Writing Standards Portfolio

http://cadizchristine.wix.com/writing-standards

Angry Letter Draft

Dear City and County of Honolulu,

          Your city bus's provide a great source of transportation and make it easier for me to get from one place to another. I have been riding the city bus's almost every day since I was 11 years old. I have experienced riding many bus routes including; Route 2, Route 3, Route, 4, Route 7, Route 10, Route 13, Route 32, and Route B.

         

          However, Route 2 is the one particular bus route that I have always seemed to experience the most problems in. One of the problems that I have experienced is that the bus is always over packed. Route 2 goes through School Street and Middle Street, where it picks up many elderly, adults, teens, and young kids. Because of the limited seating, many people have to stand up in the middle isle, causing the bus to be very jam-packed and stuffed. Not only is an over-crowded bus uncomfortable, but it also makes it very chaotic for people to exit the bus at their stop. There are countless times where I see people try to squeeze themselves and their bags through others just to get pass the exit doors. Sometimes, when the buses are too packed, the drivers have to deny people from entering the bus, meaning that the people who were already waiting have to wait longer for the next bus. I have experienced these problems many times when I rode Route 2. 

         

          This is something that I believe needs to be fixed. Instead of having Route 2 arrive every 20 minutes, have Route 2 arrive every 10 minutes. This way, there would be less people entering the bus at these time intervals and the buses will not be too over-crowded. 

         

          Changing the bus schedule for Route 2 makes riding the bus a lot more safer for all its passengers. It makes entering/exiting the bus a lot more quicker and easier and its awaiting passengers will be guaranteed a ride on the bus. Please take this into consideration.

Sincerely,

Christine Cadiz

Risky Business: Eating Disorders (Final)

Slim figures, skeletal limbs, and hallow cheekbones surround our everyday lives. Women are obsessed with the pursuit of thinness, and it’s because of this eating disorders are on a rise. (“Eating disorders: Any range of physiological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits, such as anorexia nervosa.”)

            In today’s society, we are enclosed by images of skinny women, causing us to create this “ideal” body image in our heads. Media creates unrealistic images of woman, causing 55% of women who are normal view themselves as fat. It is almost impossible to watch TV without having to come across the sight of a very slim woman. A Peoples magazine survey showed that 80% of females feel that the skinny women they see in movies and television programs make them feel insecure about their bodies. Magazines are also filled with images of famous celebrity’s that are very slim. In fact, many of these images that we see are computer-modified images of woman to make them appear skinnier than what they actually are. All this media exposure causes society to create an “ideal” body image in their heads. Sadly, eating disorders not only occur to adult women, but to high school girls as well. 9/10 of the people who diet, starve, or self-purge are high school juniors. However, only 1/10 of these people are overweight.

           Once women crave the need to feel skinny, they resort to very risky and unhealthy solutions. These solutions are starving, purging, or dieting. A study is shown that one in three women are on diets.  Some people don't even eat at all. This is called anorexia nervosa. Starving, purging, and dieting are very harmful to the body. When starving, purging, or dieting, the body is denied the nutrients that it needs, which forces the body to slow down its processes to conserve energy.  It could also cause problems in the digestive system which affects your  heart and other major organs in your body We can see that eating disorders are very harmful to the body.

            However, many people would argue that the “ideal” body image does not have an effect on eating disorders. Some people say that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is what causes eating disorders in many women. Those who have been through scarring, traumatic events try to self-manage their feelings by harming their bodies. For example, sexual abuse; 30% of people with an eating disorder have been sexually abused. This scarring event leads to body shame, which triggers habits geared to destroying the body, meaning starvation and/or purging.

            There's a wide range of eating disorders; whether it's anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating, etc. All of these are very dangerous and harmful to the body.  It can cause many problems to your body that have long-term effects. It's sad to know that many people strive to attain the ideal body image that media sets for them. It's even more sad to know that people don't care about the horrible effects eating disorders have on their body. People must understand that body image is not important. It doesn't matter what number they see when they step on a scale or the size they wear for a pair of jeans.

            

Risky Business: Eating Disorders (draft)

An eating disorder is any range of physiological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits, such as anorexia nervosa. In today's society, it is not surprising that eating disorders are increasing because woman are obsessed with the pursuit of thinness.

