September 1, 2005

Backstage PassRock On!

Intelligent design

Chinese Church in Christ teens build homes in Mexico

By Jennifer Tan
Times Intern

A group of 23 high school and college students were in for life-changing experiences when they attended the Chinese Church in Christ-South Valley’s annual Mexico Mission Trip this past July.

Members of the Chinese Church of Christ-South Valley celebrate a job well done after they finished building a house for the Montanez family in Tijuana, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Tan

The CCIC-SV members took a nine-day trip visiting Los Angeles and Mexico July 18-27.

“Its purpose,” student Stephen Matsuoka simply states, “was to know God and make him known.”

The Mexico Mission Trip reaches out to needy families in Mexico, teaching them about Jesus Christ and building them homes for a better life. The trip allowed participants to gain hands-on experience while learning about Christianity and changing others lives for the better.

Initially, the group arrived in L.A. for five days of training and preparation. The L.A. base, known as Mission Adventures, was filled with kind and enthusiastic counselors and speakers. There was also a variety of delicious foods that enhanced fun-filled activities.

“My favorite part was being together in one group with unity, worship, and the power of prayer,” said Glen Hsia.

With 23 people spending nine days together, the group learned how to work as a team. Members developed close-relationships, and consequently coped with difficulties that arose. Worship singing in the evenings and hourly sessions with speakers also strengthened the spiritual bond within the team.

Counselors in Mexico also assigned groups of people to CARE Training. This involved the operation of hand puppets, performing sign-songs and skits, as well as singing songs in Spanish. CARE trainers were even called upon to act, dressing up as clowns to the glee of onlookers.

A CCCSV member discusses the features of the Montanez’s new home with them. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Tan

The purpose of CARE Training was to prepare the group to share the word of God with other adults and children in Mexico, since it was difficult to overcome language barriers there.

On Day 5, the team drove to their ultimate destination: Tijuana, Mexico. There they began four days of intense missions work and house-building.

Two days were spent building a one-roomed house for a family of five named Montanez. The rest were spent spreading the word of God to local families.

One lasting memory occurred at a local church. Clowns and singers performed for the children, while the drama team performed for adults. Some of the adults were so moved by the skit that they clapped before it ended.
Naomi Huang was struck by the “unconstrained worship and passionate prayer at the church.”

Witnessing the passion within people and their faith in God also taught the CCIC-SV church group more about their own faith. It showed that even though many people in Mexico weren’t as wealthy as Americans, they seemed to have a stronger faith and passion for Christ.

Hard at work on the job site. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Tan

The team headed home Wednesday, and many couldn’t help but feel remorse for leaving. They had developed a bond with the people there, a feeling that has changed some of the church members’ priorities, purposes, and goals.

“Mexico was a revolutionary trip that made an astoundingly life changing impact on me,” says Sunny Yang. “It proved to me the wonders that God can do for you when you put your full faith into Him, the amazing grace that He gives, how powerful prayer can really be, and really a new found appreciation of what I have. In short, my priorities have been adjusted to fixing my life to follow God and God alone.”

The trip to Mexico was not a vacation, but an amazing learning-experience. It has given the group a new insight into different cultural backgrounds and has provided an opportunity to build lasting relationships across language and cultural barriers.

CCIC-SV is just one example of teens showing courage and determination in achieving goals to help out people in need. They have given people in Mexico hope and encouragement, spiritually and mentally, to last for their entire lives. But most of all, they put themselves out there to help others.

Jennifer Tan is a junior at Leland High School.

WORTH A HOOT

Ashley Chang
Senior, Leland High School

Leland Senior Ashley Chang received $1,000 in scholarship money after learning she was a top-10 finalist of 53 contestants at California’s Junior Miss State competition in August.

Chang also won first place at the local Junior Miss competition last March, representing Santa Clara County at the California competition in Rohnert Park.

The overall state competition lasted for 10 days, where Chang rehearsed her talent presentation and opening number, which included a choreographed fitness routine and self expression each day. During the final three days, all contestants performed in shows, where Chang played her piano piece, Mortiz Moskowski’s “Caprice Espagnole.” Other portions of the judging included an interview and scholastic records.

Throughout the competition, Chang and other contestants also hosted autograph sessions at a local mall, participated in a fund-raiser at a Western theme dance-a-thon, attended a lunch-eon with the mayor and spent time with host families for the duration of the Junior Miss program.

“Junior Miss is an extraordinary program,” said Chang. “At Cali-fornia’s Junior Miss, it wasn’t about the competition, but about forming friendships, overcoming personal obstacles and having loads of fun. It was truly an honor to have spent two weeks with so many charismatic, talented and ambitious individuals. I strongly encourage all female high school juniors to participate in the program next year. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime.”

