The Smoke Signal Vol. XLIV No.9

2 News

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The Smoke Signal Friday, June 12, 2009

MSJ annual art show features student artists

By Michael Feuerman Staff Writer Starting May 21, students were welcomed into C-120 for MSJ’s annual art show. Students from the many different art classes, Photography, Digital Imaging, and Art 1-4, chose one work to submit and display on the wall. Usually, only art students are allowed to participate in the show, but this year instructors Christensen and Wegner, mentioned they would be open to accepting submissions from outside contributors. Guests could appreciate many of the works, which included a wide range of pencil sketches, watercolors, matte paintings, digital works, and even the occasional photo mosaic, which all listed a title, the artist’s name, and some even included an asking price. “Are they really serious when they say ‘not for sale’?” said one guest. Though many of the guests seemed disappointed that they were not able to meet many of the artists they were clearly impressed by the excellence of the art.

The art show did undergo a few significant changes this year, one of which was the lack of prizes. “No prizes this year, [because] we want everyone to be proud,” said Christensen.

“We didn’t have the budget for it.” Normally,

first place winners earn a cash prize along with their recognition. The money came from a donation drive that was formerly started by a group of parents, but disappeared this year.

“My guess is the economy is to blame,” said Christensen. “People give less because they have less to give.”

Despite the crowded walls of C-120, the two teachers agreed that they wouldn’t hold the show anywhere else. “The whole point of the show is to show it where people can see it,” said Christensen. “We want it to be convenient for people to see students’ works.” The show opened on May 21 and closed May 29.

Many of the students’ works had previously been in a District Office exhibit back in April, which displayed artists from all across the district.

Despite the numerous projects submitted, only twenty-five artists volunteered to show their artwork at the upcoming Alameda County Fair, a smaller number than usual.

“It seems that a lot of students are really shy about their work,” said Christensen.

Even though it was a hard year, the visual arts department is expected to keep all classes for next year, including the 0 period/7th period Flash Animation course. ▪

No more class rank? | Administrators work to omit rankings continued from page 1

ent the topic to the school board for official review. Once she contacts the superintendent for curriculum instruction and the director of secondary education, she hopes to figure out the correct protocol for submitting the idea to the school board. When the idea is presented to the board, whether by her or in a packet for them to review, there will be an informational presentation and the board will place the idea on the agenda as an informational item. Once discussed, it will then become an action item, and then they can determine whether they choose to pass the idea or not.

Many other high schools have already dropped class rank from transcripts, including: Palo Alto, Berkeley, Gunn , Saratoga, and Redwood High Schools.

As one of many who approve of the proposed policy, Sophomore Natasha Ramanujam said, “[Removing class rank from transcripts] will definitely help when it comes to qualifying for schools, since many schools look for students in the top 10 percent or better…

When I apply to colleges in the future, it will definitely make me feel more confident in my decision to apply to…schools.” ▪

staff writer henna jethani

Paintings like Junior Bonnie Shih’s watercolor ferris wheel decorated the walls of C-120.

UC Regents hike tuition rates for incoming students

By Sargun Kaur and Jordan Zhang Staff Writers In response to the recent budget crisis, the University of California Board of Regents has recently approved a 9.3 percent tuition raise system wide at all ten of the campuses. “With the recent economic crisis, the state has made dramatic cuts to the budget, leaving the UC system with a $450 million deficit. To cover for the shortage we have had to increase student fees, layoff many faculty members, curtail travel, and consolidate many other expenses,” said Debora Obley, the associative Vice President of the budget of the UC system.

$50 thousand dollars per year at privates,” said Senior Kyle Tse. Senior Jiaao Chen concurs, “Well, I can’t say that I want to pay more for the same college education. That’s just a straight up lie. But I can understand with all the budget cuts, public colleges all of a sudden have less money to spend in all areas. Raising the tuition is the best thing they can do and 600 dollars isn’t going to throw people on the streets. It’s reasonable,” Though students at MSJ may not be as affected by the tuition hikes, many students outside the direct Mission dis-

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Officials at UC Riverside contemplate new budget cuts sweeping the UC’s.

This is the sixth tuition hike in the past seven years alone. “Each increase is due to the loss of state subsidy- by and large the result of not receiving adequate funding from the state,” said Obley.

Numerically speaking, the student tuition rates for undergraduates will increase by $662, for a total of $7,788. Adding to the student fees at individual campuses, the total can come out to be near $8,720, which does not account for housing and other costs.

When presented with these statistics, Counselor Matthew Saraceno replied “I don’t think it’s going to change much. The increase is not as significant that it effects our population that much. It is not going to deter students from applying to UC’s at all.”

Students at MSJ, more or less agree with Saraceno. “Even if they raised the price a lot more, the tuition is still going to be less than

trict are looking towards getting at least part of their money for free through Cal grants and other scholarship programs.

“We have created a program called the Blue and Gold Opportunity which does not expect families with an average income of $60,000 or less to pay any tuition fees. Their fees are covered by the grants or other grant programs offered through the UCs,” said Obley.

“Further increases in tuition are likely if our current economic state continues,” said Obley. Due to a Compact with Governor Schwarzenegger, the Board of Regents cannot increase the tuition by over 10 percent in the same year. The prospect of the UC’s lowering tuition in the future once the economy stabilizes is still grim.

“After the tuition rates are set, they usually tend to go up, not down,” said Obley. ▪

6 Opinion

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Smoke Signal

Mission San Jose High School Est. 1964 Vol. 44, No. 9 | June 12, 2009

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41717 Palm Ave. Fremont, CA 94539 (510) 657-3600 Editors-in-Chief Sophie Diao, Mala Neti News Vidya Mahavadi, Amy Mao Opinion Julia Harrell, Marianna Mao Feature Lena Liu, Hannah Scobel Centerspread Amanda Kwan, Natalie Yang A&E Vicraj Gill, Eric Sun Sports Ryan Tanakit, Audrey Tseng Graphics Cici Cao, Jerry Ting Web Raymond Chou, Lucy Liu Tech Abhay Malik, Albert Yuan Ads Rebecca Gao, Sargunjot Kaur Business Victoria Gu Circulation Derek Yueh Events Megan Bernstein, Clara Ma Writers & Photographers Andre

Abrahamians, Sandhya Chandrasekaran, Monica Chen, Victor Chen, Christine Cheng, Michelle Chu, Ankur Dhar, Hannie Dong, Michael Feuerman, Peter Gao, Alissa Gwynn, Niku Jafarnia, Henna Jethani, Sonya John, Cynthia Kang, Karen Lin, Yvonne Lin, Gina Liu, Tanu Patel, Joseph Teng, Elisa Ting, Anastassia Tselikova, Jane Wang, Anthony Wu, Jonathan Ye, Jordan Zhang

Adviser Sandra Cohen Send letters to the editor to opinion@the smokesignal.org. Letters under 300 words may be considered for publication and must include a full name and school affiliation. The Smoke Signal reserves the right to edit for clarity and length.

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MAOTH off!

Jules of Wisdom Retaining our individuality

A Reflection on Graduation

By Julia Harrell Opinion Editor

I can honestly say that I have never been as eager or as anticipatory about any event in my life as I am about graduating from high school.

Leaving the K-12 public school atmosphere is something I have been looking forward to for years, and now that it’s finally here, the urge to simply clean out my locker, pick up my diploma, and never look back is almost irresistable.

I know that many graduating seniors feel they owe nothing to MSJ, and I can heavily sympathize with that mindset.

Our school isn’t known for having a stellar emphasis on the individual student. Rather, MSJ’s emphasis is on our image as an overall high-performing body of students on standardized tests and the like, and will go to great lengths to make sure we as pupils feel it is of the utmost importance that we receive top scores in everything.

However, having been in such an environment for over four years, I feel that I have gained a little insight about the beast of MSJ, and I think it’s only fair to try and pass on some of that knowledge.

I have realized during my time at this fine institution of education that, while we may have been led to believe otherwise, there is only one set of expectations we should strive to live up to, our own.

Friday, June 12, 2009

By Marianna Mao We often become blinded by the goals that important figures in our lives have pushed upon us.

And while we respect the advice and opinions of these parents, teachers, friends, and mentors, we seem to forget that in the long run, it doesn’t matter what they think we should want. What really matters is what we want for ourselves.

Ultimately, what a well-intentioned adult or competitive classmate tells us we should be doing with our educations and subsequently, our lives, won’t be important, because if we aren’t living lives that we take joy in, what’s the point?

Do what makes you happy. It’s such a simple piece of advice, but how often do we actually sit back and ask ourselves, “What makes me happy?”

I challenge each student at MSJ to take the time to ask themselves that question. If you can honestly say that you are actively living a life, or pursuing one, that makes you truly happy, I congratulate you.

But if your answer to the question is fuzzy or nonexistent, try to think of the dreams you had when you were a child, before you realized that there was more to life than what lay in your imagination. And, above all, remember this: you are the only one who is living your life, so live it the way you want to. ▪ Send letters to the editor to opinion@thesmokesignal.org

Opinion Editor

In only five more days, we, the class of 2009, will be walking at graduation. We will be cheered by our friends, applauded by our teachers, and congratulated by our parents for having finally completed the first leg of our life journey.

Though we will not waver while walking across the stage at Tak stadium (unless somebody trips), I know that my own steps into the real world will ring with far less certainty.

What frightens me the most about growing up is not actually the prospect of entering an alien environment; all of us are eagerly anticipating the new challenges and experiences that accompany adulthood. Rather, as graduation approaches, I find myself becoming more apprehensive about the emotional aspect of becoming an adult.

As adults, we will have to shoulder new responsibilities, learn to value pragmatism, and understand that life will often not live up to our expectations. With this process of maturation inevitably comes disillusionment: we may arrive at the conclusion that happiness is predicated on material wealth; we might come to accept that we will experience comfort instead of ecstasy, sadness instead of anguish, and affection instead of the fiery throes of passion.

I cannot deny the possibility that many among us may end up unfulfilled and dissatisfied, and I can offer no clear solutions to the myriad

problems that mad demon known as life will throw into our paths.

All I know is that there is no such thing as having a “lot in life” or “not fated to be”—accepting an unremarkable life is unacceptable.

We can be and will be what we make of ourselves. So even as we reach “maturity,” let us continue to cling to our immaturity and our childish idealism. Let us retain a degree of romanticism; let us strive for what we believe is unattainable and continue to build castles in the air. Let us have enough faith in ourselves to know when to choose what we love over what others will suggest to us as “secure,” “practical,” or “responsible.”

Because I believe that in the end, becoming an adult is not an issue of reaching some borderline age or passing from one occupation to another; what it really means is becoming capable of living life as you yourself see fit. The last thing we ought to do is to lose sight of what makes our lives worth living—the uncertainty, the dreams unfulfilled, the thrill of knowing that every day could be a day during which something great is achieved.

Though we are headed off to all ends of the country, our paths will not diverge as long we retain our common purpose—the intent to explore, create, invent, to do something uncommon and exceptional. Good luck and congratulations, class of 2009! ▪ Send letters to the editor to opinion@thesmokesignal.org

Google Streetview an Invasion of Privacy

By Ankur Dhar Staff Writer

Google is known for its continual drive to improve and refine its products. One of these refinements, Google Streetview, an add-on to Google Maps, allows for people to view buildings from the street level. It has stirred much controversy as Google has taken the feature worldwide. Streetview is impressive, but complaints from places such as Japan and Germany bring into question the extent of Google’s mapping.

The biggest shakeup came from Greece, where the Hellenic Data Protection Authority has stopped Google from mapping entirely, saying that they want to know more about how Google stores and secures the images they obtain. Currently, the feature is effectively banned in Greece, but Google insists that they are taking every precaution to safeguard private information, including blurring all license plates and faces. Google also has a standing policy of removing pictures if requested. This is helpful, but it still doesn’t address the issue of whether Google Streetview itself is actually an invasion of privacy.

