The April Issue

Whenever people think of April, the first thing they think of is April Fools’ Day — one of the most light-hearted days in the year. People celebrates this spe-cial day by putting tons of pranks ideas, which were saved for the entire year, in practice. Although it’s not considered as a public holiday around the world, April Fools’ Day has been popular since the 19th century. Aside from all the pranks people made, some might question how does April Fools’ Day, not as an official public holiday, become so popular? Also, where did this cheerful practice origi-nate from? Some believe that the origin of April Fools’ Day is closely associated with the adoption of the new year calendar. Ancient cultures, such as the Romans, celebrated their New Year around April 1st.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII declared a new calendar, known as the Grego-rian Calendar, which moved New Year’s day to the 1st of January. However, the sudden change on the calendar wasn’t appreciated by the majority of the popula-tion. Many people refused to accept the new date and continued to use the origi-

nal date as the New Year’s day. People mocked those who followed the “old” calendar by sending them on “fool’s errands” or by spreading misleading informa-tion. Eventually, the practice became widespread in Europe, and turned into present day “April Fool’s Day.” This explanation isn’t fully acceptable in the sense that it doesn’t explain how April Fools’ Day spread to other European countries. Also, April Fools’ Day was already established in England before the Gregorian calendar was adopted by England in 1752. Furthermore, there’s no direct historical evidence that can support this explanation, only conjecture.

The other explanation of the origin of April Fools’ Day is associ-ated with Constantine the Great. According to Joseph Boskin, a profes-sor of history at Boston University, by that time, a group of court jesters and fools declared they could run the Empire better than Constantine. Constantine was amused by this suggestion, and he was persuaded to name one of the jesters, Kugel, as a one-day king. Kugel then commanded on the day of his reign that the day will be a day of absurdity.

This entire story about Constantine and his jesters as an explanation of April Fools’ Day was actually an April Fools’ joke made by Joseph Boskin himself. In 1983, this explanation was brought to attention in an Associated Press article that was printed on many newspapers. Kugel, in fact, is a kind of Jewish savory pudding of potatoes and other vegetables. Boskin seemed to have brought this up because it a dish his friends desired. He suggested that society should be offered some much-needed perspective that can be brought by humor and pranksters. “Good humor-ists are basically secular shamans—they both heckle society on one hand and heal it on the other.”

Although the exact origin is believed to remain a mystery, the tradition of April Fools’ Day was popularized throughout Britain during the 18th century. The April Fool’s’ Day tradition started in Scotland. The trail started with two-day cel-ebrations. On the first day, they “hunt the gowk,” where people were sent on phony errands. On the second day, Tailie Day, people performed pranks on each other. This possibly began the modern prank-celebration of April Fools’ Day.

April Fools’ Day has been celebrated for centuries by different cultures. Al-though it’s not considered an official holiday, the laughter it brings to the human race is invaluable. Regardless of the origins, it’s the meaning we endowed on it that gives it the modern connotation — a day of pranks, absurdity and amusement.

By Jessica Chen (11)

April fools day might be one of the most unique days of the year. It’s the day when you are “legitimately” allowed to prank others. Perhaps it’s the best day for people who likes to prank others, but it could easily be the worst day for startled people who gets fright-ened easily with silly jokes. When asked about the purpose of April Fools, one says that it is for humour and to rationalise pranks while another adds that it’s a day when people are allowed to prank others without much consequence, which allows people to enjoy their mis-chievous deeds.

Though April Fools’ Day began with more physical pranks, in modern times, most April fools pranks happen on the internet. To explore the emotions of the pranked, I’ve performed some interviews and collected few of my favorite replies.

“I have many experiences being pranked on during April Fools, but they were all delivered to me via social media. It was basically false information that either makes me really sad or excited.”

“The way I see it, April Fools is the real-life, PG-13 version of the Purge. It is a way for people to have fun and let some catharsis out of their system. Personally, I have never really been involved in the activities as I have little inclination for pranking and somehow avoiding the mis-chief of others over the years.”

”I have a lot of experience with both being the pranked and pranking people, and after the initial shock or annoyment, I think that both

parties ended up enjoying the occurrence. Most of my experience is with lies and fake events on the day.”

As shown and previously stated, there are always two sides to the experi-ence– the pranked and the fool. When people are asked how they feel while pranking others, prankers unanimously all said that they feel a sense of joy and excitement. On the other hand, a majority of people who got pranked hates the feeling of being fooled. So let’s reevaluate the actual feelings in April Fools’ Day, is it truly a day where “everyone” finds humor and joy?

