SEA group comment to the film "HERO"

          

         The film "HERO” was created uniquely by the makers of the movie. At first you will not clearly understand what the movie really wants to tell to the viewers, but as soon as you get through to the film you will more appreciate it. The flow of the story was craft by a series of flashbacks recounted by Jet Li (nameless) and the King.

          The cinematography was beautifully done and each scene in the movie was just right and faultless. In the flashbacks the makers uses different colors, and I think this colors represents to the different emotion and passion of the characters. My two favorite scene there is, first was when Jet Li and Sky fighting, while the old men was playing the guitar (I don’t know the exact term for that guitar). The place for that scene was like in the game (mortal combat). Second, when Moon and Flying Snow was fighting in the place where there are trees with a color yellow leaves. That view was great. The costume used really fits in the movie. They tired to make the film exactly look like in the time of that dynasty.

          Of all the Chinese movies I've watch, the martial arts used in the film was amazing. The moves were clean, fine and perfectly executed. The fighting was consistent, from the first fighting scene up to the end part of it. Each characters of the movie give justice to their role and they really give their best in the movie.

China Group's comment on the movie "Hero"

The movie entitled “Hero” depicts China 2000 years ago; the time when wars between 7 kingdoms battle for the ultimate power of becoming the first emperor of China.
Apparently, the Kingdom of Qin, led by Qin Shihuangdi, defeated the 6 kingdoms and became the first emperor of China.

Jet Li, a fearless, loyal warrior with no name, is the only survivor among his people. His mission is to destroy the powerful emperor and his three faithful assassins, Sky, Broken Sword and Flying Snow; and avenge the destruction of all that was meaningful to him.

Besides the fact that I’m a great fan of martial arts movies, the movie was indeed plausible. With all those sword fights, screenplays, scenes and colorful shirts; Hero did gave us some glimpse of how China came about. Here’s a sneak preview of the movie. However, just like India's group comments, the movie was quite confusing becuase of its numerous flashbacks. Plus the actors were repeatedly killed yet apparantly they appeared on succeding scenes.

Sir de los Reyes also added that upon the victory of the first Dynasty, was the construction of the Great Wall of China. This is to establish a defensive system by connecting separate walls from Qin, Yan and Zhao kingdoms. Click here To see more of 7th wonder of the world.

India Group's comment on the movie "Hero"

The movie Hero starring Jet Li portrays about the events that happened in China even before Jesus Christ was born. Click here to know more about the movie.

While watching the movie, it seem so boring at first, maybe because of the language used, and you still need to go through the subtitles just to understand the conversation of the characters. But as we go along, fight scenes between Nameless (Jet Li) and Broken Sword (Tony Leung) caught our attention which made us focus more on the film. Amazing utilization of swords and other fighting weapons are really remarkable on these kind of movies. Characters uses these weapons gracefully that makes us wonder, "How did they do that? They seem like dancing while fighting!"

Just like Mr. Delos Reyes said after we played the film, flashbacks of the stories with its different colors signifies something. For color connotations, click this link to know the symbols and psychology of colors.

Even though the movie made us so confused because of so many flashbacks, somehow it gave us the idea on how does the Chinese live their lives at early times. The movie may not be able to portray the whole history of China, still we had a glimpse of it that gave us the curiosity to know more about China's uniqueness , not only in Asia, but also in the whole world.

Initial rating of your blog: 10 to 11 out of 20

I already placed a pdf file of the blog rubric in the sharebox of The Bamboo Grove. Here's an initial blog rating for your blog:

Content 2 to 3

There's no clear statement as to what your blog is for. But a lot of your content is about asia so i'm guessing it's about asia.

Interest 3

Your posts are more concise except for a few that are very long. There is an effort to make the information more interesting by giving your own thoughts and leaving a lot of the information as links to other pages.

Navigation 2

The first few times i visited your blog i got lost.

Layout 3

You have an attractive layout, it's just that its difficult to navigate it. In some cases, i think the width of the yellow notepad background is shorter than a line of the post.

The same as the other class blogs, using different fonts, font sizes, font colors, makes it difficult sometimes (i think someone made a comment in one of your posts about this too). It makes your blog appear cluttered.

japan etiquette

In Japan, the main purpose of taking a bath besides cleaning your body, is relaxation at the end of the day.

The typical Japanese bathroom consists of two rooms, an entrance room where you undress and which is equipped with a sink, and the actual bathroom which is equipped with a shower and a deep bath tub. The

toilet is almost always located in a completely separate room.

