The Tale of Two Guys: Gallucci and Beaver in 2015

December 2015 is one of the months that I will never forget. It's one of my best rest days in a long time while battling many obstacles. The tale of two guys - one that has a passion for solar power, and the other that splits between zoo keeper by day and DJ by night. And the place is at Eastridge Mall in San Jose. So what is another way for me to stay safe and out of trouble? I tell my story in this blog on a December day of how I managed to have one of my friends meet another while still being with my brother and cousin.

THE DAY OF THE MOVIE

It was on a day that I remembered that a Star Wars movie was coming out - and it started with a rather chilly December morning at my nest in San Martin. I remembered starting my day by doing minor chores and trips to shop for something in Morgan Hill. My brother and cousin agreed to head over to Round 1 Amusement, which is located on the second floor of Eastridge Mall - the same mall of where the three of us plan to see a Star Wars movie.

And so the "freeway" continued. I had one stop after another the previous several days - the day before this trip had 2 stops. The trip for me began at 2pm, as I had to fill up my fuel tank to maximum level at a Shell station near Bernal and Monterey Road about 14 miles later. I arrived at Round 1 Amusement just before 3pm, so I decided to begin playing both arcade and bowling games. The first 90 minutes consisted of bowling games challenging between myself, my brother, and my cousin.

The second phase consisted of playing arcade games before I had to head into the arcade shop and purchased green tea Kit-Kat bars and other snacks using the number of accumulated tickets on my red card before I got a black card. The red card is a standard version for players who only goes to Round 1 Amusement infrequently, while the black card is the upgraded version of the red card with more benefits.

As for the snacks, the green tea Kit-Kat bars is rarely seen in the United States - and only a very few select retailers have green tea Kit-Kat bars. The reason behind this is that while it is legal to obtain green tea Kit-Kat bars in the United States, the product is not designed to be marketed there. When the product is imported for retail in California, the consumer may obtain the green tea Kit-Kat bars at a reasonable price, but only at certain stores. Among the Asian specialty stores that I went to, such as Lion Supermarket (Tully/King only), 99 Ranch Market (San Jose, Milpitas, Dublin (CA), Cupertino, and most recently, Las Vegas, NV only), Manila Oriental Market (Evergreen), and Mitsuwa Marketplace (Saratoga Ave, San Jose), I recalled that Mitsuwa carries that product on a regular basis and the others to a lesser extent and sometimes even lesser.

My brother, cousin, and I had dinner at around 6pm at a restaurant located outside but within the Eastridge Mall area, but near Quimby Road. After dinner, it was back to the mall and Barnes & Noble store with some book exploration plus some sustained quiet time for the next hour before the Star Wars movie.

LIBRA RISING AND SOLARCITY

I had encounters with my brother's friends three different times; one each at Barnes & Noble and Round 1 Amusement - the other just before approaching the theater on the second floor just above the SolarCity booth. When I was inside the theater, I met up with John Beaver - but seconds later joined by Anthony Gallucci! I introduced them both using my own knowledge. This was the first meet between Gallucci and Beaver. John Beaver is a zoo keeper by day, meaning that he is referring to taking care of the animals at the Happy Hallow Park & Zoo in San Jose. Beaver also is a DJ during evening hours, of which he does DJ at venues around the Bay Area, of which he is an artist working for Libra Rising Music. Beaver does tell his story, of which he is a cancer survivor.

Anthony Gallucci on the other hand is a solar specialist at his favorite solar company, known as SolarCity. After the movie was over, in order to ask Gallucci about some of his accomplishments as a Regional Sales Manager (his current position), I had to part ways with my brother and cousin. Previously, Gallucci was an energy consultant, although he got upgraded to become a regional sales manager. He told me that his goal is to have a handful of workers and working as a team at many malls around the Bay Area. Although I will still see him from time to time, I will still chat about solar and perhaps write about my personal experience in future blogs.

Both John Beaver and Anthony Gallucci have contributed as one of the great examples of one important thing for me in my life - that is being reminded to stay out of trouble. I personally believe that both of them have the potential to grow in their respective fields. Sometimes, when I do tell my own story like this, it generally provides one more example of how I do stay safe and out of trouble.

Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak

CHAK'S TAKE: The City of Gilroy - Build 4000 More Homes? And Effect on Homeless?

The battle between residents of Gilroy and San Martin and the city of Gilroy is far from over, given the fact that Gilroy plans to have 4000 new homes sometime in the future. The city of Gilroy passed a bill that allows the city to acquire more land in the area between Fitzgerald Avenue, Santa Teresa Blvd, and Monterey Road - a controversial idea that is panned by many Gilroy and San Martin residents like Robert Carerra for various reasons. Last time, I talked about how traffic in Morgan Hill would be impacted by the housing plan, particularly during the morning commute. But in this blog, traffic is not thing that is the problem - it's the homeless impact. This in turn picks up from where I left off in the last blog.


THE TAKE ON HOMELESSNESS - ANY OBJECTIONS TO HOUSING?

Scott Wagers, who is a pastor for the Community Homeless Alliance Ministry (CHAM), has attempted to help as many homeless people in Santa Clara County into affordable homes in Santa Clara County. However, finding a home anywhere in Santa Clara County may be tough in San Jose, even as more new homes are put up despite the number of homelessness have actually decreased in 2015 (Reference 1). Gilroy may be one of the locations Wagers could be considering, despite that many of the homeless prefers living closer to San Jose.

But with 4000 new homes proposed to be built comes a question on how many of them will be shelters for homeless people. That only Wagers could ask the City of Gilroy. I previously have attempted to contact the cities of Gilroy and Morgan Hill for inquiries and their thoughts on Gilroy's housing plans and the traffic impacts, but have not heard back as of so far. Furthermore, neither the city of Gilroy nor Morgan Hill has addressed whether they have any plans for additional housing for the homeless within the city limits, including those of the city of Gilroy's new housing plan.

None of the Gilroy's city council members nor the mayor has specified anything about the additional land other than the plans as indicated to the public, including those for the homeless. And there were either little or no such opportunity for people to voice their objections against expanded land use until it was too late. And even if Scott Wagers were to ask the city of Gilroy, he too would attempt to send an e-mail or put phone calls to the mayor.


HOUSING COSTS AND CHANCES FOR HOMELESSNESS?

As more people are moving to the southern end of Santa Clara County like Gilroy and Morgan Hill, the comparison between Gilroy and Morgan Hill in regards to expansion is largely different. In many parts of Morgan Hill, the expansion that I see is generally within the city limits, with more land ready for both business and residential housing along Butterfield Blvd between Sutter Blvd and Cochrane Road. However, the city of Gilroy is mainly relying on their attempts to expand their land beyond the city limits without any input from residents after my review of at least three sources.

With Gilroy's population at around 61,000 as of 2015, there are still unanswered questions of how the cities of both Gilroy and Morgan Hill will be dealing with both traffic congestion near their neighborhoods along U.S. 101 and homeless population in many other Santa Clara County cities like San Jose, Mountain View, and Palo Alto. As I have said in my previous blog, 101 is only configured to just three lanes in each direction and has continued to grow with little or no action from both Caltrans and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). The frustration over congestion has already been fed up for many residents and does wish that a High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane was added sooner.

To me, the chances for the homeless population to be housed in new homes would only be less than 10%, due to a combination of both available housing and the controversial plan by the city of Gilroy. One of the reasons behind the chances is due to the fact that the fiscal cost to put the homeless in houses is staggering (Reference 2). It is likely that the fiscal cost could rise as the lack of new homes are also on the rise and San Jose's population could continue to grow beyond one million people in population. And this could disappoint Scott Wagers himself because the growing cost of housing could make putting homeless people to new homes or shelters could be harder.

Overall, the picture that I see in regards to Gilroy housing plans is very bleak not only due to opposition in traffic, but the question on homelessness as of so far. Gilroy and San Martin residents have long been in a huge tie-up with the city of Gilroy, and neither the battle between both homeless and local residents and Gilroy seem to rest - of which the war of words will likely continue. I will continue to keep my eye on Gilroy and give my take when warranted.

Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES

Reference 1: See Santa Clara County Point in Time Census & Survey, 2015 report.
Reference 2: See San Jose Mercury News report on the fiscal cost to deal with homelessness in Santa Clara County.

CHAK'S TAKE: The City of Gilroy - Build 4000 More Homes? And effect on traffic in Morgan Hill?

