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Of the five blogs I have written so far, it’s hard to choose a singular blog I have enjoyed writing the most. If I were to choose, it would be from my last three blogs—adaptability using the thermostat as an analogy, five things I learned from Reframe Your Brain, and my childhood memories. The easiest one to write of these three was the blog on my childhood memories, where I had included a bit of melancholy in the essay. I found myself able to type my exact thoughts into the blog autonomously yet cohesively, not stopping to contemplate word choice or stylistic choices. It came naturally to me as I wrote this, and after rereading this blog, I concluded that I must have been thinking about my past and these lost memories a lot lately; unfortunately, I never had the chance to address it, so I found the blog as an opportunity to release my thoughts. Although it didn’t take me much time to write it, this blog has been one of the most insightful reflections I have written about myself. 

For adaptability, I felt that I had written the essay almost in a position of expertise, sharing my experience (such as sporting events and the thermostat in my house) and how I believed adaptability is the most important aspect of learning at a young age. Reframe Your Brain was a bit different and a bit more personal to me. This blog was fun to write as I constantly quoted the book, but was also serious as these lessons are applicable to improve anyone’s life. I seriously felt—and I still do—that this book can help anyone who wishes to achieve success and a fulfilling life with a reduced side effect of stress and negative energy. It also has been a while since I picked up a book on my own accord and dug through it, and Reframe Your Brain was one of the best options I could’ve gone with.

I feel that I improved as a writer over the semester as I have become a better reader as well. In As I Lay Dying and Sethe, considering multiple perspectives at the same time about the same narrative was crucial to understanding the book and its purpose in its entirety. After viewing each perspective, I was able to draw conclusions about the meaning of the text as a reader, and then translate my thoughts and conclusions in a more concise and comprehensive manner in an essay. In the past, I would type in periods, where I had writer’s block every few sentences or so when constructing an essay, but I felt that as the semester progressed, I was able to draw evidence from the text and connect it to my argument much more effectively. The Hexagonal activity from the second part of Sethe was one of my favorite essays not only because I received a higher grade, but also because I was able to finish it within a class period without getting stuck on ideas and falling off on a tangent mid-paragraph.

I have enjoyed reading other people’s blogs this semester, and I have learned a lot through them. It was interesting to see other people express their views in a very personal matter, and my differences and similarities in them. I almost forget how others can have vastly different opinions on one topic, yet have the same opinion on another. As I read these blogs, I learned to consider their perspectives as much as I consider my own perspectives. I found Claire’s blog about preparing for college very insightful and helpful, while I found Luke’s blog on driving slowly relatable. I realized that there will always be personal bias in any form of writing, but to ignore such biases as they can distract from the main idea of the text. This realization helped me understand other people’s perspectives, and rather than ignoring them, accepting the differences between each other is the best course of action.

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Reframe Your Brain: The User Interface for Happiness and Success by Scott Adams is one of the best books I’ve read so far. For those of you who don’t know, Scott Adams is the creator of the comic strip Dilbert who since has become a trained hypnotist and an author of many books on success. His latest book Reframe Your Brain is insightful, relatable, and helpful for anyone who gives it a read. So far I’m on chapter 3 of 9, with the first three chapters already altering both my perspective of the world and my perception of myself. I would encourage everyone to read this book, no matter if they’re struggling with motivation and happiness or if they’re already content with their life. I’ve learned so many reframes, and I thought I would share 5 of the best reframes that I’ve learned so far.

Before I list the 5 reframes, I’d like to explain what reframes are. Reframes are an alternate way of thinking about something in order to make it seem optimistic or more persuasive in your mind. There are numerous amounts of reframes in this book, but some work better than others for different people, and some just aren’t applicable or don’t work at all for an individual. The 5 reframes I’m sharing are only a slice of the pie that I think are most applicable for the majority of people, so I hope you can learn from these reframes and maybe even integrate them into your mindset.

Reframe 1. Wanting vs Deciding.

