Luke

media type="custom" key="4650041"

toc

=Pronunciation Poem= media type="custom" key="5793429"

=Mr. Murder - A Book Review= Dean Koontz is famous for his suspenseful thriller fiction that will keep the suspense until readers finished reading the entire book and //Mr. Murder// is another suspenseful thriller that has Koontz’s distinctive writing style. //Mr. Murder// has a unique and unpredictable story line, a unique story telling technique and ambiguous characters that makes readers think.

//Mr. Murder// has a very unpredictable story line that will bring excitement and the unexpected to readers all the time. The story begin with Martin Stillwater, a famous writer, having periodic mind blackout and a feeling someone harmful will come and take his family away. Later another character named Mr. Killer appeared in the story and he is a professional assassin that has supernatural powers. The main story is about Mr. Killer trying to find Martin Stillwater and take away Martin’s life. From the quote, “...I NEED...I NEED...I NEED…”, it can be interpreted that Mr. Killer is a desperate mood trying to get his life back from Martin. However, the story become very unpredictable when Martin and Mr. Killer both act the same way so there is no way to tell who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist. In addition, towards the end of the book a major action part took place and the detailed description really made readers feel they were in that particular scene. The unique and unpredictable story line completely engages the readers into the story and will not make them stop until they finished the book.

Just like the other Dean Koontz books, //Mr. Murder// is a book that is written in multiple perspectives. For example, the story of a chase might be first told in the person that is being chase, then the story will be told from the person that is chasing. By using that technique, the readers will have a complete understanding of the event. Therefore the reader will understand everything and the event will not be told from a biased view. In addition when the story is form multiple perspectives, it feels like watching movies when the camera moves from one shot to another scene. The interesting story telling technique gives readers full understanding of the story and all the detail of the event, so they will not have a biased and limited view of an event.

To keep the suspense through the entire book, some of the characters are just briefly explained at the beginning. For example Mr. Killer was very briefly explained at the beginning of the book and makes readers think what kind of character is he. However as the story progresses more information is revealed about character. By introducing characters this way, it makes the reader feel more natural about the characters. For the reason that people know another person gradually instead of all at once. Therefore some of the personalities of the characters are gradually revealed to readers. The gradual introduction of characters makes the readers feel natural, at the same time makes the readers want to read the entire book to find out the characters.

//Mr. Murder// is another successful suspense thriller created by Dean Koontz because it keeps the suspense through the entire book by using multiple techniques like the unpredictable story line, film like story telling technique and the ambiguous characters. As a result this book is suspenseful and thrilling and this book should be read by any Dean Koontz fans or just beginning to like his suspenseful novels.

=The Darkest Evening of the Year - A Book Review= A book needs a plot, but a good book has an original and intriguing plot. A book needs to give description of the characters and places, but a good book has a detailed description of the characters and places. A book is written from one person’s point of view, but a good book is told from multiple point of view. __The Darkest Evening of the Year__ by Dean Koontz combines all the characteristics of a good book, in addition its chapters are cleverly divided to keep the readers turning pages. “The Darkest Evening of the Year” is a good fiction book with an intriguing plot, detailed description of the characters and places, and is told from multiple person point of view.

Every book has a plot, however this book has a very original and intriguing plot that keep the readers turning pages. The story begin with Amy and Brian going on an emergency rescue mission to save a golden retriever - Nickie, from a violent owner. However, the dog they saved is so special that it caused many unexplainable event like hearing weird sounds in the kitchen, Nickie keep bringing slipper to Amy and seeing things in the drawing of Nickie’s eyes. Koontz used those events to create suspense and allow the readers to guess what will happen next in the story and keep the readers turning pages. Also Koontz uses many chapters to build up the suspense and towards the climax, which makes the readers want to know the ending of the story during those chapters. In addition, Koontz cleverly divided each chapter so the readers will not find out the answers to the questions they have for the previous chapter immediately in the next chapter. Therefore, the readers will be so intrigued that they will keep reading the book until they find out the answer for their questions. The suspense in the story adds to the plot which makes it very intriguing and unique, which ultimately interest the readers and grab their attention.

