(I tried to upload my last two pictures-me riding my horse and the city-multiple times, but for some reason it wouldn’t let me)

The most important thing to me is my family.  I grew up with an amazing childhood that I wouldn’t have given up for anything.  The four of us went through a lot of good and bad times in my 18 years.  Like all siblings my sister, Sarah, and I used to fight constantly, but as we grew older she became my best friend.  When my mom passed away the three of us struggle through, but came out even closer in the long run.  My dad has always been the most important man in my life.  He and I have always been extremely close and I’ve always been great full to have him as a father.  My childhood pet, Buddy is 14 years old now.  I used to bring him on walks every week, until he became more tired than I would.  The picture of my five best friends and me was taken in the Pound Ridge Reservation, where I used to walk Buddy.  Both my friends and this reservation made my high school experiences that much better. We would all either go and lay in the sun or go and hike any opportunity we had.  I couldn’t imagine what high school would have been like without these ladies or our favorite place.  Horseback riding was always extremely important to me, as well. I’ve been riding since I was 7 years old.  The horse I’m on in this picture, Moose is owned by my mom’s best friend, so he was who I’d ride during every lesson and just about every show. The picture with the lake in the background was taken in Brandreth Park, in the Adirondacks. This park is owned by one family, so everyone in that picture, except me, is related.  I’ve been going up there with my dad and Sarah every summer for as long as I can remember.  My favorite part about being up there is being disconnected from the world.  There’s no power in the camps, so all there is to do is enjoy the company and the outdoors.  I’ve always enjoyed hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, and anything that involves being in the wilderness.  Being in the woods has always helped me clear my mind and can always make my days better.  This is why I added a picture I took on a hike in the Pound Ridge Reservation.  Everyone in my high school knew me as a wilderness lover, so most of my friends were shocked when I picked a city school. Even though it wasn’t obvious, I’ve always loved the city and I’ve waited my whole life to be able to live here.  This is where I will most likely be living for the next 10 years if my life. When I need my tree fix I’ve been going to a nearby park to just sit and read. I have been missing the reservation and being able to go on hikes, but the city is its own jungle that I never want to leave.

The reason I chose these  8 pictures is because I believe that these tell you most about my life and everything you need to know.

Picture number one is of family. Family is without a doubt the most important thing in my life and that’s why I put them first. As Michael J. Fox once said, “Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.” I definitely hold by this and without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. The next picture is a picture of the greatest city in the world, New York. New York is where I have been born and raised and there is no place better. As I grew up, I made the tough transition from 8th grade to high-school and  decided to take my “talents” to MTA, which is a Jewish private school located in Washington Heights. (Picture 3)

Picture number four explains what my favorite hobby is. Playing sports. I will play any sport, any time and anywhere. I joined many leagues and school teams throughout my life and I love every minute of it. To me, it doesn’t matter how good you are. Sports are all about playing and competing. Whatever you do in any sport, enjoy it, be positive and try to win. The reason why I love playing sports is because of picture number 5. Throughout my childhood, my parents used to take me to numerous sporting events every year, and this made me admire every aspect of every game so much more. My dad still takes me to football games, basketball games and hockey games, and I love it.

Picture number six just shows you what makes me happy. Animals. I love animals. I have had many pets throughout my existence and I would spend most of my day just hanging out and relaxing with them. My most recent pet was a cute, little, 3-month old Yorkie. I spent a few weeks playing with her, all day and everyday, but sadly after a few weeks, I had to return her due to the fact she needed surgery in her legs. When I’m not playing sports, or just have a few minutes of free time, I like to draw. I find drawing really relaxing and I like being able to create something from nothing.

The last and final picture is a collage of me and a few of my many friends. Friends are really important to me. They have your back no matter what,  they help you grow as a person and they just keep you occupied and make you happy when nobody else can. “Friends pick us up when we’re down and if they can’t pick us up, then they come and lie down for a while.” -Anonymous. I think my friends understand me most, and I would have not have gotten to this point without their help and guidance.

Jacob Joel Saks

I decided that my music list would you help judge my character. I thought that since a a single picture is worth “a thousand words”, it would be too broad of a spectrum to pick out specific images.  Songs i listen to always have a central idea, theme, or message that it gets across. I am also not a man of one taste, as i enjoy trying new “dishes”. Depending on my current state of mind, my music may help alleviate stress after a long day, pump me up before a game, wake me up for school, and can even help me relax slash put me to bed. Here are the most played songs on my itunes playlist:

