This past week has been pretty eventful for me, from free dinner, to free skiing.
I attended the second Senior Research forum for the class of 2013 at the Roosevelt House last Tuesday. Because it was obviously cold outside, we had our cocktail hour indoors in the foyer/lobby, and then subsequently moved into the Four Freedoms room for the three presentations, ranging from racial ideology, to cancerous stem cells, to the history of the Morgan Library. It was such an exciting night because of the great conversation, the great presentations, and of course the free dinner. Dinner was more amped up since the last time, with new entrees such as fish filet, and AMAZING pasta. My mouth waters in memory! On top of that, it was the SRF with the greatest number of attendees. As a member of the SRF, myself and the other members felt accomplished and completly delighted knowing that our by word advertising, and the legacy created by the first SRF attracted so many attendees. Since our senior class was not lucky enough to have many class events in earlier years, these SRFs are a grewt way to not only celebrate our academic accomplishments, but also a great way to bring the class together before we graduate.
Saturday, I went skiiing on the Brookdale trip to Belleayre mountain. My first time skiiing, I had high expectations for myself , hoping to be able to graduate from the bunny slope to some crazy intense portion of the mountain. Alas, I only could make perfect right turns, but I couldn't somehowmake left turns. Worse, I didnt reslly know how to stop using the wedge formation, but instead, managed to stop when made huge right turns. I did learn how to pick myself up when I fell though in a textbook perfect fashion. Maybe next time, I'll master this pretty fun winter sport. But for now, I'm definitely more of a summer sports kinda gal.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The Best Burger in Woodside
Hey guys! Things have been crazy, as usual. I've just adjusted to the workload of 5 classes rather than the 4 I had in the first semester. I'd like to tell you guys about a great experience I had in MHC 150, the Macaulay seminar for the Peopling of New York. Basically, this class studies immigration and how the demographics and culture of New York have changed over time. It's really interesting stuff. Our main project is a mini-documentary of a hyper-diverse neighborhood in New York, or one that has at least a 20% representation of 3 separate ethnicities in its demographic. My group chose Woodside, Queens as our neighborhood. We visited the area on Saturday. Getting there was a bit of a logistical nightmare because the 7 wasn't running from Grand Central, so we had to take the 6, to the N, to the 7. My group decided to start at Donovan's Pub in the Irish part of town, across from the Catholic church. This pub has been in Woodside for 47 years and was just recently sold from the original owners to a friend of the family. We went in there for lunch and got a tour, as well as some contact information for an interview for our documentary. The place is much bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside (kind of like the TARDIS or that tent from Harry Potter). It has 3 fireplaces and a library. The staff is ridiculously friendly and authentically Irish, accents included. The inside is dark, but warm. We wanted to stay there for a long time because of the horrible rainy weather. This place has a reputation for the best burger in Woodside. They totally weren't kidding. I would marry this burger if I could. It was amazing, probably the best burger I've ever had! Even the fries were delicious: hand-cut and salted roasted potato fries. Even better, the owner paid for our entire meal! We made sure to tip very well.
After lunch ,we walked up and down Roosevelt Avenue, taking pictures of all the interesting signs. This neighborhood is pretty evenly divided between Filipinos, Latinos, and Irish. My friend had lived in Woodside for 10 years and knew where to take us. Most of her relatives even worked the stores in the Filipino part of town. As you walk down Roosevelt, you see the transition from one ethnic enclave to another. Within a couple of blocks, you'll see Donovan's Pub and Catholic church, then some Ecuadorian restaurants and Latino call centers, and finally purely Filipino markets with signs all in Tagalog. And all this within about 5 blocks! It was a fascinating look at how people come to live near each other and co-inhabit an area, as well as how different cultures can mix together. Even though it was a pretty rainy day, we made the best of it and saw some interesting stuff. I'm really glad that I'm taking this class because I'd never otherwise think of visiting Woodside on my own, and even if I did, I wouldn't look at it the same way. I'd recommend going to Donovan's if you're ever in Woodside, or if you just want a really great burger!
Erica
Erica
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Hot Pot and Flushing
I need to keep my promises. My promise to write here just once every week has already been broken, however I am here to start anew. Perhaps I should have some sort of record keeping reward system, where if I remember to come and post something I can go and treat myself to some fro-yo. Or perhaps hot pot.
I've known what hot pot or 火锅 is for a while now as it's come up as a vocab word plenty of times in Chinese, but up until this passed Friday I had never been myself. What is hot pot? It's kind of like main meal fondue - fondue for dinner. It was great. My friends and I caught the 7 train up to Flushing from Grand Central, after school, and had a cute group dinner. It was a lot of fun, and afterwards we walked through a local supermarket and then went to get bubble tea. It was a very fun night which culminated in still being hungry as we passed the 7-Eleven by the dorms and stopping to buy mini tacos.
Now, this is week zero. Next week will be week one; I will treat myself to Pinkberry if I can keep this up until week three. Yay Pinkberry!
I've known what hot pot or 火锅 is for a while now as it's come up as a vocab word plenty of times in Chinese, but up until this passed Friday I had never been myself. What is hot pot? It's kind of like main meal fondue - fondue for dinner. It was great. My friends and I caught the 7 train up to Flushing from Grand Central, after school, and had a cute group dinner. It was a lot of fun, and afterwards we walked through a local supermarket and then went to get bubble tea. It was a very fun night which culminated in still being hungry as we passed the 7-Eleven by the dorms and stopping to buy mini tacos.
Now, this is week zero. Next week will be week one; I will treat myself to Pinkberry if I can keep this up until week three. Yay Pinkberry!
Monday, February 25, 2013
Designing Tomorrow, Weather Musings, and the Oscars
Hello, everyone.
It's a Monday night in NYC, and we're almost one month into the spring semester. Kinda awesome and kinda scary.
One of the highlights of last week was going to the Museum of the City of New York with my Seminar 4 class. The last time I visited the museum was three years ago. At the time, I was relatively unfamiliar with Manhattan because I didn't really go into the city all that often. I remember thinking it was cool to be in the East 100's and near Central Park. haha. Being there three years later was interesting because I actually felt different. I've spent three semesters going to the school in the city, and although that doesn't seem like a long amount of time, I definitely feel that I've grown immensely.
My professor took us to the museum to view the exhibition on America's World Fairs of the 1930s entitled "Designing Tomorrow". It was a topic that I knew little about before visiting, and it was cool to see how these world's fairs shaped people's visions of the future. I think sometimes we forget that at its core, humanity hasn't changed all that much. Back then, people were dealing with the effects of the Depression, and the innovations that were introduced in these fairs instilled a renewed sense of hope in them. I think the same kinds of things happen today. Many people believe that our country is in decline, but the promises of a better future made by various organizations and corporations are what allows us to move forward to make that vision into reality. It's all about moving forward without forgetting what the past has taught us.
The weather has been kinda weird lately with days that are super chilly and then relatively warm. I already smell spring in the air on some of those warmer days. That transition into spring is the best period of time. There's some sun, a little breeze, the flowers are coming out, and everything feels more alive. We still have at least a month left till then, but I'm definitely looking forward to it already.
Did anyone watch the Oscars? The best parts were when Ted came on stage with Mark Wahlberg (and told those awesome jokes!), Jennifer Hudson's performance, Adele's performance, and Ben Affleck's awesome acceptance speech at the end. The dresses were pretty as usual, but I always feel bad for all of those actresses because they have to spend the whole night in those super long dresses and can't even move properly. The price of glamour.
I picked the song below just because it's a simple and beautiful song. And if you haven't seen the movie, Once, you should definitely watch it!
Song of the Week
I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out
Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now
"Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
It's a Monday night in NYC, and we're almost one month into the spring semester. Kinda awesome and kinda scary.
