Author Archives: bm132053

When I first entered the Rubin Museum, I was  in awe. The spiraling staircases added to the excitement. There is always that special feeling when you enter a museum. There are so many wonders and mysteries waiting to be discovered.

While exploring the museum, I came across an artwork named “Shantarakshita and Scenes of His Life in Tibet”. The artwork tells a narrative of the legends and myths in Himalayan folklore. It shows how Shantarakshita, who has supernatural powers, is teaching Buddhism to his followers. His hands are in held in a symbolic gesture for teaching. There is also a “golden” Buddha, which symbolizes the importance of Shantarakshita’s teaching.

The narrative continues with Shantarakshita and his followers reaching a palace. In fact, his teachings are supposedly so important, that his teachings reached the king (evident by the crown on the king’s head). There are students gathered around Shantarakshita, who is teaching them the ways of Buddhism.

One of the recurring themes that I came across in the artwork is that the art is divided into panels. The panels each tell a different story and are separated by landscapes or architectures. Furthermore, the panels are not in any particular order. Each panels/stories can be look and examine separately.

I felt that I definitely learned more about Shantarakshita. I also left the museum feeling more intellectually fulfilled.

To be honest, Baruch was more or less what I expected. Commuting makes Baruch seem like “high school part two”, but the alternating schedules make up for it. Baruch is a very career-orientated college in my opinion, so it is fair to say that college culture in Baruch is not that stellar.

I felt that I could have worked harder for my first semester. There were a lot of assignments to do and I had to memorize a lot of information. College professors are also harsh graders. I lost a number of points on a test for not giving “enough details”. I also still haven’t found a good place to eat yet, unfortunately.

If I could re-do my first semester, I would definitely study harder for my tests and attend all my classes. Then again, I have a feeling that I might repeat most of the things that I’ve done.

I think Baruch might have woken me up to the obligations placed in front of me. High school felt like a cruise, but college feels like a roller coaster. There seems to be so many bumps on the road that I will have to watch out for. I feel as though I might get left behind if I don’t put more effort in everything I do. Hopefully, I can carve a better future through Baruch.

Dear Professor “X”,

I apologize for being absent on the day of the midterm exam. I had a fever that left me incapacitated. I sincerely hope that you will allow me to take the midterm finals due to the illness I had came down with.

From,

Brandon Man

The Monologue

Camping is a great time to hang out with your family or friends. Be it rain, shine, or snow, the outdoors are always a great place to relax at. You can set up your tent with great pride and joy or eat food and drink. Or just drink. No, really I think that’s the best and most memorable part. Okay, fine. The best part is actually when we went canoeing/rafting. Paddling through the Delaware River filled with white water (basically very rough water) is tiresome yet worth it. Sometimes we would get into two groups and start racing each other or we would connect the rafts together.

Also cooking food over a fire that you made is fulfilling. It’s challenging yet rewarding. You might end up burning the food, but what you can get out of it is something very tasty. This is even more so when you’re cold and tired. Also, camping is not limited to just humans. The wildlife such as deer and bears litter the camping sites. In fact, one of my friends fought off a bear with his bare hands. Or so he told us.

What I’ve learned from camping, however, is that we take the environment for granted. If all our forests and lakes are destroyed for human development, it takes away so much of the beauty from nature. Fresh air, lots of green, and beautiful vistas are many of the things that you can enjoy while camping.

So do you actually want to know more about me? Probably not, but I still have to give you the low-down on me, since it’s required/sadface.  So my name is Brandon Man and I’m just an ordinary student attending Baruch College. However, what people don’t know is that, at night I’m a superhero getting rid of crime in the city. Okay, now that you know my biggest secret it’s time to tell you my less fun and more ordinary information (blurgh).

I am kind of shy (kind of obvious because I’m too quiet sometimes), but now I want to be more of a social butterfly. Not that I didn’t try to be one in high school, I tried, but I’m in a new school and most of my high school friends are not in this school.  So I have to gather allies to fight evi-, err, I meant my shy demeanor.

My top 3 concerns about my freshman year in Baruch are evil professors, being trapped in the elevator and forgetting to wear pants.

Okay fine, on a more serious note, I do not want to be overwhelm by homework, to embarrass myself if I were to present my work, and to be forever alone (in this college).

We all I dislike homework..right? Well, I take it up a notch and feed my dog homework when I experience a homework overload. Joking aside, homework is something I usually push away till the last minute..or forget about (I’m not alone in this, right?). Hopefully I won’t procrastinate till the last minute anymore (oh never mind, late blog).

Going up stage seems to be a scary prospect. Speaking in front of a large audience seems to be much scarier. However, embarrassing myself in front of a large audience? Yeah, time to get the rope. I definitely want to be able to do public speaking, however, if I only to overcome a fear.

It would really suck to graduate college with no social connections. I mean I’m going to need to know people so I can know people who knows important people (so that involves knowing a lot of people!).

If there’s one thing that I can get out of Baruch that I couldn’t get out of my high school, it would be buying one dollar pizza and two dollar hotdogs near the college…everyday. Other than that, I think I would have to see what more I can get out of Baruch. Commuting to Baruch everyday feels like high school all over again. Maybe something that piques my interest in Baruch.

I think my first year in college might be a little uneventful, it’s like an appetizer and you haven’t got to the main course yet. Hopefully, the main course will taste good.