CS4CS : giving CS freshmen a head startIn cooperation with the Department of Computer Science, UP CURSOR once again held College Survival for Computer Students (CS4CS) last June 18, 2011 at the Lecture Hall of the UP Alumni Engineers Centennial Hall. CS4CS is a department orientation that aims to introduce the various elements of CS life to freshmen students. It involves talks by faculty members and students geared to prepare the freshies for their stay in the course. This year, CURSORs faculty adviser Sir Edge Angeles discussed the new curriculum and the department Retention Rules. Mitchi Eala shared her experiences as a Computer Science student in the Students Talk, while Sir Lester Nacu described his life in the department in the Professors Talk. The CS 11 professors and the various organizations part of the CS Network were also introduced to the freshmen. The event also included an Open Forum to further acquaint the students with the department. CS Survival Kits were then handed out to the participants to aid them in their studies.

CURSOR, ARISE, EnggSoc and GE Club gear freshies for UP lifeLast summer, UP Engineering freshmen were given a glimpse of UP life through a series of freshmen tours. The first Great Freshie Tour, a tie -up event of UP CURSOR, UP ARISE and UP Engineering Society, was held last May 27. Approximately 250 freshies joined this The Amazing Race-style tour. Due to its success, a second season of The Great Freshie Tour was conducted by the three organizations together with GE Club. This second tour, held last June 11, challenged the minds of about 170 first year students that attended through the trivia and pictures given to them. These tours aimed to familiarize the new students with the UP campus, especially with the places most engineering students go to.

-Merselle Montes

-Czelina Litimco

CS freshies say "Hello World!"To introduce programming to CS freshmen, the UP Association of Computer Science Majors (UP CURSOR) conducted Computorient at TL 2 and TL 3, June 18. Computorient is a lab orientation for CS freshies providing them an introduction to some of the essential programming languages during their first year in CS, namely C and Java. Around 50 students attended the event and were divided into two groups. CURSOR members, Camille Salazar and Joshua Suarez taught C programming to the first group while Migz Estrella and Lorenzo Aquino taught Java programming to the second group. Some CURSOR members also helped in the event by assisting the freshmen whenever they did not understand certain things taught. The orientation started with coding "Hello World". Later on, different topics were covered, like variable declaration, control structures, Input and Output, and others. The students were given

programming exercises to see if they can apply what they learned. After learning how to program either in C or in Java on the first batch, they learned how to program the remaining programming language on the second batch. The event gained positive feedback from CURSOR alumni and instructors as well as the participants.

-Catherine Sardona

Escape Velocity: Blast off to the next centuryTo welcome the one hundred first year of the College of Engineering, the Engineering Student Council once again spearheaded the Engineering Opening Week last June 27, 2011 to July 1, 2011. Themed Escape Velocity: Break Free from Boundaries, the event started with an Engineering Freshmen Orientation on Monday, June 27. This was soon followed by various activities aimed towards making the freshies feel welcome and proud in their collegeactivities such as the releasing of the sky lanterns, the organization exhibits, the organization fair, a cheering competition, the freshmen fashion show, and the largest glow stick design concert held in the NEC grounds. The week-long event ended with a culminating party - titled Fifth Dimension: Surreal Extensity where the winners for the various competitions throughout the week were announced.

Exte and Info present Market! Market! & Photoshop TutorialsAnother event by the sexiest org in Engineering was a success. Last July 2, 2011, the annual Market! Market! was held. Members who were present during that day participated in the talk done by our very own Danielle Ayag. She taught the attendees about the basics of marketing, covering different aspects such as understanding a marketing letter, proper etiquettes in marketing, and contacting potential sponsors. After her talk, a simulation was done to put into practice what they have just learned. Jules Capacillo, head of the External Affairs committee, asked the participants to write their own emails for the purpose of marketing events to companies. Moreover, CURSOR added another event to its roster of activities as the first ever Photoshop and Fireworks tutorial had its debut on the same day. The event was sponsored by the Information and Public Relations Committee, which was spearheaded by Infos committee head, Dinah Maghuyop. For the first part of the tutorial, the attendees were taught the basics of vector art by Marjhorie Liquigan. After learning the basics, they were also asked to put into action what they have learned by creating their own vector art. After this, the Fireworks tutorial took place. The participants, with the aid of Dinah, recreated a Cursor pubmat using the said software. The event was filled with enthusiasm and creativity as each member sharpened their individual talents. With this, the day ended on a high note with each partaker bringing home newfound knowledge.

-Marjhorie Liquigan

CS orgs hold KISSS to promote open-source technologiesIn cooperation with UP ACM and UnPlug, UP CURSOR presented KISSS (Knowledge, Information, and Skills Sharing Session), an open-to -all one-day event that aims to promote the advantages and versatility of open-source software. Through this project, the students shall be exposed to the importance of innovation and collaboration. This event was held on the 23rd of July, at the Alumni Engineer Centennial Hall. More than 30 participants arrived at the event proper, divided into two topics, GIT, a

-Gerald Ignaciofree & open source, distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency, and Kahel OS, an update system that synchronizes and updates OS packages, presented by the representatives from Orange&Bronze and 8Layer Technologies respectively. After the event, certificates were given to all the attendees and speakers by UP CURSOR President Jewel Pajarillo, UP ACM Chairperson Ranyel Maliwanag, and UnPLUG President Elizabeth Loyola.

