The Spectrum Magazine November 2014

COVER

PHOTOGRAPH BY chomin q. aberasturi / hair and makeup by carlos vincent ruiz / model: joanne alvero

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EDITOR’s NOTE

I

’ve been on drugs all my life. Prescription drugs, that is.

Growing up with asthma, a complete list of the craziest allergies, and a faulty immune system, I’ve learned from a young age the power that drugs have over the human body.

I’ve also learned how difficult it is to be so entirely dependent on them. I’ve been so wrapped around the concept that without my maintenance drugs and antibiotics, my entire system would cave in and falter. But the truth is that as long as the body still lives on as you do, it will fight to keep you alive.

In page 61, combat the villainy of a sedentary lifestyle through healthy food in the latest adventure of the Puntastic Four! In page 34, see the world differently through the eyes of your favorite fictional characters and in page 15, know how life in a drug rehabilitation center is like and how, ultimately, the experience can change how one man sees himself and the world around him.

You see, there’s a new perspective that comes with knowing how things currently are and how they once were. There’s wisdom gained from experiences that have forced you to make a defining choice: to do or not to do. I’ve stopped believing that drugs would keep me alive. Instead, I chose to believe that I am alive now because I should be. And that I should make the most out of it. You should too.

ABOUT THE COVERS

H

eavy fog graces the pristine cover, giving the illusion that there’s not much to see. But a second look would emphasize that vacant space in the middle, the clones glancing at a vague silhouette beyond the mist, and it soon becomes clear that there’s more to this cover than there is. All that needs to be done is to peer beyond the smog and see reality. See the true cover. See that one clone separate itself from social contagion and the standards that society sets for “normal and acceptable individuals”, thus freeing himself from a fate of being just another genetic copy and finally, becoming his own person.

Dely

Ashley John L. Yee PHOTOGRAPHER

Noelbert Gumadlas

MODEL

Anthea P. Manayon

MAKE-UP ARTIST AND STYLIST

Chomin Q. Aberasturi Ma. Angelica M. Ape John Dale G. Gugudan Katrina Trish C. Isiderio Ryan Ceazar B. Santua Margaret E.Yusay

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS CONCEPT BY

Ryan Ceazar B. Santua

BLITZ

I

t is the year 3014 and man’s greed and hunger for advancement has led to their own extinction. Robot humanoids walk the earth, forcing whatever is left of the human race into hiding. For years, humanity was left powerless, stuck in a dark era of enslavement and fear to the technology they themselves created until a few brave souls decided enough was enough. Inside a heavily guarded secret underground facility, humanity’s strongest team of elite researchers and analysts were working on a massive project that would reset the current civilization and give humanity a second chance to turn things around.

With the support of other humans who saw the nobility of their cause-- Sir Andre Tagamolila, for signing the budget requests for the project; Br. Malait and the guards for securing the researchers against ambush killing sprees especially during late night sessions; the volunteer models, GetSpotted for sponsoring our models’ clothes, Carlos Vincent Ruiz and Bea Mocorro who devoted themselves willingly to the project’s completion-- the team was able to make one magazine that would save the world from its own ruin.

Don’t believe it? Turn the page and see for yourself.

CONTENTS /FEATURES/

015 Off the pill

018 How’s your brain?

/DISCUSSION/

021 Introspection

/SOCIETY/

050

006

010

008

012

The young, wild, and free

For brotherhood, for sisterhood

Loss of inocence

The rise of the rainbow flag

SLANGTIONARY 2.0

025 Are we ready yet?

028 The corporate illusion of non-conformity

030 Dead-end: friendship

VOLUME 59 / NUMBER 4 / NOVEMBER 2014

24 61 64 69 72

SLANGTIONARY

THE PUNTASTIC 4

MADSHACK

/HISTORY/

032

The F word: A history

/TECHNOLOGY/

038 Touch me not

040 /HUMAN INTEREST/

The new way to learn

034

Living the colorful daydream

036

Green-y, leafy,and healthy

REVIEWS

HEADS & TAILS

/FILIPINO/

046 Sino si Juan?

048 Mahal pa kaysa pera

/ENTERTAINMENT/

055

/FASHION/

042

Bringing back so yesterdays

A guide to making your own teen best seller

058

Outside the tube

6 SOCIETY

THE YOUNG, WILD, AND FREE Welcome to the teenage wasteland.

BY KATRINA TRISH C. ISIDERIO & Adely grace v. tomaro with reports from charisSe erinn flores / PHOTOGRAPH BY CHOMIN q. aberasturi

An explosion of color fills the otherwise bleak, dark sky. Loud music booms from gigantic stereos at a volume audible a mile away. People dance, jump, scream and drink the night away, their figures only obscure shadows against the flashing lights and theatrical fog. With youth and vigor, they welcome daybreak.

The party scene in Bacolod is one to look out for. It has boomed as fast as the beats in local DJs’ mixes, and with just as much intensity.

For the wild in spirit, these parties are nothing short of Tomorrowland; a temporary high in the otherwise monotonous province life. But for others, they are obscene activities, slowly turning

TEMPORARY HIGH. The music is up on full volume as young adults dance to the beat during the 2014 Masskara Invasion.

7 NOV 2014 the City of Smiles into Sodom and Gomorrah.

On June, this year, a petition was posted on the website Change.org by a certain Roselle Llac, pushing to ban wet and wild parties. The petition called on the City Government of Bacolod, through the Office of Mayor Monico Puentevella, the City Council and the Business Permits and Licensing Division to be prudent with regards to weekend events, adding that the Curfew Ordinance for Minors should be strictly enforced, party venues be monitored, violators be penalized and minors be prohibited from joining such events. It also mentioned that it won’t be long before Bacolod would be among the cities with the highest number of teenage pregnancies and cases of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), claiming that events such as rave parties, clubs and other wild engagements become an avenue for the youth to engage in sexual promiscuity, drugs, alcoholism and other forms of immoralities.

Bishop Vicente Navarra of the Diocese of Bacolod, together with Fr. Ernie Larida, director of the Diocese Social Action Center, also joined in on the efforts to ban wet and wild parties. In a letter sent by Bishop Navarra and Fr. Larida to Mayor Monico Puentevella, it said that “these parties do not promote growth but rather encourage decadent behavior.”

In response to the growing concern, an ordinance to regulate wet and wild parties was filed by Bacolod Councilor Caesar Distrito before the Bacolod Sangguniang Panglungsod. But according to Distrito, who also signed the online petition, he does not wish to ban the parties but only to regulate them.

The ordinance, which Distrito drafted together with Councilors Em Legaspi-Ang, Jose Carlos Lopez and Ana Marie Palermo states that minors should not be allowed to join such parties. It also required the strict enforcement of the No

Smoking Ordinance to avoid the proliferation and use of illegal drugs and marijuana during these parties. Through these preventive measures, the city has found means to combat the growing trend of wet and wild parties in the lives of today’s youth. But does society’s fear that these activities would one day resort to the youth’s ultimate demise deserve legitimate concern or is it just one big exaggerated myth?

TEENAGE PROMISCUITY VS HARMLESS FUN

Head organizer for the Negros masskara Love Dance Festival, one of the more well-known and highly anticipated party events in the province, Ryan Anthony Saez says that the association between wet and wild parties and teenage pregnancy and promiscuity is one concern which has led them to be much stricter with regards to the entry of minors into such events.

As they grow older, the youth of today cannot help but experiment with things that interest them. The topic of sex and sexuality are no exceptions.

“For me, I think it’s a good move to regulate the entry of minors into [these events] because no matter where you go or how you look at it, they aren’t actually legitimately allowed to drink alcohol and the like. They need to be guided,” Saez said.

“In my latest project, the paint party at Color Manila in SM, I specifically requested to have the gates guarded with a registration area and wavers needed to be signed for those who wanted to enter,” he adds, however, noting how there are some cases when minors would fake their identity in order to enter the event, making it a bit difficult on their part as organizers.

“Wherever we go, discrepancy exists such as fake IDs and naughty children,” he said. “It’s out of our control. It’s up to how parents have raised their kids and how they’re being controlled [that could help stop this].”

WILD PARTYGOERS VS RESPONSIBLE PARTYGOERS

Society is under the impression that all, if not most, of the youth that go to these kinds of events dress in provocative clothing with the full intention to waste their night away drinking booze without a care. There’s a misconception that the people who go to these rave parties and the like are all wild, carefree and self-destructive souls.

The likes of Neil Juntado, the current USG president of the University, dispel the myth that all who enjoy a good night out are anything but responsible young adults.

As a positive role model and a student leader, Juntado says that despite spending part of his youth partying and clubbing, he has not jeopardized the trust of his parents.

“I think as a ‘responsible’ student, I believe it starts from being responsible. On my part, I have earned [my parents’] trust ever since by having good grades and never neglecting my studies.”

Juntado also mentions that even as an adult, he asks permission from his parents because, living in Silay City, he needs to ask for a ride back home after the party.

THIS YEAR, A PETITION WAS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE CHANGE.ORG

BY A CERTAIN ROSELLE LLAC, PUSHING TO BAN WET AND WILD PARTIES.

ULTIMATE DOWNFALL VS ULTIMATE OPPORTUNITY

The biggest question is on whether such parties and events bring anything good out of them or not. It may seem difficult to see the value that lies beyond the loud music, promise of alcohol, late night partying and everything, but apart from a good time, these parties can be a form of building each individual’s confidence.

Saez says that aside from promoting the tourism in the city, supporting scholarships and the like, these parties help young entrepreneurs and talents such as new DJs discover their dreams and build themselves up.

“They say things like ‘I’m going to be on a big stage with a huge crowd.’ It’s an opportunity for these kids to showcase their talents. It’s showing them that anybody can do it.” He disciplines his pool of young and aspiring DJs by constantly reminding them that they must be sober when they play. To reach their dreams, they need to be able to find an avenue to express themselves professionally.

It’s debatable on whether these rave parties, clubs and wet and wild events have more positive aspects as opposed to the negative. In this generation full of the young, the wild and the free, it’s hard to tell whether what is being shown is true or perhaps another manifestation of an illusion brought about by drunken visions against the bright flashing lights and theatrical fog of the party scene. S

8 SOCIETY

FOR BROTHERHOOD, FOR SISTERHOOD

Acceptance is something youths nowadays value greatly.

The question is: how far are they willing to go for it?

BY KATRINA TRISH C. ISIDERIO / PHOTOGRAPH BY chomin q. aberasturi

ce Bernabe Ekid, Edward Domingo, Monico de Guzman, Fernando Balidoy, Rafael Root Albano III, Emerson Berry Jr., Mark Welson Chua, Dan Robert Talibutab, Marlon Villanueva, Clark Anson Silverio, Jan Angelo Dollete, Cris Anthony Mendez, Karl Anthony Gaudicos, Elvin Sinaluan, John Daniel Samparanda, Glacy Monique Dimaranan, Noel Borja jr., E.J. Karl Intia, Marvin Reglos, Marc Andre Marcos, John Mark Dugan, and finally, Guillo Cesar Servando.

These are the reported deaths and victims of hazing in the Philippines since 2000. Had the list included unreported ones, it would have gone on longer.

By definition, hazing is an initiation process involving harassment. By tradition, it is how one proves his or her loyalty to a fraternity or sorority; enduring it shows just how willing a person is to be part of the brotherhood or sisterhood. These organizations, however, have been secretive for decades, and along with them, the act of hazing has been kept from public eye as well.

But the death of 18 year old Guillo Servando, a student from De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), last June 28, 2014 at the hands of members of Tau Gamma Phi, has brought into attention the fact that hazing is active in the Philippines, and that its consequences have yet to be given due justice.

Republic Act 8049, or the Anti-Hazing Law, was passed by Congress in 1995 in light of the death of hazing victim Leni Villa, a student from Ateneo de Manila University.

Under this law, it is stated that “no physical violence be employed by anybody” during initiation rites; any act of hazing leading or resulting to death, rape, sodomy or mutilation

is punishable with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

The existence of the 19 year old law, however, did not stop acts of hazing, many of which go unpunished. According to Representative Terry Ridon of the Kabataan party list, this is because the Anti-Hazing law has loopholes which make it useless. “The exclusion of community fraternities and sororities from the mandate of the law, and the exemption of hazing activities perpetrated by military and police training institutions from its coverage, has rendered the law toothless and contributed to the continued practice of violent initiation rites,” Ridon said.

Suggestions to review Republic Act 8049 has been pushed

9 NOV 2014

BEATEN & BRUISED. A hazing ritual can end in bruises or worse, end a life permanently. Is such a risk worth the benefits a fraternity offers?

time and time again. In fact, Valenzuela Representative Sherwin Gatchalian, wanting to repeal the 1995 Anti-Hazing law, filed House Bill 4714, also known as the Servando Act. This bill seeks to ban hazing in and out of schools.

Last July 9, The National Youth Commission (NYC) held a forum to review the Anti-Hazing Law of 1995 and to discuss the fraternity culture in schools and communities here in the Philippines. It was during the discussion that youth groups expressed their abhorrence of hazing, but not of fraternities. NYC Chairperson Gio Tingson stated that they are “for respecting the rights to associate and self-organize”, a right protected by the constitution, “fraternities are organizations. What we are against is hazing and other fraternity-related violence.”

Director of the Office for Student Affairs in the University of St. La Salle, Andre Tagamolila also has a similar view. “I think the idea behind fraternities is very good, but the means of acquiring members is, basically, barbaric. It is a twisted idea of welcoming members into the socalled brotherhood,” he said in an interview, “I never understood the rationale behind [hazing]; culturally, it is happening most probably because of that sense of tradition. But, personally, it is absolutely unnecessary. It is brutal and it does not accomplish anything except to create a culture and a cycle of revenge.”

But not everyone shares the same negative outlook towards hazing. *Dominic, a member of Rho Delta Rho, states that, in his opinion, hazing shouldn’t be abolished since it has been a tradition in fraternities for a long time, and it is unfair to fraternity members who have undergone hazing during the initiation. Rho Delta Rho, established on 1990, tolerates hazing in their organization. Dominic went through hazing when he was initiated on 2004; according to him, the purpose of having initiation rites is to determine whether the neophyte is willing and loyal to the fraternity. But Rho Delta Rho, in their part, make sure to keep hazing to the minimum. “We know our limits. We always check the neophyte’s condition to see if he or she can still do it,” Dominic said. For him, fraternities are not at fault for deaths due to hazing; it is, instead, those who conduct the initiation rites. “They overpower their strength to the extent that the neophyte cannot handle

it anymore; they put the fraternity’s name at stake.”

Tagamolila states that they are aware that some students are members of fraternities, but that the University does not recognize such organizations within the campus, and takes measures in making sure that fraternities are not formed in secret. Before admission, each student is required to sign a waiver, an undertaking with a promise that they are not members and will not be members of a fraternity. The students are then educated of possible sanctions that could happen if they are ever identified as such. “We increase our efforts in encouraging students to join institutionally-accredited and recognized clubs. That is why our campus clubs are very, very active in recruitment, and if you check the membership of clubs you can actually see that a big percentage, almost 80-90%, of our students are associated with academic, special interest and other clubs,” Sir Tagamolila said, “basically, all we can do is be proactive with engaging our students in worthwhile activities so as not to be tempted by fraternities.”

There are some, however, who deem that it is better for schools and universities to recognize fraternities and sororities, to better regulate and keep an eye on them. Mudir Estrella of the Ateneo Law School’s Aquila Legis fraternity said that schools should consider revising their wavers, specifying that students are not allowed to join any organization that espouses violence.

Estrella adds that the accreditation of fraternities allows a “sustained effort” from the school to regulate initiation rites and other facets of the fraternity. Luis Paredes, an elder of Alpha Phi Omega says that if fraternities are not recognized on campus, then they go underground. “All fraternities have common interests, so I think it would be best to come together not only to discuss issues among them, but more importantly, promote those issues which unite them, “Paredes added.

But according to Gio Tingson, the best regulation happens within the organization itself. Jay De Castro, an elder and former Grand Triskelion of Tau Gamma Phi, says that “if there’s anybody who could prevent hazing, it’s the elders of the fraternity.” In the end, the final verdict on hazing still lies on the hands of those who hold the paddle. S

*not his real name

model: IAN KENNETH KHUBCHAND / MAEKUP ARTIST: ANTHEA P. MANAYON

HAZING IS ACTIVE IN THE PHILIPPINES, AND THAT ITS CONSEQUENCES HAVE YET TO BE GIVEN DUE JUSTICE.

10 SOCIETY

LOSS OF INNOCENCE Humans experience things that change the way they view the world, their relationships and themselves. Some experiences being more “memorable” than others. //BY KATRINA TRISH C. ISIDERIO //PHOTOGRAPHS BY chomin q. aberasturi

model: twinkle fernandez / makeup ARTIST: anthea p. manayon

T he wedding veil to symbolize the union of two individuals; the wedding cord, to represent strength; the wedding candles, to symbolize light; the wedding coins, for prosperity and wealth; the wedding rings, symbols of forever; and for the bride, the color white, to represent her innocence and purity.

She is innocent and pure, isn’t she?

In 1994, Dr. Z.C. Zablan, a demography professor from the University of the Philippines, conducted a study involving 11,000 Filipino youth, ranging from 15-24 years old, in relation to their views on sexuality. His study, entitled Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Survey, showed that 80% of the Filipino youth do not approve of premarital sex, 18% have accepted such occurrences, while 2% were neutral about the subject. The study also showed that 35% of women who graduated from college are open-minded and have flexible attitudes towards sex; that 40% prefer the use of contraceptives; and that 65% have conservative values and behaviors towards sex, but are more prone to not using contraceptives during intercourse.

The Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study (YFAS-II), which provides information on dating, marriage and onset sexual activity in the Philippines was also conducted and published on AsiaPacific Population and Policy on the same year, revealing that 22% of single men engaged in premarital sex, while 59% of married men admitted to engaging in it. On the other hand, only 2% of single women engaged in premarital sex, while 35% of married women admitted to doing it. According to the study, the reason why there is such a big difference between the premarital sexual activities of men and women is because of underreporting; a portion of women don’t own up to it. Women were afraid or ashamed to admit that they engaged in premarital sex.

That was way back in 1994.

What about now?

By definition, virginity is the state of being free from impurity and stain. For girls, it is the symbol of womanhood; it represents a clean life, far from sexual promiscuity; it

is a gift that you give your husband on your wedding bed. Being a virgin does not necessarily mean, however, that one is for celibacy or sexual abstinence; virginity denotes being clean, but celibacy means choosing to be clean.

