By RICA TORRES

The Literature Circle was among the organizations who welcomed this school years froshies. Last May 2005 the organization participated in the La Sallian Personal Effectiveness Program (a two day orientation specially organized for the incoming froshies), complete

Lit Circle Fails to live up to its Mission

By RONALD GUE

The Literature Circle at LPEP 2005

There will still be workshops available upon request of the members, but the organization has decided to avoid any overlap of roles with the other writing organizations in the campus (i.e. Malate Literary Folio and DLSU Writers Guild). The Literature Circle is primarily a professional organization of the Literature Majors and an art appreciation community for the non-majors.

It is in this light that the organization has decided to add several activities to meet its very raison dtre. For the next trimesters, the members and other interested individuals can expect lectures on music theories and music appreciation, art history and art appreciation (for the visual arts), and some film festivals and film lectures (critiques on the films shown).

(Turn to Page 2)

Last September first, the executive board of the organization met to assess the activities that pushed through during the first trimester. Upon careful analysis, this writer had noticed that all the activities failed to live up to the main mission-vision of the organization, which is to promote the appreciation of culture and the arts. Because the activities all failed to enhance the awareness of its members in the field of culture and the arts, this writer therefore called for several reforms in the activities of the organization.

Unanimously, the executive board all agreed to heed this writers call for reforms and decided to revise the activities of the organization for the next two trimesters.

First, the organization shall minimize its writing workshops.

with costumes and giveaways. Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, and a couple of fairies greeted the new students as they walked through the string of booths put up by the different university organizations.

Turn to Page 2

enthusiasts. Cultural presentations like plays, concerts, and exhibits outside the university shall also be promoted by the organization through exhaustive information dissemination campaigns.

With this paradigm shift, the executive board hopes to provide more fruitful reasons for the members to stay and be active in Literature Circle.

(Continued from page 1)

The executive board has decided to invite experts outside the university to conduct these lectures. The members can also expect tours in various museums and other art institutions outside the campus.

The executive board has decided that to promote appreciation of the arts to the members, the organization ought to provide these exposures to these members who are themselves art

2

News

Lit Circle Fails to Live up to Its

The Literature Circle at LPEP

(Continue from p. 1)

VP-Publicity Keetin Martin did a wonderful job on the costumes themed on fairy tales. Colorful glittery pencils were given out to the new La Sallians, plus friendship bracelets for the male Lit majors, and silver princess crowns for the girls. The froshies didnt have time to stop by each and every booth, but the enthusiasm of the welcomers and the fiesta atmosphere of the event certainly had left a pleasant memory on their first day in DLSU. Notable also was the uniqueness of the theme of the orgs booth. The Council of Student Organizations required the orgs to set up booths that would put up several transportation facilities (e.g. jeepney, submarine, vinta, etc

The Literature Circle booth displayed a unique theme, grounding on Imagination can take you anywhere in setting up the design. That explains the Disney outfits that Keetin Martin had sewn by hand, all by herself. Her hard work paid off; everyone was quite mesmerized by the booths theme, and several went for photo ops with our magically dressed officers who marked their impressions deeply on every wide-eyed frosh that passed.

Outreach at Sakya

By RICA TORRES

The Literature Circle held an outreach program last August 20 at the Philippine Academy of Sakya in Manila. Ailene Sentero, the president of the org, together with Nico Akasaka, Gerard Roxas, and myself (all from the Externals committee) visited the place. We spent two hours there, keeping some 16 children busy. We were impressed by their ability to count up to 100 and recite the alphabet perfectly, and at such early ages!

Earlier during the day, we had bought mini cakes and small chocolate bars, and we gave them out as prizes to those could spell their names right. The mornings highlight was the drawing contest. We asked them to be creative and to draw whatever was on their mind.

After each explained his/her work in front of the class, we picked out three of the best drawings and rewarded the creators.

Before saying our goodbyes, we joined the children, mostly five to seven years old, for a snack.

They were a very energetic bunch, keen on having their pictures taken, and always kidding around. (One boy said he couldnt spell his name, but as Nico began to teach him, he turned out to know it after all). The fun we had made us think of coming back. We just hope that more members would come along next time; surely, it would be more memorable and touching for the kids to see and feel more Ates and Kuyas presence and love.

Photo at the Left: Externals Committee member Joseph Roxas is shown teaching the kid how to count.

Shown are (from left) Ailene Sentero, Marian Cruz, and Jenny Logico. Costumes sewn by hand, courtesy of Keetin Martin.

Editorial

3

Escriture*

by Ronald F. Gue

of the readers and takes them into its own reality slash world.

