Monthly Archives: September 2012
Where I live…
I live in the things I love, or rather, through them. They follow me in different ways throughout my life and shape the world around me.
This is my dog.
His name is Oliver and he is my little angel. He literally follows me around like a puppy whenever we’re together. I can’t even be in the bathroom for a minute before he starts whimpering at the door. It’s nice though, having a creature so attached to you, when he’s around I’m never lonely and I live in a state of perpetual company. His presence gives me the energy to go out and experience the world in a way I never bothered to before I had him. When I still lived at home, I would take him for an hour long walk every night. It was really nice to have an excuse for going outside after dark. I get restless at night.
This is my best friend, Becca. I haven’t known her very long, but we are inseparable and I’ve never had a friendship like the one I have with her. During the last few weeks of summer, I literally saw her every single day. And when she was out for the day, I’d ask her when she was coming home, referring to my house, or when she was going to take me home, meaning her house. It’s really lovely, to have two homes. I’ve experienced so much that I otherwise wouldn’t have thanks to her. She has a driver’s license, so I experienced the freedom to go wherever I wanted over the summer (Where I wanted to go was wherever she was). I live through music, my ipod provides almost constant noise to me as I go through my daily life. I love music with every fiber of my being and she does too. We have similar tastes and she has introduced me to some artists that are now part of my identity. She also accompanied me to multiple concerts that I couldn’t have gone to otherwise (Concerts are one of my favorite things and a huge part of my life. They’re how I meet new friends and get really close with one sI already have). We went to the Blackout Forever Tour, Bamboozle, and Warped Tour.
The Blackout Forever Tour and Bamboozle bring me to my next picture. The lovely man in that picture with me is Eliot Lorango. He is the bassist for a band called Matt Toka, who I first saw on the Blackout Forever Tour. I met him after the show and he was super sweet. A few months later, when we were at Bamboozle, Becca recognized him walking along one of the streets in the concert and we wound up talking to him again. He remembered us, probably due to my pink and blue hair, and we wound up befriending him. The next day we made a sign for him and were at front for his set. We talked to him after the show and he asked if he could keep it. It was apparently his first sign ever! (We unfortunately misspelled his name though.) We hung out with him and the guitarist, John, on and off for the rest of Bamboozle. We also spent some time with them at their tent during Warped Tour. Eliot, and the band Matt Toka, are now an important part of my life. I can always get excited when I know I’ll be seeing them again and I constantly check to see if they are touring nearby. The really funny thing about Eliot, is that he represents one of the things that brought me and Becca so close together in the first place. The Blackout Forever Tour, which he was on, was the first concert I went to with Becca, and very much responsible for my very intimate friendship with her. So my friendship with Becca, circles back to Eliot, who circles back to my love of music. My dog, my best friend, and my music are all a big part of my life and I live in them and through them.
Friends 4Ever
This is my German Shepherd, Lucky. He was adopted into my family in 2000, when I was only 5. The adoption came right before he would be “put to sleep” because no one else had wanted him. As a result, my family named him Lucky because he was lucky to have escaped an eternal sleep before he could enjoy life. This dog is my eternal companion. I am responsible for providing him with sustenance, cleaning up his messes, giving him his vitamins, and bathing him. In return, he has given me affection and loyalty beyond anything else a person could muster. It helps that we horse around together and I rub his belly and scratch him behind his ears so that he can feel relaxed. I will always treasure my pet as a family member!
The handshake – A sign of formality or a mark of true character and personality? To some, a handshake can signify a successful business transaction or interaction with another professional in the workplace. Many could interpret it as a sign of understanding that one has gotten a job from a superior. But for me, it signifies true equality between the two people on either end of the handshake. The degree of respect and fellowship in the handshake can measured by its firmness, the use of eye contact, and the positioning of the body (in this case, forward). This direct contact with another person exudes mutual respect and comradeship. It is through this formality that I have sealed strong bonds with my male friends and continue to do so today.
I’m here with my good friend, Edward Aminov, valedictorian of our graduating Class of 2012 from James Madison High School. I became friends with him in junior year when we were in the same AP Calculus BC class. We bonded over our shared class, music, and girl interests. We’ve helped each other out countless times through our shared classes while also being academic rivals with another (He won in the end, though not without a little help from me!) He is one of my only friends who truly thought like a man. Because I pride myself as being very masculine, he was the ideal guy that I could bounce my thoughts off of, both academically and personally. Although we have different career aspirations, with him wanting to be a genetics engineer and I a lawyer, we still desire the best for ourselves and each other and will continue to collaborate together through all of the bad times and good times. We are truly friends forever!
