mountaintopcrier

Myanmar Junta: "Ten Minutes to Disperse, or face Extreme Action"

27 September 2007 1550h-- I was writing a blog about Myanmar and freedom and speech when I heard an update on CNN.  Thousands of protesters, apparently mostly students, have been told by the ruling miltary junta to "Disperse in ten minutes or face extreme action."

In the Philippines, of course, we know that any such action would be impossible - our military has historically never attacked the population.  But the same is not true in Burma.  The military has already killed thousands of demonstrators before,in 1988.

So instead of that long blog, this is a quick shoutout.  We could be ten minutes away from a Burmese bloodbath.  If you're the praying type, do please pray for a peaceful resolution.

Other than that, let me invite you just to stay aware of the situation, and if worse comes to worse, to add your voice to those already expressing concern. Please let our officials know that the Philippines, ASEAN, and the United Nations, having only made pitiful statements of protests until now, need to take a firmer stand.

Thank you. Free Burma Now.

NEW WORLDS: TRANSFORMED

Do you love Harry Potter? How about those amazing Transformers?

Admit it: you were a fan of something at some point in your life. Books, TV shows, movies, comics, and many other creations in the media can make an indelible impression on anyone and stay for the rest of our lives.

On July 9-15, get the chance to get together with like minds and celebrate > what you love at the Rockwell Power Plant Mall! The New Worlds Alliance, in conjunction with Rockwell Power Plant Mall, Level Up! Games, Dream FM,  Fandom Cafe, presents New Worlds: Transformed.

In this week-long affair, find fellow fans among the Trekkies,  Tolkienites, Wizards from Hogwarts, Robots of Cybertron, Highlanders, the Jedi, Narnians, Slayers, Stargate explorers, residents of Arkham, local  Heroes, the Lost ones, Xena's Amazons, Anne Rice's Vampires and Witches, the  Dragonsworn, Gamers and many others and live your fandom. Play the games,  watch the films, be awed with the toys, browse the books, walk around with  your favorite characters and experience FANDOM unhinged.

The best part? Entrance is free!

For more information, please visit http://newworlds.ph .

And She's Back in the Slammer!

I should blog more often.

Because I want this blog to have more substance.

So I should write more stuff with actual substance.

But what the heck.  I really really really really really really  really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really enjoyed this article.

See? It took a LOT of effort to cut and paste like that. REALLY. :-D

Yes, I'm enjoying myself at someone else's expense.

Hey, it's not very often we get a piece of revenge over "the beautiful people" who scoffed at us way back, eh?  I'm not going to apologize for enjoying it.  After all, I think I've earned a little break from being "nice" eh?

And yeah, this is absolutely unclassy of me, but hey, I've been branded a loser enough times that gloating this once is just a price worth one more round of "loser" remarks. Buzz off.

Hm.  Now there's a certain local columnist/"event0l0gist" who apparently thinks giving a F(#& about the hungry of this nation is "passe."  I can't help but wonder when HE gets his due?

Ah, but I'm not going to mention this person's name because I dont want to give him any more google hits. And frankly, I consider just mentioning his name  an undignified act.

(Oh, by the way, there's always the chance this becomes a lifechanging experience for Paris and she comes out of jail transformed into a mascara-ed mother theresa, and if that happens, I take it all back. FOR NOW, HOWEVER, IT'S WHAT COPS CALL A FAIR COLLAR.  SHE GOT WHAT WHAT COMING TO HER.  So, ah YYEESSSSS!!! A  completley guiltless gloat!) YEAH!

And oh, what poor parents. Sad isn't it? They must be regretting every moment they spoiled the brat.

But before we end up changing the subject...

Paris Hilton ordered back to jail

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- She was taken handcuffed and crying from her home. She was escorted into court disheveled, without makeup, hair askew and face red with tears.

Crying out for her mother when she was ordered back to jail, Paris Hilton's cool, glamorous image evaporated Friday as she gave the impression of a little girl lost in a merciless legal system.

"It's not right!" shouted the weeping Hilton. "Mom!" she called out to Kathy Hilton, who also was in tears.