Making DOC, XLS, and PPT Files the Sexy Way

Norvin Yecla

In line with its thrust to advance functional computer literacy, UP CURSOR held Technotorials 1.0, a three-Monday seminar that taught students in three different elementary schools how to use Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Aimed to teach elementary students the basics of 3 of the most essential applications at no cost for the beneficiary schools, UP CURSOR went to teach grades 5 and 6 students of elementary schools in Malaya (June 27), Culiat (July 4) and Sto. Cristo (July 11). The seminar-tutorial was divided into two parts one in the morning from 10 am to 12 nn, and one from 1 pm to 3 pm. Each grade level also experienced how to use the featured applications using laptops provided by the volunteers. Each part had three teaching sessions for Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Each of the sessions started with a lecture from a CURSOR member, after which a hands-on part followed. continued on page 6

In A FlashTechnotorials 2.0: Flash Vs Zombies Seminar and Workshop on Flash Games was held last July 16, 20ll at the Alumni Engineer's Centennial Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman. Flash Vs Zombies is an event headed by the University of the Philippines Association of Computer Science Majors (UP CURSOR) in partnership with Indigo Entertainment and sponsored by ESET Philippines. The event was divided into two parts: the introduction which was held earlier that day and the hands-on tutorial which has held in the afternoon. During the introduction part, the lecturers from Indigo Entertainment talked about the basics of game development and the subject areas related to it like math and physics. They explained to the attendees, who were mostly students, what it is like to develop games and in the end answered questions related to game development from interested students. In the hands-on tutorial part, the attendees were assigned one computer each to work with the tasks demonstrated by the lecturers. The lecturers taught the basic commands in FlashDevelop and compared it to the object-oriented application of Java. They mentioned how the commands closely resemble the codes in Java. The end output program was a flash game which looks like the popular game Plants Vs Zombies.

-David Bulanhagui

CURSOR holds Arcana acquaintance party for applicantsUP CURSOR once again held its semestral applicants acquaintance party last July 15 at the Vinzons Hall Rooftop. More commonly called acque, the event is held at the onset of the application process in order for the applicants and members to get to know each other better. This years acque, entitled Arcana and with the theme Masquerade, boasted of members and applicants alike coming in a myriad of styles of masks, ranging from elaborately sequined ones to masks inspired by online memes and childhood shows. The program started with the introduction of the applicants, where they told the crowd their respective names and year levels, who their respective bytes are, and their member and co-applicant crushes. After all the applicants had the chance of making themselves known, everyone was asked to line up for the food prepared by the different committees. What followed next in the program was the presentation of the committees. The Academic Affairs Committee presented their rendition of Bruno Marss Lazy Song. The Activities Committee followed, first singing the song Papa Cologne, and then presenting their own version of the previously presented Lazy Song, but this time, with a twist the members sang the song while all decked in masks featuring the face of Acti member Kaye Salvador. Afterwards, the External Affairs Committee once again showed their love for Lady Gaga with another Lady Gaga number, with their head Jules Capacillo taking the center stage. Next in line was the Information and Public Relations Committee, with a song number, Katy Perrys Firework, dedicated to their head Dinah Maghuyop and her skills in the graphics editor Adobe Fireworks, followed by their take on the Bubble Gang spoof Baby. The Records Committee presented afterwards with a gag show featuring short people reminiscent of a talent presented by several members of this committee in their Talents Night back when they were applicants.

continued on next page

..FROM ARCANAThen, the Membership Committee presented a short play that featured an overview of the typical applicants life during the application process. And for the finale of the night, the Finance Committee, with guest alumnus Bullet Dumas, amused the audience with their presentation dubbed Finception a parody of the presentations of the other committees, topped with the singing of the famous Acque na Naman Muli. After the presentations, the program officially ended as the applicants were introduced to the CURSOR huddle followed by the shouting of CURSOR SEXY important elements of the organizations culture that embody the unity of the org.

-Merselle Montes

...FROM MAKING DOC, XLS, AND PPT FILESA total of 57 fifth-grade students and 34 sixth-grade students attended the Malaya seminar; 51 fifth-grade and 51 sixth-grade students in the Culiat seminar and a total of 39 fifthgrade and sixth-grade students were present in the Sto. Cristo seminar. To encourage students to focus in the seminar, prizes were given away to students who can answer the lecturers questions about Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Problems also occurred during the seminars. Some of these were: low audibility of the lectures as kids in the back part of the venues cannot hear the lecturers due to the venue was too large or the people outside the room were noisy; inconsistency in the steps due to different versions of Microsoft Office in the laptops used; and hardware problems like lack of mice, laptops and microphones. There were also kids who have seldom used a computer, and thus they were really slow in learning the topics presented.

