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Hey everyone! Yesterday, me and my family went walking through San Francisco on the day before Christmas! And that hits different! So anyway, me, my mom, my dad, and brother had a huge plan. First, we would eat at a restaurant, then we would go skating or go to Ghiradelli square if something happened and then return! But, it didn't go as planned. First, me and my brother were late changing so that was a late start, then, it took almost 20 minutes to get to the restaurant but we finally reached. When we got inside Red Hot Chilli Pepper, our reservations were ready. We sat at a 4 seater table. I was kinda overwhelmed by the options but I settled on the Tangra style tofu and Munchow soup. My brother ordered the Christmas special which were the Manchurian coins in Manchurian sauce and my mom ordered fried rice. Our appetizer was Baby corn 65 and we took like 30 minutes to eat. After we ate, We were all pretty happy but my dad didn't seem too satisfied. "THE BABY CORN WAS WAY TOO UNCOOKED AND THEY REUSED THE FRIED RICE FROM THE OTHER BANQUET!!!!" he complained. That set my dad in a bad mood. Even worse, rain started showering down hard, making it hard for my dad to see the road. It was so much, even the windshield wipers couldn't fix it either. Then, my mom was worried about our future plans. Then, she shouted,"THE ICE RINK!!!!" My brother caught on. He rang up the ice rink to see if they were still open but due to rain, it was publicly closed so as a backup plan, we headed to Ghiradelli square. To our surprise, there wasn't any queue. We ordered the Ocean beach shake. IT WAS SO GOOD!!!!! Then, we went for a walk near the water while the rain was almost blowing us away. Then we went for a walk in the actual San Francisco. We went to the huge Christmas tree in the middle of the shops and streets. THen my brother said he didn't have the money on him right then. Then, we went to the Nintendo store. I loved it as I had a Nintendo Switch and I used to love Mario. Then, me and my brother did something that he thought was funny. He bet me $10 if I screamed 67 right there. I told him that I was not an ipad kid but he countered me again with the $10 so I screamed,"EEYY!!! AY 67!!!!!!" Some people said 67 back and I created a raid. Then, me and my brother played Mario Kart World and I beat him. I was 3rd place, he was 4th. Then we left back home.

Hello everyone. I am writing this blog to remember my family's dearest neighbor. Her name is Libby. She unfortunately passed away recently due to a heart attack. She and her husband, Ted moved into Pride's Crossing when it was being built in the '60s! She was here since the beginning of our community. Before my family's house even built. We were far from the first owners of the house we are living in right now! 55 years later, in 2015, My family moved in. My mom and dad were younger, my brother was younger than I am now, and I was 1 year old! We moved into the house next to Libby and Ted's house. It was great. My parents and her were best friends from the get go! My mom also loved old people so she was very nice to her. Occasionally, we would say hello or hi. Soon, our family invited her over for an Indian festival with dolls representing gods. Soon, we would bring over snacks for her and we became good friends. Although she couldn't walk well so she had to take her red 2006 Ford Escort to the mailbox to get mail. One day, her hands were shaky and the car got terribly damaged. Since the car wasn't in good shape to drive and the repairs would cost a fortune, they sold it. Instead, her kids bought her a white 2023 Toyota Corolla. After a few years passed to 2024, we found some sad news. Libby's husband, Ted had passed away. Libby wasn't crying but was sad so my mom went over to bring some snacks and talk about it. She felt better that her husband was in a happy place now. After that, we'd be seeing her walk with her cane to either collect the mail or take out the trash. We would often help on either chore she had to do but sometimes, she would let us but other times, she'd do it alone. Soon, she wasn't feeling well and was in a hospital. My mom and dad decided to visit her and made a handwritten note with a sketch I made of her house and her and they brought it to her and she loved it. But now in 2026. on February 15, Libby died. On the 16, her daughters told us that when they were frantically driving to the hospital to see her but before they could make it, she had a heart attack and died. No warning. It was very sad news but we figured out that she actually died on Shivarathri day. That meant she had died on the day of Shiva, the god of destruction. We told the daughters that and they were pleased to hear that she attained salvation and went to heaven.

Thank you for reading this and thank you Libby, for all the joy you've brought to us.

