The Proud & the Prejudiced 2011 was definitely one hell of a controversial year, not only for

our country but also for the Filipinos as well. The government surely was abuzz with intrigue and with dozens of issues left from the past term. But if I am subjected to tell what was the most controversial of them all, it would probably be the impeachment of incumbent Chief Justice Renato Corona Jr., for all the inconsistencies and unwise decisions he made during his term, as well as supposedly being in close ties with the person who appointed him, the former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who also has her share of controversy. From the supposed 50 thousand-a-night stay in St. Lukes Medical Center to her widespread and well-talked-about transfer to Veterans Memorial Center. Why was it controversial in the first place, you ask? Well, simply because something like this is something that happens on a blue moon. Something like this, where the President eagerly urged for his Chief Justice to be impeached. Sure, it gave such a huge impact on the country. Tongues were wagging the day after the impeachment against Corona was announced and headline after headline were issued in accordance to the matter. However, it was the governments image which got the toughest blow of them all. This impeachment showed imbalance and instability in the government because instead of working towards a common goal, the branches of the government are the ones attacking each other, thus destroying the government from the inside out. The government is then divided into teams, those on one side are the Pros and the other, the Cons; just like one big debate. The government claims that they are doing this all for the welfare of the country. The other party says that the present government is prejudiced to those who were once involved with the past president. To whom should we believe then? Since trial is still ongoing, it is still too early to decide who has the upper hand in this impeachment, whether it is the Prosecution or the defense of the Chief Justice. However, we must keep in mind that we are no mere spectators to this ongoing issue. Since we are a democratic country, we could have our voices heard and have it make a difference. But now that we are still nowhere near the verdict to this saga, we can only hope for one thing: that the truth eventually prevail most especially in our justice system.

Social Networking at ang mga Marians Naaalala ninyo pa ba ang Friendster? Sa mga hindi na nakakaalala, ito ay ang ninuno na maituturing ng Facebook, sapagkat ito ay isa sa mga kauna-unahang social networking sites na pumatok sa mga kabataan ng panahong iyon. Ngayon, meron nang Facebook, Twitter at Tumblr na karaniwan ay kumakain sa oras ng mga taong nabubuhay sa kasalukuyan, lalo na ng mga estudyante. Papahuli ba naman ang mga Marians? Syempre hindi. Ang mga social networking sites na ito ay malaking parte na rin ng kanilang araw-araw na pamumuhay. Ngunit, ang tanong, bakit nga ba pumapatok ang mga ganitong uri ng website? Ano ang meron sila upang tangkilikin ng Marians ng sobra? Sa aking palagay, tinatangkilik ng kabataan lalo na ng mga Marians ang mga nasabing social networking sites dahil isa itong epektibong paraan upang makipagkomunika sa kanilang mga kamag-aral, lalo na sa mga panahong sila ay lumiban sa klase o kung ano pa mang dahilan. Isa ring magandang gamit nito, ay nagagamit ito upang maging medium of expression ng kabataan maging ito man ay impormasyon na kanilang nalaman tulad ng kung ano ang uri ng unipormeng isusuot o kung may pasok man kinabukasan; maaari din namang maglahad ito ng impormasyon para sa mga susunod na gawain sa paaralan o kung kelan ang pasahan ng mga proyekto na kadalasang nakakalimutan ng mga estudyante -o ang kanilang mga sariling opinyon o kuro-kuro ukol sa ibatibang bagay. Sa pamamagitan ng mga social networking sites, mas naririning at mas naiintindihan ang mga kabataan sa kung ano ang kanilang mga nais iparating at ang kanilang mga hinaing, maging ito man ay sa kanilang mga kaibigan, sa guro o sa kanilang mga magulang. Hindi na nga natin maikakaila na malaking parte na ng buhay natin ang mga social networking sites, lalo na ang kinahihiligan ng mga kabataan na Facebook, Twitter at Tumblr. Hindi lamang dahil ito ay kadalasan nating ginagawa sa pang-araw-araw nating buhay, ngunit dahil malaki ang nagiging epekto nito sa atin at napapadali ang ibat ibang aspeto ng ating buhay sa pamamagitan ng paggamit sa mga ito. Ngunit, huwag nating kakalimutan na mag-ingat sa paggamit nito kahit na malaki ang naitutulong nito sa ating buhay. Dahil, hindi pa rin maiiwasan na maggamit ang mga website na ito sa kasamaan. Katulad na lamang ng ilang naiulat na mga kaso ng cyberbullying na unti-untiy nagiging isang seryosong problema. Pakatatandaan na hindi natin makokontrol kung sino ang makakakita ng ating mga account sa internet, kayat dapat ay maging maingat sa kung ano ang mga impormasyong ating nilalagay at kung ano ang maaring gawin sa mga ito. Dapat ay maging wais, maingat at mapagmatyag. Happy surfing, Marians!

