Tag: Vol. LXXXI

ONE LESSON most Thomasians learn the hard way is that University life can be a tad expensive, thus the need for practicality.

It pays to be street-smart and to save up some money for a rainy day (or for when a busload of handouts need to be photocopied). Thus, the Varsitarian has compiled a map for the cheap finds on food, school supplies and hang-out places around UST that get you through while savoring the bittersweet life in the University.

Feel-at-home eateries

A few steps away from Dapitan gate is the famous V. Concepcion Street which houses an array of home-style restaurants such as Auribel, Merries, Pasta Plates and Hapag Kainan.

Auribel offers delectable Filipino dishes like caldereta and pork chop for as low as P40.

Customers can hardly tell what their favorite dishes are because the restaurant alters its menu everyday.

YOU GRAB a cup of latte in your favorite spot at the coffee shop, turn your iPod on and open the thick book in front of you. Finally, you’re ready to study.

Others may perform a different ritual. They stare at the ceiling, seeking to block all thoughts unrelated to the task at hand. They make the sign of the cross, take a deep breath, then start reviewing.

Students employ different, and sometimes absurd, learning strategies, but which of them really work and which ones are just plain silly?

Three guidance counselors from the Faculty of Arts and Letters have given their insights on the do’s and don’ts of studying.

Know your learning style

“Know the reasons why you want to achieve good grades so you know what your anchor is,” guidance counselor Lalaine Lachica tells the Varsitarian.

TALK about turning misery into opportunity.

Two Thomasians didn’t fret when school officials required students to wear their IDs on campus all the time.

Dominick Galauran of Engineering and Vincent Chua of Fine Arts knew they didn’t have to sacrifice their fashion style—their “porma”—over it. So they came up with something not exactly novel: UST lanyards.

The strings were not their inventions, but the uniquely Thomasian character of their designs—the black-gold, black-white colors—made their “GoUste” lanyards a fashion must-have these days.

“Why not we make the wearing of IDs more fun?” Galauran argued.

Crossing to the mainstream

In 2007, Galauran and Chua created the lanyards initially for members of GoUste.com forum, a social networking site for Thomasians. Back then, the vibrant lanyards were originally not for sale but were simply used to help promote the site.

WILLIAM Faulkner said about writing, “Everything goes by the board: honor, pride, decency. If a writer had to rob his mother, he will not hesitate.” He further said, not without humor, that the “Ode to a Grecian Urn” might be worth any number of old ladies.

Faulkner would be amused to know that aspiring writers everywhere have “stolen” snippets of everyday life for a budding story. This is especially useful, since people in general cannot remember absolutely everything that happens in a day. Many an episode I have done so myself, pen and paper in hand, recording that fleeting retort or that witty comment by some passerby, only to forget it.

More people nowadays seem to own big and expensive square pendants.

It seems that everyone is buying Digital SLR, but for all the wrong reasons. It is now becoming a fashion statement; people would only own Digital SLR just for the trend rather than the deeper purpose of this technology. In short, the essence of photography has been forgotten...

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My life as a photographer began when I was in third year high school. My friend literally dragged me to a photojournalism seminar in our school. I got interested when he suggested I join the documentation team. At that time, I did not know anything about photography. I had to start from scratch. Bit by bit, I learned more about the art by looking at eye-catching photos by renowned landscape photographers Marc Adamus and Galen Rowell. I fell in love with the way they used light to portray the beauty of nature.

THE ZOMBIE-THEMED movie I Am Legend made me fascinated with the zombie apocalypse as well as with the possible end of the human race through nuclear war.

Recently, I stumbled upon the Shelter Management Manual, which illustrates how to build and manage a good fallout shelter. In the sixth page, something caught my eye: “Keep shelterees informed…This will help prevent rumors, which could adversely affect morale and shelter management control.”

Similarly, in an earthquake poster seen in government offices say something like “don’t spread rumors.”

Gossip has been our diet from the day we are born until the hour of our death. When babies nowadays get their first breath of life, they’re greeted by their mothers, as well as outgoing text messages from family members. Ditto with death. An example was Francis “Francis M” Magalona’s death some months ago—it was so hard to think of the Philippine hip-hopper as dead and gone.

IN HIS book “Asian Power and Politics,” the late Chinese political analyst Lucian Pye discussed the development of the political culture of the People’s Republic of China, which seems to be comparable with the culture I have learned to live with in the Special Reports section of the Varsitarian.

The impact wrought by Western contacts and the political turmoil at the start of the 20th century provided China the impetus in building a more competent and stable political culture. Thus, through many years of revolutions and economic reforms, and in spite of foreign criticisms, China’s foreign policy is anchored on a strong consciousness of its history.

I’VE ALWAYS had a soft spot for artworks (read: “frustrated artist”), especially for editorial cartoons. There is just something beautiful in fusing text and drawing to show a satirical stand. If given a choice, I would rather choose an editorial cartoon than an opinion piece, mainly because in an editorial cartoon, all it takes is one look to get an idea of how others see a relevant or not-so-relevant issue (again, read: Halili-Kho). Perhaps a huge part of an editorial cartoon’s appeal comes from being so simple, and yet so relevant and encompassing of an issue. And I’m guessing a small chunk of its charm comes from the cartoon’s humorous, and sometimes grotesque, portrayal of politicians and villains we love to hate.

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As I was scanning the latest issue of the Inquirer, I happened to chance upon a gripping editorial cartoon about the swine flu pandemic.

UST NOW has its first cases of influenza A(H1N1) virus. With more than hundreds cases nationwide and still counting, it was just a matter of time for A(H1N1) to strike the University campus despite a massive information campaign and tough precautionary measures.

The confirmed UST cases were all students, prompting University officials to shut down four University buildings, including the gym. Students from the Medicine, Engineering, Accountancy buildings were also placed on “automatic” quarantine, barring them from entering other University buildings up to June 30. We credit University authorities for the quick response.

But UST cannot afford to suspend classes every time a new case is discovered, considering A(H1N1) symptoms are mostly mild and treatment is no different from that required to cure the seasonal flu. One government official even compared it to sore eyes.

EVERYONE in the world may have contracted it at least once in their lifetimes, but history itself shows that the flu can become more than just a yearly guest. The influenza virus—particularly Influenza A—has already caused four flu pandemics in history: that of the Spanish flu, the Asian flu, the Hong Kong flu, and this year’s A(H1N1).

The effects of these flu pandemics are greater that of their seasonal counterparts: they can cause death tolls as high as the number of casualties of world wars.

1918-1919: Spanish Flu