Ghost Story: Kahala Mall

In class today we shared ghost stories that either happened to us, we've heard or some we made up on the spot. It relates to the events that are happening with Maxine in The Woman Warrior, for example, the Sitting Ghost.

There were sights of a woman with long hair, no face and no lower half, accompanied with doors slamming shut, at the old Waialae Drive-In. The drive in was built over half a grave yard, which is where this no-faced woman was believed to be from. When the Waialae movie Drive-In was closed, the woman moved to the new Kahala Mall theatres, which was just across the street. And just like the sightings of the old drive-in, a woman with long dark hair is seen through the many mirrors leading to the bathrooms. When her reflection is seen, no face is seen.

One day a woman went into the bathroom and saw a reflection of an old woman in a black dress standing behind her with no feet coming out at the bottom. When the woman turned around to look behind her no one was there. She ran out terrified and was committed to the mental hospital. There are real police reports of this incident. Eventually the drive in closed down and the other half of the graveyard next to the drive-in along with the drive-in is now a neighborhood of luxury homes.

I Don't Know Why: RESPONSE TO EQ 5

When I was in Philadelphia over spring break, I experienced my first subway ride. Truthfully I was observing my surroundings with a sense of danger, smelling the appalling scent of the station, and feeling the sense of un-safety the whole time. I just don't know why I was feeling unsafe though. I had my whole family with me, some of those whom have been catching the subway ever since they could remember. I had every right to feel safe, there wasn't any gunshots going off or anything, it was just me.
Even though I don't want to admit it, I think I was scared because of the people I was seeing board the subway. They had these I'm-tougher-than-you-and-I-can-beat-you-up-any-day-look on them, and even though that's probably not how their personalities really are, that's how I interpreted them to be. But why was I judging this people to be harmful beings?
I'm disappointed in myself that I was judging people I've never met, and from my assumptions, I was feeling un-safe around them. Me being judgemental was the big problem, and also the fact that I couldn't feel safe. Maybe the world needs to have more trust in it's people to be able to feel that comfort of being safe anywhere, and everywhere they go. Maybe there's to many crimes and horrifying events going on today, that makes people have a sense of distrust towards things they don't even know about. Even though me being judegemental was totally wrong, I just wish that there were more oppurtunities for people to feel safe with their lives.

Problems Cartoon: RESPONSE TO EQ 4

I don't know how I came upon this cartoon, but I'm glad I did. When I first saw it, I thought it was cute and very true. This cartoon is very humorous, but at the same time, the creator clearly puts his message across about the fact that there is to many issues we have to deal with in the world already.
The little boy probably stunted his teacher with this statement, having her realize that what he was saying nothing but the truth. For a student to know what's going on in the world, and not being happy about it says a lot. I imagine that for kids to have strong opinions about how our appalling world is, then that means there's a serious issue in our world today.
This cartoon clearly says that something needs to be done about the atrocious and horrible things going on in the world, and there are many problems besides math problems that are happening right now.

Appearances: RESPONSE TO EQ 3

Being a girl has it's difficult times, especially when the media is so focused on the 'perfect body' for women to have. When I first saw this episode of Friends, I thought it was hilarious. But when Fox played it's re-run of this episode, and then a few months later when TBS played a re-run, I started to think that this episode was just affecting many girls like many other commercials were. Appereance isn't everything, even though when I was ten years old, I thought it was.

The main reason girls want to be 'pretty,' is to impress that guy they like, or to fit in with the 'popular girls.' I admit, even I am judgemental sometimes but I hate that side of me that judges peoples' appearences. And I even care what people think of what I look like. But what really is the 'perfect body?' What am I trying to look like, so I can achieve my idea of a pretty girl? I'm trying to be as thin as those models in the Victoria Secret commercials, and as pretty as the girls in the Cover Girl commercials. And those type of girls, are exactly the type of boys want to date.

Commercials, TV shows, and adds can be found anywhere and are seriously affecting girls' outlooks on life. Media affects us in so many ways, and many Americans are oblivious to all of this. Something needs to be done to make this situation better, and maybe the world will just be a tiny bit better also.

Brotherly Love: FREE WRITE 2

Feeling a sudden freezing rush to the tip of my toes
Taking my first steps off the plane
Yearning for the start of my vacation
Receiving a feeling of excitement as I'm
Being greeted by my long lost Auntie Ruth
Thinking that I know what love is all about


Looking out the window
Seeing that famous love sign
Wanting to take a picture of those four vibrant red letters
Thinking that I know what love is all about


Stepping underground to transportation
Smelling the hideous scent of piss
Seeing an obscene amount of un-sheltered lonely souls
Longing to help them regain their lives
Thinking that I know what love is all about


Going to an insipid 76ers game
Observing the many different people that were there that night
Willing to come together to watch an uneventful basketball game
(I mean Alen Iverson isn't even on the team anymore)
Opening my eyes to see a little but of love when everyone is
Coming together to scream, cheer and shout when young girls are
Yelling "Kyle Korver! Marry me?"
Thinking that I know what love is all about

Walking around downtown Philly
Grabbing the Philly Cheese Steak
Tasting the warm sensation of the steak, cheese and onions
Belnding together to satisfy my spoiled tastebuds
Thinking that I know what love is all about

Shopping with my fashionable cousins
Picking out everything I wanted until I was to tired to do
Anything else but sleep in that comfotrable hotel queen-sized bed
Dreaming of the perfect man


