1st Semester Portfolio

What piece of writing did you like best in my portfolio and why?

What did you like about my portfolio and sharing and what would you like to see me improve on? 

Which of the writing traits (ideas, organization, voice, word choice) do you feel was most successful for me?

Which of the traits of writing would you like me to improve on in the coming semester? 
http://trinnat.weebly.com/

KC3 FINAL

Hawaii is a small island that is populated with many people. Referring back to the first official recording in 1990, Hawaii had a population of only 367,074 people. Today, Hawaii is home to 1.404 million people as of 2013 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The residents on this small island pay more for goods and services than residents of any other state because of its increase in population. The cost of living in Hawaii is expensive because of limited land and resources.

Hawaii residents have to work more because food costs more, housing costs more, and transportation costs more. All their resources are imported from West Coast ports and because Hawaii is 2,500 miles away, it takes a longer time to ship. At 16 percent higher than the national average, Hawaii has the highest cost of living in the nation. The cost of living have worsened with the increase in population, higher taxes and political leaders' special interests. According to the U.S. Commerce Department Bureau of Economic Analysis, a single family home is $683,500 ,Reg. milk is $6 /gallon, and Reg. gas is $4.35 /gallon. On average, mainlanders pay $255,700 for a single family home, $3.60 for Reg. milk per gallon, and $3.64 per gallon for Reg. gas. It’s never been that much cheaper in Hawaii than now, but it has been way more expensive. With the dependency on tourism it has made Hawaii more susceptible to global economic changes.  

Hawaii residents have to make the most hourly in order to afford a living. To make ends meet, cabbie Lam Lu drives his cab 12 hours per day, seven days a week. For every $100 he makes in fares, $15 is spent on gas. As we all know, most adults and families have to pay mortgage and rent, transportation, food, electricity, and healthcare. That's a handful which has residents working hard to make ends meet than having fun in the sun.

Land availability is a primary factor to a pricey paradise. There is a set amount of real estate on the islands, and there is a competition on how it is used. There are not only local families, but military and mainland families as well. People from the mainland come to Hawaii because they're successful and they can afford a living and business in paradise. The non locals stay welcomes price increases which result in more hours of work for these expenses. Local residents worry that housing projects are going to contribute to traffic, strain existing infrastructure, and block their views. The law of supply and demand increases the costs of everything causing locals to move out to cheaper homes or even to other states. Those nice empty homes are now bought by mainlanders which contributes to the increase in population.

Although everything is pricey in Hawaii, people are willing to spend more on housing than they might on the mainland in exchange for getting to live in a place they enjoy. The good weather year round, natural beauty, and other amenities that make Hawaii an enviable place to live. The popular demand for paradise results to overpopulation. The increasing numbers of the locals and non locals in Hawaii forces prices to go up for food, housing, transportation, and energy. The excessive demand to stay in Hawaii results in a pricey living because of land and resource limitations forcing locals to work harder and skimp even more.

KC3 OVERPOPULATION / cost of living in HI

Hawaii is a small island that is populated with many people. Referring back to the first official recording in 1990, Hawaii had a population of only 367,074 people. Today, Hawaii is home to 1.404 million people as of 2013 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The residents on this small island pay more for goods and services than residents of any other state because of the increase in population. The cost of living in Hawaii is expensive because of limited land and resources.

Hawaii residents have to work more because food costs more, housing costs more, and transportation costs more. At 16 percent higher than the national average, Hawaii has the highest cost of living in the nation. According to the U.S. Commerce Department Bureau of Economic Analysis, a single family home is $683,500 Reg. milk is $6 /gallon, and Reg. gas is $4.35 /gallon. On average, mainlanders pay $255,700 for a single family home, $3.60 for Reg. milk, and $3.64 per gallon for Reg. gas.Hawaii is pricey because it's located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean 2,500 miles from the west coast ports where all the resources are imported from. People are willing to spend more on housing than they might on the mainland in exchange for getting to live in a place they enjoy. The good weather year round, natural beauty, and other amenities make Hawaii an enviable place to live. You get what you pay for.

Hawaii residents have to make the most hourly in order to afford a living. To make ends meet, cabbie Lam Lu drives his cab 12 hours per day, seven days a week. For every $100 he makes in fares, $15 is spent on gas. As we all know, most adults and families have to pay mortgage and rent, transportation, food, electricity, and healthcare. That's a handful having residents working hard to make ends meet than having fun in the sun.

Land availability is a primary factor to a pricey paradise. There is a set amount of real estate on the islands, and there is a competition on how it is used. There are not only local families, but military and mainland families as well. People from the mainland come to Hawaii because they're successful and they can afford a living and business in paradise. The non locals stay welcomes price increases which result in more hours of work for these expenses. Local residents worry that housing projects are going to contribute to traffic, strain existing infrastructure, and block their views. The law of supply and demand increases the costs of everything causing locals to move out to cheaper homes or even to other states. Those nice empty homes are now bought by mainlanders which contributes to the increase in population.

Everything is pricey in Hawaii. Locals work hard and skimp so much. Successful mainlanders move to Hawaii and raise the stakes. The increasing numbers of the locals and non locals in Hawaii demand for food, housing, transportation, and energy. The limited supply on this small island force prices to go up. The popular demand for paradise results to overpopulation. The unlimited demand to stay in Hawaii results in a pricey living because of resource limitations.

Querencia

Finally after a long and stressful day of school, I am home. I kicked my shoes off, tossed my backpack, and went straight for the bed. But the day wasn't over yet. Knowing that there's a pile of homework on my desk, I was forced to get up. I sighed in frustration, as if the fumes of a car engine had been released from the exhaust system. From classes to papers and projects, my mind raced and soon had burst. Knowing that I've had enough, I dropped everything and escaped the stress.

