Volume 45, Issue 5, February 4, 2015 by El Estoque

the image age WHEN SHARING IS FILTERING Editing CRAFTING our iMage 25

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MONTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL elestoque.org February 4, 2015 Issue V, Volume XLV

5 35 NEWS

5 8 9

OPINION Changing Gears

Tragic bike accident raises concerns about bike saftey for Cupertino community

3.78 Inches Dispelling misconceptions about the California drought

Silent Solidarity Out of the blue

10 11 14 16

What Cupertino needs Replacing Vallco Mall

On the road

How we came to terms with tragedy

More than our fair share Social media promotes an inauthentic self

Family or foe? On higher ground

A&E

Press play

The fading generation

20 22 23

Find the streaming service that’s right for you The return of retro traditions

Five ways you know... The quirks of being a drama, art, or music student

Snip, snip Student barber explains how he got his start

Eat your heart out

She’s the man

Dear rememberers, A

s a publication, it is rare that we cover tragedy. Certainly we examine topics that are uncomfortable and controversial regularly — things like domestic abuse, cancer, stress anxiety and bullying. But we almost never report on topics that affect us so intimately that they can bring tears to our eyes, cause our hearts to ache and make us wonder why did this happen. However, there are days when we have to do that. And Oct. 27 was one of them. 2

During those late morning hours, as rumors spread like wildfire, as teachers nervously checked seats, we were reeling in A111 in

But, we didn’t spend that brunch assigning pitches or gathering information. We spent it scared, confused and devastated like everyone else on campus. Surrounded by so much emotion and tension, it was impossible for us break the news first NATHAN DESAI AND and at the same time offer a fair DANIEL FERNANDEZ recounting of that morning’s events. We recognized that it was LETTER FROM THE EDITORS our obligation to publish sensitive, fair and correct information, which required time and patience the same way that everybody else was. We that we frankly did not have at 11:00 on that wanted to know. We wanted to do something. Monday morning. So we waited. EL ESTOQUE

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21840 McClellan Road Cupertino, CA 95014 mv.el.estoque@gmail.com

20 SPECIAL REPORT

The cloud collective Exploring how online sharing defines us

Is sharing really caring?

All about me

Thanks for sharing

A post a day...

An inside look on sharing culture Why we filter our lives before we share them Experts on sharing explain their craft What I learned from a month of Facebook posts

On Tuesday, our news staff published a brief based on preliminary reports and a few short interviews. But in many ways, we were still waiting. On the same day, several MVHS students created a Facebook event; there would be a candlelight vigil for the fallen Matador the following day. And on Wednesday — minutes before the student’s identity was publicized over the PA system and minutes before lunch began — we published an editorial stating that everyone on campus knew Ethan, even if they had never met him before and that all MVHS students should attend his vigil to pay their respects for him. FEBUARY 4, 2015

SPORTS

32 34

35 36 38 39

Uniformation Design a jersey from start to finish

Headfirst Diver plunges into the Philippines

Building bonds

Girls soccer finds common ground

Polariced

Increased use of artificial snow proves controversial

Blind sided

Rookie of the year

What’s in your bag? Sisters Julie and Joyce Chen open up

We waited through the vigil on Wednesday. Certainly, we held candles and we grieved next to more more than 800 parents, teachers, students and staff. But we did not report because we decided that it was more important to be students than reporters. Despite our waiting, members of the community were critical of our coverage, most notably the editorial published on Wednesday. We were criticized for trying to force a connection and accused of blindly celebrating the life of a student we barely even knew. It’s easy to think now that we have finished our period of waiting. Many weeks have passed, many of us have moved on. In many

Editors-in-Chief: Nathan Desai, Daniel Fernandez Managing Editors: Yifei Wu, Kathleen Yuan Copy Editors: Rahul Iyer, Jady Wei, Varsha Venkat Webmaster: Varsha Venkat News Editors: Elia Chen, Maya Murthy, Dylan Tsai Sports Editors: Alina Abidi, Amol Pande, Malini Ramaiyer Entertainment Editors: Christine Liang, Sarah Ramos, Lydia Seo Opinion Editors: Gabriella Monico, Pranav Parthasarathy Special Report Editors: Kristin Chang, Harini Shyamsundar, Mingjie Zhong Beats Editors: Ashmita Chakraborty, Avni Prasad Photo Editors: Justin Kim, Aditya Pimplaskar Design Editor: Rhonda Mak Graphics Editors: Rhonda Mak, Sharon Tung Business Editors: Claire Lu, Sarah Weinberg Staff Writers: Rabina Bisht, Brandon Chin, Aditi Desai, Brian Fan, Kalpana Gopalkrishnan, Pranav Iyer, Pranav Jandhyala, Trisha Kholiya, Elliot Ki, Anjana Melvin, Sanjana Murthy, Vishal Nagar, Jyotsna Natarajan, Colin Ni, Neha Patchipala, Vanessa Qin, Caitlyn Tjong, Anushka Tyagi, Joshua Tsuei, Emily Zhao Adviser: Michelle Balmeo Credits Some images in this publication were taken from the stock photography website sxc.hu. Mission Statement El Estoque is an open forum created for and by students of Monta Vista High School. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the journalism staff and not of Monta Vista High School or the Fremont Union High School District. The staff seeks to recognize individuals, events, and ideas and bring news to the MVHS community in a manner that is professional, unbiased, and thorough in order to effectively serve our readers. We strive to report accurately, and we will correct any significant error. If you believe such an error has been made, please contact us. Letters of any length should be submitted via email or mail. They may be edited for length or accuracy. Letters cannot be returned and will be published at El Estoque’s discretion. We also reserve the right to reject advertising due to space limitations or decision of the Editorial Board that content of the advertisement conflicts with the mission of the publication.

ways, things have returned to normal. But, we hope you remember that more than our city laws have changed. We may no longer grieve in public. We may no longer remember just what was said on Wednesday night. We may no longer think of the memorial as we drive down McClellan each morning on our way to school. But we hope you recognize that we, as both individuals and a community, have changed. Because we will never forget Oct. 27, 2014. n.desai@elestoque.org | d.fernandez@elestoque.org

CHANGING GEARS BY KALPANA GOPALKRISHNAN AND MAYA MURTHY

On McClellan Road next to the percolation pond, a memorial lies for sophomore Ethan Wong, who lost his life on Oct. 27 in a bicycle collision with a big rig. People piled objects around a white bike that had been placed at the memorial site during the week of the accident. Mourners left everything from a ceramic bowl, to flowers, candles, a stuffed Spongebob, to an unopened bottle of Gatorade. As the year turned, most of the memorabilia was removed. The white bike remained, with fresh flowers and a ribbon tied around the basket Ââ&#x20AC;&#x201D; a reminder of who was lost and the changes needed to prevent such an accident in the future.

NEWS McClellan Rd. is not a truck route. Cupertino city ordinance 11.32.070 states exceptions to the truck routes for pickup and delivery of goods, as Sandhu was doing on the day of the accident.

Minimum paved bike width for a one-way bike lane shall be 4.92 ft by law. the McClellan bike lanes were approximately 4.83 ft, just meeting the minimum required.

Accident area

School zone begins MVHS Lincoln Elementary The city has since proposed to prohibit all trucks on McClellan Rd. during school hours.

Borden believes that McClellan road’s bike lanes will be finished painting by March 2015

s the Cupertino community continues to mourn the death of one of its own, the city looks to implement changes to improve bike safety. However, the solutions would come with a financial cost and a question of the impact that they would have in the prevention of a tragedy. According to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office, the accident happened when the driver, Manvinder Sandhu was in the process of turning onto Bubb Rd. As the truck’s trailer hit Wong’s handlebars, Wong lost control of his bike and hit the pavement with enough force to kill him. In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, shock and outrage spurred the community into action On Dec. 16, City Council members chose possible solutions suggested in earlier meetings by citizens.

“

Law of the Lane The issue of the bike lanes became apparent – according to the Sheriff’s Office, there is no evidence that says that neither

I have to walk home 40 minutes now, but it’s worth it because I know it’s going to be safer than biking.

junior Srivathsan Subramanian

Wong nor Sandhu had been over the line that separates the bike and traffic lanes. Yet, they managed to be close enough that the truck trailer was able to hit Wong’s handlebars. “At the time, it looked like [Wong] was right on the line of the bike

The city is planning to move the garbage pickup time earlier. Currently, garbage pickup day for the area around mvhs is held on Wednesday mornings.

lane,” freshman Suchith Ullagaddi, an eyewitness to the accident said, “but the truck was definitely drifting a little bit.” California Highway Design Manual Chapter 1000 states that “the minimum paved bike width for a one-way bike lane shall be 1.5 m [4.92 ft].” When measured, the McClellan bike lanes were approximately 4.83 ft, just meeting the minimum required by law. In comparison, many major cities like San Francisco have bike lanes that measure six feet, because of the city’s wider roads. According to Cupertino Public Works director Timm Borden, wider bike lanes on McClellan Rd are currently unfeasible because the city would have to purchase vast amounts of property on either side of the road in order to widen the street to in turn widen the bike lanes. However, one enacted solution has been to make the bike lanes more visible to drivers. In recent months, bike lanes on major streets around Cupertino have been painted a neon green, though the usefulness of such an undertaking has been disputed. “That [the green paint] doesn’t help,” junior Peter Kim, an avid biker, said.

EL ESTOQUE

“They did that all over Cupertino, but that stuff only makes you blinder in the daytime. It doesn’t help at all.” The paint itself is expensive, according to Borden, every foot of pavement painted costs the city $20. “You have to get funding approved,” Borden said. “You’d think it’s as easy as going out and painting them green.” Borden believes that McClellan Road’s bike lanes, which have not been painted, will be finished by March 2015. Vehile Concerns One of the most distressing aspects of the tragedy was the fact that a large truck was even on McClellan Road at that hour in the morning. For many students who bike to Lincoln, Kennedy, or MVHS, McClellan Rd lies on the direct route they take daily. Cupertino City Ordinance 11.32.020 defines the truck routes in the City of Cupertino, McClellan Rd. not being one of them. However, Cupertino City Ordinance 11.32.070 states exceptions to the truck routes for pickup and delivery of goods, as Sandhu was doing on the day of the accident. The city has since proposed to prohibit all trucks on McClellan Rd. during school hours and has reached out to speak with Recology, the local garbage collection company, about moving the weekly garbage collection to an earlier time. Currently, garbage pickup day in MVHS vicinity is held on Wednesday mornings, a particularly busy period for student bikers due to similar start times of Lincoln Elementary, Kennedy Middle School and MVHS – 8:55, 9:38 and 9:25 respectively. To combat citizens’ concern over traffic, the City has approved the idea of a bus system for schools. The decision now rests on the opinion of the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and FUHSD. However, if enough students decide not to take the bus, Borden believes the busses will become a liability. Questions of legitimacy One day in May 2003, math teacher Jon Stark biked home from MVHS like he did everyday. He had already been in an accident the previous October, but continued to bike to and from school. Stark crossed the McClellan-Bubb intersection with the other cars at afternoon rush hour on his bike. As he

approached the 7-Eleven, a woman in a little white car made a sharp turn into the store’s parking lot. The side of her car smashed into Stark. His arm ripped off her mirror. He flew over the hood of the car and smacked into the pavement. When he was hit for the first time, Stark screamed. This time, he responded with “Oh no, not again!” Although he escaped with no major injuries, Stark began to believe that no matter how experienced a biker is, the only factor that can prevent accidents is their own awareness. After 50,000 miles of biking and three accidents, Stark has a heightened sense of cars’ behavior. Since the recent tragedy, students

Check out elestoque.org for more coverage on bike safety

like junior Srivathsan Subramanian have also come to the same conclusion. In Subramanian’s case, however, his response was to stop riding his bike to school altogether. “I have to walk home 40 minutes now,” Subramanian said, “but it’s worth it, because I know it’s going to be safer than biking.” At this point, only one solution seems to have no downside: education. Through flyers, assemblies and creating a position centered around bike safety education, the City plans to teach the youth of Cupertino a little more about the awareness that Stark described. Kim and Subramanian agree, stating their beliefs that any awareness efforts would have to involve both bikers as well as motorists. “You can’t just depend on another person being aware for you,” Kim said. “It takes two to make an accident.” According to the police report, Wong’s death was a terrible accident. Even when Wong and the driver did everything right, a tragedy occurred. Wong propelled the Cupertino community to change. With solutions set in place, the City will wait and see how the community responds.

