saltybaewatch-blog

[saltybaewatch-blog]

Marvels of the world

Ø  What is it to Me

The Eiffel tower of France is the Crown Regency of Cebu City. It is tall, amazing, and wonderful infrastructure that is wrapped with so many astonishing lights. It is a tourist attraction just like the Eiffel tower of France. I would like to go there, because of its ambiance and wonderful light decors, plus the exiting things you can do inside.

Ø  What it is to the people

The Eiffel tower is a wrought iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. The Eiffel Tower will glitter for 5 minutes on every hour after sunset. It is a beautiful sight to behold. Many would believe that Paris is the most romantic city in the world and some would even propose for its romantic aura.

Ø  Intersections

In both, the Eiffel tower is described as a tourist attraction, a must visit place for tourists and the locals. It is very beautiful and the first experience is remarkable.

Ø  What is it to Me

There is a Taj Mahal in the Philippines and it is located in Negros Occidental. As the name of the place implied, this attraction is the remains of the mansion during World War II wherein the family intentionally burned so that the Japanese people won’t use it as their headquarters. It took them weeks to fully burn the house because it was made of hardwood.

Ø  What it is to the people

is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre)[5] complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall. The Taj Mahal was commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1631, to be built in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, a Persian princess who died giving birth to their 14th child, Gauhara Begum

Ø  Intersections

In both, the Taj Mahal is the remains of a very special thing or person to a person. In Inda, the Taj Mahal is the remains of Mumtaz Mahal and Shan Jahan, and in the Negros, it is the remains of their house filled with memories.

Ø  What is it to Me

The Great Wall of China is the Basilica Del Santo Niño of Cebu. Not basing on its structure but based on their history and their relevance to the people. The Basilica Del Santo Niño is a reminder of the Cebuano’s culture, traditions, and history. We are reminded of the Spaniards colonization, the start of our new culture, and the introduction to our very own religion, Christianity.

Ø  What it is to the people

The Great Wall is a China icon. It shows us not only China's culture of national pride, grand projects, and determined resistance, but also China's extravagant architecture and creativity.

Ø  Intersections

In both, the Great Wall of China is a reminder of their culture, traditions, pride, and many more. The Great wall is also an astonishing view just like the Basilica.

Ø  What is it to Me

The Pyramid of Egypt is the Manila North Cemetery of Philippines. The Manila North Cemetery is the oldest and the largest burial monument in the Philippines. The cemetery is owned by the City of Manila, the national capital, and is one of the largest in the metropolis at 54 hectares.

Ø  What it is to the people

The Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid-shaped masonry structures located in Egypt.As of November 2008, sources cite either 118 or 138 as the number of identified Egyptian pyramids. Most were built as tombs for the country's pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.This pyramid and its surrounding complex were designed by the architect Imhotep, and are generally considered to be the world's oldest monumental structures constructed of dressed masonry.

Ø  Intersections

In both, the pyramid is a burial monument for people who matters to someone. The pyramid is the largest burial monument filled with tombs of Pharaohs, so as the Manila North Cemetery, It is the largest burial monument in the Philippines.

Ø  What is it to Me

The Roman Coliseum in Italy is the Araneta coliseum in the Philippines. It is the Araneta coliseum of Rome Italy, where people most especially stars, perform, entertain, act, and provide concerts for their fans. It can be used as a multi-purpose hall, sports arena, and it is also one of the largest clear span domes in the world. I would like to visit and tour in the future as I would like to see what is really inside and how will I explore it.

Ø  What it is to the people

For the people in Italy, it is located just east of the Roman Forum, the massive stone amphitheater known as the Coliseum was commissioned around A.D. 70-72 by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty as a gift to the Roman people. Though two-thirds of the original Colosseum has been destroyed over time, the amphitheater remains a popular tourist destination, as well as an iconic symbol of Rome and its long, tumultuous history.

Ø  Intersections

In both, the roman coliseum is described as a place of entertainment. It is where people gather just to watch their favorite play as a place of fantasy and full of enjoyment.

  Ø  What is it to Me

Mt. Everest in Nepal is the Mt. Apo in the Philippines. It is the Mt. Apo of Nepal, Considered as the most technical and interesting trail because of its narrow and different type of  trail  with very lush vegetation and pristine jungle which you can see the canopy ecosystem and different species of Flora & Fauna. Its trail starts at a small village call Baruring, Sibulan, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur which a back packer would pass a farm trail, jungle trail and boulders trail before reaching the summit covering a distance of 13.7 Km with elevaion gain of approximately 2,000 meters from the trail head.

Ø  What it is to the people

For the people of Nepal,where Mount Everest attracts experienced mountaineers as well as less-seasoned climbers who typically enlist guides known as sherpas. Climbing more than 8,000 feet is no easy feat. Altitude sickness, weather and wind are the major roadblocks to making the summit for most climbers. More than 5,000 people have climbed Everest and 219 have died trying. About 77 percent of those ascents have been accomplished since 2000. In 2007, a record number of 633 ascents were recorded.

Ø  Intersections

In both, the Mt. Everest is describe a long been revered by peoples. Like the Mt. Pinatubo it is high enough that you can see the clouds above it, and it is beautiful to watch the view below it.

Ø  What is it to Me

The Northern Lights in Northern region is also located in some part of the Philippines. Northern lights or we called it as “Aurora borealis” can be seen in any part of the Philippines. the most common is located in Albay, Boracay, and Siargao Island.

Ø  What it is to the people

The northern lights are the right dancing lights of the aurora are actually collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. They are known as 'Aurora borealis' in the north and 'Aurora australis' in the south.

