Parent Comment on GLO website

The comment section on the blog wasn't working, so I decided to post my parent comment here... I will move it as a comment as soon as it starts working again! :)

Good job Korie! I am very impressed at your skill to create your OWN website. Your pages were very easy to navigate and showed me you know your GLOs. The examples you gave made sense to the GLO and I enjoyed how you put your own definition of each GLO because it sounded just like how you would explain it. I don't have any suggestions at this time, as I have almost no idea how html coding works. However, it would help if you fixed the link on GLO 6 to your poetry website. :)

Being a Complex Thinker and Problem Solver is really a big skill. I always encourage you to persevere throughout the rough times in life, to not give up. You have very creative ideas and that will take you far after high school. Problem solving is a big part in any career in the science field, and I know you are interested in becoming an engineer!

Although I think you are pretty proficient in all the GLOs, I think you should continue working on being an effective communicator. You are already good at this, but it would be good for you to continue to focus on this. I notice in many of your papers that you use word often, perhaps out of habit? ('that', 'which', 'like' etc.)

I will always enjoy looking at your work, and I am even happier that you are able to display the GLOs so that they make sense to a more general audience! Hmmm, maybe I'll have to show it to my elementary class :)

Love,
Mom

GLO Website Established! :D

This year came a close a lot faster than I anticipated! :) Everything has been a great learning experience for me so far, and I am very happy with how my work had came out! Last year, I had no idea I would be able to get this far with all the wonderful projects I have completed. I've also been blessed with a few competitions that my teams have placed it :D


Here is my GLO website! It displays my best work and shows why it meet the following GLOs:

GLO Website Homepage

If you have the time, please comment on this blog so that it may help me in the future! Thanks!

1. What did you like best about my portfolio and portfolio conference? What would you like to see me improve on in my portfolio?
   
2. From your point of view, which of my attainments of the 6 general learner outcomes is of most value? Please explain why you feel it is important and what about my documentation of it impresses you.
   
3. Which of the GLOs would you like me to focus on in the coming year(s)?

Beyond Solid Facts

Journey back about 50 years. There was a time when cellular phones didn’t exist, very few households actually had a television, and society was nowhere near the idea of nanotechnology. Return to the present day where laptop computers are everywhere, vaccinations for numerous illnesses are taken regularly, and people appear to talk to themselves through Bluetooth headsets. Look at all the technological advances we have acquired in less than half a century! As we continue to push forward in additions to machines and inventions, people stopped to ponder the consequences. Both positive and negative results are shown through science fiction. The Science Fiction, Sci-Fi, genre is wholly based on plausible outcomes of new science issues and events. Excellent science fiction allows the viewer’s mind to wander beyond solid facts of our present knowledge because it displays the positive, or negative, consequences that may result from an event or situation.

The biggest part of a Science Fiction would be the scientific breakthroughs. Without the ‘science’, Science Fiction would simply be a boring form of just ‘fiction’. The Sci-Fi genre introduces people to the most recent science breakthroughs, in our present time period, or even things that don’t yet exist. The idea needs to be recent enough to still capture people’s attention, yet general enough to leave a wide range of possibilities to expand on. In the 1966 to 1969 series of Star Trek (Director: Gene Roddenberry) audiences were captivated by the range of new gadgets. For these people, seeing Captain Kirk flip his small, portable communicator to talk to Sulu, or Spock beaming down to the planet from the spaceship, was mind blowing. Scenes that showed of these types of devices stretched the imagination of some- to wonder what if the world actually had these things like it.

In any good Science Fiction story there is an interesting and exciting storyline. Storylines show off a stable setting, meaning that the facts of the story are constant throughout. Also, the conflict is clear, and the overall story ends in a satisfying place for the viewers. In Wall-E (2008, Director: Andrew Stanton), the setting of Earth begins as a desolate place- seemingly unable to sustain life. Meanwhile the humans are living on a spaceship. In the first scene where these humans are shown, the audience can infer that humans are overly dependent on technology, by the way they are overweight and in floating transportation chairs. At the end of the movie, all citizens over come the technology running their lives after seeing the main character so desperate to save the only evidence that planet Earth is able to sustain life again- happening to be a little green plant. In the final scene, the spaceship returns to Earth and it shows mankind starting to rebuild what they once had.

