The spectrum magazine 2014

THESPECTRUM

VOLUME 58 NUMBER 2

EARTHMETIC NUMBERS CAN PREDICT MANY THINGS. EVEN THE FATE OF THE WORLD.

THE APRIL FOOLS ISSUE

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CAN DESTROY NOT JUST A PERSON, BUT A HOME TOO.

SEEING THROUGH THE MIND’S EYE FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED, THERE IS LIGHT BEYOND DARKNESS. THESPECTRUM April 2014

1

EDITORS’ NOTE

THESPECTRUM FOUNDED 1956

VOLUME 58 NUMBER 2 APRIL 2014

Coleen Edrea F. Ematong | Adely Grace V. Tomaro Editors-in-Chief

It could be anything.

It could be the belief that you deserve that Latin Honor you got when you know deep down, that you had to coax one of your professors to give you an 85 flat just so you won’t lose that ‘laude’. It may also be that choice you made yourself believe as the best option there is when your gut tells you something out there can be bigger, and better at the same time.

Fool’s Paradise, in other words, can be anything and everything you have settled for in your mind.

Leaf through the pages, agonize every word, and see if the paradise you have situated yourself into, is not at all that of a fool.

Carl Mark A. Pat Managing Editor

Patricia Mari M. Mijares | John Dave P. Pido Newspaper Editors

Roma Jane A. Hechanova Asst. Newspaper Editor

Mark Harmon R. Magbanua Magazine Editor

Patricia Marie M. Laporno Asst. Magazine Editor

Ryan Ceazar B. Santua

Layout and Graphics Editor

Robert C. Dingcong Jr.

Asst. Layout and Graphics Editor

Coleen Edrea F. Ematong Editor-in-Chief

Faith Joeleene J. Lacson Photos Editor

Newspaper Writers

Monica Louise Trinidad M. Cueto Maria Angelica M. Ape Andrea Nicole G. Farol Kyzeah Coleen M. Tababa Magazine Writers

“Go to your happy place, Dely!” This is my usual mantra when I’m about to blow up in front of people who piss me off. If I were to inventory the times I’ve nearly succeeded in verbally berating people for annoying or disappointing me in some way, I’d be the owner of SM Mall of Asia or the entire district of Bonifacio High Street. It helps to have a mental sanctuary where you can calm down at and pull yourself together (not only for your own reputation, but also so you don’t commit murder.) A concept of paradise comes in handy when life throws lemons at your eyes and you’re left blinded by rage and confusion. At least, that’s what I like to believe.

Katrina Trish C. Isiderio Krimlyn L. Lumawag Michael Albert M. Diy Charisse Erinn Flores Anthea P. Manayon Raniel C. Ponteras Filipino Writers

Jisson C. Yalong Thalia B. Dela Cruz Online Writers

RJ Nichole A. Ledesma Jireh Marielle C. Zaragoza Illustrators

Robert Austin G. Salameda Aloe Danica B. Deala

Adely Grace V. Tomaro Editor-in-Chief

Photojournalist

Ma. Henna A. Pilla Editorial Assistant

BLITZ A team of treasure hunting pirates excavated the remains of RMS Titanic in its wreckage in the Atlantic ocean in hopes of recovering the rare coveted diamond, the Heart of the Ocean. They don’t find it, but they do recover a safe containing one preserved work of art. It wasn’t a picture of a topless woman, though. It was this magazine.

This thing that you’re holding right now stood the test of time, sleepless nights and frustrated delays. After what seems like a lost cause, this is one solid proof that no ship can sink the stories that must be told! The Spectrum team would like to extend their gratitude to the people who helped make this possible: To Sir Andre Tagamolila for signing our requests; to Br. Maralit and the guards for watching over us during late nights of work; Adely Tomaro for opening her home as an evacuation and relief operation venue for on-the-spot layout sessions; Ryan Ceazar Santua for being the last man standing when it came to overnight (or day) work, to make the magazine so pretty as it does; Raymund Constantino for being an all-around make-up artist for the magazine; to all our interviewees who helped give more substance to our articles; to our parents who permit us to invest a huge portion of our life to this publication. Without their support and encouragement, we would have sunk deeper into the dark oceanic abyss without really knowing what we were looking for.

2 April You2014 are safe THES inPECTRUM our hearts and our hearts will go on and on.

Irene H. Severino Publication Adviser

Jean Lee C. Patindol Alliance of Lasallian Campus Journalists and Advisers College Editors Guild of the Philippines The Spectrum is the Official Student Media Corps of the University of St. La Salle. Its editorial office is located at the Student Activity Center G/F, University of St. La Salle, Lasalle Avenue, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental 6100.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No par t of The Spectrum may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the Media Corps. All contributions become The Spectrum property and the Editor-in-Chief reser ves the right to edit all articles for publication.

CONTACT NUMBER (034) 432-1187 local 172 E-MAIL thespectrum.usls@gmail.com FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/TheSpectrumUSLS

Faith Joeleene J. Lacson PHOTOGRAPHER

Casey Briones MODEL

Raymund Constantino

MAKE-UP ARTIST AND STYLIST

Adely Grace V. Tomaro Mark Harmon R. Magbanua Ryan Ceazar B. Santua Robert C. Dingcong, Jr. Roma Jane A. Hechanova Katrina Trish C. Isiderio

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

Ryan Ceazar B. Santua CONCEPT/COMPOSITION

ABOUT THE COVER “Oh look guys! It’s a hot chick!”

That initial reaction from the masses will take place 99.9% of the time whenever one gets a hold of this issue. A dolled-up girl graces the cover, her form: elegant, her face: flawless, and her charm: radiant. But as soon as one flips the page, lo and behold, it’s a guy, a heartthrob at that. His form: macho, his face: to die for, and his charm: undeniable. Guys will be baffled, girls will scream, and well, everyone will be tricked.

Welcome to Fool’s Paradise.

THESPECTRUM April 2014

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APRIL 2014 VOLUME 58 NUMBER 2

Contents SOCIETY

29 32

what if?

rainbow mask

ENVIRONMENT

36

earthmEtic

14 34 58 60 63

SLANGTIONARY

MADSHACK

HEADS & TAILS

ROLEPLAY

REVIEWS

YOUR HANDY GUIDE TO THE LATEST WORD MUTATIONS

FOOLS PARADISE

HOW WOULD YOU WANT TO LIVE YOUR COLLEGE LIFE?

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE BLIND?

> TV SERIES > MOVIE > ALBUM > BLOG > GAME

TECHNOLOGY

38 40

the rise of metals and motors

11 LEISURE

06 08

Good food and bad fads Wednesday fashion conundrums

HUMAN INTEREST

11

Seeing through the mind’s eye

FEATURES

15 18 20 22 24 26

NO DIPLOMA NO DRAMA

MEDIA

42

horror behind chained melodies

DISCUSSION

the harm in coping

48 50

the world of the future past

breaking the silence behind closed doors

what to do with fashion ouutliers

April 2014 THESPECTRUM

COVER STORY

not like the movies

the sheltered children

4

taking swipe at evolution

44

the fail of two d’s

the ools F l i r p A issue

HISTORY Pamamahayag sa panahon ng martial law

54 56

ngumiti ka lang

R OL EP LAY

VS THESPECTRUM April 2014

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LEISURE

1

D O GO D O O F

2

Caesar’s Salad

Lean Beef

Despite its rather infamous track record of being one of the more sinful choices for dessert, dark chocolate is actually a gold mine of antioxidants. Reader’s Digest affirms that these antioxidants, in the form of flavonoids, can protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation and can even prevent cardiovascular disease. Dark chocolate also contains serotonin, a chemical that acts as an anti-depressant. So, if you’ve had a bad break-up (or even if you haven’t), console yourself with a maximal 3-ounce serving of dark chocolate every day – it’s good for the heart.

If you want to be a part of the health-conscious crowd of the “food-selfie” generation, you can now occasionally post a glass of this alcoholic beverage on Instagram without feeling the least bit concerned. Lisa Collier Cool, best-selling author and fitness advocate extraordinaire, says beer can clear out kidney stones, promote a tougher heart and boost brain health.

But before you go drunk with knowledge, remember that you won’t get a six-pack by chugging down a six-pack – a glass of beer contains roughly 150 calories and light beer has about a hundred.

If you love fish and all its derivatives, then you’ve probably heard or had a taste of cream dory. Dr. Albert Ko, a guest speaker on “Healthy Lifestyle and Alternative Medicine” who came to the University last July, implies that you probably shouldn’t have. Dr. Ko emphasizes that all kinds of wastes from hotels are dumped into cream dory breeding grounds, exposing the fish to extremely toxic chemical compounds. That’s why he also recommends only eating fish with scales, like milkfish, tuna and salmon, since these are more resistant to unnatural pollutants in water.

Just “having a salad” at a restaurant is not going to get you a slimmer waistline in the near future. There’s nothing wrong with eating a bowl of greens – it’s what you eat it with that makes salads brim over with fat. The fact is, all the cheese, bacon bits, croutons and heavy dressing will make your salad have as much calories as a Burger King Whopper, according to Sari Greaves, R.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. So, try to limit unhealthy add-ins, or better yet, replace them with nuts, grilled meat, fresh fruit or beans.

Among other things, Albert Einstein was a devout vegan, and one of his quotable quotes goes: “Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” The meatdependent majority, however, will only go as far as look for the right cuts of meat instead of converting themselves into pure herbivores. Enter lean beef – listed as one of the “Top 25 Healthiest Foods” in Prevention Magazine; by guzzling as little as an ounce of the grass-fed protein a day, you can increase iron, zinc and vitamin E levels. Mary J. Kretsch, PhD, a researcher at the United States Department of Agriculture, adds that this cut of beef is lower in overall fat compared to other meats and is high in the good kind – omega-3 fatty acids.

Some smart guy with fancy hair once said that “for every reaction, there is always an equal and opposite reaction.” If there are foodstuffs that we may think are unhealthy but actually aren’t, the scumbag universe always finds a way to balance out our luck. Here are some “healthy” foods that pack, sadly, more than just vitamins and minerals:

S D FA

t’s t tha ough might h t and hat food d items t t a e foo n. ared er st list of som that notio v e u r o a e y IY id ’s Have thy? Here u reconsALBERT M. D o HAEL l y a e e k h un ma BY MIC

ou have the menu of Restaurant X in your hands. A previous vow to eat like a supermodel compels you to choose only the healthy goodies in the immense selection of food items.

A couple of minutes in, you decide to get some dishes that you might think are good for you. But the question is, are you sure they are? There’s no need to scandalously scream in alarm. Although most of the foods out there do more harm than do good to THE body, there are still some delicious things you can splurge on without feeling guilty.

April 2014 THESPECTRUM

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Cream Dory

D A B

6

4

Beer

&

Y

3

Dark Chocolate

6 Fruit Smoothies Trivia Time! What drink has 400 calories? If you answered “a smoothie!” then you get 10 points for your respective Hogwarts house. The problem with fruit smoothies is they’re made mostly of fruit juice, which has a ton of sugar and none of the wholesome fiber that our body needs. Smoothies have an almost equivalent amount of calories as a meal, but it won’t even satisfy you like a meal, says Keri Gans, R.D. If you have a smoothie craving, it’s better to eat low-fat yogurt with a piece of your choice of fruit.

One should never judge a book by its cover.

Nowadays, healthy eating isn’t just about the green and the leafy, nor is junk food just about the rich and tasty. With the right choices and the right portions; you can have your cake and eat it, too. If combined with the proper lifestyle, you can have that supermodel body in no time.

THESPECTRUM April 2014

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LEISURE

WEDNESDAY FASHION

CONUNDRUMS

BY RJ NICHOLE LEDESMA & MICHAEL ALBERT M. DIY ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN CEAZAR B. SANTUA

The Hourglass/ Coca Cola

The body shape most girls are striving for doesn’t exempt itself from the fashion police.

With great booty comes great responsibility.

You don’t want to hide that God-given, drool-inducing body of yours under some unfit and boring shirt or dress. What you are supposed to be doing is accentuating your shape through body hugging outfits such as belted tops, formfitting blouses, or wrap-style dresses.

Skinny jeans, high-waisted pants and tight pencil skirts are perfect if paired with balanced tops. Short shorts (but not to be worn during Wednesdays!) can show off those great legs.

Free flowing skirts and loose jeans are a no-no for it will only hide away your assets.

Inverted Triangle

W

hen the typical, blissfully extravagant female Lasallian college student isn’t worrying about her boyfriend(s) on hypothetical Tuesday nights, she may find herself stressing over an equally laughable first-world problem: standing before a closet brimming with blouses, pants and dresses yet having no idea what to wear the next day.

That’s because when it comes to body forms, there is no typical Lasallian girl – and no other affiliation can miraculously change the body shape one is born with, either. If this scenario seems all too familiar for you and you’ve been nodding vigorously in depressing agreement for the past minute, perhaps you want to know what clothes are most appropriate for your body type.

For the Triangle or pear-shaped

If you are endowed with curvy and voluptuous hips below thin, slender shoulders then you should opt to balance things out by shedding some layers. Fill out your upper half with loose tops, or jackets and cardigans, rather than yield to the temptation of slim-fitting ones for it will only make your lower half look bigger than it already does. Structured tops that highlight your broad shoulders are also a must, as well as wide necklines to offset your fuller hips.

And since your biggest assets are those Beyoncé-contending hips, you should wear bottoms that showcase your curves rather than obscuring them. Wearing flimsy or shapeless skirts will only lose the effect. Instead, wear pencil skirts that are not too tight—over emphasis on your hips will only make you look fatter.

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April 2014 THESPECTRUM

You have strong and wide shoulder features with thin, slender legs, and you would be looking like a popsicle-stick or an ice cream cone if not dressed accordingly.

As much as possible, avoid tops that overemphasize your shoulders. Tone it down by wearing sleeveless tops, or off-shoulder crop tops. Wearing of jackets or any tops with shoulder blades would be fashion mortal sin.

You wouldn’t want to make your legs look like a pair of chopsticks by wearing super tight jean or leggings. Bubble skirts and not-so-loose jeans are acceptable.

Ruler or box-shaped

You’re most probably an athlete (or maybe just someone having an athletic built) sporting this androgynous body shape. Your upper and lower halves are proportional thus making the illusion, if not properly dressed, of having a bland shape with nonexistent curves. But don’t fret, a few fashion tricks can help conjure up that hidden sexiness.

What you need are tops and dresses that are full and flowing. Then wrap your bust with a belt, or any other wrap-around embellishment.

This will give an impression of you having a wider curve in the midsection. For your bottoms, bubble or tiered skirts will give shape to your hips. If you want to take advantage of the boyishness of your figure, go for some cargo pants and boyfriend jeans. The looseness of your bottoms will hide your ruler-shaped legs.

Now, your previous civilian day decisions will be replaced by another dilemma – how to deal with the jealous stares and dropping jaws your fashionable fabulousness has brought about on the entire student body. Your legs won’t hurt from the hours you spend in front of your wardrobe anymore, but maybe they’ll be sore from all the running you’ll be doing from the people who will ultimately chase and lust after you.

THESPECTRUM April 2014

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human interest

S

EEING

THROUGH THE MIND’S EYE

These people have been deprived of the sense of sight. What place do they have in our society?

BY PATRICIA MARI M. MIJARES | PHOTOGRAPHED BY RYAN CEAZAR B. SANTUA

10 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

ILLUSTRATION BY ROBERT AUSTIN G. SALAMEDA

P

eople don’t necessarily have to see colors to make their world colorful.

As children, the artworks we made in class would always have flowers of different hues, fat clouds that seem to be nothing else but blue, birds shaped like curved letter M’s, and the big plump smile of Mr. Sun drawn in the upmost corner of the paper. Our idea of a perfect world would always be a product of exhausted crayons—as long as we have used almost every color, then our drawing is good to go. However, for some people, some things are way more colorful than that.

High school student Wendill enlisted himself as one of those who conquered the province’s longest flight located at Don

Salvador Benedicto—the two-kilometer-long Everest Zip Line. It wasn’t only some guts and adrenaline that kept the 16-year-old hyped up. What made his zip line adventure one of a kind was an amputated left leg and a visual impairment.

