I Just Wanna Be A Girl!

This is one of my favorite lines from Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus: House of Hades. I've read this book maybe more than 50 times by now, and this line always makes me really think. Even when I was younger, and I didn't really know what the words meant, I knew they meant something.  Here's how I see it... You can't really choose where you come from. You can't control things that you didn't choose, for example, where you grew up or where you went to school. When you were little, your decisions were probably made for you, before you even understood that those decisions would determine some aspect of your life and who you would become.  But, another way of looking at it is... you get to choose who you want to be. With the expansion of social media and the rapid spread of reels, reddit and quora threads, and other videos, people learn a lot, regardless of how they are brought up. Through this exposure, you see new things and you can decide whether you want to...

"Everything you strive for is attainable; you are the one getting in your own way." This is something else I read when I was studying for my semester exams that I felt was really important to talk about.  It's kind of like... You are capable of anything, but you are getting in your own way. It's not someone else telling you that you can't do it, but you yourself are not letting yourself grow. Usually, when we fail to do something, we assume that some external force is saying that this is a bad idea. We think that something bad might happen if we keep trying. Or we might think that someone doesn't want us to keep going.  But here's the thing... did someone actually tell you that they don't want you to do it? Or did someone say that bad things would happen? I'm guessing not.  Do you know what that means? It means that you are the only one standing in your way. You think that something is holding you back, but it is you holding yourself back. And... i...

The French language was my first love. Way back in school, I was one of the few people who chose French as a third language. Above all, I loved my French teacher.  Now... there's no clear reason why I love French, but I just do. I feel like I've always been pulled towards it, the language, the culture, the food, the city. Though now I know that there are drawbacks to Paris and France in general, as a child, I thought it would be an amazing place to live.  These days, I have to admit I lost touch with the language a bit, but just thinking back for a moment brings it all crashing back.  Now, I have the opportunity to teach French to a little boy. Today, I had an introductory session with him and his enthusiasm took me off guard. It reminded me of myself when I was younger, and learning French for the first time.  It reminded me of why I actually liked the language, and the enthusiasm made me want to respond with equal or more energy.  Now, you might wonder why I a...

Alright, gang, this is going to be something new. I haven't tried this before.  But I came up with this word, and I am going to try to explain it to you.  First of all, the idea came from my professor. We were talking about 'slambooks,' and he asked me to try to come up with a new name for it. Something for the new age. And this is what I ended up with.  Remembrary So here's what this word is supposed to mean... Today, slambooks are a place for people to write about their opinions of you and their memories with you. It's about remembering the times you shared. Earlier, it used to be a small book where people would put in things about themselves - their contacts, their birthdays, things like that. Basically, things that they wanted the owner of the book to remember about them.  But now, it has transformed into what people want to remind the owner about themselves. It's something that, when looked at years later, will bring back memories and help 'remember...

Dear readers, this is your favorite Taylor's girl! In a recent ThinkTank session, I had the opportunity to sing. It was called a 'Jam Session.' I was pretty nervous at first, because I don't really sing in public. But in a few minutes, I gathered up the confidence, and I got to sing 'Enchanted.'  The thing is... loving Taylor Swift is kind of my brand now. To be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. She - or rather - her music has done so much to me.  Now, I'm not one of those Swifties who obsessively follow Taylor's personal life. No, I like her for her music. I feel like it has done so much for me. No matter what mood I'm in - happy, sad, energetic, tearful, confident, or scared, her music embraces me. Sometimes, when I hear it, I have goosebumps running down my arms. It is like honey to my ears.  My connection to Taylor goes beyond just listening to her music. My first academic research paper was about Taylor's albums, and this paper g...

Today, I was in for a bunch of surprises. The department had organized a kind of gathering for the Magic of Storytelling, SLP members, especially those graduating. The previous day, I was told that there was a time allotted for me in the agenda to speak. The girl who told me said that I could talk about the history of the SLP and about my experiences, and vision for it.  That meant that I had had time to prepare, and I had a huge list of things I wanted to say. Before that, however, I got to listen to all the things that my classmates and other teammates had to say about the SLP. It moved me to tears - almost - to hear how they felt about this program that I poured my heart and soul into, and to see that it really affected them in a positive way, which is all I could ever ask for. It also felt extra special when each of them mentioned how I pulled them into this mesmerizing thing, whether they reallyyy wanted to or not. It is amazing that each of them showed up, and I loved to hear...

It was not control  Just a warning Stitched from old wounds And things I learned through pain  It was out of care  The kind that lingers  Even when it's inconvenient  Or misunderstood It was never meant to hold you back  Not a cage Nor a leash Not a need to decide for you But you heard limits in my voice Like I was telling you 'no' But there were only fractures  And wounds trying to speak  I saw how easily Trust could be twisted  How a smile could hide Something sharp  I walked through roads I thought were harmless And I remember How quickly the tables turned  So, when I spoke It wasn't to shrink your world  It was to keep it whole  And to keep you safe  You thought I was holding you back  When I was just Standing in front of a storm To keep you from harm's way  You went anyway  Certain of your footing  While I stayed behind Watching from afar incase you needed me  But when you thought I was h...

 "You can't expect a bad person not to harm others." Expecting someone to change their ways after these ways have been rooted so deeply in them for years before you met them is irrational. Now, I'm not saying that all people are bad people, of course. But there are habits in other people that you would want to change. For example, imagine your best friend chews with their mouth open. Now, if this were your little sibling, you would have had the chance to correct them when they were younger. But you haven't known this friend during their formative years, when something like this could have been changed.  This can also be applied to someone you love. Like, there might be something you don't like that they keep doing. This isn't something so horribly wrong that it warrants a break-up, but it's something that bothers you. You think that if you bring it up enough times, it can be fixed. But if you take a moment to think about a habit that you have that you ...

Today, we had a Think Tank session where I was asked the question: "What would I do with complete freedom?" The question stumped me for a bit. Partially because I didn't really know what complete freedom looked like.  In relation to this, I saw a post a while ago about what a teenager who was given complete freedom over their schedule would be. The teenager would sleep all day, get up late, play games all night or party all night. They wouldn't do their homework. But... in a few days, they would get bored of this and they would also feel like they are doing something wrong. Their conscience would speak out. Then, they would make a schedule for themselves.  That got me thinking today. I am still not sure what I would do with complete freedom. But I think complete freedom is an illusion. Eventually, everyone will succumb to the societal standards that they see around them. They would want to fit in and want to succeed. It led me to think about the power of society. It d...