PORTFOLIO!

PORTFOLIO!!!!!

"Eh, where your ID at?"

December 2, 2008

To Whom It May Concern:

I have been a loyal member of 24 Hour Fitness in Pearl Kai for years now and I've never really had a problem with the place. Over time, as more and more people joined up and quality began to lag here and there, I stayed true to my membership. Sure, the mandatory towel rule was rarely enforced, and sure, the lines at the cardio machines were verging on ridiculous, and sure, finding free weights had become akin to a minor scavenger hunt, but I kind of let that all slide. I was happy enough. Things weren't perfect, but it's such a pain to change gyms, and I wasn't going to leave Pearl Kai 24 Hour Fitness unless I felt like I really had to. And this week happened.

For a while now, I’ve been going with my parents to the gym and getting in fine. I’ve had my ID every time and they would always let me in. Maybe I would forget it a couple of times but the worker would still let me in. But this time was ridiculous. The same drill went down, we moseyed in and they scanned my parents’ card, so they proceeded to the gym floor. But when the worker got to me, she asked me for my ID, and lucky me, I forgot it at home. She started to give me the whole “No ID” policy. As I started to get frustrated, I just left the gym.

Not only was I frustrated. But I was also surprised at the ridiculous attitude she gave me and my parents prior to scanning the card. We could tell that she did not want to work. Her face was filled with unhappiness and didn’t want to argue with me about my ID issue. Thus lead to not letting me in. I know it’s a rule where you need an ID but how come she never asked my parents? Plus, the way she presented herself to me. I now go to the gym in Millilani, and whenever I forget my ID, they just ask me to verify my birthday or my address…easy right? And the workers there are so much nicer and are much livelier.

I hope this letter addresses other people’s problems too. I am sure that I am not the only victim of frustrated workers. Although I have already switched to the Millilani gym, I’d hate to never go back to Pearl Kai. I’m sure there should be some kind of way to ensure that it is me without needing my ID.

Sincerely,

Andrew Tran

Alcohol & Parents

Teen drinking leads to so many troubles and tragedies it is distressing that parents often aren’t aware of what their teenagers do. Most parents are aware of the increasingly grim army of statistics indicating that large numbers of teens are beginning to drink heavily as soon as they start middle school. They take this into consideration and try their best to prevent their children from becoming a “teen drinker”. While other parents aren’t really aware of what their children might be doing, such as drinking. Teenagers who have parents who are more aware are least likely to drink rather than kids who have parents who aren’t aware.

It is easy to see why many parents allow their kids a beer at home or at a family event like a wedding or BBQ. Common misconceptions are that a drink with the family is fine because it lets teens get their first experiences with alcohol in a safe and supervised environment. However, this can lead to confusion and a false sense of security and confidence for parents and teens. If children are drinking with the family regularly enough to develop any kind of tolerance, they are developing a habit that they will almost always seek to continue on their own.

Some parents have no idea what is happening in the world, including the rise in statistics in which alcohol is being used more amongst teenagers. Also, how teenagers are more likely to abuse it. And on top of that, they aren’t aware of their children’s whereabouts or what they’re up to. Parents that don’t care or don’t show involvement in their children will most likely have kids who drink or take part in risky behavior. Kids with parents like this are most likely to be drinking out of middle school or high school.

On the other hand, most parents who are aware of the risks and behavior of their children are the ones with less teen drinking worries. They are involved with their children; knowing and making sure their children don’t drink or take part in any other risky behavior. These parents talk to their children and as a result, their children are put with a mind set that they should not do these bad things such as drinking alcohol.

Letter to Parents.

Dear Mom and Dad,
I am no longer a freshman and I am a sophomore. Growing older means new things, meaning I should know more. As a writer, I think I have greatly improved. I remember as a freshman, I would get 3's on my essays, even some of my final papers. I struggled through last year and would have a hard time. But I feel like I have improved greatly this year. I have a much easier time in english class and writing ideas come easily to me. My papers now get 3/4s, sometimes even 4's. This year, I have wrote about topics in which I feel I can truly connect to. My two past papers are about our family. The first was about the "Coming of Age". I chose to write about our trip to Vietnam in which I was old enough to see the struggles and realize the love and hard work you two do to support our family. The second essay was for my college application. I wrote about our family and how it has shaped me as a person. Your perseverance, love, and dedication has made me the person that I am. Overall, I believe I have truly improved as a writer.
My goals for the quarter is to simply continue to improve and learn. I want to work on my sentence structure, so I could write with variety. Also with my voice, I want my papers to sound like ME. That's about it.


