FRO13 EMC

Meirav Weintraub

First, I chose a picture I took of the Barclays center from the 2013 VMA’s because I live in Brooklyn right nearby. I live in a neighborhood called Carroll Gardens so the second picture is my view from one of my bedroom windows. The third picture is of Florida, where I was born. The fourth picture is of an Oreo Cheesecake I made recently, I love to cook and this is one of my favorite things to make. The fifth picture is of my 1-year-old kitten Sofi. The sixth picture represents my love for fashion, and pink. The seventh picture is of sushi, one of my favorite foods, and the eighth picture is my absolute favorite drink – Starbucks’ passion iced tea.

http://grooveshark.com/playlist/Who+I+Am/90958196

My playlist and 500 words here it goes.

Well, I chose to make a 10 song playlist becuase it would be the easiest to do on short notice at midnight and a video or slideshow are too much work.

In my playlist there are songs that I have listened to for anywhere from 6 months to a few years. And each song that is in my playlist describes part of my life, my history, or my personality.

I would like to start off with Monty Python.

The 3 songs I have by Monty Python are the Lumberjack Song, the Money Song, and Always Look on the Brighside of Life.

The Lumberjack Song is the song I have listened to the longest on my playlist. I started listening to it because on of my earliest bestfriends introduced me too it, and Monty Python. I am a huge fan of Monty Python because of it’s unique brand of humor. I try to model my jokes after those used by Monty Python.

The next Monty Python song is the Money Song. I beleive this song is self explanatory. I love money. It’s great. It’s that simple.

The final of the Monty Python songs is Always Look on the Brightside of LIfe. This is one of my favorite songs for two reasons. One, Monty Python’s Quest for the Holy Grail is one of the best movies of all time. Two, my personal philosophy is that there is always a brightside.

Now i’ll talk about They Might Be Giants. Much like Monty Python they have a unique sense of humor and make great music.  I have them on my playlist becuase they make unique music. Theme from Flood is on there becuase it is short and quirky. Istanbul was the first song of theirs I ever listened too which ended making me a huge fan of theirs ever since. And Birdhouse in Your Soul is just a great song that I love listening too becuase it’s cheery.

Under Pressure I added becuase it was my favorite song freshman year of highschool. But it translates into life post highschool as well. Life is always stressing you out but you shouldn’t take it so seriously.

On a similar note Clint Eastwood repeats ” I ain’t happy but i’m feeling glad”. Which goes along with my motto. Even if life is bad, be happy, there’s a brightside.

Daydreamin is on this list becuase in spanish class in highschool I wouldn’t pay attention.

The music in my playlist is like me uniqu, funny, and great to listen too. More or less.

deadmau5 feat. Chris James – The Veldt has meaning to me in a couple of different ways.  One thing that you all may not know is that I used to break dance.  This song means a lot to me because this was the first song I ever listened to when I started.  It’s not exactly the type of song that you’d think about hearing when you think about break dancing, but it was just such a chill and relaxed song that it became a part of my life.  Not a day goes by where I don’t listen to this song.  Something about it just makes me want to keep listening, and it never gets old to me, no matter how many times I listen to it. This song is very relaxed which I think describes me very well.

Dumbdoundead ft Jay Park & Clara – Clouds is a song that represents my mind set, and the motto that I live by.  My motto is “Never Give Up.” The lyrics from the chorus “When the clouds are in the sky, know that they’re just passing by, there”ll be sunshine,” help strengthen my motto.

Ellie Goulding – Starry Eyed just has meaning to me because it was a song that was used in a mix for the first B-boy performance I did.  This was used in the beginning of the mix and it was me and two of my friends who I started to B-boy with.

Shing02 – Lift the Fog Up ft. ECCY.. I’ll be completely honest with you, I don’t really have a clue what is being said in this song, aside from the chorus. I also don’t have a clue where I found this song, but since the first time I heard it, it has just been a feel good song to listen to.

