From Multiply 096: Some Book Reviews

Song of Kali (Dan Simmons) is a contemporary novel about Calcutta, India with its dark underground cult of Kali aside from city’s many flaws like unhygienic practices (by Western standards). This book offers culture clashes, when West meets East, there’s bound to be repulsion and culture shock. India may be exotic but it’s one of those countries which I don’t plan to visit for fear of contacting diseases. This book lies in contrast to the film Eat Pray Love where India is seen as the ultimate locus of spirituality and colorful not to mention, exciting culture.

The Art of the Deal in China (Laurence J. Brahm), a book my sister bought, is patterned after Sun Tzu’s The Art of War with applications in today’s business world. It is basically a guide on how to close a deal with businesses in China, that is Western-based knowledge and savoir-faire does not work in the Chinese setting and that one must learn and master the ways of the Chinese to gain the upper hand. The one thing I really appreciate about this book is that it introduces me to the classic work which I have not read at all. The other nice thing is that it offers funny anecdotes which helps relieve stress, especially at this point when I’m in danger of yet again getting another INC from my prof. Other than these, you might as well throw the book away. Why? Data are made to fit theories, enough said.

Night (Elie Wiesel) tells the story of a boy and his family during the Holocaust and how the evils of his time contributed to his eventual loss of faith. Heartbreaking and dark, this book won the Nobel Prize in 1986 for its courage to voice out the grimness of life in the concentration camps set up by the Nazi regime.

May 28, '11 12:39 AM
for Miracle's friends and Miracle's family

From Multiply 095: Some Movie Reviews Part 2

Still busy with a lot of things and i'm in danger of incurring another INC but anyway, here I am watching and writing about movies again. I watched some of the ff before leaving for Batangas. A few days after my arrival in Manila, I resumed watching. Okay, one more requirement to go. Fingers crossed.

Perfect Getaway is a thriller adventure about a psychologically disturbed couple who murders other couples in an attempt to steal their identities. Lousy movie and I am not happy with Mila Jovovich’s performance here, that is, at the start. Towards the end though, the film started to become interesting.

Avatar is one of those movies that deserve to be shown in theaters every once in a while. I would doubt if anyone would get tired of watching it. It has become an instant favorite of mine. Well, I like the story, I like the theme and I like the message of this movie. Basically about protecting the environment, respecting other cultures, no to war and all that stuff. On a deeper level, one can discuss hyperreality, the mind-and-matter dichotomy, speculative fiction, advanced technology and mysticism. This is probably the best movie I’ve watched this year and I regret the fact that I wasn’t able to watch it in theaters; I could’ve had a blast.

Clash of the Titans opens with a very impressive graphics display and I was instantly awed. I thought to  myself, this is one movie I’ll certainly enjoy. That, aside from the fact that I’m a sucker for mythology and epic movies where battles are what I really wait for. I was glad to have had copied lots of movies from my classmates and volunteers during the fieldschool. (And I so damn wish that I had an external HDD with 500GB memory…)

Mon trésor, which I had thought was a French film, is actually a Hebrew film. It tells the story of a woman and her daughter who are forced to become prostitutes because of poverty.

Gouttes d’eaux sur pierres brûlants is a French film about sex and power. Leopold controls the people around him by means of sex, to the point that his male lover drank poison to kill himself when the latter realizes that the old man has lied to him all along.

Gulliver’s Travels, starring Jack Black, is a modern day retelling of the children’s classic novel of the same title. It tells the story of an ordinary guy who lies his way to impress the girl he likes. While on an assignment, he accidentally lands in Lilliput where he becomes a GREAT BIG MAN. Later on he realizes that size and greatness are relative and that what matters most is the heart.

Mala Educación is for me a very postmodern film with lots of brilliant twists and unexpected events, aside from lots of nudity and sex. A beautiful movie concerning the LGBT and identity, not to mention church abuse, psychological trauma, hypocrisy, and revenge.

