When you blog, in the Title, write your first and last name as you would as if you are turning in a paper to me. Then you do not have to write my name because I know you are in my class. Write what CP English class you are in whether it is CP English 3 or 4 and what period.
In addition, for the title, if you are notetaker for the day, write "notes for the day" and put the date that you took the notes. However, if you are just blogging to fulfill those two required posts, write #1 Post or #2 Post, so I can easily keep track of them.
Of course, you are welcome to write more than the required two posts, and doing so, is another form of participation and does count in the participation grade. Perhaps, in class, you may not participate all that much but in the realm of the blogosphere, you can from the comfort of your own home, reflect on the day's class discussion or offer up an insight that you found particularly interesting, etc., etc.
Of course, I need not go on and on about being respectful towards your peers' opinions and beliefs. If you disagree with another student's views be discreet about it: Do not say so and so is completely wrong because of this and that. Instead, say, I disagree with so and so and here are the reasons why I do. Go after their evidence and support and do not, I repeat do not attack someone else personally. This is supposed to be a forum for everyone to share their ideas and views.
I may at some point have a different blog for each period but we will stay with one to make things simple.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
107 comments:
Hey this is Ryan just wanted to see if this works and I did everything right.
Thanks,
Ryan
Just posting to see how this works...
Thanks for posting. Obviously, I want for you students to post on what we talk about in Catcher in the Rye or in terms of our guest speaker, right? Interesting comment about history and science? We will cover a variety of topics in class that will hopefully cover many more subjects.
Remember, you can write on Catcher, our MDA speaker, or anything that comes up in class that you can comment or reflect upon.
Mr. cheese and flattuusmaximus needs to write more...
Nevertheless, thank you.
I did not have a very lucid idea of muscular dystrophy until Ms.Din informed us about it last Friday. I extol her for her outstanding effort to make the awareness of this disease ubiquitous. Thank you Ms.Din for giving us such a great presentation.
Life must be inconceivably difficult with the addition of this disease. I feel sorry for Mr.Din's younger brother because he has muscular dystrophy. Not only is he deprived of effective muscles, but also the social predicaments he encounters at school. Although there are affable people that are solicitous about his disease, there are always those that want to abase him with pejorative remarks. Hopefully there will be a cure that can successfully reanimate his muscles so he can enjoy the activities that we enjoy.
Once again, I thank Ms.Din for coming to our class. I was impressed of how placid she remained throughout the presentation. The presentation itself was very informative and I now have a better idea of the deleterious effects of muscular dystrophy.
- Kevin Ngo, Period 5
I thank Ms. Din for joining us in class that day to explain to us what MDS was. At first I did have a clue of what is what, but I wasn't so sure about it until she explained the effects. I enjoyed the presentation, because she gave it so much detail and it kept me interested in the topic. After hearing what Ms. Din had said to us about her brother, and the other individuals who have the disease, it made me think of how lucky I am to not have it, and i should be thankful for what I do have.
Howard Phan, Period 5
i really aprreciate ms.din for taking her time and sharing us her personal stories about her life. it was really intersting to hear what she had to go through. on top of that i really liked how she recorded her brother. at the end he said to appreciate the things you already have and i think that is very true. i should make the best of what i have because i should consider myself to be lucky.
-thao mai, period 5
On friday Ms. Din came into our class and talked to us about her personal life and the disease that her brother has. Before all these, i did not what muscular dystrophy is. I did not know that disease can really ruin a person life like that. I looked up to her because she went through a lot as a child. Going to different school and living a differnt live style is pretty hard. I learned a lot from that day. Now i cherish everything that i have and live a good life because i don`t know when this life will end.
Khanh Nguyen, Period 5
I had no idea what Muscular Dystrophy was until Ms. Din came into our class and talked about it. I personally thought it was very sad how her brother has it. When we listened to the recording of her brother, that was really tough, he sounds so sad, and I really feel bad for him. This made me realize how much I take for granted. The littlest things are hard for her brother. Her speech made me realize that I need to appreciate life more and not take everything for granted.
Travis B.
Period. 3
Having Ms. Din come into class was a very good experience for me. I had heard of musclar dystrophy before but have never really known what it is. It was really sad to listen to the recording of her brother. He sounded so sad and I only wish that one day he could walk again. I thought it was also sad when Ms. Din said that he will probably only live for a few more years and they have not even told him that. I now will not take for granted all of the little things in life that I may look over every day.
Andrew Kinney, period 5
Post #2: Juxtaposing Muscular Dystrophy and Taking for Granted Things in Life by Kevin Ngo, P.5
On Friday, we learned about how Ms.Din's younger brother must struggle through his everyday life to accomplish things that would otherwise be done effortlessly without muscular dystrophy.
To me, the most intriguing and effective part of Ms.Din's presentation was when she played her voice recorder. Her younger brother's yearning to run, walk, and play was very touching.
I often obtain a better appreciation of things that I have only when I lose them, but now I feel fortunate that my health is not restricted by muscular dystrophy.
Muscular Dystrophy is a disease I had no idea about. Everthing Ms. Din was saying was new, as well as eye opening. Hearing how her younger brother struggles with the simplest things we take for granted makes me realize how lucky we are to even stand up every morning. Ms. Din was saying how they are so close to a cure, and hopefully soon, this disease won't be as dangerous.Thanks to Ms. Din for taking the time to inform our class about Muscular Dystrophy, and to spread awareness and knowledge about this disease.
gloria kabaya, period 5
Before Ms. Din came to speak to our class i had a very vague outlook on Muscular Dystrophy. I knew what Muscular Dystophy was and knew little about what it did and how it worked. Ms. Din deffinetly gave me a larger outlook on the disease and i really understood more about it. It was heartbreaking to hear about her brother having the disease and how that has affected her and her family. I dont even want to think about my brother getting Muscular Dystophy, he is so athletic and in my opinion has a bright future ahead of him, and to imagine him getting a life threatening disease is just horrible. I really feel for Ms. Din's brother it was really sad to hear him talk about having the disease and talk about not being able to do so many things that all of us can. Ms. Din is deffinetly an inspiration and she is walking proof that we all can help make a difference in some way whether it be small or large. I also want to thankMs. Din for coming in and speaking to our class.
Analyzing the Conversation Between Holden and Horwitz by Kevin Ngo, P.5
This is just a recapitulation of what I talked about in class...
On pg.81 Holden asks the cab driver,"Do you happen to know where they [the ducks] go in the wintertime, by any chance?" The significance of this quote is that Holden is curious to know where the ducks go to find warmth in the cold wintertime. The warmth symbolizes happiness and the ducks symbolizes Holden. He wants to be like a duck and fly away to find that warmth but instead he is like a "fish" that is entangled in the depressing cold winter ice.
"Their bodies take in nutrition and all..."
- This quote by Horwitz is important because it is describing the fish. The nutrition can be juxtaposed to love and happiness while the fish are Pencey Prep students. Unlike the other students at Pencey Prep who are "frozen" into the school. Holden feels like he is not assimilating the "nutrients" the way they are so that is why he is so desperate to depart the insipid school.
