Freshman Seminar Motherblog – Spring 2013

Hello everyone!

My name is Tushar. I am 19. You could see me in the picture one. I was born and raised in India and I am proud Indian. I am a simple, family oriented guy. I value my family probably more than anything else. That is the photo of me and my cousin from a family trip. He is probably the closest friend to me but he lives in India.  I am relatively quite new to the US(about 7 months). My father works for a bank and he recently got posted here.  Although my family changes cities quite frequently due to nature of my dad’s job, but it is his first foreign posting. I have been to a number of different schools in different cities and I think I adjust quickly. In fifth picture, you could see me in Hong Kong. I like to visit different places. I am a great fan of technology and I try to remain updated all the time. I am a basic programmer. I like computers and I could write programs on C++. Eighth picture is to show you guys that I am a certified bookkeeper although I have no job experience. In my short duration in the US until now, I really loved the country, the people and the culture. I am very happy to be a part of Baruch. I do like everything about it, the students, the teachers and all the staff. I am really impressed with its and I hope to learn much more here.

Freshman playlist

The songs I have chosen are all related to a certain point in my life. From my highs to my lows,all this songs show how one can overcome whats holding them back. Most of these songs motivate me daily and provide the fuel I need to be the best person I can. They send a message of hope,love and history. I have nothing much left to say,I’ll let the music do the rest of the talking.

The pictures I chose for the gallery are very important to me. I am really close to my family and i think that they represent who I am. The pictures show my family which are the main part of my life. In them you can see my parents, my two sisters and my best friend. My parents are my biggest supporters and I am really close to them. When I’m not hanging out my friends I am usually with my mom. On the other hand there is my dad. My personality mostly comes from him. I got his sense of humor and sometimes laziness. In the third picture you’ll see my best friend and I. We have known each other for many years but we got to know each other more during high school since we went to the same one. In the other pictures you’ll see my sisters. I am the oldest one so I have to younger sisters. The middle one is like a mini version of my mom and is the only one that has colored eyes. She loves spending time with friends and listening to music. My youngest sister is the baby of the house. My mom pleases her in whatever she wants but my dad pleases me in whatever I want therefore causing funny arguments between us. Both my sisters love music and sing nonstop throughout the day. Part of my family are also my pets, my rabbit Husky and my cat Mikey. We got the cat around five years ago and the rabbit last year. The last picture is a collage I made for my parents’ 20th anniversary in December. The collage is part of a video I made to show them at their anniversary’ s dinner. So, the pictures i picked are a representation of me and of my wonderful family.

FRO13

Songs or a lack of, tells a lot about a person. I used to hate listening to music and think it very intrusive and loud, too much waves and sounds disrupting my serene meditation but after holding out a losing battle to conform in with the rest of my peers that distinguished based on which songs you listen to. I finally fell to Vitamin C’s song Friends Forever, which is the first song that I really appreciated and acknowledged as a part of me to relate to, which also ironically was the graduation song when I heard it too. After a few years, the next song I can relate to was Greenday’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams. It had finally dawned on me almost leaving junior high that the hopes of being rekindled with elementary school friends was close to none and that truly everyone was off on their own separate paths in life and our paths never crossing again. Next was The Last Night where I thought about my next move and nights about how to cope with upcoming responsibilities. Frontline and Headstrong talks about how I felt coming out of junior high into high school with a can-do attitude towards everything and always fearless to do what others wouldn’t – or couldn’t. Eager to start fights, these two songs perfectly captures that mood. Songs 6,7, and 8 to me were a period in time where I was having emotional turnovers and seeking spiritual guidance and a well defined moral compass based on MY values, ethics and feelings rather than what others around me thought were the best move. Throughout my whole high school career, Eminem’s 8 Mile soundtrack Lose Yourself couldn’t describe me more perfect. Everyday was a day where I did what I wanted to, whether it was to cut class, socialize during class, or copy homework for the next class in a previous class. But as we go along life, we pick up things that weren’t ours and we make it a part of us. Like my disposition towards music which turned into defining who I am, and my initial confrontation of conforming, we all follow trends set by society. Nothing says this more than the next and last song, which was very popular during 2010 and opened the pathway to my taste in music which is now hip hop and pop, Far East Movement’s Like a G6.

http://grooveshark.com/playlist/Freshman+Seminar+Playlist/83213565

Hello all!

