The thought that the world will end scares me; well I think all of us do. It’s a “fact” that we must all know and I think, also admit. Honestly, I don’t wanna give my own version of ending the world, but for the sake of giving an example, I’d like the end of the world to be something caused by water, I don’t like explosions, fires, earthquake and falling buildings. I want the end of the world to be calm (as if that’s possible). Maybe just like in Noah’s Arc, where it rained 40days and 40nights; so it’ll put the entire city underwater. I know my example is kinda lame; I just don’t like the idea of ending the world, I get too stressed just by thinking about it. I hope I got my answer right for the first question.
Movies today sort of depict reality, but they tend to over do it that’s why people say what happens in movies stays in the movies, but what really movies are made up of, are just reflections of what’s happening around us now. I think Technology will be one of big causes of the end of the world. We keep on complaining that God hates us ‘cause of the weather and catastrophes, but we humans and the technology we brought to this world are the primary cause of it. For example, Global Warming (if worsen, I do believe that this may also cause the end of the world), today we keep on experiencing this weird sudden change of climate and extreme heat, if our ozone layers’ state worsen by the intense emission of CFCs, then maybe sunlight will be our greatest fear, ‘cause there’ll be nothing protecting us from the harmful rays; the earth will lose it’s shield from foreign objects from outer space. Our technology harms the environment, which leads to global warming, if we start now and innovate on things that will help and fix the situation right now, we might actually prevent the end of the world (I think haha).
So my blog is a bit short. I’m just not comfortable with the topic, I don’t want the world to end. Let’s all save mother earth J
So the first one is Cylopia - a birth defect of having only one eye, because during pregnancy, doesn’t allow the orbits of the eyes to separate into two cavities. According to the article chances of survival for the infant is little. This is the first time I heard about this "mutation" maybe because not many survived when born :(
Next is Tree Man. Okay now I heard about this one and saw it on Ripley's believe it or not I think. It's a rare case of this man growing huge warts and his hands and feet looks like tree branches. The said cause of this disease is HPV virus that can either cause cancer or grow warts on skin. I feel bad for the guy, 'cause I'm sure he didn't get to have a normal life because of this "mutation"
Third, Mermaid and Werewolf Syndrome, like the Tree Man, I've also heard about this one, where the feet is under-developed and wasn't able to separate at infancy, which makes the legs looks like a mermaid's tail. Now a days for someone to have this "mutation", doctors are now able to operate and separate the legs, but the patient has to go under therapy to somehow have a normale life :) The Werewolf Syndrome I also saw this in Ripley's, when someone grows a substantial amount of hair all over the body which eventually resembles a werewolf. This is also caused by a birth defect.
Gigantism and Dwarfism. By the name itself we already know what time of mutation are these. First is Gigantism, where someone grows EXTREMELY in height, oh yeah! talk about reaching for the skies haha. Last is Dwarfism, where can be described as person that is less than 4 feet 10 inches tall. Oh a Filipino holds the record for the shortest man alive lol I just have to share that :)
Despite these abnormalities, differences we are all normal in the eyes of God, there's a reason and purpose why these things are happening, it's just up to us to find out and understand and not to judge someone by the cover.
Robot teachers.. hmmm well I’ve always imagined life with robots - how would life be if robots exists amongst us. Come to think of it, it’s actually happening right now, with all the advancements and the technology that keeps on innovating, it’s sometimes hard to keep track with all the “futuristic” gadgets, so to speak, right now. But what I’m afraid of, is that when human touch will be gone and these robots will take over our jobs.
In Korea, there’s this Robot Teachers where they teach children english through telepresence - teachers from the philippines and linked to this machine to where they can see and talk to the students live (you can read the article here: http://singularityhub.com/2011/01/03/south-korea%E2%80%99s-robot-teachers-to-test-telepresence-tools-in-the-new-year/ ).
My reaction? well it’s good to hear and see the advancements now a days, I’m happy that there are innovations that can help lessen the “burden” on humans when it comes to teaching, BUT the difference of having robots/telepresenced over actual human teachers, is that it’ll lack human touch and participation, I mean the actual conversation, etc. though there are teachers present in the classroom, but just to look over the kids and not to teach.
The concept, technology wise and all is good, it helps also the filipino teachers to earn extra income, help teachers etc. so basically it’s good. but my only concern is that the kids might lose the human contact, touch and most of all the emotion of what education really is.
So in the excerpt, it classified 3 categories of man and how, I’m not quite sure If I understood it correctly, but here it goes... So I’ll give three types of man - a Soldier, a Politician and an Artist.
These three are different from one another, they’re all different from one another and they serve a different purpose in society.
First is the Soldier, from the three, they’re the most valuable and yet they’re just taken for granted. “...they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones” no matter how these people work and risk their lives for the country or for those they’re fighting for, what these people get in return is still not enough and sometimes they die in vain. Just like here in the Philippines, many soldiers die in battle and yet they’re not given praise or any recognition from what they’ve done for the country. With the current state of the country’s soldiers, right benefits are not given - small salary etc.