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4 1 2 3 4

Things to stay safe on roads

Get a light Use hand signals Don’t ride on the curb Ride with traffic Ride on the road Be predictable Look before turning Slow down Make eye contact Wear a helmet

Things under

$ 40

Bike Mirror: $15-20 Reflective Tape: $4/ft Bicycle Light: $10 Reflective Vest: $10-15

k.gopalkrishnan@elestoque.org m.murthy@elestoque.org

FEBRAUARY 4, 2015

NEWS

3.78 inches. BY BRIAN FAN AND JADY WEI 3.78 inches is the level of rain Cupertino received from the most recent series of showers, in late November and early December. The violent downpour prompted many to inquire whether the national drought could have been ameliorated, or possibly even remedied. Yet, according to the National Weather Service Forecast, a healthy level of rain for the November-December season is an average of 5.94 inches. We’re nowhere close.

hile a handful of MVHS students believe that the recent lengthy period of rain has remedied the national drought, evidence actually proves other wise. “The drought was pretty severe, and it has been going on for three years. We’re just starting to head out of a three-year drought,” AP Environmental Science teacher Andrew Goldenkranz said. “The simplest way to think about it is that right now, the recent rains have resolved about one-sixth of our water needs.” A common misconception is that the drought is measured by the depth of the reservoir. However, because people can easily move water in and out of the reservoir at any time, this is not an adequate tool for gauging the severity of national drought. Instead, climatologists measure the drought by the height of the snowpack, which is, in some ways, similar to an actual reservoir. Snow sits up on the ground and slowly percolates into the earth. Therefore, for drought and water conservation purposes, snow would be the most beneficial source because it moves more slowly than water into the aquifer. “When it rains hard, like it did in late November, early December, the rain starts to run off and therefore runs quickly down into the bay, where we can’t use it anymore,” Goldenkranz said. “So heavy rain is actually not as useful to us in terms of drought as moderate amounts of rain over a long period of time.” Geographical impacts of the drought So far, the amount of precipitation the district has garnered with the rain season is not sufficient to pull our nation from the drought. “We have some parts of the state which are more affected than others,” Goldenkranz said. “There are wetter and drier areas, and areas where literally the water has been turned off. Here, they may just say, ‘Remember to conserve your water’ or ‘Please don’t wash your car.’” Drawing from historical evidence, wet and dry season are cyclical. According to a prognosis is8

sued by the Weather Channel, the United States is possibly moving into an El Niño year, though prospects may wane in the February to April period. “Typically, droughts happen in around threeyear cycles,” Goldenkranz said. “So we can see that we may be moving into a short-term wetter cycle.” DID YOU According to Goldenkranz, California — at its KNOW? origins — was settled over California had its a geologically wetter area worst drought in of land during a comparathe 1980s tively wetter period, which explains why the regions is relatively less parched compared to neighboring states. In Northern California, household water supply comes solely from the Sierra Nevada. In Southern California, people getting a large proportion of water from the Colorado River, along with areas of Nevada and Arizona, thus amplifying the competition and exacerbating water shortage. In other regions like Las Vegas, Sacramento, Phoenix and Los Angeles, the municipal governments have already begun to pay residents to replace their lawn with more natural landscaping or a fake lawn. In addition, the Santa Clara Valley Water District sanctioned a high-efficiency toilet rebate program, which offers refunds for individuals that install premium model high efficiency toilets in their homes. The drought was ‘preventable’ California’s history has been one littered with droughts at intervals, and the last notable drought was in the 1980s. “It’s a natural drought. If you want to blame anyone, blame Mother Nature,” Information Officer, Doug Carlson said, from the Public Affair Office of the CA Department of Water Resources. Many people point to the fact that we are only utilizing around 50 percent of the total water available from rainfall. This water, which gradually drains into groundwater and the bay, is called environmental water. Some contend that had EL ESTOQUE

Justin Kim | El Estoque

StevenS CREEK and blackberry farm Bottom: The water levels under the bridge show a dramatic decrease. Left: The bottom of the creek and the local underwater flora has ben revealed for most of the drought. Right: The water levels at Blackberry farm under the bridge show a dramatic decrease. Justin Kim | El Estoque

Justin Kim | El Estoque

districts used this environmental water, we would have prevented much of the negative effects of the drought. “Environmental water is used for maintaining the ecosystem. There are animals that can only survive in a specific pH or salinity of water and environmental water is nature’s way of maintaining that balance. If we don’t let water naturally flow into waterways, we will kill the fish.” ‘We aren’t doing all we can to help’ The focus of California’s water management is to increase transportation of water. ¨There are places where there is literally no water, and we’re trying to transport water into those area,¨ Carlson said. “We’re also trying to increase the efficient use of water rather than preventing its use altogether.” The California Water Management Department is also requiring their own facilities to cut back on their use of water. FEBRUARY 4, 2015

“We want the to put in place a plan to reduce their usage of water. If they can’t do that, then the department comes DID YOU in and does it for KNOW? them,” Carlson More than half said. the state depends Data on the California Water Manageon outside ment’s website have sources of water shown that we need to achieve at least 150 percent of the average rainfall in order to remedy the drought. Rainfall collection stations reveal that while the rainfall has been doing well earlier in the rainfall season, a month long period of dry weather means that we may actually fall below the mean rainfall line. The only subsequent conclusion is that, as a state, we are still severely parched. The phrase “ridiculously resilient ridge”, coined by the California Weather Blog, comes

into play when discussing how the drought appeared. The phrase describes natural circumstances of California’s location prevents clouds from dumping rainwater into the mountains, resulting in snow Which is why our water usage needs to change. “Imagine if you had a bathroom sink where when you finish brushing your teeth, it says ‘You used 31 ounces of water just now,’’ Goldenkranz said. “Were you aware of that? The minute you start getting into that feedback cycle, that’s when we’ll finally start using less.” The drought seems to be far from over, but recent changes in attitude towards water usuage may help alleviate what may be one of the worst droughts in California’s history. b.fan@elestoque.org | j.wei@elestoque.org

NEWS

The Political Circus What are political campaigns good for, anyway?

h, elections. We know them so well. After all, it’s been – what – an entire three months since our last one, right? Clearly time to get back on track. And apparently the only thing at stake is the entire future of ourselves, our country, and our world at large. Or so CNN says. I stopped paying attention to the doomsday predictions after I woke up on Inauguration Day 2009 and realized I hadn’t actually been killed in a Taliban drone strike, like my fellow fifth grade classmates had assured me would happen if Obama took the White House. In retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have placed my faith in a group of 10 year olds who blatantly cheated at Slapjack. They couldn’t even lie properly when I confronted them. So we aren’t dead, and no matter what either Fox News or MSNBC tells you, we’ll probably still be alive no matter what middle-aged male we put in office. Not even Hillary Clinton’s appointment to the highest office in the land would truly result in mass destruction of innocents. (Sarah Palin, on the other hand....) But regardless, the question I’m sure you’re all asking, now that we’ve established that we’re all going to survive the next election, is “Why should I care?” Because obviously, the only reason anyone in this country can bring themselves to care about yet another election is if they feel they’re all going to die if the opposition comes back into power. I mean, look at the

Tea Party. You couldn’t possibly find a group of people more invested in the state of American politics, mainly because they’re all about the belief that Obama is the closest thing we’ve got to actual work of the devil. The only real answer I could come to, after much reflection and contemplation, is actually remarkably simple: the entertainment value. I started my long journey into caring about politics at the tender age of nine,

It’s been six years since the last election and three elections since my first, I still can’t bring myself to care about elections outside of their inherent entertainment value. It’s a little worrying, because I read an article a couple days ago that went on a little rant about how the Republican party would try courting the new voters in the 2016 cycle. I was ambivalent, until I realized that I was one of the voters the article talked about. Well, still ambivalent. Shocked, maybe, but it was closer to the terror that comes with realizing one is about to be legally considered an adult by the masses. I’ll be voting next next November. Important, except that it’s currently February of 2015, and I’m frantically trying to survive Junior year rather than calmly placing my vote at the polling station closest to my college campus (God willing). So why does everyone care? The election cycle is in itself, one of the more pointless exercises we go through as a people. It’s big and brash and full of billionaires’ attempts at directing the course our country will take in the near future. Also, election day is almost two years away, which is literally as far as it could possibly be, without encroaching on a previous cycle. I could come out and say something about the importance of the process, that true democracy is at work as we see all these fine men and women begin to declare their candidacies, but that would be a lie. Because the truth is, the state of the American campaign is nothing more than a joke. And at this point, I have nothing better to do than laugh.

MAYA MURTHY OUT OF THE BLUE

watching The Daily Show and the Colbert Report (R.I.P.) on the floor of my parents’ master bedroom, giggling as they guided me through the throes of American politics. I supported what Stewart and Colbert told me to support, did my own research every once in a while, Wikipedia-ed the life story of candidates Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Clinton. I had every single one of Sarah Palin’s slip-ups memorized, to be brought out in the presence of adults who would reward the adorably politically-aware fifth grader with pats on the head. In short, did I really care about the outcome of the election? Yes and no. Yes, because I’m pretty sure my flaming-liberal family, which has in turn indoctrinated me with said liberal values, would have disowned me at the first hint of Republicanism. No, because I was 10ten years old.

m.murthy@elestoque.org

EL ESTOQUE

Opinion

What does Cupertino need?

While several ideas seem exciting, we still don’t know what we want BY RAHUL IYER

74% GO TO AMC THEATER

40% ALMOST NEVER VISIT VALLCO

60% DO NOT SUPPORT THE CREATION OF CONDOS

Vanessa Qin | El Estoque Illustration

n Saturday night s, resident s of Cuper tino congregate in a pla za centered around the intersec tion of Wolfe and Stevens Creek: Vallco mall, a mall home to stores ranging from Victor ia’s Secret to Legends. Yet despite this wide selec tion, most customers attend only one at trac tion: the movie theater. So what is the pur pose of the rest of the mall? In an online sur vey of 184 student s, 55 percent suppor ted replacing Vallco with another option. However, we don’t seem to k now exac tly what for m this enter tainment should take. A downtown? A spor t s stadium? Real estate development company Sand Hill Proper t y Co. recently acquired the Vallco real estate and is in the midst of planning redevelopment. T he cur rent plan, an extension of “Main Street Cuper tino,” consist s of a hotel, office space, housing, and shops along Stevens Creek Boulevard. W hile the shops may have the potential to at trac t customers, it’s difficult to make an argument for more Cupertino housing. Sixt y percent of student s would not suppor t replacing Vallco with condos. Ideally, the creation of Main Street Cuper tino would satisf y all. In realit y, it could end up an over-glor ified suburban development projec t. W hile Main Street Cuper tino may not be the solution for our lack of enter tainment, it’s good for Cuper tino resident s FEBRUARY 4, 2015

In the after math of Vallco’s acquisithat the problem is being considered and that solutions are being proposed. tion, it’s impor tant to consider how it T he eventual replacement of Vallco will will be replaced because we, as Cuper tibe the pr imar y enter tainment option in no resident s, are the ones who will have Cuper tino, and resident s will have to be to live with it s replacement. T he sur vey satisfied by it. Palo Alto has a down- result s, with 60% of student s against town. Los Gatos has a downtown. Sara- building condos, show that, while we toga has a downtown. Cuper tino has a may have opinions on real estate development, we are not involved in the librar y and an empt y mall. One par t of the problem is the cul- process. Fur ther more, when we express ture of Cuper tino, with it s emphasis on our desire for enter tainment, we need academic excellence. Cuper tino’s excel- to ensure developers k now our opinion. lent schools and proximit y to the tech In a sur vey of student s, 95 percent have industr y are a key fac tor in at trac ting taken no ac tion to protest Vallco’s reresident s. As a result, while the culture placement and 68 percent hadn’t heard of Cuper tino does not rejec t enter tain- of Vallco’s replacement at all. T his is the fundamental issue. We ment, it does not incentivize it either, say we want due in par t to enter t ainthe time conMOST OF US CAN AGREE THAT ment, and f lic t bet ween we need to academic sucCUPERTINO IS NOT THE BEST take a stand cess and recPLACE TO FIND ENTERTAINMENT. r e g a r d i n g reation, and what for m the proximit y of other enter tainment options a shor t this enter tainment should take. Without a clear vision, we won’t see any developdr ive away. Most of us can agree that the town of ment or progress. And when we express Cuper tino is not the best place to find our opinions, enter tainment providers enter tainment. Despite the fac t that we will listen, as student s are a significant have a mall, 40 percent of student s said consumer group. We need to elucidate that they rarely visit Vallco. T here are our opinion on what exac tly we desire, enter tainment options out side of Cu- and when we push for it, we may finally per tino, such as downtown Palo Alto. receive the enter tainment we so desperHowever, only 20 percent of student s ately want. said that they can dr ive. r.iyer@elestoque.org