For the readers to full emerge in to the book the author must use very detailed description for characters and places in the book, and Koontz had used detailed description on many characters and places. The detailed description about places really makes me feel I am in that place. For example, when Koontz is describing the golden gate bridge, he used “he stiffening trusses, the girders, the suspender cables, the main cables, and the towers began to disappear into the fog” to show the fog is covering the whole bridge. From that description it makes the readers feel they are really in that situation and allows to them to fully emerge into the story. The detailed description of places and characters in the story allows readers to fully understand the story and makes readers feel they are in that situation, which will make them keep reading the book.

Most books are only focused on one of the characters, but this book focused on three different characters but later they all link from series of events. The book begin with the story about Amy and Brian, however the next chapter the story switch to Harrow and Moongirl and the following chapter is about a personal detective. Although those three characters seems totally independent, they are all connected at the end. In addition, the multiple view of the story gives the readers multiple view on the same event, which will give readers a full understanding of the event. The unique way to present the story intrigues the readers and makes the book seem very interesting.

Intriguing and original plot, detailed description about the characters and places, and the unique way the author tells the story, makes “The Darkest Evening of the Year” stands out among the other novels. In addition, the suspenseful story and the rich meaning behind it makes the readers think and keep turning the pages until they finish reading the book.

= =

**Haiti Speech Reflection**
For the Help for Haiti Speech, I had chose many persuasive techniques to be integrated in to my speech to make the whole speech sounds more powerful and persuasive. For example, I used hard evidence, triples, pronouns and emotive language in my speech. The use of hard evidence really make the whole speech sound more detailed and reliable, since most people believe in statistics and numbers. Therefore, I think I used facts correctly and made the speech sounds more reliable, so people are going to donate. In addition, I used triples which will make the audience remember the things I said and emphasize the point. That means, the audience will remember the things and catches their attention. Besides emphasizing important points, I also used pronouns and emotive language to make the audience feel like that I am talking directly to them. Furthermore, it makes them feeling guilty and have sympathy for the people Haiti. Although I used many persuasive techniques, I still need to use some more like slogans and alliteration, which are some really good sound devices that will quickly catches people’s attention. I also need to work on have a little less hard evidence in my speech, since I think I had too much and it can make the speech sounds boring and not interesting for the audience to listen. Overall, I did good on using many persuasive techniques for my speech, but I could still work on use a little more and controlling the use of some techniques.

I personally think I did well in presenting my Haiti speech, but there were still some problems that I need to fix. For example, know what I am going to say, vary my speed and have a dramatic voice. I did well in having appropriate hand gestures which catches the audiences’ attention and some voice change to emphasize the point. However during the speech, I still made some mistakes, like I repeated “to make sure the most suitable help is provided to everyone”, since I was too nervous and my brain went blank. In addition, I speed up after I made some mistakes, which will make the audience not fully understand what I said. Also I could use more breaks to emphasize my point, since I had really little breaks between my some of my ideas. In the end, I did well in using my voice and gestures to emphasize my points, but if I can be less nervous, I would be able to done better.

=Restaurant Review Podcast=

Coconut Paradise
media type="custom" key="4887415" =Quarter 2 Goals=

Goal

 * To understand complex reading materials in English and History classes.

Strategies

 * Read 1-2 books outside of the class during free time.
 * Try to explain the summary of the book, and give my own opinion on the book to another person.

Reflection

 * I had done okay on this goal, since I can often understand complex reading materials but not always.

Goal

 * To use consistent tense in all of my writing assignments.

Strategies

 * Do grammar exercises online or during ESOL.
 * Peer edit my writing piece with someone else and mark mistakes I made on using constant tense
 * Self-check my own work for any mistakes on using consistent tense

Reflection

 * I had done a much better job on maintaining my verb tense through out my writing in second quarter than in first quarter. Although I make some mistakes in my writing, I can usually correct them in proofreading.

Goal

 * To speak with more confidence when doing oral presentation, and have gestures.

