Final

I have thoroughly enjoyed having a blog this past school year. When I scroll through past posts, I think to myself, "This has got to be the most I've ever written in my life!" My blog allows me to jot down memories. It is convenient since it keeps all my writing in one place. My favorite part is being able to add pictures to give myself a visual of what I wrote about. I can also look at other people's blogs when I see a topic that interests me.

Blogging has changed the way I write, think, and think about writing.I used to think that writing is only worth something only if it is written professionally. I developed that mentality because only good essays good get markings in English class. But now that I think about it, writing, even if it has bad grammar, is significant as long as it means something to the writer or reader, especially if it is about an important event in a person's life. I used to think that writing was plain and boring, but it is actually very powerful. It's amazing how writing can take all different types of forms. There are reviews, fiction, real life stories, poems and you can learn many morals/ lessons from each kind. For example, if you read dramas, you learn stage directions. Also, once you finish a book, that isn't the end. There can be analysis and discussions which can be used to expand into other subjects.

Writing used to be one of my greatest fears. I dreaded writing essays because I always ended up having writer's block. After blogging so much, I now think that producing 300 words is a cinch. However, 500 words is still kind of tedious to do. When I feel painful doing 1000 word reviews and finals, I am in awe how authors can write novels without dragging the storyline. I think I am now more conscious of how I write. I write compound sentences. I used to only scratch the surface of subjects, but now I think more in depth; For book reviews, I think of the morals that I learned: "They show their greatest potential as human beings despite the obstacles in their way; they show their true colors." (True Colors Review) Instead of treating the books as just a story for entertainment, I thought about what kind of lessons can be learned and why the book was named what it is. Doing these kinds of things allows me to write more and suffer less writer's block. With so much practice, I form paragraphs automatically. For book reviews, I try my best to incorporate quotes and make smooth transitions between paragraphs.

My favorite post this past year is my review on the book True Colors by Kristin Hannah. It was one of the best book that I have ever read in my life. It morals of forgiveness and hope make it an inspiring novel. In this post, I answered three prompts about the book. They were: What was the author's purpose(s) in writing this book, and how can you tell?, How well was this purpose achieved?, How would you describe the author's style of writing? What's your opinion of the style?, and Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth. Answering these quotes allowed me to reflect on what I've read and develop an in depth interpretation of the title and realize how one of the characters relates to me.

For my favorite character, I picked Winona, one of the Grey sisters. I started out with two quotes that describe how Winona felt towards her sister, Vivi Ann. Then I wrote about her personality of being jealous and prideful and how these bad traits get her into trouble. The author's purpose of writing this book is to describe life in a small town and to encourage hope, love, and forgiveness. I described Hannah's style as being easy to read, capable to stir the emotion of the readers, and gives a laid back mood by adding dialogue. In the end, I described the pity, anger, and happiness that I felt through the course of events.

Even though I got full credit on this review, there are many ways in which I could have improved on it. The quotes that I put in did not support my claims. For example, I ended with a quote: "And my dad said. Yeah. It's about time I taught my son to play poker. His son. That was when I had my answer, when I finally knew who I was. " (p558). After rereading this post, I realize that it has nothing to do with the author's style of writing. I guess I just put it in because it was a touching quote and I thought it would be a good conclusion. Also, I did not proofread it carefully, so there were grammar mistakes and switching between the past and present tense.

I get my ideas for blog posts from the aspects of my daily life. The things that I do and watch have a big influence what I write about. Because I always watch anime, I like write about Detective Conan, Naruto, and Bleach. I really like writing about the fun that I have hanging out with Michelle on Thursdays and Fridays after school. When there is a break from school, I usually blog about what I did on each day. However, I can not always think of a topic. When that happens, I resort to using things that I learned in history; These included my posts Should Euthanasia Be Legal? &French Imperialism in Indochina. One time, I used my essay The Cold War from the Layer A of my history project.

I think that some of my inspiration for writing comes from reading amazing works of literature or any other type of writing. For example, when I read really good books like the Percy Jackson series and True Colors, it makes me wish that I had a talent for writing stories. I want to be able to write something that others enjoy reading and maybe think of a good story plot that no author has yet to think of. Though that goal inspires me, I know that I do not have the diligence to improve my writing or even think of a plot for a story. I find it too difficult and I would rather just go the easy way and not even try. Most of the time though, my intention for writing a good essay is not exactly a good one. Being in school, I only think about writing so that I can get a good marking on it.

Writing can take me on a trip down memory lane. I enjoy the nostalgia that I feel when I recall happy moments of the past; it makes me feel as if I'm reliving that moment. it serves as an alternative to remember those moments if I didn't take picture. Writing can also be relaxing and give a sense of freedom. It can serve as an outlet. I remember that one time when I was depressed about my life, I wrote down how I felt in my notebook. After that I felt a lot better. I think that's why some people have diaries. I have wrote a lot this past school year and I hope that it will prepare me English 3 next year.

