Here's a rough essay we wrote in class to practice for the writing portion of the SAT:
When we look at our nation, or more specifically, Hawaii today, we see dozens of cultures and customs being followed. For instance, the fashionistas, following Hollywood's latest trends, or the activists, following politics and their rights. We also see a loving mother, taking after her own mother as she cares for her child or a teacher, using techniques of his favorite teacher in order to give his students joy in learning. I believe that althouh newspapers, television, magazines, radio, movies, the internet, and other media does determine what is important to some people, it does not determine for all.
One reason that I believe media only influences some is because there are many types of people, and each of them have different matters happening in their lives. For example, last night was the Academy Awards. For an actor, the Academy Awards are a big thing. Many actors probably make it one of their life goals to win an Oscar. Since it is so important, the media advertises it so that normal people who don't star in movies think that it is extremely important to watch. Showtimes and predictions for the winners are found on all major newspapers, which sets the Academy Awards up to be a really important event that will affect us, an event that we determine to be important.
But the media is not our only source of influence. At the time of the Oscars showing last night, I happened to be at a surprise birthday dinner for my 75 year-old aunt. My cousin, the daughter of the birthday celebrant, had put together the entire thing. As she made a speech about her mother, she started to cry, showing how important her mother was to her. Yet this importance was not determined by the media. It was determined by the love and selflessness of a mother, proving that the media does not always determine what is important to people.
All in all, the media does not have an effect on our lives. Although we were at the party, we knew that the Academy Awards were on. But if we truly dig down to our morals and beliefs, we realize that what is truly determined important to us comes from our hearts, and from what we truly love.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
duke's.
Picture a beautiful place. A place where a legend stands at the entrance to meet you. A place where the sun's rays gently shine upon your face as you let the warm grains of sand slip through your fingers. The scent of salt and coconut sunscreen lingers through the air, clinging on to its victims as they head to their car.
Now cross to the water. Waves gently crash against the shoreline of the hour, washing away any evidence of that strenuous run or the hope of finding that lost ring. A little girl and her neon yellow swimsuit dashes back and forth between the sand and the water, clutching tight in her hands the wet sand which she will use to build her future empire. A chubby caucasian man indulges on an ice cream cone as the heat turns all but his nose, which is smothered in white sunscreen, to a bright shade of red.
As you venture further out into the water, imagine three teenage girls, laughing hysterically while clumsily paddling on their hot pink rentals. As they reach their destination, they see the lack of waves and realize it will be a long day. But still, they patiently wait, lying peacefully on their stomachs with beads of water glistening like diamonds along their warm tanned backs.
Finally, they hear the rushing water approaching them. They turn to find salvation, and quickly start to paddle as if they were running away from a parade of man-eating sharks. They stop, relieved, as they feel the tug of the wave carrying them towards the shore. And as they stand atop the board performing for all the onlookers on shore, they smile, knowing there was more where that came from.
Now cross to the water. Waves gently crash against the shoreline of the hour, washing away any evidence of that strenuous run or the hope of finding that lost ring. A little girl and her neon yellow swimsuit dashes back and forth between the sand and the water, clutching tight in her hands the wet sand which she will use to build her future empire. A chubby caucasian man indulges on an ice cream cone as the heat turns all but his nose, which is smothered in white sunscreen, to a bright shade of red.
As you venture further out into the water, imagine three teenage girls, laughing hysterically while clumsily paddling on their hot pink rentals. As they reach their destination, they see the lack of waves and realize it will be a long day. But still, they patiently wait, lying peacefully on their stomachs with beads of water glistening like diamonds along their warm tanned backs.
Finally, they hear the rushing water approaching them. They turn to find salvation, and quickly start to paddle as if they were running away from a parade of man-eating sharks. They stop, relieved, as they feel the tug of the wave carrying them towards the shore. And as they stand atop the board performing for all the onlookers on shore, they smile, knowing there was more where that came from.
Monday, February 12, 2007
fatty mcfatfat.
I recently read an article about how trans fats are now banned in New York City. I think this is a great step towards a healthier lifestyle and that the whole nation should follow in NYC's footsteps. Who needs artery-clogging fats when there are definitely healthier alternatives? For example, McDonald's does not need to use most saturated fats they can find to make their food taste good. This is proven true because I have yet to hear about McDonald's closing down in New York.
