The barbecues, parties and hangouts at the swimming pool have finally begun to bore me and I’m ready to make something useful out of my summer vacation. I’ve had enough of the classroom scene so there will be no summer courses for me in the near future. No way. That leaves more lazy, nonconstructive time to waste or three months of possible seasonal employment before I head off to college in late September. I’m trying out the latter, but it’s not as easy as it seems. What I know for sure is that I wouldn’t like to work at any fast food restaurant.

Today I walked into a Longs Drugs store and asked if they had any job applications and a lady at the photo development center simply said, “I’m sorry. We don’t have those right now. No.” I smelled a lie in her voice but it didn’t really annoy me too much. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t picture myself working alongside four cashiers who didn’t have a single smile on their faces as they greeted customers anyway.

I checked out any job listings online through Monster.com, HotJobs.com and snagajob.com but they weren’t very useful to an 18 year old with less than a year of work experience (that was an internship for a nonprofit organization before my junior year). So…I’m pretty much a newbie at this. Nevertheless, I still posted my resume online at Monster.com, highlighting my academic accolades since that’s pretty much all I have to show for the moment.

I asked around for possible job openings and some store clerks pointed me back to the Internet. I followed that direction and so far applied to Blockbuster, Hollywood Video and Toys ‘R Us. The online applications were all powered by a company called UniCru so they ended up asking similar questions. It took me about half an hour to get through each of them, having to agree to a background check and list all my prior work experiences and personal contacts. The most annoying part of the process was the barrage of survey-like questions that stretched to 37 pages, with about 4 or 5 questions on each page. Examples included something like “You like to be alone,” “You find most people annoying” and “You don’t get too close to friends because they end up disappointing you in the end.”I had answering choices ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” I wonder what the best possible answers could be.

I hope my summer job search comes to an end soon. I’m getting a little tired of repeating my contact information and the length of my most recent job over and over again.

- Joseph Natividad

Loved by England and in the process of being discovered in America, Lily Allen certainly possesses the musical talent to catch on with our crowd in the near future. With her taste for brightly colored dresses and Nike Air Max sneakers, she has the ability to mesmerize audiences with her brash lyrics and “easy- listening” type of voice. Compared to her British counterparts, she could be described as a mashing-together of Corrine Bailey Rae and Amy Winehouse — a perfect addition to my summer playlist.

Probably known best right now for her smash hit “Smile,” don’t look for her to fold into a one hit wonder. Her debut CD, “Alright Still,” topped the British charts not so long ago. What really grabbed my attention about Allen was the fact that she actually sounded just as nice singing at live venues as she did in her recordings.

Look out for her upcoming tracks to make a splash on TV and the radio soon, especially “Alfie,” (a personal favorite). Also, look out for her other songs, like “Knock Em Out,” “LDN,” “Nan You’re A Window Shopper.” Believe me, this girl’s worth a listen.

- Joseph Natividad

Hey, (expletive), This year has been so crazy! So many awesome parties like that night at Brit’s. LOL. I’m sure I’ll see you over the summer, drinkin’ and what not. HAGS!
– Year book entry, 2007

Ah, yes…good times. Then again, maybe not. This would make for a common yearbook signing in the year 2007, but the crudeness of it shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Yes, it may be in poor taste, but half of the things being written about in high school yearbooks probably did happen, though the details are exaggerated enough to make the event seem larger and more shocking than they actually were. Inside jokes with explicit sexual and drug references would give almost any parent a heart attack and teenagers want to avoid any awkward confrontations because of it.

I show my yearbook to my mom and dad every year, but it’s always before messages are written all over the pages. I want them to get a glimpse of what my life at school is like in general, not what happens between my friends. I’m just a little guarded over my life like most teenagers would be, although I feel that I have the trust of both of my parents not to snoop through my personal belongings when I’m not home.

What makes particular yearbook signings stand out from the usual “have a great summer,” “keep in touch,” and “nice having ____ class with you” are the personalized references to memorable moments during the past school year. Sure, my yearbooks do contain some comments that would probably offend adults, but the majority of the messages inside retell old memories that made my high school friendships meaningful. That’s what I want to look for when I open my “time capsule” decades from now.

- Joseph Natividad

The big day had finally arrived. Family and friends from all over gathered in a gymnasium to show their nieces and nephews how proud they are of their accomplishments. The 17-18 year olds were nervous, excited or simply waiting to get the ceremonies over with. Most were still recovering from grad night celebrations only a few days before.

I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic to the ritualistic tradition of my high school graduation. The tune of Pomp & Circumstance blasting through the speakers as we walked in to a flurry of cheers, the sea of red gowns marching ahead and behind me — it was then that I realized that the end of my high school journey had come.

It took awhile, but we made it.

- Joseph Natividad