True Grit stars a Fil-Am girl in this 2010 remake of the classic film. Girl sets out to find her father’s murderer and joins the grownups in the hunt in unknown territories. Nice film with some boring parts. Hailee Steinfeld is cute with her braided hair.

Taking Lives is not what I plan to watch. It’s supposed to be Salt: New Era also starring Angelina Jolie. Thank you, pirated DVDs! (insert sarcasm) Anyway, this turns out to be a good thriller with some CSI stuff in it making it more appealing. It’s about a guy who’s wanted for several murders. FBI agent Illeana falls for the guy without knowing he’s the murderer. In the end, she killed him. And a nice trick she pulled on him.


May 28, '11 12:05 AM
for Miracle's friends, Miracle's family and Miracle's online buddies

From Multiply 094: Some Movie Reviews

Despite my busy schedule, I make it a point to watch movies after realizing their significance in the realm of arts, and also for their complementary nature to literature in the refection of humanity. The following are a few of what I have watched recently.

Black Swan is a psychological thriller starring Natalie Portman. It is about a ballerina who wishes to achieve perfection and who, in the process, becomes a victim of her delusions. Very nice choreography and Tchaikovsky's music was instantly recognizable. He composed, after all, the original musical score for "Swan Lake". The film tackles issues on sexual repression, hallucinations, and paranoia. After watching this, I'm betting on Natalie Portman to win the Oscars. And I was happy she won the Golden Globes Award for Best Actress. While watching this, I was instantly reminded of F, one of my friends in graduate school, because of her obsession to perfection and her insecurity complex.

Eat, Pray, Love starring Julia Roberts as a divorced woman intent on finding herself after a failed marriage is an exciting movie that sends viewers to different gastronomical and travel treats. From New York to Italy, to India, and Indonesia, Liz Gilbert goes on a quest to seek peace of mind. And indeed she has learned to release herself  from all the guilt and to forgive herself when she meets Felipe in Bali. Excitement builds up dramatically at first but spirals down just as quickly towards the end. I almost fell asleep watching this. Must be because I'm not into romantic films. Still, there are lots of quotable quotes with touches of Buddhism, Taoism and Zen like "Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation." "Sometimes to lose balance for love ispart of living a balanced life." And there are numerous quotes worthy to remember so just watch the movie and see how Liz learns about life and love from her travels.

The Golden Compass is based on the book of the same title by Philip Pullman which, if I remember correctly, generated controversies because of the alleged semblance of the Magisterium to the Church's hegemony especially during the Middle Ages. Lyra Belacqua is a crafty little girl who can read the alethiometer. She goes on a quest to save her friends from the gobblers who were in the command of Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman). Cliffhanger because the movie ends with Lyra and company on their way to deliver the alethiometer to her father Lord Asriel. Very nice graphics. But the battle was short and wasn't much of a scene. Still, it is pleasant to see Iorek Byrnison, the armored polar bear, fight against Ragnar. Anybody who can lend me Pullman's "His Dark Materials"?

The Tourist stars two of the most well-loved artists in Hollywood. Angelina Jolie plays the role of a secret agent named Elise and Johnny Depp as her lover Alexander Pearce who is wanted for stealing a huge sum of money. Full of suspense and mystery, plus nice views of Venice add to the movie's appeal. And not to mention the twist in the end which for me, is very ingenious. Oh and before I forget, don't bother to search for the book "The Berlin Vendetta". It's just a prop and not a real book. (Yeah, I was duped coz I got curious, but my curiosity led me to discover interesting stuffs they do in movies.)

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is based on the acclaimed classics for children by C.S. Lewis. I've been meaning to watch this but it's only now that I got to thanks to Noriza who lent me a DVD copy. It tells of four children who gained access to Narnia and who helped in the battle against the White Witch. Very nice graphics. It's very obvious that a lot has been spent on the production of this movie as can be seen from the minute details that propsmen paid attention to. Aslan the lion was also beautifully done, rendering him to be almost real.

