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Love & Secrets

Vol. XVIIImonday, February 13, 2012 no. 5KerronicleT

he

alIeF Kerr HIgH ScHool 8150 Howell-Sugarland rd.

InSIde tHe ISSue

opInIon, page 2, no Fear For ValentIne’S

newS, page 3, elementS oF tHe electIon

In FocuS, page 4, wHat’S your Secret?

lIFeStyle, page 7, Ideal date IdeaS

Feature, page 6, Hard tImeS, good FrIendS

etc., page 8, tHe art oF jamIe wellS

Staff Editorial: Being single has its perks

2 OPINION

Kerr High School8150 Howell-Sugar Land Rd. Houston, TX 77083

(281) 983-8484 ext. 267

Staff:

KErroniclE

Editor-in-ChiEfJoanna Arias

Story EditorPhil Pham

BuSinESS ManagErPhat Pham

Photo EditorAja Bryant

The Kerronicle is published six times a year by the student newspaper staff of Kerr High School and serves as a medium of communication for its readers. It exists to inform its readers about school and community, school policies and their changes, entertainment, and to serve as a forum for student expression.

Advertisers interested in placing an ad in the Kerronicle should contact the staff at (281) 983-8484 ext. 267 or 8150 Howell Sugar Land, Houston, TX 77083.

Letters to the editor are welcomed and encouraged. Letters should be delivered to room 302 or e-mailed to laura.negri@aliefisd.net. All letters must be signed.

mONday, february 13, 2012VOl. XVIII NO. 5

Staff rEPortErSAlyssa Andaverde

Kelli ChowJesus EscobarTuong-Phi Le

Tracey LeKrista Lutrick

Hadiqa Memon Durand NguyenJason NguyenKevin Nguyen

Nadia Zulfa

leap year has much to offerBy: Hadiqa MeMonStaff RepoRteR

It’s the fourteenth day of February and “love is in the air.” You are surrounded by red hearts and chocolate candy, and someone is trying to sell you roses on the side of the street. Every store within eyesight is overstocked with freak-ishly huge teddy-bears that seem to stare at you creepily wherever you go. It seems like a wonderful day—minus the creepy bears. What else would you expect on Valentines Day? It’s “l’amour:” The day of love. But for single peo-ple, it’s more like the day of being stuck in the middle of a massive swarm of PDA.

Some people may think that being single on Valentine’s Day is sad: we have no one to bring us flowers or candy or an over-stuffed bear and we eat alone. But it really isn’t as bad as you would think. If you’re single out there, you know that Valentine’s Day doesn’t really make us feel sad. It makes us feel sort of free…but also a little awkward. Nothing says “uncomfort-able” like witnessing a couple making out right in front of your locker.

But despite our disgust, we try to remain positive. For example, single people are not ob-ligated in any way to purchase any Valentine’s merchandise for a significant other, or receive any said merchandise. Why on earth would anyone want to carry around a bear that’s big-ger than she is? It would be a blow to my self-esteem if a toy were taller than me. It would

also make me broke, because those bears are not only over-stuffed, but over-priced.

We singles also find it humorous to watch people as they exchange lovey-dovey gifts and messages…that is, after we get over being grossed out at the enormous amount of PDA. There’s just something funny about watching people who are much too young to fall in love express their naive feelings for each other. It is touching, in a way, to watch the exchange of cards and heart candy promising eternal servi-tude. We respect those who do it, but we still find it funny…not so much as that they are do-ing it, but how they do it.

The exception would be expressing love within a family. There is absolutely nothing wrong or funny with giving your mother a rose and card, or your father a bear, and vise versa. After all, love is amazing and good. But love at this age is, well…much too young. There is a line, a very distinct line, between love and lust, and this line has been crossed one too many times with the youth of our generation.

However, not everyone who is dating or married creates a problem for single people. Really, it isn’t the number of people who have dates on Valentine’s Day that bothers us. It is mostly the lack of modesty that some people have and the fact that people are feeling bad for us when there really is no need…unless, of

course, they are apologizing for rounding first base right in front of us.

