At first I was very reluctant to go to any of these workshops, mainly because they were during the one real break that I had once a week. However, once I saw them I couldn’t be happier. Being forced to go was one of the greatest things. I live in a community that is such a bubble and I don’t really hear of much outside of the community. Although, when I went to the Voices the other week I was touched. It is just marvelous how so many people can express themselves in such different ways. They open themselves up, trusting other people with the truth about themselves. I for example had said the most important topic in the world to me when I presented my monologue. It just really makes me feel good there are other people out there that have the strong will to open up. The Ruben museum was magnificent. To know the history, is the strongest gift of life. I believe we must understand clearly our past before we can plan out our future. The Ruben Museum did a wonderful job at giving me a short insight on the past. Overall, I think this class was a complete success, it has helped me out a lot.

Attending Baruch College was one of the toughest decisions I’ve faced. I had the opportunity to go to University of Michigan but because of family matters and the distance from my actual house, I chose Baruch. Would I say I’m proud of the decision I made? Not necessarily. Yes, it has been a great semester here in Baruch but I always wonder to myself how much better it could have been in U-Mass. When I went to my friend in Hofstra recently it made me realize that dorming isn’t always the greatest idea. Yes, you learn to be independent, but life is not that great in the end of the day. You are on your own and nobody there who really cares for you like your family does. I’ve experienced so much in Baruch already and I still have a few semesters left. With the different people surrounding me and “the city that never sleeps,” I would say that I’m adjusting. Soon I will have a job and I just hope I can balance both school and this job. I am excited for the rest of my time in Baruch. Nobody said life will be easy but I’m willing to face every obstacle that faces me in my path to success, confidently.

For the past six years there has been a question that I have been asking myself repeatedly- “Is there a reason for me to live?” The reason I ask myself this question is because unfortunately I have diabetes. I’ve been a diabetic since I was the age of 12. Diabetes is a chronic condition where the pancreas produces little or no insulin to the body.  It’s been a living hell for me. Every day and every night I would have to prick myself with needles. I would have to wear a patch on my body 24/7. It really has been tough for me. I remember the day I became a diabetic better than anything. It was a Sunday morning. My dad realized that I had been going to the bathroom several times within an hour and drinking more water than anything. Since my brother was already a diabetic, he knew the drill. He told me to go check my blood sugar level, and it showed HIGH. The very next day I was taken to the hospital where my brothers’ doctor informed my parents that I had been diagnosed with diabetes. When she left the room, they began crying. I on the other hand, the little innocent kid that I was, had no idea what was going on. I thought it was a joke nothing crazy, so I told them everything was going to be ok. I was wrong, everything just got tougher. Six years of constant pain, constant worries, constant distraction from the real beauty of life is what I had ahead of me. It took me until recently to finally realize that yes  there is a reason to live. I have come to understand that what I have is not a curse it is a gift. Diabetes is a gift that has made me the person who I am today. I thank god day in and day out that I have diabetes and nothing worse. Who am I to complain when there are people that I have to spend their day in hospital or in wheelchairs. Thankfully, today there are medicines to help regulate my sugar levels and keep me looking healthy. People always tell me to enjoy life to the fullest, and that what I plan on doing no matter what gets in my way.

I chose to create a playlist rather than any of the other options because music is just perfect. At all times, music can be listened to, and there’s a song suitable for every moment of life. House music, that music you hear when you go clubbing, is the best type of music to listen to when you’re at clubs or getting ready to go clubbing. Its absolutely amazing music and never fails to get a crowd pumped up. I chose to start off with “save the world tonight” because this is house music however it can go under the chilled music category. After reading Nick’s blog I was very impressed because I also am a huge fan of rap and my favorite rapper of all time is Eminem. He’s a pure lyrical genius and his raps are gold. Space bound was one of my personal favorites. Next in line comes Drake, otherwise known as “Champagnepapi.” His newest album was just unbelievable and Marvin’s Room seemed to really hit me the most. I actually had this phase where I enjoyed listening to Coldplay. That phase ended a long time ago, although Clocks, and Viva la Vida seemed to really stick in my mind. The real top of the list type of music today is electric music. There are countless concerts, major ones that have sold out crowds who go insane. Electric Zoo, Electric Daisy Carnival, and Identity are small examples of the many concerts that take place. I’ve  been to quite a few of these and I must say, they are the craziest things I have ever been to. They tend to be full day concerts, or take place throughout a whole entire weekend. People show up wearing barely any clothes on, however whatever they are wearing is normally in a neon color. I don’t know where the whole custom of wearing neon came from but at least 80% of people wear that to the intense concerts. These concerts get so crazy that the dj Steve Aoki even throws cakes at peoples faces during the performances. The craziest part about that is that people beg to have the cakes beamed at their faces.  This year a new concert is coming to the US. Its been going on all throughout Europe and for the first time it is going to be in the US. They call it Sensation White, and it literally means however it sounds. Everyone who attends wears completely white clothing and rumor has it that this concert will be the best there was yet.  Don’t ask me why I stuck in that random song by Bon Jovi. Its just an electrifying song in that most mysterious way. I ended off my playlist with the famous song from the movie The Hangover. It was sung by Stu, one of the main characters and until this day every lyric is in my head. Both a hilarious and interesting song, that ends off my top ten playlist.