Why Pencils are Better Than Pens By: Sujal Mirchandani

 Why Pencils are Better Than Pens

By: Sujal Mirchandani

I believe pencils are much better than pens when it comes to writing because they are easier to use and allow for mistakes. The biggest advantage of pencils is the fact that it can be erased, which is a huge deal because everyone makes mistakes sometimes. With a pen, you do not have an option to erase your mistakes, you are forced to cross out your mistakes and make your work look much sloppier. 

Secondly, if you use pencils, you do not need to worry about running out of ink. Even if your pen has ink left in it, sometimes it just randomly stops working, and you are forced to swing it back and forth and hope for it to work again. This is very inconvenient and frustrating as a student when you are trying to be productive. But, pencils always work as long as they are sharpened. Also, if you are tired of sharpening pencils, then mechanical pencils are far better and more useful than regular pencils. 

Lastly, pens only give bold and dark lines, while a pencil can give you any shade and boldness you want depending on how you use it. With a pencil, you have more control of how to draw and write, which makes the work appear neater and unique. Using a pen decreases your creativity because anything you write with it will look the same. 

Overall, using a pencil for everything  is just more reasonable than using a pen because of the various advantages it has. A pencil allows for correcting mistakes, avoids the hassle of running out of ink, and gives you more control of your work. Therefore, I believe pencils are far better than pens.

“Dark Matter” by Blake Crouch Book Review By: Sujal Mirchandani

 “Dark Matter” by Blake Crouch Book Review

By: Sujal Mirchandani

The book “Dark Matter” by Blake Crouch is a sci-fi thriller that deals with alternate universes. The story revolves around a college professor, Jason Dessen, who lives a very ordinary life with his wife and kid. When Jason was young, he had big aspirations of being a scientist and inventing time travel, but he gave up on his dreams after he got married and had a kid. He sacrificed his dreams and talents to care for the family. But, he always wondered if it was worth it to value family over his dreams. 

One night, he gets kidnapped and wakes up in a new world which he is not aware of. He realizes that he is not the same person in this world. He no longer has a family nor does he teach astrophysics in college. Instead, he is a talented and respected scientist who has invented time travel. In this world, he is the person he always dreamt of being. But, Jason doesn’t enjoy this identity, and wishes to go back to his own world, with his family. In order to return, Jason goes through many other realities, in which he sees different versions of himself and his family. Ultimately, he returns back to his family and tries to start a new life with them. 

The best thing about this book was that it was very engaging and sparked curiosity. It kept me interested all along and encouraged me to continue reading. It didn’t feel boring or complicated, instead it explained concepts of time travel in a fun and easy way that kept the readers interested. This book taught me how people make so many choices in their lifetimes, each choice leading to a different reality. 

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book because the topic was very fascinating to think about. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes astrophysics or psychology and I would rate it a 5/5. 

“The Namesake” Book Review By: Sujal Mirchandani

 

“The Namesake” Book Review

By: Sujal Mirchandani

“The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri is about a boy named Gogol Ganguli who grows up in America to immigrant parents from India. The book focuses on Gogol's struggles to fit in because of his unusual name and Indian heritage. Gogol often tries to ignore his family and traditions to adapt more to the western customs. But, after Gogol’s father passes away, he finally understands the importance of his family and how meaningful his name is. 

I thought the book had a good message about family and identity. It shows that it's okay to be different and that your background is an important part of who you are. Gogol changes a lot throughout the story, and I liked seeing how he matured over time. Also, I liked how the book covered the whole life of Gogol from his birth to when he got married. This big timeframe allows readers to connect more with the character and understand how the character is changing throughout the story. 

The book was kind of slow, especially in the beginning. There weren't many exciting moments, and some chapters felt longer than they needed to be. Even though it wasn't the most interesting book I've read, it had a meaningful ending.

Overall, I would give The Namesake a 3.5 out of 5 stars. It isn't a book I would read again, but it has a good lesson and is worth reading once.

What does it mean to be declared dead? by Sanvi Gangisetti

 What does it mean to be declared dead? 

When someone is declared dead, it is not solely because their heart has stopped beating; the official distinction (in a legal or medical capacity) between life and death also depends on the absence or irreversible lack of brain activity. This allows for two possibilities: cardiopulmonary failure and irreversible cessation of all brain functions. 

Cardiopulmonary failure, as the name suggests, is the complete cessation of lung and heart activity within the body. The heart is the instrument that provides blood to the rest of the body. The lungs, which comprise the “pulmonary” aspect of the word, are responsible, in a more simplified context, for the exchange of gases in venous blood, replacing carbon dioxide in blood with oxygen. 

Loss of function in the brain, specifically when it is irreversible, is another constituent of the declaration of death. This criterion, arguably the more interesting of the two, occurs when the the whole brain, including the hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain, ceases to function. 

The brain has many different methods of classification, and this paper follows the hindbrain/midbrain/forebrain system. This system compartmentalizes regions of the brain by overall function. Researchers and evolutionary biologists find hindbrains in nearly all organisms, as this is the portion of the brain that is responsible for vital bodily functions, such as breathing and heartbeat. 

The midbrain and the forebrain are responsible for more complex cognitive processes, such as emotion and long-term memory storage. The highly developed facets of function and parts that humans possess are what allow for executive processing, multi-step thinking, and complex problem-solving. 