One of the highlights of last week was going to the Museum of the City of New York with my Seminar 4 class. The last time I visited the museum was three years ago. At the time, I was relatively unfamiliar with Manhattan because I didn't really go into the city all that often. I remember thinking it was cool to be in the East 100's and near Central Park. haha. Being there three years later was interesting because I actually felt different. I've spent three semesters going to the school in the city, and although that doesn't seem like a long amount of time, I definitely feel that I've grown immensely.
My professor took us to the museum to view the exhibition on America's World Fairs of the 1930s entitled "Designing Tomorrow". It was a topic that I knew little about before visiting, and it was cool to see how these world's fairs shaped people's visions of the future. I think sometimes we forget that at its core, humanity hasn't changed all that much. Back then, people were dealing with the effects of the Depression, and the innovations that were introduced in these fairs instilled a renewed sense of hope in them. I think the same kinds of things happen today. Many people believe that our country is in decline, but the promises of a better future made by various organizations and corporations are what allows us to move forward to make that vision into reality. It's all about moving forward without forgetting what the past has taught us.
The weather has been kinda weird lately with days that are super chilly and then relatively warm. I already smell spring in the air on some of those warmer days. That transition into spring is the best period of time. There's some sun, a little breeze, the flowers are coming out, and everything feels more alive. We still have at least a month left till then, but I'm definitely looking forward to it already.
Did anyone watch the Oscars? The best parts were when Ted came on stage with Mark Wahlberg (and told those awesome jokes!), Jennifer Hudson's performance, Adele's performance, and Ben Affleck's awesome acceptance speech at the end. The dresses were pretty as usual, but I always feel bad for all of those actresses because they have to spend the whole night in those super long dresses and can't even move properly. The price of glamour.
I picked the song below just because it's a simple and beautiful song. And if you haven't seen the movie, Once, you should definitely watch it!
Song of the Week
I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out
Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now
"Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
Ski Trip
On the Saturday that just passed, I went on the Brookdale ski trip with a friend. I haven't gone skiing or snowboarding for about 5 years, so I was a bit doubtful of my abilities to stand on my skis. I'm more of a snowboarder than skier. My friend and I both wanted to snowboard, but the snowboards were all gone by the time we arrived so skis it was. We took the lesson and it turned out not so bad. We both were able to do everything that was taught.
The hardest part was going up the hill. We had to grab hold of the moving rope, which was going pretty fast. When we grabbed it, it jerked us forward and almost pulled our arms off. It's even harder holding the ski poles in our hands (which we dropped the first time).
After mastering the bunny slope, it was time to take on the real thing. I literally had to beg my friend to go up the mountain with me, even though it was a green (easy) slope. We ran into a problem even before we got up there: how to get on the lifts. We kept watching other people go on and it looked so easy. By the time our turn came, the lift literally swept us off our feet. It was really frightening, since I was afraid of heights and there was nothing holing us in (We didn't know we could pull down the bar from above). The next problem was getting off the lift. We were thrown off and speeding off to a wall of ice.
The rest of the trip went smoothly, well, for me. I went down the mountain without falling down but my friend, since she doesn't know how to stop or slow down when going fast, fell once each time we came down the mountain. She still loved it though, except the part where her legs hurt.
The End of Lunar New Year
Yesterday, I had family dinner with the whole family, which means that my favorite time of the year has come to an end. No more food! No more red envelopes! But it's ok I've gathered enough fat and money in the last two weeks to last me till Thanksgiving. A new semester, a new round of freshmen 15 to burn off >,< It's a good thing I go to the gym now...
Sunday, February 24, 2013
a 4 day week? didn't feel like it!
Hey everyone,
So I can't believe it's already Sunday… It feels like it's been such a long week, even though it was technically only four days of classes. I didn't even really do too much! I guess it was just the work that makes it feel like it's been two weeks instead of one.
I've been putting off writing a blog post because I wanted to write another long catch-up post about winter break/beginning of the semester stuff, but I think I'm going to just write shorter posts, more often for now instead. I've been trying that method with my work for classes (because there is a lottt more this semester!) and it seems to have been helping my procrastination issues! You see, I'm kind of a list maker, and when I can't cross something off my list, I don't want to do it…which often leads to problems with the bigger, long-term tasks, like "draft paper", or "read assigned book".
So I've changed my attitude towards things like that and decided that instead of writing down such a vague task, I need to write down the smaller chunks that I can accomplish. The idea of breaking up my work into more manageable pieces isn't new, and I often do that, but honestly, writing it down made a huge difference! It seems like such a simple thing to realize. But like I said, I had the two strategies: lists + dividing work; I just had to combine them to create a much better time management habit. And so far it's going well, I feel so much more accomplished when I cross each item off my list.
So now that I'm finished telling you all about time management strategies that you probably already know…some other random news! This week, I wrote an essay in German. I'm taking German 302, Advanced Conversation and Composition, and it's definitely challenging, but I love it! I'm only one class away from a German minor. And hopefully, I'll become *fluent*. Well, maybe not ever fully fluent…to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what being fluent in a language means... Does it mean able to hold a conversation about something other than the weather fluent? Or does it mean able to write an academic book fluent?
Now I'm curious… because I've been saying I really want to become fluent in at least four languages!
Okay, so the most relevant definitions, according to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary are "capable of using a language easily and accurately", "effortlessly smooth and flowing", and/or, "having or showing mastery of a subject or skill". I think I can handle that! So yes, I would like to be fluent in German! And, in at least two or three other languages. I'm glad that's settled! =P
Wow, I'm really all over the place in this post! Next time, I promise a more organized posts.
Without definitions. ;)
G.
So I can't believe it's already Sunday… It feels like it's been such a long week, even though it was technically only four days of classes. I didn't even really do too much! I guess it was just the work that makes it feel like it's been two weeks instead of one.
I've been putting off writing a blog post because I wanted to write another long catch-up post about winter break/beginning of the semester stuff, but I think I'm going to just write shorter posts, more often for now instead. I've been trying that method with my work for classes (because there is a lottt more this semester!) and it seems to have been helping my procrastination issues! You see, I'm kind of a list maker, and when I can't cross something off my list, I don't want to do it…which often leads to problems with the bigger, long-term tasks, like "draft paper", or "read assigned book".
So I've changed my attitude towards things like that and decided that instead of writing down such a vague task, I need to write down the smaller chunks that I can accomplish. The idea of breaking up my work into more manageable pieces isn't new, and I often do that, but honestly, writing it down made a huge difference! It seems like such a simple thing to realize. But like I said, I had the two strategies: lists + dividing work; I just had to combine them to create a much better time management habit. And so far it's going well, I feel so much more accomplished when I cross each item off my list.
So now that I'm finished telling you all about time management strategies that you probably already know…some other random news! This week, I wrote an essay in German. I'm taking German 302, Advanced Conversation and Composition, and it's definitely challenging, but I love it! I'm only one class away from a German minor. And hopefully, I'll become *fluent*. Well, maybe not ever fully fluent…to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what being fluent in a language means... Does it mean able to hold a conversation about something other than the weather fluent? Or does it mean able to write an academic book fluent?
Now I'm curious… because I've been saying I really want to become fluent in at least four languages!
Okay, so the most relevant definitions, according to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary are "capable of using a language easily and accurately", "effortlessly smooth and flowing", and/or, "having or showing mastery of a subject or skill". I think I can handle that! So yes, I would like to be fluent in German! And, in at least two or three other languages. I'm glad that's settled! =P
Wow, I'm really all over the place in this post! Next time, I promise a more organized posts.
Without definitions. ;)
G.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Grand Army Plaza, Downton Abbey, and the Weekend
Hey everyone!!
We're at the end of a three-day weekend. For some reason, these long weekends always feel so short.
I spent the weekend catching up on sleep, doing homework, and hanging out at home. I went shopping with my mom today, which was fun. It's cool to get new stuff and just hang out with my mom.
The highlight of the past week was going to Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn. It serves as the entryway to Prospect Park. I've gone there multiple times since I was kid to visit the large Central Library. I used to love going to the library there because there were so many books, and it was so fun to go with my dad for an afternoon.
