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Cultural Cuisine: Eating Your Way Around the World

Monday, October 6th, 2014

Writer and traveler Deborah Cater once said, “You have to taste culture to understand it”—and she wasn’t wrong. When you go to a foreign country and choose to eat only foods you are familiar with then you’re doing yourself a disservice. Traveling is all about trying new things—and food is one of the most important ones. In China, there are so many unique local dishes to try so you shouldn’t let fear of the unknown get in the way of experiencing the country like the locals do.

Sure we’ve all gone to our local Chinese takeout place and have ordered the pork Lo Mein or General Tso Chicken, but if you take the time to explore the country you’ll find non-Americanized Chinese food that’s definitely worth a try.

One of the most popular dishes to try if you find yourself in Beijing is the Peking Duck. This famous dish has been prepared since the imperial era and is served with steamed pancakes and eaten with scallion, cucumber and sweet bean sauce. Traditionally the meat is sliced thin by the cook right in front of you, which is definitely fun to watch. Two of the most notable restaurants are Quanjude and Bianyifang in Beijing, China.

A chef prepares to carve a Peking Duck.

Peking Duck is traditionally served on a duck shaped plate.

We all know that Italy is famous for their pasta; but did you know that the world’s oldest known noodles were actually discovered along the Yellow River in China? Dating back to roughly 4000 years BP, noodles have been a staple food in China—and watching hand pulled noodles being made is definitely something to go see if you visit. Hand pulled noodles, or Lamian, is made by stretching and folding the dough into strands. This unique method of making noodles originated in China and dates back to 1504. Lamian literally means pull or stretch, lā, (拉), noodle, miàn (麵) and watching a professional noodle chef pull noodles is a tourist attraction in itself!

The process of preparing hand pulled noodles is so quick that it happens in a blur!

Whether you’re traveling to China, or any other country, make sure that if you have food allergies you are well prepared. The chefs know what ingredients they use to prepare their food with and a language barrier shouldn’t stop you from being safe. Having a restaurant card is a great way to stay safe, and still be able to enjoy many of the delicious unique foods available. The card clearly states in another language the types of food you are not allowed to eat and your servers and chefs can take it from there.

Gluten-Free restaurant card picture taken from www.chinahighlights.com/

Also, take the time to find out if the water is safe to drink in your country of origin. Often times it’s just easier to choose to drink only bottled water for the duration of your stay. You know it’s clean and safe, and you definitely don’t want to get sick while studying abroad!

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–Sam Levitz is a graduate of Brooklyn College and went on the CUNY Study Abroad trip to China the summer of 2013. Follow her on Instagram: slevitz

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Tags:allergies, chicken, china, chinese food, cuisine, cultural, culture, duck, eating, eating abroad, food, food allergies, gluten free, hand pulled noodles, noodles, peking duck, Study Abroad, study abroad program, unique
Posted in Budget Traveler, Cheap Eats, Friendship, NYC Student Guide, onCollege, onEntertainment, onFood, onLife, onLove, onNews, onSavings, onTravel, onValues, Outside Manhattan, Relationships, Restaurant Reviews, Resume Building, Student Issues, Studying | No Comments »

College Savings and Saving Space in Your Suitcase: What to Pack When Studying Abroad

Saturday, September 27th, 2014

When I fantasize about traveling it’s always the same: one neatly packed backpack with just the essentials. Unfortunately, I am not a light packer and so this is never the case. When it comes to studying abroad you want to make sure you’re properly prepared for whatever you may encounter on your trip. It’s never a good idea to assume that a foreign country has exactly what you’re looking for. Try to find college discounts for certain items before your trip and you can save yourself a lot of trouble once you’re there. So what if you’re labeled the “mom” of your trip? Being prepared is never a bad thing—and chances are your new friends will thank you.

Before your trip it’s important to at least attempt to learn the language of the country, or at least learn some key phrases. Rosetta Stone is a great option, but for those of us on a budget there are free smartphone apps readily available. Mindsnacks is a really helpful app I found before my trip to China that allowed me to start learning the language through a series of fun interactive games. If you upgrade to the full version for $5, you’ll get access to 1000 words and phrases, 9 unique games, and 50 lessons to master. This app is available in many different languages and the upgrade is definitely worth the money!

Mindsnacks is a free app that can be used to learn new languages.

