Father Paul Nicholson: A traditionalist is one who venerates the anointed...

Father Paul Nicholson: A traditionalist is one who venerates the anointed...: Thirty thousand soliders were deployed on October 21, 1793 to hold back the seething mob of Paris that came to see the public execution o...

COPYRIGHT LAW: Is it criminal to import books, movie and music DVDs and CDs?

Last Friday, I was jolted by unpleasant news.  A friend told me over dinner that there is a new law that prohibits the importation of foreign books, movie and music DVDs and CDs, and those bringing in these articles can be held criminally liable, even if such importation is done for personal use. I told my friend that this is not possible since the Intellectual Property Code clearly allows importation for personal use under its fair use provisions.  I am not a lawyer but due to its relevance to my work, the copyright section of the Intellectual Property Code was explained to me by my sister who is an intellectual property practitioner.

Thus, I was greatly bothered when my friend told me that he read in a blog that the fair use provisions of the IP Code pertaining to personal use has been removed in the new law. My first question was, can I no longer ask relatives to buy art books, CDs and DVDs for me from abroad?  In my line of work, I have found it very helpful to keep abreast of modern trends in art and the latest books from abroad are great resources.  But, if there is indeed this new law, then I should no longer ask my relatives and friends to bring me these materials from abroad. 

As soon as I got home, I asked my sister about this new law which criminalizes importation of books, CDs and DVDs for personal use.  She was surprised by my question and told me that my friend must have misunderstood what he read.    She explained that there are in fact proposed amendments to the Intellectual Property Code, including the provisions on copyright law.  With regard to importation for personal use, Section 190.1 was deleted.  But this does not mean that importation of books, music and movie DVDs and CDs can no longer be done.  On the contrary, with the deletion of Section 190.1, the limit of allowable copyrighted material that can be brought into the country has been removed.  This means that instead of three copies of a book, I can ask my Tita to bring five even ten, not only for me but for my friends.  Such importation is allowed under the general fair use exceptions (Chapter VIII, Section 185, IP Code).

I was greatly relieved when this was explained to me. I have decided to share this in my blog so that all those who might have misunderstood the fair use amendments to the IP Code will learn what I have.

"The Royal Affair"

(Note: This movie is not suited for the young audience. Contains nudity. Viewer's discretion is advised.)

It may be too late in the day to make some commentaries about the movie, “The Royal Affair”, since it had been shown months ago (Actually, I only watched it recently). First of all I would like to comment on the costumes, they looked great and they looked like what you see in the paintings done in the 18^th century Europe. Second, I love the cinematography. Third, the acting and the actors are extraordinary, especially the actor who played King Christian VII of Denmark. He did an amazing job in his portrayal of the king. There’s some kind of innocence about the king that compels me to have compassion for him, even though he was far from being a “perfect husband” for his queen, Caroline Mathilde, and far from being a perfect king for his country. He’s obviously not ready for grown-up responsibilities, let alone a king’s responsibilities (At least, that's how he was portrayed in the movie).

Now, why do I feel sorry for the king?
I think it’s because when a friend, a trusted friend, someone you look up to, manipulates and betrays you, in every way possible, you experience a heart-wrenching pain caused by the sense of betrayal in the midst of confusing turbulence and overwhelming emotions surging inside you, after you found out about it, on top of the question as to why that person could have done that to you. No words can effectively describe to convey to another person the intensity of that pain. It hurts so much that it can bring the toughest of men to their knees and to a heartbreaking wail. The tears can serve as a salve to a heart’s deep wound, but it can never alleviate the pain completely. Not even time can erase the scar left by a loved one’s betrayal. The one who betrayed the king’s trust is his own personal physician, who became his most trusted friend, Johann Friedrich Struensee. He’s the king’s personal physician first before he became the queen’s. He’s also a man of the Enlightenment. He and the queen began having an affair not long after he was assigned by the king to be the queen’s personal doctor. He used his influence on the king to advance the Enlightenment’s agenda with the blessings and urgings of the queen.

The movie was actually from the queen’s perspective and it was narrated by her but I couldn’t make myself sympathize with her. Sure, she felt neglected and she can’t depend on the king as a man and as a husband, but I was expecting more from her. Then again, she admitted that she’s too young to understand what her husband is going through.