Usual Frame: I want to do (something).

Reframe: I have decided to do (something).

This is a way of eliminating wishful thinking and instead implementing effort and decisiveness in your lifestyle. In his book, Adams states, “I didn’t want to be a successful cartoonist; I decided to be one. If you want something, you might be willing to work hard to get it within reason. But if you decide to have something, you will do whatever it takes.” Everybody wants to be something, but they never go all out into their passion. This is because they are held back by their doubts. In our society, however, hard work and effort are often rewarded given time. Don’t be stuck on what-ifs, work towards your goal with a  clear conscience and confidence that you will succeed.

Reframe 2. Boredom

Usual Frame: I am bored with life.

Reframe: I am not embarrassing myself enough.

To be successful requires risk. If you want an “easy” life, you would never ask for a job, you would never apply to harder colleges, and you would never decide to do and learn anything others are attempting to do. Most of this comes from the fear of embarrassment: being rejected at an interview or in the application process, being a beginner at something others are already proficient in. However, as Scott Adams says: “Embarrassment is not something to be avoided; Embarrassment is an investment.” Leave your ego at the door and accept the fact that you can learn more and gain more experience by taking risks others are afraid to do. This ties into the next reframe.

Reframe 3. No One Cares

Usual Frame: People judge me, so I feel bad when I mess up.

Reframe: People only care about themselves. They don’t care what dumb thing I did recently, even if they mention it.

This is a bit blunt, but it’s true. I for one can relate to worrying about other people’s perception of me. Once while giving a presentation in Spanish, I slipped up on a sentence and froze mid-sentence. When the embarrassment subsided a few days later, I realized people wouldn’t remember my slip-up as they were too preoccupied with preventing slip-ups of their own. Remember that everyone is living their own little movie, and you’re just a part of it. It’s alright if you worry about your boss’s or your friends’ perceptions of you, as these relationships are integral in your life, but strangers and even classmates’/coworkers’ perceptions of are temporary. Forgive yourself for these moments and forget.

Reframe 4. Addiction

Usual Frame: Avoid Addictions

Reframe: Choose your addictions wisely

As Adams says, humans are easily addicted by nature, but we are not addicted to the same things in the same ways. Negative addictions inhibit productivity, while positive addictions fuel it. It’s important to weigh your priorities and choose the positive addictions that will add pleasure to your productivity. Make sure these addictions are meaningful and fulfilling. Adams calls this the Pleasure Unit Theory, where humans need a certain amount of pleasure or else life is not worth living. Find addictions that give you lasting pleasure, not short-lived dopamine rushes (drugs and social media).

Reframe 5. Finding Now

Usual Frame: I am angry because something happened. OR: I am anxious.

Reframe: I am living in the past. OR: I am worrying about the future (but not in a good way).

Focus your energy on the decisions you are currently making and the decisions you have planned to make. There are too many factors that influence the outcome for you to worry about what will happen. Don’t let your anxiety inhibit your ability to make decisions and take risks. Conversely, don’t allow your past actions and decisions to haunt you. It’s harsh, but what’s done is done. This doesn’t mean to completely forget about the past, but all you can do in the present is pick your head up and continue. Most importantly, don’t others’ past actions dictate your emotions. Don’t get hung up on guilt and trauma.

I hope you learned a lot from these 5 reframes and considered implementing these into your lifestyle, maybe even considering giving this book a read. I hope it can help you as much as it’s helped me so far.

Many parents raise their kids with rules prohibiting them from touching the indoor thermostat. This doesn’t mean lacking a heating/cooling system in the house where the indoor temperature parallels the outdoor temperature. Rather, the temperature isn’t going to be set at a specific value year-round. This is usually enforced in lower-income households, where it’s more expensive to run the systems. However, my parents, both of whom have stable incomes (which I’m thankful for), also adopt this rule. But why? Why is it beneficial, not just for preserving capital but to teach important lessons to those with more privileges (me included)?

