Ten more classes left...

Taste of Culture was this afternoon. Sheila, Brundha, and I ate desserts from Jamaica, France, China, Italy, Korea, Mynamar, and Madagascar (the latter dessert being similar to some Tamil dessert supposedly named "callitaday"). I also had some wonderfully spicy cheese from the Internation Coffee Hour right before te event.

We finally attended a Zinck's Night that the Senior Class Council holds every Thursday. It was held in the Regent Lounge in the Statler, a nice, fancy place to chill. Sheila, Shashi, and I went to get the free pilsner glasses with the class logo.

Then Shashi and I re-lived our science lab days of autoclaves, shakers, and centruges in Sheila's lab. We could have pippetted something, but I was holding my pilsner glass, and I didn't want to risk it falling and shattering into a million little pieces.

I recently watched "Inside Man," directed by Spike Lee. I really enjoyed this thriller heist movie, because it wasn't about an ordinary cat-and-mouse-game between a bank robber and a police detective. There were some plot twists that are surprising too.

Another good movie like it is "The Sting." It's an old movie, but I remember how shocked I was when I learned about the shocking ending.

Classes Left: 14

I have 14 classes left of my final semester. Fourteen. And nearly a third of those classes are for spinning, so it's optional really. I think I will go anyway so as to make the most of my gym membership before I lazy up during the summer, as I know will happen, unfortunately. After I graduate, not only will I have to say good-bye to friends, places, etc, I will also have to big farewell to my nearly shapely calves.

I just ate a frozen meal of mattar paneer by Amy's company. It was actually really good.

Also, there's a lot of stuff this weekend...

Friday: World's Fair (volunteering, food tasting, Jenn's performance, film festival)
Sophia's and Aneesa's party, Phil's bday

Saturday: Asia Night, Minds Matter Brain Blowout, Schwartz play, Nasheet's bday, the pajama jam

On another note, Deepa Mehta has a new film out called "Water." If you have seen her other films, "Earth" and "Fire," you know you're in for a provocative film. This latest one is apparently seven years in the making is about the widow houses in India.

Cross-Campus Tour

After Spinning class, in which we did some really tough pilates, Shashi and I walked up the 'other slope of Freshman year' and all the way to the Dairy Bar. There was a really long line wrapped around three sides of the room, but we waited, since it was a hot day, we walked all the way to near the Vet School from North, and it was ice cream. We waited in line composed of many undergrads, grad students, and families, and on the way picked up a potato knish (for me) and a turkey pot pie (for Shashi). Shashi ordered a really delicious and pretty-looking maple syrup sundae. I ordered a new flavor, apparently created by Prabu's friend who is in a food science course. It's called: Sloppy Slope Jolt, and is made of coffee ice cream, nutella, and nuts or brownie pieces. It's on a two week trial at the Dairy Bar to see if it sells. It was good. We walked all around the side of Bartels, where there's another new hole for construction, and then waited around on the Schwartz Wall.

I remember the Wall at Stuy; this anonymous-looking gray wall where all the preppy kids or intellectual potheads sat between classes, on the other side of TriBeca Bridge. I never sat there. I passed by it all the time though. Then they painted it with a whole bunch of flowers or something.

Also, Rima and I went out on a walk since it was a beautiful night. We were walking towards North, but stopped by WSH, where there was a World Music Concert. There was dancing in the Memorial Room, and then the performers went out on the terrace. The Steel Drum Band played some lively tropical music, then a conga line started; I joined in, Rima refused.

We made our way to RPCC, where there was a program put on by the Coalition for Animal Defense. They were serving free vegetarian and vegan food, so of course, we partook in the cause. I really liked this fried scallion bread. Oh, we also stopped by the Bubble Tea place at Appel and watched a few episodes of 'Friends'. They were from the later seasons so I hadn't seen them before, and there was a group of us, just watching and laughing, and drinking our tea.

