Reserve: Unforgettable Thai Experience

February 27th, 2011

Walking into Reserve, on 3rd Ave between 28th and 29th, I felt all the chaos and exhaustion of my day melt into the warm, red walls. A low light hovered over each table, with wine bottles stacked in every which direction. Even the bottoms of bottles protruded from the walls around the bar in the back, somehow without cluttering the small restaurant, but tinting the ambiance with the theme: a Thai inspired wine bar. While Thai restaurants are known for spicy foods in cozy nooks, Reserve adds an unexpected twist to the Thai experience: wine. I’m sure you’ve been to a number of Thai restaurants and been remiss about the quality of beverages, well, partner Luck Watanasuparp felt the same way. Luck’s family owns a number of Thai restaurants throughout New York, including All Luck and Thai Select, but this is her own venture in the restaurant business, at which she is doing amazingly well and loving it. Luck wanted to pair the four flavors of Thai food: Spicy, sweet, sour and salty with fine wines that would enhance each other when combined. The restaurant serves over fifty different wines, all within affordable ranges with a few higher priced bottles tossed in.

Reserve has been open for less than a year now in the Gramercy neck of the proverbial woods. Tucked among hot clubs and loud joints with drunks bouncing and stumbling out the doors or shouting from in between the cracks in the walls, Reserve is an oasis. It’s small, quiet, and personal. This is the perfect place to bring a date, or close friends when you want to sit down with a little background music and a lot of great food.

If you’re looking for something exciting and loud, why not head to Reserve for dinner as a calm before the storm?

The service is four star, with the shock of street cart prices. Before glancing at the menu, I assumed that it would be a stressor on my limited funds, but was pleasantly delighted to find that it’s cheap. I don’t mean New York City cheap, which is irrelevant to the rest of the world, but Kansas cheap, Mississippi cheap. I once ate a large, amazing meal at the Ajax Diner in Oxford, Mississippi for eight dollars, and this brought me back to the economy of the south, inducing a school girl giggle at the prices. I’ve spent more money on dirt, have I made my point?        

I brought two close friends of mine with me for dinner, and we lived like kings. We started with a Losen Bockstanz Resiling, a sweet wine, and paired it with spicy beef, duck wraps, and crab cake tapas. Everything was tender and cooked to perfection. The duck wraps, rich, fatty duck wrapped with fresh veggies in a flour tortilla roll, sushi style, was paired with a thick, sweet sauce. The large crab cake, enough for the three of us, was surrounded by three elegant sauces. The spicy beef was mixed with equally spicy and salty sautéed veggies. We indulged in a mango salad, larb pizza (with chicken and melted Mozzarella) and a curry green pizza. We ate slowly, discussing the flavor combinations and our awe at the portions. For very little money, the three of us left full, but not overstuffed, and feeling like we ate a healthy meal that tickled our tastes. Our cheeks blushed from the sweet wine as we walked out in a euphoric daze.

If you’re feeling bogged down by the sometimes treacherous city, tired of the rain and cold, and never having enough money to go out, Reserve is the place to go. It will pick up your spirits without draining your bank account. Long Island or Jersey commuters can even walk from Penn Station on their way home from work or class. Keep Reserve on your list, because you simply can’t miss out on all it has to offer for the economically challenged taste buds that require more refinement.

Written by Ashley Teal, Campus Clipper Blogger

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Sweet Killer

February 27th, 2011

We all know that sugar isn’t great for you, but recently there has been a lot of media on the evils of sugar. I’m not going to say having a little sugar in your coffee or tea will kill you, but if you read the nutrition labels of your food and drinks, you’ll find an astonishing amount of sugar. According to dietary guidelines, the allowable amount of sugar per day is around 32 grams.

It’s rough out there, and you need your energy to handle to hustle of the city, but if you’re downing a Redbull, look at the label and you’ll see that the little can holds two thirds of your day’s sugar intake: 20 whopping grams. So, what’s the big deal, you ask? Take a little tour of your body and what sugar does to it:

Weakens Your Immune System: We know vitamin C keeps you healthy and helps your immune system fight off viruses and bacteria. Now, imagine sugar as the villain of this story, fighting for a place and pushing vitamin C down the staircase of your immune system. Sugar makes you sluggish as it weakens your body’s ability to maintain itself.

