The Green Light

It's hot. The sun took its sweet time to reveal its full strength, but now it has come roaring into New York in late May. I like the warm weather, but it's harder to be outside for fear of heat stroke. Nevertheless, I'm glad summer is creeping up on us. Everyone seems to be a bit more glowy with their short shorts, light dresses, and flip flops (even with sweat glistening on their faces).

This past weekend, I went to see The Great Gatsby with my mom. I first read the book April of my senior year for my AP English class. I remember enjoying it, but also feeling quite troubled by its last lines.

Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And one fine morning ——

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

Don't we all have a green light that we strive towards? Whether it's someone we dream to be or someone we love or something we dream of having, we're all working towards something just on the horizon. But these lines suggest that no matter how hard we work, everyday we get farther and farther away from what we want. I still don't know what to make of that idea. Is it really true? I remember getting chills when Tobey Maguire, as Nick Carraway, reads these lines as Leonardo Di Caprio's Gatsby reaches for that green light. Quite a poignant moment.

I thought that the movie was done incredibly well. The cinematography was amazing. Gatsby's house was breathtaking, the 1920's fashion was fun and flirty, and the parties were out of this world. The kids of today truly have no idea what a great party looks like. I also thought the actors did a great job of showing the emotions of each character. I was pleasantly surprised by the quiet power of Maguire as Nick. He let Gatsby be the star of the film, but he was his greatest supporter and ultimately his only friend. Leo was fabulous as Gatsby. I think that's no surprise to anyone who's familiar with his work. He was beautiful and sad and cool. This man needs to get an Oscar already! What is the Academy waiting for?! There is nothing that he can't do. And he's named after my favorite artist (da Vinci), which makes him even cooler in my eyes.

On Wednesday, I decided to walk 40 blocks down 2nd Avenue for no apparent reason. I love long walks, but this one was killer because I was wearing flats, it was hot, and I was carrying a heavy bag. However, I chose to ignore all of these discomforts and just observe what was around me. I find that this is the best way of getting to know any city. Just pick a random avenue and walk for as long as you can. Look around you, the stores, the restaurants, the office buildings, the residences, and most importantly the people. I guarantee that you will a lot of interesting/random things.

Today, I visited my old high school. I hadn't been back since last June so it was so nice to see everyone. I love how it still smells exactly the same! haha. If I closed my eyes while walking down the hallways, I would have felt exactly like I was senior again. My old calc teacher thinks I can still blend in with the high school kids, and I think I can, but I definitely don't feel like one of those kids anymore. Too much has happened in the last two years. I spent much of my adolescence in those hallways, looking and feeling like those kids. Frustrated by exams and weird teachers and overprotective parents and unrequited infatuations. All that good stuff. It's stuff that I still have to deal with, but it's different now. I like to think I handle it all a bit better.

I was talking to the woman I monitored (monitoring is sort of like volunteering in a school office) for during my last two years of high school. She's one of the biggest reasons why I go back to visit that school. Working in that office and being around her and the rest of the staff there really made a huge impact on me. That was my home away from home. It's so important to have that person or that place you can go to, where you know they'll welcome you. At the end of the day, that's the kind of stuff I remember from high school. Not the day to day drudgery (haha), but the people I met, the memories I created. That is what's important.

Oh, and on a random note, I started to read Inferno, and it's awesome so far!

S.

Lately, I've been going back and forth between "Song of the Week" and "Quote of the Week". I'll try to be more consistent with that. haha.

I love this song. It's the best song on The Great Gatsby soundtrack.

Song of the Week

I've seen the world, lit it up as my stage now
Channeling angels in, the new age now
Hot summer days, rock and roll
The way you'd play for me at your show
And all the ways I got to know
Your pretty face and electric soul

Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful
Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful

Dear lord when I get to heaven
Please let me bring my man
When he comes tell me that you'll let him
Father tell me if you can

Oh that grace, oh that body
Oh that face makes me wanna party
He's my sun, he makes me shine like diamonds

~ "Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey

My One True Love Enrico, How To Be A Cool Cat, Zurich, Gloria, & Scrubs

I am furtively typing this. You see, I am solidly aware that I recently posted, and there's probably some unspoken rule about not excessively posting on this blog, but I am currently hiding from my 15 page research paper in shame and ran out of internet website distractions until I remembered this favorite blog of mine. (*Only blog of mine. But still my favorite)
******Why do I have a paper and school is out? The injustice, I tell you

Organized List of Points I am Making In This Blog Because I Don't Want To Ramble Too Much

-Can't write paper/Am horrifically unprepared to travel: No one is awake in my family, reasonably so because it is 2 AM but I am hunched over writing this because I know I must get back to my paper but I just feel unable to do so. If I take 20 minute breaks for every 10 minutes of writing...will I finish on time before I leave for Spain?

-My Alter Ego is Mild Mannered Gloria: Which brings us to another point. I am flying out on Saturday. I have not packed!! (However I did buy a wide-brimmed white sun hat and I am excitedly planning to wear it with a black maxi dress at some point in Spain. Since it lends me character I may also decide to adopt a new and mysterious persona while wearing this hat. I feel like my name should be something flowy while wearing the hat. Like Gloria. Will update blog on adventures as mild-mannered, hat-wearing alter-ego of mine, Gloria. Maybe Gloria will be bold enough to wear cool, different, fashionable clothing that regular Amirah is too chicken to wear. Might I also interject (in my own paragraph, no doubt- but isn't interject a lovely word?) to say that I have found myself wearing hoops 24/7 as of late. Usually Latina Amirah emerges during the summer, at the point when I've lost all my handy stud earrings and resort to wearing hoops all the time since they're the only earrings I have left. I spontaneously begin wearing red lipstick, and black and red attire all the time once the hoops emerge. Also, it is at this time that my hair begins to revel in it's full blown glory by blowing up and being wildly bush-like all the time. I would go into more details but seeing as I previously have dedicated entries to my hair, I figure I've exhausted that topic of my being.  I didn't expect my latina self to emerge so soon, but how appropriate seeing as I am going to Spain!) (Sorry, I say latina because people often tell me I look very latina in the whole getup. It's true)