Ms. Din taught me about what Muscular Diff was all about. I have never heard about of it before then. Its very sad what it can do to a person. In the tape recording you could hear that he was slow at talking. You can see even he muscles in his mouth and cheeks are week and make it hard to speak. My life would be 100% different if i had it. I couldnt do many of my activitys i do everyday. I hate running but i need to be glad that i can run.
Notes of the Day 2/27
1. Run-on
A sentence that does not stop
Example:
If one were to be an animal I would be a roily Polly it best describes me because I myself am a peculiar creature.
Way to fix-
If one were to be an animal, I would be a roily Polly. It best describes me because I myself am a peculiar creature.
FANBOYS
ONDUREO
RDRT T
2. Fragments-
not a full sentence / incomplete thought / missing a verb or noun
Example:
Sorts of acts like me. Chimpanzee
Way to fix it-
A chimpanzee sort of acts like me.
3. Semicolon- ;
takes place of a period / combine two like sentences.
4. Colon- :
starts a list, or another sentence.
Example:
I am like a dog: I have to earn my treat.
5. Commas-
Example:
Honestly,
DC
If I had to pick an animal to be, I would pick a gold fish.
IC
I would be a gold fish because I like being cool.
6. Do not use “you” 20 times use one instead.
7. Do not use slang.
I realize that it has been a few days since Ms. Dinh has came into class to talk to us about muscular dystrophy, but I decided to blog on it anyways. When Ms. Dinh had shared her interview with her little brother it made my heart drop. He is so strong and has such a positive attitude about everything that happens to him, and even though kids pick on him, he still hangs in there. I had a good idea about what Ms. Dinh was talking about because when I graduate from highschool I'd like to study and be an occupational therapist. An occupation therapist is the rehabilitation of mentally and physically disabled people by teaching them a skill or having the person do something that involves using their muscles. When she was sharing here story all I could think about was being an occupational therapist. I thought that if I became an occupational therapist not only would it be rewarding to the kids but also to me. I think it would be rewarding to me because I would be helping kids who have so much courage, hope, and are always positive. I like the idea knowing that I could help a child and bring a smile to their face while doing something I really enjoy doing. I had asked Ms. Dinh for the website because I really want to check this organization out and do community service with these kids (the website is www.MDA.org if you are interested). Ms. Dinh's story has really influenced me to go for my dreams and not to give up, because here are these kids that don't have very long to live, and they have to make the best out of things. And when the kids think they have nothing to live for and are really upset, I'd be the one to lift their head up high and tell them to hang in there. I just wanted to thank Ms. Dinh for coming to our class and sharing her story with us. I'd also like to thank her for inspiring me to follow my dream to become an occupational therapist. Also, I’d like to thank her little brother for sharing his thoughts about having muscular dystrophy and for hanging in there and being so positive.
CP 3
PERIOD 5
KAYLA MARLEY
hi mr hsiao!
I wasn't there on Friday when the guest speaker came. Today when Khanh and Ta did their presentation. I never knew Holden could get that desperate but in the end he did a good thing and just gave the lady the money. And today's lesson was a great review! it would helped me a lot in my writing.
-- Michelle Nguyen Period 5
About Today's Reading Check... Kevin Ngo, Period 5
"I'm one of these very yellow guys" -Holden Pg.88
One of the reading check questions asked what being "yellow" meant. I wanted to give an interesting interpretation of the term but instead I wrote something very inscrutable and absurd.
I reasoned that green is a color that can represent money. Then I associated money with greed. Afterwards, I wrote that blue and yellow fuse in order to generate green. Since Holden was "yellow," he was only half "green," and therefore, half greedy.
In the book, Holden says that he "ought to sock the guy in the jaw...Only, I wouldn't have the guts to do so." This quote exhibits that he is "yellow" because although he feels a greed for violence, he restrains himself from doing so.
After the reading check, I thought of a different meaning for being yellow. I associated the term with yellow cards in soccer. A yellow card in soccer is a caution that is given if the player does something illegal on the field. Holden felt a "caution" and was hesitant to attack the other guy.
Anyways, I hope Mr.Hsiao tells us a more accurate definition of being yellow tomorrow.
Michelle Nguyen Period 5
I don't think its anything about what we were talking in class today but i just felt like blogging. I went watched music and lyrics today. The movie "got to me." It was a really good movie. i recommend to watch it. It's cute how two strangers fell in love by making a song. In the end you`ll never know what's life like because life is full of surprises.
I just wanted to express my appreciation towards Ms. Din and the time she spent preparing for our class. Thank you very much for explaining about MDA and telling us your own personal experience with the disease. I will be there next Saturday to help out. Thank you for helping me become aware of every little thing we take for granted. <3 anja P5
JUST so everyone knows, I love our class.
that's how you use a comma right?!
Holden talks about everyone being phony all the time. He is always saying he hates when people do things that he doesn't agree with. Some reason he doesn't realize that he makes all this mistakes too. He does everything he hates. So realy he is annoyed with himself. He is so annoyed with himself that he blames other people for doing the same thing. He must be at a new level of self pity.
Today, in class we had a presentation on chapters 14 & 15. Nancy and Lam did a good job, it helped me a lot on the reading check that we had today. Holden is getting picked on everywhere he goes, but he never really do anything about it except crying. Crying doesn't help make things better, you just need to stand up for yourself and fight till you win. Holden shouldn't sit there and give up, just stand up for himself and maybe things can get better. Tomorrow, we are going to have a guest speaker. I can't wait to see what this one is going to be about. I am exceited for class tomorrow.
khanh nguyen period 5
I'm too lazy to type something creative because it's too late at night so here's something from my IRAC about the theme of authenticity that we haven't covered in class yet...
On page eighty-four, Holden said, “You couldn’t see his fingers while he [Ernie] played, just his big old face.” Ernie’s fingers are what exhibits his piano skills; however the mirror only displays his face. Holden thinks that the crowd is mindless in that they only clap because Ernie is a distinguished pianist, not for his piano skills. Holden is angry because Ernie has been subjected to pleasing others whom do not respect his skill but his image.
By the way, good job Lam and Nancy on presenting yesterday.(It's midnight)
Today was a very exciting day! For english we had a guest speaker who talked about what helping others is all about. Her delivery made her very interesting and kept everyone listening! She told of her story which was inspiring and caused me to rethink my whole purpose in life and how to help others in need. After she said that she was a Christian, it made me very excited to see a Christian speaker at my school talking and making a big impact on everyone. It's very rare to see a Christian speaker at a public school. I was very intrigued when she said she studied in Hong Kong for several years and came back to start helping with women's problems. After telling what exactly she helps out with, I pictured myself in her job, and realized that I wouldn't be suited enough because i'm not patient and i wouldn't have the right words to say to help the individual. I really enjoyed this guest speaker the best and really appreciated her for inspiring me.
