FRO13 EMA

Hello, my name is Harmony To. I am 18; just graduated from Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in June. The long yet short four years that I’ve spent at Cardozo has immensely contributed to the wonderful person I have become. I began high school as a shy girl that entered a classroom and left without saying a word. The collective people that befriended me have allowed me to come out of my shell and granted me the ability to face the world head-on. I even ended my senior year proud to say that I was the secretary of the Red Cross Club as well as president of the Leaders Program at my school.

My family is a huge part of my life because they are not only stuck with me until I die, but also because they are the only people that I know that would care and love me no matter what. I have two older sisters, Tiffany and Melody, as well as a younger brother, Sky. They are my best friends who could never be replaced.  My dog, Maple Syrup Pancakes is a standard poodle that I received on my tenth birthday in 2005.

I love to travel. A goal on my bucket list is to travel to over a hundred different countries in my lifetime. Traveling is a hobby of mine because I love experiencing the diversity of different cultures. In April of this year, I was granted the amazing opportunity of traveling to Italy, which was an incredible experience that I will never forget. Music, baking and art are also some of my many hobbies. For an art project, I created a high heel shoe to display my heel addiction.

“You can sleep when you’re dead.” I saw this quote on an advertisement on the train and found sparks of inspiration ignite. Perhaps it is just poor justification to stay up late and live the life of an eighteen year old; however I do resonate quite closely with this quote.

This is a list of ten songs that would need to be featured if I were ever made into a musical. I cannot put them in any sort of order. Each symbolizes something different, collectively creating the framework of me as a person.

* “Nocturne” – TesseracT.

A complex, far-reaching sound. Reminds me of a dark night and glittering full moon. Two of the things I absolutely love. “Nocturne” puts me on the steps in front of my house, looking up into a pitch black sky.

* “Bleeding The Orchid” – Smashing Pumpkins.

(If fear conquers easy,
I can lead on.
Milk from the flower,
Blood from the dawn.)

Thoughtful, provoking lyrics that speak of perseverance and doing the impossible. This song, although melancholy, inspires me to reach for the beauty in life. And orchids are my favorite flower.

* “Spellbound” – Lacuna Coil.

A lilting, Gothic feel. Reminds me of velvet, candlelight and a much older time. This song captures my love for all things novel and new. I tend to be naturally inquisitive. Even when times get rough, I still find myself “Spellbound” by everything this world has to offer.

* “This Calling” – All That Remains.

(Not falling victim to the fire that burns inside of me,
Though I am fearful I will not prevent this tragedy.)

This song displays as much passion as I feel. I cannot usually resist the temptation to do anything I feel strongly about, even if it is not in my best interest. Impulsive.

* “Supercrush!” – The Devin Townsend Project.

Complicated and moody. This song has so many different layers, similar to the way I deal with most situations in my life. My emotions and perception are always subject to change. I just have to choose the lens I look through.

* “November Rain” – Guns N’ Roses.

Sad, retrospective. I am a November child, and I feel like this song perfectly depicts the mood of that month and season. This song speaks of independence and reliability on oneself to get through tougher times.

* “Long Live The Misanthrope” – Soilwork.

Strong, driven. There comes a turning point in everyone’s life, a major one in mine being that I had to learn to take control and not let the actions of others affect me as much.

* “Wherever I May Roam” – Metallica.

(And the earth becomes my throne,
I adapt to the unknown.
Under wandering stars I’ve grown,
By myself but not alone.)

I have an admitted addiction to traveling. I love the rush, even the shock, of being in an entirely foreign place. This song reminds me of Egypt. How a person can share such a strong bond with a country they have never been to before. How a person can keep moving and never miss home.

* “Search And Destroy” – Skunk Anansie (cover of Iggy Pop & The Stooges).

This song just reminds me of a good time. Having fun, being young, no cares, no worries. Natural rebelliousness.

* “React” – 3.

