Echoes March 2013 by Echoes

August 2012 March 2013

Pg. 40

32 34 12-17 47 News 54 Features 55 6 7 8

Previous Issue

From the Editor

Committee News

20 24 30

School is for Fools A Fair Chance For All Why Summer Sucks

Just Between Us Haters

DEREK PARREĂ&#x2018;AS Editor-in-Chief SAM GONZALES Associate Editor

The Tell-All: The Pulse Apps

RIA TAN Managing Editor

The Pleasure of the Album

JOBY GUERRERO News Editor

A Friendly Reminder How to be Kul

Culture

68 70 76

Editors

Is it Hip to be Hipster? Sneakerheads #Tweetable Tweets

Contributors Olivia Solomon Josh Siat J. Malcontento Gab Sollano Monty Banta Cara Latinazo Luigi Montalbo Frances Quezon Lisanne Gaborni Jus Nuque Bryan Domingo Alvar Santos

HORACE CIMAFRANCA Creatives Editor

LERIZZE TAN Features Editor JUDITH PASCUAL Culture Editor AYLA REYES Promotions Director KENNETH REYES Webmaster PAULO BAUTISTA Web Editor JUDE GERON Photos Editor VITO CASTANEDA Layout Editor TIMMY JACOB Literary Editor WAX FERRER Logistics Director SOL CORTES Echoes TV Producer RAPHAEL DANTES Arts and Culture Consultant

Staff JANINA RAYMUNDO VICO UBALDO CARMELA CALUGAY BRYAN DOMINGO

Previous Issue

Echoes is the official publication of the UP Economics Society (UP Ecosoc), a non-stock, non-profit, student organization based in the University of the Philippines Diliman School of Economics. Since the 2nd semester of the academic year 2010-2011, Echoes is released four times in a sem and eight times in a year, on the months of January, February, March, July, August, September, October, and December. It draws its funding from a subsidy from UP Ecosoc, sponsorships, subscription revenue, and other small funraisers. For this semester, 33 subscription copies, 4 tambayan copies, 1 archive copy, and a complimentary copy for each of our sponsors, featured members, and featured alumni are produced. This publication is printed by Yza Copy Systems and Trading, located at Stall 22 at the Shopping Center, UP Diliman, Quezon City. contact us

upecosoc@gmail.com upecosoc.echoes@gmail.com visit for more information

upecosoc.org Echoes.PH facebook.com/up.economics.society No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

From the Editor Mhmm, got you there for a second.

Hello, connoisseurs of gossip and fellow bitches. This is Gossip G. Do you really think your little lovey-dovey relationship is enough to make it to MY column? Well I know you WANT it to be placed here, deep down inside. So do something worth talking about! My God, you people complain the gossip is tame, well what are you doing about it? None of you are interesting or scandalous enough to get written about. Keeping tight-lipped? I know a few of you out there with secrets to hide, why not let it out a bit for the rat race? I know Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m burnt out of the rat race, bitches. Just always remember that someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always watching from the outside. XOXO, Gossip G

COMMITTEE NEWS

Loves viewing things with his camera during summer

GJ | Task Force

As we enter into the denouement stages of the semester, I sometimes can’t help but look back at what happened in the past few months. I’d like you to take this time to realize how you made things possible for the accomplishments we’ve made as an org. We’ve promoted voters education in and outside the university. We encouraged small food businesses and we gave them an avenue for greater exposure. Throughout the sem we helped build houses for the less fortunate, even if it just meant painting the first layer of paint or packing up a pile of dirt into sacks (if you went alam nyo yan haha). We’ve done many other things, others of which I apologize for failing to mention due to my space limit, but I would like to stress the point that we were able to do it because of your willingness to help, to volunteer, and of course to make a difference. For that, I give you my biggest thank you.

There are a lot of things we have to improve on, and I admit that we do still have a steep mountain to climb before we get to the top. Just remember especially as we enter into the next semester, do the things that you are passionate for and love what you do everyday, and I promise you will find joy even in the simplest of things. Keep the fire alive Ecosoc and God bless always! Love, with much hugs and kisses, mwah mwah mwah, GJ “I’m the man, stan” Agregado

Loves hanging shoes on her shoulder during summer

BB | Task Force

Earlier this month we received some of the very best news to come our way: Kevin, one of our scholars, had passed the very competitive UPCAT and is slated to study biology in UP Los Banos. In addition to that, Seann passed the USTET, and Jonathan is going to graduate as valedictorian! Of course, even though Madz’ graduation is still far away and this sem has still quite some time before it ends, we can already take pride in their achievements. I’ve always believed in and appreciated how Task Force exemplifies service to others. Fundraising for the ESSF, its main activity, seems like a daunting and thankless job a lot of times, but it’s news like this that humanize the stress that you carry. Task Force gives back, unconditionally, and it is simply delightful and amazing to hear that we are able to help others in their own pursuits of excellence and service.

So to the DADs: Janeen, Justin, Carlo, Jed, Chello, Loice, Judith, Cath, AK, Gelo, Ayla and Mariel , thank you for being tireless! I’m sorry for the barrage of text messages always; I recently discovered the power of Globe’s unli! Please don’t block me! Just a little more and we’ll be done! To V5: can you believe it, gus and gooks? It’s already March and we’ve come miles and miles far from where we started. You are strange and odd many times, but you are all excellent. To beyond! To Ecosoc: I am, and always will be, grateful for your trust, support, and enthusiasm for what we do. It’s great to be an Ecosocer! Love, Bee

Loves being with his girlfriend during summer

TO THE ECOSOCERS: Thank you for sharing the pubmats that we as a committee worked hard for!! your support is very much appreciated. I would also like to acknowledge Boz, Iya and many others who pick up trash in the tambayan. I encourage all of us to help them and help ourselves by keeping our tambayan clean. To the seniors : Thank you for giving your time and loyalty to ECOSOC. I really appreciate your comments and criticisms To my members: A JOB WELL DONE! (see more in our fbg “thank you seccom”) To V5: Thank you for helping me grow. I am very thankful for being given the opportunity to lead this organization with you guys. Other random things:

ARS|Secretariat

Hi guys suggest lang kayo if want something in the tambs. YAY panalo tayo against UP DUO

Magkakaroon ng sparkle club soon (more on Photoshop and photography) so WATCH OUT FOR IT! What do you what other mediums should we use to promote our events? (ie radio, TV, etc) uh please stop texting my old number kasi it’s my moms, my number is 09062132248 uhm hi? good bye now! see you around!

Loves making utos the yayo during summer

HAPPY MARCH EVERYONE! And what an awesome past two months it’s been so far! Can I just say, really great job everybody. Slow claps. It’s a great time to say that we’re Ecosoc-ers and proud.

To all those who went, THANK YOU FOR GOING TO FOODGASM! We hope you were fully satisfied and we hope that that event was the best...gasm you had that night :) TO FINANCE, you are all amazing and I couldn’t be more proud to have led such an awesome team in my first semester. I do not regret choosing any one of you. To the large-scale team who spearheaded the groundbreaking Foodgasm, WOW. You have exceeded my expectations in every aspect. Nikki, JYA, Ana, Botan and Aeron, my directors, I can’t believe how much you’ve grown and accomplished. And to think some of you are so young yet so full of potential. Look out, Ecosoc! And to their respective team members AK, Alyssa, Abby and Angela, and to the Foodgasm volunteers, thanks for the hard work and dedication you put into this event. It wouldn’t have been as successful if it weren’t for you. And to Brian, damn look how far we’ve come from the first incredibly awkward conversation we had at the end of last semester. Couldn’t have done it without you. Swabe. To Kamille, the little ball of energy who attracts every coffee man that lays eyes on her, thank you again for agreeing to take this opportunity. There was no better child to lead an equally awesome small-scales team of Kristina, Patmen, Justine, Miguel and Monty. Louie, I know we’ve been doing so well because you brought all your good Chinese feng shui to the group so thank you. Thanks to you, Justine and Paul for never letting any AR go unpunished. Lastly, to my apps Jean, Andreana, Pam, Kaye and Steph you girls are forces to be reckoned with. Whatever happens now, know that I have the highest regard for you guys <3

GELI | Finance

To V5, Clingy and everyone else, you make all this worth having done and worth continuing on.

COMMITTEE NEWS

Loves posing during summer

QUEK | External Affairs

Hi, Ecosoc! Thank you for supporting the back-to-back External events last month! Imagine we were able to make Rundown and UPfront full house? Thanks to your help, hectic February was fun and fulfilling despite the stress. <3 To Externals, thank you for keeping up with me until the very end. All our events won’t be successful without your effort. To DJR, thank you for being my strength throughout the semester. I can’t wish for better VCs because I have the best! Dia, you’ve really grown up as good ER Director. I hope you continue to develop your potential. Jo, my Chinese cutie pie, thank you for being my “little Quek” during UPfront. Won’t survive without you, let’s schedule our bonding na! Ramm, my fierce fashown VC, thank you for giving ecosoc another milestone to be proud of (Parangal), as you venture to a new world/org always remember that I support you.

To Chello, Gio, Jade, Kath and Ria, thank you for being passionate with what we are doing despite the hassle of being abangers of orgs. To Adriel, Dana and Flora, I really appreciate your enthusiasm with our tasks. I could see potential in you! To Cathy and Red, thank you for being supportive despite the stress during the elections. Please extend my gratitude to your special orgs. To Ines, thank you for being a talented host! HEHE! The position is yours until NES (half-meant). To Ben, Chila, Hannah, KG and Miko, congratulations! In less than 2 months, you will be graduating. Good luck with your future endeavors! I will miss you! To V5, time flies so fast, we are almost in the middle of our term. Good luck with our remaining events! I love you! To everyone, let’s give our best during the finals! God bless! The sem’s almost over and our work’s all done. So this commnews is just to thank everyone in Acad for a really really job well done. We’ve done so much this semester, and I couldn’t have imagined doing it with a different set of people in OUR committee. Awww kakatear :’)First, I’d like to thank my lovely freshie mems, Henny (aww my Chinese treasurer), Iah (my Chinese secretary), Van (my Chinese creatives guy), Chelsea (my allaround Chinese member), and Aileen (my super duper studious Chinese member)! Special kayo talaga kasi grabe ang unbelievably active niyo lang kahit freshies kayo. I’m touched! Second, my non-graduating, non-freshie mems. Gelo, for being so active despite your work in TF; Shirra, for being present in the most stressful events; Reg, for supporting our events from afar; Chiara, for doing little things despite your busy circumstances; Bryan, for that wonderful Christmas gift; Shinichi, for being so gentlemanly about everything; Vico, for doing a lot of random things for Acad; Nads, for still being aware of Ecosoc events despite being in CBA; Diana, for attending that one commeet; Topy, for now taking an active role in Ad Hoc; Hari, for replying to my request to join an eating contest; Iso, for dropping by the tambs to sign sigsheets; and Keith, for being Chinese. Second... to the last (sabaw), to my seniors: Von, thank you for being my mentor for two semesters <3. Angeli, thanks for replying when I tell you to (hehe)!! Gab, thanks for supporting Acad all the way through your thesis sem! And Carlo, thank you for being the Acad member that we can all run to whenever there’s an emergency. Have fun in life! Finally: Thank you VCs. You girls are the best. Throughout the semester, we’ve gone through a lot, and I’ve enjoyed all of it (the stress, the bondings, the secret meetings). Carmel, I’m really glad you chose this committee at least for one semester. I am honored. Monina, you’ve been here for so long, but you never grow tired; you are inspiring. Nikki, for being the biggest, most persistent bully I have worked with since my stay in Acad (which is basically my whole UP life); baliw ka. I’m wrote most of this in Jus’ 18th debut! (by the time this is released it’s Belated) Happy Birthday Jus Nuque! <3

Loves being cool during summer

NEIL | Academic Affairs

Loves singing during the summer

As the newest addition to the tambayan, the Wall of Memories made me realize how time passes by so quickly. A few months ago, I was so happy winning the elections and now, the sem’s almost over. Dayum. In my past two commnews, I’ve been saying thank you to CDC (which is the best committee ever btw). But now, I would like to express my gratitude to the people who deserve it the most: YOU. Thank you, Ecosoc, for continually supporting CDC! Hindi niyo alam kung gaano ako natutuwa every time nakikita kong hinuhug niyo with sincerity yung CDC kids, or pag nagtatawanan tayo during GK pag may umaakyat sa scaffolding, or pag nag “awww” kayo sa mga Disney-themed activities.

It gives me such fulfilment to see that we are slowly moulding your idea of service, that it can be enjoyable and that it can be a worthwhile act. For me kasi, the purpose of CDC is not primarily and solely to help those in need. Yes, that is important but the main of goal of CDC activities, and CDC in general, should be to build people na second nature na yung pagtulong sa iba. So that when you all become older (and hopefully richer hehe), hindi niyo makakalimutan na when you were in college, merong mga CDC activities na naenjoy niyong gawin and hopefully, ipagpatuloy niyo by engaging in bigger outreach activities or by donating to institutions. Who knows? Baka may magtayo pa sa inyo ng sariling foundation!

XP | Community Development

To V5, hello gooks! I think safe to say na nabreak na yung “2nd sem curse” myth. I’m humbled to be working with such an amazing set of people. If we were more perfect, we’d be perfect. One down, one to go. The best is yet to come. <3 Xpogi Xpatootie

Loves playing Bball with the homies during summer

(Insert Ecosoc greeting here) (Insert gratitude for the support given to the last issue here) (Insert “That Echoes is a barometer of the members feelings and Ecosoc’s performance on a whole” here) (Insert sentence that expounds on the joy that is experienced by Ecosoc making it to the top three organizations of UP Diliman here) (Insert witty phrase that sums up the making of the last issue here)

DEREK | Echoes

(Insert gratitude and praise to the members of Echoes here: @famamfa, @thisisRIAlity, @ oreomcfLERI, @joby_4ever, @wax_f, @ PA13AU, @V2toCAST <if such a handle existed for Vito) @mynameistimothy, @jambaJUDE, and @judpascual)

(Insert special gratitude and praise to graduating members here: @aylareyes, @solsslice, @ modernmannerist, @horacecima, @1013917 <Kenneth, you beat me to my idea of having a numerical twitter handle!> ) (Insert greeting and words of encouragement to the Echoes apps, especiallly since its finals week here: @fcaquezon, @wrongTIMIngkasi, @_DollyDingle <Lisanne, I do not know if this is you. If it is, you had scene hair before>, @bryanDOMINator <LOL>, @FafaRafaMira) (Insert obligatory execom greeting and words of encouragement here: @klishling, @xpandiknowit, @themadameq, @PB_andGeli, @ jiiing, @onionuevo, @rynaclaro, @riaaten, @beetriz, @iGotJuicyAbs) -@oneDEREKsyon

COMMITTEE NEWS HOLA ECOSOC! Can you feel it? Summer heat! WOOOO ONE month to go! We’re down to our last exams and papers, last events and CDC requirements. Konting push na lang and we can all get better sleep and longer rests (at least before summer classes/internships/work begin). To Liai apps, thank you for choosing Liai! It was such a good experience working with all of you. I saw your dedication to really be a part of this organization. More than that, I am privileged to have had the chance of getting to know you as persons. To Catrice: Hindi ko ineexpect pero mahirit ka din pala! (in a good way) You’re game for everything and you’re fun to talk to! To Ida: Hello pretty girl! Na-perfect attendance mo ata yung commeets! Good job! Those little things don’t go unnoticed. To Eina: Wonderwoman! I really admire the passion that you put in your work. Hands down! You’ll go far in life, no doubt about it. To Christine: Quiet but intense. At first, you struck me as the shy type na hindi masyado nakikipaginteract. But girl, how you proved me wrong! I won’t forget our meaningful conversations. To Lyon: Knowing you, para ko na ring naencounter si Beyonce! FIERCE. Your personality and your energy, sobrang through the roof! You know how to pump up the crowd, that’s for sure. To Ecosoc mems and to V5, THANK YOU SO MUCH for giving me this opportunity as an appointed execommer to work alongside you guys. This is definitely a sem to remember! I am honored to have been part of leading the organization to greater heights. I do hope that I can keep your trust as we face the next sem *wink, wink* HAHA!

Loves to sleep during summer

JING | Liaison

God bless, everyone! I wish us all the best for the next 4 weeks.

Loves to pose half-naked during summer

ANON | Membership

Sup Ecosoc? Another month has gone by, I can’t believe that the first sem of our term is almost done. There is no doubt that this sem has been nothing short of amazing for Ecosoc. All events were carefully planned and well-executed, we have kept our socio-civic nature as we continuously work for our scholars, the membership morale is stronger than ever. All this can be attributed to the effort each one has given. This organization would not be able to reach this level if it were not for you guys. Let us all take part of the success and enjoy the rest of the semester because we all deserve it. :) Sup execom! I’d just like to say that each one of you has inspired me in one way or another. Your passion for this org is unquestionable, I have seen everyone’s efforts and I know that all of us really want to make a difference. Thank you for always being there.

Sup Memcom? Thank you for all the effort that you have given. I know that our task isn’t easy and there is no “break time” for us, but still, never get tired of serving the org. They can say what they say, but we know the effort that we’ve put. Let’s not lose our trust and bond, for this is what truly keeps us together. To Maestro, thank you for your words. You have made us stronger and more bonded than ever.

Loves to sunbathe in the summer

RYNA | Special Events Andee Pau Bruno. I love you all from the bottom of my chest.