Do some research about the weather you’ll experience during the months you’ll be there and pack your clothes accordingly. You don’t want to be the one wearing sweaters in the heat or shorts in the snow. Make sure you have a solid stock of any medicines or vitamins you may take every day. Regular toiletries are an essential and it’s always handy to buy Tide-To-Go, packets of Downy or any other fabric soap just in case you need to do a wash at a moment’s notice.

Sometimes laundry gets expensive in a foreign country.

Check to see what banks are available in the country you’re going to. Many countries often have branches that are linked with Bank of America so if you don’t have an account, open one up. It’s free and you won’t have to pay fees every time you grab some cash from the ATMs. The China Construction Bank, found all over China, doesn’t charge any fees as long as you have a BoA card. You can easily close your BoA account once returning to America.

Other important items are charger adapters for your specific country of origin. The outlets in America are not the same in every country and you do not want to be that person with the hair straightener exploding in your hair!

Also, to stay in touch with family and friends during your trip, set up a Gmail, Skype, Viber, and Whatsapp accounts. These are free ways to connect with your loved ones through email, phone calls, video and text messaging all through WiFi. You don’t want mom to get a $356 dollar phone bill because you accidentally used your data while roaming, do you?

My group connects to the WiFi in our hotel in Hong Kong and immediately engross themselves in social media.

–Sam Levitz is a graduate of Brooklyn College and went on the CUNY Study Abroad trip to China the summer of 2013. Follow her on Instagram: slevitz

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Tags:apps, atms, bank of america, china, china construction bank, downy, foreign countries, free, gmail, internet, languages, learning, mindsnacks, money, packing, rosetta stone, savings, skype, Study Abroad, study abroad program, studying abroad, suitcase, tide to go, Travel, viber, weather, whatsapp, wifi
Posted in Budget Traveler, Friendship, Housing spaces, NYC Student Guide, onBooks, onCollege, onFun, onHealth, onLife, onSavings, onShopping, onTravel, onValues, Outside Manhattan, Roommates, Student Issues, Studying | No Comments »

College Savings: How to Afford a Study Abroad Trip as a Broke College Student

Friday, September 19th, 2014

Whether my friends ask me if I want to go to the movies or out for an expensive meal, my answer is always the same: “I’m a college student.” This is the universally known phrase meaning, “I’d love to, but I can’t. I’m broke.” College expenses can really weigh down on my desire to have a social life. Between tuition, books, Metrocard fare, and food, there’s really no wiggle room for anything extra and I’m always trying to find college discounts wherever I go. When I learned about study abroad options through CUNY, my friends asked me where I wanted to go. “China,” I replied smiling. “But I’m a college student.”

Eating a bowl of noodles in Nanjing, China that cost 7¥ (yuan): less than $1.50!

Studying abroad, although costly, is not necessarily as impossible as one might think for the ‘poor’ college student—and it certainly has its perks. One way to help pay for your study abroad trip is to get scholarship money. Just like when you were applying for college, scholarships are diverse, obscure and available to a multitude of people. You just need to be willing to look for them. One great place to start is CEA Scholarships, which are scholarships specifically for students who want to study abroad. There are multiple merit based scholarships available and also financial need based scholarships.

Often times when applying for these scholarships you are required to write a personal essay. In order to get the money you need to make yourself stand out. Write several different essays, share them with your writing major friends, revise, and edit. The more work you put into your essay, the better chance you’ll have at getting that money. Other scholarships to look into for studying abroad are the SIROCS scholarship and the SASA Travel Abroad Scholarship.

You never know when you’re going to stumble upon some interesting souvenir like a Communist Obama Tshirt!

Don’t be afraid to go and contact the financial aid office at your college. Even if you don’t think you qualify for financial aid, go anyway. Sometimes the financial aid rules and regulations differ for certain study abroad programs and it never hurts to ask! Taking out student loans might also be a viable option to look into. Loans are a really great way to give yourself some time to save up your money after you take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Start saving up now! Even if you get fully covered by scholarships or financial aid, there’s still the matter of having spending money in a foreign country. Whether you want to buy a cheap bowl of noodles, or a memorable souvenir, you’re going to end up wanting to spend some cash on your trip. In Shenzhen, China I came across an amusement park called Windows of the World. I was definitely glad that I had some cash to pay for the admission. Get a part time job while you wait for the start of your program and put that cash aside. You’ll be happy you did once you get to your new temporary home. You want to be able to take care of yourself while you’re away and have some fun too!

