Kathy H.

Kim Pham
Journalism Articles

Opinion Piece Health

It's time to stay healthy, and it's time to take responsibility for ourselves.

In terms of fitness, the Andrew P. Hill Physical Education department reports in Spring 2008 that
53% of last year's freshmen passed 6 out of 6 California fitness standards and 26% met 5 standards
during PE. The model student appears moderately fit, but it is left to question, what happened to the
the remaining 11% of our school? Perhaps we should return to Nutrition 101.

In 2005, the United States Department of Agriculture revised the Food Pyramid; the pyramid was
sectioned off in vertical inclination to replace the formerly blocked layers. Along with the renovated
design, the USDA advocated 30 minutes of exercise per day and set new dietary guidelines within the
same year, but it seems that not everyone was up to date with this change.

When Andrew P. Hill students were surveyed about their nutritional knowledge, 37 out of a pool of
50 participants from an online survey could not distinguish between current dietary guidelines and
the USDA's previous version as which set was current.

The typical student from Andrew P. Hill is aware that the items sold from the school's vending
machines may contain little nutritional value and are loaded with excessive fat or sugar; yet, this
"average" student, like many, indulges in sweets and extra carbohydrates throughout the school day
without noticing how much junk food he/she consumes.

"It's stupid. Teachers tell us to stay healthy, but they [school administrators] don't give us the
option." stated one student who requested to stay anonymous. Another student sophomore Johnny
Jimenez admitted to eating processed foods for all his meals, and said, "eating healthy is too
hard...and too much of a hassle".

When the two students were asked whether they watched nationally renown Morgan Spurlock's
SuperSize Me, they unanimously yelled, Yes!. Teachers eagerly adopted the film to discourage
youth from fast-food diets in PE and health class curriculum, and media outlets air commercials
urging students to stay fit, but somehow, these messages get lost along the way. We have to consider,
when did eating healthy become "too hard"?

Commercials portray being healthy as a simple lifestyle of exercising and eating nutritious meals, but
in reality, it really isn't. Being conscious about food choices requires both willpower and personal
restraint, especially since Andrew P. Hill is surrounded by a bonanza of fast food places and
convenience stores. As students, we naturally prefer practicality and cheap meals during the course
of the school week, but the Food Pyramid's nutritional guidelines can fulfilled.

The safety rule is to compromise food portions, rather than give up your favorite foods. By choosing
more nutritious side-dishes or settling on having one slice of Snickers Pie rather than two, students
can take control of their health. Exercise is incorporated into daily activities by taking a 5-minute jog
to school or biking with your buddies. Every small step toward good health counts. In return, your
body will thank you.

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Kathy H. Kim Pham
Journalism Articles

Feature Article - Music Concert Review -Trans Siberian Orchestra

The holiday season has not yet begun, but on the night of Nov. 16th, it felt otherwise.

At the HP Pavilion, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) catered an audience of nearly 19,000 people.
Living up to their eccentric name, this innovative group reinvents classical music with a rock band
twist, armed with an artillery of pyrotechnics and laser lights.

TSO's Winter Tour concert started promptly at 7:30pm with a rock opera about random acts of
kindness, a lonely father awaiting his daughter's return home and an angel in search of a good
person. Still, the plot was secondary to the concert's focal points: the music performance and
execution.

The show that did not stop short of extravagant in terms of special effects. There were elements of
snow, fire and glamour generated by incredible lighting and fog machines. That night, singers were
raised on a jet-powered platform (actually by crane), and flames shot in the air. The HP Pavilion was
painted by lights.

The atmosphere was magical. TSO was joined by a dozen members of our very own San Jose
Chamber Orchestra--which added a personal touch when they performed Mad Russian's Christmas
along with more recognizable Holiday classics such as Joy to the World.

Male lead singers dominated the stage, which included the likes of bass-tenor Jeff Scott Soto and
James Lewis. Children and adults alike verbally expressed their appreciation of Lewis's Nutrocker
while in contrast, the audience remained silent until the last notes in Soto's Hark! The Herald
Angels Cry.

