Beauty Pageants Should be Abolished

They say beauty is how you feel inside and it shows in your eyes. It is not something physical yet beauty pageants have become a billion dollar industry. It is everywhere, in radios, TVs, web and in the streets. In fact, people nowadays, spend money just to join beauty pageants that's why they value their physical appearance too much. They have spent time and their hard-earned money just for fashion, cosmetics, hair styling and even cosmetic surgery. It also claims that this pursuit of physical beauty even encourages some women to diet to the point of harming themselves. It is not a healthy competition, it only promotes capitalism. I bet you've seen a lot of commercials done by these girls. Pageants is detrimental to self esteem causing sometimes... mental disorders. Most beauty queens, despite being considered as role models, often serve their reigns saddled with scandals and controversies. Beauty queens who willingly flows with the “trade” of the contests, often seen with the organizers or  the judges before the event and those who after winning, is seen on the internet without their clothes off. They claim that they just want to contribute peace in this world. When not all could participate in such events and there is a clear downlooking of other participants. After winning what would then happen? Nothing. Why do they have titles such as “Miss World”, “Miss international” and “Miss Universe”? They clearly don't even contribute to the international community any big help. They just show off their million dollar beauty to let them be respected.

            Out of 196 countries in the world, only 89 participants have joined as a representative of their respective countries in the recently concluded Miss Universe beauty pageant. Never in the history of Miss Universe had all countries participated. Due to some reasons like lack of funds, no sponsorships, lack of accompanying delegations, racism, and some political reasons, a number of countries do not have the opportunity to participate. Statistics prove that most countries from the Middle East like Lebanon did not join the 2011 Miss Universe beauty pageant because of the on-going war. It shos that only some of these many countries can join these pageants thus, onky those countries established and known in the industry and those influencial.

            People don’t know that pageants are also way of discouraging their people especially the children in following their country’s native tradition. A sample of this is the people in Arab countries. As what we all know, it is a part of Arab tradition that women’s body should not be exposed to anyone, the body is considered sacred, that is the reason why most of their women wear veil to cover their bodies – including their hair and that only their eyes are visible to the public. As what we all know, a part of beauty pageants is the swimsuit portion where the contestants wear bikinis that usually show skin. This shows that some participants from Arab countries somehow disobey their tradition by showing off skin. It is a great insult for the people of the country they represent. In fact, there was once an incident that an Arab country participant in a pageant was sued with a case because of this reason  so this country haven't sent a participant in any international beauty pageants.

             Pageants may give a country different ways to be discovered not only by their natives but also by foreigners or what we call tourists. But despite these attractions are destruction of themselves and their youth's knowledge about their culture, a way of racism and showing off. It doesn't really help much and it doesn't really contribute much as what it suppose to say, it is only the winner who benefits the fame and glory.

Aliboyog, Precious       

Te, Janica

Chua, Karen

The people behind MetaForces  

The Unfriendly Fruit

The durian is a fruit that uses multiple tactics to avoid being devoured. Its green color tries to deceive its consumers that it is unripe. The spiky exterior reduces it consumers’ desire to eat it. Anyone who attempts to eat it whole will be pricked and poked by the fruits armour.  Also its size indicates that the durian fruit is heavy and will be troublesome to move to and fro. With those characteristics the durian repels its consumers.

The fruit has a wonder of a smell which begets many different reactions from whoever comes within range of its odor. Its consumers normally describe the smell to be sweet, even heavenly, and usually find the fruit to be a delightful treat. While on the other hand, durian haters find the spiky gift from God to be unattractive, its smell repulsive. With the most first-timers though, the smell is almost always interpreted to be that of either a rotting animal, manure, or even stinky feet. Nevertheless, the Durian is surely a tasty treat with a sweet, almond-like smell that requires some time to be accustomed to in order to be appreciated.

A typical durian has six chambers. Eating it follows a certain process to avoid getting pricked by its spiky husk. You open the fruit by first holding its stalk with your less dominant hand to keep it steady against a chopping board or any stable surface. Inspect the fruit for natural seams along and in between its spiky surface. Using your other hand, slice or chop along the seams of knife. When the opening is wide enough to accommodate your fingers, use your fingers to pry open the fruit. You should now have two halves of the fruit. With the knife, make a deep cut into a fibrous divider along the center of a half, then continue this process until all chambers have been opened. Each chamber contains two to three seeds with their juicy, sweet and creamy pulp. You may use utensils to scoop and eat the pulp, but most would probably agree that eating the fruit with your bare hands is more enjoyable.

