Volume 8, Issue 6
PINETREE POST
Cover art by: Tyrone Co, Sebastian Hernandez
FIRST GLANCE 2 P.4: LOCAL
P.6: FEATURED
The Pinetree Post
STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jennifer Shui ARTICLE EDITOR Jennifer Shui
MMIW
Why Your Parents Deserve an Unsolicited Hug Albumn Review: SOUR
P.9: SPECIAL
P. 13: COMIC
Pinetree’s Business Fair
CONTRIBUTORS Navid Mohammad, Sebastian Hernandez, Alexandra Mandewo, Mattias Wong, HY, Jacob Fu, Hanny Jin GRAPHIC DESIGN Sebastian Hernandez COVER ART Tyrone Co, Sebastian Hernandez SPECIAL THANKS TO The Pinetree Administration, Ms. Rioux
How to Cope with Broken Yolks Ask Tommy
Comic
GET INVOLVED IN THE PT POST! Although we at the Pinetree Post try our best to represent the voice of the everyone at Pinetree, we are only a small group of students. To find the most pressing topics and interesting avenues to explore, we rely on input from readers to curate relevant content only. Anyone is welcome to suggest a topic or provide an opinion for Pinetree Post writers and
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FIRST GLANCE
EDITOR’S NOTE
Almost at the finish line!
Let’s give it our all this final month of school Jennifer Shui Editor-in-Chief
Hello Pinetree! Welcome to yet another issue of the Pinetree Post. At the time of writing (lastminute, as usual), we are officially into our last month of the school year. Hopefully everyone’s doing well enough - the weather has been looking better lately… sort of. Finals are coming up, which are of course a source of stress for us hardworking students, but we are so close to finishing this school year on a good note. We can do it :) Although Olivia Rodrigo’s album SOUR has been out for a while, we are featuring this year’s first official album review in this May issue. Whether you’re a fan of Rodrigo’s music or not, this breakdown of a Disney star’s iconic debut into pop is worth a read. Check out (Olivia Olivia Rodrigo: SOUR Album Retrospective, p.7). p.7 Meanwhile, Pinetree just had its first Business Fair in a long while. Posters and a short introduction to this event can be found on (Pinetree Pinetree Business Fair, p.4). p.4 An important but often overlooked day in May honours missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people in Canada. Also known as Red Dress Day, it encourages learning and brings awareness to this topic in a movement to end violence against these groups of people. As Canadian students, let’s do our best to educate ourselves and others - check out (National National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People, p.5) p.5 by Alexandra Mandewo. Mother’s Day was also in May, and hopefully we were able to show some appreciation to our
hardworking moms for all they do for us. (Why Why Your Parents Deserve an Unsolicited Hug, p.6) p.6 isn’t just dedicated to mothers, but to parental figures in general. To those of us “blessed” with strict parents, that relationship can become a little complicated. None of us are perfect, but as we mature, we learn to live with that relationship and appreciate it for all it’s worth. And it can be worth a lot. Another well-written article this month can be found on (How How to Cope With Broken Yolks, p.9). Yes, the title is an analogy. You’ll find a lot of p.9 those profound connections in this article, which personally, I found to be melodramatic, sincere, emotionally rich, and unfortunately hitting a little too close to home. An article that touches on selfexpectations, feelings of inadequacy, and burnout all in the shell of a deceivingly lighthearted egg article is not one to be missed out on. Especially when it includes cute original artwork from one of our own artists… As always, thank you for reading this issue of the Pinetree Post. We’re proud of this one, as well as all the work and progress we’ve put in to get to this point. Don’t forget to check out the (Comic, Comic, p.13) p.13 and (Ask Ask Tommy, p.12), p.12 some “regulars” of Pinetree Post issues that we all know and love. Get some sleep :) Jennifer Shui Editor-in-Chief
LOCAL 4 Pinetree Business Fair Happy Healthy Club
Navid Mohammad, Sebastian Hernandez Writers
The Pintree Buisness Fair happened a few days ago (as of time of release) and let me tell you, it was AMAZING. We had the extraordinary opportunity to support businesses of our choosing in the two day fair. It was great for food lovers such as my self. Here are some infographics for the vendors that operated on May 31st and June 2nd! (Adam and Nico’s Popcorn, Shakes & Floats, and DotsDot were unavailable for comment)
Source: Milk + Tea Boba Bar
Source: Blue Moon Ice Cream
Source: Craze Hot Grill Skewers
Source: Gimme C’more
Source: Athena Soap & Co.