Single people really have nothing against Valentine’s Day. It’s a day dedicated to love, after all. We would just prefer those who have a significant other to express their love in pri-vate, because that’s when it gets uncomfort-able. We ask only that people who are dating or

married to just please, please, with a cherry on top, respect yourselves and those around you. Because, really, no one wants to see how good your love life is. Living the single life can get boring sometimes, but overall, it isn’t that bad. We are not pressured by a relationship and have the opportunity to keep our mids open.

The speakers blared as the announcer said, “5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Happy New Year, welcome 2012!” Then a series of top hits of 2011 played, right in front of George R. Brown Convention Center. New Year parties such as the one in Houston occurred in cities around the world.

Everyone knows by now that 2012 is a leap year, this is also the year of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and for those who can vote or have and interest in politics this is also a year in which the presidential elections will be held.

Since it takes the Earth to travel 365 ¼ days to travel around the sun, and it is not possible

to have a ¼ day. So every fourth year an extra day is added to keep things the calendar and Earth’s revolutions aligned. So, with an extra day, I could maybe enjoy the day and relax for a moment...but then again, if it’s a Wednesday, I probably might not have time to rest.

The addition of the extra day will give athletes another day to prepare for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The opening ceremony is on July 27, 2012, and the closing ceremony will be on August 12, 2012. The games will include 26 sports. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics I was impressed with how the rich Chinese culture was incorporated in the opening ceremony, this year we’ll learn more about London. London is a beautiful place and I hope they incorporate the beauty as well as an insight to their history. In 2008 Olympics Michael Phelps dominated and earned eight gold medals, this year we’ll see how many medals Phelps will bring once again. Beside swimming, I can’t wait to see the results of

the Gymnastics, Tennis and the Triathlon. In 2008, the United States of America earned 110 medals and was first place; once again rooting for the American team I hope the outcomes remain the same.

As the games close the debates between candidates heat up, as the GOP primary still decide on a candidate to run against former President Barack Obama. The candidates remaining in the Republican primary are Mitt

Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul. This year’s election will not be as intense as the elections of 2008, since there was much hype about the first African-American President. This year, on the other hand, will just be a year to make another decision.

Whether this year gains an extra day, or features us rooting for teams in the Olympics, or watching the presidential debates, it definitely will be a year to remember. It doesn’t seem to be a bad year at all.

Whether this year gains an extra day, or features

us rooting for teams in the Olympics, or watching

the presidential debates, it definitely will be a year to

remember.

Ha

diq

a M

eMo

n

Primary elections approach

course selection goes digital

Staff changes:

Before, students selected their courses by paper, and had to go individually to the counsel-or’s office in an attempt to change their course selections. Now starting this spring semester, course selection will now be done online.

This will allow automatic input of course se-lections from students instead of the counselors individually inputting courses from paper.

“It will be easier for the counselors now,” Greg Freeman said. “Before they had to spend

hours inputting the courses by themselves, now the students can do it online themselves.”

Starting next week, juniors will head to the computer lab and will be directed on how to select courses online, followed by sophomores and then freshmen.

Students will now be able to independently change their courses. However, there is a cer-tain amount of time a student has to change their courses online and if missed, the student must go to the counselor to change it.

However, it is not just the convince of se-lecting courses online that is favorable, it is also

the fact that it’s also better for the environment. Selecting courses online will help reduce the usage of paper being used.

Also, now students don’t have to worry about losing their course selection sheet be-cause everything is saved on to the computer. Even if one does not have a computer or inter-net at home, compter and internet access is al-ways available at school.

“It’s easier for people because a lot of peo-ple have internet access,” junior Yao Liang said. “And you don’t have to worry about your paper getting lost.”

Two long-time Kerr staffers retired in Janu-ary.

Testing center clerk Alice Davis and custo-dian Bonifacio Montoya were honored with a joint retirement reception on January 21.

Senior Scarlett Caulderon helped librarian Jean Wu create a slide show with photos of the two through the years.

“I felt a little sad,” she said of Davis. “I’m

going to miss her. [The testing center] is going to really quiet now.”

Ebony Murphy had her first day on the job as the new testing center clerk on February 5.

“First day went very smooth, nice teachers, nice students, y’all’ are pretty cool,” Murphy said. “The paperwork and the filing I pretty much know how to do with experience, but I’m getting trained right now with the process and procedures of the testing center.”

