Misha loves you. (I think my titles are just getting increasingly weirder.)

Hey, everyone!

It's the end of the last week of February, and I think all of us are looking forward to March for some hopefully warmer weather. But we'll be having a snowstorm this weekend so I think we'll have to wait a little longer before we get some relief.

Last weekend was uncharacteristically warm, and I got the chance to go out on both Saturday and Sunday to enjoy some of the spring-like weather. On Saturday, I headed over to the Upper West Side for a meeting at the Macaulay building. The editors-in-chief of The Macaulay Messenger wanted to have a meeting with all of us section editors to set goals for this semester as well as to open up a forum for suggestions on how to improve the website. (We actually just published our first batch of articles for the semester. Definitely check them out when you have some free time). I got to the UWS early so I decided to just walk around for a bit and soak up some sun. I strolled over to the Metropolitan Opera House where Prince Igor has been playing. This building always takes my breath away. The fountain in front of it is also gorgeous, and a lot of people like to sit around it to eat lunch or just hang out. 

As I walked around the area, everyone seemed to be in a good mood, which made me happy. We've all had a rough few weeks, and I think we all needed that bit of sunshine.

My Filipino Lit professor is giving extra credit to any student who goes to the Interference Archive to check out the "Serve the People: The Asian American Movement in New York" exhibition. The exhibition includes posters, poetry, photographs, and recordings that relate to Asian-American activism in New York. What's special about this exhibition is that most people think that Asian-American activism only occurred on the West Coast, but this exhibition shows that it happened in NYC as well. The Interference Archive is located in Gowanus, Brooklyn, which is actually an area in Brooklyn that I had previously never been in. On Sunday afternoon, my dad and I hopped on the train and visited the archive. The neighborhood is a mix of residential spaces as well as factories and warehouses. It was a Sunday afternoon so it was quiet, and there weren't too many people out on the streets. The Interference Archive is located in a small building towards the end of a block of homes. The exhibit was just in one room, which meant I had the opportunity to go around the room several times and look at everything closely. I loved seeing the focus on women, poetry, music, and health. I never knew all of these things were going on back in the 70's and 80's with Asian-Americans in NY, and it was definitely cool to see. 

On our walk to the train station to go home, we saw some more of Gowanus. We saw a factory, a store that sold sustainable home decor, warehouses, and shipping spaces. But my favorite part of the area was the Gowanus Canal. Both my dad and I commented on how beautiful it looked, which is ironic because I just read that the water is highly polluted. Sigh. 

Sunday night was the closing ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics. My family and I crowded around the TV to watch the beautiful displays of Russian culture and history. My favorite part of the ceremony was when the mascots came out and waved good-bye to the crowd. When the bear, Mishka, shed a single tear, I think everyone cried right along with him. The use of the bear and the tear is reminiscent of the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics, when the mascot, also a bear, shed tears at the closing ceremony. (The 2014 mascot is supposed be the grandson of the 1980 mascot.) Everybody who grew up in the Soviet Union remembers that bear and that moment with fondness. I'm glad that the organizers chose to honor that iconic moment. It was the perfect way to end the Olympics. 

Misha: The adorable 1980 mascot
Photo courtesy of the BBC

I still get teared up when I watch video footage of him flying away at the end of the ceremony. I dare you not to get a little misty-eyed.

The 2014 Mascots
Photo courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

I've spent the majority of this post telling you about last weekend because it's one of the rare weekends in a semester that just felt magical. The weather was awesome, I was introduced to new places, and things just felt good. I don't know how great this weekend will be with all of the snow that's coming and all of the studying that I have to do, but I'll get through it. 

I'll be dreaming of flowers, 70-degree weather, and sunshine…

S. 

College Tip of the Week: Date wisely.

I think that many people come into college thinking that they'll have a bunch of awesome experiences dating people and exploring what they want in a romantic relationship. Some may even find their future spouses while in college. People also expect to do a little experimentation and not take themselves too seriously. I think when it comes to your romantic life in college, it's best to have a little conversation with yourself about what exactly you want. You may not know what you want, and that's totally fine. 

Here are some things to think about as you're figuring it out:

1. Be safe. Being in college doesn't give you an excuse to be reckless with your body. I know it looks like everyone else is just carefree and just sleeping around, but don't believe everything you hear. Educate yourself, and protect yourself. Never do anything that doesn't feel right. And please don't let alcohol or other drugs cloud your judgment. 

2. Be yourself. Don't change just to please the other person. Ever. 

3. Love yourself. If you don't love yourself, how can you ever love someone else? And how can you ever expect someone else to love you? Accept all of your flaws and focus on being the best you. 

4. Keep an open mind. Never thought you'd date a blue-eyed exchange student from Denmark? Well, that's the beauty of life. If you always date the same kind of people, you're learning very little about others or yourself. Get out of your comfort zone. That Danish girl may have a lot to teach you.

5. Relationships are a lot of work. You're taking four classes this semester? Well, your relationship will become your fifth class. Relationships are only successful when both people put in the time and effort to make them so. Do you have the time to do that? If you're struggling to balance classes, an internship, and your sanity, then having a relationship may not be the best thing for you during that particular semester. But some people are incredibly good at balancing different aspects of their lives so if that's you, then go for it. 