In some cultures, virginity is treated with the utmost importance; it is closely related with personal values or family honor, and losing one’s virginity before marriage may result to shame, ostracism, or even an honor killing. There are even females who are so keen in keeping their virginity intact that they refuse to use tampons or menstrual cups. In Western culture, on the other hand, virginity is not taken as seriously. Here in the Philippines, virginity plays a very significant part in women’s lives due to the influence of the Spaniards and the Catholic faith. Not long after, the western culture invaded Philippine shores, and it did not take a while before Filipinas joined in on the sexual liberalism and freedom bandwagon, although some may have jumped in by force rather than by will. Still, virginity remains a very important part of womanhood, and premarital sex, a taboo.

But, there are times, moments of weakness, where one cannot say no to temptation. What, then, happens to women who have lost their innocence? Does losing one’s virginity also mean losing one’s sense of being a woman? *Nancy, a 4th year student from the College of Engineering and Technology, says that she regretted not waiting for the right time to give up her virginity. Nancy lost her maidenhood to her boyfriend, who forced her to have sex with him. At that time, she was “madly in love” with him and agreed, although she had her reservations. After they broke up, Nancy lamented giving up her virginity so easily, saying that she should have waited before engaging in premarital sex. Afraid of what people might say, Nancy pretends to be a virgin, especially when she and her friends gather and talk about such things. “Even today, I regret doing it, “Nancy says, “I strongly advise girls to wait; wait for the right man and the right time. As much as possible, keep yourself pure for your future husband.”

What makes Nancy anxious about not being a virgin, aside from giving up her virginity to the wrong man, was the stigma of being an impure woman. According to Nancy, she is very particular with whom she confides in because people have the tendency to be close-minded and judgmental.

But what about those who have lost their virginity by force? How about those who were not given the choice whether to give up their

...VIRGINITY 11 REMAINS A VERY NOV 2014 IMPORTANT PART OF WOMANHOOD, AND PREMARITAL SEX, A TABOO.

purity or not? For victims of rape, the stigma of impurity becomes a heavier burden than those who lost theirs willingly. Developmental Psychologist Wanda Franz, PhD states in her article, The Psychology of Rape, that it is incorrect for people to assume that victims wanted to be raped. This false assumptions are very humiliating and degrading for rape victims, and attitudes like these lead them to think that they are damaged goods. This eventually results to the victim feeling guilt and shame, and inhibits her from healing and finding peace.

“Each person has his or her viewpoint or perspective regarding [virginity]. We could not really question the way men perceive women that are no longer virgins because it’s part of their upbringing and part of their culture, “ says Ms. Robeeh G. Ramos, PhD, a guidance counselor in the University of St. La Salle, “there are those openminded men who can transcend the situation. If they love the girl, it doesn’t matter whether she’s a virgin or not. However, there are men, on the opposite side, that when a girl is no longer a virgin, then she is no longer wife material.” But not being a virgin

does not necessarily mean that one is sexually promiscuous. “It does not follow,” Ms. Ramos says, “some women gave their virginity out of, maybe, love, and not because they were addicted to sex.” According to Ms. Ramos, girls who have lost their virginity, for whatever reason, should not think that it is the end of the world. It’s not going to be a depressing thing forever; there is hope as long as they resolve the issue within themselves. “Some girls think that they have no hope because they have given [their virginity] away. But if you confess your sin, because it’s premarital sex without the benefit of marriage, I believe that God will forgive you as long as you have the resolve not to do it again. It’s a matter of faith. It is also a matter of being honest with the person who will love you.”

Nowadays, in a time where young people are more liberated and open-minded, there are countless of opportunities for a woman to slip and let herself go.

Ms. Ramos advices girls to avoid places where they’ll be tempted; to, as much as possible, be wiser with their choices and be responsible for it. “If you’ve said ‘yes’ the first time, it will be easier to say ‘yes’ the next time.” S

*not her real name

12 SOCIETY

THE RISE OF THE RAINBOW FLAG In a more diverse and accepting era, people of all sorts are finally free to fight for their rights and express themselves without the burden of society’s expectations. //BY ANTHEA P. MANAYON //photoGRAPHS by chomin q. aberasturi and ashley john l. yee

Tell me, when God looks at a gay person, does He endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person? We must always consider the person. Here we enter into the mystery of the human being.” – Pope Francis The recent years marked significant milestones for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA) community, in terms of their acceptance in modern society. As of late, same-sex marriage has been legalized in several countries including the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Spain, Denmark, France, Brazil, and the United States.

Television sitcoms such as Will & Grace and Glee have been altering the conversation surrounding homosexuality, complementing recent topics suggesting that the issue of morality has nothing to do with whether a person is gay or not. When the Pope (who leads 1.2 billion Roman Catholics all over the world) publicly declared, “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?,” it symbolized the potential for greater religious acceptance of LGBTQIA people.

In spite of these breakthroughs, discrimination against LGBTQIAs still exists, and one form that commonly takes place in school and work settings is bullying. A young woman

“

from the LGBTQIA community opens up about being outcasted and bullied when she was in high school. She reports that people, at one point, told her to wear a suit to prom and they had generally tagged her as the “tomboy CAT officer”. She also once had a group friends that secretly wanted to get rid of her. She went through a long struggle of questioning her life and whether people still wanted her in theirs. 19-year-old Katrina Chua, a 3rd year Operations Management student who is openly lesbian, shares her thoughts on the hardest part about being gay and how she rose above it.

“Well, first is accepting yourself. People accepting you is nothing if you can’t accept yourself. You try to go out to the world and be comfortable with yourself but something will always hold you back. You start to have these feelings of people silently criticizing you and that small fear that they’ll go up to you and say bad things about your sexuality. But to be honest, all

of that wouldn’t matter if you accept yourself.”

Katrina says it took her almost six years to accept her sexuality with the help and unconditional support of her sisters and mom. They would constantly remind her of the importance of self-acceptance over the opinions of others. “It’s funny because this doesn’t only apply to gay people, it applies to everyone.”

Life lived “in the closet” because of societal pressures, as it often turns out, has a hindering effect to one’s personal growth. For someone who has “come out”, however, life becomes increasingly better and more productive.

Relationships become more authentic as one becomes more truthful, Mr. Ramon Lachica, Chairperson of the University’s Department of Psychology, explains. “When you are truthful to yourself, you present yourself as you really are and you relate to others without hiding anything.

And it’s more real, it’s more genuine, it’s more authentic; it frees you from the shackles of

modelS: LEO ralph senoro & kristelle solidum / makeup ARTIST: bea ivanica mocorro

13 NOV 2014

...IT IS THE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN AND IGNORANCE ON THE SCIENCE BEHIND LGBTQIA THAT LEADS TO PREJUDICE, WHICH BREEDS HATE AND VIOLENCE.

society. A psychologist once said that ‘Society is the one that warps, that distorts people.’”

In the light of discrimination against LGBTQIAs, Lachica discusses the four degrees of social antagonism: prejudice, discrimination, segregation, and annihilation. Social antagonism starts off as prejudice which is a negative, false attitude towards people and develops into discrimination that involves physical or verbal offense against a certain group. Segregation happens when society separates or isolates a certain group into a lower, demeaning class, and annihilation, finally, involves killing.

Without a doubt there have been recently recorded “hate crimes” against members of the LGBTQIA community, both within and out of the country. U.S. Department of Justice Training Guide for Hate Crime Data Collection defines hate crimes as “a criminal offense committed against a person or property which is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, ethnicity/national origin, or sexual-orientation”. Ron De Vera of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHO) Manila Network previously explained that it is the fear of the unknown and ignorance on the science behind LGBTQIA that leads to prejudice, which breeds hate and violence.

Last July 2013, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) made a statement that it will systematically document hate crimes against LGBTQIAs, as it did with the human rights violations during Martial Law in the 1970s.

“There are killings that take place, but the thing is, how do you define whether or not this is really brought about by discrimination?,” CHR chair Loretta Ann Rosales said, “To be able to do that, you have [to systematize] the cases. It has to be

evidence-based. It then becomes a case that you can take to court. You criminalize it.”

Though an anti-discrimination law is yet to be approved by Congress, there are antidiscrimination ordinances that have been passed in the following cities: Bacolod (April 2012), Cebu (October 2012), Davao (November 2012), and, most recently, Angeles (February 2013). The anti-gender-based violence ordinance of Quezon City was also extended to LGBTQIAs in October 2012.

As rainbows have significant meanings in popular folklore, scripture, and art, multicolored flags are displayed in cultures around the world as symbols of diversity, acceptance, and hope. There’s the peace flag in Italy and the cooperative flag that symbolizes the international co-operative movement, but there has not been a more controversial and socially powerful rainbow flag as the gay pride flag popularized by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978. Sometimes called “the freedom flag”, the gay pride flag’s colors were designed to symbolize life, healing, sunlight, nature, harmony, and spirit, as reminders of peace and brotherhood in the midst of discrimination against LGBTQIAs. Finding one’s own voice in a hateful society may be a feat too ambitious, and unconditional love and acceptance may seem like the impossible ideas of the dreamer. But the battle against racism, slavery, sexism, and discrimination would not have been brought to the public eye if it weren’t for a few human beings who, with brave acts of love and kindness, wanted to start a change in their culture. At the end of each day, is the world nurturing a culture of love and harmony, or one of anger and prejudice? What should be contributed to it? S

MULTIFACETED. Every human being is unique in such a way each one looks, feels and loves differently from others.

Each person is complex and that’s what makes them beautiful.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ashley john L. yee / hair and makeup by carlos vincent ruiz / model: TWINKLE FERNANDEZ

14 FEATURES

NOV 2014

OFF THE

PILL model: IAN KENNETH KHUBCHAND /MAKEUP ARTIST: ANTHEA P. MANAYON

The most difficult thing that man can hope to achieve, aside from success, is change. //BY adely grace v. tomaro & michael albert m. diy //PHOTOGRAPH BY CHOMIN Q. ABERASTURI //illustrated by jowan dave g. guides

H ave you ever dreamt that you were drowning?

When the water is up over your head, a sinking force pulls you down and you see nothing but darkness? You lose your breath gasping for air, and you lose hope, desperately kicking towards the surface that seems to only get farther and farther away. It’s a terrible feeling – to dreadfully

struggle for your life with seemingly futile efforts.

When you wake up, it leaves you with a throbbing pain inside your chest and at the same time, a feeling of relief that it was all just a dream.

But for others, the feeling of impossibility, of hopelessness, and the struggle to stay afloat is an everyday battle against the bitter reality called drug abuse.

Drug abuse is the habitual maltreatment or excessive intake of addictive or illegal drugs. It is known to lead its victims to only four possible places: either in a jail cell, a mental hospital, inside a coffin six feet below the ground or for the lucky ones, to a remote, secluded rehabilitation center. Though all of the choices seem equally decent, it is only the last one that offers the option of hope for self-redemption.

In Victorias City, there stands Ang Dalangpan TRC, otherwise known as the Negros Occidental Drug Rehabilitation Center, which is the only rehab facility in Western Visayas that is accredited by the Department of Health (DOH).

It was established in 2003 as a response to the mandate of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002, amidst the rising cases of drug

abuse in all sectors of society. Dalangpan is a Hiligaynon term for “refuge” which reflects the facility’s mission to be a sanctuary where victims of drug abuse may find solace as they work towards mental rejuvenation, character building and the values of righteousness, integrity and honor on their path to reformation.

The facility is currently home to 32 rehabilitees, which includes troubled teenagers and reputable office workers. “Whether you’re rich or poor, professional or non-professional or even a minor—drug abuse afflicts all walks of life.” Ang Dalangpan’s executive administrator and facilitator Juvy A. Pepello says. “Drug abuse is a menace to society.”

Patients of the rehab facility are generally treated through a three-step process, which consists of detoxification, wherein toxins are medically flushed out of their body; a minimum six-month-long integration, which consists of social interactions and a set of activities prepared by specialists; and a culminating outreach program that trains rehabilitees to face the outside world. “During the treatment, we also provide occupational therapy programs that

16

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provide patients with work-related skills including T-shirt printing, deboning fish and producing tocino,” Pepello adds. “We don’t prepare them just emotionally, physically and mentally, but we teach them skills that they can utilize when they leave.”

The price of rehabilitation is, however, definitely not cheap – detoxification alone costs a hefty ₱23,000 and additional monthly fees sum up to ₱12,000. “We find ways to offer our services to people who can’t afford the benefits of the facility,” Pepello explains. Ang Dalangpan is financially supported by local government units, the city government and the provincial government, whose funds sustain operations every year, apart from the patients’ payments.

For Pepello, an ex-guidance counsellor of La Consolacion College-Bacolod, fighting drug abuse is a lifelong advocacy. She believes from experience that the reasons why most people, youths especially, try doing drugs are family problems and peer influence. “And their own curiosity can also lead them to try drugs,” Pepello adds.

Such is the case of 19 year-old *Dodoy, a rehab patient who has been in the facility for two months. “I tried marijuana, shabu and over-the-counter medicines,” he says.

Dodoy, the youngest of four children, started doing drugs at the age of 18. “I was just curious,” he says. He was a first year college BSIT student at the University of St. La Salle who lived with his grandmother, as both of his parents had already passed away.

When one of his brothers found out about his lifethreatening vice and confronted him, Dodoy slowly realized that it was time to stop. He admitted himself to Ang Dalangpan, hoping for the best. “I got out but after 45 days, I relapsed, though. F*ck,” Dodoy contemplates.

He believes that the hardest thing about being in the facility is spending time away from his family, which he now values significantly following his separation from them for his treatment. “When I was doing drugs, I didn’t even mind them. Now, I spend most of my days here just thinking about them and crying.”

Dodoy has been clean for two straight months now but despite a good record, Dodoy is still fearful that he might go back to his old ways and start using drugs again. “Of course I am. I’d be lying if I said I could get off drugs just like that. There will always be temptation outside the rehab center – from my old friends and my own self,” he explains.

Though his life has taken a few drastic detours over the years, Dodoy still dreams of making a better life for himself someday. He plans to go back to school once his treatment is finished. “My ultimate goal is to become a chemical engineer and make my lola proud,” he shares with a laugh. “Actually, I just want to finish college so I can give back everything my family has done for me.”

From his own experiences, he has a message for all the students curious about trying drugs. “If you want to try drugs, it would be better if you try not to,” Dodoy adds, “It all starts from wanting to try. But trying will only ruin your lives. Take my advice, and just don’t try it at all.”

With a firm resolution, a good support system and a desire to keep living, Dodoy and many others like him can transcend the dark abyssal madness that is drug addiction. They’ll gasp for air and have it fill their hungry lungs. They’ll fear drowning again; fear losing control and sink deeper underneath the currents, but they’ll surely rise as they’re pulled up by helping hands and by the strength of their own will. S

*not his real name

NOV 2014

“...I’D BE LYING IF I SAID I COULD GET OFF DRUGS JUST LIKE THAT. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE TEMPTATION OUTSIDE THE REHAB CENTER – FROM MY OLD FRIENDS AND MY OWN SELF,”

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FEATURES

THE OLD GENERATION

Kids back then could come up with toys given only forked sticks and rubber bands. They would share ideas while playing board games and card games, or enjoy fishing and swimming at the countryside. Parents gave their children the chance to learn how to invent simple toys and exercise their body daily. Children of this period grew holistically and easily learned the value of independence. They had different activities to choose from every day. Life then, was simple but fun.

Given the difficulty to gain answers for their homework, kids were required to do thorough research. “The library became our favorite place.

We used catalog cards to locate books,” Eva Alfredo, a mother of two, shared. They were also trained to cook, do the laundry and clean the house at the early age of five. Some were even sent to the market to sell goods. There was no good hour to waste since work was done manually.

THE DIGITAL GENERATION

How’s Your Brain?

Have you ever heard old people complaining about how back in their day, they didn’t have any of those fancy gadgets to occupy their time? There’s a difference between the definition of “fun” back then and now. Here’s a rundown on it. //BY Krimlyn l. lumawag //illustrated by ryan ceazar b. santua

B

ack in the old days, kids would most likely be caught playing with a deck of cards, checker chips or a board game. They’d go out and play hide-and-seek, tag or simple group games out on the streets.

Much has changed since then. Maybe progress is not such a bad thing but is the new world’s inclination towards technological advancement becoming a personal threat?

The Digital Kids are living a much easier life given the ease of advancement. “Communication halfway around the world today is done in mere clicks. Information and knowledge is readily available on the internet, and thus accessible especially to those who do research. There is also convenience in services like banking and retail support,” Materials Engineer Aica Mapa said.

Kids of today can interact, study, and even do transactions online.

And since machines designed to lessen work and time consumption, like washing machines and vacuum cleaners, were introduced, finishing household chores became less stressful, thus, giving time for people to do other things.

But with anything positive, there are negative impacts too. “Information is accessible, but some people depend on the internet too much that they can just easily copy and paste content without understanding them. In short, the ease [of access] has made people lazy,” Mapa said.

That’s the reason why Kyo, a 3rd year Materials Engineering student, was worried about his 10 year old sister’s inability of knowing how to use the dictionary. “She can search the web but when their teacher asked them to browse through the dictionary to obtain the meaning of a

NOV 2014 certain word, she said she just sat still and waited for the others to finish,” he said.

WEIGHING BRAINS

Everything that one does is accounted for by the brain. The brain can perform an incredible number of tasks which includes handling of physical movements, controlling breathing and body temperature, and receiving of information flood from your various senses. By challenging yourself with math problems, playing board games and reading books, the brain gets the needed exercise to function competently.

Regions in your brains such as decision-making and complex-reasoning exist, accepting every healthy activity you commit with open arms.

They love doing work most of the time, and they fear to rot.

“The cerebrum is the one receiving information from the senses and responsible for the movements of the different parts of the body,” Science teacher Athena Marie Abada said. Since the 90’s people were more exposed to extreme loads of labour, they were likely to develop the front portion of their brain. The cerebrum is tagged to be the superior-most region due to its large size.

“The cerebellum, on the other hand, is the center of learning and memory,” Abada added. Given the ability of today’s generation to manipulate machines and excel at playing even the most difficult multiplayer online role

playing games, they will be able to thrive more on responsiveness and logic. Ironically called as the ‘little brain’ in Latin, the cerebellum plays an important role in the motor controls of the body.

Without it, there is no movement of the body.

But is there a generation that actually stands out?

The older generation of kids were more on practical activities, while today’s generation focuses on the technical ones. What they are required to learn mostly depends on what they also need. For example, the 90’s generation invented the internet for the convenience of communication and research, they valued knowledge so much that they concentrated it into one device known as the computer. Today’s generation focused on inventing robots that could even replicate the exact human figure.

That is because human labour is becoming one of the world’s top priorities in advancement, but rather than helping increase these opportunities in number, the demand for it is diminishing because people are now dependent on technology to give them an easier life.

