---Week No. 1---

Stress-Free Bike Ride

Only three days into the week and I'm already glued to my laptop. I have been spending time working on homework and writing stories for The Pearl Post. The day before, I wrote a story on school being closed until at least May 1. Today I fixed edits on my Athlete of the Month story. I'm really proud of how both of my stories turned out. My first story got published on Best of SNO! So far, I haven't had a lot of free time. I have a lot of homework to do and it's often overwhelming. I also miss seeing my friends and classmates everyday. My parents are still working while we’re at home and my sister has homework to work on as well. My family and I were all tired of being inside all day and realized that we needed a break. We decided to do one of our favorite activities: ride our bikes. That particular day was a bit cold and windy. We rode our bikes around five-thirty in the afternoon. It was nice feeling the wind brush against my skin as I picked up speed on my bike. There were a couple of other people out in the neighborhood walking or riding their bikes too. Since my sister’s school is around the block from our house, we like riding our bikes around the school. We'll race and go in circles again and again. On our way back home, we could see the sun beginning to set. It was really beautiful. I enjoy going on these bike rides or walking my dogs because it allows you to take time to think clearly. It’s also really relaxing and calming.

Spending Time Relaxing

One of my favorite hobbies is bullet journaling. I enjoy the creative aspect of it. Instead of using a regular agenda or planner, you create the layout for each week and month. There are also many other things you could include in it. That's the best part about it, it's not strictly meant for one thing. I've been bullet journaling since July of 2018. I have a lot of fun doodling and being creative with my bullet journal. I try to make my spreads unique when I sketch them out. I chose a theme for each month and take my time designing it. For the most part, I have a style I stick to when I make a spread for each week. Sometimes I don't have a lot of time to make my spreads more elaborate, but I had some spare time today. This week, I decided to switch it up and I liked the way it turned out. There are a few details on this week's layout that I don't like, but not everything is going to be perfect. I'm still trying to learn how to write the days of the week in a cursive/calligraphy font. That's one of my goals this year. Hopefully, I get around to mastering this skill while I'm staying at home in quarantine.

Morning Birds Chirping

Every day for the past two weeks, I've woken up to the sounds of birds chirping outside my bedroom windows. It's calming listening to them. It is springtime now, so I'm not surprised that I hear more birds throughout the day. Last year when the tree in my backyard had more branches and leaves, a bird like the one photographed above made a bird nest in it. She had a couple of baby birds and all day we'd hear them chirping. I think that this bird had a couple of baby birds in our other tree because I've been hearing and seeing many baby birds. The other day I saw one and it was so cute. It's wings looked really fluffy, which was different compared to other birds I've seen in my neighborhood. This afternoon I sat down on my front porch and just listened to the noises outside. I also took a picture of the sunset, which is my cover photo for this journal. It was a bit chilly outside. Occasionally, some cars would drive by. Since I live in front of a busy street, there are normally a lot of cars. With the restrictions put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, there aren't that many cars driving by now. It felt nice to get some fresh air. It's been a long week, especially with getting used to online learning and using Edgenuity. I'm not a huge fan of it, especially because Algebra 2 is challenging sometimes. It's easier when we take notes with Ms. Seo, my math teacher, during our Zoom sessions, but there's nothing else to do than just adjust to it. Little things like birds chirping, watching the sunset and having some quiet time are some nice distractions from the tough and scary times we are currently living in. I hope things get better soon, for everyone.

---Week No. 2---

My Mom's Birthday!

Today was a slower day than yesterday. Since it's Tuesday, I had Spanish class at eight in the morning and Algebra 2 right after at nine. I'm still not a fan of using Edgenuity for math class. It can be hard and confusing at times. Thankfully during our zoom session for math, Ms. Seo had us take more notes. She left my classmates and I less stressed when she cleared up some confusion regarding our grade for the class and our grade on Edgenuity. For Spanish class, my teacher Ms. Rodriguez checked in on us and went over our agenda for the week. This is my first time taking an AP test, so I'm a bit nervous. Since we’re taking it at home now, it’s going to be a unique experience. Ms. Rodriguez has been trying her best under these circumstances to help us prepare. On Tuesdays, we'll be following our regular agenda and on Thursdays, we'll be meeting to prepare for our AP test. This makes me feel a bit better since I'll be able to practice and prepare with my classmates and teacher. After three weeks of learning at home, I miss the school setting. In the afternoon, my mom and I watched the movie “Speed” since it was on TV. It’s been a while since we’ve watched it. It's filled with action and suspense. After, we took a much needed nap. I felt bad because my mom had a migraine for most of the day and it was her birthday. It was also my friend Valery's moms birthday too. We joke around and say we're twins since our names are similar and then we found out our mom's share the same birthday. Since we couldn't go out or celebrate with our family and friends, we surprised her with a "Zoom birthday party." She really liked it. It was nice seeing my family again, even if it was virtually. We started laughing when we saw how my little cousins were driving my Nina crazy. At the end of the day, we watched "Tom and Jerry" and ate mango slices with Tajin. It was delicious.

