Becoming Eco-Friendly

This year in school I have been taking environmental science and it has opened up my eyes. I never realized how much the average person does that affects the environment negatively. Just waste output alone is enough for me to want to make a change in my personal life. We watched a video about one girl who went to the extremes and all the waste she had produced over the course of one year fit into a mason jar. I don't think I'm quite ready to do that but I am going to be more conscious of the amount of waste I produce and work to decrease that amount. I'm going to start doing weekly updates on my progress to being more eco-friendly. That being said I'm going to start by switching some non-reusable everyday items I use to reusable ones. I'm going to start using reusable plastic bags, reusable cotton rounds, and canvas tote bags instead of the plastic grocery store ones. I know it's not a lot, but it's a small step to a bigger result. This is just the beginning, I plan on doing some more research on how I can reduce my impact on the environment. So look out for more updates!

New Years

Happy New Years everyone!!!

I love New Years for it's refreshing feeling. I feel like anything's possible in the upcoming year. Which always leads to me creating resolutions and bucket lists. Here's the one I've created this year.

1. Eat healthier, this mostly involves making and eating more vegan meals.
2. Be environmentally conscious. I would like to know more of what goes into the products I consume  and how they affect the environment. I also want to start using more eco-friendly products and companies.
3. Leave the past behind. I need to live more in the moment and stop getting caught up in what I can't change.
4. Watch more movies. I want to start watching more movies versus tv shows as i'm very interested in film.
5. Quality over quantity. A lot of the things I purchase fall apart and break very quickly therefore I want to start purchasing higher quality products so that I don't have to keep replacing them.
6. Be organized. I want to be more organized in the upcoming year. I find that when I'm more organized I can better focus on things. If my space is a mess so is my mind.
7. Finish out school strong. I'm a senior in high school and the senioritis is really setting in. But I'm so close that I want to keep on working hard and finish out strong.
8. Travel more. This summer is my last of freedom so I want to spend it traveling and doing as much as I can.

That's my list for now but it's destined to have additions made throughout 2018

How To Get at Least a 30 on the ACT

I've taken the ACT twice. The first time I got a 22 and the second time I got a 32. Today I'm going to share how I improved my score by 10 points.

The first time I took the ACT I ran out of time on every section. I reduced the time I took on the passage sections by looking at the questions before I read the passage. I would take note of referenced lines in the questions and mark them in the passage. Then while I was reading the passage I would read through it quickly except for the parts that I had marked. In those spots I carefully read to fully understand the information. This helped me to spend less time on the parts that weren't important so that I could focus my limited time on the parts that were.

Math. Math was my worst section. The first time I took the test I completely forgot everything that I learned in algebra 1 for it was five years ago that I took the class. So in preparing for the second time I took the ACT, I studied the basics of algebra 1. This greatly helped me because the concepts are quite basic I just had too much time off from them.

Another struggle of mine was grammar. I don't remember ever learning the difference between a comma, semi-colon, and colon. I didn't know when to use which. So before the test I watched a couple of videos on Youtube explaining the different uses. I found Youtube and Kahn Academy very helpful in preparing for the ACT. Just search the topic you need help on. Kahn Academy even has a whole section to help prepare you for the ACT.

Which leads me into my next point. Take practice tests and time yourself. This will help you with time managing your work. You don't want to spend too much time on one question, since they are all counted the same amount regardless of difficulty. If you're spending too much time on one question pick your favorite letter and move on. If you have time at the end of the section you can always go back and work on it. The practice tests were also beneficial in understanding what to expect and knowing the types of questions that would be asked. At the end of the practice test I would go back and review the questions I missed. Then I would work on the concepts and types of questions I was weak with. This is probably what helped me the most while preparing for the ACT.

Another thing that some people might not think about is getting a good nights rest and a healthy breakfast before the test. Your mind isn't going to work as efficiently if you are tired or hungry. Therefore take care of yourself so your mind can work at its highest potential. Good luck testing and don't stress too much! You can always take the test again to improve your score. Even if you do bad the first time, it will help you to prepare and improve the next time you take the test.

Finding The Magic In Christmas

As I get older Christmas has lost it's magical feel. It seems like I'm just going through the motions of the holidays rather than truly celebrating them. So this year I set out to find the magic once again and recreate the Christmas' from my childhood.

The first step in my journey was creating the perfect atmosphere. This included hanging up lights, decorating the outside of the house, along with getting a Christmas tree. The decor reminded me of how our house looked when I was young.

Another crucial step in feeling festive was watching Christmas movies. Below are some of what I believe to be the best.

Elf-

One of my favorite Christmas movies for its humor and Buddy's Christmas spirit.

A Christmas Story-

I remember as I child this movie would be on repeat all Christmas day. Watching it brings me back to those magical days in my living room.

The Polar Express-

We used to watch this every Christmas Eve as it was my brother's favorite. It captures the magic of Christmas with the mysterious ghost atop the train and the bells of true belief.

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas-

A lesser known movie that is my grandmother's favorite. It shows that one doesn't need a lot of money and presents to have a nice holiday. The effort and thought behind the gifts is what truly matters as it shows someone how much you care. Which is what Christmas is all about, being with and making the most out of what you have with your loved ones.

A quick way to get into the Christmas Spirit is to go look at lights. Around Christmas time my parents would make hot chocolate and pack everyone into the car with Christmas pajamas and blankets. We would drive around to different neighborhoods looking at all the lights while listening to Christmas music. I was always amazed at the effort put into the displays and found the glow of the lights beautiful.

Of course for this you need the perfect Christmas playlist so I created one. I included classics such as Winter Wonderland, Carol Of The Bells, O Holy Night and Let It Snow. But i also added new versions of songs like Pentatonix's Mary Did You Know, Hallelujah and some Trans Siberian Orchestra.

-Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!, Frank Sinatra

-A Marshmallow World, Seth MacFarlane

-Mary Did You Know, Pentatonix

-O Holy Night, Bing Crosby

-Christmas Eve Sarajevo, Trans Siberian Orchestra

-Winter Wonderland, Bing Crosby

-Carol of the Bells, Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovy

-It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Perry Como

-Hallelujah, Penatonix

-A Mad Russian's Christmas, Trans Siberian Orchestra

-God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Bing Crosby

-White Christmas, Irving Berlin

-O Come, O Come Emmanuel, The Punch Brothers

Really I think the secret in finding Christmas magic is revisiting traditions. In doing so I was thrown back into the Christmas' of my childhood when the magic of it all was overwhelming. I was reminded of simpler times when there wasn't any stress in Christmas, just the joy of spending time with loved ones.