Thy Womb

To film addicts, have you seen Thy Womb? A film about a Badjao midwife’s quest to find her husband a second wife who can bear him a child. Nora Aunor and Brillante Mendoza were named MMFF Best Actress and Best Director, respectively But their film was inexplicably snubbed for the Best Picture prize despite winning five other awards perhaps due to poor boxoffice tickets sales. Well, art is obviously different from profits.

New Year countdown 3 days to go!

New Year countdown 3 days toi go! "Be at war with your vices; at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man."  Benjamin Franklin

Panagbenga 2013 Schedule

Panagbenga 2013 Schedule

 

 

Niños Inocentes

  Niños Inocentes is celebrated by some people in the Philippines like April Fools' Day ("inocente" has the connotation of gullibility). Pranksters play tricks like borrowing money without the intention of paying back.

Niños Inocentes is a Christmas tradition celebrated every 28th of December in the Philippines, and celebrated in other countries as the Holy Innocents' Day or Childermas. It commemorates the innocent male infants and boys under two years of age who were killed by order of King Herod of Judea, seeking Jesus Christ's death. This horrible occurrence took place two years following the Magi's sighting of the Star of Bethlehem. King Herod made this order as soon as he realized that he was deceived by the Three Kings whom he asked to lead him to the Messiah. He wanted to kill the Infant Jesus, whom he considered a threat to his throne (Matthew 2:16-18). Not knowing where to find Jesus, he ordered the killing of all boys under two years old. Jesus was spared because the Holy Family had fled to Egypt before the massacre was carried out.

New Year countdown: 7 days to go!

New Year countdown: 7 days to go! "Be at War with your Vices, at Peace with your Neighbours, and let every New-Year find you a better Man. " Benjamin Franklin's 1755 Poor Richard's Almanac, December

MMFF topgrosser loophole

FYI MMFF data: in metro manila 300 plus theaters were raffled equals to 44 theaters each for the 8 official movie entries to balance the combination of theaters but free booking for additional theaters (palakasan system) in the provinces which is not officially included but 8 movie entries have a nationwide simultaneous showing to avoid piracy. take note of this unfair total breakdown of theaters for each film entry: agimat- 130, sisteraka-130, shake-70, one more try-60, el pres-51, thy womb-43, saucy p-40, strangers-40. the top grosser movie announcement on december 26 will be an unfair judgement for the six other movies who got only less than 80 theaters each. mmff should change this unfair system. please pass to concerned media groups. (Posted in Cinephiles)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas ! "Let us ask the Lord that we may become vigilant for his presence, that we may hear how softly yet insistently he knocks at the door of our being and willing." Pope Benedict

Christmas countdown: 1 day to go!

Christmas countdown: 1 day to go! The gift of love. The gift of peace. The gift of happiness. May all these be yours at Christmas.

Christmas Countdown: 2 days to go!

Christmas Countdown: 2 days to go! May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!

Christmas countdown: 3 days to go!

Christmas countdown: 3 days to go! The gift of love, the gift of peace The gift of happiness... May these be yours at Christmas

Tree-toads and Frogs In Ancient Maya Art

Tree-toads and Frogs In Ancient Maya Art

Some glyphs from "Animal Figures in the Maya Codices", by Alfred M. Tozzer and Glover M. Allen.
A frog: (his necklace of circles indicates water drops)

and the tree-toad-style god:


Tozzer and Glover point out that Uo means frog in the Mayan language and Uo is a month on the Maya calendar that comes at the rainy season. The tree-toad finds pools of water at the beginning of the rainy season, breeds, and makes a loud racket. For that reason, this god is associated with bringing rain and with agriculture. It's easy for us in 2009 to chalk this 'god' stuff up to silly superstition - we would feel differently though, if we lived in Mexico in 200 AD. If it had been dry for months, the food was running out, the children were hungry, the ground was parched. We'd be doing rituals for the tree-frog god. What can we do for you, tree-frog god?!

