Columns

“AHHH I DIDN’T TURN IN MY HOMEWORK!!!” I frantically texted a friend from my World History class after I realized I had forgotten to turn in an assignment on Canvas.  At the beginning of online school my sophomore year, my teachers began posting homework on Canvas instead of telling us in class. Prior to virtual […]

Whenever I think about astrology, I always envision Professor Trelawney from Harry Potter. I imagine an old, tremulous woman rambling on about crystal balls, then looking into a cup of tea leaves and telling me that I have the Grim (insert spooky voice). Professor Trelawney taught Divination, but it’s close enough to astrology, which is […]

As smoke from the Caldor and Dixie fires clouded skies and tinged sidewalks orange recently, I found myself having a coughing fit. My throat felt drier than sandpaper. Despite drinking the recommended eight glasses of water per day, my parched throat refused to be soothed. Over the week of Aug. 16, AQI levels soared above […]

The ring from the primitive work handset pierces the silence in the back of the house. I press the green button twice: once to answer the call and again to put it on speaker. I set the handset down next to my magnetic screw mat and begin to speak: “Thank you for calling uBreakiFix, what […]

It’s 2:44 a.m. on a summer night, and the house is asleep. Instead of sleeping, I’m sitting straight up in my bed, sweating, listening to the silence, feeling the growing urge to snatch the car keys and barrel down an empty freeway at illegal speeds. Or cook and eat three bowls of disrespectfully cheesy pasta […]

Entering the world after a year-long submersion in my own fantastical, isolated world has been abrasive, to say the least. After the days I spent squirreled away in my dim, warm room, my return to the white fluorescence and speed of “normal” life feels like I’m being dragged half-awake at 4 a.m. and dunked into […]

When my 5th grade self went into the Saratoga library to find my older sister Dora, I found her with her friends. Her friends took a moment to observe my appearance, and then commented, “You guys look so similar!” “No, we don’t,” we replied. At the same time. “Yeah, you do,” they retorted. We facepalmed […]

As I walked into the AMC movie theater on Aug. 6 to catch “BLACKPINK: THE MOVIE,” I was excited to see what the group had been up to in the past year. An hour and a half later, I left the theater with no regrets.  Released as a limited engagement movie on Aug. 4, “BLACKPINK: […]

It was supposed to be a pleasant family vacation: a 10-day visit to Pittsburgh, where my older brother attends college at Carnegie-Mellon University.  Flying to a side destination on our way back to California, we made our way to the last destination: Texas. Unfortunately, the unbearable 100-degree heat and stifling humidity hindered our ability to […]

As we ease into the new school year, what better way to enjoy the ride than with the finest selection of music? So, here are 10 song recommendations (from yours truly) to dance to in the hallways.    No. 10: “STAY” — The Kid LAROI, Justin Bieber Arguably the song of the summer, pop superstar Justin […]