Tag: Exciting

Part 120 – Facts and history

Rovija Khapre 0 Comment Politics ,

 Hello, and welcome back to my blog! This is part…part…ummmmm, I honestly don’t remember what part we’re on. 😂 I’ve written so many election day posts I lost track of how many parts we’re in! Hopefully, I remember it and can add the title by the end of this post. Anyway, I am back! Our topic for today is actually, different than what I write about. Politics is pretty much, most of what I write these days… Anyway, the topic is about facts and history. It sounds weird at the moment, but, when we get into it, it won’t. Today, I’m writing from my heart, and what else do I like to explore and have an interest in than facts and history? 

I’ve mentioned this in, about 2-3 posts, but I’ve never clarified WHAT I like about history. ( To be more specific, ANCIENT history) History is fascinating to me because it is our past, and shows/is what life was like without all these new gadgets in our modern-day world. It’s fascinating to learn about how civilizations thrived in a world with limited supplies and with tools more basic than what we use in our everyday lives. It’s amazing how they created the most amazing things- Pyramids of Giza, ancient temples, ancient vaults, beautiful sculptures- by hand and without complex machines and equipment. I want to share some – 3 – of my most favorite ancient sites with you, to share how creative and innovative they were. 

#1, Angkor Wat

I actually, first learned about Angkor Wat from Kumon. One of the passages was a document on an explorer who discovered this temple, and out of curiosity, I googled it and, found out, that it is a very real place, and is very beautiful. Angkor Wat is a temple complex, located in northern Cambodia, in the Khmer region.

Angkor Wat was originally built as a Hindu temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, in the first half of the 12th century and became a Buddhist temple at the end of the 12th century. It is said to be the largest religious monument in the world, spreading over more than 400 acres. It was built by Emperor Suryavaram II, and because his religion was Hinduism, the temple of Angkor Wat was designed to be a Hindu temple. Later, Angkor Wat had been “sacked” by a rival tribe to the Khmer region, and under the rule of Jayavarman VII, moved their capital to Angkor Thom and the state temple Bayon, both of which are only a few miles to the north of this site. Angkor Thom was actually the last and most enduring city of the Khmer empire and was established by King Jayavarman VII. Angkor Wat was never abandoned, but was only unused and fell apart. 

(https://www.history.com/topics/landmarks/angkor-wat – I had to do some quick research)

#2, Machu Picchu
Ah yes, the all-time famous Machu Picchu which everyone knows about. I didn’t choose this site because it’s popular- I think it is well known- but rather because of how it is built. 

I actually learned about Machu Picchu last year, in 6th grade, when learning about Peru. Anyway, Machu Picchu is located in Peru, as I mentioned before, high up in the Andes mountains. It is a famous and mystical city of the Incans. It is believed to have been built in the 1450s, by a young Incan ruler. Machu Picchu is also known as, City in the Clouds. It was discovered by Henry Bingham III in 1911, and in April of 1913, Machu Picchu was revealed to the world by National Geographic. The most remarkable thing about the construction of Machu Picchu is that it lies on two fault lines, and yet can withstand resulting quakes. 
This is mainly because the stone rocks making up Machu Picchu fit together perfectly. The Incans used the Ashlar masonry technique to build and stabilize the buildings of Machu Picchu. Ashlar Masonry is a type of stone construction where all the stones are “dressed or cut” to a uniform shape. Another remarkable fact about Machu Picchu is that about 60% of the city is located UNDERGROUND. The purpose and use of Machu Picchu are of many scenarios. From a bustling city center of many cultures to a scared convent for worshippers of the sun god to a resort for the Incan ruler and his family. 
#3, Ajanta Caves
To be honest, I know very little about the Ajanta caves, but I have visited them when I was a few years old. Despite that I know very little about them, they are still one of my favorite ancient sites. ( I actually found less info than I was expecting, so, sorry about that!) 

