MANILA, Philippines — The two worlds that we live in today have never become more apparent in 2011. That's the real world and there's the virtual world.

For this edition of 15 top newsmakers, the Students and Campuses Bulletin lists down some of the favorite moments that landed on your facebook status, the personalities that were most searched on Google and Yahoo, and the issues that became trending on Twitter. And yeah, even those that were talked about in the classrooms, at coffee shops, on the sidewalks and in the chat rooms.

Trending na!

PLANKING. A lot of people were seen doing it – from local celebrities to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and his bunnies. They’ve been caught doing the worldwide craze that is planking. The Philippines took on the craze, of course. Proof are the numerous Facebook groups and fan pages that have sprouted since. There are even planking groups on Facebook dedicated to particular institutions, such as the ones in De La Salle University-Manila and Ateneo de Manila University.

ZOMBADINGS. The unexpected critical and financial success of “Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington” was a pleasant surprise to director Jade Castro, the crew and the cast led by Martin Escudero and Kerbie Zamora. Adding to the film’s popularity is the onscreen bromance of the two lead characters. Fans even came up with a nickname for the pair – “Jigington”, a mash-up of their characters’ names, Remington and Jigs. A scene in the movie where the two got drunk on lambanog and made out was endlessly reblogged and reposted on sites like Tumblr and Twitter. But more than just having a hit movie, Martin and Kerbie said they have also gained a new understanding of the gay community from being part of “Zombadings”.

SENATOR MIRIAM SANTIAGO’S PICK-UP LINES. Modern-day pick-up lines have not just invaded social networking sites, movies and television. They have even found their way into the speeches of no less than the fiercest senator of the land — Miriam Defensor-Santiago. In her talks about the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill in schools, Santiago regaled her young audience not with her usual intellectual verbal acrobatics, but with her cheesy pick-up lines such as "Anong height mo? Panno ka nagkasya sa puso ko?" "Pangalan mo palang kinikilig na ako, panno pa kaya kung magkaapelyido na tayo?" and many more.

Goodbye Friendster Hello Facebook Timeline

In the olden days, there was Friendster. This forerunner of social networking websites was an influential network for a lot of young people then. It was where wonderful profiles were created, interesting testimonials were said, and cyber stalking was started. The company boasted over 115 million registered users at its height.

Friendster was a great idea, founded by Jonathan Abrams in 2003, until other more interactive, more fun, younger, and hipper social networking sites like Facebook emerged. Friendster breathe its last on May 31, 2011.

And then there was Facebook Timeline, the latest change that Mark Zuckerberg and his cohorts implemented and went on “live” last December 26. “Timeline” mines every note, comment, status update, photo, video, link and “like” you’ve ever posted on Facebook – and they go as far back as when Facebook wasn’t even around yet (photos you tagged as I from the 1990s, for instance, or a pre-Facebook info you appended to your personal details like your birthday) – and presents them on your profile page in a very visual, very detailed manner, in chronological order, hence a “timeline.” You’ll now have to be accountable for every status update, comment, note, photo, video, link or “like’’ you post on Facebook.

The Truthtellers

HEIDI MENDOZA. Forsaking a position in government and a cushy job at the Asian Development Bank, Heidi Mendoza burst into the public’s consciousness during the plea bargain hearings held in Congress, laying out the trail of money that had been stolen from the country’s hardworking soldiers. Armed only with documentation and the truth, Mendoza went up against the country’s monolithic culture of graft and corruption. She now sits as the commissioner of Commission on Audit (COA).

COL. GEORGE RABUSA. While the lowly soldiers were sent to battle with limited supplies and worn-out combat gear, AFP budget officer Col. George Rabusa and the generals were enjoying to the hilt their millions of pesos and dollars which were allegedly stolen from the coffers of the AFP fund. At that time, he said felt like a king who could do anything he wanted and get away with it.

Today, Rabusa is a changed man who is striving to redeem himself. Through his battle against corruption, Rabusa hopes not just to clean his name and earn back the respect and trust of his colleagues, but also to help restore dignity in the Armed Forces.