The idea of a Science Fiction story comes from breakthroughs. It is made interesting by the screen write and storyline. However, the part that makes anyone’s eyes glue to the story is the connections it makes with them. In this way the story is relatable and the audience fells similarly to the actors’ emotions. The Matrix (1999, Director: Andy Wachowski) has many scenes that make the audience relate to the feelings of the characters. One example is when Neo is ‘awaken’ in the real world, in the human pod. As he breaks through the thick goop and the machine unplugs him, it is very common to cringe with disgust because it is not normal to see a human hooked up in that way, with plugs directly in the body. Another example is when the character Cypher turns to a traitor against Morpheus’ crew. Audiences may feel the slight sadness of loss when Cypher pulls the plug from Apoc and Switch while their minds are still in the Matrix world, instantly killing them.

Technology is evolving everywhere we turn. It is hard to imagine all the changes, good or bad, that will result from technological advances. Many wonder if relying on more machines will most likely benefit or be the downfall to civilization. This is why Sci-Fi can be so powerful. It gives viewers imagined insights to any “what if” scenarios, while being an engaging variation of entertainment.

Describing a Picture

Verb: melting ice, biting into the shaved ice, holding the smooth cone, scooping up ice with the wooden spoon, Sun's light bouncing off of the colored flavors

Sensory Details:

Smell: artificial cherry, vanilla, (and the green flavor), crisp clean air

Sight: white specks of ice, the Sun's light bouncing off blue, red, and green colors

Sound: slurp of the melting syurp, crunch of bigger bits of ice between your teeth

Taste: sugary, sweet, coldness of the ice contrasting the warmth of your mouth

Feel: chilly, sticky syrup, holding the cool feel of the smooth cone

Have you read the newspaper lately?

Take a look at the front page...

Now that's something to get excited about!

THIS JUST IN! The website URL has just been released on the

G-201 Networking Station:

http://www2.k12.hi.us/~klum/poetry-homepage.html

Love it? Hate it? Questions? Comments?

Let me know, post it below.

MAHALO!! :D

Metaphor Poem Debrief

It was easy to explain what a metaphor was. It took a little more thought, though, to come up with an example. So to top it off, we were assigned to write our own metaphor poem THEN create a video illustrating it. Insane isn't it? It was fun anyway. :D

Originally I chose to compare myself with fireworks- because of the variety of colors and sparks, as well as the loads of energy they give off when lit up. I realized later that it would be difficult to film this because it was already February and fireworks in this time (especially aerials) are illegal.

The true reason why I picked a t-shirt as my metaphor was because the due date for writing the poem was inching closer, and I didn't have one yet. I was actually talking on the phone to Shaneika about it (it was about the same time as Ecybermission) and I was clearly stressing out while pacing my room. I was just listing off items I saw, and a t-shirt was one of them. As I thought more closely about the possible adjectives of a t-shirt, I figured that it suited me well.

My poem used a lot of describing words.. adjectives to show how I am most like a t-shirt. Comforting, belonging, laughs, creativity. While shooting my video I kept in mind that I wanted to have a voice over, so for most of the parts I needed to relay the message without sound. I didn't changed angles for the shots as much as I wanted to, but with what I had, I was able to insert some special effects that made up for the lack of angles. Also, in the video, the lighting was pretty good all the way through... well except for the ending, but I actually needed it dark to show the light contrast coming from my shirt.

