2009 Golden Globe Awards.

Yesterday, while most of us were trampling the flowers, copying the answer of our classmates, making pranks, and etcetera, the 66th Golden Globe Awards was also being held at The Beverly Hilton. and they actually gave some awards (that's what they actually do) that day.

Well, happy that Kate Winslet won two awards! Yes! And as expected, Heath Ledger won an award.

Nominees and the winners with the category are written below (Source: http://www.goldenglobes.org/)

Cecil B. DeMille Award

Steven Spielberg

Best Motion Picture - Drama

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures

Frost/Nixon
Imagine Entertainment, Working Title, Studio Canal; Universal Pictures

The Reader
Mirage Enterprises; The Weinstein Company

Revolutionary Road
An Evamere Entertainment BBC Films Neal Street Production; DreamWorks Pictures in Association with BBC Films and Paramount Vantage

Slumdog Millionaire

Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.; Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married

Angelina Jolie – Changeling

Meryl Streep – Doubt

Kristin Scott Thomas – I've Loved You So Long

Kate Winslet – Revolutionary Road

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

Leonardo DiCaprio – Revolutionary Road

Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn – Milk

Brad Pitt – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy

Burn After Reading
Working Title/Releasing Company; Focus Features in association with Studio Canal

Happy-Go-Lucky
Summit Entertainm

ent, Film4, Ingenious Film Partners, Miramax Films; Miramax Films

In Bruges
Blueprint Pictures; Focus Features

Mamma Mia!
Relativity Media, Playtone, Littlestar; Universal Pictures

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Mediapro; The Weinstein Company

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Rebecca Hall – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky

Frances McDormand – Burn After Reading

Meryl Streep – Mamma Mia!

Emma Thompson – Last Chance Harvey

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy

Javier Bardem – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Colin Farrell – In Bruges

James Franco – Pineapple Express

Brendan Gleeson – In Bruges

Dustin Hoffman – Last Chance Harvey

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Amy Adams – Doubt

Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Viola Davis – Doubt

Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler

Kate Winslet – The Reader

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Tom Cruise – Tropic Thunder

Robert Downey Jr. – Tropic Thunder

Ralph Fiennes – The Duchess

Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt

Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

Best Animated Feature Film

Bolt
Walt Disney Pictures; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Kung Fu Panda
DreamWorks Animation SKG; Paramount Pictures

Wall-E

Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Best Foreign Language Film

The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Country of Germany
(DER BAADER MEINHOF KOMPLEX) Constantin Film Produktion GmbH; Summit Entertainment, LLC

Everlasting Moments (Sweden, Denmark)
The Country of Sweden and The Country of Denmark
(MARIA LARSSONS EVIGA ÖGONBLICK) Final Cut Productions Aps; IFC Films

Gomorrah (Italy)
The Country of Italy
(GOMORRA) Fandango; IFC Films

I've Loved You So Long (France)
The Country of France
(IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T’AIME) UGC YM/UGC Images/France 3 Cinema/Integral Film; Sony Pictures Classics

Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

The Country of Israel
Bridgit Folman Film Gang/Les Films D'Ici/Razor Films/Arte France/ITVS International; Sony Pictures Classics

Best Director - Motion Picture

Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire

Stephen Daldry – The Reader

David Fincher – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon

Sam Mendes – Revolutionary Road

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Written by Eric Roth

Doubt
Written by John Patrick Shanley

Frost/Nixon
Written by Peter Morgan

The Reader
Written by David Hare

Slumdog Millionaire

Written by Simon Beaufoy

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Composed by Alexandre Desplat

Changeling
Composed by Clint Eastwood

Defiance
Composed by James Newton Howard

Slumdog Millionaire

Composed by A. R. Rahman

Frost/Nixon
Composed by Hans Zimmer

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

"Down To Earth" – Wall-E
Music By: Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
Lyrics By: Peter Gabriel

"Gran Torino" – Gran Torino
Music By: Clint Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens
Lyrics By: Jamie Cullum

"I Thought I Lost You" – Bolt
Music & Lyrics By: Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele

"Once In A Lifetime" – Cadillac Records
Music & Lyrics By: Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott McFarmon, Ian Dench, James Dring and Jody Street

"The Wrestler" – The Wrestler

Music & Lyrics By: Bruce Springsteen

Best Television Series - Drama

Dexter (SHOWTIME)

House (FOX)
Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry Productions in association with Universal Media Studios