6. Don't get swept away. Remember that you're only in college. If you find yourself dreaming of your wedding after the second date, pull yourself back to reality. This might be the man/woman of your dreams or maybe not. It's hard to know. Don't get carried away. Just let things progress naturally. 

7. School comes first. You're in college to learn and to get yourself ready for a career. That is your number one priority. Don't let the relationship get in the way of your dreams. So yes, tell your BF/GF "No" when he/she asks if you want to go out, and you know that you have to study. If the person is worth your time, then he/she will understand. 

8. Breaking up is hard to do. Breakups just suck. There's no other way to describe them. Let yourself mope around for awhile, but then come back to real life. You will meet a ton of awesome people, but not everyone is meant to be a part of your life forever. Learn from the relationship, and move on. 

9. Avoid stalking. It's incredibly easy to Internet-stalk people these days. But avoid poring over their Facebook photos, and wondering who the pretty brunette your ex has his arm around. Don't torture yourself. Unfriend the person if you really can't stand seeing the photos. 

10. Have fun! Dating is supposed to be one of the best parts of being young. Nobody's expecting you to get married at 18. (At least, I hope not). So take advantage of your freedom and just enjoy those magical moments. 

(I like how this ended up being 10 tips!)

My Box of Wheat Thins, Subcutaneous Fat, My Subconscious and Social Commentary

It is currently 3:22 AM so obviously I turned to my laptop and decided this would be the optimal time to write a blog post!
I'm sitting next to my box of near and dear Wheat Thins and a sad looking orange, the only salvation I have in my white-walled box of a room. I feel like I'm confined* to this room and if it were a desert, the only things I was allowed to bring with me were my nursing textbook and Wheat Thins. Purgatory has taken on another meaning.

My February went well. It was a whirlwind of social activity, rather, and now this week I have about 4 tests/assignments due, god help me (The days are going by too fast! WHY IS TUESDAY SO CLOSE TO FRIDAY?! Mayday?! Mayday!!). I attended The Glass Menagerie on Broadway with one of my best friends, planned two surprise 21st birthday parties, took several Queens buses to get to a sleepover party with my cousins, set a record of having 15 friends write on my expo board on my door (this genuinely makes me happy hahah), reconnected with some family and friends (fb is a curse and a blessing), went to see movies** (About Last Night and Vampire Academy***), started fantasizing unhealthily about bubble tea and the lack of it in my digestive system, and applied to externships (why is every hospital putting up apps in March?). I had a nice Valentine's day, where I split my time among several friends. But, I realized some important things about friendship. You can be friends with anyone, if you try to make it work. Likely, you'll reach a point where you won't be compatible anymore, but that doesn't mean you can't still care for the friend and be there for them. It'll just take on a different type of friendship. Secondly, and more importantly, friendship is a two-way street. This year a friend and I hurt each other's feelings, and I did everything I could to try and repair things. I spent a good semester trying to fix things and wondering what I could do to forgive and be forgiven with a best friend. I thought...I thought it would be worth it, and that our past friendship outweighed our few months of difference. But finally, I realized that I can't do everything, or anything, if the effort is just one-way. It was pretty sad, but I guess one of those college life lessons.

As for my non-social life, (what is that, then? Just my life? My school life? That's the one) I also gave an injection to a wee babe, got emotionally attached to a young patient (not crazily so, I just had a hard time saying no when the patient & family asked me to visit again, which as a nurse/nursing student is not really permissible. Patients are clients, no matter how we may relate or empathize. It was a good lesson for the future), and learned a lot about needles and subcutaneous injections. I've never been a fan of needles, so I'm overjoyed that I conquered my fear and am smooth with needles now.

If you're reading this and you're considering nursing school, here's a random pro to applying: you can run for positions and offices within Nursing clubs! I love the newspaper, editing and writing, and I've always been on one since the 6th grade. But in college, I was on the Nursing track and I felt rusty as a writer and didn't have the courage/confidence to join a newsletter or newspaper at Hunter because I figured all the writers/editors would be muuuuuuuch better than I, as liberal arts majors who frequently wrote papers and exercised their writing skills. Luckily, the Nursing school has a newsletter and I ran for editor in chief, which I won! (See: flyers around Brookdale, featuring photo-shopped me.) This is genuinely exciting as I've always wanted to be an editor in chief. I really do love layout, organizing becomes so fun. I hope I'll do a good job - check out Hunter-Bellevue's School of Nursing newsletter (Nursing Student Press)! (Note: I wrote this last night, and this morning I got an email informing me that as President, I was selected to attend the Nursing Students National Association conference in NASHVILLE, all expenses paid! The south? Newspapers? This is a great day, I love Nursing school.)