I decided to create a playlist that represents me. I love music and it just comes easier to me to do it this way. My first song that I chose was “16 @ War” by Karina Pasian. This song talks about how young people are influenced by others to do wrongs things just so they can fit in. I personally don’t go with the wave and do what everyone else is doing just because it’s “cool” so I felt this song definitely had to be on my playlist. My next song I chose was “We are the Champions” by Queen. I LOVE this song and it motivates me. It gets me so pumped! So when I accomplish something or overcome an obstacle this song definitely comes to mind. My next song was “Empire State of Mind”… I’m from NEW YORK. Born and raised. It’s the greatest city on earth and I’m so proud to be a true New Yorker. I’m a shy girl and approaching guys can be so scary to me but shockingly enough I have done it a few times so my next song that I chose was “You Don’t Know My Name” by Alicia Keys. I love being in love and this song is so beautiful to me so this song had to make the playlist. My next song was “I Get Lonely Too” By Drake. It’s a relationship song that all young people can relate to and this song was on REPEAT when it first came out because it described exactly what I was feeling at the time. The next song is “Fly” by Nicki Minaj ft. Rihanna. This goes hand in hand with “We Are The Champions” because this is another song that motivates me to do better and to never give up. My next song is “Diva” by Beyonce. I love this song and I don’t care what anyone think, I AM A DIVA. At times… Not all the time. “Hero” by Mariah Carey is my next song. In life you need people that are going to support you and be there for you when you need them the most. My mom is that person. She’s always there for me and will go to the ends of the earth for my siblings and I. I love her so much for that, so she’s my hero. I wouldn’t be here without her. My second to last song of my playlist is “Rock with You” by Michael Jackson. First off, this is my all time favorite MJ song. It lifts my spirits anytime I hear it. I love the beat, I love the words, and how he sings the song. I love to sing and dance so this song always speaks to me. Finally, my last song I chose for my playlist to represent who I am was “A Tatico Henriquez” which is a Dominican merengue. My grandparents are from the Dominican Republic and came to the United States in the 1960s. Although I was born in America, I’m proud of my roots and where I come from. I love being Dominican and I love our culture.

And that’s my playlist, Enjoy!!!

Chanelle

Photo slideshow- http://www.flickr.com/photos/93354075@N06/show/

Hello everyone. My name is Thomas Hansen but as all my classmates know by now, everyone calls me by nickname TJ. I have been called TJ since the day I was born and it looks as though it will remain that way forever. The nickname is because I am a Jr, hence the initials TJ. I am from Oceanside, New York located in Long Island and graduated from Oceanside High School in June 2012. I am a kid who simply stated, enjoys life. I live by the idea that you can’t change your past so no matter what happens, just accept it and move on. I love my friends and family and enjoy doing whatever. I try to experience everything possible in life and do not want to grow old with millions of regrets of my childhood. The pictures in my slideshow show a few of the people who have influenced and impacted me the most in my life to make me the person I am today.

Both the second and tenth pictures show me and my dad together. One was taken on the day of my graduation and the other was after my communion.  My dad is my best friend and is the one person that I can count on to do anything for me. He is as cool as any of my friends and when I was a kid, I swear my friends liked him more than me. He is the closest person in my life and is the most reliable person as well.

For the most part, the rest of the pictures are my friends and I. Specifically the sixth picture which shows for the most part the whole group of us the last day of high school. I love my friends as much as many members of my family and my friends are the reason I am who I am today. Whether it is playing sports, partying or simply just watching T.V. my friends and I can make a joke out of anything and can take the most boring days funny by being together. I am never bored when I am with them and no matter how I’m feeling that day, just being with them and I’ll forget whatever it is that is bothering me. I miss high school more than anything; the light workload, zero responsibilities, and endless nights of going out and not worrying about the outcome of what we were doing. I would give up anything to be able to go back and relive high school again however I am ready to experience college at Baruch and hopefully make friendships like the ones I had in high school.

