So, you want to buy a personal computer. A desktop, something that you can play video games and do work on. Something that is powerful enough to get any (reasonable) job done. But, when looking for pre-built computers, none of them have pieces that seem to synergize with each other. None of them have exactly what you want, and not to mention they are all far too expensive. You have learned somewhere throughout your time figuring out what computer to buy, that you could hypothetically build your own, but you shy away from that fact because you feel as if you don’t know what you are doing. But, that is why I am here to help. 

To start, you would need to find your parts for the computer. There are multiple stores like Best Buy, Micro Center, and Newegg that sell parts for pretty fair prices. When buying a computer, you would likely want brand-new parts, so buying from eBay or other second-hand sort of shops won’t really cut it. There is a website called PC Part Picker, that gives you basically a format of parts that you would need for a complete build of a desktop computer. This website will also tell you if the parts that you picked for your computer work together well as well as the estimated cost. The main parts that are required to build a computer include a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Computing Processing Unit (CPU), a motherboard, Random Access Memory (RAM), some sort of storage device (Hard Drive or Solid State Drive), a power supply, and CPU cooler, and a case with fans. Buying all of the parts separately, tends to be a lot cheaper than buying a prebuilt computer because most computer stores tend to have deals for bundled parts and building a computer yourself completely eliminates the building fee that stores would automatically take.

Now that you have your parts, it is time to build. When building the computer, you want to work on either a flat desk that is completely empty, or a floor (without a carpet). You need to make sure that your hands are completely dry when building to ensure that none of your parts get damaged in the process. To start, you want to take your motherboard out of the box. For the first part of the build, everything will be done strictly on the motherboard. Since a desktop computer has many parts, the order that which some of these things are done does not matter. You can start by putting the RAM sticks into the motherboard. You would have to open up the clips for the four slots on the motherboard, and one by one insert the sticks into the slot, making sure that they are lined up correctly and all facing the same direction (North to South), and then when they are in you can close the clips. 

Then you can install your CPU. This is one of the trickier parts of the build as a wrong move can permanently damage the unit. The CPU port should be the little square on the motherboard that has many little gridded holes for pins. You must open up the CPU latch and then align the unit with the motherboard, by matching the little triangles on the units. Then very slowly and carefully, PLACE the CPU into the motherboard slot. If it does not go down, carefully try again, make sure not to force the CPU into the holes, it should naturally fall in during an attempt.

After you have installed the CPU, you need put the CPU cooler on. This should be pretty straight forward as you can attach the cooler to the two clips surrounding the CPU by simply pressing with a little bit of force. The CPU cooler will have a couple of small wires that will need to be plugged into the motherboard that it is on. To find how to do this, you can simply search up the ports for which these cables need to be plugged in on your specific motherboard, everyone board is a little different.

Next you need to install the motherboard into the case. This should be fairly simple as it just takes alignment and screwing the board into the standoffs that should already be pre-installed in the case. 

The next thing to install in the computer is the graphics card. This step is very easy. Near the bottom of the motherboard, there should be a large slot where the graphics card should go. You will have to remove the guard railing on the side of the case where the graphics card is supposed to be slotted. This simply takes an unscrewing and removal with your hands. Then you can line up the side of the card that needs to be slotted into the case and then the motherboard, to clarify the fans should be looking down, while the ports of the card should be on the left side.

Depending on if you are using a hard drive, an SSD, or both, there are different installations for storage devices. An SSD can come as a SATA port or PCie port. The PCie ported drives are usually better, but more expensive. For the PCIe port, you would have to remove another one of those guard railings on the side, it should be the slot that is right under the graphics card. Again, the SSD can be lined up with the slot and slowly inserted, and then screwed back in to stay firmly attached to the board. For a hard drive, there are little storage slots in the back side of the case that can hold a larger hard drive.

Now for the (not so) hard part of the build. The power supply is in my opinion the hardest part of the entire build of the computer. On the back side and on the bottom of the case, there should be quite a large space for a power supply. You will need to put the power supply into the case so that the power cord is facing through the hole on the side of the case. Then comes the wiring. Depending on which power supply you have, there will be a lot of cables that won’t be necessary for the build. Many more expensive power supply units will have removal cables, so it becomes much easier to understand what needs to be used. For a cheaper power supply, you will have to look for individual cables that match the parts that you have in the case. You will need cables for your GPU, your motherboard, your Hard Drive, your case fans, your CPU cooler, and your audio cables. Each of these pieces will have different ports on the part and you will have to match the cables holes with the cables from the power supply. If you are having trouble with this, then you will have to search up exactly where everything goes, but there are many good tutorials online so don’t worry.

