After I think of what sounds good,
Before I get too hungry,
Unless I have already eaten,
While I think about what to order,
I head out to eat.
Until I am done,
After they take my order,
Whenever I get my food,
As I talk to whoever is with me,
I eat dinner.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Book Review: The Island: Book 1
Have you ever thought about how hard surviving on an deserted island would be? Well for a group of kids, this became a reality. Gordan Korman's The Island quickly captured my interest.
The theme of this book is to appreciate things in life before you lose them and to ignore small differences with people to accomplish goals. The kids started out as spoiled, fighting kids sent on a boat to learn to act better because the parents could not handle them themselves. Once washed up on the island, they were happy to see each other. They had to ignore the fact that they don't get along to acquire basic home essentials of survival such as shelter, food, and water.
The author's style of writing was simple as far as wording. This made reading the book very easy and enjoyable. When I read a book, I'm not trying to do more work to figure out words and sentence meanings, I just want something I can enjoy. This style also seems to go with the fact that the castaways are only kids, so this style gives further accentuates this feel.
The characters in this book are easy to understand and all seem to fit into standard cliches. There is the good kid, the rebel, the fighting siblings, the rich snob, and the brain. These main characters even further elaborate on the theme by showing how even though they are all different, they still work together. Because these are your typical characters, they are very predictable and not too deep, but that is okay because this book is more about the physical occurrences and action than the characters themselves.
The setting of The Island is the most important element of the book. Without this story taking place on an island, the book could not even happen and none of the events that took place could have happened. The setting scares the characters because it is disconnected from the outside world. Being on the island also is what causes a kid to get shot, a kid to be chased by a wild boar, the kids to have to look for food and most importantly, the setting causes the kids to find an old atomic bomb buried at a deserted military base on the island. This discovery is what conveys the story into book two. Essentially, if this was taken place elsewhere, the sequel would not exist.
This book reminds me of other survivor books I have read, also, about "Man Vs. Wild" and "Survivor Man" on discovery channel because they have to survive on an island too. This book does not make any personal connections with me except for that I think it would be cool to be stranded on an island for a couple of days, just to see if I could.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action in stories instead of minor drama. Adults might be bored by this book due to the simplicity of the wording, but if they want a good story that is easy to read, I would recommend this to them as well.
The theme of this book is to appreciate things in life before you lose them and to ignore small differences with people to accomplish goals. The kids started out as spoiled, fighting kids sent on a boat to learn to act better because the parents could not handle them themselves. Once washed up on the island, they were happy to see each other. They had to ignore the fact that they don't get along to acquire basic home essentials of survival such as shelter, food, and water.
The author's style of writing was simple as far as wording. This made reading the book very easy and enjoyable. When I read a book, I'm not trying to do more work to figure out words and sentence meanings, I just want something I can enjoy. This style also seems to go with the fact that the castaways are only kids, so this style gives further accentuates this feel.
The characters in this book are easy to understand and all seem to fit into standard cliches. There is the good kid, the rebel, the fighting siblings, the rich snob, and the brain. These main characters even further elaborate on the theme by showing how even though they are all different, they still work together. Because these are your typical characters, they are very predictable and not too deep, but that is okay because this book is more about the physical occurrences and action than the characters themselves.
The setting of The Island is the most important element of the book. Without this story taking place on an island, the book could not even happen and none of the events that took place could have happened. The setting scares the characters because it is disconnected from the outside world. Being on the island also is what causes a kid to get shot, a kid to be chased by a wild boar, the kids to have to look for food and most importantly, the setting causes the kids to find an old atomic bomb buried at a deserted military base on the island. This discovery is what conveys the story into book two. Essentially, if this was taken place elsewhere, the sequel would not exist.
This book reminds me of other survivor books I have read, also, about "Man Vs. Wild" and "Survivor Man" on discovery channel because they have to survive on an island too. This book does not make any personal connections with me except for that I think it would be cool to be stranded on an island for a couple of days, just to see if I could.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action in stories instead of minor drama. Adults might be bored by this book due to the simplicity of the wording, but if they want a good story that is easy to read, I would recommend this to them as well.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Argument: Televison Vs. Books
Assertion/Claim (topic sentence):
Television is better than books.
