All posts by Karen Hua

World renowned psychologist Abraham Maslow once ordered all our needs into a rigid pyramid of importance. As Maslow argued, at the base of all our needs is what keeps us physically alive as human beings. As the pyramid narrows toward the top, meeting physiological needs transitions toward meeting more internal, emotional needs. He deemed this to be what founds a “stable” individual. However, is it true in every moment that we put our physical “needs” before what we mentally desire? Can Maslow’s rigidity ever flex? I don’t want to believeRead More

I come from a long line of proud, Chinese-born and Chinese-raised relatives, but I am the first one to be born in the United States. Despite living in a suburban Bostonian home, I was raised on scallion pancakes and rice, torturous Chinese lessons every Saturday, and stereotypical Asian values. Every dinner was a lecture about how fortunate I was not live in a poverty-stricken communist country. Grades were always held as a number one priority, even before health and sanity. My Chinese school and group of family friends were alwaysRead More

The meaning of ‘love’ has become so elusive, and it continues to grow even more so with each year that reality roughens up our baby skin. Unfortunately, the older and supposedly wiser we get, the more we overanalyse, and the more muddled every situation becomes. Whether we are single, taken, in an ambiguous partial commitment, only sexually committed, declared aromantic—whatever, the lines around the word ‘love’ remain blurred. The problem is, when it comes to love, romance, sex and relationships, we are all terribly fickle people. We don’t know whatRead More

We walked against the nighttime wind with our heads held high and our heels a little higher. We were slowly making our way into the comfort of a house where we’d be provided with intoxicating substances and communal sweat. Homework was done, classes over for the week, petty stresses behind us, and a night out before us. Suddenly, a group of boisterous, clearly wasted guys showed up next to us. One of them caught my eye and asked, “How are you doing tonight?” “I’m doing well, thanks,” I mumbled, notRead More

Every year, Forbes magazine creates a list of the 30 most influential people under the age of 30. They include a variety of categories, from science and business, to entertainment, sports, and art. On the list are common household names such as Lena Dunham (27, ugh), David Karp (27), and Maria Sharapova (26). There are also names we may not recognise, but people who’ve created, or who control, globally influential, multi-million dollar entities we inevitably do. See the full list here. It seems as if all these people are onRead More

Spoiler Alert: This article contains plot details of Orange is the New Black seasons 1 and 2.   This past Friday, the entire second season of the critically acclaimed show, Orange is the New Black, was released on Netflix. In some of cases, you binged all thirteen episodes in a long, but enticing thirteen hour marathon. However, this season includes more astute, yet subtle connections. I decided to watch the season over the course of a week, and as I sigh in astonishment as Rosa races the van off the screen,Read More

My first semester of college, I worked at a chain coffee and bagel café. I have always affirmed that every person needs to work in food service at least once in their lifetime. It is difficult to express how exceptionally vital it is that people understand the toil behind where their services come from, and the crucial nature of treating workers with respect. I have also always held the belief that every person needs to work at least one “crappy job” in their life to fully understand the value ofRead More

Distance will forever be the main problem in my life. I’m a searcher. By distancing myself from the familiar, the tsunami of transition leaves me with a flood of new opportunities. By driving away from the city, I can finally breathe. The stars are visible now that I’m away from the smog. When making a college decision, I chose one halfway across the country—a convenient 750 miles away. When the walls of my perfect suburban hometown became too small for my liking, I bolted for what I called a “biggerRead More

Every summer growing up, I escaped to camp in the woods, where my world transformed into a sky of glitter, aromas of marshmallows, and sun-kissed days of carefree fun. Camp was the one time I could forget about the stresses of “reality;” where I looked forward to waking up at 7AM, where I could belt silly songs and dress in costume every day with a community of others who did the same. Most of all, camp was where I met some of my lifelong friends, because truly, nothing bonds peopleRead More

On June 6th, just less than a week away, The Fault in Our Stars film, based on the New York Times Bestselling novel by John Green,will be in theaters nationwide. Self-proclaimed ‘Fault-Fanatics’ are on the edge of their seats as the premiere draws closer, and director Green along with the cast have only contributed to the torturous, unceasing anticipation. Quite regularly, new trailers, promotional videos, and music videos from the soundtrack are released—only to remind us of how much we will sob once the movie hits screens. The trailer:  Read More

As I walked into lecture today, to my surprise, I noticed that my professor, who is regarded so highly in the world of academia, decided to use Comic Sans on the lecture slides. Believe me, it took every ounce of self-control within me to not walk right out then and there. Professor, I respect you immensely as an intellect, and you are far more learned that I may ever be. However, let me tell you exactly why I can’t take you seriously with Comic Sans: Some may say Comic SansRead More

Today, my mum spontaneously called an old friend of hers from elementary school. When I was younger, our family and her’s would get together every summer. She had a daughter named Heather, who was my childhood penpal and faraway best friend. We used to call each other princesses when we discovered we could never become royalty. As we sat in mountains of strawberry bubbles while our mothers struggled to bathe us, we plotted ways to annoy them for the next day. We wore more matching outfits than typical twins probablyRead More

The moment I turned 18, I threw myself a VIP-access, glitz and glamour, dance party extravaganza…because technically, I no longer had to call myself a teenager. I had finally emerged from adolescence alive. I felt like Batman because I had clawed my way out Bane’s inescapable pit. I wholeheartedly believed that the rest of my life was waiting with a bigger and better everything. I simply couldn’t wait to hop on a plane with my dream in my cardigan, and never look back. Simply being an adult empowers me toRead More

A text I receive far too often: Where are you? Are you dead? I see my home as much as I seem to see sunlight—almost never. I rise early in the morning every day, then return home late on a regular basis. There’s class, or work, or my attempt to be social, or always some reason to be out. This year, I have been trying a new plan of “productivity and proactivity.” My belief has always been that I have the same number of hours in a day as Obama,Read More

This morning, I left my beautiful, intelligent, Android (we’re in a committed relationship) on the counter of a public restroom. Just five minutes later, when I panicked at the emptiness of my pockets, I Usain Bolted back, only to find my phone no longer there. COMMENCE PHYSICAL SPASMS OF TERROR, PROFUSE BACK SWEAT, AND INTERNAL WATERFALL OF TEARS. For the rest of the day, I was forced to go about my daily schedule while feeling completely disconnected from the rest of the world. At one point, I probably convinced myselfRead More