May 24 2012


中国菜

Filed under Grade 8,Middle School

中国菜有: 徽菜,粤菜,闽菜,湘菜,苏菜,鲁菜,川菜,浙菜
我最喜欢吃粤菜因为我觉得点心很好吃。我喜欢吃虾饺,咸水饺,上海小笼包,灌汤饺,肠粉,糯米鸡和。而且我喜欢喝乌龙茶和吃龙眼豆腐。
我吃过中国菜在怡宝餐厅。在怡宝餐厅,服务员说“欢迎光临,请问几位?” 我爸爸说“三个人(我爸爸妈妈和我)”亿都餐厅的服务员带领我们到一张桌前。我们坐下看菜单。我爸爸想吃灌汤饺,我妈妈想吃上海小笼包,我想吃肠粉。我们都想喝茶。我的家人都很喜欢中国菜因为他们觉得中国菜和越南菜很相似所以很好吃。

Image by Premshree Pillai CC BY NC SA

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May 13 2012


Yemeni Child Bride Dies of Internal Bleeding

“Early marriage places girls at increased risk of dropping out of school, being exposed to violence, abuse and exploitation, and even losing their lives from pregnancy, childbirth and other complications,” UNICEF said.

This week I read the article “Yemeni Child Bride Dies of Internal Bleeding” by Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN. This article was about how there are a lot of girls who died from forced marriages when they aren’t old enough as stated in the quote above. It is stated in the article that there are many child brides in Yemen and the statistics show that one in three girls are are married before 18. The article also talks about how parents no longer have to support their daughters financially after marriage, which obviously was a burden (to have to feed their daughters that is). All in all, child forced marriages are common in Yemen (usually young girls under 18 to men twice their age), and they cause these girls all sorts of troubles.

After reading this article, I have some questions to ask. Why is the  Yemen government against a minimum marriage age? Is this child forced marriage a “cultural” issue? The article stated “parents get a promise from the husband to wait until the girl is older to consummate the marriage”, but does some husbands actually keep this promise? I was thinking that even if there is this “promise”, parents should know better than just handing their daughters over to the husband, I mean, look at all the deaths from child forced marriages!

I’ve never really thought I would be in this kind of situation where I was forced to marry an older man at a young age, because my parents would never allow it let alone force me to do it. My parents don’t believe in arranged marriages; they’ve always said I can marry whoever I want to marry (although they do express that they have some preferences, or “advice” as they call it). Then again, if my parents and I were born and raised in Yemen, the story would be different. If I was ever forced to marry anyone when I don’t want to, I think I would just run away, well of course unless anyone I love’s life is on the line. Like any girl in the world, I believe that we should be able to marry the person we want to marry (in the future that is).

Image by Toomas & Marit Hinnosaar CC BY NC ND

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May 01 2012


BP Oil Spill Aftermath: Eyeless Shrimp, Clawless Crabs and Fish with Oozing Sores

“On top of that, the dispersants used to clean up the oil spill are known to be toxic to humans. Symptoms of exposure include “headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pains, chest pains, respiratory system damage, skin sensitization, hypertension, central nervous system depression, neurotoxic effects, cardiac arrhythmia and cardiovascular damage.” Even more damningly, it can disturb the growth and development of a fetus.”

This week I read the article “BP Oil Spill Aftermath: Eyeless Shrimp, Clawless Crabs and Fish with Oozing Sores” by Casey Chan. The quote above is from the article. It explains how harmful this oil spill can be to humans. The article talks about how the BP oil spill in 2010 is affecting the sea creatures now. Fishermen have found sea creatures that are deformed. This deformation is the result of the oil spill and the method of cleaning it up. All evidence points to the BP company and yet they are denying it. Do you love seafood? If so think about this: If these sea creatures are deformed, then when we eat them, what harm will they cause us?

After reading this article, I have some questions like the one above. How many people have ate sea creatures from the area of the oil spill? Do they know about this? Should they have a health check up? Have this oil spill affected any humans? Are there anyone who had symptoms similar to ones in the statement above after eating seafood?

