Happy Birthday or whatever pages 45-90

Loaded Words:
1. college (pg 45) - this is a loaded word to me because I am in high school and I want to go to college so what I do now affects my future. Annie was using this word when she was talking about what college her mother went to.
2. car (pg 51) - car is a very fun word to me ever since I got my license in July. I have so many memories taking road trips in cars as well. The author was using this word as her mother shoved her into her car because she though Annie looked very pretty and wanted to drive her to school.
3. depressing (pg 54) - this has a negative connotation because it always follows with bad respones. Choi was using this when she was talking about a black dress that made her feel depressed.
4. imagine(pg 55)- imagine is a positive connotation because everyone has a diffrent imagination. The author was using it refering to something she could never see herself doing.
5. dog (pg 66)- dog is a special word to me because I had two dogs growing up and I can't even imagine not having them. My parents won't let us get a new one either since my sister is already in college and my brother goes next year and then I go two years after that. Annie was using this word when she was talking about being a new student from Korea and the kids had not asked her yet if she ate dog.
6. wrinkled (pg 74)- wrinkled always makes me think of my grandmas and grandpas. My grandmas and grandpas always put a smile on my face. The author was using this word when she was talking about how old a nun looked.
7. leprechaun (pg 78)- this is a loaded word for me because my mom is over 50% Irish so St. Patricks Day is always a fun holiday at my house. Annie Choi was using this word when she was describing what she thought someone looked like.
8. dance (pg 82)- this loaded word to me is very exciting because my first school dance is coming up. Annie was using this word when she was telling a story about her friend getting asked to a dance.
9. suprise (pg 88) - in my experience suprise was a positive connotation. When I think of suprise I will always think of my sweet sixteen suprise party that my friends threw for me. Choi was using it when she was suprised she finally got her period.
10. chocolate (pg 90)- when ever I think about this word it always brings happy thoughts. Annie was using this word when she describes the first time she got her period and wanted chocolate.
Summary
In the fourth chapter of this memoir Annie described how her mother loved to dress nice. Her mother would always say," just because I am a stay at home mom does not mean I have to dress like one." Annie's mother took her shopping and showed her named brands such as Versace, Chanel, Ralph Lauren, and Liz Clauborne. Annie could tell you what kind of people would wear all these brands of clothes. In the fifth chapter it talked about when Annie first moved to America. Her mother had her go to kindergarten when she new almost no english words. It was very hard for her to make friends because they put her in special classes to try and learn the language. By first grade Annie had made a couple friends and thats all she wanted. Annie also talked about how her mother made her take Korean school on Saturdays. So growing up Annie would always combine her talking with English and Korean, which would get very confusing. In the sixth chapter Annie talked about how she had not got her period yet and was very embarssed about it. She was the only girl she new who did not have it yet. Annie's mother would tell her that she was a late bloomer and it was going to be okay but Annie did not like the sound of that. Annie also talked about how she could drive a car but was still not a woman and all these things but was not a woman still. Finally towards the end of the chapter she gets describes the first time she got her period, she was seventeen years old.
Reacton
I thought it was funny how she described her mother to be. Growing up my mom also loved to look nice and dress up so its kind of funny how it seems like alot of mothers like to do that. When I was little my mom would buy my clothes too just like Annie's mom, sometimes she would buy the weirdest stuff but thought that I looked adorable just like Annie's mom did to her. I think it is also funny to hear her talk about the first time she got a bra. How her mother is just going threw them all and having her try them all on because my mom always makes me try on everything that she likes even if I don't think its cute. I thought these past three chapters were pretty funny and I could relate to the stuff that she was talking about for the most part. It was really fun to read these chapters.

