Thursday, April 30, 2009

What is in Cigarette?

Butane – also present in Lighter Fluid;
Cadmium – also present in Batteries;
Stearic Acid – also present in Candle Wax;
Hexamin – also present in Barbecue Lighter;
Toluene – also present in Industrial Solvent;
Insecticide – also present in Insecticide;
Ammonia – also present in Toilet Cleaner;
Acetic Acid – also present in Vinegar;
Methane – also present in Sewer Gas;
Arsenic – also present in Poison;
Carbon Monoxide and Methanol – also present in Rocket Fuel;
...and other synthetic materials also present in Paint.

Would you still want to take another sniff?

What is in Cigarette?

Butane – also present in Lighter Fluid;
Cadmium – also present in Batteries;
Stearic Acid – also present in Candle Wax;
Hexamin – also present in Barbecue Lighter;
Toluene – also present in Industrial Solvent;
Insecticide – also present in Insecticide;
Ammonia – also present in Toilet Cleaner;
Acetic Acid – also present in Vinegar;
Methane – also present in Sewer Gas;
Arsenic – also present in Poison;
Carbon Monoxide and Methanol – also present in Rocket Fuel;
...and other synthetic materials also present in Paint.

Would you still want to take another sniff?

What is in Cigarette?

Butane – also present in Lighter Fluid;
Cadmium – also present in Batteries;
Stearic Acid – also present in Candle Wax;
Hexamin – also present in Barbecue Lighter;
Toluene – also present in Industrial Solvent;
Insecticide – also present in Insecticide;
Ammonia – also present in Toilet Cleaner;
Acetic Acid – also present in Vinegar;
Methane – also present in Sewer Gas;
Arsenic – also present in Poison;
Carbon Monoxide and Methanol – also present in Rocket Fuel;
...and other synthetic materials also present in Paint.

Would you still want to take another sniff?

What is in cigarette?

Butane – also present in Lighter Fluid;
Cadmium – also present in Batteries;
Stearic Acid – also present in Candle Wax;
Hexamin – also present in Barbecue Lighter;
Toluene – also present in Industrial Solvent;
Insecticide – also present in Insecticide;
Ammonia – also present in Toilet Cleaner;
Acetic Acid – also present in Vinegar;
Methane – also present in Sewer Gas;
Arsenic – also present in Poison;
Carbon Monoxide and Methanol – also present in Rocket Fuel;
...and other synthetic materials also present in Paint.

Would you still want to take another sniff?

Nature is Cranky

Summer this year doesn't feel like summer at all. Nature just seems cranky. It rains whenever it wants to rain. Oh yeah, the sun is out, but you still can't play Frisbee with your dog since the sky might get gloomy all of the sudden. It's already the middle of summer vacation, but I still haven't accomplished anything on my summer itinerary. Will I just do away with my plans or just pursue it and accept whatever happens?
I don't know when to wear shorts or thick pants, slippers or boots, sando or jacket, etc. since the change of weather is like a rollercoaster – extreme and sudden.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Civet Coffee: A Thousand per Cup


Yesterday, I took another sip of the coffee that is allegedly worth a thousand pesos per cup. This type of coffee is known by many names: Kape Kubing, Kape Alamid, Kape Luwak and more formally known as the Civet Coffee. This coffee was derived from the droppings (poop!) of the wild Civet cat.
Dr. Dulce Flores, the head of UPMin’s Department of Food Science and Chemistry, promotes that Mindanao has the potential of being a major exporter of Civet coffee since the Civet cat is also endemic in the region.
But, what is the correlation of all of these? Why all the fuss?
Civet coffee is supposedly one of the best tasting coffees around the world. It is also one of the most expensive. In the country, just a cup of Kape Alamid is worth a thousand pesos.
But what is more peculiar about this type of coffee is how it is produced. The Civet cat eats coffee berries in the wild, and then defecates (as would other normal creatures would do) leaving the coffee seeds in its feces (poop!) still intact. The farmers then pick those coffee beans from the animal’s feces, clean it (of course!), grind it, and it is eventually brewed into the expensive coffee that we know now. This might have sounded disgusting, but it’s true.
It is fascinating how the Civet cat plays a big role in all of this. Dr. Flores explains that the Civet cat only picks the best ripe coffee berries in the wild, in contrast to human coffee berry-pickers who just haphazardly pick berries that seem to be ripe enough. Moreover, she also said that something in the digestive track of that animal might have facilitated in fermenting the coffee beans.
An initial idea to mass-produce Civet coffee would be to breed in captivity several Civet cats in order to obtain a lot of the necessary coffee beans; however, this might go against animal welfare. A solution, brought up by Dr. Flores, is to investigate on the processes involved in the Civet cats body in order to know what really happens with the coffee beans, and then ultimately simulate the same process in the laboratory. In this manner, we can do away with capturing the Civet cats, but still be able to produce the Civet coffee – same taste, same aroma, and same price.
Interesting, isn’t it?