I learned that I should probably choose a backup or plan B for the next project I have to do- so that when one doesn't work out, I won't spend as much time at square one again. Also, using media I now am better at using copyright free clips of music to make my own background sounds. Now that I think about it, writing poetry is really hard if it is forced... I mean, I did want to write a good poem, but I've never written a 'real' one before, so this was a big step. I sat at my desk at home looking at a piece of paper for at least half an hour, with only my name on it. I give credit to those famous poets. They are great for actually coming up with all those literary elements in their poems. (I wonder if they talk like that too.. hmmmm :D )

Metaphor Poems- Journal 31

1. The Road Not Taken

By: Robert Frost

http://www.ketzle.com/frost/roadnot.htm

2. Life is but a Dream

By: Lewis Carroll

http://www.poetry-archive.com/c/life_is_but_a_dream.html

3. Shirt

By: Carl Sandburg

http://carl-sandburg.com/shirt.htm

4. Defense of Fort McHenry (The Stars and Stripes Forever)

By: Francis Scott Key

http://poemhunter.com/poem/defence-of-fort-mchenry-the-stars-and-stripes-fo/

5. Self Metaphor Poem

The Message of a T-shirt

I express

by color and design

by feelings and creativity

I am a t-shirt

I may be that one shirt you go to for comfort

for laughs

for the feeling of belonging.

I am practical in most situations,

although once in a while, I feel out of place.

T-shirts are special,

they are common and simple but they can say a lot

I am a t-shirt

Journal #27: Brainstorming Metaphor Poem

Mulan (the only asian Disney Princess, haha): Mulan's characteristics pretty much line up with mine. She is a brave, self-relient, and independent individual. She is an outspoken teenager that is a bit clumsy at times too. Mulan works hard, and is true to her heart (yeah, I know there's a song in the movie with this :D )

[and as a bonus, she's chinese... Yay! :D ]

T-Shirt: I think this would be an easier metaphor to film, although it took me a while to brainstorm how I am a t-shirt. T-shirts can be fun and creative, funny, or made to make a specific statement. They can show people that the person wearing it belongs to a group (and this relates to me by how I talk to people and make them feel welcome), for sports or a club. They are very common, yet they are practical and vary in many different ways to make each unique.

Team Discussion and Blog Post 1/28

*** to later be posted on the class blog

C. Describe Jem. Give at least 2 character traits and support with examples and page numbers.

Curious- Many of Jem's and Dill's conversations are about trying to get Boo Radley out of the Radley house, or what he does inside of it.

Quote: (p. 69) "Dill and Jem were simply going to peep in the window with the loose shutter to see if they could get a look at Boo Radley, and if I didn't want to go with them I could go straight home and keep my fat flopping mouth shut, that was all."

(p.61) "Jem said placidly, 'We are going to give a note to Boo Radley."

"Jem was merely going to put the note on the end of a fishing pole and stick it through the shutters."

Caring- Even though Jem doesn't always say the nicest things to Scout, we can see, by his actions, that he still cares for her.

Quote: (p. 137) {*note: in this quote Jem cares for Scout by giving her an apologetic look and helped her up from the ground}

"By that time I was shrieking. Jem yanked my hair, said he didn't care, he'd do it again if he got a chance, and if I didn't shut up he'd pull every hair out of my head. I didn't shut up and he kicked me. I lost my balance and fell on my face. Jem picked me up roughly but looked like he was sorry. There was nothing to say."

Journal #25-"My Vocabulary History"

Assess your own vocabulary. What are your strong points; what are your weak points when it comes to the trait of Word Choice in your writing and reading?

My strong points in vocabulary would have to be finding the right word to put into my paper. Most of the time I can find words that fit the audience level and make sense in the work. However, my weak points are using words I don't already know. I also don't like looking words up in the dictionary because I don't practice it frequently enough.

Describe how you have studied vocabulary in the past. What kinds of class activities and assignments have you experienced to work on your word choice?

In my seventh and eighth grade English classes, we worked on word choice by receiving about 10 vocabulary words per week. Throughout the week we would spend sometime in class using the words in sentences. When the week was done we would take a short quiz- but the words would have been familiar to most of us as we had read them through our literature piece within that same week.

Describe how you, personally, learn new words. Give a specific example of how you have learned a new word recently.

