As a part of the whole Freshmen experience, one of them is going to these enrichment workshops. They sound boring at first, but they’re actually not bad. I’ve went to a majority of them throughout my first semester but my favorite one would of had to have been Baruch Voices. The fact that this show is even put on is amazing. It showcases students throughout all different grades, ethnicity, talents, accents and personalities all getting up on stage to perform in front of other classmates. It was a different experience then a talent show however. Baruch Voices felt like genuine performances coming from all kinds of people and during the show, I was actually having a really good time, despite my feelings of going to a show during club hours in the first place. One of my friends from High School actually performed on stage. Seeing him there was really exciting because I have had conversations with him in the past, and now he was having a conversation with an audience full of people. He did a monologue on his morning routine and I think it was spot on for a lot of freshmen, unsure of where they were headed in life. In my opinion, this Baruch Voices was a much better time than the other Baruch Voices that happened earlier this year. This is because I have I experienced my first semester here at Baruch and I can understand where some of the speakers were coming from. Have a happy day everyone!
Author Archives: Arvien Siswanto
Blog #3
This in an image of a crowded elevator and this explains my first few semesters here so far. It’s pretty self explanatory because well..everything here is crowded. The only times the elevators aren’t crowded are during the most obscure times and at the 23rd Street building the elevator takes forever to come down, and when it does, it gets packed quick. The library is like trying to find parking on a Friday night the way all the seats are taken up and people are using two chairs to form a nice little couch. Another thing that’s crowded is classes! Class registration has by far been one of the most stressful things about Baruch. As a freshman, the gift of last pick is given to us and by the time we get to register, all the classes are already full. 300 seats at a lecture hall fill up in the first day, and once again, only spots are available at the most obscure time like 7:10 or 8:00. This isn’t a rant about how overcrowded Baruch is however. It’s more of an appreciation. Baruch has taught me to welcome crowded elevators as a chance to make friends. It’s taught me that walking around the library to find a seat is good exercise and to be vigilant of my surroundings just in case there is an open seat. The classes being filled up by other students before I even get a chance to register has taught me that sometimes, you’ll get the short end of the stick…and you’re going to have to deal with that. I take overcrowding with open arms and welcome it, because I’d rather be around a whole bunch of people, than just nobody.
Monologue
This is a poem about my life
I do not have a wife
My name is Arvien, it is not Luke
I go to school at Baruch
As you can see, I cannot rhyme
I wonder how much time…is left
My favorite class is Freshman Seminar
Nothing really rhymes with seminar
And I’m not just saying that to suck up
If you think I am, then you can shut the front door
I’ve been arrested in the past
That’s just a joke, you silly class
I live in Queens, the greatest borough
I love me a hot cup of cocoa
The greatest team is the Knicks and that a fact
If you don’t think so, you can shove it up your nose
I don’t think this is going well
I’m very nervous, if you can tell
I think I will just end it there
So that’s my monologue, thank you and take care
Playlist Blog
A. Siswanto
http://grooveshark.com/playlist/Arvien+s+Playlist/77732702
So this weeks topic was to post a video, slideshow, or a playlist. Honestly I thought doing the songs would be the least time consuming so I just did that. Everyone here pretty much wrote that “music is life” or that it helps them get through tough times but honestly, I just like listening to music. I can bump to a lot of things except songs that are TOO extreme. You know what I’m talking about, rock music with TOO much screaming, rap music that’s TOO dirty, and country music’s that TOO…well, country. So i guess I’m an average listener, pretty much bopping my head to anything that sounds good to me.
The songs I chose are or were songs I could listen to over and over and over again. They’re from artists spanning across all different genres and sounds but they all come together for a playlist I made.
The first song on there is PSY’s “Oppa Gangnam Style”. Yes, I like this song, so what? At first I didn’t know what this guy was saying and then I looked a bit more into it with the English translations, but I still really don’t know what this guy is saying. But if I had to summarize it, he’s basically telling a girl that he’s different from a lot of other guys and that the girl he’s talking about is unique as well. The video makes absolutely no sense but it’s pretty fun to watch. I like PSY because in a market dominated by pretty-boys, comes along this pudgy looking guy that makes an overnight international hit. Plus this guy had two of his earlier albums banned in Korea, making him pretty badass in my book.
The next song on the list is “Gravity” by John Mayer. I like a stripped-down. slow jam to listen to every once in a while and John Mayer definitely delivers. His voice really compliments the electric guitar in the back and I like the live version better because he does a lot of improvisation which is what makes a good concert artist.
The next song is “Internet Songs” by Knife Party. This is actually one of the only songs I know from them but it’s just a really fun house song to listen to. It’s got a lot of humor in it which I like in my music as well as a catchy beat. House music is something I recently got into and the reason why I fell in love with it is the culture. The environment at raves and these huge, sold-out festivals is really inviting and everyone just wants to have a good time. Most of the time it’s due to illegal drugs but still, an inviting scene.
Lastly we have Frank Ocean’s “Super Rich Kids”. I think he absolutely killed it on this track, and he creates this kind of perfectly crafted story that I really don’t get from much artists. Earl Sweatshirt features on this one making this song an instant classic.