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
Monday, May 12, 2008
Individual Blog Post #5
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Extra Credit: Obituary
Minh Pham, a
Pham, who was born in
Her favorite country to visit was her homeland,
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
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 9th at Our Lady of Peace with the Reverend Tuan Nguyen, officiating.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Copy Edit the World
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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Tuesday, April 29, 2008
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.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Extra Credit of Copy Edit the World
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
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.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
I'll have one coffee and a slice of life
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.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Individual Blog #3
I’m kidding. Kind of. While I do admit to hugging one or two trees in my lifetime, I’m more concerned about how my family can deal with the increasing price of, well…just about everything. No longer do we take five minute drives to our local grocery. Gone are the days of muting the television while we’re surfing the net. And now that there are recycling bins next to our trash cans, there’s no reason not to separate our trash. Like my mother tells me, "just because we can't do everything right, doesn't mean we shouldn't do anything right." So be it lover of money or trees (which are essentially the same thing anyway) let's be more conscious to save a little bit of both.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Journal #5: Fish out of water
The audience was made up of transferring students from San Jose City College and the event was mainly about answering their questions on how the transition will be and what they could expect at their first year at a university. I felt out of place, not just because of my ethnicity, but also because I was older than the crowd and the purpose of this event was not really meant for me. I mainly tried to blend in the crowd by being really quiet and not asking any questions. I did notice a couple of quizzical looks, but they were quickly forgotten once the student panel started.
Chicano students made up the panel and at many points during the questioning, they spoke in Spanish. There were a couple of times when the panel would say something in Spanish and the crowd would laugh. My friend and I would just smile during these parts and shrug our shoulders at each other. The audience mainly asked questions about tuition for SJSU, how the dorm life was and how the social scene was. Even though there no moments where it was made obvious there were two Asian girls in the crowd, I still felt kind of silly being there. However, it was mainly because I wasn't a transfer student and I didn't go to San Jose City College. But I think people just saw that I was not Chicano, but was there anyway and that that was the weird part.
After the student panel, we all got outside and waited for our tour guide. As we were going around the campus, the tour guide would also say parts of the tour in Spanish. That didn’t bother me because I already knew the campus, but it did bother me that the tour guide wasn’t aware of the two Asian girls in the crowd. When the tour was finished, the SJCC crowd gathered around their supervisors and went on their way. My friend and I left for the Student Union and talked about the experience. I didn’t feel as out of place as I thought I would have, despite the fact that the event was for Chicano students by Chicano students. Still, it definitely wasn’t the most comfortable atmosphere for me and I feel I kind of overcompensated for not being Chicano by acting super polite to everybody around me.
Overall, the crowd was pretty chill and it was an informative two hours for me.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Individual Blog Post #2: More Depressing News
I just know what the crowd wants, don’t I? So I was watching “Bill Moyers' Journal” on PBS last Friday night (I got totally wasted after, don’t worry) and featured was a story on farming subsidies. It was basically about how we still have a lot of poverty and hunger in America, yet millions of our tax money goes towards these “unnecessary” farmer subsidies. The government awards certain farms subsidies depending on how much land the farm owns and how well the market is doing. If farms cannot sell enough crops at their estimated value, the government makes up the difference.
This is all fine and well, except some of these farmers are abusing the system. Investigators found that some farms weren’t even producing any crops on all the land that was claimed for their subsidies. I know there are a lot of real, struggling farmers out there and I just think it’s ridiculous that millions of dollars are given to farmers who don’t even need it. Can I get an audit, hallelujah?!
The show also reported how food prices have reached a record high and that food programs and shelters are receiving more patrons then ever. One of the interviews was with an 80 year-old woman who lived on one bell pepper for two days. Was there a more perfect way to start off my Friday night? Why does the world suck??? Just kidding. I really am a positive person and firmly believe that compassion is still in fashion. See, would a self-respecting, cynical pessimist dare rhyme?? No way, Jose.
Anyway, the whole story really is sad. I plan on making monthly donations of fresh fruits and vegetables to my local food shelter. Grandmas got to eat.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Individual Blog Post #1: The FCC Won't Let Me Be
About four months ago, The Federal Communications Commission voted to lift a 30-year-old ownership ban that prevented big media companies from owning more than one major media medium in one city. In other words, one company can now own the major newspaper, TV or radio station in that same city. When I was made aware of this in one of my media classes, I was shocked. How could the FCC do something that would so greatly harm the diversity and availability of local channels and stations? Thankfully, some members of the congress were also strongly opposed to the FCC's decision.
Now, two representatives, Jay Inslee and Dave Reichert, are introducing the "Media Ownership Act of 2007," to try and overturn the FCC's new rule. I just wanted to update whoever is reading this because the fight is not over. It just really scares me because these big media moguls have the money and power to really take over anything that they want. I mean, if I wanted to own my own radio station in the future, how am I supposed to compete with the money being offered by big companies? Unfortunately, this is a reality some stations already have to deal with.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Journal #4a Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by Z.Z. Packer
Word Count: 223
After reading through the chapter, I observed that she is a very descriptive writer. The author uses descriptions that are fitting of her character’s mind. For example, the description of the white girls as a “blend of ice-cream (strawberry and vanilla)” and the observation off their Disney sleeping bags are things that a young girl would notice. Packer’s use of acrostics adds humor and irony to the story. I thought it was funny that these holy items were being broken down into acronyms as if anyone could ever forget what these figures and things stood for.
