Vol. 1 No.

1 Jun - Oct 2010

ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A THIRD GRADER?

Karolle Inna Infante

E
graders
DIFY is charity event under Academics Committee
wherein review and advanced classes are offered
to grade three students of chosen public schools.

comprehend September 18: ENGLISH DAY.

much better the lessons First day of Edify was certainly success-
taught at school. ful. However, there was also a predica-
Senior Heads of ment the team encountered. No grade
the event were Jestin three teachers were present as ex-
Bernardo and Janine pected upon agreement with the coor-
Smiles of pride and fulfillment from both the students Cambangay. Junior Heads dinator of the school; hence, no grade
were Myron Alcanzare three classrooms were initially avail-
and Alchemists surely proved the event worthwhile.
and Rico Chet Deonaldo. able. Despite the conflict, third graders
This school year, Edify team had Edify Review classes were held on Satur- did enjoy the first day.
chosen San Vicente Elementary School days from September 18 to October 9, Continuation on Page 2
(SVES). They conducted remedial classes 2010, 2 to 5 pm. Pencils, pad papers and
in three major subjects, namely, English, food were given to the students.
Math and Science in order to make third
CEERS Jodel Cuasay

UP ALCHEMES: We handle with care

Karolle Inna Infante
IT has been an annual activity to welcome
freshmen at the start of the school year
and assist them year-round. This school
year, the UP ALCHEMES block handling
team 2010-2011, headed by Diana Joy
Gernan and Kathy Madlambayan was
tasked to supervise blocks G2 and G4.
During the Freshmen Advanced Registra-
tion last May 4, some Alchemists volun-
teered as marshals. Freebies, taken
charged by Vergelle Parrocha, Edsel
Serrano, and Eric del Rosario, were given
away to freshies.
ORG NEWS
Lab Tour for
freshies
page 3
It was even more welcoming when a party
was arranged for blocks G2 and G4 on June
10 at the Vinzon’s rooftop. This party was
organized by Iya Leonardo and Claridge
Gamboa. Freshmen participated in getting-
to-know games while some Alchemists
shared some of their college life experi-
ences, enlightening first year students. AS part of UP ALCHEMES goal to pur-
Furthermore, Engineering Centennial sue academic excellence and to give
Opening week, perhaps the climax among
service to the community, the organi-
the events, was held from June 21-25. It
was a week-long event for engineering zation held its annual College Entrance
freshmen students to enjoy, share their Exam Review Series (CEERS) last July 3,
talents and finally step out of their comfort 10, 17, 24, and 31, 2010.
UP ALCHEMES…(Continuation on Page 11)
Continuation on Page 2
ORG NEWS WORLD NEWS ODDS & ENDS
The Org Spirit “The Only Way is ChE: What is
lives on UP.” LOVE and HATE?
page 10 See page 5 See page 9
O RGA NIZA TIO N NEW S page

02 P U RG E D !
November 2010

VA’s First Mr. Fernandez introduced the applica- the organization for the enhancement
tion of WordPress to blogging and of their creative skills and knowledge.
Workshop website building. This free web soft- The aim of the workshop was to de-

Ann Margarette Tayco ware has been used by many site de- velop members’ talents ad interest in
velopers in the premise of ease of use the field of modern-day techniques in

T
HE Visual Arts Committee, and good quality aesthetics. publicity and information propagation
also known as VA, of the The second installment of the VA through the internet and other media
Creative Groups of AL- Workshop was held September 6 at components. The success of the VA
CHEMES organized a two-part work- the same room. During this 2nd part, Workshop was made possible by the
shop. The first installment of the VA Ms. Alarice Francisco, a Fine Arts Ma- event heads Loujane Balatbat and
Workshop was held last August 16 at jor, was invited to do a talk and demo Judy Rebong. The UP ALCHEMES cal-
MH 301-303. Xavier Fernandez, a of Adobe Photoshop which has always endar shall be filled with many other
member of the Secretariat committee, been a very powerful tool in the area fulfilling lessons, seminars, and work-
presented the basics of using Word- of publicity and photo enhancement. shops to help better equip members
Press. Being the head of UP AL- The Workshop was exclusively con- and increase market value.
CHEMES website maintenance team, ducted for members and applicants of

