From Calamity to Opportunity

The other day I had quite an eye-opening conversation with an acquaintance of mine. She's actually my supervisor at the hospital and she was telling me about her med school experiences. So, what happened was that she was in her 5th year of med school in Ecuador and she went up to the mountains for a day trip. Upon her descent, she felt her throat start hurting and once she got to the bottom of the mountain, she could no longer speak... all that came out of her mouth when she tried was a wheezing sound. The next day, she went to class and she was called to the front of the classroom to present a powerpoint. She got to the front, looked at her professor, looked at the slide, opened her mouth to speak, and no sound came out. She got pretty teary-eyed while telling me this... I can only imagine how traumatizing that must have been.

So, she came to America, met with doctors, and found out that she had paralyzed her right vocal cord. After extensive physical therapy, she learned how to use just one vocal cord to speak, and until this day, her voice has not completely recovered. Her year-long stay in the US made her reluctant to return to med school in Ecuador, and she ended up staying in NY, getting a psychology degree (psyD.), getting married, raising a family, and working in a pediatric psych ward. And she feels blessed for the path to which God led her, giving her the ability to dedicate time to building both her family and her career, and giving her a life in which she appreciates every blessing she has, from her voice to her vision.

This reminded me of something that I learned while taking The Rays of Faith, taught by Shaykh Waleed Basyouni (an Islamic seminar about the pillars of faith)-- how no matter how terrible something may seem, there is ALWAYS more good in it than bad. And that we must always have faith in God's wisdom, never questioning it, but rather being sure of the good to come. May we all be able to implement this concept into our lives when a positive outlook seems like an impossibility in the face of an apparent calamity.

Home

I'm so happy I got to see a few of you guys on Friday. Unfortunately, I'm not in any of the pictures! Oh well. I moved into my dorm today. I really like it. It's not the sardine can that I lived in last year. I hope you all get a chance to visit this year.

It's funny to think about how short a time ago we walked the lawn of QC's Colden Center in our crimson robes. Seems like longer than it's actually been. I wish I got a chance to see you guys more, but, on the flipside of the coin, the old cliche is right; absence does make the heart grow fonder.

Sometimes I wish we could go to college together, but then I remind myself that it really doesn't matter. Everytime we hang out, however frequent that is, it always seems like we're meeting in the library - that we just saw each other 2 periods ago. I never feel awkward or any separation anxiety because you guys make me feel so at ease with myself.

There are very few things that make a person feel at ease with themselves. Things like your childhood home don't come by often. Yes, I am comparing you guys with my home.

As we cross big rivers and big states to further our lives and become adults, it's easier to become more detached from our homes, and become more engrossed with new places, new friends, and new experiences. I don't ever want to become so wrapped up with what I'm doing in the now that I forget that oh-so-important part of myself that is my past, my memories, old friends.

Home isn't really made of concrete and brick. Home is the things that connect you to your roots.

I have a MEMO!

Hello my lovelies! I have finally, with the urging and encouraging of Alex, decided to log on to this blog and post a memo for you all :) Today was super funnn and I wish we could have done this a few more times in the summer. Of course our pot luck thing never pulled through but at least we did meet a couple of times and shared some quality time together!

Sooo, my classes start on Monday. Yep, Monday... and I am kinda looking forward to it. I really really really hope I meet a nice guy in one of my classes this semester.. I mean, what else could give me the urge to get up every morning and go to class?? The satisfaction of learning something?? Ummm, I think NOT! So my classes are quiet interesting this semester though. Except for Stats. I know I will do horribly in that class. I guess we shall wait and see.

We took some nice pics today, Ill post them up so Karin, Wendy and Mimi can look and see what they missed out on! I hope to contribute more to this lovely blog... How do you guys like my pseudonym btw? :)

A Second Attempt...

So slowly the days of summer are winding down and I've been ready to get back to school last month. But this is not going to be a reminiscent entry or an immamissmyhomies entry or even a wherearehellaresomeofyou! entry...but this will be a thank you entry.

In the little time I have known all of you, I have to say I've learned much. If you think about it, and you don't even need to think hard, each of us are very different from each other. I could never think of our group as just a lump of 8. It's always the individual that comes to mind. The individuals that somehow managed to link up in high school at varying points. There are probably more differences in each of us than there are commonalities. Freakin' we're all even different shades of colors and sizes! That always kept the conversations going. And to this day I know that if I were to link up with the lot of you at any point, I would revert to that goofy Karin with the abusive "cackle" in a second. Comfort is what I feel most when I'm with you guys.