Now i get it! haha
Last Friday a 19 year old woman born in Bangladesh visited my english class. She told her story, which was outstanding, about muscular dystrophy. It almost made me cry. Her story was about how muscular dystrophy affected her brother and she told us how severe it can be. Her brother of 12 years old has the most severe and common type. Ms. Din told us that that muscular dystrophy is from genetics and usually only males get it, but sometimes girls can get it too. It has to do with the X and Y chromosomes.
Ms. Din's story was heartbreaking and depressing. It inspired me and educated me about the world we live in. The world seems perfect on the outside, but in reality it's chaotic and is full of discrimination toward people who are alienated because of it.
I thought that the guest speaker, Mrs.Smith, was philanthropic in that she was solicitous about the well-being of others. I found that I could juxtapose some of the things that she talked about to my own experiences, such as the small things I do that benefit to the community.
Because I am Asian, I was raised to exhibit incomparable respect to my parents and older people. Being taught manners and how to respect others by my parents helped me become a better member of the community. Although saying "hello" or washing the dishes may seem unrewarding, you are really receiving respect because you are being a model of altruism by helping others.
Another thing that I can relate with the presentation is talking with my grandparents. My grandma has trouble speaking so it's difficult to understand what she is trying to say. Everyday I go in her room and spend about twenty minutes to listen to her talk. She always worries about everything and I think I make her day better by spending time with her.
Thanks Ms.Smith for coming to our class. Your presentation really helped me understand the responsibilities of being a member of the community.
On Friday, we had a guest speaker named Cristina Rose Smith come to our class and talk about her involvement in the Women's Resource Center. She also talked to us about being a good citizenship and why it's important to be apart of a community.
She began her presentation by telling us about her priorities and how it's important for one to have their priorities in order. Like her, my priorities are about the same with family coming first, then school and my other activities. She also told us the importance of helping others. I think it's very important to help each other in our community. It's like the old saying, giving is much better than recieving.
Anyways, to sum this whole comment up I would like to thank Ms. Smith for coming over to our class and using her time to talk to us. She was very passionate and talkative during her presentation and made it interesting to listen to.
-Tim Vu Period 3
On Friday, Cristina Rose Smith, our guest speaker for the day, came and talked to our class. Her presentation was all about women's right's and what's important in life. Like me, Christina said family was a number one prioritie. Along with friends, social life, and whatnot. She expressed with us how helping out with the community and bring a citizen is extremely important. There are people out there everyday that need help, and you just might be it. I just want to thank Ms. Smith for taking time out of her busy schedule and comming and talking to us about somethings she's so passionate about.
angelTOGAFAU
p.5
As Ms. Smith was giving her presentation, I started to read the paper she gave us. At the very bottom it says "What community is not - isolation... class/ethnicity/gender distinctions. As I read it I wondered what she meant by the class/ethnicity/gender distinctions part. I understand part of it, but I feel as if there is a bigger picture. The paper also says to not be "close-minded". Because I am Mormon people always ask me what I can and can not do, and sometimes they use the term "close-minded" whenever I tell them about certain things I can not do ( or vice versa "You need to keep a more open mind"). I was just wondering if there is a certain extent that you should keep your mind open open. Is it possible to keep your mind too open?
Michelle Nguyen Period: 5
Blog #3
On Friday when Ms Smith came in and talked to us about her life. I really appreciate how she give up her time to go in our class and tell us about her career. I enjoyed what she said and do. She seems a very loving and caring lady. It's very cool what she does for our community. I can tell she loves to get involve with other things in the community. I just wanna thank you and i really appreciate how Ms Smith came in our class.
Hi all,
It's great to see your thoughts about my visit. I'm honored by some of your responses about culture, community service, and identity. Thank you for letting me come and talk with you!
It's great to feel connected to some of you. I am a Christian, which I do think connects across cultures - particularly because of GRACE. And, like most of you, family is very important!
I thought it was cool to hear that some of you spend time with your grandparents. Good for you!
About open-mindedness: I do think you are right - at some point you need some truths to depend on. I think it is up to you to choose which ones are important to you - like the priorities I talked about. Anyways, I'm still thinking about this. Godspeed as you continue your journey and discover your voice!
Michelle Nguyen Period 5
Blog # 4
I`m sorry i didn't show up during lunch today. I didn't even go to school. I'm sick. I think i got food poisoning or something, but I don't feel too well. I'm pretty sure I'm going to school tomorrow so can we meet during lunch tomorrow? I`m sorry!
Yesterday how the lady went over school registration stuff. Now it makes me wonder what i would do with my life. I know I want to be an orthodontist. I'm actually working at my orthodontics place and I`m slowing learning all these new stuff about it. Its quite interesting. And now its a step closer to the real world where you need to be independent and you need to be more responsible and organized in life. But as of right now, I'll enjoy my high school life!
today we had a presentation on chapter 16 & 17. it helped me a lot on my reading checked today. i didn`t know one or two questions but it will help me on my irac this week. they did a very good job. holden wants someone there to love him and support him in everything that he is doing. i don`t know what i`ll do if i was holden. i don`t like being alone and do things myself. tomorrow we are going to have a presentation on chapter 18 & 19 i think it will be very interesting.
khanh nguyen period 5
On Tuesday the registration lady came in to talk to us about our classes for next year. I started thinking about what I really wanted to be again. First I wanted to be a doctor or nurse. Now I want to be a teacher. I love working with children. It makes me happy when i see a little kid's face bright up when they figure out how to do something. When I grow up I want someone to be able to look up to and say i want to be like you when i grow up. I still have so much to look for when I start my future.
When Ms. smith came last Friday i thought about how much more i can help in the community. Right now i am working with Ocean View High School. They are trying out this Work Ability Program. Right now we are doing community service at the Senior home in Huntington Beach. We go and decorate the main room where they have their main activities at. This time we decorated the room for St. Patrick's Day.I love to do things that involve being creative. It makes me happy to see the Seniors having fun and enjoying the room that we decorated.
-Rozzy, period 5
Its Brett, just checking to see if this works, I'll post here again sometime soon.
TESTING, ONE TWO...
Hello, is this thing on?
Jason Frazier
CP English 3
P.5
IRAQ Struggles
(Blog #1)
I am writing this blog tonight because i still have to do my IRAQ which is do tomorrow. I do not want to do it, but i am going to push my self in doing so. These two chapters where probably the most boring chapters in the book and the most difficult to write about. My "posting" name is leavamark because it is my xbox360 gamer tag, and i didn't feel like thinking of a creative or thoughtful "posting name." Ok. Now I am going to do my IRAQ. TTYL. †.† wish me luck.
Oh sweet, it worked! This is officially my first post... how exciting. Anyway, I thought today's reading check was okay. I didn't finish reading chapter 19, but Tim did a pretty good job at summarizing in his IRAC presentation. Yay, Tim! :D After the quiz, I finished drawing my character interpretation (come to think of it, I still need to color it. Oh no!) I'm working on my IRAC right now. It's becoming a real tedious thing to do, I'm bored with it.