Wendill is just one of the many people who are visually-impaired. He’s been blessed by being only partially blind—with blurred vision and seeing things smaller than their usual size without the help of his thick glasses. “One of the biggest challenges I had to face was fighting the feeling of being useless,” he said. As a child, he would have setbacks in mingling with others with the fear of being insulted and mocked. He would confine himself inside the four walls of

their home, and up to this day he regrets not grabbing the chance of associating with others.

“I still find it difficult to engage in conversations that would usually run deep.” At some point in his life, Wendill has wondered how things were unfair on his end, and that taking on a disability was just a lot to take in. After having grown a sense of maturity, however, he realized that it wasn’t the limit of the world for him. This kid is even on his way to being a musical instrument protégé for he plays the piano, the flute and is learning to play the guitar. Who knows what instrument might be next—he might even cross out archery as one of the things in his sports bucket list! “It feels so amazing to throw arrows in the air,” he said with a laugh. Careful, THESPECTRUM April 2014 11

human interest

About the photo: Visually-impaired students of BCNHS SPED work their way through getting an education.

In the photo: SPED teacher Mr. Tumbos leads his fellow blind in envisioning a better future.

“ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES I HAD TO FACE WAS FIGHTING THE FEELING OF BEING USELESS,” Wendell. You might get to the bull’s eye.

Yet, there are still others who’d probably wonder on the same question over and over again: “What in the world do I look like?” Thirteen-year-old Margaret is no exception. Having been totally blind since birth, she has often wondered what her overall appearance really was (and also of her twin sister, for that matter). Margaret had her doses of emotional pain and pessimistic thinking, often wondering why she had to be born that way. “I felt envious of my siblings. I even thought it better for me not being born in the first place if this was all I could be,” she said with a frown. But like every other story, there’s always been a turning point. Through the support of her family, religious community, friends and school environment, Margaret realized that she’s no different than normal persons and that she can do sports like long jump and goal ball. Not only that, she has a mission to change lives like no other—to inspire people through her singing prowess. She has performed at fiestas and other gatherings and has indeed dropped a tear or two from the audiences. “I feel extremely happy when I sing. I know people like my singing because some of them 12 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

cry!” she said proudly.

For 15-year-old Bea, on the other hand, not having used pens or pencils for writing is worth all the confusion as a kid. Instead, she grew up learning a set of dots on paper that represent letters in order to read.

Having also born totally blind, she was told that when she grew older she’d learn to see clearer. “But, I was in high school when I was made to realize that I was special and blessed, and that I had to learn Braille with much help from my mother,” she said. Being the only child in the family, a typical day at home for Bea would mean washing the dishes, sweeping the floor or changing the bed sheets—things a normal person would do.

She’s a writer by heart, as one of her hobbies is writing essays in Braille and well, bagging awards for it! “Not to be bragging about it, but I was so happy for winning first place in the essay writing contest sponsored by the Rotary Club,” she related. It looks like she needs no pen or pencil in order to write after all. And this girl’s dream profession? “Being a psychologist and helping those who are abused.”

Yes, for the visually-impaired, groping in darkness doesn’t always

mean getting lost. According to Christian— also totally blind—he’d choose to stay like that rather than being able to see. “Mas malipay na lang ko nga amo ni kay indi ko makita ang malain nga gakalatabo sa kalibutan,” he said.

For Nida who bagged Best in Braille Writing, being able to go to school is a stepping stone to greater dreams. “Indi tungod nga may disability ka indi ka pwede makatapos eskwela,” she said.

For a lot of reasons, these people may not have a total glimpse of the world yet they do know that they have a role in its formation.

Our study of idioms would tell us that a case of blind leading the blind is a futile attempt to accomplish a quest. However, visually-impaired SPED teacher Eidan proves that it’s really quite the contrary—because leading the blind will get you somewhere. Having diagnosed with meningitis as a child, he lost his sight at age 8.

And when that realization dawned, he chose to let go of his hopes of becoming a doctor.

“I am Melchor Eidan Tumbos. Someday, I want to be a doctor,” he mimicked the line he used to say during preschool. What seemed an ideal life disappeared right before his eyes, and he ended up being a teacher of his fellow

visually-impaired. But, it was since then where his whole perception has changed greatly. “For the first eight years of my life, I have lived with light. And now I will be spending the rest of it without light. Yet, this life without light has been more colorful than the life with light,” he said. What makes it more colorful for him are the challenges and trials that have made him more of an achiever than anything else. It’s been a life-winning process for him, as he gets to be of service to other people despite his condition.

“It is a rewarding thing to be helping others.

It gives me a sense of self and strengthens my belief that I was created for a purpose.” Finally, he ends it off by saying, “Blessed are you who ask our help for our greatest need is to be needed,” he said with a beam.

Through the gift of sight, some are blessed to be seeing the light in life. For those who are deprived of it, however, it doesn’t mean that their world is enveloped in darkness. It just so happens that their colors have a different shade and depict a different colorfulness.

Really, if those who are seeing can be blind in a way, those who are blind can also see things the seeing couldn’t.

School for the blind. The visuallyimpaired students, together with their teacher, ace up smiles for the camera.

THESPECTRUM April 2014 13

Derpina

Herp Derp

Derp

FEAT UR ES

No Diploma, No Drama BUYSEXUAL

adj: used to describe someone who gains pleasure from shopping or spending money Mother: I saw you at the mall with Herp Derp today. Is there something you want to tell me?

Daughter: Okay mom, you caught me.

There’s no easy way to say this but… I think I’m buysexual.

Slangtionary Your handy guide to the latest and most baffling word mutations.

WORDS BY MICHAEL ALBERT M. DIY ILLUSTRATIONS BY ALOE DANICA B. DEALA

You’ve got the diploma but will that guarantee you a job when you leave the halls of this educational institution? BY MARK HARMON R. MAGBANUA | ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN CEAZAR B. SANTUA

INTERROGET

v: a strategic course of action for getting something you want by asking a question Derp: Is that a triple chocolate mousse cake?

Derpina: Yup. Derp:…

Derpina: …Would you like to try some?

Derp: *Interrogetting always works.*

FIRST SONG SYNDROME (FSS) EATQUILIBRIUM

n: the regular mealtime challenge of retaining a proportional rice-to-viand ratio until you finish eating

The unique Bacolodnon ability to maintain eatquilibrium with eleven servings of rice and only one stick of chicken barbecue was the main reason why the Mang Inasal branch at SM ran out of business.

n: a frustrating incidence when a song you hear for the first time already gets stuck in your head for no apparent reason

(1)Derp: Wha-? What the hell is this song? *Closes tab* 2 minutes later Derp: What does the fox sa-Oh crap. Na FSS ko!

(2)Derp: I just heard Beethoven’s Für Elise and I think it gave me FSS. Derpina: How is that even possDerp: TA NA NA NA NA NA NAAA

MODAR

n: short for Missing Object Detection and Ranging; a mother’s sixth superhuman sense that explains her uncanny ability to locate any misplaced item Derpina: Mom! I can’t find my phone. I’ve checked every— Mother: My MODAR tells me it’s in your closet, on the third drawer from the bottom, on the right side, next to your watch.

R FURNHITURE

n: any form of physical retaliation against household furnishings after you accidentally bump into them Guy 1: Whoa, man; why are you piledriving your couch?

Guy 2: Dude, don’t come in between me and my furnhiture!

14 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

INCENTIVIST

n: an opportunist who needs to be assured extra points before being asked to do something for a teacher

Teacher: Is the screen clear? Mr. Derp, can you turn off the lights in front?

Derp: Pila ang plus points, miss?

Teacher: Don’t be an incentivist.

TONGUEBRUSH

v: manipulating the tongue into gymnastic positions to remove food fragments between teeth

Dad: If you’re not in the car by the time I’m done, I am seriously leaving without you.

Son: What?! I’m not even ready yet! I guess I’ll just have to tonguebrush.

eceiving that college diploma on your graduation day is one of life’s sweetest victories. It is a time when all you do is sit through a two-hour long ceremony and you receive that paper for a mere five seconds, pose for the world to see, then exit the stage. Those five seconds of taking the diploma, shaking the school president’s hand, and smiling your brightest are the

conclusion of what has been a long but rewarding journey through school. Graduation day is your springboard into the real world.

The diploma, as they say, separates the men from the boys, the ladies from the girls (the superstars from the benchwarmers, the Jedi from the Sith, those blue-skinned monkeys from Avatar from the rest of the world, and the list goes on).

Society tells of a tale that

THESPECTRUM April 2014 15

a successful man is a man with a degree. A successful man is someone who has conquered the raging seas of academic life and ventured out into the calm waters of a stable job. Being successful, according to popular belief, is earning that diploma after spending all those years entrenched in the classroom, absorbing, and filling one’s head with knowledge just waiting to be applied in real life. A person’s success in career life is predicted by that piece of paper presented on graduation day coupled with a good transcript of records, and not on his or her top score in Flappy Bird (although it can earn someone mad respect and bragging rights). But is that really the case? Or is that what others want other people to think? Does dropping out of college mean a life of poverty afterwards?

What is the difference between having a degree and being educated? And does earning a college diploma automatically ensure a stable and respectable job?

“No it doesn’t. Experience will always be the best teacher,” Mark de la Paz, an instructor in the University and a relatively fresh college graduate, gives his two cents. According to him, diplomas are just pieces of paper that prove that one has finished college but that paper alone does not give justice to the “urban legend” that “college graduates with a gleaming diploma are ready for the professional world.”

“Sure, diplomas can mean more employment opportunities, but employers nowadays are looking for more than just book-smart young bloods, they need people who are well-versed with interpersonal skills.”

Back in 2011, the National Statistics Office (NSO) put a rough estimate to the number of unemployed Filipinos at around 2.8 million.

Out of the 2.8 million unemployed, 42 percent were college graduates and 50.4 percent of the unemployed were 15-24 years old. There was also another survey that showed that four out of ten college graduate jobseekers are not hired because of one thing: incompetence in the qualities that are vital in the world of professionalism. These three qualities include critical thinking, initiative, and communication skills (no, not patience when dying time and time again in Flappy Bird).

So the big question can now lift its dress and tiptoe on glass slippers as it enters the spotlight: What is the difference between having a degree and being educated? “Well, having a degree means gaining technical knowledge and being educated means having lifetime values,” Haydee Tabaosares, the Chair for the Department of Natural Sciences, shares. These values, she says, are more important to any student than anything they could probably learn in class. “One can learn about Microbiology and Parasitology, and sure these are useful in students’ chosen fields, but the true 16 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

“THE DIPLOMA CANNOT ASSURE SOMEONE A JOB IN THE FUTURE, A LT H O U G H I T INCREASES THE CHANCES OF LANDING ONE.”

“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose.”

essence of being educated is earning the qualities of patience, determination, and perseverance in the face of adversity,” she elaborates.

“Whoever said that life lessons cannot be learned in the four walls of a classroom must have been a dropout,” Margaret Yusay, a first year Masscomm student explains her sentiments.

The classroom is a training ground for life’s most important lessons. “Being educated is all about acquiring the values of being a team player, a good communicator, and a person of

good character,” she adds.

For the most part, being educated is not solely dependent on possessing that piece of paper called a diploma. There are a lot of people who have graduated college yet still lack the skills and values necessary to succeed in life.

“A person who has a college degree but does not show good values is not fit to be called educated,” Tabaosares adds. Some officials of the country are examples of that. Stealing from the people and scandalizing the whole country on

national television is definitely NOT a sign of being educated. “An educated man is a man who knows how to be of service to others and how to respect others.”

The diploma cannot assure someone a job in the future, although it increases the chances of landing one. Having a degree will not automatically spell success for a young hopeful fresh out of college. And having a degree does not mean that one is educated. Success, based on that done-to-death quote, is 1% inspiration,

and 99% perspiration (actually it’s Genius, not Success, but that works just as fine). So for the peeps out there who are thinking that having no college diploma will make you a bum for life, just take a look at Bill Gates, Lebron James, and of course, Manny Pacqiuao. They have just made another million while you were reading this article. So if you are still asking if having a college diploma does ensures a good life, think of that Pacman meme where he goes all, “Pwidi pero dipindi.”

“I always say, decisions I make, I live with them.

There’s always ways you can correct them or ways you can do them better. At the end of the day, I live with them.”

“Success is sweet and sweeter if long delayed and gotten through many struggles and defeats.”

THESPECTRUM April 2014 17

FEATURE S

“T

he Prince rides off with his lovely damsel into the sunset and they live happily ever after” the voice of a mother says as her daughter drifts off into a blissful slumber. Fairytales, movies, romance novels, the unrealistic concept behind Taylor Swift’s songs, these are some of the few reasons why some teenagers tend to be a little naive regarding relationships. This is because the problem with most love stories is that it usually ends when the relationship is just about to begin or perhaps after a couple’s first big trial.

But how many children’s books include how the prince and the princess go on as soon as the sparks start dying out and the real relationship begins?

At such a young age, girls are lead to believe that true love requires an overly self-sacrificing gentleman with a natural air for bravery and romance. In a more modern setting, the perfect prince is someone who leaves sweet little notes, buys gifts for no reason and sends text messages every five seconds, well, he can only

NOT LIKE THE MOVIES

It’s all fun and games in a relationship, until you have them fart in front of you. Then things get really interesting. Here’s a rundown on how a relationship works out.

BY PATRICIA MARIE M. LAPORNO | PHOTOGRAPHED BY RYAN CEAZAR B. SANTUA

18 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

last for so long.

The idealization phase is how psychologists refer to the “honeymoon” phase. Aileen Tranquilo, a guidance counsellor of the University of St. La Salle explains that this is because it is the point in the relationship when one tends to turn a blind eye to the flaws of one’s partner and even to one’s self because of how they tend to put their best foot forward in order to gain the love of the other. Tell-tale signs of the honeymoon phase include none or little fights, touching constantly, laughing more often, agreeing about most everything, showing little annoyance and stretching tolerance levels.

However even the most magical of moments come with an opportunity cost. The height of the moment may cause the couple to neglect the other aspects in their lives. They might give up time to do homework in order to finish a DIY “monthsary” gift or constantly reject their friends’ invitations to parties. The honeymoon phase can unfortunately exaggerate the need to

prioritize the relationship over anything else.

This puts the couple inside their imaginary bubble where they are practically separated from the real world.

Eventually though, the rose colored glasses come off and both members of the relationship begin to see things for what they really are. It has been said that familiarity breeds contempt and this wise saying becomes very apparent in relationships. After spending so much time together one may tend to notice the flaws in their partner. The need to hold in suspicions, anxieties, fits of jealousy and complaints become unnecessary because the couple has become so comfortable with each other. The usual banter also begins to morph into a full on fight complete with raised tones, sharp words and the extreme need to come out as the victor.

It doesn’t end there. Apparently, because the couple needs to adjust back into reality, the regular updates, sweet Facebook posts and romantic gimmicks slowly diminish. This may bring about even more conflict because of the unrealistically high standards that were set during the early parts of the relationship as well as the tendency to worry that your partner is losing interest in you.

Ms. Tranquilo expresses that both the male and the female play a huge role on why the honeymoon phase dies down. Most boys initially go on the pursuit of winning the girl’s heart and it is most visible during the courting stage up to the honeymoon stage. As soon as they see that they have won the girl’s affection, they become secure and they do not feel the need to show off as much as they have in the past. The girls on the other hand are commonly very meticulous and so they tend to pinpoint the little details of the relationship that have changed.

At least that is one way to look at it. Ms. Tranquilo also shares that is not necessarily the lack of effort but the lack of transparency. The couple may have reached a point where they have become so comfortable with each other that they begin to consider the little things as part of the routine. The act of carrying a food tray or helping out with an essay becomes an unnoticeable thing even though it was done out of love.

The end of the honeymoon phase isn’t necessary a bad thing. It allows the couple to live life not solely for each other but in accordance with each other in a healthier and more realistic environment. It brings forth a deeper sense of care and understanding as well as the comfort of simply being your unmasked self with someone.

Let’s face it. It’s no easy task to put up with a girl’s emotional outbursts or a guy’s need to ignore his phone because he’s playing a game but Ms. Tranquilo advises that a real relationship thrives when a mature decision is made to commit to each other despite all the negative aspects. Its common knowledge that no relationship stays new and exciting forever, the real happily ever after is realizing that it’s better that way.