OPINION

ON THE ROAD In light of a tragedy, we come to terms with the realization that there is no one to blame

STAFF EDITORIAL OPINION OF THE EL ESTOQUE EDTORIAL BOARD

Aditya Pimplaskar | El Estoque

EL ESTOQUE

ophomore Ethan Wong died on Oct. address the traffic issues, we cannot look 27, 2014. He was in the wrong place at these reformations as a debt paid — at the wrong time, and unfor tunate we are not avenging a death, we are tr ycircumstances snatched him away, a traging to prevent future ones. ic loss felt across our communit y. And And here’s how we are going to atthree months later, regardless of whether tempt to do so. we mention it or not, we remember. Cit y Council has proposed several difWe also remember when more than ferent solutions to reduce the likelihood 700 of us gathered in the rally cour t and of traffic related accidents. The first, lit candles to commemorate our fallen proposed long before Wong’s passing, matador. We remember when we, a stuinvolves painting the bike lanes green. dent body of over 2,300, took a day to reThe budget for this expensive under takmember a member of our communit y we ing (costing $20 per foot) was approved lost forever. in July of 2014. While well-intentioned, Three months later, when we as an this proposal seems too expensive for editorial board first began discussions its supposed benefits. Some avid bikers on this topic, we were searching for miseven claim that all it does is blind them takes. when they bike during the day. There are What we were looking for were the several far more compelling proposals to failings of the student body and the comconsider. munit y. We vilified the politicians who Another proposal involves working came to our school after the accident, with Recology, the San Francisco based who turned a personal tragedy into a company that manages the Bay Area’s “who cares more” contest and we rolled garbage disposal as well as landfills and our eyes at what many of us saw as empt y, recycling, to adjust garbage truck routes even self-aggrandizing Facebook posts so they do not coincide with school trafabout Wong’s passing. fic. This proposal seems par ticularly In truth, we were looking for someeffective, limiting student exposure to one to blame. We blamed the truck heav y vehicles through careful planning driver, who had been at the wrong place and minimal cost. at the wrong time and made a mistake. The Cit y has also approved the idea of We blamed the narrow roads which had a bus system. While it may be a liabilit y small bike lanes that were difficult to see. for V TA (Valley Transpor tation AuthorWe even attempted to channel our anger it y) if not enough students take the bus, against those Facebook posts, which we this solution will reduce the amount of deemed ingenuine. But this hunt was ultivehicular traffic around the school durmately wor thless. ing commuting hours, thereby making our And here’s what we learned. People roads more safe. Fur thermore, it would cope in different ways; some turn to rebe an added convenience for students ligion, some make petitions and suggest and parents, especially for students who reforms and some express their feelings cannot drive themselves to school. on social media. Who are we to judge The final solution requires the cit y the way each gover nment and ever y to work with WE CAN CHOOSE TO RUMINATE one of us the V TA OVER THE CIRCUMSTANCES handles tragand FUHSD edy? Who paint THAT LED TO THIS CALAMITY OR to are we to tell sha re d-lane people when ma r k ings WE CAN LOOK FORWARD. and where to on Stevens mourn? Creek and And even if we did vilify the truck continue improvements through emphadriver or the cit y or the school, we still sis on the four E’s: engineering, educahave to confront the harsh realit y that tion, encouragement and enforcement. these things can happen regardless of cirBy attacking traffic safet y through sevcumstances. And when they do, we are eral different avenues, we can holistically all devastated. But here’s the truth: tr yimprove our roads and make our coming to find others to blame is ultimately mutes safer in a responsible and costpointless. effective manner. Ethan Justin Wong did not die to beIn March, the cit y government will come the poster child for bike safet y. His discuss these proposals. The action from death is a tragedy. While it is wonder ful our communit y is commendable. If the that the cit y has finally taken the time to budget is approved in March, real change

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

will be implemented, change that has as great shot at making our communit y safer and preventing future accidents from taking place. As we ref lect on the tragic circumstances, we are just as unsatisfied as you may be. We didn’t unveil some deep conspiracy or ineptitude in government. We merely came to the realization that this is not the time to decide who was at fault. We cannot sit back and point fingers. What happened on the morning of Oct. 27 was a tragedy, a loss to our communit y and to a family, and we will remember. And that’s what we must do. Remember. Not blame.

SOLUTIONS PROPOSED These proposals go to committee for budget approval in March of this year

Painting the bike lane green

Adjusting garbage truck routes to avoid traffic hours

Painting shared-lane markings on Stevens Creek Prohibiting trucks on school zones

Focus on the four E’s: engineering, educatin, encouragement and enforcement

Create a school bus system 13

SPECIAL Opinion

More than our fair share

Social media should’t be for competition, but a platform for connectivity By Pranav Jandhyala and Emily Zhao number of likes takes away from personal time with friends at a hangout or a family dinner. When on social media, people feel obscured from face-tof a c e pres-

ye r

news

othe

persona

t a t

oth

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omment. Scroll. Edit. Post. Like. These less hours in hopes of gaining approval from actions constitute our daily habits. Go online friends or followers. out to a dinner with a couple friends Investing so much time editing and and it wouldn’t be surprising to see people choosing to post a single picture adds to the snapping pictures and checking social me- unconscious effect of getting drawn into this dia. Anyone can post on Facebook in a mat- mentality. With this in mind, social media ter of seconds and countless people can have fosters comparison of quality of life, and access to that post. Anyone can make a vid- takes away from genuine experiences. eo that pushes for social change, and there is Associate Professor of the Communicano telling how many people will see it. tion Department of Santa Clara University, Yet, insecurity and decreased authentic Dr. Christine Bachen, stated that “There’s a relationships are brewing in the midst of so- downside [to social media], a kind of deprescial media use. sion or envy, a sense that your own life is Modern culture has transformed the real far less interesting than the lives of those intentions of social media, the spread of in- around you...people are constantly comformation and communication, into an out- paring themselves with similar others.” let for the showing of personal belongings, achievements and conformed behavior. Jorge Peña, Ph.D, assistant professor What do you think in the department of Communication of people post most of on University of California, Davis, stated that “[People] want to appear, want to self-represocial media? sent, want to show themselves in a particular light or [share] a particular side of themselves for an audience...[we’re] disguising ourselves as a certain type of person.” People naturally strive to look The motives to share are rooted in the better and portray themselves betlonging for a better, perfect portrayal of ter. Posting pictures of expensive oneself on social media. Or perhaps just the cars, fancy houses, luxurious vacadesire to be heard and feel wanted. Social tion trips, or college acceptances are media users get consumed in a mentality of outlets from which we can advertise portraying the perfect self and perfect ac- self-worth. A contest of self-worth is complishments, causing social media today seemingly played out on the world’s to act as a type of a hindrance to genuine, stage, the Internet and the unit of judgeface-to-face ment is the number friendshipos. of likes on a profile Social media is not a Forbes magapicture-most of which zine writer, J. mask, it’s a platform. come from people who Maureen Hendermay not even be our son, reports, “Alclose friends. most a quarter of Const antly Americans say that they’ve missed out on posting in hopes of gaining more likes is important life moments in their quest to me- equivalent to abusing the privilege to share, morialize them for social media.” which in turn paves the way for endless comSocial media, once a tool for connectiv- parison and aspirations. ity, has become the stage for a competition Yes, it’s natural to want more likes. But for likes or peer approval. when people become so dependent on othSure we can post pictures of our lives, we ers’ approval of their personas, their actions can edit photos, and we can post statuses of become indirectly and inconspicuously conour opinions. And we should. But we must trolled by their peers. This also takes away be wary of those actions transforming into quality time from real relationships in perpersonal propaganda, into spending count- son. Intrinsic impulses to constantly check

news

sures or consequences, and want to fit in by representing a false perfection. But *Out of an E this invokes harm, and breeds survey of 18 pervasive self-consciousness among onlookers. A recent study conducted by University of Michigan psychologists shows that the more people used social media, the more

equ

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gloomy they felt. The cause? Comparison. When people are engaged in observing prosperous and propagandized versions of

What do you think should be the major use of social media? lives,

they feel worse about their own. Modern social media outlets have unintentionally amplified motives to appear better than others or represent an artificial

ures and v ct i d pi

ec w pe ith ting o

rarely themselves online. Conformity in non-picture posts add to the social pressures that cause individuals to put on a shield of popular opinion. Individual motives are then influenced by other’s approval. When an idea is created or a social movement is started, it usually spreads like wildfire across social media platforms. Not because the particular idea or movement is so compelling that it warrants such attention but because of mob mentality. Mob mentality can propel people to long to be someone they “should” be, and strive to be that conformed, perfect persona. This is not to say that we should be coerced into taking responsibility for other’s actions on social media but that we should be accountable for individual motives. It’s completely acceptable to post on social media. But we should understand why we are posting something and whether we would say that in person. Whatever we say on social media is attached to our name, our identity. Spending time to try to look like, act like or think like someone we are not degrades the initially helpful intentions of social media. Social media is a privilege and something taken for granted, but all the while, just like any other privilege, it should be appreciated and recognized-not abused for constant self-portrayal or conforming aspirations for likes and affirmation. Online connectivity is n’t something that plays a role in taking away authentic human relationships in person, and we shouldn’t let it be. Social media is not a mask, it is a platform. p.jandhyala@elestoque.org e.zhao@elestoque.org

s eo

qual

“23 percent of Facebook’s users check their account five or more times everyday.”

Comment

Instagram

According to

Social Times

“20 percent of Internet users aged 16-64 have an Instagram account.”

134 likes Like

Comment

snapchat According to Business Insider

“Two-fifths of 18-year-olds in the U.S. use it “multiple times daily” to communicate with family and friends, according to a survey published earlier this year.”

According to

Is social media more beneficial than harmful?

personalit y, becoming places of social uneasiness and inof an El Estoque adequacy complexes. y of 184 students According to CNET, a technology news forum, a new study shows that around 69 percent of teenagers believe that they are

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

According to

Convince and Convert

The Search Engine Journal “The top 10 Tumblr tags are: LOL, Fashion, Vintage, Art, GIF, Makeup, Animals, Landscape, Film and Nail Art.”

Opinion

Family or Foe? When brother runs against sister, who will win the White House?

