The Barons basketball team defeated the Marina Vikings 77-43 on Friday, February 3rd.

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Gen Korean BBQ and Yakitori Bar is an all you can eat restaurant in Tustin. They have about 20 different cuts and types of high quality meat that are both juicy and flavorful. They have a modern and futuristic décor that livens up the already busy atmosphere of the restaurant. The servers are extremely helpful and cater to your every need. It was rumored that Gen is usually always crowded, but the restaurant’s service is so excellent that the wait isn’t very long at all.

You are first greeted with an array of six different banchan, small side dishes that are served with the main dishes in Korean cuisine. They serve all kinds of authentic Korean side dishes and all equally delicious: kimchi, pickled cucumbers, potato salad, rice cake, bean sprouts, and radish. The flavors of each banchan serve as a type of cleanser from eating the different dishes.

Several of their variety meats are Kobe Chadol, Kobe Woosul, So Bulgogi, and the Gen Signature Prime Steak. The Kobe Chadol is a Kobe brisket that is extremely, thinly sliced. The Kobe Woosul is a Kobe beef tongue. It’s delicious enough to keep the mind off the fact that it is a tongue. The So Bulgogi is probably the most popular type of marinated Korean BBQ. It is very flavorful and sweet from its marinade. The Gen Signature Prime Steak was the only downside to the entire meal. It is a giant slab of Black Angus Top Sirloin, and though it may sound good, it was too large and took too long to cook and had the least amount of flavor.

The only thing I would need to warn you about would be that if you don’t finish your order you will be charged extra. So don’t over order! Or you can just use it as an excuse to eat more. Go and try out Gen Korean BBQ and Yakitori Bar. It earns 4 out of 5 stars. Pleasant eating!

13741 Newport Ave
Tustin, CA 92780

The Year of Hibernation, album cover

Youth Lagoon is the creation of American songwriter and instrumentalist Trevor Powers. The works of the artist feature songs of the indie and lo-fi genres with ambient and dream pop influences. Youth Lagoon has been rising in the charts, reaching the number one spot on last.fm’s Best of 2011 New Discoveries artists, which is rare for artists of the electronic genre.

Youth Lagoon’s debut album, The Year of Hibernation was released on September 27, 2011. It features eight tracks along with two bonus tracks, totaling in about 40 minutes of quality music. The Year of Hibernation is not one of those albums with a few decent songs. Every single song on the album, including the two bonus tracks, is worth listening to. It boasts a spot on Pitchfork’s Top 50 Albums of the 2011 list, and for good reason.

The album features a uniform style in songs. Each song opens with a soft, lo-fi voice and light instrumentals, often the synth. Halfway through, the track transitions to a hearty drum beat with syncopated kicks. Together, these elements provide movement and direction. The upbeat nature of all the tracks is echoed throughout the album. While one may think that its repetitive nature may get redundant, the case is quite the contrary. Its consistency contributes to the beauty of the music.

As an electronic, lo-fi album, The Year of Hibernation displays a wide variety of instrumentation. In particular, the bonus track “Ghost to Me” covers the full range. It opens with a soft piano and an ambient voice. Later, the electronic string pluck joins in for a short interlude. After, the kick and percussion rhythms come in along with a post-rock guitar. The pit and vibe sound reverberates throughout the piece. After 2 minutes of vocal-accompanied parts, the song enters into a slow buildup of drum, piano, and other percussion lines. “Ghost of Me” ends with only a melodic line of a music box pluck.

Youth Lagoon is an artist worth listening to. With all tracks as moving as “Ghost of Me”, the album truly deserves all the positive reviews it receives.

The first quarter, Edison came out strong with a string of 3 point baskets and solid defense, but as the first half came to a close, the Barons were able to go into the locker room with a one point lead. The rest of the game was a tug of war as neither team lead by more than 5 points in the fourth quarter.

With one minute left in the game and the Barons down by 2, Zack Richartz (’12) nailed a 3 point shot on the left wing to give the Barons a one point edge. Fountain Valley had a foul to give and forced a bad shot from the Chargers and were sent to the line with the opportunity to extend the lead to 3. The Barons had problems converting at the charity stripe the entire game and the struggles continued as Sean Meyers (’12) split a pair of free throws. With the last possession of the game, neither Dreon Barlett nor Corey Foster, the star players of Edison, attemped the last shot.

Fountain Valley double teamed Foster at half court leaving a wide open lane for a layup, but Nathan Moss (’12) helped the weak side and blocked a potential game tying layup. Sean Finley (’13) recovered the ball and was sent to the line with another opportunity for a commanding 4 point lead, but again free throws haunted the barons as he missed the free throw and the Chargers recovered the ball. With 0.9 seconds in the game, the spirit of Tim Donaghy took over the baseline referee’s body and Finley was called for a personal foul in which virtually no contact took place. It was a bonus 1 and 1 situation for the Chargers and the entire loud crowd of Fountain Valley (coming in more numbers than Edison) charged to the other side of the court to heckle and distract the free throw shooter. It worked. The Chargers missed the free throw and the Barons recovered the ball and as time expired Fountain Valley fans stormed the court to congratulate their players. Fountain Valley swept Edison this season and now has a Sunset League record of 4-3. Their next game is against Marina at home on Friday at 7 p.m.

