OhNate.com

Re-building OhNate.com when I get a chance…

-Nate

                                                 

I’ve sent off my application to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. This is the personal statement that I included with my application.

PDF as Printed

Experiences and learning opportunities that date back to my childhood, through my more recent years of high school, and into to my current professional life, will help me excel in an academic environment.

For quite some time I have had the desire to pursue a degree in Asian Studies and/or International Business with a specialization in conducting business in Asia. As a child of a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army I was given the opportunity of world travel at a young age. In my travels I discovered the beauty of traditional dances in Thailand and enjoyed walks through the busy markets and urban centers in Hong Kong. These experiences left a lasting impression on me and fueled my interest in the study of Asia as I grew older. In pursuing that interest, I recently visited the Hamilton Library at the University of Hawai’i and was impressed by the collection of Asian literature; I am eager to attend a university which hosts so many resources pertaining to Asian culture. With a live and vibrant Asian community and a large number of vacationers from Asian countries every year, Hawai’i has the perfect atmosphere for a student of Asian studies. I have a great appreciation for Asian art, culture, traditions, economy, and politics and would like to enhance my knowledge in these areas.

Upon graduating from high school I was invited to pursue a career as the Community Relations Manager for Vivox, an internet startup that provides voice communications to online games and virtual worlds. My goal in working at Vivox has been to increase my maturity in professional environments. This process began by leaving the safety of my family and home in Virginia and ended by successfully staking out a living and professional life in the alien city of Boston. My job entails running demos to excite and engage potential customers, benchmarking performance against competitive products, and writing award applications. Since starting at Vivox in 2007 our customer base has tripled, Vivox has emerged as the leader in the voice communications industry, and we have won several prestigious awards in our field. These results show how my time at Vivox has helped lead to a successful year for the company. My tenure at Vivox has allowed me to improve my time management skills, and has given me the capacity to work smoothly under pressure. Employment at Vivox has also taught me the necessary work ethic to produce quality results under the knife of deadlines. These skills will help a great deal as I strive to increase my level of education. Most people do not have the opportunity to be a part of the professional world until after college. I have a significant advantage in having this experience now.

I have always pursued my goals to the fullest extent. During the last two years of secondary school I was a member of FIRST, a robotics program dedicated to helping high school students learn the foundations of engineering, teamwork, and sportsmanship. In taking part in this team, my goals were to explore the field of engineering, take a hands-on approach to technology, and participate in a high-tech sports team. In 2005, I was part of the inaugural FIRST Robotics Team 1885. We competed in two regional events and the world championship and were honored with the Rookie All-Star award in each competition. While our robot failed to meet our highest expectations, through teamwork and perseverance we proved that we were the first-year team to beat. Our success during the season led to a boost in moral as well as a development of pride for our project. I am still active on the team, participating in meetings and helping out wherever I can. I attended a few FIRST matches at the University of Hawai’i during my visit in late March and was excited to see that the University supported such a great program.

I started college as a dual-enrolled high school student. While this path had the benefit of early graduation from high school it also had unforeseen consequences. I never had trouble completing the prescribed work or doing well on the tests. My most difficult challenge was attendance. I failed to show up for classes on a regular basis, which naturally resulted in a low GPA. I discussed previously how my work at Vivox has helped me grow in many ways — one of which is attendance. In almost one year of employment, I have come to work every day, rain or shine. I once drove 500 miles overnight, after a full day at work, in order to escape a large impending snowstorm, which would have denied my attendance to an important work-related demonstration. My commitment to my career has been a major influence on how I live my life and the amount of hard work and effort I put into it. I have certainly learned from my high school era mistakes and will continue to perfect my imperfections as time goes on. As John Quincy Adams once said, “Every challenge is an opportunity in disguise.” I am ready to meet the challenge and succeed in the opportunity of furthering my education.

My primary goal is to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies and/or International Business. The University of Hawai’i will provide a challenging and rewarding environment for me to learn and contribute. I will be a successful student at the University of Hawai’i because my drive and experience will help me transcend expectations in an academic environment. I hope you agree, and accept me into the undergraduate program at Manoa.

/Signed
April 17th, 2008

                                                 

The Cold Stone Rap was completed at 8:35pm EST on May 22nd, 2007.

The final version has been uploaded for all to enjoy!

“The Cold Stone Rap” Lyrics
Verse 1:
I work down at the CSC,
Cold Stone Creamery that’s how it be,
Ice cream, milk shakes, and smoothies,
Everything to put your life at ease.

My name’s Nate to the double-D-dizzle,
I’m just a little bit crazy-zizzle.
Life’s a mountain or a mountain of whipped cream,
There’s up, down, and in-between,
Anywhere in life that you may be,
There’s always room for a little ice cream!

