Breaking it down step by step so YOU can bust out the newest moves!

Stand on your left leg and put up your right leg (in the shape of an L, so that your right leg is hanging).  Then set your left leg on a table that is around hip height to you. Ex: lower kitchen counter, office desk etc..

Using your left hand for balance and support, hop with your left leg forward so that it is now in front of your arm and all your weight is shifted forward (feel a bit unbalanced but DON’T WORRY! We’ll fix it)

Now by pushing slightly off of your left leg, put your right leg (that should still be in the air) behind you and after doing so, lift your left leg up in that same position.  Continue using your left hand for balance on the table/counter.

Repeat those steps by switching and hopping your feet from left foot to right foot a few times and start to go a bit faster.  By doing this, you will realize you are doing the Dougie/jerk because you will not be moving forward, but remaining in the same place while having an awesome move all your friends want to do.

You gotta know the Stanky Leg too!

Chose a leg you are most comfortable standing on just like before and with your opposite lef that you chose, stick it out to the side of you (almost like a side lunge).  Put your hands out in front of you and start to use the leg that you are leaning on, to move around in a “circular” motion.  Add some style to it by moving up and down low to the ground so you can be the pro in this dance.

The Dougie

The Dougie is like a mix of a few of these dance moves, with a bit of free style so you can show everyone what you got.  Combine your jerk, stanky leg and your free stylin and I am sure you will be the one in the middle of that dance flo’.

1. Splash in puddles
2. Go to a movie or mall
3. Play bored games
4. Watch football
5. Curl up under a blanket to old movies
6. Mud sliding on wet hills
7. Kiss in the rain
8. Sit in a Jacuzzi
9. Bake homemade food
10. Laser tag

Recently, our beautiful sunny days have been smothered by gray clouds of rain. Shorts and slippers are stowed away and shoes and jeans are being taken out of the back corners of our closets. Although we do not have to endure freezing climates of snow, we have a different obstacle to overcome… What to do in the rain!?

From splashing in mud puddles to going on an indoor adventure, we are never too old nor is the rain ever to strong to keep us from having fun. You can’t beat the usual activities such as movies, college football, going to the mall, or reading books, but what about something a little less conventional; something more out of the ordinary to make our rainy day that much better? For example, mud sliding down the slope of any rainy golf course is not only entertaining, it is amazing! You could even try sliding down those muddy hills on an ice block, which is a favorite of many.

Bet it’s been a long time since anyone has played laser tag. In Honolulu, there is a newly opened laser tag arena right by Dole Movie Theater. Not only does it contain a really fun laser tag, but it has glow putt, cosmic bowling, and game center. It is fun for everyone of all ages.

There is something about the way rain falls on a hot Jacuzzi. As the drops of icy rain hit the top of the hot water, steam is released all around. Swimming around in the hot, while all around is cool. Nothing is better to do on a rainy afternoon.  

Rain is never a bad thing; it creates a new environment and new opportunities for many people of many ages and many interests.

A new year’s resolution is a commitment a person makes to a project or advantageously changing a habit.  The change you decide usually comes into effect as of New Years day.  Since New Years has already passed, now we all are faced with the challenge of sticking to our resolutions.

Resolutions can range from donating to charities more, or deciding to not eat any more of your mom’s famous chocolate chip cookies.  Since they are all so different, they all have different difficulty levels.  Lucky for you, there are many tips and tricks to sticking to your new year’s resolutions.  The first thing you can do is make sure you picked a realistic resolution.  Don’t choose something WAY out there.  For example if you have never run a day in your life don’t pick a resolution of running every single day of the year, because no offense, that is just not possible.  So pick a realistic resolution.

Another helpful tip to stick to your new year’s resolution is to make a Pro and Con List.  Doing this can help you remember the reasons why you are making this your new years resolution, and should help keep you inspired to stick to it.  Also, tell your friends about your resolution.  Telling your friends can help you stick to it because than they can help you out.  Extra help is always good!

One other thing that would be good to help you is to reward yourself.  Set goals about your resolution, and once you reach them come up with some kind of reward to keep you going.  Lastly, don’t forget to not give up on your resolution.  Sure it’s just a personal thing, so nobody cares if you fail it or not… but it’s important to start the year off right and this is the perfect way to do that!

First, make a list of all the people you need to go shopping for.  You don’t want to forget anyone so make sure you check it twice.  Next, put the amount of money you will spend for that person next to their name.  After that figure out how you are going to buy all these fabulous goodies, either from your savings or by asking mom and dad.  Now that you have your list and money, it’s time to shop.   