Prince Caspian is released a year after the massive success of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The four Pevensie children return to Narnia to help a prince in self-exile gain his true place as king. Again, this movie does not disappoint. I look forward to getting a copy of "Voyage of the Dawn Treader".

The King's Speech is a historical drama set in pre-WWII in England, about a king overcomes his speech problems with the help of an amateur speech pathologist who becomes his loyal and trusty friend. Somewhat boring at first but viewers can sympathize greatly with Bertie as Colin Firth renders a very realistic performance. Oh and did I say that the primary reason why I watched this is because of my fave actress Helena Bonham Carter? Sadly, she plays a minor role here.

I have many more to watch but first, I have to finish my papers.


Feb 27, '11 11:35 PM
for Miracle's contacts

From Multiply 093: Images of the Revolution in Spanish Painting Aug. '09

Last August 10, we the students of EL197 class, attended Prof. Maria Victoria Herrera’s lecture “Images of the Revolution in Spanish Painting” at CM Recto in the Faculty Center. While I must say that her presentation is quite boring on most parts, with her just reading her paper the entire time, I did appreciate the things I learned from here.

In connection to the Spanish Civil War, she presented the famous work by Pablo Picasso, the Guernica. But before she talked about Picasso, she first presented another famous Spanish painter, Francisco de Goya.

Francisco de Goya was one of those afrancesados, those who embraced not only the French liberalism, but also its culture and manners, thus they were shunned by the traditional society which believed in being nationalistic, closing their doors to foreign influences. He served in the French courts as royal painter and went back to his motherland where he received a cold shoulder. Nevertheless, he was able to produce great masterpieces, one of which is “El tres de mayo” where he immortalized in the four corners of his canvas the shooting down of the Spanish resistance against the Napoleonic invasion of Spain in the 19th century.

In this particular painting, we see one use of art, and that is the portrayal of a historical event. Sure accounts are quite abundant in the pages of history books but art, as in the case of paintings like “El tres de mayo” have a better way of capturing the images of the past. We see here the shock and the fear in the eyes of men whose imminent death lies ahead as soldiers point their weapons at them.

In the 20th century, the main representative of Spanish art would have to be Picasso, whose famed cubism was present in one of the most widely praised paintings of all time. The Guernica is a work of art created as a reaction to the events that were happening in Spain at that time. A brief background on history was presented. Guernica was actually a small town in the Basque country which was bombed by Franco’s troops despite it being an area of civilians and non-fighting people. When it was bombed on a market day, it is said that Picasso got angry and used the event as his subject for the mural project he was working on.
Here, we see that art has taken on the form of a reaction to what is happening around, reflecting the social conditions with which the painter lived. Also, it has evolved into something that promotes awareness, something like a propaganda that informs people about the present situation.

I’m afraid that I am most unworthy to comment on the paintings. While I admire Goya for his works “La maja desnuda” and “La maja vestida”, I can’t seem to appreciate the highly abstract works of Picasso, including the Guernica of course. Or maybe it’s just a matter of tastes since I am quite attracted to baroque paintings like those done by Titian, Lorrain, Vernet, and of course Peter Paul Rubens with all their mythological and religious subjects. I thought I couldn’t quite participate in the discussion which followed the presentation but I was wrong.

Bringing up something connected to religion is certainly an aperture for me. When someone asked about the dove as a sign of peace, I suddenly fell into thinking as to why use a dove with a twig on its beak as a symbol for peace? Prof. Herrera was not able to answer my question regarding this as I have said that the dove is a symbol of hope, as one can see in the story of Noah in the Book of Genesis. Upon seeing the dove come back with a twig on its beak, the family of Noah rejoiced, knowing that dry land had been found. Furthermore, I know that the dove also symbolizes the Holy Spirit though I don’t know where such symbolization originated from. There’s this Bible verse, too, that says that when one is filled with the Holy Spirit, he shall be filled with peace. A classmate of mine offered a brief answer saying that somewhere in the Bible, it is stated that the dove is a symbol of peace. And indeed I checked the New Testament for proof and voila, I found it in the first four books of the New Testament. When Jesus was baptized, the heavens opened and a voice was heard saying “This is my son for whom I am well pleased.” The disciples saw the Holy Spirit which descended like a dove. So I guess, this must be it.

