FEB 2015A CALIFORNIA AGGIE NEWSPAPER PUBLICATION

MAGAZINE

As we approach The California Aggie Newspaper’s 100th year of production, we must consider how far Davis as a city and campus has come. We have truly grown as a campus community and it is important we have a medium to share our stories and personal narratives to continue to flourish. The Centennial Magazine is a monthly online magazine that will feature personal essays, investigative reporting, cultural commentary, photo essays, music, art and more. We hope to capture, preserve and celebrate the essence of Davis and the individuals who contribute to our community. As the editor of The Centennial Magazine, I invite you to share your experiences and stories. There is power in the written experience. Please email us at magazine@theaggie.org to ask us any questions, engage in philosophical debates and submit your writing. Check us out online at The Aggie | Online Newspaper for each monthly edition.

Sincerely,

Gabriella HamlettEditor, The Centennial Magazine

Note from the Editor

Gabriella Hamlett is the Editor of The Centenni-al Magazine. She is a third-year Psychology Major, B.S. Quirky socks and clogs, the fiction section of the New Yorker and lavender oil make her happier than they should. You can usually find her at strange hours of the day in The California Aggie office. To be her pen-pal or share submissions for The Centennial Magazine, contact her at magazine@theaggie.org.

TABLE OF CONTENTS04 SO WHAT BRINGS YOU TO AUSTRALIA?

10 BRIGHT NIGHTS

14 TALKING TO STRANGERS

18 MY LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

20 FOLDING THINGS, SELLING THINGS AND GETTING

24 PERSONAL STYLEBOOK

28 Q&A with UC DAVIS COMPUTER SCIENCE

30 OFF THE COURT, ON THE RECORD

32 CARTOONS

WELL, IT’S KIND OF A LONG STORY

GETTING COFFEE FOR YOUR BOSS

ASSISTANT Professor YONG JAE LEE

EDITORGabriella Hamlett

ART DIRECTORJennifer Wu

WRITERSMelissa Gaherty, Akira Olivia

Kumamoto, Camille Woods, Sydney

Cohen, Tarischka Stamboel, Ryan

Reed, & Scott Dresser

GRAPHIC DESIGN TEAMSandra Bae & Tiffany Choi

PHOTOGRAPHERSKatie Lin, Ken Cunningham, &

Samantha Spargo

ILLUSTRATORSShaina Forsman &

Evan Liley (cartoonist)

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So What Brings You to Australia? Well, It’s Kind of

a Long Story

That was my cue. A long line of fellow travelers gathered in front of the ticket stand. I took my spot at the end, observing the people in front of me. Little kids ran around the waiting area, some laugh-ing and others crying as their parents yelled at them in a frenzy. Middle aged couples held hands while calmly chatting about their adventure home or abroad, ignoring the kids. And then there I stood, a young college student holding only a passport and a pillow. I clashed against the norm of the crowd. When the other passengers asked about where I was headed, they all reacted with a similar response: a mixture of envy and nostalgia. They all knew I was in for an exciting adventure. The line shortened and I approached the ticket stand, where a lady in blue uniform checked my passport and boarding pass. I clutched my re-turned items as I walked on to the plane. Proceeding down the aisle, I looked at my assigned seating. Oh yes, the middle seat that I so adore. Better yet, I did not know who I would be sandwiched in between until my arrival in Sydney. That’s when it dawned on me — I did not know who

“Now boarding economy section. Rows A Through G.”

I was going to sit next to because I had never trav-eled on my own before; I mean truly on my own. For the first time I was going to experience life on my own, taking a quarter abroad in Austra-lia, far away from my family and friends. At this point in my life, I was in desperate need of independence. For a couple years I had felt smothered by my family, ready to break free. My parents had recently gone through a divorce, leav-ing my father and younger sisters desperate for my attention and guidance. At first, I embraced the role of the caretaker until the stress and sadness over-whelmed me. As time went on, the more my family needed me, the more I wanted to avoid responsibili-ty, get away and be carefree. Since I was seven years old, I developed this strange association between independence and Australia. At that time, my favorite movie was “Our Lips are Sealed,” a classic Mary-Kate and Ashley adventure film that came out in 2000. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were twin pre-teens who entered into the witness protection program after acciden-tally interfering with a museum robbery. The girls were instructed to leave the U.S. and attend the rest of high school in Sydney. During their time there, the twins thrived, mastering the stereotypical Australian lifestyle. They rode around the harbor in

a yacht, lived with a pet kangaroo, met cute Austra-lian boys, learned the funny Aussie lingo and even won a surf competition. When I was seven I dreamed about mov-ing to Australia, simultaneously living in the vast Outback and attending school in the city of Sydney. Like Mary-Kate and Ashley, I wanted a romantic Australian life where leaving home meant that all these amazing experiences would follow. Their movie catered to every kid’s na-ive perception of an ideal future, where any fantasy could become reality. By the end of the movie, my seven-year-old self connected to their story and experience, seeing it as my own. It was much like watching a Disney princess movie and suddenly believing that you, too, could become a mermaid or rule a fake kingdom as a legitimate profession. Fourteen years later and I remained attached to a place I knew nothing about other than what the Olsen twins had told me. All I knew was I was sup-posed to go there, away from the confines of home and ready for an exciting new experience. Finally, the time had come.