5 LOCAL National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People
Indigenous women and girls go missing everyday all across North America, but have you ever asked yourself why you never hear about it?
Here’s an example close to home: 20 years ago in Port Coquitlam, the bodies of 13 Indigenous women were found buried on a pig farm. Today, adjacent to where the farm used to be is Fremont Village and our local super Walmart. Indigenous Importance and Meaning women went missing at the hands of the murderer Alexandra Mandewo for over two decades before he was charged for Writer murdering 26 women. In the same time period, 39 other women went missing, however the murderer Seven years ago, a motion was made by the Canadian was not charged for the potential 39 others. Government to address an injustice and a tragedy that had been going on for far too long: missing and Indigenous women go missing at such an alarming murdered Indigenous women. May 5th is officially rate due to numerous factors. One of the biggest recognized nationwide as the National Day of reasons MMIWG2S cases go unsolved is due to the Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous minuscule amount of media coverage said cases Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S). get. Public assistance and intel is extremely valuable in any criminal case, but especially in MMIWG2S cases. Another reason why MMIWG2S cases often go unsolved is due to the complex communications between reserve, tribal, provincial/state, and federal branches. Most Indigenous women and girls go missing off reserve, which complicates cases. However, this reasoning doesn’t apply to the 78% of America’s Indigenous population that lives outside of reservations. These women, girls and two-spirit people are more than just statistics. They were daughters, mothers, Chancey Yackel is pictured during a Source: Ben Nelms/CBC friends, but at the root of it all, humans. People. memorial for Red Dress Day Recognizing MMIWG2S on May 5th and every It is crucial to recognize what this day stands for other day is an active part of helping fight against and to bring awareness to the public. According to injustices. As Nathaniel Branden says, “The first a Government of Canada study, Indigenous women step toward change is awareness”. and girls are 12 times more likely to go missing or be murdered than the average national rate. In Resources: 2020, over 4,000 Indigenous women went missing in -If you or someone you know is struggling with both the US and Canada. However, there are many, coping with a missing person or losing someone, many more women who are missing but have not call 1-844-413-6649 to speak to a counselor. been documented. This makes the true number of -If you know any information on a missing person missing Indigenous women hard to determine. In the contact the RCMP. US, 60% of missing Indigenous women and girls are homicide cases. Such alarming statistics should be met with high concern.
FEATURED 6 Why Your Parents Deserve an Unsolicited Hug
Appreciating the largely unsung heroes in our lives. Mattias Wong Writer
Top 10 photos taken moments before disaster.