My friends on the train ride at Windows of the World in Shenzhen, China.

–Sam Levitz is a graduate of Brooklyn College and went on the CUNY Study Abroad trip to China the summer of 2013. Follow her on Instagram: slevitz

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Tags:china, college, college discounts, college savings, financial aid, food, life, living, nanjing, part-time jobs, saving money, scholarships, shenzhen, student loans, Study Abroad, study abroad program, the world, Travel, traveler, travelling, windows of the world, young, your 20s
Posted in Budget Traveler, Friendship, NYC Student Guide, onCollege, onFood, onFun, onLife, onSavings, onTravel, Outside Manhattan, Studying | Comments Closed

The Transfer

Saturday, July 19th, 2014

Remember when you were in high school? Yes, it was fun. But one of the things you looked forward to the most was eventually going to college. And if you didn’t plan on going to college, you still likely planned on doing something with your life. It was so comforting, wasn’t it? Envisioning finally being an adult and all the independent choices you would be able to make. It’s such an endorphin rush…until you’re finally there, in college or the harsh real world, where making choices can be stressful and costly. If you are like me, you may have found yourself simply lost at first.

Choosing a major is hard and so is choosing a school. Thankfully, I already knew I was passionate about history. It was my second best option next to fashion designs which after the market crash of 2008, I didn’t really see as an option at all. I figured, I would eventually find my foothold in fashion, the natural way. But in school, I would major in history. I would write. I’m a writer. Eventually, I would write for a magazine, a fashion magazine, as a fashion editor. Then I would transition, like Vera Wang did. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I always knew I would come back to New York. And that’s easily the best thing that’s happened to me this year as a student. Coming back to New York – not the actual move, because (when isn’t that stressful?), but reacquainting myself with air of New York life.

Yes, it sounds like another anecdotal cliché of a young woman’s life – that New York would be the place where she finds herself and comes into her own. Well, that’s the thing. I’m not sure I’ve figured it out just yet, like these women do in those clichés. And considering that I’m at the very beginning of my career, I probably won’t figure out everything that I’d need to for a while. But something about being in New York at this stage of my life is great and exciting. Perhaps, it’s being surrounded by so many like-minded people. It’s the vibe we’re able to create, the conversations, the momentous impact we tell each other we want to have. The energy of the city just feeds youthful aspirations, which means, I can still make mistakes. There’s so much room to explore just who I want to be.

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Margael St Juste, Hunter College ’15

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Tags:college advice, college major, college tranfer, Fashion, New York City
Posted in onCollege, onLife | 4 Comments »

Painting a Self Portrait – thelivingcalendar.com

Monday, June 2nd, 2014

Every creative individual designs a self portrait at some point. A piece meant to symbolize themselves, whether it’s through illustrating, singing, dancing, writing, etc. It’s simple to portray oneself as a female with long curly hair and green eyes, however the difficult part comes when we must describe who we really are inside. YOU are the only one who knows the real YOU. YOU decide how YOU want to be displayed to the world. Sure our family members and close friends know us well, but YOU ultimately determine how YOU appear to others. YOU create your self portrait.

As a college & career advisor, I am here to mentor you, to help with this process of self assessment and to further your knowledge base in order to pursue your goals and dreams. You have the skills, you know what you want, you know what you need, we just need to converse, ask questions and together we will find a way to get you there.

I’m sure you are curious about my story, my self portrait if you will.
So let me give you some background on me.

As a graphic design student at the Rhode Island School of Design, I actively participated in several on campus jobs. I found specific listings that drew me in and grew to love these jobs more than my studies. All throughout college, I was a mentor and teaching artist for a program (Project Open Door) that helped high school students with the college process. As a mentor at Project Open Door, I individually assessed the needs of each student. I helped them with their applications for college, assisted with their resumes, and taught beginner and intermediate drawing/paintings classes in order to build their confidence and skills needed to proceed. I gave student specific assignments as they progressed throughout the program to their senior year and then provided one on one guidance to help them figure out what colleges and careers they were interested in. We made college visits, attended fairs, and explored the options.

