525,600

So here we are again!  At the end of every year, it’s kind of become tradition to listen to this song on repeat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj7LRuusFqo

                        

If you gave it a listen, you probably noticed that they kept repeating a number – 525,600. That’s the number of minutes in a year, and trust me on this, the more you stare at that number, the smaller it gets. When you really think about it, its not a big number at all! I listen to this song every New Year because I love being reminded of how limited our time is. Last year, on the same night, I wrote about resolutions and how the New Year gives us the power to really accomplish our goals. This year I want to remind you how short a year really is, and how our goals should be tackled now, because sooner than you think the year is going to flash by.

People always say that their lives changed when they realized how fleeting and precious time is. Often it was dangerous situations that lead to those realizations, so consider this your pain-free wakeup call! Life is short, and this year my wish for all of you is to seize life and accomplish everything you’ve ever wanted to!

Tonight is the one year anniversary of the Godswood and I would like to thank everyone who has ever read any of my posts. Thank you all so much for the support and encouragement!

It’s time for a toast!

Here’s to seizing life and all the opportunities that come with it. Here’s to everything we’ve learned this year, and everything we will learn in the next. Here’s to all of you reading this, and another amazing year ahead of us, hopefully full of new stories and adventures to share!

Here’s to the Godswood!

Until next time,

Bianka

The Chennai Floods

It’s over. At least the worst of it is, I hope.

Hey guys. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks and if you’ve seen the news recently, you’ll know why. My city is underwater.

Accurate representation of the mood over the last two weeks.

Rain poured for nearly 3 weeks, strong and unrelenting – rain like I’ve never seen before. In the beginning it never occurred to me the gravity of the situation – I was just happy we had a rain holiday! But then the stories came pouring in (no pun intended) and it hit me just what was happening - for the first time in my life I was bearing witness to a massive natural calamity. I looked on horrified as people lost their belongings, their homes, and some their lives. Then the power went out. The cell towers lost connectivity, and the internet and phone lines were down. The roads around my home filled up and for the first time I understood what it meant to be trapped. I was suddenly made aware of the importance of things like warm water and electricity – things I take for granted every day.

It’s safe to say Chennai wasn’t expecting this either. The city hasn’t seen anything like this in over a century. The city was consumed and, well, blindsided. We lost over 260 lives.

You never really understand situations like this till they hit your city. You never really grasp the gravity of natural disasters till you live through one yourself. I never truly understood it till now. And I can honestly say in my 16 years, I have never been prouder or felt closer to this place I call home. The people rallied together and as rescue missions carried on, the stories that came to light truly restored my faith in humanity. The military came to the rescue, the government pitched in all its resources, and kind souls from surrounding states flocked in to help. This city came together in a way I’ve never seen before, bound equally by shared tragedy and shared hope. Slowly but surely things got better and as the sun rose over Chennai again, I think all of us who live here rose with it, changed by this forever.

Between this and my last post, it seems like terrible things keep happening to the world. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that good things are happening too. But seeing the way people react to situations like this and the way in which they so freely help one another has me convinced that everything is going to be OK.

 What happened was truly a tragedy and I cannot express how grateful I am that no harm came to me or my loved ones. Thank you to everyone who checked in and everyone who came to help my beautiful city get back on its feet. There is still a long way to go, but together we’re going to make it.

Today, I looked out onto my street and saw the water level receding, as people from my neighborhood headed to the local shop to pick up supplies. As I watched everyone around me return to normalcy, one very happy thought entered my head:

Chennai is back!

It’s going to take a lot more than rain to hold my city down.

Until next time,

Bianka

Hope

This morning I woke up happily from a really good sleep, and as usual I picked up my phone to catch up with the world. Most days I read through messages from friends, tweets from people I follow, and YouTube and Facebook updates. But not today. Today my feeds were filled with news about Paris. It took me a while, with my groggy sleep filled eyes, to register the horrible thing that happened – in a series of terrorist attack, 120 people were been killed and hundreds of others wounded in the heart of France’s capital. I spent the morning watching the news mutely, taking in the tragic scenes being broadcasted. Later in the day, I found out about the dual-bomb blast that took place in Beirut, Lebanon which claimed the lives of 44 people, and left over 200 others injured. To top it all off, I also learned of a huge earthquake that hit Japan putting the whole island to be on tsunami alert. And then later in the evening, there was a blast in Baghdad, Iraq where 26 more innocent lives were taken.