By Riko Takeda (10)

The Color Trends of Spring 2016

Buttercup: Buttercup is all about sunlight and happiness. It directly propels the first sunny day of spring that everyone has been waiting for. It

brings the idea of being hopeful!

Green Flash: This unique and unexpected color will definitely make you stand out in an urban landscape. This bright green with a yellow un-dertone would be well-accepted for spring and

summer!

Fiesta: This eye-popping color shows excite-ment. It is more warm based than a regular

red. This vivid color provides a strong contrast to the calming and comforting colors of this

season’s palette. It’s very free spirited!

Iced Coffee: Yes, this color is the color of your favorite beverage (or not). This earthly, soft, subtle, and stable color will be a great choice

for the color theme of this spring (calming and comforting).

As spring approaches, it’s time to lighten up your wardrobe? This spring, there are new color trends that you should definitely try out. For this season, most of the colors turns towards hues that suggest health, peace, and accessibility. Calming and peaceful, these colors are combined with hues that will make them bold and playful. You will definitely see these colors a lot this spring, and they might also be colors that you would like to try out! The calming, comforting, and warm colors of this spring will definitely lend a notion of security for 2016.

Lilac Gray: This color will probably become one of your new favorite neutral colors. This neutral yet edgy color will be a perfect choice for that weird in-between weather this spring.

Peach Echo: This warm and friendly color will be perfect for this spring. Although orange

have always been a color that comes and goes. But this pinkish-orange hue is a really friendly and accessible color that you should try out!

Limpet Shell: Shells are usually more to the brown-and-yellow spectrum, but limpet shells are totally different. This fresh, modern, and

clean color will for sure be a good choice if you want a shade of aqua in your clothes.

Rose Quartz: This gentle and compassionate color is going to make you look sweeter than

anything. This beautiful pink will go well on the skin for both men and women. It can make you

look a little healthier!

Serenity: This calming and trusting color is as soothing as it sounds. It is weightless and airy

like the blue sky, and it gives people a feeling of relaxation!

Snorkel Blue: Even though this color has a tradi-tional fall hue, it can be a great refreshening color for the warmer months. The added brightness to this color gives it a more energetic context than

the traditional navy color! It will absolutely serve as one of the central colors for the spring palette.

By Angel Su (10)

Spring is the perfect time for a picnic! It’s the season that is not too cold, yet not too hot. While enjoying the sun outside with your family and friends during picnic, try some of our recipes for picnic snacks. Here are some easy picnic foods you can make with loads of fun, with your family and friends!

DIY Picnic Food

Potato SaladAre you a salad lover? Or a mashed potato lover? Why not combine both to satisfy everyone? Here is a super simple recipe for potato salad. You can eat the salad by itself or use it to make sandwiches.

Ingredients:2 Potatoes1/2 of a Carrot1/2 of an Apple3 Eggs10 Shrimps200g MayonnaiseSaltA handful of mixed nuts

Serving Size: 3 people

Directions:Dice the potatoes and carrot.Steam the potato and carrot in two different bowls. Steam the 3 eggs at the same time in a different bowl as well.Add a pinch of salt into the potato bowl.Peel the eggs. You can put the eggs in cold water first, so it’s easier to peel.Separate the egg whites and egg yolks.Dice the egg whites and mash the egg yolks.Boil the shrimps.Dice the apples. Apples is a natural sweetener that can bring a different taste to the salad. It also brings a crisp texture to the salad that other ingredients don’t have.In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, carrot, and eggs while slowly adding mayonnaise. You may mash the mix-ture even more to create a smoother texture. Add in the diced apples last.Place the shrimps on top of the salad. Sprinkle the mashed egg yolk and a handful of mixed nuts to add color and a more complex taste to the salad.

Nacho Dip People usually bring cookies with them to picnics, but what if you’re not in the mood of sweet food? By sub-stituting cookies with tortilla chips, this is a recipe where you can have salty food while enjoying the crispy texture of cookies!

Serving Size: 1-2 people

Ingredients:2 Big, fresh tomatoes2 Avocados1 Onion4 Limes4 Cloves of garlicA handful of corianderShredded mozzarella cheese (optional)1 Spoon of sour cream (optional)Salt & pepperTortilla chips

Directions:Chop the tomatoes and onion into dices. Get the seeds out of the tomatoes. Split the chopped onion into two portions.Mince the cloves of garlic and separate them into two portions.Cut the avocados and get the seeds out.Slice each lime into halves.Roughly mince the coriander. Split the coriander into two portions.In a small bowl, mix the chopped tomatoes and one portion of the onion together. Then add one portion of the minced garlic, and a portion of coriander.Squeeze two limes, for juice, into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Feel free to give the half-made salsa a try to see if the seasoning fits your personal preference, and adjust accordingly.In another small bowl, mash the avocadoes. Add 1 spoonful of sour cream to add more flavor and make the guacamole smoother.Add the other portion of onion, minced garlic, and coriander into the bowl.Squeeze the juice of the remaining two limes into the bowl. Add a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Once again, adjust the seasoning according to your personal preference.Allow both bowls to sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours.Take a large bowl and layer the salsa flat at the bottom of the bowl. You will notice that there’s a lot of juice at the bottom of the salsa bowl. This is because the salsa has marinaded and the flavor had actually gone into the ingredients.Layer the guacamole on top of the salsa layer.Finally, layer the shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Nacho dip is ready!