SENATOR KOKO PIMENTEL. Having recently been vindicated in his own battle for justice against electoral fraud in the 2007 elections, Pimentel embraced the advocacies of his father (former Senator Aquilino Pimentel) who, like him, was also a victim of cheating in the 1995 senatorial elections. Foremost in Sen. Koko’s priorities when he finally took the oath as senator last August 11, 2011, is electoral reform. With the exposes and revelations of Mendoza, Rabusa and Pimentel, many students think their revelations only proved how rampant and massive corruption is in government. For its part, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) and its member schools started integrating lessons on integrity and honesty.

Gone too soon

AJ PEREZ. As one of the few young celebrities who kept school on top of their priorities, young actor AJ Perez or Antonello Joseph Sarte Perez, was featured in this section’s back-to-school issue in June, 2009. AJ just graduated from high school at De La Salle Greenhills and planned to go to De La Salle University for college.

But his ultimate goal, he said in our previous interview, was to become a professional basketball player. The commercial model-turned-actor had always been a good student, a trait that earned admiration from many young fans. That is why his untimely demise on April 17, 2011 due to a car accident came as a shock.

MAICO BUNCIO. We called Maico Greg Buncio the Philippines’ fastest man on two wheels in this section as we featured him in our May 1, 2011 issue. Two weeks later, the 22-year-old biking champion died on May 15, 2011 after crashing during a qualifier race (the Under Bone King) at the Clark Speedway Circuit in Pampanga, sustaining serious injuries.

Regarded as the most accomplished rider of his generation, Maico was last year’s Golden Wheel Awards “Driver of the Year.” He was a member of Team Suzuki Pilipinas and was the country’s official representative to the Asia Road Racing Championships.

Maico said he was at his happiest riding his bike. “When I’m on the race… it’s the happiest moment. Just me, the bike, and the world.”

Game Time

LITTLE RAZCALS. It’s been many years since a Philippine team entered the World Series. And so the kids of the Philippine boys’ baseball team — nicknamed the Little Razcals — made history when they won at the Asia Pacific Zone Pony Mustang Baseball Championship in Vietnam to represent not only the Philippines, but the whole Asia Pacific region in the 2011 Mustang League World Series in Texas, USA.

Although the Little Razcals lost in its campaign in August last year, the fact that they made it to the World Series is already an accomplishment.

SAN BEDA RED CUBS. The national team represented by the high school basketball team of San Beda College in Taytay, Rizal bagged the championship at the 3rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Schools’ Games (ASG) held in Singapore last July 2011. The team won over defending champion Malaysia.

MARLON STOCKINGER. Filipino-Swiss racer Marlon Stockinger is right on track in achieving his goal when he moved to the GP3 series last May after finishing eighth place in the Formula Renault UK 2010, making him the first ever Filipino to win a Formula race in Europe.

STEFANO MARCELO. Another racer who is transitioning to formula car racing this year is four-time Karter of the Year Stefano Marcelo. He is now dubbed as the greatest karting champion in the history of Philippine motorsports after breaking the previous records of kart racing legends Edgen Dy-Liacco and Pepon Marave. Stefano was the youngest to capture the Karter of the Year award when he was only 15.

Life Lessons

No matter what challenges have come their way, young celebrities Andi Eigenmann and Sarah Geronimo managed to come out on top as better persons.

ANDI EIGENMANN. In July last year, young actress Andi Eigenmann’s life took on a dramatic turn when she learned she was pregnant. Starring in the title role in the primetime hit “Agua Bendita”, Andi gained quite a clout of supporters. She admitted to missing about being a “regular” girl though, which is harder to go back to now that she has a child. While her acting career is on a pause, she hopes to get back to work as soon as possible.

SARAH GERONIMO. After having quite an eventful year of music accolades, box office successes, and yes that first heartbreak, young singer-actress Sarah Geronimo has become stronger, wiser and more mature. “May mga bagay na pinapayagan ng Diyos mangyari. Maybe it’s a wake-up call for me, so that the next time I fall in love, I’m stronger and wiser,” Sarah recalled of her short-lived romance with young actor Rayver Cruz, probably the most rebellious state in her life. Now, Sarah is ready to show that she has grown up from that experience, a little fiercer, but without veering away too much from her good girl roots.