Secretive, mysterious. I am deeply attracted to the occult and the unknown. The best things in life are hidden.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/102857854@N07/sets/72157635785474863/

Obviously, eight pictures can not fully describe the person I think I am, but it can give you an idea. I was born in Montenegro and moved from Germany to America at the age of two. I was raised in the Bronx and lived there for eight years before moving to Brooklyn.I am the oldest child in my family… and the favorite of course :). My family and my culture are the most important things to me. My sister is one of my best friends, she’s very independent, smart and sassy. Although she is younger than me, shes taller than me and much wiser sometimes. My younger brother is probably the smartest guy I know, despite how annoying he can be sometimes. And of course, my parents are my biggest supporters and motivators; pushing me to do my best in and out of school. They came to this country in hopes of a better life for my siblings and me, and I owe them everything. I am also very proud of being Albanian. VERY proud. I think that regardless of where you come from, you should not forget your roots. And that’s what a lot of Albanians who have immigrated to America try not to forget when they remind their children of their history, music and food. The last picture is one of my cousin also named Valbona, in traditional Albanian clothes at her wedding. The second to last is of an Albanian instrument that is usually meant only for men to play, but I’m learning to play it. Third to last is of the Albanian flag. I love to travel, especially to Europe. The picture of the mountains is in Montenegro where my dad is from. The picture of the beach is of a beach in Albania. I visited both places this summer. I’ve also been to Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Slovenia and Kosova. I love shopping and taking road trips. Im in love with an era before that of computers and cellphones. I love Frank Sinatra and James Dean. I love the city and getting to go to school there. I enjoy taking long walks..and naps and I LOVE food. I’m very sarcastic and blunt, so don’t get offended. Oh also, I’m named after a river in Albania and my last name is not pronounced how every American says it. That irks me. It’s Vuçetaj: Voo-cheh-tai. K. Anyway, that’s me in less than 500 words.

For those of you that will actually bothering to copy and paste that url you will see that the photos I provided that could describe my life are a mix of stock photos and photos that I am in/took. There are a few reasons for that. One of the simpler reasons is that there is no decent photo of me skiing where I don’t look like a dumbass. That is probably because my ski friends know better than to bring electronics onto a decent slope. Many phones were broken that way.

These photos will give you a good idea of my life. I ride a motorcycle. I bought a cruiser hoping that something more relaxed will help me control my desire to go fast. Unfortunately that is not the case. The photo of a bunch of people where I am holding somebody up are my old classmates from when I went to boarding school in the Czech Republic. To this day, they are some of the most remarkable people I’ve met in my life. The photo of me in Switzerland looking incredibly cheesy is there to depict my love of travel, especially in Europe. The whale represents my passion for animals. Especially marine life since I am a true believer of the fact that our oceans are dying. The snake is my friends, I thought it was pretty awesome. Until it bit me. But I still hold it just because I’m fascinated by animals. And lastly that’s my cat on my lap while I drive. Much to my mom’s dismay I will occasionally take the cat for a car ride. It’s probably because I secretly want a dog. My mom doesn’t really approve because she thinks I drive like I’m playing GTA. That is sometimes the case, but not when the cat’s with me at least. But point is, my mom should finally cave in and let me adopt a dog.

So for the classmates that did not already know me, this is a small part of my life.

These 8 images reflect myself in my everyday activity. These things are mostly are my “Essentials.” For starters, I have a Red Penny Nickel skateboard that I use to commute everywhere in the city. As a broke college kid, this saves me a lot of time, and plus gives me a lot of exercise as a plus. No I can’t do various tricks. I use it as a variant means of transportation. Next. My hats. My glasses. Saves me a lot of time in fixing myself in the morning haha. As for footwear, if I’m not skating around in my vans, then I’m walking around comfortably in my roshes or a pair of trainers. I wouldn’t call myself a sneakerhead, but just an enthusiast for certain sneakers. Comfortability > Popularity. I’m a clown in real life, I don’t know if I’m funny, or cojust corny and awkward, but I do know I try not to stress in my life as much as possible(even though I fail at it often) I am a Knicks fan. I like to play and watch Basketball but not in such a hardcore way, but not casually either. I guess somewhere in the middle. My ipad/iphone. In this day and age, it’s difficult to be current with the rest without a tablet or a smartphone, so these are important in my everyday life. As last but not least, My Bible App on my iPad(or really any bible around). As a Bible believing Christian, this is the essential thing for my everyday life. If I we’re to hope which people can know me for out of all these, I hope it’ll be about my faith.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/102850586@N05/

It took me about an hour or so, but I have finally become one with the internet.  After scouring through photos and thoughts I believe I have come up with a near perfect representation of myself in the form of a slideshow.  Enjoy.

