My Portfolio Confrense

Parent Agenda:

Sunday, December 11th, 2011

1) Short introduction of what I'm going to be talking about, and thank them for taking the time to meet with me and look at my learning.
2) Open up portfolio that's found at www.wix.com/dancergrrl16/englishportfolio
3) Go over purpose of this portfolio

• To give me a chance to share my learning with my parents and teacher
• To help me to take responsibility of my learning
• To give me a "big picture" perspective on your progress in this class
• To give me a chance to learn and practice new technology skills as I design and produce my online portfolio

All of these purposes were stated in the writing standards portfolio rubric and assignment sheet 

4) Read introduction 

5) Go over the four traits that I'm being assessed on (ideas, organization, voice, and word choice), and the example that I have to back up that I've demonstrated these traits this semester. 

6) Let them browse through the work gallery I made that shows the full version of all of the major essays I've written this quarter and let them know that they can read them fully after I'm done with the rest of the presentation. 

7) Read the conclusion to this portfolio, discussing with them the accomplishments that I've made this semester, and the goals that I hope to achieve within the next semester. 

8) Ask for questions 

9) Thank them again for listening, and ask them to post a comment answering these questions: 

1. What piece of writing did you like best in my portfolio and why? 
2. What did you like about my portfolio and sharing and what would you like to see me improve on?
3. Which of the writing traits (ideas, organization, voice, word choice) do you feel was most successful for me?
4. Which of the traits of writing would you like me to improve on in the coming semester

KC3 Draft ~

            Have you ever been to a beach? Felt y0ur feet being exfoliated by the warm, golden bronze sand and having the invigorating wind nip at your skin. Ever played beach volleyball? The rays from the sun are beating down on your skin as you dive down to hit the ball before it touches the ground, and your friends all run to you to give their congratulations. Been swimming? That’s the best. Feeling the rush of the cool ocean water rush past your skin and ignoring the salt-water sting and opening your eyes to see the stunning reef under you? It’s all worth it. Spending a day at the beach is one of the greatest experiences you can get when coming to Hawaii. But what if all of a sudden, that was all taken away from us? What if the beaches got so polluted due to human impact that we weren’t allowed to use them anymore? Honestly, that’s what might happen if we continue to treat the beaches the same way we’re treating them now. Hawaii is fortunate to have magnificent beaches accessible all year round, but due to pollution from the people who are careless with our beaches, our use of those might be slowly coming to an end. Therefore we need to start enforcing stricter rules to make sure our beaches stay available to our use for generations to come.

        Starting in the 1940’s, plastic use has skyrocketed significantly. What’s not good about plastic? It’s lightweight and durable. Everything is being made out plastic now; water bottles, bags, containers, and more. But that’s both a good and bad thing. Too much trash, namely plastic, is being thrown into the oceans. Plastic is really hard to get rid of, because it doesn’t break down without help from man. Also, plastic can be a magnet for toxic chemicals, which can turn them into poison basically. This can contaminate both the water, and the sea creatures that see them as food. Even though this might sound harsh and severe, the government should make a law banning plastic use on the beach. This isn’t that bad, since there is other more eco-friendly and biodegradable substitutes for plastic that are in works and being produced currently. And with plastic gone or at least appearing less and less in our oceans, that can make a huge impact on the amount of trash polluting our oceans. 

        Hanauma Bay on Oahu has shown us that it is a relatively clean beach, meeting 4 out of 5 of the standards for a beach that follows the best practices like testing the waters more than once a week, having water quality that meets a certain health standard, and always issuing advisories promptly according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. This is probably due to the fact that Hanauma Bay is strict about its rules and regulations in order to keep the beach both enjoyable, yet hygienic. Visitors to Hanauma Bay also have to watch a short 10-minute video that warns you not to touch or feed the marine life, as well as how the beach was formed and everything. On the other hand, Ala Moana Beach that’s also located on Oahu and known as more as a heavy tourist beach, has little rules and enforcements, and doesn’t require visitors to do anything before going on to the beach. In result, it only met 2 out of 5 of the standards of the NRDC. What this might mean is that visitors to the beach, people visiting from outside the state especially, should be required to watch a short video about how delicate our oceans are, and how much they mean to the people of Hawaii and some rules that they need to follow in order to keep it that way, since it seems to be working out for Hanauma Bay. This may be a little more costly, but it’s something that would really help us to save our Hawaiian beaches.

