Quality Project

I took my first step in making my brochure tonight. I started to make my brochure, the title is, “The Secrets of Oahu.” I thought this title fits pretty well because this brochure is showing some of the not so well known places on Oahu that only the locals know about. For the formatting of this brochure I’m keeping all of the fonts the same and also keeping each of the font colors the same according to the topic.

This was step of my brochure making process was good to get done because I now have everything set up for me. All I have to do now is to take the photos and write down some information about each place.

Quality Project

Today I worked on my Quality Project. I went around taking pictures of the restaurants that I’m going to put into my brochure. On my brochure I want to give each restaurant their own slide so on each slide I want to put at least two pictures of the restaurant on it. Or another option could be that I put a picture of the certain restaurant on the slide and also put some of their signature dishes. I already know that for each slide I’m going to put the address, telephone number, how to get there and at least one picture of the place.

Sustainability Fair

All throughout the day I was always wondering what the “Sustainability Fair” was going to be like. When we arrived to the fair all of my questions were answered. The fair was almost like a mini mini mini carnival that only focused on how to make the world better. As soon as we walked onto the fairgrounds we were met by some people from the Hawaii Nature Preserve. They had us play a game that asked about Native and non-native animals in Hawaii. The object of the game was to pick which animals were native to Hawaii and which weren’t. Since we picked correct we won sustainability TATOOS!!

After winning our prizes we went to watch the play that the junior school was putting on. Going along with the theme of sustainability this play was alerted us to what we are actually doing to the world and how we can fix it. I really enjoyed this play because it taught me about the world in a really fun way. For example they used the beat and rhythm of a hit pop song, “Bad Day” and changed the lyrics to make it a sustainability song. All of the kids in the play had a lot of emotion and I could tell that they cared for the world with how much they put into the play. I think that we should have this fair more often because it’s very beneficial.

Working on my QP

Well today was the first day that I started to work on my Quality Project. As I said before my Quality project is going to be a brochure of Oahu seen through the eyes of the locals. This brochure is going to include beaches that are known to most locals, some good small Hawaiian food restaurants that aren’t mentioned in big tourism brochures and how to also be environmentally friendly when you’re here.

Today I looked at some brochures to see how they look and what information I’m going to need. I found out that I’m going to need the background history of each place, some useful information about the place and how to get there. All of these brochures are all colorful and full of pictures. So I guess that is what mine is going to need.

Quality Project Outline

For my quality project I wanted to make a travel brochure for my grandparents from Illinois. In this travel brochure I would pick the top ten places to visit on Oahu so that they could visit them while they are here. I am going to go around the island taking pictures and finding interesting things to do while they are in each certain destination. In the brochure for each place I’m going to have pictures, writing, a background of the place and some interesting facts or ideas of things that they could do while they are there.

My rational for doing this project was to give my grandparents something different to do when they come visit us. My grandparents usually come and visit us maybe every three or four years and each time they do the same thing which is rent a cottage in Kailua and just go to the beach every day all day. I want to give them something fun and interesting to do this time when they come and I also want to learn more about my home. I have never visited the entire island yet and this project will give me a good chance to do this and learn about all the secrets it possesses. Hopefully now with this brochure my grandparents won’t spend all day at the beach doing the same thing every day.

First I’m going to pick the ten places that I want to research about and want my grandparents to visit while they are here. Second I’m going to research the history, location, how to get there, pictures and interesting things about every place I choose for them. After that I’m going to drive there and take pictures of anything that proves why this place is worthy of being in my brochure. It could be a picture of something odd or just a beautiful sight. Then after I find all my information and get everything I need I’m going to make it into a slideshow and present it.

To make a quality brochure I’m going to need to get all of the necessary information like, the history, location, how to get there, pictures and interesting things. I also need to be appealing to the eyes. So that means I need to make it colorful and vibrant but also make it easy to read and easy to follow. Each slide of the slideshow is going to be a different location and I want at least 3 pictures from that place on each slide.

Lit Circle 2

“Want so lief het God die wereld gehad, dat Hy sy eniggebore Seun gegee het, sodat elkeen wat in Hom glo, nie verlore nag gaam nie, maar die ewige kan he” (pg. 402).