30 minutes more of commute time between San Martin and San Jose State University? That is not what I may be thinking of in regards to the already growing traffic along one of the most congested corridors leading up to San Jose and points north. Back in March 2015, Gary Richards, better known as Mr. Roadshow, wrote an article in the Mercury News that has seen traffic jump by 37 percent. But there has been late word that plans by the city of Gilroy to build more housing units could jump traffic even more. So why are people divided over this proposal? And why could the city of Morgan Hill be concerned over increasing traffic on Monterey Road and Butterfield Blvd?

CITY OF GILROY PLANS

Let's face it this way - according to one article, the city of Gilroy has acquired more land that will range from the current city limits to the intersections of Monterey Road, Fitzgerald Avenue, and Santa Teresa Blvd, adding 721 acres. The city of Gilroy and the city's planning commission, as well as community members, are on opposite sides of the issue. Gilroy's current population at last check is just over 53,000 residents, and with acquired land, could expand to over 60,000 residents. Some opponents on the plan have said enough about the expansion, referring to the fact that farm plots will be taken away.

TRAFFIC IMPACTS IN MORGAN HILL

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) handles congestion management, but they have yet to react to Gilroy's expansion announcement. But with Gilroy trying to expand it's acquisition of acreage, my concern is more on the traffic impacts the city of Morgan Hill could have, as traffic at times have been at a standstill even with the newly installed metering lights turned on. The year 2003 was the last time that Morgan Hill saw a huge expansion, with U.S. 101 expanding to four lanes in each direction between Cochrane Road and Bernal Road in South San Jose.

Traffic anchors who are familiar with the route, such as KSBW's Michelle Allen, KNTV traffic expert Mike Inouye, and most recently, KCBS radio traffic reporter Kim Wonderley saw the impacts when accidents occur along either 101, Monterey Road, or Santa Teresa Blvd between Morgan Hill and San Jose that creates a ripple effect. The most common prudent slowdown occurs between San Martin Ave and just after East Dunne Ave exits, when traffic is slowing down to as little as 15 miles per hour. Adding any accidents along 101 and traffic can turn traffic to a nightmare, slowing down to as little as 5 miles per hour (but no more than 10 MPH) on average.

Part of the problem with the slow traffic between San Martin and East Dunne exits along 101 is the current lane configuration. The original Monterey Road used to be part of U.S. 101 before the construction of U.S. 101 freeway bypass that opened to traffic in 1973. Traffic in each direction is currently only three lanes, and neither the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) nor Caltrans has any short-term plans to expand the freeway, as the recently installed metering lights between Gilroy and Morgan Hill is only one of the long-term plans along the corridor. However, 101 south of San Jose is only part of the long-term solution that is included in the Silicon Valley Express Lanes project. The only problem is that the short-term solution is to expand the freeway to as far south as Tennant Avenue exit, and not the high-occupancy lane (HOV) or express lanes that Gilroy residents would want from VTA. Out of all the onramps from the east side of 101, only Tennant Ave remains configured in a single lane without HOV.

Morgan Hill city streets that parallel near U.S. 101 like Butterfield Blvd, Monterey Road, Condit Road, and Murphy Avenue have occasionally experienced traffic congestion from the many times I've attempted to drive either directly to San Jose State University or to either Santa Teresa or Ohlone-Chynoweth light rail stations to catch a light rail to SJSU. Some people elect to drive on side roads as far north as either East Dunne Avenue or Cochrane Road to enter 101 northbound during the morning commute.

But the congested traffic is not limited to the morning commute despite the number of metering lights installed at each on-ramp between California State Route 85 and State Route 25. Even with the metering lights turned on between Gilroy and Morgan Hill, that has done little to relieve congestion. The Express Lane project still has plenty of unanswered questions about the needs of Gilroy commuters to San Jose and points northwards.


REACTIONS AND COMPLAINTS BY DRIVERS

I was not the only one that was complaining about the morning commute along U.S. 101. There were other drivers that also voiced their frustrations as Butterfield Blvd to some drivers have turned the road to much like a Santa Clara County expressway, such as in the case of Heather Hays Ancheta. Ancheta also told me that some Gilroy city streets were congested, but not enough to be at the same level as Butterfield Blvd. Monterey Road between Leavesley Road and Butterfield Blvd is currently the only high-speed alternative to the main U.S. 101 based on speed limits. However, the maximum speed limit in Santa Clara County is only at 50 miles per hour, and none of Santa Clara County roads that I've been on besides state highways and freeways have posted speed limits of 55 miles per hour. Ancheta's husband is the commuter, and she remembers that it takes up to an hour between Gilroy and Milpitas, and more than two hours with accidents along the route.

Speaking of speed limits, California State Highway 152 (Pacheco Pass Highway) is among the few rural roads in Santa Clara County that have a posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour, and 65 miles per hour east of 156. Jenny Mosher told me in her complaint that her husband took three hours to commute from Gilroy to Cupertino. In addition to the morning commute, weekend and holiday commuters were not spared from what Mosher was seeing. She told me that Leavesley Road and New Ave were among the streets that drivers used to bypass the heavy traffic on 152 as a method to get to the 101 freeway. This is in part due to businesses and the Gilroy Premium Outlets that line between the Pacheco Pass Highway and Leavesley Road along Camino Arroyo and Arroyo Circle that parallel the freeway, which creates even more gridlock for those using Leavesley Road.

Another commuter, Mary Pires, commutes every weekday and sometimes on the weekend along U.S. 101 between Gilroy and Santa Clara. However, her commute time clocks between 90 minutes and 2 hours going to work, and at least 75 minutes coming home from work. I found for myself that driving along 101 can be a headache that extends from Bailey Avenue to Masten Avenue exit, depending on where Pires would get off from. Most drivers would rely on side roads such as Santa Teresa Blvd (later Hale Ave) and Monterey Road to bypass the backups. But my findings reveal that on some occasions, neither Monterey Road nor Hale Ave are spared from traffic jams between Live Oak and Tilton, causing some drivers to use Dougherty Ave in order to dodge traffic jams.


MORGAN HILL'S REACTION TO GILROY PROJECT?

The worsening commute along U.S. 101 is questioning me on how the city of Morgan Hill plans to deal with the increasing traffic and the reaction that more residents are shifting from Santa Cruz county to either Gilroy, Hollister, San Martin, Morgan Hill, and beyond. The jump in traffic between Gilroy and San Jose puts U.S. 101 at a big risk of gridlock within the next 10 years if the trend does continue and the increase rate continuing to be stable, given that neither VTA nor Caltrans plan to expand the number of lanes within the next five years.

I attempted to make inquiries with the city of Morgan Hill and the city council regarding Gilroy's plan to put 4,000 more housing units plus expansion of land to near Masten Ave, as well as that impact to traffic in Morgan Hill. However, no response has been offered as of so far, and neither is the response to the city of Gilroy from Morgan Hill. Some of the questions I've asked also included whether Butterfield Blvd expansion to 3 lanes or expansion of left turn lanes to 2 are possibilities as a result of the Gilroy's housing plan. While Morgan Hill is not directly involved with Gilroy's housing plan, the traffic from the proposed housing unit in Gilroy may put more stress along Morgan Hill city streets that could have the city council chambers demanding answers from the Gilroy city council.


STUDENT OPPOSITION TO THE PLANS

I was not the only student that was aware of the opposition plans by people who saw the proposal. Robert Carerra, whose family lives not far from where I reside in San Martin, told me in regards to the annexation plans that he was shocked. But in addition, he was one of only two speakers that mentioned the plan, adding the fact that U.S. 101 is unprepared for commuters from the new proposed 4,000-unit housing complex given the current three lanes in each direction.


BUSINESS EFFECTS AND CONGESTION?

Gilroy's plans for 4,000 housing units may spell some trouble for companies doing business in the city of Morgan Hill, but it's unrelated to stock prices or corporate management. Some businesses like San Mateo-based SolarCity have an office based out of Morgan Hill, which in SolarCity's case is near the intersection of Cochrane Road and Butterfield Blvd. However, SolarCity may have trouble getting out of their office to customers who request any service from them. The situation only gets worse when the Morgan Hill Unified School District's Sobrato High School has a school day. That part was observed by me at least once on my way to SJSU, and might have caused delays of up to 15 minutes for a SolarCity vehicle to reach a resident's house who requests any service from them. The only other part of the problem is that SolarCity does not have an office in San Benito, Monterey, or Santa Cruz counties, leaving the Morgan Hill office responsible to serve those areas until an office is set up.


THE OVERALL PICTURE

But the overall picture puts businesses who either is based in or has an office in Morgan Hill on watch for any congestion that could have a ripple effect on the commute. Commuters typically must sit in traffic for at least 60 minutes going from Gilroy to San Jose and back. Add the housing and land acquisition to Gilroy's portfolio and it could equal disaster to commute times, likely to cause people to voice their frustrations over lane expansion delays and putting gridlock on U.S. 101 at an increasing risk.

