Monthly Archives: April 2013

The Health and Wellness Enrichment workshop was very informative. I have already been to many of the meditation sessions Megan gives, but I have never known that many factors can influence stress as we go along college. I personally have struggled with anxiety my whole life and being able to accept that had helped me a lot. I did not know you could do little relaxation exercises while you are in the class or in the bus. Knowing the different factors of stress and what it can lead to is making me think about my methods of study and also how much I give to my college experience. Just breathing and relaxing can liberate you from the inevitable pressure of the homework and midterms, so yes, it was very helpful.

The Mishkin art gallery was very interesting.  I didn’t know the school had an art gallery until I went with my freshman orientation class.  It was very close and we don’t have to pay to enter.  The paintings were nice and interesting.  I liked the painting of the movements of the people.  I do not remember the name, but the painting only had lines and nothing else.  The lines showed the movements of the people who were in the original painting.  The painting told a story and we had different views of the paintings.  It was a nice time to not think about school.  The atmosphere is like any other art gallery.

The Mishkin art gallery was very interesting.  I didn’t know the school had an art gallery until I went with my freshman orientation class.  It was very close and we don’t have to pay to enter.  The paintings were nice and interesting.  I liked the painting of the movements of the people.  I do not remember the name, but the painting only had lines and nothing else.  The lines showed the movements of the people who were in the original painting.  The painting told a story and we had different views of the paintings.  It was a nice time to not think about school.  The atmosphere is like any other art gallery.

The Health and Wellness Enrichment workshop was very relaxing.  It was informative.  They showed us powerpoints as they were talking.  They spoke about how to relieve stress and what to do to reduce stress.  Stress can cause strokes and heart attacks.  We learned how to measure our levels of stress.  They handed out a worksheet that measured our stress levels and if we were if category A or B.  Yoga and simple stretches helps us relax.  We watched a video that was a short a clip of Kung Fu Panda and Happy Gilmore.  After the workshop we received stress balls and a pens.  Closing your eyes and breathing in and out also helps you relax.  We should have time for ourselves to not be too stressful.  There are good stress and bad stress.

The Health and Wellness Enrichment workshop was very relaxing.  It was informative.  They showed us powerpoints as they were talking.  They spoke about how to relieve stress and what to do to reduce stress.  Stress can cause strokes and heart attacks.  We learned how to measure our levels of stress.  They handed out a worksheet that measured our stress levels and if we were if category A or B.  Yoga and simple stretches helps us relax.  We watched a video that was a short a clip of Kung Fu Panda and Happy Gilmore.  After the workshop we received stress balls and a pens.  Closing your eyes and breathing in and out also helps you relax.  We should have time for ourselves to not be too stressful.  There are good stress and bad stress.

There’s a comedy show on HBO called “Girls” and the first time I watched it I did not know what to think. It portraits this woman named Hannah who finished college two years ago and now is trying to figure out what is going to be her next step. What I mean when I say I did not know what to think is that in the first episode there is an anal sex scene pretty real but still funny. By the third episode the sex scenes just got worst but for some reason I could not stop watching it. What is so original about the show is that not only has A-class writing but also shows sex among young people as what it really is, not a sexy, formulated action but the inexperienced, weird and sometimes unhygienic mess it really is. But I do have a problem with it. I have all this girl friends who have told me the show is not just empowering but a portrait of the reality of many girls living in New York. I have a sister who is fifteen years old and I would not like her having sex with random guys or snorting cocaine while dancing a song called “I love it”. Even though the show clearly explores the universal idea of getting into the real world after being supported financially and emotionally by your parents, and even though I celebrate Hannah’s behavior, I would never want my sister to do the same life choices. That is why I have not recommended the show to her and I practically watch it in secret.

The trip to the Mishkin Gallery was pretty awesome.  I have always appreciated art especially since I consider myself a quasi-artist.  Anyway, we go into this gallery and I find myself- along with the rest of my male counterparts staring at this painting of a womans bossom.  At first the painting seemed oddly sexual but then when the woman running the exhibit explained what it was about this painting gained symbolic meaning.  It was as if the painter was juxtaposing the modern woman with the classic view of a woman.  I also looked at this painting where this man was on a horse.  This was a bit of an odd picture because this mans anatomical setup seemed all out of whack.  His waist seemed to small, and it looked like there was a tumour on his back.  Interestingly enough, the horse seemed to have a weird body too.  I guess the point of this was to say, “if everything is screwed up, then nothing really is.”  The best painting was this one where the artist recreated an older painting.  The artist took some liberties whilst recreating the painting.  Mostly though, the artist made the painting a lot more brighter.  This induced a spring or summer feel that evoked a feeling of warmth.  It was also interesting to note, that the painter had to almost disassemble his painting in order for it to travel.  The incredible part about it was that the painter had to mend the canvases together himself.  It’s like this guy is Leonardo da Vinci mixed with Bob Vila.  Overall, the exhibit was not only cool but incredibly informative and I enjoyed it immensely.