I learn new words spontaneously. I don't usually go out to find new words to expand my vocabulary, on my own. New words come up in reading material or just in conversations. After I have read or heard the word, I would ask someone or "Google" it on a site, like Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Recently I have learned the word 'decimate'. I heard in on the news when they were describing the damage that was caused by the destruction in Haiti. I asked my mom- who is a fifth grade school teacher. She said it was the magnitude of damage- the huge scale on what was destroyed. I figured out the spelling, and checked on an online dictionary afterwards.

What are your specific vocabulary/word choice goals? How many new words would you like to learn this semester? What will be your evidence that you “own them” and can use them in your speaking and writing?

My specific word choice goal is to use at least one third of the words, that we learn in our English class this quarter, in my everyday conversations. This semester I would like to learn at least 20 new vocabulary words- words that I actually understand. My evidence of using the new vocabulary word is that there will be more 'higher thinking' words popping up into my essays and everyday life. I'll use them in my speaking- because using big word correctly make me feel smart. :)

Looking Past the Pyrotechnics

New Year's Eve! This is an event I look forward to all year because is a time for my family to get together and catch up on what's been happening in each other's lives. More importantly, I look forward to lighting a fuse, then scampering behind the wall to watch the half blinding red, blue, and green bursts of light that come from the tiny upright cylinder. The little rushes I get from being able to play with fire excite me the most. Fireworks. They end the old year with a 'BANG', while- according to Chinese traditions- scare away the evil spirits for the New Year.

At about five o'clock, we drive to Kaimuki, to begin the celebration with my mom's side of the family. At five o'clock this New Year's Eve I was nowhere near the car ride to my aunty's house. Instead, I had been sitting on this cushy motor coach seat, complete with an emergency bathroom, for four hours (and counting). I wouldn't be getting off for another three hours, when it was planned for us to arrive in Phoenix. Yes that's right, you heard me, Phoenix, Arizona.

Moanalua High School's marching band was chosen to prestigiously represent the State of Hawaii in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl Parade. We left Hawaii on Christmas Day- a pretty epic start to our trip- with plans to go sightseeing on the days leading up to the Fiesta Bowl Parade. Its purpose was more for fun, but also to get our bodies adapted to the colder environment we were going to marching in. The bus ride started from Anaheim, California, where we had marched in Disneyland.

Looking out of the bus window, I see the long stretch of road in front and behind us, with the occasional green mile marker signs on the side. Back in the bus almost everyone was knocked out in sleep, as no one had ever ridden a vehicle for nearly that long. Looking back outside of the window I didn’t really notice the lack of natural scenery anymore. My mind shifted as I though of flashbacks of the past year.

The day at Magic Island Beach Park when they called my intermediate school’s name for first place in the research category was exciting. Two of my friends and I had worked on the poster board until three A.M. the night before the actual competition due to our lack of time management. I remember the first day at summer school. I didn’t know any one there, but eventually I was able to make a couple new friends to make my transition into high school easier. When school started I enrolled in a program called ‘Mene Mac’, which suited to my interests in technology. I joined marching band and, through all the sweat and hard work, made it through the long instructions of learning the basics during rookie week.

It was incredible. I hadn't really had the chance to look back on all the great experiences I went through in the past year. It just seemed to have left me as quickly as it came. Even though this year I would be over 2,000 miles away from home, I knew that I would be able to still celebrate the ending of the new year, and coming of the new. New Year's isn't just about the displays of neon colored fireworks- it's about reminiscing and learning from all the events that have happened, making your life special.

Reflection of Online Portfolio

Wow! This semester came and went quickly. I have produced lots of quality work and have created a online portfolio website to display it. I actually can't believe I have completed making my own website! It was made from HTML coding, and it takes a while to get the hang of it.

If your wondering how this aligns with the D.O.E. standards, it is part of GLO (General Learner Outcomes) #5- 'Being An Effective Communicator'. This is also a great opportunity to comment on my learning.

While commenting below, it would help me if you included answers to the following questions:

1. What did you like best about my portfolio and portfolio conference? What would you like to see me improve on in my portfolio?
   
2. From your point of view, which of my attainments of the 4 traits of writing is of most value? Please explain why you feel it is important and what about my documentation of it impresses you.
   