The story of us. The difficult part of being in a relationship is avoiding becoming strangers to each other.

THESPECTRUM April 2014 19

F E AT U R E S

for comfort will come back as regret and selfloathing.

Physical exercise. Music therapy. Food.

The list goes on.

BY RJ NICHOLE L. LEDESMA ILLUSTRATION BY ROBERT C. DINGCONG JR.

Eating Your Heart Out

Do you ever find yourself sitting in front of the refrigerator munching on a donut, while your free hand is scavenging for more food?

Have you ever paired boxes of tissues with an equal number of boxed chocolates? Or maybe took a gallon of ice cream in front of the TV while you inaudibly utter, “Why can’t I have my own Sitcom?” If yes, then you are a full-pledged binge eater.

More and more teenagers see this as a normal way of coping with problems. Ross*, a second year Political Science student said, “I eat whenever I am sad or if I ever get caught in a very bad situation. The comfort of food never fails to fend off bad vibes. I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

But binge eating is a serious medical disorder and in no way just another past time.

It can lead the victim toward an ever greater bout of depression. If gone unaided, it becomes a vicious cycle of eating to feel better, feeling even worse and eating again. What was done 20 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

Not Asleep, Not Quite Awake Either

Daydreaming is a normal form of mental escapism that could promote creativity when channeled correctly. If utilized, it is an effective way to brainstorm for ideas. Yes, everybody daydreams, but some do it so much it starts to distort their perception of reality.

Maladaptive Daydreaming is a chronic form of mental detachment from the real world. Some people find it easier to hide behind imagined worlds than actually facing life’s daily tribulations, easier to deal with imaginary friends than talking to actual people.

People who suffer from Maladaptive Daydreaming could lose interest in social interaction. They could lose friends and even the closeness of family members. They become mistrustful of people outside of their own mental construct.

This could also weaken their focus on academics. Instead of listening to lectures from their armchairs, they are fighting mythical creatures atop warrior unicorns, or dreaming of a town full of cats. It’s hard to pull them down once they are up.

Snoozing Your Life Away

Shutting down one’s senses and entering the realms of deep sleep is a healthy thing, undoubtedly. Sleeping is the only way the body can recuperate lost energies and balance out body heat. It is also a way to rejuvenate the skin, and to sharpen one’s focus and attention to last a day. Such advantages could lead people to think this is a productive way to spend their toughest times.

Spending excess hours in bed can actually have adverse effects on one’s mental fitness.

Instead of waking up with a clearer and more active mind after 19 hours of sleep, it would rather reduce one into a groggy, disoriented state, sometimes called sleep drunkenness.

During this state there would be an overwhelming urge to dive back under the sheets, and stay there the whole day. One becomes unusually tired despite the prolonged hours of rest, and would be too light-headed to achieve most physical activities. Also, one’s ability to concentrate and be productive can be weakened.

Not Loud Enough

A rule of thumb to determine whether the volume is too loud is when you cannot hear the person talking an arm’s length away from you. So if you see your mother’s mouth rising up and down violently and you can’t hear a thing that calls you to put the volume down in pressing urgency.

Although plugging your ears to your favorite tunes can be done for leisure, most of the time, it is used to block out unwanted noises. May it be shutting down the city’s auditory pollutions or your parent’s ramblings. This raising of volume levels to great heights can potentially damage your ears.

ChinChin*, a second year Education student said, “I like to drown the daily chaos of life with my music on full volume.”

Our ears can only take 85dB (decibels) for it to be considered safe. Most music players can produce sounds from 90db to 108dB. Just a few decibels up and it would be like putting a chainsaw inches away from your ears.

Four hours of listening to music at 95dB can already create temporary hearing loss, and the amount of time in the borders of safe listening decreases as the decibels go up.

Everyone should once and for all debunk the myth that says, “Problems will go away faster when you ignore them.” Problems, no matter how seemingly minor or destructive, can never be solved through utter passivity. They call for standards of actions, and that certain willingness to go through the necessary pains that come with the process. Problems are never easy, but dealing with problems problematically will only make it even harder.

THESPECTRUM April 2014 21

F E ATURES

B R E A K I NG T H E SILE NC E B E HI N D CLOSE D DOORS Domestic violence has been very prominent lately. Physical abuse between couples is getting way out of hand and has taken its toll on women. What’s the reason behind this? BY ANTHEA P. MANAYON |

“ A B U S E I S A PAT T E R N ; A C O N S E Q U E N C E O F T H E PA S T T H AT C YC L E S O N I N T O F U T U R E G E N E R A T I O N S – U N L E S S T H E T I E S A R E C U T. ”

PHOTOGRAPHED BY FAITH JOELEENE J. LACSON | MODEL MARTHA ISABELLE BALDONADO | MAKEUP RAYMUND CONSTANTINO

H

er grandfather and grandmother were having another fight. He had been out gambling and womanizing again. But something dark and angry had taken over this time as he took out his gun and aimed it at her grandmother’s skull. Not a soul could have kept him from going through with it if she had not run to meet her grandfather’s ready revolver, and begged him, with all the strength her littleness could summon, to please don’t hurt grandmother anymore. That night was unlike the others – the house turned a peaceful quiet and her grandfather simply went to bed. Years later, she would remember it as the day she saved her grandmother’s life.

When a woman does something that does not go according to the traditional script of the ideal docile Filipina, such as a public display of boldness by speaking her mind, people do not become too fond of her. Society will tell a woman there is more honor in keeping a family together and keeping her mouth shut when things go out of hand. A woman will often obey this. Recognize this woman.

She is a lost creature in the woods. She tells herself things like “it isn’t that bad” or “no one knows him like I do”. The truth is, she feels both responsible for and helpless to stop the violence.

She trades in her natural creative power for “security”. There is a fantasy in her head that she is living a fulfilled life, and she soon starts to believe it, like a lie that is repeated until it becomes true.

Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, author of the international bestseller Women Who Run With the Wolves, gives us a chilling portrayal of domestic violence situations: “When a creature is exposed to violence, it will tend to adapt to that disturbance, so that when the violence ceases or the creature is allowed its freedom, the healthy instinct to flee is hugely diminished, and the creature stays put instead.”

The 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) says that 35 percent of women aged 15 to 24 have experienced physical violence since age 15. A disturbing thought: if our college has approximately more than 4,000 female students (according to the Registrar’s Office) at least 1,000 of these girls (that’s about 22 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

25 classes) may have been victims of physical violence.

The University’s Guidance and Evaluation Center Director Dr. Rowena Bañes revealed something extraordinary about the phenomenon of violence and abuse at home: it is inherited.

The typical abuser and abused are not without a background of experiencing or witnessing domestic violence as a child. “Abuse is a pattern; a consequence of the past that cycles on into future generations– unless the ties are cut.”

This is how the “cutting” of the destructive cycle works: first and most vital of all, there is an initiator, in the form of another person– a relative, a neighbor, a mentor, or possibly a friend– who takes the effort to try to pull the victim out of her circumstances, or ideally, the victim herself, who suddenly gets the typical, long-awaited “wake-up call” from the nightmare and decides to take the necessary steps towards her freedom. Professional and legal help come next, alongside with rallying together the right support system. If there are not enough friends who believe in her, the victim should start joining counseling groups, attend classes that deepen her talents, or take part in activities that foster spiritual balance, such as prayer, meditation, and exercise. These things will be her secret trail towards freedom.

Women who become lost in violent relationships simply need to go back to their “sanctuary”, as Dr. Bañes calls it. A woman’s sanctuary can be her symbolic or literal place of happiness. It is where she finds strength through the most painful times; it is her art, her life’s work. This is the force that drives a woman to seek independence. This is her greatest gift and her most powerful weapon. No woman is born without it.

Every so often, life will spill on our paths all sorts of good and bad things to test our character and challenge our truths. We must develop the wisdom to recognize which things are not right for us, and we must always, always be brave.

Look inside, if you must, and act according to what you know is right. Do not live the lie masked by the truths of other people. There is yet time to teach ourselves and our daughters the correct, useful values.

THESPECTRUM April 2014 23

. . .Y E A R S O F D E P E N D I N G E V E R Y T H I N G O N T H E I R PA R E N T S W I L L C A T C H U P A N D SOON ER OR L AT ER , T HE K ID W IL L A S K H I M S E L F, “ W H A T D O I D O N O W ? ”

F E AT U R E S

THE SHELTERED

CHILDREN Some parents have a tendency to keep their child under lock down because they want their child to be safe and perfect. How will this affect the child in the future when exposed to the real world?

BY JIREH MARIELLE ZARAGOZA | RJ NICHOLE LEDESMA

24 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

H

ome would generally connote warmth and comfort to anyone when uttered or read. But Joe* perceives the concept of home as being in a filth-ridden, four-walled and windowless prison cell. Imaginary guards holding lethal laser beams await him outside, never failing to rouse fear whenever he attempts to leave. The door is always locked, not by chains and bolts, but by the taunts of authorities: grim and high-seated figures in the form of his parents mocking and observing his every move, and whom he could never seem to hide from.

Joe is not alone in feeling such domestic suppression. More and more teenagers complain of their parents being too strict and uptight.

More often than not, these kids will take every chance they get to do something they are deprived of. According to Mrs. Aileen A. Tranquillo, a guidance counselor of the USLS Guidance and Evaluation Center, sheltered children will exhibit bipolarity in terms of their behavior at home and outside it. In front of their parents, they may appear and behave leniently and meekly but might actually be the loudest and outspoken student in class. That kid may even be the ringleader in their barkada, on the diabolical leader coming up with various law-deviating schemes.

So it should not come off as a surprise if these adolescents would have already defied their parents’ rules before they reach 18. Excuses would do, like when they’re supposed to get home by 5PM all they have to say is, “May club meeting pa ko ma,” to have their curfew extended by, what, about three hours, perhaps?

Or when they tell their parents that their thesis group needs an overnight session, and that may be true, except the fact that this overnight session will occur in Art District.

And of course, the most common excuse of parents’ ever merciless dictatorship is their naturally protective instinct.

Other than the usual foodshelter-clothes requirement, overprotective parents can and will bombard their children with rules and questions, all of which need to be answered correctly, concisely and respectfully. It’s inevitable that parents would want to know everything related to their kids, since we all know, the world isn’t such an Arcadian friendly neighborhood anymore.

News stories and urban legends of

raped young girls, boys stabbed to death with an ice pick and children abducted for their internal organs have done their part in making parents tighten their leash on their “poor, defenseless babies.”

What about the future, then? A kid so used to being forbidden of independence finally graduates and gains the chance to have his own job, money, and own rules, but how will he/ she handle it? “It would be quite overwhelming for them because there are a lot of things they have never experienced before,” says Tranquillo. Indeed, years of depending everything on their parents will catch up and sooner or later, the kid will ask himself, “What do I do now?” And who better to consult than the parents they’ve been wanting to be free of in the first place! That’s both a pro and con, though: good for the parents since they’ve finally been appreciated for their job as raising their kids, yet the kid him/herself has no experience in real life situations. Even a simple task such as riding and knowing jeepney routes could be as complex as rocket science.

But in the meantime pursuit of college degrees, shouldn’t college students be given their due independence? As for the Lasallian community, there really isn’t much of ball and chain here. Curfews have become quite loose, since night classes really are inevitable, and a parent can only be supportive to their kids’ active participation in extracurricular activities. About a third of USLS college students are also allowed to do various “college” activities (night outs, girlfriends/ boyfriends, etc). Some people really just don’t bother with these things. Seven percent of Lasallians do feel annoyed with their parents restrictions, yet most of them know that they can’t win against their parents, so they just let it go and accept the prohibitions.

THESPECTRUM April 2014 25

M

T A WH H T I W O TO D N O I H S A F ?

S R E I L T OU

ds n a m e d e Cod s s e r D y t i one s r s e e v o i d n U e r e e Th wh t u B . e c n ng i a i s l s p e r m d o c s t c cros stri n e e w t e b line e h t w a ? r e t d a i r p o r p s ap i t a h w d an anayon P. M illa P .

A

By Anthea a n n e Ma. H d e h p a r g o t Pho 26 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

?

arlene Dietrich.

David Bowie.

Coco Chanel.

They all challenged gender stereotypes. Look around.

You’ll see that women wearing pantsuits and men wearing tight jeans and pastels have become commonplace. It’s not just about the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transsexuals (LGBTs) anymore – androgynous is in for everybody. It gives permission for women to dress down and for men to indulge in their frilly fantasies. It’s unusual, it’s inspirational; it’s even economical to share.

Why is it, then, that a male student gets reprimanded for cross-dressing by wearing a cardigan? Why does crossing the boundaries between fixed notions of male and female clothing still remain an issue that garners mixed opinions?

Mr. Galo Gessner Rosales, the University’s OIC Discipline Officer, said that in our university, cross-dressing is considered to be a minor offense. There are no serious sanctions; however, a student must put in writing a promise to never repeat the same offense. Each year, the discipline office gets about 2 to 3 individual cases of cross-dressing, with 3 being the most number of times a student repeats the offense.

But who decides what is masculine and what is feminine? With androgyny trends continuously blurring the line between male and female fashion– what qualifies as crossdressing, especially when there are laws or rules against it?

Mr. Rosales explained that the current generation’s concept of dressing has evolved so differently from his generation’s idea that “when it’s for men, it’s for men; and when it’s for women, it’s for women.” Students may have varied opinions, but ultimately, when in school, it’s the discipline officer who decides whether or not a student is cross-dressing, basing on the officer’s own upbringing and age bracket experience with fashion. It is completely up to the students to be wary of their choice of selfexpression, and whether or not it will incite “misinterpretations”, most especially when they are from “the third sex,” as Mr. Rosales said.

The Philippines currently does not have any civil rights laws protecting LGBTs, although there are anti-discrimination ordinances in Cebu, Quezon City and Albay. Other countries such as the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Spain ban all anti-gay discrimination and grant full rights and liberties to all LGBTs. However, Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a

treaty of the United Nations to which the Philippines is a signatory, states that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

For everyone enrolled in the University, obedience to school dress code policies is still mandatory; the 1987 Constitution (Section 5 of Article 14 on Education, Science and Technology, Culture and Sports) states that “academic freedom shall be enjoyed in all institutions of higher learning” – our own university included. What is academic freedom? According to the Supreme Court, it is the University’s freedom “to determine for itself on academic grounds who may teach, what may be taught, how it shall be taught, and who may be admitted to study.” Based on this legal premise, the school can create its own dress code policies without any interference from outside units, not even the government.

So can students make appeals or file complaints in case they don’t agree with the way a certain school policy like the dress code is implemented? This is what Mr. Rosales said: “No. They cannot. They have to follow. They came here, they chose to be here. We did not force them to be here. So they have to follow, it’s as simple as that.”

We are well aware of the importance of protecting our school’s credibility. But how does a gay male student know he’s “violating” the school’s image by wearing a cardigan, which is unisex, by the way, over non-dresscode-violating jeans and a t-shirt? The third Lasallian Guiding Principle (LGP) tells us to “encourage differentiation, diversity, and synergy amongst learners that are fraternal, caring and respectful”. Just how much room for diversity is there exactly for us learners?

Conformity tells us to pick a belief and stick with it but no two individuals have the same exact set of thoughts, attitudes, behavior, and values. There are different kinds of people out there, some we agree with, some who do not fit in with our beliefs, and there is nothing wrong about accepting things and people we personally don’t like, just as long as they do not cause harm or violate any human rights.

In everything, self-acceptance should come first. Fashion, like most material things, is just the instrument. With self-acceptance, we find the self-confidence and compassion to accept the differences and personal styles of others.

From there, we live out a new perspective where the individual matters more than the gender they are associated with.

THESPECTRUM April 2014 27

society

Everyone is unique, most of the time in a quirky manner and that’s good. Quirky is good.

Unfortunately there is a standard that makes people hide their true selves and blend with the crowd. What makes them decide to conform to society? BY ADELY GRACE V. TOMARO | ILLUSTRATION BY ALOE DANICA B. DEALA

M

an can lose everything he has except for the power of choice. Fate designed aside, man is who he is now based on the choices he has made over the course of his life. But as man opts for one path over the other, the potential embedded on the one rejected becomes a shadowy region in his mind.