EDITOR'S NOTE: There will be more to this take in a future blog, so please do look forward.

Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak

"Mister Tikhonov's Neighborhood" and Behind the Naming

This poem is divided into two parts:

1. A Line-by-line meaning for words or phrases that you may not know.
2. A short context of the meaning and where the name name came from.

A LINE BY LINE MEANING

KEY:
Line Number: Meaning


3: "San Jose State Neighborhood" replicates the scene in a children's series known as Mister Rodgers Neighborhood, of which Samuel Soldofsky acts as the main character. He acts as a host of a fictional television series as he is heavily influenced by Fred Rogers' personality. Unlike episodes in Mister Rodgers Neighborhood, the "make-believe" scene takes place in a fictionalized version of San Jose.

6: Samuel Soldofsky is a fictional character, who hosts the event. He switches his voice to act like the character named Tikhonov Soldofsky in "Make-believe" mode.

8, 9, 11, 12: The characters are mentioned, but Samuel forgot to mention two other characters in the scene. He opts to leave them out because they are minor characters.

14, 15: This line requires a pause between 5 to 10 seconds at the end of line 14 before proceeding to line 15.

17: Maria English is a "make-believe" character that has visited Gilroy, and is a friend of Shamrock.

18: Shamrock Gilroy Miller is a "make-believe" character that knows the streets of both Gilroy and Morgan Hill.

19: "Gavilan" freeway in "make-believe" refers to the present-day U.S. 101 that runs near the Gavilan College area in Gilroy.

29: The line refers to Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy.

30: This line refers to the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival.

31: Junipero Serra, former Spanish priest.

45: Tenchi in Tokyo: a 1997 anime series that starred Tenchi Muyo, who left his native homeland for the metropolitan area of Tokyo.

46: Rinda McMitchell is a "make-believe" character that specializes in music. She fell in love with the opening theme of Tenchi in Tokyo and wanted to make her own music using the same sounds.

57: "Big chef" in the line refers to Chef Brock Mayo, who "Brock's" name is taken from the influence of Pokemon character named Brock.

72: Pastor Antoni Christian Gallucci is a "make-believe" minor character who gave Tikhonov prayers.

73: Bean Belmonte is a "make-believe" minor character that greeted Tikhonov, who then directs him to Pastor Antoni.

84, 85: Like lines 14 and 15, at the end of line 84, this requires a 10-second pause (for applauses, cheers, etc.) before proceeding to line 85. 

98: "Looks like I'm blasting off again" refers to a common phrase whenever Pokemon characters Jessie, James, and Meowth are defeated as a result of attacks by the protagonists, usually by Pikachu's electric attacks ordered by Ash Ketchum.


THE SHORT CONTEXT OF THE POEM

This sonnet is comprehensive, and I decided to write something on topic that incorporates elements from some of my favorite themes as part of my mission to showcase what I have learned over the course of the semester in writing poetry.

I decided to write a fictional network of sonnet poems that incorporates a bigger set number of lines near 100, but no less than 98. There were a few names that were going through my head, including some American and British poets like William Shakespeare. I've taken a lot of elements from anime and people who I often heard of, as well as the instructors at San Jose State University that have taught me and learning valuable lessons from them.

For instance, when I heard the word "Tikhonov," it usually refers to the article read in the San Jose Mercury News on a Russian hockey player named Viktor Tikhonov, who speaks flawless English and Russian due to the fact that he was raised in Los Gatos. In order to maintain my use of first or last names that I wanted to use, I was forced to think outside the box and come up with other names (either first or last) without actually using the first or last names of actual people. For example, if I want to use "Tikhonov," I cannot use "Viktor" in order to not duplicate the names of real people.

A make-believe sonnet poem does not use actual names of people, but uses a random number of sonnets in multiples of 14 lines that include both the beginning and the end. The minimum number of lines that I usually require is 98, although the number of syllables are optional. Coming up with fictional names was the most difficult part of my written work in the poem. However, I hope that the poem is one of the samples that incorporates the theme of people's favorite theme.

The Frustration with Traffic in Downtown San Jose: Westin San Jose (Saint Clare) to be Part of the Blame

Nightmare. That is the the theme for the huge traffic congestion along many of downtown San Jose city streets. Traffic on a Saturday night was severely congested along Market Street, San Carlos Street, First Street, San Fernando Street, Second Street, among others. Some drivers think that alternate routes would work, but that was not the case, as I watched driver after driver trying to navigate downtown San Jose city streets.

One of the notorious traffic congestion that happened tonight was near the Westin Saint Claire, which I saw traffic had to funnel down to the left of the two lanes (not including the left turn lane) as I saw one vehicle after another parked in the right lane just before the signal at Market Street. As I circled many times in an attempt to look for parking in downtown San Jose, there was no escape from the brutal congestion no matter the street that drivers were on, and I was not immune to the congestion in downtown San Jose.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus routes were also not immune to the stop-and-go line of cars. Some of the streets, for instance, are among what VTA use regularly such as the pile-up from almost Reed Street to at least Santa Clara Street, Second Street from St. John to Reed, San Fernando Street between Delmas Avenue and Fourth Street, and Santa Clara Street between Seventh Street and Almaden Blvd. I estimated at least a 20-minute backup in the affected streets, if not more.

In some cases, the streets were in a total gridlock that there were no San Jose Police Department officers available to enforce various intersections that I saw was humiliating. The intersections that had the most problems to my take included San Carlos and First Street, San Salvador and First Street, San Salvador and Market Street, and First and William Street. Those intersections were very congestive and at times, cars were blocking intersections. I have not confirmed whether other intersections in downtown San Jose had problems with intersections.

But the one that I should award with the worst place to have congestion is northbound Market Street just before the approach to Market Street because too many cars were blocking the right lane. There were numerous times that traffic on northbound Market Street were stopped for at least two signal cycles. It is not known whether the Westin San Jose (Saint Claire) knew about the congestion that caused traffic to back up to almost the south end of Market Street.

The southbound side of Market Street were not immune to congestion south of San Carlos Street while traffic was severely congested between Julian and Reed. This was the longest stretch of congestion apart from a few breaks north of San Fernando. But nevertheless, both sides of Market Street were tight and drivers were very frustrated.

Christmas in the Park is subject to congestion at any time, but especially when special events occur - therefore, the VTA holiday train does not run during those times. Along Almaden Blvd between Santa Clara and Balbach, traffic was not as bad as those on Market, but still slow. Even on the west side of Highway 87, Delmas Avenue showed red and orange sensors, indicating slow traffic, but sluggish at times.

San Jose McEnery Convention Center's parking garage was holding a private party, and therefore was off limits to drivers looking to park for a small fee. That was only part of the reason why Market Street was severely congested. And for those drivers along San Carlos Street attempting to make a right turn to Market Street, any alternate route beyond Almaden Blvd was futile.

At the venue for Christmas in the Park, known as Plaza de Cesar Chavez, there were plenty of slow traffic. It was so bad that San Jose parking enforcement officers had to place cones along the road so that drivers won't make horrible mistakes by suddenly changing lanes. This indicates big business for hotels such as the Fairmont San Jose and the Four Points.

It is unknown whether any of the hotels were following traffic rules as drivers are trying to avoid parked cars. In regards to transit, it is unknown whether VTA has any plans to use detours for a huge jam along the affected streets. The pics that follow this blog show the congestion in downtown San Jose. I'll try to update this blog if there is any response.

Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak

Gary Greenberg, Kosuke Okamura, and Bennett Roth-Newell: Why support them?

There is more to my side of the story on more people that I'm about to profile from my point of view. They are Gary Greenberg, Kosuke Okamura, and Bennett Roth-Newell. So what makes each of the three special? And which person caught my attention a lot more because of one skill? Despite my English major, the answer lies in this blog, so read along and I'll describe from my point of view of who they are.

THE MANAGER OF SWEET HAYAH

So the manager of Sweet HayaH is the guy named Gary Greenberg, who happens to be a supporter of Soulful Obsession, something that I've talked about often on social media. To my take, and not the actual take of the band itself, Sweet HayaH is partially derived from the Chinese (particularly Yue/Cantonese) saying in martial arts, which in music, would be different. It resembles high energy and a lot of people trying to produce unique sounds, something that one of my friends is involved with - more of that in the next section.

Since the debut of Sweet HayaH, Gary Greenberg has been giving the right direction of overseeing many of the songs that Sweet HayaH have produced, and I was very lucky to have met him at a few locations in San Jose, the city of where I was born - and not far from a venue that Sweet HayaH last played in San Jose. I never encountered Gary's son, Joshua, until just recently. When I asked Joshua about following his his footsteps, he responded that he won't be pursuing that dream.

