Limit Out on Crappie!

My buddy and I limit out on Crappie. It was a good day, we started fishing around 6am but had to drive to the place at 4am. On top of that, I had to drive to my friend's house at 3am. Long but successful day.

mc. 4/8/16.

New Ideas of Research Topics

A research topic is tricky to find and write about. There are many general topics that have been done countless times before like abortion. Finding a specific topic, that I like and there is an abundant amount of information, to me is a bit hard. I was thinking about Salmon migratory process and the future of the population. The population is decreasing year over year.

I would like to do something with YouTube videos too but it seems hard to find sources and information that really helps. I do know there are subscriber tracker websites, and money earning websites. That could be helpful to me. We will see.

mc. 4/8/16.

Writing the Analytical Essay

This essay was a bit interesting to me. Analyzing something is always difficult and on top of that, writers must academically reiterate what they are analyzing. This could range from the tone, literary devices, persuasive arguments, this could go on forever. Picking my topic was pretty cool, in my opinion. Last month it was Black History Month and I was reading about things and I came across the Assassinations of Dr King. I read up on both the assassination and the speech done by Robert F. Kennedy, Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. At that time I didn't thought about using it for this essay, I was thinking about a video I saw and I liked. I'll link it here. Anyway, it didn't struck me to use Kennedy's speech until I REALLY starting thinking about a good topic that had depth and many things to talk about. Also, I thought that using a video would be a little more difficult to analyze, unless it was some informative and persuasive video.

Writing was extremely difficult. I had to look deep into the speech and information from other articles, formulate three major things I wanted to talk about that in the speech. One was definitely Kennedy's use of poem by Aeschylus. What's interesting about Kennedy's use of this was that during the speech, he remembered it off the top of his head, so the poem is not accurate but nonetheless carries the same meaning that the original poem carried. Finding literary devices was hard as well, because I am NOT good at any of that stuff. I'm just not good at it. I'm sure there were plenty more in the speech but I just didn't have enough space to write about it.

Overall, this essay was a success to me. I got a 89% grade on it. I think it should have been a little bit higher. Like 90% but oh well. I worked hard but I can't go back and change it to make it better for a grade I already received. I'm proud of this essay though. I think I deserved every single ounce of the grade.

mc. 3/28/16.

Know The Needs of Your Reader (Cross post via SacCT)

Knowing the needs of the reader is an important factor when it comes to writing. In the article by Linda Flower, she discusses some main points of the needs of readers but the core idea is that writer’s goal should be to “create a momentary ground between the reader and writer.” The three main points she brings up is knowledge, attitude, and needs. With knowledge the writer should know what the reader's’ idea of what a topic is about. For example, if a writer talks about a wolf, the writer assumes the reader knows what a wolf looks and acts like; if not, instead, the writer must or should describe what a wolf is. With attitude, the writer should expect what the readers feel about or overall perception of a topic. So with the wolf example, is the reader scared, afraid, or grateful for wolfs. Last Flower discusses needs, which is information the reader should get and their interests of your discussion of writing. In conclusion, Flower’s main points of needs of readers is correct and knowing the audience of your writer is an important part of writing effectively.

mc. 3/9/16.

Wintergatan - Marble Machine (music instrument using 2000 marbles)

A very interesting video about a master work of art.

Using Peer Edit Paper to Help Revise My Persuasive Essay

In class we had a workshop day. The workshop day was to peer edit someone's essay. My peer editor was Terrance, if I recall correctly. He did an okay job at peer editing my essay. He did not add much to the grammar or anything but gave one very big helpful tip. He said my thesis was unclear or needed more elaboration. So I added a bit to my thesis which was along the lines of, "We should elect (or vote) Donald John Trump, for President." I had a shorter sentence that implied it but after he said that, I really solidified my thesis, I hope. At the end of my essay I also did a call to action, for readers to go out and vote from Trump. His tip from the thesis help me remember to mention a call to action. But to be honest, I was a little tired by the end of my essay and I felt that it got weaker as readers kept reading. I can revise it and make it even more better but it might have been way to long. I am proud of my essay. I liked what I wrote. Which is what all writers should feel about their finished product.

-mc. 3/2/16.

Stop With The Five Paragraph Format! (Cross post via SacCT)

As someone else mentioned in the class, I too have read this article somewhere else. I do not recall but I think it was in my last English class I had. Personally, I think that the "five paragraph" format is a good starting point for beginner writers and how to teach them a basic way to write an essay. Once these students get to highschool, I think they should be weaned off this style of writing and into more appropriate ways of writing. The problem in my opinion is that in some AP classes, they require the student to write a DBQ or three short essays within a short amount of time. This encourages teachers to enforce the "five paragraph" format because it is the easiest and probably the best way to help the students pass the AP test. This is also another problem, since the teachers are teaching the "five paragraph" format in an AP class, in which it is suppose to be a college level class, students are getting the wrong idea of what might be expected at the real college level. 

