The Augustinian Mirror, May 2011 by USA Publications

editoriaL staff

a.y. 2010-2011, 2nd semester

Donna Isabelle Fresnido Jefferson Magbanua Editors-in-Chief Ray Adrian Macalalag Managing Editor Mary Leslie Eregia Josefa Maria Castro Josh Von Iron Tondo Associate Editors Andre Karl Faculin Genessa Buenafe James Marthy Esleyer Mia Rose Emboltura Senior Writers Febrielyn Tumines Kevin George Barrios Jerson Elmido Darlyn Herradura Staff Writers Nicole Fernan Caminian Staff Artist Kristine Louise Andrade Staff Photographer John Louie Esmaya Circulation Officer Gladys Confesor Moderator

editor’s note Donna Isabelle Fresnido Editor-in-Chief This issue of The Augustinian Mirror began, interestingly enough, with a little joke that we wish to share with you. Fresh off the well-received “Revelations” issue, we at the Pub decided to end this school year with a nod to our previous theme’s Biblical roots. So, in reverse, we started with the end, Revelations, and shall end with the beginning, Genesis. We admit that it was sheer fun thinking up topics that might interest, inform and empower you, our dear readers. Choosing with extra care and imagination, the USA Publications humbly submits to your approval these articles with topics ranging from motherhood to whisky-making, eccentric freshmen initiation rituals around campus to a hundred year-old grandma as feisty as the teenagers we have today. So squint your eyes and look closely for, as varied as they may seem, the articles were written to teach you something about the many-sided meanings of Genesis. On a personal note, this is my second and, regrettably, last issue as editor-in-chief of The Augustinian Mirror. Modesty aside, I am proud to say that I have helped the USA Publications put this magazine back on the track of interschool press conferences. In fact, in its comeback last November 2010 at the Regional College Press Conference, The Augustinian Mirror ranked fifth in the Best Magazine category, along with a host of other group and individual awards. Needless to say, we still have a long way to go before we reach the top but seeing the current crop of writers we have, I relinquish my post with a light heart. The seeds have been sown and this magazine is in good hands. So, I leave you with a few lines from a karaoke staple sung at beer joints: “Every beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”

The Augustinian Mirror is the official student magazine of the University of San Agustin. It is published once every semester by the USA Publications with editorial office at the 2nd Floor, Alumni Hall, University of San Agustin Agustin, Brgy. San Agustin, Gen. Luna St., 5000 Iloilo City. Comments, suggestions, and contributions may be sent to the Editorial Board through the email address usa.publications@rocketmail.com.

kristine louise andrade

THE AUGUSTINIAN MIRROR

CONTENTS 4

Inbox

Opinion

14 Cover story

Young at 100

17 gender

Lust, Love, Life

Si Malakas naging Maganda, Si Maganda naging Malakas

Culture

Bon AppĂŠtit?

20 youth

people

From Bloody Fish to Fine Buildings Motherhood at Extremes The Day I Bought my Name

Let the Children Play

22 campus

Initiation: USA Rite of Passage When Your Fairytale Ends Happily Never After

sCI-teCh

trends

CulInary

A Little World for Two Weeks The World with Zombies Man Playing God

Back to the Mound: The Origin of Trends ABOUT THE COVER

The Home-Made Miracle

Withered and wizened, the hundred year-old great-grandmother is pushed along on her wheelchair by her apo. Here we see the coming full circle of a family spanning four generations, the eldest member meeting with the youngest. What is new will age with time, and what is old will shed its skin to begin yet another cycle of life. Though she has lived a century, the old lady faces each new dawn with the possibility of rebirth. For her, every day is genesis in itself.

Generator

C l a s s ro o m s a n d Ventilation Napanilagan ko bala, halos tanan nga building manaya-naya tan-awon kag pagsulod mo, indi magin-ot. Ang amon ya building diri sa Dolce Garcia Hall laway na ang view, guba-on pa ang electric fans, wala pa ginakay-o ang kisame kag kagin-ot maskin pasulod ka pa lang. – The DG Airbender Kagin-ot gihapon sang iban nga classrooms, especially sa Mendel, Dolce Garcia kag Aguirre Halls. Kagamay abi sang electric fans. Tani dugangan nila sang mga stand fan ukon ceiling fan. Gakadula abi ang focus namon kung gapaligo na kami sa balhas. – Sweatshop Knight Ever since I’ve had a Chemistry class on the second and third floors of Mendel Hall, gina-dulaan ko gana magperform [sang] experiment. Permi guba ang gripo kag kis-a [kung] maulaan ko sang concentrated nga chemicals, indi ko dayun kapanghugas. Diin gakadto ang gina-bayad namon para sa tuition? – My Chemical Romance Sa CAS, bag-o tuod ang siya [chairs], pero tani bala butangan man screw ang arm rest nga portion, kay kapila na mahulog CP ko. – Screwed Up

Smelly, Stinky CRs Tani tinlu-an permi ang mga CR sa Rada Hall kag dapat damo tubig kay kung indi ma-flush kis-a, gabinaho lang. Sometimes we don’t use the CRs in Rada Hall because we can’t take the bad smell. – Nosedive Ta n i a n g B o y s ’ C R sa Aguirre Hall tinlu-an permi kay every time magCR ako, kapangsot kag damo pa vandalism. Diin na ang PACUBAS? – Nosebleed Kay-adun na daad ang CR nga wala tubig sa Aguirre Hall kag daad ang tubig sa mga drum sa Rada Hall CRs ula-on ukon takpan. – Waterworks

ID Strap Sana palitan na natin `yung ID strap,`yung better quality naman. Pang-University of San Agustin ba. Bumaba nga `yung presyo, madali namang masira at kinakalawang pa. – Blyx Strap

Generator man da bi! Ang kuryente mas lagawan pa sa akon. It kind of disturbs the class all the time. Kung magbuhi na kami amu man na pagbalik ya. – Powerpuff Girl

Bookstore Pwede ipadako ang bookstore? Kay ang first year na lang ang kaigo. Kaluoy man ang iban nga years. – Enlarger Tani e renovate man ang bookstore. Halin sang Grade 1 ko asta subong, amo man gyapon tsura ya. – Facelifter

Cafeteria Sa cafeteria, tani palayuon nila gamay ang mga basurahan sa eating areas, especially ang sa mga red benches. – Grossed-out

Mascot Kalaw-ay sang mascot sang San Ag, daw MAYA! Brown pa ang color ya, kahuluya magsaot saot ang mascot, manabun gd ko tsura. – Chooks

DISCLAIMER The views and opinions of the readers do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of the USA Publications. Furthermore, the published views and opinions are subjects of our readers’ freedom of expression.

opInIon

Lust, Love, Life

t was on the sixth day when He decided to mold a piece of life with His hands. Then as years passed by, His masterpiece continued to multiply, spreading the Good News He had made. But it came to a point at which His creations overstepped the boundaries of His expectations, when they did not just multiply but also added. Now, here comes that overexposed issue of the RH Bill. Why do we have to talk about it over and over again? Why do we have to discuss its cliché premises and put it on every front page? One big answerIt concerns life, and life is the beginning of everything. We have to fight for it. It’s not an issue of overpopulation, (or is there really overpopulation?), but of corruption, pre-marital sex, abortions and killings. It’s not overpopulation that’s bothering us now. It’s the other critical issues such as human rights violations, social asphyxia, corruption, global warming and other social problems that disturb us. So what’s the point of questioning life, procreation, and love if there are bigger problems out there? Or is the government just too tired of sustaining all the needs of its people? After first reading the bill, I was actually mesmerized; it was delivered in such a way that it would make you feel like it’s all vanilla and

summertime. But it isn’t. It’s got little holes in it. A blogger even called it a “sheep in a wolf ’s clothing”. The bill would serve as a death knell for losing our sense of “Maria Clara”, our conservatism. As they say, “Walang ganyan sa States!”, which we should be proud of. I am afraid that we’ll come to the point of depriving life of every bit of its freedom and reason. I am afraid that one day, every mother in every household, instead of saying “Don’t forget to drink your milk!” to her son, would instead tell him, ”Honey, don’t forget your condom!”, or to her daughter, “Sweetheart, have you taken your birth control pills?” A l m o s t e v e r y b o d y, especially unmarried couples, will enjoy free and pre-marital sex, not just as a habit but worse, a hobby. Love will be history, and most likely be part of forgotten lore, because what’s left would be lust, lust and lust. Surely, God’s heart will ache because His Filipino children, instead of promoting the beauty and splendor of life, will cut it off. As former Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo states, “We should not blame the poor for the nation’s poverty. Poverty exists because no one wants to share and not because poor people produce more and more babies.” But where does life begin? Whether or not it is an 8-cell

human embr yo, a human is a human at the stage of fertilization or conception. So if some RH pills eliminate the possibility of zygote fertilizing, then it’s cutting off life. Joel Inocencio, a blogger, even strongly contended, “And to say that “size” is a determinant of humanity, of course, is an unscientific reason to deny an embryo his or her human status. In any event, it is an embryological reality, which no embryology textbook on earth denies, that at the moment of fertilization a new human being is formed.” Let us remember what the elephant in the movie, Horton, intoned, “So let that be a lesson to one and to all; a person is a person, no matter how small.” Legislators, I believe, were children once - children who may have had or never e xperienced hearing odd stories, playing late night games or enjoying the rain. A chance at childhood could be taken away from unborn babies if the bill would be passed or implemented. So why slam unexpected gifts from popping up? Why crush the raging hormones for acting wild? Before we think of ourselves as biological beings with a need to satisfy our sexual desires, we should first be spiritual beings who recognize the presence of a Supreme Being, the author of life.