Now that you have seen my masterpiece it’s time me to explain every single one of those pictures to you.

Picture Number One-  This is a picture of New Rochelle, New York; the place where I have spent my entire life up to this point.  A simple, boring city I aspire to move out of this trap once I graduate college and find something to do with my life.  Maybe I hate the city, or maybe I just hate living with my parents, but one thing for sure is that I’m done with New Rochelle.

Picture Number Two-  No, I don’t work at Petco; I live in one.  Over the last ten years the number of pets in my household has grown from 1 cat to 2 cats and 2 dogs.  Most of these pets are the result of impulse buying, but I still love them regardless.

Picture Number Three-  Over the last few years one of my friends has gotten me into reading comic books and graphic novels.  I have always been a fan of superheroes, with my favorites being Green Lantern and Aquaman.  But only recently I have started having an interest in superhero media other than tv shows and movies.

Picture Number Four-  Every summer since 2009 I have spent 7 1/2 weeks working at a scouting camp located in the Adirondacks (Upstate NY).  The thing is:  I’m not a huge fan of children, in fact I feel like I only work there for the other staff.  Some of my closest friends have been from camp, and I hope to meet more wonderful people in the summers to come.

Picture Number Five-  This photo of the doomsday clock is a representation of my punctuality.  I’m very punctual with everything except for schoolwork.  It’s pretty obvious when you see how late I posted this.  I should work on this…

Picture Number Six-  I’m not a huge fan of many actors, but I am a major fan of Bruce Campbell.  He has starred in many of my favorite movies, specifically the Evil Dead Trilogy.  His acting has so much cheese to it that you can’t help but laugh at everything he says.  Also I share a birthday with Bruce Campbell, which I take as a sign of greatness.

Pictures Numbers Seven/Eight-  Arcade Fire’s Funeral and Neutral Milk Hotel’s In an Aeroplane Over the Sea are my favorite albums from my favorite bands.  The amount of emotion the vocalists put into every song make these albums noteworthy.  I’m also a huge fan of tempo shifts, and these albums have plenty.  I considered doing the playlist instead of the slideshow, but most of the songs would have been from these two albums.

http://www.photosnack.com/my-slideshows/details/ptunq1ch?jsalbum=1

These eight images won’t entirely reflect on what kind of person I am but it will show you a small aspect of my life that I think are important to me. The first picture is an image of the Caesar’s bay. Whenever I feel troubled or stressed, I always find Caesar’s bay to be comforting to just relax and enjoy the view. I find it calming to just sit at the bench while listening to my music, without anyone there to bother me. I always tend to worry too much but when I come here, all my problems would be gone temporarily. This place actually holds a lot of memories too, some good and some bad but I will never forget those moments. The second picture is an image of my parents. Family comes before anything. As cliché as it sounds, they are the ones that will never leave me behind and I cherish the bond we have. The third picture is an image of clothes. Like most girls, I love shopping and there’s never a dull moment when I’m shopping. It’s a stress reliever and this explains why I’m broke half of the time. The fourth picture is an image of movies. I love watching movies, especially action and scary movies. My friends hate scary movies but I enjoy the suspense and thrill when something scary is about to pop up. I hate watching movies that have too much talking, I always have a bad habit of fast forwarding it to the action parts. The fifth picture is an image of my close friends. This picture was taken during high school graduation and it was a bittersweet moment to know that after schooling with each other for more than four years, we’re finally going our separate ways in trying to pursue a future. Friends aren’t guaranteed to always be there for you when you’re at your worst, but these girls are an exception because they are like my second family. The sixth picture is an image that was taken during the time I went to Hong Kong for vacation. I like to travel. One of my goals in the future is to travel around the world and taste different varieties of food. The seventh picture is self-explanatory. I enjoy jogging because just like shopping, it’s another stress reliever for me. Sweating and feeling accomplished makes me feel good and it’s also a good exercise. Lastly, this image is of my boyfriend sleeping (that’s not how he really sleeps). Although we have our ups and downs, he’s someone that I appreciate and that will hopefully stay in my life.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/102773083@N05/sets/72157635781804836/