Handball:Val vs. Ali

Recently, my sister has been wanting to play handball while we're at home. She's in the third grade and enjoys playing this game with her friends at school. Since we're not at school right now, she was sad she couldn't play. My parents felt bad...so my mom ordered a handball on Amazon. My parents and I wanted to play too, so it was a good investment. Sadly, the ball popped when my dad and sister hit the ball too far to the right...where our small rose bush was. I say "was" because my dad then proceeded to cut some of it down. My mom then ordered a new one and it came a couple days after. Both times, we made sure to clean the ball when it arrived. My sister and I have different personalities, meaning she's more energetic and wilder than me. My dad jokes that she's like Ramona Quimby from the Ramona series and I'm like Beezus. I agree with him on that. This is one of my sister's favorite book series too, so I'm not surprised. All week we've been playing handball when I take a break from my homework. I feel bad because I'm always busy doing homework and she just wants to play with me. In the photo above, you can see that it was a nice and sunny day. We spent a good amount of time outside and had a lot of fun. It was also a nice distraction from my busy schedule.

Another Double Birthday!

Five birthdays in one week! Today was my Tia Sandy and Valery's birthday. Lauren's birthday is on Saturday. With so many birthdays during quarantine, it made me realize how memorable this birthday will be for many people. As sad as this time is, I'm trying to stay positive. A good thing is that we have technology that allows us to stay in contact with our friends and family. Switching the topic to my schoolwork, I had a lot of homework to do. All of it involved me typing away on my laptop's keyboard. It wasn't difficult work, it was just time-consuming. In the morning, my sister and I sent our Tia Sandy a video singing happy birthday. It's been a long time since we've seen her in person and we miss her. After quarantine, hopefully my family and I will get to see her and celebrate her birthday properly. Throughout the day, my friends and I were planning on surprising Valery with a zoom call for her birthday. The whole time she thought it was a meeting for Journalism 2, so we successfully surprised her. The day before, I had a zoom call with Nadia, Danielle, Lauren and Audrina. It was really funny because from time to time, Nadia would mute Danielle's mic. I miss seeing my friends every day at school but everybody's health and safety is the most important thing right now. For now, having zoom calls with my friends throughout the week will suffice.

---Week No. 3---

Perfect Day to Read

Today was a rainy day. I was sitting at my desk when I started hearing rain drops splattering against my bedroom windows. It was peaceful to listen to. My spring break has been going well so far. My goal was to relax and I'm successfully accomplishing that. My sister and I slept in today but our parents woke us up by turning the lights on and off and being loud. We tried making a blanket fort to hide from them and it ended up working. Eventually, we left the fort and got ready for the day. My mom made some absolutely delicious chilaquiles for breakfast. After we ate, my dad and sister played "Super Mario Bros." on our Wii. It was really entertaining to watch them play since they were both so focused on passing the different levels. After, I went to my room and began reading the second book in the Legend trilogy by Marie Lu. I've been wanting to read the trilogy but I never got around to reading it. My friend Bella recommended it and so far I really like the first book, Legend. In the book, there's this "mysterious" plague that's going around in Los Angeles and it's infecting some people. I found this kind of eerie because of our current situation in the world. Of all the times I could have decided to read this book, I chose now. It's kind of weird. Legend came out in 2011 and it's a dystopian novel. I like reading dystopian, fantasy and science fiction books, but it's a bit scary how some of these dystopian books I've read relate to our life right now.

