Malcontent: 3-13 Nov 2009

Garden and Cosmos for $8.00

"Experience the splendid colour and inventive style of 17th to 19th century Indian painting, created for the private enjoyment of the maharaja and his royal court. These paintings reveal the palaces, courtiers and families of the Jodhpur rulers and their luxurious court life. Also depicted are Hindu deities, epic adventures, meditating gurus, yoga practices, cosmic realms and celestial worlds."

All for AU$8.00!

Light the Night

Face painter

Done & Dusted: 17-25 Sept

Attention Seekers

Twittering our own trumpets [by Amelia Harris, mX, p 5 - 4 Sept 2009]

Our love affair with social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, is turning us into narcissists, a new research reveals.

A poll of university students reveals that more than 50 per cent believe their friends use Facebook, MySpace and Twitter [not to mention blogging sites!] for self-promotion and attention-seeking.

Two-thirds of the 1068 students interviewed by Ypulse and Associate Prof Jean Twenge of San Diego State University [California USA] said they thought their generation was the most narcissistic ever.

Twenge said students weren't afraid to dish the dirt on their friend's self-centred habits.

"Students are right about the influence of social networking sites - research has shown that narcissistic people thrive on sites like Facebook, where self-centred people have more friends and post more attractive pictures of themselves." she said.

But social media expert Dr Jason Wilson, of the University of Wollongong [in NSW Australia], said it was imporant not to generalise.

"Some people use it for career advancement, some to keep in touch with family and some just to muck around," he said.

Wilson said his observations of Australian university students using social networking sites, specifically Twitter, showed they wanted to "point to interesting things on the internet, converse and muck around."

"It may not be about showing off and being narcissistic, it may just be a desire to engage with other people and have fun," he said.

-------------------

For me, networking sites provide the basic of most human need - to socialise, to interact with fellow human beings. In a busy world that we live in, what better way to connect but via the internet and mobile/cell phones?

These two technologies have revolutionised the way we interact with each other. Even in third countries like the Philippines, "texting" and messaging have created a new form of communication, with its own slangs, abbreviations and mores.

To paraphrase Graham White,  it gives us individuals power to shape our own destiny: our own individual activity gives us the power to shape our social experience and perspectives. Instead of the traditional role of socialization - of society and institutions creating the individual.

This generation have the advantage of these two intertwined technologies to leave their mark on society and future generations: individuals creating norms. On the way, we tend to muck around, advertise ourselves and have fun! What's wrong with that?

What is your experience and motivation in using MySpace, Friendster, Facebook, Multiply and blogging?

For me, to network with like-minded individuals, not necesarry my "friends"; but more of acquaintances, old and new. Reconnecting with old mates, relatives and in the process either rediscover old friendships or create new ones. This is so exciting and I can do it in the privacy of my office, home or even while commuting. In the end, if I meet a friend it is all worth it the effort of typing in a small and tiny keyboard!

Light the Night 2009: 16 Sept

Not just another fund raising but a fund raising to help find cure for blood disorders!

Jaylen's website is here, to donate, please click here; and we are part of this team.

We hope to see you at Paramatta Park on the night of the 16 September, Wednesday.

Also, see Jim Paredes' daughter, Ala's post here. For those in the Philippines, please help.

Installation art @ Deitch Projects NYC

I love NYC... I don't know exactly why... maybe the vibrancy of the place and the people. Seen this installation art project by the Black Acid Coop on Hobo Gestapo, did a bit of Googling and presto; all these info and images about this NY art scene. So even if I am on the other side of the globe, I did manage to get a glimpse of Deitch.

To tell you honestly I don't get it - yet, but the installations look amazing and intriguing; a little bit artsy and off the scale for me but obviously I need to find and read more info to fully appreciate this art form. If I don't get it at all... we'll I've tried.

Melbourne Writers Festival: 21 - 30 Aug

From this

Dinoplant

Handheld, no flash: F/5.6, 1/60 sec, focal length 18mm. cropped

After a game of soccer...

... mucking around while queing for a jumping castle.

For Corazon...

