Senior Art Shows @ Manhattanville College

On Wednesday April 29, I attended the opening reception of the senior art show, Apperception. Apperception, which is the process whereby perceived qualities of an object are related to past experience, is a collection of drawings, painting, and etches done by no other than Ashley Tarpley. Tarpley, who has always been interested in art and the human body, has chosen to do a series of eyes as her senior art show because according to her “Eyes are the most genuine part of the body.”

Tarpley states “Eyes will never lie to you. In fact, many times you can catch a person in a lie with just their eyes… You can tell when someone loves or is simply just seducing you. And you can definitely tell when someone hates you. Eyes are essentially the most important part of the face.” Apperception is currently up in the Brownson Art Gallery. Her work will be on display until Friday May 1st, but can also be viewed on her facebook page.

Another senior art show I am looking forward to attending is that of my good friend Courtney Soucy. Soucy and I were roommates our freshmen year and continued our friendship the remaining three years at Manhattanville. Her show titled Beautful Wickedness will be on display from May 4th- 8th. For those of you who are Wizard of Oz fans, this is exhibit is for you. For more information on Beautful Wickedness, you can also check out Soucy's facebook page.

Movie Review: Seven Pounds

This past week I decided to rent a movie. The movie of choice was Seven Pounds written by Grant Nieporte. Although I had seen the trailer when the movie was first in theaters, had no idea what is was really about. The movie starts out with various scenes that are chronologically misleading. In the opening scene Ben Thomas, played by actor Will Smilth, calls 911 to report his own suicide. Naturally, I was confused because it is unlikely to call the police reporting your own suicide. The movie then jumps to a scene in which Ben calls a call-center and harasses a blind employee, played by Woody Harrelson. We later find out that it is Ben’s goal to meet seven random strangers and drastically change their lives.

One of the strangers Ben meets is Emily Posa, played by Rosario Dawson. Emily is faced with congestive heart failure and is awaiting a donor for a new heart. As Emily’s chances decrease daily, Ben and Emily become very close. While Ben does all he can to help Emily during her last couple of days, he makes sure to stay focus on his plan to change the lives of the remaining six people. As the plot continues, you finally understand why Ben feels he needs to help seven people with the problems they are facing and change their life forever. Although the movie has a wonderful plot that touches your heart, it is hands down one of the saddest movies I have ever seen. So, if you’re in the mood for a great movie and a good cry, than Seven Pounds is the movie for you.

Overall, I give it 4 1/2 out of five stairs.

The Dangers of the “Blind Spot”

On Friday April 10th, 2009, I got a call from my mother; “Ali’s been in a accident” she said. “It doesn’t look good.” At approximately 3:30am that morning, my cousin Ali was in a car accident. She was driving down the West Side Highway when a car entered her “blind spot” causing her car to flip over three times. The driver side door was ripped off and her body was thrown from the car. Although she is alive, she is in critically condition. Unfortunately, this accident could have been avoided.

In the context of driving, blind spots are the areas of of the road that cannot be seen while looking forward or through either the rear-view or side mirrors. Although I do not drive, I am in the processes of getting my license and I have learned some important tips all drivers should follow. For instance, when driving, you should keep your eyes constantly moving, scanning the road ahead and to the side. Also, you should check your mirrors every five seconds or so to make sure you are not to close to any cars around you.

However, I did not know much about blind spots. Therefore, after hearing about my cousin’s accident, I instantly called my friend and ask her about blind spots and how they can be avoided. She told me that she checks her blind spot by quickly looking over her shoulder in the direction of the lane she is about to change to. This way she knows it is safe to change lanes.

Blind spots can be avoided and any one who drives should learn how. For more information on how to eliminate the dreaded blind spot, click on the follow links:

How to Avoid Blind Spots

The Dreaded "Blind Spot"

Be Safe Driving!!!

AIDS Walk New York, 2009

As the countdown to graduation continues, I am also counting down the days till the 23rd annual AIDS Walk. This year, the walk will take place on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11:00am. The AIDS Walk begins and ends in Central Park, and is 10 kilometers -- 6.2 miles long. It takes roughly 2-3 hours to complete.

The purpose of the event is to honor those who are currently living with HIV/AIDS, to remember and honor those who lost their lives from AIDS, and to imagine a life without AIDS. As part of the race, those who walk are encouraged to raise money. The money raised by AIDS Walk New York supports the services provided by Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) and other AIDS Service Organizations in the Tri-State area. Last year, there were over 45,000 participants who came together to raise a record-breaking sum of over $7 million dollars.