MARKETING WORKSHOP 2010

Ann Margarette Tayco

HAVING recognized the need marketing team in her college organi-

for the improvement of marketing
knowledge in the organization, a mar-
keting workshop was held last July 23
at MH 313-315. Members and appli-
cants took part in a 2-hour talk about
the basics of event marketing for or-
ganizations. Two credible speakers
were invited to share their knowledge
in this field.
The first speaker was Ms.
Chezka Vidal, an alumnus of the UP
Economic Society. She devoted an
hour for the introduction of sponsor-
ships targeted to companies and/or
businesses. Her lecture covered the
sponsorship packages, cover letter
writing, some basic tools and do’s/
don’ts. Being also a member of the
zation, she was able to deliver the ba-
sic essence of marketing for org
events.
The second speaker invited
was Mr. Darrell Kent Aguila, the cur-
rent Brother Custodian of Beta Epsilon
Fraternity. His part of the Workshop
constituted the basic steps in the actual assembled by Lavina Gador, member
marketing process. Some processes of the Finance Committee of UP AL-
demonstrated were phone-call making, CHEMES. Overall, the impact of the
follow-ups and memorandum of agree- information shared in this talk has pro-
ment (MOA) signing. He was also vided the members and applicants a
able to relate his different experiences better understanding of the marketing
in the field of marketing of well- side of event management, and hope-
known events in the College of Engi- fully will increase our organizations’
neering (e.g. Rakestra, Engineering efficiency in this area.
Marketing Congress).
The Marketing Workshop was
The Official Publication o f
U P A LC H E M E S
page
03 O RGANIZ ATION NEW
AC A D E M I C E XC E L L E N C E
Hazel Fajardo
SUBJECTS have gone extremely
difficult, teachers seemed harsher
than before, and the grades have
been constantly at risk of going
down the bigger values – and for a
good number of members, the
numbers have really dipped low. It
was a worry prior to the release of
the 2010 engineering organization
recognition application results, as
these daunting grade scenarios
threatened the organization's
ownership of the title, which also
merited an award in the recently
concluded Engineering Organiza-
tion Excellence Awards, the Aca-
demic Excellence Award.
It is a truth widely acknowledged,
that when the measure of aca-
demic excellence is given through
numbers, only one organization
stands out – the youngest among
all others, yet the most gifted.
Once, it has been asked, whether it
was 'just a product of the mem-
bers' gift or just from good recruit-
ment'. But for its consistency and
impressive percentage, I believe it
is accountable not from the latter
but from the members' gift, culti-
vated by the organization through
reviews, peer reviews and collabo-
rations.
In the 2010 engineering organiza-
tion recognition application re-
sults, things turned out well for the
organization as out of 171 mem-
bers, a remarkable number of 91
students were recorded College
Scholars and University Scholars in
the past year. 53% of the organi-
zation has attained a General
Weighted Average of 1.75 and up
as recorded by the CRS. With an
organization GWA of 1.95, coming
from the only organization with a
grade starting with a '1', the per-
formance may seem grand. But
this number is already part of a
trend – a downward slide from a
noteworthy College Scholar or-
ganization GWA around 2 or more
years ago.
ACADEMIC League of Chemical
Engineering Students.
Service. Humility. ACADEMICS.
Professionalism. Excellence.
They say 'grades are just numbers,
they don't define who you really
are.', for an organization with ex-
cellent academics in their name,
this serves as a challenge. With
the numbers come the grandeur
and the test. If one of the pillars
by which you are founded is crum-
bling and sloping down, what
would you do? Rise up Alchemist,
and let your works reflect in your
numbers, let your numbers define
where you belong, never concede
to the difficulties and continue to
own that throne.
S
LAB @ FIRST SIGHT
Michelle Myla Marquez
“A drop of knowledge can
change the entire world.”
The ChE seniors gave the ChE
Freshmen their first gaze and experi-
ence of the Chemical Engineering
Laboratory last June 21, 2010 through
the first ever lab tour, Lab @ First
Sight, headed by DJ Donn Matienzo of
the UP ALCHEMES with coordination
to the ChE Representatives.
“LAB @ 1st SIGHT 2010” mounted before the
doors of the ChE Laboratory welcomes the
freshmen.
Seven stations comprised this
2-hour lab tour. Two lecturers per
station, Ann Margarette Tayco and
Mario Nistal Jr. for the Reynolds Num-
ber Setup, Camille Rivero and Richard
de Guzman for Gas Absorption, Lian
Cecilia Ortiz and Chester Paulo Luna
for Crushing, Louise Dorothy Faye
Acupang and Jehan Kay Otani for
Screening, Cyma Edel Alba and Charli-
magne Montealegre for Fluidized Bed,
Kara Therese Limchiu and Marlon
Jesspher de Vera for Sedimentation,
and Athalie Reyes and Oscar Alex Ba-
jasa for Pumps, were assigned to give
brief description of the equipment,
how they work, their applications and
hazards/safety measures.
 W O RLD
Independent Trio wins
Renz Marion Corpuz
Nobel Prize
D
r. Richard F. Heck, professor at Uni-
versity of Delaware, and Dr. Ei-ichi
Negishi, professor at Purdue University
have been awarded last October 8, 2010
the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the devel-
opment of Palladium-catalyzed Cross Cou-
pling in Organic Synthesis.
The two professors, who are organic chem-
ists, independently researched on making
use of carbon to create complex chemicals
that could be used in the near future. These
said complex chemicals could be used for
synthesizing more useful chemicals for
food, medicine, industry and even electron-
ics.
The hindrance then was the fusion of car-
bon atoms because of their stability and
preference not to join with other atoms.
Though early syntheses were made possible
by using reagents like Grignard Reagent
which makes the carbon reactive and able
to join with each other, these reagents
were still not very promising in large-scale
production due to many unwanted by-
products.
Then there were the thought possibilities
that transition metals could actually act as
catalysts, giving rise to organometallic
chemistry. Dr. Heck researched on how to
make styrene by linking carbon atoms in
1968 using Palladium; while in the 1970’s
Dr. Negishi and Dr. Suzuki also worked on
Palladium for synthesis. One of the most
important artificial organic synthesis using
metals as catalysts is the synthesis of paly-
toxin, naturally synthesized by a species of
coral in Hawaii. It is a poison which was
discovered to have anti-viral properties and
is viable for stopping cancer cells, according
to the researches in the 1980’s.
“Few people fully understand the true
meaning of this magical thing that the tran-
sition metals offer us,” said Dr. Negishi in
an interview led by the Nobel Prize organi-
zation. Truly, finding the best catalyst to
form carbon-carbon bonds is worked upon
and is still on. These researches will be on
its major bloom due to the recognition
given by the Nobel Prize. The usage of met-
als in Organic Chemistry will pave the way
continuation at page 5
P U RG E D !
page
NEW S 04 November 2010
P O LY M E R S F R O M S OY B E A N S
John Russel Canoza
MANY researches today are focused on the development of
environment-friendly biomaterials as a replacement for the
commercially available synthetic ones. This has been the focus
of the symposium on green polymer chemistry held recently in
Washington D.C. The forum highlighted researches on differ-
ent aspects of polymer production- from raw materials to the
polymerization processes- that will make the final product
nontoxic and biodegradable.
Polymer derived from Soybean research shows that their novel
Oil idea of using microwaves success-
One of the researches in the sym- fully lessen the reaction time of the
posium described how rubbers can process.
be made from soybean oil. This Similar researches were also
particular undertaking was carried shown in the one spearheaded by
out by Dejan Andjelkovic together Lin Zhu and Richard Wool in which
with Richard Larock, both from triglyceride-based polymers were
Iowa State University. Andjelkovic produced from plant oils such as
sees soybean oil, which can be ex- soybean oil through free radical
tracted from soybean seeds, as one polymerization.
of the cheapest and most abundant
renewable natural resources. He Bright future for Green Polymer
also noted that using renewable Chemistry
sources, such as soybean oil in the Studies featured in the event
production of polymers, helps in shows how promising the future
reducing or eliminating the exten- can be for green polymer chemis-
try. Many researches regarding the
sive use of petroleum-based raw
materials in the industry. production of polymers from natu-
With their research, a wide array ral resources aside from soybean
of biomaterials, such as rubber and oil are still ongoing and can soon
tough plastics among others, can be realized. These researches may
now be derived from soybean oil. be useful in paving the way for
The method of production that making the polymer and polymeri-
was used in the research was a zation processes safe and more
cationic polymerization of the oil efficient. In fact, the organizers
with styrene and divinylbenzene. said that the field is already under-
Andjelkovic pointed out that aside going a new phase in which green
from their biodegradability, poly- polymer chemistry is not only used
mers derived from soybean oil for the sake of green chemistry but
have qualities which is at par with rather it is now used as a tool for
that of the synthetic polymers used addressing a wide variety of prob-
by the industry. lems.
A Netherland-based research
group also conducted a research Source:
related to the studies of Andjelk-
ovic and Larock. They described Freemantle, Michael. Green Polymer
how microwave irradiation can be Field Blossoming Progress reported
a green and efficient alternative to in making new materials from re-
common methods of heating newable feedstocks such as soybean
needed in the production of poly- oils. Chemical & Engineering News.
mers based from soybean oil. Their
 page
The Official Publication o f
U P A LC H E M E S 05
Going Places: Philippine Entry Chosen as the Finalist to the BBC World
Challenge 2010 Kristine– Mae S. Hangod
“ THE Only Way is Up”, the official entry
of AIDFI (Alternative Indigenous Devel-
opment Foundation Inc.) of the Philip-
pines, has been chosen last July as one of
the 12 finalists of the World Challenge
2010 competition, besting out almost 800
other entries from all over to the world.
With the goal of developing technologies
that would support sustainable and or-
ganic agricultural alternatives, the ram
pump program was started by the Bacolod
City based organization since 1997. Since
then, the program has won various awards
and recognitions in and out of the country
for its excellence in the advancement of
renewable energy, the most notable of
which is the Ashden Awards in London in
2007. As of July 2010, AIDFI now boasts
the installation of ram pumps in 170 up-
land villages, benefiting around 50,000
Filipinos in remote areas; and technology
transfer to countries such as Japan, Malay-
sia, Thailand, West Timor, France, Nepal,
Iran loads fuel into Bushehr
nuclear reactor
Ervin Cezar
AS of October 27, 2010, Iran has begun
loading fuel rods containing enriched
uranium into the core of what will be its
first nuclear power plant, the 1000-
megawatt Bushehr nuclear power plant in
southern Iran.
Mohammad Ahmadian of Iran’s Atomic
Energy Organization said the process of
inserting the fuel rods will take about 20
days, while the reactor is expected to take
another month to begin producing energy
at full capacity.
The Bushehr reactor, set to produce
energy commercially in 2011, will be
operated and maintained by Russians.
Originally the work of German engineers
in the 1970’s when Iran was under the
Shah, the reactor was recently completed
with help from Russia. Operation will be
supervised by the International Atomic
Cambodia, and Afghanistan.
Hydraulic ram pumps use the momentum
of moving bodies of water to pump water
uphill without using another source of
energy, making it ideal for transporting
water to remote areas where people are
able to enjoy free flowing water from a
water source located 90 m below their
village. While this technology has been
invented as far back as the 18th century,
AIDFI was the first to utilize it extensively
in different communities.
BBC World Challenge 2010, the sixth in the
series, aimed at seeking out projects or
small businesses from all over the world
that showed enterprise and innovation by
making a positive difference to the society
while being at harmony with the environ-
ment. The winner will be chosen through
the results of an online voting which will
start on September 27 and end at mid-
night (GMT) on November 12, 2010. The
Energy Agency (IAEA).
Fuel rods used in Bushehr contain
uranium enriched to 3.5%, that is, 3.5%
Uranium-235. Natural uranium contains
0.72% Uranium-235, while weapons-
grade uranium must be enriched
beyond 90%.
Iran currently has plans to further enrich
their stock of uranium to the 20% level
for use in producing “medical isotopes,”
as the small reactor used for this
purpose – built by Americans, when Iran
was under the Shah – is currently
running low on fuel. All of this will be
done under IAEA monitoring.
other finalists in-
clude “Cyber Capi-
tal” from Denmark,
“Ok Coral” from
Tanzania, “Pass it
On” from Peru,
“Double Boiled”
http://
from K e n y a , www.theworldchallenge.co.
“Growth Cycle” uk/2010-finalists-
from Zambia, “A project08.php
Class Apart” from The hydraulic ram pump
Guatemala, “Burn bringing benefits to the
after Eating” from poor communities
India, “One Reef at
a Time” from Madagascar, “Saving from a
Rainy Day” from Mexico, “Charge of the
Light Brigade” from Rwanda, and “In a
Nutshell” from Marawi. Voting and view-
ing of the other finalists can be done at
www.theworldchallenge.co.uk. The
awards ceremony will broadcast on De-
cember 4, 2010 on BBC World News and
will also be featured in Newsweek maga-
zine in the December 21st issue.
The UN Security Council has ordered the
suspension of all steps of the enrichment
process until they are convinced of Iran’s
peaceful intentions.
Iran’s enrichment programme remained
hidden for 18 years.
The UN Security Council traditionally
responds to Iranian defiance with new
rounds of trade and financial restrictions,
particularly, aimed at Iranian importation
of refined petroleum products.
Tehran has repeatedly stated that it has no
plans of building bombs, and no evidence
to the contrary has been found.
Independent Trio… (continuation)
into a better and more in-depth researches
in many fields of study.
References:
www.nobelprize.org
www.npr.org
Scientific Background on the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry 2010: Palladium-catalyzed Cross Cou-
pling in Organic Synthesis. Editors. The Royal
Swedish Academy of Sciences.
 E DITO RIAL P U RG E D !
page