The king has so many flaws, too, and he never bothered to correct them (well, he was said to be mentally-ill, so...), he was self-indulgent, and he was not faithful to the queen as well but, since it was the king whose complete trust was betrayed, I feel more compassion for him. The person may be mentally-ill or not, I just can’t grasp how some people can betray a person who trusted them wholeheartedly. To me, when someone gives his childlike trust to you, no matter how bad that person is, you wouldn't want to see that person hurt let alone be the cause of that hurt, if you could help it. I think you owe it to that person to protect him from any form of harm.

Anyway, the king, the queen and the doctor, all paid the price for their actions. It’s a very tragic and sad ending for the three of them, and I felt sorry for all three of them in the end.

(Disclaimer: My opinion on this matter is based purely on the movie. I have no knowledge whatsoever about the real story of the historical characters mentioned.)

If you haven’t watched the movie yet and you have decided to, please share with me what you think about the characters and who’s the one that got your sympathy and why. I would appreciate it very much if you share your views about the characters. Thank you.

My Perfume

I did this when I was sick to make myself feel better.This was done in Adobe Illustrator CS3. Enjoy! 

Les Adieux à la Reine (Farewell, My Queen) Trailer

Finally, a trailer!!! I have been waiting for this since I read about this movie from Maria Elena Vidal’s Tea at Trianon blog.

Hmmm, watching the trailer, though, had made me every suspicious of the storyline "A look at the relationship between Marie Antoinette and one of her readers during the final days of the French Revolution". I hope my suspicion about this movie is incorrect because I want to watch everything about Marie Antoinette, as long as it's based faithfully and historically on reliable sources. There were false rumors spread about Marie Antoinette on tabloids to besmirch her character. One of them was that she engaged in lesbianism. I really hope the movie is not to besmirch her character further by repeating the same lies said about her during her life in France, especially since she can no longer defend her reputation. Hopefully, the movie-makers, who wish to make movies of her, will have the decency to portray her for what she was and not for what she was not just to make a controversial movie and gain viewers. Fact is, she was not a lesbian and never had engaged in lesbianism. If she was and she had, her lady in waiting, Madame Campan, would have mentioned it in her book (By the way, I read that book, "Memoirs of Marie Antoinette by Madame Campan"). Back to the movie, I guess I’ll have to wait until it’s shown and see if my suspicion is correct.

For now, here’s the trailer, you be the judge:

Flipped

Flipped is one of my most favorite movies. It’s based on the book “Flipped” by Wendelin Van Draanen. I watched the movie again, today, for the nth time. Honestly, I really lost count. It doesn’t matter how many times I watched it, I still find the movie cute. It’s very wholesome that I never grow tired of it. It’s directed by the same director who directed the movie “Stand by Me”. I don’t like “Stand by Me” even one bit, though, because it’s too morbid for my taste. I’m still wondering why “Flipped” didn’t make it to the big screen when it’s a very good movie to watch. It brings back memories of teenage years, when you have no other concern except school works and crushes. I liked that. Just to clarify, I wasn’t born in the 50s. How I wish I was but I was born more than 3 decades after but I like period films. I like light and, especially, wholesome movies. Unfortunately, nowadays, wholesome movies seem like a rare gem to find (except, of course, in kiddie movie animations).  Anyway, if you haven’t watched this movie yet, I recommend that you watch it. That is, if, like me, you’re a fan of wholesome movies. By the way, I give this movie 10/10. 

Here's the trailer. Enjoy!

I’m back!!!

I’ve been very, very busy for the past months that I couldn’t take time to write on my blogs, including my recipe blog, and to think I really like cooking as well as drawing. Gosh, I have been drawing and drawing from the moment I wake up to the time I go to sleep. Also have been very busy authoring textbooks. Yes, I’m authoring art textbooks now, yay, lol! Yeah, I really feel blessed. This project seemed like it just fell on my lap! Actually, my co-author is my sister who’s also an artist. She’s a good writer, too. Anyway, I’ll try to do my best to update this blog; especially now that I see so many visitors (I’m so surprised!). I really appreciate you all taking time to drop by my blog. If there’s anything you want me to tackle in this site, whether it’s a movie, or about art in general, please feel free to give your suggestions. I’d be more than willing to engage in a discussion. See ya! ;)