Testing center clerk Ebony Murphy, right, with paraprofessional Lee Lindsey Bryant.

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Not being old enough, sophomore Jose Ramirez won’t be voting in this fall’s elec-tion. That doesn’t mean, however, that he has not been following the Presidential race very closely.

“I think this is one of the most important elections because the economy is so bad,” he said. “Our President isn’t doing anything, he’s just taking vacations. Someone needs to change that drastically.”

On April 3, Texas will hold its primary elec-tion, in which political parties will determine their candidates for public office. Positions up for election include those of a US Senator, all US Representatives, Railroad Commissioner, 31 State Senators, and all State Representatives. The full list can be found at the website of the Texas Secretary of State (http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/candidates/guide/offices2012.shtml).

According to UT’s Texas Politics, a regis-tered voter may vote in any party’s primary as long as they have not voted in another party’s primary. Those who intend to vote must register by March 5. Early voting begins on March 15.

“I try to vote,” librarian Jean Wu said. “Be-

cause we learn as a child that I’m not a good citizen if I don’t care about what happens in this country. So that’s why I vote. I want the best people serving us. I want the best laws passed.”

While many tend to focus on the national scene, such as this year’s Presidential race, the primaries are a stage of the democratic process at both the national and local levels.

“I think we need to be more careful about who we vote for locally instead of who we vote for on a national scale,” senior Denitza Dramkin said. “I feel that as a citizen I have a better chance of representing my voice through local officials than national of-ficials.”

Hall monitor Tinsley Jones believes that the impact of national races makes them more im-portant.

“The [national elections] have a more global effect than our local ones,” he said. “They af-fect more people. They impact us not only na-

tionally but worldwide: foreign affairs, military, economy.”

While Jones and Ramirez, say that they con-sider themselves fairly conservative, Kerr is a patchwork of people with many different politi-cal leanings.

Wu considers herself an independent but has been following the Republican race closely.

“I like it for the game. I enjoy seeing peo-ple vying for things…When Rick Perry makes those mistakes, I laugh… But I think the Repub-licans are de-stroying them-selves having so many debates, tearing each other apart. So I think Obama’s

going to win.”Jones, on the other hand, would like to see a

change in government.“I think that the current administration has

been too spendthrifty,” he said. “I don’t think they’ve taken the right approach to energy suf-

ficiency, border control. I think they’re leading us down the wrong economic path.”

Dramkin says that she would base her deci-sions on “what person is most for the issues I think are important,” rather than party associa-tion.

She does not, however, plan to vote in the coming national election, preferring to focus on local politics. “Our votes are being counted but our votes are not what decide who becomes President,” she said. “It’s based on what the electoral college decides to vote [and] Texas is one of those states who always vote Republi-can. I think it’s a waste of my time to wait for hours just to cast a vote.”

Senior Jay Meza, on the other hand, says he has little concern for local elections.

“I’m probably not going to be in Texas much longer,” he said. As such he plans to pay more attention to the national stage.

“As Fidel Castro put it, this is the most in-competent batch of Republicans that has ever been there. So I would prefer if we had some-one halfway competent running the show. He actually said that, by the way. When you’ve been dissed by a dictator, that’s pretty bad.”

“i think the republicans

are destroying themselves”

—librarian Jean Wu

By: tuong-pHi LeStaff RepoRteR

By: aLySSa andeveRdeStaff RepoRteR

By: KeLLi CHowStaff RepoRteR

daVIS aNd mONtOya retIre; murPhy jOINS Staff

4 in focusin focus

secrets

— Compiled by Kevin Nguyen and Phat Pham

“How often do you lie to your parents?”

All the time 6%Never

10%

only a little bit 63%

Often 21%

We asked 100 people

By: Jesus escoBarstaff reporter

The volume rises and so does the tension. The walls rattle and the ceiling shakes due to the force of the arguments. Neither side is will-ing to give in, yet they are both tired after argu-ing for so long.

