Tag: August 9, 2001

I crush my poem in my hands

like a dried leaf.

-Edgardo Maranan, “One Fall Day”

Tired of being the weepy, anguished

poet, I stand on the white terrace

to listen to the steady spurts

of the tricycles’ vigil.

I ponder at everything.

Grey clouds floating high

in the nonchalant sky,

wiping away traces of curiousity;

the mango trees not bearing

this summer,

weaving only promises, flowering

INABUTAN kong nag-iisa sa dulo ng kalsadang iyon ang isang lalaking walang kiming winawalis ang paligid ng animo’y tahanan niya sa magdamag. Tila hari sa kanyang maliit na kaharian at tanging ang mga lamok lamang sa malamig na gabi ang kanyang mga alagad. Malungkot kong pinagmasdan mula sa malayo ang ginagawa niya.

“Masuwerte na rin pala ako,” sambit ko sa aking sarili. Hindi ko na rin siya pinansin at nagpatuloy ako sa paglalakad sa mahaba at maruming kalyeng iyon papunta sa kinaroroonan ni Inay.

He is famous for his unconventional and distinctly Filipino designs. His exceptional architecture transformed the native bahay-kubo from a house associated with trivial rural folk, to an edifice depicting the nation’s unique ancestry and culture.

An Architecture graduate of the old UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts in 1953, Francisco or Bobby Mañosa is the genius behind the historic Edsa Shrine, the Coconut Palace, and the Metro-Rail Transit.

CONSIDERED by Hollywood critics as probably the year’s best film, director Baz Luhrmann’s musicale Moulin Rouge is a love story in the truest sense.

Known for his critically acclaimed works such as Strictly Ballroom and William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which both formed part of his “Red Curtain” trilogy, Luhrmann blended together history and fiction in making this semi-fantasy film, which caps the series.

ONE OF the country’s foremost writers in English expressed his regret in failing to acquire a working knowledge of Spanish.

“One of my regrets is that I didn’t master the Spanish language,” new National Artist F. Sionsil Jose said in “A Spanish Detour,” a forum at the Instituto Cervantes last July 11. He emphasized, however, that the study of the language must not be forced on anyone. One should learn it in his own will and interest.

NO ONE can escape from the past. No matter how one hides, it has a way of coming back.

A sad, dark, and compelling tale, Black Hearts, written by Filipino-Australian author Arlene J. Chai is about the weakness and shortcomings of the human heart. It deals with complex family issues and intrigues like Chai’s previous bestsellers, The Last time I saw Mother, Eating Fire and Drinking Water, and On the Goddess Rock.

FOR AN ordinary, career-oriented person, with no formal background or previous interest in writing, publishing four critically-acclaimed novels in six years is definitely an extraordinary feat. But for Filipino-Australian author Arlene Chai, it was a decision she does not regret, having explored the other side of her personality and tried something different.

Her first novel, The Last Time I Saw Mother, released in Australia in 1995, received incredible responses from readers. Chai later wrote Eating Fire and Drinking Water and On The Goddess Rock.

Department of Education Culture and Sports (DECS) Sec. Raul Roco called on the youth and the academe to play active roles in contributing to the growth and recovery of the country last July 4 at the Medicine Cinematorium.

According to Roco, the country’s education system lacks “numeracy”––mathematics proficiency––training which makes Filipinos less competitive in the global arena.

“(Based on) tests in ‘numeracy,’ we are number 42 out of 46 (among Asian countries),” he said.

ON JANUARY 16, 1928, the very first Varsitarian issue hit the news stands. The 12 page-issue was sold for 10 centavos and was more of a literary paper than journalistic sheet.

The Varsitarian’s maiden issue was a dream come true. And with the Thomasians’ kind of University spirit, it did not take long for today’s leading Philipppine school paper to carve its own niche.

SHE laughed boisterously during a crucial interview but still got away with it. She had three boyfriends in college, and she would come to class wearing a pair of neon orange socks.

Valarie Ku lived a perfectly normal life. She went to school daily with dozens of stories to tell. Her loquacity and dynamism brought her to places and her brilliant mind took her to new heights.