#sugarcane

[slowlyshinyflower]

La prima cosa di cui si occupa la religione è di "legiferare" il sesso, perché la libertà sessuale rende felici le persone.

Le persone felici non si interessano di "dio", non sono tese a ricercare spiriti anche nei sassi e, soprattutto, non sceglierebbero mai di buttare il proprio tempo recandosi al "Tempio", per farsi dire cosa fare nella vita da truffatori; la felicità non è ubriachezza: è Razionalità unita a Coscienza.

Sugarcane è un documentario diretto da Julian Brave NoiseCat ed Emily Kassie, incentrato sulle indagini sugli abusi e sulla scomparsa di bambini in una scuola residenziale in Canada; questo film mette in luce la resilienza delle comunità indigene mentre affrontano traumi storici e cercano giustizia; è stato presentato in anteprima al Sundance ed è stato descritto come un'esplorazione toccante degli impatti intergenerazionali sui popoli nativi.

A partire dal 1894, il governo canadese costrinse i bambini indigeni a frequentare collegi segregati.

Le scuole furono progettate per "liberarsi del problema indiano"; la maggior parte erano gestite dalla chiesa cattolica.

Per anni, gli studenti riferirono di abusi e di compagni scomparsi.

[wachinyeya]

Sugarcane is a widely grown crop in the Nile Basin, but its destructive effects on soils, water resources and biodiversity have become increasingly apparent.

As the thirsty crop draws down water resources, aquatic species like the critically endangered Nubian flapshell turtle suffer a loss of habitat, forage and nesting sites.

In an effort to revive soils, diversify diets and incomes, and boost water levels that many animals rely on, communities are implementing agroforestry projects in lieu of monocultures.

The resulting “food forests” attract an array of wildlife while refilling wetlands and river systems where the culturally important flapshell turtles swim.

[lotusinjadewell]

Sugarcane infused with grapefruit flowers, a Vietnamese food. Credit to yeubep.official (Instagram).

[fattributes]

Chạo Tôm with Nước Chấm

[buffetlicious]

Brunch is a takeaway box of Vegetarian Rice (斋饭) from the nearby coffee shop. Starting with my favourite curry mock mutton & potato, bitter gourd & carrot omelette and creamy sweet mock pork ribs that is still “pink” inside. :D The “bone” you see is a shaved stick of sugarcane.

[pacingmusings]

Seen in 2024:

Sugarcane (Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie), 2024

[cinelestial]

Barack Obama has shared his list of favorite movies of 2024

[yearningforunity]

Cuba, 1976. Zafrero (man who works in the Zafra harvesting sugarcane).

[oldfilmsflicker]

new-to-me #140 - Sugarcane

[orphyd]

Just had my first Olipop and it’s not bad I just wish health companies would realize sugar is also a plant…

[maya-chirps]

Leonora

by Sugarcane

New translation! This time I just felt like translating and talking about this song because I genuinely love talking about the little nuances here. It's one of the more recent videos that really pulled me back into OPM. I explain a lot of the nuances and the historical background below + some personal stories related to it too.

Leonora

This serenade I'm offering, for the maiden with unparalleled beauty, with the scent of roses If tricky fate would wish it I won't let it disappear

This letter I'm hoping your eyes would read I'm ready to do everything, I'll even court your family I've only now felt such eternal awe All I wish for is

The two of us be together at the end and at the beginning Proving that first love does last

How many poems has it been, why is it getting unnoticed? My only wish, at the end you'll be with me If it's possible, until the end of time I will never let you go forever

Our sweet past relationship, where'd it go? (I keep looking for you, whoa) How come between us, I'm the only one left? (I wish I could still see you) Your beautiful voice, would I still hear it? Ready to go through life[1] even if you're not here anymore

Wherever you are, may you be happy now (let you go free, whoa) Even if we won't be together anymore (I still love you) Just please listen to my wish that you would take care Oh, Leonora my love, ah

Alternative Translations and Additional Context

Ready to go through - this is just the literal translation of the line but contextually it's closer to the lyric I used or something close to "Ready to go through everything".