Despite my passion for design, I knew I loved my work at Project Open Door. However, I graduated with a BFA and decided to pursue it for a few years to see what I liked and disliked based on my experiences. Fast forward to 3 years later, and I am a Senior Graphic Designer, Career & College Advisor, freelance designer, mentor at The Campus Clipper, blog writer, podcast conductor, and Marketing Chair of YES! @Dress for Success. I am still searching for a way to marry all my passions into one career, but I love each and every one of them.

In December, I completed a certificate program at NYU in Career Planning & Development. It gave me the necessary skills to engage with you and help tell your story. Through my dedication to helping people, and my knowledge of marketing and targeting oneself in the world, I truly believe that together we can create your self portrait and show everyone just who you are!

Please visit my blog for more: www.thelivingcalendar.com
With my help, I hope you gain insight into how to pursue your passions, how to draw your self portrait, and how to convey your story.

Posted in Internships, onJobs, onLife, Resume Building, Social Media Learning | No Comments »

Student Depression: Working Within the Bounds of Gravity

Saturday, December 14th, 2013

Every student in the depths of depression goes through that particularly steep and lugubrious slump. Honestly, it’s more like a cliff. Full of electric eels and piranhas and alligators, who keep mauling away at any bit of hope you may have left.

"We feed on your misery and despair... and cashews."

What if you could turn those bloodthirsty blues into a pool of rainbows and unicorns? Well, not exactly. But pretty damn close.

All you need is a mantra. Here are the magic words: work within the gravitational field.

Sorry, that’s not a reference to Gravity.

But it’s nonetheless solid advice.

There are two minefields we step into when we’re depressed: the future and the past. The latter is relatively simple—you wish you could change something you did. But you can’t. You can’t change the past. Argument over. Talk to me when you step through a wormhole and end up with your thigh attached to your face, or an extra set of eyes under your armpit.

The future—aye, she’s a tricky one. Depending on the way you perceive what is to come, you can either end up in a pool of your own tears and blood (the result of papercuts while crying and leafing through your ex’s photo album, of course), or you can get a fucking grip, grit your teeth, and grin through those horrid weeks.

Ideally, you want to choose the latter. It always ends up a mix of both, though. We simply want to minimize the one where you sink yourself deeper into a pit of self-loathing and pity.

This is where gravity comes in.

Imagine this overly-elaborate and seemingly-unrelated scenario: a newspaper intern is hired for the summer, and he’s doing relatively well—bringing the coffee, unjamming the printer, even writing a little piece for the paper once in a while. But then he does something stupid: he overshoots his mark and decides he wants to be a full time reporter now. Stuck with the notion that he’s too good to be an intern all of a sudden, he stops being speedy with the coffee, the printer remains jammed and the office is lagging because a millennial twat (no offense to 99% of my readers, of course—but I can say it because I’m 22) decided he’s too good for mundane tasks that he was assigned to.

Something similar happens when you overshoot your thought processes. Let’s use subject A’s—Loverboy’s—thoughts as an example: “She never loved me!” Loverboy thinks. And then he shakes his head angrily and retorts, “I never wanted her anyway!” and then it goes back to, “we’re never going to be together again!” and… well, ad nauseam. Despite the only thing that’s corporeal to Loverboy is the shower floor and the empty bottle of vodka, he gets stuck in his head about what might come.

Now imagine he’s working within gravity, within the limits of the day—the limits of his current, veritable environment. In this mindset, the only questions that should float to mind are, “why haven’t I finished showering if it’s 4am already and I went in at midnight?” and “this empty bottle of vodka means I’ve probably drunk texted her several dozen times already and that I’m going to have one shitty morning.”

Loverboy is now working within gravity. The sadness is there but he handles the tasks at hand—turning off the shower nozzle, throwing the empty bottle into the bin and hitting the hay.

If there was no gravity we would float away into space. Unfortunately, our brain has no hemisphere. We float into the clouds and freeze and stagnate and get stuck. That’s why we must create our own gravity and work within it.

Dale Carnegie mentioned to live in day-tight compartments. It’s the same exact principle as working within gravity. Take the day in chunks and don’t overshoot your bounds or you’ll get stuck.

Now, this doesn’t mean you’ll be traveling to that pool of rainbows and unicorns anytime soon, but there will an inherent sense of “I’ll get through this in the near future” as you crunch your teeth between the stream of tears and type that term paper up the day before it’s due.

Au revoir.