People ma describe the durian as a fruit with spiky skin and overpowering stench, but behind all its unattractiveness lies a secret that gave the fruit the title “King of all Fruits” in Asia. The most common answer when asked what exactly durian tastes like is that “it tastes heavenly”. But to be more precise the durian has a taste and texture reminiscent of slightly expired custard. It also tastes like cream cheese mixed with ground almonds. Many people also claim the fruit to be sweet, even sour, sometimes even garlicky and bitter. Durian haters would say though, like its smell, durian tastes awful and very offensive. 

Dave Cutler

Joseph Valena

Charmaine Dimalanta

           Geallaika Delideli

The people behind MetaForces  

Deliciously unattractive

In our search for finding the most distinct Davao dish, we stumbled upon a very peculiar delicacy. It is a very unattractive dish. Dull in color and uninviting all over. This is a dish of the Dabawenyos called “law-oy.” When I saw it, it didn’t make a big impression nor did it lure me to taste it. At first sight, I was completely repelled by its looks. The only other color I saw was that of the squash, the rest was completely dominated by green vegetables. My parents tried their best to force me to eat it. They said that it was good for me and that looks didn’t matter. But in my perspective, looks do matter, especially in food.

Although its look was unpleasant to the eye, its aroma was the complete opposite. My nose tingled at its scent. A soothing aroma enticed me to sit at the table and taste it. It was the fragrant smell of the lemongrass which dominated the entire dish. I have always loved its smell. It soothes me and makes me feel better because every time I smell it, I forget all my problems. It’s like the smell of an old temple that has been surrounded by fragrant flowers. Apart from the dominating odor of the lemongrass, I also smelled a whiff of saltiness in it. It may be caused by the fish. These two scents mostly dominated the dish, but I discovered a hint of earthiness in it. I believe that it was because of the mixed vegetables put into it like squash, okra, string beans, eggplant and many more. It really brought out an earthy scent which made the food taste even better.

When I started to dig in, it tasted somewhat sweet. This is mainly because of the squash. Soon enough, I have already eaten more than I had expected. Every single bite and sip made me crave for more and I could not stop myself. Every cell in my body kept yearning for more. I could taste the freshness of the green vegetables like okra, as well as the sweetness of the squash.  The vegetables are so succulent and tasted really fresh which made my taste buds explode. The sweetness of the squash was just right that it complemented the saltiness of the fish very well. And also, its texture was a bit slimy, probably caused by the okra, which made it more alluring for me. I know that people would be disgusted by the thought of eating slimy stuff, but as for me, it just adds to the excitement of eating it.

 In the end, it was not as bad as I expected. In fact, I enjoyed eating it and I would like to have more as soon as possible. Despite its lack of good looks, it was a wonderful dish which I believe could be put in any restaurant and would blend in perfectly with other dishes. We should be proud of this for it is not just a simple dish, it is a distinctly Davao flavour.

Mariel Moralde    

Izzy Kate Ortiz   

Shannen Urbiztondo

The people behind MetaForces  

Limited Internet Access: Limited Knowledge

Free internet access is an essential part of today’s college experience both from an educational perspective and from a social perspective. Most students expect Wi-Fi so that they can access the Inernet anytime and anywhere on campus. However, there are still colleges and universities that do not offer free unlimited Internet access, and one of these universities is the University of the Philippines Mindanao.

            In a survey released in  2008 by the Wi-Fi Alliance, nine out of 10 students in say that free Internet access is as important to education as classrooms and computers. Nearly three of five say that they wouldn’t go to a college that doesn’t have free Internet access. Furthermore, at least 79 percent students stated that college would be more difficult without having a free Internet access. This statistical record shows that free Internet access in every college or university is an important factor. Students can use their computer to store important assignments and other documents, and they can conveniently keep in touch with their friends and family.

