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Self Reflection

Laiba Nasir
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Sometimes I think about life, and I wonder a couple of things. I wonder about the expectations we set for ourselves and I wonder about the life we have in a more satirical sense. At the beginning of last year, whilst everyone was baking sourdough break and making whipped coffee, I was learning how to hate myself. I was stuck alone in a house with nothing to do, nothing to think about and so I started to self-reflect. I’ve always been a bit of a workaholic so self-reflection isn’t something I did often.

The biggest thing I learned was how much I hated everything I did. From my voice to my mannerisms, to my academic success, and my writing, there was nothing about me I deemed okay enough to like. There was nothing about me that stood out and I sometimes wonder if I was just floating through life, meaningless.

Recently, I won an award for compassion, and of course, in an otherworldy satirical and also literal sense, no one I invited showed up. I’d be lying I said I wasn’t a little disappointed. I thought about why they wouldn’t deem it important enough to show up, I wondered why I wasn’t enough for them. I wondered why, even when I achieve my best, it’s not enough for anyone I love to show up and celebrate with me.

This led me to an extremely important realization. The things that were once accomplishments for me were now expectations. They were no longer “Hey everyone, look at how good Laiba did” and instead radio silence. But the problem with this ideology is when I don’t win an award in a bit, I just poked and prodded. By my own head, my own devices, and by others metrics of me that exist without my knowledge.

I can’t fail, but I am not celebrated when I succeed.

This award last weekend and the aftermath made me realize that once again I was basing my self-worth off of work, off of mundane things that don’t matter in the long run. I realized that I once again lost myself, and it’s going to take a lot to bring me back.

Wish me luck.

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CWSF 2021: The Team Calgary Experience

Aarushi Bhargava
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The Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) is the country’s largest youth STEM event. It brings together the top youth scientists from across the country. It’s an exciting event where students compete with their projects for medals, cash prizes, scholarships, and other exclusive opportunities.

After competing in the Calgary Youth Science Fair (CYSF), 14 other students and I were selected to compete at CWSF as a part of Team Calgary.

Here’s what we have to say about our experiences competing at the Canada Wide Science Fair:

Arnav Kumar (Grade 11)

Check out Arnav’s CWSF Project Board and CYSF project!

Q: Why did you want to compete in the science fair?

A: Science fair for me was an opportunity to apply my knowledge on a problem that would affect people’s lives. Math and computer science have been big passions for me, and science fair helped me better understand how they can change people’s lives.

Q: What was the highlight of science fair for you?

A:  The highlight of the science fair would be being able to see all of the great projects everyone worked on. They are all really impressive and I definitely got inspired after seeing some of the projects.

Q: What are your recommendations for people who want to compete in a regional science fair or even go to nationals?

A: My only recommendation is to shape your project around something you are passionate about. This makes the project way more engaging and you are more motivated too.

Q: Tell me about your project (why did you choose to do it, what did you do)?

A: My project had to do with the prognosis of a disease called Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis through machine learning methods. I used several models which were given data including the patient age, sex, smoking status, lung capacity, and a CT scan of the lungs and outputted a prediction of the patient’s future lung capacity. I choose this project because it applies all of my knowledge in mathematics and computer science.

Q: What is your advice for any student in pursuing science?

A: Remember that science is not a solo sport. It is often really nice to communicate and work with others in science and make sure to stay involved with the community as well!

Q: Anything else you’d like to say?

A: Good luck!

A big Congratulations to Arnav for receiving the following awards:

  • Buckley Family Award for Engineering (Secondary)
  • CWSF Travel Award
  • CWSF Bronze Excellence Award (Senior)

Alia Damji (Grade 9)

Check out Alia’s CWSF Project Board and CYSF project!

Q: Why did you want to compete in the science fair?

A: I wanted to meet people that are interested in the same, or similar, things I am. I’m also very passionate about the scientific method, and just generally wanted to expand my knowledge.

Q: What was the highlight of science fair for you?

A: After compiling all of the data, there is a moment of euphoria when you get to look at what you found out. There’s really nothing quite like it!

Q: What are your recommendations for people who want to compete in a regional science fair or even go to nationals?

A: Don’t give up, I know that sometimes it becomes stressful and time-consuming. My advice is to just continue forward, it will be worth it in the end.

Q: Tell me about your project (why did you chose to do it, what did you do)?

A: I did the sense of direction between males and females. I chose to do this because it has become somewhat of a controversial subject. I also thought that there could be a bias in saying that men are better at navigation, making it a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Q: What is your advice for any student in pursuing science?

A: Top grades are good, but they aren’t the most important thing. Instead, you need persistence, motivation, and loads of curiosity. Pursue your interests!