Holy $#%@, I'm also watching TV and I just saw the commercial for the movie Dead Silence. Is anybody else anticipating it as much as I am? I mean, it's from the makers of Saw... and those films were ridiculously gruesome but good. Yeah, I'm totally going off on a totally different tangent here...
I think I'll finish this up and complete my IRAC. Mmmhm, sounds good.
Until next time,
Suong Nguyen
CP English 3, Period 3
Thanks for the posts guys. Kevin and "My shell" have been on a tear of late. So thank you for that. Good work!
Suong thank you for contributing but watch out with the language. This is a blog and you are free to express yourself but in the confines of acceptable language. Let us try to keep it PG shall we?
But thank you.
Kevin and Anja missed you guys this whole week.
Andrew Boch and Kinney and Travis, good luck at that invitational. You guys will be missed as well.
I will post some of the poems that I found particularly well done that we did not have a chance to read in class but at least I can publish them.
(Pacifist or Patriotism)
---Andrew Kinney Period 5
I am not a pacifist
I will go to war
For in order to keep our freedoms
We must fight like your fathers before
Not to kill
But to save our country oncemore.
If I were a pacifist
I might as well move to France
And think of the freedoms that will be missed
By me in America
What other way is there to obtain peace?
You tell me and I will object
For a pacifist will always forget
The sacrifice our forefathers took.
Mr. Hsiao's comments:
Mr. Kinney followed the format of the assignment which was to pick a theme from Catcher in the Rye "pacifist" and relate it what we have talked about: citizenship, Americanism, and community service, right?
Not only does he delve into our liberties and what we as Americans take for granted, but he (as the poet's speaker) definitely voices what he would do?
There is a strong presence and voice there. You know I always relate it back to IRACs right? But, yes, give me a good argument and keep it tight and focused, and you will earn a good grade. I am being way to teacherly here. Nevertheless, good job Mr. Kinney.
Nice work!!!
The Mask
---Rachel Hall period 3
He hides behind his mask
The smile that fools everyone
If you want to know just ask
But he won't tell you, cause he hides
The fake laugh that no one sees past
I know he is hurting
I know he has problems
How? You are asking
Because I, too, hide behind the very same mask.
Mr. Hsiao's comments:
Good work here! The turn in the end is the best part and it is also the longest line, which dips into the next line (but obviously because of the blog format we cannot see what is on your paper). The mask is what we all hide behind. We all wear different masks or hats (it is whatever metaphor you choose) for our parents, relatives, friends, co-workers, boy(girl)friends, and what not. So, yes, I see the current of empathy you have for him as well as for yourself. It is readily apparent that you took a look inside Holden and saw a little bit your yourself in there as well. Good job! Again, I am being teacherly--look at all the comments, right?
I wanted to mention to you that some of you have excellent drawing skills and some of you well (I include myself in this latter part) well do not.
Today, we will talk about your pictorial representations of Catcher in the Rye.
However, Mr. Philip Khieu, I wanted to let you know that your artwork is sublime. Keep up the good work!
Invisible Tattoos of Everyone I Have Met
---a former student of mine's work
I wear the invisible tattoo of everyone I have met
Showing on all parts of me:
A stamp, a trademark
Changing the way I appear
And altering the way I see myself.
Some tattoos are painful as they are applied,
Burning into my skin,
Lingering behind
Even after the artist has vanished
And the needles are gone.
Some are only decals.
The person who left them barely leaves a mark.
And before long, there is only a small residue.
A fading reminder
These do not matter much.
A few tattoos I keep to myself.
Hidden in places, no one sees,
I won't show them to anyone
At least not anytime soon.
These secret symbols were formed by those who loved me most
And also by those who wounded me the deepest.
Some of them have never stopped bleeding.
When you look at me, it is obvious that my skin is not my own.
The patterns mix and sometimes clash.
But the design is uniquely ME
And everyone, I've me bears my tattoo.
Oh! As a reminder to myself, Mr. Dawson, I will return your poems or work (if you will) to you because they are yours.
MDA Event: The Indian Princess Swimathon
(Extra Credit Oppurtunity)
*For those unable to make it, you can go onto MDA.org and write a one pager-single spaced journal response instead of attending this event*
However, it would be more fun to cheer on MDA and the girls who swim!
Place:
1702 Nisson Road
Tustin, CA 92789
Day/Time:
Saturday March 10
1:30-4:00PM
Phone number (714) 832-8910
Muscular Dystrophy Challenge MD
Contact: Tiara Din
Phone # (714) 366-7723
e-mail tiara_d4@yahoo.com
Directions from Fountain Valley:
405 S
Merge onto 55 N
Merge onto 5 S
Take the Red Hill exit
Turn right onto Red Hill Ave.
Turn left onto Nisson RD.
You are there!
Mr. Hsiao:
I will be there from 12:45-4:00PM. Please come and check in with me.
We will be cheering families of the Blue Buoy Swim School or the young girls with Muscular Dystrophy and giving them the oppurtunity to swim and have the freedom and confidence to succeed.
The Diary of Anne Frank (Extra Credit Oppurtunity)
The closing dates are this final weekend:
Friday, March 9th 8PM
Saturday, March 10th 8PM
Sunday, March 11th 2PM
Turtle Rock Community Center
1 Sunnyhill Drive, Irvine
www.calmet.com/ICT
949-559-6797
From Fountain Valley-
405 South Exit University
Right at University
Left at Ridgeline
Left at Turtle Rock Drive
Left at Sunnyhill Drive
Right into Turtle Rock Community Park
(1 Sunnyhill Drive)
Ticket Prices
Students (under 18) $12
Please arrive at least 15 minutes before curtain.
There is a verification slip you need to turn into the box office people but if you do not have it, that is fine.
Not much went on in class today because of assembly schedule and all, that was kinda lame. Mr.Hsiao showed us some pictures relating to Catcher, from that assignment we recently did. One did stick out in my mind though, and that was the one with the World Trade Center depicted in it. Although a whole mess of meanings could be derived from it, the picture was a simple, yet perfect representation of 9/11 and relating to Holden's life being shocking and hard.
Oh, I saw 300 today, GREAT movie. Reason I'm bringing this up is that the movie did remind me of catcher at this one part when a Spartan soldier gets decapitated and his father who is on the battlefield with him, goes bat$@#% crazy and become "drunk with blood." He basically goes on a rampage and slaughters every opposing Persian soldier in front of him. This reminded me of the anger Holden must have felt when Allie died and he probably wanted to kill everyone around him. So yeah I surprised myself by thinking about Catcher in the Rye today.
No one understands
No one understands,
No one hears my plea.
I know you’re gone but in my heart
I know that were meant to be.
I never thought I’d die so soon.
I seemed do happy.
How could any one have known?
Tomorrow holds nothing but darkness and pain.
The sky is always dark.
It starts to rain.
I take the knife in my right hand,
This is what the fates demand.
I don’t know how to let you go.
How do you say goodbye?
How do you watch your brother walk away?
I wish I could make you turn around and see me cry.
I wish I could make you turn around and watch me die.
I need to realize that now you’re gone.
I should know you’re never coming back.
