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Song by Lord Huron I am not the only travelerWho has not repaid his debtI’ve been searching for a trail to follow againTake me back to the night we met And then I can tell myselfWhat the hell I’m supposed to doAnd then I can tell myselfNot to ride along with you I had all…
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I recently saw an article criticizing Lisa from BLACKPINK, saying she was “talentless” and didn’t deserve to be paid $40,000 for one movie episode. To be honest, I’m not a hardcore fan. I like some of BLACKPINK’s songs, but I wouldn’t call myself a Blink. Still, reading that headline made me upset. Whether or not…
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Everywhere we look, there is a hierarchy. In schools, there are gifted tracks and remedial classes. In universities, there are rankings, some Ivy, some safety. Cities have wealthy neighborhoods and overlooked districts. Even hospitals have hierarchies, from prestigious research centers to underfunded community clinics. But why? Why do humans seem to organize everything, from people…
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We often label people as “bad” based on their actions, choices, or how they hurt others. But I find myself wondering: Were they always this way? Or did they become who they are because no one helped them when they needed it most? I’ve met people who others wrote off as selfish, rude, or even cruel.…
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When I was 16, I made a decision that would shape the rest of my life. I left Vietnam and moved to the United States, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I wanted to experience the world, to challenge myself, to see what I was made of outside the familiar rhythms of home.…
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Traditions are powerful. They can hold families, communities, and entire cultures together. They mark the passing of time, honor our ancestors, and give life meaning through rituals that span generations. Lighting candles on birthdays, gathering for family dinners, celebrating New Year’s with specific customs—these small acts can carry deep emotional significance. They connect us to…
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I do not like labels.They feel too small to hold something as vast and complicated as a human being. At first glance, labels might seem harmless. Humans created them to make sense of the world. Labels help us organize, categorize, and simplify what we see. In theory, they make things easier. But over time, these…
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A reflection on why we crave it, fear it, fight for it, and sometimes lose ourselves in it. Love. It’s such a small word for something that carries so much weight. We fall into it. We search for it. We grieve when it leaves. We shape entire lives around it. But for something so common,…
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I used to be sick all the time. Every year, without fail, pneumonia would visit me at least twice, followed by endless rounds of colds and the flu. I remember the exhaustion, the constant coughing, the way my body always felt like it was fighting something. I was so weak that my mom would carry…
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I hadn’t thought much about my age until I noticed a few fine lines forming around my eyes—hello, little wrinkles! Thirty years under the sun… it’s not a lifetime, but it’s not nothing either. Maybe I’ll start by sharing a bit about where I come from. I was born and raised in Hanoi, the charming…