Essay topic

The topic I picked for my essay is  -
University of Pugent sound -
C. Explain how your experiences as a teenager significantly differ from those of your friends.  Include comparisons.

Here are the colleges I am looking into.
http://www.coe.hawaii.edu/
http://www.usc.edu/

Quick Poster Draft

Coming of Age ( Revised )

     Coming of Age

     Zachary Chock

    Period 2

 


            It was Seven AM. in the morning, and I was just watching YouTube on the computer.  It was a three-day weekend, so I could care less than nothing about the final project due around the corner on Tuesday.  Being only 10 at the time, I was not mature yet, and was still carefree and reckless.  I did not care or even think about my time being used on playing games, or watching television, when I could be studying, or working hard to accomplish major grades and achievements.  At school, I was lonely, and kept to myself.  I was only interested in space, and I isolated myself from friends, teachers, and used speech and words that were high for my understanding.  Others tried to help me as I kept getting horrible grades, and I also got very angry at my parents, even though I followed all of their advice to not make bad decisions such as giving into violence, drinking or trying any drug.  My parents were kind, loving, and cared greatly about me, skipping some events, or doing things to spend time with me.  My Dad was strong, had a silent personality, and taught me how to stand up to others and be tough, but he never got angry at us, unless it was from grades.  However, Mom was different, never mad, always kind, taught us in the ways of God, which was probably why she was so docile.  In any case, even as kind as they were to me, I turned down all of their attempts to get me an after - school program or a Tutorial supervisor that would study with me and teach me in the subjects that I was dropping in.  I never did any of that or wanted to, but when it came to school and discipline, I was a problem child.  I still got angry, acted out against them, and caused a lot of anger among my superiors.
            There was a project due, and I was simply searching for funny internet videos and information to read.  My parents woke, however, when I played an Alternative Rock song too loud on the speakers.  My Father came into my room, tired and sleepy with rings under his eyes, and he looked annoyed.  “Son, what are you doing?  Don’t you have a project due this weekend?”  I just looked at the computer screen, having switched to a video of someone playing Halo 3.  “HEY!” Dad really was trying to get my attention.  “Do you want to rush again, getting C’s and ‘Meet’ grades?  Your Mom and I are trying to help you!” he stated.  I finally paid attention and spoke to my father.  “Yeah, I care.  But I have all of the time since the weekend is three days, so I can do it on Monday” I stared blankly after I said that.  He scoffed, and my Mother came in, woken from the rock music..  “Hi Mom” I said, sounding more as if I was just repeating it like it was routine.  “Zach” She replied slowly.  “You know we care about you and are trying to help you as much as we can, so please, can you just listen to us?  We’re trying to help you get A’s – aren’t you sacred about your grade?  It’s on the borderline of a D and C.”  Eventually, I looked at both of them, and I stood, just staring at them.  “Fine.  Whatever”  I didn’t care.  I just wanted to have fun.  I wasted time purposely just messing with the materials needed to build the project, since I didn't want to do it anyway.  They left me, trusting that I would complete my mission.  However, during the three hours I spent unfocused, I was constantly reminded that Monday was speeding towards me, and very fast.
            I got to ‘work’, trying to do the first part of my poster board, to type up the summary on what had happened to the Hawaiian Monarchy.  It had been assigned by the teacher a while ago, and I had gotten but nowhere.  The Keyboard made clacks and clicked, each key springing back as I typed with anger.  I didn’t feel like spending precious time doing something I was required, but to do something that made me happy and careless, like spending countless hours video-gaming, or to vegetate on the couch, watching a funny cartoon until I had fallen asleep by the next morning.  There seemed to be so much to do, it looked overwhelming and seemed to grow when I looked back at the criteria, and appeared that it would take up to Tuesday to complete, but I didn’t want to even try.  Since my parents were gone, I opened up the web browser, and I searched a video related to Halo.  As I watched the video play on the screen, I forgot about the homework and the time wasted away by not working on the project.  The shadows of the trees and the computer arched as eight hours passed me by, leaving me forever.  Those were eight hours I could have finished my project in, but I didn't care anymore.  I never kept track of time, and because of all the gunshot noises made by the game, I was too consumed to notice that my parents’ work had ended, and they had come home and were already inside the house.  My Mom had been standing behind me for a few moments.  She tapped my shoulder, and I turned.  I felt frozen, the cold chill of my blood causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand erect.  “Hi mom” my voice whittled to a whisper.  She didn’t say anything, but kept a tired, cold expression as she opened my word document to see my project progress.  “Son, you didn’t even make it past the second paragraph” she said.  I could feel the disappointment in her whisper of a voice.  “Do you still care?” she turned to look at me.  I felt her brown eyes stabbing into my heart like daggers, the dark hole in her eyes were empty, and I saw the sadness and irritation pooling in her emotionless eyes.  I felt scared, so I could only nod.  She began to leave, and finally turned as she left me to drown in my guilt.  “If you don’t care, that’s fine – Your father and I try to help you so much, and you turn it down with no effort” she looked sad.  I actually felt guilty and cared then, out of all the times that I spent deflecting their glares and anger.  “You can fail if you want to do so” Her upbeat happy personality replaced by an sad, empty shell of what she always was.  She left me alone with the video continuing to play.  I didn’t even notice it was on – I had been to focused by what my Mom had said, that I had begun to change.
            Eventually, the final day came, and even after my confrontation with Mom in the bedroom about my progress, I had acted like I cared, and when my Dad asked of the same, I could only feel the guilt and shame wrenching my insides.  The noise the clock made was threatening.

Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

Time seemed to pass by more than twice as fast – I glared at the clock with swollen, red eyes.

It read 9:00 PM.

I realized that only three hours remained until the dreadful day of reckoning had consumed me and my project.  I began a frantic haste, rushing and making mistakes, spilling glue as I frantically tried to paste the images onto the board.  I hadn’t even gotten halfway to the finishing touch and now it was too late as the clock struck 10:00. PM.  I was tired, and I was now up to my neck in regret of not heeding my parent’s advice.  My sister was asleep not too far away.  Slowly, I began to cry.  I didn’t take my chance, and I was paying the full price for my decisions.  It was then my Dad came into the room and knelt next to me.  “Son, do you see what procrastination has done?” I nodded, and he helped me up.  “Do you really want to try now?” He finished.  At last, I caved in, and replied.  “Yes.  I promise!” and with that, we began to work.  He helped me fix the crooked pictures, pasted to the board.  While he was at that, Mom came and told me she cared.  "Now, let's take a look at the document" she soothed.  I followed Mom to the computer, and with renewed vigor, I revamped my summary with her help in only half an hour.  Time seemed to transition from fast to slow as the progress moved along, and the pieces of my poster board began to assemble.  This was the most serious I was than at any of my school life.  I understood, and I was ready to make the transition.
          I finally finished the project.  The poster was a bit rushed, so I received a "Meets" or 'B' on my poster. This was my wake up call.  It was time to upgrade - I wasn't a kid anymore.  I had to be ready for the real world.  A little while after that day, I changed Behaviorally, and Psychologically.  I listened to my parents more, I stopped throwing fits, yelling, and causing trouble.  I began to get serious, dedicating more time to studying, reading, and being active to acquire a better lifestyle and status.  My grades rose, reaching A's and B's, a giant leap from the 'C' student that I had always seen myself to be.  The main problem was that I didn't want to change - but from that day, I decided to mature, and act more like my age, to be a teenager and take responsibility of my life.  Then, I found I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, which was why I was socially unkempt, and used 'big phrases'.  It was something I had to overcome, so with my changing from child to teen, I worked on being more social, seeking help with my subjects, and caring more than ever now that I was concerned about my future, and how I had changed over the four years in personality socially, and physically.
  
         

Writing position statement essay

     In my opinion, I believe that the government is in the fault of not warning tourists that there are dangers and discrepancies on the trail or excursion.  Although, both sides are at fault for not complying with the rules and warnings, or putting warnings and advisories to prevent such disasters.

     The people, tourists, are at fault for not using common sense, among many of the deceased are people who fail to notice the signs for the danger possible.  They have taken risks by avoiding the signs and walking directly or close to the area of warning.  Most of these faults are accidents, but the fatalities are caused by clumsiness of people, and their neglectfulness of the terrain.  

     The Governing system, is to blame as well.  They are able to place signs, boards, and signals to indicate a potential threat to the visitors.  For some, there is warning, but it fails to warn about a second threat or danger, as it only focuses on one, and can be fixed.  The system has also spent money trying to highlight and bring the natural disturbances to light, and have succeeded in informing many about it.  Some, though, take that risk in crossing the line or performing unlawful and deadly stunts.

     Out of all the reasons, there are many leading to the people for being naive about their surroundings.  First, with proper knowledge, they are able to prevent loss of life and financial problems, given the ruling power and system educates about the path or landscape, and the fact that most of them are curious or pay no attention to the area ahead of them.  The government of Hawaii Gives fair warning, but should be able to update the warning boards or to acknowledge any new threats through any park supervisors, as in the case of the loss of two Californians, who were actually encouraged to pass though a loose section of a trail after noticing the sign telling them to avoid the other path due to loose landscape.

