I am constantly curious about the world. That curiosity has immersed me in art, literature, social sciences, and mathematics. It has led me to travel. I have ziplined through the ruins of Angkor Wat, parasailed in Thailand, dipped in an onsen in Japan, and traversed across Europe while studying abroad at the University of Cambridge. As Voltaire once wrote, "We must cultivate our garden."
"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee." -John Donne
Read MoreThis is a meditation on many things, not the least of which is the school shooting that happened on my school campus today.
Read MoreSometimes, I wonder what my middle- and high-school teachers do when they are faced with terrible writing. Frankly, I'm not sure how these are considered final drafts either. Ah, the pains of reading position papers for MUN.
Read MoreNotes on legacy. (What is a legacy?) A rambling about an upcoming end. (Featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda.)
Read MorePostscript: Last Model UN superlative ever? Most Likely to Take Over China. I'm really proud of that one. If you want to understand that statement, it's best that you read the entire blog post.
Read MoreInstead of writing about my professional life or my personal history, I now turn to one of my favorite topics: aesthetics. More specifically, I love art and design. A major goal of my life is to comport myself elegantly and with soft blankets.
Read MoreAn ode to my teachers. Yes, the title is from Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" and it is a reference to Dead Poets Society (1989) above all.
Read MoreHow I've grown in four years, and how I haven't changed at all. The more we stay the same, the more we change. But I always like to think like I'm on Dagobah: luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.
Read MoreIt is the end of 2015, so I am returning to high school à la Albert Camus returning to Tipasa. Gratuitous James Joyce references ensue, and I am completely unashamed of it all.
Read MoreWe think that our lives and current events are two different things, but sometimes they are inseparable. Thoughts on my time in Paris and the events on the evening of November 13, 2015.
Read MoreTrying to share my favorite Chinese literature is difficult, because the language does not flow evenly. But I try. Featuring: Xu Zhimo's most famous poem, "Saying Farewell to Cambridge."
Read MoreLoving Taiwan hasn't been easy for me in the past. After all, loving something unfamiliar takes time and patience. And so, it took me nearly twenty years to learn how to love my roots unconditionally. Bonus: lots of photographs, taken by yours truly using an iPhone.
Read MoreI loved Naruto, then I loved to hate it, and then I loved it again. It's a story of the stages of denial for the ages. Or maybe I've just grown up to love myself and not deny myself any of my hobbies, including reading Japanese cartoons.
Read MoreOccasionally, I like to listen to the longer stories on This American Life. A couple weeks ago, I listened to the story of Abdi, a Somali refugee who won a lottery visa ticket to emigrate to the United States. It reminded me of my lucky streak. Or: Adrienne on the human side of global affairs and simple luck that changes people's lives.
Read MoreRecently, the Class of 2015 bid adieu to life as an undergraduate, and I realized I was next on the metaphorical finish line. Or is it chopping block? I can never tell with graduations. To all the university hopefuls and those dreading college, a look at what happens when Adrienne realized she'd have a diploma in one year. Or: Adrienne on preliminary nostalgia. Special edition: extensive quotes from Marina Keegan.
Read MoreAfter having a terribly lackluster MUN track record in 2014, I thought that it would be the end of my MUN career. But 2015 ended up being a great year, much to my immense surprise. Thoughts on teamwork, leadership, and the oddities that make up life.
Read MoreSometimes your past comes back to visit you, and it's surprisingly mundane. When I was in middle school, I was bullied. And then I met one of the people who hurt me in middle school at a university class lecture. Or: Adrienne on childhood pain and the simple trajectory of human growth.
Read MoreOne of the things my mother always asks me about my travel and study abroad plans is: "What is its return value?" Or in layman's terms: "Why should I fund the thing?!" She's asked me this since I was four years old and wanted a new Hello Kitty toothbrush every two weeks, and I've gotten better at answering over time. Dear Mom, this is what I've learned.
Read MoreRemember the high school yearbook and all the ridiculous senior awards that peers voted upon for each other? In my junior year, there was the "human encyclopedia" award. I wanted to be the Class of 2012's resident know-it-all, but the senior awards were eliminated the next year. But here are three ridiculous awards I've actually won.
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