Monthly Archives: September 2012

I have been through way too many changes in my life, and music has been a part of it as I grew up. I was born in Costa Rica; Spanish-speaking country of Central America, so I speak perfect Spanish, and Spanish music was around all the time in TV, parties, and any other festivities. As a kid I liked energetic music, I was a very shy kid and dancing was not my thing. At parties I would just sit around and watch other people have fun. I went through many faces in my life, culture wise emotionally, educationally, and physically, and music came attached to it.

Si la Vez by Franco De Vita

A song that I listened to when I was in Costa Rica. I was probably around 10 and my brother who was like 5 loved this song. I have a Pandora station named “Franco De Vita” until this day. I listen to it when I have long trips or would like to find relaxation or just a better feeling inside of me. His lyrics bring me joy and put me in a better mood if I am going through difficult times.

I don’t Love You by My Chemical Romance

A song that describes my friendships with my best friends in Costa Rica. Every time I listen to MCR or other punk bands that I used to listen to back in CR I always remember my friends and remind me of who I once was.

One by Metallica

Describes who I wanted to be at some point when I touched ground in US. James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammet, and the bass players they had over time were my heores. I dreamed I could have the swagger, the look, the aggressiveness, the skills and I just wanted to be like James, but also like his friend and later rival Dave Mustaine from Megadeth. They are the definition of good guitar players. When I listened to Metal music was when I moved to the US. I found in Metal the energy that I did not have. Metal music pumped me up.

Leave the World Behind You by Swedish House Mafia

Then the big transition to the modern age came into me. My US born older cousin Ansley listened to a lot of Hip-Hop by such artist like Kayne, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and also listened to what he called House Music, electronic music in other word. I didn’t like it at the beginning, then I listened to this song and I was like “hmm this is cool, but effeminate” but the beat was very nice. As a metal listener I had a deep appreciation by music that came from instruments played by the hands of someone. But that was about to change

One by Swedish House Mafia

I was starting to get used to the Hamptons, and the American culture. It was not easy and it came after more than 2 years. To fit in I asked my friend Matias the name of a couple of djs and he named a few of which I followed and made research. I didn’t like it much, it was to calm for what I like in music. But then I remembered “Leave The World Behind You” and looked it up and found the name of the artist looked it up and One came up. A new Brandon was born, one that liked house music. From this point on I had things to talk to people about. They liked me and my music so I started fitting in a bit more. Big big change.

A Milli by Lil Wayne

Crazy playlist huh? I know. Lil Wayne came to me with this song. I hated previous work, though it wasn’t for me, but then this song man, changed it all. What a sick song, “a millioner ima young money millioner tougher than Nigerian hair”. My culture changed in the US. The people around me was not going to change for me, I had to change for them, and for me in order to be accepted and feel confortable.

Miss Me Drake ft. Lil Wayne

Describes the little bit of swagger I developed by listening to Hip-Hop. The song is so hot, now old but really? This song is never old to me “uh s*** m****goddamn, kicking b**** out the condo like pam”. This song really set the mark for what I am now “man I got so many styles, I am a group”. I have changed so much and now I am a blend of everything.

Faded by Tyga

His lyrics are just as disgusting as Lil Wayne’s, but holy beat! The first time I danced in public was in November of 2011, I actually never danced before in my life with anyone. I had a girlfriend that liked to dance and so I had to and I danced to this song. I did really good, she was good enough so I followed what she did and I was fine. I became a well known dancer after that. People thought very good of me at parties, they said things like “I have seen you dance, you are good” and in clubs (don’t ask me how I got in being 18) I asked girls out to dance that were in her 20s. I became very social thanks to it. Girls thought I was hot! Can you imagine? Me, hot? Never before, so I was liking it a lot.

Miami-Chasing Summers by Tiesto

Now I am a very adapted person. And I just want to live life to the extremes. I went through very difficult moments just a couple of months ago. I was not feeling right inside. My heart got really hurt by someone who I loved. After that this song made me realized that I needed to breath new air and so I did. This song as tiesto himself describes is a very happy song with a very nice slow intro and an amazing drop in the middle. That’s what I needed. A slow beginning that would lead me to a better me.