"All alone" Handheld, no flash, focal length 250 mm, F/5.6, 1/250 sec exp, spot metering, no post editing.

a mother, wife, former President, friend, patriot; but above all - a great human being. Your name says it all - you are the "heart" of everyone you have touched!

Spring cleaning

FB, lifestyle and dementia

A little bit of a background/intro, a high school friend sent these 20 tips to do to add to brain health [I don't know why to us her high school batchmates - maybe because we graduated 35 years ago?]; and below are my responses:

I guess I do almost half of these on Facebook... bwahahahaaa.... Thanks Neng!

Seriously, being on email and FB gives me more opportunities to socialize more [albeit online or virtually], especially with friends and acquaintances that are overseas and interstate.

1. Join clubs - FB is sort of a Club, isn't it? Plus I got plenty of Yahoo Groups...

2. Have a hobby or two - FB and blogging, and the occasional photography.

3. Practice writing - Try typing updates/comments using your non-dominant hand/fingers using a teeny tiny cell/mobile phone keypad!

4. Take dance lessons - Ok, I am watching "Dance your Ass Off" and "Dancing with the Stars"; does that count? Plus, on our new TFC: ASAP and Wowowee...

5. Gardening - Well...errr... I think I do that when I take snaps of flowers, leaves... etc.???

6. Walking daily - I definitely do that - from the house to my car and from the car to my work building... ohhh... plus I do walk to the shops to buy my morning coffee AND back! Seriously I do take the stairs but I guess that is not enough.

7. Read and write daily - Need I say more? FB and emails.... surely these counts!

8. Start knitting - Ok, I am stumped... this suggest using both hands to work out both sides of the brain... would typing on normal keyboards AS WELL as typing on those tiny cell/mobile keypads count?

9. Learn a new language - Ok... no sweat... sms/txt talk is a new language. Plus I got this FB buddy [Jovit, you know this is you! Thanks bud, got me going again with my Spanish!] who usually post in Spanish and sometimes in Latin [I kid you not, just add me to your FB and I'll show you! Nosebleed daw.]. And plus those who post/update one another in various Pinoy dialects.

10. Play board games - Ok, I still refuses to accept invite to play Mafia Wars, FarmVille, Mind Jolt, etc. Maybe I should eh? But I do play Spider Solitaire, two suits!

11. Take classes throughout your lifetime - Blog hopping, email forwards, FB updates - if those aren't real life classes, what is? Not to mention Googling and Wiki looky...

12. Listen to classical [and other] music - I got MP3 but not iPod, but my radio is blaring the whole day, tuned to my fav radio station.

13. Learn a musical instrument - Ok, now I need to look for an app online for my hand-me-down Nokia E71, failing that I need to upgrade to an iPhone!

14. Travel - Now, we are talking. I love to travel - most of the time in this virtual world of TV, books and other reading materials and on the net. Occasionally I do get to travel for REAL. I know, a trip to the grocery and mall doesn't count! BUT it could and should; doesn't it?

15. Pray - Ok... mmmm... I think I've done quite a few - especially those who doesn't add me on FB or leave comments on my blog. Plus that difficult photo shots that I really wanted.

16. Learn to meditate - aum...aum... seriously I need to take some time off blogging, FB, emailing, TV, etc. Maybe a quiet time somewhere... communing with nature - with my camera perhaps.

17. Get enough sleep - Now, there's a problem... I am getting old and am wanting to prolong my time by not sleeping!

18. Eat more foods with Omega-3 - Ok, food I love... no problem there.

19. Eat more fruits and vegetables - More food, again no problem with that. Does a schooner of beer counts? Or a glass of wine? They are made from fruit and vegetables you know!

20. Finally - Eat at least one meal a day with family and friends. With a big family and friends, that is not a problem. Actually I am doing that for the last couple of weeks, almost every week there's a birthday in the family, invite from friends and acquiantances for birthdays, anniversaries, etc. even wakes! Again food is not a problem with me, much less eating and enjoying the company of friends and relatives - why do you think I am on FB and Geni?

BB revolution: a remnant message on a hand-me-down phone

" Steps to the train station platform." Nokia E65

"Fellow BB users... I have seen the light and want to bathe in its goodness...