Her use of descriptions plays a major role in her story telling. Octavia’s self-important personality is reflected by her long hair, the only long-haired black girl out of the bunch. Again Packer’s describes through her main character’s eyes when she uses a “shiny new earring” as a simile for Daphne’s voice.
The style of this chapter is overall light and entertaining but with moments of seriousness and innocent questionings that have much darker explanations. For example, the story becomes about one of the black girls questioning if one of the white girls had used the N word. Though the girls seem to only want to find out the truth for revenge, the underlying meaning seems to be directed to the social injustice happening during that time.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Copy Edit the World Cont'd
What: "Beef brothe noodle soup with add mixed greens."
Revision: Beef broth noodle soup with added mixed greens.
Monday, March 17, 2008
NPR Radio Interview Analysis
The interviewer knew about the Jeff Healey's death and gave a brief summary of Healey's death and his passion for music at an early age. Adams only asked about two questions, but both were open-ended so that the interviewee could give long, detailed answers. Adams didn't really build up to the questions; he just welcomed Fraser and then went straight to his question. Even though it was Fraser that was being interviewed, he was not the subject of the interview, so I think Adams didn't feel it was necessary to ask any big questions that needed building up. The interviewer's strategy seemed to be asking questions that would bring a positive answer regarding Healey.
Adams also did something new to me, which was playing a piece of music after Fraser answered a question. After the short musical interlude, it would be Fraser talking again, answering his questions in complete answers so that the question was stated in his answer. I believe Adams did that twice and it gave a nice flow to the interview. I believe for this type of interview it was appropriate, but I wouldn’t do it in more “serious” type interviews.
I don't believe a relationship really developed as the interview was brief and not very in-depth. However, I did learn from this interview that you can phrase questions differently. For example, for one of Adam's questions, he started it with, "Do us a favor and explain...," and preceded his question. I think by phrasing it like this, the interviewer draws in the audience more by including them in his question.
Copy Edit the World
What: "Suits the time when drink beer or tea."
My Revision: Suits well when drinking beer or tea.
(This sentence was pretty messed up so I just went for the same meaning, but grammatically correct)
Word of the Week #8
Source: Kris Anderson at The Spartan Daily
Definition: up·set /v., adj. / Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[v., adj. uhp-set; n. uhp-set] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation verb, -set, -set·ting, noun, adjective
–verb (used with object)
5.
to defeat or overthrow an opponent that is considered more formidable, as in war, politics, or sports.
Sentence: The New York Giants had the most memorable upset in Super Bowl history against the New England Patriots, winning with a score of 17-14.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Mystery Person
He’s got the hugest ears. But his girlfriend still loves him. She’s got big ears too. Children look forward to seeing him quite possibly more than Santa Clause. Always gracious and smiling, his arms are always open to hug you and greet you. His friends are an eclectic bunch; from princesses to talking dogs, there’s no shortage of entertainment with these characters. You’ll most likely find him leading a parade down Disneyland’s Main St. or shooting another “Come to California” commercial for Governor Schwarzenegger. In either case, you will always find him with his loveable ear-to-ear grin.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Word of the Week #7
Source: "If freshman senators arrive as celebrities, it is usually because they are “dragon slayers,” having ousted big-name incumbents. "
-By KATE ZERNIKE and JEFF ZELENY
Published: March 9, 2008
The New York Times
Definition: Incumbent –adjective
1. holding an indicated position, role, office, etc., currently: the incumbent officers of the club.
My sentence: The incumbent supervisor waltzed around his new office unit, prepared to let everybody know his newly appointed position.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Word of the Week #6
Source: Yahoo News, "Colombia: Chavez funding FARC rebels" by Tony Muse
"But Colombia quickly struck back, revealing what it said were incriminating documents seized from the rebel camp that suggest its neighbors have been secretly supporting the leftist rebels' deadly insurgency."
Definition: in·sur·gen·cy [in-sur-juhn-see] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun, plural, -cies for 4.
1.
the state or condition of being insurgent.
2.
insurrection against an existing government, usually one's own, by a group not recognized as having the status of a belligerent.
3.
rebellion within a group, as by members against leaders.
My Sentence: The attack on the Twin Towers was a horrific event that showed the insurgency of the terrorists in the Middle East.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Word of the Week #5
"Even gluttons came out OKin the just-ended legislative session, which rejected efforts to require more nutritious school lunches and more time in PE classes."
- Harry Esteve, The Oregonian
Definition:
glut·ton (glŭt'n) Pronunciation Key n.
1. A person who eats or consumes immoderate amounts of food and drink.
My Sentence: My mother has always showed my sisters and I the importance of portion control to prevent us from becoming gluttons.