Billy Lau the AMAZING Writer

Opening Statement: Are online social networks (Facebook, etc.) overall more harmful or more beneficial to society?

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

I totally disagree with what I am about to say about Facebook, but the other side(Facebook is beneficial to society) has little to no reasons at all to defend.

   Facebook is the number one social networking site in the world with over 500 million users. About 250 million users log on everyday. Facebook users spend about 700 billion minutes per month. Facebook is consider number two on top sites by traffic and was the most searched term in 2010. Facebook login and Facebook.com were placed 2nd and 5th. 70% of Americans in the U.S. are on Facebook and 70% of Facebook users are outside the US. On New Years Eve, over 750 million photos were uploaded. Facebook is still growing in size, and the average Facebook user is on at least a hour everyday.
   Too many people are making a Facebook account or signing on everyday. The time spent on Facebook could be used for time to go out and hang with your friends, study for that midterm, or even to help out to do chores. Facebook is a big waste of time, PERIOD. It is a drug that makes you go stalk your friends or other people you don't know, and just like any other drug it is nearly impossible to quit.
   Also Facebook can be used as a tool for stalking people. Stalkers aim at your birthplace, your vacation plans, home address, confessions, password clues, or risky behavior. Many people make the mistake of putting these things up and eventually they will get stalked. Stalkers also look through all your photos and they can duplicate them and maybe add a mustache to your picture. Then they will repost it, and all hell breaks loose. The only way to prevent Facebook Stalkers to not stalk you is by not making a Facebook account. Delete your old Facebook account or not make one at all.
   Ultimately Facebook is a time consuming, very addicting drug that leads to people stalking you. The only reason people use Facebook is to cover up the fact that they have barely any friends, so they add everyone to show off that they do. Facebook is only a site, but it has more members than the U.S. In Conclusion, Facebook is harmful to the society, because it is a waste of time, people can steal your information, and people can get stalked.

Here are some things that people do on Facebook:

Sources:
http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/6128/The-Ultimate-List-100-Facebook-Statistics-Infographics.aspx
http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/2011/01/soon-your-life-will-be-nothing-but-facebook.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook_stalking

Does It Matter Where You Go to College?

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

Entering your high school senior year,I think is one of your most hard and tough years of your life. You must decide where to go to college. There are a ton of colleges to choose from, ranging from Harvard to Nevada State or UCLA to Cal State East Bay. So, does it matter where you go to? In What You Do vs. Where You Go ,Martha O'Connell states

The key to success in college and beyond has more to do with what students do with their time during college than where they choose to attend.

I think this was one of the most persuasive essay because she talks about the life in college vs the college you go to. I was actually surprised, because I did not look at it at this angle. It really does matter what you do in college. If one person has a Doctor of Philosophy from Cal State East Bay because they worked their ass off compared to someone who got a Bachelors degree from Harvard because he/she partied all day; companies are probably most likely to select the person with the PhD. If not, the one with the PhD will for sure make more money.

The least persuasive of the essays was Skip the Admission Game by Kevin Carey. Mr. Carey mentions that

The only way we know how to rate college quality in this country is by wealth, fame, and exclusivity.

I do not find that quite true, because colleges should be rated by how well they educate students. Statistics like how many students graduate from that college or how many students find a well-paying job after graduating from that college will determine the quality of that college. I do not completely disagree with Carey's statement, it's just that "college quality in this country is by wealth, fame, and exclusivity" is a worldly view of colleges. He also states

with several hundred thousand dollars to spend, you should seriously consider going to an elite college or university. They're nice places to hang out for four years and you'll probably learn a few things.

Here he seems to be saying that scholarship rich people should go to an elite college and they will be fine. I disagree with this because I am sure poor people also can work their way up with a scholarship and go to an elite college. He also saids that elite colleges are "nice places to hang out", which sounds weird, because it does not seem so persuading for one to consider an elite college.

Overall, I find that choosing colleges should be based on the major you want to major in and what you actually do there. I hope that in the future I would choose the right college for me whether it be an elite or non-elite college.