Sometime after taking my seat, the seat belt sign flashed bright orange. As the flight attendants performed their safety procedures, the walls of the plane seemed to narrow in on me. The plane began pulling away and lifting into the air. I saw San Fran-cisco’s buildings and roads get smaller and smaller below me until all I could see were clouds and sky. Looking over at the passenger next to me, out of the small, oval window, I realized there was no turn-

ing back. I distracted myself with the newest Hobbit movie I never had the chance to see in theaters. Watching the little hobbits and dwarves made my nervousness temporarily subside and I drifted to sleep.

“Please close your tray tables and return your chair to its upright position.” My eyes opened and came into focus as flight attendants walked through the aisles collect-ing garbage and repeating that same memorized phrase to each row. The pilot announced over the intercom that we had 20 minutes until descent. My long hair was frizzy and knotted, my brown eyes drooped and my back hurt from the uncomfortable economy seat I had spent too much time in. Had

“All I knew was I was supposed to go there...”

by Melissa Gaherty

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I slo

wly

beg

an to

rea

lize t

hat

unlik

e M

ary-

Kate

and

Ash

ley,

I was

al

l gro

wn

up a

nd li

ving

in r

ealit

y.

I slept at all? I faintly remember waking up every 20 minutes out of discomfort and then falling back asleep. I was as ready as I was going to be for my arrival. I exited the plane, gathered my luggage and approached the rotating airport door. It was time to finally step outside and see Aus-tralia for the first time. All these expectations buzzed around in my head: What would I see next? A train, a bus, another train and then a busy city. My surroundings mimicked San Fran-cisco, which was 30 minutes from where I live in California. A bit anti-climactic, I would say. I did not recognize anything surprising-ly new or unfamiliar. Signs led me to my in-structed train heading towards Central Station. There were several empty seats to choose from so I spread out, making myself so com-fortable that my eyes again glazed over and I drifted off. After some time, the train suddenly jerked. I zoned back in right as I was riding over the Harbor Bridge. Oh my god! I’m on the bridge! Hey, there’s the Opera Ho…Oh wait, it’s gone. Yes, there it was; the icon of Sydney…and I had basically missed it. My tiredness quickly transformed into disappointment. Already my actual experi-ence in Australia had turned out to be quite different than I imagined. When I looked around, I did not see kangaroos casually hopping around. The days I went exploring, I did not immediately befriend native Australians. The first beach I went to, no one was surfing. Why didn’t I feel more like Mary-Kate and Ashley? I slowly began to realize that unlike Mary-Kate and Ashley, I was all grown up and living in re-ality. My first two weeks were spent battling the hardships of transpor-tation, coping with the unexpected

pain of being away from my family and friends, balancing school and an internship, and questioning how indepen-dent I really wanted to be. In the movie, the Olsen twins’ biggest challenge was winning over the queen-bee by eating vegemite and smashing soda cans on their heads. Weren’t things supposed to be easier? Why was life here already so challenging? Despite my complaints and disappointments, I knew I’d find that love for Australia I had but could not yet quite pin-point. I just did not realize how long it would take. As my program went on, I quickly forgot about the hollywood life of Mary-Kate and Ashley. I was starting my life here independent of theirs, experiencing my own adventures and excursions. My favorite excursion happened to be the most physically exhausting. Our group went on a kayaking trip at Bundeena Beach, a small paradise about two hours of outside of Sydney. After a train ride to the city of Cro-nulla, we transferred to a green, old fashioned-looking ferry boat. We sat on wooden benches with many open windows that surrounded us, allowing the ocean breeze to rush in. Riding along the shore, I looked out and saw roughness of the bright blue water against the soft, beige sand. Once we docked our group ran down to the beach, eager to begin our kayaking adventure. I had never kayaked before so I was not prepared for the physical en-durance it required, especially in the rough ocean water. Before I realized this, it was time to pick partners. I paired myself with my close friend, Ayesha, who, like myself, is quite lanky. I figured her sassiness would keep me entertained and her relaxed personality would make us a perfect match. Plus, we both shared the love of old 90s TV shows so we could keep a consistent banter full of endless quotes and references. As we chatted and laughed, we did not take the directions of the instructor too seriously. We decided to relax behind the main group, lying in our kayak in the middle of the water. The sun beat down on us as our kayak swayed to the rhythm of the waves. Ayesha’s wavy black hair and natural tan contrasted my dirty blond hair and paleness as we basked in the heat. After a long dis-cussion of the Lizzie McGuire Movie, we realized that the group had gone far ahead, around the beach peninsula to the other side of the ocean. We came up with the brilliant idea of walking our kayak across the beach as a shortcut instead of trying catch up to them. This way we could intercept the group as they come back around the other side of the peninsula. We dragged the heavy yellow kayak across the sand. At the other side of the shore, the waves were very intense and the current pushed towards us. Preparing to jump back into the kayak, a big wave crashed into us and we

