If you're going to a college freshman like me this upcoming fall, you might be thinking "I need to make some money this summer to pay for some of my college tuition" or "I've got nothing to prepare for this summer. Time to have some fun." Either way, you're probably thinking of something you need or want to do this summer, so here are a couple of suggestions. 

Things To Do This Summer​

• Go to a Concert: Listening to live music is something I still haven't had the chance to do, but there are a lot of concerts going on this summer. And plus, there's the night markets in the 626 area (Arcadia, Pasadena, Temple City area) and in Orange County. There's going to be live music and lot of food for all of my food junkies out there.
• Roast S'mores: S'mores always reminds me of summer and the movie Sandlot. Roasting s'mores at the beach with your best friends is like the typical summer activities. It's a time to tell stories and bond together in the summer nights. 
• Read 10 Books: People don't like to read books anymore because it's seems so old-school. But maybe that's in right now. Reading is a way for people to let their imagination fly freely simply from reading a couple of words and phrases. Also it's less straining on the eyes because there's no blue light. Here's to kickin' old-school.​​
• Unplug for 24 Hours: Speaking of reading, maybe you could also spend the day unplugged. That would mean no electronic device for the day. It's actually really fun when I think of it. It showed me how much I spent on my phone and laptop. It's also very relieving sometimes to be away from it. Disconnect a little.
• Find a Job: If you're looking for some money, find a job. Working this summer could help you get the experience of working, having to be responsible, prioritizing, and time management. There's going to be a lot of things going on this summer if you already have plans to hang out with friends and go to family gatherings. Working will add to the chaos that may be this summer, but it will be worth it. 
  

Those are just a few of my suggestions for what you could do this summer. If you want to see more, you could visit my Pinterest page just for summer activities. www.pinterest.com/samanthaltun/summer/
​
​That is it for this week's article. Thank you for reading and I hope you have an amazing summer. Also happy 4th! It's coming up soon. ​​​​​

Recently, I had visited the beautiful state of Arizona for four days. Known for its glorious canyons and rich Native American history, my family and I traveled to and explore the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, and the city of Sedona. While they were beautiful to look at, let's go over what I would recommend taking on a trip that would require a lot of hiking and walking in general. 

​TIPS

• Make sure to check the weather before going on the trip. It is absolutely critical, so you know what to pack for the trip and are comfortable and prepared. Traveling to the desert can be tricky due to the extreme heat in the daytime and the freezing temperatures in the nighttime. In addition to the extreme climate, there might also be some wind, causing sand to fly everywhere.
• Pack more than you need. Especially if you are going on a road trip, you should pack more than necessary. You never know if you will need an extra set of clothes because you decided to stay an extra night or got soaked in a surprise storm. That way, you won't have to worry about running out of clothes to wear while you are away from home. 
• Use individual storage bags for different items. This is extremely helpful if you want to save space in your luggage or backpack. By using individual bags for your clothes, shoes, makeup, etc., it creates a more structural form of packing. For me, when I change out of my dirty clothes from the day, I don't want to fold my clothes in a way that it will all fit like a Tetris game -- all snug in one piece. By using these individual bags, I'm able to put all my clothes back in the suitcase and have it all fit together. I know it shows confusing, so here's a video on what I'm talking about, and more tips. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd87KwDRdGU​

It must be strange seeing that I wanted to bring extra long pants and long sleeved shirts, despite the hot weather that comes with being in the desert. The thing I learned about hiking in the canyons is that it isn't smart wearing shorts and a tank top. When I went to Horseshoe Bend, there was a lot of sand (as expected) and wind. The wind was so strong that the little pebbles and sand were picked up and hit us so hard. It was actually painful. So definitely bring some extra clothing to act some kind of padding. 
Anyways, that is it for things that you should bring to a desert climate. It really does help to bring more clothes and have more layers to prevent harm from flying pebbles and other potential danger. And also always, thank you for reading this week's article. I hope you all are having an amazing summer and peace out!! 

At the beginning of the school year, my English teacher gave the class an assignment to write a person/place/idea essay. It had to consist of at least of those options (which was easier enough because almost everyone can think of a person/place/idea that they can talk about.) With high school coming to an end (which it did yesterday), I decided to talk about the idea of closing multiple chapters in your life. What I mean by chapters are the different stages in life. I wanted to talk about what lesson I have learned from multiple people and experiences throughout my pre-educational years, elementary school, middle school, high school, and what I wanted to learn throughout life because we learn something new every day. Whether it be from simply learning how to copy and paste text on a computer to developing a cure for cancer. It's the little things we do in life that will change someone to be better and will give us a lesson/story to tell future generations.
My mom has always told me that throughout life, there are going to be challenges that seem like they're going to define us for the future years to come. It's important to work hard to face those challenges head-on, but if we fail, we shouldn't let those failures define us. Those failures should be something we learn from. Failures do not control/define who we are. It will only if you let it. These failures might seem huge at the time being but when you look back on them, hopefully, you've learned something about yourself, and are making an effort to change things. History shouldn't repeat itself. As of June 12th, I have officially closed another chapter of my life and going to start a new one. With college opening up more doors of opportunity, I hope, to all of the class of 2018, that you keep up the amazing work you have been doing. Something you've done has worked for you because you have made it this far. Best of luck to all and look at the world with a brighter perspective. It will be worth it. 

If you would like to read my person/place/idea essay, you can click on the file below. It will lead to a PDF of my essay. 
**By the way, if you are iffy on reading it, I got a perfect score on it, but there is a bit of profanity in it.

The weather is finally warming up in Southern California which means it's time to hit the beach. While beaches are fun to hang out at with your friends, it's also fun not getting sunburnt. Recently while going to Sephora with my cousin to look for some skin care products, I ran across some sunscreen products. I normally don't wear sunscreen on the daily, but I was interested in the Supergoop! Skin Soothing Mineral Sunscreen with Olive Polyphenols a try. What stuck out to me was the word "mineral". Previously, a friend told me that mineral sunscreen feels better on your skin and it doesn't leave that nasty "i have dried sweat all over me" feeling. 

With that in mind, I bought the sunscreen for $28 and later found out it had a rating of 4.4 stars on Amazon. And I tested it out on my skin in the shop. When I brought it home and opened it, I first looked for the reviews and then the next day, I applied it onto my face. The cool thing about this sunscreen is how natural it feels. It doesn't feel like the sunscreen is clogging up your pores and making your skin feel more oily with every application. According to Beauty Editor, all the other chemical based sunscreen get absorbed into your skin to protect you from absorbing the sun's rays, whereas the mineral based sunscreens are more of a reflector of the sun's rays. After some more research, I found that there are lots of benefits from using a mineral sunscreen. I suggest reading the article from the Beauty Editor. I will link the article down below. ​Thanks for reading my first product review. If you have any suggestions on what I should talk about in the next product review or something I could improve upon, please don't be shy and leave your tips in the comments below. Anyway I have you have a lovely day and I'll see ya next time. Peace out!!​
Beauty Editor Article: ​www.beautyeditor.ca/2011/06/15/should-you-use-a-mineral-sunscreen-heres-why-you-might-consider-it-and-7-beauty-editor-approved-prodz-to-choose-from