Virginia Tech Hits Home

Every college student across America was hit with the cold reality of yesterday's tragedy. If you know me, you know that I'm a news junkie, and if you can guess, I was glued to my internet news feed.

What you may not remember is that yesterday was 6 days shy of the anniversary of the Columbine Massacre. I was in high school when that happened, and I still remember the fear of a trench coat mafia walking into our small high school and severely reducing our number. I remember the "experts" on the news blaming video games, lack of religion, and Marilyn Manson.

Yesterday, I wasn't hit by my usual paranoid vulnerability. Today, I was. I don't know Ryan Clark. I never had dinner with him, I never shook his hand, and I never added him as a friend on Facebook. But today, the loss of Ryan Clark hits me very hard.

Most of the people reading this probably don't know that I was a Resident Advisor at U of I at Urbana-Champaign. I was a double major (as well as having a minor), and I was very active in the University community. I was in the band, I was involved with multicultural affairs, and I was heavily involved with music groups. Why is this important?

Ryan Clark was a Resident Advisor, a Band member, and a Triple Major. Ryan Clark was also one of the first victims by Cho Seung-Hui.

The point I'm really trying to bring here is this: Among the 32 dead, I'm sure you can find somebody who mirrors your personality. Do you take French? Do you dance? Do you play guitar? If you did, you have something in common with 3 of the victims of Va Tech. So, when you think, "This couldn't happen to me," just think this: the students who woke up yesterday thought the same thing.

I know what I'm saying is trite or maybe even paranoid, but just take today to reflect. Call home. Call your brother or sisters. Talk to your friends. We only have 3 weeks left before classes end.

We live in a small community, and I'm happy to say I recognize almost all the faces I see here. Be there for your friends, and be there for yourself.

The Green Green Grass

Hi Kids,

Have you realized that a certain metallic monstrosity has left our quad? I did. By the way, I've been looking for a job, and I have some funny stories for you. Stay tuned for tommorow!

Love,

Suraj

Retire the Prarie Star!!!

Before I get some hate emails. This is satire. As you may have heard, the symbol of the Fighting Illini, Chief Illiniwek will dance his last dance this Wednesday. As a member of the Illini Alumni, I'll be wearing black and remembering the pride I felt when I saw the Chief represent our school with pride and honor. This is not the place to debate the Chief, so I won't. As a student here today, I have a much bigger fish to fry.

The Prarie Star must go. After a conversation with my good friend in Stellar Cartography, Jeff Skywalker ("Jeff" kindly asked me to keep his name private, so out of respect for him, I changed his name), he told me that the graphic misrepresentation of the Prarie Star is offensive to other stars in our Universe. He's right. He's SO RIGHT. With that said, I decided to take some action and see for myself whether or not this Prarie Star is indeed a safe mascot for UIS.

I only have one picture, and when I saw it... I saw the monstrosity, and my heart cried out for VENGEANCE!

WHY ARE YOU MAKING THE LITTLE GIRLS CRY!!!

UIS, do you want this symbol of fear representing your school? I knew you'd feel the same way, so I decided to come up with alternative logos for our school. Please enjoy.


Exhibit 1: The UIS Tornadoes
Why Tornadoes? Can anybody deny the destructive forces tornadoes represent? Do you not remember the Tornadoes of 2006 that ravaged Springfield?

When I think Tornado, I think "FIND SHELTER! WE'RE GOING TO DIE!" When you see your UIS Tornadoes take the court or the soccer field, you will be proud to see them instill fear into the hearts of their opponents.

I sincerely believe that The Tornado is a safe mascot and logo to replace the Prarie Star. Now nobody will be offended AND you get to instill fear.

... WHAT? That's too Offensive? What's wrong with you people? Why can't you be satiated? Fine. Maybe this will work.

EXHIBIT #2: THE UIS PRECIPITATION
Okay, so apparently by calling UIS the "Tornadoes" means that we're being unfair to Rain, Sleet, and Hail. So, I devised a way to appease all those biased towards the weather: The UIS Precipitations.

Rain, Sleet, Snow, Tornadoes, and even Hurricanes, Tsunamis, and Monsoons! We make life less safe for everybody!