Diseases Associated with Sugar: Heart disease, obesity, diabetes, sugar can also aggravate asthma, and even mental illness. Sugar, for obvious reasons, can show increases in mood swings and changes in personality. Imagine, your happiness hindered by something that makes your taste buds swim. Would you rather have a brownie, Mountain Dew, or a good day? It’s a vicious cycle, because when you’re feeling low, sweets are your first craving (for most people), and they make your body suffer in turn. Sugar has also shown to increase the amount of yeast in your body, as the yeast feeds off the sugar and multiplies, leading to issues like liver disease, among many others.

What to do!: There’s no way you’re going to cut sugar out of your diet (because it’s physically impossible) and you can’t toss the sweets completely, just take it easy and be aware of how much you’re consuming. If you’re conscious of your sugar intake, I can guarantee that you’ll be better at limiting it. First off, don’t waste the taste on drinks. Stick to water, sugar free drinks, and avoid juices pumped with extra sugar. Read your labels, ladies and gentleman! Save your sugar for when you can actually taste it. Also, there are simple sugars that are okay to consume, like in fruits, vegetables, and honey. Try to stick to these when you’re looking for a treat, and maybe use honey or a sugar free sweetener in your coffee or tea. Just remember, you’ll feel better if you consume less sugar, and you won’t have those angry sugar crashes that make all day feel like nap time.

Don’t skip desert when you go out to dinner, or avoid your local bakery because you’re terrified of diabetes, just learn to limit your sugar intake to a reasonable amount. Try counting how much sugar you think you’ve consumed, based on labels, for a day or two. The first day count up what you would normally eat, and the second day eat based on how much you should be consuming and see how you feel on both days. What have you got to lose?

Written by Ashley Teal, Campus Clipper Blogger

See my blog Still Life With Teal

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Appearances Deceive: Stromboli Pizzeria

February 23rd, 2011

The view from the street

Looking historical and shabby, “Stromboli Pizzeria” located at 112 University Place does not attract new customers… until they actually try the pizza. How many times have you been told: appearances deceive? They have authentic pizza with variety of toppings and now new student discounts – two things that would definitely draw you to the place had you known about them.

What’s the student savings deal? How about $2.00/slice or $16/pie for a plain and $2.50/slice and $19/pie for one topping with your student ID? How about a fountain soda for 95c? Note that this includes tax as well. Knowing that the students are a category always willing to save money, the pizzeria’s management caters not only to their stomachs, but to their wallets as well.

How good is the pizza? The place was open since 1966, and the recipes haven’t changed, even though there is a new owner. The dough is soft and fresh, whether you choose white or whole wheat, the fresh mozzarella is yummy and ricotta is so tender that its texture seems to be close to that of whipped cream. Most pizzas are made with homemade marinara or tomato sauce, or, for pizza topped with ricotta, no sauce at all. Whole wheat pizzas come plain with cheese or topped with vegetables keeping the healthy trend. You can order mushrooms, spinach and broccoli and extra sauce if you’d like to make it juicier. Contrary to the popular opinion that whole wheat pizza is not as tasty as regular one, Stromboli’s whole wheat dough is just as delicious as white one, so if you, like me, switched from white to wheat bread long ago, this is the way to go.

Whole wheat pizza with mushrooms, spinach and broccoli

Interested in trying new flavors? Try Pizza Pesto, a slice with ricotta, fresh basil and homemade pesto sauce, juicy, cheesy and flavorful one, or Caprese with fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and tomato sauce (most ingredients are fresh, so don’t be surprised). For good quick snack, try the house’s invention, “the wheel,” a small palm-size roll filled with mozzarella and ricotta. It comes vegetarian with spinach or, for carnivores, with ham and pepperoni, and it’s perfect to snack on if you are short of time or are not really hungry. You can eat it as it is or request some marinara sauce for dipping.

