Homesick

Two decent public high schools, a one street downtown featuring a drive-through dairy, and a decent sized shopping mall is pretty much all what Pleasanton consists of. Growing up I could walk down any street, at any time, at any age, and feel perfectly safe. You can’t leave your house without running into someone you know. Everyone knows everything about everyone.

Most of my childhood friends couldn’t wait to get out of this boring town and vowed to “never end up like our parents.” I agreed with them until I moved to Los Angeles for school. There are just some things about my town that a big city can’t offer.

Every year the last week of June and the first week of July, my town holds the Alameda County Fair. I know that you probably just set my town in the middle of the boondocks with farmers and tractors, but we are only 45 minutes from San Francisco. Trust me, it ain’t any Hannah Montana movie. Anyways, this fair is the highlight of my childhood and I still make it a point to go. Held since 1912, it seems as if the same rickety rides are there year after year filled with screaming kids. The same greasy food smell wafting in the air covers the entire fairgrounds and in the few buildings displaying the quilts and jams and jewelry old ladies make in their leisure time. Although the little kids have replaced the older, the layout and the machines are still the same. Living in a city like Los Angeles that is continually changing and modernizing makes it that much more comforting to go home where I know where everything is and restaurants know my order and friends never fully drift apart.

Easter break I found myself one night in a high school classmate of mine’s house surrounded by other people I had graduated with. We caught up with each other and the general overview of our lives at this point. We talked about other people we graduated with who are now engaged, having kids, or getting “adult” jobs. Amidst our conversation, my friend Sara said, “I’m trying to get away from here as fast as possible. I want to experience something else. But eventually I do want to come back. The town is my family.”

Many people do eventually come back and settle with their new families near or in Pleasanton. Including all three of my sisters. My oldest also went to Loyola Marymount. My second sister went to Sacramento. My last wandered around for a bit. But they all came back as soon as they began their families. According to the Bay Area Census, more than 10,000 people have migrated to the little town within the past 17 years.  

Growing up this way has created a deeper homesickness than I usually see in other people. Although, University of Warwick states that up to 70% of Freshmen experience homesickness. For me it’s not completely satisfying when someone visits me down here. My heart yearns for the ability to get lost in the acres of uninhabited grass hills next to my house and take in the fresh air. To be able to go so far away that you can’t hear any cars or sirens or music, just chirping birds, moo-ing cows and the rustling wind.

 No one from the city could truly understand.

The Crackdown on DIY Venues

On March 2nd, Non Plus Ultra, a venue popular within the DIY scene, was shut down after a large crowd of around 350 came to see to see the well-known band Thee Oh Sees. After inspectors of the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety realized that this building was not zoned to be a venue space, but rather a housing building, they shut it down on that same night, with an order to comply.

            After the fire at Ghost Ship, a space for artists, located in Oakland last December in 2016, DIY venues all across the United States have begun to suffer the long-lasting consequences. DIY venues are spaces where small artists and show promoters can play and put on music shows.

            In a panel all about DIY shows and DIY festing at Loyola Marymount University, hosted by KXLU 88.9 FM for the University of California Radio Network conference, a discussion on the necessity of safety at DIY venues ensued.

            Yiwei Meng, also known as the show promoter Minty Boi, offers the advice to any aspiring show promoters to “never be stingy with your money on security guards.” He recalls a time when they used to have “higher security guard with like bulletproof jackets and like tasers and like batons.” He does, however, add that “it’s kind of illegal.”

            Although these tips on being safe at venues may be helpful, they don’t necessarily apply to the dangers that inspectors and code enforcement officers are afraid of, such as fires and potential building damages.

            This potential for danger and legal risks is not gone unnoticed by artists and show promoters.

Lily O’brien, General Manager of KXLU says, “Obviously safety is a really big concern, but when you’re throwing a show, you’re not throwing them at the Echoplex, you’re not throwing them at the Regent, you’re throwing them in these warehouses, in these spaces.”

            This happens to be the concern of many people involved in the DIY scene. Bands and artists need a space to be able to rise up and have some exposure. Meng says from the perspective of a show promoter, “the Echoplex and the Regent don’t give a damn about me. Like who am I?”

            Thus, bands, artists, and show promoters have to rely on DIY spaces. This is why promoters are constantly reminded and encouraged to minimize the chances of public officials ever finding out about the show.

            For example, Jessica Makhlin, a show promoter, recalls the first time she ever booked a show for Non Plus Ultra. She was advised to “just be careful where you place the show, where you advertise, and things like that.”