     In conclusion, it is actually the governing force's fault for most deaths and lawsuits coming from families of victims.  More so, that they can assign extra security to a position to deal with marauders and fools.  Another way is to routinely suspect and check surrounding ground for any natural protrusions or variables able to cause harm to an unsuspecting man or woman.  They have control of what can inform people, and can improve upon it, while the tourists are simply acting upon the government's lack of numerous and large warnings, or no security guards.

Jersey box

Some of the items in our box from Jersey!

More old posts

OR reading card - 3/3/11

www.mohs.k12.hi.us/media-central

Language Arts I & II:  Outside Reading Response Rubric

REQUIRED ELEMENTS:          1) Photoshop Graphic,

Dimensions: 4”x6”                     2) Title & Author, (DO NOT put your name in the graphic!)

Resolution: 150-300                  3) Conflict,

Your Name as file name                        4) Resolution,    

Score	Description of Response:  Interpretive Stance
4	My selected quote does an excellent job of capturing the major insight of the novel.  My statement of main conflict and resolution shows my thorough understanding of the novel.  My Photoshop graphic does an excellent job of illustrating my text and the overall layout of the card shows my exceptional skill at graphic design.
3	My selected quote accurately expresses the major insight of the novel.  My statement of main conflict and resolution shows a basic understanding of the novel.  My  Photoshop graphic illustrates my text and the overall layout of the card shows my competence with graphic design.
2	My selected quote expresses an idea from the novel, but it may not necessarily be the major insight or it may not be the best or most concise expression of it. My statement of main conflict and resolution shows some understanding of the novel, but may contain inaccuracies or may be incomplete. My card does contain a Photoshop graphic but it is not the most effective or relevant to the ideas on the card.
1	My selected quote is from the novel, but it does not seem to capture any insight or concept from the novel.  I state a conflict and resolution, but they may contain inaccuracies or may be incomplete. My card does contain a  Photoshop graphic but it may not be the most effective or relevant to the ideas on the card.
0	My writing does not seem to match the assignment and shows a lack of understanding of the novel.  My response may be confusing and difficult to understand.  My  Photoshop graphic may be “generic,” may not show much effort, or may be missing.
4	Student Self-Assessment I feel that my image does the book justice in summarization and that the quote gives the main idea of the book, as well as the graphic illustrating the text and showing my skill in graphic design. It shows the conflict and resolution of Jumper, as well as plot points. Zachary Chock
	Teacher Assessment

            Zachary Chock                         5) Significant Quote

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Draft of poem

Shadow

I am a shadow on the wall,
silent, dark, lonely,
I imitate what my body does,
Every movement,
Every twitch,
Every turn,
I follow my leader, loyal to the orders,
I am friendly, compassionate,
not well known.
I stay out of trouble,
Watch from the sides,
as life unfolds in front of me.
I disappear when the darkness falls
and light drifts away.

Old posts

Just pasting some of my old blog posts.Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Redwoods and Mouse Alert

Redwoods and Mouse Alert by Zachary Chock

Redwoods
Ideas-
There are good details, but not that many specific details-
needs to get to the point, as the paragraph is just a
collection of events, but not a story.

Organization-
Hardly any organization, just events and quick
looks into a vacation, without plot or chronological
 order, with no sense of when it is happening. 

Voice-
Good, shows personality and emotion,
but needs more specific detail into writing
of the timeline and too many general details.

Word Choice-
Not so good, not very specific, some could
 have been sunny can be blinding, warm would
 be humid and hot.


Mouse Alert

Ideas-
The story is good- has the main events, a
timeline, and organized plot with good ways of telling a
 story in a humorous and serious way.

Organization-
The events are in order, describing what happened
 before or after another event, when it happened, a
nd where, who was affected, and why it happened.

Voice-
Great!  I can see if the person is afraid, or brave to
stand up to mice, and who has what emotions.  The
speaker has given a clear picture of the family and
their reactions and feeling to them.

Word choice-
Good. Did not use too many general
 words, and some unique words to explain what
went on in the cabin during the trip.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

qurencia draft

Querencia draft

            It is now 2:30 pm, and the school day is over.  The sun is at its brightest and hottest point in the afternoon, and the skies are whitish-blue and dark blue on the horizon.  There are the sounds everywhere of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors bustling through the classes and sidewalks to race for the buses.  Like most of the students who just finished school, I also want to go home and relax.  I’m very tired, hungry, and anxious to get home.