Think about it, when it's drizzly outside, you think to yourself... I better take my time around all this Precipitation. It's all a Mind Game!!! Imagine what happens when the UIS Precipitation marches in against The Cougars or whatever...


WHAT? Now it's too generic? Man you guys are really testing my patience. Okay, how about this? Yes... This fits Springfield, our beloved hub of politicians to the tee:


Exhibit 3: The UIS Corruption

Why yes, our Land of Lincoln is famous for its corruption and politicians with their own agenda! Why not celebrate our days of political in-fighting by splitting our arena into two sections: The Left Wing and The Right Wing! That way we can all chant: LEFT WING SUCKS! RIGHT WING SUCKS!

Half time can be celebrated with a guy in a police costume chasing down a criminal in a suit... much like Carmen SanDiego!

Brilliant! Yes, this most definitely will work, and I will submit this to our campus leadership!




Okay... Okay... you don't have to tell me. I know that logo will never pass. So, let's find something tame and historic... Something to instill pride... hmm... Springfield... Pride... Oh. I got it.

EXHIBIT 4: The UIS STOVEPIPE HATS

In an effort to appease history, pride, and tradition, I give to you The Fighting Stovepipe Hats!

Lincoln, Springfield's Son, never gave up, and neither will we! We are UIS! We are strong, and we will fight to the bitter end! No matter if we lose, we will not pack it in!

I believe with this last idea that we will have enough logos and mascot ideas to fully represent our school with pride.

I really would appreciate your comments on this, and remember,
GO STOVEPIPE HATS!

Day of Dialogue - A great start.

Note: During this week and the next, I will post questions related to diversity that I hope you will answer.

Welcome back, UIS! This probably would have been more poignant if I had posted this a week ago, but nonetheless, welcome back! This semester is my last one here at UIS - unless something goes terribly wrong. With that said, I have a lofty agenda ahead of me.

It took me a semester for me to realize the real opportunity I have to share some thoughts with you. In the coming weeks, I will be writing articles that will hopefully be uplifting, motivating, and sometimes... enraging. I want you all to take a read and post - either through Facebook or my blog, and let me know what your thoughts are on certain topics.

The first set of my blogs will be dedicated to diversity - not just the normal melting pot of cultures, but also creeds and lifestyles as well.

This first blog is a retrospective on the Martin Luther King Day of Dialogue that transpired on January 19th. It was quite exciting to see so many fellow students - graduate and undergrad alike - sitting down and discussing issues of how we have come so far from the days of oppression, and how we are so far behind on where we should be on making this country - this state - this city - this university a safer place for all cultures, creeds, and lifestyles.

I feel that this Day of Dialogue is important. However, I feel that the Great Room at LRH should have been filled to the brim with students who wanted to talk and learn about diversity. I know we can't force feed you diversity, it won't take. But imagine sitting down with people of different cultures - cultures you may or may not know anything about - and just discussing your comments or concerns! Learning that people aren't just stereotypes helps us mature and grow in ways that enrich our very lives.

At my circle, I was lucky to have such an amazingly diverse group. Among the group members were two other UIS Bloggers, Shana and Shannon. Just hearing perspectives from everybody at the group made my pulse quicken with excitement. Imagine if we all just aired out our frustrations about perception!



Be honest with me for a minute. Not just because I'm a minority, but I was thinking back on our civil rights era.

Why was there so much oppression? It's preposterous to even imagine something like this happening today, but it is.

Our discussion group came across this answer: People are so in love with the status quo, having something upset their sense of normalcy shakes them to their very core. Is this right? Is this fair? No. Does it happen? Yes. I am appalled that we treat people like second class citizens.

Our country is plagued by stereotypes... the same stereotypes that make people shudder when I walk on an airplane, or some people to lock their doors as their driving when they go into a neighborhood where blacks and other minorities are present. We are plagued by social injustices where we ignore the travesties and tragedies of racial and lifestyle oppression.

We are all human. Why is this so hard to comprehend?