            We challenge you to find any higher education course today that does not require the use of Internent. Have you scouted for one? The best source of reference – Internet, it is a pool of informations accessible 24/7. Unlike, 20 years ago, students find it hard to research. They have to scan books, flip the pages of an encyclopedia.

            Here in the University of the Philippines Mindanao, a number of students sacrifice their meals saving it instead just to be able to make projects that are to be done and passed online. In UP Mindanao, students pay Php 260 worth of Internet fee good for 20 hours to be consumed within a semester. With this amount of money, you can already eat 3 times a day in a week. Big deal especially for students who study with empty pockets, but this step asks for more budget allocation from the national government knowing that state universities like UP Mindanao do not generate funds. This only means that pushing such issue, we need the government’s sincere support.

            To sum it up, free unlimited Internet access should be available in UP Mindanao, and, hopefully, to other colleges or universities in the Philippines too. In that way, education will be for everybody, and students’ school performance would not be limited for 20 hours only. 

           

Letigio, Clyde

Edaño, Renze

Moralde, Mariel

The people behind MetaForces  

A Taste of Earth and Ocean

 The first time I saw Ginataaang Kalabasa with Bulad, it immediately sent me a message that we won’t be seeing each other that much. There were tiny beans at the surface of the yellowish soup. I think it got its colour from the overcook squash that made it look like as if it wasn’t food at all. Then, there were pieces of dried fish joining the beans on the surface, making it even less inviting; some of the squash that was cut into cubes and were just a bit overcook, shows a small part of its yellow body from the creamy white soup. Anyone who just has its first face-to-face encounter with this dish would agree with me- that it’s not going to make your mouth water if you were just going to stare at it.

            But when my Mom served me Ginataaang Kalabasa with Bulad, she told me not to mind it’s unappealing and focus more on its alluring fragrance. So, I took some time to savor its scent; closed my eyes, and let the magic take place. Its refreshing aroma took me to vast green farm lands flourishing with ripe and plump unplucked squash. It took me to the hot summer day, where a hint of salty sea breeze blew through my hair. It was as if I was opening my old, antique cabinet; its strong musty scent slowly creeping towards my nose. Truly, Ginataang Kalabasa with Bulad smells like so many things all at once that will make you remember home.

            Ginataang Kalabasa is tastier when it combined with bulad. Usually, this dish is added with pork or shrimps but here in Davao people prefer bulad. Bulad is a fishthat when harvested is split open, sprinkled with salt and left out to dry under the sun. The flavour of bulad gives the dish a tinge of saltiness that compliments the taste of coconut milk. Eating Ginataang Kalabasa with bulad is like plunging into an ocean of sweet milk. In cooking this dish it is recommended not to overcook the vegetables. This process is made to preserve the crispiness of the string beans that gives a trace of earthy blandness to the sugary mixture of squash and coconut milk. Once the syrupy combination of all the flavors touches the tip of our tongue, you feel nerves in your cheeks contracts because of the candied taste it has.

Demegillo, Harlz Berry

Sinarimbo, Zakiyyah

Adle, Bianca Beatrice

The people behind MetaForces  

Sporty Buyers

When you enter a supermarket, you can see different types of consumers going in and out. Some are serious-looking, some are alone and sad, but most of them wear smiles in their faces. In this paper, we present to you the three types of buyers according to the eyes of an observer: the Target Shooter, Bullfighters and Weightlifters.

            Wise in choosing their preferred products; looking serious but surprisingly becoming talkative once they approach the sales person – they are the Target Shooters. These are buyers who target the exact items they need. These people usually belong to the middle class. They are the meticulous type of customers and are usually keen observers. They are patient and take time in asking questions about the quality of their selected merchandise and are extremely careful when it comes to looking at the details before buying a product. They are always curious about how the product was made and ask whether it last for a long time. Most of them are women – sensitive and careful in choosing the best among the best especially for their families.

            Adrenaline shoots as they frantically put products in their carts. It is as if their lives are in danger. Do you know why? Because it’s promo time! They are the Bullfighters – they go ballistic when they see that there is a promo and usually have a catfight with other bullfighters if there are only few products left on sale. At the supermarket, you commonly see them on the buy one take one area. People in this category belong in the middle class that are so thrifty. They are always looking for bargains because the more money they can save, the more products they can buy. Bullfighters always move from one section to another full of energy and strategies.

