It’s Independence Day weekend and for those who will be staying home (like me) during the long weekend, I am recommending the films below. They are all foreign films (not if you’re Japanese or Korean). I have them as part of my tiny DVD collection. They aren’t new. They’re about at least 3 years old already and I’m guessing that most of my readers have not seen them yet. I’m a huge fan of martial arts films especially the ninja and samurai. That’s not the only reason why I’m recommmending them, however. These films possess deeper meaning. I have found those meanings in my own perception. It’s up to you to find for yourself.
I will recommend more films later on.
SHINOBI — The movie contains one of the greatest fight scenes ever shown on film. The hero and heroin possess amazing powers and the fit the actors portraying the characters. Probably one aspect of the movie that made me love it is the cinematography. Amazing, amazing, amazing.
AZUMI I — The first of the two. The history of Azumi; how she became. An excellent display of swordplay. I’m a huge fan of the ways of samurai. I’m a man who adores perfection through simplicity and the samurai way of life is that. Simple, precise, perfect. The pretty face of Azumi is a plus.
AZUMI II — The second installation. The continuation of Azumi’s journey towards cleansing. Aagain, contains a great display of swordplay. Unlike most sequels, this one did not disappoint me. Azumi still looking good especially with a cloak (that’s when she really kicks ass).
SHADOWLESS SWORD — This is a Korean film that I can proudly recommend. Korean films are becoming better and could probably replace Hollywood. The film contains another excellent display of swordplay. A must see.
July 4th, 2008
Yesterday I went to the festival with four colleagues. We arrived at the expo center a little after 1. There weren’t too many people. When we entered the expo, we were greeted by WU exhibitors. So fun begins. We did everything so that we each get a souvenir from WU. Then we roamed around the expo and found the MG booth. We again asked for souvenirs. The result is the photo below. These two companies are the competitors of the company we work for — that’s why it’s fun. Needless to say, we also acquired a few souvenirs from X (another competitor) later that day.
The entrance was fun, now to the show. Firstly, since it was a Filipino event, the Filipino time has to play a role. The show started an hour late, so that means we have to leave an hour late. Papa Sam (Milby) is the last performer which is at 9:30 (adjusted due to Filipino time). MYMP is to perform before him, that means we have to wait at least until 9:30 before leaving. We sat down to watch the show an hour before the bandfest which we were counting on.
The bandfest bored us to death. I almost fell asleep. Only one band got me excited and only for one song out of three that they performed. The band is called The Grudge and the song is incidentally called Hoy! Gising! Only two bands sang Filipino songs and they were the bands that didn’t advance to the finals. Judges of the contest didn’t know what they were doing. I think they weren’t so broadminded judging the talents. I confess, The Grudge didn’t know how to perform on stage, but the bands who advanced were the same and I couldn’t even make out their lyrics because their vocals are so bad. All bands weren’t original with their music that’s probably why I got bored. They will always remain in the local scene.
The festival showcased a couple of comic act. They were funny, but were rated-R. A few performances that led to MYMP were terrible because they simply are not my type.
MYMP — Make Your Mama Proud — should only perform in cafés because that is the only environment their genre can handle. I will not intentionally go to an MYMP gig again unless I’m in a restaurant having dinner and they’re playing. I’ll just listen to them on the radio because it’s better to listen than to watch them play. The performance has no life and is to be expected because again of the genre of their music. The voice of Juris is there, but I’m supposed to be watching a gig, not listening to my iPod.
In conclusion, the festival was dismal. The journey to and fro the center was fun though — tiresome for me because I was driving. We had a good chat in the car, but what happened with Papa Sam stays with Papa Sam.
May 18th, 2008
A man is born to serve what purpose? My guess is as good as yours. Is it to populate, shape and define the world? Maybe. What I am sure of is that a man is born waiting to die. A man’s life is finite. He lives and after a span of time, he dies – forever decayed; no soul, no afterlife. During the time the man lives, he undergoes several transformations toward his ending. He suffers through time to reach that end. Life is a process of dying.
So why do we value life so much? Life is not precious because sooner or later it is gone. It causes all kinds of pain. So why do we protect something that is worthless and destructive? What is so good about the world that we thrive to live in it longer. These questions are yet to be answered; not here, but hopefully a hint appears.
I’ve lived twenty-six worthless years and spent a decade of those years in a quest to answer these questions. I have no answer, but I realized a tiny bit of it – happiness. There is no stopping the birth of man no matter what laws, medications, family planning we implement. Time and time again, man will be born save annihilation. Even so, man will evolve one way or another. So I thought, what would man do if he has no control over his birth? He has to live life and goes in a journey where he avoids suffering that is brought by living. Only in the absence of suffering happiness is reached.