Source: Disney
Parents are not perfect. They may unintentionally prod at our deepest insecurities, dismiss our aspirations as nothing more than pipe dreams or tell us to stay home because we’ve already “had enough fun this week.” While they may get on our nerves at times, their faults also give testament to the fact that they are human and deserve recognition for the sacrifices they make and the effort they put in to provide for us. As many of us begin to write new chapters in our lives and satisfy our youthful hunger for exploration, it is important to reflect on the adults who have helped shape who we are today and show more appreciation for all they have given us. Generally speaking, being a parent is a largely unsung role. Unless you have hyperthermia, the rare ability to recall nearly all past experiences in great detail, it is hard for us to perceive just how much work it is to raise a child. Most parents can attest to the non-stop crying and loaded diapers we so graciously gifted them as babies while some mothers may have also gone through health complications such as postpartum depression and blood loss. They also had to somehow teach us
how to use a toilet, form sentences and put one foot in front of the other, because, surprise (!), we come into this world factory resetted with little to no pre-installed features. Many of our firsts were made with our parents by our side: our first bike ride without training wheels, a big piano recital or a game-winning soccer goal. Although these happened long ago, it does not change the fact that these firsts are what have helped shape who we are today. Unfortunately, life inevitably changes and so does our relationship with our parents, thanks in part to something called negative bias. This means our brains have a tendency to amplify our emotional response to negative events and internalize these feelings as opposed to similar positive events. It’s kind of like if Sadness from the movie Inside Out were to touch all of your core memories, leaving you with nothing but feelings of contempt. Luckily, this article is here to play the role of Joy, and would like to remind you of all the things our parents do now that go largely unnoticed; like cutting us a plate of fruit while we study, paying for hydro bills (yes, neither tap water nor electricity is free), taking time off work when we have fevers, driving us to sports practice (especially now that gas is $2) and always being there to give their opinion, whether we like it or not. In fact, I am munching on an ice cream sandwich and a bowl of fruit while writing this article. Thanks, mom. All of us, including myself, will move out of our parents’ house eventually. Although I will not miss the constant nagging or steaming hot breath down my neck, I know my dorm room study sessions will sorely miss the company and snacks my parents provide at home. Growing means building new experiences, being our own person and finding our own way in the world. But it does not require us to abandon the past. In fact, growing in maturity means appreciating the good as it comes and learning from the bad. Our parents are not perfect and negative bias sways us to think they are nothing but imperfect. But perhaps the little Joy in your head has now remembered all that makes your parents special. Give them a hug or spend more quality time with them because, on a holistic scale, they deserve it.
7 FEATURED Olivia Rodrigo: SOUR Album Retrospective
Pop’s newest icon explores the complexities of a breakup on her 2021 debut album SOUR. HY Writer
Olivia Rodrigo’s Promotional Cover for SOUR
Olivia Rodrigo captured the hearts of teenagers everywhere with the release of her 2021 single “drivers license”. The smash hit gave Rodrigo a monumental rise in popularity, with the single breaking Spotify’s records for the most single-day streams, and becoming number one1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making Rodrigo the youngest artist to debut on the chart. The talent was there, with the singer originating from the High School Musical series on Disney+. To many, this was worrying - too many times has the music world seen actors go into their musical careers only to fall flat on their faces. However, Rodrigo seems to have
Source: Geffen Records
had a swift landing - with her debut album SOUR selling out concert tickets and debuting as number one on the Billboard charts. One year later, SOUR remains as the definitive Gen Z breakup anthem. SOUR is a mixed bag of emotions. While it can be labeled as simply a “breakup” record, certain tracks delve into deeper topics. “jealousy, jealousy” sees Rodrigo tackling the toxic effects of social media, and how many of us constantly hold ourselves to unrealistic standards, “I’m so sick of myself… I’d rather be anyone else.” “hope ur ok” is an uplifting anthem for those uncomfortable with their identity,
FEATURED 8 whose parents may not accept them for who they are. It’s clear that Rodrigo is capable of writing more than love-centric tracks.
The breakup narrative is central to the theme of SOUR, and the introduction to Rodrigo’s heartbreak begins with the opening track “brutal,” where she sings about not being able to experience her “teenage dream” - her anger about the recent breakup is conveyed spectacularly through punkpop guitar riffs and heavy drums. Feelings are then immediately dialed down to sadness and bitterness with the follow-up track “traitor,” where Olivia reflects on the failures in the relationship and feelings of betrayal as it took her ex “two weeks to go off and date her.” Olivia’s vocals in this track, paired with the theatrical and grand production, make an earworm of a song.
One of Olivia’s strengths on this album is her ability to draw inspiration from different genres and artists and morph them together to create a cohesive listen. Highlights of SOUR include tracks such as “good 4 u” and “deja vu.” “good 4 u” shows a more hostile side to the album, with the lyrics criticizing the ex-lover for moving on so quickly without remorse for Rodrigo. The track uses heavy guitar and drums to emphasize Rodrigo’s anger through the song. “deja vu” sees Olivia question the legitimacy of her ex’s new relationship, with the new girlfriend not knowing that it’s been “all reused.” A Taylor Swift fan herself, Rodrigo interpolates Swift’s song “Cruel Summer” into the bridge of “deja vu.”
