Growing Up Tag

I’ve decided to do a social experiment to see how much I have changed in the past decade. I’m 26, so I selected some things that were part of my life at 16 and still are now. Then I analyzed how I view or react to doing them.   Getting a paycheck. 16: This is fucking awesome! $84 for stocking shelves and running a cash register! I knew this job would make me rich! I’m going to treat myself to some books, and then I’m going to give the restRead More

This past weekend I did what any 22 year old should be doing on a Friday night, which is going out to bars with friends. Only this Friday I didn’t go out with the usual arrogant, ostentatious, egotistical douchebags, also known as my best friends from college. This time I met up with my best friends from high school who all went to a different college. In the midst of trying to figure out the plans, there were some people confused by this alien idea of using an app forRead More

Failure is a term we hate to hear in our vocabulary, let alone actually use it to describe one of our attempts at something great. Society does not commend defeat, nor do we as individuals actually want to celebrate a moment of downfall. But maybe in order to truly appreciate the extraordinary events in our life, we have to understand our lowest lows to recognize our highest highs. Success is something that we work towards and it’s measured in different magnitudes based on the individual’s values. Before we reach theRead More

It’s already been established that the best time to be a kid ever in the history of the universe was the 90’s. Many awesome factors contributed to this, but none quite as sugary as some of the epic treats. Let’s take a moment to remember the deliciousness and be grateful that nobody really cared about whether or not anything was organic back then.   Mondo/Squeezeits It’s hard to say what was more awesome about the Mondo/Squeezeit drinking experience. The cool plastic bottles with the twist-off caps or the fact that youRead More

Since I was a child, one of the most important life matters to me has been traveling the world. I am lucky enough to have lived and taught abroad, and although the list of countries I want to visit is longer than the list of countries I have been, I have learned much from street food consumption, peeing in holes in the ground, and sleeping in hostels with kittens, mosquitos, and Austrian men.  The following lessons may be clouded by my personal experiences, but they are an assemblage of advice thatRead More

Ever since blowing eighteen candles out on a perfectly frosted cake, we’ve all been in the limbo that is emerging adulthood. We may proudly parade around calling ourselves “adults,” when really, we are still discovering what adulthood truly entails. As we soon observe, being an adult means at heart, not in physicality. Sure, we may legally be over the age of eighteen and eligible to vote, but it takes a while for the mentality and maturity of to solidify firmly. These milestones of adulthood don’t all happen overnight. Ultimately, beingRead More

Both of my parents went to college.  They understood the importance of getting the piece of paper at the end of it all that said you were now qualified to do more jobs than if you just had a lesser piece of paper that you received when you graduated from high school.  That used to be the case.  People would go to college because they knew that in doing so, they would open up doors for themselves in the future that would not be opened in any other way.  ManyRead More

In this moment, you are afraid. You are afraid of being successful in your dream job you just landed. Afraid of failing grades in one of your classes at university. Afraid of possibly getting the opportunity to make a girl happy for the rest of her life. Afraid of possibly getting the opportunity to make a guy happy for the rest of his life. Afraid to ask for help in any part of your life. Afraid of letting YOURSELF be happy for the rest of YOUR life. In this moment,Read More

My early twenties, the years of my mindless actions, died as the third decade of my life became closer than the beginning of my 20th year of my existence. The first half of my twenties took their final breath surrounded by the experiences and knowledge I gained through the journey called life. Those years are survived by my friends that stood by me when I wanted to run from myself, my family that loved me for better or for worse, and my new view on the latter half of myRead More

I come from a long line of proud, Chinese-born and Chinese-raised relatives, but I am the first one to be born in the United States. Despite living in a suburban Bostonian home, I was raised on scallion pancakes and rice, torturous Chinese lessons every Saturday, and stereotypical Asian values. Every dinner was a lecture about how fortunate I was not live in a poverty-stricken communist country. Grades were always held as a number one priority, even before health and sanity. My Chinese school and group of family friends were alwaysRead More

People love to tell you how to live your life.  Given the chance, most everyone jumps at the opportunity to provide an endless supply of advice out of their own life manual.  Telling you what they would do, pausing only to pass judgment on your latest decision, then quickly back to campaigning their next “If I were you” epiphany.  The thing is, life is hard, we all need help at one point or another so we listen to the perceived wisdom of those around us.  To make an unpopular decisionRead More

I asked for the moon and you came back with the galaxy. When one boy said he didn’t love me anymore, you said you would never stop. You taught me that donuts are the only way to start a Saturday morning (or any morning) and that cigars can be smoked in times of celebration or sorrow. And when Mommy parted this world too soon, you stepped in to take over as Mr. Mom. I view the world with hope in my eyes and faith in my heart because of you,Read More

It began in first grade when the discovery of a substitute teacher greeting the class in the morning distressed me so much that I begged my mother, through snot and salinized skin, to take me home from school. My threshold for the substitute teacher’s performance being less than perfect in mirroring my own teacher’s routine absolutely shattered me. I was sort of a high-strung child, you might declare. Thankfully, years later, there is nothing that warrants this exact reaction from me, except, perhaps, intense moments of hunger. Childhood anxiety isRead More

My first semester of college, I worked at a chain coffee and bagel café. I have always affirmed that every person needs to work in food service at least once in their lifetime. It is difficult to express how exceptionally vital it is that people understand the toil behind where their services come from, and the crucial nature of treating workers with respect. I have also always held the belief that every person needs to work at least one “crappy job” in their life to fully understand the value ofRead More

Distance will forever be the main problem in my life. I’m a searcher. By distancing myself from the familiar, the tsunami of transition leaves me with a flood of new opportunities. By driving away from the city, I can finally breathe. The stars are visible now that I’m away from the smog. When making a college decision, I chose one halfway across the country—a convenient 750 miles away. When the walls of my perfect suburban hometown became too small for my liking, I bolted for what I called a “biggerRead More