HEY HEY HEY ECOSOC!! Summer is almost hereeeee. I can feel it cause I’m already sweating like a whore in church. I kid I kid. But aren’t you excited to do absolutely nothing, roll around in bed till it’s already lunch time and then get up just to stuff your face with food. BECAUSE I AM FREAKING EXCITED TO DO EXACTLY THAT. So in case this is my last commnews for the sem, I would definitely like to give credit where it is due! Since almost half my term is done, I would like to thank my super ferowsh committee! I love you all and I couldn’t imagine having a better team than you guys. I love the dedication to this committee of every single one of you. Super cheesy but you are the best talaga. :’) And I know some of you will be leaving (ehem seniors Kelvin, Pito, Noreen, Jax, Jason) na but know that there will always be a special place in my heart for SPEV 55A. Promise I won’t get too emotional but I just want to thank all of you talaga. :(( Thank you Ayi Josh for being amazing VC’s. Not to mention the people who kept me sane this entire time: Mark Romano Loice Kiele Issa Just Cara Klaud

To my apps, Tony Zo and David, your hardwork is finally coming to an end and I wish you all the luck! To V5! You guys are the best. Gosh what more do I need to say. I love you all and I can’t wait to start a new sem with you guys!!! That’s enough of my senseless talking, time to enjoy the sun! xx, Ryna

Loves playing football during summer

RIA| Sports

Thank you to everyone who supported all of the Ecosoc Sports events this semester! Thank you as well to those members who represented ecosoc in inter-org sports competitions like JPES Sportsfest and Slo-pitch tournament! To the freshie sports members, Adri, Cheska, Dustin, Joseph, and Luis: thank you for being the energizers of the committee! Thank you for always helping out in the sports events, and for having the initiative to be as active as you can this semester. To Boz, Cesca, CV, Cyvil, God, Janeen, Joc, Miguel, and Rino: thank you for being so supportive of the events as well, and for helping out in the inter-org competitions like the JPES Sportsfest, and Slo-pitch tournament! To the GRADUATING MEMBERS (Bing, Cheska, Mik, Tikay) of the sports committee: Congratulations in advance, and we wish you guys the best in your future endeavors! SPORTS, thank you so much for everything you’ve done this sem. I am grateful for each and every one of you guys! I love you, sports!

To my VC’s: Thank you for everything that you’ve done for sports, and for consistently being active throughout the semester. To Tracy: thank you for being hardworking and committed to sports despite your academic load this semester. To Mike: thank you for being super active and committed as well, not just in sports, but in all the ecosoc events. To the sports apps, Astin, Miguel, and Orion, Thank you for being so helpful, supportive, and active in sports throughout the semester. I hope that you learned a lot from your app process, and that you enjoyed it as well! Hope you felt the ecosoc love during your app process! To V5: This semester has been such a fun, exciting, and unique, learning experience, so thank you for everything guys! I’m excited to spend another semester with you people!

INSIDE ECOSOC

Meeting the Candidates UPFront BY VICO UBALDO

n Feb 26, 2013, two days before UP Diliman election day, Ecosoc and UP AdCore held UPFront, the University Student Council Elections Forum in the UP Film Institute from 5:00 pm onwards. Now on its third year running, more than 1,200 students gathered once again in the forum to listen to the candidates to the USC in order to determine who deserves to win in the coming elections. Representing the three parties in the forum were the three chairperson candidates, the three vice-chairperson

candidates, and three councilor candidates from each party. From KAISA were Alex Castro, Jules Guiang, Carla Gonzales, Rafa Fernando, and Dan Guzman. From ALYANSA were Carlo Brolagda, Alex Santos, Arjay Mercado, Alea Carpio, and JP Delas Nieves. From STAND UP were Mijo Solis, Kei Garcia, Cha France, Aji Reyes, and Erra Zabat. The forum had four parts. The first part consisted of short introductory speeches by all the above-mentioned candidates. This was followed by a debate wherein the candidates discussed several

pressing university issues including campus security, the STFAP bracketing scheme, and the role of the USC itself. After this, the candidates were asked questions by three incumbent USC officers: Heart Dino, Carlos Clement, and Eds Gabral. Finally, the audience was given the chance to ask questions to the candidates. With student attendance that greatly surpassed last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, congratulations to the Academic Affairs and Externals committees for a job well done!

Foodies take a second bite at Foodgasm 2 BY JANINA RAYMUNDO

he yummiest food-tasting event in the metro held its second installment on the evening of March 9, Saturday, at Mercato Centrale in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. This year, Foodgasm proudly hosted 24 promising food businesses, each of which prepared samples of their signature dishes waiting to be tasted by attendees and guest judges alike.

up lines using food references, where winners each won Php1000 worth of Kickers gift certificates. The program also featured musical performances from Ecosoc members Jude Geron, Carlo Fernandez, Andee Aguila, Miguel Andres, IcaDucanes, and Simone Carpio, as well as applicant Ken Arcano. Also, Ecosoc’s own Ines Pagdanganan cohosted the event.

Entries ranged from sweets like cupcakes and milkshakes, to more savory samplers like cheesesteak and other meat (and vegetarian) dishes. Ecosoc’s own Horace Cimafranca and Noreen Apuhin, as well as alumnus Reuel Realin, participated in the event as representatives from two food businesses, Patisserie Pretentieux and Lipdip Milkshakes.

This year’s overall winner is New Zealand Natural, whose food entry was Premium Ice Cream. The overall winner gets Php10,000, online promotions by 25 famous food bloggers, and a free space in Mercato Centrale. Ping-gu, with its Mushroom Fries, won the People’s Choice award, while the Judges’ Choice went to Paire, which served up a pork appetizer and a dessert dish called Almond Pair. The award for the most innovative dish went to Sophia School Café for its entry, veggie sisig.

The event program involved a few games such as reciting “wEATy” pick-

Foodgasm is an event organized by the Finance Committee, where up-andcoming food businesses from around the metro gathered and served up their best dishes for guests to taste and judge.

CDC holds semester’s Medical Mission BY MHELA CALUGAY

he semestral Medical Mission is one of the most anticipated service endeavors of the Community Development Committee. Every semester, members and applicants, together with partner medical organizations, give service to a needful community. Last February 23, 2013, the medical mission was organized at a community in Luzon Avenue, Brgy Culliat, Quezon City. There were more than 60 mems and apps present and they gave service to more than 150 people of the community. The program started with a health talk by Prof. Francis Grace Duka-Pante of the College of Education. The mothers learned about the common diseases in a crowded community and their possible cure and prevention. Cheaper alternatives for a more balanced diet for the kids were also discussed.

After the talk, the consultation with the doctors started. Four doctors from Phi Sigma Gamma Fraternity of UST partnered with Ecosoc in this outreach activity. After the consultation, the awarding of certificates and the taking of the group photo took place.

INSIDE ECOSOC

Pulse Apps held ‘princess training’ at Tahanan Sta. Luisa BY LISANNE GABORNI

he apps held their CDC app batch project last March 2 at the Tahanan Sta. Luisa. The event was called “Train a Princess” and aimed for members and apps alike to bond with the 16 girls residing in the shelter. The program started at 2 PM with Kaye Villasenor and Magi del Rosario as hosts. In order to group the participants, a game of ‘The Boat is Sinking” was played at the start. Several members and apps also

joined the girls as they played book relay and Pinoy Henyo. After food was served, all the girls were entitled to a nail art. Meanwhile, male members and apps wrote inspirational words on pieces of paper, which were to given to the girls at the end of the program. Ken Arcano then led in serenading the girls with “Harana” and “Your Song” by Parokya ni Edgar and “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz.

A coronation ceremony wrapped up the event, where all 16 girls as well as their guardian, Ms. Patch, were crowned and sashed. Sadly, it was, for many, substandard as an applicant project. Tahanan Sta. Luisa is a welcome center and shelter for the abused and exploited girls. It is located in Old Balara, Quezon City.

Puppets and CDC’s 2nd Caravan BY BRYAN DOMINGO

t was a puppet-filled afternoon for the cancer patients of Child Haus at Project 8, Quezon City as the Community Development Committee organized this semester’s 2nd CDC Caravan on March 11, attended by around 30 members and applicants of UP Ecosoc. The members of CDC prepared a puppet show, following the storyline of Lilo and Stitch’s adventure, where kids get to interact with the characters of the show. They danced with grass skirts in the tune of Disney songs, sang “If You’re Happy and You Know It!” in increasing paces, and had a picture with the sock puppets of Lilo and Stitch. Stitch, the sock puppet, also taught them the word “Ohana”, meaning “family”, which was famous in the based cartoon. After watching the puppet show, the kids, along with the members and apps, created their own sock puppets where they chose their own puppets’ hair and eye colors. The CDC provided them

various materials including buttons, yarns, and socks. Each child had his own sock puppet and continued playing with them. The event concluded in a picturetaking with the Ecosoc and the children of Child Haus, holding their sock and

stick puppets. Residents of the Child Haus were people, kids and adults, with cancer or other health conditions. It was founded by Ricky Reyes, renowned hairdresser and makeup specialist.

NEWS

DATU KIRAM Here is the Datu of Sulu flashing his certifcate that proves ownership of Sabah.

NEWS

NEWS BY

NUMBERS 14th

of March will be the day Samsung will unveil their latest Smartphone, Samsung Galaxy S IV.

BY JOBY GUERRERO

58 the age when Hugo Chavez, influential president of Venezuela, dies after a long battle with cancer. His vice president, Nicolas Maduro will assume interim presidency for 30 days before elections will hold.

10,000

amount in dollars offered to surrogate Crystal Kelley when ultrasounds showed that the child sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s carrying for another couple had severe health problems.

2 in every 5

adult Filipinos are optimistic about their quality of life, according to a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. 1 out of 3 meanwhile have a positive outlook on the Philippine economy this year.

Filipinos have died since the Sabah stand-off between the followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and Malaysia’s military troops.

percent of barangay roads nationwide are still unpaved according to a World Economic Forum (WEF) report. 66% of the country’s national roads also remain unpaved.

10.7

FIlipino Peacekeepers are held up by Syrian rebels in Golan Heights. The rebels want Syrian troops to move back at least 20 km. before they release their captives.

increase in percent of China’s budget for defense. The budget is estimated to amount to 720.2 billion Yuan ($115.7Billion).

250,000,000

people heavy Japan. caused train to

have died due to snow in northern A blizzard even a high-speed bullet derail.

amount in dollars released by the US government headed by US Secretary of State, John Kerry, to aid Egypt.

$$$

Before Moninaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Photoshoot: We may or may not have taken this before Litnight. Still postmodern though. And oh, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right, we upgraded.

F E A T U R E S 19

SCHOOL IS FOR FOOLS School Uniforms are Symbols

for Uniform Thought Processes BY DEREK PARREÑAS

OLLECTIVE MEMORY. That’s a term that would be most apt to describe schooling. Day in and day out, you’ve been going to school for a couple of years now. For so many mornings (that you can’t even remember all of them), you’ve stood under the morning sun waiting to sing a song written from a century ago. You probably don’t understand all the words you’re singing, but you know the melody by heart. There’s your familiar uniform, greeting and following you wherever you go along the halls. No longer worn by you, but shadows of yourself. The arid smell of chalk dust (and maybe, later on, the nauseating smells of whiteboard-marker ink) was your reliable friend in the classroom. Enemy, when you get sent to the board and under the spotlight to answer something. What’s that they have on the board— balancing chemical equations? It’s third year high school, ain’t it? Those kids older than you also learned it. Hey, you’ve been laughing with your friends during lunch break about something you don’t really remember anymore. Also during recess. During PE. And during class, to the detriment of your teachers. You’ve bummed around school, waiting to leave, with the afternoon sun also waiting, to hit your face. So many faces, new and old, passed you by, only to replace you when you’re gone. That’s you. A product of the same process that’s been going on for years in the Philippines. Now here’s where we narrow the readership. Think Metro Manila. Sprawling highways and congested roads. Dinghy sidestreets with even more dinghy street vendors. Skyscrapers tearing through the horizon, right beside illegal settlers in rusty metal shacks. Looks like any other southeast Asian developing country at first sight. Well, you’ve got wizened, Hispanic cathedrals right beside Chinese communes, the great brown bay of Manila, or an exploding shopping mall. The possibility of a congressman being in your midst, right along that primetime local TV star, and the same-faced hobos that walk the dirty avenues of the metropolis. Towering billboards with scantily-clad women being taken down due to protest, all happening as women dance naked for men in neonlit institutions. Traffic enforcers clad in blue accept little fees hidden from cameras, as two elderly women in a jeep whisper gossip about people they don’t even know personally. Military camps located right beside plush many-gated communities, and so many foreigners looking for exotic Manila, but it’s urban. Welcome to Metro Manila. The description probably would

never encapsulate the whole of it. But that’s not what this is for. Has it ever blown your mind that the stranger or new friend you’ve sat next to might’ve crossed your life in some way? Well, let it. Because in this metropolis, everybody knows somebody, and if they don’t, they will. That’s still not the point of all this though. You see, it’s the same Metro Manila we all know. There’s no skirting it, no compromise. How can you compromise with a city that holds you by the balls when you’re not looking? You could probably lose your wallet (and possibly, your life) if you’re not too careful. People whisk back-and-forth without even minding you, and you do the same (unless they’re of aesthetic value, but that’s a different matter altogether). And if someone stops and lets the whole dynamic collapse, you stop and look, then you continue doing what you were doing. Just like in traffic accidents. The lessons that Manila taught you are the same for the next person. Add two together, wow, you’ve got a party going on. The same affair countless others have attended: school in Metro Manila. Let’s forget specifics, and move on to generalizations, because nothing can truly be alike in this whole world. The question to be posed is this: What if all this machinery is to produce generations chained to the same thought process? We’ve all heard it some time; that school really isn’t for learning hard facts. Good if you do, though. School is there to instill this way of thinking among students. Whoever deemed that way of thinking proper is another thing, though. You’re free to think about that. But the whole matter of it is elementary. There is a force telling the educated generation how to think, through years of basic knowledge, nationalistic (almost religious) rituals, and commonly-shared past times. Certainly, how can anyone (but geniuses and those kids with amazing memory) expect to remember into adulthood that Fredrick I totally drowned as he tried to cross a river on his way to a fiesta called the Third Crusade. Or that Banquo from Macbeth totally had a youthful gay lover called Fleance, who he told to “fly” as he was being killed (Fleance was actually Banquo’s son, so I win if you believed it for a second). Unless you’re an intellectual, (and everyone in UP is presumed to be, unless proven otherwise) you wouldn’t bother reading up on these things out of leisure. Learning about the all-important duodenum and Shi Huang Ti, first Chinese King-Overlord (things you may probably not even remember an-

FEATURES ymore) were all there to keep your brain functioning a certain way. And that certain way is where the Department of Education comes in, setting prescribed curriculums for each subject and year-level. The school system in the Philippines allows for some departures from DepEd standard curriculums, although it would be subject to their approval first. So yes to To Kill a Mockingbird, and no to The Anarchist Cookbook. And if the teacher isn’t really a creative or driven person, don’t expect any changes any time soon. You’ll still be reading Lope K. Santos’s short story for Filipino class. Yes, of course, the flag ceremony, the staple of any school in order to endow students with Filipino nationalistic fervor. However the kids usually just talk during this time and idle by, it cannot be reasoned out further that years of the same behavior has left a mark on them. That, and a million other behaviors in class. Do you remember high school and that there were unwritten laws of sorts? Don’t talk to this person, don’t approach this group of people, ask questions when there is a class-stalling activity, et cetera. I mean seriously, does it matter if people see you talking to the ugly white guy wearing black all the time? Well, at least it did and chances are, you’re bringing these same unwritten laws with you all throughout your life. That information from school, and what you learn from inhumane Metro Manila. “Knock on the car window when a beggar is asking for alms, and

the beggar will go away,” that’s one thing you learn in Metro Manila. Whoever started that unwritten law, be it the government or the beggar-syndicate that people always talk about, it sure has gotten far. How about “place your bag on your lap when riding a jeep”? It may seem common-sense, but anyone who deviates from the norm would be looked upon condescendingly. Also, the experiences you get from Metro Manila. Ever experienced those idle people waiting to make some money by helping people (knocking on their cars) get out of their parking? How about people wrapping food in tissue and sneaking them out of buffets? It’s oddly comforting that such events are common, but at the same time, eerily haunting our limited existence as human beings. And these stereotypes give us our collective memory and collective lessons. Lessons that would help us survive our sophisticated and educated life in a warzone. Such a hellish warzone Metro Manila is, with its back-alley killings and hostage buses (that apparently have plexi-glass). We’ve all been in the same dump for so long. The uneducated masses all serve the king (or queen) without much agitation. Some educated people clench their fists at the atrocities without much avail, and if not, they become one with what they’ve fought against (called in some circles as doing a Binay). And some educated people don’t really care. What if all these machinations are for the people to, borrowing a line from Mass Effect’s reapers,

“develop along the lines they deem fit”? To have the educated people of our country follow a uniform thought process, unable to bring about any other ideas. Would we know if there is an alternative way of thinking? There are opposite spectrums in thought-making, that’s for sure, but what if all this is calculated? Possibly, even articles of this nature are preempted, as I’m also a product of the current system. Regardless of the standing circumstances, there’s still this situation posed. Maybe you should just wish your kids would end up intelligent so that they’d learn up on things they normally wouldn’t have access to. Even in this age of information, the choices for the youth in the Metro Manila (and possibly the world) are generally placed into two categories, and in those two categories, there are four outcomes. You either go to school to learn prescribed knowledge and adapt to your environment or you live uneducated, “ignorant”, and probably illiterate. With both, you either fail or succeed in life. You either live happily as a productive citizen of the Philippines or wallow in uselessness. All else results in death, such as being educated and then being taken advantage of in Metro Manila. There are no in-betweens. Is this a false dilemma? Then where’s the third choice for all? Derek Parreñas is the Editor-inChief of this publication. He admits to being part of the whole system.