“I am afraid that we’ll come to the point of depriving life of every bit of its freedom and reason.”

The AugusTiniAn Mirror May 2011

Culture

bonaPPÉtit? by josH Von iron tondo

ne night I found myself chasing time since my friends and I were going to another friend’s farm. It was already dark and cold. Still light-headed from the exhaustive talking and “music overdose” (I work at a radio station), I treaded the bridge connecting the pump boat to the port, walked the path towards the waiting tricycles, took a ride and went off. 8:30… 9… 9:15… I counted the time. By then, I should have been home. Intentionally, I did not eat dinner. I did not have the appetite… except only for what awaited us at the farm. I jumped to my feet when I heard their bikes’ horns. Alright! We were off for frogs that night. We hunted, cleaned, and roasted the frogs and had our fill of its meat over bottles of vodka. That night was exotic. Exotic, yes that’s the word. When it comes to exotic food, I am one that can’t help but be curious… and thrilled. But for one thing: what are the limits of an exotic delicacy? In the Philippines we have a range of exotic food like tamilok, kinilaw, or inihaw na bayawak. But in other countries, they say, people eat something weirder… something bizarre like… babies! I am pretty sure that 8

there are a lot of us here who are familiar with the e-mail message that circulated some time ago. It talked about and criticized baby-eating in China. The e-mail contained photos of a man chopping an aborted fetus and eating it. Weird. The tale is a reminder of Neil Gaiman’s short story “Babycakes.” Gaiman wrote: “A few years back all the animals went away. We woke up one morning, and they just weren’t there anymore. They didn’t even leave us a note, or say good-bye. We never figured out quite where they’d gone. We missed them. Some of us thought that the world had ended, but it hadn’t. There just weren’t any more animals. No cats or rabbits, no dogs or whales, no fish in the seas, no birds in the skies. We were all alone. We didn’t know what to do. We wandered around lost, for a time, and then someone pointed out that just because we didn’t have animals anymore, that was no reason to change our lives. No reason to change our diets or to cease testing products that

The AugusTiniAn Mirror May 2011

might cause us harm. After all, there were still babies. Babies can’t talk. They can hardly move. A baby is not a rational, thinking creature. We made babies. And we used them. Some of them we ate. Baby flesh is tender and succulent….” What Gaiman wrote is reality mirrored in fiction. But the news about the Chinese people eating babies still has no concrete evidence. Some sites claim that it’s true. They say that eating aborted fetuses is done for health benefits. People think that fetuses along with their benefits, are wasted if they are not eaten. In China, it is said, fetus soups are sold at around $4,000 and can be easily found at Chinese restaurants. Meanwhile, there are other sites who say fetus soups are a myth—an urban legend propagated for the purpose of “blood libel.” Such form of bigotry has already been present since time immemorial. The act involves one group or race accusing another of murdering infants for certain rituals or sacrifices. Sociologists say that “the driving forces behind such bigotry are ignorance, xenophobia (fear of “the other”),

and psychological projection (attributing perceived moral failings of one’s own group to others).” Sites that are skeptical about such delicacy claim that photos posted over hate sites and circulated over e-mails have been taken from an art exhibit of a conceptual artist named Zhu Yu. Zhu Yu showed his conceptual art, “Eating People”, at the Shanghai Arts Festival in 2000. But whether for art’s sake or not, people still complained. In response to the public reaction, Yu explained, “No religion forbids cannibalism. Nor can I find any law which prevents us from eating people. I took advantage of the space between morality and the law and based my work on it.” Shall we take Yu at his word? Not necessarily. In any case, it is difficult which side to take. The internet is an abyss of combined fact and fiction with a blurred dividing line between truth and fallacy. It would be safer to say that the existence of fetus soups relies mainly on an individual’s choice of what to believe in. Eating babies is not my kind of exotic delicacy. But fetus soups—whether true or not—are still exotic. And when it comes to exotic food there will always be people who can’t help but be curious.

people

from

bLoody fish

to fine buiLdings by jefferson MaGbanua

WIRLS of darkness envelop the shaky, stinky structure as men with frail figures and craggy faces busy themselves dragging and carrying huge pails of fish to the service truck. It is in this damp and dilapidated place that Rey Martinez finds himself rolling up his sleeves and sweating it out until the cock crows, just a few hours before he comes to his 7 a.m. class on the fourth floor of Mendel Hall. “Makapoy pero kinahanglan ko mag-obra sa fishing port halin alas onse sa gab-I, asta alas kwatro sang aga para may dugang ko nga balon para sa eskwelahan [It’s tiring but I need to work at the fishing port from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. so that I can have additional school allowance],” shares Rey. Living in the shackles of poverty, the 23 year-old working student doesn’t mind exhausting himself with various extra work – from taking the graveyard shift at the fishing port to T-shirt designing and streamermaking – simply to earn about P200.00 to P500.00 for his daily school allowance. Though a University Grant-in-Aid scholar with 100% scholarship privilege, his

laboratory and miscellaneous fees could still go as high as P9,000.00 per semester – a price working students who take up BS Architecture (or any other course with many laboratory subjects) have to pay. Rey calls it, “somehow unfair” but this reality only triggered ripples of new aspirations. Sowing perfect division One might think that it all ends in the back pains and fish blood stains. Yet, the BS Architecture working student has more than sweat and stench to deal with.

Complaints from other working students in the University’s Accounting Section usually heats up Rey’s mornings. They’d scream whyare-you-late-again remarks at the sleepless fellow. To compensate, Rey never wastes a minute while in the office, filing documents and cutting admission slips to the nines. He admits, however, that though he’s able to meet his superiors’ demands, his mind flies freely, imagining the tracing papers, technical pens and watercolors he has to take hold of again to be able to pass his plates on time.

“Matunga gid atensyon mo kung working student ka kay may requirements sa klase ka pa nga panumdumon [Youwill have divided attention if you’re a working student because you still have class requirements to think about,]” confesses Rey. He had bitter encounters with some teachers after absenting himself from some of his subjects in an attempt to finish his plates on time. “Two of my teachers almost [gave me a failing grade] because I wasn’t able to pass my plates on time,” he adds. Rey puts the blame on no one as he prioritizes his night shift jobs, reasoning out that he can’t go to school without enough daily allowance. The University of San Agustin Grant-in-Aid Scholars Association (USAGIASA) under Ms. Fely Caturas, after constantly hearing the same concern from working students, has organized a monthly seminar for the

The Augustinian Mirror May 2011

scholars, teaching them simple office routines such as how to answer a phone call or the more complex issues such ashow to manage their time effectively. Rey says that dividing his time perfectly among academics, extra jobs, and being a working student is a tall order but he’s trying to juggle carefully all these – at almost the same time. For him, too, this is merely the starting point of his marathon towards all possible boon. Casting away the inessentials Shying away from the stereotype of a college guy, Rey avoids distractions which he thinks would hinder his goals. “Para sa akon ang magbisyo kag magpangita nobya tama ka demanding sa oras kag indi ko gusto nga madugangan pa ang akon problema [For me, engaging in a vice and

looking for a girlfriend are too demanding on my time and I don’t want to have additional problem],” stresses Rey. This principle he formed based on a talk given by a speaker in one of the seminars held for the nearly 400 student assistants of the University. Thanks also to his disciplinarian father, Rey has trained himself to drop the inessentials and put new order in his life. Driven not only by love, but also by fear of his parents, Rey has put his family first among all other things. “Nakulbaan ko gihapon sa ginikanan ko kapin pa kay tatay; amo na natuto ako nga hatagan gid pirme importansya ang pamilya [I still fear my parents, especially my father; that’s why I learned to give importance to the family],” says Rey. The architect dreams The eldest son of a jeepney