3 Peat by Lil Wayne

“I am on it, uh I am on it, I am so on it, however you want it, you can get it tonight h** and all night h**, I get the beat from Mistro, a f**ing right h**

I might go crazy on this n***** I don’t give a m****

Run up in the n**** house and shoot his grandma m****

WHAT WHAT I DON’T GIVE A M****

This is me now, I care about family and nothing else. I am very self sufficient and I don’t trust many people. But yet I am still a good kid, “I ain’t a killa but don’t push me”

My playlist

Queen – I Want It All

I am someone who has always strived to be successful. This song is about living a life with ambitions and trying to achieve your goals. It applies perfectly in defining who I am. I am motivated to be successful and my ambition stems from wanting to provide my parents with a work-free and more relaxed life. They have been working since they were five years old. Needless to say, they have had a tough life. I am driven to be successful because I want to be able to give my parents a much deserved break from work and give them a vacation which they rightfully have earned.

Nas – I can

This song has a great positive message overall and is always worth listening to. The song also reflects my belief that hard work gets you to where you want to be.

Miley Cyrus – The Climb

Not necessarily a favorite song of mine but I am someone who enjoys a wide range of music and for some reason I just like this song. I included this song because it’s a great example of how my family and I have lived our lives so far. It’s been a constant struggle and we’ve faced numerous obstacles but thus far we’ve managed to overcome them. Just to name a few, some of these obstacles include my parents moving to New York with four kids with not even a penny in their pockets. Also, learning the English language during the fourth/fifth grade was not easy for me. The song also resonates well with me because the roadway to success as I understand it as an uphill battle and no matter how hard it seems, you just have to give it your all as the song suggests.

Queen – The Show Must Go On

This one always serves as a little motivation for me when things aren’t going my way. The simple message in this beautiful song is that life is like a show and although things might not turn out the way that we planned, the show must go one.

Queen – We are the Champions

Yet another song by Queen but I feel this song also represents a part of me. As I stated before, I strive for success. It’s my belief though that on some level I have already achieved financial and personnal success. I make a large amount in earnings a month, more than I’d ever hoped for at my age. I worked extremely hard for it during my gap year between high school and college and am immensely proud of my achievement. Although the song itself is most likely about Queen themselves and how they made it to the top, another possible interpretation is that it’s a celebration of a victory and about the struggles on the way to that victory. Apart from my success, my parents in their own right achieved something great as well. They started with nothing when they first moved to New York but they now own and manage their own laundromat. This is definitely a victory and so I feel that “We Are the Champions” applies perfectly to my family.

Lupe Fiasco – Words I Never Said

I chose this song because in it Lupe Fiasco states a wide variety of views on the world that I personally share and agree with. The song raises some points about issues in modern society and they are for the most part something that I also think about often. I find myself sometimes getting angry over problems the world currently faces and someday I want to be a part of the solution to those problems. In my opinion, to make a difference in the world, you need money. Bill Gates is a prime example of someone who uses money for solutions to problems and he has helped and saved millions of lives doing so. It is my ultimate goal to build a successful business and thus have the funds to impact the world in a positive way. This song simply reminds me about some serious problems in today’s world and that someone needs to do something about it.

Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World

Though this one may be a little contradictory to my previous example, it does show another part of who I am. On one hand, it is one of my favorite songs. Also, the song, much like myself, is optimistic. I am optimistic that problems can be solved and that ultimately one day they will be fixed. It also serves as a reminder not to forget about the small things as I go through life.

For this assignment I chose to present eight pictures that represent who I think I am. In these eight pictures is everything I do and everything I associate myself with. My name is Partap Singh and I am an Indian American college student who has just started working towards a bachelor’s degree in economics at Baruch College. The first two pictures are based off my beliefs and my position on life. The first picture in this sequence is my mindset towards the rest of the world. Most of the time I feel that life is a game and all I have to do is persevere and eventually beat it. Although it may get extremely difficult at times all I have to do is overcome any challenge I am faced with. I believe there is no substitute for hard work and that’s why I don’t take any shortcuts in life, this is the theme of the second picture and it links back to what is said in the first picture. The next two pictures show that I not only like to work hard but I also like to play hard. I am a big user of Netflix. When I am relaxing seventy percent of the time it involves watching something on Netflix. I watch a lot of movies, documentaries and TV shows. Although Netflix has a vast amount of content it is still missing a lot, that’s where TV comes in to play. I follow a number of shows which include the big bang theory, breaking bad, Dexter, and top gear and I am a big fan of basketball. I have been watching basketball for eight years now and every year I get more and more involved in the process of following it and being a fan. The next picture is a picture of a laptop. A laptop is important to me because it represents modern technology and in this day and age everything we do is somehow connected with technology. Sometimes I feel sorry for my laptop because I don’t shut it off for weeks, that’s how integrated it is with my life. The next picture is an Indian flag; this is what represents me at my core. Although I was born here my family stems from India and everything that I do in my life is shaped around that fact. My Indian culture is the subconscious factor that pushes me to make the decisions that make.  If I was not from India I would be a totally different person, from the way I look to the way I think. The last picture is a picture of food. I am a big fan of trying new food. Whenever I buy food I try to be diverse as possible. Any time I go to buy Chinese food or Indian food I try to order something off the menu that was different that what I ate last time. All these pictures are  a summary of who I am as a person .