Chorus:
[Like it] Some people just don’t understand,
[Love it] That every woman and every man,
[Gotta have it] Gotta stay away from ice cream that’s bland,
And become a Cold Stone Fan.

Verse 2:
The crew sings when you put tips in the jar,
Puttin’ a smile on your face and ice cream in your heart.
The brownies and the waffles made fresh everyday,
Fresh for you to eat or fresh for you to play.
As you can tell the fun never stops,
Here at the CSC we’re a little hip and a little hop.

Chorus:
[Like it] Some people just don’t understand,
[Love it] That every woman and every man,
[Gotta have it] Gotta stay away from ice cream that’s bland,
And become a Cold Stone Fan.

Verse 3:
Here at Cold Stone we allow creativity,
With help from the crew trained in Ice Cream-ology.
With every ice cream guaranteed great,
I’m telling you there’s no debate!

Chorus:
[Like it] Some people just don’t understand,
[Love it] That every woman and every man,
[Gotta have it] Gotta stay away from ice cream that’s bland,
And become a Cold Stone Fan.

Last bit:
‘xcuse me miss, that ice cream’s made with love.
So enjoy it please,
And that’s straight from the heart of a Cold Stone employee.

Please head to the MySpace Band page for more info! http://MySpace.com/natestigate

                                                 

I walked out of the airport with a glistening smile on my face, I was still excited that we had won the competition. I scurried through the dining hall and laundry mat that lined the way to Parking Garage A.

As I stepped off the platform, my family following up the rear, I noticed a green convertible driving in my direction. I can not divulge more information about this convertible in fear that telling it would give the person suspect. My family kept walking through the garage trying to find their long lost and over sized van; I was stopped and waiting for the arrival of the approaching car. When my family had cleared the aisle in front of the convertible, it sped up rather rapidly and was gaining on my unchanging position. I watched rather amused at the squelching tires against the agnostic pavement. It wasn’t long until the roar of the engine died, the squeal of the tires subsided, and the car was stopped right in front of me.

“Nate!” I heard as the driver of the vehicle rolled down her window. I became flustered and immediately reached in to give her a hug. She was wearing a nice blue knit shirt with a bright pink polo logo on the left and some khaki pants. Her long silky brown hair flowed down as she released me from the hug and leaned back in her seat. She turned down her music and gazed at me with her beautiful brown eyes and began to speak. Now, for all intensive purposes I had been gone for almost a week and I expected her to ask me how my trip went, or how the competition was, or if was glad to be back, or anything else relating to why she was in a parking garage that was located less than a mile from the airport with a weary traveler laden with not one but two bags, one on his back and one in his right hand, standing outside her car.

A few sounds floated out of her mouth and vibrated the air that blew past my ear and eventually translated it into a sentence without any indication that she was even slightly interested in how I was doing. Strangely enough I thought I heard “hey, check this out!” And I’m now certain that’s what I heard. Because not a moment later the engine flared and the tires began their perilous squealing again and the car was flying towards the exit of the complex.

With one eye slightly more squinted in confusion than the other, I watched as she left me. I was quite lost because I was certain that I still had a bag on my back and another in my right hand. I was also certain that she hadn’t offered to take them or help me with them or even offer me a ride. Never-the-less, I was pretty sure she’d come back to pick me up, but the least I could have asked for was that she take my bags.

As I started to feel the pain in my back due to the weight of the bag that the driver of a green convertible refused to take. She was approaching the exit very quickly and with a slight curiosity, I wondered what she was going to do. She answered my question almost immediately with more squealing of tires as her car started to turn, it was now sideways and headed for the narrow exit. But the car kept turning and ended up successfully exiting Parking Garage A, butt first. Impressed, I watched the distant car as it hit a curb, ramp across the street, and flip onto it’s back in the dirt on the side of the road.

“Hmmm” I thought to myself and said to the vacant surrounding area, “Is that supposed to be a part of the trick?” I decided that it wasn’t and I dropped my overpowering bags and began a light hearted jog in that direction. I exited the complex and crossed the street, up the curb and towards the overturned car. A little out of breath when I reached the car, I panted while noticing that the wheels hadn’t stopped moving, in fact it sounded as thought they were still being powered by the engine. I quickly opened the drivers side door to find the driver unconscious. I reached my arm around the steering wheel and searched for the keys. My hands hit the small piece of metal jutting out from the steering column. I twisted and yanked the key out and heard the motor power down.

Placing my eyes on the slumberous driver, I unbuckled her and hauled her out. I cleared a chosen location from glass and rocks and laid her upon the ground. I bent down and placed my hands on her Rosy cheeks. After several calls of her name she opened her eyes and moaned. As she came to she put her hands on mine, she chuckled a bit and let out a “wow” in the form of a sigh. Realizing that she could probably comprehend me, I thought I’d burden her with the bad news. “Uh…” I said “You know you wrecked your car right?” And her reply astonished me… “Yeah” she sighed heavily, then her soft cheeks dimpled up, and she smiled at me. She started giggling and all I could make out was… “…but it was fun while it lasted!”

