The Hell Week Story

By: Malicse, Ma. Patricia Dolores D.

A generous serving of long exams, a ten-minute oral presentation, and a pile of term papers – these are the ingredients formulated by the academe to create the perfect form of torment for college students. The concoction is so mentally draining and emotionally exhausting that students find it synonymous to hell. Worse, they need to endure this for an entire week. But while the impending terror brought about by the hell week cannot be escaped, there are many ways to mitigate its unpleasant aftermath. Here are some easily manageable yet useful tips on how to keep your cool during hell week.

            Before Hell Week. Most students use the week before exams to enjoy their few remaining days of freedom. They watch movies, play videogames or go out with friends. Instead of counting the days before your imminent death brought about by the pile of exams and reports, why not prepare for it?

·         DO: Get organized. Take note of the exam dates, reporting schedules and other deadlines. Make a priority list to easily schedule review dates per subject, or even better, have study groups organized for a certain exam. Just make sure your study session does not end up becoming a drinking session.     

·         DON’T: Be pessimistic. A negative outlook will only hinder you from exerting your best effort. Pessimism will make you feel tired, unsatisfied and hopeless without even trying.  Instead of being cynical, a good dose of encouragement and self-motivation will go a long way, especially during the dreaded hell week. 

 During Hell Week. Because this week demands the students’ best intellectual performance, here are some ways on keeping them on the top of their game during hell week.

·         DO: Stay focused. Avoid things that will distract you from studying for your important exams. Log out your facebook account and resist the urge to watch the next episode of your favorite drama series. This way, your attention will be on the important details of your upcoming exam.

·         DO: Know the appropriate study technique for your exam. Computational exams are best reviewed by solving sample problems. Conceptual exams require long hours of reading and tedious note-taking of important details. On the other hand, exams that require critical thinking require time for reflection and research. 

·         DON’T: Skip meals, as it will affect your body’s metabolism. Skipping meals discourages calorie-burning as the body goes to starvation mode. This also leads to low blood sugar levels and in effect, decreased brain function. You don’t want to forget all those formula for your Calculus exam, do you?

·         DON’T: Drink caffeinated and energy drinks excessively. Too much caffeine can cause nervousness, insomnia, restlessness and irritability. It can also upset your stomach, make your heart beat faster and may cause muscle tremors. Imagine jittering while delivering your report in front of class. So, cut on that caffeine and drink water instead.

After Hell Week. At last, the dreadful week is over. This is the time to sit back, relax, and give yourself a pat on the back for the past week’s accomplishment.

·      DO: Release your stress. Some hours of fun browsing the internet, exercising or watching movies will help keep the stress down. Commence that postponed drinking session of yours! Of course, everything must be done in moderation.

·      DON’T: Oversleep. Oversleeping is also unhealthy. It disrupts your body clock and might even make you feel more tired. A healthy six to eight hours of sleep will redeem those sleepless hell week nights.

Next time you face the wrath of long exams, oral reports and tem papers, remember to follow these easy steps for a smooth-sailing Hell Week:

Stress Busting Quickie

By: Martin Paolo A. Laporga

Many people suffer health problems at a young age due to stress, fast food and a sedentary life. At the age of nineteen, I was diagnosed with arthritis (inflammation of the joints). I continued my sedentary lifestyle for some time.  At age 20, I was diagnosed with gout (usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis), hypertension and liver failure. I realized that to live longer I have to change my lifestyle into an active one. But the problem is I don’t’ have enough time to do exercises. Being a student, I have a duty to study and most of the time; I also have other responsibilities and commitments. There are, however, ways of coping with the lack of time. With simple exercises, you will be able to retain more muscle tone while burning calories.

People usually spend a long time either sitting down or standing up. There are simple exercises that can be done while standing up or sitting down but burn less calories than the usual workout. It is also used to maintain good muscle tone. These exercises include simple stretches to lifting and rotating.

A great exercise to do is the side stretch. You do it with your arms raised over your head or place it on your hips and then lean gently over to each side as far as you can. Be careful when doing this because it could your chair unstable. Repeat this multiple times a day to improve flexibility. It is also beneficial in reducing your waist line and aligning the spine.

 You can also do the arm stretch. It is very simple, just raise your hand and extend it as much as possible. There are different methods of doing these simple exercises; either you raise your arms straight over your head or raising them to the sides and to the back. 

