AU-PHINMA enjoys week-long Christmas fair

Christmas started early for Araullians as the University conducted the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 4, 2012 and Christmas Bazaar from December 3 to 7.

The Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, which includes the Lantern Making Contest and the Chorale Competition, served as the highlight of the affair. For the Lantern Making Contest, the College of Management and Accountancy (CMA) was declared champion while the College of Education (COE) and College of Criminology (COC) placed 1^st and 2^nd runners-up. COE came on top for the Chorale Competition, followed by CMA and the College of Arts and Sciences.

The bazaar comprised of stalls selling food, clothing, and other merchandise. Staying true to the season’s spirit of giving, the University did not charge fees for the stall owners’ use of Admin Lobby and other amenities.

In behalf of CSDL, Directress Junely Moises expressed their happiness with the affair’s outcome. Moises said that AU-PHINMA was able to spread the holiday cheer even outside the campus through the spectacle provided by the lighting of sky lanterns during the ceremony. Barry Sim

The Long-gone Past

This is the 12th poem for 13b42013 Poetry Series.

The Long-gone Past

Barry Sim

I open my eyes and welcome the light
That will reveal the next chapters of life
But something bothers the inside of me
My past, my past, it wants me to see

I close my eyes for a second, I wait
And I meet the past that I myself built
I have no idea what lies ahead
But still I dig deeper inside my head

It feels like a dream on a Christmas night
Everything is grainy, blurry and white
Whatever my mind wants me to realize
I should revisit every moment, fall or rise

I thought I’m alone in this small white world
Without nothing to see, to talk, to hold
But my mind surprises me even more
With a big white screen that shows me all


I watched, intrigued by the display of scenes
I am the center of this ideal dream
I hardly resist to laugh or to weep

With these true memories, hiding beneath

After a while of showing what is gone
It becomes unfamiliar, new, undone
Scenes shift to a remarkably new me
The light the future unveils before me

I am tempted at first to look and to watch
I realize that I should not know much
Too much knowledge may prove useful at first
But seeing alone is a selfish curse

I caught myself and walk out the vision
Open my eyes, thinking of my mission
To find the rationale behind my past
What would I perceive from the scenes they cast?

The realization then dawns on me
The past is not the real picture to see
I picture myself standing still and firm
The real picture is not inside my dream

No man is an island the saying goes
Sharing sentiments with someone who cares
That is the lesson that my mind portrays
As clear as a glass without any trace

I will myself to call upon the Lord
God, the Creator shows flashes so old
I will walk straight with HIM, I told myself
I’ll never be alone, he’ll always help

I feel new strength surging inside of me
I’m ready to face the straight path I see
The path I see holds my future again
But this time, I’m with my Lord to begin

Whatever danger of what lies ahead
I am not scared to face them head-to-head
I will welcome the year that comes after
I will walk beside HIM, knowing better.

Barry Sim is a BS Major in Accountancy freshman in Araullo University-PHINMA and is a Staff Writer of Viewpoint.  It is about walking with God for all eternity and is dedicated to the poet himself. This poem is composed as a part of 13b42013  Poetry Series.

Where Are We Now?

Have you ever seen someone picking up their own plates and setting the utensils they used to their respective places after eating? Have you noticed a sign bearing the acronym “CLAYGO” is present in places where students gather to eat? “Clean As You Go” is a part of a bigger project implemented last school year, the “Zero BASURA” campaign. Looking back now, what have we achieved so far in terms of having a clean environment?

The “Zero Basura” campaign which encouraged students to keep the environment clean without being dependent on iClean staff was indeed successful at first, especially in the Basic Education department. But with the influx of new students along the hallways of the university, it seems like a new culture was introduced where the campaign is no longer reinforced, if not totally forgotten. Some students still follow the Zero BASURA policies, preserving the green perspective that the University has adopted. However, if we want to keep an environment conducive to learning, we should do our part as well. As students, we can’t just stand here and forego our responsibilities; we must actively take part in the campaign for a greener Araullo.

Participating in this campaign by picking up your trash and cleaning up after yourself might seem a small act, but it is a great start in the fight to save Mother Nature. Time is running out. Are we going to let it stay this way? If we want to maintain the cleanliness that our university is well-known for, we must spark ourselves into action and start the change from within. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, we should be the change that we want to see in the world. Barry Sim

Palaro ng Lahi brings freshmen together

Freshmen students relived their childhood days last August 24 when they took part in the Palaro ng Lahi, which featured native Filipino games such as patintero, sipa, and luksong lubid.

According to Dr. Gerarda Rivera, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the event was envisioned to promote camaraderie and teamwork among the students under the college.

CAS faculty, with the help of the CAS student council officers, facilitated the event that brought back Filipino tradition. At the end of the games, an assortment of treats were given to the winners as tokens. Barry Sim