Strawberry Honeeeeyyy

 Got random motivation to write in my blog while studying for AP exams.

I'm guilty of having a tiny cup of coffee at 7pm, which is probably a bad idea to get some sleep. Oh well--it was really good. Strawberry chocolate coffee by Kauai Coffee. That flavor combination sounds weird in coffee, but it's so subtle that you'll barely notice it. But there's a hint of it, so you get that essence of strawberry with a bitter (good kind) hotness. The coffee doesn't have an odor of artificial strawberry or chocolate either, which would really gross me out. According to their website, it's naturally flavored. I enjoy other flavors like toasted banana, regular chocolate macadamia, and vanilla macadamia. I know it's weird that I'm gooning over coffee, but it's probably the only thing worth getting up in the morning for.

And no, not the crazy speciality coffees like a cappuccino or latte. Sorry, but I'm not that typical teen who gets Starbucks in the morning to flash around at school. Stop your sad form of exhibitionism.

Infinite Craft

I understand that it's pretty popular for YouTuber's to base their channel around one game. This can definitely work well for some, even if it starts to feel a bit stale over time. What I never knew, however, was that some people base their entire channel on Infinite Craft. Yes, the game that Neal Agarwal built that runs off your browser is a game so revered that people play it consistently on their channel. From what I've seen, they can spend over an hour trying to get a single item. It's bizarre, especially considering the surface-level simplicity and accessibility of the game. It's not some crazy ultra high graphics next generation game, but rather a humble little white canvas in your browser that contains a whole iceberg of depth and complexity. 

When I first played it on my channel, I was quite charmed by the mechanics and how easy it was to pick up and start playing. I liked how you could easily see your progress slowly growing as you combined more and more random things together. Because of the game's potential for (literally) infinite items, players have developed strategies to get new items, or "first discoveries". They've also developed strategies to get incredibly obscure and unorthodox things that are near impossible to come across. In other words, I merely scratched the surface of what the game entails. I think it's still worth giving it a second look, given you can save your progress through a download. 

Now it makes sense to me why there are full channels dedicated to Infinite Craft. It's infinite content, too.

The Unexpected Joy of Tinted, Recycled Lined Paper

 Let’s be honest: lined paper isn’t exactly a hot topic. It’s not flashy or techy. No one’s making unboxing videos about it. It reminds you of school. But recently, I stumbled upon a pack of recycled, college-ruled paper—tinted slightly off-white, maybe a soft gray-beige—and I’ve found myself completely obsessed.

I picked it up by chance. I asked my parents to lend me any lined paper they could, and they brought this stack home. It was brand new, 500 sheets, and didn't have the usual blinding white that makes your eyes tired after two pages. It had a warm, aged look--like it had stories in its cellulose before I put my Bic Round Stic to work. 

That Smell Though...

It sounds weird, but the first thing I noticed when I opened the pack at home was the smell. It wasn’t bad at all—just a faint, earthy scent, like rain hitting cardboard, or the inside of a paper bag after you’ve carried a PB&J sandwich in it. Definitely recycled. Definitely real. No artificial crispness. It smelled... honest? I know that’s a strange way to describe paper, but it fits. Now, since I have the stack sitting on my desk, my entire room is pervaded with the essence of this paper. It makes me feel like I'm in a bookstore as I sleep, work, and play Yoshi's Island. There's something about the smell that floods my mind with nostalgic memories of being in school learning to write my name. 

Writing on It Feels Different

It’s not just about aesthetics or scent either. Writing on this paper feels different. There’s a tiny bit of texture to it—just enough to make pencils feel a tiny bit scratchy and pens glide with a bit of satisfying resistance. Most people hate when their pens and pencils feel scratchy, but this paper provides the tiniest amount that becomes enjoyable after a while. Like most ruled paper, it's kind of thin, meaning you can feel the satisfaction of ink indents on the back of a page. After you've finished writing a full page, there's nothing quite like feeling the bumpy surface of the back. Yeah, I press hard when I write.

The college-ruled lines are neatly printed in a subtly gray-blue ink that blends perfectly with the paper's beige tint. The margin line is pink, not red. This paper feels like someone thought about the experience of writing. 

It Changed My Work

Okay, not to sound dramatic—but switching to this paper shifted how I approach writing. Whether I'm writing notes down, practicing essays for Lang, or writing down journals, it's now a habit. I carefully slide out a sheet from the shrink-wrapped stack, being careful not to bend the edges. Then, I write. It makes writing feel more personal, less pressured.