Leg lifts is also a great way to go. At your desk, you can easily straighten your knees and lift your legs out in front of you. You can also march with your feet in place. This will exercise the large muscles in your legs. For easy calf exercises, you can raise your feet up on the toes and lower them.

 There are other simple exercises like gently stretching your neck or rotating your head in a circular motion. It helps in reducing stress on the neck and the upper back. Exercising at your desk only takes a few minutes. It will do your body and mind a world of good.

Each method works on different sets of muscles and all will temporarily increase your heart rate thus keeping your metabolism revving. These exercises help protect against carpal tunnel syndrome, poor circulation, and weight gain. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the palm of the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. Symptoms usually start gradually, with frequent burning, tingling, or itching numbness in the palm of the hand. It is often the result of pressing your arm on desk for a long time, clicking on a mouse for hours and a combination of other factors that increase pressure on the median nerve and tendons.

Walking is one of the best forms of exercise because it contributes many benefits to the body. One of the fundamental health benefits of walking is it helps control weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. Good exercise for the legs like walking could reduce the recurrence of pain in the joints. A brisk walk can burn one hundred calories per mile. Doing it with a balanced diet should help in maintaining body weight. Walking should begin at a slow pace then gradually increasing the speed to prevent possible sprain or injury. Walking around for ten to fifteen minutes per day or one and a half hours per week is helpful for your body.

Walking up and down the stairs is also a good exercise. You can burn about 300 calories for 30 minutes of walking the stairs. One main advantage of this exercise is that there are stairs everywhere that you can use. It is also very convenient because it needs no sports equipment. Climbing stairs will exercise your leg muscles, particularly your quadriceps (front of the thighs), and your buttocks and also your abs. In addition, it also builds bone strength. It is important that you do this at a pace that you are comfortable in. Climbing stairs should be done in about 5 to 30 minutes a day to maximize results and lessen stress levels.

Remember that there is no quick shortcut in getting a healthy body. Doing these exercises may look easy but maintaining good health is not an easy task. However, it becomes an impossible task if you choose to live a sedentary life style. This is something that requires discipline and hard work. Don’t always sit around and let your body rust and get useless.  Always remember that you are the only one who can control how old you feel. The longer you do exercise, the easier they become and the best part is, you actually start to enjoy them. It’s about the attitude. It is about time to show your body that you mean business.

Food Talk

By: Toni Ann T. Santamaria

Planning to grab a burger for lunch today? We all love convenience food because it is not only a heavenly match to our hectic schedules, but it also tastes incredibly delicious. However, you might want to consider supplementing that diet of yours with some nutritious yet delectable food to keep your mind and body in good shape.

Convenience Food. This is a blanket term that encompasses all commercially prepared food designed for easier consumption. It is often portion-controlled, ready to eat, and specially packed for portability. Examples are soft drinks, processed meat, canned goods, and fast food.

Some of the most popular convenience foods in the campus include street foods, pancit canton from the UP Coop food stalls, instant noodles from the Shopping Center, and hotdogs from CASAA. They are either processed or frozen and are quickly heated for students’ consumption.

The best thing about convenience food is that they are time and budget friendly. Have you ever asked yourself why you enjoy kikiam and kwek-kwek so much? It’s not only the taste that draws you to these frozen and fried delicacies, but also their cost. It doesn’t hurt to lose 10-20 pesos for a yummy stick of fish balls. The same goes with a 15-peso pancit canton for merienda and a 50-peso CASAA sausage with rice for lunch. So why settle for an expensive carbonara or other specialties, when there are cheap alternatives and both could fill you up the same way? Moreover, convenience food also saves up time. When you need to study for a test or rush an essay due tomorrow, grabbing a Philly’s Steak challenger on the way home is always an option. Not only can it successfully satisfy your hunger, it allots you more time to do school work.

The issue with convenience foods though, is that majority of them contain little to no nutritional value because of its nutrients’ low bioavailability. Bioavailability is a measure of how readily is a nutrient absorbed by the body. In addition, these foods have undergone many processes which cause their nutrients to subside. Take a veggie burger for instance, it may consist of vegetables for vitamins and meat for protein, but once taken in, the nutrients it might have contained had already died out due to various processing, freezing, or reheating. The good news is that not all convenience food is considered unhealthy. One classic example is the taho which is a Filipino snack made of fresh tofu and pearl tapioca. It is a rich source of protein and carbohydrates and contains only 54 calories. There is also corned tuna available at the SC, which is a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids that boost brain health.

