Like others in my predicament of writing this blog post well into the near-late status of this assignment, I felt as though ten songs would not suffice in embodying who I am. So, I turned to the only method I could to finish this assignment.
I took a nap.
Then I started writing a poem. But then again, poems that reach 500 words tend to suck. And I wouldn’t want to bother anyone else in putting them to sleep with my writing.
Although, you may or may not already be asleep at this point, or you just skimmed past my first few sentences and ended up catching this part, I say to you, family. You have become my family just by reading this. Well no, I digress, I have no idea what you look like or who you are, so you may be just a cousin such and such five times removed on my dog’s side. Anyway, I am blessed to have been part of so many families over the years. Academic tie in! In sociology, this is our sociological experience. Ha! Didn’t think that there would be much relevance here would there?

Now to explain them. Not in any particular order, we have: my paternal family (without my brother),my closest high school bros, my ROTC detachment – Bravo company, my middle school family, my longboarding family, my SEO family.

My immediate family. Mom. Dad. Mark( In the Philippine). Paul(RIP). Me. This doesn’t need any description. Blood is thicker than water.

My high school bros. Our yearbook signing was pretty emotional to say the least. A mix of beer pong and goodbyes aren’t the best way to keep your book dry. For me this is a no need for explanation part. Think of you closest friends. Bang. These are the same.

Bravo Company. Hooah! I’m new to the company, but I have been shown nothing but kindness and innate professionalism from my platoon, squad, and company leaders. I wake up at 4 AM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in order to get to PT. On Fridays I endure the pledge process of the Pershing Rifles Company D-8. Here I learn the intricacies of OPORDs as well as how to breach and clear a room. These guys (and gals) are people I would be willing to fight side by side with.

My middle school friends. Wow. Don’t we change? These guys were with me for eight years. I went to a catholic school and the bonds I made here are still present in my life. I still have regular contact with them, whether it is merely a game of basketball or serious conversations, we are still there with each other.

My longboarding family. Now if you haven’t seen me around the school with my longboard, well I suggest you rip your eyes out and throw them away in the kindest way. Seriously though, I bring it everywhere. It is my belief that longboarders are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. End of story.
My SEO fam. Now, this is my scholarship program. Did I get into my dream school? No. But some of them did, and a lot of them needed it more than I did. These guys are brilliant. Done.

Want to know me? Know my families. They all are in me.

Prior to actually doing this assignment, I was so sure that I was going to take part in the ten song playlist option. After all, the most basic thing that most people know about me is the fact that I absolutely love music. After much thought, I felt that making an eight image slideshow would probably be more fitting for this particular assignment since it would tell you guys more about me than if I were to choose ten of my favorite songs that are supposed to depict “my life”. It is said that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Let’s start with the picture of the NYC Skyline. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? This picture was an absolute-must to include because this is the place that I call home. I’ve grown up in the city for my whole life and although it’s been a great seventeen years so far, there’s always a never-ending list of things to do or explore in The Big Apple. One day I would love to climb to the top of the Empire State Building. Yes, that would be really “tourist-y” of me but I want to experience what it would look like to see the city from a bird’s eye POV.

Next, I guess I can kill three birds with one stone, figuratively speaking. One of my favorite pastimes is journaling. Through journaling I can place all of my jumbled thoughts into an organized fashion through words. I also song-write in my free time, although the term “free time” doesn’t seem to exist ever since school started. Over the summer, I decided to make a bucket list with my best friend. There are exactly 121 things on this bucket list.  And yes, one of them is swimming with sharks in a cage. Any takers? I also have a picture of the French village since a lot of my bucket list items have to do with traveling.

Moving on to music. In my spare time I love to dabble with the guitar and the ukulele while singing some of my favorite songs. However, my staple instrument is the piano. I auditioned for Berklee College of Music and was going to attend that music institution before deciding to come to Baruch instead.

Last but not least, friends and my second family (church). Both groups are so so so so so important to me. Aside from spending quality time (haha) with my schoolwork and work, I believe in making the greatest possible effort to maintain friendships and relationships. It’s important for me to reach out to my close friends whenever possible by sending a simple text or Facebook message to ask how they’re doing. I’m also Christian, so my friends from church are like family. I grew up with many of them and are able to share everything that’s going on in my life to them comfortably.

Hopefully this post was able to show you more about who I am as a person!

1. Stephen- Kesha
2. Same Love-  Mackelmore
3. New Slang- Shins
4. Jersey Shore theme song
5. Kung Fu Fight- Carl Douglas
6. We are the Champions- Queen
7. Sorry, Sorry- Super Junior
8. You’re a Plunger- no idea
9. I Saw the Sign- Pitch Perfect version
10. I love College- Asher Roth

A glimpse of my life through 10 songs.

