Bring on the Tests!!!

Writing this blog is liberating if I may say so!

Right when i thought I had time to breathe "Finals Week" creeped up on me, after a hectic semester of fun and adventures.... it was time to face the bigger demon... EXAMS. Once I realized that there was no escaping this chain of examinations I decided to embrace it the best way I possibly could... Relying on my major CRS!

Oh boy! Being a CRS student certainly has advantages around that crucial period. I had four take home exams, and one "sit down" test. The take home finals were essays... and how lucky was I! Thanks to my profound and well structured CRS curriculum, I managed to snag an A in each and every final I took. Essays are quite the forte of CRS... so it all came naturally!

When in college, students hate certain weeks of class; Midterms and Finals week. As for me... I wrote right through them.
It did have its consequences... I didn't shave for two weeks and drank a lot of Coca Cola with my friend Cate!


For the next couple weeks, I'm trading SiberaCuse for Sunny! Tropical! PUERTO RICO!!!!

I'll keep you guys posted!

Simply,
Terrance

In the News...

Fashion hound
SU student to host Caribbean beauty pageant

By Ivy Tan

Terrance Smith walks fast, usually with his head and shoulders slightly thrown back. His back is always perfectly straight.

Ironically, this posture seems to foretell the confident attitudes and postures of the many beauties that will be featured in Miss Teen Bahamas World 2009, a beauty pageant that Smith, a sophomore communications and rhetorical studies major at Syracuse University, will be hosting live on television in the Bahamas on August 16.

Sitting in the waiting area of the admissions office in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, Smith, who works in the office as a secretary's assistant, was putting the final touches of his assignment for his favorite class, African American Studies.

The day was Monday, right after Halloween weekend. Smith was busy telling people at work about the weekend he took on not one, but three different identities: a psych ward escapee, Miss Keystone Light and a dead mime. It seemed as if everyone in the office was eager to hear a piece of the T.D. Smith notoriety depicted by over 3,000 photos of him on Facebook.

The day after his all-nighter Halloween debauchery, Smith was at the VPA's Fashion Show-Off in Lyman Hall, spending most of the day there doing make-up for the models on the runway.

"He's just Terrance. He's a free-spirit," said Stephanie Levin, one of the models.

In addition to work, school and preparing to host the upcoming Miss Teen Bahamas World, Smith is also currently working on his personal blog for VPA, "Simply…Terrance."

While the rest of the blogs on SU's VPA profile have mostly words and narratives on snippets of the bloggers' daily activities, Smith wanted to go beyond. On Monday, he recorded videos of himself after work and in between classes for the blog. There were also photo shoots pictures of him by Puerto Rican photographer Charlie G, posted on the site.

"If I'm going to do something, I always go all-out," Smith said.

Smith's interest in beauty pageants began at a young age.
"I thought it was fascinating how I can watch 50 women on television walking around in their swimsuits. I really don't know what sparked it (the fascination with beauty pageants), but I like it because it's something that year after year, I can predict who wins. So it's like challenging myself to see if I'm right or wrong," Smith said.

When Smith was 13 years old, he started his own Web site where he posted interviews he conducted with various pageant winners and contestants. The interviews were published in a monthly newsletter for beauty pageants he started called "Final Issue."

The interviews, including one with Miss USA 2002, Shauntay Hinton, can still be viewed on the Web site at finalissue.tripod.com.

"We had two lines in the house, and I would pick up the other line to make sure he was interviewing the person he said he was supposed to interview. And he really was interviewing her," Smith's mother, Mary Rodriguez, said.

The pageant that Smith will host this summer is owned by the Theodore Elyett Production company. The company's president and founder, Theodore Sealy, wrote in a message that he was busy with Fashion Week at the time of this story, so he would be
unavailable for an interview.

"I don't like people getting in between what I like to do and what I want to do. And if that means I have to put up a front, I'm going to put it on, because I don't want people messing around with my goals and dreams. Sometimes, those are things I have to protect," Smith said.

When Smith received tickets to this month's Woodie Awards, mtvU's annual music awards, he said he would bring his friend Luke to attend the show. He will also be wearing an outfit designed by Leilani Maldonado, a fashion design sophomore and close friend.

"He lets people in, at least to a certain
part. That's the first layer of Terrance, and when you have more experiences with him, you start to know him better and you get another layer," Maldonado said.

Smith's life hasn't always been an easy one. He has experienced a number of setbacks, including the time he first moved to Puerto Rico. Rodriguez said that her son's first name was not common in Puerto Rico, and as a result, many kids taunted him in school.