Once all of the wiring is finished, you should be able to plug the computer into the wall and test if it turns on. If it doesn’t turn on right away, make sure that the power supply is switched on. If the computer does turn on and all of the fans start spinning, then all should be well. You should be able to install a pre-downloaded Windows flash drive into one of the USB ports of the computer along with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to get yourself fully set up.

The idea of building a personal desktop computer is important to me, because ever since I was little, I always wanted a personal computer for myself, but I was never able to afford it. I thought that I would be stuck on a console for all my life. But after a friend told me that he would help me build a computer, because building one was cheaper, he made me realize that it was a possibility. After about eight months of research and saving up money from work, I was able to build the computer completely on my own for a price that was very affordable to me. I was very scared to risk a lot of money on building a computer as I didn’t want to break anything, but as long as everything is carefully done, all should be well. For me, everything went smoothly, almost. In this guide, I stressed the importance of being careful with the CPU. In my experience, I actually broke the CPU the first time by being a little too rough with it. Thankfully, I had a warranty that covered another CPU for me, but not everyone will pay for the warranty. Other than that one hiccup, my personal computer has served me very well for the past five years without any upgrade at all. Within the next year or two, I would be looking to make a couple of upgrades to my system to keep up with all of the newer generation technology, but that can only happen when I have the money for it.

Cholent is a staple in every Jewish household. It originates from the Middle East and has become a standard meal made on Shabbat. In the 9th century the invention of Cholent was created. The prohibitory laws on Shabbat forbid kindling a fire. So these Jews decided to go to the bakery before Shabbat and place raw ingredients in a pot. They would have the oven already on and slow cook the stew through the night until after synagogue services the next morning. This ingenious strategy not only introduced the first “crock pot”, but also avoided any violation of Jewish law. From then on Cholent spread like a wild fire and embedded itself across different continents due to its popularity. Until this day Cholent is a popular food on Shabbat. My father has his own secret Cholent recipe, shared with no one, which he obsesses over. But what actually is Cholent? Cholent is a stew primarily made up of beans, barley, flanken meat, potatoes and water. Based on what I saw my father do in the kitchen I believe he adds in other special ingredients such as salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and bbq sauce, but each individual has their own unique array of ingredients. Depending on where and when you lived the tradition of your Cholent recipe varies. In Morocco and Spain they would add rice,chickpeas and eggs and in different parts of Tunisia they would add lamb and artichoke. 

The recipe I would like to present is a classic Ashkenazi (European Jews) recipe. The first step is to place 2 yellow onions and 2 potatoes at the bottom of your crock pot. Then season your stew meat(2 lb) with salt and pepper and place it in the pot on top of the onions. Following that pour 1/2 cup of kidney beans and 1 cup of barley into the pot with a tablespoon of paprika, a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of turmeric and a teaspoon of chili powder. Then if you prefer a sweeter Cholent add 2 tablespoons of honey. Afterwards, pour water on the raw ingredients until the beans are fully covered. Set the crock pot timer to at least 8 hours and wait until the next morning. You will wake up to the smell of your fresh savory Cholent. As a kid I remember waking up to the smell of the strong spices and a steamy house on Shabbat morning. It gave me a feeling of comfort, reminding me that today is no ordinary day, but a holiday(Shabbat). It’s become nostalgic for me. Even as a freshman in college it still gives me an unconscious feeling of warmth, joy and belonging. A sense of belonging to my culture, religion and heritage and I hope once you smell and finish your Cholent you will have a similar response.

Ingredients:

• 2 yellow onions
• 2 small potatoes
• 2lbs of flanken meat
• 1 cup barley
• 1⁄2 cup kidney beans
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons honey(optional)
• 3-4 cups of water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Greetings class! I’ll be your chef for the day. Unfortunately, if spice isn’t your friend, you might need to sit this one out. Today, I’m bringing you a dish that has fueled me through overnight study sessions and kept me more awake than any energy drinks. Before I announce the star of the day, let’s grab our VIPIs (very important personal ingredients) for this masterpiece.