KOSUKE OKAMURA

I have seen Kosuke many times in San Jose, despite residing in San Martin. He takes many roles not limited to just being a musician - he plays drums with bands such as Sweet HayaH and Soulful Obsession with people like Lily Tran. He also teaches music at a local school within Santa Clara County of which he made the announcement a while ago.

I personally encountered him many times at concerts and sometimes at San Jose State University. One of my most memorable moments with Kosuke is meeting him at a recital within San Jose State University, of which he played music with fellow member Bennett Roth-Newell - more on him in the next section. Kosuke invited his family, including his mom, to a recital held in the music building of SJSU, and personally invited me along as well.

The sad part about him is that his schedule is unpredictable, so who knows when I'll see Okamura again if he does have time... However, the happy part about him is that Japanese food is somewhat similar to what I would eat, except that my parents do not like those stuff owing to their Chinese heritage. My brother, cousin, and I do like raw fish that the three of us would try to look for any Japanese food places that we feel comfortable and agree upon. I am also adapting to the habits that most Japanese would eat, although I still retain Chinese food as part of my family heritage.

BENNETT ROTH-NEWELL

There is a story that I particularly want to talk about, and that person is no other than Bennett Roth-Newell. He does operate a website, and is aware of my social media presence except Twitter - something that he may have been unaware, perhaps maybe until he read this blog. I'll probably post my blog only if he does notice my Twitter page.

But let me talk about some of the things that caught my attention. The story of me in relations to Bennett Roth-Newell started at San Jose State University, where Bennett, along with Kosuke, Veno Bender, and Lily Tran as Soulful Obsession, played a gig. I particularly loved every moment that Bennett does his rapping, which was my most favorite part about his voice.

Even though Soulful Obsession is offline as of yet, Bennett continues his schedule playing gigs for the bands that he is involved with, such as The JurassiC and The Vibrant Things. He also now teaches within Santa Clara County, which readers will find on his website.

One of my favorite moments was when I was on a trip to Sonoma State University in Spring 2015 of which I posted pictures on social media. While I was there, Bennett happened to noticed my pictures that triggered his past memories, of which I was surprised to notice. The Sonoma State trip was part of my assignment by the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at SJSU, something that I continue to be involved with.

The one wish that I would like Bennett to create and produce are some songs that only Bennett could sing as a rapper, accompanied by his crew doing the music. However, I only think that he is too busy to do so, owing to his schedule and the complicated timing. But nevertheless, Bennett still follows his dream of being a great musician both on the keys and a singer - including my favorite of his voice, rapping.

So if anyone has any questions or comments, please let me know!

Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak

Chak's Experience: From Childhood to Adult, and meeting with John Beaver

Like I often hear from John Beaver, I always hear a familiar phrase: zoo keeper by day, DJ by night, and cancer survivor. The latter does tell a huge difference with how his life has changed. You have heard about his side of the story, but not my side just yet. Well, now is the time for me to tell my part of the story in Part One before I tell my side of the story on John Beaver. The only similarity is that Beaver and I are considered San Jose natives, but the only difference is the present city.

PART ONE: CHAK'S CHILDHOOD

Late November 1988... I was born at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose, not far from where the present Westfield Valley Fair is. My parents moved from their native China to the United States a year earlier while my father was nearing completion of what is to be the headquarters of our family's housing.

San Martin, California... A 23.5 mile drive from the main San Jose State University campus. Not long after I was born, I often cried and was very scared and fearful because I feared that my parents would drop me, especially over bridges and tall structures that would end my life because of proper handling.

I started preschool at a San Martin school, which today is the present San Martin Gwinn Elementary School in San Martin. In the first few years, I changed schools; in my kindergarten, I was at Jackson Elementary (now called Jackson Academy of Music and Math) before moving on to Nordstrom and eventually Paradise Valley, which I remained there for most of my younger grades.

My family and I would frequently have vacations to Hong Kong and Macau, but in 1998, I was on vacation at my relative's house in the hilly Wan Chai district along Stubbs Road. My parents and aunt initially asked me to go to a doctor to get a flu shot, but it turned out to be a trip across the Cross-Harbour Tunnel to a psychiatric hospital. The doctor told me and my parents that I was diagnosed with a neurological disorder, somewhat a type of autism that would change my life on how I learn stuff (presently, Section 16 in the RTC Clipper Card application classification).

However, one of the teacher's aides has been with me between Britton Middle School and Live Oak High School, both of which I graduated in 2004 and 2007, respectively. However, my diagnosis was not over as I applied for an RTC Clipper Card (then known as Translink), which required another visit to a psychiatric hospital in Watsonville. The troubling thing about my learning experience associated with my disability is the low test scores due to that specific neurological disorder.

I enrolled at Gavilan College following high school as a young adult, though the disorder continued to haunt me for most of my education, which I often call myself as the "troubled kid," as in the life overall for me. I eventually transferred to San Jose State University four years later, as sometimes need assistance associated with wayfinding despite technology advances. I usually do most of my own wayfinding, however.

When I am comfortable, I do take breaks and both attend and volunteer the annual FanimeCon event held in downtown San Jose during the Memorial Day weekend. Those are some of the ways I usually stay out of trouble. I generally do stay out of any drugs or alcohol as any smell of those can result in a violent vomit, as well as owing to family customs.

PART TWO: CHAK'S TAKE ON JOHN BEAVER

My story on my take of a guy can be described as both a zoo keeper and a DJ, although there is more to his story. Let me tell my own story on how I actually met John Beaver long before he sent me a friend request on Facebook. Because his photos do tell most of his stories, I often "like" his posts, due to the fact that the pictures to me tell some kind of a great story.

John Beaver's life is full of potential when I viewed his stuff, and many of them are stories of his survival of cancer. The first exposure to John Beaver is when I encountered him at the San Jose State University Event Center about a year ago, as part of a series of DJs that involved Tiesto. The exposure was so great that I decided to take some photos of his signature moves. I never talked to him about that event, though he probably never remembered unless he would like to indicate that with me in person. Until now, the event at SJSU was the only time that I've seen him, but never formally talked to him up until recently. I only attend events whenever Beaver has a free show in Santa Clara County, and only if I have time to do so.

Like in the manner of some of my friends, I often posted pictures of my experience with Beaver, who I knew that he is a cancer survivor. The sad part about me, though, is I typically only have one to two minutes of a chat with him, as he normally chats with his sidekick named Steven Crandell. I will be surprised if he does spot me on Twitter and/or Instagram, of which both of my profiles have a simple name, as well as any lunch or dinner opportunities...

Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak

Word to the Wise: Not just Paper Passes, No More Paper Transfers from BART to VTA as well

Word to the Wise: My own version of that includes every VTA day pass and BART transfers to be paper-free, so why that change? The inspiration of anyone heading out to take transit on Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) buses can now be more difficult for Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) riders who want to ride VTA, as I have learned in the past few days several weeks after I wrote my first blog on VTA paper day passes. As I first mentioned in a blog involving the issue of paper day passes, VTA has stated clearly on board their "VTA Take One" paper flyer, all buses, and ticket vending machines noting the major changes coming to the transit agency. I first said long before anyone else that VTA plans to discontinue paper day passes on VTA. The Clipper card and the Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission never mentioned on their websites nor their social media pages the awareness of VTA putting away the day passes and replacing both the day pass and monthly pass with a feature added to Clipper cards - which both pass transition phases are about to be completed.

The video that VTA spokesperson Brandi Childress said about Levi's Stadium for riders who transfer from the Mountain View Station or Fremont BART station is about to get more difficult in 2016, as I believed technology advances have made the Clipper card one of the more reliable all-in-one smart cards that eventually lead VTA to the paper-free day pass and BART transfers. When the first day of 2016 arrives, there will be no more paper day passes sold at VTA buses or light rail ticket vending machines (TVM). This could send shockwaves for most of VTA riders who is a transfer rider from other Bay Area transit agencies or from regular VTA riders who are unaware of the major changes implemented by VTA. For those who were not familiar with the monthly pass change to Clipper, VTA produced a video on YouTube in 2012 that strongly advised riders to obtain a Clipper card. This now also applies to both paper day passes and BART transfers.

For BART riders, this could be a major headache for those who regularly pay cash to transfer from BART to VTA. According to the VTA website, VTA plans to get rid of all transfers for both the youth and seniors/disabled, and wants to levy only a 50 cent transfer from BART to VTA. At the same time, VTA is not only getting rid of paper day passes, but also paper transfers from the Fremont BART station. AC Transit, however, will for now honor paper transfers from BART, but may soon elect to make major changes to the fare and transfer structure. The major transfer change from BART to VTA is the result of an inconsistent fare transfer policy between many Bay Area transit agencies, with a wide variation of confusion among customers who use the Clipper card to ride transit around the Bay Area.

