A Father's Letter to his Son: Film Review of La Sirena y el Buzo

The body of Sinbad the diver turned up floating off the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. The mermaid has turned his soul into a turtle, and the turtle was the one who returned him to the world of men. Sinbad was born once more as a Miskito (Native Americans in Central America) and was raised on the banks of the wonderful Coco River. When he grew up, nature took care of carrying him back to the sea, where the mermaid is waiting for him.
- synopsis of La Sirena y el Buzo

Dear Bulan,

I was about to watch a new film by Guiseppe Tornatore at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2009 but changed my mind and decided to go for La Sirena y el Buzo (The Mermaid and the Diver). Because I just thought that Tornatore is overrated and very popular that anyone can easily download his films on piratebay, which is good because he is simply accessible to everyone. However, lesser known filmmakers aren't easy to find and should be supported more. Having the opportunity to watch their films is like catching a shooting star. No wonder your Tatay is inlove with Nanay.

La Sirena y el Buzo is one of a kind Docufiction genre in filmmaking for its amazing expropriation of a Persian tale (Sinbad, from the Arabian Nights) in the context of portraying the life and culture of Nicuragua's Native Americans of Mosquito Coast. Mercedes Moncada Rodriguez captured very well the present condition of the Miskito people most especially the alarming situation of their natural environment which they primarily depend upon. The Miskitos are fishermen who hunts and gather exotic sea foods especially the green turtles. These green sea turtles are now becoming extinct since the hunt for sustenance was replaced by harvesting its population to supply the Market demand. This kind of tragedy is similar also to what is happening in the Philippines and the rest of the world whose sustenance primarily depend on the sea. On the other side, the film should also be understood as a letter from a Mother to her Son, considering the fact that Mercedes Moncada Rodriguez dedicated the film to her new born son Martin.

The 35mm color film of Mercedes Moncada Rodriguez was left open-ended despite its obvious possibilities of a tragic end not unless Miskito people starts reclaiming back again their sustainable ways of living from the abusive hands of Market Economy. Although La Sirena y el Buzo can be comparable to the 1931 silent black and white ethnographic film classic of FW Murnau and Robert Flaherty's Tabu, A Story of the South Seas, which also portrays the life and culture of sea people in the Pacific island of Tahiti. However, La Sirena y el Buzo and Tabu shouldn't outrightly be confused to each other because its context are different. But its comparison is a useful tool in trying to understand the ways and life of sea people.

My dear Bulan remember that the other side of our ancestors are fishermen who asks forgiveness to the fish god every time they go out to the sea for a big catch.

Love,

Tatay

Fathers Who Tend To Their Infants Are Less Aggressive and More Likely to Evolve

An interesting summary of a research on Fatherhood revealed that Dads are as essential as Moms. In this same research it also showed that fathers who directly get their hands dirty on infant care lessens testosterone level and amazingly "they also gain prolactin, the hormone associated with lactation, as well as cortisol, the stress hormone that also spikes in mothers after childbirth and helps them pay attention to the baby’s needs", says Dialectic Dad.

This significant change of chemical neurons among new fathers do not only provide healthy relationship to their children but it also develop the brain structure and social behavior of males. Gone are the days of chauvinist macho shit attitude of a typical male.

4.4 million years ago an early human ancestor named Ardithipecus Ramidus developed a flat canine tooth proving that the aggressive behavior of its other ancestors (primates and apes) was no longer necessary to him. And according to scientists the theory behind this evolution was due to its distinct social behavior where male Ardithipecus are good in child rearing.

Forget the Mozart Effect

There is a link between music and intelligence though it never happen in having a child listen long excruciating hours of Mozart's Sonata. The secret lies when children learn how to play a musical instrument says Parentingscience.com.

According to a research (Schellenberg 2005), it is said that there's no clarity about the responsibility of music in sustainably enhancing our intelligence. But rather music elevates the mood and leave someone alert. The effect of it do not last more than 10-15 minutes. Therefore obviously, mood enhancement caused by music is very temporal.

This mood enhancement effect may result to visual-spatial skill development but that's all about it. The effect may not result in boosting the child's intelligence quotient (IQ) says the research.

Taking music lessons is another matter.

In a laboratory experiment it shows that musicians have distinctively different brain. This is proven by a series of brain scans that provided neuroscientists substantial information of enlarged region of a musician's brain parts that controls finger movement. In other words cognitive development appears clearly in playing music.

But the question here is how do parents foster their children to learn a musical instrument without imposing or forcing them. I heard that there are parents who push their children to learn piano.