The Spectacular Sizzling Summer Semender 2011 -Joscar Malacamanwere on our short vacation. We would feast on Giniling na Baboy (Fine, the carrots were undercooked), Tinolang na Spareribs (You have to admit this was fantastic), Adobo (Good job, Reah Mae) and Angels Burgers throughout our stay. Singing, of course, filled our days with applause and laughter as Bullet, Boji and Wawel provided gut-busting entertainment the entire stay. We also had a fun and refreshing team building activity in the form of a short but intense amazing race which culminated in an all-out free for all water balloon fight. Just before sunset, we played a competitive game of basketball (our team won) right before I began preparing dinner (Tinolang Spareribs cooked using a rice cooker). The second night extended the festivities with music, laughter and drinks but I was a bit sick so I had only a few recollections of what was going on but from what I hear (while I am dreaming, I think) people were having a lot of fun. The second day was a bit lazier since everyone was tired from partying the night before. I had to go home earlier to have my thesis ring-bound so I missed much of those morning activities as well. Brunch, however, was delicious (I arrived just in time) and the upbeat spirit was still very much alive. If I remember correctly, it was this afternoon that the Alumni and the Members had a very interesting volleyball game as well as an intense match of water polo. We also had the interesting experience of being flushed down the toilet inside the small pool (watch the video in our FB group). It was really a wonderful way to kick-start the summer and re-energize ourselves for the road ahead. Forgive me if I mixed up the details; it was really so much fun but I was really too sick/exhausted to remember things how it happened.

It was April Fools Day and jokes about the semender were circulating among the excited UP CURSOR members waiting inside Jollibee Philcoa. We were about to embark on a 2 day/2 night journey away from the school environment and unto a small slice of paradise. It all began, however, with a long and bumpy jeepney ride into the darkness of rural Rizal. When we got there, we started spooking each other out since the place felt so distant from urban civilization and it was pretty creepy at first glance. As we entered Arlit Farms, the feeling of relief started to settle and I sighed, Finally, I am able to relax. The resort boasts two pools (a big one and a small one), a number of nipa huts, a basketball court and a videoke machine. We knew from that moment that our stay would be awesome. Our first night there was mainly for settling in and the induction of our new members (Welcome aboard!) and officers (Good luck and good job!). Late night swims and explosive truth tables would fill up what would be an eventful and exciting night. Early the next morning, we (I and the Execom) headed to market to buy ingredients for our daily sustenance while

..FROM ARCANA

It has just been more than a month now since the start of the semester and our organization had already accomplished a handful of activities. Thanks to the early planning of the new executive committee, headed by Jewel Pajarillo, CURSOR seems to have a good head start. But the intensity and pressure has just started to build up as we end the Engineering cup and enter the CURSOR month. Let us now see how our leaders are as they respond to some hot-andsizzling-spot questions about the issues encountered by the organization.

Q: What is the biggest challenge that the execomm have encountered so far? Give a 'value' (like patience, teamwork, perseverance, etc.) that you want the members to learn this semester. Why?

A: For the past four months, a lot of events took place and I thinkthe biggest challenge we encountered was the low turnout of volunteers. We were hoping that the members would be more enthusiastic in participating in the events we have prepared, since we also aim to train them to become well-rounded individuals and instill in them the value of service not only to the organization, but also to the community. We really want them to see UP CURSOR as one of the best things that they will experience in college, and I believe that one way to achieve this is through engaging in a more active role in the organization. Q: This semester, the organization saw more than a handfulof members that are new in your committee. What is the rationale behind this decision considering your committee has a specialized set of work?

A: The first thing I told my committee during our first meeting was,Kalimutan niyo na lahat ng mga alam niyo tungkol sa membership committee. Magbabago lahat yan ngayon. I wanted to take away the elite view of people towards our committee. Who are we anyway? We are just another committee tasked to handle something equally difficult to the work of the other committees. In line with this thinking, I decided to abandon the criteria for choosing which members may be part of our committee. Anyone can work well if given the chance, and I wanted to give everyone the chance. I would probably have more new members as memcomm if I wasnt just starting out. As it is, I am also still learning a lot about the membership committee, [things] that I didnt know about before. In the future, I would probably be keener on drafting new members since I would then have a better grip on our activities and the distribution of work. This would make me more able to utilize my members, and this would lead to better performance, and better handling of our events.

Q: We have been a member of the PCOA ever since it wasborn but our members have had none, if not minimal, interactions with members of other PCOA orgs. What are your plans to make the members of the participating orgs interact/work together for an event or a project?

