I am afraid of bugs, pigeons, lightening (Or at least being struck by it), mice, spiders, waking up late in the morning, and the list can probably go on for days. What makes me happy are babies, little kids, puppies, frozen yogurt, chocolate, presents, clothes, fall weather, milkshakes, and of course, new shoes. There are many things in life that are important to me and on the top of that list it would be family. If my little cousin ever needed me, I would leave in the middle of class no matter what.Speaking of class, school and getting good grades are very important to me. My family has so much faith in me that failure is not an option. Music is also very important to me as it keeps me sane and much more. So far school has been pretty good, not an overwhelming amount of work (yet!). I have gotten into the flow of things and have made plenty of new friends.

It was pretty cool that we all got to go to a museum as part of Freshman Seminar. I have never really seen Himalayan art so it was a fresh experience for me. The museum seemed very peaceful to me. I thought the shrine was interesting, but kind of creepy, I could not picture myself relaxing there. I learned a few new things (some pertaining to droopy ears) and now I can have something to say if anyone ever brings up Himalayan art.

The Rubin Museum was pretty cool. I liked the statues and the general theme. It didn’t carry any personal meaning for me, as I simply have no ties to the subject matter, though I am fairly well versed in my global history. I liked the shrine. It was so serene, which made me kind of calm down–which many have seen as difficult–and allowed me to think. I also really liked how Irene told the security to quiet down. I’d go again, but not for no reason. If someone really wanted to know about Tibet and the culture and Buddhism, then I’d happily oblige them; it’s a nice place. My experience in adjectives? Fun, educating, serene, insightful.

I enjoyed the Rubin Museum. I don’t think I would have chosen to go to that museum on my own, so I’m glad we went as a part of Freshman Seminar. Himalayan art doesn’t interest me very much, probably because  I don’t know much about the culture, but I liked the artwork. It was cool that I had seen some of the artwork in art history class. Seeing how the sculptures are made and hand painted was very interesting. So much detail goes into every sculpture. The shrine room was very relaxing. I do not meditate but that room made me want to try. The Rubin Museum made me interested in the Himalayan culture.

I have this nutty idea. It’s very nuts. I think I’m nuts! No! The idea itself is nuts, not me. There are definitely lots of nuts involved. Hmm a world full of nuts. Can you see it? Only nut trees. Nut farms. Nut houses. Nuts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Big nuts. Small nuts. Nuts of all sizes, everywhere! Hmm, a world ran by squirrels. They want all our nut supplies. They want to force us to pick up all their nuts. Oh, the idea seems so ludicrous, but have you ever looked a squirrel in the eye? They say you shouldn’t, but why? I’ll tell ya why! Squirrels are evil. Don’t look them in the eye! Don’t do it! They have mind control powers. What if they put some sort of mind control serum into nuts? Oh, is this nuts? I saw a squirrel the other day. It totally freaked me out. I mean, it was right there! Just like 2 feet away. Usually, they don’t get so close. They used to run away as soon as you were like 20 feet away. Hmm, how come all of a sudden squirrels don’t run away when you’re near them? They lost the fear of humans. Now they want us to fear them. It’s working! I know they’re planning something. Something BIG. Just think about Sandy from SpongeBob. You think she’s a just a squirrel from Texas. And what the heck, a squirrel under water? Nothing makes sense anymore. Anyways, she’s a mad scientist trying to come up with something so she can take over Bikini Bottom. That’s exactly how all squirrels are. Speaking of some freaking evil mad scientists, do you remember Mojojojo from Powerpuff Girls? That monkey was bananas. He had every plan in the book to take over the world. He had a huge brain. He was a very smart monkey, just didn’t know how to plan his schemes. Not squirrels. Squirrels have a brain and they know how to use it. They’re just letting us have our fun before they initiate a total takeover. Letting us enjoy our last few days of freedom. They just pretend to be cute little fury animals. Till one day, BAM! Total world domination. Forget al-Qaida! Forget Kony. They ain’t got nothin’ on squirrels. They’re gonna run the world some day! I know it. Guys, I’m not nuts! I swear! This is totally possible. Just picture it. It’s not too nuts once you think about it. I mean… I don’t know. Squirrels are just so sneaky and secretive. They’re like ninjas. We can try to prevent squirrel world domination. Just don’t look them in the eye, please! And maybe, just maybe, we might not get taken over by squirrels. Man, forget the dog! Beware of squirrels. And nuts.

Please put together some of the things you have written over the semester so far in your free writes. It can be anything interesting, funny, sad or serious. ((please be appropriate though))

OR you can make up a totally new monlogue and write about anything!! It should be about 3-5 minutes long.

THINK ABOUT THE VOICES SHOW YOU SAW AT CONVOCATION, those were perfect examples!

The BEST 2 will be selected and sent in for consideration to be performed by professional actors for the entire freshman class of 2016.