The Ajanta Caves are located in the Aurangabad region in the Maharashtra region, of India. They date back to the 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE. The Ajanta consists of about 30 caves and is not numbered chronologically. They are instead, numbered by their location. The Ajanta Caves consist of many paintings and hand-carved sculptures and constitute ancient monasteries and worship-halls carved into a 75-meter wall of rock. One amazing thing about these caves, which I learned from my parents and not the web which has very limited answers to my endless questions, is that they were carved from the top to bottom. They were cared from actual caves, starting from the top, all the way to the bottom. They never started in the middle to mark out the proportions, and just started carving. Cool, right? Another surprising fact about these caves is that they are engulfed in darkness. The caves remain in their original state, as the majority of the caves remain in darkness, without the help of artificial lighting. 
 I want to share a short fact about the sculptures. I actually have two photos, of me as a little kid, sitting next to the elephant sculpture you see in the picture above, and on the lap of a Vishnu sculpture. When you see the pictures, you see how big these sculptures are. It’s really cool.
So, those were my top 3, most favorite ancient historical sites, and I hope you enjoyed learning about them, a much as I did, writing about them. As you see from the title, it says, ” Facts AND History”. So, that means, we still have facts to cover. Yes, I gave you a list of facts on those 3 historical sites, but I’m not talking about those facts. I’m talking about everyday facts. Really cool facts. I mainly watch Great Big Story on Youtube, and I recommend you check out their channel and some of their videos. They are a company/channel that shares some of the many stories around us to the world. I watch Great Big Story for fun, when I have nothing else to watch or when I’m in the mood to watch something interesting and learn something. It’s not like school where you have to sit down and study Algebra or read about the Mexican-American war for about an hour, but instead short 5 minute videos on the world’s stories. Here are some of my most favorite stories.
Ever heard of a 100-year-old egg? In China, this strange-sounding egg is quite popular. It is a preserved egg, that is a delicacy in China. Only a few people continue to make it the traditional way. The process is something I will leave a surprise, but I want to hint that the eggs only are called century eggs, because of their appearance. Check out the 100-year-old egg Great Big Story to learn more!
Learn about a Turkish ice cream that never melts, but is stretchy and delicious, or even how ramen was invented, or even about the loneliest tree on earth. There are so many stories about so many things you might not even have known existed, or even about how your most favorite foods were made. I encourage you to check out their videos, you’ll learn a thing or two about the smallest things,  and will want to know more!
I also just research random facts online. Did you know, a celebrity learned English just by watching the TV sitcom, “Friends”? Guess who, it’s Kim Namjoon-RM- the leader of the 7-member South Korean boy band, BTS! He has a 148 IQ and taught himself English just by watching the show. 
Did you know, Harry Potter/Daniel Radcliff wore out about 60-70 wands during the making of the Harry Potter films? He had a habit of drumming on his lap with his wand- which you can see in many Harry Potter behind the scenes clips- and constantly had to have the wand replaced. 
Anyway, I hope you had as much fun as I did, learning about all these facts about Angkor Wat and about the 100-year-old egg. These two topics are my most favorite to learn about/research, and I feel so happy I got to are them with you. Anyway, that was it for today, I hope you all have an amazing day, bye!

Part 85- My voice makes a difference

Rovija Khapre 0 Comment Law and Justice, Life during Pandemic, Social Responsibilities , ,

LINK!