Clearly this new feature is unlike anything Google has ever done before. Previous mapping tools such as Google Maps and Google Earth provided top down views of almost any location with civilian resolution, which is perfectly legal, and few negative reactions. With Streetview, the point of view is pedestrian, which allows for more details to be seen since the perspective is right in your face, as opposed to bird’s eye. This means not

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Google Streetview’s detailed images have raised complaints and privacy concerns.

only more details, but a significant invasion of privacy that warrants these violent reactions.

Most countries aren’t used to being photographed like the US, and many have much stricter privacy customs. As they expand, Google has become better at warning neighborhoods when they come and capture photos of their streets, but this should have been implemented from the start. Public buildings are a different matter, parks and monuments are commonly seen online anyway so they pose no issue. The problem lies in private residences and businesses, which deserve privacy not only within their buildings, but around them too. Google may strive to refine its products, but Streetview has gone too far. ▪

8 Opinion

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The Smoke Signal

White Supremacy Blackens Future

By Karen Lin Staff Writer

Spawned from hate and resentment, the Ku Klux Klan emerged after the Civil War to brutally oppose the social rising of blacks. Now, the radical ideology and methodology that the Klan preached is believed to be long forgotten in this new era of liberalism and tolerance. Yet, in light of the many changes sweeping the country, from the legalization of same-sex marriages in five states to the first African American president in office, Klan chapters are seeing a spike in membership and activity.

As the numbers of Klan supporters rise, we fall further back into the past. As this new century we live in is inherently modern, the Klan, too, is undergoing modernization of its own. The Klan is now trying to distance itself from its long-standing, brutal image and present its chapters in a more reformed and cultured light. It’s no longer a radical organization advocating hate and violence but a family friendly group promoting the Aryan race and white culture.

Sometimes, instead of being the assailant, the Klan makes itself out to be the victims of a liberal and overbearing world. In an issue of Newsweek, Thomas Robb, national director of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, asks, “Why is it that when a black man wants to preserve his culture and heritage it’s a good thing, and when a white person wants the same thing, we’re called haters?”

His rhetoric sounds reasonable enough but plainly reveals the hypocrisy of the Klan. What exactly is their white culture? The Aryan race

Friday, June 12, 2009

Mental Stimulants Cross Fine Line

is no longer defined as the blondhaired, blue-eyed population of Adolf Hitler’s dreams. The Aryans are believed to originate from northern Europe in Russia, but the Klan can’t possibly be trying to protect their descendents as immigrants, Russians included, were and are still heavily discriminated against by Klan members.

If these populations do not embody the heritage the Klan promotes, then the Klan must be referring to white people in general, with fair skin and European ancestors. However, the flaw in this design is that many of the immigrants the Klan terrorized were indeed from Europe. Therefore, the Klan must certainly be talking about preserving the American culture and protecting the white citizens of America.

But there is no such thing as the white culture within the American culture. America is called the “melting pot” for a reason. To try and cleanly separate out a chunk of it is not only absurd but impossible.

The American culture is all about equal opportunity and giving anyone of any race the ability to succeed and prosper.

However, the Klan advocates a “culture” of hatred and unjustified violence. Unfortunately, this ideology is gaining quite a following, and though it has been over 400 years since the first slaves were brought over, over 250 years since the Civil War ended, and over 40 years since voting rights for all were actively secured by the government, the return of this harsh racism can send us stumbling decades back and erase the hard won acheivements of our past efforts. ▪

By Victoria Gu Staff Writer

Sitting here, writing this article at 10 PM the night before my deadline, I am having trouble staying up and concentrating on the task at hand. I wish I could be more alert and write in a more efficient manner. I am tempted by two options: stay awake by my own free will or take a “smart pill.” Which do I choose?

This may seem like an easy question to answer; obviously I should opt out of taking a possibly addicting drug. Unfortunately, for many college and high school students, this question is more difficult than it seems.

According to a Cambridge University study, nearly seven percent of college students in the US, on some campuses as much as 25 percent, have used prescription stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Modafinil off-label. In an evergrowing competitive world, this percentage is bound to rise.

This increasing trend poses a dire threat to our current education system and should not be tolerated.

Theoretically, a student’s objective in pursuing higher education should be a love of learning. However, society has morphed education into a competition to attain the highest grades, the most extracurricular activities, and the highest-paying job.

With the introduction of “smart pills,” competition will grow exponentially.

Prescription neuroenhancers like Ritalin are usually meant to treat those with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

These drugs are meant to boost concentration and mental focus of its

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“Brain-boosting“ academic steroids have gained popularity among students.

users. However, recreational use of these drugs may produce both short-term success and long-term detriment. According to the Food and Drug Administration, heart related problems such as stroke, heart attack, increased blood pressure, and even sudden death have been reported in patients using Ritalin.

Mental problems such as new or worse behavior, thought problems, bipolar illness, aggressive behavior and hostility have also occurred in some patients.

Some scientists excuse neuroenhancement as an acceptable method to improve brain function in healthy adults. By this logic, we must also excuse anabolic steroid users as well: athletes use steroids to improve body function. We would be hypocrites if we deem academic steroids as acceptable for those not diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. If we openly embrace artificial mental stimulants there will surely be an extremely high demand,

but at what cost? Nearly everyone, young and old, may be coerced by peer pressure to take neuroenhancers. Addiction is inevitable. Almost all neuroenhancers, including Modafinil and Ritalin, increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. Dopamine increases the feeling of enjoyment; but drugs containing the neurotransmitter often have a high risk for addiction.

In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, citizens of the World State are given numerous supplements like corpus luteum and pheromones to acquire a peaceful, perfect life.

But in the process, they lose their humanity, emotion, and empathy.

While Huxley foretells an outlandish but disturbing future, we cannot help but wonder whether his predictions have come true. With mental stimulants, we lose the ability to think for ourselves. Instead, we become living, breathing robots, spitting and spewing hypnopedic information. ▪

MIT LEARNING CENTER

SAT/ACT Preparation . subject tutoring . college application In year 2008, we helped 40 students achieve the goal of perfect 800 points in SAT tests, most of them are from MSJ. An average student can improve more than 300 points after completing our SAT programs.

MIT Learning Center 46923 Warms Springs #104, Fremont, CA 94539 Telephone: 510-668-0801, 510–668–1979 (fax) E-mail: don@mitLearningCenter.com

Friday, June 12, 2009

The Smoke Signal

Student Spotlight

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Diana Dinh

By Niku Jafarnia Staff Writer

Diana Dinh’s name was spread around quite a bit when students discovered that she was the designer behind the “Tees for Love” shirt. She and a group of peers from her history class sold shirts to raise money and awareness for the organization To Write Love on Her Arms. Though this was the most attention her designs had ever received, she has been interested in fashion and design for years. Since “Tees for Love,” she has also designed shirts for a leadership conference and a small band, and she has been hard at work to make that list grow.

Smoke Signal: How did you first get into design?

Diana Dinh: I used to go to stores and I’d see a lot of shirts and clothes that I would like, but there would always be something that I didn’t like about them, so I started buying clothes and altering them so that they would look the way I wanted them to look.

SS: What’s your favorite thing about designing clothes?

DD: I like that you get to create whatever you want. Anything that comes to mind, you can just make it!

SS: What kind of clothes do you design?

DD: Dresses and t-shirts, because t-shirt design ties into graphic design, which I love doing. And dresses are my favorite piece of clothing and since there are so many different kinds it’s hard to find ones that are exactly what I’m looking for.

SS: Do you design anything besides clothing?

DD: I also do flyers and I enjoy floral design.

I’ve made flyers for business fraternities and I have also made flyers for my church youth group.

SS: What’s your favorite item that you’ve designed?

DD: “Tees for Love,” because I feel like it opened a new door for me, especially since I never would’ve thought that it would come

up with such a great response. I love that I was able to see my design come to life and to take what I love doing and help a charity all at the same time!

SS: Why did you choose to support To Write Love on Her Arms over other charities?

DD: I had heard of the organization before and what they stood for really inspired me since they help self-abusive people who are depressed or deal with things like addiction or suicidal thoughts. Since that is something teenagers often go through, I figured many students would be able to relate and be encouraged to buy a shirt.

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FREE SHOES

By Michelle Chu Staff Writer

Summer is right around the corner and with it comes summer courses, internships, and jobs. However, there are many ways to balance out your summer work schedule with countless moments of laughter, friends, and fun. Here are ten ways to spend those lovely, sunny days.

10. Throw a pool party and a barbeque at a local pool and invite a bunch of friends to cool off. Bring along some hot dogs and buns to make a picnic because food makes every party better.

courtesy diana dinh

Dance Classes for All Ages MISSION DANCE & PERFORMING

Don’t Have a Bummer of a Summer

9. If you are a fan of chocolate, Ghirardelli Square is just the place for you. Buy a roundtrip BART ticket for $10 and take the BART until you reach the Powell Station. After exiting the Powell street Station, jump on a trolley and get off when you reach the Ghirardelli Square. Here, you can find large assortments of chocolates, ice cream, and hot fudge sundaes.

SS: Do you want to do something related to design or fashion in the future?

DD: Most definitely! Right now, I’m looking into graphic design for advertising, but I would love to be a fashion designer one day.

SS: Do you have anything you’re designing right now or that you’re planning to design soon?

DD: I’ve recently drawn two party dresses and one cocktail dress, and I’m currently working on some summery dresses, since it’s harder for me to find one that is perfect! But before I can begin to sew the dresses, I’ll have to start with making my own personalized mannequin and sewing pre-made patterns.

SS: Will you design my senior ball dress for me for next year?

DD: Why yes, I would love to! ▪

Now is the time to join!

Also classes for experienced dancers in Jazz, Hip-Hop, Ballet, Tap, House & Lyrical

www.missiondancefremont.com

For 3-5 yr. olds with three consecutive months of enrollment & registration fee.

New students only.

Feature 9

After exiting the Powell Station, take a left and keep walking until you see the theater on the right. Wicked is currently playing at the Orpheum, and tickets can be bought online at shnsf.com/theatres/orphuem.

6. Take a trip to Great America one of these summer days. It’s located in Santa Clara and has a water park called Boomerang Bay. Great America contains numerous roller coasters including Top Gun, Invertigo, and Raging Rapids.

5. On those low-key days when you feel like staying home in nothing but your pajamas, you can invite your friends over for a movie marathon and watch countless episodes of Friends or various Disney movies.

4. Ready for a night under the stars and roasting s’mores around the campfire? Take a camping trip for a couple of nights at nearby campsites such as Bodega Bay and Big Basin.

Different campsites have their own specific features, including nearby beaches and waterfalls. Campsite reservations can easily booked at cafetravel.info/baycamping/.

3. Boomers is a miniature theme park that features laser tagging, arcade games, minigolfing, go-karts, and bumper boats. The closest location for Boomers is in Livermore.

More information can be found at boomersparks.com.

kodachi.com

Ghirardelli Square is home to some of the tastiest treats in San Francisco.

8. Golfland is a fun place for people who are looking to mini-golf and play arcade games.

There are three different golf courses you can choose from with adorable little buildings marking each hole. Golfland also includes a wide range of video games numerous enough to span multiple rooms.

7. If you’re interested in Broadway, the Orpheum Theatre is the perfect place to visit.

2. If you’re yearning for the splash of waves and the rays of sun, the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk is the place to be. It is only an hour’s drive away; don’t forget to pick a sunny day or you may be stuck with nothing but clouds!

1. Take a road trip with a couple of friends and drive around California. Visit Yosemite, Disneyland, and maybe even Death Valley.

Be sure to rock it out in the car by singing Taylor Swift songs at the top of your lungs. ▪

Will You go to Prom with me?