If you not a pizza lover, you can go for a hero or calzone, or get delicious garlic knots made of soft pizza dough with fresh garlic on top. Don’t forget to satisfy your thirst with a Snapple, a special-priced fountain soda, a cane sugar Coca-Cola or Ginger Ale from Boylan. If you are craving unusual flavors, try a Key Lime, Cherries’n’Cream or Cream Soda from Stewart’s.

So don’t be afraid of appearances, as Stromboli is going through a renovation, and soon the pizzeria’s exterior with match the quality of the food, appealing to both your physical and visual taste.

"The wheel"

Ekaterina Lalo

For more articles written by me, check out my blog: www.nycvalues.blogspot.com

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Tanti Baci: A Romantic Italian Experience

February 23rd, 2011

The Love Nest

One glance at the Tanti Baci website, or menu clearly indicates a “love nest” perfect for sharing dinner and a glass of wine with any loved one. (The restaurant’s name even means “lots of kisses” in Italian.) But I was most drawn to the effortless way Tanti Baci provides an escape from the well-beaten sidewalks and bustling streets to your grandmother’s living room.

There are snatches of tables along the brick walls and corners of the dining room. The pink twinkle lights of the window display give a rosy hue to the entire restaurant. Simmering sauces and aromatic garlic made promises from the kitchen.

My first visit to Tanti Baci was with my boyfriend Valentines week and I immediately saw the date-potential for any pair of pasta lovers. The owner, Sam, greeted us warmly and handed us menus part English, part Italian with flowing script.

I started off the meal with an arugula salad with sweet slices of pears and salty slivers of parmigiano cheese. When I asked Sam what the best entrée to order was, he told me that all of the pasta listed on the menu were hand-made and that I could not choose wrong with any of them. The chefs use original Southern and Northern recipes from the old Italian country. The pastas are part of the year-round menu, where the list on other entrees such as grilled polenta and sausage, chicken breast sautéed in lemon cream, and vegetable lasagna and are updated daily.

In addition to the list of pastas, the menu has an ornate list of sauces that may seem overwhelming, But never fear! The waiters are prepared with friendly suggestions of what best compliments each other.

While waiting for the main courses my boyfriend and I couldn’t help notice the Italian love ballades that were playing on the speakers. I again felt that I was in the home of my make-believe Italian grandmother and that I was hearing her watching her stories in the kitchen while making our meal.

My Ricotta Cheese Ravioli arrived peeking through the bright red homemade tomato sauce. The sauce was incredible. I could taste the sweet from the carrots, freshness from the basil and the time and affection the chef gave the sauce.  My boyfriend ordered his pasta in the Bolognese sauce, which came out creamily pink and I could clearly taste the meat it was simmered in.

We finished the meal splitting a homemade Tiramisu with coffees. The portion was perfect for two and the ladyfingers with mascarpone cheese left me feeling lighter than the coco powder on top.

Many Kisses are not a guarantee in bringing a date to Tanti Baci, but you will find an ideal meal and setting to cozy up with someone you love.

Click here for more information on Tanti Baci.

Laura Brown, guest Blogger for Campus Clipper

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What I Learned in My Public Speaking Class

February 22nd, 2011

originally appeared on speaking-effective.kethal.com

Given a choice between Design of a Newspaper Page (or something similar to that) and Public Speaking, I chose the latter without hesitation. I have always loved to speak in front of large groups, despite the fact that I often trembled inside. I can manage my nerves well, though, and I enjoy delivering my message; therefore, I was eager to learn new skills through this class.

Unlike me, there are many students who are petrified to take a public speaking class because they hate standing in front of people and talking to them, or simply because they believe that they will never need speaking skills for their career. If this sounds like you, let me assure you: whatever your future profession will be, you will definitely have to make presentations, whether you like it or not, so why not learn it as early as possible and be prepared?

