Monthly Archives: October 2011

An ode to the ghost of English teachers past

From: [email protected]

To:      [email protected]

Subject: Question about the Story Book 123 Assignment

Hello Professor Goose,

I am working on my analysis of Mary and her Little Lamb, and I can’t fathom the symbolism of the teacher in this nursery rhyme—my intuition tells me that the teacher represents the institution, but then at the end she’s almost nurturing. Can you help me with this? Thanks!

Hannah Dhunda

Story Book 123, MW 3:00

I’m Angelos, might as well start somewhere, I’m form Brooklyn NY, I wouldn’t say born and raised however because I’ve spent a lot of my life living in Greece.  Greece is awesome. I love going there.  I’ve spent every summer of my life there, and then some.  A lot of my family is there, so I pretty stay busy while I’m there.  I have family in all different parts of Greece, but my favorite place to be is my dad’s home town, Amaliada.  There is where I spend the majority of my summer, and my cousin always try and make sure it will either be a summer I won’t forget, or a summer I will always be trying to remember, or any combination of the two.

Being Greek I am born knowing a couple of things: first I have to love soccer, it is mandatory that every Greek appreciates soccer; my favorite team is Panathinaikos, no thanks to my cousins of course who are almost all fans of this team.  You also are in love with the beach, if you’re Greek. Given that you have some knowledge of how to swim form birth, it’s a great thing having the beach literally five minuets away.  Finally, as you get older you are baptized in the art of drinking ouzo and tsipouro (Greek brandy); if you can handle both of these you can pretty much drink anything.

Now this only happens for two months of the year.  So what happens the rest of the year…mostly school, chilling with friends, working on the cars, work in general, and the occasional camping trip where all my stories come from.  The best time I have here is with my friends, especially when we are camping.  When we go camping we can just relax.  Nothing bothers us.  It’s kind of like all the stupid bullshit we deal with on a daily basis goes away for that weekend.  My friends have definitely gotten me through sum pretty hard times.  Especially my friend Con.  This kid and I have been friends pretty much from birth.  That’s an eighteen year on going friendship.  He’s always had my back and I’ll always have his.  Now that’s a little harder since he goes to Virginia Tech and I’m up here at Baruch, but that is not a reason to get rid of that kind of friendship.  Any story I tell he is usually the one in it with me.  It’s kind of a funny thing.  This kid would spend more time at my house than he spent home.  Maybe that’s why he can get away with calling my mom “mom”, just playing; he only does that to be funny.

Reflecting on the past 16 years, my short life has had its share of ups and downs. In some ways, each group of years represents an era – the “Dark Ages” for example, was about a decade ago at a point where I was shy and introverted in an insular yeshiva school. As the years fly by I realize new-found perspectives. It reminds me in some ways of this webcomic from xkcd.com:

Every age: "I'm glad I'm not the clueless person I was five years ago, but now I don't want to get any older."

Who I am has been mostly defined not just by me, but the people and events that have surrounded me.

At the heart of my education and future goals, lies the experience of discovering my passion for law.  This process involved several challenges and achievements along the way.  At an early age, I learned about the benefits and difficulties of the legal system through my experiences in family court. My fascination with law solidified as I learned more about the legal system, culminating in my valuable experiences as a member of the Mock Trial Team.

At age ten, when I was wading through the Kings County court system, I was fortunate enough to have a knowledgeable attorney named Callie Kramer who fought for my rights to be with my father.  Callie was assigned by the court to protect my interests. When I first met her, Callie immediately dedicated her time and energy to listen to what I had to say.  She was a compassionate, genuine, and committed civil servant. At the time, Callie represented what was right and just in the world and, in a sense, inspired me to become a lawyer.

My passion for law and justice served as the foundation for a wider desire to reach out to my local community. Over the past few years, I participated in community service programs including volunteering for the AYSO “VIP” League for Children with Special Needs. I also actively worked with several local campaigns throughout Brooklyn. Both these political and community experiences opened my eyes to the world around.

