Grace Yoo

BarackObamaisaphenomenon—notonlybecausehe is the first African American president of the United States(althoughthisisanoteworthyachievement),butalso because he emerged as a superstar even before winning the seat. His popularity is undeniable, a factor that the Republicans pointed out and tried to turn against him during the campaign, to no avail. Thus, many have learned to capitalize on this growing phenomenon, creating a veritable Obama franchise. Never has the world seen such an extensive and eclectic range of presidency-inspired items before. But make sure to buy these products today, as they’re available for a limited time only! To prevent abuse, the Obama administration is starting to limit unauthorized use of his image.

Obama Commemorative Coins This collection features five quarters layered in 24 karat gold depicting the life of Barack Obama. These commemorative tokens have five different photographs from Obama’s childhood, teenage years, college years, and professorship. Obama is the first president to have his own minted coin less than one month into his presidency. Available on ebay.

The Obama Action Figure Coined as “the only action figure with the power to transform a nation”, the Obama toy comes in four varieties: the normal edition, featuring the classic “presidential look” with a black suit and blue tie; the inaugural edition, in which Obama sports a gold suit; the HOPE edition, inspired by Shepard Fairey’s iconic poster of Obama; and the Do-It-Yourself, left blank for the artist to paint. Available at www.jailbreaktoys.com

Obama Comic Book A special inaugural edition of Marvel’s The

Amazing Spiderman features our very own president, as Spiderman tries to prevent the historic inaugural ceremonies from being ruined by the evil Chameleon. The third president to ever be featured in the comic book universe, Obama earns the complete trust of his masked vigilante and looks to repay Spiderman by creating a safer nation. Keep an eye out for the fistbump between Obama and Spidey. Available at your local comic book specialty shop.

New Beauty for Old Resolutions

Obama Trading Cards Topps trading cards, a company famous for its baseball memorabilia, brings the Inaugural edition President Obama Cards. These cards feature photographs from key moments in the campaign as well as Obama’s childhood. Also included are profiles of Obama’s cabinet members, including the vice president, Joe Biden. Available at www.toppsonlinestore.com

Obamarama The ridiculous items of the

Obama franchise

Featuring the Obama Action Figure! Comes in four different editions: normal, inaugural, HOPE, and Do-It-Yourself!

A month into 2009, most new year’s resolutions have already been either ignored or forgotten. After all, resolutions are always enthralling at first and forgotten as the fad passes. But fear not this year, for your girly wishes may come true. Want to melt off pounds? You‘re on your

own. Want an innovative approach to your dull beauty products? It’s your lucky day. These new

Jessica AyunaniNew products to help you achieve your 2009 resolutionsbeauty products will help you cross off at least a couple goals on your already dusty 2009 to-do list.

Resolution: Longer, more voluminous lashesSolution: Estèe Lauder’s Turbo Lash The Turbo Lash claims to be one of the most innovative beauty product in recent years. The Turbo Lash has a motor in its cap for an auto-powered vibrating brush. The vibrating motion eliminates clumping and increases volume, length and curl. Since the vibrationeliminatesclumping,youcanreapply throughout the day without any buildup. The only setback to this gem is its unfriendly price tag of $32 a tube. But, for dazzling eyelashes this year, it may just be worth it.

Resolution: Find my perfect lip glossSolution: Smashbox O-Gloss This is by far one of the most unique products to ever reach the market. The Smashbox Cosmetics brainchild oozes out of the tube as a non-sticky clear gloss, but reacts with your “skin chemistry” to create a personalized

lip tint. Combined with nourishing Goji Berry-C Complex and moisturizing avocado oil, this is a well deserved treat for your lips. Although a little pricey ($22 a tube), it’ll give you the perfect pout.

Resolution: Get perfect skin without much hassleSolution: Philosophy’s Supernatural Airbrushed Canvas SPF 15 This four-in-one delight makes getting ready for a day out as simple as a dip, tap, and swish. This innovative product puts an end to the days when applying foundation and concealer were a hassle. The Airbrushed Canvas functions as a foundation, concealer, powder and SPF, all in a high-pigment powder. The best part is that its lack of talc, fragrance, water, and oil, and skin-friendly sponge applicator makes it safe to use on all skin types.

Resolution: Perfectly textured hairSolution: Aveda’s Air Control Hair Spray The team at Aveda’s labs must have the earth crying out for joy, because creating an aerosol that is green is not the easiest of tasks. This eco-friendly spray is constructed of aluminum, not steel, and without any of the corrosion inhibitors that are linked to pollution. The super thin mist delivers a powerful control with the help of pine resin and organic certified flax seed to provide the hold. This green approach to styling helps create flexible looks without the stiffness of other hairsprays.

