We Bought A Summer Waves Pool — Here’s How We Set It Up

Since we’ve been in quarantine, my sisters and I haven’t been able to have a swim practice in two months. We needed to be able to get some swimming in, so we decided to get ourselves a makeshift pool. We bought the Summer Waves 15 foot circular pool. It’s thirty three inches deep, but the water level is only 26.5 inches. It’s just deep enough for us to swim properly, and just wide enough for all three of us to fit side by side. 

The pool is fairly easy to set up; it took a little bit of manpower to hold the pool up while we slid beams through the slits in the pool, but it was straightforward after that. We set the pool up over two tarps to protect the material from the rocks in the ground. Then we started to fill the pool. The first thing we noticed was that the pool was slightly higher on one side. It was only higher by an inch or two, and didn’t make much of a difference. But just in case, we put slabs of stone under the pool legs to hoist the lower side up.

After we let the pool sit for the night, we discovered a tiny hole that the stone slab had punctured. We also found rocks that poked through the bottom of the pool, which were bound to cause holes in the future. We tried patching the hole with duct tape at first, which stemmed the leak but wasn’t totally failsafe. Since other rocks were probably also going to make holes in our pool, we decided to drain the pool before we tried to tackle the leak again. 

We drained the pool, but the drain left around three to four inches of water at the bottom. We used buckets to get rid of most of the water, which took about four hours total. Then we half-dismantled the pool, swept away the remaining water, and moved the pool away. We removed the tarp from the area, re-prepped it with patches of fake grass to cover any rocks, then covered the grass with a better tarp.

We patched up the hole in the pool with FlexTape, which supposedly works underwater. We covered the hole on the inside and the outside and let it sit for a couple hours. Then we moved the pool back into position and began to fill it again. But even when covered with FlexTape, the tiny hole still leaked a steady stream of water. We covered the FlexTape with Gorilla Tape, then put another patch of Gorilla Tape on top of that and another patch on the outside of the pool.

The hole still leaked through five pieces of tape. We inspected for other holes and found none. Eventually, we found a couple air bubbles in the tape that was letting in some water. We took all the tape off and put on new Gorilla Tape, making sure not to leave air bubbles. Moral of the story: clean your base thoroughly before setting up your pool!

Finally, the leak was patched and our pool was finally ready! We filled the pool the rest of the way. It took about 12 hours to fill completely. The pool was still not level, but it didn’t make too much of a difference in the end result. To see how it looks and how we swim in it: click here.

20 fun ways to stay occupied while social-distancing or self-quarantining!

By Simran Jayasinghe

In efforts to slow down the spread of COVID-19, people across the world have been encouraged to stay home and practice social- distancing. Schools have closed and/or gone online. People who can have started working from home. However, staying home all day for weeks can get boring and monotonous. Here are some ideas of fun things to do while you’re at home!

  1. Read some books! – It’s the perfect time to read that book you bought but never had time to read. If you don’t have any new books with you, search online! There are thousands of books online, waiting to be read.
  2. Do some puzzles! – Puzzles are a great way to pass the time. You could be on one for hours!
  3. Learn a new language! – All you have to do is download an app like Duolingo or Rosetta Stone, and get learning! This will cure you of your boredom, and you will learn a new skill!
  4. Play board games! – This is an activity you can do as a family!
  5. Watch movies! – If you have iTunes, Netflix, Disney +, or any streaming service, pick a couple movies you’ve never had the time to watch, and get cozy!
  6. Order and assemble some new furniture! – IKEA’s instructions on how to put a bookshelf together is sure to keep you occupied for at least a couple hours!
  7. Typing! – Websites like NitroType, and Typing.com, are free and easy to use. Battle against yourself and see how fast you can type!
  8. Get some spring cleaning done! – Since you now have all the time on your hands to do the things you would normally be too busy to do, get cleaning! Re-organize your closet, drawers, and shelves, and get rid of all the junk that may have piled up. Don’t forget to disinfect!
  9. Get crafty! Websites like Pinterest have tons of DIY ideas! Try to recreate something you find, with only the supplies you already have!
  10. Exercise – Enjoy nature and the outdoors! Maybe download a fitness app, or find workouts online! Run or walk around your neighborhood, maybe bring your pet! Just make sure to stay away from people!
  11. Photo shoot! – Get a camera, or an iPhone, and stage photos around the house. Edit them, use filters, make it fun!
  12. Learn calligraphy. – Calligraphy is a skill that only requires a Sharpie (if you don’t have a calligraphy pen), and paper. Use YouTube videos to learn how!
  13. Invent a board game! – Brainstorm a game you would love to play, and make it happen!
  14. Play charades! – Use a charades app or find categories and prompts online!
  15. Film a cooking show! – While cooking, record it! You can add commentary using VoiceOver, and edit however you want. Watch it later and laugh.
  16. FaceTime or Skype friends! – Even though you shouldn’t physically be hanging out with people too much, you can always chat over FaceTime or other social apps.
  17. Bake or cook some food. – Think of something you can make, a snack, a meal, a dessert, with the ingredients you have. Doesn’t have to be fancy, but when you add some music and dance while you cook, it can be fun!
  18. Change your decor! – Move around your furniture, do a mini room makeover! Giver your space a new feel.
  19. Music/Podcasts – Listen to music. Curate a new playlist, and find new music on apple music or Spotify! Listen to new podcasts too!
  20. SLEEP! – By far one of the best things to do (we think), when you are stuck inside, is sleep! Most people don’t get enough sleep on a day to day basis, so when you get the extra time, take some naps! Go to sleep early and sleep in!