Aug 26, '10 10:42 AM
for Miracle's friends, Miracle's family and Miracle's online buddies

From Multiply 092: August 2009 '39 Exhibit

Holding exhibits is propaganda, and a very good one at that, especially done it a graphic fashion since people tend to be attracted to visual images, and not lengthy works of words. And it proves successful when it not just captures the attention of passersby, but also penetrates the consciousness of that seemingly indifferent person of the importance of the thought propagated.

The ’39 Exhibit, a product of the cooperative efforts of the Department of European Languages composed of the faculty, staff, and students, was held last August 10 to commemorate the Spanish Civil War, its atrocities, the horrors and madness that follow belligerent activities. It aims to spread awareness of the evils of war, how it hampers the development of a country, the psychological effects on people, especially the young ones who lived during the wars, and to say the least, mass murder of fellow human beings over something so trivial. Here, we get to see not just poems condemning war and military actions, but also a collection of drawings and caricatures where one can see the manifestations of war imposed upon the consciousness of young innocent minds.

An old typewriter was installed on a wooden table where people are encouraged to write their thoughts on war. In line with the peace advocacy project, I typed out the following on a clean sheet of paper, “No se conoce la paz sin la guerra. Las guerras de ayer sirven como una lección para que no cometamos los mismos errores.” Paradoxes are cool ways to send out a message. Not only do they entail reflection on the reader’s part, they also make people marvel at how seemingly illogical words can actually ring true. Remembering a famous saying that one can not acknowledge the value of something unless it’s gone, I set out to have a play on words, thus producing something like the abovementioned sentence. It’s a more concrete form of the saying from which I derived it, I believe. It’s pretty much like the very things we take for granted. There would be no concept of health if there is an absence of diseases. There would be no wisdom if there’s no folly. In the same way, we never know what we have until it’s snatched away from us. If people lived in constant peace, they would have never thought of the concepts of peace and unrest.

But does it mean that we have to wage war against anyone anytime just so we can learn peace? The hell no! History provides us more than enough wars to make us think before we act. All one has to do is read historical accounts, from the turbulent period of warring states in China, to the age-old rivalries between Israel and Palestine, to the infamous World Wars, not to mention several civil wars. I can go on and on enumerating wars in history and the reason why they are in the pages of history is precisely because they serve as a reminder of human frailty when faced with lust for power and dominance. Truth shall set us free, as the popular saying goes, and we cannot be so without acknowledging our own weaknesses. By admitting that evil resides in us, we may learn to overcome it by being good.

Pardon me for the slight digression but I feel the need to write a little concerning the Book Exhibit whose aim is to encourage people to read about wars. The Book Exhibit was also a sign of a fight against intellectual repression, citing famous book-burning events in history. Many have been written about wars, but few immerse themselves in them. “There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them,” says Joseph Brodsky. That this ’39 exhibit follows the Book Exhibit is a good way to make people reflect on what they have read. Flaubert once said that one must not read to amuse oneself nor for the purpose of instruction, but to live. I find that very true. For reading without reflection and without learning about life is like not reading at all.

There was also a board wherein Machado’s incomplete poem was written and people are asked to complete it. The given line was “Estos dias azules y este sol de infancia…” Here is an attempt to continue the poem from yours truly:

Estos dias azules y este ssol de infancia…

Una voz del futuro, suave y fuerte.

En el fondo del alma y de la memoria,

Aquellas noches oscuras y aquella luna de la muerte…

Indeed, we learn more when we are immersed in something. Indeed we learn more when we are involved. In these exhibits, we not only become aware of the threats of war, we also become more protective of peace.

