methods of characterization.

Appearance:
-jackets and long pants (cold outside)
-Joey, Bo, and I were very young (didn`t know what had happened)

Innerthoughts/feelings:
-adults were concerned
-mom missed her family and wanted to see them
-didn`t want us to worry, so mom didn`t tell us anything

Environment:
-not a familiar place
-dad hadn`t driven on the roads before
-first day driving such a big vehicle
-weren`t aware of the wildlife

What they say:
-sherriff was concerned, but calm
-mom and dad were surprised
-caring, wanted to make sure everyone was ok
-didn`t want us to worry so didn`t tell us what happened

What others say about them:
-mom and dad were lucky
-could`ve been hurt

Actions:
-Auntie and Uncle were worried so they ran up to my dad and mom to make sure they were ok
-Sherriff took care of everything
-obeyed my mom even though something was wrong
-mom made sure all the kids were ok

family story.

When I was in first grade, 7 years old, my family, which consists of my mom, dad, and sister, Joey(5 years old), were going on a road trip in an R.V. with my Auntie Nancy, Uncle Matt and my cousin, Bo(3 years old). They live in Alaska so we don`t get to see them that much. My mom`s whole side of the family lives in Arizona. My grandpa, grandma, Aunie Marissa all live there. My Auntie Marissa and Uncle Matt are my mom`s siblings and Auntie Marissa was getting married. Since we all had to be in Arizona for her wedding, my mom and Uncle Matt decided it would be great if we went on a long trip together beforehand so Joey, Bo, and I could spend more time together and so she and my dad could spend more time with Uncle Matt and Auntie Nancy. We hadn`t seen them in the longest time. We flew to Arizona and since we got there a day earlier then Auntie Nancy, Uncle Matt, and Bo, we spent the night at my grandma and grandpa`s house. They flew in the next day and we didn`t want to waste anytime. We were going to drive and spend time at the four corners of the U.S.A., Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico and we wanted to make sure we had enough time to do everything. We rented the R.V. and went grocery shopping right away to prepare for our 3 weeks on the road before returning to Arizona for the wedding where Joey, Bo, and I would be flower girls. On the first day we wanted to get as far as we could into Arizona so we drove from 3 p.m. to around 5 p.m. We stopped in a nearby parkinglot to eat in the R.V. then started driving again. It was getting dark and we were still driving at 7 p.m. It was cold even though it was the summer so we all had our jackets and long pants on. We were all tired and just wanted to find a campground fast so we could all settle down and rest. My dad was driving and my mom was sitting in the passenger side. I was sitting in the arm chair behind my mom and Auntie Nancy and Uncle Matt were sitting on the couch while Joey and Bo played cards on the dinette, all of which had seatbelts. Right in the middle of their game of go-fish, my mom yelled "WATCH OUT!" and my dad yelled "HO GEEZ!" and a big thud came from my dad`s car door. My Auntie Nancy and Uncle Matt ran up to where my dad and mom were sitting and said "What just happened?" in a worried tone. "3 deer just ran across the street and one of them hit my cardoor," my dad replied. "Is everyone OK?" my mom said, "Girls, are you all right?" she called to Joey, Bo, and I. "We`re ok," we all said in unicent. "What happened?" I asked my mom curiously. "Nothing dear, just go play cards with Joey and Bo, ok honey?" she said. From the armchair I could see that the sideview mirror had been knocked off, but I just did what my mom said and unbuckled my seatbelt and sat next to my sister and cousin and played cards with them. My dad pulled to the side of the road and a sherriff pulled up right behind us. He talked to my dad through the car window and said, "Don`t worry sir, I saw the whole thing from my car right behind you, I`ll take care of it." The deer had died, but my parents made sure Joey, Bo, and I didn`t see it and were kept occupied so we wouldn`t worry or have any clue what was going on. The sheriff told my dad that we were lucky because if the R.V. had been any smaller, the deer woul`ve been hurtled right throw the windsheild and injured my mom and dad. He was really nice and made sure we were all ok before he let us keep driving. He said to call the R.V. company in the morning and tell them what happened and that they would take care of it. He took care of the deer, but Joey, Bo, and I hadn`t the slightest clue what was going on so we just played cards the whole time the sheriff and the adults were talking. My mom always says, "It was an exciting, yet traumitizing way to start off that trip."

my hero.

