Ramil Blog

As the inaugural blog entry, I guess this entry has to address all the big questions, so let's get all the usual stuff out of the way.

Well, my name is Ramil Ibrahim, I'm 19 years old, and I was born and raised on Long Island, New York. I am half Filipino and half Egyptian, and I can make the foods of both ethnicities. I now go to NYU, and I am a sophomore majoring in Music Education and Sociology at Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

As far as interests go, I'm into music, cooking, video and board games, school, organizing things, and television. So you can expect to see some blog posts about anything from what I made for dinner, to what I thought of the latest LOST episode.

Another thing that you can expect to see from this blog that you probably don't see on every blog is… the magic of video! NYU Steinhardt has graciously afforded me the ability to make videos, so get excited, guys.

However, making videos is actually much more difficult than one might expect. Once you sift through the layers of copyright law, and after you consider the rules of basic etiquette, you find that it is very hard to make an entertaining video that keeps everybody happy.

But don't you worry, I have some tricks up my sleeve, as well as some – if I do say so myself – wildly entertaining material for you this semester. So, I'd like to thank you, Soon-To-Be-Loyal Reader, for your interest and support, and I hope that you check back very soon and very often.

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been working very hard on a video. So, while that project is being worked on -- and while I'm putting off going to class -- I'll tell you about my weekend.

This weekend was actually one of the most productive weekends I've had in a while. That is, I did a lot of mentionable things, but I got almost nothing done scholastically. So on Friday, five of my friends and I went to Boston for the Girl Talk concert. We took the comfortable and very efficient Lucky Star bus and got to Boston in record time. We got something to eat, and then went straight to the venue, which was located directly behind Fenway Park's historic Green Monster. The concert was so rowdy, but we had a great time dancing and getting smushed. Eventually though, we were able to get up on stage and enjoy larger, less smushy dancing spaces. After the concert, my friends and I headed over to Boston College, where a friend of mine had agreed to graciously host us for the night.

After spending the night there, I was shocked at how different BC and NYU were. I had visited BC in high school, but my memory from two years ago did not match my image of BC from this weekend. BC's campus seemed a lot bigger this time, and with a lot more people. I also got the feeling that everyone knew each other really well, almost like a high school. And so much school spirit! It was almost scary how exactly BC fit into the idealized, Hollywood-inspired image of "college."

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy that I'm at NYU, and I had a great time at BC, but visiting BC just made me realize that there are just some things that my school can't offer me. With so many students at NYU, it's almost impossible to feel connected to everyone, and our sports teams don't unite us like other schools' teams. But at the same time, it's this same disconnectedness, or rather openness, that makes me appreciate NYU. It very much does not feel like high school, but feels like -- forgive the cliche -- the "real world." I like being part of the hustle, the bustle, and the beat of the city. I'm not just an NYU student, but I'm a New Yorker, too.

After strengthening my resolve for NYU and NYC, I decided that I had received enough from one trip to Boston and took the Fung Wah bus home. The rest of the weekend was pretty eventful as well, but for the sake of brevity, I'll just blurt it out in an ordered list: baking lasagna, birthday party, flute repair in Bayside, and Guitar Hero face-offs.

On the next blog entry... Ramil Gets A Haircut!!!

It's finally that time... Yup, you guessed it... It's video time!! I've been working on this for a while, and, I promise you, this masterpiece is well worth the wait. I've finally figured out all the steps of making a very simple, 100% authentic video, and here are the fruits of my labor.

This video documents my visit to the barber about a week ago. If you've seen me around campus these past few days, you may have noticed something different about my hair -- something like my NAME shaved into the side of my head. I forget exactly why I decided to go through with the haircut, (there was no wagering or taunting involved), but I am very happy with how my name came out. So, without further ado, here is, "Ramil Gets a Haircut:"

So, today my suitemate David, my friend Megan, and I were planning to go on a nice, scenic bike ride to Brooklyn. We all woke up early, ate a big breakfast, didn't shower, and got very excited for our bike trip. David suggested that I video tape the bike ride for the blog, and he even fashioned a camera helmet out of a helmet, video camera, and lots of duct tape. However, during all the excitement of planning, we failed to glance out the window and notice the rainclouds gathering around the Empire State Building. And it's not like we didn't check the weather before we started planning, either -- the forecast predicted only a 10% chance of precipitation, and they don't go lower than 10%. So instead of biking, I spent the morning eating and playing Guitar Hero, which isn't that bad of an alternative now that I think about it.

The temperamental weather is one of the most annoying things about living in New York City. It convinces you to make biking plans for tomorrow based on today's picturesque conditions. But I guess being unpredictable adds to the fun. You have to have rain so you can appreciate the sunshine, right?

So, shortly after I wrote the entry "Ramil's Plans Get Ruined," my friends Nate, David, and I decided to salvage the afternoon by biking across the Brooklyn Bridge and getting pizza at Grimaldi's Pizzeria. This adventure seemed like it would make a great story, and an even better video. So, after much painstaking labor, David and I created a camera helmet that would both keep me safe in the event of an accident and record footage of the accident. However, I didn't get into any accidents, so I couldn't test the true potential of the camera helmet. Anyway, here's what it looked:





COOL, right? Although it looks pretty sweet, it was very difficult to use. I don't think it would have been difficult for a smart person, but I had so much trouble figuring out when the camera was actually recording because it was on my head the whole time. Eventually, we figured it out, and, after much editing and transitioning, here is "Ramil Goes to Brooklyn":

I'm so upset. My bike was stolen from me yesterday. I don't understand how because I was only away from the bike for like half an hour, it was locked securely, and it was on a very crowded street. Anyway, here's what happened...

I was competing in a Macaroni & Cheese Cook-Off, which I lost to Chef Leslie Faylor, and Former President Ronald Reagan, and I needed to get a cheese grater. So, I rode my bike over to Surprise! Surprise!, purchased the cheese grater, and then rode over to Trader Joe's to buy some cheese. I locked my bike to the bike rack directly in front of the entrance, and, as I always do, I gave my bike a good tug to make sure that my lock was fastened secruely. I walked into the store at 4:00, waited on the '12 Items or Less' line forever, and then exited Trader Joe's around 4:30. I walked out the door, and I immediately noticed that my bike was gone.

Instantly, I was devestated. I have not been that sad in a while. The feeling you get after your bike stolen is such a unique saddness, and I'll tell you why that is. Not only did you just lose your bike, but you also lost your lock -- which in my case was more expensive than my bike. Including lights and tune-ups, the bike was a $150+ operation.

Also, when you own a bike, you always expect that the bike or at least part of the bike will eventually get stolen. Every time you lock your bike, you're just increasing the likliehood that this will be the last time you'll ever see it again. It was difficult living with this weight on my shoulders when I first started biking, but every biker eventually learns to cope. Then, when it actually happens, you get that horrible "I knew it"-feeling. It's like someone inside your head is taunting you, finally able to say, "Told you so."

Anyway, so there I was on the sidewalk, with only my legs for transportation. I didn't know what to do. The cheese was melting, the opening ceremonies for the Macaroni and Cheese Cook-Off were rapidly approaching, and I was bikeless. So, I called my sister. She calmed me down, and told me that I needed to file reports. Then, I talked to the NYPD (I got to dial 911 for real) and NYU security, and you'll be surprised to find out what they told me: getting out bike stolen is actually not that important. And you know what, I think they might be right on this one.

Although I feel awful because someone jacked my stuff, I can find solace in the fact that bike season is almost over, no one got hurt, and I'll probably be getting a nicer bike soon.