Ending Slavery Review

"It can happen. Five thousand years of slavery can end forever. Two hundred years of pretending we don't have slavery anymore can end forever. The ugly crime that divides and stains out species can end forever. The use of violence to turn other people into livestock can end forever. It can happen, and it can happen starting now." (p3)

In Ending Slavery, Kevin Bales informs us of the statistics of slavery, incidences where slaves or villages emancipated themselves, and he also offers advice on what we can do to aid the antislavery movement.

I once heard at a church service that Japan is one of the most corrupt countries in terms of the sex industry. I found that hard to believe because it is the producer of some of my most favorite kinds of things like SANRIO and sushi. From reading this book, it shows that Japan is way behind on stopping slavery than it is compared to in technology. It is ironic that though it hasa low rate of crime rate and is one of the most influential and has one of the richest economies in the world, it is on the Tier 2 Watch List. Not only does it not take action, but the Japanese government does a great deal to support it; They give visas to those that will be performing at theaters and nightclubs:

"What other country is so in love with the entertainment that it is necessary to import 133,103 singers and dancers in a single year? And are the Japanese such jaded theater goers that the 123,322 singers and dancers imported the year before ceased to be entertaining after a few months"(p109) Japan tries to put up a good image while hiding slavery in the form of "entertainers".

Japan has a history of using sex slaves. During the Cold War, Japanese soldiers enslaved in prostitution thousands of Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, Korean, and Chinese women. They set up "comfort stations" in military occupied establishments. Chong Ok Sun,was one of the many women that were victims. Her story is the the most tragic and horrifying thing that I have ever read. It reflects the cruelty of the Japanese and the gives an eyewitness account of the horrors of slavery. In Heysan City, she along with thousands of other girls, served about forty men per day and were beaten severely if they rebelled. Deaths also occurred; soldiers had one girl that rebelled rolled onto a board with nails and then cut her head of in the end after the torture. The commander said," it's easy to kill you all, easier than killing dogs." Slavery degrades humans and causes them to believe that one race or gender is superior to another.

I find Kevin Bales style of writing to be kind of hard to read. He bombards the reader with too much information; I forgot almost everything that I read because there was just too much information to absorb. I also thought that some points seemed redundant or maybe he did that on purpose so the reader does not forget the point that he is trying to make. However, I found the stories that he adds in, such the city of Sonebarsa freeing itself by getting a mining lease and the story of a girl named Rena being forced into prostitution captivating and powerful. Stories of tragedies inform others of the need to end the horrible practice of enslaving people thinking that they are inferior, while those of success encourage others that the efforts that they put in are not in vain.

There are many areas that he did really well while writing the books. Visuals can be more influential than words; By adding pictures of slaves with captions, he is able to show the horrible conditions that slaves live in. These pictures stirs the emotions of the reader; When I glanced at them, I felt sad looking at the boy that was abused, having scars over his body. He also organizes his information; although there are only six chapters, there are many subheadings. He ensures that the reader gets the points of each chapter by giving either a summary or a list of things that people can do to aid the fight against slavery.

Adding quotes and stories make the book more information and offers proof that supports his reports and statistics of slavery are valid. For the report on slavery in Japan, he even shows a graph of the entry on "entertainer" visas. He does not used boring titles; he has very catchy ones such as "Brazil's Report Card", where he gives a report on slavery in Brazil and "So, Mr. Chocolate Company, When Did You Stop Using Slaves?", where he talks about what chocolate factories such as Hersheys, Mars, and Nestle did after they found out that slaves were used to make the cocoa beans.

"Ending slavery in this world means solving a lot of puzzles. Some concern a single child, and some relate to fitting the pieces of government policy together: ...Should our laws keep slave-made goods out of our country or take advantage to its cheapness?... Then some of the questions hit us right in the heart: Are we willing to live in a world with slavery?..."

Bales begins by boggling the mind of the reader with questions. The purpose of the book is to answer those questions. He is very dedicated in his work; he has traveled around the world investigating slavery to write this book. The author directs this book to anyone that is willing to read it. However, I would only recommend this book to those that would be diligent enough to finish it. Not everyone can or are willing to sacrifice their time to other countries and serve as antislavery activists, but they can do little things that contribute. These things include spreading the world about the book, teach children, building antislavery libraries, learning to recognize the signs of slavery, and long term supportive funding.

