Thursday, June 4, 2009

Table of Contents

Table of Contents


Dear Reder


Introduction to My Protective Dog


My Protective Dog


Introduction To My first Fishing Experience


My first Fishing experience


Introduction to It’s All about Friendship


It’s All About FRiendship


Introduction to How to Grow Roses


How to Grow Roses


Dear Reader,

Dear Reader,

I am originally from a small town called Zamboanga in the Philippines. It was 0ctober of 2005 when I arrived here in Arlington, Washington. I return to college to become a registered nurse. In 2007, I had started to take this same class with the same instructor, but then in the middle I moved to California for a family reason. When I returned to Everett I registered for this class again. I knew I would like it because I am comfortable with the instructor; she explains things thoroughly and makes it easy to figure out what to do. I have enjoyed this class because I have improved in my English skills. Even though she gives a lot of homework, I enjoy it and it has helped me to be a better writer.

The things that have motivated me to continue attending this class are my classmates, my peer response group, and my study group. The peer response helps me to write better English, because that’s where I learn to find my mistakes. The study group helped me to remember all the lessons we learned in the class, by reviewing all together as a group. Most of all, I appreciate our English instructor who manage to understands everybody most of the time. I found it hard to write essays as they take me forever to think of the needed vocabulary. I honestly enjoyed doing the blog, except I had to write more using what we had learned in class. I thank God we are done because run out of stories to tell.

I remember the first day of the quarter, the class was so quiet, I felt that everybody was unfriendly. Things changed the longer I attended the class. Now I don’t feel like attending another class without my familiar the classmates that I met this quarter. I like the unity we have in the class and the friendships we have built. I love how the class thought me how I have improved my writing skills, and that I am getting better at forming ideas to write about. I spent sleepless nights and stressful days as I struggled with figuring out how to write, and the overwhelming moments I experienced this quarter has had its effect on me. Even all the hardships I have faced in this class is worth it because I have learned a lot and have improved my English skills. I would recommend this class and instructor to anyone wanting or needing to improve their writing skills.

In my e-portfolio I included 3 of my major writing assignments and one of the journals I wrote in class. I posted a picture with my dog to share with you one of my treasured memories. I hope you will enjoy all the short stories I wrote. you are all welcome to post a comments and suggestions on my writing.

Introduction to "My Protective Dog"

The first piece that you are about to read is one of the major writing assignment of our English class is titled, “My Protective Dog” I wrote it on the second week of class. I chose this piece to post in my e-portfolio because it was my first story of telling, not showing that I wrote in class. I had hard time looking for specific word choice to use. The assignment was to show not tell and I needed to show a sensory details. For example, “His bark is like the blast of a tuba.” instead of saying he barks loud. Writing this piece helped me bring out my inner self to write the stories of my life. With this story, I’d like to share him with you.

My Protective Dog



Patchie, a four year old, 120 pound white German Sheppard, who is a big as a horse, is my protective dog. His bark is loud like the blast of a tuba. His massive weight is enough to knock over a Seahawk linebacker. Not only is he a protective dog, but he is a good friend too.

Patchie has no fear. He keeps coyotes, deer, and other animals from eating our flowers. He protects our house from would be thieves. My security dog prowls the grounds on a regular basis, keeping a watchful eye for human intruders, bears, deer, and raccoons too. He gets into a lot of fights trying to keep me from getting hurt. Once when we went on a walk, a pack of mean dogs came rushing out at us. Patchie barked and jumped on them. He came home bleeding, but I was safe. Patchie is always at my side. At night when I have to grab something out of the car or just go down to the garage, he is there watching me, making me feel safe.

Although Patchie is a very aggressive protective family member, he is loving and has a sweet heart to those he knows. When he sees that I am sad he throws me his toys, wanting to play fetch with me. He likes to lick my hand and put his big head in my lap. I enjoy Patchie this way, but sometimes he is rude. Like when he stands between me and others when we are talking. Patchie is a handful at times but a delight. Having a dog is a lot of work but the peace of mind that comes from having a giant protective dog cannot be beat.

