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...