The tiny battery in the cap is the key to the world’s first battery operated mascara, promising to volumize and lift lashes to new heights.

9

lifestyle

Playthings of the Past

The Frosted CupcakeryMedha Raj

These days, the toy industry is as much about innovation as it is about entertainment. While Fisher-Price engineers a kid-friendly digital camera and parents clamor to buy sentient robots, puzzles and stuffed animals are collecting dust on the shelves. Of course, though toys evolve to accommodate technological advances, some of the old favorites still hold their simple appeal. When you can’t take any more of those techy toys, relive your childhood with these timeless classics:

Skip-It Trust the 1990’s to popularize one of the most strangely compelling toys of the decade—Skip-it. Essentially just a ball on a glittery plastic cord, one end of the apparatus slips over the ankle while the other holds a counter that tracks of the number of times you “skip-it.” Breeding a generation of powerful calves and bruised ankles, the toy is still made by Hasbro and available online for ten dollars. Even if kids these days aren’t amused by it, veteran skippers hold a familiar tune dear to their hearts--“But there very best thing of all? There’s a counter on this ball!”

Hungry-Hungry Hippos The game, originally released by Milton Bradley in 1978, has a relatively simple premise and satisfies the primitive instincts at the core of child play: the hippos are hungry, there is food available, and the most gluttonous one wins. Still manufactured by Hasbro, the game hopefully continues to teach kids the joys of smacking a small

plastic animal as chaotically and arrhythmicallyaspossible.

Tamagotchi Created and distributed in 1996 by Bandai, the egg-shaped, hand-held toy features a digital pet that needs to be fed, entertained, cleaned up after, and disciplined. As it held the attention of children throughout the late-90s, threatening digital illness, dissatisfaction, starvation and death, the Tamagotchi was banned from many schools. The Tamagotchi now sells in a high-tech version with a built-in transmitter that allows Tamagotchis to trade items and interact as well as log into an online community,TamaTown.

Baby Born Whilestillarelativelypopularinfant-imitation toy today, the Baby Born doll was at its height in the 90’s when defecating, wailing plastic babies were a novelty. Hoping to provide young girls with a realistic experience and a “fantastic world of imagination,” the doll by Zapf Creation cries, drinks from a bottle, uses a potty

Despite some newfangled features that let kids expand their Tamagotchi horizons, the hand-held toy is losing out to bigger and better toys.

Thy Vo

A lesson in creative cupcake-ing The Frosted Cupcakery on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore is awkwardly wedged between corporate outlets and fast food joints. Tucked and hidden behind flashy signs for peachy cardigans and oily fries, it peeks out with its cutesy blue and white color scheme. It is precisely this anonymity that makes the bakery, whichspecializes in unconventional cupcakes, such a find. Frosted’s focus on a certain type of baked good makes for a more creative range. Though they playwiththreecakes—chocolate,royal white, and red velvet—they are not afraid to experiment. Cake flavors include lemon, orange, strawberry, carrot and banana. Their icing is also a treat in itself, ranging from plain old vanilla and chocolate to subtle and sweet coconut and caramel. Despite the offbeat flavors and the quirky character of Frosted Cupcakery, their best seller is a chocolatecake with cream cheese icing,as is obvious in its dwindling numbers in the display case. Frosted is also wildly unafraid of going thematic. Look for peanut butter and jelly cupcakes in September meant to celebrate (or sooth the anxiety of) the first weeks back in school. October offers pumpkin and white-icing cupcakes, with ornamental white chocolate

and wets a nappy—all without batteries! The toy retains all its familiar, “true-to-life” functions today, but can now be equipped with fashionable, infantile favorites like the BABY born Beach Buggy and the BABY born Go On Holiday Luxury set.

The Frosted Cupcakery’s best sellers include lemon, chocolate-coconut, orange, and red velvet-cherry cupcakes.

