Starting in March, untll the end of April, my class was apart of a 1001 flat world collabrative writting project, with 2 other schools in Colorado and South Korea, where we would write a story about our family, "a family story", which tells a bit about our culture, and where we come from, and then post it so that we could get feedback about our writing from student's around the world. Each week, we would have a different element of writing to give feedback on, like idea development, voice, organization, word choice, etc. And a few weeks ago we posted our final draft, finishing the project, and here's a few things I thought about the writing project.
1. What did you like best about the project and why?
The thing that I liked best about the project, was being able to get feedback about my writing from people around the world, but not always from the same person, so I was able to see different points of view on my story.
2. What did you like least and why?
The thing that I liked least about the project was having to edit truly boring, poorly written, or stories that just didn't make sense, which I had no interest in. With these stories, I had a really hard time in giving feedback other than, for them just to re-write the story with a different idea. Another thing that I got frustrated with, was when weeks would pass by, but no one would ever give me any feedback, for the first 3-4 weeks, I had never received any feedback.
3. What was something surprising that you learned about the other students (from other schools)?
Throughout the project, as I read different peoples stories, and give them feedback on it, I always learned a little more about the culture, history, and family of the person who had wrote it. I was also able to see how different my life was with the people in Colorado and South Korea.
4. How do you think the project affected your writing?
From the project, I think that my voice and word choice has become much better. I also learned how to vary the way my sentences and paragraph's started.
5. Describe the most challenging aspect of the project.
I think that the most challenging aspect of the project is dealing with deadlines, with three different time zones, with one a whole day ahead of the other two. Because of the three different time zones, it got very hard in giving and receiving feedback.
6. Offer some advice to future participants.
Keep up with deadlines, and just don't give feedback one week, or not update your draft another, just because you know it's online, and your teacher can't tell whether you did your homework or not.
7. Other comments.
I think that the 1001 Flatworld project was a new, fun way of writing a paper, that really didn't feel like a paper, while at the same time allowing us to learn about people around the world, their lives, culture, and family history.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Character Analysis of Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream
The first time we see Puck's character (or Roben Goodfellow) in A Midsummer Night's Dream, was in Act II scene 1, where he runs into one of the fairies in Titania - Queen of the Fairies - service. In this scene, the two squabble about the disagreement that the King and Queen are having, each with their own opinion, since they are under the service of the opposite. And the scene ends with Puck boasting about all the different tricks he has played on people, saying...
"I am the merry wanderer of the night.
I jest to Obernon and make him smile
When I a fat and a bean-fed horse beguile,
Neighing in likeness of a filly foal.
And sometime lurk I in a gossip's bowl
In very likeness of a roasted crab,
And when she drinks, against her lips I bob
And on her withered dewlap pour the ale.
The wisest aut telling the saddest tale,
Sometimes for three-foot stool mistakenth me;
The slip I from her bum, down topples she,
And "Tailor!" cries, and falls into a cough,
And then the whole choir hold their hips and loffe
And waxen in their mirth and neeze and swear
A merrier hour was never wasted there."
From this we see how Puck is a very mischievous character, and as a result, he is the one who causes most of the trouble in this play. First he mixes up Lysander, who is truly deeply in love with Hermia, with Demetrius, who also loves Hermia, but that love really is only lust, when Helena, one of Hermia's greatest friends is deeply in love with him. And instead of making Demetrius fall in love with Helena, using a magical flower, which was hit with one of Cupid's arrow's, he make Lysander fall in love with Helena. So the second act ends with Lysander in love with Helena, and Hermia waking up from a nightmare, about about a snake, only to have the real nightmeare of her love gone, and in love with her best friend.
"I am the merry wanderer of the night.
I jest to Obernon and make him smile
When I a fat and a bean-fed horse beguile,
Neighing in likeness of a filly foal.
And sometime lurk I in a gossip's bowl
In very likeness of a roasted crab,
And when she drinks, against her lips I bob
And on her withered dewlap pour the ale.
The wisest aut telling the saddest tale,
Sometimes for three-foot stool mistakenth me;
The slip I from her bum, down topples she,
And "Tailor!" cries, and falls into a cough,
And then the whole choir hold their hips and loffe
And waxen in their mirth and neeze and swear
A merrier hour was never wasted there."