So I went to high school with Kesha, she tried to come onto me a bunch of times, and I never called her….thus the song Stephen was born.   My friends think it’s hilarious and serenade me with it on the daily. Little did Kesha know, Mackelmore’s Same Love was a little more fitting to my life. We’re friends now and the whole thing is fine. I feel like I’m on the ranks of Delilah who will forever be immortalized in music history thanks to the Plain White T’s.

I’m going on my 6^thyear of living in New York but my Jersey roots are well engrained in me. My appreciation for the state came after watching Garden State, which has become my favorite movie. The angst, the indie, the randomness speaks to me on some level. The Garden State soundtrack is pretty sweet and I would listen to it on repeat on the way to high school so it’s no wonder the Shins make this list. I have an unhealthy obsession with things about New Jersey, specifically when it’s referenced in pop culture. Any show about New Jersey, mentions New Jersey, or is shot in the greatest state in the world, you can assume I watch it. I not so secretly wish that Jersey Shore was still on TV so I could be cast member. I have a few friends who auditioned for the show, but Deena ultimately took the open spot after Angelina left. Besides Jerzday being my favorite day of the week, the massive poster of Jersey Shore that hangs over my bed, and the 100 pictures I have with the duck phone when I toured the Jersey Shore house, my craze for the show prompted me to enter a Jersey Shore look-a-like contest. Did I win? Of course. Dyed black hair in a blowout, my eyebrow was pierced at the time, tossed on a tight black tshirt, chains, and shutter shades.

One of the biggest influences in my life in shaping who I am and how I see the world is martial arts.  I’ve studied for sixteen years and am a third degree black belt. Testing for my black belt was by far the hardest thing I’ve done in my entire life. Literally, blood and sweat, but no tears, there’s no crying. I’ve taught karate camps, competed, performed in exhibitions and a bunch of stuff. When performing my two go-to things to wow the crowd are Chinese weapons and cinder block breaking. Weapons are cool and people like to see things spin fast and cinder block breaking is just something I do. I started off with stacks of wood, then blocks of ice, and then one day I did a stack of concrete and it sort of became my thing. At the end of each tournament or show I would blast We Are the Champions on the ride home. Why? Because I obviously won and it’s just a good ego boost. Just kidding. Except maybe not… This sort of leads into the next song of my life where people think I’m a total bitch and super pretentious. I’m not actually. So what if people are jealous, get on my level, right? I’ve been described as strict, overbearing, high maintenance, and a primadonna. It’s always nice to be complimented. Sorry not Sorry…or maybe just Sorry, Sorry by Super Junior? Yes, much better. I do listen to Kpop, usually while doing homework.

After I graduate in May, I’m likely going to teach elementary school and potentially continue teaching FroSem at Baruch. After teaching countless karate classes, tutoring, and endless super camps listening to You’re a Plunger being screamed by 6 year olds, I Saw the Sign and realized that education is my place. (Note: The link is to the Pitch Perfect version and yes I do know the dance….who doesn’t).

And we’re done. But that’s only 9 songs?! Yup, there is one more… About half of what I wrote is a lie and it’s up to you to decide what the truth is. You’re in college, you’re in control of your identity, make the most of it.

-Stephen

24601 (That’s a Les Miserables joke.)

So there is actually a logical progression to the songs I picked. I’ll admit that it starts off a bit depressing. Eventually it picks up and starts being awesome (if I must say so myself). I didn’t think I could pick 10 different songs that all represented me so I decided to make an the entire thing relate. This playlist is a representation and a reminder. When life gets tough, you just have to shoulder the weight of living, be brave, revolt, rise like a phoenix, cut down those who don’t believe in you and, ultimately, be amazing.

In case you can’t see the playlist and are curious about the songs, I’ll just list them here as well.

