Allusion Graphic

Allusion Poem- "Looking Around"

It is simply illogical.

This world I’m in,

It’s strange

It’s new

It’s changing

Curiosity and determination

compel me to venture forward

Steps get awkward

I feel clumsy

How is it possible to feel so out of place?

Let me out of this

‘dream-world’

I want to escape.

With a stroke of luck

I’ve found a way to fit in

(although it must have been something I ate)

It works too well,

now the world is big around me

as if I were shrinking

People intimidate

Problems complicate

Yet,

When I’m small

I see simplicity.

doors close,

but another just appears

getting back on my feet,

colors change

saturated to vivid

On second thought,

I wouldn’t mind going down that rabbit hole again

Sustaining a Safe Community

“Denise Wright will have to spend at least 80 years of her life sentence behind bars before she is eligible for parole for nearly starving to death her 12-year-old daughter in 2007,” stated the Honolulu Advertiser on October 19th, 2010. [1] This was an extreme story of child abuse in Hawaii that shocked many. Child abuse is generally categorized in four groups: physical harm, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. According to Childhelp, a national organization for the prevention and treatment of child abuse, child abuse is defined as “of any act of commission or omission that endangers or impairs a child's physical or emotional health and development.”[3] Abuse should be dealt through punishment by law enforcement.

Rehabilitation is one solution to setting a criminal back on the right track. Childhelp’s statistics show that “children who experience child abuse & neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit violent crime.”[7] With these rates, there needs to be a stable solution to address this. Studies have shown that rehabilitation had a lasting effect on law offenders because it gave them a second chance to adapt to society by gaining academic or trade skills. However, this method only works if the person is willing to go through the designated steps.

Child abuse is a community problem. Law enforcement gives attention to cases making sure that proper punishments go to the law offender. About 30% of abused or neglected children will continue this cycle of harm to their children. [7] In working in treatment of a case of child abuse, the offender must have consequences to assure they are no longer a threat to the community or themselves. These consequences may also work in way that deter, to create a fear in the criminal, as well as the general public, motivating them not to repeat the offense. Reported cases of child abuse go to law enforcement officials because it is illegal to abuse any child- as stated in Chapter 350.[4]

In addition to this, punishment is the main goal of the United States criminal justice system when dealing with offenders. Within the Family Courts of Hawaii State Judiciary System, cases for abuse and neglect of children, as well as termination of parental rights. The state judiciary system considers these as important issues that need to be resolved quickly and fairly. [5] The Classical School of Criminology claims that, “the principal means of controlling behavior is fear, particularly fear of pain or punishment. In this way the will could be directed to make correct choices.” [6] In short, this shows how the physiology of punishment from the government has more chance of correcting criminals, as opposed to rehabilitation because of the aspect of self-determination within.

Overall, punishment is a more effective than counseling in terms of creating and sustaining a safer community. The story of Denise Wright’s harshly neglected daughter was resolved by punishment to Denise Wright. Even though the punishment from the government addressed the criminal’s part, the 12 year old girl -now 16- has recovered physically, but is only capable of third grade level comprehension.[2] Punishment is what parents use to discipline their children. It’s what the government uses to discipline adult citizens. Both work well, if done to the right extent with the correct intentions.

Bibliography

[1]"Trial Begins For Parents Accused Of Starving Daughter - Honolulu News Story - KITV Honolulu." Honolulu News-KITV Honolulu's Channel 4. Web. Nov. 2010. .

[2]"Mother given 80-year Prison Term for Starving Daughter." Hawaii News- Honolulu Star-Advertiser - Hawaii Newspaper. Web. Nov. 2010. .

[3]"About Child Abuse | Childhelp." Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse | Childhelp. Web. Nov. 2010. .

[4]"Haw. Rev. Stat. 350-1 : Hawaii Statutes - Section 350-1: Definitions." US and State Codes. Web. Nov. 2010. .

[5]"Family Courts." Hawaii State Judiciary. Hawaii.gov. Web. Nov. 2010. .

[6]"Classical." Classical. Criminological Theory, 22 Nov. 2005. Web. Nov. 2010. .

[7]"National Child Abuse Statistics | Childhelp." Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse | Childhelp. Web. Nov. 2010. .

He Heard Me (Coming of Age)

This was what we’ve been working for. All those long after school practices would pay off here. I sat, anxious, with 93 other concert band students. Looking around, I could see the multitude of uniform M&M ties on top of white collared shirts, neatly tucked into black pants. A smile hit my face as I realized my place in this group. We were all the same- no one was more important than any other- and I felt like I truly belonged.

Today didn’t feel like our other concerts. Instead of performing at the Pearl City Cultural Center, Moanalua’s Music Department chose the Neil Blaisedell Concert Hall. This is where the best perform: traveling broadway shows, Honolulu Symphony, and the Hawaii Opera Theater. Sitting on the stage was literally the best seat in the house, we were the staring talent, and we had earned it.

At about 5:00, the curtains rose. Slowly and steadily the red barrier between the audience and us disappeared. There, sat over 2,000 people, eager to listen. We began with a light march, “El Capitan.” Soon after, our band rolled into the Scottish sounds of “Green Hills Fantasy.” We ended our performance with the sentimental selections from “Mancini Spectacular.” Just as we rehearsed, the elements of music were performed exactly.

It felt great that we did our best that night, and I talked to my friends on the way out of backstage. Instead of sitting in the audience to watch my friends in orchestra and other band classes, as I had planned, I saw my family waiting for me right outside the back door. There was a brief congratulations on my performance, but it some how didn’t seem...right. I really wanted to see my friends play, as some had come to see my band; Mom said no. I didn’t understand why, but it seemed as if they were all in a hurry to get somewhere.

The sky grew darker, changing into night as we drove on. A right, a left, then another left, which turned out along side a park. This route seemed too familiar to me. Another right turn. We arrived at the newly constructed “old-people” home in Millilani. Getting out of the car and getting on the elevator to the 2^nd floor was a blur. Time just seemed to stop. My body kept moving briskly forward, yet my brain couldn’t comprehend the situation. My aunty quietly greeted us outside the door, gave my mom a quick nod, then a hug.

We rushed in to the dimly lit room. He was there- not fiddling with his hearing aid, not worrying about gout, not having a hard time breathing. In fact, he wasn’t breathing at all. He was just still. My Kung Kung, my grandpa, was gone.

Refusing to believe any of it, I sank into the chair. It seemed like he was just sleeping. I should, though, have known, by the way the man, standing on the far end of the room, I had never seen before was holding a Bible. I should have known by the way my aunty greeted us outside the care home with teary, red eyes. I should have known when my Mom started rushing me out of the concert hall.

As I numbly sat there, someone explained what had happened to me. Kung Kung was having a hard time breathing this morning, in his ailing conditions. He passed peacefully in his sleep, just about two hours before. Two hours...I looked at the clock. Two hours ago was 5:00. Two hours ago I had just started to play in the concert. Kung Kung had been there, even though it wasn’t in human presence. He heard me play, and this time, it wasn’t through his hearing aid, but by his own ears. I had felt something during the concert, but at the time I only thought it were the nerves of playing in front of a bigger audience.

I even though I was sad, I wasn’t afraid. Kung Kung was one of the key people that helped me to grow as a person, especially throughout my intermediate school years. This was my chance to let go of him, yet still hold fast to the many memories we shared.

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.

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

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.

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.

Welcoming the New Year (Draft 1)

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. So, you may be thinking, "What is her favorite part of new years?"

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. 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 inside. 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 (red date) 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 that cooks this dish, however, my dad knows how to make the dish from an easier, yet not 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.