The 26-year-old hotel heiress tried to move toward her parents but was firmly steered away by two sheriff's deputies, who held her by each arm and hustled her from the courtroom.

Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer was apparently unmoved by the pleas of Hilton's three lawyers to send her back to home confinement due to an unspecified medical condition. He ordered Hilton returned to a Los Angeles County jail to serve out the remainder of her 45-day sentence for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

The judge gave no explanation for his ruling. But his comments throughout the hearing showed he was affronted by county Sheriff Lee Baca's decision to set aside his instructions and release Hilton after three days in jail to finish her time in the luxury of her Hollywood Hills home.

Her lawyers said the reason for her release was an unspecified medical condition. The judge suggested that could be taken care of at jail medical facilities.

Sheriff hints at psychological problems

The sheriff later hinted at a news conference that Hilton had psychological problems, and said she would be watched in jail "so that there isn't anything that is harmfully done to herself by herself."

Following the hearing, Hilton was taken to a correctional treatment center at the downtown Twin Towers jail for medical and psychiatric examination to determine which facility she will be held in, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.

"She'll be there for at least a couple of days," he said.

The sheriff later defended his decision, citing jail crowding (although Hilton was in special unit and did not have a cell mate) and what he termed "severe medical problems."

He said he had learned from one of her doctors that she was not taking a certain medication while previously in custody, and that her "inexplicable deterioration" puzzled county psychiatrists.

Baca also charged that Hilton received a more severe sentence than the usual penalty for such a crime, but said he would not try to overrule Sauer's decision again.

"The criminal justice system should not create a football out of Ms. Hilton's status," the sheriff said grimly at a press conference.

After being taken to court in a black-and-white police car, paparazzi sprinting in pursuit and helicopters broadcasting live from above, Hilton entered the courtroom weeping and continued to cry throughout the hearing, which lasted more than an hour.

Her blond hair was pulled back in a disheveled knot, in contrast to the glamorous side-swept style in her booking photo from earlier in the week. She was wrapped in a long gray fuzzy sweat shirt over slacks.

Her body shook constantly as she dabbed at her eyes. Several times she turned to her parents, seated behind her in the courtroom, and mouthed, "I love you." At one point, she made the sign of the cross and appeared to be praying.

Despite being reincarcerated, she could still be released early. Inmates are given a day off their terms for every four days of good behavior, and her days in home detention counted as custody days. It appeared that Friday would count as her sixth day.

Judge displays irritation at hearing

Friday's hearing was delayed by a misunderstanding. Hilton apparently thought she was going to be able to participate from home by telephone. But the judge, who had not authorized that, angrily denounced a media outlet for spreading that rumor, although a court spokesman also gave that information to news media.

He ordered sheriff's deputies to go to Hilton's home and bring her to court. The process took nearly two hours.

Once the hearing began, Sauer was blunt in his criticism of the sheriff for disobeying his orders, which specifically banned home confinement with electronic monitoring.

"I at no time condoned the actions of the sheriff and at no time told him I approved the actions," he said. "At no time did I approve the defendant being released from custody to her home."

The hearing was requested by the city attorney's office, which had prosecuted Hilton and wanted Baca held in contempt for releasing Hilton despite Sauer's express order that she serve her time in jail. The judge took no action on the contempt request.

A member of the county counsel's staff said Baca was willing to come to court with medical personnel. The judge did not take him up on the offer.

Assistant City Attorney Dan F. Jeffries argued that Hilton's incarceration was purely up to the judge. "Her release after only three days erodes confidence in the judicial system," he said.

Hilton's attorney, Richard Hutton, implored the judge to order a hearing in his chambers to hear testimony about Hilton's medical condition before making a decision. The judge did not respond to that suggestion.

The judge interrupted several times to say that he had received a call last Wednesday from an undersheriff informing him that Hilton had a medical condition and that he would submit papers to the judge to consider. He said the papers never arrived.

Every few minutes, the judge would interrupt proceedings, state the time on the clock, and note that the papers still had not arrived.

He also noted that he had heard that a private psychiatrist visited Hilton in jail, and he wondered if that person played a role in deciding her medical needs.