When bathing Japanese style, you are supposed to first rinse your body outside the bath tub with some water from the tub, using a washbowl. Afterwards, you enter the tub, which is used for soaking only. The bath water tends to be relatively hot for Western bathing standards. If you can barely enter, try not to move much, since moving around makes the water appear even hotter.

After soaking for a while, leave the tub and clean your body with soap. Make sure that no soap gets into the bathing water. Once you finished cleaning yourself and rinsed all the soap off your body, enter the bath tub once more for some more soaking. After leaving the tub, do not drain the water, since all household members will use the same water.

Modern bath tubs can be programmed to be automatically filled with water of a given temperature at a given time, or to heat up the water to a preferred temperature.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2002.html

Introduction--A piece of China

Our group did not include about the study of China's geography in our learning goal..Why? simply ponder on the lines below..

"mere names of places...are not geography... know by heart a whole gazetteer full of them would not, in itself, constitute anyone a geographer. Geography has higher aims than this: it seeks to classify phenomena (alike of the natural and of the political world, in so far as it treats of the latter), to compare, to generalize, to ascend from effects to causes, and, in doing so, to trace out the great laws of nature and to mark their influences upon man. This is 'a description of the world'—that is Geography. In a word Geography is a Science—a thing not of mere names but of argument and reason, of cause and effect." - William Hughes 1863

(Nosebleed!!)

Geography is a very broad topic to discuss, our group wants to focus on what is really important in our subject which is Asian civilization...yet, we know its important to know the description of the topic (China) that we want to learn. So to begin with a more detailed discussions about China (Soon), take alook at the map below:

China is one of the world's oldest continous civilization. It located in East Asia and it is the third largest country in the world with a total land area of about 9.6 million square kilometers. These are the countries sorrounding China that serves as its boundry:

• Mongolia in the North
• Russia in the northeast and northwest
• Korea in the east
• Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar in the east
• Nepal in the southwestIndia and Pakistan in the west

Here is another map of China. This is the same as what Sir Patrick have shown us in his discussion, only that it is specifically, China. So, the more red color you see, the more population there is in the area.

Why is it that not all area is occupied by people? Still, most people in China are farmers and herders and they need enough rainfall for thier living. Fishing is also a major industry along the coast. If you can still remeber the map about Asia's rainfall distribution, It showed us that the most occupied area in the map is also the one receiving enough rainfall throughout the year. That is one BIG reason why these people are staying at one portion in the map.

Well, China is a huge country. It has many regional climate, including the monsoon season. The Northern part of china can have severe winter that may reach below 0 degrees Farenheit , while it's western part which is a desert can have a temperature of about 100 degrees. In fact, due to these differences in climate, China is divided into two region, the Northern China which covers the desert and coldest part in the country and the South China which covers the monsoon part. Historically, these differences led in warfare during pre-modern era. How did it all begun?? Find out sOon..hehe!

Now, still wondering why we did not include everything about the geography of China? It's hard familiarizing all those numeric values of the continents and its provinces land area as well as those other less known landmarks. If you only read once, you'll forget it immediately.I bet, even Chinese people couldn't memorize all these things. ANyway, i hope you learn something from it.

• If there is something you want to learn more about the geography of china, just click this link.It will lead you to a site with a numerous discussion about China's geography..
• And if you want to have an advance reading about the Northern and Southern China, just follow this link.

feel free to comment if there are errors in the information...It will help a lot..

asia...asia...asia...asia...

>>In early Classical times, the term "Asia" referred only to the small region known today as Anatolia (a part of Turkey). Eventually however, the name came to denote the much larger land area with which we associate it today.
The etymology of Asia can only be guessed at. The strongest possibility is that it derives from a borrowed Semitic root "Asu", which means varyingly 'rising' or 'light', of course a directional referring to the sunrise, Asia thus meaning 'Eastern Land'.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Asia

>>from L., from Gk. Asia, speculated to be from Akkad. asu "to go out, to rise," in reference to the sun, thus "the land of the sunrise."

http://en.freepedia.org/Placename_etymology.html

just want to share something bout japan

Japan is a leading nation in the fields of scientific research, technology, machinery and medical research. Nearly 700,000 researchers share a US$130 billion research and development budget, the third largest in the world.[59]
Some of Japan's more important technological contributions are found in the fields of electronics, machinery, industrial robotics, optics, chemicals, semiconductors and metals. Japan leads the world in robotics, possessing more than half (402,200 of 742,500) of the world's industrial robots used for manufacturing.[60] It also produced QRIO, ASIMO and Aibo. Japan is also home to six of the world's fifteen largest automobile manufacturers and seven of the world's twenty largest semiconductor sales leaders.
Japan has significant plans in space exploration, including building a moonbase by 2030.[61] The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) conducts space and planetary research, aviation research, and development of rockets and satellites. It also built the Japanese Experiment Module, which is slated to be launched and added to the International Space Station during Space Shuttle assembly flights in 2007 and 2008.[62]

