Lara's 100W

Word of the week #10

2009-11-08T21:20:00.001-08:00

word: tangram
definition: a Chinese puzzle consisting of a square cut into five triangles, a square, and a rhomboid, which can be combined so as to form a great variety of other figures
where I found it: overheard a person saying it
The sentence I found it in: It's a tangramm, some game I'm not even sure how to play.
New sentence: The tangram helps to improve awareness, because of the uniqueness of it's puzzle solution.

Japanese Internment Memorial

2009-11-08T21:20:00.000-08:00

As our class approached the memorial, I expected something compltely different. I thought that we were going to go to an actual museum, or have some guided tour. So my first reaction in my head was "Thats it???". But as our professor continued on about the memorial, I got into it. I also took a couple of pictures to keep as memory, and to give a better visualization.

The Japanese Internment Camp was a forced relocation by the US. government to thousands of Japanese families. This relocation camp happened after Pearl Harbor. The internment camp was forced onto thousands of families because the US. government were trying to protect themselves from this attack to ever happen again. They captured every Japanese family they could and put them into camps, mostly in the West Coast. This was a way to keep American's safe from threats from Japanese/minorities. This included even Japanese who were already legal residents and families that were residing in the U.S.

Ruth Asawa were part of the many families that were interned in these camps. She's known for her famous sculpture we visited the other week. When she was 16, her family was forced to live in horse stalls in Santa Anita. Asawa spent many years creating this memorial found in San Jose. Her memorial has different images of what happened at these camps. Specifically theres an area in her memorial where a family is seen living in horse stalls, and that was her very own family. Asawa did a great amount of research before she even created her memorial. The internment memorial also includes the full story showing families being forced to live in this camp, losing loved ones, guards that protected the camps, and unliving conditions for each story/family.

When I arrived at the view of this memorial, one of my first thoughts was "Why San jose?? Such a random place to put a memorial". Well after a great amount of research, I found the significance of why it was here. During that time after Pearl Harbor, the city of San Jose had and still has an area called Japantown where Japanese lived and had many businesses there. At the time, the government closed every Japanese owned store possible. San jose is a part of the internment history because at the time, some Japanese were were held in San Jose State University's gym.

Looking at this memorial gives me a great appreciation of what it's like today. For Americans, we are very lucky and fortunate to being living in a country of freedom. This memorial has a great story behind it. Some of the stories are shown throughout the memorial. One specific story that captured my attention was the families holding their belongings. On the side of the memorial there's a list of rules and items not to bring. As I noticed this list, I noticed the vignette. Looking at this made me feel sad and I felt bad, that the government was racist at the time and pushed people's freedom.

Living in a great country, I believe nothing like this could ever happen again, especially in America. our country has a great amount of diversity and equality to even think about putting minorities, different genders, or different cultures in internment camps.

Word of the week #9

2009-11-08T20:29:00.001-08:00

word: taligrade
definition: walking on the outer side of the foot
where I found it: Heard it randomly on TV.
The sentence I found it in: The animal appeared to taligrade by the side of the road.
New sentence: Many people don't walk with a taligraded movement.

blog #8 - In my honest opinion

2009-10-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

Everyday we all hear about local, US, and world news whether it directly relates to you personally, or outside your environment. I grew up in the city of Richmond. If you’re familiar with the Bay Area you'd understand that Richmond has the least best known reputation. This city is known for violence and negative crimes. With great consideration and appreciation, my parents were lucky enough to not bring around these negative environments. But every other day, you hear in the news about teenage crimes. As the years have passed by, you would think that teen crimes would disappear, and they would finally learn that crime is honestly not the solution.
These articles all include teen crimes. These articles make me boil so much because you would think young adult would be smart enough to make better decisions. Their lives are still so young and still have so much to look forward. Unfortunately, for some teens, their lives have to be cut short, and other’s lives are wasted in time stuck in prison. Hearing about teen crimes always makes me concerned because I do have a younger brother that is 18 years old and may still be immature in certain decisions. All these teens have families and at least one person that truly care for them.
Just within the past week, I came across 3 different articles that related to teen crimes, especially in areas I grew up around. The first article I noticed was about a shooting in Oakland. Oakland is also known for its violent crimes and downtown shootings. Honestly, reading this article was no surprise. We hear about crime and violence in this city more often than you can ever imagine. This article was about a 14 year old boy who was shot down by supposedly gang members and investigators are on the look out for these suspects.
The next article also relates to another shooting. This time, this took place in the city of Hercules, just about 5 minutes away from Richmond. Hercules is known for very rare violent crimes. But recently within the past few years, as more teens have flooded the city of Hercules, more crimes have been occurring. Hercules would be last city to have a shooting, and hearing about it, made me concerned. A shooting happened at a house party that broke into a riot and 2 teens were injured, but recovered from the bullet wounds.

