EXCESS BAGGAGE REDUX

Eastwood Mall, Ground Floor

See Related Entry: Excess Baggage Video

H-A-R-A-K-I-R-I

We talked about samurai warriors and the honor in the manner they die through harakiri.  As I demoed the act of harakiri, Nicolas asked, "What letter or word can you write with the sword? Can you spell your name?"

Seppuku ("stomach-cutting") is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment.  Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai.  Part of the samurai honor code, seppuku was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies, as a form of capital punishment for samurai who have committed serious offenses, or performed for other reasons that have brought shame to them.  The most famous form of seppuku is also known as 'harakiri' ("cutting the belly").  The ceremonial disembowelment, which is usually part of a more elaborate ritual and performed in front of spectators, consists of plunging a short blade, traditionally a tanto, into the abdomen and moving the blade from left to right in a slicing motion.

KIRIGAMI

"Kirigami" by Nicolas Garcia

(Materials Used: paper and scissors)

Kirigami is a variation of origami that includes cutting of the paper (from Japanese "kiru" = to cut, "kami" = paper).  Typically, kirigami starts with a folded base, which is then cut; cuts are then opened and flattened to make the finished kirigami.  Kirigami are usually symmetrical, such as snowflakes, pentagrams, or orchid blossoms.

SMELL LIKE MIKE

A friend gifted me with a bottle of Michael Jordan cologne.  I told Savion and Nicolas that they can use the cologne if they wanted to smell like Michael Jordan eliciting a remark from Nicolas, "You mean to say that Michael Jordan's real sweat is in the cologne?" 

THE LAST MOONBENDER

THE SIMPSONS

Savion and Nicolas watched their first "The Simpsons" episode. May they grow up to have the smarts of Lisa, the street-smarts of Bart and the perpetual innocence of Maggie.

WHERE IS SAVION? WHERE IS NICOLAS?

"Mrs. A's Opus" - a tribute concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of teaching of Carmencita Guanzon Arambulo

(August 1, 2010 at the Fleur de Lis Auditorium of Saint Paul University Manila)

http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/lifestyle/21865-mrs-as-opus-celebrating-50-years-of-homegrown-musical-talents