My Energetic Hands

    My hand are rough, but can be very gentle. They are small and chubby, but surprisingly strong. With my hands, they can play the piano and dance gracefully down the black and white keys. My hands can hold a book and as I read, I dream of a faraway place. They can swing a golf club when I play golf with my family on the weekends and bring me pleasure as the club hits the ball with a satisfying thud. With my hands, I can hit a tennis ball with my racket and feel the fierce pride coursing through me as I successfully ace my opponent. My energetic hands allow me to swim fast on the swim team. They also allow me to splash my friends while we cool down in the pool under the hot blazing sun. If it weren't for my hands, I wouldn't be able to help younger children wash scratches or put a bandage on their cuts. If I didn't have my hands, I would not be able to tickle fight with my dad when he comes to say good night to me. I wouldn't be able to paint or sketch, which I like doing. In all, my hands have become my favorite part of me. I love my hands, as I do with the rest of my body.

Robby’s Wish

 

Robby woke up this morning and started to sneeze. He shivered and glanced at himself in the mirror. “I’ve grown a lot here in USA,” he thought. He sneezed again and blew his nose. Robby Chai was an eight-year old Chinese kid and had jet black hair and eyes. Robby suddenly became cold and hurried to get a sweater over his pajamas. As he was fetching the sweater, he peeked into the empty room that belonged to his grandparents. Now Robby missed his grandparents in China. He had grown up with them since he was brought back to China just two months after his birth in L.A. A special bond created immediately between his grandparents and himself. But his parents took hims to USA because they thought school in China was too exhausting for little Robby. This was good in some ways, but it had its disadvantages. It was almost winter break now and the holidays were coming, Robby missed his grandparents badly.

    Robby was a huge fan of Ironman. He wished that the iron suit would would come true. Then he could visit his grandparents whenever he wanted. Robby pictured himself blasting off in a shining iron suit at over 5,000 miles per hour. He thought of flying over the clouds, whipping past birds, and  waving to people on airplanes and even jets from the US Air Force. Then,within an hour, he would show up at his grandparents’ window, hovering as close as he could get. It would be dark outside because of the different time zone and he could see his dear grandpa and grandma sitting on the sofa, watching TV, with cozy blankets around them and lamps basking them with golden lights. Sometimes they would chat quietly about the show and sip on steaming jasmine tea. Robby also saw in his wide mind his old metal matchbox cars lined up in a glass door closet in the back of the room. They must have been polished recently, for they caught the faint light and gleamed dimly.

    Robby suddenly shook his head violently to get his mind back to reality. He knew that high-tech stuff like Ironman was too advanced. But he believed that one day, it would be possible. One day, distance would not be an issue. Then Robby remembered that it was Thursday morning and he still had school. He quickly brushed his teeth, changed into school clothes, and followed the aroma of breakfast sizzling downstairs.

    As Robby and his parents were eating the delicious breakfast consisting of eggs, pancakes, sausages and fresh orange juice, Robby brought up the subject of going back to China. He retold them about the Ironman idea, what he imagined his grandparents were doing, and everything else he had thought about while upstairs. “I do agree that the Ironman idea is too extreme with the technology right now,” Dad replied thoughtfully, “But you’re right, Robby in the future, Ironman is definitely possible.” Mom also piped up, “ At first we wanted to surprise you, but we won’t keep in away from you any longer. We’re going to China on winter break! And it’s been such a long time since we’ve been in China when it snowed,” she added as an afterthought.

     Robby got so excited that he nearly fell out of his chair. His wish had come true, although not exactly the way he wanted it to!

In My Life Poem

 

I wonder where my life came from

I hear voices everywhere

I see the secrets from my palm

I want my family around

I am thankful for doing nothing wrong.

I pretend to go back to when I was five

I feel the piano teacher smiling warmly at me

I touch my first keys of the piano

I worry that I can’t play well

I cry tears of joy when I win a trophy

I am thankful for learning piano.

I understand that I’m not a baby anymore

I say to myself life goes on

I dream of being a medical doctor

I try to help make human life long

                                 I am thankful for everything right I have done.