Johan Vilborg – Altara (Nigel Good Remix) & Porter Robinson – Language have meaning to me because these are songs that I listen to when I drive.  Another thing about me that you guys don’t know is that I’m in love with cars.  People might say that it’s just a guy thing, but for me, it’s a passion.  Ever since I was little, I’ve always been into cars.  On weekends, you can usually find me working on a car.

Feint – Lift, re:plus – Solitude, Dumbfoundead – Brb (feat. Andrew Garcia) & Dumbfoundead – Cool and Calm are four songs that are very relaxing and make you feel good.  I just enjoy listening to these songs.

Most of the songs I chose are very relaxed, which pretty much explains the kind of person I am.  I am a very calm person.  Music is a large part of my life.  It was kind of difficult to choose only 10 songs that describe me.  Thanks for reading, hope to learn more about you all as the semester goes on.

10 of my favorite albums: most of the music I listen too stems off of this list. All of these works speak to who I am as a person by influencing my creativity and how I project it outwards in everyday life.

Nas-Illmatic

9 perfect hip hop songs with a non stop flux of clever lyricism from beginning to end. One of the most critically acclaimed rap records ever. To me, it defines what rap as a genre should be; raw, simple, and catchy beats with a catchy hook and a focus on lyrics. My appreciation for hip hop wouldn’t be present without this album.

Red Hot Chili Peppers-By The Way

One of my favorite bands. It is too hard to pick the best album but ‘By The Way’ is up there. I really appreciate the way they blend funk and rock. The four main members are very talented musicians and influence the way I play music.

Outkast- Aquemini

Another one of my favorite  rap albums. Andre 3000 is at his best in this album. He has a unique storytelling ability.

Jay-Z – Reasonable doubt

Jay-z’s first album. In my opinion it is his best. His focus on rapping rather than being a pop star is what separates this from most of his other works.

Pink Floyd-Wish You Were Here

Very tough pick between all of their amazing albums. Pink Floyd is one of my favorite bands. I like them for their unique sound and musical ability. They were using synthesizers over 30 years ago which I find to be very cool and ahead of its time.

Chance The Rapper – Acid Rap

Chance The Rapper is one of my favorite rappers out there for his ability to blend ‘melodic music’ and hip hop. It is hard to tell if he is rapping or singing most of the time.

Cortex – Troupeau Bleu

Cortex is a French jazz fusion band from the 70’s. I like their cool and funky melodies and their overall style. You can find them sampled in many modern day rap songs.

Radiohead – Kid A

While I find this album to be overall too depressing to regularly listen too, I think it is one of the most melodically rich pieces of work out there. Overall beautiful sounding.

Daft Punk – Discovery

I almost wish this album never came out because it spawned an entire genre of electronic music that is all the same and mostly meaningless music (to me). However, this is one of the firsts of its kind, has great melodies, and is very upbeat.

The Doors- The Doors

The coolest rock band in my opinion. I like the rock/blues feel that they give off.

Hi everyone. My name is Chloe Rose Magliato, however, over the years i’ve acquired the nick-name “Coco” so that’s what most of my friends call me. I chose to do the eight image slide show because it will be very easy for me to sum up what’s important in my life through pictures. The first image I chose is a picture of my best friend Kristen and I. We grew up two houses down from each other and have been the best of friends since kindergarden. She’s become my sister, and she’s been someone that I have been able to trust and confide in since day one. The second picture I chose to include is a picture of my sister Natalia and I. She is the most influential person in my life. She’s five years older than me, however, she’s my best friend, and I am so grateful to have a sister that I not only get along with so well, but a sister who would do absolutely anything for me. The third picture I included in this is a baby picture of me in my first dance costume. My mom was a professional dancer so she put my sister and I in dance classes when we were three years old and we’ve made it a huge part of our lives ever since. Dance is an outlet for me, and in my fifteen years of dancing I have done a little bit of every style. The fourth picture is a picture of my nephew and I. He’s not my actual nephew, however, we’re so close with his family so i’m referred to as “Aunt Chloe.” His name is Gavin, and he is one of the many reasons I try to do good in this world. He was born with a Congenital Heart Disease, and it’s a miracle that he is alive. The fifth picture is a picture of tiny, Sicilian boxing gloves that I bought. I am so proud of my Sicilian heritage and being Sicilian means that I am apart of a community and family that will never be torn apart. The sixth picture I chose is a picture I took of the Frank Ocean concert sign. Frank Ocean is my absolute favorite musical artist, and, as cliché as this sounds, his music has gotten me through the toughest times of my eighteen years. Every song of his can put me in a good mood even on some of my worst days. The seventh picture is a picture from my trip to the Bahamas with some of my closest friends. My friend Danielle and her family paid to take me on vacation with them, and it was truly the best trip of my life. I formed bonds and memories with these people that will never be broken or forgotten, and I would give anything just to go back and relive those days/nights. The eighth and final picture I chose is a picture I took of the sun rising at a local beach by my house on Long Island. I chose this picture because Long Island is where I grew up, and this morning I spent with my friends watching the sun rise was so blissful and calming and something i’ll never forget.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/103711324@N07/    (link to slideshow)

