“When I watched Barney, I would sing and dance with it right on the beat, so my mother decided to sign me up for piano.” In order to improve her skills as a pianist, Tiffany practices one hour a day during the week, and three to five hours a day when she has more time. The first piece she ever played was Minuet in G.

Since that piece, Tiffany has played significantly more advanced pieces, which led her to audition for From the Top. Tiffany had auditioned for From the Top six times prior, however she felt that her last audition was different.

“I knew the result would be different, because it was the best tape I ever sent it.” Tiffany was overjoyed when she found out she had been selected to perform on From the Top. The same day Tiffany found out that she had been selected was also her birthday. She also learned she was the recipient of a Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, a $10,000 award given to a promising young musician.

“It’s not every day you get $10,000 for your birthday,” she said.

Tiffany’s parents and her piano teacher, Dr. Thomas Yee, were also thrilled. Tiffany said that there were two people who had been an inspiration to her. First was her second piano teacher, Ellen Masaki, who recently died. Second was her neighbor Mrs. Wong, who let Tiffany use the piano in her apartment since Tiffany’s family could not afford one.

In addition to her talent in piano, Tiffany is also an accomplished violinist who is currently in Orchestra V. When she attends college, she would like to have a major in piano performance, but her ultimate goal is to become a doctor. However, despite her not inconsiderable talents, Tiffany has gone through rough patches before. Tiffany said that the most difficult time for her was ninth grade. She attributed this difficulty to a time of growth. “I think to be a good piano player, you need time to grow up and mature.”

When asked what advice she would give to aspiring piano players she simply answered, “Don’t give up.”

Here’s the deal: Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is just the average troubled teenager living with his mother Sally (Catherine Keener) and his dumb jerk of a stepfather, Gabe Ugliano (Joe Pantoliano). All was normal for Percy, except for his dyslexia, ADHD and unusual talent of holding his breath underwater, until his substitute teacher goes monster-crazy on him during a field trip to the museum. He learns that he is the son of Poseidon (Kevin McKidd) and is taken to a “special” camp by his goatboy protector slash best buddy Grover (Brandon T. Jackson). On the way, his mom is abducted by a minotaur (half-man, half-bull type of monster). In Camp Half-Blood, he trains with other demigods and starts crushing on the beautiful (and beastly) Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario). In order to save his mom, Percy goes on a quest with Grover and Annabeth to the Underworld. Meanwhile, the gods of Olympus (a.k.a. the Empire State building) are preparing for an all-out war. The word is that Zeus’s (Sean Bean) master thunderbolt was stolen and the main suspect is, you guessed it, Percy.

The movie’s cast was a mixed bag. Medusa (Uma Therman) and Chiron (Pierce Brosnan) were played by big names and, of course, exceeded expectations. Kevin McKidd as Poseidon? There is only one thing to say: HOT. The real surprise to me was that the younger faces delivered great things to the table, too, namely the “Big Three.” No, not the three most powerful gods. I’m talking about the three young heroes of the story: Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. Take Percy (Lerman), for example. I had never seen Lerman act before, but his commitment to the main character was amazing and it translated well to the audience. He’s likable enough, and of course, his hotness and beautiful blue eyes only add to his appeal. Forget werewolves (eww) and vampires (even more eww)—hello, demigods. Fans may have also wondered as to why Grover (Jackson, from Tropic Thunder) ended up being a funny and quick-witted African-American teenager in the film instead of the wimpy satyr with the rasta cap in the book. Here are two words to answer that question: comic relief. Although his humor was sort of dry and slow in the beginning, Jackson’s jokes picked up and got better as the movie went on. It wasn’t exactly enough to have me gripping my seat with laughter, but it definitely can make just about anyone chuckle. And to all the fans who had a “problem” with a brunette-not-blonde Annabeth (Daddario)? Um, what problem?

The story’s plot is very different from the book. Despite the big changes, however, its essence still holds true: stay true to who you are, fight for those you truly love, blood is thicker than water, etc. Something that is definitely worth seeing are the computer generated monsters. From the Mrs. Dodds Fury to the fire-breathing five-headed hydra, the great graphics are in abundance throughout the film. Columbus also doesn’t disappoint with the swordfight scenes. Some are quick, some are a bit slower, all are great. It’s filled with Greek mythology fun, but you don’t even have to know a lot of the subject to be able to understand the story. It actually leaves you with an itch to check out some Greek myths after you leave the theater.

The movie seems promising enough to start a whole new franchise for all ages. Whether it will be as widespread as Columbus’ Harry Potter, only time will tell. Its sequel, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters is said to be released in 2012.

