EPIC-LIA

I am awesome because I am talented. Whenever I get insecure and think that someone is prettier and sexier than me, I defend myself and think about the positive things that I got.

I can sing. I don’t mean to brag but, I can really sing. I sometimes think that I’m better than those who get in talent shows like Pilipinas Got Talent or Talentadong Pinoy. But I only consider singing as a hobby. Music has been a part of me although out those years.  Until now. I started singing when I was three. My parents didn’t even enroll me to a singing lesson. Everything I do comes out naturally. I never really thought of joining a competition. I think it would be really desperate.

I act. I’ve previously done theater-ish play. I added “-ish” because it didn’t really happened in an actual theater. It happened in our school’s auditorium. In which people should buy tickets and watch. I love performing. I don’t get stage frightened. Unlike those people who think that they’re going to die once they were faced in front of a crowd with the lights on.

I like the way I think and my ideas. I always think before I act. I consider other people’s thoughts and not only mine. I look at the bright side when I handle a problem. I understand people’s reasons and not just get mad at them in some situations. I appreciate little things. I think that everything really happens for a reason. That’s why even how hard the condition is, I don’t complain.

I love unconditionally. Especially when it comes to my family and friends. I give them what I got without expecting anything in return. It hurts even more when they’re hurt. So as much as possible, I’d like to make them happy every single day of their lives.

By: Lia Amper

I suck because..

I degrade myself too much. I have low self-esteem sometimes. I always feel that there is someone better than me. Someone prettier, talented, smarter and someone who deserves to be loved. I have very good-looking girl friends. Even in high school. Therefore I feel left behind. Boys often ask for my friends’ number, not mine. It’s not that I want to give my number to them but it feels like I’m being discriminated.

I envy those who don’t study but can still pass the test. Sometimes when people ask me things, I always shrug my shoulders and tell them I don’t know. Then people start responding with “How can you not know that!?”  That’s when I start feeling stupid.

I feel like I’m not a good Christian. I don’t usually pray. I pray when I remember to but I don’t pray before eating meals, before going to sleep and when I wake up. I pray especially when I need something. Also, believe it or not, I haven’t experienced real confession. Sure I had it when I was in the second grade. But I confess about broking my mom’s Buddha image and stealing my brother’s yakult. It seemed that the priest didn’t care at all. I’ve made a lot of sins. And I think that I should pretty much repent.

I’m not skinny. But I used to be one. It feels terrible when I step in an elevator then suddenly it overloads. Or when a person has to adjust his sitting position just to let the two of us fit in a tricycle. Also when fitting in a boutique and nothing fits. I hate being teased. But it sucks even more to accept the fact that I shouldn’t complain because it’s true.

I can’t swim. I mean really. All I do inside a swimming pool is get my body wet. That’s also the reason why I don’t enjoy swimming parties. Every time my friends play in a pool, I’m always the referee or the scorer. I tried lifting both my feet up to float but I really can’t.  Fear is eating me up. But I hope someday, I’ll learn how to swim.

I don't dance. I can sing and act and all those stuff but I can't dance. I mean, everyone can dance. I'm just not good at it. And dancing is really not my thing. I tried it. I sucked. Really.

I’m lazy. Too lazy that sometimes I forget to brush my teeth. Sometimes when it’s really cold the whole day, I don’t even bother to take a shower. Plus my room is a mess. Because I’m too lazy to clean. When I bring drinks inside my room, I leave the glass in my room overnight. I also am a fan of cramming. Like due tomorrow, do today kind of stuff.

I am affectionate with my friends but I’m not with my family. My family is sometimes jealous when it comes to my friends. They often told me that I’m very happy around my friends but I’m grumpy when I’m with them. It’s true because I can be my self around my friends. But I love both my family and my friends. I just don’t show it to my family a lot because I’m shy to do so.

By: Lia Amper

A Benildean's point of view.

The surveys show that a lot of people are thankful that they ended up in DLS-CSB.  Well, despite of the crappy elevator service. And the over priced food.  DLS-CSB truly is a school for artistic minds and offers courses that other schools don’t.  So for me, Benilde is not a school for drop-outs from La Salle or any other school. But in some ways, it is. Of course we all know that it is extremely easy to pass CSB’s entrance exam. That’s also one reason of why they say that Benilde is over-populated. Good thing they still find a good way to fix it.

About the separation of DLSU and CSB, yes, I do feel that we are divided. Yes we have the same name, color, symbol, cheers and whatnot. But besides those, we have different events, different teams, different rules.  DLSU students can’t easily enter DLS-CSB’s campus without their ID and EAF. The same goes with DLSU’s campus. It sure feels like DLSU is another school.  Besides being different, a lot of people think that DLSU is better than CSB.  That’s why a lot of students feel the discrimination.

It’s amusing to know that a lot of the students think that the most appealing CSB students come from SDA, but I beg to disagree. I’ve been going to SDA for almost 2 months already. But I only see a few of good-looking people. Most of the time, I see weird ones who dress up too much. Or maybe I just focus on men too much. There are also a bunch of good-looking ladies in SDA. Especially in our course. But AKIC has the both the stunning ladies and men. Well, for me they have.

Constructing this survey helped us a lot in knowing our beloved school even better.  CSB has students who stand up for their own decisions and for themselves. I believe that our students will have a great future in our society and help our country succeed.