        Ever have those days where you just sit around, bored, doing nothing? Well, we should all make a pledge to do something productive on some of those days. Hawaii should start having community beach clean up days every month on the third Sunday of every month, or another day like that. It would be a great way to meet new people and spend a day doing something you know is good for your community. It also will raise a lot of awareness that our beaches do in fact need help, and that help can come from all of us. Everyone could also bring or make food, making it a giant potluck that makes it seem more fun than just doing plain work. This idea might be semi-costly, with the need for advertising to put the plan out there, and maybe providing water for all of the participants at each beach cleanup. But the ending result, where the beaches are all clean and the community is on a good feeling buzz knowing that they played a part in helping our environment? It will be worth it.

        So with a few new procedures and rules, we can work together to fix these beautiful beaches so that they will be available to us for generations to come. After all, it’s the least we can do to give back to these islands that have gave so much to us. One person’s effort may just feel like it’s only helping a single water drop. But with all of our efforts together, we can restore the sea. <3 

 

The Movement Center in Kaimuki

"No matter what you say, I'm done. We're never going to be friends again Eryn."

The second those sharp words leave my ex-best friend's lips, I blink rapidly, trying my best not to cry. I go through the rest of the school day in a blur, not seeing anything, not hearing anything, and trying my best not to feel anything. I feel a huge twinge of relief as the bell rings at 2:35 signaling the end of the school day. 

"What's wrong?" My mother asks as I step into her silver Toyota Camry.  

"Nothing." Was my false answer as I threw my black school bag on the floor of the front seat, and fastened my seat belt. She handed me my grey and pink dance bag, and that's when my troubles first started to subside. She started driving all the way from my school in Moanalua to Kaimuki to make it in time for my dance class. 

She pulled up in the parking lot, and the second the car stopped I opened the door and ran. The old and large front door of The Movement Center, a place where I've been going for dance for about 9 years now, creaked as I opened it and I immediately went into the bathroom to change for practice. I stared blankly at the bathroom walls that were covered in cold pink tile as I pulled on my pink tights and a maroon leotard. Fastening my black ballet skirt, I walked outside past the long main hallway and ventured inside the front office. 

Aunty Colleen, my good friend Kiana's mother, was sitting at her place behind a polished wood desk as the  studio's manager, and she greated me with a warm hello just as she did every day I came here. My friends sprung up from their places sitting on the fold-up chairs that filled the front office and gave me a huge hug. They told me about the latest news going on in their lives as my eyes ventured off through the clear glass sliding doors to see inside the studio. I see Mrs. Carolyn acting giddy as she teaches the little kids with her light brown hair swept up and her bangs poofed. She's the perfect example for a ballerina. 

Finally, it's time for my class. My Gaynor pointe shoe covered feet hit the grey/blue marly covered floors and I feel the cool breeze coming in from the two open windows in the front of the studio right above the huge front mirror split apart by thick grey pillars. I smelt a mix of sweat from the previous dancers, deodorant, and multiple types of body spray. We pull out three barres from the row of them at the left of the studio into the middle, and the level D1 and D2 ballerinas take their place on them. 

Once the slow music for warmups start, I forget everything. I forget that my social life at school might be falling apart. I forget that I have a pile of homework assignments all line up and waiting for me when I get home. I forget that I've just recently lost my best friend. I forget any sort of problem I have. When I'm dancing in that little studio, lined with mirrors and blue mats stacked up to the ceiling and benches so parents can watch inside, it's just me and the music. 

"Turn out Eryn." Ms. Chansri instructs me, standing by the huge speakers in the left back corner of the studio. She has all of her brown hair pulled up in a tight bun. If Ms. Carolyn is the picture perfect example of a ballerina, then Ms. Chansri is that example of a ballet teacher. She stands at only about 5'2, but her presence fills the whole entire room. I look behind her at the mid-sized white board that was her self proclaimed "Inspiration Board". Every inch of it was covered in different color expo markers with dance quotes and tips. "I don't dance to win, or to be the best, or to be famous. I dance for me." is the newest quote on there, and one of my favorites now. 

It's the most satisfying thing when we do a combination in front of the mirror and all you can see is around fourteen dancers dancing in perfect synchronization. Every pointed toe, every releve onto our pointe shoes, every piroette lands and hits together like we're one. 