A Terra-fic Trip With My Grandparents

 

    In the summer of third grade, our family stayed in China for an unusually long time. Because we stayed so long, my grandparents were able to take us to different places in China. That year, we went to Xi’an to visit my grandma’s sister and to take me to see the legendary Terracotta Warriors. Also, my grandparents hadn’t been there for a long time, so they wanted to see if there had been any progress in the excavation.

    A week after landing in Shanghai, my grandparents, mom, and I bought overnight train tickets to Xi’an. I was really excited, because it was my first time sleeping on a train.  When we arrived at our room, I noticed there were two sets of bunks, which meant we could have a whole cabin to ourselves. We settled in the spacious room, and after watching the high-speed train cut through many different landscapes, my grandpa pulled out his computer and we started to play Plants vs. Zombies. Late in the evening, when my grandpa and I finally finished the 30 level game, we got some dinner that was being sold on the train. My grandpa and I started playing again, and played deep into the night. We fell asleep instantly after we finished another extremely hard game. Everyone slept peacefully, and by the time we were packed up the next morning the train had stopped in Xi’an.

    On the train platform, we searched for one of my uncles, who was there to pick us up. We immediately boarded my uncle’s car, and with his awesome street racing skills,  the car zoomed toward my grandma’s sister’s house. In the house, we got a very roomy bedroom. My uncle loved games, and in our free time, my grandpa and I played all the different games my uncle had downloaded. My grandma’s sister was also an excellent cook, and I bet I must have gained five pounds during the three days I was there.

    The best part of the trip was the Terracotta Warriors. This tomb was made around 220 BC for the Qin Dynasty emperor, Qin Shi Huang. The emperor wanted full-sized terracotta statues of soldiers, horses, chariots, and servants to serve and protect him in the afterlife. My grandparents were shocked that a new, even bigger excavation had been created.  But the last time they had been there was about 15 years ago, so I thought it made sense that a lot of progress had been made.

    My grandpa and I raced off immediately to examine the Qin soldiers’ armour and weapons while my grandma and mom looked at the ladies’ clothing in the Qin Dynasty. My grandpa and I found the armour and weapons really interesting. The soldiers’ armour was made of little metal squares linked together by iron rings. The Qin soldiers also used many types of weapons. There were crossbows, longbows, battleaxes, straight and curved swords, dirks, spears, throwing javelins, and little daggers. My favorite weapon was the lightweight crossbow that had a magazine so the soldiers could shoot the bolts faster. My grandpa said that his favorite was the fearsome and razor sharp axe that caused mass destruction in battle. The guides that we had taught me a lot about the history of China. I especially liked reading about the famous battles in history.

   Our last day was just spent playing games with my grandparents, and of course, stuffing myself full with the delicious food that could only be prepared with my grandma and her sister together. The train trip back to Shanghai was comfortable and uneventful. This has probably been the best vacation back to China that I have had so far!



Another Year Has Passed

   

Wow! I can’t believe another fabulous school year has passed so quickly! Throughout the year I’ve had great moments at school with my friends, not so pretty events, and even unexpected times.

    One of the most wonderful and exciting events was going to Science Camp for the 6th grade field trip. For the first two days, our group visited many different ecosystems, where we collected scat to study and graph, and made tests of the wind speed, soil temperature, temperature, and many other things. The best part of the first two days was studying the riparian ecosystem. We got to catch water insects, and our group caught dozens of water striders, a water millipede, a diving beetle, and even a giant toe biter. The free time there was also very fun, with Gugu ball (a safe version of dodgeball), basketball, volleyball, and tetherball. The last day was the best. We were really close to Dana Point Harbor, so we spent it at the oceanside. Our group studied tidepools first, and we found many creatures like sea anemones, crabs, clams, starfish, mussel, and so many more I can’t not name. By the harbor, there was also an aquarium. When the animals in the aquarium get sick, they have to be moved to the “sick bay” tank. So we tested the water’s quality to see if it was fit to move the animals. In the afternoon of the last day at camp, I got an unexpected but great surprise. We were going on a boat trip to examine the ocean ecosystem! I really don’t know why this popped up, but I got excited like the rest of my friends. But this turned out to be a great surprise. We saw many creatures that were described when we studied the ocean ecosystem at school.

