The last journal

Well, finally we will finish our Composition class in a few days.

I spent a lot of time for this class which is actually the best class in ALP. Mr. Cochran, thank you for your well-organized and wonderful class. (You do not need to give me extra credit for this word)

We wrote so much. That made us progress. Even I still make a lot of mistakes in my writin, I really have the confidence about my English.

I really like the class blog. I spent a number of hours to write it and it has made me progress each week. I also like the color paper packets for assignments. They helped us distinguish the goals of each assignment and also inspired us to work. In fact, I have learned many thing from Mr. Cochran. Going back to my home-country, as a teacher, I will create the web blog and colorful assignments as Mr Cochran did.

For the dear classmates, I hope all of you begin to study your Master Degree, or Bachelor Degree from the next Spring Semester. I wish you guys success in the future. May be, some of you become my son’s teachers. My part, I will stay with ALP for 8 weeks more before return to Vietnam. I will always say loud ''Hello'' when I meet you guys.

The traffic chaos

The traffic chaos chapter in the movie Baraka remains me some experiences about the city’s life. In this chapter, we saw a density of sky towers and car traffics in the city downtown. There were a mass of people walking in the street and a huge number of people waiting for the coming train in the railway station. It is  really ’’ chaos’’.That is the urban life, very dynamic and stressful.

These scenes made me imagine if I moved from Orange County to New York or Chicago. It would be uncomfortable. I have strong memories with the similar scenes. In 2000, when I was living in Aix en Provence, a small quiet city of France, I moved to Paris. It is like moving from Newport Beach to New York. In the first few days, I was really scared. I also feel lonely as a stranger; I thought that the traffic may break me down. Honestly, I want to turn back to my small room in Aix en Provence. I also felt tired by walking in the street between the sky-towers like in Singapore. I always think about if these sky-tower fell down in to me. It was a funny thought because I finally adapted all of that.

Finally, the scenes make me think about the urbanization. 

Letter to Mom and Dad: About the children's mistakes.

It is not my situation. I wrote this letter from the ideas of my students for their parents

Dear mom and dad.

I always want to say sorry about the mistakes I made. It is not that I do not care about what you said. On the contrary, I knew your directions are often true, but sometimes in my situations, I could not do it. So please, listen to me, I will learn these mistakes.

First of all, I really agree that everything you said is good for me. If I followed it, the results would be better and you would be happier. Moreover, I will success at school, go to University, graduate from there and have a good job. Everything would fit your plan. I listened to you but sometimes,my situations could not allow me do everything you said.

Second, my mistakes might make you sad, Mom and Dad, but please, do not worry much about them. They are my lessons, and I will learn from these failures. I have actually tried to do something event though you did not like it or did not allow me to do it. I may be wrong, but I would never regret. Believe me, Mom and Dad, these mistakes train me to give my self-decision in my future.

Thirdly, I say again that I always listen to you. So please, listen to me too, I need your listening. You do not need to understand me or understand my arguments but let me talk, let me explain why I submit these mistakes. I need your listening, I need you accept my emotions although it is wrong sometimes. I need you not only to show me the directions, I also need you to support me when I fail.

Mom and dad, we are in a new era, each children grow up to be independence and self reliance. I am happy with you. I will listen to you and I need your listening. I want to make you happy by learn from my mistakes.

Journal 14: Evaluate the teacher's perfomances

Blume,  Howard. (2011, Nov, 20). Californians support making teachers'reviews public. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from: http://www.latimes.com.

A new survey showed that California voters want to use students test scores as an important factor to evaluate the teacher’s performances and then show these evaluation to public. Blume (2011) reported that 58% of the voters believed that the quality of public school would be better if the public can review the evaluations,while 23% said that it make things worse. About 900 of 1500 voter wanted the test scores to be counted at least 30% of an instructor’s evaluation. Furthermore, most of them wanted to use other measures like parents feedback, classroom observation.

In Los Angeles where test scores and evaluations are the important points in contract negotiations, the LA unified school district superintendent still refuses to make the review of public. On the contrary, the teachers union and some experts opposed using test scores as a factor to rate teacher. Blume also showed that the voters complain about teacher union: "Have too much influence over public education policy and stand in the way of improving schools."