The weakest parts of the album include tracks such as “favorite crime” and “enough for you.” While still listenable and can be potentially some of the
most favourite tracks off the album for some fans, “favorite crime” and “enough for you” in particular suffer because of their production, which only includes an acoustic guitar with very little chord progression. While Rodrigo’s vocals are as stunning as ever, they do not have the ability to completely carry the songs out of mediocrity. The main fault with the album is ending it; Olivia Rodrigo and producer Dan Nigro seem to run dry on production and lyrical content as the album goes on. After all the heartbreak and moving on has been discussed, it seems that the story is essentially over.
SOUR has been the ultimate success story in the music world. To go from a Disney actress to a worldwide pop phenomenon has not been the easiest task for Rodrigo, but SOUR has been an excellent representation of her talent. She has been able to craft extremely catchy, infectious pop music while seamlessly blending genres such as rock, indie, and bedroom pop. While her lyricism might not be the best at times, she’s 19 years old. Let her experience life a bit. One year later, SOUR proves to be as listenable and enjoyable as ever. As someone who primarily listens to Hip-Hop, I highly recommend giving SOUR a listen.
9 SPECIAL How to cope with Broken Yolks
Tracing chips and cracks on a mirror, in preparation of living a flawed and imperfect life. Jacob Fu, Hanny Jin Writer, Artist
Hugs welcome.
Source: Hanny Jin
Introduction — Buttered Pan
I
t was a particularly miserable night.
At 9:27 pm, in the cold of the 10th of a February long gone, an idea sparked to life under a rainfilled, starless sky. This idea for a piece, which would eventually transform into something more resembling a predominant running joke than a actually printable article, took nearly two months of constant lobbying, for Pinetree Post to finally, grudgingly agree to its writing. It was random, it was exciting, and it was absolutely, abhorrently stupid: and therefore, to the person who first hatched this idea in the midst of a February drizzle, all the more so riveting because of it. Yeah, I’m the writer who really, really, REALLY wanted to write an article about eggs. The article you read at this very moment is, unfortunately, not about eggs.
Backdrop — Stovetop First of all, it has to be stated (and also entirely written in anecdotal first-person) that the former article in question, among English 12 essays on existentialism and 1500 word university personal profiles, was unquestionably the hardest piece of writing I have ever had to write in high school - which is legitimately hilarious, considering that the original intention of the article was just to act as padding, to shove three or four short, essentially filler paragraphs about eggs into an smaller issue of Pinetree Post. The plan here was simple: All that had to be done, was to first gather a shopping basket full of obscure egg facts, whisk them together in a batter of filler transitions and egg puns, bake the tray in the oven at 400° fahrenheit (or 477.59 Kelvin, in case you needed to calculate the specific heat capacity of the article to five sig figs) for a handful of days, and voila! The infallible recipe, passed down from generation to generation, to make something warm, fluffy, and sweet, a golden and delicious article that melts in your mouth, leaving behind a rich, yet slightly questionable aftertaste. But during the early writing of this article, in between the writing, the planning, and the repeat searches for interesting and intriguing facts about the Canadian egg industry (There were none), the article was never able to really come together. I found myself struggling to jot down anything more than a handful of fragmented sentences each evening, all of which would be completely scrapped by the next. Nothing I wrote was at the level that I believed was presentable, and for the better half of a month, I was essentially running in circles while simultaneously banging my head on a brick wall with every revolution, falling into a routine where I would flip my laptop open after dinner, blast my eyes with the blinding white of a blank document for thirty minutes at a time, and close the document with no progress made. Rinse and repeat once or twice a day, everyday for around two weeks and ultimately, the aspiration and motivation to write this piece, let alone anything else, burnt away as quickly as it came. That unfinished mess of an article was fortunately spared to be featured on a future issue (much to the collective shock of those who were thoroughly anticipating a doctoral-
SPECIAL 10 level thesis on eggs and “eggy” recipes), and was eventually completely scrapped in favour of an article that was actually readable. In the span of two weeks, I almost ended completely burning myself out, in the sole pursuit of creating a throwaway student newspaper article about eggs. A truly wonderful way to come into graduation season. Dilemma — Plating & Garnish
