I came across this funny vid on Youtube, and whether you're a Star Wars fan or not, or whether you're a Daddy or a Mommy, you'll pick up some nuggets of wisdom watching this. Enjoy!
1. Crush the Dark Side of the Force -When children play, they will often play with the Dark Side. Make sure that the boundaries between the Dark Side and Light Side are always clear and consistent.
2. Make the Force Strong in Them - Get them doing new things, like reading, cycling, chess, geo-political analysis (LOL!)... Give them plenty of chances to succeed, so they come to know victory like an old friend. Praise their successes and make sure they don't take failures to heart.
3. Ignore Jedi Mind Tricks - Your kids may be masters of manipulation already. The skill is when to let them know when to win and when to stand firm. Kids need to know that they are listened to.
4. Never show your Dark Side - Shouting is always a waste of time and very unpleasant as well. If their childlike ways are getting to you, look within yourself. Remember how influential you are to them and how scary it is to be shouted at when you are little.
5. Become a child again - Good dads are never off duty (I love this line!). Being affectionate and warm, when you'd rather be reading the papers (or checking your Facebook newsfeeds :) and then getting up and playing one more game of spaceships is what makes the difference between an OK dad and the best dad in the galaxy!
Happy Father's Day to all you hardworking and devoted dads out there!
Remember the Volkswagen Superbowl ad featuring Little Darth Vader? Well, marketing folks at Marvel decided to, uh "clone" that classic with their own version for the movie Thor:
Here's the original ad for purposes of comparison:
Clever, but I'd say the original is still the best! What do you guys think?
My grade school classmate, Lorenzo Paran III, maintains a blog called Pinoy in America, and while I was reading his post "A Day with the Pinoy Harley Riders Club" I spotted one special bike that suddenly ka-blammed my SW geeksense into hyperdrive:
A Skywalker pop and son lightsaber duel paint job up front, and Vader break lights to complete the Sith intimidation!
Third (as he is still fondly called and who is currently based in CA), informed me that the bike was invited to be displayed at the LA Oscar Awards Night 2011 red carpet "but got bumped off at the last minute". The Harley is owned by a Fil-Am dentist based in SoCal, who surprisingly is not into Star Wars, but entrusted the custom job to a man who obviously is a fan of the George Lucas saga.
Pinoy in America is an enjoyable read, a candid and often times humorous take on the lives of Filipinos living and working in the United States. Third has already published a book "An Isteysayd Life" last year. I gotta get an autographed copy soon.
(All photos were posted with the permission of Lorenzo Paran III)
Amanda, who fights under the moniker "Powerhouse" and trains at the Fairtex gym in San Francisco , totes a 1-1 MMA record according Fightergirls.com. She won her debut vs Christen Bedwell via unanimous decision, but lost via TKO to Nicole Kavanagh in the 3rd round of her second fight.
She returns after being sidelined by a knee injury, and according to Yahoo, "spent the last 6 months training and rehabbing"
Go kick some butt and may the force be with you Amanda!
Still at the Mall of Asia, this time at the Toy Kingdom Main Mall branch, Gboy hooked up with none other than the Dark Lord of the Sith. It's not exactly one of the best statues that I've seen (they could've done a better job with the faceplate detail), but then again, who could resist a little photo op with Lord Vader?
I've met some pretty interesting characters on Facebook and one of them is Tads Obach Acosta who hails from Iligan City. Aside from being both SW geeks, Tads and I share the name Thaddeus, so it was but natural for our paths to cross, despite being on the opposite sides of the Force. You see, Tads fancies himself to be a Sith Lord of some sorts.
The video below was actually shared last year by THE Whilce Portacio, legendary Filipino comic book artist who is no stranger to the Star Wars mythos. Before he became a famous penciller for Marvel titles (such as X-men, Punisher and X-Factor) and co-founder of Image Comics, Whilce inked Star Wars #107 in 1977.
Here's what Whilce had to say on Facebook:
"A little something nice I just received...I love it when people with passion apply it...for Star Wars fans here's one fan passionately applying himself on film...Bravo to Tads Obach Acosta, will look forward to your other efforts..."
Bravo indeed!