Book it!

POTTERMORE, MORE POTTER! Ever since “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” first came out in 1997, J.K. Rowling’s band of witches and wizards have kept a firm grip on contemporary pop consciousness, rewarding Rowling not only with critical acclaim, but also with financial returns to the tune of 450 million copies sold worldwide and a brand worth in excess of US$15 billion. In July last year, the last movie in the franchise, “Harry Potter ter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” was shown.

Then Rowling launched her newest venture, Pottermore, in August featuring over 18,000 words of new Potter content penned by the author. Rowling also revealed that she has written “quite a lot” of new material and has plans to publish it.

THAT SPARKS SPARK. Another best-selling author that has seen his books turned into blockbuster movies is Nicolas Sparks who made a quick stop-over in Manila last November as part of the book tour for his latest work “The Best of Me.” While love stories are not his invention, Sparks’ success as an author in this genre is unprecedented, what with 17 novels translated into more than 45 languages, with almost US$80 million in worldwide sales.

Seven of these have been adapted for the big screen and have become certified box-office hits such as “Message in a Bottle”, “Nights in Rodanthe”, “The Notebook” and “Dear John”.

To his largely female fan base, Nicholas Sparks is their rock star! He himself was surprised to find out that he has quite a fan base in the Philippines. “You know what, I have done lots of tours outside the United States, but this is the first place I have ever been recognized in the airport. It’s been a lot of fun!”

Child abuse and animal cruelty

THE GYRATING BOY NAMED JANJAN. After the video of a six year-old boy gyrating like a macho dancer on primetime TV went viral on March 12, 2011, many Filipinos went into introspective mode and mulled over what kind of society we have become.

Even education stakeholders and children’s rights advocates tried to face the question head on, as they called for more responsible parenting as well as more value-laden advertising and TV programming to veer children away from all forms of abuse and violation of rights.

Much criticisms have been thrown at the program, its host, its audience, the parents of Jan-jan and even the show’s advertisers. But for Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Armin Luistro, everyone in the society is at fault. “Lahat tayo ay may kasalanan at lahat tayo ay biktima. Di pwedeng sisihin dito ang isang programa lang at isang tao lang. Ito ay sintomas lang ng mas malawakang nangyayari sa ating lahat,” Luistro said.

ANIMAL CRUELTY. On May 12, 2011, after a long and grueling process, the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court (QCMTC) convicted the 20 year-old University of the Philippines Physics student Joseph Carlo Candare for pleading guilty of killing the cat Teng-Teng and violating the Animal Welfare Act. He was ordered to pay a fine of P2,000.

It would be remembered that Joseph figured in a controversy when his blog entry dated April 13, 2009, titled “I killed Schrodinger’s Cat-Isang Araw na Puno ng Epick Phail” recounted how he tortured Teng-Teng, an orange and white tabby cat, a pet of students and faculty at the UP National Institute of Physics (NIP).

Under the law, the punishment for convicted animal offenders is imprisonment of six months to two years or a fine of P1,000 up to P5,000, or both fine and imprisonment. Philippine Animal Welfare

Society (PAWS) and PETA are lobbying for stiffer penalties such as imprisonment for all animal offenders and to increase the fine.

Coming back to give back.

APL DE AP. From his own experience, Apl.De.Ap of The Black Eyed Peas knows how important it is to get a good education. This has inspired him to make education as his advocacy and mission. As a special ambassador for education of Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation’s iamninoy-iamcory Movement, Apl launched an education campaign dubbed as “We Can Be Anything”, targeting to help build public school classrooms and other learning centers all over the Philippines. “I was born here, and I would like to give back to the Philippines by making it possible for more kids to go to school. I would not have gotten this far were it for an education, and I’d like to be able to help the young ones out there to achieve their dreams,” he said.

