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THOMASIANS do not often notice them. You look past them while walking along the corridors or strolling with friends on campus. While some of us go to class, meet our friends, or review for a dreaded exam, they do the cleaning or ensure everyone’s safety on campus.

Like us, UST non-academic personnel are Thomasians who go to school every day. But they’re not here for the office papers or the classes; they’re here for the “dirty” work.

WAVES crashed, tempting me to plunge into the tepid late afternoon sea. Despite my mother’s order to stay indoors, I found the sea too enticing to resist. As with other warnings she gave me before, I disobeyed her, stepped at the tempestuous current, and willingly let the water engulf me.

As my arms stroked against the stubborn stream of salty water, I was instantly reminded of the many restrictions and limitations my mother and other people imposed on me.

THE DOMINICAN spirit of fellowship is very much active, if the Dominican Youth Network (DOMNET) Youth Vigil last month will be the gauge.

Nearly a hundred students from various Metro Manila schools converged at the UST Sports Complex last Nov. 27 and 28 to celebrate Domnet’s ninth anniversary, with the theme “Sama Tayo…Buklurang Dominikano.”

Aside from the youth vigil, parallel sessions on family, culture, spirituality and vocation, education, and social relationships were also held at the Ecclesiastical Faculties.

The noise never ceases to bother you.

You hear it in the morning, as you open your eyes to face the new day that God has given you. You hear it as you walk, one step before the other, to wherever your feet bring you. You hear it as you sit down on your little corner and do what must be done. You hear it as you face the many people you have come to know. You hear it as you smile, or as you frown; as you laugh or as you sigh. You hear it at night, as you lie down and close your eyes.

Somehow, the noise never stops.

Living in a place where there is no electricity, eight-year-old Floramie Gumalal’s family has to rely on gas lamps to provide them light. But the same source of light almost cost Floramie her life.

LIKAS sa mga Tomasino ang pagiging masayahin tuwing Pasko. Bukod sa mga makukulay na parol at ilaw na nakapaligid sa Unibersidad, hindi batid ng karamihan ang masasaya at makukulay na Christmas issues ng Varsitarian noong dekada 30.

Panahon ng Commonwealth nang maisipang gawing kulay berde ang tintang ginagamit sa Varsitarian tuwing sasapit ang Pasko. Mula sa kulay itim, berde ang kulay ng mga titik at mga larawan sa buong pahayagan.

EVERY Christmas, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of Mary’s announced virginal conception. To believers, Jesus’ birth is a mystery. To skeptics, it is a legend. But to certain scientists, it was possibly a unique case of a successful parthenogenesis.

Fear not. There is no plague.

Misinformation about meningococcemia has unnecessarily stirred public hysteria, affecting the summer capital’s tourism industry and causing the hype for antibiotics. The disease is far from spreading like the viral SARS.

“There is no epidemic of meningococcemia,” says the Department of Health (DOH).

Matthew’s account of an extraordinary star light during Jesus’ birth has drawn the attention of laymen and astronomers for years. As a key symbol of Christmas, it is not surprising that almost 250 major scholarly papers have been published in the last 100 years, attempting to provide a solid scientific explanation behind the star of Bethlehem.

1875 The Spanish government issues an order to plan a Philippine railroad.

1887 Construction of the 196-km Manila-Dagupan railway begins.

1905 Meralco, or Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company, operates the “Tranvia,” an electric street tramway that carried about 220,000 commuters. Services stopped before WW2.

June 20, 1964 The Philippine National Railways is created through Republic Act 4156.