Next, the Politician - these people are perceived as untouchables, with all their fancy things, extravagant offices and obviously over flowing money, but little do we know that these “politicians” barely don’t know a thing they’re doing. Yeah, they pass bills, make laws, do projects for the poor etc. but these are just minimal things; those who say that they’ll help the country rise from poverty, no corruption and all that... But what really is happening, is that the people are blinded from the truth, that these “politicians” steal more money from the people instead of helping them. Well this is evident here in our country, no doubt. As one politician said “I did not invent corruption, I walked into it” (forgot the name though sorry hoohooo). They tend to have no fear from no one, even God.
Last is the Artist - these people are the minorities - basically, everyone. These type are those who aren’t listened to, the ones who remain silent from all the wrongness of the country, well there are those who speak their minds and express what they feel and what they think is wrong, and sometimes they use different mediums of art, but sometimes they’re left unheard. Well I guess I’m able to say this because it is happening in our country, I am one of those minority who’s afraid to speak his mind, but hoping to gain courage to be able to stand up :)
So at first I thought Fantasy was under Science Fiction, or is it the other way around? anywaaay, with the discussion in class, I got a different understanding of the two, I managed to determine how a text is considered as a fantasy or a science fiction. Though they may have different meanings, they still work under the same umbrella. When we were asked what genre Jurassic Park is - is it Fantasy or Science Fiction, that’s when I understood the difference of the two; got to explain and answered that Jurassic park is a Science Fiction, it’s a movie based on facts, life and the what could’ve been, I mean the existence of dinosaurs and how they sort of “created” these animals which are extinct million years ago. Though the movie doesn’t have that cool space ranger kind of feel, I defined Science Fiction by comparing JP to Star Wars, which people seems to tag as a Science Fiction film, but I see it as a Fantasy Film, the story’s good and all - it’s realistic, but the idea and the movie itself is just make believe, something we want to happen or wondered of happening, in other words, Fantasy. So by that, I believe that Science Fiction is something we base on facts, what we have now and had, something we can all relate to, something believable and yet, it’s out of this world. I hope I am making sense here but yeah, this is how I understood the two from the discussion last time.
Good Science Fiction
Jurassic Park
I considered as Good SciFi is because they presented and how they explained the re-existence of dinosaurs struck me. For me, the part of the movie where they explained how they got the blood of dinosaurs and how they genetically engineered them wasn’t hard to believe, up until now, I am still fascinated by this movie, and yes I am a super fan not just by the movie but in dinosaurs as well. So this is a bit biased by considering this as a good scifi, cause I am amazed by how they explained in making dinosaurs and (I)thinking and believing that there is a possibility.
The 6th Day
This movie is all about cloning. By now there have been researches about cloning and experiments are made to animals, so I considered this movie a good scifi film. Though this movie pushed a bit outside of the box, like with the laser guns and having the futuristic setting, but the main theme, which is cloning is pretty believable and plausible, just because there is something that will support the idea of cloning, at least.
2012
Okay, I think many people would consider this movie weak and poor, but for me, it’s good. Not that I believe of the “end of the world” thing, but the way they explained of how the world is gonna end, like the earth crust displacement which caused tsunamis, eruptions and earthquakes and not just by saying that there’s this calendar thingy. So yeah, though the idea is pretty unbelievable, I liked how they explained the cause.
Weak Science Fiction
Back to the Future
Time Traveling. Yes, we all wanted to travel back in time or to see the future and go back to the past, but this idea is just unbelievable. The movie was good - the story, the conflict and the characters, no doubt, but there’s no explanation of how the time traveling car was made or by simply explaining how to travel back in time.
Resident Evil
Zombie Apocalypse. Ever since I was a kid and up until now, I can’t still imagine how things like this can happen. Again the plot and the story is amazing (also the sequels) but the way they illustrated how the “disease” spread for me is just unbelievable. There are no studies or even an explanation of this disease so there are no supporting evidences. Plus reflecting to reality, it is unacceptable in science and also in religion for the dead to rise again as a zombie.
Idiocracy
Freezing the body over time. The movie was about a research on freezing the human body and putting them into sleep for years and so they tested it on these two jobless characters. The experiment was a success, but what happened with the people or rather, the world is unbelievable, everyone turned dumb, idiots, mindless and un-rational thinkers, the movie is just insane. I’d recommend this movie for those who wants a good time and just to have a good laugh. This movie us plainly of entertainment, thought here is the idea of freezing the human body, and sort of preserving them, I think nothing can support this idea yet.