Junior Nga Nguyen has known and passed through moments like this as her

career choices and her parents’

c h o i c e s h a v e

drift-e d

apart.“My parents want me to become a doctor but

I want to be a nurse,” Nguyen said.Most conflicts are usually easily resolved,

although some important conflicts like these can have an effect on a person’s entire future and career.

Career choice conflicts start to become a more common problem as students start to grow up and begin to think about college.

Parents might want their children to do some-thing that they think will make them rich or famous, while their children may want to try out a job that is more appealing to their interests.

The reason for most parents to try and influence their children’s ca-reer choices is because they want their children to be proud of themselves and have a reputable job. Nguyen says her parents want her to be-come a doctor because of the respectable repu-tation associated with the job.

“They think it’s a prestigious job and people look up to you and you don’t have to bow down to people and they just want me to have a lot of money and just be proud,” Nguyen said.

Even though doctors have good reputations, Nguyen would prefer to become a nurse be-cause she believes they have more freedom to do what they want.

“I want to be a nurse so I have more time to do things that I like such as dancing,” she said.

Junior Jesse Anyalebechi also has this prob-lem as his parents want him to become a

doctor or something similar. faces pres-sure from his parents to choose a ca-

reer in the medical profession.“They feel like those are the

only things that I can do where I will have enough money

to take care of a family. They don’t want me to be dependent on

someone else after I get out of school,” he said.Although he has not chosen his career yet,

Anyalebechi prefers not to talk to his parents about it.

“They’re still trying to steer me towards doctor type stuff. I try not to talk to them about it, because it always comes out to an argument of some sort.”

On the other hand, many parents plan careers for their children because of past family choices. Junior Sammy Gong says that her parents want her to take a career as a doc-tor because of other mem-bers in her family.

“It runs in the family; I have a good history of prestigious family mem-bers who are doctors in

China so they kind of wanted to keep going,” she said.

However, Gong would rather do some-thing in the field of art rather than become a doctor.

“I’m aiming more towards art,” she said. “I want to do graphic designing and probably going to do tattoos and stuff like that; I’m more into express-ing myself instead of being a doctor.”

These differences may often cause friction between the parents and their children. Although some parents might not agree with their children’s decisions there are some who will support their children in their career choice.

“My dad and my grand-parents are not that hap-py but my mom is supportive so it’s not that bad,” Gong said.

She rec-ommends that people be honest with their par-ents about their decisions to avoid future prob-lems.

“Be honest with your parents,” she said. “Don’t lead them into thinking that you’re go-ing to be a doctor just because they want you to tell them the truth; tell them that’s not some-thing you want to do before you’re a senior or else they’ll be kind of mad” she said.

Nguyen advises people to do what they want to instead of what their parents want them to insure they live their life to the fullest.

“Don’t bow down because eventually you’ll figure out that that’s not the job you wanted,” she said. “And your whole life is going to be boring and you’re not going to enjoy it and you’re basically living your parents’ life and not yours, so just pursue what you want.”

Career conflict: family dynamic is strained Because of future choices

“My parents want me to become a

doctor but I want to be a nurse.”

— Nga Nguyen

in focus 5in focus

Hiding, lying, ducking around corners. Senior My Vo’s love life became problematic when her father caught her and her boyfriend holding hands in front of driving school last summer.

“My dad caught me with Eric one time and he was really angry,” Vo said.”He asked for [Eric] mom’s phone number, but he changed

his cell phone number so I gave him Eric’s old number.”

Couples who hide their relationship

in the shadows are forced

to be-c o m e

stealthy n i n j a s ,

afraid of their parents figuring out

their secret relationship. When going out on a date, se-

cretive couples fabricate stories, telling one lie after another to cover up the previous lie. Friends are dragged down in the process, con-vinced to deceive their friend’s parents. While other couples are constantly shoving one anoth-er into a closet or under a bed the moment their

parents walk into the room, or worse, shoving them out the window.

After four years and a sudden relocation, junior Trinh Tran and her boyfriend are still go-ing strong. Her boyfriend visits her every now and then, despite the fact that he lives in Dallas. As a result, having a long distance relationship makes keeping a relationship under the radar a more difficult mission. Despite possible furi-ous reactions and consequences, taking a risk is only part of the mission.When Tran hangs out with her boyfriend, her siblings help deceive her parents about her whereabouts.

