Open Mind

Hi, everyone!!

Welcome back to classes!

It's the first Friday of the semester and probably the only Friday for the next 4 months where I won't be feeling exhausted. haha. But it feels good to be back and to see the hallways filled with students again. It gets unusually quiet at Hunter during winter break, and I begin to miss the loudness and the hustle and bustle.

Last Saturday was fun because I got to help out with the Macaulay admissions interviews. This was my third year doing it, and it was definitely worth waking up early on a Saturday! Each student volunteer was paired up with an alumnus, a friend of Hunter/Macaulay, or a professor. I was lucky to be paired up with my MHC Seminar 2 professor from my freshman year. She teaches anthropology at Hunter and is truly a wealth of knowledge. We interviewed 6 students, and they were all awesome. (Maybe one of them is actually reading this right now. That would be cool! :)) I loved to see how motivated these students were, and I loved hearing all about their hopes for college. Every one of them was involved in multiple clubs and volunteered at different organizations. Most of them had already traveled abroad to many places and were eager to travel some more.

Macaulay is always good at providing us with food so we had a nice breakfast and lunch spread for the interviewees, the volunteers, and everyone else who was there that day. In between the interviews, I ran over to grab sandwiches and dip pita chips into hummus.

I also love volunteering at any Macaulay event because I get to interact with Macaulay staff/faculty, which is always fun. Everyone at Macaulay is warm and friendly and honestly wants the best for us confused millennial students. haha. They're also super inspiring to be around because they have dozens of stories of all of the things they've been involved in and hearing it all makes me motivated to get out there and do things just as exciting and fulfilling.

It's funny that I picked last Saturday to volunteer because it happened to be the 3 year anniversary of my own interview. I just remember that I was super nervous before the interview, and I remember my dad telling me to grab something to eat, but I was too hyped up to eat anything. After my interview (which thankfully went well), he told me to grab something, and I randomly grabbed a Nutri-Grain bar. When I went over to the spread this Saturday, there were a bunch of Nutri-Grain bars sitting in a basket. It was kind of a full-circle moment so of course I had to grab one.

Sunday night was fun because of the Grammy's. One of the great things about living at home is being able to watch awards shows with my family. I know there are a lot of politics involved in these award shows, but I love seeing great artists being awarded for their hard work.

Some Highlights: Bey and J. (they have a great connection), Macklemore and Ryan Lewis "Same Love" (I loved seeing all of those couples getting married!), John Legend ("All of Me" is my new favorite love song), Sara Bareilles and Carole King (Their voices went so well together.)

Check out videos of the performances here.

Monday was the first day of the spring semester. This semester I'm taking Physics 2, Biological Chemistry, Filipino American Literature, and Intro to Experimental Biology. I only had a 50-minute physics class on the first day, which allowed me to ease into the workload of the semester nice and slowly. My physics professor is Hungarian, and seems to explain things well so far. He also has this awesome mustache. Mustaches have become less popular over the years, and it's nice to see that they haven't completely gone away. I feel like I'm talking about endangered species or something. haha. Save the mustache!

Photo courtesy of Musicroom.com

Besides my excitement about my professor's mustache, I also loved seeing my friends after a month long break from seeing their faces. Many smiles and hugs were exchanged.

On Tuesday, I was at Hunter until 7 PM. My Tuesdays and Thursdays are my longest days (as they've been since freshmen year). Tuesday was actually really great though because my Filipino American Literature class met for the first time, and I can already tell it's going to be a great class. My professor is a professional writer and poet, and is filled with knowledge about Filipino culture and history. I'm already learning a lot.

Here is one of my professor's poems.  I think it's really beautiful.

To Slaughter Angels or Stand With Them

Luis Francia

You don time and search for spirits
As if there were nothing to exploring
As if on a few chosen afternoons you
Could see who sat behind the big screen.
But lives end and stories don’t
And even spirits do, and
Whether you encounter god as
An ant or your dead father in the
Hall, or galaxies glimmer on the
Head of a redemptive dog, disorganize
Or organize, what does it matter?
What does it matter whether idiot
Loves have shaped your life or smeared
Its edges, whether history were to begin
Again by outing its own silences, whether
You slaughter angels or stand with them?
What manner of rock will you build on?
In the hierarchy of needs is
The need for no hierarchy.
This moment has its own paradox, with

No higher truth than this:
The rock I seek is me.

I wish you all the best for this semester!

Good luck to all of the high school seniors who are anxiously awaiting their college acceptance letters!! =)

S.