Playing the Piano

I decided to use some of my time during spring break to learn how to play the piano again. I first started playing when I was seven but I never continued learning. That's one of my biggest regrets. In my defense, I was really young and my little fingers couldn't stretch across the piano keys as easily as I can now. I really love the sound of the piano along with many other instruments. Some of those instruments include the guitar and drums. I placed washi tape on each key with it's corresponding letter. This is really helpful since I'm still learning. I've been watching YouTube videos and using the app SimplyPiano to help me learn. I'd say I've been pretty successful so far. It takes a lot of patience and practice. As I played, I was remembering seven year old me trying my hardest to stay patient with myself as I learned. Since classes resume next week, I need to make time to practice each day. After I learn how to play the piano and feel confident enough, I plan on learning how to play the guitar. I got a guitar for Christmas a few years ago, but I don't really know how to play it. I have some Tio's who know how to play but I can't see them in person right now. I have a lot of relatives who are musicians. They don't play professionally, but they used to play a lot when they were younger. They also play when we have family reunions which is always fun.

---Week No. 4---

Walking my Dog

Today has been a busy day. I had a lot of assignments I needed to complete by the end of the week, so I wanted to get some done. I was feeling a bit stressed out with all the homework I had to do. I feel like I spend all day doing homework, which I don't like. I'll take a couple breaks here and there but a good amount of my day is spent completing my homework assignments. After feeling drained from all the work I did, I agreed to go on a bike ride around my neighborhood with my family. My grandpa wanted to ride his bike so my whole family joined him. It was nice going outside to get some fresh air. I decided to take one of my dogs on a walk rather than ride my bike. My dog, Chickies, was looking up at me expectantly when we were getting ready to leave. I would have taken my two other dogs but they didn't want to go. It worked out because if I took all my dogs, I'd need my mom to help me walk them. Chickies is the mom and my two other Chihuahua mixed dogs are her children. She's such a character. I was nervous to walk her because she doesn't like to listen sometimes. As I walked her, she wanted to stop at every pole or patch or grass to sniff out the area. She felt the need to mark her territory each time. I began to get annoyed and had to pull her leash until she walked away. Once we got to my sister's school, Chickies and I began to run around the school while my family rode their bikes. It felt so nice to run, especially with my dog by my side. I was shocked to see her running pretty quickly. She's not the youngest dog but she's still active. It was really funny at times because she liked to speed up as soon as I began to slow down. She definitely motivated me to run fast. There were a few people walking outside, enjoying the evening's fresh air. We all had masks on, so that was a good thing to see. We all kept our distance. At the end, my mom gave me her bike and walked Chickies back home to get her some water. My dad and I raced around the school and then back home. The sun was a dark orange and pink color. I'm glad I joined my grandpa because I needed to take a break and be outside in the fresh air.

Taking Time to Relax

Although I had a lot to do today, I just couldn't find the motivation to do anything. I worked on maybe two assignments throughout the day and then I decided to stop. I felt like relaxing. I was getting really into my book, Champion, by Marie Lu so I read for a part of the day. In the afternoon, I decided to color this beautiful intricate flower design. I often color when I want to relax because it's calming. I also listened to some music while I carefully colored each flower petal and leaves. Afterward, I took some time to journal. It was therapeutic in a way because I just let the words flow out of my mind as I wrote. In the evening, I face timed my friend Sara. It was so nice to see her, even if it's through a screen. I've missed hanging out with my friends and getting to talk to them in person. For me, it's not the same when I text or call someone. As we virtually hung out, we caught each other up on how our life during quarantine has been. Even though we've texted this whole time, getting to see her was like we were back in school laughing and telling jokes as we walked down the hallway. I may have not gotten a lot done today, but I took time for myself, which was really nice.

Feeling Some Peace

Today is April 19. The memory tied to this date is one my family and I remember all the time. Four years ago today, my grandma passed away after battling colon cancer. She and I were extremely close. Losing her was hard on my family and I. She had the kindest heart, was such a sweet woman and loved her family very much. Seeing her hurting was difficult for everyone, but today, it felt different compared to the past three years on her anniversary date. The sun was shinning brightly outside and the blue sky was filled with fluffy white clouds. My parents, grandpa, sister and I drove down to the cemetery to visit her. We have a tradition to go every weekend, but during quarantine, we haven't been able to go and visit her. It's very peaceful and quiet there. The grassy green hills all over the cemetery lead baby deers to come down from the mountains and eat some grass off the hills. As we sat in a peaceful silence, we started hearing bagpipes being played from somewhere down the hill. They were beautiful to listen to. The bagpipes echoed off the surrounding hills, encompassing the cemetery with the sad song. One of the plaques there had the words "Carpe Diem" written on it. It felt like a reminder to be in the moment and pay attention to the people and things around you. Although my grandma has passed away, I know she's watching over us. My family and I are reminded whenever we see monarch butterflies, photos of her around our house and in our memories. We said our goodbyes and drove back home. After dinner, my family and I watched the movie "Onward" on Disney+. We all really loved it. I think it might even be one of my favorite Disney movies. Later in the evening, my mom and I watched "Little Women" and loved this movie too. The four sisters reminded me of how my sister and I act sometimes. At some point I plan on reading the book. Today ended up being more of a quiet day compared to other days this week. With all the sadness in the world right now, I'm just glad I was able to spend time with my family and be with them on this specific day.

