My paper trail
Off the Beat
These pieces of paper are priceless — not just because I didn’t pay for most of them. They’re the closest thing I have to physically collecting my memories.
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False promises and college fantasies
Off the Beat
I saw my friends’ lives like scenes from an early 2000s college movie, the kinds I saw glimpses of in adults’ eyes when they”d tell you, wait for college.
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“Unfortunately, I can no longer continue”
Off the Beat
I used to think living in the present meant a lot of yeses, living life to the fullest, carpe diem. But it also means saying no sometimes, and that is okay.
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My prep school reckoning
Off the Beat
I’d been ignorant about so many of my classmates’ experiences. Where had I been while so many other incidents of racism and classism had gone on?
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My problem with unapologetic misogyny in media
Off the Beat
I cannot take these unapologetic misogynists of all genders, who are prevalent in Japan, silencing female voices anymore.
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Escaping to nowhere
Off the Beat
While prolonged escapism in the long term is destructive, I can’t help but wonder if it’s inherently a bad thing on a smaller scale.
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The roaring 20-somethings
Off the Beat
“But your 20s are your golden years! The time to explore yourself, take risks, be spontaneous!” So far, it doesn’t quite seem like it.
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The case for ghosting
Off the Beat
I give myself permission to experience loneliness in this isolation, and I challenge myself to even come to prefer it over the company of others.
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An underrated affection
Off the Beat
Gift-giving — a currency I previously associated with a quid pro quo to give an equally touching gift — began to feel like a really sensible way to love.
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Being me, shamelessly
Off the Beat
The effects of living in a society full of judgment for mentally ill people don’t go away just because you know something shouldn’t be the way it is.
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