APATHETIC HIGH SCHOOL KIDS Two unknown school students at a Metro Manila school

PERSISTENT INDIFFERENCE

BY JOSH SIAT

HY IS THE TAMBAYAN (almost) always dirty? In particular situations, walking in and staying in the tambayan, unfortunately, isn’t exactly the most pleasant of experiences. Plastic bottles, balls of crumpled paper, paper shavings, boxes upon boxes of ex-deals with their contents spilling out, disturbingly sticky playing cards, dusty tables and couches, and even half-eaten lunches, constitute some of the most prevalent inanimate residents of the tambayan. Tambayan cleanliness always seems to be an omnipresent issue that plagues the org every year, because of all the things Ecosoc faces every year; it is clearly the most tangible. The tambayan now, at least is noticeably a lot better than it was last year, but that’s not really saying much. There are reasons aplenty to as why the tambayan is dirty, and most, if not, all of us, are guilty of these. THE MULTIFARIOUS IMPLICATIONS OF A “TAMBAYAN” The slang word “tambay” translated to English roughly means “to hang around” or “loiter”. The word itself finds its origins in an English phrase. “Tambayan” in the Philippine context very well much holds credence to the aforementioned meaning: a place to relax, do random

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things, take a break, sleep, etc., the word in question of which, is associated with people who don’t have anything significant to do, ergo, the “tambay”. A typical Philippine interpretation of a tambayan includes your down-the-street sari-sari store surrounded by shirtless drunkards proudly displaying their gut, and at night time attempting what seems to be the act of singing. Well how does the very concept of “tambayan” connect with our tambayan’s cleanliness? Well maybe it starts with the wording. We refer to SE 121 as the Ecosoc “tambayan”, we don’t call it the Ecosoc “lounge” after all, and with good reason. People go to the tambayan to do any of the following: sleep, eat, talk, play cards, conduct meetings, do prodwork, study (though I doubt you’d actually pick up anything from what you’re reading because of all the noise) and many other things. The tambayan isn’t designed or constructed in a way that it would seem to be conducive for serious work matters, simply put; it is just a place to hang out with fellow Ecosocers. We unconsciously let these preconceived notions of the typical tambayan seep into our way of thinking, thus, many feel no obligation to maintain or put any effort in keeping the tambayan clean. THE INTERNAL PROBLEM The high volume of people coming in and out the tambayan is a big factor in its dirtiness. Especially during the afternoons, an almost unending cacophony of footsteps can be heard in the tambayan, and with that high volume of people coming in and out, the floors eventually get stained and muddy. The tambayan is in itself a microcosm of any Philippine society: the more people there are in a fixed area, the greater propensity there is for waste to accumulate. Ecosoc is blessed to have a very sizable tambayan compared to many of the orgs in UP. Space is at a premium here in UP and other orgs only have benches, little hallway alcoves, the floor even, and the like, while we almost have a room to ourselves. Of course, an organization with a lot of members such as ours needs a tambayan of this size. The size of the tambayan unfortunately, breeds complacency in many of the members. It just may

seem that there’s nothing wrong with leaving pieces of trash around because no one will notice it. We leave trash because we expect someone to pick it up later on. We leave trash because no one will care or reprimand us for it anyway. This culture of complacency becomes a habit that spreads just as quickly as any virus. We feel indifferent to the things happening around the tambayan. We feel indifferent to its condition. By the time many of us exit that doorway, we no longer feel any obligation to the tambayan, a place that to many of us within its walls, enjoy the company of fellow Ecosocers. Take the people away and you’d have yourself a very clean room, but give it time and eventually it will fall into disrepair, so naturally, it all boils down to the members, us who inhabit and make use of its space. Clean App, as an event, provides a welcome reprieve from the tambayan’s usual state, though it does not serve anymore as a maintenance and cleanliness measure but more of a rite of passage for incoming applicants. Yes, we all like to be jokingly in awe after Clean App is finished, with the floors all nice and shiny and the back portion of the tambayan actually maneuverable, but give it three to four days at least, and all of that shine is gone, just as quickly as it arrived. We need to have that willingness to “clean” back. The same willingness and effort we had as applicants to keep those trophies shiny. What I’m asking is not for everyone to pick up a broom and sweep the floor after immediately coming in, (I have seen an app on one occasion do just that, so good for her though), but for everyone to learn to pick up after themselves. Do the little things,

“The organization particularly has no longterm plans for tambayan cleanliness”

pick up your own trash, clean up after your committee’s prodwork, put the playing cards back in the box, etc. These little things when done by everyone can add up to realistic and tangible results. The organization particularly has no long-term plans for tambayan cleanliness. Other than clean app, and the rare time Care-Best asks us to vacate the tambayan for floor stripping, there really is no time we, as a membership, actually get to the act of cleaning up the tambayan. Moving those boxes of ex-deals from one end of the room to another, sweeping the floor, reorganizing the bulletin board and others are just temporary, short-term plans. Seccom, as the one in charge of tambayan maintenance, should find a way to get the membership involved in such a way that to the members, it wouldn’t feel like such a dreary obligation. THE SILENT WITNESS We shouldn’t wait for the too-responsible, OC member, Seccom, the apps, or anyone else to take initiative when it comes to maintaining the tambayan. It should begin with you. Some of Ecosoc’s greatest ideas were borne out of SE 121, and it’s only right with due reverence that we keep the tambayan clean, or at the very least, clutter-free. The tambayan is a witness to generations of Ecosocers, generations of innovative ideas that have made the org what it is today. That one time when Ecosoc was awarded “Econ’s Cleanest Org” by the council should serve both as inspiration and a wake-up call that we can keep the tambayan clean, that we aren’t stuck in a forever-present situation with no nearby solution in sight. If you want something to happen, make it happen, and in this case, its tambayan cleanliness. Do remember that the next time you leave that half-full plastic bottle of orange juice on the floor, only to be accidentally knocked down by someone and create a mess, you might as well be soiling the memory of Ecosocers that have left its hallowed halls. Josh Siat is currently a SPEV vicechairperson, a former Marist, and a Barrio Member. He enjoys writing poetry and listening to Heavy Metal during his spare time.

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A FAIR CHANCE FOR ALL BY ANONYMOUS ECOSOCER

RENEGADE Everybody loves to let loose during Ad Hoc (Ecosoc Month) parties

“T

HIS ARTICLE NEEDS TO BE WRITTEN.” These were the words told to me as I was expressing my thoughts on the matter. These are the words I use

now. I choose not to reveal who I am for whoever the author of this article is of little significance. What matters is the content of this article and its relevance for all of us Ecosocers. In all honesty, I did not want to write this article, about this issue. I continue to struggle with the fact that this article may cause controversy, a lot of debate and tension among the members. But indeed, as I have come to realize, this article does indeed needs to be written. In my fairly long stay here in Ecosoc, I’ve learned many things about myself and this organization. During this time, I’ve come to realize that it is my mandate as an Ecosocer to let my voice be heard and let the voices of others be heard. I feel it is important to let the opinions of a significant number of Ecosocers regarding this very important issue. During the first semester of every year, we have the AD HOC committee which spearheads Ecosoc Month. Along with Task Force and its Musikapella event, AD HOC is the committee many desire to be a part of. The competitiveness and prestige of being part of AD HOC is well known to us members of the organization. AD HOC for me represents Ecosoc in its grandest form. I consider September to be when Ecosoc is at its very best; when

we express all that we believe in and stand for. September is what makes me proud to call myself an Ecosocer. I’ve had my fair share of positions in Ecosoc. I’ve experienced applying for a position and being accepted. I’ve also experienced not being accepted into a position I’ve applied for. With that being said, something I’ve always admired about Ecosoc is the equal opportunity it gives to all of its members. Anybody can apply to be a Vice Chair, Co-Chair, Director, Assistant Director, Staff Member or any other position regardless of Ecosoc age and credentials. The opportunity for all of us Ecosocers to play an important part in the continued evolution of our org is what inspires many of us to work hard and love our org. Personally, I can genuinely say that I love Ecosoc. I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs in this org. But as the saying goes, “Love Ecosoc and it will love you back.” A few weeks ago, I heard some rumours about the AD HOC committee recruiting members. At first, I didn’t really see anything wrong with this. In the past, you would see chairpersons already talking to prospective applicants so they could have an easier time forming the team once the application process kicks off. Shortly after, rumours were floating around that the CoChairperson and Director positions were already filled and there were already reports that they were having meetings. In the case of Sam, I wasn’t really surprised since the Co-Chairperson is appointed before the application process so the selec-

FEATURES tion of Directors, ADs and Staff members would be easier. Almost all of us probably are aware of the fact that Sam was the front runner for the Co-Chair position, so there were really no surprises. I do not wish to talk about her qualifications and how she got the position, it is not what the article is all about. During my stay here in Ecosoc, the Director, AD and Staff member positions for both AD HOC and Task Force normally have an application process and then interviews. Quite simply, there was a fair chance for all. That was what I and probably the rest of the membership expected once again.* When I heard that AD HOC had already began filling its Director positions, (I won’t mention who the directors are) I was very surprised. I already figured that the applications for these positions would be very competitive. I and many Ecosocers were inspired by what LIV had been able to accomplish. I guess I wouldn’t have the chance. The point of contention here is not whether the people chosen by GJ to be part of the AD HOC team are qualified or not. I personally have a lot of respect for GJ, his vision and the work he’s put in so far.

From the names of the Directors I’ve something much bigger than yourself. been able to confirm, they all have great I’m sorry to say, but what has happened credentials from being current or former is not right in my opinion. I shall repeat Vice Chairpersons and past AD HOC myself and say it is the mandate of every Directors, ADs or Staff (I’ve also heard Ecosocer to stand up for what he or she rumours that some of the AD and Staff believes in. In this case, I am standing for positions have already been filled, I’m not what I believe is right and I’m truly sorry totally sure though). Make no mistake if I’ve hurt anyone through the publishing about it, credentials wise, they were all of this article. pretty good choices. The issue here howI still continue to support GJ, Sam, and ever, is not whether the chosen people are the rest of the AD HOC team. They are qualified or not. The big thing here is that all very capable and personally, I believe other Ecosocers were not given a chance that they are more than capable of makto apply, to let themselves be heard. Many ing September legendary once more. Ecosocers with great potential and vigor What I seek in the writing of this artito serve weren’t given the chance. The cle is for every Ecosocer to be given the “fair chance for all” motto that I had chance to answer the call, to answer the grown to admire in Ecosoc was suddenly call to lead and be of service. I’m very gone. proud to have called Ecosoc my home for At first, I wasn’t sure whether or not the duration of my college life. I’ve seen my opinions regarding this matter were Ecosoc at some of its low points and some justified. Upon conversing quite exten- of it high points. Through it all, I have sively with several members, (Again, I seen one constant and never-changing won’t name anybody) I discovered they fact, and it is that Ecosoc is driven by its had shared the same sentiments. From members. There has been Service, Excelordinary members, Vice Chairs and a few lence, and Tradition in our organization past Execommers, there was mostly disap- because of the passion and dedication of proval of what AD HOC had done. Most our membership for the past 55 years. of the people I talked to were still active What I want to see, what many of us want in the org, so I believe their opinions do to see, is that each Ecosocer be given the hold some weight. chance to answer the call, to reach their I can understand the logic of AD HOC potential, to be part of something more. forming a team early to plan ahead. EcosWhat I ask for is quite simple: A fair ocers have very high expectations when it chance for all. comes to Ecosoc Month. We all expect it to be something special, something that Author’s note: After the completion of will define Ecosoc for that year. What I this article, I’ve heard reports that Apdon’t understand is why couldn’t have the plications for the Ad Hoc positions will application process be open for all. With be “opened”. I don’t really know what the success of LIV and the slow but steady the point of holding applications is if the improvement of the quality of the events positions have already been offered to of Ecosoc, I believe there would have been people. What Ad Hoc should seek to do a lot of people who would have applied. is just to admit that it made a mistake I believe many Ecosocers, with the desire and strive to make Ad Hoc legendary to serve and be part of something special, come September** would have jumped at the opportunity to be a leader in AD HOC. Associate Editor’s note: *It is untrue I hold the opinion that there should be that the directorate positions for Ad minimal politics involved when it comes Hoc have been open for applications. to going for a position. I believe that when Since time in memorial, from Golden you strive to attain a particular position and above, all Ad Hoc positions have in Ecosoc, whether it be Execom, Vice been given via appointment. It was Chair, Director or whatever position, you only with Paolo Tamase’s Imprint and do so because you believe in your capabili- Power App, and Cocoy Vargas’ Outties and in your vision. I also believe that break and Barrio semesters that apREMEMBER SEPTEMBER LIV’s you must have the desire to be at the fore- plications were opened for officers, publicity AD front, to be of service and to be part of the assistant directors, and directors. **No positions have been “offered” to any member. Applications for assistant directors and officers will be opened together 25 with the applications for Vice Chairpersons and Echoes Editors.

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HOW TO LIE TO YOUR ORG BY LUIGI MONTALBO

E ALL LOVE OUR ORGS RIGHT? WRONG! Some of us join one so that we can add that to our resume. Some people just join because their mama told them too. Some people join because their crush is in the org and they just want to be closer to them. Admittedly though, and this is true for Ecosoc members, people would join the org because they believe in the org itself. Whether it be a resume for a job application and bragging, or because you’re scared of yo mama, or you’re obsessed with someone you could never be with, or you genuinely love the org, or if any of the stuff I mentioned is actually true or even makes sense, as part of an org we inevitably have to do certain tasks. Some of these tasks however, are things we put off on purpose because we’re just that damn lazy. When someone asks you if or why you didn’t do it, we can never just become good little angels from heaven and just tell the truth. So what do we do? We LIE! *insert evil laugh here* To illustrate how this devious act is executed here are a couple of tips Now for example you have to attend a meeting, but you just broke up with one of the girls or guys in the group whom you’ve had a long relationship with over the semester. So you decide not to attend any commeets or genmeets anymore for the rest of your life as long as the awkwardness still exists between your former paramour and yourself. If you decide to do that, you best be prepared for the questions that will come your way such as “Why don’t I see you anymore during meetings?” “What were you doing while we were all becoming responsible citizens of the Philippines by attending the meeting?” “Who were you MOMOL-ing at that time?” “Do you no longer love us?” so on and so forth. Now at this point you have to come up with something, anything that can help you escape the situation.

Tip#1: Come up with something that will make what you were doing seem more important than what happened during the meeting. The standard excuse that you could think of is that you couldn’t go because of a groupwork. That lie would often be sufficient enough to get you through the initial phase. Some might not believe you, but what can they do, right? It’s not like they can actually go back in time and check if you were actually working on your groupwork if you’ve had one at all. They have no way of checking and that’s the best part. But as mentioned earlier your absence should appear necessary. In other words, make attending the meeting seem like an obstacle in achieving the greater good in this world. Say something like “I had to stop a hacker from spreading a computer virus all over Metro Manila” when in truth you were actually just in Shopping Center watching videos of 2 girls and 1 cup and in effect spreading the virus to the computers there. Sometimes however, if you were just dilly dallying around campus skipping everywhere like a deluded retard, there is a possibility that you will be spotted. Whether it’s before or after the meeting, you have to be consistent with your lie. If you get caught around 30 min before or after the meeting you plan on being absent on, then you they will assume you just disregarded the meeting on purpose. Tip#2: Become invisible You have to make sure no one from your org sees you during that time interval between an hour before and an hour after your meeting. During that time, stay in a place where it’s not too crowded such as the bathroom. Sure people might judge you for

“Sometimes however, if you were just dilly dallying around campus skipping everywhere like a deluded retard, there is a possibility that you will be spotted.”

HIDING IN BATHROOM Mik looks like he’s unconscious

staying in a cubicle for three hours, but just think of it this way: The worst they can think of you is that you have a serious case of diarrhea. Let’s admit it, that’s far better than your orgmates judging you for ditching your org. One other chore you might want to put off doing is selling stuff. Why wouldn’t you? It’s such a hassle carrying your goods from class to class while maintaining the quality of the stuff you’re selling. I personally experienced this while selling brownies and revel bars. Because I have to carry the pastries from place to place, some of them get pressed (Editor’s Note: TMI). As a result whenever I start selling them, people would usually complain at how some of the brownies or revel bars are bigger than the others, so they pick the ones that looked bigger and shun away those that looked small. It gave me a realization that even in the world of pastries, you are still judged by how you look and not by what you have on the inside. To add to the tedious task of carrying them everywhere, it’s also a little embarrassing when you’re actually selling. I mean who wants to constantly go to random strangers and repeatedly persuade them to taste your candy. There’s a profession dedicated to doing for that and it’s not food service. Good news is you can do away with all of that. Tip #3 Tinker with people’s stuff It’s important to note that almost everyone in your org is selling the same thing. This means all of your containers and goods are identical. Also you would notice that in the tambayan, people who are selling would sometimes leave there items alone. You can take advantage of this. How? For example, someone who is selling a box of brownies and revel bars left the tambayan for a while to get some fresh air but forgot to bring the box along with them. You notice that you haven’t sold a single thing. You simply have to add one or two of your items to his or her items so that he or she could just sell them for you. Take note, it should only be one or two since anything more than that would arouse suspicion. Also make sure that that person still has a lot to sell. This is because if the person only has a few left, tendency is they would count the remaining items they have to sell. If anything is added to the few they have left, then they would notice at once. Tip #4: Use other people to your advantage Don’t focus on one target. Do this to everyone so that when someone complains, everyone would complain. Just blend in with the crowd and pretend to have the same problem, when in fact you yourself had been the one causing it. When everyone’s done with selling, and you were asked if you sold your items, just simply say “They’re all sold” It is the truth after all *winks*. And that’s Tip #5: As much as possible don’t lie, just tell a different version of the truth These are just few of the techniques that would get you out of trouble when you are faced with these situations. There are thousands more out there left to be discovered. Use this only as a guide. I encourage everyone who is reading this to try and experiment with new ways of lying. You never know when you’ll need it. Luigi Montalbo is a Pulse app and is currently worrying over his application process. He does a good Seth Rogen impersonation without even trying.