06 November 2010

Curiosity and
Nobility are
Neighbors

M ost little children surely did pass

through that phase when they
had that “Someday, I would want
to become a teacher” dream. Well, who could
Editorial Cartoon Here

blame them? In their world, teachers are the

most amazing people. How these grown-ups
are able to patiently teach the little children
“everything” simply amazes the minds of these
little kids who‟ve gotten used to sleeping to
playful tunes of nursery rhymes and magical
tones of fairy tales. After all, these grown-ups
are like passwords for the kids to unlock the
next stage of their own game of life. Further-
more, in the kids‟ eyes, these teachers are the
key-holders and the legacy-keepers; they are knowledge lies their passion to still obtain a yet that sense of curiosity and that trace of passion
the bearers of light and knowledge in times of newer and more mature understanding of their to share what we know. All of us are bearers of
darkness and ignorance. Ah, the nobility of a own lives. light and receivers of wisdom, whether we like
teacher and the idealism of a child! it or not. All of us are fated to learn and all of us
And where actually are these little kids headed
are fated to teach.
Then the little kids grow up. To some, the to? Aren‟t they headed to a horizon of maturity
world remains perfect, like how a snow globe and understanding? Aren‟t they, though travelling The organization has held activities where
actually captures everything magical about a different paths and playing different games, all we could actually showcase our teacher ways,
fairy-tale-like world. To others however, their the same headed to that certain point when they yet still give way to the childish innocence in
worlds turn to that deep shade of greyish- would be the ones to share everything they us. The CEERS, EDIFY, SEC WORKSHOPS
black, mixed with other lively colors, like how a know, and have learned, to younger minds? and even the BLOCKHANDLING ACTIVITIES
canvass is filled with a mess of splats and They‟re works of God after all; and surely, hand are just some of the events held annually by
globs of different colored paint. The teachers in hand with their cluelessness and naïve-ness the UP ALCHEMES that give chance to its
though, still remain noble and loyal to their lies something greater than what they thought members not only to share what they have
profession, educating a new generation of they could ever be. Hand in hand with their ea- learned to less mature and less-knowing
curious, clueless minds; imparting knowledge gerness to learn new things would lay their minds, but also to learn more things from the
to a new set of individuals eager to learn. dreams to someday be the great ones and the people and from the students they interact
noble ones of the world (at least in a kid‟s eyes), with. We, as an organization, and as different
But where actually did these great teachers
holding keys and passing down legacies to yet individuals, are then called to a challenge to
start? Aren‟t they also once a part of that gen-
another set of innocent minds. Teachers and satisfy both humane thirsts in us: to learn and
eration being educated by yet an older set of
kids, their multiple differences set them so much to teach. Both acts are human nature worth
educators? Aren‟t they also once a part of the
apart, yet their thousand similarities bring them satisfying after all.
clueless and the curious? They‟re human
so much closer, so close that sometimes, in this
beings after all; and alongside their greatness A new leaf has been turned, a new semester
world full of people, their personalities collide.
and nobility lay the remnants of cluelessness to begin with. Some of us kids have brought
and curiosity. Alongside their ability to impart No, I should say, all the time. However, the along heartaches from the previous semesters,
“double-sided”-ness of the characteristics of while some have brought their own little rain-
“Teachers and kids, their multiple these two groups of people is not at all surpris- bows of success. Either way, each and every
ing, nor questionable. This “double-sided”-ness one of us have surely brought along bigger
differences set them so much after all is evident in each and every one of us, in appetites—bigger appetites to fill with new
apart, yet their thousand every single soul alive in this magical yet stained knowledge, bigger appetites to influence oth-
similarities bring them so much world. ers.
closer, so close that sometimes, in Yes. We all are students and teachers in our own So, come this new semester, are you ready
this world full of people, their little ways, in our own rights. This is a fact, a and up to the challenge?
claim no one can attest to. All of us are born with
personalities collide. “
 page
The Official Publication o f
U P A LC H E M E S 07
The Race
Hazel Fajardo
Executive Officer for Secretariat
Committee
S
econd semester. I've always
thought second sem was
more exciting than first sem
– Engg Week, Anniv Month, Christmas
break, summer vacation, Ash Wednes-
day, and of course, student council
elections. As early as 2nd year, I must
admit, I was already guilty of snicker-
ing at horribly mismatched and forced
tag lines. But then again, they work.
And I admire these people for 1) step-
ping up to that kind of race and 2) hav-
ing the courage and charisma to de-
liver such lines repeatedly.
As the reader may well know, I got
blessed to take up a less strenuous
derivative of such kind of race. I was
successful then and now, I think I want
to share some lessons I've learned in
the process (and I'm still learning a lot
mind you). I was saving this for my
pep talk near the end of this second
semester but I guess it won't hurt to
share a bit of it to a wider audience.
I know I know. Compared to a
whole lot people I may have the littlest
experience (which some would think
renders me quite unworthy to write
this), so if you think it unworthy, skip it
and if you think otherwise, you still
have the option to disagree with it.
Either way, I believe you'll know what
I'm writing about when you get there
yourself.
So before you put on those running
shoes, there are a number of ques-
tions you have to ask yourselves: why,
why, why, for what, for whom, why,
why, etc. I'm stressing on the 'why'
because you should have a strong
foundation on why you are subjecting
yourself to that kind of endeavor.
There must be a lot of 'why's because
at the very least, you should know
clearly the reasons behind making this
big decision. Are you running for the
position or title only? Are you running
because you want to put balance to
your resume (because maybe you
heard it's not just about all the 1.xx
and being a consistent US or CS, you
must also have leadership experience)?
Are you running because you want to
serve? Why run for this organization?
Why not run with this party? Why run
now? Can you handle the additional
work load? Will you be able to balance
it with plant design? Can you work
with different kinds of people? Who
are you running for? Are you running
because someone just told you? Are
you running for your friends or are you
running so that you won't have to be
the only one without a position in your
group? These decisions are tough to
make – I took months to make mine. I
“Well, you could say we're all
trying to run this race called
'leadership', and no,
it doesn't have a finish line.”
think I took up until the last minute to
finalize it. Whatever it is, you must
make it independently. People will talk
to you about it, people will urge you to
it, but ultimately, it all boils down to
your.own.reasons and decision. Not
his, not hers, not everyone else's.
Making that decision is just the begin-
ning of the race. When you succeed
and actually get there, when you start
the work and do your things, you will
realize there's more to the name of
the position you ran for. There're lots of
things to consider and deal with. You'll
be surprised at how much stuff you
know (and deal with, sometimes good;
sometimes bad) more than the normal
member knows. There's more responsi-
bility and more people on your hold.
Not counting the people who'll give you
a headache every once in a while, but
there'll be even more who'll shock you
with their commitment and reliability ;).
You'll have to be prepared to sacrifice
your daily schedule and regular routines
that you've been used to. You'll have to
deal with criticisms and false accusation
and all kinds of people you've never met
before. Prepare to be surprised by peo-
ple who have more potential than you
initially thought. And prepare to see
people in a different perspective as
you've done before. All these are just a
few of the sometimes frustrating, some-
times rewarding, but most of all memo-
rable and worth it part of the race that
you'll be taking on once you put on
those shoes.
So no, if you think it's just about get-
ting yourself through the campaign pe-
riod and writing that title in your re-
sume, forget it. Neither does it end
when you step down from your position.
Running this race starts with you making
that decision and it doesn't end with
winning that campaign. You run it with
your title and with your team, your
member. You run it together so you can
pass it on to someone who's learned
from you and who'll teach the same to
others. There's no end to this race, just
a series of passing on and inspiring oth-
ers to put on the same running shoes.
Improving and learning along the way.
Well, you could say we're all trying to
run this race called 'leadership', and no,
it doesn't have a finish line.
 E DITO RIAL
Fire!
Camille Rivero
UP ALCHEMES
T
he previous semester has
seen UP ALCHEMES in a
more assertive light. The
months of June and July were
bombarded by the overwhelming
energy of Alchemists, particu-
larly of the block-handling team,
the applications committee, and
the creative groups. We deliv-
ered performances and efforts
called by various freshmen wel-
coming programs with much
enthusiasm and support. We
strengthened our hold on the
annual Laboratory Tour, used it
as the first out of many outlets
for promoting academic excel-
lence, and procured compensa-
tion for a breach of agreement.
Such highly visible and tangible
efforts contributed to the attrac-
tive aura of the organization,
which won almost 50 applicants
and produced 30+ inductees by
the end of the semester.
The rest of the months were
busy with customary events and
activities, but in ways more
structured than those of the
previous years. For a start, by
July we have already estab-
lished the senior and junior
heads for almost all events of
the entire academic year, along
with the manpower distribution
for CGs and the three
"organization events." As other
organizations start to mimic the
flagship activity that defines UP
ALCHEMES, we conducted the
most intensive and extensive
series of Reviews and Tutorials
ever, quietly but effectively de-
fending our position as the pre-
miere academic organization in
the College. We selected Sec
Workshop topics that would
sustain the organization with
posters and website designers
and managers in the future. We
have seen more intense income-
generating projects both by the
Finance Committee and by the
people of some events. We de-
signed Sports Clinic to train Al-