The last attorney to speak was another deputy city attorney, David Bozanich, who declared, "This is a simple case. There was a court. The Sheriff's Department chose to violate that order. There is no ambiguity."

Failed sobriety test last fall

Hilton's twisted jailhouse saga began September 7, when she failed a sobriety test after police saw her weaving down a street in her Mercedes-Benz on what she said was a late-night hamburger run.

She pleaded no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to 36 months' probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines. In the months that followed she was stopped twice while driving on a suspended license. The second stop landed her in Sauer's courtroom.

Back before Sauer on Friday, Hilton's entire body trembled as the final pitch was made for her further incarceration. She clutched a ball of tissue and tears ran down her face.

Seconds later, the judge announced his decision: "The defendant is remanded to county jail to serve the remainder of her 45-day sentence. This order is forthwith."

Hilton screamed.

Eight deputies immediately ordered all spectators out of the courtroom. Hilton's mother, Kathy, threw her arms around her husband, Rick, and sobbed uncontrollably.

Deputies escorted Hilton out of the room, holding each of her arms as she looked back.

Should I move to Southern France?

Now let me think... when was the last time I actually enjoyed a love story?

I've been avoiding love stories for at least two years!  Not since... ah, non! We shall not speak about forgettable memories, oui, mes amies?

Ah, you see? French! So the film's story must be set in France, yes? Oui once again, mes amies. The setting, and the direction of Ridley Scott, was the reason I picked up A Good Year at Video City this week.  I was somewhat afraid of it, I admit, and so it languished at the bottom of the pile of rented videos.

But it has succeeded where a good number of books, songs, and other movies have failed.  It made me feel genuinely good about myself for the first time in weeks.

The setting is charming (but then of course Southern France always is).  And the cinematography is superb - both intimate and breathtaking at the same time. Critics panned Crowe's performance and Ridley Scott's pacing of the movie, but I don't care. it made me feel good.  And it has thus accomplished the function of a modern day romance movie.

And it does not hurt, I suppose, that Abbie Cornish and Marion Cotillard are ... what's the word? Belles? No, that doesn't translate well to English-speaking readers. Hot? (Pictures below, for the curious, along with a description of the movie.)

But ah,my petit knowledge of French has failed me.

The English word "hot" sounds somewhat vulgar, don't you think? Or commonplace at least.  Hardly fitting at all.  One day I shall learn to say "sexy" in french and truly give the adjective some justice. (Ah, blame the Americans for their unrestrained use of the English language, eh? I suppose the word "babe" is now quite beyond rescue?)

And one day I shall learn to get beyond "Bon nuit, je m'apelle Remi." (If you understood that last sentence, do humor me and tell me how to say "and I will be your waiter for this evening, may I take your order?")

But I'm not blogging to describe the movie, good as it may be. Nor am I blogging to talk about whether French is more romantic than English. (The conclusion to that question is foregone, anyway.)

Is it time for RE de Leon to lighten up a bit?

The geography of my reading and filmviewing has been largely been British, Greco-Roman. Meaning, according to cultural cliche, stiff-lipped and larger-than-life, respectively.

Perhaps my rather dour mood would change if the settings of the stories I read and movies I watched shifted from dreary London flats and Roman war camps to, say, a château in Southern France? And if, instead of the knightly code of King Arthur or the politicking of the Roman senate, I took on the French appetite for the good life, Le Dolce Vita?  Good food, good wine, and plenty of ooh-la-la every so often?

You'd be surprised, you know?

Or perhaps I should tame that thought a bit.  I was depressed for so long I'm sure my emotional pendulum is just swinging too much in the other direction.

In the meantime, I suppose some wine is, indeed, good for me.  I'm looking forward to a weekend in Singapore.  Some citylife should be refreshing.

I suppose I enjoyed the movie mostly because the mythos behind A Good Year is the same one I find myself in right now.  Adjusting from a fast-paced, tightly reined-in city life centered around a so-called career to life watering plants in the provinces has proven rather difficult.

The mythos perpetuated by the movie is that a romantic exploration might just be the kind of thing to bring about a change of heart - a proposition I'm somewhat unwilling to explore, even though the opportunity does present itself. (I shall now allow my readers to ponder at the possible implications of that last sentence).