Final thoughts

If you’ve never given a second thought to what kind of paper you’re using—try this. Find some lined, college-ruled sheets that are tinted and made from recycled materials. Preferably, they should be made in the USA. Sometimes, the little things in your workspace are what keep you grounded when everything else feels digital and distracting.

What's on my iPhone?

As you'd probably expect, I have an iPhone. Considering I have a Mac Mini, this shouldn't come as a surprise. Still, I've never really discussed my iPhone anywhere--until now.

I prefer the simpler side of Apple, which means that I don't buy the most extravagant and expensive things they sell. I didn't buy an iMac or a Macbook; I bought a Mac Mini. I didn't buy an Apple Watch Ultra; I still use the relatively new Series 7. Instead of an iPhone 13, I went with the SE. I find that most of the cheaper items can still do the most of the essential stuff that everyone needs. My SE can call, text, listen to music, watch videos, and write notes. I'm rarely in need for a really nice camera (which the better models certainly have) because I'm not actively participating in photography. Plus, the cheaper models still retain that Apple magic that makes them enjoyable to use. In other words, you might be losing some features, but you are not losing any part of the experience Apple wants you to have--unless, of course, you believe the experience is based on all the features :(. 

I find my SE to be quite functional, even after owning it for a few years. Although it's a bit slower and the battery life has degraded a bit, it's still a solid phone from 2022. Oh, and it has a home button.

 

When I unlock my phone, all I see is black. I've had a black wallpaper on my phone forever. It's the easiest on the eyes and (technically) takes the least amount of battery life. If you watch any of my videos on the channel, you'll know that the background for my Mac Mini has fluctuated quite a bit. Now, however, I've decided to just stick with a solid navy blue. It's still easy on the eyes and makes the apps stand out the best. 

Of course, the date and time is in white text, and the battery of my AirPods and watch are in white, too. Controversially, I use military time. I just started and never stopped.

Once I unlock the phone, it's similarly very simple. I only have 3 apps on the home screen: Safari, Messages, and ChatGPT. 

Now, I know what you're thinking. Are you a fucking psychopath? I can explain. These are my most used apps, so I felt that these were the only ones that actually need to stay on the home screen. I do not want a home screen full of folders and apps that I never use, because then I'll need to scavenge for the ones I actually do use. In this case, it's not very many. 

I definitely use other apps like YouTube and Apple Music a lot as well, but I find that swiping right and clicking on them really isn't that bad. Any other app that I may need can easily be opened through the spotlight search (happens whenever you swipe down on the home screen). 

 Most people would probably heavily disagree with me on this decision, but I like to keep my home screen clean. Unlike my Mac's desktop, it's actually easier to keep it clean, so I might as well do so. I never use the widgets or any other feature for home screens because it's also distracting to me. Making my phone as bland as possible has let me use it less. I don't have other social media like Instagram or Snapchat, so other than YouTube there really isn't much else to do. 

My app dock has some things on it too: Wikipedia and Copilot. This is mostly for information, but I actually barely use these too. I know it's sort of intriguing to look at what other people pin to their docks, but I've always found the dock to be insignificant. Unless you have screens and screens of apps, the dock doesn't actually serve the purpose of giving access to apps anywhere.

I might have a smaller and weaker phone, but that doesn't mean that it isn't capable. I'm willing to use this thing 'till it dies out on me, because I don't know if Apple will make a phone this cheap and small ever again.

I disagree with what I wrote, but who cares.

An AI generated prompt for AP English Language and Composition, Question 3:

    

In recent years, discussions around the concept of "quiet quitting"—a term used to describe employees doing only what their job requires and nothing more—have sparked debate in professional, academic, and social circles. Some argue that this trend represents a healthy boundary between work and personal life, promoting mental well-being and rejecting hustle culture. Others believe it reflects a decline in work ethic, responsibility, and ambition, potentially harming both individual growth and organizational productivity.

Carefully read the following prompt and write an essay that develops your position on the value of "quiet quitting" in modern society.

In your essay, you should:

• Develop a clear thesis.

• Support your argument with appropriate, specific evidence.

• Address opposing views or counterarguments.

