Filipino Dessert Galore

Hey everyone! So this is the final blog post assigned to us in English 5. It's been real fun being able to express your thoughts and opinions with others. After contemplating many ideas for my last blog post, I thought to myself, "What better way to end than with something sweet". That's right fellow readers, today we're going to be talking about some authentic Filipino desserts that are just down right exceptional.


Have you ever wanted something ice-cold, refreshing, and sweet with a unique blend of flavors? No I'm not talking about snow cones or ice cream, oh I'm talking about halo-halo. This Filipino dessert combines the various flavored coconut jello cubes with shaved ice, evaporated milk, shredded young

coconut and ube flavored ice cream. The flavor of all these ingredients contributes to the uniqueness of this dessert which can be  found in different asian Filipino markets such as Chow King, Red Ribbon, and Jollibee's. This sheer look of this dessert alone is enough to make heads turn. There are different types of halo halos that are customized to your preference. As a child I was always given the whole "shabang"(everything on it) of ingredients, which contributes to how I like my halo halo when ordering one.










Not in the mood for something cold? Have no fear! Turon is here! Turon known as "banana lumpia" is a Filipino dessert made with sliced bananas, sugar, egg, and a spring roll wrapper. Once the sugar coated banana is encased within the spring roll wrapping and bound together with a whisked egg, the turon is then deep fried until crispy and golden brown. This treat is guaranteed to satisfy that sweet

tooth with its crunchy sweet exterior and soft rich banana encased within. An eye catcher at family gatherings, this dessert will keep you coming back for more.











Last but not least we have the decadent leche flan which is one of my personal favorites because of its unique variations in different parts of the world. Leche flan is essentially a custard dessert made of evaporated and condensed milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. This mixture of ingredients is mixed

and steamed until firm, finalized with a layer of caramel sauce. Extremely rich and light, this dessert is delicious after those heavy meals. As a child I had always seen leche flan at parties, which encouraged me to eat dinner as fast as I could to eat this amazing dessert.







I hope you enjoyed Late Nights with Leonard! This is Leonard Yalong, signing off for one last time!!!

Analysis of "Nuclear Waste" by Richard A. Muller

The article, Nuclear Waste, by Richard Muller discusses the dangers of nuclear waste and his criticism of how important figures are handling the situation. Nuclear waste is the leftover nucleus of elements that were split and the result of nuclear fuel. Muller explains that because of the nuclear waste's half life we are left to decide where to place this waste, resulting in various debates. Muller criticizes that people are not considering the effect of placing the nuclear waste in the deepest parts of the earth. Instead of focusing on guaranteeing that the nuclear waste will be kept safe and isolated for 10,000 years, Muller makes the argument that people shouldn't just focus on absolute containment. Muller claims that we have to just account for 1% that all wastes should leak out making the storage problem seem tractable.

Overall I believe Muller's argument to be very persuasive and reasonable. He makes very effective claims by using factual evidence and statistical analysis. Muller takes account some of the other ideas by people used to solve the nuclear waste issue and critiques them. The article follows the cause and effect organization, giving a background of the subject before going into detail. Muller uses his own research to come up with a solution that instead of accounting for an absolute containment of 10,000 years; we should just focus on a more feasible answer such as guaranteeing leakage every 300 years. The article "Nuclear Waste" by Richard Muller uses many examples to support his claim and its effectiveness shows throughout the article. That's all for today. This is Leonard Yalong, signing off!!!

Violent Video Games: Blurring the line of fantasy and reality

This news article by Mike Jaccarino, an editor for Fox News, discusses the potential threat of violence in video games and its link to mass murders by ordinary people. These ordinary people had a blurred sense of reality by playing violent video games and as a result had begun to re enact scenes of violence towards innocent people. The video games analyzed by Pssociate Professor Bartholow of University of Missouri, showed a promotion of rewards when participating in its violent nature. The article provides many example of school shootings by those who had played video games such as Mortal Kombat, Doom, Call of Duty and Counter Strike.