3. Which of the traits of writing would you like me to focus on in the coming semester?

So what are you waiting for? :) Click on the link here http://www2.k12.hi.us/~klum/HomePage.html to go!

Thank you!

Korie

The Window War

It’s no fun to get sick. It seems as if everyone around you is affected somehow, either spending time to take care of you- or staying away trying not to catch what ever you came down with. What if this sickness would never go away?

Alzheimer’s disease affects a person’s brain. It is a common form of dementia that cannot be cured, although there are several drugs that will help to slow down the symptoms. I’ve remembered seeing commercials on TV: “This medication will help to slow down Alzheimer’s! Alzheimer’s isn’t waiting, neither should you, act today!” To me those ads made no sense, so of course I didn’t pay much attention. It had not much relevance to me, until I started to see a difference of behavior in my Popo.

My room is my querencia, a place I can be myself. It was a little taste of freedom, the first step of independence- after moving out of a room that I shared with my younger brother. Because my family lives in Hawaii, it can become fairly hot and humid. We are the type of family who believes in using the “Hawaiian Air Conditioner” (also known as the local breeze). So, as I’m working in my room, usually my Popo will come in.

“Korie, close your windows. You don’t want other people looking in on you. Plus it’s breezy now. Close them up.”

“Alright Popo...”

Before this is how she used to do it, but more recently she’s been climbing on my bed to shut them herself. I don’t mind really, because I usually have a fan going in my room to keep me cool. Normally, a while after my Popo leaves, my dad comes in.

“How many times have I told you to keep your windows open? It’s hot in here, and windows were made to let the cool air in!”

“Uh huh. Yeah, okay sure dad. Thanks.”

My dad as well, has started to open the windows on his own. I haven’t minded this either. I just do my work, leaving them open and close the windows as they pleased. Although within the past six months, the back and forth of the windows have became more frequent. While in my room, I’ll get “visits” from Popo and dad every 15 minutes, having one person check what the other did last to my windows. Back and forth, back and forth, like a kid on a swing set. Dad has often speaks his mind to Popo constantly reminding her to leave the windows alone. This situation hasn’t been the only difference in behavior we’ve seen in her. Little things that add up, like putting away dirty dishes to various places in our kitchen. They are harmless actions, yet they cause us to spend more time retracing our steps to correct them.

Living with my Popo has really taught me a thing or two. I have realized that I am not the one only who has to put up with most of the behaviors of my Popo. Even more than I recognize, my parents are the ones to sternly remind her on what not to do. Only recently have I realized that my Goong Goong has to live and watch over Popo almost every second of the day. Having to live with Popo, as one of her grandchildren is inspirational to me. I know that it is a lot of work for Goong Goong to make sure Popo is safe, although he has not yet admitted that Popo has Alzheimer’s disease. I can relate to his frustration and impatience because I have felt the feeling before. I love living with my Popo and my Goong Goong, even if it means adjusting my lifestyle a little differently, to make my Goong Goong's job of taking care of us easier.

Notes:

Popo---- Grandma

Goong Goong---- Grandpa

KC3 Rough Draft: Undersea Intruders

The Hawaiian Islands are basically several volcanic rocks, isolated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. This fact may have people questioning why anyone want to visit, much less live there. With our humid, subtropical year-round weather, one of the first places locals and tourists alike head to are the many beaches. Unlike man-made pools, taking a dip in the ocean is swimming in Mother Nature's aquarium. For those lucky enough to snorkel in a Hawaiian beach, or at least watch a documentary on Hawaii's reefs, you've probably seen schools of bright, colorful fish. Many people, including residents here, assume that all the marine animals are native. As hard as it is to believe, Hawaii, as much as anywhere else, has invasive animals intruding and altering the underwater ecosystem.

Currently, a rising concern of invasive marine species have been the ta'ape (blue-lined snapper), the to'au (black-tailed snapper), and the roi (blue-spotted grouper/peacock grouper). All three fish were introduced to the islands in 1950. Ta'ape, to'au, and roi were caught around the reefs of Tahiti, and released in Hawaiian waters intentionally, as a game fish, in hopes of boosting the declining local fish stocks. In these fishes' native habitats, their population is lower in numbers, as they have natural predators. Yet, in Hawaii, they thrive.

