Vignette: The Naughty and Nice List of 2013

‘Tis the season of crisp paper bills, Puto Bumbong, packets of ampao, and anxious ninongs and ninangs. We can forget all about our term-end debacles to enjoy the few moments of unchained freedom that we are blessed with. Looking back at the past months, 2013 has been a frenzied whirlwind of interesting events, both good and bad. From the RH Bill to Manny Pacquiao, The Menagerie turns back time and takes you to a magical sleigh ride through some of the highlights of the epic year that is 2013. So get ready to revisit the year the Mayans said wouldn’t even happen.

DLSU Green Archers

A good year to be a Lasallian! After winning the school its first General Championship in the UAAP earlier in the year, the athletes of DLSU continued their success over to Season 76. The Men’s Basketball Team in particular received acclaim for their dominance in the sport, beating the UST Growling Tigers in the finals of this year’s tournament and bringing the title back to Taft for the first time since 2007. No one can doubt the heart of graduating team captain Norbert Torres, who missed his commencement rites to play the last game of the Finals, star Jeron Teng, rookie coach Juno Sauler, and the rest of the team, which was exemplified all  throughout the tournament. Animo La Salle!

 Santa says Nice

US Government Shutdown

The repercussions brought about by the shutdown of the United States Federal Government have stirred up quite a predicament. According to the government reports, a grand estimate of 2 billion to 6 billion dollars had been lost during the 16 days that the shutdown was in effect. The event affected several areas of the economy such as tourism, health, and trade industries. In addition, a large number of employees were furloughed for a combined total of 6.6 million working days. Analysts have carefully studied the details of the situations to prevent such cases from ever happening again.

Santa says Naughty

Gadgets and gizmos

This year brought along a handful of technological advances which made almost everything even more accessible. Apple recently released the iPad Mini and iPad Air which are notably thinner and more lightweight than their predecessors. Samsung also offered the latest installments of smartphones and tablets in their Galaxy series earlier this year. For reading enthusiasts, there’s the latest version of Amazon’s book device: Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Fire.

Meanwhile, big names in the gaming industry also launched the next generation of gaming consoles. Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PS4 recently hit the shelves this November. Nintendo, having already the Wii U during 2012, instead released a baffling variation of their current handheld system: the 2DS. With their debt close to the holiday season, the timing couldn’t be more impeccable.

Santa says Nice

Henry Sy

Though the construction of Henry Sy, Sr. Hall was completed back in 2012, it wasn’t until January this year that the establishment became fully operational and open to the general populace. Built to rectify the congestion around the campus, several offices such as the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) and Institutional Testing and Evaluation Office (ITEO) were relocated here. Additionally, the exhaustive transfer of library items was finished. The new library, known as the Learning Commons, helped the Henry Sy, Sr. Hall in gaining popularity for being one of the most favorite hangouts.

Santa says Nice

ABS-CBN

News anchor Korina Sanchez found herself in some controversy this year when she butt heads with Anderson Cooper during the aftermath of the Yolanda Typhoon. Sanchez accused Cooper of giving a poor report of what was happening in Tacloban. Cooper retorted by telling the ABS-CBN anchor to spend some time in Ground Zero.

Another member of the ABS-CBN family found himself under a spotlight that was shining too bright. Atom Araullo’s dangerous live reporting turned into an internet sensation, which lead to some overexposure that was surely not needed. The trend with ABS-CBN here is that even when a typhoon hits, it can never just be about the victims.

Santa says Naughty

Pope Francis

After the surprising events of Pope Benedict XVI stepping down from his papacy, Jorge Mario Bergoglio took his seat. Figuratively though, not literally as Pope Francis chose a simple white chair instead of the more commonly used throne. This is a testament of his character and his plans for his time as the pope. This cost-cutting pope is making waves not only with his tweets and selfies but also his fresh approach to the religion.

And one must think popes have a special place on Santa’s annual list.

Santa says Nice

Crisis in Syria

The United States was not the only country to experience hardships this year; Syria received attention as the civil war taking place in the Middle Eastern country grew even worse this year. Unrest in the country began during early 2011 when protesters demanded the end of the Ba’ath Party rule. The conflict has since escalated into a full civil war, and this year, the violence between those seeking to defend the current government rule, and those wishing to end it, raged on. Those on the outside can only pray for an end to the conflict.

 Santa says Naughty

Jeane Napoles

The daughter of the alleged mastermind of multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam found her life under a second spotlight this year. Jeane Napoles’ lavish lifestyle, which included an elaborate 21st birthday in Los Angeles was ridiculed by the citizens of the Philippines when they found out who was paying for the party. Apparently they were. Jeane’s mother, Janet, made it known she would do anything for her baby girl even if it included lying, cheating and stealing. No use asking what Jeane thinks about all this because judging by her Twitter and Tumblr pages, she amazingly couldn’t care less.

Santa says Naughty

Filipino wins

Filipinos couldn’t help but swell with pride as their fellow countrymen shone in the spotlight this 2013; both Manny Pacquiao and Megan Young both received international acclaim for their success in their respective fields. Pacquiao bounced back from back-to-back losses in 2012 with a unanimous decision victory over American Brandon Rios last November 24th. Meanwhile, Megan Young was crowned Miss World 2013, becoming the first Filipina ever to win the crown. The success and acclaim of these Filipinos on the international stage helped provide a welcome distraction from the disasters the country endured, giving Pinoys a reason to cheer.

 Santa says Nice

DLSU Student Community

Two words: Secret Files

Santa says Naughty

The year 2013 didn’t look too different to the one before it. Pacquiao will always find himself on the front page whether it’s losing to Marquez or beating up Rios. If it’s not Corona on the hot seat, it’s Napoles. People can always count on the rain even when nobody does with Habagat and Yolanda. Despite all the common themes year in and year out, there are still things that remain 2013 exclusive. We say goodbye to shows like Breaking Bad and say hello to putting Specoloos Cookie Butter on everything. So whether you want to call 2013 the “Year of Sauler” or the “Year of Cyrus,” we can all agree it was one rollercoaster of a year with a whole lot of naughty and a whole lot of nice.