May lakad (will wander) is an animation that shows the different walks of life, may it be love, career or dreams. It was a finalist in Animahenasyon 2007 Festival. It was also featured in a local TV show, where I was interviewed! Yay!
The models were real life pinoy street children, except for one. The child at the bottom was taken after a famous photograph by Kevin Carter, but it was a vulture waiting instead of a cat. This was just one of the stories behind it.
The painter, Joey Velasco, didn’t have any formal education in the arts. He started out as a seminarian, but it didn’t work out. Then he studied law but dropped out later. He then took on his family’s upholstery business and there, it seemed, he found his calling. He became a successful entrepreneur, made tons of money, bought a lot of things, played golf everyday. Life was good for him, until he was diagnosed with a serious illness in 2005.
Doctors found a tumor in his kidney. He had to undergo an operation where his left kidney was removed. He sank into a deep depression and refused to come out of their guest room. In an interview with Probe Profiles, he said that he felt his life at a standstill and the world is moving on without him. He did not know what to do with himself.
As the saying goes, the darkest hour is just before dawn. Alone (and bored) in the room, he began sketching. He documented his emotions and ideas on paper. It sparked a new kind of interest. He started to paint. He researched and tried to learn more about the arts, and it was at this time that he conceptualized “Hapag ng Pag-asa”.
His basic goal was to teach his children the value of food. He set out and gave pansit (noodles) to street children and photographed them eating it. They thought he was a politician because he was giving out food. Once he had his twelve, he began the work. It took him about a month and a half to finish.
The painting was a hit. People were surprised that it was done by someone who was just starting to learn the discipline. A lot of them were moved and wanted to donate. Joey approached Gawad Kalinga to ask for help on building houses for his models. He provided them with shelter and even gave money for school supplies. He visited them often, and through them he found his meaning.
“There’s something beyond this flat canvas.”, he said.
When the houses were built, he did another painting of them called “Hapag ng Pag-ibig” (Table of Love).
A rich philanthropist once approached him to buy the painting. Joey agreed and they planned on putting it in a museum. He told this to his family and they gave their consent. But later in the day, Joey received a letter from his eldest son, asking him if he could buy the painting instead, and his payment? The promise that he will grow up to be a good man. It was a done deal.
Joey passed away last July 20. He was once asked if he ever thought of death and he said, “everyday, every stroke, every time I paint, I always think of death”. His thoughts of dying led him to live, and because of it he saved other lives and inspired many of us. Hapag ng Pag-asa was his most well-known piece, an incredible painting done by a man, but beyond the flat canvas is a more complex masterpiece that only God can create.
Doctors told her she would never give birth. She only had one ovary and it was possibly polycystic, but life proved once again that we should never say never.
Last June 6, Lisa Witchalls was admitted at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, Essex. She had severe stomach pains and a watery discharge, which she thought came from an ulcer that ruptured. It did not. Medics performed two pregnancy tests on her and both resulted positive. Her water just broke and she was having contractions. They immediately transferred her to the maternity ward.
“I didn’t have any morning sickness, any cravings, any swollen ankles or heartburn and I didn’t feel anything.”, Lisa says. “I thought that it could not happen because if a doctor tells you that you cannot have kids you do not question it.”
She was on labor for 27 hours until doctors decided to give her a Caesarean section. She gave birth to a healthy baby boy, weighing 7 lbs 4 oz. They named him Reece.
“I was just in shock and I just could not believe that he was mine. To go into hospital thinking it was an ulcer and to come out a week later with a baby is really crazy.”, she says.
Deep in the Arctic, carved inside a stone mountain, lies the Doomsday Vault. It’s a locked, airtight structure that contains something more precious than money or gold. It carries seeds. Half a million variety of crops from different countries all over the world. It’s our safety deposit box against climate change, wars or any catastrophes.
Last week, several chili pepper seeds like, Wenk’s Yellow Hots, Pico de Gallos (this a common ingredient in salsa) and San Juan Tsile were added to the collection. They were delivered by a delegation of US Senators.
“The journey of the chili pepper from the indigenous cultures of the Americas to its current status as an essential ingredient in many Indian and Asian cuisines is a marvelous example of the global disbursement of agricultural diversity,” Senator Tom Udall said. “I’m very pleased that we are saving one of New Mexico’s most famous and most delicious crops in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.”
Besides chili, they also brought other seeds like peanuts and melons. There is now approximately 250 million seeds in the vault, with each variety having 500 seeds. Check out their database here. We can expect that number to grow in the future, but I hope we don’t have use them anytime soon.
Magic tricks can also bring forth true miracles. The skill and practice required for the perfect sleight of hand are the same set of exercises needed by patients recovering from physical disabilities. This is the heart of Project Magic, a therapy program conceived by illusionist David Copperfield.
In 1982, he presented the concept to the Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital. They liked the idea, so he began developing the program with Julie Dunlap, the assistant director of Occupational Therapy. They created tricks that can help in rehabilitation of patients and got volunteer magicians working with occupational therapists in teaching them.
The magicians also gave a lesson on performance, like how to have the proper stage presence and the art of misdirection. Soon, they found that the program has an unexpected benefit, performing the tricks gave patients self-confidence and the motivation to work harder.
According to David, “Project Magic is presently employed in hundreds of hospitals throughout the world. I am pleased to say that the American Occupational Therapist Association has endorsed this program as being an authentic therapeutic tool.”
Here’s a website that has tricks from Project Magic available for download. Just click here. Each trick contains goals and emphasis for Occupational Therapy to aid your session.