"They would call me names like 'tierra,' which means dirt in Spanish, 'Teresa,' 'Mother Nature.' It was pretty cruel," Smith said. Earlier this year, in February, one of his close friends passed away and he flew back to Puerto Rico to attend the funeral, along with Maldonado. "I think he gets very attached to people, and that was probably a turning point in his life," said Charlotte Santella, his supervisor at work.

Back in his room, Smith was busy cleaning up the week's worth of clothes, shoes and papers littered on the floor.

Bottles of styling gel, cleaning detergents, and one or two sea shell bracelets occupy the shelves next to his bed.

Besides doing his weekly cleaning, Smith was also getting ready to go tanning for the Caribfest Day Show and Pageant, an event hosted by SU's Caribbean Students Association that was on Saturday, November 8.

"I am competing in the Caribfest pageant for (the title of) Mr. Caribfest. I am going to win," he said.

So Smith was going "all-out" again. He was going tanning to get his complexion even for the beach-wear session of the competition. He had sketched out the designs of the outfits he would wear for the competition.
His good friend Maldonado would put the clothes together for him to ensure a clean victory.

But on Saturday, Smith didn't win Mr. Caribfest.

During the show, he had whipped around his
beach robe when strutting down the runway, head and shoulders thrown back, lips in the usual proud pout. It was evident to him all along who the winner was.

As he walked around the room, dodging books and balls of clothes, he said, "My first grade teacher told me 'Believe in yourself.' I know it's cheesy, but in the first grade you just take in whatever they say to you. It's one of the few phrases that actually stuck with me."

Surprise... thats Me!?

I have been doing the whole "modeling thing" for a while, both print and runway, and have had my small share of success. I try not to let it get to my head, but I am only human. Last week as I entered my dorm, one of the security officers pulled me aside and I thought I was in deep trouble. To my surprise the security worker's intention was to get my autograph, I pretty much laughed then and there, and bluntly asked her why. She stated that she saw me in a magazine, she rushed over and got her copy... THERE I WAS. At the top of the page of Healthy You magazine.

I had forgotten that early October I had participated in a photo shoot for the magazine, and was pleased to see myself in the publication. This photo shoot took place on the Syacuse Univesity "Quad", alongside two very talented models, Tiffany Cayado & Mya Lambrecht.

I will soon post some pictures of the photo shoot, but until then below is a picture of Tiffany and myself right before heading out for the shoot.

Simply, MTV Woodie Awards!

I have been quite lucky lately...this time VERY LUCKY!

This past week I had amazing opportunity to attend the 2008 MTVu Woodie Awards in New York City, It was an unforgettable experience, because not only was I attending my first MTV show, it was a televised awards show, I was front row alongside my friend Nick (whom I adore) and to make matters even better, it was my first time in New York City.

You may be asking yourself..."How did he get tickets?"- Well for the first time in my 19 years of existence, I applied for something and actually got it! I contacted MTV and requested tickets, to my surprise they approved! (Well I did apply to college and for a couple jobs here and there, but all in all, it was the first time I have one some sort of ticket) However, all things come with a catch, The show was on a Wednesday night.

My friend Nick and I were trying to get to New York City on a low budget, and when I say low, I mean broke College Student low. We managed to catch a free ride, with a fellow group of students from Syracuse University's Bandier Program for Recording and Allied Industries, which is also a wonderful VPA major. They were kind enough to drop us off at the venue, The Roseland Ballroom, however, Nick and I needed to change. So we located the nearest hotel and changed into our MTVu Woodie Awards Red Carpet attire. Once the awards started they were amazing, Lykki Li, Santogold, All Time Low, Vampire Weekend, Paramore, Jack's Mannequin, The Cool Kids, and many more were in attendence, and may I say... I was Star Struck! As the show ended, Nick and I came to the sad realization that we had to depart... BUT WAIT! Were were going to crash in New York City!-and we did.

The Next Morning, we woke up to the sound of a contruction, that was our cue to get ready to go head on out and introduce New York City to Terrance. We wandered up and down 5th avenue, the Fashion District, amongst other amazing places, and Nick and Myself decided to grab a cup of Coffee (guess from where) and head out and get some lunch. We went to an amazing salad place, and finally accepted the fact that our time in NYC was soon to be over. It was then whe I resorted to create this video.



I was even featured in the broadcast more than once!



Check out the 2008 MTVu WOodie Awards
http://woodies.mtvu.com/video/1599024/317040

Til next time...

Simply,

Terrance

Simple Fashion Forward

I must start off by apologizing.... It has been way too long! During the past weeks I have been extremely busy with things that I would "simply" do. One of the highlights of last weeks shenanigans was participating of the Caribbean Student Association Day Show. It was a Fashion Show/Competition that I decided to participate in because I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to test my knowledge in the world of fashion.