Journal 13: Argument about the US men national team

Gude, K. (2011, Nov 7). Jürgen Klinsmann: five lessons for USA. The Guardian

In this article, Gude concludes that the US  man national team is in progress and Jurgen Klinsmann is a right choice for the US soccer.

In fact, media said that hiring Klinsmann as the head coach is wrong decision. His first five games were poor and low with1 win, 1 draw and 3 defeats. With only 2 goals, medias predict that there will be more defeat in the future when the US team face with the top- world teams in the world.

However, Gude analyzes and argues that the team's progress is more important than this result. By the clear evidences, he point out that Klinsmann has stabilized the defense. In the previous period with the former coach Bradley, the US team looked particularly vulnerable at the back by the loss to Panama and the 4-2 defeat by Mexico in the 2011 Gold Cup Final. Meanwhile, in all the five matches under Klinsmann’s leadership, the U.S. team has actually started strong and controlled the play early even if they didn't often score. Furthermore, the team has been scored by only one goals in each game. This is a claim of causes which appeal reason: the team is in progress. He also appreciates the value of the team’s new playing style, which based on possession and tempo. In his opinion, the Americans should wait for a progress rather than a miracle for their soccer national team.

Journal 12:

Kim Craft, R. (2003). Using spreadsheets to conduct monte carlo experiments for teaching introductory econometrics. Southern Economic Journal, 69(3), 726.

This one helps me to organize a lecture notes being simple to understand and practice. In fact, the Monte Carlo experiments were a valuable tool in econometrics courses but students do not often perform it. The reasons are they must pay much for software like Stata or Sas and also spend a lot of time to learn it. However, this article provides a method to practice Monte Carlo stimulation with Microsoft Excel, that is actually a lot cheaper. For me, this offered an effective method for teaching the basic econometric concepts. As a teacher, I always want to simplify everything I must teach, that would inspire my students to learn and practice more.

Journal 11: Research topic.

At first, in my opinion, Wikipedia is a genius idea.  It gives us the big pictures about everything. We might totally forget the great Encarta of Microsoft. Even though many people complain that information from Internet is not believable, I really believe in Wikipedia, especially about history.

However, in term of academic, Wikipedia could not give us the details. Therefore, it is understandable that it is not a main source to learn and research. Now, when we have an account of CSUF, we should download as much as possible the articles. I usually use Jstor to download.  In Vietnam, actually, we don’t have enough money to buy the academic articles like the CSUF does.

About my research, I will start to think about the question of MonteCarlo method in this week. Research is not easy. I studied a course about Monte- Carlo method at my Master Degree (45 hours). Even I had passed but I think I knew only a little about it, and I almost forgot. A couple of month ago, I saw my ex-classmate's article about Monte Carlo method in an academic journal that she wrote with my ex-professor. I thought about it for a whole week. I wish I would write a same article like she did.

Well, this time is an opportunity that push me study more about Monte- Carlo method for Econometrics. Thus, I will try to learn more and write it down . It is not serve for the goal of publishing in a journal, but it would help me know more and be able to discuss with my ex-classmates.

Finally, I will focus on the applies of Monte Carlo methods in Econometrics.

Advices

I received many advices from family, friends, colleagues and teachers. Honestly, I almost never followed their advices. I thought these advices are usually true, but they are not feasible, at least in my case. However, I really respect these advices and these advisors. In fact, I remember these advices, use them when it is necessary ( a few years later) and forget not to prayer for the advisors. Do you guys think that Google is the best advisor today?

Sometimes, I wish received the good advices from someones, but unfortunately, they did not want to give. The valuable advices seem cost money. I really believe in books and mechanically follow  the lessons, the advices from there. Many people think that that were unrealistic. In my view, these books were written by the experienced or success people, so it would be good.

Sometimes, I gave some advices for my friends and my students but they seemed weight not much. I think the best advice I have given  is'' listening carefully''. By being listened and encouraged, people will find the ways to solve problem by their self,  from their inner cores.