When you look into the yolk of creation, what do you see first? (Fu gets philosophical)
Source: Getty Images
Which came first: the Chicken, or the Egg? The famous argument, that weighs the precedence between conception to the outcome or object it creates, frames itself similarly to the manner in which someone observes art. Does the observer see the art as an entity of its own, and use it as a metric to add to their understanding of the artist based on it, or does the observer instead see the art as an extension of the thought process of the artist themselves, and use their prior knowledge of the creator to formulate their own understanding of the creation? Do you listen to music as a glimpse into the head of the producers and vocalists, or for the primary purpose of just listening to the music they have created? Essentially, the argument boils down to whether the artist defines their art, or whether it goes the other way around. Much like the paradoxical boxing ring of “Chicken V. Egg”, in which both fighters fight in an eternal stalemate, the manner in which the argument is won, and
therefore, its answer, is entirely based on the perception and mannerisms of the individual who first attempts to understand the argument. “In a way, the artist is the chicken, their art is an egg, and whichever one defines the other more, is completely up to the observer’s discretion.” -Jacob Fu And as someone who heavily defines themselves by the actions they take, and the outcomes they create, I am most scared of how someone receives something I have written, composed, performed or done, and how their perception of my actions affects their judgement of me as a person. I do not want people judging me based on my art, because I believe that my art really isn’t that good. At worst, I feel a touch nervous when I do things in front of others, solely because I fear what might happen if I mess up in front of an audience. At times, it might come off as modesty, but ultimately, it stems from the root idea of believing in everpresent, insurmountable inadequacy. This fear of judgement is something that many people struggle with at times, and the only way to overcome it, like with any fear that might keep you awake at night, is to accept it as it is. I have gone all my life believing that my actions and subsequently, their outcomes, must be absolutely perfect, without coming to the realisation that they are clearly not. From the chain swings and wood chips of a now-nonexistent elementary playground, down the carpet aisles of piano competitions where I literally had to be dragged to the stand, and even now, in the hallways and courtyard and mezzanine and at the seat of a gun-metal grey desk of a secondperiod physics class in B202, I have come to the realization that at times, I lean away from actions that present development and risk, in favour of maintaining a falsehood of complete control over how others perceive me and my actions, and in doing so, have become someone that in my own opinion, is far lesser than what he could have been, had he taken these options.
11 SPECIAL “Can you picture these types of places in your head as vividly as I can?” -Jacob Fu While everybody has their own backgrounds and experiences with burnouts, their root causes always seem to stem from an environmental stressor, that gets possessed and given serration by a specific personal struggle. In my case, a consuming sense of perfectionism, and exaggerating expectations (that in actuality, don’t really exist) from those around me, become the jagged sharpening stone that I unconciously bash both my problems and actions against, ultimately resulting in some really stressful situations, which have yet to be properly defused. Ultimately, this is something I have to tackle in order to make the most of my future, and I have not even began to consider how to begin unravelling a problem eighteen years in the making. To be quite blatant, the one, and only message carried by this article, is that of recognizing your internal struggles as early on as they arise, and doing anything and everything in your power to overcome them. Otherwise, you will end up writing a nonsensical egg article in the dead of night - and you truly will suffer. Outroduction — Bon appétit! At exactly 9:27 am, the morning after the 10th of a February yet to come, you will inevitably enter your kitchen and with impeccable flourish, crack a pair of eggs into the belly of a frying pan. With the taste of fried eggs on toast already locked in your mind, you feel the warmth of the scratched, steel handle in your grip, breathe in savoury air, and for just one morning, live in a silence which is populated only by the sizzle of oil and the sound of your own heartbeat. Believing that the egg is ready for the world to see, you ready your finest china, scrape the egg off of the pan and yet, with all your supposed concentration, confidence and desire, are forced to watch in absolute horror as the edge of your spatula accidentally skims the top of the golden yolk, ripping it ajar in scalpel-like fashion, rivers of hot, liquid gold flowing down the sewer drains of the world’s most precious vault.