"Ideas are bulletproof"

I just watched "V for Vendetta." I can see why Sheila really liked the movie. It's not overtly political, but it brings up a lot of issues that we all need to think about sometimes. Another recommended video is "Loose Change," a documentary. You can watch it at: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8260059923762628848

Wrath, Rang, and Rice

Yesterday I volunteered for the MilrSO fashion show. (I carted DJ equipment from Barton to Trillium.) The theme was the "7 deadly sins" and indeed, some of the clothese that the models parades were absolutely sinly. It was a cool show though, despite all the semi-nudity of the models. I actually knew some of them (Miriam and Renee) and they all looked so professional and really confident with their bodies. There was even a girl who reminded me of Tyra Banks. CCSADE, Phenom Step Team, and Sabor Latino also performed. After each line, the designers came out on the runway, so it was cool to see the mastermind behind all the madness. I got a free "Wrath" t-shirt, which was immediately "skankified" (Jenn's term, not mine) to fit in with all the other t-shirts of the volunteers.

Today Shashi and I went spinning, then Holi, then to a home-cooked meal at Nasheet's place.
Spinning - I thought I wouldn't wake up in time, but I was surprisingly alert this morning (considering that I was up playing Risk, World Domination with Yasmin, Shah, Edwin, Amir, and Jon last night). We did an interval workout, but it ended earlier than expected. I went to the gym afterwards.

Holi 2006 - As usual, the rang, the food, the free t-shirt, and fun! We did a lot of running around, attacking, plotting, standing in line (REMIX!), eating, clicking photos, and just some good ole holi-ing. I saw many colors in the shower. My left hand is still pink though.

"Desifest" at Nash's - Nash and Nick invited us to help them cook an Indian meal. We made a salad, but the true chefs were our hosts. The food was all so good with egg curry, a couple veggie dishes, chicken, shrimp, and rice. We watched Nash's amazing animation movie, Wishful Shrinking. The main character was an elephant who wanted to lose weight; Shashi and I both related to his woes.

Odds

Last night, I worked SPICMACAY's Indian Classical Arts Student Showcase. Richa Sharma performed a piece of Bharatnatyam dance. Arnold Mahesan played carnatic violin with Ganesh on the mridangam. All the students were so talented. I also learned about sound compression from Pete, the maestro sound techie.

We had spinning, but Zipi did not play music or use the microphone as usual, in observance of Sedar, I think. It was an different experience. I had to focus on the amount of sweat beads dropping on my handlebars, instead of the beats to songs like "Rhythm of the Night."

Shashi, Sheila, and I volunteered to guide some Stuy juniors on Sunday. It was all short notice, but I think they got a decent look at the campus. Though some students were busy talking about the possibility of psychic bunnies. Apparently, at Bing, there was a group that also leap-frogged over each other. They must have been the same ones.....There were 5 guides for 108 students. Boris was also supposed to guide a group, but he was left eating his mozzarella sticks alone in RPCC.

There are so many events this weekend. What to do, if I want to attend them all?

Miller time

So.....summer plans, probably Bangladesh. I'm excited as it will be the first time I will be there in 10 years. My uncle, who is a journalist, apparently has many contacts, including several famous Bengali writers and poets and even the prime minister. I will be using my travel grant, and hopefully I will get some good material for my report. I wonder if some of my relatives could take me over to Calcutta for a day or two as well.

Sheila and I spent a good 30 minutes gushing over Wentworth Miller, the actor who plays Michael Scofield in "Prison Break." He also plays Mariah Carey's love interest in her music videos, "It's All That" and "We Belong Together." I like him because not only is he attractive, but is is also smart. He graduated from Princeton with a degree in English lit. A thoughtful man.

I finally finished the Sangam food that I got on Friday. I had a good 4 meals with that, and only for the $7 for the cost of the buffet pack. No wonder I have so many Big Red Bucks left.

I was craving ice cream since it was a lovely sunny day today. I also wanted to wear a skirt, but I had spinning so I didn't want to change so I didn't wear one. Maybe tomorrow...

Elephant Bus

I woke up with a start. My friends were not around. And we were supposed to get to North Campus to give a tour to some Stuy kids at 1pm. My mother comes in and says that I should get ready. I say that there is not enough time; the HS-ers have probably left from RPCC as it is.