Guyz! here are our learning goals for china:
I. the civilization of ancient China
a. Origins of China
b. Shang Dynasty
c. Chou Dynasty
d. Chou Dynasty
e. Confucoius, the Sage
f. Ch'in conquest
g. Han Dynasty
II. China today

"South East Asia" LEARNING GOALS

The SEA Group will like to learn the following things:

• GEOGRAPHY - which includes the boundaries & climate
• DEMOGRAPHICS - religion & language
• CULTURE - arts
• TOURIST SPOTS - (if possible heheheh...)

     We think this things will help us or give us an idea about South East Asia..........

LEARNING GOALS! India!

after a series of discussions, ENFOURSI will learn about:

1. The Geography of INDIA
2. Vedic Period
3. Rise of Jainism and Buddhism
4. Mauryan Period
5. Muslim Invasions
6. The Moghul Empire
7. The British Rule
8. India's Freedom Struggle
9. Free and Modern India
10. “Bombay 5-6” invades Philippines? Their history here in our country and etc. (kon mkatara kami resources…. Hehe)

MAP MAKING contest! N4C styleee!

JAPAN-KOREA GROUP


INDIA GROUP


CHINA GROUP


S.E ASIA GROUP



WHO WON??? an price daw usa ka sako na candy! haha

-TEA: Uniquely Asian-

Tea has existed for over 4,000 years and was first cultivated by the Chinese. Legend has that a Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was boiling water and some leaves fell into his pot. He tasted and liked it. That's how tea began. Today, tea is popular all over the world for both its taste and health benefits.

The Europeans were introduced to tea in the 17th century. Tea soon became their favorite drink. Tea is not just for drinking, but is used in gourmet foods and desserts. Studies show that China and India consume more tea than any other countries.

Source:
http://www.fight-aging.com/tea.html
http://www.medicalprogress.org/uploads/images/green_tea_benefits.jpg

---CHINA group---

~BURI HATS OF ASIA~

Buri (Corypha elata Roxb.) is a palm from which three kinds of fibers, namely buri, raffia, and buntal, are obtained.
The buri palm has large fan-shaped leaves with stout petioles ranging from two to three meters in length. The palm reaches a height of 20 to 40 meters and its trunk attains a diameter of one to 1.5 meters. Of the buri fiber, buntal is the one with the most impact in the market.
The production of buntal fiber started in Sariaya and Tayabas in Quezon while the buntal hat weaving industry began in Baliuag, Bulacan way back during the pre-war years. The introduction of the hat weaving industry turned half of the hat weavers in Baliuag and neighboring barrios to the making of buntal hats instead of bamboo hats.The Philippines was then considered a major exporter of buntal fiber. The growing demand for buntal fiber in the international market resulted to a supply shortage in the domestic market. Local manufacturers faced stiff competition with exporters in sourcing their raw material requirements. They claimed that foreign buntal hat makers were utilizing imported Philippine buntal fiber. To support the then booming local hat weaving industry, the government passed Republic Act No. 4666 known as the Buntal export Total ban Law in 1967 prohibiting the exportation of buntal fiber.

USE AND APPLICATION
Before World War II, buntal fibers were traditionally woven only into hats and bags in a circular strip weaving. However, in the introduction of loom weaving in the late '70s, manufacturers were able to innovate and create new products such as shoes, slippers, coin purses, pen holders, window blinds, attache cases, table accessories, wall papers, desk organizers, screen dividers, decorative pillows and lampshades.
Buri, on the other hand, is made into braids and is also woven into various fibercraft products such as hats, bags and placemats.
Raffia fiber is loom woven into fabrics for wall coverings and upholstery material. Raffia fiber is also made into hats, bags, placemats, mats, folders, portfolios, shoes, slippers, "hula' skirts, other handicraft items and as tying, decor and wrapping material.

The History of Ancient India

"If there is one place on the face of this Earth "where all the dreams of living men have found a home "from the very earliest days when Man began the dream of"existence, it is India."

- Romain Rolland - French Philosopher 1886-1944 (http://www.geocities.com/dipalsarvesh/indexAryan.html)

Indian culture is an ancient and dynamic entity, spanning back to the very beginnings of human civilization. Beginning with a mysterious culture along the Indus River and in farming communities in the southern lands of India, the history of the sub-continent is one punctuated by constant integration with migrating peoples and with the diverse cultures that surround India. Placed in the center of Asia, Indian history is a crossroads of cultures from China to Europe, and the most significant Asian connection with the cultures of Africa. Indian history, then, is more than just a set of unique developments in a definable process; it is, in many ways, a microcosm of human history itself, a diversity of cultures all impinging on a great people and being reforged into new, syncretic forms.