Many transit agencies are already accepting the Clipper card as fare payment, with more to come in 2016. As County Connection, Tri-Delta Transit, WestCAT, and WHEELS are now accepting the Clipper card, those transit agencies has yet to react to the plans that VTA is already implementing. Other transit agencies who currently accept the Clipper card may have seen VTA's example of the major changes, as VTA is now becoming the first transit agency to eliminate both paper transfers from BART and paper day passes for use on both bus and light rail.

On the Clipper side, those riders who will ride VTA will be lucky, but if cash remains an option to any rider who transfers from BART, Caltrain, or SamTrans and wants to ride VTA buses or light rail, those riders will pay for every ride including Express routes, with no opportunity for any day passes.

Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak

"What's on Monsieur Chak's Ingredient List?" - The Poet's Meaning, Line By Line.

The following are references of what the words refer to...

LINE 1: Monsieur Chak refers to another dimension of the author.
LINE 2: "Lady of Soldofsky" refers to Professor Alan Soldofsky's assistant.
LINE 3: "Juan Felipe" refers to Juan Felipe Herrera.
LINE 6: "English" refers to Professor Karen English.
LINE 7: "Stork" refers to Professor Nancy Stork.
LINE 8: "Maio" refers to Professor Samuel Maio. This line is meant to sound like "mayo" or "mayonnaise."
LINE 9: "Miller" refers to Professor Shannon Miller.
LINE 11: "Mesher" refers to Professor David Mesher.
LINE 12: "Mitchell" refers to Professor Linda Mitchell.
LINE 16: "Douglass" refers to Professor Paul Douglass.

INVESTIGATION: Weather Balloons, The Dirt on Hotels, And Killing Germs on Devices (SHORT BLOG)

Kickstarter - it's a website that people would go to in order to back projects, but for me, to a scale that would eventually connect both Wesley LaPorte, inventor of the PhoneSoap to CBC Vancouver meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe and even CBC Marketplace host Erica Johnson. My look at Kickstarter dated back to at least 2012 when I first backed the project known as the PhoneSoap, in which LaPorte noted that his genius work on a simple solution to kill germs on mobile devices have made their success. In this blog, I look at the comparison between the PhoneSoap to Erica Johnson's report on "The Dirt on Hotels" and even Johanna Wagstaffe's "Science Smart" 2014 report on weather balloons.

After the first backing of the initial project in 2012, and after my first trip to Vancouver, BC, on the last day of May 2014, I decided to surf the CBC website and found a couple of videos, starting with Wagstaffe's June 2014 "Science Smart" report on weather balloons. At the end of the video segment, she disclosed a Kickstarter project that indirectly caused me to back that project, known as the StormTag. I have plans to test the StormTag's use and report on that part in my blog.

Wagstaffe is not the only person that is the subject of this blog. In a CBC Marketplace episode known as "The Dirt on Hotels," including the follow-up episode a year later, Erica Johnson investigated the germs that plagued hotels and was trying to really get results for Canadians. However, alcohol wipes may not necessarily be the best thing for Canadians on certain items such as remote controls and cell phones, as new technology takes over.

Meanwhile, Wagstaffe's story toward the end of the segment has indirectly led me to test the device known as the StormTag, but the question to both Wagstaffe and Johnson more relates to LaPorte's PhoneSoap project. While LaPorte is trying to convince people in the United States to join the revolution of cleaning the phone that has a huge amount of germs, I personally find that Canadians may be left out, even long after Wagstaffe's story on weather balloons.

But whether PhoneSoap's latest Kickstarter project called the PhoneSoap XL will modify Johnson's advice on the Marketplace's follow-up episode on hotels (at the end of that episode) is unclear. Another question that remains unclear is Wagstaffe's knowledge on germs and the PhoneSoap project that LaPorte is leading the way. Now that Wagstaffe has apparently challenged me for the so-called StormTag, I do challenge her and Johnson to see what the PhoneSoap can do. But for those who don't know about the PhoneSoap to my knowledge, the company is based in Utah, but does have a deep connection to Southern Santa Clara County in California, specifically in Morgan Hill (approximately 20 miles south of downtown San Jose on U.S. 101).

EDITOR'S NOTE: The blog is written in American English as the blog originates from Santa Clara County, California - therefore, all measurements in this blog are in imperial units instead of metric. Images are unavailable for copyright concerns, as those are at the discretion of the author or organization. This blog contains external links. Any unauthorized use of this blog, including (not limited to) the reproduction or copying of this blog is strictly prohibited. The author reserves the right to delete this blog post at any time.

Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmaill.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak

Chak's Take: Tackling The Issues on Academic Cheating and Plagiarism (Original Work)

"My first goal is to present fair, accurate, and newsworthy journalism on a daily basis - good enough to attract the attention of every student on campus." - Ron Gleeson, then-executive editor of the Spartan Daily at San Jose State University

For many years as a kid and now as a college student, the terms "cheating" and "plagiarism" is uniformly defined at schools. I've seen the policies regarding this at many colleges and universities, which takes those very seriously. However, I'm more stricter on what my own definition of plagiarism is when it comes to assignments, essays, and exams. Let me explain what I mean.

First of all, plagiarism in my definition is the serious abuse of looking at someone else's paper and copying word-for-word in any assignment, essay, or exam. When I see this happen, I tend to be very upset by asking the questions such as what makes the students cheat on an assignment or exam. I also take one more step further to even sometimes address the plagiarism issue to my family members and on social media.

Any news reporting on plagiarism use can hit home at San Jose State University very hard, which instructors are very aware of the issue. In the English, Foreign Language, Journalism, Math, and Science departments, assignments, exams, and/or essays are often given out with a fair deadline set forth by the instructor. Essays in English classes and writing stories in Journalism will often require verification of sources, ranging from a simple quote from a line with or without citing page numbers. With the exception of poetry and textbook citations, most outside sources require a separate reference page in either MLA or APA format.

The second reason is what some people may not notice. It comes from what my thoughts on what cheating in class really means in my philosophy. Plagiarism is a very serious nuisance to the learning experience. No student can learn from others that have written the same paper and then applying to one's own. Once a student is caught, it will be irreversible to make up. Not only that a student can be subject to serious disciplinary action, but the student can also face additional penalties by family members or other authorized people, if they so choose.

The third reason comes from my family's long standing tradition against plagiarism. I am a lot more disciplined from the moment that I first met my aides in elementary school; one of which is named Mrs. Hala Elmasu (pronounced as EL-MA-SUE) . Elmasu has set the high bar of what she expects from me, even for any disabled student like me. My parents have been always on alert to look for tall-tale signs of plagiarism, and I've been carrying that tradition since Elmasu and I last saw each other in high school.

Privacy also matters to the instructor and student, and most prefer to use their visual eyes.
However, some schools around the world are taking the extra step by installing closed-circuit television cameras in classrooms to assist in detecting any cheating due to the increasing amount of cheating during midterm and final exams. This is because that some students often wear a tiny device attached to their ear to pronounce both the question and answer, believing that the student can pass without instructors noticing such a device.

Many majors have huge expectations when it comes to dealing with plagiarism, regardless of major and concentration within a major. English and Journalism majors, for instance, have something in common - that one requires a lot of written work with less reliance on exams. Either way, both of them set the high bar for anti-plagiarism measures. Those two majors have high expectations from every student. Whether it's a journal article or an English essay, a lot of sources are used for verification.

I personally take plagiarism very seriously in my written work. That means that anti-plagiarism measures are in effect for all of my written work. This means if I am really caught doing as such, there are reminders of the severe consequences that can seriously hurt me in both the short and long terms.

I do have to admit, though, that I rarely do have permission from the instructor to have "open-book," "open note," and "open Internet" at the same time on any exam. Most of my exams are closed book and closed notes. Fortunately, instructors are there for help or inquiry at any time to obviously avoid plagiarism.

Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak

EXCLUSIVE: VTA To Discontinue Paper Day Pass, October Update

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has plans to discontinue paper day pass use by the first day of 2016, and will be the first and only transit agency in the nine-county Bay Area region to implement an environmentally friendly take on riding transit. My blog was the first and only blog to announce the move after the discovery of a notice while reading VTA's "Take One" September 2015 publication. In this blog, I go over what is likely in store for the year 2016 and what AC Transit, SamTrans, and BART riders can do when no paper passes are available.