In Treatment (HBO)
Sheleg, Closest To The Hole Productions and Leverage in association with HBO Entertainment

Mad Men (AMC)

Lionsgate

True Blood (HBO)
Your Face Goes Here Productions in association with HBO Entertainment

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama

Sally Field – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

Mariska Hargitay – Law & Order

January Jones – Mad Men (AMC)

Anna Paquin – True Blood (HBO)

Kyra Sedgwick – The Closer (TNT)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama

Gabriel Byrne – In Treatment (HBO)

Michael C. Hall – Dexter (SHOWTIME)

Jon Hamm – Mad Men (AMC)

Hugh Laurie – House (FOX)

Jonathan Rhys Meyers – The Tudors (SHOWTIME)

Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy

30 Rock (NBC)

Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little Stranger Inc.

Californication (SHOWTIME)
Showtime Presents in association with Aggressive Mediocrity, and Then…, Twilight Time Films

Entourage (HBO)
Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment

The Office (NBC)
Deedle Dee Productions/Reveille/NBC Universal Television Studio; NBC

Weeds (SHOWTIME)
Showtime/Lionsgate Television/Tilted Productions, Inc.; SHOWTIME

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy

Christina Applegate – Samantha Who? (ABC)

America Ferrera – Ugly Betty (ABC)

Tina Fey – 30 Rock (NBC)

Debra Messing – The Starter Wife (USA)

Mary-Louise Parker – Weeds (SHOWTIME)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy

Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock (NBC)

Steve Carell – The Office (NBC)

Kevin Connolly – Entourage (HBO)

David Duchovny – Californication (SHOWTIME)

Tony Shalhoub – Monk (USA)

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television

A Raisin In The Sun (ABC)
Sony Pictures Television, Storyline Entertainment, and Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment

Bernard And Doris (HBO)
Trigger Street Independent Productions in association with Little Bird and Chicago Films and HBO Films

Cranford (PBS)
A Co-Production of BBC and WGBH Boston.

John Adams (HBO)

Playtone in association with HBO Films

Recount (HBO)
Spring Creek/Mirage Productions in association with Trigger Street Productions, Everyman Pictures and HBO Films

Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Judi Dench – Cranford (PBS)

Catherine Keener – An American Crime

Laura Linney – John Adams (HBO)

Shirley MacLaine – Coco Chanel

Susan Sarandon – Bernard And Doris (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Ralph Fiennes – Bernard And Doris (HBO)

Paul Giamatti – John Adams (HBO)

Kevin Spacey – Recount (HBO)

Kiefer Sutherland – 24 (FOX)

Tom Wilkinson – Recount (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Eileen Atkins – Cranford (PBS)

Laura Dern – Recount (HBO)

Melissa George – In Treatment (HBO)

Rachel Griffiths – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

Dianne Wiest – In Treatment (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Neil Patrick Harris – How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

Denis Leary – Recount (HBO)

Jeremy Piven – Entourage (HBO)

Blair Underwood – In Treatment (HBO)

Tom Wilkinson – John Adams (HBO)

Rather, the city of crime.

Say hello to hell. Or maybe not.

So first, let's talk about guns, 'cakes', and guns and cocaine. Ever familiar with the things mentioned before? The film, the city of God in the film City of God, presents more of these things, along with hoodlum, robbery, deceit, corruption, and murder. Pair it with a dose of racist remarks (if you're a racist) and a hint of comedy and drama, this film will surely loose your screws.

Every scene fires up one's desire either to stop the on-going war, or to just kill someone freely. It opens the eyes of the viewers as to what are the effects of these contemptuous acts, especially for the young people. And on the later part of the movie, the viewers will see the changes that can be brought about if one's ideals are paired with revenge or any extreme emotional disturbance.

This film will surely stir your insides.

How was the concept of death incorporated in this film? Simple. The killing spree. This simple notion of death was further intensified by the director or the film editors, by dimming the film, by the use of deadly weapons, which obviously signify death, and the different roads, where the killings usually took place. Also, notice that the director of photography, if you meticulously looked at the movie completely, you'd notice that when the chicken was lacerated using that sharpened saw, it was completely focused to give the audience an idea that the film was somewhat that morbid.

Summing all up the symbols presented in this film, we can clearly say that all leads to death.

Love: The Venom and the Vortex

If you want to commit suicide because you think that your work or academic life is too exhausting, well, if you haven't been in love, you better think again.