The next morning, we woke up and started talking about what we were going to do that day. We were still a little tired, but we didn’t want to waste any time. After thinking about it for a bit, we decided to go to Birch State Park because it sounded like a nice place to walk around and see nature.

Before leaving, we spent a bunch of time with the Mustang again. Since it was a convertible, we obviously had to put the top down. Watching it fold back was really cool, and once it was down, the warm Florida air came rushing in. It made the car ride way more fun. We also started changing the inside lighting colors and trying out different settings. We clicked through the screens, pressed buttons, and tried to figure out what everything did. Some of the controls were confusing, but that just made it more fun. It felt like we were learning a new car together.

On the way to the park, riding with the top down felt amazing. It really felt like we were on vacation now.

When we arrived at Birch State Park, everything was super green and calm. The trees were tall, and the park felt very peaceful. As we walked along the paths, we saw a huge mangrove tree with giant roots spreading out everywhere. The roots went across the ground like they were alive. It looked really old, like it had been there forever.

We also saw a lot of ducks. They were swimming in the water, standing near the paths, and walking around like they owned the place. Some of them got really close to us, and they didn’t seem scared at all. We stopped a few times just to watch them.

One of the best parts of the day was when my brother used his binoculars for the first time. He was really excited and kept looking through them at birds, trees, and things far away. Then he let me look through them too. When I did, it honestly felt like I was watching a National Geographic documentary in real life. Everything looked so close and detailed, like I was zoomed into a nature show. I didn’t want to stop looking through them.

YO EVERYONE!!!! Today's blog is about bulk buying versus unit buying.

A lot of people think Costco is the best place to save money because everything is huge and the price looks low. But the problem is that Costco is usually far away, and going there isn’t just about the price tag. For example, a family wants snacks and paper towels. Costco has a giant box of snacks for $15, so it seems like a great deal. But the trip to Costco uses a lot of fuel. The drive might cost around $10–$12 in gas. That means the $15 box suddenly costs about $25 when the fuel is added. That’s already not such a good deal. Then there’s the time. Driving far takes a long time, especially with traffic. Once they get there, they have to find parking, walk through a huge store, push a heavy cart, and wait in long lines. The whole trip can easily take two or three hours. That’s time that could have been spent doing homework, hanging out with family, or relaxing. Also, buying in bulk can cause waste. When people buy a huge amount of something, they don’t always use it all before it goes bad. Snacks can get stale, food can expire, and then the money is wasted. Now compare that to Walmart. Walmart is usually closer, so the family only spends about $3 on fuel. The trip is faster, and shopping takes less time. Walmart also lets people buy items in smaller units, like one pack of snacks for $4. That way, they only buy what they need. Even if Walmart prices are higher per item, the total cost can still be lower because less fuel is used, less time is wasted, and less food gets thrown away. The shopping trip is easier and less stressful too.

Hello everyone!!! I haven't posted in a while.. Because I was in the great country of Florida, or as my brother prefers it as FLAURIDA!!!. I will be writing about our adventures to make up for the missed blogs so proceed PART I

From our home in California, we had to take a flight (provided by United) that took A WHOPPIN' 6 WHOLE HOURS!! Well, I watched Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle but slept for the other 2 thirds of the flight.

What got me awake was the intense, loud rumble of the plane landing on the tarmac. When we got off the plane, I asked my dad,"So...What now?" My dad responded,"Your favorite part, the rental car center."

Yes. We were going to Avis car rental center. You see, I am one of the world's biggest car fanatics. I loved the old TV shows and movies with sentient and surreal cars. Like the Time Machine Delorean, K.I.T.T, Herbie, and Christine!

Anyway, Avis said that we got a sports car and it was in lot B6. When we got to the airport's Avis after getting our bags, I saw something that caught the entirety of my attention.

A white, soft top, 2025 Ford Mustang. It was so beautiful, I almost cried. But, my mom, she thought the contrary. "Umm. This car is too small to fit our luggage and us. *sigh* We should probably exchange it."

I froze at the words. Not only was I in love with the car, but it wasn't in the best condition.

The antenna was unscrewed, there were scratches in the soft top, and there were what seemed to be, aged tea stains. When we went to the counter to return the car, the employees left! So that meant that we couldn't exchange it.

Luckily, we fit some luggage in the trunk and my mom and I, in the back, held some too. So I guess my mom was OK with it.