Over the last 2+ years, I've featured quotes, songs, poems, and other things at the bottom of my posts. This semester, I want to try something a little different. Since this blog is catered towards prospective students, every week, I'm going to feature one piece of advice on college life. When I was in high school and just starting college, I was always itching to hear older students' advice so I hope this will be helpful for some of you anxious high schoolers/college freshmen out there.

College Tip of the Week: Come with an open mind.

This is probably the most important piece of advice somebody can give you in college. I'm sure you've all heard that these four years are the time for exploration and taking chances. The only way you're going to progress as an individual is if you come into college with the eagerness to learn and the flexibility to change. Have you always wanted to write for the school newspaper but never thought that your writing was good enough? This is your chance to make your writing better. Have you been too scared to join a sports team? This is your chance to let your body show you what it can do. Do political and religious discussions make your head spin? This is your chance to learn about all of the big debates out there and how to join the conversation. A good college experience means no shyness, no fear, and a mind as open as the blue sky on a beautiful spring day. 

Winter Study Abroad: Reflections

Hi all!

Hope your spring semesters have all started off well! I recently got back from spending the month in the Dominican Republic, taking a course titled The Global Challenge of Health and the Future of Water, and I have been meaning to make some reflections.

A little about the trip:
1. This was the first time Macaulay offered the course and while we didn't receive much information beforehand, once we got to the country, everything was super structured and worked out wonderfully. I would absolutely recommend it if it is offered again next year.
2. We stayed in a hotel in Santiago, the second largest city in the Dominican Republic. I loved being there because it's not as touristy as Santo Domingo, but it still has a big-city feel, so you really get a chance to immerse yourself in the culture.
3. The class was focused on the social determinants of public health, particularly of waterborne diseases endemic to the Dominican Republic. During the week, we had class for three hours a day, and on weekends, we took visits to poor communities to study water availability and access.

View from the monument in Santiago

Weekend at an all-inclusive resort in Sosua

Some of the kids holding hands at a batey community we visited

What I learned from this trip:
1. Macaulay is a small school and within our separate campuses, even smaller. Everyone I met on this trip is amazing and so much fun to be around and it really reminded me the importance of branching out and constantly meeting new people.
2. When we're in a new country, particularly on a study abroad trip, we are always studying local people, trying to affirm or challenge our perceptions of them. What we often forget is that they are also studying us, trying to do the same with their perceptions of Americans. In many ways, when abroad, we are ambassadors of our own country and that can be both scary and empowering. One of the most notable things about the Dominican Republic is how nice and hospitable everyone is. Our waiters and waitresses always called us mi amor or mi corazon. One time we were lost and a lady stepped out of her house to walk us 15 minutes to where we needed to go. I think the people are a lot more laid-back and happier as a result. So, I'm sure there are times we came off a bit rude and selfish and I regret I wasn't more conscious of my actions in those instances. But, we also took a visit to a water treatment facility in Santiago and after a talk with their director, he commented that he was surprised by how smart we were and told us we would grow to be great professionals with great discipline. It was really eye-opening to see how we could build rapport with people across borders just through conversation.
3. It's important to experience. In New York, many of us don't embrace this stop-and-talk-to-strangers culture even though everyone in the city is so interesting. What really made my time in the DR was striking up conversation with locals, even with broken Spanish. It made for some really meaningful late night beers. I hope to continue practicing that.
4. I am still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life and I was hoping this trip would help me decide, but, to be honest, it didn't. Being in Macaulay is really daunting at times because a majority of the people genuinely want to create a change in the world, in those exact terms. And the process to getting there is tricky. What this trip has shown me is to stop thinking in those terms. Often, changing the world becomes more concerned with creating a name for ourselves or striving for personal successes. It is not only a scary goal, but one that often gets lost along the way. Instead, we should all focus on changing the people we meet and letting them change us. It's much simpler to find ways to fulfill this and it's a lot more fulfilling, too.

I still have a lot to think about and hopefully this post has given you some to think about too.

Until next time,
Linda

A Video Post!

So I've done photos, I've done text, but now I'm coming to you guys in video format!!
Please enjoy and excuse my constant looking to the side, I'm trying to read the notes for what I wanted to talk about!

21

Hi, everyone!

It's been a chilly few days, and I'm happy to be at home this Friday night. I have a mild headache, but writing about my week always makes me feel better about things so here I go.

I'll start off by talking about Drake's awesome performance on SNL this past Saturday. I've known about him since his Degrassi days when he played Jimmy. When he became a rapper about five years ago, suddenly everyone knew he was and everyone had something to say about him (both and good). I always thought his music had a lot to say and that he was one of the best rappers out there.

But his music wasn't the focus of the episode. His SNL performance showed both his fans and critics his amazing comedic talent, which is not something that he has ever had the chance to showcase. He was clearly the star of every sketch he was in and did some fantastic impersonations. I loved seeing this side of him, and I hope people soften their critique of him.