            This happens to be exactly what many people believe is the reason why Non Plus Ultra was shut down. Jason Bentley, of Morning Becomes Eclectic on KCRW 89.9, a popular NPR station, announced that the Oh Sees would be playing there. Thus, with that much exposure and advertisement, too many people showed up, shining light on a venue that had been running with secrecy.

            The struggle between opportunity for bands and artists and the need for safety is an ongoing struggle happening between promoters, DIY venue managers, and LA city inspectors.

Prioritizing Time in The 21st Century

I know what you can possibly be thinking as you read this and yes I am going to ask if you can count how many times a day you scroll through Facebook or any other social media for this matter?

Though it's not exactly what you may be thinking, the real question is what exactly is important in this time of rapid life and detachment from all things that really matter. For instance, how much do we value relationships and our connection to other individuals per se can determine how well you spent your life on this planet.

According to Inc., their article states that “the biggest predictor of your happiness and fulfillment overall in life is, basically, love. Specifically, the study demonstrates that having someone to rely on helps your nervous system relax, helps your brain stay healthier for longer, and reduces both emotional as well as physical pain” and in my case those results align with my experience of these past two years.

I haven’t been on this planet for very long but I can attest to needing or feeling fulfilled with something called love something so basic that doesn’t necessarily have to come from a significant other but rather a feeling that evokes, empathy, understanding, and support. During the last two years, I experienced what it meant to go day by day without having by your side a close-knit of friends or someone to immediately recur for motivation, empathy, and understanding. Since, all my friends are all scattered in different schools, UCLA, UC Irvine and El Camino College Compton Center. My time in Community College is missed, there I’d leave home, wait for the bus with two of my friends, walked together till I got home while running our mouths about how “well” we were doing in English mythology and other cool experiences in and outside of school.

But since I’ve transferred the happy tale ended. It was by the time I met new people I guess to get out of the comfort zone, explore other perspectives. Or perhaps explore a complete side of the world like for instance, explaining my life straight out of a textbook and having others learn about my life that way or learning that on this side of the world every step forward must be planned with years in anticipation; overall, different perspectives I guess, but still didn’t help my nervous and mental well-being. Anyway, in all this assimilation chaos and making myself somewhat competitive and in all the workload, I completely lost track of the importance of love and the showing and receiving of it.

Now I remember why professors in CC encourage students to work together on assignments and meet students from class. I mean it’s undoubtedly obvious that life is easier when circles of support are in place. Then I remembered my History teacher from high school who’d say that “for everything in life you’ll always need each other” or at least this was the way things ran in his class.  But now looking back and applying his saying to real life experiences it makes perfect sense. So what is your idea of fulfillment in life? Do you think the love for others will make you live longer? Maybe these questions will give you a peace of mind and corroborate that regardless of what you do or where you go love is exponentially an influence on your sanity, success, and life span.

https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/want-a-life-of-fulfillment-a-75-year-harvard-study-says-to-prioritize-this-one-t.html?cid=sf01002&sr_share=facebook

Golden State

In the past decade, popularity of the 3-point shot has grown rapidly. Year after year the players drafted to the NBA partake in the fast-paced style of play, opposed to the traditional half-court offense.  I asked my brother whether or not he noticed the trend, and he reported the following. “The NBA has  definitely moved away from drawing out plays, and towards more of a run-and-gun mindset,” said Eric. With the rise of Steph Curry and The Golden State Warriors, basketball has moved into a new era.

During Warriors’ games, I constantly thought to myself, “How are the Warriors outperforming so many dominant teams?” From watching ESPN I’ve seen highlights of Warriors games and their style of play, but I’d never actually seen a full game from start to finish. And because most of the research around this upcoming 3 point shooting trend revolves around the Warriors, I felt the need to tune in Wednesday night. The Warriors faced the San Antonio Spurs, the second place team in the league. Prior to Wednesday night the Warriors had not beat the Spurs in San Antonio in nearly twenty years, but right off the bat it was clear that this streak was coming to an end. Whenever the Spurs would make a 2 point shot, the Warriors would counter it with a 3 pointer. The teams traded baskets all night, but before you know it the Warriors had run away with the game because of their efficiency from beyond the 3 point line.

