Author Archives: lorraine.cheung

This was the smallest museum I’ve ever been to, but it wasn’t so bad. The dimmed lighting set the mood for the pieces of art we saw. My favorite part was the real temple that was created just a few months before we went there; it had the proper Buddhist tempo music with all the incense and statues. In the middle of the winding staircase that led up to the very top floor, there was an art piece hanging from the ceiling. It was glass but if you looked closely, you could see the very details or a whole bunch of people making one shape. We were going to take a picture of it but this creepy security woman came out of nowhere and told us no photos, so that’s that. There were tons of other small statues though, mainly Buddhas and other religious figures from India and Asia. Overall, it was a good experience although I would’ve preferred going to the MoMa or Museum of Natural History.

For the time I’ve been in Baruch, it’s exceeded my expectations by a little. A lot of my friends from high school were going to the same school so I was a little upset that it’d be the same environment. I’m glad that there were a lot of people I knew though, because that made college just a bit easier. Although I’m transferring to UB, I am a little sad to leave Baruch. Mainly because of the people I’ve met, and how I was just starting to get familiar with all the resources and buildings of Baruch College. Leaving for spring semester is going to be like starting over again, and twice as hard since it is eight hours from home, with food that definitely cannot compare to that in NYC. (The mexican grilled corn from Cafe Habana, the noodles from Pho32, the cupcakes from Crumbs, the korean food from Tofu House, and too much more to name.) I can’t just take a train a couple of stops away and get whatever it is I’m in the mood for eating. Food and friends are definitely the hardest thing to let go of this semester. And the “free” financial aid checks every semester :'( Baruch College isn’t hard to accommodate to compared to other colleges in SUNYs and privates. Living in dorms is gonna be really exciting but tough at the same time, since my Mom’s been doing my laundry since forever. I hope I can manage though, and leave college all independent and whatnot. Since I’ve started Baruch College, I’ve come to realize that there are bigger things in the world than just my life. It’s hard to keep up but going to college and getting a decent job is the only way to get myself out there, and keep up with this fast-paced society. I now realize how important it is to stay focused and mentally grow up.

The panel discussion was really nothing I was expecting because I thought it was going to be a play. The problem with it was that Charles Li must’ve forgotten to speak into the mic because I could barely make out what he was saying the entire time. This really made the audience lose focus on the discussion. All I recall hearing was the concept of identity and how that really is created by yourself rather than something that you’re born with. He must’ve been relating to himself as a writer because although his father looked down upon him, he still managed to become an influential writer. He didn’t let his father get the best of him, and decided to prove him wrong. Charles Li came from a difficult childhood but he was able to emerge from it a better person, with the early support of his mom also. The main lesson that’s being caught here is to never let someone tell you who you are. Who you are is who you decide to make of yourself.

This was the second workshop I’ve attended that helped with developing a good resume, and it wasn’t much different from the first one I’ve experienced in high school. I’ve been developing my resume for a while now by just putting down all the places I’ve worked, what skills I developed, and contact information in case I lose it in the future. However, there were a few things I learned from this speech that I didn’t know of beforehand.
The first is choosing the types of past job experiences you put down on your resume in accordance to the job you’re applying for. When submitting a resume, I just put down every job I’ve had and the skills I’ve learned. Now I know to skip the ones that don’t relate for the job I’m applying for. Second, I learned a few pointers about how to act during an interview. I’ve never been interviewed, but now I know to do some background research about the company and be well prepared beforehand.
What I found to be most helpful though, were the handouts that were given, especially the one with a sample resume. Even if I can’t remember what the speaker said, I always have something to look back on now.

In December of 2009, I was almost beyond certain that I’d never do this ever again. And this, was to work in a frozen yogurt store. By March of 2010, here I was, pulling levers and serving these overly popular frozen treats. Trust me, until you’ve worked in one these stores, will you ever realize how psychotic people are, and over what? Frozen yogurt? Yes. Although I dread going to work almost every time, I tend to feel better once I’m in the store. Working in Red Mango is like working in a store that’s constantly on its menstrual cycle, the hormone levels being the number of customers. In the summer, it was constantly busy and boy was work hectic. The only thing that kept all of us workers happy was the fat juicy paycheck that we’d get at the end of the week.