http://youtu.be/sdabjUy3KTM

Okay so most of it has been said in the video I posted above but now lets just go into some more specific details that i probably missed in the video. To start of with I forgot to mention I am majoring in accounts or at least thats what my plan is at the moment. Coming to baruch and new york in general has been a big transition for me as the culture and the environment is completely different from my previous school in Islamabad. However I am trying my best to fit in and adjust to it which has become a habit for me now as I have travelled alot because of my father’s job. He worked in the Embassy of Pakistan therefore we had to travel to different countries to where Pakistani Embassy is located. i got the chance to learn new cultures along my journey to different places like Ukrain and Cuba and i also learned some spanish and i think i can recall some russian as well.

Family is major part of my life and as told in the video already i have two brothers and i am the youngest of the three. If anyone else is the youngest sibbling and reading this then you know what the advantages and disadvantages of this is. My mom is basically a house wife and has always been there to take care of us while my father worked hard in the embassy of Pakistan and his job actually opened up the gates for opportunity to study abroad for us.

Now lets just wrap this up with details specific to me. okay well I am not a big fan of reading actually to be honest i have only read about 6 books in my life up to now the most recent one being “Age of miracles” which i was tricked into reading as i thought it would be a part of our course. From movies I mostly like comedy,action and suspense movies and on some rare occasions romance can fit in too.Food has been a challenge up to now as i am not a good cook and looking for free food so that I dont have to cook when i get home is always on my mission list. However my favorite food is the pure Pakistani food itself. I love spicy variety of food we have back home and i wish i could share it with you guys may be some of you have heard of the “samosas”. When it comes to music my range is pretty broad as I listen to any song that sounds good but generally pop and hip hop songs are more of my preferance. Okay now i guess this is enough for now and you will be able to find a lot more about me as the semester goes on.

To be honest, I don’t know what to write about. The songs i compiled were just a couple that i enjoyed.

Safe and Sound- As a teenager living in NYC, I know it’s not the safest place in the world. Being raised by overprotective parents, I avoid many areas of NYC because of the location or if it’s just plain scary.

Thanks for the Memories- With life, there are good times and bad times. Although not all of the experiences i go through are enjoyable, they are still a part of me, and I would never change that.

I Want Crazy- I’ve been told by several of my friends that I was “Crazy”. This is basically just a pretty sounding song that I liked ^_^

Take a Walk- I walk much more often now that I go to school in Manhattan- I enjoy them. To be honest, it’s my only exercise so I’m glad I enjoy it.

Don’t Wake Me Up- My attitude to my alarm cup. Please don’t wake me up- 5 AM is simply too early.

Sea Flower- I have no idea what this song is about but it’s pretty so I like it

Stay the Night- This is also a nice sounding song I suggest you listen to it 🙂 I guess it’s more of me being skeptical of friendships & relationships and the risks of becoming too close to people.

Don’t Drop That Thun Thun Thun- Just warning you it’s [explicit]. I added it in this playlist because I sang it a lot frequently in high school (and karaoke).  I guess it did help shape who I am now- it was a very useful bonding tool.