Why can't we hold hands with our Caucasian, African, Latino, Indian, Asian, gay and lesbian brothers and sisters and persevere through life together?

How can our society, our species, advance if we're so caught up in the oppression of people, just because of their color, creed, or lifestyle?

I want to see the eradication of tension between people because of their race, creed, or lifestyle. I want people to just be people.

I want us to be like children playing in a sandbox. I want us to not know what hate is. I want us to accept each other for the content of our character rather than the amount of money in our wallets.

I want us to be able to get a job based on our merits.

I want us to be able to fall in love with whoever want.

I want us to be able to afford quality education rather than being barred because of monetary restrictions.

I am living the American Dream, and I want all of us to feel that we're living it too.

Like Dr. King, I can't just be a dreamer, I have to put actions to words.

Can you?

Stay tuned this week for questions. I want to hear what you have to say. From this point forward, this UIS blog becomes about you.

-S

How to buy textbooks without applying for a loan.

Ahhh, the Holiday season, time for goodwill and cheer. However, if you were at the UIS bookstore, you saw absolutely none of that this year. While I'm happy that we have such a good bookstore on campus, book prices have always been absurd... since the beginning of time. So absurd, in fact, that before I took classes this semester, I wandered to our bookstore to price some books, and I was in shock to see that 4 books would cost over 600 dollars! I'm a grad student, nay, I'm a full time grad student. I don't have that kind of scratch!

Who does? So, this blog is going to help you buy books without having to end up on the street corner with a coffee cup begging for change. Each option will get more and more ludicrous, so be warned.

1)Start Early- Before you go to the bookstore, either ask your professors or check Blackboard for the required texts for the class. Usually the bookstore will have all the books for your classes before classes start, so get a week's head start. You still may want to check 2 weeks before class starts because this will give you a major head start in pricing books.

2)Do your Recon - That's right, release your inner Harriet-The-Spy (Oh yes I did), and go to the bookstore to see what the prices are for each book. Professors love shiny, pretty new editions. What they fail to grasp is that this costs you a ton of money because there are no used books for that class. I'll get back to the "How to Buy New Books" later, but in the case where your class has USED books, we have a couple of options:

OPTION 1: If the class has used books, and you want to sell it back:
By all means, by the book from the bookstore. The Bookstore does a pretty good job of getting you at most 50% buyback on your used book. Don't ask me why this works this way, but buying a used book and turning it in actually gets you more money than selling back a new book you bought from the same book store.

This makes as much sense to me as installing screen-doors on submarines. (For the wit-deficient, it means it doesn't make any sense at all).

OPTION 2: If the class has used books, price the book to see if the price is reasonable.
If the price is reasonable, then go back to option 1. Otherwise, stay tuned for the other options... we're going to use this magical tool called... THE INTERNET.

Why yes! The Internet!

Buying New Books or Buying Used Books over the Internet

Going to websites such as half.com or even just searching manufacturer's websites you will either find the latest copy of the book or an International version. Make sure you know the exact name of the book, the ISBN, and the authors.

In the case where you see a cheaper earlier edition, ask the professor how much is lost if you revert one issue. If the only thing different is homework assignments, you may do well mooching off one of your friends shinier copies for a quick Xerox.

Ask your professors if going to an earlier version is a huge problem, chances are that it really isn't... unless you're dealing with modern science or perhaps History, but in the case of Math, Chemistry, and Bio, you're pretty okay. Or even all the books you need for Business Administration.

Don't just sit back and take outrageous book prices... there is usually a way out! If you know of ways, let me know too!

Hope you're enjoying your holiday break!

A Very Special Charlie Brown Christmas.

I know all the Christmas Specials are coming down, but when I saw this, I couldn't stop laughing. It's old, but it's my favorite for two reasons:
1) Who doesn't love Peanuts?
2) Who doesn't love Outkast?

Giving Thanks (an Impromptu Poem)

Being a special vacation holiday, I have decided to stray from my normal prosaic fashion and attempt a special Thanksgiving poem that will pay homage for the things that make me happy.

A Thanksgiving Break Ode

Here's to our family
Here's to our friends
Here's to the Black Friday Checkout Lines
That never seem to end.

