Author Archives: mc2529

Solution to Indecision

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As the president of the indecisive people’s club, I find myself overwhelmed when presented with multiple options.  Nonetheless, after attending Cheryl Einhorn’s Rose Cafe on the AREA method, I may have to resign.

Through the AREA method, you could reason through all the possibilities to find the most beneficial one.  First, you would research information about the problem or decision at hand.  Next, look at examples of similar situations.  Once you gather information, you can connect with others who have been through similar experiences or dilemmas.  Speaking with these people will enlighten you about certain aspects you may have overlooked, allowing for a clearer picture of the options at hand.  Another important aspect of the AREA method is outlining an action plan for each method or decision.  Writing out a list of actions can help you visualize the actions and allow you to determine whether or not this is a right and realizable goal.

Through this method, I can better organize my thoughts and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each decision.  Next time I have an important decision to make, I’ll make sure to incorporate this method.

Up the Slope

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There are multiple ways to trudge up the slope to get to your class in Baker Laboratory.  You could take the straight path: the 90 degree angle of a slope.  You will probably be staring down the gravel beneath your feet, praying you don’t slip and tumble back down the slope.  You’ll be sweating at the top, but you made it!

Or you can take the smaller slopes by the sides, enjoying the view and the path up.  You could even stop by Jennie’s for a muffin or Libe Cafe for a much needed iced coffee.  Regardless of which path you take, you will probably end up where you want to be.

Like going up the slope, finding your career is not a straight path; there are multiple winding or direct paths that can get you there.  Rather than stressing about the destination, why not enjoy the journey there?

After hearing from Lisa Nishii and her elaborate journey to where she is today, I discovered that our path is constantly shifting, as new roads open up and others close.  Sometimes you might trudge up a dead end, but that’s okay.  Just turn around and begin again.  Sometimes you might meet people along the journey, who will help you get there.

Listening to the other students, I found myself agreeing with how there’s always a pressure of having our end goal in mind and be dead set on completing our time here at Cornell.  However, in this process, we lose touch with the important people in our lives and the small things in life.  We begin to lose the passion that started our journey in the beginning.  We lose our purpose.

Another thing I realized is that I take Cornell for granted sometimes.  Hearing the transfer students speak about their previous institutions, about the lack of opportunities and supportive environment, I appreciate all that Cornell offers, from the research or outreach opportunities to all the amazing people I’ve met here.

Therefore, it’s quite important to take a step back and evaluate what we are doing.  Are we doing what we truly love or just pushing along hoping we finally reach our goal? Will we be satisfied and happy at the end?

Honestly, I’m not sure where my path is gonna take me, but I’m going to enjoy the journey and my time at Cornell.  In the meantime, I’m going to stop by for that coffee from Libe.

Subtle Sexual Assault Interventions

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In this week’s Cafe Talk, Laura Weiss taught us about the history of sexual assault prevention.  It’s interesting that the actual term sexual assault was coined at Cornell University.

Weiss mentioned how in the past, there was always a clear divide between victims and perpetrators as being women versus men.  While it is statistically proven that men tend to be the perpetrators in many sexual assault cases, it’s futile in pitting women against men.  Instead, there was finally a shift in speaking more about the

I remember Weiss talking about an analogy comparing sexual assault to people falling into a river.  For the longest time, we would send people downstream to rescue these people.  Nonetheless, now there is a shift towards going upstream, and investigating how and why people are falling into the river.  We are currently exploring ways of preventing people from falling into the river (being sexually assaulted), rather than just treating and helping the victims.

Examples that Yale has done on campus is having people wear glow sticks after a school formal or dance.  While the students see this as a fun accessory to a beautiful night, it also doubles as a preventative measure to sexual assault.  If someone were intoxicated or being dragged away, the glow sticks give others an indication that something is wrong.

It’s also interesting how many sexual assault cases occur while people are inhibited by alcohol or drugs.  When we were mentioning the different possibilities of sexual assault on campus (coat check at a party, a school dance or formal, etc), a common factor was alcohol.  Nonetheless, this doesn’t encompass all sexual assaults.

After listening to this discussion, I hope Cornell University takes the proper step towards addressing sexual assault by allowing students to incorporate these subtle factors (coat rack, food outside as a “sobering up” or buffer area).

Nothing is a Mistake (when it comes to art)

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I have a ton of tote bags, so when I discovered an opportunity to design my own canvas bag, I jumped at the chance.  I’m ashamed to say that I’ve never been to the Herbert F. Johnson Museum the past two years I’ve been in Ithaca, but I’m glad I went today.

One of the museum coordinators, Annmarie was such a lovely and patient teacher; she let us dip our toes into screen printing by showing some examples by artists around the museum and later letting us have a try.  I love how she encouraged us to step outside our comfort zone and play around with whatever ideas we had.  When creating the stencils, I had an image in mind, but I eventually switched over to a much simpler shape, the beloved triangle.  Magdala asked for the meaning behind our art, and honestly I just really like triangles.  However, if I were to put some deep meaning to it, I guess it’d be about how I love watching and reading about conspiracy theories (especially murder cases) and how the triangles symbolize the illuminati.  Also, the two outer fading triangles was never part of the plan, but I enjoyed experimenting it looked kind of cool.

It was extremely satisfying to press the ink onto the canvas bag and peel away the screen to reveal the resulting image.  I love how this experience gave me a break from all the problem sets and prelims coming up.  It was nice just to focus my attention on something else and tickling my creative side.

Food for Thought

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At the beginning of the presentation, the lecturer mentioned how many of us didn’t have to worry about whether or not there’d be food on the table.  Nonetheless, many people in other countries are going hungry or becoming malnourished.  An ironic point that was brought up was that the people in these countries are manufacturing and processing the food to be exported, leaving little for themselves.

Additionally, I always thought that the issue of with food hunger was about the lack of food.  I was surprised to discover that the problem is surrounding the distribution of food, not the availability.  We are able to make enough food for everyone; people’s economic and social situations determine where this food is available and accessible.

When they began talking about the efforts enacted to combat the lack of nutritious food, the organization Feed My Starving Children came up.  Feed my Starving Children is a Christian organization that gathers volunteers from local communities to pack nutritious meals, ones filled with vitamins, veggies, soy, rice, and more.  There’s even one in Ithaca, and upon questioning, many people in the audience have volunteered to pack these foods.  It’s amazing how a community could come together to do something amazing for others.

Aside from the packaging process, getting the recipient communities involved and empowered is another important goal.  For example, I remember the presenters mentioning how the volunteers would buy materials or artisan goods from their local markets to help stimulate their economy.  It’s amazing that these organizations are helping these communities become self sufficient.

Overall, there is much more than just hunger at hand; there are underlying social and economic situations that can be improved over time.

Cornell T-shirts Make Amazing Dog Toys

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At the event, the GRF taught us how to make two types of toys, one for dogs and another one for cats.  She said she learned how to make these toys on Youtube, which is the holy grail of DIYs.  It was quite therapeutic to rip the t-shirts into strips for the toys, though most of us struggled to get nice strips.  While my friends were struggling to rip the shirt, I was breezing through my old Cornell t-shirt.  Who knew Cornell shirts make great toys for adorable pups and cats?

It’s a great concept of creating something useful out of something that has been sitting at the bottom of the closets.  Instead of heading to Petco to buy a toy for your pets, it’d be a fun activity to DIY them with friends or family.  Make something for your furry friends!