driver and a plain housewife, Rey has learned to embrace independence at a young age, chasing a lifetime dream – to become an architect. Picture out a then 18year-old wiping tables and mopping the floors late at night while saying “Thank you ma’am/sir and come again” with a seemingly forced smile to customers leaving the fast food chain where he used to work. For ordinary students, evenings are for studying. But for Rey, they mean additional time to make money for his school fees. When the going gets tough, the tough get going, so they say. And for a determined soul like Rey, he calls it “resilience amidst adversity.” There are a lot of reasons for this, according to him. “Gina-obra ko ini tanan bangud gusto ko maging architect kag gusto ko magpatindog sang pag-on nga pundasyon para sa amon pamilya[I’m doing all

these because I want to be an architect and I want to build a solid foundation for our family],” he explains. Then dreaming about massive buildings and turrets only, Rey goes beyond all these fancies and hopes of returning all the support his parents, Rolando and Celia, have given him. “An eldest son’s duty,” he calls it. “After all, an architect isn’t just concerned about the designs of structures; he also sees to it that the designs would make people living in the structure comfortable,” he says, adding, “Tanan ko nga pangabudlay para maging architect para ini nga maging matawhay ang pangabuhi nanday nanay kag tatay sa ulihi [All the hard work that I do to become an architect is intended to make my mother and father’s life comfortable later on].” Nothing but a fresh outlook For Rey, the newfound

perspective that he tries to live by is a product of the pressure and enthusiasm that he has grown with as a working student. Had he not been a working student, he believes that his grades could have been higher and his plates of better quality, but he feels that he wouldn’t have enjoyed the other benefits granted to a working student (aside from the free tuition fee) – developing self-confidence and social skills, learning multi-tasking, practicing time management and striving for excellence. This new dimension in Rey’s life gives him hope, he says. Someday, he’ll no longer have to stain himself with fish blood to be able to raise decently a family of his own. When that time comes, he surely will have crossed the finish line, enjoying many (if not all) fortunate things a working student can strive for.

The AugusTiniAn Mirror May 2011

people

motherhood

eXtremes

by Genessa buenafe and Mary leslie ereGia

t took only two parallel lines for her world to change forever. With shaky fingers, Elena grasped the rectangular kit tightly in one hand as she left the girl’s room. Glancing right and left across the hallway, Elena had only one thing in mind: NOBODY MUST KNOW. Nobody, even Rica*, her best friend of twelve years to whom she always confided , must have a slightest hint of suspicion. Terror gripped her as she thought of her parents, wondering how they would react, were they to know. As she rubbed her belly gently, Elena wondered how all these had happened in just one night. On the other side of the world, Rajo Devi Lohan knew very well that her monthly flow had long ceased but, as she caressed her swollen belly, she knew that it is never too late to bear a child, even at seventy years old. Spending almost a fortune on in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments, 12

The AugusTiniAn Mirror May 2011

she and her husband were determined to have a child despite their old age. Living in one of the slums of modern India, Rajo feared for the future of her unborn child given the kind of life that this little angel would have to live through. However, nothing could ever be more frightening and life-threatening for Rajo than seeing her baby come out of her womb despite the dangers of giving birth at her age. This is the story of two different women whose lives were changed by a similar circumstance: motherhood. Katorse At 14 years old, teenage girls dream about being rich, tacking a Harry Potter poster on their freshly painted pink bedroom walls, buying the latest issue of Candy Magazine, and socializing with other tweeners on Facebook. Elena Magpili, however, didn’t belong to this group of teenyboppers. At fourteen, Elena

was head-over-heels in love and going serious with her boyfriend, Albert. Then only a sophomore high school student, she bargained the rest of her life for one night of madness. Sadly, she lost the bargain and eventually turned into a teen housewife from just an average teenage student. “I was very happy at first but it’s very unfortunate that it didn’t last. I became unhappy and sick during my 3rd month of pregnancy.” Said Elena. Every decision has risks and Elena’s risks were her health and her unborn baby. The risks for the teen mom are great as well. Pregnancy and birth can put a tremendous strain on a teenager’s body. If bone structure is not fully developed, she takes the risk of injuring her spine and pelvic bones, altering her life forever. It is also well known that the irresponsible behavior some teenage girls exhibit may put them at risk for sexuallytransmitted diseases which can easily spread to an unborn

baby. If untreated, disastrous, even fatal, consequences can occur. As her sickness progressed, Elena found herself alone and isolated from the rest of the world, a noted risk in teen pregnancy. The fact that her being young and pregnant was an oddity in the Filipino culture, she suffered long and insulting stares from people she passed by. Not knowing the consequences of their actions, teenagers often stumble on their problems worsened by their parents. Elena’s parents despised her so much that her thoughts of doubt and fear were left to herself. “When Eliza was born, I spent a long time recovering and as she grew older I began to notice that she couldn’t hear properly. I’m very sad

but there’s no one else to blame for it,” said Elena, “But I’m happy with my daughters, now two of them (with the same man, her husband). Biskan budlay gustuhon ko gid ya maging nanay. Wala gid ko sang paghinulsol, nanay na ko mo.” Eliza, Elena’s firstborn, was found to be deaf when she was five or six years old, resulting to her incapability to speak as well. Apparently, being a fourteen-year-old pregnant girl is a big error in life’s mathematical equation since there will always be a risk for young mothers. Mother at 70 At her age, a septuageuarian woman would hope for a grandson, a happy departure from life, a peaceful family without worrying much about anything, and a higher

search for spiritual beliefs beyond the usual earthly matters. However, 70-year old Rajo Devi Lohan was not ready to depart her earthly life since she was just about to go through motherhood. Af te r be i n g m ar ri e d for 54 years, Lohan and her husband decided to take out loans to pay for the IVF treatment which reportedly cost them over £2,000. In Indian culture, the stigma surrounding the inability to bear children is immense and, as being claimed, this is what led Lohan to seek IVF treatment so late in life. “The doctor never warned me it was dangerous to have a baby at my age,” said Rajo. The increased incidence of chromosomal abnormalities contributes to this increased risk of miscarriage in

older women such as Rajo. As a woman grows older the physical structure of the body weakens which could endanger the child’s life during conception. For women in their 20’s, the risk for miscarriage is 12%-15%, and it rises to about 25% for women at age 40. But a mother can surpass anything for her child even if it means giving up her life. “ I was healthy before, and now I am very sick. I have always dreamed about having a child all my life,” Rajo said, despite the fact that she was getting weaker as her child grew stronger. This inspired her to overcome her fears and face every day with a hope of giving new life to her little angel. Months passed and Rajo successfully gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Naveen. Finally, after 70, years Rajo became a mother. She waited a long time to hold her daughter and she knew she hasn’t much time left. “It does not matter to me that I am ill, because at least I have lived long enough to become a mother,” said Rajo. Eighteen months after giving birth to Naveen, Rajo passed away. “Nothing is impossible”, a famous line goes. Everything that happens in our lives is crafted by the Creator Himself. Our choices, our actions, our dreams, even our faults have been pre-empted. Everyone, including Emily and Rajo, has something to attest to and yes, they definitely proved that motherhood can, indeed, occur at extremes. Reference (http://www.webmd.com/ baby/teen-pregnancy-medicalrisks-and-realities?page=2)

The AugusTiniAn Mirror May 2011

people

the day i

bought my name by Genessa buenafe

e looked at his future as it slowly slipped from his hands. It was only when the mayor took the deed from his bruised fingers did Zhong Ren(not his real name) realized that the land he had farmed for almost two years was not of use to him anymore. The chief of a small community in Laguna began walking away with Zhong Ren’s certificate of land title as if it was the most normal thing to do on an early Sunday morning. The chief took with him not only a piece of crumpled paper but Zhong Ren’s life as well. Luck... or muck? Leaving war and chaos in China, Zhong Ren only wished

to have a small land to farm. Luckily for him, one Filipino sold to him the only piece of land that Spanish families had not yet claimed. The cost of the land was equivalent to the crops of the next two harvests. He used to consider himself lucky, but now that his land had been taken away, luck became a distant voice, just a faint echo. He thought that he was at the starting line of the marathon of his life. The cost of three jade necklaces was not enough to feed his family for a month. At that point in his life, he was terrified. And the only way to save his family was to think of a plan - and fast. “Then it came to me. It was the plan of a crazy man but I was more than crazy,” Zhong Rhen laughed, “I needed to

The AugusTiniAn Mirror May 2011

buy a new identity. I needed a new name.” Pinoy not Chinoy It was in 1952 when the Chinese citizens in the Philippines were stripped of their proper ties and businesses. A f t e r i n d e p e n d e n c e, successive Philippine presidents had ambivalent attitudes about the Chinese Filipinos. Presidents Ramon Magsaysay and Carlos P. Garcia promoted the Filipino First Policies and issued tough government directives that prevented Chinese-Filipinos who were still citizens of China from owning businesses and properties here in the country. Considering that Zhong Ren was not a Filipino citizen, his property was sold to a Spanish-Filipino

leaving him with only a small cottage. The law ended his dream of living a peaceful life and became the wall that kept him from finding the proverbeial greener pasture that would secure his children’s future. “I did not go against it. The law was the law; And [since] I was in a foreign country, I was trembling every step of the way.” Zhong Ren added. Window shopping “I immediately looked for someone who could sell his name to me. Not the actual name, the papers for that name: documents and deeds,” said Zhong Ren, “I was like a teenager, searching for a pair of pants in the market.” Soon he realized that an identity was not just a pair of trousers. A person’s name was not for sale, let alone his LIFE. Zhong Ren

knew that but he needed to feed his wife and his three children. As a result, he took every job he could find to put food on the table every day. He was a waiter/delivery boy/cook/ slave on a day. Jumping from one job to another wouldn’t give anyone (even officials) a chance to ask him his name. “It was a race. If I told my name, I get fired, so I must run and run, finding a new job one after another.” adds Zhong Ren. Months passed, the race of his life continued… but not for long. A Filipino merchant approached him and offered him a business, a capital and a name to go with it. Then he knew, he was almost at the finish line.