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Aleksandr Smechov, Baruch College.

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Tags:Campus Clipper, college depression, college life, depressed, depression, depression in college, how to battle depression in college, how to be productive, how to stop worrying, overshooting the mark, student depression, what to do when you're depressed
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Student Depression: Your Personal Project

Thursday, November 28th, 2013

I’ve decided to construct a life-size replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza using only Styrofoam cups and Elmer’s Glue. The fumes from the Elmer’s will fuel my strange ambition and the cups will be my portable latrines. Will I ever finish the Great Styrofoam and Elmer Pyramid of the Bronx? Inevitably no, but I will inadvertently finish the myriad other more manageable tasks I haven’t had the patience or the verve to get around to.

And that’s the point.

If you’re still stuck on the image of latrines and foam cups with weirdly-hued liquids bubbling inside, get your head out of the toilet. The crux of the matter is that committing to an ambitious personal project is an effective gateway drug to doing the smaller stuff you’re setting aside now.

Ever noticed what you do when you’re on a productive roll? There’s a snowball effect. All of a sudden, you want to do the stuff you’ve been neglecting; you feel like you can get everything done in one sitting.

Unfortunately, this sort of productivity binge is a rare beast.

How do you awaken the beast more often? You poke it.

In more boring words, you instigate incentive by getting your brain on a more productive wavelength.

Once you start a task, it’s hard for your brain not to pester you to finish it. This is called the Zeigarnik Effect.

First thing’s first: set yourself up with a personal project. Here are your guidelines:

1) It has to be fun.

2) It has to be creative.

3) It has to be ambitious.

4) Great Styrofoam and Elmer’s Glue Pyramid of the Bronx is taken, sorry.

5) It has to constantly rely on your cerebral musings… so watching movies, eating, cooking, traveling, dancing and other activities where you can partially or fully turn off your brain, or fall into a routine (basically anything you’d do to distract yourself from your mission-critical tasks) are no-go. SORRY.

Some suggestions:

Start a Word document journal. (Don’t even think about using a pen unless you’re going to transcribe it via keyboard later—e-journals are infinitely more reliable since you can search specific keywords [and start to see disturbing patterns], and it’s much easier to publish your lurid memoirs if you don’t have to use an Egyptologist to identify your chicken-scratch glyphs.)
Make an animated music video (AMV), live-action music video, video blog, short film, etc.
If you can’t draw a stick figure for your life, paint something abstract. MOMA is great for inspiration.
Learn HTML and CSS and create a kickass personal website. Use this to market yourself.
Emulate your favorite author’s style and write a short story in their voice.
Notice how you can easily use any of these accomplishments in a resume, portfolio or cover letter? Yep, that’s what you’re aiming for. Something that can potentially get you moolah in the future and improve your creative noggin.

Here’s what will happen: your brain will start to anticipate and get excited for the personal project you’re undertaking; you’ll get into the groove of doing, not worrying yourself into depression; a downhill-snowball effect will occur where you’re gaining momentum and stagnancy equals death; you will look to other places to be productive, i.e. the shit you actually gotta do; you will feel accomplished and have personal reference experience (aka accomplishments you can stroke your ego with) that will push you even further; you will become president on the universe.

What are you waiting for? Get your personal project started NOW.

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Aleksandr Smechov, Baruch College.

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Tags:aleksandr smechov, Campus Clipper, college depression, college life, depressed, depression, depression in college, how to battle depression in college, how to be productive, how to start your personal project, how to stop worrying, overshooting the mark, student depression, what to do when you're depressed
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Student Depression: Overshooting Your Mark

Saturday, November 16th, 2013

Overshoot your mark. Bite off more than you can chew. Start at the deep end. Let it hit the fan. You’ll get further than you’ve ever gone before.

You might be utterly vexed now, straining your follicles with the massive amount of hair tugging you’re doing right about now. I understand, just let your follicles have a break for a moment.

Why would you put yourself in supposedly unwinnable situations, or set goals that are, at the moment, too lofty? What benefit is there to overshooting your mark?

Take a look: You have a literary analysis paper due in a week, so you set aside your personal project for a week, you tell your friends that you’re way too busy to hang out and those extra credit assignments you were so adamant to get down and dirty with? Locked away in that little crevice of guilt in your mind.