This time, the focus of my visit was the plaza itself. For my Seminar 4 class, my professor wants each student to find a public space and write a blog entry about it. We're supposed to describe how design relates to function and our observations of how people utilize the space. I went on Tuesday since we had a day off for President Lincoln's birthday. The plaza is essentially a tribute to the Union Army of the Civil War so it was cool to be there on his birthday. One of the most beautiful features of the plaza is Bailey Fountain. It features these grand sculptures of Wisdom and Felicity. When I was there taking pictures, nobody else was there and it was nice to just experience the grandness of the fountain and the romantic image of the two figures on top of the ship.
The most well-known part of Grand Army Plaza is the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch. It commemorates the Union Army and includes bas-reliefs of President Lincoln and President Grant. The architecture of the arch and the sculptures on the arch are truly spectacular. In front of the arch, there is a large open space which includes several benches to sit on. It's great to just sit there and feel the "openness"of the area and the history that surrounds you. I'm really glad I had a chance to revisit a place that I've been coming to for many years and to get to know it better.
In other news, Sunday was the season finale of Downton Abbey. And OMG. One of the main characters on the show was killed off, and I was literally sitting there with my mouth open and tears in my eyes. This was the second main character that had died during the season. My first thought was "How could the writer do this?". I found out later that the actor that plays the role asked the writers to write him off the show because he wants to work on other projects. My heart is still broken though. Now we have to wait a whole year for a new season. The agony. Sigh.
We're at the end of a three-day weekend. For some reason, these long weekends always feel so short.
I spent the weekend catching up on sleep, doing homework, and hanging out at home. I went shopping with my mom today, which was fun. It's cool to get new stuff and just hang out with my mom.
The highlight of the past week was going to Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn. It serves as the entryway to Prospect Park. I've gone there multiple times since I was kid to visit the large Central Library. I used to love going to the library there because there were so many books, and it was so fun to go with my dad for an afternoon.
This time, the focus of my visit was the plaza itself. For my Seminar 4 class, my professor wants each student to find a public space and write a blog entry about it. We're supposed to describe how design relates to function and our observations of how people utilize the space. I went on Tuesday since we had a day off for President Lincoln's birthday. The plaza is essentially a tribute to the Union Army of the Civil War so it was cool to be there on his birthday. One of the most beautiful features of the plaza is Bailey Fountain. It features these grand sculptures of Wisdom and Felicity. When I was there taking pictures, nobody else was there and it was nice to just experience the grandness of the fountain and the romantic image of the two figures on top of the ship.
 |
| Bailey Fountain |
The most well-known part of Grand Army Plaza is the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch. It commemorates the Union Army and includes bas-reliefs of President Lincoln and President Grant. The architecture of the arch and the sculptures on the arch are truly spectacular. In front of the arch, there is a large open space which includes several benches to sit on. It's great to just sit there and feel the "openness"of the area and the history that surrounds you. I'm really glad I had a chance to revisit a place that I've been coming to for many years and to get to know it better.
 |
| Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch |
In other news, Sunday was the season finale of Downton Abbey. And OMG. One of the main characters on the show was killed off, and I was literally sitting there with my mouth open and tears in my eyes. This was the second main character that had died during the season. My first thought was "How could the writer do this?". I found out later that the actor that plays the role asked the writers to write him off the show because he wants to work on other projects. My heart is still broken though. Now we have to wait a whole year for a new season. The agony. Sigh.
Enjoy the shorter school week everyone!! =)
This week's song is one of my new favorites. Rihanna is amazing here.
S.
Song of the Week
All along it was a fever
A cold sweat hot-headed believer
I threw my hands in the air and said, "Show me something,"
He said, "If you dare come a little closer."
Round and around and around and around we go
Oh now tell me now tell me now tell me now you know
Not really sure how to feel about it.
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can't live without you.
It takes me all the way.
I want you to stay
A cold sweat hot-headed believer
I threw my hands in the air and said, "Show me something,"
He said, "If you dare come a little closer."
Round and around and around and around we go
Oh now tell me now tell me now tell me now you know
Not really sure how to feel about it.
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can't live without you.
It takes me all the way.
I want you to stay
"Stay" by Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Cultural Weekend!!!
Mt friends and I had a culture day! We did some really awesome things. We ate good food, walked cute places, and even experienced some cool history being made!
Restaurant week is a program in the city where cheap people can eat at really high class restaurants - and I mean 27 out of 30 on Zagat places. They participate in a prix fixe menu, $25 for lunch and $38 for dinner. Each meal is three courses and wonderful.
My friends and I went to Sant Ambrous in the West Village. It's a beautiful Italian restaurant, cute and well decorated. The food though - oh. my. goodness.
It worked out perfectly, because with 4 friends, everyone got something different and we all tried each other's dishes. Bulger salad, prosciutto and mozzarella, artichoke and arugula salads.
I got a veal Bolognese, and a blueberry panna cotta for desert. I honestly have never had better food. And in reality it came to 29 dollars for all this food. And I didn't eat for the rest of the day.
My only warning to those who would do this program next year - do the research on your specific restaurant. Originally, we had plans to go to a seafood restaurant. But we looked online and their daily lunch special was $24. Asking an extra dollar because we booked through Restaurant Week? Not cool. Not cool at all.
But after all this food my friends and I walked from the West Village to the Lower East Side via Bleeker Street. Had to burn it off somehow. We stopped in all the posh little shops and the cute boutiques, looked at all the lovely architecture, and just ogled at the people.
Once we reached the Lexington Avenue subway line (4,5,6) we hopped on and took it up to Grand Central. It just so happened that the Friday we did this was the Centennial Anniversary of the train station.
Grand Central had organized a bunch of musicians who were playing there, and there were special tours and events. We only managed to catch the end of the musicians, but when we were in the main concourse, something fantastic happened.
People filed into the windows at one end of the great hall. My friends and I stopped. Whatever this was - it was going to be cool. It turned into a beautiful light show! Every person had a multicolour flashlight, and they flipped colours and stances in near perfect timing.
Turns out this was a presentation by Improv Everywhere, a group in the city that runs impromptu exhibitions in public. They're most famous for their No Pants Subway Ride.
So while reveling in the history of Grand Central, we experience an intangible piece of historical art.
Pretty cool. Pretty cool.
And it's not as though this was terribly difficult, or terribly uncommon. It's sort of expected that as a person in NYC, you take advantage of these sort of things. We've made plans to try and devote one weekend a month, at least, to well rounded cultural events. Museums, shops, food. Lots of good food.
Well, I'll keep you posted on what other adventures I have in Manhattan, my Macaulay friends!
Restaurant week is a program in the city where cheap people can eat at really high class restaurants - and I mean 27 out of 30 on Zagat places. They participate in a prix fixe menu, $25 for lunch and $38 for dinner. Each meal is three courses and wonderful.
My friends and I went to Sant Ambrous in the West Village. It's a beautiful Italian restaurant, cute and well decorated. The food though - oh. my. goodness.
It worked out perfectly, because with 4 friends, everyone got something different and we all tried each other's dishes. Bulger salad, prosciutto and mozzarella, artichoke and arugula salads.
I got a veal Bolognese, and a blueberry panna cotta for desert. I honestly have never had better food. And in reality it came to 29 dollars for all this food. And I didn't eat for the rest of the day.
My only warning to those who would do this program next year - do the research on your specific restaurant. Originally, we had plans to go to a seafood restaurant. But we looked online and their daily lunch special was $24. Asking an extra dollar because we booked through Restaurant Week? Not cool. Not cool at all.
But after all this food my friends and I walked from the West Village to the Lower East Side via Bleeker Street. Had to burn it off somehow. We stopped in all the posh little shops and the cute boutiques, looked at all the lovely architecture, and just ogled at the people.
Once we reached the Lexington Avenue subway line (4,5,6) we hopped on and took it up to Grand Central. It just so happened that the Friday we did this was the Centennial Anniversary of the train station.