Which leads him to dwell on one of the biggest questions ever posted in life: What if ?

“What if I had just been honest?” “What if I had just been myself ?” These are only some of the most powerful What Ifs that can haunt the deepest areas of the human soul. But as much as answering a What If can bring peace of mind, it can also cultivate in a person the biggest lie of the universe: fear.

Fear is relative to what a person holds dear. The fear of rejection, of being shunned by society and being judged—all come from a withholding question that, even without a correct answer, people have already given meaning to themselves: What if ?

28 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

PHOTOGRAPHED BY RYAN CEAZAR B. SANTUA

What if I had just been honest?

One of the most stereotypical depictions of a bully is a big and intimidating individual with a scowling face and a penchant for cruelty towards others; in other words: a villain. If you grew up watching cartoons like Popeye or Mickey Mouse, you’d see that the hero would always triumph over these villains all while getting the girl, being praised and emerging from an obligatory chase scene totally unscathed in less than one hour of airtime. In your own THESPECTRUM April 2014 29

society

“. . . AT A N Y GI V EN M O M E N T YO U H AV E T H E P OW E R TO T EL L T H ES E B U L LI ES “ N O ! T H I S I S N OT HOW M Y STO RY I S G O I N G TO E N D.”

life, you might’ve imagined that you too were a hero, fighting the perils of every day challenges, and coming out victorious in the end—but the harsh reality is this: Bullies in the real world aren’t as easily beaten nor are they anything like the typical baddie.

Parents aren’t bad guys; they aren’t antagonists kids should rebel against and they aren’t people one should consider as enemies.

But parents are susceptible to bullying their children especially when it concerns one word that encompasses all their fears and wishes: expectations.

“Parents want their kids to take practical choices in life.” Johnny Decatoria, PhD, BCETS (Board Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress), 30 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

says. “But sometimes, this is why the kids would resent them. Their script is We are under control and we know what’s best for you.”

College students are especially prone to parent bullying and the effects of such are very upsetting. The ones who have lost the will to fight let it be and do as their parents say, conforming to the dreams weighed upon them rather than envisioning their own. Other victims are even driven to take extreme measures in order to cope with their misery such as rebellion, misconduct and so on.

The sad misconception however is that this is all the parents’ fault when in truth, the decision to let others make decisions for you rests on you, the individual. No one has the right

to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.

The only thing you need to do is let other people know that.

What if I had just been myself?

When same sex marriage was legalized in several parts of the world, it created a stir amongst societies, cultures and religions alike.

Since then, more movies, TV shows and books with LGBT themes in them have been made and more people have “come out” publicly as a homosexual possibly inspired and motivated by the idea that the world has changed its narrow views of human sexuality. At least that’s in other parts of the world.

The Philippines, however, is a largely

Catholic society and though there are many who can openly declare to the world “Hey! I’m gay!

Whoohoo!” there’s a portion of the population that’s still afraid to be themselves.

The question is: Why keep one’s sexual orientation as a secret? Ms. Rowena Banes, the director of the GEC (Guidance and Evaluation Center) of USLS, says that one reason could be they fear what will happen to them after the revelation.

“A person is compelled to listen to his/ her own thoughts. The person may be ready to come out publicly as a homosexual but if the environment is not, then nothing can be done.

Or it can be the other way around. If the person is not ready to come out, but if he/she is with

a group that is very open, then the person who at that time who might not be ready but sees the group is very supportive, then it becomes a motivation for him/her to come out. It all depends on one’s psychological readiness. And in the end, it’s still his/her choice whether to tell or not,” she says.

Ms. Banes along with a few colleagues have started a research study that was related to the LGBT community in the University, in an attempt to find better ways to help students with gender identity crises and confusion as well as problems regarding their sexuality and guide them through it. The school’s research board approved it and now, the writing stage is ongoing as well as one-on-one interviews.

Ms. Banes also notes that it’s amazing how, in the long run, many would come and share something about themselves during the indepth interviews. There are also some who have admitted in a small circle that they are gay, but when approached by others, choose to keep mum about the issue. And though coming out is an important step to self-acceptance, it certainly isn’t an easy one.

“Coming out is [important but] it is not a mandatory process because nobody should be forced to tell the world if they have double or even multiple orientations or whatever. When you mean coming out in the context of sexual orientation, you can’t force anyone. There is a population that finds it easy to do with people they trust and then there’s the population that find it difficult to come out because they’re afraid it will be taken against them.”

An even bigger question is what would happen if they bubble it in or keep up the charade of being someone else just to conform to a largely straight society? “There are consequences for both the homosexual and the partner and the family circle.” Ms. Banes says.

“How could you be happy in a relationship if you are not comfortable even as yourself ? You would be anxious always.”

For those who are lost in their decisions and wary and confused, the Guidance Office always has their doors open for a chat. But Ms. Banes has made it clear that the Guidance counselors don’t give advice or tell one what the right decision is—instead, they give options.

They lay down the cards, help identify the pros and cons and let you decide for yourself. And with all of the options given to you, all of the possible outcomes, all of the potential benefits and consequences of each path you will take, you are always brought back to that one haunting question: What if ?

People conform to the standards set in society because they fear rejection and they fear isolation. Compliance is conformity, in such a way you agree to terms you feel you’re less likely to be punished or hurt by. Whether it’s for those who stop you from following your dreams or scare you from being proud of what you are— at any given moment you have the power to tell these bullies “No! This is not how my story is going to end.”

In the wise words of JK Rowling, “it is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

THESPECTRUM April 2014 31

society

Rainbow Mask landscape, yet would it be right to say it’s an appropriate act? Say, consider it a deed of courtesy, like how “Any country will do a little fixing up before a guest comes,” as justified by the Presidential spokesman Ricky Carandang.

Surely, such a temporary fixture as that wall wouldn’t pose any threat to the poverty-afflicted scenery beyond it, would it?

Unfortunately it already has. This makeshift rainbow wall subtly poses an apprehension on the Filipino people, rich and poor. Apparently, with the way things are going, the government will readily advance on cheap temporary investments, more for a good impression than a solution to the steadily overflowing problems this country currently deals with, much less the notable and ever-present issue on poverty. Quite ironic, since the ADB conference was supposed to discuss ways to abject impoverishment across Asia.

To solve a problem, one must identify the problem. Indeed, there may be times when a temporary fix is all we need, but a problemsolving strategy is still necessary in the long run.

Take for example the recent SONA 2013. The president exposed various successful programs,

On the other side of a beautifully decorated wall, lies the slum of all slums in the Metro.

Learn the story behind it.

BY JIREH MARIELLE ZARAGOZA AND CHARISSE ERINN FLORES | PHOTOS ERIK DE CASTRO/ REUTERS AND BULLIT MARQUEZ

32 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

T

he day is dry and hot. The murky water of the creek runs low. Filthy, ragged-clothed children search for nearby scrap objects in the shabby neighborhood.

A scrawny gray-haired man also decides to push his kariton amidst a cardboard alley and some of the neighbors’ hung pieces of clothes. Flea-infested stray dogs pass him by, also on the quest for today’s meal from the dumpsters, which meant everywhere around the slum area. But this everyday scene has been obscured from the view of the more-privileged with a wall, simply to mask out the unsightly scene. A socalled “rainbow wall” is what this wall is.

The Philippines is such a wonderful country to live in – with so much to be proud of, from its area of 300,000 sq. kilometer-land of richness, to its diversified yet colorful cultures and vibrant energy of the Filipinos. Our country has the greatest stories, stories of how we triumphed over the colonizers who attempted to put our country in their cruel

hands, and how we achieved our freedom that we relish now.

As of today, we can say that we are totally unchained from the strings of our suffering, can’t we?

Out of sight, out of mind, our country is under siege.

Tragedies occurring, natural disasters befall our land, poverty and corruption emerges at high percentage, good morality decreases, the vision of our future gets obscure, our problems; we all hide them underneath the mask. Lately, the government has put a makeshift wall in the vast area of squatters in Manila.

It is placed across the bridge on a road from the airport to downtown Manila. It specifically hides the sprawling slum along a garbage-strewn creek. Another way to beautify our country for our visitors, we can say, but it had just brought a disaster to the lives that live behind that wall.

The wall was constructed prior to the 2012 Asian Development Bank (ADB) Board of Governors meeting.

Its sole purpose was to cover up the city’s miserable slum

such as agricultural and educational reforms, enhanced tourism and mostly economic growth, extraordinarily enough to the point of having the country described as a rising economic tiger.

For all we know, the Philippines is in much turmoil as ever, more so as many Filipinos still decide it’s all a bluff, since apparently, many underprivileged citizens still don’t feel any change at all. Couple that with covering up the problem itself, then it would be no wonder that Filipinos would rather not trust the ones in power.

Childhood fairytales warn us not to trust just about anyone, especially the suspicious-looking ones (like how Snow White went comatose after accepting the poisoned apple from the Evil Queen disguised as an old woman). As we get older, the masks become less sinister, sometimes even as seemingly innocent as their rainbow masks. Those masks will eventually slip off, one way or another, and the big issue will be exposed nakedly for every spectator. In this case, as the purpose of the wall serves a temporary one, surely the wall will collapse, once again revealing the pathetic state of that area and generally the Philippines.

“AS W E G ET OL D E R , T HE MAS KS B E COME L ES S S I N I ST E R , S OMET I MES EV E N AS S E E MI N G LY I N N OCE N T AS T HE I R R A I N B OW MAS KS .”

It’s more fun in the Philippines! People pass by the posters-covered wall that conceals many parts of the slums prominent in the country.

But only barely.

THESPECTRUM April 2014 33

words by Patricia Marie M. Laporno photographed by Faith Joeleene J. Lacson editing and composition by Ryan Ceazar B. Santua

34 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

THESPECTRUM April 2014 35

EARTHMETIC Here’s a pretty inconvenient truth: we have only one Earth and we are unconsciously destroying it.

BY MICHAEL ALBERT M. DIY

3, 18, 20, 31, 39, 42.

The odds of winning a 6/49 lottery game in one play is 1 in 13,983,816.

This means that a number of other scenarios have a significantly greater chance of actually happening, such as a person dying due to a car accident, dying from exposure to excessive natural heat or dying by work of some cataclysmic flood. As devastatingly morbid as that sounds, it’s actually what is happening in the world today: 3 million children under the age of five die annually from environmental factors, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).

18 million acres of forest are lost each year, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.

20 percent of the pollution in the Pacific Ocean comes from ships at sea that dump waste or cargo, based on a report by the Public Broadcasting System.

31 countries all over the world face chronic freshwater shortages, according to the United Nations Environmental Programme.

39 is the rank of the Philippines 36 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

in a list of 92 countries with the most particulate matter in the air, based on a recent survey by the WHO. 42 is the percentage of decline in the number of trips taken by foot in the last 20 years, as reported by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Earth has become the stage of a universally extensive game of lottery, but one that conditions its players can easily manipulate for their own gain.

There is a zero factor of randomness and a zero element of chance – the results are predetermined and already known. And yet, people still continue to bet on the same old losing numbers.

In fact, the damage human actions have inflicted has reached a point so staggering, that scientists are seriously considering building a new home and relocating millions of miles away – to Mars. Assuming their grand plan works and the succeeding generations of interplanetary immigrants grow accustomed to their new utopian environment; what will happen then? If the seemingly innate destructive nature of man rears its head a second time, will

The Earth has become the stage of a universally extensive game of lottery, but one whose conditions its players can easily manipulate for their own gain.

the human race be infamously branded as the capable destroyers of two planets in a relatively short span of centuries?

The rather cliché truth is that the answer cannot be found in any celestial body somewhere in the deep reaches of space. One of the solutions to the environmental dilemmas the Earth faces is, paradoxically, the problem – its people.

Even a third-grader already knows what to write whenever a science questionnaire includes the classic essay question about the simple measures a student can take to help bring about the salvation of the environment. And while it is easy to answer, it is also admittedly hard to passionately practice.

TIME published an article some three years ago about how anger has the capacity to become a positive, motivating force. Enthusiasm to start changing the world is just what mankind needs. But instead of publicly calling someone out for throwing a plastic bottle in the wrong receptacle, perhaps it is better to exploit the more effective human emotion of guilt: 1 leaky faucet that drips at a rate of one drop per second can collectively waste more than 3,000 gallons of water a year.

5 minutes of hosing will waste, unnecessarily, about 95 liters of water.

19 pounds of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, are released for every gallon of gas that a car burns.

25 recycled glass bottles can save enough energy to power a computer for more than ten hours.

30 minutes of leaving a 100-watt light bulb on creates enough carbon dioxide to fill a party balloon.

40 kilograms of plastic, which could otherwise be recycled, are thrown away by most families each year.

Six numbers. Six numbers can net a sum of money even greater than a 10-year salary’s worth of working at a corporate 8-to-5 job. Six numbers can be someone’s ticket to a Lamborghini Egoista, a fossil fuel power station and a 3000-square meter mansion - which can consequently lead to another’s death by car accident, natural heat or flood.

It’s high-time to take on a different perspective, where six numbers instead serve as constant reminders for ecological restoration. It’s not as hard as differential calculus or analytical geometry – it’s just as simple as basic arithmetic: 1, 5, 19, 25, 30, 40.

TYPOGRAPHY BY ROBERT C. DINGCONG JR.

ENVIRONMENT

THESPECTRUM April 2014 37

TECHNOLOGY

D

isney Pixar clinched a box-office hit last 2008 after releasing the movie WALL-E, a science fiction cartoon with the main character being a robot designed to clean up the wastecovered earth. Back in the 1980’s, The Series 800 robot from The Terminator, starring a menacing looking Arnold Schwarzenegger, also annexed the same recognition for two straight weeks.

The Iron Giant, a story directed by Brad Bird, of a young boy who befriended an alien robot, also claimed a spot on the IMDb Top 25 Robot Movies of 2012. The main concept of the movies were actually inert machines considered to be dominators of the future: robots.

Robots are contraption agents mechanically designed to perform tasks on their own or with human aid. Their designs, structures and applications are studied in the field of robotics.

It’s a big surprise, though, that the idealization of robots actually came before the understanding of electricity.

Without doubt, robots have captured the whimsical minds of several generations. These machines were already part of man’s blueprints even before human development started. Man has been assessing ways on how to make completion of tasks easier and simpler.

The Naissance period

The Rise of the

Metals& Motors Robots used to be the products of imagination. But with the way technology is progressing, they are fast becoming a reality.

BY KRIMLYN L. LUMAWAG | ILLUSTRATION BYSRYAN CEAZAR B. SANTUA 38 April 2014 THE PECTRUM

In ancient civilizations, remembering the time of pyramid creations and god worshiping, rulers had slaves to perform menial labors for them.

Enslaving gave more time for rulers to focus on their philosophy, business and political affairs.

Even ancient literature gave illustrative quotes about robots. Homer, the author of The Iliad and The Odyssey, described the first instance of robots as servants made of gold, possessing minds, hearts with intelligence, vocal chords, and strengths - workers of the immortal gods.

The creation of robots started around 400350 B.C, with the simplest materials but with the most profound ideas in mind. Archytas of Tarentum inverted a bird made of wood. He created a steamed powered pigeon. This creation also marked the official study of how birds are able to fly. Archytas was then labelled as the Father of Mechanical Engineering after his prestigious mathematical works.

The Continued Diversion The ideas of Archytas were then saturated into one scientific purpose: to develop autonomous machines. Such purpose came to fruition in 1961 when George Devol together with Joseph Engelber, presented their first industrial robot named Unimate. The Unimate was the first actual prototype Robot designed with a 4,000-pound arm that can perform lifting and

welding on automotive bodies. It was followed

by Shakeys, the first robot successfully combined with artificial intelligence and robotics. After a successful merge, robotics made its next journey to Mars. Sojourner, the robot with laser eyes and wheels, became Mars Pathfinder’s first miniature robot tasked to rover the planet for three months. Sony then presented their Robot Pal Aibo in 1999, following the features of a lion-cub or a puppy. Advanced Step in Innovate MObility (Robot ASIMO) was next introduced by Honda Japan in 2000 for the purpose of demonstrating the study of science and mathematics. Asimo became part of Disneyland’s Stars after given the role to feature a 15-minute show called “Say ‘Hello’ to Honda’s Asimo.” And now the robot concentrated on smart phones’ operating software, the Android.

