1. PBJs 2025

Darshan Dhaduk Mrs.Smith English 11 AP 29 January 2025         Image Credits: https://images.app.goo.gl/GT8AFB8mPWC6Ny948 Social media these days has turned into something that almost everyone has. There has to be at least one time were someone will check there phones either for something that is useful, or to just scroll on either Tik Tok, or even Instagram. Personally I have been doing the same. Whenever I find my self with no work, I am on my phone scrolling and wasting my time. Even though many people say that it is completely fine to take breaks and goof off, I feel like I should get breaks, but only at times when I have worked for hours. Whenever I pick up my phone after finishing work, I want to have the feeling that, I worked for this free time and if I want it to come back, then I need to work harder. Social media is both a good thing to have on our phones, but it also has its down side. The down side of social media is that we can tend to misuse it and...

 Emily Diao Mrs. Smith English 11 AP January 29, 2025 image credit: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/word-media-cut-out-magazine-letters-133867619 Have you ever noticed how two news outlets can cover the same event but leave you with completely different impressions? This is achieved through media framing and the careful selection of diction, powerful language tools that can subtly shape our perception of the world. From politics to social issues, the way news is presented can heavily influence public opinion, reinforce biases, and even possibly alter the course of history.  It’s no secret that words are powerful. Loaded terms like “propaganda” and “truth” evoke strong emotions, whereas labels like “terrorist” or “freedom fighter” shape how we perceive individuals or groups, then we have euphemisms and dysphemism's that can soften harsh realities or amplify negativity, respectively. Even subtle choices, such as using “claimed” instead of “stated,” can plant seeds of do...

Image Credit: https://www.veronicasvinyl.com/lp-lounge/rumour-has-it   It was almost 5 years ago (wow, time flies) at the start of COVID when I made my first Spotify playlist: a hot mess of nostalgic 2010s songs and NCS tracks, like the kind people would make Fortnite edits with. Now looking back, even though I cringe every time I think about it, that playlist was a manifestation of how I felt at the time. I was confused. I was stuck in the past. But yet at the same time I was still hopeful for the future. The most important thing I've learned throughout from then till now is that music has the power to entertain, connect, heal, and inspire in ways that words alone can't. Recently, whenever I feel burnt out from school or a long day, I’ve gotten back into the habit of  practicing piano to unwind. According to this study , music stimulates our brain’s hypothalamus causing it to release dopamine (the happy chemical), which is why people instinctively turn to music to ...

Photo Credit:  https://emilienoelleprovost.com/2024/11/21/art-is-power/           Everyday, in all of our lives there is art around us. There's music some of us listen to at any chance we get. There are the unforeseen doodles which end up in our notebooks during any lecture. There are the posters and murals up on each classroom at school. There are the massive paintings on the sides of the buildings of American High. All these nice works are expressions of art, and most importantly power. Art is power. It is one of the greatest forms of power. Whether the art is shown through academic excellence, mastery of a physical skill, or precision of a delicate form, art pushes one to reach new potentials. As a child I used to love playing chess. The 64 squares in which each piece had its own job and way to move. Yet, the art of the game was how to play your pieces in a way to trick your unsuspecting opponent into giving up his king. This game, like all othe...

  Power is a very nuanced ideal. Originally I always envisioned power as a well-suited man leading corporate America, yet what ended up leading me astray from this belief was the simple, yet intricate journey of a leaf trickling down a stream near Alameda Creek. It held no authority, yet it moved with purpose, flew with pride, and carried forces greater than itself. It became a tiny piece in the puzzling surges of darkened blue. The leaf had given the ri ver its purpose, a sense of individuality, a reason for someone to stop, take a breath, and admire the beauty embedded within the subtleties of nature. The leaf held a strength so great in a body so small. And for those few fleeting moments I rested my eyes and envisioned myself as a powerful voice within the sea of life. Drawing the wisdom and power engrained between the veins of this leaf, it inspired me to write this blog.  The Maiden and The Leaf  By Hakimuddin Radhanpurwala She struck me with beauty, such glamor in h...