Helicopter Parents!

To people who doesn’t really know me, I might come off as a reserved and arrogant type of person but I’m actually the silliest guy you’ll probably meet. I’m Mahir Khan and the first thing anyone should know about me is that I love reading comics, manga and books. At one point of my life I dreamed of becoming a writer and the dream is still there. Hopefully one day I’d be the author of a New York Times bestseller but till then I distract myself with other fancies.

I worked as a contributor in one of the most prestigious Newspapers of my country and it is one of the greatest achievements of my life. The first image of this post is the picture of the cover I wrote on overprotective parents but I did not limit myself to writing only in there. Along with my best friend who is a brilliant artist, as you can see in image 4 and 5, I wrote a number of comics and even though he is back in Bangladesh and I’m in New York, we are still working on a new project for a web comics competition.

As you can see from image 3, I’m not only an avid soccer fan by I play a lot as well. My favorite teams are Chelsea FC and Real Madrid FC and I support Germany in National soccer. My favorite players are Miroslav Klose and Oliver Kahn. I’m also secretly saving money to go to Brazil for the 2014 world cup and watch all the matches Germany plays in.

I also like learning new things like how to drive a ship. Although not very good at it, I know a few basic things like how to avoid the tides and how to follow a ship gps but if I’m actually given a ship to drive we’ll probably drown.

Lastly, I love video games, especially RPGs. My favorite games are Red Dead Redemption and the God Of War series. I also love playing Pokemon and I finished Pokemon Yellow 8 times.

As for my future intentions, I’m still not sure what I want to be but right now I just want to enjoy college life and hopefully the solution to my career indecision will come up someday.

FRO Playlist

The ten songs listed in this playlist are all important to me. My playlist begins with The Cranberries “Zombie”. When I was a baby “Zombie” was the first song I ever bobbed my head to, it was the song that made me fall in love with music. Even today “Zombie” is one of my favorite songs of all time. After that comes “Wannabe” by The Spice Girls which embodies my childhood. Whenever I hear that song I think of how in elementary school my girlfriends and I would pretend to be the Spice Girls (I was Baby Spice) and sing as well as dance along to the song. Alanis Morissette’s “Everything” pretty much sums up how I see myself. Listen to it and you’ll get a real insight into who I am. While “She’s a Rainbow” by The Rolling Stones is how the people closest to me see me: changeable, bright, active, fun and always into something new. Next up is “The Reason” by Hoobastank which is a very meaningful song to me. The song makes me think of every time I made a mistake or hurt someone I’ve loved and how I never want to do that again. “The Reason” illustrates how I learn from my mistakes. “Mr.Brightside” by The Killers is a song that I fell in love with from the moment I heard it. It expresses how I always tend to look at the positive side of things even when nothing is going my way. I am a glass half full type of person. Florence and the Machine’s “Shake It Out”  exemplifies how I can sometimes dwell too much on my past and all the regrets I have. This song helps to bring me out of the darkness of the past and focus instead on the light of the present and to let go my regrets. Plus it’s a nice song to dance to. When I think of love, just love in general, I play “Yellow” by Coldplay. There is a line in the song “For you I’d bleed myself dry”, that really resonates with me, it expresses how when you love someone you give everything of yourself. To me that’s what love is, you surrendering yourself to someone else. Then it’s Imagine Dragon’s “It’s Time”. This song is really relevant to me today because at this point in time  I have to decide in which direction I’m going to take my life and how I can’t allow myself to be changed by others. I understand that I have to grow up but I also need to stay true to myself. To conclude my playlist I chose “The Fighter” by Gym Class Heroes featuring Ryan Tedder because I’ll always be fighting on no matter how many times I’m knocked down. I’m not a quitter.  Well, that’s my playlist, I hope you enjoy it. ~Leean