The Robot Threat But Newton’s third law states that, in every action, there is an equal or opposite reaction. The ongoing demand for an easier life is growing more rampant. The big question is, could robots add up to mankind’s existential threats?

The battle of the AI’s can happen anytime.

That is, if artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, then robots will be ousting lives and will feast together with humans on World War III, equipped, not only with bullets, but laser beams as well. What were once considered to be human creations may someday overrule the race entirely. According to Kevin Drum, a political blogger and columnist, robot dependence leads to laziness and by the year 2040, companies would decide to close positions for employees and replace them with robots. Giving out monthly salaries will no longer be a necessity; they would save time in performing tasks, and people will no longer need a human labor force, but one of robots instead.

The fear of nuclear annihilation and the horror of landmines are greatly alarming the anti-war identity of the generation as well. This is because of the robots designed to join mines and nuclear fission as a new profound technology focusing on combat and downstream civil harm.

The robots designed for military and mining are also equipped to kill and because these machines do not come with a moral compass feature, they become a threat to the living.

“Increased productivity and efficiency on manufacturing,” Chemical Engr. Rendell Barcimo, highlighted such notion regarding the use of robots. “But the fast automation is one threat that people should take notice of. We can’t live in a world that neglects the demand of human labor; that would be one problem to arise in the future.”

In the movie WALL-E, people were

The ongoing demand for an easier life is growing more rampant. The big question is, could robots add up to mankind’s existential threats? disbursed by their hefty weights, emphasized by their chubby and round legs. With this, robots needed to babysit them because they have evolved into species with bone figures smaller than that of the normal size.

But of all the threats theorized, the robotics industry remains oblivious to the risks they’re taking. Japan held its 8th Human Robot Interaction Summit last March, 2013. Scientists from across the world present their robotic solutions for the aging society, as well as for concerns regarding renewable energy, climate control, emergency response, education, and exploration.

Robot experts tasked to look over the Marine Life also brought good news that they will finally put an end to global warming.

Autonomous robots have been sent to examine the world’s oceans in order to collect temperature measurements, along with other data that would be helpful in calculating how the oceans are reacting with the changing world. They owe these to over 3,000 robots who traversed the world’s oceans even to the depths of 1,000 metres.

What fate the future has in store for the human race is uncertain but let it be known that the world has already made a comrade and nemesis in one entity. Say hello to the robots.

THESPECTRUM April 2014 39

TECHNOLOGY

Taking a Swipe at Evolution Human beings have come far in reaching technological sophistication. Is this a bane or a boon, though?

BY RANIEL C. PONTERAS | ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN CEAZAR B. SANTUA

Technology can be addictive Gadgets, gizmos and other technologies can become a serious addiction which interferes with daily activities, child rearing, social events, normal conversation, and even business and work.

Technology physically changes our brains Brains are malleable, and through the power of imagination, virtual simulation and technology experiences, we’re actually changing the physical shapes of our brains, strengthening parts of the mind that can lead to a decrease in sense of self and human identity.

Our neural pathways are affected The change in attention span isn’t just “habitual” as but neurological.

Our neural pathways are actually being damaged, and we’re less able to process and remember things

A

friend of mine, who is academically astute, once lamented that after he bought an iPad, all he could say of his brain was iHad. Now, the pronouncement might tickle one’s punny bone and cause a short spell of laughter; but an equally devastating melancholy pervades the statement. It is in jest that one admits the loss of something important over something so superficial. But this is not something foreign to nature’s processes. Coming and going is a fundamental part of the whole physical and natural ensemble of the universe.

Human beings have come so far in reaching technological sophistication. From the employment of crude tools to the swiping of smart phones – indeed, the grandiosity of the human evolutionary narrative is amazing. To trace however, when this sophistication started, 40 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

FROM ONLINEDEGREEPROGRAMS.COM

is of extreme interest and significance to sketch out two fundamental tracks: 1.) to understand the development of human thought throughout the evolutionary chronology; and 2.) the possible future of human evolution vis-à-vis technological revolution.

What is extremely obvious but often neglected in the course of human evolution is the importance of hands. Political theorist and philosopher Friedrich Engels (who dabbled in the natural sciences, best exemplified in his work, Anti-Dühring) posited in the essay The Part Played by Labor in the Transition of Ape to Man, that when humans dropped the habit of using their hands for locomotion and started “to adopt a more and more erect gait,” they [humans] took the “decisive step in the transition from ape to man”. It is this adoption of an erect posture and bipedal motion that liberated the hands for more complicated function. The hands, thus free from its previous functions, were now used for different means, as Engels continues, “the ever-renewed employment of these inherited improvements in new, more and more complicated operations, has the human hand attained the high degree of perfection that has enabled it to conjure into being the pictures of Rafael, the statues of Thorswaldsen, the music of Paganini.”

Thus we see a picture of our ancestors enjoying the first taste of sophistication thanks to the liberation of the hands. This idea is not confined within the speculations of philosophy; rather, Engels’ concepts coincide with that of scientists, notably of two German evolutionary biologists: Ernst Haeckel and Ernst Mayr.

Haeckel set out to define bipedal motion and the liberation of hands as the first of the “three great processes in the development of the human organism,” in his book The History of Creation. This pathway to development, on the other hand, led Mayr to state that this advance towards erect gaits led to a “completely different adaptive zone”.

These two scientific insights into human evolution are important. Taking into account Engel’s ideas, the foremost diagram to be drawn here, in connection to technology, is that technological sophistication stems from the development of human thought, and that thought does not evolve by itself, or that the brain does not conjure complex ideas by itself.

As argued by the three German thinkers, the relationship between action and thought is important in understanding the evolution of human cognizance. Or we could say that the brain is conditioned by the things we do, and in turn the brain develops, as it is labile, and starts to improve and make anew mental

functions: thereby widening human physical and intellectual capabilities hence Mayr’s “completely different adaptive zones.”

But one may ask, “So what does this say about the use of gadgets?” Well, one can easily say that using gadgets is cool and it automatically gives you that social edge over those whose interactions with tablets are for vitamin intake only. But in the realm of knowledge development, it sketches two possible routes.

First, technology opens up a new realm of human epistemology. The digital sphere shifts the method of knowing: from simply gaining knowledge to gaining knowledge of where to look for knowledge (Wikipedia, Google, Ask. com, etc) – opening a new dimension to the rubric of research methodology. Thus, research becomes more accessible and dispersed, wherever and whenever.

“The former acts in the same manner as the stage where humans became bipedal: the exploration of new dimensions.”

Second, access to knowledge does not automatically mean acquiring knowledge, in the sense that one understands it and is able to use it for different mental applications especially in academics. There is more emphasis on the source of knowledge: its credibility and veracity rather than the content of knowledge itself.

This usually results to iHad: ‘iHad facts’, ‘iHad information’, ‘iHad data’ via the magical method of CTRL+C and CTRL+V. What is disregarded is an important question in epistemology, “what is this knowledge actually about?”

The former acts in the same manner as the stage where humans became bipedal: the exploration of new dimensions. The latter illustrates the subjugation of the mental over the technological, which should not be the case if optimum evolution of brain power is made premium. We will be facing hazards along the way when smart phones increase faster than smart minds in terms of production.

THESPECTRUM April 2014 41

media

“THEY MAY BE HIDDEN, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THEY DO NOT EXIST. “

D N I H E B R O R R S HO E I D O L E M D E N I CHA

fun hy song is tc a c a f o n at lyrics tha to the be usic and swaying m d n e a th g to in Humm ere’s more realize th u o y l ti n ET u EINTERN eye.

FROM TH e N E th K ts TA e S me | PHOTO LY

BY KRIM

N L. LUM

AWAG

“

42 January April 2014 2013 THE THE SPECTRUM SPECTRUM

T

here’s something missing in the Music Industry today, and it’s music.

Songs you hear don’t last; it’s just the product fed to you by the industry.”

–Jimmy Buffett Most people fall in love with music naturally.

Every line seems to serenade your heart as the song continues to play. In every beat, you remember your victories, your struggles or your once-upon-a-time moments with your special someone. You even feel like the artist is a mind reader or a love guru who effortlessly foresee what you are going through and is now telling the world your life story. The melodies and lyrics say it all, but an eerie dispute remains hidden in between.

Music-lovers consider listening to music an escape from their problems in life. For them, the easiest way to continue living is to discover things

that can unwind them and they call it expression.

They have considered music as one place wherein they can freely broach their inner voices and thoughts. They relate, play, and share the songs they are interested in. The impact is so severe that sometimes they tend to make their own cover or revive the song. Though not formally stated in the dictionary, you call yourself a Musicolic when you are an enthusiast maniacally hitting the replay button while tuning into your oh-so-favorite song.

Music is more than just an industry. It is a community of different life stories, fields, and interests. Because of its appeal, it can easily yield people. This is also the reason why music is considered one of the most influential domains existing in this world. But behind the artists and their songs, an alarming uproar lies unheard by the fans.

Rhythm of Atheism

Singing Hostility

My Way, the 1969 hit of Frank Sinatra written by Paul Anka became significantly scarier rather than melodic when a 29-year old guy who was singing the song was shot in a bar in San Mateo, Rizal last May 2007. Death of five other men, who were also confirmed to be warbling the karaoke machine with the same song, followed a few days after. Their demise was noted to be the ‘My Way Killings’ which sooner reached international news.

But a more profound controversy lies. Musicologists emphasize that certain types of music bring different types of feelings to the person listening to it. People who were once part of the war feel aggravated when watching men dressed in camouflage suits with Godsmack (an American alternative metal band) music backgrounds. They remember all the upsetting events that had happened, finding it hard to move on and eventually end up mentally disturbed. In other words, they are lead to kill.

Violent lyrics lead to either depression or a state of aggressiveness. That hostile feeling can occur when listening to songs containing ambiguous lyrics like those found in rock or metal genres. A 15-year-old schoolboy hanged himself and was reported dead at his room last April, 2013.

The cause of the tragic event was death metal music which was said to be playing on his iPod just before he committed suicide.

Vocalizing Weeds Your Body is a Wonderland

Sometimes artists want to take the shortcut to their fans’ hearts. They use a fool proof method to lure both the interested and the uninterested – through lust. Music videos with hot girls are quite catchy to men.

They end up listening to the song because they like watching the girls before actually appreciating the song.

Promiscuity, a human sexual behavior wherein a person is engaged in casual sex more often to multiple sexual partners, became a habit of the generation today. Not only do they neglect the holy value of intercourse, they soon became ‘sex-driven studs’, using women as sex objects with explicit references to acts that are likely to trigger even at their earliest age.

Researchers in psychology.com emphasized that teenagers who listen to music that glamorizes in sexual materials tend to engage in those behaviors themselves.

The explicit and sexually-oriented music drives their desires making them believe that sex is a casual, unprotected, and consequence-free matter.

The pleasure comes during, the danger begins after. Illegal drugs are treated like candies today. They are easy to buy, easy to find, and easy to digest. Drugs are much-like people’s basic needs of survival. But the suspects behind that are not only the drug dealers, but also the factors of why and how.

Youngsters who spend time listening to rock metal music are prone to drug abuse. The loud and screaming voices behind the song makes them feel like they can do anything that they want without any dire consequences.

Some artists are drug users themselves. Whitney Houston was a music legend, and she died because of drugs. Her depression was so strong that even the sweetest sound of her voice can no longer heal the cries she buries. She was found dead in her guest room last February, 2012.

Glee Star Cory Monteith was found dead at Vancouver’s Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel last July 6, 2013. A hotel staff reported Monteith’s death after discovering his body just after the actor missed his checkout time at noon. The same reason caused his death.

“You go to the church, you kiss the cross, you will be saved at any cost, you have your own reality Christianity, You spend your life just kissing ass, a trait that has grown as time has passed, you think the world will end today, you praise the Lord it’s all you say.”

The wild welcoming beat of the song Jesus Saves by the Slayer reached the Top 10 Atheist Songs of commonsenseatheism.com prepared by Luke Muehlhauser last September 21, 2009. No one can judge what they believe in; no one can persuade them to shift to a specific religion. They believe that freethinking is their way of living, and that they have no God. Atheism is a belief that God does not exist. Juan*, a 17-yearold guy and a former student of the University of St. La Salle, said that atheists have their reasons prepared for anyone of any religion who would dare to question their disbelief in God. “It was man who made God, and not God who made man,” he added.

The noises behind the media are no fiction. Do not go waiting for the aftermath. They may be hidden, but that doesn’t mean they do not exist. They may appear as plain audios and videos, but they are brainwashing you with bullets that do not physically hurt but make you mentally ill. Listening to music is quite refreshing, but next time, take caution of the lines you’re tuning into. You may be just a fan, but you can be the next victim. * not their real names

THE THE SPECTRUM SPECTRUM January April 2014 2013 43

44 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

B

ack in 2012, a US-based polling firm said that the Philippines ranked fourth as one of “The Happiest Countries in the World.” For good reason: Filipinos see the funny side out of every situation. We tend to smile far more than there are reasons to frown. Our joyous laughs echo throughout the archipelago and our grins seem to go on and on.

Among the many different reasons to be happy, “false hope” is one of the more prominent ones. Sometimes we are led to believe thing and these make us euphoric. These may be true, but sometimes, these may also be just made up stories to make us feel better about ourselves and make us believe that there is much to hope for in the future. And since we are too happy to believe anything else, we accept these lies for the truth. Before we know it, we’re buried deep within Fool’s Paradise.

To be in Fool’s Paradise is to be happy because one does not know or will not accept reality,

l

Illusory r o f s s e n i happ e t a t s A . some y p p a h g n i of be of r foolish e h t r o f s n reaso others.

l

Fools

Photographed by Faith Joeleene J. Lacson Styled by Raymund Constantino

THESPECTRUM April 2014 45

l

e s i d a r a p

especially when the situation is gloomy. Fine examples would be when a renowned dropout overconfidently says that he will graduate within the year, or when a loyal boyfriend defends and continues dating his cheating girlfriend, saying that she is just as faithful as he is, or when you eat your weight in Big Macs and large fries and still think you’ll be a “sexy beast.”

A person in a fool’s paradise will always choose to be happy even when the whole world is telling him or her not to be. After all, it is THEIR happiness, and never ours to begin with. If people choose to be happy, so they shall be. In the words that are very purely our own, “walang basagan ng trip.”

l

46 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

THESPECTRUM April 2014 47

DISCUSSION THE SPECTRUM 2014

48

THE WORLD OF FUTURE PAST

I

n 1926, the Galvaltine Daily News published an article predicting events that may happen in the future.

In 1962, Arnold B. Barach published his book: “1975: And the changes to come.”

The 1967 issue of the U.S. News and World Report also featured an article entitled, “The Wondrous World of 1990”, which peered into the possibilities the 1990’s and beyond had to offer.

Come 1990, yet another foretelling article was published in the Ladies’ Home Journal – “What may happen in the next hundred years.”

To say that the world of the 21st century made an amusing subject of past predictions would be an understatement as most past predictions were centered on what that world – the world today – would be like. It’s funny to think how many of the common, ordinary things that people enjoy nowadays were just the stuff of dreams decades ago. Cellphones, satellites, instant noodles, happy pills and yes, maybe even Tony Stark’s JARVIS; all of these 48 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

The future is a gray area in man’s scope of understanding. All we have are prophecies and visions of days to come.

How much of these are actually coming true, though?

BY KATRINA TRISH C. ISIDERIO

started out as visions in the minds of scientists, inventor and novelists, making up all sorts of different possible advancements and changes in human life. Some of these predictions were plausible, while others were just downright ridiculous. Yet, it might surprise you to know that most of these past predictions proved to be accurately, if not completely, correct.

Putting together all the different prognostications from the articles and books mentioned earlier, come peer into a sketch of how the 21st century looked like in the minds of the folks of the past.

The Prophetic Sketch

By 2000 A.D., countries will steadily become crowded and 80% of the population will be jammed in urban areas and housed in 100 story buildings inside wheel shaped cities.

