The Rocket, a movie set in modern day Laos is directed by Kim Mordaunt. Mordaunt also made the 2007 documentary , which is about the unexploded cluster bombs still left in Laos.
The movie has only been shown at select film festivals around the world. And winning a few awards too. It recently won Best Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film’s young leading actor, Sitthiphon Disamoe, received Best Actor honors for his role as Ahlo.
The producer of The Rocket, Sylvia Wilczynski adds that “The film deals with topical themes such as a family who are displaced from their home by a hydro-electric dam development, and impoverished kids who collect those bombs.”
The Sydney Film School gives a good summary of the story:
“The Rocket is about a boy who is believed to bring bad luck to everyone around him, who leads his dysfunctional family and a couple of ragged misfits through Laos to find a new home. After a calamity-filled journey through a land scarred by the legacy of war, to prove he’s not cursed he builds a giant rocket to enter the most lucrative but dangerous competition of the year: the Rocket Festival.”
The film was shot in Laos and Thailand and features local village people as extras. Thai casting director Tanawat Punya auditioned children in schools, markets, temples, drama and youth groups and on the streets to play Ahlo. They casted 10 year-old Sitthiphon (“Kiâ€) Disamoe who lived rough on the streets until he was adopted. They then cast 8 year-old Loungnam Kaosainam, who plays his friend Kia. Loungnam was born and grew up in Vientiane and is involved in a local drama group. Ahlo’s mom is played by Australian Lao actress Alice Keohavong.
I look forward to watching this movie when it gets released in the U.S.
We went to visit Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden a few weeks back. It was still too early to see all the tulips in full bloom.
The tulip garden was named in honor of the once queen of the Netherlands. For the Dutch, tulips became a symbol of peace and reconciliation.
Nice pastel tulip color.
Pink Icelandic poppies.
A view of Golden Gate bridge. It’s to be noted that Golden Gate bridge will no longer have real people collecting toll now. It’s going to be all-electronic tolling by end of March. Drivers who don’t have FasTrak can pay a one-time fee at a kiosk before or after the toll plaza. Or they can pay by mail after a camera photographs the license plate and sends a bill to the registered address.
And here is more info about Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden as noted by S.F. Parks & Rec:
“The Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden, planted just below the Dutch Windmill, features thousands of tulips interspersed with Icelandic poppies, which burst into glorious flower in March and April.”
Address:
John F Kennedy Dr & Great Hwy , S.F., CA
Last spring I grew a few herbal sage seeds right into the ground. I also grew one in a small container. It turns out the potted sage did much better. I didn’t realize this plant would make it pass our freezing nights. The pot must have kept the soil warm and thriving.
Once in a while I’ll use the leaves in soup or make tea with them. But just recently I was reading about smudging and found out about how sage is used for spiritual cleanings.
It’s believe since the ancient time that burning sage helps to chase out bad spirits or energies from a home or person. They are refer to as “Smudging ceremonies” and one does it when moving into a new home or space.
Mother Earth Living notes, “white sage’s healing powers have been traced through time and have impacted many different cultures, including the ancient Babylonians, ancient Greeks, the Chinese and a host of Native North and South American tribes who used white sage in their healing and prayer rituals.”
The process involves placing the bundled dried sage into a ceramic dish then light it for a few seconds until billows of smoke come up. Be sure to stop the flame as you only want the sage scented smoke (much like burning incense).
The ceremony uses White Sage but garden sage can also be used as a substitute. White Sage has white to silver looking narrow leaves and are seen growing in the mountains and deserts of California.
Cute artwork from American Greeting Card Company 2013