Global Warming

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

Global warming is a very major problem to our planet. A lot of people disagree on how global warming started. Many disagreements on global warming were based on two sides: human caused or nature. Scientists think that the Earth is getting warmer because of green-house gas. People need to change their ways and stop polluting the air and to save more electricity. Twenty percent of scientists say that global warming is just another natural occurrence. In the past, there were some Ice ages and other times the Earth has gotten hot ,so people think it is normal. However, many scientist opposed this because they say that the Earth has gotten hotter than ever and the Co2 in the atmosphere has increased dramatically. Scientist have found ways to solve this problem and one of them is to use fuel efficient cars. Most pollution in the air are caused by trucks and cars because we use them everyday. The burning of fossil fuels or coals in big companies and industries also affect the Earth. It is hard to stop these companies because they are making Big Bucks. The Earth is dying because we don’t solve our own problems of letting gases in the air. As a nation together we can stop global warming by a huge percentage and save the next generations of our kids.
So is global warming caused by humans or is it natural? I think that global warming is caused by humans. In the past there have been cold and warm weather periods and some scientists believe that it’s natural, but most scientists say that humans are the main cause. In recent graphs and scales CO2 levels seem to be rising up off the charts and the temperature seems to follow along meaning the more Co2 in the air the higher the temperature. We Americans live in a place were industries and companies are big in money and in pollution. For years, scientist have been arguing about this but no one can find the correct answer. I say we don’t take any chances that whether it is natural or not and we should stop polluting the air and drive more eco-friendly cars to save this planet.

KUNG FU

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

I found an interesting post about Kung Fu and I would like to share some knowledge of what I know about it

"Kung-Fu is Chinese martial arts. "

Yes, Kung Fu is Chinese martial arts. But what exactly is Kung Fu? Kung Fu is not just “cool” fighting like they do in the movies with Jackie Chan or Jet Li. Kung Fu to me is a way of defending yourself. I searched up what Kung Fu is and this is what I found: Kung means energy and Fu means time.

“ n. Any of various Chinese martial arts, especially those forms in which sharp blows and kicks are applied to pressure points on the body of an opponent.”

People learn Kung Fu for many various reasons. One, for self-defense if someone is trying to attack you, harm you, or maybe kill you. Kung Fu can be used as a form of fighting off an attacker. Second, sometimes people use it for hunting. Hunting was very important back then in China, because there were a lot of poor people who had to find food for themselves. Kung Fu was used to hunt animals. People used weapons and wielded their weapons using Kung Fu to hunt. Finally, Kung Fu was used for the military. Kung Fu was considered very important to train soldiers.
The history of Kung Fu dates all the way back to four thousand years ago. Under the rule of Emperor Huang Ti of China the first forms of Kung Fu started to form. This first form was known as Chiou Ti, which later evolved to Go-Ti. Go-Ti was mainly about wrestling and defending, so it was not completely Kung Fu yet. During that time, Confucius favored this form of martial arts. He said that education was important, respecting your teacher was critical, kindness was the most important key to one's life, but defending one's country was necessary. To Confucius martial arts was used to gain peace for your mind and body so you can be a better person. Soon, Confucius and Taoism mixed with Chiou Ti and Go-Ti started what is known as Kung Fu.

Final Ender's Game Book Post

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

   The ending of the book was good. Not amazing. I think it was because everyone was telling me the ending was amazing and my hopes went too high. Then when I got to the ending it was good, but not as good as everyone described it. Still, I would rate this book a 7 out of 10, because there are better books out there.
   This final Lit circle discussion we talked a lot more. After the discussion, I understood more about the Buggers, Locke, and Demosthenes. The Buggers were better in technology, but the humans had the better brains. I still wonder :Is technology better or smartness? I also learned that kids are totally free online if they wanted to. I think making a Facebook account is like putting your life online; well it's not like most people care that much so I don't see what's wrong with it. But, kids acting like adults online to dominate the world is a little bit too extreme. Wiki leaks, could be run by Julian Assange who hires kids to be secret spies, because people less suspect them to be working for wiki leaks. Online is like the American Dream. Freedom for all. I also found out that the name Locke was used because he was a influencer to the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution, and Demosthenes was an orator for political ideas in ancient Greece. I still wonder why people would not question a name like Demosthenes and Locke, because they were very uncommon names.
   I really enjoy doing discussions, because they clarify things that you missed or just don't know. This discussion was a lot better than the first two, maybe because we had more time and it wasn't rushed. My book mates and I asked a lot of level three questions and I had some connections to everyday life. During this discussion, we talked about the sequel and how that might be like. I encourage everyone to read it. I guess this is the last post of Ender's Game, and I am so sad.

CLEVERNESS

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

I was surfing through the web and I found this...

"Man Cons Woman Into Paying For eBay Auction She Won."