chemists for ICOC, which in
turn was designed to prepare us
for Engineering Week 2010. It
should be noted that this year is
obviously the most participated
and most intense ICOC ever,
with a more aggressive Aca-
demic affairs, Finance, and Se-
cretariat committee. In general,
we observed a heightened active
involvement and pride for one's
own committee without border-
ing on excessive committee-ism.
Instead they all added up to an
overall org pride, primarily
sparked by the EOEA champi-
onship, and continually fuelled
by each committee's Executive
Officer.
“UP ALCHEMES is a body of
around 150 people that I
believe, has the power to
prevent its fire from
unnoticeably dying it out.”
Along with the strong attitude
are continuous efforts to
strengthen our presence in the
Department and the College. We
initiated a courtesy call to the
new Department head, and with
the help of our adviser, were
able to pursue a partnership
with the Department through
page
08 P U RG E D !
November 2010
the upcoming ChE Workshop.
We contributed assessment on
the revised ChE curriculum,
and were one of the very few or-
ganizations who actively took
part in the University-wide
RGEP evaluation. We ventured
on volunteering for events of
other organizations, with the
hope of extending our presence
to the students as well.
Indeed the first semester had
been a great one, but there will
always be greater semesters that
can be forged in the future. We
give credit to whom credit is
due, but let us not forget that
UP ALCHEMES has its own
share of unsatisfying points.
CEERS was definitely under-
manned, despite being the larg-
est income generating project
and being the most awaited
event five years ago. The ratio of
members to applicants in our
own events is still unimpressive.
In general, we still need to really
work on the overall dedication of
the Alchemists to the organiza-
tion. Whether by the right or the
left hand, the Executive commit-
tee is serious in alleviating the
problem of member inactivity in
UP ALCHEMES. The committee
is here to give encouragement,
recognition, and constant re-
minders; but may be forced to
revoke membership once again
if absolutely necessary. None-
theless, the ExeCom is just
seven people. UP ALCHEMES is
a body of around 150 people
that I believe, has the power to
prevent its fire from unnotice-
ably dying it out. On the con-
trary, we can strengthen the UP
ALCHEMES fire. I expect to see
everyone working for this goal in
the second semester. Up up!
The Official Publication o f
U P A LC H E M E S 09 ENTERTAINM EN T
SOME OF WORLD’S
BEST PRACTICAL JOKES
During the 1400’s, a monk at Syon
Abbey, Middlesex pulled off one of the
earliest documented practical jokes
when he hid a beetle inside an apple
and convinced his fellow holy men that
the rocking fruit was possessed.
In 1962, at the lone TV station in
Sweden, technician Kjell Stensson ap-
peared on the news and announced
that, thanks to a new technology, view-
ers can convert the existing black-and-
white broadcasts into colour. All that
was needed was pull a nylon stocking
over their TV screen. Thousands tried
it.
In 1998, Burger King introduced a
new menu item: the Left-Handed
Whopper. The new whopper included
the same ingredients as the original
Whopper (lettuce, tomato, hamburger
patty, etc.), but all the condiments were
rotated 180 degrees. Thousands of cus-
tomers had gone into restaurants and
requested the new sandwich.
In 1976, British astronomer Patrick
Moore announced on BBC Radio 2 that
at 9:47 AM, a once-in-a-lifetime astro-
nomical event was going to occur. The
planet Pluto would pass behind Jupiter,
temporarily causing a gravitational
alignment that would counteract and
lessen the Earth's own gravity. Moore
told listeners that if they jumped in the
air at the exact moment that this plane-
tary alignment occurred, they would
experience a strange floating sensation.
BBC2 received hundreds of phone calls
from listeners claiming to have felt the
sensation. One woman even reported
that she and her eleven friends had
risen from their chairs and floated
around the room.
OL!
In 1915, in the
midst of World War I, a
APRIL FO
French aviator flew over
a German camp and
dropped a huge bomb.
The German soldiers
immediately scampered
out of the camp, but there was no ex-
plosion. After some time, the soldiers
went back inside the camp and ap-
proached the “bomb”. The “huge bomb”
turned out to be a large football with a
note tied to it that read, "April Fool!"
In 1980, BBC reported that Big Ben,
in order to keep up with the times, was
going to be given a digital readout. The
announcement received a huge re-
sponse from listeners shocked and an-
gered by the proposed change. The BBC
Japanese service also announced that
the clock hands would be sold to the
first four listeners to contact them. One
Japanese seaman in the mid-Atlantic
immediately radioed in a bid.
Source: Boese, Alex. 2002. “The Top 100
April Fool’s Day Hoaxes of All Time”<http://
www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/
P30/>
20 WAYS TO ANNOY
PEOPLE
 Specify that your drive-through
order is "to go."
 Learn Morse code, and have con-
versations with friends in public
consisting entirely of "Beeeep Bip
Bip Beeep Bip..."
 Speak only in a "robot" voice.
 Sniffle incessantly.
 Name your dog "Dog."
 Reply to everything someone says
with "that's what YOU think."
 Forget the punchline to a long
joke, but assure the listener it was
really funny.
 Practice making fax and modem
noises.
 Make beeping noises when a large
person backs up.
 Invent nonsense computer jargon
in conversations, and see if people
play along to avoid the appearance
of ignorance.
 Do not add any inflection to the
end of your sentences, producing
awkward silences with the im-
pression that you'll be saying
more any moment.
 Holler random numbers while
someone is counting.
 Drum on every available surface.
 Staple papers in the middle of the
page.
 Honk and wave to strangers.
 Change channels five minutes be-
fore the end of every show.
 Don’t use any punctuation either
 Repeat everything someone says,
as a question.
 Repeat the following conversation
a dozen times: "Do you hear that?"
"What?" "Never mind, its gone
now."
 Stand over someone's shoulder,
mumbling, as they read.
Source: “101 Ways to Annoy People”. Cool
Funny Jokes. <http://www.coolfunnyjokes.c
om/Funny-Jokes/Misc-Jokes/101-Ways-To-
O RGA NIZA TIO N NEW S
ICOC 2010
Jesselyn Rochelle R. Malimata
U P ALCHEMES held its annual Inter
-Committee Overall Championship
(ICOC) games last August 31 to
September 8. The original schedule of games
was only until September 4, but some events
were postponed due to bad weather. Venues
of games were at the tambayan, Beta Way,
and Sunken Garden. Eight teams competed
this year: the six standing committees (Acads,
Exte, Fin, Inte, LSR, Sec) plus two applicants‟
teams (Aliquot A and Aliquot B). This year‟s
heads were Kenneth de Guzman from the
Logistics, Sports and Recreation (LSR) Com-
mittee and Claridge Gamboa from the Internal
Affairs Committee.
DAY 1- August 31, 2010
Pinoy Henyo
Members enjoyed the leveled-up version of the
game popularized by the noontime show Eat
Bulaga. With words like Cassiopeia and Lux-
embourg, Alchemists proved just how aca-
demic they can be.
Annoying Orange
Named after the famous YouTube videos,
members from each committee paired up to
hold the “annoying” orange between their dif-
ferent body parts (forehead, neck, elbow,
waist, knee, and feet). This made the players
closer to each other…literally.
After the first day, the Academics Committee
surprised everyone with their strong start,
ranking first, together with LSR.
DAY 2- September 1, 2010
Squabble
Representatives from each committee turned
on their competitive mode while playing the
classic tambayan game. But ultimately, Russel
Canoza from the Finance Committee domi-
nated with his wide vocabulary and quick think-
ing.
Patintero
The Patintero matches were scheduled after-
noon of this day. Unfortunately, the matches
were stopped halfway through the event and
postponed to September 4 due to heavy rain.
After the results of Squabble, the Finance
Committee led with 350 points. Inte and LSR
trailed behind with 325 points, while Acads
dropped to third place.
DAY 3- September 2, 2010
Showtime
Held at the grandstand, this trivia game was
page
10 P U RG E D !
November 2010
joking and teasing.
After all the major and minor games, the over-
all standings of the top three teams remained
unchanged.
DAY 7- September 8, 2010
Ultimate Frisbee
The only all-star game for ICOC was the make-
or-break event for the committees. The eight
teams merged into two all-star teams: Acads-
Aliquot A-Exte-LSR and
ICOC 2010... (continuation)
Sec-Inte-Fin-Aliquot B. The winners were given
Vennel Lamasan of the Finance Committee, cheering
after one round of I Object! 225 points (the most points given for a single
game), while the losers received only 112.5
the true jologs-meter. The Internal Committee‟s points. This further widened LSR‟s lead over
emerged victorious, thanks to their impressive Inte, giving them the Championship Title.
knowledge of Pinoy Pop Culture. After seven days of fun and competitive
Human Text Twist Part 1 games, the Logistics, Sports, and Recreations
It‟s the computer game…without the computer. Committee was declared as ICOC Champions,
Using one another as letters, committees tried while Ruben Salvador was awarded as the
their best to form the longest and most words. Over-all Most Valuable Player. MVP‟s from
After their Showtime victory, the Internals Com- each committee were also recognized:
mittee ranked first. The Finance Committee
placed second, while LSR and Acads were tied Acads: Jodel Cuasay
for third. Aliquot A: Jethro Fajardo
Aliquot B: Kim L.
Exte: Emer Dionisio
DAY 4- September 3, 2010
Human Text Twist Part 2 Fin: Russel Canoza
I Object! Inte: Nico Pedro
Members unleashed their imagination to use Sec: Hazel Fajardo
ordinary objects in creative ways. UP AL-
CHEMES Alumni and former ExeComm mem- The Internals Committee ranked second, while
bers Patrick Ramoso and David Gonzales served Aliquot B placed third. The tabulation of scores
as judges, and declared LSR as winners. is as follows:
After tallying the results of Human Text Twist and Over-all, ICOC was a success. Members and
I Object!, Fin Overtook Inte, LSR remained at applicants were able to release their stress
third place, while Acads dropped to fourth place. from academic work, as well as bond with one
DAY 5- September 4, 2010
Three major games (Patintero, Dodgeball, and
Command and Conquer) and two minor games
(Marshswallow and Egypt to Jerusalem) were
held throughout the day.
After five games, LSR led with a dominating
1693.75 points, while the second place, Inte only
had 1145 points. The applicants Aliquot B rose to
third place with 1100 points.
DAY 6- September 7, 2010
Like A Pyramid
Committee members worked as a team to build a
pyramid made of plastic cups using only rubber
bands.
Agua Bendita
Players from each committee tried to hold water
in their mouths while representatives from the
other committees tried to make them spit it out by
Ruben Salavador, ICOC’s Most Valuable Player show-
ing his committee spirit with the “L” sign for LSR.
The Official Publication o f
U P A LC H E M E S
page