In my opinion, there has always been an instance where frustration seems to consume you after being overwhelmed by the varying competition in video games. Many people face this frustration and it slowly dissipates. What it comes down to however is the violence of video games. Violent video games promote disruptive behavior, sexual profanity, etc. The modern day video games we know today such as Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty have all developed exponentially. The graphics and the characters become so realistic that you feel as if you are in the game, blurring the line between fantasy and reality. What unnerves me the most from the article by  Jaccarino was the quote made by one of many mass murderers, Devin Moore. He quoted, "Life is a video game, everybody's got to die sometime". Just hearing those words shows the mental disturbance violent video games have among the youth of this generation. Moore as described in the article has had no history of violence, until he started playing Grand Theft Auto. A game that is built on the premise of killing, robbing, and manipulating people. This reoccurring trend of killings shows that there might be a link to the violence in video games and its affect on the youth. That's I have for tonight. This is Leonard Yalong, signing off!!!

Wrassling!

When you think of wrestling, what's the first thing that comes to your mind? For most people, wrestling is associated with World Wrestling Entertainment also known as WWE. As entertaining it may be to see people jumping of ladders, hitting each other with tables and chairs; wrestling was actually a very serious sport. Originating in Greece, wrestling was used as a means to train its soldiers. This wrestling however was much more brutal than the wrestling we see today. Soliders were often beaten for losing in wrestling, some were put to death. Modern day wrestling has developed into different variations and has been an part of the Olympic Games since 708 BC. The different variations of wrestling are as follows: Greco Roman, Freestyle, Entertainment, Sumo, Folkstyle and many more. The type of wrestling I will be talking about tonight is Folkstyle wrestling.

As a former high school wrestler, I am very familiar with Folkstyle wrestling. Although I've only wrestled for two years, I've seen the dedication of people who partake in such an underrated sport. A lot of high school students saw wrestling as just a bunch of dudes rolling around on a mat but there was so much more to it. The technique, endurance, and strength you needed to have to play in such a competitive sport was tremendous. There were only three rounds in a wrestling match which lasted from a minute and thirty seconds to two minutes. Let me just say that those are the longest two minutes of your life in the wrestling ring. Now they didn't just pair you up with anyone to wrestling with, students were divided into different weight classes to ensure that everyone had an equal opportunity to demonstrate their technique, strength and endurance. The weight classes, in pounds, were divided as follows: 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220, eventually making it to heavy weights which were 285. The rules were simple; win by pin or win by points. To pin someone, both parts of the shoulder blade had to be in contact with the mat. Winning by points meant you had to score with taking down your opponent, achieving near fall, and escaping. Taking down your opponent meant throwing them down without brutal force to the neck or over-strain of the legs and arms. A near fall was basically keeping one of your opponents shoulder blades on the ground for more than 6 seconds, awarding you points the longer you kept them down. Escaping is essentially escaping the control of the wrestler in top position. There were essentially three positions in Folkstyle wrestling: neutral(both wrestlers are in standing position), bottom(one wrestler is at bottom position, trying to escape) and top (one wrestler has to maintain control over the bottom wrestler).

As easy as the rules were, wrestling someone with the same weight as you yet varying in different body mass composition was very difficult. You had two opponents who were doing their best to take each other down. Technique was vital in planning your next move and being quick to do so. The rounds do take a toll on the body and wrestlers are subjected to the body's desire to give out. The mentality to keep pushing forward and draw energy from what you had left in your body, is what made wrestling an exciting sport. Wrestling displayed the will power of those who desperately wanted to win. I hope I was able to educate my fellow readers with an underrated sport that should be highly acknowledged. That's all for tonight! This is Leonard Yalong, signing off!!!

Isolation in a Digital Age

We are all connected through technology, but is this perk leading to a greater issue? In a Ted Talk presented by Sherry Turkle, technology has made us connected but we have become isolated as a result. Turkle evaluates her experiences with technology, beginning with her daughter and incorporates examples from her studies regarding mobile technology along with her studies from hundreds of people. Her main points are drawn from people's dependency to not be alone. All of us are subjected to what technology offers us in the form of three fantasies; putting attention where we want it to be, always being heard, and never being alone according to Turkle. When we use technology we become enveloped in the virtual worlds and avatars, advertising the relationships we crave as humans.

