6. Bratwurst 2025

Growl …I hear my stomach rumble as I try to ignore the fact that I skipped breakfast for the 3rd time this week. I should’ve woken up earlier , I thought to myself, looking over at my lunch and realizing I would have to wait until 1:00 PM to take a single bite of my delicious Caesar salad . Yet my growling belly couldn’t take it anymore, and I had to give in.  With a swallow of my favorite Boudin salad, I immediately felt like a new person. The refreshing crunch of the lettuce mixed in with the savory parmesan cheese, plus the crunchy croutons made out of fresh bread was a delight to munch on. I could feel my mood change as I no longer felt hungry and was able to focus on what I was supposed to be doing in class.  Nian Gao recipe from Lisa Lin It’s truly a wonder how food can change us, and the power it has over us. Food, like sleep which I wrote about in my last blog, is essential to life. I couldn’t begin to think about what would happen if I didn’t get to consume the dishe...

I have been extremely tired these past few days. In addition to the POAS Essay (which is a huge burden), almost every other class assigned me homework. With barely any sleep and barely any energy, I would normally say that I have been trudging through my day. But ironically enough, I lack so much sleep that my mind does not process that it is tired. It anticipates a nap coming up as it thinks that I have yet to sleep, so I only crash out towards the very end of school; meanwhile, I am simply just a bit tired during the morning and afternoon. Nevertheless, I have been very much stressed out these past few days, and three things have kept me sane: music, books, and YouTube. While I have not had a lot of time for the latter two, all three combined have allowed me to keep myself stable.  A metaphor for looking forward to the positives via a man looking at the sunrise.  https://facilethings.com/blog/en/how-to-lool-forward-to-everything This made me reflect upon the power of a bit o...

As a lover of watching good movies, one movie that will stay in my heart forever is a Hindi film titled Dear Zindagi . The movie follows a young woman named Kaira who deals with consistent roadblocks in her relationships. She eventually meets Dr. Jehangir Khan, or Jug, who teaches her the liberation of letting go of trauma and embracing life for its beauties. In one scene, Dr. Khan tells Kaira the story of a man who one day decided to climb Mount Everest with a group of people who did not speak his language. He kept climbing to further and further heights, despite the group’s warnings to slow down, until he comes across a snow leopard. Too far from his companions, his cries for help were mistaken for victorious cheers and the snow leopard ate the mountain climber.  I was confused when I first heard the story, but Jug later reveals the moral of the story: human beings often feel the pressure of choosing the more difficult path because we feel that the only way we can achieve great ...

The impact a truly great president can have on American and global society is remarkable. As I did the research for my Person of American Significance research paper, I couldn’t help but be amazed at the poise and maturity President John F. Kennedy (quite ironic because he was, and still is, the youngest ever elected president) displayed throughout his presidency, helping America become a more equal and powerful nation while maintaining peace and avoiding war with the Soviet Union, even during the peak of the Cold War.  President Kennedy diplomatically communicating with top Soviet officials to avoid war during the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962 . President Kennedy had the ability to transcend the politics and tensions of the time, and see the situations he dealt with at a human scale. He strongly believed in the power of diplomacy and communication, even with the nation’s targeted enemies (like the Soviet Union). Kennedy saw the Russians as humans, too. He looked above the superficial...

While volunteering for environmental causes through participating in garden clean ups, picking up trash, or doing coastal cleanups is crucial for the wellbeing of our planet, volunteering that directly impacts people is more important, in my opinion. I am not saying that taking care of the environment is not important. It is extremely necessary, especially in an age where “more frequent and intense” drought, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and warming oceans “wreak havoc” on people’s “livelihood and communities.” In fact, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2024 Annual Climate Report, the year 2024 was the warmest year since global records began in 1850 at 1.29 degrees celsius, being above the 20th century average of 13.9 degrees celsius. This value is almost 0.10 degrees celsius more than last year’s record, and the lack of action regarding such a serious issue is very concerning. However, when it comes to volunteering, fo...

  In the academically rigorous environment we live in here in the Bay Area, intellectual intelligence is valued more than ever. However, something that is equally, maybe even more important, is the power of emotional intelligence over you and the others around you. Academic intelligence is thoroughly vital to the classroom and the success of your future endeavors; something equally as true to securing your future is your mastery of being emotionally intelligent. You never want to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, or say something when it is too late to take it back. Emotional intelligence is crucial to relationships, friendships, and the stressful and sometimes harsh environments of the workplace. This type of intelligence constitutes a wide range of characteristics, including managing your own stress, diffusing conflicts, and overcoming challenges. Networking and connections is essential to securing job opportunities and makes the process much easier through your work career,...

How did humans become the most powerful species on Earth? It’s easy to attribute humanity’s dominance to superior intelligence, but early humans had other key traits that gave them key advantages.   One of the most important evolutionary traits for early humans was their lack of fur. This may seem confusing at first glance—after all, fur is generally a beneficial trait, as it allows for heat retention and adds an extra defensive layer around the body. However, a lack of fur improves temperature regulation in hot environments, which gave humans greater stamina in the warm African climate from which they originated. Greater stamina allowed for humans to practice persistence hunting , gradually wearing down prey over long distances. Another key advantage for humans was their social nature. It’s important to note that sociality does not directly correlate with intelligence. Many other species, such as ants and bees, possess low levels of intelligence, yet have systems of social organiz...