Crematoriums in Sweden found a sustainable way to cut costs and be environmentally-friendly. After cremating a body, they will be reusing the exhaust produced to keep their building warm, instead of releasing it out into the air. They are also planning to expand and use the energy for homes as well, making them a crematorium power station. It’s a controversial idea but certainly not a bad one (for me at least!).
Aside from human corpses, they have also turned on stray rabbits as energy source. These animals overpopulate some their parks and destroy plants and trees. Thousands are killed each year. So what they do is they bring these dead rabbits to a heating plant to be cremated. The heat is then redirected to the homes in Värmland, Sweden.
Aside from rabbits, other animal carcasses and wastes are used to produce energy. They call this fuel, Biomal. Here’s a simple chart I got from treehugger that shows the process:
From Biomal.com: “..The raw material is just crushed and grinded and then pumped to a fluidised bed boiler where it is co-combusted together with a base fuel such as wood chips, peat or municipal waste. Energy is recovered from the animal by-products by producing renewable heat and electricity and the net outcome of energy is considerably increased.”
Recently, Taiwan also adopted the cremation idea. Instead of heating though, Taipei Mortuary Services Office will be using it to power the air-conditioning system of their receiving area and possibly the lighting system of their building.
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle’s flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew his masterpiece was complete,
And so, he called it
Dad.
~unknown
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
Last Saturday, June 12, was our country’s Independence Day. I wasn’t able to watch the festivities but there’s one surprise I did enjoy: the free rides given to commuters by the MRT and LRT!
I had to go to several places that day so it was a big help to me. Everywhere I went they had the flag displayed. Interesting fact: Because of its design, only the Philippine flag, when raised upside down (red over blue stripe), can function as a distress signal or an indication that we’re in a state of war.
Flags are fascinating. There’s so much history and meaning behind them. Take the flag of Mozambique, the only one in the world that features a modern weapon, an AK-47.It represents defense and vigilance, which is possibly a reflection of the 15-year civil war in the country that started in 1977 and ended in 1992.
The one flag that intrigues me is Nepal’s. I read that the reason for its shape is because it symbolizes the Himalaya Mountains and a Pagoda– put a mirror next to it and you’ll see.
When I was in school, we celebrated United Nations Day by creating flags, one country per class, one flag per student. Afterwards, we displayed them outside the classroom. I remember wishing that we’d get Japan or Libya so it would be easy to make, just get a green art paper and that’s it!
Now, I know that the reason behind the color green is Libya’s devotion to Islam, which has green as its traditional color. Japan’s red disc is the sun, a common Japanese symbol that started during the time of daimyos and samurais, and it is also believed that the imperial throne originated from Amaterasu, the sun goddess.
In 1849, a strange boy was born in China. His family thought he was a demon; his whole body was covered with hair. Scared of their offspring, his parents left him in a nearby forest. This unfortunate act turned out to be the key to an extraordinary life. A monk discovered the baby and brought him to the Fukien Shaolin Temple.
The monks named him T’ai Djin. Right from the start, the discipline and ideals of the temple was instilled in his young mind. He grew up, devoted to studying each branch of the Shaolin system with Fukien masters. He became an expert of each– no one at that time has achieved such knowledge. Soon, he earned the title “Su Kong” or Grandmaster.
He became a teacher himself, and passed his wisdom & skills to many others. One of his students became the next grandmaster of Shaolin Do, Ie Chang Ming. He died in 1928 at the age of 79.
the Find
An original 1776 print of the American Declaration of Independence
the Lucky
An unidentified financial analyst from Philadelphia
the Place and the Time
A flea market in Adamstown, Pennsylvania. 1989.
How in the world!?
The document was folded inside an old painting, between the canvas and wood backing. The buyer bought the painting for $4, because he liked the frame. When he tried to remove the picture, the frame broke and the rest.. is history.
His discovery is one of the very first 500 copies printed by John Dunlap in 1776. Today, there are only 27 in existence and this one was found to be in good condition. It was auctioned for $2.42 million at Sotheby’s.
I think I’m the last netizen to know about Google’s Pac-Man interactive logo.
I woke up today and read some updates about it on Facebook. Then I spent most of the morning playing– very productive. Good thing it’s weekend here. I read some companies temporarily blocked Google last Friday because people can’t resist playing.
When the game’s over, Google automatically redirects you to the search results for “PAC-MAN 30th Anniversary”. I read on and got to know Pac-Man better:
His son’s girlfriend is a ghost monster
His prehistoric ancestors were the Neander-pac. They were shaped like cubes.
Doctors told her she would never give birth. She only had one ovary and it was possibly polycystic, but life proved once again that we should never say never.
I had to go to several places that day so it was a big help to me. Everywhere I went they had the flag displayed. Interesting fact: Because of its design, only the Philippine flag, when raised upside down (red over blue stripe), can function as a distress signal or an indication that we’re in a state of war.
Flags are fascinating. There’s so much history and meaning behind them. Take the flag of Mozambique, the only one in the world that features a modern weapon, an AK-47.It represents defense and vigilance, which is possibly a reflection of the 15-year civil war in the country that started in 1977 and ended in 1992.
The one flag that intrigues me is Nepal’s. I read that the reason for its shape is because it symbolizes the Himalaya Mountains and a Pagoda– put a mirror next to it and you’ll see.
When I was in school, we celebrated United Nations Day by creating flags, one country per class, one flag per student. Afterwards, we displayed them outside the classroom. I remember wishing that we’d get Japan or Libya so it would be easy to make, just get a green art paper and that’s it!
Now, I know that the reason behind the color green is Libya’s devotion to Islam, which has green as its traditional color. Japan’s red disc is the sun, a common Japanese symbol that started during the time of daimyos and samurais, and it is also believed that the imperial throne originated from Amaterasu, the sun goddess.
