Journal # 17 Anticipating your parents' objections

Dear mom and dad,

Hi, this is your lovely daughter, Yeowool. How have you been? It's been a long time to write a letter to you. I'm writing to you because I have something to tell you. I appreciate that you allowed me to buy a car, but I think that I need to buy a new car. I bought a used car, but it has now problems. The reason why I chose this car is that the price was so reasonable that I could save money more than I thought, and it had low mileage comparing with the year. As you know, however, it was made in 2000, so I found many things to be fixed in my car. The wheels need to be changed into new ones, and the engine's condition was not good as well. Not only are there these problems, but many other problem will also happen because it is like grand grand father. Moreover, I actually didn't like the model which is old fashioned. I understand your concern about money to buy a new car, but in the long run, I'd be better buying a new one. Please accept my suggestion and let me get a new car. Thank you.

Journal #16 Confucius Quote

"Find a job that you love doing and you will never have to work a day in your life." - Confucius

What a great quote! I love this quote. I already knew that I should find a job that I love doing, but I forgot it because of social problem. I have dreamed of my future since I was very young. People usually have their dreams, but not many people find jobs that they really want. They find jobs because they need to make money. Money is important, but I hope that I will never give up my dream because of money. I have been thinking about my ideal job, but it's still subtle. I wonder what kind of job makes me enjoy working in. I should find it as soon as possible and make a plan for it. Everyone does work, so I will work, but I hope not to feel like I'm working. I keep in mind I will never have to work a day in my life!

Journal #15 Analyzing Arguments

Mansoor Ijaz(2008, October 31). The duty of American Muslims this election. Yahoo news.

Mansoor Ijaz is a New York financier. In this article, he claims that American Muslims' vote and voice are important. (par.2) Though the bipartisan Islamophobia in American politics has engulfed the 2008 presidential race, he encouraged American Muslims and Arab American to make it a constructive voice and think about how they can be catalysts for change. (par.3, 6) His argument that the next administration needs to open doors to qualified American Muslims (par. 7) is a claim of policy which appeals to emotion and reason as well. He says that two candidates will take seriously how important a part of American life we really are. (par.14)

Journal # 13 Summary/Paraphrase Practice

Wildfires force frantic evacuations near LA; 2 die

By SHAYA TAYEFE MOHAJE

Owing to Santa Ana winds, two fires broke out near Los Angeles on Monday. It caused destroy of houses and two deaths. Many fire officers did fight Marek fire at the northeast end of the San Fernando Valley and Sesnon fire in the Porter Ranch area at the west end. People in Porter Ranch’s communities were expected not to drive for emergency cars, and then they left cars and carried out whatever they could from their homes. According to Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Frank Garrido, one person was killed on the freeway in Porter Ranch. About 1,200 people evacuated from home to an evacuation center. Also, a motorist was killed on the freeway after vehicles turned around to avoid fire. Two fires caused bad air quality with flames, so people should avoid outdoor activities.

Associated Press writers Greg Risling, Thomas Watkins, Alicia Chang, Christina Hoag and John Rogers contributed to this report.



http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gwSSrT7-LciDlr1tYmyE9e19oX9QD93PT6BO1

Journal#11: Advice

I always seek advice. There are many people who can give me advice around me. I get advice from my friends and families. My friends are all good advisers. We usually share problems about relationship and our future. We have similar worries, so it's easy to open up to them. However, God is my best adviser. I can't hear directly from him, but I can feel what he says to me. When I'm in trouble, I always pray and follow his advice.

When I was thinking about studying in U.S., I was afraid of being away from my friends and families and living alone. I didn't know what to do, and I couldn't decide. Though my families encouraged me and helped me to come to U.S., the one who took care about everything was God. I couldn't see exactly, but I'm sure that he led my way. I'm here now, and he's still helping me and being with me. I have many problems about life, and sometimes I feel regret for studying here. However, he promised that he would show me a bigger dream than I expected, so I can get over all difficulties and keep my way to reach my dream.

People seek advice, and the advice makes them improve their lives. Following good advice is a way to make a right decision. If you guys need advice, come and ask me. I'm willing to be a adviser for you. :)