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capsized. Saltwater burned our eyes and sand filled our swim suits. We pushed the kayak out towards the mon-strous waves again, only to be thrown around a few more times. We managed to laugh through the pain of being hit by consistent, strong bodies of saltwater and a heavy kayak. As we shoved along, we even-tually got the kayak out into the water face up and jumped in. At this point we were exhausted from the battle against the water but had a long way to go. To keep motivated we sang silly songs and talked about our favorite movies when we were young, including Mary Kate and Ashley’s “Our Lips are Sealed.” “Life here isn’t anything like theirs were in the movie,” I said. “They made it seem so easy, like all these amazing experiences would just happen to us.” “Yeah, but it’s just a silly pre-teen girl movie. What we are doing here is real and it’s exciting. It’s definitely not perfect but I’d say this reality is pretty epic,” Ayesha responded. And she was right. Here, we are still sub-jected to reality. I had imagined Australia to be a magical escape, where life would be easy and care-free. However, I had not found that at all. I battled many hardships during my time here; I just did not realize I had been battling with myself. In the lead up to and in the beginning of my trip, I had tried to find an escape that did not exist. I realized the purpose of traveling was not to escape or avoid pain, but to embrace indepen-

dence. All of my problems at home will still be there whether or not I return. Traveling away will not make life any easier or better, but it will help you find yourself. I had, in a way, accomplished just that. At home, I limited myself based on what oth-ers wanted from me, rarely thinking about what I wanted for myself. My experience in Australia made me realize that when I go home, I should not try to avoid my problems or my family but instead learn to balance the person I need to be with the person I want to be. My Australian trip had been nothing like the expectations and dreams I had 15 years ago. However, reflecting back on my seven-year-old self, I found that this trip has been much better than I imagined. I had not found a pet kangaroo, ridden on a yacht across the harbor or fallen in love with an Australian surfer. However, I had mastered the city lifestyle, battled the ocean on a kayak and trav-eled across the world and back on my own.

Melissa Gaherty is a staff writer for The Centennial Magazine. She is passionate about traveling, volun-

teering at Challah for Hunger, watching Mary-Kate and Ashley movies, being Whiskey Business’ number one

fan, studying political equality and meeting Harry Styles. On any given day she can be found “studying” at Peets

with friends, running at the gym, writing in her journal, watching netflix, and swinging in a hammock on the

Quad. You can reach her at magazine@theaggie.org.

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It’s Friday evening.

The last glow of pink in the sky just faded and the crows have settled into trees. The last handful of students bike as fast as they can off campus. As the night blackens, the air runs quiet. But un-der the dark blanket of the night sky, Davis students are anxious-ly making their way from place to place.

It’s the unseen that adds to the excitement. The lines blur be-tween the music, the conversation, the emotion, the scenery. It’s this blurred feeling that draws me in to taking photos at night. Most people I take pictures of don’t even notice the blinding mil-lisecond that exposes the scene for what it really is. But in that millisecond, my cheap-y film camera flash captures more of the night than any device (human or machine) could.

Ken Cunningham is a photographer for The California Aggie. Catch him around

campus sporting sunny shorts on a rainy day making his way to a food engineering class.

He is currently transfixed on composure, observation, and culture. You can contact him

at photo@theaggie.org.

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“It’s the unseen that adds to the excitement”

- KEN CUNNINGHAM

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by Akira Olivia Kumamoto

“When we’re young, we are advised by our parents not to talk to strangers.”

Adults use this warning to protect children, of course, but I’ve noticed that as we age and we understand that “not talking to strangers” just means avoiding dangerous situations, we continue to accept the notion that we shouldn’t speak with people we don’t know, period. In waiting rooms we stay glued to our phones, we avoid eye contact in elevators, and even pretend not hear another person when they try to start conversation. Sure, there are moments when it’s best to avoid bugging someone, but I’ve come to realize that maybe every time I don’t grasp an opportunity to get to know a stranger, I may be missing out on learning something important. In order to explain what I mean, I’ll do what I do best and offer you a recent experience of mine.

A few nights ago, I was taking a jog near the North Davis pond and the train tracks on the outskirt of the city. The road near the tracks was completely empty and seemed to disappear into the dusky watercolors of the horizon. The birds of the night were emerging from their sleep, littering the sky above, and the crickets were tuning their nightsongs. I’d run further than usual as I had begun to lose myself in the cinematic evening scene surrounding me. I forced myself to ignore the breath-taking beauty of this little-populated area of Davis because it was beginning to get dark, and I decided I needed head home. As I rounded the lake, though, I noticed an old man, maybe around 60 or 70, standing alone at the edge of the water, eyes towards the sky. He noticed me and, quite unexpectedly, yelled “Quick! Come here!” I was completely thrown off-guard and honestly, kind of scared. The man, though, called me with urgency and beckoned me over with an unthreatening outstretched arm. My mind told me to keep running, but my instincts caused me stop at his side. As I approached him I noticed his eyes were bloodshot and his face was puffy, like he had been crying. He pointed