This example of how the language in this section of the book is different from all of the others is because Rachel decides to site John 16 in African. In the beginning Rachel was all against the thought of living in Africa and was very stubborn when it came to living there. But now this quote shows how she has adapted to the African culture and embraced some of their language.

“Maybe he’s been in Africa so long he has forgotten that we Christians have our own system of marriage, and it is called Monotony” (pg. 406).

This quote is an example of Rachel even though has adapted to the African culture she still has some of her old qualities like mixing up words. For example in this quote the correct word use would be monogamy instead of monotony. She might seem like a new woman here in Africa but she still is the same girly girl Rachel from before.

The Solution to Homework

Today in class we had a discussion about whatever we wanted to talk about. Some of the topics in which we talked about were the beach, the pros and cons of relationships and one of the other topics was homework. As we were disscussing Geoff came up with what some people thought an unrealistic idea to solve the homework problem but I sort of like it and think it has a slim shot of working. The solution was to instead of assign homework every night to rather give a ungraded quiz at the end of each class and then have the teachers look over them to see what subjects need to be gone over in the next class. This would benefit the students because instead of going home exhausted from a hard day at school and dreading homework it would give them a chance to relax and reflect on the day. Plus it would teach them how to manage their time and when to review becasue in the real world people aren't going to be checking if you are doing your work all they are going to care about is the final project. I know when I go home I am pretty teird from practice and I really don't want to do any of my homework but I know that if I don't do it then I wont get a good grade in the class so I usually rush over it fast and not do the best job I can. If teachers didn't assign homework in the first place then this situation would never happen and everyone would be happy. The students would be happy because they wouldn't have any work to do at night and on the weekends unless they choose to and the teachers wouldn't have to worry about grading anything when they also get home.

An Unsung Invention

When I was thinking about something to write about for one of my common place book entries I was rummaging through my backpack and realized how much this thing helps in our everyday and how hard it would be without it. Sure we could manage without it but can't we also say that we can manage without electricty or computers but life is a lot easier with them.
A bag helps us in everyday life and makes life a lot more comfortable and convienient. Imagining trying to carry all of your books to school without anywhere to put them except your arms. I know my arms would be super sore by the end of walking from Alexander to Pauahi. Backpacks make life so much easier and convinient and I think that we are taking them for granted.

Spring Break

In only a couple of days we start our spring break and I cant wait. During most spring breaks I usually stay home, sleep, watch tv, rest, go to the beach and movies and also just hang with friends. I am really anxious for this spring break because I get to have the car all to myself. I know I must sound pretty selfish right now but usually during the spring break my sister gets the first priority on the car and I never get to use it but now that she is on the mainland for collage its all mine!! Since our volleyball coach is giving us some time off to relax and recharge I use this time to work out on my own lifting weights and trying to get better. This spring break is shaping up to be a good one so dont let it go to waste by staying home everyday all day.

Punahou Sports

Ever since I have been at Punahou which was kindergarten Punahou sports have been a huge part of the school and what we do. At Punahou there is a wide variety of sports to play like, basketball, volleyball, football, track, golf, air riflery, water polo and many many more. Punahou sports have been integrated into school because of all of the school spirit there is from the faculty whenever there is a game. When we were in Kindergarten through sixth grade we had a pep rally for our varsity football team on every friday. For this pep rally we did cheers, ran relays and met the team. We also were encouraged to wear buff n' blue clothing to support our school colors. Now that I am a Punahou athlete for the basketball and volleyball programs I appreciate how much Punahou Sports were stressed when I was younger because without that I might have never entered the sports program and that would have been an opportunity lost.

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's day is a always a very big holiday for my family on my mothers side because of how my grandfather loved to celebrate it when he was alive. Its funny how much our family on my mothers side loved to celebrate it becasuse they weren't even one percent irish, they are 100% Chinese. My grandfather's name was Patrick and when he was a little boy he decided that he always wanted to celebrate St. Patrick's day as one of his main holidays. When he was alive I asked him why he enjoyed celebrating this holiday so much and he told me it was because of the music, dancing, food and just the overall theme of it.
Every St. Patrick's day the entire family would go to their house and celebrate. Usually when we have family get togethers we eat Chinese food and barbeque but on St. Patrick's day we bust out the Celtic recipies and make some Irish food. This year was the first time my grandfather wasn't here to help celebrate St. Patrick's day with us but I could tell that he was enjoying his time up in heaven with some Corned Beef and Cabbage on his plate.

