4. NZ Sea Lions 2026

Image Source: MSN The “ Dead Internet Theory ” refers to the idea that much of the content posted online is AI-generated. It also includes that there is more bot activity than human interaction. This lack of human activity is what makes it “dead.” We live in the Bay Area, which is now the literal hotspot for AI companies and startups and there are now tons of AI ads around San Francisco. When this first started, I did not expect AI to be so prevalent in my daily life. When generative AI and fake videos were first introduced to me by my dad, I did not expect that they would become so realistic so soon. Although I pay close attention to the content I watch on social media, I have probably consumed fake videos before without even realizing it.  A few days ago, I came across this reel while scrolling on Instagram. It highlighted how easily I could be deceived by AI videos. If I had not been informed in the video that the “people” were AI-generated, I would have never recognized it. Th...

“I’m an INTJ from Ravenclaw. We’re compatible!”  “I like guys with long hair. DNI if you’ve got a buzz cut.” “I’m a fire-inclined, fox-spirited alpha. And don’t talk to me if you’re born in a water month because it’ll interfere with my alignment.”  …Okay. Got it. Well, here’s another question: Why does that matter so much to you? Isn’t it so stupid to limit yourself to pointless categories based on arbitrary characteristics?  I’ve heard that critique countless times: that this generation is obsessed with putting itself into boxes, and that our fixation on labels is inherently unhealthy and needs to stop. That there is some deep, aching insecurity that lies within the hearts of the youth which can only be alleviated by the bandage of a Buzzfeed personality quiz.  Putting categories into categories.   Sure, they’ve kind of got a point. Labels can be reductive and encourage us to see each other as nothing more than whatever category we’ve assigned them. But I’ve ...

                                                      I mage of a Minecraft Villager   I suppose I have a bump on my nose It was definitely not something I chose Nor did I have it from the day I rose Sorry, let me start speaking in prose My nose arose the same as any other nose and stayed as such for most of my childhood, but somewhere in elementary school that suddenly changed. I was playing basketball with my friends and one of them threw a bad pass to me—it must have been as I would NEVER miss a good one—and the pass struck my nose directly. It must have not hurt a lot as I deemed it inconsequential, maybe mentioning it to my parents once but not thinking much of it. It was consequential. The bump began manifesting sometime in fifth grade, but because of the pandemic, I constantly had a mask covering it and it remained u...

Credit: Duke Health & Wellbeing   I want to achieve my goals. I want to improve. I want to become a better me. That’s what many of us say to ourselves … especially when it comes to tackling the frustrating yet crucial part of school: studying. We want to change ourselves, but either don’t have the time or the energy (who has energy anyways?).  So how can we change? Research states that even a “little” daily event can influence a personality change. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into days, and before we know it, a year. As we grow older and experience more, our daily lives alter drastically. We didn’t know what we would be doing now from ten years ago. Ten years ago, I thought that the spelling test of simple sight words or writing a paragraph was the hardest thing to ever exist. Yet here I am writing right now, using those same sight words. If we are able to use this to our advantage, then we need to start with how we can change our personality in order to alter the “l...

  My dad told me when I was young to be the “ first penguin ,” which is a common saying that references how penguins are afraid to move forward unless the first penguin makes a step into the unknown.  I am the eldest of my family. Not just the eldest of MY family though, the eldest grandchild on both sides of the family. In addition to that, my parents are both the eldest of THEIR families. So yup, being the eldest child in MY family, does come with a ton of responsibilities.  I have one younger brother. However, I grew up taking care of my little brother, my younger cousin sister, and my baby cousin sister. I think at one point the adults in my family were just like, “Nah, she’s got it.” Every event, every party, every visit, I always get told to “be in charge.” That means, I am responsible for literally everything. At this point, I may as well be a 3-in-1 shampoo because I have to ensure they aren’t doing anything stupid, I have to ensure they aren’t fighting, and if th...