For more information on how to be a Junior Miss participant, visit www.ajm.org.

By Michelle Gibo
Michelle Gibo is a senior at Leland High School.

Back to cool

Is it still hip to fit in?

By Anjali Menon
Times Intern

No one knows better than Almaden teenagers what a Darwinian struggle it is to be accepted in high school. In our culture, teens are constantly subjected to a rigid caste system and stereotypes based on what we wear, who we hangout with and how we talk.

Nobody knows what Leland junior Andy Iskandar, left, said, but Roxi Nobari loves it. Photo courtesy of Gina Benedetti

We live in a world where these compartmental allocations are affirmed by popular media—a world where blondes like Jessica Simpson are portrayed as believing that Buffalo wings are really bits of buffalo.

So oftentimes we contour our images to fit a particular group. We shape musical preferences to fit VH1’s top 20 countdown, and we match wardrobes to match what adorned our favorite actors on the latest episode of the “O.C,” all for the sake of popularity.

The quest for popularity has been something of an elixir to life for many teenagers, or so Hollywood tells us in its fluffy teen flicks. Take, for instance, the 2003 blockbuster “Mean Girls.” The main character, Cady, played by queen teen Lindsay Lohan, attempts to change her personality to fit in with the Plastics, or rather the “cool” group.

Do teens really seek out popularity or has popularity been stereotyped to the point where it is now just an illusory notion, one planted by menacing minds in Hollywood?

Ask three different teens what their definition of popularity is, and you get three different answers.

Leland juniors, from left, Neeyati Patel, Liz Leech, Christina Holms, and Shelley Hsieh sort of pose on the first day of school. Photo courtesy of Gina Benedetti

“Some people think that being popular means you’re hanging out with the preppy people and you go to parties every night,” said Meera Bhaskar. “But [really] if people like you, then you’re popular.”

Alex Chen contends that popular kids actually “have fewer friends” and are either “loved by everyone or feared by everyone.”

“Popular kids in high school tend to be rich and intimidating, [but] the ones that are truly popular are the kids that have friends from all backgrounds,” claimed one student who serves on the Leland student council and desired anonymity.

Yet, there are pockets of Almaden teens who have rebuffed the stereotypes and classifications of Hollywood.

“I don’t care about popularity,” continued Chen. “In middle school [popularity] is more important because [then] it’s important to look good. Now that [we] are in high school, [we] just want to focus on studies. Popularity is not an issue now.”

In high school, the popular group becomes just another group to add to a lengthy list of classifications.

Students gather in their respective lunch groups on the first day of school at Leland. Photo courtesy of Gina Benedetti

“I can’t even pinpoint the popular kids,” explained Pavithra Mohan. “There are a bunch of groups, rather than in middle school where there are the popular kids and unpopular kids. Being part of the popular crowd is no more exclusive than being part of the robotics or drama crowd. It is because pop culture feeds us the idea that popular cliques are very exclusive that teens embrace it.”

For teens in Almaden, it appears as though having friends is often more important than popularity.

“I think everyone just wants people to like them,” finished Bhaskar. “I don’t think they always want to be in with the popular crowd. You just search to find friends.”

In our search to be accepted, we choose friends whose interests match our own. Groups we choose to belong to merely reflect our unique personalities. One group is no better than the other, popular or not. And in the words of Arthur Miller, we are just “little boat[s] looking for a harbor.” A place where we are truly accepted for who we are.

Anjali Menon is a junior at the Harker School.

Talking Turkeys
What you said about whatever in your natural habitat

By Caroline Xie

Emma Noftz, juniorLeland High School Angela Rong, juniorLeland High School

BSP: What do you think the summer’s funniest movie was?
EN: “Madagascar.” It included humor for all ages.
AR: “Wedding Crashers.” It was better than I thought it would be.

BSP: What makes you laugh?
EN: Those innocent moments when someone tries to say something normal but it comes out totally dumb.
AR: Your face! Hahahah!! ... yeah.

BSP: What’s the funniest joke you have heard?
EN: Knock, knock, who’s there? Interrupting cow, interrupting cooo—MOOO!!
AR: www.jokes.com.

BSP: What is life’s funniest moment?
EN: Babysitting. I gave the kids a bath, and I slipped on the ground and fell in the tub.
AR: My life hasn’t been very funny.

BSP: Is humor something you would look for in your partner?
EN: Definitely—a smart sense of humor is something I can’t live without.
AR: Yes, funny humor, duh. “Napoleon Dynamite” style.

