Author: taprobane@me.com
Seabiscuit – A Book Review
By Svara Jayasinghe
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand is a biography about one of America’s most legendary racehorses. Seabiscuit was one of the most popular horses and attractions in sports history, but his success was a shock to the racing world. No one had ever paid much attention to the horse with a downcast tail and bent, crooked legs. Then, three men who saw his potential changed his life.
Charles Howard, who was a bicycle repairman, brought the automobile to the western United States, and became a millionaire overnight. Johnny (Red) Pollard, a half-blinded jockey, who had a burning passion for riding. And Tom Smith, the mysterious and unknown horse trainer. These three would eventually help Seabiscuit dominate the world of horse riding.
As soon as Smith set his eyes on Seabiscuit, he knew that the horse had extreme potential. He convinced Howard to buy Seabiscuit and then hired Red Pollard as his jockey. The years after that, the four went through unlucky fortune and injuries to transform Seabiscuit from a disobedient, mischievous horse, to one of the most massive sports icons the world would ever see.
I would rate Seabiscuit 10 out of 10. It was thrilling, sad, happy and exciting all at the same time and it was amazing! Laura Hillenbrand perfectly wrote the story of Seabiscuit and I couldn’t put the book down. I absolutely loved this book and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Social Media and the 1st Amendment
by Simran Jayasinghe
In light of recent events, the discussion of the 1st Amendment rights of free speech and social media has been put in the spotlight. Some say that under the 1st Amendment, some social media companies’ decisions to ban accounts violates their right to free speech and is unconstitutional. But do our rights under the 1st Amendment include things like rights to have social media accounts and express our views on social media?
The short answer is no. The first amendment says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” A lot is packed into that first amendment as it covers freedom of religion, free speech, as well as the right to peacefully protest and petition the government with grievances. but the part we are looking for is this clause: “…or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;…”. This refers to freedom of speech and press, stating that the government cannot make laws that prohibit the people’s free speech and the free speech of the press. The important detail that some people tend to miss is at the beginning of the 1st amendment, “Congress shall make no law…”. This means that the first amendment only addresses what the government cannot do to encroach on the people’s rights. Social media companies are private companies (not affiliated with the government), and therefore their actions do not fall under the first amendment.
Now that we know the first amendment says nothing about your rights on social media, your next question might be, “Is there anything social media companies say that specify people’s rights on social media?”. Let’s think about what happens when you make a social media account for a second. After selecting your username and password, you are required to check the box that says “I agree to ______’s Terms and Conditions”, or the same message is in small print somewhere on that page. You do this every time you make an account on virtually every online service, social media or not (Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Google, Discord, Parler, etc). These terms and conditions can cover a wide range of things from minimum age to use the service to copyright rules and other legal safeguards. Whether most people actually read the terms and conditions before accepting them when making accounts and signing up for services is a discussion for a different post, but for the people that don’t, they can also (almost always) be found on the company’s website. For the current issue of whether social media companies can take down content that people post, I have attached the screenshots below of a paragraph from Twitter’s Terms of Service page, ‘Content on the Services’ section, and from the ‘Ending These Terms’ section.
This means that everyone that has an account on Twitter agreed to following these Terms of Service when making their account, and legally, Twitter is within their rights to regulate what accounts post (when they have reasons to deem it necessary). Most social media companies have similar terms, although they do vary slightly from platform to platform.
It is also important to note that the right to freedom of speech under the law does not cover the right to say or do things that would or do cause harm to others. It is not considered freedom of speech to shout “fire” in a crowded theatre when there is no fire, because not only is it untrue, it creates a situation in which multiple others can be harmed. In summary, the first amendment protects the people’s rights against the government, not private companies, which means it plays no part in what social media companies can do, and legally, everyone using social media platforms have contracts that specify what the company can and cannot do.
Pita’s Mediterranean Grill – A Restaurant Review
By Svara Jayasinghe
Pita’s Mediterranean Grill is a modern-style cafe that serves classic mediterranean food including falafel, kabobs, and gyro, (also known as shawarma.) About a month ago, we decided to check it out! Our dad ordered a mediterranean salad and a lamb shawarma sandwich. He thought it was appetizing and packed with flavor. We also ordered 4 chicken kabob plates which came with rice, pita bread, hummus, salad, and the chicken kabobs. The plates were shared amongst the rest of us, and we all enjoyed it. It wasn’t very flavorful and was bland, but was ok. Lastly, we ordered 2 side orders of shawarma. Shawarma, (gyro,) has always been one of our favorite Mediterranean dishes, so we loved it!
We are used to eating Mediterranean food from Daphne’s Greek Cafe, which is essentially the Americanized type of Mediterranean food, so this style of food was a little bit different for us. While we aren’t the biggest fans of this restaurant, it will probably appeal to many. Our family might not try Pita’s Mediterranean Grill again, but it is a popular restaurant that serves good food, and we recommend trying it out!
Sushi Huku – A Restaurant Review
By Svara Jayasinghe
Sushi Huku is a Japanese food restaurant that is located in San Marcos, and for Kiran’s and Simran’s birthday in December, we decided to try it out for the first time!