Since many universities oblige you to take a public speaking class anyway, I would suggest that you do it during your first semester, as it will help you do better in many of your classes. Here are some useful things I learned in my public speaking class:

1. Everyone is nervous while speaking in public, no matter how confident he or she looks. Even your professors feel tension inside. It is just not comfortable to face a large group of people and have their eyes and ears turned at you.

2. Developing your public speaking skills means learning how to control your fear and delivering your message successfully. The more often you practice what you learn, the more confident you will feel delivering every other presentation, so you should use every opportunity to talk in class, whether it is a formal report or a mere answer to someone’s question.

3. No matter how interesting your presentation is, it is always hard to listen if there are no visuals, and don’t you hope for a “first-time student discount” (meaning that the audience will not sympathize with you even if this is a debut). Therefore, you should always do a short Powerpoint presentation, prepare handouts or simply draw a poster. Anything works, as long as there is some kind of visual back up for your presentation. If there are names that the audience may not know, you should write them on the board, especially if their pronunciation is not well-known. When your listeners see the information in front of them, they understand it better and remember it longer.

4. There is more than one type of audience: friendly, indifferent, neutral, and hostile. The easiest kind to deal with is the neutral one, as they are the material that you can work with. You can tell them whatever you want, and it is up to you to keep them interested. Friendly audience is not as easy as you suppose it is because these listeners usually know who you are and think highly of you, so there is no way you can deliver a presentation that is not as strong as your previous one. Otherwise, they will easily get bored and won’t pay attention. The hardest task is to engage an indifferent audience, as they are not interested in your topic, or you, and will most likely sleep through your presentation. As far as hostile audience is concerned, they are the most fun group to deal with, as it is your job to change their mind about you or the topic you are talking about. You have to be well-prepared and predict what kind of questions may be asked and what the audience’s objections will be. Knowing the type of audience is a must, as it helps to deliver the message in the most effective way. It can be compared to researching on student savings: you should know before you go which place may give you the best deal and how to get this deal from them.

5. Eye contact is powerful. If you stare at your notes, or, what’s even worse, read from the page, no one will listen to you. People will automatically assume that you are poorly prepared and have no idea what your presentation is about, and feel like listening to you is a waste of time. A good idea is to create an outline (on a piece of paper or index cards) with major points you are going to make. Write down quotes from experts, if you are using any. With this material, you can spend more time looking at your audience to study and react to their facial expressions and gestures. For example, if they look confused, ask if they want you to repeat or clarify what you said. If they yawn, you should probably give them an interesting piece of information that you were saving for later.

6. Once your presentation is ready and your outline is completed, you have to practice. You may need to record your voice, listen to it and repeat your presentation in front of the mirror at least 5 to 10 times, so that when the actual presentation takes place, you will be well-prepared and less nervous. Later on, when you become more experienced, you won’t need much practice. Still, 5 times is generally recommended. Just imagine how awed your classmates will be when you deliver your well-rehearsed informative presentation!

7. And finally, always leave time for questions. You may hate to be asked, but how else will you know that your message was understood and remembered? This is, perhaps, the most exciting part, as through the questions you can see whether your presentation was clear, what you should improve on and how the message was taken in general. The time you should put aside for questions is usually 3-5 minutes, so there is nothing you should really be scared of.

Ekaterina Lalo

You can find more of my articles on my personal blog www.nycvalues.blogspot.com or check me out on http://hubpages.com/profile/katenka_lalo

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Two Left Feet

February 18th, 2011

Photo courtesy of njpacflickr

I’ll state it plainly—I don’t know how to dance. I discovered that I suffered from the disability of possessing two-left feet during elementary school gym class.

Our gym teacher, a formidable and muscular woman named Miss Bea, who had a graying mullet and graying Nike tennis shoes, gathered us together near the bleachers and declared that we would be square dancing today.

I had never heard the words “square” and “dancing” in the same sentence, so I had no idea what Miss Bea was talking about. The look of disconcertment on my face must have caused her to single me out.

“Megan!” she barked. “I want you to pick a partner. Ya’ll over six there, you partner up too. Everybody else’ll watch. This is a demonstration.”