So, this post was supposed to be out on July 15th, but then an incident occurred, delaying it. Let me give e a brief history on this topic. So, on July 7th, 2020, I made a post on the ICE plan to send foreign studnets back to their country because colleges are doing online school. I then made a post on legally vs. ethically and brought in that post as an example, changing my opinion, on July 10th, and now, on July 17th, there is one more post- today’s- that ties the whole thing together. The link above is on the news clip of President Trump letting go with the plan to send the students back home. This news is actually from 2 days ago, but I got delayed so this news is about 2 days late if you haven’t read about it already. 
So, this article says, that after facing 8 federal lawsuits, President Trump let go of the plan to send foreign studnets back to their home country. This announcement had brought relief to thousands of foreign students who were in fear of being deported back to their country. A 19-year-old computer science major from India said that he was having terrible anxiety at the thought of going back and being exposed.  Even though they are not being sent back, there is a rule that they cannot have their classes entirely online- like everyone else. 
If you remember, my first post was supporting President Trump- but I had my own reason. because I believed it would be better for them in case they get sick and so they have better care if they do. Later, in my legally vs ethically blog I talked about how President Trump’s decision was legally right but ethically wrong. It was legally right because he was allowed to do that and in power to, but, it was NOT the right thing to do. I later changed my opinion to the other side on not sending them back, but with a particular question. My question was about my opinion. How it was legally and ethically right or wrong. I as a 12-year-old kid who writes blogs and plays Minecraft cannot do a lot to make an act like that happen, but I can try to make an ethical opinion or a decision that follows the laws. I was only thinking about this in a caring way for the foreign studnets so they can be taken care of properly, not because I don’t want them here in the U.S. So, my question was, whether my opinion was ethically right even though it was a bit like President Trump’s decision. 
The main reason for this blog is because I am so glad that I could make a difference. There were probably so many other people who disagreed or had different opinions on this action like me and tried to speak up about it. My voice might have been small as I write a blog that possibly very few people read, but it probably did contribute to the change in the act, and I’m glad. I’m glad that I may have been heard. 
Anyway, this blog and my 2 other ones make me proud. I’m really happy that I could or had made a change, and I hope I can still do so using my writing skills and positive mind, and my voice. I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend and an awesome day!

Taylor Swift concert

Rovija Khapre 0 Comment General Topics

Luxury Ring of Honor Suite                                                                   Saturday, October  Sixth, 2018

Today is the day we go to the Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour Concert. The show starts at 7 pm  
and we are heading to the special suite that 7 elven owns personally and we have just been handed special white bracelets with tags on them. Interesting. In the suite, there were several multi chocolate dipped strawberries, mini pastries and giant crunchy chocolate chip cookies. And for dinner, we had chopped up shredded chicken with beans! And many tasty sides of sour cream, tomatoes, limes,  geese, corn and so much more! So two singers just passed by, singing many of their hit songs and now we are waiting for Taylor. During the wait we were to take the tags off of our bands for a “ full experience” I was just curious. A while later, BAM!! The big screen and little ones were glowing and everything went dark. Then there was a Funky mysterious sort of Music and there was a sort of rising point when there was a long dress with chains being shown on the screens. Weird right?! And then the music came on for Taylor’s very first song, Ready for it? All the lights came on and there she was, with a black sparkly hood to a lithe leg outfit that was black and dark and shimmering. Her male backup dancers were wearing a Chinese warrior sort of armor. The songs slowly went by. My favorites were Look WHAT YOU MADE ME DO AND SHAKE IT OFF. THOSE WERE REALLY GOOD. WHY?  WEll, they both had this giant snake that came out and was moving. It was so Tall, I thought it was going to burst out of the stadium. I’m exaggerating.😅 But still, it was so cool! In Look what you made me do, there was a giant rocking thing that was moving so quickly, and everyone was dancing and singing and jumping on it. Wow! I cannot believe I almost missed this!

BMM 2019

Rovija Khapre 0 Comment General Topics, Social Responsibilities ,

From July 11-14 I attended BMM as a volunteer helping my mom and the committee from early in the morning to late at night. We stayed 5 days and 4 nights in the splendid Omni Hotel which had a skywalk to the convention center.  Now, for those who don’t know about BMM or know but didn’t come, I’ll explain from my point of view.