American foods

In my vocabulary words, the American foods are the food in the restaurant, such as in BJ, Chesse Cake Factory, Claim Jumper, Fox Fire, TAP…Their foods are really delicious because they are expensive. Yes, I still believe that when someone invited me ‘’Let’s go eat American’’, we would go to a good restaurant. I am always nervous to discover a new restaurant and enjoy American foods.

Hamburger is an American food,  but it is not traditional, in my opinion. I still enjoy Carl’s Jr, McDonald, Burger King, and Denny, which I never consider as the restaurants. I do not hate them like many people. I like them but less than restaurant. In fact, many people, especially the Asians do not love the American foods, neither expensive-one nor cheap-one. They could not eat something cooked by butters and milks.

I like the Western foods. The main reason makes me enjoy every Americans food because I often eat simple at home. So each time, when I eat out, it would be a gift. Some people only like the delicious food in restaurants. They eaten out as a habit then they do not realize delicious anymore.  They may lose their feeling.

Many people believe that French food is much better than American food. With the experience from working in French restaurants, I do not think each one is better. The both are good, and it seems the expensive-one would be better than the cheap-one.

Because Americans are prosperity, so American foods seems more luxury, and the way people eat in restaurant looks more complicated than in France. My French habit of  eating with starter, main dish, and dessert actually makes me become a country -boy in American restaurants. The Americans do not eat like that. They changed knife, fork when we finished a dish. Honestly, I enjoyed the foods but I do not felt comfortable with the very good services

Finally, I hope you guys will share the good restaurants you known (their address too), we will go and enjoy

Optimism

In my opinion, this quote is really true. In one hand, an optimistic person dare to accept a challenge with many difficulties. He will step by step pass to succeed, and also find new opportunities. If he fails, this failure actually will make him stronger for the next challenge. In the other hand, pessimistic people do not accept an opportunity because they worry about the difficulties.

I am a pessimistic guy, unfortunately. I always ask myself: ‘’It seems I have a half empty glass, did I do something wrong? ‘’ or '' It would be better if I did something else?

In my life, until now, I have not been being a kind of people who always seek for a new opportunity, althought I want to be. But sometimes, opportunity come to me and I often try to make use it. First step, I close my eyes to jump and follow that opportunity. Then, I opened my eyes, counted all the difficulties and planed to solve it. However, most of these difficulties never happened and there would be some new interesting opportunities or better result.

Pessimism makes our life fade to black while optimism makes us smile everyday. I believe that each of us can become optimism, because optimism is actually a habit that we can train to reach (I am training each day too)

Finally, I admire the American about optimism. By their optimism, they could send human to the Moon. They also wrote many books about optimism that we can read and train

About my friend.

I have an wonderful friend who is my classmate at University. We shared some similarities and  of course, we have many differences.

To be a good friend of each other, at first we had many similarities. We were two international students in a class that the rest are 100% french. We had a same goal that both must work hard to have the degree without a double year. We both felt happy by spending our times, experiences and also money to help the others friends in studying and living abroad.

Althought have the same vision, we acted differently. To face a new challenge, I usually planed to act including my friend's helps. He never refused and always stayed with me in each difficult moment. On the contrary,my friend always tried to solve his challenge alone before I came, stay behind and help. Sometimes, we met a failure, while I often felt sad and angry, my friend accepted and believed that it was normal.

In the University years, we met many people, shared many friends and I saw many differences in the way we behave to them. I appreciated the good ones, and strongly took precaution with someones that I thought were bad. On the other hand, my friends tolerated everybody. In fact, he believed that everyone is good and only their action are sometimes bad, because of circumstances, so we should listen, understand and accept.

We both graduated, and achieved our goals together. Each one has a good work,  and also an own family. We do not have time together as before but we keep contact and really respect and learn each other from the differences

Animal language

When I was a kid, I always hoped my dog could talk with me, or the birds came to tell me about a secret treasure

Many people believe that animal can communicate each other by their own languages. I don’t think so. In my opinion, they can communicate by only their gesture and by some noise they make. Language is the biggest difference of animal and human.

If animal had had some developed languages, they could have built their own developed society, as we could see in the movie’’ The Planet of Apes’’. The human society might not be like now, because we must compete with other developed societies of animal.