Q: Anything else you’d like to say?

A: Never worry about not being smart enough, you are most definitely smart enough!

Congratulations to Alia for receiving the following awards:

  • CYSF Travel Award
  • Dr. Werner Becker Clinical Neuroscience Award
  • The Psychologists Assoc. of Alberta Behavioral Science Award

Aarushi Bhargava (Grade 10)

Check out my CWSF Project Board and CYSF project!

Q: Why did you want to compete in the science fair?

A: I have always been a curious person and have enjoyed just learning about science. As I got older, this interest channelled itself into finding ways to solve problems.

Q: What was the highlight of science fair for you?

A: I really enjoyed being able to see all of the other projects. When you look at the work that they’ve spent a whole year on, you can see how passionate they are about it, and seeing that is truly inspiring!

Q: What are your recommendations for people who want to compete in a regional science fair or even go to nationals?

A: Just go for it! You have nothing to lose! Whatever happens, you’re going to learn something new!

Q: Tell me about your project (why did you chose to do it, what did you do)?

A: My project looked at the effect of weather conditions on the amount of electricity that solar panels generate. I used a multivariable statistical model to look at how factors such as rain, cloud cover, sunlight hours, and others impact the amount of electricity that solar panels generate in Calgary.

Aarushi was awarded the following awards:

  • American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, Air Conditioning Award
  • CYSF Top Intermediate Runner Up
  • CYSF Travel Award
  • Intact Climate Change Resilience Award
  • CWSF Bronze Excellence Award (Intermediate)
  • CWSF Statistical Society of Canada Award.

If you want to learn more about CYSF and Team Calgary, check out their Instagram page!

Once again, congratulations to Team Calgary for all of their hard work and efforts!

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AI Writers: More Creative Than Ever

David Shao
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The prospect of robots taking over the world has been floating around in science fiction and popular culture for decades. Many of us might imagine some sort of machine uprising or super-intelligent revolutionaries gone out of control. But at least for now, these fears have yet to become reality.

But we shouldn’t write them off either. There is already an alarming amount of influence that robots—artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, rather—wield over the world and they do so in uncountably many ways. Merely one of them, which has grown significantly in recent years, is natural language generation.

If you’ve ever used Google Translate, chatbots, or a voice assistant, you know exactly what this is. It’s AI trying to generate sentences—to write. Write fluently, that is.

And this fluency is what has made natural language generation increasingly powerful in recent years—so much so that many news articles you read today are already being written by algorithms rather than humans

In fact, even well-established organizations like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Associated Press have been using the technology for many years, helping them churn out stories and articles with unparalleled speed.

And quality-wise? Well, the writing by AI has progressed far beyond the formulaic or robotic rigidity that we might expect from robot writers. Even poetry and creative writing are not too much for them.

Learning What It Reads

Trained on millions—even billions—of web pages, books, and just general text online, many of these algorithms use a structure loosely based on neural networks in the brain to improve themselves, mimicking whatever words, phrases, and sentences they come across. In a sense, the way AI writes is a reflection of how humans write.

In 2020, OpenAI’s GPT-3 language model produced text that was sometimes completely indistinguishable from human-written text, causing researchers to restrict the accessibility of the model to the general public. This was doubtless done in the hopes of preventing malicious individuals from using the model to endlessly generate text that could influence people in a dangerous way.

If AI can already write simple news articles, then it isn’t a stretch to see how it could also write misleading articles or propagate harmful information online.

GPT-3 the Artist

To test its creative writing ability, researchers gave GPT-3 the title of the poem, “Shadows on the Way”, and asked it to compose in the style of Wallace Stevens. This is what it wrote:

Nobody will come to this place. It is a road that leads nowhere.
The solitude is deep. The mountains are high.
But they are desolate, and they turn the traveler’s face
Towards the North. All the sounds of the world are far away.
When the wind rises above the trees,
The boughs bow to the ground.
Even the birds that inhabit the tangle of weeds
That is the roadside cover, are silent. One listens,
But hears no roar of the forest. One is alone.
One will be taken.
One will be taken.
There is no utterance, there is no conversation,
But one is uneasy all the same . . . .
There is a thin blue mist,
A darkness rising like smoke,
And within that darkness
A possession of the heart.
One will be taken . . . . It was here, and it will be here again—
Here, under this sky empty and full of light.

What to Worry About

AI writers have provided us with summaries of articles in an instant, entertained us with games like AI Dungeon, or helped us write through predictive word generation (see Google Docs’ and Gmail’s Smart Compose). Likewise, numerous companies are already using the technology to generate short financial reports or create marketing material in a fraction of the time—and cost—it would take a human.