GET BLOGGING :))

My visit to the museum taught me a lot about Western China religion. It was interesting to learn about the Bodhisattva and Buddhas because I had no idea there were any levels of Buddha  I noticed that the sculptures were vastly decorated (well the Bodhisattvas) while the Buddhas were completely jewelry free. I did find many of the sculptures a bit freaky and scary because of the way they make their faces, almost demon-like. The Tibetan shrine room was a bit creepy to me but it was cool to see how someone’s prayer room in China might look like. None of it had any personal meaning to me because I can’t relate at all to the Buddhas, but it was definitely fun learning how others possibly live their lives (their religion).I really liked the design of the museum. Overall, I enjoyed my experience at the Rubin museum and might be going back to see other exhibits.

I thought the Rubin Museum was extraordinary. I really enjoyed my trip there. Learning about oriental cultures in school can be so boring. I was excited to learn about the Himalayan art because it was displayed so beautifully. I was also really interested in the story behind the art. I am all American, so I do not feel culturally connected to anything in the museum, but I’m quite sure it holds great meaning to people who can compare to the culture. My favorite exhibit in the Rubin Museum was the Tibetan Shrine. I heard someone say it was very relaxing for them, but it creeped me out. There was this low music or humming playing and it seem to flow over the candle lit room. This just made the room more mysterious to me. Most of the aspects that you find in Tibetan culture, like the rice and water the humans sacrificed, could be located in the shrine. Moreover, it made me research alot on Tibetans and Buddhas. Everything, no matter how spooky it seemed, was breath taking. The color of the room(red) complimented everything seen. I would definitely visit the Rubin Museum again. I would like to take my time to learn and see more or new artworks in the museum, and I would also love to share it with family and friends. Some adjectives I would use to describe the Rubin Museum are brilliant, beautiful, bold, inviting, and wondrous. Walking into the museum, I was dreading the experience; walking out I was very delighted and wanting more of the exotic Himalayan experience.

Hi everyone!

Please write a blog about your experience at the Rubin Museum. Some things you might want to think about are:

did it have any personal meaning for you?

did you like anything in particular that you saw?

would you go again?

what are a few adjectives to describe your experience?

…and whatever else you want to say! (appropriate of course)

1 ellie goulding- lights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NKUpo_xKyQ

this song describes how i feel on many days especially when im a new environment or when i’m just feeling the way i should about certain situations like going to school and also represents what i  can possibly do for others when it comes to their hard times and just being a support system.

2 radio head – lotus flower http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfOa1a8hYP8

this song represents the way i am around new people or people im very mindful of and can feel they  can do alot of  destruction. i will bend  to try and protect myself at first but slowly i unfurl like a lotus flower feeling like im set free when i find out they’re harmless to me or i know i can handle them.

3 the pinker tones – TMCR ( the million color revolution) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vShBg0pFbb4

this represents the change in myself it was like a  millions things have changed over the years from the way i act, dress, eat etc. but certain parts of me stay the same like the same things  like my favorite colors to my favorite foods. as i always feel the need to evolve as i go along and i feel that somethings are illusions and reality needs to kick in.

4 the black keys – Dead and gone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on5kklX2fR8

this is a great song by great artists who’ve never disappointed me with their music. this song describes how i feel ive been treated in the past by certain people and sometimes not seem to let go and just end up getting hurt because i didnt learn my lesson from past experiences and interpretations of their behavior.

5 coldplay – lost http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYDOWGlPDTU

this is my never give up song it pushes me when im feeling down, out and lost. sometimes when this song comes on it feels like i get an extra push or extra charge just to keep going and never give up until i know time’s up or i can do no more and wait

6 kanye west & Jay z – H.A.M http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyaGLR0Q65E

this is the wake up in the morning and get started song. it reminds me what im supposed to be doing everyday to a certain extent but it also allows to visualize and reflect  what i want in my life  through the voice of the choir and sound of the soprano songstress in this song.

7 elton john – rocket man http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GAKOLOnfV4

this song describes the feeling after a tough day and i just want to get back to makes me happy. the difference between me in my happy place and every where else. i feel it describes where my priorities should go and what sometimes forgetting whats important to a person shouldn’t happen.

8 the bravery- believe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv2OyI0nXEE

this song reminds of the world around me giving me hope that there’s a better tomorrow and sometimes our fear is just an illusion of what isn’t really there just something holding us back as people but also to adhere on the side of caution when endeavoring after something that’s important to us.

9 foster the people- pumped up kicks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDTZ7iX4vTQ

this song reminds me to be different  and open about it , reminding  me  that different can be deadly in a sense that you can be somebody else’s weakness due to fact that your not who they want you to be.

10 jackson 5 – abc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOXG8wtxx_w

this is great song to make me feel young and remind how simple things were when i was a kid and now sometimes simple is always better for everyone because we’re not all the same .