1st draft for week 2 paragraph (Process/Example)

How to throw a surprise birthday party for a friend

 

200701508

Jiyoon Bae

 

             Dear Kevin. I’m really glad to hear that you are going to throw a surprise birthday party for my sister. And it is good surprise that you are actually planning to cook for her. I am very happy that I can help you with my recipe. French Onion Soup is her favorite and I believe you won’t have any difficulty cooking it. You should prepare enough food that can serve 8 people who will be at the party for her. Make sure you prepared all the ingredients you need before cooking. The ingredients are 1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 4 large onions, 2 to 5 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon sugar, half of teaspoon dried thyme, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, half of cup dry white wine, 2 and one quart of beef stock, 2 tablespoons brandy, 6 to thick slices French bread, and 3 cups of grated Swiss cheese.

 

             Now you are prepared to cook. First, in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until they are soft and beginning to brown. Second, put one garlic clove aside, finely chop the rest and add to the onions. Add the sugar and thyme and continue cooking over medium heat for 30 to 35 minutes until the onions get brown, stirring frequently. Then sprinkle the flour over and stir until the rest well blended. Stir in the wine and stock and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam from the surface. Lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in brandy. Next, rub each slice of toasted French bread with the remaining garlic clove and place them in the 8 soup bowls. Fill the soup bowls about three-quarters full with the onion soup. Finally, float a piece of toast in each bowl. Top with grated cheese, dividing it evenly. Wait 30 seconds so the cheese begins to melt and bubble. Cook this French Onion Soup according to this recipe and get every credit you deserve for the delicious meal as well as the surprise birthday party for my sister. With love, Joanna

 

 

 

The love I found in between

200701508

Jiyoon Bae

 

             Have you ever needed someone special, not so close to you nor so far from you? I have. Sometimes you feel your family cannot give enough comfort to you. It is not because of their apathy but because of their too much closeness; too much loyalty and love that makes you feel helpless and unable to ask or demand anything more from them. You already love them too much, and they love you exactly the same way. You don’t want to bother them with your frustration or depression. Of course they will give you steadfast love and support whenever you ask them, and you are so sure of it. Tragically, that doesn’t make you ask them every time you need it. Yet you want to vent your bitterness to someone. Maybe you could look to your friends. This time, however, you cannot turn to them because they are strangers, after all. They haven’t owed you anything and you can’t just ask them to listen to all your frustration and worries. They have no obligation to listen to you or care about you. It is true that friends can help you out of trouble of course, yet you cannot ask it for free. Friendship is not that simple. You cannot get their affection or care as if you use ATM and get your cash.

 

             In my case, when I needed someone special in between family and friends, my aunt gave me all I needed. Having my aunt, in that aspect, gave me my exit from the loneliness and frustration I had when I was studying in Tokyo as an exchange student last year. She was in her 40s and I was just 20 years old at that time. She was working in a law firm located in one of the most expensive district in Tokyo, and I was living on my meager scholarship, saving every yen as possible. No, definitely we didn’t have much in common. However, we had such an extraordinary friendship. It was thanks to my aunt’s generosity, understanding and affection. She was generous to me, buying me expensive meals and drinks every time we met. Thanks to her, I could let go my stress living on such a limited budget when I was in such a fabulous restaurants and bars in Tokyo with her presence. Everything just looked good and tasted good when I was with her in those places and that felt like almost catching a glimpse of heaven to me, because I had to eat every meal at the cheap and dull student cafeteria at that time. Another thing about her that made me so relieved was her understanding. She talked to me as if she was talking to an old friend and listened to my every trivial worries and complaints about Japanese people and culture even though we were never really close until I came to Tokyo, Japan. She didn’t treat me like I was a spoiled, unthankful girl who got so much that one didn’t deserve. She never preached I should “suck it up”. Instead, she just listened to my relief and gratitude. And there’s her affection that made me almost weep when I was so lonely and felt suffocated living in Japan, surrounded by too many Japanese people who were die-hard reserved, silent and callous. All the things she gave me, from my birthday presents to all the happy and relaxed moments spent with her, were out of her sincere affection toward her niece whom she never met until she turned 47; still single, after having spent all her life struggling against the glass ceiling in Japanese corporate culture, and against the still-existing discrimination toward Korean Japanese in one of the most insular, closed-minded community in the world. I found unconditional love in between my family and my friends. That’s why my aunt is my favorite relative.