1. Ladies And Gentlemen (City And Colour)
2. Radioactive (Imagine Dragons)
3. Things We Lost In The Fire (Bastille)
4. Come Back Down (Greg Laswell ft. Sara Bareilles)
5. Weight Of Living, Pt. I (Bastille)
6. Brave (Sara Bareilles)
7. Revolting Children (Matilda The Musical)
8. The Phoenix (Fall Out Boy)
9. Guillotine (Yadi)
10. Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor)

Hello! I have decided to create a video containing all my main interests. Not going to lie, it’s a bit hard to sum up your life in two minutes of video. But here’s the main thing you need to pick up from it. I love performing arts and exploring different ways to convey your thoughts feeling and ideas. With that being said you can always find me dancing, singing, or drawing at any given time. It’s something thats helps define me, no one can ever perform, draw, or sing, exactly like I can. In addition to that I  put my family first before anyone because i know they’ll be there through thick and thin. no matter how weird of awkward I am i know for certain that they’ll love me. Speaking of which, I may be the most outgoing weird girl you will ever come across. I’ll talk to random people if when I want to because of simply the fact that I can.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvmGq9UwQdA://

The first thing that popped in to my mind when I was given this assignment was the post that I had to do on WordPress for English class. The only difference is that I get to add pictures this time. The pictures I chose represent who I am for the most part and what makes me who I am. My friends and family have definitely shaped me into the person that I am today. Without them, I don’t know what type of person I would’ve become. I can also say that I love my family for all they have done for me these past 18 years; feeding, supporting, and most importantly caring for me. In my 18 years of life, I have met many people and have made many friends, but most of them can’t be called my real friends. These select few people that I have been friends with over the duration of several years, are the people that I can always be myself around and are constantly helping me become a better person. School also created a heavy impact on my life. Most of my life has been spent inside a classroom; it would be hard not to be affected by it. It shaped me into a more intelligent person and has taught me many things, like the rights I have as an American citizen. If I were to describe myself, I would say that I’m a jubilant and friendly person. I have a very positive view of life and am constantly smiling. I love to help others with whatever they require assistance in, and am always looking to provide help for someone in need; this doesn’t mean I’m Superman, I’m referring to helping someone with their work or do a favor for whoever asks.  When I’m not helping someone, I like to challenge myself with anything that I believe to be hard or requires a lot of thought process to complete. Whether it be a game of chess to a hard question or a puzzle. You can also say that I’m pretty athletic; I love to play sports and exercise. I can play just about any sport, but my favorite sport would have to be basketball. Playing basketball has made me more sociable and hard working. My last defining trait would be my laziness. I can sometimes be quite lazy and when I am feeling lazy, I love to take naps. It doesn’t happen very often but it does happen. Like when I get home from school or the rare cases when I’m in class. I hope this gives you a better view of who I am. Below, you can click on the link to enjoy some pictures I have assembled for your viewing. Half are mine and half I got off the internet.

https://picasaweb.google.com/114078182253543670924/8PicsThatDescribeMe?authkey=Gv1sRgCNaTl9Ghl_qKGg

It’s hard to say my interests. I’m an immature kid who’s changing his mind every few months, so to say that I have concrete interests is not possible. What I’ll do is say my current interests, although whether I’ll still be interested in them in the future is anyone’s guess.

I’ve enjoyed learning about history. I have a class “HIS 1001” that focuses on ancient history and ancient civilizations. My interest stems from a wanting to understand history. My reasoning: if you can understand the past you can understand the present. Why argue about modern day conflicts when history is a timeline of trial and errors, economic, political, and social issues that we deal with today have all happened before, our present is really nothing special or unique (but I guess we are more “technologically” advanced). Whether I still believe this in the future is, once again, anyone’s guess.

I enjoy reading. I enjoy reading because it is a pleasurable experience, and every book that I’ve read has provided me with some sort of new “insight”. Whether it’s a simple lesson about human nature; a man escaping the tragedy of war; a peer into what a dystopian doublethink world would look like (and the importance of privacy, education, and free speech); a small taste of wallstreet; youth, its triumph and trip to Bangkok; and a peer into  life under communism (Heart of Darkness, Slaughterhouse-Five, 1984, The Mind of Wallstreet, Youth, Animal Farm). I’m not an avid reader, I’m new to reading. But even as a novice reader I understand the importance of books, and more importantly, an education. Books are invaluable.

I enjoy school. School is great. Fun, too (but very challenging and stressful). It’s not a chore to get up in the morning when you’ve had a full night’s sleep, and it’s not a chore to do homework when you’ve done it a week or a day ahead of time. This is college, opportunity is everywhere, all it really takes is good organizational skills and a want to improve yourself (and your education). By no means am I referring to myself, I have spotty organizational skills and I am not intelligent.

I don’t do much, only homework and school. So I’ll talk about my past short lived interests and what I gained from them.

Meditation. It’s great, do it if you have the time. Not only does it give you an understanding of what focus is, it can help you solve problems and stressful situations (because focus, that’s why). It also cures headaches (permanently if you meditate everyday).

Sailing. Real wind sailing. I do this when I get the chance with my father. It’s a great experience, much better than going around on a motorboat. Also gives you an appreciation of the struggles sailors had to deal with when sails were used. And an appreciation for the sea.