Introduction to "My first Fishing Experience"

The next story I have include in my e-portfolio is one of the journal entries I wrote for class.” My first Fishing Experience” is an essay that I enjoyed writing because it was about a very memorable experience I had. I grew in my writing dialogue abilities in this journal. “ ‘ Why do we have to get up early? I’m so tired!’ I complained while yarning.” I hope you enjoy this tale.

My first Fishing Experience

It was four A.M when we left the house to head on our way to Canada. I was very excited at first. I packed all kinds of candy bars, and some drinks, but left my laptop and Ipod at home. I thought it would be a fun time for me, my husband and his friends. But I had no idea that I would be in a boat around circles, like merry go around ride, waiting for the fish to grab the bait and that would take a time.

For this fishing trip we headed to Renfrew on Vancouver Island. It is a beautiful island, clean, not very crowed, and very big. So big in fact that we got lost over and over. Even Map Quest and talking Tom-Tom GPS were useless to us. Jim, my husband, was driving, and it took us four hours to get to the island because we got lost four times in a row. Jim missed a couple of exits, and turned the wrong way several times. When we arrived at quaint little Renfrew Marina, and parked the truck, the guys all started to give Jim a hard time about getting lost so often. We were all starving when we got there so we grabbed something to eat at the inn. Then each of Jim’s friends checked in, with their girlfriends, and went straight to sleep. We needed to get up at three A.M. I didn’t understand this. In the morning I asked, “Why do we have to get up this early? I’m so tired!” I complained while yarning.
“Well, you can stay if you want?”One of the guys said, making fun of me.

“No! I’m going fishing!”I said out loud.

We all got ready and went to grab coffee and breakfast in a small restaurant, “Gosh! Everything is expensive here?” I said,
“Duh? What do you expect? It’s Canada and way out of the city!”Jim answered.
After we ate and drank coffee, we jumped in the truck and drove to meet the man who owns the boat, that we would spend the day on.

When we get to the dock , I was so excited. It was my first time on a boat. My knees were shaking as I saw the water splashing onto the side of the boat. I couldn’t wait to get in the craft and feel the waves. We got on and then, the man who owns the boat taught us some techniques to catch fish, and we all had to be patience and listen to what he said. I was sitting down inside in a little room, while starring outside, It was wavy; I could see some fish jumping into the air, that was the fun part. After 30 minutes of starring outside, I felt slightly sick to my stomach, few minutes later I felt light headed. I thought I was just focusing with one object, because without eyeglasses it gives me a headache; however, it got worse, I felt like throwing up. I tried to lay my head down on the table, but it wouldn’t stop. I got dizzier the more moved. I yelled at Jim, “ Hey Jim? I’m dizzy?” I said.

“Are you getting sea sick?” he asked.
“I don’t know!” I replied. All I wanted to do was go back to motel. I heard Bob one, of my husband’s friends catch the first salmon. When it’s was my turn to fish, everybody was laughing at me, because suddenly I was throwing up into my husband’s coat. I asked one of them to fish for me, and I told them that I would fish the next round. But I was so sick that I couldn’t even open my eyes, I turned green. I was so wet from sweating and throwing up on myself. Plus I was dehydrated but the guys had left all the bottled water in the truck. I was crying and begging them to drop me off somewhere on the side of the island and just pick me up when they got done. Once again, they where cracking up because of what I said, they all began to say, “There’s a bear out there?” they were trying to scare me.

“I’m dying; I know you guys are trying to kill me!”I screamed at them while crying. They laughed at me. I stayed in the boat until they got done fishing, I was crying and telling them that this will be my first and last fishing trip. I was so weak, wet and smelly. Everybody was picking on me, I was so mad, that I had to stay and be sick on that boat, while they were having fun. And the reason they didn’t want to go back to drop me off was because they had all paid four hundred dollars to rent the boat and to fish. I wasted my time and money and I did not catch any fish. I promised to myself then and there that I wouldn’t go fishing ever again.