Nutrition Food. On the other hand we have nutrition food which generally refers to all food comprising of higher nutritional values, less preservatives, and more complex methods of preparation. Unlike convenience food that is commercially prepared, foods considered nutritious are those that are usually freshly bought from the market to be cooked at home. They are by all means homemade; baked, grilled, and not just fried.

Nutrition foods accessible in the campus include grilled beef or chicken, sinigang, humba, adobo, and baked ziti. They are all cooked in the kitchen and sold at CASAA. Rodic’s in the SC also offer savory choices such as the tapsilog and pork barbecue. They take longer preparation time than convenience food, but don’t they taste as equally good? They are also served in generous amounts and are definitely filling.

Furthermore, nutrition food are obviously healthier. Instead of frozen or processed ones, they are made of fresh ingredients, and also have remarkably fewer doses of unnecessary fat and sodium. Eating slow-cooked meals with friends will also help you with stress and provide a better diet.

The challenge with nutrition foods though, is that they generally cost more time and money. Sinigang and grilled meat from Chinatown and Sizzler’s at CASAA cost around 50-56 pesos. The same goes with the toothsome Rodic’s tapsilog and pork barbecue which cost 70 pesos. Moreover, they surely aren’t “grab-and-go” foods; you would have to sit down over grilled chicken and baked ziti. It’s hard to keep up with this diet when you know you can avail cheaper food that take up less consumption time. But think about it, lack of nutritious food can cost you your physical health in the future.

           With all our demanding academics and schedules, we tend to eat just anything that could fill up our stomach as long as it’s affordable and accessible. It still pays to watch what we eat. Having a healthy diet is important; a diet balanced between nutrition and convenience. So why not try some of the nutritious food around the campus? I’m sure there would be something that would be truly worth your time. 

Top 5 Food Choices

By: Miguel Adrian A. Yu

       They say eating healthy requires lots of money. That’s not the case if you’re in UP. You can actually get a lot of nutrition from consuming widely available, unbelievably tasty, and exceptionally healthy food found in the university. I know we’re all used to our regular cheap meal deals, but the key is actually just choosing the right kind of food.

Let’s talk about basic nutrition. According to Claudio et al (2004), for optimum nutrition, we should have a balanced, a moderate, and a varied diet consisting of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fluids, vitamins and minerals. But let’s face it, for it to be truly effective, we should take into account cost and preference. But who wouldn’t want a taste of the Top 5 Healthy and Cheap Foods of UP such as (1) Taho, (2) Sweet Potato (3) Buko Juice, (4) Banana, and (5) Corn? If you dare to say “me”, well, let’s just say you’ll have a change of heart with the facts that you’ll read below.

Taho is a soybean curd made of fresh silken tofu topped with vanilla syrup and pearl tapioca. The syrup can also be enjoyed with a variety of flavors such as strawberry, jackfruit, and buko pandan. For about 10 pesos, taho is a good source of protein which can make your muscles perform to their finest. In addition, the syrup and tapioca will provide the carbohydrates needed for the sustenance of energy to the brain to keep it functioning optimally. Furthermore, according to a study by Friedman & Brandon (2001), soy-containing food can lower cholesterol and decrease risk of cancer, obesity, & diabetes.

 Another food that you probably can’t say no to are sweet potatoes or kamote. For about 15 pesos, it is jam-packed with complex carbohydrates that can help give you a sustained supply of energy. This steady supply is much more beneficial than the surge of energy followed by the plunging crash of caffeine containing products such as coffee and sodas. Aside from energy, it can also provide fiber. Fiber helps lower blood cholesterol levels by binding with bile which assists with fat and cholesterol absorption thus keeping it from building up. In addition, it also helps improve digestion by adding bulk to our stools.

For a healthier beverage alternative, why not go for a dose of buko juice? It’ll just cost you around 20 pesos. Buko juice or coconut water is taken from a young coconut before its flesh matures. Its young meat is usually scraped and included in the drink to make it more nutritious. It is very rich in potassium and electrolytes which makes it an ideal drink after an intense encounter with the heat. The coconut meat can provide quick and lasting energy that helps you through your classes, especially this summer. Moreover, according to studies published by the Coconut Research Center, the coconut water can help boost the immune system and help fight off viral infections such as the flu. It can also help prevent the onset of several debilitating diseases such as cancer, goiter, osteoporosis and diabetes. Hence, coconut trees were called the “Tree of Life.”

