Individual Blog Post #5

Amidst a sea of floppy hair and strumming guitars, my ears search for only one musician. His name is Jason Mraz and his album is due to be released in the United States on May 13^th. To make this a media post, I will be looking at the different ways this album is being promoted. Though Mraz is a popular artist, he usually doesn’t do the typical promotional tours consisting of countless talk show appearances. From what I’ve observed, it’s been through more specific venues such as his Web site and Youtube.com channel. On both sites are interviews with Mraz and announcements and contests for live hearings of the album. Since the beginning of his career, his main way of getting his music out is by touring and playing live shows. Judging by the hits on his videos on Youtube.com, it is working.

Extra Credit: Obituary

Minh Pham, a Santa Clara resident for 25 years, died on January 10^th after choking on her dinner. She was 68 years old.

Pham, who was born in Santa Clara, Calif., on August 24, 1987, spent her life following her passion for food and travel. She landed her dream job at the age of 25 when the Travel channel offered Pham her own show. On her show, “Curbside Cook,” Pham traveled across the world, eating at local restaurants and exploring different cities.

Her favorite country to visit was her homeland, Vietnam. It was where she filmed the first and last episodes of her show, and where she seemed most exuberant. Her love for the country’s food and people are evident in how both transcended her professional and personal life.

One of three daughters, she was very close to her family. Between tapings of her shows, she could always be found at either her grandmother’s house or her own. Her cousins and sisters also frequently guest starred in her T.V. shows.

An alumni of San Jose State University, she majored in journalism and received a minor in radio, film and television. During her four years at state, she was part of the school’s film production society. Pham credits the beginnings of her T.V. career learning in the old T.V. studio at the university. She also worked as a Peer Advisor for the student services program, ASPIRE, which helped underprivileged students graduate college.

With success at such an early age, Pham decided to create her own campaign that would encourage more women in the media business. She started a summer camp that brought hundreds of aspiring female directors, actresses, writers and musicians together to learn more about their craft. She also created scholarships that served the same group.

Pham also created a charity that partnered with her successful show called, “The Curbside Cook’s Cause,” which focused on helping food programs and donating money to charities across the world.

Though her life has passed, her kind and generous spirit will continue on with the support from her family.

The memorial service will be held at 1 pm, Friday, July 9^th at Our Lady of Peace with the Reverend Tuan Nguyen, officiating.

Copy Edit the World

What: Hello Kitty asian candy

Error: "Yummi taste!"

Fix: "Yummy taste!"

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Where: 100w Major Assignments

Error: "For this assignment, you can use any word that’s new to you…that you’ve found in a book, newspaper, magazine or web site."

Fix: " For this assignment, you can use any word that’s new to you…that you’ve found in a book, newspaper, magazine or Web site."

(does that count?? haha)

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Where: On the menu at Vietnamese restaurant, "Binh Minh"

Error: "A rice plate of grilled pork and asorted spring mix vegetables."

Fix: "A rice place of grilled pork and assorted spring mix vegetables."

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Where: Korean brand pearl facial cream.

Error: "Gives skin a fresh glow like natural."

Fix: "Gives skin a natural fresh glow."

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Individual Blog Post #4

Today in one of my media classes, I learned that though the media doesn’t control how I think, it can control what I think about. For instance, the hot story this week was about pictures of 15 year-old pop star Miley Cyrus, posing backless for a Vanity Fair photo shoot. I couldn’t turn on a T.V., listen to a radio station or open a web browser without being asked if I thought the pictures “were too racy?” And while I didn’t want to give it any more thought, I realized that I had to. I had to be aware of what the media was doing, why it was pushing this story at me and why I subconsciously accepted it as news and then moved along. It is because I look to the media to tell me what’s important. And if this was the story I needed to know, I’d be damned if I didn’t gather me some water-cooler worthy facts.

Extra Credit of Copy Edit the World

Where: On a package of Mexican candy.

What: "So good to!"

Correction: "So good too!"