Ruth May Day at Punahou

Today was my first day of school in this strange land. I was brought to this new school where father said we would get a first class education. The first thing I saw when I arrived was how all of the girls at this school would be called prostitutes according to father. He thinks any girls who wear make-up are trying to seduce people and those are devilish acts, which are sins. All of the kids at this school have plumb bad language. Father wouldn't have been proud of this and would have given them all a slap across the mouth and also made them do "the verse."
When I went into the big room with books and tables I saw people working on big bright briefcases. Later when I asked father about it he said that those things are gifts from God to the people on earth who haven’t sinned and are good. I didn’t believe this because I was watching them later and I saw them talk with plumb bad language and God never took them away.
I wore my best schools clothes to school and I was amazed about how differently I dressed from all of the other girls. I wore a big white dress that covered all of my skin except for my head. But the girls at school wore these tight pants that only went down to their knees and shirts that were skin tight around their upper body. If I was with father now he would have given these girls the verse and reprimanded them for dressing so devilish. If I ever wanted to wear something like that I think father might disown me and not talk to me again because he doesn’t associate himself with prostitutes and things to do with the devil.

Aunty Kelly's

Last year when we were small inferior freshman we never had any place to hang out and socialize. But that all changed when our good friend Macy told us her mom was working at the language lab this year. Her mothers name is Kelly and since that day we have hung out here, did homework and played computer games. I am actually in there right now typing this cycle paper up. There are so many benefits to have aunty Kelly here for us. We can eat snacks, have access to computers and we can also just talk story. Many of my most memorable moments have happened in this computer lab. So I decided to make a poem about this wonderful place.
Always a good time
Unbelievably scrumptious snacks
Never boring
Totally AWESOME!
Yelling and screaming not allowed
Kelly is the best
Everyone is always in a good mood
Loving and caring
Luxurious and spacious
Yellow chairs everywhere
'
Solace

UH basketball

In years past going to UH basketball games with my dad and friends was something I really enjoyed doing but now this years team has been nothing but BORING! Maybe its becasue the late hiring of new coach Bob Nash and him having no time to recruite players or maybe its the lack of talent on the team but still this team was boring to watch.
I went to one of the games early in the season and honestly I nearly fell asleep. First of all the style of game that Hawaii plays is very low tempo and strenuous and also the fact that the arena is never even close to being 3/4 full. It seems that no one wants to go watch these guys. As the end of thier season was approching I got the opportunity to watch them one last time on senior night and I was suprised on how hard they work for a team that isn't going anywhere. I was watching a team that went from having no heart to playing with passion and intensity. Sure they still don't have the best talent but these guys worked their butts off and tried extremely hard. I give Coach Nash all the credit in the world now because of how he got this team turned around. In Sunday's edition of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin they have a quote from Coach Nash that I really take to heart and follow. He says, "Life is never going to just deal you a royal flush-you're going to get some bad hands, and it's how you play those bad hands that reveals your character." To me this quote shows how even though life can be rough and hard you have to use those hard experiences to learn and use them to become a better person.

