AVATAR

Straight out from Fantasy Paintings of Boris Vallejo. A little twist from the movie The New World. Worth watching again, I wish the screen I watch it from was a lot wider. Flying with the Banshees were like riding on flying dragons (asian version). That was cool. This movie is enough for now, until Robin Hood which is worth watching in a theater. The rest I planned to go see can wait till they come out on DVDs. Robin Hood probably has a love story too, other than action pack. Which was the part I forgot about James Cameron flicks, his good at adding love stories to his action and drama films. This Avatar movie in particular is Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Awesome visual effects from Industrial Light and Magic based in San Rafael.

The Na'vi Natives has different mixtures that reminds me of what earth has, including culturally wise. The Na'vi evolved from felines rather than apes. They are blue like the East Indian Goddess named Ramayana. Culturally wise like the Woodland Native American Indians. I've seen some gunstock war clubs that most Native American Warriors has in the movie. The Na'vi Natives also does tribal ceremonies like the Polynesians and Balinese Kecak Dance. It's cool how they present what I always thought about nature dwellers, which is some sort of a global networks that connects all. From the trees, plants, animals, soils, to insects, and more, are all connected, even their ancestors that had been long gone, are still a part of them. Makes me wonder about how certain cultures gets so successful sometimes in their personal businesses (they do a lot of food offerings to the dead), some religious belief would say thats paganism, or from a demonic source, and to me thats just plain ignorance to makes such remarks.

The Native Americans also believes that their ancestors are also watching over them from the woods, rivers, or from the rocky mountains. When they hunt, they give thanks to the prey right before or after they kill the animal.

I wouldn't say the movie is about the current war, or against it. Although there are parts that are very familiar. The war "in the movie" is definitely corporate domination that fights with no soul, but for power and simply to gain access to help their own economic crises. It's nothing about Kingdoms and Spiritual reasons. I could be wrong, but maybe Kingdoms and Chieftains with good moral advisors should always comes first, and then economic purposes. Nature always has enough to provide for all, as long as they are not for exchanging gold and silvers.

In reality, certain areas about exchanging gold and silvers are a little too late man, it's better to just go with the flow, but with some considerations of what most people find as primitive. I think that's what the movie was also about. You never know, maybe the ancient people had much more advance technology than a laptop. Like using visualizations of what a hawk can see from a far away (like a satellite).


There was this classic movie from the 80's, kinda cheesy now. I forgot the title. He looks like He-Man, with some bad guys using crystal balls. I think it was The Beastmaster.


...or maybe the Mongols from the Altai Mountains.

Christmas 2009

Here are what was inside the tree boxes I blogged about from 12/07/09. I forgot Christmas starts in the 24th. The old man was singin' karaoke about some loner - and then I realized it's probably Christmas.

But I was actually surprised Christmas turned out really well after my Sister and Mike arrived to celebrate Christmas Eve...


The first box opened. Mike and my Sister. I placed the Holy Book behind her photo somewhere in the back.


The second box, for the folks...


And then the third box, for my Bro and Elsie...


I got myself a portable heater. I already have one but the chord blew up - I fixed it, but it's better to rely on a new one. Plus this one seems to save more energy than my older heater.

For anyone that never read the Holy Bible, I best recommend to start in the Book of John. Then the Book of Genesis, Psalms, and then the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation is very symbolic, and really abstract if you don't understand the language of the prophets. In order to understand them, I heard you have to read the whole book from the beginning to end of The Old, or The First Testaments - 2 versions: Old Testaments (Hebrew and Islam), and New Testaments (Jesus Stuff - people who believes Jesus was the awaited Messiah). The Holy Book is a living thing - it's not some Catholic Decoration that you just place in on altar. You'll be surprised how modern it is in its own meaning. The Book of Revelation is like some hip-hop and spaced out language straight from a Beastie Boys Video or some sort...

San Roque Shrine

I came across this site yesterday, I didn't know there was a TV Patrol (philippines national news network) from Ilocos Norte, based from Laoag City. Not too far from Paoay where I was born. Anyway, there is this Water Well called San Roque Shrine, that were in the news, near the house we used to live at. The well is right in front of a relative's house (Bagamaspad Family). People from other provinces comes to Paoay to visit the well in the belief of being cured from their illness by its water. Some locals finds it amusing, why these outsiders believe such a thing. And some locals place candles, and drop coins after making a wish.

The well is pretty humble looking, and it ain't the typical shrine of the orient. Altho there was a statue of a saint, that was facing the well, possibly made of bronze or maybe even gold.

