While running, I tried pulling my hair back into a ponytail. It’s a hard feat to achieve, but it was utterly necessary if I wanted to beat my cousin. My 6-year-old cousin had wanted to race me all the way from the Teacups ride at Disneyland to Star Tours. I could not let him win. We were almost there, when something caught my eye. I came to a stop, but Julian kept going...
For many people, the term “family” means their nuclear family – the parents and siblings they live with – that’s all. Luckily for me, the word family encompasses a great many people: my nuclear family, grandparents, great aunts and uncles, cousins, distant relatives, in-laws, and their friends – more than sixty if I were to count...
The call was unexpected: “Rachel, you are a top Navy ROTC applicant and we want to offer you a four-year scholarship for use anywhere.” I almost dropped the phone – I could go to any school regardless of cost. My parents had warned me that I didn’t qualify for financial aid. Yet, my parents aren’t wealthy and can’t write $60,000 checks each year. The amount of merit aid might force my choice of school. But this call was the answer – an ROTC scholarship to use anywhere. I was elated...
As I trudge toward the school parking lot, I pull my phone from my pocket. Nine missed calls. A familiar dark thought looms in the back of my mind. I drop my bulky bag on the curb and slump next to it, hugging my knees.
I dial my dad’s phone number. For once, he picks up immediately.
“Baba, what—”
He clears his throat. “Mommy has passed away.”..
“Register to vote! Register to vote! Register to vote!” I exclaim in my native Taishanese, then Cantonese, and hesitantly in clumsy Mandarin. I pause, clutching my clipboard, stretching my neck past the vibrant scarves next door to see the oncoming Chinatown traffic. I step towards an elderly man smilingly, but he gives me a disinterested glance and turns away before I can speak...
Although I really wanted it, I did not purchase the Crest Complete Multi-Benefit Extra White + Scope Dual-Blast toothpaste, because I did not have a coupon. I am a professional Tightwad. For as long as I can remember, I have held tightly to the principle that whatever my heart desires comes at some cost to my parents. Therefore, I try to save whenever I can. Although my family pokes fun at me for being so frugal, I believe these habits have also positively affected my life beyond the monetary spectrum...
I hug my arms close as the salty breeze lashes at my face. Grandfather stands at the edge of the pier, net in hand, eyes watery, searching for slivers of life beneath the surface. He is mighty as he pulls back, lurches forward, and sends the heavy net flying ten feet out to the water. When he draws the net in, when the net smacks the pier, the creatures flop wildly...
Dear Roommate,Aloha from me to you.
Aloha is more than just a five-letter word from Lilo and Stitch. Aloha is the spirit and essence of my home, Hawaii—a land of flowers, beaches, and smiles. I profess that I am not Hawaiian, or even Polynesian, in ethnicity, but here, everyone is part of one big ‘Ohana (family) and we all embody that famous aloha spirit:..
“Oh! The places you’ll go!” read my eight year-old self from Dr. Suess’ eponymous book. That single statement provided one of the most important reassurances that any child could have: that we “would succeed, ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!” Through the next twelve years, amidst countless mathematical equations, chemical formulas, and biological principles that have come and gone through my head, I’ve never forgotten that promise...
"For a “small” business, Jerry’s Jade and Fine Jewelry plays into a large part of my life. As I walk into “The Store” reporting for work, I look around and see a respectable, flourishing business filled with showcases stacked with jewelry of all shapes and sizes; blindingly bright lights that make the gems that surround me shimmer and glimmer in a million different ways; and two amazing and amazingly happy people: Mum and Father...
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