Just as this technology can act to our benefit, however, it can also act to our detriment.

Influencing public opinion and spreading misinformation could be done simply through the massive amounts of text that can be generated in mere minutes, flooding the internet with AI text designed to read like writing from a trustworthy source.

Ultimately, it’s important to recognize that despite the increasing influence and ubiquity of these robot writers, they have yet to escape human control. We probably aren’t going to see a machine uprising—like those imagined by science fiction—anytime soon. What we will see, however, is more and more malicious actors using these tools in dangerous ways.

And that is something to look out for.

That should be a source of worry.

Sources

Images: Featured/1

Summer Activities to do with Friends and Family

Steven Dong
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With restrictions finally lifting, I have compiled a list of fun things to do over summer break to catch up with those we missed during the pandemic. I encourage you all to live it up this summer to make up for having to stay inside all last year!

Travel

A couple of my friends have already jumped on the opportunity of traveling outside of Canada after 16 months of staying in Calgary. From their experience, it is a liberating feeling, so I would encourage everyone (if possible) to fly, meet friends and family abroad, and relish the fact that you have finally made it through a very difficult period.

Road trip

A road trip is a great alternative to traveling if going international is not an option for you. It not only provides a way to bond with everyone else in the car, but it also enables you to see parts of your province or country that you had never seen before, which can incite inspiration or self-reflection!

Explore the outdoors

Activities such as camping and hiking are great ways to experience and appreciate the outdoors. It also gets us away from our screens which is beneficial for our eyes, mind, and soul.

Biking

I have biked a ton during quarantine, and will certainly continue to do so after things return to normal. In my opinion, biking is a great way to get to know your city better and appreciate wonderful sceneries. Bonus points if you can bike at sunrise or sunset!

Volunteer

During the summer, in-person volunteering opportunities will be on the rise. If you are looking for a way to serve your community in a meaningful way or deepen a passion or interest in a cause, volunteering during the summer is for you!

Garden

Gardening is a great way to spend time with family while learning about sustainable food practices. I get such a fascinating feeling whenever I am able to eat something that I grew from seed with my own hands, and summer is obviously the ideal time to do so!

Concerts

Is there anything better than vibing and screaming your heart out with your best friends at an outdoor concert?

Image Source: 1

 

Easiest Creamy Pasta Dish

Steven Dong
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This creamy mushroom pasta dish is one of the first pastas I ever made and it has quickly become my family’s (especially my brother’s) favourite. It only takes around 20 minutes and is sure to satisfy all your cravings!

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

  1. 1.25 cups of dried short pasta (any shape will work)
  2. Half a head of garlic
  3. 2.5 cups mixed mushrooms
  4. 3/4 cups Parmesan cheese ( I have also used Gruyère before too, which worked fantastically)
  5. 4-5 tbsp crème fraîche

Procedure:

  1. Cook pasta in boiling, salted water. Cook 1 minute less  than the package instructs, as we will still cook it in its own sauce later
  2. Mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms.
  3. Sautée them with olive oil until all the water from the mushrooms has evaporated and a deep caramelization can be seen on the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Pour the drained pasta into the pot with the mushrooms and garlic, adding 1/2 cup of cooking water. (The pasta’s cooking water contains starch that will thicken the sauce and ensure it has a nice end texture.)
  5. Grate in the parmesan and fold in the crème fraîche. Adjust seasoning to taste.
  6. Before eating, grate on one final layer of cheese.
  7. Enjoy!

 

GMOs- The Key to Food Security?

Mandi Jin
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It is obvious that food, fiber, and many other desired products are processed through the cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals, globally known as agriculture. It provides a cleaner, better environment for people to lead healthy lives on earth. However, it is essential to acknowledge that this magnificent result of resources endeavored by food production could not possibly be explained by the process of agriculture alone. After years of scientific discoveries and experiments, scientists found the key to what keeps our crops so healthy: genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

We live in a society in which humans have become addicted to creating these new food products. Why? Because genetically modified organisms reduce food insecurity by 15–20% among cotton-producing households. Genetically modified crops are an important component in a broader food security strategy. Food security is and will continue to be, one of our greatest ongoing development challenges. We not only need to provide food and nutrition for a growing global population, but we must do so in the face of mounting environmental challenges.

The global climate is changing, and land suitable for agriculture and food production is changing with it. Salinification and desertification, flooding and drought, and natural disasters threaten agriculture across the globe. With changing temperatures come new risks from pests and diseases that need to be removed by GMOs. Food security exists when all people have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. Unfortunately, food security is nonexistent for a significant proportion of the world population. Therefore, a dilemma for the entire human race arises: around 900 million people are undernourished, meaning that they are undersupplied with calories.