Muath and Candy

Journal #10 American Food

Wow, it's the most interesting one among topics Sean gave us!!! :-) I'm happy to talk about food :) I thought there would be a lot of so-called American foods, but I found out only a few original American foods. I just called food like pizza, spaghetti American food, but they actually came from Italy. That's what I didn't recognize that before. America is a big country, and it is called a melting pot, which means a place or situation in which varying beliefs, ideas, cultures, etc come together. Therefore, American food must be mixed with many other cultures and foods. That's why I'm confused what American food is.
One of the undoubted American foods is a sandwich. There are many sandwich stores in America more than in any other countries. Sandwich is from America, so there are various types of sandwich. It's the regular dish of parties. I have been eating many sandwiches since I came here. 'Subway,' which is the common sandwich store, was a big hit in Korea a couple of years ago. It was the brand-new store which Koreans had never seen before. Sandwiches taste good (Actually, Subways in Korea are better than here in some aspects like interior decoration and the taste of sandwich.), and it's convenient to eat. It is kind of fast food like a hamburger.
A hamburger is also one of the unquestionable American foods. I'm proud of In-n-out and McDonald's. McDonalds is a very popular fast food restaurant on earth. There are many branches all over the world. It is also popular in Korea. In-n-out is my favorite restaurant. Specially, a cheese burger tastes AWESOME! I always oder like this. "Can I get No.2 with grilled onion?" wow, that makes me feel hurgry.
As fall is coming, I look forward to the holiday, Thanksgiving. It's a custom to eat foods like turkey and cranberry on Thanksgiving. According to the Wikipedia, they are also from native American groups. I heard a craberry pie is great. I expect to eat them on my first Thanksgiving in America.
It is obvious that America is a powerful country. Though Korea has many kinds of traditional foods, it will take forever to globalize them. However, sandwiches and hamburgers are already international foods, and they gain many people's attractions. I also love them. But still, I'm a little bit confused that what I should eat except for the above foods when someone says, "Let's go eat American."

Jamie and Saud

Journal # 8 : My best friend and Me

I met my best friend in high school. Her name is Jihea Eum, and she's now studying in New York. I haven't seen her for 3years, but she is still my best friend. We used to talk about our relationship like how we met, and how we became friends. We became friends in a day. I agree with 'opposites attract.' She and I have some interests in common, but each personality is different.
When we were in high school, we sit together for a few months and enjoyed chatting in class. Actually, she was very quiet, but I was not, besides, I laughed loudly. Most teacher knew me, so even though she started talking to me, I was scolded and then she used to apologize to me. I still laugh loudly, and my voice is loud. Though some people hate me laughing, fortunately, she likes that kind of Laura.

Unlike me, she is careful for everything. She listens to me and helps me when I have some problems. She is a great advisor as much as my mom. After I came here, many good things or bad things happened to me. Whenever I call her, I take comfort from her. When I had a little accident a few days ago, she made me calm down.

But we have same interests, which makes us connect. We like music. I remember one song that she and I had a good memory of. The song still reminds me of her. Also, we like skating, so we used to go skating every winter. We like to write a letter. We exchanged many letters. Writing a letter was a good way for us to get to know each other.

Everyone can't be same. She and I have different personalities, but I think that made us become best friends. We can help each other because we're different. I miss her so much, so I plan to go to New York in this year. I look forward to seeing her.

Prissy and Leslie

Journal # 7 Heroes

When I was a child, I used to think about superpowers. Imagination makes everything possible, so my imagination at that time was crazy. There were nothing that I couldn't do in my dream. My favorite power that I wanted to have was being an invisible person. Imagine that nobody can see me. What a wonderful power! I would do everything, and nobody wouldn't notice that even if it was a bad thing. ( ha ha :))
Now I'm thinking about a superpower again... If I could have a superpower, I would choose to recharge my energy without sleeping or eating. Sleeping and eating are part of life, and those things are necessary to everyone. People can get energy by sleeping and eating. Moreover, I feel happy all the time when I sleep at night and eat delicious foods. But when I have no energy like now, I hope to recharge my body battery fast like a cell phone. I'm very tired these days. I have TOO MUCH homework, and I have something to do for fun like reading a book, watching TV, or meeting friends. Sometimes I don't want to sleep because there are many things to do. I feel even sleeping is wasting time. Unfortunately, I feel sleepy by natural instinct, so I should stop doing everything and sleep. What if I feel starving while studying for the final exam, but I don't have enough time to study? My answer is that I should stop studying and eat something.
Actually, I love sleeping and eating. I can't live without them. Also, they are helpful to get rid of my stress. Therefore, the superpower that I want to have is a stupid idea. Now I don't even know what I'm saying. I think I really need energy!! I should sleep now or I need the stupid superpower right now! :)

Sammy and Candy

Journal #6 Doctor Dorittle

Animals can talk. They communicate in their languages. Nobody knows as long as we are human beings. If someone can understand animals talking, what will he be?
If animals could talk just like human beings, we would be friedns. Many people have pets. Some people consider their pets as children. Imagine that they can talk to their pets. It sounds weird, but it could be exciting.( It's not for me) Sometimes people don't understand what their dogs or cats want from them. But if animals could talk, they would ask their oweners to do everything they want. I don't have any pets, but if I had a pet and it talked to me, it would make me a little bit scared. It would be just like a human.
Animals are totally different from human beings. They can't think, but we can think. I'm saying that we are superior. :) It never happens, but if dogs could talk, I'd like to ask them, 'Do you like to play with human beings?'

Sun and Leslie

Journal #5: Music

How do I live without you
I want to know.
How do I breathe without you
If you ever go.
How do I ever, ever survive
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live...