Wiz Khalifa: No pain

The XX: Intro

Jay Z: New York State of Mind

Wiz Khalifa: The race

Bob Marley: Sun is shining

The XX: Angels

Slightly Stoopid: See It No Other Way

Damian Marley & Nas: As We Enter

Fabulous: Cant Let You Go

311: Amber

Red Hot Chili Peppers: Cant Stop

Green Day: Wake Me Up When September Ends

Jimy Hendrix: Ezy Rider

Wiz Khalifa: No limit

Andre 3000: Roses

Wiz Khalifa: Houses in the Hills

You came across all different artists and genres, but I’m sure you noticed in particular Wiz Khalifa. His mentality of a stress free lifestyle, hard work and sticking to your dreams consists of most of his lyrics. Not only does he get the message across in multiples forms of music for anyone to enjoy,  he does it with style as-well which is another way i enjoy expressing my self.  Thats enough about Wiz Khalifa, more about me.. I am a very schedule oriented person, and with each tasks following another, my music will match the situation I’m in. If its homework time i put on a slow beat song; jazz, instrumentals. If its time to prep for the gym i prefer to blast my rap, hip-hop, or R&B. Most of my life consist of school, work to pay my rent, and networking for future opportunities. I enjoy socializing, playing sports, weight lifting, cooking, and am always open to help others; taking knowledge and spreading it. People tell me i am friendly, funny when i try not to be, and easy going. I am known to be a laid back person as i truly believe a stress-free lifestyle, but one thing i was taught growing up is that every problem has a solution, you just need to dig it up. When i need to i can get as serious as a bull. I take pride in my achievements and hopefully many more to come.  I try to work as hard as i possibly can because i know life is the product of what you put in. I hope you enjoyed my blog and at least began constructing the imagine of who i am. Looking forward to an amazing year at Baruch.

FRO slideshow

In my slideshow, I included slides on my background, taste in music, food and my hobbies. My family is from the Philippines and I was raised in Staten Island, which are both a big part of my life. My music preference is different because I listen to mostly KPop, I’m very much into the the language and style. But I do have a few others that I listen to, such as Maroon 5 and Sam Smith. Hobbies include watching asian dramas, I’m able to cut everything out just to watch these. I’ve even created a list of all the ones I’ve already seen, which adds up to hundreds. I also play volleyball and bowling. In high school, my life consisted of asian dramas and these sports. My favorite food has to be asian cuisine especially korean bbq. I also love pizza and popeyes, I could probably survive on just these.

When people first meet me they usually think I’m shy and quiet, but in reality I’m loud and interesting. I’m able to relate to people easily, and if they aren’t into Kpop and Asian dramas I’m easily able to get them just as obsessed. I’m pretty slow and it shows whenever I get picked on in class. Basically, everything written here is put into my slide show. All of these make me who I am today.

My Life in 8 Pictures

I know what you’re thinking: “Wow, that’s a really corny blog post title.” It is, I know. However, that’s actually a piece of who I am: corny. Other than that, as the first picture of the slideshow suggests, I’m quite quiet when you first meet me. I’m reserved, only speaking when addressed; I’d rather listen and observe in a group than give my own opinion. This leads to the second picture which reveals how I’m the type to stay home and read a novel (or watch Criminal Minds), especially if the day is rainy. Despite my implications of being a hermit, I do interact willingly and happily with people I care about…which leads to my third slide, a picture of my best friend, Samiha, and I getting ready for our last production of In The Heights! I have a small group of people I truly consider to be my best friends and I’m very content with them.

Other people that mean the world to me include my family, whom you can see in the fourth picture. As an only child, the environment of a loud, bustling family is extremely refreshing, which is why I make an effort to visit the Philippines every summer. My family is fun and bubbly; they inspire me to better myself with every visit. They always tell me to fight my allergies and become immune to them because they know how self-conscious I get about them and how I’ve allowed them to define who I am. I have a lot of allergies, as seen in my next photo, and due to these restrictions, I’ve restricted other aspects of myself as well – one of the major causes of my timidity. Despite this, I’ve somehow overcome my allergy to one type of cheese: Asiago. Seen in the next picture is my favorite sandwich from Panera Bread, the Sierra Turkey. (I know it’s weird that I can eat only one cheese.)

In all, I’m just a quiet-yet-hyper-once-you-get-to-know-me kind of girl. I play the piano (my piano looks like the one in the seventh picture) and I’m obsessed with music, especially Korean pop! I’d rather talk it out than argue, preferring serenity over chaos, as displayed in my last picture.

Lav Patel First blog post

I choose these pictures because I really feel like they describe me the best. I am really into sports I watch all the Nets, Yankees and Jets games every time that I get a chance. I am huge Nets fan I have been to so many games since they have moved to Brooklyn. I would have to say that basketball is my favorite sport to play and watch. That is also why  I had a picture of a basketball in the slide show because I used to for my high school for all four years. Even though I never started I did get much better every year. Sports make up a big part of my life right now I could never get tired of watching them.

I also very into trying new foods and I love to eat. I love all types of foods I give everything a fair chance. I am not that much of a fast food person I prefer to eat at healthier places like Panera bread and Chipotle. I really into watching T.V shows such as Breaking bad, Game of Thrones, and Homeland. Even though I am extremely behind in the Game of Thrones. That is why I put the picture of the TV into the slide show. I love to listen to all types of music mostly rap and hip hop though that is why I put the musical note in the slide. I also a big card player I have loved to play cards since I was a little kid. I love to play poker and other card games with my friends. I think that these eight pictures describe me the best as a person right now in my life.