Excellent Writing

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
-Timo Cruz.
"Coach Carter" 2005


This is one of my favorite pieces of writing, and definitely a piece I'd consider excellent. It explains the complexity of life, and it explains life by looking beyond the surface. This paragraph may be short, but it has such a vast and important meaning behind it. In life, we often overlook the things that mean most to us and the things that make us who we are. This piece allows people to think about their lives and put it into perspective. I know that whenever I'm not feeling so confident, I read pieces like this, and they lift me up and give me inspiration and a new perspective on things. I think most the pieces that are like this are excellent, but this happens to be my favorite.
I think this piece is very well structured and gets the point across very well, unlike a lot of other pieces that go off topic and say irrelevant things. This piece flows well and gets from one point to the other very smoothly.

Photograph Excersize

This is my brother, Jesse, bodysurfing. This is one of my favorite pictures because it's such a unique and special shot. The main focus of the picture is him, and he is on the far left, some of him is even cut off. This picture is taken from inside the wave as well. It is a fairly big picture and illustrates the art of bodysurfing. In the background is Koko Head Crater, and it looks slightly slanted, showing that this picture was taken at an angle. You also see the clouds and the wave that my brother is actually in.

Cycle Paper 3

To the one who selfishly broke my heart,

To the one that caused my world to fall apart:

It was supposed to be you and me 'til the end

I guess I was out of style and she was the newest trend

I'm not jealous of her, not one bit

But you and her, it just don't fit.

No longer do I care,

No longer will I waste my time wishing you were there,

I don’t need you; I never really did;

I was young and naïve, I was just a kid.

You taught me something though,

And even though I deny it, you helped me grow.

Nothing lasts forever, so cherish what you've got

We often only get one chance, just one shot

When you find someone special, hold on tight

Because oftentimes, they’re gone faster than the speed of light


This poem took me a really long time. It was hard to organize my thoughts on this subject, because whenever it comes to mind there are so many thoughts rushing through my mind. It was extremely hard to put these feelings to words, because I really never have before. It took a few hours (literally) but I said what I needed to say and was able to express the feelings I've been keeping in all this time. I was extremely happy with the outcome of my poem and all the time I put in was worth it. It may not seem like much, but writing this really helped me and I feel better now about myself and better about what I wrote.

Documentary Brainstorming

In the documentary our class is doing, we are focusing on stereotypes, ethnicity, and cliques within the Punahou community. I think for our documentary we need to really focus on the stereotypes that come with speaking pidgin, because as we saw in an earlier class there was some conflict between me and another student on our views of pidgin. I think we should also discuss how there are all mixed ethnicities and not everyone fits into the typical stereotype of just that one, so for people to single out others based on ethnicity isn't right. I come from a Haole, Hawaiian, Mongolian father, and a Haole, Cuban, Mongolian mother, so I don't fit right into just one category. But I've seen people singled out because of their ethnic background and I've heard somewhat racist things being said to people. I also think it's important to break the stereotypes within Punahou. Stereotypes are only harmful and it often curves people's opinions of others without getting to know the real person.

Cycle Paper 2

A best friend is not only someone you have a good time with, it is also someone you believe you can trust your life with. A best friend is the first person you call when the most amazing things happen in your life, and when the most horrific incidents happen. A best friend is the person you will always remember no matter what comes about. A best friend is almost like real family, a best friend gives the opinion you usually care most about. A best friend is the one who tells you the things you absolutely need to hear regardless of whether you want to hear it or not. A best friend is the person you usually can be around always and never get sick of. A best friend is someone you don't envy, and is the person you are grateful to have as a friend. A best friend is the one who will forgive you always, even when you've screwed up so bad. And a best friend is the one who even though you may have drifted apart from, when the time comes for them to hug you or congratulate you on an accomplishment or to console you on a loss.. they are the number one person you want to see, always because they are the person you've confided the most in and they are the person who knows you the best .. even when you both have changed.

A best friend is someone who would never intentionally hurt you, lie to you, deceive you, manipulate you, abuse you. Too often in life we take advantage of the people we love. Too often we don’t appreciate the impact they’ve had on our lives and the footprints they’ve left on our hearts. Sometimes though, people change, and become someone you never even could’ve imagined.