All in all, the quality of life today is just a byproduct of people’s adaptation towards changes that has been happening in the world. Perhaps, it is the lack of something, the need to improve, and the desire to survive that led to all these.

For whatever generation you are in, today exists because of yesterday, and what tomorrow brings, will be all up to you. S

...THE QUALITY OF LIFE TODAY IS JUST A BY-PRODUCT OF PEOPLE’S ADAPTATION TOWARDS CHANGES THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN THE WORLD.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHOMIN Q. ABERASTURI / hair and makeup by carlos vincent ruiz

[20] [DISCUSSION]

[21] [NOV 2014]

I INTROSPECTION NTROSPECTION

model: kena marisse araneta / makeup ARTIST: anthea p. manayon

By Adely Grace v. Tomaro & Krimlyn l. Lumawag / PhotographS by chomin q. aberasturi

Have you ever struggled with the idea that you didn’t matter? You may think you’re only feeling a little down but check yourself a little closely. You may be exhibiting traits of depression.

[22] [DISCUSSION]

S S

lowly, it consumes you.

In a maze inside your mind, you’re trapped again and again by that haunting sadness; that feeling of wanting to withdraw from the burdens of the world through whatever means necessary. You feel it invading your body, feeding on your woes and infesting your happiness with grief strong enough to fool you into believing that the only thing evident in this world is loneliness.

In the recent World Happiness Report conducted by the Columbia University Earth Institute, The Philippines has once again been ranked amongst the least happiest countries in Southeast Asia. It is alarming and ironic to note that albeit the tourism tagline that “it’s more fun in the Philippines”, the country actually has one of the highest cases of depression recorded globally.

Depression, also known as major depression, clinical depression or major depressive disorder is defined as a medical illness that causes a constant feeling of sadness and lack of interest.

Jeopardy comes in when such feeling of unworthiness, hopelessness or extreme sadness takes over and become too much to handle.

Symptoms for depression include lack of sleep, withdrawal from people, loss of interest in regular activities that were once deemed enjoyable, low energy, loss of appetite and even the consideration of suicide. If you have felt or experienced any of these at any given time, it does not necessarily mean you are clinically depressed. Depression ranges in seriousness such that it can come as temporary episodes of gloominess or as long periods of persistent depressive behaviour. To be diagnosed as clinically depressed, you must at least meet five or more of the symptom criteria provided in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Also, no ordinary person can simply diagnose you as depressed, nor is a self-diagnosis any more reliable, but rather, a learned and professional individual’s help is needed.

Depression isn’t as physically visible as having a huge placard on top of a person’s

head reading “Depressed” on it. There are many depressed individuals who do not even seem depressed at all but possess all of the aforementioned indicators and more. Depression is like a beast waiting to devour its prey; if not recovered or given attention, it will eventually feast on one’s sane mind.

The question now is why? And how do you stop it?

Rose Jessica Octaviano, Executive Manager of Philippine Mental Health Association Bacolod, says that no specific factors were recognized to be roots of such disorder. “Depression may be inherited. But most of the time, reasons vary from their experiences,” she said.

Witnessing or surviving a traumatic encounter, losing a loved one, failing in an undertaking, stress, pressure, betrayal, or disappointment—these are only some instances that happen in the course of human life that could illicit strong emotions from a person, be it negative or positive. It all depends on how people deal with whatever life throws their way.

A person who has lost everything still has the potential to become happy the same way any ordinary person has because whatever damage any situation has caused to an individual, moving

[23] [NOV 2014] on or to continue suffering is a choice, although a very difficult one to overcome.

Sometimes, the presence of a good support system such as friends and family can help the depressed feel “stronger”, but to seek counsel from professionals specializing in the field is what will ultimately lead them down the road to healing. Psychiatrists help facilitate healing and there are antidepressant medication available for the depressed. Apart from the available medical treatment for depression, psychological treatment is also as important especially when it comes to the emotional healing and assessment of the patient. A person should already try to seek help as early as when the symptoms manifest, to troubleshoot whatever problem exists currently. In a school setting, there are guidance counsellors who are available for consultation.

Depression isn’t something to belittle nor is it something to overlook. Depression can lead to thoughts of suicide and has been proven to be the cause of many suicides in the past years.

Suicide is the last option of the depressed, yet there are still individuals who prefer ending their life rather than finding hope in their hearts.

They are the ones who have reached the point of giving up, those who have decided to escape from the reality instead of facing it. They are victims of their own self-assessment and victims of their own mind’s betrayal.

Death for them becomes a means to end a depressing cycle but little do they know, the sadness lives on in those closest to them who are left behind.

“I used to have a friend who works as a security guard in a certain company. We met just minutes before he committed suicide. I can say that I am the last one he talked to before he headed to the comfort room, the place where he shot a bullet through his head.” *Edgardo, an employed citizen, said. “After hearing the news, I felt the need to talk to my wife. It was so depressing that I looked blank for days,” he adds.

In this age and time, more and more youths are falling into depression. Many become lost and become unable to cope with their problems.

Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for young people between the ages 15 to 24. According to suicide.org, approximately 20 percent of teens experience depression before they reach adulthood and between 10 to 15 percent suffer from symptoms at any point in time.

Medical treatment and psychological treatment are counteractive measures for depression. What society needs to establish are pre-emptive means to stop it from even happening in the first place.

As quoted from the World Health Organization, “Mental health is how we think, we live, and act out to a given situation.”

In the long run, a positive personal perception of one’s self is important in rebuilding the self-esteem necessary to avoid feeling like you don’t matter in the world. No one will be able to love you as well as you do, so if there’s one thing in your life you shouldn’t compromise, it’s how much you value yourself.

Slowly, it consumes you. In a maze inside

NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO LOVE YOU AS WELL AS YOU DO SO IF THERE’S ONE THING IN YOUR LIFE YOU SHOULDN’T COMPROMISE, IT’S HOW MUCH YOU VALUE YOURSELF.

your mind, you’re trapped again and again by that haunting sadness; that feeling of wanting to withdraw from the burdens of the world through whatever means necessary. You feel it invading your body, feeding on your woes and infesting your happiness with grief strong enough to fool

you into believing that the only thing evident in this world is loneliness. You almost give in but then a warm feeling fills you and suddenly the heaviness goes away. You remember once again that there’s something stronger than your pain, your angst and your loneliness. It’s you. S

*not his real name

Derpina

Herp Derp

Derp

[24] [DISCUSSION]

Slangtionary Your handy guide to the latest and most baffling word mutations. words by michael albert M. diy Illustration by aloe danica B. deala

SUPERTEXTIOUS

(adj.) used to describe a gullible person who is easily swayed or affected by conditional SMS chain messages Derpina: Guys, can someone send me ₱10 of load?

It’s an emergency!

Derp: Here, you can use my phone. What’s wrong?

Derpina: If I don’t send this text to ten more people, my mom’s cousin’s dog is gonna die!

Derp: … You supertextious twat.

FLASH NOTES

(n.): Lecture notes obtained through the 21st century note-taking technique of picture taking using handheld gadgets with cameras Derp: My Spanish teacher is a total feeler. She poses like a movie star whenever we take flash notes.

STARBUCKS AGE

(n.): a fake age given on impulse when asked in a public setting Teacher: Are there any more questions before we move on to the class rules and SOPs? Derp: Miss, how old are you?

Teacher: Oh… I’m 26, Mr. Derp.

Derp: Are you sure? I was asking for your real age, not your Starbucks age.

SEED PRESSURE

(n.): the influence of torrenting a particular file exclusively due to the overwhelming number of seeders it has Herp Derp: Do you have any cool new movies I can copy?

Derp: Yup, I just downloaded some last night.

Herp Derp:… … ?! Why in God’s name do you have Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus?

Derp: Wh-what? I must’ve downloaded it because of seed pressure, I swear!

ARMONGER

(n.): someone who savagely attacks, squeezes, or plays with chubby arms for personal satisfaction Herp Derp: Derpina, I have something to confess… I’ve been in love with your curvaceous arms from the moment I first laid my eyes on them. I’ve dreamt of pinching them and biting them; I’ve imagined that your arm was a piece of paper I would tear into tiny little pieces, that I’d glue back together so I can feel the gratifying pleasure of tearing them apart once again.

Derpina: Get away from me, you perverted armonger!

RESTAURUNNERS

(n.): a group mate who waits for his or her other members at food joints without buying anything Herp Derp: Did you hear? All McDonald’s branches in the country have placed a permanent ban on all restaurunners!

Derpina: Oh no! Where will we meet for all our group projects now?!

POST PUSHBACKS

(n.): the act of delaying online posts to a later time to attain a wider viewership Herp Derp: … OMG! Hahaha! I just thought of the funniest status update in the history of status updates!

Derpina: Well? What are you waiting for? Go ahead and post it before you forget!

Herp Derp: Derpina, please. It’s only 5 pm. Haven’t you ever heard of post pushbacks? Noob.

Are we ready yet?

[25] [NOV 2014]

A commentary on the K to 12 educational system

BY ROMA JANE A. HECHANOVA / ILLUSTRATED BY JOWAN DAVE G. GUIDES

I

n the country’s attempt to produce more globallycompetitive citizens, equipped with adequate knowledge and skills, President Benigno Aquino III’s administration pushed for the implementation of a new educational system through the Enhanced Basic Education Act Of 2013, or Republic Act No. 10533 signed on May 15, 2013. But, now that the K to 12 system is being carried out in all Philippine schools, are the Filipinos blindly swimming in a deep ocean without knowing what’s waiting for them at the bottom?

To answer your basic questions regarding the K to 12 system, read through before you get lost in the ocean of misconceptions.

[26] [DISCUSSION]

WHAT IS K TO 12?

K to 12 stands for “kindergarten plus 12 years of elementary and secondary education”. It is the educational system widely adopted by countries around the world; in fact, the Philippines is the only country in Asia that uses the 10-year basic education curriculum before the K to 12 implementation began in School Year (SY) 2012-2013. For the country, the Department of Education (DepEd) adopted the K-6-4-2 model (or the K to 12 model), that includes kindergarten, six years in elementary, four in junior high school, and two in senior high school.

WHAT CHANGES DOES THIS EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM BRING?

Kindergarten has become mandatory since SY 2011-2012 because supporters of the K to 12 believe that those who underwent kindergarten are “better prepared for primary education than those who did not”. Implementing the K to 12 and requiring kindergarten for all, are two of the current administration’s 10-Point Education Agenda, in the hopes of developing further the overall quality of education in the country. The other aspects include making use of mothertongue languages as mediums of instruction from kindergarten until grade three, establishing the Madaris Education as a sub-system, making every child a reader by Grade 1, improving Science and Mathematics. They also aim in expanding government assistance to private education, improving textbooks, building more schools in cooperation with local government units, and re-introducing technical and vocational education in public high schools.

WHAT FACTORS LED TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS?

The overall mean percentage scores of the third graders, sixth graders, and high school students who took the National Achievement Test (NAT), before the implementation of the K to 12, in SY 2011-2012 are 56.98%, 66.79%, and 48.90%, respectively. The “low” achievement scores, which are far from the DepEd’s goal of 75% passing rate, is one of the reasons for pushing through the new educational system. As cited from DepEd’s discussion paper on the K to 12, “the low achievement score of Filipino students in the NAT is one of the indicators of a defective education system.”

Another factor is that students tend to be bombarded with too many skills and knowledge which they are expected to learn and master in only 10 years, a limited span of time for them to effectively achieve this. As a result, most high school graduates are “often unprepared for employment, entrepreneurship, or even higher education”, which partly explains why the unemployed number of Filipinos is increasing “at an alarming rate”.

WHY IS THERE A NEED TO ADOPT THIS SYSTEM?

DepEd says that the main objective of implementing this system is to “be able to produce more productive and responsible citizens equipped with the essential competencies and skills for both life-long learning and employment”. According to the University’s Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs Marie Therese Jochico, the K to 12 system aims to “provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship”. Apart from that, many foreign countries usually perceive the country’s previous 10-year education as “insufficient”.

Thus, students who have undergone the K to 12 curriculum can be considered more globally competitive and qualified.

Apart from providing them with the needed skills, the two years of senior high school will also prepare them by letting them choose their own specializations, be it in science and technology, music and arts, agriculture and fisheries, sports, business and entrepreneurship. According to the DepEd, the two-fold change focuses “not only to the curriculum enhancement but also to the transition management as well”, to enhance the basic education curriculum.

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS?

>Sufficient timespan for students’ learning >More equipped and globallycompetitive citizens >More demand for teachers >Qualification and recognition as professionals abroad

HOW IS THE UNIVERSITY AFFECTED BY THIS?

According to Jochico, all tertiary level institutions are challenged because by Academic Year (AY) 2016-2017, there will be no incoming college freshmen, since Junior High School students will proceed to Grade 11 of the Senior High School (SHS) Program. She further explained that “On SY 2017-2018, there will be no college freshmen and sophomores because the Grade 11 students will be completing SHS Grade 12.” Thus, college freshmen will come in by AY 2018-2019.

[27] [NOV 2014]

HOW IS THE UNIVERSITY PREPARING FOR THIS?

To address this challenge, the University will open Academia, an SHS program, in the main campus come AY 2016-2017. “Since [the University] has the faculty and facilities, we will open Academia, which will offer different tracks and strands, many of which will prepare students for the College Academic Programs,” Jochico said. These tracks include Academic, Sports, Arts and Culture, and Technical-Vocational.

The University President created the Academia Task Force to identify and address all aspects to be considered, namely, Curriculum, Admissions, Finance, Marketing, and other Administrative concerns.

The University also provides faculty from the college unit with development initiatives to qualify them with “pertinent Masteral degrees, with Professional Teaching Licensure requirements, and with TESDA trainings for the Technical and Life Skills programs.”

“Aside from attending all pertinent conferences and seminars organized by the DepEd, Commission on Higher Education, and other professional organizations, the University administrators are studying the enrollment projections and the course offerings to determine prospective faculty needs,” Jochico said. She added that researches, consultations and campaigns with the University’s feeder schools also help them in planning “well” the SHS program to be offered, and prepare them for the transition years.

WHAT CHALLENGES DOES THIS MEAN TO THE UNIVERSITY?

“These transition years from 2016 until 2022 when all college levels shall be completely offered, present us with many challenges because faculty and facilities will have to match SHS curriculum offerings for Gr. 11 and 12 and cater to continuing college students who are completing their degrees,” Jochico said. She added that it also implies that for the years when the college will have “missing” year levels, faculty requirements will decrease and mitigating measures should be in place.

By implementing the K to 12, the country has taken a bold and giant leap into a new and vast ocean they cannot yet fathom, but need to conquer. Will this move enable the Philippines to steer forward and compete with the stably raging currents of the others nations, or drown itself along with its doubtful voyagers that is the students and teachers, for lack of preparation and skills to survive? The future cannot be told, but in order to ensure it, better equip yourselves before plunging into the new waters, that is the educational system. S

[28] [DISCUSSION]

THE CORPORATE ILLUSION OF NONCONFORMITY Society sets standards for people to follow. But in this generation, this standard has made it difficult for individuality and uniqueness to flourish in an environment that is too focused on what’s in the trend. It’s high time to break that illusion. //BY rj nichole l. ledesma & john dale G. gugudan //illustrated by ryan ceazar b. santua

Q

uestion the conventional. Challenge existing thought. Deviate from the mainstream.

These are the war cries of countercultures sprawling across past generations. Their existence drive political and cultural shifts that leave a significant mark on a certain era. They are the outcasts: the ones whose ideas are feared and deemed too radical by the common man. These are the men and women of a certain generation who want to destroy the walls that constrict citizens from thinking outside the box. Countercultures give the people an alternative path to take.

The past decades have given rise to notable people who have done just that. The 50s brought forth the Jazz-loving Beatniks who sought uninhibited selfexpression by breaking out of the literary style conventions of the time, using hallucinogenic drugs to aid their “creativity” and heavily experimenting with their sexuality. This group of freethinkers have borne fruit a large catalog of literary classics and cultural zeitgeists, including Allen Ginsberg’s controversial poem Howl and Jack Kerouac’s novel The Road. The Hippies of the 60’s, on the otherhand, have tried to paint the world in psychedelic colors as a cure for society’s rapid suction to bleakness filled with materialistic values.

They have combatted the ailing capitalist culture prevailing in their

TODAY, WITH A GENERATION INFAMOUSLY COINED “SELF-ABSORBED” MILLENNIALS, THE IDEA OF COUNTERCULTURE HAVE BEEN SKEWED AND IS FULL OF IRONY.

[29] [NOV 2014]

time with Bob Dylan, tie-dyes and heavy amount of pot. The punks, clad in leather jackets and spiked-bracelets, roamed the streets to, once again, destroy what seemed to them as a crooked societal system; their message of resistance were aptly rendered into aggressive, thoughtprovoking punk anthems.

Today, with a generation infamously coined “self-absorbed” millennials, the idea of counterculture has been skewed and is full of irony. As opposed to its usual creed of provoking alternative thinking, it focuses instead on aesthetic values: what is on the surface, never on the depth of the matter. The counterculture today exists in what people buy, wear, watch or listen to— and this is the irony of it. Instead of being against big trendsetting corporations, as it has been in tradition of past nonconformists, they are eagerly feeding it. And although image and sartorial preferences have been a big part of countercultures in the past, it was never its sole focus.

Why, then, is the consumerist culture at the forefront of this problem? This is because of the illusion that corporations create that which gives the consumer a sense of being special or unique.

This uniqueness, however, is void when one looks at the bigger picture: such illusion, in fact, only makes people carbon copies of each other.

Take for example the prevalent “hipster lifestyle” amongst the youth nowadays – which is deemed a trailblazer for this generation’s counterculture. Essentially, the Hipster has become a vague caricature for girls and boys clad in ironic tees who prefer to listen to unsigned

bands and have this superficial appreciation for “artsy” things. The Hipster is drawn to nostalgia: polaroids and grainy pictures (often forcefully digitalized). They are often heard complaining about how they have heard of [insert obscure reference here] before anyone else has. They also proudly reject anything that is popular, or ‘selling out’. This attitude poses another irony: this same movement that tries so hard to reject being ‘commercial’ is one of the most marketable fashion for teens and adults alike.

Richard Hayne, CEO of Urban Outfitters, certainly knows how to capitalize on this counterculture. Urban Outfitters is a lifestyle brand widely popular among the hipster aesthetic – enough to land Hayne a spot among the Forbes’ list of 300 richest men in America last 2013.

“The whole point of hipsters is that they avoid labels and being labeled. However, they all dress the same, act the same and conform in their non-conformity to an ‘iconic carefully created sloppy vintage look,’” Julia Pelvin wrote on her article entitled “Who Are The Hipsters?” published on the Huffington Post.