I love it when people show unexpected sides of themselves.
Here are some clips from the episode. Enjoy. =)

On Monday morning, I went to the dermatologist to check out the small bump in my earlobe as well as my acne. The doctor told me I had a small cyst in my ear, and she injected it with something so it would go down quicker. She prescribed something for my acne and told me to come back in a few weeks to see how it was. The entire time I was there, she was super friendly and answered any questions that I had. She was a good example of how a doctor should act. Anytime I'm in the presence of doctors, I try to soak up whatever I can. That's going to be me one day (if all goes well), and I want to be just as friendly, warm, and knowledgable.

On Tuesday, a big snowstorm was in the forecast, but I made my way over to the Upper East Side to meet with my advisor. Having an advisor is probably in my list of top three best things that are best about Macaulay. The advisors have a lot of experience in various fields and as a result, have a huge network of people. They can help you get internships, volunteer positions, etc. They're also great for course planning as well as to help you with any personal issues. If you end up at Macaulay, become close with your advisor from Day 1. They're a great resource.

We talked about the Opportunities Fund application and about possible activities for this summer. As some of you may know, the Opp. Fund consists of $7500 that every Macaulay student has access to. You can apply for parts of this money to pay for unpaid internships, graduate school exams, study board trips, etc. More info can be found here.

We also talked about summer opportunities. I have a whole list of things to go through to try to figure out what I want to do for my last summer (eek!) in college.

When I left Hunter, the snow was coming down softly all around the neighborhood. It was so beautiful and one of those things that you can't really capture in a photograph. Snow makes everything just a little bit more magical.

But things got a little nutty after that.

That afternoon, our refrigerator at home broke down. We were freaking out because my birthday was on Wednesday, and we had cooked all of this stuff and were going to cook more the next day. By that time,  it was snowing really hard outside, and we decided to just call a repairman the next day. Who would come in that kind of weather? The snow was both a curse and a blessing though. The cold temperatures allowed us to put the food outside. I know that it sounds kind of crazy, but we couldn't just let all of that food spoil! We live in an apartment building, and luckily, the garage roof is right by the kitchen window. We put a bunch of the food there. We put the birthday cake in my aunt's refrigerator (she's our neighbor). We were lucky that our freezer was still functioning so we were able to keep the meat and ice cream there.

Wednesday morning, a repairman came and told us that our motor had to be replaced. However, they had no more motors left in the shop, and had to order one. They would come again Thursday afternoon at the earliest.

So there we were on my birthday. It was freezing outside, our refrigerator wasn't working, and most of our food sat frozen outside. What a 21st birthday, huh? Surprisingly, it wasn't a terrible day. My friends left me some sweet messages on Facebook. I got some work done. (I know. Who works on their birthday? But hey, I had the time so why not?) When my mom came home from work, she told us to pretend everything was normal and to just have fun that night. We sat down for a late lunch. I had my first legal drink! haha. We had dinner some hours later and drank some more. Then, my dad grabbed the cake from my aunt's apartment, and we enjoyed some awesome chocolate cake. It actually turned out to be a pretty good birthday.

The cake! (And the result of my attempt to decorate the cake.
 It actually doesn't look so bad! haha.)

Yum!

Salmon!

Having fun.

It feels a little strange to say I'm 21. I feel like kids wait their entire lives to reach this age because they want to officially be adults and drink and all that jazz. I did too, but I still feel like me. I'm not any cooler or anything. But I do feel a bit of a responsibility to be more of an adult.

Here's to being 21 and to starting a new semester on Monday!

S.

Quote of the Week

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage."

~ Anais Nin

Public Transportation (Some days I hate the MTA)

I don't like driving. I don't like having to pay for gas, insurance, car payments, repairs, and then dealing with all the danger and responsibility? No thank you.
I've managed to avoid having to drive by going to school in the city- we have a 24 hour subway system, an extensive bus system, and relatively clear directions on how to use them. Additionally, they're incredibly affordable.

I myself am a "subway" person. Some people prefer to take a bus places, others prefer the subway. I'd rather take a zippy little train through the underbelly of the city than hop on a crowded bus and stop at every red light in crowded Manhattan. The bus is nice if I'd have to walk really far, or if it's raining. But otherwise I'll walk or take a train as close as I can get to where I need to be. I love having the ability to wait no more than 10 minutes to catch a train that will take me darn near anywhere I want to go.

But some days, I hate the MTA.