            As soon as I get off the bus, I feel like I got my second wind.  I am awake and no longer tired.  I walk home as the sky gets darker blue with the sun moving halfway across the sky.  Walking downhill past the old church always brings back memories of my happy childhood where I spent a lot of time playing and having fun on the playground by the church. 

When I get home, I head out to my backyard – my Querencia.  I put the backpack down on the grass, the weight of it finally removed from my aching shoulders.  I stand in the middle of the yard for a moment, looking up at the sky before I move again.  I sit on the grass and watch the horizon.  I can relax for a while and put all of my troubles and worries aside for now, until I start working on my homework.

            I come to my Querencia at least twice a day.  When I am at my Querencia, I feel myself calming down, relaxing, and forgetting about all the pressures or bad events during the day that may have brought me down.  I am able to be alone with myself, as if I am inside my own personal world by myself.  I bring out my camera to take an image of the sun setting, with all its shades of vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows, along with a backdrop of dark blue being slowly consumed by a black sky.  As the sky turns dark, I feel the wind brushing against my face and making whistling sounds as it blows by.

            When I am in my Querencia, I walk on the grass, with its spine-like points and edges being crushed underneath my shoes as I pace back and forth, admiring every sunset or sunrise that I can see or observe.  I can also reflect on the day while I am in my backyard, “replaying” the good and enjoying events that happened, while sifting out the bad memories.  This is one of the few things I do to empty the stress from my life, get rid of any anger or regrets that I may have had during the day, and to feel refreshed all over again.  In fact, once this happens, I am at peace with myself and can now start on my homework in the yard, my Querencia.   

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

My Querencia

My Querencia is my backyard, and it is special to me, because it offers a view of a cloudless sky (not in picture) and gives me a place to relax, to calm down and just stare at the sunset and the mountain range specked with houses and lights, as a nice view to have and enjoy.  I can forget about all the bad or angering things that happened during the day, and the stress when I stand in the backyard.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Essay Draft 1

It is Saturday morning and my sister and I follow my dad as he goes shopping at Don Quixote and the farmers market for ingredients he will be using to make meals for the upcoming week.  Usually, we come home at about 6:30-7:00 pm during the weekdays.  After fighting the traffic and the hot sun, we are often too tired and hungry to cook.  My dad helps us all out by cooking most of the meals for the week during the weekend so that all he has to do is microwave our dinner while we shower and do our homework.

Today, he has decided that he will be showing me how to make his famous-amos Roast Beef so that one day, he can sit down and watch TV while I cook dinner for him!  His first lesson was to make sure that my kitchen was clean and organized, so he had me wash all the dishes and then gather all the necessary ingredients and utensils.  Then he had me prepare the Roast Beef and write down the steps one step at a time. First, I had to slice and dice the celery and onions.  I now know why they say onions make you cry, because my eyes were stinging as if there were a hundred needles poking my eyeballs.  I was crying like a little baby and my dad was watching me and laughing at the same time.  Then I seasoned the meat with Hawaiian salt and pepper and a generous sprinkle of pre-mixed Italian spices that smelled so good - it had many herbs in it, including oregano, basil and thyme.  I then placed it on top of the diced celery and onions, added water, covered it with aluminum foil and placed my creation into the preheated oven that was so hot that I felt like the hairs on my arms were being singed!

I decided to pass some time by watching a movie on Netflix while waiting for my creation to be done.  About 15 minutes later, there was this great aroma that filled my kitchen and living room.  It smelled so good that I started to get hungry.  I could smell the sweet smell of onions, celery, and some of the Italian herbs such as oregano and thyme.  I could hardly wait to see my finished creation on the plates of my family, who were also very anxious to see if my creation was going to be as good as Dad's.

Ding!  I heard the alarm going off, telling me that it was time to take the roast out and let it cool so that I could start slicing it up.  As I opened the oven and took off the aluminum foil, the amazing aroma of roasted onions, celery and beef blasted into my face in a cloud of steam!  As the roast started cooling off, I started making the gravy, melting one stick of sweet butter and mixing flour into it to make the roux.  The pot sizzled as I added and whipped the juices and drippings from the roast into the roux to make a nice, creamy, and golden gravy.  All of a sudden, everyone in my family, including my dog started gathering in the dining room because the aroma had now filled the entire house and was making everyone hungry.

It was now time to present my project to my family.  Dad always said, "Presentation is Everything".  I carefully scooped some brown rice, golden summer crisp corn nibblets and using a pair of tongs, carefully arranged slices of my roast beef on a plate.  I then drizzled the very smooth and golden brown gravy over the sliced beef and rice.  Finally, I used a napkin to wipe away any drippings on the plate so that it wouldn't look messy.  Once I had prepared all 8 plates and laid them carefully on the table, we said our prayer of thanks and dug in or "grind" as some call it.