As it is apparent, the youth today is vastly driven by visual media with a whirlwind of videos, GIFs and images on the internet directing our cultural narrative. Thus, this Gen Y’s countercultural war is a visual one. People hide behind their concept of aesthetic correctness: the adherence to a certain type of presenting themselves. One way people do so is through their construction of an “internet persona”.

"Everyone is so obsessed with how

everything looks, how the party will look through a lens the next day. We all have Tumblr and we all have Instagram and everything. People care so much about it because, now, any random person can be famous on the internet if their world looks good on Tumblr. And so everyone at high school strives for this kind of aesthetic correctness,” teen pop-recording artist Ella Yelich-O'Connor, or famously known as Lorde, once said in an interview.

Admitting to this inescapable trend of carefully constructing a face to your internet presence, Lorde, as a millennial herself admits, “I do it as well, you know. I curate my life in a way.

It's always playing on my mind, kind of a lovehate relationship. I'm not one of those people who's, like, 'I wish Facebook wasn't around,' because, you know, it is what it is.”

This generation has somehow forgotten that what truly characterizes nonconformists are not in the combination of flowers on their head, the kind of clothes they wear, the weird indie and alternative music they listen to, the foreign films they watch, nor the off-the-stream books they read. Rather its core lies fundamentally in making people see the far end of the spectrum, beyond one’s narrow view of the world. It is there to challenge old schools of thought and create new exciting paths to undertake.

The modern fight for stepping outside of the box, however, has proven to be futile because every time they emerge from the uniformity of thought, they seem to end up inside another box. The difference? Well, they like that box. S

[30] [DISCUSSION]

DEAD-END: FRIENDSHIP Relationships are dynamic in a sense that, as they grow older, they change as people do. Sometimes, however, it changes for the worst. When that time comes, a person is left with the choice to either let go or hold on. //BY Krimlyn l. lumawag //photographS by chomin q. aberasturi

Y ou both held on to the promise of forever, but although your grip was tight and strong, the chain that bound you two eventually broke. You both survived the ups and downs that came with the relationship, yet your efforts were still not good enough. It came to a point where it all came down to one difficult choice: to let go of each other or not.

Friendship, indeed, is as fragile as ceramics.

PULLING THE TRIGGER

T

here are a few common factors that lead to goodbyes. May it be your own or the other’s fault, the misunderstandings mainly occur because you both allowed anger, pain or insecurity to cloud your

modelS: kena marisse araneta & czarisse sulangob / makeup ARTIST: anthea p. manayon

[31] [NOV 2014]

thoughts and build a rift into your friendship.

Decisions are one of the hardest things to agree on with your friends, not to mention that these affect not only relationships but also tomorrows. What you have settled for will either make your friend happy or sad; it is a one way process. But this is not an appropriate reason for you to start a fight once a party upsets the other.

Your friendship will only come to an end once insecurities lead to selfishness, and selfishness leads to pride. A good friend will respect your decision with no bitter feelings unless your choice truly leads to something self-destructive.

Then there’s distance. Distance makes the heart grow fonder but one does not simply survive (or maintain) a long distance friendship without ample amount of effort and legendary patience.

“Her name was Beverly. She moved to Manila. She was my [friend], first crush and my childhood sweetheart, for God’s sake. [When she left] I was so sad.” Anthony Joseph Palermo, a 3rd year materials engineering student said.

For those who managed to get through the border of miles in a friendship without caving into complete sadness, then they’ve already won. While for those who are not as lucky, video calls, facebook chats, texts or emails may be the solution to a lonely heart. “Do you know how many years after I contacted her? That was about eight years. Yes, eight years. She left when I was about seven, we found each other on [Facebook] eight years later. That sucked,” Palermo added.

Ms. Robeeh Ramos, PhD, one of the Guidance Counselors of the University of St. La Salle, says that betrayal is the most crucial cause of broken frienships. Trust, once broken, can be regained but it cannot be returned to its former glory.

“I accepted her apology for spreading those false rumors about me. Yet, behind that forgiveness is an assurance I promised to myself, thinking twice before telling her anything,” *Aero, a 3rd year Materials Engineering student said.

While some struggle to keep friendships from falling apart, why is it that others deem cutting it off as a better solution? “Too much pain and the loss of interest push people to prefer letting go rather than holding on,” Ramos said.

In one person’s life, so many people barge into your life, stay, temporarily leave, come as quickly as they go or leave then never return.

Though you may not feel the same way others do, or you may not respond to things the way others might, in any relationship that requires one to invest any sort of emotional attachment will inevitably bring forth happiness, sadness and pain at one point.

There are some things in this world that are better off forgotten rather than fought for while there are some are vice versa. Maybe your relationship with that friend of yours did not work out well as planned, but depending on the tunnel you are in, there is always light at the end of it. S

*not his real name

THERE ARE SOME THINGS IN THIS WORLD THAT ARE BETTER OFF FORGOTTEN RATHER THAN FOUGHT FOR.

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history

THE F WORD: A HISTORY

2ND

1ST

The significance of women in society has long been debated, feared and even considered as an offensive topic amongst female activists and social critics alike. The role and capacity of women as opposed to men, even more so. //BY RJ NICHOLE l. LEDESMA //photographS by chomin q. aberasturi

D ropping the F word during a conversation would be like throwing a ticking bomb amidst an unsuspecting crowd of people. A man might say, “What about me? What about my rights?”, while a woman would insistently dissociate herself from the term, reasoning that “I am not an angry, man-hating woman. I don’t need labels.” An academic of gender studies might simply quote a dense and wordy definition of the term from an outdated reference material that is simply incomprehensible to the feeble mind.But to have a rational discourse around the term would be just as feeble as a little naïve girl tugging on her mom’s sleeve and asking, “Mom, what is feminism?”

Like most sensitive topics, there is never an easy answer.The context of feminist revolutions have been constantly changing to cater to a specific need of women in that particular era, and subdivided into “waves”. The word “feminism” has evolved through the years, endlessly scrutinized by critics, and often misappropriated in popular culture. It is safe to say there has not been a single feminism, but rather a multiplicity of feminisms, some of which may have conflicting and converging views. Feminism has gone through a lot of mincing, slicing and deconstructing; a word feared and often avoided.

Yet still,asVirginia Woolf would put it,it remains “a force of tremendous power.”

FIRST WAVE: THE RISE OF THE SUFFRAGETTES (18TH CENTURY – EARLY 19TH CENTURY)

ary Wollstonecraft lived in an age when asserting the idea that men and women should be treated equally was too radical. Women were limited to household chores and tending to their “superior man”. The law of coverture stripped women of their right to personal property, for once married, everything is subsumed to the hands of the husband. They were not even allowed to have a proper education. These shackles inspired Wollstonecraft to write what is now known as a seminal text for the study of feminist theory, The Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792). Her writings inspired the first-wave of feminists, the suffragettes.

Dressed in their white, flowy sunday dresses, they bombarded the streets of England holding placards of defiance; signs with writings such as “Votes for Women, of Women Workers to Fight, to Struggle, to Right the Wrong” were raised against a largely patriarchal society. Note that this happened in a time where women were idealized to be submissive and modest, so this act of defiance was seen as unwomanly, aggressive and unacceptable. Women were expected to provoke very minimal direct influence; their voices were mere echoes, and their ideas were often ignored. But through this movement, women were empowered to assert their place in society, and to take a huge leap at reclaiming justice between the sexes after centuries of dormancy.

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SECOND WAVE: REVOLT AGAINST THE CORPORATE PATRIARCHY (EARLY 1960S- LATE 1970S)

y this time, women were finally free from their household confinement and were allowed to vote and to work day-time jobs. Misogyny and gender discrimination continued to strive, however, especially in the corporate world.

There was a big discrepancy between the wages of men and women, and dull, dead-end jobs were usually allocated to the females. During that time, it was extremely rare to find woman CEOs or engineers; they were limited to the academe, and arts and craft. Despite their attainment of basic rights from the efforts of the earlier feminists, women at this time were still seen as inferior and incompetent beings compared to men in the context of workforce.

Instead of the placards yearning for voting and property rights, they announced themselves as victims of a consumerist, beautyobsessed patriarchy wherein women were commoditized and paraded like cattles. A group of radical feminists in New York City, called the Redstockings, held protests in Miss America Pageants arguing that such contests demean the value of women asthey are too focused on how they look, not how they think.They were against the objectification of women in media and the over-all stigma of the female gender deeply embedded in society’s minds through centuries of favoring men.

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NOV 2014

3RD

4TH

THE STATE OF FEMINISM NOW THIRD WAVE: IT’S A RIOT, GRRLS! (LATE 1980S – 2000S)

For girls to pick up guitars and scream their heads off in a totally oppressive, f***ed up, male dominated culture is to seize power… we recognize this as a political act,” said Tobi Vail of the all-girl punk band Bikini Kill. This quotation basically encapsulates the attitude of most feminists during this wave - embracing power through performance, theatrics and other public acts of rebellion.Women were freer, experiencing the privileges women of earlier decades could only dream of achieving. They were more vocal about their sexuality, and were not afraid to call out on sexism in creative means, often through aggressive punk songs, a genre usually deemed as masculine, or through thought-provoking art pieces.They also flaunted their femininity by reclaiming what used to be derogatory terms such as “slut”, “bitch” and “pussy” to stubbornly manifest confidence over the patriarchy.

Despite their grandiose provocation, their message was simple: women can empower each other.Another notable emphasis this feminist revolution had was embracing multiplicity of genders. Third-wave feminism go hand in hand with the beginnings of LGBT awareness.

This era celebrated the existence of drag queens, masculine women, feminine men and transsexuals. It was also about burning the bridge of gender labels and discrimination not limited to women alone.

model: SOPHIE KU / Makeup artist: bea icanica mocorro

“

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t the advent of social media, venues for feminists to raise awareness for their advocacies increased.Websites such as Jezebel, Everyday Feminism and the blogging platform, Tumblr have been active and polarizing platforms for this movement. However, feminism’s multi-faceted nature, the dissonance of ideas by some of its supporters, has been its most compromising feature.There have been very loose and misconstrued feminist ideologies circulating on the internet, perpetuating the I-am-against-allthings-masculine culture, and inhabiting the logic that all men are inherently evil.

Roxanne Gay, author of Bad Feminist, a collection of essays on the difficulty of being a feminist in the 21st century, said in a statement on the National Post, “We often see amazing, intelligent women disavowing feminism because they have warped ideas of what it means to be a feminist.”

The my feminism versus your feminism argument has also created a huge divide in the movement and consequently contributes to the warped indoctrination of the word. Gay adds, “I am, like most people, full of contradictions that may not always mesh perfectly with feminist doctrine but I am still 100% committed to the equality of women, from all walks of life.”

What most modern feminists forget in their plight to asserting women’s rights is the common thread that ties the disparate views of feminists around the world, which is equality.“I believe social change and development comes in the context of equality. In that context, I would

A

THE WORD “FEMINISM” HAS EVOLVED THROUGH THE YEARS, ENDLESSLY SCRUTINIZED BY CRITICS, AND OFTEN MISAPPROPRIATED IN POPULAR CULTURE. like to see feminism as being a transformative process in which women are recognized of their potentials and their capabilities. It is not a question of who is higher or who is more powerful,but instead both sexes are empowered,”Dr. Rowena Bañes, the University’s Guidance and Evaluation Center Director said.

Bañes also commented on the gender wars revolving around the reclamation of power over the other,“No one has the right to belittle anyone. No woman has the right to discriminate any man, and vice versa. And for that we have to enjoy the flow of life with much respect to each other.”

She further explained that by looking at society’s smallest unit, the household, women are still on the tipping side of the scale. There is still an increasing number of abuses and crimes against the housewife, and feminism should not neglect this aspect of women’s oppression for seemingly the focus has narrowly shifted to women’s sexual liberation and dominance, as reinforced by popular media.

Despite our stance on the F word, adherence or complete repugnance, it is each and everyone’s duty to enforce equality in society. Feminist, Republican, Christian, Directioner – labels are just labels. Everyone needs to learn to coexist within this vast arena of converging and conflicting views without compromising anybody, any sector of society, no one left behind. S

human interest

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Living the colorful daydream

There’s more to the art of cosplay than just donning the outfit of your favorite fictional character; it’s about living, breathing and being who they are as if you’ve not only taken on their appearance, but also their soul.

BY Deo Gratias U. Flores / photographs by margaret e. yusay

“

Cosplay is the ultimate art form.

It is creativity, limitless escapism, stupid grinning happiness when you figure out a hard part on a costume; indescribable magic the moment you first put on a new costume that you made; a complete transformation. It is pride, courage, and bad-assery attitude, knowing you can take on the world and be anyone you want to be.”

-- Yaya Han, Cosplayer Have you ever seen a person walk the crowded streets of downtown donned with a knight`s complete armor? Or perhaps a glimpse of a fair maiden in the busy corners of a mall, wearing silk garbs that are akin to that of princesses of old? Or simply put, have you ever wondered why these people fancy such apparels compared to the norm? Do not be bothered by such peculiarities, for these people are simply cosplaying.

Ever heard of Alodia Gosiengfiao or Myrtle Sarrosa of PBB? Yep, even these renowned people are actively engaging in the act of cosplaying.

KOSUPURE? NANDA YO SORE? (COSPLAY? WHAT IS IT?)

Cosplay ,short for costume play, is a performance art in which participants, called cosplayers, wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific

HAI, CHIZU! Female cosplayers smile for the camera as they walk the streets of the university in their colorful costumes.

character or idea that is usually identified with a unique name, mostly from anime, manga, comic books, video games and films. The term cosplay is a Japanese combination of the English words costume and play.

The term was coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi of Studio Hard, during his attendance at the 1984 World Science Fiction Convention in Los Angeles, where he was greatly impressed by those present who were in costumes.

Cosplaying, by pure concept, is a form of art that involves imitating a selected character of preferred choice. The goal for cosplayers is to wholly embody their chosen character ranging from the getup and mannerisms to the way of speech and hairstyle in order to bring out an illusion that they

“IT’S NOT JUST ACTING OUT THE CHARACTER. IT`S ALL ABOUT LIVING OUT WHO IT IS, WHILE HAVING FUN.”

MISCONCEPTIONS

A common misconception that people make about Cosplay is that it is simply an event where one can dress up as any favored character.

This has earned feedbacks from cosplayers and critics alike, both good and bad.

“Cosplaying is not just dressing up and playing around with the costume. You should know the role of the character you’re cosplaying and their attitude.” Says JC Lee Capistrano, an Iloilo City based cosplayer.

Those who aspire to become good cosplayers must treat such misunderstandings as an advantage to their learning process, since learning from mistakes counts as valuable experience.

COSTPLAYING

najagimari cosplay guild

Most cosplayers express one simple idea whenever they take the spotlight of the rampeffort. Be it from costume designing, props crafting or even script memorizing, the effort invested by cosplayers play a vital role in their performance. Take into consideration the criteria of some Cosplay events such as craftsmanship of the costume and its design, its appeal, accuracy of costume, stage portrayal, and audience impact. Based on the aforementioned, it wouldn’t be odd for some cosplayers to claim that the effort invested in creating the perfect costume is directly proportional to their chances of winning.

The costume itself brings out a unique feeling for those who wear it, surfacing within them a deeper connection with the character they’re trying to personify. To give justice to the characters they cosplay, choosing and tailoring the appropriate costume is a must. With that, financial matters come into the picture.

“Cosplaying will cost a lot, depending on a certain character. The price also depends on materials used like silk, crafting foams, wood, and electronic devices,” said Jhame, who has spent a total of P510,000 for his golden war machine armor costume and its maintenance.

For an outstanding performance, a cosplayer must pour a great deal of effort into embodying the character of choice, to some extent where sometimes the total expense would amount to nearly half a million pesos. are the characters themselves.

Indeed, just as opera house actors strive to preserve their projected image onstage, cosplayers also aim to lead those who are witnessing their showcase into believing that they are who they are portraying.

Supporting that fact, Tasha, of the Cosplay Team, Spiral Cats, says, “It’s not just acting out the character. It`s all about living out who it is, while having fun.”

SHOWING CREATIVITY

But on the other side of the spending coin, cosplaying does not have to be always expensive, as many believe it to be. The expression, the greater you spend, the better you become, has been overruled by some cosplayers. JC says that sometimes, the issue of effort in Cosplaying lies not alone in financial prowess, but sometimes, in the sheer desire to

human interest

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showcase one`s self in a better way.

“My mom was really supportive. She handled all the expenses; I have my own costume maker and I do my own props.

Cosplaying isn’t that expensive. You can use your old clothes [and modify them for] cosplaying. Just be creative.”

“Crafting” is one of the most popular methods favored by cosplayers. Here, cosplayers create their own props using any materials that they have, or own, thus minimizing their total expenses. *Dark Angel Yuriko, an online Cosplay enthusiast and blogger, shares his insights regarding crafting and prop-making. “Crafting is very important since not all cosplayers have the financial means to procure readymade props which cost a lot more. Materials that comprise crafted props may range from Styrofoam, rags, carton boxes and even egg shells, it`s just a matter of creativity and diligence for a cosplayer or aspiring cosplayer to craft his or her props.”

Aside from needing an array of materials, Crafting also needs a diligent amount of time and fortified patience.

“Obviously wings have feathers,” *Zero, a props maker, says with a chuckle. “So when someone asked me to make a pair of wings for their photo-shoot, I really had a hard time making the feathers one by one. But after finishing it, I felt relieved and satisfied.”

Crafting props is, oftentimes, so tedious and time consuming that even the people making them will feel the urge to give up midway. But as they go along, they learn that despite the difficulties and stress it causes them, they reap what they sow in the end, and to have created something magnificent is already rewarding in itself.

TAKING ON THAT SPOTLIGHT

When the costume is ready, the next hurdle is taking on that spotlight and owning that stage.

But even that isn’t as easy as it sounds. Faced with hundreds of eyes watching them, many forget their lines, go out of character, trip, fall and stumble due to nervousness or clumsiness.

Some may trip on purpose, but that’s another story. Costumes and fancy props may catch the audience`s eyes, but they won’t bring the character to life without the cosplayer’s confidence. You need guts to ramp across a stage with an uncanny outfit on. Also, without confidence, a cosplayer can never project the personality of his or her character no matter how simple that character is.

Cosplaying is all about the portrayal and embodiment of a certain idea. To live out a fictional character, to bring an animated persona to life through creative means, that is what Cosplay is all about. S

*not their real names

Health

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Green-y, Leafy, and Healthy

Drugstores offer a variety of processed medicines that can help alleviate the sickly condition of a person. However, with the rise of drug side effects and other unexplainable and untreatable ailments, maybe the best cure can lie in going natural.