Grand Central had organized a bunch of musicians who were playing there, and there were special tours and events. We only managed to catch the end of the musicians, but when we were in the main concourse, something fantastic happened.
People filed into the windows at one end of the great hall. My friends and I stopped. Whatever this was - it was going to be cool. It turned into a beautiful light show! Every person had a multicolour flashlight, and they flipped colours and stances in near perfect timing.
Turns out this was a presentation by Improv Everywhere, a group in the city that runs impromptu exhibitions in public. They're most famous for their No Pants Subway Ride.
So while reveling in the history of Grand Central, we experience an intangible piece of historical art.
Pretty cool. Pretty cool.
And it's not as though this was terribly difficult, or terribly uncommon. It's sort of expected that as a person in NYC, you take advantage of these sort of things. We've made plans to try and devote one weekend a month, at least, to well rounded cultural events. Museums, shops, food. Lots of good food.
Well, I'll keep you posted on what other adventures I have in Manhattan, my Macaulay friends!
Here's to Not Breaking My Promise (Barely) and... Dinner at Gracie Mansion!
So my week was pretty fun. I didn't have school until Thursday, because of Lincoln's birthday and the way that my schedule works out. However, I haven't been feeling so well the last few days which is why I put off writing this until Saturday. However this is still week two of my promise and therefore I haven't broken it (yet)! Lincoln's birthday was more than just a day off school though - the kids in the Chinese Flagship program were invited to a Chinese New Year dinner at Gracie Mansion. Yes, the Mayor's house. It was adorable, and there were so many little finger foods being served by waiters walking around the entire first floor, that me and my friends did not follow around the entire night. Anyway, I actually didn't get to see much of the Mayor because when he came to give a speech where I was standing there happened to be a Lion Dancing-Lion in the way. However, it was still pretty exciting when he came out.
Just don't ever think a Lion Dance inside a packed house is a good idea...
Afterwards my friends and I went on a Shake Shack run, which was fun and is probably the only time I will ever go to Shake Shack in such a nice dress. The night was a lot of fun, but I think I preferred my own Chinese New Year celebrations that my friends and I concocted last Sunday. We started pretty early and headed over to Williamsburg to go thrift shopping, where I found these adorable black ankle boots which I have since been wearing everywhere. Then we headed back across the bridge and went to the Shanghai Cafe on Mott Street for dinner. It happened to be that there were only two of us that really knew what we were talking about in terms of food, so we ordered, but luckily everyone enjoyed the food that we ordered so that was great. One of my friends and I even went back on Wednesday night for dinner, as well as returning to the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory for dessert.
I really enjoy Chinese New Year, even though I have English parents, when I was little they always made a big deal about it so as to keep me connected to my heritage which I love. My dad even lamented to me earlier this week about not going out for dinner anymore; I have a younger brother who is also adopted and has mostly lost any connection to our heritage... But the festivities aren't over for me yet! Tonight is a Flagship Chinese New Year dinner in Chinatown and I'm very excited for the free feast, and to get together with some of my classmates and friends. So, now I'll leave you with a few pictures that were taken while at Gracie mansion.
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| Can you see the Mayor's hand? |
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| Now can you see it? |
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| It was so packed, and so loud!! |
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| The front view as we were leaving. |
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| From my friend's instagram: http://instagram.com/smarkers_ |
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| The view was beautiful, and this was just after Nemo! |
Monday, February 11, 2013
Snow, V-Day, and Crystals
Hey, everyone!!
It's a foggy Monday afternoon in NYC, and I'm sitting on the 7th floor skywalk. It's kind of noisy right now because a bunch of people are hanging out, eating, and talking. I really like it up here though. The view is amazing, and I always feel unburdened when I sit here. Maybe it's because I can see how big the world is, and that helps to keep things in perspective.
We finally had a big snowstorm this winter! I know snow can be a pain with all the trouble it causes with transportation, but I think it's really pretty. It's just not winter if there's no snow. It's also really fun to walk in the snow. I always feel like I'm in one of those warm winter movie scenes where the main character catches a snowflake in her glove and sighs with content at the beauty of the world. haha.
This Thursday is Valentine's Day, and it's also the 15th anniversary of V-Day. V-Day is an organization that seeks to end all violence against around the world. It was started by Eve Ensler, the writer of The Vagina Monologues. I highly recommend reading it. If you're a girl or even a guy, it will make you question things, and it will inspire you. This Thursday, V-Day is celebrating its anniversary with a new event called "1 Billion Rising". One billion women around the world are subject to violence. The movement wants to counteract that statistic with the image of 1 billion rising and dancing.
This Thursday, Hunter is going to host a V-Day event on the third floor of HW on Thursday if anyone's interested.
Thursday is also Valentine's Day so that's always exciting. haha. It's always cool to celebrate love and kindness and friendship. It's also a great excuse to wear red and eat chocolate. :p We all have to make time for love somewhere in the middle of organic reactions, papers, and general exhaustion.
In orgo lab today, my partner and I did a crystallization experiment. We had to purify a solid through the use of a solvent and filtration. It was actually really interesting. When we saw our purified crystals at the end, it was so exciting!! haha. Science can be really cool sometimes.
I chose the song below for this week for 3 reasons.
1. I've loved Lifehouse and Natasha Bedingfield since I first heard "You and Me" and "Unwritten", respectively.
2. Valentine's Day is this week.
3. It's raining. haha.
S.
Song of the Week
Look around
There's no one but you and me
Right here and now
The way it was meant to be
There's a smile on my face
Knowing that together everything that's in our way
We're better than alright
Walking between the raindrops
Riding the aftershock beside you
Off into the sunset
Living like there's nothing left to lose
Chasing after gold mines
Crossing the fine lines we knew
Hold on and take a breath
I'll be here every step
Walking between the raindrops with you
"Between the Raindrops" by Lifehouse featuring Natasha Bedingfield
It's a foggy Monday afternoon in NYC, and I'm sitting on the 7th floor skywalk. It's kind of noisy right now because a bunch of people are hanging out, eating, and talking. I really like it up here though. The view is amazing, and I always feel unburdened when I sit here. Maybe it's because I can see how big the world is, and that helps to keep things in perspective.
We finally had a big snowstorm this winter! I know snow can be a pain with all the trouble it causes with transportation, but I think it's really pretty. It's just not winter if there's no snow. It's also really fun to walk in the snow. I always feel like I'm in one of those warm winter movie scenes where the main character catches a snowflake in her glove and sighs with content at the beauty of the world. haha.
This Thursday is Valentine's Day, and it's also the 15th anniversary of V-Day. V-Day is an organization that seeks to end all violence against around the world. It was started by Eve Ensler, the writer of The Vagina Monologues. I highly recommend reading it. If you're a girl or even a guy, it will make you question things, and it will inspire you. This Thursday, V-Day is celebrating its anniversary with a new event called "1 Billion Rising". One billion women around the world are subject to violence. The movement wants to counteract that statistic with the image of 1 billion rising and dancing.
This Thursday, Hunter is going to host a V-Day event on the third floor of HW on Thursday if anyone's interested.
Thursday is also Valentine's Day so that's always exciting. haha. It's always cool to celebrate love and kindness and friendship. It's also a great excuse to wear red and eat chocolate. :p We all have to make time for love somewhere in the middle of organic reactions, papers, and general exhaustion.
In orgo lab today, my partner and I did a crystallization experiment. We had to purify a solid through the use of a solvent and filtration. It was actually really interesting. When we saw our purified crystals at the end, it was so exciting!! haha. Science can be really cool sometimes.
I chose the song below for this week for 3 reasons.
1. I've loved Lifehouse and Natasha Bedingfield since I first heard "You and Me" and "Unwritten", respectively.
2. Valentine's Day is this week.
3. It's raining. haha.
S.
