Literally The Best Thing Ever: The Biological Clock

Scientists may have discovered the "grandfather biological clock", an enzyme present in most of earth's life-forms that appears to keep us running on an internal 24-hour metabolic cycle, regardless of whether we ever see the sun.

How ridiculously mind blowing is that?

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

College Apps? Check.

I finished my college apps. I FINISHED MY COLLEGE APPS.

Sorry, it just feels amazing to say that. Now that I'm done, I realize that they aren't even that bad. It's just that they push you to get your shit together. And your future depends on them. But remember this, the college that you go to doesn't determine your success; you do. (I hope I remember this when I'm getting my rejection letters in April).

Here are some things I learned along the way:

1. Be organized. Seriously. I quickly learned that in order to be successful, I had to keep a list of all my colleges and their requirements and deadlines. Trust me, it helped a lot.

2. Be Prepared. Do yourself a HUGE favor and finalize your list of colleges and research their requirements/deadlines before you start senior year. The summer is perfect for casual work, because let's be honest: there will be moments over the summer you're bored out of your mind and need something to do. Make use of that!

3. Don't Stress Out. Easier said than done, I know. But I also know that when I'm stressing out, I can't think clearly. Thinking clearly is vital to doing a good job. Something to help with this: SUBMIT APPS BEFORE THEIR DEADLINES. In case something goes wrong, you won't be reduced to a pile of stress and tears because there's time to hopefully get it fixed.

4. Ask for help! Don't be afraid to approach friends, teachers, counselors! They love helping you and want you to succeed in life. Also, don't put off asking for help until it's too late. If that does happen, better late than never!

5. Celebrate. Every time I finished an app, I found that it was really helpful to reward myself and relax. It kept my motivation going. Just don't go overboard.


Now that I'm done with apps, I have 2 days left to my winter break. I think I might marathon Parks and Recreation...

or do my homework.

Crave

“Sorry you didn't get a cookie earlier! You can have one when we go back to class,” my friend told me. It was the day after the election and my friend had brought treats to celebrate.

“Don’t worry about it. I can’t eat them anyway, remember?” I replied easily.

I smiled inwardly. Three years ago, the same question would have gotten a different response. The voice replying would have betrayed reluctance and craving. Now, it was automatic.

During my freshman year, after attending a seminar on lacto-vegetarianism, I switched diets. It wasn't that hard to make the decision after listening to the compelling arguments from the seminar. The fact that my parents would try with me, made it considerably easier as well.

The hard part was actually following through. Lacto-vegetarianism involves a diet free of meat, eggs, and gelatin but allows dairy products. Giving up meat wasn't that difficult since my mom didn't like cooking meat anyway. Eggs and gelatin, however, were a completely different story. When I decided to become a lacto-vegetarian, I didn't think about the fact that almost every commonly sold baked treat in America contains eggs. Facing this fact made me question whether or not I could handle my decision.

I started to avoid places more likely to test my resolve, especially the grocery store. It was no longer the place where my sister and I loved going, simply to eat the free kids’ cookies. It was no longer the place where I could nag my mom to buy a box of chocolate sprinkle cupcakes. Instead, every time I walked through an aisle, I could feel food mocking me. The grocery store was suddenly a foreign territory.  

However, resistance became easier over time as I became diligent about reminding myself why I became a lacto-vegetarian in the first place. I started to gain the strength to decline whenever I was offered something delicious and sure to contain eggs. I no longer felt my heart break every time one of my friends bought a brownie after lunch. Soon, it was becoming more and more natural not to eat dessert. The next time my mom asked if I wanted to go grocery shopping with her, I thought I couldn't be more ready.

As soon as we entered the store, I knew I was wrong. Right inside the doors, a showcase of cookies had been set up. They were the frosted kind with sprinkles. My favorite. I imagined the doughy feeling between my teeth and smooth frosting on my tongue. My mouth watered. I ran out of the store and back to the car to forget I ever knew what cookies tasted like.

Eventually, my friends intervened. For my sixteenth birthday, I was gifted a 250-page, lacto-vegetarian cookbook.

“Just because you’re a vegetarian doesn't mean you can’t enjoy dessert,” my friend reminded me as I finished flipping through the book. I didn't know whether to cry or laugh. Somewhere along the way I had forgotten that my decision only involved eliminating meat, eggs, and gelatin from my diet–  it didn't mean I had to give up my favorite treats!

Immediately, I knew I would make the frosted cookies first. I found the recipe in the book and spent an entire afternoon making my first lacto-vegetarian frosted cookies. When I finally took my first bite, all the tears my sweet tooth had cried since I made the switch melted away. I lavished in the doughy feeling that I had tried to forget. I savored the feel of frosting on my tongue. I was satisfied.

Becoming a lacto-vegetarian was one of the best decisions I've ever made and taught me some crucial lessons. Self-discipline is vital. Don’t lose track of the goal. And most importantly, where there is a will, there is a way. 

Postcards From Term 1

I can't believe I haven't done a Postcard post since August! Actually, I can. Senior year has been absolutely chaotic, and I have slowly come to realize that the phrase, 'IT'S SENIOR YEAR!" doesn't apply unless you are one of the lucky ones that haven't been isolated to a little cave of stress. Nevertheless, there have been some really wonderful moments that make it all worth it. I gained acceptance in the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota! It's my first acceptance, so I couldn't be happier. 

I feel like whenever I write one of these posts, I always end up talking about school or the stress that goes with it. If you know me personally, this is probably no surprise. I just would like to say that even though I freak out about academics, I know that there's more to life and that the college that I get accepted into does not define who I am as a person. I like to do other things too!

Maybe that was more of a reminder to myself. 

I hope everyone has had a not-bad term. Enjoy the weekend :)

Bliss in a Bowl

I just wanted to go home and snuggle with my favorite pillow. We had been in India for an entire month to visit relatives on our first trip back after moving to America. In the beginning, it was fun to meet people I had only seen in photographs. But the magic didn’t last. I was tired of not sleeping in my own bed. I didn’t want to share a room with my parents anymore, because six-year-olds were too old for that. 

As soon as we returned from our trip, I ran upstairs to embrace my stuffed animals. That night, I fell asleep contentedly, but something was still off. Things were not yet back to the way they were supposed to be. Jet lag had made me its latest victim.

Every morning, I would wake up around 1 am and crawl into my parents’ bed to discover that they, too, were awake and restless. Yawning, my mother would guide me to the kitchen and together we would go through kitchen cabinets to find something that was light, yet satisfying. We chose Corn Flakes.

Since then, Corn Flakes became somewhat of a companion. In middle school, when girls were bratty and the boy I liked was flirting with someone else, I would come home and console myself by indulging in a bowl of Corn Flakes. In high school, the horrible girls and flirty boys were replaced by stressful classes and ridiculous amounts of homework. After a day of exhaustive lectures and difficult tests, a bowl of Corn Flakes sounded like heaven.

I’m not sure why I had formed an attachment to such a plain cereal. Maybe it was because Corn Flakes didn’t require any special preparation. Maybe it was because they always tasted the same, crunchy and milky all at once, regardless of what was going on in life. Maybe it was because they gave me the feeling that despite all my concerns, everything would be okay. But I have a hunch it was because they reminded me of that week of jet lag when I got to hang out with my parents in the middle of the night and just enjoy a bowl of Corn Flakes. 

Common Wealth

"If we can not end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal."

~ John F. Kennedy