BY Lyle John L. Balana & Krimlyn l. lumawag

P

urchasing over-the-counter medicine at your local drugstore is way easier than waiting for a plant to grow for about six to eight weeks.

Using mortar and pestle to grind fruits and herbs to create a healthy juice drink seems tedious and time consuming compared to one visit to the doctor or one dose of that prescripted pill. Today, the solution for an ill feeling is already condensed inside small tablets readily available for sale. But just because these exist does not necessarily mean that everyone else should depend on what the medical industry can supply alone. There are still those who believe that alternative forms of medicine, such as herbs, can be a cure too.

In fact, 80 percent of the population of Asian and African countries, as estimated by the World Health Organization, still consider herbal cures as a primary health paragon. And why shouldn’t they? Given the handiness in gathering plant seeds due to their abundance, it is almost one big assurance that the remedy to one’s health problem ranges from little to no cost. They’re just plants, you might say, what makes them so valuable, you might ask? Why indeed?

NATURE’S REMEDY. Mother Nature has long provided everyone with the materials they need to survive. Herbs and other forms of alternative medicine may seem unorthodox in the medical world but sometimes, they may just be the cure.

NOV 2014

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PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE INTERNET

LEAFY LIVING

THERE IS GREAT POWER IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF HOW HERBS WORK TO HEAL THE BODY.

At one point growing up, you were bound to have been running around the streets when you suddenly tripped over a stone while playing tag with your friends.

You sit on the ground, stare at your bruised ankle and see blood oozing out. You let out a cry so deafeningly loud that your mother and half the subdivision hear your wails from afar. You are brought home and with the absence of any gauze or band aid, your mother places a green clover shaped leaf called ‘Malunggay’ on your wound.

And even without antiseptics and a first aid kit, your cut was healed.

Herbal Plants are widely used and recognized even from the time of the Sumerians in Ancient Mesopotamia (now Iraq). People and even animals relied on plants for food, cures, and nourishment.

Herbs such as caraway and thyme were found on tablets made of clay, signifying that herbs were made popular since the beginning of humankind. Even dogs and cats eat grass, to relieve gastric distress or dislodge parasites.

There is great power in the knowledge of how herbs work to heal the body. Some people who know their true value practice it and, through their work, manage to help society as well as any graduate of medical school can.

HERBAL FOLKS

People call them “quack” doctors (even though they are not actually related to the duck family) since they claim to have the ability to heal ailments, though not under a specific medical profession.

Methods described by these various healers, albularyos or mangagamots in the local dialects, have been documented and tested for hundreds and even thousands of years. This means that, through that lengthy period, all the superfluous and dangerous procedures used in preparing the medicine have been trimmed off by artificial selection and kept in

a recipe to be repeatedly used as an unguent that has been curing patients consistently.

Eva Alfredo, whose motherin-law is a ginger healer, says that “when a sick person approaches her mother-in-law for healing, she would whisper some type of ritual, kiss the person’s forehead, and pin a ginger on his or her shirt afterwards.”

“She never told me what the ritual is about. She told me that only those who are willing to engage to such activity are qualified to learn,” Alfredo adds.

As much as the “art” of herbal healing is highly specialized, the herbal medicine products belong to a largely unsanctioned territory.

Since organizations such as World Health Organization and Food and Drug Administration cannot regulate their sale, they are rarely monitored by the proper authorities. Thus, the dangers of frauds and charlatans are everpresent, as well as misuse and mix-ups. It is hard to distinguish between genuine practitioners of the arts of homeopathy from someone who just took up the craft to make an extra, easy buck.

Alternative medicine treatments are testaments to their own dangers. Mistrust to modern medicines led to the death of a 17-month old baby from Canada after her parents preferred special soaps, oils, juice and royal jelly for fever over vaccinations.

“Snake Man” Boonreung from Si Sa Ket Province in Thailand, died of paralysis last March 19, 2004 after downing whiskey and herbal medicines to a snake’s bite instead of rushing himself to the hospital.

It takes careful and wise deliberation to identify the best thing to do in a situation. The risks of using herbal medicine are, more or less, similar to the risks brought about by medical treatment.

There is no sure guarantee that consumption of medicinal herbs or their processed counterparts, will heal or even save lives. But they

help alleviate the pain, even to some degree.

HEALTH IS WEALTH

Traditional medicine is the basis for the cornerstones of modern medicine, as scientists don’t just create new drugs in their laboratories; they actually trawl around lakes, rivers, mountains, valleys, hills, oceans and whatnot to acquire herbs and other substances to test against sample bacteria and viruses that they keep around. They extract one or two compounds from the test medicine, usually the alkaloids in its chemical structure, before compressing it into a saleable form for the public. This is exactly what traditional medicine is, just a few steps back in the line of developmental production.

Being a direct product of herbs and plants, traditional medicines may contain nutrients, vitamins and minerals not found in specialized medicine that can cure other ailments and serve to improve your health. Most of the popular medicinal plants can cure more than one type of sickness.

Take malunggay, for example.

Not only is it used to seal shut wounds and abrasions, it is used to combat malnutrition (vitamins A, B, C, calcium, iron and protein abound in this plant) by eating it as a meal, be an anti-tumor medicine (malunggay has benzyl isothiocyanate, which is shown in controlled studies to have chemoprotective qualities) and an anti-inflammatory poultice (used to treat arthritis and rheumatism).

Herbal Medicines greatly contributed to the skyrocketing advancement of the medical industry. Herbs are indeed one of the pioneering factors of why illnesses are becoming less threatening to humankind nowadays, and sooner or later, people need not worry about being sick anymore, but focus on what more nature has to offer for a healthier tomorrow. S

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TECHNOLOGY

Touch Me Not The touchscreen revolution has begun. Are you ready for the new era?

BY MARK HARMON R. MAGBANUA photograph by chomin q. aberasturi

IT’S A GLOBAL PHENOMENON, THIS TOUCHSCREEN THING IS.

I

t’s a typical Sunday afternoon at one of the most prestigious (not to mention overpriced) coffee shops in the entire world (Hint: it rhymes with Starchucks) and you’re surrounded by a throng of people from all walks of life. When you look to your left, you see a fortysomething dude typing away on his Macbook. To your right are some girls from school who are engaged in excited chitchat about “that cute DJ” who “killed” and “murdered” the entire party last night and sent the crowd into a “frenzied rave.” Just across you sits a middle aged man conversing with another man and you immediately think they’re up to something less than legal.

You pause for a moment, not because you heard the barista call out your name (or the name you just made up because you thought it would be hilarious to see everyone’s reaction when they call out “Espresso for Mr. LeBron James!”) to hand you the hot cup of coffee, but you notice something strangely similar to all three parties.

Aside from the fact that they all burned their hard earned cash for a relaxing cup of world class caffeine, they are all handling phones that nobody thought would even see mass production 10 years ago. Yes, they all peddle touchscreen smartphones that are either too gigantic for their hands, too expensive but they bought it anyway just for the satisfaction, “power”, or status symbol it offers.

Touchscreen technology was introduced way back in the 1960’s but it wasn’t until 1983 that Hewlett-Packard came out with its HP-150 home computer. It was the first to incorporate the technology and actually performed fine.

And of course when the decade came to a close, companies were in a race to produce a touchscreen-operated computer that was portable. So began the smartphone craze. Who remembers companies like Palm, IBM, and Microsoft? They were constantly banging horns in the 90’s, always coming up with new models of touchscreen smartphones. Of the three, it was Microsoft who came out on top once the new millennium checked in. With its innovative Windows Mobile software and Windows XP Tablets, people thought Bill Gates found another area of success (like that guy hasn’t had enough of it already).

So in 2007, a “not-so-popular” company named Apple sent ripples into the histories.

Known for their ground breaking success in the music player arena with their iPod line, Apple introduced another signature model to their stable.

Lo and behold, in the annual keynote of the late Steve Jobs (God bless his soul), the world was introduced to the revolutionary iPhone. It was a fully functional mobile phone with nothing but touchscreen technology. To say it was a global success is an understatement. It went on to break records in sales across the boards. People dubbed it “The King of Smartphones” and even “The Jesus

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Phone.” But one can’t really have perfection. Issues with hardware, the lack of a better camera, a sluggish operating system, and so much more have pushed Apple to come up with newer models of the renowned phone. Now, just recently, they unveiled the iPhone 6, which is gargantuan compared to the original iPhone. But there are always chinks in the armor of Apple, as people started to complain about the horrendous price tag (Php 100,000 up for the 6 Plus?!) and of course, the bending issue.

Oh well. Tough luck Apple.

With the success of Apple’s touchscreen integration on the iPhone, other companies followed suit, like flies drawn to a lamp. Mobile phone frontrunners such as Samsung and Nokia now make touchscreen a staple on all their models. Heck, even China brands have touchscreen phones. It’s a global phenomenon, this touchscreen thing is. And it’s no wonder why companies continue using this technology.

Touchscreen sells.

But why is this the case? “Touchscreen phones are convenient,” says Michael Aceron, a BS Biology student who owns one of Samsung’s top of the line Galaxy phones. He adds that he finds the keypad input method of the yesteryears too sluggish for his needs. “I type like a boss on touchscreen. I feel more in command and futuristic.”

“Touchscreen phones have a bigger screen compared to the earlier cellphones,” Bea Hervias, a 4th year HM student, who happens to bring around an iPhone 5C in her pocket, shares. It’s not the status symbol an iPhone gives, it is more of a fill for her needs, and the iPhone 5C, with its big screen resolution and colorful back cover schemes, definitely fits the bill. “Did I mention the entertainment value it brings to the table? Apps and games make the iPhone a perfect fit for me.”

So with more and more people becoming disciples to the touchscreen revolution, what’s in store for the future? “I think all future phones should come with the touchscreen technology, it’s more convenient for people,” Cyre Louise De La Cura, an HM student, declares. She thinks that the advent of technology gave cellphone users so much convenience that it would be maniacal if companies would steer clear of it in order to pave way for another technology.

“Touchscreens are easier to use than keypadbased phones.”

Jan Phillyn Jagorin, a first year BS Biology student, also agrees that touchscreen technology will be here for the long haul. “Years from now, I can still see myself toying around with a touchscreen phone. It’s going to be a mainstay, for sure.”

So now you look at the three parties one by one and notice their futuristic phones. You stare down at your own and smile: a Nokia 3310.

Considered to be the phone before the word even existed, it’s the only thing that can withstand a nuclear war (tested and proven). You quietly get up to avoid embarrassment and head straight for the exit. But as you pass by the teenage girls, one of them blurts out, “How do I update to iOS 8 my iPhone Dual Sim?” S

model: kerr michael cruz

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TECHNOLOGY

THE NEW WAY TO LEARN

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The internet has more to offer than just cute cat videos, game walk-throughs and easy solutions to the next assignment given in class. It is a medium for which actual education and learning can take place as well. //BY DEO GRAtIAS u. FLORES //photograph by chomin q. aberasturi

ducation has always been a vital component in the advancement of society and those who live in it. The fact that new inventions, innovations and discoveries are being conceived every day is proof that education has contributed greatly to society’s progress. And since education is such a crucial piece in the advancement of society and man`s cognitive evolution, it should not come as any surprise if popular belief holds that education must be compulsory in order to succeed in life. Having little to no educational attainment can be a huge disadvantage in today’s highly competitive world where a higher the position for work desired requires a degree from school with equal value. The more credentials a person obtains through studies qualifies him for a better job and the promise of a successful life.

However, at times, some educational programs cannot be accessed or acquired at local institutions, which results to people enrolling somewhere far away for the sake of studies. But with the absence of the necessary funding to maintain the costs of such a path, many seek alternative means to undergo their desired program all in the comfort of their own houses.

This alternative is called Online Learning or commonly known as E-Learning (Electronic Learning).

THE ART OF E-LEARNING

On October 1999, during a Computer-based Training (CBT) Systems seminar in Los Angeles, a strange new word was used for the first time: E-Learning. Also called virtual learning, it is a way for individuals to learn based on the use of new technologies allowing access to online, interactive and sometimes personalized training through the Internet or other electronic media.

Oh, and it’s free.

Most E-learning establishments are free for those who avail of it. Usually, an E-learning class is held online where students interact with their instructors through Skype sessions and/ or webcam chats. The existence of E-Learning has, to a certain extent, replaced the normative form of class instruction wherein a student is in direct correspondence with the teacher by incorporating the factor of technology in the teaching scenario, thus bringing education into a more personal level as opposed to the standard

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...AN E-LEARNING CLASS IS HELD ONLINE WHERE STUDENTS INTERACT WITH THEIR INSTRUCTORS THROUGH SKYPE SESSIONS AND/OR WEBCAM CHATS.

couriers.

model: kerr michael cruz

PROS AND CONS

classroom setting most traditional forms of education are familiar with. Some E-classes are even done through email or text, which further adds to the convenience that this style of learning. But despite its ingenuity as the future of modern education, instructors in free E-learning classrooms hold no obligation towards their students.

WHY PEOPLE TAKE IT

In some cases where students or professionals alike want more training for a specific course of interest, they take up E-learning classes via internet for a fee. Though online institutions generally

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offer free trial-based lessons that last for a couple of weeks, depending on the commitment of the instructor, other private E-learning sites charge a minimal fee for a designated timespan and schedule. In this system, students pay their instructors either hourly, daily or by schedule. The pay of the instructors depends entirely on the agreed timeframe and nature of the agreed lesson. Once officially enrolled, students and instructors are required to converge or meet at the arranged schedules. Payment is usually done through credit card or, as an alternative option, conducted personally or through money

No matter how convenient or seemingly practical a thing may be, it will always have some drawbacks.

E-learning, as a whole, has its own respective advantages and disadvantages, like everything else. After all, no system is perfect in each and every aspect of its existence. Some major drawbacks of E-learning are source reliability and timeframe inconvenience. Since the instructors are online, most of their lessons are facts gathered from the internet. Chances of third parties editing or reconstructing the said information is higher than one may expect. In addition, whether the instructor is paid or not, or even if the E-class is for free or not, the time constraint of the lessons sometimes gets the best of both teacher and his/her students since classes here have no definite or solid schedule. Scheduling may

remedy it, but there will always be cases where inconveniences are still encountered. It is also notable to mention how the internet connection may falter and may cause interruptions and technical difficulty during an E-class session. E-learning is helpful in many ways. One can benefit much from such a convenient learning process, despite the drawbacks and seemingly expectable hassles that come with long distance communication. Some may pay for such a service and some may simply search for free alternatives, but at the end of the day, the conclusion will always be that everybody wants to learn either way. So don’t fret if finding good sources or free teachers online pose as an obstacle to you, or even when paying your online tutor feels like a rip-off.

After all, knowledge, no matter what it is or how small it is, always comes with a price. S

fashion

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Bringing Back So Yesterday Fashion is a dynamic form of art that changes as time passes by. But while other forms of fashion have already disappeared across the market, some have made a timeless mark and are making a big comeback.

BY ANTHEA P. MANAYON PHOTOgraphS BY CHOMIN Q. ABERASTURI

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Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” – Coco Chanel 21st century style has been evolving so rapidly that it’s difficult to keep track of the kinds of fashion the current decade has been exhibiting, though it’s easy to get lost in all the trends and lose sight of one’s personal style. So, when in need of inspiration, here is the secret tip: look to the past. Along with bits of style history on the last five decades of the 20th century, as fashion articles usually go, here are some sartorial tutorials on how to revamp the iconic looks from those periods to suit the present times. >>

nov 2014

43 BEAT OF A DIFFERENT DRUM

WON’T GET FOOLED AGAIN

efore the onslaught of more explicit & realistic photographs of women in the 1960s, the concept of sexy revolved around the classic, painted pin-up girl.

The evolution of the pin-up girl dates back to burlesque performers and actresses in the 19th century who used their photos as business cards to promote themselves. Soon, these advertisements gained great popularity within the theater and the public, challenging the conventions of women’s place and potential in society. By the early 20th century, famous silver screen starlets were drawn, photographed and put on posters that made it on boudoir looking-glass frames and the lockers of lovesick G.I.s during World War II. Through much criticism and protest, the pin-up girl ultimately represented the woman who had developed a positive post-Victorian rejection of bodily shame and given birth to a new healthy respect for female beauty.

The 1950’s also marked the beginning of the “Beat Generation”. First introduced by Jack Kerouac, it later gave rise to the “beatniks”, a moniker coined by Herb Caen of the San Francisco Chronicle for anti-conformist youth who gathered in underground New York clubs celebrating jazz music. Beatniks were known for their unadorned dark clothing, which included black turtlenecks, berets, and sunglasses. Obscure and aloof as they seemed to the masses, their style was received well by the public. Beatnik fashion later came to be known as the roots of modern minimalist fashion.

Pay homage to the Pages and the Grables of the ‘50s with a solid printed dress or romper that plays up those silky pin-up girl gams, and let the red lips (literally) do the talking. For men looking for a little more art, do a tribute to Kerouac and go black.

A turtleneck might be too much for the sunny weather, but a classic, understated black sweater paired with tailored-fit dark jeans and sandals may be something that will get a brooding soul inspired. >>

he 1960’s was the decade that broke many fashion traditions, echoing the social movements at the time. Young people started dictating style instead of luxury designers from London and Paris. In contrast to the previous decade’s more classic style, the ‘60s was the age of psychedelic patterns, highlighter hues, and mismatched prints. Leading the style movement, London modernists, known as “Mods”, invented a new childlike way of dressing that reflected their subculture’s focus on fashion and music; women wore short, shapeless dresses and tall, brightly colored boots while men dressed like rockstars from The Who and The Kinks. Multiculturalism also became popular by the late ‘60s and there was no real uniform style, as inspirations were drawn all over from India, Bali, Morocco, and African countries.

This sparked the creation of the androgynous hippie look that composed of frayed bell-bottom jeans, tie-dyed shirts, and paisley prints.

Decorative prints can be good for menswear, if done right.

Guys can wear a paisley print top but don’t have to go all-out on bell-bottoms; light shorts in nature colors are enough to keep the authentic, organic hippie vibe. For girls—the Mod look is all about minimalism; opt for clean lines and either solid colors or matching prints. Recreate the Jackie O bouffant by adding in a ponytail for a modern twist or go a step further and channel the inner Twiggy or Mia Farrow by daring to get a pageboy haircut. >>

modelS: rj nichole ledesma & daphne tanya molenaar / makeup artist: bea ivanica mocorro

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fashion

44 FREEDOM OF THE DRESS

TROUSER POWER

he self-expression movement started by the Beats and the Hippies paved the way for what is known as the most individualistic decade for fashion. By the ‘70s, people generally had developed more guts to wear whatever they wanted, marking the birth of an indifferent, rebellious approach to fashion. Men and women both donned more laidback apparel such as sweaters, sleeveless vests, t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers. By 1977, however, fashion became baggier and this caused much protest from women. Curvier women complained that loose clothes made them look larger, as slimmer women lamented not being able to flaunt their trim figures. To make up for this, it became fashionable to show more skin.