If they had been able to talk with us, by our language, we would not have eaten meats anymore, because animals would say:'' Please, do not kill me''. We might have eaten chemical meat. And our World would have been Disney Land, or Wonder Land of Alice.

The house of rising sun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmdPQp6Jcdk

I loved many songs, but I do not know which one is my favorite. In this blog, I want to share my feeling about the song ‘’The House of Rising Sun’’.

In 2004, when I was studying my last year of Master Degree at Paris, this song gave a big emotion. In fact, I was sharing an apartment with some roommates who spent most time for alcohols, gambles and girls (now, they are wealthy and having good jobs)…they were nice and generous for me, but simply I was not a kind of them. I felt alone and sad. In Paris, finding a room is as difficult as having a visa to enter the US

One day of November, I got up early to go to school and randomly listened the rhythm of this song was being on Karaoke of the Morning show TV. I saw the rising Sun in the window from my 6th floors and my tears fell down without causes.  I felt as I was living as the guy in this song.

I decided in one second that I would not stay in the house with my roommates anymore. That day, instead of coming to school, I went to find a new apartment. God blessed me; I found another room and moved in a few days.

Finally, this song is not the song I love the most, but it made me cry and gave me a decision that I never regret. If I had stayed in that house of rising sun, I would have been a gambling man and could have become wealthy like my ex-roommates or I might not have finished my Degree, ….I thank the song and the band

About the weather

The weather of Southern California is really good. There is sunshine everyday and it makes people always feel happy. Have you ever been in a cloudy day, when the Sun up at 9pm, and down at 5 pm? In that day, you will feel tired.

From last couple of weeks, it has been being so hot, but we still support it. But if I can wish, I wish there will be a rain. In the last winter, it was not so cold, but it was often dry and it make me sore my throat. If it was less dry, California would be better than paradise.

My fears

There is a paradox for me,  I am a teacher but I still fear of the school.

First, I fear of to face with the teachers. I feel really nervous each time when I must meet them. Even though I have prepared many things carefully, I can not speak fluently. Second, I fear of examination’s failure. Until now, this one still happen in my dreams and make me really scare. 

I really do not know how to overcome it. I tried to work hard to forget my fears, or to do not regret. An example is I spent 6 days to learn before writing test of driver license while the others study only 2 days.

I did not know to solve my fears, but I like to help the others to reduce it, if they had the same fears. As I am a teacher, I often tell my students do not scare, come and visit me every time they want. I would listen, tolerate, and then try to solve everything with them. In the future, as a dad, I will always love, stay behind and encourage my child in every failure.

Journal 2: Get around

Driving is one of the greatest experiences I’ve had in the US. Until now, I always feel good when I drive.

First, driving on freeway in the Southern of California is very interesting for me. At the beginning, as I drove slowly, traffic made me good because I can take a rest after focusing 200% of myself. Now, as I can drive so well, I still do not feel angry with the traffic-jam like almost people, and  I also try to never pass 65 miles per hour. I found my characters by driving in the freeway.

Second, when I drive, I could enjoy using the GPS navigator. In my opinion, it is a magic machine that shows me how to drive, talks to me when I drive alone, and ...do everything. I strictly follow the GPS although sometimes it showed a longer way than usual. The GPS is my second brain.

Third, I also feel good as people were nice for me in the road. Actually, I am not a good driver, by the fact that many times I changed lane dangerously or obstructed other cars  in red light. After trying to say sorry by hand, I usually received many smiles with tolerance of people. Of course, I will not volunteer do it more to feel happier, but I feel really good.

Driving in the US might be greater than everywhere I have ever driven. I hope that I will not have any trouble with it

Introduction- Journal 1

Hello. It is Hugh.

10 years ago, as a young student, I dreamed to build a big company as the Koreans had done with Daewoo or Hyundai, and  would become a rich man.

Well, now, being older, I know that money is not happiness for me, honestly and my goals should be more realistic. Simply, I want to be a good teacher, like Mr. Cochran for example.  I also want to become a good dad who will spend time to play with my kids. I hope to become a soccer team coach of a high school too.

Finally, I really enjoy the ALP classes with you