I said to myself today "I can be in the dark no longer for the shadows that hung over the analogue vs 5110 days will surely come to pass again.

I can no longer stand and wait for the other boys to tell me what the live footy scores are on the weekend, I can no longer bare not seeing these scandalous photos of Charles ala Lindsay Lohan self-shots..."

I look at my phone on each of these occasion and the only words I can muster is an incoherent babble "What is this, this what? I can not jiggy with this sh1t!!"

So like a faithful adolescent suicide bomber, I come to join the revolution!

Kind regards,

Gerald"

Winter leaves '09

"Everybody's a photographer these days..."

Samsung F480 mobile phone camera: F/2.83 - brightness -30, contrast +40.

"How often have you heard that lately?

It's a digital age for a digital page.

Log on; blog on; its dog eat dog on -this planet of photography. [Which doesn't have to!]

If it's so available, so common, and apparently so easy, does that mean everyone can be good at it?

Do good tools make good work, or is it the eye behind the mind that is really speaking through the picture in front of us?

What are you saying?

Did you say it first?

Are you saying what someone else said before in a new and refined way?

Are you saying the same old shit as everyone else?

Are you saying nothing, just watching the wheels go around and around?

When you go to places that no one has seen, it opens your eyes.

When you open your eyes to places that people always go, you see a place that is always there but its new again.

When you stare at your computer all day - what does it really do for you?

Get out of your house and go on an adventure.

Shoot film.

Shoot digital.

Shoot yourself.

Shoot something.

[This magazine is printed on PAPER.]

Hopefully it inspires you to take and make some photos of your own."

Words: Mike O'Meally, p12 [Sorry Mike I have to steal these words... so true and so apt!]

State of mind

Sometimes my state of mind reflects my book/magazine purchases... I found these in my local bookstore's sale bin; while not necessarily the latest prints might be good to excellent reads:

Chasing Cool: Standing Out in Today's Cluttered Marketplace by Noah Kerner & Gene Pressman

Indonesia: Countries of the World series [I was eyeing the Morocco one, but someone beat me to it!]

And my favourite find; which I paid full price: Monster Children issue 23.

Aside from Chasing Cool, the other two has lots of pictures... now you know why these reflect my present state of mind/mine! I love gawking at images....

Life of Staff

Sydney Night Life

Kayna and John

Been reading my daily dose of MX... a free paper popular with train citizens...

"Night antics caught on camera by photo collective Hobo Gestapo, a group of friends dedicated to taking snaps of Sydney after dark. And the concept has now gone global"

Carlito said "It started as just a few of us running around Sydney and photographing nightlife and concerts and now it's become a complete documentary chronicle of Sydney."

The collective has expanded to other cities, and there are nine photographers in Melbourne, Brisbane, Paris and New York. "All of our photographers know each other in some way, they're all friends of friends of friends," adds the 25 year old Carlito.

All photos are uploaded as a series on their website: "We like people being able to access our work and it fits in with our belief with copyright... We want people to be able to use our work for free."

Also see Wrigley's website: http://www.5gum.com.au/

Some words/info quoted from MX article by Henry Budd. The photo is mine.

Let me in!

Taken when I attended one of my grandson's first day in school. This toddler looks like she wanted to start school early... can't blame her - with all the fun activities happening around her.

I actually love to shoot candid pictures, mostly of relatives and kids. Partly to record the moment, for I know how fast kids grow and I am sure they appreciate photograps when they were so innocent looking and cuter!

Monkeying around

Just love the antics and the bright red colour background of these kids, who happen to be my grandkids...

Waiting for coffee...

A study on built-in colour swap feature on a Canon IXUS 860 IS, hand held, available light: F/2.8, 1/60 sec.

P 62, par 5 - O Alquimista!

":that there was a language in the world that everyone understood...

"It was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose,

"and as part of a search for something believed in and desired."

"When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it..." - an old King.

St Mary's on scaffolding

Morning walk

On the way to an early morning walk at my local park... a bit cold but not too cold. The scene reminds me of pine trees in Baguio.

