Freshman Seminar Fall 17 DTB

“I Don’t Have Anything To Do”

“I don’t have anything to do” that’s what I say all the time.
Until I have a lot to do- A LOT, of things to do.
Because me saying “I don’t have anything to do”, is a really big fat lie.
But lying to myself, isn’t really the biggest problem here, because you see, I know I have a lot of things to do.
I mean what normal college student attending Baruch and living in NYC would I be if I just didn’t have anything to do? I mean, from completing homework assignments, to cramming- *(looks at teacher)* oops I mean studying ahead- for exams, to hanging out with friends, to working, there isn’t a chance to not have ANYTHING to do.

The problem really is, procrastination. It’s probably the one common problem people can agree and relate to the most.
We all know it’s bad for us, that we’d have to do it eventually so why not just get it over with. The wise Benjamin Franklin did say, “Do not put off for tomorrow what can be done today”.
This quote popped up while I was watching Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix- while I was procrastinating and wondering- mostly wondering- on what to write for monologue.

What we do while procrastinating is like our guilty pleasure. Some hang out with friends, or play video/ computer games. Others take a nap… or just sleep. I like to binge watch TV shows on Netflix. There’s nothing wrong with that, until you end up staying up late trying to complete all the assignments due the next day. I mean, I totally don’t do that. Nope. Not me. I complete my assignments days before they’re due.

Everyone tells me, in college it’s about pacing yourself. Don’t procrastinate, get a planner, and get out as fast as you can; stay focused. But that’s like IMPOSSIBLE to do. The not procrastinating part. Because I got a planner, and I write in a like a dutiful student, but do I really look at it? To give myself some credit- I try. Like say 2-3 times a week, I do.

I get it though, I’ve told many friends and other people not to procrastinate too. Why do I give that advice knowing it’s not going to work and they’re going to procrastinate anyways? Because that was the advice I was given and told many times, and in all honesty, it’s really is a good advice.

The beginning of every new year, I tell myself that I will not procrastinate- or not procrastinate as much, BUT I still do. I mean, I try not to; but I MEAN, THERE’S SO MANY NEW SHOWS THAT COME OUT and URGHH. It’s too tempting and more interesting and… you all get the point. But remember guys, DON’T PROCRASTINATE- it’ll make your life easier.

“Alright boys, put the balls in the bag, practice is over”
“Before you all go, I have some tragic news to tell you, “ coach said while trying to keep his composure
I wondered, what could it possibly be
was he just going to make us run laps? Beats me
One of our former teammates has recently passed away
Its magical the emotions that silence can portray
We walked into his house, holes covered the wall
Sadness and pain that’s hard to recall
You had to be tough, I said, as I tried to keep my eyes dry
However, everyone knew we just wanted to cry
Why him, he was only ten
Our time will come, and it’s scary we never know when
We wore his name on our badge, remembering him every game
We played for his fame, he was the fire lighting our flame
That season we all had a feeling he was with us
He wasn’t just someone buried in dust
As the whistle blew, and as we all began to celebrate
We came together and I guess it was gust faith
We leave this world making an impact, we aren’t just here then dead
Remember that tonight, when you lay down in bed

My life:

I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. Just like this monologue, I had contemplated about what I should write about. I feel like I am just a speck of dust in space, just floating around aimlessly and following the flow of life. During my middle school years, I went to school, went home, did my homework and then drown myself in anime, k-pop, Korean dramas and YouTube. It was a way for me to escape reality. Now that I think about that lifestyle, I regret that I wasted hours on the computer, distanced myself from my family and ruined my eyes. But, without this time in my life, I wouldn’t get to understand myself and why I behaved that way. Without the dark, I wouldn’t be able to see the light. I realized that I was scared of the future. I felt that the future was too unknown and too overwhelming. In addition, I didn’t want change to happen. I was comfortable with the way I was; the couch potato who didn’t do much besides eating, sleeping and escaping life challenges. However, life kept changing and I will eventually have to face it. With the years that I spent escaping reality, I had fallen behind from the rest of my classmates. I expected a lot from myself, but I disappointed myself. My worst enemy is myself. I developed a fixed mindset that I was useless, that I was not a good child and that I couldn’t achieve much in my life. It was not until I went to high school that I really changed how I thought. My high school introduced me to the growth mindset. I learned that I can strive to become a better person and achieve whatever I want if I believe that it is possible and if I work towards it. My friends inspired me and set themselves as an example. They worked extremely hard to achieve what they want in life. They are not born genius but they have the perseverance to keep going despite failures.

Now that I am in Baruch College, I have a goal that I want to achieve. Should I tell you guys? Nah. I learned that it is better for me to keep my goals to myself because the last time I told someone my goal, I didn’t achieve it. In addition, I don’t like it when someone knows what I am doing. I get really uncomfortable when someone is looking over my shoulder. I like to be mysterious. All in all, I am striving to become a better version of myself and to get my life together.

Fear is a crippling idea that hinders growth and success. So many thoughts in our mind stop us from doing what we want because we are sometimes scared of what might happen. I believe it is better to regret something you did rather than something you did not. Sadhguru has an interesting take on fear. According to him fear is all the things you think may happen in your mind, that which are nonexistent, which means we are at socially accepted levels of insanity. We are basically believing in things that do not exist today in our reality. Your imagination is the basis of your fear, and that consists of what happened yesterday and what may happen tomorrow, either way it is not rooted with the present time. The way I see it, life is constantly moving, I don’t want to waste all my life thinking, “What if?” People may grow up in fear but I make the conscious decision not to fear anything, and as a result, I will hope to experience my life to the fullest extent possible.