---Week No. 5---

Baking with my Mom

When the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) posted the recipe for their Old Fashioned Coffee Cake on Twitter, my family and I knew we had to try making it. The last time I had this coffee cake was when I was in elementary school. The kind lunch ladies would make it fresh in the mornings and it tasted delicious. My dad worked at my elementary school and if there was extra, he would bring some home. This coffee cake is so nostalgic for my dad and I. It reminds me of the days I was a little kid in elementary school. I find it kind of sad that my sister, who is eight years old, never got to experience this delicious coffee cake at school. On the days that coffee cake was on the breakfast menu, my grandma would drop me off early at school and I'd eat the warm and crumbly coffee cake at the teal lunch tables before class started. Since there were certain ingredients in the recipe that we didn't have at home, we waited until we needed to go to the market and then bought those ingredients. The recipe has a lot of sugar in it, so I'm not surprised why LAUSD doesn't serve this version anymore. It was really fun baking with my mom. We both wanted to get the recipe right and were glad when it came out almost identical to the original version. When we took it out of the oven, a wave of nostalgia hit me as the smell of cinnamon entered my nose. My whole family loved it. All my family members ended up jokingly asking if we were going to deliver a slice to their house, but we didn't.

Drop Off Delivery for Sara

Today I got to see one of my very best friends, Sara. It was bittersweet getting to see her in person because I couldn't give her a big hug. I had told her the day before that I had made coffee cake. She planned on making blueberry muffins the next day. Since we live really close to each another, I decided to drop off some coffee cake at her house. She gave my family and I some of her delicious freshly baked blueberry muffins. They were 10/10. It felt really weird just setting the desserts off and leaving. Quarantine has been a little bit easier to bear when I talk to my friends on the app Google Duo or on Zoom. Just last week, I hosted a Zoom with my friends while we talked and worked on our English homework. When we get out of quarantine, I want to hang out with all of my friends and family. I miss seeing everybody.

Three Hours of Talking

Today I managed to get a little bit of my homework done. I feel like the amount of work I have to do is endless. I was busy all week, as usual, so I decided to give myself a break. I wanted to face time some of my friends in the afternoon so I used that as motivation to get some work done in the morning. These past couple of days have been really hot and it's reminding me of summertime. I feel like summer will be very different this year, but at least my dad is going to put our pool up. This morning, I tried meditating for the first time. I was surprised with how calming and relaxing it was. I want to continue meditating more often now. Around eight thirty in the evening, Valery and I started face timing on Google Duo. It was really nice talking to her. We had so much to talk about, so our conversation was all over the place. From Netflix show recommendations, Disneyland, room transformations and more, I ended up "inspiring" her to read more books. I got to rant about all the great books I've read and now we plan on reading a book together each month. We'll see how that goes. In total, we talked for about three hours! We lost track of time while we talked. I had to hang up because my phone was dying and it was around 11:30. While I was on the phone, my parents had a "party" in the living room since DJ D-Nice and Keke Palmer hosted an event called "Club MTV #DanceTogether" on TV. They called their friend on Zoom and brought the glow lights from my party out. In conclusion, our Saturday was pretty fun.

---Week No. 6---

Math Tutoring with Sara

So far, it's been a bit difficult for me to learn on Edgenuity for my Algebra 2 class. Even with all the help and tutoring Ms. Seo has provided for my class, I still don't understand everything in this unit. I used to have an "A" but my grade dropped to a "B." I'm a hard worker so I'm determined to get an "A" in the class again. Tomorrow I have a math test, which is an opportunity to raise my grade. Since my friend Sara is taking Precalculus with Ms. Seo, I asked her if she could help me review for my test. She was glad to help me out, which I was very grateful for. Since Ms. Seo made a test review on Schoology, it was easier for Sara to help me study. By the end of our Zoom tutoring session, I had a better understanding of all the different concepts in this unit. I also felt more confident about taking my test. I'm really grateful for all of her help, along with our friendship. If you're reading this Sara, thank you! You're going to be a great teacher one day! UPDATE: I got 20/20 on my math test!

