Reflection Post #3

Moving to a different country really changed the shaped of my life today. I was born in the Philippines and migrated here in U.S. back in 2003. It was hard for me to adjust during my first six months in America. I wasn't able to understand the language like I do now. Also, I wasn't able to speak the language like I do now. All those challenges that I faced, all the efforts that I did to fit feels like they all just happened yesterday. Looking back, I did grew up. I grew up because I made many mistakes and descisions in my life. I believve that making a mistake or making bad decisions can make a person grow up and become a better man because we learn from making mistakes. When I first came to this country, I was surprised of the diversity that I saw. Most people that I met were friendly, some are not friendly. Most teens at my age love to play sports. So I played sports. I was proud of all the efforts that I did in the past to fit in the society. I was able to make friends. Then after a couple of years, I went back to my country to visit. I felt very weird. It was like going back in time. I was only twelve when I left. When I got to the Philippines, I didn't feel like eighteen years old, I felt like twelve years old. All the childhood memories suddenly came back. And I said to myself, "Im finally home."

Reflection Post #2

Reading is one of the things that I often do. I only read when it’s necessary. When I was a little kid, my mom bought me a book about frogs. It had pictures on it too. I really liked that book, and after that, I enjoyed reading books with pictures on it. So far, the hardest book that I read was Hamlet. Hamlet was written by Shakespear hundreds of years ago, yet the lessons from that book still occur in today's modern world. I dont know why many people liked that book I mean, nobody talks like Shakespear nowadays. I like reading comic books and mangas. I like it because reading mangas or comic books makes you feel like you're actually watching the story in real time. The only books without pictures that I liked were 1984, Hamlet, To Kill a Mockingbird, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. I enjoyed reading those books because I learned how to visualize the story in a better way and in more descriptive way. Right now, i'm currently reading Funny in Farsi written by Firoozeh Dumas. She's one of the main characters from the book. So basically, this book is about her and her family's lives when they moved to America. The good thing about comic books or mangas is that you will see pictures and words at the same time. Looking at the picture and reading the words can really tell good stories and I can able to predict what's going to happen next. Unlike books without pictures, it'll take me more time to know what will happen next.

Vocab #4

I.

The Word: Enviable

Part of Speech: Adjective

The Source Sentence and (Page Number): "Even though their condominium has only a tiny garden, they have managed to cultivate an enviable cornucopia of figs, pomegranates, sweet lemons, and herbs." Funny in Farsi pg. 98

Context Clues: To cultivate. Also, cornucopia of figs, pomegrantes, sweet lemons, and herbs are enviable.

Definition: worthy of envy; very desirable.

Your Original Sentence: Working at the cash register is an enviable job position.

Hyperlink: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/enviable


II.

The Word: Equinox

Part of Speech: Noun

The Source Sentence and (Page Number): "For twelve days after the equinox, people visit relatives and friends, always starting with the eldest." Funny in Farsi pg. 106

Context Clues: None

Definition: The time when the sun crosses the plane of the earth's equator, making night and day of approximately equal length all over the earth and occurring about March 21 (vernal equinox or spring equinox) and September 22 (autumnal equinox).

Your Original Sentence: During the equinox, Hamlet transformed into Juliet.

Hyperlink: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/equinox


III.

The Word: Tutelage

Part of Speech: Noun

The Source Sentence and (Page Number): "I had been taking French since seventh grade, and under the tutelage of my high school teacher, Mr. Polkingharn, affectionately known as Le Polk, I had become quite fluent." Funny in Farsi pg. 130

Context Clues: Under the tutelage of my high school teacher sounds like the teaching of my high school teacher.

Definition: The act of guarding, protecting, or guiding; office or function of a guardian; guardianship.

Your Original Sentence: Under the tutelage of my art teacher, I learned how to draw better.