First, let's look at AC Transit and SamTrans riders, as this blog hopes to avoid surprises when transferring to VTA. The year 2016 is likely a surprise for AC Transit and SamTrans because of their day passes being slightly less than VTA. When VTA says "goodbye" to paper day passes, it's "hello Clipper" card, as the Clipper card will be the only way to put either monthly or day passes when riding VTA light rail or bus. This also brings back memories of the announcement of the discontinuation of monthly passes on VTA back in 2012, posted on YouTube.

The format for riders using Clipper card on VTA is straightforward, as outlined in the October 2015 "Take One" pamphlet. When I read the article, the only information provided are the instruction of how to obtain a day pass using Clipper, but did not provide any information on whether other forms of paper passes like the 8-hour excursion pass on light rail would be affected. Regular paper single-paper tickets and the excursion passes for light rail will continue for now, as questions still arise on whether VTA considers a limited-use smart card such as the one on San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA, or MUNI for short) light rail.

It is still unknown if SamTrans will be informing the public about the transfers policy to VTA starting on the first day of 2016, other than the fact that VTA will accept transfers on Clipper card for those who came from a SamTrans bus route. SamTrans riders who transfer from the Palo Alto Transit Center to VTA's bus routes will likely be surprised to find out about not having a paper day pass available. Those who find themselves without one will likely have to head to a retailer or a transit office to obtain a Clipper card.

The same question about the transfer policy to VTA also applies to AC Transit. While AC Transit has one of the most advanced farebox technology of any transit agency in the Bay Area (and in the United States), AC Transit riders who want to transfer to VTA for their final destination will also find themselves in a huge shock on the first day of 2016 stating that transit passes has "disappeared," and finding themselves in a huge hole to get a Clipper card from a transit office or retailer. Meanwhile, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) riders will likely be unaffected as the paper transfer is issued by BART and not VTA in regards to getting on one of the express routes to destinations in Santa Clara County. This is because the paper transfers are not in VTA's control, which BART handles the responsibilities under an agreement with transit agencies who continues to accept the transfers for rides to the final destination well outside of BART's jurisdiction.

In the event that riders who transfer from other transit agencies to VTA wishes to ride on buses or light rail, VTA has no plans to implement new adult Clipper cards at ticket vending machines at this point yet, as there is no funding available to have Clipper cards being dispensed like MUNI does currently. I did ask Caltrain back in 2013 about Clipper card functionality at their stations excluding those with Clipper add-value machines and/or machines that have Clipper card capabilities. Their response was that Caltrain currently has no such funding as of currently and that new machines would be needed to include such functionality.

So if the description of VTA spokesperson Brandi Childress's "Word to the Wise" is part of any rider's plan to transfer to VTA from other transit agencies for any reason, you may want to be aware about saying "goodbye" to paper day passes. None of the VTA spokespeople has made any public announcements regarding paper day passes, but this blog is so far the only blog to provide advanced warnings to riders. Instead of just "word to the wise," isn't that another reason why riders should be getting the Clipper card as soon as possible to avoid the repeat of a VTA 2012 commercial regarding paper day passes? You decide for yourself - send me an e-mail, tweet me, or comment below (subject to restrictions).

Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak

A Comparison Between No Paper Day Passes and Fiscal Year Fare Increases on Bay Area Transit

Paper Day Passes are coming to an end at VTA... very soon. To spread the message about major changes involving day passes, VTA will have to let SamTrans and AC Transit know about the changes that are going to affect their customers trying to board VTA and purchasing day passes. Information about the end of day passes at VTA was first mentioned in my blog shortly after I picked one up while riding light rail despite the lack of the VTA announcement on VTA's website. Only in my blog, however, compares the end of day passes at VTA to increases of fares at SamTrans and whether AC Transit has any plans to increase fares or eliminate paper day passes.

FARE INCREASES IN THE FUTURE FOR TRANSIT AGENCIES?

The Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which oversees the Clipper card program, has long been known to provide discounts that cash and paper passes would never reach before. It already has provided a slight discount on AC Transit, Caltrain, and Golden Gate Transit over cash and paper passes. AC Transit provides a 10 cent discount for those with Clipper cards, and 5 cents with RTC/senior cards. Caltrain provides a discount of 50 cents for adult and 25 cents for RTC/senior cards. Golden Gate Transit for adults also provides a discount, but RTC/senior cards remain the same in regards to comparison between cash/paper passes and Clipper cards.

The one transit agency to be watching in the next several years is within Caltrain's service area that spans three counties, including VTA and San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA, or more commonly MUNI). SamTrans is already putting up a plan for fare increases that will likely be slightly higher than AC Transit within the next five years as apartments in San Fransisco has staggering rate hikes. It remains unclear, however, if the current fares getting out of San Francisco will apply. MUNI, though, has already increased fares on selected cash and Clipper card holders since July 1, 2015.

The only thing that SamTrans, MUNI, and maybe AC Transit favors are fare increases instead of what I'm about to describe below.

FARE INCREASE ON VTA? OR JUST MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY?

VTA, meanwhile, has a more creative plan that was never announced by spokespersons Brandi Childress, Cody Kraatz, or Stacey Hendler Ross - only my previous blog was the first to announce the "extinction of," or no longer selling, paper day passes after I picked up a "Take One" leaflet that addresses VTA-related news. VTA has a huge plan that makes paper day passes a thing of the past in order to be more environmentally friendly - this also applies to adult tokens purchased at VTA offices used to dispense paper day passes when inserted at ticket vending machines (TVM) or boarding the bus. This is something that no other Bay Area transit agency has pursued at all - in fact, to make this happen, VTA will need to inform AC Transit and SamTrans about the major changes that is scheduled to take place on the first day of 2016, which could have a ripple effect on riders who use SamTrans and AC Transit. It still remains unclear whether the transfer program at Fremont BART station will continue to be accepted on VTA buses.

VTA, however, has yet to develop a plan on whether they plan a fare increase for cash users to match those of AC Transit or SamTrans, as the increase in fares are now starting to become more common on transit agencies. The increase of fares on VTA buses several years ago has led to decreased ridership, and instead opted to balance service between having more service on popular routes and lesser service on those with lower ridership, as well as their plans to increase service on light rail routes along the highway 87 corridor.

Such a fare increase on both Clipper and cash customers to the take of many people including my own have raised questions on how that part may affect ridership on VTA, including an increased traffic presence on US-101 between Gilroy and San Jose. The bottleneck on traffic started two decades ago when I was a kid, often having to rely on Monterey Highway. 101 is often unreliable as that only had two lanes in each direction before the completion of a widening project in 2003. However, even with the widening of the freeway from Cochrane Road northward, traffic is often below 20 miles per hour (MPH) between San Martin Avenue and Cochrane Road. If any projects tied to improvements on US-101 is implemented, VTA will have to extend the High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to near Masten Avenue exit, as traffic is still likely to continue the streak of more residents taking up housing in Gilroy, Hollister, and beyond.

Will more changes to VTA in both projects and fares be likely? I'll see...

Meaning to the Initial Second Poem, "Whose Traffic is Worse?"

In my initial poem posted on the Blogger site (not counting revisions), here is the reference of what the lines indicate...

LINE 7: "Allen" refers to "Michelle Allen", who is a KSBW traffic anchor that is native of the San Francisco Bay Area.

LINE 9: "Bruce" refers to "Damian Bruce", who is a personality at 95.7 The Game - based in the Bay Area.

LINE 13: "Bunger" and "Taylor" refers to the KCBS Radio morning personalities Stan Bunger and Susan Lee Taylor.

LINE 14: "Wonderley" means "Kim Wonderley", a morning traffic reporter at KCBS Radio.

LINE 19: "Monterey" refers to Monterey Road, not the city of Monterey. This is a road that stretches from Gilroy (as Monterey Street) to Alma Street in San Jose.

LINES 21 TO 24: The five stations described in the line refers to the stations along the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Santa Teresa-Alum Rock line that run in the median along California State Routes (SR) 85 and 87.

LINE 25: "Inouye" refers to Mike Inouye, who is a traffic anchor at NBC Bay Area.

LINE 31: "Narrowing Curtner" refers to of which Curtner Avenue heading westbound is reduced from three lanes to two before SR-87.

LINE 32: "Tamien", pronounced as "TAH-ME-YEN" refers to "Tamien Station", a light rail and Caltrain station located along Lelong Avenue off of SR-87 (labeled as Alma Ave SB). This is also spelled as "Taymen", one of the eight divisions of the Ohlone people groups of Native Americans that lived in Northern California.

LINES 33 TO 36: This refers to the suggestion that Livermore riders should take either bus or rail modes that will connect them to San Jose during the morning rush hour.