Evidence (concrete detail):
Source 2
Television is better than books in modern society. People remember more from visual/audio representation. When reading, you must create the picture yourself, enabling the possibility of leaving out important details. By watching television, you see every single detail that is needed for the message to be conveyed, given that the makers of the television show, movie, or documentary provide the details as they should and as they do in most cases. By having all of this information streamed into one's brain, the viewer would learn/understand better than if he or she was reading a book. This is because the brain stores this information consciously it is also in your subconscious, so you may know it without know you that you do. Another advantage of television over books is when watching television, one can see what is going on, eliminating the struggle of creating a picture in his or her head which may be outdated as well. Books can provide information, but the lack of visual representation causes a struggle in understanding. On top of this, the information in the books cannot live up to how television can provide information live from a primary source as up to date as possible. Americans today tend to believe that books are better and builds the mind while television is bad and destroys the mind, however, I contend that people only think this because that is what they have been told for a long time and instead of thinking about it themselves and forming their own opinion, they just go with what they are told. Many people believe in both sides of the case, but after considering the facts, people will lean more towards television as a source of entertainment and information rather than outdated books.
My Thinking:
This paragraph is based upon my inductive reasoning because the information presented is derived from personal opinion and thoughts.
Television is better than books.
Evidence (concrete detail):
- TV can show live stories/footage.
- TV is the most recent/updated way of getting knowledge about any topic.
- Get more details.
- Remember more by seeing...People learn more by seeing exactly what's going on instead of being forced for their brain to make an estimation.
- Commentary 1: I personally learn more when I see exactly what is going on, as far as documentaries, and other shows in which you might retain information from.
- Commentary 2: Being able to see and hear things already created on the television instead of creating everything as when one is reading causes the viewer's subconsciousness catch a lot of information. This allows the viewer to remember what they saw easier and for a longer period than when reading.
- Get more visual representation... When watching television, one can see what is going on, eliminating the struggle of creating a picture in his or her head.
- Commentary 1: Data given in a book can be hard to understand, but when data is given on the television, it can be represented in reenactments, charts, tables, songs, voices, live footage, and so on.
- Commentary 2: TV can show visually live events and books cannot give the most recent, updated visual representations on current events.
- Americans today tend to believe that books are better and builds the mind while television is bad and destroys the mind.
- However, I contend that people only think this because that is what they have been told for a long time and instead of thinking about it themselves and forming their own opinion, they just go with what they are told.
Source 2
Television is better than books in modern society. People remember more from visual/audio representation. When reading, you must create the picture yourself, enabling the possibility of leaving out important details. By watching television, you see every single detail that is needed for the message to be conveyed, given that the makers of the television show, movie, or documentary provide the details as they should and as they do in most cases. By having all of this information streamed into one's brain, the viewer would learn/understand better than if he or she was reading a book. This is because the brain stores this information consciously it is also in your subconscious, so you may know it without know you that you do. Another advantage of television over books is when watching television, one can see what is going on, eliminating the struggle of creating a picture in his or her head which may be outdated as well. Books can provide information, but the lack of visual representation causes a struggle in understanding. On top of this, the information in the books cannot live up to how television can provide information live from a primary source as up to date as possible. Americans today tend to believe that books are better and builds the mind while television is bad and destroys the mind, however, I contend that people only think this because that is what they have been told for a long time and instead of thinking about it themselves and forming their own opinion, they just go with what they are told. Many people believe in both sides of the case, but after considering the facts, people will lean more towards television as a source of entertainment and information rather than outdated books.
My Thinking:
This paragraph is based upon my inductive reasoning because the information presented is derived from personal opinion and thoughts.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Hit and Run Book Review
A common occurrence today is people driving before they receive their license. In this case, that would be the demise of this group of friends. R. L. Stine's Hit and Run captured my attention with an interesting story.