UPMin BSCS Graduates of 2009

Amidst the challenges of being a student in UPMin, these people never gave up. Kudos to all the new BS Computer Science graduates!

Graduates as of 1st Sem AY 08-09:
- Julius Matthews Bonghanoy
- Margareth Ann Lacsamana
- Hazel dela Peña
- Precita Samonte (Best SP 2nd Runner-up)

Graduates as of 2nd Sem AY 08-09:
- Sedfrey Dickson Atay (Best SP Winner)
- Kenn Gerard Cal
- Maepril Louise Masacupan
- Kevin Bernard San Gaspar (Best SP 1st Runner-up)

Friday, April 17, 2009

Search for the 2009 Best SP

On Friday, April 17, the College of Science and Mathematics (CSM) of the University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPMin) conducted the "Search for the 2009 Best Thesis in Biology" and the "Search for the 2009 Best Special Problem in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science."
The event started-off with an opening program held at room 227 (AVR) at around 9 AM. The respective judges for each category were introduced. The set of judges for Biology (Bio) was first introduced. All of them were externally-tapped, and I don't know any of them. (Haha! I was late.) Soon after, the set of judges for Applied Mathematics (AMat) and Computer Science (CompSci) were introduced. The panel of judges for AMat were composed Ms. Lyna Mie Daisog, Ms. Mabele Malagamba, and Mr. Joseph Belida. Moreover, the panelist CompSci were Mr. Riannel Tecson, Mr. Vicente Calag, and Mr. Aloysius Torres. After the program, the different courses (categories) were asked to proceed to their respective rooms in order for them to conduct their defense. The Bio remained at room 227, the AMat went to the conference, while the CompSci stayed at the new computer lab. The different courses conducted their respective defense simultaneously in order to maximize the
time. After all the defenses were done, we were supposed to go back to room 227 for the closing program and lunch. Since there is only one Glenn (me) and I don't have the power to divide my self into two, I stuck with the CompSci Best SP defense.
The Bio had 5 Best Thesis finalists, I think. (I was not familiar with their names, sorry.) Anyway, the AMat had 3 Best SP finalists namely Joey Marie Nuñez, Danielle Marie Leonor, and Rommel Real. On the other hand, the CompSci also had 3 Best SP finalists. They were Kevin Bernard San Gaspar, Sedfrey Dickson Atay, and Precita Samonte.
As I mentioned earlier, I only witnessed the defense of the CompSci finalists. The first to present his SP was Sedfrey. His study was about a system created for Barangay Mintal's human resource management. It was a site that is intended to be used by the community's officials in order to manage efficiently barangay records in order to better serve the people. The second presenter was Kevin, who was almost late. Kevin's study came in two parts. The first part was mainly concerned about finding the software combinations that allowed his adviser's original system to work properly in Windows Vista, while the second part was about adding a compiler feature (to handle Java and C codes) to his adviser's original system. The last presenter was Precita (Pchi) whose study was about the modification of the Joomla content management system in order to create a new system for UPMin's Office of Student Affairs (OSA) Student Organizations A.S.
(SOAS). The system would allow the recognized organizations of OSA to create and manage their own websites easily. After the nerve-racking presentation and interrogation, the judges finally consolidated their scores and decided who the winner was. However, the result of the competition will be announced during the CSM Send-off Party on Tuesday (April 21). Hehe... So, we'll have something to look forward to at that event. Who will prevail as the winner of CompSci's Best SP? I already know, but I won't tell. Let's just wait for the right time. (I'll be right here to blog about it later... Haha!)
After the simultaneous presentations of each category, we all went back to the AVR to have our lunch. It was already past 12 noon, and I'm sure that everybody's starving from the tense-filled day.
As we were eating, the lights was suddenly turned-off. Aaaagh! Brown-out again...