You don't have to be an expert in literary theories to be able to write. In fact, I have encountered several creative writers who are simply not interested in those theories. But that is not tantamount to saying that they are not literarily competent. In fact, the truth of the matter is writers do not start as tabula rasa in writing their texts. We should realize that writers are a product of a society with its own ideology and conventions that can affect/effect the writing of an author. Their writings are but unconscious expositions of their ideology. And that is where experts in those theories (i.e. Literature majors, literary academicians, etc.) come in. They conduct symptomatic readings (to borrow Freud's term) of the texts by using several literary theories in unravelling the ideology present in the text. But as writers, these theories will come out naturally in your writings. If you are not a feminist, no matter how hard you try, your gender biases will come out sooner or later. Therefore, theories are not what move creativity. Or more properly, theories are simply behind your creativity.

However, I am not saying that writing is a haphazard activity. As I have commented somewhere in one of those online journals, and as Jonathan Culler would say, literature is a convention, and if we wish to really excel, there are several measures which we can do to be "conventionally natural." But then again the process of writing is not without life, so the most basic thing to do is be human and write. That's all it takes to get a text started.

In asking our pool of writers to write for this issue, I have encountered several who cowered behind their fear fear, perhaps, of writing. Writing appears to pose great problems to some of them, especially to those who claim to have no experience in writing at all. Let me therefore allot this space to give a few hopefully helpful tips to my pool of writers and to those who seem to have qualms in writing as well.

Writing is purely empirical. Meaning, there is nothing extraterrestrial about it. It is not something totally foreign to any one of us. As H.G. Widdowson would say, writing is merely a product of a person's imaginative response which is in turn caused by his or her intuition.

Intuition is a product of a persons incessant exposure to different texts. In literature, the word text is not simply limited to the written literary pieces. Even life itself is a text in such a way that our view of it is discursive, or simply put variated. Such is the value of literature; it is but a chance for us to exercise our intuition.

That is why literature experts would say that literature is different from philosophy in a way that philosophy is still out of this world (well, that's just my way of saying it, so don't quote me). Literature, on the other hand, bridges the real and the sublime. It is a world where spiritual, intellectual, emotional, imaginative, and realistic perspectives merge to create beautiful works of art. And the beauty of the written word is such that it is alive. It captures the imaginations and the sensibilities

Issue Edited by:

RONALD GUE*

Layout by:

KATE SANTIAGO

RONALD GUE

Writers/Staffers:

RALPH ALFANTE

RAFAEL CONEJAS

ERIC ESCUETA

BUNNY LUZ

NINO RIVERA

LAARNI RUIZ

Contributors:

ROBERT COMANDAO

AILENE SENTERO

RICA TORRES

Note: Carnivalesque is a nonprofit publication distributed exclusively to the members and society of the DLSU Literature Circle.

No parts of this newsletter may be reprinted without the consent of the authors. All rights remain theirs.

A Message from our President

As I write this message, the faces of my fellow officers and org mates come to mind. I find it hard to think of our org without thinking of these people I see the members and staff going from places to places in search of new ideas and resources for the improvement of our org, the officers huddled in a corner brainstorming for upcoming activities while going through many academic pressures and term-paper submissions and still, I see them go about doing their works in the org (no matter how stressful or demanding they are) with friendly smiles and firm resolve. These kind and talented people have given me the time of my life as a member and an officer of our org and I cant imagine myself settling for any other workmates. This issue of our newsletter is but a small part of the many exciting plans

and activities we have in line for you, our beloved members, and while I acknowledge the many active members who have continued to show their passion for the org this first trimester, I also wish to encourage all our other members, as well as all the other literature enthusiasts out there, to join us and share our passion and dedication as we journey through the exciting world of Literature.

Animo! And to all our active members, my appreciation goes to all of you. Keep up the good work.

Sincerely,

Ai

4

Reviews

this current socio-political turmoil. And after the Apache Kid has seen the sergeant perform his act, the American could only say, SONOFABITCH! We could have made money out of that! Again, we are reminded of the only role we played to our colonizers.

Truly, this novel is a fresh escape from the boorishness of Koreanobelas that are inundating Philippine television, and with its competent use of language, this novel will surely help salvage the eroding aptitude of our people.