We got 2 orders of the California rolls, 1 order of the Crunch roll, 1 order Spicy Tuna roll, and 1 order of the Baked Salmon roll. All of the rolls we ordered at Sushi Huku were great, but some were better than others.
The California rolls, (a personal favorite of ours,) were ok. They were a bit plain, and not the most flavorful, but they were still tasty. We loved the Crunch rolls! They were filled with scrumptious ingredients and had a satisfying crunch to them. The Spicy Tuna rolls were delicious! While they were a little spicy, they weren’t too hot, and were filled with flavor. The Baked Salmon roll was also amazing, and was our mom’s personal favorite.
Compared to all the other sushi places we have tried, the rolls from Sushi Huku were more fresh and also seemed larger. We enjoyed every single roll we tried from Sushi Huku, and recommend checking it out!
IHOP – A Restaurant Review
By Svara Jayasinghe
IHOP, (which is an acronym for the International House of Pancakes,) is an American restaurant chain that is known for its breakfast foods. In August, my family had a little staycation at home, which meant no cooking. For breakfast one day we decided to order from IHOP. Kiran ordered the French Crème Brûlée Pancakes. There were 4 pancakes included that were covered with brûlée creme and sweet vanilla cream. There were also caramel sugar crystals to top it off. She says they weren’t very sweet, but were still delicious.
Simran ordered the Double Blueberry Pancakes. These buttermilk pancakes have blueberries hidden inside them, as well as a delicious blueberry compote (blueberry sauce,) coating the top. Simran loves these pancakes! She says these pancakes are extremely scrumptious. They are very rich, but are a must order item if you are a fan of blueberries. I ordered the Strawberries & Creme Crepes. This order includes four crepes garnished with strawberries with vanilla cream drizzle glazed on the top. I thought that these were ok. They were pretty good, but they were very plain, and there was a strong egg flavor as well, which wasn’t the most delicious. Overall, they were good, but they could’ve been better. My dad ordered the Spicy Poblano Omelette. Inside the omelette is shredded beef, onions, bell peppers, cheese, avocado, Serrano and Poblano peppers, and more. He loved it! Dad says that the spiciness and sharp flavor added to the deliciousness.
Lastly, our mom ordered the Spinach & Mushroom Omelette. This omelette is stuffed with cheese, tomatoes, onions, spinach, mushrooms, and more. Mom found this scrumptious! It was very flavorful and cheese-y, which she liked.
We love IHOP! The food is always delicious and tasteful, and there are many options to chose from as well. This a great breakfast/lunch/brunch place that we highly recommend.
Which Wich – A Restaurant Review
By Svara Jayasinghe
Some time ago my family and I went to Which Wich for lunch. Which Wich is a restaurant chain that mainly specializes in sandwiches and salads. The restaurant is known for its ordering system where customers use a Sharpie to place their order on a menu printed on a brown paper sandwich bag. First you choose a sandwich, then the bread, toppings, cheese, and sauce. Kiran and I both ordered the Meatball Hero. We both loved it! It was delicious and flavorful. It was a little messy, but it was totally worth it.
Simran ordered the Pepperoni Pizzawich. She thought it was very enjoyable and said it was both flavorsome and tasty. Our mom ordered the Philly Cheesesteak and our dad ordered the Gyro Sandwich. Both of them thought their sandwiches were tasteful and delicious. All of them were a little bit messy, especially since we ate them in the car. I’m looking forward to the day where I can go peacefully enjoy a sandwich at the restaurant.
We absolutely loved Which Wich and definitely recommend trying it!
Brigantine – A Restaurant Review
By Svara Jayasinghe
Back in September my family and I ate at the Brigantine in Escondido to celebrate my mom’s birthday. Brigantine is a restaurant mainly known for its wide range of seafood. For appetizers we ordered calamari, crab cakes, and two oyster shots. Only Kiran and I ate the oysters, and we quickly figured out we are not the biggest fans of oysters. To us, the oysters didn’t have much taste and were too slimy for our liking. For our meals, my mom and my grandparents ordered the Seasonal Salmon. All three of them really enjoyed their food, and thought the salmon was really flavorful and delicious. Kiran and I both ordered the Seasonal Shrimp & Grits. While some people might be a fan of this dish, it was definitely not our favorite. It lacked flavor, and was overall a little bland.
Simran ordered the Macadamia Crusted Mahi. She thought it was delicious, but it didn’t exactly satisfy a swimmer’s appetite. Lastly, my dad ordered the Seasonal Chops. Along with the chops it came with mashed potatoes, green beans, and steamed carrots. It was a large dish, and he didn’t end up finishing the whole thing, but he really enjoyed it.
For dessert Kiran ordered a Classic Creme Brulee, and the rest of us got two Mud Pies both with vanilla ice cream on the side. One for our parents to share, and one for Simran and I to share. Kiran thought the Creme Brulee was okay. It wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t bad either. The Mud Pie was delicious! It was very rich and chocolate-y but the ice cream helped balance it out. They were both great desserts and we all loved them.
Overall, Brigantine is a good restaurant! While I do not think it is on our list of top restaurants we enjoy, it might be the perfect place for seafood lovers. They have a great variety of delicious seafood and I recommend trying it.