Sunday, April 12, 2009

You are Gone

I always thought that your days were numbered, but I always denied it. Really bites, and now you're gone without the faintest warning. Goodbye!

This statement is dedicated to everything that I lost over the last couple of days:

…my USB thumb drive
…my red and black ball pens
…my last clean sheet of yellow paper
…my newly-loaded prepaid cellphone credits
…my one- year –and-six-month-old laptop
…my free WAP connection

It's so sad.

Easter is Another Christmas

A few days ago, I heard someone say that the Easter Sunday celebration should be more extravagant than our celebration for Christmas. In fact, it should since Easter symbolizes the triumph of Jesus over the trials that He encountered while he was still alive. It is the highlight God's display of power as He resurrects His son from the dead. This shows us that if we just learn to sacrifice for the good of others without asking for any reward in return, and if we have strong faith in God's mercy and guidance, He will bestow us with everlasting life in heaven.
Well, virtually Easter is more amazing than Christmas. Which is more surprising: a baby being born, or someone being resurrected from the dead?

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Electronic Piano 2.5

From the name itself, it would be very obvious what this program does.
Anyway, this program, as a name implies, is piano simulator for your PC.
This program comes in very handy if you do not have a keyboard/piano but want to learn the basics, or if you are just too lazy to bring your own keyboard anyware but want to play it whenever you have idle time.
The only required peripheral to fully utilize this program is just the computer keyboard, which will act as a substitute to the piano keys. The keys of the computer are already pre-assigned to a virtual piano keyboard on screen. So, you will just have to press the corresponding key for the note to be played from corresponding key on the virtual piano keyboard.
Moreover, you can also use your computer's mouse to manipulate the on-screen keyboard; however, using the computer's keyboard will bring you closer to the experience of using an actual piano keyboard.
Electronic Piano 2.5 does not only simulate piano or organ sounds, it can also be adjusted to play sounds from xylophone, drums, and other musical instruments.
However, one thing that might annoy expert players is that you can only play in one octave at a given time. In other words, although you can try playing notes from lower or higher octaves, you cannot play in different octaves simultaneously. But, for beginners, it might not be an issue. :D
The program's interface might be a bit intimidating, but it is actually really easy to handle. It also has other musical effect adjustments that you might want to explore.
By the way, it is a freeware. So, there's no need for cracks and licenses.
I just downloaded it, and I am having experimenting with the beats. Anyway, here's the link:
http://www.pianoeletronico.com.br/index-en.html
Enjoy!

A Return to Love (by Marianne Williamson)

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

~Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles" 1992 (commonly misattributed to Nelson Mandela, 1994 inauguration speech)

Sunday, April 5, 2009

When Notties Think They’re Hotties

Usually in social networking sites, and even in our daily lives, we encounter people who think that they are good-looking even though they are exact epitomy of what is ugly.
It is so scary when people like these try to act as if they were cute. They have all this fancy pictures with weird facial expressions (posted on their personal webpages) which could actually be used to scare away evil spirits. Haha! There are also people who we meet in the office or in school that look too horrendous and awkward to even mingle with the crowd. They have physical attributes only they could appreciate (as in, not even their parents). Anyway, most of these people watch too much TV/movies or read too many magazines, that they tend to emulate how the models look even though it does not suit them. Sometimes, they also imitate the voice of their favorite TV/movie character. It is just way too awkward to even look at.
In the positive side, at least they are confident enough to even dare to do it.
Confidence is not bad, but people like these are going overboard. They are putting unnecessary emphasis on themselves to the point that they have become embarrassing.
The key is to mellow it down, and choose what works best for you.
No matter how we look at it, the world is unfair. Some things that may be good for others, may not be good for you. Our job is to find the things that complement our assets, and supplement what we lack.

Blamers

There are types of people who likes blaming others for something that has gone terribly eventhough it is obviously their fault, and sometimes, the person they are blaming it on is not even involved with the event.
Take for example, a person who is struggling to perform a certain task but does not ask help from those around him. Accidentally, this person slips and breaks whatever object he is carrying or does an irreparable damage while performing the task. He then looks at the bystanders and suddenly blames them for just standing there and not helping. He tries to remove all the guilt from himself by throwing all the fault to the people who does not even have a clue of what has happened.
Another one is a person who intently seeks help from you. However, if the job suddenly goes wrong, he suddenly blames everything to you. He usually says that it is all your fault, that everything went wrong when you began to help, and that you should not have helped him in the first place. Sssssh!!! The nerves of this guy!
The world is full of blamers.