Strategies

 * Practice speeches during ESOL and at home
 * Be prepared every time I give a speech
 * Use gestures when appropriate

Reflection

 * I have not done many oral presentation in the second quarter, but I do find my speaking is more fluent and when doing class discussion I can be more confident.

Goal

 * To understand fast paced dialogues and speeches and be able to record them as notes.

Strategies

 * Do note taking practices during classes
 * Listen to fast paces song or conversation and try to summarize the meaning of it.

Reflection

 * I can take complete and useful note in many classes with no problem, so I think I did okay on this goal.

Go Back To Top

=China Alive= = =

Grew Up
China Alive trips often make cause people to change and grew, so did this trip to Guizhou. On the trip to Guizhou I became much more adaptable and brave then before. When we were camping at a Miao village there was no proper bathroom inside the village, and the closest bathroom is 5 minutes walk away in the Chef's house. Therefore at night when people really need to go to the bathroom they have to go find a bush and urinate there. Although I felt very uncomfortable at first, but when there was no other alternative choice it felt okay. In addition to became more adaptable I also became more brave. On the third day we got a chance to raft in a river, and during the rafting I had to often get off the boat and push to make it move. Before I was really afraid that I am going to slip. Therefore, I really didn't want to get off the boat, but at some situation I had to get off to make the boat move, then I started to get use to get it and was not afraid of slipping and injuries anymore.

Go Back To Top

Pictures and More
On the first day of the China Alive trip, we went a monastery where monkeys are living everywhere on the mountain. This picture was taken when we saw the first monkey of the entire tour, everybody in the group were excited about the numerous monkeys. However, towards the end of our tour, everybody were afraid of the monkeys on the mountain, since they can get very angry and have a bizarre face. In addition, because there were too many monkeys on the mountain, it started become not so fun at the end.

Go Back To Top

After almost five hours of hiking on the second day, we were so lucky to be greeted by the local Miao people with a great welcome ceremony. The welcome ceremony started with lighting the firecrackers, then drinking the traditional rice wine. The Miao people changed the wine to coke instead, since we cannot drink alcohol. The welcome ceremony was very different to how we usually greet people, but that had been part became part of Miao people's tradition.

Go Back To Top

This is a picture of all the people that went on this trip. When we took this photo we also invited the local Miao people to take a picture with us. Although it took us about 10 minutes to finish taking pictures with all the cameras, the local people were still very patient and smiling the whole time. Even though, most us were very tired and had lost our patience.

Go Back To Top

During our local school visit, we were very lucky to receive a local Miao instrument. We also had a lesson with the local teacher on how to play this instrument. This flute was very easy to play, but it is really hard to play a piece of music with this, because you have to move your fingers really fast in an awkward position. All the Miao students in the school knew how to play this, so it is also a tradition for them to play this at holidays or ceremonies.

Go Back To Top

The biggest highlight of this trip was the camping part, and it was also my first time camping in the wild. We need to be very adaptable when we were camping, since not every thing is going to go like the plan. Also living in a tent was not as comfortable as staying in a hotel room, however it was an unbelievable experience to live in a tent for two days.

Go Back To Top

On the last day we were in the local Miao village we got a chance to experience the local life of the people who live in the village. The most unique experience was probably the fishing in the rice field. When we heard fishing at first we thought we were going to a lake or river and catch some fish. No one expected that we are fishing in a rice field. Although we got all muddy because of the fishing, it was still a unforgettable memory of this trip.

Go Back To Top

Empowered
On the first day of this China Alive trip, we went to a wild monkey park, where monkeys are everywhere. They can be playing tag between branches, or fighting fora bag of nuts. It was a truly remarkable experience, since it was my fist time to be so close with monkeys. When we talk about monkeys, we always think they are cute and adorable. However, after the wild monkey experience I realized the other side of monkeys.