Song of the Week
Look around
There's no one but you and me
Right here and now
The way it was meant to be
There's a smile on my face
Knowing that together everything that's in our way
We're better than alright
Walking between the raindrops
Riding the aftershock beside you
Off into the sunset
Living like there's nothing left to lose
Chasing after gold mines
Crossing the fine lines we knew
Hold on and take a breath
I'll be here every step
Walking between the raindrops with you
"Between the Raindrops" by Lifehouse featuring Natasha Bedingfield
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Chinese New Year!
My favorite time of the year has come! I've only gone home for Chinese New Year for one day and I've already become a giant snowball of food. I've been eating my non-stop fill of cakes, chips, and rice dumplings and this is just the beginning. We usually celebrate for the whole week because we have several rounds of cake left plus the ones our friends and family give us. Hopefully, I fit through the door when I go back to school, but in the meantime, let the lai see (red envelope) and food keep on coming!
Nemo Fun
Snow! Finally, we get a decent amount of snow for a snowball fight! Though I didn't exactly have one, I sure did get some fun with my dogs :) Here's a few snaps of our snow fight.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Believers Never Die
Ok guys. I'm gonna lay it straight for you. I've been a huge Fall Out Boy fan for the entirety of my life. I think I started when I was in 5th grade, maybe before then. They're my favorite band. They always have been and they always will be. When they went on hiatus in 2009, you could say I was a little more than bummed. BUT.
This Monday, February 4th, at 9:02 AM, I rolled out of bed to go to class. It was an ordinary day, a Monday. It was relatively gross outside and I really just wanted to roll back over in bed, forget about normal life, and sleep. Then I checked my Facebook. And lo and behold, Fall Out Boy was off hiatus. That's right. I screamed out loud and ran around my room, called both my parents and screamed into the phone at them about it, told my friends on the way to class, listened to their music all day, downloaded their new song, and basically had an emotional breakdown about their tour and new album.
My birthday is tomorrow and I've just acquired tickets to go see my favorite band live (for the first time in my life) in May, on two different dates. I'll have to drive 8 hours to see one of their shows, but the other show is right here in New York City! Getting those tickets was no easy feat, believe me. They sold out in under a minute, but I was ready and waiting as I watched the seconds flick by until it hit noon. My hard work paid off and I'm going to see my favorite band and I might (read as: will) cry of joy and ecstasy.
There could not have been a better birthday present from the universe than my favorite band coming off hiatus after 4 years and me (finally) getting tickets to see them live, right here in my hometown! Nevertheless, I've compiled a small list of things my parents can get me for my 19th birthday (new boots and a TON of books and music).
Otherwise, this weekend has been pretty uneventful. I went home Thursday night because I don't have classes on Fridays and I had decided to spend my birthday at home. Little did I know we'd get snowed in! We have about 2 and 1/2 feet of snow out here on Long Island (I live in Suffolk County, which was hit the hardest). I heard the city only got 6 inches. That's what happens when you live in the suburbs. I had to shovel snow all day yesterday, and I can feel it in my shoulders, back, and arms now. It's actually worse than a yoga workout. Either way, I got to spend some quality time with my parents, watching Elementary and eating Chinese food (the only place that will deliver during a snowstorm).
This has been a week of high emotional stress, but I've learned a valuable lesson. When Fall Out Boy went on hiatus, I was really upset. But I stuck it out for 4 years, hoping and praying they'd come back to make music together and that I'd get to see them live at least once. Now, my patience has paid off. As they say, good things come to those who wait! Or, as Fall Out Boy fans say: Believers Never Die.
Erica
P.S. Whoever said money didn't buy happiness has obviously never bought tickets for their favorite band.
This Monday, February 4th, at 9:02 AM, I rolled out of bed to go to class. It was an ordinary day, a Monday. It was relatively gross outside and I really just wanted to roll back over in bed, forget about normal life, and sleep. Then I checked my Facebook. And lo and behold, Fall Out Boy was off hiatus. That's right. I screamed out loud and ran around my room, called both my parents and screamed into the phone at them about it, told my friends on the way to class, listened to their music all day, downloaded their new song, and basically had an emotional breakdown about their tour and new album.
My birthday is tomorrow and I've just acquired tickets to go see my favorite band live (for the first time in my life) in May, on two different dates. I'll have to drive 8 hours to see one of their shows, but the other show is right here in New York City! Getting those tickets was no easy feat, believe me. They sold out in under a minute, but I was ready and waiting as I watched the seconds flick by until it hit noon. My hard work paid off and I'm going to see my favorite band and I might (read as: will) cry of joy and ecstasy.
There could not have been a better birthday present from the universe than my favorite band coming off hiatus after 4 years and me (finally) getting tickets to see them live, right here in my hometown! Nevertheless, I've compiled a small list of things my parents can get me for my 19th birthday (new boots and a TON of books and music).
Otherwise, this weekend has been pretty uneventful. I went home Thursday night because I don't have classes on Fridays and I had decided to spend my birthday at home. Little did I know we'd get snowed in! We have about 2 and 1/2 feet of snow out here on Long Island (I live in Suffolk County, which was hit the hardest). I heard the city only got 6 inches. That's what happens when you live in the suburbs. I had to shovel snow all day yesterday, and I can feel it in my shoulders, back, and arms now. It's actually worse than a yoga workout. Either way, I got to spend some quality time with my parents, watching Elementary and eating Chinese food (the only place that will deliver during a snowstorm).
This has been a week of high emotional stress, but I've learned a valuable lesson. When Fall Out Boy went on hiatus, I was really upset. But I stuck it out for 4 years, hoping and praying they'd come back to make music together and that I'd get to see them live at least once. Now, my patience has paid off. As they say, good things come to those who wait! Or, as Fall Out Boy fans say: Believers Never Die.
Erica
P.S. Whoever said money didn't buy happiness has obviously never bought tickets for their favorite band.
Hello again!
Hey everyone,
So, it's been a while! I took a nice, relaxing break from anything (well, most things) school related (sorry if I neglected you guys!), and so far have been trying to readjust to being back in school. I honestly feels like it gets more and more difficult after every break!
I didn't do too much over break--mostly I caught up on sleep and TV shows (which I already miss…again…for one month, I was actually caught up on shows). I kind of tried to learn Italian! I only really got a few words and numbers, but it was fun. I did read an amazing book, Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. I've been meaning to read it for years. When I used to work in a library, it would always catch my eye because of its brightly colored blue and orange cover. That, and the tiger, and the unique title would always pique my curiosity!
So it was on my booklist for a while (do you have a booklist? If not you should totally make one! How else will you keep track of all those amazing books that you'll one day have time for?), but when I saw the trailer for the movie, I knew I had to read it soon (yes, I am a have-to-read-the-book-before-seeing-the-movie person!). I received the book from my mom for Christmas and read it over break (ironically, I didn't even see the movie. I will, eventually. Maybe the next break, when I catch up on movies?).
It's slightly confusing at first, since I knew some of the basics of the plot but didn't see how they figured in yet. But you will be drawn into the story--I found Pi to be such a relatable character; from his enthusiasm he has to worship God through three religions, even when others are confused by what they feel are his "conflicting" beliefs; to his feelings of horror, remorse, fear, wonder, and awe as he drifts along the ocean in a lifeboat with an unexpected companion. I definitely, definitely recommend this book. There's a lot to take away from it.
This post was not really meant to be about Life of Pi--I intended to lead into how my semester's been going so far, but I guess I'll save that for next time (or next-next time, I feel I'm behind in posts and have to catch up with more winter break posts!). Whichever it is, I'll be writing again soon =]
Anyways, hope you're all doing okay after the storm. Stay warm!
-G.
So, it's been a while! I took a nice, relaxing break from anything (well, most things) school related (sorry if I neglected you guys!), and so far have been trying to readjust to being back in school. I honestly feels like it gets more and more difficult after every break!
