Work-life balance
I never fully signed onto a full-time job at the Massachusetts Tool or Die Company (a nickname we used in the early ’70s). Sometimes, I went entire Sundays without doing any tooling, not even a problem set. Instead, I was fully invested in my student activities: The Tech and the MIT radio station (then WTBS, now WMBR).
Why I chose MIT
The more I read the blogs, the more I wanted to be a part of MIT.
Regressing instead of progressing?
If my situation sounded like burnout, what did that mean for my next three years at MIT?
Following the footsteps of the Class of 2026 this CPW
The Tech spoke with several prefrosh about their prospective areas of study, their first day of CPW, and the number of steps they’ve taken across campus so far.
Gonna go fast like a Linoone
“Thank you,” I said as I shut the car door and left as quickly as it was socially acceptable.
Falling apart
Only a few weeks ago, I felt so completely empty, like my center had been scooped out of me. What remained was a scorched shell of pure apathy.
Dear friend,
I know your insecurities, secrets, and aspirations, but can I really know you well despite having no day-to-day interactions with you?
Wind, rewind
I wake in the mornings, a ray of sun dancing through the windows onto my sheets, falling with a weighted blanket of air. Sitting up, the iridescent covers shed from my chest, but the weight remains.
The words that stuck with me
If I couldn’t even be kind and compassionate to myself, then how could I love anyone unconditionally?
Eating tofu pudding again
I feel like I am back in my ten-year-old self once again, content with the joys in life as simple as tofu pudding.
To you. Yes. You.
I’m trying to live in memories and hope for the future and remain in the present moment; impossibly I think I might actually be doing it, but not enough — never as much as I want to.
Expiration
I was nostalgic for a version of myself who didn’t quite exist yet. And, to be frank, it made me appreciative.
Payment in kind
I don't think I ever told anyone this, but I cried many times out of stress over my grades in my time at MIT, and countless more times I have felt … worthless.
Homecoming
I was already starting to count down the days till the first day of IAP.
What P/NR taught me
Besides encouraging me to adopt a healthier mindset when it comes to academics, P/NR has taught me to embrace a lifestyle that has a balance of work and fun.
Taiwan, I miss you
It has been five years since I boarded the plane to move back to the U.S. from Taiwan. As wistful as I was when I saw the green land vanish before my eyes, I thought I would get the opportunity to visit Taiwan a year or two after I left. But I was wrong. Each summer that followed presented a new obstacle preventing me from going back to Taiwan. I’m content with my life in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean my strong feelings of nostalgia for Taiwan have gone away. Whenever I look at old photos of me in Taiwan or flip through travel and dining books about Taiwan, a sudden surge of longing rises inside of me.
Crisp
Crisp air makes my skin feel endless, unable to tell where my body ends and harsh reality begins. All I can notice are my fingertips. Which seems weird.
Learning
Two weeks ago, I failed a math midterm. Relatively speaking, I guess. I just... ran out of time.