12-21-12 : a day to remember

Whether or not the Mayans are correct, 12-21-12 is a very significant day. Of all the numbers available, they chose a date when i first saw the light more than four decades ago and made many people smile . My wish: i can still feel my family's and friends' presence via FB the day after, Dec.22. Before we all disappear, let me greet you with a hug and say " WORLD PEACE" Let us leap together for a blissful future- As Oprah Winfrey would say: "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough". To those who became part of my more than four decades of wonderful existence, the frog prince gives homage to you.http://kapitankokak.blogspot.com/2010/12/life-starts-at-forty.html

Christmas countdown: 5 days to go!

Christmas countdown: 5 days to go! "The holidays stress people out so much. I suggest you keep it simple and try to have as much fun as you can."Giada De Laurentiis

Christmas Countdown: 6 days to go!

Christmas Countdown: 6 days to go! "Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas."  Dale Evans

Christmas countdown: 7 days to go!

Christmas countdown: 7 days to go! "The only blind person at Christmas time is he who has not Christmas in his heart."- Helen Keller

Christmas Countdown: 8 days to go !

Christmas Countdown: 8 days to go ! “Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.”― Mary Ellen Chase

Christmas Countdown: 9 days to go!

Christmas Countdown: 9 days to go! "Joy resounds in the hearts of those who believe in the miracle of Christmas!Wishing you all the peace, joy, and love of the season! Season's Greetings!"

Christmas countdown: 11 days to go!

Christmas countdown: 11 days to go! “Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ”― Norman Vincent Peale

Christmas countdown: 12 days to go!

Christmas countdown: 12 days to go!
"Peace on earth will come to stay, When we live Christmas every day ".Helen Steiner Rice

12-12-12: a date to remember

Today's date, 12/12/12, is considered auspicious by some, doomed by others, and just plain easy to remember by many.

Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012 - 12/12/12 - is the last triple-digit date alignment until Jan. 1, 2101. There will be other interesting dates, of course, but none quite as aesthetically pleasing as 12/12/12, at least not for the next century or so.

The number certainly holds significance in human existence through the millennia: 

12 hours of day and night, 

12 months in the year in the Roman calendar, 

12 signs of the Zodiac, 

12 Apostles hand-picked by Jesus to spread his word. , 

12 days of Christmas, 

12 tribes of Israel  named for the sons of Jacob.

12 gods of Olympus,

12 old testament prophets... you get the idea.

12 people in a jury

12 labors or tasks must be completed by Hercules

12 hours how the Egyptians divided the day: 10 for daylight and one each for dawn and dusk.

12 considered a "three" number because the digits add up to three — corresponds with the largest planet, Jupiter (to the sun's No. 1 and the moon's No. 2), which means wealth.

 Mathematics fanatics are excited by the sheer number of ways the number 12 can be divided: halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, and twelfths.The number 12 is easily divided by 2, 3, 4, and 6  making it one of the easiest low numbers to work with and separate into groups,

 The number 12 brings harmony to the yin and yang of Chinese numerology: The number 1 is a yang number ruled by the sun, while 2 is a yin number ruled by the moon

 We group many things - baked goods, cans of beer, roses, the hours of the day - into sets of 12.

 In the Judeo-Christian tradition, it represents the product of three - symbolizing divinity (Holy Trinity, three classes of ancient Jews) - and four - symbolizing the earth (four directions, four seasons).

Doomsday diehards

However, many doomsdayers believe the date 12/12/12 heralds the end of the world, mainly owing to an interpretation of the Mayan calendar.

More pedantic believers in the end-of-the-world, meantime, are convinced that the actual doomsday is on 12/21/12, when the Mayan calendar is set to end.

Christmas countdown: 14 days to go!

Christmas countdown: 14 days to go! “Remember, if Christmas isn't found in your heart, you won't find it under a tree.”― Charlotte Carpenter

Christmas Countdown: December 10, 15 days to go!

Christmas Countdown: 15 days to go! “When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things - not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness."― Bob Hope

Happy birthday, december

Happy birthday to all December birthday celebrants. Ophiuchus: Dec1- Dec. 17 .. Sagittarius: Dec. 17 - Dec31. One of seven months with the length of 31 days. It starts on the same day of the week as September every year and ends on the same day as April every year. birthstones are the blue turquoise or zircon, and tanzanite. birth flower is the holly or poinsettia.Please indicate your birthdate