The song is based on the real-life historical figure Leonor Rivera-Kipping, one of the many lovers of the Philippine National hero José Rizal. The two were childhood sweethearts, however, due to Rizal traveling to Europe to study and Leonor's mother Silvestra Bauzon not liking how political he was while favoring an Englishman named Henry Charles Kipping so Silvestra and Kipping kept the letters that Rizal sent to Leonor. This made her think that she was abandoned and later on married Kipping instead (Quirino, 2015).

On the night of her wedding, she found the letters and in her frustration tore them apart sewing some of them on the hem of her wedding dress and burnt the others. After her marriage to Kipping, she vowed to never play the piano again. She died at 26 in childbirth alongside her newborn daughter, after which Kipping abandoned their only living son and traveled back to England just to die three years later, no mention of Leonor ever being his wife (Quirino, 2015).

Her final wish before her death was to be buried with the silver box that contained the ashes of Rizal's letters (Martinez-Clemente, 2011). Sadly, her grave was a casualty during the war and her remains and her grave site has been lost forever (Quirino, 2015).

Leonor serves as the inspiration for the character of Maria Clara in Rizal's acclaimed novels that Filipinos are mandated to learn at school Noli Me Tangere and its sequel El Filibusterismo. Maria Clara is the female love interest of the series protagonist Crisostomo Ibarra and the two have a severely tragic love story due to the politics surrounding Ibarra and both of their relationships.

From my understanding of the books, Leonor may also have been the inspiration for the El Filibusterismo character Paulita Gomez who abandons her relationship with her lover, one of the leading characters named Isagani, after he was accused of being an insurrectionist despite being innocent. At the end of the story, Paulita marries someone else and Isagani watches the reception from outside her house.

Random Trivia

The place this music video was shot is actually a historical house of another one of Rizal's many lovers Segunda Katigbak! The place is called Casa Segunda and is located in Lipa City, Batangas. My classmates and I visited the place and rented it out for a project a couple of years back.

Another fun fact is that the group most likely didn't actually play the piano in the house because they weren't allowed to considering how old it is. It's an antique and it was already falling apart when we went there way before this video was probably shot. That's the reason for them keeping the camera away from the keys.

They're also not allowed to sit on the antique seat in front of the piano because of how fragile it was and it already was falling apart too when we went there. We ignored this for one of our shoots and did it quickly before anyone could notice, but they may have just positioned the camera so they don't have to show them sitting down on the chair.

We found a random kitten in the house? I don't know what happened to it. It wasn't outside either, it was like inside one of the bedrooms. I don't know if the staff or family owned it but it did look like a stray.

Some of my classmates still hasn't paid me back for the rent we were supposed to split. It isn't a fun fact, I'm just a little salty.

Original Lyrics

'Tong alay kong harana, para sa dalagang Walang kasingganda, amoy-rosas ang halimuyak Kung nanaisin ng tadhanang mapanlinlang 'Di hahayaang mawala pa

'Tong liham na umaasang mata mo ang makabasa Handang gawin lahat, maging pamilya'y liligawan Ngayon lang nakadama ng wagas na pagkamangha Hiling ko lang naman na

Tayo na sanang dalawa ang siyang huli at ang umpisa Papatunayang ang unang pag-ibig ay 'di mawawala

Nakailang tula na, ba't tila 'di napupuna? Ang tangi kong hiling, hanggang dulo ikaw ang kapiling Kung puwede lang, hanggang pangmagpakailanman Hinding-hindi na papakawalan kailanman

Ang dating tamis ng pagsasama, nasa'n na? (Hinahanap-hanap ka, whoa) Ba't sa 'ting dal'wa, ako na lang ang natira? (Sana'y magkita pa) Tinig mong kay ganda, maririnig pa ba? Handang tahaking mag-isa kahit wala ka na

Kung nasa'n ka man, nawa ay masaya ka na (palalayain ka, whoa) Kahit na 'di na tayo magsasama pa (mahal pa rin kita) Dinggin mo lang ang hiling na mag-iingat ka Oh, Leonora kong sinta, ah

References

Martinez-Clemente, J. (2011, June 20). Keeping up with legacy of Rizal’s ‘true love’. Inquirer.net. Retrieved on 5 September 2024, from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/16626/keeping-up-with-legacy-of-rizal%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98true-love%E2%80%99

Quirino, E. (2015, February 17). Leonor Rivera, a Hero’s Sweetheart. Positively Filipino. Retrieved on 5 September 2024, from https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/leonor-rivera-a-heros-sweetheart