Sharon Tung | El Estoque

any of those who k now me k now that I used to live in Atlanta, Georgia. W hile I often enjoy a joke at the expense of my bir thplace, I also hold a strong attachment to it. I haven’t visited in five years, but I still remember the beignet s and biscuit s at the Flying Biscuit Cafe, the per vasive politeness of nearly ever yone I met and the laby r inth that is Har t sfield-Jack son air por t. But of all my exper iences, I remember one in par ticular comes to memor y. Sixth grade graduation. Now, I understand that seems sor t of strange. How do you graduate in sixth grade? Well, the school I at tended had a separate middle and high school, so our “elementar y school graduation” happened at the end of sixth grade. One time, we had to make this “time capsule,” which would be delivered to us at the time of our high school graduation, in June of 2015. Consider ing I w rote this thing in 2009, 2015 felt eons away. “W hat would I be doing in 2015?” I asked myself. Would I still love reading? Would I still love w r iting? Would I still enjoy being pedantic? All of these questions lurked in my mind as I w rote this time capsule. And in this time capsule, under the question that asked what my favor ite per iod was (which I cleverly responded to with “lunch”) lay a simple question: “W hat will be the most interesting thing to happen in the year 2015?” To that, I responded “the beginning of the 2016 elec tion.” I had w r it ten this just a few months after the inauguration of Barack Obama, back when the man had more in common with a Greek god than the average President of the United States. Rarely has a man so char ismatic entered the Oval Office. Despite our dire economic strait s in 2009, Obama stood as a symbol of hope. As a minor it y, I viewed his elec tion as a monumental leap for ward. So who, in eight years, would succeed?

president visit s Bush religiously. Barbara Bush has called Bill Clinton “one of her favor ite people,” even though Clinton prevented H.W. from being elec ted. Jeb Bush himself gave Hillar y Clinton the Liber t y Medal a year ago. Running against her would be pret t y difficult. Speak ing of being President, I also w rote on that card that I wanted to be the 50th president of the United States. But my relatives have cra z y ambitions, too. My sister, for example, want s to be a world-class celebr it y chef. My cousin want s to be a theoretical mathematician, work for NASA and maybe land on Mars. But I couldn’t imagine what would happen if my sister or my cousin ran against me for the presidency. Maybe it s a good thing that t wo relatives are r unning against each other for the W hite House. Both candidates take fairly moderate stances on a number of issues. Jeb Bush has a liberal stance on immigration relative to the rest of his par t y and Hillar y disagrees with many liberals on foreign policy. Both have drawn the ire of their par ties’ radical wings, but in this case that’s a good thing because the hard-liners are cra z y. Look at what they’ve done to Capitol Hill. T hey’ve shut down the gover nment. T hey’ve given us one of the least produc tive Congresses in histor y. T hey’ve made a plat for m centered over a single, destr uc tive objec tive: under mining Barack Obama. Maybe we need a more moderate Oval Office to keep our legislators in line. And that’s why I’m excited about Jeb Bush and Hillar y Clinton r unning against each other in 2016. Sure, maybe neither of them will be as char ismatic as Barack Obama, and sure, they’re each par t of a dynast y. But both of them seem prepared to tackle our cur rent president’s enemy, Congress. And both of them look like they’re finally going to get stuff done.

PRANAV PARTHASARATHY ON HIGHER GROUND

Back then I was think ing on the Democratic side, maybe Hillar y Clinton. Joe Biden seemed a bit far-fetched. On the Republican side, I really thought Sarah Palin would come into her own, but people were talk ing ser iously about Jeb Bush and Chr is Chr istie. Tur ns out, in the sphere of Amer ican politics, there are few sur pr ises. I mean, Chr is Chr istie has suffered from the br idge scandal, but he still has a great shot. Jeb Bush has r isen to the forefront, as has Clinton. All signs point to a heated Clinton-Bush race with Clinton having the edge. T here’s a small problem with this though. Hillar y Clinton and Jeb Bush are prac tically related. T he Clinton family and the Bush family are incredibly close. George W. Bush has called Bill Clinton his “brother-in-law” before. T he 42nd

p.parthasarathy@elestoque.org

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A&E

BY SARAH RAMOS

ARE YOU OKAY WITH INSTALLING AN APP?

YES

DO YOU HAVE AN IPHONE?

> NO

YES

DO YOU WANT ACCESS ON BOTH YOUR COMPUTER AND PHONE?

YES

Included in Apple’s Music app and Streams on genrespecific stations

DO YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO MAKE YOUR OWN PLAYLISTS?

I ALSO WANT TO SHARE MY OWN MUSIC

> ITUNES RADIO

YES

> 18

DO YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO FAVORITE SONGS?

PANDORA

Available online and mobile. Favorite genre stations and like or dislike songs.

HOW ABOUT ON YOUR COMPUTER?

PRESS PL AY

Since iTunes’ creation in 2001, accessing music has become a matter of price, quality and convenience. While music streaming platforms all provide the same service, their features and interface create different user experiences. Follow the flowchart to see which music streaming platform works best for you.

SPOTIFY

SOUND CLOUD

Download mobile or desktop application. Ability to make and listen to playlists.

Stream songs, playlists, upload own music. Available on mobile, embeddable files.

EL ESTOQUE

Back to the past Trends once forgotten have begun to return as modern trends. BY VISHALRATHNA NAGAR

“Tuning In”

The mini comes back strong

The Beatles, the band of the decade during the 60s, would last for generations. Paul McCartney, a member of the legendary band, recently collaborated with singer Kanye West in September of 2014 on West’s new single “Only One. The reaction on social media was unexpected. Since many had never heard of McCartney, many began to praise West for shining light on up-and-coming artist.

The instant camera was invented by scientist Edwin Land in 1948. It was in 2008 that Polaroid closed its doors, believing that it was at last time for the digital camera and that the glory days of the polaroid camera were over. In 2009, after the revival of the instax mini, Polaroid decided to reopen, but only for the 8x11 format for film. Senior Jahnavi Meka believes that film cameras are coming back because they are more usable than they once were.

With McCartney producing music alongside current artists, the modern generation has gained exposure to past trends.

Aditya Pimplaskar| El Estoque

High-waisted

Broken record

It’s not from the United States, or even Europe, but India. Traditionally, Indian women cover their midriff by wearing high waisted saris. This fashion gained popularity in Europe during from the 1940s to 50s, but as a style designed solely for mens’ pants. Junior Bhavana Pabbisetti, who enjoys the comfort of high waisted jeans.

No one calls it a gramophone or a turntable, instead, we call it by its modern name: the record player. Originally invented in 1887, the gramophone began as a record player with a metal horn used to amplify the sound, with a crank used to play the music. It was during the 1920s that the gramophone was renamed to the turntable and revised to the modern version we all know today. However, in the 1970s, vinyls disappeared along with the stores that once sold them. Recently, Urban Outfitters brought back the record player and began selling Bosley record players online.

The style caught on in the United States in the 1960s, starting of as hippie pants. The trend didn’t return to mainstream fashion again until 2010. Aditya Pimplaskar| El Estoque

“We don’t reflect on the past because we don’t know about it...It was only when we as a society brought it back as our own trend that we reflected on the trend from the past,” Pabbisetti said.

“There are always going to be a group of people who want to be hipster” Senior Nayanika Raj said. “And sometimes other people pick up on those new trends.”

“Film takes a longer time to produce and requires more materials. When we revive a trend, we revive it so that it is more convenient, so that it is easier,” Meka said. Vishalrathna Nagar| El Estoque

Vishalrathna Nagar| El Estoque

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Vishalrathna Nagar| El Estoque

v.nagar@elestoque.org

5 A&E

dram

ways you

know you're in

ART

1. You pay attention to anatomy Many of us are guilty of creating crudely drawn stick figures with arms that protrude from the center of their bodies. In order to draw a figure that resembles an actual human, however, senior Perry Ting attaches the arms to the neck area instead of the stomach. “To be even remotely anatomically...accurate you draw it [with the arms from the neck], because humans don’t go like this,” Ting said, pressing his elbows against his chest and sticking out his forearms.

BY LYDIA SEO

4. Your skills make for a valuable wingman It’s dance season, and you need a date. No need to worry about how you’re ever going to make that beautiful poster — your willing, artsy friend is your savior. For the recent Winter Formal, Art Club members provided their assistance to those in need of their superior wingman skills. “You know you’re in Art Club when you’re making tons of dance-asking posters for [other] people,” Ting said.

1. You OFTEN participate in energy circles

2. You can’t lend out certain pencils ple as e? Although it may seem that your artsy desk partner has some pencils to spare, don’t feel offended when they hoard them like precious metals. Drawing pencils are different from the standard No. 2 pencil in that they use a different type of lead. “When people ask to borrow a pencil, they don’t understand it when you say, “You can’t use it because it’s a drawing pencil,’” Ting said. “You can’t just write with a drawing pencil.”

2. You express gratitude to numbers

Lydia Seo | El Estoque

3. You know your fonts In art and design, thousands of fonts are at the artist’s disposal to express creativity. Typography as an art technique depends on the selection and arrangement of type, whether it be serif fonts such as Times New Roman or sans serif fonts such as Helvetica. Artists grow to learn the many different fonts and develop their own preferences. Of course, that favoritism extends far in the opposite direction of certain infamous fonts. “[The Art Club president] is always like, ‘Ew, Comic Sans,’” sophomore Patrick Zhou said. “I don’t think anyone in the design or art community likes Comic Sans.” 20

To release any tension and build up enthusiasm so that they can give an energized performance, the cast and crew gather together a few minutes before the show. All hold hands with one another and form a circle — their energy circle. It helps them clear their minds and encourage one another. “We chant things and we jump and scream and get super energized and it’s so much fun,” senior Aditi Soin said.

5. You know Photoshop’s a noun, not a verb Although Adobe Photoshop is a type of editing software, the term has become more commonly used as a verb that describes editing photos in general. This evolution of meaning annoys Ting and other artists. “A question that I really hate is, ‘What program do you use to Photoshop things?’” Ting said. “That’s one of my biggest pet peeves, how Photoshop has been expanded to such a large term that’s used for every situation where you have to edit a photo or something like that.”

Drama students often extend politeness to words. In response to many stage notices, such as the minute marks before the opening of the curtains, the students will let the person know they heard by thanking the number. “When someone says ‘Five minutes until [the play starts],’ you say, ‘Thank you, five.’ You just thank the number, which is really weird,” Soin said. “You can thank other things, too. If someone says ‘going dark,’ ‘thank you, dark.’” senior Soham Chowdhury added.

3. You’re friends with IN-N-OUT EMPLOYEES After each production, the Drama students head for their favorite haunt, the In-N-Out Burger in Fremont. This tradition of treating themselves has continued throughout the years, to the point where the employees at that branch will often recognize the group. “It’s really cool because they always ask us, ‘What play did you guys [put on] this time?’” Soin said.

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ama

p w e d s e

d s

s oe ll k-

nu, s

If u,

xtine

1. You’re happy to play pop songs After playing so many classical pieces, many ensemble musicians appreciate the refreshing change that comes with playing film soundtracks. “You know you’re in orchestra when … you’re happy you get to play Disney or movie songs,” senior Janie Hsiao said. “Some of us like the traditional classic songs, but it’s also fun to be able to have pop culture with our playing.”

fun

2. You know to avoid the trumpet section Want to doze off in F114 in the few minutes before school? Just make sure to avoid the areas where brass instruments release the moisture within. The Band musicians know where to sleep and where to avoid; as part of a first period class, they’ve had plenty of experience taking a nap until the starting bell rings. “Sleep on the edges of the room,” senior Karen Xu said. “But you never want to put your head on the carpet where the trumpets sit, or any brass instrument, because they’ve got spit valves.”

MUSIC s!

os gr

Lydia Seo | El Estoque

3. You say ‘Hey, baby’ in a different way Justin Kim | El Estoque

Energy, energy, all around Clockwise from left: Junior Emaan Khan, junior Anastasia Zenin, freshman Jeremi Kalkowski, junior Osher Fein, junior Kaavya Sundar, junior Alexis Standridge, junior Leonie Vullgraf, junior Fatima Mejia.

“Baby” isn’t only a term of endearment, but also a greeting toward a fellow Band comrade. It’s an annual Band tradition to play a pep band a song called “Hey! Baby” during the Homecoming football game, and Band mem-

bers carry the tune throughout the year. “Sometimes when I see one of my other friends we’re like, ‘Hey, hey, baby’ and we just start singing even though it’s not Homecoming,” Xu said.

4. Your favorite jeans ARE RUINED A drama production always has a unique set diligently f crafted by the Drama stu- f ashi dents themselves. However, orwa on rd! such creations come at a price — according to Chowdhury, few clothes are safe from paint splatter. “If you have a [favorite] pair of jeans … and you have paint all over them now because of painting sets,” Chowdhury said. “You’re probably involved in some drama thing.”