Needless to say, our demonstration turned out to be a disaster, mainly due to my “disability.” The eight of us arranged ourselves in a square. My partner, Kyle, gave me a pleased but cheesy grin, a grin that quickly turned into a grimace as the demonstration wore on. Kyle’s red high tops were stepped on, his glasses were knocked askew, and he might have somehow got elbowed in the ribs. My partner probably suffered more injuries due to a square dancing demonstration than he would have if Miss Bea had sent us outside to play contact football.

Once class ended, I slunk away as quickly I could. Thankfully, next period was lunch, where I could lock myself in the girl’s bathroom and bemoan my lack of finesse on the dance/gym floor. Fast forward fourteen years and I’m still no Ginger Rogers, though I do know how to square dance!

I’ve considered taking a dancing class to improve my skills, but have never been able to muster up the courage. What if the instructor declares me hopeless? What if, through some twist of fate, Kyle reappears from my past as a dance student? However, the Sandra Cameron Dance Center has me reconsidering my hesitation.

Located down in trendy SoHo, the Sandra Cameron Dance Center offers instruction for Tango, Salsa, Ballroom, and Swing. The staff is awesome, the classes are fun, and instruction is offered on all levels, whether you’re a beginner like me, or a virtuoso who wants to hone his skills. Sandra Cameron offers classes every weekday, so you’re sure to be able to fit it into your hectic school schedule. But best of all, the classes are affordable! A single month-long course costs only $80! And with this awesome student discount, you’ll be saving even more. Save $25 off any course with your student ID.

I know I could benefit from taking a class at the Sandra Cameron Dance Center. If I ever happen to run into Kyle again, he’ll be glad I did! This time, I’ll sweep him off his feet amidst the hay-bales at our local square-dancin’ barn.

–Written by Megan Soyars, Campus Clipper Blogger

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Keeping in the Know is Tweet

February 17th, 2011

There are a number of medical and psychological studies that tell us how helpful our pets are. Sure, you may not consider your dog eating a new pair of shoes and drooling on your pillowcase while you’re at work to be beneficial, but they will make you live longer. While most dogs aren’t the Lassie type, I know mine is afraid of boxes, tape, the vacuum, broom, mop, crinkly bags, the iron, plates, and a variety of nonsensical household paraphernalia, but studies show that they lower blood pressure and pet owners tend to live longer than non pet owners. This isn’t why most people decide to get a pet, but it’s a definite perk. Even a fish, however small and seemingly insignificant, can feel like company in an empty apartment.

We dog lovers tend to border on obsession. I know that my fiancé and I have to check ourselves on how much we talk about the dog (our spunky Husky mix, Hera) to our friends. Being away from home for twelve hours a day sometimes, I have to say I miss her terribly. When I get home, she has been fed, walked, and is now passed out by the front door waiting for my arrival. I hate missing out on all the daytime fun. Maybe the best way to quench this dropsy like thirst is to attach Mattel’s recent seller, the Radica Puppy Tweets.

Puppy Tweets is a water resistant, motion detecting key chain like device that attaches to your dog’s collar and transmits to a USB device you plug in to your computer. Set up a twitter account for your dog with the device, and it will draw from a database of responses (albeit sometimes hokey) that correlate to your dog’s movement, or lack thereof. Check it from your computer at work, or follow your dog on your smart phone’s twitter app.

If you can’t have a pet, due to dorm living, a cranky landlord, or an allergic spouse, or a lack of funds, you can always log on to watch a few of the constantly streaming puppy cams. These are surprisingly popular, and reduce stress and anxiety for quite a large population. So, if you’re having a bad day and can’t make it to a local shelter to pick up some puppies, why not log on to streaming puppies all day!

