Features
4 February 14, 2013
Formal style 2013
 A recap of popular Winter Formal styles to help you with your hunt for the perfect Prom ensemble
by Naomi Menezes News Editor
Cartoons by Audrey Fong
Peplum: A peplum hem
is a pleated piece of fabric that starts at the smallest part of your waist and
falls down to around your
hipbones. The hem adds
elegance to a traditionally
body-hugging dress shape.
The hem works to even out
curves on the body, making it a good choice for
virtually every body type.
A good peplum hem, like
sophomore Ellie Feinerman’s dress, has a solid
structure to it and accentuates the waist. The rest of
the dress should be kept
simple or add a subtle
twist like junior Hannah
O’Connor’s gold speckled
peplum hem dress.
Photo courtesy of Amy Lee
Statement necklace: A
statement necklace is timeless. A good statement
necklaces will look great
not only on formal night,
but also for many nights
after that. A statement
necklace adds a pop of
color to a simple ensemble,
making it much more formal. A statement necklace
can elevate a simple bodycon dress to being formal
ready as well. The varieties
are endless for statement
necklaces; you can go with
something geometric, like
senior Courtney Nguyen’s necklace, or a more
traditional floral design
like senior Joyce Yang’s
necklace.
Photo courtesy of Joyce Yang
Lace detailing: Perhaps
this trend is a byproduct of
Kate Middleton’s lacey arms
on her Alexander McQueen
wedding dress from last year,
but lace detailing seems to
be everywhere lately. Lace
detailing on the arms, like
on sophomore Amy Lee’s
dress, adds a romantic flair
to the traditional Little Black
Dress, perfect for a formal
night. Lace can also be used
in conjunction with cutouts
on dresses. A deep V-neck
and side cuts may seem a little bit too much for a school
dance, but as senior Allison
Baayoun’s lacey black dress
proves, the addition of a
little lace adds enough class
for Winter Formal.
Photo courtesy of Allison Baayoun
(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) SOPHOMORES ELLIE FEINERMAN AND SHUNTARO NISHI, SENIORS TAKUMI USUI, JOYCE YANG, MADI EDSON AND ALLISON BAAYOUN show off this year’s fashion trends. Baayoun wore a stunning black lace cutout dress while Yang chose a colbalt blue statement necklace to add a pop of color to her chic bodycon dress. Feinerman wore a bright coral peplum dress as well.
Features
Orange County ‘Cupcake Wars’
February 14, 2013
 Three local cupcake
bakeries have made
names for themselves after
winning the reality show
by Christine Chang
Staff Writer
O
range County has a lot of things to be
proud of, including its cupcake bakeries. Casey’s Cupcakes and
The Perfect Circle Cupcakery were both
past
winners
of “Cupcake
Wars,”
a
popular reality show
on Food
Network.
Casey’s
Cupcakes
has a total of
four locations,
three of them in Orange County. The bakery’s
owner and creator, Casey Reinhardt
opened up this bakery when she was only
a junior in college and her goal for the
bakery was for it to be a Disneyland for
the sweet-toothed. When you walk into
the store, you are greeted with bright pink
walls so it feels like you are in a little café.
Reinhardt decorated all her stores to have a
Parisian feel with a Hollywood twist to it.
Reinhardt won Cupcake Wars in 2011 with
the Decadent Dark Chocolate Cupcake
“I like Casey’s cupcakes because all
of the cupcakes are really pretty and you
know that you are getting your money’s
worth,” junior Juliana Park said. “My favorite is the Rockin’ Red Velvet!”
The Perfect Circle Cupcakery is located in the heart of Old Towne Orange.
The bakery is owned by husband and wife,
Joe and Alyssa Magliato, who
opened it in 2008. Unlike many other cupcake
bakeries,
the walls are
not pink and
girly but follow a blue,
black
and
white color scheme.
They wanted
to make men feel
welcome inside the
store and as a result, a
majority of their customers are
men.
“At the usual pink-themed cupcake
bakeries, I feel out of place but at this bakery, the neutral and calm colors feel less
intimidating and more welcoming,” junior
Jiyoung Song said.