After watching this Ted Talk about technology's consequences, I am persuaded to take action and change my lifestyle regarding my use of technology. I know that it is easier said than done, but if we just take the time to spend time with loved ones, we can fill void of being alone. Turkle's research experiment where she presented "social robots" in nursing homes was an example that really drew my attention to how desperate we were to just have someone listen to us. These "social robots" that were designed to act as companions were treated as real people by the elderly that talked to them. These robots had no understanding about the concepts of life and death but were seen as empathetic by its speakers. What a world we live in where we turn to the illusions of social media to comfort ourselves, when the solution could just be hanging out with a couple of friends. We have lost the old fashion way of creating relationships and friendships and we choose the easy way of filling the void we have. I agree with Turkle's solutions to combat the issue of isolationism and that is to establish places for conversation, listen to what people have to say, and spreading the word to others. As Turkle explained, technology has made us vulnerable but we have the decision to redefine how we choose to live that matters in the end.

Let me know your thoughts on technology's effect on our communication! That's all for tonight, this is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

Yik Yak: An Anonymous Threat?

Throughout the years, social media has been constantly evolving. From the "Bulletin Boards" of Myspace, to the tweets of Twitter, and selfies of Instagram; a new social app has risen its way into popularity. A new social app that allows users to post messages anonymously without fear of being exposed. What seemed like a harmless social media app however has spawned a variety of vulgar threats, harassment, and abuse.

If you are not familiar with the app Yik Yak, it is basically an app that combines the functions of GPS and instant messaging. People are given the ability to socialize with others around them through different proximity. The basic app features post voting, popular topics tabs, a tab that measures the activity of the user as well as the ability to view other people's "yaks" in different locations. The controversy of this app begins with the cyber bullying among its users. Yik Yak's anonymous posting capability allows its users to make a variety of posts, but there are users who take advantage of this feature. Users feel as if they are protected behind this feature and as a result, comment posts of various vulgarity. Not all users post negatively but as a former user of the app, you can't help but see a vulgar post with each scroll.

From personal experience with the app, I can definitely see its ups and downs. Just last semester, I was browsing through the posts of Yik Yak before seeing a post with a lot of comments. There was a threat against the school with an exact date and time. I was skeptical at first, questioning if the post was just some sick joke or not. It turns out that someone reported this post to the school authority and they took action to ensure the safety of its students. People have the ability to write whatever they want without fear of consequence. I guess this can be a positive aspect for the app because it allows users to stay connected with each other in close proximity. The rest of the day browsing Yik Yak posts however, I was met with various posts regarding sex, comments about professors, and just people commenting on people they saw. If someone were to read a post and know for a fact that they were the ones being talked about, it would be not only awkward but also be considered harassment. The negative aspect of this app is that there is no way to point to the user of the vulgar comment, which leads to anxiety and paranoia for other users who feel they are targeted.
The question begins with, are the users to blame for the negative effects of this app or was this app just a bad idea from the start? Leave your comments below on your thoughts about Yik Yik. This is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