In reading the novel, one is easily captivated by the spell of its narration that history and all its gloominess suddenly become magical yet real, distant yet significant. The Firewalkers offers a whole new perspective on history, without falling captive to the shackles of its (historys) tedious objectivity. The novel paradoxically offers a fresh outlook on the past- that is, when the sergeant finally walks on the fire while pronouncing his heraldry to return to his compatriots for shelter, we are reminded that while the past is always so torturous and painful, it is the only respite from the lewd present and the surest access to our real identity, our true nationhood, which are indubitably amiss amidst

The Firewalkers: A Review

by Ronald F. Gue

Memories of the past are swift to elude the minds of the youths born in the postcolonial Philippines. History has become nothing but a whole stretch of narrations of events that seem so distant to even affect the lives of modern youths. Distance has a mitigating effect on history; it is now viewed as nothing but an irrelevant nostalgia that must no sooner be gotten over with.

The Firewalkers singes this notion with its effective and soulful narration of history. In a story set in the lush terrains of Cavite, Erwin Castillo has strategically woven the three most significant ideological stages of the Philippines, i.e. the precolonial, Spanish, and American periods, in a story that reaches out its nostalgia to the modern readers.

everything was clear cut and you really dont have to think much: heroes win, villains lose, mindless wreckage here and there for eye candy, a heroine that would eventually end up with the hero, a fuzzy warm feeling when I leave my seat. The trailer promised all of it. Sadly I was disappointed, though to be fair it was partly because I was so hyped about it.

Turn to page 5

Ive been waiting to watch Sky High ever since I first saw its trailer in another totally unrelated movie. It was about this teenage boy about to go through the pangs of high school. But not just any high school. A superhero high school! I know, I know, it sounds corny, but for me it was a shining beacon of pure childish fun amidst a swamp of much too grown up movies. The Longest Yard, The Skeleton Key, Dukes of Hazzard

As much as I loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I just wanted a movie where

Editorial warning: The subtitle is telling the truth; there really are spoilers in this review.

Middling High

Movie Review of Sky High with spoilers

by a starved and aging Robert Comandao

5

Reviews

beautiful girl whos actually a bitch; teachers announcing your mistakes for the whole class to cringe or laugh at all of them made the movie instantly familiar; the twist made them instantly likeable. This is a high school for teenagers with superpowers. Fights will naturally include stuff like fireballs and falling debris. The best familiar element that they gave a twist to was narrated in the final part of the movie. It would make you say Syet, o nga no! and Bakit hindi ko yon nakita? Me, I could have slapped myself for not seeing it if it werent for the fact that it would hurt. My girlfriend became my archenemy, my archenemy became my best friend, and my best friend became my girlfriend. But hey, thats high school. Dont think you would have seen it either. Or if you did, shut up. Now on to what I hate about the movie.

The movie itself could have been a wowing good time but they really didnt maximize its potential enough to be worth my P100. The comedy was lax through most of it and was dependent on that fuzzy feeling only a feel-good movie can give, and the script wasnt all that thought out. Familiar elements are fine, I could even tolerate the predictable twists (the bad guys actually a good guy, best friends become more than friends, that kinda stuff) but not predictable lines. The movie has so much predictable lines, its apparent that the lines were merely a result of the writers lack of creativity and not as a righteous intent at sweet nothing.

Some of the events that moved the plot forward also lacked the proper build up. It depended too much on the audiences familiarity with the movies, well, familiarity, that it failed to give proper tension to the plot, like when Will dumped Gwen for Layla. There werent sufficient slut moments given to Gwen to justify such outrage at being dumped, or there wasnt enough unwitting betrayal of Will to Layla to arrive at such a realization strong enough to dump Gwen. Layla wasnt in the scene herself so I couldnt really Turn to p. 6

Story: 7/10

I got my first wish with the story at least. It was clear cut. Heroes win, villains lose, typical high school drama, a love story you know would have a happy ending.

The story is about Will Stronghold (played by Michael Angarano) the son of two of the greatest superheroes in the superhero business, the Commander (Kurt Russel) who possesses superstrength and Jetstream who can fly, and both of them work as part time real estate agents. Its Wills first day at Sky High, the high school for the kids of superheroes and, well, supervillains. Will has only one problem; he doesnt have any powers. At Sky High, there are only two major groups that any student is concerned with: heroes and sidekicks or, as they would prefer to be called, Hero Support typical Western high school cliques. There are the ins, which would be the heroes, and the outs, the sidekicks. Wills powers manifested late, giving him time to have some loserly bonding with the sidekicks along with Layla, his best friend who can talk to plants. When his powers did manifest into super strength, he was transferred to the Hero group and slowly got caught up with the in crowd and with his big crush, a senior technopath named Gwen.

