Actually, as of right now, I’m in Beijing doing some volunteer camera and editing work for the International Nature-Loving Association‘s Fifth International Youth Dance Festival. We did two shows, one on August 10th and the other on August 11th, and overall it was an unexpectedly awesome experience.
Before I started working, I had the mentality of just getting it done and over with as I was in Hong Kong for only two days before I flew to the North City of China. But once I started working, getting more responsibilities and meeting new people, not only did I start to like being in the Communist Capital (no Facebook, YouTube or Twitter – it sucks, I know) but it renewed my passion for film, television and media productions.
I’ll post more about my Beijing trip once I return to Hong Kong and get actual rest. For now, turn your attention to a great photo I took during the two days I was in Hong Kong:
What is he holding? What is he doing looking down the drain? This was taken after an Anime and Manga convention, more on that later as well.
I have heard in passing about the dolphin killings in Taiji, Japan but never got the grasp with the whole situation until a friend sent me this trailer. I am not a huge animal-hugger and I do believe that natural selection or survival of the fittest applies somewhat to modern life. This film is dolphins, conspiracy theories, poison, public jeopardy and ultimately, a documentary. This I have to see.
Critics say its a cross between Flipper and The Bourne Identity, because of all the state-of-the-art surveillance equipment they use. I can’t even picture how Flipper and Bourne are able to intertwine, which is why I need to watch this.
I don’t think you have to be an activist or a documentary-phile to enjoy this movie. Its about a real issue and a group of people who break the law for the greater good. Then again, the situation in Taiji should not be seen as a generalization for the whole of Japan. Every country has its secrets.
I haven’t been so excited about a documentary since Fahrenheit 9/11.
Green Heroes is a multi-platform media project that collaborates online social networking, documentary styles and television to promote, create and inspire environmental content.
Look out for updates from Philbert about this soon.
South Korean actress Song Hye-Kyo was named “Asia’s Panda Ambassador”, after visiting the city of Chengdu in the Sichuan province recently. A child panda is seen sitting on Song’s lap without letting go of the bamboo it was chewing. Even if you place the most naturally attractive panda, no, the most naturally attractive ANIMAL the panda wouldn’t even flinch.
CRIEnglish reports that the youthful panda left scratches on her arm but the “Ambassador” obviously could not say anything or retaliate. Even if she reacted and hit the panda (god forbid..) it would still remain sitting, thinking that escaping pain is too much of an effort.
Seriously, without our innate numbing reaction to anything that is seemingly furry and harmless, pandas would cease to exist. Although predators may see the panda as too easy of a prey. What good is capturing your target when there is no chase? But they so adowabowwwww….
Found this from WouldYouLikeSomePie. I’d much rather replace this little guy with An An (安安) and Jia Jia (佳佳), then serve them as a big delicacy. Now that is worth watching on Fear Factor. EAT PANDA EARS! I swear I’m not deranged.
I thought I had published this post, but due to some weird problem it remained as a draft. So here it is, with the date stamped on Saturday June 13th 2009.
On this day of wonders, Lester and Alex from Lemon Meringue Productions and I took a mini-road trip to the outskirts of the Greater Toronto Area to scout locations for the upcoming episodes of The Awkward Compilation. We did most of our scouting in two rural communities called Georgetown and Halton Hills. Our mission was to search for a certain scenic area needed in an important scene in the coming installments of Awkward. The mission was successful, but it was not easy. Natural awesomeness is found in this area, so don’t be surprised future The Banana Times Productions projects to be shot here.
We followed digital leads given by Google Maps only to find empty spaces of green. Our first move was to ask the residents of the towns. The cashier from a convenience store didn’t know a thing. But the florist from the nearby grocery store directed us to another florist who lead us to a ‘fragrant’ fertilizer farm who told us the address of another family who gave us our last clue and lead us to a historic farm. That was where we found our natural prop. Success.
Overall it was like we were in a real-life RPG game. Discovering different leads and clues to complete our mission. The rural adventure was great but what struck me most was the lack of Asians, and it was enlightening. Those who see Canada in a non-stereotypical way recognizes us as a hub of multiculturalism and a melting pot of ethnicities. However, this is only prominent in big cities such as Toronto and Vancouver for the most part.
On the outskirts of Toronto, we did not see a single ‘yellow’ person. So I presumed that we would stand out of the predominantly white community, and we did. But no one gave us judgmental glares or leers of surprise. We were generally accepted and every person we talked to were more than helpful. Certainly the multiculturalism has not spread to the rural regions of Canada, but the understanding and acceptance of non-Caucasian people is positively present.
Growing your own livelihood is rooted deeply in many Asian cultures but it did not immigrate to Canada with the population, which is not a bad thing. Canada has a gift of natural tranquility and what seems to be an abundance of green, only if we strive to protect it. As members of the Canadian society we are lucky to have this flourishing environment, and within this, far away from the metropolis lies acceptance of other cultures and races. Another gift we should definitely not take for granted.
