Catch the phrase?

Everybody breathes in change. Whether it is a simple puff in the wind or an avalanche sweeping off mighty civilizations, change is inevitable. It is a constant fixture in our life, a firm rock smack dab in the middle of the flowing years of the river.

Throughout the ages, not even the mighty institution of learning that is De La Salle University has been able to withstand the pressures of time and change. Amidst the perpetual sea of green and white, Lasallian jargon has evolved from the ancient to the fresh and in. Mash-ups of words have become quite common, as do lengthy combinations of uncorrelated syllables. Expressions and idioms, once alien to one’s ears, are now part of the daily stream of Lasallian lingo.

It is, however, not just the sacred battle cry Animo! or the term Lasallista which are quite unique to Lasallian tongues.

The Menagerie delves deeper into the daily flow of society within the walls of the campus and gives thee, dear reader, a clear insight into the typical Lasallian catchphrases you never realized you might have been using.

Kwatro-Loco

“Kwatro! YEAH!”

Apparently associated with perfection and with the green and blank M.yLaSalle Account (MLS), this term has been a common resonance of hope within the hearts of each and every Lasallian. Quite the unreachable (or is it?) mark, the mere sight of a red-inked 4.0 at the top of a lined pad is more than enough to render the heart fluttering with joy. Once, at the end of each term, a straight line of kwatros or 4.0s will have the rest of the student body down on their knees, and worshipping you with fervent ardor and enthusiasm.

As the years dwindled down into the today and now, students – who seemingly have the intellectual capacity of a computer microchip – have been bragging of “kwatros” proudly, like a name tag pinned onto their chests. These kwatros, as their peers fondly call them, are the University’s pride – the torch chasing away the shadows of the future.

SEx in the City

“SEx tayo.”

To foreign ears, the sound of green-clad students muttering “sex” out loud and at various times of the day has quite the negative connotation. Not inside campus, though. Humorously used by Lasallians to pertain to Sinangag Express – a satisfying go-to whenever one is craving for cheap but good food, SEx is located along Dagonoy Street and is easily accessible via the Velasco gate.

Having its own regular clientele of barkadas and such, SEx has more than just the average customer to serve on a day-to-day basis. After all, to Lasallians rooted along Taft Avenue, there is more to SEx than just the average meeting of two bodies.

Thank God, it’s Thursday!

“Happy Thursday na.”

De La Salle University is widely known for its four-day class scheme, as classes are held only from Monday to Thursday. Lasallians have even labeled the day as Happy Thursday, until everything changed briefly last year, when the University went back to a six day class schedule.

Due to popular demand, Happy Thursdays are back this year. Whether it may prove advantageous to Lasallians or not, the four day class schedule challenges everyone to complete their homework within two days, and not simply rely on the midweek reprieve to come.

Academic issues aside, let us not focus on the incessant rumors of increased drinking, smoking and partying on Thursdays, even if the long weekends are here to stay.

Focusing on U

“Saan? Sa U-Mall?”

Over the years, the landscape in Taft Avenue has changed radically. What used to be a sparser drive during the past generation has turned into an extremely busy avenue replete with establishments. However, one building stands out over the rest, for it houses a wide variety of hot restaurants and stores.

The famed University Mall was specially constructed to cater to the students; it has adjusted well to the wave of foreign students enrolling in the University, with Korean, American, and Persian dining areas.

Of course, the LRT connection from the mall to Vito Cruz station cannot be discounted. Since most Lasallians commute to and from school via the LRT, the University Mall has become a vital part of student life.

3rd Floor Yuch

“Yuch pa class ko e!”

The Yuchengco family is an influential family in the Philippines, for on top of being the owners of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), they are also known for donating  their resources to various institutions. DLSU is one of the beneficiaries of the Yuchengco family’s success. On top of classrooms, seminar rooms, and administrative offices, the Yuchengco building also has a humongous auditorium and a museum. None of those striking locales, however, are branded with the name “Yuch”. “Yuch” is so unique that even outsiders cannot guess where this place is. Generally speaking, only seasoned students of DLSU are familiar with the word; it refers to the toilet.

What makes a toilet unique then? Nothing, and everything. The toilets in the building contain the same things a typical toilet would have. Still, the shiny tiled floors and sheer brightness of the area  say otherwise. While few buildings in the world are known for their toilets, the Yuchengco building is certainly the exception.

A Fresher Future

As bizarre and uncanny as these terminologies might seem, they appropriately reflect the Lasallian culture. Words are not merely words; they are the by-product of years and years of influences. The syllables and consonants that roll off our tongues may actually be mirror-images of our society. For instance, the affluent deem eyeball as a lowly word, whereas champagne might only be relevant in sophisticated classes.

Thus, words have more power than one might think to imagine; they serve as an unconscious barrier between social classes, yet they are also a sign of society’s improvement alongside globalization. And as the years roll by, it is only to be expected that our field of vocabulary will expand even further.

As the University begins another century of fulfilling its Vision-Mission, establishing a unique culture of Lasallian jargons is not far off. For all you know, words that appeared on this very page might just become as obsolete, only to be replaced by fresher, crazier ideas and out-of-this-world thoughts.