LINE 45: "Mendoza" refers to Vincent Mendoza.

Chak's View - American Sign Language: Learning Experience and "Time is of the Essence"; Connections to Tri-Valley

As my morning starts on a Monday and Wednesday in Fall 2015 at San Jose State University, I typically have morning classes that I must often rush to early in the morning, as classes start in the middle of the morning - at 9AM. American Sign Language is the only non-English class that does not teach English, but instead teaches in silent form. To get the full experience of my class, I must be on time or otherwise I will be locked out.

TRI-VALLEY CONNECTIONS

I personally have lived in San Martin (pronounced SAN-MAR-TEEN) since birth, visible from US-101 of where I can see the "San Martin Ave - 1 MILE" sign, but hearing about various cities that any instructor resides in is completely different. At the first class meeting, I was introduced to the instructor known as Professor Sandra Amausen, who she indicated that she resides in Livermore, as opposed to me residing in San Martin. If she does know the map, San Martin is about 25 miles from SJSU's main campus, between Morgan Hill and Gilroy. She probably does not know that the time it takes for me to make the drive from San Martin to San Jose State University is well over 30 minutes, as there has been an increasing amount of vehicles on US-101 between San Martin Ave and Cochrane Road exits. If you recalled in a San Jose Mercury News article, the commute between Gilroy and San Jose has continued to increase by a whopping 37% due to more people living south of San Jose and shifting most of the traffic from Santa Cruz County to southern Santa Clara and San Benito Counties. It typically takes an hour to go between San Martin and Livermore just by using existing highways and freeways, as my drive times have indicated both by using time and/or technology.

While San Martin is my home nest despite being born in San Jose, I personally do have connections to the Tri-Valley and beyond, but particularly Pleasanton and Livermore, as some of my friends have relocated to those areas. When I attended Gavilan College in Gilroy, the volleyball coach have said to have commuted from his home nest in Dublin. The number of Tri-Valley trips for me did increase as I explored a lot of places thanks in part to my fellow SJSU students and alumni. One of the events that is held in Pleasanton, for instance, that I wish that was held near San Jose or Morgan Hill is the Pleasanton First Wednesdays party during late-Spring and most of the summer, as one of my friends owns a sunglasses shop in downtown Pleasanton. Another one of my friends, who I met at SJSU, works at a solar company that has a Livermore office.

Sacramento is also one of my destinations that I do drive to occasionally for long-distance relative visits. However, I am often subject to driving my parents to Sacramento to get vegetable boxes, then driving back with a stop in Livermore because I find that the van's brakes can fail if I drove continuously between the in-climb of the Altamont Pass on I-580 east of Livermore and the steep hills on both SR-84 and I-680. The most common stop that I would use for any trip involving vegetable boxes is just off Livermore Ave, at In N'Out. Normally, I would then get back on 580 and take the Isabel Avenue exit (which is also SR-84), but at one time, I had to take an alternate route because of the excessively heavy traffic on 84 and on 580, so I found out that the only choice was to go through downtown Pleasanton and getting back to San Martin.

SIGN LANGUAGE AND FIRST EXPERIENCE

Learning American Sign Language (ASL) can be difficult to my take, just like if I started to learn Spanish and French. While I may be used to getting to speaking and writing the numbers, using sign language for ASL takes a great deal of time. Amausen does expect me to learn well or suffer the fate - something that is required as part of my English major - one full year to be specific. But being on time to learn ASL is very challenging, especially when traffic is in a total gridlock near light rail stations and along US-101 in the morning and evening commutes - therefore, time is of the essence. Every driver like me must have knowledge of traffic and streets along the routes in case of excessive traffic or an accident that may block either a portion or even the entire roadway.

As Cantonese is my mother-tongue language that I still speak, English is widely used for both my written work and spoken language. In fact, all of my other classes have English-related content that puts me on the computer daily using both the Canvas website and the Canvas app (download available on phone or tablet). Unlike my English classes, ASL is more on the hands-on-learning, as I must use my fingers. My parents do think that the use of sign language is more like doing something crazy, but that to me is not true to my learning.

While ASL is new to my learning experience, ASL is nothing new to my cultural experience. If I remembered my past, I have seen ASL being used in some programs that speak Mandarin Chinese on China Central Television (CCTV) and in Cantonese on a handful of programs produced by Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) and aired on the "free-to-air" channels like TVB (officially Television Broadcasts Limited). One of the most frequent programs that uses ASL is an RTHK program known as "News Review." The program speaks in Cantonese and uses ASL in an insert for deaf viewers with Traditional Chinese subtitles - there are no English subtitles in that program.

Although I am not deaf and learning ASL, I do have a disability - that is mostly related to my neurological disorder, but also have ties to my autism. My diagnosis came in 1998 as I was on vacation in Hong Kong and Macau - both of which I can see programs containing inserts for deaf viewers. At that time, I was thinking that I was going to get another measles shot, but it turned out to be a psychological diagnosis. The report was then was noted in a written statement from the Morgan Hill Unified School District. After I graduated from Live Oak High School, I went on to Gavilan College and eventually SJSU, although I had vacations here and there - most of them are Hong Kong and Macau trips.

Despite some wobbly starts to my semester, I am starting to get exposed to the ASL language, although I will promise to get the assignments done as much as I can. However, ASL to me will be best remembered for my cultural experience, which I hope to take that to my learning with professor Amausen and see more of ASL in my visits to Hong Kong - something that perhaps Amausen may want to see. While I'm still worried of how my disability will affect my grades, I do hope that making lots of inquires to all my instructors and going to Writing Centers more often will steer me in the right direction.

Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak

EXCLUSIVE: Warning to Riders - VTA to Discontinue Paper Day Pass

This is a September 2015 "Take-One" flyer that feature this notice from VTA.

I heard major changes are coming to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). You think that Brandi Childress's announcement on VTA's YouTube page would continue to hear "paper pass" as one of the mode's of transit to "take VTA to the action." But if the "Word to the Wise" for going to Levi's Stadium includes paper day passes purchased from ticket vending machines or the farebox from VTA's buses, you may want to listen up and prepare to shell out more than $6 in cash. Only in my blog discovered an early warning announcement for VTA riders and anyone trying to buy VTA day passes after I obtained the "Take-One" flyer.

If you have picked up the latest flyer for VTA buses (September 2015), there is an announcement that the transit agency will no longer issue paper day passes starting on the first day of 2016 (See visual within this blog). This will also affect any tokens issued by VTA that users put onto buses or ticket vending machines. The plan for VTA is to reduce paper use and move the day passes exclusively to an all-Clipper format, which acts as the user's digital day pass for each tag on a bus or light rail. In comparison, AC Transit, SamTrans, and other Bay Area agencies that utilize day passes will continue to issue paper day passes and has not yet decided on whether they will follow VTA. Meanwhile, VTA will become the first Bay Area transit agency to have day passes move to Clipper a few years after the move of paper monthly passes on VTA and bringing back memories of a VTA announcement on YouTube back in 2012.

So with the paper day passes gone in 2016, this will mean that cash riders will pay for every ride including express routes while Clipper card users will only deduct $6 from the card ($12 for express routes), based on four or more rides on a VTA bus or light rail. Regular riders who transfer from AC Transit and SamTrans will have to get used to life without paper day passes aboard VTA buses as technology advances. Youth, senior, and disabled fares are unaffected as those will continue to enjoy the same discount and day pass features as usual. This also may present major changes to VTA in regards to their farebox and introduce the GFI Fast Fare like AC Transit does on their buses. 

It remains unclear as to whether VTA and Caltrain will continue to issue a joint pass for Levi's Stadium that is only issued within Caltrain's ticket vending machines. Another thing that remains unknown is the 8-Hour Excursion Pass that is issued within the ticket vending machines. One thing that may not change is that VTA is expected to continue offering mobile day passes, which has the same features as a typical paper day pass for fans trying to get to Levi's Stadium. 

The increase of cash fares (but not Clipper fares) is also a possibility because of the low farebox recovery ratio, which may increase to match those of AC Transit's fare structure and to save a few coins compared to cash fares (current fares on AC Transit is $2.10, $4.20 for transbay). The same fare structure has long been applied to Golden Gate Transit buses, with SamTrans to follow suit as they mapped out a financial plan to increase fares similar to those at Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). 

Paper day passes may become a thing of the past for many transit agencies as technology advances in the Clipper card system, which is being slowly rolled out to reach places where technology will become more flexible. However, whether paper day passes or transfers will be phased out will be left up to individual transit agencies. But the message to riders from VTA is very clear, including those from AC Transit, BART, and SamTrans. 

VTA has yet to implement the details, but I am aware of the plans to make paper day passes a thing of the past. 