My family often eat seafood. Just yesterday my family and I got together with our cousins and ate at a seafood restaurant.   My cousin was eating the eyes of the fish so I told him about this oil spill. He thought I told him a fairy tale simply because he couldn’t believe that there were fish without eyes. If this oil spill had happened some where in Vietnam, then maybe my whole family would have some of the diseases described in the article, for we eat fish daily.  Fish is actually healthy for us; it can not be missing from in diet.

Image by C. Frank Starmer CC BY NC SA

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Apr 24 2012


Trust

Image by nvuong16 (me) CC BY NC SA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Verse 1

What kind of person are you?

Will you be able to say what’s true?

Are you someone reliable?

Maybe someone who’s capable

Someone I can turn to

 

Don’t think you can fool me

Think I’ll accept your sweet lies with glee

Other than the truth, there is no way

There’s no way you’ll win my certitude today

Good paint can’t be compared with good wood

Don’t bribe me with packaged goods

It won’t work, sticking to me like glue

 

Chorus

You can’t ask me to trust you

It’s just not something you can do

Trust is something you must earn

The world is harsh soon you will learn

Just one mistake

That’s all it takes

For me to lose my trust in you

 

Verse 2

Are you someone I can lean on to?

Someone I can confide in too?

Well that all depends

Lets start with being friends

Just remember mistakes can’t be undo

 

Don’t beat around the bush

Trust is something you can’t push

People say looks are decieving

Liars are what keep me grieving

I won’t believe in the words you spew

 

Chorus

You can’t ask me to trust you

It’s just not something you can do

Trust is something you must earn

The world is harsh soon you will learn

Just one mistake

That’s all it takes

For me to lose my trust in you

 

Bridge

It’s not child’s play to gain my trust you will find

Don’t hoax me cause I’m not blind

Try to put yourself into my shoe

See the world at my angle of view

 

Chorus

You can’t ask me to trust you

It’s just not something you can do

Trust is something you must earn

The world is harsh soon you will learn

Just one mistake

That’s all it takes

For me to lose my trust in you

 

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Apr 22 2012


Dhaka Slum Dwellers Live under Threat of Eviction

Your family doesn’t have much money, but at least you own a decent house. You use the front of the house as a little store that sells everyday tools. The back of the house and the floor upstairs is where your family live. It’s not much, but your family depend on this little store. One day the government wanted to make the roads wider, so they told you to move your stuff, they’re going to take down the front of your house. You’re poor, just a nobody, why would the government care about you? The next day the bulldozers came and you are ready. Everything in the front has been moved. Tears ran down your cheeks as you watch them take down the front of your house, the little store that your family depends on, but they didn’t stop. You watch in horror as the bulldozer keeps coming; coming to tear down the rest of your house. Oh home, sweet home, where is it now? This week I read the article “Dhaka Slum Dwellers Live under Threat of Eviction” by Syed Zain Al-Mahmood. The example I stated above, it’s reality, it’s happening to all these people in Dhaka. They’re loosing they’re homes and there’s nothing they can do but watch.

I understand that with wider roads, there’s less traffic, but have the government ever thought about how all these people would live after having their homes destroyed? Whether these citizens are poor or rich, they’re all citizens of Bangladesh (Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh) aren’t they? What kind of government doesn’t care for their citizens? Did the government ever thought of finding a new home for all these people? Do they even have the money to compensate for their citizens? I’m having these questions because I care. Even though I don’t live in Dhaka, I care. What about the Bangladesh’s government?

If the government destroyed my house, it’s okay, I have another one, but what if I didn’t? What if all my living expenses come from that one house the government destroyed? I would be homeless, and would no longer be able to go to school. Where would I get money for food and water? I would really hate my government then, but I wouldn’t be able to do anything because I have no money and no power. If that was the case I would indeed feel very hopeless.

Image by TypePad CC BY NC SA

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Apr 17 2012


中文第八课买衣服

Filed under Grade 8,Middle School

This is My Chinese Project for Lesson 8

 

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Apr 14 2012


In South Sudan, Girls Are Given Away to Settle Family Feuds

Your father had a fight with a man and killed him. You are the only daughter in the family. To compensate for the family who lost their family member, you are being given away. In your home, your family treats you like a princess, but yet in another house you’re just a maid. The family members not only make you work morning till night, they also abuse you. You feel this is unfair because you’re not the one who killed the man and doesn’t deserve his family’s wrath. What can you do?