Long Line for Donuts

Today was a productive day. At eight in the morning, I attended my Spanish class on Zoom and math class at nine. For the past couple of weeks, my teacher, Ms. Rodriguez, has been helping my classmates and I prepare for our AP exam. I'm starting to get nervous about taking my exam. I've never taken an AP exam so it's going to be a new experience for me. With all the new changes being made to the exams this year, there's a lot that's been changed. Since I'm taking the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam, I only have two parts to my exam, which I'm grateful for. Both of these parts require me to speak. I've gotten better at talking for the two whole minutes. I don't like taking tests like these because they make me nervous. I know I can speak Spanish well, but the timing adds a lot of pressure. All I can do is continue practicing and pray for the best. Later on in the day, my family and I decided to go get donuts at Krispy Kreme's. My mom got a new car and we were all excited to go on a drive in it. The lease for her car was up so she decided to upgrade to a bigger car. When we got to the Burbank Empire Center, we were SHOCKED. The line was so long. Cars wrapped through the store's parking lot and all the way out into the street, near the Burbank Empire Center entrance. I felt bad for the workers since there was car after car. We didn't feel like driving back home, so we decided to stay and wait. We didn't leave with our donuts until about an hour and a half later. It may have taken long but it was worth it.

Last Confirmation Class

For the past two years, I've been attending classes at my church on Sunday and completing service projects to prepare for my Confirmation ceremony in May. I've made a lot of wonderful memories and have met many kind and funny people during these past two years. Right before the COVID-19 pandemic lead to the stay at home orders, my classmates and I went on a retreat for our Confirmation class. It was up in the mountains at Running Springs, California near Big Bear Lake. There was snow and it was so peaceful to be up there in nature. I've enjoyed attending my Sunday classes and am sad that this is how we're saying goodbye to everyone. After we came back, our classes got switched to Zoom sessions. Our Confirmation ceremony is planned for May 31, but I highly doubt that it'll still be on that day. I'm looking forward to the day we get confirmed and celebrating with all my classmates. It's crazy to think that it's been two years. I've grown a lot as a person in those two years, especially with my faith. When things begin to go back to normal, I plan on being a Youth Leader for the next Confirmation class.

---Week No. 7---

Getting my Nails Painted

Today was a pretty ordinary day. I only had two classes on Zoom today: Journalism 2 at 10 a.m. and Honors English at 12 p.m. Our warm up for Journalism 2 was about what types of self care we've been doing while we're at home. I've been doing multiple things like reading, bullet journaling, meditating, working out, having quiet time or simply doing nothing for a day. I've come to realize that there are some days that I just need to take a break and relax. My parents agree with me too. After taking a day long break, I've noticed that I feel more energized and ready to work on all my assignments. I'm too young to feel stressed out all the time, so taking time for myself is beneficial. Later on in the day, I decided I wanted to paint my nails. Since my mom is a lot better at painting nails, I asked her if she could paint mine. My sister wanted her nails painted too so my mom agreed. I've never painted my nails a light blue so that was the color I chose. My sister being a little copy cat chose the same color as me. I really liked the way my nails came out, so thank you mom!

Camping in the Backyard

Today was a fun day. During the week, I had the idea to go camping in our backyard. I thought that this would be a fun and interesting experience. I ended up being right. When I was younger, my family and I used to go camping. The last place we camped at was at Sequoia National Park. My sister was six months old when we went. Since she was so young, my parents decided to rent an RV for us to sleep in. We went with one of our family friends and their family. The trip was a lot of fun! I remember seeing a momma bear with her cubs across from the river we were at. It was scary but exciting at the same time. Since my parents put up our pool earlier in the week, my sister and I spent the day swimming in the pool. The clear water was not too cold or hot. My sister and I splashed the water at one another and we played all the made up games she came up with. When the sun hit the water, the water glistened and reflected onto the walls of our house. My mom grilled burgers for dinner and the delicious smell lured my sister and I out of the pool. After we ate, we made s'mores for dessert. The marshmallows were gooey and it all tasted delicious. After eating s'mores, we each took a shower and got ready for bed. We set up the tent and put an air mattress in it. My sister and I got blankets and pillows to make the tent feel more cozy. Since there wasn't that much room, half of my body was on the mattress and the rest on the floor. We planned on sleeping there all night but around three in the morning, our dogs started barking VERY loudly. My parents got annoyed so we ended up going inside the house to sleep in our beds. We had a lot of fun and I want to camp outside again.

