing I hit a wall once more. So I started to free ski and train myself and this year I have started teaching skiing at Brighton. I am still improving at skiing and at english. No matter what you are working on you can always improve at everything you do.  
   

Procrastination!! Here we come!

     We all know what Youtube is right? That magical place that seems to suck hours away from the day. Youtube can be a place to find new music, watch shows, get the latest laugh or get recent news. Youtube for me is a magical and dangerous realm in which time flies like a hummerbird! (I know that was a strange simile.)  It is one of the many places where you will find the magical beast called procrastination.

       I am a procrastinator! And i'm not quite sure if thats something to proud about. But I consider myself to be master at this not so good art. I am going to to give you the top 3 ways to procrastinate so that you can avoid these places when you have an assignment  to work on or feel like there is something else proactive you could be doing. So here we go!

Pic from littlerock-creations

3.   Google"How not to procrastinate". This is one of my favorites because it is just so perfect! By trying to learn how to procrastinate you are only procrastination. Go Procrastination! 

Pic credited to E Online

2. Netflix! When I snap my fingers you shall spend hours watching stuff that you don't even want to on netflix. *SNAP* You are now hypnotized by My Little Pony or Breaking Bad. You have begun to waste hours on episode after episode of Once Upon a Time. Congratulations you are a level 2 Procrastinator!   

Pic belongs to bose-gadget

1. Magical Youtube! I absolutely love Youtube! I listen to almost all of my music on Youtube, I'm always watching fail vines and wasting my time to no end! Youtube is the best time waster out there. You go to Youtube to watch one clip about how to make a cake, and before you know it you are watching a video about giraffes falling down and 3 hours have passed. 

I keep saying "Go procrastination" but I created this list so you can be aware of when you are about to procrastinate and stop yourself! But still all of these thing are still fun! So go to the link below for more on procrastination!  Have Fun!!

                                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE3f9hiWiCI    

Shhhhhh! Here is a little secret!

We all have a little something that we don't let many people know about. Sometimes we hide our secret because we are embarrassed, scared that people will think differently about us, or will that others judge us. I know that everyone has something like this, myself included.
 
   So I have three things that I could tell you all but I'm only going to tell you about one. This secret is something that a lot of people misjudge so I am a little nervous. Ok, Ready? I love Anime. For those of you out there that don't know what anime is, anime is an Asian animated show. In America we would call them cartoons, but that really doesn't give anime justice.
 

Picture credited to Google Plus

   In places like Japan and China anime is just as popular as "Once Upon a Time" or "The Walking Dead" are in America. Every major television channel has at least one anime and is usually on primetime T.V (The time of day when the most popular of shows are aired.) Anime is a very broad term it is like saying 'Books'. There are many different genres but Sci-Fi is by far the most popular.
     We have all heard of Pokemon right? Well Pokemon is an Japanese anime geared towards children. Most animes are meant for adults to teenagers and include more mature subjects. Don't Judge!

So what I am trying to say is that we all have things that we don't want people to know that we like or do. But these things are also a part of who we are so let the world know who you are!! Feel free to coment about what you love to do that most probably won't know! We don't judge here!

My Job!

As a 15 year old this is the time of lives when we begin to think about jobs and money and being more independent.  I have started my first job recently, at the end of november. I am Peer instructor at Brighton Ski Resort. Basicly I teach skiing to kids age 4-7 with an older instructor. I have a lot of fun but it is also hard work and very tiring job.  

This is a picture of the view from Brighton's main restaurant. My own pic! 

My workday starts by waking up at 6:30am to get ready and get all my gear together and leave my house by 7:20. (It takes me about 20 minutes just to get out of bed!)
I catch the city bus at the mouth of Big CottonWood Canyon at 7:50. I arrive at Brighton at 8:30, now my day actually starts! At 9:00 I have just enough time for about 3-5 runs before I have to actually work. 10:10 morning classes start. Morning classes end at 12:30 Afternoon classes begin at 1:10 and end at 4:00. Then I get home about 6:00. That is my work day!
       So there are 6 levels that we teach (this is for skiing classes. Boarding classes are different). Level 1 are 'Never-Evers' These kids have never skied before. Level 2 have skied before, our goal with these kids are to get them out of tip-clamps. Tip-clamps are little clamps that attach to the tip of each of ski to get the kids to make a wedge (a.k.a snowplow, pizza, A-shape).  We have most of our classes in these two levels. Level 3 is learn to turn, these kids can don't need tip clamps to stop or control their speed. Level 4 is turning and getting out of wedges and learn how to parallel skiing.  Level 5 and 6 are our top most classes and are usually combined because these kids skill level are very close to eachother.
       I love my job! That is teaching at Brighton in a nutshell!! Thanks for reading!