Hearing all of this made me feel a horrible mixture of emotions. First I was sad, and I thought about all those innocent people in Paris and Beirut, who were just going about their business, and are now dead. Then I felt angry. How could anyone do such terrible things? I switched between these two emotions for a while till I was hit by a feeling I liked the least – helplessness. I felt helpless because there is so much grief and horror out there in the world today and there is nothing I could do about it. I don’t know if you’ve ever felt it, but feeling like this is the absolute worst because it’s as if you have lost all hope. It was like the world was (literally) crumbling around me, and in that moment I wanted nothing more than to make it better. But I couldn’t. To me, hope seemed lost and the world seemed gray.

So there I sat, watching the news, feeling very unlike my happy, peppy self. Then I came across a quote that really cheered me up. It went like this –

This quote may seem simple and rather unspectacular to you, but it really lifted my spirits today because it reminded me of something very important- no matter how dark and miserable life may seem, there will always be hope. Hope for love, hope for peace, hope for a better tomorrow.

In fact, today, as the world struggles to get back on its feet, we need hope more than ever before. Yeah, bad things happen. But it doesn’t take much to see that the world is filled with some really good people too. It may be hard for us to believe right now, but they actually outnumber the bad- by A LOT! And I know that all of the good ones stand with Beirut, Paris, Japan, Baghdad and all the other countries going through trying times, as they dust themselves off and stand tall once again. Things are going to get better. They always have and they always will. It’s not a bad thing to feel sad, or angry, or even hopeless sometimes. But always remember that there is  hope, even in the darkest of times.

Take a moment today to think and pray, not only for France, but also for those caught in the overlooked tragedies in Lebanon, Japan, and Iraq. Give this a listen (it made me feel better XD)

https://youtu.be/2cW8Alo_5uI

Pray for love. Pray for peace. Pray for humanity, and a better world. 
It’s on its way. Till then we run on hope.

And you know what? I think we’re going to make it.

Until next time,

Bianka

Essena

Hello everyone! Today we’re gonna be talking about this girl right here (I’m pointing below XD)

Her name is Essena O’Neill, a 19 year old YouTuber and Instagram celeb from Australia. She had over half a million followers and joined the top modeling agency in Australia. She had everything she had ever dreamed of having. She “had it all.” That’s why the internet was rocked when two days ago she deleted her social media accounts, and made a final video on her channel telling her story and the reason she decided to quit social media.

Check out the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1Qyks8QEM

She has completely deleted her channel as well, and has launched a website with the slogan “Let’s be game changers.” Essena shocked us all as she revealed what goes on behind the camera. Her whole existence was driven by the need for adulation, the desire to increase her following. She wished to project the image of a perfect life. This pressure she put on herself drove her to depression, and she decided she needed to step back and get away from it all.

The internet has fallen into a huge debate on the effects of social media on individuals, the authenticity of those individuals and so on. This video has given us a lot to ponder and discuss but the biggest message I carried away from Essena was this – whatever you do, make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons and always be true to yourself. Be it starting a YouTube channel, or a blog, or literally anything else in life, you need to make sure you’re doing it for you. More than ever before,  we are all connected. And because of that exposure we see people who, to us, lead perfect lives. And being only human, we want to be like them. We all want to be recognized and have our voices heard.

William Shakespeare once wrote "To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man"

We all have something incredible to share with the world, a message only we can deliver. Social media is an amazing platform to express our views and share our stories. There is so much amazing content out there. Imagine how much more incredible it could be if people did their work with passion and drive, without having to worry about being someone they’re not just to maintain their following. The people who really care about you and what you have to say will stick with you no matter what! Always remember that you are worth it, and what you have to share is important! So be brave, take courage, and be yourself for the entire world to see! Don’t be scared to put yourself out there, and don’t let other people bring you down! Don’t believe me? Then listen to Will (he knew what he was talking about, even if we sometimes don’t XD)

I hope Essena finds herself in a better place soon, and I hope she finds joy in spreading her message to the world. She slapped us awake, and I think we’re better for it. Always remember, you’re worth it and you’re voice has value. Use it for good.

Let’s be game changers!

Until next time,

Bianka

Hell is other people.