Mother's Day!

Today is a special day since it's Mother's Day! Normally, my family and I would get ready and then drive to our grandparent's house to celebrate Mother's Day with my grandparents, Tio's, Tia's and cousins. Due to obvious reasons, we couldn't do that this year. So instead, my mom and I baked coffee cake for my Tia's, Nina and grandma. My dad bought flowers and we headed over to each family member's house to drop off slices of coffee cake and flowers. Before we left, my sister and I dropped off a bouquet of flowers for our neighbor, Lupe. She is such a sweet lady! She's in her 90's, so we don't see her outside of her house anymore. We often see her son go over to keep her company and make sure she has food. When I handed her the flowers, her face lit up and she was so shocked to see us. She said that we made her day and was so happy to see us. We stayed to talk with her (from a distance) for a little bit and then left when her granddaughter and her daughter's arrived to visit her. Once my sister and I got back, my family and I left. First, we visited my grandparent's house and stayed for a little bit since my grandpa made some delicious carne asada. Afterward, we drove to my Nina and Tia's house. They were so shocked to see us since they weren't expecting to see us. They really appreciated our kind gesture. On days like these, I really miss gathering with my family for get togethers. After we left, we quickly stopped by the beach to look at the bioluminescent waves. It was so cool and mesmerizing to see the ocean with neon blue waves. By the time we got home, we were all very tired. It was a really nice day and I'm glad my mom had a good time. I love you mom!!!

---Week No. 8---

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Today was filled with a lot of nostalgia. My day started with two Zoom classes, Journalism 2 and Honors English. Afterward, my mom, sister, grandpa and I went to the cemetery to visit my grandma. We didn't go yesterday for Mother's Day since it was packed. After vising her, we decided to pass by my grandparent's old apartment complex and neighbor. They used to live in Silver Lake before they moved in with me and my family when my grandma got sick. My mom and her brother (my Nino) spent their entire childhood in that apartment. I have so many beautiful memories there. In front of the mint colored apartment complex, there are these beautiful Jacaranda trees. I've always loved the lavender colored flowers that fell off this tree. To this day, anytime I see these trees, it always reminds me of my grandparent's old apartment. One of my mom's closest friends, named Grace, used to live across the street from my mom. The area has changed a lot. A lot of the neighbors who lived in the apartment ended up moving out because they're remodeling the place. Since I haven't been in the area in a while, I was shocked to see the new changes in the neighborhood. This giant fancy apartment complex now takes up the space of a home that used to be there. As we stopped by the apartment, we saw Grace's mom across the street! We haven't seen her in a while so it was nice to see her. After talking for a little bit (six feet apart), we said goodbye and left. As we drove away, we decided to order food from one of our favorite restaurants, Rodeo Mexican Grill. It's in Echo Park and has been a favorite of ours for forever. It's also a nostalgic place since my grandma used to love the food there. Once we got back home, we all enjoyed our incredibly delicious meals.

A Great Start to my Morning

When I woke up today, I was so tired. While I was still in my sleepy state of mind, I saw Lin-Manuel Miranda's good morning tweet. They're always a nice start to my day. As I kept scrolling through my Twitter feed, I woke up right away when I read that the "Hamilton" film is finally going to be released!!! I was honestly shocked. I was supposed to go see the musical at the Pantages theater on April 16 with Mrs. Helfing's class. As I completed the project required for this field trip, I was really excited. Due to the current state of the world, that's not happening anytime soon. Later on in the morning, Mrs. Helfing emailed me to tell me about the exciting news, which was very nice of her. I was really sad because a lot of exciting things I was looking forward to this year didn't end up happening. I know I'm definitely not the only one who feels this way. I also know that there are other people, like all the graduating seniors, who have more of a reason to feel sad. This year really surprised us all, so I'm just glad that action was taken to help keep us all safe during this pandemic. In March, I planned on going to New York for the first time! I was going for the Columbia Scholastic Press Association convention. It was a field trip that some of us Journalism 2 students were going to attend. We planned on watching the musical, "Mean Girls," while we were there. In the end, the field trip and convention got cancelled. I was also looking forward to watching Lin-Manuel Miranda's other musical, "In the Heights," in theaters. The release of the "Hamilton" musical on Disney+ has definitely become a highlight to my quarantine.