Last Wednesday, there were computer problems at 86th Street on the 4-5-6 line, and it took me over an hour and a half to get home  from Canal street.
Typically, I can get from my job to the dorms in about a half hour, maybe 45 minutes if I dilly-dally.
It took twice that long, because I waited 25 minutes for a train at Canal street, then it went one stop to Spring street, at the slowest pace I can imagine.

I would have gotten off, but my concern was that I didn't know that area terribly well. I didn't know if the bus was around, I didn't know what other train lines ran nearby, and since I'm underground, I didn't have service. A wonderful combination, don't you agree??

After sitting on a train with a crying child for 15 minutes (I like small children about as much as I like driving) I decided that nothing could be worse than this circle of hell, and decided that it was a night for an adventure.

Turns out, about 2 blocks from the Spring Street stop is the N-Q-R stop for Prince street. When I arrived there, my gut reaction was panic, since I saw hordes of people waiting on that platform too. I wondered if there were delays here too and if I should just walk home - but I was in heels and lazy.

Thankfully, and R train came almost instantaneously. I hopped on and nearly broke my neck tripping over bags and bags of food. Some students had gone grocery shopping and decided to take up half the subway car with their goods! That was one of the angriest trains I've ever been on. Everyone was crammed in around the produce and glared at the two young men who seemed to lord over this food like they were proud of their haul and the inconvenience they caused us all.

Finally I hit 23rd Street and could get off. I might have "accidentally" stepped on a bag of oddly crunchy mushrooms on my way out... but there was nowhere to walk in that car! I couldn't help it!

The N-Q-R comes up only 2 blocks over from where the 6 stops on 23rd Street, so luckily, the walk wasn't too much of an inconvenience. I wish a bus had shown up, but they were all heading in the opposite direction, so I simply had to walk home.

Some days I love the miracle that is the New York City transportation system. We move millions of people all around the city at lightning speeds. That system keeps the world of finance, of law, of government, and of media moving. The subway is was permits New York to be "the city that never sleeps", in my opinion.

But god, some days, I want a stretch limo and a police escort like the president gets. No one can stop me, no one can hold me up. No more smelly businessmen, or obnoxious high schoolers to knock into me, or little children who wipe their runny noses on their sleeves and then grab onto a subway pole.

My train experience has been fine since, for the record.

Mid-January Things

Hey, everyone!

Classes start in just over a week, and I'm excited to get back into the flow of syllabi, note-taking, and quiet hours spent in the library. You start to miss those things over long breaks. But I'll bet you anything that in three weeks, I'll already be complaining about the workload. I still can't believe I only have 3 semesters left at Macaulay Hunter. I'm going to try to make them the most memorable yet.

For the majority of the semester, the days blend into each other as I try to balance everything and get everything done on time. At the end of the semester, all I'm left with is a blur of experiences and feelings. Certain things always stick out: a really awesome exam grade, a great paper, the time my friend made me laugh really hard, my stomach in knots before an exam, my frustrations with a professor, etc. I come to appreciate all of those moments even the ones that felt scary or uncertain.

Last Sunday, I went out with my old middle school friends again. This time, we met on the Upper West Side a couple of blocks from the Macaulay building. This is a beautiful area. Lots of fancy artsy things as well as a quiet residential area. There's the Metropolitan Opera House (Macaulay students get to see an opera here when they take the "The Arts in New York City" seminar class their first semester), Lincoln Center, and the American Folk Art Museum amongst other things.

They wanted me to pick a place for lunch so I researched a few places and wrote them down on a sheet of paper. While I was waiting for the train to arrive, I was reading a book (with the list that I had made tucked into the back). It was particularly windy that day, and when one gust of wind blew in my direction, the piece of paper flew onto the train tracks. Just my luck. I panicked a little, but then I was like, whatever, we'll find a place when we get there.

When I got to the UWS, I noticed an Apple Store, and I ran over and did some quick browsing on an iPad and semi-reproduced my list. Thank you, Apple. You're cool sometimes.

We ended up picking a place that wasn't on my new list, but might have been on my old one. Anyway, the food was good so nobody was complaining.

Next, we went to see American Hustle. When we went up to buy tickets, they asked us for IDs because the movie is rated R. One of my friends didn't have any kind of ID on him so they wouldn't sell him a ticket. He decided to call his dad and see if he could bring his ID over, but his dad said his ID wasn't at home. My friend then reached into his pocket and found the ID. Too much drama for a Sunday morning.

After the movie, we got coffee at Starbucks, and I finally got to use the Starbucks gift card that I won back in October. The UWS is gorgeous at night so we strolled around drinking our coffee like sophisticated millennials. haha. It was a good day.