11 O RGANIZ ATION NEW S

another. The games were organized, and up- had one of the least number of default games in UP ALCHEMES...
dates of scores were immediately relayed to the the history of ICOC. This shows how the partici- zones. Opening Week Heads were Van
players. The Rules of the Games were also pation of members in intra-organization events Galman and Jules Dayrit. Activities were
made accessible to the teams through the elec- is improving. Hopefully, this org spirit will be as follows:
tronic and hardcopy of the ICOC handbook. carried all the way to the Engineering Week.
Also, as mentioned by Pres. Camille Rivero in Up! Up! ALCHEMES! Day 1: Fierce Day High. Freshmen pa-
the 3rd GA last September 29, this year‟s ICOC raded and attended the Department
Seminar, where creative groups of the
DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 DAY 4 DAY 5 DAY 6 DAY 7
Pinoy Annoyin Human organization showcased their talents.
Egypt to Command Like a Agua Ultimate
Teams Henyo g Squabble Showtime Text I Object! Marshswallow Jerusalem Patintero Dodgeball & Conquer Pyramid Bendita Frisbee Total Lab @ First sight. Freshmen were toured
XD Orange Twist
ACADS 150 75 75 100 62.5 125 75 0 30 150 125 125 75 225 1392.5 5th around the ChE laboratory.
ALIQUOT A 100 75 0 125 75 75 75 75 125 250 100 75 75 225 1450 4th Day 2: Fair the Fierce Time. Booths were
ALIQUOT B 75 100 75 75 75 75 75 75 125 200 150 150 100 112.5 1462.5 3rd set-up at the CHAC basketball court. UP
EXTE 75 75 75 75 75 75 125 150 40 100 125 75 75 225 1365 6th
ALCHEMES Opening Week Committee
FIN 75 125 150 75 137.5 100 75 100 40 100 70 75 75 112.5 1310 7th
organized an interactive booth named
INTE 125 75 125 150 75 75 75 75 120 100 150 75 150 112.5 1482.5 2nd
Fierce Busters, in which cups were tar-
LSR 75 150 100 75 68.75 150 150 125 300 300 200 75 75 225 2068.75 1st
SEC 75 75 75 75 68.75 0 100 75 120 100 150 100 125 112.5 1251.25 8th
geted by water guns.
Tabulation of scores and final standings. Day 3: Time Fierce. (Engineering’s Got
Talent). UP ALCHEMES members per-
formed as human videoke.
Are You Smarter… CEERS ... Day 4: Fierce Hand. Handprints of fresh-
September 25: SCIENCE DAY. Bibo, CEERS aims to provide comprehensive men were painted on a cloth at the engi-
neering lobby promoting nationalism.
indeed! They were very receptive to and affordable review sessions to help Fierce Place. This was an Amazing Race
science lectures i.e. parts of a plant, senior high school students prepare inspired activity for freshies, together
probably, the favourite subject of the for their college entrance examina- with blockhandlers, where blocks com-
peted against one another.
batch, in general. tions. The review covers major fields
Day 5: Fierce Degree Burn. This was the
such as Mathematics, Science culminating activity of the Engineering
October 2: MATH DAY. Although, (General Science, Biology, Chemistry, Opening week. Freshmen treaded along
fewer kids attended, many were still the catwalk with their fashionable ap-
and Physics), English, Filipino, and Ab-
parel. Models Marc Limpiado and Shane
enthused to listen to the lessons stract Reasoning. Golo under G4 placed second for model-
taught. They were still active and ling. Overall, G4 was awarded Second
Headed by Jodel Cuasay, Essi Anne Best Block.
happy to learn and practice mathe-
Kaye Cruzat, Joy Marie Jalotjot, and
matical operations.
Vergelle Parrocha, the CEERS commit-
tee started its preparation early May
October 9: QUIZ BEE AND AWARDING
this year. Two schools participated in
DAY. The batch was divided into sec-
this year’s CEERS: St. Mary’s Academy
tions so as to supervise the quiz bee
of Sto. Nino in Meycauayan, Bulacan
easier. Certificates of Appreciation
and Sumulong Memorial High School
were awarded to Mrs. Cleofe Castillo
in Antipolo City. The simulation ex-
(English Teacher), Leah Baluan (Math While it is true that blockhan-
ams, during the first day, and the re- dling is a difficult task, blockhandlers
Teacher) and Rebecca Angeles
maining review sessions were facili- took it as a privilege to serve. UP AL-
(Science Teacher). Certificates of At- CHEMES has truly lived up to its mission
tated by tutors and support staffs
tendence were given to all the grade and goal; that of, instilling the organiza-
composed of resident members and tion and college spirit among the
three students who attended. freshies. Congratulations and good job,
alumni of UP ALCHEMES.
Blockhandlers!
 L ITERARY
Matagal ko nang gustong sabihing
antaba-taba mo. Pero natatakot ako.
Baka magalit ka sa’kin kapag sinabi ko
iyon kahit alam kong iyon ang totoo. Na-
tatakot akong iwan mo ulit ako tulad
dati. Hindi ko naman talaga gustong
bawiin ung chocolate na binigay ko sa’yo
noon eh. At hindi ko rin inakalang iiya-
kan mo ang pagbawi ko sa chocolate na
binigay ko. Gusto ko lang malaman kung
mahalaga ba sa’yo ang mga binibigay ko.
Dahil ako, lagi kong iniisip lahat ng mga
kwento mo. Mahalaga sa akin ang lahat
ng mga sinasabi mo. Antagal din nating
hindi nag-usap dahil lang sa chocolate na
‘yon. Nagkaayos na rin tayo nang hindi
man lang pinag-usapan ang lahat ng
hindi natin pagkakasundo. At hindi ko pa
rin nasasabing antaba-taba mo. Siguro
nga masyado lang akong naging isip
bata. Siguro nga ayaw mo nang niloloko
kita dahil malaki ang tiwala mo sa akin.
Sana nga ganun lahat ‘yon. At kung
magkaganun man, pangakong hinding
“I don’t love you anymore,” her lover
said.
Those were the words ringing in her
ears as she stared above at the crying
night sky, the thunder drowning her sob-
bing as she slowly dragged herself into
the only sanctuary that she had at that
moment. She lost track of time, she did-
n’t know how long she had been walking
already. She wished that a bit of the pain
she was feeling would disappear with
each stride she made, and if that would
be the case, she was willing to travel the
whole earth in feet. It felt like eternity
had passed, when she finally found the
door in front of her, the door of the only
haven she could find.
Tabachingching
hindi na ulit kita paiiyakin dahil sa
chocolate o kahit sa anong pagkain o
laruan. Pero gusto ko, mangako ka rin na
hindi mo na ako iiwan. Peksman?
Matagal ko nang gustong sabihing
antaba-taba mo. Napakatagal kong pinag
-isipan ‘to. Dati nagdedeny pa akong
mataba ka dahil alam kong balang araw
kailangan ko ring sabihin sa’yo. Baka
isumbong mo ako sa nanay mo o kaya sa
tatay ko. Ayokong mapagalitan ako ng
tatay dahil sa pagsasabi ng totoo. Ayoko
ring mapag-usapan ng mga kapitbahay
lalo na ng iba nating kalaro. Baka layuan
nila ako dahil masyado akong ma-
panghusga kahit hindi naman talaga ako
nanghuhusga. Nagsasabi ako nang totoo.
At ngayon, sigurado na ako, antaba-taba
mo.
Matagal ko nang gustong sabihing
antaba-taba mo. Pero ayoko. Baka du-
mating ang panahon na mapansin mo rin
na tama ako at maisipan mong magpa-
payat na. Hindi ko maisip ang itsura mo
HOT WATER
She knocked. It took a while before
the door opened. A man in towel greeted
her with a startled and puzzled look on
his face. She quickly wrapped her arms
around him, feeling his warm, wet skin.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he
hugged her back and comfort embraced
her. He slowly pulled back, motioned for
her to come inside and then closed the
door behind them. He didn’t ask any
questions, her tears were enough.
“You’re soaked. You can borrow some
of my clothes after you finish washing
yourself,” he said and pointed at the
bathroom. Hot water was still running
out of the shower. She nodded and went
inside.
page
12 P U RG E D !
November 2010
kapag nangayayat ka na. Baka hindi mo
na rin tanggapin ang mga ibibigay kong
chocolates na galing pa sa ibang bansa.
Gustong-gusto kong napapangiti kita sa
tuwing pinapasalubungan kita ng choco-
late. Antakaw mo talaga.
Matagal ko nang gustong sabihing
antaba-taba mo. Simula pa noong bini-
gyan mo ako ng cake kahit hindi ako
nanghihingi. Dati kasi puro ako lang ang
nagbibigay sa’yo ng mga pagkain. Binibi-
gyan mo lang ako kapag nanghihingi
ako. Hindi naman kasi ako naniniwala sa
turo sa’kin nung grade one ako sa GMRC
na “It’s better to give than to receive”.
Dapat pareho tayong nagbibigayan. ‘Di
ba?
Matagal ko nang gustong sabihing
antaba-taba mo. At alam mo bang dahil
sa’yo kaya ako tumaba nang ganito?
Sana lagi na lang tayong ganito. At sana,
sabihin mo ring antaba-taba ko.
-alex
Still feeling disoriented from the event
that happened earlier, she stared blankly
into the flowing hot water while taking
her soaked clothes off, becoming more
aware of the coldness they were bringing
her. She finally stepped into the shower,
feeling its warmth wrapping around her.
She closed her eyes to savor the comfort-
ing atmosphere. But when darkness
filled her eyesight, she could only think of
the rain, the coldness, the thunder, and
the words started ringing in her ears
again, spreading throughout her entire
body and penetrating each of her cells.
She let out a loud cry, hoping to drown
the reverberating words.
con’t on page 13

