Pricy Paradise Essay (Final Draft)

            Hotels in Hawaii offer the islands' native culture and bright entertainment in the name of aloha. Despite the joy, a welcome to the islands comes at heavy expenses by lawmakers and the Hawaiian Tourism Authority (HTA). Lawmakers have made decisions on hotel room tax, resulting in an increase by 2 percent. This and flight costs have been increased for the island’s benefit in business. Hawaii is often seen to be a paradise fro vacation, but high expenses are keeping tourists from willing to have an island stay.

            Hawaii depends on tourism as it’s most effective industry, despite cost increase. “Hawaii relies heavily on tourism, and some tourist-related business owners and their employees are worried that the increase will hurt businesses and cost jobs,” (Par 6). Hotels, stores, restaurants, thrill attractions, and more, are all types of businesses relying on tourism, which helps them earn a profit to buy supplies or fix their building areas and keep thriving in the community. Their benefit from tourism is slowly decreasing with a growing tax rate, thus beginning an argument to the government. “Tourism is the largest single contributor to the state’s gross domestic product, representing about 21 percent of its entire economy,” (Par 2). If the tourism industry gives 21 percent of Hawaii’s economic profit, then there are far more industries in Hawaii that help benefit to the islands. It also shows the importance of the industry and reason to a higher tax for more profit.

            Taxing tourists has grown over the years, and thus take more money out of visitors. “The hotel accommodations tax rate will increase intementally from 7.25 percent to 9.25 percent by mid-2010,” (Par 6). Since tax increase that much during 2010, it might have had another increase and tourism statistic dropped. The tax also has people already living in Hawaii work much harder. "There was a record 8 million visitors in Hawaii last year who spent a collective $14 billion in 2012. Most spend an average of $196 per person per day or $1,800 per trip," (Par 2). After the taxing increase in mid-2010, it's shown that each person per trip spends greater averages. This makes it more costly for families visiting Hawaii, with having to pay a lot for multiple people.

            Despite these warnings, millions of people visit Hawaii anyway, even though the expenses still drain them of their money. “More than 1.2 million Californians have visited Hawaii so far this year (2013), along with 320,000 Washington State residents,” (Par 3). The number of visitors from those states may be because of being geographically closer, therefore paying less for flight. Since these statistics were from 2013, the numbers may have raised this year (2015). “Hawaii has seen more New Yorkers and New Jersey visitors this year (2013); tourism from mid-Atlantic states is up for than 10% over last year," (Par 4). Even though the East Coast is much farther and flights from there to Hawaii are more expensive, visitor numbers are increasing. The statistics of their visitors may be closer to that of the West Coast’s.

            Hawaii's tourism industry is very sensitive, meaning the higher the cost to visit, lesser people will choose a vacation here, and the islands will earn a smaller profit as a result. Hawaii is often seen to be a paradise for vacation, but high expenses are keeping tourists from having an island stay. Tourism is a huge benefit to Hawaii, but since taxing keeps growing, it will get harder for the industry to keep making a high profit.

Querencia Graphic

Hot Chocolate

When the winds of Hawaii come in from the north, a cup of hot chocolate warms your heart during the winter season. Clustering the ingredients together in a culinary harmony, we start with the milk. Pouring a deluge of the pasteurized liquid into the cup, it starts to brim, like a whirlpool. The soft, brown chocolate powder cascading down into a mound of cocoa, before starting to sink to the bottom of the glass. A silvery spoon to swirl the contents, the cocoa rises with a delicate scent. We then put it in the microwave for a lengthy amount of time. As the time reaches zero, the mixture expands greater heights of it's culinary aroma.

We pull out the now burning glass and hastily place it onto the counter. Almost like it was on fire. A few more minutes of waiting for the seconds to past, then eventually as a few minutes past. It's cooled down enough to drink and enjoy the taste of the sweet, light brown liquid. The small shiver that soon falls after the first drink, making us realize how cold  it seemed like before. The fragrance of the bittersweet liquid hitting our senses like a small wave. Especially the taste of the hot chocolate always makes it even better. The cocoa leaves our taste buds tingling and with a sugary tang. Making us wanting more, so we drink the warm liquid again. Which we are greeted with the same senses. The delicious taste always leaving the same sweet aroma. That's until we finish our cup. Which still leaves a small warmth and a small fragrance. This reminds us the magical expirence we just had with our hot chocolate and how we should go make more.



Done by: Clarissa and Chaysen

Querencia: Final Draft

    Schoolwork, writer's block, artist's block, family stresses: all the things that provoke my annoyance and willing to go away from this pain. The pains of school feel like distractions from what I like to do sometimes, especially projects I consider important. Family stresses are very easy to ignite, from a plain argument to getting grounded in 5 minutes flat. Writer's block and artist's block are purely annoying when I want to write or draw, but nothing comes to mind for a whole day. Sometimes, these things overwhelm me so much that I hardly want to do anything at all, which is bad when I'm told to do something. It seems that every day when I'm stuck in reality, I'm simply sad and alone. I barely feel anything nor doing anything at all.