Maybe some students just break off from the typical "five paragraph" format themselves and begin to add more and more paragraphs but still maintaining the integrity of their essay. I know for myself that the "five paragraph" format is very restricting and it confines writers into the basic: Introduction, three main points, and conclusion. I still use the "five paragraph" format as a backbone to my essay but not with just five paragraphs but still and introduction, main points, and a conclusion. 

The "five paragraph" format is not bad, it is a good starting point for beginners but should be less emphasized as writers mature and continue on with their education.

Don't Be That Bad Peer Editor (Cross post via SacCT)

I really liked this article because I was able to relate pretty close in terms of when I graded papers and how other people have graded my papers. I think the discussion we had in class went pretty well and people learned a few more helpful tips on reading and editing someone's paper. What stuck out to me the most, was the paragraph in the article talking about "Is It Okay to Be Short and Sweet?" This paragraph was talking about when someone is editing your paper puts extremely simple and vague terms in your paper, like "unclear." It suggests instead, to elaborate by explaining yourself like, "This is unclear because we have yet to be introduced to the character's parents." By saying this, the writing can then more accurately pinpoint and fix the mistake in his or hers paper. I have been guilty of this and so have been my teachers and other editors of my paper.

Last, I really like the paragraph in the article that talked about knowing the writer. If the writer is shy or timid, gives plenty of encouragement and support. This will probably boost their ego and moral when writing the essay and make them feel better about themselves but at the same time be critical and give constructive criticism. On the other hand, if the writer is arrogant, the article suggests to challenge them. Give them difficult questions, nail them. Really push them to the limit while being fair. 

Overall, I liked this article and it has helped remind me how to constructively edit someone's paper and how others should edit my paper.

The One and Only Shitty First Draft (Cross post via SacCT)

Everyone starts writing from nothing. Even this write up. Words do not magically appear out of no where, someone had to articulate thoughts and transfer those thoughts onto paper or some sort of word processor. This is the beginning of the so-called, "Shitty First Draft" coined by Anne Lamot. In the article, Lamot talks about how all writers, even famous ones, begin with nothing and build a first draft that isn't special but nothing more than a pile of ideas and a roadway to the second draft. Lamot cannot stress enough of how important the "shitty first draft" is, and she constantly tries to inform the reader that the reader should not worry about criticism of his or her writing because no one will see it unless the reader lets someone read it. In the article Lamot uses herself as an example because she does food reviews and states that she almost dreads the writing right before she actually starts.

For myself, starting is always a difficult task since focusing is hard almost anywhere I'm at except night. At night is when I work best and I can just type. I do think the first draft is extremely important though, because it paves the way for the second, third, fourth, and however much drafts you do until you reach the one and only final draft.

Work Study and Peer to Peer Editing

I think the work study idea is fantastic, any peer to peer editing is good in my opinion because it gives the reader and author a different viewpoint on the writing. My only criticism is that, one peer edit is not enough. I think the class should meet with two or even three people to discuss their writing with. The more the merrier.

With that being said, the individual who read my essay was surprised and liked what I was writing about. With me having a controversial topic, that made me feel good. I thought to myself in class, "This is great, this is good. My topic and essay has already sparked interest." But this is only the "Shitty First Draft." I will continue to do more research as more information is available about my topic and edit and structure my essay appropriately.

Going back to the peer editor, he mentioned that he does not follow the Presidential race much but I have a valid point about the current negative bandwagon against Trump and that I have opened his eyes about the topic. Not saying the editor fully supports Trump now, but giving Trump a second chance and viewing him from a blank slate. This was exactly what I wanted, I needed to debunk the current mindset that people have about Trump and use valid points and argument to persuade my reader for my ultimate argument and call to action.

To summarize, peer edit is a very good idea. I like it but I think there should be more than just one person editing our writing but more. It allows me to see a wider variety of viewpoints and focus on my weak areas. I hope my essay turns out well.

-mc. 2/24/16.

Research for Persuasive Essay

For me, the hardest part of a persuasive essay is the topic. I always have trouble finding a topic that is current and interesting to readers. As I was sitting in my English class, the idea struck me like lightning, literally. Why you should vote for Donald Trump. Oh boy, I hear it, I already hear the laughing and slurs against my topic but to me, this is the absolute perfect topic. It is current. It sparks controversy. It has plenty of information. And lastly it is IMPORTANT! America is about to elect the next leader for its country and we need someone who will make change. By change, I mean big, real changes and not white lies that the American population have been told for years by presidents. 

I began by watching videos and the first video I watched for my Persuasive Essay was this. Trump response to every questions that is blasted at him amazingly and is correct about every issue that is brought up. He speaks the truth, what needs to be heard in today's Presidential Election. He is not bound by the infamous political correctness. I began to watch more and more videos and watching his speeches at primaries and he is the voice of the Silent Majority. The group which do not publicly express their views and political standpoints on current events. He appeals to us, and he is gaining momentum fast. 

