4. NZ Sea Lions 2026

Valley Fair Mall ( Image Credits ) With Cyber Monday and Black Friday approaching in a month, I would like to take the time to discuss the growing problem of overconsumption in America. Overconsumption mostly stems from America’s capitalist society. After World War II , as the country emerged from the Great Depression, they needed people to start purchasing many goods to keep the economy in a good place. This is when mass consumerism began to be promoted more heavily. Businesses started to realize that in order to keep selling their products, they needed trends to cause some things to grow in popularity and other products start to go out of style. This constant cycle of trends fuels the overconsumption in America, but is also what fuels the economy. Without trends shifting from Hydro Flasks to Stanleys to Owalas, people would not spend as much money and therefore, not as much money would be exchanged. It seems that every month (or even week sometimes!), there is a new trend that promot...

                                                                                                              1. Trump Ai Slop “Remember everything you learnt last year? I want you to forget all that.” I was so confused; every year in history I was told that the former year was all but useless, why was that? As I grew older I began to piece it together: it was not that the previous years were useless, it's just that they were all full of idealized propaganda. Throughout elementary school, teachers fed us watered down versions of the truth behind our “great” nation, depicting America as this flawless symbol of freedom and peace. However, as you ascend through t...

Growing up, I always felt less Asian than my elementary school friends, who had ethnic origins in various parts of East Asia while I was born in the Philippines. You might think that that makes no sense. And on the surface, it doesn’t. How can one person be “less Asian” than another if both of them are from Asia, albeit different countries? But it’s not that simple. American television only likes to portray one Asian caricature on the screen: pale skin, straight hair, narrow eyes. They’re intended to be East Asian, but the producers clearly didn’t pick a specific ethnicity because they don’t even know the difference between them.  An Asian kid sits down at the lunch table. It’s his first day in America and he’s nervous to make new friends.  He opens his lunchbox.  “Eww!!” the children cry in unison. “What is that?” The poor kid leaves the lunchroom crying to play with his calculator alone, or something. We’ve all heard the story. The message is really for white kids–telli...

(1) The colorful array of books. Coming to the realization that it was library day in elementary school filled the classroom with such joy and excitement. It was almost as good as a Friday. Everyone, those who like reading and those who don’t prefer it, spends library time choosing a book of choice, or one recommended by a friend, or even a choice from the librarian. Then we would head over to the tables, surrounded by bookshelves, ready to dive into a new wonderland.  Everyone did. It was like an unspoken rule. Not according to my fifth grade little sister, at least. My mom asked my sister to do a bit of reading of her library book; however, my sister says that she didn’t borrow a library book. So, I asked her why she didn’t want to borrow a library book. She said that none looked interesting to her. Promoting reading to elementary students has been a struggle for schools, especially after the pandemic. About two years ago, my sister’s class had a field trip to the library. I was ...

  What other way to start a new blog theme, but with a little bit of rhythm? And a 5—a 5, 6, 7, 8! My dance teacher hits the sacred brick with a stick. The sounds of bare feet, stomping on the ground, echo through the hallowed halls of bustling studio. “From the top!” someone yells.  Music from an old speaker starts playing, the sound of a high-pitched flute starts. The studio is quiet, filled with the anticipation of entering on the right beat. A singer starts off with a vocal riff, so our cue is coming up. We hear the first words of the song, and immediately start walking in.  “Walk like a dancer,” I was told.  “Allapadma,” is the hand gesture for representing something blooming or flowering in Bharatnatyam, an ancient form of Indian classical dance. The dancers in my school are taught this movement in their first year of dance (usually at the age of 6). I joined my dance school when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I had done ballet and tap-dancing for 2-3 years befo...

(Credit: California Missions, Library of Congress) San Jose. Los Angeles. San Francisco. Chicago . Massachusetts.  What do all of these places have in common? At first glance, perhaps not much, being scattered throughout the country. Some are cities and others are states. Yet, despite these differences, they all share a common characteristic: none of their names are rooted from English.  I have lived around the name San Jose for so long that I barely think twice about it. It appears on addresses and maps; to me, it’s just the name of a city. However, when I look deeper into those two words, I learn something new: San Jose comes from Spanish and it means Saint Joseph. In a country where English dominates everyday life, why are many of the places we call home named in a completely different language? San Jose is far from the only example of this. Los Angeles translates to “The Angels,” while San Francisco is named after Saint Francis who founded the Franciscian Order, a Catholic...

                                                                                                                                                                     Image of Hiromi Higuruma “Have you ever killed someone who ticked you off? It feels better than I expected.” Ever since I read the Jujutsu Kaisen manga in ninth grade, I have always found Hiromi Higuruma particularly interesting. Part of it stems from my interest in law, but his constant doubts about the true meaning of upholding justice certainly ...

  “Do you speak another language?” Well, yes and no.  My family’s native language is Indonesian. I have heard it growing up and all of my relatives speak it. As the oldest child, it was spoken to me by my parents and grandparents, and was the sole language they used to communicate with. Apparently it was my first language before English, which was only introduced to me when I went to daycare.  To think that I was once fluent in Indonesian baffles me. Now, English is my primary language and my Indonesian is at a beginner level at best. I struggle to piece together words to form sentences, which directly affects my ability to communicate with my family members. What’s curious is that when people talk to me in Indonesian, I can understand them perfectly; the only problem is that I cannot respond back to them, unless I speak English. This phenomenon is common among immigrant children. It is known as one-way bilingualism , and I have also observed it in some of my friends. As ...

Ok. So you’re sitting in your classroom, done with your work, bored as you could POSSIBLY be–and you just want to talk to your friend about the latest school gossip. But it’s silent work time. And even though you’re LITERALLY DONE and not bothering anyone at all, your annoying teacher is still telling you to be quiet.  …No? This is high school, not sixth grade? Well, I don’t care. Listen to my methods anyway; I think you’ll still find this enlightening.  Scenario 1 - No Chromebooks Method 1: Whispering (5/10) Note: This method only works if you’re seated next to your friend in class. If you're not, see this guide on How to Make Your Teacher Like You .  Wait until the teacher is on the other side of the room or turned away.  Turn towards your friend–not too eagerly.  Whisper in short sentences.  This method is pretty good for quick little statements that don’t require lengthy conversation. Stuff like “cute outfit!” or “meet me at lunch.” The only problem is ...

As I walk to school, I feel the season shifting. My breath in the morning becomes more apparent against the cloudy sky, the droplets of water laying on the leaves of the tree, or the cold breeze hitting my face as I step out the door. As time marches on toward Winter, the thought of sitting on the couch with a warm cup of hot chocolate in my hands and my dog cuddling up next to me sounds really appealing. The warmth emanating from the cup and my dog’s body heat defrost my ice cold hands. Paired with watching my favorite heartwarming show, it can’t get any better than that! What is that show?  Well, it's Violet Evergarden ! It’s hard not to call Violet Evergarden a masterpiece. Because it is. It’s the beautifully animated, detailed frames of Kyoto Animation coupled with Kana Akatsuki’s captivating story that draws you in and never lets you go.  It follows an orphan who initially serves a military officer as a weapon. He later gifts the orphan to his brother, Major Gilbert, who...