Writing: College Application Essays #2 (Common App)

(Note: I realized that a few of my essays are rehashes of previous things I've written, just shortened - like Towards Tomorrow's Dreams, which I posted previously. I will not be posting those here again. Some other essays are different versions of the same concept– my UC essays talk about the same things in the Common App– but I think they're different enough that I can post those twice.)

Prompt: Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

“[The] American system... is founded upon the conception that only through ordered liberty, freedom, and equal opportunity to the individual will his initiative and enterprise spur on the march of progress.” – Herbert Hoover, 1928

Beginning in 1607, immigrants have come to America in search of new wealth, new liberty, or a new life. Through the existence of free land in the West, Americans have formed a deep commitment to the ideals of social mobility and rugged individualism; everyone, and anyone, can succeed through hard work. Such a mindset has created the American Dream: a distinct, unwavering work ethic and optimism not found anywhere else.

However, the problem arises when history has proven that this dream is not attainable for everyone. In the case of many minorities, such as women, African-Americans, and Asian-Americans, the system has worked to continually prevent their success.

For example, the eighty-year battle for female suffrage only succeeded when groups such as the National American Woman Suffrage Association advocated that women are not equal– but only more morally upright than men. Now, campaigns for equal rights are accompanied by calls for the rights to one’s body and equal pay for equal work.   

For African-Americans, while the institution of slavery ended, racism has led to lynchings, Jim Crow laws and, today, issues of police brutality. Especially for the working-class black male, the threat of mass incarceration is real; the school-to-prison pipeline punishes petty criminals and prevents their reintegration back to society.

For Asian-Americans such as myself, while they have settled in America as early as the 16th century, they have been seen as subordinate– a view which only recently has begun to change. As Carlos Bulosan wrote in his memoir, America is in the Heart, “[In the United States, I heard] an angry chorus shouting: ‘Why don’t they ship those monkeys back where they came from?’” Similar patterns continue for all minority groups– Native Americans, Latino Americans, Muslims, and others– through time.

However, despite the fact that time has proven that the American dream only exists for a minority of the majority, it still thrives today. Americans have faith in the institutions that have historically discriminated against them for three centuries. While we have made great strides in such a short period, there is a long way to go before we achieve the goal of the Declaration of Independence: a nation where “all men are created equal... endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

This issue has no perfect solution. For me, I believe that history education is the first step to a progressive society. By looking at the mistakes of the past, we ensure that we do not follow in the same footsteps. The comparisons we can make across time allow us to better understand who we are, and in turn, how we can improve as a collective. We must recognize that while our ancestors were capable of great good, they were also capable of terrible wrongs.

For many Americans today, including my parents– first generation immigrants from rural provinces in the Philippines, history does not stop them. Nor does it stop me. The paradox of the American Dream thrives on the fact that we, as a nation, are idealists; no matter what, we have the choice to take the initiative to change the status quo. We love to root for the underdog, as they stand tall against the immeasurable challenge before them.

“It is but fair to say that America is not a land of one race or one class of men... America is not bound by geographical latitudes. America is not merely a land or an institution... America is a prophecy of a new society of men: of a system that knows no sorrow or strife or suffering.” – Carlos Bulosan, 1946

Review: Preferred Taiwan Mountain Tea - Guang Ying

Type: Oolong
Producer: Guang Ying
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 100°C, 3 min., gongfu style (recommended); using 6 g
Appearance: Small dark green, balled oolong with visible stems/twigs
Rating: A- | 91/100
# of Brews: 5

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
In all honesty, trying to find any information in English about these teas on the boxes is like an easter egg hunt. I got lucky with this one, since the brewing info was in English, but nothing else really was. With the name, appearance, and smell, I'm going to assume this is a high altitude oolong. Since there was no water volume listed on the packaging, I'm not going to follow the recommended 3 minute brewing time; I'm doing quick 10-30 second brews only.