-What I Did Today: Being the cool cat that I am, I woke up bright and fresh this morning and promptly got in the car (I can driiive I can dr-i-veeee) (Most people don't really believe me. I just look like the kind of person who would be a bad driver. I'm not though. I'm an okay driver. I look like a terrible one though. Such are my ways). I then started up the engine and put on "Your Man" by Josh Turner and blasted it through my open windows for the entire ride to the library, while chortling to myself and also singing along happily. I had a great time. I'm sure that people's thoughts must have been, "Who is that cool cat cruising around town playing that awesome country song on her way to the library?" (It was me)

-A Slightly Embarrassing Story That I For Some Reason Am Okay With Blabbing Here: Enrico is my one true love. He has brilliant, flashing hazel eyes, a swoon-inducing smile, and a ravishing accent in addition to some truly fabulously floppy hair. He came into my life because I did not attend prom with a date.
(Cue panel of dimly-lit room with shocked high schoolers interviewing me:
Shocked Teens: "gasp! Amirah! Were you truly so unattractive?"
Amirah: "Why, no, is it truly so socially unacceptable to just go with a group of friends?"
Shocked Teens: *nod*
Amirah: "I wasn't pining for anyone in my culturally un-diverse school at the time, and didn't even think about a date, really. I would've had to dance with them. They could've been icky, boring, and ..intellectually un-stimulating. Imagine the horror!"
Shocked Teens: *shock at socially unacceptable ways* )

Anyway, I got tired of people asking me who I was going with, so naturally I decided to make up a fictional date. Thus, Enrico was born! My aunt said something about a prom date, so I told her that a foreign exchange student named Enrico was taking me, and in addition to his previously described hotness, we had met atop the empire state building (despite the fact that in my fictional story we attended the same school anyhow.) I said it rather dramatically, as is my fashion, but I think she somewhat believed me. Background of his name: I meant to say "Enrique" due to my slightly unhealthy Enrique Iglesias obsession at the time, but I talked too fast and said Enrico (not an issue, because in the Peaches book series, Enrico had been pretty hot and all.) This story spread like wildfire throughout my family (sigh, just kidding, I spread the story when people asked me, because clearly I had nothing better to do and no better entertainment for myself) and I eventually even told like, the dentists' office when they asked me (which brings us to: why the heck did my dentist's office ask me who I was going to prom with? What is this, Stars Hollow?!). And anyway some people actually believed me (if I told the story with a straighter face than usual, that was) and Enrico entered my life and stayed there. Whenever I have to discuss the status of boys in my life Enrico usually makes an appearance. So it would be hilarious if he actually did make a real-life appearance. I would die. If I met someone named Enrico I would be thinking "mwahahah little do you know that you and I have had an epic romance for the past three years," and then internally I would waggle my eyebrows at him creepily. I would really want to tell him, but that would be awkward and scary if I'd just met him. And it would imply that I liked him or something. Imagine if someone came up to you and were like, "Hey I know we just met but I made up a story about a girl I loved and her name was *insert your name* and your name is that name, ok yeah"
.....

Zurich: In Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, which is my favorite movie in the world, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol fall in love while traveling across Europe through vague study abroad programs while in college. I am going to travel across Europe via a vague study abroad program while in college! Would you look at that! (Okay darnit it's not vague. It's a specific program. But go with me here)
She's running to catch the train (O Eurorail Gods, do throw me a bone and let me find myself in some sort of similar situation where I meet the guy of my dreams as he helps me catch my train. Please do not let me meet cute guys from Taken. Thank you.) and he sees her running. Being the sly debonair that he is, he extends his hand and the camera zooms in on their meaningful hand grasp (that sounds terribly un-romantic. Hand shake? No, it wasn't a shake. Hand touch? Eurgh. What is this!) and helps her climb aboard the train. They end up getting lost together and he annoys her and she annoys him but of course they end up falling madly in love and at one point they are in Zurich while getting to know one another, and therefore I, Amirah Yasin, am now going to Zurich. That was the point of this entire roundabout story, yes. Sorry. (Watch the movie though! She has an arranged marriage with a man she's never met! Whatever will Raj do to save his true love? *Note: not "save" her as in rescue her but to save his love. Like, the intangible love, not her as his true love. Though she is also that. These words are used interchangeably way too much.)


 Being in your 20's: I've noticed that everything exciting (marriage/having first kid/graduating/drama in general/life changing things) in my parents, uncles and aunts' lives seemed to happen in their 20s. I just wanted to say that here. I'm sad I'm so close to entering it, I'm going to be 19 pretty soon. !!!!!! I feel like it'll be over before I know it.

Scrubs: Scrubs is awesome. Why didn't I watch it before in life?

OK. I have taken a sufficiently long enough break to warrant paper-writing to commence.
Don't get heatstroke everyone!
Amirah

Outside Office Hours

Hey everyone!

So finals week is finally over and the craziness has ended. I've spent the last couple of days decompressing, watching Arrested Development to my heart's and brain's content. Also trying to stay out of the oppressive heat and staying in my room with 3 fans (it's like 90 degrees in the city and the dorms have no AC. Ugh). Anyway, I have a couple of things to talk about.