So we watched “La Visa Loca” in class, it was good, and how the movie reflects the reality in the philippines - how one would sacrifice and do anything to just get a US Visa in order to work abroad (what’s new eh?). Every movie, it is crucial that artists should be able to uplift the traits of their characters and to present it to the audience effectively, with this movie, of course the character of Robin Padilla “Jess” and his father, “Sancho” Johnny Delgado; both good and respected actors. Jess, I’d say is your typical filipino guy wanting to go abroad to earn more than his salary here in the country, getting rejected by the us embassy a couple of times, did crazy stuff to just get a visa which he got eventually. he is somewhat close to his dad but I can tell there’s a little gap between them, I just can’t tell why, but eventually by the end of the movie Jess didn’t went to america, yet he stayed with his dad. Sancho, like his son, they both have this love for the country, that’s why he doesn’t want Jess to leave for the us. Sancho’s character was steady at the beginning but managed to stand out after. his longing a partner, love and attention rose, especially when Jess was about to leave for the states.
For me, the movie is a portrayal of how life is in the philippines, a reflection of how someone strives to get a us visa and get a job in the states. The movie depicted the culture and the filipino belief in the philippines, in terms of religion, some parts sort of revolved around it - “Kristo” or how people would get crucified in pampanga (like Jess did for the documentary), the part when Jess asked the character of Ruffa Mae Quinto (forgot her name) to go Visita Iglesia. Also, I think with the part where they were looking for different "albularyo" or those who gets "possessed" by the Sto. Nino is trying to tell us that these people aren't true and just plainly fooling other people. It tells us to stop believing in these kinds of people. In the film, there are these group of singers which appears every time a problem arouses int eh story, I think it symbolizes how filipinos express them selves in different mediums, telling people what the character really feels. The story happened around the Holy Week and with this, I think it symbolizes that over all the problems our country goes through, or how many problems each of us deal with everyday, it is important for us to stay connected with our faith in God and trusting Him to help us face the problems.
Also with the issues in society, Like what I said, reality, there’s a good side and a bad side, it is evident that some filipinos would take advantage of others, like in the movie, how the bogus Kristo left and took the money that used to be the payment for him to act as the Kristo in the documentary, and made the american delirious about filipinos’ worship over money. In relation to the that, the supposedly possessed albularyos which I think a problem with our society, like people should stop believing in those kind of stuff, it just proves mind over matter - you believe that you are healed so you don't feel any pain or so. With the reactions of Nigel and his camera man, it shows hoe pathetic these people are, trying to be God and playing that they're being possessed. Another issue is with Jess, and this is where the film basically revolved around, how filipinos would do anything to get a visa and a job in other countries, in this case, a job in america, which getting a visa is pretty tough, for others it may be the solution for the low salary in the country but this is not what the film is trying to tell the audience. With the character of Ruffa Mae, it showed the difficulty of getting a job and raising a child alone, she works in a perya as a mermaid (I mean, how hard can life be to work as a mermaid?) but she manages to do it which filipinos are good at, even though life is hard, we manage to cope with it and still smile at our problems. Another with the issues is how others like the balikbayans mentality over the country, in the last part, where Jess' passenger kept on saying how stupid filipinos are, which she is as well. People shouldn't be that way, well for one, they once lived in this country, they were born here, it's just that other countries cater to their needs - needs that the philippines cannot provide.
The movie was back in early 2000 i think, which is the height of filipinos going abroad to work, the movie seems to suggests working abroad is the key to poverty and to solve monetary problems, but by the end of the film, where Jess decided not to leave the country and stay with his dad and the people he loves, still the movie manages cover it's REAL message, that success is achieved in different ways, there's no need to go to other countries to work and achieve happiness, all we have to do is stop taking the people around us for granted. A little sacrifice is good, for a s long it's for something good in the future not just for ourselves but for the people close around us.
I personally liked the movie and it’s story, though I think Ruffa Mae Quinto wasn’t suited for the role haha. I came to class a bit late so I wasn’t able to see the very first part which gave me a bit of a hard time to catch up, ‘cause it is where Jess’ character was established. I like the different themes of the story - love, perseverance and family.
They say that “first impressions lasts”, well I guess it’s true, but not always, there are times we are mistaken by our first impressions and realize it’s the complete opposite once we get to know someone more. With my experience on this, there’s this guy in school, at first I thought he’d be cool to hang out with and be close with, bottom line, I thought we’d be good friends, but that’s what I thought. Everything was fine at first but when I got to know him, I found out who he really is; like what happened in the story. What I thought him being cool and thinking that he’s be an awesome friend turned out to be the opposite. He’s just so full of himself, thinking that he’s an awesome guy and thinks everyone wants to be like him, well as as a matter of fact people say he’s trying to imitate me and jealous of me, i don’t know why haha So i guess the first impressions lasts thing doesn’t work for everyone :)
With regards to the relationship of the story to reality and the other two stories, I think there’s no difference between them, it’s just that this time, it’s about an old lady trying to find her luck in love, with her age, maybe she hasn’t been in love yet or haven’t felt the “spark”, but like what it turned out, that she was mistaken and sort of got a little “heart broken”. Comparing this story to the first two, it’s kind of similar ‘cause it talks about love and relationship, and it reflects reality :)