One of the most important aspects of adulthood that you learn from adolescence is adaptability. For the majority of us going to college, adaptability is of the utmost importance for independence. The world truly doesn’t revolve around you and it doesn’t wait for you either, which is what we will experience in our college lifestyles. Those who thrive in a multitude of environments will achieve success in a greater magnitude than those who don’t.

As an athlete, I used to complain all of the time about the conditions. The water would be too cold at a swim meet, or the starter was bad. The blocks were too wobbly, the pool too dark. I would always use these as excuses for losing a race, and I often complained to my parents They scolded me, and I quickly learned about the importance of adaptability. When they told me the conditions were the same for everyone, I felt ashamed for acting like a crybaby. I realized that the swimmers I looked up to–other kids as well as professional athletes–swim in a multitude of pools, far more than I have. Yet they never complained.

The limited regulation of the heating/cooling system of your house is a slightly exaggerated analogy for my point on the importance of adaptability. However, it is mostly beneficial to regulate the amount of energy put into maintaining the indoor temperature. The most obvious advantage of limiting HVAC systems is the money saved. In Chicago weather, keeping a range of about 10 degrees Fahrenheit in the thermostat for winter and summer temperatures can save about a thousand dollars annually. Some people have an electronic thermostat to set the min/max temperatures to their comfort, but for those who don’t have this luxury, I recommend around 66/76 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and summer respectively. This can change according to your preferences. Furthermore, if it ever feels too cold, you can always put on a sweater. For some reason, people think that having a sweater on in your house is an offense.

Another benefit is the increase in adaptability. Allowing your body to naturally regulate internal temperature instead of keeping this natural process suppressed with a set indoor temperature can increase the body’s adaptability. If you ever felt too hot while trying to sleep, exposing yourself to larger temperature variations constantly in your home can improve the body’s natural drop in core body temperature before you sleep. Furthermore, it can improve your immune system, circulation, and resilience to extremer temperatures. Most importantly, it teaches adaptability, not just for your body’s autonomic systems but for your mental resistance as well. Resisting the urge to have perfect conditions in these somewhat inconsequential matters will prepare you for the hardships you will endure as an independent adult, especially as you will soon venture into college.

Before you get all gung-ho about shutting off the thermostat (which I’m sure all of you are) there are a couple of drawbacks that I will discuss. Firstly, food can spoil faster in higher temperatures. If the indoor temperature is too high, some foods that were not meant to spoil in “room-temperature” will spoil in “room-temperature” due to the increase in heat and humidity. Conversely, foods can stale even in air-tight containers if the air is too cold and dry, and in more extreme cases electronic devices will operate significantly slower and even degrade faster. To counter this, I recommend buying a humidifier/dehumidifier for your HVAC system, even if you have a set indoor temperature. They’re more than useful, and it’s a worthy investment. They have numerous health benefits (which I don’t have room to discuss) that are super beneficial. Anyway, having a humidifier/dehumidifier doesn’t invalidate your mission of adaptability. Some modern systems are a huge benefit to rely on (health systems, transportation) while others aren’t. It’s important to negotiate the convenience of these modern systems, especially as technology continues to advance. Early Good Luck in college!

You might think I’m a car guy. I just like cars. I’m probably talking to someone who prefers if cars drive themselves. If I am, I recommend browsing some other blog, because this is a 2-page essay of me rambling (complaining) about modern-day cars and how annoyingly easy and safe it is to drive them.

 

Like most of my eccentric characteristics, I inherited a passion for cars from my dad. As a young and impressionable child, I would sit next to my dad on the bed of the master bedroom and watch Motor Week and Top Gear. It was mesmerizing watching cars glide or flip through a moose test, the 0-60s on modded Ferraris, and I especially loved watching Top Gear because of the funny man with the funny British accent. He also had many car magazines I liked to borrow after he finished reading them: Road & Track, Automobile, MotorTrend; all car magazines I stopped reading once they focused on EVs.