TALKING TO STRANGERS

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across the shadowy pond to the top of a tree, his eyes once again towards the sky. “Do you see them? Can you believe how beautiful they are?” he asked excitedly. In the tree were two large brown owls. Their eyes were beginning to glow green as evening set in. The man began to hoot at them and to my surprise, the birds cooed back. I watched and listened for a short while as the two exchanged this music, and for a moment, I completely forgot what I was doing there. Eventually the man grew quiet, but kept his eye on the owls. Feeling compelled to understand why he wanted me to see the animals, I decided to speak. “Are there a lot of owls around here?” I asked. He immediately began to tell me about all the birds he’d seen at this pond in his lifetime and how this was the first time he’d ever seen owls. Never taking his eyes off the birds, he spoke to me for a long while about his nightly nature walks and how he loved picking fresh flowers to bring to his daughter and how he would bring her on his walks sometimes because all she ever wanted was to bird-watch and witness the cargo train as it sped past civilization into the the great unknown (“a.k.a. Winters, CA”, he chuckled). She hoped one day, he said, that she would get to see an owl. I noticed he hadn’t brought his daughter that night and realized he must be in a dilemma. I took out my cellphone and offered to take a photo of the birds for him

— or at least try the best I could beneath the setting shadows — so I could send the photos to his daughter on his behalf. For the first time since I approached him, the man looked me in the eye. His eyes began to well with tears and his body started to shake violently. I didn’t understand what was going on as he took one of my hands in both of his, and squeezed it. “Thank you,” he said, “but you don’t need cameras in Heaven.” At first I felt horrible, guilty, and I started to apologize profusely — for his loss, for my unknowing, for myself in general. The tears rolled down his cheeks; he was still squeezing my hand. He looked back towards the owls as his grip loosened. This, of course, is the part where you probably expect me to tell you that the man offered me some tidbit of wisdom, told me something that changed my life, or gave me the ring of Mordor (you all just THOUGHT it melted). In reality though, we stood there silently until the sun set and until we could only see shadows of the birds. I began to shiver as the night grew chilly. The man saw this and told me to get a move on. I agreed, but didn’t move for a while as I watched him leave — I was still processing the moment. He didn’t look back. I never asked him his name and never inquired about his daughter, but that didn’t really matter. As I ran back home, I couldn’t help but feel like I had just unexpectedly dropped in on one

of the most purely human experiences: loss. Like I said, I wasn’t given a worldly revelation, nor did I necessarily learn anything new. This experience simply reminded me that life is short and that you cannot regain time once it’s lost. If I already knew this then why did talking to this stranger matter? Well for starters, sure I know I should live life to the fullest, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I do or that I keep this sentiment at the front of my mind. This human encounter reminded me of and enforced the notion that time is precious. His tears spoke volumes, his emotion was real and I could just feel he regretted that he was never able to help his daughter find an owl he didn’t — have to say it out loud. I couldn’t help thinking, what would I regret in my lifetime? Is there anything I would want to do today if I were to die tomorrow? Is there anything I would do for someone if I knew today would be the last day I would ever get to see them?Because I took the time to talk to this man and allow him to let me into his life, even just a little, I felt the urge to spend the last few days, and hopefully the rest of this week — maybe even the rest of this quarter, making sure the people I love know it, and living life to the absolute fullest. If I hadn’t met him, perhaps I wouldn’t have remember to contact my sister and remind her I’m thinking of her, or maybe I would have missed out on just enjoying the spiritual catharsis that is the sun setting behind the hills of Winters after my runs, rather than just speeding past in a hurry without appreciating the world around me. I’m not saying you should feel obligated to talk to strangers nor am I condoning you if you don’t, but I just want to put out into your universe the questions of “who knows?” and “why not?” Akira Olivia Kumamoto (A.O.K.) is the Arts Editor at The

California Aggie. She writes the “Talking to Strangers” column in The Centennial. She is passionate about string theory, Mark Ruffalo [the human], jazz and cultural journalism. On any given day you can find her writing poetry, practicing acappella, running long distances, fighting for social equity and not sleeping. If you would like to remind A.O.K. that talking to strangers is creepy as heck, you can reach her at arts@theaggie.org or send her a tweet at @akiraolivia.

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My last will and testamentBy Camille Woods

Dear Love,

All I want in life is God and a DoctorateAfter that I’m gone

Burn me like the pages of a banned bookand sprinkle my ashes over Coretta Scott King Roses

Life full of painpained discoveries that classroom history books

are fiction novelsand fiction novels are banned and burned

if they are any good

banned thoughts that support the value of the marginalizedburned pages that detail untold stories

they banned methey burned me

until you get your doctorate

then, to the world you’re legitimized. Kinda.A professional of thought. Kinda.

still marginalized, still devalued, still otherstill labeled

But I am reborn in these pages that they burn

pencils and pages give me the opportunity to bethe petals of a beautiful black woman

out of ash, dirt, and death

they let me talk to GodSo I write you love letters

and maybe one day, my love letter will get me a doctorate

I mean all I want in life is you and a DoctorateAfter that I’m gone

Let the pages of my soul burnand sprinkle my ashes over Coretta Scott King Roses

So my love will grow pink and bloomLet the earth be my urn and my royal tomb

I’ll be home soon. See you then.

