6. Pretzels 2025

On the last day of every school year from kindergarten to third grade (and once at the end of our second-grade performance of The Nutcracker), my mom would press a small gray digital Nikon camera into my little hands and tell me to ask someone to take a picture of me with my classmates or my teacher–“for the memories.”  In our high school days of cellphones, pictures have become as uncomplicated as they are necessary, from quick selfies to entire class photos–definitely not the ordeal my mind made them to be. As a child, though, I was mortified to ask this of someone, though I dutifully carried out my mother’s instructions and would take back the camera with a quiet but earnest thank-you and tuck it away in my backpack, ears burning. In retrospect, what probably felt weird was not being able to share said photos with anyone, since it was always the last day and no one knew anyone’s contacts.  Those photos were uploaded and now reside somewhere in the depths of a digital photo ...

  So we had this Calc BC mock test last weekend, and there was a ton of questions on Taylor and Mclaurin and whatever series. I genuinely just can’t remember them no matter how hard I try. I stared at them this entire morning while eating breakfast and I still was not 100% sure about them on our math test today.  Credit: Magoosh But you know what I can remember? ALL THE DIFFERENT POLES AND STICKS THAT YOU FIND IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES!!!! Just kidding. I don’t know most of them (I used to remember most of them when I played Geoguessr for a living) but I seem to have an easier time remembering these in comparison to math formulas. It’s a little annoying that I can’t memorize the things I NEED to memorize but the poles and sticks from Geoguessr just seem to implant themselves in my brain.  For example, Polish poles have these types of round oval holes in their poles. And Hungary and Romania also have large holes in their poles (Romania’s are often painted white on the bottom...

Lying in bed scrolling through Instagram reels continues to be one of my favorite “escapades” in the middle of the night when I know I should instead be asleep. Instead, the scenario often plays out like this: I happily scroll away, I get distracted by one embarrassing event that happened ten years ago, I stop scrolling and create a fake “replay” where that event would never occur. My friends laugh when I recount such awkward moments to them, but I never understood why I would only remember those mortifying times like when I thought I was the smartest genius ever and raised my hand enthusiastically only to continuously jumble my words after getting called on. In every person’s mind, they are always imperfect, making mistakes that no one else really remembers (which I found out after consulting multiple friends after one of those embarrassing events). Embarrassed Student Raising Her Hand How could I possibly avoid these awkward situations where I am forced to cope with these unbelievabl...

Flashing red lights. The smell of smoke and oil and machinery hangs in the air. An angry alarm blares, the words “Photon torpedo hit taken to the starboard helm. Oxygen supplies at a critical level” repeated out of a monotonous, robotic speaker as people in uniforms of red and blue and yellow scamper about. What’s this? I can’t possibly be aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise … Running through a vivid field of flowers, the long hem of a dress drags through the rough stems, bare feet pressing against the plush, verdant grass. Where am I? The brilliant hues of the flora blur in what seems to be an endless continuation of red and blue and yellow and… “Thus, using the properties of the area of a square, the Pythagorean Theorem is hence proved.” Red marker for the inside square. Blue for the outer. a 2 + b 2 = c 2 highlighted in fluorescent yellow. There is no way she’s testing us on this unit next week… “This is the captain speaking. I want all hands on deck! I repeat, all hands on deck!” Cheek...

  Hair holds memories.  No, don’t worry, you will not be hearing about Max’s freshmen year hair again in this blog (this is a reference to my week 14 blog, everyone please go take a look at page 87 or smth idk in 2022-2023 yearbook to see Max’s photo if you haven't yet). Similar to clothing, hair is a fun accessory that can be used to express oneself. With different styles, colors, and lengths, hair can be used to show one’s creativity and individuality. But hair carries something that is much heavier than just fashion; it represents the different stages of growth one undergoes in their lifetime.  Oftentimes, people get a new haircut when starting a new chapter in their life. Hair holds on to past experiences; therefore, cutting off your hair after a big change—whether that is going through a breakup or starting a new job—can feel freeing. Getting a major hair change could also mean embracing a new chapter, or a challenge in life.  Cancer patients shave their head du...

  Is this just me, or do some smells bring back memories? Not like a general feeling of it, but like exactly where you were and what you were doing? It’s weird how powerful scent is and how it impacts our memories. I don’t think about some memories for years, and then from one smell it brings it all back like the memory always stuck with me. Smoke The smell of smoke always takes me back to 2017. During my 1st degree black belt test, I had to run a mile outside (for the fitness portion) at midnight while smoke from the Napa Valley fire filled the air. Everyone was wheezing and suffocating, but we still had to finish the run. My instructor literally said “No pain, no gain,” and to just push through. This is one of my core memories in martial arts and showed me the amount of discipline needed in order to truly say that you are a black belt. That smell has stuck with me ever since. Every time I smell smoke, I remember how hard that mile felt. And I made it through anyway. Christmas!!...