On Monday, I went to the DMV in Brooklyn because I had to get a new ID. My current ID says "Under 21", but I'll be turning 21 next Wednesday so I'm going to need a new one. Thankfully, my dad and I didn't have to stand in any crazy lines. I just ordered a new card at a machine.

Afterwards, my dad went to do some grocery shopping, and I went to downtown Manhattan. First, I dropped off some books at the Jefferson Market library. It used to be a courthouse but is now a beautifully renovated library. It's one of the coolest looking libraries in the city. It actually has stained glass windows, which is pretty awesome.

Then, I walked over to the Strand, which is this cool bookstore that displays books outside for as little $1-$2. Inside is a large collection of all kinds of books: fiction, graphic novels, children's books, coffee table books, etc. They also have a rare book collection on the third floor.

Today was fun because I finally got a chance to go to the Jewish Museum and see the exhibition showcasing comics artist Art Spiegelman's amazing body of work. I've mentioned graphic novels several times on the blog, and back in the Fall 2012, I talked about reading Maus by Spiegelman after reading an excerpt from it in my English class. That book opened a whole new world of books for me, and I've read so many great graphic novels since then. Seeing this exhibition was a great opportunity for finding out more about his other work, and also learning more about how he created Maus. The exhibition definitely didn't disappoint. I found myself standing in front of certain pieces for several minutes rereading the text several times and analyzing the drawings to try to see deeper meanings. It was great. You have to get really close to all the works because all of the text is really small. This is different from other exhibitions I've seen where you're encouraged to stand far away. Standing so close  encourages you to see a lot of interesting subtle details. I found myself having an Aha! moment on the train about one of the drawings I saw. I love when you realize something about a piece long after you've seen it.

S.

Quote of the Week

"People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily. "

~ Zig Ziglar

Upcoming Macaulay Interviews

I got an e-mail this morning about the opportunities to volunteer for interviews with Macaulay! I've asked to be assigned to the 25th of January and the 1st of February, so if your interview is set for those dates, you might see me there! There's a slimmer possibility that I'll be volunteering on the 26th as well, but I'm not banking on it.

I didn't have an interview with Macaulay when I applied, since they weren't encouraging us to do so as strongly. I felt like missing school to come into the City wasn't a good use of my time, but I do regret that. Interviewing would have been a responsible thing to do, and it would have improved my chances at getting in. Luckily, I got in in spite of my silly decision. I'm glad that they're giving students a chance to meet with someone who understands the goals of the institution. It's important to see how they can fit in person, rather than just on paper.

However, I did work as a volunteer for the interviews last year. Last year they were set up quite nicely, with food laid out while you wait and a video about Macaulay for students and parents to watch. Interviewees would be called into the room in batches and sit at a table with an interviewer, who was either a professor or an alumnus of Hunter or Macaulay. (It honestly looked like a speed-dating session) Most tables would have a current Macaulay student there to take notes and fill out the forms about the application, so the interviewer could focus on the potential student. You'd get your standard interview questions, and then they would ask if you had any questions for either the interviewer or the student.
Now remember: This was the set up LAST YEAR. I can't promise that this will be 100% accurate for this year's interviews.

Here are a few tips I picked up from the interviewers for when you have yours:

1. Be able to introduce yourself, but include something interesting. Everyone says "Hi my name is.... I want to study..... I go to this high school..." Tell me your name, your desired major, and then something interesting. Did you ride and elephant in India? Have you won your school's Poetry contests? Do you collect shrunken heads? (Keep that to yourself.) You want to stick out to the interviewer so they give you a recommendation that is founded on more than "They were kind of nice." One boy got a shining endorsement since he had a real passion for sneakers, and could talk intelligently and at length about them. It was something that hadn't been heard before and he was quite eloquent, and talking about his shoes let him show that.

2. Be personable. Ask your interviewer how they are doing. Give a good, firm handshake. Make plenty of eye contact. Speak clearly, loudly, and don't slouch. A good portion of how people perceive you is based on your body language.

3. When they ask you if you have any questions for them or the Macaulay student you're seated with, HAVE ONE. There is nothing that comes across worse than not having a question. Even if you think you already know the answer, ask. Because then people assume one of three things: you are so arrogant that you assume you know everything, you don't respect us enough to ask our opinions, or you just plain don't care about the school. None of these should be true, so you need to communicate an interest.

4. Remember the title and plot lines of at least one book you've enjoyed, be aware of the news that has happened over the past few days, and be able to name at least one song that you can listen to without cringing. If you've got a hero, be able to justify why they're important. One of the most important things you'll learn in college is how to take a stance and support it. If you demonstrate the ability to back up whatever you say, you'll impress the interviewer with how ready you are for the college environment.