In Jean Paul Sartre’s 1944 play, No exit, one finds one of his most famous quotes of all time – 

 I came across this quote a few days ago and it struck me, but not in the way you’d think. To fully understand the point I hope to make today, I need to provide you with some context.

The play features two men and a woman, strangers to each other, doomed to spend eternity together in hell, which for them is a luxurious room decorated in the French style. Being only human, they soon fall into a love triangle. The woman chooses one of them, and the couple is happy together, until they come to the realization that they can’t court one another properly as they are always under the watchful gaze of their other companion. Finally the man who was chosen yells out in frustration that the hell that they had imagined during their lives – the fire, the brim stones, the burning marl – were all made up, a kind illusion. 

“There's no need for red-hot pokers. Hell is—other people!”

So we can all agree that Sartre meant to say people are the worst, but examining the context from which the quote arose tells us why. Having people around makes life harder for us because we are always under their constant scrutiny, or at least that’s what we think. In psychology, we learn that perception of self comes from one’s imagining of their image in other people’s minds. This imagining of how other people see us influences us more than it does them. And learning this fact suddenly made me overwhelmingly aware of the unconscious part we play in each other’s lives.

By merely existing, we make all others imagine themselves through our eyes, place themselves under our inspection, and ultimately (indirectly) pass judgment on themselves. When you walk into a room everyone is simultaneously sizing you up and forming what they think your opinion of them is. Realizing this hit me like a ton of bricks because I realized that without my knowing, someone might make up their mind that I don’t like them, or some other such opinion! If you ask me, it’s time to get ahead of the game.

Remember that, by nature, we are always so critical of ourselves, so harsh!So, by extension, the way we perceive ourselves is bound to be harsh. And that is no way to live! So, listen up, everybody, because I have an assignment for you! It won’t cause you any trouble, and trust me; you get major extra credit in life! Go out into the world today, live your life as usual, and along the way pay five different people a genuine compliment. It could be anything, but remember to be sincere, open, and say it with a smile! You have no idea just how much this could impact someone’s day, and in the end, you’ve made the world a better place to be in! Remind people that their perception is illusory and really, they’re amazing just the way they are. Be kind and make people feel loved.

Hell maybe other people, but other people can be pretty amazing. They can push themselves to change the way things are, and when they do, that’s when the magic happens.

Be that magic. Prove Sartre wrong!

Until next time,

Bianka

1945.

Y’all knew this was coming XD

So if you know anything about me (or if you read my blogger bio), you know I am obsessed with the amazing entity that is the United Nations. Today, on its 70^th anniversary, I think it’s only fitting to take a look back on the origins of this organization and the ideas on which it was founded.

The UN formally came into existence on the 24^th of October, 1945. Fifty countries came together, signed the charter, and pledged peace and fraternity to one another. Since that fateful day, the number of member countries has grown to 193, the latest to join the crew being South Sudan. It is incredibly important to note that at the time of the formation of the UN, the world was just recovering from the horrific disaster that was the Second World War. The world was sore, in shock. It was a devastating war that took millions of lives and ruined countless others. We were determined to never let that happen again.

Right now, you might be kind of annoyed that I’m giving a mini history lesson, but I think it’s extremely important to understand the context of the foundation of the UN, because it sheds light on why the world is how it is today.

Seventy years later, and the world has bounced back. All the wounds have healed, and while there are scars, we choose to put them aside. The world today is focused on progress and innovation, industry and technology. Peace in every nation is still a distant dream. I’m just sixteen, I’m really no expert but this is my two cents- I think in order to move forward and make peace, we need to look back to see what destroyed it.

The world has seen conflict over the years of course, but never on a massive scale, and most of the current generation doesn’t truly understand what war really means (and I hope we never have to.) People today argue that conflict is inevitable, that the UN is inefficient and that it isn’t worth trying any more. But they are all wrong.

Conflict may arise, but it needs to be fought. The UN may be flawed, but who among us is perfect? And if our forefathers had thought it wasn’t worth trying any more, where would we be? I have mentioned before that I love and admire the UN, and now, I’m going to tell you why. All those years ago, in the cold winds of October, 1945, the World stood together for the first time in a long time and founded this organization on the ruins they had created. There was no assurance that this would work (ideas like it had failed before) but they pushed forward nonetheless, driven by pure unbridled hope. When the world seemed bleak and lost, ripped to pieces by the scourge of war, the UN shined like a beacon, and stood as a symbol that things were going to get better. And just like we needed that hope to push us through seventy years ago, we need it again today, perhaps more than ever before.

