The Official Student Newspaper of the University of San Agustin, Iloilo City, Philippines
B11
FeATURes
Love, Pastimes of the Past
by Pauline marie C. arada
Take a moment and picture a life without social media. Just a quill pen on the right. A little jar of ink on its side. And a parchment in the center. Vintage in this sense is the celebration of what seems to be timeless—a merely old, and utterly warm place that was brought to the present time. From the immense stream of past experiences, there will always be that special one that is chosen to be worth writing for in the present time—for a memory is nothing but an obsessive behavior. deaReST YeSTeRdaY “There is nothing in the mind that does not come first into the senses,” asserted Evelyn Ayson, in an interview with The Augustinian; claiming she has been captivated to legible handwritings ever since she was a grader. Ayson, who used to be an English teacher in a vocational school, recalls back in her compendium that people with good muscle control write legibly, which reveals the personality of the writer and entices people to read more. Thus, this contributes on how Ayson continues to write up until now but not often as before. Henceforth, Laci Fay who is known as the “vintage-girl” from the YouTube channel named In The Know, stated in an interview, “To me the 1950’s style is normal.” Fay has fascination with old stuffs and collection as if she’s living everyday of her life in the year 1950’s, and finding the confidence to live on truism. She even styles herself in 1950’s fashion daily, along with her husband and son. “There might be nothing new about the vintage: it’s always been there; i t ’ s
always been in us,” concluded Fay in the interview. aLL’S WeLL: TeCHnoLoGY CoMeS TodaY Click. Like. Share. Subscribe. The world is now being enveloped with technological advancements, particularly social media. Without the latter, a person would no longer look at his or her phone first
thing in the morning or the last thing at night. During hanging out moments with love ones, the absence of social media contributes to living the moment itself and to rely on the
memory of spending time, instead of investing time to post it on social platforms. “Communication is used to convey ideas, to inform, to educate and etc. It is manifested through handwritten form. Sadly, it takes a number of days, weeks, or even months before it reaches the recipient. Nowadays, there are a lot of advance technologies that provide ease and facility in communication,” said Ayson when asked about the difference of conversing in the 1900’s to modern times. Ayson also added that the invention of modern technologies has somehow drifted the children to their household chores as seen in their behavior, since they are more engrossed in social media; their parents tolerate this kind of behavior. Furthermore, Ayson acknowledges this as a deterioration among the family members. “In my case, I wouldn’t want to neglect social media to resort to physical activities. Social media isn’t all that important to me, and I can live my life without it, but engaging in physical
activities only would get quite boring,” claimed Jemimah Balasa, Senior High School (SHS) student of University of San Agustin, upon the interview with the Augustinian. Life without social networks means no more daily uploading pictures of how a day has been carried out. It equates to no more likes nor comments from Instagram nor Facebook as well as other conversing platforms that could help interact with other people. “Well, I cannot deny that without social media, a part of me does feel quite peaceful, but a bit restless, because social media is where I read the latest news or interact with people closest to me,” stated Balasa. Without social media, life would inevitably vary. Interacting with someone would have to be in person. It would mean less time surfing on social networks and more time spent in real life. Facial expressions are seen, the cracking sound of someone’s voice is heard and the beating rhythm of heart can be felt. It is always easier to play it off behind the screen than face it out in reality. SInCeReLY YoURS, ToMoRRoW Bullet journals. Penpal letters. Therapeutic writing. Over
the years, letters have been replaced by other ways of communicating. Rather than putting pen to paper, for most of us it now feels much more natural to send texts and emails, quickly typing out our message within seconds. “I mostly write actual letters for my friends for a birthday gift. But I do also write when I am in the mood or I have free time,” said Lu Makayla Fruto, another SHS student of University of San Agustin, another interview with the Augustinian. In a fast-paced world, technology is rising. People are now delving into “what will happen next” when they never look back as to where they have been. “I will always have a heart for journaling. Currently, I am working on a page— it’s like, my updated vision board. I think it’s good since like they say, one look from it first thing in the morning would motivate you for the rest of the day,” stated Fruto. Aside from Ayson, Balasa, Fay, and Fruto, there are also Youtubers who are either living in an animated film in the 1980’s or vigorously trying to be aesthetic in their own little ways like Dori, Milkcloud, Elly Belly, and Mihan to name a few. Given a chance to relieve a life in the 1990’s compared to the present, there are some who prefers to be in the former, and others who declares to live in the latter. Real life means no more posting on Facebook about how your life seems absurd or how nothing is going right. The old image is strong as it has survived time. “I believe that living life putting much on wants emphasis not needs will really frustrate you in the end. So, live a simple, happy and contented life,” said Ayson. Vintage is a manifesto of love for what is old; a new generation matures even earlier than its successors, in the process of maturing they also become their own forefathers. It is the admiration of what is old that makes it bearable. People eventually wanted passion—they want a chaser of emotion with their aesthetics. The value of living is equally beautiful as it is.
A RTWO RK BY DIA NNE NAYELI MONTERO
u Sa p u b p H OTO S • r enZ J O SH ua ar biS
A Let te r fr o m a Co nte m po r a r y L i f e s t y l e