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PULSE APP STATS BY FRANCES QUEZON

AN YOU HEAR THE DRUMS? Can you hear their heartbeat? They follow one note and one beat yet ours continue to beat out of tune and out of line. One beat. One EcoSoc. Can you see the light? Can you see which way they’re looking? As the apps, when we first stumbled into EcoSoc, we were new, out of place, and looking everywhere but in the right direction. But now, as the semester nears to a close, we’re growing into these better versions of us, and seeing us as one unit, our own beat, the Pulse Apps. Yet it’s more than just creating a singular clone of everyone but also seeing that with our diverse roots, we all move as one. The Pulse Apps group is large, far larger than expected, and far more different in terms of our backgrounds and how we see life but we all arrived at the same door. EcoSoc. Sometimes, it only takes a slice of life to determine where it will end but perhaps this brief glimpse will show something else. (Note: Only 31 out of 47 apps answered this survey)

*some ages were adjusted so that their current age will reflect by the time this article is published WHAT WAS YOUR BLOCK WHEN YOU WERE A FRESHIE? E1 - IIII (4) E2 - IIIII (5) E3 - IIII (4) E4 - IIIII (5) E5 - III (3) E6 - I (1) Blockless - II (2) Shiftee - I (1) Transferee - IIIIII (6)

AT WHAT AGE DO YOU EXPECT TO GET MARRIED? 23 - I (1) 30 - IIII (4) 25 - IIIIII (6) 33 - I (1) 27 - IIII (4) 35 -II (2) 28 - IIIIIIIII (9) Never - II (2) 29 - II (2) WHO DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE MOST APPROACHABLE MEMBER IN ECOSOC? XP - IIIIIII (7) Matthew Mercado - III (3) Mike Saulo - IIIII (5) Migs Dela Cruz - II (2) Paul Ugalde - III (3) Jomac - II (2) *Others included: Joby , Mel, GJ, Shelly, AK, Boz, Jing, Rich, Quek WOULD YOU RATHER EAT POOP FLAVORED CHOCOLATE OR CHOCOLATE FLAVORED POOP? Poop flavored chocolate - IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (19) Chocolate flavored poop - IIIIIIIIIIII (12) WOULD YOU RATHER FALL INTO A PIT OF LAVA OR INTO A PIT WITH PIRANHAS? Pit of lava - IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (27) Pit with piranhas - IIII (4) BETWEEN DRUGS, SEX, AND ALCOHOL, WHICH WOULD YOU RATHER DO? Drugs - I (1) Alcohol - IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (17) Sex - IIIIIIIIIIIIII (14) WHY DID YOU NOT APPLY DURING THE FIRST SEMESTER? Busy - III (3) Acads - IIIIIII (7) Other org - III (3) Not aware - I (1) Adjusting - IIIIIIII (8) Not in the mood - IIIIIIII (8) WHAT MADE YOU APPLY THIS SEMESTER? Want to - IIIIIIIIIIII (12) Not busy - IIIIIII (7) New friends - IIIIIIII (8) No org - II (2) WHAT MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ECOSOC DID YOU HAVE BEFORE APPLYING? Party org - IIIIIIIIIIII (12) Boring - I (1) None - III (3) Bitchy - I (1) Cliquish - I (1) Bourgeoisie - IIIII (5) Snobbish - I (1) Not meet everyone - I (1) Conyo - III (3)

WHY SUMMER SUCKS FEATURES

(DA HECK?!) BY JOSEPH MALCONTENTO

UMMER IS FAST APPROACHING. You could already feel the sand trickling between your toes, the rays of the sun hitting your face, and you’re overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite number of hours you could spend on doing whatever you want. After enduring another stressful academic year and those backbreaking org duties, I presume that everybody earned a ticket to a lengthy vacation. Finally, we can temporarily get rid of this hellish lifestyle; however, thanks to Mr. Parreñas (peace bro), I need to defame this wonderful time of the year. So what makes summer unworthy of praise and excitement? 1. NO MOOLAH Your wallet, which once stored enough money for your basic needs (except if you are burgis then ignore this number), is now turned to a shelter for dust and flies. Since you aren’t going to school for a while, the flow of money from your parents to your pocket stops. In short, taghirap ka na. When your friends or classmates invite you to impromptu hangouts, a common reply would be: Wala akong pera eh. Haaay, very sad indeed; however, getting money ain’t that hard. You could score a few extra bucks by doing a handful of chores around your house, perform tutorial services, or become the neighborhood nanny for two months. As the saying goes, kung gusto may paraan, pag ayaw may dahilan. 2. IT’S TOO HOT + SUNBURNS Summer is supposed to be the time to enjoy the heat. But thanks to global warming (and us humans, of course), the heat becomes intolerable. Usually, water bills in households increase during this season because people take way too many baths. But you can’t blame them because it’s too freaking hot. Kakalabas mo palang sa shower, pinapawisan ka na agad. Most people also get easily ticked off during hot days, so don’t be surprised if some people seem grumpy. In some days, you will prefer to stay indoors than to do activities outside. Summer is also filled with a lot of skin issues. Not even your regular sunblock can save you from the vicious UV rays. Unless you have an unlimited stock of SPF 1000 sunblock with you (or you are as white as Kamille Ma-

nuel), then stepping outside the shade can be something you’ll regret. Charred skin and the dreaded bunggang araw are the least of your problems. 3. SUMMER CLASSES Well, I guess great minds don’t need any breaks….NOT. We UP students undertake summer classes in order to lighten our load for the upcoming school year. Furthermore, the class pacing is accelerated and you will have exams every week. WHAT A WASTE OF SUMMER TIME!! Ugh, pati ba naman sa bakasyon may babaunin kang stress. And the bad thing here is that you get to watch your loved ones enjoy every second of their vacation, while you sit there doing derivatives or reading those think readings. Agony, just pure agony. 4. YOU WON’T SEE YOUR NEW FRIENDS I must admit, I made a lot of new and awesome friends this schoolyear. From my Ecosoc tropa peeps to my beloved E1, they have made my freshman year very amazing. It was one hell of a rollercoaster because of them. Those impromptu hangouts, Freshie Fridays (haha Gel and Angela!!), Thursdinners, late night tambays and the numerous talks about life, love etc. are the ones I would miss the most. Since everyone will be going home to their respective provinces or be vacationing with their families, meeting up for a hangout would be a rare occasion. All of those memories would be the only thing you’ll have with you until the next school year comes. Until then, you’ll be missin’ your fellow Ecosoc friends. 5. YOU’LL MISS TAMBAY AND ECOSOC ACTIVITIES Ahhh, the tambayan…the place where friendships are forged and are reinforced by countless hours of tambay. It was like home for some of us. This is where you met and got to know the awesome members of our organization. But the thing you’ll probably miss more is the sense of pride that you will feel after a successful Ecosoc event. Yes, these events aren’t made overnight. But thanks to our awesome and hardworking members, who are led by the Execom, anything is possible. Ecosoc truly

mer). Yeah, boredom will surely kill you. The line “wala akong magawa” will be constantly tweeted, texted or be a status during summer. And we said that working was stressful, but guess what…doing nothing can be misery as well.

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SUMMER LOOK Glova’s all set with his summer baller get-up exhibited the quote, “Earned, not given.” Work may be tiring, but it gives you that sense of fulfillment that only this organization can provide. I may not be the best worker, but I am damn proud to be an Ecosocer. That sense of pride and belongingness will be truly missed during the vacation. 6. YOU’LL BE STUCK AT HOME Let’s face it, you won’t spend every day of summer partying, go country/

province-hopping or do something extraordinary (except if you are burgis or you’re like Phineas and Ferb for some reason then you can skip this number as well). In fact, around almost half of your summer vacation will be spent inside your home. If you are a bum like me, you’ll spend half of your day in front of the computer, watching TV, playing video games and other brain-rotting activities with the AC on full blast (which is why electric bills also rise during sum-

7. YOU WON’T SEE YOUR CRUSH (AKA SPECIAL SOMEONE) Awwww, this is the dagger. You won’t see that special gal/guy of yours, at parang bitin yung oras na nagsama kayo. You would have to wait for two months to see your crushie. Another thing is that nawawala yung momentum mo with her/him. If you made porma with him/ her already, it would difficult to maintain this during vacation. Why? Because a) You won’t be seeing each other that much b) Your means of communicating with each other is limited (such as calling, texting, chatting etc.) c) You are both busy chilling and spending some times with your families d) You are prone to temptations. Come on, madaming nagsisilputan na chicks/pogi tuwing summer. (Summer fling kung baga- Adrian Glova). It would be good if you go out together, but this is a bold move especially for the guys. You don’t want to come out to strong and she might think that you are rushing things. On the other hand, going out with mutual friends is better alternative. But whatever the case would be, your day would still be incomplete without seeing her/him (ULOL). Our feelings towards summer seem ironic. We desperately yearn for its coming, but once it is here, we begin to feel uncomfortable. Are we overly expecting things regarding this season? Are we overrating it or did we just grew up and forgot its true essence? Whether summer sucks for you or not, it is a good opportunity to rethink your life and to change for the better. Summer is about rediscovering yourself. Did those hardships during the last school year mold you into a stronger person, or did you let the adversities take over your life? Did you make people happy, or did you ruin other people’s mood just because your life is fucked up? Summer, a time to rethink and reevaluate yourself. Joseph Malcontento is currently a Sports member and a connoisseur of sport. He loves summer, and wrote this with a heavy heart.

JUST BETWEEN US HATERS FEATURES

BY HORACE CIMAFRANCA

T ONE POINT IN OUR LIVES as Ecosocers, out of injustice, insecurity or sheer boredom, we hated. Hating on the new execom, hating on that clingy member, hating on this set of applicants, hating on a struggling committee, hating that one sloppy event - we’re hating as if hatred is what keeps the ball rolling. In many ways, hatred does exert our action momentum. You probably ran for chairperson because you hated the way things were run in your committee. You did your job well as a member of Task Force because you hated that TF was, at a time, unanimously thought of as a shithole. You found friends in Ecosoc because you hated that other Ecosocers hated you. You must’ve been one of those three. Fact is, you hated, you were probably hated, and the hatred bore good fruit.

But isn’t it wrong to hate? It is, if it is let alone. That is why we have to draw that fine line between senseless detestation and active criticism. First you must remember, hatred is not just conceived out of the blue, for unprovoked hatred in its purest sense is an attitude that only the devil – Lucifer, Lindsay Lohan, Willie Revillame – may possess. Second, hatred is not an innate sentiment, but a construction of perceptions, which in turn leads one to hate or dislike something. And third, hatred comes in varying degrees, the worst kind of which is when something has earned the ire of every living thing (think of Justin Bieber sans the brainwashed Beliebers). So when does hatred become that vile thing we’ve always known it to be? Think about that person you hate

in Ecosoc. How did you come to hate him? And, what do you plan to do with this hatred? Like I and most others, we make judgment out of hearsay from an acquaintance or a friend. We easily take in the story because that is more convenient than to do verification ourselves. We hold on to this story as truth, and it changes our behavior in such a way that we become more cynical and much less logical. And for what? Ideally, a desire for change accompanies hatred. If you learn to hate a person just because you’ve heard too much negativity about him, the best thing to do is to get to know the person and try to ease that stressful feeling of abhorrence. Sadly, that isn’t the case. This is what really happens: we go along living with the belief that we have sworn enemies, branded by gossip, lurking about our midst. These are enemies who have not wronged us, yet we think

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THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK Horace always has something entertaining to say they reek of evil and animosity. This is vile hatred. Unfounded perceptions and inaction make a deadly combo for hating. So when you and your little group of hating friends sit down and do a hate session on the least pleasing of Ecosocers, the weakest of committees or the most unsuccessful of events, make sure that hatred entails action. Train with Seccom to make pubmats! Strike a conversation with your most hated Ecosocer! Be an active member before you tell that to Memcom! And lastly, keep on hating just so that you know you and the rest of us can always do better.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;These are enemies who have not wronged us, yet we think they reek of evil and animosity.â&#x20AC;?

Horace Cimafranca is the former Editor-in-Chief of this publication. He used to hate the U.P. Economics Society but after a year of becoming EIC, he has grown to love the organization. This is his final article as a member.

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PULSE APPS: ARE WE FLAT-LINING? A tell-all about the things you should know and didn’t know BY THE OTHER PULSE APPS

OU HAVE NAMED US THE PULSE APP BATCH. We are the 47 applicants left, trying to see if our heart beats are worthy and strong enough to be part of Ecosoc and for the past semester, we are the ones who remain and wait for the result of the last leg of our application process. Our application process has revolved around the theme “Pulse: One Beat. One Ecosoc.” but lately, we’ve noticed the evident palpitations of our app batch. We’re not really sure why we’re writing this, maybe we want to be honest and get the story straight, or maybe we want this to serve as our letter of apology. It’s all up to you because our task is to give you the truth that came from our fellow apps during the Apps GA. The Apps’ Project is every app batch’s defining (and crucial) moment. It shows whether the batch knows how to apply all the lessons they have learned during their application process and to show what the apps have in store for EcoSoc once they become members. Our app project this semester was called Train a Princess that was held in Tahanan Sta. Luisa, an institution for abused girls. The aim was to make these girls feel like the true princesses they are, because every girl deserves to be a princess no matter what she has gone through. And with the information we collected from the Apps GA with Anon, Jomac, and GJ last March 5, we will tell you why our App Project was synonymous to a disappointment. The app batch exposé starts here. What really happened? We will only give you one word: cramming. Unbeknownst to you, the preparation for the Apps’ Project was done in 32 hours. I kid you not. (Well, this was the number given by one of the committee heads and we’ll take his word for it.) Even we were taken by surprise why our Apps’ Project was

crammed, having our app batch head call a meeting the week before Litnight (February 8) to discuss whether we were going to have CDC or Challenge Night as our project. Also, we had a pre-Apps GA group poll to sort the dilemma out and CDC won, reasoning that it would be more practical since we were pressed for time and relatively few to have a Challenge Night (even if for a second semester batch, we were more than the usual number). Who said we didn’t have a GA until the last day? We always have GAs every week. But you can barely call them such. That was also the meeting where we decided upon what we should sell for fundraisers. At first, we had a number of fundraising suggestions to choose from; there were cupcake sales, t-shirt printing, and DIY baked products selling. But at the end of the day, we were stuck at each app selling a prescribed number of cookies and brownies in order for them to meet the expected remittances at the end of the week. The members have witnessed the transformation of tambayan into a large storage room filled with boxes of cookies, brownies, revel bars, and cupcakes – which were either sold outside, bought by the apps themselves, stolen and eaten by members, or spoiled inside the tambayan. This scenario has always been the same for the past five weeks of fundraising. How did we earn Php 22,170++ if that were the case? We simply had to pay for our products that were unsold. One of our co-apps even paid Php 900 just to pay for the cookies and brownies. One of the teams also had to do their mini-fundraisers to raise funds for the fundraiser’s remittances. Every week, people turn over their remittances that were supposedly from the main fundraising activity and not from their own pockets. Yet, we do not directly blame these unfortunate events to our officers for we know we had certain duties to fulfil. In the succeeding GAs after the Litnight, we mostly talked

about raising funds, choosing beneficiaries to choose from (yes, this is our case), and bringing the kids to our venue. We rarely discussed what the actual event will be like – not even pubmats or program flow. The last GA where we discussed plans for CDC primarily, we think, was the GA where we decided to do Challenge Night or not. So, the semi-real planning came around two weeks before the Apps’ Project, while the legit real panic-time planning came on the week itself. Two of our batch officers went to Tahanan Sta. Luisa on the weekend before the Apps’ Project to do an ocular of the place and decided that it will be held there. On Wednesday, they showed us a panoramic shot of the venue and people raised questions regarding logistics because we weren’t sure of the venue’s exact details. The apps were divided into two committees: Programs and Logistics. Our batch app head and treasurer appointed themselves to be in charge of Food committee. Basically, this was when certain people started working. We will spare you of the details what happened on Thursday and Friday aside from the pubmat being released in the wee hours of Thursday morning. But we must tell you about Saturday because everything revolves around that day. It was only in the morning of the actual event where five of the logistics members travelled to Divisoria and bought materials for decorations. They had to meet at 7 am and to return with the materials at 12 pm. If you have ever seen a headless chicken running, multiply that with the number of apps present and you’ll have quite an accurate depiction of what was going on that day. We had an 11:45 am call-time so that we can prepare for the CDC before the members arrived at 1 pm. We were all frantically making the decorations for the event – hula-hoop chandeliers, sashes, banderitas, and all the other decorations, as fast as they can. In our defense, we will tell you that our app batch actually works well together and it’s in these moments of immense cramming that we feel our pulses beating as one. But we won’t deny the thought remaining at the back of our minds – why are we only doing this now? All the failures and shortcomings that have happened in our App Project rooted from a single problem – lack of initiative. Some may say that our dilemma was miscommunication between apps, but it still boils down to this. If we were truly passionate enough to achieve our plans for the event, then at least, somebody must have taken the initiative to encourage people to work. Even by the time we had committees, most people were still laid-back and nonchalant as if Saturday were months away. And when we asked one of our co-apps as to what

was he assigned to do on the day itself, he replied “Oh?! It’s this Saturday na pala ‘yun.” <sic> The problem with initiative subsequently grew into the lack of unity. Unity may have been the thrust of this semester’s theme, but it’s ironic to have an app batch that lacks one. How can the app batch be unified when most of them are not aware and informed of what’s happening? When most of them are not present during meetings and GAs? When most of them are not even trying to ask what they can do? This isn’t an issue of the applicants as an individual, but as a collective. We had more than a month to prepare and we had 47 ablebodied people to plan and organize this event but even we cannot blame time for what happened. We cannot blame how some of the members weren’t able to interact with the girls because there were only 16 girls and more than 30 members who attended. We still cannot blame the place for making most of the apps seem idle because it was just too cramped to move around, also, there were only a limited number of people per task so most of us were left in the kitchen waiting for instructions. We cannot blame the hot, sticky afternoon that kind of made everything seem worse than it already is. Even though some good points were raised by the members like the concept of the CDC or some bits of the program, the fact remains that for all the blunders we had, we can only blame ourselves.