5. Please have questions for us. It is so awkward when a student just walks away and doesn't have questions. It's awkward for them, it's awkward for the interviewers, and the last thing you want to do is make the ending of your interview awkward. (Yes, this bears repeating)

6. THANK YOUR INTERVIEWER AND THE STUDENT FOR THEIR TIME. We gave up our nights, our weekends, our somethings to come in and interview you. We don't have a full scholarship on the line. Our education isn't riding on this. I'll get a few community service hours for being here, if I remember to fill out the paperwork when I'm done. You get a full ride. The professor who interviews you might get a bagel and a cup of orange juice out of the deal. You get a laptop. Tell us thank you, and mean it. Its just plain common courtesy.

7. Make sure you look nice. Look yourself, but look polished. Also, eat a breath mint beforehand. The tables are small, and no one needs nervous-breath in their face as they try to talk to you.

8. Don't be ashamed to be nervous. It's okay to be nervous. Those who would tell you not to be are asking you to deny the human condition. Humans get nervous. That's okay - so long as you don't let it stop you. If you start to stumble, slow down and start again. Once you fix yourself once or twice, you can keep that rhythm. Most people would rather see you reign yourself in than to have you pretend you're not nervous.

Most of all, good luck to all of you. Let your personality shine, talk up your skills, and be willing to laugh at yourself if you've done something (appropriate) but embarrassing.

The Best Mirror

Hi, everyone!

It's a quiet Friday evening, and I'm hanging out with my mom on the couch. Earlier in the day, I went out to run some errands, and it was so slippery outside! The weather this week has been ridiculously up and down. It was extremely cold for most of the week, today it was icy, and tomorrow it's going to be rainy. This is already turning out to be some kind of year….

Last Sunday was fun because I got to see some old friends. I hadn't seen these two boys since middle school! Last semester, I mentioned that I had reconnected with a friend after 7 years. He was one of the people that I saw on Sunday. I hadn't seen the other boy since June 2007, when we graduated from 8th grade. The three of us and one other friend sat together in our 7th grade science class, and became good friends. I had spoken to one of them several times over the last few years, but I hadn't spoken to the other one until he messaged me this past October.

We agreed to meet up during winter break when we were all free. One friend suggested a restaurant in Chinatown, and that's where I found myself on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I always end up coming early to these kinds of things, and that day was no different. I walked around Chinatown killing time while waiting for 12 PM to come. I was kind of nervous to see them after all of these years. We had passed our entire adolescence without seeing each other, and I wondered whether it would be weird to see them. If things would be awkward or natural or whether we'd be bored with each other. I was standing at the corner of Broome St and Canal St and decided to give one of them a call. It was surprising to me how natural it felt to talk to him again and how little his voice had changed (it just got a bit deeper). I got a little sad when he said "I can't believe how long it's been".

The three of us ended up spending the whole day together just catching up on our lives and making a lot of jokes. It's funny how after all these years, the dynamic has changed very little. At one point I said, "It doesn't feel like 7 years has passed." There was an acknowledgement that we had all grown up a lot, but seeing them brought me back to my 13-year-old self and all of her melodramatic thoughts and frustrations.

I was happy to see them and reestablish our friendship. Winter break is the perfect time for seeing old friends. =)

Last Sunday, I also watched the season 4 premiere of Downton Abbey. I've been a big fan of the show for the last couple of years, and I was super excited for this premiere. I love how these characters are living these super dramatic lives back in the 1920's . I think most of us forget that people have always had the same kinds of problems. We look at photos from these times, and we can't relate to their clothes or their hair or how serious they look. But if we had the chance to peek into a day in their lives, we would see how very little has changed in terms of emotions and everyday experiences. Downton Abbey gives us a great chance to do that.

This past week, I started watching Girls. I've heard a lot of good things about the show, and I'm enjoying it so far. There are a lot of funny and crazy things that happen, but I love the honest portrayal of human relationships and of the confusing times of being a twentysomething.

S.

Quote of the Week

"The best mirror is an old friend."

~ George Herbert

My Life in 2014

I have not posted on this blog for about two months! But I'm back baby! Boo-yah! (<- this is me quoting The Emperor's New Groove, which I just watched before seeing Kronk's New Groove, compliments of Netflix)

I love winter break, it's the loveliest time of year. What is school?

 I have been relaxing to the extreme. I watched: Say Anything, I'll Be Seeing You, Sabrina, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Catching Fire, Don, Don 2, Rebecca, Suspicion, clips of The Fosters (abc dramas- WHY?! I would love to mock this show, and I do, for it's melodrama, but I also sort of want to know what happens in the winter premiere..sigh), A Cinderella Story, Princess & The Frog, Princess Diaries, The Office and a bunch more I don't remember.