I would say many of our relationships with each other have changed a lot, for better or for worse. But mainly because we've all changed dramatically since the conception of these relationships. I can't say why we're all friends and maybe some of you are wondering what the hell it is I'm getting at. But in all simplicity, I am grateful for having all you as a part of this life because I've grown from our experiences in ways that I was completely unaware of until our physical separation. Although this summer has been for the most part the definition of boredom underlaying the bittersweet taste of what it is to be an adult (freakin 9to5s...), it has been a summer of tests. Tests of will and self-control and I would say that I surpassed largely owed in part to the identiy that I have created with you lucky 8. Excuse the absolute abstractness of that statement...

I guess in a weird loving way, I just feel that this core group is the one thing other than Islam and family that I can always come back to.

So thank you.

Barack Obama

I went to the taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart today. The guest was none other than Barack Obama!

You might have already seen these photos on my facebook. Before you say anything, let me explain the shitty quality of the photos. They wouldn't let us take photos in the studio. So, when the show ended, we walked out and saw that Barack was exiting the side door, surrounded by a mob of people, behind which I took photos on my tip toes.

While he didn't exactly convince him to vote for him, it was a really interesting interview. Check it out the episode tonight on Comedy Central, 11:00 p.m. ET/PT and hear what Barack had to say!

Superbad (2007)

Superbad is super good. (sorry I couldn't resist)

If you like movies with crude and pervasive sexual humor, strong language, drinking and drug use, all involving teens, then you are a vulgar person and you should watch this movie.

I have to say I had a really great time watching this with my brother.

p.s. I expect to see you all sometime this week!

I wrote a deep entry and eblogger erased it. So now I'll be holding a grudge indefinitely. Stupid eblogger...

Karin

Update

Hey guys,
I just came back to the states from my cruise today. It was a blast. I'll be posting pictures on this blog tomorrow or tuesday.

I added a link on the side for this site, microcinemascene.com. It's a website dedicated, as the link indicates, to microcinema, or low/no budget filmmaking, a scene that is growing in size and popularity due to the digital revolution (youtube, prosumer technology, etc). The site also talks about mumblecore, a film movement that is growing out of microcinema. It excites me that there is a cinematic movement growing in the USA. It means the medium is still alive; it's soul has not been completely sucked out by commercialism.

The microcinema scene gives hope to aspiring filmmakers like me, who, until they get their first big paycheck, will have to make films on microbudgets. It gives hope to the student. I hope it continues to grow and remains alternative, but not because I'm a greedy elitist who wants to keep the movement to the knowledge of the limited few. Alternative movements in art always keep the mainstream in check, and keeps providing the world with a fresh new crop of artists.

Microcinema is exciting because it's a scene resting on the foundations of limitation. Great art is so often birthed from great repression, whether economic, social, or otherwise. Think of the Italian Neorealists, Hip-Hop, the Blues. The more limits an artist has put on them, the more innovative they become

Yup, I see great things in the future of cinema. It's definetely not dead. There are so many more frontiers that are left undiscovered in the medium.

- Alex

Trump sez: This is not Communist China!

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/08/05/2007-08-05_real_estate_vs_real_people.html

As I was reading gothamist.com (a liberal-leaning nycity news blog), I came across a link to this article. It really disturbed me. Especially Trump's comments on the matter (you'll see).

Is this what our city is coming to?

-Alex

I know that I do not take advantage of the city to its fullest extent by any means, but today I realized that i still truly appreciate NYC. I was in Manhattan to visit the Central Park Zoo and have brunch with two friends from Cornell that both reside in Westchester. Although it was a beautiful day well spent in the city, I was so disappointed by their lack of interest and criticism of our home. While both girls frequent Manhattan via train for the touristy sights, I was disgusted by what seemed to be sheer boredom at walking the streets. We basically didn't have a plan for the day other than the zoo and getting some grub. The zoo, I will admit, didn't live up to my expectations since the heat kept many animals out of view and in size comparison, it's no Bronx Zoo. Nonetheless, I was, and will always be, fully satisfied wandering Manhattan without a game plan just because being in the bustle keeps me entertained and energized. As my mouth watered for some good old Afghani food from a sizzling cart at the Avenue of the Americas street festival, they insisted upon blowing thirty bucks on some overpriced, yuppy brunch in some pseudo-French street cafe. While I enjoy people watching and subtly listening to the conversations of interesting people on the train, they felt suffocated in the crowds and utterly confused by anything mildly reflective of a culture other than "American". The irony is that these are the same girls that pride themselves on future plans to travel Europe and study abroad in order to gain greater insight into the world outside of their own. How could they overlook the fact that a mere train ride away from suburbia separates them from one of the few places in the entire world that can capture and so perfectly comingle such international flavors. I know sometimes it's very easy to get carried away with the concept of New York as a cultural melting pot and land of diversity, but it is! And to have shared a day in the city with people who strive to be cultured yet have the audacity to criticize the city for not meeting their expectations... I take that as a personal insult.