Yes, this blog is also about slandering EVs and how I’d probably never own one, although I do acknowledge their inevitable dominance of the motor industry. Hopefully, it’ll be a good 40-50 years before then, and if there ever exists a law banning combustion engines, I’ll be the last man in America tearing through the streets with a gas-guzzling 9½ liter V12 vehicle (if I can afford one by then). What I’m getting at is that I developed a passion for cars and driving that is stronger than the average person, and I’d be expressing that in this essay.

All jokes aside, I think that gas-fueled cars and EVs both have their significance in the current iteration of car trends. I do have to admit though that although they are still in the works, EVs have an impressive inventory of features that make driving more convenient. In Teslas and more dominant EV manufacturers, you can even download the software that runs the car like an update on your computer or phone, which basically sets the car up for the future. As technology advances, there will be no doubt that they will be a safer and more accessible car for the average person. 

Meanwhile, Tesla can suck on that 2-hour charge time. And since the car is all-electric, good news; the car’s value depreciates faster, so you can waste more money once you realize the range decreases by 10% every year and you sell it for a superior internal combustion engine (ICE) car. In less developed areas of the world (meaning not Silicon Valley) electricity generation is primarily based on fossil fuels, so the carbon footprint associated with EVs is almost the same as ICE vehicles. At the moment, there’s no good reason to incentivize or purchase electric cars.

 

Shifting into another gripe of mine: cars vs modern-day vehicles. “What’s the difference?” You might ask. There’s some nuance to this question, as there isn’t true definity of when a car becomes a modern vehicle. I’d define it as–you drive cars, while modern-day vehicles practically drive themselves. A car doesn’t need to have a manual transmission for you to be driving it, but some features in new models are impractical and sometimes dangerous.

My family owns a 2023 Hybrid Honda CR-V, and I drove it 6 miles to Columbus, Ohio over spring break this year. One feature I particularly despise on this car is Lane Departure, which detects if you’re drifting away from the lane and yanks the wheel to correct the position. On I-65, a 2-lane highway with a speed limit of 70 mph, Lane Departure decided to activate, jerking the wheel towards the concrete barrier at 80 mph with luggage in the back of the car. Fortunately, I reacted quickly enough to counteract the system; otherwise, the situation would have been much worse. I haven’t driven that car since.

On the same trip to Indianapolis, the emergency brake system activated in the middle of a busy junction, even though I kept good spacing between the next car.in car commercials that demonstrate an SUV with emergency braking (usually Nissan or Cadillac) the driver, usually a parent, is busy fussing with a misbehaving child in the backseat when a pedestrian wearing headphones crosses the street without looking. The car brakes by itself, leaving everyone relieved. To me, it just seems like modern car commercials are promoting inattentive driving.

These new features have somewhat decreased the risk of driving and also have drastically decreased our attentiveness and cautiousness operating a 2 ton death machine. Every day, I spot someone preoccupied with looking at their phone or putting on makeup while driving. Even with overhead cameras, people still can’t park symmetrically or parallel park. This corresponds to today’s society, where everyone seems to have decreased attention spans. It’s particularly dangerous, and our driving instructors had to stress about defensive driving due to those who don’t understand the deadly risks on the road. It’s undeniable that manual transmission can solve this problem. Operating a third pedal (clutch)  and the gear shifter is more than enough to keep people attentive. These cars are already incentivized: They cost less money, have better gas mileage, and require less maintenance. Although these incentives are put into place, I feel that people are far too lazy to purchase and learn to use one.

 

The vast majority of people on the road are driving automatic transmission. Be mindful of yourself and others, and pay attention to the road. If you have some of these features in your car, I recommend turning them off, as they are impractical if you pay attention. Nevertheless, I hope that in the future manual transmissions will not become a rare and collectible item, as people like me want to preserve the freedom driving can bring.