I read: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight (should renowned assassin of the king's court be with the prince Dorian or the loyal Captain of the Guard???!), the Tamora Pierce "Alanna" series (I wish she would be with George the Rogue instead of Jon the Prince, sigh), Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Eleanor & Park (beautiful, about first love), Some Girls Are...and some others I don't remember. Unashamed teen fiction ftw! Anna Karenina is on my nightstand too, okay!

Otherwise, I've been living at my cousins' houses and DJing music for new years eve parties. Just kidding, I did that for one party, and it's sort of my dream job...DJing Indian dinner music, my calling.

And, we've been playing a lot of card games. The major stress I have is keeping my room clean and applying for externships....so annoying...I hate ordering transcripts and getting letters of recommendation!!!! Agh!!

I'm actually leaving to visit Guyana in a day! I'm going for a week. I haven't been too stringent about resolutions, but I did look back on 2013 and see what good things I changed about myself or accomplished. Mainly, I started exercising for real, I started to love my major, and I told people I loved them more often. Also, when I visit Guyana it'll be my 4th continent in the last year!!!! I visited India, Spain, England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Ireland, Canada & now Guyana! 9 countries in about a year!!! Woohoo!!!!!!!!! Flighty restless aunt status in life, here I come!

Happy new years!

Amirah

Medicinal Names & Finals Stress & My Similarities to Kajol That Never Got Posted

This is an old post from...the end of November?

I am studying for Pharmacology and DYING.
I would follow up that statement with a lot of drugs you can use to NOT die (Pyridostigmine in a myasthenic crisis! Atropine as the antidote for cholinergic crises! Tensilon!, Diltiazem! Lorazepam for status epilepticus!)
But really, all those nursing memes - about how an 80% is barely passing (sob. It is. It's 10 points higher than the passing grade), anything concerning..excrement, the amount of crazy stress, the amount of crazy reading, and crazy work- they're totally true! Not to put down other majors - sometimes you can't even compare majors, they're so funamentally dissimilar in amount and type of work - but Nursing is definitely one of the "hardest" if you are comparing them. For an undergrad major, it's surely tough. At orientation to the program they give you a handout on life adjustments (haha, right?) for nursing school but lol, it's 100% true. Nursing is a cult, a way of life, and I'm glad I'm in it.
BUT I CAN'T STUDY THIS CHAPTER ON CARDIOLOGY RIGHT NOW OH MY GOD I JUST DON'T WANT TO LEARN IT I KNOW THE OTHER 75 DRUGS FOR THE TEST I *CANT* ADD 25 MORE! And sorry to use this as a rant but we have to know the indications (oh, this drug is used for these 10 things, sedation preanesthesia alcohol withdrawal, seizures etc etc), then the cautions and contraindications (aka "don't take with grapefruit juice or it won't be metabolized! Taking with insulin will kill you because of the enhanced effect and resulting hypoglycemia!), then the adverse effects (but really. oh my god. I can't with these AEs right now- everything gives you dizziness, it appears, with CNS drugs, and bradycardia and tachy and diahrrea and constipation and how will I remember?!)

But other things, I am really excited for xmas time, and the warmth, stress, love, winter-y cold and hot tea that I associate with it. I made an epic power ballad-romance playlist because, idk, songs sound so much more emotional to me in the winter time (*cue me recently crying over "seasons of love" from the glee episode about corey's death*).
And my social life...I'm trying to maintain it. It's definitely harder this junior year, all of our lives change as things get realer and tougher I suppose.
I asked a guy if his name was "perfect" the other day because it sounded like he said his name was perfect. It was Evan or something like that...not sure how that happened, but I perfected a good pick up line hahah...though I can't see myself ever using a pickup line non-jokingly) (on that thought, if someone jokingly but not jokingly tried to pick me up by first saying a cheesy pick up line so long as they knew how idiotic it sounded, I'd totally...be refreshed by that!)
I've made a group of new friends and ...it's really nice. It feels like freshman year, except you don't get that "make new best friends!!" as much after freshman year so I'm glad I got the opportunity to meet new people. Especially because they find me refreshing and I them, since we don't know everything about each other yet. We're being obnoxious on facebook and finding each other funny. It's so cute and reminiscent of new friendship-building.
Other things :
-My name appeared in a book series I've followed for years, and it was a highlight of my life
-My expo board continues to be a source of joy as I find nice things written on it that remind me I have friends
-Been listening to a lot of old-romantic songs "From this moment on," or "Hello," or "I Just Called To Say I Love You"!!! They're so nice!
-This week's idiocy included: burning pans, wielding knives scarily, relating to the dysfunction identification section in my textbook
-I love volunteering!! It gives me a chance to be overly friendly with people with no boundaries. And I love staying busy like that.