A: First of all what is PCOA? PCOA stands for Philippine ComputingOrganizations Alliance. [Computing organizations from different schools] formed this alliance mainly to widen each others network, making information dissemination and publicity of events easier. In answer to your query, our objectives are: Drafting a constitution and expanding the organization to include other computer science/IT related organizations, eg. UP Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), Ateneo Management Information Systems Association (MISA), FEUs Junior Philippine Computing Society (JPCS), Ateneo Electronics and Computer Engineering Society(AECES) (already done) Suit Up, A Business IT event which will bring together college students from computer science and business administration industries (scheduled for September 24, 2011); side event to Y4IT. In planning for this activity specific tasks are assigned to each member organization to ensure their participation. Applicant organizations are given the chance to assist in the various activities. Regular monthly meetings to publicize events, check up on updates (if there are any), and to promote bonding. Q: A big percentage of members are considering shifting out of CS. If ever, this will have a big effect in the org's percentages that [are] needed during org recognition. How do you aim to solve the problem? Will you resolve to erasing non-CS members in the master list to boost the percentage of CS population in the org?

A: No. That would be unfair for the non-CS members. Maybewe can apply for a different organization scope the requirements of which our organization can meet hopefully.

Q: As a part of the previous and present execomms, howwill you compare the strong points of both groups? Is there any values of the previous that you want the present to learn?

A: Its hard to compare since Ive only been a Fin head for onesemester last year. But what I could see is that everyone did their job and they showed their love for the org and the members. Yes we were strict with the rules but ultimately its for their own good. With the current [set], all I can say is that they are all hardworking. Even with our sem planning, everyone already worked hard. They picked events that the members will surely like and they really aim for our org to be known, which I think is a good plan. What I can say that they could adopt from the previous execomm is to love the org and the members. (translated from the original)

Q: Ryan, many members are being accused of plagiarism even if they are innocent. As the Acad head, will you stand up against the faculty for these members? What can you do to prevent future accusations of the same kind from happening?

A: Of course I will stand up against the faculty for those whoare accused of plagiarism especially those who are innocent. First, we, the executive committee, will listen to his/her side of the story. Then we will support him/her on the process of hearings of the case. Pray. [Just kidding]. Seriously, all I can do is to inform and constantly remind our members to do their MP's on their own and "START AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE".

Q: There is a significant decrease in the number ofmembers at the tambayan during class hours. Do you think the new "CS heavy" curriculum of the 2nd year have something to do with this? Will this spark another plan of moving the tambayan to DCS?

A: The new CS curriculum definitely has something to dowith the amount of people in the tambayan. I dont think it couldve sparked a plan of moving the tambayan, but since questions [have] already been asked (like this one) the spark probably has started.

Q: Last year, the organization failed to launch the @rteevent. What are your plans to ensure the members that we will be able to bring back this event this year and have this event consistently for the following years?

A: @rte will definitely push through this year. For the @rte Seminar, which will be held on August 20, 2011 at 9am-12nn, the venue (Engineering Theater) has already been reserved, and the speakers have confirmed their attendance to the event. For the @rte Attack T-shirt design contest, the prizes (1st place: 5000, 2nd place: 3000, 3rd place: 1000), the rules and mechanics have already been set, and a number of contestants have already registered. We are currently in the process of publicizing the events. Whether CURSOR decides to hold @rte again next year, I do not have any power over that. However, the @rte team, headed by Ton, Dette, and Gerald, is aiming to make this year's @rte an event to look forward to for the years to come.

Eleven months to the day it's been since my very first Iconoclast article, and the landscape is nearly unrecognizable. We've had a significant changing of the guard, a couple of high-profile events, and wide swathes of the old social grasslands cut away to make room for new blood. New friendships are being forged as you read this, while old relationships are burned away to freshen up the stagnant air. Whether or not any of these are good things is beside the point; so much has happened, and we were just getting started. Hello, confused people of the org. I am the Iconoclast, and today I'll be gluing back the pieces of all those religious icons I broke. Not out of some misguided, apologetic sense, mind, but because I'd like think that I've made a rather successful point. I'd talked about plastic people - people who change their faces to fit in with cliques outside of those with which they're comfortable with. I transitioned from these polyjuice potion dispensers to the cliques themselves, which created an atmosphere of isolationism so thick within the org that you could cut it with a knife and serve it on a plate. Eleven months later, I find myself surrounded by the old and the new chatting about as though they'd already gone through the whole arduous process of trust

and establishment in which long-term friendships are rooted. Now, more than ever, we are brothers and sisters united under the banner of "CURSOR, SEXY!" Cliquish behavior is still interspersed amongst unified relations across the org, but hardly are there seen walled gardens and virtual compounds barring entry from those not in the guest list. In my second outing I moved on to participation in org events. We've still got a long way to go from beyond-fifty-percent attendance rates and shovels of support for the activities we hold. We've got a terrible journey ahead of us before we fix the issue of people saying they'll go and this always holding true. To make the point clearer, most of us still quite aren't just names on the member list. But isn't it something that we've actually started that journey? Haven't we experienced a palpable, sem-over-sem increase in proportional attendance of org events and general assemblies over the past year? Oh, sure, we have to measure the distance between here and the goal of perfect attendance in parsecs; indeed, the algorithmic solution to our problem cannot be found in polynomial time. But we're getting there. It's a lot better than the time when the "extent of our involvement with this org was defined by the diameter of our asses when fully spread out on the org's benches."