Death by organ failure is also another viable possibility, although it is as an offshoot of the two aforementioned methods. For example, a palliative patient with liver failure does not die as a result of the liver itself failing, but as a result of the implications an organ failure can cause. The liver, responsible for detoxifying the blood, closely interacts with the circulatory and digestive systems. With toxins still present in the blood, liver failure makes a person much more susceptible to systemic infections, such as sepsis. Additionally, the blood is a vital component of the body because of its rapid transportation. Without acceptable blood chemistry, toxins accumulate in other organs, setting off an organ failure cascade. 

Undoubtedly, toxins reach the brain and the heart, our organs of interest. The toxin buildup causes these organs to finally shut down as well. Systemic organ failure is incredibly difficult to treat, as communication between regions of the body generally occurs far more rapidly than potential intervention can reach. This is why infections of the bloodstream, such as sepsis, are so deadly. 

With this in mind, some may wonder whether artificial stimulation of the brain or heart equates to life. Modern medicine distinguishes between maintaining organ function and maintaining biological life. Therefore, someone who requires mechanical ventilation can be classified as alive if brain function persists. However, if the entire brain, including the brainstem, has irreversibly ceased functioning, the person is declared medically and legally deceased. 

Although every organ contributes to survival, the brain and circulatory-respiratory systems hold particular significance because they determine whether the body can maintain itself as an integrated organism.

References

Cleveland Clinic. (2024). Brain Death: What It Is, Stages & Criteria. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/brain-death

Eid, D. (2021, April 19). Forebrain, Midbrain and Hindbrain | Simply Psychology. Www.Simplypsychology.Org. https://www.simplypsychology.org/forebrain-midbrain-hindbrain.html

End-stage Liver Disease (ESLD) | UCSF Department of Surgery. (n.d.). Surgery.Ucsf.Edu. Retrieved July 10, 2026, from https://surgery.ucsf.edu/condition/end-stage-liver-disease-esld

Mayo Clinic. (2025). Heart failure. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-failure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373142

 

Why Summer Isn't as Relaxing as I Expected by Shuxuan Chang

 Why Summer Isn't as Relaxing as I Expected

by Shuxuan Chang

      Overall, so many things happened during this school year. Now summer vacation has finally started. I kind of miss school, which feels so weird. When I was in school, I couldn't wait for summer break. But now that I don't have to go to school every day, I realize I don't really have a routine anymore.

      When I wake up every day, I feel overwhelmed. I did make a plan for every day, but the thing is, I won't get in trouble if I don't follow it. Since I made the schedule for myself, I know nothing will happen if I choose not to do it. I know I have to study, but my mind keeps telling me, "It's okay if I don't do it today. I still have tomorrow." Last summer, I did the same thing. I kept putting everything off, and when school started again, I wasn't prepared. That ended up affecting my grades, and my GPA wasn't what I wanted. I know that 9th grade is considered one of the easier years of high school, so I don't want to make the same mistake again.

      Now I keep reminding myself that I need to stay on track, but it's harder than I expected. Every time I open social media, I see my friends traveling, hanging out, or having fun together. It makes studying even harder, and sometimes I wonder if I'm wasting my summer by choosing homework over free time.

      Maybe learning how to manage my own time is part of growing up. No one is checking whether I finish my work anymore. It's completely up to me, and I'm still learning how to be responsible for my own choices.

Wanting Attention vs Wanting Connection by Shuxuan Chang

 

Wanting Attention vs Wanting Connection

by Shuxuan Chang

       Today I went out for bubble tea with a friend. I took so many pictures while we were there—random ones, little details, even pictures of nothing special. It was one of those small, normal hangouts, but I still wanted to capture everything.

        Later, when I got back to my room, I was scrolling through them on my phone and thinking about whether I should post a story on Instagram. It felt like it would be fun to post it. Maybe people would see it and ask me about it, or start a conversation. I guess I liked the idea that it could turn into something to talk about.

       So I posted it. But after that, I kept checking my phone every 10 minutes. I don’t even know why. I wasn’t expecting anything big, just… something. A like, a reply, a message. Anything that shows someone saw it. I realized I get kind of excited when someone texts me before I text them. It feels different—like I matter in that moment, like I didn’t have to chase the conversation.

       Sometimes I don’t even have anything specific to say. I just don’t like the feeling of being “out of the loop” or not being part of someone’s day. Posting stories feels like an easy way to create that connection, even if it’s not a real conversation. And the weird part is, I can’t tell if I actually want attention… or if I just don’t want to feel invisible for a second. Or maybe it’s both.

The Pressure to Look “Perfect” by Shuxuan Chang

 

The Pressure to Look “Perfect”

by Shuxuan Chang

     When I was in 4th or 5th grade, there was one thing I thought about every single morning: what I was going to wear. Before school, I'd stand in front of my closet trying to pick the "perfect" outfit. I wanted people to think I looked put together. I wanted them to think I was doing everything right.

     The funny thing is... I still catch myself doing that today. Some mornings, I don't even want to get out of bed, but I still feel like I have to look perfect. If I can't do that, I try another way—I make sure I seem happy, friendly, and confident, even when I'm not feeling that way.

       One day, my mom and I went shopping together. I was talking to a store employee about the size of a skirt. On the way home, my mom suddenly said, "That didn't sound like the real you. It's like you're always trying to be the perfect person in front of other people. Doesn't that get exhausting?"

       I didn't know what to say. When I got back to my room, I kept thinking about what she said. Was I really acting that way? And if I was... why did other people's opinions matter so much to me?