Opportunities for people to get rich or acquire wealth will be easily available, with the industry becoming more automated. The workweek will become noticeably shorter and only 6 hours of work time will be required. People are expected

to retire at the age of 40 and live up to a hundred years old. In order to keep people, especially the youth, out of the labor market, scholarships will be given; students will be paid just to persuade them to go or stay in school.

Food will be provided for everyone around the world by harvesting from the sea, eating ocean algae and fabricating synthetic protein from sources like crude oil. Culinary foods will be taken up a notch, becoming more attractive and diverse with exotic foods being introduced into menus. Conventional foods, on the other hand, will take new forms as pouched products to be heated and eaten instantly. Food will also be delivered to houses via pneumatic tubes running all over the city.

Despite the growing population and the ever-crowding cities, however, transportation will be significantly easier. Yes, traffic will increase immensely, but this problem will be met by a solution in the form of various modes of transportation. Private vehicles will gradually be of no use and people will travel on monorails and moving sidewalks. This era will introduce

“IT’S FUNNY TO THINK HOW MANY OF THE COMMON, O R D I N A R Y T H I N G S T H A T P E O P L E E N J O Y N O WA D AY S W E R E J U S T T H E S T U F F O F D R E A M S D E C A D E S A G O. ” electric and self-driving cars, completely guided by automatic aids on road lanes. In mere minutes, freights will be shot across continents by missiles; and airplanes will be set aside to give way for airships, or blimps taking cover in the clouds, to be used for war.

By this century, science will have unlocked many of life’s mysteries and cause men to do things that were once deemed impossible.

There will be cures for the common cold and other bacterial viruses; doctors’ will be able to transplant hearts and other internal organs; they will also be able to attach artificial body parts to human beings, thus overcoming most disabilities. There will be pills that can control or modify human personality; atomic power will

turn seawater to fresh water, thus making deserts bloom; and the genetic code will be unraveled.

Man will set foot on Mars and the U.S. will have established a permanent headquarters on the moon. And through science, men will be able to control the weather.

Technology will achieve milestones far beyond expectation and will be part of man’s life in more intimate ways than was imagined.

Computers will be used for decision making in business, at school or even at home. Textbooks will gradually disappear; machines will not only speed up learning, but will break the language barrier as well. The radio and television will give way to videophones, flat screen phones and portable computers. This century will see

a cashless and checkless economy because of technological advancement. People will be able to talk to each other even from great distances; through technology, information will be free and available for everyone, and the world will be under universal surveillance.

This is the world of the 21st century, as the people of the past pictured it out, even more than 50 years ago. Some predictions have been doomed to failure; others are just on its way to becoming a reality, and yet, there are also many of them that came true in such an uncanny fashion, that it’s actually frightening. Dreamers and naysayers have said it all, but it was up to today’s generation to give the final verdict of what the 21st century would become.

THESPECTRUM April 2014 49

DISCUSSION THE SPECTRUM 2014

50

THE FAIL OF TWO DS: DEMOCRACY AND DICTATORSHIP

I

n Homer’s Odyssey, we find the hero Odysseus in deep dilemma on deep shores as he was forced to pass between two equally monstrous entities that spelled outright doom: Scylla, the “horrible monster” with “twelve flopping feet, and six necks enormously long,” armed with “teeth of black death.” On the other side of danger lurks Charybdis, a terror that spits and spouts torrents of water three times a day.

Odysseus having to decide which monster to face first is the classical formulation of the

modern political morality, often invoked in seemingly lose-lose situations, and of course, elections: choosing the lesser evil.

The ‘lesser evil’ pathos works so well in contemporary political thought where analysis of political economy is often neglected for the easy binary of democracy-dictatorship analysis.

To illustrate, let me name and characterize the two entities in the binary: Denver Democracy and Donald Dictatorship.

Denver enjoys the better PR. Having beaten his bitter rival Donald on several occasions,

The Philippines is liberated but corrupt and undisciplined. Would it be better to live under a strict dictatorship or a democracy of fools? BY RANIEL CARMONA PONTERAS | ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN CEAZAR B. SANTUA

50 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

THESPECTRUM April 2014 51

S U O M A F P 4 MOST

TO

DICTATORS Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

DEMOCRATS Martin Luther King (1929-1968)

MORAL OF THE STORY? IN

Joseph Stalin (1878 – 1953)

Nelson Mandela (1918 – 2013)

CHOOSING THE LESSER EVIL, WHAT IS TO BE CHOSEN IS STILL

Pol Pot

(1925 – 1998)

Idi Amin (1925 – 2003)

particularly during the mess that was World War 2. Denver enjoys widespread acclaim, especially in nations espousing the virtue of equality, liberty, and bacon (‘Murica!). These proclamations work, insofar as they are taken only as abstractions.

Take for example quotations that glorify the promise of democracy. The most obvious one is that of Lincoln, where democracy acts as an institution ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’. Now, Denver might have acquired the help of his buddy Denis Diction to help him devise such sophistry, but within the statement lies the true and brutal form which democracy embodies. But let us save that for later.

Gaining less and less popularity is Donald whose friends Adolf and Benito and the modern middle-eastern crises disparaged his once prestigious reputation. If Denver harps to the paean of liberty, Donald marches to the beat of order and stability. Donald is an adherent of the teachings of Dominic Discipline, emphasizing strict adherence to law and government, and he has passed this on to all his disciples. The Philippines got a taste of Donaldism, embodied in the strongman rule of Ferdinand Marcos.

However, true to the Nazi salute of Zieg Fail, Marcos’ dictatorial regime was doomed to crumble because of the assumption that order, stability, and discipline can and will eradicate 52 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865)

Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965)

the problems inherent in political economy. So, we now see a parallelism in the ideologies of Denver and Donald.

What is present in both is the supposition that abstract moral values are the panacea to political-economic upheavals.

Denver, by his democratic ideals, seeks to homogenize the collective “people” disregarding the inherent bifurcations among human beings: economic and social. This is further developed in the social sphere, where all human activity happens, by Karl Held and Audrey Hill in The Democratic State. Held and Hill states that this homogenization allows every individual to pursue “their conflicting particular interests,” forcing them, “to recognize that some people have the wealth of society at the disposal while others are excluded from it.” Democracy makes it a point to emphasize the value of equality by the sheer force of competition thereby perpetuating inequality in the concrete. Under the guise of democratic equality, the distinctions among social classes are disregarded, with the assumption that there is a homogenous entity, the people that has the same interests and needs; even though in reality the rich and the poor have contending goals. Taking the two spheres into consideration, there can never be an ‘of ’, ‘by’, and ‘for’ the people, for “people” is an abstract

EVIL. term devoid of any coherent meaning.

Dictatorship’s promise of progress via discipline is paramount. Even in pedagogy, discipline possesses a high heuristic value fundamental to optimize the potential of the learner. This is true in some sense, but not true for all, for most radical discoveries were done in total execution outside normative disciplines (like Genetics stemming from a rather unknown Mendelism). There are two striking features of dictatorships. First is the institutionalization of terror – i.e. punishment for disobedience. Alan Todd in European Dictatorships narrates that, “Another way in which Hitler maintained the Nazi dictatorship was the creation of a police – or terror – state.”

This is the trademark of every dictatorship: from Hitler’s Schutzstaffel (SS) to Stalin’s People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) to Mussolini’s Organizzazione per la Vigilanza e la Repressione dell’Antifascismo (OVRA). The second strategy is to lift moral leaders to mythical heights – evident in the case of Marcos. The Myth of Marcos includes him being a World War 2 hero, the most intelligent leader the Philippines ever had, and etc. Therefore, one can deduce that he can do no wrong. This bathos-led approach is erroneous. It uses morality instead of history as a basis for analysis. Historians Patricio Abinales and Donna Amoroso state categorically that “Marcos’s reelection plunged the country into crisis.” So, what happened? Could not Marcos’ extreme disciplining of thousands and thousands of dissenters, leading to multiple human rights violations, save the country?

After Odysseus’ encounter with Scylla and Charybdis, his ship and crew got devastated leaving him as the sole survivor. Moral of the story? In choosing the lesser evil, what is to be chosen is still evil.

R EAD T HE S PE CT R U M MAGAZ I N E AN YTI M E , A N YW H E R E www.issuu.com/thespectrumusls

THESPECTRUM April 2014 53

history

NAYANIG ANG MUNDO NG PAMAMAHAYAG nang iproklama nG dating pangulong Ferdinand Marcos ang Batas Militar sa Pilipinas.

a few quick facts 23, not 21 President Ferdinand E. Marcos appeared on television at 7:15 pm on September 23, 1972 to announce that he had placed the “entire Philippines under martial law”

PAMAMAHAYAG sa panahon ng martial law Ang kalayaan sa pagpapahayag ng sarili ay isa sa mga karapatang ipinagkaloob sa bawat tao. Subalit, paano kapag ito ay sadyang ipinagkait? BY: THALIA B. DELA CRUZ PHOTOS TAKEN FROM THE INTERNET

54 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

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ahimik na iskinita, nakasarang pinto ng mga bahay, mga taong nanginginig sa kwarto’t nakabalot sa kumot, iilan nama’y animo’y takot magsambit ng anumang pag-iinda. Sa kabila ng banta at takot, pinilit nilang makaalpas sa higpit ng kadenang nakakandado sa kamay, sa pagnanais na isulong at ituwid ang kabaluktutang pilit na itinatak sa ating isipan - sila ang ating mga dakilang mamamahayag.

Ang natatanging sandata lamang nila’y ang boses at tinta laban sa M16 at AK47 na armas ng pamahalaan na kanilang kinakalabit sa bawat karapatang pantaong kanilang ipinagkakait. Masasalamin pa rin ang apatnapung taong kasaysayang nagpabangon sa ating pagiging isang sambayanang Pilipino hanggang sa ngayon.

Nayanig ang mundo ng pamamahayag nang iproklama ng dating pangulong Ferdinand Marcos ang Batas Militar (o kilala rin bilang Martial Law)sa Pilipinas. Una niyang inilabas ang agarang pagtigil sa mga press organizations.

no. 1081 The 1972 Philippine martial law was declared by virtue of Proclamation No. 1081

fake ambush Then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile admits his staged ambush leaving him uninjured during a meeting with Fidel V. Ramos in February 1986.

01.17.81 Martial Law would officially end on January 17, 1981 with Proclaimation No. 2045. http://www.gov.ph/ featured/declaration-ofmartial-law/

Matapos ang isang araw ay nagutos siya ng pagkakakulong at interogasyon ng mga naturang mamamahayag, manunulat at mga brodkaster na sumasalungat sa administrasyong Marcos.

Sinuspendi ang operasyon ng mga pahayagan, radyo, at mga brodkast sa telebisyon noong Setyembre 21 hanggang 23, 1972.

Sunud-sunod ang pagpapatupad ng mga kautusang nagkokontrol ng mga media at nagpapatigil sa pagpapalaganap ng impormasyon na layuning ilaglag ang pamahalaang Marcos. Hindi lamang lokal at pambansang media ang sinakop ng censorship, kundi pati na rin ang pandaigdigang media. Wala ring kawala ang mga pampaaralang pahayagan na kilala sa importante nitong mga kontribusyon sa pamamahayag. Sa panahong ito, nagsagawa ang gobyerno ng “media censorship organizations” katulad ng Media Advisory Council, Philippine Council for Print Media, at Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas.

Sa inaasahan, kontrolado ni Marcos ang lahat ng media sa Pilipinas.

Gabi-gabi, temporaryong kinakalimutan ng media ang tradisyunal na pagkontra nila sa gobyerno alang-alang sa kanilang buhay.

Marami ang natutong magtago at nakisunod sa pamamalakad upang mailayo ang kanilang sarili sa anumang kapahamakang dala ng Batas Militar.

Upang patuloy na labanan ang propaganda ng media na pabor at pinagmamay-ari ng gobyerno, itinatag ang alternative press – hukbo ng mga tabloid newspapers at ibang estasyon ng radyo na tinutulan ang sistema ng gobyerno sa kabila ng takot at panganib na idudulot nito sa kanila. Ang mga tao sa likod ng patuloy na paglalathala ay sina Jose Burgos ng mga pahayagang WE Forum at Malaya; Felix Bautista at Melinda Q. de Jesus ng Veritas; Raul at Leticia Locsin ng Business Day (ngayon ay Business World); Eugenia D. Apostol at Leticia J. Magsanoc ng Inquirer at Mr. and Ms. Magazine.

Ang kilalang hindi makakalimutang aspeto ng Martial Law sa Pilipinas ay ang pagtugis, pagpapakulong, at pagpataw ng kaparusahan sa libu- libong mga aktibista, mga mamamahayag, mga pulitikong hindi pabor sa pamahalaan, pinaghihinalaang rebelde at kanilang mga taga-suporta, at kahit ng mga ordinaryong taong galit sa diktatoryal na pamumuno ni Marcos.

Maraming mga Pilipino ang walang hustisyang senentensiyahan, kabilang na ang mga mamamahayag na napatay. Ayon sa National Press Club (NPC), 19 ang bilang ng mamamahayag na nasawi at isa ang nawawala noong 1976 hanggang 1985, at 12 ang bilang ng mga Pilipinong mamamahayag

na namatay sa New York.

Maraming mass arrests ang nailantad kasunod ang kaso ng abductions at pagkawala mula Oktubre hanggang Disyembre taong 1974, 1975, at 1976.

Ilan sa mga nakulong sa panahong iyon ay sina Luis Mauricio, patnugot ng magasing Graphic; Amando Doronila, patnugot ng Daily Mirror; Rolando Fadul, patnugot ng Taliba; Robert Ordonez at Rosalinda Galang, mga reporter ng Philippines Herald at ng Manila Times; Ernesto Granada, kolumnista ng Manila Chronicle; Luis Beltran, kolumnista, at Ruben Cusipag, reporter ng Evening News; Jose Mari Velez, brodkaster ng ABS-CBN; Philippines Teodoro Locsin, punong patnugot at tagapaglimbag ng Free Press; sangkot din si Napoleon Rama na pangalawang patnugot nito.

Ang iba ay mapalad na nakawala sa lambat ng bakal na rehas sina business reporter Saturnino Ocampo ng Manila Times, at Malacanang reporter Antonio Zumel ng Manila Daily Bulletin. Umalis si Zumel sa NPC upang maupo bilang tagapangulo ng National Democratic Front.

Marami ang humanga sa ipinakitang katapangan ni Jose Burgos bilang isang mamahayag na buong dignidad na ipinahayag ang katotohanan. Ang kanyang talambuhay ang paulit-ulit na nagsilbing inspirasyon sa ibang mamamahayag upang makibaka sa underground newspapers movement na binubuo ng ilang media noong Martial Law upang iwaglas ang baluktot na sistema ng administrasyong Marcos. Pinatunayan ng ating mga mamamahayag sa panahong ito kung ano ang kahulugan ng tunay na journalism sa panahon ng krisis.

Sila ang nagbihis sa mga taong bahag ang buntot, nagkiskis sa mga mamamayang may taingang kawali, nagbunyag at nagpalugmok sa mga buwayang nakakubli.

Kaya lahat ng mga Pilipino ay humahalik THESPECTRUM April 2014 55 sa inyong yapak mga bayaning mamahayag.

history

NGUMITI KA LANG Sino ang mag-aakalang ang isa sa mga pinakamasayang pagdiriwang sa buong Pilipinas ay buhat sa isang trahedya? BY: JISSON C. YALONG | PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE INTERNET

“Ang konsepto ng masskara festival ay nagmula sa isang karumaldumal na trahedya...”

P

agpatak ng mga unang araw ng Oktubre, marami sa atin ang abala sa pag-iisip kung saan tayo maglalakwatsa, pag-iipon ng pera upang makasakay sa mga rides na itatayo sa peryahan maapit banda doon sa reclamation area, at paghahanda ng mga paninda at mga pakulo na pwedeng pumatok at kumita ng limpak-limpak na pera pagsapit ng piesta. Samu’t saring mga tao ang nagsisipugay, matanda man o bata, negosyante man o tagatinggi lamang, lahat ay nakaabang, sa muling pagsiklab ng apoy ng kasiyahan sa pagdating ng MassKara festival sa Bacolod.

