Boba, or tapioca pearls, are little balls of tapioca. You can find them as toppings for ice-cream, or at the bottom of your tea. It was invented in 1988 by Lin Hsiu Hui, the product development manager at the Chun Shui Tang Teahouse in Tai Chung, Taiwan. At a business meeting, Chun poured tapioca into his drink, and people noticed. It then became the franchise’s top selling product. It’s mostly sold in cold drinks, giving your cold drink a soft chewy surprise. The tapioca pearls can come in black, transparent, white, and assorted pastel colors. The most original is black.

What you need:

dried tapioca pearls
water

Equipment:

Pot
Bowl for holding the cooked boba
Measuring cups

Strainer

 

Instructions:    Cook the Boba: Measure 5 cups of water for every 1/2 cup of boba being prepared into a pot. Bring the water to a boil. Add the boba and stir gently until they begin floating to the top of the water and are plump.
Turn the heat to medium and cover the pot for 5 mins. Strain, transfer to a bowl and let cool.

We all laughed and screamed as we piled into Maelees black jeep, honking the horn as we drove further and further from the sleeping, tanning, Dani. She looked up and ran full speed behind us. We slowed down and let her in, everyone still laughing. Maelee checked the time, as we had to be back before 5, to sneakily put the car back and brush all the sand out, for Maelee was 15 and only had her permit. We pulled into the little cul-de-sac singing songs that were bursting from the cars speakers.

We ran into her house and sat on the long couch, flipping the tv on, acting nonchalant. Janel read the time out, 5:01. We watched Kelly Osbourne give her opinion on the red carpet outfits. Maelee’s mom walked into the house, with Max following her. “You all smell like you need a shower,” he proudly announced. We all laughed and announced we were going to the neighbors. We walked over to Maelee’s neighbors, who conveniently, were out of town. They were house sitting, but Angelina had the idea to be “pool sitting” instead. We all jumped into the crystal clear water, making the sunset that one reflected on the water, a mix of purples and oranges and pinks in the rippling water.

We swam until Dani started to scream like someone had murdered her. She ran out to the pool, bloodied and crying. I looked up at her leg, cut open. She screamed that someone was in the house, not just us. All the girls ran out of the pool and started to run towards the gate to leave. I hoisted Dani over my shoulder as she wobbled out. As we ran out of the place Maelee slipped on the cement, but pushed herself back up, and kept running. We went into Maelee’s house, as Janel kept running and running down the street. We yelled for her, but she wouldn’t come back.

We went up to Maelees bathroom and I helped both of their wounds and we went into her room. Then we all went to bed, wondering what would happen the next day. The next morning we woke up and went to the beach. We were walking along all peacefully, but then we saw him. The guy from before was walking towards us. When would it stop?

“Hello? Helllo? C-can you hear me?” Lana Del Rey’s almost four minute song, “Without you” is a symbolic melody about her love for a boy who is bad for her. Her use of metaphors and imagery throughout the song makes it meaningful and interesting.

The first stanza is “Everything I want I have: money, notoriety and rivieras. I even think I found god In the flash bulbs of the pretty cameras, pretty cameras, pretty cameras. Am I glamorous? Tell me am I glamorous?” What she’s saying is that she’s satisfied with her life, and the glamour of being a celebrity.

The following chours is: “Hello? Hello? C-can you hear me? I can be your china doll If you want to see me fall. Boy, you’re so dope, your love is deadly. Tell me life is beautiful, they all think I have it all. I’m nothing without you. All my dreams and all the lights mean Nothing without you.” By comparing herself to a china doll, the metaphor she’s trying to get across is that she would change for the person she loves, even if they’re bad for her. She also is saying that she’s fragile and will break easily. She also says that everyone thinks she “has it all”, but she disagrees, because if she can’t have him, she has nothing.

The next stanza is “Summertime is nice and hot, And my life is sweet like vanilla is. Gold and silver line my heart but burned into my brain are these stolen images, stolen images, baby, stolen images. Can you picture it, babe, the life we could’ve lived?” In this stanza she uses a metaphor, by comparing her life to sweet vanilla, meaning that everything was smooth sailing and easy. Then she continues to say that the pictures in her brain of the future were “stolen” because when they broke up, those images of the future were no longer there and he “took” them.

After the chorus is sung again, the third stanza is “We were two kids, just tryin’ to get out, Live on the dark side of the American dream. We would dance all night, play our music loud, when we grew up, nothing was what it seemed.” She is trying to say that they were young and innocent, trying to live freely and have fun, but when they grew out of that phase everything was different. The chorus hooks again and then the song is over.

Lana’s use of metaphors and imagery throughout the song makes it meaningful and interesting. The song stands for her love for something that she knows is bad for her. It’s important because that happens often and its a song that young girls can relate to. Her aesthetic is usually singing about love, but I think this song stands out because it’s her saying that his “love is deadly,” and shes acknowledging that his love isn’t what it seemed.

The bright lights of the city glimmer in my eyes
I look at the signs as the neon light makes my face blue
Walking around as the people pass me bumping shoulders
Breaking my neck looking up at the tall buildings

The sun beats down on the top of my head
I walk as my fingers brush the tops of the tall grass
Walking around aimlessly in complete silence
Breaking my back bending down to pick flowers

The wet grass tickles the bottom of my feet
I hum a pleasant tune as the tree sways
Walking around as the birds chirp in the distance
Breaking my knees climbing the huge tree

Be silent
Observe
Take life in

This picture depicts “The Great Leap.” The Great Leap Forward was when Mao Zedong wanted to get rid of all the old ways and industrialize China. When everything started to be industrialized, there was no one to plant and harvest, which caused a famine. I drew Chinese citizens jumping off a cliff falling into their deaths, and Mao in the back laughing.

This picture is of young intellegent Chinese citizens farming. Mao sent young kids to work in the farm, depicting the communist idea of everyone being the same. This picture is of people with their arms up holding cameras, and a gun preparing to shoot them. This picture depicts the restriction of freedom in China.

This is the scrap book I made for history class. It’s from the perspective of a teenage girl that was separated from her boyfriend during the time the wall was up. The wall symbolized separation and heartache for her. 

A little flower
Floats down the stream
Splashing against the wave
Washing away the hate

It glows late at night
When you laugh at the dinner table
It blooms in the morning
When you play with your dogs

It becomes vibrant
When you receive that text
It grows
When you finally solve those problems

Don’t let the petals fall off
By wasting your time being sad
Don’t let the flower droop
By being mad

Cold and cool water
At the tips of my fingers
Nature surrounds me

Palm trees in the breeze
The meter is at ninety
The sweat will drop down

Lush and green meadows
As far as the eye can see
The breeze surrounds me

Under the ocean
A big wave rushes over
It takes me away

The bright sun glistens
Emitting light over me
Then I go under

Breathing the fresh air
Salt water in my long hair
No worries near