Tick Tock “Redirect Notice.” Google.com , 2025, www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpixabay.com%2Fvectors%2Fsearch%2Fclock%2F&psig=AOvVaw0kFbk8nUHuLHeFpsIhGybA&ust=1738290760843000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBcQjhxqFwoTCIib3-yznIsDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAY. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025. When we think about what or who has power over us, many of us might think about world leaders, our financial situation, or even a higher power, like God. But I think one of the strongest powers that is often overlooked is time. Time is the only true irreplaceable resource. Money can come back. Water can come back. Food, clothing, objects, can all be replaced. But once time is gone, it is gone forever. Time controls us in an infinite number of ways.  Not having enough of it can prevent us from doing things we want to or need to do. Oftentimes, I feel like time is running faster than normal, especially with the hectic schedule of junior year. Finding time in my day to re...

       Among Us, the most popular game in 2020. After school, all the friends getting on. 10 players, 1 imposter. I don't know if all of you guys played it, but in our friend group, that's the only game we played at that time, of course, excluding Fortnite. Frankly, one of the most memorable time where I saw the power of language was actually in an Among Us game.  I was playing with a group of friends, and tensions were high as there were 4 players left, and one of them were the imposter. When the "body was found", we all joined the discord call to plead our case. Marcelo, who later, was found as the imposter, was able to use incredible persuasive language to shift the blame onto someone else. Celo was calm, logical, and used just the right tone to make his accusation sound convincing. While he was trying to blame one of our other teammates, other members were using loud voices, and they always say, the loudest ones can never be right, but in this situation, we ...

The Power of Volunteering I’m not sure if this is a cliche subject for a blog revolving around the theme of “Power,” but I will try my best to share my thoughts in an interesting way. I feel that volunteering is a pure form of power. It is a way to create change through compassion rather than control. It is almost selfless, yet not entirely, at least in my opinion. As Joey from “Friends” says, a good deed that “made you feel really good…makes it selfish.” But I won’t dwell on that (this time). I want to talk more about my experiences volunteering and where its power lies. Around a year ago, I signed up for a program that recruits people to virtually tutor underserved youth around the country. I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I started working with my current students. At first, they were shy. Sometimes, they weren’t very eager to learn (understandably so). But I learned to be patient and encourage them. I learned how to tutor effectively alongside my students learning ho...

 Emily Diao Mrs. Smith English 11 AP 15 January 2025 Image credit: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/311678/common-sense-by-thomas-paine/ Just before the eve of the British American colonies declaring their independence, a 47 page pamphlet called Common Sense was circulating amongst the colonists. In clear and persuasive prose, Thomas Paine, the author of the pamphlet argued the moral and political basis for declaring independence from British rule. Paine claimed that, “Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one...” (Paine, 47) With this in mind, the colonists after their victory, tried to establish a government that is the least evil. Enlightened and encouraged by the enlightenment movement in France, and by the ideas of English philosopher John Locke, they established a government that had multiple branches, namely the executive, legislative, and judicial, to keep each other in...

Faqqua Iris For Every Murdered Star Nana held me by my hand, When our smiles had grown so faint. We sat upon a promontory— With our backs against an Olive bark that beared our pain. We found solace breathing flowers, That chirped across the river to the sea, But when my Nana died,  The flowers drowned and turned to weeds! So I picked them in a basket and hailed them to the sky And a greater power had stolen them. Now I see a blue, white, and green, that always cry,  Bleeding in a dark, shining now so bright. I can still smell the stars A million miles away But never far Dear God, what words do you still have? Is beauty within our proportions? Or are we the handsome and damned? You mock our queries; Oh Powerful One But we see the world you’ve sown Your word deceives us We’d rather you leave us alone… Dear God, have you seen my flower? Growing on an Olive tree masked in a menorah’s facade I heard she caught the east winds of Gaza And swayed in the breeze with her father Two lo...