As restrictions from the pandemic slowly start to ease, the school created more events compared to the past couple of years, all documented here, on the Jets Flyover. Nevertheless, the constant consumption and exploration of media amongst the staff have continued since the few last year’s semi-quarantined lifestyle. Without further ado, we present the renewed Staff Pick’s list for the 2022 holiday season. 

Ricky’s Top 8 Jets Moments of the Year

DIS certainly had a fantastic 2022, with all sorts of activities returning post-COVID. I participated in various events related to sports and academics myself, and it certainly felt superb to win championships as a player and an assistant student coach. Volleyball, which I dedicated the most time to, especially held a long-lasting impact. Although it makes me sad that the upcoming semester will conclude my time at DIS, 2022 left me with numerous memorable moments that I’ll cherish for ages even after graduation. With that being said, here’s the countdown of my favorite Jets moments from 2022, with #8 ranking the best:

1. Halloween Costume Parade
2. High School Prom
3. High School Student Council Winter Party
4. SKAC Elementary Girls Futsal Championship
5. SKAC Middle School Boys Futsal Championship 
6. SKAC Model United Nations
7. SAAC Family Fun Night
8. SKAC High School Boys Volleyball Championship

Dylan’s Top 5 Places I Want to Visit in 2023

I used to relish traveling to new places before COVID, but the pandemic prevented me from exploring the rest of the world for several years at this point. Taking a break away from all your stress and responsibilities by visiting various countries can be a life-changing experience. As countries start to lift COVID regulations, many people will go back to traveling, and 2023 could rise as the year of tourism. So, here are my top-five tourist destinations that I deem worthy tourist destinations.

1. Paris, France
   • A redesign of The Eiffel Tower Park will take place in 2023. I picture myself there, in the serene atmosphere, walking with my headphones on during the middle of the day, enjoying the renewed view. It would be wonderful to daydream and doze off into space with nothing on my mind. Having a picnic at the park also sounds like a great idea!
2. Hawaii, U.S.A.
   • I just want to go to the beach and enjoy snorkeling, surfing, and swimming. Then, when I feel tired, I could lie on the sand and watch the sunset with palm trees in my view. Sounds cliche, I know, but nevertheless, it’s absolutely worth it.
3. Sapporo, Japan
   • When winter arrives, all I think about is snow; but, unfortunately, Daegu lacks white every winter. Sapporo has more than enough, though. Just imagine drinking hot chocolate outside in the snow, surrounded by the gorgeous (almost Ghibli) view. This winter wonderland awaits only 1500 kilometers away from Daegu.
4. Bangkok, Thailand
   • I take great pleasure in eating, and I love Thai food. With winter arriving, I kind of miss the warm weather as well – and, Bangkok seems perfect for both of my needs. The thought of taking walks to night markets, buying Thai food to gobble, and going to beautiful temples makes me wish that I could go there right this moment.
5. Zimbabwe
   • I’m an animal lover. I could check off ‘going on a safari tour’ from my bucket list if I just went to Zimbabwe. With beautiful, open plains and eye-catching animals, it’s a real-life nature documentary. Another renowned tourist spot, Victoria Falls, also enthralls me. The beautiful scenery of Zimbabwe will make you forget about home in no time!

Jane’s Top 10 Netflix & Cozy Movies

With winter arriving, everything seems dead and cold, but the idea of Christmas and snow makes all the emptiness melt away. So, I’m going to share my top ten list of Christmas movies that suit this freezing time of year. Some of them will make you feel warm inside with cozy and romantic plots, while others fit perfectly with the chilly atmosphere outside (why not enjoy this weather even more by bringing it into your room?). Happy Holidays!

1. Moonlit Winter 
2. Carol 
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 
4. Serendipity 
5. Il Mare 
6. Josee, the Tiger, and the Fish  
7. The Decision to Leave 
8. On the Beach Night Alone 
9. Suite Francaise 
10. Mood Indigo

Catherine’s Top 5 Winter Book Recommendations

I’ve always loved reading, but this year, I discovered that I’m absolutely obsessed with a certain genre of books – dark philosophical mysteries. What other genre could possibly sends chills down your spine better than a book about a group of intelligent and attractive friends committing morally gray activities? “The Secret History”, a fiction published in 1992, follows a group of college students who study Ancient Greek, and portrays the spiritual revelation they experience on a certain bloody winter day. Of course, less grotesque topics were on my coffee table as well: a beautiful poetic story about students looking for freedom (Dead Poets Society), a contemplation on soul, faith, and the human mind (Demian), or even an action packed thriller about rebellious superhumans (Vicious). Hopefully, you can cozy-up this winter by picking up one of these books that will help you stare into your own soul. 

1. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
2. Vicious by V.E.Schwab
3. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke 
4. Dead Poets Society by Tom Schulman 
5. Demian by Hermann Hesse

Helen’s Top 5 Old But New Discoveries in Music

No words exist in the English language that can possibly encompass how much I love music. It gets my body moving, helps consolidate my memories, and allows me to empathize with the messages in the lyrics. I enjoy not only the new releases of 2022, but also find old school albums comforting. So, as the year ends, I want to share top five old bands that were new to me in 2022; just so you know, it was really hard to filter it down to only five. My friends introduced me to some of them, and I found others when I went digging through crates of vinyl records. Thanks to these old artists, 2022-Helen changed her tune. By the way, if you only have time for one, check out The Smashing Pumpkins’ timeless album ‘Siamese Dream’ from 1993. 

1. 빛과 소금 The Light and the Sun
2. The Smashing Pumpkins
3. Pete Rock
4. Belle and Sebastian
5. Kings of Convenience

Serena’s Top 10 Personal Favorite K-pop Songs in 2022

Ever since childhood, K-pop rose to the top as a prevalent part of my culture. I fell in love with the flamboyant costumes and dance moves of signature title songs, and the touching melodies and lyrics of b-side tracks. Nowadays, because of global fans, K-pop became a major trend, with an artist even performing at the World Cup. Just like every year, 2022 brought light to various new groups like IVE, NewJeans, LESSERAFIM, Aespa, and (G)I-dle, who embellished this year as the epoch of the K-pop evolution. Here are the top ten songs of 2022 that will entice you to fall in love with my favorite genre of music. 

1. Youth by Kihyun of MONSTA X
2. Smiley by Yena
3. Polaroid Love by ENHYPHEN
4. Never Goodbye by NCTdream
5. Love Dive by IVE
6. Touch by NCT127
7. The First Snow by EXO 
8. Spring Snow by Pentagon
9. Try again by Jaehyun of NCT
10. Alcohol-Free by Twice

Jade’s Top 5 Productivity Apps

Senior year has been hectic, and a schedule or a simple to-do list wasn’t enough to stay on top of my tasks. Luckily, we live in the digital era where we track productivity and receive assistance through numerous apps. Here are my top five picks that could boost your workflow into 2023.

1. Notion
   • You may have heard of this popular app – almost every productivity YouTuber uses Notion. This app is a digital organizing tool that replaces your bulky planner. Although Notion’s blank starting page may not be the most user-friendly, once you invest some time into learning how to use it, it can easily become your best friend. I track everything here: from my AP classes, simple to-do lists, study playlists from my Spotify, and to even a cleaning schedule. The best part? Notion is free!
2. Forest
   • I’ve been using this tried-and-true app since middle school. The idea is simple: You time yourself to complete a certain task. During that time, you can select a tree to plant in your digital “forest.” When the time is up, a tree is planted in your forest as a reward. If you choose to give up halfway through your task, or if you procrastinate on social media while your timer is ticking, your tree dies. A shrub is planted in your forest as a reminder of your attempt at building productivity. More importantly, with a premium account, you can plant a real tree in the company’s actual forest. The more you’re productive, the more trees you can plant!
3. LifeAt Spaces
   • Have you ever had a situation where you can’t go outside? Maybe you’re feeling a bit under the weather or maybe it’s pouring outside. Whatever the case may be, you can simulate your ideal study space through LifeAt Spaces, a digital virtual tool. After selecting an ideal environment, you can adjust the settings for white noise, if you choose to have any. Whenever I wanted to change up my studying environment, I switched from well-known libraries to even the Slytherin common room.
4. 열정 품은 타이머 (Yeolpumta – Passionate Timer)
   • This app might be familiar to you if you have any productive or academically ambitious friends in a Korean school. I wouldn’t recommend this to boost your everyday productivity, but rather, to help you keep accountable when you’re in a rut. 열품타 displays the students with the most streaks – the more you study during the day, the higher your streak goes. The overall goal is to get the highest streak within a study group you belong to. The only downside? Personally, I find this only effective during AP exam season, when you have no choice but to study for long hours each day. On a day-to-day basis, 열품타 can seem overwhelming, as some users study for up to 20 hours!
5. Google Calendar
   • Yes, this is basic. But you would be surprised to see that a majority of high school students have no idea how effective this platform can be – it isn’t just a digital calendar, but it’s your entire 24 hours displayed visually. We all have the same amount of hours given in a day. With extracurriculars, tests, academies, and other responsibilities we face in our lives, it could be overwhelming to plan out where and when to study, and for how long. Time blocking helps to organize your day effectively, especially if you have a jam-packed schedule. Simply switch your calendar settings to “week” or “day” mode, and you can see your busy life down to each minute at a simple glance.

Elizabeth’s Top 5 Baked Goods

The action of whisking eggs, measuring flour, and softening room-temperature butter produces a certain calming effect for my mind. I first began baking as an elementary student, but recently, I picked up this particular hobby again. Coupled with academic stress and the approaching dread of college applications, I needed a way to relieve my pent-up anxiety. Plus, it never hurts to satiate my sweet tooth as an added bonus. With YouTube tutorials as my teachers, I delved deeper into the world of amateur baking. I present some of my favorite recipes that I recreated throughout the past few months.