As usual, I am suspicious of Eros' promises. After all, I've seen those promises ruin too many lives.  (Again, I shall allow my readers to ponder the possible implications of that last sentence.)

In the meantime, Bon Nuit!  I'm off to pack my bags.  Perhaps I shall meet someone in Singapore, eh?

Now, as promised... pictures. But I'm afraid they do neither actress justice, especially Cornish (the top photo), whose every shot in the movie qualified as a jaw-dropper.

A Good Year

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

A Good Year is a 2006 romantic comedy film set in Provence, a region in southeastern France. It is directed by Ridley Scott. It reunites him with star Russell Crowe, whom he directed in Gladiator, and co-stars Albert Finney. Fox 2000 Pictures distributed the film.

Plot
Based on author Peter Mayle's international bestseller of the same name, A Good Year stars Freddie Highmore, Russell Crowe as Max Skinner, a cunning investment expert who, after learning his beloved Uncle Henry (Albert Finney) has died without a last will and testament, travels from London to Provence to visit the gorgeous, if overgrown vineyard he's inherited. Slowly, the women (especially Fanny Chenal, played by Marion Cotillard, the sultry owner of the local café), wine, and Mediterranean climate transforms him from a soulless, unloved miser into a warm-hearted man able to appreciate the world he's let pass by him far too long.

Tonight, I cannot help but ask "why?"

The truth of the matter is, we aren't home yet. We're still in enemy territory. So we get maimed. Wounded so it seems we cant go on. But we do. We press on. The promise of home keeps us going. It WILL be over. And the story will finally make sense.

To sum:

What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:

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

[you have also]... set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

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

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Psalm 8: 4-6; Ecclesiastes 3:11; Lamentations 3: 21-23

"Rant" sa Ingles. Tungkol sa kanta. Depressed ako. Babala.

Unang stanza ng kantang matagal ko nang sinusulat.
Ayan, ipapakita ko na lang sa mundo ang katutuhanang
Hindi ko siya kayang tapusin.

Hindi na ako magkukunwari pang magaling.
Bobo ako sa tula.
Kaya nga hindi matapos-tapos ang *#$#@( eh.
Baka kako may mala Kahlil Gibran diyan o ewan.
Sige, suko na ako.  Kayo na ang tumapos.

Upbeat yung tono.
Saka developmental daw yung binalak kung "message"
Kailangan maganda ang ending.
Ang konklusyon.
Kung meron man.
Hindi ko mahanap-hanap e.
Nagsasawa na ako.

May isa pang stanza 'to,
pero hindi ko na ilalagay dito.
Masyadong depressing,
kasi masyadong specific.
Basta, may magnanakaw yung kwento
At gaya ng lagi, wala ka nang magagawa.
Wala. Sa ingles, nada. none. nothing. nil.
(Wow, alliteration yun.)
(*#$&!@(

(@#$!& tulungan niyo akong maghanap ng ending.
--------------------------------

Isang gabi ako'y naglalakad
Dala'ng aking gitara
Naghahganap ng daloy ng pusong
Puwedeng lapatan ng kanta

Naghahanap ng ilaw sa dilim
Naghahanap ng takas sa balong malalim

Sino?
Bakit?
Nagtatanong,
Subalit...

katahimikan.
Walang sagot.

Splinters Against Lotuses

Tonight, I hope, a breakthrough.

Tonight I've started an article I've tentatively titled 'A Lay of the Land.'  It is supposed to describe the basic geo-political structure of my story setting - Pasig, Rizal, and Laguna at around the time of the Song and T'ang Chinese were trading with Ma-Yi (7th to 9th century).

By the time it was eleven unfinished paragraphs long, I started getting a clearer idea of the 'voice' of the story, or at least of its background Legendarium.  If it's true that all speculative fiction (aka SciFi/Fantasy, under which category this story properly falls under) requires that the author properly understand the rules of the world he is writing within, then I suppose this is indeed a big step.

But alas, sleep beckons and I do not know if I can capitalize properly on this particular breakthrough.

