Life.

Being alive is a gift, and I’m trying not to take it for granted. It’s easy to get caught up in routines and chasing the next milestone. Every so often, I try to step back and ask whether I’m making enough room for the people and small moments I’ll actually want to remember.

A red pencil portrait of Shayan

Rest your Ears

I still love playing, and nothing replaces the comfort of piano keys.

Shayan and friends at Mel’s Diner

The Godfather at Mel’s diner

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A while back, I met a group of upper years through a friend and joined them to study in DP. We stayed until it got dark, and when everyone decided to get dinner, I went along. We e...

A chess board beneath a carved chair at Hart House

A grandmaster I’ll never be

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I started playing chess when I was six. I took private lessons and competed at the national level, only to grow up and realize that this wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. So...

Families gathering at the Grange Festival

Giving back to the community

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In Ontario, you need forty hours of volunteering to earn your high school diploma. I resisted that requirement at first. But as I grew older, I began to understand the importance o...

“Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”Confucius