Lastly, this next article relates to an event that occurred last year but now 2 guys were pleaded to no contest receiving a 25 years life prison and 15 years for the other person. These 2 guys were guilty to first and second degree murder to a 16 year old boy.
If only teens understand the true meaning to life. That violence, honestly, is not worth it.

Word of the week #8

2009-10-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

word: pejorative
definition: having a disparaging, derogatory, or belittling effect or force
where I found it: browsing around the web
The setence I found it in: Calling a Southerner a 'redneck' or a 'cracker' is a pejorative term
New sentence: It was pejorative of the man to refuse help from a foreigner.

Word of the week #7

2009-10-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

word: pecuniary
definition: of or pertaining to money
where I found it: browsing around the web
The setence I found it in: A pecuniary legacy is a fixed sum of money.
New sentence: The pecuniary amount was less than what he could afford.

Mystery character

2009-10-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

He graced his audience with his slick moves on the dance floor. His facial features, were odd, noticeable, but could never be hidden and was always recognizable. His voice, captured us all with his hits. He influenced people from across the world with his creativity and left a mark in this world as a legend.

Word of the week #6

2009-10-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

word: leal
definition: loyal; true
where I found it: browsing around the web
The setence I found it in: For Louis, being leal was the only way to get what he wanted.
New sentence: The suspect felt leal when he felt bad for the victim.

Reflective Writing Excercise - CSU budget cuts

2009-10-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

When this assignment was assigned on Monday, I was actually very interested in writing this compared to other assignments. I felt like this assignment was much easier for me to write because it actually effects me as a student at SJSU. With all the crazy CSU budget cuts, furlough days, and rallies, I felt like I had a lot to say in my article.
This overall experience was very interesting. This is because I felt like I honestly meant every word I said in my article. I put a lot of work hard work into writing this article, as much as the grammar is bad, I meant every word I said.
The only hardest part about writing this assignment is focusing on one thing. There were so many things to focus on, furlough days, budget cuts, anything.

Word of the week #5

2009-10-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

word: inert
definition: having no inherent power of action, motion, or resistance
where I found it: random book (sorry not specific don't remember)
The setence I found it in: Much of the previous work in this area was directed toward producing materials which remained passive and inert in the body.
New sentence: After being shot, the victim was left inert on the ground.

Word of the week #5

2009-10-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

word: malinger
definition: to feign injury or illness to avoid work or duty
where I found it: iphone studying application
The setence I found it in: When the office called the student's home to ask why she was not at school she malingered.
New sentence: Students who are lazy sometime malinger instead of studying which effects their poor grades.

A fly on the wall

2009-09-27T22:52:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in a room full of people. The air is humid as if we were all in a steam room the size of a child's closet. Voices and mumblings are surrounding me with huge amounts of laughter as if someone told the funniest joke. The air was humid but it smelled like beer and sweat of people who haven't taken a shower. Not only did I feel uncomfortable being in a room that smelled rancid but I was very uncomfortable in my seat. The flat cushion on the seat was so flat I felt the buttons of the seam pressing through my bottom causing me to cross my legs by switching them over a couple times. I was at a party where I didn't seem to enjoy myself. Some girls were amazingly drunk and loud making them sound like hyenas screeching. The sound of ping pong balls hitting cups were joined with deep low voices of "oooohs and aaahs!" I was observing this party as someone was trying to speak to me. I looked like as if I was completely ignoring my friend. But I happened to notice a guy leaning on the wall. His right leg was against the wall behind me and his arms were crossed. I stared at him as he was smiling and laughing at the crowd. I then laughed to myself because he looked like a typical rebellious character in an 80’s movie. His had a head full of nice hair, a smile that could possibly charm other woman and eyes like blue marbles. I finally looked away and paid attention to my friend.