In groundbreaking news, a decently cute guy next to me on the bridge said "gloomy day, huh?" and (after remembering how to format sentences) instead of responding with an awkward-ish joke (I swear, I'll just marry the one guy that actually laughs. The jokes are never even bad. People are just awkward. Le sigh) or an interrogation of his being, I responded appropriately, and we made small conversation. It was something along the lines of "gloomy huh" "yeah but no snow" "yeah true" "why's the caf closed?" "idk so weird" "yeah" "yeah" "it's so expensive in manhattan" "yeah". I felt like I was living life on the wild side, crusading around Hunter like a socially normal (note: I am aware that I am not actually socially awkward...I just choose to say and ask blunt things without the required politeness before I know someone, I suppose) nice girl! I had a real generic conversation with a boy! No embarrassing awkwardness involved! But it was lame. My jokes definitely make things more interesting, and I felt like I was holding back conversation wise.

Other general comments I have: the weather is crazy? Snow and spring weather within a week? 3 FEET OF SNOW?! I practically built a fort (no, my little brother did, but it sounds cool to say I did) and lounged outside in our igloo. And I made a lot of chicken with island soyaki sauce from trader joe's...I recommend it. And mango sorbet. I recommend mango sorbet.

Additionally, I've started taking sign language classes again, and I'm keeping up with my Arabic-reading tutoring. Go me! Everything is possible with good time management. With that, I will end my 3:30 AM spiel and get to bed for 4 am....time management indeed. (This is sarcasm. Sometimes it does not come across clearly to the reader. I hope it has now)

Amirah

PS: Here is a quote I have been sobbing over intermittently in my room: "Love fades. Mine has." NOOOO DIMITRI NO!!!!
and "Did it occur to you that even the most deathless love wears out? Mine did." NOOOO RHETT DON'T SAY IT'S SO!!!
(...this week's theme in amirah's subconscious seems to be that I will end up alone, it seems, rejected by men whose love will wear out for me)

This Week In My Personal Pop Culture 
I'm taking Decoding Pop Culture through Macaulay as an honors course! The first thing the professor said was to get Netflix so we could keep up. We watched a video of HSM in class. We discussed vampires, aliens, and must understand constant references to pop culture...in other words, it's a dream!
(I made these asterisks fake footnotes. They work though, right?)

*I have been binge watching too much of Orange is The New Black. A friend forced me to watch and once I got over being scandalized by, erm, a lot of un-censored things, I really found the show to be interesting, intriguing and very good overall. The chocolate and vanilla swirl song really gets me...and Officer Bennett is a dreamboat!

**Speaking of movies, VERONICA MARS THE MOVIE is coming out MARCH 14TH!

**Vampire Academy was quite good and stayed true to the book. Dimitri, my fictional soulmate, was fabulous and well-cast. The title is condemning, but seeing as it was directed by the Mean Girls director & written by The Heathers screenplay writer (a movie that confounds me), I thought it did well on the snark scale.

Random Tidbits

I usually write long posts, so here's just a bullet-pointed list of things, and stuff. Stuff and things.

• I went to The Beatles exhibit at the New York Public Library on Friday. It was a brief exhibit filled with ticket stubs, set lists, memorabilia, collectibles, and even some of their guitars and clothing. I recommend the exhibit, but be warned it only follows their touring career which was unfortunately very short due to the overwhelming nature of their screaming fans. Seriously, they couldn't even hear themselves singing. They just had to stop touring.
• I also went to the American Folk Art Museum, which is right across the street from Lincoln Center. Admission is free. The museum is only three rooms, on only one floor. The current exhibit is folk couture, which is SUPER cool since I basically love fashion (used to want to be a fashion designer). It's a whole bunch of designers making clothing based off of folk art pieces.
• Last Wednesday (I have them off), I went to see a matinee of Waiting for Godot on Broadway. Basically the best thing ever, considering I read the play in my Existentialism class last spring and loved it. Also, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart AKA the biggest bromance of existence. See also: X-Men. They were the perfect pair to play Estragon and Vladimir. Perfectly acted. A tragicomedy until the end. What a privilege to see these two.
• I also went to my first ballet performance last Thursday. Not much to say here. Pretty, but kind of difficult to enjoy. Essentially, I appreciated the technique and movement, but it was just too stiff for my liking. The music was beautiful though.
• Currently reading Plato's Republic (Book VI). Or at least I should be. Socrates is not-so-sly-digging all over the place.
• I tried almond milk today and it did not live up to the hype. Kinda disappointed considering how much my friends all like it.
• Today in English Survey, we studied the letters between John and Abigail Adams. I like to think of them as the original power couple. Abigail was definitely the brains though. 
• We're having a writer from the New York Times come in to speak in Seminar 4, about public health. She's written tons of articles for the Times on hospital closings and Bloomberg's public health policies. It's kind of cool that our teacher is a retired journalist for the Times because connections.
• Considering going to the RA/CA meeting so I can gather information about being one next year, or the year after. 
• Also last-minute-considering study abroad for the summer in Italy. Freaking out because the deadline for Opp Fund is Friday and I just started thinking about this today.
• Also freaking out that I might decide I want an internship for the summer.
• Maybe I should just stay home this summer and relax.
• Future responsibilities/choices. Eep.

OK that was some stuff. Hope you enjoyed my 1 AM thought-process. Night!

It's a Mad, Mad World….(Back to watching Mad Men)

Hey, everyone!