The pictures you see are a few images that illustrate things about me and my life. The first image of course as you may know is New York City. It’s not only where I was born and raised but also where I hope to continue the rest of my journey exploring through these four years in college at Baruch. The second image is a Russian Blue cat which is the first pet me and my family immediately fell in love with. After coming up with 5 names we finally decided on calling her Olive. It’s only been 3 months already and I’ve never been so attached by something like her. Things like running around the house with a string or carrying her around like a baby for hours. Anyways the third image is my favorite band which is Maroon 5. If I’m ever in the need to listen to music, which is almost always, Maroon 5; will at all times, be on my number one top playlist. The next image is of a girl dressed up in a yellow blouse and has on a few accessories. Thats exactly how I love to dress. I like going simple but at the same time quirky. In the morning, I end up mixing and matching my wardrobe to make an outfit that works. Moving on to the picture of Pyramid and the Sphinx, and also the other image with the mosque both tell a lot about who I am. Being Egyptian is something that has shaped me greatly, and being muslim has guided me into the person I am today and I don’t think without those two traits I’d have such an interesting background. If theres anything I could do right now it would be walking on the beach. Thats something I love to do any day… its becomes the best way for me to clear out all the stress and worries in my head. The image of the clock just shows how short life can be and how every moment I try spending it on things that make me happy. Lastly COFFEE, without it I wouldn’t be awake now or in any of my morning classes; I could sleep endlessly. Luckily though coffee is the one thing that can keep me up and functioning to finish up something like this..

Before starting, I’d just like to note that these songs aren’t necessarily my favorite songs but rather some that are nostalgic and have meaning to me. For example “Hate bein sober” by Chief Keef is a song that reminds me of good times in 12^th grade. For the fun of it we would always have this playing at parties for some odd reason. At after prom, the DJ play “If I lose myself” and the whole atmosphere at that stage of the night was awesome and just brings back good memories. Over summer I decided to start watching “Lost” and the song “These arms of mine” played at the end of an episode, which I strongly remember, and whenever I think of the show I think of the song. “Get Free” was sort of a summer jam that just brought good vibes and good times, especially when me and my friends would go to the beach. “Wavin flag” and the Champions league anthem are included because of my likelihood for soccer. When the Champions league anthem is playing its always a good sign, and “Wavin Flag” makes me reminisce on the 2010 world cup. “Played alive” is a song I have enjoyed since I was little, and since I was born in Denmark, and the artists are Danish its makes it pretty special. Marky Mark makes the list since “Good Vibrations” was the song I walked out to at graduation a few months ago. When I lived in Australia, I remember being introduced to “Down Under” and whenever I hear it play, it brings back memories to when I lived Down under. I included “Tom Ford” because I listened to it last night.

Hate Bein Sober – Chief Keef

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRRADRYoSVo

If I lose myself – Alesso Remix

These arms of mine – Otis Redding

Get Free – Major Lazer

Wavin Flag – K’naan

Champions league anthem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf9LUNB-JsM

Played Alive – Safri Duo

Good Vibrations – Marky Mark      

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eSN8Cwit_s

Down Under – Men at Work

Tom Ford – Jay Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkgekVh7oKI

These 8 pictures really represent who I am today as person. I am a laid back person who just loves to mess around and have fun. I’m always in the mood for a joke, and I am always joking around trying to have fun. I love hanging out with my friends and we’re always just doing the dumbest stuff but managing to have so much fun with it. I am the kind of person who tries to make the best of every situation good or bad. I am always doing the stupidest stuff to entertain myself. You can see in one of the pictures where I am on crutches because I have a fractured foot, yet I am still smiling and having fun. It is really hard to bring me down. I’ve noticed the people I hang out with are the same way, my friends and I are always in good mood and it’s really to bring us all down. Even with all that joking around though I do take my friendships seriously and I would never do anything to hurt them. My girlfriend Halle is someone that I care for so much; she is one of the most important people to me because she’s more than my girlfriend she is also one of my best friends. I am also one of the laziest people you could ever meet; one of my favorite hobbies is sleeping. I can sleep for 12 hours straight and still want to go back to sleep. In the summer its rare if I am awake before 3. This is why I picked the 8 pictures I feel like it clearly describes everything I said about myself.