Hawaii's sub-tropical waters is a great place to breed ta'ape, to'au, and roi, being that there are no natural predators to control these invasive species' population. To survive, they eat smaller fish, such as parrotfish and surgeonfish. The Honolulu Advertiser quoted, "A University of Hawaii (UH) study estimated that in a three-square-mile area off the Kona Coast, roi eat 99 tons of reef fish annually- the equivalent of 8.2 million fish." The same article also stated that roi consumes about 146 reef fish per year. In the beginning years of these three fish being introduced, scientists did not see these alien species as a problem. "Roi seems to be filling a [food chain] role opened up by humans," said scientist Jan Dierking, of UH. Now people are starting to agree that invasive fish, especially ta'ape, to'au, and roi, are populating too much. One reason why roi's population is continuing to grow is answered by marine biologist, Norton Chan, at the Waikiki Aquarium. He explained that invasive species introduced to a foreign habitat do not have immediate natural predators. One way to control the over population of these fish is for humans to catch them. However, we don't usually eat them. "It [roi] has a stigma for the likelihood of ciguatera toxins," comments Chan.

Communities in Hawaii actually have begun to realize that invasive species, like ta'ape, to'au, and roi are depleting the reef of native and local fish. Darrel Tanaka, an avid diver from Maui, is one of them. "We wanted to make a tournament [for divers], but we didn't want to deplete the reefs, so we made it for invasive species," he stated. "Maui doesn't have the fish it used to have 10 to 20 years ago. This is a way to give back to the reefs." Maui's idea of 'Roi-Round-Ups' have recently spread to other islands, including Oahu.

Bibliography

"CDNN :: Mutant Aliens Attack Hawaii." Scuba Diving News :: CDNN - Cyber Diver News Network. 26 Jan. 2005. Web. 19 Oct. 2009. .

Chan, Norton. "KC3 Invasive and Alien Aquatic Animals/Plants." Personal interview. 23 Oct. 2009.

Harris, Jason. "KC3 Invasive and Alien Land Animals/Plants." Personal interview. 23 Oct. 2009.

Rayson, Ann. Modern history of Hawai'i. Honolulu: Bess, 2004. Print.

"Species found at O?ahu-Hanauma Bay RA." Bishop Museum. Web. 6 Nov. 2009. .

Walsh, W.J. "Fact Sheet: Hawaii's Reef Fishes Are in Steep Decline." Web. 28 Oct. 2009. .

Wilson, Christie. "Divers Target Invasive Species." Web. 6 Oct. 2009.

Zoo-to-You- Island Invaders: Don't let aliens invade Hawaii. Honolulu: Honolulu Zoo Society, 2006. Print.

Journal #14: Thesis of KC3 Cause and Effect Project

My thesis for the KC3 project is on the cause and effect of the invasive marine animals in Hawaii's underwater environment.

Thesis: If various marine species are introduced to a different ecosystem, it will cause imbalance within the function of the affected habitat.

KC3 Project Planning

1. Shaneika Aguilar, Madelynne Nguyen, Jorjiane Guasch, Rebekah Morales, Korie Lum, and Kevin Caguillo

2. Invasive alien species and biodiversity

3. Starting off small (subtopics):

Shaneika Aguilar - Invasive alien land species and its effects

Korie Lum - invasive alien marine animals and its effects

Rebekah Morales - Research on our local biodiversity and why it must be preserved

Madelynne Nguyen - invasive alien marine plants and their effects

Jordie Guasch - Invasive alien land plants and their effects on the environment

Kevin Caguillo - invasive alien insects/pests and its effects

Other Plans:

(Those who are in charge, but the whole group is still involved)

Shaneika Aguilar: Visiting and documenting a place on Oahu.

Madelynne Nguyen: Conduct a survey on Survey Monkey that will provide data from other students in different states/countries about the environmental issues you are researching.