Now that you’ve got all this freed up time, what happens to your main assignment? Unless you’re writing a 30-page paper that applies a Derridean, Foucauldian and Barthian lens to Joyce’s “Araby” (never again), you’re not going to spend every waking moment (never, ever, again…) writing your paper. Maybe you’ll think about it for several days, start getting those awful vomiting butterflies parading around your stomach lining, fall back into your depression (but we worked so hard on curbing it! Why does this puny paper have to take over your life?) and finally get working on it two days before deadline, panicking yourself into a cold, smelly sweat. Not cool.

"My surname is Derrida, but the very fact that I have been named manifests an externality that dissociates Derrida the 'man' from Derrida the 'name,' the latter of which is an empty signifier, and I'm totally confusing the sh*t out of you right now and enjoying every second of it."

Students, including myself, fall into habitual patterns that are too familiar to comfortably escape. Hey, it’s worked before, you got your work done, so what’s the problem? If it ain’t broke… wait, no. It is broken. You’re not helping your depression by adding anxiety, stress and detrimental habitual habits to the mix. But I’ve got a solution, so don’t you fret.

All those plans you put off for the week? Put them back in your schedule and then some. See your friends, work on your own personal project (more on this in the next blog), do that extra credit, and then commit to something (or several things) with a deadline, preferably before the time your assignment is due. Agree to write an article for the school newspaper, commit to checking out that new French club (voulez-vous lire Campus Clipper avec moi ce soir?) and schedule an appointment with your guidance counselor.

Stuff you schedule, basically.

Now, that doesn’t mean you should cram as much time-wasting activities as possible. All of these week-fillers should be beneficial to your development and recovery one way or another.

So why does this method work? Let’s look back at that last-minute example. You had a huge paper due that was supposed to take a week to complete and you crammed all that work into the air-tight space of maybe eight hours over two days. That leaves at least 104 waking hours where you have the paper on your mind. Maybe not consciously, not all the time, but the thought is there, and it won’t flutter off till you’ve got it handled.

104 hours. That’s almost, like, 127 hours.

"How many hours did Franco spend worrying instead of just cutting off his arm?"

The biggest enemy in this situation is your excess thoughts. Your most practical ally is overshooting your mark and cramming your week with self-beneficial and self-developmental tasks and commitments. There comes a point where the brain doesn’t see an opportunity to worry about what you’re not doing because it needs to hone in on more immediate tasks, like cleaning your room because a friend is coming over, writing that school newspaper article because the deadline is tomorrow, or whatever other task that need immediacy.

What happens now is that you stop worrying because you stop thinking about worrying (whoa). When your mind knows that there are a plethora of tasks coming in from all directions, it slaps itself awake and starts to focus, otherwise it risks embarrassment: you don’t want your friend to look disgustedly at your semi-soiled underwear hanging lasciviously on your lamp, or your school’s newspaper editor giving you the evil eye for the next month. This time, fear of embarrassment works to your advantage (and the only time it should work to your advantage).

You get busy, you get into a flow. You have no time to worry, you just do. You start looking for productive tasks to fill up your time, and it so happens you’ve got that huge paper coming up. What better time to do it than when you’re so tuned into the present moment and riding a productivity binge?

And what seemed like overshooting the mark suddenly seems more than manageable, and leaves you with more free time than if you’d have spent 104 hours worrying and 8 hours doing.

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Aleksandr Smechov, Baruch College.

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Tags:bite of more than you can chew, Campus Clipper, college depression, college life, depressed, depression, depression in college, how to battle depression in college, how to be productive, how to stop worrying, overshooting the mark, student depression, what to do when you're depressed
Posted in onCollege, onFun, onLife, Studying | 1 Comment »

Student Depression: Inspirational Films No Student Should Do Without

Friday, November 8th, 2013

Warning: overly elaborate introduction ahead. If you so desire, simply scroll to the *** symbols to get to the crux of the matter. I won’t be mad.

Sometimes we just want to be inspired. Sometimes we want a medium to cajole us into creativity. We want all that latent energy that was stored away, subconsciously accreting verve and passion, to burst forth into a flurry of productivity. We want our intense emotions to be put to use, instead of letting them dissipate into an easily alterable and forgettable memories.

Us depression fighters are like that: this need comes natural to those who experience the wide gamut of emotions. We needlessly overthink, overfeeel, overact, overreact, over-everything. There are moments where we wish we were as passive as cows, a peaceful and unassuming existence. And then there are moments where we are secretly content that we feel something, anything.