I caught up with Tads (aka S'Dat Q-nim) who happened to visit the Mos Eisley Carinderia and asked him a couple of questions:
jedi_randy: Where are you based and what do you do for a living?
S'Dat Q-nim: I'm still a damn bum. I took up a course 'suggested' to me and I was too obedient. I've regretted that damn decision for more than 4 years and gawd how I hate 'Nursing!' I guess this (hatred) is the source of my Sith powers.
j_r: When did this Star Wars obsession start?
SDQ: When I asked my uncle: "Who's the guy with a black cape and a kick-ass helmet?"
j_r: Where did you shoot the Sith Kata video?
SDQ:In a MEMORIAL GARDEN! I had to climb up a hill to reach the entrance and go downhill to reach the spot where I shot the short film. It was a good exercise!
j_r: How many hours/days did you shoot the film? SDQ: 5 days, 2 hours per day since I used a lousy camcorder with a lousy battery life.
Just so you know: four days I shot the sequences ALONE. I didn't want my friends to help since this film was supposed to be a 'precursor' to my main SW project and I wanted to 'surprise' them. On the fifth day, I used my Force Persuasion on my cousin/best pal to help me shoot the vid.
j_r: Any plans of shooting more fan-made SW videos soon? SDQ: YES. Like I said before, the Sith Kata vid is a 'precursor' to my main SW project.... Star Wars: Obscura!
j_r: Looks like you have been consumed already by the Dark side. Who is your favorite SW character then? SDQ: PALPY PALPY PALPY!!!!! Followed by Vader then by Luke. Hey I can imitate Palpy's voice!!! Seriously! >:)
Also EU characters: Darth Bane, Exar Kun and Darth Nihilus!
Sith Lords are more fun than the Jedis. I mean, c'mon? Black robes, wicked masks, Force lightning??? Wooo hooo!!!
j_r: If you had to pick only one, which of the SW movies is your favorite? SDQ: Can I pick 3??? ESB, RotJ and RoTS. Heck, I was the only one in the theater who laughed when the m*thaf**kin Windu got owned!
j_r: If you could improve on any of the movies, and George Lucas was listening, what would be your suggestions? SDQ: PLEASE ERASE JAR-JAR FROM EXISTENCE!
.... aaaaand add sequences featuring Maul mauling several Jedis to their deaths...
...and oh please erase that awful Savage Oppress too... pretty please?
j_r: If you could get any celebrity to star in your videos for free, who would he/she be? SDQ: Gee... this one's tough... umm... I'd like... Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie and Gaga (yes... her) to be my Sith mistresses. I'd also would like to have Gary Oldman as my Sith mentor! (Gawd, I'm a huge fan of his!)
j_r: Do you have a Star Wars collections as well? SDQ: I have a Darth Potato Head!
j_r: Is your knowledge of Star Wars an advantage or disadvantage when trying to impress babes? SDQ: I'm a geek but not a nerd. Look how many friends I have in my FB account... most of them are girls. LOLOLOL! (jedi randy's note: Sith mind tricks are nastier than the Jedi variety)
Thank you for your time S'Dat Q-Nim! Let's have that lightsaber duel to the death soon.
Just to prove that the dark side of the Force has its flaws, here are bloopers of the Sith Kata video:
We look forward to more Star Wars videos from Tads. And if he becomes famous, remember, he was first interviewed here at the Mos Eisley Carinderia.
Bring Megan, Angelina and Gaga along on your next visit.
First time ko mag-blog in Filipino, meron kasi akong ideyang maaring ikatuwa, ikagulat or ikainis ni George Lucas at ng lahat ng mga fans ng Star Wars, kaya atin-atin lang muna ito mga kabayan ha!
Kung meron kasing mga parody tulad ng Hardware Wars, Spaceballs at Star Wars Robot Chicken, bakit kaya hindi natin gawan ng Pinoy comedy version ang Star Wars? Heto ang mga magiging bida ng ating intergalactic sarswela:
Luke Skywalker - Ang bidang mahilig sa basketball at iniidolo si Samboy Lim
Princess Leia Organa - Ang kakambal ni Luke, nahiwalay nung ipinanganak at napunta sa mayamang pamilya ng mga musikero. Pinag-aral sa Berkley School of Music at nagdalubhasa sa pagtugtog ng piano
Obi Wan Kenobi - Ermitanyong Bisaya, nagtitinda ng Ube halaya. Siya ang may alam na si Luke at Leia ay magkakambal
Han Solo - Feeling cool na sigang playboy, pero ang totoo'y virgin pa at 35 years old.