Banana is a fruit that is one of a kind. They just cost around 10 pesos. Bananas are ideal for our health as they taste sweet and are packaged in a convenient way which makes it easy to incorporate into our daily diets. In addition, they also have an immense nutritional content. So instead of the apple a day cliché, why not have a banana instead? According to the Philippine Food Composition Tables (2007), they have twice as many carbohydrates as apples, five times as much vitamin A and iron, three times as much phosphorus, and contain as much fiber – wouldn’t these really keep the doctor away?

Actually, when we talk about keeping the doctor away, for just about 15 pesos, corn is a good alternative. Like kamote and bananas, corn has high fiber content which aids in alleviating weight and digestive problems such as constipation thus helping in lowering risks of colon cancer. Moreover, unlike other crops and fruits, corn is rich in B vitamins which improve nervous function and cognition. Furthermore, it is also rich in vitamin A and E which are essential for good vision and growth, respectively.

So you see, eating healthy doesn’t really require lots of money, all it takes is maybe, in some cases, a change of heart.

You Get What You Pay For

By: Miguel Adrian A. Yu

At around 12:55 in the afternoon, it’s a one hot journey down the halls of Palma. To make matters worse, a friend of mine started losing sensation on his peripherals followed by an immense gust of wind up in his head. Alarmed by the possibility of a heart attack, I told him to come with me to the University Health Service (UHS) as I was also heading there for a physical examination. According to the UP website, the UHS is a 50-bed primary hospital fully capable of handling simple, uncomplicated and stable medical conditions. In addition, it is also staffed with consultants from different specialties. You’ve got to admit that it sounds promising, right? So let’s continue on our journey, shall we?

 When we arrived in the emergency room, we were greeted with grins as cold as the air-conditioning. While my friend was filling up the consent form, I wandered around the facility and laid my eyes on a board that listed the non-admissible cases which include the old, the infectious, the pregnant and the mentally ill. It took a zillion years for a physician to examine my friend even though his blood pressure is way up the roof. Well, she was having her lunch with her fellow nurses, doctors and dentists - so let’s just let her enjoy it while my friend succumbs to the highs of pain and torture. But hey, even though he ended up getting confined for more tests, he didn’t have to spend a single dime!

While they were doing tests on my friend, I decided to go on and through the process of my physical examination. If you are an incoming freshman or someone who just wants to save a lot of bucks to get that medical certificate, then this serves as a walkthrough for you. First stop, the record section. It was about 1:22pm and this section was still unattended – oh I wished they had a bell I can ring upon the counter! When you finally get the paper work done, you should proceed down the dimly lit hall with alternating blue and yellow flooring to the dental section. It’s time to show them how pampered your chewing machine is. So you sit on the tooth fairy’s chair, and you couldn’t help but notice 3 bottles of whisky on his shelf - just hope and pray that he wasn’t in his fantasy world just yet. A little open sesame and you’re off to the laboratory wherein it is required to get a stool and urine sample.

So make your way to the shady restroom and sit on the white throne. Use the red and blue container and fill it up with a little bit of specimen. The remnants of it, well, you kind of have to leave there since you wouldn’t be able to get rid of it. Then it’s time for a little bit of radiation, take your shirt off, wait for the click and you’re done. Make your way up the winding path to the conference hall where you put your eyes to the test.

For assessing visual acuity, be ready to read a set of puny letters and words. They also test for color blindness so make sure to get a dose of carotene. Next stop is a climb up the Detecto Scale where you get your height and weight measured. You’ll be very impressed with the staffs’ skill in anthropometry as they do everything by the book. Now, if this is where you regret eating that burger instead of an apple, fear not as the weight watcher is there to help you.

Weight Watch, a program spearheaded by Ruth Manalo, the chief dietician of the Dietary department, aims to promote health and fitness among the students of the university. Who knows? You might become one of its biggest losers, a 144lbs weight loss success story! “Anything is possible as long as they are willing to go through this weight loss journey.” Manalo said.

Talking about a journey, this one is about to end.  Last stop is the Triage where you finally get what you came for. Rejoice and consider maximizing your trip to this place.  A place where; though service is somewhat mediocre, you’re gonna have to admit that it’s acceptable, considering that its price tag is without comparison.

