Is it really over?

Finals week… procrastination, stuffing ourselves with food to alleviate our stress, sudden grey hair surprises… we would think it gets better with the years, but it doesn’t. I just don’t get it. A couple of days ago I felt stress free, and as soon as this week hits, I feel like there is no way I’ll make it to the end. We are all the same. Either we strive to be good students or do not care, we are all under the huge stress of finals… and of our final grades.

Over the course of the semester, I have had many revelations. The first was that I do not want to major in communications to become a journalist anymore. The revelation was sudden, and hit me hard. Since the first day of Journalism I, I knew that I would never survive working under the immense pressure that journalists must deal with. Do not get me started on deadlines and time limits.

Secondly, I have developed my own writing style and progressed in the art of photography. I feel like this semester has been like working on myself rather than on courses that I just needed to pass in order to earn credit. It has been a voyage of exploration and discovery.
Writing for the media has been a course that has helped me realize the variety of writing styles out there, all under media writing. I have become comfortable with feature stories, and added my personal touch to everything I have done. This course has been helpful, and the blog entries have helped me think and release stress. They have been an enjoyable use of my time rather than an extra stressful assignment.

Here we are, at the end of another semester that has flown by. Now, we are all pulling out our hair wondering how we are going to finish these three 15 page papers, hand in two projects, and ace four exams. The internationals, on top of that, need to focus on getting a shuttle to the airport, moving our stuff to our storage spaces, and get our I-20s sign in order to reenter the United States. All of a sudden, it feels like we aren’t too good at multitasking anymore. This is going to be a hard week.

Click.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrgYSH8cbEU

Over the course of the past summer, I became more and more interested in photography. As a child I had always loved taking pictures, but it had never been a passion of mine. This summer, my grandparents took my brother, sister, and I to Italy, from Milan to Amalfi and Sorrento, the southern coast. I was breath taken by the beauty of this country, and of the richness it has. I decided to capture it on camera, and during the month I was there, I began developing my photographic eye.

It is only as I started getting feedback from my family and on facebook that I became confident in myself. In august, I left alone to Barcelona for a month, where all I did all day was discover village after village, going through little hidden passages and courtyards. I snapped away at everything, people, buildings, scenery… I became in love with the art of photography.
This semester, I took a darkroom photography course that I enjoyed immensely. I felt comfortable spending time in the lab. I was in my own bubble, and I felt good in it. Over the course of the semester, I focused on portraits and went to the city very often to take candid shots of the urban busy life of New Yorkers.

In this video, I have compiled some of the pictures I have taken in Barcelona (not all, there are over 1,000!). I feel like this summer/semester has been one of revelation, where I have truly found what makes me at peace and confident. This art has become my form of expression, and this is why I decided to make it my minor, along with my creative writing major. Writing and photography are the two things that captivate me above everything else.

Dream Destinations

I love travelling, like I am sure you do too. I consider myself lucky, having a family that enjoys it as much as I do. Even before I turned 16, I had already been to Africa, South America, Europe, the United States (including Alaska), and the Caribbean. I was able to relate every experience I came across to these past memories, and to the different cultures I was introduced to.

However, I am not done. I have always dreamt of going to many places. These are my top five destinations:

Morocco. My grandfather was born there, and has been raised for most of his life in this beautiful place. I have always dreamt of seeing the life he was accustomed to as a child. It is also his greatest wish to take me there in order to show me his native culture.'

Cuba. Who hasn’t dreamt of going to Cuba? The beautiful island of salsa, authenticity, and vintage cars… I have many times dreamt of this island’s charm and the beautiful pictures I could take of the people in their environment.

New Zealand. I can only imaging New Zealand as the synonym of nature. I see fields of green, mountains, and pastures. I can only imagine how refreshing it must be to see it for real.

India. I have always wanted to go backpacking in India. I feel like there is so much to see, so much to discover, and so much richness in this country.

Vietnam. A country with an intense history, a country of memories. I have always wanted to see it for myself. My brother and I have discussed this for years, and we hope to one day take this trip together.

Although these five are my dream destinations, there are many more that I have wanted to visit. Who knows? Once I check these 5 off my list, there will definitely be more to come…

Stage Fright...

I have always been very intimidated by oral presentations. Even as a child, I was unable to sing, dance, or play any instrument as long as I was on stage. I always felt paralyzed if I felt like I was being judged or observed. This fear played a big role in my decision not to major in communications, and change my degree to Creative and Professional writing. Sad, I know.

I have always been good at expressing my thoughts on paper. No matter the issue, I have always felt confident about pulling out a notebook and pen, as a stress relief or as an enjoyable moment in my little “bubble”.

Now that I am almost in my third year of college, I am starting to wonder how I am going to deal with job interviews and important “talks” in front of people of influence. Unfortunately, at that point, I am convinced that a letter would be insignificant and my ease at writing would be unnecessary.

I think that during middle school and high school, students should be taught to be comfortable with speaking in front of a class or large audiences. It is a mandatory part of life, and if one is uncomfortable speaking in front of others, it is a serious handicap in his or her life. I have always admired the students that could prepare a speech before a class, and not feel the slightest anxiety. I was always the kind of girl to prepare a week in advance, already freaking out about it.