Banats / Pick-up Lines: Modernong Balagtasan? Ocean ka ba? Binubuo mo kasi ang malaking bahagi ng mundo ko eh. Google ka ba? Nasa iyo kasi lahat ng hinahanap hanap ko. Ligaw na bala ka ba? Kasi sa iba ka nakalaan, pero ako ang tinamaan. Tower ka ba? Kasi EIFFEL in love with you. Taken ka ba? Kasi tanggalin mo lang yung T, aken ka na. Taxi ka ba? Kasi habang tumatagal, lalo akong napapamahal sayo.

Ilan lang yan sa mga pick-up lines o banats na nauuso sa kabataan ngayon. Di ba kayo nagtataka bakit patok na patok ito sa panahon ngayon? May nakapagsabi na ang mga kakaramput na mga salitang ito ay ang modernong paraan na ng pakikipagbalagtasan. Ang balagtasan ay isang paraan ng pakikipagtalastasan ng mga Pilipino na nauso noong sinauna pang panahon at yun nga, sa pamamagitan ng mga pick-up lines at banats, nabubuhay nating muli ang sining na ito na matagal-tagal na ring hindi nagagamit at marahil ay nakalimutan na ng mga Pilipino. Sapagkat ang mga katagang ito ay tunay namang nakakakilig, madalas ay ginagamit na ang mga ito sa panliligaw, lalong-lalo na sa mga kabataan. Ito man daw ay hindi kasing haba ng isang harana o isang kanta, katulad ng karaniwang ginagawa dati, ito naman daw ay nagsasaad ng kaparehong damdamin, yun nga lang, sa mas maikling paraan. Marahil isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit napakabailis nitong sumikat ay dahil ito rin ay makikita sa ilan sa mga palabas sa telebisyon, katulad ng sa palabas na Bubble Gang kung saan may isa silang segment na tinatawag na Pick-Upan. Katulad ng fliptop na nauso dati, ito rin ay kinabibilangan ng dalawang lalaki. Ang bago dito ay may isang babae na mamimili kung sino ang nanalo sa dalawa na nakapagpahanga sa dalaga. Masasabi nga dito na epektibo ang mga pick-up lines para makabihag ng puso ng mga dalaga. Nakakatuwang isipin na di lang natin nabubuhay ang matagal nang nanlalamig na sining ng pakikipagbalagatasan sa pamamagitan ng mga nakakatuwang pick-up lines, nagagawa rin nating maipahiwatig ang ating mga damdamin at nararamdaman sa pamamagitan ng mga makukulay na salitang ito.

Hungry for the Hunger Games Once compared to the likes of Harry Potter and Japanese novel Battle Royale, The Hunger Games is one trilogy you will be burning for. Set in the dystopian future of what once was called North America, the story of survival revolves around Katniss Everdeen, a daughter of a miner and a healer who volunteers herself in the place of her sister, Primrose (nicknamed Prim) to take part in the deadliest form of entertainment ever concocted, The Hunger Games; where shell have to kill 23 others in order to be declared winner, not only of fame and fortune but also of stability and safety for her starving family. Through the efforts of her usually drunk mentor, Haymitch, pompous escort Effie, exceptional stylist Cinna, they made Katniss a character, someone unforgettable yet very believable. They made her the Mockingjay, the symbol of power and strength. Unconsciously, she evolves from being a mere sister who tries her best to feed her family, to a woman who became the face of a rebellion, the hope of many who wanted to overthrow the twisted Capitol who will manipulate, kill or harm anyone who would try to cross them. A very good book would seem like an understatement for The Hunger Games, because it is simply more than that. When you read it, you feel like you are going through the same struggle as Katniss and you simply cannot help but gasp and/or hold your breath whenever something exciting happened or is about to happen. Also, all the wonderful elements of a good book are present and very evident. Theres the strong heroine, the conflict, the love triangle, all of it was beautiful beyond definition. And now, theres a movie adaptation thats about to come out this month. To be honest, I have really high expectations for this one. Judging from the trailers and the sneak peeks Lionsgate (the company producing the movie) presented, this is going to be absolutely awesome. However, we can only see on the 23rd if the movie lived up to everyones expectations. Get ready to fight to the death with Katniss and the other tributes at the worldwide premiere of The Hunger Games movie this coming March 23.

Ignacia @ 349 Last March 2, 2012, a mass was celebrated at the Venerable Ignacia del Espiritu Santo shrine in Intramuros in commemoration to the Foundress 349th baptismal anniversary, led by the Head Seminarian of Maximilian Kolbe seminary. RVM schools, such as St. Marys Academy Caloocan, Guagua and Pasay were present in the ceremony. Upon finishing the mass, witness Mrs. Janet Aguinaldo was called to talk about her spiritual encounters with the Mother Foundress. She also recalled all the times wherein she was in dire need and where Mother Ignacia helped her though granting a miracle. In celebration of the dear foundress 349th baptismal anniversary, RVM sisters present as well as students alike feasted and celebrated with solemn joy.