Okay, I know, this is getting so long-winded that I may be tying myself into a knot here. So to cut to the chase: we want a medium to help us comprehend our emotional energy, make it real, tangible, and present it in a agreeable and understable way, so as to help mold and hone this energy into something we can use for ourselves.

For the time-conscientious student, the answer is cinema.

Am I still tying knots? Here, then, I’ll just hand it to you: we want to watch movies that “get” us, that bring us out of misery (or at least help us comprehend it) and give us the drive to do the things we are actually excited to do.

Not to say I haven’t enjoyed drivel like Meet the Spartans. And I mean really enjoyed. Maybe more than I should have.

And, come on, that penguin…

But I’m not here today to talk about guilty pleasures, or mindless blockbusters, or schlock.

I’m here to present to you films that not only act as interpreters for strong sentiment, but also as guidance counselors and motivational coaches that direct you towards creative expression and give you enough creative drive to use those sentiments in a productive capacity.

*** So here it is, the list of inspirational films that no depressed student should do without.

An aside: these films are not so much comedies, or “feel-good” movies, or exactly “happy” in any immediate way. They’re not even traditionally deemed as inspirational, in the most basic sense. Their artistry, however, riles both heart and mind, and is a great catalyst for converting more emotionally volatile times into drive and creativity.

Fight Club

The Inspirational Message: Sometimes it’s not a bad thing to lose everything. It gives you a fresh perspective, renewed energy to seek greater heights, and provides you the necessary momentum to get you to your next peak.

Pulp Fiction

The Inspirational Message: Let’s reel back a bit to a more meta vantage. The script is unbelievable, the writing is at once gritty, organic and poetic and leaves you creatively pumped.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

The Inspirational Message: Banksy does what he does out of love for the arts and the immense power they carry in their messages. His verve is infectious.

Stalker

stalker_2010_film_poster

The Inspirational Message: Stalker manages to elicit a gamut of reactions from its viewers, from scared shitless to deeply introspective to confused to enthralled, and does it all without us ever seeing the danger directly. A powerful work of fiction.

Fellini 8 1/2

The Inspirational Message: Our obsessions can become our greatest muses and our most foul demons. Also, creativity is never a sole entity: it draws from out life experiences, good and bad. If you’re missing either of those, you’re only getting half your mind’s worth.

Amélie

The Inspirational Message: Again, looking at this from the angle of the theatre seat. It’s fine to create something strange. Strange and different can work infinitely better than tried and true, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet is an excellent example.

“Love is in the details; God is in the details, the strange. Amelie is enamoured with the little thing. She is captivated by an author’s quotes, she makes two people come together, she finds love through the games she plays. She overcomes her solitude through small details and through them finds a connection with another person.” Quote by Elena Gladoun.

Children of Men

The Inspirational Message: When there is nothing left of a resource, whether it be oil or children or time, fear sets in and incites violence and hatred. Never dwell on loss, only on abundance.

Before Sunrise

The Inspirational Message: A single spontaneous decision can change your entire life.

“Within the chaos of spontaneity, life, negativity, love still exists in a imperfect form there is still a glue.” Quote by Elena Gladoun.

Almost Famous

The Inspirational Message: Take initiative. You want to get your articles or short stories printed in big publications? Don’t have a network that can hustle you in? Create the opportunity of a lifetime by reaching out voluntarily, write the articles for free, get your name out and get noticed.

Wild Strawberries

The Inspirational Message: Someone you could never relate to can give you the clairvoyance to look at life in a completely different way.

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Aleksandr Smechov, Baruch College.

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Tags:Almost Famous, Amélie, Before Sunrise, Children of Men, college depression, college life, depressed, depression and creativity, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Fellini 8 1/2, Fight Club, films that inspire, films that inspire creativity, films to watch when depressed, Pulp Fiction, self help, signs of depression, Stalker, student depression, Wild Strawberries
Posted in onCollege, onEntertainment, onFun, onLife, onValues | No Comments »

Student Depression: Funny is the Best Medicine

Saturday, October 26th, 2013

Ever had that fight with your significant other/parent/yourself (I don’t judge) and one of you said something unintentionally hilarious, and, despite your best efforts to scowl in anger, you couldn’t help but crack a smile?