I was going to start writing my post a few minutes ago, but then I got distracted by Jeopardy. I don't get to watch it as often as I'd like so when I do get the chance, I like to sit back and test my trivia knowledge. Today's episode was the college championship finals. I'm happy to say that I was able to answer a good amount of the questions. =) A sophomore from Princeton won the grand prize, $100,000.

Last weekend was relaxing because we had three days off. I did some HW, watched some Olympic events, and went shopping. I also submitted my FAFSA corrections with the 2013 tax data. For people who are high school seniors as well as college students, you should fill out the FAFSA ASAP. It'll take you under an hour if you have all of the necessary documents in front of you.

I also got the chance to start watching season 6 of Mad Men. The characters are in the year 1968 so there is a lot of change going on. In one episode, MLKJ dies, and everyone is absolutely devastated. Living in the year 2014, it's hard to imagine what it must have felt like, but shows like Mad Men really do a great job of showing us how people were reacting. Season 7 starts on April 13th.

Yesterday was a Monday schedule at Hunter so I only had physics. Later, I ran over to Brooklyn for a dermatologist appointment. It was my first appointment with him, and he seemed knowledgable and friendly. It's so hard to find a doctor that you really click with so hopefully, things work out well.

This morning, we watched a documentary about the Philippine-American War in my Filipino American Lit class, which made me feel incredibly disillusioned about the US. This war is virtually never mentioned in American history textbooks, but it was one of the earliest examples of US colonization. Hearing all of the talk about the "white man's burden" and civilizing our "brown brothers" is just disturbing. I wish more people paid attention to all of the horrible things that humans have done in the past so that these atrocities are not repeated. All of the conflicts around the world can't be solved in a day, but if we all live our lives with more love, kindness, and tolerance, then we can make a dent in all of the ugliness that exists.

S.

College Tip of the Week: Go over your notes on a regular basis. 

One of the things that will ensure your success in college is going over your notes on a regular basis and not leaving studying for the last minute. If you just go to class, take notes, and never look at your notes until the week before an exam, then you're going to be in trouble. You're going to have a ton of stuff to go over and very little time to actually learn it all properly. Life will quickly become overwhelming and miserable so just get in the habit of not doing that. As soon as possible after a class, read over your notes while the information is still fresh in your head, and fill in anything that you may have missed. I like reading my notes while on the train or while sitting on one of Hunter's bridges. Mark portions that you don't understand with a question mark so that you know what you need to look up on Google or what to ask your professor. Highlight important portions. Some people also benefit from rewriting notes or listening to recordings from the lecture. You'll figure out what works for you as you go along. 

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)

Hey, everyone!

Happy Valentine's Day!! <3 Today is about celebrating love in all of its forms, and I hope you all took some time today to tell the important people in your life how much you care about.
One reason I love this holiday is because it's an excuse to wear red. Red is my favorite color, and I love seeing pops of red everywhere.

And what is Valentine's Day without love poetry? Here's a poem by E.E. Cummings:

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
                                                 i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

In other news, the Olympics started last Friday, and I've been watching as many of the events as I can when I'm at home. My family and I like to lounge around the TV and watch the events together so it's a great family bonding experience.

Interesting Moments:

• Evgeni Plushenko performances. He's just so confident and comfortable when he skates! It's like he was born on the . 
• Gracie Gold's performance: She's young but she's super talented!!
• Yulia Lipnitskaya's performances: This girl is a phenom. He spins are out of this world. 
• Sarka Pancochova's crash: During the women's slopestyle final, she fell on the course and her helmet actually cracked from the impact. Scary moment. 
• Bob Costas' eye infection: This guy is great during every Olympics. I feel so bad for him! Those eyes looked terrible the last couple of days he was on air. 
• Dutch speedskaters: these guys/girls are amazing this year!!
• Shaun White: I'm sad that he didn't get a medal this year, but I love watching him even when he's not perfect. 
• Alex Bilodeau: This Canadian moguls skier and his brother stole everyone's hearts this first week. Bilodeau's brother has cerebral palsy and is his constant inspiration. I loved watching them hug after he won gold. 

This past Monday, I went to the salon to get my hair cut. I've been going to the same lady since I was 16 so she knows my hair pretty well by now. She's done my hair for every major occasion since then including my high school prom. I'm always in awe at how she remembers everyone's preferred haircut. I also just love watching her work because every movement she makes when she's styling hair has a purpose, and she makes it all look so easy. You can immediately tell when somebody knows what they're doing and is a master at his/her job. I can only hope that I will be half as good in my chosen career.

The rest of the week was kind of nutty with all of this snow madness, but we made it through! On Thursday morning, the snow was coming down hard, but it was soooo beautiful in Brooklyn. But then, the rain came later in the day and omg, those puddles...!! There were huge puddles at almost every street corner. It was virtually impossible not to get your feet wet. Unfortunately, I had to run an errand that afternoon and had to walk in the slushy puddle filled Upper East Side. By the time, I got back to Hunter, my shoes were soaked. I had a bio study group session in the library, and I ended up taking off my shoes and just hanging out in my socks.