I thought the Health and Wellness workshop was really helpful. I personally don’t benefit from the meditating because I’m awfully impatient, but the information presented was really helpful. The speakers however didn’t look prepared or confident on what they were speaking about, but they were probably stressed out a little too. I don’t mind that. I was stressed at that time for general predicaments, and I still am stressed about the same predicaments. School, work, my future, and girl problems are all stressing me out. It’s a little too personal to go in depth, but those are basically my problems as of now and at the time of the workshop. The workshop helped me realize how to help overcome these stress problems though. After the workshop, I started being more comfortable to vent to my friends and family. I started telling them how I felt, asking them what I should do, and if they have ever been through the same stress. Fortunately,…well not really fortunate but,… some of the people I talked to empathize the stress I am going to and were able to contribute valuable advice. Yes, I am still going through a little stress, and that’s why I’m losing hair and breaking out like crazy, but it is starting to get better for me. I also liked that they gave out that free green apple stress ball. Believe it or not, I use it from time to time, and it keeps my mind off of some of my problems. Hopefully these stresses will fade away so I can help someone out in the future if they ever experience anything like I did. Overall, I really enjoyed the Health and Wellness workshop, and I really hope everyone who was there enjoyed it and found it beneficial like I did.

Although I have never been too interested in art and never really appreciated it the way many do, I had a great time at the Sidney Mishkin Gallery. I am unsure whether it was because of the people we were with or the actual exhibit itself but either way it was very enjoyable. Being a guy, one would assume my favorite picture of the gallery would have been the “Modern Girl” by Zhang Hui. I also found it very interesting as well though. I could not understand or figure out why I every picture she was sitting at a different part of the table. I did not make much sense to me. There was actually one painting I did really appreciate however. “The Trace of Life” by Yi Xuan was a painting I am not sure how anyone could not find it interesting. It was a brown canvas where she carved out little tiny white lines throughout it. It seemed as though it must have taken her hours upon hours in order to finish a piece like that. I also remember when Vinny explained how viewing a picture from far away gives you a new view as opposed to being close up to it. I remember we were all doing it and finding all different perspectives on the picture than arguing which one of us had the most accurate one. Although I do not appreciate art too much I found this to be both fun and enjoyable. I also really enjoyed the speaker of the exhibit. She was really sweet and nice to all of us. I really enjoyed the exhibit.

It is ironic to me that the title for the art exhibition in the Mishkin Gallery is called “Revisiting a Legacy” For me, I actually felt like I did revisit a legacy because I took a huge break on art. I studied art for most of my years in High School, and after that I never saw a piece of art in person. Therefore, after visiting this gallery, I felt like I actually revisited a legacy. All of the pieces were fascinating to me, but there were certain pieces that stood out among the rest. These particular pieces of art were painted by Chaolun Baatar. I observed that in two of his paintings, The Girl from Inner-Mongolia and The Last Meadow, Baatar uses huge brush strokes. These brush strokes creates movement and drama to these pieces and makes the painting look alive. These pieces are monochromatic, meaning that one color and different shades of it are only used. These pieces include a red color theme and draw your eyes to them because of the vibrancy. It gives the painting a powerful effect on the human the eye. Additionally, he also used impasto, which is the term for heavy and thick paint on canvas. This is definitely a skill this artist has mastered because it definitely makes the artworks look alive. Another piece I was fascinated with from this particular artist was Tent Cleaning. After looking at this piece, it helped me conclude that Baatar is a very versatile artist and is skilled in different styles or art. I can tell that this piece was highly influenced by some of the most notorious impressionist artists. He uses small thin brush strokes, which are visible from up-close. However, from afar the paintings look natural. After looking at these particular art pieces, I had a nostalgic feeling of being in High School again, and that feeling was pleasant.