5
Photos by Christine Chang
JUNIORS JULIANA PARK AND GABBY LEE try some cupcakes at Casey’s Cupcakes in Fashion Island.
Every day the cupcakes are made from
scratch with the finest ingredients. Flavors
range from the Princess (vanilla) to the
Classic Carrot. This cupcakery won Cupcake Wars in the 2011 Grammy episode.
In addition to these winners of “Cupcake Wars,” Sprinkles is also another well
known cupcake bakery in Orange County.
The bakery has never been on or won Cupcake Wars because its founder, Candace
Nelson, is one of the judges. Sprinkles has
many locations all over the country and
has also created cupcake ATMs and cupcake ice cream. Sprinkles is the pioneer of
the many cupcake shops that exist today
for it is the world’s first cupcake bakery.
“One thing that makes Sprinkles one of
my favorite cupcake bakeries is that they
have such a wide variety of flavors and you
are also able to personalize the cupcakes
to fit any occasion,” junior Danielle Kang
said.
A perfect date? Priceless
 Here are some
inexpensive ideas you can
do today to show just how
much you care
by Caitlin Kealey
Staff Writer
V
alentine’s Day is today and if you
have nothing planned for you and
your special someone, what do you do?
Maybe you do not have a job, maybe your
allowance is minimal or maybe your parents will not help you out any further than
what you are already earning from them.
Teenage life can be cruel but do not worry;
dates do not need to be expensive in order
to be fun.
“The best place to go on a budget is
definitely to the beach as well as staying at
home relaxing with a movie night,” senior
Hanna Pabiadzimskaya said. “Another
idea is to take advantage of community
Photo courtesy of Hanna Pabiadzimskaya
SENIOR HANNA PABIADZIMSKAYA and her boyfriend Kris Orduna take a romantic stroll along
Laguna Beach.
resources like the Heritage Park Art Center, which is only five dollars to get in and
paint, do ceramics or anything else like
that.”
Not every date has to be the typical
dinner and a movie; it is fun and less ex-
pensive to go places where you can simply
enjoy being out with your date.
Sometimes it feels like the things to do
in this bubble are very limited, so it would
be to your advantage to have a car, but not
everyone can drive. Now what if you and
your date disagree? Walks around the lake
and feeding the ducks can be very entertaining, conversational and romantic. You
can even choose a place with a good view
to have a picnic around the lake as well.
“Be creative and imaginative when it
comes to dates. They don’t have to be extravagant,” senior Taegin Sung said. “As
long as you have a good time, that’s all that
matters.”
An enjoyable date should depend on the
person you are with, not the money he or
she spends on you or you spend in return.
Of course, everyone deserves to be treated
to a more expensive evening every once in
a while, but as high school students, that
is a rarity. If you feel something is missing, you can never go wrong by ending
the night with baking brownies, cookies or
anything that satisfies your sweet tooth.
6
Features
February 14, 2013
Securing ‘The Bubble’
 The City of Irvine
has made a new, free
smartphone application
with helpful features
by Caitlyn Nguyen
Backpage Editor
W
ith the launch of its new smartphone
app “Access Irvine,” the city of Irvine becomes high-tech with new features
that let Irvine residents utilize everything
the community has to offer.
The application is free and can be
downloaded onto any iPhone or smartphone. There are sections catered to teens,
city events, social media, parks and facilities, police and crime tips.
Within the teen category, students can
get updates on different teen events that
the city has to offer such as dances, forums
and college campus tours. There
are also numerous teen resources at hand
such as information on volunteering and
Photo courtesy of City of Irvine
A SCREENSHOT of the homepage of the new
City of Irvine smartphone application.
assistance with job seeking.
“With the teen feature of the app, I can
see all kinds of fun events for me to do in
the city like dances, battle of the bands and
workshops,” YAT representative and senior Chris Ponce de Leon said.
In the social media and parks and facilities aspects of the app, users can stay better
connected within the city. The social media
category has links to numerous Facebook,
Twitter and YouTube pages that the city
sponsors such as city event promo videos
or new community service opportunities.