The theme of this book, I would say, is to not get ahead of yourself and let things happen in due time. The characters did not follow this advice so they drove before they got their license. Not abiding by this caused the characters to get into trouble. If the kids followed this, this book would not have a good story.
The author's writing style was fairly relaxed, making it easy to read. He doesn't use large words, he keeps things simple, yet interesting, and he makes the wording easy to follow.
As far as characters go, it seems that they are the author's main focus. Cassie, the main introductory character, is the only girl in the group. "Cassie had been athletic all her life"; Cassie is a tomboy so this makes sense. The other three were average teen guys except Winks who always joked around.
The setting is in modern times obviously due to the typical teen culture shown in the book and the presence of automobiles. I also assume it's in the United States because the driving age is shown to be 16 and in most other industrialized countries, the driving age is 17 or 18. The setting allows for the teens to be nearing the driving age and for cars to be common, which sets up the story.
This book does not connect with me on a personal level because the whole book is based off of one situation that I have never been in. I have never read a book similar to this one.
For me, Hit and Run is a good book. If you like stories that don't have many boring or slow parts, then you would like Hit and Run. I recommend this book for younger readers because it is easy to read and I would recommend it for people who want a short read.
The theme of this book, I would say, is to not get ahead of yourself and let things happen in due time. The characters did not follow this advice so they drove before they got their license. Not abiding by this caused the characters to get into trouble. If the kids followed this, this book would not have a good story.
The author's writing style was fairly relaxed, making it easy to read. He doesn't use large words, he keeps things simple, yet interesting, and he makes the wording easy to follow.
As far as characters go, it seems that they are the author's main focus. Cassie, the main introductory character, is the only girl in the group. "Cassie had been athletic all her life"; Cassie is a tomboy so this makes sense. The other three were average teen guys except Winks who always joked around.
The setting is in modern times obviously due to the typical teen culture shown in the book and the presence of automobiles. I also assume it's in the United States because the driving age is shown to be 16 and in most other industrialized countries, the driving age is 17 or 18. The setting allows for the teens to be nearing the driving age and for cars to be common, which sets up the story.
This book does not connect with me on a personal level because the whole book is based off of one situation that I have never been in. I have never read a book similar to this one.
For me, Hit and Run is a good book. If you like stories that don't have many boring or slow parts, then you would like Hit and Run. I recommend this book for younger readers because it is easy to read and I would recommend it for people who want a short read.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Bullying
Exposition:
Bullying is an act that hurts the person who it is happening to. Most people think of being pushed on the playground or having lunch money stolen when they think of bullying. The truth is, bullying is way more than that. Bullying is hurting someone physically, mentally, or emotionally. A common type of bullying is laughing at people and talking badly about them. Ways people do this included through texts, in person, through rumors and other people, on the Internet, and at school in front of everyone. People, a lot of times, talk badly about their ex-friends and people their mad at. Because they are mad, they do not consider the others' feelings and do not care, just because he or she, the bully, feels badly. Bullying is more than just small playground disputes. Committing this act can deeply impact others' lives for the worse.
Bullying is an act that hurts the person who it is happening to. Most people think of being pushed on the playground or having lunch money stolen when they think of bullying. The truth is, bullying is way more than that. Bullying is hurting someone physically, mentally, or emotionally. A common type of bullying is laughing at people and talking badly about them. Ways people do this included through texts, in person, through rumors and other people, on the Internet, and at school in front of everyone. People, a lot of times, talk badly about their ex-friends and people their mad at. Because they are mad, they do not consider the others' feelings and do not care, just because he or she, the bully, feels badly. Bullying is more than just small playground disputes. Committing this act can deeply impact others' lives for the worse.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Homecoming
Homecoming is this week; that means watching people get crazy with the spirit week themes and having last home game. Back in junior high, I remember EVERYONE did stuff for crazy day and people really took it to extremes, but in high school people don't really dress up as much. I personal don't really dress up, I just watch everyone else.