The situation seemed so much less serious when you both lightened up, right? All you had to do was smile and something that could have lasted hours dissipated in minutes.

“They” say that laughter is the best medicine. Who are “they”? People who just don’t understand how bad you feel inside. If they’re happy all the time, how the hell would they know what it’s like to be angry, frustrated, depressed?

It’s the same situation with those people that tell you to take life less seriously; you just know that if they were in your shoes they’d feel your pain.

Well, they do know how it feels, and likely as much as you do, if not more. They’ve found that elusive balance, that secret to the right amount of sad and happy, and at the right intervals.

The only thing “they” have over you is a simple truth: sometimes, humor is the best medicine. Not necessarily the most logical (I’m looking at you, happy pills). But it’s up there.

"Can't resist... the cuteness"

The crux of the matter here is, the best way to tone down the macabre and channel your inner Macarena is to laugh. To actually perform the infamously over-exaggerated LMFAO. To become one with the ROFLCOPTER.

I know, sometimes this task is beyond challenging: it’s downright impossible, especially for those moments when you’re catatonic from despair. One mistake many of us depression fighters make from time to time is believing the idea that happiness means being ecstatic all the time. But just like in the atomic world, everything seeks a balance: positively charged protons need a similar number of negatively charged electrons to create a stable atom; certain atoms’ valence shells strive to abide by the octet rule, and that means gaining or losing (negatively charged) electrons. Basically, for stability, life needs both the pluses and the minuses.

Everyone needs those low points to get enough momentum for the high ones. But if all you get is a series of flaccid bumps, the ride becomes stale, sad, and in serious need of excitement. You need a funny injection.

That’s why, for those brief moments when you actually feel (sort of) good, the best possible thing you can do is capitalize. Bank on the moment. Profit. And for those bad moments? More on this in a bit.

How do we get that funny injected in a timely manner? We don’t have time for a two-hour comedy, we don’t have the patience for feel-good books or articles or tweets. So what’s left to do? Scour YouTube for cat videos? I’ve got a better idea.

In 2000, the Internet was introduced to Pandora Radio. Over the past 13 years, Pandora has acclimated to the needs of its 200 million users quite brilliantly. And it now has the ability to make us laugh.

Just like with your favorite musicians, you can create a Pandora station with your favorite comedians. While music can be a great escape, excellent comedy can bring you way down to serious reality while still seeing it from a hilarious angle, whether you’re listless in bed and are in dire need of a peak, or you’re experiencing that intermittent moment of elation and want to capitalize on it.

Talented comedians have the ability to teach us that even the lowest of lows are sources of humor.

So while you may wallow in bed, moaning with your bottle of gin for love long lost while your cats stare at you in what looks like apathetic curiosity, when you do recover, you’ll be able to view that gutter-licking crevice you momentarily fell into as part of a balanced emotional spectrum. You’ll also take subsequent episodes less seriously.

With all that said, let’s take talk shop. Which comedians? Why would you consider listening to them in the first place? You have questions, I have answers and funny pictures…

Louis C.K.: One of the best comedians alive for the very reason that he turns the most guttural points in life on their heads to create some of the most raw, genuine and human comedy around.

Jim Gaffigan: He ponders on the little things in our day-to-day lives that we don’t give a second thought to, like hot pockets and laziness, and creates lighthearted little diatribes that are spot-on.

Demetri Martin: Embodying the very idea of idiosyncrasy, Demetri uses hilarious puns and nerdy observations to bring to life even the most tepid subjects.

Dane Cook: Can be annoying. But in small doses can produce gol—eh, maybe silver. Or copper. But who else buys a cement truck just so they can put their friends in the empty mixer, and then throws jolly ranchers at them as they tumble around?

Mitch Hedberg: Do you like cheese? Because Mitch is all about shooting off those hit-or-miss one-liners and arbitrary observations, which more often than not convey sheer brilliance. Stand up was a labor of love for Mitch: he’d usually wear sunglasses, close his eyes and hide his face under his hair to help with stage fright.

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Aleksandr Smechov, Baruch College.

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Tags:Dane Cook, Demetri Martin, depresssion, Funniest comedians, jim gaffigan, louis ck, mitch hedberg, self help, signs of depression, student depression
Posted in onCollege, onEntertainment, onFun, onLife | No Comments »

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