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LESSON#3: How to Fish the

Oblation Scholar

BY MONTY “THE VIPER” BANTA

Well honestly, I was actually astounded when I first saw her, and more, my jaw dropped as I had interesting conversations with her. Exciting huh? Very much, I think so. Gentlemen, this time, I wanted to focus on this particular lady because I thought I had no choice but to share this thing – this thing that can change your perspective in life, for real! Anyway, this prospective lady (let’s hide her identity and just call her FP), is not just outstanding in her academics but is also exceptional in other matters. She is the kind of a girl who is ignored by many guys, but I saw what they did not see: she has the potential to be your dream girl. Seriously, I envisioned that when she becomes my girlfriend, every single guy out there would just be frantically jealous that they didn’t know how beautiful she could be. I.E. Joseph and Vito would be so envious that they would commit suicide, all because they didn’t realize that they let go of the big fish in the ocean. Enough of that, let’s be practical here. So, here’s the girl genius and you like her so much that you don’t know what to do next. You are inside the tambayan waiting for her near the committee board, patiently watching the ticking of the wall clock and she just arrives. She sits on the vacant couch near the television and then suddenly AK sits beside her. They chat for a while

FEATURES and then leave afterwards. With this, you’re doomed. You can’t just sit all the time doing nothing and, at the same time, expecting her to bed you. You need to move and seize every moment. Remember that she is an oblation scholar and she thinks a lot. She does not have time for slow people like you. But, I’m still here to say that you still have a chance so I made some tips for you! (yihee) So, below are the facts you should first know about this woman:

She is a rich kid. This kid is from a well-off family. Better save your allowance and be ready for a financial crisis!

She already has the brains. You know, it is already given that she is intelligent. Just so you know, to be an oblation scholar, you need to be part of the top 50 UPCAT passers. And whew, passing is already quite a challenge; what more to top the exam? So, when hitting on this girl, remember that you need not pretend you are smart. You don’t need to speak English, talk about your so-called favorite philosophers and novelists, and discuss certain societal issues. You just need to be yourself. You need to admit that she is better than you in terms of academic stuff. But, still you are born a man. And guys just can’t accept the fact that sometimes, girls are better than them. So with this, you should be creative. Think of some areas which you think you are better than her. Perhaps in music, games, or even jokes. Yeah, jokes. Crack corny jokes so that she will remember you.

She has a lot of friends.

This girl is surrounded by a lot of people. Perhaps, these are the people who copy from her during exams (just kidding!). But seriously, this girl is just very friendly. She is a kind-hearted person. I just would like to tell you that you should watch out for these people. Befriend her friends so that you may have a good shot on her. Just as the song goes: “If you want to be my lover, you gotta be with my friends.”

She has the style and perhaps, the looks as well (haha!). Notice that this lady has the style, and has the face and body value- not far from the dream of all men. Admit it. She is hot, especially during that anniversary party. She dresses well and she’s got the guts to show some skin, sometimes even more skin. So, I think, to be able to fish this person, you need to reciprocate what she is doing. Perhaps, dress nicely, comb your hair, and have good hygiene. But remember that she is very particular in color combinations. She is strict that when you wear yellow, your shoes should also be yellow. She has the principle of constancy.

She has the knowledge. Never ever underestimate this creature, ‘cause she has the consciousness and understanding of a true man. She can comprehend what you say- even with your blurriest description of your experience last night. I tell you, this individual is a genuine oblation scholar. She knows not only the square root of one but also the perfect trajectory of your fluid. She computes for the stamina, intensity, time dilation, and even the aftershock. (Editor’s note: Monty, what the hell are you talking about?) She has

also researched for the best angle to get the best night ever. So, with this in mind, never mess with this girl, not knowing the basics. Know the techniques for every circumstance because she likes it done in different ways! She wants to fly with your dragon and bring her up in the sky. Of course, you need a yumyumyum body. You need some abs and triceps just like what that A-Boy has.

So, there you go. I hope they all can be handy to you and always remember gentlemen, that even if you have considered all what I have said, it might not still work if you are not LP (hehe)!

*Editor disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the real-life characteristics, habits, personality traits, knowledge, and beliefs of FP. Readers are advised to follow the Viper’s advice at their own risk.

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FRIENDS ARE FOREVER, OR SO THEY SAY BY CARA LATINAZO

OST OF US HERE IN ECOSOC came about in the same usual ways. You may have been some random person who saw the org with the biggest tambayan and the most members in Econ and decided to give it a shot. Or, like me, you were a clueless freshie who was yet to make a lot of friends and was excited to join your first college org, and this place seemed pretty legit. So then we became apps, and without warning, a big chunk of every single day is devoted to Ecosoc, including a bunch of Mondays and Saturdays. We suddenly meet all these new people and we’re almost forced to be outgoing and friendly. From all that time spent, the sigsheet to the GW tasks, everything is designed to encourage our enthusiasm and help us open up to the org. Before long, Ecosoc becomes our home. Its cause becomes our cause. We promote the events and go out with other Ecosocers all the time. We even start telling other people what a great bunch of friends we’ve made. It all comes with the excitement of having something new. In a few, fast months, we go from being clueless freshies/loners/randoms to people with so much going for us (yehees). And really, that excitement, that eagerness to give everything we’ve got, wouldn’t come as naturally if we didn’t indeed find a family in Ecosoc, if we didn’t love the organization itself. This brings me to the point then. Let’s take a beat and consider friendships in Ecosoc, and what exactly that means around here.

Like I said, the Ecosoc membership is a family. You don’t have to take it from me, that’s something you’ll hear from almost anyone around here. Some members are closer to you than others, and there are the occasional black sheep that stroll through, but at the end of the day you’re perfectly comfortable talking, eating together, playing bridge, cracking some jokes, invading people’s personal boundaries, and going out on inumans with these bunch of peeps. Don’t they say that your college friends are the friends that will stick to you for the rest of your life? Well, that’s probably a

“Every group has its subgroups, and Ecosoc is no exception.” real cliché thing to say about Ecosocers, but it’s also true. You get sick of these people’s faces that are with you during all the studying, working, and hanging out that extends beyond the normal lines of friendship. But it’s this intense quality time that forms bonds between people that will last a lifetime (yup, it did sound cliché). I’d like to say that in Ecosoc, with all its committees and crowds, there’s something for everybody. True enough, almost everyone finds their niche with friends they’re comfortable being around. But in another sense, once

they’ve settled in their niche they often don’t step back out, making themselves appear less welcoming and more exclusive. Not everyone feels it, but there are people looking at these groups from the outside who are discouraged from coming any closer. Do you ever think about whether there are those who are part of the whole, but when looked at more carefully actually just wander along the spaces, not really part of any particular group? You know what I’m talking about: cliques. Well, they can’t be avoided. There is no ideal world with no social groups and where everyone is totally open to everyone else. Every group has its subgroups, and Ecosoc is no exception. People naturally flock to other people that they’re similar to or that they get along with, it’s not a crime. In fact, it’s finding these groups that make you feel so much like you belong in the first place. But it really can cause some barriers. I mean, do people really get to step out of usual circles anymore? When we’re apps, it’s like we have to get to know everyone and it’s normal to strike up a random conversation with a stranger (kinda). We have all this energy reach out and the members like to reach out to us in turn. But once we’ve settled in, that excitement dies down a little. Aside from that, it’s like people are, even if unknowingly, classified and placed into groups, and little effort is left for forming any more relations outside beyond that. Obviously there are exceptions, like the tambay kings of Ecosoc who easily

FEATURES get to know everyone who wanders in, but I think the rest of us could stand to learn a little from their openness. We often walk into the tambayan, sit down among the usual people, play some cards, listen to some music, and wind down after our long classes. It’s chill and it’s easy, but sometimes we tend to brush off the people who aren’t close friends. We go about our daily business but those

get to know them better. No need to creep anyone out, but maybe a short conversation would be a start. I often hear older members say that they don’t know many of the new members’ names. Likewise, there are members that the apps never get to know even if they’re always just at the tambayan. Sometimes we don’t notice it, but we lay low a little too much when we should be extending

“Not everyone feels it, but there are people looking at these groups from the outside who are discouraged from coming any closer.” people who are “just other members” don’t really fit in the picture. It’s not intentional, we aren’t really conscious of it. But maybe things would be more interesting if we did make a conscious effort to walk up to those people we don’t really get to talk to, and actually

the Ecosoc family spirit as much as we can. It’s a challenge we can accept to be a little outgoing and step out of our comfort zones. Well, on a more encouraging note, I don’t think the presence of these subgroups is necessarily a weakness.

True, there are many cliques—they were just featured in last month’s issue. Let us highlight that it’s these cliques that make us diverse. This dynamic is the reason we can confidently tell aspiring members that Ecosoc could be their home too. And the fact remains that there is still unity that enables us to come together, when the time calls for it. Like I said, we all have that common cause and I think this helps us build bridges from our islands to foreign land. At the end of the day, regardless of what group we fall in, we are all Ecosocers. As Ecosocers, we are surrounded by great people—some of which are the nearest and dearest to us, while the others will always have the potential to be. The feeling of family can always develop further, if we let it. At least for now we know that Ecosoc is that constant in our lives. For everyone here, I hope it remains that Ecosoc is a place you can always come home to. Cara Latinazo is a Fiesta Member and part of SPEV. She is a freshman batchrep and has cool scene hair. CLIQUISH? Echoes would like to believe people just can’t keep up with them

MONINA SANCHEZ

WHAT MAKES MONINA TICK WORDS BY SAM GONZALES PHOTOS BY JUDE GERON

’M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU an in-depth discussion of Monina Sanchez’ family background, her favorite anythings or anyones, the menial details of her high school life, or what she dreams about at night. Instead I’m going to give you an attempt to understand her drive – as the title suggests – what makes her tick. TICK: EXPLODE What’s surprising is the amount of careful secrecy Monina injects into her statements. What’s a thing that infuriates you? I think ‘yung ‘pag nilelet-down ako ng tao or ‘pag dini-disappoint ako. Let’s say nag-promise sa’kin tapos ‘di natutupad. Ewan ko, parang paasa in a way. Parang, ba’t

ka pa nag-promise in the first place tapos di mo naman pala papanindigan? Or let’s say I have a secret tapos nagpromise siya sakin na ‘di niya sasabihin tapos malalaman ko nalang na sinabi niya, ganiyan-ganiyan. Ayoko [din] ‘yung when I see people na sinsabi ‘yung secrets ng iba… parang it’s not your story to tell. I ask her what makes her sad (really sad, not the superficial slumbook definition), and she responds with heartbreak that comes with losing someone she was invested in. It was heartbreak that wasn’t of the romantic nature (mostly), but it was of loss – the fading of relationships. Monina evades timeframes, names,

and other essential specifics. She takes her time to talk, always careful, mindful of the things she says. Maybe it’s because she knows what it is to be hurt, to be disappointed, so maybe it all boils down to one thing – trust. Tick. TICK: EXPLODE – BUT IN A GOOD WAY The last time she was truly happy? It might sound geeky but it was when she saw her grades last semester. She is motivated, full of energy, active. This is what I was most curious about – how can someone so young do so many things, have such persistence, and keep the fire alive? When you see Monina, you see that smile, you hear the laughter, you wonder, how does she do it? So I asked. Ayoko yung feeling na dinidisappoint ko yung sarili ko.

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EMO IS BACK Monina looking pensive as she ponders the mysteries of pi Really, that’s all she could’ve said. Epitome of the achiever, Monina doesn’t just have high grades. She is also a talented musician, a more than capable graphic designer, and an excellent Tricia Gosingtian impersonator. She is a committed Acad member, a passionate Ecosocer, and a potential leader. But what I admire about her is that she is unafraid to say that she does things for herself. I asked if she was in love with anybody, she said there was no reason to be. I asked if she was in love with anything, she said it was the feeling of working doing

things for herself and for the people she loves and love her back. May diagram ‘yun eh. If she wants something to happen, she doesn’t just wish for it, she works – and she works hard – for it. And, as we know, her work yields results that can be intimidating to some, but for me, it simply is inspirational. Tick.

THIS IS TOTALLY UNRELATED But the article isn’t over. Flip to the next page.

TICK: TIME Then again, she wasn’t all too active back in high school. I was never part of the council. ‘Di ako part ng school paper, ‘di ako part in drama club. Nung last year of high school lang ako naging part ng actual organization. Parang kami ‘yung orchestra, ‘pag may mass or ‘pag may play. Dun lang ako naging active. May tendency kasi sa high school namin na when people think na hindi ka bagay [sa isang lugar,] they’re going to judge you. She abhors being told the limits to what she can do and she is thankful that in college, she has found opportunities to try new things, and that people understand the power of exploration. This only proves how much opportunities are important - that we can discover the best of ourselves by actually trying rather than waiting for other people to tell us who we are. Monina values this along with learning, as she says that this year has been a time of collecting experiences, learning from them, and using them to better herself. We should be proud to be part of the environment that enables this once quiet girl to inspire others with her flaming desire to accomplish so much – to soar. I am. Tick.

Sam Gonzales is the Associate Editor of the publication. She and Monina worked together in the Ecosoc Month publicity team for LIV. Sam enjoys rolling down hills with dogs.

“If she wants something to happen, she doesn’t just wish for it, she works – and she works hard – for it.”

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THE PLEASURE OF THE ALBUM BY KENNETH REYES

Y iPOD HAS 4,596 SONGS, while my iTunes has 9,375. Of course, ever since the Pirate Generation switched from the per-track downloading of Limewire to the perdiscography downloading of BitTorrent, it’s not too surprising to find Goliath music libraries that rival any diehard audiophile’s record collection back in the vinyl age. The true question is, what does one do with so much music? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to do away with the songs I don’t love and leave my iTunes—so to speak—filler-free? Unfortunately, I can’t do that, and the reason is that I’m one of those peculiar individuals who listen to albums, not songs. You are probably now recoiling in horror—such madness! you cry. Have I not heard of playlists? of shuffle technology? The days of suffering through an entire LP just to get to the songs you love are over, you might exclaim. The vinyl, the compact disc, the cassette—they’re all dead, dead I say! Yes I understand: iTunes, Windows Media Player, and their family of dragand-drop music software have allowed us to pick apart the albums of artists, taking only the songs we identify with and leaving out the rest. In a way, the digital age has allowed us to personalize the LP into playlists of our own. In the past, it was the artist—the creator of music—who controlled the unit of music, which was the album. As the unit of music narrowed into the individual track, the control transferred to the listeners of music—us. Whereas before, Patti Smith could be particular about “Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria” being the first track of Horses, Passion Pit today cannot with “Make Light” in Manners, nor Vampire Weekend with “Mansard Roof” in Vampire Weekend, nor even Kanye West with “Dark Fantasy” in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Track numbers don’t mean anything to the songs on a shuffle list. Indeed, track numbers don’t mean anything to us anymore.

FEATURES I don’t mean to be a music snob. I’m not saying that only I am the true music fan among all you uncouth heathens since I listen to albums. It really is tedious, and in these days of lightning speed, who’s got the attention span necessary for the 40 to 50 minutes it’ll take to listen to an entire album? This is how we recommend music to one another—just give me the choice cuts and leave out the fillers! Nevertheless, let me jot down a few words on why, indeed, would anyone in her right mind insist on taking on music by the album. It has everything to do with that notion called magnitudes of perspective. There are many instances in life when our preoccupation of things is in the wrong magnitude, either fussing too much over the little details and missing the big picture, or else taking too broad a view and taking the specifics for granted. Keeping both magnitudes in mind gives us a deeper appreciation for the situation. Same goes for the song–album seesaw: a focus on songs is fine, but discovering them in the context of their respective albums gives us a more profound understanding of their character, their meaning, and their significance. Opening tracks, in particular, are very important. Artists usually take care to choose the perfect opener to introduce the album. Green Day’s Dookie opens with “Burnout,” whose first line goes, “I declare I don’t care no more”—a fitting start to an album full of angsty self-loathing. Equally important, though in a different way, are closing tracks, whose final echoes linger in the silence after an LP finishes its track list. Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane over the Sea ends with the ever-haunting “TwoHeaded Boy Pt. Two”; it’s the kind of song that almost demands a minute of hushed silence after it is played. More famous clos-

ing tracks would be Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova,” Radiohead’s “Street Spirit (Fade Out),” and The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life,” “All You Need Is Love,” and “Tomorrow Never Knows.” And of course, what kind of fan would I be if I didn’t mention the eleven-minute epic “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” off Blonde on Blonde by the great Bob Dylan. More than the characters of individual songs within albums, albums themselves can have characters as well. The LP is a work of art on its own, and not all its songs need to be great for the LP itself to be great. Take the case of Fever to Tell by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The band had hitherto been known as a trashy garage punk outfit marked more by affected posturing than emotional depth, and for the first eight tracks of their debut LP, the YYYs seem to live up to expectations. From the seductive growls of “Rich” to the wom-pom-pom’s of “Pin,” the songs here are fun, catchy, but ultimately bland, forgettable, and unsatisfying. And then, out of nowhere, comes track nine—“Maps”—a disarmingly sincere ballad that went on to be recognized as one of the greatest songs of the decade. Writing for Pitchfork, Eric Carr calls it “a tune of such moving grace I can scarcely believe they’re responsible for it.” This is followed by the breathlessly exhilarating “Y Control,” a rock song that seems to be on a whole different level of maturity from the more feral barrages of the first eight songs. And then the last track, “Modern Romance,” a quiet lament of lost love, which is followed by the even quieter hidden track “Poor Song,” which totally reverses the forlorn grief of the previous song to end the album on an uplifting note: “Baby I can see you’ve been fucked with too, but that don’t mean your loving days are through.” As you can see,

MODEST MOUSE In my horrible opinion, these indie kids look like a mid-west metal band

Credit to the interweb

PATTI SMITH AND KAREN O Artists really love to have that look of detachment, don’t they? the sheer greatness of the last four songs as contrasted to the okay-ness of the first eight is a kind of nuance that is lost when Fever to Tell is picked apart. There are also thematic stitches that hold an album together, and these are likewise lost when its track list is sliced and diced. Listening to Modest Mouse’s 78-minute masterpiece The Lonesome Crowded West transports me to the band’s world in Issaquah, Washington, living “in trailers with no class” while

same way we loved Westlife and Britney and Backstreet a decade ago. But because they never really set out to say something, we never really get to know them, and they become disposable to us, to be replaced by the next pretty face. It becomes laughable to play “I’m a Slave 4 U” or “Where Is the Love?”—people would politely inform you that it’s 2013. In my humble opinion, the measure of a truly great artist is in what he or she or they manage to place in an album. It’s just you and the artist for the

“They become what mainstream pop music has always been like: subhuman, fake, and impersonal.” “doin’ the cockroach.” Tackling this album is an intricate and intimidating journey, for there never seems to be an end to the layers the record contains, centered emotionally on the poignant song “Trailer Trash.” What’s even more amazing is the fact that the band members wrote it when they were in high school—in high school! (Better keep those emo unrequited love-type songs of yours locked up in your drawer then.) No doubt though, there really are albums with one or two good songs amidst a sea of shit. In cases like these, it would be wise to ditch the album and focus on the songs. In my experience however, I eventually stop listening to such artists; how can one connect with a musician based solely on one or two songs? They become what mainstream pop music has always been like: subhuman, fake, and impersonal. Sure, we might love One Direction and One Republic and Bruno Mars today, the

next 50 minutes—can they turn your world around? It’s been said many times before, but it’s worth saying many times more: don’t let this generation be the one with the lowest attention span in history. There are great things in this world that require patience and work, be it a novel, a three-hour movie, or an album. There are great Internet articles and rom-coms and songs—that much is certain—but largeness too is a pleasure like no other. Look around you; your fellow human beings are creating monuments for you to decipher. Shall we not indulge in their art? Kenneth Reyes is the former Editor-in-Chief of the publication and a respected member amongst the committee. His favorite artist is Bob Dylan. He is set to graduate this semester and this is final article as a member of the publication.