Why did you go away?
I would have done anything to make you stay!
I close the door,
I slit my wrist,
I hit the floor,
I know its over.
There’s no one here to hear my screams,
There’s no one here to end this dream.
I am all alone and I don’t even care,
I tried to look for hope … but the world was bare.
I lie here and die.
It’ll all be over soon.
There’s nothing anyone could have done.
I say good-bye to the only one.
so i watched the anne frank thing today with some friends and it was actually interesting to watch. surprisingly there were actually a few kids from our school there. but good job to mrs. winkle
Hello everyone!!
I want to first thank everyone who participated in the MDA Indian Princess Swimathon event. You guys were awesome!! Doraliza, Mr.Hsiao and I were very pleased with everyones anticipation.
Also just wanted to reply back on the comments in regards to my presentation. I'm very happy to hear that it has inspired alot of you to look at life from another perspective. I hope everyone will carry on the message of courage and persue your own personal passion.
Michelle Nguyen Period: 5
Blog #5
It was my pleasure to participated in the MDA. It was a new experienced for me. I'm actually looking forward for the summer camp. It has inspired to get more involved with these kind of community things. Even though it doesn't really do anything to the kids, but it makes them feel better to have people to be there and support them in these kind of things. I really enjoyed it !
Michelle Nguyen Period:5
Blog #6
Thank you Mr Hsiao for offering and helping in my writing skills. It was a great talk yesterday. It helped me a lot for my college thinking. I appreciated it. Within couple of weeks I see that I've improved a lot so imagine by the end of this semester, I'll be better than before. Thank you Thank you (: Much appreciated
About the passage we read the other day on Page 154... Kevin Ngo, P.5
Earlier in the book, we learned the significance of the conversation between Holden and Horwitz, the cab driver. As a class, we analyzed what the frozen lake, ducks, and fish symbolized.
- The frozen lagoon represented an insipid, postmodern, life.
- The ducks represented those who
were capable of escaping this life and fly to a location that was more pleasant.
- Unlike the ducks, the fish are entrapped in the postmodern life.
Anyways, on this page, Holden said,
"I walked all around the whole lake - I near fell in once, in fact - but I didn't see a single duck. I Thought maybe if there were any around, they might be asleep or something near the edge of the water, near the grass and all. That's how I nearly fell in. But I couldn't find any.
^This quote is one of the most important quotes in the book. Later in the book, Holden says that he wants to be "the catcher in the rye." The rye symbolizes childhood and Holden wants to be the "catcher" who catches children that fall off, so they don't end up losing the beauty of their childhood.
The ducks can be juxtaposed to these children. Infact, it can be inferred that Holden himself used to be a duck, until he fell into the lagoon and drowned in a life full of corruption. This is why he is afraid that he was going to fall in when he walked around the edge of the lagoon. He also checks around the edge to make sure if the ducks, or "children," are there, to make sure they don't fall in the same way he has.
Holden is slowly giving up his goal of finding the warmth. I think that on page 154, when he said he had ice in his hair, it means that he no longer has warmth on his mind.
Jason Frazier
P.5
Blog #2
I saw the movie 300 opening weekend. I looked at how much money the movie has made so far and it has made over $70 million. This proves that it is an excellent movie. The graphics and fighting seens were spectacular and the whole plot and Spartan pride was good too. There was a "creater" I forget the name, but it had a big hunch bag and was small and ugly looking. His dream was to fight with the Spartan king and die with honor like a man Spartan could, but his alienation between others prevented this mostly because he couldn't raise his shield. You could tell this creature lived in adolescent angst because it traveled alone the whole way while following the 300 Spartan warriors. I would tell you more, but i don't want to spoil the movie for you guys. I recommend that you guys see. I guarentee that when you leave the movie you will be inspired to become a Spartan.
POST #2, YEAH!
The story of Mr. Theriault's life and legacy is really inspiring. It made me think of how I can be a better person to the community. I didn't really have an idea of how many young children, let alone people, lived in poverty until today. I'm very thankful for all the hard work my parents have done to give me and my other three siblings better lives. I know for a fact that they struggled real hard when they were growing up. Having food on the table and clothes on your back is such a luxury, and I think at times we all take that forgranted. I mean, sometimes we complain that we're "so broke" while others don't even have two dimes to rub together. All in all, today's class was really interesting and I greatly admire what a compassionate individual Mr. Theriault is.
Suong Nguyen
CP English 3
Period 3
Mr.Theriault's presentation allowed us to acknowledge the opportunity we have in this country to help those who are less fortunate. A few years ago, I visited Saigon, Vietnam. I was walking to a restaurant and on my way there, I saw a crippled man laying on the floor, begging for money. There were many people walking around, but they didn't really care about the man. After two weeks in Vietnam, I saw so many people that are in the same predicament as this homeless man. It made me appreciate the efforts that people in the U.S. make to support the homeless, such as providing shelter or cooking soup for them. I think the homeless relate to The Catcher in the Rye in that, like Holden, they desperately need others who care for them. It's great that we are given so many opportunities in the U.S. to show them that we care.
This is Brooklyn Boes's MDA service learning write up:
On Saturday, when I went to the MDA swimathon, it really touched me. Yeah, I was a little late and missed the speech and the event (but) I still saw some of the kids, and it was just really sad.
Watching the kids in the pool was probably the worst (for me); they look so normal and probably don't even know that there is something wrong with them. Just watching them have fun and laugh made me happy to see (be there).
Also, when Ms. Din was in our class talking, she mentioned how a sign is (that) the kids walk on their toes (a sign of Muscular Dystrophy). Well I noticed as I was sitting down eating, I saw a boy probably 8 years old walking around. He was walking on his toes, and I think he was getting to the point where he couldn't run anymore because, when he tried to run, it seemed hard for him.
Just watching these kids, (it was difficult) knowing that most of them could not be here anymore (by the time) they would be 20 years old.
It is really sad and makes me realize a lot. I really hope they find a cure for this disease really soon because these kids should not have to suffer with this. It is very sad knowing that most of them will never be able to experience at least half of the things I have done and makes me really sad and grateful (that I am healthy and alive).
Mr. Hsiao's comments:
I believe that once we compare ourselves to others with less than we truly understand how our life is blessed and worth living. Thank you Ms. Boes.
The () are mine to make it more grammatically sound; well, at least to me, that is. Ha ha.
I was overwhelmed when I got in a fight with my best friend and my other close friend helped me through it and comforted me.
Once in 4th grade, I had a lot of work (to complete), and my mom helped me.
I felt overwhelmed with my schoolwork. My sister was there for me; she stayed up late nights with me. She encourages me in many ways.
Mr. Hsiao's comments:
Here are some of your reading check answers that I read and I wanted to share. Of course, this will be anonymous because I do not want to embarass the parties involved. It could be either in period 3 or 5. This deals obviously with the alienation and adolescent angst that Holden feels but I asked you to talk about your experience of being overwhelmed.
Here are some more:
I was sad when my girlfriend left and went home; she was mad at me. I just talked to a friend about it.
