This is my letter of invitation for the 3 lucky people I’ve selected to forcely comment on my e-portfolio! Here it sums up what the project is, what’s the main point, and how to navigate my site.

I NEED YOUR HELP!

Hi, how are you doing? Sorry about that false alarm, but I’d appreciate it if you could take the time to read this email.

For my Writing Workshop 2 class, we’re building an ePortfolio blog where we put in our works from WW2 class or from any other classes and also works that we thought were good examples of writing. The blog is divided in different “discourses”, or types of communication that is not only in the form of writing, but also through images, audio, videos, and other medias. An organization of college and university writing teachers, called the CCCC, wrote a Position Statement where they define the 6 forms of discourses, and what to value in each of them. The 6 discourses are: academic, civic, personal, aesthetic, workplace, and cross-cultural (description of each is found in my blog, so don’t’ sweat). The reason they did this was because they felt like most schools only focus on “academic discourse”, or in other words, works done for the class, and the CCCC thinks that there should be a variety of forms of writing to really maximize the “closeness” of human interaction.

So that was the boring part. But now this is where I need your help. Part of this whole project is we need people to look at our blog, and comment on our posts. And I’ve randomly selected straws, and your name just happened to pop-out! Haha I’m kidding. I just thought that you’re most likely to enjoy this and not see it as a task, but more of something like Youtube, but in writing.

I think of this more of a game. The rules are, you would have to go to my site and read the items that are posted up. There are so many fun stuff on my site, different forms of writings, videos (check out my personal discourse posts), audios, and images, I promise it won’t be lame. But this is the not-so-fun part; I need at least 4 comments from you. I know this seems a lot but I bet if you visit my site, you’ll really enjoy it. I tried really hard to make it as entertaining as possible. The comments don’t all have to be praises, I appreciate criticism as well. Also, try to look at both text and non-text posts. I know my blog tends to be complicated, but patience is an important characteristic in life, maybe it’s time to test it. J

Okay almost done with the email, I just need to summarize how my blog works. So if you go to http://leonardarceo.wordpress.com/ , there are 6 black boxes on the right column, each explaining the different discourses. Now you can scroll down to check my most latest posts, or if you want to view it by discourse, you can click on the titles of the black boxes, or on the left hand column, they’re listed under categories.

Since my blog is still under construction, it won’t be ready until January 15^th, and comments will be accepted until January 19^th. Don’t worry, I’ll send an email to remind you of the dates.

Thank you for reading this tediously long email, and I’d appreciate it if you send me a reply whether or not you are willing to do this fun-filled project with me! JJ

YAY that’s it! Thanks for your time, and I hope you enjoy your winter break!

Love,

Leonard A.

I am sure everyone have heard of this famous college app essay, but I thought I’d put it up because they took a risk in turning this in. The imagery and imagination in this writing is endless, which is why Hugh Gallagher got accepted to NYU.

Are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person?

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I’m bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don’t perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer, I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat .400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group ofterrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago, I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to college.

This is my sample college application essay written for Writing Workshop 2. We were just suppose to write a mock (well in my case) and I wrote mine about the time when I was at Nishimachi, and how I helped raise funds to support the victims of  the Kashmir Earthquake. This is the only college app essay I have written and my actual personal statement is still under construction.

It was October 8, 2005.

“In the news today: The Kashmir Earthquake hit northern Pakistan by surprise, killing unprepared locals and leaving hundreds of thousands of people in devastation. Many lost their homes and their properties. Some even lost their families. But worse of all, many lost their lives.”

This was what I heard in the news the night the earthquake occurred. It was early on my freshman year that this tragic incident happened. Being naïve of the ongoing in the world that surrounded me, I was too young to care about other than what was happening in my own particular life. That is until I heard about this earthquake.

Although I was not well-educated about Pakistan and its economy, I knew that poverty was a recurring issue and that many remained poor. Pakistan is classed as a developing country and in need of financial aid. On top of that economic burden, the earthquake added another pile of hardship and obstacles to the people living in Pakistan.

Like Pakistan, the Philippines have suffered from significant floods and typhoons, weakening both countries’ economies. Coming from a Third World country like Pakistan, I have experienced how major calamities can tremendously affect people’s lives. My family has suffered for several days of flooding that trapped us in our house, with no electricity or any type of connection to the outside world. From then on, that memory of my family suffering and being helpless became a part of me. I knew that the effects of the earthquake in Pakistan were taking its toll, and I could not imagine how much people are affected by the intense earthquake. I started putting myself in the situation of despair, when my family and I were in the midst of desperation; all the emotions started rushing back in. Then I thought this was a perfect chance for me to make a difference, and try to ease the hardship people are suffering in Pakistan.