Palm Everything

Today is Palm Sunday, and this morning, my parents brought young coconut leaves to church to have it blessed (a.k.a. sprinkled with holy water by the priest). Catholics to commemorate the arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem. It is the first Sunday of Holy Week, and the Sunday before Easter.
Usually on this day, people get creative with the palm leaves. They transform leaves into various figures (ala origami for leaves).
Some commonly fabricated figures out of palm leaves are crucifixes, swords, and bouquettes. Some people even try to make a business out of it by selling their created palm leaf figures to church-goers who did not bring their own palm leaves. Fortunately, our house is surrounded by coconuts.
Anyway, after the palm leaves are blessed, it is customary for Catholics to place them on certain areas of the house. It is usually found on doors and altars.
That sorta reminds me that it is already Lent season, in which Catholics are supposed to fast, pray, and abstain.
Well, should I abstain from blogging this season???

Friday, April 3, 2009

The Wolverine Leak - My Reaction

The previous entry was just a re-post of BBC or Yahoo's article about the leakage of the upcoming film "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."
A few days ago, I was shocked to know that the movie, which is scheduled to premier on May 1st, is currently being spread online.
This is so alarming.
From what I have read in other forums, those who have downloaded the leaked version say that the movie (plot-wise) is 90% complete. Basically, the essential parts (background story, ending, etc...) are there. So, if you watched the leaked version, there might be nothing to look forward to in the movie if you're just concerned with the storyline.
Although the leaked version has a DVD quality, it still has a lot of shortcomings. The un-edited ropes, wires, green-screens, etc. are still in the frames. In other words, the special effects are not polished. For now, the only reason why people might watch the movie is for its special effects.
Those who leaked this movie really spoiled it for us.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Leaked

Today an unwatermarked, time code free workprint of X-Men Origins: Wolverine leaked on the internet. Within hours thousands of people had a version of the upcoming Fox release, and once a file like this is in the wild it can never be fully brought back in.

How the hell did this happen?

I got in touch with a friend of mine who works in a post-production facility here in Los Angeles and he seemed to think my question was funny. "I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often," he said.

While studios bend over backwards to police film critics at press screenings (I've become used to security guards with night vision lenses staring at me while I'm watching a movie), the post-production process is apparently porous. Burned DVDs are swapped around with aplomb in this world; in fact I was told that the Wolverine DVD was switching hands for the last couple of weeks. It's hard to nail down where in the post-production process the Wolverine leak originated; it could have been someone working in digital FX, someone working on the titles, or even someone working on the trailer. Hell, it could be somebody working on the DVD release, for that matter.

My source told me stories of people blithely taking home DVDs of major upcoming studio blockbusters - some with watermarks, some without - so that they wouldn't have to work overtime at the office. And it's not just the honchos who have this access. My source told me about interns bringing DVDs home to watch with their friends. Even he seemed incredulous about the lackadaisical security at most of these post-production houses.

I've experienced some of this stuff first hand. I had someone from a post house meet me at a coffee shop and show me the Cloverfield trailer on a laptop. I've had files emailed to me that are clearly watermarked with post house names. I know a filmmaker who had his film pirated in the post-production stage, and who managed to nail the guy who was handing out DVDs to his friends. And I've come across some of these DVDs myself, although I never knew that they were so rampant.

Post isn't the only source of major leaks; these days getting a script to an unmade movie isn't even a badge of insider honor. They seem to be available to anyone who wants them. Someone told me that the security on the script for Cabin in the Woods was so tight no one would get it. Just to prove him wrong I got it three days later. I don't say that to boast but to explain how lax security is on the script end; once something hits an agency, PDFs of it may as well be deposited in the mailboxes of the biggest movie site writers. But while that's a problem - the mass leak of the script to Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds being one example - it's not half as damaging as the leak of an actual movie. Very few people will read a script. Many more will watch a DIVX file.