The title of the song is 'How do I live.' Do you feel something? Yes, it's one of the wonderful songs. The singer is Leann Rimes, an American country pop singer. This song was released in 1997. It set the record for staying on the Billborad Hot 100 chart for sixty nine weeks. Have you ever listened to this song? If you say no, please listen. When I listened to the song for the first time, I almost cried. (I'm sensitive (: )
I had a boyfriend at that time, so I said 'Oh, this is my song.' If you love someone more than any others, you won't be able to live without him of her. Can you imagine that somebody you really love is away from you? It will be the hardest thing to stand. The lyrics is impressive. It's about love. Everyone can feel the same way.
When I was learning jazz piano, my teacher gave me this song. I played the song with listening and then I used to be lost in music. The melody, lyrics, and her voice were perfect for me. This song is also good for a propasal of marriage. If you try, He or she will be moved by this perfect song. You can use it now! Hello, my future husband. It totally works for me. Remember! :)

Sammy and Jupiter

Journal #4 Weather

I like winter the most because winter is the season Laura was born in:) The winter that I was born in might be severely cold. I think that's why I'm more like a winter person.
I like winter sports such as skiing, skating, and sledding. When winter comes, my friends and I go skiing. I have some story about it. I might have been dead a few years ago. I went to a ski resort with my friends. I saw someone glide down the slope and I thought I could do it even though it was my first time to ski. I was too proud. I went up to the highest place with my professional friend after I practiced several times at low. Oh, my God! I almost died. It took hours to go down. My whole body was bruised like a peach. I realized that skiing is a dangerous sport. I went through with it finally, but I don't want to think about that day again. In Korea, there are many places to ski and skate as well, so anyone can enjoy winter sports enough. The problem is that I'm not still good at skiing.
I also like winter foods. Not that I say some special foods that I can eat only in winter. For example, I can drink hot chocolate at any time, but when I drink it in winter, it tastes much better. Suppose that it's so chilly outside and I'm drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows inside of my lovely house. Is it awesome, isn't it? I can't wait to do it. I hope that this winter will come early.
In winter, there is a super big holiday, Chrismas. When it comes to Chrismas, I'm always happy. Actually, Chrismas is the day Jesus Christ was born in. Most people just enjoy the big holiday, but Christians take it a little bit different. We celebrate Jesus' birthday. It's the happiest day ever to Christians.(to me :) People usually have parties and exchange Christmas presents. Also, there is a big sale in the Chrismas season. I'm looking forward to being in America on this Chrismas day.
I like winter. I want to wear winter clothes. Winter in California is not that cold, but I will put on heavy clothes and enjoy winter. No snow in California(the area where I live), but I hope that it will snow in this winter by a miracle. A miracle rarely happens. We will see... :)

Jamie and Muath

Journal #3 Fears

I'm scared of insects!!! God created insects, but I want to ask him WHY? In California, many houses are made out of wood, so many spiders live with us inside house. Whenever I see spiders or other insects, I get goose bumps, start sweating, and then run away. I think I can't get over the fear forever. I'm sorry for every insect that is innocent, but I hate you guys. Please don't appear before me...


Saud and Muath

Journal #2 Getting Around

In Korea, most students take the bus and subway to get to school. After I came here, one thing that surprised me was the transportation. I used to say that 'No car, no life.' before I bought a car. Finally, I bought a car and now feel free to go anywhere. I used to ask someone to take me to somewhere, or I took a bus. There are some buses here, but it's not usual. Almost all students have their own cars and go to school with them. When I drive to school on Monday to Friday, there are thousands of cars in the parking lot. If I arrive late, I can't park in the school parking lot. One day, I parked my car in the parking lot of s0me shopping center. The sign says that 'Customer parking Only,' so I took off my CSUF parking permit and pretended to be a customer. It's the car war!! In my country, the transportation system is well organized, so many people, who even have their own cars, use the public transportation. It's more convenient, but I don't say my country is better. I was given the opportunity to have a car because I'm living in California. My driving is crazy, but I'm getting better :) Safe driving is the best!

Sammy and Leslie

Journal #1 Who's Laura?

Hi, everyone! Here's Laura.
My name is Yeowool Kim, and I came from Korea. I've been here for 8months... Can you imagine this? I feel like I got here just now. It's been such a long time since I came here, isn't' it? Anyway, I was majoring in English Linguistics in Korea. Sometimes it makes me ashamed because I'm not still good at English. But, don't judge me! In fact, not everyone who's studying English is good at it. I'm still trying to study hard, but maybe it will take forever to be like native speakers.
I'm having a great time in ALP. I met many friends. Some are so funny that I'm happy to be with them. That's YOU reading my journal now!!! :) I thought it would be hard to make friends with foreigners, but it turned out not to be. I love them! Sometimes I miss my family and friends. I wondered if I would live without my family, but now I'm doing well. I have a dream and something to achieve for my future, so I will keep doing well! Mom and Dad! Don't worry. I'm fine, and everything's okay :)
I'm glad to see you all my classmates and Sean! I hope to have a great time together in the exciting and fun composition class!!!

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