October 6th, 2014

As humans we experience and learn new things every day, which is understandable since our brain is constantly working to learn new information. We also discover new emotions throughout our lives, whether it be an emotion that we have never experienced or an emotion that is being enhanced to a greater level. I, like every other human being in this world have experienced great emotions throughout my life, and like every other human, not all emotions were enhanced at its greatest.

Open Your Eyes

By: Shanzida Khandaker

When you’re born in a country, even if you didn’t grow up in it, there is always a special connection you feel towards it; there is that feeling of love that is unexplainable. However, no matter how strong your love is, regardless of the situation, your mind kicks in and you think logically. Logical thinking isn’t a bad thing, it’s actually the contrary. You adapt to the world around you, and then, when you go into a world that is so different from what you have grown up with, nothing seems to make sense.

I always felt mind boggled when I looked at the situation in Bangladesh. A country that had been so passionate to earn its independence, and had earned it, turned into something close to unexplainable. There is no denying that Bangladesh is a beautiful country; with the nature that covers the grounds of it and the forests that exists carrying the creatures only unique to it, Bangladesh is a country that is one of a kind.

If you always take the safe road, there will be a day that only one road exits. You’ll be forced to take it, and if you don’t have practice, you’ll be in a hard position.”

~Shanzida Khandaker

 

A Trip To Bangladesh

A true story

Heat, the first thing that came to my mind was Wow it’s hot! I had prepared myself for this feeling; yet the burning musky sensation when first getting out of the airport still astounded me. The last time I came here was about four years ago. Not really being the ideal place for a vacation, but it is where my family was. The next thing my brain registered was the noise and smell. Cars honking, people shouting, the strong smell of gas of the cars and the garbage around.

(Hello! This is an essay I had to write for a class. I really liked the end result so i thought i would share it with you guys. Thanks fore reading! 🙂 )

Existentialist Art

In a world where art seems to need protection, we come across the beauty of existentialist art that makes you pause and absorbed the feeling of abnormality. Most people are not used to seeing artistic figures out in the open for human interactions, but when those rare times do come along we sometimes may not know what to do. The purpose of these sculptures that rest in random public places, such as Street Crossing by George Segal, is to express the idea that art shouldn’t be so emphasized but, instead, be blended in with the world. Creating meaning in a meaningless world being the soul idea of existentialism, we are able to understand more clearly the way art is portrayed. Unlike the traditional way of looking at sculptures—in which the sculpture is a high and mighty figure which us, as humans, look up upon—existentialism looks at art the same way it views life. What does a sculpture make you aspire to be? Does looking up at massive sculptures, such as The Motherland Calls, make you feel lesser as a human being, as if you require a higher power for protection? As I’ve stated before, in an existential point of view you create your own meaning; thus, by creating sculptures such as the Street Crossing you’re able to blend in art with the idea of it being a part of our self-identity.

There Was a Boy

There was a boy, he sat alone at an empty table at a café.

There was a boy, his eyes seemed to lack a certain twinkle.

There was a boy, he always kept his head lowered, eyes on the bank pages in front of him.

There was a boy, his lips never curved up into a smile.

There was a boy, he had blue eyes that only held sadness.

There was a boy, his heart was split into a million pieces.

There was a boy, he heard nothing but silence.

There was a boy, his tears flowed down his cheeks everyday.

There was a boy, he always felt helpless.  

The Rain

By: Shanzida Khandaker

“I’m telling you Jase, the rain has vowed to pour until the world is flooded,” Aron moaned into the phone as he lightly banged his head on the on the headboard of his bed. It had been raining nonstop for the past two days but to Aron it felt more like years.

“Air, you’re over reacting mate,” Jase answered, and though Aron couldn’t see, he knew that his best friend was rolling his eyes.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me Jase – no, don’t even try to say you weren’t rolling your eyes Mr.- but seriously, this rain is so- so- I don’t know, so not rad,”

“Okay, first, don’t ever say ‘rad’ again, you sound stupid,”

“Duly noted,”

September 27, 2014

I ran across this quote today,

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

-Steve Jobs

What got me thinking about this quote was the thought process I went through when I was quiet young, around when I was in the 5th grade. You see, whenever someone asked me the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I never had an answer like all the kids my age. I would hear kids say “Doctor, Vet, Police men, Firefighters” the typical thing you would expect a child to respond with.

Intellectual property has the shelf life of a banana.”

~Bill Gates

“I’ve heard there are troubles of more than one kind; some come from ahead, and some come from behind. But I’ve brought a big bat. I’m all ready, you see; now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”

~Dr. Seuss

What do you want to be when you grow up? This is a question that every child is asked at least once. And many times the child answers the question by stating a job that his or her parents do. Other times they name a profession that the parents hope the child will grow up to be.

When I was young, I was asked that same question many times. At first, I would always answer with a simple “I don’t know?” and that caught people by surprise. Children often times speak their minds, and that is exactly what I did.

May 29th, 2014

Understanding life is complicated, on one side, you are told to do what is expected and the other side is begging you to do what your heart wants. If you do what is expected by everyone around you, you feel as if you lost yourself. However, if you follow your heart, you feel as if you betrayed everyone around you, as if you’re a disappointment.
You can’t have it both ways, unless you get lucky and what your heart wants is the exact same as what everyone else wants, but that’s not always the case. 

May 20th, 2014

I have been sick for the past week, and it has been absolute torture. I don’t get sick easily, but what sucks is that when I do get sick, it’s like my body is about ready to die. So conveniently (note my sarcasm there) my final exams have also started. The universe just hates me doesn’t it?

My last exam is today, and I am not looking forward to it. From what I have heard, this exam is pure horror and stress and I don’t doubt it one bit. So here I am, my body is drained of energy, trying to heal, while I force myself to stay awake and not faint in place.