Last year the Warriors’ 3 Point shooting proved to be the real deal rather than a series of lucky shots. On April 14^th, the Golden State Warriors broke the record for the most single season wins in NBA history, and surpassing Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. The Warriors trampled the Bulls and set a new record of 73 wins with only 9 losses. Prior to do so, critics doubted whether or not the modern day dream team would be able to carry that performance into the playoffs. But, of course, the Warriors were able to silence the non-believers, including myself.

Steph Curry headed the Golden State powerhouse and also broke a record that night. Curry set the new NBA record for most 3 point field goals made in a single season at 402. From examining the 3 point shooting of Curry, as well as his teammates, a clear correlation between efficient 3 point shooting and winning is present.

The Warriors have constantly proven over the last two seasons that if you shoot a lot of 3 pointers and actually make them, your team is headed towards success. This is the case because 3 point shooting is becoming a trend, but not all teams are shooting these shots efficiently. Although the Warriors lost in the NBA Finals last year, it was the second consecutive year they have been. More teams have started to adopt their style of play, seeing how effective it has been for them. The only team that has not is the San Antonio Spurs, and although they are a great team, their superstars are on the brink of retirement. So, it will be interesting to see if the Spurs’ style of play changes once their superstars retire. 

A New Society

When I was growing up, the technology that we have today in the form of smart phones and even the internet, was just starting to be introduced. I recall receiving my very first phone in about fourth grade. It was a small black and gray Nokia phone that could fit in the palm of my hand. It did not have color, it did not light up, it did not have a keyboard, it did not have a touch screen, and I did not even have the ability to send text messages. My first cell phone was used strictly for keeping in contact with my parents. As time progressed and technology advanced, my phones came with increasing access to the world outside of my own little bubble. I remember my first flip phone, my first phone that had an LED lit screen, my first phone that had a full keyboard to make texting easier, and I absolutely remember my first phone that allowed me to gain access to the internet.

With the world of technology changing so rapidly, my parents felt the need to play a major role in policing my cell phone usage and internet access when I was young. They put curfews on the phones of my siblings and I through the phone company. I recall the way my phone would “shut down” for the night every night at 9:00pm. After 9:00pm, there were no more incoming or outgoing calls, texts, or internet usage. These restrictions went away once 7:00am rolled around because that’s what time I woke up for school every day. “This is only for your own good” my mom would explain every time I complained to her about how lame it was to have time restrictions on my phone. I was also restricted from engaging in online social sites such as MySpace. At the time, I was extremely upset about having to deal with so many limitations, but now I am thankful for them.

Today kids are growing up with smart phones, internet, and social media. They do not know the world without it. On one hand, they are lucky to be born into such a technologically advanced society, but on the other hand, they can be exposed to sometimes dangerous situations at a young age. One day one of my male friends called me in a complete panic because his parents found out that his ten year old sister had a secret Instagram account. “My mom went into her direct messages and saw that she was talking to some forty year old man in Florida” My friend exclaimed over the phone. “He was even commenting sexual things on her photos. It made me sick.” he went on to say. My friend’s sister’s situation is just one example of the way in which unmonitored phone and internet use can potentially be harmful to young kids. According to Jeana Tahnk in her Parenting magazine article, the level of social engagement kids have online increases the risks of cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate content, and sexting. Tahnk goes on to give a few ideas on how to monitor internet and social media use of children. She recommends no underage social media use (under the age of 13), checking the privacy settings, using a filtering software, and setting ground rules. I think that all of these suggestions are key to monitoring phone and internet use and ultimately protecting kids from dangers they may not be aware of. 

First vs. Second Love

I remember it like it was yesterday. I fell in love with my first love senior year of high school. It was one of those corny “High School Musical” relationships. I was one of the captains of the basketball team and she was the head cheerleader. We would do everything together trying to sort through these raw emotions of love. It was hard though considering we were  young and dumb and made 17/18-year-old mistakes that led to our break up. She seemed to move on faster than I did but losing that first love was hard for me. It was really hard because I was going through family problems at the same time and I lost trust in  so many people and developed trust issues.  My ex and I were inseparable throughout our relationship and after our relationship ended I didn’t think loving someone again was possible. I didn’t believe it was possible until a year ago when I began dating my current girlfriend which made me think of the differences of first and second love. 