So where did this wonderful recipe come from?  My dad bought a lunchwagon when he was younger and the former owner taught him all of the recipes in three days, watched him for two more days and then let him take it from there.  The roast beef dish was a favorite dish of Dad's because it was very easy and quick to make, not to mention, very tasty.  He is very experimental and will play with recipes until it tastes right.  He changed the Roast Beef recipe a little before introducing it to us - he added vegetables and other minor ingredients and made it healthier by putting less salt, or adding a salt substitute.  Eventually my family and I are going to pass this and the rest of his recipes onto the next generation when the time comes.

My Dad loves to cook because he feels that it brings the family together at dinner time where we can all bond and talk about our day.  He also feels that his meals are a very nice combination of ingredients that come together to make a great meal and feels the same way with our family - that each of us brings something special to the table and together, all of our special things is what makes our family so special.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Reuploaded blog review

I have put the comments here, as it did not work on the blog site that day, so I got the email back saying that I needed to put it on the blog. 

So far I have commented on a blog, 

1st blog comment - blog "Once upon a time" - I decided to choose this blog because it related to me in a way that, the student was afraid of what the parent will expect, and what will the parent think, or expect.

Z117 said...

I have the same troubles sometimes, such as parent expectations, and what will be thought of me and my work.

August 9, 2010 3:39 PM

I have chosen the blog INSPIRED ASPIRATIONS and I chose the blog because it described the way someone looked at their experience in menemac and my comment is that "It was a great blog, telling someone how the person dealt with the struggles and times the program has put you on."

Interview and appointment questions

Interview Appointment Date – 08/28/10

Person being Interviewed – My Dad

Questions:

Q - When do you make your Roast Beef?  Do you only make it for special occasions?

A -  I usually make it on weekends – usually on Saturday afternoons after going shopping for the Cross-Rib Roast from Don Quixote, and the Farmers Market for the vegetables and ingredients needed for the roast.  I view very one of our family dinners as a special occasion to bring our family together and celebrate being able to eat and enjoy dinner together.

Q – Who taught you this recipe?

A – I used to own a lunch wagon.  The previous owners that I bought the lunch wagon from taught me how to make this recipe because it was quick and very easy to make.  My customers were construction workers who loved to eat to eat meats with lots of gravy an rice.  They only had 30 minutes to eat, so I had to make dishes that were easy to make and easy to dish out.  If I had any leftovers, I would just warm it up the next day and it tasted even better.

Q - Did you ever have any formal cooking education or training?

A – No.  My grandma and mom, who were both Chinese, were both very good cooks who didn’t even write down recipes.  If you asked them how much salt, sugar, shoyu, etc. was used in their recipes, you would usually get the response, “You know…just a pinch of salt”.  Everything was measured with your eyeball and then you tasted and adjusted it.  After a while, you pretty much knew how much to put without even measuring.  I love eating, so I always watched them cook in the kitchen.  When I finally left home for college, I was on my own and I had no choice, but to cook for myself.  So, using experimentations and what I had seen and heard, I improvised and my meals became pretty good tasting.  When I bought my lunch wagon, the former owners gave me about three days of training, and then watched me for two days, and then I was on my own.

Q – So, is this the original Roast Beef recipe, or did you change anything?  

A – I made it even simpler.  The original recipe had Hawaiian Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Salt.  I have high blood pressure, so I try to watch the amount of salt I use in my recipes, so I substituted the Italian Spices (which were just a mixture of herbs) for the Garlic Salt.  Also, the original recipe called for margarine to be used to make the gravy.  However, I felt that the gravy would have a better flavor if I used butter instead.

Q – Does this recipe have anything to do with your ethnic background?  

A – Well, in a way, I think it does.  I am Chinese and the Chinese love to cook.  Being Pake, we are very frugal, so when we cook, we look for whatever leftovers are in the icebox and then we throw it in.  A good example is when I looked in the icebox and we didn’t have any celery, but tons of carrots – so I substituted carrots for the celery and the dish still turned out tasting great.  I also think that as a Chinese, I try to put meaning into every dish (i.e. like Gau, the color, sesame seeds, stickiness of the mochi – everything represents something in the family).  The Roast Beef as well as all of the dishes that I make, represent the love put into the dish.  As I make the dish, I think of my family; how they will have a wonderful and filling meal; and how it will bring everyone together at dinner time.  Like the spices, meat, Hawaiian salt and pepper mixing together to make a great meal, I also think of how each one of us brings something to the family and make it a great and special family.