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UNMASKED

Bakit ba masarap ang bawal?Bawal magmura. Bawal magsinungaling. Bawal magdownload ng movies.Dahil mahilig naman tayong lahat sa math, directly proportional ang bawal-factor ng isang bagay sa desire nating gawin ito. Mas bawal, mas dapat gawin. Kapag pwede naman, hindi natin masyadong pinapansin. Sadya ba talagang mapanukso ang mga bagay na ito at sobrang hirap nilang iwasan? O human nature lang talaga ang gumawa ng mga bagay na hindi dapat?

For we have sinned

Bawal mag-overspeed. Bawal na gamot. Bawal magdrink-and-drive.Curiosity killed the cat sabi nga nila. Pero mas madalas pa ata silang masagasaan kesa makadiskubre ng mga bagay-baya. Anyhow, isa itong factor kung bakit gusto nating gumawa ng bawal. Gusto nating malaman kung ano ang mangyayari kapag ginawa natin ito. Mamamatay ba tayo? Only one way to find out.

Bawal na pag-ibig. Bawal umuwi ng late. Bawal magcut ng klase.Pride lang daw talaga ang kasalanan sa mundo. Ito daw talaga ang totoong root of all evil at hindi pera. Daw. Pero one things for sure : isa rin siyang factor kung bakit gusto nating gumawa ng bawal. Gusto nating magyabang. Sino ba naman ang hindi?

Bawal na pagkain. Bawal ang premarital sex. Bawal mangopya.Ignorance is not an excuse sabi ulit nila. Ang dami pala nilang alam, dapat nagtayo na sila ng library. Unfortunately, merong iilan sa atin na hindi alam ang consequences kung kayat gumagawa sila ng mga bawal na bagay. Yung iba naman, alam, pero dahil sadyang matitigas ang ulo ng mga Pilipino, ginagawa parin nila. Ano pa bang mas cool pa sa pakikipag-procreate sa isang stranger at magkaroon ng offspring? Wala! Swag : +150. Responsibility : +2,000,000.

Bawal matulog sa klase. Bawal magbasa ng inbox ng iba. Bawal maghubad sa public places.At yung iba, gumagawa lang talaga ng bawal just because. Kasi gusto nila. They consider it as an art. An art that transcends time and generation. An art that is beyond words of explanation. An art that conveys ideas that are bulletproof. Or not. In the end, tayo lang din naman talaga ang makakapagsabi kung ano ang bawal at hindi. Malalaki na tayo, it is about time that we act like we are. At kung ako sa inyo, makikinig ako sa podcast ko. Sa sobrang sarap nito, akala mo bawal. Pero hindi. Haha.

UP CURSOR Planking Team's Guide to Planking

We understand there's potential for an injury, but to each their own, as there is potential for an injury in everything. You might ask, "can we plank safe but in a UP CURSOR Planking Team kind of way?" Well, don't fret, here are some guidelines:

Planking, as observers might define it,is the act of being photographed while lying face down in bizarre situations. The term 'planking' originated in Australia, but is basically just another term for the 'lying down game'. It is claimed to have been created by two guys, Christian Langdon and Gary Clarkson in 1997. Fans and enthusiasts describe it as an "international art participatory project", while others dismiss it as a "pointless, nonsensical web phenomenon". But whether or not you are a fan, thanks to the Internet, planking has become very popular in many countries, including the Philippines. Since then, many Facebook pages have been created in support of this fad. Our org, UP CURSOR, created the Facebook page 'UP CURSOR Planking Team' last July 15 (probably the first organization to do so), and so far has more than 1,000 likes in Facebook. As of now, the team still shows no signs of quitting, especially since a few interviews are being offered (I am not kidding). The members of this team are "trained planking professionals". If there is a group of people who takes planking to the extreme, it's the UP CURSOR Planking Team.

This is important. A perfect plank is one-half execution, and one-half location. They can be good separately; but combined, you create a masterpiece. Some ideal areas for planking are classrooms, fields, famous landmarks, crowded places, and inside a train, among many others.

So just lie face down, put your hands straight down the sides and most importantly, curl your toes in so that you look levitated off the ground. It's advised that you channel your inner plank and visualise becoming the board.