I didn't do too much over break--mostly I caught up on sleep and TV shows (which I already miss…again…for one month, I was actually caught up on shows). I kind of tried to learn Italian! I only really got a few words and numbers, but it was fun. I did read an amazing book, Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. I've been meaning to read it for years. When I used to work in a library, it would always catch my eye because of its brightly colored blue and orange cover. That, and the tiger, and the unique title would always pique my curiosity!
So it was on my booklist for a while (do you have a booklist? If not you should totally make one! How else will you keep track of all those amazing books that you'll one day have time for?), but when I saw the trailer for the movie, I knew I had to read it soon (yes, I am a have-to-read-the-book-before-seeing-the-movie person!). I received the book from my mom for Christmas and read it over break (ironically, I didn't even see the movie. I will, eventually. Maybe the next break, when I catch up on movies?).
It's slightly confusing at first, since I knew some of the basics of the plot but didn't see how they figured in yet. But you will be drawn into the story--I found Pi to be such a relatable character; from his enthusiasm he has to worship God through three religions, even when others are confused by what they feel are his "conflicting" beliefs; to his feelings of horror, remorse, fear, wonder, and awe as he drifts along the ocean in a lifeboat with an unexpected companion. I definitely, definitely recommend this book. There's a lot to take away from it.
This post was not really meant to be about Life of Pi--I intended to lead into how my semester's been going so far, but I guess I'll save that for next time (or next-next time, I feel I'm behind in posts and have to catch up with more winter break posts!). Whichever it is, I'll be writing again soon =]
Anyways, hope you're all doing okay after the storm. Stay warm!
-G.
Friday, February 8, 2013
No School?
I'm sure everyone has already heard there's a giant snowstorm coming! So far I know it's hitting Boston and it's suppose to be a crazy one, 6-12 inches. Get ready, guys! I'm down for snowball fights! The only thing that's preventing this is school....let's hope Hunter is overly cautious enough to give us an early start to the weekend.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Spring Start
Hi, everyone! I hope everyone's had a good start to the spring semester. The long break has put me into a work hiatus and I can't seem to get out of it. I'm still on a TV/eating phase of mind and work just keeps piling on. Let's hope that we can all get a jumpstart to the new semester!
Monday, February 4, 2013
Introspection
Hi, everyone! =)
Exactly one week has passed since the start of school. I'm starting to get into a routine now and starting to figure out the best time for homework, studying, and relaxing. One of the things that college has made me appreciate is time. When I was kid, I felt that time always passed so slowly. My school days stretched out in front of me and were filled with reading, homework, watching TV, and general leisurely activity. I pretty much never thought about time management. Now, I have to plan out my days so that I have enough time for both schoolwork and relaxing. My life feels much more structured. In one way, it's a good thing because there's almost always something to do. But there's hardly ever a time where I feel I can just not do anything and be guilt free. I'm always thinking about what notes to review and what reading assignments to finish. I've even started filling up my vacations with classes and other obligations. When I was younger, there were countless times when I would complain to my parents that I was bored. I honestly can never say "I'm bored" now, which is a great thing. I get much more tired than I ever did before, but my life is also more full than it ever was before.
Does anybody else out there watch Glee? It's really a great show. It addresses a lot of issues relevant to young people today, and I think it's important for teens to watch it so that they don't feel like they're alone. I remember how adolescence seemed to stretch out forever, but if you think about it, it's only a tiny portion of your life. When you're in the midst of all of that teen drama and angst, it can feel like there is no life outside of that, but they're definitely is. It's such a super confusing time so it can help to see that other kids are struggling with the same things as you are.
At the same time, I feel like as confusing as high school is, college is even more so confounding. I came into college thinking that I had some kind of grasp of who I was, but college quickly tore down that belief. The more exposed you are to the rest of the world, the more difficult it is to maintain a single core identity. But I think it is good to allow things to change you. Those who adapt best to new situations and explore new ideas will have the best chance at being successful and living a fulfilling life. That is essentially Darwin's theory.
This post is especially serious. haha. I get really introspective sometimes.
This week's "Song of the Week" happens to be another song by John Mayer. I picked this song because in orgo lab, we were measuring melting points, and it takes a while for the solid to completely turn to liquid. My lab TA came over to my partner and I, and we're like "We're waiting." He's like, "Waiting for the world to change." and we all burst into laughter like the nerds we are. :p This song was the first thing that popped into my head.
So here you go:
(John Mayer should pay me for all the exposure I'm giving him. haha.)
S.
Song of the Week
Me and all my friends
We're all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
There's no way we ever could
Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
"Waiting on the World to Change" by John Mayer
Exactly one week has passed since the start of school. I'm starting to get into a routine now and starting to figure out the best time for homework, studying, and relaxing. One of the things that college has made me appreciate is time. When I was kid, I felt that time always passed so slowly. My school days stretched out in front of me and were filled with reading, homework, watching TV, and general leisurely activity. I pretty much never thought about time management. Now, I have to plan out my days so that I have enough time for both schoolwork and relaxing. My life feels much more structured. In one way, it's a good thing because there's almost always something to do. But there's hardly ever a time where I feel I can just not do anything and be guilt free. I'm always thinking about what notes to review and what reading assignments to finish. I've even started filling up my vacations with classes and other obligations. When I was younger, there were countless times when I would complain to my parents that I was bored. I honestly can never say "I'm bored" now, which is a great thing. I get much more tired than I ever did before, but my life is also more full than it ever was before.
Does anybody else out there watch Glee? It's really a great show. It addresses a lot of issues relevant to young people today, and I think it's important for teens to watch it so that they don't feel like they're alone. I remember how adolescence seemed to stretch out forever, but if you think about it, it's only a tiny portion of your life. When you're in the midst of all of that teen drama and angst, it can feel like there is no life outside of that, but they're definitely is. It's such a super confusing time so it can help to see that other kids are struggling with the same things as you are.
At the same time, I feel like as confusing as high school is, college is even more so confounding. I came into college thinking that I had some kind of grasp of who I was, but college quickly tore down that belief. The more exposed you are to the rest of the world, the more difficult it is to maintain a single core identity. But I think it is good to allow things to change you. Those who adapt best to new situations and explore new ideas will have the best chance at being successful and living a fulfilling life. That is essentially Darwin's theory.
This post is especially serious. haha. I get really introspective sometimes.
This week's "Song of the Week" happens to be another song by John Mayer. I picked this song because in orgo lab, we were measuring melting points, and it takes a while for the solid to completely turn to liquid. My lab TA came over to my partner and I, and we're like "We're waiting." He's like, "Waiting for the world to change." and we all burst into laughter like the nerds we are. :p This song was the first thing that popped into my head.
So here you go:
(John Mayer should pay me for all the exposure I'm giving him. haha.)
S.
Song of the Week
Me and all my friends
We're all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
There's no way we ever could
Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
"Waiting on the World to Change" by John Mayer
A Promise to Myself
This is me formally writing down that I will post something, anything, here once a week. I have two full days off from school a week, Monday and Wednesday, so expect to see me here on one of those days per week. In a city like New York, where I am going to school and living, I think I owe it to myself to share at least some aspect of my life with somebody. Even if nobody reads passed this sentence, that's fine, but then I owe it to myself to have a written record of the things that are happening in my life right now. College is not to be taken lightly, not the workload nor the social aspects, but I'm never going to have these same experiences ever again and so I'm going to need some external way to remember them... At least with my horrible memory. Right now I'm getting back into cooking for myself, I'd been relying on a friend for a while because I hadn't been feeling too well the week before school started, but I love cooking. So, in a few hours I'm heading out the door to go grocery shopping. I've also gotten a new phone, a smartphone this time, which has allowed me to get an Instagram and I've been very diligently (with one exception) taking at least two pictures a day. One in the morning and one at night; out the window of my friend's room because it has a much better view than mine. The nighttime pictures often look very similar, but it's the morning shots that make it very interesting - after the semester I think I'm going to continue this exercise from where ever it is I'm staying. I am already enjoying seeing the changes in the pictures, and it'll be interesting to see the changes when I go to Taiwan in the summer. That's right! I got Intermediate Mid on my speaking test for Chinese which means that I will be able to get funding to go to Taiwan in the summer, and I'm super excited.