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BY VITO CASTAÑEDA

CHRONIC BOREDOM: Messing around in SE 121 1. 2. W HEN NOT EXPLORING the vast expanse of the UP campus, many Ecosocers gravitate toward SE 121 when they can’t hang out elsewhere. Most of the time, the tambayan buzzes with activity: people chat, have meetings, play games, eat, and generally kill time until their next class. However, there are times when this room is seemingly devoid of life, with its only occupants being a sleeping mem and a lone execom typing away on a laptop. Even during this boring “downtime,” there are still several ways for one to be unproductive and mildly entertained.

Read old issues of Echoes. While this may seem like a self-serving promotion, I assure you that browsing through old org magazines is a GREAT way to pass the time. The contents serve as a window to the past, showing what Ecosoc did and looked like in sems long past. Even now, I still discover new things about this org by reading through them. Don’t take the tambayan copies for granted; Echoes magazines have the shelf life of supermarket dairy. The Dead Sea Scrolls are in better condition than most Echoes magazines after a month.

Decorate the back wall of this bulletin-board-thingy. Look at that thing. It looms over the (slightly humid) couch area, just standing there and doing nothing. There’s lots of opportunities for more “freedom wall” type projects here, further beautifying the wonderful place that is the EcoSoc tambs. It’s interesting to note though that the board probably belongs to OBEM. Meh. What they can’t see won’t hurt them . Dig around inside the sofa. See

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A MODERATELY OCCUPIED TAMBAYAN. Neither too empty nor too crowded. Looks boring, doesn’t it? (Photo by Jude Geron) how much in spare change you can find. If you’re lucky, you might something even more valuable. This thing is rumored to have eaten cellphones.

4. Snoop around the bag racks. People leave the most interesting things lying around. The lower shelves of this bag shelf can contain anything from old textbooks, to water guns, to neglected umbrellas from 2009. If you don’t have a locker, and are uncomfortable with leaving your things out in the open, this place makes an excellent (temporary) hiding place for your valuables. No one ever thinks to look down there. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that.

5. Examine these lockers

Have you ever tried pushing on this thing during Clean-App? It’s big, it’s heavy, and it contains god-knows-what within its tiny metal cells. Occasionally, a careless mem will leave one open, and a quick peek will reveal... things? I don’t know, I seldom do this anyway.

6. Pin random things to the board. No one pays attention to the bulletin board unless there’s a sign-up for CDCs and other activities. I once tacked a tarp printout of Thor’s face once, and it mysteriously disappeard after 48 hours.

7. Cards.

No matter what time of day it is, you are guranteed to come across a seeming endless stream of Bridge and other card games being played here. The rule is, if no one’s playing a game when you arrive, you must then start one.

8. Dive into the X-Deals

Just like in #4, this bottomless pit holds a wealth of mystery and surprise. I once found a live kitten in there. No joke.

9. Eat at the Execom table

Arguably the most comfortable eating spot inside SE 121. You even have the added thrill of avoiding getting caught by Ars.

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OUTSTANDING APPLICANTS BY AYLA REYES

HEN YOU ARE AN aspiring applicant of almost any org throughout the app process you only think about 2 thoughts, “don’t defer” or “sana pumasa kahit probie”. But every once in a while there is an app or two that aspires to be more than that. In ecosoc the top 10% of the applicants per semester are given recognition as an Oustanding Applicant (OA) and the best of them being the Most Oustanding Applicant (MOA). The pride and joy of every execom, the best of their babies. WHO ARE THEY? The criteria for selection is supposedly based on the performance of an applicant throughout the semester: the event attendance, committee and internship performance Sigsheet and other requirements. In reality, it is the favorite applicants of the 12 most powerful people in the organization. The selection process for the outstanding applicants not being fixed, the execom puts premium on the certain factors that they like. Ecosoc fit, CDC attendance, most bibbo app, most leadership roles etc. Sometimes the process isn’t fair but that’s the way the cookie crumbles. At times the outstanding applicants are predictable but other times no one can piece together why that person was outstanding when in the eyes of the members they missed out on very deserving applicants, who the execom probably didn’t like as much. In the past, it made a difference how vocal the commheads were in defending their apps or how many favors they did for the execom in the form of bonuses. The OAs of past semesters each have

some acclaim to them, the one with the most CDCs, the one who paid for all the expenses of their app batch, the one who did everything for their committee and the one who attended all the events. Each outstanding applicant later on awarded with a special position and even a slot in a special committee. The favor is usually bestowed upon them by the execom because of their work as an applicant. The rationale being, they did so well as an applicant, they can do even better as a VC or a DAD etc. Especially during the time before VC, TF & Ad Hoc applications existed, positions in those committees were only given to whom the execom perceived as the best. Even the Most Outstanding Applicants without ANY experience in a certain department are given Assistant Director positions because based on their app process

they’re the best and can do everything. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Thea, Jeremae, Romano, Karla, Mark, Migs, Mike. They are part of this once elite circle of MOAs. During the Imprint induction ball, the former MOAs were asked to stand up and welcome their newest member claiming that the honor was so high, and that members of their circle went on to become great members of the execom, Paolo Tamase, Aaron Aw and Laurence Go. Great things are expected from MOAs. Track record even proves that they do get to places in ecosoc, VCs, Directors, ADs. The same also goes for a lot of the OAs but for every 40 eligible OAs usually not more than half of the execom are OAs. In fact most of them don’t even vie for an execom position at all. Something

MIKE SAULO the Most Outstanding Applicant of Barrio Ecosoc Photo by Jude Geron

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out that the regular members and probies are actually more active than the OAs. They work harder to because they aspire for positions that they had to prove themselves worthy of as members. There will always be a bias to the OAs at first but it’s the dedication that the member puts into their work that makes them shine more than any title. People will always talk about how that certain app was an OA for the remainder of their Ecosoc lives, wondering what happened to that person since that time. But does where they are really even matter anymore? In a time where as long as you have the selfconfidence in yourself to give everything you have to Ecosoc regardless of the title you may not have. It doesn’t matter if you were never the MOA or even an OA, what matters is that you’re still here and that Ecosoc is still a priority for you. OAs were supposedly destined to achieve new heights in Ecosoc but the thing is, I, myself, am an outstanding applicant of Ecosoc and I believe that I have not amounted to anything worthy of my status as an OA, it’s a disappointing story but you have to realize that it’s not about what you were, but what you’ve let yourself become.

happens along the way between their induction and the time to run for the position. While it is true that some of these people have gone to become a few of the more notable members of the organization, for some, as semesters go on, the diminishing marginal return of the members start to kick in. The first few semesters of their membership present them with numerous awards from all their committees, the vigor from their semester of application still alive. Perfect attendance at commeets and genmeets, lots of extra CDCs, late nights working for events, working as if they were still applicants being graded and taking all the work so personally. Then they start to realize they don’t have to anymore and that missing a few commeets won’t do them any harm. Given how quickly they rose in Ecosoc and all the positions they got in just one sem, they think to themselves that they’ve peaked in the organization.They decide to find new things to challenge themselves with and experience. It starts with their new org application or even their calling to be a great leader. They’ve gotten all the awards and special positions that they could get in this org and there isn’t anywhere else for them to go but up. But when their time comes, they’ve already been committed to do other things in other places that they lost interest in the one place that gave them the confidence to stand where they are today.

THE REALITY Removing the bias I have that all my wards should’ve been outstanding one way or another (just look at how active they all still are, positions or not), there were really some applicants throughout the semesters that I believe have deserved the awards more than others. So where are those best people today? From the current roster of MOAs only 1 has become execom, 4 VCs, 5 DADs. Not bad but if you think about it, 2 have become execom in other orgs, and 2 have run for council while the others have fates yet to be determined. What once used to dictate the futures of the organization have ended in disappointment even with the OAs, specifically from the once “Most Promising App Batch”, the Power Apps, whose members have seemed to drift away from the organization. The awards gave them the edge to get to places they wanted to be. People would pirate them because they know they’ve been tried and tested by Ecosoc. Being an outstanding applicant is just a resume builder for organizations. It only matters to your fellow students when you’re running for something or when you want to show off your accomplishments during GW bidding. It gives them a great feeling of satisfaction after their semester of hardwork but once the first semester of membership starts, it’s a clean slate for everyone. In fact, it comes

MIGS DELA CRUZ Outbreak MOA Photo by Derek Parrenas

MARK MANGUERA Power App MOA ROMANO ALONZO Blueprint MOA Source: Facebook Source: Facebook

Ayla Reyes is a senior member of Echoes and was formerly the Managing Editor of the publication. This will be her last article.

A FRIENDLY REMINDER BY “GJ BROLAGDA”

ne of the things I’ve written about is what I felt has been quite a problem in the Philippines, which is security in public areas. Ironically, it was a security guard that eventually saved my ass big time in Foodgasm a few nights ago. As you may have heard, my camera bag, which includes my camera body, lenses and other gear, was almost stolen. I was going around trying food without my camera (for once!) when Carlo suddenly went to me and said that someone almost got away with my bag, but a guard stopped them. I immediately checked my bag and, thankfully, found its contents untouched. It turns out, he and our band’s percussionist, whom I left my bag with, were victimized by two persons, with one serving as a distraction by coming out of nowhere to ask them a bunch of random questions, and another grabbing my bag undetected. Eventually, my friends were surprised by some shouting in the background and a guard alerting them of the couple’s attempted escape. Once the guard had seen them, they left my bag on the street and ran off. What was supposed to be a relaxing and enjoyable night after a loaded week turned out to add even more stress in the span of a few minutes. I was then full of strong emotions, including anger, guilt, and embarrassment, and was thus bothered on a lot of levels. The emotional toll was huge, and would have of course been far worse if the thieves were successful, which would’ve been a huge financial blow as well. I have lost a number of things over the years, but that would have been the biggest and most unforgivable one of all, for sure. Later that night, I cleaned my clothes with the waterfall that was my tears. Joke lang! I only had enough to take a quick shower with. There, of course, are ways to improve

a mystical black hole. Think about it! You leave something and the next thing you know, boom, it’s disappeared. If you’re lucky enough, it reappears after a few days just as randomly! If you have not experienced this yet, then lucky you.. (//_-) But a lot of people have, and here’s some of the items that have gone missing:

the security of the area as a whole, given that it was a public space (the half of the tent not covered by our event) accessible by anyone. And at the same time, I acknowledge my personal fault in what happened, and given my almost everyday usage of my camera, I will definitely make sure to take all the necessary steps to improve the security of my precious gear. However, what I would like to point out is that what mostly caused it to happen was that I had this large, false sense of security that night. It is of course a common practice to leave our valuables with people when we have to do other things for the mean time, which is something I’m sure we all have done. I had left my stuff with my friends in a table which I had thought was a table for Ecosocers, as it had seemed when I arrived at the venue. It also wasn’t something I expected to happen there, of all venues.

Jacket x 4 Cape and Sword (LOL) Umbrella x 12~ Cross Necklace Calculator Shirts Shoes Earphones Extension cord Water jug x 2 iPad (which was mystically replaced!) Socks Wallets x 3 Frisbee USB Pens x 81347314 Ballers Math book Oatmeal (really..?) Colored paper Poster paint Deck of cards x 2 Pairs of scissors Numerous counts of dignity, principles, innocence, happiness, virginity (daw) And of course.... TRUST #ohhhhhh

We may not bring items as valuable as heftily priced camera equipment on a daily basis, but this incident to me should serve as a warning to all of us to put more value into all our possessions. I learned the hard way that the practice of just leaving things anywhere we deem “safe” in spite of being relatively open is one we should do away with. It was something I didn’t think would ever happen to me, but things did almost happen. I advise all Ecosocers therefore to take better charge of all their belongings, especially given our culture of leaving things in an already cluttered tambayan.

Let this incomplete list speak for itself! For whatever reason these items disappeared, I’d say it’s high time we do something about it on an individual level. Day in and day out, we are still faced with a messy tambayan with people not bothering to throw food and drink containers after use! Are we not old enough to take care of what has become home to us? It is my hope that we do make this effort as we take better care of all our stuff. And by the way, I will not be available for photoshoots for the mean time. I must recover from the emotional damage.. (3/4 joke)

This tambayan, however, is no ordinary tambayan. After extensive scientific research and painstaking factfinding (read: tanong-tanong lang), I have come to the conclusion that the room we spend lazy hours in is in fact situated on

GJ Brolagda is the spawn from two PAREF Southridge students in a bizarre accident.

FEATURES COOL KIDS Partying on a Sunday night

HOW TO BE KUL

These kids are out to make a statement to the world. Learn from them. And be cool.

WITH JUS NUQUE ISOLATE YOURSELF FROM THE NON-COOL PEOPLE For people to think you're cool, you have stay away from non-cool people. How will you detect these non-cool people? They try to act cool. Be careful, they're like chameleons. In certain circumstances in which you are surrounded by these jejemons - run away and don't look back. Don't trip.

AND LERIZZE TAN 56

WHEN IN FRONT OF A CAMERA, ACT LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW THERE'S A CAMERA You have to look natural in front of the camera. Just do your thing. Remember that you don't look at a camera when you do your thing. Just smile looking at the ground or something.

LOOK AT THE GROUND Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cool

FIND A FAN WHO WILL FAN YOU Having a fan or an admirer is one of the early signs of coolness. They make you feel wanted and a little creeped out. In the Philippine hot weather, you have to avoid being sweaty or you will look gross. So stay cool, and let your fan fan you.

HANG OUT WITH COOL PEOPLE When you are on your way to coolness, you have to be the one to look for cool people to hang out with (Warning: Watch out for the jeje's. Sometimes, they are just so hard to detect). Remember to be nonchalant when you approach them or you will look too excited. Cool people do not get excited. If you're halfway to the cool level, maybe we'll let you hang out with us.

WEAR A BANDANA The bandana is not in style. Therefore, wearing one makes you hipster. Hipsters are kul. Therefore, you become kul. The bandana will then go back in style. Congratulations, you can now call yourself a "trendsetter". Keep it up! BE RESOURCEFUL WITH YOUR ACCESSORIES. Accessories can be very lame, you could make them cool. Learn to fashion for accessories in different ways. A jacket shouldn’t just be worn. A jacket should be tied around your waist, or around your neck. Cool people are resourceful. Learn to see things differently, look at your accessories differently!

EXERCISE IN PUBLIC What’s cooler than being fit? Showing people that you’re trying to be fit! You have to flaunt your muscles and your body! You have to look like you’re having a hard time, but you’re still pulling through because you are strong and because you wanna be fit! Being cool is not about fitting in, it’s more about being fit!

MAKE WITTY COMMENTS (TWITTER AND SOCIAL MEDIA) Twitter is all about expressing your wit! (See: tWITter) Surely whenever you see someone posting something witty you immediately think “hey, he’s so lame!” but if you do it yourself, it’s so much cooler! Yes, everyone likes people who play with words and of course people who express their emotions. Post your emotions on facebook and comment witty things on other people’s posts.

LISTEN TO KUL SONGS There are pop songs, there are indie songs and there are kul songs! If your listen to Willie Revillame or Vic Sotto, you are very very jej! Learn to listen to classy artists such as Akon, Neyo, Katy Perry and etecetera. Here are some of our song suggestions: -I wanna be your peacock by katy perry A song about a girl’s quest to become an animal -Lab Story by Taylor Swift A song about a girl and a boy who fell in love while doing laboratory experiments -Die Mun by Rihanna A song that wishes for Mun to die -Don’t Matter by Akon A song about who let the dogs out -Bastos baby by Busta Rhymes The tagalog title may be deceiving but this song about a baby thinking weird things is cool -I forgot the title but the song goes something like nanana nana na nana nana nana nanananana WRITE AN ARTICLE ON BEING COOL Yes, we are very cool people and the reason why we wrote this article is to give YOU tips on how you can be cool! Now what would make you believe that we’re cool? This article of course! This wouldn’t be published if we weren’t really cool, would it?

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HOW DO I HATE ECOSOC? BY SOL CORTES

How do I hate Ecosoc? Let me count the ways. I hate it because its black leather couch has lost its grandeur and turned into some filthy sweat sponge. Just kidding. How did I hate Ecosoc? Let me count the ways. I hated it with the depth and breadth my soul can reach. Circa 2009. I hated how our GW family had to pay around Php 8,000 for our “guardians” who were supposed to “help us with the app process” and “do GW tasks with us.” Ours did one task with us, and left us with our own wits to survive. They did not warn us of having to memorize the sigsheet for the Midterm or the constitution for the FI. I felt bitter for every peso I saved up from my allowance to avail of this “service” and how the 2009 financial crisis seeped into my very pocket. Luckily, I became carpool mates with the Vice President, while the president himself interviewed me for FI during which I made sure he had a piece of my mind. To my surprise, I was granted membership into the society. A member on probation was still a member. As for my guardian, he lost the race for USC Councilor, maybe because he lost even in his own college. I hated how membership was getting costly because of those required events which were supposed to be fundraisers, aka open to the public and must therefore appeal to the public. I hated how the organization used its members as its safety net, taxing them extra high for its survival while reminding them of its nobler pursuits (i.e. the scholars) to console them. One of the members justified it once saying, “Ganon naman talaga, iikot lang ang pera.” She even compared it to the flow of money in the economy. I wanted to *snap,snap,snap* at her face to remind her about the thing called “Open Economy.” I hated how Ecosoc’s structure once functioned like the Imelda Regime. The Execom, like Imelda, chose the one closest to their heart to “lead” the organization side by side with them as vice chairs, or directors. These cronies in turn, chose their own cronies and together, they built their empire, and their resume.