To summarize this up, a guy on eBay sells tickets for 600 bucks. The event for the tickets were in 24 hours. A woman sees it and wants to buy it, so she bids. After a while, the seller asks why she has not paid yet. The woman said her husband told her not to buy them anymore because it was too expensive. So the seller, is left in a horrible position and he needs to sell the tickets fast. So, he uses a different email and contacts the woman telling her that he saw that she won the tickets. He said he would like to buy them for 1000. So the woman said yes, and she bought the tickets from the seller. The seller then went back on his other email and told the woman that he does not want them anymore. The End.
I thought this was super clever. I might even do this sometime. Maybe. It was not illegal but it was unethical and really clever. This story also shows how there are two kinds of users on the web: the predator and the prey. I think that the seller will always win, because he controls a lot of things and a bid is a binding contract. Bidding on the item makes a binding contract, but telling someone that they will buy it for 1,000 is a formal contract. What I think is: If you can't buy it, don't bid on it. Why would the woman fall for the email anyways. Listening to a stranger who somehow got your email and is telling you that he would pay 1000 for tickets that are worth less, is just dumb. I think the woman deserves it. But then again, isn't that what eBay is all about. Buying overpriced items from a stranger who will get your address and probably your email. People really need to watch out on the web, and they should really use their brain because it is there for a reason.

Ender's Game Book Post 2

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

   During our group circle on Ender's Game, we talked about what happened, the important events and quotations, and clarified some questions we all had. This group discussion was a lot better than the one last time, because we had more things to say. There were more questions that led to other questions and not just questions that have one answer to them.
   We talked about Peter again. In the second part of the book, Peter seems to be very clever and even more powerful. Peter has thoughts for world domination. I really want to find out what happens at the end. He tricks or moves Valentine to join him in a plot to take over the nets first. Peter cries. Valentine was reluctant at first, but then she thought maybe Peter is really serious and loves her. Valentine said that Peter never loves, but I am guessing that right now Peter is really desperate now so he is willing to lower himself in order to gain Valentines help. I ask my group discussion members and they all said it was part of Peter's slyness.
   Then, we talked about the differences and similarities between Ender and Bean. When Ender was in the Shuttle coming to battle school, he was the smartest. Graff picked on him and said he was the best student and that everyone else is stupid. Graff did this so Ender would be hated on, and that Ender would work harder then. After, when Ender had his own army, he got Bean. Bean was also very smart and he was very competitive and loud. Bean was also one of the smartest soldier in his army. Ender picked him out and also said that Bean was the best student and everyone else was lousy and slow. Graff and Ender are both leaders and I guess as one becomes a leader, they learn to choose who is the best and slowly turn him into a leader by calling them out. Ender did not know why he did that, but I am assuming that Graff knew. In conclusion, I want to read on and learn what Ender and Peter does in the future.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

I found this interesting topic on Victor's blog and here is a quote that talks about abbreviations and how Victor likes to use them...

"Personally, I use LOL only when I am smiling. When I am actually laughing, and I want to show my laughter, I use LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL or just a simple ROFL(rolling on the floor laughing) and LMFAO(laugh my fat ass off). I find that the longer the LOL I use, the stronger the laughing Impression i would show to the receiving person. Usually, I use a short lol when I am not laughing out loud, but smiling out loud. "

   I am like Victor and everyone in the world who uses abbreviations to text or chat. I am seeing that it is becoming more and more common for people to use abbreviations. I guess the purpose of it, is because we are becoming lazy. We ,the world, are tired of spelling out or saying out how we feel ,so rather we use abbreviations. Lol is one of the most common abbreviations in the world. I would rather use lol, lmfao, and rofl and instead of laugh out loud, or laughing my fat ass off to express my happiness.
   For those who love texting, you know chating is one of the most favorite things you love to do. The world is becoming more social. So technology is trying to improve our social lives, like the phone or the computer. Well, abbreviations are the same thing, they are just trying to improve our social life. They are instant, abbreviations say what needs to be said and are faster than long words.
   Some say, abbreviations are going to kill the writing world well I say STFU. Abbreviations are only going to help the writing world, because if abbreviations did not exist then papers would be too long and wordy. I think abbreviations is a next step to better writing. Lets see, when you say "DNA", that is a major abbreviation for deoxyribonucleicantidisestablishmentarianism. So who would want to say, whatever that word is pronounced like. In conclusion, people need to use more abbreviations and stop saying deoxyribonucleicantidisestablishmentarianism. So LOL

Why do Chinese people like rice?

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

After looking through google reader and finding nothing to respond to, I came across a question. Why do Chinese people like rice? I like rice. What else is there to eat? All the fish in the world will die in a few decades and meat is going away fast too. Everyone who is starving always turns to rice. There is no better solution. So as many people asked...

"Why do chinese people like rice?"

