A (long) note from the Editors…

             Enter the Year of the Dragon. Wow, and we’re already three months into it…sort of…ok, so it’s only been one month. Who was crazy enough to put the New Year on February 5^th this year instead of January 1^st like every other sane country in the world?! And it’s not only that, but it changes every year, too!! Oh…oops…look who’s talking. J

            Okay…onto more pressing matters. Well, not really pressing, since we assume you have all the time in the world to enjoy these articles which we so meticulously arranged for your reading enjoyment. This first issue of the New Year (the one that has only been a month old – yes, yes, I know, it bothers us, too) contains just that…issues about the New Year. But not only that. Hey, pretty good, eh, you’re getting two…no…three, actually, for the price of one! There are also middle school articles and essays that talk of expectations of the upcoming year and what the millennium holds for certain individual students in Chinese School.

            The “Middle School Articles” as we like to call them are a follow-up to last issue’s “High School Articles”, introducing the various middle schools in the area that are attended by TOCS kids. The main purpose is to make it easier for those new to the area to look into schools for their children.

            As everyone knows (no? Well, you should!!) the New Year does not officially begin until sometime at the end of January or the beginning of February because of an interesting entity we call the Lunar Calendar. To celebrate this joyous occasion, the Thousand Oaks Chinese School holds a Chinese New Year Celebration every year in the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, which features performances by the students and guest artists. In this issue, we will take give our readers a behind-the-scenes look at the work that was put into some of these performances. Yes, we know it’s hard to believe, but there really is more to Chinese New Year than just red envelopes… though we must admit…red envelopes, especially those containing pieces of green paper with the heads of our dear buddies Andy and Teddy imprinted on them, come in handy at the mall.

            Must we announce that this year is known as the millennium? Or something like that. But how could you miss it? Anyway, at the end of this issue, we have some articles containing thoughts about the new millennium and what may come of it. Some are happily optimistic while other ones are quite the opposite.

            On a concluding note, we hope you enjoy this issue, of the students, by the students, and for the students (and the parents, too, of course) of the community. To all the staff who have devoted so much of themselves (to a certain extent – just kidding J)…We sincerely thank you for your hard work and effort. You have created a product worth being passed down from generation to generation. And to our readers, once again, we hope you enjoy this work of art that was the result of hour-long phone calls, frantic email messages, late night editing, our dear friend the spell check, hours of layout, numerous cups of coffee, tons of food in front of the computer, great bonding experiences with the staff…(*SMACK*! Owww! That hurt!)

 Editors in Chief,

 Angela Sun                                                                 Cynthia Wang

Redwood Middle School

Los Cerritos Middle School

Middle Schools

Colina Middle School

Lindero Canyon Middle School

Middle Schools

Medea Creek Middle School

A.E. Wright Middle School

“It’s here and I like it…”

By: Emily Cheung & Katherine Chang

“It’s here and I like it…” It is finally here… the new millennium and everyone from the Thousand Oaks Chinese School is anticipating the Chinese New Year’s Performance. For the  opening and closing numbers, we needed something breathtaking, inspiring, and eye catching. So what could be more impressive than watching little kids dance to the music of Will Smith’s “Will 2 K” and the older kids do a jungle dance to Cirques Des Soleil’s “Draliel”?

The sparkling silver shirts and bandanas worn by the young performers in the opening dance symbolized the beginning of the New Year. The choreography was simple, yet dazzling, and the kids expressed their enthusiasm in every step. “It was an adorable dance that really caught the audience’s attention,” said Ying Ying Wu.

            The finale consisted of unique dance movements, riveting red tank tops, and intense music. Throughout the dance, audience members were in awe with admiration of their effort to achieve a flawless performance. Thanks to Sherry Hendricks and Roxanne Lee, the choreographers of the opening and closing acts, the performance was magnificent. Justine Chiou, one of the many performers states, “We’ve done a jazz routine for the Chinese School for five years and every year it just gets better. I’m glad we’ve established a tradition of great New Year’s performances.”

Dream of Snow Mountain

By: Priscilla Chang

Every year, everyone looks forward to the Peony Dance Ensemble’s appearance during the Chinese New Year Celebration at the Civic Arts Plaza. This year, these lovely girls performed a traditional Tibetan dance entitled "Dream of Snow Mountain”. Their costumes were white with a colorful stripe running across. They were topped with bright headpieces. But the item that made this dance so unique and interesting was the white sleeves that the girls wore on their arms. The girls experienced much difficulty while learning how to use the techniques to fling their sleeves during the dance. Suyun Wu gave us some examples of this, “There was very little room to spin, and there were lots of light problems with the solo.”