Toys we used to enjoy

10

lifestyle

ghosts. In December, they make copious numbers of gingerbread cupcakes with green-tinted eggnog icing and red sprinkles. February, their busiest season, is home to strawberry cupcakes and an over-abundance of red velvet. Later in the year, when Californians can toss off

scarves and coats in favor of shorts and sundresses, be sure to ask for their ice cream cupcakes. Oversized chocolate muffins come stuffed with chocolate chip ice cream. Eat fast, though—slow eaters will have to suffer cream covered, sticky fingers, a direct result of melty, leaky ice cream. Frosted also makes and boxes mini cupcakes in their three classicflavors, fit for a quaint and tasty birthday gift. For 25 cents more, pick up a small blue and white tag with personalized “happy birthday” messages to stick in the top of a cupcake. These, along with Frosted totes and Frosted cupcake cases, can be purchased at the counter along with your pastries. Dog lovers that they are, the bakers at Frosted created a Pupcake. Operating as every meatitarians dream muffin, the Pupcake is essentially a lump of meat shaped into a muffin then baked for a few minutes under high temperatures and salty conditions—available on special request. At three dollars a cupcake, Frosted can seem atrociously pricey. But after eating just one, it becomes clear how specializing in an item can make for higher quality specialty food. Frosted’s cakes magically balance moisture and lightness, while their

icing refuses to stick unpleasantly to teeth, choosing to melt away instead. With new flavors every month and enthusiasm for every holiday spurting forth from the baker’s imaginations, the Frosted Cupcakery will never get boring or tiring. And most certainly, never too sweet.

Medha Raj

It’snotfairthatJulieKimhasaMacbookandyoudon’t.It’snotfairthatyoucan’tSkype with your buddy from fifthperiodEnglishwholiveslessthanablockaway.It’snotfairthathipsterLouiscanleaveavideocommentonscenesterJillian’swall,talkingabout how ‘deck’ his extra-hot,nofoam,low-fat,TazoTeaChaiLatteis. So make haste and runfast toCircuitCity.Butnot toofast. Large companies and theirphenomenallymanipulativemarketresearch teams know that demandfor these web cameras is skyrocketingthrough the recessionroof.Here’saguidethat will save you from criminally overpricedwebcams,afailedsociallifeandmaybeevenyourself.

Microsoft Lifecam VX-1000Price:$23.00Upside:Microsoftmadeproduct,higherchanceoftheLifecamrunningsmoothlyonyourcomputer.Downside:Microsoftiswildlyunpredictable.Stigmasaside,Microsoft’swebcamworkswell.At1.3-megapixels, the video quality is sharp, even in low lightingandcomeswithavarietyofPhotobooth-stylebackgroundstoplaywith.Whileitlacksa‘plug-and-play’feature,theLifecammakesrecording,saving,andtransferringeasy—fewcompatibilityproblems

havebeenreported.Themiketendstocausesomeproblemsbybuzzingwhenitgetstooclosetospeakers.Thebaseisrather

unsupportive oflaptops, as it doesn’thaveaclipattached.Still,it’sabargainforanoviceinbothpriceandquality.

Logitech QuickCam FusionPrice: $43.00 At1.3-megapixelsand40dollars,theLogitechcameracanseemabitpricey.Thecost,however,comesfromitsecho-and-wire freeaudiosystemthatprovidesvirtual surroundsound tov-chatbuddies.Thebuilt-in-mikecanpickupsoundsfromacrossalargeroom,whichmeanstheattached6-footlongUSBcordis

All Too Human: A Political Education

a tad unnecessary. Logitech’s fixed-focus technology canmakeimagessoftandfuzzyontheedgesandtendstopickuparmsbetter than faces—a problem that is easily fixed by using thecamera’s zoom feature.The form factor is certainly apleasure.Withacompact,sleekdesign,theQuickCamcanbothmoldtosupportitselfonalaptopandperchitselfatopadesktopwithoutfalling over mid-conversation—a rare quality in even the mostexpensivewebcams.

Philips SC 900NCPrice:$57.00

Philips’ camera puts into practice the much ignoredruleof“classynottrashy”.Oneofthefewcamerasthat

areWindowsVistacompatible,the900NChasfacetracking capabilities, digital zoom for frame-filling

images,andanunusuallynonirritatingauto-focusfeature. At 90-frames a second, it1’s highly

unlikely that the person you’re Skype-ingwithwillseeanimageofyoufrozeninanawkward position. In addition, the 2-mpvideoqualitymakespicturescrispandclear,

bringingbackgroundandforegroundimagesinto equal focus. The built-in-mike provides

for high-quality surround sound, without pickingup unnecessary background noises. The most useful aspect ofthecamera,however, is theattachedLEDlightwhichprovidesexcellentvideoqualityforyourcovert3a.m.rendezvous.Priceyasitmaybe,thePhilipswebcamwillcertainlygiveyou“yourbangforyourbuck”.