Footage from 5:15 - 8:00

Sprite and Popcorn

They are a little crumpled on the top, since I tried to remember the last time I wrap these types of presents. To me this is more than what I've been saving for, just to check out the movie The Road, Ninja Assassin, and Avatar, along with medium size sprites and medium bag popcorns with lots of butter. At least something this year man. There should be more I be giving out, but I wish them to have a good holidays. These presents here are for 3 couples which makes that 6 people. I am just glad I got these done a lot sooner. I still got few more trekking to do online. I'll blog about what's inside them later...

Philippines Election Massacre

I heard about this yesterday, but I didn't payed much attention to it plus I haven't been watching the news. Not even the Philippines Network or CNN. And then my brother mentioned that it was a massacre of 50 plus something people including journalists. A massacre? This ain't just abductions of one scholar in a month or twice a month, but all in one day in broad day light. Most of the finest journalists they have in Maguindanao of the southern Philippines are probably all gone with their stories buried with them.

These stories I got from the Internet Media and in Youtube.

The Candidate:

This is Ismael Mangudadatu filed to run for governor of Maguindanao province. You see him in Philippines network not showing any sign of sadness because he promised not to show any weaknesses. He controlled himself pretty well when he spoke about the gruesome details on how his wife were killed.

The motive was to make peace with the rival clans. Ismael Mangundadatu was not part of Monday's convoy because of threats on his life, so he sent female relatives in the belief that women would be spared. In the massacre were his wife, sisters, relatives, and supporters, along with local journalists, and lawyers.

The Massacre:


The Accused:

This is Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. The heir to a political clan accused of leading the election-related massacre of 57 people last week. He turned himself in.

From Associated Press: By JIM GOMEZ.

SHARIFF AGUAK, Philippines – Undeterred by the deadly attack that killed 57 in a campaign convoy, Ismael Mangudadatu filed to run for governor of Maguindanao province Friday, heavily guarded by police and soldiers.

His candidacy poses an unprecedented challenge to the Ampatuan clan, which was implicated in Monday's massacre. "Only death can stop me from running," he said.

A day after burying his wife, sisters and many other relatives, Mangudadatu traveled past the spot where they were killed along with supporters and journalists who were stopped and gunned down on their way to file election papers on his behalf. Many of the dead were dumped in mass graves.

"This symbolizes our freedom. I hope this will be the start of our liberation," he said, holding up his certificate of candidacy in front of reporters and hundreds of cheering followers.

His 50-vehicle caravan was escorted by soldiers, a police commander, a senior army general and hundreds of supporters. Mangudadatu was not part of Monday's convoy because of threats on his life. He sent female relatives in the belief that women would be spared.

Prosecutors, delayed by a two-day holiday, said they will file multiple murder charges Tuesday against Andal Ampatuan Jr., heir of the clan that has ruled Maguindanao for years.

Several witnesses came forward, including one of the gunmen who claimed he saw Ampatuan order the killings and fire his weapon, said Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera.

Ampatuan told reporters from his detention cell in Manila that at the time of the massacre he was at the municipal hall in Datu Unsay township, where he's the mayor. He denied any role.

He turned himself in Thursday under threat of military attack on his family's compound.

The clan's patriarch, Andal Ampatuan Sr., and six other family members, including the governor of the autonomous Muslim region, are considered suspects and are not allowed to leave the country, Devanadera said. They were implicated in witnesses' statements, she said, refusing to elaborate.

Police said six senior officers, including the provincial police chief and his deputy, 20 members of Ampatuan township's police station and nearly 400 militiamen were in custody. Not all were considered suspects.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Punourity said he would seek the replacement of the entire provincial political structure.

Faced with domestic and international outrage over the killings — the bloodiest in recent history — President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo authorized a crackdown on the clan that helped her and her allies win the 2004 presidential and 2007 senatorial elections.

Arroyo's ruling party expelled Ampatuan from their ranks, along with his father and a brother, while the president repeatedly vowed justice for the victims.

Devanadera said more than 20 women were among the slain, and the pants of some female victims were unzipped and lowered. Police said, however, that autopsies were not finished and reports of rape were not substantiated.

At least 22 journalists working for newspapers, TV and radio stations in the southern Mindanao region were among the dead. It was the most reporters killed in a single attack anywhere in the world, according to media groups.

Troops and police poured into the rural, impoverished province. Checkpoints were set up along highways and tanks deployed in the provincial capital.

Many hope that the fallout from Monday's massacre will lead to the end of the Ampatuan's violent grip on Maguindanao's politics.

"Our people were like strangled with a rope for a long time," said Arnold Fernandez, administrator of Buluan town, which is led by a Mangudadatu. "We seem to be moving to a new era."
___

Associated Press writers Oliver Teves, Teresa Cerojano and Hrvoje Hranjski in Manila contributed to this report.

WIKIPEDIA LINK:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maguindanao_massacre