Introduction to "It's All about Friendship"

My next piece of writing is entitled “It’s all about friendship.” This piece is about a growing relationship with a girlfriend of mine. It was our second major writing assignment that was written during our six week of class. I chose this piece because of the wonderful friendship that has developed since I arrived in America. As an emergent I feel that this piece helped me develop my descriptive words to paint a picture for the reader. For example “She is short in height with short burgundy hair.”

It's All about Friendship

The year was 2005; I had just arrived in the United States from the Philippines. I felt so scared and out of place. One of the biggest differences was the weather, it was too cold. The Philippines is a warm place. What scared me was that I didn’t know anyone, but my husband. I felt awkward about how my accent sounded. I never talked to anyone because of my pride. I was afraid I would be laughed at and embarrassed. Then I met a great friend.

Two months after I arrived in Washington, on Christmas day, my husband and I were invited to a party with the people we met at church. That night, I met two more couples; both were mixed, Filipino married to an American. We had fun together singing karaoke, eating and chatting. I was interested talking to a very knowledgeable person that I met that night named Carrie, an American, who is married to a Filipino. She lived in the Philippines for three years teaching school. She was friendly and outspoken. She is short in height with short, burgundy hair. She loves to wear jewelry as both hands are full of accessories. I could tell by her smile and laugh that she was someone I wanted to get to know more.
After two days I was excited because she called me. “Hi, Mei do you want to come over, for dinner, tonight?” she asked.

I answered, “Sure.” Jim and I went and we had a great time with Carrie and her family. She has three children; identical twin girls and a son. We jumped on the trampoline, we baked fish, and we enjoyed chatting and getting to know each other.
After that, we spent New Year’s Eve at their home and this was the beginning of a growing friendship, which continued throughout the years. I remember one day when Carrie called and asked, “Mei, what are you and Jim doing today?”
“Don’t know, what’s up?” I answered.

Carrie said, “Let’s take the kids to the beach and have a barbeque.”
We invited some other couples, loaded the van, and went to the river. We swam with the kids, played with our two big dogs, cooked steaks, and corn on the open fire, and laughed, while having a wonderful time. That was the day our friendship became deeper because Carrie confided in me that she was struggling in her marriage. I learned that forgiveness was very important in relationships.
Since that time, Carrie and I often go out for dinner, to the movies, and visit each other’s home, where we cook Filipino dishes, during which time we tell each other secrets. As often happens in friendships there are times when we don’t see each other for a while because life gets busy; however, friendships built like ours, don’t die. Whenever we have time, we reach out through text to see how the other is doing. Our lives have been fun but filled with difficulties. Carrie has been there for me throughout some rough times.

I remember one day when my husband and I had an argument which lead to a huge fight. I had to leave to unwind and release the anger that I was holding inside. I don’t have any relatives here to stay with and the only person I could think to call was Carrie. I dialed her number and cried out to her for help. She was concerned with my trembling voice and when I finally told her all the details, I asked, “Carrie is it ok if I stay at your place?”
She quickly replied, “Just pack your clothes and come over.” She is very welcoming. I stayed with her for two weeks.

Living under one roof with Carrie reminds me of my family back home. She treats me like one of her own family. Even though we don’t have the same culture, we get along really well. She is a perfect friend because she respects me, listens to my opinions, and I can always count on her; moreover, she is very knowledgeable about many things. For example: she has given me many tips about the English language, she taught me how to cook and bake American food. I can ask her any question about anything, and she always finds me an answer; furthermore, she taught me a lot of lessons; I learned how to stand up for myself, and I got rid of my attitude about being shy. There are many other things I have learned from her, and I believe I have taught her important things as well.