Affordable Facebook Notifications Fulfill your social-networking,

video-commenting needs

BeforehebecameABC’sChiefWashingtonCorrespondent,George Stephanopoulos served as the White House presssecretaryandsenioradvisorforBillClintonduringhispresidency.Stephanopoulos’smemoir,AllTooHuman:APoliticalEducation,chronicles his political involvement, beginning with Clinton’spresidentialcampaignandendingwithhisresignation.AsamemberoftheWhiteHouseinnercircle,Stephanopoulosprovidesinsightintothemechanicsoftheexecutivebranch,paintingacomplexpictureofClinton. MostofusrecalltheClintonyearsvaguely:askids,wewereuninterested in current events, and thusunacquaintedwith theordealsthatplaguedtheWhiteHouse.Allexceptforonething—MonicaLewinsky.Forthoseofusthatdon’tremember,AllTooHumansucceedsinmakingClintonaconcretefigurebeyondtheoneincidentweoftenassociatehimwith,aswellasbringingusuptospeedwiththeeventsandchangesinpolicythatbroughtustowherewearetoday.Thus,thisbookisadiscourseonmodernhistory,butmuchmoreinterestingthananytextbook. Eventhoughit’samemoir,Stephanopoulosfashionstheeventssurrounding thepresidency into somethingof aGreek tragedy.Ourhero,BillClinton,ascendstogreatheights,overcomingsuchobstaclesas rising fromobscurity into thenational spotlightandchallenginganincumbentRepublicpresidenttonarrowlypassan

important reformbill inCongress.BecauseofClinton’stragic flaw, a hubris that somehow deigned Clinton

Grace Yoo

The myth of Clinton explained, as seen from a man on the inside

ABC’s Washington Correspondent George Stephanopoulos used to be in the White House’s inner circle during the Clinton administration and wrote a book about it.

11

a&e

exemptfromnormalconventionsofmarriage,Clinton’slegacywillforeverbeintertwinedwiththatofMonicaLewinskyandhisresultingimpeachment. StephanopoulosoffersacompellingdepictionofClinton,mostlybecauseClintonis,afterall,human.OneofthedefiningqualitiesofClintonishispreternaturalabilitytoconnectwithpeople,aqualitythathadagreatpartinrocketinghimtowardthe presidency. The book talks about one such occasion:Clintonisdiscussinghiseconomicpolicywithacrowdandawomanaskingaquestionstartstotearupwhiletellinghimofherownhardships.Clintonhugsher.YetthisisthesamemanwhotoldtheAmericanpublicabaldfacedlie:“Ididnothavesexualrelationswiththatwoman.”,andineffect,jeopardizedthereputationsandcareersofthosethatvouchedforhim.It’salternatingwarmandcoldqualitiesthatmakeupClinton,andStephanopoulosgiveshistheoriesastohowthiscanbeso. CriticsofAllTooHumandecryStephanopoulosasanegotistical yuppiewhoputs toomuchweight into his ownimportanceintheWhiteHouseproceedings.Theycallhimanambitiousupstartwho,bynegativelyportrayingClinton,bitesthehandthathadfedhim;Clintonhadhelpedjumpstarthiscareer.Beingamemoir,egotismandthebiasthatcolorthedepictionoftheeventsareonlytobeexpected. AsthefirstDemocraticpresidentinawhile,Obamacantake some lessons from Clinton’s presidency. The parallelism is

evident:inafailingeconomy,theybothrosefromobscureoriginsandkickedGeorgeBushoutofoffice.

There’satimeineveryrealityshow’slifewhenitbecomes,dare I say, annoying. Sure, the first few seasonsof anticipatingwhichsix-leggedcreaturethecontestantswouldhavetoeatandhowfierceTyra’sweavewouldlookwereexciting,butaftertenseasons,it’sseriouslytimetogo.

SurvivorWe’ve seen it all: the burly hippie who captured America’shearts,thewinnerwhotriedtoavoidtaxesbynotreportinghiswinnings to the IRS, andeven JohnnyFairplay,who fakedhisgrandmother’sdeathtowinachallenge.Thetruthis,producerscan’tpossiblykeepthisrealityshowasexcitingasitsglorydaysofBorneoandtheOutbackwithoutinvolvinglegaldramaorblazingromances.Its19thseason,Survivor:Tocatins,premieresFebruary12thwithoutthehypeorcontroversyusuallyshroudingaseasonpremiere.Yes,JeffProbstisstillthebestlookingrealityshowhost.But other than that, Survivor has become predictable and hasnothingnewtooffer,whichleavesoldfansboredandnewfanshesitatingtocatchon.Verdict: Unless producer Mark Burnett can come up with abrillianttwisttorevivethisoncefascinatingseries,it’stimetoputouttheembers.