At the time, many of the challenges I faced seemed distressing, but as I look back this very day, I accept them as chapters of my life. Even if I could retroactively change my past I wouldn’t. Those significant events define who I am today. They are wholly part of the great school I’m in, the internship I have, the awesome people I get to interact with. All those obstacles are opportunities to grow. As Nietzsche and later Kanye West would say “That which does not kill me makes me stronger.”

Likewise, I look forward to face my biggest challenge yet, losing 150+ pounds. The sheer numbers were daunting, and frankly I would’ve bet against myself at the start of the process. But that’s where people who have made a huge impact on my life come in, the long hours my dad works for me, the investment my trainer makes into getting me to achieving the best I possibly can. So far, I’ve had a net loss of 60 pounds and 200,000 calories burnt (1 pound of fat = 3,500 calories) Even at this point, working out is still a pain, bur quitting is not an option. Committing to working out and living healthy is a daily battle, dragging myself to the gym nearly everyday takes a toll, but what I’ve realized now is the pain of your own labor is better than the pain of regret. Muhammad Ali once said “I hated every minute of training, but I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion.”

My name is Louis Lam. I am five feet eight inches tall, although I would like to be taller. Many people tell me that you would stop growing at the age of 21, so hopefully I grow a bit more before I reach that age. I am a fairly easygoing guy who likes to play sports. At a young age, my mother pushed me to play a lot of sports, including soccer, basketball, baseball, football, batminton, swimming. I also used to learn how to play instruments such as flute, violin and piano, but I stopped everything, and I regret that I stopped playing piano. My favorite food would be Japanese and Korean food. Even though I am easygoing, I dislike people that seek a lot of attention and try to be the class clown the least, especially if its not even funny. I would identify myself as a passive person that would usually relax, be laid back and wait for situations to unfold themselves. I play the role of a younger and older sibling, I have people taking care of me out in life, besides my parents, and I also like to take on responsibility and try to get involved in some things, like helping out others. I don’t really mind utilizing my time to help out a person in need, especially if I have the knowledge to answer their question and give them advice on all sorts of things, and if they ask in an appropriate manner. My family and friends are very important to me because they have been there for me for some of the hard times that I have been through. I am afraid of situations that are dangerous and that I do not have control of. For example if someone is a bad driver, we could get into a car accident or worse. School is taking a downhill turn although I am on the path to bringing everything back uphill. Sometimes my life sucks because I would wait at a bus stop, and the bus would just passed by me, like it did yesterday, while I was waiting in the rain, and therefore I would arrive late to school. One of my favorite quotes is from a song, and it is “The sun is somewhere shining even though it rains”. This quote sort of gives me hope, so on a bad mood or a bad day, it shows that are still positive things going on elsewhere and can hopefully bring my mood up.

Who am i? Well lets start with, my name is Mayank Suneja. I am a freshman at Baruch College. I was born in New Delhi, India and spent most of my life growing up there. When i moved to NY at first, almost 6 years ago, i thought to myself “Damn, this is different.” And sure enough it was different. It took me a while to get used to this new culture and this new life. However, i am the least paranoid person you are ever likely to meet. So i did not panic, and as time passed by, i blended in with the lifestyle and the friendly culture of this city. I identify myself as a very ambitious young man who wants to achieve something big in life and make his family proud. Alright so enough of this boring, introductory stuff.

A lot of people are scared of heights, some of are scared of fire, some are scared of water. To be honest, none of these “physical” things scare me too much. what does scare is my future and also my grades. I hate it when i get a low grade. I always have a guilty feeling and say to myself “i could have studied more.” But then again, that is how i learn. My motto is “Never regret anything, just learn from your mistakes and move on” I had this guilty feeling when i did not live up to my potential in high school. Cutting classes, hanging out with friends in the cafeteria, really brought my overall Gpa down. But, being the positive person that i am, i hoped for the best. One day when i was collecting the mail, i saw a letter from Baruch College. I opened it to see that not only have i been accepted, i have also been offered a full scholarship. I was not only surprised but also overjoyed. My parents were very proud of me.

