Category Archives: Hobby

athletics, college, exercise, Hobby, L.A. Life, Nature, New Experience

Finding Tranquility on the Trails

By Leah King

Edited by Natalie Grace Sipula

Recently I picked up a new hobby that I would love to share with others in the hopes that it could bring the same joy and peace that I feel from it to you: hiking. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I felt trapped in my home and anxious from spending so much time indoors. I needed an escape from what was going on for my mental health.

Growing up, I loved spending time outdoors. I would go camping and hiking around the Midwest regularly, but for some reason, I lost touch with that side of myself in high school and in my early undergraduate years because of my other athletic commitments. So when all the gyms were closed and I was tired of running around the same block over and over again, I started researching hiking trails around California. This was around my first year of my Master’s Program. In my search, I came across this app called “AllTrails.” This incredible app shows you all the hiking trails in the area, how difficult they are, and how long they are. It also has a navigation system to help you locate the start of the trail and people’s reviews. I used this app to help plan my first hiking trip to Yosemite.  

One of Yosemite’s most popular views

During spring break, a couple of friends and I drove up from LA to Yosemite to hike for a few days. I was immediately hooked. Firstly, Yosemite is so breathtaking with all its mountains, trees, and waterfalls. I used AllTrails to help me plan what hikes we wanted to do in terms of difficulty and popularity. We hiked over 15 miles during the three days we were there, and while I was hiking, I felt a sense of calmness and peace when I was surrounded by nature. When I came back to LA to resume classes, that calmness was gone and I was eagerly anticipating my next adventure in the outdoors.

Fast forward to the second year of my Master’s Program. The pandemic had calmed down a bit and my classes were fully in person. While in class, I overheard a couple of classmates talking about hiking in Santa Monica. I gravitated to the conversation and asked You guys are hiking? Could I possibly join?”. The two girls were so sweet and invited another classmate and me that weekend to hike. During that hike, we shared our love for the outdoors and discussed how many different hiking spots there are in California. We decided to try to hike every weekend and came up with the name “Trailmixers” for our hiking group! And that’s what the Trailmixers did. We hiked almost every weekend, and with some planning, most of those trips were very inexpensive. We’ve hiked Mount Baldy, Cucamonga, San Fan, Santa Barbra, Sedona, Pinnacles National Park, Zion, camped in Big Sur, and backpacked in Catalina Island.

Photo from my Catalina Island trip
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entertainment, Food, Hobby

The Magic of Sunflower Seeds

By Qianhui Ni

Edited by Natalie Grace Sipula

“Among all the foods in the world, only sunflower seeds can meet the conditions conducive to killing time. People who can snack on sunflower seeds are great and active implementers of leisure.” — Zikai Feng (1934), Essays in Yuan Yuan Tang

If you ask me what my most satisfying online order was last month, without a doubt my answer would be sunflower seeds. I have been a big fan of snacking on sunflower seeds since childhood. However, I hadn’t had them for a while since I moved to LA for my graduate studies. Finding packaged shelled sunflower seeds was a big surprise for me since I had only seen people here in the United States eating unshelled seeds as sides or as an ingredient to season food. As you may expect, I excitedly purchased six bags of sunflower seeds in different flavors. My most enjoyable time of day soon became the half-hour after dinner when I got to lie on the sofa, watch TV shows, and snack on sunflower seeds. 

Photo by Zobia Shakar on Unsplash

Eating sunflower seeds is a fairly simple process–you place one seed between your upper and lower incisors with its tip facing inward. Then, simply squeeze it between your teeth, and you will be able to hear a crisp cracking sound, indicating that the shell is open and what’s between your teeth is the seed inside. This sound is quite relaxing for me because is it clear, crisp, and seems to come from the inside of my own head. I guess it is the reason why eating sunflower seeds is also called “cracking” sunflower seeds. In Chinese, the verb for this action is pronounced as “ke”, which sounds almost identical to the sound when the shell cracks. After you crack the seed open, you can throw away the shell and enjoy the seed. With enough practice, the experienced sunflower seed eater (like me) can complete the above steps in one second without the shell touching their tongue or getting their hands dirty. 

After snacking on sunflower seeds for the whole week, I started wondering about the magic of these little seeds. Zikai Feng, the influential Chinese artist, summarized three advantages of eating sunflower seeds that make it the best activity for leisure and time killing. First, people never get tired of them because their flavor isn’t that strong. Imagine you are eating salty barbecue-flavored chips; you would get bored easily of the strong flavor after a while. Sunflower seeds taste like plant seeds with a very light smell. After being pan-fried, the bluntness caused by the soft textures disappears. The seeds become crispy and stiff with a light taste.

Photo by Adrian Swancar on Unsplash

The second reason is that sunflower seeds cannot provide a sense of satiety. Even after eating the whole bag of them, you will not feel full. They are too small to be a staple food. I find it hard to stop eating them once I start since my stomach never sends my brain a signal of being full.

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college, friends, Hobby, student life, USC

Joining USC Clubs and Organizations

By Eric Chow

Edited by Natalie Grace Sipula

[3 minute read]

A hallmark of college life is the freedom that students get to pursue what they are interested in. Whether that’s lounging about in the library or going out with friends, the only limit to the activities that you can pursue in college life is your imagination. At USC, one of the biggest things student occupy their time with is joining and participating in clubs. USC offers a wide variety of clubs and organizations for students to participate in, and below, I have listed some clubs I personally recommend and my experience in them!

USC offers a variety of different clubs that range from marketing to philanthropy. Joining such organizations is highly coveted amongst the USC student community, as these clubs represent an avenue for not just your passion and interests but they also can provide valuable connections with other USC students and alumni. Because of these valuable resources and the breadth of experiences that you can gain from joining these clubs, the application process for them is highly selective and rigorous. USC has more than 1,000 student organizations. These organizations are responsible for most of the programs and events held on campus, including concerts, lectures, special events, spirit rallies, cultural and social events, and conferences.

Photo by Artem Kniaz on Unsplash

One club that I have joined is called Troy camp. Troy Camp is one of USC’s oldest and largest student-run philanthropies, providing comprehensive, long-term mentorship for students in South Los Angeles. We engage in educational, extracurricular, and leadership programs to foster personal growth and instill the value of learning. These programs include conducting bonding activities with younger students in the south LA area. I am a counselor for elementary school students, and I really enjoy my time hanging out with the kids and other counselors. We host weekly activities like origami folding or painting sessions. The community is so open and inclusive, and everyone feels welcomed. 

Another club that I recently applied for is the USC American Marketing Association. The American Marketing Association (AMA) at USC is a collegiate chapter of one of the largest marketing associations in the world. AMA provides networking and academic development for undergraduate students interested in the field of marketing and brings national AMA resources to USC students, including training workshops, professional speaker events, company tours, service and networking events, and consulting projects. This club provides unique opportunities for students who want to gain more experience in professional business fields like consulting or marketing. 

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
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