Apple Pie From Scratch
By Svara Jayasinghe
This weekend I decided to bake apple pie from scratch, using a recipe off the Buzzfeed app Tasty. There is a video showing someone making the pie along with step by step instruction. The pie itself is fairly simple to make, but there are some things I changed around. First off, on step 5 where you peel and cut your apples, I suggest after slicing them into normal sized pieces, to slice them into even smaller pieces. This makes it easier to put the apples in the pie. I also put 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt in the pie instead of 1/2 of a teaspoon in the apple mixture, because most recipes tend to use too much salt. I would recommend doing 1/4 of a teaspoon instead of 1/2 of a teaspoon, so the salt doesn’t create a weird taste in the pie. In addition to that, I only put half of the amount of nutmeg listed on the recipe in the apples. This is because nutmeg is really overpowering, and if you put too much, it could ruin the taste of the pie.
The pie turned out amazing! The crust was not too crunchy, but not so soft that it was falling apart. At first, I was a little skeptical about the way the apples would turn out, but they were absolutely delicious! Without a doubt, I am going to make this apple pie again, and I recommend you try it out too! Here is the link to the recipe:
Utah Road Trip Day 3
Moab, Utah, to Springdale, Utah
By Svara Jayasinghe
After Windows we headed over to the Delicate Arch. The hike up to Delicate Arch was marked as strenuous but also seemed to be the most popular hike because the parking lot was crowded. Although, we were a little apprehensive we decided to give it a try. Little did we know what we were getting ourselves into! The first bit of the hike was mild and was paved. This changed quickly enough and we had to climb up the face of a rock. This part was strenuous and tiring, especially for our mom and dad. They were very slow and rested every five seconds! Our dad allowed us athletes to go ahead and we quickly lost sight of them. We eventually made it to the top of the rock and expected to see the delicate arch. But we quickly realized that there was even more hiking to do. We continued walking and climbing for ten more minutes and had to navigate a small ledge on the side of a huge rock. It was a little scary being on a ledge where you could see the steep drop but we eventually made it to the end. We waited around 20 minutes at the end before our mom and dad eventually caught up to us. We sat looking at the arch, taking pictures, and had a snack before heading back down. It was a little easier this time because we were going downhill, but it was still challenging to navigate the steep descent. On our way up and down, we saw many families who were dragging small kids. Clearly, they didn’t know what they were getting into either.
Day three of our trip! We woke up at around 5:45 in the morning ready for a day of hiking at Arches National Park. Simran and I quickly got dressed and went down to the lobby of our hotel to get some breakfast for the whole family while Kiran slept in. Again, the breakfast was to-go and we ate in our rooms to keep away from people. We always wore a mask. We had planned to leave our hotel at around 6:40 A.M. to get to the park by 7:00 because we had heard the park would be crowded during Thanksgiving. As usual our family was late and we didn’t end up leaving the hotel until 7:15. All of us were a little worried that the park would be crowded but thankfully we made it early enough and not many people had arrived yet. The first hike we went on was called the Balanced Rock and it was more of a simple walk than hike. The three rock formations were really beautiful and we got some good pictures. Next, we headed over to Windows the second hike that we had planned for the day. We started off on a paved trail and then decided to take the primitive trail which was not paved and was off the beaten path. The trail was marked cairns which are piles of rocks that the park rangers had put out to mark the trail and to help hikers stay on track. This part of the trail was fun and beautiful and we all really enjoyed it. The hike was moderate, not too tiring, but not too easy either. We got some great pictures of the view and some cute pictures of the family as well.
All three of us at Delicate Arch!
(Images by the Jayasinghe Family)
The Delicate Arch hike took us around 3 hours. About 2 hours to go up and 1 hour to come down. Once we made it back down, we just rested in our car drinking water, eating, and resting our tired feet. We all sat there for around 15 minutes before deciding to move on to the next trail, the Devils Garden. There were two trails that we could take. The primitive trail, which would take around 7 hours, or the double o trail, which was pretty short and only around 2 miles. Obviously, we took the 2 mile one. We were extremely tired and barely had any physical strength left after our strenuous hike up Delicate Arch. Only my sisters, me, and my dad went on the Devils Garden trail because our mom was too tired and didn’t feel up to going. She rested in the car. The four of us took some pictures of the beautiful nature and quickly did the hike as we were all tired and we wanted to get back to our hotel. On our way back to our hotel our mom wanted to stop at the gift shop at the Visitor’s Center. The three kids stayed in the car. Once our mom had finished shopping we got some drinks at the Starbucks located inside the City Market (which believe it or not is the only Starbucks in Moab!) and then went back to our hotel to rest. We relaxed in our hotel room and watched some movies before going to pick up some dinner.
On our way to get dinner we also stopped to visit some friends from our swim team who had come to Moab. This was a complete surprise. Our parents and Simran wanted Mediterranean food but Kiran and I wanted pizza, so we ended up getting both. We got pizza from Domino’s and got Mediterranean food from Sultan Mediterranean Grill. After we drove back to our hotel room we lounged while eating before eventually deciding to go to sleep because we were all very tired.