First: last night, my friend came to visit me in the city to see me at college and to go to a concert with me. I showed her the sites: we went to Shake Shack, the Empire State Building, and the Highline. It was so funny because she was just taking pictures of everything and talking about how this was her first time having Shake Shack, which is crazy to me. She didn't know how to get to my dorms from the train station. She didn't know which were avenues and which were blocks, where east and west were. When you guys come to the city for college for the first time you'll be like her. You'll be amazed every time you see the Empire State Building. Your walk to the 6 will be eventful and interesting. You'll get lost a lot. But as you live in the city for longer and longer, you'll become more familiar with everything. You'll figure out where you're going. Like with any routine, you'll start to take it for granted. It becomes the place you live while you go to school. Shake Shack is only 5 blocks from the dorms, so I'm there all the time. It's unremarkable to me, much like most of the city, since I live here. I live here. It's so weird that I've become so desensitized to the city. St. Mark's and Union Square are such tourist meccas, yet they're where I spend my Saturdays and after classes. They're where I do yoga, go shopping, or sit in the park with some good food. It's crazy to me that my city is such a huge attraction. It takes someone who doesn't live here to really give me that perspective. I live in such an amazing city, filled with great things to see and do. Sometimes I take its convenience for granted. It was also nice to know things and show someone around like a real New Yorker. What I have to remember is that the city is much bigger than I think: there's always new things to explore and new places to go and new things to do.

Second: today, my friend and I took our professor out to lunch. I know it sounds cliche, but you should get to know your professor outside of class. Go to office hours, take them to coffee or lunch. Just get to know them. They can be really interesting, funny people. They can also help you a lot with course selection, career advice, and recommendations for grad school or jobs. My existentialism professor is a really cool guy, and he's leaving. He was an adjunct and just got a full time professorship in Pennsylvania. I took his last class at Hunter, which was such a privilege. You don't just have to talk to them about class either. In fact, we didn't talk at all about class. We got so caught up in talking to each other about everything from careers to study abroad to his college experience. I think at one point we talked about his grunge phase and he showed us his old photo IDs, and we talked about Fifty Shades of Grey. It was unbelievable. It went on for 3 hours. We got lunch and then relocated to get coffee too. It was such a pleasure to talk to him and I'm so glad I decided to take him to lunch. He really appreciated it, too. He said this is the first time this has ever happened to him. I really enjoyed him as a professor, but now I understand and appreciate him as a person outside of that as well. I cannot stress how important this is: talk to your professors. They can be really helpful later on in your academic career. And even more, they can be pretty cool people too.

Erica

How To Play (Cheat) in Cricket, Among Other Things

Hey guys!

Haha. I read some of the latest posts and found it funny that all of the bloggers somehow made lists of a sort including summer plans/finals tips. I guess that's what college students are all about currently!

It's been 6 days since my last final, and it is eerily peaceful. I moved out early, as I think everyone knows is the best way to go. It was indeed annoying not having food sometimes and lacking in soap a bit..and then there was the whole sleeping without a pillow for a day or two..but it was worth it when I think of waiting for carts and crowded elevators!
Also- I did well on my micro final!!! I didn't expect it, and in order for an A I needed to ace the final!! Which I did?????? and I'm so glad and I ran in high heels to bear hug my mother when I found out, and almost fell, but it was worth it because I'm not going to fail that class, not at all!!!!!!!

My sister's sweet 16 was a blast. I emceed it, and I think I did decently, although for the first time I had so much to say in a speech and didn't know how to say it all. After her massive 200+ person party, my first cousins (haha- realizing I have to differentiate because I know most of my second and third cousins) and uncles and aunts closed shop at the party hall and we spent the last two days of the weekend chatting and finishing out my sister's large gluten free cake from the party. It's been, well, almost a year since I sat around without any textbook on my mind and just chilled with my family, so it was awfully nice. We played cricket, and I find it hilarious that half the game is shrieking and shouting and people yelling "UMPIRE! THAT WAS FLAGRANT CHEATING!"(who even says "flagrant"?!) or throwing themselves on the ground to catch the ball/slide in to base fast enough. My uncle even purposefully collided with my aunt mid-run just to prevent her from catching the ball he hit, so naturally she threw herself on the ground shouting that she needed 9-1-1 for dramatics afterward. My family should have a theater company. I'm also amused at the fact that my aunts and uncles have all perfected the art of cheating in their own way with this game, except all 9 of them are cheaters and so it's basically a fight to see which team can get away with the cheating better than the other. I've even learned precisely how to properly cheat from all of them. There are many ways, let me tell you. You can fake-cry, you can sneakily hit the ball with your leg instead of your bat (though this is a blatant LBW), you can give the score sheet to your most unreliable uncle, you can throw yourself down near the base to make it look like you've touched it...it doesn't end!

I read from my horoscope that I am restless, flighty, want to travel a lot, am fun and enthusiastic and energetic, love devotedly, if only for a week, and get bored sometimes easily. Does this mean I will get bored with any guy I date?! NooooooO!! I always wanted to be a settle-down conservative nice girl! And wear an apron! And be content in life! Not flighty and restless! Is this all indicative that I will be like the mother in A Doll's House? Or like Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat Pray Love, who ups and travels because she feels unsatisfied? Not that they were wrong to be unsatisfied. More like I want to avoid that dissatisfaction in life! I think this bothers me because, well, I think some of it's a bit true. It also said that I can be very depressed if not active or busy. And, don't get me wrong, I'm full of joy to be free, but I wonder what I would do without summer plans. So far they are: Spain, Chem 104 during Summer Session II, and possibly volunteering. And it'll be Ramadan and before you know it, I'll be back in school and starting with the Nursing program (! I got in! Did I mention this? I don't know! But if not, then now you know! I'm excited and scared for the unknown!) And anyway, I am really depressed if un-active. I don't know why. It just doesn't suit me to not be academically propelling myself somehow during the year. However, I am more than fine with physically sitting around and watching movies as you all must be aware. I think, though, that I'm okay with wasting away under junk food and movies during breaks, as long as I'm content with what I've done during the year. At this time of the year all everyone asks is, "What are you doing this summer?" And then they detail their plans of going to Germany and doing an intense internship they got and etc etc. I realize that I too am slightly fitting that mould by going to Spain, but I'll be taking classes the whole summer- there, and when I get back. I don't think I would mind taking my relationship with books and TV to the next level. I'll fit it in somehow.