By Clara Ma Staff Writer

Kim Liu & Jane Lee Using the technology of facebook.com, Kim Liu asked a friend to set up an event to invite his prom date, Jane Lee, to a party. After his original plan fell through, Liu was not deterred and still continued with a modified version. Asking Kimberly Zaw to bring Lee to the party, the two stopped at McDonald’s first to grab a bite to eat. While Lee ordered at the counter, Liu had his friends come out of the bathroom with bunches of balloons. Liu sat at a table with all the decorations while playing Lee’s favorite song, “I Just Want You,” on his laptop. When Lee came over to look at what all the commotion was about, she was pleasantly surprised to see Liu and all her friends. Liu then asked her to prom to which Lee replied with a definite yes.

Max Wu & Kathy Zhong Seeing nRT/V on anything other than a chemistry test would usually scare most students, but for Kathy Zhong, it was the first of four equations that spelled out “Prom?”

After thinking of four equations that would solve to variables that spelled PROM, Max Wu tacked them onto a piece of corkboard with clear instructions: “Solve.” Wu asked a friend to place the board into Zhong’s fourth period class. After solving just the first equation, Zhong had her answer. She went to Wu’s room to surprise him, telling him that yes indeed, she was going to prom with him.

staff writer elisa ting

Wu used chemistry equations to ask Zhong to prom.

Azhar Malik & Vasavi Reddy Driving to school in the morning can usually be a boring and drab chore but for Vasavi Reddy, she was greeted with a banner that spelled out her name. Sprayed painted onto a white cloth that was held up by two friends, Reddy’s name was painted on with a question that asked her, “Vasavi, are you Reddy?” After seeing the sign, Reddy stepped out of her car and behind her was Azhar Malik holding a bouquet of flowers asking her to prom.

Needless to say, Reddy had a ready answer: yes. ▪

10 Feature

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The Smoke Signal

Friday, June 12, 2009

Faculty Farewell

By Lena Liu and Anastassia Tselikova Feature Editor and Staff Writer

Terri Haro

courtesy yearbook

Haro in 1997.

Terri Haro, one of MSJ’s many librarians, is retiring after working 16 years at this school.

Prior to her current job here, she spent fourand-a-half years working as a librarian at Chadbourne Elementary School and half a year at

Kay Barton

Barton in 2004.

courtesy yearbook

Mattos Elementary School.

Her plan after retirement is to travel the world. Some of the places she will visit include Argentina, where she will take tango lessons, and Machu Picchu, where she will explore the lost city of Inca. Haro also wants to visit Australia and the countries in Europe.

Even with her filled retirement schedule, Haro still plans on coming back to visit MSJ. “It’s hard to have such a wonderful library and just walk away. I will miss seeing the excitement of students when they find a good book and chitchatting with them.

Because of them, I am constantly learning new things. ” Haro often goes out of her way to buy the books students request; for example, if a student requests a book on Friday, he/she could expect the book by next Monday.

Without a doubt, Haro’s devotion and dedication to the library will be missed. ▪ Kay Barton, a Government/Economy here at MSJ, is “graduating” along with the current Senior class of 2009.

She first started teaching in 1989 in her current classroom, B17 as a student teacher under Mr. Mattingly. She then received a job teaching at American High School until 1996, when she returned to MSJ. This is Barton’s third career, and she hopes to retire completely this time. She plans to come back as a substitute teacher occasionally; however, she is mostly look-

Beating Boredom

Risk Risk is a classic game of world domination. Players occupy territories around the globe and pit army against army for control of each continent. In traditional Risk games, players aim for complete world conquest, but some versions of the game come with Mission Cards, which give each player a different condition for victory, such as eliminating a specific player or occupying 24 territories.

Pros: Risk is both popular and easy to learn. Newcomers and experience players are on approximately even ground. The setup of the game is uncomplicated; only the game board, territory cards, five dice, and army pieces are needed to play.

Cons: As its name suggests, Risk relies heavily on luck rather than strategy and involves little technique upon which to improve. Playing with Mission Cards can take well over an hour. Playing without them takes even longer.

Settlers of Catan Players of this award-winning game act as settlers on an uninhabited island. The object of the game is to gain Victory Points by building settlements, cities, roads, and Development Cards, using the resources on the game board. The board is constructed out of tiles which can be shuffled each time you play, making the distribution of resources unpredictable. Players may trade with one another but may often be plagued by a universal shortage of a particular resource.

Pros: Settlers is easy to learn while still presenting a challenge. It takes roughly an

Langenbach in 2001.

courtesy yearbook

ing forward to doing what she wants, whenever she wants to, instead of having to plan for the next school year over the summer.

Though Barton admits that there will be aspects of school that she will not miss, she will really miss the school environment the students. “[The students] have a bright future ahead of them,” she said, “and they never cease to amaze me. I wish everybody had an opportunity to get to know the kids. ” Of her most memorable experiences at MSJ, Barton said that the Mock Conven-

Maureen Langenbach, affectionately dubbed “the copy center lady”, will be retiring at the end of this school year.

She has spent 12 years working at MSJ, making copies for teachers, assembling the student bulletin, collecting independent study information for teachers, and ordering supplies for the copy center and the office.

Anyone who has walked into the copy center cannot help but notice the clean and organized state the room is in, with relaxing jazz music in the background and a full supply of candy and office supplies.

After retirement, Langenbach plans on spending her time painting watercolors and working with her husband, who is a sculptor.

She even plans on selling some of her pieces occasionally later in the future.

When asked to reflect on her career at this school and what she will miss most, she said, “This is a fun but busy job. Every day is a different challenge. I’ll miss the people, kids, and everyone that comes through here.” ▪ tion was the most interesting. She said that it really helped students see what the political arena was all about, so they could look at the issues in a real-life experience. She would like to tell the incoming Gov/Econ students to take advantage of letting their voices be heard, and to vote as soon as they become eligible to do so.

From her years at MSJ, Barton said, “I have gained wonderful memories, colleagues, and friends.” She wishes luck to the graduating class of 2009. ▪

Dear Diary: Job Hunting Woes

By Peter Gao Staff Writer

By Amanda Kwan Centerspread Editor

Admit it: Checkers isn’t as thrilling as it used to be. Instead, those who crave the interactivity of board games can turn to those games designed to emphasize strategy and decision-making. Seasoned players have a distinct advantage, but playing these games over again quickly builds understanding of the games’ strategic nuances.

Maureen Langenbach

hour with four players, making it one of the shorter strategic board games. The effects of supply and demand, as well as strategies such as monopolizing resources, relate easily to your economics class.

Cons: The game is very slow-paced; players often spend a long time contemplating possible moves. Also, reminders of your economics class may not be entirely welcome.

Genoa In Genoa, the players are merchants whose goal is to end the game with the most money.

Players move around the board, delivering messages and commodities for pay. However, the merchants all move together, and only one player can control the merchants’ movements at a time. Players can bribe each other to move in a certain direction and can haggle with one another over goods or jobs.

Pros: After the initial confusion of the first couple of rounds, the game is quite easy to get

union.ic.ac.uk

Players of Settlers of Catan gain points by building infrastructures.

the hang of. Players need to constantly communicate with one another to make deals, which makes the game great for social gatherings.

Cons: Since the game has so many pieces, setup can be tedious. It may prove more convenient to pull commodities out of a mixed pile than to stack them in their designated areas on the game board. Certain components of the game feel unnecessary; the game might be improved by being simpler. ▪

Sunday, May 31 7:00 PM Dear Diary, Summer’s just around the corner and that means it’s time to start looking around for work. Due to my lack of motivation last year, I failed to land a decent job and had no choice but to spend my vacation babysitting a bunch of annoying little brats.

Saturday, June 6 11:00 AM Dear Diary, Writing a resumé is not as easy as I thought, especially when the only achievements I’ve ever attained were guessing the weight of a pumpkin at a fair and getting a free dinner by eating a whole five-pound steak in one sitting. Maybe I should leave the latter out in case the anatomy professor decides it would be interesting to dissect my steel stomach in the name of science. Not quite my idea of an ideal job.

8:30 PM Dear Diary, After finishing my resumé and cover letter, I’ve calculated the probability of attaining an interview at approximately 10 percent. That is, it took me ten tries to get my magic 8-ball to say something affirmative. I will be sending out ten copies of my resume and letters tonight to guarantee my chances of obtaining at least one interview.

9:25 PM Dear Diary, It’s been about an hour now, and I still haven’t heard back from anyone. I guess nobody appreciates “major league gaming” as a hobby these days. Well, I’ll just have to send out another ten applications later today.

Maybe I’ll have better luck.

11:00 PM Dear Diary, Nothing yet. I’ll send out another twenty letters. Good thing I still have plenty of contacts left. I’ll be getting that summer job if it’s the last thing I do.

Sunday, June 7 1:40 AM Dear Diary, Fifty more should do it... I hope.

3:00 AM Dear Diary, WHY WON’T THEY RESPOND? Tuesday, June 23 8:00 PM Dear Diary, I was somewhere on my 666th job application when the postman came and dropped off an enormous load of letters all addressed to me. Now, even though I was rejected a couple hundred times, I have never felt so popular in my life. However, at the bottom of the piles I found one message informing me of an interview scheduled for a Tuesday two weeks from now. The letter was supposed to have reached me two weeks ago so... hey, wait a second...

Wednesday, June 24 12:00 Midnight Dear Diary, I think the interview went quite smoothly.

Even though I was running only a couple hours late, the doors were locked. Luckily, I had learned how to be a Ninja from watching YouTube videos and climbed though after breaking a window.

After setting off practically every alarm in the building, I finally found the manager and demanded an interview while I held him with my Ninja skill. But, before we finished the interview, the police came and arrested me.

8:00 AM Dear Diary, Well, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is I’m being held in jail and that my parents are going to kill me. The good news is I finally found myself a job. It’ll take me a summer’s worth of cleaning windows before I pay for the damages I cost at my interview.

I’m starting to regret missing the deadline for Ohlone College class registrations for the third year in a row. Curse my misfortune! ▪

Friday, June 12, 2009

The Smoke Signal

www.thesmokesignal.org

I, Abhay Malik, bequeath Megan and Niku the the right to pick my nose.

country and track teams.

I, Akshaya Ramanujum, bequeath my powerpoint and skills to Priya and my love of hugs to Rohini.

I, Chris Chang, bequeath to the little whitey girls (Ada included) my “game playing” skills and Rosalita, Turby my SAUM moves and looks, Wester my guitar, DOTA and polo skills, and Ashlyn all my love.

I, Alex Cheung, bequeath my books and my dog to my sister.

I, Alex Kwan, bequeath my natural luck to all the students who are entering or currently in MSJH. I, Alison Lee, bequeath my beloved 10’6” 100 spirit to Leona Zhu and Josephine Suen, my two adorable epic noob pole vaulters. I also bequeath my nastiness to my ex-stand partner Eric Wang, who should better appreciate my unique humor. MSJ pole vaulters for life!

I, Amanda Kwan, bequeath to Karen Lin and Tina Tseng Centerspread Editorship of the Smoke Signal, to Alisha Makmuri the Presidency of Gay-Straight Alliance, to Frank Zhu many walks home, to Vito Prasad my hamster organs, and to Benson Chien all my love for Karen Lin. I, Amanda Tam, bequeath to Erika Cherk the responsibility of saving the manatees.

I, Amul Bhatia, bequeath Sunny my amazing beard and three pointer.

I, Amy Leung, bequeath all my old projects and homecoming gear to my brother, Craig Leung. I hope these help you survive three more years at MSJ.

I, Christina Chuang, bequeath my meaness and ghetto-fabulousity to Benson Chien, my math skillz to Jerald Xu and Joseph Teng, my delightful scent to Monica “stank” Li, my awesome editing prowess to my Yearbook twin Alyson Au, and my saltines and physics love to Sam Kim, the stupid junior.