[Hand held, available light, a bit of cropping: Canon EOS 450D - F/16 @1/45 sec.]

On the way to...: Hunter Valley Vineyards

On the way to...: Hunter Valley Vineyards

Sign of spring

Taken with my old and trusty Olympus digicam - FE220 [F/3.5, 1/800 sec, focal length 7.4mm] taken last March 2008 at the Hunter Valley NSW. No post manipulation or cropping - no flash, just available light.

This is a favourite hand held shot, really close up of these bees savouring the nectar off these stigma or filaments gathering on the petal. This is actually late summer and not spring [down under this hemisphere!]. But it does evoke spring... I am just harking for this cold weather to go away... and to cycle this weather back to warmer clime!

Here is the original post.

I love this guy...

Photo by Clark Little [as if I can take a photo like this!]. More pictures here.

I meant Clark Little, Hawaiian local, surfer and photographer.

My son-in-law, Charlie; who knew I love photography sent me this email [I am sure it is in the email circuit now...] of several photos of Clark Little, taken mostly on the north shore [Waimea Bay] of the island of Oahu.

This guy loves surfing, and also his wife; who wanted a "nice piece of art" to decorate a wall. Clark grabbed a camera and took some shots while surfing and the rest is history... as we would say.

Here's a Good Morning America interview:

I'll settle for diamonds...

Yes, I didn't win the AU$106 million or so Oz Lotto prize... hence I am back [instead of my ghost writer!], and I am settling for Rob Thomas' "Her Diamonds" from his latest album - "cradlesong"




Rob Thomas Music

My lucky numbers...

These are my lucky numbers that should win me that much coveted and record breaking prize in the local OZ Lottery history: AU$90,000,000 first prize. Yup, that's seven zeroes and I got one chance in 45,000,000!

Hey, you're telling me that money can't buy happiness, love or health. You're right. But it can buy me that much needed freedom to travel and see the world without the much "dreaded" nine to five job [which I do love, in case my boss is reading this!]. It is great to be employed during these hard times but one needs to dream as well of being financially independent and not constrained by a job that one needs to show up five days a week.

Money and millions of it, did not do any good to the likes of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, who both sadly passed away recently due to ill health. Like most things in this world, money [and fame] is a double edged sword... as a Jehovah's Witness phamplet left at my door says, "Does money rules over us?" and not the other way around as it should? Do we forget that money is just a means to a "better" quality of life? Another set of "tools" to leave a better legacy if used properly, to make people discover their best amidsts this material world?

Whatever it is, I will still buy that share of the Oz Lotto dream. Dream and hope what makes us people, or so I philosophize!

Fortunate accident

Who am I fooling? This is no accident but a 2004 installation sculpture by Jimmie Durham called "Still life with car and stone". A not so creative title but the actual installation is remarkable, especially in this roundabout setting in the corner of Hickson Road and Pottinger St:

Street view shot of the roundabout without the sculpture.

You would think that someone or somebody had an accident, but on closer inspection one would see the "face" painted on the boulder, and one would instantly get that it is not an accident but one of those "candid camera" moments... or errr an art installation.

The artist has spoken about this project:

"Like most of my recent work, this piece is concerned with monuments and monumentality, but also with 'nature'; that implacable hard stuff. In the first instance I am using the stone as a tool; to change the shape of an object. But I also, as usual, want to make stone more light, more moveable, even if it is in a fairly horrible way - like a road accident.. I do not think the piece is humorous; even though it turns out to be.

"The kind of face painted on the real version will, of course, depend upon the shape of the stone, but it will in any case be placid, and neither 'realistic' nor cartoon-like. To my way of thinking if the stone is simply a stone without a face it becomes a gesture but with the face painted on it, the work develops a strange narrative.

"Both a performance and an installation, this work reflects the play between nature and culture, technology and organic matter, as well as human life and monumental architecture. This work both explores and questions how familiar objects can be transformed into 'history'."

"He has said about his art - I would like to make work that you would say: "I don't understand. I'm confused now". I not only wish that I am confused, I want you to be confused. Because that is engagement….If we say a certain thing… that is a statement, then we enter into something quite false, theoretically false. And we enter into belief which, I think, is …sin.