Within the parks and facilities feature, the
app gives a list of all the parks in Irvine
and directions to them.
A unique feature of the app is its crime
tip tool. Users can report anonymously on
non-emergency crimes such as stolen bikes
or illegal graffiti. The feature allows users
to attach a photo of the crime along with a
description and geo-tags your location to
the Irvine Police Department.
“It is a cool high tech feature that easily
lets me report a crime with the snap of my
phone camera,” senior Gaby Marks said.
Sweet as pie for your Valentine
 Here is a sweet treat
that will sure make your
Valentine smile
by Hana Brannigan
A&E Editor
V
alentine’s Day has always been a day
to show someone how much you really care about him or her by doing special things just for that person. Now that
it is here, people have been scrambling to
try and find a unique gift for their special
someone. Here is a sweet treat that is easy
to make and will not burn a hole in your
wallet, while still making your significant
other smile.
Ingredients:
• Your favorite pie dough
• Plastic wrap
• A small plate-size cookie cutter that is
heart shaped, or a knife to shape the heart
• Strawberries, cherries or raspberries
• Sugar
• Ricotta cheese
• Powdered sugar (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. To make four mini pies, wash about
eight strawberries and then cut them into
very small pieces. If you decide to use
cherries, make sure to remove the pits and
chop them up. Depending on how many
mini pies you want to make, you may need
to cut up more or fewer fruits.
Photo by Hana Brannigan
SENIORS KIANA HANG AND GRACE LINDBLAD try their own homemade heart-shaped pies.
3. Roll out the pie dough and place it between one or two sheets of plastic wrap.
4. Take the heart-shaped cookie cutter, or
use the knife, and cut out hearts from a
sheet of pie dough.
5. Put the fruits into a small bowl and toss
them with a tablespoon of sugar.
6. Scoop a tablespoon of ricotta cheese in
the middle of the heart shaped pie dough
pieces. Then, add about a tablespoon of
fruit and sugar mix on top of the ricotta.
7. To finish it off, put another heart-shaped
pie dough piece to cover the other piece
completely.
8. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden
brown. Depending on how thin or thick the
crust is, it might take longer or shorter to
bake, so keep a close eye.
9. For extra sweetness and presentation,
sprinkle a pinch of powdered sugar on top
and serve.
Recipe courtesy of www.cakestudent.com
The magic of Disney
T
wo weeks ago I went to the Happiest
Place on Earth. Being as I don’t have
a pass (I know what you’re thinking…I
live in Southern California and I don’t
have a Disneyland pass?), that is probably the last time I will go there as a kid
before I officially become an adult.
To say the least, being there put me
in a dreamlike state of mind. Walking
through Cars Land made me feel like Radiator Springs was a real town and I was
actually living in it. Sitting outside the Ice
Cream Parlor on Main Street made me remember all the times I used to go there
when I was little and how it still looks
exactly the same. Watching the park light
up at dusk as I walked alongside my two
favorite people was, I think, the definition
of Disney magic.
Being that I have pretty much all the
Disney classics on videotape, the very essence of Disney magic lies primarily in
its timeless love stories. “Lady and the
Tramp” is my absolute favorite Disney
movie and the first classic love story that
comes to mind.
It’s hard to believe, but “Lady and the
Tramp” originally came out in 1955. This
means that for 58 years, Walt Disney has
managed to make the tale of two completely opposite dogs falling in love a part
of every generation since then.
There is something about that movie
that takes me to another world full of love
and fantasy, happiness and dreams. I may
sound crazy being that this is purely animation, but Lady is just about the cutest
puppy I have ever seen (after my Buddy
Kramer of course) and when she and
the Tramp share that one noodle of spaghetti, my heart melts every time. Disney
worked its magic again with the four little
puppies they had together because three
of them look exactly like Lady and one
looks exactly like Tramp.
If I could, I would live a magical Disney life where I wake up in Sleeping
Beauty’s castle and travel across town in
a horse-drawn carriage. I would be Lady
living with my Tramp and all we would
need is that one plate of spaghetti. That is
the magic of Disney.
Your Features Editor,
Hannah Hartstein