I couldn't stay in my room any longer so I headed straight to my grandparent's room. My room was like an oven, it was the hottest room in the house. My mind would usually be baked because of the heat and homework stress. When I got there I lied comfortably beside my grandma. She patted my arm and smiled we had no conversation. I stared at the photo collage on their closet and relived those captured moments. My worries began to slowly drift as I felt at ease. As the wind raced through the window screen, my eyes wandered toward the flying curtains. I closed my eyes and embraced the afternoon breeze. I had now been lured into a dream with no troubles.

I woke up feeling weightless. All my troubles were gone and were left in the past. I had regained my focus and my mind was able to function. I got up and went back to work. One after another, the pile of homework disappeared.

Reflecting back, I've realized that my grandparent's room was my retreat. The collage on their closet empties my worries and the feel of the light breeze entering the room clears my mind. Just lying in the comfort of the bed and the company of my grandma simply relaxed me.  It was a safe zone where nobody was able to bother me. To me this isn't just my grandparent's room, it is more than that. It is my Querencia..

Words From The Heart: final graphic card

Querencia

 Finally after a long and stressful day of school, I am home. I kicked my shoes off, tossed my backpack, and crashed the bed. But the day wasn't over yet. Knowing that there's a pile of homework on my desk, I was forced to get up. From classes to papers and projects, my mind raced and soon had burst. Knowing that I've had enough, I dropped everything and escaped the stress.

I headed straight to my grandparent's room and lied comfortably beside my grandma. She patted my arm and smiled. My grandparents and I had no conversation. I stared at the photo collage on their closet and relived those captured moments. My worries began to slowly drift as I felt at ease. As the wind raced through the window screen, my eyes wandered toward the flying curtains. I closed my eyes and embraced the afternoon breeze. I now had been lured into a dream with no troubles.

I woke up feeling weightless. All my troubles were gone and were left in the past. I had regained my focus and my mind was able to function. I got up and went back to work. One after another, the pile of homework disappeared.

Reflecting back, I've realized that my grandparent's room was my retreat. The collage on their closet empties my worries and the feel of the light breeze entering the room clears my mind. Just lying in the comfort of the bed and the company of my grandma simply relaxed me. To me this isn't just my grandparent's room, it is more than that. It is my Querencia..

The outside

As I opened the door to the balcony, I can feel the salty ocean breeze through my hair and hear the crashing of the waves. Below me, I could see my neighbors walking their dogs along the pier and surfers catching the wave.  I walked back into my house and goosebumps raced as I stepped onto the chilly tiles. I closed the door behind me and walked into my closet for an extra blanket. I slept in the comfort of my room wrapped in the blankets and stared at the view from my window.

(brainstorm) Querencia: A Special Place

Whenever I am feeling stressed out or in need of company, I go to my special place. This particular place is my grandparents room. I go there because I had always felt loved and secured by the comfort of being in this room.

Words From The Heart: graphic card

torrid, captivate, & recalcitrant

Words From The Heart FINAL

Every evening when I got home from school, my mom was always in the kitchen cooking something up. Whenever she called me to come and eat, she would always shout : "Khương! come eat!"
When I was little, my parents would always call me by that name. However, I did reply nor came running towards them. This neologism seemed vague to me, not knowing what to do, I confronted my parents. "Your name is khuong," my parents would chastise me. And from that very day, I started to pick up on that name.

My dad gave me this nickname because I bear so much resemblance to him that it reminds him of his childhood. Both of these words come from the names of two towns in Vietnam where my dad grew up ; Hoi An and Hoa Khương.  I learned that my grandma was also born in Hoi An and that my grandpa was born in Hoa Khương. It felt nice to have a clearer knowledge of the connections that "An Khương" has to my family.

"An Khương" was determined for me before I was even born. My Vietnamese name is a reminder of our ancestors, family background, and of who we are. My Vietnamese name has two parts, and both have different meanings. "An" means peace and "Khương" means success. With this in mind, I understand the meaning and value of my Vietnamese name; remembering and cherishing my Vietnamese name forever.

Gia Mẫn - An Khương - Như Ý
What's even cooler is both my older brother and younger sister have Vietnamese names that when combined with mines, translates to an intelligent, successful, and peaceful family who's dreams come true. 

Words From the Heart draft

 For this assignment, I interviewed my parents and grandparents. I asked them questions about themselves and our family's cultural and historical background.While interviewing my dad, I learned that my parents had determined "An Khương" for me before I was even born. My Vietnamese name has two parts, and both have different meanings. "An" means peace and "Khương" means success. What's even cooler is both my older brother and younger sister have Vietnamese names that when combined with mines, translates to a successful and peaceful family who's dreams come true. 

My dad gave me this nickname because I bear so much resemblance to him that it reminds him of his childhood. Both of these words come from the names of two towns in Vietnam where my dad grew up ; Hoi An and Hoa Khương.  I learned that my grandma was also born in Hoi An and that my grandpa was born in Hoa Khương. With this in mind, I have a clearer understanding and knowledge of the memories and connections that "An Khương" has.

"An Khương" does not only have impact on my dad and his parents, but also our family as a whole. It is a reminder of our ancestors, family background, and who we are. With this in mind, I understand the meaning and value of my Vietnamese name; remembering and cherishing my Vietnamese name forever.

Gia Mẫn - An Khương - Như Ý
An intelligent, successful, and peaceful family who's dreams come true.