"Jimmie Durham wants to remind us that singular or unified viewpoints of our world can result in a complacent mind set."

I've seen this installation way back when, since the Sydney Biennale of 2004 when it was first "installed" at the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. With a relative in town, we somehow "bumped" into it around the Pier One - The Rocks area on a "tourist" walk of the area.

Great to see familiar places and not so familiar installation.

Lower Town on SBS

Another late night movie catched mid-stream or nearly starting. As I researched from the net, this Brazilian movie [in Portuguese of course] is titled Cidade Baixa [Lower City]. A nice little film set in the famous Brazilian favela with an "Abel and Cain" sort of theme - with one of the two main characters white [Deco] and the other black [Naldinho] - so much for colour symbolisms.

Here's a synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes:

"Steamy sex, glistening sweat, dark photography, grungy ghetto colors, and sudden violence pervade this Brazilian feature from director Sergio Machado. Alice Braga (CITY OF GOD) stars as Karinna, a traveling prostitute who trades her favors to lifelong friends Deco (Lazaro Ramos) and Naldinho (Wagner Moura) for a ride back to Salvador on their run down boat. After Deco is almost killed at a cockfight, the three form a temporary menage-a-trois friendship, but the intense love each man feels for Karinna coupled with their homophobic macho wariness threatens to destroy their once unbreakable friendship. The pair starts hanging out at the seedy strip club where she plies her trade, each trying to one up the other, raising money from a life of crime and crooked boxing matches respectively. Machado culls a lot of sweaty atmosphere from his locations and a grimy cast of authentic locals as extras. The three leads ably convey the passion and pain of living in itinerant, eternal adolescence, lost in a glowing fog of cigarette smoke, sex, sweat, and neon, struggling towards some sort of stability in the haze. A big Cannes favorite, the film should please fans of sexy art-house hits like Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN and AMORES PERROS."

Another movie review aside from the above can be found here. But I usually watch the movie first and read the reviews. For the filmography, see IMDb here. The release date is 2005 in IMDb under Lower City, while on SBS - the Australian release date is 2006 - Lower Town.

A nice little movie that seems to capture what life in a favela is like - or so what I know from movies of the same genre. The twist is less violence and more romantic interaction worth watching till 1 AM.

[Photo credit: IMDb]

Free Spirits A(r)t Play in Singapore: 5 June-7 July

Fellow blogger, artist, environmental advocate and entrepreneur; Bernadette Solina-Wolf won one of six berths to exhibit her art works at the prestigious Art Place of the Royal Plaza on Scotts, Singapore from June 5 to July 7, 2009.

The more than month long exhibition is dubbed: Free Spirits A(r)t Play and features another top five other Filipino illustrators - Frances Alcaraz, Beth Parrocha-Doctolero, Paul Eric Roca, Ferdinand Doctolero and Robert Alejandro. They will be exhibiting their take on "colourful and surreal" book-like illustrations, as all of them are at one time or another had a hand in illustrating books.

The exhibition is in conjunction with Singapore-Philippine based art eventologist, Art Sentral Asia.

Congratulations to all artists, especially of course to Bernadette - well done!

A page in history...

Found in a Montana History book [which I received via email]:

"If you were around in 1919 [just before prohibition started] and came upon the following poster...

I mean seriously, would you quit drinking?"

Thanks to Ed M for the email.

Drive by shooting

It's been raining lately... I guess good for the garden as well as raising the water dam a few more inches but bad for taking pictures. I did managed to get out last Saturday early morning to get a couple of shots along a stretch of road I drive by every morning to work.

There are times, when I pass by this road that the light is just perfect, the clouds and the sun rising without that harsh tint. But on the rush to get to work and the cars whizzing by, I just can't stop and shoot, can I?

Sometimes I do this "drive by" shooting but most of the time the results are not good. It does not even capture "the moment" if there is one! All those beautiful images filed in my brain's subconcious... too bad I can't share them with you. Not only I can't take photos that well, I can't write that well to describe them to you in detail.