Hyperlink: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tutelage

Reflection Post

Studying the vocabulary required for this class made me a better reader and ahead of the game. Whenever I learn a new vocabulary, I always make my own sentence. Sometimes I make funny sentences using my new vocabulary word that I learned. I just think that funny sentences are better than common sentences. People need to laugh every once in a while. However, I dont really notice around me some of the new vocabulary words that I learned. For example, most people would rather say spread or scatter rather than saying strewn. I often approach unfamiliar vocabulary in a different way. To explain, new vocabulary words can be heard and learn during a conversation or by watching a movie or news. My favorite news channel will always be CNN. This news channel always talks about not just American news but global news. I learned a lot by watching this channel. My knowledge in geography expanded. My knowledge in religion and science improved as well. I dont really use some of the vocabulary words that I learned whenever I talk to my friends or text to my friends because they will ask for the definition, and then I have to tell them the whole definition. I would rather tell them the definition by speaking not texting because I dont have unlimitted minutes. I still remember most of the vocabulary words that I learned. I do consider that my dendrites are still accurate which is a good thing for a dictionary.com prodigy like me.

Vocab #3

I.

The Word: Baklava

Part of Speech: Noun

The Source Sentence and (Page Number): "In Berkeley, and only in Berkeley, my name drew people like flies to baklava." Funny in Farsi pg. 64

Context Clues: Flies are attracted to sweet. Bakalva is sweet.

Definition: A Near Eastern pastry made of many layers of paper-thin dough with a filling of ground nuts, baked and then drenched in a syrup of honey and sometimes rosewater.

Your Original Sentence: Baklava has a lot of sugar in it.

Hyperlink: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/baklava


II.

The word: Strewn

Part of Speech: Verb

The Source Sentence and (Page Number): "To my delight, I found that the lawn had been strewn with miniature Iranian flags." Funny in Farsi pg. 113

Context Clues: Miniature, the lawn had been

Definition: to spread widely; disseminate

Your Original Sentence: The student cut his hair and strewn it around the classroom.

Hyperlink: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/strewn


III.

The word: Olfactory

Part of Speech: Adjective

The Source Sentence and (Page Number)- "Aunt Sedigeh also had a beautiful garden full of nasturtiums, roses, snapdragons, and sweet peas, a veritable Disneyland for the olfactory sense." Funny in Farsi pg. 97

Context Clues: Garden. Olfactory talks about smell. If you go to a garden, you will smell many things.

Definition: of or pertaining to the sense of smell.

Your Original Sentence: After sleeping with his shoes on, Diego's olfactory feet made his dog leave the house.

Hyperlink: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/olfactory

Vocab #2

Vocabulary Word Submission Structure

I.

The Word: Elite

Part of Speech: Noun

The Source of Sentence and Page Number: "The elite may derive their culture from expensive theater shows or opera performances where tickets can cost $100 each." Text Connect pg. 40

Context Clues: "May derive their culture"

Definition: The choice or best of anything considered collectively, as of a group or class of persons.
Your original sentence: In my opinion, Kobe Bryant is the elite basketball player in today's generation.

Hyperlink: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/elite

II.

The Word: Clandestine

Part of Speech: Adjective

The Source of Sentence and Page Number: "This clandestine operation, however, required a handshake with a five-dollar bill enclosed." Funny in Farsi pg. 51

Context Clues: Operation= a mission synonym=secret, unrevealing.

Definition: Characterized by, done in, or executed with secrecy or concealment, esp. for purposes of subversion or deception; private or surreptitious

Your Original Sentence: Some messages are clandestine.

Hyperlink: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/clandestine

III.

The Word: Proverbial

Part of Speech: Adjective

The Source of Sentence: "But, like all buffalo, he eventually grew big and turned into the proverbial bull in the china shop." Funny in Farsi pg. 57

Context Clues: bull, strong

Definition: Expressed in a proverb or proverbs.

Your Original Sentence: All Bibles have proverbial phrases.

Hyperlink: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/proverbial

Vocab

Consumed Verb

=The Source Sentence and (Page Number):

“Unlike elite culture (sometimes referred to as “high culture”), popular culture is mass-produced and mass-consumed and has enormous significance in the formation of public attitudes and values”
Text-Connect pg. 40

Context Clues:

Antonym = Mass-produced is an antonym because to produce is the opposite of taking up something.

Definition:

To do with away completely; to take up

Your Original Sentence:

After playing basketball with my friends, I consumed all the powerade that we had, and they almost dehydrated.


Hyperlink:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/consumed