Tag: July 12, 2011

THE GUILTY pleasure Filipinos enjoy in public slip-up is the focus of four-time Palanca winner and former Varsitarian literary writer Lourd Ernest De Veyra in his book of essays, This is a Crazy Planets (Summit Media, 2011).

The book’s launching was held at Route 196 in Quezon City last June 23, which featured aside from the book signing, a reading by the author and performances by Radioactive Sago Project, the band where De Veyra is front man.

This is a Crazy Planets is a 116-page compilation of De Veyra’s best blog entries from the website Spot.ph. Its title came from the suicide note of 1980’s sex actress Stella Strada, which has since become noted for its unintentional humor owing to its grammatical lapse as well as for its touching poignancy.

AN ALIEN kidnapped us. The strange two-footed creature took us from our home and brought us to a crowded room enclosed in steel bars. Inside were other victims of the hostage taker, and looked just as perplexed as we did.

It took me and my siblings away from our mother, though I admit that I couldn’t remember much about her. Neither my brothers nor sisters who were both born on the same day I was.

We were brought to a small room which contained a small and foul-smelling bed, but that was the least of my concerns.

THE LATE poetess and writer-in-residence of the University, Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta, was honored in a Mass celebrating her 79th birthday at the back chapel of Santisimo Rosario Parish last June 16.

College of Fine Arts and Design Regent Fr. Edgardo D. Alaurin, O.P. celebrated the mass before professors, third and fourth-year Literature students, and members of the Thomasian Writers Guild.

Recounting “Ma’am Ophie’s” influence in education, Fr. Alaurin shared his memories of the famous poet-teacher.

“I came to know Ophelia when I was a seminarian,” said Fr. Alaurin, who compared her life to that of a Dominican.

ANG DALAWANG taong gulang na tahanan ng wikang Filipino sa Unibersidad ay mayroong bagong ama na gagabay sa kaniya.

Sa ikalawang taon ng Departamento ng Filipino, mayroon itong bagong haligi sa katauhan ni Roberto Ampil, propesor ng Filipino sa Faculty of Arts and Letters na siyang hinirang bilang bagong tagapangulo.

Noong nakaraang taon, muling binuhay ang departamento sa bisa ng vertical assimilation, kung saan nagkaroon ito ng sariling pondo, tagapangulo, at opisina.

KAHUSAYAN ng mga Tomasino sa iba’t ibang wika, ngayon ay malilinang na.

Sa taong pampaaraalan 2012-2013, ihahandog ng Faculty of Arts and Letters ang AB in Translation Studies and Practices, isang kurso sa pagsasalin ng isang wika tungo sa ibang wika.

Pamumunuan ni Imelda de Castro, dating tagapangulo ng Departamento ng Filipino, ang nasabing kurso na nakatuon sa print media, regional literature, at specialized disciplines.

Ang programang ito ay hindi na bago sa Unibersidad dahil noong 1970’s ay mayroon na nito, hindi lamang napangalagaan kaya’t natanggal noong simula ng 1980’s.