            Media creates unrealistic images of woman, causing 55% of woman who are normal view themselves as fat. It is almost impossible to watch TV or read a magazine that doesn't show a famous celebrity who is slender and thin. In fact, many magazines create computer-modified images of skinny woman.  A People magazine survey showed that 80% of females feel that woman in movies and television programs made them feel insecure about their bodies.

            All of this media exposure causes woman to resort to starving, vomiting, or only eating diet foods to become thin. One in three woman happen to be on diets.  Some people don't even eat at all, which is called anorexia nervosa. 9/10 of the people who diet, starve, or self-purge are high school juniors. However, only 1/10 of these people are overweight.

            Although, many would argue that body image does not have an effect on eating disorders. Some would say that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is what leads to eating disorders. Traumatic events can engage in eating disorders to self-manage the feelings and experiences related to PTSD. For example, sexual abuse. 30% of people with an eating disorder have been sexually abused. Sexual abuse leads to body shame which triggers habits geared to destroying the body, meaning starvation, purging, and binge eating.

            There's a wide range of eating disorders; whether it's anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating, etc. All of very dangerous and harmful to the body. In today's society, people strive to attain the ideal body image that's set for us. However, no number on a scale defines who you are as a person. 

Coming of Age Essay: Final

Happy. Lucky. Blessed.
These were the most common words I've heard when asking someone to describe me. I was "happy", "lucky", "blessed". Why? I'm not sure. I'm just normal  if you ask me.

I grew up in a family of six; my parents, my three brothers, and, of course, myself.  I had a pretty normal family; parents who were constantly smiling and laughing with each other and siblings who'd occasionally argue from time to time. Also, we were all pretty much strong Christian's since birth. We attended church every Sunday, surrounded our entire house with scriptures from the bible, did our devotions every night, and prayed together as a family before every meal. It was nothing out of the ordinary. To me.

When I grew older, I realized that most families weren't like mine. They weren't so joyous or spirited. Most families weren't even considered families anymore.  When I was in middle school, I admit, I was pretty gregarious. I met all kinds of people. And, no, I'm not talking about different races or genders or anything like that. I'm talking about people with different types of attitudes and personalities. Some were tremendously outgoing and full of spirit! Some were secretly depressed and full of anxiety. Because of this, my mind always wondered why and how. Why do these people feel the way they do? How does their mind work to make them feel this way?

By eighth grade I learned more about these people and why they felt the way they did. Most grew up in horrible environments and terrible families. Some got raped, abused, molested, or sexually harassed at one point in their lives. They all experienced many devastating, life-changing moments in their lives that caused them to act or be how they are. However, these answers weren't enough for me. I wanted more deep, intellectual answers.

I knew I was a very curious person when it came to human behavior and interactions. I never knew why, though. It wasn't until my freshman year of high school that I got introduced to psychology. Ever since, I knew that becoming a psychologist was something that I desperately wanted to become.

College Prompts

1) UCLA



1) UCLA

Freshman applicant prompt: Describe the world you come from- for example, your family, community or school- and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

Transfer applicant prompt: What is your intended major? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had in the field- such as volunteer work, internships, and employment, participation in student organizations and activities- and what you have gained from your involvement.

Prompt for all applicants: Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?  

2) University of  California Berkley

(Same prompt as previous one)

Coming of Age: Poster (Draft)

 

Coming of Age: Final

            Today was finally the big day; the first day of high school. "I'm going to be absolutely fine," I reassured myself, "Today was going to be the start of a new beginning. I could finally get that fresh, clean start that I always wished for."  After checking my reflection with my phone for what seemed to be the thousandth time, I began to walk the steep hill leading to Moanalua High School.  As I stepped onto the campus, my confidence quickly began to drop. Here I was, in a new environment, surrounded by a bunch of people that I've never seen before, all in their own cliques. I just got here and I was already feeling sad and alone - great. Luckily, a few minutes later the first bell rang, signaling the start of school. 

            Like a typical new kid, I sat all the way in the back, silent. Sure, I gave some awkward, friendly smiles to people in the class, but for the most part, I remained quiet. And that's pretty much how the rest of my classes that day went.  When I got home I recapped what had happened that day and suddenly I started getting all sad again. "Today's only the first day. It's normal to be feeling like this. Things are going to get better eventually," I reminded myself. But sadly, the rest of that first week was the same. And so was the next week after that. And the next week after that. I began to think that things were never going to get better. As more weeks had passed, more work had been given to us and classes started running normally.