America’s Next Top ModelOkay,weunderstandTyrawants tomakemillionsoffofnaïveyoung women, but must she do it on primetime television?ANTM was worth watching when Janice Dickinson’s feistinessmade up for Tyra’s overdramatic entrances and contestants’

Jessica Ayunani

dull photographs. Once she left, however, the contestants gotboring,andtheshowturnedintoacheesyhourofmelodramaticexcusesforwhatbeingamodelisallabout.FromthecatfightingtoCovergirlphotoshoots thatneveractuallyappearasnationalads,ANTMisacheaprepresentationofahigh-classindustry.Thewinners,likethemostrecentTopModel,McKeySullivan,enduponthebackcoverofSeventeenwithapitifulone-timefashionspread.Afterall,thepublicationcan’taffordtohavesomeD-classmodelitscover.EvenforSeventeen,it’sjustnotenvogue.Verdict: TyrashouldsticktoherdaytimetalkshowandfinallygiveuponfindingAmerica’snexttopmodel.

The Real WorldDidyouknowTheRealWorldisnowinits21stseason?TheseriespremiereairedonMay21,1992,making itoneof the longestrunningrealityshowsinhistory.Theproducers’attemptstomakethe showmore interestinghave indeed led tomemorable castmembers in thepast, includingAIDSeducatorPedroZamora.Eachseason’ssevenhousemembersbringadifferentflavortothemix. Theireccentricpersonalities, sexualencounters,druguse,andultimately,exchangeofdignityforfifteensecondsoffame,haskepttheAmericanpublic intriguedforalmosttwodecadesnow.Oh,howrealitytelevisionhasevolved!Verdict: Although currently in its21st season,which is almostunheardof in reality television,TheRealWorldhasbecomeastapleinpopculture,anditspresenceonMTVwouldbehighlymissed.Soyes,bringonmoreseasonsofhookupsandconfessionalroomshockers.

IfsittinginamuskychairattheKrikoriantowatchBradPittagebackwardsandClintEastwoodsquintmoodilyhasgottenstale,there’sanothercinematicexperiencearoundthecorner—livetheater. TheHungerArtistsTheatreCompanyisanindependentacting company in Fullerton. In business since 1996, thetroupe’s 2006 production, “The Flying Spaghetti MonsterHolidayPageant,”andits2008sequel,addedanewfacettoalternativetheater.BasedonPastafarianism,aparodyreligionessentialtoInternetculture,thepiececenteredontheFlyingSpaghettiMonsterandHisNoodlyness’spiratefollowers. Thesmall,quirkynon-profittheateraimsforthought-provoking shows and challengingpieces, and is often thestartingplacefornewactorsanddirectors.Itsensembleof40unpaidvolunteerspromisestoperformwithorwithoutanaudience. WhileyoucantelltheHungerArtistsrunarelativelylow-budget operation—the cramped lobby has a fewcouches and stark green walls decorated with laminatedphotos—audiencememberscan’ttellthedifferenceoncetheactorstakethestage.Thestageiswell-furnishedanddetailed,downtothelastcandywrapperandknitthrow.Itsintimatesetting allows the actors to focus on details, like smokingonstage,togiveaudiencemembersanexperiencebeyondmereobservation.ThetroupehasevenwonseveralawardsfromOCWeeklyforperformancesonclassicsandoriginalworks. TheHungerArtistsarediverse,confrontingpoliticsinproductions like Hardcore: Women’s Reflections on Iraq,andembracingemotionintheirrecentproduction,MarshaNorman’s 1983 hit, ‘night, Mother. The drama followsa woman’s calculated decision to end her life and hermother’sgingerattemptstohandlethesituation.Itmanagesfor an entire hour-and-a-half of uncomfortable argumentandmorbidacknowledgmentsdespiteonlyfeaturingtwoactresses.Although the characters are often awkward and emotionalextremists, thevenue’s intimate settingemulates the sameclose-quarteredsocialdiscomfortthatcomeswithdecidingtokillyourself,andtellingyourmotherbeforehand. Choosinga challenging line-upofpieces, this year’s theme,“The Year of Failed Relationships,” features reinterpretations ofpieceslikeEdwardAlbee’sWho’sAfraidofVirginiaWoolf,aclassic

playlookingatmarriageinthe1960’s,andTheLaramieProject,a docudrama about the hate crime against Matthew Shepard,producedbyOrangeCounty’sgayandlesbiantheatercompanyTheaterOut. Exploring theater with unpredictability and adventure, theHunger Artists Theatre Company brings the performing arts toOrange County with a twist of humor, veracity and shamelessexperimentation.

www.hungerartists.com

Hunger Artists

Aging Reality

Time of No ReplyGenre: British Folk Lyric: The trees on the hill had nothing to say/ They would keep their dreams till another day.Description: Although Drake gained posthumous fame, his influence on Indie music is undisputed. His weeping guitar and soulful lyrics are the soundtrack of late summer days.