Turns out Gwen was the bad guy of the movie, who only manipulated Will to get to his parents who, by accident, turned her into a baby years ago and has been planning revenge ever since. She manages to lure Wills parents to the school dance and make them and everyone else but Will and the sidekicks into babies. Long story short, he rescued Sky High from Gwen with the help of the sidekicks.

The movie was riddled with familiar elements of Western high school culture that made it familiar and endearing, though Ive never been to America or to any of its educational institutions. Anyway, the elements made it pleasantly predictable. Bullies, crushes, geeks, losers, cheerleaders, lunch trays; showdowns during lunch times; crushes on the

Middling High from p. 4

ting and if their particular talent is of use. And besides, all the sidekicks did was do the minor stuff. Take out the minions; shut down the bomb. The real threat was still defeated by the Hero. Will. They went to lengths to prove that mediocrity isnt all that bad. What a $^!+ load of bull. Its so typical of Disney to give contradicting ideas in their movies as long as it makes you feel good. In The Incredibles movie the moral lesson was: if youre super, dont be ashamed to show it, dont let a mediocre environment pull you down. And here they are showing Sky High promoting mediocrity as a passing standard.

Production Design: 8.5/10

Save the best for last I always say (and I dont.) The production design was certainly the best asset this film had to offer.

say something bad about her in this light. Another example was when Gwen was revealed to be the bad guy, and she turned out to be Commander and Jetstreams greatest foe, Royal Pain. Not enough exposure of Royal Pains evil to have an effect of oh shit, Gwen is Royal Pain? Not enough fear and respect from the Commander and Jetstream when they look back on their greatest battle. Not enough money in my wallet to buy popcorn.

Acting: 7/10

Since the cast was made up mostly of teens, some minor faults are understandable: inept comedic timing, lack of emotions, not knowing the proper emotions, not knowing how to express an emotion even if it is right, conservative gestures (its a hero movie for crying out loud, wave those arms when shooting fireballs!), and mostly lack of confidence. You could see uncertainty in most of their actions, exuding that aura of awkwardness at some points.

Fuzziness Factor: 6/10

It was a feel good movie, yet my insides were not growing fuzz after leaving my seat. I credit it to the annoying script, lack of buildup, and deficiency of humor. I would put more in this section if it didnt pain me so much to write about the ruin of such a potentially amazing movie.

Moral Lesson Factor: 5/10

Sidekicks are heroes too. Now I would really praise such a worthy moral lesson if it werent for the delivery of it. The sidekicks saved the day. Hooray! BUT it was only because all the heroes were made into babies, and some of the perilous situations were tailor made for their sucky powers. Glow in the dark Boy was useful in the dark. Guinea Pig girl was useful because the disruptor could only be reached by something the size of a rat. It only proves that mediocre people, even in the standards of being super, only stand a chance when they are actually the only ones participa-

Middling High from p. 5

Reviews

6

*This was originally written as an online journal in a slightly different version under the pseudonym Eros.

Shadows*

By RONALD GUE

This darkness

is handsome

and it

knows its power.

It knows its power well.

As the images wane, the silent

noise gravels the squalid head,

giving rise to adventures in the bleary dimness

where only the sensitive and miraculous

survives. Its gloom is wild in the travesty

of its fury, which darkness is

And nothing more.

Such is its

splendor,

which lies

in the concealed

yet obvious..

For the shadow eschews that which is bright.

And the darkness shines in the absence of light.

February 7, 2005

*This poem was originally written as an online journal under the pseudonym Eros

Ambiguity

By LAARNI RUIZ

I used to think

That I am alone,

Alive without a link,

Living without a tone.

Every night I have nightmares

And everyday I try to befriend and care

But,

The hell! Did they care?

No, but I tried to be

A friend?

But cant you see

Im out of the thread.

A loner? Yes, I am.

Call me a loser,

Tell me Im damned.

But as the days pass,

I realize,

In my heart, I can feel something special.

I, too, want to give kisses,

And be Mesmerized,

And be radical

Too

Yes, a person.

Not a ghoul or an apparition.

And its you.

You taught me how to be true.

And somehow smile when I am blue

I feel content.

I cant resist

To tell

You have proven,

That

I Exist.

4/19/2005

Poetry

7

8

CULTURAL EVENTS

KOIN ONE ACTS THEATER:

SAWI: Single Ako Warning Ito

Koin One Acts Theater (2nd Floor, Forab Building, 121 Kamuning Road, Quezon City) presents Jihan Estrellas SAWI: Single Ako Warning Ito. The play is a hilarious comedy about how annoying the question May boyfriend ka na ba? can get. SAWI runs in tandem with Niel de Mesas provocative play, Starring Miss Lea Salonda, a trying hard British comedy about the local Philippine scene.

