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Singer-songwriter Lana del Rey’s musical world has always portrayed fantasies set in past eras. Her most iconic albums, the baroque pop “Born to Die” and the cinematic “Ultraviolence,” are bathed in the longing glows of Americana motifs and the tragic glamor of bad boys and sad girls. Her own experiences were previously conveyed solely through […]

While some people have a go-to friend, hobby or workout for when they feel stressed or anxious, I have a go-to word: cheese. Unfortunately, I’ve recently realized, after deep contemplation, that my go-to word might be secretly plotting to take over my mind.  I’ve had a long history with cheese. Just look at my Facebook […]

The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and with it comes the annual flood of pop singers releasing covers of classic Christmas songs. While there are some wildly successful and iconic Christmas albums like Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” and Mariah Carey’s “Merry Christmas,” most holiday releases simply add to the indistinguishable clutter of overdone Christmas carols. […]

Most teens spend their Friday nights with friends, but not me. On a typical evening, you can find me seated comfortably in front of the TV, eating scrumptious brownies and watching the classic British series “Downton Abbey” with my grandparents, sisters and mom.  When my mom initially recommended the show this summer, I had low […]

Dosas. Indi. Sambar. Lassi.  Welcome to my family’s annual “Indian Thanksgiving”: a conglomeration of various Indian dishes assembled to resemble a traditional American Thanksgiving meal. Indian Thanksgiving started when my aunt, uncle and cousins moved from Chicago to the Bay Area and wanted to spend time with family. Thanksgiving offered a great opportunity to get […]

On a recent Saturday afternoon, I swung open the Los Gatos Swim and Racquet Club gym door to a chaotic scene of weights clanging, unnecessarily loud lifting grunts and worst of all, the most obnoxious music blasting through the gym speakers. As I rummaged through my bag, something was missing: my AirPods. I sighed — […]

Ah, that magical first bite of a new cereal, so many secrets to be discovered, so many new experiences just waiting inside that cardboard box. However, there are some that will put a hop into your step and others who will make you want to throw up. Here are our opinions on a few cereals […]

Picture this: You’re scrolling through Instagram on a Friday night, getting ready for a 10-hour snooze and a restful weekend. Suddenly, you shudder — flashbacks from when you stuttered in your English presentation invade your peaceful mind.  Night ruined. We’ve all had these thoughts before. It’s like our brain is constantly searching for embarrassing events […]

When consumers contemplate buying a new computer, they face a barrage of questions that ultimately boil down to whether they want a PC or Mac.  The advantages and drawbacks of both are clear. Windows has a broader variety of software available and more customizability while suffering from a more challenging graphical interface. Meanwhile, macOS offers […]

My process of taking class notes looks like this: I skim the presentation or whiteboard quickly, copy the words onto my paper, then proceed to blank out for the next five minutes as the teacher explains bullet points and key terms. No thoughts, head empty.  But recently, I decided to spice up my notes and […]