Saturday, July 28, 2012

 A Chinese Ghost Story, also known as A Chinese Fairy Tale

               Many years ago, Yan Chixia aspired to become an excellent demon hunter, so he chose Black Hill as his place of training and fulfilling his dream. At that time, Yan was still young, and in the old Black Hill lived several demons and spirits who have existed even longer than the hill itself. Although these creatures lead a simple and primitive lifestyle, they are enshrouded in a strong aura of death and killing.
               Yan Chixia participates in battle after battle against the demons and spirits. The villagers in the vicinity are fearful of entering Black Hill and a nearby Lanruo Temple. Yan's sword and skill become more powerful and he is confident that he can defeat everything, until that day, he meets her and a tragedy begins. Many years later, all the rivers around the hill are hit by a serious drought and the villagers are forced to find a new water source on the haunted hill. It is here where human civilization meets primeval demons and a romance starts between a young scholar and a female ghost.
               A Chinese Ghost Story, also known as A Chinese Fairy Tale, is a 2011 fantasy-supernatural film directed by Wilson Yip, starring Louis Koo, Liu Yifei, Yu Shaoqun, Kara Hui, Louis Fan, and Wang Danyi Li. The film is adapted from one of the tales in Pu Songling's Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, a collection of supernatural stories set in ancient China.
               This film is a compeling romance with its theme of "what happens when a spirit master, out to rid the world of spirits, himself falls in love with one of them." It has philosophical underpinnings also like all folk tales. What would we choose to do when faced with unpleasant choices in life? What happens when what we firmly believe in and fight for suddenly becomes untrue? What happens when we are forced to make choices in love? Do we choose to become selfish or do we do have the courage to do what must be done? Will we regret our choices or keep a straight face on them? I could go on and on, but don't become mistaken about the film. It's a delightful one and worth wathcing just for fun. How you seek to intrepret the story is entirely upto you. This is only my way of doing it.

Acknowledgement: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Chinese_Ghost_Story_%282011_film%29

Friday, July 27, 2012

"Rodel Ituralde's mother, now thirty years buried in the clay hills of his Domani homeland, had been fond of a particular saying: "Things always have to get worse before they can get better." She'd said it when she'd yanked free his festering tooth as a boy, an ailment he'd earned while playing at swords with the village boys. She'd said it when he'd lost his first love to a lordling who wore a hat with feathers and whose soft hands and jeweled sword had proven he'd never known a real battle. And she'd say it now, if she were with him on the ridge, watching the Seanchan march upon the city nestled in the shallow valley below."

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Bombay Natural History Society
Mission : “Conservation of Nature, primarily Biological Diversity, through Action based on Research, Education and Public Awareness”.

BNHS was established in 1883 and has been promoting the cause of a natural India for the past 127 years. Among its members were the pioneers of Indian Natural History; the most famous being Dr Sálim Ali, "the birdman of India". For more details please visit http://www.bnhs.org/
BNHS has published “Green Guide for Teachers”- a ready reference for all environmental educators. This book is a revised version of ‘Green Kit” which was developed in 2002. The book is available in English and Marathi for free distribution among secondary school teachers all over Maharashtra. It is an excellent resource material for everyone interested in their environment.
The book is divided into 7 chapters as given below:
  1. Did You Know (includes 226 facts)
  2. National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries (includes 12 popular national parks and sanctuaries with list 613 protected areas of India)
  3. Threatened Flora and Fauna (includes 44 species)
  4. Trade in Wildlife (includes 198 facts)
  5. Environmental Issues (includes 16 issues)
  6. Green Projects (includes 22 projects)
  7. Green Deeds (109 facts and eco-calendar)
I'm reproducing below a picture from the book which I found highly informative.  You can access the full book at http://www.bnhs.org/education-mainmenu/green-guide-for-teachers.html