So-  going to Spain in a few days!! After recovering from my sister's party, I'll now have to start packing...and shopping...sweet lord jeesus! It feels weird to be going away during both of my breaks, but I fear that if I don't go now, I won't get to go later. I imagine being tied down with work, or school, or a relationship, or marriage, and then kids and I'LL JUST NEVER GET TO GO IF I DON'T GO NOW! I'm free and single and independent, and who knows how long my life will be like this! Probably only a few more years!

I think a lot of my relatives don't quite realize that Macaulay gives us money to study abroad, so I fear a lot of people think I'm freeloading off of my parents constantly to travel! But this is also because Macaulay still isn't too well known upstate. * Note on "upstate": I live in a quaint town named Lagrangeville. Yes, there are horses and cows. There are 2 farms that are maybe a 10 minute run from my house. I live on 2 acres of land. I have gone horseback riding, and milked many a cow at Camp Sprout Creek Farm. Yet, crazily enough, this enchanted "upstate" I speak of does not quite resemble the area where the hobbits live from LOTR.  There is no *ye old hobbyt medley* music that envelops the land in a sound that speaks of ale and cheese, and short, large footed people. Civilization abounds upstate, miraculously! There is indeed a McDonalds nearby and even a ...wait for it...mall!
Saying all of this because several people I've interacted with about the wonders of upstate are quite besotted with the idea that it's all farmland or that I live on a farm.
WHICH I DO NOT. Why, you ask?
BECAUSE I AM NOT ALMANZO WILDER FROM LAURA INGALLS.
*HE* LIVED ON A FARM, OKAY
(Sorry Almanzo, I still liked you despite the farm, actually I liked you with the farm! Even though you were 10 years older than Laura! It's coo'.)

Anyway well, I hope you all are enjoying the first fresh few days of summertime (though it's technically not summer yet)! By the way, random fact: if you are interested in film, you can be a movie extra if you just check out craigslist! Or if you're an obsessive fangirl of any movie/actor/actress, then..you should check it out! I almost would've gone to be a Spiderman 2 extra, but alas, I was entrapped in the tangles of a web I like to call Anatomy & Physiology: Second Semester Woes.
If you aren't doing anything besides relaxing this summer, props to you. I'm worried that I won't get to travel about and be free as the years go by, but maybe I also won't get to relax, carefree, either. So, whether it's to a busy summer or a relaxing one, hats off to all of us for making it through the year!

Amirah

PS I know that everyone wants to know what movies/shows/books I have managed to enjoy during the first few days of freedom. Fear not, I have not forgotten to detail them here! I would never forsake my dedicated readers in such a way! (This is sarcasm everyone! I don't even know who reads this! Hello though, if you are reading this!)
-I sobbed of joy at the conclusion of Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta
-I watched 6 hours straight of this anime- Kaicho wa maid sama? that my friend and sister rave about. First anime I've really watched. It was good. Fangirling was involved.
-Reading Anna Karenina. It's really good so far. Oblonsky is a cool name.

PPS Here is the official How-To Guide, since I've titled the post after this.

How To Play (Cheat)  In Cricket

1. Follow the guidance of your wily uncles and aunts. There is no honesty in this game.
2. If you don't catch the ball, throw self on ground and feign devastatingly dramatic injury to elicit sympathy from an otherwise fair umpire. Shout for 911 so that it looks like you've been wildly injured by the batter and that retribution must be delivered in the form of an out. At this point, miraculously recover and chuckle maybe a little maniacally at your clever victory.
3. Pretend it's Lagaan, especially at the last few moments and scramble to raise the pressure and do all in your ability to save your team. Channel Aamir Khan for inspiration. And to feel attractive and muscled.

4. Put the score sheet in the hands of your uncle who may or may not be susceptible to cheating tendencies, and who is emotionally attached to one team and would be terrible at accounting, let alone tallying points.

5. Assign your younger cousins to villainously and strategically try to distract rival batters by dancing and running around nonsensically before they start garnering points for the opposing team with power hits.
6. Victory dance at all relatives you get out. Induce tears from younger cousins.
7. Blast Indian remixes to pump it uppp!
8. "Accidentally" collide with fielders mid-run to prevent them from catching your hit. Insist they were in the way.
8. If it is the end of the game and you are the last batter and the fate of the game rests on your shoulders, channel the untouchable from Lagaan and bring your team to victory!!
7. Lose your voice from all the shrieking, shouting, victory yelling, and arguing that breaks out in humongous family. Eat auntie's curry for sustenance and to revive hoarse voice. Repeat.

Summer Plans

A bunch of kids (including myself) from the Chinese Flagship program at Hunter will be going to Taiwan this summer to study Chinese for eight weeks! I’m super excited for so many reasons, but for now I have nine more days to relax at home before I’m thrown into another fast-paced city, but this time the majority of the population doesn’t speak English. (Don’t get me wrong, I thrive in this kind of environment.)

Obviously besides for the whole intensive Chinese classes and immersion thing, along with being with and making new friends, the Flagship program has covered my tuition, housing and airfare! Because I reached a certain level of speaking on an oral exam, I was funded with quite a large chunk of cash.  Basically, all the money I actually need to pay is pocket cash. I mean, it’s still a lot, but nothing compared to tuition and airfare.

I don’t really know that much about the program besides for that we’ll be getting a ton of homework, but I know we’re all going to have a great time regardless.