5. You know how to respond to ‘peace’ Teachers commonly disperse casual chatter in a classroom by clapping their hands, to which students clap in reply. MV Drama has its own approach towards quieting a class. “[Drama teacher Sara] Capule [will] say ‘Peace!’ really, really loudly and everyone will go, ‘Peace, man! Sssss...’ and then we all become quiet,” freshman Ben Pribe said. “Drama kids sometimes do that in public, and it’s really embarrassing,” Chowdhury said. FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Lydia Seo | El Estoque

4. You congregate around a piano Walking into the Choir room during tutorial may make you confused as to whether or not you’ve just walked onto the set of a musical, as people wander about the room, bursting into song left and right. Variations members senior Todd Perkins and junior Alice Tsvinev describe this spontaneous production of music as a common occurrence. “Somebody will go to a piano and everyone will congregate around them and sing,” Perkins said. A few moments later, he automatically began to sing along to a new song that started in the background. “Someone starts singing a random song,” Tsvinev said. “Everyone will join in and we pop out random harmonies in a giant musical huzzah.”

In Sync From left to right: Seniors Nick Yee, Sam Sanford, Alvin Cheong, Michaela Mavroudis, Scarlett Perry, Shan Tulshibagwale.

5. You know a bunch of bad music jokes Puns are often fun in that fakevomit-inducing way, especially when they have to do with stern-looking German com- gro an! posers with powdered wigs. Chamber Orchestra students possess an abundance of musical puns in their repertoire. “We got this free T-shirt that says ‘Bach off’ because we’re musicians,” Hsiao said. “Just really bad musician puns.” l.seo@elestoque.org

A&E

SNIP, SNIP

Junior Vincent Tran pursues a passion for cutting and styling BY JYOTSNA NATARAJAN

Kalpana Gopalkrishnan | El Estoque

cissors or razor? How short should it be? These were the questions in junior Vincent Tran’s mind as he stepped back and contemplated what his next cut should be. Tran recalls his experience with his fifth customer — the most he has ever had in one day — and he was ready to put an end to that day. His last customer was his neighbor, who had quite long hair. From the guidelines the customer gave to him on how to style the hair, Tran started to trim and cut. Not knowing how short was too short, he unconsciously cut a lot of hair with the razor, completely shocking both himself and the customer. What had he done? Tran hadn’t paid attention to what tool he needed to use because he was in a rush to finish the day. It was so short that the next day, the customer had shaved his head completely. Patience is key to cutting hair, according to Tran. Each step takes extreme concentration and focus, and without that, the hairstyle won’t come out the way it should. “Hair cutting is [a form of art], in a sense,” Tran said. It all started about a year ago when his favorite hairdresser went out of business due to remodeling of the salon. He had to look for a new one, and all proved to be extremely expensive for the same service he had been getting before. In the end, he got fed up.

Junior Vincent Tran cuts junior Arpit Jasapara’s hair. Tran began cuttting hair about a year ago and has been mastering his art throughout this year. In fact, one of Tran’s proudest works was his “[I thought] I could do this myself,” Tran said, cut on Peris. “so I did try it myself!” “He had the most hair,” Tran said. “It was like Once he cut and styled his own hair several a mullet. It took me almost an hour to cut all of times, many of his friends and peers noticed his his hair.” new look. Immediately, one of them wanted to Peris had taken a leap of get a haircut from him. While faith in asking Tran for his hair he is not completely comfortcut, since he had never gotten his able with cutting others’ hair, hair styled before. He had heard he takes each customer as a new learning experience and tries to of Tran from Kim and other All of the profit he recreate experiences with previfriends, and had seen the Facemakes is donated to the book page as an advertisement ous hairstylists. Locks of Love charity. for Tran’s hair cutting business. The word of his hair cutting and styling spread quickly in Peris went to Tran, knowing his hair was extremely long. school, and many people startTran operates on a “pay Tran faced a true challenge ed to inquire whether Tran could what you want” basis. cut their hair. He set up a Facewhen he started cutting Peris’s book page for his haircutting long, thick hair. He carefully business, and soon it went viral. used the clippers to shave the back and sides of his head. Then, As for payment, Tran made One year ago, Tran startremembering his previous missure all the money he made ed his business when his got donated to a charity called take from the use of clippers hairdresser went out of on the front of a head, he made Locks of Love, an organization business. sure he used the scissors to delithat provides hairpieces to children suffering from hair loss. He cately shape the rest of his hair. didn’t set a price for any cut and What Tran did with Peris’s hair made it so that the customers paid if they wanted definitely satisfied and convinced Peris to become one of Tran’s regular customers. to. Juniors Zarek Peris and Peter Kim were more “I should go back whenever I let my hair grow than satisfied with Tran’s cutting and styling. “[Tran] cuts it just the way you want it,” Kim out again,” Peris said, “because I really want it to look like how it did [the first time he cut it].” said. “He makes it look good, no matter what.”

Fast Cuts

j.natarajan@elestoque.org

EL ESTOQUE

EAT YOUR HEART OUT Valentine’s Day creates a split among those in and out of relationships

few days after celebrating Christ- sets Valentine’s Day apart from other commas with my family, I wandered mercial holidays, because you rarely find into Target and was blinded by a customers hating Christmas or Thanksgivtowering wall of pink and red Hallmark ing. If you do, it’s probably because they celcards. Seriously, Target? Christmas was ebrate a different holiday and that opens up not even a week ago and you already de- another market of products for those clients. cided it was time to celebrate Valentine’s But because of the customer schism Day? You’re about a month premature. that Valentine’s Day creates, stores stock a Don’t get me wrong — if you love Valentine’s Day, embrace it. I personally never understood the appeal of waiting for one specific (mugshot) day each year to acknowledge your SHE’S THE MAN significant other when there are 364 other days available to accomplish the same thing. Valentine’s Day places an unnecessary amount of pressure on the guy to buy roses, plan an ex- strange variety of heart-themed products, pensive dinner, and treat his girl extra special. lining the shelves with a myriad of uncomBut at the same time, all girls know fortable red, pink and white boxes. At Target, Valentine’s Day is the 14th — it’s not like stacked next to fake flower petals and dinner Easter that hops around the calendar ev- candles, I found the inventory for “singles” ery year. Valentine’s Day always falls on — chocolate shaped like men and sour gumthe same day, so what’s the point in try- mies shaped like kissable lips. If sugar maring to formulate an intricate, romantic keted as “the perfect man” and “lips to kiss plan for your sweetie if she’s going to see on February 14th” doesn’t get you in the Valit coming? Choose a different day. What’s entine’s Day mood, I don’t know what will. wrong with February 13? Or April 20? It’s also easy to see people’s inner ValenI understand that certain calendar holi- tine’s Day personality come through on the days come with stigmas. Christmas, for ex- 14th. You have the increased couples’ PDA ample, has evolved beyond a Pagan-Chris- juxtaposed nicely with the people in sweats, tian holiday into a commercialized season of mumbling at the gift-giving and exchanging gifts, giving, and gatherings as far as the eye of saliva. The worst kind of person on Valencan see. And Christmastime is actually pretty important, since it’s a common time that schools and employers have off, and consequently one of the few times each year families can gather. But Valentine’s Day? It’s commercialized, but often in tacky and uncomfortable ways. Stores attempt to market products to the two types of people that surface during Valentine’s Day: those who celebrate and those who hate it with a burning passion. (I’m sure you can tell which one I am). This is a problem that

tine’s Day, however, is the girl who is overloaded with gifts around the 14th, but cries when her boyfriend is out of town, complaining, “I hate being alone on Valentine’s Day!” Really? You have no idea what it means to be actually alone on Valentine’s Day. While I can appreciate that Valentine’s Day is marketed for couples to show that they care for each other, it would be even nicer to see that affection distributed evenly throughout the year instead of concentrated on a single day in February. Valentine’s Day is only one day out of the year, so I’m sure those who are antiValentine’s Day can suck it up (especially because Feb. 15 is the best day to buy chocolate), but only if those who enjoy it could acknowledge that there are people who don’t have a significant other showering them with gifts and affection.

SARAH RAMOS

Rhon d

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s.ramos@elestoque.org

Rhonda Mak| El Estoque Illustration

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

EL ESTOQUE

@hellomynameis000

@powderpuff3 @czzstarr just went home to get me markers #bae

@czzstarr

@ballerboy2102 @hellomynameis000 spent all day refreshing insta & twitter #sorrynotsorry #meta

30 Jan

just found out i was accepted to UC Davis!!! feeling so #blessed #classof2019 LICENSED!

12 May

LICENSED!!!!

4 Oct

like for confessions

22 Jan

3 Sept

LICENSED! keep. going. each step is harder, but the view at the top is beautiful

O. Lee

2014 was a tough year. there were lots of highs an lows but what was most amazing was becoming a big brother this year. hoping 2015 will be just as great.

@ballerboy2102

@hellomynameis000 tough loss tonight, we’ll get em next time #ballislife

LICENSED! all my grades are updated and they’re

24 Mar

actually ok #what

THE

CLOUD

COLLECTIVE FEBRUARY 4, 2015

We live in a culture of constant sharing. Filtered selfies, six-second videos, platforms that ask us constantly: “What’s on your mind?” There’s no question that we live in a world where other people’s timelines blur into ours, where people’s date-of-birth and favorite songs can be accessed in the same click, where collectively shared information hovers above us like a pixelated cloud. We are a generation often accused of narcissism and narrow-mindedness, but what is the true impact of documenting our lives? What are the consequences of sharing both our most superficial and most honest selves? Why do we feel the urge to filter, post, confess, ask, like, answer, share? 25

SPECIAL

WHY WE CARE ABOUT SHARING And how it pushes us both together and apart

BY ANJANA MELVIN, HARINI SHYAMSUNDAR AND MINGJIE ZHONG

vacation in Peru — has become an increasingly prominent trend. But with this trend comes responsibility; after all, there is no shortage of articles on the Internet that forewarn adults and adolescents of the dangerous effects of oversharing, or spending more than

SENIOR POOJA BAXI

“

MEDIUM: Instagram

I feel like with that much effort put [into the photography], it should go somewhere.

just a few hours scouring a newsfeed. The ability to share is a constant in our lives, always but a click or a swipe away. But the content that we choose to share is something much more complex, defining our virtual presence. Why we share Senior Pooja Baxi is an avid photographer. On some warm, sunny weekends, Baxi and her father will tread the rocky path up to

a nearby viewpoint, where, for two hours, they will take turns shooting the surroundings with their Nikon DSLR. It is a familiar routine — a ritual, easy and natural. At the end of the hike, Baxi uploads the photographs from the camera to her laptop. She sifts through them. Keep. Keep. Delete. She texts a couple of the photos to her friends for their opinions. Then, finally, she chooses the one she likes best to post to her Instagram feed. “I feel like with that much effort put in, it should go somewhere,” Baxi said. “I should be able to put it somewhere.” According to Dr. Jorge Peña, an assistant professor of Communication at the University of California, Davis, personality largely influences an individual’s digital expression. An extroverted person may share photos with more people in each photo than an introverted one. A socially anxious person may be inclined to use social media as restitution for his or her lack of actual face-toface interactions. “Some of those users might attempt to

“

You can’t foresee the consequences of one small act ... how permanent it can be. English teacher Vennessa Nava

socially compensate for that lack by trying to make more friends online,” Peña said in an interview with El Estoque. Apart from offering a promising outlet for social interaction, sharing online also serves as a means of keeping in touch with

yamsu Harini Sh

ndar| El

Estoqu

or years, Dr. Christine Bachen, associate professor of Communication at Santa Clara University, used to conduct an experiment in her Introduction to Mass Communication classes. She would challenge her students not to use their cell phones for five days and ask them to keep track of their discoveries in diaries or logs. “Each year I tried it out, it was harder than the previous,” Bachen said. “I haven’t taught that class in a while, but I don’t think that I could assign that project anymore. I don’t think [the students] would comply.” Bachen is one of many that have noticed the recent rise in the use of social networking platforms, as the accessibility to such mediums has increased. Sharing parts of our lives digitally — everything from the latest Starbucks run to a