1. Gingerbread house (Go to Jet Stream and take a look at the video that Jane and I made!)
2. Crack cookies (Editor’s note: and no, we’re not substituting flour for another substan…ce…)
3. Crinkle cookies
4. Banana bread
5. Apple pie

Grace’s Top 5 Creative Advent Calendars of 2022

An advent calendar provides a great way to add some extra fun to your Christmas countdown. Though Korean culture doesn’t publicize it much, other people around the world enjoy giving themselves one treat per day, counting down the days till Christmas. A classic advent calendar contains chocolates, candies, and all kinds of sweets in each container, but the little gifts inside the calendars grow more and more creative, depending on the brand’s products and image. With NASA’s 15 Days of Socks advent calendar, for example, you receive 15 new pairs by Christmas morning, and with Williams Sonoma’s 24 Days of Baking Cookies, you amass a whole collection of different baking tools for Christmas!

1. NASA – 15 Days of Socks Advent Calendar
2. Williams Sonoma – Holiday Advent Calendar: 24 Days of Baking Cookies
3. Bonne Maman – Jam Advent Calendar
4. Astrid & Miyu – 12-Day Earring Advent Calendar
5. Beanbox – 12 Mornings of Coffee

Luna’s Top 5 Concept Albums of 2022

A good story and some music feel better than endlessly scrolling through social media. In a way, concept albums are two-in-one. Here are five of my favorites that led me through 2022, each featuring a cycle of songs that introduce various themes. 

5. Hope by Klaatu 

Politzania, a planet besides our own, is introduced in Klaatu’s concept album, Hope. Eight songs collectively tell the story of Politzania, right from its establishment to its downfall. The antagonist who soon demolishes Politzania finds himself isolated in space with just a lighthouse, and he dreams of hope. That – the idea that all is lost if one abandons hope – came to me as the first message I could genuinely reflect on. Klaatu personally struck a chord with their last lyric, and since then, I have been revisiting Politzania frequently.

4. The Wall by Pink Floyd

In this concept album, Pink Floyd shares the story of an individual’s life that can be related to society. It illustrates the pressures of life, and how “Pink,” the main character, gets by – he builds up a wall within himself, taking every one of the obstacles in his life to be individual bricks. Though he had once meant to protect himself with the walls, now secluded from the “correct” sides of justice, he eventually falls into an emotionally tormenting cycle of hate and destruction. At the climax, in which Pink was forced to break down each one of his walls, I felt that though now he would be able to see the world for which it was, Pink would not be able to survive anymore, as the world within the walls is all that he knows. 

3. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie 

Bowie unravels an interesting story of an alien named Stardust who has come to save Earth from destruction. However, as the alien becomes a rockstar, he starts forgetting his original purpose in existence and starts to enjoy his life caught up in vanity and women. I felt that the way the critical message was first told and then evaded – or eventually lost – mirrored the life of how we, as individuals who are able to think for ourselves, are easily susceptible to great change. From the sadness that may first be felt upon the news of the Earth’s extinction, to the good riddance of a foreigner once a savior, this album allowed me to think about the critical message Bowie had in store. 

2. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles 

The jam-packed album cover of multiple celebrities and icons contrasting with each song revealing the Beatles’ members one by one is interesting, to say the least. More than a final message, though, I felt that by telling simplistic, individual stories, they were making us look deeper because we tend to believe there is more meaning to things than there really is. The upbeat music and the somewhat colorful but also disorganized album cover represents the overall mood of the songs and the stories the Beatles have to tell. 

1. Heaven and Hell by Vangelis 

Another concept album I would like to present is “Heaven and Hell” by Vangelis. Divided into two parts – heaven and hell – both concepts tell the story of men. The instrumental pieces, each symbolizing heaven and hell, show how different the two settings are, but the similar styles of construction serve as reminders of how alike the two may be. I personally enjoyed the pieces of these concept albums because rather than telling a story or a message, they seemed to describe a location I could picture in my mind without using any direct adjectives or descriptive words to do so – music in the form that I would not encounter normally. 

Sarah’s Top 5 Comfy Clothes for Senior Fridays

If you know me, I always wear comfy clothes on Fridays, especially on the days I have P.E. in the morning. Most of the time, I prefer oversized hoodies and jogger pants, occasionally paired with fitted tops, just to step out of my comfort zone. Before I get ahead of myself, I would like to personally recommend my current favorite hoodie, which is from a brand called Sculptor. Not only does it have a simple design, but it also has fleece that makes you warm and cozy in no time. I’ll include 4 more cozy choices on this list.

1. Sculptor – Flocking Symbol Logo Hoodie
2. FRRW – Slim Rib Cardigan
3. Wooalong – Signature Jogger Pants
4. Nike – Revolution 6 Next Nature
5. Converse – Chuck 70 Classic