The best days to go shopping are two weeks before Christmas.  This will give time for the crowds to settle down a little bit from Thanksgiving sales.   If you can, try to go shopping on a weekday.  On weekdays there are fewer people in the mall and it will also be way quicker and easier to find things.  If you want to know about sales going on check the newspaper and store advertisments or ask friends and family.  Most of the time if you ask someone about sales going on, there are usually pretty good chances they will know of some.  Also when you buy something from a store ask for a box to put it in.  It will save you time and money on gift wrapping presents.    

If you don’t want to take the time to drive to the mall or are just way too busy, try online shopping.  Sometimes the best deals are online and you might be able to get things from online are that are sold out in stores.  Amazon is a very good place to shop online.  If you buy something from Amazon you can get the present wrapped and shipped to the house of the person who you bought it for.  Since we live in Hawaii and we don’t have all the stores the mainland does, online shopping can help you buy a unique and cool present from a store that someone may never have even heard of before.         

By now some of you may be asking, what about Christmas Eve?  Is that a good day to go?  Well, Christmas Eve shopping has two sides to it.  There are very good deals, but at the same time, by the night before Christmas many presents will be sold out.  But if you’re on a budget, down to a few hours to shop, and don’t have specific things to buy, go for it!        

Hopefully now you are now educated on how to shop like a pro, and will get the best presents for everyone on your Holiday giving list.

How to make a Michael Jackson costume:  Grab an old leather jacket with some velvet pants.  You can jazz up the jacket with some glitter and safety pins.  Bust out the curly wig and the dark, big shades and you’re set to go.

How to make a Crayon Box costume:  Get a big cardboard box, big enough for you to stick your head through and have it goes down to your waste.  Cut a hole in the top for you head and some on the sides for your arms.  Put some padding by the head hole so you can rest it on your shoulders.  Next you have to make the outside of the box, get a crayon box and start coloring the cardboard to look like the crayon box.

How to make an “I’m Thinking Arby’s” costume:  Go get a plastic party headband from a dollar store.  Make sure they have springs coming out the top.  There might be some Styrofoam spiders, on the springs, but rip those off.  Then get a cereal box and glue a piece of red construction paper on it.  Trace out the Arby logo on the paper and Cut it out of the box.  Then glue it onto to springs and you’re thinking Arby’s.

How to make a Flavor Flav costume:  If you are a Vikings fan, just grab your Viking hat.  Then take some goggle sun glassed and a cape on.  Then grab a clock off the wall and put it around a chain.  Put it all together and you get the leader of Public Enemy.  To take it further add a big blinged out wine glass.

Those are just some of the great cheap ideas that there are out there. If you find that none of these ideas work out for you, there are thousands more out there on the web. I would like to thank Coolest Homemade Costumes for some of the great ideas.

First you must know a few things about your teacher; for example if you want to make Mrs. Barron happy you would be much better off smiling and enjoying class than being salty and disinterested. There are a few ways you can seek this kind of information, you can…

1. Strike up a conversation on both your free time and hers. You can begin with something simple like “Hi Mrs. Trout, I noticed you have a poster of Dr. House on your wall…do you watch the show?” Then as your conversation progresses you will undoubtedly learn something fun about your teacher.
2. Ask your friends, chances are someone you hang around with knows something about your teacher that you don’t.
3. Watch them from their windows…NOT! Don’t do that! They will think you’re creepy! You’re much better off with sticking to the first two.

Here is a list of a few simple “likes” of your English teachers:

• Barron: healthy snacks, jokes (that are actually funny), smiles, excitement about English, the 49ers, and travel
• Trout: yogurt mama, witty debates, honest opinions, sense of humor
• Yoshida: sweet treats, notable excitement, people who can laugh at themselves

The next step is to understand what your English teacher wants to see in the “ideal English student”. 

The Ideal English Student

• *has an opinion about the topic being discussed (and expresses it at an appropriate time, using school safe language)
• *can make “real world connections” with the literature
• *participates
• *makes an honest effort (teachers are lie detectors and know when you’re “pretending to try”)
• *knows how to write specifically for their teacher! Believe it or not, every teacher wants you to write in a specific way which might vary greatly from teacher to teacher. You must know what she wants because there is nothing worse than a teacher who is sick of grading stacks of essays that weren’t written the way she wants.

In closing, you must remember that teachers are people too, they can’t always be happy (especially if they have to grade essays all night). Our teachers value students who make an honest effort in their studies and don’t make excuses; if you didn’t do your work, say you didn’t. They genuinely want you to succeed, so try your best. If it’s too hard, ask for help and more often than not you will do fine. You may even realize that your effort has made you an ideal student, and your English teacher just may love you.