Now, I'm going to get ready for the day and I'm going to leave you with two of the dinners that I made this weekend and am really proud of.
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| Griddled Chicken, Asparagus, and Onion |
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| Fish with Wilted Lettuce and Cheese Sauce |
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Serendipity
Living in the city is a life of constant exploration. This is something I've learned fairly quickly, just barely into my second semester here. You can never really know the city in all its quirks. You can only let yourself discover them one-by-one. But don't ever let yourself fall into the comfortable pattern of thinking you know all there is to know about this city, even this borough, and especially your area.
In my first class of the Peopling of New York seminar this semester my teacher informed us of how we would be exploring the hyperdiversity of the areas within New York, how we would group up and explore a neighborhood and its people. He urged us to be open to this experience, to come at the city with new eyes. We will ultimately make a video documentary about this neighborhood, but that's later. For now, I took away these new eyes he had given me. My first opportunity to fix them into my skull came yesterday.
I have Fridays off this semester, which is a great time for me to spend a day outside of my studies, relaxing and exploring. I started out small, staying in Manhattan. My friends and I decided to explore a well-known, but foreign area of the city for us. The Lower West Side is dynamic and crazy. If you ever go there, and I urge you to, let me give you some fair warning. You will get lost. Do not fight this, do not Google Map your way out of it. Let it go, and just walk around. You never know what you might find. My friend told me once that the only way to truly learn the Lower West Side is to let yourself get lost in it. This is what we did.
The day started off with a trip to a restaurant. As most of you know, I'm a bit of a foodie. Living in the city, everyone knows about Restaurant Week. We decided to try out a restaurant called Sant Ambroeus, located on the corner of West 4th and Perry. This is a seriously expensive restaurant. Like $25 for an appetizer expensive. The only way we were able to afford this on a college student budget was because my friend had a gift certificate. Even then, I ended up paying $12 for my meal and I believe I'll be eating home for a month. I still think I got away with a triple murder with that price though. However: I cannot stress how important it is to take part in an experience like this, purely because it exists in the city and everyone should have a religiously mind-opening food experience at least once in their lives. This place was funky: there were jewel-toned striped curtains and booths everywhere, modern chandeliers, and jazz-funk music pulsing throughout the tiny place. Here's what I ordered: Insalata di Bulgur (this is a kind of wheat salad with peas, shrimp, and cilantro), Pollo con Curry (chicken curry, which came with grilled chinese cabbage and the best preparation of carrots I have ever had the pleasure of eating), and the eponymous chocolate mousse cake with a custard center, chocolate pieces on top, and small gold-leaf foil. To maximize our eating experience, everyone in my group ordered different dishes and we took turns tasting each others'. I cannot express how incredible the food was; it simply rocked my being, and I think I (and my friends) almost cried a little bit. These pictures will never do it justice, but here you go. (There isn't a picture of the Bulgar Salad, just because I was so hungry I ate it before I could photograph it).
In my first class of the Peopling of New York seminar this semester my teacher informed us of how we would be exploring the hyperdiversity of the areas within New York, how we would group up and explore a neighborhood and its people. He urged us to be open to this experience, to come at the city with new eyes. We will ultimately make a video documentary about this neighborhood, but that's later. For now, I took away these new eyes he had given me. My first opportunity to fix them into my skull came yesterday.
I have Fridays off this semester, which is a great time for me to spend a day outside of my studies, relaxing and exploring. I started out small, staying in Manhattan. My friends and I decided to explore a well-known, but foreign area of the city for us. The Lower West Side is dynamic and crazy. If you ever go there, and I urge you to, let me give you some fair warning. You will get lost. Do not fight this, do not Google Map your way out of it. Let it go, and just walk around. You never know what you might find. My friend told me once that the only way to truly learn the Lower West Side is to let yourself get lost in it. This is what we did.
The day started off with a trip to a restaurant. As most of you know, I'm a bit of a foodie. Living in the city, everyone knows about Restaurant Week. We decided to try out a restaurant called Sant Ambroeus, located on the corner of West 4th and Perry. This is a seriously expensive restaurant. Like $25 for an appetizer expensive. The only way we were able to afford this on a college student budget was because my friend had a gift certificate. Even then, I ended up paying $12 for my meal and I believe I'll be eating home for a month. I still think I got away with a triple murder with that price though. However: I cannot stress how important it is to take part in an experience like this, purely because it exists in the city and everyone should have a religiously mind-opening food experience at least once in their lives. This place was funky: there were jewel-toned striped curtains and booths everywhere, modern chandeliers, and jazz-funk music pulsing throughout the tiny place. Here's what I ordered: Insalata di Bulgur (this is a kind of wheat salad with peas, shrimp, and cilantro), Pollo con Curry (chicken curry, which came with grilled chinese cabbage and the best preparation of carrots I have ever had the pleasure of eating), and the eponymous chocolate mousse cake with a custard center, chocolate pieces on top, and small gold-leaf foil. To maximize our eating experience, everyone in my group ordered different dishes and we took turns tasting each others'. I cannot express how incredible the food was; it simply rocked my being, and I think I (and my friends) almost cried a little bit. These pictures will never do it justice, but here you go. (There isn't a picture of the Bulgar Salad, just because I was so hungry I ate it before I could photograph it).
After our religious food experience, we wandered throughout the West Village, making our way to the East side to get my friend's art supplies. We ended going in the complete opposite direction and ended up by the water. That was completely my mistake, but we had such great luck. We ended up walking by this thrift store called Housing Works. They donate most of their profits to AIDS research, homelessness prevention, and other city-wide social and health services. My friends and I all found great steals. I found the combat boots of my dreams for only $20, in my exact size and the color I wanted. It was a match made in heaven. We then proceeded to find a couple of books by a garbage can (of all places, I know). Some were literature, some history, some gender and sexuality politics. They were perfect fits for each of us, which was unbelievably lucky. They were in good condition too! We finally righted our sense of direction and found ourselves walking along Bleecker Street, a stronghold and main throughway of Greenwich Village and the Lower West Side. It's a pretty commercialized street with a whole bunch of big-name stores, but we found a couple of smaller boutiques that sold jewelry, perfume, and independently-made clothing. I even found a place that sold necklaces with typewriter-keys on them! (I'm an English major and a huge nerd, so I need to go back and get myself a semi-colon one for my birthday next week). We finally arrived at the art store, picked up our goods, and proceeded back to the 6 train.
Yesterday was the Centennial celebration of the opening of Grand Central Station. We had decided to go there to join in the festivities and listen to the musicians who were playing in the subways. We heard a great Spanish guitar band and a Jazz-Blues musician! The main atrium had a light show going on and everyone square-danced too! It was great fun, and my friends and I trekked back to the dorms, exhausted but happy after our long day.
Here's the thing: I learned yesterday about the power of serendipity, or letting good things happen to you. I had a really long and stressful week and yesterday was the universe's reward to me. Moreover, I think that if I had stayed in my dorm all day and slept, I wouldn't have reached this serendipity. Going out and exploring was the key to that. So here's the moral of my story: if you work hard and open yourself to new experiences, the universe will reward you for your hard work and dedication, as well as your sense of adventure.
I really hope you go out and explore your area, cause it's truly the best thing I ever did.
Until next time!
Erica
Friday, February 1, 2013
Le Nouveau Semestre
Mon but ce semestre est de parler, d'écrire et de respirer le français. But of course this wouldn't quite work here. Regardless, I've decided that one class a semester for a french minor just simply isn't enough exposure. As a pre-med and psychology major my schedule is pretty occupé yet I'll find the way. Over the break I took a winter class, Psychology 180-Brain and Behavior. It was one of the best classes I've ever taken at Hunter College. Its right up there with Français 211-la grammaire et la composition intermédiaire. We saw un cerveau -- that's right-- a real human brain stored in a glass jar. Its origins unknown as not even the current psych department teachers know how old the brain is--or whose it was. The only downside to the class was that it met from 5-8 and that is officially the latest I've ever been in school. It was totally worth it though. Just like listening to French music and watching movies in French, my way of gaining more exposure.