Lastly, some time during lecture yesterday, my bio professor gave us some words of wisdom: "You don't have to be cool, but don't be uncool." I'll let you guys chew on that over the weekend. haha

S.

College Tip of the Week: Get organized.

If you learn organizational skills when you're young, your life will be infinitely easier so start in college. As classes, volunteer work, jobs, and your social life pile up, you'll need to know how to manage it all.

Manage your time: Use some kind of calendar. Whether it's a planner or the calendar on your computer or phone. Include all deadlines, meetings, events, etc. Create a plan for what you will do each day. I promise you that you'll be more productive and less stressed out.

Organize your workspace: I personally like working on a desk that is as empty as possible. When my workspace is cluttered, my mind feels cluttered. But some people like to have a bunch of stuff on their desks and that's fine too. Just make sure to organize everything so you know where everything is and you don't feel overwhelmed by all of your stuff.

Organize your thoughts: Learn how to take control of your own thoughts. Don't let your mind wander in class or when studying. Just focus on the task at hand for chunks of time and give yourself breaks to think about whatever you want. Also, included in this category is when you have a brilliant thought/idea about something. Write it down somewhere. Keep a list of these ideas. They may serve as inspiration for future projects.

Winter Break in Pictures!

I didn't get a chance to get onto the blog and write a post during the break, since I was on vacation and sick for most of the time, so I'd like to take a moment here to recount some of what went on my winter break (some of it in pictures).

I went to Florida for two weeks with a friend's family:

Me, poolside (where I wish I still was).

While there, I went thrift shopping (a lot) and found this beautiful dress and flats for a grand total of $7.50. I absolutely LOVE thrift shopping, and Florida has some of the best thrift stores ever. It's almost a competitive sport down there.

I also stocked up on shorts and tops, which I unfortunately can't wear quite yet since it's about 15 degrees outside and we have about 4 feet of snow in New York. My flight back from Florida was nearly cancelled because of the weather and it was such a shock to come from 75 degrees and palm trees to piles of snow and grey skies. At least I escaped for a little bit. January and February can be such dreary months.

I came back home and immediately got sick for a week (as is my ritual during breaks). I came to the dorms for the remainder of the break with my boyfriend and we spent our time cooking and exploring the city a bit. Here's some of the dishes we made:

Farfalle pasta with chicken, tomato sauce, sautéed spinach, and fried zucchini.

Paleo chicken fingers with fried zucchini and homemade sweet potato fries.

Those chicken fingers were so delicious and kind of spicy! 'Paleo' is a reference to the Paleolithic diet. Although I don't follow this diet (or any for that matter, except eating healthy and what I want with appropriate exercise), many of my friends follow various diets that are different from my own. Some are vegetarians, some pescatarians, some vegans. Since I'm not an avid red meat eater (I predominantly eat chicken and fish), alternatives to dishes with meat are always welcome. They've all recommended some great recipes to me. Here's the recipe to this chicken finger dish. I've also found some vegan pasta dishes (also this one) which I'm keen to try. One great thing you should do in college is learn to cook new things and try new foods. It will definitely make your cooking routine so much more fun!

In our exploration of the city, my boyfriend and I decided to visit the Jewish Museum at 92nd and 5th for the Art Spiegelman and Marc Chagall exhibits. Spiegelman is the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning Maus. I'm a huge fan of this tragic work of art. I read it at a very young age and was strongly moved by his depiction of Nazi Germany and the concentration camps; I also find his metaphorical zoomorphism incredibly insightful. I learned a lot about his later work, such as his time at The New Yorker and the post-9/11 comics he wrote. This exhibit runs until March 23rd.

The Marc Chagall exhibit was equally moving. I had studied some of his artwork in high school and admired his surrealist use of color and his evocation of longing for his Russian shtetl (the Yiddish word for town or village). Unfortunately, this exhibit ended on February 2nd. 

Last, we saw an exhibit that we hadn't planned to see. We were drawn off the Chagall gallery by the deep and resonating music of this exhibit. It was into a mysterious and dark room that we walked. In fact, this room was meant to display a fashion collection as well as a temple made entirely of mirrors, tucked away in the corner. This was the MER KA BA exhibit (I absolutely loved this one, and it has stayed with me). This unfortunately is also no longer at the museum, but it was such a moving experience. I encourage you to read the meaning behind the exhibit.

The inside of the glass temple at MER KA BA.

I spent the rest of my winter break relaxing and catching up with all the Oscar-nominated movies. My family is really big into going to movies, so naturally this is a huge event in my family. I saw Her (a somber commentary on technology in our society; more philosophical than I had thought it would be), Twelves Year a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club (incredibly moving; Jared Leto was fabulous), Gravity (pretty, but empty), American Hustle (ultimately flashy, but devoid of any plot), and The Wolf of Wall Street (Leo better win for this, my god; as should Margot Robbie).

That was my break for you!

P.S. I went get soup dumplings 4 times in one week this break (at Joe's and Shanghai Cafe), braving the record low temperatures and freezing winds for my fix. The server has started to recognize my boyfriend and I, which is mildly embarassing.

I like the word "snow".