Ang selebrasyong ito, at ang mga ngiti na nagniningning sa kagandahan na makikita sa mga 56 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

maamong mukha ng mga tao sa syudad ang mismong nagbigay sa lungsod ng natatanging katauhan bilang “City of Smiles”. Pero sa kabilang dako ng mga libro ng kasaysayan, ang mga tinaguriang magulang ng pinakamakulay na piesta sa bansa ay sina kalungkutan at Kasawian.

Ang konsepto ng MassKara Festival ay nagmula sa isang karumaldumal na trahedya noong dekada ’80, ang paglubog ng barkong Don Juan na kumitil sa buhay ng maraming Bacolodnon, na inambagan pa ng pagbaba ng presyo ng asukal, na nagdulot noon ng kahirapan sa buong lungsod. Ito’y mahahalintulad sa knock-out punch ni Juan Manuel Marquez kay Manny Pacquiao-

ang pagtumba sa buong City of Smiles, at ng mga karatig nitong munisipalidad.

Dapit hapon ng Abril 22, 1980, isa sa mga kinahahangaang barko ng Negros Navigation na may enggrandeng akomodasyon at mala-raceboat ang bilis, ang MV Don Juan, na naghandang lumayag papuntang Negros galing Maynila. Dala-dala niya ang maraming mga mahal at mahahalagang bagay tulad ng mga bagong sasakyan at mga biniling paninda ng mga negosyante mula Maynila. Nakasakay rin dito ang 1,078 katao na kinabibilangan ng mga turista, mga tagaprobinsya, mga estudyanteng pauwi para sa bakasyon, at mula sa mga unibersidad sa Luzon.

Lahat ay tuwang-tuwa sapagkat makakauwi na sila sa kanilang mga tahanan at makikita na nilang muli ang kanilang mga mahal sa buhay.

Pagkagat ng dilim, swabeng naglalakbay ang Don Juan sa Tablas Strait ng Romblon.

Ang ibang mga pasahero ay mahimbing na natutulog, habang ang iba’y nakikipagsalamuha sa mga biyahero at nag nagagalak sa magaganda at magagarbong party na nagaganap sa loob ng barko.

Subalit sa isang iglap, binangga sya ng M/V Tacloban, isang oil tanker ng PNOC (Philippine National Oil Company) na bumutas sa kaliwang bahagi nito.

Dali-daling rumagasa ang tubig sa loob ng barko, at pagkatapos

ng 20 minuto, nilamon na ng karagatan ang M/V Don Juan kasama ang mga kaawa-awang mga kaluluwa na hindi nabigyan ng pagkakataon na makaligtas.

Ayon sa statiska noong 1980, ang sumalpok na M/V Tacloban ay nakasalba ng 320 na katao at 12 na bangkay; dumating din ang M/V Laoag na kumuha ng 506 na buhay at 10 na patay na tao. Ang MV Don Julio, ang kapatid na barko ng Don Juan na nagmula pa sa Maynila, ay nagdampot din ng 62 na nakasalba at 80 na walang buhay, habang ang iba’y idineklarang nawawala.

Maraming prominenteng indibidwal at pamilya ang nasama sa mga minasamang palad sa kanilang paglalakbay.

Ang Alunan family, na nagdala ng mga parangal sa Bacolod sa larangan ng paglalangoy, ay napag-alamang na-kulong sa kanilang mga kamarote at hindi na nakalabas nang pumasailalim ang barko. Ang ina ng dating Bise-alkalde ng Bacolod na si Atty. Renecito Novero, na uuwi na sana mula sa kanyang graduation sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, at ang biyenan, asawa’t mga anak ng alkalde noon ng Bacolod na si Rodrigo “Digoy” Montalvo, ay kabilang sa mga naibalitang nasawi.

Kahit anong padudurusa at matinding pagtitiis ang dinanas ng mga Bacolodnon ay hindi parin nito natinag ang kanilang malakas na integridad at pagiging positibo sa lahat ng mga problema. Paglipas ng anim na buwan matapos ang trahedya, si Mayor Montalvo, Evelio “Bing” Leonardia at iba pang opisyal, kasama ang mga bantog na mga artistang tubong Bacolod na sina Joel Torre, Ely Santiago at Peque Gallaga ay nagdesisyon na baguhin ang buong atmospera ng lungsod at isabuhay ang titulo nito bilang City of Smiles, sa pamamagitan ng isang parada ng mga taong sumasayaw sa mga kalsada na nakasuot ng mga makukulay na kasuotan at mga maskarang

mayumi at nakangiti, para ikubli ang mga mata nilang namamaga pa sa kaiiyak at kanilang mga pusong sadyang nasugatan dahil sa trahedya. Binigyan ito ng pangalan ni Santiago at ipinroklama bilang ang MassKara Festival. Ang unang pag-eere nito ay noong ika-19 ng Oktubre, taong 1980, sabay sa Charter Day ng lungsod.

Dumaan ang panahon at nagbago rin ang konsepto ng MassKara sa lungsod. Dumami ang mga lumahok at ginawa pa itong isang kompetisyon, ang MassKara Street Dance Competition na sinasalihan ng mga mananayaw mula sa iba’t ibang barangay at paaralan sa Bacolod.Pinipili ang mananalo mula sa mga kalahok batay sa ganda, kulay, at paggiging orihinal at malikhain sa konsepto ng buong sayaw na nahahati sa dalawa, ang street dancing at ang main performance na itinatanghal sa Bacolod Public Plaza. Dinadayo rin ito ng mga turista mula sa iba’t ibang dako ng mundo.

Ang piestang ito ang konkretong patunay na naging napakalakas ng loob ng mga Bacolodnon. Kahit anumang mga kasawian at karalitaan ang mararanasan mo sa buhay, malalampasan mo lahat iyon, basta’t ngumiti ka lang.

THESPECTRUM April 2014 57

TO BE FEARED

TO BE ADORED

HEADS

TAILS

BY CHARRISE ERINN FLORES

58 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

less time wasted, and the work can be done ahead of time. They can also stir up trust in the group if the results are often positive, however they tend to get frustrated when they fail expectations that they can actually improve so the members can appreciate their determination to lead their group. And who says formidable leaders cannot build relationships with their members? They actually can, because they know that when it comes to work, they mean “work”, but outside the business they also tend to be open, mature, and easy-to-approach.

They limit arguments. Unlike those leaders who are loved, they tend to lose grip of the control needed for discussions, thus making the ideas created stuck and there are no results born.

Kryztelle*, an AB student of USLS shares her insight on the pros of having experienced this kind of leadership. She thinks that through autocratic leaders, the body or group can commit fewer errors; it can also be an organized unit. Faster decision-making is another advantage, she says. Feared leaders can actually establish corporate cultures through organized dissemination on every aspect of actions in terms of morality. This leadership is actually a long-term solution as long as the individual in power does not abuse the perks and privileges of his position.

Although where there is fear, resentment can also lie, as Niccolo Machiavelli said in his famous novel The Prince, “If one cannot be loved and feared, it is better to be feared.”

No man is an island therefore, teamwork is a necessity for success. And we all need a leader who can deliver the service as far it can go. At the end of the day, one realizes that these feared leaders are needed to make society fully-functional and directed towards progress. Why? Though loved leaders inspire the people, feared leaders push them to be the best they can be.

A

PHOTOGRAPHED BY FAITH JOELEENE J. LACSON

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t is group activity time! You break away into your own circle of people, and when you look at the other group, you see their leader talking to his members with a bright face, motivating smile and a very positive aura. Meanwhile, in your own group you have this leader who cannot even smile for a second, giving you a grouchy face like there is a stormy cloud thundering above his head while he’s telling you what to do. You feel so intimidated that you can’t say a word because he might not like it. Your group leader is so uptight that all you feel for him is fear. But wait; is this really a bad thing? Take a look at it this way: maybe being a good leader is not all about being loved by your underlings. Try earning their respect…through fear.

Feared leaders are very effective when there is a need for fast decisionmaking. According to an article by Chris Joseph entitled Advantages of Autocratic Leadership Style, if the business needs constant change, the autocratic or feared leader is able to respond in a way that presents the business from falling behind the competition and keeps up with customer demand.

Although most people think that autocracy is a one-way communication style, these kinds of leaders usually have the best ideas. They drive rapid results. This leadership can be a longterm concept if the leaders do not abuse their power and lower down their standards.

They can keep up the discipline and control so that there would be

BY KRIMLYN L. LUMAWAG

ny person working hard for something would want to be able to come up with a great output that people would praise. In order to achieve this, goals are set and timelines are built for the successful completion of a project. A oneman-show is not advisable since not only does this choke you under pressure, but would also take you a longer amount of time to accomplish anything. It is with these situations that a team comes in handy. By surrounding yourself with people whom you can tolerate working with, you’ll be able to perform efficiently and come up with a good product. If the positions were switched, however, and you were the employee or member, you’d probably prefer a leader who is not only skilled in his profession but also in creating positive relationships among his colleagues.

Loyalty is present in both parties when the superior is loved by his members. His companions are always ready to do extra tasks for him and avoid making up excuses. Being a well-liked leader does not lower your identity as the superior of the group, because the more you build a connection to them, the more they acknowledge you as a trustworthy individual.

A leader that is adored is a leader of influence.

He is a person of high esteem, regarded with love, respect and honor. He holds a critical responsibility at the same time. He is wellrounded and sensitive to his surroundings. Take for example the president of a country. A president who rules his country using fear is more prone to strike a rebellion amongst his people.

But you don’t have to act the the part of Mr. Good Guy at all times just for the case of buying the love of your members. Take the rule of President Abraham Lincoln. According to historian Doris Kearns, President Lincoln appointed the best and brightest men to his Cabinet, individuals who were also some of his greatest political rivals. He demonstrated his

leadership by pulling the group together into a unique team that represented the greatest minds of his time. President Lincoln built discipline to himself. He had strengths and he nurtured them. When criticized, he will personally go to you and ask you why you accused him of such. Despite the rules set by President Lincoln, he was acknowledged as one of the greatest leaders of all time.

A leader loved is a leader admired of good work. He can control the situation without being in charge, for his members become individuals who would want to follow his good attitude towards work. He heeds not the necessity of being the evil guy before getting hold of the group’s attention. A leader who is loved is a leader who does not disregard the value of each of his member. He does not overthrow the authority of others, nor does he humiliate others.

And because of this, members will feel a great deal of respect for him.

To be adored is indeed overwhelming.

You are assured that you’re in the right position and you won’t be a part of idle lunchtime gossip. At the end of the day, you realize that people would only grow and act well when they do things out of love, and not out of fear. So think about how good it must feel to be a leader who is loved.

THESPECTRUM April 2014 59

I

THE “BLIND” SIDE

Plunged into a world of darkness, here’s a tale of one kid who survived a day of being blind.

60 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

BY MARK HARMON R. MAGBANUA PHOTOGRAPHED BY MA. HENNA A. PILLA

was scrolling through my Facebook timeline, a past time I share with 99.9% of the teenage populace, the other night and I happened to come across a particular photo that was posted in one of the plethora of sneaker groups I am a part of. It was of an old man, dressed in a plaid shirt, stick in hand, aviators that covered his eyes, and a pair of Air Jordan XI “Space Jams” on his feet. The caption read: “Astig! Thumbs up kay Lolo!” It didn’t require a Masters in Quantum Physics to realize that the old man was handicapped.

The picture struck me, not because of the ubercool kicks the old chap wore(not really), but because of the fact that despite disabilities, he still managed to go out on his own, into the perils of a world he cannot see, armed with only a stick that served as his guide. A lot of people commented on the photo, the top comment was even“#RespectForLolo.”

So I wondered, how difficult could the life of the old guy be? I thought about being blind for a moment but I quickly shrugged it away.

The idea of having a multicolored world then replacing it with total darkness is enough to scare anybody. Out of the five senses, the sense of sight is the most important to me. I’m not saying the other four are of little use, mind you, all of them work hand in hand. I’m afraid to lose my sense of sight. Maybe it’s because I’ve been accustomed to living with it for my whole life that if it was taken from me, I wouldn’t know what to do. I kept thinking about that blind old guy that it gave me an idea for my Roleplay for this issue of the magazine. I’ll assume the role of a blind person, plunged into the depths of the real world, left to fend for himself and survive without the sense of sight. Well, what do I have to lose anyway? Maybe I’ll end up like Cyclops even, minus the destructive energy beams.

Even walking through familiar ground can be a difficult feat once you suddenly lose your sense of sight.

Preparations Come Roleplay day, I coerced my colleague, Austin, to serve as my guide because I intentionally “forgot” to bring a stick with me.

He willingly agreed to my outrageous request after a lot of doubts. I had my share of doubts too, because this has got to be one of the most daring (not to mention embarrassing) Roleplays yet. We met at this popular mall in the city and went to one of the comfort rooms, grinning excitedly while doing so. If people didn’t know what we were about to do, they would really misjudge us for cooking up a terrible scheme to blow something up to a million tiny pieces.

What we actually did was cover up my shades with electrical tape, to prevent me from seeing.

My first idea was to cover my eyes with the tape, but I then realized the pain of removing them would be unbearably excruciating. The finished look of our taped up shades was an eyesore. I’m sure Rayban would sue us if they knew what we did to their product. But it did the trick; I wasn’t able to see a thing from the outside world when I put them on. For good measure, Austin advised me to close my eyes even with the shades on, to really feel what it’s like to be blind. As we headed out of the comfort room, I held on to his green Samsonite bag with a dragon figure like crazy. Sweet heavens, it was darker than a M. Night Shyamalan novel plot.

Blind Spot I felt the blistering heat of the 1pm sun hit my skin. I heard the melody of Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike’s “Mammoth” being played in a nearby store. I could smell the sweet aroma of scrumptious food that was being prepared for the assembled lunch crowd. I tasted nothing but the candy I ate to help calm my nerves. I saw nothing but pitch black darkness. My sense of sight was totally taken from me, but my other four were still in tiptop condition. I told Austin to lead me inside the mall, walk me around, eat lunch, and then bring me out. Heaving one final sigh, we walked in.

At first it was all normal. People thought Austin and I were just normal kids visiting a mall.

When the first flight of steps appeared though, it was evident that I was a blind person being assisted by my good old buddy. “Step right up, step left up, one more step!” I heard Austin say as he grasped me to help me up the steps. As we entered the mall, I was still grabbing onto him.

We walked through the mall for only about five minutes and I think I bumped into at least 10 people. I constantly whispered “Sorry Ma’am!” and “Sorry Sir!” to prevent any altercations. I felt the weight of the people’s stares and I imagined what their reactions were like. Maybe they felt sorry for me. Or maybe they were in to what we were doing and the roleplay was a failure. But thanks to an incident at the escalator, I felt we did the job. One guy let us go first because he saw Austin trying to help me plant my feet on the steps of the escalator. I heard him say, “Oy, may bulag hu.” It was working!

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Take one step at a time or risk tumbling down on the pavement. It’s your choice.

TV SERIES | MOVIE | ALBUM | GAME | BLOG

“I F E LT TRIU M P HA N T F O R H AVI N G SU RV IV E D T HAT R O L E P LAY. BUT A FTER THAT O R D EA L , I STA RT ED LO O K IN G AT HA N DICAP P E D PE OP LE FRO M A W H O L E D I F F ER EN T PER S P E CT IV E .”

Blind Adjustments

Eye Opener

Austin suggested that we shoot some hoops in the gaming center after walking (and bumping into more people) for another five minutes.

Before I knew it, he helped me position myself at the basketball booth and I heard the buzzer go off. I grabbed ball after ball and using my experience with basketball, I just fired without aiming. I could hear the laughs of Austin as I was midway through my timer and I only scored less than 15 points. I bagged a total of 21 points after it was all over and I have to say, it was pretty respectable, given the fact that I definitely didn’t have the luxury of vision.

It was off to lunch after basketball and I was getting the hang of being blind. And just as I felt that I got the hang of it, I almost fell flat on my gluteus maximus because I thought the seat Austin prepared for me was already in place, turned out it was a couple of centimeters misaligned. A group of girls noticed our whole ordeal and I overheard their whispers. “Bulag gid na siya tuod hu? Daw hindi halata.” Well, there goes my day. I tried my hardest to put on a blind façade and that worked when our food arrived. I made a mess while eating our rice-ina-box meal, spilling spoonfuls on my first few tries. It was a complete struggle to stuff it all up my mouth.