Korie Lum: Find and interview an "authority" on your topic. The interview and appropriate B-roll or still pictures will be part of our documentary video.

*Everyone must remember to write down the bibliography and credit the places and sites of where they received their information for this project.


Additional Information (Group Portion)
Shaneika and Korie: Video - Storyboard and edit and present the video documentary of your topic.

Maddie: Interactive Portion - Plan and present an activity that will get your audience to think and interact with us - something challenging and engaging. Create, post, and analyze team survey on Survey Monkey.

Shaneika and Kevin: Create the powerpoint that will highlight the main points of your research and present it in the videoconference

Jordie and Rebekah: Pre-conference website and activity -(Jordie) Create the website and the (Rebekah) pre-conference online activity that will introduce your topic and will help to "hook" and focus your audience.

Jordie: Scripting - Write the script for the presentation. Serve as "host" the videoconference.

Important Notice:

Each team member is required to print 3 articles that are related to our topic.

Every person needs come up with their own thesis statement.

Each team member will compose a well-written essay based on our topic.

*Everyone must remember to write down the bibliography and credit the places and sites of where they received their information for this project.

Inside My Scrapbook

Honestly I cannot begin to tell you how much time I have spent in my room. My room, the one part of the house filled with valuables, junk, and valuable junk. Both my parents wonder how I survive in a place so littered and scattered with lengths of computer wires, last year's old school assignments, and wrinkled teenage girl clothes strewn about. It's been that way ever since I moved into my room about two years ago, when I first started the 7th grade.

It just so happened that the room I was allowed to move into was a cramped, enclosed cardboard box. Okay, so it wasn't that extreme. Originally the room was used as an office for my Goong Goong (grandpa), since he lives with us. Most people would think something along the lines of, "What? For real now? You want me to live and sleep in there?" I too would be one of these people, if not the fact that I wanted so badly not to share a place with my younger brother. Getting my own room meant my first step of independence, a taste of growing up. There were boxes stacked against the windows added to a distinct musty smell I just couldn't. Dust and cobwebs happily multiplied, not only in the corners and small openings but created an even blanket over the stacked papers and piled boxes. One false move, and I could accidentally lean on a thin layer of dust bunnies causing a million specks of it to fly up to my face. Nasty.

After a month of cleaning and rearranging, my room consisted of a bed, desk, drawer, closet, and several of my Goong Goong's cardboard filing boxes (stacked in the corner). Dust was no longer welcome in my place. Aside from some stray storage boxes, old people clothes, and canned goods in the closet, the room was all mine! Who cared if the room still contained the musty humid feeling? So what if the room was a little cramped? I sure didn't. It was mine, my room to keep.

Which brings us to the present day.

Today, even as I am writing this, my room isn't perfect. It's not my favorite place to be, on account on how messes seem to just keep "growing" on my desk, floor, and in my dresser. Although I keep complaining about how all my belongings are mixed up with my "stuff" and my "things", it is definitely somewhere I go often. Coming to my room, for me, is for much more than just getting a good night’s sleep, or running into grab my school books.

In my room, I am in full control. Not only about what goes on inside my bedroom, but also what goes on inside of me. I can be myself. I am myself in my room. If someone was to take a peek in, what they saw would be a scrapbook of my life- "Here and Now." Pictures fill the walls, right underneath the smooth wooden window still. Memos, drawing, “Calvin & Hobbes” comics, and newspaper articles randomly pinned up to my faded green bulletin board. All this reflects who I am. What may seem like trash, are the very object that capture my memories, thoughts, or feelings.

In my bedroom, is where I do some of my best thinking. The environment is just right to inspire me with new creative ideas. Walking into my room, dodging the various items on the floor, inhaling the scent of my flowery-citrus body mist, are some parts that help me to create new views on a subject. Sometimes being in my room means to do nothing but to lie down and listen to music for a while.

Even though I may not say much about how I am feeling, someone would probably be able to see it through the actions and events that go on, at times, in my room. I am myself in my room, and no one can stop me. I am free to feel my true emotions toward anything, and I will share them with the world, if I choose.

