How 11th Hour effected me.

The movie 11th Hour reminded me about how important living a green life is. It reminded me what I already forgot long ago. I used to be very careful with what I ate back when I still lived with my parents in Thailand. We ate only FRESH vegetables and very little fish. My aunt who now is not alive told me that we should pick the vegetables right before we eat them. It's not only eating organic vegetables but fresh ones. And I felt a little frustrated with life style in this country. People buy too much, way too much than they really need. I went to Pak'n Save Food yesterday evening to buy some vegetables although I know that they are not fresh. I saw people carried a lot of groceries. I didn't know what was inside the bags but they were so big, bigger that the person who carried them. I wondered what 's she gonna do if she doesn't like the food she bought? Or what is she going to look like or even feel after eating it all? The food can't last that long, especially if it's good food that still has some nutrition. So thanks to her. I didn't buy much because of her. People can buy a lot if they can eat it all or if they can make sure that they won't throw away without wasting them.
I even asked my boyfriend if we can stay here for only ten more years and then move to Thailand. Thailand is not better than America except for the fact that I can grow things there myself all year long. In America, people grow things only in summer and the rest of the year they eat whatever the markets have to offer. It's not too bad but it just costs too much than humans can afford in a long term. Imported produce is not fresh. Also it takes so much energy to transport. I can talk about this for a year and still have some more to say for another year.
Yes it's not too late, we still have time even though it's so little but I'm not positive that we will make it because people DON'T CARE as long as they have enough to eat. Others don't matter. As long as they can survive, the future doesn't matter. We don't love each other enough. Not enough to bring us together and do WHAT WE HAVE TO DO. the movie didn't tell me much about things I don't know. I just wish that people who still act like global warming doesn't exist had a chance to see it and THINK.

The eleventh hour

The things that I remember most about the movie are that we, humans, have been wreacking havoc on our planet. That it is necessary to disengage from consumerism as the main avenue of experience because you can never get enough of wha you don't really want. And that we don't have much time left to make drastic changes in our behaviour towards the earth if we ant to survive as a species.

About expired visa and I-20 form.

Yesterday we had a small conversation about visa and F-1 status in the class. I guess many students don’t know the difference between visa and I-20 form. So I just want to let you know the difference.

Status and Visa are 2 different things. Visa is required only for the entry to the US. As long as your I-20 is valid your status is LEGAL. Even after your visa is expired on your passport stamp, if you have maintained the full time student status and you have valid I-20, you are not out of status (you are legal). You are still ok with your F-1 Student Status.

An F-1 visa is ONLY needed for travel. Next time when you travel outside of the US, you need to apply for F-1 Visa and get visa stamped to enter the US.

If you have any questions about this sort of stuff, just shoot me.

My future trip

I've just confirmed my flight to go back to Malaysia. The date is January 15th 2010, 100 days from today. The plane ticket only cost $300, why so cheap? Because my sister used her Asia Miles points to buy it. Maybe on the way back to Malaysia, I will stop in Taiwan. I'm looking forward to shopping there, that will be so cool. I might stay there for 2 days, I think that is enough. hehe... :)

SFMOMA

We went to the Modern Museum in San Francisco yesterday. I was surprised because there were a few students in my classroom before we left in the morning. On the second floor of the museum there was a tour guide, but I didn't join the group because I wanted to see the works with my pace. Some students who study art in college cheated from my notebooks many times so I escaped from them. On the third floor, there were so many Japanese pictures which were taken by Japanese artists. Some photographs are from 100 years ago, others are from 30 years ago. On the fifth floor, there was Avedon's section. There were a lot of wonderful photographs, and I especially liked a photo of a woman with an elephant It was beautiful. I enjoyed yesterday's feed trip very much.

MOMA

Yesterday I went with some of my classmates to the museum of modern art in San Francisco. It was an interesting field trip because there was an exhibition with Richard Avedon's photographs. I've never seen nothing from this artist before, and I liked it a lot. Avedon could transmit feelings with the expressions caught with his photographs. He took photos of a lot of famous people like Marilyn Monroe, presidents from the U.S, writers, poets, singers and unfamous people like carneys or haltlesnaker skinners. I liked the photographs of his father, because he transmitted the essence of oldness. Another interesting photograph was one of a murderer, you could see in him a strange an dark gaze through his eyes.
Ana Prats

SFMOMA this Tuesday, 10/6

Greetings!
Hope you've had a fabulous weekend - just wanted you to be prepared for our SFMOMA field trip this Tuesday!

We'll meet at school as usual at 9:00 a.m. and leave around 9:45 a.m.

For those who missed the Richard Avedon exhibition last month, here's your chance to see it - it is worth the $5.00 admission fee, FOR SURE.

For those of us who saw the Richard Avedon, there are a couple of other photography exhibitions to see, click our link to the SFMOMA for the current exhibitions (in the top right corner of our blog.) These new photography exhibitions look very interesting. Of course there is also the wonderful permanent collection on the 2nd floor.

See you soon, Denise