We’ll need
– peeled 2 small garlic cloves
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 teaspoon sugar (you deserve a little sweetness after the bitterness of life’s deadlines)
– 2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla yae)
– 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
– 1 tablespoon dry-roasted salted peanuts
– 1 tablespoon dried shrimp
– 2 sliced fresh chilies (depends on your spice tolerance)
– 3 cherry tomatoes
– 1 green (unripe) papaya
– Lettuce for decoration (stomach eats with eyes first)

I was going to ask for a drumroll for the announcement for this dish but if you’re a fan of Thai cuisine, it is no surprise that it is the legendary Som Tom, the green papaya salad. If you’re not a fan, I’m introducing you to my secret weapon that is packed with sweet, sour, and spicy flavors when Red Bull, Celsius, or even cold brew has failed me.

Class, you see, after a certain point of drinking excessive amounts of caffeine, it starts to lose its effect. Yep, I think I’m immune. But, Som Tum? Never lets me down. Something about that sharp tang of lime with the hint of salt and the fiery kick of the spiciness jolts me back to life. Most people would know how parents usually bring fruits when their children are up at night studying, such as watermelon, grapes, bananas, or maybe a nice orange papaya…Well, mine’s a papaya, too. It’s just not ripe. Sorry class, I’m supposed to teach you guys how to cook, not recall the top ten hardest life moments.

Let’s dive in. First, we’ll need to shred the papaya. This unripe papaya will be tough as it is still unripe. It’s like a rebellious friend who never shows up to class. We’ll need to thin it down into strips and put it aside in a bowl. Next, we have to crush the garlic and sprinkle in salt since salt is like the friend that incorporates the sass in life that you didn’t know you needed. Then, we’ll throw this mixture into a blender and add in the dried shrimp which is optional, but they’re like the bougie cousins who show up when you want to feel fancy. Once they’re all mixed into a paste, transfer them into a larger bowl. This is when the peanuts and the shredded chilies who are the friends that bring the crunch and drama to your life will be thrown in the bowl. 2 tablespoons of lime juice and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce will be mixed and followed into the big bowl. Then, our sweet-talker friend who always makes sure everything is balanced, sugar, will join the party. Finally, toss in the washed tomatoes and the out-casted rebellious shredded papaya into the big bowl and mix it all up together. The papaya will definitely have a character development as the mixture is going on, soaking in all the flavors around them as it finally becomes the main character. Overall, lay the mixture on some lettuce for that “I’ve got it together” look, even if you absolutely do not.

There we have it, Som Tum, the dish that is ultimately my lifesaver at night. I hope everyone also enjoys the dish and remember: spice is temporary, but GPA is forever. Kind of.

I’m going to be completely transparent with anyone who’s reading this; I cannot cook at all. The closest thing I’ve come to “cooking” was using the microwave to make some oatmeal. But if there’s one thing I do know how to do really well, it’s swim. This article is just going to be an extensive breakdown of one of the forms I love to do most, which is freestyle. Typically, when people think of swimming they associate it with the summer; more specifically with pools and the beach. But let’s say as you were reading this, you and everyone within a 10 foot span of you fall into the ocean (within 20 feet of the shore). It doesn’t matter what you’re doing or where you are, you just plummet into the water. How many people do you think would survive? Would you be able to bring yourself to safety? Obviously this hypothetical situation is in no way plausible, but when you think about it, it really puts things into a broader perspective on how many people know how to swim. Swimming is something learned, and in my opinion it is an art that always has room for more practice. In a more literal term, it is a series of physical motions we adopt through countless lessons, engraving the repetitiveness of each and every movement into our minds so that we may be able to glide across bodies of water without trouble. I’m going to provide you with a detailed description on how to get each motion downpact so you don’t drown in 6 feet of water. As you’re reading this you’re probably thinking, “what makes this girl so qualified to write a manual on how to swim??” I can start off by saying I know what it’s like to not be able to swim.

The first time I entered a body of water deeper than the kitchen sink was at the age of 3, where I had started taking swimming lessons at YMCA. Just to preface, at the age of 3 I had no concept of how to swim, so when my instructor shoved me without warning (I’m not exaggerating) off a diving board into a 13 foot pool–moments prior I had been hysterical from even stepping foot onto the diving board itself– I fell into an unprecedented panic. I had absolutely no survival instincts, and pure hysteria just set in as I proceeded to thrash around, flailing my limbs as I simultaneously engulfed mouthfuls of the chlorine filtered water which burned my throat, nostrils, and eyes. I held onto the notion that as long as I made a big enough scene, someone would come save me. This proved to be futile once I realized there were dozens of people staring directly at me, but cheering me on as if it was a good thing I was practically drowning. I had no savior, so at some point I started doggy paddling to the end and eventually made it to the other side of the pool. This of course was very traumatizing, but I didn’t let it deter me from perfecting my craft. I proceeded to take swimming lessons for the next 9 years, then joined a swim team for 3 more up until COVID hit. There were a lot of instances throughout all these years where I found myself in a body of water whether it was during practice, on vacation, or in a community pool nearby. Enough about me and my history of swimming though, I need to start on explaining how to actually swim.