In my opinion, your body is and should be treated like an articulate, amazing machine. Since it is the best of the best, the stuff that we feed into it should also be the best of the best. And since we are only given one, we have to treat it well for life. Hip replacements and heart transplants can only last so long before the rest of the body starts to crash.
On average, one out of every two people will die of heart disease. ONE out of every TWO. That means between me and the person next to me in the computer lab, I have a 50% chance of dying from heart disease. In my opinion, that's way to high, and I know that if trans fats were banned in the US, the odds of dying from heart disease would decrease greatly.
I'm not saying that we should never eat fast food. I'm just saying that fast food doesn't necessarily have to have such a bad reputation. If we cooked with non-artery-clogging fats like palm oil, we can get to enjoy both the foods we love and the extra couple of years we get to live.
In my opinion, your body is and should be treated like an articulate, amazing machine. Since it is the best of the best, the stuff that we feed into it should also be the best of the best. And since we are only given one, we have to treat it well for life. Hip replacements and heart transplants can only last so long before the rest of the body starts to crash.
On average, one out of every two people will die of heart disease. ONE out of every TWO. That means between me and the person next to me in the computer lab, I have a 50% chance of dying from heart disease. In my opinion, that's way to high, and I know that if trans fats were banned in the US, the odds of dying from heart disease would decrease greatly.
I'm not saying that we should never eat fast food. I'm just saying that fast food doesn't necessarily have to have such a bad reputation. If we cooked with non-artery-clogging fats like palm oil, we can get to enjoy both the foods we love and the extra couple of years we get to live.
Friday, February 9, 2007
this i believe. again.
I believe in singing. When you want to get your feelings across, singing can be better than talking. Songs can isolate true feelings, helping to discard all the unnecessary ones. Something as simple as a change of key or a dynamic level can tell you what kind of song you’re about to hear. For example, if you hear a minor chord, you know you’re not going to be hearing bubble-gum pop, and if you sing soft, chances are you’re not singing an angry rock song.
I used to sing only because I liked to. I would sing songs because I liked the way they sounded, not because I believed in what they said. When I learned a song, I didn't listen to the words. Instead, I would match each syllable with a pitch, imitating the original.
But I've learned singing isn’t just the technical stuff. There are feelings embedded within every song in the history of the universe, waiting to be discovered. Think about all the songs you sing or listen to: joyful songs, anger-worthy songs, tear jerking songs. The ones used to describe your emotions when you are too happy for words, when you are so angry you don't want to speak, or when you are so filled with tears, that if you say anything, a river will emerge from your eyes. Those songs that unlock our hearts, minds and soul. For example, a couple of years ago, I watched a performance from Alicia Keys on TV. As she sang, her voice was so filled with emotion, as if she had put her heart right on the stage for everyone to see. Watching her made me want to sing more than just notes and syllables. Watching her made me want to feel what I sang, and in turn let others feel what I feel when I sing.
Now, whenever I sing a song, there is emotion. With every song I sing, I take it and try to relate it to a memory, or an experience I've had, so that every time I sing it, I feel the same things that I felt the time I liked that guy, or a time I just wanted to break down and cry. And then there are songs to counter those feelings, songs that can simply make you smile, or songs that can make you fall to the floor laughing. Even when you aren't feeling certain emotions, sing a song that expresses those emotions and you should be able to instantly feel them. It makes me feel as if I am at a whole new level, a level that can not only be heard by others, but also felt.
Being able to connect my singing with my emotions has made me so much more in tune with my feelings, it has helped me to truly understand how I feel, or what I feel. It has helped me to be more comfortable with myself. Singing a song is like having a great venting session. Words can only do so much, and sometimes can leave you confused about your true feelings. So the next time you run out of words, just think of that special song, the one that can describe you like nothing else, the one you stow away in your heart.
I used to sing only because I liked to. I would sing songs because I liked the way they sounded, not because I believed in what they said. When I learned a song, I didn't listen to the words. Instead, I would match each syllable with a pitch, imitating the original.