Consumers have a right to know that the clothes they wear or chocolate that they eat could have produced by slaves on the other side of the world. The luxuries that we enjoy could be at the cost of the pain and suffering of others. Bales tells us that one thing that consumers can do is that whenever we go shopping, we should go to the store manager and ensure that their products are made by paid laborers. Consumers are often also employees and and investors, so they can also encourage the business that they work for to support antislavery organization and question if retirement funds or stocks are make profits from slavery.

Bales hopes that national organizations and governments would also read the book. In Governments: Carrying the Biggest Stick, he informs that though the government holds the most power in countries, they do little to try to end slavery. Most of the time it is the activist groups that are responsible for the emancipation of slaves. National Organizations have a national reach which can be the key to ending slavery.The World Bank can fund projects by giving loans and grants, and the United Nations can appoint experts to review and improve conventions. If governments and organizations worked as hard as the government in Brazil, which "freed 4,789 slaves in 2003 and another 2,745 in 2004" (p118), the emancipation of slaves around the world will happen a lot quicker.

"The truth is that all of us have a hand in slavery through the things that we buy. The basic reality that we have to grapple with as consumers and businesses is that a lot of commodities and products have a little bit of slavery in them. (p181)"

The chapter that this quote was in was about ending the product chain that causes slaveholders to not let go of their slaves in order to earn the most profits. On page 211, Bales gives a number of ways that we, as normal citizens and consumers can do to help the fight against slavery. I feel shameful to say this, but even after reading the advice, I know I won't follow what it says. I would not go up to a store manager and tell him that I do not want to buy slave made goods. First of all, no one that I know does that. Also, I don't even know whether the employees or manager know whether the goods are from slaves; they could be deceived like everyone else too.

It is so sad that even though that products are made from slave of child labor it is still being sold out in the market for so much more than the cost needed to produce it. Yet despite the expensive costs, lots of people still buy those things. Everyone is fueling the global slave trade unknowingly. One of the things that require slave input is cocoa. Some of the biggest chocolate companies, such as Hershey, Mars, and Nestle have had slavery in their product chain. It is ironic that something that takes so sweet and good originated from the tears and pain of other people.

When I think about it, when I look at tags for the clothes and other things that I buy, all of them say that they are made in poor countries. If only slaveholders would stop being so selfish and be happy with what they have slavery wouldn't exist. But I guess that is impossible because humans are fallen beings and we are sinful no matter how hard we try not to be. I think that there are people that are also told about slavery, but they choose to not believe it because it is too hard to look carefully at products and to feel guilty whenever you guy something.

Red Cross Speech

Yesterday, I gave my speech for the Red Cross club. I was running for the position of corresponding secretary.The duties of this job is to be the communicator between the members and Joanne, our club sponsor who is in charge of the events; the person in this postiion has to call members that signed up for the events, ensure that they remember to go along with when and where it is, or cross them off the list if they are busy. This is my speech which I wrote many weeks ago, but two weeks ago we only had time to vote for webmaster and last week there was no meeting due to AP testing :

HI! My name is Katherine and this is my second year at Red Cross. I think that I am capable of this position because I am a hard worker, I get things done on time, and I have a good memory. I keep up my grades along with having done swimming and tennis and having a o period. I will not have any difficulty fulfilling the duties required since I always have a lot of free time on my hands. I am an active member of this club. This past school year, I have attended about twenty events, consisting of fifteen different types of events. As for why I want this position, I am running for this position because I want an opportunity to do more in the club. Since I do not have much experience in calling people except for a few weeks ago when I called people to promote measure E for swimming, I will be able to learn something new and be able to do something that is outside my comfort zone. If I get this position I will do my best to ensure that you guys know the details of events, that I call at appropriate times, and that there will not be any miscommunication of any sort.

I did not list all the events that I attended since they were too many. The events that I attended this past schoolyear were:
candlelight vigil
field trip to the red cross office in san franciso
bingo at Water's Edge convalescent home
passing out cards
holiday food drive at Bayfarm Community Church
pressure booth at the car show
cleaning ERV warehouse,
health fair at alameda hospital
disabled people's fair at alameda point
earth day fair at washington park
making cards
packing meals on wheels
setting up and cleaning up for toys for tots

I was so happy when I was done with my speech. I was so scared that when I was talking my words were kind of jumbles. I was so happy when Shuying, Amanda, and the person that I ran up against said that thy liike my speech. AND I am so happy that I am going to be the correspoding secretary next year. I am really looking forward to it. Afterwards, I sat down, listened to the speeches of the candidates for vice president and president, and voted.