ERIK SPOELSTRA. At 40 years old, Erik Spoelstra is considered the youngest head coach in NBA history. And since steering the Miami Heat to the NBA finals last season, but eventually lost to the Dallas Mavericks, the Fil-Am coach is being mobbed like a rock star wherever he went. On his trip to Manila last August, the NBA Fit ambassador promoted the gospel of a healthy and active lifestyle to young Filipinos.

“Healthy living and physical activity are so important, and NBA Fit is a chance for me to give back to the local community, to give back to my heritage where basketball is such a passion amongst the people,” said Spoelstra, who traces his roots to San Pablo, Laguna.

MARIA ARAGON. When 11-year-old Maria Aragon uploaded a video of herself on YouTube singing Lady Gaga’s hit song “Born This Way,” she had not a bit of an idea of the possibilities that her posting could lead to. Until the Mother Monster herself tweeted her praise for the kid’s cover of her track. Within a week of Lady Gaga’s anointment, the YouTube video views shot to 25 million hits. Maria’s life has taken a 180-degree turn. Despite her accomplishments at such a young age, from performing onstage with Lady Gaga, to TV appearances, commercial and product endorsements and her very own album, Maria still considered education her top priority.

As the young ambassador for ANCOP (Answering the Cry of the Poor), she helps organize fund raising events to provide scholarships to Filipino street kids. “I want to make a change and hopefully, I influence other people to make a change too,” she said.

STEFANIE WALMSLEY. Many may not have noticed it, but there was a Filipino among those that were honored at the Oscar Awards held early last year. Twenty-eight year old Filipina Stefanie Walmsley, a former Repertory Philippines actress and Eat Bulaga! host, can now add Academy Award winner to her resume. Stefanie is one of the producers of the Academy-Award winning short film “God of Love”, which tells the story of a lounge-singing darts champion who receives a mysterious package of passion-inducing darts.

While she is currently working as a freelance production coordinator for HBO, Stefanie said that part of her future plans is to return to the Philippines and help shed more light on the talent in the country. “I would love to team up with fellow Filipino filmmakers both there and the world over to help shed a stronger spotlight on local independent cinema,” she said.

Bringing home the crown

SHAMCEY SUPSUP. Who would have thought that someone with no prior pageant or modeling experience and a self-confessed nerd would end up being one of the most beautiful women in the world?

Shamcey Supsup, a magna cum laude architecture degree 6holder from the University of the Philippines and board topnotcher, romped off with a third runner-up finish in the Miss Universe beauty pageant held in Brazil on September 12, 2011. Shamcey was already working as a project architect when she signed up for the Binibining Pilipinas pageant early last year, the first beauty contest she ever participated in. But she confessed that she was reluctant to join and it was really her mom’s idea. As it turned out, fate had bigger things in store for her. Despite getting numerous endorsement and showbiz offers, she opted to busy herself with charity works and her newly-established firm.

DANICA MAGPANTAY. A regular Fine Arts freshman at the University of the Philippines, 18-year-old Danica Magpantay was just feeling her way into the local modeling world when she bagged the prestigious 2011 Supermodel of the World title on January 21 last year, besting 50 other young fashion models and winning the industry’s largest prize, a $250,000 modeling contract with Ford Models.

All of a sudden, the spindly-legged Filipina, who stands at 5’9’’ and weighs 107 lbs., found herself living on her own in New York, rushing to go-sees with her portfolio in tow, and working the ramp at the New York Fashion Week. “Modeling is a vocation. Some people may look at it as just walking, but walking is a skill. Plus the fact that you have to take care of yourself because the competition is stiff. Modeling is ever-changing, there are looks and trends that change all the time and you have to know how you can go with these changes,’’ she said.

Rare-peat

he ATENEO BLUE EAGLES continued its dynasty in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament after clinching a historical four-peat feat. With the sweep, the Blue Eagles joined the ranks of University of the East (UE), University of Santo Tomas (UST), and De La Salle University (DLSU) as teams who have achieved a four-peat victory. In addition, Ateneo became the first host school to win a basketball championship in the Final Four era. It is also Ateneo’s seventh overall crown since joining the league in 1978. Living up to all the hype in his rookie season is Kiefer Ravena who was named the season’s “Rookie of the Year”.