Food security is impacted by three possible pathways that are as follows:

1.While contributing to global and local food availability, genetically modified organisms by way of altering DNA are the solution to sustainability

The first pathway allows for more robust and effective strategies that scientifically and technologically are ways to strengthen food growth. This is very important because food becomes richer in nutrients and therefore healthier sustenance. This is extremely critical in the dynamics of food sustainability for a growing world.

2.Food availability will ultimately be maximized for sustainability including the value and quality of nutrients in food

Case by case management of food safety is also secured by the second pathway. Positive health benefits are multiplicative when nutritional deficiencies are decreased. This has been proven by optimal Projections of statistics. For example, genetically cloned human beings also serve as a viable and valued way to combat illnesses and provide cures for lethal diseases. 

3. In a larger scope, economic strength becomes a valued asset as a result of genetically modified organisms  

Looking at the third pillar, small farmers in developing countries are productive at a higher quality of food consumption and this allows for a more secure world. Wouldn’t you like to live in that kind of world? 

In summary, this tripartite illustration is more than comprehensive but also the sole way to deal with starvation. 

Image source:1

Junior Achievement Company Program, A Look Back Onto the 2021 Term

youthareawesome
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For every ideal or goal comes the question of where do you start. I’ve met many peers that want to enter the business world, yet lack the experience or knowledge to do so. Typically, I suggest them the Junior Achievement Company Program. 

What Am I Here to Discuss?

I’m here to look back on Company Program from this year, not to shill for it entirely, because I’m not an ambassador. I know I opened this like a YouTube sponsorship, but I wont just be saying that Junior Achievement is some perfect program for everybody. First Ill give a brief run-through of what CP is. 

CP brings multiple youth together to start a company. There are mentors that guide the team at the beginning, but eventually the youth are meant to run the company themselves. This means electing VPs for various business fields, such as finance, and producing a product or service. Nearing the end of the program, the team or individual youth can win awards or scholarships.

Now that’s a basic factual description of the program, many of the benefits and downsides  are variable and come through team dynamic.

 

In My Opinion…

Despite not being an ambassador, I still enjoy the program a lot. Its a great way to develop business experience, while improving team-work and leadership skills. Its a very unique opportunity that I recommend if looking towards boosting your resume or simply getting that entrepreneurship experience. I know that many scholarships look for that type of profile. 

I’ve had a lot of fun both years that I’ve participated in the program. You meet some great people, and gain valuable knowledge along the way. It offers a lot of creativity while including a lot of responsibility. 

Despite this, its inevitable that you don’t vibe with every other team member. There are going to people that are forced by their parents and don’t want to be there. Not everyone will mesh, and not everyone will have the same outlook or motivation to participate in the program. That’s where you need to put in effort to communicate with them, so it CAN include additional effort or communicational skills than you expect. 

That’s a big part of my perspective on company program. If you aren’t the greatest team player, then Company Program may not be for you. If you don’t have the time or commitment, it might not be for you. However, it could also be an opportunity to imp[rove your team working skills, but you need to enter with that mindset of improving. 

 

Occurrences This Year

The program is typically 18 weeks long, and was 15 weeks this year. That is a long time to stay committed to a challenging extra curricular activity. However, at least for me, completing the program fully is an incredible feeling of achievement. 

Additionally, COVID-19 limited what products and services we could sell. We were unable to touch any product we were selling. I completely agree with the decision to do this. Despite this, it felt a bit sad to be limited in this way, although necessary. 

There have been some communication mishaps between teams and the organization, Typically this came in the form of unclear instructions. This may be an issue on my part, but I was unable to find examples of company documents online for what the organizations wanted. For example, for the shareholders report and business plans, teams were forced to use documents from their past teams. This is also likely part of the job of the mentors. However, I find it odd that they don’t have example documents as ours are shorter and different from those of actual companies. 

 

The Company Program takes a lot of work and commitment, but offers a potentially valuable and very unique experience.  Check this link if you’d be interested in the Company Program. Junior Achievement offers many other programs aswell that are worth looking into.

Links:

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Image 1, Minimalist art, man at computer

Image 2, Communication

Image 3, Slacking Off

Image 4, Business Plan

Pâtisserie – Part 2

Rachael Peng
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French desserts continued and the two-part series concluded! Feast your eyes on this post’s visual serving of treats. Additionally, if you’re tempted to taste some yourself, I’ve also included links to recipes and/or local shops you can support (for those living in Calgary). 