The common planks are those executed at a 90-degree angle. A 45-degree plank, though it has a higher degree of difficulty and requires more strength, gets more Facebook likes if it's executed very well. Cameras shooting downwards on the subject gives an added hilarity. It's also better if the location is given equal focus with the plank itself.

continued on page 19

It will never end `Muggles, quidditch, mudbloods, Hogwarts, Azkaban: words that werent part of our vocabularies more than a decade ago; words that didnt even exist before. Then, Harry Potter happened. And so the magic began. Honestly speaking, I was not there when Harry Potter first came out. I was introduced to him when I was in elementary, and it was not love at first sight. I had this friend who was always popping out random Harry Potter trivia and I was like, Harry what? He kept on bugging me to read the books but I just ignored him. I was too young and grade-conscious then; Id rather read science and other non-fiction books. LOL. of the films and books came out on the month of my birthday so I asked my parents to buy these things for me as gifts. And when I reached high school, I found Harry Potter fanatics like myself. Every single day was a role-playing game. We were all eleven year olds then so twas perfect. We make-believed we just received our letters from Hogwarts and were off to school on the first day of September. We lived in a different world and luckily, everyone in the class understood us. Haha. During fourth year high school, there came into our school this group from a religious organization. They talked about back masking on songs and other forms of Satanism promotion in our media. I was not a believer of back masking from the start so I just sat there with my mind lurking on other things. But when they mentioned that Harry Potter also promotes witchcraft and somehow, Satanism, my blood rose, and my friends and I ranted our way back to our classrooms at the end of their lecture. The Harry Potter Series, for me, is a childrens series which matures with the readers as time goes by. It promotes values that are important and appropriate to its target age bracket, like how the importance of friendship, bravery and knowledge were the central themes of book one and the sense of responsibility that book seven taught its readers. But I know there a lot of witches and wizards out there that are purer more hardcore fans of the series - than me. Thats why when Em asked me to write this article, I was like, I dont deserve this. Just this month, we joined the Triwizard Cup at UP Diliman. Its a Harry Potter quiz bee with cash prizes and movie tickets for the first prize. We all had our Harry Potter tickets by then

The Harry Potter Phenomenon:

But when I watched the third Harry potter film - I was mind blown and later, amazed. The third film is still my favourite until now because for me, it has the most precise and accurate representation of its corresponding book. I tried to read the already-published books after that. Since then, I always made reservations in bookstores before the new books release dates. Since then, I was always at the movie house on the first day of every films release. Luckily, most

and we really joined just for fun. I never even had the chance to review because of our MP. Almost seventy teams (each has three members) joined. It was quite an experience. Every single mistake on the pronunciation of the emcees were corrected by the contestants. Almost every questions answer initiated a debate. From a single dash or space to the last digit of every number, everyone was so competitive. We were still on easy round (which they called as Ordinary Wizarding Level) when we realized that we dont stand a chance on this competition. Haha. Our goal was just to answer a question that only a few people know and cool enough, we met our goal on the

difficult round. I know every single one of us has that Harry Potter story even though one is not a fan. An epic series like this is very rare in a generation and you cant just obliviate a decade of magic to a billion people who stuck with Harry until the end. I know Im not the only one who cried on the last movie. I cried only to realize that 07. 14. 11. was not the end. I cried only to realize that it will NEVER end. Harry Potter will never end not because of the deathly hallows nor the possibility that he will create another sorcerers stone. Harry Potter will be immortalized in the memories of those who had escaped reality with him and joined the magic. I would like to conclude with this popular quote that had invaded all the popular social networking sites, We defended the Stone, we found the Chamber, we freed the Prisoner, we were chosen by the Goblet, we fought alongside the Order, we learnt from the Prince, and we mastered the Hallows. We are the Harry Potter generation. Are you one of us?

-Chery Verano

..FROM GUIDE TO PLANKINGAnd when you plank, you must:1. Make sure you have complete control of your body. Planking is a mastery of the physical and mental state, so just plank only if you are physically and mentally sound. 2. Always have someone with you when you plank. That someone can take many pictures of you from different angles. Take note that you just 'lied down' if there's no photo of your plank. That someone can also brush you off after he/she takes a photo of you. 3. Ask permission from a nearby officer/authority every time you'll plank in a guarded place (i.e. along the road, as they might assist controlling traffic in such a way you'll not get trampled on). 4. Avoid planking on top of moving cars, in front of oncoming traffic, on top/mouths of carnivorous animals, and the like. The most important rule in planking is that you must plank safely and responsibly. After all, providing you know the limits, planking is nothing but fun!