The game against the Chickasaws should be good. My best friend broke his leg so he can't play, but my other best friend is a homecoming person (not sure what they're called), so there's a good and a bad thing. While that's going on, I'll be playing in band... I'll say right now that I will not miss it at all once I'm out after this semester.
Most people think of homecoming and they think of school spirit, the football game, and a dance, but this year, there's no dance after the game! I'm not too distraught over it though. All I did last time was go, take pictures, and leave. I'll probably find something more fun to do with my friends instead.
The game against the Chickasaws should be good. My best friend broke his leg so he can't play, but my other best friend is a homecoming person (not sure what they're called), so there's a good and a bad thing. While that's going on, I'll be playing in band... I'll say right now that I will not miss it at all once I'm out after this semester.
Most people think of homecoming and they think of school spirit, the football game, and a dance, but this year, there's no dance after the game! I'm not too distraught over it though. All I did last time was go, take pictures, and leave. I'll probably find something more fun to do with my friends instead.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Four Paragraphs
Narrative
UACCB's "Career Day", I think, helped me to see my interests' correlations with available career tracks. I went to robotics first; it informed me that robots are useful in factories because they don't need breaks, light, and they aren't sensitive to small temperature ranges. Another class I went to was computers. There, we made Ethernet cables and learned about the different types of computer classes. All in all, career day was a good, informative experience.
Persuasive
A huge developing problem in the United States, and the whole world, is the problem of polluting the environment. Some debate whether or not it is the cause of global warming or not, but even if it isn't, we should still do our best to respect nature and the planet itself. Littering is a very common, yet destructive, disrespectful act against our own planet. People don't realize that when trash decomposes, it can release harmful toxins into to the soil. When it rains, these toxins get in the ground water, which is where most of America's water supply is, and disables it from being able to supply the population. If people recycle, it would cut down on water pollution and save natural resources that would have been used to create new plastic, glass, or paper products. If not for anything else, people should do their part to conserve and protect the environment just out of respect for nature.
Descriptive
Antonia fits well into the archetype of Mother Earth. Antonia was gentle, caring, and took care of many things. She raise many children and helped out Jim. Mother Earth seems like she would take care of everyone as well. Also, Antonia took care of the land throughout her life. Her being considered Mother Earth is definitely fitting.
Quinton Smith=Chen Shuchu Concrete detail Reason/Detail/Fact
Since 1963, I have not been doing anything huge, but have been selling vegetables in Taiwan. Donating the equivalent to 320,000 US Dollars, I am notorious for "Quietly doing good". Once, I had been selling vegetables all day when a boy, a short seven-year-old, came up to me. He said, "I wish everyone was as generous as you." Wondering what i was supposed to be doing in life, that small statement let me know I was doing the right thing.
Tone: Thoughtful
Explanation: She is thoughtful because she thought of other people first by donating her money to others.
ExpositoryUACCB's "Career Day", I think, helped me to see my interests' correlations with available career tracks. I went to robotics first; it informed me that robots are useful in factories because they don't need breaks, light, and they aren't sensitive to small temperature ranges. Another class I went to was computers. There, we made Ethernet cables and learned about the different types of computer classes. All in all, career day was a good, informative experience.
Persuasive
A huge developing problem in the United States, and the whole world, is the problem of polluting the environment. Some debate whether or not it is the cause of global warming or not, but even if it isn't, we should still do our best to respect nature and the planet itself. Littering is a very common, yet destructive, disrespectful act against our own planet. People don't realize that when trash decomposes, it can release harmful toxins into to the soil. When it rains, these toxins get in the ground water, which is where most of America's water supply is, and disables it from being able to supply the population. If people recycle, it would cut down on water pollution and save natural resources that would have been used to create new plastic, glass, or paper products. If not for anything else, people should do their part to conserve and protect the environment just out of respect for nature.
Descriptive
Antonia fits well into the archetype of Mother Earth. Antonia was gentle, caring, and took care of many things. She raise many children and helped out Jim. Mother Earth seems like she would take care of everyone as well. Also, Antonia took care of the land throughout her life. Her being considered Mother Earth is definitely fitting.