Hi, everyone.

This week's post will be relatively short because Friday was a busy day. But it was one of those good kind of busy days so I can't complain. =)

Some comments about this week:

• Something every New Yorker talked about this week was all the snow that we have been getting lately. The snow gods just love us this year!! I actually really love watching snow fall. It's so beautiful to see everything covered in this wonderful white layer of soft snow. Particularly, the trees. We have a lot of trees out here in Brooklyn, and when the snow comes, the trees look absolutely gorgeous. So the snowfall itself wasn't the issue. It's all the things that come after it. The slippery ice, the giant puddles, the sludge on the streets, and the poor mass transit service among other things. But it's alright. It's winter after all and it wouldn't be an authentic New York winter without snow.
• Friday's bio lab lasted 3 and 1/2 hours because of the multiple centrifugations and other time-consuming steps. But I honestly didn't mind. The TA gave me a new lab partner so we spent a good part of the time just getting to know each other while waiting for our tubes to centrifuge. He's into sports so he was educating me about baseball and football. I love talking to people who have different interests from me because I always learn so much from them. 
• I want to submit a poem to a magazine at Hunter so today while on the train, I decided to take a crack at writing something. The beginning verses were good, but then, I got writer's block. Not fun. But I've learned that if the words aren't flowing, it's best not to force things.  Good things to do include stepping away from the writing or just free writing. I've done both so hopefully, I'll be struck by inspiration soon and will get a chance to finish the poem. There's nothing quite so wonderful as those moments when the words just come out of you with minimal effort. 
• Friday was the start of the Sochi Olympics. The opening ceremony was super pretty! I loved the part when the Olympic flame was lit. I'm looking forward to watching some figure skating, skiing, and snowboarding among other things.
• I just finished reading a fantastic graphic novel called Habibi. It's more than 600 pages long, but since it's in the comic format, you can finish it relatively quickly. The art is absolutely phenomenal, and the storyline is simultaneously heartbreaking and incredibly hopeful. 
• One of our new MacBloggers, Linda Luu, was featured on Macaulay Monday this week! Macaulay Monday is a newsletter that Macaulay students receive every Monday. Her post about her study abroad experience in the Dominican Republic was featured.

S.

College Tip of the Week: Reach out to people. 

Making friends will be one of your primary concerns when you enter college. Everybody dreams of having college friends that will eventually turn into lifelong friends. The best way to make friends is to reach out to people who live in the dorms with you, the people in your classes, and anybody else you meet along the way. Remember that not everybody you meet has to be your best friend. Some people will be your BFF's, and others will be acquaintances, but everybody serves some kind of purpose in your life. There's no way to know what kind of impact a person will make on your life when you first meet them, and that is a beautiful thing. I met one of my best guy friends completely by accident two weeks into my freshman year. I just happened to sit next to him when my high school friend led me to  a particular area of a lecture hall. He was super friendly, and we became good friends over the course of a few weeks. More than two years later, we're still good friends. Take the time to make these lasting connections because they will make your college experience that much richer.

And don't despair if you don't make friends immediately. There are many opportunities to meet people so just be your wonderful charming selves!

Oh, Hunter.

There is supposed to be a snowstorm tonight, with freezing rain to cover it. My friends and I are wondering if we're going to have to go to class tomorrow, so I thought I'd check the Hunter website. 

Of course, I click on the little spot that saids to check there for updates. 

All the links lead back to here.

I think I've found my new favourite hiding space

With the hustle and bustle of the city, it's a little difficult to ever find some down time. There's always something going on, and you're constantly surrounded by people. As someone who appreciates their privacy, this gets a little rough on me sometimes. I've coped by finding ways to sneak away and find some "me time" in nice corners of the school and the city.

By far my new favourite is the Roosevelt House. Located on 65th street, it was once the residence of Franklin, Eleanor, and Sara Roosevelt. They gave it to Hunter in their wills, and it has now been converted to the head of the Public Policy and Human Rights departments.

It's only a 10 minute walk from the school, and there's a grace that only age and history can bring to a place. The view of the residential area here is lovely from the Sara Delano Roosevelt Library - snow covered trees and a small ornamental balcony, looking at beautiful red brick buildings. There's a large painting of President Roosevelt, and the shelves are lined with books discussing the rise and fall of great nations and administrations. Best of all, it is quiet. There are classes going on in other parts of the building, and there are offices up top. However, this library sees little use and often is vacant.

I had originally come here to see if the textbook for my public policy class was on the shelves, but it seems as though someone has borrowed it already. Since that was the only copy I could seem to find listing of, I'm not sure how I'm going to do my homework. The local bookstore has sold out of copies, Hunter's bookstore never ordered any, and I didn't order mine online since it wouldn't have gotten here in time. This is going to be awkward. Hopefully one of my friends has purchased it already, or I can find a sample of the first few chapters online.

I think I'll stay for a while though, and relax.
I know there is an event tonight at five thirty, which guarantees free food and some good discussion. The Public Policy program often has events on Wednesdays and on certain weeknights that are pane l discussions of present issues within the world and the city. Tonight's topic is the idea of transportation and it's future - a topic that is relevant both to my life, and to my most recent Macaulay Seminar!