So yeah, that’s my playlist!

Now you get to see waving bears. Bye! 

Link to playlist: http://grooveshark.com/playlist/Playlist/90954596

-Jasmine Ma

My name is Marwa Amin and I am 18 years old. Here is my story… I was born in Bangladesh and grew up here in the states. I can still speak Bengali to an extent, however, my Bengali literacy is a different story. Growing up I loved reading!! I enjoyed reading Harry Potter, The Secret Garden, and  The Little Princess. During the “dial-up” days, I remember I loved playing FreeCell and Solitaire, and it was done when I chose the spiderman deck! I was never into video games like Zelda or Sonic. But I liked Super Mario. He was cool. I mean who wouldn’t want to fight a Bowser to save the pink lady who keeps running away, right?

I never liked healthy food growing up or even now for that matter. I think food is a privilege, so whenever I eat something, I make sure it tastes pretty awesome. The healthiest food I prefer is like baked Lays. I really like baking, especially the icing and frosting part. I think cake decorating is so much fun, it’s another form of art. I also like Skittles.

I hate games like PacMan!  It gives me anxiety. Too many ghosts from all directions and I’m just trying to get the last strawberry! I am not a picky eater; if it tastes good, serve it up. However, I have this one thing with bananas. I’m just not a fan. Everyone knows this. Yet, my friends still put banana in my cake -___-

Between junior and senior year, I had this crazy obsession with polka dots and bows! They are just so cute and plus they help bring some accessory to a simple outfit. It was these years when I first began thinking about opening my own boutique shop. To start my own business in fashion would literally be not having to work a day in my life.

I like fashion in general, from chic apparel to casual wear, I love it all! I wish I was more spontaneous, but usually I’m like an organized robot. But like a snowflake, we are all unique and when accumulated, we make something amazing together.

The first ten minutes of the Disney movie “Up” was the best love story ever told! Come up with a better one, and I will be impressed. That movie is symbolic to me in terms of understanding “love”. When you “love” someone, it is not because they put smiles on your face or brightens your day, it’s the ultimate, everlasting gift they were able to give you. For me, I hope to finally see a rainbow one day! Also to end that day watching the sunset, that would be nice.

Jeffry’s Playlist

I tried really hard to meet the 10 song limit but it was near impossible for me to delete some of these songs. I saw other people bend the rule a bit so I thought I’d go with it too. None of these songs are hype songs, in the sense that would heighten my mood. Music is more of a relaxant for me although that’s not to say I don’t listen to upbeat songs. I also watch a lot of films so some of these songs may derive from movie titles. These songs can get me through anything. This is not listed in any particular order.

Fly by Ludovico Einaudi. This musical piece was played in the French comedy drama, The Intouchable, which coincidentally is also a very good film. Fly had a dominant presence in the film and impacted me the most.

Moanin’ by Art Blakey is the song that started my jazz addiction. My friend introduced it to me and I couldn’t help wanting more.

The Cave by Mumford & Sons is a popular track from their album Sigh No More. As with all Mumford & Sons songs, the lyrics and instrumental are jaw dropping. This is a song that a special friend introduced to me and had stuck to me ever since.

Imagine by John Lennon has the most inspirational lyrics that no other songs can match. Lennon was able to capture my attention with just the first line “Imagine there’s no heaven.”

Lego House by Ed Sheeran. I love Ed’s lyrics as they are unlike any other songwriter’s. It’s also delightful to find Ed Sheeran doing covers of your favorite songs.

Rebel Rebel by David Bowie. David Bowie produces those songs that you can’t get out of your head. This is one of them.

Nocturne No. 2 in E flat Major, Op. 9,2 by Chopin. This piece has yet failed to soothe me. It was gracefully composed by Chopin.

Dance With the Devil by Immortal Technique blew my mind the first time I heard it and does so consecutively with each listen. I had not expected the song to progress the way it did. This song also connected me to one of my closest friend.

