Author Archives: Manjekar Budhai

Tail! Spin!

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Sorry for the late post about the performance Tail! Spin!, but my computer was acting weird. I’ll keep this post short, and save the bulk for our new website.

Tail! Spin! is an incredibly hilarious and well thought-out play. It satires the theme of political sex scandals, focusing around the four elected officials Mark Foley, Larry Craig, Mark Sanford, and Anthony Weiner. The outstanding bit about Tail! Spin! is that writer Mario Correa utilizes only the texts, speeches, Tweets, and Facebook messages of these “esteemed” officials. Correa beautifully puts a spin on them, creating a hysterical script. At the end of the play, you cannot help but laugh to yourself thinking, “Did they really say that?” The entire cast only consist of five actors/actresses, the four government officials plus SNL star Rachel Dratch, who acts as the women who were part of the scandals.

Tail! Spin! is an off broadway play, and stays true to the off broadway culture (an obscure theme, performed by a small cast, in a small theater, for a small audience). I do recommend going an seeing it!

 

 

Daniel Kelly’s Visit

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I truly admire, with a hint of envy, the level Daniel Kelly is pertaining his passion. He is at a point where he has enough mastery of a specific skill (in his case the piano) that he can create unique art. This is seen through the type of music he is creating. He chooses to represent the overall theme of culture and exude specific themes from specific cultures through his music. He speaks very highly of his craft and even to a person with very little understanding of music, I somehow could tell that Daniel Kelly knows what he is talking about. In essence, he knows what he is truly about.

This is a level of passion and skill that I hope to achieve one day, both in my martial arts and in my field of computer engineering. I place Daniel Kelly on level with Munoz. Both are incredibly talented artists. Both have acquired a certain level mastery that each could dive into a unique, artistic passion. Both choose to represent the idea of culture, to represent the unrepresented.

Art: NYC and Me

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Hey guys! So the semester is approaching a close and we have to come up with and actually create a final project. I believe that it should be something that encompasses the three main themes expressed in the title of this course: “The Arts, The City, and Me.” Thus, I think we should create something that artistically depicts us and the city. It should be something that portrays both the physical and human beauty that makes NYC a city like no other.

To be more specific we should make a collage. I think that if we create a collage of pictures that form the shape of the island of Manhattan, we can satisfy all the criteria. These pictures should be, however, a picture of you in your favorite place in the city (and by city I do mean Manhattan). Including these pictures will perfectly combine that human and physical aspects that define NYC culture. Along with these, we can also include any necessary pictures form the Media section from this website. We can also include any newspaper articles and magazines pictures that are fitting (e.g. a New York Times headline, a New York magazine with flashy words such as “Broadway” or “Central Park”). We can even include cutouts from the dreaded subway map! Anything that has some aesthetic appeal can definitely be incorporated.

Finally, this has the potential to be a time consuming task, but I do think as Macaulay students we can avoid that. All we need to do is pick a day, where everybody comes prepared with their pictures and cutouts, to actually create the collage. Since it appears that last of our class days are busy, we may need to do this on our personal time.

Thanks for your consideration. I do hope we can accomplish this!

On “The Argument Resumed; Or, Up Through Tribeca”

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Everything comes to an end. The ideas of limitations and absoluteness, infinity and ephemeralness, have been questioned since the time of the Ancient Greeks.  These opposing ideas mainly appeared through the focuses on immortality and mortality; life and death. Some believed that beauty was truly immortal. Things such as art, love, and even blood lines (mainly considering royalty) were considered beautiful and grand because they existed longer than a lifetime. Philosophers such as Socrates have supported this idea. Socrates viewed love as humanity’s attempt to achieve immortality, a feat that overcomes physical impossibilities.

The opposing idea, which the poem appears to follow, is that beauty is fleeting. It can only exist in limited periods of time. Many poets and romanticists, such as William Shakespeare believed in this idea. In his sonnets, Shakespeare discussed that death, in fact, makes life greater because it (death) ends it (life). Because life is limited by death, one must make their best of it, and enjoy what is has to offer. Without death, life loses it beauty, and becomes dry and sorrowful.