page
The Official Publication o f
U P A LC H E M E S 13
Hot Water (continuation)
He heard a loud cry, he quickly thun-
dered into the bathroom. He saw her
there, naked, hugging her knees like a
baby in the womb, her back against the
wall, sobbing. She looked into him with
her pain-filled eyes.
Still in his towel, he knelt down behind
her and slowly wrapped his arms around
her. She felt the hotness of his skin, his
body heat flowing into hers, engulfing
every inch of her skin, crawling down her
spine, until finally spreading throughout
her body. She looked into his eyes, save
me, her begging look was telling him.
She held his face with her shaking
hands, and before the words could start
ringing again, she touched her lips with
his, kissing him deeply, her tongue travel-
ling around in his mouth, like a predator
wildly searching for its prey.
MALAS
Pangit na naman ang gising ni Jet.
Kapos siya sa tulog, at kumakalam
na rin ang kanyang sikmura pero wala
naman siyang pambili ng almusal.
Wala pa siyang trenta ngunit ma-
babakas na sa kanyang mukha ang
lahat ng hirap na kanyang naranasan.
Idinadaan na lang niya sa pagsiman-
got ang mga sama ng loob sa buhay,
kaya’t lalong bumabaon ang mga linya
sa kanyang noo at sa gilid ng mga
mata.
‘Toy, bangon na. Kakayod pa tayo.
Matiyaga ang nanay ni Jet. Kahit
may katandaan na, sumasabak pa rin
siya sa kung anu-anong raket. Laban-
dera, kusinera, tindera... lahat yata ng
pwedeng sideline ay pinatos na niya.
Pero hindi pa rin siya umiimik kahit
hirap na siya. Ang mga mata niya ang
siyang dumadaing para sa kanya, sa
LITERAR Y
Feeling lost at the moment, his hands
travelled aimlessly around her body and
rested on her back. One of them slowly
traced her spine upward and stopped on
her nape, giving her the chill, the other
one going downward and stopped on her
left thigh, gripping it powerfully, making
her feel hot. They rested on their respec-
tive chosen spots for a while, savoring the
smooth, burning skin beneath them.
But his hands never found content-
ment and started searching again, and like
a predator driven by intuition, they found
their destination on her breasts. His
hands cupped them, marveling at their
fullness. With his hands still on them, his
lips then moved to her neck and kissed
every living cell in it, making every strand
of hair in her body stand up. “Just forget
about it already,” he said.
But she could not forget it. She could
not forget how hotter she felt with her
mga kirot na nadarama niya.
Opo, ‘Nay.
Sanay si Jet sa pagbabanat ng buto.
Mistulang ninakawan siya ng pagka-
bata dahil sa maagang pagtatrabaho.
Hindi pa yata siya tuli ay nakapag-
alaga na siya ng baboy at nakapaglako
na rin ng balot at penoy.
Malalakas na bisig ang puhunan
niya upang mairaos niya ang mga
pang-araw-araw na gastusin ng kan-
yang pamilya.
Parang isinisigaw ng matingkad na
kayumangging kulay ng kanyang balat
ang haba ng panahong inilagi niya sa
ilalim ng sikat ng araw para kumita ng
perang maiuuwi sa kanila.
Sige ho, mauna na ako.
Kumpara sa nauna niyang trabaho
bilang isang construction worker,
hindi masyadong mabigat ang mga
ginagawa ni Jet sa pagdya-dyanitor sa
isang eskwelahan. Nakakalibre siya ng
lover, how stronger yet gentler her
breasts were played, how chilled was her
spine when soft lips traced it, how thrilled
she was when warm hands travelled on
her thighs, how tickled she was when wet
tongue travelled her skin… how nirvanic
everything was, and how secured, com-
forted and loved she felt more than any-
thing else.
Then the words started ringing again.
Like a snowball rolling down a winter
mountain, they became bigger and big-
ger, coming down on her, threatening to
roll over her and kill her.
She pushed him away as the event
earlier became a haunting image, and a
painful memory.
“I don’t love you anymore,” she said.
But she pulled him back, suppressing
her tears she whispered softly, “Stay with
me, until she comes back.”
-wintercoffee
pananghalian sa kantina dahil mabait
ang may-ari nito. Minsan ay siya na
rin ang pinagbabantay sa xerox-an.
‘Yun nga lang, maaga ang oras ng kan-
yang pasok.
Ingat ka, anak.
Nakiki-extra rin si Jet sa pagpe-
pedicab kapag gabi. Silang dalawa na
lang ng kanyang ina ang kumikita sa
kanilang pamilya simula nang tamaan
ng sakit na TB ang kanyang ama. Dahil
sa kamahalan ng mga gamot, minsan
ay hindi na nila mabili ang mga
kailangan niyang inumin kung kaya’t
imbes na bumuti ay lalo nang lumala
ang sakit nito.
Boss, pwedeng bumali muna ‘ko ng
pang-isang buwan?
Minsan, may dugong nasama sa
plema nang umubo ang kanyang ta-
tay. Malala na ang lagay nito kaya’t
napilitan si Jet na bumisita sa opisina
ng manager ng manpower agency na
 L ITERARY
STORY-TELLING
“Pass, your turn.” A face of disappointment
left Chalk‟s face as he carefully positioned his
last two cards over the stained table cloth. The
fetor of nicotine from Jack‟s cigarette lingered
inside the small room as he threw his 2 of
hearts with pride. Archie passed tapping his two
frail fingers on the round table.
“Better luck next time.” Ace said, turning
over 2 of diamonds followed by his last five
cards, emptying his hand and was awarded with
5 dollars for that round. The three finished their
turn and Jack came to be the loser for the
round.
“We should do something else.” Jack said,
scratching his round belly.
“Eh?”Archie replied with indifference.
“Quit yakking and start shuffling the deck
Jack” Chalk interjected.
A gust of wind from the crackling window
silenced the men as Jack obliged to Chalk‟s
orders.
“Have you read the headlines?” Ace broke
the silence.
“Oh yes, those victims of murder from a
loosed psycho are wicked. He must be nuts”
Chalk remarked.
“This gave me an idea. How about another
murder story, Jack. I liked last week‟s murder
mystery you narrated. It gave me the chills.”
Ace said.
“Oh sure. This is much better than last
week‟s.” Jack replied while lazily distributing the
52 cards they had played for almost an hour
now. He began.
Our story was set in downtown San Fran-
cisco, a dead city for our main character. His
name was Johnny, a grade two student who
goes around the same routine: go to school,
watch TV, take his dinner and back to his dark
bedroom to sleep. He was the only child and his
Dad committed suicide before he was given
birth. His father had gone insane because of
prohibited drugs. The only friend he knew was
his mom. Jack started narrating with focus in his
eyes.
The rest, though still holding their hand of
cards, listened intently to Jack‟s crackling voice.
Sunday though was his best day of the
week. It was the day her mom takes her to the
nearest arcade shop. Video games gave him
good company. The beeping sound of Pacman
and Super Mario‟s theme song had been the
sound track of his childhood. While he mashes
the buttons of the arcade, her mom was just
across the street at her favorite boutique. In
time, she would pick him up and Johnny‟s back
to the real world.
A Sunday afternoon in October changed his
life for the worse. While inside the arcade, a
spark ignited from the machine he was using.
The glass screen exploded and shards of glass
came darting out in different directions. A huge
fragment of glass scraped his abdominal region,
causing a bloody mess on him. Sooner than
expected an ambulance came to treat him. The
next thing he knew, the arcade was closed. It
was found out that the business was illegal and
the materials used were faulty. The death of a
good friend marked a scar not only to his belly
but also to his past. From that day on, Sundays
mean accompanying her mother to the boutique
and doing nothing. He was miserable.
Simultaneously, the three slouched on their
dirty-grey monoblocs enjoying every words
coming out of their story-teller. “I‟m getting
some beer.” Chalk stood and headed to the
refrigerator to get some refreshments. Jack
continued.
Johnny‟s mom‟s favorite clothes shop was
the ordinary middle class store you could find. It
had the characteristic of not being so fancy yet
seemed pretty decent. Porcelain-skinned man-
nequins towered the brightly illuminated room.
Glass windows radiated the noon sun while at
