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To The Teenagers Out There...

By SOPHIA LI

Staff Writer

Being a teenager is hard in a multitude of ways. Keeping up with your friends, carrying the expectations of your family, and finding time to have fun can be overwhelming at times. However, it’s important to note that being comfortable with ourselves and being positive is one of the key essentials to a fulfilling life. Though it may seem like school and extracurriculars are all that matter now, there is so much more later on that life has to offer. To all the teenagers out there, here are some rules to live by, things to always remember, and ways to stay positive that may help a teen out (from a fellow teen)!

Don’t listen to what other people have to say about you. It’s none of their business, and people assume without asking. It might just be that they have their own problems and are taking it out on you. Especially block them out if you wouldn’t go to them for advice.

For example, if you’re at a concert, dance and sing your heart out. Everyone else is either too busy having a good time or worrying about how they look, too, so just focus on yourself and having a good time.

When you’re in your teenage years, you care about what others think of you. When you’re 40-years-old, you won’t care about what anyone thinks of you. When you’re 60-yearsold, you might finally realize that nobody was thinking or judging you in the first place.

“Even though it can be hard to block out other people’s opinions about you, always try to be confident in who you are as an individual because people want to get to know the real you,” said Julianna Sandoval, a senior at Arcadia High School.

You are beautiful! When you’re crying, when you’re laughing, always. No one else is like you so you’re uniquely beautiful in your own way. Show yourself some love. Practice affirmations to remind yourself of all the things you have done. Life can get tough sometimes, and sometimes you may feel like giving up. But on those days, remember the times that you had overcome to get to where you are today. Know that no matter what, you can do what you set your mind to. Oftentimes we are more capable than we think.

“Never be afraid of failing and try everything no matter what. If you never try you’ll never know if you’ll succeed,” sophomore Emily Tran added.

Be a good person to everyone, and treat people equally. Be kind, thoughtful, and respectful. Never bully someone or go out of your way to hurt someone.

“Bullying someone is as easy as throwing a stone in the sea, but you never know how deep that stone goes,” said my elementary principal, Danae Popovich.

Additionally, treat your elders extra special because they deserve it. Even if they have ways that you disagree with, they have been through so much, and elders that are around you care for you. Show them some love.

Being by yourself doesn’t mean you’re lonely. It may just mean you’re putting yourself first. Or it may mean you’re working on yourself. It’s okay to be by yourself because you don’t have to worry about anyone else. Being by yourself allows you to think deeper and to have better creativity. Although it may seem like it, not everyone has to be the loudest in the room. Sometimes it’s the people who are the most reserved and to themselves that can do things better.

“From my personal experience with running cross country, over quarantine, there were only six runners on the team, and we met up to practice once a week. The rest of the time, we all ran alone. Running by myself gave me a lot of time to think and it felt like I was making more improvements. I could focus on myself and I pushed myself harder when I was by myself because I wasn’t thinking about the people around me,” Kaitlyn Hsu, a junior, stated.

Never be afraid to take on new adventures. There is so much out there in the world, and you should take advantage of that. For example, go see the world at night, watch the beauty of the city at sleep, and appreciate the beauty of the darkness. If you have time, watch and wait for the sunrise, too.

Know that if you keep living life the way you are right now, things will not change for you in the future. It’s important to bring change to our lives, even if the experience may be uncomfortable at times.

“If you were frozen in time as you are right now, never able to do anything new, would you be satisfied with the life you’ve led? With the people you’ve met, the experiences you’ve had? The chances are probably near-zero. So sign up for that club, try out for a team, or talk to someone new; you might just end up finding a new passion, or making a friend for life,” Ashley Lin, a senior, expressed.

Remember to stay positive and look for the good things in life. Practice appreciation. Smile and laugh, and listen to/dance to your favorite music to give yourself a break. If not, get outside and get some sunlight! Even taking a walk around your street helps. Hug and high five yourself at your little accomplishments throughout the day. It can be hard to stay positive and look at each day as a new opportunity. Challenges can overwhelm us at times, but it is crucial to let yourself know that you are stronger than the challenge.

“Everyone is going to have off days, and know that while things can get stressful and chaotic, there are good things ahead if you just push through. Speaking from personal experience, college applications and essays are a stressful time, but I know that it’s simply a bump in the long road of life,” expressed senior Cadence Chen.

Last but not least, remember that you can. Life may be tough at times, but no matter what comes your way, you can overcome those hurdles.

sli@arcadiaquill.com Graphic courtesy of ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

Musicians Should Know When to Retire

By KIRA CAMACHO

Staff Writer

Two Beatles, two Who(ligans), three Rolling Stones, two members of Rush; the dwindling numbers of classic-rockers are slowly bringing the era to a close. No matter how many pass, their music and stories will still live on. However, there comes a time when older musicians should know when it’s time to stop. It’s their responsibility to be realistic about their talent as they age, and really think about if they’re able to give a quality show.

Upon seeing members of various iconic groups pass away, I started to think about what the groups would do without their core members. Led Zeppelin almost immediately disbanded after their drummer died in 1980 because he was such an integral part of the band.

On the other hand, bands like AC/DC were never afraid to fire and replace band members. When one member passed away, or was out, someone was simply hired to take their place. Out of the five original (pre-Cliff Williams) members, only two remain.

Though some of these rockers still have the drive, and most importantly, talent, to continue, others don’t. For some reason, these other bands don’t realize that they don’t have what it takes to continue on the road of touring.

Genesis’s reunion tour was this year, and it was definitely interesting. The tour included Genesis members Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, along with Nic Collins, Daryl Stuermer, Daniel Pearce, and Patrick Smyth. Honestly, the musicians did great. Phil Collins’ son, Nic Collins, sounded amazing. Phil Collins, on the other hand, had to sing in a chair. This isn’t exactly a bad thing, if you can still give an amazing performance in a chair, so be it. But Phil Collins couldn’t.

While the musicians were going on solos, Collins just spun around in his chair. He just sort of seemed awkward. His age and inability to give an exciting performance really showed. Collins can’t play the drums anymore, and his voice just wasn’t as good as it once was.

Aging isn’t a problem; it’s going to happen to everyone. It’s just sad to see your favorite rockstar in that state, yet still trying to tour.

If you can barely get out the words, stand on stage, or play your instrument, it’s really time to stop. I’m sure Genesis fans are more than happy to see the band, but watching the tour videos as a non-hardcore fan just made me cringe.

Though Phil Collins should get off the road, many other older bands are still going strong. The Grateful Dead has cleverly revived their band, and sound, with Dead & Company. This band includes the original Grateful Dead members; Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann. They are accompanied by newcomers John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, and Jeff Chimenti. Unlike with Genesis, their mixture of old and new really worked. I believe it’s because Bob Weir is still able to tour. Without the late Jerry Garcia, Weir is the heart and soul of the old Grateful Dead. His presence and skill in the shows make the band work. On top of that, he can still play and sing pretty well! Plus, he can do all that while standing.

The remaining members of the Grateful Dead chose great newcomers to join them onstage. John Mayer does a great job improvising on the songs in a way similar to Garcia, but he doesn’t seem like he’s attempting to replace Garcia.

I also think this is a great idea because they’re blending in the old with the new. For one show, you get fresh takes on the Dead’s classic acid-test tunes. Even the name, Dead & Company, is smart. They’re not promising to still be the same fresh-faced band, but a rendition of it. Maybe it’s John Mayer holding them all up, but it sounds like the original members of the Dead have definitely passed the test of time.

As we’ve seen, a few bands can keep on truckin’ ; a few can’t. It’s really about knowing when is the right time to stop. For example, a band that is closing in on retirement is the Beach Boys. They’ve been a band for 60 years, starting in 1961.

In my opinion, they’re definitely not as bad as Genesis, but they’re obviously not the same. Unfortunately, they will never be the same band. The Beach Boys can’t just bring in fresh musicians to revive the band. The world’s favorite Beach Boy songs were built on the harmonies of the deceased members. Even now, having different people singing “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” makes it sound odd. Bringing in new voices might keep the band on tour, but it wouldn’t be The Beach Boys. I don’t think it’s quite yet time for the Beach Boys to leave, but that time is approaching quickly. If not for all of the remaining members, definitely for Mike Love.

Some musicians, specifically Jimmy Page, seem to feel guilty about their retirement. Page has repeatedly expressed his want to get back onstage and tour, but he’s 77-years-old. Jimmy Page has performed for plenty of years, and even though I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing him live, I think he’s done quite enough. Musicians basically owe their entire career to their fans, retiring when fans regularly beg you to continue must make retirement feel selfish.

Jimmy Page is one of the rockstars who has let his career take its course, and even though he indicates his want to tour, he doesn’t. In early 1975, Page broke his finger, and almost instantly, Led Zeppelin fans were already noticing a difference in his playing. Similarly, I can’t imagine how different his guitar style would be now. But unlike other musicians, Jimmy Page has accepted his circumstance and made the right decision to stop touring.

The entertainment industry proves that it’s hard to stop when you have something good going. This has happened countless times in film, television, and music. Producers, artists, and filmmakers just don’t know when to close the curtain on a project when it isn’t good anymore. It’s especially hard to end something that makes money, or provides lots of jobs. Though there’s so many factors to postponing retirement, hopefully these rockers won’t continue to tour if they can’t put on a good show anymore.