___________________

Where: On a beverage menu at Vietnamese restuarant, "Cau Mau."

What: Ice coffee with condense milk.

Correction: Iced coffee with condensed milk.

Japanese Vignette Essay

Word Count: 555


Standing in front of the American Japanese Internment Memorial, I felt myself taking a sharp breath. The memorial was much larger and detailed then I thought it would be. Pictures, not words, took over the majority of the memorial. Vignettes showing the capturing and transportation of Japanese Americans and the life they lived in the internment camps, all still echoed that sad past. I was surprised at how emotional I felt. My education thus far had only briefed through this subject, and so images on the memorial were still teaching me things I didn’t know. As I gazed at the memorial, three vignettes in particular compelled me.

The first vignette shows a man being led away from his crops by the FBI. Behind him, other farmers are still working hard at the crops, keeping their head bowed, as if trying to avoid the scene. Though the farmer seems poor, he still looks as though he would rather be working at the fields, then be taken away by the men. I was drawn to this scene because it reminded me of my parents’ past during the Vietnam War. They too were innocent people going about their lives, only to have it taken away without any logical reasoning provided. While one of FBI men look almost gleeful to be showing his police badge, the other looks on stone-faced. I don’t know whether, like the farmer, he is confused about what is happening, or if he’s just numb to the whole scenario. I think this scene is a representation of the Executive Order 9066 passed by then President Roosevelt, which allowed military commanders to designate “exclusion zones.” These zones subsequently led to excluding thousands of Japanese Americans from areas such as California, Washington and Oregon.

In the second vignette, a family is seen burning their belongings. A little girl is seen clinging to a man’s back, trying to stop him from burning her toy. Heirlooms such as swords and masks are regrettably being laid upon the fire. Next to them is a sign that reads “Evacuation Sale,” as if the loss they had witnessed was not enough. Now they must sell whatever is left of their belongings as quickly as they can before they enter the internment camps. The scene shows how Japanese families had burned their personal belongings in order to look as if they had no personal alliances with Japan. To the military, anything to do with Japan was considered incriminating evidence.

Finally, the third vignette struck me with scenes of children playing sports and boy scouts raising the American flag. Playing soccer and baseball seemed to save the children from having to always focus on what was happening around them. Despite the deprived settings, the Japanese American tried to create what normality they could. Schools were set up for children and churches were set up for families. A looming watch guard stands on the water tower, making sure nobody escapes the camp.

With this great tragedy in the past, it would be easy for people to believe it will never happen again. However, many people do not even understand the extent of how much suffering occurred. The memorial stands not only to honor the deceased, but also to continue the conversation on how misguided our government was and how we can never risk that again.

I'll have one coffee and a slice of life

Amidst the whirring and clattering of the espresso machine, two girlfriends are trying to hold a conversation. They are sitting in a small coffee shop, with walls decorated by local artists. Odd creatures resembling part hippo, part bear are painted in deep, primary colors and are splashed randomly throughout the café. Soft hip-hop fills in whatever silence the espresso machine allows. The smell of roasting coffee beans and heated soy milk wafts through the air, creating an intoxicating aroma for patrons.
The two girls are sitting atop high stools, swiveling in half circles as they sip their hot drinks.
“I needed this so badly. I only got four hours of sleep,” the girl with the shorter hair says. Her friend nods in sympathy. Both wearing SJSU sweatshirts, the girls look like regular college students mulling over the lulls and stress of school.
Across the room from them, a couple is sitting on a plush, velvet sofa, each nibbling on muffins. He has sandy colored curls that seemed to have been brushed up by the wind. They are friends with the barista, who leans over the counter to talk with them. There are no other customers waiting in line, so each party is able to carry on their conversations without the interruption of an opening door.
As the girls gather up their purses and books, a lone customer walks in.

"The usual?" asks the barista. The man nods and takes out his wallet. He sees the open stools and takes a seat to wait for his coffee. And the whirling and clattering begins again.