the same time cool air soothed every customer
inside. The salesladies‟ smiles brought every
customer to leisurely drop by the place. But to
Johnny, the only thing he appreciated was the
azure blue sofas near the rear of the shop. This
was where he seated and stared blankly at
everything his eyes could see. Though he en-
joyed the seat because it was as if he was sit-
ting in a cloud, dreaming was the only thing he
could do. A dream though can turn into reality.
Jack emphasized on the last sentence.
Her mom finished window shopping late one
cold February Sunday. The closing of the store
lights signaled them it was time to go home. As
they passed through the glass door, Johnny
caught sight at the newly replaced mannequin
near the entrance of the boutique. He gazed at
her red crimson lips, her pearl white complexion
and her blank and stunning eyes. A close look
at the mannequin made him realize that her
eyes sparkled. The plastic model was wearing a
knee- high dress which showed her slender
legs. He tried to talk to her but what he only got
as a reply was emptiness. Even though, it was a
thing of beauty to him. He felt his heart throbbed
and made him feel excited. He found himself
smiling again. No science or magic could ex-
plain what had just happened.
“Uhmm.. Wait. Stop the story, let me just go
the comfort room.” Archie interjected.
“Go, we‟ll wait.”Jack replied.
“Can you believe this story? It has this weird
theme again.” Chalk said.
P U RG E D !
page
14 November 2010
“You must have drunk too much.” Ace said.
“If that‟s already weird, you‟ll be enjoying the
next parts.” Jack teased them. Jack finished
another bottle, held his hand to his warm belly
and waited for their companion.
The smell of liquor mixed with the stench of
nicotine clouded the room as Archie returned.
They are now ready to immerse in the story-
teller‟s words.
That six foot tall mannequin kept Johnny
wanting to go back. He forgot about the sofa
and instead of sitting there dreaming, he was at
the entrance staring at her all the time. He whis-
perd promises at the lifeless being. He whis-
pered his thoughts to her, his dreams, his feel-
ings. He closed his eyes and imagined her
sweet and caressing voice.
His feelings came intense as he grew older.
He is now a high school student and he con-
stantly walks by the boutique everyday after
classes. He would leave chocolates and flowers
at the entrance of the store during special occa-
sions. The owner noticed these but he just
shrugged it off since the beggars at the streets
would take up his „mess‟ anyway. The people
from his school found him possessed by the
devil because of this. But to him, just like any-
thing else, it doesn‟t matter. Only his dreams
are what he finds with interest. His dream for
her love For five years of wishful thinking, he
became impatient and remorseful. He kept on
searching how he could give life to the lifeless.
He tried sorcery and superstitions, but all of
these things failed him. He consulted dark
magic and was also immersed in scientific find-
ings. All of these posed negative results. But
alchemy gave him hope. One thing he learned
is that to gain something, a sacrifice must be
made. A life must be offered to give life anew.
From that day on forward he thirsted for blood
as he had thirsted for love. Jack‟s voice trailed
of.
There was a long pause.
“Are you okay?” Chalk said with concern.
“If you would excuse me.” Jack stood head-
ing toward his room.
Jack entered his room while tears start to
form from his frail eyes. You could easily see
the raven positioned outside his bedroom win-
dow staring blankly at him, making no sound,
simply staring. He lay down his bed and care-
fully wiped the tears from his eyes, his eyes that
documented his history. His t-shirt was soaked
in cold tears so he ripped his it, exposing his
scar across his abs. “We will be happy soon.”
He whispered while kissing a mannequin on the
bed. He took a colt 45 and went out of the room.
-peppermint
 page
The Official Publication o f
U P A LC H E M E S 15
Sayang
Babae:
Bakit mahal pa rin kita kahit alam kong wala na Na kahit nagkasakitan at nagkagalit pa
Bakit iniisip pa rin kita kahit ako‟y limot mo na Ikaw sa akin ay tunay na mahalaga
Bakit sa tuwing nakikita kita, ako‟y umaasa pa
At bakit „pag may kasama kang iba,
ako‟y nasasaktan pa
Alam kong wala na akong puwang sa puso mo, Sa puso ko ikaw pa rin ang laman
Lahat na ng pangyayari
ay bigla na lang naglaho,
Ang nakaraan para sa‟yo ay nakaraan na
Kahit ano pang gawin, hindi na maibabalik pa
Ngunit ang masakit sa puso kong ito,
Ang pumalit sa akin ay kaibigan ko
Siya na ngayon ang lagi mong kasama
Siya na ngayon ang bago mong ligaya
Bakit siya pa ang pumuno sa pagkukulang ko?
Siya na minamahal na ng maraming tao,
Maging ikaw ay naagaw na niya
Sa aki‟y wala nang itinira
Hindi ka ba maaaring bumalik sa akin?
Maramdaman muli ang iyong lambing?
Ang pagmamahal mong hindi matumbasan
Ang pagkalinga mong walang katapusan
Lalaki:
Bakit „pag nasisilayan ka, may nadarama pa
Bakit pagsapit ng gabi, ikaw ang naaalala
Ang ngiti mong nakakapagpakalma
Ang tingin mong walang kasing ganda
Malas (continuation from page 14)
kinabibilangan niya.
Nalula siya sa laki ng kwarto. May
sofa na, de-aircon pa. Nakapatong sa
desk ng sekretarya ang LCD monitor ng
kompyuter. Naawa na lang siya sa
sarili nang makitang halos kasing laki
na ng CR ang barong-barong kung
saan sila umiiskwat.
Ay pasensya na, wala pang pondo.
Bumalik ka nalang sa isang linggo.
Alam kong wala na ang lahat sa atin
Pero sa‟yo ako pa rin ay aamin
Napalapit ako sa iyong kaibigan
Mabait siya at nakikipagtawanan
Pero hanggang doon lang ang nararamdaman
Gusto kong bumalik sa iyo
Gusto ko na ako‟y nasa piling mo
Hinahanap-hanap ang ngiti mo
Ang lambing at pagkalinga mo
Ako ay nangungulila na
Hindi na alam kung paano ba
Kakausapin at lalapitan ba kita?
Ako ba ay tatanggapin mo pa?
Lalaki at Babae:
Ako ba ang dapat magsimula?
Ako ba ang dapat magmakaawa?
Paano kung ayaw na niya?
Nasaktan na, napahiya pa
Kung hindi nya ako kakausapin,
tapos na ang lahat
Sa kanya, ang paghihiwalay na ito ay dapat
Salamat at ikaw ay nakilala,
salamat sa pagmamahal
Masakit man, ito na ang aking paalam..
-kaye anne
Nagmukmok si Jet sa isang sulok ng
photocopy center. Tuliro na siya dahil
hindi na niya malaman kung saan ku-
kuha ng pera. Na-confine na ang kan-
yang ama sa ospital sa bayan, at palaki
nang palaki ang kailangan nilang
bayaran habang tumatagal siya doon.
4 copies nga po.
Biglang may lumabas sa makinang
isang papel na may butas sa gitna na
kasing laki ng kanyang kamao. Nagta-
taka niya itong ipinatong sa may pasi-
mano. Hindi sinasadyang natabig niya
ang bungkos ng mga bolpen na ibine-
benta nila. Laking gulat niya nang lu-
musot sa butas ang mga bolpen
gayong may kahoy sa ilalim nito.
Nang subukan niyang ilusot ang
kanyang kamay at kunin ang mga bol-
pen, nakapa niya ang mga itong naka-
patong sa lalagyan sa ilalim lang ng
pasimano.
Dinampot ni Jet ang papel na butas,
itinapat sa xerox machine, at kumuha
ng papel sa loob nito nang hindi man
lang binubuksan.
Tama ang hinala ni Jet. Nakalulusot
sa kahit na anong bagay kapag itina-
pat ang butas na papel.
Kuya, ‘yung sukli ko po?
Naalala ni Jet ang kaha de yero sa
opisina ng kanyang manager. Dali-dali
siyang nagtatakbo patungo doon ha-
bang hawak-hawak ng kanyang nanla-
lamig na kamay ang papel.
Alam niyang mali ang binabalak
niya, pero gipit na talaga siya at des-
peradong magkaroon ng pera para
ipambayad sa gastusin sa ospital.
Idinikit niya ang papel sa malamig
na bakal ng kaha de yero. Nang ipina-
sok niya ang kanyang braso, may na-
kapa siyang mga bungkos ng isanli-
bong piso. Unti-unti niyang inilabas
ang mga laman ng lalagyan.
Dumating na sa puntong hindi na
niya maabot ang mga bungkos ng
pera, kaya sinubukan niyang pasukin
ang kaha sa pamamagitan ng butas.
Hindi naman siya nabigong makapa-
sok dito.
Inipon niya ang mga laman ng
kaha, at nang subukan na niyang ila-
bas ang mga ito, biglang nawala ang
ilaw na nagmumula sa butas. Nabalot
na ng kadiliman ang kanyang pan-
ingin.
Nalaglag ang papel na may butas sa
sahig ng opisina.
-psychomango
 O DDS E NDS P U RG E D !
page