EL ESTOQUE

different communities and social circles. Shivani Komma, who does not actively use Senior Janice Gho looks through her Ins- social media, believes that a major cause tagram feed every day and posts every few for using social media is the convenient days — often about the food she eats. Gho access to current events. But Komma believes that people are compelled to share still obtains the same information information online by a desire to let others through news outlets. know what is going “Although on in their lives, not having especially as sosocial media cial media offers has made people the chance me less conto edit their image. nected with She also admits virtual trends that some of the and friends, I senior Janice Gho satisfaction she redon’t think I’ve ceives from sharing missed much in on social media is based on little things. the information-sharing scheme of “I just like the feeling of, ‘Oh, someone things,” Komma said. “I don’t think liked my photo!’ and seeing my followers,” it has led to a decrease in world Gho said. “It’s just shallow enjoyment.” awareness, and I think Gho also asserts that the pressure to that’s what people refer to use social media may result from a subas one of the biggest adconscious form of wanting to be includvantages of having social ed. Junior Ahmad Ali-Ahmad agrees media in the first place.” that social conventions play a major role in how much of their lives people choose The Scarlet Letter to share. of sharing “It’s the innate urge to be desirA l able,” Ali-Ahmad said. “You try rethough sharally hard to be someone you’re not ing through just so other people can appreciate social meyou ... sometimes I do things just so dia has inI can tell other people I did them.” creased conSharing has evolved in many nectivity and ways; the exefficiency exchange of ponentially, it p e r s o n a l JUNIOR AHMAD ALI-AHMAD has also raised infor maconcerns over onMEDIUM: Snapchat tion online line safety and what It’s the innate urge to be desirable ... someis but one many people call the times I do things just so I can tell other peoaspect of “narcissism epidemic,” ple I did them. this millenwhich has been exacernial culture. bated by the invention of Internet platfront-facing cameras and forms have the selfie stick. Currentalso enabled ly, however, talk revolves the sharing of around the line between personal portfolios. Baxi, for private and public, and how example, enjoys showcasing it grows fainter by the day. her photography on InstaNumerous lawsuits against gram. Junior Ally Tsvinev, a social media apps like Facesinger, shares her song covers book, Instagram and Snapon her social media accounts. chat point to the growing After viewing her videos, peoconcern that personal inforple have asked Tsvinev to permation and photos are being form at charity events. circulated without people’s Yet no matter how prevalent knowledge. Both social this sharing culture has become media outlets have been recently, there are still groups of charged on account of adindividuals who still see little vertising photos of people reason to share on sowithout their consent. A cial media sites. Senior much more concerning case

arises, however, when inappropriate photos are sent to someone with consent and then shared without it. English teacher Vennessa Nava reflects on a sexting scandal in Louisa County High School, VA., where more than 1,000 pictures of over 100

“

It’s kind of shallow, but I just like the feeling of, ‘Oh, someone liked my photo!’

Harini Shyamsundar| El Estoque

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

“

MEDIUM: Youtube It’s all about self-confidence. As long as you have a handle on your own good qualities, you’re fine.

underage girls were posted on a public Instagram account. Notified by the mother of one of the victims, authorities investigated the case further, interviewing all the kids who were involved and confiscating their phones. What they found was that almost everyone in the school either sent or received nudes. It was the norm. “Boys would solicit those pictures from girls, and the girls would bow to it because they felt vulnerable or they wanted the attention,” Nava said. “And then those boys were just uploading them to an Instagram account that was public.” In October 2014, about 200,000 Snapchat photos and videos, captured through third party apps, were leaked to the website 4chan. Many of the photos were of users between 14 and 17 years old, which again brought up the issue of child pornography. A few months earlier, the iCloud accounts of high profile individuals were hacked and about 500 nudes were leaked through 4chan, creating a scandal around celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton. Despite such major cases regarding invasions of privacy and the amount of people whose lives have been ruined because of one small mistake, the sharing culture is only becoming more and more prevalent as the need for efficiency and easy communication becomes overpowering. “You can’t foresee the consequences of one small act and how permanent it can be. Harini Shyamsundar| El Estoque

“

JUNIOR ALLY TSVINEV

SPECIAL The potential consequences are easily overlooked for the immediate gratification of the act,” Nava said. “Maybe that’s part of the thrill of it, too, though. There is that potential for it to go beyond that scope, which adds to the adrenaline that accompanies doing it.” Back to the future Bachen believes that the ultimate impact of the sharing culture correlates most with how individuals use social media. Active usage of social media — posting and sharing information

— may lead to more positive results, whereas passive usage — scrolling through feeds and simply clicking on photos — may result in greater emotional harm and consequences. Apart from facilitating a sense of connection between users, social networking sites can instill feelings of envy among individuals; the perception that one’s own life is rendered uninteresting in comparison to others’ lives can be emotionally damaging. Oftentimes, users only share their best images. “I think we can all agree

that no one’s life is like that all the time, but that’s the vision of life that people are choosing to make public,” Bachen said. “That can lead to some negative emotional consequences.” But similar shifts in how people share and interact with each other have been observed in the past and will likely be encountered in the future. Among all factors, heightened access to social media through technological improvements has increased the tendency to share. “We’ve seen these types of changes in the past, with Christ-

EVERYBODY OUT THERE?

mas cards or holiday cards, and even then, there were conversations about depersonalization in the sharing culture,” Bachen said. “Ultimately, with social media, sharing has become faster in that our social circle can broaden and we have been allowed to broadcast our news, whereabouts and photos really easily — literally at the tap of the finger.” a.melvin@elestoque.org h.shyamsundar@elestoque.org m.zhong@elestoque.org

BY BRANDON CHIN Experimenting with the Internet and the people within it, a different world

hat kind of harm can come from a name? With a name, a search and a couple of seconds someone has WHAT WAS DISCOVERED: the ability to uncover profiles on networks both acBaxi’s Youtube channel, from an exposed link tive and forgotten. These lists of information are as accessible as a book waiting on a shelf. All one needs is a face for it — something to put an image to this information like a picture on a wall and the basics of any person can be fleshed out from data. To investigate what can be attained through online posts and responses, a simulation was set up within the MVHS Library during a free seventh period. After a week of asking for volunteers the roles of “target” and “searchers” were filled. Seniors Kevin Coe and Patrick Vin entered the library, sat down in one A blog featuring several entries and schedules of the back tables and booted up their laptops. Opening the “incognito” window of Google Chrome, they proceeded to type in the addresses of a few specified pages. Among them were the Ask.fm, Facebook and Instagram pages belonging to one person, senior Pooja Baxi. These two searchers would uncover as much as they could about her in the span of thirty minutes. Baxi had given prior consent as well as a list of social media One of Baxi’s videos from her channel Questions such as sites she used for the purpose of this simulation. She had to rethese gave significant open several of her accounts but she did not change the profile information to the list settings of each account to simulate what was already available to a “stranger.” Coe and Vin had been given this task and with a quick glimpse at the time, they were ready to start. The first thing they did was laugh at the situation. After throwing out jests for a few more minutes they began to work. Scanning through page after page, they grew increasingly occupied with the growing list of information they were compiling. Mixed within the jokes, the nonsensical remarks, and the repetitive quips were sincere answers and these were quick to be discovered. “It’s easy to stalk people online,” said Coe. “Not that I do it of course, but I’m just saying...” b.chin@elestoque.org

EL ESTOQUE

ALL ABOUT ME

BY CLAIRE LU

(BUT NOT REALLY)

Why do people edit their lives online?

ple can post an endless stream of handpicked snippets of their daily lives, which conveniently leave out the flour mess that had to be cleaned up while baking the perfect pie and the fight that occurred before the perfect family photo. According to Patel, people who post these feel compelled to do so in part because they receive validation from the likes and comments. The New York Times recently reported another example of this phenomenon: Zilla van den Born, who told friends and family that she was visiting Southeast Asia for five weeks but instead stayed home and fabricated pictures. The Dutch college student was dropped off at the airport before she took a train back to Amsterdam, spending the following 42 days indoors altering images. Over the ou’re scrolling through same, she does not see a problem course of five weeks, van den Born “enyour Facebook feed, with it. joyed” snorkelling, sampling authentic reading status updates “When you go out in public, you Asian food and even touring Buddhist and looking through photos obviously want to look your best,” temples. But in reality the photographs that make you wonder why Prasad said. “Displaying the ‘shini- were taken in her own swimming pool or everyone seems to have a est’ parts of your life for friends venues around Amsterdam. picture perfect life: delicious and family to see on Facebook is no Van den Born told media that she orlunches, designer purchases, different. It’s not to incite jealousy chestrated the lie in order to show people exotic vacations that we filter and manipulate and flattering what we show on social media, You see that picture of the smiling, sucselfies. Many and that we create an online choose to projcessful Raas dancers, but you don’t see the world which reality can no lonect an image ger meet. Her goal was to prove blood, sweat and tears that we put into our of themselves how commonly we overlook that highlights the countless practices and rehearsals. the fact that we manipulate rebest parts of their lives ality in our own lives. senior Kalpana Prasad while avoiding the less Previous research has sugstellar aspects. gested that the use of social A glance through senior Kalpa- or to compete to see who has the networks may be damaging to autobiona Prasad’s Facebook profile re- more fabulous life.” graphical memory. Psychologist Richard veals something similar. In several Senior Shaili Patel believes that Sherry, a founding member of the Socistriking photos, Prasad smiles ra- the practice of editing online lives ety for Neuropsychoanalysis, has warned diantly with a group of 12 other occurs because people may enjoy that it could also lead to feelings of shame Raas dance members, adorned in the event or experience on their and worthlessness. brightly colored saris. own, but they want the gratificaJunior Daniel Li shares this sentiment. “You see that picture of the tion of others seeing it. “People don’t want to advertise their smiling, successful Raas dancers, “You should treasure all mo- failures,” Li said. “Maybe it’s the MVHS but you don’t see the blood, sweat ments. Sometimes, the most im- culture, or maybe just inherent human naand tears that we put into our prac- portant ones aren’t worth being ture. You’ll see people posting photos of tices and rehearsals,” Prasad said. shared,” Patel said. their new driver’s license but you’ll never Prasad admits that she edits her This is what is referred to as a see someone post about failing one.” life for social media and acknowl- “curated life,” and it’s only made c.lu@elestoque.org edges that since others do the possible by social media. Now peo-

Harini Shyamsundar | El Estoque

“

SPECIAL

:// THANKs FOR SHARING

Why some social media websites are preferable depending on shared content BY RHONDA MAK AND CAITLYN TJONG

2 1 JUNIOR ERIC PALA Fashion Instagram user URL: instagram.com/simply.dapper Updates: daily Every day, in front of MVHS’ signature brick walls, a breaking wave in Santa Cruz or a garden wall, junior Eric Pala takes a picture of his outfit of the day, edits and posts it on his Instagram account, Simply Dapper. And every time, his head is always cropped out of the picture. “What’s on there is about the clothes, not me,” Pala said. Pala began documenting his outfits daily on Instagram to keep his style relevant to the times at the urging of his friends. What started as a daily record for Pala not to accidentally wear the same clothes twice grew into a flourishing Instagram account, gaining more than 1,300 followers in less than six months. His name became so well known across Instagram that start-up fashion companies began contacting him, asking him to wear his products to get their brand out. While not his initial intention, the free products served as an extra incentive for Pala to keep posting. “Who doesn’t like free stuff?” Pala said.

“THE PUBLIC [PERSO-

NA] IS PROBABLY DONE MORE FOR ONESELF. SOPHOMORE ELLIOT RYU

2 SENIOR SONIA LEE Paper artist on instagram URL: instagram.com/lifepapers Updates: about once a week Drawing inspiration from her AP Economics class final project, senior Sonia Lee took her love for colors and design and began taking meaningful quotes and representing them minimalistically using paper cutouts. She started posting her art on Facebook but later switched to Instagram at the urging of her friends. Lee shares her art on Instagram to show her followers, comprised largely of her friends, what’s important to her. “It’s a way for me to put how I feel on paper,” Lee said. “It’s very expressive.”

3 SOPHOMORE ELLIOT RYU

FACEBOOK And instagram USER Updates: several times a week It was on the morning of her birthday that sophomore Elliot Ryu’s mother asked for strawberry shortcake, that creamy, sweet delight she so wanted to taste. Ryu’s father, however, presented her with a small pound cake simply adorned with strawberries and a birthday candle to wish upon, a cake he believed to be “short” with “strawberries.” A cake that was everything but.