“It’s actually really hard because I’m not allowed to go out a lot and they [my parents] don’t approve of me hanging out with guys, so I’m constantly lying,” she said.

However, having a long distance relation-ship isn’t the only setback to keeping relation-ships secretive. Even if one’s significant other lives in the same area, the possibility of be-ing caught is still at risk. Visiting each other’s houses is like going into enemy territory. There needs to be a plan in order to keep from getting caught, or in some cases, getting caught again.

“My dad put cameras up around the house to see if Eric comes over,” Vo said. “My big broth-er helped me though; he moved the cameras a little so that it shows the blind spots instead.”

Other students find masking their relation-ship relatively easy, even effortless.

“It’s actually pretty easy to keep my rela-tionship from my parents,” sophomore Andrew Nguyen said.

It’s easy for Nguyen because he keeps his relationship within school boundaries. Nguyen and his girlfriend do not hang out after school or on weekends, therefore the percentage of get-ting caught is low. There is no reason to conceal and lie when one walks the same hallway with-out a parent spying from behind a corner.

However, for some couples, a common ground is found when parents agree to allow dating, but simply not during their high school years. For Vo, at least, there is a light at the end of the tunnel...graduation.

“Three years ago my dad said I can’t hang out with Eric until after graduation,” Vo said. “So it’s not that bad, it’s my senior year.”

secrets

Sophomore Julia Nguyen

Senior Brilliant Ton and junior Kesha Tran strive to keep their relationship a secret. Photo by Kelli Chow

By: Kelli chowstaff reporter

Lying for love:

The volume was turned down low so sound won’t seep through her room, causing her mom to wake up. The lights were off and the door was closed, to deceive her mom into thinking she had gone to sleep already. Junior Sonya Djikeng wanted to watch her favorite — yet forbidden —TV show, Desperate Housewives.

Despite her clever schemes, her mom dis-covered that her daughter was not sleeping but actually watching the show. She walked in and demanded Djikeng to turn off the TV right away.

Djikeng said her mother does not allow her to watch shows with what she considers inap-propriate con-tent.

“Mom dis-likes 16 and Pregnant, The Secret Life of An Ameri-can Teenager, The Bachelor, and Desper-ate Housewives,” Djikeng said. So when these TV shows air, Djikeng tries to devise a plan to watch with no interruptions.

“I only watch those shows when my siblings and mom aren’t present at home,” she said. If caught, she’ll just quickly change to a news channel.

Some teens find it hard to resist the televi-sion shows, movies and video games that their friends all watch but their parents forbid.

Sophomore Julia Nguyen is not allowed to watch horror movies, but that does not stop her.

“Usually when I want to watch a scary movie, I go to the theaters with my friends,” Nguyen said. Her parents don’t specifically ask

what movie she watches and don’t ask how the movie was afterwards, she said.

But junior Keren Herrera will not even at-tempt to watch the Hispanic novellas she is not allowed to watch.

“They said it fills my mind with bad things,” she said. And even if Herrera wanted to watch it, she wouldn’t try out of respect for her par-ents’ rules.

Although she is restricted, she says she does not resent the rules.

“I feel happy and cared for because my par-ents keep me from bad things and want the best

for me,” Her-rera said.

Senior Con-nor Wilbourn gives reason as to why parents might prohibit their children to watch certain things.

“I think a lot of it deals with how they want their children to think,” Wil-bourn said.

B i o l o g y teacher Clarissa Caro didn’t have as many channels to watch as a youngster. Many activi-ties and words weren’t shown due to censorship rules, so she wasn’t prohibited from any movies or TV shows.

“The overall control of TV was a lot differ-ent than today,” Caro said.

Media content is source of deceitBy: tracey lestaff reporter

teens take extreme measures to hide relationships

“I only watch those shows when my siblings and

mom aren’t present at home”

— Sonya Djikeng

6 Feature Classmates boost morale for ailing friend By: Nadia ZulfaStaff RepoRteR

10 Questions: Cameron Clark

What is the most embarrassing thing that you’ve done at school?

I came out with a toilet paper on the back of my pants.

What was the hardest question asked during the Harvard interview?