The setting of this dance was on top of a snowy mountain, and the dancers were performing a ceremony for the burying of dead ancestors. The strong drum sound signified the chopping of their bones. Many of the words in the song described what they were doing. For instance, "Sa gei fei ying" means giving the bones to the sacred birds. "It was very interesting how we captured the beauty of nature," Melody Hsiou, one of the dancers, told us.

The dancers’ hard work had obviously paid off as they gave an exquisite performance. All of the girls agreed that this dance was not a typical one as it required more practice than usual. In addition, stage space was limited, and the dancers had to learn interesting positions for the dance.  "At first, when they put us into the positions it hurt!" Karen Hsu shares. Katherine Chang also adds that they had some trouble counting the music. But in the end, the girls did a wonderful job. "It was a hard dance to put together because there were so many bits and pieces that needed  to be included to it,” says Angela Sun, “but in the end as always, we came together as a team and performed it with flying colors."

Chinese New Year Celebration – Civic Arts Plaza – January 29, 2000

Hey Girls!

By: Melody Hsiou, Emily Cheung, & Heidi Ng

            Watch out girls, because here come the guys of the seventh grade class of T.O.C.S, and they’re looking better than ever! This year’s program, “Hey Girls”, performed by Mrs. Gan’s seventh grade class, was an energetic, modern dance, set to the music of Taiwan singer “Richie’s” popular song “Hey Girls”. The students portray the playful pursuit and confusion of today’s dating frenzy. After many long hours of practicing, the students finally nailed the choreography and the spirit of boy/girl relationships in a four-minute dance. “The practices were really tiring, but it was well worth the time; we had so much fun performing. It was a very memorable experience!” says Melody Hsiou. We editors caught a glimpse of the 7^th grade class practicing, and we noticed that they were, for the most part, enjoying themselves immensely. “I liked doing this dance because it was upbeat and comical; it was sort of hard getting the guys to fully participate, but in the end they were probably even more enthusiastic than us girls,” quoted Emily Cheung. “I was almost flattered by the guys’ acting!…just kidding.” The featured break dancer, Chris Chow comments, “I thought it would be stupid at first, but it turned out pretty cool. I didn’t know I could incorporate break dancing and Chinese School into one thing. Oh, yea, practicing also gave us a break from the usual Chinese School routine. Overall, it was cool.” This dance was also a good learning experience; it was required that the students memorize the song lyrics for their semester finals. Now it is insured that every one of these students will have a song to sing when they go to Chinese Karaoke clubs.

The Legend of Year

By: Jerry Jiang

            The performance “Story of Year” portrayed an age-old Chinese legend, which depicted why Chinese calls the passing of NewYear “guo nian.” This performance had it all - from funny scenes, which brought laughter to the entire audience, to action scenes, which were fast paced, and exhilarating. Audience member Shoufan Jiang expresses his feelings about the performance, “The story of Year was a creative way of portraying this Chinese legend. It was performed nicely and even non-Chinese speaking audience members were able to understand the story.”

            Fine performances such as this one do not just come out of the blue. As a Chinese idiom says, “A minute of effort results in a minute of product”. The performers practiced for three hours every Saturday after Chinese School and often had to practice on weeknights. But the  rehearsals paid off as performer Andrew Chang comments, “By practicing hard, we had a good final performance.”

            Compared to the performances done in previous years on the same story, none of the previous performances have been able to permit the audience to understand “The Legend of Year”, like this one. As the years go on, the complicity and organization of these plays will also increase, producing a better viewing experience and understanding for the audience.

The Chinese Orchestra

By: Emily Cheung, Joy Jeng, & Anne Wu

To start off the year 2000, the Thousand Oaks Chinese School Orchestra made its first bow to the audience as a new part of the Chinese New Year Celebration.  Conducted by Dr. Angela Hsu, the orchestra performed two Chinese pieces, Yellow River and Ban Chun Fong. It was such a success that they have decided to play again, for next year’s Chinese New Year Celebration as well.

            It was Dr. Jane Guo who came up with the idea of having a Chinese youth orchestra, and even went to China to search for the music, Yellow River.  Dr. Guo also arranged a time schedule for the orchestra to follow, found donations to sponsor activities, and organized rehearsals and auditions. “I thought it would be nice,”she says, “ if we could get a lot of Chinese kids together to play Chinese music.  Mostly it was for fun, and the performance turned out great.  In order for everything to go together, I had to make over 300 phone calls too!” Conductor Dr. Angela Hsu wanted the kids to appreciate Chinese music and culture. “I hoped they would learn something from participating in the orchestra. I wanted them to know that Chinese music is as beautiful as western music.”