Another Quarantine Birthday!

Today was a more relaxed day compared to the rest of this week. Lately, I've found it difficult to find motivation to do some of my assignments. It takes me a long time to build up the energy and motivation to complete the things I don't feel like completing. I took advantage of the fact that I had no Zoom classes today and slept in. I really needed the rest too. The rest of my day was pretty uneventful. In the evening, I joined the "Youth Night" my Confirmation teacher hosts every week on Zoom. It's fun because we always play different games. It's also a nice distraction from school and this pandemic. This week's game was Family Feud. It was very entertaining trying to guess the answers. The two teams ended up being boys against girls. Toward the end, we all got more competitive. When I left the Zoom session, my mom called two of her friends on the app, Houseparty. It's her little tradition she's created with her friends during quarantine. Every Friday she hangs out with them virtually and I hang out with Valery via Google Duo or on Houseparty. My dad got a little chocolate cake and we put a candle on it. We all sang my mom's friend happy birthday and played the song, "Las Mañanitas." With my family, it's a tradition to wake the birthday person up on their birthday by playing this song. I really enjoy this tradition and I look forward to it every year for all of my family member's birthdays.

---Week No. 9---

This Week's Bullet Journal Spread

Today wasn't too busy. I didn't have too much homework, so I got to relax a little bit. Depending on how busy I am, I make my bullet journal spread for the week on Sundays or Mondays. My bullet journal is a lifesaver. It helps me stay organized and I enjoy designing my spreads each week. I usually make my spread on Sundays because it's a nice way to unwind and feel relaxed. I usually listen to music while I do this and take my time. I'm really proud of how this spread turned out. After trying different designs and spreads, I've created one that works best for me. The "don't forget" column is VERY helpful. I'm still trying out different lettering styles, but I typically write the titles in cursive. I'm planning on ordering some calligraphy pens soon so that's exciting.

Evening Walk with my Family

Today was a bit of a catch up day for all the work I needed to get done. Long story short, I didn't get everything done. I was feeling a little unmotivated. While in quarantine, I've learned that it's important to take some days slower than other days. During times that I feel really stressed out, I need to remind myself to just breathe. It's also important for my mental health. Lately, my family and I have been going out on walks in the evening so that we can get out of the house. It's also a nice type of exercise. Sitting all day can be tiring so it's nice to go outside and walk or run. My dad and I sometimes like to race each other. I hurt my knee during track and I never found out what really happened to it. It was right before school closed and before stay at home orders were placed. I decided to wear my knee brace while we walked and my knee felt a little better. My mom ordered the knee brace on Amazon when I complained about my knee hurting. The air was fresh and the weather was perfect. On our way back home, we saw one of our neighbors riding their horse through the neighborhood. It's pretty common to see horses in our neighborhood, along with hearing roosters. Our walk and seeing the horse was a nice way to end the day.

Taking my First AP Exam

Today is Friday 22, 2020. It has been a very interesting day, to say the least. Before my family and I went walking in the evening yesterday, I noticed that my right eye was hurting. It hurt whenever I touched my eyelid. I decided to put on eye drops to see if that would help. After we came back from our walk, it was still hurting. It began to hurt every time I blinked. After I took a shower, I laid down on the couch and watched the show, Vecinos, on the channel, Televisa. I decided to just close my eyes so that it wouldn't hurt so much. My mom put a little ice pack on my eye to see if that'd help. After leaving the ice pack on for a while and listening to the show with my eyes closed, I decided to go to sleep. I wanted to get a good nights sleep since my Spanish exam was tomorrow. At around five thirty in the morning, we heard a loud noise in the living room. We all woke up startled. It turns out it was just a broom that wasn't leaning against the wall properly. Since I was up, I went to the bathroom and noticed that my eyelid had SWELLED up overnight. I was shocked. The last time this happened was when I got a spider bite on my eyelid when I was little. I've always had some type of reaction to bug bites, such as spiders, mosquitos and bees. I was scared and immediately showed my mom. My mom had recently got bitten by a spider on her elbow (which she ended up going to the ER for since the venom was too painful), so she was concerned. I ended up going back to sleep. When I woke up, it wasn't too swollen but my eyelid was slightly closed over my eye. I ended up putting a hot teabag on my eyelid an hour before my exam to try to lower the swelling. It did help a bit. I was nervous to take my exam, but I think I did a good job. I'm confident that I passed, so I just hope I got either a 4 or 5.