Finding Identity: Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers (Journal #9)

The story Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers is a novel by Lois-Ann Yamanaka. This story is about the life of Lovey Nariyoshi, a Japanese-American living in Hawaii. Lovey's tale is like a cultural roots and identity story. I think this because the story is from a first person point of view. She tells her life how it is, and it seems very authentic (how it is written) as the language Lovey (and her family and friends) uses is pidgin english. One example from the book:
"I wanna be Lovey Beth Cole. Mrs. Michael Cole. Wanna marry you, Dennis. Be a Cole. Be a haole. A Japanee with a haole last name."
From her statement, it shows her desires, or at least what she wishes for. Through out the book, Lovey shares, first-hand, about her everyday encounters, wheither it be playing with barbies with Jerry, to wanting to be in a rich haole family, or "growing up girl problems".

Welcoming the New Year (revised)

New Year's celebration is a time for my family to get together and catch up on what's been happening in each other's lives. Its a time to jabber to eachother while chowing down from the various home-made foods. All moms and auntys kept themselves busy by going on about what has happened in work last month, or how all their kids are doing in school. Meanwhile, the uncles and cousins, myself included, are itching for nine o'clock to roll around. The amazing display of neon-colored fireworks are nearly the best part of welcoming in the new year.

When the clock strikes midnight you would hear "Happy New Year!" constantly from everyone, followed by many smothering hugs. But that isn't the best part of our new year's celebration. As everyone is congratulating the newly arrived year, a final, but long-lasting roar of the remaining fireworks grows louder and louder, until all you can do is run to the window and watch with awe, because you can't hear yourself speak any longer. But that isn't the best part either. After the popping and cracking of the fireworks have burned down to a small glow, the inside of the house is buzzing with excitement. My Aunty Mingie sets many sweets on the kitchen counter. A steady stream of people go up to that counter to indulge in the sugary treats. When I get up there, I look around at all the different desserts. In the middle of all of them, there are several eight inch wide circular tin filled four inched deep with brown-sugar colored creamy-like, sticky cake; my favorite food. In the kitchen I can just see my aunty cutting through the steamy, gooey gao scattered with mouthwatering toasted sesame seeds, finished off with a hoong jow (red date), about the size of my thumb, placed in the middle of it all. This is the kind of food that can't helped but to savor the flavor. After taking a bite, I can feel the sugary-steamed mixture sticking to the roof of my mouth. I take bite after bite, until the piece I was eating has disappeared. This is the best part of new years. Not only is it a great dessert, it also signifies the end of the past year, and the beginning of the new.

"In sticking with the Chinese tradition, my mother told us we are not to eat the gao until after Chinese New Year (according to the lunar calendar). But now we are so anxious to eat it that we don't wait," said my Aunty Mingie.

Just before the new year, Aunty Mingie makes the traditional gao by steaming the mixture of mochiko flour, brown sugar, oil, and water for at least six hours. Every two to three hours, she would have to check on the water quantity. Immediately after the steamed gao is finished, a hoong jow and sesame seeds are put into the gao.This must be done when the gao is warm, or else it will not stick.

Aunty Mingie remembers when she first started making traditional gao for her family.

"My mom used to make gao ever Chinese New Year, and after she died in 1972, my dad and I volunteered to cook it for the family. A couple of days before Chinese New Year, I took all the ingredients out and I waited for him to start. I later found out that he was waiting for me to start. We both said we thought the other person knew what to do. As the years went by, we got better because of our first cooking experience."

As for me, I haven't been able to take part in helping to steam and prepare the traditional gao yet. I hope I will be able to soon, maybe to welcome in the year 2010 perhaps. Aunty Mingie is not the only person in my family who cooks this dish, however, my dad knows how to make this dish from an easier, yet non-traditional microwave recipe- handed down from my mom's mom. I have helped my dad in making this, but I think it will bring me to understand my full Chinese heritage more to participate in the original way to prepare gao, making my New Year's celebration even sweeter.