Interestingly, the dry leaf smelled similar to jasmine flowers, although this tea is not flavored. Like most of the high altitude oolongs I've tried, the liquid had a smell that's somewhat creamy, grassy, and sweet; it's fragrant. As for the color, it's a clear light yellow that turned only a little bit greener as the drinking session went on. The flavor itself is surprisingly floral, a bit like rose (instead of jasmine, which is what the smell would lead you to believe). It's mostly sweet (slightly milky but not ridiculously sweet like a Jin Xuan) with a very dull sour taste that lingers in the mouth as an aftertaste. The texture is smooth with little astringency. Overall, I like this tea– I wish I knew exactly what cultivar it is so I could order more online, but oh well. Looks like there's more exploring to do.

Other Notes

Today's album is Acid Rap by Chance the Rapper. Fun album; favorite songs on this album are Juice and Cocoa Butter Kisses. I'm going to remember driving with my friends to get dinner, blasting this album, and singing along during my last week of finals.

Anyway, I started working out again and I am already sore (which is telling of something). I had a regular schedule a couple of weeks ago but stopped because school got busy, but now that it's summer, I have a lot of free time. My daily to-do list has usually just been this blog, exercising, cooking, cleaning, college stuff, driver's test prep, and reading. I'm trying to get out and do stuff with people at least once a day so I'm not stuck inside all day.

Post-Graduation

After holding off of on writing this for a few days, I'm finally going to force myself to put down my thoughts. I graduated high school last friday, on June 6th, 2017. I begin a new life at the University of California, Berkeley, on August 14. In the meantime, I'm going to try and enjoy myself this summer vacation, although I still have a few plans and responsibilities: interning at the Alameda County District Attorney's office, writing for this blog, working at that ice cream shop, getting ready for Berkeley, and a few other things.

I'm sure I've mentioned this time and time again, but this year has defied my expectations– I wouldn't trade it for anything. We placed fifth in the national We the People competition. I'm the best mock trial journalist in California. I placed second in the area round of the American Legion oratorical contest. I judged for the science fair. I was accepted to all of the Universities of California I applied to, with some very good scholarships to boot. I graduated with a 4.0 unweighted GPA. I got a paid trip to UCLA and had a great time with some newly found friends. I've made so many friends and become close to so many of them. So much has happened in this short year that I never would have expected, especially if you saw who I was just a few years earlier. Hell, I even got the guts to ask a few girls out on dates. Who would've guessed?

I finally feel like I've left the shell I've lived in my entire life, and I'm so much happier for it. I still have problems stressing out about the future and opening up to people about my feelings and all that fun stuff, but that's alright. There's time, and there's hope. I don't know if this is how technically being an adult feels, but I'm indifferent about it. I expected that the moment I'd get up there on the stage and pick up my diploma I'd feel more free or more mature or more of anything, but I just feel the same. I feel like me, but me with just a little bit less off of my back. One of my friends said it took three days for graduation to really hit her last year– and I wonder, has it hit me yet? Maybe it never will. I don't mind.

But, this wasn't a perfect year. Nothing ever really is. There were high points and low points, like everything else in life. On May 20th, my friend and AP Chemistry lab partner's sister passed away after a long battle with cancer. She was young. On June 8th, my AP Biology teacher and science fair advisor suddenly passed away, just days after his retirement. For all that he did for me, I wish I spoke to him more or simply visited him to say hello once in a while. I have a picture with him at graduation, but that's it. I left one of my science fair pins in his old room as a sentimental gesture and thank you for all the help he's provided me these past few years.

Until recently, I've never really dealt with death, or at least it has never hit me as hard as it does now. Life is unfair, and it doesn't make sense sometimes. Good people go; bad people succeed, or get more than they ever really deserve. But, still, no one ever really is just good or just bad. You just have to push through those low points, and eventually come to terms that there is never really a reason to what happens in life. There's always light.

I still need to figure out how to deal with emotions and people. I need to learn how to help others and be a leader, and I think Berkeley will be the place to do that. I'm going to get that environmental sciences degree in memory of my teacher. I'm going to push through and continue the success of this year.

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less."

