“Mari! You are an older sister now! One more girl will join into our family!” This was what my mother told me on September 28, 1994, the day my sister was born. Since the day, my life has been changed a lot. I was not the only little princess in my family any more. My […]

Stepping off the kindergarten bus, I laid my eyes on the neighbor’s enormous, yellow Labrador, staring me into a tremble. The beast had its tongue hanging out , panting furiously. Feeling my palms begin to quiver and sweat, I slowly closed them into tight, nervous fists. However before I could fully process the situation, the […]

My parents taught me at an early age to always keep an open mind, and I do to this day. Unfortunately, I’ve come to realize that not all children my age were blessed enough to receive that same lesson. When I become frustrated with narrow-minded attitudes, my dad always gives me the same exact lecture. […]

Meandering lazily through the air, the crystalline spheres glimmer in the sunlight. They are certainly in no hurry; while they have everywhere to go, they have nowhere in particular to be. As a light breeze whisks by, the little globes dance playfully, bouncing off each other while showing off their marvelous sheen of colors- fuchsia, […]

Last summer, I found myself ­sitting on a couch opposite a 38-year-old Filipino man named Peter who smelled like stale tuna, dirt, and a dream deferred. “Where are you from?” I asked. “Here.” “What made you homeless?” “I need my green card.” “Where do you stay and get food?” “I need my green card. I […]

“Ok, guys. Sit down, I have some news.” She reaches into an envelope and pulls out something thin and plastic-looking with black on it. My brother and sister don’t understand, but I know exactly what it is. A sonogram. My 43-year-old mother is pregnant. I will never forget that day, when my destiny changed with […]

The gas gauge was dropping, getting perilously close to “E,” but my aunt paid it no notice. We continued at 70 miles per hour down the Kentucky highway, singing along to the radio. Suddenly, the Jeep lurched backwards, bounced, slowed down, and continued forward. My aunt looked at me and pressed harder on the gas […]

I sported a vibrant orange suit and a smile that resembled a waxing crescent moon. Authentic NASA patches adorned my chest and arms. Tightening my watch and securing a flashlight around my neck, I was as official as an eight-year-old astronaut could be. Although my costume lacked a helmet, my official NASA baseball cap ensured […]

My entire world is a fiery hue, like a sunset over the Egyptian desert. My eyes are searing with an incandescent chemical burn. I am having trouble breathing and can’t speak coherently, and yet we are sitting in a parked car, waiting for my sociable sister to finish talking to her friends. Pepper spray is […]

Programme: BA (Hons) Finance and Investment Management Module Code: AF5007 Module Title: Personal Finance and Wealth Planning – Component 2 Distributed on: Week 1 Semester 2 Submission Time and Date: To be submitted by 12 noon on (TBC). Word Limit: N/A Weighting This component accounts for [ 60 ]% of the total mark for this […]