I remember the free smoothie week. Oh boy, that was without a doubt the worst week of my life. On the very first day, the line was out the door and wrapped around the block. This is a Manhattan block I’m talking about. The founder of Red Mango was there, along with a live DJ and people went nuts. We worked feverishly nonstop for the whole day. I felt like passing out and never waking up. The floor was soaked, circuits were being blown (I kid you not), and we had no break. Safe to say things got a lot easier after that week, but now I have crazy customers to deal with.

It was a typical day at work, and I’m taking an order from a customer. Then out of the blue, some guy runs into the store, whips out a big red horn from God knows where, blows it real loud, and runs out. Everyone just stopped whatever it was they were doing for 10 seconds and looked at each other, then of course, laughter erupted. Situations like these aren’t so bad. Now wait until I tell you about how annoying customers can get.

I absolutely despise these ladies who ask for a sample of EVERY SINGLE flavor. Really, I know samples are free and all, but you’re really pushing it. Especially when the Pomegranate flavor lever is always fighting with me. And the worst part is, they have the nerve to leave all their dirty sample cups on the counter when there’s clearly a trash can in front and behind you. I’m so relieved when guys come in to order a frozen yogurt, because they’re not crazy picky like the ladies are. I kid you not, I have never had a male give me attitude; it’s always the girls!

Next, I have to tell you about the customers who always mix up the blackberries and the raspberries. HONEY, there are name plaques for the fruit there for a reason. Then you throw a fit when I put in raspberries like you told me to, when what you meant was blackberries. Unbelievable! When customers get to the register and get their yogurt rung up, one a few always say, “what!” when we tell them their total. The prices are listed nice and boldly for you on the menu, I’m sorry you refuse to read. They complain to me like I made up the prices or something. Sweetheart, I’m just an ordinary worker, complain to the managers.

I feel like I’m ranting a lot, but it isn’t at ALL that bad working there. Sometimes, you meet interesting people. Sometimes. Meeting new coworkers is always fun too, unless they have an ugly personality which doesn’t happen TOO often. When it’s not busy in the store, the atmosphere is pretty relaxing, and my coworkers and I can just chitchat about life and everything. Work has so far been a great way for me to meet new people outside my usual groupie. And of course, the free yogurt at the end of the shift helps too.

I’m a sister and a friend. I hardly act serious but can still set my priorities straight. I’m learning everyday, about what it means to live and love unconditionally. But truthfully, I’m just dying to get this blog post off my To-Do list. Tonight I gave up too many parties to finish all my homework. There is definitely something wrong with me. I’m done complaining, so I’m going to talk about my concerns with being in Baruch College. My top concerns include transferring, having a high GPA to transfer, and figuring out the finance of transferring. I know I make it sound like I really dread being in Baruch, but it’s not that. It’s just that I swore I wasn’t going to stay home for college and I did, and I’m really disappointed in myself for that. Furthermore, I miss someone terribly who’s in a SUNY that I want to transfer to, Buffalo University! There aren’t that many choices in Baruch for me because I don’t want to do anything business-related; I wanted to do nursing to be exact. I changed my mind about the type of major I intended on going for too late to change my college wishlist, so I improvised and figured I could knock out some core classes in Baruch for a year and then transfer. I just hope all my credits (or at least most) transfer through successfully. What’s so different about Baruch College is how much independence you can gain if you really wanted it. I know a lot of people from high school who are in Baruch with me now, but if I didn’t decide to hang out with them, I realize that I could get so much done. I love the resources that Baruch has to offer, especially in the library building. High school just isn’t capable of having seven floors worth of library equipment for students. My goal during this first year of college is just to work, study and save up enough money to go on a cruise this summer with my favorite people and transfer to Buffalo. Being around my family so much, I’d love to just get away from them for a few years. I need to experience being on my own to learn how to not take things for granted anyway. I think the experience of buying my own toilet paper and such will really teach me something. After this first year at Baruch, I’m hoping to turn out much more mature than I am now, without really killing the fun part of me. If all this goes as planned, I’m going to be real proud of myself. So will my mom, maybe.