Tag: December 18, 2013

THE INEVITABLE may have already come, but justly, the antidote is on its way.

With the advent of molecular science, a scientific discipline that deals with the interactions of various genes and proteins in cells, explaining the origin of several human diseases and creating strategies to improve healthcare.

THE ANNUAL UST Christmas Concert entered its second decade on December 5 as a benefit event for victims of super yphoon "Yolanda" in the Visayas.

On its 11th year, the concert’s proceeds, according to organizers, will all go to the typhoon victims rather than the usual beneficiaries—the hertiage conservation program of the UST Museum of Arts and Sciences and the scholarship program of the Conservatory of Music.

The event began with a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony led by Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, UST Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P., and event chairpersons Maricris Zobel and UST Museum Director Fr. Isidro Abaño, O.P.

THE FILIPINO family is a standard symbol of Christmas in the country. And such was the theme of Paskong Pamilyang Pilipino, which exhibited vignettes mounted by educators from different interior design academic institutions, at the UST Museum from Nov. 26 to Dec. 19.

Participants, including UST, sought to embody in their respective vignettes a tradtional Filipino family value, such as prayerfulness, thoughtfulness, creativity, joyfulness, charitableness, respectfulness, frugality, and hopefulness.

UST design professors Ana Marie Bautista, Flora Urquico and Lilia De Jesus chose prayerfulness.

GOETHE Institut, the German cultural center, tapped UST along with leading TV networks ABS-CBN and GMA, in organizing the International Public Television (Input), the second Southeast Asian television conference, at the Thomas Aquinas Research Center on November 14.

Francois Smit, general secretary of Input El Salvador, stressed that the event was not a festival. “Input is not a TV festival where we show the best of TV productions around the world,” he said. “Rather, it’s a conference on the practice of TV making.”

For the opening night, a documentary, “Seeking Asian Female,” was shown. It is about the romance between Steven, an old Caucasian obsessed with finding an Asian bride, and Sandy, a Chinese woman whom Steven meets online.

A WRITER’S duty includes advocating for peace during times of turmoil.

Such was the message conveyed by the Philippine Center of International PEN (Poets, Playwrights, Essayists and Novelists) in its 56th annual literature conference at the Henry Sy Hall of De La Salle University last Dec. 3 to 4. Theme was “Literature of Concord and Solidarity: The Writer as Peacemaker

Philippine PEN founder and National Artist for Literature, F. Sionil Jose opened the conference by stressing the importance of writers belonging to one community. He referred to fellow National Artist Bienvenido “Bien” Lumbera, who is PEN chairman. “Bien and I understand the grief of the creative writers in this country—we are truly alone.”

DRAMA enthusiast Piedad Guinto-Rosales was conferred the Parangal Hagbong for lifetime achievement in the field of letters by the Varsitarian, the 85-year-old official student publication of UST, despite her refusal to call herself a writer as she does not consider herself to be one.

Asked to whom she dedicates the award, the 83-year-old Rosales held back tears as she said she owes everything to her alma mater, University of Santo Tomas.

"The University is my home. I met my husband there, married my husband there,” she said. “The University was my life. I still think of it as my second mother."

A sky tainted
with orange wakes
him from his reverie.
The dying air mixes with
the rancid smell of paint.
And the scene falters
like unkempt emotions
while the murky waters drown
the wailing earth.

But who knew
that a simple walk
outside could reveal
to him the demons of this earth?

He cups his hands over his ears,
like the ghostly being he now was,
and screams,
“Madness belongs to me.”

ITO NA yata ang paborito kong Pasko. Wala akong kaagaw sa lutong spaghetti ni Mamang.

Alam kong sa Noche Buena pa namin kakainin ang mga inihandang pagkain. Kaya nga lang, sa sobrang pagkasabik kong matikman ang specialty ni Mamang, mas nauna ko pang ayusin ang hapag kaysa sindihan ang Christmas lights sa labas ng bahay.

MAHIRAP kumain nang may galit
Pagkat nadudurog ang nginunguya
Sa nagngingitngit na damdamin.
Unti-unting pinupunit
Ng mga salita ang sariling mga labi—
Hinihiwa’t pinaghihiwalay.
Di ito titikom
At hindi magniniig.
Hindi makahihigop ng sabaw
Na kumulo sa init ng ulo,
Na hindi mapalalamig sa paghahalo
Ng nagtuturuang mga daliri.
Walang mabubusog.
Walang malulunok
Sa maaksayang mga alaala.

Taong 1619 sinimulan ng Unibersidad ang paggawad ng “beca” o libreng matrikula para sa mga matatalinong mag-aaral.

Noong panahong iyon, ang beca ay ibinibigay lamang sa mga mag-aaral na mula sa mga kagalang-galang at mayayamang angkan ng Kastila, dahilan kung bakit hinihingi noon ng UST ang katibayan ng “limpieza de sangre” o purity of blood sa mga mag-aaral bago sila pumasok sa Unibersidad.

Matapos ito, sumasailalim ang mga mag-aaral sa isang masuring pagsusulit na ang mga magkakamit ng pinakamataas na marka ang mga hihiranging “becarios” o mga iskolar ng Unibersidad.