    Whenever I feel like this, I always go back to the two places that I have found refuge to my strains: Fanfiction and DeviantART. They are two sites I have found and joined back in 2014, and I have never left them since.  I first found Fanficiton like any other kid on the Internet: browsing through random things. I was going over my Koopaling fandom at the time, and I saw a fanfiction about those very characters. Fully intrigued, I checked out the story, and that's when I entered the site of amateur authors' imaginations. The site page barely looks like much - mostly a chapter of a story, ads popping on the top and bottom, and a small review box beneath the chapter for members and visitors to place their critics. Without reading the chapter, you've practically skimmed through everything. But once you read it, you've seen it all, and only want to read the story to the end.

     By how I perceive FanFiction, it's the one oasis for authors seeking publishing opportunities to give a chance on what they can do. The one thing that put up my irritation was how people's first reactions to "fan fictions" being dirty, inappropriate themes based on sick and immature thoughts involving shipping only. My friends there and I are not any of those; we instead work as amateur authors seeking great results, helpful critics, and becoming successful at what we love to do. Writing has become one of my many passions I seek to have great results on. And as a writer does the words, the artist does the art.

     I have found DeviantART by my uncle when I was a lot younger. It intrigued me as a young child: bright colors, amusing patterns, and all types of interest that I could understand. There were pictures called deviations that came in more numbers within a person's gallery. Deviants there had their own bios describing who they are, journal entries displaying tags or fun quizzes, and status updates and tag lines sometimes used humorously. I wanted to have a DeviantART account and have my drawings there since, and I spent time practicing, which became more active as I grew older. I met more friends on the site, as well as some FanFiction author friends I chat with. The passion of art and the site revolve around me, and talking to my friends there help me feel safe, secure, and known. Activity was more frequent there than on FanFiction, so I spent more time talking to friends there.

    Apparently, the main reason to going both sites is to talk to my friends. They help me feel more noticed and secure, and even one reply can lift my spirits after a whole day of plain sadness and lonliness. I spark conversations with them for countless hours, and every moment we talk, I begin to feel happier and more like the me I have been but never see. I'm immediately lifted from all these pains, ignore what annoys me, and I talk. I can freely speak about my fandoms, interests, and games I enjoy because there's someone who I can relate to so much. Reality is a lot harder, as it's a blend of every interest. In all honesty, finding one person who likes the same video game, even a popular franchise, is like finding a tree in the desert - there's only so many yet so little.

     In reality, I have felt viewed as that random guy, the loner, someone gone unnoticed, someone hardly up to high talents. Stresses of life have gotten down to me, and it's been hard trying to meet my high expectations and find myself in the midst of everything. But when I come to DA and FF, I feel like I'm someone. There are people there I trust and talk to, and I'm not alone. I'm not judged to the point of who I am and why I am who I am, because I am not alone, and we help each other. I can freely be myself on both sites, and find people who have one or more things in common with me. I always go to those sites on my free time when I feel down, because once I talk to someone there...I'm happy.

Words from the Heart Graphic

Special Place

     Upon entering the mindscape of my special place, I find myself where no other place can imitate nor perfect to greater standards. I see in front of me a fountain with a statue of a tall woman with flowing pink hair, curls so thick and so compressed that it's hard to tell they are multiple strands of hair fused into one. She wears a white dress of many layers, and a star design cut out where her midriff is, a rose quartz gem planted there. At the bottom of dress, which obscures her feet, showed a silver plaque with the words "Rose Quartz" imprinted. She standing atop the marble structure, watery tears falling from her gentle eyes. The water flows to the fountain floor, brimming it with life. Four other smaller statues of Rose Quartz sit on four diagonal pedestals of the fountain. The fountain has for lowered pathways, where the water floods and dips into a circular moat, dug down to the ground till I see no floor. Fluffs of snow dab the grassy area, bringing a sense of spring and winter. Trees of evergreens and dogwoods pop up from the ground, daffodils and marigolds rising from their roots. Berry bushes of all kinds sprout here and there, dotted with fruit all over. The sky glows of the morning sun, and shades the ground of the stalking night. Puffy clouds dot the sky in shades of yellow, orange, pink, and red. The sun rises ever so slowly, the looming rays casting a soft, luminous shine on everything the light seems to touch. When I looked into the fountain water, I see my younger self: the innocent me, the curious me, the young me. A cliff stands beyond the snowy and grassy field,  blooming with dandelions. The sky there changed to a full night scenery, dark clouds so rare as they pass the atmosphere. When the wind blows the seeds of the soft plants, the same seeds collect in the sky, and burst with bright light, shining greater than a firework. When the light fades, a visual of a past memories reveals itself, reminding me of the times I had. That very memory soon fades as the dandelions float away, but yet to come again.

CNN SN REPORT!