Sincerely,Dr.Woods

MY LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT“Camille Iman Woods is an undergraduate at UC Davis interested in advances in medicine through the arts. Camille would like to do graduate study in linguistics to examine the impact of Art therapy – poetry, dance, etc. – on the autistic brain and social interactions. Camille is the creator, editor and facilitator of aggieANGELOUS, UC Davis first poetry column. She loves to laugh and has a newfound love for Afro-Cuban salsa dancing. “

1918

Folding things, selling things, and getting coffee for your boss

I wedged my thumbnail into the crev-ice where my perfectly polished ring-finger-nail met my flesh. With a rhythmic picking, I scratched away at my dry cuticles until a small droplet of blood appeared. Pressing my now throbbing finger into a kleenex I found at the bottom of my purse, I stared out at the grey, choppy bay, hypnotized by the methodical rising and falling of each individual wave. The Larkspur Landing Ferry Terminal shrunk behind the boat. To occupy my mind, I ran over all the items in my purse to assure myself that I hadn’t forgotten anything. Pen? Check. Wallet? Check. Compact? Check. Oil blotting sheets? Check. Resume? Check. As I began to tear away at the remain-ing, shriveled cuticle on my ring finger, I stared into the cold water whizzing by be-neath my window. It remind-ed me of a Ted-Talk I had watched back in May. Back when the air was heavy with heat, and my bedroom on Sycamore Lane was filled with the off-putting scent of the cherry blossom trees that surround my apart-ment building’s parking lot. The speaker was Diana Nyad, the 64-year-old woman who swam from Hava-na, Cuba to Key West, Florida, the first to do so without a shark tank. Nyad completed the swim after three failed attempts. In the Ted-Talk, she harped on the message of not giving up and following your dreams at any

age, but the thing I found most interesting was the credit that she gave her team. Although no one was allowed to physically touch her during her swim, her team provided her with water, food, medicine, navigation, lighting during the night, in addition to unwavering dedication and moral support. Nyad said that this swim was as much their accomplishment as it was her own, because she could have never done it on her own. She wasn’t afraid to recognize that she needed help. I had never been like that. I never ask for help if I can avoid it, taking the longer way around instead of asking for directions, printing from the library instead of admitting I couldn’t set up my own printer. I didn’t do

this because of pride, really, it came more from a place of deep desperation to be con-sidered an adult. To me being a grown up meant not needing help, being independent. If that was true though, I was far from being an adult. Approaching the end of my last Fall Quarter I had spent the last three months asking everyone and their mother if they knew anyone in human resources that would give me an interview, nagging my par-ents to read dozens of cover letters and being

at the mercy of my friends with printers for last minute copies of my resume. I wasn’t get-ting to this job interview by my own accord, not even close. I wasn’t even dressed in my own clothes. I was donning my sister’s stock-ings and my mother’s sweater, both of which she picked out when I struggled to piece together something interview appropriate on my own. Through the thin blanket of fog the “Port of San Francisco” sign glowed brighter and brighter red as the ferry approached its stop. I checked my hair, swept away from my face and gathered at the nape of my neck, in my reflection on the scratched up window ad-jacent to my seat. Making a mental checklist of all of my things again, I pushed my way to the door of the ferry, desperately trying to avoid getting caught behind a mother with a double stroller. The heavy metal door clanked open and I half ran out of the boat and toward the bustling Embarcadero sidewalk. I

had an hour to get to my interview, but I fig-ured that I should make haste because some-how I’m always always getting myself lost. I passed by a couple of teenage boys that were cheating death on skateboards. I’ve passed by them so many times. When I was in high school, I used to come to the city nearly every weekend just to escape the monotony of the suburbs. I felt alive keeping pace with all of the hustling people in grey suits. If this job interview went well maybe I would join them, the pulsing blob of grey suits. I honestly didn’t know if the grey suit life was one I wanted, a question approaching graduates tend to ask themselves. The only thing I confidently knew I wanted out of my post-grad life was some kind of employment. In my job search, I learned that the only jobs I was qualified for were executive assistant positions, retail positions and sales development programs. That is all corporate lingo for Anne Hathaway’s character from

by Sydney Cohen

“I thought that that’s what being an adult meant...”

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‘The Devil Wears Prada” — folding things, selling things and getting coffee for your boss. I’d been told by a lot of people that I would be good at sales, and being sort of lost, it was hard to ignore the same advice repeated to me over and over again by both people who knew me and people who didn’t. I clung to the pole of the Muni car, despite the fact that it felt sticky from all of the clammy commuter hands that had been groping it all morning. I thought back to Nyad’s words of wisdom, about needing a team to accomplish your dreams. Maybe adulthood is less about self-reliance than I thought. My time at Davis has been all about teamwork. I don’t mean on school projects — that’s forced teamwork and let’s be real, we’re not relying on each other, we’re just praying no one in the group will screw over the grade for everyone else . I mean your team of friends that have become your family. Your team that helps you pick out an outfit to impress the boy you like, your team that saves you a seat in the CoHo so you’ll have some-where nice to study, your team that shares their reusable bag at the farmer’s market and your team that braves an 8 a.m. P.E. swim class with you so you can stay in shape. With-out my team, my time at Davis wouldn’t have been nearly as special. With my graduation date quickly approaching, I am learning to appreciate this era of lasts. My last time studying for finals next to the Christmas tree made of books in the library, completing my last stamp card at Yoloberry, my last jog in the Arboretum. Al-though this era of lasts is heart wrenching, to put it lightly, there was no one I would rather share them with than my team. I understood Nyad’s appreciation of her crew now, why thanking them wasn’t watering down her