Now that i am a student in Baruch, it hasn’t been too easy. Its a challenge. So much reading, so many papers due, blog posts, monolouges, etc. However, its been a challenge that i like and have gotten used to. I like the freedom and the independence i get being out in one of the best cities in the world. i like meeting new people everyday of such diversity and making new friends. The only two things i do NOT like, as i am sure my classmates would agree, are sitting through my Sociology and English class. Oh God, they are so boring i can’t even describe it.

Finally, ill move on to the things that are very important to me. My family, friends, blah blah of course are important to me. Other than that, i am a HUGE soccer fan. I often call soccer my “second girlfriend.” Yeah i know that sounds lame. But, i really am that crazy about soccer. My weekends start with watching English Premier League Soccer and if i have time, going to play with my friends in the evening. My favorite team is, of course, the BEST team in the world, MANCHESTER UNITED. Also, my ex girlfriend, my best friend is very important to me. She means the world to me. There is nothing in this world that i will not do for her. She has become such a huge part of my life and i feel that i can never stop loving her. I want to dedicate a couple of lines from one of my favorite songs to her, “When i see your face, there’s not a thing that i would change, Coz girl you’re amazing, just the way you are.”

A little bit less than six months ago, I was working on monologues—at that time, it wasn’t my own, but that of Shakespeare. I was the producer of the last Shakespeare class I would have in High School, and I was making the most of it.

I was working with one actor, who played Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, and he was doing the most amazing job. I remember very clearly, knowing in my head that this actor was definitely the one I wanted for Petruchio. He had the strength of an ox (perfect for carrying his leading lady), the work ethic of an over-achiever (good for memorizing lines), and the all the charm and charisma one could hope for in a leading man.

I have always been very much into the theater and music. 

When I was younger, my cousins and I were obsessed with boy bands. We would learn all of their songs and dances, and we put on insanely elaborate performances at family gatherings. I was the youngest cousin, though, so I always ended up having the crappy parts. 

Soon enough though, I got my part. Two of my cousins and I decided to form a band. We didn’t have a name, and we performed on the sidewalk using my uncles’ ukulele (or as we called it, a cuatro), a bucket with a string attached, and some maracas. We only knew one song—“Your Love” by the Outfield.

I was six years old, it was my absolute favorite song, and I got to be lead singer/maracas player. We made horrible, horrible music, but that’s okay because I was the lead singer.

Soon after that, I started making better music. I took lessons to learn how to play the steel pan. This is perhaps the coolest instrument I have ever played. My teacher thought that I was amazing, and encouraged me to become a professional player, but I was satisfied with just playing at school assemblies. Now, that I’ve stopped playing for so long, I definitely wished that I would have continued with that. I still crave the way the rhythms rolled through my wrists as steel connected with rubber and beautiful sounds resounded.

I stopped playing the steel pan because I moved here to America. I couldn’t really find a satisfactory teacher at the time.

When I moved here, I was entering middle school. Those were three wonderful years. In middle school, I was in the drum line. It was a weird afro-fusion drum line, and I played the jamblaya and the claves.

When I entered High School, I was overwhelmed. I was getting four-five hours of sleep a night, and didn’t have much time for anything. But, I started making time for things. Especially things I really enjoyed. In High School, I started doing things on my own. I picked up guitar and ukulele, and started really getting into theater.

I was in two bands—one, a temporary band made to woo a girl for my friend, and another one of my own, which still exists but is inactive (and extremely so). The other band members are at colleges in lands much too far away.

 I went to countless concerts, and made cool new friends at these concerts.

I’ve always been into Harry Potter, but I started getting into wizard rock, and made awesome friends who make habit out of touring the country, singing about Harry Potter (which I think is the coolest thing. Ever.) 