    Probably my worst moment was when I failed my Romantic Festival piano competition. In the morning, I woke up really late, and when I was downstairs practicing my piece, I was still a bit groggy from my sleep. My mom was whistling happily and started to water her garden cheerfully. Then she came in and put on makeup. At the performance, I was put last, which I didn’t like. I couldn’t remember my piece well when I was sitting at my chair, and I was already kind of nervous. The first notes I played made my hands shake, and soon, I messed up my whole second line. I recovered, but by then, my hands were shaking insanely and I messed up a few more times. I felt my face burning, and when I finished the last note too harshly, I hoped my face did not remind the audience of an overripe tomato. I timidly sat down, and tried to hide my face behind the certificate they handed to each of us.

    Science Camp was not only the best moment of my sixth grade year, but also contained my unexpected detour. That unexpected event was the boat trip out to sea to examine the Pelagic, or ocean, ecosystem. When our group instructor, Amanda, was telling us the schedule, I must not have been listening, because I couldn’t recall hearing anything about a boat trip. But the thought was really exciting, and finally, when I was on the verge of exploding with impatience, the cruiser boat docked and we boarded the roomy deck. After we left the calm harbor behind the breakwater teeming with pelicans, the first of the choppy sea caught us by surprise. A few people screamed, and the motion made my heart skip a beat. After everyone got over the shock of the large waves, we started to enjoy the sensation. As Darren and I enjoyed the slightly salty spray on our faces from the waves, someone shouted out that they saw a dolphin. We immediately looked around the sea. Not just a dolphin, but dolphins. More than a dozen of them, circling us and dodging back and forth with their extreme agility. More moved in to “play” with us, while some swam away. The different schools of dolphins stayed with us for almost 15 minutes. Sadly, we didn’t see any whales. On the way back to the harbor, we passed a green buoy with a fat family of seals. The fattest one, probably the dad, raised a wet flipper and seemed to salute us lazily.

    In all, my 6th grade school year has been a great time, even with the low points!

The Unexpected Pelagic Boat Trip

 

    Ever since I knew we were going to Science Camp, I had been looking forward to it. During my years at Chaparral, I had heard many stories from the senior students in sixth grade. The stories were all about the hikes in the chaparral, oak woodland, and riparian ecosystems. Never did I hear about the boat ride out to sea on a cruiser boat. But this unexpected boat ride turned out to be the best part of the trip.

     On Friday morning, the last day of Science Camp, our cabin was among the first to wake up. We chatted loudly to one another for a while. Around 7:00 am, everyone in our cabin was packed up. Since we were early, we went down to the Science Camp playground, set our luggage on the basketball court to be loaded on the U Haul truck, and went to play. Pretty soon, the kitchen staff handed out delicious breakfast sandwiches, still slightly warm. After the 100 or so sixth grade students were finished with their breakfast, the teachers ushered us onto two yellow school buses and we drove off to the seashore. Our teachers had told us we were going to the Dana Point Harbor, so I expected something spectacular on the last day.  

As planned, we arrived at Dana Point Harbor around eight thirty in the morning. We were going to examine the intertidal and pelagic ecosystems. Our instructor, Amanda, first led us to the intertidal, which was a bunch of tidepools with many different creatures. We found some of them, like small fish, crab, hermit crab, clam, sea anemone, starfish, and weeds .Although this was one of the spectacular things I had expected, some intuition told me there were better activities to come.