My grandparents have been on a Bollywood kick and watched DDLJ and LOVED it and I rejoiced because they said I looked like Simran, a compliment which I will take any day, and now they're watching KKHH. Unforunately, for this movie: after the scene where Rahul tells Anjali he loves her as he's rehearsing it for someone else, while her hair flies back in non-windswept fashion and you literally *see* her heart break on screen (omg. that part though. sob every time), my grandfather goes, "Amirah! That's you!"
The question is, to be flattered since Kajol is the best and wins in all the endings, or worried, since he HASN'T SEEN THE ENDING and says we're similar because boys reject her ?!?!

PS. Poem from November:

School is hard
My life has been scarred
Not from a wound like you would think
or from the oxide of Zinc
But because pharmacology is ruining me
In my future, Ergotamine, Barbiturates, NMJ Blockers are all I can see
Who cares about Non Specific Alpha Adrenergic Antagonist Blockers
Not me, what a shocker
My room is even a mess
In light of this test
I wish it would just go away
Then I could relax and have nice days
But no, there is Isoproterenlol to study
And it is not even very funny
Material to learn.
For a break, I do yearn,
But not even pumpkin cheesecake
Could help to take
Away the pain
Of learning all of these drug names.

This has been Amirah with poetic stress relievers of the day, pc out

Next Year's Words

Hi, everyone!!

Happy New Year!! I hope it will be a year filled with much happiness for all of us. But don't just sit there and wait for it to come. Go out there, and get it!!

In my last post, I mentioned that I bought my mom a copy of Corduroy. I ended up giving it to her on New Year's Eve.  She had oral surgery earlier that day and came home a bit drowsy and tired. As soon as she saw the book, she started smiling and said it was the perfect gift. It felt good to make her smile. She does so much for me so this was the least that I could do.

Richard with Corduroy

This past week, I've started to reorganize certain parts of my room. During the craziness of the semester, things inevitably get messy and during breaks, I like to rearrange my desk, my clothes, etc. If I'm in a certain kind of mood, I can clean for hours. I find it cathartic to go through my old things, get rid of what I don't need, and just make everything more organized. It's a good way to start a new year.

New Year's Eve is always fun with my family. My mom cooks a nice dinner, we eat a lot, and then we watch the ball drop. It's going to feel strange not to do this when I'm older and have my own separate life.

My attempt at making a centerpiece

Floating flower

The cake

Watching Ryan Seacrest

One of my New Year's resolutions is to work out more often (something I share with probably 98% of the American population) so the last three days I've been doing stretches and slowly getting back into doing yoga. I was first introduced to yoga in the first semester of my sophomore year in high school. From that time up till the end of my last semester in high school, I took yoga at school (except for one semester when I took dance). After I graduated and went to college, I basically stopped working out. I had a million excuses: not enough time, too much schoolwork, I was tired, I didn't need to work out, I regularly took long walks, etc. The bottom line was that I wasn't making the time for this really important thing. At various points during the last two and a half years, I've tried to get back into working out and doing yoga, but I've never been consistent with it. A few months ago, my mom made a comment about me not working out so I decided to start doing it again. But once again, I wasn't consistent. So now my goal for the new year is to do some stretching and yoga everyday no matter how stressful and/or busy my day has been. So far I've stuck to my schedule, but it's only been 3 days so we'll see how it goes. Right now, my legs feel all achy because they're not used to being stretched like this, but I honestly welcome the ache. It feels good to take care of my body, and I find that physical exercise actually helps my mind feel clearer and work quicker, which is great.

Another thing that I've decided to do for the new year is something that I actually saw on Facebook in 2012. Starting on January 1st of the new year, you write down one good thing that happened to you each day on a small piece of paper. You place these papers in a jar, and when the year is over, you can take them out and see all of the great things that happened during the year.

There was a snowstorm last night so much of the area is covered in a beautiful blanket of white snow. (Unless you go to Manhattan, where it's probably turned to gray slush by now.) I love snow, but what's bad about today is that it's super cold outside so I couldn't even go out to enjoy the fluffy snow. =( I'm one of  those people who loves to be outside so I feel suffocated when I have to stay at home for too long. Hopefully, it will get a bit warmer, and I'll be able to go out again.

If you're looking for something different to read over these cold winter months, I recently put together a list of graphic novels for an article I wrote in the Macaulay Messenger.

Good luck to all of the high school seniors who are patiently waiting to hear back from colleges. I feel your pain, but it's all worth it in the end.

Stay warm!! <3

S.

Quote of the week

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice.”

~ T.S. Eliot