Fern Ridge (Safla Rama) Digest

I had the rare privilege of attending an important event at the University of Papua New Guinea. First, I had the duty to be present at the official ground-breaking ceremony of the 2015 South Pacific Games Village. The construction of the Games Village at the University of Papua New Guinea brought the Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill, his fellow Ministers Hon. Peter Ipatas, Governor of Enga, and Hon. Justin Tjachenko, the Minister for Sports and Recreation. Members of the PNG Sports Federation, the South Pacific Games Organizing Committee, the UPNG staff and students, and the press made the event momentous enough to remember. Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill officiated the groundbreaking ceremony for the SP Games Village, after expressing his irritation at the slowness in getting things moving. Though his blame was on the bureaucrats for delays, there was more to what the Prime Minister said. The road to 2015 South Pacific Games in Port Moresby is the challenge...

The number one fear I have is of heights, more specifically of flying. The greatest fear is of flying in a small plane. I can list down the many occasions I refused to fly small planes even if it is so important. The times I fly in planes with propeller engines are when I have no choice or alternative mode of travel. When I am flying in jet planes I always carry a rosary or my Bible with me.   Heights scare me a lot. At times in my travel and work I have to live in tall towers. I remember I was living on the fifteenth floor of McKnight Tower in Minneapolis, USA for four years. It was never that comfortable, but it was the only place I stayed in for all those years. In Tokyo I had to stay on the twentieth floor. That was scary. I prayed every night and every morning to calm me. One day there was an earthquake. I rang home. Everyone at home prayed also for me. The second fear I have is on thunder and lightening. I am so afraid of being struck by lightening. I ...

Publication Culture at UPNG Alive - EM TV  featured the book launch Transitions and Transformations at UPNG recently. The launch was both creative and intellectual. I acknowledge everyone who came for the book launch. Let's keep the literary flames burning!

Alcohol also contributes to lifestyle diseases. Good to see billboard such as this one declaring war on alcohol abuse. Fear of death makes people doing the wrong things. Fear should be a wake up call for one to think about taking advice, council, and changing one’s tactics to avoid death. So often people all around us let fear grip them as if there are no choices to make. We fear death, that’s inevitable, but must also not allow that fear to take complete control of our lives. Think about how to get out of that fear. Think about the options available. This was part of the discussion I had with Dr. Chris Kinibi, the Medical Director of the University Clinic last week. I had visited him after going through one and half week of illness resulting from severe cold and flu. I contracted the cold and flu illness from staying out late and in the open the previous weeks as a result of visiting several ‘haus krais’. It was that exposure to the elements of dust, airborne bacter...

During the Australia Week I had the pleasure, on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, and the University of Papua New Guinea, to host a night of remarkable moment with Dame Carol Kidu, speaking about her life, work, and vision. The talk took place at the Main Lecture Theatre of the UPNG where Dame Carol spoke with the undiminishing passion and affection she has for her family and people. The PNG Society of Writers, Editors, and Publishers in conjunction with the Australian High Commission initiated the concept and organized the guest lecture, featuring the former politician and MP who had set the bar above, and beyond her peers. It is awe-inspiring to be present in the same space where a person of Dame Carol Kidu is the featured speaker. Part of the appeal is to encourage Papua New Guineans to write for The Crocodile Prize competition. I had the good fortune of knowing and working with Dame Carol in other professional capacities. Taking on the role of host for her talk ...