San Diego Here We Come

Tuesday night at nine o’clock my parents say their final goodbyes and I take my first step to San Diego. Our varsity volleyball team was invited to the Best of the West volleyball tournament. This is one of the most prestige tournaments on the west coast. It’s made up of the 32 best teams from the entire western region.
This tournament is such a big deal to Punahou because this is the first time ever that Punahou has been invited to a mainland tournament and this is also the first time that any team has been allowed during their certain season. The coaches and athletic department have been planning this trip for a year and have scheduled so many fundraisers and events for us to make money at. Tom Holdin and Kevin Conway joined us in San Diego which gave us an idea of important this was to Punahou and its goal in branching out throughout the mainland.
Last year I was cut from the varsity along with all of the members of my JV1 team. This year was a different story though. I made the team and seven of my teammates from last year also made it. Joining me on the team are, Taylor Crabb, Kaiwi Crabb, Maddison Mckibbin, Erik Shoji, Jared Altenhof, Jacob Brovelli, Henry Cassiday, Jarrett Chang, Toby Ishizuka, Jeremy Kaimikaua, Ben Lam, Marcus Miyabara, Damian Pherigo, Josh Taylor and Philip White. Most of the people on this team are new to the varsity including our coach Rick Tune. Last year he was the assistant coach to Peter Balding who is now assisting coaching for him. Along with Coach Peter is Stewart Chong.
On our first day in California we went to DISNEYLAND!!! I went to Disneyland once before but I was too young to remember anything and I treated this like a first time experience. Once we entered Disneyland the term “happiest place on earth” could be seen. Even though we went on a Wednesday we were surrounded by smiles and more smiles from everyone young or old entering the park. We raced around picking which rides to ride and what other things we could do. We ended up riding, Indian Jones, Buzz Lightyear, Thunder Rail Road and Space Mountain TWICE! We also watched the 3D version of, “Honey I Shrunk the Kids.” All of the smells of the sweets cooking, the sounds of people of all ages screaming and enjoying themselves help make this a day to remember.
Friday was the day that we have all been waiting for. Sure Disneyland was great but this was the reason why we skipped half a week of school and endured some grueling practices. We came into this tournament testing our skills but also our determination and character. Our determination was tested because during the warm up for our first game our opponent’s height averaged at least 6 feet and the tallest player on our team was 6’4’’. We were definitely lacking in size but we soon found out that we had more intensity and skills. At the end of the first day of pool play we ended first in our pool and had handily beaten some of the better Californian teams. On the second day other known as the, “Gold Round” we faced some adversity. Our best player went down with a really bad flu and 102 degree fever and another of our good players sprained his ankle in the second game. We ended up getting fifth in the tournament but more importantly we grew as a team and learned how to handle adversity. Our teammate Phil put it the best, “we have handled the bumps in the road and still came ended the journey together as one.”
This trip was one of the best ones I have ever gone on because I have learned so many new things about myself and my friends. I learned that I can handle myself in tight situations and battle competitively even though I am an underdog. I have learned that I can, “handle the bumps.”

"Imagine a ruin so strange it must never have happened"

"Imagine a ruin so strange it must never have happened." Well to imagine a ruin so strange means that it must look extremely different than any other places and to have something look extremely different then something drastic must have taken place there. I myself have not encountered anything in my life that is so strange it must have never happened but I have heard about things like this in school.

In school we learned about atoms and also had a mini lesson on atomic bombs. In class we learned about how they can destroy so much and how deadly they are. The picture above is of the aftermath of an atomic bomb. In this picture you can see how everything that used to be there is wiped out. I think this used to be a either a city or the suburbs but now it is just a pile of rubble and will take years to build back up again. In an atomic bomb there is so much heat that it burns everything it touches to nothing and then also to make matters worse the chemicals associated with it also give people cancer after being exposed to it.

When I was younger I would always ask my dad if Hawaii would be safe if a bomb was dropped in California. I can still remember how paranoid I used to be about bombs and the destruction they could cause. I used to day dream about ways to escape the bomb and its chemicals. I had crazy ideas like making a big concrete block and sitting in there for years until it was safe to come outside. Man was I a crazy little kid. I am just very blessed that our nation doesn’t have to worry about being attacked by something as deadly as that so we don’t have a, “ruin so strange it must never have happened.”

"The Grotto" Response

In the short story, "The Grotto" a woman named Clara ventures off to Egypt four years after her mother dies to leave her past in Alabama. All Clara had in her life was her mother and their garden and now with her mother passing from a sickness she decides to get some un-normality in her life by going to Egypt.

When Clara is in Egypt she seems to have a culture clash with the Egyptians. For example when she was in the street and passing by six Egyptians woman covered by their Burkas she says, “dark eyes turning to me…wondering, I daresay at the nakedness of our faces. And thinking what of us? That we were brazen? A shame of God? Wicked and worldly?” (184). this quote shows how she is so different from the Egyptians and how they do not understand each other.

The theme of this paper is “otherness” and this quote is a great example of it. Clara and the Egyptians were very different from each other because of many things. The appearance for one thing is different. The woman in Egypt had to wear the Burkas while the Americans didn’t have to and were envied and looked down upon by the Egyptian woman for it. This little clothing difference is huge because it shows how the two cultures are different.