But I've learned singing isn’t just the technical stuff. There are feelings embedded within every song in the history of the universe, waiting to be discovered. Think about all the songs you sing or listen to: joyful songs, anger-worthy songs, tear jerking songs. The ones used to describe your emotions when you are too happy for words, when you are so angry you don't want to speak, or when you are so filled with tears, that if you say anything, a river will emerge from your eyes. Those songs that unlock our hearts, minds and soul. For example, a couple of years ago, I watched a performance from Alicia Keys on TV. As she sang, her voice was so filled with emotion, as if she had put her heart right on the stage for everyone to see. Watching her made me want to sing more than just notes and syllables. Watching her made me want to feel what I sang, and in turn let others feel what I feel when I sing.
Now, whenever I sing a song, there is emotion. With every song I sing, I take it and try to relate it to a memory, or an experience I've had, so that every time I sing it, I feel the same things that I felt the time I liked that guy, or a time I just wanted to break down and cry. And then there are songs to counter those feelings, songs that can simply make you smile, or songs that can make you fall to the floor laughing. Even when you aren't feeling certain emotions, sing a song that expresses those emotions and you should be able to instantly feel them. It makes me feel as if I am at a whole new level, a level that can not only be heard by others, but also felt.
Being able to connect my singing with my emotions has made me so much more in tune with my feelings, it has helped me to truly understand how I feel, or what I feel. It has helped me to be more comfortable with myself. Singing a song is like having a great venting session. Words can only do so much, and sometimes can leave you confused about your true feelings. So the next time you run out of words, just think of that special song, the one that can describe you like nothing else, the one you stow away in your heart.
Monday, February 5, 2007
This I Believe
I believe in singing. Not just the technical stuff, like breathing or dynamics, but singing joyful songs, anger-worthy songs, tear jerking songs. The ones used to describe your emotions when you are too happy for words, when you are so angry you don't want to speak, or when you are so filled with tears, that if you say anything, a river will emerge from your eyes. Those songs that unlock our hearts, minds and soul.
I used to sing only because I liked to. I would sing songs because I liked the way they sounded, not because I believed in what they said. When I learned a song, I didn't listen to the words. Instead, I would match each syllable with a pitch, imitating the original.
A couple of years ago, I watched a performance from Alicia Keys on TV. As she sang, her voice was so filled with emotion, as if she had put her heart right on the stage for everyone to see. Watching her made me want to sing more than just notes and syllables. Watching her made me want to feel what I sang.
Now, whenever I sing a song, there is emotion. With every song I sing, I take it and try to relate it to a memory, or an experience I've had, so that every time I sing it, I feel the same things that I felt the time I liked that guy, or a time I just wanted to break down and cry. And then there are songs to counter those feelings, songs that can simply make you smile, or songs that can make you fall to the floor laughing. Singing songs that evoke emotion can bring your singing to a whole new level, a level that can not only be heard by others, but also felt.
Being able to connect my singing with my emotions has made me so much more in tune with my feelings, it has helped me to truly understand how I feel, or what I feel, it has helped me to be more comfortable with myself. Singing a song is like having a great venting session. Words can only do so much, and sometimes can leave you confused about your true feelings. So the next time you run out of words, just think of that special song, the one you stow away in your heart.
I used to sing only because I liked to. I would sing songs because I liked the way they sounded, not because I believed in what they said. When I learned a song, I didn't listen to the words. Instead, I would match each syllable with a pitch, imitating the original.
A couple of years ago, I watched a performance from Alicia Keys on TV. As she sang, her voice was so filled with emotion, as if she had put her heart right on the stage for everyone to see. Watching her made me want to sing more than just notes and syllables. Watching her made me want to feel what I sang.
Now, whenever I sing a song, there is emotion. With every song I sing, I take it and try to relate it to a memory, or an experience I've had, so that every time I sing it, I feel the same things that I felt the time I liked that guy, or a time I just wanted to break down and cry. And then there are songs to counter those feelings, songs that can simply make you smile, or songs that can make you fall to the floor laughing. Singing songs that evoke emotion can bring your singing to a whole new level, a level that can not only be heard by others, but also felt.
Being able to connect my singing with my emotions has made me so much more in tune with my feelings, it has helped me to truly understand how I feel, or what I feel, it has helped me to be more comfortable with myself. Singing a song is like having a great venting session. Words can only do so much, and sometimes can leave you confused about your true feelings. So the next time you run out of words, just think of that special song, the one you stow away in your heart.
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