Photographed By: Tyler Rose Ratzlaff

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Photographed By: Tyler Rose Ratzlaff

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Barons: 23-67

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Banner for Coachella 2012

Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival is an annual music festival featuring a slew of renowned artists among contemporaries. Music genres range from rock to indie to hip hop to electronic with over 100 artists. The event takes place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, and lasts for 2 weekends, 3 days at a time. This year, Coachella takes place on the weekends of April 13-15, and 20-22. The venue presents several performance stages as well as tents for viewers and listeners from around the country who gather to enjoy music and art.

Since the release of the Coachella 2012 line-up on Monday, January 9, fans began to plan their list of artists to look out for. The complete list of artists can be found on the official site. Many of the artists recently released albums appreciated by those with respectable taste in music. With such a promising line-up, it is definitely worth it to attend if possible. Personally, I’d recommend Explosions in the Sky, WU LYF, and Manchester Orchestra, to name a few.

Tickets for Coachella are highly sought out for, usually selling for more than $300. Pre-sale began roughly a year ago. On Friday, January 13, the last of the remaining tickets were sold, and the event is currently sold out. However, a variety of deals still exist on alternative sites, notably Craiglist and Ebay, though scalping is discouraged. There is still time to purchase tickets.

As Coachella 2012 approaches, discussions publicize the names and albums of various artists. Even if unable to attend because of expensive tickets or inconvenient dates, it’s worth it to discover good music and give it a listen. Coachella 2012 will definitely be one of the hottest events of the year, with one the best line-ups out of all the years.

Papaya Thai Bistro on 2700 Alton Pkwy Ste 141 Irvine, CA 92606

I entered on a busy Saturday night, in search of a quick, filling meal that would satisfy my taste buds. Usually there is no wait line, but the restaurant is fairly full. If you do have to wait, it’s never long. The place is clean, decorated colorfully and my family and I suited it comfortably. We shared Pad Thai, chicken fried rice, and Tom Yum Koong soup. Their food portions were more than enough to feed our whole family of four, for we left the restaurant with food comas and exhausted tummies. The Pad Thai was the best I had ever tasted, bursting with its sweet and salty flavor and delicious noodles. The chicken fried rice was good as well, enticing us with its fragrant aroma. As for the Tom Yum Koong soup, it couldn’t have represented itself better. Usually my family and I can handle the spiciness and sweet and sour flavor of the famous Thai broth, but this particular one had us beat and reminding ourselves next time to order it without the overwhelming spiciness.

In addition, their fresh Thai tea was just as I imagined it would be, sweet and refreshing. I have been a frequent customer for the past year, also trying the fish cakes, chicken satay and beef salad, which were different from other Thai restaurants, but we all know that variety is the spice of life. Their menu is filled with many different entrees, lunch combos, drinks and dessert, including ice cream. They serve pho as well, which impressed me because it was surprisingly delicious. Unfortunately, I haven’t tried any of their desserts because I never seem to have enough room left in my stomach.

I’m still puzzled as to why Papaya never has as much customers as other restaurants, like their next door neighbor BCD Tofu House, who always seems to have a long wait line. Papaya’s waiters and waitresses are always helpful give recommendations on which dishes to try, especially for newcomers. I suggest that if you have a big appetite, go for this place. Otherwise, share a plate with another person or order your own smaller combo plate. It’s a pretty satisfying and solid A experience for me every time, although I don’t enjoy the bloated feeling after finishing my meal. I can’t ask more of this restaurant!

Jeremy Irvine as Albert Narracott

Once in a while, there comes a film that tugs at the heartstrings of every audience member. War Horse, directed by the famous Steven Spielberg, is no exception. With an eye-grabbing trailer and much publicity, you can get a glimpse of its plot just about anywhere. War Horse digs deep back in time, when Europe was war-torn and World War I was about to begin. When it did, however, a “miracle” horse named Joey appeared.

Taking place in England, the plot begins when a young colt, separated from his mother, is auctioned off and unintentionally bought by a drunk and poor farmer. Once the horse comes home, he meets the farmer’s young son, Albert, who is fascinated by him and holds a soft spot for horses. Albert names him Joey, and from then on, Joey continues to pull through the most enduring tasks with his strength and perseverance, which defines his personality. At the same time, he and Albert develop an unbreakable bond, even when they are separated.

Joey continues to go from owner to owner, each of them except Albert having been killed because of war. From the British to German’s side, he fights for whoever claims him. During this process, he is physically and mentally deprived of health and love. Spielberg doesn’t hesitate to show the hardships and sufferings of horses during World War I. Hundreds of thousands are forced to fight, work, or be killed. Viewers are able to see Joey’s physical and emotional journey throughout the film, including his joy when he miraculously reunites with Albert again.

War Horse also lets audience members see how soldiers mentally struggle with the horrors of war. The emotional struggle that young men like Albert went through was very common in the past, when they fought using trench-warfare and see, hear, and feel nothing but terror and death.  The film delivers a taste of war from both a human and animal’s perspective, which both are life-changing experiences, and yet you can’t help but feel they are quite similar.

Albert and Joey, in many ways, are alike. They are afraid and fear-stricken at first, but are brave, valiant and courageous when they need to be. They were separated, went through the same physical and emotional struggle together, and still managed to reunite through it all. Endurance, hope, and friendship ultimately brought them together.

Overall, the story will have you laughing, crying, smiling, and cheering. Whether you get emotional easily or not, be sure to bring tissue boxes for yourself and the person next to you. War Horse will bring you through a journey you won’t want to forget.  War Horse was released in Christmas 2011 and is still showing in theaters!