I, Christina Lin, bequeath all my shoes and ever-lasting love to Jason Liu. I, Christine Nam, bequeath my soccer captain badge to the studly, jbox taco eating Amrun Singh, my Michelle Wie like golf skills, unbelievable fashion sense, and all of the chubbiness in my cheeks to my best friend Madison Hirsch!

I, Christopher Mayer, bequeath all my soccer skills to Neil Marion.

I, Anna Kehl, bequeath my M16 to Christy, musical marching madness to Tara and Rachna, unorganized piles of Jazz music to Esther, and Powerhouse memories to Christy, Lance, Alison, Richard, McKenzie, and all my other Ph friends.

I, Darya Bolgova, bequeath the M wing to Katya and all the other little underclassmen <3. Also I bequeath the drama room and all the little hangout spots to my brother Egor.

And I pass on the awkward stick to all the Russians who come through this school!

I, Anthony Chao, bequeath Jeffrey Chon my childhood cuteness, Angela Wu my innocence, Tiffany Yen my cool calm, Brandon Pang my sanity, Lisa Xu my brains, Michael Wong my assign, Sid Parihar my relaxing skills, William Klepac my Asian-ness and Matthew Chao my experiences and good times at Mission.

I, Debra Yen, bequeath, concentrated solar power and space to Dawei Liu, ACPA craziness to Diana Li and Jessica Chen, my dying orchestra cello to Karen Hsu and cello freshmen and national Marine sanctuaries to Youngjun Na, Ishmael to Calvin Jia and Mr. Howell’s scale to Joy Chen.

I, Billal Hararah, bequeath my awesome sandwich making skills to David J. Wilson.

I, Brandon Ha, bequeath David Roche my Captain privileges and scoring title two years and running!

I, Brittany Hraiz, bequeath my wonderful dancing skills to Miss Sara Ann Garden, my “grueling” study habits to Ishan Shah and my knowledge to my brother, Brandon Hraiz.

I, Cassia Homann, bequeath all my old science notes to my brother, Adam, and my sense of humor to anyone who needs it.

I, Catherine Cook, bequeath my 1st clarinet jazz folder to Calvin Xu with hope that he will be the best ever!

I, Charlene Nguyen, bequeath my secret weapon to Tiffany SQUARED, Stephu, Tongers, Yanni, Sahana, AndiePandie, Aneesha, Leslie, Sonia, JPAK, Raashi, Dora, Elizabeth, Indu, Lakshmi, Mrdula, Jasleen, and Sabrina, and my INTERACT LOVE to Cassie, Nikita, Michelle, Vicki, and Alex QinChin and my Amazingly Amazing Talents to my loving brother Charles.

I, Che Ouyang, bequeath the keys to the Acura TL to Raymond Chen.

I, Chelsea Kitta, bequeath my track and crosscountry speed to Madison Hirsch, my aggression and the beast to Lica Monobe, my flamboyant clothing and eyeliner to Anjana Bala, my math skills to Jeffrey Kiu, my necklaces to Linda Xu, my hopes for future success to Erica Cherk, and everyone keep beasting MSJ athletics up!

I, Chirag Vasavda, bequeath Anjana Bala and Sheila Lin my Berkeley decision (good luck! :D) and Nealay Vasavda the cross

I, Jeff Mukai, bequeath my godly shooting skills to Eric Yai.

I, Jessica Chow, bequeath my incredible procrastinating skills to Joanna Chow and Justin Chew.

I, Danielle Havard, bequeath my stellar, exquisite volleys to Allison Tong, my amazing, powerful backhand to Stephanie Quan, and my outstanding endurance to Lesley!

I, Azhar Malik, bequeath many thanks to all my underclassmen friends. Oh, and my cousin gets my car.

I, Jeanette Su, bequeath May Wang, Edward Leu, and Thomas Feng my endurance for spray-painting the field, my ability to dodge band maces, and my tolerance for dealing with my annoying students without going crazy, respectively.

I, Coco Liu, bequeath the tree by the office to all the underclassmen who are someday eating lunch, enjoying their closed campus and are seeking some shade. The tree is there for you!

I, Andrew Jiang, bequeath my Chinese yo-yo to Jeff Chang, my violin skills to John Park, and my cunning form to the track distance team.

I, Austin McKenzie, bequeath my dancing skills and all my talent to Nicki Gallinati, who will be amazing one day.

I, Jeanette Lau, bequeath Aneesha Desai the best of luck with Children at Heart, Jeankaylyn Ebreo the Tahitian performance during the MC week, Cindy Tieu my softball beastliness, and everything else to my love TIFFANY HUANG!

I, Jenn Chin, bequeath my amazing smoothie recipe and rest of my steroids to Eric Wang, the laziest pole-vaulter I’ve ever met, and my DI skills to Dillon Chang, because he’s really good at that kind of stuff.

I, Dallas Andrews, bequeath Omar ElSadany with my height. Also Shashank Agrawal with my sense of humor and ability to shave.

I, Audrey Tseng, bequeath my rap skills to my Wu-Teng Clan so they’ll stop stealing my rhymes, my muscles to Jen, Mina, Allison, Brent and Trey, my squirrel tail to Vito, my artistry to Ashwin, Aneesh and Andy, my slaps to Albert, Eric and Tim, and my heart, nose, and puppy-dog look to none other than Jerry Ting.

I, Jason T. Wong, bequeath Brandon Wong, Mike Zheng, Katee Trinh, Sheila Lin, Michael Kagan, and Andie Kuan the rawness of all that is Jason Timchun Wong. The rawness of my rhymes, the doneness of my flips to the ridiculous amount of swag. Amen.

I, Clara Ma, bequeath my rooms and whatever clothes, books, and miscellaneous stuff I leave behind to my sister, Polly :]

I, Amy Mao, bequeath my laggy News computer and Smokie Love to Megan Bernstein and Sargun Kaur.

I, Anthony Oshiro, bequeath my dancing/ choreography skills to Adrienne Lam, Ray Chung, and Sarah Ching.

I, Isabel Tseng, bequeath Yihuan Zhou to Ranhee Jung, my Dactyl record to Dr. Matthew Thomas Lazar, and Ran-hee Jung to Yihuan Zhou.

I, Denise Tsang, bequeath my fun/crazy moments to Victoria Lee, my peppy friend.

I, Derek Wong, bequeath my brother Aaron Wong my ability to choreograph, my apparently similar looks, and my overall beastliness.

I, Derek Yueh, bequeath my exquisite taste in music to Cynthia Kang, my headline forming creativity to Sonya John, and my luck with the ladies to Yihuan Zhou.

I, DJ Erraballi, bequeath all my style to handle emergencies to Pallav, Kelsey, Matt, Miranda, Sarah, and Kiani.

I, Eddie Naimi, bequeath “madsuspect” to Alondra Fernandez, and “church” to Hans Strobl.

I, Elaine Lim, bequeath to my baby sister, Whitney Lim, the four walls of my room, my dry humor, and bold-faced “truths”.

I, Emily DeStigter, bequeath my piece of Universal Performers to Karthik Raman and the pre-show “Do You Feel That Spirit?” chant to Gina Gori.

I, Eric Choi, bequeath to Edward Wang my mallets; to Anthony kang my mallet bragging rights; to Thomas and Elly the right to annoy Kraft; to Alex Lo my support; to Josh Chen and Matthew Tse my brotherly love; to Stephen, Ryan, Isaac, and William my hope that you guys don’t stress. Bang! stays with me.

I, Eric Sun, bequeath my liberties as an A&E editor to Niku Jafarnia and Cynthia Kang, my coolness to Sonia Dhawan and Kristi Nguyen (those in need), my electric razor to Jerry Ting (shave that goatee!), and my rhymes to Wu-Teng Clan, so that they may stop getting owned by Audrey.

I, Eugenia Ho, bequeath my master viola to Theo Ma and Karina Wong, VIFE food, spinach dip, to Tiffany Yen, Amantha, Denise, and Dorothy, and my Giraffe brain to Kristi and Kevin!

I, G. Tirupachur, bequeath my amazingly great looks and bball skills to Sunny Rupani, and all my pink things to Allison Tong.

I, Gina Liu, bequeath my ability to stay awake during long English lectures to Joseph Teng, my tardy-free record to Kimberlee Hu, and lots of gymnastics love to Kylan Nieh and the rest of the team. Thanks for the memories, and keep up our undefeated record!

I, Hiren Bahal, bequeath my game and swagger to Francis Kim, and my golf skills to Ian Dickeson and Kevin Okhora.

I, Joe Chen, bequeath JV Soccer sandbagging to Edward Wang and all awesome biology videos to Kevin Shen.

I, John Jackson, bequeath the cheese steak shop to David Wilson.

I, Jonathan Ye, bequeath my gangsterness to Hijab twins, maltese to Polly Ma, HPC legend to Preetman Sandhu, million slaps to Joseph Teng, laziness to Jerald Xu, godliness and much more to Sonya John, Gridwar skills to Stephenie Yuan, and everything to be better than me to Jordan Ye. I, Justin Chang, bequeath my super, sexy, speedy swimming skills to my younger brother, Dillon Chang.

I, Justin Liou, bequeath my point guard savvy to Eugene Chen and slurpee runs to the junior studs.

I, Kat Abruzzese, bequeath Scottie, the Michaels, Lancey Poo, Dova and my Gnomes an answer for all the theatre problems. I also bequeath my treble girls and apprentice a purple platypus, Lizzy Bode my Cappachino +hot body and Kaut and mi hermana all my love+food en mi casa.

I, Katherine Chen, bequeath my homework and textbooks, my singing abilities, and my cuteness (according to Alan gege) to my two meimeis, Thu Tran and Elaine Kuo. I, Kathy Zhong, bequeath to Vito Prasad my hamster love life.

I, Katie Yang, bequeath my chores, my car, and my bathroom to my brother Patrick.

I, Kevin Hoang, bequeath the student store and all the stress that comes with being ASB Treasurer to Shelley Wenzel and my parents’ overhearing nature about high school to my incoming freshman brother, Brandon Hoang.

I, Kevin R. Yang, bequeath the Yang Dynasty to Vincent Tang, my randomness to Thomas Lee, and my mischievous behavior to Kenny Chin.

I, Kevin Yeung, bequeath drumline captaincy to Phoebe Chou and the responsibility to annoy Kraft to Edward Leu, Aaron Yang, and Atisheel Kak. I, Krista Abrams, bequeath all the “tiburonitas” and tacos to Christy Stumbo, and the off-beat marching music parts and mellophones to my beloved horn section.

I, Kyle Tse, bequeath the hurdling team to Allen Xiao, Sam Kim, William N-Gun, Alyssa Fujikawa, Allison Hsueh, Cathy Chen, and Lydia Lui. Don’t screw it up!

I, Laura Yoon, bequeath my job at Elite Education to my favorite sophomore: Christine Yoo. I, Lawrence Ku, bequeath the future of Academic Challenge and Science Olympiad to Joy Chen, Go Club to Brian Shi, and my 8 hours of sleep each night to Vicky Hwang (and Youngjun Na, who will ignore this and continue his irregular sleep patterns.

I, Lena Liu, bequeath my gymnastics skills to Kimberlee, Kylan, and Trina, my physics knowledge to Joseph, and the prestigious position of Feature editor to Sonya and Alissa.

I, Lillian C. Wang, bequeath my keen skills on finding “scales” and my delicious pointe shoe toe pads to Courtney Cheng. Keep dancing, chubs! Also, I love Cynthia Song.

I, Lillian R. Wang, bequeath my quirky loveable-ness and a million and one hugs to Joy Xu, who will always be mini Joy to me.

I, Lisa Selwan, bequeath all my baking supplies

to make people cookies on Fridays, upon Christian Selwan.

I, Lohith Ramannjam, bequeath my lit books to Alex Cruz. May he slay dragons with it.

I, Lu Li, bequeath to Vito Prasad my hamster brains.