After the program ends, many of my fellow students in Taiwan will be traveling around that part of the world for a bit, but I’ll be headed back home, even if it’s not for long. Since my family hasn’t gone away together in quite a long time, and also practically free college and study abroad, I’ll be going on a family vacation to London and Paris! I’ve never been to either city, or either country, so I’m excited. (And thankfully both of my parents know French.)

By time I get back to the U. S. of A., it’ll be time to move all my stuff back into brookdale and start my fall sophomore semester, which is pretty scary to think about how fast freshman year went. 

Finals Week Craziness

Finals week. Sigh.

3 finals, 4 papers, 40 pages.
Boundless sleepless nights and mental breakdowns. But it's over.

Here's what's got me through:

1. A really good playlist. Studying to the right type of music is so important. I have pretty decent taste in music, I'd say, so I make a lot of my own playlists. However, I've found a number of websites that help with this kind of thing. If you want endless supplies of music you don't own, I'd recommend Spotify. Not only is all your favorite music right at your fingertips to make playlists with, you can also share them with your friends. Stacey has shared some of her excellent taste in music with me, so it's pretty sweet. Another great website is Pandora. Basically, you can choose any song, artist, album, or even a mood and it'll create an entire station based off of that. I've found a lot of great music this way. Last, you can use Songza. This site has a personal song concierge that will choose music for you based on the time and day of the week. You can also browse music based on a mood, genre, or activity.
2. Good food. This is definitely for when you don't want to go out for food and just don't have the time or energy or motivation to make something yourself (AKA finals week). Seamless is the best website for ordering food to the dorms. There's an almost limitless variety of restaurant to order from, and if you order in a group, you can forgo the minimum delivery charge. Great for those late night study sessions. Also, all week at the dorms, they had free food, from Shake Shack to breakfast food for dinner.
3. Somewhere quiet to do work. As a Macaulay student, you have access to the Macaulay building on the Upper West Side. It's a beautiful brownstone on 67th street. Fancy. There's a library to do some quiet work if you just want to get away from the dorms or Hunter. There's also very fast Wi-fi and there's usually some type of food there.
4. Self control. No, I don't mean the virtue. Yes, it's great if you can keep yourself from going on distracting websites. But for most of us, distractions abound. Tumbling or looking up cute baby animal videos at 2 in the morning may sound like a good idea until it's actually 4 in the morning and you have a final tomorrow morning at 9 that you haven't studied for. Avoid those moments. Get Self Control. It's this free app for Macs that blocks specific websites that are distracting. You'll thank yourself later.
5. A way to manage your stress. Macaulay offered a puppy-petting event for a couple of hours during finals week, as well as mini massages. Petting dogs for an hour in the midst of my craziness was so cathartic, I couldn't even tell you. It's easy to get stressed out when you have a ton of finals to study for and papers to write. Just take a breather. Walk out to the park by the water. Do some yoga in your room. Take a nap. Listen to some relaxing music. Don't overload yourself. Everything will be fine, I promise.

Additional tips:

1. Drink some caffeine. Tea, coffee, something. You'll be more attentive while you work.
2. Don't pull an all-nighter. It's almost never worth it. Cramming doesn't work. All that time you spent trying to study for the test was useless because your brain was only half functioning then. Moreover, your brain will shut down further as you take the test. Being sleep deprived by 24 hours is equivalent to being legally drunk. Don't do that to yourself. Get a good night's sleep and do your best based on what you know.
3. Find someone to study with. If you have someone you're in class with, study together. Bouncing information off of each other and explaining things to each other will improve your understanding and memorization of concepts and facts.
4. Don't stress too much. You know more a lot more than you're giving yourself credit for.

Moving out involves feelings.

I moved out today everybody. Any Brookdale-ites reading this, if I didn't say goodbye, I'm sorry- thanks for making living there a blast!

Move-out was an absolute ZOO. I swear, I don't think I've seen anything this disorganized in my entire life. For some reason, there were only 5 or 6 Resident Advisers working check-outs, so it was a 40 minute wait to get someone to go up, make sure you hadn't trashed your room, and then take your keys. 

And that was AFTER you had managed to procure one of the 3 laundry carts or a wheely/dolly cart (depending on who you are and what you call them); and move all of your things out.

Let's take a quick math break: Brookdale houses approximately 700 kids.

There are a max of 10 things you can use to move things from your room.

That's 1 cart for every 70 kids.

There are 700 kids, and 3 elevators. Except, today, one of the elevators broke, so for a while it was 700 kids and 2 elevators.

Now add in the parents, siblings, cousins, and friends who come to help you move out. Another 500 people, easy.

My advice: Move your stuff out early. Try and get your parents to come sometime during finals week and pick up all the non-essentials. Most of your clothes, the books you don't need, your odds and ends that make your room look "pretty" - just get them out. Leave yourself some soap, the books you need, your fridge, and enough cooking utensils to last you the week. Then the day everyone is going crazy moving all their stuff, you're making two trips and you're done. 

Then, all you have to do is sign out and head on home.

Now I understand that isn't possible for everyone - but if those who can do it, do - life will be that much easier for them. And since they won't be trying to move out, those whose parents couldn't come in will have that much of an easier time.

The other thing about moving out is that you realize how much STUFF you have. Nothing makes you realize how much useless crap you have like trying to pack it all up. 

Freshman: You will over pack, it is a fact. You will bring things, they will sit in your box or on a shelf and you will not remember you even own it until you go to pack it at the end of the school year. That's okay. In the end, it's better to have it then to not. My mom sent me in with an ironing board and an iron. I didn't wind up going a massive amount of places I had to press my clothes for. Lucky me, most of the times I did I had wrinkle-proof clothes to wear. But IF.... IF the governor had called.... IF I had to go to lunch with Prince Harry.... IF J.K. Rowling wanted to invite me to a book chat she was having.... IF... I would have wanted a pair of nicely pressed pants. 