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

by Simran Jayasinghe

Last year for Christmas, Kiran, Svara, and I decided to donate to a wildlife organization. I chose to foster and animal through The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust after reading about them in an issue of National Geographic.

Kiko, the orphan giraffe I fostered! (Image by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust)

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, based in Nairobi, Kenya, was founded in 1977 by Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick. It was founded in memory of her husband, David Sheldrick, famous naturalist and founding Warden of Tsavo East National Park. The Trust was built to help provide help to animals and struggling wildlife, and help preserve and protect the wildlife in Kenya. Daphne sadly passed away in 2018, and the trust is continuing on in the hands of her husband and children.

The trust’s main focus is their Orphan’s Project. The organization is best known for operating the most successful orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world. They rescue orphaned and endangered animals, who would not survive on their own. A good number of these animals are victims of poaching. The trust takes these animals in and provide the necessary medical assistance they need to have the best life they can. Then, if they are young and still dependent on keepers, they are kept in their Nursery. They have elephants, rhinos, and even a giraffe under their care. The main goal is to get the animals to a point where they can survive on their own, and eventually reintegrate them into the wild. Sometimes, the trust gets to see orphans that they raised come back with their families after being released!

You can now donate money to ‘foster’ one of these orphans, and get updates about your animal, read their keepers entries, and more!

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust also has an Ariel Unit, Canine Unit, De-Snaring Team, Rangers, and Mobile Veterinary Units help prevent illegal activity (livestock grazing, charcoal burning, poaching, etc.) , can help alert the trust and aid injured animals, and help protect the environment and wildlife.

To visit The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s website, click here.

Follow them on Instagram at @sheldricktrust .

Sri Lanka Trip – Day 3

by Kiran Jayasinghe

We woke up late in the morning. We had all slept in, wanting to catch up on the sleep we had missed in the past few days. Our first order of business once we woke up, was food. We decided to have breakfast at the hotel buffet again. This time, the three kids (us), had breakfast alone while Mom relaxed in the hotel room and Dad worked out in the gym. We had a similar breakfast as the day before, eating hoppers, eggs, toast, sausages, and pastries with our milk tea.

The Cinnamon Grand! (Image by the Jayasinghe family)

We met up in our hotel room again before we decided to run a few errands. We went to a couple of jewelry shops to look for some gifts, and items for ourselves, which took a long time. We also had to search for a replacement the back of my earring, which I had lost some time ago. These earrings happened to be from Sri Lanka (my grandparents bought them for me), so we went to the shop that the earrings were from and dropped them off to get a replacement made.

Then we went to lunch at our grandpa’s house before we went to swim. We had traditional Sri Lankan food, including rice, and several fish and potato curries. After lunch, we headed back to our hotel to relax for a while.

We had decided that we would try swimming with Killer Whale Aquatics for one practice, just to see how different it was from our practices back home, so we headed to their home pool after relaxing. Svara was not old enough to be in that particular group, so Simran and I tried it out by ourselves. By the end, we had decided that it was…interesting. Our first mistake was on the very first lap that we swam. Most swimmers circle swim as to not crash into each other. Swimmers stay on one side of the lane, depending on which direction they’re swimming in. In America, we usually circle swim always staying on the right side of the lane. In Sri Lanka, however, they swim staying on the left, as it is with several other countries. We got in the water and started swimming, on the right, as usual. The coach blew his whistle over and over, so we stopped swimming, just to realize that we were swimming on the wrong side of the lane! After executing several other mistakes like this, the practice went by in a flash, and we had learned many new things in our short visit.

Killer Whale Aquatics! (video by the Jayasinghe family)

After swimming, we went back to the hotel, only to quickly change, and get back in the car to visit our mom’s cousin on her dad’s side. We were still very tired, and after having some some food there, and talking a little bit, we drove back to the hotel and slept after another tiring day of vacation.

To see the previous day of our trip, click here.

