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The Scenic Route: Tegan and Sara live in Manila

A long queue of people in plaid shirts tied around waists, faded jean shorts with the pockets spilling out the hem, bleached out pixie cuts accentuated by headwraps, and laced up Doc Martens wrapped around the NBC tent as early as 9 a.m. of November 25, 2013. Seeing people as upbeat on a Monday morning…

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Glimpse: Remembering the “Supremo”

The Philippines, in its rich and diverse culture, has produced a wide variety of heroes. There is the warrior-chief from Mactan, Lapu-Lapu; the three martyr priests, collectively called Gomburza; and of course, the nationalistic writer, Jose Rizal. Each of these heroes exemplified nationalism and love for country; however, none may have epitomized patriotism more than…

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Rant and Rave—’The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’

Fans join the rebellion with Catching Fire making its way to cinemas as the sequel to The Hunger Games back in 2012. The film takes off from the victory of tributes Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) from the 74th Annual Hunger Games, as they strategically defied the rules and survived through a…

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Vignette: Apps to make your gadgets more productive

When it comes to keeping track of our tasks, studying for exams and scrambling for org meetings, there are times when pen and paper will not suffice. In a sea of smartphones and tablets, technology has provided us with infinite ways to make our lives a lot easier. So set your Candy Crush aside and…

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Toys R’ Dust: Updated versions of our childhood

Do you remember the last time you wished you were a kid again? Maybe it was that time you were climbing those mountains upon mountains of projects to do and papers to submit, or it could’ve struck you as you waited on an eternal line at the train station, or maybe even when you just…

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25 Cents Worth: A proper goodbye

A habitual early riser, a Chinese-Waray matriarch, a forever octogenarian, she is none other than my tai ma, or my paternal grandmother’s (ama’s) mother. Normally, in the Chinese family structure, a tai ma is a name reserved for one’s paternal grandfather’s (angkong’s) mother. However, I did not get to meet my angkong’s mother, so the…

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Green Pulse: Batch identities and diversities

Transcendence is defined as an experience or characteristic beyond the normal level.  To transcend means to excel or be known for something.  As individuals, we all have something that makes us unique.  However, in groups this uniqueness develops through the strength in numbers and becomes a trait that characterizes an entire batch, making it memorable…

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Cannot be reached: A quip on cellphones

Gone are the days where pigeons carry along letters of love. Humanity has come a long way to what is now an era of technological savvy. Speed rules the twenty first century and so all aspects of our existence evolve upon this change. This is the world of motion, as some may call it, and…

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Rant and Rave: Bangerz

Ever since that twerking act by Miley Cyrus during the MTV Video Music Awards 2013, bashers, detractors, admirers and even non-music lovers have been talking about the child star, with discussion spanning from the songs, down to her personality, and even morality. Thing here is, she’s a music icon with the goal of selling her…

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Rant and Rave: Avril Lavigne

When an artist decides to release a self-titled album, it’s either the debut album or a very personal one that accurately represents the artist’s current state in life; neither is the case in Avril Lavigne’s fifth album. After 2011’s ballad-heavy Goodbye Lullaby was met with lukewarm reviews from both fans and critics, Avril drops down…