Here's to the stuffing and cranberries
Here's the gravy being extra murky
Here's to green beans and sweet potatoes
And a just-perfect Turkey

Here's to the X-Box 360
And the Nintendo Wii
Here's to the rich punks who can afford
A Playstation 3

Better yet, here's to the discounts
For the Playstation 2
Here's to the parents buying these games
Who don't have a clue. (WHY WOULD YOU BUY PIMP MY RIDE: THE GAME?)

Here's to golfing!
In the 70 degree Thanksgiving Weather
Here's to all our ill friends,
May they get better.

Here's to decorating your rooftops
With Holiday Lights
Here's to sense of accomplishment
When they're put up right.

Here's to football
With our butts firmly seated
Here's to the Rams and the Bears!
(And next year the Illini will be UN-DE-FEAT-ED)

Now winter's approaching
So break out your heavy coats
Say hello to hot chocolate or coffee
To prevent the sore throats

Be thankful for those of us here
And for those you are thinking of
Here's to you and Thanksgiving
And here's to all of those we love.

Autumn Splendor: Rediscovering Allerton

Monticello, Illinois

Sometimes I really believe that this year is moving way too fast. I believe those of us about to graduate feel either relieved or stressed that in a semester we'll be turning tassels and flipping hats. But until then, let's try to enjoy the time we have here.

They say until a person is immersed in nature, they can never fully understand themselves. It was a peaceful Saturday afternoon, the skies were exceptionally bright. Perfect for an adventure some might say.

With that in mind, Chelsea and I hopped into the car and we headed due east towards Champaign... but that was not our first destination. Along 72 East, there is a small town named Monticello, and if you turn in, you'll find some brown signs for University of Illinois: Allerton Park.

Aside to some readers:
Now for those of you who know what Allerton, keep on reading anyways... you should most definitely post your feelings about this place (and if it means anything to you).

I haven't been to Allerton in a while, most certainly my footsteps were long erased long ago, but still, when we started our journey, it became something more than just an immersion in nature... it became an immersion of self-discovery.

Pathways at Allerton

The existing of Allerton Park is somewhat of a whimsical and simultaneously riveting story, but this is not the story I want to tell you. I encourage you to learn more about it... what I'm here to talk to you about is witnessing Autumn in all of its magnificent splendor.

Allerton, to me, is the amazing mixture of cultures coexisting in one self-contained world. Jubilant Chinese statues celebrating the love of music, Greek monuments, shrines to Buddha, and a terrifyingly amazing tribute to the death of Earth's last Centaur.

These musicians greet you as you enter the Sunken Garden

As you first enter Allerton at the parking lots, you will see a mansion and a pathway to ornately sculpted foliage. So delicately and deliberately sculpted - these maze gardens and wall hedges lead you to a pathway designed for the glory of Fall. Passing by the Chinese musician statues, I could close my eyes and imagine myself hearing their invigorating fanfare.

The sculptures paled in comparison to what we saw next. Miles of trees... not groves - groves are sculpted. Trees interspersed to grow at their own whim, to be the homes of squirrels, leaves... As the crisp breeze blew, you saw the trees dance ever so slightly, bending, yet standing firm in its majestic stance. "We should take lessons from trees. Look at them, so tall and sturdy, yet they bend slightly when the wind touches them," said Chelsea.

She was most definitely right. As we traversed the leaf-strewn pathways, I fondly remembered the transformation of what Allerton did to me. Imagine the revitalization of your very existence. Close your eyes and all you hear is the soft rustling of the newly fallen leaves as they find new resting places in the slightly damp path.

Chelsea and I at the Centaur monument

Pay homage to the sculptures and statues thrown intermittently between miles of pathway. Take a minute to lie on your back and stare towards the endless sky. In the case where you are taking your life just a little too seriously, just sit back and enjoy the amazing renaissance you will discover by letting nature take you over just as it had taken Allerton over.

Salutations (and farewell) to another beautiful day

If you took the same pathway as we did, you will find the entrance to this large grass circle, and in the middle is this celebratory man with his hands raised, trying to put the magnificent sun within his grasp. It was 4:00 PM, and the sun was just over his hands, and as luck would have it, we were able to capture just a small moment - and pay homage to the Sun Singer.