In general, Asians eat rice a lot. Thats one reason they like it. Back then, rice was one of the first grains ever farmed in China. China had a lot of flat land for paddy fields. Rice is one of the most important food in Chinese's peoples diet.Rice is very cheap and there are lots of it so you can feed your family for a little amount of money. If you eat rice, you know that it absorbs the flavors of other food you eat it with, giving it a different taste every time. It makes meals a lot more appetizing. Rice is high in carbohydrates and can be used as a supplement for many meals.Rice also could make you full and that they do not have a lot of calories in them.Rice to us Asians are like bread to Americans. We do not grow wheat anyways. Eating rice is part of the Chinese tradition. When food was scarce back then, a bag of rice could feed your family for a long time. Rice is a good part of nutrition. It grew well in China's climates because of the flooding making the cultivating. Rice is good for storing too.It is so easy to chew and digest.
The next time someone ask you why do Chinese people like rice, you now know what to say. I highly recommend people to try rice. It is super good, easy to make, and cheap. You should try it for one whole week straight and see if you like it. By the way there is a website called http://www.freerice.com/. You take quizzes and for every answer you get correct the company will donate 10 grains of rice to the world to end hunger.

Ender's Game Book Post 1

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

Ender's Game is a science fiction novel that is a  story  about Ender Wiggin. This book's setting is in the future on Earth. Earth  has been  attacked twice by an alien called Buggers, so people start training genius kids to command an army to defend Earth. Ender gets chosen when he is six and he goes to Battle School. In Battle School, Ender is the top student and makes others kids his enemy because they are jealous. to be trained. Soon he will be able to command Earth's fleet.
I think the author's purpose in writing this book is to let adults know that kids can do anything. That they are no different from adults and some can be commanders. Kids emotions and thoughts are just as similar as adults. In every day life, children are not taken seriously and the author wanted to tell adults that they should be. In Ender;s game, Ender manipulates older kids and adults around him, and Earth is counting on Ender for it's survival. The author is trying to portray that kids can be like adults and sometimes older people can be like little kids. 

Peter, Ender's brother, is also a genius and he lacks compassion and can manipulate people's mind and scared them. Our group, discussed about why Peter did not get chosen to go up to battle school with Ender. Someone said that Peter was too violent, and that he scares the heck out of Ender and he could scared the hell out of other students too. I still wonder, what about Bonezo or Rose de Nose? They are very violent and they do scare the hell out of kids like Ender. Peter threatens to kill Ender and Valentine sometimes. On one part, he takes on politics with Valentine and he tries to become famous and king of the world. He does things for his own benefit and uses his knowledge to seek other's weaknesses and brings it to his advantage. The similarities of Peter and Ender is there struggle for leadership. Peter gets world domination, but Ender gets to lead an army to defend Earth. One day they both get power and the author uses this to tell adults kids are no different from them.

THE KITE RUNNER HAS ENDED

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is about revenge, love, forgiveness, friendship and many more. I could go on forever talking about all the categories this book fits in with. The Kite Runner is a fiction novel about a boy who lives in Afghanistan during an invasion by the Russians and about how the hard events that he encounters are solved. The thrilling historical novel talks about how Amir (the main character) has problems with himself and other people. He encounters numerous bumps in his life to be good and clean again. Throughout the book, Amir experiences the loss of family and relatives, a rape, courageous acts by Baba and the finding of a long lost nephew.

Amir is "friends" with a Hazara named Hassan. In Afghanistan, Hazaras were considered people of lower class. He is his servant but also his only friend.In one part of the book, Amir watches as Hassan gets raped, but Amir could not do anything due to their lack of friendship. They are friends, but in reality you can not become friends with your servant and have a good life with them. In this book, social rank and racism stops Amir from helping Hassan out. After the rape, Amir and Hassan slowly drift away from each other to the point where they start live half the globe away from each other. Shortly after, the Russians invade and during that time, Baba's old friend (Rahim Khan) called Amir to ask him to fulfill his life and to complete what he has left in Afghanistan. He told Amir to come back and pick his nephew up and to bring him to America with him. Rahim Khan intently tricked Amir that there was a shelter for his nephew, knowing that there is no safe orphanage, Amir has no choice but to take his nephew back with him to America. This book teaches about how you must finish something you started. The purpose was to tell how a single child could do so much harm to his friend, but at the end fix it all back up. In reality, the purpose is to talk about how Afghans have been struggling to overcome violence and how hard everyday life was after the invasion. The purpose was obviously clear in this book here:

"Khaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us... people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violences...threaten them even today."

This book has powerful and inspiring messages that are not just to tell a story, but to tell of a story of how family, friendship, and betrayal all work in one boy's life that changes him forever.

All of the characters in this book were different from each other. The two most important were Hassan and Amir. Amir is a rich boy who lives in Afghan, and Hassan is a poor servant who serves Amir and lives in Afghan. They are both secretly great friends, but they hide it. During the rape scene this is shown:

"Would he do the same for you? ... Because to him, you're nothing but an ugly pet... Don't ever fool yourself and think you're something more."