Regardless of what I do, I have enjoyed the opportunity to relax and think in the quiet of what once was a President's library.  It's an awe inspiring and very calming presence, almost as if FDR himself is promising me that the only thing I have to fear - is fear itself.

Aaaaaand, we're back.

I meant to write this blog post at the end of last week, but I've only gotten around to it now. I had an uneventful winter break, consisting mostly of chilling at home with my computer and some TV. This was the first break I've had from school since last winter, and I took advantage of sleeping until noon every day and watching entire seasons of Scrubs in less than a week. Unfortunately, I was sick for nearly half of my break. My body has somehow programmed itself to avoid getting sick during school, so I usually end up sick on every break, especially during the winter. Definitely not fun.

I woke up this morning to a snowstorm. The first thing I do when it's snowing is check my email, in the hope that a snowdrift sealed my professor's front door shut and they couldn't make it to class. But yet it was in vain, as not one of my professors had the mercy to cancel class today *shakes fist at the sky*. So, I stomped my way to school, secretly praying all day that one of my professors would change their mind (hint: they didn't). Throughout the day I angrily looked out the window at the snow that swirled about, at one point falling in torrents, like rain. Days like today make me glad I own Bean Boots.

Getting back into the swing of this semester has been kind of rough for me. I'm at the point in my English major where I've taken all of my electives, so I'm now taking required classes. It should be the other way around. You're supposed to take the requirements first as both informants to the elective classes and as introductions to the various subjects you could focus on in your major. I have two problems with this approach to the major: 1) I've never really been one to follow prescribed routes, and 2) I already knew what type of literature I wanted to study. High school had exposed me to enough British literature to convince me I didn't want to read Beowulf and Shakespeare for the rest of my life (god forbid). I have a secret third problem with this method: if you are an undecided English major, taking a survey of early works (as all surveys are) will not give you insight into the full spectrum of literature in a given field. For example: Survey of American Literature from Origins to Civil War has got to be one of the dullest classes I've ever taken (despite my teacher's admirable excitement about the subject). I already knew I wanted to study modern American literature when I got to college, but if this class had been my first encounter with American literature, I would never have done so. While the survey courses are well-intentioned, they can be misleading. I found that by taking electives I thought looked interesting, I quickly discovered my focus. Of course, it always helps if you've done a bit of reading on your own beforehand (as you should if you want to be an English major). I found that English 220 was a huge help in figuring out what genres and authors were my cup of tea: Hemingway, postmodernism, and modern fiction. As always, don't be afraid to just experiment with classes and teachers.

Which brings me to my next point. I am an infamous class dropper. I have friends who will take a class with any professor, as long as it fits in their schedule. I am of the mindset that if I don't love a teacher, I will never love the class. They can make or break your experience and your performance. You can come to class well-prepared, interested, and attentive, and a bad teacher can ruin all of that. On the other hand, a good teacher can work wonders on a boring subject. But you have to find out what a good teacher is for you. I cannot recommend enough that you do your research about a professor. I am infamous for swapping classes a week into the semester, merely because I don't like the professor's teaching style. Don't get me wrong: it isn't about how knowledgable a professor is, it's all about if you're on the same wavelength. Different teaching styles work for different people and its super important that you figure out what works for you as soon as possible. There is really nothing better than being excited to go to class, merely because you and a teacher just vibe so well. This is a rare occurrence, but it is so valuable. Picking your professor-mentor can be sort of like finding a relationship. And when you find a professor you like, stick with it. Take another course with them. Ask them for advice, recommendations. Get to know them. Make an ally in your major, someone you feel comfortable being yourself around. There are so many niches in academia, it's nice to find a friend who will help you shape your voice and find your calling.

I think part of the reason this semester has been rough thus far is that I don't really love any of my classes. Most of the classes are requirements for my major or GERs that I felt I had to get over with. I've sort of come to terms with the fact that I won't always be taking classes I love or things I'm 100% interested in. My boyfriend has convinced me (amid my groaning about Puritan works of literature) that I should try to find something to enjoy in every class, no matter how much I dislike it or how boring I find it. And this is some advice I'll pass on to you. College isn't always going to be what you want it to be. There are requirements, and boring intro classes, and surveys of things you couldn't care less about but have to know to be a Formidable Human Being in the World. Don't let it get you down. Make the best of it. Mediate it with classes you enjoy. Reward yourself for reading another passage by a man named Wigglesworth who you're supposed to take seriously (despite his name). Just get what you can out of it and move on.

OK, another rant complete. I'll try to be a little less lecture-y next time.

Erica

An Intro (Unfortunately)

Hey, everyone. My name is Sam, I'm a freshman, and this is my introduction to the Macaulay blogging community. Before I get into what I actually want to talk about, I'll just say that I want to major in English, but I'm thinking about tacking pre-med onto that and doing a 5th year.

Okay. I don't mean to start this off so negatively, but I have to say it: I hate New York City snow. I hate it so much. It's ugly, inconvenient, and miserable. Maybe I'd think differently if I lived closer to a subway station, but living at Brookdale makes snow the bane of my existence. I dread the 15-20 minute walk to and from the subway every day, but when adding three inches of slush and snow blasting your face from every possible angle, I can say with complete honesty I've considered hailing a cab for the few short avenues.