Gian Tolentino

..FROM ICONOCLAST UNMASKEDAlmost all of you had a bone to pick with issues such as the above, and many more that I never had the time to detail. Almost all of you wanted to shatter the status quo, which itself was unreasonable and unsustainable. In the summary acts of iconoclasm that I committed with two simple CURSOR Monitor entries, all I did was give a voice to what you people, for whatever reason, couldn't be moved to challenge and discuss. I had said that I was your exception handler; well, eleven months later, after going through everything in try{ }, we've done a good fixing-up in catch (exceptionYouPeopleSuck e){ }. It's been a douchebag life, being one of y'all. Some of those interviews were downright crazy, I swear to God. And it's pretty damn hard to penetrate the aforementioned cliques, even sparsely distributed as they are now. But I have to say, it's been an honor as well, being a member of this organization. I joined to see all of you, to befriend all of you. Now, as I leave this strange place filled with "" ballers and really, really bad jokes wrought of maize and dairy, I salute the men and women who've gone on ahead as alumni, and the new members who shall one day find themselves at the reins of this organization. I only wish, were it not for events that it would not do to mention, that I could see you all through this journey - to see the fruits of all of our labors, and create the org that we'd idealized when we walked up to the application booth with photocopies of our Form 5s, IDs, fifty pesos and all the naivet of new apps. You know, when I paid fifty bucks to your little stall, submitted my registration form, and gave my photocopied documents and ID photos, I figured that I'd be joining an organization. I figured that there'd be much more than being called SEXY or simply having my name printed in the directory and on the sigsheets of future apps. I figured that there'd be causes that the organization would promote, and it'd hold events in support of these causes. It might've turned out to be a pipe dream when I first applied, but as the progress just comes rolling in with UP CURSOR, maybe I wasn't so wrong. But for now, this has been your friendly neighborhood Iconoclast, Anton Chua. Godspeed, CURSOR, and may you all be sexy forever.

-Anton Chua The Iconoclast

Apps ChecklistWant to make sure youll get to know all your future orgmates? Dont know where to start? Well, this checklist is for you.

Nickname Ange Angel Angelu Armond Basi Chesca Cush Dianna Emir Eric Grace Grace Ino Jasper Jetz Joel Kevon Kiddo Kris Kyle Lady Mape Marty Patrick PJ Rachel Rae Raphael Sandra Sharmaine/Banana

NameMaria Angelica B. Ramirez Angel Anne D. Tuya Angelu Kaye P. Tiu Armond C. Ave Kevin J. Basinillo Francesca Louise M. Rivera Cush E. Jainani Dianna Isabelle Desuyo Emir R. Mercado Jose Ricardo P. Sto.Domingo Grace Magno Mary Grace D.T. Tumamao Aldrin F. Simpao Jasper E. Martija Chesicon B. Valiente John Joel U. Cabuhat Kevin John S. Domingo Francis Carlo L. Flameo Kristian Pang Kyle Benedict G. Sy Lady Anne B. Aribal Marife Estellena Marcelino C. Franco Patrick James. B. Granada Paul Jason C. Carolino Rachel Ann Borres Rae Clement B. Pascua Raphael Dulay Sandra S. Pulmano Sharmaine A. Yap

YearSecond First First Third Third First Second First First First First Fourth First Third Second Third First First Second Third First First First First First First Second Second First First

ByteZac Aaron Melvin Elayne Wendy Kevin Kaye Stephen Marj Joylyn Migz Ric Gemmy Mitchi Eamon Gevie Tresia Bong Abie JD Wawel Vin Jas Em Cha Cloyd Sam Marianne Gian Gerald

Mabilis ang oras sa Unibersidad. Tila mga dahong unti-unting tinatakluban Ang konkreto ng Acad oval Tahimik silang sumasayaw sa hangin At di mo namamalayang ang dating madilim Na semento'y natabunan na nang Kahel at pula at luntiang kalat Na wawalisin lamang maya-maya Ng mga janitor na hindi natin halos napapansin Ni hindi na natin namamalayan Kung ilang blue books na ba Ang ating nalunod sa tinta ng ating mga Plumang halos maubos ang laman Sa kakaguhit ng kung anu-anong kalokohan Sa ating mga upuan sa bawat klaseng ating napasukan, Kahit na kakambal ng bawat blue book ay isang Kwentong makaluha-luhang mistulang pangMMK O isang alamat nang tagumpay na masasalamin Sa ating GWA pagdating ng ating pagtatapos... kung darating man ito.

Hindi na rin natin mabilang Kung ilang beses na ba tayong nagpa-umaga Sa McDo pagkatapos ng magdamagang pagindak Sa mga tugtugin ng ating panahon at Magdamagan ding pagkalango sa alak na Free-flowing, at kung ilang tasa na ba nang Kape ang ating ipinilit sa ating mala-zombie Na mga katawan para lang matapos ang Paper na binigay ilang buwan na ang Nakakalipas, ngunit gagawan ng paraan upang Matapos sa loob ng sampung oras. At ilang tao na nga ba ang ating nakilala Sa bawat pag-ikot ng mundo habang tayo Ay nakatuntong sa balat ng paaralang ito? Mga kaklase sa isang GE ngayon na Kasintahan o matalik na kaibigan mo na Sa mga susunod na taon at mga Ka-kurso na araw-araw mong nakikita Sa tanan ng iyong pananatili sa unibersidad Na hindi mo man lang nakausap O nakuhanan ng chismis tungkol sa Prof na crush niyo mula unang taon. Binibilang mo pa ba kung ilang beses ka nang Napaiyak o nagpaiyak ng mga taong malapit sa yo O kung ilang koneksyon na ba ang naputol Nang kung anu-anong drama na dapat iniwan mo na Paglabas ng tarangkahan ng iyong high school? Namamalayan mo pa ba kung ilang beses nang nag-iba