I, Mala Neti, bequeath to Hannah Scobel and Jerry Ting my unconditional Smokie Love.

I, Marcie Jhong, bequeath coffee cookie dream ice cream to Chloe Tung and all the songs I’ve ever sung on the radio to Anson Fan. I, Marianna Mao, bequeath my bum ankle to Vito Prasad.

I, Mazie Hui, bequeath Bryan Tsang my chick flicks and butterflies and Ada and Brenda Hui (aka the Queen and baby Brenda) my SAT and AP books.

I, Michael Chen, bequeath honesty to Leon and David, my assertiveness to Andrew, and my clear speech to Hader Syed. I also bequeath my fun and annoying attitude to every teammate that I have played with in high school.

I, Michael Wu, bequeath my heart and love to Cassandra Ang. I, Michelle Lo, bequeath to Vito Prasad my hamster fetus.

I, Michelle Shieh, bequeath Megan Bernstein, Mel Carter, and Tiff Lind the laziness and pounds that have yet to come senior year and Melody Shieh all of my California-appropriate, summer clothes which I will unfortunately no longer need.

I, Mingjian Wang, bequeath the mantle of chess master of MSJ to Vincent Tian, Eugene Kwok and everyone else in En Passant.

I, Moriah Kreeger, bequeath to Vito Prasad my hamster voice.

I, Muneet Shoker, bequeath my red ruler to Mihir Jain, my amazing jokes to Kelley and Jai, and my attendance record to Gman.

I, Natalie Yang, bequeath the Centerspread editor positions to Karen Lin and Tina Tseng and my parents to my brother, Aaron Yang.

I, Natasha Gupta, bequeath my love for Peer Counseling to Sonya, Cecilia, Golzar, Stephenie, Yussra, and Sonia, the homecoming/multicultural committee to Golzar, L2 love/drama to Anjana Bala and Kylan Nieh, and lots of QQing to next year’s Van Deusen physics students.

Centerspread 11

I, Sabrina Yeh, bequeath my obnoxious job of organizing group events each Saturday to Andrea Wu and my share of Kevin Nguyen’s house to Andrea Wu, Connie Sung, Hermione Gaw, Jesse Chang, Manning Huang, Shixin Yu, Eric Chin, Howen Jou, and Joycelyn Wong.

I, Samir Shah, bequeath my trusty fencing foil, Grey Fang, to Joy Chen, in the hope that it will continue to taste victory. I also bequeath my Thinking Cap to Trisha Sen, confident that the secret to my success will not go to words.

I, Samuel Mak, bequeath Theo Ma my awesome Canto skills, deep thoughts, and procrastination abilities.

I, Sandeep Dinesh, bequeath Reena Dinesh the B-wing corner, because the N-wing is for freshmen.

I, Sarah Folk, bequeath the En Garde Fencing Club to Joy Chen and all my Treble love to my fellow lady tenors Natasha Parkh and Elaine Kuo. I, Scott Fong, bequeath Chris Gonzalez jersey #23 and centerfield.

I, Sean Zhang, bequeath Stephenie Yuan, good luck and congrats for being president for Key Club. You’re going to be very successful in the future.

I, Sharon Kim, bequeath Youth Alive to Steph Kwok, Chris Chen, Kevin Sui, and Tiffany Yen and my parents’ undivided attention and nagging, as well as my computer and my mysterious “absences” to my baby brother Brian Kim! I, Sophie Diao, bequeath unconditional Smokie Love to Harry Tobel (Hannah and Jerry), the Wu-Teng Clan, and the rest of the SS crew, and lunchtime adventures to Vito Prasad.

I, Stephanie Cheung, bequeath my love for badminton to Lisa and Crystal, Key Club to all my beloved sophomore officers, “Steph Legacy” to Stephenie, my portable CD player , bears and beets to Cecilia, and my faith, post-it notes, passion and love for others and my parking spot to one of my best friends, Sonya Maryliz John.

I, Stephen Yu, bequeath my team mojo and my number one crown to Evan Dankiewicz, my C.O.D. and gear-shifting skills to Brandon Nguyen, and my 1991 Accord and blackmailing skills to Chad Ho. I, Steven Tang, bequeath the legacy of the badminton chest bump to one Thomas Lee.

I, Neha Jain, bequeath my car, my large white soccer T-shirt, and my ability to get away with everything to my favorite, Mihir Jain.

I, Swati Bhonsle, bequeath Darieu to the next greatest bass clarinet player in the MSJ Band.

I, Nikhil Saini, bequeath my soccer sills to Ashwin Khurana. He will follow in my footsteps for leading the team to another year in MVALs. He will be a captain and a mentor to all the younger players.

I, Tammie Tran, bequeath my broken coolness scale and a can of LARD to Joycelyn Wong, my excess art supplies to my adorable freshies Angela Zhu and Polly Ma, a slice of my awesomeness to Joy Xu, and some eye drops to Sara Shroyer.

I, Olivia Wagner, bequeath my kindness and craziest to Alexandra B. I, Phillip Mui, bequeath my pretty eyes to Linda Xu, my superhuman strengths to Robin Huang and Danny Tieu.

I, Preston Lam, bequeath my backhand volley to Evan Dankiewicz, Calvin Chiang, and Anjan Balgovind; my smooth talking to Abel John and Nikhil Krisha; my leadership to Yanni Dzoan and Aneesha; my hugging skills to Chad Ho; and most importantly my love, thanks, and luck to Mr. Attic Weng. The NCS champion.

I, Priyanka Gwalani, bequeath my amazing insults to Natasha Parikh, my chemistry “beastliness” to Stephanie Ge, and my “superiority” to Shelley Wenzel. Last of all, I bequeath my car and all my responsibilities to my brother, Jaimish Gwalani.

I, Rachel Greathouse, bequeath my amazing hugs to Saadia Amin, my tinikling skills skillz to my favorite MC group underclassmen, and my lovable strange-ness to Eileen Nguyen, who gave it to me in the first place.

I, Raj Atluri, bequeath my charm, heart, and soul to Nick Patel.

I, Raymond Chou, bequeath the Phoenix to Colette Jaycox and Chelsea Dass, and the Smoke Signal Online to Christine Cheng and Tanu Patel.

I, Rebecca Holland, bequeath all words related to The Game to Jerry and hope that the gang will survive. I hand my quirky role to whoever dares to fill it, as judged by Leila Garcia. CHEESECAKE! I, Rick Shi, bequeath my calves to Alicia Shi and my height to Alex Qin. I, Rohan Naik, bequeath my Bhangra skills to my little cheche, Sonya John.

I, Ryan Tanakit, beqeath a pair to David Westerhoff and Dillon Chang, my obnoxious editor ablities to Anthony and Joseph, and a little bit of my haterocity to Megan Bernstein.

I, Taylor Cooper, bequeath Scott Kavanagh take-out Friday, choose well. Also, my world domination plans to Karthik Raman.

I, Vicraj Gill, bequeath the Arts & Entertainment section of the Smoke Signal to Niku Jafarnia and Cynthia Kang.

I, Victor Chen, bequeath Jeffrey Kanemitsu my quick hands, Franky Peterson a year’s supply of handprints, Renzhi Yu a lot of Wingstop, Sharleen Tu my blackness, Jerry Ting all my commi love and Zaki Sarwary absolutely nothing.

I, Victoria Gu, bequeath the theatre to Alisha Makmuri, MUN to Neha Teekappanavar, Pooh to Kristi Nguyen and Golzar Yousefi, a million slaps to Joseph Teng, aka Gus Gus or Bob the Tomato, my Daily Cal position to Anthony Wu, and Smokie love to next year’s J1, J2, and J3.

I, Vidya Mahavadi, bequeath newsie love to Megan Bernstein and Sargun Kaur, all around coolness to Sonya John, my stupidity to Sonia Dhawan, my eating compulsion to Cecilia Huang, a million slaps to Joseph (gus gus), gridwars to Stephenie Yuan and my skinny legs to Yussra Mossadak.

I, Vincent Leong, bequeath my passion for track and cross country to Jeffrey Liu, as well as my varsity jacket.

I, Vivian Chou, bequeath cetaceans to Joy Chen, planktonic larvae to Calvin Jia, ocean circulation to Youngjun Na, and all my ocean science tossups to posterity.

I, Ying Xian, bequeath my insane driving skills to Manning Huang and my awesome piccolo abilities to Rebecca Gao. I, Yvonne Lin, bequeath to Alice Ding hours of practice, the word “disparage” and my pi(e) sabre.

I, Zoe Lu, bequeath Evan Dankiewicz to Linda Xu, my XC love to the varsity girls of ’08, my shark drawings to AZIA, my amazing texting skills to Brendan Tsao, and my piano-ing to my lil bro, David Wu.

background image by staff writer karen lin and sophomore tina tseng; senior wills compiled by staff writers sonya john, cynthia kang, and jane wang; background texture from masterjinn.deviantart.com

12 Photo Pull-Out

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The Smoke Signal

Friday, June 12, 2009

Friday, June 12, 2009

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The Smoke Signal

Senior Polls 13

14 Centerspread

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University of California UC Berkeley (54) Anthony Ayala Jennifer Chen Katherine Chen Richard Chen Victor Chen Lu Chen Cecilia Cheng Alex Cheung Eric Choi Ankur Dhar Namita Dhawan Victoria Gu Prithvi Guruprasad Eugenia Ho Davy Ho Matthew Hui Jessica Jew Sharon Kim Amanda Kwan Vino Lakshmanan Andrew Lau Derek Lau Julian Lee Justine Li Christina Lin Lawrence Liu Jun Liu Sarah Liu Clara Ma Homayun Mehrabani Mala Neti Brent Nguyen Frank Ong Esther Park Steven Peterson Arjun Prabhakar Tahoura Samad Aaida Samad Samir Shah Shawn Shih Serena Shih Jeanette Su Andrew Taber Sneha Thatipelli Kyle Tse Jack Tsu Jeffrey Tsui Kashyap Valiveti Lillian R. Wang Andrew Wang Jenny Wu Patrick Yang Victor Yu Tiffany Yuan UC Davis (43) Namrata Bedi Simren Bidwal Robin Chang Carolyn Chang Kai-Wei Chang Li Chen Stephanie Cheung Samuel Cheung Melvin Chow

Irene Chowdhury James Dai Renee Frelikh Priya Gupta Kevin Huang Mazie Hui Arnold Hwa Anna Kehl Preston Lam Kevin Lee Elias Lee Bryan Lee Billie Lin Sophia Liou Zahabiya Moiz Kawtar Mossadak Deepak Nallur Pauline Nguyen Ankur Patel Emily Pong Jeffrey Poon Stacey Poon Stara Rahmani Akshaya Ramanujam Annabel Sandhu Sarfaraz Serang Preya Sheth Shawn Shih Manasa Suresh Hai Trinh Audrey Tseng Olivia Wagner Jason C. Wong Doris Ye Kevin Yeung Shun Yu UC Irvine (21) Swati Bhonsle Cindy Ching Jessica Chow Cartney Dzoan Parsa Kafi Samuel Mak Abhay Malik Sophie Merchant Jeet Nagda Christine Nam Kevin Nguyen Benjamin Pan Monil Patel Alan Patel Richa Saraswat Rick Shi Jamie Thottungal Lisa Wang Jeffrey Wong Missy Yousefi Oliver Yuan UCLA (11) Jason Fan Kathy Liao Sharon Lin Coco Liu Madhu Narasimhan James Peebles Johnny Wang Drew Williams