In this quote, Assef has blocked Hassan's way and asked him puzzling questions. He asked him if Amir would be this nice to Hassan if he was in need. He asked him if Hassan really thinks that Amir is his friend. When Amir hears this he feels like a bolder just hit him and that he can not escape if the question is not answered. To Amir, Hassan is really just a friend. Amir really thinks Hassan is a friend but he is not willing to stand up for it because of their class differences. They play together 24/7. How could they not be friends? To Hassan, Amir is the only friend he has got. Hassan is not afraid to admit that his friend is like a king compared to him. He is not afraid to say that Amir is his only best friend in the whole wide world. Their friendship is like a rope. Hassan on one end and Amir on the other but in the middle is a big wall that says racism and social rank. They both look at each other differently, but as time goes on Hassan still loves Amir and Amir starts to see what he has to do to make up for his friendship.

The author of the Kite Runner is Khaled Hosseini. He was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1965. In 1976, the Afghan Foreign Ministry moved his family to Paris. They were about to return to Kabul in 1980, but an invasion from the Soviet army devastated everyone. Therefore in 1980, Hosseini's family moved to San Jose, California. Immigrating was a major part of writing The Kite Runner. Hosseini graduated from high school and made it to Santa Clara University. He was influenced by his childhood before the invasion to write. He had personal experiences with Hazara people before. Khaled had a Hazara servant who he taught to read and write. He was inspired by the relationship they had, and decide to write a book.

In conclusion, The Kite Runner was the best book I ever read in my life. I would recommend it to everyone and anyone. It gave me some ideas of how life was and still is in Afghan. Afghan traditions and cultures have been shown in the novel and it supports the purpose of what Hosseinni is trying to present. He is trying to show his country as a bad and horrible place to live in. There are a lot of poverty in Afghan and I think poverty is something a nation should lack in order to create a great and prosperous nation. The book offers an important point of view of the world where tragedy is most at. The book The Kite Runner was a great story and I am so sad to end it nowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

FINAL OF THE KITE RUNNER

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

The final is finally here and I am still surprised that the ending ended happily. Amir and Soraya finally gets a son after many years and all who died: Baba, Rahim Khan, Hassan, Hassan's wife and many more resolved happily. I think it is mainly because Amir starts praying. Religion hits him hard like a rock and awakes him up. In the end, everyone is happy or will start to get happy.

Religion was a really important theme towards the end of the novel. I do not think Baba was a religious person, but Amir started to become one at the end.The only way for help when he becomes independent and after Baba dies forces him th turn to religion. Religion is the only thing that is willing to help him. It clearly shows that religion works and Sohrab is saved. He asks God for forgiveness and God helped him give up all his sins to God. I remember when Sohrab almost dies he promises God that he will pray everyday, fast, and do his rituals when it needs to be done. .

Religion was also important to Assef. He claims that God has awakened him in his life. After he got out of prison, Assef joins the Taliban and starts punishing people. He starts killing the Hazaras and anyone he does not like or someone he thinks did something wrong. I completely think this is a lie. He was bad in the beginning and now he claims to be doing God's work. He is just making up excuses to kill more people. If you believe in God, you will at least start to think twice about killing someone. I believe he did not get a spiritual awakening.

I am a Christian and I now what it feels like to be awakened. Amir has been awakened for sure, but Assef is totally the same person. In conclusion, I really enjoy this book. To be honest, this is the best book I ever read in my life. This book has made me continue to search for other similar books like this.

Parents

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

I found a quote from Karissa's blog that I can relate to

I had a very good talk about this with one of my friends who goes there and she encouraged me to keep asking. She also agreed with me on the fact that if parents don't let their kids do anything, they'll most likely end up rebelling later on. Her mom even agreed with me. I told her i would keep asking if I could come with them but I don't know what to do to change her mind. If you have any ideas let me know. ......maybe I'll ask my dad if I can go next week. He's a lot more reasonable...

My parents are exactly the same. They barely let me leave the house if I do not have parent supervision. I am 14, I do not need parent supervision. Just the other day, I saw a girl about 8 who was standing by the bus stop alone waiting for a bus to come. She was perfectly fine and her parents did not care. So why do my parents always lock me in the house. I think it is because our parents care for us.
My parents think I am stupid and that I can not ride the bus home or even sometimes walk home. I think that they worry too much about us. I wonder what they would do once I have to go to college. They probably would put one of those tracking devices on me so they know that I am safe and that I won''t get lost. My parents and other parents seriously have to take a break and let there kids do whatever they want, and if the outcome is good then the parent should let the kid continue what he/she was doing if not then do not let the kid continue.