I remember a time when I dug through my grandma’s house in China as a 4 year old. At the time, I could only speak Cantonese and was almost entirely illiterate in English. I discovered my uncle’s old room, and in the corner, a small shelf of his childhood collection of comic books. The first thing I picked out was a Doraemon comic book, a cartoon popular in Japan. I was fascinated by the images and the dialogue. When I returned to America, I checked out numerous comic books from the kid’s section at the Nichols library. Other than Doraemon, I picked out Pokemon and Calvin & Hobbes novels. Calvin and Hobbes was one of my favorites; I could relate to the wild imaginations of the young troublemaker. I would be taken on whatever adventures Calvin went with his imaginary tiger. When I partially learned English, I could only imagine what the dialogue was by interpreting it through the panels of the comic.

Looking back, I realize that the tiger wasn’t alive and was just a figment of Calvin’s imagination of his inanimate stuffed animal. It gives me a twist of melancholy, as a naive young me believed all of his trips to Mars were real. I realized why the book was so intriguing to me: the comic reflected my own wild imagination as a kid. I’d place myself in Calvin’s cardboard spaceship or on the slides at school wishing recess would never end. That’s why when I became fluent in English, my next main genres were science-fiction and fantasy. 

My first big series was The Maze Runner. At the time when I was in third grade, only fourth graders were allowed to check out these “higher-level reading” books, but from what I’ve heard from my sister (5th grade at that time) the book was incredible. After she finished reading the first two books in the series, I borrowed them. I was immediately infatuated. Thomas, Teresa, Newt, and Minho were all I thought about when I daydreamed in class. I finished the series hurriedly, fascinated by the plot development. I could imagine the massive maze in the first book and the scorching desert in the second. It was my first big read, and I loved it from start to finish

Then it was Percy Jackson. I read the complete series once. Then again. Then I read the succeeding series, The Heroes of Olympus. I reread that as well. Then I went back to the original series, and reread those books. I was enamored with Greek Mythology from Percy Jackson; as a child, I thought I could control water with my will. The story was truly fascinating.

Because of my fascination with sci-fi, I never enjoyed assigned readings. One time, my English teacher cried in elementary school after reading Love That Dog out loud to the class. But no cool magic, I must’ve thought as I watched uncomfortably as my classmates started crying as well. My parents were also concerned about my sci-fi obsession. You’re not reading enough non-fiction, my mother said. Yeah, whatever. I continued diving into sci-fi novels; by 6th grade, I was checking out fiction novels from the young-adult section of the Nichols Library. I kept binging fiction and kept ignoring school readings. That all changed in 8th grade.

Fahrenheit 451. It was nothing much at first, just a mere school assignment. I skimmed the first few pages and then tossed it back into my backpack. Just some old-timey book. Still no cool magic. I complained about the reading to my piano teacher during a lesson, who scolded me as soon as I discussed my distaste. If you were mature enough, you’d read this novel with fascination. I took this as a challenge. I dug the book out and began reading it. I read a chapter, and then went back to read it again. Still no luck. I focused during the discussion in English. I went home later at night and brought the book to the kitchen table. I read up to the assigned chapter. Then I read past it. Ah, it finally clicked. The Nazis burned books. They stayed in control.

The next day, I shared my discovery with the class during the discussion. I must’ve felt so proud in that moment. After reading, rereading, and thoroughly enjoying George Orwell’s 1984 in freshman year, I revisited Fahrenheit 451. For both books, I differentiated the story from today’s society. I imagined, and truly imagined, the destruction of freedom if these were to occur in the future of America. I remember discussing with my parents the implications of the restrictions of knowledge throughout history, especially in today’s polarized society. I remember discussing the irony of these books being controversial and banned in many countries. I learned, through these books, how to question everything I heard. I learned the difference between following and trusting. I hated politics, but I couldn’t stop talking about it. It’s funny how I went from interpreting dialogue from pictures of comic books to applying lessons from dystopian literature to our ever-changing social climate. Even though I haven’t read many great works recently (except for The Things They Carried), I’m proud to say that I’ll be able to pick one up, appreciate the beauty of its writing, and learn with a broad mind.