Dear Professor Clark:

My name is Hau Mui Cheng. I came from Hong Kong. I live with my parents and younger brother at Chinatown in Manhattan. I graduated from Seward Park High School in June 2000. I can speak English and Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin). I like to go shopping, listen to music, collect coins, read story books and watch movies. I study in BMCC for 3 years. My majors are Business Management and Travel and Tourism. Besides I also will include everything I think you should know when you think about giving me a grade.

As English is my second language, I have spent a lot of time to prepare for passing the ACT test. During that time, I have learned some skills such as how to comprehend the requirement, organize my ideas, follow the rules, and manage my time in the test. In this semester, I get the new challenge at the beginning of this English class. When my professor asked me to write the first assignment, I had no idea about what I should do. I did not know what the structure supposed to be in order to get a good grade. After learning and practices through this whole semester, I gradually understand how to explore my ideas, build up my own writing structures, and figure out the best way of my literal expression without just following the rules. I find out that I have improved my English to a higher level because I feel much more confident about my writing than before by getting a better grade every time. Of course, I still need to work much harder in the future, but at least, I think I have stepped a little closer to improve my writing skills after this class.

I want you to read and grade only one of my best papers, because i think it represents my best work. I will include a position/argument essay of my best paper, why I think it's good, what I learned from writing it, and how it changed from one version to another.

Position/Argument Paper--Hau Mui Cheng--Ban Smoking

This is the paper I am submitting to be graded for my final portfolio. This essay tried to take position against smoking in the public places, by arguing that smoking brings us with negative effect on our health, living environments, and properties. When I wrote this essay, I did some Internet research in order to show some accurate information about the negative side of smoking and to come up with new thoughts and perspectives to bring out the benefits of banning smoking in public places. As a student, I always look forward to learning from my mistakes. Therefore, please feel free to make any kind of comment or to give any suggestion about my writing. Your advice will be appreciated.


This is some of the other work I've done--feel free to look at it, but don't consider it for my grade.

Personal Narrative-Hau Mui Cheng #1--The truth Hurt.

In this paper, I described my experience that I took the ACT exam and I didn't pass it. I expressed some of my negative feeling through the essay. I didn't choose this essay in my portfolio because it is an usual experience that some of students had it before.

Personal Narrative-Hau Mui Cheng #2--Sometimes you just have to lie

This paper was about a lie, which I told my parents. It described a story, which I changed my report card before my parents requested for it and they did not find out that the report card was fake. I didn't choose this in my portfolio because I still get trouble on fixing it.

Research Paper/Criticism/Response--Hau Mui Cheng--Creative Class Makes Our Communities to Become Weaker

In this paper, I presented my critical response by judging the idea of a book. According to this essay, I agreed with the author who blamed on the creative class for making our communities to become weaker and weaker by showing some of my experiences. I didn't choose this paper for my portfolio because I believe that my conclusion was weak and I did not have time to fix it.

90 minutes InClass Essay--Hau Mui Cheng--Cinderella's Stepsister

This is the paper I did to show how I could perform in class with a 90 minute time limit--It's the equivalent of the final exam. It was about my opinions on why women should not to participate in professional, competitive, or emotional violence against women. I didn't choose this paper for my portfolio because I had a few proofreading and I need to add summary of thesis statement to put on my conclusion.


These are some of the comments I've received from my classmates.

Posted at Sep 12/2004 11:16 AM:
Lam Andy: Hey! What sup. I graduated from Seward Park too, but I never saw around school before. I Hope you can improve your writing throughout this class.


Posted at Sep 14/2004 05:47 PM:
john tam:so many people from Seward Park. I am also from Seward, well I have the same goals as you. I also want to transfer into a senior college as soon as possible. Hope you improve with you school work.


Posted at Sep 18/2004 07:43 PM:
yuhui xie: hi, hua, i was born in Fuzhou too,but i did not move to Hong Kong; therefore, i do not know how to speak Cantonese, i just wonder if you can speak Fuzhouese. my goal is as same as yours. i hope we can get to know each other well in the near future.


Posted at Sep 21/2004 06:14 PM:
Karen Mak: Mandarin? Nice, I want to learn Mandarin. Shopping? That's my favorite, too. You live in Chinatown? I live in Ct, too. Maybe I'll see you around. Good luck, and congrats on you near graduation. This is my first year, so I don't get to graduate yet. You lucky, you only have three classes. I have to get nineteen credits this semester. It's manditory.


Posted at Sep 22/2004 06:55 AM:
Maria Mendez:Hi Hau, It is nice that you know many languages. Congratulations that this is your thirth year. I know that you have worked hard but at the end it will pay. Keep it on.


Posted at Sep 22/2004 08:39 AM:
Jason Gomez: Wow you know 3 languages thats and interesting skill and a vital being that you live in Chinatown.