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Four essays, written in one semester.

Two on the things I study from the outside — how ketamine gets reported, how attention gets sold. Two on the San Gabriel Valley, which is where I am from and the reason I think about who gets counted.

  1. May 20262,297 words

    The Plasticity Paradox

    Ethical concerns with ketamine treatment for depression

    So here is the question nobody seems to be asking: what is the patient doing during those 72 hours?
    Read The Plasticity Paradox
  2. May 20262,418 words

    The Economics of Attention

    Architecture, fragmentation, and radicalization

    I tried an experiment last month. I opened Instagram and attempted to look at the first post on the screen without scrolling.
    Read The Economics of Attention
  3. March 20262,008 words

    The 626

    How the San Gabriel Valley built belonging, and what it costs

    The same density that makes the SGV feel like home also traps people inside it.
    Read The 626
  4. March 2026339 words

    Third Spaces in the San Gabriel Valley

    Dim sum halls, boba shops, and Oldenburg

    You are not just hanging out. You are hanging out in Chinese.
    Read Third Spaces in the San Gabriel Valley