I guess I need to take more pictures [practice makes perfect, right?] and stop making excuses.

------------------------

I am watching a TV show, discussing what body parts we can do without:

Coccyx - they reckon that is our tail bone when we were crawling on all fours.

Appendix - not the index or anything referring to books but the vermiform one, a small sack connected to our colon. It was said that when we were munching grass, it helps to digest them; but when we became meat eaters the function was no longer required.

Wisdom teeth - just extra teeth that we don't need and for some, might require removal.

and the men's nipples - you guess right, we don't lactate but why the nipples; maybe so we can put nipple rings on them!

I though you might be interested - otherwise continue your bloghopping or whatever you're doing.

Astronautas on SBS

I love watching foreign films, which usually airs on SBS [with English subtitles, for I am no linguist]. Caught this Spanish "Lolita" film mid-screening and curiously caught my attention. Have you seen this film? I'll try to catch it again in full next time. Slept at 3 AM...

Astronautas [Astronauts]

"This unconventional, visually inventive film tells the story of the odd detoxification process of a middle-aged heroin addict, Daniel [Nacho Novo], who has been advised by his psychiatrist to follow a ten-point programme designed to reintegrate him into ''normal life''. His rehabilitation will depend on the help of teenager Laura [Teresa Hurtado], who enters his life by chance, and with whom an unlikely and touching love story unfolds."

Director/Writer: Santi Amodeo
Year made: 2003
Format: DVD
Duration: - 86 min







More review:

"Astronautas comes from Spanish director Santi Amodeo, who attended the film and gave a Q&A session after the film.


The title of the movie refers to someone who may have all the comforts of modern life, but remains disconnected from his environment. Daniel (played by Nancho Novo) is such a person. A former heroin addict, Daniel is working through a decalogue, or 10-step recovery program. As part of his therapy, he is renovating his apartment, which in itself is a metaphor for the rebuilding of his life.


One day Daniel finds a teenage girl (Teresa Hurtado) waiting outside the door of his neighbour's abandoned apartment, who turns out to be his neighbour's younger sister. He gradually admits her into his life, and in the process, she affects and changes him. Astronautas was not quite as comedic as I assumed from the festival guide description, but was rather a dramatic story with lighter moments and surreal animated segments seeded throughout.


I enjoyed the movie quite a bit, and it provided a different view of a subject tackled by another film at this year's festival, Clean, with Nick Nolte and Maggie Cheung. Both movies had at their core the story of a heroin addict trying to get their life back on track, but each told their tale in a unique way.



Some tidbits from the Q&A:


- This was his first solo directing effort. His two previous films, The Pilgrim Factor and Bancos were co-directed with Alberto Rodriguez.

- The animated interludes throughout the movie reflect Daniel's personal reality.

- The people with bowling balls for heads in the animated segments come from the animator on the film, who was asked by Amodeo to come up with a prototype of man.

- When Laura removes paper cutouts of bowling balls from a drawer in the apartment, it represents her taking out Daniel's life from the drawer into the real world."


I am looking still for this ten-point programme, it may help me to combat my blogging addiction.

Sunday is much better...

I hope everyone had a good weekend - especially for those who celebrated Mother's Day with their loved ones.

With the financial crisis, newspapers [and internet sites] are awashed with what we should give to our mothers as gifts. For me, the best one is to spent some time with my mother [and relatives and friends, an excellent excuse to party and socialize] and treat the day as a special way to connect with her.

Admittedly, I don't have any material gift to my mom. It is a bit difficult to buy her something at age nearing 90! I know she still loves to read books, so maybe a couple of "choice" books would be more than appropriate and much appreciated.

Photo above right is one of flowers from an unnamed plant given as a gift. I find that very popular nowadays to give living plants or flowering plants [on a real pot!]. It is so practical as it won't wilt in a couple of days and with care, can be enjoyed years and years... now that is a good idea.

I guess that is why I didn't give mum a gift this Mother's day, the potted plant I gave her a few years back is still alive and well and keeps flowering. I know I am a cheapskate... but I do love her to death and I am not saying that because it is Mother's day.

Dissapointed@Friday

This IS a rant - just a fair warning to all.