Changing to my major, I'm a psychology TA this semester and I must say it is an excellent opportunity to try. I loved statistics, the 248 course I took over the summer. It left quite an impression. Learning a new computer program, SPSS and inputing data, watching it all analyze so clearly into patterns and meaningful output was intéressant. So now I'm back at the lab again, this time as an assistant. It is a great experience especially since grad school is still an option. I'm sure there will be many things to work out--like how to grade, but it most certainly gives me a newfound appreciate for teachers. It isn't easy to come up with tests.
For those interested my other classes include: french 220-advanced conversation, orgo lec/lab (too much to say here in one blog post) and mhc seminar 4 (yay!). This semester is shaping up to be the most incroyable and plus fatigante yet.
Changing to my major, I'm a psychology TA this semester and I must say it is an excellent opportunity to try. I loved statistics, the 248 course I took over the summer. It left quite an impression. Learning a new computer program, SPSS and inputing data, watching it all analyze so clearly into patterns and meaningful output was intéressant. So now I'm back at the lab again, this time as an assistant. It is a great experience especially since grad school is still an option. I'm sure there will be many things to work out--like how to grade, but it most certainly gives me a newfound appreciate for teachers. It isn't easy to come up with tests.
For those interested my other classes include: french 220-advanced conversation, orgo lec/lab (too much to say here in one blog post) and mhc seminar 4 (yay!). This semester is shaping up to be the most incroyable and plus fatigante yet.
Resolutions and Return to School
Hi guys! I know it's been a while since I was last on here. I had a really relaxing winter break and I'm back at Hunter for the semester, ready to kick butt and do well in my courses. This semester, I'm taking Western Backgrounds of Literature, Existentialism, Intro to Astronomy, Classical Mythology, and of course MHC 150 (Peopling of New York)! I have a really heavy course-load, but I think I can manage it somehow. Maybe. Kind of already feel like drowning, but I'm taking it one day at a time.
Mostly, I try to de-stress. The best possible way to do this is to work out! My friends and I have discovered a great yoga studio on St. Mark's Place. The place is open to the public and 100% donation based, so you don't have to pay! It's free every night and on Sundays they do candlelit yoga. It's a great way to get in shape and de-stress after a long day at school. My New Year's Resolution has been to get in shape, and my friends are 140% there with me. It makes it so much easier to follow my rules, work out, and eat healthy when other people are doing it with me. Then again, there's nothing like not being able to move the next day after a particularly intense yoga session.
The beginning of the semester means overwhelming syllabuses and booklists. I tend to freak out, thinking everything is due at once. It'll take a week or so for my brain to adjust to the actual weekly work-load. Also, I've received so many Amazon packages in the last week that the mailroom attendants know my name.
Anyway, the start of the semester also means a Macaulay common event! Last Thursday night, we went to hear Joe Salvo speak about the ever-changing demographics of New York City and what makes the city so unique. That man is just a walking encyclopedia of statistical knowledge. Amazing and fascinating lecture. It was a great kickoff to what is sure to be an interesting course.
There is something totally weird that I've resolved to do: I've decided that I need to learn how football works. While I was home during the break, my dad would explain it to me as we watched. I'm hooked now, though I only care if the Ravens or a New York team are playing. Thus, I'm going to be spending this Sunday watching the Superbowl with my godparents! That's actually the last thing I thought I'd ever be doing on a Sunday, but here I am. My resolutions are opening me up to the world, which I'm happy about. It's nice to experience and enjoy things I thought I hated or didn't understand or appreciate. That's just January for me. I'm going to try to do something like this every month (see also: something out of character/foreign to me).
Last, but not least, I just returned from a ballet performance at Lincoln Center by the New York Ballet. It was fabulous, let me tell you. And this is why I'm mentioning this: I originally didn't "understand" dance. It was confusing and didn't hold any meaning for me the way plays or music did. But last semester, in MHC 100, I learned to truly appreciate the arts, dance in particular. My teacher was a modern dance choreographer and she brought us to a myriad of dance performances which we would then discuss and analyze at length in class. This was such a mind-opening experience for me. While at the ballet tonight, I noticed myself making connections between the dances being performed and other pieces I had seen. I also started to create stories of the dances, feelings and moods becoming prevalent and a tone taking shape. I was able to hold a conversation with a former dancer about my thoughts and feelings on the dance, and to reference other choreographer and movements. I have never been prouder of myself. I took a step further into the world of dance, a step into what was previously pure darkness to me.
There is a moral (or two) to this story. One, never turn down an opportunity to try something new. You might just come to appreciate it, or even love it. And two, appreciate what the Macaulay courses are teaching you about this amazing city, and world, around you. It is the greatest city on Earth and we are lucky to live in it and grow in it and learn in it every day.
Erica
Mostly, I try to de-stress. The best possible way to do this is to work out! My friends and I have discovered a great yoga studio on St. Mark's Place. The place is open to the public and 100% donation based, so you don't have to pay! It's free every night and on Sundays they do candlelit yoga. It's a great way to get in shape and de-stress after a long day at school. My New Year's Resolution has been to get in shape, and my friends are 140% there with me. It makes it so much easier to follow my rules, work out, and eat healthy when other people are doing it with me. Then again, there's nothing like not being able to move the next day after a particularly intense yoga session.
The beginning of the semester means overwhelming syllabuses and booklists. I tend to freak out, thinking everything is due at once. It'll take a week or so for my brain to adjust to the actual weekly work-load. Also, I've received so many Amazon packages in the last week that the mailroom attendants know my name.
Anyway, the start of the semester also means a Macaulay common event! Last Thursday night, we went to hear Joe Salvo speak about the ever-changing demographics of New York City and what makes the city so unique. That man is just a walking encyclopedia of statistical knowledge. Amazing and fascinating lecture. It was a great kickoff to what is sure to be an interesting course.
There is something totally weird that I've resolved to do: I've decided that I need to learn how football works. While I was home during the break, my dad would explain it to me as we watched. I'm hooked now, though I only care if the Ravens or a New York team are playing. Thus, I'm going to be spending this Sunday watching the Superbowl with my godparents! That's actually the last thing I thought I'd ever be doing on a Sunday, but here I am. My resolutions are opening me up to the world, which I'm happy about. It's nice to experience and enjoy things I thought I hated or didn't understand or appreciate. That's just January for me. I'm going to try to do something like this every month (see also: something out of character/foreign to me).
Last, but not least, I just returned from a ballet performance at Lincoln Center by the New York Ballet. It was fabulous, let me tell you. And this is why I'm mentioning this: I originally didn't "understand" dance. It was confusing and didn't hold any meaning for me the way plays or music did. But last semester, in MHC 100, I learned to truly appreciate the arts, dance in particular. My teacher was a modern dance choreographer and she brought us to a myriad of dance performances which we would then discuss and analyze at length in class. This was such a mind-opening experience for me. While at the ballet tonight, I noticed myself making connections between the dances being performed and other pieces I had seen. I also started to create stories of the dances, feelings and moods becoming prevalent and a tone taking shape. I was able to hold a conversation with a former dancer about my thoughts and feelings on the dance, and to reference other choreographer and movements. I have never been prouder of myself. I took a step further into the world of dance, a step into what was previously pure darkness to me.
There is a moral (or two) to this story. One, never turn down an opportunity to try something new. You might just come to appreciate it, or even love it. And two, appreciate what the Macaulay courses are teaching you about this amazing city, and world, around you. It is the greatest city on Earth and we are lucky to live in it and grow in it and learn in it every day.
Erica
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