unIBErSIdAD

Nang relationship status ang kaibigan mong Nagpapalit ng ka-MU bawat dalawang linggo? Napapansin mo pa ba kung ilang Textmates na ang kinakikiligan mo o kung ilan na Ang naging Facebook friends mo o kung ilan na Ang nagpadala sa yo ng invites sa Google+ ? Sa mabilis na pagdaan ng panahon ay Naghihilom na rin ang mga sugat na dala Ng pag-ibig na nabigo at mga "forever" na naudlot At mga singko na nakuha mo sa iyong mga majors Na iyong pinagpuyatan at iniyakan at ipinilit Igapang ngunit sa huli ay wala pa rin. Malilimutan mo na rin ang score mo sa Mga exam na sinumpa-sumpa mo at ang grade mo Sa mga papers na ginamitan mo ng Wikipedia At ang mga GE's na pinetiks mo lang at di mo Pinasukan, ngunit di mawawala sa iyong alaala Na napagod ka pag-akyat sa 5th floor ng CAL Para sa klaseng free cut naman pala. Di mo na rin mapapansin Kung ilang beses mo nang naisipang magshift dahil Di ka na masaya sa kurso mo ngunit sa huli Ay mananatili ka pa rin dahil wala kang maisip Na ibang kursong mas madali sa tinatamasa mo ngayon. Isang beses lamang lilipas ang oras sa Unibersidad Oras na hindi na mauulit o mapapalitan Kaya habang ito ay umuusad pa Siguraduhin mo na Ang tibok ng iyong puso ay simbilis Nang oras sa Unibersidad. Isang araw, gigising ka na lang at mapagtatanto mong Lumipas na pala ang isang araw, Isang linggo, Isang buwan, Isang taon. Ibang tao ka na pala sa ikaw kahapon, Nung isang linggo, Nung isang buwan, Nung isang taon. Mga alaala na lamang ang matitira, at ang oras Ay babagal na. Marahil ay naisipan mo na ring sumali sa Isang organisasyon o makilahok sa mga Rally o maging parte ng ibang relihiyon. Marahil ay nagtaka ka na rin kung straight ka ba talaga O bakit sadyang uso lang ang mga magagandang dilag Na dalaga rin ang gusto at mga mala-Adonis na binatang Hindi Aphrodite ang hanap kundi boyfriend.

Cool FindsNyan Cat Progress Bar TooManyTabs for Chrome

http://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ amigcgbheognjmfkaieeeadojiibgbdp?hl=fil Are you the kind of person who opens way too many tabs on Google Chrome that you no longer see even a single letter from the page title? Then TooManyTabs is for you! This sleek Chrome extension stores all your tabs in a nifty panel that you can open and close with a button click. You can even suspend tabs hide them temporarily from the tabs row, through a sidebar in the panel, until you finally need them. The panel even comes with a preview of the web pages you opened, a search function, a sort function, and custom themes. And for something this useful, its totally free.

http://www.instantelevatormusic.com/nyan-catprogress-bar Think the cover of this issue is just a figment of our rainbow-colored imaginations? Think again! In case you arent fed up enough with the Pop Tart Cat, more popularly known as the Nyan Cat (http://nyan.cat), and you want more of this cute annoyance, then this app is for you. It replaces the default green Windows progress bar with the Nyan Cat, complete with its rainbow trail and matching background music. Awesome, isnt it? Or not.

Events to look forward to:A Level-up in Technotorials!The first two parts of Technotorials were indeed a success! The third instalment is yet to come. What better way to spend ACLE than to get ourselves acquainted with a great deal of information about Artificial Intelligence? It will be held on August 18, 1-4 pm. Vin Yecla and Chery Zerato will be the ones to officiate this batch. We hope many volunteers would come grace the last part of Technotorials 2011! :) (Alek Baritua)

Babols Armina Joe-mar Vin3 6 7 7

Nica Enzo Jas10 11 14

July Birthdays

Hebs Benj Gevie Mico Jamie Alex Chery16 18 28 28 29 30 31

DINAH MAGHUYOP MERSELLE MONTES

BOSS:

EDITOR:

ALEK BARITUA * CZELINA LITIMCO * CATHERINE SARDONA * MARJHORIE LIQUIGAN * GERALD IGNACIO * NORVIN YECLA * DAVID BULANHAGUI AARON CAPARAZ * JOSCAR MALACAMAN * ANTON CHUA * MIGZ ESTRELLA * GIAN TOLENTINO * CHERY VERANO

CORRESPONDENTS: CONTRIBUTORS:

GRAPHICS ARTIST:THEA MARIE LEE

LAYOUT ARTIST:

MERSELLE MONTES

HMAGES TAKEN FROM TGE UP CURSOR FACEBOOK PAGE, MEMBERS FACEBOOK PAGES, AND GOOGLE HMAGE SEARCG