Today, like we do on all birthdays and anniversaries, let’s take a moment to look back on our histories and see all that we have accomplished together. Let’s celebrate our achievements and learn from our mistakes. We need to remember our past to understand our present, and hopefully change our future for the better.  

So here’s to the power of hope, and the promise of peace. Here’s to the UN, and the next 70!

I’m rooting for you!

Until next time,

Bianka

#ChooseBeautiful

OK guys! I think we all need to have a talk. This post is the result of weeks of hearing things that really suck to hear. So no matter who you are or where you come from I just wanted to take the time to let you know that you are beautiful. And it’s OK for you to think so too!

Right now y’all must be like “That was random! Like, why now?!”

Hold up! Let me explain XD

If you spend a lot of time on the internet, like I do, you’ll start to notice that people all over the world really don’t like themselves - simple as that. They don’t like the way they look or where they are in life or just generally feel really down on themselves. And what struck me most about seeing all of this was how much I related to them. And then I realized that the people around me related too. I started realizing that everyone has things they don’t like about themselves. Some days everyone feels like a giant walking potato. But we suppress these feelings for fear of judgment and silently begin to resent ourselves. I think this is an issue that everyone can relate to and you know what? That really sucks!

 It’s time to do something about that, don’t you think?!

Dove, amazing company that it is, did a global report on attitudes towards beauty in several different countries with the aim of understanding and redefining the international model of beauty. It was a ground breaking study and the most important and striking result of the report was this- of the hundreds of thousands of women who took part in the study, only 2% thought of themselves as beautiful! 2%!!!! Let that sink in!

God, no wonder the world has problems! Everyone is all sad about themselves and that kind of negativity is contagious. But you know what else is contagious?! (No not a cold! I mean yeah it is, but like not a disease! Think again!) – HAPPINESS!!! Being happy and confident is a hard task, almost herculean. Loving yourself is much easier said than done! We are all our own worst critic and sometime our inner voice is harsh. Recently though, I came by a cool piece of advice which really changed the way I saw things, and I hope it helps you too! Here it is:

If the person in the mirror was your best friend, or someone you really care about, would you really be this mean? Of course not! You’d tell them they’re beautiful because that’s the way you see them right?

 It wasn’t till a little while later that I realized the implication of that sentence. You ARE your best friend and you should care about yourself! No one else is going to make sure you’re fine – you have to learn to do that for yourself.

I feel like in today’s world it has become almost customary to put yourself down, to show the world that you don’t think too much of yourself. Well, personally, I think the world would be better if everyone thought good things about themselves! Be proud of who you are, and when someone gives you a compliment, accept it! Don’t deflect it by putting yourself down again. You are better than that!

We need to create a world where beauty is defined from the inside out and not the other way around! Every single one of you is unmistakably perfect, just the way you are! You have so much to give the world and you owe it to yourself to see what you can do with all that potential! Above all always carry yourself with grace and confidence. Shoulders back! Chin up! And don’t forget that smile, Beautiful! It’s a wonderful time to be alive! So what are you waiting for?!

Until next time,

Bianka

Hiatuses

So, it’s been a loooooong time since my last blog post (and yes, I’m aware that’s exactly how my last post started), but I’ve been really busy with exams and projects and competitions and trying to keep myself together as school work picks up momentum with each passing day. As you can see, it’s been a really eventful couple of months! But today I’ve decided I want to return to the Godswood. So here I am!

It occurs to me that the break I took constitutes a hiatus. Merriam Webster defines a hiatus as “a period of time when something (such as an activity or program) is stopped”. Harmless as this definition is, hiatuses are actually one of the most annoying things on the face of the earth. As an active citizen of the internet, I am very aware of the pain that comes with a hiatus. I’m dying for series 4 of Sherlock. It is physically painful for me to have to wait this long for Winds of Winter. I still get really sad every time a season of the Big Bang Theory wraps up. Yes, hiatuses really suck.

 I could say that hiatuses teach us a lesson in delayed gratification, and how we should really be grateful because the waiting helps us grow as people. But really, that would be a lie. While hiatuses do teach us the lesson of delayed gratification, it is certainly not a lesson we want to learn while anxiously awaiting the latest on Moriarty.

