Tag: Vol. LXXXVI

YOU DO not mess with Thomasians.

The UST community has proven that no one, not even the highest political authority, could intimidate it.

Just last July 27, President Aquino III delivered his last State of the Nation Address which was dubbed by his critics as unsubstantial and a mere collection of rants.

In his address, Aquino blamed the “big university” that had allegedly rejected the plan of the Department of Public Works and Highways to convert its Open Field, a major venue of key historical and cultural events of the nation, and was declared by government itself as a National Cultural Treasure, into a flood catch basin.

SOMETIMES the future changes quickly and completely, and we are left with only the choice of what to do next.

Towards the end of the 10th season of the hit US TV medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy, Dr. Cristina Yang had to make an important decision that would dictate how her life would turn out in the future—to stay in a job that had provided her stability or to leave it so she could challenge herself to grow as a person.

Much like Yang, portrayed as a go-getter cardiothoracic surgeon who had a zeal for success and a hunger to be the best, I, too, have entertained such question in my mind several times in the past—should I stay in the publication and finish my term or should I quit before my term ends?

IT IS quite interesting that people have a tendency to associate endings with farewells. When someone dies or leaves a familiar place, people simply cannot let go without bidding farewell.

The annual Baccalaureate Mass ends with graduates passing through the Arch of the Centuries to signify farewell.

When I was a freshman, I did not understand why graduates cried during the Baccalaureate Mass. I was never a fan of farewells, it seems.

It was only when I finally joined the more than 8,000 graduates during the Baccalaureate Mass this year that I fully understood the importance of formally saying goodbye.

Goodbyes give one a sense of fulfillment. Goodbyes give recognition to the ones we are leaving behind.

AS A FRESHMAN, I despised commuting. Probably because I disliked being with strangers, commuting felt like I was wasting hours of valuable time.

My commute would take two hours from my home to UST. The first hour of travel was bearable. Sure, it could take a while to find a ride with a vacant seat, and traffic on Ortigas could be irritating. But I still looked forward to school because of friends. On the second hour of travel, all of my enthusiasm would turn to aggravation. By then, I would already in Manila where pollution was the worst.

I also hated how I often got lost. I was an inexperienced freshman who was poor with directions. At times, I mistakenly took the wrong jeepney that would take me to the wrong places.

MAHIRAP maligaw kung wala ka naman talagang patutunguhan. Iyong naglalakad ka lang, nagpapalipas ng oras hanggang marating ang destinasyon na hindi mo naman alam kung saan o kung posible man lang bang matagpuan. Iyong naglalakad ka lang, nagpapalipas ng oras hanggang magkaroon ng kasagutan ang mga tanong na matagal nang bumabagabag sa isipan.

Mula pagkabata, palagi na akong naliligaw. Palaging akong nasa maling lugar, maling oras, maling panahon at maling pagkakataon. Palagi akong naliligaw sa paghahanap ng patutunguhan. Palagi akong naliligaw sa paghahanap ng mga sagot sa kung bakit ba ako naririto sa mundong ito, kung ano ba talaga ang silbi ko at kung mayroon ba talaga ako nito.

IN THE early days politicians presented themselves to voters possessing the right credentials and a long experience in public service. Recent elections however have seen various personalities more than willing to throw their hats into the political arena even without the necessary preparation.

Jose Torres, a history professor at De La Salle University, considers many of the 2016 candidates as “neophytes” trying to conceal their novice status with a celebrity image.

The image of politicians, Torres argued, has been reduced to a dispenser of various favors, leading the public to root for a candidate with a “Messiah complex.”

HIGIT PA sa tinatamasang mga benepisyo mula sa UST alumni card ngayon ang nalasap ng mga nagsipagtapos sa Unibersidad noon.

Taong 1898, binuksan sa mga alumno na mga doktorado at mga lisensyadong propesyunal ng Unibersidad ang Claustro Universitario o University Cloister, ang pinakamataas na lupong nangangasiwa sa Unibersidad.

Binubuo ito ng rektor mga Dominikanong propesor, mga lektore, mga pari, rehente at punong estudyante. Itinatag ang claustro noong 1649, apat na taon makalipas maiangat ng gobyerno ng Espanya sa antas na Unibersidad ang Colegio de Santo Tomas. Isa lamang ito sa maraming bagay na itinatag alinsunod sa mga Kastilang unibersidad sa Mehiko at Espanya.

POLITICAL advertisements are already being aired on radio and television even before the official campaign period for the 2016 national and local elections. But politicians spending big money on such ads cannot be penalized for “premature campaigning” because of a legal loophole.

Election laws and Supreme Court rulings do not prohibit these advertisements as the personalities being promoted are not yet official candidates, according to the head of the University’s political science department.

FORMER College of Science dean Fortunato Sevilla III was conferred the title, "National Academician," by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) during its 37th Scientific Meeting at the Manila Hotel last July 10.

Three other Science faculty members also got recognitions. Allan Patrick Macabeo was named Outstanding Young Scientist. Grecebio Jonathan Alejandro and Mary Beth Maningas were recognized for their Outstanding Scientific Papers. (See related story below.)

“Colleagues from the University of the Philippines (UP) who are already in the academy say it’s high time na may UST dito, that we get to see a different face,” Sevilla said, referring to the UP-dominated academy.

“Reminders, please fasten your seatbelts, and switch off all electronic devices as we are about to land in a few minutes.”

Ang init.

Ito ang mga unang katagang pumasok sa isipan ni Kirsten nang lumapag ang eroplanong kanilang sinasakyan pa-Pilipinas. Sabi ng mga magulang niya, minsan na daw silang nanatili dito. Ngunit tila hindi naman niya matandaan kung kailan ‘yon.

“Tinay! Iha, ikaw na ba ‘yan? Ang laki mo na at ang ganda pa! Mestisahin ka talaga noon pa man.”

“Hi, Tita, Tito.”