-Nate
May 6th, 2006

                                                 

Nate Gay
English 111-15
Process Analysis Final
February 28th, 2006

My Sisters’ Pasta

My sister once spent a whole summer in Spain, and when she got back she made this pasta dish and I was sold. At the time I loved to cook, I still do, in fact. So I immediately asked her how to make it. She told me how, and, incredibly, this dish is very simple and quick to make. The ingredients are easily found in any grocery store. This pasta requires wide egg noodles, prosciutto ham, peas, and corn. Knowing how to make a delicious pasta dish can save you countless screw-ups when trying to prepare a special meal for your significant other.

The first thing you must do is put the wide egg noodles onto cook. Take out a large pot and fill it with water. Place the pot on an eye of the stove. Turn the eye to a medium heat and wait until the water comes to a simmer. Then fill the pot with the noodles. Let the noodles soak in the water until they become soft and pliable. After about ten or fifteen minutes the noodles will be ready. To check them, get one out of the pot, make sure it’s cool enough, and stick it in your mouth. If the noodle is tough or crunchy then you need to let them sit for a little longer and then check again.

While the noodles are being prepared, the meat must be cut. First you will need to cut the prosciutto ham. The ham has a very strong and pungent taste if consumed in large quantities. Therefore when you are cutting the ham, aim for a size no bigger than a quarter inch by a quarter inch. Or, it’s about the size of a nicely trimmed fingernail on your pinky finger.

When the noodles are done, drain the water from the pot and prepare to make the pasta come alive! Set the noodle-filled pot back onto the burner and turn the temperature down to a medium low. Pour the Caesar dressing in, along with the corn, peas, and prepared meat. Stir until it’s at a simmer, or until its warmth reaches your liking.

When serving this pasta my sister used to make salad. The salad consisted of lettuce, pecans, and small cuts of apple. For the dressing of the salad she used Olive oil. This is a good entrée to the meal.

For a side dish you can try just buying any baguette from your local grocery store. Or you could try serving a light soup, such as a broth. And for dessert, you could always make a trip to Cold Stone Creamery and pick up a Strawberry Shortcake Serenade. Or if it’s a special occasion, Cold Stone offers customized two person cakes, there are two of them per case and sell for only $12.99! The cakes can be customized to say anything your heart desires. What would you like to say to your loved one?

This pasta can be made quickly and easily, so even if you have practically no time or don’t know how to cook, this dish is still the perfect choice for that special dinner. When selecting the Caesar dressing, try selecting a more expensive brand, this will taste much better in the pasta than Hidden Valley. Also, you can put fresh, frozen, or canned corn and peas into the pasta. It will all taste the same once you douse it with Caesar.

I’m not too keen to the paper… but the pasta is really good… it’s due tonight so I’m giving you guys a sneak preview!

Hope you guys like it!
-Nate

                                                 

Narrative Final

The Language of Adoption

There have been many adoptions throughout history, but no story is as important to me as my own. During and after the adoption of my twin brothers, my mother and I both worked very hard to build a bond between my new siblings and ourselves, but in establishing our new family, language proved to be the greatest barrier to be overcome.

The car bumped over the icy roads as we wound through a never before seen winter wonderland. The fog was so dense that I couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of me. I was in a car with two complete strangers, hoping that they were going to take us to the right place. My mother held the translation book close to her as though it were a precious piece of jewelry. As the car pulled up to a tall building, the English translator looked over and told us that we were here. It was a hotel where we were to stay until the next morning.

Before the sun stretched over the horizon, my mother and I were up getting ready for the day. The two six year olds were probably still tucked away in their beds. I was so very excited to meet them; I could hardly wait. I had always begged my parents for siblings, but I had never gotten them; not until today. We were scurrying down the platform as our train started to pull away. The translator started running after it, and we followed. With a few death-defying jumps, we all made it aboard. After a few more hours on the train we, had crossed the Russian border into Kazakhstan. And before I knew it we were in a car again, on our last trek of the voyage to the orphanage.

When we arrived we were greeted by many people and taken to a dining room. We were about to meet my new twin brothers, and I was so excited I could hardly hold it in. After about 10 minutes, the caretakers showed up and brought food in for us to eat and said that the twins would be here soon. And not a minute later, they were there, standing in front of us; quiet, scowling, and very unhappy. My mom and I both smiled at them, hoping that they might smile back. They didn’t, but my mom tried asking them questions. The English translator was very helpful, translating both my mom and the twins back and forth. Finally it was my turn to ask them a question, I had no clue what to ask them, so the translator filled my silence and asked them if they were happy to have a brother.