(Image Source: Wikipedia) I’d like to deviate away from the usual topics surrounding the themes of language and memory for humans and focus on how these themes are implemented by computers. So, how exactly do computers communicate with each other, and how does their language work? As you might already know, your computer sends information via light waves with a particular frequency to your home’s router, which then goes underground through a wire and connects to the rest of the internet through your ISP (e.g. Xfinity). However, there’s a lot more complexities to this than are apparent at first glance. If you truly think about it at a fundamental level, nothing is hidden by default when packets of data travel through the internet, and any attacker can listen in on these light waves and eavesdrop on your internet activity. Enter TLS . This is the technology that enables you to communicate over the internet with authenticity and privacy. You utilize this technology daily when you go to h...

It has become an unfortunate habit of my brain to forget all my material the minute I exit the classroom after a test. Now, with AP exam season close-approaching, all of it is threatening to come crashing down on my head. Reaction rate law? Mean value theorem? What’s that? Not to mention that I’m terrified I don’t have enough knowledge about current events to get me through the English and Spanish exams, even if we’ve been reading up the entire year.  (Watch me hit mid-break depression next Wednesday and say, “It’s a 'week before' problem.” And then it’ll be pushed to “the weekend before.” But we don’t mention that.) But, of course, that’s all a spring break problem. Starting Thursday evening–I swear. After exams, though, I know that the same thing will happen: I will forget. In that moment of catharsis, once I step out of my last exam, all the knowledge I have accumulated over the last year will be expelled from my mind. I don’t remember much from AP World last year, and what ...

I was trying to find an idea and inspiration for my blog, and I happened to look down at my knees and see the scars that I have accumulated over the years due to failed skateboard tricks, dumb ideas on my scooters and tennis. Every time I see one of the 100 scars I have, they always bring back a memory from the time I received the scar. For example, the burn mark on my hand is a result of my mom accidentally hitting the pan off the stove and me trying to catch it. I always laugh when I see it as it reminds me of the foolish things I have done in my life. Next is the scar on my elbow. I got this one from trying to ride my electric scooter with no hands at full speed. I fell down and scraped my elbow really badly and ever since then I have reminded myself to be cautious on the roads. I also have so many on my knees with them reminding me of my early childhood when I thought that I could pop a wheelie on my bicycle even though I had no sense of coordination. These scars hold important mem...

Note: Yes, there's more to this blog post — just wait for it to appear. In my childhood, I was completely obsessed with Pokémon, and I loved Pikachu in particular. I would try to draw him with his yellow body, red cheeks, and, of course, the unmistakable black tip at the end of his tail. I also remember watching Star Wars. I enjoyed the different plot twists and events, especially the iconic line of "Luke, I am your father." I remember the eventful Halloween nights, knocking on doors to get candy. My favourite by far to get were Kit-Kats, and I would be overjoyed when I got one from any house. These were all important aspects of my childhood, and I can remember each event clearly. But what if I told you those memories were faulty? Pikachu's tail was never tipped in black. It has always been completely yellow. Darth Vader never said “Luke, I am your father.” The actual line is “No, I am your father.” KitKat has never had a...

  This is a fictitious render of Hurricane Sandy in New York City. For all of you reading this article, you’ve probably experienced or at least heard of “false memories.” False memories can be thought of as recollections of events that have never actually occurred, or a warped and distorted perception of real events that did in fact occur. They feel as vivid and real as true memories, which can make it difficult to distinguish between false and real memories at times. This is caused because the brain isn’t really a perfect recording device. Instead, it has its flaws and compromises that allow it to fill in gaps in the storyline of memories that occur. The way in which false memories form is quite fascinating. They can often arise from repeated exposure to fictitious or fabricated events, which blends this knowledge and embeds it into one’s memory . For example, hearing a story repeatedly over and over again may cause someone to “remember” it as a true experience. Even if it never h...

I scanned through the old piano books on my shelf. I had just finished a session of relentless (and, honestly, fruitless) practice, and what better way to reward myself and restore my confidence in my skills than by playing through my old pieces?  There was, of course, a nagging voice in the back of my mind–as there usually is–asking me if I would be able to play these pieces after what felt like so many years. After all, I was horrible at sight reading (still am), and I didn’t think I would be able to bear it if my fingers ended up fumbling when playing these too. I forged on, though, perusing the titles on the spines until one caught my eye. A memory flashed in front of my eyes: weeks practicing these same pieces for an exam until I could simply conjure the movements from my fingers. I could do it with my eyes closed or even without a piano in front of me, my fingers tapping away on my desk or on my lap. I sat back down at the piano with my newly uncovered relic, opening to a ran...

With the month of June approaching quickly, I can’t help but think about the exciting gifts the end of school year brings: summer break, warm picnic weather, blooming flowers in my backyard, and most importantly, the yearbook! Although it’s painful to look back on old photos of myself, it’s always fun to flip through the pages and spot photos of my friends and teachers on there. As shown by the yearly changes in Max Ge’s hairstyle, the yearbook provides a great way to reflect on our growth and changes throughout the high school years. But not only does it capture the growth in appearance, it also documents the shifts in our mindset with the fun interview questions that appear throughout the book. It feels a little weird and bittersweet that an entire year’s worth of memory can be compressed into one single book, capturing everything from friendships, sports teams, rallies, to dances. I also find it cool that the yearbook allows you to learn about the people from different grades that y...