Hello, how are you?

I’m good, I’m good.

So I have a question, do I have to take this class, because I feel like I’m limited and need something more challenging.

Yep, Ya, I understand that we have all these general requirements but as an accounting major can I take a different class?

Well, what if I replace the Gen Ed class with this night class, I can go to class after work and that would be perfect.

No, I can’t I have to go to soccer at that time.

Haha ya, I’m a little busy, but I’d rather be busy than bored and have too much time.

I study at night after work or before school when I have time, it’s not bad I actually enjoy it a lot.

Well, yea that’s what you gotta learn in college.

Well, I gotta make decisions all the time, like I know that I can’t go out every night even though I have the opportunity to now.

Ya I do when I got time, but I’m sure you know very well time is precious

Ya, I love it, the idea of being independent and responsible for everything is great but stressful at the same time.

Well being in control of your own decisions 99% of the time is everyone’s dream, but at the same time you know that you have only yourself to blame for anything bad that happens, Kinda like making sure I’m taking classes that challenge me

Ok, so I guess I’ll ask to change my work schedule and I can take the Honors class instead, can I email you tomorrow morning to let you know 100%?

Thank you so much, have a good day.

On October 3rd, I attended club fair. I went to club fair to try to find some clubs for me to join and get excited about. Me and my friends went and it was actually pretty fun. There was a live DJ playing music and there were a lot of clubs with cool visual presentations that describe their club. I went to all the clubs I could, partially because most of the clubs were giving out candy but there was a lot of interesting clubs out there. I actually signed up for the Latin American Student Organization, even though I am not latino whatsoever. To be honest I signed up because the students said that they would have dance workshops and I secretly want to learn how to bachata and salsa. Another club I signed up for was UNICEF, I thought it would be a good idea to sign up for some community service club because those are very respectable organizations, as well as a great outlet to help people in need. I also signed up for Muslim Student Association because I am actually muslim and felt like that would be a good way to balance religion with everything else that I am doing in life. I also wanted to get involve in something cultural because personally I feel like I lack a serious connection for my culture, so the closest thing I could find was the South Asian Student Organization. I talk to the students that run the organization and it was nice because some of them were from Pakistan, like me, and we had a few things in common, like the language and food we eat. They were giving out fake tattoos and I decided to get one on my wrist. Overall, I had fun at club fair. I was able to explore different clubs that were based off of different interests.

There are few places in New York where one can go and take a break from the constant movement. For me, that place is Central Park. I know how cliché it sounds and it might not mean much to most people, but for me it is a special place. For starters, it is where I had my first job at 15, selling maps. Although I absolutely hated it because my boss was horrible and the job was tiring, I got to spend my entire summer in the park. On my breaks, I would wander through the mall, up to the ramble, find a bench by the lake and eat my lunch. Despite the many tourists by the South end of the park, the further up north you go, the more peaceful it gets. Eventually I quit that job but I still came to the park as often as I could. One day, my friend and I walked all the way down from one hundred and tenth street to the very beginning of the park on 59^th street. We were tired, but we also had a great time. Just this weekend, I spent my Sunday there, on sheep meadow watching kids fly kites while a friend I enjoyed our breakfast. I know it is just a park but to me, I built a lot of memories there and found a small corner of New York where I can go and relax.

I went to the Brooklyn museum for an art project. The objective was to be looking for which artifact would catch my eye. Passing by this museum for my whole life I never had the interest or the thought of actually going inside. Walking around I seen this simple artifact but I felt it had a more complex feel. The artist behind this artifact was no other than Maso di Banco. He decided to name it (what was on the card next to it) “Triptych; Madonna with Saints and Christ Blessing (center); The Nativity and The Annunciate Angel (left wing); Crucifixion and the Virgin Annunciate (right wing)”, which I believe correctly reflects what I’am looking act. The reason I say this is because they title is more of a description, I looked at other artifacts to make sure that is where the name of the artifact goes on the card. What also interested me about this art piece is that in class we have studied works that looks similar to this one by Maso di Banco. As I immediately look at this artifact you can tell that its old but you still see the richness and craftsman ship put in to this. In some parts especially the bottom the gold paint starts to peel off. When you move up, I feel like the best way to describe it is a church door being opened, and inside of the church is Virgin Mary holding a baby Jesus. But what helps capture the mood even more is that Virgin Mary is placed in a brighter light than the rest and is also centered by others. On one of the doors of the church is Jesus’s crucification, having the same color background as everything else. Jesus’s crucification scene also has two people under his body, they are standing on a dull green colored grass. Now on to the top of this artifact I feel comfortable describing it as a triangle, without the bottom. Or as church main door opening where you see a semi circle at the bottom but more of a triangle at the top. At the top there is a small picture of a man who I believe to be Jesus. All of the top being painted in the same gold as the rest (except for the background of Mary). The top has a few complex designs such as 3 circles combined, and that makes for where Jesus is at. At the very top is sort of a bird looking sticking out five times on each side of the triangle (all gold) As I walk out the museum I felt as the feeling of the art work left with me. So vividly I felt, like I could have chosen about 5 different artifacts to write about. But what made this special was the color chosen by Maos Di Banco. I also felt in love with the simplicity, I felt in love with the idea that a piece of art can look so simple but feel so complex.

Academic

Good afternoon DTB!

As Karla and I mentioned in our last class, we will be with an academic advisor for our next class on 10/17. Instead of going to our regular classroom, meet us in 9-155. I will post a sign on the door just in case you forget.

See you next week in room 9-155!