The Isaw Story

By: Martin Paolo A. Laporga

During the late afternoons at UP Diliman, the iskolars ng bayan gather around at a certain location near the UP International Center at E. Ma. Guerrero St. A green food cart can be seen in an open area with lots of trees, cars and people that assemble in long lines in order get that one delectable street food – isaw. An isaw is a common street food in the Philippines. It is made of chicken or pork intestines that are put in a stick then cooked over a grill. 

In UP, no place is more well known in the isaw world other than Mang Larry’s. His food stand has been famous since its humble beginnings in 1985. Every late afternoon, Mang Larry and his staff prepare the food stand for serving customers and hey, they keep coming until about 9pm in the evening. Mang Larry usually acquires the chicken and pork intestines fresh from the market. Then he cleans it with water in order to ensure cleanliness, marinates it in a special sauce, skewers it into sticks and grills it over charcoal. Then the aroma lingers in the air coming from the isaw being grilled and it’s truly enough to make any true Filipino salivate. These, coupled by the trivial success story of Mang Larry, who did not even finish college but was able to buy his own car, send his children to good schools, and own several fleets of food cart through this isaw business, truly touched not only the tummies but also the hearts of its faithful costumers. From these, comes the rise of the university’s most popular street food delicacy that is craved by all.

UP Students from nearby dormitories, non-dormers, staff and the faculty goes to Mang Larry’s food stand to satisfy their craving for skewered chicken or pork intestines that is roasted over burning charcoal that you can dip in either spicy or sweetened vinegar. If this is not satisfying enough, the food stand also offers goto, betamax (pork blood shaped into cubes), walkman (pig ears), pork barbeque and more.

The people eating there say that they crave this isaw because it tastes so good and that it tastes different from the usual isaw that can be bought elsewhere – oh it must be because of that special sauce! The isaw also has a crunchy exterior and a soft chewy interior that makes it all the more mouthwatering. They also said that they like Mang Larry’s isaw because it is very affordable especially for students. You can enjoy the isaw at a very affordable price of 6 pesos per stick, the pig ears is also at 6 pesos per stick, the pork barbeque is at 10 pesos per stick.  You can also buy drinks ranging from 10 to 15 pesos. 

Mang Larry’s isawan is so popular that people from other universities like Ateneo and Maryknoll buy isaw from there. It unites people regardless of social status. Both rich and poor come together to satisfy their hunger for this Filipino street food. It shows that people could join together, regardless of difference, with the joy of eating isaw. Eating isaw together also give people quality time with their friends, family and loved ones.

Truly, this isaw story proves that the Filipino people can come together, without any regards to individual differences, and strive for a unified action – for this case, it is to enjoy and savour the goodness of our university’s very own delicacy called isaw.

Eat Stress Away – the Iskolar-ly Way!

By: Toni Ann Santamaria

Cheap fast food is your regular college meal deal. But you want to keep healthy. You want to get rid of your wrinkles. You want to ace your tests. How will you keep up with the healthy living when you barely even have time to plan what you’ll have for lunch later? And the stress from the exhausting enrollment process and backbreaking hell week clings to you. One way to help you get through these, really, is to smarten up your diet.

The first step you go through enrollment is the issuance of the Form5. You’ll be waiting in line for at least an hour before you run up and down the stairs of the FC for the E-prerog. Both processes require great patience, energy, and sharp reaction time. One affordable, accessible, and health-smart food for this is sweet potato or kamote. An online article published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition last November 2011 stated that “sweet potatoes contain a healthy dose of carbohydrates – the only fuel source for brain uses – which keep your mind alert and your energy at its highest levels.” It’s also rich in beta-carotene which improves cognitive functions, and hey, it costs less than 20 pesos.

Enrollment is a lengthy, somewhat tormenting process; you tend to forget the next thing to do. To avoid this form of short-term memory loss, caffeine intake is recommended. Why not grab a cup of coffee from Mang Narry’s? A BBC article by David Zinczenko said BBC British Researchers found just one cup of coffee can already enhance memory, attention, and problem solving skills. However too much coffee ruins your sleep cycle, so better keep it in moderation. Sleep restores brain energy after a long day’s work; you wouldn’t want to mess with it.

