Tag: Vol. LXXIX

POLLUTION, allergies, cancers, and board exam leaks are but some of the issues faced, analyzed, and discussed by budding Thomasian researchers in their own group or individual undergraduate theses. Here’s Varsitarian’s rundown of the more notable theses from the natural and health sciences of Batch 2008.

Chemical Engineering: Bitaog as Bio-diesel

Aiming for the alleviation of both economic and environmental global problems such as oil price increase and climate change, Juan Paulo Antonio, Alden Ferdinand Fabros and April Shower Mendiola, coached by their thesis adviser Maria Natalia Dimaano, examined Bitaog, a non-edible but locally available agricultural crop, as a viable substitute for diesel fuel through their thesis titled, “Extraction, Transesterification and Characterization of Calophyllum inophyllum (Bitaog) Seed Oil as Potential Source of Biofuel.”

IMAGINE an encounter with a real shark, a rendezvous with a live stingray, or a date with seahorses and starfishes, right at the heart of the metropolis.

With the opening of the country’s own Ocean Park oceanarium last March, Filipinos can finally get a chance to admire the country’s underwater fauna. Situated behind the Quirino Grandstand by the Manila Bay, the facility boasts of 250 species of different water creatures on display, 95 per cent of which comes from Philippine waters.

The oceanarium is only part of a fusion concept facility that characterizes Manila Ocean Park. One of the first in the world, the facility will include a marine-themed hotel and mall which are both set to be finished within the second quarter of 2009.

The animals are showcased in seven exhibits, named in Filipino to show national pride.

STARTING a new school year means facing new and old daunting school scenarios, which are too often stressful and discouraging. But now, with the help of the latest and most innovative gadgets for your scholastic and recreational needs you may breeze through all the strenuous examinations, school projects, and homework.

With the increasing demand for computer use in academics, bringing bulky laptops to the classroom may exact a heavy burden. But with the arrival of Apple’s MacBook Air, which weighs approximately three pounds including a 13.3-inch widescreen display and a 1280 by 800 screen resolution, carrying a digital notebook will be a piece of cake.

PATCHES of rainbow-hued photos mounted on huge white frames could not be mistaken for anything but a lomography exhibit. These greeted mall-goers strolling along Bonifacio Global City during Passionfest 2008. LomoManila, a lomography club, was invited to put up an exhibit showcasing the complex from morning until night. Various scenes were caught in a fraction of a second by eight photographic teams with some 10 members each, and the pictures were made into a collage.

Vibrantly colorful and offbeat shots composed the collage. They were mostly of one dominating color, a trademark of LomoManila. The triangular positions of the pictures remind one of banderitas or festive flags ever-present in Philippine fiestas.

TRAVELLING is a luxury only a few can enjoy, but thanks to photography, one can now tour the world without shelling out a fortune for a high-priced airfare.

Former UST College of Fine Arts student Kleyr de la Cruz provided a photographic tour of Australia to Filipinos who hadn’t been there in her solo exhibit, “Wandering Soul: A Journey to Australia,” which ran May 1 to 3 at the Podium.

The exhibit showcased photographs of Australia’s picturesque landscapes such as the Blue mountains of Katoomba in New South Wales and the majestic Razorback cliffs of Port Campbell. There are also shots of a Mardi Gras, portraits of her young nephews, and a little girl playing with a water fountain.

MANY YEARS of painting has almost taken a toll on Mario Parial’s health. Because he has to stoop every time he paints, Parial suffered from slipped disc and underwent surgery in 2002.

For six months, he had to endure back pains that prevented him from walking and painting. But when he slowly recovered from his illness through grueling therapy sessions, Parial made it a point to take brisk walks and take pictures with his digital camera.

“I’d take pictures of anything I’ve chanced my eyes upon on,” he said.

Unsatisfied with nothing to do, he experimented with Photoshop until the wee hours of the morning every time he could not sleep well.

It was when he conceived his “computer-generated” art—surreal yet sensible artworks done with just a few clicks with the help of Photoshop.

WITH the invasion of foreign reality TV shows in recent years, local media networks have been working non-stop in producing their own reality programs or franchising them from international production companies.

“Franchised reality TV shows infiltrate local media for good money; local networks buy these for the same reason; and Filipinos watch these for good entertainment,” said Joyce Arriola, head of UST’s Department of Media Studies.

Media giant ABS-CBN has several franchises out of Netherlands-based Endemol Productions such as Pinoy Big Brother, Pinoy Dream Academy, 1 vs. 100 and Kapamilya: Deal or No Deal. But its top-rated syndicated game show, Wheel of Fortune, hails from the United States, and The Singing Bee, the network’s newest reality show to date, is from UK’s Zeal Entertainment.

AS POPE Benedict XVI will get nearer to Asia for the 23rd World Youth Day in Australia, hopes are high that he will also visit the “East” soon.

The Catholic Churches of India and the Philippines were the first to express their desire for a papal visit.

According to UST Central Seminary Rector Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner III, O.P., bishops from both countries requested the Pope to make a short stopover to bless their lands before he goes to Australia. But the Holy See apparently turned down the requests.

But Timoner stressed that the diversity of religion and previous disputes among cultures do not affect the Pope’s pastoral visits–a common misconception after the misunderstood statement of Pope Benedict XVI that was quoted from the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paliaologos, and was only meant to clarify the relationship between faith and reason. But still, the Pope apologized.

“I’ll taste every moment and live it out loud…I know this is the time to be more than a name, or a face in the crowd…I know this is the time of my life.”- David Cook, “Time of my Life”

MY COLLEGE life ends here, and what can I say about it? It’s been a glorious four years, despite all the wounds, bruises and injuries, physical or otherwise.

Life in college was like American Football: in the game, you get banged up by players from the defense in their effort to stop you from moving the ball and scoring, but if you win against all the collisions and tackles, it feels as if all the huge efforts were worth the exertion.

“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out”.-Walter Winchell

I HAD once thought vacations mean detaching myself from people around me in school. But college life proved me wrong, when it made me realize that distance is never a hindrance to keep bonds established on the campus.

I finished my first year in college with a different note from my previous school year-enders. Surprisingly, I am now anticipating what would happen when classes resume. Even though another school year will mean a barrage of lessons and scientific terms, the thought of my friends and classmates compels me to return to school, which I previously considered to be meant for academic honing alone.