The reason I like astronomy is that the night sky is the same everywhere. It’s comforting to think that the people I miss far away are seeing the same moonlight.
“Oliver, my dear cousin, can you please sleep with me?” After binge-watching every alien movie I could find online on a weekend as a ten-year-old, I came to the conclusion that evil aliens would one day take over the world. Luckily, with my 6-ft-tall cousin guarding me, I would be spared from an abduction. Oliver took on the heroic responsibility of being my bodyguard, but he endlessly teased me as being too “gullible.”
Determined to prove him wrong and stop the ridicule, I went on the internet scouring for evidence that aliens were real. I jumped from webpage to webpage. Frustratingly, the search slowly but surely debunked my preconceived notions about aliens. My cousin went home smugly that night as I reached the conclusion that aliens were not coming to kidnap me anytime soon.
While my fear of aliens waned, my curiosity for space science waxed. In my exploration, I realized that while alien technology seemed magical, they were always based on established scientific knowledge. Alien spaceships could travel close to the speed of light because they had acquired the technology to harness energy from antimatter. Rockets could move freely in space because aliens refined laser propulsion as an energy alternative to fossil fuels. I was amazed by how physics equations captured reality while granting us, and movie producers, the power to realize our wildest imaginations.
From then, I went on trips with friends to the suburbs to observe the night sky through telescopes. At home, I was excited to read about the wisdom accumulated by experts to share with my friends. I saved up money to buy university physics textbooks, but when I opened my book, I realized I lacked the math skills to understand it. The content I yearned to study was rooted in trigonometry and calculus, topics I had never learned about. For the next five months, I used my time to learn university math. Reading and expanding my knowledge to satisfy my curiosity had become a daily occurrence at home, no matter what the topic was. Re-opening my physics book at last with the power of math, I devoured the secrets of the universe. I congratulated myself proudly: the extra work was worth it.
After moving to Toronto, I most looked forward to visiting the David Dunlap Observatory, the largest optical telescope in Canada. I eventually became one of the youngest volunteers there. Working alongside other Astro enthusiasts to operate the two-meter telescope and seeing new galaxies was a dream come true. No matter how young or old, the audience at each event was always overflowing with questions. Does Mars have clouds? Why are sunspots dark? How are we sure of the Earth’s mass? One question resonated with me the most: pointing at the fast-moving Starlink satellites, a girl asked, “Are those stars too?”
Having studied astronomy for so long, I have always been amazed at the greatness of celestial objects, but like the universe, humans have limitless boundaries. Scientists, innovators, and passionate people around the world, including me, will never be satisfied with simple answers. We will always continue creating and exploring new frontiers.
Through my journey of vanquishing my childhood fear of aliens, I’ve come to appreciate the power of curiosity—seeking knowledge to overcome fears, misconceptions, and obstacles. My endless pursuit of knowledge was a challenging yet rewarding process.
Now, you can find me in my high school’s physics club that I founded, where I share my passions with my classmates, at David Dunlap guiding visitors, and of course, in my room with all of my astronomy and physics books, where I traverse the whole universe with my imagination. As I position the telescope to planets, nebulae, and galaxies to my friends and visitors of the observatory, I realize that something is missing—I long to meet an alien as the next step to satisfy my unquenchable desire for knowledge.
昨晚翻了一夜聊天记录，就像重新喜欢了你一遍。一想到以后就没有了，真的看不下去。为什么剧本杀几个小时的阅读我都不哭，tbbt只有最后一集哭了，但只是简简单单的"吃早饭吗""肯定的"我都会忍不住眼泪。我都一直以为我的感情没有这么丰富。
你考虑分开会逃离问题，你却没有想过，如果我们一直走下去会不会更好。我从来没想过要放弃我们的感情，也从来没打算离开你。因为我觉得，真的喜欢不是累了就散，不合适就分，而是再难也想凑一块儿，有问题就一起扛。
要是还能在一起，我想听听你最近的委屈，好好抱抱你，永远永远永远be there for you。我有点傻。分开了才发现没有好好珍惜，这次分开让我懂了珍惜，以后感情肯定更长久了。虽然分开很难受，但是在这个过程我们也更能看懂我们内心真实的感受。
我知道自己做过不少让你堵心的事，说过惹你不快的话，有时候还特招人烦，可我是真的爱你，你在我心里重得挪不开。对不起，我很犟。这段时间我想了又想，确实有很多让你失望的地方，我愿意学，不是因为如果继续下去必须改，而是我真的很关心你。没能照顾好喜欢的人，浦添是个大笨蛋。
我不是特别会浪漫，但对你的心从开始就没晃过。说实话谈了以后从来没有认真考虑会分，因为你也说过想要一个长期的感情。我好像真的没有过拿得起放不下，除了和你，真放不下。我希望你能理解我有点慢，并等一等我，我真的也很想照顾你。我不求你马上认同，就想接着走下去。
在一起或许这几个月累，可我怕这一松手，就一辈子错过了，我真的不想后悔。
Always yours,
Tianpu ♡
I was also talking to my parents and they told me about 缘分 in another perspective. Plenty of people in Princeton are trying to find relationships, but they've looked for 2 years and still haven't found someone — and it doesn't get easier for the next two, because they already know most of their class. When we step into society it gets less pure: the people at work aren't always the right age, there's hidden competition, you have to look outside, it's more intentional, and people are more materialistic. Honestly a bit scary to think about. 如果你继续找的话我也希望你不会被骗，找一个一样疼你的。
I always said I'm optimistic about 磨合, but I don't think I ever said why. I spent two years teaching myself physics — from not knowing the quadratic formula all the way to placing second in Canada, against people who'd been at it far longer. I've never explained this because it feels like bragging. But that's the point: optimism doesn't come from being blind to reality — it's me putting trust in an end goal and going all in to get there. And honestly, I'm happy in the process, not just at the end. I think that's why I'm steady. Every time we argue I think: 不是你的错，也不是我的错 — we can make it better and both be happier after, 我愿意带着你一步一步来. I could never stay frustrated at you with that mindset, because we had the same goal.
I know you said not to take it personally. I guess I don't — but it's hard not to feel bad when you know you didn't take care of the person you like. Not because I don't care; because I didn't show it. You said we shouldn't change ourselves. I honestly don't think this is a bad thing — I'd love to learn how to take care of the people I love better.
I'd be really happy and proud to learn this slowly, but I also want to ask you to be patient with my pace. I never got to finish my thoughts at the airport, and I wish you understood my side a little more too. I really do want to take care of the people around me — that's why I keep saying I want 弟弟妹妹 instead of an older sibling.
— 浦添