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...