[t13shoots]

[m0tor8aby]

So my friend asked me why I love northern downpour and I ended up ranting and analysing like mad, here's what I told him:

A) I'm a Capricorn and I like deluding myself that that line had to do with me

B) the whole of those two verses but specifically that one have some of my favourite word play in the entirety of music. "The ink is running toward the page, it's chasing off the days

Look back at both feet and that winding knee

I missed your skin when you were east

You clicked your heels and wished for me

Through playful lips made of yarn, that fragile Capricorn

Unraveled words like moths upon old scarves

I know the world's a broken bone

But melt your headaches, call it home" like? It's incredible

C) what the verse means it's just. Like okay, the person with playful lips made of yarn, that fragile Capricorn basically means that like, they speak without thinking. They try to be playful, they want to have fun. They're fragile, yet they want to have fun in the only way they know, with their words and playful jokes. The issue is that they don't recognise when the things they say are no longer funny, when they say things that bring the mood down or hurt his feelings. The "unraveled words like moths upon old scarves". They weigh him down. She says things but he can't tell her how he feels about them, because he doesn't want her to become insecure or be upset - she's fragile. It's the push and pull of him being in love with someone who, while loving him, hurts him unintentionally. The theme of that is pretty strong through the whole album, with the line "I don't love you I'm just passing the time, you could love me if I knew how to lie, but who could love me I'm out of my mind?" It's that feeling of I'll settle, because I love this person more than I can explain, but they make me feel alone, they hurt me, Which is why the chorus is "sugar cane in the easy morning, weathervanes my one and lonely"

It's sweet in the morning when they wake up together. They want to be happy together, they feel like they belong together in that moment. It's easy, it's what love is meant to feel like. Weathervanes are those things that point you in the direction of the wind - it's meant to show you what way to go, but if it's a northern DOWNPOUR , it would be going wild, showing he doesn't know where to go. The usage of "one and lonely", instead of "one and only" shows that he loves this person, his one, he considers them the best thing. But the "lonely" goes to show that he knows it's not working, he knows it's not going to continue and that they won't ever be happy together but he doesn't care, it's the repeated line of sugar canes in the easy morning weathervanes my one and lonely shows that he's having to constantly reassure himself that this is the best plan because he LOVES them, or that he keeps going through the saga of falling for people whom he knows are bad for him.

TLDR/ I love northern downpour

[farmobileo3]

Show me the roots! My cuttings are doing well. I have sugar cane, guava, pomegranate and mulberry cuttings.

[buffetlicious]

Celebrated by Hokkiens on the 9th day of the first lunar month, aka Chinese New Year, Tian Gong Dan (天公诞) or Bai Tian Gong (拜天公) as it is otherwise called, is a highly important prayer ceremony. Bai (拜) means to pray, and Tian Gong (天公) refers to the Jade Emperor, the monarch of all deities in heaven. As such, praying to Tian Gong, or ‘pai ti kong’ as Hokkiens like to call it, is a celebration of the Jade Emperor’s benevolence, which can be traced back to an old traditional folk legend.

To better understand the story behind Bai Tian Gong, we first have to go back hundreds of years back in time to the Ming Dynasty. At the time, within the province where modern-day Hokkiens can trace their ancestral origins to, was a place rife with outlaws and bandits. It was during one fateful Chinese New Year that these bandits went on a murderous spree, going around pillaging villages and killing its residents indiscriminately. Fearful for their life, some of the villagers ran away in the dead of night and hid themselves within the sugarcane fields. They prayed hard to the Jade Emperor for their survival.

Fortunately for them, the bandits found no success in their hunt despite searching for days. Ultimately, on the 9th day of the Chinese New Year, the bandits gave up on trying to find the villagers and returned to their hideouts. Realizing their assailants had left, the villagers emerged from their hiding spots, happy that they’ve managed to survive the ordeal. They praised the divine for answering their prayers and were grateful to the sugarcane fields for providing them shelter. This is why the Sugarcane (甘蔗) is held in prominence in all Hokkien celebrations. Mum poached chicken & pork, dyed the Red Eggs (红鸡蛋), boiled the longevity noodles, prepared Fa Gao (发糕) and oranges with joss papers, joss sticks and candles to offer them to the gods.

Info from here. Selected images from the internet.