this put the BIGGEST smile on my face this morning...

Teenagers showcase talents in S.J. show

ANTI-SMOKING EVENT CELEBRATES HEALTH
By Linda Goldston
Mercury News

It was billed as ``Flick It: A World Tobacco Free Day Event.''

But the gathering inside the MACLA Art Gallery in downtown San Jose was really more about ``shake it'' and Monte Emmer stealing the show with his polished belly dance.

The 16-year-old Palo Alto student has only been belly dancing for about three years but had several dozen teens rocking in their seats as he twirled and danced before them.

And that, the organizers said, made all of their efforts for the three-hour Memorial Day event worthwhile. To have a group of teens having fun in such a safe, healthy way.

``We have a lot of stuff for you today,'' said Jasmine Askew, 15, one of the coordinators of the non-profit Coalition Against Teen Tobacco and a sophomore at Silver Creek High School in San Jose. ``We have singing, we have dancing and we have rapping.''

There was even literature in the next room about the dangers of smoking and information about how to quit. But the real focus of the second annual event was on empowering teens and showcasing their talents.

``It's free, and it's musicians and artists,'' said Leticia Antonio, 23, of San Jose, who said she was one of the first students to join the coalition when she was in high school. ``There aren't too many negative, anti-tobacco things. It's about positive things.''

And the formula seems to work just fine. About 200 teenagers attended the first ``Flick It'' event last year, and a similar crowd was expected by 6 p.m. closing time on Monday. By 4 p.m., more than 50 teenagers and a few adults were already clapping for Emmer and others -- content as could be on Memorial Day, the traditional kickoff day to summer and a day many of their friends go to the beach.

Coalition Against Teen Tobacco, or CATT, was formed in 1997 as a countywide youth advocacy group. Funding for the group's activities comes from the 25-cent tax levied on each pack of cigarettes for tobacco education and prevention programs under Proposition 99.

``The event is just to have fun and maybe educate a few people,'' said Adrian Arredondo, 16, a countywide coordinator for the coalition and a sophomore at Mountain View High School. ``It lets teens hang out and be smoke-free for a day.''

Another coordinator, Rudy Contreras, 17, a junior at Yerba Buena High School in San Jose, said coalition members know they are not going to stop smoking. But they would like to prevent tobacco companies from targeting such groups as women and youth in massive advertising campaigns.

``We're not anti-user,'' Askew said. ``We're anti-big tobacco. We want them to cut down on their marketing.''

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Contact Linda Goldston at lgoldston@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5862.
the article!
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The printed article which was in today (mondays) paper, has two color pictures as well. one of monte, our lil' shakira belly dancer. woohoo. SUPER HAPPY.

kevin smith hearts degrassi.

so. im a longtime kevin smith fan, and a longtime degrassi fan. i was just reading kevin's blog... yes his blog... and like the blog says, it is a tad long-winded and boring, but you can sometimes find nuggets like this:

"- We get to the apartment, and Jen tells me to lay down. I sack out on the bed, composing a long-overdue intro to a “Degrassi” book that examines twenty five years of show history. Jen insists I take some Nyquil and take a nap, so when I finish the piece I do so. I grab another bowl of soup as a chaser and put in “The Last Shot”, with Matthew Broderick and Alex Baldwin. A half an hour later, I’m out cold."

a book on degrassi! RAD.

and i also just discovered this:

"I work on the online diary for awhile, during which time I catch up on the parts of “Call Me” I missed when I fell asleep. I check email and write to the Funimation folks, regarding the forthcoming “Jay and Silent Bob Do Degrassi” DVD."

nerdy. i know.

my new favorite blogs.

i dig this blog. its rad. check it out. comics and music!

and this one too!

now playing: ozomatli: embrace the chaos

guessing games.

i know i havent posted here in quite awhile. im still insanely busy. its wearing me down. and on top of that i just feel something feels a tad off at the moment. and im left playing guessing games... and my sister won't call me back and whine whine whine!!! so....

any way. saw star wars episode III. it was AWESOMELY RAD! i will post something longer about it later, but i really enjoyed the movie. i even got over hayden christiansen sucking so bad for this one.

i saw kicking and screaming last nite. the new ferell movie. i love him to death. i do. but that movie was not good. although the coffee bit was pretty fucking funny. plus they showed rad trailers for harry potter (which looks awesome!!!) and the new robert rodriguez kids flick, the tale of shark boy and lava girl (3-D!!!!!!!!!!). haha.

any way. reviewed a ton of cds last night. finally got around to putting words to my feelings on the her space holiday- the young machines remixed album. yah. disappoiting project. idiot pilot on the other hand... their album i still love. its been over a year since i purchased it from their website, and now its out through warner/reprise... crazy. those two dudes are just teenagers. but check it out... its crazy radiohead meets the blood brothers type stuff. the new why? is super crazy different. its all indie-folk-pop stuff. some of the songs even remind me of they might be giants... at least in the vocal category. leave it to anticon....

uhh i guess thats all for now. i want a nap and its not even 9:30.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

now listening to: autechre: untilted (which is not all that good)

exxxxxxhaustion.

warning: this is a post mainly for me to write stuff down. not really for anyone elses enjoyment. its mostly just for me to rant....

i think this morning its really hitting me. i am really freakin' exhausted. really. i got a decent amount of sleep last night. 8 hours. im still completely worn out. my eyes are still little and i looke tore up. but i feel like sleep is the only time i have to relax these days. i work eight hours. go to school somewhere in there. then get home... probably work on kscu duties. clean up. unpack more boxes and organize things. work on homework. this semester it seems i have to do at least two papers a week. i cant even remember the last movie ive seen. i never go to shows anymore, by choice really. work is going to be so hardcore this month too. i dont even know when i'll have time to relax. i just want my brain to be able to shut down and power off for a little while each day. i dont even really watch much tv. its on in the background but im always doing other things. charts. reviews. laundry. unpacking. cleaning. bills. papers. research. planning for sister's baby shower. call this person. get this gift. blah blah blah. im not a freakin housewife. what the hell. haha.

any way. my break comes on thursday when i get to go and see the ponys at bottom of the hill. the only bummer thing is that im going by myself. :(

bamboo 7. hello again.

im settled into me shi-shi los gatos apartment. im likin it. not really the surrounding area... but i like living close again. i can go home during lunch! it only takes me fifteen minutes tops to get home from work. there's a drive-thru coffee place thats not starbucks! happy!!!!!!!

tomorrow im going on down to shoreline to pick up two 12 dollar BFD tickets. bands im stoked to see: kasabian, alkaline trio (i still love them.. no matter what), sleater kinney (i dont like their new one, 'the woods' all that much, but its been like 5+ years since ive seen them and im due), and the kaiser chiefs.

tonite im celebrating my friend laura's birthday at bamboo 7. i have not been here since like january. thanks in advance to lulu for driving my drunk ass.

tomorrow is super busy too. gotta get those 12 dollar tickets at around 10 am. then go shopping for the mom. help out w/ the santa clara basement show w/ the phenomenauts, and then going out in downtown san jose, to the blue monkey.

then sunday is mommys day. its about time to leave work now.
ciao!