The idea of memory, however, treads the line between the differing views on infinity or temporariness. A memory is something that can last a lifetime, or can persist through time if it is somehow recorded (a diary, biography, painting, etc.). The thing that is remembered, nonetheless, is stuck in time. It is finite. The poet of “The Argument Resumed” shows that beauty must be finite, that something beautiful can only exist temporarily, and that it can only be enjoyed momentarily because of its connection to memory. The key line from the latter half of the poem is “How shall it bear repeating?”. “It”, here, refers to any beautiful moment, event or thing. The poet uses basic logic to argue that if something beautiful lasts forever, how is it possible for humans to recall it multiple times? The poet discusses that true beauty and glory exists in bursts or short periods of time. It is possible for these short bursts to reinstate that sensation of magnificence any time in the future.

I cannot help but finding myself in agreement with the poet. If beautiful things were everlasting, how would we possibly enjoy anything else? How would it be possible to ever return to any singular, truly enjoyed and cherished piece of time?

Who Can Create Art?

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I believe that the film Wasteland answers an important question that was brought up in class: “Who can actually create art?” Of course there is the stereotypical answer that anybody can create art. However, I believe that question can be refined to focus on the creation of influential and lasting art. I believe that the answer to that question comes down to artistic privilege. In other words, only those who are artistically skilled enough to incur change, cause disruption, or gain precedence (politically, socially or even economically) can create influential art. I believe that is the reason why certain pieces of public art are cherished over others. This is why childish graffiti is painted over by the city and why The Charging Bull is still standing. It is also why Vik Muniz’s art, portraying the catadores, became globally famous.

Muniz said something that stood out to me. He claimed that he reached a point in his career where he’d like to give back to his roots. The only way he knew how to do that was through his art. This statement depicts his great understanding of art and the artistic process. He realizes that he has the ability to cause social change via his own artwork. By depicting the catadores in an unconventional piece of art, portraying them via the same garbage that makes up their livelihoods, Muniz was able to make them known worldwide. Muniz himself commented on the extent of his artistic skill and privilege. He notes that he wants to focus on a modern twist on art, and break away from the contemporary, depicting his confidence in his skill.

An Animated Passion

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For me, listening to the wonderfully spectacular classical music was only 90% of the performance. The other 10% came from actually looking at the musicians play their instruments. While looking at the orchestra as a whole, one cannot help but notice how animated it is. You have the violin player gracefully moving her bow to and fro. You have the cello player tapping his feet to keep the rhythm. You have the percussionist, every now and then, getting out of his chair, reaching for his cymbals and preparing for his grand moment. Each and every musician in the orchestra was animated in some manner. I wondered to myself why this was. I questioned it in my mind. Surely, they have played these pieces numerous times. I doubt that it has the same awe-inspiring effect as it does to the audience.

Then it hit me! It all came down to one word: Passion. To these musicians, playing Tchaikovsky’s The Tempest or Purcell’s Suite from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is something much more than a simple gig at Carnegie Hall.  To them, it is a part of their passion. Playing a crisp, clean note, rising and falling perfectly to crescendos and decrescendos, and ignoring the disturbance of syncopation is part of who they are. Playing the piece of music perfectly is their goal for that night. Perfection, in fact, is their goal in life. Their passion takes control of them, both mentally and physically. A musician, truly engulfed by his or her passion, cannot help but physically feel the music. One notices the swaying to the pace of the music, and the sharp leans and head turns as the music makes sudden changes. You can only imagine that the musicians are seconds away from jumping out of their chairs with excitement! Even the conductor himself, who is in charge of guiding these talented musicians, is under the influence of his own passion. You cannot help but notice him bump and two-step to the music, or should I say his and the orchestra’s music.