Fools in LoveGenre: PopLyric: Fools in love, well are there any other kinds of lovers?/ Fools in love, is there any other kind of pain?Description: A whisper against your ear, not warm, but cool; a nostalgic breeze carrying memories, fond and bitter.

PaintingAtmosphere

Genre: Hip-HopLyric: The sunset rides to the end slow/ Same song echoing outside of the window/ You can’t grow if the skin don’t fit you.Description: Slug’s poignant rhymes are accompanied by Ant’s mellow beats, providing a brilliant musical conglomeration.

HalloweenMatt Pond PA

Genre: Indie/PopLyric: If you don’t know or care you’ll be alright/ I heard it’s modern to be stupid/ You don’t need a thought to look good.Description: Thoughtful lyrics coupled with a Dave Matthews Band-esque sound.

The BlowHey BoyGenre: Electronic/PopLyric: Hey Boy/ Why you didn’t call me?/ I waited for days/ I can’t believe you didn’t callDescription: Amid a background of bouncy beats, The Blow’s straightforward lyrics weave a tale of unsuccessful love.

IslandsGenre: Indie RockLyric: Creeper in my home/ Crawled in through the window/ I grabbed the kitchen knife/ Couldn’t stick it in.Description: Imagine black bubbles, menacing shadows, repeating violin riffs with an injection of bitter, pink and swirly, and maybe, you’ll get an idea of this Canadian born and bred shot of maniacal (but oddly polite) rock.

the mixtape

Creeper

nick drake

inara george

Art with an appetite for the offbeatThy Vo

Full-length tracks can be found athttp://8tracks.com/thegamut

12

Christina Acero performs as Jessie on the set of ‘night,Mother. The Hunger Artists, who performed The Vagina Monologues and Top Girls last year, often enjoy producing plays by female playwrights with all-female casts.

After suffering three consecutivelossesagainstandonetie,theboysvarsitysoccerteamwasyearningtoadditsthirdvictoryoftheseason. Despite struggling for weeks,the Patriots proved themselves tobe a lethal opponent, beating theBrethrenChristianWarriors3-0. “When we concentrate onour game plan and realize thatweexcelwithhighpossessionandquickpasses,wescore,”CoachJoshKronz said. “The talent is there; itis the concentration anddisciplinethat determineswhetherwe scoreornot.” The Patriots and Warriorsremained tied at the half, butfreshmanmidfielderTimKilpatrickcame out shooting and quicklygavethePatriotsthelead.Minuteslater, sophomore midfielder IsaacHuitroncontinuedtheoffenseanddrilledinanothershot. “Sometimeswetrytojustkicktheballupandtheoffensewinsit,”sophomore Jonathan Berry-Smithsaid.“Withnewmethodsofattackkeepingpossessionoftheball,ouroffenseshoulddobetter.” ThePatriots gotmore scoringopportunities,butgoalieRemyBrayhadfoursavesinthehalf.Kilpatrickfinallypenetratedagainandscoredhisfifthgoaloftheseason. Goalie Gerard Boltron againkept thePatriots in thegamewitheight saves. He has been heavilydepended on this year with over50saves.

With just under two minutes,the Whitney Wildcatspoint guard had the ball

unexpectedly ripped out of herhands.Onhernextpossession,shewascalledforacharge,anddespite

Vaibhav Birda

Julie Nguyen

sprintingbackondefense, shewasblownpastbyanopposingplayer. This opposing player, seniorpoint guard Kelsy Saida garneredanothertwopointsanddemonstratedyet again her strong crossover anddribble penetration. Her late gameheroicsdemonstrateherroleastheteamleaderthisseason. Thisseason,theteam’sstrengthisindefense,anditsabilitytoscoreis largelydependenton theplayerscausing turnovers. Saida uses herquickness to poke the ball awayfrom unsuspecting opponents. Abig reason she averages 3.1 stealsevery game is her ability to catchopponentsoffguard.

“Players underestimate herabilitytojumphigh,”juniorguard

AlexisMedinasaid. “Sowhentheytry to pass over her she ends upstealingit.”

