Sarah Dairiki

Burst of TV Shows; Good or Bad? Over the past two years, there has been an immense explosion of new TV shows that are targeting the newer and younger generations of teenagers. Shows like the Simpsons or Friends, popular TV shows from decades ago, are quickly being overrun by seasons of Breaking Bad, Dexter, and Game of Thrones. While some old TV shows such as Grey's Anatomy are making a comeback, the majority of once popular TV shows are being replaced by new ones that are more appealing to the younger generations.  This sudden introduction of a vast amount of TV shows have caught my attention, and I want to skim through a few of them and dig into the deeper meaning of each show in order to explain what makes each so unique, thus gaining a large audience within a short span of time. Once Upon a Time - This is by far one of my favorite TV shows, because of how the pilot episode immediately draws you in with its mystery and cliffhangers. This shows is a modern take on ...

Raspberry and Almond Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies A shortbread thumbprint cookie filled with raspberry jam, and drizzled with glaze. Makes 3 dozen cookies Ingredients Dough and filling: 1 cup softened butter 2/3 cup white sugar 1/2 tsp almond extract 2 cups flour 1/2 cup raspberry jam (Seedless) Glaze: 1/2 cup confectioners sugar 3/4 tsp almond extract 1 tsp milk Procedure Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugar until smooth.  Mix in the 1/2 tsp almond extract, then slowly add in the flour, mixing it continuously until the ingredients turn into dough. Roll the dough into balls and place them onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Using your thumb, make a small hole in the middle of each cookie. Then, fill the hole with the raspberry jam. Bake the cookies in the oven for 14 - 18 minutes, or until lightly browned. Once cooked, take the cookies out of the oven, transfer them to a cooling rack, and let...

Holiday Traditions Because it is Christmas today, I wanted to post on my blog to wish all of my readers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Years. Today I want to dedicate my post to all those who have holiday traditions. I mean, we're all unique individuals; we all have to have different holiday traditions. For example, the Hough family, including professional dancer Derek Hough and actress/dancer/singer Julianne Hough, are celebrating their Christmas with family and friend Nina Dobrev, the actress known for starring in the Vampire Diaries. They spend their day competing with friends in their famous dance wars, posting their videos on Instagram for both friends, family, and fans to watch over and over again. But, despite all the fun they have, my family and I always go to visit family and relatives and have dinner or lunch together, no matter the occasion. Or, all four of us drive up to Tahoe and go skiing up at Squaw Valley or Northstar, maybe even make it up to Park City, Uta...

What's YOUR Favorite Holiday Drink This Season? As Thanksgiving comes to an end, Christmas arrives just a month later! Now along with the urge to cover your house in christmas lights, inflatable elves, and putting Santa and his sleigh on your roof, get excited people, because Starbucks launches their annual HOLIDAY DRINKS!!!!!!  The best part about Starbucks in the winter are the holiday drinks and their christmas cups. Personally, I adore the christmas cups that they switch to during the holidays, and I love walking out of the store with either a hot chocolate or peppermint mocha in my hand.  Now, what is YOUR favorite holiday drink this season? Eggnog Latte (Espresso w/ steamed eggnog and milk, topped with ground nutmeg) Gingerbread Latte (Espresso w/ steamed milk and gingerbread syrup. Topped w/ whipped cream and a drizzle of molasses) Peppermint Mocha (Espresso, steamed milk, mocha sauce, peppermint syrup. Topped with whipped cream and chocol...

Social Media; What's Up With That? There are so many new types of social media that is coming out or coming back into style. The obvious ones, such as Myspace, are clearly old news. But new types are coming back, such as LinkedIn, a website that is like a Facebook, but is used solely for work and business purposes. But what's up with all these social media websites? Why have a Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Ask. Fm and claim you need more accounts? That's literally puts you on the brink of insanity! I just wanted to dive into a few of these oh so popular media sites and explain what makes them so popular amongst teens today. 1.  Twitter - I have a Twitter, but I don't go online that often. Twitter is HUGE right now, and literally every celebrity you can think of has one. I love Twitter because you can tweet directly to your celebrity crushes and friends, along with people who you don't know personally, but have similarities, such as obsessi...

Derek Hough and Amber Riley Take the Mirror Ball Trophy The very popular TV staple for all viewers, Dancing With the Stars, recently ended right in time for Thanksgiving. Out of the final three couples, Derek Hough and Amber Riley won it all, ending season 17 of the show with a bang. Surprisingly enough, the final two couples consisted of two actors who were already in the business: Corbin Bleu from High School Musical and his partner Karina Smirnoff, and Amber Riley from the hit TV show Glee and her partner Derek Hough. Although the scores were close, Amber and Derek were able to pull ahead, winning it all in the season finale. Although Corbin was in second place he was ecstatic for Riley, stating that "Amber had the statement of the night." For the finale the couples had to choreograph a fusion: two types of dances into one in less than 24 hours. For Amber and Derek, they were given the quickstep and samba, two dances that are almost impossible to incorporate i...