When I was on the street (homeless?) and didn't know what to do, my best friend rescued me and kept me alive (to this very) day.
And some more...
I felt overwhelmed when I had figured out that my best friend asked the girl I liked out. The person who confronted me was the person I expected least to comfort me. He was a person I have been "hating on" for a while. (Surprising, huh?)
One time this year, I felt too overwhelmed with school and didn't think that I could do sports or anything. But my friends and coach told me I could do it, and I PUSHED on.
I was doing (work for another class) and was all (frustrated and angry) and my brother came by and started to help me. (Thank you, bro)
When I feel bad about something I did wrong, my mom comforted and tried to make me feel better. It (always) helps, and I feel better.
I usually feel overwhelmed when it is finals week and I am loaded with homework, projects, and studying for finals.
In the beginning of the school year, my boyfriend of 10 months brok up with me. I didn't know what to do except cry on my friend's shoulder. I couldn't stop but she was there for me.
When I was thinking about quitting the basketball team, but I didn't want to inside because I didn't want to put up with any of the (craziness anymore). So everyone ended up trying to comfort me and stop me from crying. (They all gathered round me and hugged me)
There was this one time when my big brother made me cry and tried to make me feel better by doing funny stuff to me. He took something of min or said something to make me cry. I was in a sensitive phase where even the slightest comment could push my buttons. He tried to do what one does to a bird in a cage when it should go to sleep. He covered me with a blanket and said "there now stop and go to sleep." That (is), it made me laugh and give him a little kick.
There was a time in elementary schol that a teacher was being really hard on my friends and giving us detentions and sentences (?). We were both crying and my sister stood up for us and was trying very hard to make the situation right. I really appreciated that (and I thanked for it).
When my dad left for a month, I was overwhelmed with sadness and my sister tried to make me feel better.
On the night, before my grandma's funeral, I had my best friend, "my sister" spend the night; she was there at the fuenral to. She came here for me to cry on, and she was there to hold my head like I needed.
A time (I was overwhelmed) was when my uncle died and I was overwhelmed but so were my cousins, so we were all there for each toerh and got through it.
My comments:
I have others to post but I wanted to share that...
I love reading these aspects of your lives. For me, it is the best part of being a teacher. The fact that you (trust me to) share with me a little part of yourselves and, hopefully (I want for you), in sharing this pathos, you feel a little bit freer. At least, that is my intention.
And relating this back to Catcher in the Rye...
Holden Caufield went through a far worse experience of school and life than you have or at least that is how he views his life: alienated, postmodern, agnst-riddent, and etc. etc.
Nevertheless, to most of you, Holden is a fictional character. My attempt is to show you that what you are going through is normal and others (your classmates) are experiencing this as well.
As for the IRACs...
(this is especially meant for period 3), let me reiterate to you: Take it easy on the first 2 paragraphs. Write five sentences on a certain theme (We are almost done with Catcher in the Rye; so, when we move onto new themes, just pick the summary that best fits that specific theme). Believe it or not there are students who write a page and get a B+ or A-. It is possible but you have to be very focused in your argument (in relation to a theme) and have very little grammatical mistakes as well! We will talk about this some more on Monday.
Let's see. Hhhmm. For the reading checks, just read for understanding. I will not ask for totally minute details that are circumpsect or not relevant! Nevertheless, I will NOT penalize you for the reading check answers that are "in the vicinity" of being correct; as for the answers that talk about something "out there," well obviously you know my response to that, right? I cannot give you credit for those.
Open Interpretation questions are "gimmes" and "freebie" points. Vocabulary questions are easy. You all have a good vocabulary basis.
Just as long, as I can account for you reading. And let me say again that the reading checks are to help you with writing the IRACs. They are not busy work and neither are the IRACs.
You guys are improving your writing and thinking. A lot of you guys are doing a lot better. It is nice to see. We will (I am sure) talk about his much more this upcoming week.
Have a good Sunday, all. Please post some more on what your students wrote in their reading checks and also about Mr. Theriault or anything that you read or heard in class. Thanks.
During today's discussion, I noticed some minor things in the passages that we read that may have a deeper meaning.
For example on page 4, Holden said,"The week before that, somebody'd stolen my camel's-hair coat right out of my room, with my fur-lined gloves right in the pocket and all." These items, the coat and the gloves, could symbolize the "warmth" that he's searching for. I think that the "camel's-hair coat" could symbolize his childhood. A camel carries people on it's back and it sort of relates to an adult carrying a child on his or her back. Holden has been deprived of his "camel's-hair coat" so he is no longer a child, getting a piggy-back ride from an adult. The gloves could also symbolize Jane's hand or happiness. He mentions later in the book that he felt happy when he held her hand. Now that he lost his gloves, his hands are cold because no one is holding it anymore.
On page 5, Holden said,"I was really frozen." This relates to the idea that Holden is a fish, frozen in the lagoon.
On page 6...
"She [Mrs.Spencer] didn't hear me ask her how Mr.Spencer was. She was sort of deaf.
^ This excerpt exhibits that people are not really solicitous about Holden. As the story goes on, we learn that not a lot of people actually listen to what Holden has to say.
Thank you Britney Maloney!
This is her first blog:
I thought that Mr.Theriault was an exceptional choice for a guest speaker. Not only was he very well prepared but his life story really seemed to reach out to me. I don't think I have ever met anyone so caring and compassionate towards others. The fact that he risked losing his job when he was younger for a man he didn't even know during a time where he couldn't afford to lose his job really stood out a lot. He is an extremely well-rounded person and I think our class was very privileged to have such an honorable man come to speak with us. I think that we all could learn a lot from him. I also think that if there were more people out there like Mr. Theriault that the world might just be a much better place to live in. Thanks again Mr. Hsiao for getting him to come speak for us.
About Maturity...
I have some things I want to add to Kayla's analysis on Holden's burgeoning maturity towards the end of the novel. By the way, I think I left my book in your class, Mr.Hsiao.
Holden has been immature in many ways. He abhorred everybody around him, feeling that they are the root of his problems. A mature person would not cast blame on others, but rather reason that the greatest griefs are caused by his or herself. Holden also thinks that corruption is ubiquitous in the world and tries to obstruct it's path from contaminating the beauty of childhood. This is another example of an immature act. By doing this, Holden was being stubborn. He's just an ineffective dam, trying to prevent the impure river of adulthood from passing, but it would inevitably gush through.
At the end of the book, Holden stood outside the carousel in the rain. The carousel symbolizes childhood and the rain symbolizes adulthood. He watched as Phoebe rides on it. While the other adults tried to escape the rain, or corrupted adulthood, by seeking refuge under the warmth of the carousel, Holden stood there in the rain and was not solicitous about being soaked and cold. He is mature now because he accepts the fact that the world is cold and there's nothing he can do about it. He said that if Phoebe fell off, then she fell off. He no longer holds responsibility for her fragile childhood, knowing that the pressure of the corrupted world would eventually break it anyways. Like a plant seed, Holden needed to endure the pounding of a harsh rain before he can grow into a flower.