I hated how CDC is required (I do not hate CDC, just the fact that it is required) and back then, it was available only Mondays or Saturdays - single count. It seemed that tradition had limited the definition of socio-civic to X number of hours for day care and tutorial services. There existed, of course, some truly sociocivic events but had limited slots I never seemed to get a hold of. Anyway, those 1.5-2 hours of “social work” per session (aka showing up for compliance) would cause me around 3-4 hours to travel to school and back home- not to mention fare, gas, toll, and effort. One does not need Econ 11 to assess that as inefficient.

GJ This sunglasses-on-glasses thing should be a trend

Most of all, I hated how Ecosoc had an unwritten culture of rigid, stringent standards for membership and leadership. Bulk of it had a lot to do with the amount of time you spent in the tambayan, and the number of events you were present at. Your capabilities only came in second. Most people do not seem to understand my I-live-so-far-and-myparents-are-ridiculously-strict situation. I do not blame them. It is simply difficult to imagine a journey of 60 km a day, with traffic and sometimes flood, with all the rapists and holdapers

“Frankly, I do not think they would have been considered worthy during the Crony Regime. Times have truly changed.”

LOL WTF am I doing?

and snatchers that can take advantage of a small girl, when you five kilometres and two rides away from school. Perhaps, that is probably why I did not bother to even dream of becoming more than a member. Today, freshmen are given the chance and are encouraged to be vice chairs. An Execomer belonging to the I-live-so-far-and-myparents-are-ridiculously-strict category has been elected despite possibility of incomplete attendance during events. Another, which may have been considered to be quite inexperienced in

the society, has been trusted to become its head. Frankly, I do not think they would have been considered worthy during the Crony Regime. Times have truly changed. ….. Eight semesters later, I still find myself in Ecosoc mainly because of that black leather couch that has lost its grandeur and turned into some filthy sweat sponge. Having been re-categorized from I-live-so-far-and-my-parents-are-ridiculously-strict to that of I-live-so-far-and-I-am-responsible-for-my-brother-especiallywhen-he’s-in-pursuit-of-his-interests-therefore-I-must-sacficemy-own, the couch, unparalleled in function remains to be the only comfort I could afford. Question is do I still hate Ecosoc? I wouldn’t say I hate because this has been one of, if not one of my most active semesters as a member. I have successfully turned myself into a guardian. And my face is seen in the sigsheet. And I actually have a requirement. Despite all these, I couldn’t say I am devoted to it either. I could say however, that I have grown a special fondness for the society - nagkadevelopan kami. For all the eight semesters that I was forced to be stuck with Ecosoc, it has stuck with me. And for that, I am very thankful. Ecosoc with its good times, dark times, and ruthless app process has turned me into a much stronger, independent, small but terrible brown woman. It comforts me to think that all the strife during the Ecosoc Dark Ages has all paved way for this revolution, this renaissance. To the new members and members to be: you are now free live the Ecosoc life I never had. Carpe diem.

Sol Cortes was part of the “best” SPEV under Aaron Aw and is now the Echoes TV producer. She spent a year in Japan for exchange. Now, she is to graduate as an Echoes member and this is her first and last article as one.

FEATURES

GOSSIP G: DEAD? BY DEREK PARREÑAS

“G

GOSSIP G? Oh Telle, if you only knew that you being vain would result in being a picture for an article

ossip G will never die.” –Gossip G, 2011 Two years ago, Gossip G was the featured member for Echoes (the month of February) due to the amount of eyebrows she raised in her gossip column a month prior. It led to an applicant deferring, and since then, Gossip G. has fueled a rivalry with another organization and made another applicant defer. Gossip G is an institution here at Echoes, and no matter how hard we try to play it down before, people cannot just resist going to her column at the back of the issue in order to relieve themselves. And she knows it. That is because I, when I became EIC, downloaded Skype in order to contact the notorious member for purposes of this publication: her username’s bitch_please (She may not add you back, just on principle that you’d try to figure out who she is). She is waning. People don’t find her gossip exciting or thought-provoking. “So what?” is a common reaction after reading the column. Yes, some people still go to her column right away but turn the pages, disappointed. Of course, she knows this; a conversation I had with her recently revealed many things that she long kept secret. “The people are boring now. Where’s the backparking sex?” she begins the conversation abruptly, just like that. “Come on people, I’m not being paid to write about how sweet your little poodle was last Valentine’s Day. I’m here to air your trash!” This took me by surprise actually, and I was at a complete loss

for words. Day in and day out, I expected Gossip G and her burnbookkeepers to sit by the sidelines and listen to whatever interesting and thought-provoking tidbit fell from the cracks. But it occurred to me that there really isn’t a single thing that she could do about it. Unless she starts doing things on her own accord, Gossip G won’t have anything interesting to report any time soon. But that defeats her philosophy of keeping a low profile, seeing all but unseen. Quick, Ecosoc, how many people can you name that are like that? Quite a lot, ain’t it. More and more lowprofile kids come into Ecosoc and now you realize that it isn’t easy to look for gossip in a desert, parched of scandal. “The bitches all complain about boring gossip or gossip that everyone knows already, but what the fuck can I do? It’s not like (names withheld) are the fucking Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf of Ecosoc!” “I feel like I’m becoming less and less relevant to Ecosoc,” she continued in her tirade, and with good reason. “People are all, ‘what the fuck, Gossip G?’ but the truth of it all is that I’m also saying ‘what the fuck, Ecosoc?’ Should I write about (name withheld) and (committee name withheld)? But everybody knows about it anyway. I’m unbelievably frustrated, and these bitches are all so fucking annoying. It’s not like I’m not trying.” And without any notice, she closes the session just like that. And here is where I try to connect the puzzle for you all. Gossip G. started out with a partner called (name withheld) in earlier editions of Gossip G., back when it was called The Burnbook by Ashley and Mary Kate. Presumably, her partner graduated before her, and left her to keep the gossip column in Echoes alive. Mind you, back then, from all the stories I’ve heard, the U.P. Economics Society was full of extravagance and pomp (Well, we are now back to that- sort of). This was the same organization, except that people discover used panties in tambayan and had almost no regard whatsoever about public opinion on their behavior. Ecosocers flaunted their debauchery and partying (I wonder where that would have left us Echoes kids) back then. That was the Ecosoc that Gossip G. loved to write about. And it is apparent that it is not the same Ecosoc anymore.

Gossip G. may have been a product of her time, when such pomp was too much to handle that it had to be written about. That a relationship between two people actually deserved to be written about (Hey, it’s love, what do we care, right?). Right now, Gossip G. cannot keep up with us. Maybe we’re just better at hiding things. Maybe we’re all too transparent. Maybe we’re all too squeaky clean. Maybe we’re all just little Lego people with Lego hair, shiny and colorful, and the people back then were Hotwheels Cars. Whatever the reason may be, the system just doesn’t work for Gossip G. anymore. To set the record straight, neither I nor any of the editors write the gossip. I don’t even know who are in gossip. I just wake up one day and see a document sent to the Echoes email called “Gossip” (So do not tell us not to place whatever thing in gossip, because Gossip G. makes the plans, not us). If you want to find out about the way she does things, I suggest you backtrack to February 2011 in the issuu.com/echoes website. I do know who Gossip G is, as passed down from EIC to EIC, but it’ll never be known. And as of now, it remains to be seen if Gossip G would actually continue sending anything. Right now, Gossip G. is dead to Ecosoc. However, Gossip G said it best herself two years ago, “but even without me, the gossiping doesn’t stop.”

“but even without me, the gossiping doesn’t stop.” 63

FASHOWN FASHOWNAN Here is TImothy J. Cobb, showing the world why he should be in their blogs

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GAB’S LAST ARTICLE Ecosoc’s Greatest Rivalries, including the two Chinese Triumvirates.

VS.

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FASHOWN FASHOWNAN BY ALVAR SANTOS

JR YAMBAO You would always see JR Yambao rocking the preppy look: Authentic Vans or Fred Perry shoes and collared shirts, with the occasional cardigan or an edgy hoodie. He would more or less let his shoes dictate his overall clothing for the day.

SAM GONZALES Sam Gonzales would always be spotted wearing a variety of dresses, headbands, and accessories which would make her stand out of the crowd. From maxi-skirts, spikes and studs, to rocker shirts and floral prints, you know itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s her.

CAMILLE JUCO Camille Juco and her summer, beach-vibe, bohemian look would always be refreshing to the eyes of a simple bystander here in the school of Economics, and she aims to be that way.

“ECOSOC FASHION” - OVERUSED EVENT SHIRTS AND COLLARED SHIRTS, TYPICAL VANS, AND THE USUAL SEE-THROUGH GARMENTS AND NEON SHORTS FOR THE GIRLS; THAT IS THE WAY ECOSOCERS DRESS UP. I KNOW IT’S BORING TO SEE PEOPLE WEAR THE SAME KIND OF CLOTHES EVERY WEEK, BUT HEY, YOU CAN’T BLAME THEM. THERE ARE THOSE WHO WEAR DRESSES AND LONG SLEEVES ONCE IN A WHILE, BUT IT’S STILL THE “USUAL” EFFORT OF DRESSING UP. BUT SURPRISINGLY, THERE ARE STILL THOSE WHO ACTUALLY MAKE IT A POINT TO DRESS WELL FOR SCHOOL. IT’S EASY TO SPOT THOSE SELECT FEW MEMBERS WHO STILL CARE ENOUGH TO LOOK DECENT AND AT THE SAME TIME, ADD A PERSONAL TOUCH IN WHAT THEY’RE WEARING.

TIMMY JACOB AND BOTAN BELEN The dynamic duo of the Southridge freshies, Timmy Jacob and Botan Belen will always be spotted here in the Tambayan rocking their pocket tees, pinrolled shorts and cuffed pants, and gum sole shoes which further enhance their chill vibe.

All in all you would immediately notice them from a mile away and know who they are because of what they are wearing. They have already made their own unique fashion sense. So, in order for the Ecosocer fashion to improve, here are some quick and simple tips to spice up one’s fashion ensemble: -AVOID wearing boat shoes too often. Please. -NEVER wear plaid on plaid, or else you’d be stoned to death. -When wearing jeans, try and show some skin. What I mean is show your ankles. It will do you good. -For the girls, try to be more adventurous with what you wear. Do not limit yourself and just be “girly”. Explore the world of the bohemians, beach, and rocker chicks. And for everyone, try something new once in a while. It’s a breather from your typical wardrobe, and you might even improve and create your own look in the future!

And remember: outfit rememberers are worse than outfit repeaters.

Credit to the internet for the photo

IS IT HIP TO BE HIPSTER? BY RAPHAEL DANTES

“No one can agree what the word means, which might explain why everyone insists they're not one.”

NEW COUNTERCULTURE HAS EMERGED in the past few decades, one where a sense of irony has become routine, and as soon as a trend is known as such, it loses its edge. And while the luminously stark Beatnik Days are long past, the Hipster Days are still midway to a full-fledged cultural movement. Hipsters are everywhere these days—and so are the people who make fun of them. If you aren’t cackling at them in microblogging platforms and social networks like Twitter and Tumblr, websites like Look At This Fucking Hipster and Unhappy Hipsters attract hordes of finger-pointers and droves of good old schadenfreude. People love to make fun of hipster glasses, ridiculous facial hair, inappropriate hats, greasy-looking plaid shirts and other signs of being too cool for school and the rest of the planet. But why does hipster humor seem to be, according to the greatest evil itself, pop culture, more prolific than hipsters themselves? And how did making fun of hipsters become so hip? It isn't easy to define exactly what a hipster is, but I think it’s not from lack of trying. The Hipster Handbook diagnoses the afflicted as: “One who possesses tastes, social attitudes, and opinions deemed cool by the cool… the Hipster walks among the masses in daily life but is not a part of them and shuns or reduces to kitsch anything held dear by the mainstream. A Hipster ideally possesses no more than 2 percent body fat.” (The 2 percent body fat is a very loose requirement, I reckon, or otherwise many of you labeled as hipsters, in and out of Ecosoc, will be, in fact, nothing more than just fat). An interesting excerpt from Bartz and Ehrlich’s book Stuff Hipsters Hate, which I happened upon while flipping through Google reader, defines a hipster as “A creative 20-something who defines him- or her by a sighing superiority over mainstream society; appears to subsist entirely on pain and art.” If this isn’t harsh enough for you, in an angst-ridden nutshell, today’s hipster is considered a pretentious, clueless bitch. Despite the pejorative connotations, hipster wasn’t always associated with something esoterically unlikable. “Hipster” used to ooze coolness. First, there was “hip,” which once had a sister word “hep”—both were first found in the early twentieth century, meaning "in the know" or "aware." Both words broadened to mean sophisticated and sharp, and then narrowed to mean uber-fashionable. In the 1930s and through the 1950s, “hep” gradually lost the lexical struggle to “hip,” but not before producing variations that included “hepcat,” “hep kitten,” and—wait for it—“hepster.” Mainly, those words referred to people who simply loved swing music and not other types of swinging and going. “Hipster” first popped up in 1940, and The Historical Dictionary of American Slang’s (HDAF) first use includes

the statement that “A hipster never teaches a square anything.” The Oxford English Dictionary’s early examples include broad quasi-definitions such as “know-it-all” and “man who's in the know and man who grasps everything and is alert”. Those descriptions sound groovy (hep), but in the HDAF definition of “hipster,” we can find the crux that would yield the bramble that entrenches itself in today’s society’s widespread hipster-phobia: “A person who is or attempts to be hip, esp. a fan of swing or bebop music.” It’s that word, attempting—especially in clumsy, transparent ways—that make the hipster sound flighty and a bit horrible. The fact that hipness was stolen from black people by white people, and then ruined, supports another time-tested theory: white people ruin everything. Though “hipster” and “hippy” now seems as dissimilar as a Coke in can and a bong, the words did start out as synonyms. The HDAS’s first use of “hippy” is from the 50’s, and it wasn’t until the sixties that the word took on its longhaired, psychedelic implications, which also bear with it a ridiculous stigma. Memorably, I remember in Seinfeld that Elaine called Kramer a “hipster doofus.” Other terms, such as “yuppie” have been modified as “yupster,” other word-blends that wed hipsterdom to something equally awful. Jeff Wise of Psychology Today said it best when he declared, “Nobody likes hipsters, not even hipsters.” In discussing some consumer research, he notes “people who legitimately enjoy all the hipster trappings must psychologically distance themselves from the demographic group of which they are so clearly a part.” As Wise wisely puts it: “This, then, is the essence of being a hipster. Pretending you aren't one.” Given the psychological mind games hipsters play on themselves, I wonder if the whole phenomenon of hipster humor isn’t just another aspect of hipster self-denial. We study in a large university that’s a populist melting pot, the kind of place where hipsters and other subscribers to other subcultures freely roam and graze. While I do see some obnoxious glasses and, occasionally, a goofy hat, I don’t see any folks as ridiculous looking as the specimens on Look At This Fucking Hipster. But even if I did—are they really that interesting? Is it that deserving of so much attention? My theory: Hipster-hating is the ultimate sardonic-hypocritical situation. It’s a bit like homophobic politicians and religious leaders who inevitably are revealed to be gay as a rainbow flag themselves. In other words, if you’re thinking and writing and worrying about hipsters, you’re a hipster. Well, you’ve just been inception’d. Raphael Dantes is graduating member of Echoes. He is the embodiment of cultured and this is his last article.

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SNEAKERHEADS BY TIMMY JACOB

F YOU WERE BIG ON YOUR SHOE GAME AROUND 4 years ago, the kicks that caught your eyes would probably be limited to a few brands: Nike SB, Jordan, A Bathing Ape, Billionaire Boys Club, Reebok, Supra and the like (well, that’s me at least). Big, flashy and expensive shoes were “dope” and anything else was pretty lame. Gradually over the course of the years though, what was deemed as popular footwear definitely expanded from flashy sneakers. Boat shoes, loafers, plimsolls, chukka boots, brogues, and even running shoes have become more popular now. Go visit some sneakerhead website online and flashy shoes aren’t the only thing you see anymore. Go to wherever the hell you think you’ll see “cool fashionable people” (I don’t know… Greenbelt 5?), and you’ll notice how diverse popular footwear has become. The obvious result of this is it’s easier to be fashionable – even if you’re not trying that hard. Before, you had to spend a lot of money to buy some nice looking or unique Nike SB’s or Jordan’s. Later on, you would have to worry about what outfit to match your shoes with (it’s not unusual that some people start planning outfits feet first). When your shoes had the colors neon green, neon pink, neutral gray, and black at the same time, it might be kind of difficult to find a shirt that matches and still makes your shoes pop, unless you’re a black guy (‘cause they can wear almost anything and still look badass). Now, it’s easier to put on a nice shirt, jeans and pair of simple black Converse Chuck Taylors or Vans Authentics and still look fashionable. The great thing about the variety of popular footwear is that there are shoes that are bound to crossover for any look that you like. If you’re trying to pull off a “classy” look, you can put on some loafers or brogues. If you’re trying to be flashy, you can put on a pair of bright New Balance 574s or 1300s. If you have money to spend, you can even try to be classy and flashy at the same time with Lunargrands, Cole Haan suede brogues with Nike Lunarlon rubber soles. Shoes like Vans Authentics (on of my personal favorites) can be versatile too. Put them on with a slightly oversized shirt and skinny jeans, and you have something of a “punk rock” look going on, or match them with a chambray button down and chinos and you have some sort of “hipster” look going on.