Review: Ginseng Oolong - Loyal Tea

Type: Flavored Oolong
Producer: Loyal Tea
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 95-100°C (recommended); brewing with 6 g and gongfu style
Appearance: Medium sized balled leaves with a thick coating of dark green flavoring
Rating: B | 84/100
# of Brews: 5

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Personally, I think this tea is kind of gimmicky– with my experience with blue people ginseng oolong from Vital Tea Leaf, it's good at first but gets very old very quickly. If you're unaware of what ginseng oolong generally is, it's a roasted oolong rolled into balls and then coated in a ginseng and stevia mix. It's interesting because it tastes like a regular roasted oolong, but has a very sweet aftertaste that stays on the breath long after drinking.

First off, compared to Vital Tea Leaf's, this oolong has larger leaves with more powder/flavoring. When I washed the tea (which I don't recommend), the liquid was somewhat of a bright green color; however, in every subsequent brew, it was a dark yellowish-gold color. The flavor itself is soupy and savory with some smoky coffee and sour notes. With the sweet taste of the flavoring, the sour taste is especially prevalent, coming in and leaving on the back end of the tongue quickly. This is no different from Vital Tea Leaf's; the trademark sweet aftertaste of ginseng oolong is prevalent on this one, too.

Overall, I think it's obvious what I think; while this particular brand is a good tea, ginseng oolong is nice as a once in a while drink. It's one of those teas that I would give to someone if they were knew to tea, because it's interesting and drunk more for the experience than the actual flavor.


Other Notes

Today's album is Lungs by Florence + the Machine. It's a bit old now, but I mainly chose it for the song Dog Days are Over (which I feel is pretty fitting, now that high school is over). The whole album is great, though; I wish I actually did a full listen a while ago.

I graduated on Friday. A lot has happened since then, but I'll save it for its own post. I don't really have much planned for the next few weeks, but I need to catch up on my writing and do some stuff for Berkeley.

Writing: College Application Essays #1 (Common App)

For posterity, I'll be posting my college essays one by one– both the successful and unsuccessful ones. If anyone comes across these, feel free to use them for inspiration, but please do not plagiarize them (they're my original work!). The results of my college application season were this:

Accepted - UC Berkeley (Regent's Scholar-$10k, L&S), UCLA (Alumni Scholar-$4k, L&S), UC Davis (Regent's Scholar- $30k, A&ES), UC Santa Barbara (Regent's Scholar-$24k, L&S)
Waitlisted - Amherst, Haverford
Rejected - Brown, Swarthmore, Cornell
Majors varied between each school, but included American Studies, Environmental Science, Biotechnology, etc.

So, I'll be starting off with the unsuccessful ones first– the Common App essays. I have three for the main prompts, plus the supplemental essays for each college (for those, I'll post them in clusters; e.g. all the Amherst prompts together, Brown in another post, etc.).

Prompt: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

Somewhere, on a side street of San Francisco’s Chinatown, is a small store that holds the history of the world. Inside, the walls are lined with jars filled with the sweat and toil of farmers from far-off lands. This is a place where a variety of cultures– Chinese, British, Kenyan, and Nepalese, to name a few– intersect and find common ground in one thing: the leaves of Camellia sinensis, or tea.

In this store, I find myself scanning the information cards neatly glued to the front of the jars– here, a 1998 sheng pu’erh from Yunnan, and there, a 2016 green, balled oolong from Sri Lanka. They each tell a different story. One is reputed to be picked off an ancient tea bush from Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of compassion. Another was produced on a tea estate in Assam, a remnant from the British East India Tea Company’s trade monopoly.

On the other hand, my own story with tea has no meetings with gods and is not shaped by European imperialism. Really, it’s rather plain; it all started because I hate drinking coffee, pure and simple. But as a connoisseur of caffeine, I’ve gone on a quest to find the tea that fits me.

That quest has taken me from the Azores Islands of Portugal to Tanegashima in Japan. My notes now cover over 150 different teas– blacks, greens, herbals, oolongs, and more– and my room is littered with teaware from around the world. On my dresser sits a Japanese kyusu, Chinese gaiwan, and English teapot, with cups in every location. I’ve learned how to brew authentic Indian chai, perform the Chinese gongfu tea ceremony, and act during a Japanese tea ceremony or chanoyu.

