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How to Find Peace Everyday

I find peace in the little things in life. I always feel at peace when I fixate on a moment that doesn’t require constant attention. I can find peace when I stare at the moon in my bedroom window while I fall asleep but I can also find it as easily as staring at the movement of the trees in this English room. In my opinion, peace doesn’t have to be very specific or very long, just a couple of seconds can be the peace I need that day. Peace can be meditation every morning. It can seem so stupid to sit and meditate to look for some peace but sometimes that makes everything better. Whether or not it seems dumb to sit in silence and breathe, your brain will appreciate the nice steady flow of oxygen once in a while. Meditation is a habit that I’ve always wanted to build into my daily routine, but I have never been diligent enough to follow through. Apart from all the benefits it may include, it makes me really happy just being able to have 10 minutes of every morning to myself without any d...
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The Apple Ecosystem

I would write a love letter to Apple about how they have cultured this society within all of their products. Back in first grade, I had already fallen in love with Apple’s designs when I played with my parents’ iPhone 5. The sleek squared edges and the rose gold ring around the old home button fascinated my younger self. Back then my family didn’t really have iPads or any sort of tablets to play with so I only watched television. My very first personal phone was a passed down iPhone 6+ from my mom. I was obsessed with how the applications looked, the settings on the camera, the iMessage bubbles that appeared when you were texting. Now I have come a long way and I personally own 7 Apple products that I use daily. My dad likes to say I have fallen in the Apple black hole and I cannot disagree. If I were to write a love letter to Apple, I would express my appreciation for the ecosystem they have built for all of their products. What really is the Apple ecosystem? The term has been going a...
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Doing Nothing is Better Than You Think it is

The older I get the more I realize that I enjoy doing nothing. I didn’t really understand why people wouldn’t take advantage of that time to go hangout with friends or catch up on work. A very specific memory of this topic is when I watched Kendall Jenner’s Architecture Digest interview where she shared her ideal day off, and she didn’t mention anything extravagant rather she would stay at home and lounge around. Back then, I couldn’t understand why she would do that instead of the other million things she could be doing, but now as my life becomes busier with more stress, I can relate to that same ideal. The beginning of junior year was a cornerstone for a new lifestyle. My life became more high paced and it also came with a lot of responsibility as well as stress. In my observation, I think doing nothing became my way of coping with stress. My definition of doing nothing is when I spend time on a really small task that is not prioritized. Sometimes this would be fixing my hair in my ...
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Happiness in a Box

The most memorable thing I have received by mail would be my Christmas present from my friend who lives far away. In a perfectly packed Timberland shoe box, there were many parts to this gift. The first thing that caught my eye was the bright blue turquoise box containing limited edition stuffed animals that I collect. My friend had just spent a semester studying abroad in Madrid and during that time, he explored to several cities in Europe with his friends. When he went to Paris and England, he had made time to visit the pop-up stores and bought 4 Jellycats for me. I was beyond happy to hear that I was able to receive so many new additions to my collection but even more happy to know that he cared and valued my interests.  Upon opening the shoe box, I found the 3 Jellycats that I expected to get but there were also so many other little things that I had no idea about. This was a surprise hidden in a surprise. The thought of adding other little things that he thought I would enjoy ...
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Making the Calls in My Family

My family consists of my mom, dad, and younger sister and we immigrated here in the summer of 2015. I can confidently say that by moving here it began a new chapter for all our lives together as a family. From not being able to recite my ABCs to now, I have adapted to my new life here in the States and it gave me a new life and a different role compared to what I would have been doing back in China. Because I was in the prime age of growing up, I had an easier time familiarizing ourselves with English and adapting to the culture here compared to my parents. Because of this, I have always been tasked with making appointments, answering calls, and reading over any sort of documents that weren’t completely understood. If we never came to the U.S. I would be so busy doing school work and my parents wouldn't ever need me to take care of anything. Although I was reluctant to appreciate the opportunities that they gave me by making me help them, now I am happy to play my role in the famil...
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