The SAN BEDA RED LIONS won back-to-back NCAA championships bringing its total haul to 16, tying with Letran as the collegiate team with the most number of basketball titles. It is also the Red Lion’s second consecutive title and fifth in the last six seasons. And the unlikely hero in that finals match against San Sebastian is Filipino-Czech David Semerad who scored the Red Lions’ final five points in the game to push San Beda to a 57-55 win. The reserve player stepped up big time, nailing the winning basket, and ended up as the top scorer in the game with 15 points. But news circulated recently that David and twin brother Anthony are now suiting up for the Blue Eagles in the next collegiate basketball season.

The UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES PEP SQUAD dominated the Samsung UAAP Cheerdance Competition when the team won first place in the cheerdance tilt, first place in the inaugural Samsung Group Stunts Competition, and the Samsung Stunner of the Day title, care of looker Nezsa Salvador. The platinum blonde look was the peg for the Madonna-inspired number that wowed the crowd.

The Filipino language as battleground

Students dents and Campuses Bulletin columnist James Soriano became the subject of cyberbullying, when people started calling him all sorts of names because of what he wrote in his column last August 24, 2011.

The publication of his essay entitled “Language, learning, identity, privilege” started an internet firestorm, eliciting mostly hateful commentary, from the most popular to the most anonymous netizen. No wonder his name became a top trending topic in Twitter and Yahoo.

While James admitted that some of the more personal attacks against him did hurt, he said that the level of internet infamy he has achieved will in no way deter him from striving to pursue writing and become better at it. He also expressed his appreciation to the people who’ve engaged his essay in a critical and thoughtful manner. “They have enabled me to form a clear picture of what exactly my article was able to accomplish, and I am grateful for those who engaged my writing on the level of the content and the style.”

Our Hero

A hundred and fifty years may have passed, but the exceptional man that is Dr. Jose Rizal, is still relevant in so many ways.

Here and around the world, countless celebrations were held starting on the national hero’s birth anniversary last June 19 and culminated last December 30, 2011, Rizal Day. New monuments were unveiled and a lot of pageantry was involved.

Jose Rizal excelled at many things, but nowhere is he more well-known here and around the world than for being the writer of the “Noli Me Tangere” and the “El Filibusterismo”. The “Noli” and the “Fili” not only stoked the fires of Filipino patriotism during the 19th century, but they have also stood the test of time, ranked alongside the other great works of the world. Rizal’s works have no doubt inspired many a young Filipino to pick up their pens and write.

For the win!

AZKALS. They may have missed their chances of entering the World Cup after losing to Kuwait in the qualifiers of the Asian Football Federation Suzuki Cup last July 28, 2011, still the Azkals have proven that they have the quality to compete in the international scene, and to compete against the best in the world.

And so last December 3, 2011, the Philippine Azkals faced the LA Galaxy led by football superstar David Beckham in a friendly game held at the Rizal Football Stadium. The LA Galaxy won 6-1, with the lone goal from the Azkals scored by Phil Younghusband.

In a country where basketball is king, the Azkals have done the seemingly impossible – they’ve made Filipinos talk about football Likewise, it opened the possibility of the sport flourishing in the Philippines.

THE PACMAN. Meanwhile, on November 13, 2011, Manny Pacquiao successfully defended his WBO welterweight title against long-time Mexican boxing rival Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao’s controversial win became a hot topic all over the internet with people divided into two opinions — whether the victory was deserved or not.

The apple that changed the world

When Steve Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011, the outpouring of grief on his behalf was worthy of a hero. All over the world, there were people giving tribute to the man who, according to popular belief, changed the way we live through his groundbreaking inventions.

To most people, he was an inspiration. To many, especially the younger generation, he was an icon, a figure whose significance to history, technology and culture went beyond borders. To some, he might even be called a modern-day hero.

For many people Steve Jobs wasn’t just the face of Apple; he was Apple. His death has solidified his status as the most important cultural icon of our time. He made computers personal. He made them beautiful. He made them easy. He made 1,000 songs fit into your pocket. He changed the way we live, and work, and listen. No other apple will ever come as close to changing the world.