            “Orchestra was a lot of fun,” says Max Wu, “Many of my friends were in it so it was more enjoyable that way.” Fellow orchestra member Howard Chow agrees. “The music wasn’t very challenging,” says Howard, “and I thought the performance turned out pretty well.” All the orchestra members had fun and learned about the Chinese culture through their music.

                This year, Mrs. Guo has passed on the Program Director position to Mrs. Cheng.   Her hopes for this year's orchestra include adding a percussion section to the orchestra and using some of the funding money for various activities dealing with music such as operas, musicals, or...going to Magic Mountain (for the orchestra members’ enjoyment J)!

                A few of the parents had some comments on our performance.  Mr. Deng exclaimed, "Do it again!" while Mrs. Cheung thought our performance was very good, as she knows we will improve next year.  Mrs. Jeng was glad that we got the chance to perform Chinese music.  She thought the final performance was very good as well.  We are all looking forward to making another fantastic performance next year.

David Cousin: Professional Juggler

By: Peter Chang

The juggling act by, David Cousin, was a fantastic show. The show was filled with comedy, suspense, and of-course, juggling. He did a great job, and was well worth watching. My favorite part was when he was balancing on the moving board and juggling at the same time. The man was juggling three apples, and balancing on a board. Not only did he do that; he ate one of the apples while juggling the other two. The climax of the show, however, was at the end when Mr. Cousin juggled three knives. He demonstrated their sharpness by cutting up a carrot before juggling. It was definitely a great opportunity to watch this world-renown juggler on stage at our Civic Arts Plaza.

Rolling Hills

By: Heidi Ng & Grace Tang

            The beat of the drums sounded off, girls and boys of the fifth grade class animatedly danced on the stage with their traditional red and gold costumes. One of Taiwan’s most popular pop-singer, A-Mei, added spice to this awesome performance. The bamboo sticks were clicked to the modern beat of this pop song. These talented 5^th grade students gathered every week to practice the wonderful dance we saw at the annual Chinese performance. Not only was time and effort put into this by the students, but the parents as well. Much skill was put into these hand-made authentic costumes.

What inspired the 5^th grade students to do this dance? According to the dance choreographer Minzu Yeh, “I have watched 5 years of the Chinese New Year performances, and I have never seen a dance about Taiwan Indian culture.” The dance assistant June Liu quoted, “This was a very new and original dance. It was a good cultural experience for all the students.” Overall, everyone that helped to make this performance possible concluded that it was a memorable experience.

Y2K Gala

By: Max Wu

Chinese school’s annual New Years celebration at the civics art plaza this year was a blast. It contained many wonderful performances and shows--One of which was the Y2K dance.  It featured the Chinese School jazz class and 8^th grade class.  The two classes danced to clips of Austin powers, Mambo #5, Britney Spears, and Method Man.  Janet Lin, who is an 8^th grader at Chinese school came up with the dance and taught it to the class.  After weeks of hard work and sacrifice, the Y2K dance was ready.  On performance day, everyone was a bit nervous, but once we got on stage, the nervousness disappeared.  With all the pelvis thrusting, hip shaking and arm waving, the dance turned out to be great. Dancer Howard Chou said, “Performing this dance has been a great experience for me.”  The Y2k dance proved to be a huge success.

Behind the Scenes of Y2K

Guest Writer: Janet Lin

My friend Cynthia calls me up Friday night and asks me urgently to write about the experience of choreographing a dance for the New Year’s Performance.  Well, I would have to say that I had so much fun! That experience was so priceless that I wouldn’t give it up even for a box of chocolates.   Sure, there were the times when I seriously thought I was going to pass out from frustration, but overall, it was certainly fun.  I have been dancing since the “Sesame Street” days, so it was about time that I flexed some muscles in choreographing a dance that will actually be seen by people other than my family and myself.  I admit that I was often stumped, but soon enough I found inspiration and sometimes in the oddest places.  For example, the now notorious “pelvic thrust” was inspired by the GAP commercial, and several other ideas were formulated from reading the nutritional facts of the side of a cereal box.  Don’t ask.  Of course there are my fellow classmates that volunteered to be my dancers; it would be pretty hard choreographing a dance without dancers, who also served as guidelines.  For instance, my friend Peter became my Guinea pig to test out some funky dance moves.

            Every Saturday morning our class would meet at Chinese school an hour early.  I don’t know about the rest of the class, but I always had severe cases of morning grumpiness.  Thankfully, Teacher Liang always greeted us on those cold mornings with donuts.