Andrew

My Family...made who I am

Behaviorists believe that environment is all-important; the environment that we grow up in defines who we are. If we grow up in a bad environment, it will make us to be awful people. If we grow up in a good environment, we will grow up to be respectable people. Not only does the environment shape who we are but our family does as well.

My family consists of seven people: my mom, my dad, my 2 sisters, my grandparents and myself. Since my other relatives lived in far away countries, it was just the seven of us most of the time. As a result, those 6 other people had a great impact on my dreams, my goals and my personality.

My parents probably had the greatest impact on me. They both were born in the year of the dragon, and it suited them. My parents are strong and passionate and would do anything for the people they cared about. They didn't care about what other people thought about them, and they selflessly sacrificed themselves and their happiness to make my sisters and I happy. We didn't really have a lot of money growing up so when they bought us something really expensive, I knew that they were sacrificing money that they could have used for themselves but spent it on us in order to make us happy. Although my parents worked hard and now have a successful restaurant where money comes easy, they still do these things for us. These sorts of selfless actions inspired me to get good grades so I could get a high paying job and buy my parents the dream house they always wanted. They also made me want to stick up for myself and be more assertive so that no one could make me feel inferior and I could be as strong and as fearless as they are.

My younger sisters probably had the second greatest impact on me. My sisters were always smart. They’re caring and kind actions kept me going as I came home everyday from school or practice. They would bring me snacks, drinks, or even ask me about my day. Those things inspired me to be the best brother that I could be; in a way it made me a better person.

My family shaped my goals so that I could get into a good college, pursue a career path I liked and make a lot of money so I can help out my parents. My family shaped who I am as a person. They shaped me to be a kind, caring, compassionate individual who doesn't care about what other people think and will do anything for those I care about.

College!

I would like to attend Berkeley, University of California.
My family has all attended the college and they all have great comments about it. Also, if I have the chance to continue my football career, CAL has a great team.

Here is the link: http://berkeley.edu/
Prompt #1
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.

Prompt #2
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?

Coming Of Age.

My vacation in Vietnam three summers ago made me realize the difficulty and challenge of adjusting to new surroundings, different cultures, and unfamiliar customs. I learned to truly understand and appreciate my parents’ struggle in immigrating and building a new life in America. My experiences in Vietnam and a gratitude for my parents have given me a greater value for education and a new motivation to succeed.

In June 2005, my family and I boarded a plane that took us from Honolulu, Hawaii to Saigon, Vietnam. As soon as we arrived, I noticed massive swarms of people crowding the streets. Buildings and businesses were partnered with apartments and dwellings, all competing for tight spaces. Honolulu appeared more serene in my memory; even Friday afternoon traffic seemed faint in comparison to the roaring chaos of Saigon.

In Vietnam, the western toilet I was accustomed to was replaced by an appalling, white, ceramic, oval hole in the floor. I soon discovered squatting toilets were not my only challenge. Toilet paper in public restrooms, which were usually dirty and reeking, was rare, so I had to always carry a roll. In addition, to conserve water, most homes had only showers. I could no longer take long, relaxing baths and was even scolded for showering more than once a day.

Furthermore, language proved to be an obstacle. The Vietnamese language is composed of numerous dialects, each differing in tones and pronunciation. Although I’m fluent in Vietnamese, I couldn’t fully understand what people were saying in Vietnam, much less reply in their dialects.

My vacation in Saigon was a revelation. I had such a hard time adjusting to Vietnam, that I could only imagine the difficulties my parents faced when they immigrated to Hawaii. My parents selflessly sacrificed their comfortable lives in Vietnam in search of a better life. They came here knowing they would have to learn a new language, work long hours at minimum wage, and study diligently for citizenship.

This past month, my cousin and his family emigrated from Vietnam after being on the waiting list for 10+ years. Before that, my aunty immigrated to Hawaii. She could not handle the change in lifestyle. Consequently, after only a month in Hawaii, she returned to Vietnam. Listening to my relatives’ reprimands about turning down such a great opportunity has made me realize the difficulty in immigrating to America, and also, the glorious opportunities connected with it. I am thankful to have been blessed with my parents’ strength to stay in Hawaii, despite the many struggles.

At the end of that summer, I returned home to Hawaii, carrying vivid memories of Vietnam, as well as a new sense of gratitude for my parents and a determination to succeed. I have made education my top priority in life and hope to major in pharmacy in the future. One day I hope to be the same bright light to my parents in their old age as they were to me in the days of my youth.