Quickwrite: Rules of Love

The boy is supposed to pay on a date, but not to the point where he spends every penny that he has. The boy asked the girl out before, but nowadays there are girls that make the first move. They will flirt with the guy or even tell him that she likes him. Back then, parents meet the guy that their daughter is dating. In the community, people are usually acquainted with everyone else. Nowadays, Parents are clueless with their children's love lives . Kids sneak off and lie that they are doing homework, a projector, or hanging out with friends
When on a date the best activities to do are to go watch a movie, shopping, or eating out. People are so perverted and lustful these days that I think that a date can just consist of making out. The terms pimp, slut, playboy, etc. show that people often date around. They believe that they can be the most popular if they can get either the most guys or girls. However, the moral thing to do is to date one person at a time and only when they really like that person; they shouldn't ask a person out just because they are good looking; they should also like their personality. If the relationship is lust and not love, it will not last long and can result heartbreaks and unnecessary pain. Dating is out of control; people go to online dating sites, cheat on others, treat it as a game, and play with other people's emotions. People are very dissolute. Some people continue to do so after marriage. Humans are falling in moral standards. People will not feel special and feel like objects that can be disposed of . That is why it is so adorable when a couple has never dated anyone else and their realtionship lasts for a lifetime.

SWIMMING

I can't believe it but only nineteen more school days. This year and the swimming season went by so fast. This past Saturday was the last day of the swimming season and we had our ACCAL league championships at Contra Costa College. We all met at eight-thirty in the morning at the AHS parking lot. Then rides were assigned and we were on our way. I rode with Jenny, Amanda, Siu Quan, and Julia. When we arrived there, we set up tents and ate breakfast. There were strawberries, tangerines, bagels, bagel thins, and wheat thins. We had to eat healthy because of tapering and we couldn't be bloated when we raced. It was a perfect day for a meet because the weather was nice and warm.

After breakfast, Coach C. told us the events that we were swimming in, along with the lanes, heats, and relay groups that we were in. We wrote all the events on our hands with sharpies. Warm-ups started at eleven-fifteen and the meet finally started at around twelve-thirty. It was suppose to start at twelve sharp, but not enough parents volunteered to be timers. It was exciting and fun when it started. It was also intense when someone from our school and a person from a rival school were near being tied for first place. It was really funny during the five hundred yard for Junior Varsity girls because Coach C. was so intense that she was actually standing up and leaning over the table to look.

I was so thankful that I only had to swim three events; the events that I swam were the fifty free, hundred free, and two hundred free relay. Right after swimming my last event and taking a picture with Jenny to capture what she called "our happiest moment in swimming", I raced into the shower room. I was looking forward to the shower all day; Unlike the ugly showers that we have, Contra Costa College's showers were really nice. After showers, there were snacks. We were finally able to eat junk food. There were chips, rice krispies, cookies, cake, fruit roll ups, granola bars, and animal crackers. Some of the girls even caked Coach C.

The results were just as we hoped for. Alameda High won all of the divisions; we won for JV and Varsity boys and girls. I was really happy because last year the JV girls lost to Berkeley and this year we finally won the championship title back. In the beginning, I wasn't sure if we were going to win because we started out some point behind of Berkeley from the diving team. When the announcements were over, Coach C. and Marshall were pushed into the swimming pool. This was a tradition that happened for the past twelve years. I had a really good year with swimming; I made a lot of happy memories. I feel kind of sad to say that next year I won't be joining the swim team again after having been part of it for the past two years.

Ending Slavery #2

"One of these girls was Reina. At the age of fifteen, Reina was slipped across the border from Mexico by human traffickers, who lured her with the promise of a job." (p71)

This incident that Bales talks about takes place in San Diego. I was never aware of how real slavery is. I can't imagine how it can be happening right in California. My brother recently went to San Diego and he told me that it was one of the nicest cities that he has ever seen. I guess no matter how nice a place looks, evil is still lurking about. I thought about going to college in San Diego; I can imagine if I do go there in the future, I will be walking into a restaurant and wondering if those people are really there of their own will. When I think about all the illegal immigrants from Mexico, I wonder if most of them are even here of their own will.

One of the reasons that I enjoy this book so much is that Kevin Bales tells stories of certain peoples experiences with slavery like this story with Reina and how the city of Sonebarsa freed itself. Instead of telling general information on slavery, I find a specific examples more empowering. It is amazing how slaves go against their fears and rebel. I think that reading this book and how slaves and activists are fighting this evil, more people will definitely give to the cause.

Reina's story is a sad one. When I read what happened to he,r I think that her life is definitely not how life is meant to be; her baby was taken hostage and she is forced to be a sex slave. Everyone is supposed to have education, job, and happiness. I also feel pathetic how I have so many blessings, but yet I am not satisfied. As for the slaveholders, I do not know what they had gone through that they do not have consciences. Stories like hers shows how strong human beings are; despite all the hardship they have gone through, they still are able to move on with their lives.