Tradeoff and a name “He had a linen trading business, a house full of riches but without an heir to keep his life’s work going,” says Zhong Ren. On that day, Zhong Ren offered everything he had to buy the merchant’s name. The dying merchant took Zhong Ren home and showed him a box filled with papers and documents in his name. Zhong Ren gave him the three jade necklaces and received the papers to settle the trade. In April 1953, he adopted the name, Crispin Lapitan. “I successfully bought a

new beginning. I was at the top of the world,” smiled Zhong Ren, now Mr. Crispin Lapitan. Dream, Believe, Survive Some people dream of a vacation trip, a stop at a famous pizza house, a dress at the mall, a cute guy’s number, a wallet filled with money and a report card full of 1.2, 1.3, 1.4… But some people dream the craziest of dreams: a pony in the backyard, a pot full of gold, glass slippers for a ball, and a person’s name for life.

“ I f you dream of something, the universe conspires with you,” as Paulo Coelho wrote in his book The Alchemist. Truly, this was proven in Zong Ren’s/Crispin’s story of a dream to survive and live again.

Cover story

young at 100 by darlyn Herradura

unlight streams through the windshield as the car makes it way to Cabatuan, and the trees are bright green, ripe with the promise of summer. The place has always evoked memories of numerous fiestas and family reunions over the years. Every time I think of Cabatuan, I remember over fifty relatives who always remark on how much I’ve grown, and, in the midst of it all, is my g reat-g randmother. Two years after my grandmother succumbed to diabetes, my great-grandmother, my apoy, celebrated her hundredth birthday. Gliceria Dominguez, my great-grandmother, turned eighty the year I was born. With a shock of white hair, crinkly brown eyes, and her trademark plain smock, she is the picture of calm old age. She has always been a bit of a curiosity for me and my cousins, a legend in our young eyes. Nobody else we know has even met their great-grandparents, and here

was our great-grandmother, happily celebrating a birthday and maybe growing up a little every year, just like us. According to all sources, Lola has been an incredible mother, grandmother, and, yes, g reat-g r andmother. She has eight children, my grandmother being the eldest, who all had children of their own. The whole clan was brought together when she celebrated her birthday last May 11, 2011. The celebration began with a mass for my grandmother and an old man who was also celebrating his 98th birthday that same day. The priest even joked that he thought he was officiating a wedding, since Lola was wearing white. I thought the priest’s joke was fitting, since this was clearly a day for starting anew. After the mass, we all headed to the town basketball court where a feast awaited us. Things became dizzying after relatives from over three generations were introduced to one another. My uncle

wheeled Lola’s wheelchair onto the stage, and, due to the absence of a large crowd blocking my view, I was finally able to get a good look at her. Lola was in a shimmering white dress, and her fingernails and toenails were perfectly manicured. A camer a crew from GMA’s Ratsada arrived in the middle of the celebration. Lola, who was already tired by that time, tried to shoo them away in her typical feisty manner. That, for me, was the highlight of the day. My uncle had to take over, and answer all the reporter’s questions. A week later, I returned to Cabatuan, desperate to know more about my century-old grandmother. It was eight in the morning, and Auntie Elena, my g randmother’s sister, wheeled Lola’s wheelchair out on the veranda, so she could get some sun. I leaned over by her chair and said, “Kamusta ka na, Lola?” Lola answers in somewhat mumbled Karay-a, so I asked again. In the end, she ended up screaming the

answer in my ear, looking at me like I was deaf. This little incident made me hope that perhaps I’d inherited a bit of her feistiness. Auntie Elena and I soon begin talking about her. Despite being a hundred years old, it turns out my greatgrandmother never lost her spirit, and is, in fact, quite sly. There were times when Lola lost control of her bladder, and her bed sheets had to be changed. Lola vehemently denied wetting her bed, and blamed a crack in the ceiling. Needless to say, it didn’t even rain that day. This story made me laugh, because Lola’s personality shines through the narrative. I’m not surprised when Auntie Elena tells me that Lola’s diet is completely composed of vegetables, but there’s also another edgier staple in her diet. My greatgrandmother began drinking tuba, a local liquor made from coconuts, as a teenager. When more modern types of liquor became all the rage, Lola tried

The AugusTiniAn Mirror May 2011

whiskey, and never looked back. Even at one hundred, she still drinks a small amount of whiskey everyday. I remember seeing Lola with a bottle of whiskey every time we visited Cabatuan, but I never saw her get drunk. Something about this strikes me as completely hardcore. Auntie Elena and I talked a little more, and, soon, it was time to go. I bent over Lola’s wheelchair, and whispered my goodbye in her ear. “Babay,” Lola said, looking up at me, and then added, “Igma anay kamu.” I’ve always been a bit of a cynic, thinking that people lose themselves when they grow old. Right at that moment, looking at my hundred-yearold great-grandmother, I changed my mind. Yes, Lola has to sit in a wheelchair all day, but, in her eyes, I saw a woman with a steel backbone. My great-grandmother never lost herself.

ala – Macheteng t i n d i g , balingkinitang pamamalat, at matipunongmatipuno ang pangangatawan. Sa kanyang tapat, isang kutis-porselana,mala-CocaColang boteng hubog ng pangangatawan at mukhang higit na maalindog kaysa sa nang-aakit na diyosa. Ilan lamang ito sa mga katangiang ma-iuugnay sa maalamat na kuwento nina Malakas at Maganda. Ibiniyak na puno n g k aw aya n a n g u n a n g pinagmulan ng ating kasarian at naging batayan ng ating pagkakakilanlan bilang isang lalaki o babae. Subalit sa paglipas ng panahon, may mga pagkakataong napapalit ang papel ng dalawa. Nasaan na nga ba ngayon sina Malakas at Maganda? Ang Kalipi ni Eba Ang kasabihang “looks can be deceiving” ay sadyang mai-uugnay kay Flint, isang gradweyt ng Unibersidad ng San Agustin. Sa unang tingin pa lang ay hindi mo aakalaing dating kampon ni Adan si Flint dahil mula ulo hanggang paa ay Ebang-Eba ang dating niya. Hubog man ng kanyang baywang o di kaya’y dulo ng kanyang kuko ay hindi makikitaan ng sinyales ng kanyang pagiging lalaki noon. Ayon kay Flint, ang pagkukulong niya sa bahay kasama ang kanyang kapatid na babae at ang pakikipaglaro dito ang naging dahilan niya para yakapin ng buong puso ang pagiging babae. Mula noon, dumami na ang kanyang bisyo para lamang makamit ang minimithing kagandahan. “Umiinom ako ng Vitamin-E, naglalagay ng whitening products sa balat, nagmo-moisturize every night, nagda-diet, at higit sa lahat,

gender

maLakas naging maganda, si maganda naging maLakas,

ni jerson elMido

umiinom ng maraming tubig,” sabi ni Flint. Ilan lamang ito sa mga anikanik ni Flint sa katawan pero kung inaakala mong nagsasayang lamang siya ng panahon sa pagpapaganda, puwes, nagkakamali ka. Suki lang naman si Flint ng mga di-mabilang na Gay Beauty Pageants kung saan humakot rin siya ng pagkaramiraming korona. Sa kabila man ng mga papuring kanyang natatamo, aminado si Flint na meron pa ring hindi nasisiyahan sa kanyang mga ginagawa. “…meron pa ring diskriminasyon. Salamat sa mga nakaka-intindi. Sorry na lang sa mga hindi,” ani niya. Gayunpaman, patuloy pa ring tinatahak ni Flint ang pinili niyang landas kahit na tutol noon ang kanyang ama sa pagrarampa niya’t paghahalimuyak bilang isang babae. “…this is a matter of choice. Lahat tayo ay may kanyakanyang desisyon. Ang katotohanan pa rin ang makakapagpalaya sa iyo,” panindigan niya. Ang Alagad ni Adan Habang nakamasid ka sa talyer, bigla mong naaninag ang tila isang mamang nakatalikod. Lumapit ka bahagya at nagtanong, “Kuya, magkano po bang magpahangin ng gulong?” Humarap siya na nakangiti at sa mapusyaw na boses nagsabing, “Dalawang piso lang anak.” Hindi pa tumitilaok ang manok ay hindi na magkanda-ugaga si Aling Raquel sa pag-aasikaso ng almusal ng kanyang walong anak. Pagkatapos na magsi-alisan ang iba patungong eskwelahan ay diretso

