Final blog! It’s been nice. I was in a crisis since I didn’t have a solid idea of what to write about and currently, it’s 11:14. So I decided to write about things I love. This is kind of a stretch because none of these are that sentimental. 

The stars. I’ve always loved the stars. I wanted to be an astronomer when I was younger but ever since I took physics in sophomore year I scrapped that dream. It’s always fascinating how there’s an entire universe out there. Something I discovered when I went stargazing with Kathryn a while back is that I cannot see half the stars because of how bad my eyesight is. But I think the stars are really pretty.

Buying new books. I never actually read these books but buying books always made me really excited. 

Rocks. Smooth rocks are the best.

Lights. I was so disappointed when we stopped decorating Christmas trees because I wouldn’t be able to play with the pretty lights. If I could, I’d take a stroll down the city streets because it’s so much prettier at night with all the billboards and shop lights. 

Peoples’ laugh. This one’s corny but I love hearing laughing. It makes me feel better to know that those around me are happy and that I’m able to be in an environment where people are comfortable. I love making people laugh but I don’t consider myself a funny person but my favorite moments are laughing until we can’t breathe. 

Games. I grew up playing games with my brother and it’s still a good connection that we share even though we don’t live together anymore. 

A NICE PILLOW. I love pillows. If I could I’d have like six on my bed. It’s so comfortable! 

The gym! That’s a lie sorry Ashley. If I wasn’t so lazy I think I would frequent. 

The ocean. I’m actually terrified of water for some reason. At least dunking my head. But I mostly just enjoy looking at the water because it’s so calming just staring at the horizon. 

Stuffed animals. I’ve had my fair share of stuffed animals. So far right now my favorites are these three little stuffed animals my mom got from Taiwan. There is a seal, a dolphin, and a cat. The cat’s really ugly but I always cherish the stuff my mom gifts me. 

Moneyyy. Money does buy happiness. 

Shoes. I have a solid collection of shoes but it’s all pretty basic. Last year a way I coped was just running my parent’s wallets for new shoes. 

Long hair. My dad always complains about how my hair is all over the place like on the floor, in the sink, and everywhere. I don’t know I like having long hair so much but it’s a way I can control and express myself.

Pictures! I take an ungodly amount of pictures. Currently, I have 10,000 photos but I just have an issue with spamming photos and not deleting them. I’m a little upset that my parents lost a lot of my baby photos because I wanted to see what we looked like as a family when I was a baby. Others might find it annoying how much I take photos but in a sense, I want to be able to save the moment and have memories.

Long car drives. This is always the most fun to do especially at night. Music blasting and windows down are the most ideal. I always feel so free with others and that it’s just a moment of actually living life as a teen. 

Flowers. Unfortunately, I’ve never received flowers but seeing flowers on the roads and people exchanging flowers is always so wholesome. My personal favorites I think are peonies.

Friends! I’m glad that I have friends I’m able to confide in and talk to. I’m glad I have friends that will put up with my terrible ideas or go along with random plans that I want to do and have fun. 

Food. Food is a big part of my life because I grew up in a restaurant and a love language my mom is giving me food. It was a pretty big part of my personal statement because I’ve adopted that form of love for others because I like baking for others and cooking. 

I thought this list would have been a lot easier to make but There’s a lot I’m missing and for the past couple of years, I’ve been trying to find things that make me happy whether it be inanimate objects or people. Thanks for a good year! 

A lot of you might not know that I basically grew up in a restaurant for the first eight years of my life. When my grandpa first moved to America from Taiwan decades ago, he opened up a Chinese restaurant named “The House of Hunan”. A couple of years later my mom also moved from Taiwan for school and later ended up helping him run the restaurant after getting married to my dad.

I was really never attached to this place but as we start to move on to the next chapter of our lives I’m starting to reminisce more about my childhood. I’m starting to forget a good chunk of my childhood and this restaurant was the majority of it. It’s been closed for a while and now the building has turned into a Jimmy Johns but that’s beside the point. 

I actually have a lot more memories in the restaurant than at my own house. Since my dad had to work, my brother and I would come with my mom to the restaurant. But as we got older, we got more in the way so most of the time we were at my grandma’s house where our uncle would babysit us.

In the restaurant, we always sat at the first booth and I would always be so offended when people got sat there when it was busy because I liked to think it was our table. James and I would always have to find random ways to entertain ourselves. There was this little arch in the back corner of the restaurant that I liked to climb but I would often get told to stop because first I shouldn’t be climbing, and second it 

probably was weird for the customers to see a little five-year-old running around and climbing. I felt special because I knew a lot of people never got to experience growing up roaming around a kitchen growing up but at the same time, I kind of resented it. Thinking back we barely went on vacation because my mom needed to help her dad and I barely got to spend time with my parents.

I grew up in a place where there were tons of different cultures. I grew up in a place where I was loved and doted on but I never really had that close connection to anyone. Everyone was loud and scary and no one spoke. English. Actually, they all probably could to some extent, it’s just as a child who’s trying to learn to speak it gets confusing. All the workers were there when they brought my brother in a baby carrier and a couple of years later I was there too. The busy restaurant became a lot livelier. 

However, I still remember the interior of the restaurant well since it was basically my own playground. When you walk in there was this carpet that would always fold up and I would always trip on it once you got up to the counter, there was this massive Buddha statue that I would climb and smack because the hollow sound was funny to me. Then comes the restaurant. It was a pretty decent size with rows of booths at every wall. The kitchen was my favorite part because sometimes I would be recruited to help make crab rangoons and that’s where the soups were too. Honestly, the restaurant looked really sketchy but everything in Fort Wayne, Indiana was questionable. This place was kind of ugly but it was still my home. In the farthest corner was where all the extra chairs were and that was my favorite part to be. I would crawl under the chairs or cram myself in the chairs. Thinking back this was probably really nasty since this area had extremely low traffic because of how far and hidden it was.

My poor mother (maybe they couldn’t tell the difference)

Pretty recently I looked up the reviews of the restaurant and I remember seeing one mentioning how they had a five-year-old employee based on the year it was written I’m 100% sure they were talking about me. I was never allowed to help so there was no child labor going on! Sometimes I wonder what went through my grandpa’s mind as time went on. My cousins lived in California but there were here for a while and then they were gone. Then we moved and then we were gone and a couple of years later, his restaurant was gone too. I know that nothing lasts forever but sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if we stayed there. Would the restaurant have been passed down if it survived? But I’m still glad we moved because I’ve met so many amazing people that made my life a lot more fulfilling than it was before.