The Simple Power of Hand Washing

There are many things we as Americans take advantage of here in the US. Most Americans live in excess of water, food, and other utilities that other countries consider precious. After watching the speech, “The simple power of hand washing” by Myriam Sidibe, my eyes were opened to a precious commodity everyone takes for granted, soap. The purpose of her speech was to emphasize the use of soap in order to prevent sickness and cut down the risks of pneumonia, diarrhea, cholera, etc. Her attention getter was a statistic that got people’s attention through an emotional means. Sidibe described what the topic had meant to her as well as why it was important. Her presentation used some humorous interactions with her audience. Sidibe used a family in India as an example in order to give the audience an idea of the uses of soap in other countries. The use of soap, a commodity we take for granted, are bought by mothers to protect their families, a fact repetitively used to emphasize Sidibe’s argument. Sidibe had visited Ghana with the Minister of Health, which increases her credibility. She did not use note cards in her speech which allowed her to give more eye contact towards her audience. There weren’t a lot of pauses in her speech, so her speech flowed well as she enunciated her words and brought emphasis to certain ideas and statistics. Sidibe used many gestures while holding a soap bar and her body was upright showing confidence in her speech. The thesis and main points were easy to follow as she elaborated what the problem was, its history, background information, as well as a solution to combat this problem. The speech concluded with a emotionally pleasing conclusion. The conclusion provided no new information and re introduced the main points from the introduction. In the end of the speech Sidibe showed how much the topic had meant to her after explaining to everyone that she had a high degree in health in her country. Overall, she had a very persuasive speech that flowed naturally, appealed to all emotional standpoints, was structured nicely, statistically backed up and provided the audience with a commodity that although is common, is one of the most important inventions in combating epidemics. 

I recommend this video to people of all ages to consider twice when using commodities for granted. What seems plentiful in one country, is a precious commodity in another. Leave some comments below on some other commodities you think we take for granted or what you thought about video. That's all for tonight, this is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

Rhetorical Analysis: "Don't Sell Your Hair to a Wig Shop"

Late nights while I would be watching television, the random-est commercials would make their daily appearance. One commercial that has really stuck with me throughout the years is the Direct TV commercial. If you haven't seen this commercial, it features a man who has a difficult time selecting what to watch on television. A simple problem, I know, but what happens after is so humorous and ridiculous that it makes it memorable. As a result of not finding anything entertaining to watch, he falls into depression, which leads him to visiting inspiration seminars. It is through this empowering seminar that the man feels like a winner. This mentality prompts the man to go to Las Vegas, where he loses everything. The last few frames depicts the man with his hair shaved, selling his hair to a wig shop. Keep this in mind, all these events are the result of not knowing what to watch on television.

The video's argument is to demonstrate the results of not having Direct TV, which leads to a variety of events. The purpose of the video itself is to get people to switch from cable television to Direct TV and the author is the company: Direct TV. This video primarily focuses on people who watch television and caters to the humorous side of people. The video can't help but make you laugh because of all the irrelevant events post watching television. There is no factual evidence to support the transitions of these events, but there are numerous amounts of fallacies. The most obvious fallacy is the slippery slope argument. The downward trend of misfortunes that this man faces is irrelevant and unpredictable. There is also the hasty generalization fallacy which corresponds to the depression the man has when not being able to find something to watch on television. The video doesn't mention or acknowledge its television competition directly but subtly. There are different backgrounds and surroundings in each of the frames which draws the attention of the audience.

Overall, this video is pretty effective in making the commercial memorable but is not very effective in selling it to the audience. The slippery slope of misfortunes which has no relevancy to the product being sold can cause some confusion for some people in the audience. There is no factual evidence or statistics on why you should get Direct TV instead of cable. The commercial is hasty to generalize that not being able to watch something on television will cause depression. Unless you're someone who is a strongly affected by television, I doubt that you will get depressed by not finding anything on television. I am not persuaded by the commercial to get Direct TV but I will remember this humorous commercial when the name Direct TV is mentioned anywhere. Watch the video below and comment below if you believe this commercial to be successful in selling its product. That's all for tonight, this is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

Against Meat

The article titled "Against Meat" by Jonathan Safran Foer, was very interesting as it brought up ideas regarding the relationship of loved ones and friends, using the consumption of meat. I resonated with this article because of my personal background. Being boring in the US, I grew up having more than my parents, aunties, and uncles who were born in the Philippines. The consumption of meat in the Philippines was very important in some households. It was only through holidays and festivities that meat was included in breakfast, lunch and dinner. The article by  Foer uses the consumption of meat to describe how we was brought up as a child, all the way into adult hood. For Foer, the transition between vegetarian and consuming meat was influenced by the people he surrounded himself with. It was through the idea from his babysitter, that he questioned his ideals. He was brought up not to hurt family, friends, strangers, and even furniture. It was then that he decided to change his life.

