Ria Pai

YOUR GUIDE TO A PRODUCTIVE SCHOOL YEAR

It is almost unbelievable that for over 100,000 students in Pinellas County, tomorrow is the last day of summer. A long-awaited and supposedly uneventful summer seems to have passed in the blink of an eye, and now children ranging from ages five to eighteen are packing their backpacks and finishing up last minute assignments. ForContinue reading “YOUR GUIDE TO A PRODUCTIVE SCHOOL YEAR”

OVERSHARING

Sometimes I look at social media as a a harmless tool. It is a cure for boredom, a place to put funny videos or pictures we like of ourselves. It’s what we scroll on and instinctively turn to each time we open our eyes in the morning. It is necessary and means we can connectContinue reading “OVERSHARING”

WAITING: AN ODE TO INDIA

I am a world traveler and each place I go to gives me a wealth of experiences that is unique and enriching. But, something about India is totally different than anywhere else. I guess it is because here, I am completely immersed in mundane life, and there’s something beautiful in that. Unlike other areas, itContinue reading “WAITING: AN ODE TO INDIA”

MEETING NEW PEOPLE

As a young child, one of my favorite things was meeting new people. At parties, my animated face lit up as I went around talking to guests old and young. I asked them question after question, and I honestly listened, without becoming engrossed in what I had to say next. As I grew up, likeContinue reading “MEETING NEW PEOPLE”

THE FOURTH OF JULY

I always thought of the Fourth of July as just another day. In school I learned that every year, it commemorated the day in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence and the official separation of the 13 original colonies from Great Britain. We learned about the Boston Tea Party, weContinue reading “THE FOURTH OF JULY”

TAKING ON A NEW CHALLENGE

It has been exactly one month since I have written my last blog post. Since that time, I have had people ask me if I had “quit blogging” or “given up”, and I always told them that I hadn’t, that I was busy and tired and uninspired. Every time a new idea popped into myContinue reading “TAKING ON A NEW CHALLENGE”

HOW OTHERS PERCEIVE YOU

The other day, I was sitting with one of my good friends and they asked me “Do you ever think about how others perceive you?” Since then, I have been pondering that question and wondering how others perceive me, especially with the way I portray myself online. When I started putting my thoughts and opinionsContinue reading “HOW OTHERS PERCEIVE YOU”

SPEAKING OUT AND WHAT IT MEANS TO ME

As a teenager, speaking out about personal struggles or issues you in see in the world is daunting and, as a teenager myself, I don’t see many people doing it. Both teens and adults tend to divert discussions away from their own problems and choose to talk about the issues of others, generally because itContinue reading “SPEAKING OUT AND WHAT IT MEANS TO ME”

THIS IS HOW TO BE HAPPY

There is no one way to ensure happiness. Some people seem to have everything and still can’t find joy, while others have virtually nothing and can’t stop smiling. In some ways, we aren’t in control of our mood, and as humans, our mood is very volatile. Happiness is a temporary feeling, while joy is aContinue reading “THIS IS HOW TO BE HAPPY”

COPYCAT

I don’t like to think of myself as an angry or jealous person. Especially because as of recently, I have been working on stepping back from situations that make me feel resentful and trying to examine why that certain situation warrants my reaction. Generally, it is not too difficult to come up with why somethingContinue reading “COPYCAT”