Original Work: Kyle Chak

E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com

Twitter: @KyleSChak

Blogs Now Up On My Page By Contents, August 2015

Here are some of my latest blogs that I've posted over the past month - three big investigations and one positive story. If you find any links that are broken, please let me know. Here are some of the following...

"INVESTIGATION: Napa's VINE Transit Under the Blogger's Microscope - Actual Truth about the Website?"

This short investigative blog questions Napa's transit provider which I discovered that the transit agency failed to update their website regarding the use of the Clipper Card (no photos were used).

"INVESTIGATION: A Troubling Trend Among San Francisco Public School Students?"

This short blog gives my take on what I discovered while I was correcting math exams at San Jose State University, despite being an English major.

"INVESTIGATION: Where Do You Find Stuff at a Local Mall? The Sad Truth About Finding Directions at Department Stores"

In my two-year investigation, I expose how some big-chain department stores and local malls, finding out if those have any signage pointing in the correct direction, and where to find services and public restrooms. (No photos were used for security reasons.)

"Part One of Two - Chak's Take: Why is this Blogger a Huge Fan of Ron Gleeson?"

One of my most successful stories is about a writer that was good enough to put long sports stories and his great success. So what attracted me to read his articles? (Contains pictures.)

Part One of Two - Chak's Take: Why is this Blogger a Huge Fan of Ron Gleeson?

"I am in a place I never thought I would be in. The executive editor of the Spartan Daily - a title that seem unobtainable when I stepped into the newsroom nearly a year ago." This was a quote from Ron Gleeson, who stepped in as the Executive Editor of the Spartan Daily at the beginning of 2012.

For many years, I always wanted to meet the guy that had a lot of great passion in writing his great stories, but in person instead of just communication on social media. There are many reasons why he led the way in knowing how San Jose State Spartan sports teams will affect attendance in a certain way, especially football. I decided to give my take on my explanation of being a huge fan of Gleeson in a two-part blog.

COLLECTION OF ARTICLES

After my Live Oak High School graduation in 2007, I moved up on to Gavilan College in Gilroy, which lasted four years before transferring to San Jose State University. I was not sure of how my education adventure will go, and the uncertainty of my future at that time, but since I began my journey at SJSU, I have been collecting newspapers and a few selected articles written by Ron Gleeson, who I heard was one of the best guys around. Over the course of two semesters, I decided to pick up each day of the Spartan Daily and look for any articles written by Gleeson. Most of the articles that I've picked up was stored in a box at my San Martin nest.

Not every Spartan Daily newspaper picked up contains an article written by Gleeson. Some sports articles are from either the Spartan Daily staff or from an outside source instead of Gleeson. When I factored in many of the Spartan Daily newspapers I picked up, I managed to select a few articles written by Gleeson, from Spartan football to his take as an executive editor of the Daily.

Out of all the articles I read in the Daily, it appears that Glesson's favorite subject to write about is football! I certainly had a curiosity as to why I think football is probably his favorite fall subject, even though the San Francisco Giants are his favorites. He does mention MacIntyre in the article - the former Spartan coach seemed to have followed his dream of success. In my overall evaluation, his articles that I reviewed from my box were in-depth, and sometimes, he gives his take on local sports that he really loves. 

MEETING HIM IN PERSON?

If I wanted to meet Glesson in person, he'll probably have to send me a request so that the second part of this blog can continue, but for my part? It's going to be very tough based on schedule, especially when I have a tight schedule on weekdays. The problem is mainly with the availability of time. The main question that I can ask him in person about how he first came to San Jose and what his favorite part about San Jose is, as well as Bay Area sports. For now, he'll just have to sneak in my mobile number (yes, he can text me, which is preferred) and my social media pages, including Instagram and Twitter, something that he probably never knew. I so far have never heard from him via talk or text on my cell phone yet. But the good news is that his articles have influenced my decision to write my own experience in my blogs.

The second part of my blog on Ron Gleeson will only occur when I see him in person, as will my sixth and my most favorite article that he covered.

Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak
BONUS: These photos are from my box safely stored at my San Martin Nest. The photos contain five memorable articles that were written by Ron Gleeson.

INVESTIGATION: Where Do You Find Stuff at a Local Mall? The Sad Truth About Finding Directions at Department Stores

If anyone wants to go a local mall near their home nest, you might want to check this blog report - my blog has exposed local malls and where to find stuff in a department. I traveled to many malls around the Bay Area, looking at department stores and figuring out how to find directions to a particular department or service within a department store. That is my particular mission for each mall that I've have visited. From Santa Rosa to Fairfield, San Mateo to Livermore, and Cupertino to San Jose, and Monterey to Salinas, I've been looking at directories at various department stores. But what I've discovered revealed a troubling problem at some of the malls and department stores that I've visited throughout the Bay Area and Monterey Bay.

WHO HAS THE WORST DIRECTORIES?

JcPenney, Macy's, Sears, Nordstrom, Nieman Marcus, and Bloomingdales are among the big chain department stores that I've looked at. Out of a combined 27 malls (24 malls in the Bay Area, 2 in Monterey County, and one in Santa Cruz County) that includes at least one major department store, several individual department stores and several malls failed to include signage. At Northridge Mall in Salinas, most of the mall had no directory at all, including all department stores - one of the worst malls that I've experienced. Apart from a directory located at several ends of the mall, signage between Sears and JcPenney are non-existent. Furthermore, there were no signage or directory at Sears, JcPenney, and Macy's. I had to figure out the directions to services and restrooms on my own.

The only time that I saw signage at Northridge Mall is between JcPenney and Macy's - but Northridge Mall clearly lacks signage. In my first visit to Northridge Mall in 2014, there were no signage between Sears and JcPenney, but nothing has changed - not even clear signage pointing to directions of where specific major department stores are.

LACK OF SIGNAGE? OR LACK OF DIRECTIONS?

Although I won't specify which malls among the 27 have lack of signage, almost all JcPenney stores in the Bay Area never made the grade in my check in addition to the Salinas store - not even near escalators or elevators. Directories that include restrooms and services have not been visible except poor sporadic signage. There were also poor signage that include "restroom," but only to reveal that there is only either the men's or women's restroom on a particular floor. That was the case at the JcPenney within Eastridge Center in East San Jose.  

But that was not the only case that I saw poor signage at malls. At a Macy's inside NewPark Mall in Newark, I only saw a directory near elevators indicating services and restrooms on the third floor in addition to a standalone women's restroom on the second floor. However, the directory never existed near escalators or store entrances within NewPark Mall. At a Macy's in Antioch, I've discovered a directory near escalators that points to restrooms on both floors, but only the women's restroom' signage were the only service on the first floor as indicated by the signage. That questions me of being honest with their signage.

Meanwhile, some stores seem to have their discretion of whether a directory should be posted or not. Sears stores in a few of the malls never had a directory apart from sporadic signage, including services and public restrooms. Out of the two Nieman Marcus stores (Stanford Shopping Center and San Francisco's Union Square) that I've been to, only the Union Square location have clear signage of where the services are, including restrooms, although I had to find them myself. That location includes "Women's Room" and "Men's Room" to indicate restrooms in a particular floor or area. However, out of all department stores that I've been to, all Bloomingdales and Nordstrom stores that I've been to around the Bay Area have clear signage next to most escalators. 

DEPARTMENT STORES AT SF CENTRE & UNION SQUARE

San Francisco's Union Square is very unique in letting shoppers know where restrooms and elevators are located and the signage that points out where they are. This is because instead the stores in San Francisco lets people navigate their way through multiple floors that generally ranges from three to eight. Directories at most Macy's stores have a unique directory known as "Find Your Way," which lists out what is on the floor, including if there are any services for restrooms and services. However, at both the main store and the Men's store in Union Square, "Find Your Way" is not used. Instead, a unique signage points to a more specific list of what the stores cover. At the main store, Macy's is known to have more than just a regular store. There are restaurants and other services in addition to the Macy's service spread out among the seven floors, with an escalator on the seventh floor leading up to the Cheesecake Factory on the eighth floor.

Most San Francisco department stores have a huge space for shoppers within a confined block of San Francisco streets located near major public transit stations, particularly BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and MUNI (San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency) at Powell Street Station. Because of the difficult navigation through many floors, many department store chains require directories to be posted near escalators and/or elevators.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The clear message to department stores and malls is that the list must be updated in order for the mall to be more aware of the average shopper of knowing locations of a department so that the shopper can look for a particular item. But it remains unclear of how many malls in the United States as a whole have directories of which floor serves which department along with restroom and store services. The signage along malls and department stores needs to be placed somewhere so that shoppers will know what floors cover what departments.