The Great Figure

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First off, I could not help but notice to design and style of the poem. The poem is a single sentence, with no more than three or four words per line. This single sentence, however, is not simple. It contains incredible imagery, mostly attacking the reader’s senses of sight and sound. Yet, as much as this sentence provides, there is still much left to the reader’s imagination. Based on the information given, we can deduce some things pertaining to the situation of the poem. The figure, which is the focal point of the poem, is a number 5. These numbers on firetrucks represent the ladder of which the vehicle belongs to. So in this case, the truck belongs to ladder 5, which is located at 227 Ave. of the Americas, the Lower West side. From this, along with other information given in the poem, the reader can mentally create a setting for themselves.

 

An American Journey – Role of a Photographer

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The one thing that mainly stood out to me from the documentary, An American Journey: In Robert Frank’s Footsteps, was the portrayal of the role of a photographer. I believe that Frank’s printer described it well in his interview. He claimed that Frank was simply an architect, while he was Frank’s engineer. Frank, the photographer, had a design or plan for an image, and it was up to the printer to work accordingly. Although Frank had taken the pictures, his printer had to manipulate them in order to truly realize what Frank wanted to portray.

I found this idea to relate to our early conversations pertaining to the purpose of art. The role of a photographer basically runs along the lines of the role of an artist: to convey a specific message through some creative means. Analyzing further, I have noticed that most of the art we have seen (opera, dance, films) have all been collaborations. There is no one single artist, but rather a combination of different artists in order to produce a final masterpiece. This is also the case with Frank. My original thoughts about photographers were shattered, as I previously viewed them as singular artists producing single forms of art. However, upon realizing Franks’ dependency on his printer in order to produce his art, I now view photography as a collaborative effort as well.

Saturday Night Billiards

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This is the photo I chose for my Macaulay Snapshot.

It was Saturday night and I was at a pool hall with some friends. After a full day of contemplating what scene will be the focus of my picture, it dawned upon me amidst a game of pool. I looked around me and saw various types of people: a few children, teens, young adults, and even elderly adults. There people of different ethnicities and of different backgrounds. Each person there had their own story. Yet, at that point in time, we were all doing the same thing: playing a simple game of pool. When I think of NYC, I think of an incredible wide range of people, all sharing a single sense of community. I believe this idea is encompassed by this picture.

Taken in a pool hall in Jamaica, Queens

Taken in a pool hall in Jamaica, Queens

Reaction to Le Nozze di Figaro

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Beautiful. High-class. Entertaining. Culture. Those are a few words that resonate within me when I think about my first night at the opera. Le Nozze di Figaro, a very entertaining comedy, was my first opera, and I saw it at the amazing Metropolitan Opera to boot. It was an incredible experience: meeting by the elegant water fountain, under the daze of twilight hours, everybody dressed in a their formal attire. It is definitely going to be a lifelong memory for me.

The opera itself was, overall, a captivating experience. Admittedly, there were a few moments where my mind drifted (although I did not fall asleep), but I feel that was due to the remarkable orchestra. The music was of such an elegant level that, at times, I forgot about the hilarious plot of the opera, and let my thoughts fuse with the music.

There were specific scenes, however, that truly grasped my attention. The opening scene, with the mind-boggling, rotating castle along with the very familiar classical tune captivated me, and was able to set the stage for what was to come. A few other memorable scenes were the scene in the bedroom, where Cherubino escapes through the window, and of course plot-twisting the scene where Marcellina and Bartolo are revealed to be Figaro’s parents.

My first night at the opera was a grand experience, and has opened my mind to attending future operas and other shows there at Lincoln Center.