Shashi, Sheila, Zhenni and Rima walk in. We decide to try to catch the HS-ers on the third stop on the tour somehow. Along the way, Rima goes to buy tilapia fish that Brundha had raved about previously. The tilapia fish is out in the open; Rima cuts it, and makes a sandwich. Zhenni doesn't pay for her tiny green high heel shoes, just because the owners do not see her purchashing something.

We're on our way, but I am wearing no shoes. I wish I too had gotten some high heel sandals. The ground is burning hot because there is aluminum foil on the ground. I complain that I have no shoes and sit down to rest on the ground. I see someone getting henna done. Then I see another pair of feet that have looked worn and suntanned, and look like they have walked for many more miles that my feel ever did.

A bus passes us by; one of those Indian-y blue buses, but this one is run by a walking elephant within the bus. I see the bus traveling around town; people cheering as the bus bounces along with people in the pick-up truck-style back area. Waiting.

The alarm rings; I wake up with a start.

It'll never be like this again

Now that I'm a senior, I realize that it is nearly the end. It won't ever be like this, ever. That's why I want to do everything! So many plans, so little time:

MONDAY
We watched Silent Waters by Sabiha Sumar, one of the few feature films from Pakistan about a mother who tries to save her son from becoming involved in a rising Islamization movement under General Zia in 1979, Pakistan, while also struggling with her own secrets about her past. Suhair plays young Viroo in the movie. We had samosas, pakoras, and chai, courtesy of South Asian Women club.

TUESDAY
We feasted on a delectable sampling of the menu from Nacional 27, a new Latin-style restaurant in Chiacago, that has come to Okies. Oh, salmon and pineapple desserts, and guave cheesecake!
Plus, House.

WEDNESDAY
A free screening of American Dreamz at Cornell Cinema, "Starring Dennis Quaid as a Dubya-ish President, Hugh Grant as a Simon Cowell-ish host of an American Idol-ish show, and Mandy Moore as a ruthless wanna-be starlet, this comedy sure to push buttons!"

THURSDAY
Aparna Sen's 36 Chowringhee Lane

FRIDAY
Persian New Year, and maybe other stuff????

SATURDAY
Asha Spring Dinner

SUNDAY
A free screening of No. 17, with filmmaker David Olek. n June 2002, a bus on its way to Tiberius from Tel Aviv was bombed. Seventeen people were killed, sixteen were identified. No. 17 wasn't. He was buried a few weeks later - anonymous. This is where the filmmakers step in, documenting, in real time over a period of six months, the search for the identity of a man no one claimed missing.

MONDAY
MILRSO Fashion show volunteer meeting

I'd go on, but you get the picture.

Relay for Life

On Saturday night, I had an all-nighter. I didn't do work. I actually had a lot of fun, and it was all for a good cause.

So, I was a member of C-Town 4, a team for Relay for Life. Relay for Life is an overnight event that was held in Barton Hall which raises money for the American Cancer Society. Cornell, Ithaca College, and SUNY Cortlandt students/faculty participated. Each team had their own "camp site" in the middle of Barton, with over 2100 participants, you can imagine, how full it was. It was an amazing sight, especially when everyone walked on the track. There was music by DJ Fuzzy Duck, performances by IY ( a band of students who are taking a year off to promote their album), BASE Productions, Anything Goes, Ithacappella, a belly-dancer, jugglers and the girl-who-can-balance-a-ladder-on-her-chin. I walked for most of the 11-hour relay, but I also got to hang out with my residence hall-mates, like Amy, Prabu, Ana, and Lorraine. We played Cranium for a bit. It's a really neat interactive game.

I also knew a lot of people who were on other teams, so that was cool. Shashi was on the Tradition team. I had a lot of free food, with bagels, pizza, fruit, fruit loop necklaces. I also got face painting done, and watched the Project Runway competition where Kamana was one of the few finalists in the toilet-paper designer dresses. I learned about Frozen t-shirt contests, and watched the touching Luminara ceremony.

At 7am, the next morning, we found out that we raised over 170,000 dollars!

It was a really memorable experience, and I was glad to have been a part of it.