Hi
My post today is going to be about the guest speaker, Mr.Theriault, that came to our class on Friday. I enjoyed his speech a lot because he showed how much he cared about helping others around him. He told us many personal stories about himself and his background. He even got emotional several times in his speech, but that made it even better because it showed that the stories he was talking about are really important to him. I thought that the story where his grandparents fed and clothes a complete stranger was amazing. I don't even know if I would do that if the situation occurred at my doorstep. Also, i liked how he said that the greatest gift he has is that he knows his children have compassion toward others. I too think that it is very important to respect one another no matter how different you are from them.
-Tim Vu Period 3
Grant's presentation today was amazing, and that is all I have to say for now.
Thank God tomorrow is Friday.
I'll write more later,
Suong Nguyen
I watched the movie The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith today. It had to do with a lot of things that we discuss in class, such as homelessness and preserving the innocence in children.
In the movie, Chris Gardner, played by Will Smith, and his son become homeless. They needed to stay in shelters organized by philanthropists. I witnessed how important these shelters are for the homeless and got a better idea about what Mr.Theriault does to help the them.
In the beginning of the movie, Chris sees the F word spray-painted on the of his son's daycare center. He said it should be cleaned off because he doesn't want his son to be affected by it. This is like Holden rubbing the word off the wall to preserve the innocence of children.
I'm really enjoying the movie Joy Luck Club. Hopefully the book will be good as well. I feel I can relate a lot to this movie. My parents always compared me to their friend's children when I was young. There was this kid named Alex and my dad used to tell me that I had to be either as smart as him or smarter, but never below his level. It was pretty hard because this kid was a genius. The Chinese marriage tradition makes me angry because I believe that women should be able to choose who they marry.
Mr Hsiao
I have a question: How is the phrase "where did the ducks go" a metaphor?
Hi Freddy~ Where the ducks go is a metaphor for Holden wanting to find a place to go and find a place to call home. Ducks can fly away and is that not what Holden wants to do? He wants to find a way home. He wants to fly off and be free. The other metaphor is Holden being a fish frozen underneathe the pond. There, he has no place to go. He is imprisoned. Good question though. I hope it helps.
I am not legally allowed to vote yet, however there are so many peopel who are that do not. It is said that the age least likely to vote ranges from 18-late 20s. It is so sad that people cannot even take the smallest bit of their time to give back to the country just by voting. I am truly baffled at why anyone wouldn't be honored to vote. Things like that make me wonder why people hsould even be allowed to stay in America at all, fi they are not even contributing to make this society the best it can be. If being a citizen is about giving back and making a difference, there are not enough citizens (such a stong but true statement!).
People of our nation are becoming desensitized to the deaths of soldiers fighting our war. Like I said before, they do not care unless it affects them directly. It shouldn't have to go as far as killing someone in your family to realize the issue that is going on. Innocent people are dying for us, and we don't even give it a second thought...
I do believe that if everyone had the mindset that we could make a difference, as a united nation we could create change. There are so many people in this country; we together have much more power than individuals who stand alone. Unfortunately though, too many people are too arrogant in their own lives to step beyond what they know and see the problems in someone else's. Something should really be done before our society hits rock bottom.
Being a citizen is about more than just living in a certain place. It is about being united as a whole. It takes you giving back more than what was given (beautiful statement!). It takes actual effort. It takes feeling, and it is not easy. I honestly believe that if more people stopped focusing on themselves and what they want/deserve so much, they would see that by helping others, they are making the most of who they are and that is the most rewarding satisfaction in itself.
Mr. Hsiao's comments:
This was in response to writing about the Newsweek article about the Black Hawk Down: The True Cost of War. This writer like the aforementioned writer is one and the same. She writes about citizenship, Americanism, and community. It is implicit and explicit in her writing. Wow!
Some of these posts are from several weeks ago; nevertheless, I would like to post them because they are poignant, funny, lovely, beautiful, painful, sad, depressing, and any other assortment of emotions. The exercise was to write about some get-away, interest, or something along those lines--it was very open-ended and you took it where you saw fit.
Here are some of your classmates' writings...
Only about 1 out of 20 kids is lucky enough to have kind and extremely caring parents, and if one is not that lucky person than one better learn how to deal with anger and depression. There is bound to be disputes between oneself and one's parents if one's parents are Asian (of course my disclaimer would be that this situation could apply to any parent regardless or race, ethnicity, etc.)
When I have an argument, I hide myself in my room. There, I cry and scream into my pillow because there is nothing else to do since I don't believe in running away. I believe running is for cowards, and nothing good could come of it. So you run; where would you go, who would take you in, and are you truly going to stay there forever? NO. Your parents will find you, and you'll be back to where you started. So I just suck it up, hold my head up high, and suffer through it.
Poem about Depression
I am angry.
I am sad.
Where do I go?
What do I do?
When do I go?
Why did I go?
Is it to relieve or vent?
I don't know...
I don't know anymore...
I am alone.
I do not exist.
I am a figment of someone's imagination.
A thought up person or idea.
I realize I have not place to go.
So I choose...
My choice...
Death or utter silence?
Some of these creative pieces are fictional and some are personal (derived from the student's experience). Nevertheless, these works obviously are in connection to J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye where Holden Caufield experiences alienation and adolescent angst.
A Place in an Empty Space
Usually, I rather talk to someone when I get sad inside. Tell you the truth (right out of Holden's mouth here), I'd rather get jumped by 100 guys than to go through the emotional pain. The feeling is so bad. If there is no one to talk to, I like to go out and lay on the grass in front of my house. I lay on the grass and look at the stars... I do this because my parents are disappointed in me.
The spot I lay out in front is very comforting for some reason. I like laying out there on the grass even if it is dirty. It's way too comforting for me to get up. I lay there and i talk to God, and I ask him, no, I pray to him. I ask him what I did wrong. Why am I such a bad person, and even sometimes I cry. I try not to be emotinal in front of people, so that they don't have to worry about me. I don't like it when people do that.
It's sad, freshman year I was never so emotional. I was as happy as I could be. I never had dry skin and rashes. It all cam back now though and I always feel bad for my parents because I'm such a big disappointment. They go through so much because of me, but you know you can't help who you are. I'm still young but I think myself old. I always think about what I should do to survive in life. Everytime there is something in the back of my head, I go lay on the grass at night and look at the stars. It's so soothing; it makes me feel better.
Mr. Hsiao's comments:
I have talked to these students, and they are well-adjusted adolescents but that does not mean, however, that they do not have bad days. This student is one of the most vocal and talented students in class both writing and speaking wise. The student assured me that everything is fine: he just had a bad day is all.
I wanted to honor the voices of the students who wrote honestly and authentically, which is something that Holden could and would never do.