Chewbacca - Mutated talking cow, besfren ni Han
Darth Vader - 1/3 man, 1/3 robot, 1/3 dart board. Meron siyang hika, kaya parang laging hirap huminga.
Threepio - Robot na madaldal. Totoong pangalan niya ay "Popopo", pero mabantot pakinggan, kaya ginawa nya na lang Threepio para maging cool
Artoo - Robot na pandak, pero di hamak na mas astig at mas matalino kesa kay Threepio. "Rrrrr Rrrrr" nga lang ang alam niyang salita.
The Emperor - Bossing ni Darth Vader. Ang totoong pangalan niya ay Palpatine, pero pinalitan niya dahil sa daming palpak na nangyari noong kabataan niya. Also known as Darth Sidious, dahil kahit may katandaan na'y mahilig pang magpa-cute sa mga kababaihan.
Stormtroopers - Mga alalay at goons ni Emperor, susugod sa bagyo at lulusong sa baha para kay bossing
Still searching for a unique post-Valentine gift for your loved one? Azrael Coladilla, famous mastermind of the pop culture blog Azrael's Merryland, shares photos of the Darth Vader Bini Boshi hat he scored during the recent Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival in Clark, Pampanga. You lucky Az-tard!
According to Az, the Bini Boshis, produced by Thought Factory (http://thethoughtfactory.multiply.com/), particularly the "Angry Birds" and "Plants vs Zombies hats" were huge top sellers (prices ranged from P250-P300)
Az adds that according to owner Alex Manabat, the Bini Boshi hats were crafted by members of a deaf and mute organization who receive a portion of the sales.
I'd love to see Bini Boshi versions of Yoda, Artoo, Chewbacca, Ewoks, Boba Fett and Darth Maul.
You will give me your Darth Vader Bini Boshi Azrael!
You will make me me a Star Wars Boba Fett Bini Mr. Manabat!
Vader is in town and boy is he hot-headed! Did I hear an order for a Darth Balloon-balunan?
Images courtesy of abuggedlife.com by Jayvee Fernandez
The world famous Darth Vader balloon of Belgium is one of the participants in the 16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark, Pampanga which runs from February 10 to 13, 2011. Members of the Philippine Outpost 501st Legion of Stormtroopers led by CO Oneal Rosero will march in front of the Vader Balloon at 6:00am tomorrow (Sunday). Now that would be a Imperial sight to behold!
(file photo from the Philippine Outpost's Facebook page)
The Vader Balloon is the brainchild of Star Wars/hot air balloon fans Benoit Lambert and Nicholas Lelong (a member of the Belgian 501st). What started out as Benoit's joke became a reality when Nicholas approached Steve Sansweet, an executive of Lucasfilms, who gave the project a thumbs up.
Benoit Lambert (image from the Darth Vader Balloon Facebook Page)
Nicholas Lelong (image from the Darth Vader Balloon Facebook page)
Here are other interesting facts about the Darth Vader Balloon:
Registration Name: OO-BQZ
Date manufactured: March 2007
Manufacturer: Cameron Balloons Ltd of Bristol, England (http://www.cameronballoons.co.uk)
Manufacturing time: 8 weeks
Height: 26 meters (86 feet) including the basket
Width: 21 meters (69 feet)
Depth: 24 meters (78 feet)
Weight: 320 kilos (850 pounds)
Estimated Hot Air Volume: 3.000 cubic meters (106,000 cubic feet)
Pilots: Benoit Lambert, Michel Lambert
During the manufacturing stage, the project was called <<Head One>> to keep it a secret as requested by Lucasfilms
The Green Bay Packers may have beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers in this year's edition of Superbowl yesterday, but for Star Wars fans like me, the biggest winner is the Volkswagen 2012 Passat ad featuring a diminutive Dark Lord of the Sith wannabe. This kid has the coolest parents in the world!