There was no bolder voice than narrator Bryan Hicks that night, whose voice eerily resembles Don
LaFontaine's--the man famous for many movie voice overs. The terrific female leads like angel-
voiced Christie George were neglected in equal stage time with the men, but nevertheless the vocals
were strong in the performance.

Among the Christmas carols which graced our ears, the pianists had their share of limelight as well.
On keyboards, Lucinda Butler and Derek Wieland dueled off with pieces leading up to the familiar
tune of You're a Good man, Charlie Brown (Peanuts theme song).

The lights became brighter than ever.

If Las Vegas were ever to explode, the city would look like the concert: bright lights, lasers and
spotlights, stars flying off the wall and flames high enough to reach the sky. Fireworks added to the
show. The older audience members seemed to enjoy lights as much as the young children did.

The musical highlight of the evening came after these dueling pianists. The chorus appeared once
more on the stage, dancing to the beat of the clapping audience members; electric guitars
transformed the music into an edgy Flight of the Bumblebee. The Orchestra put on a spectacular
finale: A Last Illusion, a wondrous medley ending in Beethoven.

There isn't many reasons not to love the concert. Ticket prices could more affordable, as with parking
fees, but the price was well-worth watching the outstanding TSO performance. Each time the Trans-

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Kathy H. Kim Pham
Journalism Articles

Siberian Orchestra performs, the venue is packed. Their secret? TSO plays good music. It brings back
the classics, yet has enough spunk and creative license to register as a rock show.

TSO makes their last stops in California at Anaheim, Nov. 21st and San Diego, Nov. 22nd. Later tour
dates can be found at: http://www.trans-siberian.com with tickets ranging from $35-$49. CDs and
video recordings of the November 16th concert can be found online.

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Kathy H. Kim Pham
Journalism Articles

Community Piece Calling all Anime Fans and Otaku! FanimeCon is coming!

During the Memorial Day weekend of May 22nd through May 25th, 2009, FanimeCon will return to
its regular downtown venue at the San Jose Convention Center.

FanimeCon started as a social gathering back in 1994, but this upcoming May marks the convention's
fifth year of settlement in San Jose. As Northern California's largest anime convention, Fanime, is
unique since the convention is for the fans, by the fans, ran by a large volunteer staff,
as opposed to
other mainstream conventions which are organized by licensing companies for promotional
purposes.

For three days, FanimeCon attendees will have their fill of fun, fantasy and laughter. The people
present range from the full-blown Japanophiles to the faintly curious SJSU students from the nearby
campus, but it is not rare to spot a few popular anime characters among the crowd.

Cosplay, the act of dressing up as an anime character, has been increasingly popular over the years
with little children sporting the same outfit as their favorite Sailor Scout. The cosplayers vie to outdo
one another, and are usually happy to take photos with other attendees. Additionally, the cinema
rooms are open 24-hours each day during the conference, but verification of age must be presented
before anyone could join the 18+ crowd to catch the midnight screening of M-rated films.

Besides cosplay and film screenings, FanimeCon offers workshops and discussion panels led by
distinguished instructors. Workshops range from Japanese papermaking or GIMP animation.
Convention-goers can also purchase pre-licensed merchandise from the booths in Dealers Hall or in
Artist Alley, a bazaar brimming with self-supported artisans selling their wares and willing draw a
personal requests.

Inevitably, attendees will get hungry. At the Maid Cafe, Lolita costumed waitresses serve frills and
meals to customers willing to pay the higher prices, but often, people simply head outside to enjoy
the downtown restaurants. It's difficult to describe all which FanimeCon offers, but the experience is
incomparable to any other anime convention.

Single-day and child badges are only available by standing in line at the convention, but full-weekend
memberships are available now for $55 through online pre-registration. Pre-registration closes on
March 31, 2009. The prices go up at the door, so register early to forgo the lengthy lines.

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