My favorite book that we should read in Sutterland's class

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

The chocolate war is one of my favorite books. I read it in 8th grade and it is a very good book. The plot is very difficult to describe to. The story is about a boy named Jerry Renault who is a freshman at a private high school called Trinity. In the novel Jerry frequently asked himself a question that is posted inside his locker: "Do I dare disturb the universe?" At Trinity a big man secret group called the Vigils have a lot of power and they often give other students assignments that are made to poke fun at other people or sometimes hurt someone. Another character named Archie Costello is one of the leaders of the Vigils, he is the most intelligent person ever and he never fails to do anything people ask him. His reputation is at its peak and he is a very important character in the novel. One day,the principal asked everyone to sell chocolates to raise money. He makes a smart move and he asked Archie and The Vigils to "help" out. Through out the rest of the story, Archie and the Vigils do interesting things that makes people sell the chocolates, all but Jerry. The story ends with a boxing match, and in the end Jerry asked himself again "Do I dare disturb the universe?"
I think this book is the best and no other book can beat it except maybe Letters to Algernon, which is a whole diary of a mentally ill guy who can barely write and act correctly who turns into a genius. I totally think we should read the chocolate war and maybe Letters to Algernon. The Chocolate War talks about how a teenage life shouldn't be and when are the right times when you must not deny someone. In conclusion, I hope that you guys can go to the library and pick up a copy if we do not read this in class.This is an AWESOME book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Second part of Kite Runner Analysis

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

The second part of Kite Runner was very sad and many characters have died. The second part was more interesting then the first part. Amir has discovered things that happened in Afghanistan when he was in America. In America Amir gets married and Baba dies. Baba becomes more attached to Amir in America. One example is when they both go out to the flea market every Sunday and meet new people. Baba was a major part of Amir's life and most of the decisions Amir has are made by him. Amir griefs over his death and I think his God is trying to punish him for what he did to Hassan.

Amir adjusts to America very quickly mainly because he finds a wife. Amir had bad memories in Afghanistan, and it was time for him to move on and forget about the past and to start a new beginning. I think that the part where Amir goes back to the Afghan was a bad decision. He should not have to endure more pain about something that has already happened. He wanted to end that part of his life in Afghanistan and going to America is perfect. Everyone still does it. They move to America for a fresh start. In America, He goes to college, gets married, and gets a job as a writer and published four books already. America is like a dream country for most people.

There is a lot of deaths in the second part and it seems completely different from the first. Im sure the last part will be very sad and even more intense. I think that every thing is going to work out in the end. Throughout the book, Amir feels happy, sad, angry, selfish, and shameful. He experiences loss of people, gifts, deaths, rape, and marriage, but I think he has been shaped by them. Overall, this book has given me more ideas of whats happening in Afghanistan and how people there are going through emotional times compared to the USA. Some questions I really want answers to are: Why is there a war in Afghanistan and what are they fighting over? Which side is the US helping? I hope as I read on these questions will be answered

Facebook: My Drug

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

As I am doing this blog post right now, I am on Facebook. FACEBOOK. FACEBOOK. FACEBOOK. The world has changed because of Facebook. On Facebook you can have a million friends but in reality only that one person is your true friend. The truth is everyone one is addicted to Facebook. Here is a quote I found on Andy's blog.

Facebook runs a big aspect of my life. Usually, the first thing I do when I get home is turn on the computer, and go on AIM and Facebook. On a regular school day, I typically spend around two or three hours on Facebook. On the days I do not have school, which include Saturday and Sunday, I would estimate that you can find me online for at least four hours of the day.

The first sentence saids Facebook runs a big aspect of my life. How can a website run someone's life? How did this all start and how do we all avoid this? Here are some tips on how to avoid Facebook as much.

1.Go offline in chat. If you are about to log out of Facebook and your best friend chats you then you are stuck on for a longer time. If you need to talk to someone who is not online do not wait for them. Send them a message or write on their wall.

2. Stop the Facebook emails. You can switch the setting off any day. So do this today. Many people read their email daily, and they do get caught up on Facebook junk mail. They get tempted to click it and they eventually do.

3. Avoid games and stupid fake applications and quizzes. Playing games, taking fake quizzes, and doing those applications are very time consuming.

4. Time yourself on Facebook. Fifteen minutes is a good amount of time you should spend. Once time is up exit the browser right away before you let your conscience take over.

5. Ignore requests. When someone sends you a request, you may not know what it is. It is most likely a club they want you to join or a stupid game they want you to play which will make you even more addicted to Facebook. Feel free to not respond to those requests. Remember they take time.

If everything fails, delete your account.

Why choose IPADDDDDDDDDDD?