Another part of the story that shows “otherness” is when Clara went into the Grotto and met an Egyptian man names Musad. Musad was in the Grotto before Clara entered it and startled her. When she came upon him he was staring into the water and thinking when he saw he graciously offered to leave and in the process called her “dear lady.” Clara was offended by this comment because she had the feeling that he was hitting on her but his real intentions were to be polite. This shows “otherness” because they both took that phrase “dear lady” in two totally different ways.

Extra Credit: Twilight of the Books

The words and their definitions that I didn't understand are:

Pollster- a person whose occupation is the taking of public-opinion polls

Latitude- freedom from narrow restrictions; freedom of action, opinion

Correlations- A causal, complementary, parallel, or reciprocal relationship, especially a structural, functional, or qualitative correspondence between two comparable entities

Sociologists- study society and social behavior by examining the groups, cultures, organizations, and social institutions people form. They also study the activities in which people participate, including social, religious, political, economic, and business organizations. They study the behavior of, and interaction among, groups, organizations, institutions, and nations and how they react to phenomena such as the spread of technology, health epidemics, crime, and social movements

Arcane- known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric

Neurobiological- the branch of biology that is concerned with the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system

Cuneiform- having the form of a wedge; wedge-shaped

Hieroglyphs-A picture or symbol used in hieroglyphic writing

Phonetic- corresponding to pronunciation

Ideographic- an ideogram (a written symbol that represents an idea or object directly rather than a particular word or speech sound, as a Chinese character.)

Browbeaten- to intimidate by overbearing looks or words; bully
(www.dictionary.com)


Caleb Crain the author of "Twilight of the Books" wrote about how people don't read books anymore. In his article he gives many good facts that support his idea. He shows how many people throughout the years read books and also how kids are reading books while high teens and adults don't anymore. He also gives proof of why these numbers are going down. He says this because news papers aren't circulating as much anymore. This is just some of the many evidences used in "Twilight of the Books." Caleb Crain did a very good job in convincing me that books are being lost to modern technology like video games and tv.

Common Place Book Entry

TO LOOK AT PICTURE CLICK. SORRY PICTURE DIDN'T SHOW UP.

This picture of Vincent Van Gough's sunflowers is a very interesting one. I really don’t care too much for paintings or art but when I was in middle school my Spanish teacher who was into art told us to look this picture up and I was entranced by it. I marveled at the different textures and how it creates an optical illusion. On a website that talks about this picture it says, “The colors are vibrant and express emotions typically associated with the life of sunflowers: bright yellows of the full bloom to arid browns of wilting and death; all of the stages woven through these polar opposites are presented. Perhaps this very technique is what draws one into the painting; the fulfillment of seeing all angles of the spectrum of life and in turn reaching a deeper understanding of how all living things are tied together.” (http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/sunflowerindex.html). I really like what this quote says because it talks about how this painting illustrates “how all living things are tied together.” I think this is true because of the circle of life. You might think that is some Disney little kid movie stuff but I think that it’s an important thing in life. Everything relies on each other. For example in our world we rely on plants for food and oxygen. They rely on us humans to keep them watered and not to pollute the air. Without the plants we would die and without the humans than the plants wouldn’t be able to survive to their fullest. That is why I believe that Van Gough’s Sunflowers is much more important than what people realize. People need to really look into the deeper meaning of things to understand the true meaning.

Singer's Response

The first time I read the paper, I really thought that Singer was serious when he was talking about having the people eat babies but after looking at it I found out that he was just trying to make a point. The point was that we need to be helping the less fortunate instead of buying ourselves useless things like a bigger tv or a better sound system for your car. These people might not even have electricity or a car. So we need to donate money to help them. I really liked Singer's point and thouhgt that adding the baby eating was a good attention getter.