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Julia Wu Lalita Yang Aubrey Young UC Merced (5) Jacob Cho Alex Mai Michelle Poon Simran Singh Jeffery Vu UC Riverside (16) Denver Chen Daniel Fan Ankur Gill Edwin Hui Andrew Kin Jeanette Lau Phillip Mui Jeff Mukai Varun Patankar Vasavi Reddy Steven Tang Tammie Tran Denise Tsang Hisha Vuong Peter Wu Daniel Yang UC San Diego (58) Amul Bhatia Chris Chang Julia Chang Anthony Chao Jiaao Chen Monica Chen Xi Chen Daniel Cheng Himson Chung Kevin Hoang Dorothy Huang Gilbert Huang Chermaine Hung Neha Jain Brian Jean Brian Jeng Andrew Jiang Emily Kang Dipti Kanthilal Lawrence Ku Catherine Kuo Jacklin Lee Jane Lee Vincent Leong Albert Liu Gina Liu Karen Lo Lena Liu Stephanie Lum Vidya Mahavadi Suman Malani Amy Mao Charlene Nguyen Sonia Patel Rishi Pavikh Lohith Ramanujam Megana Roopreddy Revathy SampathKumar

Peik Sia Ryan Tanakit Stephanie Tsao Jessica Tse Isabel Tseng Brian Tsui Grace Victorine Sumin Wang Henry Wang Derek Wong Benjamin Yan Kevin Yang Jonathan Ye Sabrina Yeh Brian Yoo Laura Yoon Phil Yu Kimberly Zaw Chrystal Zou UC Santa Barbara (8) Eric Gwynn Adarsh Konda Benjamin Liu Diana Lui Camron Noorbakhsh Alanna Peebles Amanda Tam Shannon Tu UC Santa Cruz (18) Chauncey A. Bateman Justin Chang Jacqueline Chen Michael Dao-Hong Chen Christina Chuang Pankti Dalal Esther Eng Shreya Gopal Brandon Ha Jerry Jou Kevin King Alex Krishnan Ryan Lee Lu Li Justin Liau Jonathan Tipton-King Michelle Tsang Brian Wong

California State Universities Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (17) Kevin Barton Kelly Cannon Ryan Chan Jenn Chin Bryan Ching Eunice Kim Chelsea Kitta Amy Leung Elaine Lim Louis Liu Rohan Naik Mai Nguyen Lisa Selwan Andrew Sutedja Fiona Tang Jessica Tu Chico State (2) Zachary McDonough Kristin V. Mulhern East Bay (5) Rebecca Holland Brigid James Mina Karim Rebecca Seubert Xiao Wang Humboldt (1) Emily DeStigter Northridge (1) Seewing Yee Sacramento (2) Bardea Moghadam John Jackson

San Dieg Eric Fuh

San Fran State (7 Andrew B Sean Gab Martin H Eric Hsu Joyanna Johnatha Justin So

San Jose Universit Cena Bar Tingyu C Aaron C Erik Feld Dan Holl Cassia H Danielle Jazmin M Brandon Anthony Matthew Trevor S Vikas Su Joe Tank Gabriel T

Sonoma S Brittany Katie Lin Catherin Ally Van

Friday, June 12, 2009

Diego State(1) Fuhs

Francisco te (7) rew Bark n Gabel tin Hinsberg Hsueh anna Lin nathan Shay in Soong

Jose State (15) a Barhaghi yu Chen on Chen Feldmeier Hollenback sia Homann elle McIntosh min Moyer ndon Nguyen hony Oshiro thew Perez vor Sollitt s Suresh Tankeh riel Tiburcio

ersity

State (4) tany Hraiz e Lindsay herine Luu Van Pelt

oma

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Community College Columbia College (1) Dallas Andrews Cuesta College (1) Nicole Calabretta De Anza College (3) Hanul Lee Vincent Nguyen Nikhil Saini Foothill College (1) Curtis Lindblom

California Private Schools Academy of Art University (1) Paul Ku California College of the Arts (1) Ben Du California Institute of the Arts (1) Sophie Diao California Institute of technology (2) Sandhya Chandrasekaran Ying Xian Loyola Marymount University (1) Matthew Hanna Mills College (1) Monika Alem Occidental College (1) Joseph Wei Pepperdine University (1) Lindsey Chu Pomona College (1) Vivian Chou

Santa Clara University (3) Andre Abrahamians Natasha Gupta Ela Zutshi Stanford University (2) Tony Jin Wendy Lu University of the Pacific (8) Bowen Hou Melanie Jee Azhar Malik Lyndsi Mark Thai-Son Nguyen Reisa Rara Cynthia Song Natalie Yang University of San Francisco (1) Muneet Shoker University of Southern California (12) Raza Baqai Jane Dentinger Sean Foo Christine Ko Alex Li Ryan Mahuron Vikram Paranjpe Mahita Penke Courtney Poopat Tiffany Sia Sorah Yang Xingxin Zhang

Out of State American University (1) Vasilisa Shvachko

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Seattle University (1) Alexander Kwok University of Arizona (1) Katherine Abruzzese

Arizona State University (3) Danielle Havard John Nolan Tiffany Wey

University of Chicago (1) Meng Wu

Columbia University (1) Derek Gao

University of Colorado Boulder (1) Adam Perkins

Cornell University (2) Raymond Chou Lauren Masatsugu

University of Maryland (1) Stephen Yu

at

Ohlone College (61) Christine Anderson Katharine Keller Baird DigiPen Institute of University of North Yen Bui Technology (1) Carolina (1) Josh Burnett Pohung Chen Maura Masatsugu Brian Chang Katelyn Chang Drexel University (1) University of Claudia Chee Priyanka Gwalani Pennsylvania (2) Joshua Cho Mike Mo Susanna Daniel Duke University (1) Michelle Shieh Simran Dhaliwal Chirag Vasavda Amanda Dortch University of Artie Duran Emerson College (1) Richmond (1) Jaye Jaye Ebrero Eric Sun Sandeep Dinesh Scott Fong Vicraj Gill Harvard University (2) Ursinus College (1) Sean Gosen Cici Cao Neal Shukla Rachel Greathouse Marianna Mao Billal Hararah Washington University Julia Harrell Johns Hopkins in St. Louis (5) Jessica Hsu University (1) Betty Liu Saniya Hussain Amory Peng Cerina Huang Vijay Jayant Alex Xu Kevin Jiang Massachusetts ColDebra Yen Mustafa Kamisha lege of Pharmacy and Evan Zheng Matt Korn Health Sciences (1) Alex Kwan Brian Cho Universtiy of William Lam Washington (1) Anh Le Massachusetts InstiMelly Hu Keenan Longo tute of Technology (2) Kathy Luo Elaine Han Wellesley College (1) Emily Mansfield Max Wu Lucy Liu Christopher Mayer Anny McConnell New York Yale University (1) Austin McKenzie University (7) Kathy Zhong Matthew Meinecke Hiren Bahal Derylann Mott Michael Cheung MILITARY Davis Oneal McKenzie Eric Ding Travis Medeiros Amanda Lee Marine Corp. (1) Daniel Munson Mickey Liu A aron Garza Edriss Naimi Daniel Tsay Tyra Nance Derek Yueh Marion Military Alan Ngo I nstitute (1) Brigitte Ngo Northeastern M arcie Jhong Greg Oliveira University (1) Leslie Osborn Aaron Sorin United States Air James MichaelF orce Academy (1) Sandness Oberlin College (2) J ohn Bang Waqas Shafi Alison Lee Amit Singh Zoe Lu United States Naval Vivian Sun A cademy (1) Gururaj Tirupachur Parsons: The New Taylor Cooper Ethan Torrence School for Design (1) Justin Tracey Maria Wang Alicia Viramontes OUT OF Hannah Walrod Princeton COUNTRY Kamila Wardak University (1) Avi Warey Katie Yang Gujarat Medical Daniel Woo School in India (1) Purdue University (1) Kavya Guda Sacramento City Alex Lu College (1) Manipal University of Tammy Nguyen Polytechnic Institute Medicine in India (1) of NYU (2) Rajesh Atluri D.J. Erraballi Jackie Jou

college list compiled by staff writers michael feuerman, niku jafarnia, and cynthia kang; map from en.wikipedia.org, texture from masterjinn.deviantart.com, thumb tacks from acmh-mi.org

16 Senior Polls

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photos taken by grapihcs editor cici cao, jerry ting, staff writers victor chen, hannie dong, karen lin, elisa ting, henna jethani layout created by staff writers elisa ting

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photos taken by graphics editors cici cao

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& jerry ting, web editor raymond chou, staff writers victor chen, cynthia kang, elisa ting, jane wang layout created by graphics editors cici cao & jerry ting

Friday, June 12, 2009

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Laptops That Top Our List

Best Overall Performance Though Macs tend to be more pricey than PCs, their quality is worth the extra bucks.

Macs last longer, feature the stable and secure OS (operating system), offer better virus resistance, and are overall very easy to use. The biggest problem people have regarding Macs is the switchover from Windows. However, a smooth transition should be expected as the programs are extremely simplified and require little guesswork. Our pick, the Macbook ($1299), satisfies the needs of most students.

The latest model features an iSight camera (perfect for video chats), one of the fastest processors on the market, the Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, and the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, which offers high caliber graphics.

Price: 2.5/5 Performance: 5/5 Overall: 5/5 Gaming Undeniably the best brand for gaming, Alienware provides notebooks that are perfect for what they are made for. Both notebooks on the market (M17 and Area-51 m15x) have 8 GB memory and 1 TB storage.

Our best pick, the M17 ($1299), boasts of elite processing power for multitasking, such as video editing, gaming, and more. M17's other features include the optional internal TV tuner, Draft-N wireless technology, and facial recognition. Also, its 17'' HD LCD, although not quite portable, is definitely one of the most powerful gaming machines today.

Price: 3.5/5 Performance: 5/5 Overall: 4.5/5

Work Originally IBM, Lenovo is the leading brand for work laptops, most famous for it's T series. Other series are the Y, U, and X series.

Lenovo splits its laptops into two categories, Thinkpads and Ideapads. The sleeker Ideapads are ideal for home and media, while the more durable Thinkpads are perfect for highprocessing applications such as simulations.

Our best pick, the T400 ($2189), falls under this category. Although it is not as aesthetically-pleasing as other laptops, T400's makes it up with its premium components.

Price: 4.5/5 Performance: 4/5 Overall: 4/5

notebookcheck.net

The Lenovo laptop is ideal for work.

Best Bargains Acer is world renowned for their affordable yet dependable products. They are sleek, durable, and function as great personal laptops. The vast variety of laptops available makes finding the perfect match easy. One of the few minor problems users encounter with Acer’s models includes overheating. We would go for the Acer AS4530-6823; the 320 GB hard drive and a large screen makes it a great bargain at $499.99.

Price: 5/5 Performance: 3/5 Overall: 4/5 ▪

So you wanna get a job...

By Cici Cao Graphics Editor

With the current economic downturn, who wouldn’t want to earn a little spare change for those Great America trips or that cute summer outfit? Here are a few jobs that you can get your hands on this summer.

Work Locally Haven’t you ever thought about what it would be like working the counters at McDonald’s or Pink Swirl as you’re getting your food? One of the biggest and most convenient pools of summer jobs stems from working for local venues such as fast food restaurants or locally established stores. Although these stores may occasionally have fliers advertising that they’re hiring, the most proactive way to get the job is to actually go from store to store and ask. Also, don’t forget to bring a copy of your resume. The more prepared and professional you are, the more likely that you will impress the manager. Stores to consider in the Fremont area include all of the restaurants, supermarkets, drug and convenience stores, etc. Major enclaves that would be great to go job hunting in are the Fremont Hub and Newpark Mall.

Tutor So what if you can’t get that job in retail?

Tutoring is not a bad alternative. Not only are the hours more flexible, but also the salary is likely to be higher. There are two forms of tutoring: private one-on-one lessons, in which your tutee’s parents are your boss, or working as a tutor for one of Fremont’s major tutoring

Best IPhone Apps

By Monica Chen Staff Writer

By Natale Yang and Amy Mao Centerspread Editor and News Editor

Whether you are looking to survive college or just get your English papers done next school year, these laptops will help to get the job done. For a more comprehensive search take a look at procompare.com to find exactly what you are looking for.