Here’s a link to Pâtisserie – Part 1 if you missed it or are interested in reading more: https://www.youthareawesome.com/patisserie-partie-1/

1. Madeleines

Madeleines are tea cakes recognizable by their shell-like shape, smooth, lined on one side and bumpy on the other. They have a light, soft, sponge-like texte, made simply from plain-old butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. However, they are sometimes dipped in chocolate, dusted with icing sugar, or even nuts. This French pastry has many origin theories, from being a 17th century grandmother’s recipe, to being born of a 19th century pastry chef’s interesting baking molds, to becoming famous after king Louis XV tasted them, to being documented in autobiographies. Regardless of where it came from, the madeleine is a very popular dessert today, even chosen to represent France on Europe Day in 2006. If you’re interested in trying your hand at madelines, take a look at this very detailed recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/madeleines/. They are also commercially available at Fleur de vanille.

2. Croissants

Did you know croissants are actually of Viennese (from Vienna, in Austria) origin? Its ancestor is indeed the Autrian pastry kipferl, though it is very often associated with France. This buttery and flaky snack made of layered dough was adored by queen Marie Antoinette, who introduced them to French bakers, who then perforated the baking of croissants. It is named after its shape, croissant meaning “crescent moon.” In today’s modern society, croissants have been covered in almonds or jam, stuffed with cheese, and made into sandwiches. Yann Haute Patisserie’s authentic croissants are really good, while Sucre Pâtisserie and Café has a different flavour variations.

3. Macarons

Not to be confused with macaroons, which are round, coconut haystacks often dipped in chocolate! Macarons are a very popular dessert made of meringue, almond flour, and, most commonly, a buttercream filling. They are crispy when you bite into them, but chewy, almost like soft candy, on the inside. Though their creation is often credited to France, they are actually thought to have originated in Venice, Italy, but were popularized in France. Macarons are notoriously hard to make (something I can personally attest to), but if your interested in trying out your baking skills, check out this Tasty 101 video with some pro tips on making macarons. Alternatively, Ollia Macarons and Tea hosts a huge variety of macarons for sale, as does Pâtisserie du soleil.

4. Palmier

AKA elephant ear cookies, French hearts, butterfly cookies, palmeritas for the Spanish, the list goes on. Palmiers are named for their shape, meaning “palm tree” in French. Although, in my opinion, I can’t really see how it looks like a palm leaf. These pastries can be made sweet or savoury, tasting carmel-sugary or buttery, and are often served with tea or coffee. Like croissants, palmiers are crisp and falsk, as well as made from layers of puff pastry, and can. Here is a recipe for a cinnamon twist on palmiers: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/231466/cinnamon-palmiers. As for places to shop for them… I mean, honestly, they are sometimes sold at Costco!

5. Soufflé

Finally, the soufflé! This very light cake gets its lift from the use of beaten egg whites. Indeed, this dessert is primarily based on egg whites and yolks. Its name is the participle of the French verb “souffler”, or “to blow, to breathe”, referencing how the soufflé looks blown up (as in puffy and balloons, not explosions. The Guiness record for largest souffle weighed 3891 pounds and was 243 feet long; but the most surprising fact is that it was eaten in only 10 minutes. Check out this recipe for chocolate soufflé with 7 ingredients: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/chocolate-souffle/.  

 

There are tons of French pastries out there! If you’re a foodie or a francophile, I encourage you to keep exploring the world of french baked goods. 

 

References: 1/2/3/4/5 

Image references: Featured image/1/2/3/4/5

Programming 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Programming

Bhavani Potdar
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“Whether you want to uncover the secrets of the universe, or you just want to pursue a career in the 21st century, basic computer programming is an essential skill to learn.”

– Stephen Hawking

In modern-day society, with all the technological advancements of the 21st century, programming is becoming (or already is) a key skill to learn. In this blog post, I am going to present all the information about programming for beginners; what is programming, why should you program, and how you can start. 

What is Programming (or Coding)? And why is it important?

Programming is the process of using a programming language to get a computer to behave in a specific way. A line of code tells the computer to perform a certain task, and a series of lines of codes (script) are used to make the computer to perform a specific function.

Why should you learn to Program?

There are many reasons why you should learn to program. 

