So while I was catching up on my favorite TV series, Castle, this weekend, one of the episodes actually talked about the possibility of drones taking over the world. 

Awesome episode! (Well, EVERY episode is AWESOME!) This is the youtube video that contains the scene where the scientist, writer and detectives discuss drones. 

Enjoy!
--Jessie Wu

All the short films of the robot stories were interesting. What surprised me at first was the Asian actors because I do not see Asian actors in movies or television shows much. It was different to see Asian actors as the focus of the short films. This showed me how we are affected by the media in ways we do not even notice or realize. The kinds of people that typically act in shows or movies make us develop expectations about who the actors would look like. By seeing that the robot stories had Asian actors, it made me see how the expectation of what actors look like was developed because of all the regular movies I watched that had only white people as the main actor. I did not even realize I had this expectation.

My favorite robot story is the "Robot Fixer" because it was heart-warming to see the mother try to find the missing pieces to her son's toys. She wouldn't be able to let go until she attempted to save her son, which she later realized she had to face the truth that he is dead.

Jason Li

For creative writing homework, I wrote a poem that reflects my love-hate relationship with the media that feed me every moment of my breath.

Love-Hate (Dear Media)

Your shatterproof omnipresence,
The Panopticon of 21st century
: I am the gifted prisoner, You be the gruesome police.

Have I created you or have you created me?
You are my mother to whom I gave a birth.
You are my child who gave a birth to me.

That mutual desire of two dispiriting vampires
acidifies my idea, my identity,
in this circle of witchcraft.


- Kahn Ryu -

Below is my Tritina poem! 
(Words - A: myth B: fires C: soul)


The Myth That Fires My Soul

I have a myth
about the fires
that awaken my soul

the lust flows to my soul
why it keeps me alive, the myth
the power of my passion fires

So does crimson anger fires
through my mind, my soul
another left-behind myth

The myth that fires my soul


- Kahn Ryu

Prompt: If you were to adopt a child, would you adopt one of a different race?
Why or why not?

Honestly, I would adopt a child of my own race. This is because I'm trying to think logically and reality. I mean, yes, it would be nice to adopt a child of another race, but I figured, this is mostly about the child, not me. I believe that one must realize what the child will be going through and how you want to raise your child so that they feel belonged and loved, regardless of what they look, etc. But, if I did adopt a child of another race, in the beginning, as babies, it may seem normal to them. But as they grow older, they will come to realize that I am a different race of my child and thus the adopted child would begin to question and what to know their true identity and might want to know who their parents were or would want to connect with their race more than mine. Because of societal norms in general, the adopted child is definitely going to question, i'm pretty sure sooner or later to which race/ identity they would belong to because their parents are one race and they are another. To prevent uncertainty in my adopted child's feeling of identity,  I thus would adopt a child of my race because in part of raising a child, your culture plays a big role in shaping your child. Because my race has a certain type of culture, this culture is made me to who I am today.  Thus, I would be raising my child with the culture that I grew up with...thus it would allow my child to identify with our culture and thus our race.
-Syeda Fareeda Inamdar

2. Would you trust a robot to make decisions in life or death situations?
Why or why not?

I believe that as much precision a robot is designed with, and even with it being able to perform certain tasks more efficiently and better than humans, I would never trust a robot to make decisions in life or death situations. This is partially because first of all, robots are technology. Technology only functions correctly if it is designed correctly and there are no damages to it. But also, Technology malfunctions at times as well. For example, my computer is very useful to me and is essential to me because I need it for school work, etc. But, sometimes, at the time I need the internet the most or need to print something out, my computer for some reason doesn't connect to the internet fast enough or it freezes at times. However, I've been treating my computer very well and never dropped it or anything. Yet, at random times, it malfunctions. Thus, because technology, er, in this case, robots, are not actual beings, they can definitely malfunctions at the most critical times. Thus, in life or death situations, the robot might not function properly and thus anything bad could happen. So therefore, because robots are not dependable, I wouldn't trust a robot in life or death situations.
-Syeda Fareeda Inamdar

This is just a poem I wrote for homework. I'm not a poet, but I tried to capture the love between my mother and father before they were married. Margaret had asked the class not to make the poem rhyme, so I tried to be as creative as I could.

-Rachel Chung

Letters between Mama and Papa

Mama, Papa, tell me a story

Story of your love, your life

Life as two lovers far apart

Apart from each other.


Child, daughter, sit down right here

Here in my lap while I share

Share with you the magic

Magic of words and paper.


Woman, bachelorette, waiting for her true love

Love easier than being an immigrant to America

America challenging her identity and security

Security as a child in pre-war Vietnam.