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

Why choose iPad ? Many have wondered about this and still have trouble finding why. Well, what is an iPad? An iPad is a tablet computer made by Apple. It is made for reading audio books,watching movies, browsing the web, listening to music, and most importantly playing games. An iPad is portable and a lot bigger than the Ipod touch or the Iphone, but it does mostly the same task like them. A iPad's starting price is 499 US dollars, a lot more compared to the Ipod touch, but also a lot better in many ways.The iPad has a multitouch surface, allowing you to touch the surface with two fingers and both fingers will work finely. The battery is said to last up to 10 hours of video, 140 hours of audio playback, or one month on standby. Here are two of the many features an iPad gives:

IBooks
One of the most awesome features the iPad has is their new iBooks application. iBooks lets you read electronic books on the iPad. If you are a book lover who uses an another electronic book reader, then you will like the iPad. Apple is planning to expand its books.

Videos

The iPad comes with a built in YouTube application that lets you watch anything from You Tube. There are a numerous amount of videos available for the iPad from the App store. The iPad is good for videos but you cant watch full HD videos on it. It is very similar to watching videos on the iPod Touch, but you have a much larger screen making it good for travelling or for when you are away from home and want to watch a movie.

Overall, the iPad is a great device but it isn’t made to replace your computer; it just makes doing certain tasks very easy. If you are the sort of person who uses a computer for browsing the web and email then the iPad is for you. The iPad is also a great entertainment device for watching videos, looking at photos , playing games, chatting with your friends,or surfing the web and email. If you use your computer for entertainment then the Apple iPad is the right choice for you.

Bonds:The Kite Ruunner

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

In the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Baba and Amir's relationship are very far apart. They were father and son and not master to servant. They should be closer, and they do bond later on in the book. I think it is sad how Hassan and Amir's relationship with one another is stronger than Amir to his dad. Unfortunately, over time the bong between the servant and his master gets split apart.
Hassan and Amir are very close buddies. They read stories for each other and talk about movies. Hassan's only friend is Amir and Amir means alot to Hassan. In this quote Amir and Hassan bond together

"...I read him stories he couldn't read for himself... We sat for hours under that tree."

Amir to Hasaan is like a toy. People and things can take it away from you, but you should always cherish the time you spend every second with it.
Amir's dad could never look at his son and be proud at least not before the kite tournament. His dad was so different from him. Baba was athletic but Amir likes sitting around and reading. Baba said he wouldn't have known Amir was his son if he did not see with his own eyes Amir getting pulled out of his mother's womb because they were so different.

"If I hadn't seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I'd never believe he's my son."

This is significant because as the story goes on I think there relationship together will change.

Reflective Essay

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

It seems as though I had done very little blog posts for in the past. I like having a blog because you get to express yourself online for everyone to see. Having a blog has changed the way I write, think, and think about writing because I don't have to do the more structured academic assignments I do in class. My writing has improved when I get writer's block and there are many reasons why I get stuck. I also have a hard time thinking about what to write about ,so I just choose a lame topic and write about that. Writer’s block also gets me stuck but I learned new ways in class that help eliminate this problem. In my blog I wrote a lot about Justin Bieber. I didn't get a very good grade on that. I also wrote about games and I compared the Xbox 360 to the Play Station 3. On response topics, I found interesting things that I would like to have a say in. I like to express my feelings and how I feel about other people’s blogs. My blog posts are half responses to other people and half of them I wrote myself. I tried to use my list of vocabulary words in my writing but I could never really get them in. I enjoyed having a blog and discovering other student’s ideas and how they think.

I blog two times a week. It was a requirement from my writing teacher to do this, but I enjoy blogging on my computer rather than writing with my bare hands. I enjoy completing my homework assignments online because you do not have to go to school to turn it in. It has eased my homework because I don't have to turn in homework until Friday. Blogging has changed the way I write because I do not have to follow a single prompt. I can write however I want. In eight grade I didn't write as much but this year I been writing every week. Writing more has helped me to get pass writer's block and it gave me more time to develop ideas throughout the week. I think differently when I write now because before, writing quick writes always gave me writer's block but now I am getting less and less of it. I can think about the topic deeper when I write more. It has made me think differently about writing because posting blogs do not seem like a requirement anymore. I feel like I have to do it to let the world know how I feel and a way for me to express my ideas and opinions to other writers. I can write about legalizing graffiti to the life of Justin Bieber. Here’s a link to a Justin Bieber post about why people should not hate on him. In this post, I have came up with many reasons why no one should hate on him. Many people have responded to it, and I liked reading their post of how they felt. In this I learned that there are many perspectives of views different people have. Finally, weekly blogging has changed my opinion in writing for fun and writing because you have to.