This week I read the article “In South Sudan, Girls Are Given Away to Settle Family Feuds” by Tom Rhodes. I think the content is pretty much summarized by the title. “A man must have at least 20 cows, costing 1,000 South Sudanese Pounds each (roughly $335), to win a woman’s hand in marriage.” This leads to cattle raids, which cause problems between families. To solve these problems, girls are being given away. The new family members doesn’t treat the girl as if she’s their own daughter/sibling. Instead they take revenge by abusing the girl.

I know giving away girls have been a tradition for some time now, but if they were going to give someone away, why not the person who committed the crime? Isn’t it unfair that these girls have to pay for what they didn’t do? Why do they have to suffer for someone else’s actions? This leads me to thinking: how are women valued in this part of Africa? Do they have so little value that their own family members didn’t even stop to think of the consequences their daughter/sister might and would have to pay?

I, like any sensible girl in their right mind, am against this. If I was the girl in the article, Atia Odongi, I would indeed,very strongly, despise my brother. What kind of brother commits a crime and watch as his little sister get abused for what he’s done? If I think about it the brother and sister might not have been very close in the first place, which leads back to my question above: how are women valued in this part of Africa? I have always wanted a brother but not one like that of Atia Odongi’s. If I was in this town, I think the less men in the house the better. The less men, the less people that get into trouble and put me in a precarious situation.

Image by United Nations Photo CC BY NC ND

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Apr 08 2012


Trayvon Martin’s Fatal Shooting Mirrors 2005 Death

Filed under Uncategorized

“But though we are a diverse community, we are also largely segregated into “white” and “black” neighborhoods. To this day, we still have two Little Leagues, one black, one white.”

This week I read an article called “Trayvon Martin’s Fatal Shooting Mirrors 2005 Death” by Jeff Perlman. The quote above was how the author described his community. I don’t get why there is still this separation between the “white” and “black”. How many years have this “separation” gone on for? Regardless of our skin color, I think we’re just really all the same. Maybe it’s easier for me to think this way because I go to an international school that have students with different cultures. Don’t most schools in America have a mix of “black” and “white” students? If so, then what seems to cause “black” and “white” people to live in separate neighborhoods in this community?

In this article, I also read about how Trayvon Martin’s death was similar to that of Jerrod’s Miller. If I’m not wrong, they both were African Americans, they both died at about the same age (16,17), and they both got shot on February 26. It was a surprise for me how both were so similar. However, as the article stated, “And while the Jerrod Miller shooting was the subject of intense local news media coverage, it did not become a national story, probably because social media was not as influential in 2005 as it is today.” This leads me to thinking that social media really holds a lot of power nowadays.

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Apr 04 2012


Last Quarter Goals

My last quarter goals is to draw 3 deviations a month. I will try to find positions to draw. I will also try to leave some time for drawing. So the next time I do an end-of-the-year Art summary, every box for 12 months is full. This is what I’m talking about: http://nvuong16.deviantart.com/art/nvuong16-s-2011-Summary-of-Art-274667306

I don’t really have a specific academic goal, for I think I already am doing well in all my classes, but I do want to do, even if a little, better in each of my classes.

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Apr 04 2012


Giang’s Declaration of Independence Response

Writing a Declaration of Independence  was hard; I had lots of strengths, but also lots of difficulties in this piece. My strengths as a writer for this piece is sentence fluency. The start of my sentences do not repeat often and its length varies. Coming up with ideas that are a bit more different than the original Declaration of Independence piece was hard. I didn’t want my Declaration of Independence to be too similar to the original piece. It was hard for me to find the student rights; rights that would actually make sense.

It was hard, but I had my ways of trying to get ideas. I think if I could redo this Declaration of Independence, I would change some things. To come up with ideas, I thought about all the things I don’t like about school. For example: I was pretty hungry after advisory and so I thought I’d put it down as one of the grievances. If I were to start this assignment over, I think I’d explain myself more and give more specific details.

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