Overall, it’s a good film to watch. I’d want to watch it again. But then again, that’s just me. If you’re a big fan like I am, here are some words of wisdom that a friend told me: do not enter the theater with expectations of the movie being faithful to the book. If you do, you will want to kill yourself after.

The faded blue Chevette cruised along the long, empty freeway.  Jason, wearing his Monday red tie and white shirt, was headed to the annual accountant’s convention 350 miles from his house.  As he took a sip of coffee, one hand on the steering wheel, he noticed something he’d never noticed before: a small red button irregularly placed on the armrest of the car door.  He guessed that the button would automatically roll down the windows.  After thinking for a while he theorized that he could save fortunes in gas money if he rolled down the windows to cool off instead of using the air conditioning, like he always did.  He set down the mug into the cup holder and pushed the button.  The windows did not open; Instead, the car engine choked and spurted before slowing down and stopping completely.  “Oh God,” he thought, “I’ve just hit the self-destruct button.”  As he fumbled to take off his seat belt, he heard a strange charging sound emitting from the rear of his car.  Before he could even turn his head, the car exploded forward, ripping off the bolts that connected Jason’s seat to the floor, sending Jason and his seat crashing into the back of the car.  The coffee mug similarly flew back and crashed into and broke on Jason’s face, further worsening the situation.  Jason, with burning, bitter coffee in his eyes and nearly pinned to his seat from the g-force of the acceleration, screamed for his mommy like a little girl riding a roller coaster ride for the first time alone.  Jason’s stomach lurched as the car suddenly rose off the ground; he threw up.  His nose began bleeding and dripped onto his white shirt.  To make matters worse for himself, he looked out the window; he was 500 feet above ground.  His fears of blood, vomit, and heights together overcame him and he passed out.
The car continued its course, though.  After some time, Jason half-awoke.  The first thing he saw was a giant flying medieval castle, headed directly towards him.  Half-conscious, Jason calmly watched himself and the Chevette draw closer to the castle, as if he was watching the event unfold on a movie screen.   The car crashed through the castle wall, sending him forward into the driver airbag.  The car clattered on the cobblestone floor of the castle and stopped with a crunch against another wall.  The jarring and crashing fully awoke Jason, and he began to comprehend his predicament: he was stuck on a flying castle, his flying car had just totaled against a castle wall, and he was going to be late for the convention.

Watercolor Puzzles by Tawri Matsushige

The Geisha and the Cowboy

By Kris Kokame

Two destined, star-crossed lovers

who found true love by chance,

perhaps the strangest and the most

peculiar romance.

A dainty little woman,

her face a powdered white

in a patterned silk kimono

and her obi sashed up tight.

From a fault in history’s timeline

came a rugged man named Hank

who spied the woman right away,

attracted by her swank.

These two characters in time

were never meant to be,

one from saloons and Wild Wild West,

the other serving tea.

The woman’s hair like midnight strands

pulled tight into a bun,

in contrast to the golden locks

of blonde hair like the sun.

A fan held loosely in one hand,

the other hand between

the calloused fingers of her love,

holding to his queen.

But through the twists and turns of Fate,

And through the gaps of time,

this fated couple stole away,

and wedding bells did chime.

Running together down unknown paths,

their hearts thudding with joy,

the strangest couple in history’s span:

the geisha and the cowboy.

All Things Must Die By Nature’s Hand by Eunice Chang

Untitled

By Jacqueline Mosteller

i drew a life
in water colors on a pristine page
and watched the held hands
blur together.

entwined fingers forever enmeshed
or
dreams washed away
like rain down a windowpane?

Chinatown by Tawri Matsushige

The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

By Tom Hartwell

I am the crackle of

pig

burned

with iron,

my pain

coats mouths with

warm

melted

fat.

Cacophony by Eunice Chang

That concert helped direct his decision to pursue a career in music, one that would eventually lead him to his role as director of the ‘Iolani Stage Bands.

Besides teaching, Mr. Abe still plays music professionally. He gets called whenever famous singers and bands come to Hawai’i and need someone to play the trombone.

Mr. Abe’s musical career started in fifth-grade when he received two gifts from his uncle: a trombone and a trumpet. He tried to play both instruments, but he couldn’t make a noise on the trumpet, so he chose to play the trombone.

It was around that time when he first heard a big band jazz recording, and a “light bulb” went on in his head. “I felt a connection,” he said.

Mr. Abe became a professional musician after graduating from college with a major in Education and a minor in Jazz Studies.

He has been hired to play with famous singers and groups such as Johnny Mathis, the Carpenters, Burt Bacharach and, most recently, Katchafire, a Jawaiian group from New Zealand. He even played in the orchestra that backed up the group of Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, and Sammy Davis Jr. when their tour brought them to Hawai’i in the 1980s.

Now, Mr. Abe spends most of his time teaching. He enjoys it because of the students, especially those who show a genuine interest in music.

“Mr. Abe is like a chilled orange creamsicle,” said student Jana Dagdagan ’11, “because he is creative, relaxed, and gives us sweet musical tidbits everyday in class.” He tells stories, plays music, and shows Youtube videos to inspire his students.

Outside of school, Mr. Abe plays in his own group called the Ornery Horns. He and his friends write and perform original pieces that range in styles from funk to jazz.

Sophomore Sarah Carlile also appreciates Mr. Abe’s passion.

“He’s passionate about music and in sharing what he knows and loves with other people.”

During the Green Aloha Concert, she connected her green values with her music. Accompanied by other musicians like Henry Kapono, she performed a free show put on by the City and County of Honolulu to share a message of sustainability.

Attendee Joana Yasui thought that the booths at the concert were very informative and enjoyed the free gifts that were handed out to promote awareness.

For many musicians, concerts are no longer a festival of loud music but venues to promote sustainability. Many are taking steps to become environmentally responsible and to promote awareness.

Green concerts range from small festivals to worldwide events. In 2007, former vice-president Al Gore put on a global concert called Live Earth. Many musicians and celebrities shared their talents to promote climate change awareness. Performances were broadcasted on TV and via Internet from every continent, including a group of scientists who played for an audience of penguins in Antarctica.

A company called Reverb has partnered up with many artists who want to “green” their tours. They set up educational booths, purchase carbon credits to offset travel, and fuel tour busses with biodiesel.

One of the most notable green musicians is Jack Johnson. He not only records in a solar powered studio and sings children’s songs about recycling, but runs a foundation as well.

For five consecutive years, Johnson put on a concert called “Kokua Fest” as a fundraiser for Kokua Foundation, a foundation that sponsors environmental programs.

He and his other environmentally minded musician friends sold out the Waikiki Shell for the past few years.

However, not all concertgoers see the concert as a way to learn about sustainability.

“The message to people got murky,” said attendee Cristin Lim ‘11. She was disappointed that people used the concert to make money for themselves by selling the tickets at inflated rates.

Many of the songs Hanaiali’i sang during the Green Aloha Concert focused around her love of the islands and their natural beauty. She believes that Hawai’i can be the forerunner to teach the world about being ecofriendly, a message she tried to convey to the audience.

“We have all the resources to do it,” she said.

1.    What did you think of the movie?

2.    What do you think of all the hype surrounding the movies and actors?

3.    Is it out of control?

Andrew answered honestly,

1.  Thumbs down. Bad cinematography + bad CGI + bad acting overall = not too great a movie.

2. The hype mainly has to do with the visual appeal of the actors themselves, but I’m not sure about my stance on the “hot” guys of Twilight and New Moon.  Robert Pattinson’s hair is a mess. He is a huge wreck. Kristen Stewart is not too shabby, but still kinda…shabby.

3. It is definitely out of control.

Kyle Kim said, “I’d rather have stared at dog poo for two hours.”

B: I did see the first movie, but didn’t bother to waste my money going to see the second one. I agree with Andrew and Kyle 100 percent, but the hype didn’t just start when the movies premiered- it started with the Twilight books. I’ll admit, I did read them. And for a brief period, I even liked them. But I soon realized (after I started reading books more often), that Twilight isn’t exactly a work of literary genius. Page-long descriptions of Edward’s “topaz eyes,” “smooth, marble skin,” and (disturbingly enough) his “delicious scent” didn’t leave me with any more knowledge than I had before I read the book. I probably just knew more adjectives.

A: I, too, foolishly read all four books my freshman year after a classmate did an English 9 speech on the first book and briefly enjoyed the fluffy frivolity of a small town in Washington with some hot vampires. Then I realized: 1. It’s about vampires. 2. It’s poorly written. And 3. I wasted my time reading all four books. But guess what? Now I can legitimately bash the books because I’VE READ THEM SO I KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT. News flash: the plot itself is a tragedy, not the supposed heart-wrenching love triangle between a vegetarian vampire, some werewolf with anger management issues, and a pale, wimpy girl who falls in love with guys after the extensive time period of– wait for it– FIVE DAYS? REALLY? And also. It’s about vampires. And werewolves. Just– no. Leave it to JK Rowling. PLEASE.

B: Unfortunately, Twilight (both the books and the movies) has inspired terrifyingly passionate feelings from girls (and guys) towards a fictional character. In fact, it has inspired passionate feelings towards multiple fictional characters (“Team Edward”, “Team Jacob”); neither of which is actually human. Therefore, crazed Twilight fans have been misled. First, men don’t sparkle in sunlight. Second, they don’t have super speed or super strength (A: Unless you’re Michael Phelps!). Third, they’re not going to transform into a wolf because of “Quileute legends.”.And lastly, teen girls should not be pining after a 107-year-old man trapped in the body of a 17-year-old boy who sneaks into their house to watch them sleep at night. So, to be blunt, girls should probably give up the idea that a physically perfect man is going to show up in their local high school and sweep them off their feet into a world of mythical creatures. It’s not going to happen.

A: Seriously. The guys in the movie are not even attractive. My friend who went to go see New Moon said that every time “Bella” was bleeding, either Taylor Lautner (DEFINITELY NOT Taylor HOTner as some people say, he looks like he’s 12 or something) or Robert Pattinson would rip their shirts off, flex, and say something like “Let me help you,” *flexes in five more poses* Can I say ew? Plus, in the fourth book, the protagonist (Bella) has a HALF VAMPIRE HALF HUMAN BABY. WITH THE 107-YEAR-OLD MAN TRAPPED IN A 17-YEAR-OLD’S BODY. And what does the baby do? She sucks her mother’s blood while in the womb! So Bella DRINKS BLOOD. AND FINDS IT SATISFYING. And then she names it RENESMEE by combining the names of the grandmothers, Renee and Esme. WHY??

B: Devotion has reached a new level with Twilight. On twifans.com/group/cullenism, Twilight is being compared to Christianity. According to the writer of this page, Christianity spread to many people, becoming a widespread religion with many devoted followers, many who have even devoted their life to it, and apparently, “Twilight has reached a point like this.” This is just flat out weird.

A: And Hawaii, I’m so disappointed in you! At Barnes and Noble, three out of four of the fiction bestsellers were- you guessed it!-of the Twilight saga, with “Eclipse” beating out “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown for the number one spot. Now, I know Brown isn’t Ralph Waldo Emerson or anything, but Meyers beating Brown out is like Dr. Lagory not catching a Keables error: it just shouldn’t happen. Maybe her writing is adequate enough for those who barely read, but as ‘Iolani students who read many, many, many, many, MANY times a day, I would think that our standards would be higher than that.

B: All the other levels of devotion (from just seeing the midnight premier to buying “Team Edward”/”Team Jacob” t-shirts to showing up to the set of the movie, hoping to catch a glimpse of the actors) seem to be nothing compared to something ridiculous like this. “Cullenism” is a growing fad. Beware.

A: What about “Team Edward? Team Jacob? How About Team Shut Up Because No One CARES”?! In case I need to reiterate my point, fictional means THEY DON’T EXIST. So girls, stop wasting your time by reading and watching trashy love stories and pick up something actually good, like The Notebook. By the way, in case you didn’t get it, to summarize, our point is that:

B: Twilight bites. (Hah hah…not funny.)

Activities the B and A Team prefer to do:

1. Play Bach Double.

2. Read both SAT I and SAT II prep books.

3. Make Keables corrections on a 20-page paper.

4. Watch Saturday Night Live (NOT HOSTED BY TAYLOR LAUTNER!).

5. Design “Team Bridget and Akari” t-shirts.

6. Wash our hair (UNLIKE ROBERT PATTINSON).

7. Interact with humans.

8. Read substantial literature.

9. Watch C-Span.

10. Bash Twilight.

It would have been great to have a good knowledge of Shakespeare’s plays before going to see the fall production. A Commedia of Errors isn’t one of the bard’s more popular plays, so it wasn’t surprising that some audience members were confused during some parts of the performance. Before watching, it was almost vital to have read the summary in the program. The play is about two sets of twins, all of whom were separated from their counterparts and have no idea that the other exists. As the play progresses, both sets of twins go through misunderstandings which cause trouble for the other set of twins.

There were various parts of the performance that were unexpectedly funny. A specific example: it was definitely surprising to see a male student dressed in women’s clothing; padding included. The elaborate costumes brought something special to the play. The set and costumes had obviously been time consuming to make, but turned out to be one of the most notable aspects of the performance. The most impressive part of the whole performance was, of course, the acting. Many don’t realize what a challenge it is to read Shakespeare, but to memorize it and perform for an audience is certainly no easy task. But, despite all of that, the actors delivered their lines with ease and incorporated the quirky traits of their characters into their stellar performance. The play, true to its name, was comedic, and enjoyable to watch.