Man, bachelor, seeking the right one

One who could understand him

Him who came to America for knowledge

Knowledge not available for many poor Malaysians.


Suitor, matchmaker, Mama’s friend placed an ad

Ad searching for Mama’s possible lover

Lover for a lonely, shy, hardworking woman

Woman whose life was missing a man’s love.


Writer, poet, Papa writes to the striking Beauty

Beauty of the young woman he reads about in the newspaper

Newspaper opening doors to the beginning of a relationship

Relationship that blossoms through words.


Acquaintance, potential boyfriend, Papa breathes magic into words

Words that open and woo Mama’s heart

Heart warming up to this stranger

Stranger that isn’t the typical “love at first sight.”


Images, pictures, they send letters back and forth

Forth towards eventual dating and face-to-faces

Faces so young, so tender, Mama shy and quiet

Quiet love blossoming with this soft-spoken man.


Wishing, waiting, Papa wonders when she will write back

Back to where he sits waiting to hear her words

Words woven by her hand into the yellow parchment

Parchment placed in an envelope sealed with a kiss stronger than glue.


Time, a year, it passes before Papa’s big decision

Decision that Papa desperately hopes and wishes

Wishes to solidify this distant, silent, but powerful love

Love kept alive and loud through the magic of words.


Dearest, beloved, will you marry me?

Me, the man who transformed from pen and paper

Paper to a human being with a mind

Mind set on spending the rest of his life with you?


Distance, length, let us close the gap between us

Us, who have grown to love and cherish

Cherish the intimate connections we built

Built and will continue to improve in eternal marriage.


Papa, father, did the woman of your dreams say yes?

Yes, my dear child, Mama accepted my hand

Hand that wrote those magical letters

Letters that brought us closer than physical contact ever could.


And Rachel, my dearest girl, there are many forms of love

Love through paper, through pencil, through voice

Voice seen by the eyes and heard through the heart

Heart beating steadfastly for the musical, mythical language of the next letter.

How has technology affected your personal relationships and overall quality of life?

Technology has been a bane and a boon in my life. I think a lot of what I know about current society is via media and word of mouth, which can sometimes conflict with each other. Relationship-wise, I feel like technology has brought me closer to my family, especially living out here in Berkeley. With cellular devices, Facetime, texting, and social media, I feel slightly more "connected" to my friends and family back home. However, that's not to say that technology has taught me everything "good." There was a time when I was taught to despise my culture, to look at FOBs as alien people to scorn, to view myself as someone that I was not and strive for unrealistic goals. But, I think a lot of my life has been trying to navigate these murky waters and take from technology the more beneficial aspects. Overall, I'd say technology plays an essential role in my life. It is my main source of information and work (virtually all my homework is done via the computer, and my research is through the Web, not like the old-school library book days in my youth). And I prefer to communicate through text sometimes instead of calling. I have to be cautious though- technology can neither break nor make relationships if I don't take the time and effort to maintain intimacy/friendships. And if I focus too much on what the media says or compare myself to some unrealistic image of what a woman should be and look like, I will never know what it feels like to value myself.
There's a fine line between technology and the impact it can and will have in my life.
-Rachel Chung

Mermaids seem to pop up in Diwata quite a lot. I think for a lot of people, when they think of mermaids, they think of The Little Mermaid from Disney since we all know Disney from our childhoods. Though the mermaids from the Diwata are nothing like Ariel the Little Mermaid, they both share feminist themes.
I've never really thought about The Little Mermaid as a feminist story, but I found an article that highlights the feminism within The Little Mermaid. The main idea is that Ariel is assertive and she knows what she wants. Ariel wants to be human, and her desire is uniquely her's and not influenced by Erik, the "Prince" of the story. Ariel even defies her own father to do so. Though some may argue Ariel the Little Mermaid is anti-feminist, Ariel is undeniably a strong female figure who is perfectly independent.

Link to article:
http://feministfiction.com/2012/05/31/why-the-little-mermaid-is-a-kickass-feminist-movie/

Victor Chen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW49eH9yg7E (Part 1)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHBffQCUMSk (Part 2) 

The other day when Barbara Jane Reyes came and gave her two sense in regards to women rights and current status. In my Sociology class we were asked to watch this about Women today in the Education field. Very interesting! 

Fact: Women today make up more than 50% of the population in majority of the college campuses, yet we don't hold as many positions and leadership roles as men in the work place. 

On another note, I highly encourage you to read Lean in by Sheryl Sandberg!
I got it recommended by one of my high school teachers during the summertime and it's an empowering book to read. it gives a new perspective on who you are and who you can become. 

http://leanin.org/book/

Janice Le