My last piece of advice is a little contradictory. Stay as long as you can. Enjoy living in the dorms. Even if you can move out on Friday, send all your stuff home with your parents and spend one more night. Go walk the town until 2 AM and wander into the dorms as the sun rises. Wake up there one last time, enjoy one more day of freedom. Sign out and see one last thing in the city. Get one more mango juice from Mamouns'. See the view of the Empire State Building from Madison Square Park one more time. Take one last look at the Chrysler Building, and remember the first time you saw it when you walked to the 6 train. Watch the M15 go by. Give your friends one more hug. Yes, you'll be back in three months. Yes, you'll see them over the summer. Yes, you've got 3 more years together.

But that's it - three more years. Not four anymore. You've finished your first year of college. You're a sophomore now. You've grown so much. You've learned so many things. So many people have come into your life since last May. 

Congratulations.

Fun Summer Stuff

Hey, everyone! =)

My semester officially ended on Tuesday after I finished my two finals. I was in stress-mode all of Tuesday, and after I walked out of my last final, I felt so exhilarated.  It felt so nice just to be done. I swear I had enough energy to walk like 40 blocks, and I would have if it wasn't 7:30 P.M. I got home and watched the season finale of Grimm. Now I have to wait till the fall to find out whether the main character, played by David Giuntoli, will stay a zombie or not (long story). He's just too beautiful to be a zombie. :p If you haven't seen the show, summer break is a good time to watch some episodes. It's a pretty cool show.

David Giuntoli 
Photo credit: Mr Blue / WENN
www.aceshowbiz.com

Speaking of handsome dudes, Adam Levine and his band, Maroon 5, just released the video for their song "Love Somebody". It's one of the coolest and most creative videos I've seen in awhile. Below is a shot from the video. Go watch it!

After that brief digression about good-looking dudes, let's talk about summer plans. Summer is so perfect to do all the stuff that you've wanted to do all year, but haven't had time to do because you had to memorize biochemical pathways or write a gazillion papers.

Here are some things that I think are fun/cool/productive to do over the summer:

- Take a summer class: This may seem like the last thing that you want to do over the summer, but trust me, it can actually be a lot of fun. You can take a class that fulfills a GER or just take any fun class. Last summer, I took German Fairytales, and I loved it. This is a great time to explore a topic outside of your major. 

- Internship/Volunteering/Lab Research: Getting experience in the field that you plan to work in is super important in evaluating whether you're really interested in that field. It's probably a tad late to get an internship now, but there are plenty of volunteer opportunities out there. Check out http://www.idealist.org for interesting things in your area. My Macaulay advisor told me to try putting in a variety of keywords to get the greatest variety of options in the area you're interested in. If you are a science major, go to the websites of various hospitals and and scientific institutions. Check out the kind of research that is going on there and email a few of the scientists and ask if you can volunteer in their lab over the summer. This will help you learn various lab techniques and meet real scientists who can give you recommendations and introduce you to their colleagues. 

- Read: Like most Macaulay kids I know, I LOVE to read. Sadly, during the semester, there isn't a whole lot of time to read for fun. So every summer, I jump at the chance to read some of the things on my booklist. I've recently developed a real fondness for graphic novels. There's a lot of things that you can do with graphic novels that you can't do with regular books. I think having pictures and text together can make the author's message even more powerful. Seeing the characters' emotions, their appearances, and noticing subtle visual symbolism can really make the reading experience quite fulfilling. You can also finish graphic novels a lot quicker than a regular novel, so you have the opportunity to read many of them in a shorter amount of time. Also, I think when a lot of people think of graphic novels, they think of superhero comic books or manga. These are types of graphic novels, but they are not only ones out there. Graphic novels come in a variety of styles and address a broad range of themes both funny and tragic. I haven't read many because this is a relatively recent interest of mine, but some interesting ones include: 

• Persepolis (which addresses the Islamic Revolution in Iran)
• Maus (I've mentioned this one on the blog before. The author talks about his father's experience during the Holocaust.)
• Anya's Ghost (I just finished this one yesterday! The main character befriends a ghost. Funny, creepy, poignant.)
• Lily Renee, Escape Artist (True story about a Jewish girl living in 1930's Austria and who eventually became a cartoonist)

There are so many more out there. I plan to read a bunch of the summer. 

Of course, there are plenty of regular novels out as well. New books by Khaled Hosseini and Dan Brown were recently released. Those are bound to be awesome. Also, think about books that you've always wanted to read but never got a chance to or were too intimidated to read. Maybe this is the summer that you can read them. 

- TV and movies: This is your chance to watch all of the TV shows and movies you didn't have time to see during the semester. You can use Netflix or go to your local library to get DVD's and watch to your heart's content. I plan to watch Season 5 of Mad Men, which I didn't have a chance to watch last summer.  I also want to watch Breaking Bad. I heard it's a great show. Plus, my group did our orgo project on methamphetamine this semester, and that got me really interested in the whole issue of meth labs. 

Summer movies are always fun to watch so take a bunch of your friends to see a great comedy, The Hangover Part III, or a great tragedy, The Great Gatsby, or a great action flick, Fast & Furious 6. Also, if there's a classic movie that you haven't seen, this is your chance to do it. I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's last summer and thought it was awesome. Classics are classics for a reason. 

Also, I just watched this really quirky and poignant indie called He Died with a Felafel in His Hand. It is both funny and tragic and also, incredibly realistic. There are a bunch of interesting indies out there. 