na ang punta niya sa kanyang trabaho – ang pagtatalyer. Limang taon nang nagkukumpuni ng mga sirang gulong ng sasakyan si Aling Raquel. Halos magmumukha na nga siyang lalaki sa hirap, pagod, bigat, at duming dulot ng kanyang trabaho. “Nagsimula lang ako sa pagmamasid-masid hanggang sa ako’y natuto kaya ayun, naging sidekick na ako ng kapatid kong lalaki dito sa talyer namin,” pahayag niya. Hindi raw siya maaring umasa lamang sa pa-extra-extrang trabaho ng kanyang mister sa Maynila. Ngayong pasukan na, hindi raw siya pwedeng hindi magbanat ng buto dahil “…hindi ibig sabihin na porke’t babae ako ay hindi ko makakaya ang trabaho ng mga lalaki,” dugtong ni Aling Raquel. Madalas raw siyang mapagkamalang “tomboy” o “tibo” dahil sa kanyang trabaho, gayunpaman, mas marami ang napapahanga niya sa kanyang pagpupursigeng mai-ahon sa hirap ang kanyang pamilya. Hindi nga naman isinaad sa Banal na Aklat na mayroon pang nilikha ang Diyos maliban sa lalaki at babae. Mabuti rin naman sana kung makontento na lamang tayo sa kung ano ang pagkataong ipinagkaloob Niya ngunit, kapag ang puso o ang hirap ng buhay na ang pumukaw sa atin, minsan sadyang may mga pagkakataong kailangan nating isakripisyo ang mga bagay na nagbibigay-halaga sa atin, maging ang mismong kasarian natin, ang pagkatao natin, ang nakasalalay dito. The AugusTiniAn Mirror May 2011

Photos by Kristine Louise Andrade

line from a song goes “It’s out with the old and in with the new”. Life in the USA Publications is just like that. We say goodbye to our fellow writers who have to climb up another rung of the ladder called “Life” and we welcome another batch of students who share the passion of scribbling with the pen. Though usually thought of as “serious and geeky people”, we in the USA Publications also know the concept of the word “FUN”. As seen in these images, we, staffers, are having the time of our lives beyond press work and the dilemma of passing quality articles on time. Just like the pyramid formed by some Pub Pips, the USA Pub remains steadfast and stable due to the camaraderie and the teamwork of the editorial board. Amidst

perspeCtIves the strain brought about by joining journalism contests and the inability of coming up with good articles because of cases of “writer’s block”, nothing beats the warm friendship established by the staffers who treat one another not just as fellow writers or friends, but as family. As the Pub unofficial theme song goes, “If we hold on together, I know our dreams will never die”, the USA Pub commits itself to remain the best that it could be as it continues to produce outstanding batches of writers through the years. Just like the picture of the staffers huddled together, the USA Pub holds itself together to remain solid and strong amidst the differences of personalities of the writers. To put it simply, different students from all walks of life came together because of their love of writing. Genesis. The beginning. This academic year, yet another batch of writers will dedicate themselves to writing articles for you, dear readers. We, in the USA Publications, hold on to the hope that, as time goes by, you would all be there by our side as we climb the ranks of excellent campus journalists for the common good.

photos by KRISTINE LOUISE ANDRADE

Let the

Children Play by Josefa Maria Castro and Febrielyn Tumines

hile most children eagerly anticipate the thought of going home after a long day at school, little Emily* felt the exact opposite. Upon arriving home, Emily frequently pauses in front of their door, having second thoughts on whether or not to live the life laid for her just beyond that doorstep. After eating dinner, she quickly goes up to her room, does her homework and hopes to sleep soundly, even just for one one night. Her quiet slumber is then rudely interrupted by a loud thud on the door. She covers herself with her blanket, hoping that this would be enough protection for her. Her door slams open, and a man who she once looked up to is now staring down at her with rabid eyes. The man demands that she cook him dinner and

The Augustinian Mirror May 2011

when she refuses, he starts pulling her leg and whacks her on the head. When Emily begins crying, the man simply drags her into the kitchen, and whenever he is displeased, Emily simply has to bear the belt whips one by one. He is never the kind of man Emily hopes to be her father. At present, Emily is a third year college student who has never let go of her hopes of a brighter tomorrow despite her unhappy childhood Another little girl who went through a similar experience is Cherry*. At the tender age of eight, Cherry lived an almost perfect simple life until her uncle came into the picture. Since her parents were usually busy working during the day, her uncle was left to take care of her. At first, the naïve Cherry didn’t mind the subtle touches of her uncle and misconstrued them to be

of innocent intent. He began brushing her hair, her face, and pretty soon, her entire body. Cherry was in no physical condition to fight b a c k w h e n eve r s h e f e l t uncomfortable around her uncle up to the point when he began to rape her, starting a whole new nightmare for her. Since she had no idea what to do, Cherry simply shut her mouth especially when she was threatened by her uncle not to say a single word to anybody. She got pregnant at the age of eighteen with a man of her age and eloped. Now, she is still living life in the misery of poverty, but she says that she’d rather have the life she’s living right now than be stuck at home with her “predator”. Despite the protection given to children like Emily and Cherry by Republic Act No. 9262, cited as the Anti-

youth Violence Against Women and Children Act of 2004, Po l i c e I n s p e c t o r M a r i e Faith S. Superio, Deputy Chief, Women and Children Protection Desk shares with us the most common reasons why abused children are afraid to come out in the open. “Mga usual reasons nila [abused children] are fear, kahuya (shame), and intimidation. Usually bal-an, father nila ang perpetrator. Gaulikid sila nga kung mapreso ang tatay nila nga nag-abuso, basi kung ano ang hambalon sang nanay nila, paboran sila or akigan.” Their fear of whether or not they can win the support of their family and thwart the threat of their perpetrator when the malicious act is revealed, consumes them. In 2009 alone, the Philippine National PoliceWomen and Children’s Desk recorded 9,787 cases of child abuse, about a thousand higher than the 2008 record. “Ang mga nanay nila kung kis-a out of love sa bana, di pa ma-accept ang reality nga

gin-obra sang bana niya. Daw balabag gid sa balatyagon ‘ya, kay kung wala siya palangitanan, sin-o pa ang mapakaon sa ila? Amo na nga gina-explain gid namon sa ila, para mabaton nila kung ano ang realidad”, Superio added. “Usually, ang epekto sina, ang bata wala na respeto sa tatay ‘ya nga nag-abuso. Ginatawag niya na lang sa first name or worse, hoy! May ara man na cases nga ang mindset sang bata ang makagwa, maka-obra para makahalin sa balay nila kay biskan ang nanay nga may idea gapawala lang. Damo man cases nga naka move-on. May naging teacher, nakapamana. Pero may ara man nga nagsuicide kag nag-buang. Worse pa gid, nag sex maniac kay halin pa sang bata gin-abuso, so para sa iya the practice is correct, muna ginapangita niya, always siya naga-experience sex drive. Some of them,

“She covers herself with her blanket, hoping that this would be enough protection for her.”

naging introverts or iban man nagapawarat lang.” T h e U n i t e d N at i o n s Children’s Fund also reported that there are more or less 75,000 child sex workers in the Philippines, making the country fourth on the list of countries having a large number of prostitute children. S o m e o f t h e abu s e d children recognize their past as a nightmare that will always be haunting them for the rest of their lives. But a few see it as a challenge in disguise, to continue living with hope and enthusiasm, to regain the dignity that was once theirs. *not their real names

Initiation: usa rite of passage by josefa maria castro and genessa buenafe

o all the newbies of the University of San Agustin, please don’t be alarmed if you witness a few unusual goings-on within the first few months of the new semester. Don’t be too bewildered if you see students parading around the campus, clad in the oddest outfits, chanting in unison, and most probably grinning, their gleaming faces painted with bold and bright colors. If you start thinking twice about your decision to enrol in the University of San Agustin, no need to worry; What you’re looking at is a new batch of freshmen students undergoing initiation. Origins The word initiation is derived from the Latin word 24