Written by Ashley Teal, Campus Clipper Blogger

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Good Yellow in the Snow

February 17th, 2011

Photo thanks to Psychology Today

Despite all the fantastic holidays that accompany the winter season, the hot chocolate and snow fights are over by January, and now you’re just trying to keep the once snow, gray muck off your shoes. There are a few strange days where the sun is out and the temperature spikes for a few hours, but mostly it’s gray and icky out there with little light peering through the clouds, let alone through the skyscrapers of Manhattan. So, how do you keep your spirits up? Here are a few little happiness tips to cut through the gray:

Wear Yellow: It is the happiest color, after all. This is Martha Stewart’s suggestion, and I thoroughly promote it. So, it’s not time for your spring line to come out, why not tuck a little yellow into your wardrobe? How about a yellows tie with your button down, a few yellow hair clips, even yellow underwear (after all, it’s really for you!). The things that other people can see can spread the smiles. If your dorm, apartment, or workspace is a little dreary, why not bring a yellow soaked photo, or a few little yellow plants to brighten it up!

Just Dance: Get your heartbeat to match some pop music and really kick it up. Space is sparse in this city, but you can move a few tables, grab an ihome, and put on some dance tunes for a little party. Even if it’s just you and a hairbrush dancing in front of the mirror, make it happen and you’ll expend a little energy towards your own joy.

Give: It’s always good to remember that there are others out there who have it worse than you do. After all, you’re probably getting a college degree and have a roof over your head, so you’re already blessed. Volunteer at a shelter, soup kitchen, or outreach program. You don’t have to be a big brother or big sister, but giving just a little bit can be great. Get some friends together and make a little gift basket for a person you frequently see struggling. Not a people person? Volunteer at an animal shelter, you’ll get some furry love for your attention, which is my favorite kind.

Move Around: Make time for you and your beau to take a nice, long walk in a new neighborhood. Getting some fresh air, even if it’s cold, can be a real pick me up. No beau, drag your best friend out of the apartment, and if they’re unwilling, offer them a small prize for the outdoor exercise. No friends? Get an extra gig as a dog walker. You may have to pick up a little poo, but you’ll get paid to take a pooch out for an hour.

Even if these things don’t do it for you, making the conscious effort to mix it up a little and get out of your every day slump can brighten your cob-webbed endorphin transmitters.

Find some yellow undies at La Petite Coquette

Also, check out ATTITUDE for something sparkly:

Written by Ashley Teal, Campus Clipper Blogger

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Where to Meet New Friends

February 15th, 2011

image credit: gracearlington.com

Coming to college every day, you meet an enormous amount of people. However, you do not get to see them too often, as you usually jump from class to class with a ten-minute break in between. Hopefully, you don’t get to talk to someone sitting next to you while classes are in session, as it is usually a distraction for others, so how do you make new friends on campus? I recall my high school friend saying once that our high school and college friends are the best for life because, as she believed, “they don’t need anything from you; they appreciate you the way you are as a person.” What she basically meant was that later on in life, people try to make connections related to their business and meet with friends that are useful to them in some way or another, whereas adolescents get together to play games, to sing in a band, to go to the movies, to do sports and what not. I don’t fully agree with her, as I think that friends are friends no matter where they work, and good friends appreciate personality first at whichever age they are. However, the truth is: as we get older, we get sucked into a career or taking care of sick relatives, start a family or our own business, and we don’t have as much time to go out with friends as we used to, while being in college. (And note: there are no discounts as great as student discounts, which encourages going out as well). Therefore, while being a student, everyone should try to make connections with as many peers as possible. The question is: where will you meet them if you are just running from a class to class?

The answer is: nowhere. But don’t be frustrated: the key is not to limit your college experience to being in class. There are always lots of opportunities to meet new people on campus. You just have to find out if they are available in your university. Here are some ideas on where to meet other students with interests similar to yours.

Library. Everyone goes to a college library once in a while, whether you need to copy a passage from a textbook or someone’s notes, or to read an extra article to prepare for a test. Sometimes students hang out in the library during their breaks; they have nothing to do and they use their free time to study a little bit. I found out that there were study group rooms in my college library where students could discuss the material for their group presentation, or ask each other questions. A library is a good place to meet people and get some tutoring. If you struggle with math, find someone who has the same problems, or, if you’re lucky, no problems, in this area. It is always easy to share the burden, especially if you are in the same class, so don’t hesitate to talk to people. They are usually willing to help.