“Niet,” they both replied in perfect unison. They both glared at me, and my heart sank. The room was silent. I knew exactly what they had said; I had read the basic words in my mom’s translation book. No, they did not want a brother at all.

We spent the next few weeks with the twins in Kazakhstan. I tried to avoid them for a while so I found people my own age and followed them to school. I was graciously greeted into their English classes. And I thought it was very funny that the only person that I could talk to and understand all day was the English teacher. To stay away from the twins at night I found sleeping quarters with one of the students I had met. When I was around the twins my mom recruited me to help run English flash cards in front of them. They didn’t always cooperate; sometimes they even became violent. One day my mom stopped and asked me if we should even try anymore or if we should just go home. No matter how I felt, I told her we should stay.

Before all the paperwork for the adoption was done, we had to leave to get me back to school. My mother would have to fly back to get the twins at a later date. On our departure the caretakers in the orphanage told my mom that the twins were curled up in their beds crying because they thought we weren’t coming back. My mother could not bear the thought of this and quickly hurried me onto the bus heading for the train. We took the train back to the Moscow airport. Just before we boarded the plane, the translator told my mom what the twins had been told before they met us. She told her that the caretakers had told them that my mom was their real mother, and that when they were babies she left them to go to America because she was sick. After my mom told me about the deception, I realized why they hated me so much. It was because in their mind, my mother had chosen me to take back to the US and not them.

Even at the beginning, language is a key element in creating a family. Without it, there can be misunderstandings such as this one. After arriving in the US my mother continued to speak Russian with them, until I told her that they would never learn English if she did so. With time my mom told them the truth and even told them the name of their real mother. And with time the twins became more acceptant to their new found; home, language, and their loving family; my loving family. And with the torture an older brother must disperse, I suppose they eventually grew on me too.

This story was writen as my Narrative paper for my English 111 class at NOVA and is based on a true story from my life; some details are enhanced, such as my mother holding the translation book closely when infact I don’t remember the car ride. Other details were left out in an effort to keep the paper stucture, depth, and scope.

Hope you enjoy,
-Nate

                                                 

I have done it,
I’ve buried my past.

Gone and desolate,
I remade my future.

A future for all to see,
No mistakes.

But to be haunted by my past?
A mistake I did not want to make.

Has a simple hello, in turn freed my past?
Deep down inside I want it. I loath not having it.

An addiction to love and hate.

I’ve hidden the pictures, I’ve hidden the letters,
The gifts, the thoughts, the touch…

Nothing was left.
To love… to hate…

However I could never erase the memory.
The box above my bed, holds my heavy burden.

I sleep soundly knowing that all my memories are safely forgotten,
Safely kept… in the box above my bed.

-Nate
11 December 2005

                                                 

Depression
“Rolling slowly, softly, gently;
Dripping of Compasion.

Drippedy, Drip, Drip, Drop;
The flow just wont stop;
The sadness just wont…!

Who can be so ignorant;
Why is the world so cruel;
How am I the only one who sees.

Sadness, Frustration, Anger;
Hate, Deceit, and Lies;
Improbable, Unsolvable fear.

Fear of loss…
Forever.

Sniffle, Deep Breath, Sigh;
Nobody loves me.”

-Nate
September 20th, 2005

                                                 

This was an assignment in my English 111 class. We had to write 2 paragraphs with 2 different views of the same person/thing. So of course I decided that instead of paragraphs, that I would write it in a poem.

Her
Her hair was a beautiful blonde;
Her eyes a majestic brown;
Her teath a pearly white;
She hardly showed a frown.
Her touch was warm and gentle;
Her heart was big and bright;
And no matter what she did;
Her goals were always kept in sight.

Her nose was as crooked as a witch;
Her makeup resembled a clown;
Her skin was pale and freckled;
Instead of a nice tanned brown.
Her cloths where wrinkled and tattered;
Her lips were chapped and dry;
The choices she made were foolish;
In hopes that she would die.

-Nate
19 September ‘05

To cure anyone’s curiosity… this poem is about no one. I can not write bad things about a person I love. Nor can I write good things about a person I hate. Thus this Character is fictional so I could write about her neutrally.

-Nate

                                                 

There once was a beautiful Princess;
She lived in a cottage, the bestest.
With Gummy Drops on top and icing for walls;
And a cute little Oompa Loompa who ran the local malls.
A fluffy white dragon who blew a nice warm breeze;
Through the trees and buzzing bees.
(Who became extra crispy when he sneezed)
But the Princess vacated her thrown;
The Prince was left there all alone,
He asked why she had to go;
And the Princess ran back, kissed him and said.
‘Fuck you Nate and the stupid fairy tail land you live in!’

This is not the beginning, nor is this story finished.
Cause every one knows with a grin;
That ALL fairy tails have a happy end.

-Nate
September 13th, 2005