L'Autrichienne English Subtitles

Sigh... Where can I find a copy of the movie "L'Autrichienne " with English subtitles! I have been looking everywhere but to no avail! I'm seriously considering to study the French language just so I can understand the French movies. That way I can watch any French movie about Marie Antoinette without feeling so frustrated because of the limiting feeling of the language barrier. If I'm going to study another language it will be like I'm in kindergarten about to start learning my ABC. It's different when you're a kid and you're learning a new language. It's easier because a child is a tabula rasa. They learn without difficulty, like breathing. It comes to them naturally. While older people have so many things in their head that it's hard to take in new things sometimes. Besides, personally, it's not my passion to learn a new language. I studied Spanish but I didn't continue. It's not really hard. I understood the rules but I'm too lazy, I guess. Besides, I don't see why I need to study Spanish. Well, so far, I don't see the need to study it. Maybe in the future. Anyway, that's beside the point. I really think I need to study the French language. I really want to understand the conversation in the movie "L'Autrichienne ". It's the best movie about Marie Antoinette that's ever made so far.

If you have stumbled on this blog, you must be looking for L'Autrichienne subtitles, too. Please drop a comment when you finally found it. Thank you.

Micheal Ball and Josh Groban

Haha, I was laughing so hard as I was watching the video, where Michael Ball and Josh Groban were singing together, on Youtube. I was very, very pleased with the video because I have often wondered about how it would be if Michael Ball and Josh Groban sing together. Now I know! Well, not really yet because, in the video, they were just fooling around. I want to see them together in a musical play, singing seriously. Michael Ball is one of my BIGGEST favorite Broadway singers/performers of all time and Josh Groban's voice captivates me. I love, love, love listening to them sing. There'll never come a day where I will grow tired of listening to them. :)

Orla Fallon

I'm so happy I bumped into her music. I must admit it was just by accident (but a fortunate one). I was looking for Charlotte Church’s music video “Carrickfergus” because I really loved that song, then I saw Orla’s video and clicked on it. To my amazement her voice is very angelic. I'm mesmerized by the quality of it… so soft and relaxing. I can’t get enough of her music. In fact, I’m listening to her song, “The water is wide”, right now. Her voice, though has a similarity with Enya’s, she has her own technique. Enya’s way of singing reminds you of mountainsides, of seascapes, of nature… it will also make you think of nymphs and other mythological characters, while Orla’s is like a lullaby that lulls you to sleep… but both she and Enya have hypnotic voices and they both are my favorite. Enya had always been a favorite of mine since I heard her voice and music and now, in addition to my favorite, is Orla. I saw a video where Orla sang one of Enya’s songs, “Orinoco Flow”, with her band-mates in Celtic Woman and they did great. It’s nice to see that she paid tribute to Enya that way. I already have all of Enya’s albums in my collection and now I’m going to buy Orla’s albums. :)

Fun at Orchard's Ville

I just created another blogsite, in addition to my "Orchard's Ville" and "Cook with me at Orchard's Ville", It's called: "Fun at Orchard's Ville". It's a place to chill, enjoy, talk about friendships and relationships. :)

Valkyrie

"I'm a soldier, but in serving my country, I have betrayed my conscience." - Col. Claus von Stauffenberg

Valkyrie [Blu-ray]

I just watched the movie “Valkyrie”, again, yesterday. This is one of my most favorite movies! It’s very touching, it makes you examine yourself – the kind of person you are, and it revives your hope in humanity.  A thought also crossed my mind… I thought to myself… since Hitler, initially wanted to be an artist, what could have happened if he was able to pursue that career? Will WWII happen? Will he be selling his artworks, instead of using his words to convince people to go to war? Or, will Hitler be using his artworks to convince people to go to war, nonetheless? I will never know the answers to these questions but, one thing is for sure: even though so many evil things happened in WWII, it was also the age of heroes. War can bring out the best in some men. One of these brave men was Claus Von Stauffenberg, a devout Catholic. He, and other brave men like him risked their own lives attempting to save so many others. Heroes, like them, make this world a better place to live in. Valkyrie is the kind of movie that will make you reflect and ask, “What will I do if I was in that situation?” I’m really glad that Tom Cruise decided to make a movie of Valkyrie. I’m glad that he decided to immortalize these men in the hearts and minds of the people. They all deserve the honor to be remembered and to be thanked. Their efforts were not in vain because they helped people to see that, in the midst of evil, like fascism and hate, there are people willing to sacrifice their lives to fight these evils. In the end, justice will always be served.