Here is some student's writing that is a tad more lighthearted:
For me, the only get away is taking a drive around the beach, or even better, being on the beach. Just standing in the sand and breathing in the ocean makes all my troubles disappear. My favorite beach to to is Sunset or Seal Beach. The reason why I like these two beaches so much is because there isn't many people that go there, so I can actually enjoy the beach. I feel the most at home, when I swish (very good word choice) my toes in the sand and make footprints because even though they might get washed away, just for a second, I left something behind for someone else to remember me by. The most beautiful thing in the entire world is when the sun is setting, and the sky turns into an array of breathtaking colors. The beach is definitely what I consider my utopia.
Mr. Hsiao's comments:
I wait for lines that read "just for a second, I left something behind for someone else to remember me by." Thank you. Such a pleasure to read your experience. My home away from home is the beach as well.
For all those people who have cute pets:
When I have some sort of struggle in my life or something that makes me feel really blue, I'm very quiet.
My cure to solving my problems consists of me going home, followed by playing with my dog and [her] trying to comfort me. Although it's kind of hard because it's not really possible, but when I'm with my dog, I feel content. The fact that she's a dachshund makes it hard for the comfort, but she fits perfectly on my lap, so it works for the both of us.
Oftentimes, I will just go sit on the couch and just lay there thinking about the conflict that occurred and what was said, replaying everything back in my mind to see if something else were to happen things would be different. Along with sitting on the couch I'll eat some comfort food just because food always makes you happy. When worsts come to worst, I'll just hop in the shower and stand there for as long as I want in the the hot water, and it basically feels like all my problems are being washed away.
Mr. Hsiao's comments:
The line "she fits perfectly on my lap so it works for the both of us" and the metaphor of washing "all my problems away" are, in my opinion, the two best lines in this student's writing.
My Escape
My life is in constant motion. I am always doing something and life can get very chaotic and stressful. Sometimes, I get in a mind set where I feel like I can't escape life and I feel all alone in my struggle. That is when I go to the beach and let the waves take my stress out to sea. Everything about the ocean calms things in my head. As soon as I hear the sound of the waves and the smell of the salty air, I feel at home. Teh ocean breeze in my hair and the sand between my toes is so relaxing.
Ever since I was little, I have always had a passion about the ocean. I get it from my dad who baptised me at the beach. I love everything about it. I respect every creature living in its huge water world (very nicely put). In the ocean, just like in life, everything has a purpose and everything thrives off each other. Because of my love for the ocean, I try to live my life like the ocean (Interesting!). Just letting nature run its course. When a wave crashes on the shore and the water rolls up and back down the sand, the sand soaks up what it can and what it needs; then all the rest gets washed back out to the sea. That's how I try to live my life. I soak up what i want and what I need and just let the rest wash away because it will eventually come back in the next wave if it needs to. Also in my life, things happen to you that you can't prevent and that might throw you off course. Just like how trash gets thrown in the ocean. Thinking of all of this and being at the ocean helps me calm the wavess in my mind.
Mr. Hsiao's comments:
Beautiful. Very cyclical philosphical view on life and how all of us are interconnected to one another. One humanity, one humankind. Very well done. Stylistically there are two fragments but this is such a beautifully woven writing that I will not comment further because well it is simply exemplary! Wow!
Good work!!!
Happy Place
I stand alone
In the middle of a great green field
I stand alone
I look to conquer
this course that has
tormented me
I pull out my club
and a ball with a tee
I set up with care
The essence of this game
is concentration; of that,
I have a lot.
There is total silence
as I stare down
at this little white ball
Up into the backswing,
the mechanics are right
the butterflies go away.
As I reach the top
confidence flows in the
second before I snap back
The head cut through the air
like a hot knife through butter.
My hips turn right with my hands.
Contact is solid
The ball flys right
off the tee.
I follow it carefully
as it soars through
the air, heading for the green.
The flag winks 18 at me
and I stare down the
pin in my finish
The ball lands softly
and spins to a stop
right on the edge of the cup.
With bated breath, I stand and wait
praying for that single turn.
The wind blows
The ball falls
And the crowd reappears.
The silence is gone,
it is replaced with
happiness and cheer.
I've finally done it,
I walk down the
hole yelling boisterously.
Mr. Hsiao's comments:
This one speaks for itself. I need not comment.
My roots might be carved deep into the California's coast but I have not yet blossomed.
Other flowers are favored over me
for I am just a bud.
But when my time comes,
when the sun hits me just right
And I bloom,
I will be the most beautiful flower from here to the edge of the world.
People will be in awe with gaping [mouths]
and I will be relocated to a place
where inner beauty is truly appreciated.
Mr. Hsiao's comments:
This reminds me of the metaphor of a butterly emerging from its chrysalis and obvously this writer writes from a blooming flower as s/her grows into adulthood.
Post-Catcher in the rye evaluation
Some would say this book is a cautionary tale to those who read it. Are perspectives such as “how do you know what you’re going to do till you do it” bad? I think life is how you live it, unbound to all definitions. Do you rather live slowly and steadily or accelerate on the edge? Discipline: for better or worse; does it not cause the lost of identity? Does a heard of cattle not have discipline? Is variation indeed alienation and cause separation along with judgment? Will you be able to handle what life throws at you? Or become extinct due to the laws of natural selection. Do you pursue happiness, or wealth and success? Will you stay on your knees or defy oppression? In the end, will you live life to the fullest or die a slow death. Are you willing to make a difference or stay bound to customs of the old ways? Will YOU think about it? or somebody else will for you.
Jing-Mei Woo is like the element of water. Her mind flows in many directions so she cannot make good decisions. Unlike the other four elements (Fire,Earth,Wood,Metal) , Water has no creator or "mother." Fire is created by the burning of wood, Fire causes ash or Earth, the Earth's soil provides nutrition for Wood to grow, and Metal is buried under the protection of the Earth... But nothing makes Water. (I may be wrong...) Like Water, Jing-Mei Woo does not have a mother. Her goals disseminates in different directions because there is no one to tell her which path to focus on.
Waverly's precocious chess skills stemmed from the secrets confined in her thoughts. She unleashed these secrets when playing chess, eliminating her opponents one by one with a sandstorm of stealthiness. She no longer played in the alley, where her thoughts flowed in opposite directions. Rather, she stayed contained and frozen on the front cover of magazines. Her mother 's words became like the wind, carrying news of her daughter's success all over the city. Waverly was vexed because she thought that her mother only used her to show off. The heat of her anger melted her back into the element of water. She became lost in a void, where her mind was shrouded by the dark clouds of disorientation. That night, her feelings exacerbated; Waverly felt that she had evaporated, so like a vapor, her thoughts dispersed into the starless sky.
Ying-ying's new baby died in her arms, like a seed that withered from the inside before it could bloom into a flower. The baby's soul abandoned her, leaving Ying-ying frozen in her pool of tears. Lena was solicitous about her mother, but her fears were soon devoured by the sounds of hope coming from her wall one night. She heard Teresa and her mother had stopped fighting, and instead, began to love each other. Lena believed that this same type of love would eventually circulate in the veins of her own apartment and dissolve the ice of sorrow that imprisoned her mother. A person must endure a thousand slashes from the sword of discipline before his or her skin is porous enough to assimilate the beauty of life.
Post a Comment