“Travel with no money”. Everyone has/had a foolhearted dream. Now, I don’t mean foolhearted  in the sense that dreams are silly, this little pipe-dream of mine was just a pipe-dream which I used for reference when anyone asked me what I was going to do with my life. “What are you going to do for the rest of your life without an education?” Oh, I’ll travel the world. “And how are you going to do that.” I dunno, I’ll do it though. This is coming from a kid who spent his nights playing videogames into the wee morning hours and had never done any physical labor before (as in, held a minimum wage job). Glad I grew out of that. Rather quickly too when I started working.

Weight lifting used to be a big part of my life. Weight lifting is a great activity, I highly recommend it to anyone who can use a search engine and learn how to PROPERLY lift hard and lift heavy (98% of lifters don’t know how to do a proper squat!). This includes a proper diet as well. Want the secret to getting big? Hold onto your seat for this one. Sleep, Eat a lot, and do big Compound Exercises (squats and dead-lifts)  and supplement those with smaller targeting exercises (like curls for biceps, just don’t do it in the squat rack, please). Now not only are you big, you’re also strong.

Rock climbing. That was fun while it lasted, then I got a job and started getting cut for time. I loved the experience and how I got into the sport. I saw a post about it one day on a forum and had a small interest towards it. I searched online for locations to rock climb in New York (for free) and there was a (big) rock in Central Park that had just the proper cracks to allow climbers to climb up its vertical slope. I got there with no equipment and no experience. The first climbers I saw was a pair of two whom I introduced myself to and asked about climbing and necessities. First people I met about the subject of rock climbing. I’d get to know them much better later on to the point of seeing them twice a week and messaging daily when I started going to the rock climbing gym. Great stuff. I regret not saying goodbye when my attendance gradually lowered and I got more involved in other things. Stupid people do stupid things, I guess.

Greetings! My name is Jason and let me take some time to introduce myself with my music. The first song is called “Time To Pretend” by MGMT. It represents me and my everyday experiences of life. It’s FUN! Well, most of the time. But I’m usually a positive person when it comes to everyday life. The second song represents my aggressive play-style when doing competitive tasks. That’s right! I crave the feeling of competition! The third song represents my feeling of coming home from school. Y’all know the feeling which I’m describing; the feeling of hallelujah! The forth song represents my love for the music genre of dubstep. So far, this song is the dirtiest, heaviest, and tasty of any dubstep I’ve heard. You should check it out. The fifth song represents my procrastination on school days. The crescendo and DROP represents me cramming work on the last minute. The sixth song represents my progress from elementary school to college. It feels good to understand more complex things and enjoy life, not to mention the capability to actually DO what your heart desires. The seventh song on the playlist does not represent anything. It’s just one of my favorite songs of all time. Why? It’s Calvin Harris. I LOVE his work! The eighth song on the list represents what an ideal song should be played on the radio while driving/riding on a convertible sports car cruising at 65 miles per hour with good looking people jamming to it…not that I have a nice looking convertible car with good looking people riding in it. This song has nothing to do with me. The ninth song on the list represents my leisure time. I usually relax, engage in my hobbies, or chillzzzz with friends. The excess amount of Z’s inserted after the word “chill” was intentional. The last song on the list represents my love for bubblegum. Just kidding. I like trap music a lot and I want to share it with you.

(spotify:user:jiggleandsmile:playlist:5TNkLcfrKxqKX8qEQvZ0xt)
Use this URL to listen to the playlist. Unfortunately, I spent too much time trying to embed the player onto the blog, but for some reason it won’t work

Hope you guys have had a good start to your first semester here at Baruch College!

Here is where I will be posting the required blog posts you need to complete for this course.

Post #1: Due by September 20th

Create a two minute video, an eight image slideshow, or a ten song musical playlist
that represents who you think you are to your classmates. Embed your creation in a
blog post and then write no more than 500 words that explains how what you’ve
created speaks to who you are. Here are some suggested free tools that you can use for this assignment, but you are free to use whatever services you like:

VideoEditors:
o YouTube Editor [http://www.youtube.com/editor/]

Image slide shows:
o Flickr [http://flickr.com]
o Flickr Slidr [http://flickrslidr.com/]
o Picassa [http://picasaweb.google.com/]
o Image loop [http://www.imageloop.com/]

Musical Playlists:
o Grooveshark [http://grooveshark.com]
o Spotify [http://www.spotify.com/us/]
o Mixpod [http://www.mixpod.com/]