Love creates a maelstrom inside us; a conflict between emotions that eventually stirs us and makes us different from what we used to be. It separates and takes us from our own world into another dimension that either electrocutes us when we get there or makes us feel ecstatic like we have been drugged or what. It has its own symptoms: restlessness, pimples, loss of appetite, and even dilation of pupil. It flows first through our bloodstream, like venom, instantaneously circulating and following the blood's pathway. Soon, it will reach the different organs, for example, brain, dominating each organ, and altering its corresponding functions in accordance to its own plans. There will come a time that we suffer from love, we suffer because of love. This is because humans are weak, vulnerable, and fragile when it comes to love. Love easily dominates our own system, our own body, for we wittingly (or unwittingly) allow it, and until a time that we totally lose our consciousness. Love is domineering, like us, but only stronger.

And there you are, being in the state of coma, except you can still walk, talk, eat; in short, physiological processes happen except that you are mindless, brainless, and you don't have control over things. Everything that you earned before you're struck with love are gone wasted. You throw everything away for the sake of one thing, of one person, even if several of these things are important to you.

But what makes all of these things exhausting? What makes love exhaustive in nature? It is the heart, of course. For once you've been petrified by love, as it takes over the system, its minion, the heart, also takes over. And every beat that it does, the hematic disease is being spread. And because of the feeble heart, love dominates. When it dominates, we do certain things that we almost exhaust every thing that we have. When we are almost exhausted, mutually or not, love is left and so is the feeling of physical and mental exhaustion.

As we gain our consciousness, we see ourselves six feet below the ground, tears falling, with nothing but love that now turns to false hope. We are back in our own world, nauseous because of the head-spinning journey (and feeling), as if the some of our nanoparticles are left behind. We then ask ourselves, what the hell happened? We pretend; we act as if we hadn't been bitten by a venomous snake; we defecate until our everything becomes one, and the whole world becomes whole. We breathe in deeply, and out; the journey was fun. We get a syringe, with a specific serum in it and a label that says "anti-venom", then injecting into our infected vein. We breathe in again, and out; I won't go back in there again.

So to speak: love is powerful you know. Never underestimate that.

Next time you think that life is too exhausting for you, think about love. But even if love is exhausting, per se, still, we'd want that feeling, and that's why we still persevere in achieving things. So that when we once again be whirled by love, be intoxicated because of love, we can, however, pay the things that we feel.

First Repost - Wanted: A New Activism by Nicolo Del Castillo

This article is not only applicable to the affected ones (mainly UPD), but also to other schools/establishments that suffer from "unexpected" expenses due to the mischief of graffiti.

If activism is to be acquainted with graffiti, i.e. spray-painted protests on the walls, I daresay that it is still quite an effective method. However, it depends on what is the writing all about. Quoting Ivy, "what's up with all the vandalism around and outside campus. i don't get the point of having the need to vandalize walls just to get your points across. seriously, it's passe already.", that indeed it is passe, from bored people who write useless phrases on the walls or tables, to historic people using blood as their ink, vandalism has been passed through generations, mixed with ideals and trash. (My history is a bit rusty.oops). Now, what sets the disparity between a mark from a vandal, and a mark from a passion-induced writings is mainly the author's objective. A piece of paper with mere words and sentences on it is different from a paper filled with concrete statements and ideas.

But like any paper or whatnot, certain circumstances must be considered. Not all people consider certain outstanding thoughts different to thoughts of a vandal; thus, even if the activist writes something of pure and concrete idea, if others sense it as invalid, then they consider it as a vandal. Even the price is not fair for the other party, since the writings lead to defacing/destruction of walls or objects. Well, other things are described/explained below by N.del castillo (though I like some of his points because of its trueness):
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WANTED: A New Activism
by Nicolo del Castillo

"This is in reaction to the recent vandalism of UP buildings during the UPCAT weekend.

Spray painting slogans and messages is an old, worn-down way of catching attention. What these people do not realize is that in doing so, they contribute to more resources being siphoned away from delivering education. The paint used to cover their marks, the gasoline used to buy the paint, and chase the culprits (they weren't caught but we have their plate number), all redound to money spent away from direct education.

Shouting and spray painting may still be effective, but much more so quietly distributing leaflets with arguments against the TOFI to parents waiting for their children finish the UPCAT. Engaging people in confident discussion (not memorized lines) about what increased tuition fee does for the country's future will win more hearts and minds than violently flailing words on walls.

