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.

I hate exams....

I just got out of an exam and my heart is still racing. I have been studying for a little over a week now and it’s finally over. Excuse me while I sigh a breath of relief...

I hate taking exams. Exams, quizzes, I hate them all. For some reason when ever I have an exam coming up, it is all I can think about. For instance, the other night, I had a dream that I was on my way to Brownson to take my exam and a dog started chasing me. I ended up missing my exam and not graduating because I failed the course. Think about it, that would never happen. But for some reason my nerves get the best of me and I think the worst, even in my sleep. It’s bad, really really bad! Needless to say, I woke up the next morning exhausted and even more nervous then I was the night before. I hate taking exams.

I am not sure why I let my nerves get the best of me. I can study for a week and feel totally confidant, but the moment I step inside the classroom, I forget everything I knew just hours before. I would much rather write a paper then take an exam. Writing is like talking, and I can talk for days. When taking an exam, especially a multiple-choice exam, you have to know the concepts in and out. There is no room for error. I like the idea of writing a paper because you can show your professor you have learned the material by expressing it in words and relating it to your own life experiences. You can’t do that with multiply choice. Either way, I am not a fan of exams.

Check out some information on test anxiety and how to deal with it.

Good News vs. Bad News

One of the criticisms of the news media that many people make is that journalists emphasize “bad news” rather than “good news.” What do you think people mean by that? Do you agree? Do the news values in this chapter mean that journalists are more likely to look for “bad news” than “good news”?

I most certainly agree with the criticism that journalists emphasize “bad news” rather than “good news.” When looking through a newspaper or magazine, you rarely read a positive headline. All you see these days are articles about crime, war, or economic crises. For example, if you go to the New York Times website, the cover page is full of articles titled, Obama Presses Economic Plan to Confront ‘Crisis’, Death Toll Climbs in Australia Fires, and Rodriguez Admits Using Drug to Enhance Performance. It appears that journalists are much more interested in writing “bad news” rather than “good news.” One reason journalists focus on “bad news” rather than “good news” is because readers seem to be more interested in reading “bad news.” The news values listed in Stovall’s textbook are a prime example. For instance, the first news value listed is impact. As we read in the book, impact is when an event has the capacity to change people’s lives. Even if only a few people are involved the consequences may affect many. For this reason “bad news” is featured more because of the consequences individuals involved may face and the ramifications they may have on society.

Another news value readers tend to focus on is conflict, which we often find in “bad news.” As stated in the textbook “conflict is one of journalist’s favorite news values because it generally ensures that there is an interesting story to write.” Therefore, in order to grab the readers’ attention, conflict is often featured in the media. Proximity is another news value focused on in journalism because people want to know what is going on around them. Proximity is especially important for “bad news” because people want to be aware of any dangers, problems or haphazards happening ‘in their backyard.’ Overall, it appears that “bad news” is featured more then “good news” due to news values and the readers’ preference.

No Modifiers.....what the???

This is hard. Not only do I not know what to write about, but I am faced with the task of writing without using modifiers I guess I will just write what’s on my mind. Here goes nothing….

I cant to wait graduate. I look forward to day when I walk across the stage and receive my diploma. Sometimes this day seems so far from now, but I am sure May 16^th will be here before I know it.

The reason I look forward to graduation is not because I am tired of being here, although I am, but because I feel ready to pursue my graduate education. As stated in my first blog, my goal is to become a teacher. I love to learn and love being around children. Therefore, teaching is the career for me.

When I think about all I have accomplished during the last four years, I can’t help but feel pride. I was the first person in my family to graduate high school and now the first to graduate college. Thus, being here is an accomplishment in itself.


P.S. Feel free to point out any adjectives or adverbs I may have over looked.... and click here to see a perfect example of how this assignment should be done. 

The Rules of Grammar

i before e, except after the letter c. What does this even mean?

Although Stovall makes a strong case for knowing the rules of grammar, I am one of the few people who do not think that this knowledge is extremely important. Believe it or not, I did not start learning the rules of grammar until high school. As a child, I was never taught the rules of grammar, punctuation, or phonics. However, I have always been good at organizing my thoughts in a clear manner and making them sound good on paper. With this said, I always did well in all my English classes and was even placed in English honors all throughout high school. It wasn’t until college did I notice that I would receive lower grades on my papers because of spelling, grammar and punctuation. Therefore, I started getting my papers proofread before handing them in.

As my tutor read over my paper, she would point out any mistakes and explain to me what was wrong with that sentence. As months passed, whenever I took a paper to be proofread, she would find less and less mistakes. The reason for this was not because she taught me the rules of grammar, but because I continued to write. Even to this day I am still not familiar with all the grammatical rules, but I still write well. Writing a paper comes natural to me and I seem to be good at doing it. Therefore, I do not believe one has to know why an i goes before e, except after the letter c, or the difference between an active or passive voice. If you are a good writer and can get your point across in a well written manner, then knowing the rules of grammar is not that important.

Blog # 1- About Me...

Hi. My name is Joan Serpico and I am currently a senior at Manhattanville College. I am a psychology major and a creative writing minor. Although I have a great interest in both psychology and creative writing, my true passion is for teaching. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to teach. As a child I constantly played imaginary school. I would line up my stuffed-animals in random rows and pretend to teach them their ABC’s. I thought I was the best teacher in the world. Moreover, I have always had an interest in young children. Whenever I went to visit family friends, I would always play with the younger children as my mother conversed with her friends. I have always been told I had a gift with children and I should consider working with them in the future.

With this said, I got my first babysitting job at the age of twelve and got my first real job as an assistant camp counselor at the age of fourteen. Needless to say, I have been working with children for many years now and I know without a doubt that I want to be a teacher. Therefore, I am currently in the process of applying to Fordham University’s early childhood education program, where I will take masters classes and work toward certification in ECE. My goal is to work in a New York City public school with under-privileged children.

Lastly, I believe taking this course will help me become a better writer. As stated in class, good writing for the media should be clear, simple, precise, and efficient. Taking this course will help me learn how to be a bitter writer, which will also help me be a better teacher.