When we finished visiting the HongFu monastery, we took a different route to climb down the mountains. Although we had been told that monkeys might be hidden in the woods because of the rain. However, when we were halfway thought our descend monkeys started to appear. First it is just one or two at a time, but as we kept walking groups of monkeys started to appear. Those monkeys just stand in the middle of the road not afraid of human, instead they chase human, or steal things from people. Many people’s water bottles were stolen by those evil monkeys. Our tour guide warned use earlier not to be too close to the monkeys and stay calm if it is on you. However, people were just too excited about the monkeys, and they forgot about the guide’s precaution. Since someone didn’t listen, and an extreme cases happened. An medium sized monkey climbed on a person’s back and stayed on his back for about a minutes. When the guide saw that he quickly yell at that person with the monkey to stand still. Luckily the monkey climbed down on its own, and there was no injuries. If the guide was not there and the person with the monkeys overreacted to the situation. The monkey would probably bite that person and cause more serious injuries. After that hilarious about horrifying experience, I had learned more about monkeys, and any suggestions from an experience person should be taken in to consideration at all time.

Adaptable
After five long hours on the bus, we finally made it to the starting point of our fours hours hike. Everybody were excited about the hike after five hours on the bus. However, nobody was excited after three hours through the hike.

I was really excited at first since I had been sitting for five hours, also I got all the energy to hike for four hours. The first hours went smoothly, most of the trail was flat and very had very little steps. However, everything went terribly wrong after two and half hours of hiking. Most of our energies were used, but more steps were coming. My blood ran cold when I heard the guide said we are only half way through our hike. Although I still had some energy left, after hearing the news I just completely lost all my energy and spirit. It was okay when walking on flat land. However, when I reached an incline I need to use my whole body to push myself up the hill. When we are finished with one hill, another one comes. After three and half hours of hard walking. We finally reached a village. I was so happy at that movement, but unfortunately that is not the place we are setting our camps. There is one more hill after this village. I was extremely exhausted at the end of the hike, and I had really reached my personal limit. I was so glad that we finally reached out camping site, but I had no energy to cheer.

We had done many challenging activities during this adventurous trip to Guizhou. Many of them had been the first time for me. However, in all the activities we had done, the one that meant the most to me was the camping at a local Miao village.

It was my first time camping in a wild area, and it was a really exciting experience. Although camping outside on the rice field was not the most luxury experience comparing to stay in a five start hotel. However, we got to be away from all the urban noise and modern technologies, and had a really close contact with the nature. We can get up really early in the morning and watch the sun rise through the thick clouds form the East. I believe it is really important to be with the nature when we are always in a urban area, where everything is very convince and high-tech. China Alive is about experiencing the culture of the local Chinese people. The people that lived in the Miao village needs to walk for an hour just to got to school, but we got buses that take us to school. The camping at the local village really gave me a remarkable experience that is hard for me to forget. It is definitely the highlight of this trip, since after all experiencing the local minority culture is the core of this China Alive trip.

Go Back To Top

= = =Descriptive Writing=

The Sleeping Beauty - Lake Geneva (Finally the Final Draft)
73 kilometers long, 14 kilometers wide, and 310 meters deep. Lake Geneva is the largest body of fresh water in Europe. Although the lake that had once been badly contaminated by pollution and had zero visibility under water, is now a famous travel destination in Switzerland and France. The clear blue water of Geneva Lake amazes anyone who visits. When I visited the lake in fourth grade, I was completely stunned by the breathtaking scenery, and it left me with an unforgettable memory.

Lake Geneva is more than a lake; it is like a human that changes overtime. Early in the morning, when the sky is still unlit, Lake Geneva started to presenting its enchanting scenery to everybody. When I walk by the shore of Lake Geneva early in the morning, the only sound is the gentle wave massaging the rocks that rest upon on the shore. The lake’s clear blue water looks like a pool of melted sapphire. The light and moist breeze passes by me and leaves some red marks on my cheek. As I walk on the rocks, I can only hear my footsteps, and the streets are still desolate. Soon, a streak of brightness passes through the cloud and I can see a vague, fiery; orange ball rising from the East. The lake starts to burn intense red, reflecting the early morning sun like a mirror. In a little while the sky is completely lit and the once desolate streets starts to become crowded. Although the sunrise breaks the silence, Lake Geneva is still sitting there, quietly, waiting for people to discover its majestic beauty.