Wednesday: This was the day we left home to go to the Omni hotel. My dad was at work and would come later, whereas I and my mom were finishing packing all our clothes and shoes and supplies for those 5 days and 4 nights. We had 3 suitcases of 3 different sizes, an IKEA bag full of shoes, a big cloth bag with fete and our cowboy hats, and some purses and simple carrying bags. Luckily our house is only an hour away including traffic but it was less crowded so we only took 40 minutes. The staff at the hotel unloaded our luggage onto a cart and waited for us while we checked in, and brought our baggage to our room. After he left we unpacked the simple things, our special clothes which we would need soon, our toiletries for the night, make up for my mom, nail polish, for my mom, and our important stuff into the safe. Once we settled down and explored our room, we ordered a delicious chicken club sandwich and cheesecake which came withy silverware, a cloth napkin, a glass of water with a plastic sheet on top, 3 sauces, mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise,  with your dish covered by a cover to protect it. The cheesecake and sandwich were so good and amazingly made that I never wanted to finish eating it. Anyway, I finished it and looked outside our window which was ceiling to floor length with an amazing view of the buildings around it. We settled down, my mom was doing her nails for the event and watching TV while I sat on the comfy orange chair with my blanket and iPad watching my own videos. My dad was running a little late so my mom had to take me to the registration that was happening because she’s part of the Host and Hospitality team. After finally finding our way there we got to work. My mom at the desk of the donor booth while me at the side not knowing what to do with 3 teenagers from the volunteer team helping at the back. Finally, my friend came and saved me. We went to the other booth for non-donors and helped out, me finally knowing what to do until my dad came and picked me up. We went back to the room and I got ready for bed while my dad worked a bit. He was going back to our house because we forgot to bring his work clothes for the next day. So, I quickly fell asleep because I was so incredibly exhausted after working for so long.

Thursday: On Thursday there was a special program for the senior where there are singers who sing classical Marathi songs. I was helping out there after I ate breakfast and I have to say, I loved the breakfast. Even if it was all Indian food, there was a continental section which I had breakfast from. Cereal with toast and milk was what I ate. I and my mom sat down and ate and some of the other members of the Host and Hospitality team came and ate with us. We left after finishing to help out with the program. After five minutes of work, I went downstairs to help my friend, the Hospitality chair’s daughter with registration. It’s funny because I’m the co-chair’s kid and she’s the chair’s kid, and she’s only a year older than me. Anyway, I helped out with her and her friend until they closed for a lunch break. We went upstairs and went to the MAY I HELP YOU? booth our moms’ were setting up. After checking with them, we dashed off to the cafeteria without knowing it opens at 12 and not 11:30. After not being allowed in for a half-hour we waited hungrily and finally went inside. The food is so delicious there. All the food are recipes sent in people so that was even more exciting.  After lunch, I changed into a regular shirt and leggings for my dance practice on the stage. Once our practice was over my mom picked me up to go back to the hotel so I could change for the banquet. For a kid, the banquet would be boring and it was. The food was delicious, but I’m not used to old Marathi songs and it was really late at night so I started to doze off until I couldn’t due to uncomfortable posture. My dad finally took me back to the hotel where I slept to the next day.

Friday: This is the day of the opening ceremony. The Opening ceremony is what my dance classes were for. I was in the second dance, the one with the kids and I loved every moment of being on that stage. The way everyone watched me as I danced, the light bouncing off my face, the way I knew this was the last time I would do this again yet I still smiled throughout my performances, laughing and smiling like it was never going to end, and that it was real, not in dance. I was in a traditional Indian school dancing with my friends in the rain and watching the boys play cricket while we cheer them on. I loved every moment of it. I also love all the other dances. Especially the teen ones, they were so cool. I missed it by 2 years to get into them, yet I still recorded them dancing so I could practice the moves even after the event is done. The entire ceremony passed by quickly, and I changed after it ended. Me and my friend, the hospitality one, went to a program where a famous cartoonist who drew these comic strips of a character ca,e to tell us the story of it. After that, I went to his workshop, late, yet I still entered my drawing for a chance to win in only like two minutes after I came. After the workshop I helped with the MAY I HELP YOU BOOTH? with my friend and we had lunch together. I and my dad watched some of the programs and had to leave one of them early because I was in a surprise that was happening soon. After my mom picked me up and I changed into a white kurta with an orange sash around my waist with black tights underneath, we waited at the MAY I HELP YOU? booth with everyone else in the surprise. Once there was a crowd gathered after the calling, our music started and we rushed to our positions. After 1 practice round to call more people, we repeated this 4 times, excluding the practice. Twice in the same spot where we practiced and twice near a different area. After that my parents and I split up, them going to watch a play while I went to childcare for my enjoyment to be with my friends. Childcare was not what I expected, so please be reminded that childcare wasn’t the best. Later we went back to our room with aching, exhausted feet.