Thinking I knew what love was but in actuality Philadelphia was
Helping me to open my eyes and see Brotherly Love

Philadelphia
The heart and soul of
Brotherly Love

Morals: FREE WRITE 1

My phone plan sucks! I get mad at my dad for being the Chinese man he is, not allowing me to be apart of the family plan because of course it would cost even more money to add another line. So I'm stuck with the Cingular Go Phone plan. He thinks he's saving himself some money, when in reality he isn't! Twenty five cents a call, and twenty five cents every minute after the first, is not being cheap at all.
Being oblivious to how this Cingular Go Phone plan is, my dad refuses to let me be apart of the family plan along with all of my older brothers. Because of this not-so-good-but-it's-better-than-nothing phone plan, I am forced to march down to the nearest 7-11 or Safeway weekly and buy my prepaid minutes card, even with my own money. My father only contributes $30 every two months. Even though my dad is the way he is, I still find it in my heart to forgive him for him being born with those bargain hunting genes in him.
It was the Saturday before my spring break trip, and I was doing my weekly trip to refill the minutes in my phone. As I walked to aisle nine, I decide buy a prepaid minutes card with twice the number of minutes I usually do. I didn't want to run low on my trip to the east coast. I walk to the cash register, while my mind praised me, "Good thinking Sara."
"$15 please young lady," the cashier asked.
I sadly handed him a crisp twenty dollar bill, thinking, "Twenty hard-earned dollars gone."
"Thank you and have a nice day young lady," he said handing my change back.
Walking out of the store, I look in my hand to find $15. Doubting myself for a second, I start doing the math and I realize he gave me an extra ten dollars. I guess the 'devil' side of me told me just to walk away. So I did. I then started to think of how I wouldn't be able to live with myself. So I started to walk back. But then I thought about what I could buy with those ten extra dollars. So I start heading towards the car instead. And then I started realizing that not only would I be disappointing myself, but I knew 'the man up there' would know what I did. I finally walked back into the store.
Finding that overly-nice cashier that loved to refer to me as a young lady, I start thinking that what I was doing was for the good. Handing him the extra ten dollars, he smiled and thanked me for catching his mistake. As I was taking my last few steps out of Safeway, a customer yelled, "Thanks for not being honest, nice girl!" And with those words, I felt better about returning those ten dollars, and I knew that it was appreciated even by a stranger.
During my walk to my car, I started thinking about how I would've felt if I really kept that crisp ten dollar bill and how I would still be holding it in my left butt pocket. But then I started to realize what my morals were. My morals help me to make important decisions that affect my image to other people. Everyones' morals are different, and I know what I think is right, is what someone else thinks is wrong. The way my parents raised me, the things my past teachers told me, and my past actions are how my morals are built. My morals are the building blocks of my character.

Family Story: PART 2

December 7, 1941. Thomas-Takashi Uyehara was immediately in deep awe and confusion as to why the nation his parents came from, Japan, was bombing the place he grew up in. The place where he adapted to a local way of life, where he learned how to play the ukulele, and where he developed his pigeon way of speaking. He immediately knew that he wouldn't be looked at the same by many, and he would always be seen as an awful Japanese.

A few days later he didn't feel the same. He was experiencing something unexplainable, and he came to the realization he could hear what people were thinking. He didn't know what to do, who to tell, and why this was happening. Thomas kept on telling himself it was the radiation from all the bombs, especially since he lived relatively close to Pearl Harbor.

Nearing the graduation of Kahuku High School, he decided to tell his best friend, Ned, about what was happening with him. Ned was his wing man, and always there to snap him back to reality when he would get spazzy. Maybe Ned could tell him that this was just a silly dream, or him being idiotic, as usual. As Thomas was walking towards Ned with a mysterious look on his face, Ned started thinking, "Wait, why does he look like I did something wrong? Did he find out about me?"

A few long and freaky hours later, two Asian skeptic boys came to the conclusion that they were both given powers from the radiation of Pearl Harbor. Ned could set things on fire after staring things down, which Thomas thought was dangerous but way better than what his power was. The two best friends decided to join the war, and help their country in their time of need, thinking that bringing their hidden talents along with them would help immensely. But during the health tests, Ned couldn't help but to stare at the most attractive nurse he'd ever layed his eyes upon, and accidentally set her on fire. After that, doctors, scientists, everyone wanted to know how he did it, and didn't let him get drafted into the war because of the dangers that could occur. Thomas was then all alone, afraid and anxious.

Thomas-Takashi would get close to his enemies, know where they were going to attack, got there before them and killed. He once disguised as a Japanese soldier and figured out all their plans. He was the American hero of the 442, but no one knew how he would always know where to attack first. They thought it was just pure luck and skill.

Five years later, after going to college in New York, falling in love, and getting married, he moved back to where everything started. Pearl Harbor, the place he got his hidden talent. He didn't know that the Japanese government had been looking for him, and Ned unwillingly & unsuspectingly gave away all their secrets. A lot of scandal and secrets have been going on when he was away, and now he was going to pay.

They killed him. They found out he disguised as one of them, and was the reason they lost the war. The Japanese made it seem like he died from lung cancer, but my grandma knew the truth. Everyday since then, she's been sensitive, sad and cynical towards everything in life. The only thing she doesn't know, is that her husband's going to come back from heaven. He's going to tell her that they didn't kill him, even though he did, and was just help captive for forty years. I only know because I can tell the future.