Time of Giving Thanksgiving. It's the time of giving. It's a holiday that people love, as family comes from far and near to celebrate together and eat delicious foods and desserts. As a non vegetarian I love my turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie covered in whipped cream. Because we are only 5 days away from Thanksgiving, I wanted to share with you all a pumpkin pie recipe that I love to make during the holidays. Recipe: This pie will warm everyone's hearts Ingredients: 3/4 cup white sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp ground cloves 2 eggs 1 can Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin 1 can Nestle Carnation Evaporate Milk 1 unbaked pie shell Whipped Cream (not necessary) (An alternative to the ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves is to use a pumpkin spice herb mix, which contains all three of these ingredients in it) Procedures: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Combine the sugar, cinnamon, sal...

Catching Fire Takes Theaters By Storm Have any of you seen The Hunger Game's second movie Catching Fire? If any of you went to the premiere or the midnight showing, props to you! I still have yet to go myself, as I am waiting for the long lines to die down so the theaters won't be as crazy with die-hard fans and parents who were dragged along to pay for the tickets and movie theater popcorn. But here are some interesting stats about Catching Fire that have raised since the movie was aired in theaters on November 22, 2013. Stats: Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst for the box office tracking firm Rentrak, believes Catching Fire may be placed in the top movies of all time category, which includes: Lord of the Rings, all the Harry Potter movies, the Twilight Saga, etc.  Catching Fire is supposedly going to surpass The Hunger Games by a huge difference in the amount of money it has earned The Hunger Games: earned about $700 million worldwide Catching Fire earned $25.3 ...

Blue-Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients: All-purpose flour Baking soda Dark brown sugar White sugar Salted butter, softened Eggs Pure vanilla extract Semisweet chocolate chips Procedures: Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. In medium bowl combine 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix well with a wire whisk. in a large bowl with an electric mixer, blend 1 cup dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar together at a medium speed. Add the 1 cup of softened salted butter to the mix and blend it until it forms a grainy paste. Add your 2 eggs and 2 tsp vanilla extract, mixing at a medium speed until it is light and fluffy. Do not overmix it. Add your already mixed flour mixture and 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, and blend at a low speed until just mixed.  Drop your dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 22-24 minutes or until golden brown. After the cookies are done cooking, transfer them onto a c...

NCEFT Brings Out the Happiness in Their Patients NCEFT (National Equine Facilitated Therapy), is a center dedicated to one goal: using horses as a medical treatment platform for both kids and adults through speech therapy, physical, and occupational therapy. Founded in 1971, NCEFT is one of the first equine-assisted therapy programs. They focus mostly on hippotherapy, a strategy where horses are used in order to achieve physical, emotional, and cognitive goals. The workers believe the purpose of such treatment is to use the horse as something that the patients' can use in order to create a better sense of balance, increase posture, better their weight bearing and motor skills, and most importantly, create an overall better endurance and confidence.  As a horse lover and equestrian from a very young age, I started volunteering at NCEFT over the summer of 2013 in order to create busy work for myself while being around horses. I spent most of my time tidying up the ground...

Death of A Young Horseback Rider Touches Teens All Across the Globe Lacey and one of her horses Lacey Jamieson, a sixteen year old equestrian from St. Thomas, died on Sunday of Oct. 13, 2013. Doctors are coming to the conclusion that Lacey had a rare blood disease called Hemaphagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis, commonly known as HLH.  According to her parents and close friends, this rare disease suddenly struck Lacey, and she was transported to the hospital a couple days before, only to pass away on Sunday.  Lacey's trainer and friends from the barn that she was currently riding at that time are devastated because of her loss, and Lacey will never be forgotten. According to her trainer Julie Claus and friend Tabitha Peltier, Lacey had a close connection with horses and that fate had brought her to the world of competitive show jumping and competitions. Lacey was born with a gift, and she showcased that off to the world, becoming famous through her YouTube channel a...

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies (aka Snickerdoodles) This recipe is the best for anyone who feels like baking. As someone who loves to bake, this recipe is great, as eating this cookie leaves you with satisfied and content. :) Ingredients: 3 tbsp white sugar 1 tbsp cinnamon (ground) 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 cup softened salted butter 2 eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract Steps: Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit  In a small bowl combine sugar and cinnamon for the topping. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, soda and salt. Mix with a wire whisk. In a large bowl, blend sugars with an electric mixer. After doing so, add the butter, and mix to form a grainy paste. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix at a medium speed until you get a fluffy dough. Add the flour and blend at a low speed until all of it is evenly mixed. Do not overmix the dough. Shape the dough into...