Complainte De La Butte by Rufus Wainwright is a song sung in the French film Moulin Rouge. I have no idea what the man is saying but it’s not hard to guess by the way he’s singing.

Sunday Morning by Maroon 5. Adam Levine is an amazing vocalist and this is the designated chill song.

Same Love by Macklemore stands out amongst all the rap songs today. It preaches equal rights for same sex marriages which  Macklemore addresses the issue perfectly.

Open Your Eyes by Bobby Caldwell. It’s a song that stuck to me since I was a kid. I still find myself putting it on repeat sometimes.

Cups by Anna Kendrick. A song made famous in the movie Pitch Perfect. Loved it the first time I heard it in the film and it doesn’t help that I adore Anna Kendrick. With that said, if Emma Watson starts singing, I’d have to remake this entire playlist.

On My Own by Lea Solonga. Lea has a beautiful voice and in my opinion, puts Anne Hathaway to shame (the whole cast really) in the remake of Les Miserables. She also sang A Whole New World as Jasmine in Aladdin, which led to many embarrassing covers as a kid.

Daniel by Dia Frampton. I knew her as a girl doing covers of Youtube and I’m jealous of her talent and her progress. Now she’s done tours and gained fame through The Voice. It makes me reflect on my own life and how little I’ve accomplished in comparison.

There’s many more that didn’t make the list. Hopefully this gives an idea of the person I am.

Music is such a big part of who I am.  I’ve always been surrounded by music; my uncles on both sides of family are producers and my great grandfather was a part of a band in Puerto Rico, so it is a part  of my family history.  Getting into this playlist I want to start of with a couple of songs that really mean a lot to my me:

Triumph-Wu-Tang Clan

I know a lot of people in this class don’t listen to Wu-Tang or even have a clue who they are but their music has definitely always been a part of my life.  I was born in 1995, really the height of their popularity and my father was a fanatic.  He knew all of the members, their songs, everything.  He passed away recently and I have many, many memories of him just being so happy when he heard their music.  This song in particular is my favorite of theirs’; it’s just a perfect hip hop song in my opinion.

All I Need-Method Man/Mary J. Blige

This song is not one of my favorites but I do really love it because of the effect it has on people.  Growing up, I witnessed my parents and older family members at party’s having so much fun and when this song came on, it was like they were transported to an entirely different world.  And it is still like this at these gatherings to this day.  Definitely a great song.

Ordinary People-John Legend

Perfect song from beginning to end.  Every time it comes on I listen to the end.  There is no way you cannot like this song.

Midnight Marauders-A Tribe Called Quest

This is an entire album that I listed.  This album really expanded my knowledge on music in general.  This group is one of the main reasons why artists like Kanye West and Jay-z exist in this day and age.  These guys laid the groundwork for many, many hip-hop artists.

Open Your Eyes-Bobby Caldwell

Beautiful song. Period.

The Warm Up-J. Cole

Again, this is an entire project.  I stumbled upon this album at the beginning of my freshman year of high school and it really helped me adjust to my new situation.  Great album and it is a really good listen for anyone going through something, from relationships to family matters; it will really help.

The College Dropout-Kanye West

This is another full project.  This album changed my perspective on life, particularly concerning higher education.  West basically satirizes the college education system, displaying that the system can be brutally flawed at times.  He also attacks the belief that to be successful, college must be a part of your plan; he believes that you can do whatever you want to do; you just have to believe in yourself and work for it.

Slippin’-DMX

A great personal song from one of the best rappers ever in my opinion.

I Can’t Help It-Micheal Jackson

A beautiful song from his best album in my opinion(Off The Wall).  I must have listened to this a hundred times when I found out he passed.  He was a really great person; I’ve never seen someone have such a profound effect on someone they do not know.  People were literally crying when he passed; one could only hope to be loved that much.

Purple Rain-Prince

A perfect album top to bottom.

And that is the playlist to my life pretty much; all over the place, spanning several genres and time periods.  It is a really good parallel to my life now that I think about it.   Hopefully you guys like it.