I didn’t really have much to say about this trip. We got there pretty early, so I went with Jeanette and bought new jeans haha. (fashion is art, right?) Then, we went in and I thought it would be interesting because I’m Jewish and all. I thought I would relate to it. But honestly, I was just as lost as any non-Jew was. They emphasized so much on one particular section of Judaism (Ashkenaz Jews) and that really bothered me. Like am I not part of the Jewish NYC culture? I got over it, but it did make the trip much less interesting. I was hearing names that I’ve never heard of and some that were vaguely familiar at best. But, it wasn’t so bad because I had the class with me and that’s always fun. The cinnamon rolls and mug at the end were pretty great, too.
That’s all about the food talk.
But, it did bring in the topic of food as art into class, which made Elizabeth’s great role in our skit.
Without it, one funny part of the skit would’ve been gone.
That’s always a plus.

Going to miss this class.

This trip was by far my favorite! I loved it. It wasn’t like the previous trips where I had to struggle to feel connected. I was mesmerized by the story from beginning to end. As one shock led to another which led to another and so on, I could not lose my focus. The story was really intense and my emotions were definitely swayed by it. I keep wanting to cry, but then kept laughing at points too. It was such a weird mix of emotions, but that’s what made it so special. I actually felt connected to the story. Sitting there and watching it, I knew it was fake; however, my reactions to it couldn’t be more real. I really was looking forward to the play before we went but it definitely was not what I expected. It surpassed my expectations by so much and it was a great way to end our trips. After the show, a bunch of us were all just talking and the excitement about the performance was amazing. We kept wanting to recreate it in our own way for class because we loved it so much. I think that’s true art. When you look at art and have the urge to do some of it also, then you know it truly affected you. So happy I came.
Going to miss this class.
Love you guys

There aren’t many ways for me to describe the concert, other than peaceful. I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to classical music, but it is almost impossible to deny that it is very relaxing. I enjoyed listening to the Four Seasons more than I enjoyed the rest of the music, because I was actually familiar with that music (from high school- we learned about it). As I looked around the auditorium while Winter was being played I saw people nodding their heads or kicking their feet along with the music, everywhere. They were really enjoying the music and that made me find a stronger connection to it. Even though classical music isn’t my personal favorite, I am fully aware of what a challenge it is and I applaud the performance that we saw for their great presentation. After the second encore, I was really ready to go. But, the show overall was nice and got me at ease. It got me so calm that I kept thinking of all the things I had to do. I felt “too calm” kind of. But it was a good feeling that people need to have every now and then. It really was a very nice performance.

1) Does everybody have the ability to be an artist, or does it require a particular talent?

2) Theater is often an imitation of every-day life, so would participating in that sort of every-day life be considered an art form?

On my way to the opera I felt so overwhelmed. I kept thinking about how I have time to listen to a girl sing a song for four hours that I wouldn’t be able to understand, while I had so many midterms that week. I really was dreading the timing that we were going to that show and the length od it, too. As usual, when it comes to our trips, I was shocked. The hall that the opera was going to be in was beautiful. This time, thankfully, no one minded when I took photos. The place was extravagant. At first there was a curtain with this red light on it that confused me. Was the light part of the show or was there technical problems? But as the dancers began, my mindset of the opera changed. IT WAS A SHOW! I was so surprised, but I loved it. Even though I didn’t understand what the concept was behind the dancing, it seemed pretty cool to me. Then the story began. I loved the setting. I was actually pretty interested in the story. The subscripts made it feel like I was reading a book, while the show felt like I was watching a musical. But, things got in the way of my enjoyment. Like I said in class, I felt like it was a TV show with too many commercials. I’d have to wait so long for the next sentence to come on because they took so long to sing it. I know that’s kind of the point but it made me lose some interest in the story. Also, in order to see, I had to lean over so that the machine with the subscripts didn’t block my view. After a while, I was drained and just didn’t want to lean forward anymore. Also, it was so long and kind of late and I was exhausted in general. These factors led to me just chilling out for a lot of the opera, instead of being focused like I was at the start. Overall, the opera was an enjoyable experience, with just a few drawbacks.
But I always have fun spending time with my classmates, so that was great, too.

Walking off the train got me somewhere I never expected to be. For someone who has lived in New York her whole life, it’s actually crazy that I’d never been to Lincoln Center before Thursday Night. Getting dressed up and meeting up with our class was a great experience. Lincoln Center was beautiful and I really enjoyed looking around at how nicely the whole area was put together. The fountain was stunning. I loved getting together with my peers to watch something that I’ve never had much interest in and being able to really enjoy it. I never went to a ballet before and it definitely was different from what I expected. I don’t even know how to describe the night, but it was incredible. The way the ballerinas (and male dancers) made it look so easy was crazy. I really couldn’t understand how hard the moves had to be to do and I still can’t. They looked flawless. At first, I doubted the order of the three ballets, thinking that maybe the last should go first. I thought that because it gives you a kind of rush, it would make you want more. After speaking to everyone else though, I changed my mind. The order was perfectly thought out. First came the traditional stuff, the parts that you expect to see when coming in. That stuff would seem boring after the last ballet, but just seemed beautiful when it was placed first. I also loved how at the end they incorporated all different kinds of dances and performed it into a ballet. It was lovely to watch and also had its funny perks.
It was great and I really enjoyed the experience.
I was nice and decided not to post the pictures. (Alex and Farzana)
(:

Hey guys,
This trip to the memorial was surprisingly really inspiring to me. I expected to feel emotionally connected to such memorials, especially considering that I went to the 9/11 one last year. However, this time it all just felt different.Trying to capture the experience on a camera actually made the experience at the 9/11 museum much more memorable. If you were near me during the beginning of the trip, you probably remember hearing me constantly say “Where are the scrolls? I want to draw over them and end up with the names!!” That was all I expected to actually inspire me about this memorial. I still can’t understand why. Then, when I talk a moment and looked down at the memorial, it hit me. Every name engraved around me was someone I could’ve walked by in the city years ago. They weren’t just strangers: they’re people! I think that every life matters, so the loss of so many struck me. The concept of the pools was honestly one that was hard to connect for me. Eternity pools? But they don’t represent forever. They represent loss. That moment my perspective changed. Those pools transferred from one place to the next and then to….? We don’t know where they went. To me, that was huge. No one know where we’re going in life and what could randomly happen at any moment. That’s why we should cherish every single moment of every day. You can never guess where life will take you, but you can guess where you take your life. You could make your life something special. You could do nothing, and just live. OR, you could do something great and be memorable, like all those people who passed away. Their names will live on until eternity. I hope that one day mine can, too. (just in different circumstances, of course.)
Well, a picture that I took that I really enjoyed capturing at this memorial was this one:

This same photo flipped vertically is this:

The reason I like this photo so much is because, not only does it capture the water falls along the pool, but it also captures something amazing. If you look at the 2 lines of light (one shorter than the other), it kind of looks like the twin towers. The longer tower is yet to get hit, while the shorter one is crashing down into that hole of nothingness.
Another image that I really enjoyed taking was this one:

I’m sure Gary Lee Bright was a great man. Honestly, I don’t know much about him. But as I said before, he was a man that was remembered. I love the way the light reflects on the plate where it says bright. I think it manages to make something so sad, into something uplifting. Like his brightness will forever live on. The tree that survived is pretty cool, too. My hand’s hurting too much to type about it though, haha.
Okay,Vietnam. I was dreading this part of the trip the whole walk there. I wasn’t feel well and this ten-minute walk sure did extend! “I just want to go homee!” “I wasn’t even alive when this happened!” “Why do I have to keep walking?!” -typical negative me. But when I got there, I was intrigued. It felt so personal. Maybe even more personal than the 9/11 memorial, which was really odd to me. It was so small and confusing, yet it was amazing. Even though I didn’t understand why it was structured the way it was, the words plastered all around me were beautiful. Even though it’s still hard to figure out what beauty is, I know it was definitely that. Every quote that I read affected me tremendously. “Dear daddy” These were REAL people that had families waiting for them. It was really incredible to see the things they’d say. One of my favorites was this quote:

I typed the quote on top of it, if you guys wanted to read it.
I really had an enjoyable time, laughing with you guys, being inspirired with you guys, and just getting to know each other better. This experience was definitely a positive one. So, overall, both of these memorials were amazing in completely different ways. They’re incomparable. So even though my title is them against each other, no one wins. It’s a tie.
Enjoy a few more pictures if you’d like:

See you guys Tuesday! (:

As I walked through Central Park to get to the MET, I couldn’t help but wonder. Have I ever been to the MET on a school trip? What does it look like? Are we even going the right away?
Then, I arrived. As I looked up at this building and I saw what a social scene it was, I was shocked. People were all gathered around just talking and having a good time outside the building. There was a lovely fountain that I enjoyed watching as I looked up a bit. So I realized this museum was actually a place I might return to. Maybe it wouldn’t just be a one-time-experience. Then, as I entered, I saw a poster that said Gary Winograd exhibit.
Well, I had photos of magazines that were being sold at the exhibit and of displays by the exhibit and of a few of my favorite photos, but they won’t upload. (uchhh)

Anyways, there was one photo (that I was supposed to place here) that we saw in class. It was really cool to see it up close and personal and be able to recognize it. I remember seeing that picture in class and thinking, “Anyone could take a picture of that. That shouldn’t make anyone famous.” At the exhibit, however, I realized that I was underestimating photography. There I was, just trying to take a photo of that photo, and it was a real struggle trying to find the right angle with the right lighting. And imagine having to do that in the moment when the real event is occurring? You can’t just have models stand there while you try time after time to get the picture right. There’s no 3 strikes and you’re out. You have one shot to get the right picture. And I’ll give credit where credit is due so props to Gary Winograd.

Another thing I really enjoyed was that he proved how natural these photos were. I don’t know if the photographer was aware of this but I highly think he was- he took two photos of a man and woman sitting on a table with the woman smoking. They were very similar photos, but their positions switched a bit and that’s how you know it wasn’t just posed. They’re not just in one typical position or doing anything special. It’s just a natural moment of a man and a woman and I really like how he was able to capture that.
Even though it was a little confusing for me as to where the exhibit began and ended at first, finding out which photos were Gary Winograd’s wasn’t a difficult task. He had a theme going for him and it comes to show that the little moments are what count most. Having photos of people’s every day lives shows how important every moment is and how people should never let time slip by. I had a great experience visiting this exhibit last Friday. It was a great bonding experience to have with the friend that I brought along with me that day. I realized that just taking selfies with your friends might not be such a difficult task, but finding the right moment to take a picture from the right angle which sends the right message, can be pretty challenging. It opened my eyes to what an art photography really is.

I believe that the lyrics to this song speaks for itself. This song isn’t just beautiful because of the way the flow of the instruments make you feel. It’s a combination of the background and the special lessons being taught by the singers. This song gets to me every time I hear it. It’s a song that may be called sad, but I think it’s a song about hope. I think it shows that it is possible to have a peaceful world and it’s not just concept used by children when they made their birthday wish or for girls in beauty pageants. “If everyone shared and swallowed their pride then we’d see the day where nobody died.”
The meaning conveyed from these lyrics show how all the troubles in the world could be solved if everyone just worked together and stopped feeling like they needed to win something all the time.
I just think it’s a beautiful message shared by a beautiful tune.