Obviously, I very strongly dislike hiatuses, and I’m very sorry that I’ve put you through one. Well, the Godswood is back now, so stay tuned for more content, exciting announcements, and as always, healthy doses of my crazy!

Until next time,

Bianka.

Contemplating Change

Hi there everybody!! Sorry it's been a while since my last post but the last few weeks have been......well, a bit hectic. Actually, more than a bit! School has just begun again and it’s been very exciting and fun, but also very different!

On my first day back, I felt strangely out of place. In a school where I’ve been going to for the last 5 years, I suddenly felt odd, disconnected from everyone else. And it didn’t help that when I arrived I didn’t have a classroom to go to (we hadn’t been assigned rooms yet)! My friends began to arrive soon, as well as some new faces and we all mingled and chatted for a while. Introductions were made and slowly I began to feel better. But I couldn’t shake this weird feeling because deep down I knew that this year, everything would be different!

When you start the 11^th grade (at least at my school) everything changes. You stand in a different part of the auditorium for assembly. Move into a new building. Get a new classroom. Use a different type of desks and chairs. Begin new classes on new subjects. Have new teachers. Climb more stairs. Meet new people. Make new friends. Cope with higher expectations than ever before. Yes, everything changes.

All of this didn’t quite hit me till last Friday, when the school sorted us into our new houses, taking away our last connection to the years before. It was quite sad as Fridays go, and as we sat drearily around Kolam class (yes, we have a kolam class!!!) it occurred to me that this was only the beginning of big changes I was going to face throughout life.

Change is inevitable. They say that the only permanent thing in life IS change. Change is hard, and getting used to new things is hard. I’ve had to deal with change more often than I would’ve liked. It’s hard to let go of the past and step into the future. I guess the same is true for all of us (read: I hope I’m not crazy!). It’s important to remember that change, while scary and sad, can be quite exciting. It’s thrilling not knowing what tomorrow might bring.

So here’s to our old friend, Change, who is ever present and never, ever boring! 

Until next time,

Bianka

Caitlyn

Hello everybody! If you haven’t guessed from the title or have no idea what it means or haven’t watched TV or read the paper or gone on the Internet this past week, today we’re going to be talking about her (I’m pointing to the picture below but you can’t see my hands but I’m pointing trust me XP)

This is Caitlyn. She may look like just another woman, if not uncommonly pretty, but in reality she is quite extraordinary. Until a little while ago, she was known to the world as Bruce Jenner, Olympian and head of the immensely famous Kardashian-Jenner clan. A man. Caitlyn recently made the incredibly brave choice to become the person she’s always wanted to be. She made the transformation and when it was over, the world was in awe. Her story is not the first of its kind of course, yet it’s been splashed across every news outlet in the world and her name is on everyone’s lips. People say society will never be the same again.

And they’re right. Caitlyn’s coming out has changed us forever. To our generation, Caitlyn is so important because she stands as a mark of progress. She stands as proof that we, as a species, have evolved. If this had happened a decade ago, I don’t think the reaction would have been as kind, as welcoming. We live in the age of acceptance. We push to end racism every day. We rally for gay marriage. We call for equality. When a man of over 60 years decides he wants to be a woman, we cheer her on! And if haters ever try to bring her down, they will suffer our wrath!

We don’t often appreciate the circumstances we’re blessed with. Living in the world today gives us the freedom to be whoever we want. We get to choose who we are. We should take advantage of  this opportunity to find our true selves, and love who we find. Stand up for Caitlyn. Stand up and show the world who you are. Stand up today and be proud of yourself, no matter who you are, and be safe in the knowledge that there is always someone to stand with you, no matter what!

So here’s to Caitlyn, and the brave new world she represents.

Welcome to the world, Caitlyn! I think you’ll like what you'll find.

Until next time,

Bianka

Humanizing Humanities

In India, and indeed the world we live in today, we like to believe we have created a fair society for ourselves where all people are treated equally. We have done away with the caste system and are working everyday towards ending communal conflicts. Everywhere, we strive and call for equality. But we seem to forget the labels we sort children into when they choose their streams for higher education. If not, then we seem to ignore it pretty well. I’m not blaming anyone. It’s human nature to put people into a category. But when these categories begin to define people’s self worth, that’s when the problem starts. You might not think such discrimination exists and you may not have felt it, but believe me when I say, it does.