accomplishment, but how in fact it further celebrated it. Without the people in our lives, the rejections and the accomplishments, they don’t matter unless they are there. After my walk out of Montgomery stop and down the scaffolding covered side-walk, I approached the building where my interview would be held. I sucked in a big gulp of dirty tasting air and walked in.As I was checking in at the front desk, the boy next to me overheard and asked, “Are you here for the Account Executive interview? I had mine yesterday!”I said I was.“You’ll do great,” he said, sounding surpris-ingly genuine. I smiled back and thanked him. As I followed the doorman to the elevator he called after me. “Wait, you have something on your face!” I turned around and he picked a piece of my makeup brush off of my forehead. “Good luck!” and he walked away. As I rode the elevator up I thought to myself, who needs self-reliance, when I can share this with my whole team.

Sydney Cohen is a Staff Writer for The Centennial Magazine. She enjoys lime flavored tortilla chips, the Jack Johnson Pandora station, and spending time in the woods.

Her favorite pastime is being #basic with her #basic friends. You can reach her at sjcohen@ucdavis.edu, find her on her instagram account @thesquidney —because she just looks better with a Valencia filter, or shoot her a

tweet @sydnoosh #shamelessplug.

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PERSONAL STYLEBOOKS

Tiffany Choi

“Fashion is about dressing according to what’s fashionable. Style is more about being yourself.”

- Oscar de la Renta (Vanity Fair)

J: Could you tell me what you’re wearing today?T: Well my hat and shorts are from forever 21, the sweater is from talbots. I got this top from my mom’s closet. I’m also wearing tights with knee high socks and my clear heeled boots are from urban outfitters.

J: What is your inspiration behind your fashion? T: I get my inspiration from almost everywhere. I follow a lot of fashion bloggers on Instagram and sometimes I’ll just look at what other people wear and get inspiration from that.

J: What’s your favorite brand and why?T: I’m not really sure, because I try not to be too obsessed with name brands, but I kind of just go everywhere and if I come across something I like then I’ll get it. I really like H&M and ASOS though because they have a lot of clothes that are edgy and simple which is more my style.

J: What’s unique about the way you approach your style? T: I like to be “out there” with my style. I like to stand out, even though I usually just end up wearing all black. Sometimes I’ll put on an outfit and I’m just like, “What am I wearing?!”, but it’s okay because I’m just having fun and I try not to worry about what other people think.

Tiffany choi, 3rd year, design and communications double major

INTERVIEWED BY: JENNIFER WUPHOTOS BY: JENNIFER WU

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Bella Ly

J: What is your inspiration behind your fashion? B: Halfway through last year I realized I was constantly revamping my wardrobe and easily grew bored of my clothes. It was a vicious cycle of buying clothes and then donating/selling to consignment stores. I got tired of being so inconsistent with my style and had to strip my closet back to the bare basics. I found out I’m so much more comfortable with classic, closet staple items and have been going for minimalism ever since. I also really enjoy menswear, so I always look for structured, boxier pieces and balance them with feminine details.

J: What’s your favorite brand and why?B: I’d have to say Zara. Although their clothing is trendy, it’s not outlandish enough to not be worn ten years from now. As for my favorite designers, I’m a huge fan of Oscar de la Renta, Lela Rose, Alice + Olivia, and Elie Saab.

INTERVIEWED BY: JENNIFER WUPHOTOS BY: JENNIFER WU

J: Could you tell me what you’re wearing today?B: I recently got this leather jacket from Forever 21 and haven’t stopped wearing it since. I’ve been wanting one for a long time and I’m so glad I finally bought one! My sweater is from H&M and my boyfriend jeans are from Gap. The jeans are definitely the star of the outfit in my opinion. They’re so comfortable but easily dressed up or down. I love pairing them with heels.

J: What’s unique about the way you approach your style? B: I wouldn’t call it unique, but I just try to focus on my personality and my comfort. In the past, I’ve always bought things I thought I liked but wouldn’t actually wear because it just wasn’t practical or comfortable. I’m focusing on what I feel most empowered and confident in. I don’t want to worry about how I look all day because I’m unsure of what I’m wearing. Now, I try to buy items I know will contribute to my wardrobe and style – not just something pretty to look at.