Aug 26, '10 10:38 AM
for Miracle's friends, Miracle's family and Miracle's online buddies

From Multiply 091: 82010 (Eiga Sai)

Today’s the last day I’ll be watching a movie offering of this year’s Eiga Sai. It’s my first ever time to include watching free movies into my always hectic schedule, and there are no regrets, only a clamor for more and a decision to watch out for more free movies. It’s a great way to spend time with one’s own self, and it feels equally great to be able to cry again without worrying over being teased by an acquaintance, coz in almost everything that I watch, I tend to cry a lot. And it’s a good sign because it means I can still feel.

This afternoon, after eating siomai rice meal with buttered veggies and iced tea (P39) at CASAA with S and C, I went straight to NIGS. I have two purposes, one is to study and prepare for our exam next week, and the other’s to be able to see my ex-crush. First mission partly accomplished, second mission failed. At 4pm, I took the Ikot to UPFI and met up with Nori-chan. I forgot to bring her USB… So forgetful these days.

Anyway, the film at 4:30 is “The Bandage Club”. Young people can relate well here, since it focuses on how a group of young people unites to “heal” wounds and inspire troubled youth. It starts with Wara accidentally cutting herself on the wrist and is misunderstood as being suicidal. One day, she climbs over a fence on the rooftop and is surprised to find a pervy boy named Ideno Tatsuya (aka Dino) who convinced her to go down. Upon seeing Wara’s bandage which has flown to a metal stand, Dino thought that she might be a troubled teenager attempting to commit suicide and ties the bandage on the fence, telling her that that way, he “heals” her wounds.  Weirded out by the strange boy, Wara leaves without telling him her name. When she meets up with her friend Shio, the latter cries complains of her boyfriend and cries. Remembering Dino’s way of comforting her, Wara ties a bandage on the swing to “heal” Shio’s pain. Shio then suggested to start the Bandage Club, with the help of another boy named Gimo, and of course, Dino. Their mission: to “heal” by bandaging. Later on, they recruit Riski and try to persuade Tempo to join, too. These two girls were once friends with both Wara and Riski but since their dispute, they went separate ways. Suddenly, the group is troubled when somebody tips them off to the police. It turns out to be Tempo who confesses to it before she attempts to kill herself. In a desperate moment, Dino bandages a very tall building, thus attracting the attention of many people and the police. Their plan is to let Tempo know that they are unaffected with her betrayal, with the hope that it’ll prevent her from the planned suicide. This is one funny scene, but also a heartwarming one because it shows the extent one goes just to save a friend. In the end, they all realize that while they “heal”, they unknowingly heal themselves.

It is thanks to this movie that I understand that a little kindness can go a long way. It’s just so easy to be cynical about things and not do anything, but a little kindness, a little optimism, can certainly create change, though it may be small in scale. But if kindness and compassion is to be spread all over the world, it will certainly make a BIG difference. Dino may be strange and even crazy with all his crazy experiments to experience pain, but this is one way of showing empathy. By going through the difficult things in life, he understands more than those who do not even venture into crazy stuffs. His is a philosophy that is manifested more in action than in words.

From Multiply 090: Jeepney Scene 8

Kanina lang ulit ako nakasakay ng UP jeep galing Pantranco. Madalas kasi sumasakay na lang ako ng bus dahil bibihira lang ang UP jeep sa lugar na iyon. Hindi ko nakuha ang plate number ng jeep na nasakyan ko, sabi ko pa naman sa sarili ko na gagawin ko iyon pagkababa kaso nawala sa isip ko.

Mabait naman si manong tsuper. May pasahero kasing matanda at talagang ibinaba ni manong sa ilalim ng flyover malapit sa MRT at tinawag ang MMDA para alalayan yung matanda. Bibihira na lang ang mga ganung tsuper. Kadalasan e mga bastos ang mga tsuper ng jeep. Kung kaya't kahit papaano e gumanda ang araw ko.

Kaso nga lang, nung nasa QMC na, saka ko lang napansin na smoke belcher pala! Hay nako. Sana naman gawan ng paraan ni manong para di na bumuga ng maitim at toxic na usok ang jeep niya.

Aug 18, '10 9:43 AM
for everyone