When it started, me and my bro saw that there was a projecting of the mustang logo when it was on and parked!

Hey guys! A week ago, I went to the library with my dad and borrowed a bunch of books. There were some about magical creatures, faraway lands, and mysteries, but one really stood out—City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab. The cover was spooky, showing a shadowy city with a girl disappearing into the fog, and it looked like the perfect adventure.

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab begins with Cassidy, or Cas, who travels with her mother, a ghost hunter. Paris is their current city, full of lights, old streets, and hidden shadows. The city seems beautiful by day, but at night it feels eerie and mysterious.

In Chapter 1, Cas sees her first real ghost, a small, sad boy who doesn’t realize he is dead. Her mother films the encounter for a ghost show, but Cas notices details that the camera does not catch. Their hotel is old and strange, with creaking floors, whispering sounds, and fleeting shadows that hint at unseen spirits.

Chapter 2 follows a Paris ghost tour. Cas sees many different ghosts—some lost, some angry, and some trapped by memories or feelings. She meets a lost ghost girl and begins to understand that helping spirits requires patience, care, and bravery. The chapter ends with a confrontation with a powerful, angry ghost, showing that ghost hunting is dangerous and that Paris holds many secrets.

One casual afternoon, Serafina was so sick of the basement so she decided to explore the Vanderbilt's residence despite her father rules stating to never go anywhere else from the basement.

She was stunned by the marble floors and the immaculate sculptures, paintings, and carvings on the walls. Even the stone pillars were carved expertly.

Faintly, she heard some music in the hallways. She walked toward the halls and found a massive crowd surrounding a skilled musician who was playing the Violin. Just then, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to face a little boy who looked only slightly younger than her. "Are you lost?" the little boy asked. "No, my name is Serafina. I work in the basement." Serafina realized what she had said. she thought,"You fool! You're supposed to be unknown! Remember?" "Oh. My name is Danny Vanderbilt." Serafina realized. She was talking to the young owner of the estate.

Suddenly, a woman ran down the stairs in her nightgown, crying. The musician's brows furrowed,"What is the matter Missus Addams? She choked,"M-my Clara is m-missing!" Serafina's mind lit up! Clara Addams! That was the yellow dressed girl she saw disappear in the basement cause of that terrible, black cloaked man! Mr. Vanderbilt emerged from the crowd, consoling Mrs. Addams. Everyone was in deep shock of the just realized incident.

Serafina had the temptation to shout out," I SAW HER DISAPPEAR IN THE BASEMENT!! A MAN IN A BLACK CLOAK WRAPPED HIS CLOAK AROUND HER AND MADE HER DISAPPEAR!!!!!" But many questions she couldn't answer would come her way, like,"But how do you know it was real and it wasn't a dream?" Or,"But why were you in the basement so late past midnight?" She wasn't sure what to do so she silently returned to the basement.

When she returned, her father was standing in front of her. "SERAFINA! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?!" her father shouted. "There's a search party coming down to look for Clara Addams. I TOLD you I wasn't hallucinating" Serafina responded. Her father wasn't worried about that. "WHAT IN TARNATION WERE YOU DOING UPSTAIRS?!?!? You know I don't want you to be seen!" Her father worried. The search party was coming closer. Serafina crossed her arms. "Well why not?!?

Her father told her the entire story of how he found her. He wasn't actually her father. Once before, he was cutting down trees for firewood when he felt that something was surrounding him. Suddenly, he heard some low growling and saw a pair of two green and yellow eyes staring straight at him. Then, the growling stopped and turned to crying. He went closer and saw 3 babies lying in a pool of blood. There was one that was barely alive so he took it back. The baby grew into a big girl. She had golden eyes and 4 toes on each foot. Serafina's mind struck. "I'm the baby!" she exclaimed. The search party was now searching the basement while the workers all hid. A long time after, the search party had gone. It was night. Still no luck of finding Clara.

Today's blog will be a continuation of the last one. Today, I will cover chapters 3 and 4 of Serafina and the black cloak.

Chapter 3 is where the story gets really serious and creepy. Kids have vanished, and even though none of the adults talk much about it, you can tell everyone's afraid. Even the Biltmore house no longer felt like a cool mansion, but dangerous.