Why I didn’t get a 5 on my AP test instead of a 4.

What is the scariest nightmare that you’ve ever had? Being chased around by a black and white demon Mickey Mouse.

Papa John’s or Dominoes?

For real though, Little Ceasar’s. They’re hot and ready.

Do you believe in life on Mars?

Yeah, they have dads, they need moms now.

Question:

Answer:

1

3

4

5

6Q:

Q:

Q:

Q:

If you were stuck on an island, would you rather eat your hand or your foot?I would eat my foot because it’s meatier.

2 Q:

A: A:

A:

A: A:What is the best Valentine’s gift you’ve ever received?

A gavel and on the back of it, it said “No”.

10Q:

A:

What is your favorite superhero?

The black Green Lantern from the Justice League.

9Q:

A:

Whats your favorite song to explicitly dance to?

“Dance” by Big Sean

8Q:

A:

Church’s or Popeye’s?

KFC7Q:

A:

With his books in tow, senior Cameron Clark struts downs the hallway with a smile and his head held high. But his confident persona was not always so evident. He overcame setbacks, letdowns, turn around, and even the disbelievers in order to achieve his accomplishments and goals. Despite his now abundant confidence, Clark remains humble, lighthearted and even somewhat humorous.

--Compiled by Phil Pham and Jesus Escobar

Freshman Jacob Faturoti was pretty surprised when he heard that his friend, freshman Oscar Gregorio, was diagnosed with leukemia, the cancer of the white blood cells.

“It was just, ‘Wow!’ [that] a guy who was joking around in class all day would have that condition,” Faturoti said. “I guess it was more like shock.”

Oscar was 9 years old when he was first diagnosed with leukemia in 2006. He went into remission afterward, and by 2008, was back on his feet. But four years later, after a visit to the doctor’s and a couple of tests, Oscar was diagnosed with a return of the leukemia.The cancer sent him into the home-bound program.He has been hospitalized for part of the time since his relapse.

Nurse Carol Wileysaid Oscar’s treatment will keep him home and away from his friends.

“The treatment lasts for 106 weeks; they’re trying different types of chemotherapy,” Wiley said. “[And] he’s not able to be around others because [the chemotherapy] lowers the immune system. If someone comes to school with a cold, it could be life-threatening.”

The shock felt by his friends and teachers

quickly changed to a desire to help.“We have a couple of people visit him

every other day or so. We try to keep him calm, keep him positive [and] make him better so he can come back to us; come back to school,” freshman Jimmy Do said.

“I go visit him. I tell him that everything’s going to be cool,” Faturoti said. “I don’t act awkward to show him [that] he’s still here. Nobody changed because he left.”

Oscar’s fellow Orchestra members have also played a part in his support system, according to Do.

“Ms. [Charlotte] King suggested we make a home video [to tell] him to stay calm and get better,” he said. “I want to show that we all care for him so he has a peace of mind.”

Along with Orchestra, Cadre Kerr also provided support for Oscar by fundraising on January 28 at Moon Over Buffalo’s last showing. Freshman Danyal Syed and sophomore Jackie Cruz proposed the idea to theater sponsor Julie Ryan, who in turn agreed to help.

“We tried to get a fundraiser to purchase something to pass the time and the rest of the money will go to cancer research in his name,” Syed said. “It was originally Jackie’s idea to do something and we both talked about it and proposed it to Cadre Kerr, and Ms. Ryan agreed to help. We raised just that night $170.”

Ryan wants to make sure Oscar feels like a part of the Kerr family.

“We at Cadre Kerr are raising money for

Oscar because he will not be coming to school for 106 weeks...we want him to feel like he’s still a part of a family, and we here at Kerr no matter how long he’s been here, are his family for the next four years,” she said. “We’re trying to raise money to get him a PSP and a Kindle

[so] he has something to hold in his hands while he’s sitting in chemotherapy.”

Theatre students are also collecting PSP games to be sure that Oscar has plenty of entertainment available.

Ryan’s goal is to ensure that Oscar stays comfortable while undergoing chemotherapy, and that the fundraiser will also contribute in helping cancer research.