1st section of Happy Birthday or whatever, pages 1-44

So far in the novel, Happy Birthday or whatever, the author Annie Choi tell storys of her life as a young Korean girl living in the American society. In the first chapter of the book it is when she is twenty seven years old. She shares how her mother and father forgot her birthday. Her parents were trying to make up lies on how they did not forget there only girls birthday. But Annie new that it was her birthday because the day after is her parents anniversary so she was just trying to get her parents to admit that they were wrong and forgot. Then the next day she called them to say happy anniversary and she almost got her father to admit that he did forget. Then she called a week later because it was her mother's birthday. Her mom was upset that her father did not get her anything. Then Annie was complaining about how she did not even get a phone call to say happy birthday. The second chapter was about her love for animals. When she was a young girl her uncle gave her a stuffed animal for her birthday one year then she told him that he was her favorite uncle. So from then on for any holiday that occured in the Choi family all her relatives would give her a stuffed animal because they wanted to be Annie's favorite relative. She loved animals so much that she would even tuck them in blankets and made a line of who got to sleep with her. Annie wanted to be a fair mother to all her animals so she would treat them all equally. The Korean's have a tradition that if someone says that they really like something that you have to give it to them. So everytime her parents would have friends over and bring there kids they would always go into Annie's room and go tell her mother that they really liked one of them. Then Annie would have to give them it. After that whenever she new her parents were having friends over she would always try to hide her animals. In the third chapter she told storys of her spelling days. Anne was a very good speller but her mother thought that if you got a B on something it was like getting a F. So one day she came home with her spelling test and got a B, she was so afraid to show her mom so she hid it under a ant jar thinking her mother would not find it. Then suddenly her mother called her down stairs and in one hand she had the ant jar and in the other she had the spelling test. After that Annie's mother made her write down each word twenty times. She got spanked that day as well for trying to hide the bad grade. So everytime she thought about complaining about rewritting the words she would remember the sting of the wooden spoon hitting her bottom. After a while she got so good at spelling that there was a spelling bee in her class, Annie won, so that made her in the finals with 4th,5th and 6th graders. At that spelling bee she received fifth place. So she was the second alternate contestant in the regionals so that if one of the top three could not make it she would go in there place.
Reaction
So far my reaction on this memoir is that some of the storys are kinda funny. I like that it is giving me a better understanding of a traditional Korean family. Some of the things she has talked about are kinda point less but also sorta interesting to read. Another thing that I like about it is that i can relate to her about stuffed animals. When I was little I loved stuffed animals and just like Annie did I would treat them like they were a person. Although I can not imagine my parents not remembering my birthday though. Every year when it is my birthday I swear sometimes my mom is more excited about it then I am, which is hard to do. But as far as I can tell I think I will enjoy the rest of her storys.

This I believe

1. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9249892

2. Judith Jamison

3.To Thine Own Self Be True

–4.
I believe that Judith was saying life is short so make sure you live it the way you want to while being a true person.

–5.
"I believe that to "be good," as my father instructed, we must be true to ourselves." This is one example where is shows how she believes that you have to be good while being true because part of being good is telling the truth.
" It's about reaching for perfection, and, most of all, it's about honesty." This is another example of how she believes life is short so be true because she is talking about how she is a dancer and has been a choreographer so you have to be true on your feelings on stage otherwise it could ruin the performance.


–6. "I believe that there is sanctity in the fact that we are only on this earth for a short period of time. And I believe that with that time, we'd better be doing something good." This is one of my favorite things she said because one goal for my life that I have made for myself is to make sure I live it to the fullest. So it says to me that since life is so short make sure you do everything that is available to you and to serve other people who are less fortunate.

What I am looking forward to at EHS and one goal for sophmore year!

The thing I am most anxious about at Edina High School is getting to know all the kids that I have not met yet. I am most excited about this because I love to go down the halls and say hello and ask how they are doing to all the people I know but I found out quickly that there are alot of people I want to meet still at this school. I also am anxious about learning all the new things that our teachers have to offer. I want to learn all of these new things because I have a brother and a sister who went to Edina High School who talk about stuff they had learned and I want to be able to understand what they have told me.
One goal for me in my sophmore year is to find a balance between social life and school life. I want to make this a goal for me because I feel that every year I tend to be more social then school oriented.I want to be able to hang out with my friends still but maintain better grades then what I have gotten.