Month: December 2011

I volunteered my time to help out at the Asian Basketball tournament held at Baruch College back in October. I work long hours for two days. My basketball team and I made sure the tournament ran smoothly and the spectators were comfortable. I mainly controlled the concession stand, cooking the food and collecting the money. But when needed, I helped out in the gym doing the game clock or score book. I also helped out cleaning up the garbage left behind in the bleachers.

I attended the adhoc workshop today in the Starr Career and Development office. It was very insightful and interesting. Hearing the stories of those who have gone through the process of creating their major. One in particular that interested me was Celia who combined graphic arts marketing communications. Her internships and job sounds very fun to do. She has worked for such places such as fuse, who is a television station that shows music videos. Now she is doing casts for other shows. Creating my own major would most definitely be something that I’d look into.

For this assignment, I visited the organization I worked with during two of my years in highschool, Word Of Life Christian Fellowship International. This is a community outreach program which serves as a food pantry service and organizes weekly events through which they also preach to the people. Four of us went, the four that previously worked their. We were welcomed with open arms and hearts and just as always we got to work. It was a pleasure to see all of the old faces, I was truly happy to see them again. We started the day off as always, setting up pallet after pallet of food for the people, ranging from bananas to baby food. Soon enough the rude and obnoxious people began to swarm you asking for more, using their child as an excuse for me to give them more. The day ended quickly, ending with us talking to the group, catching up from the extended period of time we didn’t seem them. Before the next semester starts, I will definitely revisit because it, as always, was a great experience.

The Baruch Voices performance of fellow students monologues was interesting, showcasing Baruch talents in writing and acting. I enjoyed hearing the different themes and topics. Holler to Alexandra for having her monologue chosen and first, but because she presented her monologue in Fro I was able to tell that the orators way of speaking took away the power of the words. The way she personally said it was more enticing and captivating. The speakers did well nonetheless, but I would assume that much of the power from other monologues was also lost through the interpretation. Overall, I enjoyed them and the deep meanings bestowed upon certain ones. Baruch Voices was great and I would enjoy attending another.

The workshop, Baruch Voices, which took place in Mason Hall, was a very moving experience. I was able to hear a number of freshman monologues, revealing their personal stories, which gave me real insight into their lives. The monologues ranged from being deeply serious to extremely humorous. These monologues were performed by terrific actors and actresses who were very engaging and inspirational. Overall I was really impressed.

Our class trip to the Rubin Museum was both educational and fascinating. The Museum was the perfect size.  Not too overwhelmingly huge, yet large enough to be comprehensive. The building itself was remarkable, for it had a unique sweeping staircase and very spacious exhibit rooms. These exhibits showcased an immense amount of art from the Himalayan culture. There were various paintings, sculptures, statues,and beautiful pieces of jewelry from both the Buddhist and Hindu religions. Even for someone who is not the most cultured person, like me, this experiences was a great one. The vibe was so relaxing and peaceful, sort of rejuvenating spiritually. The good collection of art, from many places like Nepal, Tibut, Bhutan, India, China, etc., was far from familiar for most western people. That is part of what makes this museum so unique from many others.

Recently, we took a relatively short walk to the Rubin Museum, which showcases intricate and beautiful works of Himalayan art. Once I stepped inside, I felt an aura, an energy that began to encompass my body and mind. The Rubin gave off a tranquil and peaceful vibe, which allowed me to appreciate the artwork more. The accentuating staircase and the overall architectural design did not seem to be like that of the previous department store, it seemed fitting to the art. I especially enjoyed the darkened room in which tens of statues sat at what seemed to be a site devoted to prayer or meditation. It struck me as fascinating to see people dedicate so much time to reproducing statues of what I understood as being their gods, teachers or enlightened ones. I recall one statue that caught my attention because I thought of, be it Buddhists, as peaceful but this art portrayed a man standing on another human with a snake defecating jewels. All I remember is that the snake and jewels meant prosperity but the rest had me perplexed. The exhibit was fascinating to say the least, and I took away much valuable insight.

The Rubin Museum holds such beautiful pieces from the Asian continent, especially associated to the Hindu and Buddhist religions. Much of the paintings and sculptures had such detail; it contrasted greatly with western art. The ancient pieces narrative explains their mythological beliefs about the soul, afterlife, virtues, etc. The vast majority of the figures are polychromatic, and they demi gods are elaborately emphasized with headdresses and jewelry. The atmosphere was very peaceful and held a tranquility of Buddhist monks. The pieces are very well preserved and beautiful in every sense.

Baruch Voices was a great experience showcasing our fellow peer’s monologues. I was a bit excited that my monologue was the first to be read. We really have such great writers here at Baruch. The performers were really into their enactment, and seemed inspired about what they were reading. I hated how each row was so close to each other which made it virtually impossible to move in and out the isles without hitting someone’s bag or knee. Overall it was an enjoyable event and I am glad that I attended.