5. Tortellini 2025

https://tenor.com/search/shocked-guy-gifs One of the top five worst feelings that exist has to be that feeling of realizing you forgot to do something important. It always comes at the worst times, potentially ruining a great day or making an already bad day worse. It’s something so horrible that I would never wish it upon my worst enemy. Everything about it feels disgusting, from the sudden drop in your stomach to the freshly born anxiety, taking its first steps in your worried mind. And to make matters worse, there’s often nothing you can do about it. It is almost always too late to stop the oncoming train wreck that is the aftermath of the whole ordeal. It gets to the point of almost feeling physically painful, and yet the only thing left to do is wait for the oncoming storm of consequences. This feeling can stem from the most random of occurrences, from something as minuscule as realizing I forgot my speedo when I’m already halfway to practice or as major as forgetting to turn in a...

I was in eighth grade when my sister was a high school junior. I was oblivious to high school life or stereotypes of high school—cliques, stress, academic pressure, and so forth. But watching from where I was, how my sister experienced everything so easily, it seemed great. She never really complained or at least didn't show how difficult it might have been. So, I went into high school with this overblown confidence, thinking, how bad could it be? Then I met Crystal during my freshman year. Her locker was right next to mine, and since I lack the ability to shut up, we hit it off pretty quickly. Crystal was just the opposite of what I thought high school would be. She was always complaining about how much homework, how stressed she was, and how everything was impossible. I thought she was being dramatic initially. I mean, it couldn't be that bad. I remained in my bubble of denial for a while, thinking that I would simply glide through the year like my sister. I was wrong. So, so...

  I have to say, after hearing all the warnings, screaming, and sobbing about 11th grade being the worst high school experience since forever, I totally agree. I came into this year thinking, hmm it can’t be that bad. Oho. It was that bad.  A little cheesy for a last blog topic, but honestly I feel like an overview of the year is a perfect way to end off. I am writing this the day before our AP English Language exam to get some sort of writing in my circulation, and the reality hasn’t quite set in yet. It’s crazy to me how we can spend an entire year preparing for one make it or break it test. I just know that whatever happens, I really don’t regret taking this class. Sure, it cost me years of sleep and gave me enough stress for a lifetime, but I really loved this class (as tedious as everything was).  I really can’t believe that just last year, I was crashing out over memorizing some dumb monologue, or that my biggest academic concern was having a B-. It’s a little hur...

Wow. I truly can’t believe that it’s already the end of junior year. I had heard so much about junior year from all kinds of different people on how hard and stressful and important it was and honestly, they couldn’t be more right! However, I never really expected the year to fly by this fast, to me it feels like it’s still first semester. It’s almost funny for me to remember how much I used to crash out for English assignments and the stress they gave me(especially for the articles and images that we had to annotate). I remember thinking about all the assignments I had to do every week from this class and, at the time, I thought it wasn’t fair, but now I think it kind of was. I think it’s safe to say that despite the many assignments we have received throughout the school year, they inevitably have helped us during the AP exam and will continue to help us as we go into college.  However, as tiring the year might have seemed, it is important to keep in mind that everything we’ve do...

https://www.freepik.com/premium-vector/illustration-cartoon-grandparents-grandchildren-standing-holding-hands-park-happy-grandparents-day-concept_11251285.htm When I look back at my childhood, the first things that come to mind aren’t flashy birthday parties or fun sleepovers with my friends; they are fond memories of my grandparents, who took care of me almost while my parents went to work. Almost every day, they would prepare meals, take me out on walks to the local playgrounds, play various board games, and even secretly sneak a little bit of delicious snacks my parents did not allow. They were not just babysitters; they were my constant companions, teachers, secret-keepers, and practically my second set of guardians. I was raised, in many ways, by my grandparents, and now, as I grow older, I understand just how much that has shaped me. When I first started school, I attended Brookvale for transitional kindergarten, as I was born after the cut-off date. Since school would only last ...

A couple weeks ago I watched a movie called Arrival , and it completely changed my idea of how language works not just to communicate but also to shape how we think and how we remember how we decide how we do anything in life. It's a movie directed by Dennis Venezuela and it is based on Ted Chinghan's “”story of your life,” The movie really focused on linguistics, Dr Lewis who is called upon to analyze an alien language after a mysterious spaceship or a pod lands on Earth out of nowhere one day.  At first I just expected this movie to be like any other alien movie with a decent amount of suspense and explosion but this movie really surprised me. It's very calm, quiet and haunting with a lot of suspense. It's really about humans versus aliens and their differences. Lewis learned that the alien language does not follow a linear timeline but its circular which changes the way they think and even how they experience memories.  This movie really made me think about how we r...

Image Credit: https://thediscoverer.columbus.edu.co/news/high-school/ap-english-language-and-composition-class-review/ When we think of memory, we often think long-term—the formative experiences which have shaped us, the joys that remind us why life is worth living, the mistakes we refuse to retread. But it is short-term memory that carries us through AP season.  Long-term memory is stronger than short-term memory, so the common advice is not to cram, but of course, we cram anyway. We may wish that we studied more or even spent a little while longer reviewing this one concept that unexpectedly appeared on the exam, but we cannot change the past.  All we can do is try to remember the concepts, the key terms, the rubrics. We overthink if we have time, simply panic if we don’t, and hope all the stress comes to something. And then we leave, relieved to be done. One exam down. Over the coming weeks, we will forget.  Upon checking scores this summer, we will remember again....

  Birthdays have always been a special time for me. Since my first birthday, my parents have gone above and beyond to make the day the best it can be. The earliest I can remember is my second birthday celebrated in Chicago at Jumps and Jiggles (their version of Pump It Up) with my other two year old friends. Even though I can barely remember what happened myself, the videos I see now are a great reminder of the fun that my parents enabled me to have. The most recent birthday I celebrated was my seventeenth birthday in Dubai. The day of, my family and I went to a waterpark which is one of my favorite places just because it's a more fun version of a regular amusement park. After that, we met my dad's old college friend's family and I made my first international friend: their daughter who is also named Ruhi. Apart from this one day, the overall experience of being in Dubai made it my favorite vacation place I have ever been in because of how exciting and adventurous every sin...