On Mannahatta

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After reading “Mannahatta,” by Walt Whitman, one thing really stood out to me. The overall mood and flow of the poem completely relates to the theme of the stereotypical Manhattan. Not once in this poem does Whitman come to a full stop, that is until the end. This matches the “hustle and bustle” that many people use to describe the fast-paced life that is demanded by Manhattan. He describes scenes separately, yet he is able to create a single picture. His word choice, even, causes the reader to keep the images of speed and grandness in their minds. He uses words such as “swift,” “ample,” “numberless,” and “countless.” Even in his descriptions of the seasons, he ignores spring and autumn, causing the readers mind to simply jump forward in time, adding to the element of speed. Overall, I generally enjoyed reading this poem, as it reveals how true the Manhattan culture has remained since the late 1800s.

On Man on a Wire

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 Man on a Wire was a incredible documentary! In fact, at some points in the movie, I totally forgot that I was a watching a documentary. Some scenes were so intense, engaging, and emotional, that it might as well have been a drama. The documentary gave us a deep look into the walker, Philippe Petit. Through the interviews, and through various home-videos, we were able to realize the type of person he is. He is a dreamer, a man who is incredibly passionate about his hopes and goals. I believe that is one lesson that one should take away from watching this documentary. While I would not advise going about and breaking the law, I believe each and every one of us should have a goal or passion in life.

I truly admired the cinematography of the documentary. The mixture of black and white footage with colored footage was visually engaging and pleasing. Old footage from France and New York, provided me with a sense of what the world was like in the late 70s. Seeing footage of Petit, from his early days of tightrope walking through his grand display at the Twin Towers, caused me to feel as if i knew him his entire life. I felt as if  I grew along side him. The various interviews with all those involved with the Twin Towers project were able to provide me with multiple point of views, while still maintaining the theme that it may take a team in order to achieve one person’s dream.

One part of the movie that stood out to me was the end. I could not help but find disgust with Petit, as he allowed short lived fame to interfere with those who supported him along the way, with his friends. I felt sympathy for the one man (John I cannot remember his last name), who cried during the interview. We discussed that he cried twice for possibly two distinct reasons. The first may have been for the sheer beauty of Petit’s act, and the second may have been for losing Petit as a dear friend.

 

Introduction – Manjekar Budhai

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Hello everybody! My name is Manjekar Budhai (pronounced man-juh-car), but friends call me Manje or Manjie for short.
M1I am from South Ozone Park, an area of Queens that, along with Richmond Hill and Jamaica, houses a large West Indian population. Although I was born here in NY, I thoroughly enjoy my Indo-Caribbean culture, as my parents and my older sister emigrated from the country of Guyana. I enjoy nearly every aspect of the culture, from the various festivities, to the food and of course the wonderful music (specifically the genres of soca and reggae)!

Before college, I went to Townsend Harris High School, like several others in our seminar. Here at CCNY, I am a hopeful Computer-Engineering major. My interest in this field of study stems from my want to revolutionize the future of technology. I hope to expand the outreach of technology, incorporating its use into different areas of daily life, such as within the household, in company offices, in automobiles, and possibly even in public areas. This can actually be seen today, however it is still in its primary stages. As a whole, I want to focus on the interaction between humans and technology. I have recognized that technology is an inevitable part of our lives now, and our dependency on it will only increase with time. Thus, I believe we must utilize it to better our lives as much as possible.

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My passion outside of the academic realm lies in Martial Arts. I have been a part of the school Purple Dragon International, studying the style of Don-Jitsu Ryu, for the last 12 years. I am currently a second-degree black belt, and I can happily say that my training has made up most of who I am today. Training since the age of 6, I have not only built my physical prowess, but have bettered my mental and emotional skills as well, focusing on important beliefs such as discipline, humility and integrity.

Besides my Martial Arts training, I love staying active and fit during my spare time. Most days, after classes, you can find me at the gym. If you are an active person, or are even interested in getting fit, come find me! I will be more than happy to train and work with you.  I also enjoy going to different restaurants, and trying new foods! If you know any good places, please, let me know!

This was only a short introduction into who I am. If you are interested in finding out more about me, please do not hesitate to ask! I am always open to making new friends. I am looking forward to having a great class and making incredible memories with all of you! Thanks for reading!