In shock, in awe, in a silence containing oil, self and now, sadness: the frustration, anger and doubt all begin to creep in. The setup was perfect, the concept was great, and the outcome quite clearly in reach: and yet, with all the necessary ingredients in front of you, you seem to have failed to create what you truly believed you could have created in the first place. The article you read at this moment is far from perfect, and quite frankly, it never will be. However, it is an article that prides itself on its failure, and because of that, flourishes from its imperfections. If you go to create something and manage to get very close to the level that you believe is perfect: then congratulations! However, you cannot set such an absurd magnitude of expectations on yourself constantly, and then feel inadequate when you fail to meet them 24/7, three-hundred and sixty-five days a year. Creativity, like any other thing, tends to ebb and flow, and hey, with a broken yolk, you might not be able to make the world’s greatest fried egg anymore…but if you can manage to look past your disappointment, and separate genuine expectation (“eggspectations”) from the unreasonable standards you put on yourself - you might find that there exists nothing else stopping you from taking that splattered mess of a yolk, putting it back on the burner, and making a damn good plate of scrambled eggs.
Hugs welcome.
Source: Hanny Jin
SPECIAL 12 Advice Column:
Ask Tommy TommySharpe Sharpe Tommy
Hi everyone, My name is Tommy Sharpe, and welcome to May of Ask Tommy! School is starting to wrap up for the year, and as such many are scrambling to put together their plans for the summer, and subsequently for the next year; whether it be university or the next year of high school, or any other path, everyone is scrambling to have some idea of what they’re hoping to do the next year. Naturally, the inquiry I received this month ties right into that issue. Without further ado, I bring you May 2022’s Ask Tommy! Dear Tommy, “I just heard back from my universities and it turns out I got rejected from the program I applied for. It feels like the destiny I wrote for myself has been severed. What do I do?” -Anonymous Jeez. Getting rejected from university, especially the programme you want more than any other is a really nasty feeling. The ugly truth of the matter is that there isn’t much you can really do about it at the moment. Sure, you may feel like in the moment you’re being left behind in the dust while all your friends are off to write the next chapter of their lives, building the roads that they will one day drive on to their futures. It may seem like God, or Fate, or whatever supernatural force dictates your future has turned to the other side, that you have abandoned all hope. Though it may not necessarily be the case. I wouldn’t want to repeat the same
sort of pasty meaningless drivel you probably hear from your parents or whomever it is that tries to say whatever they can to console you, but do hear me out when I tell you it’s not the end of the world. The truth is that I don’t really know much about how applying outside of high school to university works, so I can’t give you advice on how that’s going to go for you. But what I do know is that many people have done that, people do take gap years in between high school before going off to university. Perhaps that is what you need, a year to think about what it is that you truly want to do in the future, and if you’ve decided on a career you wish to pursue, then to make whatever preparations you need to do to pursue it. Watch some OpenCourseWare videos to familiarize yourself with what you’re intending to learn the next year. While you’re on your gap year, don’t forget to take breaks as necessary and do things for yourself, keeping in mind that you should do things in moderation and not waste away the entire year doing nothing. Whatever it is you intend to do now that what has happened has happened, make sure that you’re keeping your future in mind above all. Don’t choose a programme because you feel social anxiety to do so and don’t choose something you know you won’t enjoy. If any other universities you applied to did accept you, debate with yourself over whether or not you want to pass up your opportunity to go there to try again next year (my personal recommendation is to take whatever offers you have now and seize them). Just keep in mind that every cloud has its silver lining, and that even if you don’t make it into your desired programme this year, there’s still a variety of options you have left on the table, and the tools are in your hand to make the best of what you have, no matter how unfortunate the situation develops.
13 COMIC
Tommy Sharpe
Sebastian Hernandez
COMIC 14
Sebastian Hernandez
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