From this we see how Puck is a very mischievous character, and as a result, he is the one who causes most of the trouble in this play. First he mixes up Lysander, who is truly deeply in love with Hermia, with Demetrius, who also loves Hermia, but that love really is only lust, when Helena, one of Hermia's greatest friends is deeply in love with him. And instead of making Demetrius fall in love with Helena, using a magical flower, which was hit with one of Cupid's arrow's, he make Lysander fall in love with Helena. So the second act ends with Lysander in love with Helena, and Hermia waking up from a nightmare, about about a snake, only to have the real nightmeare of her love gone, and in love with her best friend.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Sustainability Fair
Last Friday, my school held a sustainability fair between 12:30 and 4:30, where we learned about the effects that we have on our environment, such as global warming and growing landfills, as well as teaching us ways to become more environmentally friendly. Also, we learned about how our state and school is aiding in this effort in going "green".
My school has an extremely large campus, and student body of more than 4,000 students K-12 grade, and with that, we use up a large amount of resources, such as energy, for all the lights and AC in all the several classrooms and buildings, paper's, and plastics, to only name a few. And because of this, my school, has decided to pledge to stop using so much of these valuable resources, by setting up several goals dealing with energy, garbage, water, traffic and food, to be accomplished by 2016, sparking the idea of the sustainability fair.
Another thing I learned about my school on Friday, was how the new middle school, that was first opened las year, was entirely made up of recycled goods, and produces it's own energy to fuel the school.
Something else that my school is playing an active role in helping our environment, was getting a 5th grade class involved in recycling bottles, and can's to raise money to adopt a tiger at the zoo, taking care of it's food, shelter and any other necessities it might need.
Then at another table, I learned about how recycled water, which has been fillitered and disinfected to achieve bacterial concentrations consistent with DOH Guidelines for R-1 Water, in Hawaii, is being used for industries and irrigation. Though this water is not healthy enough for human consumption, because of all the bacterias and viruses in the water, it is completely healthy for the environment, since it is a much cheaper, and environmentally healthy way of reducing the amount of water being used.
Lastly, I learned about a House Bill that is being debated over in my state's legislature, which would reduce Hawaii's contribution to global climate change, by limiting the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from Hawaii into the atmospher, which is also the cause of global warming. And all we would need to do as an resident in Hawaii, is call one of the people in government who are supporting this bill, and voice our support for this bill with them.
All in all, through Friday's sustainability fair, I was able to learn a lot about the environment, and how greatly than ever before do we impact the way it works, as well as the things that people in my school, and state are doing to help stop the destructions that we are causing on the place we call home, earth.
My school has an extremely large campus, and student body of more than 4,000 students K-12 grade, and with that, we use up a large amount of resources, such as energy, for all the lights and AC in all the several classrooms and buildings, paper's, and plastics, to only name a few. And because of this, my school, has decided to pledge to stop using so much of these valuable resources, by setting up several goals dealing with energy, garbage, water, traffic and food, to be accomplished by 2016, sparking the idea of the sustainability fair.
Another thing I learned about my school on Friday, was how the new middle school, that was first opened las year, was entirely made up of recycled goods, and produces it's own energy to fuel the school.
Something else that my school is playing an active role in helping our environment, was getting a 5th grade class involved in recycling bottles, and can's to raise money to adopt a tiger at the zoo, taking care of it's food, shelter and any other necessities it might need.
Then at another table, I learned about how recycled water, which has been fillitered and disinfected to achieve bacterial concentrations consistent with DOH Guidelines for R-1 Water, in Hawaii, is being used for industries and irrigation. Though this water is not healthy enough for human consumption, because of all the bacterias and viruses in the water, it is completely healthy for the environment, since it is a much cheaper, and environmentally healthy way of reducing the amount of water being used.
Lastly, I learned about a House Bill that is being debated over in my state's legislature, which would reduce Hawaii's contribution to global climate change, by limiting the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from Hawaii into the atmospher, which is also the cause of global warming. And all we would need to do as an resident in Hawaii, is call one of the people in government who are supporting this bill, and voice our support for this bill with them.