Shows:

9, 10, 16, 17, 30 Sept. 2005

1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29 Oct. 2005

All shows will start at 7:30 pm.

For reservations, please call 410-4485 or 0916-5251038.

Reserved seating only.

September, 2005 10 Pages / 6 Sections / Issue No. 1

October at the Cultural Center of the Philippines*

SEPHARAD(Instituto Cervantes)14 October 7:30 pm Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater)SWAN LAKE(Toni Lopez Gonzalez)16 & 23 October 4:00 pm Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater)HABANERAS(Instituto Cervantes)21 October 7:30 pm Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater)60TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT(Chiang Kai Shek College Alumni Association)A cultural variety show in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Chiang Kai Shek College Alumni Association. 22 October 8:00 pm23 October 3:00 pm / 8:00 pm Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater)Hanoch LevinsANG POKPOK NG OHIO (Whore From Ohio)(Tanghalang Pilipino)In the prostitute world, a spade is called a spade. This is Bronsatskis world where she is labeled a whore. You want her services? You ask her the price. A hundred shekels in the alley, 400 or more if you want it on a decent bed and a shower afterwards. You pay for it, you get the goods. But either way, the prostitute does not dilly-dally.

She delivers according to the bargain. But what if her client, a 70 year old beggar who fritters his life savings to celebrate his birthday doesnt rise up to the occasion? This co-production with the Embassy of Israel is a poetic drama about forgotten yearnings, thwarted dreams and finding hope in desperate times. Israeli theaters great satirist Hanoch Levin infuses sharp humor in the unveiling of human crudity and invariably leaves the audience facing the same baffling paradox: the essential absurdity of human existence.

1, 7-8, 14-15, 21-22 October 8:00 pm

1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 22-23 October 3:00 pm

Tanghalang Huseng Batute (CCP Studio Theater)

*Source: CCP Calendar of Events

20(The CompanY)The CompanY, the countrys premier vocal group celebrates its 20th anniversary with a concert performance at the CCP. The performance will feature a compilation of tour de force numbers that highlighted The CompanYs two-decade career as well as new musical and production numbers especially for the show.1-2 October 8:00 pm Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater)

CLASSICAL PIANO(Instituto Cervantes)1 October 7:30 pm Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater)

SPECIAL CONCERT SERIES: REIKO OTANI, violin & NENA DEL ROSARIO VILLANUEVA, pianoInternational prize-winning young violinist Reiko Otani performs with renowned Filipino pianist Nena del Rosario Villanueva. Reiko Otani won first prize at the Japan Music Competition in 1993. She placed second at the 1996 Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition in Pzonan, Poland and is a laureate of many of the most prestigious international competitions such as Spohr (Freiburg), Tokyo, Queen Elizabeth (Brussels), Hannover and Sibelius (Helsinki). She performs frequently as a soloist and chamber musician in Japan and abroad. Nena del Rosario Villanueva is both soloist and chamber musician and has performed as a soloist of leading orchestras in the Philippines. 5 October 8:00 pm Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater)

2005-2006 PPO CONCERT SERIES II: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE(Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra)7 October 8:00 pm Featuring:Ingrid Sala Santamaria, pianoEugene Castillo, conductorProgramme:T. Takemitsu, Star Isle (Philippine Premiere)E. MacDowell, Piano Concerto no. 2 in D minor, op. 23H. Berlioz, Symphonie FantastiqueFrom all corners of the globe, our second offering merges the worlds of one of Japans leading contemporary voices with the nineteenth century piano concerto of American Edward MacDowell, last performed here by Van Cliburn. Bartoks masterpiece ends the concert in fireworks. Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater)Tickets: P350 / P600 / P900FLAMENCO(Instituto Cervantes)9 October 8:00 pm Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo(CCP Main Theater)

BUONGIORNO, NOTTE (Good Morning, Night)(Italian Film Festival 2005 Film Showing)Director: Marco BellocchioStarring: Luigi Lo Cascio, Maya Sansa and Roberto Herlizka2003 Drama, The kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro in 1978 as seen from the perspective of one of his assailants, a conflicted young woman in the Red Brigade. Based on a novel by Laura Braghetti who had been part of the Brigade. 11 October 4:00 pm / 7:00 pm FREE ADMISISON!CCP Dream Theater

Whats Inside

News

Editorial

A message from our president

Reviews of

The Firewalkers

Sky High

Poetry

Ambiguity

Shadows

Cultural Events

October at CCP

KOIN ONE ACTS THEATER: SAWI: Single Ako Warning Ito