Offensively,Saida’sroleontheteam has been relatively constant.Playingpoint guard since freshmanyear, she has been distributing theball toher teammatesandcreatingopportunitiestoscore. “Iwasalways thepointguard,soIhadtoruntheplaysandbethedirector on the court,” Saida said.“Nothing has really changed otherthanthatnow,Ihavetobetheonewho tries to get the team inspiredandtheteammotivated.” Saida’s strong commitment todefenseoftenenergizestheteambycreatingeasyscoringopportunities. “Shecontrolsthetempoofthegame,” guard Marissa Delos Reyessaid. “Due to her pressure defenseat thetop, itusually leads towhenwescorethemost,whichwouldbefastbreaks.” As one of the captains, Saida

Saida effectively uses her crossover to penetrate to the basket.

IsaacHuitronrushestheballdownthefield.

Saida has consistently stepped up

After weeks without a win, the team crushed its seventh opponentBoys Soccer Bounce Back

ball,”seniorKennyKimsaid.“He’sdeterminedinthegame,whichisareallyimportantaspect.” Last year the team easilyclinchedaspottotheCIFwitha7-2-1record,buttoearnareturntrip,

the Patriotswill need towin theirfinaltwogames. “It will be a very hard twogames to win but Sage Hill isdefinitely [beatable],” Smith said.“We tied them last time, andwith

better offense we should be ableto get a goal in and play defensetherestofthegame.StMargaret’swillbeahardergame,sowewillallhavetoplayourverybestifweplanonbeatingthemtoreachCIF.”

A Saida Defense

13

sports

takes it upon herself to lead theteam throughout entire game. Sheis typically exhausted after everygame. “Ilikeplayingthewholegame,even if I’m [tired] and can barelybreathe,”shesaid.“Itmakesmefeellike I’ve conditioned enough andworkedhard inpractice toearnallofthisplayingtime.” But to her, something evenbetter than playing basketball isplaying it with a close team, onewithpeoplewhoovertimeshehasdevelopedclosebondswith. “Thebestpartaboutbeingontheteamisgainingthatrelationshipwith your teammates, on andoff the court,” she said. “There’ssomething different about beingabletotrustyourteammatesonthecourt,knowingthatthey’restillyourfriendsafterthegame.”

to keep her team in the game

“Our gameshave been fast pacedand all the teamshave generated a lotmore shots,” Boltronsaid. “Some gamesour team is just notclickingandwemakemistakes.” Although thePatriots have beenstruggling, theybegan the seasonaggressively, crushingthe Warriors 4-0 andCapistrano ValleyChristianEagles4-1. After twodominating wins, theboys were unable toscore against the St.Margaret’s Tartans,Sage Hill Lightnings,and WhitneyWildcats. One reasonfor the team’s 3-1-3 record is the earlysledding injury tostarting midfielderSteve Criss whoseability to maneuverthe ball through tightcoverage has beenabsent.Hewill,however,returntohelp thePatriots against theirnextopponents. “Althoughhedoesnothavethesilkyskillssomeofourotherplayershave, he’s really aggressive to the

Jessica Lim

Yes, it was badly decorated.Yes, the teams playing were notthat good. Yes, the cheerleadersscrewedup their lifts. Twice.Yes,yes,andyes. But at least you could agree

that it wasn’t just another gamefortheschool. Thus, the question remains:whydidtheWhitneyWildcatsplayagainst us at their homecoming,butnotours?Ithoughtthiswasthe

William Trinidad

Sophomore Joshua Icasas is guarded by a Whitney player while he looks for man open inside the key. Players like Icasas have had to step up this season due to the loss of key players last year.

school we hated, the school thatrivals us in both athletics (sadly)andacademics(2ndinthenation,baby).St.Margaret’sdoesn’tevencome to mind when we think ofschoolsthatwehaveafeudwith.

This year’s Homecoming lacked the rivalry of past seasons

Withaleaguerecordof3-2,thefour freshmenstartershaveproventhemselves tobeadominant forceand given the girls varsity soccerteamashottoplayintheCIF. Despite a crucial 2-3 loss tothe Sage Hill Lightings, defendersKaylaWilliamsandAlyssaAncheta,sweeper Alex Moctezuma andmidfielder Erica Rios helped thePatriotscrushtheWhitneyWildcats5-0andshowedtheycouldplayatthevarsitylevel. Theteamsoughttoimproveitsdefensethisseason,andintheirtwovictories against the Wildcats, thePatriotswereimpenetrable. “Wegotalmostanentirelynewdefensethisyear,andasgoalie,Iwasworried how comfortable I wouldfeel with all these new [players],”seniorcaptainandgoalieLisaGraysaid.“WilliamsandAnchetaaremyleftandrightdefenders,andthey’vegrownintotheirpositions.” Although neither of the girlshad played high school soccer,Coach Al Fernandez saw potentialintheseplayerswhoquicklyshowed