Ø  Intersections

In both, The northern lights is very beautiful to watch every summer, during the middle night you can see different colors of light it is very satisfying to watch and you can spend time together with your family and friends

[saltybaewatch-blog]

Knowing Valley of Amazement

Amy Tan 

 A Chinese-American novelist who wrote the New York Times-bestselling novel The Joy Luck Club.

Profile

Writer. Born February 19, 1952 in Oakland, California. Tan grew up in Northern California, but when her father and older brother both died from brain tumors in 1966, she moved with her mother and younger brother to Europe, where she attended high school in Montreux, Switzerland. She returned to the United States for college, attending Linfield College in Oregon, San Jose City College, San Jose State University, the University of California at Santa Cruz and the University of California at Berkeley.

After college, Tan worked as a language development consultant and as a corporate freelance writer. In 1985, she wrote the story "Rules of the Game" for a writing workshop, which formed the early foundation for her first novel The Joy Luck Club. Published in 1989, the book explored the relationship between Chinese women and their Chinese-American daughters, and became the longest-running New York Times bestseller for that year. The Joy Luck Club received numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Award. It has been translated into 25 languages, including Chinese, and was made into a major motion picture for which Tan co-wrote the screenplay.

Summary

           The excerpt from The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan is all about a girl who happens to have an extra finger in both of her hands, “twins of her pinky” they called it, that was taken away from her hands without her knowing. At first her grandparents recommended to her parent that they should amputate it before leaving the hospital, but my parents disagree for the persuasion is not that strong. She defined her parents as freethinkers, whose opinions were based on reason, logic, deduction, and their own opinions. One day an old friend of her parents visited and encourage them to remove the extra finger. He successfully persuade them and her extra finger was taken away from her. That was the reason why she felt fearful that people could change some of her parts, without her knowledge and the start of her quest to know which of her attributes she needs to protect. She then started to list her preferences and dislikes so that she could take note of the things that she must protect and to the things that she must enhance. She described her parents as freethinkers, whose opinions are based from reason, logic, deduction, and their own opinion.

Guide Questions

1.)    What was lulu’s reaction when she found out about the operation? Do you think her reaction is normal? Why or why not?

She was shocked when she found out about the operation. For us her reaction is normal for an eight year old girl who is still innocent and doesn’t know the whole world as we know it. She was shocked and she cannot decide for herself that time for she doesn’t know how to.

2.)    Do you think the parents made a mistake in operating on Lulu’s fingers? Why or why not?

Yes. We think that her parents made a mistake, because the decision was not theirs to make. They should have ask their daughter for her decision even if their purpose is for their daughter, and now their daughter is scarred for life.

3.)    What is the narrator’s fear?

The narrator feared that the scenario that happened to her when she was still 8 years old would happen again. She knew that she could not defend her stand at that age and she felt like she got no authority and control over her own self and her opinions don’t matter to them, that she allowed them somehow to remove her parts without her consent.

4.)    Why did the narrator dislike the way her mother described reproduction?

For us she disliked her mother’s way of describing reproduction, because her mother degraded the egg cell or she described it as useless and the mother’s guidance is the only thing that can make it survive.

5.)    What do you think is its effect on the narrator?

That narrator didn’t like what she heard from her mother and she reacted to it negatively. That conversation will always be in her memories and she will never forget that. Maybe she was a little dismay or dishearten and maybe it will be the cause of their weak relationship.

6.)    What does it mean, that the narrator wanted to be true to herself?

This means that she will protect herself and would do everything to avoid the thing that happened to her when she was eight to occur again. She would be true to herself by listing her preferences and dislikes and by accepting her weaknesses and enhancing herself. If one truly accepts one’s weaknesses, and knows one’s strengths and enhances them, then the person can truly say that she knows herself.

7.)    Have you ever felt the same way? Why or why not?

Yes we do. Sometimes we feel like our decisions is not ours to make. We feel like our opinions doesn’t matter to a person and it makes us feel like we are worthless and weak.

8.)    Do you think the narrator is selfish? Why or why not

No. The narrator isn’t selfish for not letting anyone decide for herself, she is just doing what is right and her rights. It’s your body you must be the one who is in control of it.

9.)    Is the narrator expressing an inherently Asian or American value? Explain your answer

We think that the narrator is expressing an Asian value. The scenario is a typical Asian family, the parents sometimes are the one deciding for us and we are ought to do what they want us to do and forget the things that we want to do.

10.)                        Do childhood revelations have lasting impact on one’s life?

Yes. Childhood revelations have a very big impact on one’s life. A perfect example is the narrator’s experience, it really made an impact because she knew that she was still too young to defend herself and to make the decisions. She was still to young for her opinions to be heard.

Reflection

I really don’t relate to the excerpt, because in our family we make our own choices and we are held accountable for it. The excerpt is a perfect example of parents making decisions for us and we cannot do anything about it. When we say no they will punish us or they will talk it out until we say yes. If the parents could just understand that the opinions of their children matter. The most cliche situation is a student who is choosing a college course. It really brings out the pressure especially when your family has this link of jobs. If your great grandfather is a soldier, your grandfather is a soldier, your dad is a soldier, they will then expect you to be a soldier as well without considering your wants and desire. And when they fail it is their fault, you cannot excel on a class that isn’t your forte, it is like you are letting a fish walk to the ground. If you want your children to excel, let them chose their own field, let the fish swim and the cheetah’s run as fast as they can for that is what they want and intend to do. This is a good story and I commend it for its sensitive and well known issue. 

It seems that the story is very mutual among children who have a unique ability to create wonderful things. A girl in this story was very determined to be true to herself despite of being possessed by an extra body part attached to her hand. According to her grandmother should be the extra finger be removed simply to enable her to wear gloves, but they are still thinking about. About the girl’s personality she is very courageous in terms of her unusual growth. I can’t relate it is because my family is very responsible in terms of the growth of their children they are just to support their children’s own choices for the betterment of his/her future.