Brain Contour

A friendly competition between rival universities is common and healthy. Sports, for instance, foster and engage friendly competition and cheers between group groups. While each team may want to become the more popular and stronger squad, it is the boosting of comradeship and interactions that must come first.

Abby Duling on The Volante

Whatever that begins as a friendly competition must end as it is. Human as we are, we are all competitive in nature. However, we should not allow this human nature to fuel hate in us. Abby Duling, a columnist of The Volante, the student publication of The University of South Dakota, may not know what friendly competition is all about. In her column “Home of the Coyotes, not the bunnies“, she encouraged violence against specific innocent parties, in this case the students of USD who wear SDSU gears. The “incitement to violence” is clearly described by Ms. Duling’s statement, “All of the people walking around campus with SDSU gear need to be kidnapped, smuggled into the dome and then hurled onto the floor at halftime. Then all of their SDSU backpacks, binders, pencils and SDSU lanyards need to be thrown in after them.”

The start of the New Year means the start of a new semester. The past days, I bumped into a number of new international students who moved aimlessly around the residential hall and the GIS department where I work, sporting the one unique appearance you’d never doubt for something else. Okay, save your breath, I had the same look when I first came to this town – tolerantly apprehensive, conscience-stricken and bugged up.

This is me promoting the Philippines!

Not counting the predestined academic catechisms, the infrequent chat I had with some American friends, would, most of the time, lead to the proverbial question of “why I have to take my PhD study abroad”.

I am watching right now an episode on the Travel Channel entitled “Dining with Death: Plants and Nuts.” It features poisonous plants and nuts being consumed in countries like Japan, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. The part about the Philippines was shot in Batangas where the deadly hyacinth bean or called the Philippine “Bataw” thrive.

I really never thought that Bataw is full of toxins due to the presence of cyanogenic glucoside, a compound that produces cyanide. I had tasted this deadly hyacinth bean before during a trip to the north and it tasted really good.

Someone posted a threat on my blog, which I consider very serious. Based on the IP address, it came from the Philippines. I am now contacting friends and other authorities to trace the IP location for proper action.

This may be a joke to whoever posted this, but not to me.

Note: I am keeping few previous posts hidden until this issue of a possible killer be resolved. More will be posted soon.

Update 1: More info about the IP address has now been collected. Thanks for all those who help.

A winter weather advisory is in effect until 6 pm today. I looked outside from the terrace and heavy snow is falling. According to the forecast, 5 to 7 inches of snow will be likely from around Brookings area. There is no wind gust. Based on previous experiences, taking the wind factor effect out, it won’t be freezing cold to walk from home to the office.

It is Monday morning. A 10-minute walk from home to Wecota Hall is the best alternative since my car is too powerless for the snow-filled streets. Filled. No more humps. Street gutters are unrecognizable. No more yellow lines. Everything is white that you tend to lose the concept of colors. Apart from the endless snowfall, my morning hike to work will be a breeze — nothing will ever stop me from traversing on foot and singing in the snow. Geared for the battle, I put on my ever-enduring coat that have lasted many worse winters, including my ninja headgear outfit that I sometimes find ridiculous efficient. Ridiculous since it really makes me look like a fighting ninja. Efficient since nothing compares at how it makes my head so warm.

See who is in the Argao Mayor’s office? That’s me people! Mayor Edsel Galeos and I posed for a quick photo shoot after a good chat regarding the possibility of having a public library in the town. And my role — to help make the project a reality!

When will the project start? It is still in the planning stage and I need the help of every Argaoanon. Every little help to make this library dream come true will be appreciated much.

Argao, located in the south of the Cebu island Philippines, is a beautiful town. I never thought it is so beautiful until I visited the mountainous areas of the town lately. In all my years of living in the town’s lowlands, it just dawned on me that there is more to the story of every “habal-habal” plying the rugged terrains of the mountains every day. One has to be there, on the mountains, to see and experience life beyond the plains.

Aside from the cultural heritage, Argao is blessed with precious natural treasures that every Argawanon should be proud of.

I have already visited the Red Box Karaoke at the Ayala Terraces in Cebu City. My sister and I were looking for a place to eat lunch and a friend referred us to Red Box, which just opened the day before. I thought at first that it may just be one of the usual karaoke bars in town where food comes next to comfort of the room. But it was not. Unlike other karaoke bars, we had a unique room experience with a cozy feel of its interiors and a bounty of food served at our delight for a very affordable price.

With only P299 per head, we had an eat-all-you-can eating service including a room complete with a high-tech karaoke system. The system contains about 1000 songs that are organized according to artists, or songs.