Sunday, May 11, 2014

Santos - Reaction Papers: The Life of Mammals, Bird Watching & Inception (3)

SANTOS, Joseph Mico G.                                          2012-30512                                              STS X2


THE LIFE OF MAMMALS


                  Contrary to what the religion I practice believes, I do think Darwin’s Theory of Evolution holds true for us human beings and other related animals, such as the apes. I do think the theory is very logical. It presents anatomical data, as well as historical that seems true enough. I would not be ashamed to think that monkeys are our relatives. I see no problem with that. And with what the documentary has to show, sometimes monkeys are even better than us.

                  The documentary “Life of Mammals” by BBC, by the title itself tells something about how mammals thrive and survive. It shows the common things that mammals do day by day. The part shown to us in class is about monkeys. There were two parts, one titled “The Social Climbers” and the other “Food for Thought”. The first one showed the basic foundations of a monkey society. Different species of monkeys were shown also to have some basis for contrast and comparison between them. In here, it was shown that like us, monkeys do have a classification system in their society. A hierarchy of power is present. Politics is eminent. Monkeys even cooperate with each other. They help one another in getting food, caring for the young ones, grooming, and even in being safe from predators. They also seem to have their own system of communication. They seem to have language that we cannot fully decipher. This was shown when the monkeys felt threatened or when a predator is within sight. They create various noises to warn the other monkeys of the approaching danger. Like us, monkeys are very social creatures. A study even showed that a more social monkey species have a bigger brain, hence a better intelligence (based form he documentary).


The second part is about how these socializations between monkeys might have led to the formation of the human society. Monkeys were shown using tools to get food like using wood to crack open oyster shells. But the part that got my interest most was when they tried to connect the history of how we became upright and bipedal unlike most monkeys who remained quadripedal. The footage showing a monkey walking with its hind legs to cross the river and keep half her body as well as her young dry seemed be enough reason on how we became bipedal. The fossilized footprints that portray what seemed to be an early man walking with his young was also a catchy scene.

                  For me, the documentary was very interesting and informative. I just had a bit of a hard time with understanding what the narrator has to say. Still, I’d give it two thumbs up. It was fun and worthwhile to watch. That gives me the curiosity of what the other episodes has to offer. I would love to watch them all. That’ll be an achievement for me.


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BIRD WATCHING ACTIVITY

                  Bird watching is truly a unique (and to others, weird) kind of a PE subject. And to be honest, I never really considered taking it. I would think of it as a waste of energy. You’ll be walking under the heat of the sun, or sometime the wrath of the rain just to look for organisms that won’t show when you need to see them. It may be physical in some aspect, but not like the other PE subjects that would really make you sweat and active.

                  All that, changed after this session. I already had the chance to see the some of the birds bragged by our school. Yes, they are fascinating and perfect for an eye candy. But the fascination upon doing our activity for today is not like what I get to feel with my everyday life inside the campus. They get to be more attractive if you start to seek them. It is when you intentionally look for them that it gets more exciting. The satisfaction of seeing one after walking randomly for minutes or maybe even hours is priceless. It may not be as good as the other PE subjects, but I think it may even be more worthwhile and interesting than the others. These birds are the “chicks” guys, and even girls, should be looking for.

                  It makes me proud to be with these birds inside the campus which is in the middle of the metropolitan. I just hope the administration does enough effort to maintain the sustainability of these beautiful creatures. More trees would be better for these birds. Trees mean a lot for them. It serves as a shelter and food source for most. And having more trees would make our campus more beautiful. I just hope that the birds will continue to flourish in the campus (and even in the whole world as well). But with the current situation that we are having, it will take a lot of effort to keep these birds 50 years from now. If pollution won’t lessen, the birds might not survive. If trees continuously get cut, they won’t have a place to stay. If viruses won’t be controlled and quarantined, these birds (the migratory ones) might pose as a threat to us. If we really care for them, we must make a move to help in the conservation of such lovely creatures, and the ecosystem as well.





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INCEPTION

                  Perhaps, inception is if not the best, one of the best sci-fi films I have watched. I may consider it best in the sense being that most sci-fi films I watch are those that have an apocalyptic or catastrophic theme be it about zombies and diseases that spread across the globe, an asteroid hitting the earth, a large volcanic eruption, an iguana-like creature eating skyscrapers, etc. Those types of movies are what I enjoy most (which others find weird). And inception is not about the doomsday, yet I enjoyed it to the fullest.

                  Honestly, during the times that the movie was trending most (around 2010 when it was created), I did not even bother watching it nor did I had interest on it. It was not until we finished our discussion on dreams that I tried to look for it and download it. Upon asking friends who already watched the film about how it was, most said “Kailangan ng utak para maintindihan yan.” Right after finishing the download, I did not watch it right away; I guess I'm not ready yet to see what’s in store for me.
                  When I finally decided to watch Inception, I cleared all my thoughts and focused on the film. Yes, I'm very obedient to my friends. It was very cool. Way cooler than I expected. The way they showed on how you create dreams, how you get to interact with projections, and many other things. Halfway through the film, I slightly dozed off. Upon waking up, I panicked and instantly asked myself if I'm dreaming or what. Sadly, I don’t have any totem to prove anything about it. Hence, I decided to just continue watching the film. Yes, I was moved by the film. It was an extraordinary film, a new form of sci-fi. I think it does deserve its rating on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. And I think, Leo should really have won the Oscars for being Mr. Cobb.

                  I do think studying our dreams is not a waste of time. If ever, it is a very big breakthrough. Developing a technology about it is good. But using it appropriately when the time comes is better. I just hope no one gets stuck in Limbo. And I hope everyone gets to know the true difference(s) between dreams and reality. Anyway, as humans, we can always find a way to turn dreams in reality.

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