Shirts were unbuttoned, sleeves were rolled up, and straps were exterminated. As people started having nightlives, women were seen wearing see-through clothing and shiny satin and metallic fabrics—conceiving the glamorous, “free-to-be-me” disco look that rose to popularity in music videos and night clubs around the world.

Bring out the inner ‘70s diva-goddess with a sexy, flared playsuit that accentuates your arms. For the casual Mick Jaggers: send out major Rolling Stone vibes instead by updating a vest with slim black jeans, a graphic tee, and a pair of aviators. >>

etro-themed college parties of today usually get an influx of partygoers wearing 1980s-inspired attire most probably raided from their parents’ wardrobes. Think ‘80s, and you immediately get a sense of excessively bright and vivid colors, expensive dressing, and heavy accessories.

People of the ‘80s wanted to express an image of high status and wealth, and therefore crafted their ideal public image through faux jewelry. They rebelled through their big, teased-up hairstyles and heavy, bright makeup against the hippie movement that fought against materialist values. The ‘80s was the decade of power, and this reflected in its music and fashion.

Update the printed blazer by wearing casual, monochromatic shirt and pants that come in contrasting color or, for the ladies, power dress to impress by coupling tailored men’s trousers with a set of killer heels and a padded blazer. >>

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45 PLAID HABITS

here’s just something about reminiscing the trends that filled the growing up years that brings college kids together and makes instant friends out of them. Nothing beats talking about the 1990s—cultural memes have exploded on the internet relating to the beloved decade’s toys, movies, music, and fashion. The ‘90s was an important time for the pop music industry as it was dominated by boy bands and teen queen legends like of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, whose personal styles brought to surface a more playful, childish side of fashion. The underground music scene had also risen to popularity by this time, spearheaded by bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and started a new trend in the music and fashion world: grunge. The style reflected a more defiant and edgy street feel, as men proudly wore long, curtained hair, loose flannel shirts, black leather or acid-wash denim jackets, drainpipe jeans, Doc Martens, and aviator shades.

Relive the Disney days and pull off a Mickey Mouse Clubinspired get-up by bringing back denim dungarees with a cropped top, or fake a Kurt Cobain with the iconic flannel shirt, but use it as an accessory instead by tying it around the waist, over drainpipe jeans, a sweater or clean white shirt, and black sneakers or boots. >>

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WHAT MAKES ONE TRULY SKILLFUL IN FASHION IS HAVING A STRONG SENSE OF SELF.

As most people are still being led to think that style is dictated by rules, what makes one truly skillful in fashion is having a strong sense of self.

Trends come and become relevant for the time being, but at the end of each day, who wants to be remembered for looking like everyone else?

History repeats itself, and so does fashion. But fashion history is made when one dares to create something original out of the existing. When it comes to clothes, there are no rules. In studying style, as in any art form, there is only one valuable piece of advice: take what you need and leave the rest. S

46 / FILIPINO

Sino si Juan?

Ang ating pagkapinoy ay nakikita ng ibang lahi dahil sa binuo nating sariling pagkakilanlan.

BY THALIA b. DELA CRUZ / photographs by chomin q. aberasturi

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ilang isang bansang punong puno ng mga samu’t saring tao na may iba-ibang katangian, masasalamin parin ng iba ang ating pagka Pilipino.

Walang duda na ang mga Pilipino ay may likas na pagkakakilanlan na halos mga dayuhan ay mapapablib sa taglay nating orihinalidad, mapa tradisyon at kulturang aspeto man ito.

Hindi man tayo kilala bilang isang maunlad sa larangan ng ekonomiya, nagwawagayway pa rin ang bandera n gating nasyonalidad at patuloy na sinasaludo saan mang sulok ng mundo.

Tinatayang mayroong mahigit 200 Foreign enrollees sa English Studies Program ang USLSBacolod Academic Year 2014-2015 at karamihan sa kanila’y Korean Nationals. Sa loob ng ilang buwang pananatili nila sa Pilipinas, marami ang natuwa at nabighani sa mga Pilipino at ating mga magagandang lugar at kultura. Ilan nama’y naging negatibo sa pagbigay ng kanilang

models: Christian jan rubrico & joanne millares

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pananaw sa mga Pilipino dahil sa kanilang naging unang impresyon sa bansa at sa mga tao.

“The Filipinos are so friendly”, ayon kay Kim Miah isang Korean student ng USLS, ang mga Pilipino daw ay sadyang mabuting makisalamuha at madaling makasundo dahil sa “sense of hospitality” na kanilang taglay.

Dagdag niya’y “skinny” o “slim” ang karamihan sa mga Pilipino at mayroong maliliit na mga mukha. Nasayahan din siya nang masubukan niyang kumain nang naka kamay lamang. Naging tatak ng mga Pilipinong delicacies para sa kaniya ay ang maaalat na mga pagkain kagaya ng tuyo at iba pa.

Masyadong mainit para sa kaniya ang panahon sa Pilipinas pero hindi raw ito hadlang sa pagdayo nila sa mga magagandang destinasyon sa bansa. Ika nga “It’s HOTTER in the Philippines!” hot na hot sa pagsalubong, hot na hot pa sa tourismo!

“The Filipinos are interesting”, sabi naman ni Rodney Myers, isang American student. Dagdag

pa niya ay naging interesado sila sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas lalo na ang pagtatanggol ng mga Pilipino para sa kanilang kalayaan na naghulma ng kanilang pagkakakilanlan bilang isang nasyon. Sa kasamaang palad naman raw, ang mga Pilipino ay umaasam ng kaligayahan para sa kanilang mga sarili at dahil sa sobrang paghangad nito sila’y nagiging madamot. Tingin din niya’y ang salitang “nosebleed” ay offensive para sa mga lahing Amerikano.

Datapwa’t hindi maiiwasan ang mga masamang papuri sa mga Pilipino, nangingibaw pa rin ang kaniyang paghanga rito. Naging mainit daw ang pagtanggap ng mga Pilipino sa kanya. Ani niya’y ang kultura ng mga Pilipino ay halohalo, ibig sabihin ay nahahaluan ito ng “Western Culture” kagaya ng sa kanila. Naiiba raw ang mga lugar sa Pilipinas kumpara sa kaniyang pinanggalingang bansa. Nasarapan din siya nang subukang kumain ng “balot” sa kalye, at ng adobong Pinoy, at lalong lalo na ang mga tuyo at maaalat na pagkain. Sa

Pilipinas raw, “Tanan manamit!”, manamit sa pagkain, manamit sa lutuin!

“Filipinos are really different”, ayon naman kay Koketsu Shinichi isang Japanese student na aking nakapanayam. Ang mga Pilipino ay naiiba sa larangan ng pagkain, mga tao, kultura, at iba pa. Ang mga Pilipino para naman sa kaniya ay matulungin, masiyahin, at mabait mismo sa kanila. Ani niya’y ang mga lugar sa Pilipinas ay halos magaganda at nakakabighani.

“Filipinos are resilient”, ani naman ni Natallia Iuana isang Indonesian student. Sa kabila ng nakita niyang kahirapan ay naging matatag at patuloy pa ring ngumingiti ang mga Pinoy. Siguro nga ay naging sensitibo siya sa pagkilala sa mga Pilipino lalong lalo na ng kanilang mga emosyon.

Dagdag pa niya, maraming maipagmamalaki at ikakatuwang bagay ang mga Pilipino lalong lalo na sa mga tourist destinations kagaya ng Mambukal Resort, lalong lalo na raw ang kanilang Hot Spring. Masarap din ang mga pagkain dito lalo na ang Inasal na Manok na binabalik-balikan niya at siyempre ang katangi-tanging maalat na tuyo. Masaya rin siyang sabihing mapagkumbaba talaga ang mga Pilipino sa mga pagkakataong nakikipag-usap sila.

Patuloy na pinapatunayan ng ating bansa na pwede tayong magkaroon ng ating sarling pagkakilanlan, at napakaimportante ito sapagkat hindi natin gustong mahintulad sa ibang nasyon na kinikilala bilang isang sanga lamang ng iba.

Iilan lamang sila sa mga dayuhang naibahagi ang kanilang mga iba’t ibang pananaw sa mga Pilipino. Patunay nga itong “It’s more fun in the Philippines”. More fun na sa mata, more fun pa sa sikmura! Marami na ang humanga, sumaludo at naging parte ng ipinagmamalaking pagkakakilanlan ni Juan Dela Cruz, maging si Uncle Sam man o iba’t ibang nasyon.

Patuloy na pinapatunayan ng ating bansa na pwede tayong magkaroon ng ating sarling pagkakilanlan, at napakaimportante ito sapagkat hindi natin gustong mahintulad sa ibang nasyon na kinikilala bilang isang sanga lamang ng iba.

Oh ikaw? Anong masasabi mo kay Juan? S

SA KABILA NG NAKITA NIYANG KAHIRAPAN AY NAGING MATATAG AT PATULOY PA RING NGUMINGITI ANG MGA PINOY.

48 / FILIPINO

MAHAL PA KAYSA PERA Para sa iba, mayaman ka na kung nasa paligid mo ang mga taong nagmamahal sayo.

BY JISSON C. YALONG / illustrated by RObert austin g. salameda

ilipinas, isang bansang marami ang naghihirap at naghihikahos sa buhay upang makakain ng tatlong beses sa isang araw. May mga taong “isang kahig isang tuka” kung saan ang trabaho nila ay sapat lamang upang punan ang lahat ng pangangailangan ng buong pamilya. Mayroong mga magulang na hindi na pinapaaral ang kanilang mga supling upang makakatulong lamang sa paghahanap buhay sa mura nilang edad. Iba’t ibang kundisyon at kadahilanan, ngunit isang bagay lamang ang puno’t dulo ng lahat ng ito, pera.

Kritikal na sa bayan ang malalang sulirianing ito, na arawaraw ay kumakalat sa buong bansa na parang isang nakakahawang sakit na hindi maagapan ng sinumang espesyalista. Kung kaya maraming mga pinoy ang pinipiling magkipagsapalaran sa ibang bansa upang doon na lang magtrabaho.

Doble o triple ang sahod doon at marami pang opportunidad sa mga pilipinong nanghahanap ng medyos upang mabaliktad lamang ang napakakomplikadong estado nila sa buhay. . Dito kasi sa Pinas, kahit na anong kayod na gagawin mo, at kung ang trabaho mo dito ay hindi

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pang propesyonal, hindi magiging sapat ang kita mo para mabayaran ang lahat ng hirap at kirot na nakuha mo sa iyong trabaho.

Ayon sa statistika ng National Statistics Office (NSO) noong 2012, humigit kumulang 2.2 milyong mga pinoy ang nagtratrabaho sa ibang bansa, napakalaki diba? Parang ang lahat ng taong nakaitira sa syudad ng Bacolod at Manila ang sabaysabay na nagsilabasan sa bansa upang matrabaho.

Para sa kanila, wala nang nasyo-nasyonalismong umiiral kung ang tiyan ng kanilang kapamilya at ang kinabukasan ng kanilang mga anak ang malalagay sa peligro.

Dahil din sa maramihang exodo ng mga mamayan, ilang uri ng mga propesyonal ang kumukonti dito sa bansa tulad ng mga marino, doctor, nars, at enhinyero. Sino ba namang tao ang tatanggi sa ganoong malagintong oportunidad? Magiging marangya ang kanilang mga buhay at hindi na kailangang maghirap ng kanilang mga pinakamamahal sa buhay.

Maaring nakakatukso talaga ang mag-ibang bansa dahil sa pera, pero may mga tao talaga na mas pinipili ang buhay dito sa Pilipinas.

Ibang iba talaga kung nasa sarili mong bayan ka namamalagi, hindi ka mahihirapang manghiram sa kapit bahay mo sapagkat kakilala mo sila, o umutang ng anumang kakainin sa isang tyangge malapit sa inyo kung nagugutom ka at wala kang pera. Komportable ka dito, at alam mong kayang kaya mong mamuhay dito sapagkat pamilyar ka sa lahat ng nasa paligid mo.

May pera ka nga sa dalawang mong bulsa, ngunit ang mga mahal mo sa buhay ay ilang dagat ang layo mula sayo, prodaktibo ang lahat ng magagawa mo roon, at malulutas na ang mga problema ninyo sa pera, ‘eh ang kalungkutan na mararamdaman mo kapag mag-isa ka lang sa isang lugar na wala kang kakila-kilala, paano mo kaya ito malalampasan?

Ang mga nagdesisyong magpaiwan nagtitiis sa “minimum wage” na binabasbas sa kanila ng mga boss nila, ang pahirapang paghahanap ng trabaho at ang pagkakait sa lahat ng mga bagay na gusting gusto nila upang makapiling ang kanilang mga kamag-anak at kaibigan. Sulit at

mahalaga ito para sa isang taong mas inuuna ang pagmamahal kesa sa pera.

Mayroon ding mga taong nagpasyang sumugal sa kanikanilang negosyo, umaasang lumago ito at kumita ng sapat para mabigyan sila ng lahat ng kanilang pangangalilangan araw-araw.

Kahit na maliit at tinggi-tinggi lamang ang kanilang pinagkikitaan ay magaan parin ang kanilang loob spagkat nandyan lamang sa kanilang tabi ang mga mahal nila sa buhay.

PARA SA PAGMAMAHAL SA PAMILYA

Si Jazel Labriaga, isang titser.

Pinahahalagahan niya ang relasyon na mayroon sila ng kanyang mga magulang, kapatid at mga pamangkin na nagdadala ng mga ngiti sa kanyang mukha. Mahal na mahal din siya ng mga bata na kanyang tinuturuan at parang kayamanan din sila para kay Mam Jazel. Noong taong 2002 ay nagkaroon siya ng pagkakataon na baguhin ang buhay na mayroon sila. Nagdesisyon siyang mang ibang bansa upang makapaghanap ng trabahong makakabigay sa kanya ng mas malaking pera sapagkat kailangan niyang tustusan ang mga gamot ng kanyang may sakit na ama. May isang kaibigan na nag-alok sa kanya ng trabaho sa Dubai upang maging PreSchool teacher. Gusto din niyang palaguin pa ang karanasan niya sa pagtuturo sapagkat ito ang katangi-tanging bagay na hilig niya.

Malaki ang sweldo na matatanggap

niya roon at siguradong magiging sapat na tulong ito sa kanyang pamilya kung tatanggapin niya ang oportunidad na iyon. Pero nung okay na ang lahat ng mga papeles niya at mga kailangan niya upang umalis ay pinilit siyang pigilan ng kanyang ina. Hindi naman siya tumutol sapagkat para sa kanya, ang pagmamahal na nakukuha niya sa kanyang mga estudyante dito sa Pilipinas at ang pagkalinga ng kanyang pamilya ang mas nangibabaw sa kanyang puso. “Kung nagtrabaho ako sa Dubai, siguradong magiging masagana ang pamumuhay namin. at matutugunan ko ang lahat ng kailangan ni tatay Ngunit walang kwenta ang lahat ng iyon kung malayo naman ako sa kanila, at ang lahat ng mga estudyanteng nagmamahal sa akin dito sa tinatrabahuan ko, kailangan nila ako upang mapagpatuloy ko ang sinimulan ko. Wala man sa akin ang lahat ng yaman at karangyaan, pero mayaman pa rin ako sapagkat pinupuno ako ng pagmamahal dito sa Pilipinas.” Sabi ni Jazel. Mahalaga sa kanya ang pinanghahawakan niya ngayon at wala siyang plano na pakawalan lahat ito. Isa na siyang prinsipal sa isang pampribadong paaralan dito sa Bacolod at masaya niya paring kapiling ang mga nagmamahal sa kanya.

PARA SA PUSO

Isa si Edgardo Lumawag sa mga taong sumugal sa hibla ng sinulid na manatili dito sa bayan kahit na

may nakakaayang alok ang isa sa mga kamag-anak niya na mang ibang bansa para sa isang trabaho na tiyak magbibigay sa kanya ng maraming pera at karangyaan na matagal na niyang hinahangad.

Ngunit, tumutol ang puso niya na umalis sapagkat nakakita na ito ng isang tahanan. Nakilala ni Mang Edgardo ang babaeng nagpukaw sa kanyang natutulog na damdamin, nagkulay sa kanyang mundo, at ang dadalhin niya sa altar upang makasama niya habang buhay. Hindi siya tumuloy sa Saudi at nanatili dito sa Pilipinas upang bumuo ng pamilya. “Noon, mahirap ang ginawa kong desisyon.

Pero sabi nga nila, kapag ang puso na ang magdidikta, wala ka nang magagawa kundi makinig nalang.” Mungkahi ni Edgardo.

Ngayon, may dalawa siyang anak at namumuhay sila ng mapayapa at masaya sa kung ano ang meron sila. Pera nga ang nawala sa pagbabalewala niya ng trabahong iyon, ngunit isang masayang pamilya naman ang binigay sa kanya.

Marami sa ating mga kababayan ngayon na ang pangunahing problema ay ang pera, kung kaya marami ang nang iibang bansa para masagot ang lahat ng ito, ngunit para sa iba na tulad nina Jazel at Edgardo, nagsisipag sila dito sa bansa sapagkat mas marangya para sa kanila ang pamumuhay na kasama ang kanilang mga mahal sa buhay dahil ang pagkalinga, at ang pag-ibig ay mas mahal pa kaysa pera. S

OFF THE PIL L

50 / FILIPINO

Photography

ASHLEY JOHN YEE

Hair and Makeup

ANTHEA P. MANAYON

Model

NOELBERT GUMADLAS

Alfred Adler’s theory of individual psychology states that the main motive of human thought and behavior is the individual man’s desire for power or superiority, which compensates for his feelings of inferiority. On the other hand, Henri Tajfel and John Turner’s Social Identity Theory states that a portion of an individual’s self-concept

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or “level of self” is derived from membership in a certain social group. Taking these two theories together, both of which try to explain man’s desire, nay, need for uniqueness, it is easy to say that one feels unique by becoming a noticeably different individual, or be part of a group of like-minded people for society to define you as such.

If that’s the case, then just how unique are you?

