Week 15- FINALS -_-

Finals week is here. Like every college student, I am stressing and busy studying for exams. I have three exams this week and it is all for my science classes. Biology, chemistry, and nursing. I really need to do good on all three to get the grades I want. I am aiming for all A's and B's this semester. Hopefully it is what I receive. I just need to concentrate and study hard. I can't wait for this semester to end, especially this year. I am looking forward to Christmas and New Year's. I love the holidays :) I get to go shopping and spend quality time with my loved ones. I hope everyone else is excited and preparing for the holidays. I learned a lot from this class about culture, religion, and the environment and it was very interesting. Hearing others opinions and listening to guest speakers had made me want to make a change. Thanks again Professor Cruz! I enjoyed being in your class. I hope everyone has a safe and merry christmas! & Happy New Year :)

Week 14- Student presentations

Just two more weeks left in this semester.. The months went by pretty fast and with that finals are coming up. Projects, presentations, and exams one after another. As for this class, we have presentations for finals. I am really glad and thankful that it isn't an exam I have to worry about. My science classes are already hard as it is and it is stressing me out. The topics in class that my classmates shared about was all very interesting. Mostly everyone presented on technology and how it affected culture and the environment. The one I found most interesting was the very first presentation. I forgot his name but he showed us a video with the little boy in it. It was about how we can all change and make a difference if we start eating local. Eating local will help the world in the long run and it is a healthier way of eating. I agree with him on how we can all learn to grow our own food. We are all just lazy to do so and we rely on fast food and other sources for food. Overall, I think everyone did a good job on their presentation. I definitely learned from my fellow classmates.

Week 13- FT to Kaniakapupu

On Sunday, Dec. 5th, we went to Kamehameha the III's summer house at Nuuanu Valley. We first got a history of the place. At first it didn't feel like a field trip. Instead it felt like we were going hiking. I wish I wore pants instead of shorts on this day. There were a lot of mosquitos and I kept getting bit from them. When we got to the site, the tour guide showed us the summer house and gave us a brief history of it. I find it fascinating how a structure from the past is still standing. Despite that it looked a lot different from how it was. Parts of the house was missing but you could definitely see it. It's interesting how the doors aren't facing each other directly. It was to keep the night marchers from walking into the house. At the field trip, we also moved long sticks of bamboo. It was scary because you could get hit and there were just a lot of bamboo to move. However, we all worked as a team to get the job done. It was fun throwing bamboo. Aside from getting bit, the field trip was very interesting and fascinating. I've learned about the history of Kamehameha the III's summer house and got the chance to visit the place. I wish I attended more field trips this semester but just didn't have the time. Hopefully these opportunities will come again :)

Week 12- Thankful for everything

My Thanksgiving day was very fun and relaxing. It was spent with good company, my family and loved ones. First gathering was spent with my dad's side of the family. All I can say was that there was a lot of delicious food to eat. Turkey, poke, steak, chicken, noodles, soup, desserts, and the list goes on. The funny thing was that there was more food coming. The best part about the holidays is seeing relatives that I haven't seen in a while. It was like a family reunion because I hardly see my relatives from my dad's side. The other half of my Thanksgiving was spent at my mom's side of the family. There was also a lot of food to eat but I was too full to eat again. Majority of it was filipino food. I spent the night talking to my cousins and watching movies. I was also looking forward to black friday. I went shopping with my siblings at Waikele and Pearlridge. There was a lot of good sales at Waikele but the lines were crazy. I can't believe I stood 2 hours in line waiting to get into Juicy Couture. However, it was worth it because it was 30% off the entire store and I bought what I wanted. There was also a good sale at Converse so I bought myself a pair of new shoes. The sales at Pearlridge was okay. Didn't buy much and was too tired to look around. It was 5 in the morning and I needed some sleep. My siblings did all the shopping here. We got home around 8 in the morning and went to sleep right away. My friday was spent sleeping. Overall, I enjoyed my Thanksgiving. I'm very thankful for everything.. My family, friends, loved ones, and the things I have today. Hope everyone else had a good thanksgiving as well :)

Week 11- Enjoy life!