Serafina notices that a girl comes around to the house, perhaps about her age. What made this part scarier was the girl seemed normal and innocent, like she was just there for fun without any kind of idea what is in store for her. Serafina watched her closely, and you could tell she felt worried, even before anything bad happens.

It is then that Serafina sees the man in the black cloak.

He in no way acts as a normal person would. He does not move much, and when he does, it is strange and unnatural. He is more like a shadow than a person. When Serafina looks at him, she instantly knows that he is evil. He's one of those kinds of feelings where your stomach is dropping and you know you're in danger.

The scariest part is when Serafina realizes the black cloak is focused on the girl.

Serafina wants to warn her, but she can’t. She’s not supposed to be seen. That really frustrated me because Serafina could help, but the rules of her life stop her from doing it.

Then the girl vanishes.

There's no big sound or fight; she's just gone. That made it even creepier because that means this man is powerful and quiet. After that, Serafina knows for sure the black cloak is responsible for the missing children.

Serafina went back to the basement in Chapter 4 because it was normally where she felt safest. But now it had felt just different. The basement was darker, colder, and scarier than ever before, as if it knew something terrible happened.

Serafina continues to think about the girl and her black cloak. She realizes the man didn’t leave the house; he’s still inside Biltmore, hiding somewhere in the shadows. That idea is terrifying because it means no place is completely safe.

She starts to notice strange noises and things that don't make sense. The basement, familiar before now, is threatening. Even though Serafina is scared, she doesn't stop thinking or observing. She wants to understand what's happening and why the children disappear.

What I like about Serafina is that she doesn't pretend she isn't afraid. She is afraid-but she keeps going anyway. That makes her brave. By the end of the chapter, the feeling is that somehow the black cloak and the house are connected, as if evil infuses the walls and shadows. That made me nervous for Serafina since she's getting closer to the truth, which usually means more danger.

Hello everyone! It has been so long since my last post but I am back and ready to write again!

This blog will be about the book,"Serafina and The Black Cloak" Before the winter break, I have gone to the Saratoga Library with my dad and this book was one among them.

Anyways, about the book. The plot is set in the year 1899. The main character, Serafina, an 11 year old girl who works in Biltmore Estate with her dad. She doesn't know about her mom, nor does her father want to talk about it. Serafina's role in the Biltmore estate staff is that she is the Chief Rat Catcher or C.R.C for short. No one in the Biltmore family notices her at all.

One night, she hears footsteps. Definitely not the steps of a rat. She softly follows the man, very careful of making sure he doesn't notice him. Then, she hears the light and tender scream of a girl. She looks and the man is dragging her down the stairs. "D O N ' T W O R R Y M Y C H I L D" The man says in an ominous, raspy voice. Then suddenly, his cloak lifts up and enwraps the girl, making her vanish. Serafina now realizes that since the man killed the little girl, he was gonna come for her next.

Serafina runs but runs with tender footsteps, making sure that the man won't hear her. He starts checking all the hiding places like the floor compartments and while he looked, Serafina thought “If I hid in there, I’d be dead” then finally, the man came to the laundry room, where Serafina was hiding. He could sense that she was hiding there but stayed still anyway. Serafina held her breath andstayed super still.

Narasimha, the lion god in Indian history is one of the many forms of the ultimate god, lord Vishnu. This blog is about the origin of Narasimha.

Once upon a time, There lived a master sage named Kashyapa and his wife, Diti.

Once Diti wished for two sons but she accidentally wished at an inauspicious tine when bad spirits and ghosts entered her body. Because she wished at an inauspicious time, the sons were born but as demons or asuras.

They grew up to start wreaking havoc and killing people in the city. Those two brothers were named Hiranyaksha, and Hiranyakashyapu.

The younger brother, Hiranyaksha kidnapped and hid Bhudevi, also known as mother earth. Hiranyaksha hid Bhudevi deep underwater.

Lord Vishnu finds out about this, and takes the form of Varaha, a huge, powerful boar. With this form, he swims deep underwater without any effort and rescues Bhudevi but doesn't get out just yet.

Hiranyaksha was REALLY mad that Varaha(Vishnu) took away Bhudevi in front of him. They had a huge fight but even after getting really hurt, Varaha still gave Hiranyaksha a brutal death.