Another thing you shouldn’t mess with is the health of your nervous system. It’s your time to enjoy oily fish like fatty corned tuna from the Shopping Center. The essential omega-3 acids found in them are high in DHA levels, which is crucial for brain health. “Low DHA levels have been linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss. Fish also contains iodine which improves mental clarity (Zinczenko 2009).”

Now you’re exasperated with the heat. Avocado shake from Lutong Bahay’s will be the remedy. Avocado likewise contributes to a healthy brain. “It contains healthy fat that promotes blood flow keeping your mind functioning at its peak (Eric 2010).”

You’re studying for a test amidst the hell week and find it difficult to concentrate. You need eggs for breakfast. They improve concentration by providing necessary nutrients and protein while being low in saturated fat and calories. Studies by the AJCN show that one egg contains all nine essential amino acids and 6 grams of protein. Furthermore, other protein sources for a healthier mind include occasional burgers and ham sandwiches from UP Coop food stalls.

However there’s no food for the mind yummier than chocolates, which improve memory and focus. Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants that enhance focus and concentration, while milk chocolate improves memory and reaction time. So make it a habit to drink hot chocolate in the morning. Sipping on a cold Chuckie as well will satisfy your brain’s chocolate-y demands!

Finally, chewing on Happy Peanuts before taking a test may help you remember your notes, as peanuts promote stronger memory and even help fight insomnia. 

Because of our hectic schedules, we resort to getting food in the cheapest and quickest way possible. It still pays to know what we stack in our stomachs though. After all, it’s for our mind’s own good.

What’s Cooking in CASAA

By: Malicse, Ma. Patricia Dolores D.

To most UP students, eating in the CASAA is a typical lunch time habit, especially after attending classes in the nearby Palma Hall. Majority of tricoll students are used to the off-white painted walls, the humid air filled with the aroma of savory food, and the jam-packed seats of hungry customers. But to a cross-registrant like Toni Ann Santamaria, an incoming UP Visayas BA Political Science sophomore, dining in the fast food-type concessionaires of UP Diliman’s CASAA was a whole new experience. “It has a food court style. We do not have establishments like those in Visayas.”

The College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Association Food Center – more popularly known as CASAA – was constructed in May 1983. This one-story facility, located between Palma Hall and Palma Hall Annex, aims to provide an accessible and hygienic establishment that offers wholesome yet affordable meals for students. CASAA’s facilities include diner-style seats that can accommodate about 200 customers. It also has a photocopy service area, water dispensers, and clean restrooms. Twenty nine years later, CASAA is still a dining destination for students looking for delicious and budget-friendly food. 

CASAA is now home to eight food concessionaires, offering a variety of food items. Santamaria talks about her first impression on the CASAA Food Center, “The concessionaires appear like very attractive fast food stalls – Chinatown and Philly’s Cheese Steak. They food looked like they really taste good.”

One of the original food stalls, Gloria’s Fast Food, has been around since the year of Former Senator Benigno Aquino, Sr.’s assassination. Gloria’s traditional home-cooked meals proved to stand the test of time. Their food menu – consisting of palabok, macaroni and cheese, kakanin, sandwiches and Filipino delicacies – has not changed since the business started. Within the price range of Php 35 to Php 80, a hungry student’s appetite will surely be satisfied with Gloria’s tasty treats.

Philly’s Cheese Steak, CASAA’s newest attraction, has an American-style menu consisting of chicken wings, fries and burgers. Mrs. Dorie Reyes, cashier of the Soda Fountain and CASAA coordinator, tells us how Philly’s made its way to CASAA, “A food stall had recently closed, and a student referred this establishment to his brother, owner of the fast-food chain”. The Challenger Burger, one of Philly’s best-sellers, is made of juicy US beef topped with savory melted cheese, caramelized onion and crunchy bacon. This mouth-watering beefy goodness can be enjoyed for only Php 75 for single beef serving and Php 105 for double beef serving.

            Aside from its food concessionaires, CASAA is also famous for its fast-moving cleaning crew. Due to the many number of customers coming to CASAA, the janitors speedily clean the food leftovers and table tops. Hence, they were labeled as ninja kids by the diners. 

            Santamaria says that her eating experience in CASAA was not bad. “Maybe I will eat there again”, she adds. With its good reputation, large selection of food choices, affordability and convenience, CASAA is sure to remain a UP student’s hub for the years to come.