• Organize your ideas logically and use a formal style

    "That's not part of my job description". You may have heard this crude and somewhat irreverent phrase thrown around when a superior asks an employee to do something, but it has some partial value in today's society. The concept of "quiet quitting", which describes employees who do the bare minimum of what their job entails, has recently been a hot topic of argument in today's professional workforce. With the state of the current emerging workforce, it is safe to assume that this concept will not be going away soon. Our society has become more lax and less focused on working hard, so it may be better to accept the concept of "quiet quitting". In modern society, the idea of "quiet quitting" is necessary for the enrichment of personal life and for the rejection of large corporations.
    In the age of Generation Z, the old-fashioned mindset of working extremely hard at one's job has sort of fizzled out. In fact, most Gen Z's hardly even want to work. When they do, employers describe them as lazy, entitled, and too sensitive. Our generation simply does not want to work as hard as we used to, so it's nearly impossible to try to force these ideals upon us. Instead, the practice of quiet quitting may serve as a beneficial step for individuals to better themselves and flourish beyond the workplace. Doing the "bare minimum" will give time for individuals to develop their own hobbies, focus on self-improvement activities like exercise and meditation, and make the best version of themselves for when they do work. Focusing on one's own self improvement may actually resolve the issues of being lazy and entitled. That way, the work Gen Z's do put in is actually quality work. They aren't burned out. An employer would likely rather hire an employee that works on themselves, gets adequate rest, and is respectful to others versus a bogged-down workaholic. It might seem lazy, but the impacts of giving space to the individual (at the expense of manpower and a productive workforce) will outweigh the negatives.

    Quiet quitting is also a passive and safer way to reject the greed of large corporations. In reality, your position in a job means almost nothing to the corporation as a whole. If you work for a large corporation like Walmart as a clerk, your single help is a small footnote of the company's worries and concerns. Corporations will try to pay their employees as little as possible in order to make the most amount of money. This is why a lot of them are minimum wage jobs--if they could pay their employees less, they probably would. They have no trouble laying off hundreds of workers, proving that they in fact do not care about you. It would likely be pointless to take your job as serious as possible, since the people that do the bare minimum are getting paid the exact same as you and are likely valued the same (unless, of course, they're a superior) to the company. Quiet quitting can be a way to reject these corporation and their greed, and show that you care about the job as much as they do.

    As us teens enter the workforce, it's important to distinguish the difference between creativity and overworking. There should be no reason employees do nothing at work, but there should be no reason that they do more for free. Stagnation and lack of creativity in the workforce may stem from quiet quitting, but they will also stem from burnout. In a capitalist society that frequently values profit over human beings, we must be open to rejecting these ideals and respecting ourselves. There must be a balance between the two sides. Quiet quitting is a good reminder that work should support life--not consume it.

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I still disagree with a large amount of the points I mentioned. Plus, this topic is so complicated and nuanced that it's nearly impossible to get a good argument in just one essay. I think some companies actually do care about their employees, and believe that we as a society still need to get used to the fact that we gotta get up off our ass and go to work, even if we don't like it. No, it's not fun. No, it's not always enjoyable. That's why it's called work.

AP English

Since I frequently focus on the FRQ portion of the AP Eng. Lang. exam, I wanted to talk about the multiple-choice section. 

Honestly, it's annoying.

On the real AP exam, you're given 60 minutes to complete 45 multiple-choice questions that pertain to the given passages. In other words, 60 agonizing minutes to complete 45 cryptic questions on the most boring stuff you'll ever read. It's standardized test B.S. at its finest. You're given a bit more time because you have to read, but you still gotta move that ass quickly if you want to finish without spam clicking the last 5 questions. 

Some of the passages are honestly O.K., especially the ones that claim "The passage below is a draft", since it's basically like if a normal student wrote it. Others, however, are excerpts from random works from the 1800s derived from who the hell cares. These are usually awful; the language is old and confusing, they're long, the topic is often abstract, and they're boring. The questions that follow are also pretty challenging, so if you didn't really understand what you read, then you're going to be lost. I really don't understand the obsession with 1800s writing from Britain. 

Because my teacher has made it a routine to give practice MCQ tests every week, I have become a bit more skilled and proficient at the MCQ portion. If I'm being honest, it takes practice and exposure to become better at these tests. You can’t exactly "study" for questions like these, so the best way to improve your score is by taking practice tests and carefully reviewing each question to understand why you got it right—or where you went wrong. My teacher actually goes over why each of the answer choices were incorrect, which really helps in understanding the distractor choices and how to better understand the entire question (and not just understand the correct choice). 

Plus, if you really think about it, 45 questions isn't that much. It sounds like a lot at first, but it will go by quicker than you expect. 

The MCQ certainly isn't the worst part of the test—it's obviously the essays.