Please believe me when I say that pictures do not do Allerton justice. I was hesitant to even put pictures up, but I implore you to go there and enjoy what you see. Let me know!

Until we meet again,

Suraj

This Post comes 13 Years too Late

Please bear with me on this post because frankly, it's 3:00 in the morning, and sleeping is the furthest thought from my mind right now. What caused my insomnia? If I told you Captain Planet and the Planeteers, would you believe me? Well, partially. Do you remember that cartoon from the early 90's? I know a couple of residents at LRH who will make me feel really old by telling me they were 2 or 3 when it came out in 1990.

*Shudder*

Even then, it was in syndication for the longest time... and now, my memories come back to haunt me. I can deal with the love interest between Linka and Wheeler. I enjoyed how Gi and Kwame were always so gung-ho and goal oriented. My nightmares revolve around the fifth Planeteer... and his USELESS power.

Ma-Ti. As the image from Wikipedia says, he's the youngest Planeteer who knows a load about the Rainforest. This means that he's good for maybe 2 episodes.

Actually, I have no problem with Ma-Ti, just his power and the justification for such. Wheeler gets to Burn things! Linka can hit you with a gale force gust of wind! Kwamee can stone you! Gi could lead you to a watery grave!!!

What is Ma-Ti going to do? Make you feel bad?

This is why Gaia didn't give me his ring. I would have definitely made the show a lot more interesting. Actually, don't you think it's bad giving a pre-pubescent kid this power? What happens when Ma-Ti has his first crush?

That would have made the show a lot more interesting. Now don't get me wrong, I love the message Captain Planet sends to the kids... and the world! Recycle! Make the world a greener place to live! Drive Geo-Metro's! Hey... wait...

The Power of Heart. I would have HATED to be in that boardroom while they were sitting down discussing the powers of the Planeteers: Let's see how it would go:

BOSS: Okay team, let's hear it, what should we do for these "magic eco-rings?"
Guy 1: We need the elementals! Earth, Wind, Fire, Water!
Guy 2: Yeah That sounds good, but we need a 5th one. That Voltron has the market cornered on 5 people making a super hero.
Guy 3: Well... what should the 5th power be?
---Silence----
BOSS: How about the power of Heart!
Guy 1,2,3: YES! You're a genius, sir!
BOSS: Thank you, you may keep your jobs.

You gotta be kidding me.

Not to make the kid even more lonely, they gave him a blinkin' monkey! My folks are from South America, they didn't have a monkey following them around. I call shenanigans. This is a travesty.

Well, this post took me 30 minutes to write, and frankly... I think it was worth it.

No Clip of the Day Post - I want you to think about this.

Give me a real use for Ma-Ti's power... I'll dedicate my next blog to the person who does that.

Good night/morning.

Reunited and it feels so Good! (Halloween Story Concluded)

I just want to say, "thank you" to those of you who expressed your concern. Ghostnapping is a very real threat, and being a vigilant blogger, it is my duty to inform you of the gross travesty.
For those you concerned, my kidnapper and I came to terms, and I got my baby back.

Suraj & Ghost FOREVER! (at least until Halloween is over)

I will resume my normal blogging tommorow :-) I hope you all learned a valuable lesson.

It is NOT NICE TO KIDNAP GHOSTS.

Bring Back My Ghost!!! - A Halloween Story

It was a warm night for October... unusually warm one might say. The streetlights illuminated the parking lots at UIS as nightfall approached, and it was eerie... too eerie to imagine on the eve of Halloween. It was quiet... almost too quiet. I looked forward to getting back to my place and plugging in my awesome Halloween Ghost.

As I returned home after a long night of ... we'll just say studying, I see this strange orange glow eminating from my apartment porch. My pulse quickened, I peered left and right looking to see what was happening.
And then I saw it. This is ridiculous! Somebody has kidnapped the Spirit of Halloween and replaced it with this glowing Jack-O-Lantern! I was distraught! And much to my dismay... things got significantly worse.