Hiranyakashyapu was devastated to hear about his brother's death so he went into penance with no food or water for a long while until Brahma appeared before him and granted him a boon or a wish.

Hiranyakashyapu wanted to be granted immortality but that, for Brahma, was too extreme

Instead, Hiranyakashyapu wished to not be killed by a man or an animal, to not be killed during the day or during the night, and to not be killed inside the house or outside the house.

After many years of being unable to be killed, Hiranyakashyapu finally got married. His wife was named Kayadhu.

One day, Kayadhu gave birth to a son. His name was Prahlad and he was the complete opposite of his dad.

He was very selfless and kind and was a devotee of lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu, his dad, was not happy about this.

Hiranyakashipu wanted Prahlad to think that he was god and Vishnu was a merciless killer. Endless efforts of were put in to kill Prahlad so he would forget about Vishnu.

One afternoon, Hiranyakashipu caught Prahlad worshipping Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu beat up Prahlad a lot but still with great effort stood up and confronted him and said Lord Vishnu is everywhere.

In response, Hiranyakashipu laughed and looked at a pillar nearby and asked that if Vishnu is everywhere, he should be inside the pillar. Prahlad nodded with pride and agreed. Hiranyakashipu took his weapon and struck the pillar with all is might.

The pillar broke open but inside was a powerful, glowing aura which a figure was surrounded by.

There he was. Narasimha. In all of his glory.

He was extremely mad because of what Hiranyakashyapu had done to Prahlad and cause of his bad deeds.

Hiranyakashyapu laughed because Narasimha was the simple form of a lion but inside, he had great power bestowed within.

Hiranyakashyapu and Narasimha had an extremely long fight. Hiranyakashyapu took some hits and Narasimha took some hits as well but in the end, Narasimha was victorious but he wasnt satisfied yet.

He was wreaking havok in Kashyapupuri and ripping up the remnants of Hiranyakashyapu. The gods had to descend from the heavens to calm him down but even they couldn't.

Then, Prahlad calmed him down and thanked him for defending him. Narasimha turned to his pure form of Vishnu and with folded hands, saluted to him.

In my family, there is something called,"The Succession" The Succession includes an idol of a god called Varalaxmi Amma also known as,"The Boon Goddess" The idol is not an entire statue and interpretation of the goddess but just a face plate. The succession starts with the senior most authority in the family or the oldest, living person in the family who still has their wife alive. The senior most authority has lived for the longest time so that means they have the oldest Varalaxmi Amma face plate. The senior most authority's sons inherit the face plate while their wife or daughters perform the Pooja and during the Pooja, the face plate will be displayed. If the sons cannot inherit the face plate, say they lost it or it was stolen, the senior most authority will have to give them a new face plate. When it is time for the senior most authority to pass away or die, they will give their own face plate to their oldest, surviving son. If the oldest, surviving son already has a face plate, they can either give one of the face plates (either the one they have or the one that their father gave them) to their younger brother, or they can preserve one of the face plates for their son in the future but they can't do both because they have to have a face plate in their possession. This cycle goes on over and over again in an infinite loop and THAT my friends, is the explanation of,"The Succession"

Our faceplate

Yet another one in the hilarious Italian Brainrot series. Lirili Larila. Lirili Larila is a two legged elephant with a cactus as a body but is shaped like an elephant's. Instead of his four legs, the creator found a way to merge the front and rear legs and make them two giant legs. He is depicted walking in a vast desert with many cacti and strangely, some hot air balloons in the sky. Lirili Larila has a floating clock near him. This is there because he is supposed to have the power of time manipulation. Say someone shoots Lirili, he can just reverse time plus the bullet. Originally, Lirili Larila was a circus elephant. His ringmaster,"Pot Hotspot" Kept whipping him and yelling,"CAN YOU SHUT UP!?!?!?" Lirili was also bullied by the other circus animals because he wore sandals. One day, Lirili Larila got tripped by the circus lion and everyone laughed at him because his two feet were revealed. That night, he decided to sneak out. He created a robot version of himself that would not make any mistakes. Finally, he burst through the tent. He decided to also merge himself with the desert so no one could find him. He mixed with a cactus and a clock and that my friends, is the story of Lirili Larila.