  1. It’s easy to learn- Oftentimes, programming is associated as an immensely difficult skill, with a lot of natural knowledge and skill required. However, this is definitely not the case, if you put your mind to it, programming can be a really easy skill to learn and can be learned surprisingly quickly. 
  2. Increase your ability to solve problems- Programming is always about problem-solving! When you program, you will inevitably find errors in your code, and be required to go through each part & find the mistakes. As you learn more programming, your ability to solve problems will develop. 
  3. Makes you pay attention to smaller details- In programming, you will have to go through your code and seek out mistakes (‘debug’ your code). During this process, you will have to go through each line one by one to carefully spot the small yet significant error that is affecting your code. By this, you will develop the ability to pay attention to smaller details.
  4. That’s what employers look for- The title may be quite self-explanatory. Programming is a desirable skill in present society; any employer would be impressed by seeing a programming language in your resume. In addition, it can also help in university applications, especially for engineering programs, as it would be a great extracurricular activity. There is no dearth of opportunities out there when it comes to programming! 

How can you start?

You have already started- by reading this article, you have taken the first step to learn to program! After this, you just need to take initiative to go and start learning programming skills. There are countless resources on the internet, that can help you to learn to program; Codecademy, Github, FreeCodeCamp, and computer science organizations or clubs (Hackergal, CanadaLearningCode, among many other organizations) that can guide you in learning coding skills. In addition, I would recommend starting out programming with beginner languages like HTML. CSS, JavaScript or Python. If you are interested, I wrote an article called “Let’s Code Into the Summer” last year, and it has some resources and more tips to get started on coding. Always remember, it’s never too late or early to learn code. 

Conclusion (TL;DR)

In the end, programming is an important skill that is really important to learn. This article summarized some of the basic things that programming involves including what is programming, the importance of programming, and how can you learn to program.  Even though it may sound intimidating at first, programming is a skill that can be independently learned (and trust me, you will enjoy it as you practice & learn more about it 🙂 As summer closes, and school comes to an end, maybe programming can be a skill that you learn; let’s code into the summer!

Sources: 1/2/3

New TV Shows To Check Out This Summer

Daniyal Sait
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Summer break is just around the corner and many new TV shows are coming along for the ride. As we head into a very well deserved summer, here are five binge-worthy shows set up for new seasons that you need to check out.

Outer Banks – Season 2 coming out July 30th (Netflix)

If you’ve read ‘The Outsiders’ by S.E. Hinton, then you know all about the rivalry between Greasers and Socs. ‘Outer Banks’ takes this idea to a whole new level with Pogues and Kooks, while putting an adventurous summer spin on it. The timing for season 2’s release date couldn’t be better, and as you wait for its arrival, you can spend time watching the first season on Netflix that follows the lives of a few friends in pursuit for a fortune in gold. Living on the edge never seemed better.

Stranger Things – Season 4 release date yet to be announced (Netflix)

The only thing that can match summer vibes is the vibes of the 80s. In another Netflix original series, a fearless group of friends navigate growing up while facing off against supernatural creatures. With a 4th season on the way, there is no shortage of content when it comes to this award winning sci-fi television series. In addition, Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, and Finn Wolfhard headline an amazingly stacked cast. 

Cobra Kai – Season 4 coming out Winter 2021 (Netflix)

Speaking of the 80s, Cobra Kai is based on the classic 1984 movie ‘The Karate Kid’. With big names returning to the iconic franchise, including Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, this action-packed show has everything a reboot needs. Familiar faces seek revenge, keeping you on the edge of your seat while perfectly engineered references add a touch of humour to this heart-racing series. This reboot is one that has maintained a unique storyline while still paying tribute to the original saga – a perfect balance guaranteeing its success with fans and securing a fourth season already in the makes.

Panic – Season 1 out now (Amazon Prime Video)

Based on the novel by Lauren Oliver, ‘Panic’ released their first season on Amazon Prime Video on May 28th, 2021. Similar to other series like ‘Outer Banks’, this show is easily bingeable, with the first season consisting of only ten episodes. The concept of a life-threatening game for teenagers may remind you of ‘The Hunger Games’, but rather than escaping an arena, characters are desperate to make it out of a small town in Texas. Although most of the cast consists of lesser known stars, they do have one main character played by the child of a famous star: Ray Nicholson, son of Jack Nicholson, who you may know from hit movies such as ‘The Shining’. Also, the song ‘Darkest Hour’ from the show ‘Panic’ was sung by Calgary’s own Tate McRae. There’s only one thing you need to keep in mind if choosing to watch this series – keep calm, and don’t panic.

A number of shows from the Marvel Universe, including WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki – All now streaming (Disney+)

All three of the shows mentioned above are part of Marvel’s next game plan, which goes by the name ‘Phase Four’. A unique aspect of this phase is that it showcases underappreciated characters from the Marvel Universe by giving them their first-ever ‘solos’. For example, Black Widow, Loki, Hawkeye, Falcon, and Wanda/Vision are just some of the franchise’s integral heroes and villains that are making their debuts as individual leading characters. Many of these projects have been long-awaited, and after being delayed due to the pandemic, are finally premiering on Disney+.

