The closest I think I have ever come to enlightenment was in 7th grade.Our Chinese class was having a movie-screening, and when the teacher saw the floor riddled with popcorn, she made us pick it all up. “I didn’t drop any of this!” I whined to myself as I crawled around. Stewing in self-righteousness, I angrily plucked flake after flake of popcorn. Then suddenly, for no apparent reason, it happened...
One person who has made a significant impact in my life I have known since the moment he was born. I was fortunate to be able to witness the birth of my brother Colin early last year. After sixteen years of being the youngest of the three children in my family, Colin’s birth was a major change for me...
"It seems that some of the most interesting and surprising things in life are born out of irony, don't you think?" remarked my mother during our dinner conversation. As I contemplated the anecdotes she had just shared, I couldn't help but relate her comment to some of my life experiences thus far. As a child, I used to gripe about the unconventionality of my home life and schooling, but now I must admit that I am grateful for all the lessons they brought in shaping who I am today...
A forceful jolt on my shoulder suddenly woke me. “Justin, please get up. We cannot be late.”, a dark silhouette, which I identified as my mother, whispered into my ear. I reluctantly forced myself out of my warm, comfortable bed and began getting ready for the day - a strenuous task for a frail six year old boy to complete at 5:30 A.M.. While my mother drove to the swapmeet, I asked, “Can’t we take a day off?”. I heard my mother sighed deeply and she responded, “Justin, if we take a day off, we won’t have enough money.”..
Civilization is an art in which people are living, interacting, and connecting together. It is a way to harmonize and stabilize the environment and resources distinct to a location. Architecture should exist the same way; it needs to become a system that is engaging and interdependent to the people, the land, and the resources of a location. The world is changing fast, and our lifestyle and architecture needs to keep up. I propose that we begin thinking of architecture in a new way...
I was standing in an open field, dressed only in a swimsuit, and feeling extremely out of place. It was my second day on staff at the overnight camp I had been attending since elementary school. About fifty yards in front of me sat several hundred campers gazing out towards a foreboding lake. I stood amidst a group of lifeguards, anxiously waiting for a siren that would begin our demonstration of the Lost Swimmer Drill...
A long line of people, waiting in the blistering heat, encircled the 7 Day Dental clinic. The other CSF club volunteers and I approached the building, which was covered with flyers advertising for their event. 7 Day Dental was offering free tooth extractions for members of the community that did not have dental insurance...
From birth, diffidence and self-consciousness had always plagued my actions. I took every opportunity I could to avoid attention. If it were possible, I would have chosen to live in the shadows. However, a recent summer experience changed my introspection. The smell of alcohol singed the hairs of my nostrils, but I ignored it. I had my hands clenched tightly into fists. I could feel my fingernails dig into my palms. It's going to start any second now. I had been waiting for hours...
NYU is the perfect place for me to pursue my unique passions for both international business and opera studies. The university's exhaustless course offerings both at home in Washington Square and abroad at study away sites allow me to design a course of study that merges together these two passions into a coherent concentration...
My childhood was a childhood filled with instability. Frequent eviction notices, power cuts, and school transfers were completely normal to me. However, the instant I heard the silver cuffs click shut and saw my dad’s head pushed behind the dark windows of a police car, I knew that everything was about to change...
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