I recently lost my best friend, because somewhere along the lines, she became everything a best friend isn’t supposed to be. She wasn’t there for me when crying was the only thing I could do, she wasn’t there to hold my hair when I was puking my brains out. When I needed someone to talk to, and really confide in, it was no longer her phone number I'd dial. People change, it’s inevitable, you I guess I realized though, that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't worth trying anymore.

Paris Is Burning

3 reasons one might go to a drag ball / chose to dress in drag. How can this relate to your life?

Drag Balls: probably not something many people have heard of or attend, for that matter. Drag balls are events for the homosexual & drag community. It is a place they can go and are able to be whoever or whatever they chose; it is a place where everyone is accepted for who they are. Drag balls are like fashion shows, where people can dress the part of "real" men or women. It's a fun place to be & a fun thing to partake in; there are trophies and prizes as well. Gays, transsexuals, transvestites, etc, are often not accepted in society and definitely not in the fashion world, so the drag balls are a way to "feel like a superstar". In the documentary we watched the "mother" of a drag "house" stated: "When you're gay, you're modest about everything. Everything you do, everything you say, and everything you wear. The balls is a place they can come and be themselves without being scared of being judged or not accepted by society." To me, "Paris is Burning" isn't really about men wearing women's clothing; it's about a group of people who are routinely put down by society and what they do to get a sense of security in their lives.

It's a relief though, to have a place like this, because it gives gays a place where they can be accepted, and it gives hope to other people who might be socially rejected, that there are people like them, and there are people that accept them for whoever they chose to be. In life today, it seems as if everyone does whatever they can to fit in, even if that means completely changing who they are. I believe individuality is a big part of ones life, but society and the media makes it so all girls feel they need to tall, blonde, and skinny; and men need to lift weights, love women, and play sports to be accepted. I can definitely relate this to my own life because I see it every day. I see my friends who don't eat because they feel they need to be skinny like the models on T.V. to be accepted. I see boys who I know are homosexual, trying to conceal the fact that they are to such an extent; it's ridiculous, and sad really. "Paris is Burning" was a really meaningful documentary for me, and I very much enjoyed it. I think it just gives people hope that they should be able to be who they want to be and not worry about weather society accepts them or not. Individuality is better than being like everyone else anyway.

Cycle Paper 1

He was the light at the end of my tunnel, the reason I'd waking up every morning, my inspiration, my hope, my everything. They say the best proof of love is trust, something we were both lacking. He told me no one could ever compare, as convincing he was, it was hard to believe he genuinely cared. Our love was like a game of tug of war; it hurt so bad to hold on, yet for some reason, I couldn't find it in me to let go. He told me he loved me, and even though I denied it, I knew I loved him back. We went through more together in those few months than most people go through in a lifetime. We survived through the tears, the laughs, and the despair, only to find that when it came down to it, we didn’t stand a chance.

It's amazing how one day someone walks into your life, and you can't even begin to remember how you ever lived without them. It kills me to think that after all that, after everything we went through, he was gone; and probably never coming back. He said "together forever" but I guess forever has taken up a new meaning. There was something about him though, that made me fall. Maybe it was the belief that he'd always be there to catch me, or maybe it was because he loved me, above all.

Not a day goes by that I don't miss him, or think about what could've been. I often find myself thinking, wishing, hoping, and longing, to feel his embrace once again. Too often in life, we take the people we love for granted, and despair only when they're gone. Too often we take advantage of people and things, because of the thought that they'll always be there.

I can honestly say I owe him my life, because although he hurt me worse than anybody ever has, he taught me that life is about trusting your feelings and taking a chance. It's about losing and finding happiness, appreciating the memories and learning from the past, and realizing people always change. To let go isn't to forget, not think about, or ignore. It shouldn't leave feelings of anger, jealousy, or regret. Letting go isn't winning, nor is it losing. It's not about pride, it's not about obsessing about the past, it's not giving up. Letting go isn't about loss, and it's not defeat. To let go is to still hold those onto the good memories, but to move on as well. Letting go is having the courage to accept change and have the strength to keep moving. Letting go is growing up.