---Week No. 10---

Last Student Advisory Council Meeting

Today was a busy day. First, I had my Spanish and Algebra 2 class in the morning. Then, I had a lot of English assignments to complete. After working on some of my assignments, I took a break. Later on in the day from 4-5:30 p.m., I had a Zoom session for Board District 3 Student Advisory Council (SAC). It was our last meeting. It was weird saying bye to everyone via Zoom. CJ and Preet, who are also on The Pearl Post staff, are also a part of SAC. This was my first time joining SAC. I've really enjoyed being a part of SAC this school year and I can't wait to apply next year. Through SAC, I got to meet many great new people. Mr. Schmerelson and his team were very kind, welcoming and always open to our suggestions and opinions. This was definitely a great experience.

Bike Ride

Today was not as eventful compared to yesterday. I still had quite a lot to do though. I took a break and a nap after my Spanish and Algebra 2 classes. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have to be up and ready for my class at eight in the morning. Those are my earliest classes during the week. On Mondays and Wednesdays, my first class starts at 10 in the morning. Once I felt more recharged, I got more work done. Later on in the day, my family and I went on a bike ride. We decided to change it up since we usually walk around our neighborhood. It was a lot of fun. The jacaranda trees were blooming and it was so beautiful to see them. I really like jacaranda trees and the flowers they create. We went a little farther in our neighborhood since we were riding our bikes rather than walking. When we got back, I took a shower, worked a little bit more and then got ready for bed.

My First Page Layout

I will be honest, I was a little stressed out today. A lot of assignment due dates are coming up and I'm a little bit behind. One of my big assignments for my Journalism 2 class was to create a page layout for one of my stories. Since I will be an editor next year, I have to get familiar with creating pages for The Pearl Post magazine. I was excited to do this since I enjoy these types of things, but using InDesign is a little confusing and intimidating at first. This was my first time designing a page but I like the way it turned out. I know that there is a lot more to learn and I'm excited to be designing pages for next school year's magazine. I didn't have to change that much for the final version of my page layout, which was good. When I turned it in on Friday, I felt proud of myself. It's really cool to create or write something out of practically nothing.

---Week No. 11---

Starting a New Bullet Journal

It finally happened. I filled up all the pages in my first bullet journal. I first started writing in that journal on July 1, 2018. I didn't use it that much in the beginning but over the last two years, it filled up quickly. As I flipped through the pages, I could clearly see my progress. I'd like to say that I've progressed a lot but like with many things in life, there's still more to learn. I really enjoy bullet journaling. It keeps me organized and it allows me to take a look into my past (on a weekly and monthly basis). In a way, it's kind of like a diary. Depending on how you use your journal. I'm excited to be starting a new journal. I can't wait to try out new spreads, write in calligraphy and flip through all the pages when it's filled up.

Visiting School for the First Time in Three Months

Today was really weird. I went back to school for the first time since March 13. It's been a long time since I'd been on campus. Today was the day sophomores had to drop of their textbooks. It was a really simple process since it was set up like a drive-thru. It was nice to see some of the faculty and staff today. I only had to return my textbook for World History and three books for my Honors English class. I miss going to school, seeing my friends, classmates and teachers. I just hope that when it's safe and at the right time, we'll be able to go back to school for the new school year. I would love to start my junior year off at school. I also want to see and hang out with my friends who are going to be seniors this school year.

Dining Inside a Restaurant for the First Time in a While

For the first time in a long time, my family, grandparents and I ate inside a restaurant. A couple of months ago, this wouldn't seem like a big deal. In fact, it would be normal. But within months, something as simple as dining inside a restaurant has become a foreign activity and concept. I specifically remember the last time I ate at Los Tres Hermanos. My family and I were in a booth by the window and the live mariachi. The restaurant was packed, filled with loud happy voices and was a nice place to spend your Friday evening at. But when we went to go eat today, it was dramatically different. To start with, we went in the afternoon. As soon as you walk in through the doors, you can see certain tables covered with chairs on top of them. It looked as if there were maybe four other families there. There was no mariachi and there were not a lot of loud happy voices filling up the restaurant. Throughout the entire time we were there, our waiter was very welcoming and funny. It made us all feel more at ease. My family and I enjoyed our food, as usual, and had a good time. Things may not be close to "normal" yet, but it was nice eating inside a restaurant.

---Week No. 12---

Getting New Bookshelves