Village of Shadows

This movie starts out interestingly. I got hooked by this suspenseful mystery about the story of “Ruiflec” (the name of a village, central to the plot). Ruiflec has a dark past that has left the village being haunted by one of its former residents. The movie begins with two cars full of friends heading to Ruiflec, as tourists. Four friends are in one car and five in the other. As they draw closer to the village, the car with four passengers, meets with an accident, and within 30 seconds, the four passengers mysteriously disappear. Both cars stall. The remaining five friends inspect the site of the tragedy but they can't find a trace of their four friends. With no working car, they decide to walk towards Ruiflec, to look for a phone, in order to ask for help. As the movie progresses, the group's number mysteriously dwindles one by one. The few that remain continue to look for their friends, while searching for clues to their disappearances. They finally discover the entity behind the mystery. This entity was a victim of a cult that hunted people for ritual offerings. This French Revolutionary cult hoped to gain immortality by killing eight people. This eighth victim was a child when he was sacrificed and returned from the dead with a vengeance and hatred. So great was this rage that it consumes everyone in its path, through the centuries, 'til this day. It would have been a better movie, with its effective elements of suspense and mystery, but the ending is very disappointing, at least for me.

Portrait Paintings vs. Portrait Photography

As I was making a sketch of Marie Antoinette for my digital painting, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated about the lack of references I have of her. The only references I could find are paintings of her. Paintings are not like photos. Photos tell you exactly what the person, or subject, looks like. That’s what portrait paintings lack because artists have their own impression of the subject that they’re painting, and it’s only natural that it’s what they will apply on their canvas. That’s the reason why, even though I’m grateful to the painters for giving me a hint of how Marie Antoinette looked like, I find the fact that I don’t have any reliable reference of her exasperating. Nevertheless, I did the best I could with the references that I already have.


Here's my first attempt at making a portrait of Marie Antoinette:

Here's my second attempt:

Pinup Art

I created this artwork as a commemoration of the 50’s pinup. Sometimes it is referred to as "vintage pinup". I want to make more pinup illustrations as soon as I have enough time. For now, here's a sneak preview of what I'm going to do, and I will make sure to get better with it. There will be more to come! By the way, it’s done in both Photoshop and Illustrator CS3.

The Help

Since I like stories inspired by historical events, I decided to watch this movie. Also, I was really curious about the story; how it will go and where it is going. I, personally, avoid drama movies but I liked this one. There are funny parts, too, so it’s not all about tears, like I expected in most drama stories. There are heartbreaking parts but, at the end of the story, there’s a feel of hope. It’s a very good movie to watch.

Avatar for my recipe site

I created this today for my recipe blog http://mealsonlinerecipes.blogspot.com/. This is purely done in Illustrator. 

Creamy Mediterranean Spicy Beef Recipe

Ingredients:

2 ½ tbsp of olive oil

2 tbsp of McCormick® coriander powder

McCormick® marjoram

McCormick® dried oregano

Black pepper

2 sliced tomatoes (seeds removed)

4 cloves of garlic minced

1 onion finely chopped

2 whole jalapeños

1 can of sliced button mushrooms

½ kg foreshank beef, thinly sliced

250ml of cream

Salt to taste

How to cook:

In a bowl, sprinkle salt, marjoram, black pepper and dried oregano on the thinly sliced beef and mix them well. Set aside. In a skillet, sauté garlic in olive oil until golden brown and add the chopped onion. Next, add the tomatoes. Add the mushrooms. Add the coriander powder, a sprinkle of marjoram, a bit of salt, black pepper and oregano. Mix them well. Next, add the beef to the skillet mixture. Stir all the ingredients in the heated skillet until the herbs and spices are evenly distributed on the beef. Put a lid on the skillet and let the beef’s water come out. Let it boil, slowly. Stir it from time to time until the water evaporates. When there’s little water left, add the cream. Lower the heat and stir until the sauce is thick. Good for 7 servings.


(For more of my recipes, go to: http://mealsonlinerecipes.blogspot.com)

My other sites

I finally attended to my other sites: Weebly and Tumblr. I didn't get enough time until today. Actually, I started doing this last night, now it's already morning.

I posted some samples of my artworks there. Feel free to email me.

My tumblr. avatar done in Illustrator

I created this for the purpose of using it as my tumblr avatar. I'm new to tumblr. but I want to personalize my page as much as I can, just like what I did here.