A ND 16 November 2010

LOVE and HATE

in the EYES of ChE Students
 is a chemical reaction; it is either endo-
Editor-in-Chief Darlene Que thermic or exothermic. Sometimes, the
 is the CONVERSION of one's emotions passion (heat) is needed for love to
Organization
Jei Rollicer Bagonoc to his/her sacrifices. Its YIELD is happi-
News Editor push through. At other times, passion
ness and contentment in life.
results when love pushes through.
Jodel Cuasay
Hazel Ann Fajardo  is like real (actual) enthalpy -- you can
Organization  is like an isotherm. Dapat constant ang
Inna Karolle Infante never measure it, but you can always
News Staff init ng pagmamahal kahit na iba't-ibang
Michelle Marquez estimate how much you've fallen short pressures ang pagdaanan.
Ann Margarette Tayco
(residual enthalpy) from giving it your
World News Edi- Renz Marion Corpuz all (ideal enthalpy).  knows no boundaries. Since walang
tor DJ Donn Matienzo boundary, work = 0, meaning hindi
<Note: H(real) = H(ideal) + H(residual)>
John Russel Canoza pinipilit (para magwork) ang LOVE.
Richard De Guzman  is like a real gas. It is just not perfect,
World News Staff  pag minadali, tulad ng sa isang process,
Ervin Cezar ideal or unconditional (unless we are
talking about God's love). It deviates  mas tumataas ang irreversibility nito.
Kristine Mae-Hangod
Entertainment from how it is expected to be. Ideally, Therefore lalong lumalayo siya sa
Lester Anne Garcia
Editor it would be a give-and-take invest- pagiging "ideal" at mas maraming en-
Lavina Gador ment, a steady-state condition where ergy ang nasasayang.
Entertainment Mari Miyahara in = out. But it is not. The input of one  is ChE. But I don't understand Love.
Staff Loujane Balatbat
Camille Hyacinth Llanes might not produce as much output, Therefore, I don't understand ChE. Pag
maybe even none at all... Love would ChE ka laging nag-aassume or wild
Zoranah Eigne
Literary Editor almost not reach equilibrium. And guess. Ang hirap hanapan ng "The
Mendoza
that's how it is in real life... A deviation One" real point. Tapos sobrang inaccu-
Daniel Luis Melchor
Glenn Jansen Suyat from the ideal world… rate pa. Lugi ka sa love kapag hindi ka
Literary Staff Essi Anne Kaye Cruzat maswerte sa trial and error. Pag binag-
Ranel Irvin Toledo sak, may bukas pa…
Alexander Luciano
yourself.
Odds and Ends
Maureen Carbonell  is like a falling particle. The larger it is,
Editor  is the incarnation of turbulence in
Odds and Ends Rosely Pena the greater the terminal velocity it will
one's person since it increases the
Staff Janine Cambangay achieve. And when you finally come to
"velocity" and rates of change of the
Online Editor Xavier Fernandez a stop, the more it will hurt. :c
mental and emotional flow.
Eric Del Rosario  is like crystallization. It happens when  is an exothermic, autocatalytic reac-
Layout Editors tion. It produces heat which can create
Edsel Serrano you are already fed up and can't accept
more hate. Hate encourages itself
more (saturated).
(autocatalysis). If you don't watch out,
 ay parang mga unwanted particles -
it can turn into a runaway reaction
sinisira ang purity ng isang crystal.
ruining everything in its wake, espe-
 is like fouling/foaming. Once you have cially the reactor that contained it.
it, you can never get the best out of

Special thanks to Sir Kristian July Yap for allowing us to publish the answers of his
students to the bonus questions in his classes.