I know this is going to sound really cliche, but my hero would have to be my mom, Melinda Ching. She`s the most energetic person I know and love. When she was younger, she was an awesome dancer which is my own benefit. Sometimes she watches my classes and tells me what I need to work on. She`s older now but she still likes dancing and claims that as long as she watches me, it feels like she`s dancing too. My mom is also the only 44 year-old woman I know who can still do the splits. When I grow up, I want to be just like her. She`s strict, but just strict enough to get my sister and I to follow the rules of the household. She knows how to have fun also. She`s the one who picks me up from school or dance and drives me to wherever I need to be. Her job is also amazing. She`s a lawyer for The Nature Conservancy mostly dealing with all the contracts and land they work with. She gets to travel to so many exotic places like Indonesia, Australia and Japan. Mostly because the company protects the biodiversity of the world. The job also allows her to go on various hikes around Oahu to observe the lands the company protects and estimate if any problems could occur there later. My mom also is the most confident person you will ever meet. She always brags about how she got through chemotherapy without losing all her hair. That`s probably another reason why my mom is my hero. She had a case of cancer and was still able to stay strong through chemotherapy. She couldn`t work for 3 months and she got irratable from always having to stay in the house, but she got through it ok. I admire her for being able to endure it. So basically, my mom is pretty much, my everyday all-around hero.

two quotes of woman warrior: no name woman.

In english, we`ve just started reading a book called "Woman Warrior". We`ve only read the first couple pages but for our homework assignment we were told to pick two quotes and provide an explaination for them.
1. We say that your father has all brothers because it is as if she had never been born.
I thought this quote was cold and harsh, but there was a lot of meaning and feeling behind it also. The "she" in this quote is an Aunt the narrator had that killed herself and her baby when she got pregnant with a man other then her husband. The villagers thought she was a disgrace so they raided their house and caused destruction all over their property. This quote tells how ashamed the family was that the Aunt was pregant by not even speaking of her and pretending like she never existed.
2. Don`t humiliate us. You wouldn`t like to be forgotten as if you had never been born. The villagers are watchful.
This quote was a warning to the narrator by her mother. Her mother is warning her not to be like the Aunt and telling her the consequences if it ever should happen. The story of her Aunt was told by her mother to scare her for shaming the family like her Aunt did. "The villagers are watchful" part of the quote shows that the village is a small one where everyone is in eachother's business and that they will always know if something is wrong and nothing can be hidden.

moodle.

In english we`ve just starting to use this new website called moodle which allows your work to be posted and can be used as an easy way to turn in assignments. I like that moodle allows us to message people in our class because it is an easy way to check to find out what the homework is that night if we weren`t sure. I don`t like moodle because it confuses me in some ways. I never know when to post anything on moodle or on my blogger account. It`s not like I have any problems with it, it`s just the fact that we have so many sites we have to check every night, we need to look at our blogger as well as moodle and epunahou. I get confused as to whether I`m supposed to post something on blogger or on moodle.

about me.

Hey everyone! My name is Casey and I`m a freshman at Punahou School. I`m 14 years old and loving it! I am a dancer and choreographer for Punahou Danceteam as well as Punahou Dance School. In my spare time I hang out with my friends at the beach, movies, or mall. I love the beach even though I hardly get to go because I`m always so busy. =[ I also like to go iceskating, bowling, and mini golfing. Shopping is my addiction, my favorite store is 88 tees in Waikiki. My favorite subject would have to be english because I like writing a lot more then dealing with equations in math or studying past events in history.