Source 1/2/3/4/5

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A Collection of Shawn Mendes’s Tweets To Motivate You

Ranya Bajaj
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A Collection of Shawn Mendes’s Tweets To Motivate You

Hey guys! It’s the last little while of school and I thought I might share some positive tweets a.k.a Shawn Mendes tweets to motivate you to finish off the last few weeks of the semester, or if you’re taking summer course(s) head-on. In other words, you’ve got this!

Hope you enjoyed it! And stay tuned for more blog posts like these from me! #mendesarmy4ever

Yours,

Ranya

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Snapshots From a Midsummer’s Day

Cindy Lei
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Snapshots From a Midsummer’s Day

I haven’t done photography in a long, long time. Everything just looked so boring and grey to me.

But there was something magical about wandering in my little community park, the road behind me and summer ahead. All of a sudden, everything became so beautiful-how could I not have noticed? It feels like a shift of perspective. For all these years, I took planes and travel and foreign lands for granted, so familiarity became mundane to me. What do those flowers by the sidewalk have in comparison to grand waterfalls, towering mountains, and the vast ocean?

Now, however, the little, beautiful details mean everything. I’m sick of the same square houses, the same grey sidewalks. Now, little flowers are more beautiful than a scatter of stars. The wind sings and dances in the leaves. And everything is so green, so surreally beautiful.

The little details are like snapshots in my mind. I hope these memories last forever.

Hidden in the grass
Peeking through the bushes
A few steps away from the road
Growing on the side of a paved path
Beside a parking lot
Just an ordinary bush
Behind some dead wood
Growing out of a rusted bike
Shining in the plain grass

 

4 Classic Book Recommendations

Rachael Peng
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With the summer break finally here, we may be reveling in the freedom of not having to read books, specifically classics, for our English courses. While the arduous task of having to write analytical essays on these types of books, and their sometimes archaic language, might make them seem less appealing, I firmly believe classics are just as good a read as any other contemporary book out there. And so, I present to you four classic fiction book recommendations!

1. Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell

One of my favourite books of all time, if not the favourite. Gone With the Wind, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, is a historical fiction masterpiece of more than 1000 pages. Don’t let this intimidate you – it is definitely worth the weeks (or in my case days because I sometimes read it non-stop) to delve into Margaret Mitchell’s world. I love the story’s uniqueness as it follows main character Scarlett O’Hara before, during, and after the American Civil War. She is not your typical “good-guy”, pure of heart and mind, lovable protagonist. The book captures emotion, description, dialogue, and pretty much everything that makes a book a great book, so well. Read one sentence anywhere in the book and you become entirely immersed in the plot. Most of all, I love how this book is centered around courage and determination. I can’t say enough to recommend it.

2. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

Although I would say Pride and Prejudice’s language was harder to get through than any of these other prose recommendations, the story shines through! This classic is also a romance, following one of four sisters of the Bennet family, Elizabeth, through daily joys and struggles as she meets rich, snobby Mr. Darcy. I like how Jane Austen both captures the intricacies of ordinary life and makes them seem interesting, as well as how she offers incredible insight into practical, everyday life. It is eloquently written, relatable, and strikes to the heart, making us reflect on how we perceive things like family, friends, and society. The 2005 movie is a great adaptation of the book and is also worth watching.

3. Anne of Green Gables – Lucy Maud Montgomery

From Canada’s very own Lucy Maud Montgomery, this book journeys alongside orphan Anne Shirley as she finds a home at Green Gables. A talkalot, dreamy, bookworm with a very vivid imagination, I love Anne’s character and her outlook on life (although sometimes she monologues for literal pages without any pauses). Anne of Green Gables is part of an eight part series, in proceeding reading order: Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne’s House of Dreams, Anne of Ingleside, Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside, and The Blythes Are Quoted. Once again, the 1985 movie is a great and accurate adaptation of the book, and also worth watching!

4. Black Beauty – Anna Sewell

Last but certainly not least, Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty is told through the unique perspective of the titular horse as he is passed through the hands of different owners. Like all of the books in this recommendation list, I like how the book immerses you in Black Beauty’s world, taking you through his thoughts and observations without convoluted description. The classic explores the cruelty and kindness of human nature as we experience how Black Beauty is treated by his owners with friendship, neglect, respect, and so forth.