The Phenom
Hello! I’m Daniel. I’m passionate about hard rock and heavy metal – Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Motörhead, etc. I’m called The Phenom because I’ve been a fan of WWE wrestler The Undertaker for years. At times, I can be very quiet and mysterious, and at other times, I’m very loquacious and comedic. I’m hesitant about going into college without any of my old high school friends, but I’m willing to make new friends over here.
Reminiscing
Best Friend’s House by Dave Kim
- This is my best friend’s house. One could say that I literally live here, because I’m here so often. I might actually be here more than at my own house. My best friend Brendan and I have had many memories here. I love staying over his house because I feel so comfortable and I know that I’m not being a burden to anyone. I also have fun every time I am there. Unfortunately, my friend’s house burned down this past summer, but I will never forget all the memories I had there.
This is my beautiful, majestic guitar. Brendan and I would always jam out together at his house. We played a lot of Sum 41, Blink 182, Green Day, and so on. We practiced songs together a lot and it never got boring. We would always be so excited to show people the new songs that we learned. We should get a medal for rocking out so hard.
Brendan and I loved to blast the music, especially at his house. Brendan has a thing for loud music, so he bought two huge speakers and a fairly sized subwoofer. Whenever he got the chance, he would put the music up so loud that the entire house would shake. Meanwhile, we would be lounging on the recliners in his room and just taking it all in. It was one of our ways to unfold and relax. My best friend’s house is “where I live”.
“It’s the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.”
-Marlene Dietrich
Community
Past, Present, Future
It’s strange to think about all the changes we go through in life. Sure we know some are bound to happen, and some catch us off guard. Even once they’ve occurred, just trying to comprehend how we went from point A to point B sometimes can truly astound us. I know that from the day I was born to now I have undergone numerous changes. I’ve attempted things I never thought I would do when I was younger, and I’ve also made my fair share of mistakes. From day one till now, however, it’s all these successes and mistakes that contribute to who I am.
This is the place I was born and raised, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Even though I dorm at the moment I frequently return to visit family and get my fill of the good local food. This picture happens to show the pier area around Bay Ridge. It is one of the few things in my life that no matter what happens hasn’t really changed. It’s always been one of my favorite spots to hang with friends or just take a nice long walk with some music. It’s especially nice when you can get a glimpse of the full moon while also looking at the city skyline.
This is my former high school Brooklyn Tech. While there was elementary and junior high school, I feel nothing that significant happened to me until high school. Was my school building a bit old? Yes. Were there times when I thought the workload was a bit much? Yes. Even so, my high school prepared me for college and it was during high school I met some of my closest friends for life, realized my love for music, and overall changed into a more social/better person. When I look back at my four years of Brooklyn Tech I’m sure I’ll have a few frowns here and there, but I know there will be mostly smiles.
While I may be attending a school known for its business program, my passion is music. I enjoy singing and writing song lyrics and I want to learn guitar. My dream job is to form a successful band and tour the world. My main role model for music is Shawn Milke, the singer/guitarist of Alesana. Like me he was an honors student and got into college on a full tuition scholarship. Like him, I want to share my music and the lyrics I write with the world. I want people to be able to relate to the words I sing and hopefully through my music I can help some people through the struggles in life and help change the world for the better.
At this point in time, I don’t really know what the future will hold. I’m lucky enough to have the majority of my closest friends from H.S stay in NYC and I’ve made lots of new friends as well. I imagine a lot is going to happen in my life throughout my four years of college. For now I’m keeping an open mind and hoping for the best of whatever changes may come my way in the future.
A Longing for Unity
“The distant soul can shake the distant friend’s soul and make the longing felt, over untold miles.” – John Masefield
I live on one side of a long, broken bridge. On this end, also known as my actual hometown, I stand peering across the bridge trying to find a way to unite with the place that I call home, Buenos Aires. This beautiful city is where my entire extended family resides; where all my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents get together to celebrate special occasions, Christmas, New Years, birthdays; where my relatives spend evenings together playing cards, talking, laughing, eating, and watching soccer, all without me. My entire life I’ve been longing for some kind of unity with the people I love dearly overseas; jealous of all those around me who can enjoy this simple, yet precious luxury. Despite this, I’m grateful to have these people be a part of my life and I cherish the brief opportunities that I have to be with them, fully aware that there are others out there who are much less fortunate.
Where I Live
Unlocked Cage
As the years passed, I feel more and more like I live in a cage and I realized people around me feel the same way, too. This cage is called “harmony.” People change due to harmony. They have to blend into society, causing them to lose themselves. I have started to want things people expect me to want, and not what I want.
The keys to the cage are in my hands, yet, I cannot leave because I have to first figure out where I want to go after I escape.
When harmony becomes confinement,
When lies become true,
When life feels vacant,
We had lost the dreams we meant to pursue.
The more we struggle to break out of this cage,
The more wounded we became,
Then we finally broke off and we are free,
Just to end up in another cage we did not see.
