Tag: Vol. LXXIX No. 5

LEAVING a conspicuous mark in the colorful yet competitive world of the arts is a daunting challenge. But Thomasian painter Arturo Rafanan Rabara had made an indelible dent not only in Philippine art but in the United States as well. Ironically though, he was given more recognition on foreign soil and it took his death for Filipinos to accord him the recognition he deserved as a major Filipino artist.

Born on May 13, 1938, Rabara hailed from Ilocandia, which has produced world-renowned visual artists such as Juan Luna, Esteban Villanueva, Macario Vitali, and Venancio Igarta.

As a young kid, Rabara showed creativity in little ways. As a shoe-shine boy, he crafted his own shoe box. In high school, he would do letterings for barangay fiestas. He also reaped honors in provincial and regional school art competitions.

MAKING scents akin to signature perfumes, Aficionado has paved the way for the general populace to enjoy luxurious fragrances at a not-too-luxurious price. With just a few bucks, people can now sport scents similar to those of Ralph Lauren and Polo Sport. A big hit with wise-spending pinoys, Aficionado is actually the “scent-illating” achievement of a brilliant Thomasian entrepreneur, Joel Cruz.

Although he graduated from the College of Science in 1986 with a degree in Psychology, Cruz had always wanted to be a businessman despite his mother’s prodding for him to pursue medicine.

“When I reached my fourth year, I realized my calling was in business,” Cruz said.

I CAN still remember the fear and excitement of that fateful Sunday of September 2005, when I went to the St. Raymund’s Building to attend what was then called as the first Varsitarian Literary Workshop. Being my very first workshop, I had no idea what to expect. A friend from the Thomasian Writers Guild told me that workshops are not for the faint-hearted. I was in my sophomore year then, fresh from passing the cut-off grade in the College of Nursing and eager to explore what the whole University has in store for me. Little did I know that this would start my three-year affair with the workshop.

WHILE other college publications in the University have been encountering difficulties, Inter Nos of the Ecclesiastical Faculty of Sacred Theology was able to surpass all odds and ultimately win the first Hall of Fame award as the Best Student Organ in the annual Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA).

“Though we do not receive any honorarium, it is our dedication that sets us apart,” Ivan Richard Deligero, former editor in chief of Inter Nos, said. “We want to show that we cannot do anything without God.”

Every start of the semester, the Inter Nos editorial board meets to set a theme for their issue, which usually comes out once every semester. The editors decide what to publish and revise the plan with the help of their dean, who is also the adviser of the publication.

EVERY civilization that sprung in the world, was built beside rivers, along shores, and on islands. Remember that Mesopotamia is a civilization built between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, and the Chinese civilization upon the Huang He and Yang Tze rivers. Even the great Greek civilization was founded on the shores and close islands within the Aegean Sea.

At one point of Great Britain’s history, when its sanitation was in peril, the country literally walked on poop. Nations in Africa are suffering from decades of famine due to lack of water. This shows that the rise and fall of a civilization or a society mainly depends on water.

The Beato Angelico Building was tested using this exact standard. For three consecutive weeks, Beato Angelico, the UST structure that houses the Colleges of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD) and Architecture, experienced water interruptions. Everything happened without advice from either the administration or the student council.