Monthly Archives: September 2010

Welcome to Blogs@Baruch!

This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging.

Welcome to Blogs@Baruch!

This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging.

I wasn’t formed by one event or person, I’m just a product of my environment. Just realized that answering this reminds me of “I’m just the product of everybody I’ve ever known,” a quote by Chuck Palahnuik. He’s the author of Fight Club, fyi. In a way I am (and that applies to most people I think) a product of the people I come across. I’m open to the influences (habits, music, views) I like, and generally avoid the ones I dont. I am a product of my closest friends and their opinions and tastes, I am a product of Stuy, I am a product of living in Brooklyn. I love my borough!

College is way to similar to high school for my taste. It’s slightly irritating. It takes me the same amount of time to get to school, its pretty much just as crowded and there are plenty of Stuy kids around. And I miss Battery Park, the parks by Baruch are too business and people orientated. Too many benches, not enough grass. But its a different neighborhood and I have a Macbook!

As a college student I guess I expect a new beginning with education? Rather, more dedication to school, especially since college is supposed to have a bigger variety of classes. I’m really happy to have the Macbook, my time management and organization weren’t too great in high school so I’m hoping that with a laptop I’ll be a bit better off. We’ll see.

BECAUSE I THINK IT MIGHT BE MINE.

alright, so the first thing on my to-do list on this blog is to change this font (DID THAT ), because one thing i really hate doing is using an embellishing font to make myself look more intelligent or like i know what i’m doing, because i don’t, and i try not to look more intelligent than i am. i don’t like t’s that curve on the bottom or anything of the sort because those t’s are pose(u)rs. i also dread the thought of capitalizing anything. except for the word God, when referring to Him. it’s not that i’m trying to give Him any special treatment or anything, it’s just that growing up reading it that way set it in my eyes to look correct only when written with a capitalized G. sorry if you guys don’t agree with me. now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s check out the very first journal assignment!

also, i’m gonna be using strikethrough to cross out things i write then deem redundant and unnecessary, like idioms and stuff. i’m trying to recognize which parts of speech (for myself) are useful and which parts are not.

“Help us get to know you. Describe experiences that have shaped who you are. How
have they defined your values and your beliefs? What are your expectations as a college student? What are your hopes and concerns for your first semester? [250 words]”

gee, i’m not sure if i can do that… 250 words is quite a small cage to fit in.

well, here goes!

i was raised protestant, but then i realized that humans might not be the last or the greatest race to exist, so i’m not too keen on that whole ‘we have been chosen by God’ nonsense. but i do suppose it’s given me a preference to doing good to others. it’s not that i want to affirm my salvation, because if life is the way christians say it is, then i’m definitely going to hell. but if i am, then it’s all the way for sure. i’m not gonna sissy out and change teams on my deathbed, namsayin’? but i do like helping people just to see that smile on that beautiful face that God may or may not have created, which in turn brightens other peoples’ days. i’m not hating on religion though. it allows people to unlock their greatest potentials; it’s just when they’re rubbing it in my face, especially when i’d been skeptic of their purposes in the first place, i realize i want to sympathize with them less, which brings me to another value i hold dear. to put it simply, if i have a habit or hobby, in all cases the thing i have to watch out for is that my habits and hobbies do not become a liability for other people, especially regarding hazardous habits, such as tobacco/alcohol/drug intake, or just annoying hobbies like playing music really loud. i don’t enjoy being a menace to my friends’ fun or health, so i take a cigarette at a safe distance where my immensely toxic secondhand smoke will not reach them. now, as for my expectations (i have no room for more words), i would like to pass with a 3.5 gpa and travel and enjoy college life and good food and good tobacco. the end!

Welcome to Blogs@Baruch!

This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging.

