Developing Leadership Skills

There it was. I was to lead a house building project in the Mekong Delta. Truthfully, though, I was scared. Despite superficial concerns, I had a deeper fear: I was worried what my peers would think of me. Ordering them around would surely make them dislike me.

Home Depot

Six years ago, a scrawny twelve year old kid took his first steps into Home Depot: the epitome of manliness. As he marched through the wood section, his eyes scrolled past the options. Red Oak? No, too ubiquitous. Pine? No, too banal. Mahogany? Perfect, it would nicely complement his walls. As days went on, the final product was almost ready.

Dreamcatcher

I’m spartan. No, not the kind that fought in the Peloponnesian War. I just wear plain shirts, take colorless notes, and have a bare room. But even in my bare room, there are a few decorations that illustrate my character.

Stars

Every night, I gaze up at the stars on my ceiling to admire the same view I’ve had for seventeen years. Besides being the catalyst to long-winded explanations as to why I still have glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling, their light has continued to define me by illuminating every surface, corner, and object in my room.

Food Leads to Happiness

My grandmother used to say, “Dil jeetne ka rasta pet se hokar jata hai”— food leads to happiness. At the time, I didn’t know what she meant. But as I moved from India to Singapore to Switzerland, food grounded me and provided a path for exploration.

Food and Sustainability

I’ve spent most of my life as an anti-vegetable carboholic. For years, processed snack foods ruled the kitchen kingdom of my household and animal products outnumbered plant-based offerings. My transformation began with my mom’s cancer diagnosis.

Italian Dinners

“Dinner’s ready!” Those are my favorite words to hear every Sunday night when my mom finishes cooking her authentic Italian tomato sauce to go along with her made-from-scratch spaghetti.

Magnets

I was 10 when my family’s tradition of magnet collecting started.

Polaroid Photos

Golden light streaks my bedroom. It’s 6am. Before my family rises, I’ll have completed half my day’s to-do list; but before I start, I look to my wall, where 84 (and counting) 2.4 x 1.8 glossy Polaroids hang in 14 uniform rows.