Image references: Featured Image/1/3/5/2

Lemon Squares to celebrate our (almost) post-pandemic life

Zainab Majid
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I’ve been seeing a lot of recipes about desserts lately, and it’s definitely been tickling my sweet tooth. I’m really into those 5-minute, microwavable recipes, but sometimes I gather the energy to whip up a dessert that actually involves the oven. So I decided to share one of those with you guys today.

I’ve always had a huge sweet tooth, which was good news for my family when the pandemic first started because it meant lots of desserts! After lots of cakes, lava cakes, cookies, and baked bars, I finally found my all-time favourite: Lemon Squares

These lemon bars have a lemon curd filling that tops a delectable shortbread base.

Recipe:

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes – it only takes me 25 mins
Total Time: 35 – 50 mins (not including cooling time)
Yield: 24 bars

Ingredients:

Shortbread Crust

1 cup (230g; 2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups + 2 Tablespoons (265g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)

Lemon Filling

2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
6 Tablespoons (46g) all-purpose flour
6 large eggs
1 cup (240ml) lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
optional: confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking pan* with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.

2. Make the crust: Mix the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir to completely combine. The dough will be thick. Press firmly into prepared pan, making sure the layer of crust is nice and even. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the warm crust (not all the way through the crust).

3. Make the filling: Sift the sugar and flour together in a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, then the lemon juice until completely combined.

4. Pour filling over warm crust. Bake the bars for 22-26 minutes or until the center is relatively set and no longer jiggles. (Give the pan a light tap with an oven mitt to test.) Remove bars from the oven and cool completely at room temperature.

5. Once cool, dust with confectioners’ sugar and cut into squares before serving. For neat squares, wipe the knife clean between each cut. Cover and store leftover lemon bars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

6. Freezing Instructions: Lemon bars can be frozen for up to 3-4 months. Cut the cooled bars (without confectioners’ sugar topping) into squares, then place onto a baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour. Individually wrap each bar in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place into a large bag or freezer container to freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator, then dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

You guys should definitely give this recipe a try and let me know how it goes! It’s been a family favourite ever since I discovered it, so I hope you like it too. I’ve linked the original recipe below if you want to take a look at something.

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/lemon-bars-recipe/

sources: 1

Achieving a Productive Summer

youthareawesome
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School years often end with an onslaught of summer laziness. Before that lethargy strikes, you could make a whole deal of improvement this summer holiday. Every single person I’ve talked to has felt unfulfilled with their productivity over the break. I might be biased though because all my peers are also lazy and stressed high school students. 

 

So what’s the plan?

I’m not recommending you to just work throughout the entire break. You deserve this time to spend on enjoyment. Despite this, I believe you should allocate some time to build a schedule for days without social plans. Scheduling is already a massive component in time management and productivity. Using it will only boost you forward.

For me, being productive is mostly overcoming the mental block. I’ve gone through summer school for the past 2 years, volunteered, went for vacation, and experienced a whole plethora of different situations. I know it feels draining to do work when your already have plans during the day. 

First, keep in mind productivity isn’t limited to school subjects, or sitting at your computer the whole day. Lets say you’ve got a family camping and hiking trip planned. The exercise, freedom, and time spent with others is massive for your mental wellbeing. That’s why you shouldn’t be afraid of ‘losing time’ in the summer, because you are fundamentally enjoying your break. That’s what’s important. 

However, you need a balance, especially to combat summer learning loss. According to Oxford, only 2-3 hours a week are necessary to reduce learning loss, which can overlap and be incorporated into the other activities you pursue., For example, going forward in your science classes uses reading and problem solving skills while accelerating you forward. Though you probably aren’t going to retain all of your high school math or science knowledge without direct review. 

 

Here’s some general recommendations on projects you can pursue for this 2021 summer. 

  • Learn new language or skill
  • Pursue a passion project 
  • Take an online course
  • Read Books
  • Volunteer
  • Find a job or internship
  • Start a research project
  • Get ahead/review school curriculum
  • Variable. Anything else you want to do that will improve your current self. 

Keep in mind. Some of these suggestions are full lifestyle changes, so don’t put too many on your plate at once. Instead, get used to scheduling by applying a gradual change. Additionally, something like learning an instrument requires constant practice that you don’t want to lose over the next school year. Therefore, be prepared to continue flourishing that skill to become a more well-rounded person. 

Additionally, set realistic goals. Don’t work out to become attractive because ‘it will make you happier’. Focus on the road of fitness and self-improvement, such as the added structure of setting a time to exercise. 

This is your summer, so spend it doing what you want to do. Enjoy it, you deserve this break.

 

Mentioned Oxford Article

Other Summer Learning Loss Report by David M. Quinn and Morgan Polikoff

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Image 1 (Scheduling)

Image 2 (Library)     

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