I’m Darren. I live in Flushing, Queens. I have a 4-year-old baby sister who seems to be developing into a lefty. It seems to annoy my traditional Chinese parents who want her to use her right hand instead. I think it will be good for her; it could help her develop ambidexterity, which is what I have been trying to acquire. I graduated Stuyvesant High School and even though I graduated, I still find myself near Stuy at Battery Park from time to time. This park holds and creates many enduring memories for me. I strongly recommend you visit it if you’re ever around Tribeca. It will definitely leave a lasting impression. Plus, it a very short and pleasant walk to Chinatown. I like to consider it as one of my many havens. During my free time, I like to hang out with my friends, play sports (mostly handball and basketball), shoot pool, and play tons of video games whenever I find myself indoors. I am also a movie fanatic, as well as a tough movie critic (I watch almost every new movie that comes out each week). I am a fan of old school hip-hop but I like to listen to other genres of music as well, such as alternative, rock, trance, techno, or anything else that catches my ears. As far as television goes, a funny sitcom, South Park, or Sportscenter usually does the trick while I munch on dinner.

As a college student, I am undecided about my major. I want to find an interest within the next two years, an interest that can develop into a lasting career that I will enjoy waking up to for the rest of my life. I am currently working part-time at Argo Tea, a café that specializes in tea. This part-time job not only helps fill in my extra time (I disagree a third of your day be dedicated to sleep), it also gives me experience for future employment opportunities, not to mention the nice extra cash on the side. However, I am starting to recognize the detrimental effects it has on me and my schoolwork. My goals are to maintain at least a 3.5 GPA, develop better time management, and meet new people. I love to make new friends. However, I fear I am too attached to so many of my close friends that I would not have the capability, the will, and the time to make new ones. My relationship with my friends mean a lot to me.

I pride myself on my integrity and honesty. And trust me, honesty pays off, literally. I had this job one summer when I worked for a James Wu who was running for city council. It was an easy job that paid ten dollars an hour for putting up posters and you get paid on your breaks. I remember one time when we were all done with work and we reported back to the office, our supervisor asked us to clock out since we were on the clock for just socializing in the office. My friend and I were the only ones that did, but we stayed there just to enjoy the company. The others didn’t bother and stayed for the extra hour’s pay. My supervisor who’s in the office with us the whole time noticed this and the next day when he only needed a couple people to work, he decided to call me and my friend. The other workers got the extra hour’s pay for socializing, but we were awarded a full day’s. It became a reminder that stuck and has helped me through many questionable decisions and in a way, has helped define me.

Welcome to Blogs@Baruch!

This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging.

Welcome to Blogs@Baruch!

This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging.

The biggest journey of my life was my relocation from Chennai, India to Queens, New York. My father had come to New York on a business trip and my mother and I came for a brief vacation. I don’t know why they listened to an eight-year-old child, but my parents agreed without a moment’s hesitation when I told them that I wanted to live in New York permanently. On July 2nd, 2001, my parents and I moved to New York for good. Everybody knows that children always want to know, “Are we there yet?” I’m sure I asked my parents that question every five minutes on a trip that took about 18 hours! That’s because I was more excited than I had ever been.

Moving to New York changed everything. I had my first encounter with a multiple choice exam. In India, the education system was completely different! There was no concept of choosing between three possible answers. So, when I saw that the answer to the question was provided on my test, I informed the teacher that I had the answer key to the exam. The teacher just told me to “bubble in the correct answer.” Although the education system was alien to me, I still embraced the changes. I learned to think for myself and I learned to be creative. For the first time, I did school-related projects that involved art. It was a whole new world for me. The creativity that I learned in elementary school still helps me with my TV show, India Talks.

I thought that moving to New York would be the most exciting thing that could happen to me. However, college has changed that idea. I’m learning so much everyday and making new friends. Coming to Baruch has been amazing thus far. I’m learning so much more than I expected to. At first, the hour-and-twenty- minute classes took me by surprise. I had only had forty-six-minute classes in high school. So I was concerned about my ability to focus. However, I’ve since gotten used to the class timings. Now, my primary concern is budgeting my time efficiently between my TV show and school. However, I’m excited to take on the challenge and make it work.

Welcome to Blogs@Baruch!

This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging.