Got Milk? (For creative juices that have stopped flowing, that is.)

July 27th was a Wednesday.

At the end of a workday, a bobcat walked to Barnes and Noble’s (which reminds me-I’ll miss my childhood spent at Borders), and met up with a few other Batesies at one of her favorite culinary spots in Chelsea. They took the 6 up to Central Park to see Imelda May in action:

In the time we bobcats roamed last night, we discussed our professional goals (real world talk…). In the never-ending quest to “search for ourselves” as we get older, I now have many young bobcats asking me for career advice. For the ones who haven’t decided yet, I first show them this video:

Then, I remind them that’s what the BCDC‘s for, but I’m afraid I can only offer a simple solution: you have to love what you do. Just as you want a brand or person to be ‘authentic’, only can you be the best at your job. Ever since the age of 9, I knew I always wanted to write ( I’ll probably post a story or two from my early pre-adolescent phase, if I rack up the guts to), analyze something (warning: I am the worst person to see a movie with), and simply, hang around people .

The only advice I give, however, is to really check for cover letter typos (especially when listening to a ’90s party anthem you haven’t heard in a long time). Because there’s nothing more embarrassing than:

“I can be reached at *insert phone # here*. “

and writing instead:

“I can be breached at *insert phone # here*.”

Oh, privacy issues these days….Speaking of which, like many others, I’ve developed a slight obsession with Google-  from Facebook to Google+, and Firefox to Google Chrome (that said: move over, Jersey Shore, because Commercial Kings is in).  Maybe it’s a sign, but the whole world is googling (well, probably except China).

July 27th was a Wednesday. 

At the end of a workday, a bobcat’s story concluded happily.

Wafels & Dinges: We finally meet!

Make ‘em Go “Oh, oh, oh!”, as you Shoot Across the Sky-y-y

Clearly my first post-grad post ( I’m On the Right Track baby, I Was Born this Way ) got me a little too hyped. Instead of going places, I’ve managed to trip first (but baby steps first, right?). It’s only been a little more than a month since graduation, and I’m recovering from a terribly sprained foot  due to a morning run around the neighborhood.

The summer simmers from the heat of the city concrete sidewalks. I’m still familiarizing myself with the new area (above all, the blast of  Hindi pop from speeding car stereos. In my lifetime, it’s been mostly Eurodance, rap, and  country). Yet, there’s still that “Mainer” part of me that whispers ‘home’- evidently, I know this, because apparently my fast-paced strut has slowed to a stroll (there’s nothing more offensive than being mistaken for a tourist, especially for a New Yorker).  If anything, Maine has definitely sharpened my senses for taking the time to note the little details: license plates have yellowed, and I can’t spend the day in libraries anymore.

So how have I been passing the time- besides vegging out to this campaign, watching the Webby Awards (I admit, the only awards show I’ve sat through entirely), and salivating creative juices from this Cannes Lions event (basically, geeking out on the Internet)? Paradoxically, I’ve been out more- like exploring the new Highline and meeting strangers, teaching myself Korean, and learning real estate terms (...real world stuff). And I’ve also developed a plan that may sound a little out of tune: I’m going to take every train from beginning to end, and I’ve invited a few bobcats for the (probably 2-day long) ride.

Hope everyone enjoys the fireworks (I know I will, from my rooftop!), and the food as well. Anyway, please excuse the cliche of this post’s title, but doesn’t the long weekend make everyone  “feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again“?

You just gotta ignite, the light, and let it shine:
Just own the night like the 4th of July.

I’m On the Right Track baby, I Was Born this Way

It’s surreal. I keep catching myself thinking when I’ll have to book my Greyhound tickets and going wait, I won’t be back (anytime soon). Or standing in the corner trying to see if I have cell phone reception and reminding myself that I’m back in the city. Or taking the shuttle every week to Walmart to pick up groceries.

It’s the little things, those “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore” moments that keep replaying in my head. Today even without an alarm, I  woke up at 7 and began to instinctively plan my day around the gym (Merrill, I’ll miss you!). Then at breakfast, I silently and mentally commemorated Commons- especially those meals that were intended to be quick ones, but which ended up lasting for two hours due to the incredible distractions of food and people.

Congratulations!

“Today is your day!”

"You're off to great places!"

“You’re off and away!”

“You have brains in your head.”

“You have feet in your shoes.”

“You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”

“You’re on your own. And you know what you know.”

“And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

Maybe it sounds cliched (and Dr. Seuss’ inspirational lines too), but I’m thankful for leaving Bates a different individual: I’ve grown.a pair of spontaneous wings (back-ups in case I need to deal with last minute changes) that have taught me to live more in the moment. I’ve learned to not dwell on the past and to move on. I’ve reverse-evolved from a night owl to an early bird. I’ve developed new interests that I’ve either picked up or abandoned- Professional dancing? Working in fashion? Advertising? Writing for a magazine? Culinary school? Who knows?!

Yet, I think the only thing that hasn’t changed is that restlessness- I still haven’t felt that I’ve taken enough advantage of all the opportunities Bates has (had) to offer. If anything, graduating from Bates has recharged me even more. It’s left me ridiculously super-energized, especially when I start working (and plan to volunteer on the weekends!)

And as I sit in my new apartment single typing this sort-of last will & testament, I can say that Bates has truly killed my fear of flying- whatever I was unsure of before I came here has taught me to build my confidence diving into the unknown. So thank you-to my classmates and professors: for sharing your paths with mine; to my work supervisors: for the kindness and advice you’ve passed to me (and for those gifts!); finally, to Bates, if you were a person, you’d be like the Megazord from the Power Rangers who come together in the ultimate big bang of flavors that do all things unimaginable to the tongue- dance, blanch, julienne, suspend- all to no end.

I’ve left the den. And I hope I can be able to guide those waiting in line. But for now: Oh, the places we’ll go!
(Fun note for those who ever instinctively dissected graduation speeches)

Yours truly,

V for Voracious Bobcat

Art “Art”-iculated

Map of “Arts Crawl” Event

Congratulations! Bates is presenting its first “Arts Crawl“. Like the smattering of paint onto a blank canvas, the velocity with which arts events are happening also represents the school’s next step in following through with its palate to the art pallet more than ever before. Previously, I felt that the arts had been presented separately (for instance, a dance performance would occur on a different weekend than a poetry reading). But with this junction of venues coming from all of the written, visual, and performing arts, it’s a whole new recipe on the bobcat menu.

What stuck with me the most was the “More than a Rap Sheet” project, featuring an eagle-eye on the life of imprisoned women. Before I formulate my own interpretation of the double message of incarceration via these narratives walking the plank of reality, it hit me how both the camera and the pen liberated these women (and I mean, really hit me- I admit, I got a little wet-eyed after seeing the entire exhibit).

Here are some snapshots (I apologize for the lack of optimal quality; feel free to click on the images):

Cindy Kirlin

Cindy Kirlin’s narrative

Jody Miller

 

Jody Miller’s narrative

Of course, those would question the validity of this exhibit- bringing it yet again back to the ultimate eternal debate of “What is art?” For me, the raw emotion that triggered my response said enough. It is reality, and imperfect as it may seem, there is nothing more artistic than it gets as this.

Unfortunately, as I was unable to “crawl” any farther due to sickness, I didn’t catch the rest of the events. Let’s just say- I can’t help feeling indebted to this exhibit, and maybe just, a glint of contentment knowing that I contributed to this new movement at Bates (and, this as well).

A bit of voracious bobcat home cookin’

Short post:I learned how to make some sushi this weekend!

Sushi with carrot, cucumber, avocado, and artificial crab meat

"Dessert" sushi: chocolate drizzled with honey!

Gobble..dygook

In the spirit of Thanksgiving: amidst the onset of the holiday festivities (not to mention that this is my favorite time of the year)- and before I start gushing forth “I feel it in my fingers,/I feel it in my toes,/Christmas is all around me,/and so the feeling grows” from holiday movies even though we’re still in a recession- here are the top 7 things I am grateful for this year:

7. Harvest Dinner last night (I’m still digesting…)

6. Commons staff making sure doing homework while eating is as comfortable as it gets, when they ALWAYS ask if I need anything

5. Being able to complete my last year at Bates despite financial difficulties

4. (I thought I’d never say this) A growing fondness of country music (I’ve been stuck on this song ever since I heard it on the shuttle that drives through Lewiston and Auburn on the weekends)

3. (although I still find this incredibly eerie) Being recognized on campus by strangers as a result of being part of the monthly Bates website slideshow (in fact, someone I didn’t know came up to me and asked “how it felt to be a Bates celebrity”. I mean, how would you respond?! )

2. Spending my Thanksgiving here, better yet, with a work supervisor who so graciously invited me to dinner!

1. (I’m beginning to realize a pattern here. In the sum of all words..) Bates? Yes, it may all sound like emotional gobbledygook, but to me Bates is more than a school. It’s become my family.

many xoxo’s, thanks, & welcomes

-V for Voracious Bobcat

Don’t Waste New Precious Time; We’ll Dance Inside…

this song..because

there hasn’t been a dull beat or a dance concert I’ve missed here at Bates. This Parents Weekend, I thought I’d be the third wheel along for the ride. Instead, the day proved me entirely wrong. I had initially decided to spend this time staying in, seeing as I was an orphan for the weekend. And yet again, I found myself drifting with the current of parents who temporarily adopted me as one of their own.

The highlight was most definitely the Parents Weekend Dance Concert. A parent courteously allowed me to skip him in line while anxiously awaiting to enter the theater; apparently he had overheard my excitement for the impending student and resident artist-choreographed performances of a variety of genres- step, modern, jazz, hip hop, ballroom, and Bollywood.  Here are a few clips:

After, the throng of bobcats swayed me to catch the football game on the newly renovated Garcelon Field.Unfortunately, I left before they lost to Williams- heading over to the Bates College Chapel for Navratri, a Hindu holiday, to practice some Buddhist meditation and chanting.

Needless to say, it was the longest study break that I’ve taken. I wouldn’t generally categorize myself as a procrastinator, but I’d have to say I’m glad I threw the rulebook out the window today. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have run into acquaintances and professors I haven’t seen lately, friendly strangers, or even my custodian freshman year (who still remembers my name!) I’m reminded that I will never be alone  or even homesick- because this is where I belong.

Good Good Good: Good Vibrations

Although I’m not currently on campus for short term, the air continues to reverberate cordially with the chime of the memories Bates continues to stir up. For instance, I keep finding myself automatically dialing 207 (the area code for the state of Maine) whenever I’m calling on my cell phone (I guess that’s a subconscious indication signaling that I sorely miss Bates!).

In fact, I’m beginning to think that New York City is a major den where bobcats tend to dwell- packs of them, young and old alike. There was a weekend I went inter-borough biking with my new neighbor (how I managed to travel at least 75 miles in remains unclear to this day, but I’m most certain that my daily workouts in the Merrill Gym prepped me well enough for this challenge); while browsing the farmers’ market in Williamsburg, I was stopped by a recent graduate from ’05, who had noticed my sweatpants with the Bates logo. On a separate occasion, my co-worker upon mentioning to her about where I went to college, snatched her phone (literally, in under a heartbeat) to text-message the individual who recently visited Bates to present his journey at the Gaza Freedom March.

Last Saturday during the Bates National Day of Service in the city, bobcats were called to congregate at the Echo Park Early Childhood Center in East Harlem. It was the equivalent of an adventure-studded fireside chat. During orientation, we curled up cozily to talk about our majors (there were many of my kind- which was surprising!), and our favorite Bates traditions, professors, and dorm stories. Of course, I was the cub- as the youngest still in school there. After being assigned to different age groups of children to interact with, we then pounced into action. We read stories, made cupcakes, got down and dirty playing (as well as forgetting my age and instead, pretending I was 4 again), and painted paper hot air balloons with them. I’m entirely indebted to this experience- I was able to meet alumni who were so willing to share a”mew”sing stories, but also learn to be not only a leader but more importantly, a role model to those who look up to you.

I can say for sure that I’ve never left Bates, and never will, as on Thursday evening, Gary Hirshberg, Bates parent and CEO of Stonyfield Farm, is hosting a reception in the city. It certainly is “a great day to be a bobcat”, and even though I am homesick to be back on campus (don’t get me wrong, I’m also glad to be back in New York, living in a new apartment on my own for the very first time!), I know there’s plenty of other bobcat kin I haven’t met yet here- who are prowling with me in thirst of that Bates adventure.

-V the Voracious Bobcat

“Be our Guest, Be our Guest. Put our Service to the Test!”

(Points if you know where this is from! Hint: I’m still a child at heart sometimes.)

The academic year is finally wrapping up (it’s finals season, so campus ruckus has died down a little), and although I am highly anticipating the return home to a city that never sleeps, I am already beginning to miss this little secluded nook in the woods of Maine. But, I’ve happily discovered that I can still be reminded of Bates, even if I’m away from my second home.

It’s a given that Bobcats like to stay engaged and hands-on, especially anything related to their interests, passions, or hobbies at any given day of the year. Sponsored by the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, the Bates National Day of Service will take place on Saturday, May 1st, in most participating locations around the nation (with the exceptions of April 25th in Rutland, VT; May 2nd in Phippsburg, ME; May 22nd in Seattle, WA) . It’s a great opportunity for both the school to team up with non-profit organizations and to meet other big-hearted bobcats eager to help out. And the timing couldn’t have been more perfect, since I’ll be back home (thankfully, where it’ll only be a subway ride away to my service destination)

As a voracious volunteer (as cliched as it sounds, I’m always willing to take and make time to help others as a way of giving back to the community, no matter where I am), I’m looking very forward to this event! Above all, I certainly do hope to make the “world a better place,  one Batesie at a time.”

“The Grass is Greener on the Other Side”. Or isn’t it?

This evening in Pettengill, a  representative from Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) came to show a National Geographic documentary called, “Life Inside North Korea.” This documentary was covered by Lisa Ling, field correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show and sister of Laura Ling – one  of the two American journalists recently detained in North Korea.

Like the “Freedom Gaza March” lecture, the presentation incorporated a slew of graphic images and film clips of military interactions, blind patients receiving surgery, malnourished children- and it doesn’t stop there. Initially aware of just the tip of the iceberg about the extent of how escalated tensions (besides that the conflict still exists between North and South Korea) are to this day, I certainly gained a much insight into the political, economical, and social perspective of conditions experienced in North Korea. For example, I learned that up to 300,000 North Korean refugees have escaped and are currently hiding in China. Another tidbit I picked up was that at least 200,000 have been imprisoned for political purposes. However, what really struck me the most was that over 25% live in starvation due to poverty, and nearly 40% of children are chronically malnourished.

Although I didn’t see much,I can’t say if the grass is really greener on the other side, as most in the film was censored. However, it’s safe to say that my mind has sprouted a few more educational hairs, fortunately enough to expand my knowledge just a little more- as any bobcat would do.