The Augustinian Mirror May 2011

initium, literally meaning “a going in,” and is commonly understood as a rite-ofpassage ceremony or a way of marking entrance into a group or society. It dates back to thousands of years ago, and was commonly practiced for purposes of religious and spiritual acceptance. Tribal initiations were later created by the early inhabitants of South Africa. Their entire initiation process was focused on teaching a boy and a girl about manhood and womanhood. Those who failed to pass the initiation rites were not allowed to participate in ceremonies or even in social rituals such as marriage. Probably, the most well-known initiation throughout the world today is the sacrament of baptism, which is the rite of admission

into the Christian Church. Why initiate? The rules of initiations are simple: senior members tell newcomers what they need to do or accomplish, the newcomers perform or undergo the said act, then they are inaugurated into the group. There are many reasons why initiations are conducted. Obviously, the main reason behind it is to ensure the nobility of the intentions of the incoming members. It is used to test the determination and perseverance of someone who wants to become part of the organization. On Campus The different departments and organizations of the

Campus

The College of Nursing: For the nurses-to-be, their initiation process begins with a theme that is assigned to them by the higher years. They are all given an illustration of a costume that they need to create with specific materials. Once the freshmen are all clad in their unique costumes, they are made to go around the school grounds in a form of a parade that ends up in the gymnasium, where a short program is held to welcome them. The College of Pharmacy and Medical Technology: For the freshmen in the College of Pharmacy and

Medical Technology, their introduction into the world of medicine and microbes starts off with an auction. Each sophomore is given a chance to bid for a freshman of his or her choice who shall then become his/her personal slave/apprentice for a day. Then the freshmen will have to provide themselves with a costume given to them by the Epsilon Chapter (PMT Student Council) . A slave may dress up depending on the department’s chosen theme after which, he/ she is obliged to obey his/her master’s every whim. BS Psychology (College of Arts and Sciences): These Freudians kick off their initiation process by ordering their “freshies” to wear themed costumes, such as Plants vs. Zombies, and parade around the campus, stopping at different points/ areas, where they are ordered to do whatever the “oldies”

want. Their final stop is at the football field, where the “preys” among the newbies are made to go after the “predator” freshies. BS Architecture (College of Engineering and Architecture): The soon-to-be architects are given a chance to express their artistry and creativity on their initiation day. They are given the freedom to portray and dress-up as any character they like and parade around the campus. Whether or not these initiations do serve their purpose of properly orienting the newbies to the new world they’ve gotten themselves into, initiations have been an integral part of the University of San Agustin’s culture for many years. It is a tradition that students take pride in. It will also become part of their precious memories of their stay in this University.

photos by tHerese deslate

University of San Agustin have come up with their own unique ways of initiating their newbies. Enumerated below are just some of the most established and wellknown initiations around the campus:

The AugusTiniAn Mirror May 2011

Campus

neve

When your fairytaLe ends haPPiLy

monday

tuesday

he’d recognize that tall, dark, lean physique from anywhere. Only when he turned around did Lee* confirm that it was indeed her boyfriend of 2 1/2 years, Lance*, who had his arm wrapped around the girl’s waist as they stood in line to get tickets from the booth. At that very moment, Lee’s fairytale came to an abrupt end. In a world where pessimism exists, we find comfort knowing that there is that certain someone who can make us appreciate the good side of life, that everything is not just thorns and tears but also butterflies and sunshine. However, it is such a shock to realize that in girl-boy or samesex relationships, cheating is

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Wednesday widespread. Why does this happen? And how does this “symptom of an unhealthy relationship” break out? Detour to a rocky road A c c o r d i n g t o M r s. Sylvia T. Calantas, Guidance Counselor of the College of Nursing, there are various reasons why cheating occurs in a relationship. “Probably, the first is because two persons are… in a rocky relationship so they find comfort and refuge in the arms of others. The second is that there are persons who have not been able to find [what] they are looking for in their [current] partners”. The first reason was what led Jake* to cheat on his girlfriend of two years

when they had a huge fight. “My girlfriend had this friend whom I was comfortable talking with so gradually nadevelop kami sa isa kag isa kag naging kami for three weeks,” he said. “However, I realized that cheating is bad and it degrades your morality. My girlfriend and I talked it out and luckily everything fell back into place and I’m happy to say that we’re still together up to now,” he added. The beginning of the end How do we know that cheating is already happening? “Sa mag-boyfriend, I think you can always feel it naman eh. Kasi when you are in a relationship, you have this different kind of intimacy, as seen in your communication and in your

by Mary Leslie Eregia

after

Thursday actions. I think both parties are really sensitive enough [to notice] whether [or not] their partners are cheating on them. Of course, there are those who can already feel they are being cheated… yet, they disregard their instincts. There are also those who deny it even when confronted [with it], but in their denial, you will always feel and see that they’re admitting their mistakes”, Calantas explained. An eye for an eye Seeing that the question “Who cheats more often?” is very difficult to answer, we find that there are factors that could lead a person to cheating on his/her partner, such as incompatibility. “In a relationship, both parties have

Friday this tendency not to agree on some major points in terms of their views on life”, says Calantas. Another reason is “getting back” as in the case of Tin*. “My boyfriend at that time cheated on me with my best friend. When we got back together and he pledged his loyalty, I had this “urge” to get back at him for what he did so I hooked up with my badminton team mate. Surprisingly, after [everything that] happened, our relationship still lasted for a year and [a couple of] months before we [finally] said goodbye”, Tin recounted.

behavior and strange scenarios - there are many signs that give away your cheating partner. The two supposedly most common signs have already been mentioned by Mrs. Calantas,- fewer meetings and less communication. These prompted Lyn* to conclude that her boyfriend was cheating on her “kay wala na siya gatawag, wala gapakita, pirme lang busy kung texan, damu lang rason”. The famous line, “Kung ayaw, may dahilan, kung gusto, palaging merong paraan” is really true in most relationships nowadays.

Signs of the times From the usual sorry-I’mbusy-pwede-next-time-na-lang line to the no-phone-calls-notext-messages routine to weird

The more, the better? Cheating may be equated to being negative for it brings about broken relationships, poor academic [performance] The Augustinian Mirror May 2011

(for students), [sloppy] work (for those with jobs), [lack] of health consciousness, although there is always a plus side to this. “They say that persons, especially the students or young ones, have to learn lessons the hard way, so from these negative experiences... they tend to be more cautious in terms of choosing their life partners. Also, in the next relationship, they become more understanding, more experienced, in terms of handling their partners and their relationship”, Calantas added. Love equals looks Cheating does not only occur in heterosexual relationships but also among same-sex couples. According to JM*, the frequency of cheating in same-sex relationships is “grabe”. “Notice ko guid nga sa third-sex relationships, sex lang ila nalagas kaya, it’s easy to cheat kung good-looking ka na kag sex lang nalagas mo. The problem kasi of couples is disposal- gina take for

granted na lang” [the partner or relationship]. JM also revealed that most relationships nowadays are for “market purposes only”. “Subong grabe ang effect sang looks. If your partner is [good-looking], ti sabton mo siya. Kung hindi, ti hindi na lang. Love is equal to looks”, JM said. Cheating now and then Mrs. Calantas also cited technology as the difference between cheating in the past and cheating today. “Devices like cellular phones as well as social networking sites have contributed much to cheating. For example, when you see intimate text messages in your partner’s phone, you can already tell that he/she is cheating on you. Previously kasi, when you say cheating it always [involved] physical relationship but now, it [may] only involve a text mate or a chat mate [with whom] you have emotional intimacy via communication. There may be no physical involvement [in it] but [technology] ultimately

saturday 28

The AugusTiniAn Mirror May 2011

destroys a relationship, as well as the trust and confidence of the partners in each other,” Calantas further cited. Damage control 101 So how can cheating be prevented? “I guess open communication is a must. Whatever you feel, whatever is on your mind, you really have to express it. Also, being open-minded is a plus factor because when conflicts arise, you have to consider your partner’s opinion and when you meet halfway, I think that is a guarantee that [you] can still maintain the good relationship. I think what is really important is that couples are willing to change for the better, that both want to preserve the good relationship that they have”, Calantas pointed out. The True Frog Prince Most girls, as Lyn has observed, tend to wallow in self-pity after a broken relationship. “Ang girl daan, after gin-[cheat] siya, tends

sunday

to ask if there’s something wrong with her. Kailangan maging positive. After all “It’s their loss, not ours””, she commented. JM also adds, “in the next relationship, make sure that the person’s feelings for you are genuine because I believe that that person is worthy of your love”. As “witches” and “trolls” in our so-called fairytale of love, the “third parties” prove to be more of a boon than a bane since they unveil the “frogness” of our supposed “prince” or “princess” and save us from eternal damnation of living happily ever after. Thus, the moral lesson from this sweet-turned-sour story is that “true love waits.” You may roll your eyes on this one but it’s better to wait for Mister or Miss Right than “puncture” your lips kissing all the wrong frogs. Patience has its rewards. You never know, you may have that perfect fairytale ending after all. *Not their real names

photos by kristine louise andrade

â&#x20AC;&#x153;...everything is not just thorns and tears but also butterflies and sunshine.â&#x20AC;?

