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Near Mission San Jose

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Photo Story-Multicultural Week(Making Rangoons/Wontons)

Rangoons are a chinese wonton, or deep-fried dumpling. The difference between a wonton and a rangoon is the shape. A wonton has a "bag" shape, which you see in the fryer photo. A rangoon has a "boat" shape, which can be seen in the fourth photo. The filling of these wontons/rangoons is green onions, shrimp, and chicken. They were very fun to make because it was an experiment that me and my mom did together.

First, we mixed together minced shrimp, chicken, sesame oil, and green onions.

Then we put them in a thick flour pancake and sealed it with water, and dropped it in the fryer.

After they are golden brown, we tool them out and strained the oil out.

We arranged them on a plate and sprinkled green onions on top for a fun effect.

We also made a sauce made of honey, soy sauce, and sesame seeds.

Photo Story

Pismo Beach, CA

This photo was taken on the last day of Spring Break, on a trip I took with five good friends of mine, right before a whole night of frantic driving to get home by the time school started the next day (we got there at 5 the next morning). This picture reflects all of the memories that we had on that trip, which included two of my friends getting engaged and one of my friends getting back with his girlfriend. The photo was taken from the window of a restaurant called Mo's, where was where my friend Matt proposed to his girlfriend Kiana later that night. It was obviously an important trip for my friends because of their engagement, but it was also a great trip because I got to spend time with friends that I normally don't get to see, and it's fun not to be in charge and have to act mature all of the time; I was the youngest person in the group and hanging out with twenty-something-year olds is always fun. There were six of us, four girls and two boys:Matt(23), Kiana(22), Mariam(19), Kaniel(19), Lizbeth(18) and of course me. The funniest thing had to be that I was still technically a minor, but of course no one cared, and no one acted their age. After Matt proposed, we were all reduced to blubbering monkeys, suddenly caught up in their own thoughts and existential crises, wondering if we would ever find love like that, but we didn't get time to wallow in self-pity. Immediately after the dinner, we had to return to the hotel and get on the road. I will always remember this trip as a transition into adulthood, as the silence with which we drove home starkly contrasted with the light-hearted, bohemian tone of the rest of the trip. We promised to try to meet again, even though we all knew it was unrealistic. I'm off to Los Angeles next year, Kaniel went back to New York, Mariam is busy chasing her degree at De Anza. Matt and Kiana are set to be married next August, and until then we'll probably not see a hair of one another. After then, who knows? 

MSJMCW Story

As a senior, I feel happy and sad that it's my last multicultural week, ever. But mostly indifferent because I am also a second semester senior. As an honorable second semester student in my last year of high school study, I take advantage of the hour long lunch graciously provided to us and proceed to take that time to drive frantically with my friends to fine dining establishments like Chick-Fil-A and Sonic. The food is not as inflated, and I spend less time standing in line like a raisin in the sun(junior year reference) because, old sport(another junior year reference), aint nobody got time for that. I display many of the qualities needed in a fully functioning, independent, responsible adult-laziness, tardiness, absenteeness, and of course a lack of interest in anything that isn't Breaking Bad or Ryan Gosling(or Joseph Gordon-Levitt) Hm. Scratch that. I'm interested in Idris Elba, George Clooney, Zac Efron, Drake, Liam Hemsworth, Tom Felton, Iam Somerhalder....the list goes on....where was I again? Yeah basically I couldn't care less that it's multicultural week, in fact right now I'm wondering if we should stretch ourselves and go to Yogurtland or not, and where we should try to go tomorrow, and what I'll go during the Multicultural assembly, and what I should wear to senior ball and if I should get strawberry or vanilla yogurt or if I'm better off just going to Chipotle because no matter what I eat during lunch fifth period I'm always hungry because I have a crazy high metabolism, besides, who doesn't love food? Oh, food. I could write 30-verse love sonnets to thee. Food. Food is the meaning of life. Life is just food. Food will always be there for me no matter what. I love food more than people, things, or the universe. Red velvet cupcakes, shrimp fettuccine, warm breadsticks, pho. Pho is the name of love itself. Love is pho. Pho is love. Pho is life. Hm, I'll go get pho today instead...but the only good place to get pho is san jose...time to overreach...

Principles of Design(Unity)

This photo shows unity because the three beams are parallel and congruent to one another, and you just get a sense of peace

 Mission San Jose High School

Camera Raw Edits:

Softness +100

Saturation -55

Shadows +13

Principles of Design(Movement)

This photo demonstrates movement because the road is a symbol of movement but also we see the red car which lets us know we are moving

Mission Boulevard

Camera Raw Edits:

Saturation +20

Brightness +15

Softness -23

Principles of Design(Pattern)

This photo demonstrates the principle of pattern because the fence on the left side has an interlinked diamond pattern that is continuous 

 Mission San Jose High School

Camera Raw Edits:

Saturation +70

Clarity +15

Vibrance +9

Principles of Design(Emphasis)

This photo shows emphasis on the window frames, which have a bell shape. The pale brick really draws attention to the defining shape of the windows

 Union Square

Camera Raw Edits:

Saturation -33

Principles of Design(Rhythm)

This photo demonstrates rhythm because the beams are curved, which is a unique shape for supporting beams, which tend to be straight. It makes design more interesting and pleasing to the eyes

 Mission San Jose High School

Camera Raw Edits:

Saturation +12

Whites +35

Clarity -21

Principles of Design(Proportion)

You can see proportion in this photo because the vertical beams intersect the horizontal beams at ninety degree angles and the vertical beams are at an equal distance apart

Mission San Jose High School


Camera Raw Edits:
Shadows +15
 Brightness +33
Saturation +4

Principles of Design(Repetition)

We see repetition in this photo because we see identical, multiple light structures that are grouped closely together, to help shoppers see at night

Union Square


Camera Raw Edits:
Shadows: +35
Softness +12
Clarity -14

Principles of Design(Balance)

This photo demonstrates balance because we can clearly see that the vertical beam is an equal distance from both sides of the doorway, which is part of the design to stabilize the structure

Mission San Jose High School

Camera Raw Edits:

Softness +25

Saturation +7

Shadows +31

Principles of Design(Variety)

This photo has variety because we see several different principles such as rhythm, balance, and patterns like in the way all of the columns are equally spaced and look aesthetically pleasing while we can see patterns on the ceiling

 Union Square

Camera Raw Edits:

Softness +25

Saturation +10

Brightness -22

Shutter Speed and Everything After

My partner's name is Vicky Pham 

1. We chose fast shutter speed because that way you can capture more action

2. Vicky's rule is leaving space because it is easier to focus on a single subject that way in a photograph and my rule is symmetry because symmetry is found in nature as well as in man-made structures which means you can find it in almost any setting

3. Form is an element of art that means the distinctive "feel" of an of an object for example a leaf has a nature form

4. Balance is a principle of design that means everything in a picture looks like it belongs to the picture, nothing is out of place. For example a photo of a rose that has the whole rose not just part of one