I am blogging because I hope I can freeze my state of mind so I can pick up on it later.  (I'm afraid 'The Lay of the Land' is hardly of any quality ready for even posting on my corkboard, much less the net.)

It feels like I'm mimicking Ulysses, jamming splinters between his eyelids to keep himself from falling asleep as the land of Lotuses lulls him to sleep.

And a land of Lotuses this is, indeed! I don't know how many times here in my supposed hometown I have been reminded that "you can only do so much" or "you can't change anything."  It saps my strength so much, either seeing things unchanged or seeing change happen in uncontrolled bursts while people very non-proactively try to keep from being trampled by it.

What a change from LB, where I was constantly mouthing the philosophy that only those on the forefront of change, systematically creating and manipulating it, can really be safe.

But I suppose both are extremes, and if the victim mentality i have so come to dislike here is inappropriate, the raving megalomaniacy I use to react to it is equally so.

The ravings of someone who, as a boy had sworn defiantly that he would never give in to such defeatism.  That he would prove to everyone else that it could, indeed, be done. By someone they had sought to 'convince to tone down'!

But why, when it is voiced by a white man in Silicon valley or Wall Street, does it NOT seem inappropriate?  After all, why CAN'T i be Bill Gates' or Warren Buffet's biggest nightmare?  I don't really care about either figure, but if it'll shut up the naysayers...

Dear me, I AM rambling so.

I should really end this blog and go to sleep.

And hope I can follow up on 'A Lay of the Land.'

I have to finish this novel soon, because I can't seem to move on to any new part of my life until I do.

Sigh.  What was that?  Less of a blog and more of a doodle.

But maybe it'll make for an interesting doodle...

... until my next blog.

An In Between Post

I contracted the flu a few hours after posting that last message, and being disconnected from my computer for more than a day made me realize there's an apalling number of "to blog" notepad text files on my desktop! 

Yes, I write all my blogs in notepad as *txt files first, giving them a whole lot of time to incubate.

But perhaps I should blog more often, and with less uber-perfectionism, eh?

Part 2 of "When They Invited A Guest Speaker..." will follow as soon as I can write it.  But for now, here's an in-between post.

While recovering from the flu, I came upon an iteresting topic in one of the friendstergroup message boards.

It posed the question: What is hell like?

I posted right after two people who talked about not forcing beliefs on others, which explains my slight defensiveness here.  But I rather enjoyed writing this little response and thought perhaps I should share it to you folks.

Hell Is You, Alone.
4 April 2007, 2048h PST

Well, I don't suppose I'm imposing by explaining my idea of what hell is. I'm afraid there's no way for me to express it without exploring my own understanding of the divine.

So, anyone reading this please note that the following are my opinions (a.k.a. beliefs) based on my understanding of the scriptures I believe in (I'm a follower of Jesus, if you want to know.)

Hell, as far as I can tell from the Bible, is separation from God.

The bright one, the beautiful archangel who wanted to be greater than God, was cast away from God's presence, thus, the place called hell.

In other words, hell is the result of one's prideful commitment to live life separate from God.

The thing is (again, this is according to my belief), we were never designed to exist that way, and everything that is good about us depends on the goodness that is God.

For the moment, we are given a choice. To acknowledge God and his terms for our return to him (a process called grace), or to decide to live our lives apart from him (the definition of sin).

So here's hell: You know those moments when you were supposed to do something, but you refused to, and now you wish there was something you could do, but it's too late?

That's hell.

Hell is you. Alone.

Hell is you, alone, forever disconnected from anything and everything good.

Here's another take: You know that thing we all want? That something we all look for in money or success or prestige or sex or whatever, but never ever really find? Hell is when you finally understand precisely what you're looking for. But you can't get to it. Not anymore. Because you chose to look for whatever-it-is within yourself.

When what you were looking for, quite bluntly, was God.

Hell is you.

Alone.

Without God.

[Oh, by the way, seeing hell this way also radically changes your view of earth, and of heaven. Heaven, viewed like this, is most definitely not this place with clouds and harps and choirs. Heaven would be the opposite of boredom!]

When They Invited A Guest Speaker... (Part 1)

Part 1: Cause for Remembrance

I was recently invited as a speaker for an institution which has great significance for me: Agoo West Central School, where I took the 5th and 6th grades, and from which I graduated in 1992.