Filipino Expressions

Filipinos are usually creative and happy most of the time. And by having these characteristics, we tend to make up some of the words and expressions we didn't expect to use for our daily living. Most of these expressions are used by our generation. Let us give you some examples:


1. "Weh?"
      This is often used as disbelief or just simply for teasing. It can also be used to answer a corny joke.
      Ex: 
           Pedro: Pare! May joke ako. Anong hayop ang laging walang pakealam?
           Juan: Ano?
           Pedro: Edi.. LA YUN!
           Juan: Weeeeeeehhhhh...


2. "Ansaveeeeh?"
      This expression came from the famous comedian, Vice Ganda. It is often used by gay  
      people and can be also used as substitute for  "Kamusta naman yung.." phrase, another 
      Filipino expression.
       Ex:
          "Oy girl! Ansaveh naman ng bangs mong bagong gupit?"


3. "Benta!"
      This is used when a statement or a joke is funnier than expected.
      Ex:
          (Boy saw an ugly person)
          Boy: Tanginang muka yan, di halata.
          Friend ni boy: Hahahahaha! Benta!


4. "Che!"
      Used to ignore a mock, an irritating phrase or a sarcasm. Often used by girls.
      Ex:
          Boy: Gumaganda ka ngayon ah. Pautang naman!
          Girl: Che!


5. "Ang sakit sa bangs."
     This expression is not often used but you can use it if you want to. It is used to express stress.
     Ex:
         "Ang hirap talaga ng Math. Sakit sa bangs."


6.  "Alam na.."
     This is used to show prediction or as if you know what will happen next.
     Ex:
         Jobert: "Nakita ko si Maria at Domeng pumasok sa Motel!"
         Earl: "Ay.. Alam naaaaa..."


7. "Keri lang."
     Belongs in the gay lingo; substitute for "Okay lang."
     Ex: 
        Girl: "Nalaglag yung sapatos ko sa kanal!"
        Girl 2: "Keri lang yan."


8. "Astig!"
     In english, it's "Cool!"\
     Ex:
         Boy1: Pare may bago akong kotse! Camaro!
         Boy2: O? Astig!


9. "Imba!"
     They say it's from the word "Imbalance". It is used when something is really unbelievable.
     Ex:
         Jose: Pare! Nakita ko si Tiyago tumalon mula sa bubong pero walang sugat!
         Joaquin: Oh?! Imba!


10. "Ikaw na!"
       Used when someone is telling a story about how better they are than you.
       Ex:
            John: 100 ako sa exam natin.
            Paul: Ikaw na!


Those are some of the expressions Filipinos are using. :)

By:  Charlene Kua and  Lia Amper

Filipino Food and Drinks

Street foods are very famous here in the Philippines for the reason that it is ready-to-eat food or drink and is sold in streets or in any public places such as a market. Most street foods are both finger and fast food. Street food are very cheap. It costs less than a restaurant meal. 

Fact: According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, 2.5 billion people eat street food every day.

Some known street foods are what we call fishball, squidball, kikiam, quek-quek(egg), isaw(chicken intestine) and many more. It comes with sauce to make the street foods more delicious.

Along the street beside SDA bulding, we saw two vendors selling this:

Kwek kwek and isaw:

Shown below are processes in making quek-quek.

1. He starts by boiling the oil in a big pan.

2. The ready-to-cook quek-quek. It is dipped in a sticky liquid(water, flour and egg) with orange food color.

3. While cooking the quek-quek in deep boiling oil.

Voila! This is the finished product.

The vendors selling street foods.

This is Patty eating quek-quek. It is somehow yummy.

Mikee eating another street food which is siomai.

Street foods are cheap and delicious BUT we must be concerned with our health. It may be appetizing but we are not sure of its cleanliness. Remember that it is cooked and sold in streets. Air Pollution is everywhere.
 It is discouraged to eat street foods because of the harm/disease it gives. 
Put in mind: PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE.

                                        By: Patty Cayetano and Mikee Hidalgo

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Arroz Caldo

Arroz Caldo is a favorite comfort food among many Filipinos. Despite its Spanish name, this dish is actually an adaptation of the Chinese congee or porridge. It is flavored with chicken, garlic, ginger, and safflower (kasubha). The latter is our local saffron which gives arroz caldo an appealing aroma, not to mention the bright yellow tinge. Arroz Caldo, which best represents the mixture of Filipino heritage by combining Spanish, Chinese, and Filipino flavors, is perfect for someone having a bad cold. It’s also great during rainy weather. It is one dish that you can eat any time of the day.

By: Pia Alarcon

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Chicken Inasal

Another famous Filipino food is  Chicken Inasal. It's my favorite Filipino dish besides from Bistek and Sisig. Chicken Inasal is a grilled chicken dish and one of the well known Ilonggo dishes. This is done by marinating chicken pieces in a unique blend of spices and grilling them until done.  Well, it might sound like a simple grilled chicken recipe; however, the special marinade and basting sauce makes this Ilonggo version of the grilled chicken extra special. For me, Mang Inasal serves the best Chicken Inasal in the whole country. And thumbs up to the unlimited rice and sabaw! :D

By: Lia Amper

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