To see the next day of our trip, click here.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – A Book Review

by Svara Jayasinghe

Where The Mountain Meets The Moon, by Grace Lin, is the story of a young girl called Minli. Minli is an only child, and lives in a small house in a small village next to Fruitless Mountain. Fruitless Mountain is called Fruitless mountain,  because instead of being lush, green, and full of fruit, it is dry, brown, and fruitless. Minli’s family is extremely poor and Minli’s mother is discontent and always complains about how poor they are.

During dinner Minli loved to hear stories from her father. One of the stories were about The Old Man Of The Moon. The Old Man Of The Moon lives on Never-Ending Mountain. The Old Man Of The Moon is the guardian of The Book Of Fortune. Since he is the guardian of the book, he is the only one in the world, who can read The Book Of Fortune. You can ask The Old Man Of The Moon any question in the world and he can tell you the answer.

Minli see’s how discontent her mother is with her family’s financial situations, and decides to find Never-Ending Mountain and ask the Old Man Of The Moon how to change her family’s fortune.  One day, while Minli is supposed to be making dinner Minli packs up her things and starts her long trip.

Read the book to follow Minli’s story! This book blends traditional tales within the story. I really liked how the author introduced characters. I really liked the dragon. I would recommend this book if you are looking for an interesting novel.

 

Oman/ Anthony Bourdain – Parts Unknown

By Kiran, Simran, and Svara Jayasinghe

In December of last year, we had watched an episode of ‘Anthony Bourdain — Parts Unknown’ and it took us to the country of Oman. Oman is located in the Middle East, in the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. It’s surrounded by the Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea.

Oman is a country that is partly well-developed, and partly not. In the 1970’s, Oman was a very under-developed country. It only had six miles of paved road! Then, Sultan Qaboos, rose to power. He managed to transform the country into a more modern place, while still keeping it’s traditions at heart. The Sultan earned the respect and admiration of his people.

The country sports the largest sand dune in the world. Clean sand draws several groups of Omani people to wander the dunes. On the show, Bourdain spent one night and day with people who roam the desert. They traveled on camels and set up tents in the night, played music, and overall just enjoyed their time. Oman also has beautiful beaches and shoreline, and many people have boats. Most people spend some time each day at the ocean.

As usual, had Bourdain showcased the food of the country. Oman’s food is a mix of their own and Indian food. They eat shuwa, which is pit-roasted goat. Shuwa is prepared by taking the meat of a goat, wrapping it in palm or banana leaves, burying it in the ground over hot coals, then taking it out again two days later. Shuwa is a special dish. There is also pakora, which is Indian fritters, and chapati, which is Indian fresh baked bread.

Oman is a modern, but traditional country. Bourdain himself said that Oman “defys expectations”. With beautiful scenery, shores, sand dunes, and the culture, it would be an interesting place to visit.

Playing Golf!

by Simran Jayasinghe

Before our trip to Palm Springs in August of 2017, I had never played golf. I had played mini golf, but I don’t think that counts as real golf! I had never learned the right way to play golf. That all changed when we were at vacation at the La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs. The resort had a golf club, and my sisters and I went for a golf lesson.

When we arrived at the golf club, we were impressed with the lay out and style of the club house. There was a nice seating area, with a view of the golf course, a bar for adults, a pro shop, and there were tables where you could order food.

Lining up the ball
Lining up the ball

Putting is not easy as it looks!
Putting is not easy as it looks!

My sisters and I started our lesson on the putting green. Our instructor first taught us how to properly hold the putter, and let us try to get the ball into the hole. Putting looks easy from far away, but it was challenging for us. After a lot of practice, my sisters and I finally got the hang of it! After about half an hour we went to the driving range, in golf carts. Our mom really loved driving around in the golf carts!

At the driving range, we tried hitting golf balls using several different clubs. Our instructor was very calm and patient with us, which, probably wasn’t easy, since it took us a while to hit the ball properly so that it traveled some distance. We learnt how to hold the different clubs properly, and how to keep the ball on the tee and use a driver, and other clubs, called “irons” to try and hit the ball as far as we could.  After our lesson was over, we were all exhausted, and our parents surprised us by getting us breakfast from the restaurant inside the golf club. Kiran and I had toast, eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit. Svara had toast, eggs, sausage, and cottage cheese. Also, all three of us shared a french toast.The meal was

scrumptious, and the view was beautiful from where we sat. All three of us enjoyed day of golfing.  I highly recommend trying out a golf lesson you ever find yourself at the La Quinta Resort!

Laos/ Anthony Bourdain – Parts Unknown

By Kiran, Simran, and Svara Jayasinghe

In a TV show on CNN, called “Anthony Bourdain – Parts Unknown”, the host, Anthony Bourdain, travels to taste the cuisine of countries around the world.  In the process he also learns about the history and culture of each country. In one of the recent episodes that we watched, Bourdain traveled to Laos, a country in Southeast Asia. Bourdain rode on a motorbike, sampling various foods, and witnessing several cultural events, such as a boat festival. The show featured Bourdain trying chicken feet, squid and other quite interesting foods, such as congealed buffalo blood soup with herbs.