I was offered an "exclusive Samsung clearance sale" for a plasma TV model PS50A750 [Series 7] for a rock bottom price of AU$1,700.00. I said to myself this is too good to be true, but because I enjoy watching TV I consented to have my name and details included in the "list".

Great. Waiting... waiting and finally today I got a call from Lauren from Samsung Store telling me [surprise, surprise] that they don't have enough plasma TV of the one being offered at that wonderful price. But... wait, they have some "others" [to read older and crap models] on offer:

"Could I be interested in a Series 5 Samsung 50 inch at the incredible price of just AU$2,500.00? Or how about still a Samsung Series 4 PS50B450 for AU$1,650.00?" GST included.

I said I have to call back or email her manager Henry. Obviously I need to check the specs of the ones being offered before committing my hard earned money. My suspicion was right [I am a suspicious person], the models were older and overpriced as far as I am is concerned.

Shoot an email to Henry to ask how many of the "exclusive Samsung TV" was sold. At least I have the right to know how many were really on offer... I am still waiting. I called Flinton [another person who wants this "exclusive offer"] and surprise, surprise he also missed out!

At the moment, I still have this old Samsung projection TV that my daughter was waiting for me to give to her as a second TV for the kids.

I am sorry to say that I need to spread around dissapointments: where else will I watch my food and travel shows?

Picture above represent my very dissapointed and somewhat angry demeanour... but the good news is I am saving AU$1,700.00! Not the end of the world, and not world peace taken out of my claws... just a f**king 50 inch plasma TV, full 1980X1080 high definition, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 1,300cd/sq metre brightness, ultra bright, DNle Pro, digital noise reduction, over 175 deg viewing angle, ultra filter bright, 18 bit natural true colour, 262, 144 gray level gradation, cinema progressive film mode, 3D digital comb filter, low noise amplifier, movie plus, down firing speakers, 2 component inputs, 4 HDMIs, 1 PC input, 1 S-Video, USB wiselink, picture in picture, build in digital tuner, anti burn in technology, anynet technology, teletext, multi system [NTSC, PAL, SECAM], OSD language, blah, blah, blah... but why on Friday?

Now what would I give my wife for Mother's Day? Damn you Samsung Store!

My breakfast after the breakfasts...

after the kids finishes off these two toasted cheese sandwiches.

Maybe it is the financial crisis; or maybe I am just too "concerned" throwing away these remnants. Sayang!

See here what we had on Good Friday.

Message sticks

Samson & Delilah is screening on opening night of the Message Sticks Film Festival at the Sydney Opera House on May 7th, and will release in cinemas in Sydney the next day.

Other capital cities in Australia will open on May 7th.

Visit the Sydney Opera House and Message Sticks Film Festival website here.

Samson and Delilah (2009)

Forget Baz Luhrmann's epic "Australia" and watch for this film by Warwick Thornton - I will.

That is the sad part. We want more "indie" films but at times we don't want to support them by watching or buying [as opposed to downloading on the net for free] the DVD. But there are some independent films [or "art films"] that are not available on DVDs - or due to the low demand makes the DVDs too expensive. I would like to see these films distributed on DVD like most commercial films, and I am sure a lot of people will be buying them. I could be wrong but if pirated movies can be had, I am sure an indie film can be mass produced and made availbale online stores.

Anyway, I'll watch out for the screening of Samson and Delilah this May 7.

If you can't wait, see review here by Matt Ravier and the filmography here by IMDb.

I am a twit

At first I though Twitter is for twits, at least that's my initial reaction. Who would want to get updated on what people are doing every minute of the day? Are you people don't have any REAL life to live? Do you want to know if I am sitting my ass in the toilet? I guess not!

My daughter upgraded her Nokia E63 phone to the new fangled Blackberry - and she got hooked on Twitter like a druggo. I said; with three young kids, aren't you busy enough? I don't know exactly what is the charm of high end mobile phones and Twitter, I myself am "addicted" to my Canon DSLR camera [or so my wifey tells me].