The memory of the strawberry cake on his mother’s birthday became a laugh shared by friends and family. Ryu believes that fellow students can relate to his posts about immigrant parents, particularly those who struggle to speak a language their children are born with, a language that is not theirs. Ryu prefers Facebook over other social media for its emphasis on building a community of “friends”: it is a place where everyone is and belongs, a place for near-strangers he became acquainted with someday, sometime, perhaps by that tree he likes to sit by in school, and for those he sees every day and has grown to care for. Yet each social medium, Ryu admits, has its own charm. As a regular Instagram user, Ryu believes that Instagram is more filtered, with its Crema and Amaro and 1977 filters that add subtle shades and touches of color, where public personas are edited and glamored. Twitter’s inflexibility has never truly appealed to him. It is where users tweet under a 140-character limit and craft profiles to please — it is a dainty blue bird cage, a thing of beauty and confinement. “The public [persona] is probably done more for oneself than for interactions with another person,” Ryu said. r.mak@elestoque.org | c.tjong@elestoque.org

EL ESTOQUE

SPECIAL

I POSTED ON FACEBOOK FOR AN ENTIRE MONTH

hat’s on your mind? It’s quite the innocent question. But, for whatever reason it always makes my stomach turn. When I see it, I think of Mark Zuckerberg lounged back in an expensive leather chair, hands up over his head laughing at the anxiety produced by that single question. “Daniel, before we show you all the amazing things other people are doing, why don’t you try to sharing a piece of your mundane life?” Facebook offers an audience that is nearly limitless, but it comes with a caveat. Most likely, only a small percentage of your “friends” will actually read what you post, unless you climbed Mt. Everest, played at Carnegie Hall or cured cancer. To be blunt, Facebook has become a popularity contest. Whose attention can I grab long enough to earn that prestigious “like?” And as a result, I’m often wary of posting things on Faceb o ok because I const antly wonder if people will actually care. We all have this craving for validation, that insatiable desire to matter. And the “like” is the most simple way to fulfill that craving. So, I decided I would post something on Facebook every single day for an entire month. This proved a challenge not only because of my natural anxiety, but because I had no idea how I could make something that would be read, liked and shared. Why, you wonder? Because I’m a pretty average person. I’m not an outstanding singer, dancer or musician. I can’t make food that looks like it came out of Bon Appetit magazine. I’m not a star athlete, my sense

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

of humor is barely above-average and I can’t take beautiful photos of sunsets. And as a result, I came to the realization that it would be almost imp ossible for me to t ransfor m into a Facebook sensation if I just acted like I always do. So I decided to go see Anderson Cooper give a speech on a Friday night, made plans to visit Berkeley for the weekend and tried my hand at grilling for the first time. I made plans so that I could make myself more appealing to the masses on Facebook. And I failed to attract much attention. I was flabbergasted. I went into full panic mode. Were my pictures bad? My posts not witty enough? Did I not hashtag or tag people appropriately? It turned out that I actually had not broken some nebulous social media rule. I didn’t even post at non-peak times. It just wasn’t really likeworthy material. So I adapted my strategy. I reshared my thoughts on current news. I wrote something about social justice on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The number of people liking my posts quadrupled. And to be honest, it felt really good. But, in looking back at my fleeting moments of social media glory, I am less than proud.

In trying to become trendy, I learned to say no to the like BY DANIEL FERNANDEZ

I was basing my self-worth on how often an algorithm decided to shove me into someone else’s newsfeed.

It turns out the act of “liking” something has exceedingly little to do with the quality of whatever moment I was sharing. Because the “like” is the silent nod of support in an incredibly loud and crowded room. It is the easiest way to affirm something. To say yes. I agree. I get what you’re saying. I understand. I empathize. I’m proud. I’m happy for you. In truth, the “like” is a rather meaningless metric. Because it’s a lot easier to “like” a picture of the food I ate on a Sunday afternoon, or a feel-good post about civil rights than the post about how much I enjoyed an afternoon eating maple bars and learning about particle physics with my best friend. I’m not saying that it was a pure quantity for quality kind of trade-off. But I had lost something too. It’s human to crave the selfvalidation that comes from getting a bunch of “likes” on a profile picture because it’s natural. But I can’t help but feel that I lost something valuable when I centered my social image on mass appeal. So post away on social media. Don’t be intimidated by Zuckerberg’s Great Question. But remember that being personal still matters, especially in an age when it’s so easy to base self-worth on just the click of a button. d.fernandez@elestoque.org

Uniformation

How do the players use the jerseys? “The uniforms look slick. I think we look good out there, ” Stiver said. “If you look good, you feel good, and you usually play better.” The process of maintaining these jerseys can put them through a lot of wear and tear, so they have to be replaced once every few years.

Take a look into the process MVHS basketball jerseys go through from design to disposal BY PRANAV IYER AND ADITYA PIMPLASKAR

01 Where does the money come from?

At the beginning of each season, athletes and their families chip in money to cover operation costs of the team. The money helps pay for tournament registration, team banquets and of course, team apparel. The team usually has enough money from their allotted budget to pay for new jerseys but according to Athletic Director Brian Sullivan, a few teams have to resort to athletic boosters for support.

02 Who designs the jerseys?

Every three to four years, boys basketball head coach Clay Stiver designs new jerseys using a custom jersey maker tool from Eastbay Team Sale, a company that sells custom sports jerseys. “[Eastbay] has a bunch of templates. I usually play around with that for a while to set the color schemes,” Stiver said. “I usually come up with three or four designs before letting the players select the one they like.” This year, Stiver decided to incorporate the newest trends into his team uniform, creating a jersey with a lightweight, tighter fit with moisture wicking holes.

03 Where are the jerseys made?

Stiver’s design was brought to life by Cherokee Scrivner, an Eastbay representative. Scrivner sends designs to overseas Nike factories where custom jerseys are manufactured. These custom Nike jerseys cost between $90 and $120 each. When purchasing them, coaches tend to buy a surplus so that they have spares in case more players join or jerseys tear. Tearing of jerseys is a common concern given the extensive use of jerseys during games.

02 Head coach

Clay Stiver designs the team’s jersey using Eastbay’s jersey customizer.

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Jerseys range from

$90-1

04 Senior Ashish

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Keshan shoots a free throw against Cupertino High School on Jan. 6. Keshan is sporting the team’s new jerseys.

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05 SportsGift provides

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jerseys for youth in need of sports equipment.

05 Where do the old jerseys go?

When the varsity team gets new jerseys, the old varsity jerseys are passed down the line to the junior varsity team. “The challenge is sizes. Varsity is usually a lot bigger than JV,” Sullivan said. “So sometimes, we do have to get JV uniforms, too.” Stiver holds on to the junior varsity jerseys for a few years. The junior varsity uniforms are then donated to people in need through SportsGift, which takes used sports equipment and sends it to developing countries in Africa and Central America to promote sports and the benefits that come along with them. “We want to have people learn all the great things you learn from sports, in terms of character development and discipline,” president of SportsGift, Keven Baxter said. Baxter looks to promote social development of young athletes through the use of organized sports, as they teach social values such as teamwork and dedication.

-120 p.iyer@elestoque.org | a.pimplaskar@elestoque.org

SPORTS

Headfirst

Senior Mia Judulang prepares for Philippines National Diving Team BY YIFEI WU

he leaped into the air, curled her body, rotated 1260 degrees and plunged into the pool like a dart. It was one of the many practices in the Stanford Diving Club. Diving boards and this deep pool of blue have been a large part of senior Mia Judulang’s life since freshman year, when she decided to quit gymnastics and switch to diving. Now, after almost four years, she is preparing to join the National Diving Team

as soon as the practice started, Judulang realized that she was in a new terrain. To get used to the new body positions, she worked on trampolines for hours outside of practice. During one of her tournaments, Stanford Diving Club coach Doug Schwandt discovered her talent: Judulang placed first in the junior varsity league. Schwandt decided to recruit her for the club. “She had good posture, poise and was very strong and flexible,” Schwandt said. I LEARNED NOT TO LET From that point on, Judulang THE COMPETITIVEpracticed for two NESS GET TO ME AND hours at Stanford JUST DO WHAT I’M Diving Club on Tuesdays, Thursdays SUPPOSED TO DO. and the entire senior Mia Judulang weekend. During the spring season, of the Philippines. in addition to the club practice, This was not how Judulang Judulang practiced for two hours at envisioned her future in sports — school every day. for 12 years, she committed herself “She conditions at her best,” Schwandt to gymnastics, and at the age of 14 she said, “and she is really talented. She is competed in level 10, the highest level really good at twisting, and front and before Junior Olympics. back [turns] come easy for her.” But gymnastics started to take a toll on But not reverse dives, her body: her visits to the physical therapist where the divers have to flip became more and more frequent as a back backward into the water. injury worsened. Eventually, the summer During freshman year, before high school, Judulang decided to quit. Judulang accidentally hit It was a hard decision, for her and for the diving board during a her family. Both her father and brother did reverse dive. It happened competitive gymnastics, and her mother again in sophomore had supported her throughout her journey. year, only that time, she “Mia had great potential. I tried to talk scraped the whole of her her out of [quitting gymnastics] at first, back. To overcome her but changed my mind. If that’s what she fear, she often voluntarily decided, I support her,” Judulang’s mother, asked to practice it more. Carol Fedalizo said. “I try not to think Fedalizo then recommended that about [the reverse dives], Judulang try out for diving because diving and tell myself to just uses similar skill sets to gymnastics. do it,” Judulang said. Judulang plunged into this new, yet “Oftentimes on the board, somewhat familiar sport. Without any I would count to myself, ‘One, two, three,’ practice in diving, she made the junior and then, dive.” varsity diving team in freshman year — but “She’s very brave,” Schwandt said.

“[And] she knows what she should practice, and what dives should get done.” With her hard work and clear plan for improvement, Judulang progressed in the journey of diving. She became a varsity team captain in junior year, and this year, she is preparing to join the Filipino National Diving Team. “I’ve always want to go to the Filipino National Team,” Judulang said. “I love to do competitive sports.” Getting the chance to be a part of the Filipino national team came as a surprise in May 2014, when her mother and brother traveled to the Philippines for his practice on the national gymnastics team. While she stayed in Philippines, Fedalizo talked to the national diving team coaches and showed them videos of Judulang diving. A month later, Judulang heard back from the coaches — she could join the national team. In May 2015, Judulang will be ready to commit, as long as she sends videos updates to the coaches on the new dives she learned. Then a committee would decide if an official tryout would be necessary. After hearing the news, Judulang tried more difficult dives and conditioned at California Sports Center every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for almost three hours. The family also started to prepare for the transition to the Philippines. Fedalizo is now working on getting her daughter dual citizenship while eagerly awaiting the final decision of whether Judulang needs to fly to the Philippines to try out. As for Judulang’s plans for the future, she hopes to compete in the 2015 Southeast Asia Games and in the 2016 Olympics with the Filipino national team. “I never thought of quitting competitive sports,” Judulang said. “I’ve always been a competitive person, but after a while, I learned not to let the competitiveness get to me and just do what I’m supposed to do.” y.wu@elestoque.org

EL ESTOQUE

Building bonds Girls soccer fortifies team dynamic to increase success

Check out elestoque. org/sports to read about some of the other sports team traditions.