A Fresh Start

theirskillsinthePatriotsdominating8-1winovertheBrethrenChristianWarriors. “I never paid attention totheirgradelevel.Thefourfreshmanplayerswere added based on theirtalent, athleticism, and workinghabits,”Fernandezsaid. Even though these playersare vital assets, they do not mindfollowing the traditional roles asfreshmenontheteam. “There are certain levels ofrespect and duty. Since I am afreshman, I have different dutiesthen theothergirls like [takingoutand] putting away the balls andtaking out the water,” Moctezumasaid. WithalreadyhugewinsovertheWarriors and Wildcats, the Patriotshave raised their expectations forthemselves. “[Ourgoalthisseason]istogetsecondplace inour league[behindSt. Margaret’s],” senior captainChristyHansaid. To accomplish this goal, thegirlswillneedtobeattheSageHill

This year’s starting line-upincludes four freshmen

Why not Whitney? GameDay did a great jobdrumming up support for ourhomecoming game, thoughhaving to resort to bribingstudents to go, but the sportsorganization didn’t have to doso in theWhitneyhomecominggameheldon Jan.23.Studentsfilledthegymbecausetheysawthat it was actually going to beanintensematch.Oncethegamestarted,everyonewas yelling at the top of theirlungs, with screams of “C’mon,ref!” and “Defense!” happeningalmost every single play. In thefirst threequarters,noone sidehadanapparentadvantageoverthe other; losing your voicewasn’tforahopelesscause. The Oxford and Whitneysections taunted each other,as well, with members of theaudience yelling “Airball!”or pointing and laughing atthe cheerleading section.The difference in the twohomecoming’s atmospheres

wasstriking.Ithelpedthatthetwosectionswereactuallycomparableinnumberandage.St.Margaret’sonly had the players’ parentsand a few students come to our

The Water Polo Experience The water is calm as six girlsoneach sideof thepool eye theiropponents, and for once, uttersilencefillstheCypressHighSchoolgym.Thenthewhistleblows,fieldersdiveintothepool,andcrowderuptsinto a thunderous cheer. Secondsintothewaterpologamebetweenthe Cypress Centurions and LoaraSaxons, a playoff atmosphere ispalpable. The game continued withmuch of the same intensity as thegirls treadedbackand forth in the30-meterpool. It isclearlyagameof endurance and skill as playersmustcontinuallyegg-beattheirlegsjusttostayafloat.

homecoming. Although the Wildcats wonwith a final score of 31-51, thePatriots kept the game close 24-29atthethirdquarter.Bothsidesplayedfiercelyagainsttheirbiggestrival. VarsitycaptainStephenChangbest exemplified the intensityof the game when he grabbeda Whitney player in a headlockwhiletryingtogettheball.Sure, we can blame it onscheduling problems, but thisoversight cannot only be blamedonwhoeverplannedourschedule.Traditionally, Winter Formal doesindeed follow homecoming, butwhen the home team’s audienceneedstobebribedintoattending,isitworthit?MaybeourWinter Formal shouldhavebeenheldonJan.30,wherethis discrepancy may have beenspottedinitsearlyplanningstages.Ormaybewecouldchoosetonotcontinue this arbitrary tradition,and have the dance separatefrom homecoming. Whatever thesolution, a win by the opposingteam during our homecomingshouldhavebeenanupset.Notadismissibledefeat.

Despite being soaked withwater,playershadcompletecontrolof the ball as they caught, passed,andshottheballallwithonehand. Although last year you mayhave heard about adopting theoldest continuing Olympic teamsport, ithasbecomeclear that thehopesofsomestudentsnevercametofruition. “There were three mainreasonswecouldnotstartawaterpolo team. Our first concern wasthat we could not find a qualifiedcoach,ourlackofinterest,andourlack of facilities,” Principal KathyScottsaid. These problems may appear

Jessica Lim

14

sports

tohaveeasysolutions,butwithourcurrent state and district budgetadding sports in general seems tobeunrealistic. “Wehave been asked to lookoverourcurrentsportsandchoosesome that we could do without,”Scottsaid. With the score tied 10-10the Centurion fielder somehowlaunchedherselffromthewaterforapowershot.TheSaxongoaliethrewherselftotrytosavethegame,buttheballslippedthroughherfingers.Afterswimmingrelentlesslyforoveranhour,theCenturionshadpulledthrough and defeated theSaxons.