- Blog: Nowadays, so many people have their own blogs. I never thought I would be writing for a blog because I didn't think my life was interesting enough (haha), but this whole experience with the MacBlog has shown me how just about anyone can blog about just about anything. I remember being a senior in high school and getting emails from Macaulay Hunter with links to the MacBlog. I used to love reading the posts, and I told myself that if I got into Macaulay, I would definitely write for the blog. It's like a public diary, which you can look back on to see how you used to write or what kinds of things interested you. I've looked back at my posts from freshman year and relived all the great experiences I had and all the exams I stressed about and all the cool NYC places I've seen. So maybe this summer, start a blog of your own. It can be a really rewarding experience. And if you're a prospective student, come write for the MacBlog when you get into Macaulay!

- Visit your former school: Since the semester ends in late May, you have the entire month of June to visit your former schools. In recent years, I've visited both my elementary school and high school, and I've definitely enjoyed my visits. It's great to see your former teachers. They always love to hear what you're up to. Plus, it's always nice to maintain good relationships with your teachers. They've been through college and can give you great advice and support. 

- Explore interesting eateries and try new food: New York is full of awesome restaurants and food trucks. Both expensive and cheap. This summer, try things on both sides of the spectrum and explore the wide variety of cuisines that we have in the city. And bring your friends with you!

I'm proud to say that I had my first falafel yesterday! haha. I loved it. 

- Shopping: Buying stuff is always fun. That immense number on your credit card bill is not so fun. Before you go shopping, figure out what you truly need and what you should splurge on. Hunt for coupon codes and various sales. Check out http://www.retailmenot.com for coupon codes. Also, check out vintage stores. They usually have things that you won't find anywhere else and for good prices. This is definitely on my summer to-do list. 

I've already gotten started on my summer shopping. I got this really cool bracelet for someone from "J Fay", a small costume jewelry store on Lexington Avenue (b/w 60th and 61st). They have a bunch of interesting pieces that make for great summer accessories. At H&M, I bought this cool fedora as a birthday gift for my dad. He used to wear them all the time when he was younger, but I haven't seen him wear one in a long time so I thought it would be a nice gift. These are just a few of the things that you can fill your summer with. Others include: 

• Sleeping. HAHA. But seriously, it's so nice to sleep after months of getting up early.
• Hanging out with friends
• Doing stuff with your parents and relatives
• Writing a book (someone I know just wrote a book, and he's still in college! I thought that was the coolest thing.)
• Redecorating your room
• Doing fun stuff with your hair
• Taking a road trip
• Studying abroad
• and much more!!!!!

My plan is to continue blogging over the summer albeit on a less regular basis. 

Enjoy your summer break and be well! <3

S. 

Quote of the Week

"New York is strange in the summer. Life goes on as usual but it’s not, it’s like everyone is just pretending, as if everyone has been cast as the star in a movie about their life, so they’re one step removed from it. And then in September it all gets normal again."

~ Peter Cameron, Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You

Almost There!

With one somewhat overdue final paper left to do, I’m almost done. I just recently bombed my Chinese speaking portion of the final because one, I got the one topic I literally hated the most, and two, I barely have a voice. Chinese is a tonal language, so me sounding like a super raspy Lindsey Lohan who just swallowed a blender full of sandpaper couldn’t help. Oh well.

I lost my voice around last Friday night and it’s just starting to come back, but my voice was the least of my worries. Sunday night, obviously, my body decided to catch some kind of nasty bug for the first time all semester.  I mean, staying up all night and day isn’t too good for your body to begin with, but when you’re desperately sick, can’t breathe and hallucinating a little, it’s just the icing on the cake.

Luckily my room was loaded with healthy snacks packed with vitamin c, tons of tea, about sixty boxes of tissues and enough decongestants to sink a ship, so I somehow survived these past few days. Barely.

One problem about staying up all the time is, strangely enough, taking naps. I almost missed two finals because I slept though all seven alarms I set. Once you fall asleep, you never want to get back up, which is horrible. Thank god my body somehow knew I had tests that I couldn’t retake for any reason whatsoever, so I made it on time to take them, but I didn’t prepare as well as I would have liked.

My advice for anyone is to get as much of everything done before hand as you can. (Yeah, I know, it's a lot harder than it sounds, especially being a wonderful procrastinator, but I really need to start doing things earlier.) I pulled an all-nighter Monday night because I had to finish writing my final English paper. But I’m an idiot, because I had two weeks to finish it, so I spent all night writing a stupid paper while I could have been studying for my English and Calculus finals the next day. (I hate English class, if you couldn’t tell.)

I have also accomplished the feat of passing out on three different library floors at Hunter, four different floors of Hunter west, along with during one of my finals. I can’t wait to hibernate, that is until my mother drives in early tomorrow to help move stuff out of the dorm. Joy. 

I feel like I've been closed off from the world for a while now, so I’m excited to see all my friends tonight, start exercising again and, mostly, getting my eating and sleeping habits back on track! That is, until I head off to Taiwan to further mess my bodily habits up, but I can't really complain. 

Waitressing, Fake-Demolishing Finals, Things That Sound Good To Me, and Candy Center Ice Creams

Whoa, so I finished my finals guyzzz!!!! ~~~
I powered through somehow on bagels, and coffee, skittles and soda. Gotta love them good eating habits! I also totally lived off my friends' kindness sometimes. I owe people some food. Oh also FYI the ice cream vending machine is working. I am sad that I am moving out tomorrow otherwise I would have made full use of this knowledge. Candy center ice cream all the way!

How were my finals, you ask?
Well, I personally like to imagine that my pencils, while bubbling in answers, were really scorching those test papers to ashes and that I emerged from the Exam Lecture Halls of Doom in a blaze of glory, with the doors falling away behind me in all my heavenly finals-liberation state. I also imagine that while taking my exams, I emitted such a fiery glow of superior knowledge on the subjects that even my professors dared not to approach me in all of my academic glory. I do not think this happened, however. Rather I believe that I nervously scratched away at answers and bit my nails and bitterly reflected how my professors came up with their devilish questions as I tried to second-guess myself. Especially on the tricky ones. Really, Janette, really?