Often times, we relate memories to the food we eat, as depicted in Foer's article. I know most people can relate to having to go to grandma's house and becoming stuffed at the end of the day, only to be given the comment, "Eat more, you look skinny" as if eating a lot will make you healthy. I do believe that food can bring people together. After Sunday church, every third week of the month, we would have a pot luck. A pot luck was basically a little mini gathering full of home cooked meals among friends, family, and strangers. You could could really taste the love and time they put into those dishes. These pot lucks brought everyone closer as people shared their recipes and memories. Choosing to be vegetarian and consuming meat only affect our health, but it shouldn't dictate how we choose to distance ourselves from people. Thats my post for tonight, this is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

"Childish" Thinking

The phrase "childish" thinking has been a phrase long used to demean and indicate a lack of maturity for those of a younger nature. I have never given that much thought to the phrase until watching a Ted Talk by Adora Svitak, a child prodigy who has written full length novels such as Yang in Disguise and Dancing Fingers. Her speech focused primarily on how adults needed to have a childlike mentality: a hopefulness for the future, regardless of boundaries or obstacles. She felt that children had very little say in the rules established by adults in society. She advocated the need for a reciprocal teaching by adults and children that would take into account both needs of the population. Her speech included a variety of historical examples as well as personal background about the topic. 

Overall, I was really impressed by the presentation. Her personal achievements gives credibility and persuades you to take action, on what seemed like an innocent expression. Being a college student, I begin to see the harshness of reality and the burden, as Svitak explained, of failures by modern day society. As children, we are exposed to many of life's obstacles but we maintain this by creating our own perfect little world. We see the optimistic side of things, which Svitak wants adults to learn from. Instead of seeing children as unequal, adults should give children the attention they deserve. After all, adults were once children too and it would be undeniable that long ago they too had that mentality. I agree with Adora Svitak's message, "You must lend an ear today, because we are the leader's of tomorrow", because we indeed will lead the future of this nation. 

I highly recommend watching this video because it applies to all ages and promotes an equality for both the young and old alike. That's all for tonight, this is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

Digital Advancement: Helpful or Hindrance?

Have you ever heard the phrase; "Back in my day, we didn't have this kind of technology but we had (enter memories from childhood)"? I've always found it fascinating how far we've developed as a society in terms of technology.  The "phrase" used by most adults, elderly, and teenagers shows how times have changed. No longer will kids be seen walking around will Walkmans or DynaTAC cell phones but rather the newest in technology, such as the popular I phones and Samsung Galaxy. The capabilities of this new technology are endless, but is there a hidden cost to this luxury?

To some people, the thought of having the whole internet in the palm of their hand is mind blowing. People have marveled at the endless array of information posted on websites, blogs, and social media. According to an online article by William McCoy, a publisher for smallbusiness.chron.com, the technology of today affects societies in a positive way. Students are able to use their laptop or computer to research any information for school anywhere, and at any given time. Students are able to access social media and communicate with fellow students in attempts to answer questions. Technology allows us to be all connected in some way shape or form. No longer are people "in the dark" of what happens around the state, country and entire world.

With all those positive effects technology has on society, many people are ecstatic, what could possibly go wrong? Some people believe that the repetitive use of this technology has resulted in society becoming dependent of it. There is an addiction that people can't seem to shake off, these addictions come in the forms of entertainment and social media. Society has become too concerned whether their photo has the most likes or their tweets have the most retweets. Students have been greatly affected by this new found accessory. Students no longer go to libraries to attain information, but rather risk credibility of their information by visiting sites and copying information. Students have begun taking advantage of technology in order to be done as quickly as possible. 