A map of Laos. Laos is in green.

Laos is bordered by Myanmar, China, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It’s popu
lation is approximately six million. The capitol of Laos is Vientiane. Most people are Buddhists. The currency of money is the Kip. The scenery in that we saw as the host moved from place to place looked wonderful.  The country has a lot of  wildlife, mountains, valleys, and dense forests.

A collection of some of the bombies that have not exploded.

 

 

But Laos also has a startling history. During the Vietnam War, there was a civil war in Laos. America dropped bombs on Laos, partly to cut the supply lines from Laos to Vietnam, and to stop Communism from spreading. Cluster bombs were dropped which were big bombs containing many smaller bombs called “bombies”. 80,000,000 of these bombies did not explode and can still be found scattered around the country. This has been a hazard for decades, since children are attracted to these bombs, which look like small tennis balls. The bombs sometimes can detonate while in children’s hands.

Bourdain talked to victims of the war, and the squads of people trying to clean up the bombs. The show displayed footage of the clean-up teams using metal detectors to search for the bombs, then mark the spot with a flag, and then detonate the bomb, so it wouldn’t explode on it’s own.

Overall, we learnt a lot of information about the country of Laos, it’s fascinating cuisine, and it’s history. Anthony Bourdain does an excellent job on hosting the show and provides education while entertaining the audience.

My Best Birthday

My birthday cake. It was delicious (Image by the Jayasinghe Family).

by Svara Jayasinghe

My best birthday was when I turned five years old. My birthday is on February 13. The day before we got everything so it would be easier, but we didn’t make the food of course. The next day I was thinking I didn’t want get out of bed but then I jumped out of bed because I just remembered that it was my birthday! Then the next thing I knew is that I was pounding my sisters on their back saying:

“Wake up, wake up now! If you don’t, then I will pound you on the back some more.”

Hearing this my sisters rushed out of bed and said together:

“ Oh I forgot, today is your birthday!”

“Yes I know I” I said.

“SO LETS GET GOING!” we said in unison.

So the three of us went into our mother and father’s room and started waking them up. We had to give our parents a lot of encouragement to get up.  I was so filled up with energy I was like an energy rabbit, and almost jumping out of my skin, but luckily I didn’t pop or anything, I just kept going like an energy bunny. Soon after I had brushed my teeth I was jumping around for joy, while the rest of my family got ready and laughed at me. I had to get ready last because my dress was very hard to get on. So when I was getting into my dress I had to stop being the energy bunny otherwise I would rip the dress in two. But even after that I couldn’t be the energy bunny anymore because I had to walk around for a very long time in my dress, and I also had shoes that I had to be careful with. Soon we were downstairs were our grandparents were waiting. They had stayed the night before at our house because of my birthday.  One set of my grandparents came from Cerritos, CA and the other set flew in all the way from New Zealand!

Three princesses!
Three princesses! (Image by the Jayasinghe Family)

My Grandma and my sisters did my hair.  Then my parents, and all my grandparents got the food ready. Soon after that the chairs and the tables were delivered by the rental company, so we had to set all of that up in our backyard.  Then we decorated the front yard. We put up a white arch and under it, on the concrete, we put a long red velvet carpet.  We also put jewels and glitter on the ground. Decorating the front yard took a long time. Soon the cake arrived,  and I longed to look at the cake but I had to wait because a carriage with princesses inside came to our front yard!  The carriage was pulled by two beautiful white horses! This was very exciting.

A horse drawn carriage and a fairy godmother!
A horse drawn carriage and a fairy godmother! (Image by the Jayasinghe Family)

We put the popcorn stand and the cotton candy stands up too.  Soon after that all my friends started showing up to celebrate my birthday. First I went to face painting and I chose a design with a rose and leaves around it. My sister Kiran got the same design I did but my sister Simran chose a different one. After that I just followed Kiran and Simran around and also spent time with some of my friends. Then it was time for the games and  it was fun. There also was a fairy godmother and we went to her in the carriage, and she gave treasures. I went in the carriage first with my sisters so I got to experience it first, it was a nice but short ride. After everybody had gotten gathered together, we sang songs and the princesses read stories. Then it was time to eat and finally I could sit down. After everybody had ate, it was time for the cake! After everybody had sang Happy Birthday my dad cut slices of the cake. When I tasted it, the cake was delicious except there was way to much frosting. My sisters we complaining that it had too much frosting.

“ It isn’t my fault,” I said.

After everybody had eaten the cake it was getting dark, and my party was ending. Everybody left and we finally got to rest.