I started reading myriads of screen plays, and going to a plethora of broadway shows, and off-broadway shows, and off-off-broadway shows. Eventually I made a couple of friends in that business too.

 Overall, I have had a pretty good amount of years doing this, and I hope to continue with that, whether it be on my own, or joining in with an existing program. 

Ah Education. The ideas of curriculum and understanding, such a boring concept. It perplexes me that there are so many fields of education yet such a lack of focus in the earlier years of education. I have come to the hypothesis that the reason I lack focus is because of my earlier experiences in public school. Being diagnosed with ADHD is no fun time but what’s even less fun is being so doped up you can’t even stay awake in the morning. So in public school I went from not being able to sit still to not being able to stand straight. Society is brilliant. But enough of my anecdote, on to my point, curriculum in public schools is so convoluted and confusing it doesn’t surprise me that most kids have problems focusing. They shove basics from 4 corners of existence down our throats daily without any regard for whether or not it sticks and then they expect us to regurgitate it for years upon years afterwards. Hold on a second I lost my train of thought. All I can think of is basic arithmetic and the drafting of the constitution of the US. Damn elementary understanding of this world. Well now that I’ve forgotten what my point was I think ill go sit down to absorb more knowledge that Ill have to judge for myself. Just hope I find a good use somewhere along the road. Or at least a few decent hookers.

“Health is wealth. Peace of Mind is Happiness. Yoga shows the way.”- Swami Vishnudevananda.

In June, I was confronted with a black and white question, no not physically between chocolate and vanilla ice cream, but whether I should go through an rigorous 200 hour teachers training course to become a yoga teacher or not. I knew that physically I would be prepared to deal with the asanas, from my eight years of experience, but I really did not know if I was ready mentally. The fact was, I did not know if I was able to address questions such as “who am I?” and “what is my purpose in life?” or even defy those ideas. How is a seventeen year old person supposed to answers these kinds of questions if I do not even know what I am going to wear tomorrow or what I will be doing ten years from now! I knew I was one of the youngest to complete this course because as I sat there in that gargantuan hallow hall and saw that the youngest person there was twenty-eight, and the oldest was seventy-four. This was going to be a journey, and it was a journey that is now a perpetual part of my life.

As I learned through many mind-boggling lectures with a Swami, I realized that Yoga is not just a theory, but a practical way of life. It is a tool, an instrument for me whether it is used to mitigate some back pain with a certain posture or to calm my mind from the chaos that envelops me on a daily basis. As I continued with my practice in yoga, there became elusive changes in my life such as small glimpses into a state of inner peace. I became much more cognizant of my surroundings, my actions, and my thoughts. Even from the thirty minute mediations twice I day, I began to become much more concentrated, even in my approach to life.

In today’s society, more than at any other time in history of humanity, people are facing stresses and tensions that are beyond their control. While I may not know who I want to become, or even “who I am,” my one objective right now is to try and give back to individuals the beneficial methods I have learned through this yoga experience.

Alexandra Bauer

Who am I? My name is Richard Choi and I was born and raised in New York. I guess college is alright so far, but I really have to start managing my time better and adjust to the recently-increasing workload. I still can’t seem to get myself to start my homework once I get home. My procrastination is probably due to my interests, so I guess I shall be telling you all a little more about myself.

There’s a lot of things that get on my nerves, but the things I dislike the most would be: heights, rollercoasters, carrots (they just taste awful), and most of all, strangers around my age who tease me and find me vulnerable. In all honesty, I consider myself a short, awkward- geek…gamer geek to be exact! Electronics, video games, the internet, and randomness are in my comfort zone. I’m an avid Nintendo fan, but also love video games such as NBA 2K11, Call of Duty, Ninja Gaiden, Street Fighter, and much, much more. Most of my life revolves around video games and technology. To be honest, I unintentionally end up researching and watching gameplay of video games, for systems that I don’t even own. Speaking of watching videos, I also love the internet; specifically for Internet-memes and YouTube. I’ve spent more time watching videos on YouTube than I do watching TV. I find it unfortunate that I can never really discuss any television shows with my friends. Anyway, personality-wise, I love being random. What makes me laugh the most are random jokes that defy the laws of physics. I also tend to be very laidback, humble, and caring at serious times; I love to help people out with any difficult situations they may be going through in life.

