Tumbling Along

When one spends too much time horizontally, concepts of "up" and "down" shift. After a certain point, I decided that if I was going to have my feet level with my head 90% of the time, better to do some of that outdoors. That's how I ended up laying in an empty soccer field for …

Super Blue Blood Moon

Everything seems wrong this week. My mom is in the hospital, I'm only registered for two classes, and Jet's adoption seems as out of reach as ever. My days have been chaotic and tearful, and despite my best attempts at remaining positive, I feel a bit like Job, sitting among the ashes. I need to …

“Je suis…” A Note on Identity

This semester I took a leap and started a brand new language. Français. I already know how to exchange greetings, talk about going to class, and I know how to express the different genres of books and movies. Today I said in class, "Je suis chinoise et americaine." Why is this a big deal (for …

Thoughts on Turning 18

Today is special because it is a celebration of growing up. It’s a day of thankfulness and gratitude, to my parents, to life, and to knowledge. Today I am publishing this because I have spent eighteen years in the universe that we call existence. Sometimes I look around and wonder, what sort of world is this that my parents …

The Classification and Taxonomy of Life (+Amphibians & Reptiles)

This is more interesting than it sounds, I swear! Okay, first for some definitions. Taxonomy is the science of naming organisms based on one set of criteria. Classification is the sorting of a variety of items into manageable groups. And systematics is the arrangement of groups based on status/taxon in this case. So it's likely …

Passive female figures in Chekhov’s “The Darling”, “Anyuta”, and “A Gentleman Friend”

Known for his ability to recreate Russian life succinctly through representative anecdotes, Anton Chekhov creates female protagonists who uphold morals and expose flaws of Russian society through silent suffering and endurance. Due to their honesty and innocent malleability, these females are wronged and exploited as marginalized members of society. Olenka, Anyuta, and Vanda, from “The …

Fangirl Apologetics (♂♀) – Open Letter

Dear All, The term "fangirl" gets a bad rap because it conjures up images of cooing hordes of women too old for their obsession. Teenagers hanging up posters of Justin Bieber and One Direction in their bedrooms. Wannabes writing less-than-stellar fan fictions. Immaturity. Hysterics. Dreaminess and idealism. As with all stereotypes, there is some truth in that. But like the others, there can be so much more. If you know me, you will know that I am a huge nerd about many things. From Harry Potter, Star Wars, and DC/Marvel superheroes, to string quartets, Shakespeare, Johnny Depp, and musical theatre, I've had many "phases", but I never look upon them as that way, not even in retrospect. So in short, here's my statement defending the legitimacy of all the fandoms that I belong in.

Original Poem: Automobile

I. Nausea. You can’t take it Anymore. It starts again and Stops. Just as suddenly Lurching spinal cord forward And back again. Your cosmos Is disorientated. Stars and planets Stopping. And thrown back into motion. Right in the backseat of the car. You currently are living. You currently are in the car. So You currently …

Time for Brain Myelination (Or, Why Learn)

If only one could transcend physical limits! I’m the one who must live inside my own body, but from where do I end and begin? Is my skin and senses my boundary or my membrane from which to gather and spread my presence through? These parts of myself that I find in places and people …

The Importance of Culture

It has always been in human nature to desire to know where we come from and our place in the universe. Culture, though less profound than explaining the big bang or evolution, provides at least a concrete acknowledgement of our place among other societies and a sure identity for a people distinct to that of …