And naturally, a disclaimer: This is not meant to be against the people who have chosen different streams. I respect your choices. All I ask is that you respect mine.  Consider yourself disclaimed.

Ok! So, I was one of those people who knew what I wanted to do with my life from a very young age. I always knew I wanted to settle disputes and help people. I made the choice to pursue law when I was 10 and in all the years since then my intentions haven’t changed. If anything, they have grown stronger. I was never destined to be a scientist or a mathematician. I don’t have a mind for remembering formulae and to this day I still don’t really understand the point of trigonometry. But I love literature, history, economics, and languages – I always have. So, as early as the 8^th grade, I had decided to take humanities. And when people asked me what I wanted to do, this is exactly what I told them. I didn’t know how such a simple decision would impact how the world saw me from then on.

When people discovered I wanted to do humanities they treated me differently. People have told me that I didn’t need to study as hard; that I didn’t need to accomplish as much as those who have chosen the noble pursuit of science. Teachers- professionals who are supposed to promote and encourage learning in every form - have told me I need not try as hard as others because I had already chosen this path for myself. They made my choice feel inferior, worthless, the last resort taken up only by those individuals who had failed to achieve loftier goals. I remember feeling horrible after a science test because I didn’t get the mark I wanted and a teacher (who I’m sure was trying to be consoling) said “Don’t worry about it! You just need to pass to get into humanities, right?” When people would ask my parents what stream I’m taking and learned it was humanities, they would smile slyly, look over to me and say “Well, girls tend to chose the easy courses, don't they?”

Who decided that Humanities was the easy stream? What makes economics and global market structures so simple? Are thousands of years of history just a piece of cake? Can you paint like Van Gogh? How easy can psychology and sociology be when we have to figure out why society is so backward and close-minded? I don’t understand why it’s such an awful thing to study humanities; why what we learn in Humanities is any less important than what you learn in any other stream. You learn physics and the laws that govern the elements. We study people and the laws that govern them. We relate more to Freud and Shakespeare than to quadratic equations and metallurgy. Why should that make us less of a person?

Let’s face the hard facts – we live in 2015. Technology is rapidly progressing and advancements are being made every day. Interacting and creating for other humans is one of the only things computers are not getting really good at really fast. Professions associated with humanities are actually pretty far from being automated away than other jobs because they involve empathy and creativity only humans can provide. So maybe try not to act so entitled because in a few years your utility will be lost to a robot.

I’m not saying science is not incredibly important – without it we wouldn’t have infrastructure or medicine or technology. But without humanities we wouldn’t have governments, educational institutions, literature, sculptures, paintings, movies, Disneyland, or the UN!! Some of the world’s greatest thinkers, world leaders, artists, innovators, and entrepreneurs studied Humanities. Walt Disney, Mahatma Gandhi, Oprah Winfrey, Winston Churchill, and Steven Spielberg are just some of the many who greatly influenced our world and did so with a so called “useless” degree. J.K Rowling altered the face of literature forever, and she might not have been able to do so if not for her major in Classics. Imagine a world without Harry Potter. Oh well, maybe we can make 7 books, 8 movies, and a theme park with organic chemistry!

This distinction between science and humanities students, while being a global phenomenon, is felt most acutely in India because of societal pressure. A few weeks ago a friend of mine and I were discussing what we were going to take in college when he said “Well, I’m going to do engineering first to please my family, and then I’ll do whatever course I want to.” This statement shocked me. Why would anyone waste a good 4 or 5 years on a path they don’t want to be on? It makes me wonder how many people each year take courses just to please their family and friends. How many talented artists, writers, and thinkers are we losing because they are pushed by societal pressure into another stream?

Humanities vs. Science is often referred to as “the debate that won't die”. But, according to me, it shouldn't be a debate. What stream to take and what career to pursue is a personal choice. Let’s create a society where people are free to choose for themselves and be proud of those choices without fear of judgment. I have been very lucky in that my family and friends support my decision. I’m proud of the choices I have made. I just want everybody else to experience that same pride that comes with knowing that you have chosen your path in life – be it humanities or science or commerce (which I have failed to mention this entire time!). I want to live in a world where the arts and science are equally respected, and hopefully that world isn't too far way. We all deserve that much.

And if you're one of those Science elitists going

Oh yes I did! Have fun being replaced by a droid.

Until next time,

Bianka