6. Schnitzel 2025

  Birthdays, old phone numbers, the delicious food we had for dinner last week- amidst all of that some things stick with us longer than others- more specifically some words stay with us longer. Sometimes positive, sometimes negative. It could be a compliment from a teacher, an insult from a classmate, or a whispered apology.  And you might be wondering why certain words stick with us while others disappear? And this is usually because of the emotional impact they leave us with. Events like winning an award, losing a friend, or moving stick with us because they’ve changed our life in some way. Another reason words can stick with us is simply because they’re rare to hear, and they mean something to you.  Interestingly enough, it’s not necessarily the word’s meanings that determine whether they stick with you but the circumstances revolving around those particular words. I remember when I started playing the piano, my piano teacher was very strict and we were preparing fo...

For this week’s blog, I could not think of a good topic to write about. While brainstorming ideas, I went about the rest of my night, doing homework and watching the Warriors game. The win last night made me recollect all the old moments about the team, from watching Curry and Klay rapid-fire three-point shots in the 2010s to Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green lock teams down on defense this year. In 2015, when the Warriors won the first championship of their dynasty run—unknown at the time—my parents asked me, “Do you want to skip the last day of school to go watch the championship parade?” I knew that I did not want to miss field day and enjoy myself in school. So, my seven-year-old self simply replied with, “No, I’ll go when they win again next year.” My parents and relatives were shocked and some laughed at my response. What happened? They almost won again in 2016, then won back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.  The trend of this next part of my life ironically correlates with the team’s...

  “But why?” “Why would she do that?” “Why would he do that?” “Stop asking why, just watch the show”  I was always attacked with the same answer, “stop asking why.” I always knew of the phrase: curiosity killed the cat, but I never questioned why curiosity killed the cat. My younger self thought the cat was killed because it knew something it shouldn't have, or it died on the journey searching for the answer. From then I never stopped asking questions or finding the rationale for everything, but I kept all the queries and answers to myself. I always thought I kept my curious side a secret because I knew not everyone enjoyed questioning the world or being questioned.  But I didn’t (at least not as well as I thought).  A year ago, a close friend of mine confessed to me what they thought of me. They told me I was weird and almost insane sometimes. They told me I always questioned their actions, their behaviors, and even their feelings sometimes. I didn't know what to sa...

Before moving to Fremont in 8th grade, I lived in Irvine for 9 years, completing all of elementary school. Something I learned was that every single school district has their own fun way of giving their students emails. FUSD’s unique system is the first three letters of your first name, first three letters of your last name, and the last three numbers of your ID. However, in Irvine (IUSD) it would be your graduation year, last name, first name. So mine was 26goelruhika@iusd.org. Upon receiving this email when I was only in kindergarten, I genuinely thought that the year 2026 would never occur. It was just so far away that it seemed impossible to ever reach that day; approaching 2026 was so exciting for young Ruhika, as she genuinely looked forward to being an adult. However, now I find myself trying to freeze time for as long as possible, because I don't know how quickly time is passing by in the blink of an eye.  Today during Flex, I was rotting. I had just completed my stressful ...

Parents don’t remember yelling at their children; bullies don’t remember the torment and torture they inflict. Hunters don’t remember the exact amount of deer they’ve shot, they don’t remember the fawns they’ve orphaned. The people who hurt you don’t remember doing so; that doesn’t mean they can’t feel remorse, just that they won’t remember the scared look in your eyes or the pain written across their face. I can recall a plethora of times where I can hear my own heartbeat louder than anything else, where my hands have been shaking, where blood rushes to my ears and tears threaten to spill out of my eyes. I can’t remember more than a handful of times where the sun seems a bit brighter, where my smile feels natural on my face, when I can take the time to look up at the sky and smile. No one remembers the pain they inflict, just the pain that they feel. Source: NicoDelG on Threadles s No guillotine remembers the slices it makes—and it’s not a problem that can be fixed. No one apologizes ...

HBO's cast for the new Harry Potter TV series. Image source: GQ Have you heard about the Harry Potter HBO reboot ? I’ve known about it for some time, but thought it would be cancelled eventually due to lack of support. No such luck; they just announced the casting for some of the Hogwarts staff. Really? Can’t we leave a story with a satisfying ending alone, and—more importantly—stop funneling money to J.K. Rowling?  No. Hollywood is addicted to reboots. Whether it’s creating sequels that fall flat in comparison to their originals or relentlessly pushing out live-action Disney remakes, the film industry won’t stop creating unnecessary additions to classic franchises. But we still eat it up every single time because of our nostalgia.  Reviving old shows is essentially an emotional shortcut for streaming services. They don’t have to go through all of the work of creating a new one when they can instead build off of an existing series that has a guaranteed audience. Fans remembe...

  I have fallen in love with URINETOWN , its satirical yet powerful anti capitalistic stance was quite relatable recently. For those unaware, it was the recent AHSPA production, retelling a classic tale “of the dangers of unfettered capitalism” and its danger in a town where a drought has led to the privatization of public toilets. The story sets up a battle between Bobby Strong, the everyday man turned revolutionary, and the brute monopolist Caldwell B. Cladwell, while a love story unfolds between Bobby and Cladwell’s daughter. It was able to effectively deliver what I had been thinking of for a very long time. I loved writing the essay over the weekend but I also want to state how the play helps preach the importance of remembering our history. That is a very pertinent question, as a great man once said “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” We are living in a very late stage of capitalism where humans have been reduced to statistics, to mere numbers or the wal...