Literary

TIRED of reading all those lengthy short stories and poems? Then listen to the first ever CD anthology of critically acclaimed writers reading their selected works.

WALANG kultura na maaaring makatakas sa likas na kalinangan ng mga aspekto nito, kabilang na ang sa Filipinas. Isang halimbawa ang panitikan, panulaan man o prosa; ito ay dumadaan sa mga panahon ng pagbabago. Tulad na lamang ng pag-usbong ng modernistang panulaan sa Filipinas sa pagsisimula ng ika-20 siglo. Ilang Filipino ang nagpakilala ng mga bagong kaisipan at pamamaraan ng pagsusulat ng tula.

A burning midafternoon scorched the back of Joaquin’s neck as he stepped out of the dormitory. Before him, the world unfolded into the green of trees that lined the playing field. At once he desired their inviting shade, but at that moment it was all but owned by students who filled the benches under the trees, students who were probably enjoying the feel of cold stone on their bottoms as much as they did the shade which made the day more friendly.

FILIPINO women are constantly pictured as conservative and secretive. But Norma Miraflor shows how they can be passionate in enriching and fulfilling their ideals in A Dream of Peace and Other Stories (Anvil Publishing, 1998). Miraflor’s book brings together 12 of her stories, written during the ‘60’s up to the ‘90’s, exhibiting the rich colors of a woman’s lifestyle, behavior, and beliefs in that period.

THIS MORNING brings more than the rain’s gloom. Thoughts and images waft in freely that I could draw them if I have pen and paper with me.

Maybe it’s just the early rain that muffles the city sounds a bit, the cramped space here at the back of the FX taxi, or the draft from the aircon, making me feel colder and more isolated. Whatever the reason, today seems like a perfect time to weave stories, even just inside my head.

Perhaps her only fault

was to look for that love

laid out on dry land,

a mere fragment washed in

by the lapping eyes of men

who used to probe her flesh.

At forty, there is already

something in the heat,

a sort of pale awakening,

her body missing the rain.

The skeleton now knows

how to move on its own,

dragging that sagging skin.

She strips her self of old

things dry, a rusting wire

IT’S FINAL. The Faculty of Medicine and Surgery will revert to the synchronized curriculum and shelve the present curriculum applying the problem-based learning (PBL) strategy.

In separate letters last April 1, Rector Fr. Tamerlane Lana, O.P. instructed Medicine Dean Angeles Tan-Alora and Fr. Regent Jerry Manlangit, O.P. to apply the pre-PBL curriculum to the incoming freshmen this year.

HIGH-tech quality education takes a leap forward with the introduction of the Electronic Learning Access Program (e-LeAP).

A brainchild of the UST Educational Technology Center (Ed-Tech), e-LeAP aims to integrate the media and Information Communication Technology (ICT) into the teaching and learning processes of the University.

It was Blackboard, a Learning Management System used by different schools and universities abroad which is designed to transform the Internet into a powerful environment conducive to learning.

I see you

tapping your foot

against pavement,

fingers

itching to stroke

the smooth length

of your cigarette,

luggage

ready to be hauled

by airport attendants,

I,

clinging

like a speck of dirt,

on the silver handle

of your suitcase,

waiting for your hand

to close around

the curved metal,

aching to melt

with the sweat

sinking deep

IN TIME for the United Nation’s International Women’s Day last March 4, a young, ambitious photographer celebrated and honored Filipino women who have made milestones through an exhibit at the Bulwagang Juan Luna at the Cultural Center of the Philippines from Jan. 26 to Mar. 11.

Isa Lorenzo’s photo exhibit, Filipinas, presented 30 women, including former President and honorary Thomasian Corazon Aquino, actress Gloria Romero, and alumna Eugenia Duran-Apostol, founder of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.