“We love him to death. My students have come to me and asked me to do something special for him, and I always give to those who [are] nice enough to give to others,” Ryan said. “So that’s our goal: to raise a little bit of money to try to help him, and any extra money that we raise will go straight to Texas Children’s Cancer Research.”

Oscar’s friends and teachers hope that their consolidation will make sure Oscar feels better and recovers soon.

“[The support] makes him feel better,” Faturoti said. “When I visited him, he didn’t seem gloomy or awkward; he’s still the same old Oscar. If we didn’t visit him, he’d feel lonelier without a group of people who care about him.”

Freshman Danyal Syed and sophomore Jackie Cruz discuss the success of Oscar’s fundraiser with theater sponsor Julie Ryan. They intended to use the money to buy Oscar a PSP and Kindle to help him stay comfortable while undergoing therapy, and the rest of the money would be donated to Texas Children’s Cancer Research in his name.

Na

dia

Zu

lfa

7LiFestyLe

By: phil phamStoRy editoR

Opening a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s Factory:

After the demolition of Houston’s old Town and Country Mall, a newly rebuilt outdoor complex took its place. Prominently located at 803 Town and Country Blvd., City Centre Mall overshadows its predecessor with many new attractive features, including a majestic water fountain located squarely in the middle of the plaza, a spacious browsing area, and a circle of popular stores such as J.Crew and Urban Outfitters. City Centre also serves as a magnificent place to take your significant other on a date, especially since Valentine’s is approaching.

The atmosphere will immediately place anyone in a state of relaxation and is guaranteed to set the mood for anyone, regardless of how terrible his day was. For couples who fancy watching movies and dining out, Studio Movie Grille makes a perfect place to start off your date. In addition to the latest releases, Studio Movie Grille has one interesting twist: It offers movie-goers the ability to order food and have it delivered they watch the movie. I had the Coconut Chicken Tenders( $10.95) and the

Brownie Sundae( 6.25). For those who wants to plan what they want to order ahead of time can get a full copy of the official menu from the following link: http://www.studiomoviegrill.

com/images/menus/OnlineMenuCombined_TX.pdf.

If movie-watching isn’t your cup of tea, then trying cruising around City Centre after the sun sets. The look of this outdoors plaza completely changes during nighttime as a series of vibrant lights fills the air. For those who enjoy long walks with a beautiful scenery, be sure to check out City Centre’s park area with its alluring water fountain.

A perfect date is never complete without good food, and Flora and Muse provides just that and more. Wrapped in the scent of delicious pastries, fresh flowers, aromatic coffee and tea, and scrumptious food, diners at Flora and Muse find an ideal place for an enchanting experience, minus the candlelight.

Whether it’s watching a movie, lively lights,

or romantic dining, City Centre is casual, light, and bound to keep both the youthful and more mature crowd entertained. It will satisfy both the “smart-budgeting date” and the “I-just-got-my-pay-check” date. Couples are guaranteed contentment on every level and for any occasion that they plan at City Centre, whether it’s casual or close to the heart.

By: JaSoN NguyeNStaff RepoRteR

Located right in the middle of Rice Village, the strip mall near Rice University, is a place quite similar to Willy Wonka’s famous chocolate factory.

The immediate feeling The Chocolate Bar has on a visitor is nothing short of awe and amazement. Though you’re not going to see any Oompa Loompas the employees are extremely friendly and helpful. Upon leaving The Chocolate Bar, you know two things: One, you want to come back in the future; and two, this is the perfect place for a date.

The Chocolate Bar features four different sections -- candy, “creative” chocolate, ice cream and cakes and pastries, give or take a few areas that offer products that don’t fall under these classifications.

The candy section sports a large variety of confections which is what makes The Chocolate Bar’s candy selection so spectacular: they feature an innumerable amount of unique candies that you probably can’t find anywhere else. From novelty candies in the shape of Star Wars or Mario characters to the classic rock candy, the section is sure to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Although The Chocolate bar does not feature a chocolate waterfall, it does have a whole

creative chocolate section which is home to rich chocolate, all molded in different fashions. For speech and debaters, there is chocolate in

the shape of a gavel. And for those who like to decorate, The Chocolate Bar even features every letter of the alphabet made from chocolate. Other figures include animals, Texas-related shapes, and even a whole chocolate pizza in an original pizza box. If you can’t find a choice to your liking, you can even request chocolate to be molded into a shape of your own.

