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(11/29/23 3:35am)
A few weeks ago, I was walking home from central Grounds. I took the same path that I always do. I strolled past the Rotunda then crossed the street to walk alongside the Corner. As I navigated my way through the students and restaurants that always enliven the Corner, I realized how familiar and ordinary it felt. Yet only two years ago, I remember feeling so intimidated by it all. I didn’t know where Roots or Grit were. I didn’t know The Virginian was nicknamed “Virg” or what in the world “Survivor Hour” could be. But somehow, in the blink of an eye, that once alien world became my own. Looking back, I spent so much time trying to do it all and often felt like I was falling short of college expectations. But little by little, I’ve learned to savor the present and be okay with missing some things.
(09/26/23 7:57pm)
As the weather gets crisper and the leaves become streaked with crimson and orange, that can only mean one thing — it’s almost fall. Or, if you’re a fanatic like me, it’s the season when fall products adorn the shelves at Trader Joe’s. For many of you, it may just be another store but for me, visiting Trader Joe’s sparks years of wondrous yet mundane memories.
(03/16/23 10:19pm)
About a month ago, I walked into a restaurant and did something I had always dreaded — I asked to be seated at a table for one. On the way over to my table, all I could think about was how people were probably going to judge me for being here alone. I winced at the thought and was ready to scarf down my food to escape the situation speedily.
(11/04/22 2:57am)
Everyone always says your college years fly by. I never paid much attention to the sentiment until very recently. Over the past two years, it has been so easy to get caught up in the bubble that is college. It is a world where my closest friends live a few feet away from me. It’s a world where I get to build my own schedule and for the most part, live on my own terms. The excitement and comfort of it all has captured me in a trance. It’s also simultaneously shed light on the daunting reality of life after college.
(10/15/22 8:25pm)
I wait patiently as the clock hits midnight. It’s a new day, which means there’s a new Wordle to tackle. You may be wondering why I still bother to play the game even months after the initial craze. Well for one, I’m an avid puzzler and have been drawn to word games ever since I was little. But beyond the rush of excitement I get from solving a puzzle, Wordle has taught me a thing or two about the world around me. Most importantly, it’s brought me the gift of connection.
(04/16/22 3:15pm)
“Before I completely butcher it, how do you pronounce your name?” Ever since I was four, most of my introductions have been preceded by variations of that statement. And up until August 2020, my response had always been the same — “it’s NEE-ha-REE-ka.” I know this might not mean much yet for those of you unfamiliar with my name — Niharika. But for me, it did mean a lot — and it continues to do so.
(02/26/22 3:42am)
Over the past week, I’ve caught myself getting slightly irritated at one of the most trivial actions — someone holding the door open for me. Before you make any assumptions, let me clarify the specifics. Sometimes, even if I’m a dozen feet away from the door, someone will keep it open until I arrive. This prompts me to hurry up and do a slightly embarrassing “jog-walk” that ultimately is the root cause of my annoyance.
(01/24/22 3:56pm)
It’s the start of a new year — a time when resolutions start being thrown around in every other conversation. If you’re anything like me, these resolutions are often overly optimistic and ambitious. Every year, I desire to significantly alter my lifestyle. The goals are pretty basic — I want to read a couple dozen books, go to the gym three times a week and spend less time on my phone. And yet, I struggle to stay consistent with them year after year. Moreover, these goals compel me to constantly look forward to the future instead of finding solace in my present.
(08/02/21 1:57am)
About a month ago, I made the brave choice to finally swap out my fiction novels for a nonfiction book — “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell. The book details how successful people became successful, and it draws examples from Bill Gates, The Beatles, Canadian hockey players and others.
(08/17/21 11:16pm)
One random evening in ninth grade, I decided to give in to my friends’ pleas to watch “The Office” – a sitcom following the crazy lives of Dunder Mifflin employees. Having heard overwhelmingly positive opinions about the show, I was prepared to laugh, cry and finally understand the millions of references I’d always hear about the sitcom. Yet as I played the first episode and then the next few, I thought the show was just awful. Perhaps it was my lack of taste or my subconscious desire to go against the popular opinion in order to be unique, but I simply was not drawn to the humor of “The Office.”
(04/13/21 5:15am)
I vividly remember the morning of Oct. 26, 2006. The air was cool and crisp and all around me, colorful trees swayed in the wind. My family had just gotten off a 15-hour flight from India. Now, we were experiencing our first fall and first day in the United States of America.
(03/16/21 3:46am)
Over the past few months, conversations in my new classes, clubs and social activities have often led me to the receiving end of the looming question, “What are your interests?” At first, I’d simply take a pause and respond with an ambiguous answer. It was easy to claim that as a first year in my first semester, the world was an open canvas and I was simply exploring. Even the reaction to this response would be positive — everyone excitedly claimed that being undecided signified tremendous opportunities.
(02/04/21 5:01am)
With plenty of free time over break, I’d often find myself lounging on the family couch — a snack in one hand and the TV remote in another — eager to watch the next episode of an entertaining drama series. However, this excitement would often fade away as quickly as it arose. Whether it lingered for a moment or more, I’d soon after be overcome by a wave of gloom and restlessness. The primary cause? FOMO — the fear of missing out.
(12/04/20 8:39pm)
Growing up watching various teen protagonists who would glamorously write letters and journals in picturesque scenes — including characters like Mia Thermopolis from “The Princess Diaries” and Elena Gilbert from “The Vampire Diaries” — I was inspired to dabble in the art form myself. From sparkly lockable diaries to recycled paper journals, I’ve spent the past six years filling up books with my words, reflections and even poorly drawn doodles depicting my day-to-day adventures.
(11/09/20 11:19pm)
Imagine you’re taking off in a plane. As you reach a higher and higher altitude, the pressure builds up in your ear and it gets harder and harder to hear until finally — pop! You swallow and suddenly, your mind feels clearer and the world a little happier. While I’m not on a plane right now, I’ve felt a remarkably similar feeling thousands of feet below on the ground — during my daily walk at a nearby bike trail.
(10/08/20 9:54pm)
I vividly remember the blizzard that hit the Northeastern region of the U.S. in January 2016. However, it wasn’t the numerous feet of snow, chilling winds or even the school days off that have painted such a clear picture of that week. Rather, it was my discovery of the pop band One Direction.