It's a real shame, actually, because I truly love snow. I'm from Long Island, and out there the snow is gorgeous. It can be a minor hassle at times, but the positives outweigh the negatives when I take closed schools, the scenery, and comfort of adjustable heating into account. Hunter, of course, is not closed in this storm. What more could I expect, though? The city barely acknowledges snow, as far as I can tell.

I don't mean to give off a whiny first impression, but this is the first relevant topic that I had a lot to talk about, so I figured I might as well go for it. I'll be writing more soon, but for now, this is the Sam that you can see.

Things I'm Loving: January

Hello there, it's been a while hasn't it? Well, I decided to take a little break from blogging during the winter break after I finished Picmas because I was taking a winter course. But I'm back! Since it's the beginning of February, and it's been a while since I last posted, I thought I'd do a little round up of my current favourites. Things that I'm enjoying doing, things that I'm enjoying using, etc. Basically just things I've been loving recently.

So, first up in the way of life things is this website called HabitRPG. Basically, it's like a super cool way of creating to-do lists. There's a section for habits, dailies, one time to-dos, and rewards. You enter everything in yourself and basically you win coins for any of the dailies or to-dos you complete, but lose health for things that you don't complete or bad habits that you do. The coins that you win go towards the rewards that you purchase. It's totally self-regulation, but gives you a little incentive to actually do the things. Also, you have this totally cute little avatar, which you can purchase more cool things for with your coins. This isn't something that is going to work for everyone, obviously, and I've only just recently started using it, but so far I'm liking it. If it turns out that I can't keep it up, or it's just not really helping me, then that's fine, but it's nice to even just have a place to list out what I need to do. And you can make the tasks as small as possible, that way for every little thing that you accomplish you still get coins. Like I put in wash dishes as well as put dishes away, so I get coins for both tasks. And in my habits, I've got use the stairs because I know that's not something I'm going to do daily perhaps (since I do live on the 9th floor) but when I go to school and I'm just going between classes, I do actually tend to use the stairs... And I'm counting when the escalators are broken.

Next is a beauty/skin sort of thing, but it's more in the general category. It's a lip balm from Lush, which I bought last month and am loving. It's called Honey Trap, and it's in a little pot so you do have to use your fingers, which I'm not a huge fan of, but I'll brave it. It seems to be working really really well, which is great because who wants chapped lips? It says "for vanilla honey kisses" and I think that's an accurate way to describe the taste/smell. It's really nice, not overpowering at all, and smoothes in really well. Lush is amazing! I can't use a lot of the stuff because of my skin, but I've been buying things for people as presents and they make good gifts. Obviously in the dorms the bath bombs aren't very helpful, but they make shampoo and conditioner bars that you could totally use here. They've got a decently new store located at 1293 Broadway, and another one located on 14th Street, if you want to go check out their products. I've been going to the one on Broadway, and it's small and the people are nice and helpful.

As far as clothes go, I've been really loving this Union Jack beanie that my parents got me for Christmas. For those of you who don't know, the Union Jack is the British flag. It's got a little pom pom on top, and it's been really helpful for these cold past few weeks. In addition, I got a belated Christmas present, which I asked for from my aunt when I visited England at Thanksgiving, of a really warm and soft hooded dressing gown or bathrobe. It's got little bear ears on it, and it's super cute and I really love it. I've been wearing it all around the dorms, because it's been so cold, but also just cause it's really adorable and I like being a bear...

And just, one last thing I thought I'd share is that I've been getting back into cooking lately. Last semester I kind of got into a bit of a funk as far as cooking goes. I don't know, I just didn't have a lot of motivation to cook for myself and was eating out or getting delivery a lot. That really hurt my bank account, but also when I order food I have a tendency to eat less healthily. I am still sticking strong with my no-McDonald's since getting back from Asia, but I definitely wasn't eating as much veggies as I should have been. But, I went grocery shopping with my friend and bought a whole bunch of stuff, and have been cooking a lot the past couple of weeks. I've been documenting my most interesting meals on instagram, so if you're interested I'd love to direct you over there.

I also thought that I'd include a little New Year's/New Semester resolutions bit, just so that I have it written down and I can hold myself to it. But essentially, I want to start exercising a bit (even if it's really a little amount, which it probably will be) and I want to start eating more healthily, which I have been. And I really really want to start reading some more and so on my HabitRPG I've actually got 10 minutes of reading as a daily task. I will increase that as I go on, but I thought that with the semester starting, that 10 minutes was a good sort of jump off point since I haven't done much for-pleasure reading since the summer. And of course, I want to keep up on here and I've got a bunch of ideas for posts that I want to write as well as a bunch of sequel posts that were meant to go up last semester, but didn't. So, yeah, I really want to finish as many of those as possible and just keep writing. The thing I love about having a blog being an option for "community service" hours, is that I love writing and this is a way that I have to always be writing. Even if it's just about the boring stuff in my life.