Bella Ly, 4th year, Communication & Sociology- Org. Studies; Minor in Textiles and Clothing

Jennifer Wu is an aspiring designer currently attending UC Davis. She is a huge fan of cats and even has an instagram for her kitty, @shweetiepoo. Her hobbies include powerlifting at a local gym, pigging out on Mcdonald’s (soon after hitting the gym), and quoting Kung Pow, Family Guy, and South Park. You can reach her through email: magazine@theaggie.org

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When someone asks you “how was your day?”, we usually indicate only the important events of the day to serve an understandable summary. We don’t talk about breathing, every step we take, or anything too detailed that we judge as insignificant to our day. Although this ability is inherent for humans, extensive coding is needed for computers to perform the same task. Assistant Professor Yong Jae Lee, one of the newest members of UCD’s Computer Science Department, has been developing coding that can accurately and concisely summarize important information from a video. He graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and got his Master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Ph.D at the University of Texas, Austin. He has published several papers focusing on computer vision, most recently the 2014 study, “Predicting Important Objects for Egocentric Video Summarization.”

The following is adapted from an email interview with Assistant Professor Lee.

THE CENTENNIAL: Many of your studies focus on computer vision. Can you elaborate on the field of study?

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR YONG JAE LEE: Computer vision is the study of building machines that can “see” the way we humans do. My research focuses on the design of algorithms and image representations that allow a machine to accurately recognize objects, their properties and the activities of people appearing in an image or video with minimal human guidance.

THE CENTENNIAL: In your study “Predicting Important Objects for Egocentric Video Summarization” what were your main findings? What are the implications?

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR YONG JAE LEE: In that work, we developed an algorithm that automatically creates a short visual summary of a very long video taken by a wearable camera, like Google Glass. Our algorithm

Q&A with UC Davis Computer Science Assistant Professor Yong Jae LeeWritten By TARISCHKA STAMBOEL

predicts the important people and objects that the camera wearer interacted with, and uses those predictions to select the keyframes that go into the final summary. With our algorithm, we can go from a video that is several hours long to a short keyframe summary that depicts the key happenings of the camera wearer’s day, and can be viewed in a matter of seconds.

THE CENTENNIAL: In what ways will this research be applied in society?

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR YONG JAE LEE: There have been studies that show that people with memory problems can better recall key events that happened in their day when viewing a visual diary compared to when reading a written diary. Our algorithm could produce visual diaries to aid such patients. Similarly, our algorithm could be used to summarize videos captured by police officers while on duty or to summarize surveillance videos. An-other application could be to summarize videos captured by robots that are exploring new unexplored territories. These would help relieve the burden of someone having to watch these videos from beginning to end, which can sometimes be many hours long.

THE CENTENNIAL: What should be done to increase interest in computer science?

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR YONG JAE LEE: To increase interest in any discipline, I feel it’s important to provide acces-sibility and opportunities to people from a young age. Computer science is no different. This means providing computer classes in elementary, middle and high school.

THE CENTENNIAL: What important aspects do you believe students should know about computer science?

YJL: The field of computer science is growing rapidly; computer scientists will be in much need, as computers will become ubiquitous in almost all aspects of our everyday lives. If you are a creative person that likes to solve problems and think clearly and logically, then this is a field that you should definitely consider.

THE CENTENNIAL: Aside from your area of research, what other fields within computer science interest you?

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR YONG JAE LEE: While my current research interests are in computer vision, machine learning, and computer graphics, I’m generally interested in all areas of Artificial Intelligence. One research area that I would like to explore in the future is robotics. I want to create a robot that can autonomously learn about environment by physically interacting with objects, like grabbing them, rotating them, etc., much like how we humans learn about our world.

For more information, visit Assistant Professor Yong Jae Lee’s website at web.cs.ucdavis.edu/~yjlee.

Tarischka Stamboel is a staff writer for The Centennial Maga-zine. She can answer any questions at magazine@theaggie.org

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OFF THE COURT, ON THE RECORDA sports podcast recorded by Ryan Reed and Scott Dresser

Welcome to Off the Court, On the Record, the sports focused podcast for The Centennial Mag-azine! We covered a number of topics this week and will give you a brief overview of what we went through.

UC DAVIS MEN’S BASKETBALL:

The Aggies have started the season on a spectacular roll, currently holding first place in the Big West while winning four out of their first five games. A lot of the success comes from senior guard Corey Hawkins, who has consistently been in the top-10 nationally in points scored per game this year while shooting around 50 percent from three. He was also named the 25th best collegiate player by ESPN’s John Gasaway in an article earli-er this year. Hawkins has been a huge part of the men’s basketball team’s rejuvenation, a year after the team finished in last place in the Big West Confer-ence. Still, it has not been a one-man show from the Aggies, as the team is benefiting from four big men who either did not play or barely played a year ago. The Aggies’ formidable frontcourt is made up of senior forward Josh Ritchart and junior forward J.T. Adenrele, who both sat out most of last year with injuries, and junior transfers Josh Fox and Neil Monson. Ritchart, who is averaging almost 11 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, has been at the forefront of the big man resurgence.

