Before my flight to Vancouver a couple days ago, I stopped by Barnes and Noble to pick up a copy of Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air. I’ve been really bad about reading (and actually finishing) books lately, and this is one I’d been meaning to read for a while, so I thought it would … Continue reading On A Breath of Fresh Air →

I remember struggling a lot with Algebra I in eighth grade. I’d been challenged in classes before, but somehow algebra was different; I felt like I just couldn’t really get into the swing of things. I would do really well on one test, then get a terrible grade on the next. I’d make silly arithmetic … Continue reading On Linearity and Learning →

I used to think I was the last person who could ever become a medical professional. Growing up, I was someone who tended to shy away from situations in which someone was in pain, rather than try to take charge of the moment. For example, when I was a kid, my mom would get really … Continue reading On Saving Lives →

This post is a bit more of a stream-of-consciousness style series of ideas and less of a narrative like my past few posts have been. With today being November 11th (11/11), though, it only seems fitting. I really like making wishes when the clock turns to 11:11. If I’m working on an assignment on my … Continue reading On Making Wishes →

I hadn’t really planned to write a blog post about Judaism or my Jewish identity this week, but after the devastating event that took place in Pittsburgh a little over a week ago, I’ve been thinking a lot about how important the Jewish community has been in my life. This post, therefore, feels both natural … Continue reading On Being Jewish →

One of the most meaningful lessons I learned in college came from a laptop sticker that belonged to the former chief of CrimsonEMS*. Every Sunday of my sophomore fall semester, I would sit directly across from her at board meetings. Right there, straight in my line of vision week in and week out, was the … Continue reading On Lessons from a Laptop Sticker →

The first CD I ever owned was ABBA: The Definitive Collection, a two-disc set of the 1970s Swedish pop group ABBA’s greatest hit singles. Technically, the CD actually belonged to my mom, who had bought it on sale at Target about a month after my family first moved to the U.S., but I loved and … Continue reading On Mamma Mia! →

I’m terrible with change. Sometimes, it’s because I’m afraid to see something end. My freshman year of college, I spent months agonizing over whether I should return to summer camp for my fourth year as a counselor and fourteenth summer in general—though I knew full well that almost all of my friends who had made … Continue reading On New Beginnings →