I had less than a week to prepare for the 5 phase long competition, and I enjoyed every moment spent organizing details and enhancing my physique. THE GYM WAS AN ESENTIAL PART OF MY WEEK!

The Day of the competition arrived, I had my wardrobe designed by my friend & stylist Leilani Maldonado, she always knows what is best for me.
The Competition Started and I was very excited. I had mentioned moments before the competition started to Leilani that, regardless of the outcome, I already felt like a winner. I paraded in all sorts of outfits that accentuated my sense of style & charisma. I even got to use my CRS skills, in the Interview portion of the competition.... thank goodness I took Advanced Public Speaking Freshman year!

In the end I won, not the title, but the audience. I didn't walk away with the prizes, title, or "fame". I walked away with the satisfaction that I had done my personal best and the audience let me know that I did a wonderful job.

Simply,
Terrance

Reality Check!

I love this place, Syracuse University that is. There is something about being surrounded by thousands of individuals in my age group that makes me go crazy, well not too crazy, let's just say it makes me feel comfortable!As much as I love this place, I must remind myself... THIS IS COLLEGE! College is not all about fun, games, and social gatherings in crammed locations, its about balancing the aforementioned activities with academic obligations.

That being said, I decided to plan a trip to the Big Apple; New York City! The purpose of this trip was to celebrate the fact that I had gotten through most of my miterm exams. I had been planning this trip for about 2 weeks, talked about it everyday, wished constantly that the plan would go through, and then it DID not! Instead I eneded up visiting some friends at Purchase College, and exploring Connecticut for the rest of the weekend. Although my invasion of New York City did not occur, I felt "at peace". That is a little drastic, but it is the truth.

Sometimes when you plan things a little too much, your plan falls through. It happens to everyone, ... even me.


Simply,

Terrance

CRS in every day life!

Throughout this year I have learned that I can apply the teachings of the CRS program to my other classes. Last year I took a series of interesting classes that varied from Public Advocacy, to my favorite, Advanced Public Speaking. I had the opportunity to use the skills I leaned in those classes in a different setting; I was to lecture my classmates of Counseling 101. The assignment was to discuss the first couple chapters of "Tuesday's With Morrie", and may I add it is one of the most inspirational books I have read to date.

I decided to put my Advanced Public Speaking skills to practice and started a lecture titled "The Meaning of Life". I started off by stating that I was far from being a life coach or even a motivational speaker. I further encouraged my peers to look for the positive aspects of life rather than focusing on the negative aspects. It is my belief that all situations provide blessings, that is the reason why I chose to share the story of Randy Pausch.

Inspirational Individuals exist everywhere, at home, school, and even college, however, one does not need to be in a state of decay to make a difference. That was what I was trying to convey to my peers. I told them that one must strive for success with passion. I didn't learn this in class, in fact I leaned this right here, on the Internet. I realized this after I watched an inspiration speech by the late Randy Pausch.



In conclusion,I would just like to point out how CRS has helped me with other classes, whle conveyong to you the importance of not putting things off. Throughout my college career, I have adopted a quote, and now I am reading to share it with you.

"Being Good is not enough, when YOU dream of being Great."

Simply,
Terrance

More to come...

I will start off by saying that I am a very visual person. As a CRS student at SU, Communication with others a is a key element to insights. I thought it would be fair to show you all a day in the life of a CRS student. Starting next week, my blog will be hosting a year long miniseries, to give you, the prospective students, and general public the opportunity to experience Syacuse University with me. That being said, I would like to invite you all to continue visiting my blog for further updates about CRS and Syracuse University.

Simply,
Terrance

Welcome to CRS!

After an intense summer full of wonderful experiences, new found friendships, and extensive travels, it time to settle in to my reality; life at Syracuse University. For those of you who do not know me, I am T.D. Smith, a sophomore Communication & Rhetorical Studies major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, let’s just make this a tad bit shorter, I am a CRS major @ VPA. Some of you might be asking what exactly is CRS , I will do my best at describing it: CRS is the study of Communication and Rhetorical Analysis, Some of the classes the department offer range from Persuasion, to advanced training in Public Speaking. It is my understanding that CRS is the type of major you would love to compliment with any other, as it strengths your ability to communicate and market yourself in the real world.
My experience within the department has been amazing, I am not writing that just to attract new prospects, I am just expressing my true feelings, Although I understand that everyone has a different experience with CRS, I will be the first to say, that thanks to CRS my ability to communicate with others has been drastically enhanced, and my confidence while expressing myself and ideas has increased.
The purpose of this blog is to show everyone what CRS has to offer, not only in an academic setting, but in a social setting as well.

Simply,

Terrance