I don’t do much, so I guess art is my talent and helps me stand out. The thing I love to do most is draw, although that doesn’t mean I enjoy Art History! I’ve won the grand prize trophy in an art contest when I was in 5^th grade. In 6^th grade, I got 6^th place in another contest, having only lost to college students. Drawing helps me express myself and it just relaxes me. It’s more fun when people are actually impressed by my drawings and comment on them. I sometimes accept drawing requests online and have been praised for my unique ideas, but that doesn’t mean that I am anywhere near professional.

My goals in life? Well when it comes to goals, I don’t really have any in mind. I don’t really know what I want to major in. I’ve mentioned a lot about my interests, which makes me ponder on future possibilities such as: animating a cartoon, developing a video game, or possibly making a YouTube Partners channel, but they are not what I fully desire. While I am currently attending Baruch College, I still can’t seem to grasp an interest in any business major yet. I also can’t really see myself actively engaging in business.

Baruch College is really nice and so are the people that go here, but sometimes I wonder if I’m at the right place. I hope I can find my calling in life real soon. Life can be challenging a lot of the time, but I guess it’s important for me to try and stay optimistic despite being in difficult situations.

How I see myself is as a car enthusiast, an avid skier, cyclist, and a good son and friend. I’m always willing to try something new and love the life that I have. Since in can remember, sports and cars were a passion of mine. Both passions started when I was young. My father thought me how to ski when I was very little, seven years old to be exact. I have grown to love the sport as I aged and gained more experience. Now I go skiing almost every weekend in the winter. Skiing, to me, gives a rush of adrenaline like no other. When I am going down a steep slope at a fast rate of speed, the only thing between me and the snow is a just a pair of skis. It is fun to see what I can handle and be on the borderline of crossing my limit. When it is not skiing season, cycling takes over. It keeps me fit and gets me places that I need to go if I can’t drive there.

Another passion of mine is cars. My love of cars also started when I was young. There was just something that I loved about them; I don’t know if it was the sound they made, the speed they could reach, or just the sleek design of some, or maybe all these things and even more, but that something made me like them. As I got older, this passion became more involved. When I was about ten years old, my father bought me a racing go-kart. I loved racing it upstate on weekends. The feeling I got behind the wheel was like no other; driving at 50 mph only two inches from the ground was an exhilarating feeling. Although I stopped two years later, my love of cars still continues. Now that I have a license, I love to drive my car around and to take care of it by washing it and detailing it whenever I get the time. I also love to watch car shows and to go to car shows, such as the annual Auto Show in the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan.

Friends also play an important role in my life. I love to hang out with them whenever I can. We always have a great time, whether it’s playing sports or just talking about all the things in our lives. We are always in some sort of competition whenever we play sports, even if we say we won’t argue there’s always some argument on who has how many points or if a certain point counted, but we always end the argument after a few minutes and continue to play. Recently towards the end of summer vacation we all went go-karting at Grand Prix New York in Westchester. Overall, we had a blast and had some “friendly” competition between each of us.

Two months ago, school started for all of us. So far, school has been great in my opinion. I love being in one of the most active cities in the world. Everything you want is within reach in Manhattan. I’ve made many friends. I love the free time in between classes that I have this semester. My biggest challenge thus far in college is the workload that the professors give us. The challenge is to get everything done, and to also get a good grade. Overall, college is more a free environment. You are free to do whatever you want. No one is after you if you don’t complete something. This freedom, however, does come with more responsibility. But hey this is college; no one said it would be easy.