Exhibit 1: The Ransom Note

This wasn't a hoax... a joke anymore... my poor Ghost was Ghostnapped!!! I did indeed sleep with one eye open. My sleep was restless. I didn't know what to do! Thoughts of the times my Ghost and I spent together went through my tortured mind: frolicking through the parking lots, illuminating my porch, and the deep conversations through many cups of hot cider.

I couldn't believe it.

WHY


WHY!!!!

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

Here's the story.

I'll do whatever it takes... just bring my ghost back to me. Please. She's done you no wrong, and I miss her. If you see my ghost... tell her I miss her. Tell her that I'm fighting for her.

To My Kidnapper:
The authorities have not been contacted... just meet me outside... high midnight, under the crescent moon. We'll make this work.

Making a Difference, One Cup at a Time

Behind every creative idea lies a creative mind. In this case, there were many creative minds putting their collected ingenuity together to create an event that would bring UIS students together as well as spreading a message that needed to be heard. Thanks to people like Ashley Rook, Vera Leopold, Nicole Cudiamat and Justin Sams, SAGE and USAS made my day with just two beautiful words:

Coffee. Pong.

Oh, look how quiet and peaceful these cups look.
Soon... soon, many students will disrupt this tender peace.

Coffee Pong? How genius is this? My friends, it's brilliant. Using Fair Trade Coffee, the folks at USAS (Students against Sweatshops) and SAGE (Students for a Greener Earth) helped to get students together to understand the benefits of fair trade. I'm going to supplemental post here later with more information, so just read under this post.

But in the meanwhile, students from every year - undergrad and grad alike, came out in full force to put their Coffee Pong skills to the test. With teams named "Team Awesome" and "The Indo-Semitic All-Stars," you can only expect the best in this outstanding tournament.

Freshman Luke Runyon wills a ball into a cup

I decide to show these kids how a real team plays.

When Grad Students Attack...

Julian showing some mad Pong skills

With hosts like these, who DOESN'T Love Fair Trade?

And, if I left anybody off who deserves the credit for this event, please let me know... you guys did an awesome job. Even though Noah and I didn't make it to the finals, we learned something very important.

Heroes are made... one cup at a time.

I don't feel right about this. I don't.
Just here.

I'm sorry.

The Stress, The Stress!

I know I haven't written in a couple of weeks, and I'm sorry about that! As you know, Midterms are rolling by and undergrad students and grad students a like are putting their noses to the grindstones.

I find this tool useful

I will be posting a TON of pictures and stories after this week, so stay tuned!

Suraj

High Fives All Around!

Thank You for your help!! By helping me win the second competition, I will make good on my promise, and I will be distributing the High Fives on Campus at the following hours:

Monday - Thursday: 8:30 - Noon, 6:00 - 8:30... or by appointment.

The Facebook Pokes will also be distributed during the week.

It's not over yet!!! There is one more competition where I'll need your help!

The "Suraj Thumbs Up Picture" will be ready to go this week.

So, mass props to you, my awesome readers!

Peace out!
Suraj

Vote For Me! Daddy needs a new Laptop

Hi there!
I should be talking about the SGA Elections, but I have a contest that needs your vote :-)
The Career Services department is throwing a contest called Career Pursuit. This contest is the fashion show contest, and I need your vote!

That's right, I'm in the CareerPursuit Contest!

So, if you haven't voted for Gretchen or Demetrius already, Drop a vote for your Buddy Suraj!

Why You should vote for Suraj

• I look good in a suit.
• Okay, seriously... I look great in a suit.
• The further I get into the contest, the better chance I get to trying out my dream job!
• I really, really need a job after school gets out.
• If you vote for me and let me know, you'll get
• Your very own "Poke" on Facebook! (You must be on Facebook)
  
• A Picture of Suraj giving you the "Thumbs Up" Sign
• A Guaranteed High Five! That's right, I will give you a High Five.

So, I'll actually post a legitimate blog later on about the Bonfire on Wednesday or Thursday, but until then

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR ME! (Go to the bottom of the website, and thank you!)

Thanks

Suraj