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centers. The one-on-one job is usually paid better but is also harder to find. Make sure to advertise yourself through word of mouth or strategically placed flyers to attracted potential parents’ interests. As for the tutoring center, your resume will once again come in handy. Just directly asking for a position is the best route to take.

i.ehow.com

Tutoring is a great way to make money and help kids.

Internship For those of you who are craving a more intellectually stimulating summer filled with work-related experience, an internship is right for you. Although these internships pay only one installment of stipend for your labor, it is the experience that counts the most. MSJ students from past years have been travelling across the US for their internships, whether it be researching the cure for cancer or making proposals for a new startup company. How-

Confused about which applications to download for your iPhone? Don’t worry!

Here are a few personalized suggestions of the best applications for you.

For the Forgetful Sketches – Jot down any notes or thoughts and expand your imagination by sketching.

This is also perfect for practicing and improving your stick figures for your artsy projects!

Evernote – Never forget a precious moment with this handy dandy application.

Capture and recall jokes, ideas, and just about anything through text, snapshots, or recordings.

For bookworms Stanza – Download or purchase books from Lexcycle Online Catalog, which includes a choice of about 100,000 books and periodicals. You can conveniently keep a cool appearance with your iPhone as you secretly read books like a nerd.

For music fans Pandora – You won’t have to scan endlessly for the type of songs you enjoy on the radio in the car. Find a recommended artist whose music suits your taste, and create your own personal radio. It also plays tunes similar to your favorite artist’s music.

Shazam – Hear a new catchy song on the radio? Just hold the iPhone to the speaker and it will identify the song for you with the artist, song title, and album. Let Shazam do your music research for you!

For people who can’t read maps Saywhere – Don’t stray your eyes away from the road and the car in front of you while you’re trying to get directions. Just say the destination, get your directions (with sources from Google Maps, Yelps, or the Yellow Pages) and arrive safely at your destination.

Where – Don’t know where the nearest ever, to get such an exciting opportunity, you must apply. Unfortunately, the application deadlines for most internships have already passed, but it doesn’t hurt to start looking into them now so that you can be prepared to apply for the following summer. One close to home that you can start prepping for next year’s application deadline is the Stanford Institute of Medicine Summer Research Program (simr.stanford.edu/program.html). To browse for more internships from around the US, this website: people.rit.edu/gtfsbi/Symp/ highschool.htm is a good place to start.

For those who want to get the academic experience of an internship without the five day per week time commitment, a great alternative is the Explainer Program at San Francisco’s Exploratorium Museum. There, you can become a curator for visitors immersing yourself in the most interesting physical phenomena. For more information, please visit exploratorium.edu/programs/explainer/.

Volunteer So what if you can’t find a money-paying job this summer? You can always give back to the community through working for charity.

Volunteering is a great way to build compassion and develop leadership skills. Common volunteering opportunities include working for Washington Hospital, the Tech Museum of Innovation, or the City of Fremont through summer camps. For more exotic exploits, you can search online at volunteermatch.org.

Work for your parents If you’re still yearning for that little bit of cash, how about working for your parents?

They’re always your most enthusiastic supporters, and possibly your most generous consumers. At the beginning of summer, calmly approach them and explain to them that the

Starbucks is or where to find the cheapest gas? You won’t have to talk to strangers anymore for suggestions or directions. Let this informative application solve all your problems.

For bored people Trism – Want to do something that engages the mind? With triangular boxes instead of square boxes and special movement sensitive iPhone effects, this app takes the game of Bejeweled to a whole new level.

TapTapRevenge – Be original and use your fingers to dance along with groovy music! Unlike DanceDanceRevolution, you can play this musical game anywhere you go.

whatsoniphone.com

TapTapRevenge tests your ability to keep up with the beat.

For everyone Siri – Trying to find a romantic dinner place for your significant other? Allow the Virtual Personal Assistant (VPA) deal with everything for you! From getting movie tickets to getting reservations, you won’t have to have a single white hair. This application introduces a whole new different way of interacting with the internet. Just verbally command and Siri will be at your service. ▪ current economic downturn has made it almost impossible for you to get a job and thus, you would like to earn some money by working at home. Then, you can negotiate reasonable terms: for example, charging $5 for cooking dinner or $2 for washing the dishes isn’t that unreasonable. Moreover, convincing arguments such as “if I clean the house then you can just give what you pay the cleaning lady to me” is a great way of getting even more cash. Plus, if you do it well, you will not only make your parents happy (which can lead to happy bonuses for you), but you will also be able to hone your latent cooking skills, which may come in handy when you are starving for home-cooked food in college.

itstartswitH1.org

When in doubt, go back to the basics.

Need even more extra cash? Though you may think that they are outdated, some oldschool methods can still get you some much needed money. Lemonade stands, car washes, yard sales, and bake sales are a must for the summer, and what better way to make it innovative and refreshing than when you are at your prime in high school. Raid Michaels to make an extraordinary sign, and then start beating out the competition. Those kiddies’ lemonade stands should be nothing compared to yours. ▪

22 Arts & Entertainment

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MISSION’S Magellan

Friday, June 12, 2009

Fremont Edition

By Sophie Diao & Victoria Gu

Editor-in-Chief & Staff Writer

When MSJ students look for entertainment, they usually go to another city. It makes sense; Fremont has no mall and, now that Cinedome 8 has closed down, no movie theatre. But it seemed highly unlikely to us that Fremont should be entirely devoid of fun things to do. To test this hypothesis, we decided to stay in Fremont for our last installment of Mission’s Magellan. We were happily proven right.

Destination 1: Centerville Farmer’s Market Most of us have been to or at least heard of the Irvington Farmer’s Market, but few have shopped at its sister market in Centerville, and

yelp.com

Le Moose Crepe Cafe serves unusual yet delicious crepes.

Destination 2: Le Moose Crepe Café The Le Moose Crepe Café has an unassuming storefront, and passersby would not suspect just how amazing the food inside is.

Throw out all your old assumptions about crepes; the menu at Le Moose includes crepes cooked with everything from chicken pesto to green curry. Le Moose is relatively cheap; an average meal for one person costs less than $10. The waitress/cashier is extremely friendly and is familiar with MSJ, so be sure to say hi when you stop by.

Address: 5014 Mowry Ave

Destination 3: Corrie Glass Studio We headed over to the famous Niles Boulevard after our breakfast crepes. One of the first stores we stepped into was Corrie Glass, a glass jewelry and decoration store whose dazzling merchandise is actually created in the store by the owner. We happened to stop by while Wayne, the lampworker/glassblower, was hard at work. He works in a small room separated from the rest of the store by a glass partition, making his fascinating craftsmanship available for everyone to see. For those who are interested, lampworking classes are offered.

Address: 37683 Niles Blvd.

Groove defies this expectation. As the only independent record store in Fremont, Needle to the Groove is a great place to find cheap vinyl records. Although they do not sell CDs, why not go old school and pick up a vinyl record for your mom or dad’s record player?

Address: 150 H St. Destination 7: Essanay Silent Film Museum If you don’t know by now, Charlie Chaplin was one of Fremont’s most famous resident.

Though he reportedly hated Fremont, many of his most prominent silent movies were filmed here. The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, located in the Niles District

staff writer victoria gu

We stopped at Niles Antiques & Collectibles to try on a variety of vintage clothing and accessories.

Destination 4: Niles Antiques & Collectibles A short walk from Corrie Glass led us to a group of antiques stores that sell all sorts of ancient paraphernalia, including dollhouses, teasets, and coin purses. Vintage clothing and hats are kept in rooms with plenty of mirrors, so these stores are perfect for a game of dressup. Their clothing ranges from grotesque to gorgeous, but one thing’s for sure: it’s old.

Address: Niles Blvd.

medway.gov.uk

The Farmer’s Market offers selections of fresh and unique fruits and vegetables.

for good reason: this “market” covers merely half a block in size, offers a meager selection of produce, and has almost no entertainment value. This isn’t to say that the quality of the food sold isn’t good; in fact, the strawberries we had there were some of the sweetest we’d ever tasted. We would not, however, recommend coming here to find an obscure fruit or vegetable.

Address: Intersection of Bonde Way & Fremont Blvd.

staff writer victoria gu

Wayne, a talented glassblower at the Corrie Glass Studio, builds his next piece.

staff writer victoria gu staff writer victoria gu

Destination 5: Tyme for Tea Red Foreman of That 70’s Show once said, “This is America. We bomb countries that drink tea.” While this may be somewhat true, there certainly isn’t anything wrong with stepping out of your comfort zone. In the Niles district resides a small Victorian teahouse called Tyme for Tea. Served in the traditional English style, afternoon brunch at this café was a truly unique experience. The teahouse provided hats from every era and region to its customers to wear for the duration of their meal. For close to $20 for three people, we ordered Blackberry Sage tea and a tea sandwich platter. Beware though; there is a $5 minimum per person.

Address: 37501 Niles Blvd.

Destination 6: Needle to the Groove Ever since the Newark Rasputin music store closed, it seemed as if Fremont has lacked an independent music store solely dedicated to music. However, Needle to the

staff writer victoria gu

The museum features antiquated film equipment as well as old production photos.

was the most reputable silent film company in the early 1900s. Today, the Essanay Silent Film Museum holds some of the relics from that time period, including old-fashioned cameras and costumes. The museum even holds movie nights every week complete with a live piano player. Given that this museum is of free admission, the Essanay Silent Film Museum is undoubtedly a gem of Fremont not to be missed.

Address: 37417 Niles Blvd.

Destination 8: Naz 8 Cinemas A staple in the Indian community, Naz 8 is one of the only theaters in the Bay Area dedicated to primarily Bollywood movies.

Though watching a movie at Naz 8 is generally regarded as an “Indian” thing to do, Indian movies are thoroughly entertaining, especially if you aren’t Indian. In fact, when we went to Naz 8, we mistakenly bought tickets for the Punjabi film Mini Punjab. We soon discovered it had no subtitles. And yet, we still understood the storyline with the actors’ ridiculous facial expressions and random spurts of English (He has brain cancer). For $6.50, we attended the matinee showing and even received free popcorn!

Address: 39160 Paseo Padre Pkwy ▪

baymasala.com

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26 Sports

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The Fall Sports Season

By Joseph Teng

Cross Country

Cross Country Boys MVAL Place - 2nd First Team All-League: Evan Dankiewicz Girls MVAL Place - 3rd First Team All-League: Siwen Dickstein

With the Boys’ team placing 2nd and the Girls’ team placing 4th in MVAL, the Cross Country team had an incredible season this year.

Led by Coach Jack Marden, the team worked extremely hard, often running six-mile runs in stifling hot weather. As a result, the team improved dramatically, but most importantly, the team grew closer together as the season passed. Senior Captain Chirag Vasadva said, “As the season came to a close, we realized that we didn’t just win races as a team – we won races as a family.”

Football

Staff Writer

Although the Varsity Football team suffered tough losses this season, they practiced extremely hard in horribly stifling weather and grew much stronger as a team. Led by Coach Rob VanDeusen and experienced Senior Captains Sean Gosen, Ben Liu, Jose Ruvalcaba, and Alan Patel, the team struggled and fought valiantly against every single opponent. Senior Phillip Mui said, “It was a tough season, but we were still in our rebuilding phase. Next year, we should do a lot better.”

Girls’ Water Polo

Defeating their rival Washington in both games without losing their breath, the Girls’ Water Polo team overcame all of the teams to become the MVAL Champions and went on to compete in NCS. A relatively young team with only one senior, the team practiced hard and won the majority of their games.

Junior Captain Jennifer Young said, “Next season, I want our team to be undefeated and to completely shut out other teams. Certain teams came close to us, but that’s not going to happen next year.”

