I spent some time watching Olivia Jade Giannulli’s Vlogs.  I watched her spend ten minutes humble-bragging about expensive Christmas gifts. I skipped through her travels to Fiji, which served as a destination backdrop for trying on outfits. I listened as she wandered the USC campus, asking a friend when class was done, so she could […]

There’s something amazing about exploring a new city for the first time and experiencing an array of new sights, smell, and sounds. Eating new foods, picking up words from a foreign language, and experiencing a different culture. And it’s even more amazing to be alone while doing it. Not being tied to another person’s likes, […]

Some mornings, I wake up an hour earlier in order to reserve extra time to cake my face. A process I enjoy thoroughly. I sculpt my face, highlighting features, and concealing features I dislike. Some days I can’t drag myself out of bed early enough to dress my face, at all. On those days, it’s […]

“I always filter my water. All of the water around NYC is dirty, so you know our [tap] water is too.” —NYC Resident New York City residents have a lot of different feelings and opinions about their tap water. The wide range of impressions leaves one to wonder whether or not NYC tap water is […]

  If you’ve ever read To Kill a Mockingbird, you likely have some strong opinions. The 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee is one of the most popular American novels of all time, as well as one of the most divisive and controversial. Many of us first read To Kill a Mockingbird in middle school […]

  Let’s get rid of Women’s History Month. It’s unnecessary and only furthers the marginalization of women. Instead of trying to shove every single contribution that women have made into a mere 31 days, we should be focusing on the achievements of women all year round. I believe that designating a single month to teach […]

  In a vacuum, the film Green Book is as innocuous as they come. It’s a “buddy movie.” You know the one. Opposites attract when immovable forces bring them together. Your heart will be warmed. It’s supposed to. A sense of amity will suffuse you. You might cry. That’s okay, it happens to the best. […]

  Vampire Weekend has been gone for awhile. A while, I say, as though it’s been more than half a decade… And that’s because it has. After six years they’re finally coming back with new music. However, today’s review isn’t concerned with that. Instead, we’re going to go back six years and see what all […]

The lemon tree outside my bedroom window bursts with canary yellow jewels. I sit in my room, phone camera in hand, observing energetic exchanges between the citrus blossoms and the hummingbirds. Two birds dart and hover next to a branch before dipping into a generous flower bud.  Together they weave intricate processes that give life […]

I have a strong relationship with my younger siblings. Partially because I had to raise them. Which is a common responsibility for an older child in an immigrant family, the health of our siblings. Moving to a foreign country can be overbearing, so you become the bridge and translator for your parents. It also converts […]