I haven't eaten or slept well in a while, but I haven't got an appetite. So I'm really hungry, but nothing sounds good to me. Food-wise that is. A lot of other things sound good to me though, like:
-watching arrested development (everyone watches it; i'm behind on pop culture, it's killing me)
-going running again
-watching gilmore girls
-not reflecting on the fact that lauren graham was in union square's barnes and noble and i didn't go because i had class
-reading Quintana of Charyn (slightly obscure Australian fantasy series, though probably one of my favorite series in life ever), and starting on my massive life-long book list
-my sister's upcoming sweet 16!

I have to emcee this ^ event, and I haven't got a dress, and it's a guyanese party so...well, a lot of family and extended family is coming, and I have to do a good job while looking not reprehensible, and look, sometimes that's hard for me to accomplish. Since I've made this blog overly personal I'm sure I'll let everyone know how it goes.

Other critical news of the day: I want to be a waitress. My friend reminded me of this life-long aspiration of mine.  Someone, help me be a waitress. And yes. It is because in my head it sounds like a romantic sort of job.
I can see it all now. Like, oh hello celebrity dining at the upper-class restaurant I work at, what can I do for you today? Oh, you'd like one of those fancy salad items I can't pronounce? Sure! And, what? Oh, you want to date me  too because you find my charm irresistibly adorable? [alternative to this if it is someone like dakota fanning that i see: oh? your older brother wants to date me randomly? (am aware she might not have said older brother)] But of course! Lemon water, anyone?

Just kidding. I mostly want to be one because I would seriously have a BALL if my job were talking and being really friendly to strangers. Because normally I want to talk to strangers (wow the creepiness level has just shot off the graph) and be all "your hair is awesome!" or "I love your shirt! Based on this shirt I bet you love the same TV shows I do! We probably have a similar sense of humor! Let's be friends!" "Hey cute NYU guy at Trader Joe's! I wish it were socially acceptable to chat to you about the similar bread we are buying, instead of you finding me weird!"or "Hey student next to me in line! I can totally relate to the conversation you're having with your friend right now, but it's awkward to interject so I won't!"
Plus people at restaurants love nice waitresses. I would be a really nice waitress, guys. And I would even crack jokes at every table I went to. Not even for the tips. Because I love cracking jokes to people.  Also I feel like waitresses wear red lipstick and it might be part of the uniform. I enjoy red lipstick.

Now, because I feel obligated to write school-relevant things here: summer! If you're a to-be student at MHC, utilize your summers effectively. Seriously. If you're chill with relaxing and reading and watching TV shows, dooo it. If you realize that your summers will be tied up in years to come, study abroad early in the game. OUR TIME IS ACTUALLY PRECIOUS THOUGH!
Look at internships, jobs, and summer classes. Take fun/interesting classes in the summer if you can!
I am going to study abroad in Spain for the month, so my dreams of being in Europe are actually...happening...?!?!
My best friend from high school is also going to Europe for a school seminar, so we'll be in Europe at the same time, and while we have no plans yet, we could totally channel the sisterhood of the traveling pants and hit up Greece or something. Kostos where you at homeboy?

Anyway, I have a 15 page paper awaiting me, so ta-ta!
Good luck for the rest of the week!

Amirah

Alright, maybe finals week isn't THAT bad.../ Surprising opportunities

Total papers page count due: 40
In-class papers: 2
Final Exams: 1
Procrastination level: pro

So finals roll around once again, and I am again camped out on Stacey's floor because it's moderately comfortable, pleasantly cool, and the music is excellent.
(in case I haven't mentioned it before, Stacey is the girl who lives next door to me in the dorms. She's the closest thing to a roommate I could ever want because we can barge into one another rooms, but I can kick her out when she starts to fart.  She's on the MacBlog too! )
Tonight the focus is on a paper about multiculturalism and power dynamics, with breaks to blog about what I did Friday evening that I consider really special.

So, a bit of backstory: Dr. Petraeus is coming to teach here at Macaulay next year, and I decided to apply to be in his seminar. Its only open to 16 students, but I figure its worth tossing my name out there.

Friday night, Dean Kirschner offered students the opportunity to go to a "discussion" about Dr. Petraeus' appointment. Let me tell you what I imagined:

 50 or 60 kids, sitting in an audience. The Dean gets up and speaks, illuminating us as to why Dr. Petraeus chose Macaulay and what his goals are for his time at the university, as well as what the university hopes we will learn from him. After she speaks, there is a short Q&A and we are dismissed.

Well I guess I forgot, this is a  MACAULAY event, and they are never as dull as all that.

It was a small, round-table discussion. It was tight-knit. The Dean let us run the discussion, allowing the students to ask the questions and determine that night's agenda. She chatted with us amicably before. (she was very proud of the fact that she had painted her own toenails and they had come out well)  

It was just such a surreal moment, to realize that the Dean had offered students a chance to really speak openly with her about the school. I think what was nicest was that there wasn't anything pretentious about it - she treated us like equals. So many kids don't get to go to a school where they know the "higher-ups" so  well.

 Here at Macaulay, the Deans take the time to get to know you, and they are utterly approachable. As a girl who was very sold on the "biggest school I can imagine" idea, I must admit, this small-school stuff is nice. I like that my administrators can get to know me. I like that I have advisors who recognize me and know what I want to do with my life. I like that I could possibly get to be one of 16 students learning from a retired General who also happens to be the retired director of the CIA. 

I think that's the perfect analogy for Macaulay, actually. We're big enough to get Petraeus to come, but small enough to make sure that the class he teaches is full of students he will know well.