The subject of individuality is so hard to pinpoint that people end up saying ironic jokes like, “you’re unique, just like everybody else.” But in a world where there are cookie cutters prepared for individuals to shape them into the people that society wants them to be, how does one become the person that he or she wants to be? The answer is simple. We live in strange and hard times, and in order to maintain some sort of control, society forces on us the medicine of normalcy.

For us to become “acceptable” individuals, we need to take in pills of conventionality. But the only way for us to find ourselves in a world where everybody is separated by mere lines, the only way to heal ourselves from becoming clones of each other, is by getting off the pill.

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Have you ever wondered what it took to be so famous on Wattpad that local studios would take up your piece and turn it to the next cheesy romantic teen-flick? Here’s a fun guide that may help you achieve it. //BY jireh marielle C. zaragosa //illustrated by daryl G. montehermoso & jowan dave G. guides

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o, the immense popularity of teen fiction has your brain brimming with ideas for your own debut novel? Are you convinced that your brainchild is completely unique and worthy of becoming the next Young Adult (YA) bestseller, but still need some tips on how to get started? Worry no more, because this guide will help you through the basics of every bestseller.

Note that not all successful novels possess these clichéd, I mean, well-thought out elements, but at least one or two may be familiar to you.

THE PLOT

01 THE CHARACTERS

YOU’RE THE GOD OF YOUR BOOK’S UNIVERSE...

The first and most crucial thing protagonists must possess is good looks. If you are going to write the book in first person then, of course, the main character must never acknowledge just how much they actually look like supermodels. Obviously they need to have some sort of shame.

And if they can’t be upfront about their physical appearance, they will never introduce themselves as someone special as well. Note how many teen bestsellers introduce their leads as “normal” or “nothing special”. Not notorious, not amazing, just so-so. Besides, there’s a thing called “character development” which is one of the main reasons why you’re writing the book, but that will be explained later.

Before you continue on with making the plot, you have to make sure the lady has a love interest (that is, if your protagonist is a girl). The fundamental requirement for any leading man is not just good looks, but absolute perfection. Uh-huh, he must possess unequaled charm, intelligence, popularity, and talent. The only flaw he is allowed to have is a bad personality. He doesn’t have to be a serial killer, he just has to be that guy who actually does care, but can’t show it. That’s not even much of a letdown either.

Don’t forget the minor characters! Like the lead’s friends or parents. Actually, you can disregard them. If they are not interesting to you, you shouldn’t bother with trying to make them seem interesting lest they steal the spotlight. So you don’t have to put much thought in them, because you have the plot to worry about too.

This is where you get to apply your creativity, so it’s best to think up something new. Done? Now combine that new idea to the plotline, “very ordinary girl meets very perfect boy”.

The best and most surefire way to introduce this “very perfect boy” to readers is by creating a scenario wherein the “very ordinary girl” meets him early on in the book. In other words, the first hot stranger she meets is the guy she will be desperately in love with throughout the story. This move is vital in creating bias in both the readers’ and the female main character’s judgment in case a new character decides to present himself as another potential love interest.

Which leads to the next essential plotline: the love triangle. The third party could be anyone. It could be the guy best friend who has been keeping his feelings pent up for too long, or a completely new character who appeared out of nowhere, solely to make life difficult for the lead couple (and readers). And yes, that is exactly what love triangles are meant to do. More often than not, the third wheel will always be more understanding, more sensitive, and basically be the better choice for the main character. But because of fate (refer to previous paragraph), “true love” will prevail.

However your story goes, there must come that climactic moment when all hope is lost.

You’re the god of your book’s universe, so if you suddenly decide to have all of humanity destroyed, it’s time to bring in the deus ex machina. It’s a concept originally created by the Greeks to conveniently resolve an impossibly complex situation (such as the impending doom you wished to bring upon the human race). So if you ever get stuck on a complicated climax, it’s perfectly fine to come up with a completely unexpected development (like the sudden introduction of a character who happens to hold the key to salvation). If you can live with yourself for having created such an outcome, then eventually your readers will have to do so too.

NOV 2014

THE FORMULA

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CHARACTERS PLOT STORYTELLING

03 THE STORYTELLING

Two words. Painstakingly detailed. Or overly descriptive. The reader can only associate your prose with what he/she is familiar with, so you must make sure that what you are describing leaves a consistent image to readers of every background. If you’re trying to save time, give the reader glimpses of the character’s features in a scene.

Take time to imagine how your heroine enters a popular and understandably crowded café. Her pale porcelain face lights up as she spots an empty table near the comfort rooms.

A few moments later, a tall, lean, and straightnosed waiter (probably Italian) appears from the sea of customers to take her order. Bashful, she tucks a tuft of gorgon-like mahogany brown hair behind her heavily studded right ear and mumbles her order inaudibly and strategically, so that the handsome waiter leans close enough to feel her humid breath repeat, “Two cups of

hot vanilla macchiato.”

The immense detailing should get all the more lengthy when they finally have their first intimate moment together. No, it should not sound like porn (mind the readers’ age bracket), but you can go detailed with their touches, kisses, and embraces while leaving out the descriptions of their anatomy. You should also master analogizing their journey to oneness, as if their souls merge into one living being, two halves that have finally clicked like lock and key. Remember, you’re making a 500800-word narrative on that specific moment’s perfection.

Coming up with an original story these days is already a fairly difficult task, what more with an interesting original story? The next best thing is to give the angst-ridden teenaged readers what they want, because they will happily pay for it anyway. In a way, it’s still a bestseller, so it’s a win-win. S

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Outside the tube PhotoS taken from the internet

When you go on the internet, you’re surely bound to find something that will leave a mark on your mind, be it positively or negatively. Known as a home to many interesting weblogs, videos and other cool content, sites like Youtube surely offer you a good time and a good laugh.

BY JOHN DALE G. GUGUDAN

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he cyber world is swarmed with a variety of the strangest online finds. From cat videos, to how-to instructional material to the most pointless displays of animated violence, the internet shows diversity in its content that viewers can delve into endlessly.

YouTube, a notable and famous video sharing website, has served as a platform for people to not only entertain themselves but also to contribute their ideas, jokes and interests to the rest of the world. There are some who work rather amateurish but there are those who have certainly earned the right to be called one of “Youtube’s Finest”. Here’s a rundown on some famous names that have brought inspiration to the cyber scene.

SOULPANCAKE

With the goal to give people the chance to speak their minds, answer questions and help others figure out what it means to be human, SoulPancake is one fine and heart-warming YouTube channel.

SoulPancake was founded by Rainn Wilson together with his friends, Joshua Homnick and Devon Gundry. It was originally a website back in January 2010 that wanted to deliver messages about what life can be. But on July 23, 2012, they decided that there is another way to reach a bigger audience (despite the website’s 1 million views per month): Youtube. Publishing five videos every week, SoulPancake has reached 1,282,204 subscribers in just three years, which is a huge deal taking into consideration the tremendous competition for views that exist

online.

From the streets of Los Angeles, California, SoulPancake gathers random people living their everyday lives to participate in what can be called “crazy street stunts”. They give people the chance to experience life in another way. Some of their interesting stunts include conducting experiments that help explain the science of love and happiness, letting musicians sing randomly on the streets and asking people on the streets about their big questions in life. They feature the last days of people with interesting stories to tell, and countless more inspiring things to make their viewers either think, laugh, cry or all of the above.

In SoulPancake’s Snap Your Joy video, they built a giant Polaroid on the sidewalks to capture people’s joy. After garnering enough

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THE INTERNET SHOWS DIVERSITY IN ITS CONTENT THAT VIEWERS CAN DELVE INTO ENDLESSLY.

photos, SoulPancake categorized the “joys” under laughter, contentment, excitement or success. At the end of the video, random people were asked about the wall of faces that they have seen. Apart from gaining more than 100,000 views and 3,000 likes on the Youtube video, SoulPancake has also truly gained the smiles of viewers and participants alike as if the success of their channel isn’t any more proof of it.

So if you ever think of giving up on humanity or you just want to feel good after a bad day, SoulPancake is one video channel to see. After all, Pancakes are delicious – even for the soul.

PHOTOS TAKEN FroM THE INTERNET

THE ART ASSIGNMENT

If somebody you know blabs about hoping to improve their artistic lives or talks about a YouTube channel that gives them random assignments, there is a probability that they are avid viewers of The Art Assignment.

The Art Assignment is an educational video series that focuses on the creative process and the act of making. The series highlights both emerging and established artists working across the United States, with each artist devising an assignment that serves as a call for makers across the globe. Celebrating risk-taking in the creative process, The Art Assignment introduces you to

[ 60 ] ENTERTAINMENT

alternative approaches to art-making and the most innovative minds in art today.

JAM IN THE VAN

If you ever see a van, jiggling and shaking, what do you think of? Well, whatever it is, it isn’t this van. This van shakes and jiggles because of excessive jamming and music playing. Because in this van, the only rule is, JAM. Jam in the Van is literally a production studio on wheels with solar energy panels on top of it. It started out way back three years ago.

With its simple goal of discovering underground music and sharing it, the Van travels miles and miles from state to state bringing listeners to musicians and musicians to listeners and producing new content 5 days a week. The music discovery van of YouTube has had over 100 bands and artists perform, well, inside the van.

Indeed, it is one strange van you’d want to hop on to.

CRASHCOURSE

Have you ever had the urge to learn something without having to endure its prerequisites that you might not really need? Then you should probably visit the Youtube channel, CrashCourse.

CrashCourse is an educational YouTube

channel started by Hank Green and John Green, popularly known as the VlogBrothers. Since its launching in 2011, CrashCourse now has a growing audience of over two million subscribers in just a span of three years. As of now, CrashCourse offers programs on World History, Biology, Ecology, Literature, U.S. History, Chemistry and Psychology.

Not many online educational videos have reached a viewership as big as CrashCourse has.

With its intelligently delivered puns and amusing somewhat psychedelic graphics, CrashCourse captured the attention of those who want to learn spontaneously.

QUIRKOLOGY

Winning bets and hacking life is one of humanities hidden (but not that hidden) desires.

Quirkology does a great job at teaching its viewers just that.

Quirkology is not just a YouTube channel; it’s also a book entitled, “Quirkology: How Discover the Big Truths in Small Things.” Both were published back in 2007 by the psychologist/ magician Richard Wiseman Ph.D. YouTube is flocked by videos full of mind boggling tricks. What sets Quirkology apart from the others, is their accurate and easily

understandable explanations. Quirkology succeeds in enlightening minds on alternative and ingenious ways to deal with reality.

With psychology, life-hacks, sure-win-bets, illusions and magic tricks mashed into one, Quirkology is one channel to spend your time into.

Youtube is an ocean that is full of a growing population of talent, new knowledge and inspiration. But much like the ocean itself, there’s still a lot of uncharted waters waiting to be discovered. S

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By michael albert m. diy & adely grace v. tomaro ART BY katrina trish c. isiderio, aloe danica b. deala & robert austin g. salameda

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MADSHACK

In an uncharted island protected by a secret government agency, the pioneer creation of artificial life was being perfected by an elite group of scientists possessing god-like intellect.

Using natural resources and the best available instruments in medical technology, 36 clones were made, all genetically modified to be the perfect vessels for an ideal set of journalists in a utopian society.

However, during the final stages of their development, a virus spread across the entire system contaminating three of the perfect clones. Afraid of the hazards posed by the fatal error, the project was deemed a failure and all clones were sent to be cryogenically frozen, never to awaken. But there will come a time when they will be released from their temporary sleep and speak to the world the truth of their existence.

And when that day comes, the world better be ready.

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themselves was nowhere near reachable.

The best way to describe the ending of their stories (without divulging spoilers) is that there’s nothing more depressing than watching human souls crumble before you in perfect synchronicity. The characters were all beautifully and tragically portrayed by their respective actors that one of the greatest treats of the film was watching them become someone else entirely.

The musical score of the film is also notable for its haunting accuracy of the mood of particular scenes. Take, for example, the implied “high” moments. The music climaxes as if to convey the energy and vigor that the consumption of drugs have on its users. Then, almost abruptly, it shifts to low melodies or sudden silence when the moment has passed and a sense of sobriety and normalcy resumes.

But the most notable aspect of the film’s overall appeal is the glaring (and borderline traumatizing) message it blatantly puts out to viewers. With the graphic portrayal of drug abuse, prostitution and other controversial forms of human degradation, Requiem for a Dream illustrates the fragility of the human soul so clearly that it may be too much to handle for a regular, unsuspecting audience. Though critically acclaimed for its cinematic value, the film received an NC-17 rating by the Motion Picture Association in America (MPAA). Aronofsky appealed that censorship of sex scenes in the film would reduce its overall value, only to be denied.

Eventually, the film was released without a rating though many would still contest that it should be rated as strictly “for adults”, for good reason.

It’s just a movie about people who do drugs but it is in their experiences and the delivery of their fates that will ultimately take the film up on everyone’s most-depressing-films-I’ve-ever-seen list. Whether you think that’s a good thing or not, it’s up to you.

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MOVIE

Requiem for a Dream

BY ADELY GRACE V. TOMARO

orange in the evening and green at night. Just like that. One, two, three, four.”

Sara Goldfarb is an average old lady who is retired and living the remaining years of her life alone and lonely. Her husband has passed and her only son, already busy with his own life, rarely comes to visit. To fill the hole of loneliness, she entertains herself by watching variety shows, infomercials and other programs on the television. One day, she receives a prank call informing her that she was chosen to appear on an episode of one of her favorite game shows.

Believing it to be true, she becomes heavily obsessed with the idea of regaining a youthful appearance in time for her “big television debut”.

She begins taking weight-loss amphetamine pills to reach that goal and soon, she finds herself addicted to the drug. It wasn’t long until Sara slowly caved into madness, confusing reality and fantasy all in the midst of the hallucination that her fridge was out to get her.

Elen Burstyn’s portrayal of Sara Goldfarb was both spine-chilling and amazing in Darren Aronofsky’s 2000 drama film Requiem for a Dream. Aronofsky, who co-wrote the screenplay with Hubert Selby, Jr., the writer of the book Requiem for a Dream where the movie was based off, managed to visually convey the essence of drug addiction like no other film has ever done. Through the combination of stunning cinematography, dynamic video montages that matched the highs and lows of the accompanying background music and the creativity with the scene-by-scene transitions, the film Requiem for a Dream takes such a chaotic approach to its portrayal of addiction that it’s mesmerizing.

However, as the film progresses, it deliberately plunges into heavy drama with no actual intention of lightening up.

As devastating and grim as it may sound, Requiem for a Dream is all that and more. The greatest tragedy, perhaps, exists in the stories of the main characters. Aside from Sara Goldfarb (Burstyn), Harry Goldfarb (played by Jared Leto), his girlfriend, Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly) and his bestfriend Tyrone C. Love (Marlon Wayans) also struggle with drug abuse.

The three friends are heroin addicts who enter the illegal drug trade industry as financial means to have each have their own dreams and ambitions in life come true. They earn money and get their fill of drugs, which for them, was a win-win situation; but things go wrong and suddenly the life they had initially imagined for

REVIEWS

MOVIE | GAME | BOOK | ALBUM | WEBSITE

PhotoS taken from the internet

“Purple in the morning, blue in the afternoon,

GAME

FINAL FANTASY X: HD REMASTER

BY MICHAEL ALBERT M. DIY

About thirty years ago, in game developing and

publishing company Square was facing a huge financial crisis. In the midst of a seemingly inevitable bankruptcy, Hironobu Sakaguchi led a team of seven core staff members in a last-ditch effort to save the business, in the form of a fantasy role-playing game, which was fittingly entitled Final Fantasy.

Needless to say, the title was a massive success that ultimately spawned 13 (and counting) sequels, several spin-offs and movies, and is now

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one of the most revolutionary influences in the turn-based role-playing genre. Perhaps every Final Fantasy fan wants a favorite in the franchise to be modernized with improved graphics, music and additional content – and that is precisely what Square-Enix has done with the tenth main entry of the series, Final Fantasy X. Final Fantasy X: HD Remaster, released in English early this year, is an updated version of the acclaimed 13-year-old Playstation 2 game.

It retells the epic adventure of default-named Tidus, a renowned blitzball (the game’s own underwater ballgame) star who finds himself transported 1,000 years into the future under unexplained circumstances. He discovers that a giant entity, known as Sin,was responsible for destroying his city a millennium ago and that it still continues to plague the modern-day continent of Spira. Tidus also finds out that the only way to stop “it” is through the abilities of a summoner, who must acquire the Final Aeon (or summon) in order to defeat Sin. Tidus eventually meets Yuna, a skilled summoner (obviously female and love-interest material), and joins her and her team of guardians in a pilgrimage all over Spira. But of course, there is always a catch to being able to survive a 1,000year time leap, and it is one of the exciting major twists the series unravels, that is just as fulfilling to experience as (spoiler alert) Aerith’s theatrical death in Final Fantasy VII. While the Final Fantasy series is known for consistently excellent storylines, it has continued to stand out in terms of gameplay as well. Final Fantasy X: HD Remaster does not necessarily add new elements to the original, as far as battles are concerned, but it’s the kind of system that remains to be enjoyable despite its lack of novelty.

Once (or even before) the main story battles are finished, side quests for new items and bosses can be taken on, which can require as much as another fifty hours to fully complete. Unfortunately, the game does not give you the option to ride a chocobo into the sunset, but you can take it to a race against an insanely unfair trainer if you wish to take a break from vigorous monster bashing. There’s also the option of Blitzball – but that requires its own rant or praise (if you’re into sports games) article to describe in its entirety.

The game’s music has also been reworked and in fact orchestrated, which has been a major gripe of some die-hard fans, claiming that the game has lost its magical nostalgic-value because of it. It’s true that the other tracks sound slightly foreign, but then again, what’s the point of buying a remaster if you just want to play the original game?

Graphically, it’s one of the best-looking Vita games currently available – Square-Enix wasn’t the most outstanding developer with regards to updating old games before this was released, but their effort rebuilding all main character models from scratch, improving textures lighting and shadows, and editing backgrounds shows through – and it should, seeing as the game took close to three years before it was officially released.

Overall, the game is a welcome rain shower in the drought known as the Vita’s role-playing game library. In fact, it’s a must-own for any RPG-lover who wants a great story, remarkable music and exceptional gameplay, or basically just a time-killer on the go. Now, we just have to wait until Square-Enix remasters every numbered game on the series and, along with that, keep on hoping that the next game released in the franchise won’t ever have to be the Final Fantasy.

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BOOK

i’ll be dead by the time you read this

BY JOHN DALE G. GUGUDAN

At first, the title seemed crazy, nonsensical,

and out-of-place. But don’t worry one bit, you will find out why.

