Everyone’s got a guilty pleasure: something they’re ashamed to admit they really like because it’s regarded as either socially unacceptable or too mainstream. Mine is reality TV competitions. The first reality TV competition I ever regularly watched was American Idol, a singing show that has been running for 17 seasons now. When I started watching … Continue reading On Television, Part II: Reality TV Competitions →

As a kid, I thought television was the greatest invention ever—and it certainly showed in the countless hours I spent glued to the family TV. I used to wake up early every day before elementary school in order to get in an extra half hour of PBS Kids over breakfast. As I got older, I … Continue reading On Television, Part I: Language Learning →

I’m usually an awful liar; anyone who’s ever played Mafia or BS with me can attest to it. I think I took the mantra of “honesty is the best policy” a little too seriously back when I was in elementary school because ever since, I’ve just been physically incapable of following through on most lies. … Continue reading On Communication →

Growing up, I used to attribute my appreciation for math and science to my dad, who worked pretty much his whole life as a civil engineer, up until his death in 2010. At home, Dad was the one who helped me build things with my Lego and K’Nex sets. He was also the one who … Continue reading On Stories →

This blog post is about to get a little meta: a piece of writing about writing. I remember coming home one day from first grade and announcing to my parents that, when I grew up, I was going to be a writer. In class that day, I had finished a worksheet early, so my teacher … Continue reading On Writing →

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about summers past. As a child, I spent the majority of my summers at Camp Grossman, an outdoor Jewish day camp located in the town of Westwood, Massachusetts, just thirty minutes from my house. I started going to Grossman when I was six years old. My mom heard about … Continue reading On Summer Camp →

It’s hard to believe that I’m done with another semester and another year of college already. Thursday was my last day of junior year, which is crazy because it means I only have one more year of undergrad left to go! At the end of a semester, I think it’s always a good idea to … Continue reading On What I Learned This Semester →

In second grade, everyone I knew—myself included—was obsessed with these stuffed animals called Webkinz. Webkinz came with online access codes that could be used to create a profile for your plush toy on the Webkinz website, where you could play games, design your animal’s house, and interact with other users. For years, I begged my … Continue reading On Koalas →

Unpopular opinion: I actually kind of like going to the dentist. Now, I know what you’re thinking. The dentist? But that’s the place people use as the standard for terrible places! There’s even a dentist-themed expression—“it’s like pulling teeth”—that’s used to describe painful and uncomfortable experiences. How could someone possibly enjoy going to the dentist? … Continue reading On The Dentist →

When I woke up Monday morning at 5:00 am with a headache, fever chills, and sore throat, I realized I had a problem. No, it wasn’t that I was sick—I mean, that was a problem, too, but it was nothing a little Tylenol couldn’t solve. My bigger problem… was actually a social media problem. You … Continue reading On Social Media →