BY VARSHA VENKAT

ying on their cleats and stretching their legs, the players on the girls soccer team laugh as they exchange a few inside jokes before practice on the lower field. It has only been two months since the team began practice, but the players have already cultivated a strong team environment. After a disappointing season last year that dropped the team down a league, juniors Alissa Paterson and Monica Polgar, two of the team’s captains, decided to place increased emphasis on team bonding. The change seems to have had an impact: despite having few returning players, of whom only one is a senior, the team has captured success so far this year and has already won four games, including one against a higher

division team in the pre-season, already quadrupling its number of total wins from last year. Bonding is a core focus of several sports teams at MVHS, with many team captains adding new traditions to help players work together both on and off the field. Whether it be through team dinners, impromptu Jamba Juice runs or post-practice chats, building these enduring connections and cultivating a comfortable atmosphere have become integral factors in team success. Long standing traditions on the girls soccer team include going to a ropes course and having team dinners. However, due to the schedules of the players and coaches, these types of organized events have been difficult to plan. As a result, the family atmosphere developed mainly through practice. “It’s so important because the more you bond off the field the better you play on the field,” Polgar said. “You’re willing to fight for each other.” The players often joke around before and after practice, and Paterson has noted that having these casual conversations with the more quiet players has led them to speak up more on and off the field. The friendly

[When we bond,] we have people to play for and work hard for. junior Alissa Paterson

atmosphere has led to better passing and increased communication on the field, according to the team captains. The captains also attribute the team’s greater success this season to the fact that many players come from the same club team and have experience playing together, which has facilitated team communication this year. Freshman Rebecca Noordeen found that knowing another player from her club soccer team, the Sunnyvale Alliance Soccer Club, is especially helpful on the school team since it makes the team atmosphere more comfortable for new players. Noordeen heard about the school team through sophomore Anitra Varhadkar, who is on the same club team. “It made a big difference that I knew someone on the team, especially [Varhadkar], because she knew most of the players on the team already and I probably would’ve been more shy because I’d feel like I didn’t know anyone,” Noordeen said. “It’s nice having her to not feel so alone.” Although she recognizes that most players feel a stronger connection to their club teammates, Noordeen agrees with Paterson and Polgar’s observation that the team is much closer. She said that having played several games, she now feels comfortable with other players as well. For Paterson, the connections she has developed with her teammates have increased her motivation to succeed. “If one of my teammates gets injured or fouled, I’m gonna defend them,” Paterson said. “[When we bond,] we have people to play for and work hard for.” v.venkat@elestoque.org

wins so far this year

win last year

FUN ON THE FIELD Team captains senior Janaye Sakkas and juniors Monica Polgar and Alissa Paterson chat before soccer practice on Jan. 16. FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Photos by Malini Ramaiyer.

SPORTS

polariced

Increased dependence on man-made snow splits snow athletes BY JUSTIN KIM AND ANUSHKA TYAGI

ack in middle school, junior Allegra Ziegler Hunts and her family friend, Lucia Mueller would go to Lake Tahoe together on family trips. On one occasion, the girls raced down the hill as they wove through trees and snow. Hunts tripped falling into a snowpack, her skis detaching into the powder. Mueller sped up, taking advantage of the situation. A moment later, she was sprawled out on the ground as she collided “Man-made snow freezes into with a tree and Hunts caught up. ice and anyone who skis or The sound of laughter filled the snowboards knows that skiing cold, alpine air. The two kept trying to go the on ice isn’t very fun.” same path, using the tree Mueljunior Allegra Ziegler Hunts ler hit as their marker, but never Used with permission of Allegra Ziegler Hunts managed to follow it exactly. The Heavenly skiing Junior Allegra snow was deep. Every fall forced the two to search for their lost skis Ziegler Hunts skis during the 2013 under the frozen blanket. But they season. She prefers natural snow loved that beautiful day and being because it doesn’t freeze into ice alone with all the snow and trees. like fake snow. For them, it was fun. But the slopes aren’t like that now. Looking back, Hunts knows few encounters with real snow. According to inconsistencies of natural snow. where it all went wrong — the amount of the Heavenly Resort, in the 2013 season the “Actual snow after a while in the sun besnow is limited, so fewer trails are open, Heavenly ski resort in Lake Tahoe depended comes icy and slushy and hard to snowboard making Heavenly Ski Resort’s large wide on machine-made snow to carpet 73 percent [on], so you really want to go when there’s mountains feel small and not so heavenly. of the resort’s 4,800 acres. fresh snow,” Pawar said. “Because they have “There hasn’t been very good snow While artificial snow has been in use since fake snow, it’s always fresh and nice.” coverage,” Hunts said. “With the drought, the late 1940s, it was always heavily relied on. Freshman Om Khandekar and his brother they’re getting less snow than before at This rapid shift has brought up many concerns junior Rohit compete with their snowboardsome resorts, fewer runs are open and few- from skiers and snowboarders. The California ing team at North Star every weekend. Since er options are making it more crowded.” Ski Industry Association found that visits to the brothers go frequently, they often have Just like Hunts, many MVHS skiers and California ski sites fell from 2010-2011’s av- to snowboard on fake snow. To them there snowboarders look forward to the powdery erage of 7.4 million to fewer than six million have been only a few times where they have slopes this February break and, perhaps over the following three years. In the winter of received the chance to snowboard on real wistfully, hope for an increased amount of 2013, visits dropped to one million. snow. For Om, there is a subtle, yet distinct snowfall. After all, snow is the lifeblood of To fully combat these limited options, most difference in their textures, and as he dethe alpine sports. For these athletes, there ski resorts have had to rely on artificial or scribes his experiences in the snow, the difis nothing better than a layer of fresh-fluffy machine-made snow to replace natural snow- ferences become apparent. -snow-day up in the mountains. The drought fall. While machine-made snow has served as “Normal snow, if it’s a really hot day, in California reached its peak during the a crutch for ski resorts, it is a polarizing topic starts to get slushy. It’s, I’d say, predictable,” 2013-2014 season and as a result, many — some, like junior Niti Pawar, prefer it. For Om said. “Man-made snow has a kind of a skiers and snowboarders have had very these supporters, artificial snow avoids the weird consistency. Sort of like a paste. It’s

EL ESTOQUE

91%

of people prefer natural snow

SNOWBOARDING EVERY WEEKENd Junior Rohit (pictured) and his brother freshman Om Khandekar snowboard at North Star. The brothers who visit every weekend, believe that natural snow becomes slushy in the sun and artificial snow has a strange and aerated consistency. Used with permission of Rohit Khandekar

of people prefer artificial snow

*based on an online survey of 184 MVHS students

more aerated, firmer... It’s easier to break bones on.” Many other students also find skiing or snowboarding on natural snow superior to artificial snow. For Hunts, the substitute just can’t compare to the real thing. “Man-made snow isn’t quite as nice as natural snow,” Hunts said. “The texture isn’t as nice and often man-made snow freezes into ice and anyone who skis or snowboards knows that skiing on ice isn’t very fun.” As another dry January comes to a close and with February’s snow hopefully returning, Rohit can feel the snow slowly increasing in amount. “There’s more snow this season than last season, so that’s a good thing. But it’s still not enough,” Rohit said. There aren’t any drastic changes because it is too soon to tell, but there has definitely been more snow this year compared FEBRUARY 4, 2015

to last. He still expects people to notice the drought’s impact on the slopes, though not for the reason one might expect. “There’s more snow this season than last season, so that’s a good thing. But it’s still not enough,” Rohit said. “Honestly, the only way people are going to notice it is in their ticket prices because when they produce a lot more snow the ticket prices go up in the mountains.” Regardless of snowfall, Hunts, Pawar and the Khandekars are all anticipating a visit to the ski resorts over the February break. As the snow fails to come and the drought holds on, athletes will continue to ski or snowboard on artificial snow. j.kim@elestoque.org | a.tyagi@elestoque.org

“Actual snow after a while in the sun becomes icy and slushy and hard to snowboard [on], so you really want to go when there’s fresh snow. Because they have fake snow, it’s always fresh and nice.” junior Niti Pawar

SPORTS

Blind-sided

The intricacy of football unfolds amongst the tackles and dogpiles

know quite a bit about football. This comes from not only one too many experiences involving my family, the Super Bowl and seven layer dip, but also having to sit through five hypothermia-inducing MVHS football games for band as a freshman. With just my clarinet as company, I was forced to learn football by watching the games. I know that there are two teams, that the players wear padding in every pad-able area. I know that the offense has four attempts to move forward 10 yards and that once they get 10 yards, they get four more tries to go 10 more yards. I know that a touchdown is worth six points, a field goal is three points and a field goal after a touchdown is one point. And I thought that the players only had one goal: move forward. The College Football National Championship was on a school night. Although I hadn’t started my homework, I was excited to watch some good ol’ Monday Night Football with my friends, whose company I had bought with Pizza Hut. We sat down and as with every game I watch, I missed the beginning. “Why don’t they have a game countdown?” “Yeah, if only they had a 30-minute pregame show…” my friend said. Oregon, not Oregon State, played against The Ohio State. Oregon started on offense

and my friend told me that they’re notorious brain power as a game of chess does. In for their trick plays. But I sat there smugly, ac- chess, they have to carefully choose the tually understanding what’s going on. right square without getting killed by their I noticed that the players seemed to run competitors. In football, it’s the same thing straight into the other players — on purpose. except instead of getting killed, the players I guess moving forward worked though be- get sat on. cause The Ohio State used brute force more After that, I saw, in the replays, that holdand scored one touchdown and then another, ing the ball by your head and by your shoulending the quarter at 14-7. der when diving into the endzone made the Later, Oregon finally scored a touchdown difference between seven points and zero to make the score 21-13. But suddenly, even points. This is why Oregon was losing by the replays began to replay because the referees couldn’t decide whether ROOKIE OF THE YEAR the Oregon player dropped the ball before or after he crossed the endzone line. He ran 22 points. Oregon players cried, Ohio State across a whole football field, dodging dozens players cried — The Ohio State would win of players ready to run him over, and dropped and they weren’t even giving Oregon pity the ball — literally — because he wasn’t pay- touchdowns. ing attention. No touchdown. Oregon scored Confetti fell as I revelled in my enhanced the touchdown on the next play — they only knowledge of football. A week after the had to push half a yard. Regardless, rules are game, a friend mentioned the San Francisco rules and anything can happen in a play, so 49ers, but everyone knows that it’s the San the referee reversed the call. Francisco Giants. As I said before, I know Football seems to be a game of brute quite a bit about football. m.ramaiyer@elestoque.org force, yet it’s ruled by the technicalities. I didn’t realize that football involves as much

MALINI RAMAIYER

Justin Kim | El Estoque Illustration

EL ESTOQUE

FRESHMAN JOYCE CHEN

Sister to sister Chen sisters take a shot at being basketball teammates STORY BY ALINA ABIDI PHOTOS BY JUSTIN KIM

veryone on the girls basketball team has the same black Nike duffels, but there’s something different about the Chen sisters’ bags. Junior Julie and freshman Joyce Chen load everything imaginable into their Mary Poppins-esque sacks. The items they carry range from the common and utilitarian, like socks and jerseys, to the bizarre and seemingly purposeless, like staplers, spoons and a handmade red wooden car that smudges when touched. Though Julie is two years older and Joyce is four inches taller, they both play guard and usually substitute for each other. Earlier this season, Joyce subbed in for Julie and from the bench, someone pointed out to Julie that Joyce’s shorts were on backward. “I was like, ‘Oh my god. She so would do that. She so would,” Julie said. “I was telling everyone, ‘Look at her, her shorts GUITAR CHORDS “You just need to memorize them,” Julie said.

JUNIOR JULIE CHEN

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

are on backward.’” Julie subbed in. Her shorts were also backward. The two had to wear their backward shorts until halftime when they could fix them. Their similarities — between their overflowing bags, backward shorts and wide-eyed grins — lead to constant comparisons that the Chens politely resent. “People are like, ‘Are you better than your sister?’ I always get asked that,” Joyce said. “No, we all have our good parts and our bad parts, but we’re about the same.” Playing with a sibling can be difficult, the Chens explain, and Julie is often chided for yelling at Joyce, but they have learned to see each other as teammates, not just as sisters. “If we’re mad at each other,” Julie said, “we have to put aside our differences for the game.” a.abidi@elestoque.org

TAPE “I have tape for — hey you have that too,” Joyce said to Julie. “But [Julie] didn’t even know how to use it.”

DISPOSABLE TOOTH BRUSHES “Sometimes after a game, you feel kind of gross,” Julie said.

CAR Though the wheels resemble Julie’s multiple muscle rollers and massagers, Joyce carried around her handmade wooden car for fun.

GLITTER PANDA PEN “Before games we have meetings and we write plays or what we need to improve on,”Joyce said.

RAISINS “I have a small box of Rais— Oh no, they emptied! I’m going to have to find all these raisins later,” Joyce said.

TWO CARABINERS “I tried to get a hair tie out and it took me like ten minutes because the clips were so hard to undo,” junior Alyssa O’Neill said.

THUMB SOCKS “These are for when I’m in car with [Julie]. You can’t text with them,” Joyce said.

“Thanks for making my life a little easier. Checking all those college apps, going over my essays countless times, and answering my many questions helped me get into college with a smile on my face.”

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