Saturday: On Saturday was Gaurav Yatra where everyone was wearing novaris and fetes. At the front was a sign that said Gaurav Yatra and followed by that were the younger kids all dressed up, looking so adorable. Behind them were the legim dancers. I became one of the very day they performed. Behind us was everyone else from different places, the people who were holding the flags, the dhol tasha people and more. We circled the convention center and danced a bit. When we went back inside I changed and went back to childcare. Only two of my friends were there so not as fun. I came out, had lunch with my family and helped out at the booth for a little while. I went back to childcare and my friends weren’t there yet, so I waited a little while. My dad picked me up surprisingly and asked me to help out with handing out gazras to everyone. We ran out of bobby pins when we were more than halfway through so we had to use safety pins instead. Also, the gazra were cold. After being in a cooler for so long made them freezing. Anyway, after that, I went back to childcare and my friends were there. We played together then did the contests. Jump roping and limbo. My dad picked me up and we went back to our room. Another long day of helping and aching feet.

Sunday: As soon as I woke up I started packing our stuff up. It was the last day of BMM 2019 and I was devastated. We loaded our baggage back into our cars and headed off to breakfast. The last day was about Texas. We were Cowboys and wore our famous hats that day. After breakfast, we watched the Shivaji Maharaj powada which I really wanted to be part of but couldn’t. That’s ok though. After that, the opening ceremony really began. It started with the baton passing to Charlotte, which is where BMM 2021 will be, and then with the invitation from charlotte, then the president of BMM stepping down. After that, the play started. Somewhere through the beginning, I was called backstage to finish the closing ceremony with my friends. I had no idea what to do because two of them, there were 4 at first then it expanded,  had done the dance before so learning something last minute was a bit of a challenge. We made it through and gave the closing ceremony a big kick. After that we had lunch and helped out with taking the MAY I HELP YOU? booth apart and putting everything back into storage or taking our stuff home. Once we were ready we went back to the hotel and went electric scooter riding. My mom so so tired she didn’t want to, yet it’s hard to believe that I had enough energy to stand and ride it even if my feet hurt, and my mom didn’t want to. I guess its aging.

My overall thoughts of BMM 2019 are that I loved it. That was my favorite and only BMM I’ve been to but I’m going to see charlotte’s next year. Our video invitation was already much better than their’s so I’m expecting that there’s isn’t going to be as awesome as ours. Yet you never know. I really miss it but I’m reminding myself about it every day for when I wake up after I brush and get my morning milk, I play every video of the opening ceremony on the TV to remind myself about all the things my mandal accomplished in those 4-5 days. And also so I can practice the dance moves of the other dances, just for fun. In conclusion, BMM 2019 was probably the best BMM ever; so, look out Charlotte, Dallas just set a high bar for you!!!!

Our house shifting

Rovija Khapre 0 Comment Family

We have everything moved in our new house. We are unpacking and there is still some boxes left. When I saw the house (when almost everything was shifted) it was totally a beginer but now it is almost done. We love our house, and we are going to make it look like how it looked like before in our old house.We love our home. And we are going to buy a dog soon! Yay! I wanted a cat or kittens like my friend Advita does but, my dad made me.  I met new friends and my parents said that I could have a playdate or slumber party with them. We love our new house alot and we don’t want to move out again.

Our home

Rovija Khapre 0 Comment Family ,

Our home is almost ready. The workers are just adding some touchups and it will be ready. I just can’t wait to move in my new home and I am sooooooooooooooooo excited to go and live there. My parents and I just can’t wait to go and live in our new home. My friend, Jamie is also building a house but it is not near my home but we will get to visit her sometimes. I feel happy and excited about this.I thought that there was only a few steps in making a house but now I see that there are many steps than a few.

Mumma’s business

Rovija Khapre 0 Comment Family, General Topics

My mom now works in a buisness. She works in the business called, Kumon. I go there for lessons. It is a math and reading center for kids. It helps kids when they don’t know how to do hard math problems or reading. My mom is the boss.  The boss is called an instructor. My family and I got to the center to take care of business and I get to color or draw pictures. Someday when I grow up I want to be a teacher or a kumon instructor. I feel so happy that we have our own store.