Duncan

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They say that college students are getting younger and younger these days. Apparently they really are, to the point where humans who have only been on planet earth for three years are now attending astronomy lectures. I met Duncan, age three, when I went into my astronomy professors office hours to discuss an exam when he dropped by with his mom and proceeded to give me two cookies and a kiss before he left. Already such a lady-killer! The next day to my surprise, little Duncan and his massive personality showed up in my classroom where he proceeded to sit next to me the whole lecture. To be fair, I had fresh-baked cookies with me; turns out that friendship can indeed be bought. He was the epitome of a good student during class. He raised his and asked his papa (the professor) for more goldfish, told everyone his favorite planet was mars and shared with the whole class that he thought we got the answer wrong. This kid is going places. Before class, I asked Duncan if I could interview him and he said yes, if I gave him another cookie.

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Sully: Movie Review

sully.jpg“I bet my life on it.  I’ll do it again.”

I decided to start reviewing movies and documentaries I have watched as a good space to personally reflect on the art of cinema and share with you all my thoughts on film. I love cinema. I will always love books the most, but cinema has a different kind of power in bringing the human experience together in a way that a book can not. It is no better or worse, but different with both books and film being equally important and impactful.

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The Four Agreements: Book Review

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Looking back at everyday human interactions, imagine how many times we cast spells on each other with our word. 

For those of you who know me, you know that I have always loved reading and now consider myself a certifiable bibliophile. As long as I can remember, there has always been a book with me from riding in the car to Wyoming and using a flashlight to read The Little House on the Prairie Series to spending my summer days biking to the library and checking out the maximum books allowed. I decided to add this page to my expanding site to talk about books I love and share some of the best that I think you all would enjoy and give you lots of food for thought!

The first book I am adding is The Four Agreements which is one of the most phenomenal books and I wish I could buy hundreds of copies and give them to everyone I know and come across in everyday life.

Hope you make some time to read this book! I strive not to make promises that I can’t keep, and I will promise you that this book will elevate your life and thoughts and hopefully change the way you think for the better!

-Kaila

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Looking Back: Living in Malaysia

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My wonderful Ramadan host Ibu (grandmother) teaching me how to make ketupat 

This trip was one of the primary reasons that I started this blog turned website. After returning to Malaysia and traveling Southeast Asia with my mom two summers ago..I wanted to start reflection on the past and looking towards the future.

Some of our biggest tests are often our greatest learning experiences and help define us. 

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Feel, Trust, Love: Lessons from the Past Week

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It has been a fairly wonderful past week that was filled with learning to ride a scooter…on a roof, biking up to the Boulder Falls (painful incline), some amazing rooftop dinners with friends, sunsets and sunrises and overall beautiful times with great people. Oh and then I got sick and went into full blown hibernation mode and also realised that I had two exams this week. Classic.

My favourite part of the past week was yesterday where I listened to a beautiful message about learning to

Feel, Trust and Love

especially when the world feels broken. In honour of September 11th, we will all never forget.

-Kaila

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Palisade Peach Crostata

 

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There is nothing like having good friends over for some delicious food and great conversation. Life often gets super chaotic, with everyone going a million miles an hour that its easy to forget to take time for yourself and those you love the most. My family, especially my grandma installed a love for baking in me from a very young age. One of my fondest memories is making biscotti at my grandmas house. The tradition of making many different types of cookies for the holidays and giving them to friends and family in cute christmas tins has been passed onto me and my aunt has assigned me the official role of holiday cookie baker.

Family, Food and Friends. Doesn’t get much better than that. 

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Favorite Pastime: Cooking and Baking

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I decided to add another page to my site/blog about only of my favourite topics in life! Food! Growing up with a grandma who made everything from scratch and a family that made sure I knew how to cook was such a blessing. There is something so special about being able to cook for other people and yourself. Not only does it taste better and is healthier, but it is very nurturing and a great way to relax and connect back to yourself and the world.

I have never understood people who eat to live and don’t live to eat.

I guess that there is a healthy balance between the two, but food is amazing! The myth that eating well is more expensive is so false. I plan on having a long, healthy life which means taking care of myself mentally and physically.

So here is to food. Lot’s of it.

-Kaila

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Guatemala: Service Trip

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Today I am reflecting back on a trip I took post senior year of high school. I grew up with a strong faith going to Trinity United Methodist church in Denver and had my fair amounts of doubts and questions in my own journey, but it continues to be a strong part of my life that I hope to infinitely explore. I was able to go to Guatemala for two weeks to help start  build a house for a deserving family in Chontola, a small village outside of Antigua. It was a very humbling trip that was full of hard work, a lot of fun and time spent getting to know my youth group, youth leader and parents who joined us on the trip. It was a beautiful time and I almost spent the rest of the summer there to teach in the school my church supports, but was accepted into the ambassador program that took me to Malaysia.

I honestly can’t wait to go back and continue my own service group and explore my own faith and beliefs in such a beautiful place that has a lot to give and a lot to receive.

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Naturally Cool? Or Nature is Cool?

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What a Labor Day holiday weekend it was, spend with total weirdos kicking back and enjoying all the amazing wonders of life in the wilderness. My long weekend started with a hike in the Flat Irons/NCAR area of Boulder with the ultimate homie, continued with watching CU smash CSU, a day of homework and running around Boulder and ended with a camping trip up to Nederland that will go down in the books as one fantastic weekend.

You are who you surround yourself with. I guess that makes me a nerdy weirdo. 

wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Looking Back:Costa Rica

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A electrifying and educational trip that I took the summer before my senior year of high school was to Heredia and Monteverde, Costa Rica where I lived for a month with host families and attended a spanish language school for five hours a day. Immersion is the only way to effectively learn a language and I had the best time with my host family and international friends that were also at the language school. Shoutout to my mother for forever installing my love a travel and sending me out in the world to independently explore, knowing that I would come back a better version of myself! What an amazing role model I have.

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