I choose the term "significance," of course, because of its neutrality.

While it seems somewhat inapproprite not to be thankful to an institution that has invited you as a guest speaker, the truth is, I loathed the time I spent at AWCS and was very glad when I finally left it.

But there's no denying how significant that two-year experience was to me. In many ways, being a guest speaker at that school, at the end-of-year ceremony for honor students, marked a full circle in some aspects of my life-journey.

So forgive me if I indulge in "talking about my childhood traumas."  I know it's among the worst of possible cliches, but hey, it's not everyday your old school invites you to come over as guest speaker.

While a few dozen days come to mind that might aptly demonstrate the role the school played in my life, perhaps the most enlightening happened sixth grade English class.

It was the weekly vocabulary quiz, and I was doing well until I realized that the last remaining pair in the "matching-type" quiz didn't match.  Not finding any possible matches for the word in question, and not quite sure what to do, I went to the teacher and asked about the problem.

I suppose the act was a combination of both guts and naivete, because the teacher in question was a strict authoritarian who was infamous for her fits of painful "discipline" - dating back to the days when she was my  mother's  English teacher.

There was no answer in the list of options what was a match for that one last question.

I wish I could recall the precise details of that quiz today, but I will never forget her reaction.

She got up from her table (at the front of the classroom, of course) and preceeded to shout. "The problem with you, Mr. de Leon, is you think you are better than everyone else.  Better than your classmates, better than your teacher, and better than the textbook."

Appropriately chided, I went back to my seat... and left that last item blank.  I am, to this day, proud that I scored a 9/10 on that exam.

I checked two dictionaries that day.  And a thesaurus.  I suppose it's not hard to imagine what I discovered.  Classmates approached me and told me they noticed the same thing, but they didn't dare cross our teacher.

That day cemented the loss of my already-shaky faith in authority figures, in textbooks, and in the public education system.

I've encountered a thousand moments like that since then, of course, and I haven't always been so unbending.  The reader would do well not to think that this anecdote represents an unhealed emotional trauma.

However, it, among many experiences at AWCS, did permanently change my political and social orientation.

How, precisely?  Well, I'm quite sleepy, so I suppose that's something that belongs in the next blog.

Next: What Public School Shaped Me Into

Four O'Clock and All Is Well

This is going to be a very short blog.  It's four o'clock in the afternoon and it's one of those rare moments where I can actually find the peace of mind to be able to write something. 

For the moment, I am able to be "there" for my friends, not as much as I would like, but enough.  My affairs here in La Union are in order.  There are no urgent concerns regarding the store.

Several project ideas are floating around in my head. The Ma-yi Project still takes first priority, and it's shaping up well, although that's a topic for an entire blog.

I know my next project will involve some kind of "ten minutes from now" scenario, set just a few trends and changes into the near future, taking an inspiration from  urban myths rather than ancient myths.  All I know for sure is that it involves a call center agent and a (fictional) Philippine Senator, and will have a government conspiracy of some kind to cover something up.  Something of a cross between "Heroes" and "X-Files".  But if I pursue it just in that direction, it would be 1) derivative and 2) far too American for a Filipino setting.  This is going to need some thought.  But I've always known that Ma-Yi (set in the past) would be followed by a project set in the future.  And since it's difficult to set a story in the Philippines in the far future, the "ten minutes from now" scenario is all I can work with.

There's a crime story in the works, too, although I don't have the specifics yet.  I've taken the core elements of "All I Need" and added a crime element to it.  I suppose that's because I have so little experience with Romance stories in general, and Romantic Comedies aren't exactly on my list of high favorites.

As for the new story replacing it?  The scenario is interesting, but the premise itself, springing from that scenario, needs work.  Question: what happens when you cross Hannibal Lecter with Kelly Misa?  I haven't figured out how to make it work.  Plus I have to intelace my "All I Need" themes into it.

Malabo, I know.  And yes, laughable sya. But I'm convinced it would work, eventually.  After all, we've all seen less likely stories work.  I just need to sleep on it a few more days.