channel.nationalgeographic.com

A Little

World for Two Weeks by Mia Rose Emboltura

lyricsdog.eu

askdro.com

inally, Lora* and Ben* are now embracing the “project” that they have been working on for over eight long years. This “project” that has become their light, joy and precious gift is their baby Tommy*. There were countless trials and endless laboratory tests that they had to go through. Lora nearly lost her memory from taking countless tablets and capsules intended for her to conceive this dear being. She has lost two of their children in their first few years of attempt. Inspite of these losses, she and her husband never surrendered. They knew that they had

The Augustinian Mirror May 2011

weighed the pros and cons of the procedure and their families fully supported them. Moreover, they had spent “millions” in prayers, courage and faith, as well as pesos, of course, just to see this little bundle of joy come out of their flesh… Tommy, now 2 years and 8 months old, is an exception among us who were procreated normally. His life started in a dish that was perfectly and meticulously designed for a sperm and an egg cell to unite and develop. This had been his little world for two weeks. He was out of his mother’s womb but never left her heart and mind.

sCI-teCh Science made the possibility of conceiving Tommy through the In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) method. This is a scientific technique that involves the fertilization of an egg cell and a sperm outside a woman’s womb. It is also known as the embryo transfer which is a treatment procedure for infertility when other natural methods of conception fail. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States (2007), the percentage of IVF procedures that resulted in a live birth was 25.6 percent on average. In the Philippines, success rates for embryo transfer are approximately 20-30% for each in-vitro fertilization cycle, but it may vary according to the patient’s

age, quality of the sperm and eggs, duration of infertility, and health care access. Despite this slim chance of success, Tommy triumphantly made his way into the world. He had brought the genesis that his parents least expected to happen. With his coming, his family was able to start a new life. They built a new dwelling of their own to be called their home. It was the start of a new, real and complete family. Lora and her husband Ben have no regrets abut undergoing such a procedure. She says, “What we did was only to ask help from science to conceive the child.” For others who might have a say against what they did, she only smiles and say, “Let them be. We have no guilt. I remain

faithful to my Church, I serve Him in the best little way that I can and I believe there is nothing wrong with that…” Before Tommy, they had travelled the world, searching for the answer that would lead to their greater happiness. They had tried all means for him to be created. “If you know that you have weighed the pros and cons and you are pre pared physically, emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically…go for it!” And now that this happiness can hug, kiss, and walk towards them, they may say that there can never be a better and happier place other than right beside their Tommy - the genesis of their life that is all worth it. *`Not their real names

“He was out of his mother’s womb but never left her heart and mind.”

illustra

nian tion by nicole fernan caMi

The AugusTiniAn Mirror May 2011

The by RAY ADRIAN MACALALAG

residentevil.wikia.com

World with

Zombies

right rays of the sun hit your eyelids and a screeching sound wakes you up. “Aw, it was just a bad dream.” But the thrill was just the beginning. As you slowly go downstairs, you notice that the melodious chirping of the morning birds is replaced by the horrible cawing of crows. As you reach the kitchen to prepare breakfast, a foul smell coming from the backyard makes you lose your appetite. You go out to see what causes the stench and you see bloody human body parts strewn all over the place. Gagging, you turn your back on the gory sight and close your eyes. Suddenly, cold arms embrace you. Thank God, it’s just a movie scene. We are drawn to movies with awesome special effects showing the war between humans and the undead in all their horrible, nauseainducing details. Movies such as the Resident Evil, The Dawn of the Dead, and The Night of the Living Dead made a killing at the box-office. How did they generate so much interest? As I was surfing the web to find the answers, I came across a website that gave humorous reasons for people’s far-out interest in zombies and in the zombie apocalypse. First, some of us are fans of gore and violence – blood splattering like paint, head shattering into pieces, and a conscience enjoying

guilt-free assaulting. The site says the major reason why we want the world to end the zombie way is because we get to do a lot of things that we cannot normally do in a real world. Of course when there are zombies all around, people would leave everything, including their stores, and find other places of refuge and safety. Then those of us who remain can enter the shops and grab all items we want without paying for them. Also, each of us dreams of being a leader, through becoming a hero, and saving the day. One way by which we can lead a group to survival and be a hero is through this kind of apocalypse. Although most of this is film stuff, there are actually scientific explanations stating that the undead that could cause human e xtinction can be real. According to Wade Davis, anthropologist, ethnobotanist, and author of the 1985 non-fiction, “The Serpent and the Rainbow,” zombies can be traced to what he had encountered in Haiti. His subject was a man named Clairvius Narcisse who was believed to have been a zombie for 18 years. In his book, Davis concluded that the dead in Haiti, through Haitian voodoo, could be brought back to life through zombification, a process that is done with the aid of a powerful hallucinogen, Datura, and other herbs. As generally believed, the neurons or brain cells

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to be dead already, putrefaction occurs the very second we die. Bacteria that are naturally occurring in our stomachs will start acting on our bodies leading to its decay. Geographically, we can also take advantage of these zombies should they exist in the future. Zombies lack body motor skills and coordination. This will make tall mountains and even sturdy and concrete structures our sanctuaries. And of course, if technology could produce these mindless mindless, flesh-eating undead, we could also produce weapons of mass destruction to get rid of them. The zombies we know about today may be unreal because we can only see them on video games, read about them in books, and watch them in the movies, but just imagine, one day, when someone knocks on your door, enters your house and bites the flesh out of you, then you’ll say there is truth to the existence of zombies after all.

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and Ireland. It’s known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease once it infects humans, according to Cracked.com. The disease is caught by eating the meat of a cow with the disease. Symptoms of infection include changes in walking patter ns, hallucinations, lack of body coordination, muscle twitching, seizures, and delirium. Those infected with such a disease may not run after humans to feed on their flesh but who knows, we might become their breakfast cereal as soon as the virus continues to evolve through time. Just as we believe that zombies can cause our extinction, Cracked.com has also provided reasons why a zombie apocalypse could fail. Even if zombies can run or walk after us, there are also other living organisms that will naturally feed on them. For example, lions in Africa are carnivores – they love eating us, as well as zombies. Also as zombies are considered

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of humans as well as other animals do not regenerate once they are dead. Aside from the voodoo belief in zombie-making, there are already ongoing studies in other technologically and scientifically-advanced countries re garding the regeneration and production of new brain cells in humans. Today, stem cells are developed by scientists so that in the future, people may have the capability of replacing their dead neurons. Now, how can this cause a zombie world? Of course, as in the movies, errors in the ongoing experiments of scientists today – miscalculations, contaminations, and the like – could lead to the possibility of the birth of zombies in our world. We are familiar with the term “rage virus”, which is taken from the film 28 Days Later. Though not so common, the rage virus may be related to the mad cow disease that started in Britain

The AugusTiniAn Mirror May 2011

Man

playing God by James Marthy Esleyer

here are three hundred forty thousand children born every single day in the world, which means there are more mouths to feed every passing day, and every mouth yearns for food, every stomach shouts to have its fill and every little human being craves for nutrition. This is one of the reasons why the need for higher production of food continues to rise, why the AH1N1 virus and other new strains of viruses causing incurable diseases continue to haunt us. Thus, in the midst of these issues, a controversial scientific method has taken the world by storm - genetic engineering - which uses techniques for altering

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genetic materials to produce the desired results (species or breeds, to be exact), commonly referred to as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This process has evolved from numerous experiments and tests conducted in the 70â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, and are still done today to perfect the procedure. Generally, GMOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are used in biological and medical research, production of pharmaceutical drugs, experimental medicine and agriculture. The ones that have been made public are in the field of agriculture, specifically on plants or stacked trait seeds which defend themselves by producing their own pesticides. Most of the GMOs used are in the United

States. They have always been beneficial because they yield a lot more than normal crops do and are profitable due to their ability to produce their own pesticides that save farmers a lot of money. Gene therapy has also been introduced in medicine with the use of genetically modified viruses to deliver genes that can cure diseases in human cells. Although it may be new, gene therapy has treated various genetic disorders and immunodeficiency. for this purpose, genetically engineered animals are also used as test subjects in various researches. Despite their supposedly proven effectiveness in â&#x20AC;&#x153;curing

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allegations of such groups have not been proven yet but adoption of laws and regulations has been done. The authorities have also set a limit to the safety testing done on any new organism produced for human consumption. Controversies about GMOs have escalated in different areas. Meddling with the state of things has always been an issue. The planet has naturally evolved through millions of years to what it is today. Interfering with its natural evolutionary processes may not be seen as a problem today but could be a crisis in the future. What is done now has a domino effect on everything. Like a

spider web touched on one side, the vibrations created can then travel to the other side. As it is, we cannot fully comprehend the marvels of scientific breakthroughs and doing something without complete knowledge about it could be disastrous, because the ramifications of genetic engineering are not as clear as they have been imagined by scientists who, in their over zealousness to rid the world of its ills, have played God, the Messiah. References http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ ad70/encyclopedia.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Genetically_modified_organism