Writer’s block really pissed me off the first time I hit into it. The first time I get it and the only time I get it is when I am doing quick writes. I have to think while I write because I can’t think first then write non-stop. Writer’s block prevented me from writing well because my head fills with thoughts not about the topic. I have learned that it is easier to write when the lights are closed and you are alone, because then there are no distractions and your mind is on the topic. Brainstorming helps organized and also beef up my ideas that I will write about. Writer’s block has taught me to brainstorm many ideas and to jot them down so if I get stuck I will have more ideas to talk about. I tend to get stuck because I do not know what details I can add in. I explain a lot at first but afterward I have nothing else to put in. Getting writer’s block occurs almost every time I write, and I have no solution. One solution I thought about was rereading the prompt and make up questions using it. Afterward I can answer those questions and add it to my writing. I think writer’s block is a road people stumble into because they have answered the prompt too concise and that it lacks imagery, details or description. Another way to overcome writer’s block is to plan out my ideas in the beginning and try to add more details just in case if I get stuck. I have an example of encountering writer’s block and not getting into the minimum word count here. This post could have gotten more details inserted in to meet the required amount of words. I reread this and compared it to other people’s essay. I noticed that it isn’t as long as theirs. Writer’s block to me is just a time when the writer just blanks out and can not think of anything else to add.

For the next quarter I hope to improve my writing and also to extend the length of my blog. I want to put more time into my blog posts but most of the time I procrastinate to the last day and my posts turns out horribly and short. I also need to include words from my vocabulary list, because I know it will help me in the future. In class I learned about redundancy and I want to exclude that from my writing. My writing posts are getting C’s, and I now know to step up my game. I can do all this by brainstorming first and start planning out my posts all throughout the week and to not procrastinate and to just start right away. For the next quarter blog posts with these new goals, I expect my writing to improve.

Of Mice and Men

Author: Billy Lau // Category:

“Of Mice and Men”, is a novella by John Steinbeck it is about two men, George and Lennie who are workers searching for a new life. They moved from one farm to another, looking for work to get money and buy their own farm. They moved to a new farm and find problems with Curley, a former boxer, and his wife. Lennie was born with a mental illness, which prevents George and himself from staying on one farm without causing problems. There are a lot of conflicts that occur in this book, but the central problem is self vs. self with Lennie. Lennie is a gentle giant who never knows what he is doing. He forgets everything George says, and messes everything up.

George and Lennie are traveling to a new job at a ranch, and many problems arise with Lennie always getting in trouble. George and Lennie got kicked out of a ranch in the past and moves on to a new ranch. Lennie is always causing difficulty for George, so now George won’t let him speak, because then the other workers will think he is crazy. “He can talk if he wants to tell you anything.” P 25 In this quote, George is talking back to Curley that Lennie can talk if he wanted to. Lennie can’t control himself and every time he is directed a question, he turns to George for assistance. This turns out to work, but Curley is now on the look out for Lennie

Afterward, Curley does mess with Lennie and they get into a fight. Curley gets hurt badly and now everyone goes into town to find help. Lennie stays back with Crooks, the Negro, and they talk about life. Crooks brought up a point that Lennie gets frightened about. Crooks said what if George never comes back, what will you do. “George gonna come back,” Lennie reassured himself in a frightened voice. Maybe George come back already. . Maybe I better go see.” p73 Lennie is so dependent on George that he gets aggressive at one point on Crooks, because he thought Crooks was restricting George from coming back. Crooks backs down, and Lennie goes and checks if George is here.

Finally, Lennie commits his ultimate crime. Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife. He remembers where George told him to hide if anything goes wrong. He goes to the spot and waits for George. While waiting for George he starts hallucinating. He thinks about everyone yelling at him. His aunt comes in his head and starts criticizing him. “I know,” said Lennie miserably. I tried, Aunt Clara, ma’am. I tried and tried.” p 101 This quote told me that he did so many bad things that he tried not to do. He must have failed miserably on all of his attempts. After, George comes and shoots him with a gun Lennie stole. George shot him to end all his problems and to not let Lennie get hurt by Curley.

The central conflict of Mice and Men is Character vs. Self, because Lennie was born with mental problems, therefore his life will become harder and harder for him with George and everyone around him. Problems occur around Lennie is because he doesn’t know his own strength and because he gets so scared he doesn’t know what to do. Lennie needs to be supervised by George, but that leads to George having to carry Lennie’s problems along. George makes sacrifices for Lennie, because he cares and he knows that Lennie needs help internally. George is a good partner to be with because he shows hope for Lennie and tells him that they together are different than any other migrant worker. But because Lennie causes a bunch of chaos he dies thinking of him and George on the farm tending rabbits and having the best time of their lives.