Although big, flashy and expensive shoes like Jordans, Jeremy Scott’s, or Yeezy’s are still very popular amongst sneakerheads today, these aren’t the only kinds of shoes that you can wear to look good. If you’re determined to look fashionable, figure out what style or look you like and eventually you’ll find out what shoes you could wear to bring together and pull off the look you’re going for.

THINGS I DIDN’T NEED TO KNOW BY SAM GONZALES

It’s getting quite addicting, collecting useless information about the members some gross, some embarrassing, always entertaining. People* have even attempted to censor this article, but I refuse to let such gems be stored away into the abyss that is my brain. Anyway: •

• •

• • • • •

Geli, while showing off to her friends, tried to go through their gate and ended up getting her head stuck in between the bars. A local manong had to help her. When Carlo M drank from his classmate’s jug, he got so disturbed by the smell of it that he vomited into the water. Arsenio, in true Arsenio fashion, called his teacher “Tae” when he was in the fourth grade. Someone told on him and he cried in the middle of classroom when he got reprimanded. Bruno can smell food 20 feet away even if it’s in the next room (provided that the doors are open.) Also, he has pictures of girls in his wallet. Like, only girls. PauBau can stare at himself in the mirror for 10 minutes. Stef Go eats pandesal with rice!!! (Yung rice yung palaman!) Angelica used to think she could pee standing up so she attempted to aim her pee in the garage with her brothers. When Loice slipped on her bike pedal her vajayjay got... injured.

• • • • • • • • • • •

Alan talks to himself... a lot. When a lady told Jing she couldn’t dance well, she never danced again. It has been 13 years. When Ria Tensuan was born her (five) brothers were looking for a penis. On the 8th of March 2013, Lerizze’s ass was cramping up. Ines got so disturbed by two Koreans scrubbing each others’ backs when she had to go into a public bath in Japan. Angela Mantes doesn’t clip her toenails because she has her mommy do it for her! Anj doesn’t like changing in the bathroom. I don’t understand either. When Sol gets home, she enters her room, closes the door, and strips naked. Only then does she fix her things. Sometimes people accidentally walk in... When Andee is bored she makes random sounds like that of ambulance sirens. Mark Buenaventura uses Kojic San, a whitening soap for his face. Tracy sleeps early. I think he didn’t understand what I was asking for.

*IT WAS GJ. <long live our status as an autonomous committee> (EIC: Oppressive black men have no power over us) Who submits these??

I totally did not need to know that. 71

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ECOSOC RIVALRIES BY TIMMY JACOB, DEREK PARREĂ&#x2018;AS, AND GAB SOLLANO

IBLING RIVALRIES. They often tear relationships apart. Fighting over things like who gets the last slice of pizza or who washes the dishes or even, who gets the guy/girl/lesbian/gay/bisexual/transexual (to cover all bases). Simply put, they just pull people apart. Now, Ecosoc has its fair shares of sibling rivalries. Listed below are just some of them. Happy Reading peeps!

JOMAC CONTY VERSUS VITO CASTANEDA Jomac and Vito may seem all chummy from outside, but when you get to know them up close, you can feel the tension. From knowledge on the Tesseract to their prized woman-musegoddess, each one tries to outmatch the other. I personally tried to get into their zone, but it seems as if the two occupy a different plane of existence (even ask Enzo). If you get to talk to both of them, be warned. They are adepts in using the force, and bow to no one master. (Except for the three masters of the force, Kenneth, Horace, and Derek)

RIA TAN, LERIZZE TAN, AND DANA DEE VERSUS CHELSEA NGIE, AILEEN CU, AND HENNY LIAO In ancient times, dynasties that reigned and controlled all the land had the power to write the history of China. In present day Ecosoc, a battle for supremacy is seen between these two Chinese-meets-Amazonia kingdoms. Only one Chinese triumvirate can reign supreme, and these warrior women will battle it out to become the most powerful Chinese dynasty that Ecosoc has ever seen.

SAM GONZALES VERSUS BRUNO SANTOS The battle of the hipsters has finally arrived. Finally, it took forever for the hipsters to have a battle. I mean, World War 1 and World War 2 have passed and just now they decide that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not mainstream anymore. Anyway, the two powerhouses of the hipster community have been in a rough patch. They despise what the other one is wearing and are disgusted by the what the other one thinks is hip. No one has ever seen them argue because everything is done underground. Who knows what goes on under there? All I hope is that these two kiss and make up for the betterment of their followers, ie., Botan Belen, Timmy Jacob and other mainstream hipster people.

MONTY BANTA VERSUS LYON LEUS From the get-go, Monty Banta and Lyon Leus look identical. But don’t let their similar appearance fool you. When you see them walking towards each other from one end of Econ to the other, you know sh*t’s about to go down. Monty Banta may be the resident playboy, but Lyon Leus IS the resident boy toy. By definition, the two cannot stand each other, being of opposite essences.

KLAUDINE MORENO VERSUS CAMILLE CRUZ Hailing from the shores of a foreign icelandic land, these two women have snow-white skin and a tall slender figure. Both princesses of their land, they came to grace Ecosoc for the sole purpose of proving to their Nordic Daddy who is worthy. Legend has it that only of one could survive and become the Queen of the Nords. Personally, I don’t want to be caught up in all of this fighting for the throne. As for you, think about it, have you ever seen these two together?

ANGEL ESPIRITU VERSUS SOL CORTES The last EIC, Horace Cimafranca has a lot on his plate. Mainly, he has to choose from these two women that are fighting for his heart. Since he hasn’t chosen, the relationship between these two has been of subterfuge, sampalan, and straight-up teleserye. One time, Angel managed to bump Sol with her car, which left Sol with a severe concussion and a broken leg. How Sol managed to recover so fast is a mystery. And until Horace has chosen who is worthy of his manfrotto, this will continue on.

CARMEL BAQUILOD VERSUS JUS NUQUE Here are two of the most well-known thumbellinas of Ecosoc. They are sweet, innocent children but behind their frivolous nature are feisty girls fighting for Ecosoc’s Sweetest and Cutest Member. You know how they just liven up your day randomly? Well, this is a plot to induce you to vote for them for this prestigious award. I personally think that there is room for both of them, though, seeing as their size would allow them both at the same time to fit in small spaces.

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JUDE GERON VERSUS EVERYONE WHO WANTS A DAMN PHOTO OF THEMSELVES Jude of course is becoming very popular as a great photographer amongst the members of Ecosoc. He’s there at every event taking great shots and later on tediously posting everything online on the page for everyone to see. Though he sports a kind and gratuitous expression as someone shouts “Take our picture!”, you can see it in his face - that hint of frustration... that ephemeral but still temporarily present glance that says “Ok fine, asshole” right as you’re taking your sweet time to group up and pose. Since Jude is a such an affable character, this slight frustration fades away as soon as he snaps the shot, but please - be considerate of him.

PAULO ANTONIO BAUTISTA VERSUS HIS ATTENTION SPAN Paubau has a problem, as we all know, and it’s his short attention span. It’s not that he lacks effort on his part, but it was that a curse was placed on him long ago as a child. The mangkukulam of Bocaue, Bulacan did not like that this spikyhaired kid picked his flowers, so he condemned Paubau to a life like the guy in Memento. Currently, Paubau takes medication for his condition. (Yes, enjoy this funny pixelated picture)

MAURICE “TONG” TONG VERSUS LOUIE “LOUIE WEE” WEE Full-blooded Chinese men, Tong and Louie Wee are in hot pursuit of the crown that Gab “Gasol” Sollano will leave behind after he will graduate. Now you know why you see them in the tambayan more often than not this sem. Whether it be playing cards or just simply sitting on the couch, these two are racking up their credentials for the title and prestige of Ecosoc’s China Man. But the vote is still up to you on who to elect for this sought after award. However, there is still the problem that nominations are still open and there are a lot of chinese people in Ecosoc’s recent history. I heard Chelsea was a favorite of old and new mems alike. So this would mean that the title would be renamed Ecosoc’s China Woman or Person. I don’t know, you guys would decide that in the future. Now, if you do not know, Gab Sollano is half-chinese but he has reigned as the Chinese man of Ecosoc.

MADAM Q VERSUS MARK MATIBAG In Ecosoc, a whole world of information gathering abounds, where different parties all need to get the proper information in order to gain a leg up in the org. This is where the whole business of information brokering comes in, giving knowledge to the highest bidder. Mark Matibag, one of the pioneers in the business, was the master of Madam Q until Madam Q decided to create her own information service. From then on, the two have had an uneasy alliance- if it could be called an alliance.

BRIAN CRUZ AND HIS WORLD OF CHESS VERSUS MORTALS Enter a mythical world where the king walks in a slow pace, the queen travels is straight paths as far as the eye could see, the castle tower can walk with queen, the horse jumps in an awkward L shape, the priests could fight and bald men are numerous. Welcome to the World of Chess. Controlled by Lord Brian Cruz, only few are invited in and even fewer people come out undamaged (in terms of pride). No rival is as daunting and as ruthless as the man they call the Fin VC of Chess. Do you dare enter this world? Are you up to the challenge?

BOZ DIGAY VERSUS MIKE SAULO Boz and Mike look like the best of buds: tambay buddies, always hanging with each other, both occasionally making fun of Paul Ugalde. But it’s pretty evident that these two are out to get each other. They both want to succeed their master, Paul Ugalde, as the Tambay King and will stop at nothing to attain this coveted title.

blood is thicker than water ... what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

I on the other hand, think that sibling rivalries forge stronger bonds. As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water and siblings share the same blood, so I think that siblings have thicker blood than others. Perhaps? Another saying that applies here from my good friend Kelly C., what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, rivalries that don’t get you killed makes you stronger mentally or physically, unless you happen to become disabled, which in this case, it is very tragic. Man, thank you Kelly C. for thinking of that line and sharing it to the world. Anyhoo, somethings aren’t just worth fighting for if that means losing someone you like/love. Always think of the consequences if you quarrel with someone close to your heart. Ecosoc is not the place for rivalries. It’s a place full of love, unicorns and rainbows. WEEE!!! One last advice, please take care of your siblings, your fellow Ecosocers, because the bonds that are created here in Ecosoc will last for a lifetime.

CULTURE

I’M BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!

#TWEETABLETWEETS BY @FAMAMFA

I HAVE YET TO FIND AN HEIR TO THIS ARTICLE (COUGH PAUBAU SUCKED COUGH) SO I AM BACK READING ALL YOUR FEEDS. HERE ARE FUNNY/STUPID THINGS THAT PEOPLE LIKE TYPING ABOUT:

@klishling i feel awkward liking finance’s skater skirts pictures HAHAHA @ PB_andGeli @solsslice bakit parang 4 years na, di parin tapos ang menopause ng mom ko? @donelleumali para sa mga malungkot dahil di nanalo yung favorite nila, tandaan niyo lang na mas successful na si Robi Domingo kaysa kay Ejay Falcon @famamfa hassle yung ecosoc collared shirt ko butas yung PAREHONG kili kili @xpandiknowit So nagpapanic ako pag lumalapit yung nanay ko sa may bigas. Baka makita niya yung phone ko. Or worse, baka di ko mapansin tas masaing niya. @botanbelen I’m a dove girl and I love it.

@PB_andGeli @klishling Awww thanks Neil!!! And thank you for the hotdog at the end of the event :)) The perfect way to end any event is with a hotdog. @_JoshDoIt I can feel summer already! Time to do away with the colored pants.... @_JoshDoIt I look ugly on TV. HAHAHAHAHAHA....now back to more important matters. @mark_bue Tapos na ko mag-aral ng math kung ang definition ng pag-aaral ay pagbabasa ng module hahaha @mark_bue kaliwa, kaliwa, kaliwa, kanan, kaliwa, kanan, kaliwa... March na eh. bwahahaha @mark_bue Realized that if you combine Jude geron and gj agregado the result would be Carlo brolagda #UPfront2013

@EnzoPlurps Someone once told me my tweets were pure interactions. Maybe it just proves I have a very healthy social life @oneDEREKsyon I fell off my chair laughing at the ending LOL #TheGoodKindofPain @oneDEREKsyon Is it possible to eat so much that you get a headache? @angelamantes You are so handsome @ badjojoseph :”) #laglagpanty @angelamantes So, I used mineral water to take a bath ‘cause there is no freaking water coming out in the faucettt!!! #bv @tellittotelle Time to reflect on life because as of today I have 3 invites from friends to watch Daniel Padilla’s new movie

@andeeaguila Felt so guilty for spending too much on the first day of the week so I finished all Stat exercises hehehe okay ata ‘to.

@PORNettto Apps gusto niyo bang i-cover ko ecosoc song just for you?!?#feelingyoutubesensation #confidencex1000

@donelleumali my sole purpose in life is to embarrass my cousins on facebook by leaving comments making it seem like they’re 4 instead of 14 year-old boys

@PORNettto Wagas ng Pokemon Black maka pokemon liberation and philosophy amp =)))

@donelleumali I put lots of shirtless Richard Gomez pics in my presentation to distract my prof enough not to realize I don’t know what the hell I’m doing @donelleumali oh my god the article said he was ‘humping the pope’ but HOW IS THAT NOT THE HEADLINE?? What a huge missed opportunity, journalist!! @Pau13au “What’s the point of health if you don’t have a job? Might as well end your agony” looool only in SE

@botanbelen Yeah, baby derive me then integrate me... I like that.. @botanbelen Ughhh trigonometric function integrals #MajorTurnOn

@adrielARG Ang choz niyo lahat..

@themadameq Lahat ng class ko this sem may groupwork. Dear Professors, pwede huwag masyadong tamad mag-check ng requirements? LOL

@aylareyes Has a sudden craving for a picture cake. Preferably with me in the picture haha

@themadameq naka-ilang scroll down na ako pero hindi ko pa rin nakikita yung picture mo #stalkermode

@nikkibondzz Most of the time, di ko gets sarili ko HAY

@jambaJUDE Every few months, I see “Jude” trend in the Philippines.. #flatteredjoke sino ba yan

@jambaJUDE “Isa lang yung size ng SD card sir, baka capacity yung ibig niyong sabihin!” Apologize my imprecise use of English then!! Lol @GaldePugante Sarap kumain ng mani.. #CleanTweet

@OreoMcfLERI Frozen yogurt...method of preparation: Frozen AHHAHAHA @jussipgirl Home fr0m skul

GOSSIP G. Nope, still not here. I bet you thought it was the real thing too.

emoval, Expulsion, Dislodgement. Eviction. How does one say goodbye? How does one let go? To let go from something so dearly and fondly held. After so long, where do we go from here? Such an ambiguous question, you should know. I know you have thoughts formulating in your mind about what this is about. We’ve had a good run. So far, so good. We are one of the top three organizations in UP Diliman, thanks to the Gawad Chansellor Awards. The Rundown, UPFront, and Foodgasm, all quality external events that brought pride to the membership. Who wouldn’t want to stick their name to well-executed and prestigious events such as those? Even the crankiest of the membership must admit that it produced elation in their crusted hearts. They are the monuments attributed to hard work and faith in the organization. They are the monuments attributed to our members, who have toiled to see the U.P. Economics Society rise higher than it had ever been. What is the U.P. Economics Society without its members? The always above-150 strong people that populate the ranks of the organization are a mainstay. We are the biggest organization in the U.P. School of Economics for good reason— we are 250 people, all School of Economics students or, at the very least, former School of Economics students. Without its members, the U.P. Economics Society would be nothing. And that leads me to my next point. To keep this great momentum of external growth for the organization, we must look inward. For so long, the organization’s disillusioned members all complain that there is nothing for them in the organization. Only money and manpower are all they are asked for, without any regard for feelings or even the humanity of their membership. That has always been the culprit, the real enemy of the U.P. Economics Society,: the blatant tactlessness with which its members are treated. We must look inward. We are a very personal organization, unlike CBA organizations, where some of the membership do not know the other members. We are an organization where each person should be given attention. We are an organization centered in our tambayan. To continue this process of external growth, the members should not be neglected. They should be treated with respect, with friendship. They should be entitled to great internal events that would foster attachment with the members of the organization. They should be rewarded with a tambayan worthy of their actions.

We are an organization rich in history. So in every application process, we are made to learn the organization’s history in UP Diliman. We all know of the organization’s awards and important dates. We all know that the U.P. Economics Society was founded in 1958, with Godofredo Bamba as the president. We all know that the U.P. Economics Society was instrumental in the founding of the U.P. School of Economics in 1965. And with the school, the U. P. School of Economics Student Council. Also, at the end of every application process, the constitution of the organization is studied. Therein lies institutional facts, such the positions of the executive committee, the organization’s name, its three thrusts, and even the room number where the organization would function— our tambayan. SE 121 has been the U.P. Economics Society’s home since the founding of the School of Economics. We used to have the entire room all to ourselves, even if the organization was not that big with its membership yet. And seeing that that was the case, we willingly shared our given space when newer School of Economics organizations were founded. As the years passed, the U.P. Economics Society’s membership grew large. Our 250+ members cannot be contained in our half-a-room set-up. If we were to be given more space, that would be great. But we shall not complain. We shall only complain if our alloted tambayan size would be shrunk. How then would an organization like the U.P. Economics Society maintain its personal nature? We would be shooting our membership in the back if this important institution is lost. Now, there is a plan to move all the organizations to a new space. Yes, the current proposed plan is for us to be given a smaller space than before. We are being removed due to renovations. Expelled from 121 and relocated to 127, near Ate Leony’s store. We are being dislodged from our tambayan. We are being evicted from our traditions. SE 121 was where great Ecosocers used to hang out. SE 121 was where great memories were made. SE 121 was where ideas that changed the very foundation of the organization and shifted paradigms for members SE 121 is our home. Well, it has been our home. After 55 years of service, excellence, and tradition to the U.P. School of Economics, to U.P. Diliman, and to society at large, we will be losing a very important part of our identity. How does one say goodbye against their own will? One shouldn’t.