But since I started that search four or five years ago, I’ve never actually found that fabled “perfect” tea. Some teas have been close, like the Jin Xuan oolong or Kamairi Shincha green, but never fully there. However, in every tea I’ve tried, there has always been something that I enjoyed– whether it be the smell, flavor, mouthfeel, aftertaste, or general sensation it gives.

Nevertheless, I won’t give up. Someday, I will find the ideal tea, but until then, I’m going to continue exploring the world. I’ve loved everything I found already– the culture, the history, the science, all behind tea– and I know I will continue to find new things in tea to enjoy. With a drink that has roots in humanity’s ancient history, there’s just so much to learn, taste, and explore. I’m sure it’ll take more than a lifetime to fully understand tea, but in the end, it will be worth it.

Review: Oriental Beauty - Unknown

Type: Oolong
Producer: Unknown
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 6g, 90°C water, gongfu style
Appearance: Medium to large black/white/orange-reddish curled leaves
Rating: A | 93/100
# of Brews: 4

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Tea two of the Taiwan set! Like I stated before, I can't read Chinese, so the producer and recommended brewing parameters are unknown. Since these leaves are very loose in the teapot, they fill a lot of space– and so, the first few brews are going to be very short (essentially just pour the water in and pour off).

Even with the short brews, this tea is extremely aromatic, both the leaf and liquid. From the pot, it's sweet and fruity, with a slight soy smell. The liquid itself is a light, caramel color, which got darker as brews went on. This oriental beauty is similar to the one by Tea Ave, but I think I prefer this one a bit more; the flavor is very citrusy (lemon) and honeyed, with a smooth texture and little to no aftertaste. It's a bit sweeter than the Tea Ave Oriental Beauty, which I think is a lot more expensive than this. They're both of comparable quality, and I think this one wins. Overall, I still really like oriental beauty, and this one helps solidify that idea.


Other Notes

Today's album is Her World Famous Great Recordings by Vera Lynn. I chose this because I was up until 1 AM last night fixing my record player (another tip? Don't buy an Audio Technica LP60– they're decent beginner turntables but they do not last long). Unlike most of the other albums, I own this one on vinyl; I picked it up used at Rasputin's and when I did, the cashier was very surprised since she is a very old singer and they've had the record in store since 2004. But, still, after I heard We'll Meet Again in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, I've really enjoyed her music.

So, I graduate this week on the 2nd. It still hasn't hit me that high school is finally over, and I don't know if I'll ever feel different once it actually is done. It sucks that it has to end after this year has been so successful and fun, but all things must come to an end. After ending middle school with a single B, I actually am graduating as a Principal's and President's scholar, with a 4.0 unweighted GPA and around a 4.24 weighted GPA– if it really matters to anyone. Also, I have an internship with the Alameda County District Attorney's office over the summer, so there's that.

For college, I've been thinking, and I guess my tentative plans going into Freshman year now are to take concurrent majors at Cal in Letters and Science as a media studies major and in Natural Resources as a environmental sciences major. My housing assignment is a double in Unit 3 (random roommate), so if you see me there, come say hi! I've thought about it for the past few weeks, and I guess I'm finally coming to terms with choosing Berkeley over LA. One thing that helped put my mind to ease was something that the girl from the other team said– in a group chat with her, I posted a paragraph from the recent travel ban case opinion (because it was pretty damn good), and her response was "I'm not even going to pretend I read that." I guess she didn't mean it in any bad way, but it made me realize that I prefer people who actually like to learn or put effort into intellectual (or at least somewhat academic) things. At Berkeley, I got the vibe that everyone there is very driven/motivated, which I like, compared to LA's laid back and somewhat more fun attitude.

As for this blog, the plan is to post some more of my writing, like my college essays. I'm probably going to write a letter or update on or after graduation, and I'll continue writing reviews (goal is to reach 200 total reviews) throughout summer. Once college starts, however, I'm going to end this blog with a final letter. I'll see if I can make a regular schedule through summer, but those are my goals and I'll try to follow through on them.