            One day during English, we were given an assignment to write an essay. I sat there that whole period, frozen, staring at my blank paper, while everyone else in the class wrote paragraphs and paragraphs. My mind was completely empty. I'd write a paragraph, erase it entirely, write a new paragraph, and repeat the same thing all over again. The negative thoughts that I've been having that entire year couldn't leave my head. After several failed attempts, I started to grow even more sad and mad at myself. My eyes started to water and my vision was getting blurry. I thought about how stupid I was and how lonely I was. I thought about how much I hated this new school and how much I missed my old school, how much I missed my old friends. Tears began to stream down my face and onto my not-so-empty paper. I was having an emotional breakdown in the middle of class- how embarrassing.

            I couldn't believe how different my high school experience had been so far. I was no longer that loud, crazy girl, with a bunch of friends. I was quiet, shy, and pretty much a loser with only one friend. I didn't know anybody. I was no longer that smart girl in every class. I was that stupid one with a low GPA. My confidence had decreased by a lot. I missed my old friends. I missed my old self. I hated high school. I hated everything.

                One day after school, to get my stress out, I went to Kalihi YMCA to workout. The place was already like a second home to me so just being there made me feel the slightest bit more happy. I went on many different machines that worked out my lower body. I went on machines that worked out my thighs, hamstrings, and calves. After about an hour of working out, my body started to ache. It came to that point where I could barely move my muscles. Because I wasn't so used to working out, it was very new for me to experience that kind of physical pain. However, even though my body was hurting, I kept pushing myself. I struggled for an extra five minutes, until I felt my body giving up. It was then that I realized something; things aren't  going to come easy in life. You're going to need to motivate yourself and push yourself to try to get to where you want to be. Sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone.
            From that day forward, I started pushing myself to step out of my comfort zone. I started talking to more people and joining more activities. Later on that year, I ended up joining Moanalua's Judo team. This not only helped me to gain muscular strength, but it also helped me to gain the confidence that I needed. I also ended up joining many different programs outside of school, such as the Hiroshima Exchange Program and the Youth in Government Program. Through these programs, I built many strong relationships and created many memories with a lot of people. In fact, I met people from all the way across the country. I also gained knowledge on myself as a person. I learned that stepping out of your comfort zone can open many doors in your life. In short, I learned that things aren't going to come easy in life. You need to work for it. The hardest things in life are the ones are most rewarding.

 

 

Coming of Age: Draft

Today was finally the big day; the first day of high school. "I'm going to be absolutely fine," I reassured myself. Today was going to be the start of a new beginning. I could finally get that fresh, clean start that I always wished for. After checking my reflection with my phone for what seemed to be the thousandth time, I began to walk the steep hill leading to Moanalua High School.  As I stepped onto the campus, my confidence quickly began to drop. Here I was, in a new environment, surrounded by a bunch of people that I've never seen before, all in their own cliques. I just got here and I was already feeling sad and alone - great. Luckily, a few minutes later the first bell rang, signaling the start of school.  

                Like a typical new kid, I sat all the way in the back, silent. Sure, I gave some awkward, friendly smiles to people in the class, but for the most part, I remained silent. And that's pretty much how the rest of my classes that day went.  When I got home I recapped what had happened that day and suddenly I started getting all sad again. "Today's only the first day. It's normal to be feeling like this. Things are going to get better eventually," I reminded myself. But sadly, the rest of that first week was the same. And so was the next week after that. And the next week after that. I began to think that things were never going to get better. As more weeks had passed, more work had been given to us and classes started running normally.

                One day during English, we were given an assignment to write an essay. I sat there that whole period, frozen, staring at my blank paper, while everyone else in the class wrote paragraphs and paragraphs. It was then that I realized I was the stupid one in the class. I grew even more sad and mad at myself. My eyes started to water and my vision was getting blurry. I thought about how stupid I was and how lonely I was. I thought about how much I hated this new school and how much I missed my old school, how much I missed my old friends. Tears began to stream down my face and onto my not-so-empty paper. I was having an emotional breakdown in the middle of class- how embarrassing. And it wasn't only that class that this had occurred in. It happened in every single class and every single day.

