“We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” – Marie Curie. Confidence is one of the most powerful virtues in life. Without confidence, you will not have the willpower to make decisions. Without decisions, you can’t pave the path of your life. And without a clear path of life, there isn’t a clear meaning or a clear purpose. If you play basketball, you will understand how vital confidence is to your game. If you don’t, do you think NBA players aren’t nervous when they step on the court? Maybe the reason they don’t appear so is because they try to be confident at the same time, to overcome their fears and worries. Thus follows a story of how confidence changed one of my games, and what an important virtue it is. After 5 fruitless minutes of playing against HoopRight, my team, TM Warriors, was down 10-0. We weren’t confident that we could win, because everyone knew that HoopRight is a very good team. There was only one confident person on the team at this point: Jayden. The coach quickly subbed him on as a point guard, and we all grimly headed back on the court. Shot after shot, make after make, and miss after miss, we were falling behind even more: 0-14. For the 7th or 8th time, we inbounded in low spirits, not expecting anything good to happen. However, Jayden still retained enough confidence to take a three. With our now pessimistic spirits, we assumed we would miss, even airball, nevertheless we heard a resounding SWISH! as the ball sailed through the net! Although 3-14 wasn’t much progress, our team still got some confidence back. Surprisingly, in an effort to make a comeback, Roy hit two threes, Jayden hit another three, Lucas hit one mid-range jumper, and Jerry hit one mid-range, while the other team only hit one three and one two, to send the score to 16-19 at halftime. As we all stepped off the court, the coach said encouragingly, “You’re all doing very well. Keep it up!” Our spirits rose once again – because of confidence. After 2 minutes, we all stepped back on to the court. FWEE! The shrill whistle of the referee blew, and the game started once again. HoopRight started with the ball. The inbounded it. “Hot!”, the coach called, saying the code word for press. As three other teammates and I advanced up the court, my other teammate stayed back. Suddenly, the ball was flying through the air to a HoopRight player who had managed to slip to the other end of the court without anyone noticing. I swore under my breath as the ball went in. The score was now 16-21. After getting beat like that, our team was more eager to beat HoopRight back than ever. We inbounded as quickly as we could, not wanting to waste time backcourt. As a fast runner, I ran down the court so that my teammates could quickly advance the ball. FWOOSH! No one seemed to notice as the ball sailed toward me. I quickly drove toward the basket, and when the HoopRight players finally saw me, they were too late. I released the ball with one hand. The ball rolled and rolled and rolled around the rim. It was on the verge of rolling out, yet somehow managed to keep on rolling each time. In or not?, I thought nervously. In or not? Finally, after around 5 rounds around the rim, the ball gave in and rolled in. WAHOO!, I thought to myself, as the score went up to 18-21. Remembering how they had done the same thing to us, I also thought giddily, Get a taste of your own medicine, HoopRight! It was HoopRight’s turn to inbound again. However this time, we weren’t slack. We were giving it our all, determined to turn the game against them. Not expecting us to be so fierce, the ball was quickly turned over. As Jayden reset the ball, Lucas quickly ran to the wing. FWOOSH! The ball flew through the air to Lucas. He quickly put it up, but… no money! Without hesitating, I jumped up, grabbed the rebound, and put it back up. 21-21! We weren’t down, for the first time in the game, thanks to me! My hopes soared high as the game progressed. Again, HoopRight inbounded. This time, they managed to push it past halfcourt, because they, too, were now trying their hardest to regain their lead. But, apparently we were trying even harder to win, because soon, my teammate Roy had stolen the ball. I sprinted down the court again. FWOOSH! The ball came to me once again. PAT, PAT! I dribbled to the basket once again. FWIP! I released the ball once again. And…SWISH! The ball went in again!, making the score 23–21. I got us the lead! I GOT US THE LEAD! After that, we quickly got a 9 point lead, making the score 30-21. Unfortunately, Jayden was very tired, so the coach subbed him off. As we went back to play, we found that without his skill and confidence as a point guard, our shots weren’t going in, our passes were sloppy, and we probably just got the record for most turnovers in one minute. And if that weren’t enough, HoopRight took this setback as an opportunity to regain their lead. Slowly but steadily, they battled their way back. 30–23. 30–25. 30-27. Then, they hit the three we were dreading. 30-30. In the last ten seconds, there was nothing we could do except despair as the game proceeded to overtime. The coach, seeing the obvious solution, subbed Jayden back on. We need all the confidence we can get, I thought. The ball was tipped, and Jerry, who is five foot three, won. Jayden got the ball, and he charged fearlessly, with confidence, towards the basket. SWISH! With
Young Bloggers
How COVID-19 Has Affected Me – a perspective from LA, by SierraRose Gibson, 12
How COVID-19 Has Affected Me By SierraRose Gibson, 12 Covid-19 has really affected my everyday life. As a student, I now have to stay home for classes. As a student of the Los Angeles Unified School District, which is one of the largest school districts in the country, online school will not even fully begin until next Monday as of the writing of this ‘blog’ (4/6/2020). I am still working on packets given to us by our teachers about 3 weeks ago (and it feels so long ago now), back when we thought we would be back in 2 weeks (so I wouldn’t have gotten them in in time–oops). Now we are looking at around the end of April or even the rest of the semester as an end date–and if the quarantine ends when summer break begins, I most likely won’t see some of my friends in person until we’re 8th graders! (I’m in 7th). Anyway, staying home all day isn’t so bad for me, as someone who prefers staying inside for the most part. I enjoy playing video games, drawing, writing and browsing Reddit and YouTube, and those don’t require anything outdoors. What really worries me about Covid-19 is not that I might get it personally, but that important people in my life such as my mom and my grandmother might get it, as they are more susceptible than I am. What