> THE LAND AND IT'S PEOPLE<
The most striking element of Indian geography is the natural barrier formed by the mountain ranges in the north of India. For India is a continental plate that is crashing into the Asian continental plate. As it does, both continental plates push up the earth where they meet into a forbidding range of mountains. The central mountain range, passing across in the shape of a sword near the northern edge of the Indian subcontinent, is the Great Himalayas. These northern mountains, which are less of a barrier in the west, have naturally isolated India from its neighbors.

All along the southern edge of this great mountain wall are rich soils that are generously rained on; even though this region lies in the temperate zone, it is lush and subtropical. To the south are the extensive flood plains of the Indus River in the west and the Ganges in the east. With rich soil renewed every year by river flooding and with generous summer rains, these plains in the north are among the richest agricultural areas in the world. It was here that Indian civilization first arose, in the fertile flood plains adjoining the Indus River. This vast stretch of flood plain has been the home of the great Indian empires as well, the Mauryans and the Guptas.

The southern portion of India is a large peninsula with a forbidding mountain range all along the western coast and a large flat plateau called the Deccan in the center of the sub-continent. The eastern coast is flat land and affords many opportunities for harbors; from this area Indian culture had the widest contacts with foreign peoples. The western portion, however, being walled from the sea and hard to reach by land, subsequently became the seat of the powerful empires of the south, such as the Muslim kingdoms.

India is one of the most culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse regions one can imagine. Four major peoples, distinguished by the languages they speak, make up the population of the region. The majority of the population are Indo-European speaking a variety of languages related to European languages such as Greek, German, or English. Precisely when these peoples arrived is subject to much debate, but they seem to have arrived somewhere between 2000 BC and 1600 BC, and they brought with them their own religion and social system. The bulk of Indian religion and almost all of its literature is Indo-European. Second to the Indo-Europeans, but more ancient in India than the later immigrants, are a people who speak languages from the Dravidian family of languages. While we cannot be certain, the Dravidians were probably the authors of the great Indus River civilizations contemporary with the Mesopotamian civilizations to the west. In addition, the peoples in the northern mountains speak languages related to Chinese, Tibetan, or Mongolian. Finally, the smallest group, but most likely the oldest inhabitants of India, speak languages from the Australoid family, which are the languages spoken by indigenous peoples scattered throughout southeast Asia and Australia. Australoids are still present throughout the mountainous forests of the Deccan, but their traditional way of life, which was still vital only forty years ago, is beginning to die out.

Each of these peoples speak a bewildering variety of languages; each region of India is dominated by a single language. The major languages, most of which are Indo-European, are:

• Hindi
• Urdu (which is very closely related to Hindi but uses Arabic script)
• Bengali
• Marathi
• Assamese
• Sindhi
• Oriya
• Punjabi
• Kashmiri
• Nepali
• Telugu (Dravidian)
• Tamil (Dravidian)
• Kannada (Dravidian)
• Malayalam (Dravidian)

Wow. Despite this variety of languages, Indian culture is remarkably fluid and the contacts between peoples frequent and productive. Very few cultures are so tied into the overall geography of their region; Hinduism requires frequent pilgrimages as part of one's spiritual perfection, so the intercourse between different peoples has been constant throughout Indian history.

In the north, the great mountain barrier. To the south, the great river plains of the Indus and the Ganges, and the large, high plateau of the Deccan. This is the stage on which a complex history took place, and the first act began along the Indus River.

We wanted to more about the Indian culture; how they lived their life from the past until the present. One thing more, we are wondering why some of them chose to live here in our country; what could be the possible reasons behind of they're stay and what do they love about Philippines.

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/ANCINDIA/LAND.HTM
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dbeautiful%2Bindian%2Bpeople%26rs%3D0%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fp_ip%3DPH%26fr%3Dyfp-t-501%26vf%3D&w=500&h=318&imgurl=static.flickr.com%2F175%2F427753465_441af2edd0_m.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fshannondagher%2F427753465%2F&size=232.4kB&amp;name=427753465_441af2edd0.jpg&p=beautiful+indian+people&type=jpeg&no=13&tt=502&oid=c33850e3b93253e2&fusr=Shannon%20Dagher&tit=India--1%2F2+page%28Moleskine%29&hurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fshannondagher%2F&ei=UTF-8&src=p