            Also, who can forget those cute little Y2K buggers? Method Man was supplied blissfully by my dear brother Joel, the ultimate rap fanatic.  The costumes were made by the sewing whiz Aunty Wu, whom I cannot thank enough. So, as you can see, this was definitely a group effort.  I would say Happy New Year, but I have a feeling that will be said somewhere else in the newsletter. “Take care of yourself and each other.”-Jerry Springer

The Handkerchief Dance

By: Iris Jiang

            On January 29^th, our class (the Peony Dance Ensemble) performed the Handkerchief Dance at the Civic Arts Plaza.  We had practiced the dance for about 11 months and were fully prepared to go on stage. It was fun and full of life and the dance was based upon Chinese New Year because the handkerchiefs were red and our costumes were pink.

            We used two different kinds of handkerchiefs.  We started out with two soft ones that we spun in front of us, which gave the audience the illusion of a fan or spiral.  We used a second type handkerchief (a hard one) for the 2^nd half of the dance. Underneath the handkerchief was a little hole that went on top of our fingers so we were able to spin it. Towards the end of the dance, we did a movement called the “dragon’s tail” where we got in a line and the leader led the line like a dragon’s tail.  It was very beautiful. 

            “The dance was kind of fun and I really liked it,” said Desiree Hsiou.  Kimberly Lee agrees with Desiree Hsiou 100% and adds, “We worked very hard and I think the outcome was great. It was great to be with all my friends!”

            In conclusion, the dance was a great success and it fit the New Years program line up perfectly.  I’m sure it was a great and exciting experience for both the dancers and the audience.

The Story of the Chinese Zodiac

By:  Julie Guo

            Long ago in the high heavens, the gods were deciding how to symbolize themselves to their believers. One of the gods suddenly got a great idea. He said, "Why don't we have a race for all the animals on the ground. The first twelve animals to finish the race will be the ones worthy enough to represent us."

            The gods voted and they all agreed to this contest. They sent a messenger to give the contestants the news. 

            The morning of the big race arrived. The animals lined up at the starting line. The gods shouted, "START!" and off they went. They speeded through the plains. The three in the lead, an ox, a cat, and a rat, stopped at the river. You see, the ox had poor vision and needed help to see the rest of the way, and

the cat had no way to cross the river so the two made a deal. The cat would lead the way for the ox and the ox would carry the cat over the river on his back. So the cat jumped on his back, but little did they know that the sneaky rat jumped onto the ox's back as well. He held onto the ox’s tail, and they were getting closer to the finish line. The rat climbed up to the head of the ox and pushed the cat in the river, almost drowning him. The rat ran to the finish line, winning the race. Right behind him was the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar, who just made it by a nose. 

            The gods saw the results and named these twelve animals as different years of the Lunar Calendar, thereby creating the Chinese Zodiac. This story also explains why cats always chase mice.

Inspiration:  A Reflection on the Millennium to Come

By: Justine Chiou

There was a time, a time and a time, before we who live now under the sun and the sky came to count time.  In a millennium of nights, an infinity of generations, we became who we are today- beings on the brink between bestiality and omniscience.  We are capable of such beautiful dreams and yet we commit such atrocious nightmares.  We are like no others.  Perhaps it is by chance of evolution, or perhaps we are destined to become as such- we are ever ascending to a greater height, ever perceiving with a greater depth.  We are arrogant- in our minds we already have supremacy over all others. We are alone- indeed, we seek friendship and understanding in ourselves and no one else.  Yet we will continue to ask, to look to our Gods, to our past, and to the heavens themselves for a soul mate, another like us.  We search to see what we genuinely are, as reflected in another's eyes.  As the centuries fly, we approach hopelessness- What if we truly are alone?  And as we see this piercing darkness before us, we begin to doubt our nature.  As we reveal to ourselves the simplicity that we so long have tried to mask, we realize how small and insignificant we seem.  So often does this vision insinuate itself into our eyes, we fail to understand how full of wonder we really are, that in our solitude, we are inescapably precious.  In our very isolation we may find the inspiration that we pursue.  The completion that we hunger for is in us, in our art, in our faith, in our dreams, in our love.  Can we not look into the eyes of our peers, and in their souls find happiness?  The human mind is exquisite. Its stunning, insatiate capacity remains unexplored, only to be chronicled by the works of pure genius that it blossoms.  Can such be conceived by those that commit such terrors?  No, in our inspiration and love alone, we can be redeemed.  In our faith and inspiration alone, we can find salvation.  To the cosmos, we are but infants, leaving the womb for the first time.  We have just begun.  In its very essence, mankind is magical, his exploration, his scrutiny, his inventiveness, his artistry.  We are the manifestation of our own perfection.  We are our inspiration.