The article Perception was very interesting. I think it’s sad how we as individuals don’t really pay attention and appreciate the little things in life. Everyone is so caught up and busy with his or her daily lives that we don’t stop and see the beauty of life. We are too busy worrying about other things like school and work that we don’t give ourselves slack and actually stop what we’ve been doing to enjoy life. We need to start appreciating life and stop rushing through life. If not, we may later regret the things we’ve done and wish that we could turn back time to experience things a lot differently. If I were there at the time Joshua Bell played at the station and didn’t care to stop to listen, I would regret it. I think we are too focused on our personal life and priorities that we don’t take time off to appreciate the little things. This article makes me think about the people who perform and do things on the sidewalk at the Waikiki strip. There are a lot of people who share their talents by dancing, singing, playing an instrument, and even painting beautiful art. When I’m there I stop and see what they are doing but I don’t really pay attention to their identity. This is one thing I should start doing. Who knows, maybe it might be a famous person sharing their talent and I didn’t take the opportunity to stop and appreciate it. We should all start appreciating the little things and enjoy life. 

Week 10- A taste of the past

The article World's oldest champagne uncorked was very interesting. Who would've thought that wine at the bottom of the sea for over 200 years would still be good to drink. I would be scared to taste the wine. It's cool how Stallhagen wants to produce the beer locally. However, it would be hard to make the exact same champagne because of its ingredients. I'm sure the ingredients in wine today has changed from the past. If able to do so, the champagne would become popular quickly because of its taste and story behind it. It could also be expensive to purchase. Wine lovers would want to have a glass of this. It would be interesting to have a taste of the past.

Week 9- Fish & Poi

I enjoyed class this week. Guest speaker Daniel Anthony was very entertaining and funny. We should have more guest speakers like him. It's interesting how our environment, culture, and religion shape who we are as individuals. I would personally like to make a difference in this world and help the society by not relying on technology. Instead, I would like to learn how to plant my own food and use the resources from the environment. I think there are people who can live without technology but how the society is like now it would be difficult to do so. It is easier said than done. However, it can happen. Like what Daniel said, we are all consumers and we need to learn doing things on our own. With the society filled with consumers it definitely isn't solving any problems. Yes, we are slowly doing things like recycling cans and bottles but is that really enough? I believe that there are a lot more things we can do to better our society. Other than that, the dried fish and poi was something different and I'm glad I got the chance to taste it. I'm also interested in pounding poi. It would be a good experience for us students to do.

Week 8- Class cancelled. Time to catch up with work.

Class got cancelled today. But it's okay, I was tired and didn't get enough sleep the night before. It was a good thing that I checked my email. If not I would've been waiting for 2 hrs for nothing and gone to class with no one there. Haha. Our take home midterms were supposed to be passed out today and due next week but professor Cruz wasn't able to come to class today. I hope your mom is okay professor and hope she gets well soon :) In the mean time, I really need to start reading Ishmael and Eat here and hopefully be done with it by Tuesday. I have a lot of reading to do this weekend. Other than that.. I'm looking forward to this weekend. Quality time with my family :) Can't wait!

Week 7- Communicating through touch

The article "Social Life Starts in the Womb" is pretty interesting. I agree that twins do start their social life in the womb. They are able to communicate with each other through touch and from there learn how to touch their own eyes and mouth. As stated in the article, they spend more time touching others than themselves. I think that having twins overall is fascinating. In the womb and when they are born, they can learn from one another and keep each other company. Sometimes I wonder how it would be like to have a twin sister or brother. Things would definitely be different. I have cousins on my dad's side who are twins. Both girls who practically do everything together. Sounds like fun to have someone they can relate to and who is always there. I wouldn't mind having twins of my own in the future. It would be a handful yet fun to have two babies at the same time.

Week 6- Makua Valley

The field trip to Makua Valley on Sunday, October 17 was a good experience. The drive there itself was something I haven’t done. I have never drove to Waianae until this day. The farthest I drove was to Ko’olina beach and other than that I have never been to Waianae. The drive was pretty interesting. People walking to places, open restaurants on the side of the rode, and even children playing. Picking up trash along the highway wasn’t anything new to me. I have been volunteering and involved in community service since high school and I enjoy lending a helping hand to the community. However, picking up trash along the highway of Waianae was pretty interesting. I picked up a lot of beer bottles, cans, plastic, and even condoms, which I thought was gross. Professor Cruz and I also encountered a dead dog on the grass. Its mouth was tied with a rope and all that was left of it was bones. It wasn’t a pretty sight. Sad actually. How can people do such a thing? We also saw a dead wild boar. The smell of it was pretty bad. Back at the site, we went on a hike and learned about the history of Makua Valley. Makua Valley is a beautiful place. It is full of green and air. Peaceful. I agree on how the land should be returned to its rightful owners. It is sad how people can’t go to this place because of the military. Overall, the field trip to Makua Valley was a fun and good one. I learned about its history, made new friends, and lend a helping hand. I am looking forward to another field trip. :)

Week 5- Hugs over the internet?