The ice cream section is simple: The Chocolate Bar offers a variety of classic ice cream flavors with unique names and nontraditional approaches. For example, the basic Chocolate Mint ice cream, dubbed “Cool de Menthe,” is colored brown instead of the

usual mint-green. In addition to the unique aesthetics, the ice cream has an unexpected taste: an overall flavor of chocolate with an obvious hint of mint, with mini mint-chocolate flakes incorporated into the ice cream itself, guaranteeing minty satisfaction with every bite.

And finally, the cake and pastry section is where you can purchase slices or whole cakes for reasonable prices. The slices come in huge portions and although quantity is always nice, you can rest assured that the quality is really something else. On my latest visit, I decided to go with a slice of the Tres Leches Chocolate Cake and although I knew I’d punish myself later for falling for temptation, I can’t say I regretted it. It was the perfect blend of moist (the way Tres Leches should be) yet it stayed in one piece. The cake does not go overboard on sweetness, and though I had to share with three people, I found myself striving to get more bites. What’s even better is that if they cut something that seems “sloppy”, they’ll even offer discounts.

The atmosphere is light-hearted, casual and funky-- candy and heart-shaped decor hang from the ceiling and the overall color theme candy-colored.The Chocolate Bar is perfect for a date or the dessert portion of one, and even if you’re not on a date, it’s the perfect place to satisfy a craving. The Chocolate Bar is typically a sit-down place so it does get relatively noisy, but you definitely also have the option of

carrying out. A trip here really does feel like you’ve found a golden ticket, except this time, everyone can experience The Chocolate Bar.

The Chocolate Bar is located at 2521 University Boulevard and opens every day of the week. Its hours of operation are from 10am to 10pm on Monday through Thursday, 10 am to midnight on Friday and Saturday and from noon until 10 pm on Sundays. The Chocolate Bar is also located on 1835 West Alabama. The Chocolate Bar also offers dog treats and freshly brewed coffee.

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Cupid’s choice for Valentine’s date:City Centre provides entertainment for crowds of all ages

Candy Wonderland: The candy section of The Chocolate Bar features over 100 different can-dies, from basic ones such as Snickers to nov-elty ones such as PEZ candy.

Dine-In and Pig-Out: The Chocolate Bar’s seating provides both booths and tables to fit both small and larger crowds. The area is il-luminated with soft lights and decorated with ceiling decor, with an overall theme of purple diamond checkerboard.

CITY CENTER

EAT . HANG-OUT . MOVIES

Delightful Dating: As Valentine’s Day rolls around the corner and couples looking for a place to have their date. City Centre provides the perfect blend of entertainment, dining, and relaxation all within a shopping plaza.

...City Centre is casual, light, and bound to keep

both the youthful and more mature

crowd entertained.

8 Etc. 3

1Always experimenting with different medium,

junior Jamie Wells decided to challenge herself by using charcoal to create a serious artwork in a short amount of time.

“It was a learning experience using charcoal in this drawing,” Wells said. “My inspiration was an artist named David Jon Kassan. I love his artwork. He uses toned paper with white and black charcoal and I never done that before so I wanted to try it out. It’s really fun.”

She used junior Destiny Jackson as her model for her piece.

“[Destiny] has an interesting face and she’s a really great friend so I wanted to draw her,” Wells said. “I hope to enter it into a competition one day, maybe.”

1. Wells takes a picture of junior Destiny Jackson to use as her reference picture for the artwork. “I told her to look like a model and she did [that pose] and it looked good,” Wells said. “I liked the hands. It keeps the composition really interesting.” 2. Wells began to work on this piece January 23. “First I took a picture, put it on Microsoft Word, printed it out. I sketched out ideas in my sketchbook before sketching it onto the giant pad of paper and started shading.” Wells said. 3. On January 30, Wells was finally finished with the piece. “[Wells] caught my skin tone very well and she did the lightning very well,” Jackson said.“I didn’t feel self-conscious about the picture.”

Story and photos by Aja Bryant

2Jamie Wells

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