Year 2K, Year of the Dragon

By: Jerry Jiang

            What does the year 2000 mean to me? Well, ever since I knew about cars and driving, I've waited for the year 2000. This year I finally turn 16 and can get my license. When there were rumors going around about the world ending when it turned year 2000, the first thing that came to  my mind was, "Are they talking about Eastern Time or Pacific Time?" Then I realized that I'm coming so close

to being able to legally drive, that suddenly all life and all cars vanishing from the face of the earth would totally suck! I was glad that nothing happened when the clock struck twelve that night. With a new century, new drivers will take the road. So present drivers beware, I will be on the road in a few months, and if you see a car barreling down at high speeds, be smart and get out of their way.

            This year is also the year of the dragon, which means my little sister has gone through the entire cycle of the Chinese zodiac. It makes me realize that she is not so little any more. She is growing up, succeeding at her own level. She is the only sister I have and it has been fun watching her grow up. As you can see, year 2000 doesn't only mean a giant party for me, but also the beginning of freedom, and the end of my sister's preteen years. On an ending note, WHERE ARE THE FLYING CARS?!?!

Looking to the Future

By: Angela Sun

            As the New Year is brought in, everyone contemplates their need for change.  For the first day of the year is the only day where we feel we can finally take control of our lives.  This day is the only day where we can start with a clean slate.  This year, I believe we did.  Los Angeles was one of the last places in the world to see the new millennium arrive.  Because of this, we were given the opportunity to see how other countries celebrated, and how the world celebrated.  What we saw on our televisions were celebrations that hopefully signified the turning of a tide.  For one day in the history of the world, everything seemed at peace.  There was no fighting.  Instead, there were voices unified in a song of hope.  The world rejoiced for we had survived another millennium, and the prospect of the next is uncharacteristically optimistic.  In a year that will be monumentally known for its change, nothing will cease the world's interest in everything that is innovative and unknown.  The opportunity is out there, and today's youth has every advantage.  We have the power to change what is wrong.  For thousands of years, the voices of children were not heard or respected.  Finally, it is our turn to create our future.  Today's youth live in a world where innocence is lost.  The horrors and atrocities of war, poverty, and

violence are commonplace.  Our access to news and information is as easy as clicking a button.  We see the world with a clarity which children have never possessed.  The new millennium is our chance to make a difference.

A Different Path

By: Cynthia Wang

            The millennium… hmm.... I guess this should mean a lot to me, but does it really? I mean, it technically still is the 20^th century. The 21^st century begins next year, for all you who are misinformed. I have had many arguments with my friends who are juniors, because they say THEY are the first class of the millennium, not us. Even so, this year does mean a lot. I’m the drum major of the Thousand Oaks Lancer Band. I’m a senior – something of great significance on campus. I’m graduating. This year closes a chapter in my life as I frantically fill out college applications and anxiously wait for the colleges to make their decisions.

            So yes, the year 2000 is quite meaningful to me. For the past two years I’ve had a “00” on my letterman jacket. My friends and I always joke that we’re the class of nothings, but now, rather, I think

we are something - a lot of something. Graduation marks the end of our childhood, the end of innocent days idling around, without a worry in the world. Let Mom and Dad do the worrying. We (I speak for the graduating seniors) are now about to step into a whole new world as adults. We will be faced with decisions that may determine the rest of our lives. The rest of our lives… that seems so far away, doesn’t it? But as they say, today is the first day of the rest of our lives. We leave old friends, and make new ones. Yes, the thought of leaving my friends and family is definitely a painful one. What will it be like, I often wonder, to not see these people day after day? My whole way of life as it is now will change. No more running across campus to class because our band director decided to let us go 30 seconds before the tardy bell rang. We’ll be freshmen again. For the past three years of my life, I could always predict what I’d be doing the next year, but this year, it’s impossible.

            Leaving home is hard – to not sleep in my own bed every night, to not see my parents and my little brother everyday, to eat dinner in a school cafeteria instead of in the comfort of home where I can complain to my parents about my day. I have a lot to thank my parents for. Too often, we take our parents for granted, and it’s only when we leave them that we realize how much they have sacrificed for us.

            Leaving my friends is hard as well. These are people to whom I have related these four years in high school, with whom I have spent a whole week with when our band went to Washington DC (and survived without killing each other – an amazing feat, indeed), with whom I have been though thick and thin, laughter and tears, victory and defeat. I often wonder if I will ever find better friends. They will always hold a special place in my heart.

            A step is to be taken, a risk to be made. We walked this path together, and now it is time for us to take different paths. We will look back on our times together with the fondest memories for years to come.

“Together forever, never apart. Maybe in distance, but never at heart.”

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