     Throughout the United States, millions of college students have fallen into debt while making their educated paths cleared out for a hopefully bright future. With the graduating class of 2016, 'they will owe about $35, 051, according to Mark Kantrowitz, a student financial aid policy expert and publisher." Although graduating school and making a path to success is a hopeful dream, the burden of debt is practically a boulder in the way. Suffering past consequences of a troubling result, students need to work hard to the bone to be able to pay off what they owe. Such weight have caused future plans to be delayed, from business for entrepreneurs to marriage. Factors of the debt reduce chances of early success. It can take years for these students to get back to their lifelong dreams. Should the possibility of lifting away the pain of debt ever come around, only the choices of suffering graduates could tell.

Mano Po (FINAL DRAFT)

Respect is an important thing to my family. One way of that is "Mano Po." It is a respectful gesture youth does for elderly as a sign of respect, as a child respects his or her grandparents. It is also used as "a greeting upon entering a house, or a welcoming blessing on holidays, such as the Christmas season." "Mano" is Spanish for "hand," and "po" is Filipino, specifically Tagalog, for addressing respect, specifically to an elder who is spoken too. It is said before the gesture, asking the elder for permission to do said gesture. If it is given, the person takes the elder's hand and presses it against his or her forehead.

Mano Po is important because it is a great sign of respect, which my family values highly. My parents have always told me and my sister to respect who's older than us, whether related or not, whoever we know or not, as it is our cultural doing. Respect is universal, and is a moral. As a rule, my parents had me and my sister call our elders, or anyone older than us, what title is commonly used for said certain person. we call our mom "Mom," our dad "Dad," others of adult age "Aunty" or "Uncle," and so on. It shows proper respect to people.

I had first heard of 'Mano Po" during my family's trip to the Philippines to visit my grandmother during the Christmas season. My parents told me and my sister the gesture for respect, and told us to do it when we meet her. Apparently, we forgot, but we remembered when my cousin did it a while later. I still try to remember for when I need to do it, because as it's important to my family and my culture, it's as important to me."Mano Po" is a standard phrase to my family. Doing it feel like I'm putting full use to myself in a Filipino custom.

To me, "Mano Po" is a term for showing your gratitude and maturity to one, as we are to be thankful and respectful to those higher than us. It makes me feel more thankful for my elders, and is by far, to my family, the best of anything anyone could ever receive. I want to give those I'm thankful for my full gratitude with maturity and respect. The have cared for me, helped me, comforted me, and taught me general ways to live life. They have done so much, and giving back is all I try to do.  It's the main and so far best way to say thank you.

As my mom had said, "it is a tradition that has been done for years." She and my dad have done "Mano Po," my grandparents have done it, my aunts have done it, and so on. It's a continuous line of giving respect, and I want to continue it further. Respect is a value that my parents are strongly strict about. I've spent many years learning respect. "Mano Po" is only one of the many, but few of the greatest to my family.

My First Post

        Hey, this is Chaysen Agcaoili on "The Writer's Oasis." I picked the title specifically based on a common phrase that I say to new Deviants on the site, "DevinatART." I used a simple aqua green for the color of my blog because it was one of my favorite colors as a child, and is a foamy shine off the shore and some palm trees.

        The world I come from is a blend and sometimes troubling mix of fantasy and reality, having to find myself in the midst of my thoughts and what happens around me. The fantasy, generally speaking, is where anything can happen in thought, with a chance of becoming reality should the thought be theoretically possible enough to be done. The reality of my world is sometimes the hardness of life and getting past all the challenges that come my way, only my perception and emotions determining how I perceive the situation. Having to go from fantasy to reality and vice versa is a hard thing to do for every person, but it never means that balancing both worlds is ever impossible.

        I like to draw, write, and read frequently, though the three are sometimes hard to balance. Drawing would be my main passion, taking it as an amateur experience and developing my style as every learning artist does. I like to do a lot of fan art, mainly consisting of cartoons I admire, video games that made up a lot of fun in my childhood and now, and some non-canon comics that feature some things that may have a possible chance of ever becoming a reality through publication. I would do some art pertaining to my original characters, or OCs for short. They are commonly known to be characters people can create, forming their history, personality, attitude, flaws, and a way to relate to other characters through the artist's point of view. I like to do a lot of comics, which ranges from my fandoms to my OCs to whatever happens in my life. They all come in a very cartoonish style, which I admire a lot due to exaggerated expressions and a humorous way to draw people in real life. I used to draw a lot of my friends in cartoonish ways, which I find quite nice to do. I write a lot of stories, all pertaining to either my fantasy or real life experiences. Some are inspired by what I watch, what I read, or what I imagine. I write some fanficitons from some of my favorite shows and games, making headcanons that I would imagine to be. I could even put some of my OCs in them, just to make them a little more interesting and entertaining. All my stories are rated K, K+, or T. Reading is a way of inspiration to write and draw, words and illustrations done by professionals who's work astounds me. Some of my art and stories were inspired by books and novels by amazing authors I look up to, even if they're for lower levels. Overall, drawing, writing, and reading have major effects on my and what I  do. From them, I can view my thoughts on what I think of. I express my emotions, though very personal, and how I perceive many things and many people. I can show how I see the world, which I view to be complicated, or what I dislike while respecting others, like the beach. These three hobbies have had a huge impact on my, and will continue so.