One of my most favorite and effective ways to relieve stress or express my emotions is through writing. Whenever I am feeling worried, sad, or angry, I would just sit myself down and start pouring everything out on paper. Writing always makes me feel better afterwards and it has been my outlet for years. Although not as effective, listening to music also helps me relax. When I am somewhere where I can not get any privacy or just do not have pen and paper on hand, I would listen to music to keep my mind off things. Listening to music is a good way to distract me from the real world because I love to concentrate and enjoy the songs. I also like to visit the park near my home when I am free. Since I am in the city for most of the week, I like to get away from all the crowds and noise and just be around nature. Sometimes I just have to take a break from everything and appreciate all the small things in life, which are also very important to me. I like to think that I am a pretty optimistic person. I do not like to linger on the negative things that happen to me and allow it to bring me down. I tend to look on the bright side of things and hope for the best. I have found that being positive makes me a happier person so I try to think optimistically as much as I can. Reading is probably one of my favorite hobbies. There are so many genres I like to read about but I enjoy reading fiction the most. It sounds cliché, but I think that books can be so interesting sometimes it feels like an adventure whenever I am reading one. Another thing I like to do is to exercise. I mostly just run outside when it is warm because it feels great afterwards. It feels so much better than sitting in front of the computer or television for hours. I love running so much that I try to get my friends and family to join me because I believe it is such a healthy thing to do for one’s body. Just like most of the students who attend Baruch College, I want to get a job in the business field one day in the future. For now, I think that is what I want to do when I am older, but it is not impossible for me to change my mind when it comes time to choose my major. I entered Baruch with the desire to major in something that has to do with business, but it is not a passion of mine. I want to try it out to see if that is really what I want. Last but not least is my joy of helping others. I always try to lend a helping hand whenever I can because I believe that the help will come back to me when I need it.

Its hard to pick 8 songs that describe me, but here we go!

1) Hypnotize by Biggie Smalls-  This song captivates all the good times I have had with my friends. I am a strong believer in living life to the fullest. I’ve made mistakes that I probably shouldnt have but this song reminds me to just have no regrets in life and just enjoy the moment that your living.

2) Hey Jude by The Beatles- I love The Beatles. I listened to them my whole childhood. This song in particular reminds me of my childhood and about my family. It is really special to me in the fact it helps me deal with bad things have happened in my life. It helps me be up when im feeling down.

3) Dream Chasin by Chiddy Bang- I am all about chasing your dream no matter what cost. This song represents that. No matter how hard something might be you just have to keep moving on.

4) What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong- One of my all time favorite songs. It reminds me sometimes to look and appreciate the little things in life. We take so much for granted and never truly appreciate everything in life. So this song helps me put a perspective on things to realize that the world isnt such a bad place after all.

5) Piano Man by Billy Joel- This song reminds me of a lot of the unselfish things I’ve done for my friends and family. I always believe that when someones feeling down and sad that you should always do whatever you can to help them realize the good and life and at the least cheer them up for awhile to show they have people there for them.

6) Giant Steps by John Coltrane- I am a jazz geek. I love jazz and its the only genre that can just relax me and let me hit the pause button on life. This song just represents the whole genre of jazz and the impact it has had on my life.

7)Bout To Get Fruit Punched, Homie by The Wonder Years- Since they are one of my favorite bands of all time I thought I would have to use one of these songs on the list. This song again just reminds me of my friends and the great times I have had growing up with them.

8) Moondance by Van Morrison- For whatever reason this song just reminds me of the great times I have had with my family. And that no matter what they will always be there for me. I am really close to my family so this song is especially close to my heart.