Fruit TeaAre you looking for beverages other than lemonade? Try out a fruit tea made with fresh fruits that are easy to find!

Ingredients:5 Kumquats1/4 of an Apple1/2 Lemon2 Passion fruits1/2 Kiwi2 Spoonful of sugarBlack tea bag

Directions:Boil hot water in a pot.Pinch the kumquats and throw them into the boiled water.Dice the apples. Add them into the water as well.Squeeze lemon juice into the pot.When the water starts to give an yellow-orange color, add in the 2 spoonful of sugar. Give it a taste and see whether it is too sweet or sour. You may also add other fruits of your preference.Add in the tea bag. It is important to add the tea bag last so the tea wouldn’t be too strong.Allow it to cool. Add in ice cubes, diced kiwi, and passion fruit!

Egg Pudding Do you have sweet tooth and is looking for desserts for picnic? Try out this easy recipe of delicious egg pudding with caramel sauce!

Ingredients:150g Granulated sugar20cc Room-temperature water30cc Hot water500cc Milk4 Eggs

Serving Size: 2 People

Directions: Preheat the oven to 130°C.To make the caramel sauce, add 20cc of room-temperature water and 80g granulated sugar into a pot. Then place the pot on the stove with medium heat. You can shake the pot, but do not stir the mixture.Cook until the mixture is golden brown and gives off the aroma of caramel. Then pour in 30cc hot water.While the mixture is still hot, distribute the mixture into six pudding glass jars.Put the remaining 70g granulated sugar and 500cc milk into a pot, and heat until the sugar melts completely.Whisk the 4 eggs until the egg yolks and the egg whites are blended fully.While stirring, gradually pour the heated milk into the egg mixture. Mix thoroughly.Pour the mixture into the six jars through a strainer.Bake for 40-60 minutes until a toothpick can come out clean when poked into the pudding jar.

Ham & Egg French Toast Sandwich Are you one of those people who is hard to get full? This easy DIY sandwich is tasty and will definitely fill your stomach!

Serving Size: 2 people

Ingredients:4 Slices of ham (or smoked salmon/chicken)5 EggsMilkOlive oil4 Slices of toastsLettucePeanut butter

Directions:Take 4 eggs, and crack them into a bowl.Whisk the eggs until the egg yolks and the egg whites are blended evenly.Add 2 spoonful of milk. This would give the egg a softer and creamier texture.Preheat the frying pan on the stove. Add some olive oil to the pan. This will prevent the egg from sticking to the pan.Add half of the egg mixture into the pan. Allow the mixture to sit until it is almost solidified so you can easily flip the egg around. Fold the egg into an egg-roll like shape.Perform step 5 for the other half of the mixture.Crack the remaining one egg and whisk the egg. Add 1 spoonful of milk.Dip the slices of toasts into the egg mixture, and fry the toast until one side is golden brown. Then flip the toast to cook the other side. Remember to put more olive oil in the pan.Wash the lettuce and put them into ice water. This can keep the lettuces crisp. Dry out the water on them one by one.Take a slice of french toast and spread peanut butter on it. Peanut butter adds a salty yet sweet flavor to the sandwich.Put the folded egg, ham(or smoked salmon/chicken), and lettuce onto the toast. You may add any other things according to your own preference, such as slices of cheese or tomato.Press the other slice of french toast to finish your homemade sandwich! You can get it wrapped up in plastic wraps so it’s easy to bring with you.

Now, all you need to do is

go on a picnic with your DIY Picnic Food!

By Angel Chang (11)

Editor in Chief: Henry Ko (11)Assistant Editor in Chief: Chloe Hsueh (11), Ashley Wang (9)Secretary: Sydney Ko (10)Staff Supervisor: Michael ChristieWriters: Angel Su (10), Riko Takeda (10), Shannon Liu (11), Angel Chang (11), Chloe Hsueh (11), Jessica Chen (11)Layout Designer: Rika Ishida (10), Hermione Lee (10)

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