Worth it.

It's the weekend, but I cannot seem to rid the image of my friend reading The Grapes of Wrath during AP Chemistry. The book is underneath the desk attempting to stay hidden while he straight up doesn't pay attention. 

Money in the Money Exchanger

 Wait, wait wait! STOP the car! I forgot to put the money... in the money exchanger! 

Bye 2025

 I was sitting thinking reflecting on the past year. It wasn't perfect by any means (for personal reasons), but I think it was a year that I was CONSCIOUSLY living for a large majority of it. I was documenting a lot of it on this blog and in other places, which really makes the entire experience of last year tangible and reflect-able. I'm proud of myself for actually doing that, because nothing is worse than trying to remember a time where you know you had fun and enjoyed living, but don't remember the exact details of. I wanted to reflect on a few highlights of the year that I can remember and that I wrote down to have a proper goodbye.

1) I got a 5 on AP Bio, Lang, and US History, officially making my Junior academic year a success in my eyes. 

2) I did considerably well in both the 2025 Track and Field season and 2025 Cross Country season, while having an extremely good time doing both. I especially think this is true for Track and Field for some reason.

3) I got extremely close to finishing New! SMW2, which is a huge win in my eyes.

4) I basically had one of the most eventful and enjoyable summers of my life. And it wasn't even my senior year summer. Which doesn't portend ANY good for 2026 summer. Winter still remains my least favorite season. 

5) March was an especially enjoyable month for me. Track and Field was in full swing and during the month it was the most consistently I've ever wrote in this blog. The rainy cold weather was interesting and fun to experience in Spring. March was also a month of experimenting heavily with Linux.

6) I had a lot of long phone calls with Dominic.

7) In February I went camping and went on an unforgettable hike.

8) That Redondo HS Track Meet was absolutely unforgettable.

There's plenty more small things I can mention, but these are especially important to me. Although I'm sad that I'm getting older and about to leave my childhood completely behind, I'm also glad that I made the most of one of the last years of it. 

Goodbye 2025.

A Great Poem

I had to read the poem "The Flea" by John Donne (published in 1633) for AP Lit, and these are the annotations I made with it when I read it alone + when we went over it in class. It's a witty and complex poem about.... sex. Of course.

(Ignore the other poem. I didn't really look into that one as much.)

It was one of my favorite poems we read, honestly. It's fascinating how creative this poet was about asking for sex.

Outdoors.

The sunrise was perfect this morning. I woke up at around 6:30 to the sounds of nature outside my tent. It was still extremely quiet compared to the loudness we're used to at home (though most of us don't notice it from being used to it). I unzipped the door and stepped out into the crisp morning air. It was only a little bit cold, not even enough for a hoodie. I looked around. Now clear in the barely rising sun were the mountains surrounding our campsite. They weren't extraordinarily tall, but it was oddly comforting to be enclosed in a small clearing between the hills. I gazed east towards the rising sun. Blue, pink, and orange painted the horizon, half-illuminating the hills behind me. The view was fantastic. This is what I live for, damnit. I didn't ruin the moment by taking a picture. Being in nature today was the perfect start to the vacation I didn't know I needed, especially after my frantic state of mind during finals week. In the spirit of camaraderie, me and my friend climbed that hill to look out in the horizon later that evening.

As soon as I got to the top and the wind started blowing on my face, all thoughts vanished, and I disconnected.

Awww

Today when I was coming back from a camping trip, we took a stop for lunch at In-N-Out (a California staple, duh). As I was devouring my food, I saw a young couple come in with a little baby. When I walked past them about to head out, I caught a glimpse of the mother trying to balance a straw on the baby's nose, which I found to be quite adorable. Aww. The mom looked animated and bubbly trying to entertain the baby. 

I had to share that to start off the holidays with some happiness.

A Peak View

 It really was a peak view. Better in real life.