What is suffering? Suffering is a feeling of destruction. Something that will cause physical and mental aspect of man to break down. These things we know as grief, jealousy, envy, hunger, pain, torment, and many more which your imagination can define. By that definition, we can deduce that man suffers because of another. Man does not grieve because of himself, he grieves because of another. Man loves (a form of attachment) another and will do everything to keep the attachment intact. Once the attachment is lost, man undergoes a series of states of suffering - grief, loneliness, depression, etc.
Since the cause of suffering is not oneself, society gets the blame. Social attachment torments a man. Being social do bring happiness, but only until a point. In society man acquaints himself with another who would bring happiness in a moment, but would later on bring lifelong suffering. Once a man attaches himself to another, he will protect both the relationship and the other entity as if it is a treasure.
A treasure is defined as an entity which – naturally – cannot be lost. It is only lost if hidden (i.e. kept or stolen), but it still exists. Life cannot be a treasure because it is lost no matter how careful the caretaker is. What is left behind when a man dies is a pseudo-self which is also known as memory.
Protecting a treasure is already cumbersome and takes so much out of a person. That act in itself contributes to a person’s suffering. How else would the feeling be if the treasure is lost? Naturally, anger, grief, disbelief, etc arise. As previously stated these are sufferings. It is true that having that treasure makes a man happy, but it’s troublesome taking care of that treasure.
In conclusion, eternal bliss cannot be attained by sharing with others. Eternal bliss is for an individual, not a group that’s why it is so difficult to achieve. The happiness we enjoy now is only temporary and we should enjoy that as much as possible. Think not of the future nor the past, enjoy the moment because it is now that will shape the future. Be happy if you’re happy.
May 5th, 2008
If something strikes a nerve in my head I usually blog or linger a thought about it. However, due to some uncontrolled circumstances, I lost my inspiration over the weekend. So here I am again, trying to remember the moment which confirmed and disappointed my way of living. I may have seen a movie that could push “Mallrats” or “Good Will Hunting” down a notch. I’ve only seen “Into The Wild” once, so I don’t know the effect if I watch it over and over again.
“Into The Wild” confirmed my ideals and that it had been lived once. It’s a story of a man (Christopher Johnson McCandless played by Emile Hirsh) who detached himself from society because he hated it so much. He embraced the peaceful and adventurous Nature. He disregarded the material things because he believed it caused. It’s really a very powerful equation because I never thought of it that way. I’ve always thought of it’s result specifically. I’ve always deduced it to suffering. To say that it causes struck a domain with a wider range. Wealth and power causes suffering. His definition precedes mine. It’s a discovery of greater value for me. Wealth and power causes ______. Anything could be filled in the blank and that’s what I meant by a wider range.
I’d really would like to write more about MCandless’ thoughts but I won’t. I would go straight to the disappointment he brought me before he died. His last testament was the confession that “happiness only real when shared.” This is where I still define myself from him. Happiness, as I always believe, is for oneself. Having it shared with someone else does not make happiness eternal. A man’s journey should lead him to eternal bliss and all of us shall perish not achieving it. We are all slaves of love and care. We submit to love. I witness that because I for one have been forced into submission by the feeling of imperceptible care for someone. The selfless and voluntary devotion to someone. The reality of happiness is unattainable because we are not completely detached from society. From the movie, he made friends with others which brought his own demise. He lingered the thought of going back to society to share his experience with others. He was not always true to himself because he always hinted the return to society. His transformation wasn’t complete.
I am fully aware that I cannot come close to what McCandless have gone to, but I strongly believe that my realization is enough for me to live that life inside my head. I shall die not a hypocrite for I am living the things I believe inside me. My shell matters to me not.
April 28th, 2008
“The Children of Huang Shi” is a true story during the Japanese occupation of China. An English journalist’s journey to becoming a great man. George A. Hogg was a British journalist who went to Nan Jing to record a bloody oppression of the Japanese towards the Chinese. He failed to report to the world because he was caught and was nearly beheaded if not for Chen Hansheng. To make the story short, he eventually landed in an orphanage where he took care of “the children of Huang Shi.”
I liked the film not only because of its real nature, but it was an act where one man established a relationship with children who lost everything and learned to love him as a parent. Although there were some who failed, he saved many and taught them many things. I especially applauded the scenes where they journeyed for the silky road and it showed cooperation between these boys through thick and thin. They were helping each other to survive. I thought it was a spectacle.
April 21st, 2008