This is why I love to dance. I can be in the worst mood ever from boy problems, family problems, friend problems, school problems, and everything you can think of. But that all changes when I enter the studio. Just feeling the love for the dance in all of the dancers faces and movements and seeing Mrs. Carolyn and Ms. Chansri's encouraging faces, nothing matters but the next step in my routine. And I like it perfectly that way. 

I've grown up in this studio. It's my home away from home. I can think about all of my problems later. Right now, I'm a ballerina and TMC is my stage.  

Roots & Recipes: the draft

If there's one thing I can distinctly remember from my childhood it's March third of every year, also known as Girl's day. I don't know when exactly my grandma started making us dress up in tradition Japanese kimonos. Maybe it was even from my very first Girls day when I was merely one year of age, but I know it started from traditions long time ago which my great great grandmother taught my great grandmother, who then in turn taught my grandmother who's been working hard to teach the new generations. On Girls Day, aside from dressing up, I also remember eating Sekihan, a tradition red bean rice served as a special occasions dish in Japan. I grew up basically eating red rice. My grandmother always was the one who cooked it at every get together we had, such as birthdays, Girl's and Boy's day, New Years, and more. And I never knew how to actually make this dish that's been so treasured by our family until recently, when I interviewed my grandmother.

When I asked my grandmother how to make the Sekihan, she didn't just give me the recipe and show me how to make it. She also told me stories about everything; how it originated, how it was passed on from generation to generation, and funny little anecdotes about the parties and events we that she makes Sekihan for. "The recipe changed over the years." She told me, with a far off look in her eye. I could see that she was remembering memories from long ago. My grandmother told me how they didn't have rice cookers or electric stoves back in the day, so it was harder for her mother to make it then it is now, but they managed to, just because it was a tradition. My grandmother has been making it so much that she's done her own alterations to the recipe. Most recipes of Sekihan call for only a sprinkle of azuki beans, but she found out that people really liked those, and it gave it taste, so in turn she puts more than the normal recipe would call for. After testing out a bunch of different ways, she finally found the perfect recipe for red rice, the one she now has given me.
"Older women are very surprised when we are still doing it you know. Not many Japanese families have continued it." She says. I really should be surprised we do continue it. I thought to myself. It was actually a very yummy thing to eat, and it brought so many memories, even to me. I remember my sixth grade graduation, coming home and having a small party with my family. I got to choose whatever I wanted to eat that night, and of course one thing on my list was Sekihan. Every trip my family took to the mainland was accompanied by a small bento sized box of red rice for each of us. "It's good luck." My grandmother would always say, smiling. "Good luck for a safe and good trip."
Then she showed me how to cook it. The azuki beans go into boiling water, and stays there for an hour. You can see the cold, almost transparent steam rising above it about ten minutes in. The beans turn from hard, to puffy, soft, and edible when its done. While you wait for the beans to cook, we started mixing the rice. My grandmother's recipe mixes the sweet rice which is pure white, and the American white rice which is more of a clear color. The red coloring of the rice comes from the water used to boil the azuki beans. Pouring everything together (the rice, the azuki beans, and the red colored water) into a rice bowl, we then put the bowl into the rice cooker and waited.
Red rice doesn't really have a strong smell. It's not flaming red, but more of a soft brown red. The rice itself is pretty soft, but not mushy. It looks perfect with a sprinkle of either tan or black sesame seeds when it's done. My grandmother made me a bowl for myself to eat, and I scarfed it down, just like I normally do.
Before I knew how to make this, I guess I might have took advantage about eating red rice. I am so fortunate that it was something always avaliable for me, but before this project, I never once asked my grandmother for the recipe. I never listened to her family history or memories from her childhood. If I never had done this project, maybe there would be no one who knew how to continue to tradition of Sekihan if something were to happen to my grandparents. But thankfully, now I know. It's not just a food. It's a food that reminds me of my proud achivements, and exciting adventures to other states. It's a food that reminds me of growing up and my childhood. It's a food that makes me, me. And that's what's so special about it. 

Roots and Recipes: Interview

Roots and Recipes: Food Choice

Growing up, I always remember there being a tray of steaming Sekihan (red rice) at every special occasion. My grandma also used to pack each of my family members some of it every time we go traveling to eat on the plane.  It's a dish that has run in my family and just has a lot of memories and my family history tied into it. So that is the dish I'm choosing for my Roots and Recipes project, and I'm going to interview my grandmother.