On the DVD/VCD Viewing List:

Drawing inspiration:
 

Cleopatra (the Hallmark movie starring Leonor Varela) is another in a long series of exploring stories told from a feminine perspective. I have no sisters, so I'm naturally disadvantaged when writing female characters, especially ones placed in positions of power.  The other characters I'm exploring include Margaine in The Mists of Avalon, Eowyn in LOTR, Sarah, Naomi, Ruth, and Esther in the Bible, and in various re-tellings of their story. (Orson Scott Card's Sarah is particularly interesting.)

The Appendices to Peter Jackson's the Lord of The Rings, specifically the Tolkien biographies and the script discussions (DVDs 3, 7, and 11 of twelve).  Are still playing in the background whenever I write. Just because I'm drawing energy from Tolkien's Mythopoeic vision.

Andrew Adamson's (2005) The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, Special Edition Bonus Disc, specifically the script writing discussions. Playing in the background whenever I write. Just because I'm drawing energy from Lewis' Mythopoeic vision. (Sounds familiar, eh?)

Tora Tora Tora (1970). The story of how the Japanese managed to almost eradicate America's Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, sparking the beginning of World War II.  I watched because dad wanted to see it, having seen it in my VCD collection.  I had not previously watched it, as I never got myself into the mood.  It was bloody brillant!  It led one through the tactics, the emotions, the entire worldview difference that led to the December 7 attack.  It's more powerful if you take note that the Americans made the same mistakes in Dec 7 as they did in Sept 11.  This story revived my idea of working on a WWII story, but I'm afraid I'm still a long way away from executing that idea.

The Bone Collector (Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah).  This one I just slipped into the player after Tora, Tora, Tora.  Angelina's character reminded me so much of two friends of mine, that I started coming up with ideas for how I could integrate my interpretation of their personalities into a story world I was developing in my head as a result of watching the movie.

Which, friends, you ask? Well, let me just say one of them physically looks quite a bit like Angelina Jolie. (I'm not sure she'd like the idea, but it's meant to be a compliment.) Pouty lips, to-die-for figure, and gorgeous eyes.  Oi, Madamoiselle. I'm talking about you. :-)  Although I'm afraid we don't know each other well enough for me to write your personality into the story.  But the resemblance did get me thinking of developing a story. :-)  (Hehe. Everyone else is confused now.)

Heroes.(Partial Season 1 - eps 1-13) I got curious about this series, so I bought a pirated CD containing an incomplete Season 1. (The entire season hasn't even been aired yet).  Interesting.  The quickest description might be: "X-Men meets Lost." It combines great plotwork with great characterization, which compensates for the profusion of Cliches and the sometimes predictable scenes.  Not great writing on a micro scale, but its scope compensates for that failing.  This series greatly revived my interest in urban myths and in the superhero and conspiracy theory genres.

Just Watching:

Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro's Spanish language film, which won 3 Oscars. I haven't actually finished it, but I saw the first 15 minutes or so before I had to leave to attend to the cash registers.  I really should finish it soon.

Star Trek Deep Space Nine: In the Pale Moonlight (Season 6, Episode 19) [warning: synopsis follows] -- Captain Benjamin Sisko experiences guilt about being forced to use deception and in the effort to convince the Romulans to go to war against the Dominion, especially when his deception leads to the death of innocent parties. If you don't watch Star Trek, this is a really powerful episode because Federation/Starfleet Captains are known for their integrity and ethical behavior.  So basically the episode talks about idealism running smack into the realities of war.

Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Time's Orphan (Season 6, Episode 24) [warning: synopsis follows]-- Miles and Keiko O'Brien's daughter, Molly, falls into an ancient Bajoran artifact that sends here back in time.  The crew of DS9 manages to use the artifact to bring Molly back, but it finds Molly 12 years after she first fell in.  Miles and Keiko now have to deal with the fact that their 6 year old daughter has become an 18 year old Enfant Savage, having been stuck in a past where there were no humans to have contact with.  It's a nice story about the importance of family and being around for your kids.

(Yes, I'm running a Deep Space Nine marathon. Seasons 5 to 7. I start Season 7 tomorrow.)