Gym. If your school has a fitness room or a pool, this is another place you should visit often. First of all, it is a great part of your student savings (free workout whenever you want), so why should you miss it? Secondly, you may meet some interesting individuals while stretching or running and maybe learn new exercise techniques. I remember meeting the same people in the gym, and I would always talk to them, even if I had a limited amount of time to workout. I would pant running on a treadmill while shortly replying to what they were saying to me. A better place to chat for me was the college pool or sauna because people are usually more relaxed and speak more eagerly.

College clubs. I have emphasized the importance of college clubs before, and I won’t repeat myself. The only thing I would say is that a college club is a great opportunity to make a connection with those who are passionate about things you like. If you are a historian, join the History Club, and you never know how much additional knowledge you can get out of it.

Free events. Many colleges have students perform on stage for their peers for no charge. It is an awesome chance to see what other youngsters are capable of and to discover how to apply your own talent. Sometimes there are also job fairs where you can meet with potential employers and fellow students who are looking for a job as well, who may give you a hint about where to look. I have heard a lot about free movie events and colleges. Students usually get together and watch a particular film with a discussion aftermath. In my college, Kingsborough, the administration always provided free snacks, or sometimes sandwiches, and beverages for those who attended the events. If they do something like that in your university, don’t miss it!

Field trips. If your university organizes any trips, this is the best way to go. I didn’t get a chance to get on many of those, but I once received a ticket for a Broadway show for only $13, and an admission to Six Flags Great Adventure for as low as $13 as well. Moreover, the park was closed that day; there were only college students and kids from high school, and we didn’t have to deal with the lines. It was affordable; I had a lot of fun and some tan, plus communicating with other students made me several new friends.

Every college has its own organizations and events. Try to attend as many as possible. It is not only about making friends and having a good time with them; you will also graduate with vivid memories about your school years, so that you will remember one day how exciting your life in college was.

Ekaterina Lalo, Campus Clipper Blogger

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THE MAIN EVENT: V-DAY

February 10th, 2011

Last week I wrote to you all about the importance of planning the proper Valentine’s evening, and about how to prepare yourself physically and mentally for the expectations of this once-in-a-year extravaganza of love. Well, for today, I have decided not to conclude this 2-week installment with a continuation of where I left off and provide a list of romantic restaurants or bars perfect for sharing that Hallmark intimate moment—with every other couple in New York City at your side. After all, it is basically assumed that a Valentine’s date will consist of dinner followed by drinks, or some sort of entertainment. But, for today’s blog, I want to write about alternatives to this standard procedure of date-night etiquette. I think the entire conception of Valentine’s has been skewed by the idea of “going out.” For most people, having dinner at a restaurant is an acceptable middle-ground for meeting a person on a date, so my suggestions may not be appropriate for those just beginning a relationship or on a first-date.

Like other holidays, Valentine’s Day is built around an idea, love, that is often lost in the fray of planning and scheduling what is most likely an expensive night out. But, we must not forget the original purpose of the day that has driven us to celebrate it. If you want to celebrate the love you have for someone, why not consider creating something that expresses this instead of just making reservations. For the artistically inclined, this may not be much of an insight, as it is something natural for you, but for others, do not be intimidated if you are not a master of pastels. Expressing yourself is not about reaching a standard, but simply about mining your creative impulses to express how you feel.

If you are still wary about getting crafty, then why not forget about living up to the expectations of Valentine’s altogether by purposely undermining them. Go out to your local party store, buy as many obnoxious and kitschy decorations you can afford, adorn your apartment in a smattering of festive reds and cupid silhouettes, invite all your friends over, and throw a party that has nothing to do with Valentine’s except the decorations.

Above all, the easiest way to ensure a memorable date, whether it is Valentine’s or not, is to be creative and be yourself.

 

Written by Derek Parsons, Campus Clipper Blogger

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