I have a feeling that the Wolverine leak is the tip of the iceberg. My source tells me that he suspects the person who leaked it may have been motivated by a grudge against the house where they work - perhaps someone who has been laid off or had his hours reduced (although to be fair he did also say that it's just as likely that this leak came from a dumb intern who simply made a copy for a friend. My friend has no actual knowledge of the particulars of this specific leak). The ease with which a DVD can be ripped and disseminated makes it child's play, and the ubiquity of laptops make it simpler and simpler for someone to rip a movie without even taking the disc off premises. Studios can keep being worried about someone sneaking a Flip camcorder into a press screening, but the real problem is right in their own system. So far they've been amazingly lucky, but how long can that luck hold out?

[SOURCE: BBC NEWS]

Thursday, April 2, 2009

We Messed Up Yesterday

we messed up yesterday...

we said the wrong words,
took the wrong turn,
loved the wrong person,
reacted the wrong way.

we spoke when we should have listened,
walked when we should have waited,
judged when we should have trusted,
indulged when we should have resisted.

we messed up yesterday...

but you'll mess-up more if you let yesterday's mistakes sabotage today's attitude.

today is a new day.

live it well.

-------------------------------------------------
(NOTE: just another SMS I received this morning.)

Avoid Mediocrity

"Why settle for something less if you could have the best?"
Yup, yup, yup!
Why do some people do something for the mere sake of doing it?
I just don't understand why they try to put the least effort in doing something, like an activity or project.
We should all try to exert our best effort in everythign we do, and not just settle for the minimum.
Everybody should take the extra mile to make everything perfect and impressive.
Mediocrity is boring, and I hate it.
It is just the reflection of someone's laziness.
Lazy people make crappy work.
If your goal is to make something that isn't bad but isn't very good either, then it will just sink compared to the other brilliant works.

Philippines: A Nation of Servants

This has been a big issue in the internet this past few weeks. Haha!!!
Filipinos around the world now hate the Chinese columnist Chip Tsao for mocking the country and saying that the "Philippines is a nation of servants" in his article "The War at Home";
Haha!... It hurts us Filipinos because we know for a fact that it is somehow true.

Anyway, just read Chip Tsao's "The War at Home" below:

"The Russians sank a Hong Kong freighter last month, killing the seven Chinese seamen on board. We can live with that—Lenin and Stalin were once the ideological mentors of all Chinese people. The Japanese planted a flag on Diàoyú Island. That's no big problem—we Hong Kong Chinese love Japanese cartoons, Hello Kitty, and shopping in Shinjuku, let alone our round-the-clock obsession with karaoke.

"But hold on—even the Filipinos? Manila has just claimed sovereignty over the scattered rocks in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, complete with a blatant threat from its congress to send gunboats to the South China Sea to defend the islands from China if necessary. This is beyond reproach. The reason: there are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as $3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don't flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.

"As a patriotic Chinese man, the news has made my blood boil. I summoned Louisa, my domestic assistant who holds a degree in international politics from the University of Manila, hung a map on the wall, and gave her a harsh lecture. I sternly warned her that if she wants her wages increased next year, she had better tell every one of her compatriots in Statue Square on Sunday that the entirety of the Spratly Islands belongs to China.

"Grimly, I told her that if war breaks out between the Philippines and China, I would have to end her employment and send her straight home, because I would not risk the crime of treason for sponsoring an enemy of the state by paying her to wash my toilet and clean my windows 16 hours a day. With that money, she would pay taxes to her government, and they would fund a navy to invade our motherland and deeply hurt my feelings.

"Oh yes. The government of the Philippines would certainly be wrong if they think we Chinese are prepared to swallow their insult and sit back and lose a Falkland Islands War in the Far East. They may have Barack Obama and the hawkish American military behind them, but we have a hostage in each of our homes in the Mid-Levels or higher. Some of my friends told me they have already declared a state of emergency at home. Their maids have been made to shout 'China, Madam/Sir' loudly whenever they hear the word 'Spratly.' They say the indoctrination is working as wonderfully as when we used to shout, 'Long live Chairman Mao!' at the sight of a portrait of our Great Leader during the Cultural Revolution. I'm not sure if that's going a bit too far, at least for the time being."

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Who Am I by Casting Crowns

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
Vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
Vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
Vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours

I am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
'Cause I am Yours
I am Yours