Still, the team does not seem to be running a lot of plays for Ritchart, who has turned into a glori-fied spot-up shooter, despite having a far wider skill set. The Aggies could benefit from going to Ritchart more in the post, especially when Hawkins is on the bench. UC Davis has solid game-managing point guards, but the offense sputters when its leading scorer sits. Corey Hawkins, for all of his greatness at this level, does not seem to have much of a future playing in the NBA. He is not quite a point guard, he often turns the ball over and he is too small to play shooting guard. While there are a few NBA players his size, they are generally either fire-cracker scorers who can play some point guard or defensive bullies. Hawkins doesn’t seem to have either in him quite yet, although he does have stretches of games when he absolutely takes over offensively for the Aggies. There is a chance, however, and that may be based on comparisons with his father, Hersey Hawkins who was drafted sixth overall in the 1988 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. Hersey was a 6’3” shooting guard, like Corey, and aver-aged over 35 points per game in his senior year of college. He also now works in NBA player devel-opment, so that may help. The league is simply different now, however, and Corey is finishing at a time when people are bigger, stronger and faster.

UC DAVIS FOOTBALL:

With the basketball team playing so well after finishing last in its league last year, many UC Davis fans wonder whether the football team will go through a similar transformation. The answer to that question would have to be “maybe.” The Aggies did benefit greatly from sophomore quar-terback Ben Scott’s move to the starting lineup,

something that did not happen until midway through the season. On the other hand, the Aggies will lose senior running back Gabe Manzanares, who has been fantastic over the past two seasons. The real issue is whether the Aggies will be able to overcome a poor passing defense, espe-cially since Ron Gould has made it seem as if they are simply hoping to get improved production out of their current players. Defensive backs were con-tinually in the right position but were beaten to the ball by receivers that they were covering. The one team that the Aggies were able to upset, Cal Poly, was a ground-and-pound team, and UC Davis really struggled against any team that could throw.

NFL COACHING:

The Bay Area’s two NFL teams both re-cently went through major coaching transitions, with the 49ers departing with Jim Harbaugh in favor of defensive line coach Jim Tomsula and the Raiders hiring proven Jack Del Rio as head coach after another disappointing season. The 49ers situation is a little puzzling; Harbaugh went 49-22 in four season with the Niners, taking the team to three NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl, essentially taking the team out of two decades of mediocrity and transforming it into a perennial Super Bowl contender. However, Har-baugh reportedly had a strained relationship with ego-centric owner Jed York, leading to the depar-ture of the successful coach after a disappointing 8-8 season. Emotions aside, it seems unfathom-able and somewhat ridiculous that any team would rather have the unproven Tomsula over Harbaugh. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It seems as though the franchise is falling exponentially away from its recent success.Amazingly, there seems to be more optimism across the bay in Oakland, where the Raiders, who haven’t had a winning season in over a decade, have the opportunity to build on a solid rookie season from quarterback Derek Carr. Del Rio has local ties, as he grew up in Hayward, and has the experience and proven track-record, most recently as the Denver Broncos’ defensive coordinator, to turn the franchise around.

NBA BASKETBALL:

The Sacramento Kings also went through a significant coaching change earlier in the year, firing head coach Mike Malone while promoting Tyrone Corbin. The Kings got out to a great start

under Malone but then struggled as their star cen-ter Demarcus Cousins went out with viral meningitis. Malone was fired under the pretenses of poor coach-ing, but it seems that there was far more at play with the decision of ownership. The move has widely been considered to be a headscratcher among people who follow and report on the league. The team has strug-gled since his firing, and Cousins has returned to his temper-tantrum throwing ways. Only a few hours down the road, the Golden State Warriors are absolutely dominating the NBA, perhaps the best team in the league. Klay Thompson just put up a record 37 points in a quarter this month and the backcourt of him and Stephen Curry is the best in the league. The Warriors also bring two former all-stars, David Lee and Andre Iguodala, off of the bench with a few other solid rotation players. After years of struggling, it seems that the right combination of coaching, players and front office moves have made them a powerhouse. Speaking of Cousins, the All-Star game is com-ing up and the Kings center is one of the more confus-ing decisions. He is one of the most dominant offen-sive players in the NBA, but struggles defensively and is helming a pretty bad team. It’ll be interesting to see, especially with the loaded Western Conference, who ends up making it. The Aggie will jokingly nominate Jeremy Lin and Ryan’s favorite player, Carlos Boozer, of the Los Angeles Lakers for the game. The Lakers are struggling now, perhaps for the first time in the memory of current college students. Kobe Bryant just opted for season ending surgery, they lost first round pick Julius Randle at the beginning of the season, and the team is now relying on players to start who would generally be sitting on the bench for other teams. It is sad to see a career like Bryant’s end in the way that it is, but this year seems to be a lost year for the team.

That wraps up the podcast, thank you for read-ing and listening to our first edition and stay tuned for next month’s! Please email us at sports@theaggie.org if you have any questions or comments.

Ryan Reed and Scott Dresser are both editors for The Cali-fornia Aggie. Ryan can be found listening to Grantland pod-casts while playing 2k15 in bed, or waiting for Scott to show up late to their 10 a.m. language class every day. He can be reached at sports@theaggie.org. Scott can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

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Evan Liley is a cartoonist for The California Aggie. Send him questions to magazine@theaggie.org

CARTOONS

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