My Antonia Book Review
The book My Antonia was one of a kind. It seemed like it had more than one story within it. Willa Cather's My Antonia failed to capture my personal interest but it seems like it would be easy for a lot of people to enjoy.
This book was very three dimensional, in that, it was not only one flat story. Each character seemed to come to life with their own background and stories of their own.
One of the book's focuses was freedom (a representation in the book was the sunflowers). It also focused on love (between Antonia and Jim although they were not single); almost like the sparks reignited. In this book, it also included some senses of closeness between friends and families.
I think many people can connect to this book in a way that everyone has had to experience something new and have had to adjust.
The setting of My Antonia really highlighted the theme of "new frontier" because it literally was a frontier as they traveled from their home country to the new unknown world.
My recommendation for this book would be to read it if you enjoy in depth plots and deep characterization.
This book was very three dimensional, in that, it was not only one flat story. Each character seemed to come to life with their own background and stories of their own.
One of the book's focuses was freedom (a representation in the book was the sunflowers). It also focused on love (between Antonia and Jim although they were not single); almost like the sparks reignited. In this book, it also included some senses of closeness between friends and families.
I think many people can connect to this book in a way that everyone has had to experience something new and have had to adjust.
The setting of My Antonia really highlighted the theme of "new frontier" because it literally was a frontier as they traveled from their home country to the new unknown world.
My recommendation for this book would be to read it if you enjoy in depth plots and deep characterization.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Completing 1/4 of My Junior Year
Well... this year started off a lot better than last year because I spend more time with my friends than I did last year due to me not having a girlfriend this year, but I enjoy being single.
Towards the end of the first nine weeks, I realized I have about 3X as much homework as I had last year... but I still am only doing about a third of my homework cause I get mad about having so much. Having too much homework has made me not really care anymore about it. The classes are kind of harder too. I have come to realize that as I get older, the less I care about school. After over 11 years of going to school, it gets a little old. In addition to that, I know what I want to do as a career and it doesn't involve balancing chemical equations, knowing what 3 sisters farming is, or reading fictional books.
I started out in band this year realizing that I didn't like it anymore because now, most of my friends aren't in band so it gets boring. I tried quitting and successfully quit after being told I could get out without getting an F, but the next day they came back and informed me that the new head of our school wouldnt allow it... so I'm now in band and everyone knows I'm about to quit at semester so it can be a little awkward.
Now that I'm a junior, it feels like time is speeding up because for the first time it feels like there's an end. In less than two years from now, I'll be living on my own as a college student, but it still feels to me like the days back at Eagle Mountain weren't that long ago.
All in all, the first nine weeks have sucked (school wise), but if you take out the band and classes, my junior year is off to a good start.
Towards the end of the first nine weeks, I realized I have about 3X as much homework as I had last year... but I still am only doing about a third of my homework cause I get mad about having so much. Having too much homework has made me not really care anymore about it. The classes are kind of harder too. I have come to realize that as I get older, the less I care about school. After over 11 years of going to school, it gets a little old. In addition to that, I know what I want to do as a career and it doesn't involve balancing chemical equations, knowing what 3 sisters farming is, or reading fictional books.
I started out in band this year realizing that I didn't like it anymore because now, most of my friends aren't in band so it gets boring. I tried quitting and successfully quit after being told I could get out without getting an F, but the next day they came back and informed me that the new head of our school wouldnt allow it... so I'm now in band and everyone knows I'm about to quit at semester so it can be a little awkward.
Now that I'm a junior, it feels like time is speeding up because for the first time it feels like there's an end. In less than two years from now, I'll be living on my own as a college student, but it still feels to me like the days back at Eagle Mountain weren't that long ago.
All in all, the first nine weeks have sucked (school wise), but if you take out the band and classes, my junior year is off to a good start.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Choosing my Theme
The theme I chose was music. I made the decision to choose this because I couldn't really think of anything and I was running out of time, so I just chose something I like, music. The name "Writing to Beats" was chosen because it's a way music and writing could be connected. When someone writes lyrics to a song, they're writing to the beat. So it just fit.
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