I am starting to work on it now, but I still regret not having been comfortable with speaking naturally and genuinely in front of others in the past.

Brainwash, much?

Music is an important part of my life, and I have never understood those who claim they can live without it. From soft acoustic to hard rock, and traditional country to electro trance, I would say that I am very open-minded, and my I-pod is very diverse.

Many times, however, I have heard songs that I disliked, either by searching on the internet or by hearing it on the radio. I am often surprised that I often end up “liking” the song after being brainwashed by radio stations and music channels. It’s scary, but I think that’s the way our society works- the media makes us hear about a particular song or artist so much that we end up buying the song or album.

Same goes for Twilight, as I mentioned in a previous article. At first, I’m sure it wasn’t such a huge phenomenon. But as soon as it became an enormous deal, people began wondering “hmm, why is this so important? I should check it out, I am probably missing out on something genius!”

For my part, that’s how I feel about Taylor Swift. Granted, the pop/country style she represents is something I had never been familiar with as I was growing up. When I came to Manhattanville and heard her first couple of songs, I thought to myself… This HAS to be music my 8 year old sister would enjoy. The messages in the songs are idealistic and always mention princesses and dreams, or unattainable crushes. As I began to see the enormous deal that encircled this artist, I began downloading some of her songs, in order to see why she was such an icon in the U.S.

I have to admit that now, I have two or three of her songs on my computer.

Why is it that we are influenced by the media and by the impact that things have on others? I am curious, and sick of changing my mind over whether an artist is talented or just a mainstream icon.

Bloody Obsession!

My boyfriend and I decided to go watch a 7 o’clock movie at the White Plains movie theater. I scroll through the week’s releases, and see that the sequel to Twilight, New Moon, is out. Laughing, I ask him if he would like to go see that. Hesitant, he scrolls through the rest of the films, realizing that no other film is at his taste. He agrees.

The elevator doors open, and we are instantly at the end of a ridiculous line. I look down the hall, squinting to see where the line ends, or even in which direction it heads. I look at the type of people waiting in line: twelve to fourteen year old girls. All we can hear are high-pitched screeches and laughs. This is definitely our line, he whispers in my ear, giving me a “look”.
We are lucky to even find seats. The entire movie was based on shirtless men and failed kiss attempts. The girls in the theater are definitely responsive, screaming “Team Jacob!” or “Team Edward!” according to their taste. At the final scene, when the main character asks his girlfriend to “marry him”, I had never heard as many gasps at the same time. My boyfriend turns to me and sighs.

Why is Twilight such an immense phenomenon? Teenage girls across the globe are fantasizing on vampires, something that has not happened before, especially in that age range. My eight year old sister says she is “in love” with Edward the vampire. When I asked her why, she screeched for a couple minutes about how handsome he was. Enough heard.

The books aren’t that good, I’m thinking. Okay, fourteen year old girls, I understand. But when I hear adults talking about the novels like masterpieces, I almost want to shake them from right to left. The films are entertaining, okay, yet none of the acting is worth an Oscar. I wouldn’t be surprised if half of the people buying tickets to see Twilight in theaters aren’t actually fans. These people may simply have a hard time believing the impact that the film has had on our society, and choose to watch the film out of curiosity and intrigue.

Popcorn Kernels

As a young child, I was fascinated by old films. Icons like Monroe, Hepburn, and Taylor were my idols, and I was fascinated by sex symbols like Grant, Gable, and Dean. As I was growing up, I realized I had a burning passion for cinema.

Woody Allen is my favorite producer of all time. Among his films, my favorites are:

· Play it Again, Sam
· Matchpoint
· Vicky Cristina Barcelona
· Cassandra’s Dream
· Scoop

I have always been fascinated by the wittiness of his films, along with his perfect actor choices. His muses, Diane Keaton, Dianne Wiest, Scarlett Johansson, and Mia Farrow, were more or less revealed by his films, becoming instant stars after the films in question.

Pedro Almodovar, a Spanish producer, is also one of my favorites. His most famous film in English was Volver, starring the talented Penelope Cruz, his beloved muse. Some of my favorite films from Almodovar were:

· Bad Education
· Amores Perros
· Talk to Her
· All about my Mother

Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the producer of the famous French film Amelie starring Audrey Tautou, is one of my favorite French producers. Also in his filmography is the movie A Very Long Engagement, about a young girl determined to find out if the love of her life has survived the war that tore them apart.

Martin Scorsese is an incredibly talented producer. Although my favorite is the 1976 film Taxi Driver, with Robert De Niro starring as the protagonist, he has produced many worthy films over the years. Among the recent ones are:

· Gangs of New York
· The Aviator
· The Departed
· Casino

His latest Shutter Island, coming out in 2010, is awaited by many Scorsese fans.

Finally, Alfred Hitchcock cannot be forgotten. His ability to thrill his audiences throughout the world is incredible, and even as a young child, I was captivated by his suspenseful films. Many would know him through the terrifying film The Birds.