Adam Bernstein's playlist

1.Don’t Wake me up-Chris Brown
2. EMpire State of Mind-Jay-Z
3. WOrk Hard Play Hard-Wiz Khalifa
4. Basketball-Bow Wow
5. Who Let the Frog Out-Axel F
6. So Much To Say-DAve Mathews Band
7. Hava Nagila-Dick Dale
8. Sunday Night Football Theme-NBC

I picked these songs because i think they accurately describe me. The First Song by chris brown, describes me in the way that i hate waking up. I think I’m the worst morning person and it usually takes the unlucky person that has to wake me up 3 or 4 times before I even move in my bed. The second song, Empire State of Mind, is one of my favorite songs as well as a song that really goes with who I am. I was born in New York City and have lived here all 19 years of my life. the third songs describes me perfectly because I do work hard and then after working so hard i reward myself by going out and having a good time afterword. Basketball by Bow Wow, is a song that i feel describes my personality because i love all sports, especially basketball. I love playing basketball, talking about it and watching it on TV. Basketball and all sports are a huge part of my life. The 5th song on my playlist is quite a weird song, but i ahd to put it in. Ever since i was in 1st grade all my friends started calling me Froggy because of my deep and raspy voice. The name has stuck to me ever since and most people don’t even know that my name is Adam. The name Froggy is basically my name now. So much to say by DAve Matthews BAnd is a personal favorite and i think it goes well with my personality. I like to talk a lot and i feel like i could strike up a conversation with just about anybody so i feel like characterizing me as somebody that has so much to say would be a correct characterization. The 7th song on my playlist is a jewish song that people sing at jewish celebrations. This song goes well with my personality because I am Jewish. It also goes well because I like to dance and party at these celebrations, which is exactly what the song is meant for. The final song on my playlist, Sunday night Football theme song, is a great tune that describes me well because like i said before i love sports and maybe my favorite sporting event to watch is Sunday Night Football. I hope this playlist gives you a good idea of who ADam Bernstein is and what my personality is like.

Connor Schweitzer

Freshman Seminar Blog #1

New York by Frank Sinatra:

This song about the tirelessness of Manhattan is played at the end of every Yankee game. The Yankees’ tradition of playing this song to signify the end of a home game has long been a part of my childhood. I remember going to games with my entire family and I would find myself humming the song before the game had even ended. The anticipation of the song stemmed from having heard it at every game that I attended. I remember walking with my father and mother while this song blared over the loud speakers and called for the obnoxious Yankee fans to make a quiet exit. It’s an unforgettable and everlasting memory.

Centerfield by John Fogerty:

If I wasn’t a baseball player, I don’t think I’d like this song. For one, I don’t enjoy country music. This song is different, though. I heard it at every major game I played in while I grew up. The song blasted over the loud speakers and it almost became a unspoken baseball tradition. It was impossible to play in an important game (championship, all-star, all-town etc.) without hearing this song. Even though I would never put this song on my iPod, I still know every lyric by heart. I’ve pitched while this song was playing on several occasions.

Citizen-Soldier by 3 Doors Down:

This song reminds me of the military volunteer work that was taken so seriously in my high school. This volunteer work caused me to gain a new respect for the military. It helps me sympathize with the veterans that have served in our armed forces. This song was played at every event and made a powerful impression on stubborn teenagers. It made a lasting impact on my life.

Drive and Warning by Incubus:

“She called out a warning; don’t ever let life pass you by…” “Whatever tomorrow brings, I’ll be there with open arms and open eyes.” These two quotes from these two songs by Incubus have worked as a good model for living my life. They’re subtle and say a lot with very few words. It says to live your life  to the fullest because it is short, and, unfortunately, insignificant. You shouldn’t allow yourself to be succumbed by your regrets. You should always be prepared for the next day. You should take on every day in a new light. You shouldn’t ever let life pass you by.

Float On by Modest Mouse:

This song has had a similar effect on me that the two Incubus songs have had. This song has given me a life lesson. “Don’t worry even if things end up a bit too heavy, we’ll all float on, alright.”  This song teaches the audience that life can get tough, but it does go on. No matter how bad a day can seem, it can get better. Good things can happen.

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About Me

The 500 words

BLOG 1 – PART 1

BLOG 1 – PART 2

Ray Kapoor

FRO – CWB

BLOG 1 – WHAT DEFINES ME !!!!