Therefore I, as self-nominated "mayor" of NYC for the day, propose a plan for the immediate removal and future ban of anyone and everyone from all five boroughs (even Staten Island!) if they fail to show an adequate level of respect for my home. This will succeed in making more room for the valuable lovers of NYC to take full advantage of its glory without the hindrance of unnecessary haters. Thank you.

On that note, I leave for Ithaca on Friday, August 17th. I hope to see you ALL anytime before that. Even though I am guilty of working way too much in my remaining days, you can always visit me at Crispino's (which is now actually renamed Pesso's). Trust me, I miss everyone very much today and would have traded a day with you in the city over them at any cost. Granted, I still had a nice day and still like these friends from school. However, I now know that NYC is and will always be our 'hood, and thankfully, not their's.

My Reading List a.k.a. One ridiculously boring summer

Well, it's August already, and I hate to say this, but our summer is winding down, my dearies.

I made a very ambitious reading list for this summer back in June.
Needless to say, I am not even close to finishing it.

But I would very much like to know what you guys have been reading this past summer or what you're reading now, books you recommend (not HP, please), books you hated, etc.

But here is a list of what I've read so far:

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
A Room With A View by E.M. Forster
Blindness by Jose Sarramago
Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
New York Trilogy by Paul Aster
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Ring by Suzuki Koji - fuckn scary!
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Nabokov: Novels 1955-1962 by Vladimir Nabokov

My list was heavily influenced by the Amazon.com user ratings. (they dictate my music tastes as well) Here are some other forces in the media trying to dictate our lives:

The New York Times surveyed a group of authors and these are their recommendations: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/books/review/Survey-t.html?ex=1186372800&en=4e367da0cf219d8e&ei=5070

Time Out New York has come up with "The Ultimate NY Book Bracket" which indicates what every New Yorker should have read by now (kind of intimidating):
http://www.timeout.com/newyork/static_content/features/bookbracketall.pdf

Here's one from my favorite magazine that I find more manageable.
Jane magazine's arbitrary list of 100 great books compiled by its staff:
http://www.janemag.com/magazine/articles/2007/05/Jane100

So I hope this has been useful. Now I want to know what you guys have been reading or not reading. Give me something to add to my ever-expanding list! :)

-Annie

p.s. the post below is mine

Get both sides: Ads

These are typography ads for a leading weekly Brazilian magazine called "Veja" apparently advertising its stance on neutrality.

I'm sure some of you may have seen them already, but just in case you haven't, I wanted to share them with you all. Yes, they are potentially thought-provoking, but aside from everything they're just really cool.

What do the words mean to you?

Remember the Alamo?

So my friend T.J. (read: Tresa Jane) from San Antonio, Texas has been living with me since Monday. She goes to NYU and is majoring in dramatic writing. This is what she looks like.

I took the picture from her facebook. I think it describes her well. She's not a party girl at all. But, she is a fun person (you don't have to be a party girl to be fun). She's very funny and interesting to talk to. She has many interesting friends, and she's not judgemental. I feel like she accepts everyone the way they are. The man she is with is the manager of the bar/pool hall she waitressed in in San Antonio. She came to NYC to find an apartment. She found one on the Upper East Side. I visited it tonight, and the neighborhood is great. She's right near the best diner I've ever been to in Manhattan. In general, Manhattan has pretty crappy diners compared to Queens, doncha think? Besides diners though, she lives near the police department, fire department, a hospital, the park, the river, and the train. The only thing is that it's far from the village, but to each their own I guess right. You've gotta sacrifice distance for more apartment space I guess.

TJ and I are quite different in many ways. Texans are very different from New Yorkers - and not just politically. But, she's a great girl. To be honest, we've had some issues in the past. Last night, we went to play pool at Paradise and I decided to just lay out everything in the open. We had a very long, open talk, and I feel like we came out of it at peace. At least I did. The little demon that gnawed away inside of me for months is gone. Whatever hurt feelings exist are still there, no doubt about that. But, they're breathing has weakened, and I am 100% confident they will be gone soon.

It's so much better to be open. If the openness ruins the friendship, then I guess you weren't meant to be friends.

Oh, and a quiet pool hall is a great place to talk.

-Alex

Freedom

Today August 3rd at 6:30pm, I will officially be free.

There really must be a God.

-Priti

Are we ready to do this?

I think we are.

Love,
Alex