When the sun is high above in the sky, the lake changes from calm and beautiful to loud and energetic. The color of the lake changes from sapphire to teal, with the seaweed under the surface. The scenery of the lake is completely different during the day; people and boats start to appear on the lake. Lake Geneva changes itself to a grand water park during the hot sunny day. Many people enjoy the cool, clear water by swimming in the lake, or resting on the shore while listening to the soothing melody of the wave hitting against the rocks. Many boats and ships are also within sight during the day, like little diamonds on the lake. When the sun starts to dim, and the laughter of the people starts to fade, the fun and energetic Lake Geneva is gone. However, it is only the beginning of the next charming scene.

The bright sun starts to soften and it becomes a darker red as the lake reflects the gorgeous maroon setting sun on the water. As the subdued sunlight hits the water, the water instantly turns bright red, as if it is on fire. At the same time, the water magnifies the brightness and creates bright diamond; highlights on the river. The water is as calm as a sheet of glass, as if the waves have given up. As the people sleep, the lake sleeps as well, covered in a blanket of darkness, waiting for the first streak of sunlight to bring the lake back to life.

Go Back To Top

Lake Geneva (Fourth Draft)
**73 kilometers long, 14 kilometers wide, and 310 meters deep.** **Lake Geneva is the largest body of fresh water in Europe.** The lake that had once been badly contaminated by pollution and has nearly zero visibility under water, but now is a famous travel destination of Switzerland and France. **The clear blue water of Geneva Lake amazes everyone who visit there.** When I visited the lake in fourth grade, I was completely stunned by the breathtaking scenery, and had an unforgettable memory.

**L****ake Geneva is more than a lake, it is like a human that changes overtime.** Early in the morning, when the sky is still not lit by the sun, Lake Geneva is already presenting its enchanting scenery to everybody. When I am walking by the shore of Lake Geneva in early morning. The only sound is made by the gentle wave massaging the rocks that are resting on the shore. The water is dark blue like a sapphire, it looks like it is melted and poured into the lake. **Light and moist breeze were passing by me and leaving some red marks on my cheek.** **As I am walking on the rocks that are superimposed over each other, I can only hear my footstep, and the streets are still empty****.** Soon, a streak of brightness passed through the cloud and I can see a bright orange ball rising from the East. The lake started to turn bright red, it is reflecting the early morning sun like a mirror. In a little while the sky is completely lit and streets started to get busy. Although the sunrise broke the silence, Lake Geneva is still sitting there quietly, waiting for people to discover its beauty.

When the sun is high above in the sky, the lake **transformed** from calm and beautiful to loud and energetic. **The color of the lake changed from its dark blue color to teal color water, because of the seaweed underwater.** The scenery of the lake is completely changed during the day, people and boats started to appear on the lake. **Lake Geneva changes itself to a huge water park during the hot sunny day.** Many people are enjoying the cool, clear water by swimming in the lake, or resting on the shore and listening to the wave hit the rocks. Many boats and ships that are ** transferring ** tourist also in appeared during the day, they look like little diamonds that are embedded on the lake. When the sun starts to dim, and the laughter of the people started to fade, the fun and energetic Lake Geneva is gone. However, it is only the beginning of a next charming scene.

The bright sun starts to dim and it become darker red and the lake starts to reflect the gorgeous dark red sunlight on the water. **When the dim sunlight hits the water, the water instantly turn to bright red, as if it is on fire.** At the same time the water magnifies the brightness and creates bright highlights on the river like a diamond. Seagulls are circling in the dark red sky like they are **supervising** the lake. The water is still as a sheet of glass, and the wave has slightly weaken. The sunset passes quickly, and soon the whole lake is covered in darkness. As the people sleep, the lake sleeps as well, waiting for the first streak of sunlight to bring the lake to life.


 * Identifying Sentences Key**

**Simple Sentences** **Compound Sentences** **Complex Sentences**


 * Red Hot Root Vocabularies Key

Vocabularies **

Go Back To Top