“I’ll be Dead by The Time You Read This” is a book that merges the true-to-life experience of non-fiction and the inventive-imaginative features of fiction. It combines the reality of one-liner statements of random human beings living life, with the mundane and unsuspecting nature of animals.

The book does not follow the story of the main character(s) - It doesn’t have any. Instead, it follows the journey of the author from the random thoughts of his head; to the overheard talks of the streets, the train, the bus, or the taxi; and to his everyday conversations. He gathered statements that got stuck on his mind and jotted it down, to be compiled into a collection of animals with dramatic dialogues. The book gives a glimpse of not only the creative mechanics of the author’s mind but also the very core of what makes people human, which is bittersweet existential pain.

The great thing about this book is that it gives this feeling of belongingness and it makes you feel that you do not suffer alone. It grants you the opportunity of doubting that people around you might be as broken as you are. Yes, others having problems worse than yours doesn’t really make things better for you; but isn’t it nice knowing that others have problems too? Admit it, nobody likes to be alone in everything. Even the most introverted people want somebody to listen to them. The book somehow feeds the network of humanity by connecting you to the billions of people walking the earth and frantically busting their brains trying to figure out how to rise up to their individual issues and how to move on from them.

Another reason why this book is amazing is that it provokes your thoughts. It makes you ponder why evolution has not made people well-adjusted to these emotional baggage if its primary job is to make a species improve from its previous state; why do humans have to suffer problems over and over again; and why don’t humans get better; and for a more intriguing question, do humans want to get better? There is something comforting in knowing that you can be happier than you are.

Being the happiest man alive is boring. Would you even enjoy a roller coaster that goes to the highest point and from there, go on a straight line?

You might think it’s ridiculous (or not) to read a book with animal illustrations in it. But give those animals the same weight of emotional baggage as humans and the drama becomes marvelous. Animals, without a doubt, have a wide range of emotions both discovered and undiscovered, but it is weirdly funny and entertaining to see them in a different light; having ones as insane as human beings have. It starts with a lion lying on his stomach saying: “I’ve been happier” and concludes with a bat saying: “I need to cherish this moment.” This book gives a closer look at humanity’s desire to seek pleasure and happiness from everything they could find it in. It shows the readers how humans look and look for happiness but sometimes end up not finding it; Why? Well, they forget to appreciate and breathe in the moment. They forget the happiness in pursuit because they are too busy on the pursuit of happiness.

But of course, with every highs there are lows. The book is hard to sympathize with considering that you don’t have any idea what are the reasons behind these one-liners; what stories hide behind these statements. It doesn’t give you the loud arguments that leads to the slap; it doesn’t give you enough reason to be able to feel something for the critters, big and small, of this book. So instead of saying: “aw, so sad” you might say: “WHAT?!” And upon reaching the end, you might find yourself asking what’s the point of reading the whole thing. The life given to these animals, although very dramatic and riveting, might be viewed as pointless and hard to connect with. After all, it is nice knowing not only where these animals came from and where they are going, but also why they’re going and why they want to get there.

Overall, this book puts into perspective (from the first page to the last) the never ending journey of mankind as he tramples down and gets back up to walk an indefinite distance just to trample down again. It’s an inevitable truth of life. Of all lives - walking with a different number of legs.

ALBUM

ULTRAVIOLENCE

BY ANTHEA P. MANAYON

“If you are born an artist, you have no choice but to fight to stay an artist.”

“There's backlash about everything I do.”

- Lana Del Rey From Hollywood’s death-obsessed dreampop chanteuse Lana Del Rey comes a new record continuing the next chapter of gangsta Lolita’s

dark fairytale. Produced by The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, Ultraviolence is a longshot from the previous album’s cinnamon-sweet hiphop and vintage pop vibe, and is more true to its explicit content rating than the former. Together, Auerbach and Del Rey sought out to craft what Pitchfork described as Del Rey’s “favorite cultural era, a time when the prim and surface-level 1960s were just starting their slide into drug-fueled decadence”.

It begins with grinding guitar and heavy drum-laden “Cruel World”— a disclaimer to Del Rey’s new listeners, hinting that she has let her hoodlum Nancy Sinatra persona die for the discovery of a more poisonous melodramatic, atmospheric rock sound. She croons to her critics and hypocrites: “Got your bible, got your gun / And you like to party and have fun” and puts humour to lines such as “Get a little bit of bourbon in you; get a little bit suburban and go crazy” all while making everything sound like one big psychedellic trip.

The overall uniting theme of anti-feminism first swells up in the title track “Ultraviolence”, in which Del Rey seems to fetishize abuse and even directly references ‘60s girl group The Crystals’ controversial lyric “He hit me and it felt like a kiss” amidst sensually provocative mellow droning. She then proves to be the queen of sadcore in “Shades of Cool”, a morose ballad about being the forlorn lover of an older man.

“West Coast”, the first single to be released from the album, oozes a sultry Quentin Tarantino roadtrip feel through Del Rey’s spooky vocals singing about the music industry and giving into the moment, among reggae drum fills and hip-moving bluesy guitar riffs. She ridicules East Coast hipsters in Lou Reed-inspired “Brooklyn Baby” as well as a rumor about her made by a famous popstar in “F***ed My Way Up to the Top”, and further satires the fame business in the oppressively sacrilegous anthem “Money Power Glory”.

Later into the list, Del Rey romantically reminisces the previous album’s hit single “Video Games” with the same glamorous languor and symphonic gravity in “Old Money”.

In the album’s Deluxe Edition, Del Rey’s lyrical ingenuity is most at play in “Florida Kilos” (co-written by Spring Breakers director Harmony Korine) where she rhymes and namedrops various West Coast narcotic slang in childish, druggy chants to a Britney-pop beat: “White lines / Baking powder on the stove / Cooking up a dream / Turning diamonds into snow”.

Though she has offended certain feminists and moralists at the height of Ultraviolence’s release, Del Rey’s artistry is founded in being lyrically committed to her character. For this, she has generally gained positive critical reception, including a Rolling Stone review branding her evolution as more Cat Power and Kurt Cobain than Rihanna or Katy Perry. As much as the album seems to taunt and provoke, it is in general more of Del Rey’s effort to convey honesty by basically confronting what is on everyone’s mind, and being real to the feelings, both beautiful and ugly, involved in specific issues of love, abuse, depression, and drugs. This, along with swirling Badalamenti-like background howls and David Lynch references (“He’s got the fire—and he walks with it”) invade the album and evoke in the listener a kind of aurally stimulated cinematic trip which is essentially character to any Lana Del Rey song.

This album is neither for the lighthearted nor the more practical folks, as nothing in it screams

smart, logical, or correct. But rare is any human project in which real feelings are not sugar-coated by pseudo-positive ideals in fear of promoting the wrong things. Though pegged by the media as a bad role model for young girls, Del Rey still brings everything into the light and keeps it real in her music. Ultraviolence is not for those seeking motivation or reason. It is pure art.

It’s that very quality of imperfection, hidden behind all the sensationalized love, happiness, and glamour, that makes one human and susceptible to being hurt and hurting others, that songs should sing about. When asked in an interview about her composition process, Del Rey said she wanted everything to sound “in the key of blue”, and sure enough, blue is the only right way to describe her new vision as there are no other beautiful, tragic things to call it. Del Rey’s fearlessness from criticism and emotional abandon in Ultraviolence marks her unfolding as a true artist.

T THOUGHT WEBSITE

CATALOG

BY RJ nichole L. Ledesma

Thought Catalog’s fatal flaw arguably lies in its

tagline. It posits that “All Thinking is Relevant”, and this faulty logic clearly manifests in the published content of this website: ranging from the heartwarming and profound to just plain selfabsorbed silliness.

Hosted by Wordpress, this is only one of the many “confessional” type blogs on the internet that happen to blow up at a rapid rate, currently reaching over 27 million people at average globally per month. The site also runs on a submission basis with a steady list of regular writers, among them are Ryan O’Connell, Brandon Scott Gorrell, and Stephanie Georgopulos. It operates under an independent U.S. media organization, The Thought & Expression Co., and founded by Chris Lavergne on February of 2010.

Initially, when the reach was still relatively low, the site’s write-ups mostly consisted of ponderings over being in your 20’s, as they are the target audience. The overarching theme would usually revolve around that crucial phase in one’s life, its glories and downfalls, as well as reflections and advices on how to better deal with the pressure and stress that come in a time when you are expected to successfully pave your way to your own destined future and to realize your dreams. All off these are written in a very accessible and conversational tone, which is soon to be known as one of the dividing qualities of

71

Thought Catalog among the many other viral blogs, especially those that are too academic and “high-brow”. It boasts of empowering the average reader, and championing the voice of the typical and ordinary American adult.

Thought Catalog is also very vocal with its fidelity to freedom of speech. “[We] strive for a value-neutral editorial policy governed by openness. The more worldviews and rhetorical styles on the site, the better,” as stated in the about section of the website. But this same disposition toward the concept of openness led the site to become what it has transformed into now: a big hodge-podge of incoherence, melting into a pot full of poorly-written, narcissistic, pointless and offensive click-baits and listacles.

The contributing writers are fond of giving saccharine life advices and overtly cheesy, pseudo-intellectual ramblings, and in the process of conveying such, they can never avoid to revolve their point around themselves. Even if they have to talk about Ancient Mayans, or Theory of Relativity – topics that rely on facts and principles – most of the writers are so self-absorbed that it would not be a Thought Catalog article if they don’t somehow carelessly connect these things to mundane anecdotes from their lives. The author would succeed easily at invoking the scent of her ex’s hair while haphazardly talking about Greenhouse Gases, or bringing up her 14th birthday while discussing about match-stick candles.

The internet has provided anyone access to many platforms in which to express one’s sentiments, and in the abundance thereof, the worst in people are easily publicized – or in Thought Catalog – published to thousands of unsuspecting readers almost instantaneously.

Upon scrolling down past posts, one might wonder why the administrators and editors of the website have not filtered offensive (often racist and sexist) write-ups.

Articles such as “Asian Women Need to Stop Dating White Men”, “Which Black Teen Murderer Are You?”, and “Why I Am Both Devastated and Grateful When Someone Commits Suicide” would not fail to rouse alarm and anger to some readers. And maybe that is the response they are looking for. After all, scandalizing headlines make up for more page views.

Thought Catalog has also become akin to a cheap bathroom stall wall. It is vandalized by pointless rants about the most futile things, which surprisingly concerns a lot of people. One can’t help but wince while skimming at headlines like “Are Men Turned on by Baby Bump?”, “It Took Me 6 Months to Poop Around My Boyfriend (and That’s Normal)”, and “Female Friendships are Weird”.

At its core, Thought Catalog is a pure manifestation of the Millennial’s “Me, Me, Me” tendencies. It is an evidence to the Gen Y’s unhealthy need to constantly self-depreciate, at the same time, glorify themselves, and for attention and assurance which the Internet can temporarily ease. The fact that people’s unfiltered nonsense gets so much views is a telling of the alarming state this generation is in: one that values the pointless and the vain over things that truly matter. More and more sites, not only Thought Catalog, are falling prey to the trend of dumbing down their content to cater the short attention-spanned reader wandering in a vast, visually-driven electronic wasteland. If Thought Catalog is the future of “confessional media”, then it would be a dismal one. S

71 NOV 2014

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72

RURAL Life

BY Michael albert m. diy

L

oathing the starkness and minimalistic tedium of the country, man decides to embark on a journey to test his fate in the tumultuous, chain-driven land of mechanized steel and molten iron.

Leaving behind him the invigorating hills and lofty mountains, the cool rushing brooks and streams, he sets off towards the unknown, hoping to find a better and more exhilarating life for

himself.

In today`s epoch of technological advancement, in a meager span of a thousand years, the majority of the world’s cities have now transformed into desiccated, and smogbombarded labyrinths of imposing edifices, alongside gargantuan towers and citadels of concrete and steel, trailed with endless winding roads of arid cement covered dryly with asphalt and tar. Each place that one may cast his gaze upon, heralds the myriad spectacle of iron beasts belching out whorls of smoke imbued with the stench of burnt gasoline and oil, and the dreaded sight of lumbering behemoths of metal contending for the road’s supremacy akin to two tigers battling over a single divine mountain.

The air now chokes those who breathe in its toxic fumes, just as how the scalding heat of midday scorches those who venture beneath the rays of the once forgiving sun. Gone are the vast, emerald plains where herds of cattle once roamed and grazed freely, the priceless scenery of a thick, lush forest is nothing more but as distant memory of the past and ultimately, streams and rivers that had bubbled forth clear, pristine water before,

now boil malignantly now with the black seed of filth, as their depths house the waste of the land around them instead of treasures. Where did the beauty, fineness and life of these places disappear to? Where can one find it? Is it on the pinnacles of the highest of buildings, is it in the fine marble of the most grandiose palace, or is it there, in an artificially constructed scrap of land dotted with bushes of short-lived flowers?

It is nowhere to be seen in the city.

Seeing all these horrendous and chaotic spectacles would turn anyone living in the city into a skeptic, especially about his or her means of living. Not only does this pertain to the capability of a human being to exist in a certain place with the aid of money or labor, but also to the value of his or her surroundings and the merits he or she receives from it. Living every day with the normative hubbubs of living a life in the city, such as the infamous traffic and day-in dayout evidence of smog, poses as a great challenge as well as a one-way ticket to stress and sickness.

Jeopardizing your health and mental state for the opportunity to live and earn relatively more compared to the countryside does not by any means, justify such a thing. That is why, to cut directly to the chase, living in the country proves better than in the city in plenty of ways.

The quality of air in the country is relatively better, since the evidence of pollutants in the air in the countryside is far lesser than that of the city’s. It is a guarantee when living in the country that one would inhale nothing but crisp, undefiled air unlike the city, where smog is one of the things anyone can inhale aside from nicotine

from cigarette smoke. Next in line is the serenity of the countryside compared to the noisy hubbub of the city. In the country, people go to sleep at night, wake up early in the morning and do things in life with the greatest hint of simplicity, compared to the technologically pompous metro life filled with hassles and unwanted blunders that keep most people there up till the break of dawn. And finally, the cost of living in the country, plus the prices of the commodities there, hold a stellar difference if compared to that of the city’s. The ingredients there are homegrown, thus the freshness is guaranteed, unlike the supermarkets in the city that showcase vegetables that indeed look good, but in fact, are no longer fresh. Meat as well is a cheap commodity in the country. Chicken meat, pork and even at times beef, cost way cheaper.

And one of the greatst benefits and pros of living in the country is that one would be able to see the beauty and wonders of the rural side of the nation. Living in the country does not only grant anyone cost reduction benefits and clean air, but also it provide the ideal environment wherein people may unwind, relax and experience what they cannot in the city. Though living in the city may have its respective perks, it is undeniable that the countryside has more than trees, rice paddies and beautiful sceneries to boast and hold in high regard.

In the end, we all choose things based on our preferences. Choosing to live in the rural reaches of the nation may sound unappealing to some, but as for those who fancy the thought of a serene and quiet life, free from the hassles of the city; they have made the right choice. S

HEADS AND TAILS / NOVEMBER 2014 / 073

73 NOV 2014

CITY Life

BY ANTHEA P. MANAYON

PhotoS taken from the internet

A

larm buzzes. Wake up. White-hot noontime sun spills onto your sheets. A million noises fuse into one constant, distinctive buzz that erupts as soon as you leave your doorstep: murmurs amidst machinery. Traces of asphalt and rain combine to play under your nose. This will eventually be your source of comfort for the following nights to come. A taxi cab gusts by; stranger meets stranger. The moment you finish downing your daily Splenda-infused espresso is when you realize that it is time for work. The world is yours. Come evening, we play.

Wake up.

A different kind of hunger creeps into your gut. You’re just a bus ticket away from all the things you could ever hope for. With this thought, you succeed in your plot and say goodbye to the familiar territory that has been nursing you since the start. You arrive at your destination and the New Mother presents herself to you; her fruit is larger, juicier. She gaily baits it over your lowly life as you begin to cry and continuously reach for it in a frantic dance. You are a tiptoe’s length away from your comfort zone now. Regrets start to whisper their way into your heart. You are afraid. You are angry. But you want more.

This is the city. This is the magic bag that holds everything to satisfy all senses, fill all gaps in one’s appetite for people, art, culture, food, entertainment, opportunities, and power. In its concrete corners, you will unlock all that is yours.

This is as real as it gets; if you can make it here,

you can make it anywhere. The city doesn’t sleep, as does the faint persistent drone in the still hour-silence of your bedroom, beneath the tiles under your feet, suggesting the presence of a life that is bigger than your own.

This energy is boiling bright and everyone is on fire. Each person is working their way up the success ladder, jointly producing a singular magnified heartbeat bored outsiders hesitantly try to resist. The beautiful thing about being here, however, has a lot to do with your own unique interests. Leo Tolstoy said that “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Like Tolstoy’s unhappy families, people in the city thrive individually. Your passions dictate your purpose, and the city provides access to all the means you need to chase your dreams—materials, funding, education, networks, and even inspiration.

Harvard economist Edward Glaeser calls cities “our species’ greatest invention”. According to him, you become more inventive when you are around other people as bright minds tend to feed off one another. In his book, Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier and Happier, he reports that as a result of collaboration, cities have even increasingly developed planet-friendly alternatives to transportation and industry, as well as more exclusive degrees of specialization for its people.

Meanwhile, a country setting or smaller town does not always guarantee a quiet peace of mind.

“Life is what you make of it” and is defined by one’s own character and the quality of relation-

ships he or she has with other people and the environment. A typical thick-skinned New Yorker reaches a point where he or she becomes unfazed by things. This city inhabitant has developed an inner Zen amidst all the chaos. Overtime, through ample experience of life on the metropolitan fast lane, one learns to cultivate a hardy, steadfast independence. Still, as there are certain truths to some clichés, the city never sleeps as there is always something new to see, something new to do, some new idea to explore. Boredom only starts when you stop using your imagination, but for city dwellers, boredom is a foreign concept.

Besides, you can always take a bus or train from your career in the city back to your humble town, but ultimately, living in the city saves you less time coming to work and less risk during fires, disasters, accidents, or emergencies when the nearest hospital, police, or fire station is needed the most. You need convenience. You need advancement. You need Wi-Fi. Give me Tokyo. Give me New York. Give me Berlin. Give me Paris. Give me London. The countless idols and “chosen ones” we’ve come to know and love first arose to greatness in cities like these. Would you really choose to live in any other place than a city that allows you the opportunity to actually contribute something to humanity on a grander, global scale; to be something more than just a tiny fleck of existence on this planet? The notion of domestic paradise is subjective, and city life can be a kind of Eden in itself; although one that ultimately excites and feeds the mind, heart, and soul.

Take a bite. S

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