Girls’ Tennis

The Girls’ Tennis team was nearperfect this season, sweeping every team 7-0 except for one game against Irvington, where they won 6-1; they then went on to become one of the top four seeds in NCS after defeating No. 2 seed San Ramon Valley High School. With high expectations for next year, Senior Captain Mahita Penke said, “Next year’s team will be very strong and will easily make NCS. We have a lot of underclassmen in Varsity and I’ve heard there are many promising incoming freshman.”

Football MVAL Place - 7th First Team All-League: Robinson Kuo Girls’ Water Polo MVAL Place - 1st First Team All-League: Laura Conn Hannah Scobel Girls’ Tennis MVAL Place - 1st First Team All-League: Yanni Dzoan Stephanie Quan Mahita Penke Julia Chang compiled by staff writer elisa ting

Gymnastics MVAL Place - 1st First Team All-League: Lyndsi Mark Gina Liu Lena Liu Lillian Wang Trina Duarte Girls’ Golf MVAL Place - 1st First Team All-League: Bonnie Hu Boys’ Water Polo MVAL Place - 1st First Team All-League: Denny Wong Ryan Tanakit Andrew Kin Girls’ Volleyball MVAL Place - 1st First Team All-League: Keila Mah Boys’ Basketball MVAL Place - 6th First Team All-League: Eric Gwynn Girls’ Basketball MVAL Place - 4th First Team All-League: Misha Yalavarthy Keila Mah Girls’ Soccer MVAL Place - 2nd First Team All-League: Taylor Jackson Preetman Sandhu Amrun Singh Nicole Buechler Allison Day Wrestling MVAL Place - 3rd First Team All-League: Jose Ruvalcaba Soccer MVAL Place - 2nd First Team All-League: David Roche Nikhil Saini

Gymnastics

Continuing their winning streak, the Gymnastics team has once again captured the MVAL championship. Led by Senior Captains Gina Liu and Lena Liu, the team persevered and worked extremely hard to make up for the loss of six seniors. Said L. Liu, “We did really well even though we lost a lot of experienced seniors. I’m excited about next season because we have a lot of talented gymnasts who will be better next year.”

Girls’ Golf

Traveling to places far from MSJ, the only Girls’ Golf team in the MVAL performed extremely well in the competitions that they attended, defeating most of their opponents. They placed 2nd in the HAAL Tournament and 5th in NCS. With many returning players, the Girls’ Golf team is expected to rise far above competition the next year. Junior Captain Bonnie Hu said, “We are going to be great next year. “

Boys’ Water Polo

Making NCS for the third year in a row, the Boys’ Water Polo team has once again become the MVAL champions and also went on to compete in round two of NCS. Led by Senior Captains Denny Wong, Ryan Tanakit, Andrew Kin, and Chris Chang, the team easily overpowered all others one in MVAL. Chang said, “We have six graduating seniors, so the younger players have to work hard to continue our dynasty.”

Girls’ Volleyball

The Girls’ Volleyball team had an amazing season, clinching first place in MVAL and 7th in NCS. An extremely young but experienced team without any seniors, the team played club together outside of league and therefore developed great team chemistry for the season. Next year, the girls are expected to sweep the MVAL and to place higher in NCS. Junior Captain Allison Day said, “We’re going to beast it up next year.” ▪

The Winter Sports Season Boys’ Soccer

By Victor Chen Staff Writer

The Boys’ Soccer team completed an amazing season, marred only by an MVAL semifinal loss to Washington High School. The team was unified by the motto “Ubuntu,” which means team over individual. Led by a large group of seniors, this team overcame many obstacles and was actually in second place for the majority of the season before slipping to third on the last day of regular play, which was still a large improvement over last year’s team. The soccer team has a few up and coming players as well as the junior starters from this season to rely on next season.

Boys’ Basketball

The Boys’ Basketball team finished with one of the more successful seasons in recent MSJ history.

Loaded with seniors, including allleauge Seniors Ryan Mahuron and Eric Gwynn, this team had bright prospects but unfortunately lost many close games by two points or less. However, the team should not be underestimated since it pulled off two upsets against Washington High School, including one in the MVAL playoffs. The team faces a rebuilding year, but that’s not to say they cannot finish in the top half of the MVAL again.

Wrestling

Girls’ Basketball

The Girls’ Basketball team had a very successful season, securing an NCS berth for the first time in MSJ history. Although the girls didn’t advance to the second round due to their loss at home to San Ramon Valley High School, they played hard in a very competitive game. Because the team is very young and doesn’t have any seniors, the program expects to have a bright future with all of its players returning next year.

compiled by staff writer elisa ting

Girls’ Soccer

The Girls’ Soccer team was tied for first with rival Washington High School entering MVAL playoffs. During the MVAL finals, the girls hung tough with Washington, losing a heartbreaker in penalty kicks. However, this season will still be remembered as one of MSJ’s most memorable and successful years.

Wrestling finished a very strong season under the guidance and experience of Coach Tom Thomsen.

The team is a perennial powerhouse and this year was no different. Senior Jose Ruvalcaba placed first in MVAL and Seniors Arnold Hwa and Billal Hararah and Junior David Wilson placed second. In all, Wrestling sent 11 wrestlers to NCS, where Hararah took 7th, Hwa took 5th, and Ruvalcaba took 3rd; they simultaneously clinched spots in the CIF state championships. ▪

Friday, June 12, 2009

The Smoke Signal

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28 Sports

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Track and Field American B:W,G:L Logan B:L,G:L Irvington B:W,G:W Kennedy B:W,G:W Washington B:L,G:L Newark B:L,G:L MVAL Place - B:4th,G:5th Boys’ Golf American W Irvington L Kennedy W Washington L Newark W MVAL Place - 2nd Softball American L,L Logan L,L Irvington L,L Kennedy W,W Washington L,L Newark L,L MVAL Place - 6th Boys’ Volleyball American W,W Logan W,W Castro Valley W,W Kennedy W,W Washington W,W Moreau W,W MVAL Place - 1st Badminton Dougherty W,W American W,W Logan W,W Irvington W,W Kennedy W,W Washington W,W Newark W,W MVAL Place - 1st Boys’ Tennis American W,W Logan W,W Irvington W,W Kennedy W,W Washington W,W Newark W,W MVAL Place - 1st

Friday, June 12, 2009

The Spring Sports Season Swimming

Boys’ Swimming American W,W Logan W,W Irvington W,W Kennedy W,W Washington W,W Newark W,W MVAL Place - 1st Girls’ Swimming American W,W Logan W,W Irvington W,W Kennedy W,W Washington W,W Newark W,W MVAL Place - 1st Baseball American W,W Logan L,L Irvington L,L Kennedy W,W Washington W,W Newark L,L MVAL Place - 4th

The Smoke Signal

Led by Coach Joe Martinez, both the Boys’ Swimming team and the Girls’ Swimming team had impeccable undefeated records and won MVALs once again.

For NCS, many male swimmers had outstanding times, and Junior Morten Graversen broke the 200 IM school record. “Our hard work and dedication paid off. Needless to say, I really can’t complain at how well this season went,” said Senior Captain Justin Chang. On the girls’ side, several records were broken this year as well, including the meet and league record for the 100m butterfly by Junior Anastassia Tselikova. Senior Jessica Tu said, “The girls this year really stepped it up. We were always a good team before but this year...every one of our girls was fast and competitive.”

By Sandhya Chandrasekaran & Hannie Dong Staff Writers

Junior Mina Chen uses a powerful stroke to move across the pool.

Senior Aaida Samad controls the game with pinpoint pitching.

Baseball

The Baseball team had a greatly improved season under new Head Coach Elliot Almeida, ending with a regular season record of 66 and 4th place in the league. At the American Eagle Classic Tournament, the team won first out of eight teams. “This year went far better than any of us expected,” said Junior Captain Caleb Scherer, “We finished with a winning record and made it to the playoffs.

Although we didn’t advance in the postseason, we now have experience that will help us succeed next year.” Next year, the Baseball team will lose some talented seniors, but they will still have nine returning players and promising new ones.

Senior Eric Gwynn winds up to fire a pitch.

Senior Junior Yee crouches down for a dig.

Senior Kyle Tse flies over a hurdle en route to the finish line.

Junior Benson Chien rallies against an opposing player.

Given the intense conditioning, training, focus, and spirit the coaches and captains instill in the players, it comes as little surprise that Badminton easily secured 14 victories during this season, placing 1st in NCS. Another key ingredient to their successes is the close friendships they share. As Senior Captain Stephanie Cheung said, “The way we all click, the genuine love we have for each other, the game itself, and our team spirit is indescribable and is ultimately what bring us together each and every year; it never fades away...With all of our talented underclassmen and experienced juniors that will lead next year’s team, I think it’s safe to say that MSJ Badminton will no doubt prolong its continuing legacy.”

Boys’ Tennis

Boys’ Golf

The Boy’s Golf team had a successful season after going through some hardships. During the regular season, narrow losses diminished the team’s hopes. However, the team was determined to make it to the NCS qualifier. During the final round, with great play by Sophomore Kevin Ohkura and Senior Andrew Lee, the team defeated Washington and took 2nd place in the league. “After losing four seniors, next year’s team will have a lot of rebuilding to do. But, with returning varsity players Sophomore Kevin Ohkura and Freshman Ian Dickeson, the team will have a strong foundation to build success upon,” said Senior Captain Hiren Bahal.

Boys’ Volleyball

Vigorous practice and good teamwork brought Boys’ Volleyball continued successes this season, as they beat all of their opponents during the season games, placed first at MVALs, and won second place in Division I of NCS. Although the team faced defeat against Foothill, their fiery determination has not been shattered. Backed by its many encouraging coaches and captains, the team anticipates doing even better next season. As Senior Captain Anthony Chao said, “Our last match loss against Foothill was unfortunate, but we now have a whole new year to improve and our team is only going to get better given all the talent we have on our JV and Varsity teams.”

Badminton

Track and Field

The Track and Field team demonstrated tremendous growth in all events as a result of exhausting practice. “The shift in attitudes from ‘doing their best’ to ‘we work hard and deserve to win’ has brought a new intensity to training. That competitive nature has lifted the team as a whole to be very competitive in our league,” said Coach Brian Singleton. Thirty-one athletes qualified for the NCS trials, the most that MSJ has sent in recent years.

Out of those athletes, five made it to the NCS Meet of the Champions, including Junior Alvin Cheng for the long jump, Senior Raza Baqai and Junior Eric Wang for the pole vault, Junior Matthew Gosen for the 800 meters, and Freshman Madison Hirsch for the mile.

Softball

Despite some tough losses this season, the Softball team stayed optimistic. Highlights of the season included the Standley Cup Tournament in Hayward and their two wins against Kennedy. Under the guidance of Senior Captains Aaida Samad and Tahoura Samad and Coaches Wayne Hanano, Jeff Evans, and Lisa Hanano, the team played competitively throughout the season. Said A. Samad, “We had a fun season and were able to make vast improvements in both our defense and offense by taking time to build strong fundamentals and concentrating on improving a little bit at a time.” They look to improve next year with great coaching and determined young athletes.

Junior Geoffrey Chen watches a shot sail down the fairway.

Junior Brandon Nguyen prepares to smash the ball.

This season, the Boys’ Tennis team did an outstanding job, with a 27-5 record, remaining undefeated in the MVALs, placing first at NCS, and making it to the NORCAL semis for the first time in MSJ history. Losses early on during the preseason games motivated the team to improve over the course of the season. The team made comebacks against rivals they had suffered terrible losses to in previous years. Senior Captain Preston Lam said, “All the captains and coaches are proud of the results and the season overall. In addition to the juniors and seniors, there were many skilled underclassmen who also carried the team. Hopefully, next year is just as good, if not better.” ▪

photos courtesy of stephen yu and compiled by staff writer ankur dhar, photo editor jerry ting, staff writer joseph teng, and staff writer karen lin