Personally, I believe that people do abuse the use of technology in attempts to waste time or provide shortcuts. Although technology provides a vast amount of information, how much is actually creditable? Nowadays people will believe anything and as long as they cite the information, the information they use has validity. This is not the case and people need to understand that sometimes, technology can't be used for everything. Technology is also used as a media for entertainment. Students become distracted by social media, Youtube, and other websites, forgetting the task assigned before them. I can remember in high school, procrastinating on projects and focusing on what people posted on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Technology has constantly advanced but at what cost? Leave your comments below on your thoughts about technology. That's all for tonight, this is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

Best Animated Movie of 2014

Hey everyone! Today I just wanna share to you what I believed to be one of the best animated movies of 2014. If you haven't seen the movie, be forewarned. there are spoilers ahead. So go check out the movie and return back for discussions! 

                                           

Disney's movie Big Hero 6 is inspired by Marvel comic books and entails the story of a young boy named Hiro Hamada and a robot Baymax who protect the city of San Fransokyo against a masked villain. For me, Disney makes some of the most memorable movies that create our childhood. This movie in particular has to take the cake as it has characters you can't help but develop bonds with. This movie also has a serious plot to it although it is dampened by the child humor from some of the characters. In most Disney films, deaths are uncommon, however we are introduced to an individual who embodies the optimistic, caring, and responsible person we someday hope to meet in real life. This character is Tadashi Hamada, the older brother who looks after Hiro Hamada along with his Aunt Cass. What made this movie unique to me was the concept of letting go and not letting emotions cloud your judgement. The actions of Professor Callaghan were not justifiable, and it was through his clouded judgement and revenge that caused others like Hiro to suffer. The moving scene that got to me the most was when Baymax displayed videos of Tadashi as he worked on him, in attempts to comfort Hiro. Overall, this was an enjoyable movie and I would recommend it to people of all ages. That's all for tonight. This is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

Disagree Big Hero 6 was the Best Animated Movie of 2014? Leave comments below on what you believed the Best Animated Movie of 2014 was!

Writing Process

Everyone has their own way of writing and there are many controversial ways to begin the writing process. Throughout my years of elementary to high school, I have always been the type to cut corners. Many students can relate to the dreaded problem of having to strive for a high word count set by teachers. For me, the solution to the problem was simple, rewrite the information you researched in different ways, and be as descriptive as possible. This may sound funny to some people but that's how I approached most essays.

My process would begin with researching a topic I knew I would have interest in, so the task wouldn't be as agonizing as it seemed. After selecting a topic, the next step is to target the intended audience and write according to the intended purpose of your essay. Targeting your audience would determine your effectiveness and how formal you were with your essay. The next step was to research your topic and gather information for main points or arguments and supporting details. I made sure to cite my sources in order to avoid plagiarism. After collecting facts, arguments, and ideas, the first draft went underway. First drafts are never perfect when you write them and you're bound to have many flaws, which is why you have someone revise your essay. When I receive my essay, I look at the revisions and make corrections for the second draft. It is at this stage in the essay process that I would look hard over my essay. I would have a teacher or adult revise my second draft before finalizing the essay to the requirements of the teacher. The final draft would would usually be typed in MLA formatting with a works cited page to refer to my sources.

As college students, we are expected to write a lot of  essays, lab reports, critical analysis, and narratives. Writing essays allows students to organize their ideas, target audiences effectively, and convey thoughts, facts or opinions to a wide variety of people. I hope to take from this blog a broader viewpoint on different perspectives and use it as a new way to express creative ideas. That's all for tonight. This is Leonard Yalong, signing off!

Hello, Welcome to my Blog!

My name is Leonard Yalong and I am a Freshman at Sacramento State University. As an assignment for English, we were instructed to create our very own Blog. Here are a few things I'd like to share: I'm a Filipino American, born in Daly City, California, with an appetite for knowledge. I am currently on a journey to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering. I'm very athletic and enjoy sports such as Basketball, Soccer, Football, Tennis, and Wrestling. I love sleeping just as much as I love eating. My favorite television shows are Sherlock, How I Met Your Mother, and Friends. Overall, I'm a pretty relaxed and honest individual who likes meeting new people. Hope you can stay entertained with my Late Night Blogs! This is Leonard Yalong signing off!!!