I’ll be honest: I’ve been trying to write this blog post since March, when quarantine first started. Originally, the title of this piece was going to be “On Quarantine Hobbies,” and it was going to include a list of activities that were keeping me occupied during the stay-at-home orders. As is often the case, however, … Continue reading On Gap-Year Hobbies →

Let’s face it; we’ve all been there. You get into bed, ready for a full 8 hours of sleep after a long, hard day. You’re just about to drift off when… BOOM. Suddenly, your brain hits you with the deepest, most existential questions you could possibly come up with: Meme courtesy of this Buzzfeed Pinterest … Continue reading On The (Silly) Questions That Keep Me Up At Night →

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the annual LGBTQ Pride Marchs, which were first held in June 1970 in numerous cities across the country. While most years, Pride has meant celebration, parade floats, and rainbow flags galore, it is as important today as ever to remember that the movement originally began not as a … Continue reading On Black LGBTQ Heroes →

When I was in second grade, my uncle bought me a K’Nex building set for my birthday. One day, while looking through the set’s catalogue, I came to a page with an image of a towering dinosaur made entirely of K’Nex pieces. The dinosaur was intricate and flashy, and I was determined to build it. … Continue reading On Dinosaurs →

About four weeks ago, one of my roommates came home and told me that he had heard from a friend, who had heard from someone else, that due to the recent coronavirus outbreak, Harvard might switch to online classes after spring break. At the time, I thought what he was telling me sounded ridiculous. I … Continue reading On Leaving Campus Amid COVID-19 →

As many of you have probably noticed, I’ve been neglecting my blog quite a bit these past few months. Unfortunately, I had to take a break from regular blogging, at first because of MCAT studying and now because of senior thesis writing. This weekend, however, I was hoping to decompress a bit after a kind … Continue reading On Cheese: The Official Ranking →

I’ve loved Taylor Swift’s music for a long time now—definitely at least since early middle school, when her 2008 hit “Love Story” became my second-ever iTunes song purchase1. As much today as in fifth grade, I listen and re-listen to her songs because the lyrics tell a story, often in an incredibly vivid and vulnerable … Continue reading On Taylor Swift and the Fundamental Attribution Error →

When I first started On Ariel’s Mind a little over a year ago, it was primarily as a way to put my money where my mouth is. I wanted to finally take the initiative to do independent, creative writing for myself, especially after years of claiming that writing is a “passion” of mine with very … Continue reading On One Year of Blogging →

A year ago today, I published my first blog post. Titled “On New Beginnings,” the piece explored the ways in which I’ve grappled with change throughout my life. In particular, I tried to unpack the reasons why I’m so often afraid to try new things and hesitant to end old routines. At the end of … Continue reading On Celebrating Change →

I like to think I’m a pretty socially conscious person. I’m generally good at picking up on social cues, I make consistent eye contact when I talk to people, and I try my best to be engaging. All that falls apart, however, when it comes to one very simple social situation: saying hi to friends … Continue reading On Saying Hi →