            Another type of consumers is the people that are holding a long piece of paper with a list of products to buy. Pushing carts that are usually filled with junk foods; lifting grocery bags that are heavy as gallons of water – they are the Weightlifters. They look confident and happy whenever you see them walk around the grocery stores. These people buy groceries and sell them in their sari-sari stores. They already know what to buy and also know how much the product costs even without looking at their price tags. They do not painstakingly look at the details of a particular product. They buy the same products in bulk week after week. We usually call them retailers because they sell again the products they bought with profit. Weightlifters are carefree and impatient in taking a long time in the store because of thinking that they still have to rearrange the products in their respective stores – they tend to do their groceries in a rush and know how to decide quickly.

            People have different manners in buying. These are the techniques they use to save money, to choose a good product and to make their daily and weekly routines in the supermarket easy.

           

 Cagape, Petal

Astronomo, Christine Mae

Te, Janica Camille 

The people behind MetaForces  

Durian: Dabaweños Cuisine

One can easily recognize a durian fruit because of its unique and distinctive appearance. It is usually irregularly round with sharp thorns all over its body. One can also say just by looking at it that it is heavy. Outside you will be captivated by its brownish gold colour while inside you can never resist its bright yellow colour and yummy looking thing that makes you want to immediately once open and taste it.

            The durian fruit’s taste will vary depending on who will eat it. For first timers, they often say that it tastes horrible and that it has an awful taste after, while the so “veterans” say that it is delicious, mouth-watering and quite addictive. They say that it tastes kind of sweet as sugar as you eat it and the flesh can be compared to eating an ice cream that melts in your mouth. As for me, a veteran in eating a durian, I still think it’s horrible because I still cannot bear the taste after that leaves me nauseated. Even though my opinion of the durian is quite negative, I can still say that it is scrumptious as long as it is combined with other cuisines that can neutralize the after taste without losing the unique taste that the durian is famous for.

            The Durian fruit can be described as having a stinky smell. It is known worldwide for smelling the worst of any other food here in the Philippines. It smells like rotten egg or a rotten fish which is very nauseating. It is like a fermented onion or an overripe cheese and is comparable to a place full of rotten fruits. Durian’s smell really captivates since it spreads for a considerable distance. It stays in your mouth even after drinking glasses of water or a cup of tea. It is known to those who hate it for its penetrating, powerful scent that is distractive to humans. However, don’t let that discourage you from trying it. Smell make the fruit unique and different because aside from its appearance, also by its odor can one determine a durian fruit.  

Duane Emmanuel Benegrado

Elisha Castro

Petal Cagape

The people behind MetaForces  

Let me Take You There

            “Sibugi, sibugi. Duha pa, duha pa. Mularga na, mularga na”, these are only but some of the most annoying words one could hear from a jeepney dispatcher but, these words are the simplest way to determine what their job is.

Shabby hairdo, ragged clothes and a towel placed on top of their shoulder; the usual appearance of the typical dispatcher who does nothing but to help passengers get a ride home and help drivers get their jeepneys quickly. They want nothing but to earn extra income to sustain their family’s needs, they ask just the exact amount of fare from the passengers and take good care of them, they help carrythe the passenger’s baggage when getting on and off the jeepney. They are good examples of  the “Superhero-type” of dispatchers. They take nothing more and nothing less, true to their customers and serve them well without expecting any additional tips.

            Another type is the “Mr. Bean-type” who does their job with different perks and some hidden agenda underlying their jokes. They show jolly expressions, faces that people would enjoy. They take away the boredom that surrounds the speeding jeepney with their endless, funny stories and weird ideas, they sing along with the music playing, they act like stand up comedians or crazy old guys riding with the normal passengers. They sometimes get bonus tips from the passengers who like their jokes, but at times  passengers would fail to notice the lack of change returned after being distracted by this dispatcher. Their jokes are the source of fun and laughter but may also be one way of showing their deceitfulness.