Upon further investigation he winning and winning every state he is visiting and doing speeches at. Sometimes he is winning by a margin and sometimes he is winning by double digits in the caucuses. 

To take Trump seriously, people need to get off the hate bandwagon and do research and find facts. View his policies from a blank slate and open-minded attitude. Wake up America, we need some one willing and truthfully to make America great again.

Donald John Trump.

-mc. 2/24/16.

How dannyiam feels

My personal writing has not been the best but I try and the outcome is what is produce and it's mine. I have taken some rigorous writing courses in high school like AP Language Arts and AP Literature. AP Lang was hell. AP Lit was not so bad. AP Lang was difficult because we had to write one essay every week within guidelines that forced students to not use certain words. These words were common verbal words such as, "important" "very" "can't". We, as students, had to think outside the box and articulate what we wanted to say in different ways to avoid using these words we weren't allowed. On top of that we had four book reports that had to be a hands on project. In addition to all of this, we had a daily journal that would be collected at the end of the semester, like most students, I and others, procrastinated and did about 50 or so entries the night before it was due. The teacher was an extremely harsh grader, too. That did not help one bit. The teacher only gave out two perfect score essays within her entire teaching career. One was achieved my junior year. Hell. AP Lit was not so bad but the most difficult part of it was probably the 30 words we had to remember. We had to remember the correct pronunciation, the part of speech, and definition. The bad part... we had to say it in front of the class by ourselves. If we got it wrong we automatically got a "C" for that grade and had one more chance to get that "C" or else we got an "F". Harsh, but not hell.

I've written in a normal amount of genres like persuasive, critical, research, narrative, personal, ect. All mostly written from my high school days. My writing process is not the most organized but sometimes I have the best sentences or ideas in my head but cannot articulate it or remember it when I finally want to write about it. That makes me sad.

I was born in American. Woodland, CA to be specific but I am mainly Cambodian, both my parents are Cambodian. I have lived in West Sacramento my whole life and I love it, it's its own city and next door to Sacramento. I played tennis all four years in high school and I love tennis and I play for the club here at Sac State. I also go fishing pretty often and have a blast fishing. Video games is one of my strong passions and love. I can literally play video games all day, no shame. I love video games. Anyone that knows me knows this. Those are the main things I love to do, with the usually hanging out with family and friends. This is a short me.

-mc. 2/7/16

I am sad the Panthers lost. I lost a bet, too.

First Week of the New Semester (Spring 2016)

The first week back of any college is, more than likely, rough and stressing for most students and staff. Parking becomes a war zone for commuters at some colleges. Sacramento State is no exception to this. Spending $168 for a parking permit that allows you to park at Sacramento State does not make anyone happy. The parking permit does not guarantee you a parking spot. It is based on a "first come first serve" basis. If there are no parking spots available, tough luck buddy. Play the waiting game like the thousands of other students driving around hunting for a spot, too. In addition to parking, students are "crashing" courses trying to get into classes. This means that there are more than the usual amounts of students at the college. Most classes are completely full, seats are filled, students standing by the doorway, and students sitting on the floor inside of class rooms. Professors butchering names for the attendance and some making students "play" games for spots in the class. These "games" can get intense or depressing. Inevitably, some of these students may not get into the classes they are hoping to get or need. Sorry. Good luck to these students and not to forget, the commuters as well. There are other endless amounts of obstacles students face during the first week...

..but this post wasn't suppose to be negative or pessimistic though, it was to congratulate everyone. It's over. We made it. It's now the second week. Keep moving forward and heads up. Focus and work hard, the semester will be over before we will know it.

-mc. 2/1/16.

Creating The Blog and dannyiam's Weekend

Today, we created our own blog, as you can probably see, through Blogger.com. We designed and named it. This is part of our instructor's, Planinz, plan to help us jot down our thoughts as we do research for the class. I'm planning to try to use this for English 5 and maybe other academic successes or other accomplishments. This year in all of my classes I am hoping to earn an "A" because my GPA not high enough as of right now to apply and have a good chance to getting into the Business major. Last semester, I worked hard in Physics 5A and earned a grade of "B". I am more than satisfied with the grade because the class is extremely difficult and my friends and I struggled through sticks and stones trying to comprehend and understand the concepts. Sadly, one of my friends got too far behind in the class and stopped showing up to class altogether, which is a bummer but the remaining of us kept going. 

As of today January 29th, 2016, I have a 4.53 K/D in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. I am hoping to improve that to a 5.00. I know it will be hard but I think I can do it. I am also currently playing Tom Clancy's: The Division Beta. It is a fantastic 3rd person, free roam shooter game. The game has an extremely detailed open world with dynamic weather that is constantly switching giving a sense of darkness, especially when it snows very hard and visibility is low. Within the game's map there is a place called the Dark Zone (DZ), which is a highly infected area that requires the player to be extra cautious of other player (PvP) and enemies. I am looking forward to playing more of the Beta this weekend.