Carrie and I have enjoyed each other’s company ever since we first met. We always stick together, in good times and bad, and we never get into arguments. Having a great friendship is all about taking care of each other and being loyal, and learning when to laugh and cry together. Carrie is that kind of a friend.

Introduction to "How to Grow Roses"

The last piece of writing is “How to Grow roses” This piece was the last major writing that was to tell the reader how to do something. I picked this piece because it is one of my favorite essays that I wrote, and I want to share my knowledge of growing roses with you. I feel that this piece challenged me that I was successful in transitioning from step to step and used transitions words well. First, next, after that, now, and finally are the examples I used in my essay. Look for these transitions while you read.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

How to Grow Roses

Planting roses can be disappointing. Some people say that roses have bad reputations for being fussy and hard to care for. However, you may have the most beautiful garden if you follow these steps for growing roses: selecting the right roses, soaking the roots, choosing the right spot, preparing the soil, and watering and feeding the rose bush and when to prune. To ensure that you have a healthy rose bush you should follow these simple steps and procedures.

Roses come in an outstanding variety of colors, scents, flower forms and growth habits. Before purchasing a rose bush, research to make sure to plant the best rose for the area you live. Roses also range in their tolerance of climate extremes and their resistance to diseases. In certain areas, insects and disease are more easily spread; aphids, Japanese beetles and powdery mildew can rot your roses and ruin your fun in gardening. Some roses don’t bloom well in different climates. To make sure you purchase the right rose bush, research and ask the nearest plant nursery.

To grow roses these are the steps to follow: First purchase good quality rose bushes, the rose bush cane should be dark green, avoid buying the dry looking cane. One of the highest grades of rose bushes is Jackson and Perkins. They are the best roses and always disease free. They may be more expensive, but they are worth the extra expense. Some cheap, poor quality roses have diseases and their petals easily break apart causing them to look sad and neglected.

The next step before planting the rose is to remove the packaging and soak the roots in a bucket of muddy water. The mud clings to the roots and helps moisten them to prevent the plant from drying out after planting. Let it soak overnight. If you can’t plant immediately in the ground, leave the packaging on, and keep the roots hydrated until planting or plant it temporarily in a container. Don’t forget to keep the soil moist. The best time to plant is in late winter. This gives the roots more time to grow and become well established before spring comes. Avoid planting on hot summer days, but if you do be sure to water at least three days a week as the roses get very thirsty and need to be hydrated.

After that prepare the soil for the roses, try to buy an organic rose mix then mix it with compost. Dig a hole deep and wide enough to give the roots room to grow at least six inches deeper than the pot. Fill the hole with water and let it soak into the soil. Then fill it a quarter of the way with water mixed with fertilizer. If you grow roses in containers or pots make sure they have drainage holes, drainage is essential if you’re planting in pots. Put the mixed, organic/compost, soil in the bottom of the hole; make it soft so it has air to breath.

Now it’s time to place the rose in the hole. Make sure to spread the roots and straighten them out evenly while placing the plant in the hole. After that fill in the hole with the remaining soil that was dug out of the hole. Create a watering basin around the plant so that water will funnel towards the roots. Finally, water and feed the rose with fertilizer or rose food. Water your roses everyday at first. Be sure to carefully apply water without wetting the branches or leaves, as the water can cause mildew and often attracts insects that can ruin your roses.

Be sure you have time to spend maintaining your roses if you decide to grow them. Remember this includes weeding and pruning. Make sure to pull out all the weeds that compete with the nutrients you are applying to your roses. Watering regularly with organic fertilizer and putting up a fence if it is necessary to protect roses from animals that can destroy the roses. Depending on your climate, pruning time for all types of roses is generally between midwinter and mid-spring.

Some people find it hard to grow roses, but even though they take effort, they are worth growing. The beauty of the roses when they bloom, the smell and the colors give life to your surroundings. Also the bouquets that can be made make growing roses worth it. After you have followed the above procedures to ensure the health and beauty of your rose bushes, you can now sit in the yard and enjoy your roses and the beauty they provide.