            As you wander more along Davao City, you will also notice the “Johnny Bravo-type” of dispatchers. They exude sexiness by having their hair combed and stiffed with the help of the mighty hair gel. They wear sunglasses with confidence, a way of hiding their dirty stares at the female passengers’ flawless legs or cleavage or the more censored parts. They wear pants and collared shirts with a strong yet nose-irritant smell. They usually sit beside pretty girls, throwing lascivious words. When someone goes up the jeepney, they’ll “assist” by pushing the passenger’s butt while uttering “sibugi lang gamay”. They  appear to be cool and calm yet are lustful in every single way.

            Now, going anywhere in Davao is not really that simple. You must endure these types of dispatchers in order to get to your next destination. They are your way to your next pitstop. You must know how to deal or suffer with them.

Edano, Renze

Chua, Karen Joyanne

Aliboyog, Precious Erika

The people behind MetaForces  

Will You Ride With Me?

Reading this essay will open your eyes to the types of tricycle drivers that you’ll encounter in Mintal. You might wonder and ask “What do you mean types?” It’s because like typical Homo sapiens sapiens, different tricycle have different personalities. Have you ever encountered a tricycle driver wearing slippers and sando with an awkward smile and cunning, he is waiting to take lots of money from you because you don’t know how the exact amount of fare to pay. They often start with a nice little chat with you while traveling to your destination and they pretend that they can be trusted. They usually tell you about the history of the place and how bumpy the road was at their time because of the big rocks and then blabber about how lucky you are because the road now is cemented. And when your little road trip is done and you ask the driver how much to pay, you’ll be shocked at how expensive it is to ride a tricycle nowadays. And when you try to ask for discount and argue with them, they’ll just answer you with; “There are many of us here so we take turns in getting passengers and what we earn by the day isn’t even enough.” Then their voice starts to get cranky and their faces like a lion ready to bite off your head and then you have no choice but to pay their overpriced fare. They are called Swiper and in this case it’s not like in Dora where you can just yell “swiper, no swiping.”

                Drivers who run like Bolt disarrange everything as they pass by. Girls’ skirts would even fly in the air like flowers blooming. There drivers are commonly minors while some are in their mid 20’s. Most of them wear accessories or bling-bling like chunkyfaux silver necklaces, big diamond earrings, and sometimes bracelets. You can observe that their tricycle carts have big speakers called “boom-boom” for the min-aching, eardrum-cracking sounds that produce noise pollution. They always act as if they are the king of the road, not minding what others would feel, showing how insensitive and arrogant they are. They are so competitive it seems as if Death were chasing them. The weirdest thing is they intentionally burst into laughter and feel glorious whenever they’ve overtaken other tricycle drivers. Be cautious and afraid when crossing roads because of these drivers why are classified as BOLT.

                Among the many tricycles that crowd streets in Mintal and providing the major means of transportation are old-timers without any thought of haste when transporting passengers. These small movers are commonly seen to be wearing dirty wrinkled polo shirts and driving tricycles which should have been have been scrapped at a junk shop a long time ago. A characteristic this old slowpokes have in common is that they can never seem to count your change right, always taking more than is rightfully theirs. A good example of one such slow driver is a man in his late forties, Garfield, a dark skinned annoyance to the society. He is the type of person who finds offense when none is intended and enjoys boring his passengers with boastful, unimpressive stories of his life. Garfield, along with majority of the slow drivers of his type are usually very careful when handling their motorcycles on the road that it makes you wonder whether it would have been faster to reach your destination on foot.

                Despite all of those tricycles drivers, there are also some that you would love, those who are friendly. As you approach their motorcycle, their smile welcomes you. You can notice that they wear neat attire: faded polo jeans, rubber shoes. Then, they assist you where you can sit comfortably. As the tricycle starts to move, they begin to ask you questions or they tell their own story and sometimes, they even tell jokes to entertain you. In driving, you can notice that they are careful; they know when to speed up or to slow down. They are also patient and understanding especially when you ask for a discount in fare. When riding with a friendly motorcycle driver, it’s like you’re with a friend because he makes the ride enjoy able, worthwhile, and entertaining. After the ride, you can’t deny that you would love to ride in Winnie the Pooh’s tricycle!

                Among those different tricycle drivers with different personalities you have to ask yourself, “Whom will you ride with?” Yet sometimes, you don’t really have a choice.

Duane Emmanuel Benegrado

Maria Angelynne Anne Alapag

Joseph Valena

Geallaika Delideli

The people behind MetaForces