Punahou Proposal

In the academy one of the most sacred laws that helps govern our student body into acting as one is the “Dress Code.” The “Dress Code” is a way for all of the students to dress alike so it looks like we are one student body. This code makes it that all of the men must wear either Punahou approved shirts like, athletic shirts, other club shirts or collared shirts. The woman however has it very hard because this Dress Code was set in place because of their obscene dress. For their bottom half clothing it must be below their knees. As for their shirts it has to also be Punahou approved and has to be showing. This is not a very good thing for the girls because they like to wear appealing clothes but all of the Punahou approved shirts are not even close to being “cute.” When I first entered the Academy I saw that most students were scared of breaking the Dress Code because the punishment was wearing a hideous and stinky shirt for the rest of the day and also getting demerits. But now as the Dress Code has been going for a longer time I have realized how the teachers have not been catching as many students who have broken this sacred code. All they do is merely stroll pass saying “Hi” and not even mentioning the unapproved clothing he/she is wearing.
This is method of having the teachers catch the students out of dress code is not working and cannot be tolerated any longer. There needs to be a new system of catching students out of dress code. I propose that we put “Dress Code Scanners” at the entrances to the school and each student must go through them to enter campus. These scanners would scan each student and those out of Dress Code would get caught and have to change in order to get to school.

This is a very good idea because then it wouldn’t make the wonderful teachers have to worry about looking out for those terrible rebellious students who don’t follow the Dress Code. If we apply my proposal the teachers would only have to worry about molding our minds and preparing us for college. They wouldn’t have to look for the correct shirts and then running after the students who aren’t wearing the “good” shirts.

This proposal has no flaws and will benefit everyone. The teachers don’t have to worry about the Dress Code breaking students and the students won’t have to worry about getting demerits and wearing stinky unattractive shirts. These “Dress Code Scanners” are the best solution for this problem.

Why basketball is a GREAT pastime

Dribbling down the court, crossing up people left and right. Swooping towards the rim floating in the air until the last possibly second and then finally slamming it down through the orange rim as the buzzer sounds. The crowd goes wild and storms the court, hoisting you on their shoulders and screaming we're number one. The natural high of winning the game stays with you into the night as you hang with your friends and celebrate. This sole image plays throughout my head almost every night when I am dreaming in my sleep. I picture myself making the game winning shot and winning the big game for our team. That is one of the reasons why I play basketball but there are also many other good reasons like, you are able to stay in shape, you meet a variety of people throughout your playing days, you achieve a sense of competitiveness and you also learn many life values.
When I ask girls what type of guys they find physically attractive they always say, "a six pack and also big arms and a nice chest." Well if you play basketball these physical characteristics can be achieved. During a basketball practice one has to run constantly shedding those unwanted pounds and also you become toned. Lifting is also an aspect of basketball that is necessary. We lift almost every week and work those pectoral muscles so the ladies can notice them. Well if you aren't interested in getting that picture perfect body you can also feel healthy and in shape for yourself. The running makes you feel good about yourself because you are keeping fit and not being a couch potato.
Some of my best friends today I met through basketball. We met up during the outside basketball leagues and just kept playing together all our life. Basketball is a great way of meeting new people and keeping your old friendships. It is a great way of meeting people because it is something most people have in common with each other. I no that not everyone might play basketball, but they still come out to the games and support the school team. When Punahou plays Iolani every year the gym becomes packed and everyone cheers together as one. When you go to a game you can meet new people and create friendships.
Playing basketball is a way to develop many key values that are needed in life. You learn responsibility, respect and also you gain self-confidence. In basketball you learn the value of responsibility because when you play you are responsible for many different things. You have to stop your man of defense, make your lay-ups, don't turn the ball over and be a good teammate. If you aren't able to be responsible for these different things then the team wont be as strong. Basketball and respect go hand in hand. You learn about this value because you need to respect your teammates, coaches, referees and opponents. If you aren't respectful to your teammates they will not like you and you wont be doing your job as being a good teammate. You always need to listen and respect your coach or you won't be seeing to much playing time headed your way. In a game you always need to respect the referee's calls and judgments. If you don’t then you might be on your way to getting a technical foul which results in lose of ball and two free throws for the other team and if you get one of those your coach and teammates won't be very happy with you. Last but certainly not least is the value of self-confidence. This is a key value in living your life to the fullest. This value is gained in basketball whenever you make a big shot or get cheered for. Without self-confidence then you will never be able to live your life because you will never believe you can do anything difficult and always chicken out.
As you can see basketball is definitely a great pastime that I think everyone should try. You achieve so many different things like, the ability to stay in shape, a competitive drive, you meet new people and broaden yourself and last you learn great values that are needed in everyday life.