I was elected as an executive officer of the Student Council in my school, and I knew this was a THE opportunity for me to demonstrate my willingness to help the people in Pakistan. However, I did doubt whether a 15-year old boy like me could do much in helping others, especially when the people I was trying to help were all the way across the globe. So I started asking myself, What would I get out of helping the victims of the earthquake? Why am I willing to help? This was when I started to understand that if I don’t start caring now, and if everyone else had the same inconsiderate mentality, no one would kindle any kind of action. So I kept telling myself, its better than nothing.

During a Student Council discussion, I brought up the idea of helping Pakistan refugees that are suffering in the emergency shelters who lacked in clothing and other amenities. This idea was soon put into action, and with the help of not only my school, but with both Japanese and non-Japanese community as well, we were able to collect clothes, blankets, pillows, and shoes to be sent directly to the refugees in Pakistan. To my amazement, despite the conservative culture Japan has, Japanese locals were as willing to help Pakistan as everyone else! We also organized bake sales and other fundraising events for three days and raised a total of $1,000. Along with another $1,000 donation from my school, we were able to send help to those who were victimized by the earthquake.

We visited the Pakistan Embassy in Tokyo to give the check in person. The moment I met the Ambassador, I saw in his eyes the gratitude he felt when 15-year old kids like us tried to help people outside our privileged community, those who were in desperate need. The instant he started explaining about the earthquake and what part of Pakistan it hit, the cultural barrier I had totally melted away and realized that these people were humans like me, and that it is in our nature to help each other out.

From this experience, I realized that part of me will always want to help others. From then on, I became a more active contributor to charity groups that really make a difference, even in small doses. Although we are the fortunate ones to have all the luxuries, it is only right to share what we have. I also learned that initiative is all someone needs to be successful. Like me, 1 out of the 5 executive officers in Student Council who stood up and voiced out his passion in helping others, 1 out of 18 million kids in Japan who was willing to help people outside his community, 1 out of the 2.2 billion kids in the world who took the time to care to make a small difference, others can make a difference in the world too. That’s all it takes, is to care.

So this piece is an SAT essay, where the question is somewhere along, “is fame good or bad?”. I actually enjoyed writing this, and I focused on mainstream celebrities, how a lot of people want to be famous but fame destructs them as well. I tried to have a “hooker” intro, and a conclusion that provokes the examiner.

Here it is :

Paris Hilton once again was put in jail for illegal possession of drugs, but this time, not only did she bring her Bible, she brought her pet Chihuahua as well! The Jonas Brothers have now matured, and they started dating the Pussycat Dolls instead of stars from Disney Channel! These may be the future headlines that we will see on tomorrow’s paper..

News today revolves around the private lives of the elite celebrities, those who are included in the “Hollywood Walk of Fame”. But is it worth giving up one’s privacy for money, which seems to be the measure of “success” for people, and not be happy? I think fame brings instant happiness but in the long run, it can be seen as decadence in life.

A perfect example of the corruption fame brings is the epic life of the one and only pop-princess, Britney Spears. She had a prolific future waiting for her; a blooming career that everyone predicted will last longer than Cher’s, enough money to supply her and the next 5 generations of Spears, and a perfect boyfriend, who was equally successful as her multi-million career. But as obstacles started to come her way her life started to crash, faster than the stocks plummeting after the Enron Scandal. And because of her status in the entertainment world, every tiny aspect of her life was magnified.

Fame contributed to her deranged actions, making her give in to the immense pressure of the public. An hour later, you can even read the latest ongoing about her on Perez Hilton’s site! That’s how fast word travels around in the business. It wouldn’t be called the entertainment industry for nothing. Celebrities’ lives become “entertainment” to the now media-obsessed generation.

The media blows everything out of proportion and this causes some A-listers to commit erratic acts. What if Ms. Spears lived in a countryside, populated with only about 500 people and she was left alone by the buzzing pack of paparazzi? No one would have cared if she shaves her head every other day! People lose their sympathy for Britney just because her private life doesn’t exist and she exposes everything to the world. People treat her as source of entertainment, not as human. And because of this, respect is lost and everything she has done in the past is overlooked.

Imagine the effect of all these gossips going around. Do we really blame Britney Spears for shaving her haid, or do we blame the public for expecting a little too much from her? She has gone through rehabilitations and coaching, but the effect of being famous took its toll on her. She can never be the same Britney as she once was because of fame getting in her head too much.

Someone’s private life is the emergency exit of humans, as we try to escape from the fiery eyes of the society. But without our own space, we do not have this comfort zone that we know we can keep coming back to. Fame definitely eradicates the purpose of privacy. It can take over someone’s life and drive it down to its grave. Let’s hope that Britney Spears won’t be singing “Oops I Did It Again” anytime soon.