The rich govern the poor, that’s how our world has always been spinning, is it not? In our capitalist society, where money talks, having incredible wealth translates to having incredible influence and power over an incredible amount of people.  Elon Musk and Donald Trump's "bromance" However, this has led me to wonder if this direct power stemming from wealth is actually a good thing for the rest of us. Unsurprisingly, many of the ultra-wealthy individuals who have enough money to control the world around them built their financial empires in fields and industries that are completely unrelated to being a leader or guiding masses of people through society. For example, Elon Musk — especially following Trump’s election — has gained a significant amount of social, cultural, and political power because of his immense fortune and the powerful friends he made because of it. But slow down there, where did Elon get this fortune from? Didn’t he get it from PayPal, an online paymen...

I am sure none of you in the history of the world have ever been told this before, but the mind is a powerful thing. But, what I want to focus on today is the power it has to work against us, due to the events of Tuesday. I was supposed to have finished this blog hours ago during FLEX, but sadly I did not...although not because of procrastination (this time). Here I was in FLEX, ready to complete my blog and be done with it. I opened up Docs and set up MLA formatting. And then came the time to think of what I wanted to write about. I thought of a title…my mind rejected it instantly. I thought of another title and that too got rejected. Then I thou-nope…garbage…I was ashamed to have even formed the semblance of such a cliche, boring topic in my mind. This went on and on, and I ultimately put it off again and again until now, late at night. Originally, I was planning on talking about time. But after this dilemma, I knew exactly what to write about. Our minds can be our greatest critics. ...

As a young student, I was surrounded by impactful mentors who I looked up to every single \day of my life. My parents, my teachers, my piano instructor, older family friends…my early years were filled with role models who I aspired to emulate. Now, as I reflect on the qualities of leadership and people in my life that I consider to be powerful, I often find myself wondering why I continue to admire these individuals. It is not only because of their success and their drive to achieve passion and purpose in their day-to-day lives but it has mostly been because of their commitment to spread positivity and wisdom.  No matter how badly I practice, my piano teacher has always taught me with unwavering patience and encouragement. It is through her actions that I am able to see the passion that drives her and the life that she has built for herself, and there is immense power in that.  My parents both work daunting corporate positions (as I’m sure many of your parents do), which is no...

Every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday I walk into Mr. Bullington’s 1st period U.S. History class and am greeted by the energetic tunes of his Amazon Alexa. Most days, I walk into his class grumpy about my constant sleep deprivation, and mad at my dad who aggressively shakes me awake in the middle of deep-sleep (after I ignore all my 5 morning alarms). Walking into class, I’m hit by a cheery, loud shockwave of sound. Though I find it a bit jarring somedays, it never fails to snap me out of my irritable morning-state. As the class period approaches individual work-time, Mr. Bullington fills the room with more bright melodies. Though the country songs and romantic harmonies he plays often make me seriously question his music taste, his class has always had the best vibe. I’ve concluded, over time, that music influences mood. The signs are obvious. During my slight depressive era in COVID-19 , I had Spotify playing 24/7 as a distraction. I’m sure everyone has experienced that one awkward car...

When asked what my favorite thing to do is, I often say sleep of course ! Sleep is my best friend, who I think about all day, every day . Without sleep, how can I rest and rejuvenate? How can I survive?  Nowadays, sleeping less and working more has become so normalized that students and workers will hold all-nighters, where they won’t sleep at all. As someone who experienced this, when working on multiple projects, studying for exams, or just getting home late from classes, I can barely find time to prioritize the most important part of the day. Usually, I end up taking afternoon naps during my free periods or car rides. Yet, I still feel drowsy and unable to concentrate the entire day because I didn’t get enough sleep. I find that if I get less than 7 hours of sleep (which happens almost every weekday), I can’t work properly. I know many of us can relate to the feeling of slowly losing consciousness as we listen to our teachers’ lectures, as our eyes blink less and less until we...

  “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”  I have heard that saying multiple times in my life, whether it be posters in a department store or instagram advertisements. However, I have never felt the influence of absence in my life, until my mother left for India. Most say that quality time is the best way to get to know someone, a love language that many people follow. Despite all of this, I believe that the presence of absence is more powerful than the presence itself sometimes.  Human nature constitutes instant gratification; We always want what we can’t or don’t have. Despite whatever amount of gratitude we display, the heart always wants more, there is always another goal to reach. The real challenge, however, is when what we already have is gone. That is when the heart grows fonder.  My mother and I have always been close, as she has always supported me and helped me through rough periods in my life. When she was gone for 3 weeks, I thought to myself, “What was t...

I’m mainly writing this post to destress and clear my head. That being said, I’m going to be very open and vulnerable with you all.  My dad just had a medical emergency. He started showing symptoms on New Year’s Eve, and his condition rapidly deteriorated from there. He was admitted to the ER on the 8th. After being evaluated, he was transferred to another medical facility, where he is being treated.  Needless to say, I have a lot on my plate. I’m not alone; my mom and sister are working together with me to get through this. But I still feel overwhelmed.  Those of you who know me know that my dad is a professional magician, as am I. Since he is incapacitated, I must take over his events. I can handle most of them. I’ll probably have to cancel others. I don’t have the time next month to fly out to Las Vegas or New York. My mom and I must also start booking more events, as my family needs to make sure we have a steady income stream until he recovers. If he recovers. God, I ...