BSP: What does humor stand for?
EN: Hippo Umbridge McDonald’s Oreos Raccoon.
AR: H’actually Ur Mom OK Raise your hand!

Taylor Ronsvalle, 7th grade Union Middle School

BSP: What do you think the summer’s funniest movie was?
TR: “Dukes of Hazzard.” Knoxville was hilarious.

BSP: What makes you laugh?
TR: Err ... funny things ... good movies ... like “Dukes of Hazzard.”

BSP: What’s the funniest joke you have heard?
TR: There was something about Bush mixing up Afghanistan and Iraq.

BSP: What is life’s funniest moment?
TR: One time when I was 4 or 5, I was horsing around with my brother. I fell and cracked my head open. I thought my brains were going to fall out.

BSP: Is humor something you would look for in your partner?
TR: Yes, the clever kind.

BSP: What does humor stand for?
TR: Hilarious Umbrella Mild Outrageous Ridiculous

Diane Ko, Alumnus (class of ’05) Leland High School Nathaniel Furniss, Alumnus (class of ’05) Leland High School

BSP: What do you think the summer’s funniest movie was?
DK: “Ring Two.” It was stupid and too cliché.
NF: “Wedding Crashers.” Vince Vaughn getting hit on by a guy.

BSP: What makes you laugh?
DK: Compulsive swearing
NF: Other people’s failures.

BSP: What’s the funniest joke you have heard?
DK: A guy walked into the bar …. ow.
NF: Don’t know any clean jokes.

BSP: What is life’s funniest moment?
DK: I double locked the door on my friend so she can’t get into our room.
NF: We were at the Berkeley Speech and Debate tournament. My friends and I prank called another friend, Dennis Lam. We pretended to be the hotel front desk and told him to come down to the lobby to pay for the illicit movies he ordered.

BSP: Is humor something you would look for in your partner?
DK: Yes, witty humor.
NF: Yeah, umm … my kind of humor. Physics jokes … etc.

BSP: What does humor stand for?
DK: Hilarious Umbrella Moron Ostentatious Random.
NF: Umm …. same thing.

Aya Matsumoto, junior Leland High School

BSP: What do you think the summer’s funniest movie was?
AM: “The Longest Yard.” I love Bob Sapp’s role in the movie. It was stupid, funny and cute.

BSP: What makes you laugh?
AM: SMAP x SMAP—my favorite band.

BSP: What’s the funniest joke you have heard?
AM: I have studied all the states of America and their capitals very hard. You can test me now.

BSP: What’s the capital of Utah?
AM: U.

BSP: What’s the capital of California?
AM: C.

BSP: What is life’s funniest moment?
AM: I don’t have one specific funniest moment, my life is full of comedy.

BSP: Is humor something you would look for in your partner? What kind of humor?
AM: Yes. Humor is a necessity in life. Blunt humor is good.

BSP: What does humor stand for?
AM: Happiness U Mulder Oooooh lala <3 Ruby

Caroline Xie is a junior at Leland High School.

Review U

Backstage vows to review what you want us to. We’ll examine songs, albums, short stories, poems, novels, jokes, art, your home, your family or your attitude. Please contact Justin Petersen at (408) 386-7373 or by e-mail at justin@timesmediainc.com.


“At the Beach”
Jimmy Newell

Takamine acoustic guitar and electric guitar—Jimmy Newell

Jimmy Newell’s homemade mix is all acoustic and no words. This CD was created to “sooth the masses,” Newell says. It is his first album.

Newell said he imagined being at the beach while writing the songs and that is exactly how the songs make you feel. The songs are appropriately titled to accompany the beach theme. They create a story through titles and the music, which flows together to tell the story of going to the beach. This self-taught guitar player keeps an upbeat tempo throughout the disc. Though he implemented just two instruments on the album, the Takamine and an electric version, no song is the same. Quick chord changes keep the songs unique.

BSP: We give it four turkeys. This music is pure and simple. The production of the CD makes the songs sound like they are being played live in your bedroom. Perfect background music for homework or relaxing in the tub.

Newell is presently working on his second album. This album is to be more upbeat with a rock theme. He will use the electric guitar, drums and bass. There is also a possibility of singing.

“At the Beach” CD is for sale for $10. Go to jimmyimage@gmail.com. Jimmy also said that if you are close enough he will personally deliver the CD.

—By Margo Consul
Margo Consul is a junior at Leland High School.

Songs, albums, short stories, poems, novels, jokes, art exhibits, your home, your attitude, your parents.

We’ll examine it all.
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Please contact Justin Petersen at (408) 386-7373
or by e-mail at justin@timesmediainc.com with items to review.