The Life of Shayan Parikh & His Obsessions

Basketball has always been a big part of my life, and the Brooklyn Nets are the team I’ve stuck with through everything. My respect for them grew the most during the 2021 playoffs when Kevin Durant reminded everyone why he’s the best scorer and most talented player ever to play the game. With stars Kyrie Irving and James Harden injured and the pressure at its peak, he carried the team on both ends of the floor, determined not to let them lose that night. His Game 5 against Milwaukee, where he dropped 49 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists, is statistically the greatest individual playoff game of all time and is the most complete performance I’ve ever seen. Beyond the numbers, KD stayed poised even when the Nets went down 17 points midway through the 3rd quarter and took over the 4th quarter. He threw in 20 points in the final quarter, even as he played the entire game and was gassed at the end. That game marked the official return of Kevin Durant after he tore his achilles, a death sentence for an athlete, and somehow, for the first time in the history of medicine, he came back stronger.

I’ve always been fascinated by commercial aviation and how much goes into making it all work. I find it interesting how airlines decide which aircraft to use for specific routes and how those choices depend on factors like distance, demand, and efficiency. I like looking at route maps and seeing how airlines connect different parts of the world in ways that make both logistical and economic sense. Airport design also grabs my attention, especially how runways, terminals, and gates are organized to keep traffic moving smoothly. There’s a lot of strategy and precision behind something that most people see as routine travel. The more I learn about how airlines operate, the more I appreciate the complexity and coordination involved.