All in all, through Friday's sustainability fair, I was able to learn a lot about the environment, and how greatly than ever before do we impact the way it works, as well as the things that people in my school, and state are doing to help stop the destructions that we are causing on the place we call home, earth.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Ghost Stories
Hawaii may be one of the most beautiful places on earth, but we also have some amazing ghost stories, here are a few i found interesting. (I found all these stories at http://theshadowlands.net/places/hawaii.htm)
Nu'uanu - The Pali Lookout - People have reported seeing the white silhouette of someone among the trees at the Pali Lookout, at night. There have also been reports of the silhouettes of ancient Hawaiian soldiers being thrown off the cliff to your right when one is standing at the actual lookout, looking down at Kaneohe. The Pali Lookout is where King Kamehameha defeated the opposing armies by throwing them off this cliff. He then united all of the Hawaiian islands. What is interesting is that there is no light source up on the cliff to the right of the lookout to see the silhouettes of these soldiers being cast down. But, when they are seen, the cliff is somehow illuminated. The lights that illuminate the winding road leading into Kaneohe and the lights of Kaneohe itself are too far down to cast any shadows up that high. There are no lights in the parking lot or throughout the lookout area, either. The Pali Lookout is off-limits at night.
The Pali Highway - There is an old belief that if you are traveling on the Pali Highway, in the day or night, that you must not have pork in your car. It is believed that your car will stall and will not start again until the pork is taken out of your car. Some locals believe that is the menehune (meh-neh-hoo-neh), mischievous, elflike creatures, that stops you. Others believe it is because Kamapua'a(kah-mah-po-ah-ah), the giant, nine-eyed boar god who lives in the forests of Kaneohe, won't allow you to pass until the pork is taken out of your car. And this means going in either direction- from Honolulu to Kaneohe or Kaneohe to Honolulu. Many locals, to this day, practice this custom whether they believe or not.
Kahala Mall - In the newspaper several years ago there was a story about a security guard working the late shift at Kahala Mall. After theaters closed, he and another security guard had to lock all the doors to the mall. One security guard went up to the parking level to check the parking lot and lock the doors that lead to this level. He saw another security guard up there, his friend, and not the one he'd just left. The guy was far away, so he called to his friend, but the guy didn't answer. He called again, this next time his friend turned and looked and him then walked away, disappearing around a corner. The security guard went to follow him and found the man gone. This was about one or two a.m. He later asked the other security guard if he had seen their co-worker, the other man said no. The next day, the security guard found out that the man he saw had died at about the same time he'd seen him.
Hilton Hawaii Village - Believed to be haunted by the volcano goddess. Visitors, house cleaners, and other staff members say that they see a woman in a red dress walk in the hallways, on the beach, and everywhere in between! Some people say that the volcano goddess shows up in other forms such as a young woman, and old woman, a hitch-hiker, and a stranger that comes to your door, among other things and never travels alone. When on the beach, she'll be accompanied by dancers.
Nu'uanu - The Pali Lookout - People have reported seeing the white silhouette of someone among the trees at the Pali Lookout, at night. There have also been reports of the silhouettes of ancient Hawaiian soldiers being thrown off the cliff to your right when one is standing at the actual lookout, looking down at Kaneohe. The Pali Lookout is where King Kamehameha defeated the opposing armies by throwing them off this cliff. He then united all of the Hawaiian islands. What is interesting is that there is no light source up on the cliff to the right of the lookout to see the silhouettes of these soldiers being cast down. But, when they are seen, the cliff is somehow illuminated. The lights that illuminate the winding road leading into Kaneohe and the lights of Kaneohe itself are too far down to cast any shadows up that high. There are no lights in the parking lot or throughout the lookout area, either. The Pali Lookout is off-limits at night.
The Pali Highway - There is an old belief that if you are traveling on the Pali Highway, in the day or night, that you must not have pork in your car. It is believed that your car will stall and will not start again until the pork is taken out of your car. Some locals believe that is the menehune (meh-neh-hoo-neh), mischievous, elflike creatures, that stops you. Others believe it is because Kamapua'a(kah-mah-po-ah-ah), the giant, nine-eyed boar god who lives in the forests of Kaneohe, won't allow you to pass until the pork is taken out of your car. And this means going in either direction- from Honolulu to Kaneohe or Kaneohe to Honolulu. Many locals, to this day, practice this custom whether they believe or not.