makes me most hopeful is that we will still get to continue school, but at home so at least I will still be able to return to some normalcy. My gym teacher posted a video of herself running around the school track. She told us that all of the teachers were allowed to go back one day to gather supplies, and were getting trained on how to use video calling services and use online learning resources. At that point, though we had already been told about the lengthened break from school, it really set in that we weren’t going back for a while, that my teacher was doing this to let us see that our school, which we had gone to every weekday for 1½ years, was closed for us, the 7th graders. I realized that I wouldn’t run to and from classes and rush to get to my locker before they close the halls for lunch for a long time. That was a true realization point. Overall, quarantine is greatly affecting my life, but there have been some silver linings. I played (at home) a 100% online VR game with my friend. I figured out how to play Minecraft online with a friend who used to come over every weekend to play with me, so we can continue even when we’re in our own homes. I go on long Discord calls in which we don’t need to talk very much to enjoy each other’s company. Quarantine is hard, but I think that we can all figure it out for the time being. Life must go on, one way or another. SierraRose Gibson, 12 Los Angeles, CA
Taj Mahal Travelogue
TAJ MAHAL Country: India Capital: New Delhi India is steeped in history and diversity and there is no dearth of historical monuments and sites in the country but the Taj Mahal is unarguably the magnet that attracts tourists from far and wide. The Taj Mahal, a UNESCO world heritage site, is an imposing marble mausoleum constructed during the period of the Mughal dynasty (1500’s-1800’s). The Mughal dynasty was the third biggest empire in the world and was one of the most prominent and powerful empires in India. Shah Jahan, one of the emperors of the dynasty, ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal. The Mughal architecture was at its pinnacle during Shah Jahan’s reign and therefore this period during his rule is also called the ‘Golden Age of Mughal Architecture.’ Under him many prominent monuments were built but the masterpiece is undoubtedly the Taj Mahal. This structure, currently costing USD 827 billion, lies on the banks of the Yamuna river in the city of Agra, India. Taj Mahal’s saga has made it a symbol of eternal and undying love. Shah Jahan had three wives but his favourite was Mumtaz Mahal. She was also the only one who could bear kids for him. Mumtaz Mahal died from childbirth and she had two ‘dying wishes’ – one, to build the most stunning mausoleum ever in the world and two, Shah Jahan should never marry again. Shah Jahan fulfilled these promises. Twenty thousand workers from as far as Iraq and Turkey were appointed to initiate a task that would stagger the world with its architectural brilliance. Mumtaz Mahal was first buried and then the mausoleum was built around her tomb as the central point. The project was completed in 1631 after 22 years of arduous labour. After the completion of the monument, Shah Jahan cut off the architect’s thumb and he ordered the workers to never work again in the construction industry. Shah Jahan also attempted to build a mirror image of the Taj Mahal in black, on the other side of the Yamuna river for himself. While he was attempting to construct his grand mausoleum, Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan’s youngest son, conspired to kill his two elder brothers so that he could become the heir to the throne. Aurangzeb then imprisoned his father in a room in the Agra fort where he spent his last days, from there he had a clear view of the Taj Mahal. Aurangzeb feared that if Shah Jahan realised his dream of a black Taj Mahal, the kingdom would be near bankruptcy. When Shah Jahan died, his tomb was placed next to his wife. His tomb is the only thing that is not symmetrical in the whole mausoleum complex. The main gate for entering the Taj Mahal is built in red sandstone. It has 22 pillars adorning the top (for the number of years it took to build), eleven at the front and eleven at the back. The Taj Mahal looks totally mesmerising from the moment you set eyes on it through the arch of the main gate and it’s easy to see why this has been added as one of the new 7 wonders of the world. The Taj Mahal indeed looks like a palace (mahal). There are clear, big pools and fountains leading to the the main domed structure surrounded by lavish and sprawling gardens. The pools were built in such a way that the Taj Mahal would reflect in them. Walking about or picnics in the garden are prohibited. Flanking the gardens are two red sandstone structures. Facing the East, there is a mosque and facing the west, a guest house. No one ever stayed in this guest house because it was considered bad luck to stay near a tomb. The edifice has embedded in it 28 types of precious stones which were sourced from as far as Tibet, Sri Lanka and Persia while the marble came from Rajasthan, India. The stairs going down to the real tombs have been closed for the public but you can still see a replica on top. The intricately carved marble lattice that surrounds the two cenotaphs is in the shape of a Crown (Taj) and is made out of big slabs of marble. The workers had to carve it perfectly and with utmost care as a single mistake could shatter the marble. It is said that lots of marble was laid waste during this process in order to achieve perfection. At a first glance the aesthetically pleasing monument looks impeccably symmetrical but actually has an abundance of optical illusions built in. The minarets of the Taj Mahal which look straight are tilted slightly outwards. This was done for two reasons, to help them look straight and for safety reasons – if an earthquake were to occur the minarets would fall away from the main structure instead of falling on it. Another example is that the Arabic inscriptions from the holy Quran, which are carved on the main structure, appear exactly the same size from top to bottom but on closer inspection one finds that the lower the words get , the smaller they become! This was done for ease of reading. The Taj Mahal also appears very close to the main gate when you view it through the main arch but as you enter the gate, it is suddenly quite a distance away. It is almost incredible that the workers had managed to construct this fine piece of work almost 4 centuries back! The monument’s beauty is unparalleled and very few can match its splendour. It’s one thing to have heard about the Taj Mahal, a totally different thing to have seen it.