Word of the week #4

2009-09-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

word: quietus
definition: A discharge or acquittance given on payment of sums due, or clearing of accounts; a receipt
where I found it: iphone application
The setence I found it in: After the news report, a sense of quietus settled over the dinner table, stilling the idle chatter.
New sentence: The student quietus when she found out when her bike was stolen.

Comparing media

2009-09-21T01:13:00.000-07:00

This past year, the media has been covering issues about the economy. Our economy has become at its worse since The Great Depression. With the economy affecting every single person, we tend to hear about it in various types of media such as: television, online news, and newspapers. One particular story that caught my eye was an article titled “Obama cites economic growth, but not enough new jobs”. This particular article caught my eyes because I have been looking for jobs non-stop and it’s literally going no where. Television covered this particular story in about 2 minutes. Oddly enough I don’t remember the news anchor quoting any sources. The way television described this story is different to a newspaper because with television they don’t add the details like you would read on a paper. Television gets straight to the point and moves on to the next story. Online news is almost similar to a newspaper. The length, details, and sources are almost the same. Online news might only be noticeably different depending on where the reader found the story online. For example, there could be more credited sources if the story was on cnn.com where as yahoo.com might’ve had less. The newspaper is almost similar to online news. The newspaper isn’t like broadcasting because it likes to add detail. Newspapers give their stories in a particular order. The article goes straight to the point in the beginning and later gives facts about almost unnecessary parts.

Word of the week #3

2009-09-21T00:50:00.000-07:00

word: condone
definition: to pardon or overlook voluntarily
where I found it: NY times
The sentence I found it in: I don't condone gambling, but it was fun.
New sentence: I can't condone your tone of voice or your cursing.

Word of the week #2

2009-09-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

word: Noisome
definition: Noxious; harmful; unwholesom
where I found it: dictionary.com
The sentence I found it in: The trash was a noisome to the smell.
New setence: My brother's shoes were noisome compared to the smell of his own room.

Favorite type of writing

2009-09-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

Writing is something I definitely don't do often so I enjoy reading rather than writing. My favorite type of writing is fiction. Fiction is something I've always enjoyed reading, it greatly captured my attention rather than poetry, non-fiction, or any other type of writing. Fiction shows this great interest in a story of all the possibilites that could or couldn't happen to anyone or anything.

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.
"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This is the opening line from one of my favorite books of all time. This line may not capture great attention but it is highly well recognized. The Great Gatsby is a well-known book and represents an era that was way before my own time. It represents the jazz era and has a great story to tell. This is a great example of a fiction story which I enjoy reading the most.

Word of the week #1

2009-09-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

word: Veracity
definition: (noun) habitual observance of truth in speech or statement; truthfulness:
where I found it: dictionary.com
The sentence I found it in: He was not noted for his veracity.
New sentence: The sweet child's veracity came out of her personality.

All about me

2009-08-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

Starting off in a brand new school is kind of scary. As a transfer student, this is my only second semester at SJSU. My first semester at SJSU I came here completely alone and vulnerable. This semester has dramatically changed. San Jose has become my second home, I've made friends, and taught myself to become strong and confident. With this new journey, I do have my little brother by my side. He's a brand new freshmen, and I'm on my 4th year of college.
My major is Advertising but I do plan on doing a double major in Occupational Therapy. As a 4th year, I feel very accomplished through all the hard work I put into school. But at this point, I feel like school will never end.
Besides school, I am currently unemployed and looking for a job. I used to work at Bath & Body Works for almost 2 years and was Assisstant Manager and loved working at that store.
Besides not working and school I do enjoy going to the gym, hanging out with my friends, cooking, creating drawings and paintings, and boogie boarding.
I consider myself a quirky, fun, outgoing person once you get to know me.