Voices

Mukherjee explorations of the history of cancer

By BESSIE LIU
April 11, 2018

I read the majority of the book The Emperor of All Maladies on flights between Baltimore and SoCal during Thanksgiving and winter break, and I still haven’t actually finished the entire thing yet. But as far as I can tell, you would have difficulty ...

Answers to all your questions about apps

By ARIELLA SHUA | April 11, 2018

During much of the end of fall semester, I couldn’t wait until this time of year. Being inside constantly due to the cold, I was spending way more time on my phone than I wanted to, because anything on there — even just refreshing the same four apps over and over again — was better than walking outside.

My struggle filled relationship with carbohydrates

By SUDGIE MA | April 11, 2018

Carbs are my life. I could eat just carbs for every meal for the rest of my life and be happy. I didn’t even know that eating too many carbs was supposedly unhealthy for you until I was talking about dieting with one of my high school friends, who said that she was trying to cut out as many carbs as possible in her meals. 

PUBLIC DOMAIN Ma enjoys eating carbs so much she can even eat pasta and bread plain.

A ranking of top four best episodes of Queer Eye

By GILLIAN LELCHUK and JACOB TOOK | April 12, 2018

Since it came out two months ago, Queer Eye has become a cultural sensation for the LGBTQ community (again). We love that gay shit. We watched every episode, and we have thoughts. The premise is simple: five gay men invade a Georgia man’s life for a week to renovate his home, give him a makeover and show him how to take care of himself. 

The problems with being a college drop in

By CARMEN SCHAFER | April 12, 2018

Despite attending a high school with an on-time graduation rate of 95 percent, one of my best friends dropped out of high school after our sophomore year. While it would usually be inappropriate to divulge someone’s personal reasons for not completing their primary education to complete strangers, I think she would be comfortable with me sharing her story, so here it goes:

PUBLIC DOMAIN Schafer worries that entering college too early means growing up too fast.

Why I no longer think I’m only as good as my last haircut

By RUDY MALCOM | April 5, 2018

I walked up the staircase to my house’s front door, schlepping my suitcase behind me. It was overstuffed with more clothing than I could possibly need for spring break. I suspected that in a mere five minutes, my mom would hint that my hair was too long. After all, for a couple of weeks, many friends at Hopkins had been giving me the same advice. 

  PUBLIC DOMAIN Malcom no longer defines his self-worth in terms of his haircut.

Riverdale's Cheryl has finally found her person

By CATHERINE PALMER | April 5, 2018

I  will be the first to admit that I’m not Riverdale’s most devoted fan. I binged season one last summer but then lost interest in the most recent season’s serial killer pretty early on last fall. A few weeks ago, though, after being barraged by commercials for the midseason premiere, I decided to check back in.

VAGUEONTHESHOW/CC BY 2.0  Madelaine Petsch (center) plays Cheryl Blossom on the CW’s Riverdale.
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Sometimes, it’s important to let yourself be sad

By LILY KAIRIS | April 9, 2018

“It’s strange, but I actually find my sadness quite beautiful.” I said this a few days ago, over breakfast with a somewhat new friend, and I internally cringed. Did I really just say that? Have I hit the rock bottom of artistic pretentiousness?

Why don’t we try to understand technology more?

By WILLA GRINSFELDER | April 5, 2018

I don’t know about you, but I have no idea how my phone works. The same is true of most of the things in my dorm room. The fluorescent light bulbs, this computer that I’m typing on, the way my books are bound and manufactured, even the adhesive on the little sticky tabs I use for hanging pictures of cats on my wall. 

 NICOLA ASUNI/CC BY-SA 3.0 Grinsfelder asks that we no longer know how to fix the things around us.
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Foster Wallace’s essay on the ethics of eating lobster

By BESSIE LIU | April 1, 2018

I don’t remember how I stumbled upon David Foster Wallace, but reading one of his essays was enough to pique my interest in the writer. In “Consider the Lobster,” Wallace explores a Maine lobster festival and its focus on mass lobster consumption — historically, biologically and ethically. 

How figure skaters continue to struggle with body image

By SUDGIE MA | March 28, 2018

Eating junk food is one of my favorite parts of life. It’s not good for me, and I tend to feel an overwhelming sense of guilt afterwards, but in the moment I just won’t be able to stop smiling. This goes for ice cream, chicken nuggets or even a cheap bowl of ramen. That’s why when I’m stressed, I open up a family-sized bag of chips and start wolfing it down. 

DAVID W. CARMICHAEL/ CC BY-SA 3.0 Lipnitskaya (right) retired from professional figure skating at just 19.
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Try finding the humor in all of your challenges

By KATHERINE LOGAN | April 1, 2018

An Anthropologie candle burned, its delicious scent filling my room as I put the finishing touches on my vision board for the rest of the spring. My room back home was and still remains my sanctuary, despite the time that has passed. Each time I return to it, a unique sense of calm fills my bones, one that I still haven’t quite managed to create for myself here at Hopkins.

Sometimes you have to break up with a friend

By AMELIA ISAACS | March 28, 2018

There are three things that I want to get out of the way before I actually get into this article. Firstly, this piece was inspired by the lovely Lily Kairis’ column last week titled “The pain of growing apart from an old friend.” If you haven’t read it, I would highly recommend that you go online and have a read of it — as soon as you’ve finished reading this one, of course. 

Trader Joe’s: a cure to my anxiety and woes

By ALIZAY JALISI | March 28, 2018

I carry my planner with me at all times. It’s like my blankie. You might ask, “What’s so special about 50 spiral bound pages?” To be honest, I’m not so attached to the physical planner itself as much as I am to the planning. Planning, organizing and sticking to a routine helps me navigate my everyday life with generalized anxiety disorder.

COURTESY OF ALIZAY JALISI Jalisi enjoys going to Trader Joes to recharge.

Gotham's Bruce and Selina are closer than ever to assuming their alter egos

By CATHERINE PALMER | March 29, 2018

Wrapping up my Gotham arc, I will now delve into the relationship between Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) and Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) in season four. The teens have individually been making significant strides toward transforming into their iconic alter egos Catwoman and Batman, but they have also drifted apart. As the season nears its end, though, they’ve finally started finding their way back to one another. (WARNING: Spoilers)

Batman and Catwoman’s communication issues

By CATHERINE PALMER | March 15, 2018

Now in their mid-teenage years, the future Batman and Catwoman start to act on their feelings for one another. However, as their communication skills continue to lag, underlying issues threaten to tear the duo apart. 

Some of the things worth fighting for in life

By ZUBIA HASAN | March 15, 2018

I’m trying to find the beauty in small things. And there is so much, there is so much that is beautiful. Look around, even as I sit in the fluorescently lit B-level, I see the wood and the tiny dark grains of brown forming curves (perfect hyperbolas!!) in the mustard yellow of the table, and I find that beautiful.