(Credit: iStock, FG Trade Latin) Some of the most meaningful words and phrases in my vocabulary would probably mean absolutely nothing to you. I could say one of them to a close friend and watch their facial expression change instantly. Maybe they laugh or maybe they look at me as if I have gone insane or maybe they say the same phrase back, making us laugh at something that happened years ago. To others, it may just be a word or phrase, but to us, it's a time capsule of our own little shibboleths. That is the strange thing about inside jokes . They start out as ordinary language, but at some point in time, they stop belonging to everyone. Such a phrase gets repeated after something funny happens, someone mispronounces a word, or maybe someone makes a terrible decision that is funny enough to be remembered forever. Eventually, the original moment disappears into the background, while the phrase sticks with us. It becomes shorter and somehow funnier every time it is repeated to chec...

Photo Credits: Sacred Heart University When I was in fourth grade, I signed up for Beginning Band. I just did it for fun, and I didn’t expect to have any trouble with the music–I’d been playing guitar for two years (self-taught), so how bad could it be? If you play an instrument, you definitely know where I’m going with this.  I knew how to play simple chords and strum along to my favorite pop melodies. And to me, that was magical. It was like having another language at my fingertips–one that communicated raw emotion in a way that regular English couldn’t.  But concert band music was a language I didn’t understand at all–what was a measure? An eighth note? What did crescendo mean? Honestly, standing in that music room with my kid-sized snare drum and glockenspiel, I wasn’t a big fan. Before, music never had rules. But now, everything was written out for me. It was like reciting a poem that someone had already written–I had to play exactly what was on the sheet music, no more ...

Ballet has always been a huge part of my life. I started ballet when I was 5 years old when my mom signed me up for a ballet class. Since that moment, ballet has become a part of my identity. I love ballet and dancing because they allow me to express myself freely. I have classes most days of the week during the school year and try to go to summer intensives in the summer. Through the cramps, sweat, and soreness, I continue to dance because it brings me joy and peace. The studio feels like a safe space and turns my bad days around.  But, a bit of this changed when I got injured. I injured both of my ankles in the summer of 2025 and am still currently recovering. It happened after I pushed myself too hard during a summer intensive after I took a month-long break from dancing. When I found out recovery would take a long time, I was devastated. It felt like a huge part of me had been ripped away.   I tried to continue going to class but honestly, how much could you really dance w...

  1. Minecraft Ravine Image In 2010, at the ripe age of eight months old, Tadi (tiny Aadi), ventured outside the United States for the first time and stepped into the land of his ancestors: Bharat, also known as India. Although I cannot remember how my voyage played out, from what I have heard, Tadi had a ton of fun. These visits became frequent, as Tadi was going to India almost once a year to spend time with both his mother’s and father’s sides of the family. His mother’s side lived in Lucknow, and were a lot more reserved and believed highly in religion, although thankfully not forcing anything onto Tadi and his parents. His father’s side lived in Amravati, and was much more social and outgoing, always wanting to have family gatherings, something Tadi did not mind at all. Tadi did not discriminate between the families, simply awaiting his eventual journey. In 2019, Madi (medium Aadi) visited India during winter break, taking a week off of school to stay for three weeks.  Fi...

(1) A characterization of the "INFJ" personality type. Recently, my friend introduced me to the MBTI , or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which is a personality test that reveals your percentages of perception and judgement. It groups you into one of the 16 groups based on the percentages. I took the short personality test and was placed into the group of “ INFJ ,” or “Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging.” As I read through the descriptions of the strengths and weaknesses on the website, I felt myself feeling surprised that the results were pretty accurate. As I went on through my day, I came across something that caught my attention.  I was scrolling through Instagram and found a reel that had some characters and their MBTI personality types. Curious, I swiped until I saw mines.  A few of my favorite characters from the shows I watched recently were shown.  I was genuinely startled since I didn’t realize that the characters I chose as favorites were ones that r...

(Credit: Getty Images, CreativeDesignArt) I never really thought about my name much until I started hearing other people say it. “Wait, how do you say your name again?” It is a perfectly reasonable question. My name is Palash. It is six letters long and it is not particularly complicated after you hear it, yet somehow, I have heard several different versions of it over the years. At some point, you begin to recognize when someone is attempting to say your name and you patiently wait to see what happens.   The funny part is that a name is probably one of the first things we learn about someone, but also one of the last things we actually think about. We exchange names within seconds of meeting one another. “Hi, I’m ______. Nice to meet you.” Done.  But then, that one title follows you everywhere. Teachers call it during attendance. Friends yell it to get your attention. You list it on the top of every assignment and even on every account you create.  After a while, it beco...