Meet Your New President!

Am I full of myself or what?
Maybe I am and maybe I am not. You be the judge but don't tell me 'cause I ain't "bovvered."

As of yesterday, I am now the president of my scholarship club and this be will until I leave my present university at the end of the Spring Semester, 2008. It isn't a great big deal really, except I get to say, I am not only a 'great king' (Maharaj) but now I am also a president. But don't start comparing me to Bush and those other guys.

I also have the opportunity to be a part of a Mentoring Program for male students who are doing badly at school. I will be paired with one student and work with them through the semester to help them improve their grades as well as influence their lifestyle in a positive manner. Its a great opportunity and I am looking forward to it.

Apart from that, its classes as usual, which I am enjoying, some more than others of course, and I am looking forward to closing of this year on a high note.

That's all for now. I have a class to attend.

Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolff?

Certainly Not Me!

Thanks to a NY free daily newspaper (the only ones I read)I attended a free screening of the Oscar-winning movie "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolff?" The interesting thing was the presence of the highly acclaimed playwright Edward Albee, who wrote the original play that the movie was based on.
Prior to that evening, I had read about the play, and the movie, but never saw the movie so I jumped at the chance. On the way in, I joined the mailing list of the theatre company hosting the screening without knowing they had a raffle draw from those names.
Lo and behold, when Mr. Albee picked the paper out of the bag, guess whose name was on it? That's right! Adjodha Maharaj! My prize! Two tickets to a new play by none other than Edward Albee! The Occupant.
That takes care of one evening out in NY in the next few months. My luck has been stretching for this year and you would note in a previous post, I won another prize in a draw at the Annual Asian Heritage Month. My scholarship club sponsored the ticket for that dinner. I was also pulled onstage during an Off-Broadway Production of A Midsummer Night's Dream for about five minutes. Who knows what my luck holds in the next few weeks?

9/11-07 We Remember

Its difficult being in New York and not being aware of what took place here six years ago. You can't miss the flood of memories that is thrown at you every time you turn on the tv or walk past Ground Zero, which happens to be 5mins walk from my school. When the Towers came donw back in 2001, it brought down a building that had been donated to BMCC and took the lives of a group of school personnel. A plaque honoring their memory has since been erected at the school's entrance.
I still remember where I was...back home, Valpark Shopping Plaza, TCBY, working... and what I did as soon as I realized what had just happened... ran into the store and called Molly and demand that she wake up and turn on her TV... and then the flood of emotions that swept through me as I look at the TV screen and wept inwardly for those caught in the midst of the tragedy. I cannot imagine what it was like or even what they have been through but my heart goes out to all those who suffered and still suffer because of that day's events.
Sometimes it makes me want to hate all those involved and all those who support what happened but that will not do anyone any good. So instead I pray and hope for healing and a continuance of life for all for those affected directly and indirectly.

New York Summer:Back To School

My second year at college began with as much fanfare as the next day. I am happy to say that everything worked out great, for the most part, and I am back in the swing of things.
My big goal this time is to follow-up last semester's straight 'A' with more of the same. Anything less and I will climb to the top of the Empire State Building and not come down...for a few hours at least.
Here is a brief description of my classes and professors.

History: Western Civilization
Dr Phil (as he is commonly known) was thought to be eccentric and maybe even boring. Turns out he is anything but...
His classes are fun with lots of group activities and he sends us into stitches with his jokes, which are all versions of historical events. He makes me want to major in History, which fascinates me anyway.

Developmental Psychology:
Professor J was a last minute replacement for the class, and talk about saving the best for last. Before him we had a young Missy who came in and purported to tell us in no uncertain terms, she was the only one who knew what she was doing. Needless to say, I took and instant dislike to her and was very relieved to see a different professor.
He is very knowledgeable, very funny and encourages class participation, a good recipe for a great class.

English II:
Professor T is funny without trying. I can't help think she is in the wrong profession. With all the eye-rolling, eyelids batting, sideways glances, I can picture her on a stage, and she had the commanding voice to go with it. Studying Shelly, Byron and reading Othello and Wuthering Heights will be lots of good learning fun.

Math: Intro. to Statistics.
Professor G is as good as gold (part of his name actually). A goldmine of information with a heart of gold. He strides from side to side during the session, hardly glancing at the class and every now and then, having a brief conversation with himself.
I am still trying to figure out his accent but I make it a point to sit at the front of the class to catch everything.

General Biology:
Professor M is the nice motherly type who take the extra time to make sure we understand, and answers every question, even the dumb, redundant one. And believe me, there are quite a few. Not that the students are dumb (although some clearly are) most of the time their heads are in the clouds and they miss important information while they are cloud-surfing.
The most endearing thing about her is her distinct New York accent. If you have seen movies like Saturday Night Fever (or the Broadway play) you will know what I mean.

I tried this weekend to at least meet my average of 3 hours a week of studying but too much was happening so I will try again this week. In fact, I have two days of school this week and three days next week. That adds up to one week out of two. Not bad for an easy going student like me but I know I have my work cut out for me and its not going to be easy A's like before.
Take a look at my school's website for interesting information:

Summer In New York :The Bronx Zoo

Another highlight of my three weeks of Summer In New York was going to the Bronx Zoo. I was doing some baby sitting for a friend and took her two children there for the day.
For general information, one day is hardly enough to see even half of the zoo. We did have a great time especially seeing a huge Bengal Tiger playing in the water and marching up and down like you see in the wild as well as the feeding of the sea Lions and Penguins.
The girls enjoyed the Monkeys while they had their fun oblivious of the crowds staring at them.
There is a special Children's Zoo and here the girls had a chance to climb the spider web, burrow into a hill with some prairie dogs and feed and pet some animals.
Here are a few of the many pics taken