As we made our way out of the mall, I bumped into more people and had another close call at one of the escalators. I clearly remember rubbing shoulders with someone and I proffered quick apologies. Austin then told me the guy was huge and he gave us a death stare. It’s a good thing I didn’t end up on his hitlist (or did I?). We went back to the place where we started the whole thing and I took off the shades and opened my eyes. I swear, it seemed like an eternity that I didn’t see the light of day. My eyes took time to adjust and my mind went whizzing. Tears were running down my face. And when I looked down on my kicks, they were more dilapidated than a war boot during World War II. Poor Floral Janoskis, I should have worn something else.

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Realizations I felt triumphant for having survived that role play. But after that ordeal, I started looking at handicapped people from a whole different perspective. Sure, I could have taken my shades off at anytime if I wanted to see, but what about those people who are actually blind? They don’t have the choice to just take off their shades and see the world. They just live with what was given to them by God. Here I am, enjoying the world

REVIEWS

You’ve got a friend in the people who understand your situation and are willing to help you unconditionally.

in colors, but for them, they probably don’t even know what red looks like. They don’t know what the shape of bacon is, or what in the world is a Justin Bieber (lucky them).

For one day, I delved into the world of the blind. It was a truly enriching experience and I found out that the public needs to properly address the needs of the handicapped. This experience of being blind proved to me that the human spirit really has that indomitable will to adapt to changes, overcome challenges, and succeed in life. When one of my senses was blocked, my other four compensated for it. My body didn’t give up on me just because I was blinded and depended on someone else.

Blind people rely on others to help them out. The very term “handicapped” connotes that sort of impression. But that doesn’t mean we should think of them any less. Despite physical disabilities, we often see blind people walking the streets with canes, trying to live with their fate. They believe they have a purpose, and that is to live the life that God has given them to the fullest. Truly, this experience of mine has made me appreciate the spirit of the handicapped people. After all, they are still human like us.

And I just have to quote one doctor who hit the spot when he said, ”a human, whose biggest impediment is not the frailty of his body or the hostility of the physical world, but the failure of his fellow man to recognize him as one and the same.”

TV SERIES

ORPHAN BLACK

By Michael Albert M. Diy

MOVIE

THE PURGE

By Charisse Erinn Flores

ALBUM

MYLO XYLOTO

By Jireh Marielle Zaragoza

GAME

STARWARS: THE

FORCE UNLEASHED

By Katrina Trish C. Isiderio

BLOG

SHOTS FROM

THE BARTENDER

By Monica Cueto

01 02 03 04 05

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Orphan Black When a television series starts out at a train station, it can be assumed that one of these two typical events is most likely going to take place: a) a pair of lovers will bitterly bid each other farewell, as one of them needs to leave town for a long but indefinite period of time, or b) an ordinary guy is going to leave his conservative neighborhood to fulfill his dreams of superstardom in a far-off, cosmopolitan city.

In Orphan Black, though, being an atypical series of sorts, what happens is c) none of the above.

The show begins at the Huxley Station, a train stop where the sounds of train engines and schedule notices are fairly ordinary.

About five minutes after Sarah Manning arrives, the usual sounds are replaced by wailing ambulance sirens. Sarah becomes the sole witness of an incident involving a woman who has just committed suicide by leaping in front of a fastapproaching train. Strange enough, the woman leaves her purse behind prior to her death. And even stranger, Sarah discovers that the woman looks exactly like her.

Taking advantage of the situation, Sarah instinctively does what any hopeless, struggling, single mother would do – seize her doppelgänger’s handbag to dig up some cash and subsequently steal what’s left of her bank account. The simple crime then propels her into a more convoluted world she never wanted to be a part of. After her ingenious plan to take the woman’s identity as her own completely backfires, she discovers that the 64 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

01

woman isn’t her long-lost twin, but just one of her clones.

The obscurity surrounding Sarah’s origin is just one of the many mysteries Orphan Black thrillingly uncovers. This Canadian series debuted on the small screen last March and has been gaining waves of support for its acclaimed cast and plot.

Unsurprisingly, Tatiana Maslany, who exceptionally portrays Sarah and her multitude of genetic copies, nabbed ‘Best Actress in a Drama Series’ at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards.

She plays each duplicate so well and in effect, so convincingly that you almost forget it’s just one actress giving life to all these distinct characters. She has (incoming spoiler) died three times throughout the season but fortunately, it’s one of those rare kinds of series where you can kill a role but still keep the talent.

Another thing that makes Orphan Black so addictively exciting to watch is how it manages to introduce riveting plot twists at the end of every episode.

The talented (but slightly sadistic) writers of the show bring in new antagonistic plot developments for Sarah to painstakingly work out. These rampant, overlapping coincidences injure the show’s believability – but then again, the aspect of ‘believability’ was thrown out the window a long time ago when the writers decided to make a series about human clones. Despite this, it still has the capability to elicit plenty of I-didn’t-see-

that-coming moments that seem plausible enough because of the smart and carefully-planned story progression.

Tackling a serious, and on top of that, scientific topic like human cloning might scare away potential viewers who aren’t really fans of the sci-fi genre. Despite this, it is pretty apparent that the series was not made just for science buffs. The story is easy to pick up, in spite of its rather technically complex roots. Besides the heavy main theme, the series also has its fair share of comical moments in Sarah’s flamboyant, gay foster brother, Felix. It also mixes in tear-jerking dramatic sequences involving her daughter, Kira and

The Purge “Survive the night.” Wouldn’t the world be a perfect place for all of us if the crime rate was incredibly low? A world where you don’t need to worry if someone might take your life at any minute as you walk along a dark, lone road?

Have you ever imagined living in such a place? Written and directed

by James DeMonaco The Purge will surely change the view of America, as the chosen setting of the film.

The story is set in the year 2022 when the United States has become a “nation reborn” due to excessive number of crimes and overcrowded prisons. The government then decided to institute a 12-hour period called “The Purge” annually wherein all criminal activities become legal.

The Purge also acts as a catharsis

plenty of action-packed fight scenes as Sarah faces violent and oftentimes crazy adversaries.

Considering the sheer amount of story content, it’s hard to believe that Orphan Black is just a 45-minute-each, ten-episode television series. But it’s a kind of show that hooks you on the first episode, completely absorbs you by the third, utterly intrigues you with a load of unanswered questions by the sixth, induces mini-heart attacks by the eighth and leaves you forever cursing and wanting more by the frustrating cliff-hanger that is the tenth. It’s assuring to know that a second season is in the works, but is scheduled to be released what seems like eons away, this 2014.

for help. He then shuts down the house’s alarm system and allows the stranger to go inside.

As soon as the leader (Rhys Wakefield) of a group of masked “purgers” receives word that the Sandins allowed a stranger into their house, they demand James to handover the stranger. The gruesome battle begins when James refuses to surrender the stranger. The fight for survival then rises to its peak. Find out how they were able to survive as the family falls on the verge of death.

What makes the movie interesting is how it poses the question “How does a certain community really work with an absolute zero crime rate?” The acting is spontaneous considering how the actors and actresses

portrayed their characters effectively. The 85-minute film is realistic and breathtaking.

Distributed by the Universal Pictures, this surely is a good movie to watch. It was released May 2 this year (in Stanly Hall Festival) and last June 7 in United States, garnering $76,361,000 in the Box Office. Make sure to hold on to your seat because each scene will raise your heartbeat.

The film showed a great directing quality as the idea of the story is so brilliantly-thought. However, its violence intensity may not be suitable for children. Overall, the movie leaves us to make a choice between allowing the law work for justice or putting the law into your own hands to create a form of justice of your own.

02 Mylo Xyloto for the American people, so that they may be able to vent out all the negative emotions they have hidden however they desire. The main character James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) is a wealthy home security developer, living with his wife Mary (Lena Headey) and their two kids, 18-year old Zoey (Adelaide Kane) and her younger brother Charlie (Max Burkholder).

Altogether, they ensure their safety by installing a special home security system, since they do not want to join the Purge. The Purge starts at 7:00 p.m., and by the time, all police stations go off duty, and all hospitals remain unavailable until 7:00a.m.

When it is about to begin, Charlie spots a bloody stranger through the CCTV camera running towards their house to ask

Imagine a world devoid of color and sound. All the surroundings are set in monochrome. Walls are high and suffocating, streets are desolate and silent, and people are forlorn yet complacent. That’s because no one is allowed to complain; color and music are sins.

It would not take more than a minute for one to realize that such a world is inconceivably depressing.

That is one of the thoughts Coldplay wanted to convey in their concept album, Mylo Xyloto, which was released internationally on October 24, 2011. This is the band’s fifth studio album under the Parlophone label created collaboratively with acclaimed producer Brian Eno. The album has skimmed through the top of

03

the charts, having been number one in thirty-four countries around the globe. So far an approximate total of 8 million copies have already been sold worldwide.

Accompanying the concept album is a comic series of the same name, created by the band members themselves. The series tells of the dystopian city Silencia where music and art are equivalent to heinous murder. The residents can only live in the prescribed fashion of monotony, grayness and silence. Of course, the main characters want to be free of such suppression. They wander the streets at night to spray-paint blissful colors for all the citizens to see and experience themselves.

“Don’t let ‘em take control,” croons Chris Martin in rebellion as the

antagonist, Major Minus, has “one eye on what you do, so be careful who it is you’re talking to.”

As far as all Coldplay track sets combined, Mylo Xyloto is their most electronic album yet.

Explosions of dance elements and synth-pop give tracks like Every Teardrop is a Waterfall a chance at getting played in a club, yet the more melodic expressive tunes from songs such as Paradise and Hurts Like Heaven deserve further listening attention and contemplation. Their previous sounds can be recollected in Charlie Brown, delivering the alternative rock qualities Coldplay became famous for. The quieter, more stripped down songs such as Up with the Birds and Us Against the World guarantee praise from the more minimalistic and emotional audience. Princess of China, a collaboration with Rihanna, is one of the darker although upbeat, and possibly only melancholic tragedy in their album.

All of their songs realize one goal: To hand out a Hopeful Transmission. In their track U.F.O., Chris Martin murmurs, “Sometimes sunlight comes streaming through the holes.”

One of the mournful tracks, Up in Flames still manages to conclude,

“Could we pour some water on?” despite the tragic-sounding title. This point was further supplemented with the succeeding track, Don’t Let it Break Your Heart. They also included a bonus track for the Japanese release from the album Parachutes, Life is for Living. The album cover and album art contribute incorporating that hope through combining old-school graffiti and new age art, emphasizing the cosmic yet grounded feel of the track set.

Coldplay has yet again brought out a successful sequence of memorable tunes, deviating a little yet notably from their “blue romantic” alternative rock side.

With themes on love and war, freedom, and revolution, Mylo Xyloto takes on the ambitious path of easing the world’s messed up ideals, uplifting spirits with their generous amount of encouragement and positive outlook. Coldplay, as they have always been in their previous hits, achieves to omit profanity and explicit content, making this album suitable for all audiences. More importantly, their genre range of fused musical styles, well-constructed melodies and expressive words put together an album worthy of every person’s approval, Coldplay fan or not.

Starwars:

04

The Force Unleashed In a galaxy far, far away, a team of game developers from Lucas Arts have started a new chapter of the Star Wars saga.

Deep in the shadows, Darth Vader has raised a secret

apprentice to carry out his plans of overthrowing Emperor Palpatine and asserting his own authority over the galaxy. However, a number of noble jedis have taken arms and are challenging Vader’s THESPECTRUM April 2014 65

the force on a stormtrooper and being able to see how he is tossed outside the window and floats into oblivion. Hardcore, right?

Another plus for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is the plot itself. Now, when you play something that has George Lucas’ mark on it, never expect to find a simple plot. The game features a story that is ingeniously incorporated with the characters and the fights, leaving no room for loopholes and creating a new chapter worthy of the Star Wars saga.

The downside of the game, however, is its most aesthetic aspect: graphics. Now, don’t get it wrong, the game has excellent art and visuals, the problem is that, with it being too excellent, maneuvering around some of the locations becomes a pain in the head. Some of the things you need to interact with seem just as realistic as the surroundings that you wouldn’t be able to recognize or even find it at first glance, leaving you running around the place before you finally know what to do.

All in all, however, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is still a game to be reckoned with. Its explosive commands and controls, amazing and legendary characters , breathtaking graphics and twisted plots and counterplots, make it a game that is truly to die for. So, fetch your coat and lightsaber, and embark on an adventure amongst the stars.

May the force be with you, young jedi.

SOCIAL

TheSpectrumUSLS

thespectrumusls

@TheSpectrumUSLS

66 April 2014 THESPECTRUM

05

Shots From The Bartender

Rule Number One: A bartender is always right.

Rule Number Two: If the bartender is wrong, see rule number one.

Just when you thought Charles Dickens had a knack for telling stories worth pondering on; meet Charles Nedzbala, a 40-year old bartender from Maine, Canada.

A bartender by night, blogger/ philosopher by day. You got that right! and according to himself, he’s got it made.

The unsung hero of the nightlife shares stories, experiences, jokes, recipes and what-not that makes up a middle-aged bachelor’s life behind the bar table.

“For those of you looking for something on the more sophisticated side, you have my apologies,” the bartender warns the readers before they further delve into his literary works full of humor and randomness.

But never think of underestimating such a guy; his blog consists of a variation of arguments, events, and intellectual discussions that he so happen to bump into while at work or just in the midst of having a cold beer. From explaining why life goals are highly overrated to discussing the mating ritual of the blue whale, evidently, Charles’ blog is full of surprises.

Shots from the Bartender attracts a smorgasbord of audiences, varying from those who only seek recipes from the finest bartender in North America, to people who are

interested in a bartender’s way of thinking (and can relate to him in a sense), and to those who are fond of a random story and experience from a rather interesting person.

In the blog’s “More to Swallow” widget, it includes four more categories Charles sorted out that give the bartender more reasons to love his job and keep those cocktails coming. The Press Herald Article category consists of articles from the publication featuring Charles himself and his fellow bartenders, their famous recipes and work ethics. The Kind Words category is nothing more than a compilation of the benevolent comments his customers dropped about him.

These keep the blogger/bartender sane despite the crazy nights.

The My Bar Resume category is all about Charles’ journey to becoming one of Canada’s most famous mixers. And then there’s the Wall of Shame category… where Charles’ fans express their… umm… love for him (contents may be R-18).

We always see them, providing us with our alcoholic desires; bottle after bottle and shot after shot, they are the people behind the blackout nights and awesome times. But as what Charles Nedzbala has proven, there is more to a bartender than just drinks.

“My mind is a lot like Canada.

It is sometimes a bit cold, there are a few dark corners, some of it down right confusing and even a bit dirty but there is also a lot of neat stuff up there.” – Charles the Bartender.

ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN CEAZAR B. SANTUA

forces in open rebellion. Starkiller, Vader’s prodigious apprentice, is sent out to eliminate his master’s enemies and to crush the rebel groups. But as he continues to do his masters bidding, Starkiller is slowly exposed to the truths kept from him and is plunged into a world of conspiracy, deceit and betrayal. In the end, he is given the power over his own fate, and in his hands lie the salvation or imminent destruction of the galaxy.

Just as Lucas Films has created one of the most iconic movie sagas in history, so has Lucas Arts developed one of the most dramatic and spectacular games to ever grace the Playstation 3 platform. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed offers what gamers go nuts for : epic combos and life-like reactions. As Starkiller, the player is offered tons of attack combos and special skills which you can use anytime, anywhere and in whatever way you want.

You can also combine combos to create your own killer move; this makes you feel as if you were Starkiller himself, not merely a player on the other end of the TV screen. And what was it about life-like reactions? Well, for every attack or combo you unleash on your enemies, you can see definite reactions from them and the surroundings; sometimes, when a special skill or Über awesome combo is performed, the camera zooms in on your opponent so you can see the effect. Just imagine using

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STEREOGRAM BY RYAN CEAZAR B. SANTUA

APPARENTLY YOU LIKE TO START FROM THE BACK.

68 April 2014 THESPECTRUM