Inception

I attended the showing of Inception at Royer, even though I had already seen the movie 3 times. Even though I had seen it before, I still found scenes throughout the movie where I did not understand exactly what was happening. Seeing the movie multiple times really helped me to fully understand the whole movie. Because it was so thought-provoking, I learned something new about it every time. I'm glad that I went to go see it again because it definitely keeps my mind focused and engaged. Inception is a very interesting concept and one that I still cannot fully wrap my mind around. That is why I liked Inception; I like movies and books that actually require me to think and have a purpose.

Annual Conference on Leadership and Service

On Saturday, February 19, I got up early, headed over to the Ohio Union for some coffee and an early morning dosage of leadership tips from the annual Conference on Leadership and Service. Benefitting the OSU community of students, the Conference had a guest speaker from the House of Representatives and many mini breakout sessions that involved information that was very important for becoming a strong leader in the college community and out in the rest of the world. Along with the individual sessions, there were also elective groups that we got to visit, and overall the day was very interesting--learning about leadership in student affairs and groups, and how to build your own club at the university.

Taste of OSU

As soon as I heard about Taste of OSU, I was extremely excited. Being a Spanish and Korean double-major, I'm very interested in learning about different cultures - especially their food!! My friends and I arrived pretty early so when we got there, it was actually pretty empty. As the night when on, the whole room filled up - so much so that you could barely move an inch. Overall, it was an amazing experience and the food was absolutely delicious. Also, the cultural performances were wonderful, especially because some of my friends were performing in them!

Where For Art Thou Cultural Distress?

There doesn't often come a time when I have become completely entranced by a spectacle, whether art, performance, or a person in general; but there are always exceptions to the normal standard of amazement, and the HAUS showing of "The Rape of Europa" was one of them. Centered around the central theme of Nazi Germany during World War Two, the documentary gave a fascinating outlook on the war as a cultural plight rather than a complete genocide of specific "terrorized" races. The historical aspect was like none I had ever seen before, and certainly, I feel, there should be more mention of this topic in high school literature, as it was an extremely important part of Adolf Hitler's plan for a perfect society.

In trying to build this new society of great men, Hitler had a cultural and lifestyle goal as well as a plan for domination. The movie showed vast information about his plans to rebuild the city to make an empire city dedicated to culture: art museums, theaters, libraries, all very fascinating in retrospect. In fact, had he not been such a world terror, he might have been considered a complete genius! The most interesting part of the film was, most certainly, about the plundering of the European great artwork, such as the Mona Lisa.

"The Rape of Europa" is a must see for all history lovers and fans of world literature. Be sure to check out the film or the book if you ever get a chance!

Author of The Jew is Not My Enemy Speaks to Students

Tarek Fatah, author of The Jew is Not My Enemy spoke yesterday evening in Hitchcock Hall focusing on unraveling the myths that fuel Muslim anti-semitism. This event was sponsored by Byuckeys for Israel, the Schottenstein Chabad House, and the North African Students of OSU. Fatah's speech seemed to focus on coexistence between nations and religions. However, it became apparent when the room was opened for questions that many Muslim students felt that he wrongfully targeted the Islamic faith (ironically enough since Fatah feels Muslims use Judaism as a scapegoat). One student asked repeated, rather forceful questions of Fatah, who in turn continually interrupted the student making his own mildly angry claims. I found the event extremely interesting, as I consider myself Christian I had a rather neutral view on the subjects relation to faith, but I do believe religious coexistence is extremely important to any sort of peaceful international relations.

Humanities Book Club

Last night I attended the mid quarter meeting of the humanities scholars book club. This quarter we are reading the book "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. The book is about two boys growing up in Afghanistan during the mid 1970s, then shifts to their lives as adults and how conflicts within their country have impacted their lives. At the book club meeting, we focused on the first half of the book, which focuses on the childhood of the narrator Amir and his friend and servant Hassan. Our discussion was mainly centered on the relationships between the characters in the book, mainly those between Hassan and Amir, Amir and his father Baba, and Baba and Hassan. I'm afraid if I go into details, I'll give away too much of the book, so you'll just have to read it yourself! It's a very good book so far, and I would recommend it to all of you to read too.

Scholar's Day

Back in January (yes, I know, this blog is LONG overdue!) I had the opportunity to help out with the annual scholar's day. I participated on a student question panel with several other humanities scholars. After Ban and Daniel presented information on the program, the students and parents were able to ask us questions about the program and being a student at Ohio State. There were several questions that were directed more towards the older students, so I actually learned a few things along with the future buckeyes and parents! I enjoyed meeting some of the upper classmen in the humanities scholars program too. Helping with Scholar's day was a rewarding experience, and I would love to help out again!

Dinner and Dialogue (aka ULTIMATE Sex-Ed)

I relentlessly went to the Dinner and Dialogue Sexuality thing on February 8 and I can basically sum it up by saying it was the most detailed sex-ed class I have ever experienced. The speaker was super passionate about her topic which made being attentive an easy task; however, I was completely taken aback by how shamelessly she discussed every detail of "sex-drive." Although awkward, it was a lot more interesting than I was anticipating. I would actually consider taking one of her classes simply because she was so energetic. I'm not sure how game I am for Human Sexuality 101, but I guess all in good time. Overall, I am glad I went to the Dinner Dialogue- it was an "enlightening" experience nonetheless.