According to an article by Elite Daily, “The first time you fall in love just may be the hardest you’ll ever fall. Falling in love for the first time is almost dream-like, and I truly believe it’s incomparable. Perhaps this is because it’s all just so new and exciting to feel the warmth, love and acceptance from another person.” This is true. The first time I fell in love was literally uncharted territory and I did not know what to expect. I fell hard and that led to an even worse fall out. My current girlfriend showed me that love is possible again and it’s true. I was still in a weird place when we started dating but so was she. Her last relationship turned out just as toxic as mine but we both talked about how our love for that person kept it going. I think coming from similar ex relationships has allowed us to understand what we both truly want in a partner and everything has been perfect. I have grown to understand that first and second love are different but second love is definitely better. 

According to an article by Odyssey, “You will push them away and give yourself a million reasons why it will never work out, because you can't stand the thought of being hurt again. You'll remember the slamming doors and the fights, and you'll build your walls up. But ever so swiftly, brick by brick, that wall will come down. You'll spend more and more time with that special someone, and your heart will start to feel whole again. Suddenly, you won't to be able to imagine a day going by that you don't talk to them. Oh and their smile, wow that smile, it'll get you every time.”  Naturally people build up that wall in order to protect themselves from being heart-broken a second time but that wall will slowly break down the more time you spend with that new special person. I am guilty of this. I was scared to put my all into someone but finding that strength to do so has allowed me to love again. In an article by the Huffington Post, “Second love, now that’s the real stuff. You’ve grown from all that pain, and you have skeletons that need to be discovered. There is a lot to learn about a person based on what they don’t say, and there’s even more to learn by reaching the point of opening up. Finding the person to accept all of that is a beautiful thing.” The difference between the two is important. If you aren't currently heart broken from that first love, that second love can potentially be even better. 

The Truth About the Fact: Russell is the MVP

I have been a die-hard Seattle Supersonic/Oklahoma City Thunder fan since I was an adolescent. As a kid I always wanted to ply like Gary “the Glove Payton.” If I could be any player in the world it would have been him. I remember my eyes glued to the television and computer screens watching and analyzing the tenacity that Gary played with and would try to model my game after it. Little did I know that a young kid from Hawthorne, California would become my next favorite player and play for my favorite team.  The moment I heard Russell Westbrook had been selected fourth overall during the 2008 NBA Draft, I knew he was going to be special. His hunger and competitiveness rivals that of Michael Jordan and Kobe and he is just outright relentless on the court.

I happened to play for Russell Westbrook’s high school coach in high school at St. Bernard back in 2011 and 2012 and I remember the moment Russ walked into our locker room at halftime during one of our games. I was in awe. “Enjoy every moment you guys have playing with one another. These are truly some of the best times of your life. Enjoy the moment.”  Russell’s words  echoed in the back of my mind for years following that encounter. 

Fast forward to the 2016-2017 NBA season and he was right to enjoy every moment. As I gear up for graduation, Russell is making history and redefining what it means to be a point guard. Russell is now one triple double away from passing Oscar “The Big O” Robertson for the most in a season. He will average a triple double this season and this will be the first time that has been done since Oscar Robertson accomplished this over 50 years ago during the 1961-1962 NBA season. 

According to an article by ESPN, “His season has been full of history, with him running up two streaks of seven consecutive triple-doubles, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's streak of nine. Westbrook sits fourth all time in career triple-doubles at 78, tied with Chamberlain. He has had seven 40-point triple-doubles and two 50-point triple-doubles.”  Additionally, he is leading the league in scoring and has his team (second youngest team) poised to have the fifth or sixth seed in the highly competitive Western Conference of the NBA. 

I love James Harden because he is a previous OKC player and LA native but I can’t give him the MVP nod over Russell. James himself has had an amazing year statistically but Russell has simply done more with less. James has much more talent around him and four top 20 3 point shooters around him. Russ has some great potential talent but the players are too young to max out on their talent at this point in their young careers. 

Russell simply makes his team better. According to statistics provided by ESPN’s Russell Westbrook triple double tracker, the Thunder win 78% of games when he has a triple double and win 35% of games when he doesn’t record one. Also according to a voting chart provided by ESPN they asked fans who will win MVP and who should win MVP. There was a tie for who will win at 50% to each respective player. The interesting point comes where 49% voted that Russell should win MVP and James received 33% of voting withe the rest dispersed to several other players. 

Russell has to do so much more than James to put his team in a winning position and I believe that is the reason that Russell deserves the MVP slightly more than James. However, if this was the first year ever the MVP award was shared among two players I would not be disappointed as a fan of both. Russell is my MVP though and I hope his efforts this year are justly recognized. We won’t see a season like this for years to come and I’m sure Russ is enjoying the moment.