The first essential piece of advice I can give to you as you learn is to stay calm. I know it sounds cliche (and a bit hypocritical from my end based on what you just read) but you freaking out about drowning when you have licensed people trained to save you in case of anything is a bit unnecessary. Now, what do you think of when you imagine someone swimming freestyle? It looks like kicking and moving your arms but it’s much more than that. You need to have the ability to maintain composure in a uniformed state, but simultaneously remind yourself that it is also fluid; everything comes together in order for you to actually propel yourself in the water. Rather than putting all these motions together at once on your first try, the best thing to do is to take it one step at a time. You can start out by sitting on the pool deck, with your legs hanging into the water. Here we can practice kicking, more formally known as flutter kicks. This is where you keep your legs ridged, your knees locked, toes pointed, and subtly kicking  with both feet interchangeably in and out of the water. Once you feel you have a decent form, it’s time to get in the water. At this point, you can hold onto the wall with both hands and your arms outstretched, keeping your body elongated–legs together–while holding onto the wall. One of the most important things about swimming is that you keep your head parallel to the floor of the pool; as you swim you need to be looking straight down otherwise you WILL sink or just semi-float really awkwardly which feels and looks uncomfortable. Another thing I need to add is you need to have your arms above your ears as you have your head in the water looking straight down. This is where we start to add up the few things we learned so far.

Whilst holding onto the wall with our arms outstretched, we can begin to kick–remember to keep your legs straight and toes pointed–and keep your head straight down as you do so. Another important thing to remember is to not hold your breath, you have to exhale out your nose under the water or you’re going to end up passing out. Obviously at some point you have to come up for air because nobody can hold their breath for that long (unless that’s like your party trick or something idk) but how do we do that? The most common mistake people make is exploding their head out of the water, gasping for air like they just woke up from a coma. If you remember the first piece of advice I gave, this is the last thing you should be doing. Instead, you should turn your head to the left or right, exposing your nose and mouth just enough out of the water to suck in a bit of air. You don’t want to be greedy with it; don’t engulf all the air, just take a little quick inhale (through your mouth, not your nose because you might inhale water if you try to do so with your nose) and place your head back in the water looking straight down as you continue your flutter kicks. After mastering these few steps simultaneously, it is time to work on the arm strokes. Take your arms and point straight up, palms facing forward and fingers together. Now you are going to join hands, with one on top of the other. At this point you should have a triangular shape in the space between both arms and the top of your head. Separate your right arm from your left–unhinging it at your elbow– and while cupping your hand scoop your arm downwards towards the right side of your upper body unhinging at your elbow. Once you have your hand dangling by your chest, make an outward circular motion meeting your right hand back to your left. You are now going to do everything I just said but now with the left side. Now you know how to do the arm strokes. But how do you incorporate breathing? It’s simple, you move your head with your arm. So if you’re doing a right arm stroke, you look to the right for your breaths and place your head back in the water as you complete the arm stroke. The same goes for the left side. You now know all the fundamentals of swimming. Now by keeping your legs rigid, your arms fluid, your head controlled, and your mind calm, you will know how to swim.

Swimming to me personally though is more than all these things combined. It is a part of me, a part of my identity and something I almost always bring up when I’m questioned about who I am. It’s something I take pride in, and it comes with many benefits on top of just being impressive. The water itself is almost therapeutic; it brings me peace by providing me a physical space where I am able to exist in the moment without having to worry about the past or future. In the past, I often retreated to swimming any time I had something on my mind, or I just took advantage of the times I was mandated to swim, and poured all my energy and emotion into the action of swimming itself. I find it much more effective than any other stress relieving technique offered to me. It’s also just physically helpful because you’re practically using every part of your body to commit to one continuous fluid motion. I hope after reading this you have some idea of how to swim and how important it can impact your life.