Now I know what Twitter is good for: KogiBBQ. If you haven't heard of this site and service in the US, this is what they do - they travel around LA with two Taco trucks serving this fusion Korean BBQ and Tacos [what else?] and more. If you're one those late night people and you're hungry and craving for Korean Taco BBQ you've got to follow them on Twitter. They'll tell you on which particular location and time they will be.

Isn't that great? The genius who though of this will be the next Bill Gates [maybe, but not quite]. This the beauty of this business, low overhead [no rent to pay for retail shops] and a rabid follower of Twits.

Now that is a Twitter I'll follow anytime. Would love to see them here in Sydney - maybe Harry's Cafe de Wheels on Twitter running around Sydney suburbs selling their famous pies. Or better still "Pub on Wheels", now that's my idea. If only I can convince the liquor licence guys to give me the necessary papers!

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After writing this post I saw this article. Like the author, I loathe so-called "reality" TV. They are more like fake and manufactured TV for those who don't have a real life. Sorry...

Twit: British and Australian slang for an insignificant, foolish or annoying person.

Poop scoop

Aiyee's [5 years old] rendition of Jake Long.

"Nowadays, anything can be art. You could scoop the poop of your next-door neighbour’s mutt and watch the art geeks go “ahh”, but when you look at this Fil-Aussie’s canvas creations , you’re experiencing art at it’s most raw-and most-sincere form. Forget theory; forget composition; forget deconstruction and all the other terms the learned brandy about in the hopes of catching the afterglow of true creation. Millie’s searing strokes, spilt paint, graffiti inspired figures, and emotional scribbles are it."

I love this quote I came across via Wanjam's multiply site, and led me to Millie's multiply. You can't argue with this statement. For most of us, artist wanna be; there is one criteria to take to heart - if it looks good, it must be art. Even a five-year old drawing.

Easter Monday 2009

When I first moved in this country [Australia] I have not heard of Easter Monday, for most Filipinos Easter Sunday is the pinnacle of the Lent period or what is the shorter period we call "Holy Week". In Australia, Easter Monday is a continuation - a rest day after the always busy day of Easter Sunday; of the long weekend wherein families drive back from their holiday vacations.

In other cultures and in other countries, Mondays after Easter Sunday are known as Dyngus Day or Wet Monday, Bright or Renewal Monday; and in Egypt, Sham El Assim [literally to mean "smelling of the air"] which is celebrated on the Coptic Easter Monday which dates back to Pharonic times [about 2700 BC].

As in Egypt, most Australians celebrate "Easter Monday" more as a secular holiday culminating the four day weekend. Most Aussies goes into a long weekend vacation, camping, fishing, watching sporting matches, etc.

Invariably, appearance of hot cross buns and egg shaped chocolates wrapped in colourful wrappers, [such as the ones pictured above]; as well as chocolate bunnies in supermarkets herald the Australian Easter period. Most of these symbolisms are pagan in nature and pre-dates Christian era. Most are interwoven into Christian celebration such as Easter; and in Australia, it looks like they came in full circle.

While walking along the beach....

"Charlie Loves Rea"

One early morning, while on holidays in Hawaii late last year; my daughter, Rea went for a walk in the beach with hubby, Charlie and wrote something in the sand...

Support Earth Hour 2009: Top 10 Things to do

Please support by turning off non-essential electronic and electrical equipment in your home and place of business. Better still on Friday, 27 March before going home; turn off all non-essential equipment at work!

This is on this Saturday, 28 March 2009 between 8:30 to 9:30 PM [your local time].

Suggested things to do:

1. Have that romantic candle lit dinner with your partner and/or family and friends.
2. Have a game board bonding with the kids.
3. If you play any non electronic/electrical musical instrument, have a sing-along with family and friends.
4. Have your evening walk, jog or biking coincide with Earth Hour.
5. Have a conversation about anything and everything. When was the last time you had a decent conversation?
6. Meditate and do Yoga with your Zen master.
7. Have a social drink of your favourite wine or beer with friends.
8. I am running out of ideas, do nothing!
9. Sleep early.
10. And if you don't want to sleep early, do something else with your partner... [wink, wink].

But whatever you do, turn off those lights!