Someone needs a hug... over the internet. Creepy or awesome? This article from online is pretty interesting.  However, I think it is creepy to give someone a hug over the internet. Imagine how facebook and myspace would be if pedophiles and strangers were giving hugs to young girls. Not a pretty sight. I wouldn't like getting hugs from people I don't know. Especially over the internet where people could be faking their identity. The idea of a jacket delivering a hug to children if parents are working late is out of the ordinary. It would be like magic. I don't think there's any meaning in hugging if your going to let a jacket do it for you. There will definitely be a lot of issues and problems if hugs were given over the internet. There are problems concerning the internet today. Men are faking their identities and making myspace and facebook pages to get in contact with girls. Not only do they flirt but they also pressure you into meeting up with them. From there, things could get worst. A hug doesn't need to be done over the internet.

Week 4- Lucky we live HAWAI'I

This week in class was very interesting and entertaining. Ramsey, a guest speaker spoke to us about Hawaii and how we the people, environment, and places are all connected. No matter where we are from, what culture, nationality we are. We are all connected somehow. I have been raised and living in Hawaii all my life and I am sad to say that I never knew the meaning of the word Hawaii till now. I have learned that HA means life giving breath, WAI means water, and I is the relationship between places and people. I find it neat how each part of the word has a unique meaning and how it relates to our environment. I also learned that the vowels A, E, I, O, U and consonants have meanings to them. A signifies fire, E is air, I is water, O is the land, earth, anything that has a base, and U is the spirit of men. He also spoke to us about adapting the old ways to help the economy. I think we've taken advantage of technology and totally forgot how everything originated from. We should all stop what were doing and really think about the future, how to fix the ongoing problems now and move on. However, it won't be easy. It'll take everyone's cooperation and willingness to help.

Week 3- Creativity

I just had to blog about that one video on sheep art. I thought it was really cool. Those people had so much time on their hands to create pictures, moving games, art,  and even fireworks with the sheeps. It must have been really difficult working with the sheeps and getting them to run in certain directions. Just thinking about it makes me wonder how much time and hard work they had to put in. Especially when it isn't easy working with any animal. However, most of the sheep seemed to be cooperative and didn't mind having christmas lights wrapped around their body and posing for the camera. My favorite part of the video was the video game. It was sort of like air-hockey. The sound effects and score made it more entertaining. I give props to these men who thought of this idea and made it a success.

Week 2- Change for the better

This week in class was very interesting. Two guest speakers, Kevin Vacarello and Routh Bolomet came in and shared about our environment, their personal experiences, and how we adapt to the environment and how the role of the environment in making cultural change. I think that both the environment and individual plays a equal role. As individuals, we may decide to change the environment or ourselves. It could even be both. After listening to Kevin and Routh, it has made think about making changes and going organic. Buying organic foods and recycling without having to think about it. It would be difficult for me to adapt to these changes because organic food is expensive and I hate eating brown rice. It is healthier than white rice but I dislike the taste. However, I think that we all can do it. We just need to make positive choices and really want changes to happen.

First day of class

I have had professor Cruz before and I really enjoyed her class. This semester I look forward to learning more about culture, religion, and the environment. First day of anthro class was pretty interesting. I learned about Pono, which means to correct, do the right thing, balance, right action. As much as we want to be pono, it is difficult to do. In class, we also did an activity where everyone was assigned a number and no one else could know about it. We were all blind folded and together we had to line ourselves up in a line from 1 to 26 without speaking. So to figure out other's number we used hand signals. It was a fun but difficult task to do. Numbers 1 to 11 were correctly lined up and the rest were mixed up. The point of the activity was to experience how its like to do something new without having any knowledge of it. We weren't able to speak or see, but to use our physical features instead. Aside from what was done in class, I am excited to attend the field trips to Mokauea Island and Makua Valley :)