With 28 days left to the walk, I continue to fund raise in order to help raise more than ever before. During this year’s walk, I am on a team of over 20 people and I am currently taking donations.
If you would like to donate to a great cause, you can do so by sponsoring me. You can do so by going to:

www.aidswalk.net/newyork
Click Sponsor a Walker
Participant's name: Joan Serpico
Team name: Faith-2645


Lastly, I would like to leave you with some information about HIV/AIDS. Click here for more information.

* An estimated one million people are currently living with HIV in the United States, with approximately 40,000 new infections occurring each year.
* 70 percent of these new infections occur in men and 30 percent occur in women.
* By race, 54 percent of the new infections in the United States occur among African Americans, and 64 percent of the new infections in women occur in African American women.
* 75 percent of the new infections in women are heterosexually transmitted.
* Half of all new infections in the United States occur in people 25 years of age or younger.

My 23rd Birthday

On Tuesday March 24th I turned 23 years old. My special day started at approximately 11:50am when I entered my room to find several of my closes friends screaming to the top of their lings shouting happy birthday!!! The amazing Jenny Garcia was holding a birthday cakes covered with chocolate and Oreos (my fav) and my best friend Evelyn was holding her camera and catching the entire thing on film. My room was decorated with balloons and streamers. It was great! The night was filled with tons of laughs as we played Pin the Tail on the Donkey and talked about the random events still yet to come.

After working on the newspaper project for most of the morning, I decided to treat myself to a haircut. I went to White Plains for a day of pampering. I then picked Jenny up from work and got my second surprise for the day, the Tiffany’s ring I had been eyeing for a few months now. I could not believe it! I was so surprised I stared to cry in the Westchester Mall. LOL

When I finally got back to campus, I was told to get ready. Naturally, I was confused because I had no idea what to get ready for. To my surprise, Jenny made reservations at P.F. Chang’s, which I had never been to. She also managed to get some of my closes friends to join, including my best friend Mo and her girlfriend who live in New York City. I was so surprised I couldn’t speak. Needless to say, I ended up having one of the best birthdays ever and I feel so lucky to have spent it with the people I love. ♥

In the Valley of Elah

After a long weekend of walks in the park and Spring cleaning, I decided to relax and watch a movie, rented by netflix of course!

The movie of choice was In the Valley of Elah, written and directed by Paul Haggins.  

The plot tells the story a man, Hank Derrfield, played by Tommy Lee Jones, who is on the search for his missing son who serves in the army and has just returned from Iraq.  After notice that his son Mike, played by Jonathan Tucker, has been the victim of a brutal murder, he is determined to find out who could have committed such a crime.  He uses past training and army experience to do what the police are failing to do.

Although the film is filled with a star-studded cast such as Charlize Theron, Jason Patric, Susan Sarandon, James Franco, and of course Tommy Lee Jones, it lacked the intense action it claimed to posses, and thus expecting.  

The movie is based on actual events, and explores various themes such as the war in Iraq and abuse of prisoners, which leaves the audience questioning the army's ethics.  However, after 2 hours and 7 minutes, I was not happy with the final result.   

The filmed was nominated for an Academy Award in 2007, as well as Tommy Lee Jones for best actor.  For those who enjoy a real thinker without the action, this may just be the movie for you.  Overall, I give it three out of five stars.  

The Book of Love

Oh I wonder wonder who, be-do-do who. Who wrote the book of love??

On Saturday February 21st, I attended the performance The Book of Love, A New Twist On Bewitched, written and directed by Craig Donnelly. The Book of Love tells the story of two teenagers who although come from very different worlds, fall madly in love. Of course there is drama because it wouldn’t be a love story without it, but in the end the couple live happily every after.

The cast and crew included several Manhattanville students including my dear friend Evelyn Flores and our very own Sean Harty, who played a teacher at Sunnyville High School. The cast and crew did a great job of keeping the audience engaged. The show was very audience interactive and I got the pleasure of sharing a slow dance with both Sean and the lead male, Emanuel Silva. Sean even called on me when asking his class, “what is good writing” Needless to say, I felt apart of the cast.

Although admission was $5.00, the money raised went to a good cause. All proceeds were used to support the Children’s Academy of Student Theater (CAST) and St. Jude Children's Hospital. CAST is a Duchesne Center program that focuses on education and youth development in drama and the arts. The St. Jude Children’s Hospital serves children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

Overall the performance was well done and laugh out loud funny. For those of you who missed the show this year, I hear it will be back again next spring.