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the biological and physiological ills of societyâ&#x20AC;?, GMOs still pose potential hazards that need to be addressed by the proper authorites and the consumers at large.The potential risks and urgent concerns have been widely discussed as quesions are raised: Is it safe to eat GM foods? Could GMOs develop certain allergies in people? or cause antibiotic resistance? Environmental groups are concerned that GM foods from GM crops could introduce new allergens or contribute to the resistance of microorganisms to some drugs. They are also discouraging the purchase of GM foods because they are unnatural, therefore, they are unsafe for eating. The

The AugusTiniAn Mirror May 2011

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.w gossip

baCk to the mound:

the origin of

trends

by andre karl faculin

uring my tender age, I always searched for something in the backyard. It was neither a thirst in my throat nor a hunger in my stomach. Rather, it was the desire of my mind. Alas, I found the answers in a stinging, painful way—the bite of red ants. I was literally stirred by those little pests in an instant. As my naked eyes followed them, I thought they seemed terribly small. Looking at them closely, I started counting them one by one as they marched their 36

way in a long stretch of red, traversing a winding path on the earth only they could see. I stopped counting them, not only because there were millions of them following one another but also because I was curious about the peculiar trail they were leaving that led to a surprising discovery, a castle of soil from where the red creatures emerged. I exclaimed to myself in astonishment, “How great are the wonders of the mound!” Now ants may be likened to humans. Like them, we follow the ones who cut a

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trail in the realm of fashion, electronics, language and music, among others. In the same manner as ants bite us, trends also hold the same power over us. It is safe to say then that ants, instinctively and necessarily, are trendy, too.

according to Irene Grace Galon, an assistant professor of Humanities in the College of Business Administration and Accountancy (CBAA). “It could be the color of the nail, the style of the hair, the fashion of the pants or an electronic gadget…”

Trends defined Being a component of culture, a trend is defined as the general tendency towards something. As the current style that people are expected to follow, a trend may exist in various genres,

Back to the ‘mound’ Nothing comes from nowhere. All trends are an offshoot of the lifestyle of people who are deemed the trendsetters of society. Generally, trendsetters are individuals, such as celebrities

trends

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The Slide How do trends fade? T h e a n sw e r i s s i m p l e : trends disappear with the introduction of another trend. As Galon elaborates, “a trend will only end when another fad [comes into the scene]and if it doesn’t fade away right there and then, it will later fall into a trend.”

Deeper into the ‘mound’ The life cycle of trends is beyond our grasp. We may think that, like the ants that follow the trail for survival, human beings have no choice but to stick to the usual. However, society nowadays has become more openminded in the sense that any deviation from the norm is not considered a big deal after all. “It is the person that makes the dress or the accessory that he or she wears. It is not the dress or the accessory that you wear that makes you a person,” shared Galon. Let us not allow a fad or a craze trap us in the sinkhole of deception. Let us remember that there is a big difference between being trendy and being stylish—the former conforming to the conventional, and the latter focusing on the authentic you. Still, at the end of the day, everything goes back to the ‘mound’ where the ‘ants’ come from. Black or red, trends return to the dune of origin, just as ants do.

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The metamorphosis of

On the trail In this millennium, we find ourselves stuck in the middle of nowhere. The dilemma of conforming to the demands of society may sometimes lead us to ‘play the game’ even if we are ‘unarmed’. As a result, we are forced to follow the standards set by trends. Furthermore, as social animals, humans live in a society with similar traits and characteristics. In consequence, we abide by the ‘in-thing’ in order for us not

to be excluded and considered deviant by others. Because of this mindset, it is most likely that trends can affect the face of the planet. Trends may influence the market scenario “such that the profitability of the trend introduced may give rise or fall to a certain economy,” Galon stressed. Likewise, it shapes the physical, mental and emotional disposition of persons because of the acceptance and belongingness that are tied to compliance with a societal norm.

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Evolution Before the blue-hued Facebook page captured the Netizens, there was the smiling Friendster site. Before DVDs or CDs rolled in our players, there was the iconic Betamax; and before DoTA g r i p p e d awe d c o m p u t e r gamers in its clutches, there was the thrilling CounterStrike game.

trends may be described as a cyclical series of events. Shown by the rise of ladies’ hemlines during the Second World War due to the short supply of fabrics and the fall of these a short while later, they rose again with the revival of the ‘miniskirt’ in the 1960s. Trends truly come full circle. Some may stay. Others may go. Some may come again. Throughout the ages, trends have changed because of man’s innate propensity for novelty and an upgrade of his lifestyle. “Actually, trends will always be there. It is only the type of trend that changes over time,” Galon stated when asked on the changing nature of trends. From time to time, trends rapidly change because of the mobility of people and the search for the better, thereby, resulting in the diffusion of cultures. Galon added, “In the Philippines, [trends] may be changing because of other cultures coming in through the internet, movies, television and other media… Therefore, the only thing constant in life is change.”

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and prominent personalities many people admire and idolize. “For example, if you see Paris Hilton wearing something, you tend to follow her. But when you see someone who you look down upon wearing the [same]type of dress, though how beautiful she may look, you will not follow her,” Galon stated. But before trends took hold of society, these currents began in their primordial for m. These shor t-lived social nor ms are called fads. Though commonly u s e d i n t e r c h a n g e a b l y, fads and trends are two different matters. If fads are momentary in nature, trends, on the contrary, have significant permanence to humanity. Hence, with the evolution of man comes the evolution of fads to trends. Galon explained, “If there is a tendency for that action or that fashion to stay long in the market, it becomes a trend.” Ascending to the summit of popularity, trends gain momentum from numerous driving factors. Popularity, market conditions and prices, to name a few, are some of the contributory elements that may give rise to a trend. Without these ingredients, it is impossible for crazes to reach their heights.

CulInary

Asian countries. Here in the Philippines, our indigenous people have been producing r i c e w i n e fo r c e n t u r i e s using it to turn traditional ceremonies, merry-makings and other gatherings into special events. A very popular kind of rice wine traditionally made in Banaue and Mountain Province is called tapuy, but for now, rice wine may be originally made - by you. Yes, you can make rice wine yourself. It is so simple and easy. But first, you must prepare these things to get all started. What you will need: ¼ Chinese yeast ball 5 cups hot water 4 cups raw glutinous rice 1 tsp all-purpose flour tray cheese cloth container with airtight lid rice cooker with steamer airtight bottle

miraCLe

by jerson elMido

Procedure: • First, soak the raw glutinous rice in hot water for about an hour. • Drain the rice after soaking for one hour and then steam for 25 minutes. • After steaming, let the rice cool for two hours by spreading it on a tray. • While waiting for the steamed rice to cool down, grind the Chinese yeast finely and mix it with the flour. • Using your hands, combine the mixture with the cooled rice until they are well-blended. • Transfer the mixture into a container with a tight lid and store the container in a warm, dry place allowing it to ferment for a month. • After the month-long fermentation, use the cheese cloth to separate the rice mash from the liquid (which is now the rice wine) by wrapping and squeezing it to extract the

Glutinous Rice

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liquid, now the rice wine. • Pour the rice wine in a bottle with an airtight lid. To prevent it from turning into vinegar, because it continues to ferment, store it in the refrigerator. There you go, the doit-yourself-“Jerson (or your name)” rice wine! Now you can transform your ordinary meals into superb, professional-like dishes without having to use an expensive wine as ingredient. Just as Jesus turned water into wine and moved the lives of those who believed in Him, you, too, can do something extraordinary by tur ning water into wine and touching the lives of people who will surely become believers in your ability. Cheers! Reference h t t p : / / w w w. e h o w. c o m / how_2059791_make-ricewine.html

Chinese yeast ball

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hen Jesus and His disciples attended a wedding at Cana, the party ran out of wine. He then ordered the servants to fill the containers with water and He turned it into a highquality, best-tasting wine. This transformation of water into wine is one of the miracles done by Jesus which is told in the Gospels, the first being in the Gospel of John. Turning water into wine was one way by which Jesus let everyone know that He is the source of life. Changing one element to another symbolizes the bringing of new life out of the old. As stated in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” If Jesus turned water into wine and he became the source of life, how about turning our own water into wine and becoming the new source of life for other people? Yes, I am saying it is possible. We will not do it through miracles but in the comfort of our own humble kitchen. Since we, Filipinos, consider rice as an important part of the meal, how about making it the main ingredient? Rice wine, also known as yellow wine, is a richflavored liquid that originally came from East and Southeast

homemade

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