Next, we went to the lab and examined many interesting creatures. We saw jellyfish, shrimp, crab, fish, and many other interesting things. Everyone also got a chance to examine bacteria and plankton under microscopes. The most interesting part was the dissecting of a fish. It was pretty bloody, but not disgusting at all. It also gave me a little practice for my wish to become a doctor. Our trail group tested the qualities of different types of water to see if they were was fit for moving sea creatures

After a delicious lunch of pizza, I joined Darren and Jackson, my friends, wondering what activity our trail group would have next. Dimly, in the back of my brain, it kept on telling me something about a boat. But when Amanda, our instructor, was telling us the schedule, I wasn’t listening, so I knocked out that idea. Suddenly, the teachers and instructors told us to line up against the wall by the harbor. I was surprised, but my friends were all very excited. When I asked Darren, he told me that we were going on a boat ride. I was gobsmacked that the idea in the back of my mind was correct, but became excited like the rest of the students. We waited for a minute or so, and boarded an 80-person cruiser boat. Everyone aboard was very hyper. As the ship gathered speed, Darren, Jackson, and I stood up and leaned against the railing.

After about 10 minutes behind the breakwater and calm harbor, we entered the rougher seas. For a while, the ship just lurched gently. We were all calm and chatting to each other. Suddenly, without warning, the ship rose and crashed into the water. A few people screamed. It made my heart come to my throat, but the movement of the ship was exciting and felt like a mild roller coaster. That was when we saw the dolphin family, circling around us. The family was huge, with at least 30 dolphins circling us in turns. They played with the ship like an overly large toy. One of the instructors told us that these were the Common dolphins. These agile creatures danced around the ship and everyone oohed and aahed. This family of dolphins followed us for almost 15 minutes, and only stopped when we turned around to head back.

As we headed closer to the breakwater, the sea became calmer. When we were a couple hundred feet from the calm water, the ship passed by a green buoy inhabited by three lazy sea lions. One of them raised its flipper and seemed to wave at us. As we entered the calm harbor, the instructors set up stations for us, like plankton studying, the sounds of sea creatures, and touching small fish and starfish. A couple minutes later, we arrived at the small dock.

        As I boarded the yellow school bus with Darren after the boat ride, I

thought to myself, “Wow, what an unexpected and exciting day!”

Young Server From Norms

Description

Blanca is a young woman working at the Claremont Norms as a server and receptionist behind the paying counter. She has gelled jet black hair tied back in a ornament ball held together by a black, shiny, jeweled clip. On her rather small earlobes sparkle little red earrings. Her eyebrows are penciled heavily, and long eyelashes and black eyeliner surround the brown pupils of her almond-shaped eyes. Her smooth, slightly tanned skin makes the bright red lips stand out from the rest of her face. The blood red lips match the ruby tie on the white uniform every server wears. As the next customer in line steps forward to her, she smiled dazzlingly, showing her white, perfectly straight teeth. Below her left shoulder, a metal clip shows her name, Blanca. When she types something down on the computer behind the counter, she reveals shocking hot pink nails.  As she reads the names of people who are in line, I can tell her high-pitched voice is sharp and clear. She works very fast, and is very experienced. Soon, before I know it, we are at the front of the line and being ushered to a table. As she walks us over to our table, I notice that she has overly large buttocks, and is wearing matching black trousers and shoes.

Background Story

There is no way I can tell what Blanca’s real background story was by just watching her, unless I was someone like Dumbledore or Voldemort and could read minds. So I made up my own version of Blanca’s backstory.

Blanca was born in a traditional Mexican family in Southern California. She was one of five children.  Her family was neither rich nor poor, although her parents were always busy raising money for the five children and paid very little attention to Blanca. With little attention from her parents, she became a wild young girl. At an elementary school in Upland, she became more civilized and grew beautiful. But her grades were only mediocre. Blanca also lived through the end period of the Cold War. She and her family were always very scared about nuclear missiles from the Soviet Union. But luckily, when she was in junior high, the Cold War ended. She was a pretty popular girl and was surrounded by friends most of the time. Many boys at school liked her, but she had high expectations, and rejected all of them.

Although Blanca tried hard to improve her grades, she could not succeed because no one from her family could help. Even though Blanca tried her best, her grades stayed the same and did not improve. After she graduated from high school, she started to help earn money for her family. She knew could not get into college, so she has had minimum wage jobs ever since.

          Recently, Blanca has been a server at Norms Restaurant. After a few months there, the manager promoted her to be a receptionist. When I was observing her, it was just a regular work day. From her expressions, I could tell she enjoyed her job greatly.  

Big breakfastl at Norms