Kahala Mall - In the newspaper several years ago there was a story about a security guard working the late shift at Kahala Mall. After theaters closed, he and another security guard had to lock all the doors to the mall. One security guard went up to the parking level to check the parking lot and lock the doors that lead to this level. He saw another security guard up there, his friend, and not the one he'd just left. The guy was far away, so he called to his friend, but the guy didn't answer. He called again, this next time his friend turned and looked and him then walked away, disappearing around a corner. The security guard went to follow him and found the man gone. This was about one or two a.m. He later asked the other security guard if he had seen their co-worker, the other man said no. The next day, the security guard found out that the man he saw had died at about the same time he'd seen him.
Hilton Hawaii Village - Believed to be haunted by the volcano goddess. Visitors, house cleaners, and other staff members say that they see a woman in a red dress walk in the hallways, on the beach, and everywhere in between! Some people say that the volcano goddess shows up in other forms such as a young woman, and old woman, a hitch-hiker, and a stranger that comes to your door, among other things and never travels alone. When on the beach, she'll be accompanied by dancers.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Shaman Lit. Circle
In English we were assigned to read the third chapter of The Woman Warrior, "Shaman", and my role this time was the Biographical Critic, who analyzes what we know and learn about the author from the chapter.
In "Shaman", we learn a lot about Maxine's mother, Brave Orchid, and her family's life back in China. The chapter starts out when Maxine brings out her mother's diploma and graduation photo's from a medical school in the city of Canton, and uses her imagination and her mother's talk-story to make-up her mother's experiences, and then goes on to describe how her life had been like in China, in comparison with the life that she had to live when she came to America. From "Shaman", we learn that in China, Brave Orchid had two other children who both died, and after the second died, she decided to go to the Keung School of Midwifery, to become a doctor with the money that her husband was sending her from America. And while there she encountered her first ghost whom she drove out and showed her bravery to all the other students, as well as teaching them how not to fear the ghosts, and how to rid ghosts from any place.
So, when Brave Orchid returns to her village, she is treated with the utmost esteem and respect, because she could not only cure the sick , deliver babies, but also banish the ghosts. We also learn about how smart Brave Orchid had been when caring for the sick, as we learn about her secret of success, which was that she would never treat a patience who was going to die, so all her patience would be get better and live.
But when Brave Orchid's husband asked her to leave China to live in America, she repeats several times in her talk-story of who far she fell when she came to America. Fore in China, she was regarded as a magician or Shaman for all she could do, then in America, she works in a laundry mat, or the tomato fields, something that she is constantly complaining about, saying that there lives would have been much better if they had stayed in China. However in the ending of the chapter, we learn how the family could never go back to China, because the Communist had taken all their property, after their last uncle was murdered.
In "Shaman", we learn a lot about Maxine's mother, Brave Orchid, and her family's life back in China. The chapter starts out when Maxine brings out her mother's diploma and graduation photo's from a medical school in the city of Canton, and uses her imagination and her mother's talk-story to make-up her mother's experiences, and then goes on to describe how her life had been like in China, in comparison with the life that she had to live when she came to America. From "Shaman", we learn that in China, Brave Orchid had two other children who both died, and after the second died, she decided to go to the Keung School of Midwifery, to become a doctor with the money that her husband was sending her from America. And while there she encountered her first ghost whom she drove out and showed her bravery to all the other students, as well as teaching them how not to fear the ghosts, and how to rid ghosts from any place.
So, when Brave Orchid returns to her village, she is treated with the utmost esteem and respect, because she could not only cure the sick , deliver babies, but also banish the ghosts. We also learn about how smart Brave Orchid had been when caring for the sick, as we learn about her secret of success, which was that she would never treat a patience who was going to die, so all her patience would be get better and live.
But when Brave Orchid's husband asked her to leave China to live in America, she repeats several times in her talk-story of who far she fell when she came to America. Fore in China, she was regarded as a magician or Shaman for all she could do, then in America, she works in a laundry mat, or the tomato fields, something that she is constantly complaining about, saying that there lives would have been much better if they had stayed in China. However in the ending of the chapter, we learn how the family could never go back to China, because the Communist had taken all their property, after their last uncle was murdered.
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