Out of the 3 options I was given to choose from to do this project, I thought that making a playlist of songs that define me would be the Best way to do it because I listen to songs most of the day and I do feel that there are some songs that relate a lot to my life.

So, Here’s my Present life in a songs playlist :-

1.)    B.o.B. – Feet Don’t Fail Me Now – I chose this song because its one of my favorite songs and it’s also a song that gets me in the mood basically when I need some motivation. Like every other teenager or adult, I have some dreams that I want to accomplish and I know that I’ll have to cross a lot of hurdles to do that.

2.)    Swedish House Mafia – Don’t you worry child – In the present world, everyone is thriving to become successful in one way or the other, the competition is just over the top and one has to be the best to stand out among everyone and I m also a guy who wants to make something out of his life and everyday I make mistakes and I feel stressed out but it’s all good when I listen to this song cause it makes me feel like kicking the world away and have some fun.

3.)    Otto knows- million voices – Commuting to baruch from long island everyday is not an easy task. I usually take the MTA subway to college and every day I see different faces and it makes me think that I m just another face out of these million faces , just a voice among these million voices, but honestly, I  want to change that, I don’t want my life to be like that. This song helps me to realize that I have something much higher and tougher to achieve and I just can’t back down now.

4.)    Michael Jackson – Heal the world- Personally, I m a guy who is very much caring, not just for friends and family but also anyone who is out there and needs some help. This is one of the most popular songs by Michael Jackson. It reminds us of our responsibility to care for our world. Every day, there are people suffering and dying out there. Just because we’re not in contact with them doesn’t mean it’s not happening. It’s up to us to care for this world we live in. What can you do today to heal the world out there? It all starts with us.

5.)    Chuckie – Make some noise – Like every other Music lover, I got a song that just gets me in the mood to party all the time, and this song does that job for me. I love the beats in this song; they are pretty loud and sick.

6.)    Switchfoot – Dare you to move –This song has different interpretations. It can refer to the part of you who is not doing anything about certain parts of your life. It can refer to the part of you who is in a state of stagnancy. It can refer to the part of you who is letting a past failure stop you from moving on. This song makes me question myself: Am I ready to stop looking back and finally move forward?

Guan Chao Liu Playlist

Honestly this is the kind of thing that I listen to in my spare time. So we’re going to start with What’s Up? and America F— Yeah. America F— Yeah is from Team America: World Police. Guess who thought of that movie? Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the South Park guys. It’s a pretty funny movie full of obscenity and marionettes. You can’t really go wrong with things that are pretty funny. As for the, What’s Up? It’s not actually a funny song. However, if you hear He-Man sing it on youtube,  you’ll find it to be quite comedic. So as you see, I like funny things.

Kalimba is a free song that comes with Windows 7. It’ s an alright song by itself in my opinion, but it’s free. I put it here to show that I like bargains. Unless it’s harmful or worse, contagious, I’ll take almost anything that’s free.

This Is The New S— is a song from The Matrix: Reloaded. Although the first movie was my favorite, I couldn’t find any songs that I liked too much, so I just went with this one. Marily Manson is the artist of This Is The New S— so that’s a plus. He’s a pretty interesting guy to say the very least. Sadly, I found out who he was from a Family Guy episode. But the main point is that the first Matrix movie just might be my favorite movie of all time, or at least one of them.

Smooth Criminal is the first Michael Jackson song I’ve ever heard. Considering how popular he is, I might have heard one before that, but it would be hidden too deeply in my subconscious that I can’t bother trying to figure it out. That being said, not only do I like the song, but the music video as a whole was about…well…a smooth criminal. Normally, I’m on the side of law and justice, but not if the criminal is as smooth as this one.

So what’s left is Soviet Connection and Prayer. Grand Theft Auto IV is probably tied with Fallout 3 as my favorite video game of all time. However, I couldn’t really find any good themes in Fallout 3, so I went with Soviet Connection from GTA IV, which is the main theme. Now, Prayer is from Silent Hill 3. I could not find the song I originally wanted from Silent Hill: Homecoming, so I went with this one since I found it to be the only one that was somewhat scary. That being said, the main reason I like the series is because it scares me.

So, what do these things say about me? You can’t really jump into a conclusion because it just goes to show I like many things. Note that most of these are soundtracks from a movie or video game rather than an album by itself. That goes to show I rarely listen to music for the fun of it alone, but I would prefer to do something else that just happens to have music.