                I couldn't believe how different my high school experience had been so far. I was no longer that loud, crazy girl, with a bunch of friends. I was quiet, shy, and pretty much a loser with only one friend. I didn't know anybody. I was no longer that smart girl in every class who'd constantly be in the honor roll. I was that stupid one in the class with a low GPA. My confidence had decreased by a lot. I missed my old friends. I missed my old self. I hated high school. I hated everything. Everyday I'd call my friends telling them how much I miss them and how much I hate how things had been lately.

One day after school, to get my stress out, I went to Kalihi YMCA to workout. This place was already like a second home to me so just being there made me feel just the slightest bit happy. While working out I realized something; things aren't  going to come easy in life. You can't just sit around and expect things to get better. I can't expect to get a toned body if I don't push myself and try. I can't expect to gain more friends in school if I don't try. I can't expect to do good in school if I don't study and try. It was then that I gained a better insight on things.

            From that day forward, I started talking to more people and I ended up joining Moanalua's Judo team. In short, I learned that things aren't going to come easy in life. You need to work for it. The hardest things in life are the ones are most rewarding.

 

               

Argueable Viewpoints

1. Common sense is needed

·         They're not in their regular environment so they should be more cautious.

·         If the area look hazardous they need to be more aware and not fool around.

·         "If in doubt, don't go out!"

2. Signs are important

·         It warns people about the dangers of the area.

·         It lets people now when the place is open or closed.

·         It shows people where to  go and where not to go.

3. Information from other sources are needed

·         It gives people more detailed information that the signs might not give.

·         Information from other people with experience could be more influential.

·         Tourist need to do more research.

Hawaii has many beautiful sites that draw many tourist from all over. However, the sites may be hazardous and can potentially harm others. There had been many cases of visitors being seriously injured or even killed while enjoying Hawaii's natural attractions; such as lava flows, coastal tide pools, and trails. I think that it is the states job to post signs about the dangers of the area. Nevertheless, tourists and other visitors should use their common sense, being as they're not in their regular environment.

Signs are very important to have because, like I said earlier, they warn people about the dangers of the area.  Without them, visitors wouldn't know what to be aware of or even where to go and where not to go. In 2002, a man was reported killed when he straddled near the water spout of the Halona Blowhole and was lifted three to five feet in the air and dropped head first onto the rocks. There was a sign posted at the blowhole parking lot, but not near the blowhole. If there had been a sign posted more closer to the blowhole then maybe he wouldn't of done what he did. But although there was no sign, he should've used his own common sense and not gone near the water spout, knowing that water shoots out from it.

Although signs are important to have, tourists and visitors should use their own common sense and be aware of the area, especially if they're unfamiliar with it.  "It would be nice to assume that common sense would prevail, but that's not always the case and we have to be aware that our visitors are not in their regular environment and that they need to be made aware of the potential dangers," says Cindy Orlando.

Revision Process

Where should  I start? I guess I'll start off on the obvious; the title of my blog. The title of my blog went from being 'World of Words' to 'Lost in Reverie', which basically means 'Lost in a Dream'. As we get older we start setting higher goals, standards, dreams, and expectations for ourselves. I thought that this title fit this year's theme;  Coming of Age.
My header actually took me quite some time to finish. I kept creating and changing different headers for my blog. I ended up just going with a beach theme. I gathered up different pictures that I got from Tumblr and put them together. I got pictures of waves and used them as an outline or border for my pictures. Along with the header, I changed the layout and the background to a more cleaner and sophisticated look, and voila` - it's complete!

 

GLO Portfolio

http://cadizchristine.wix.com/ccgloportfolio

Of Mice & Men Movie Poster

Metaphor Poem: Final

I'm quiet, boring, mysterious, and

lonely.

But I can also be very thrilling.

I'm filled with many treasures,
still waiting to be recognized.

I face many storms and go through experiences that

may be very tough to handle.

But in the end,

I always get through it.

Many people want to know more about me,

but not a lot of them take the time to do so.

I seem like an ordinary piece of land,

but beneath it all there's a lot more to me.

I am a desert.

I Am A Desert

Metaphor Poem

I'm quiet, boring, mysterious, and

lonely.

But I can also be very thrilling.

I'm filled with many treasures
that are still waiting to be recognized.

I face many storms and go through experiences that

may be very tough to handle.

But in the end,

I always get through it.

Many people want to know more about me,

but not a lot of them take the time to do so.

I seem like an ordinary piece of land,

but beneath it all there's a lot more to me.

I am a desert.