Review: High Mountain - Loyal Tea

Type: Green
Producer: Loyal Tea
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 80-85°C (recommended); brewing with 5 g and gongfu style
Appearance: Small, slightly pale, dark green, pan-fried, curled leaves
Rating: A | 94/100
# of Brews: 3

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Recently, my parents went to Taiwan as a leg of their trip to Philippines, and I asked them to buy me as much tea as possible. They came back with six different teas and a number of assorted tea bags, so it looks like I'll be starting a new set of reviews! Note that I can't read Chinese, and these teas only really have English for the instructions, so the producers are unknown (and I'll be guessing the type of tea– most are oolongs, either some sort of green/unroasted or Oriental Beauty, with one black tea).

It's been a while since I've had a nice green tea– I've been drinking a lot of oolongs recently– and this was a nice change. This tea is extremely pungent; with the tea wash, a smell of seaweed, grass, and smoke lifted off of the pot and liquid. With short, <5 second brews (pouring the water in and pouring the tea off immediately), the tea came out a bright, yellowish-green color. Interestingly, the flavor is vaguely sweet, with a light bubble gum taste. It's followed by the sour, grassy taste characteristic of most greens– the main flavor– which is also a bit savory. I think the smoke smell comes out in the aftertaste, and the texture overall is very smooth. It doesn't dry out the throat or leave any noticeable texture in the mouth, either.

I stopped after around 3 brews, but only because I ran out of water and need to eat breakfast. It's surprisingly good, and I either expect to continue brewing this throughout the day and using the leaves to cook with (they're very high quality and don't taste half bad). Since it's a green, I'm unsure if it'll last maybe more than 5 brews total, but it was still going strong when I stopped. Overall, this tea is a pretty strong pan-fried green, judging from the curl of the leaves, and I'd recommend it– it reminds me strongly of the Kamairicha Gokase from Lupicia, which was another great green tea.


Other Notes

Today's album is DESIRE - R E M I X E S by Mark Redito. I'm sure I've made my interest in Mark Redito's music pretty clear by now, and all of these remixes are good takes on his stuff. Listen to it!

So, it's the final month of school– I graduate on June 2nd. I originally planned to end this blog when I graduated, but with the erratic uploading schedule and the backlog of teas I have to get through, I have decided that I'll now end this blog once summer vacation ends. Although I keep saying otherwise, don't expect regular posts. I do plan to clear the backlog, though.

As a quick update of what's happened since Bruin Life Weekend at UCLA, I've finally committed to a college! I'm going to UC Berkeley's College of Letters and Sciences as a Regent's Scholar. In the end, I chose Cal over UCLA because 1. it's close, and a lot more convenient than moving across state; 2. Regent's covers all financial need if I ever need it, and gives a ton of other benefits like priority registration (it doesn't really matter anymore that I didn't take that many AP exams); and 3. I prefer the grittier, urban environment of Berkeley over the upper-class, suburban feel of Westwood (I've been living in a suburb my entire life, and a city is a nice change). Although it doesn't seem like it'll be as fun or relaxing as UCLA, I think I'm ready for the challenge. I also plan to transfer into Cal's College of Natural Resources, and head down to LA to meet my BLW friends and watch the Cal-UCLA football game.

Competition Civics warrants its own full post, but here's a quick rundown of some notable things. I asked one of our teammates to ball (which happens next week!); we bused with the team from Maine and were pretty surprised at the amount of white people in the entire competition and how diverse our team technically was in relation; met a bunch of awesome people from Pennsylvania; ate a ton of soul food; and did decently first round (4th Amendment), pretty good the second (Earl Warren), and kicked ass in the Top 10 Round (1st Amendment). My unit fulfilled our goal of being in the Top 10– our team finished in 5th place, which is one spot better than the only other team our coach has brought to nationals– and we actually were the highest scoring Unit 5 in the final round. Because one of our judges was in a wheel chair, we actually got to testify in the seat where the Representatives sit in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In the end, a great competition and I hope we continue working with the program in the future.

Since then, I've had AP exams and met with friends (watched a pretty intense hockey game, cooked dinner for my unit, the girl from the other team and her unit). To be completely honest, I'm kind of terrified, but still excited for college, but that's for another time and post. Thanks for reading!