You call spray painting brave? I beg to disagree. They run and hide after proclaiming their stand. They would rather besmirch their perceived enemies' buildings with paint than show their enemies' arguments for what they really are.

Truly brave men and women walk slowly, speaking their truth softly and clearly with the aim to convince others rather than scare them; aiming to build a constituency, rather than divide and label people as "for" & "against", "pasista" & "aktibista". The brave are not afraid to stand alone and face the current. They are steadfast in pointing to the light or an alternative way, and have faith that people will soon see their truth.

We need new activists who understand what activism is. It is to be actively, consistently, and bravely forming a stance that would shed new light to old paths and show society a new way of doing things. It is doing the small stuff that ultimately become a mountain of work. It is giving of oneself to a quest, be it a lonely one. It is braving the rain to hold a candle to the dark. "
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I'd like to further discuss my points. But I'm sleepy, and I choose my bed rather than this machine I am operating.

WARNING: Cross-posted to blogger and multiply.

It's still raining outside.

As I am writing these words, it is raining.

People may have thought of these words already. Some may have already written these down and published it. Or, some may have also, like me, thought/written some articles, poems, scripts, or entries that were inspired merely because of rain. As if every thing in this world has it's own mind and life, and follows a certain path or trend that even us, humans, are unconscious of it.

I may ask, I've seen/read films,books, songs, entries that are inspired to antecedent subjects or topics; what clarifies the disparity then? What is novelty? If we trace back history, several unnoticed works, undelivered speeches, and whatnot might be similar to the present day works, which we think as completely original and splendid. Innocence because of ignorance of the works of the others may be considered as reason, but how can we dare say that the thing/work is original, if we neglect history?

I'm questioning out of curiosity.
And the rain suddenly stops, well, not my curiosity.

Tell me the difference.

I took Philosophical Analysis last semester and still, it haunts me.

Every one imposes question/s to everyone. Filled with doubt, by mere curiosity, exasperation, or with nonsensicality, people always try to ask something. In reality, humans LIKE to ask. They like to know whether the truth is true or not - if pOH = -log [OH^-], 1 + 1 = 2, or whether she's a she or not. Our natural inquisitiveness leads us to a path that we ourselves are uncertain. And if we were to receive answers, still we would resist embracing these and again, hurriedly answering back some questions. Either way, I see doubt.

Boom. 525, 600 minutes. 525, 600 questions to go.

Why do we need to watch that film? What is this? How is that possible? When will He come? Who and where is He? My life has always been marked by this Who-what-where-when-why-how type of question. I can't even imagine myself existing without these questions; or rather, I can't imagine myself writing this without the 5-W's and 1-H. [Talk about News writing.] And these questions even veil themselves, as if they were precious diamonds hiding from muggers. I see them everywhere: movies, pictures, objects, and much more in writing works. Despite some lacking the punctuation mark,?, that is placed at the end of the statement to indicate question, I see them by merely deciphering the article.

Verb: decipher di'sIfu(r) - read with difficulty (WordWeb, 2005)

Question is part of the structural context. Everything is RELATED to questions, and questions always have an effect. For example, in our Arts and Humanities - 7 class, we watched the movie Persepolis that is about the coming-of-age of Marjane Satrapi, the main character of the film. From a vantage point, while making the film, (assuming) the film crew might have asked themselves how they would present the film to the viewers, in a way that they (viewers) would understand each level/stage of the story. They might have used these questions as guide for viewers, i.e. made the question implicitly invisible, but for the viewers to decipher. As viewer, while watching, I tried to ask myself what was the story all about, and how was the story presented. Basically, the questions (inquisitiveness) teach us unconsciously, as we try to explore and search for answers. As we try to search for the meaning, or answers, we actually learn.

Another example is this web log. Before I started writing, I asked myself on what topic will I be writing. That started my journey. It was then followed by series of questions, which then led me here.

I remembered the method of Socrates in teaching his students like Plato: Socratic dialogue method. Follow this link: http://www.sfcp.org.uk/socratic_dialogue.htm

So tell me now, am I talking more about Philosophical Analysis, taking into account that my primary idea/ purpose while writing this is/is for my web log in Arts and Humanities 7? Tell me the difference. And I see now why it really led me here.

Consider this: In Buddhism, and in nature, EVERYTHING IS INTERRELATED.

Quote

"The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing."
- Edmund Burke