Pagmulat ng mata, langit nakatawa!

If you recognize the title above as the first line of a popular children's TV program,  then you must be a kid of the 80s!  Although this program is the Philippine equivalent of Sesame Street (there was actually a program called Sesame, but I personally believe it was not as memorable) and is therefore geared towards grade school kids, the show was so successful that the characters are well-known by a wider age group.  Who would forget Pong Pagong, Kiko Matsing, Ate Sienna, Kuya Bodjie, Manang Bola?  Why, the names just popped in my mind when I saw the words "Batibot"!

But from what limited knowledge I have of its history, the characters Pong Pagong and Kiko Matsing became the subject of a copyright controversy and so the show was cut off the air.  Sesame came afterwards, and I think I saw a couple of episodes too.  I remember being surprised at seeing Kuya Bodjie telling his usual short yet entertaining stories, but this time in English.

The good news is, Batibot is back on air!  Obviously, it will have new characters but I hope it will also be as successful as the original show.  This was even the topic in a recent sentisabado tweet-up.  I'm sure a lot of people enjoyed the travel back in time, to that happy half-hour show called Batibot.

Here is the pilot episode of the recently re-launched Batibot, courtesy of TomCody II:
Part 1: http://www.pinoychannels.net/watch/v-246699
Part 2: http://www.pinoychannels.net/watch/v-246699

You may also view the first episode in Youtube:
Part 1:


Part 2:


Technorati tags: TV

Omega Star modular origami

This is the Omega Star modular origami.  It's a rather beautiful star especially if you use different colours of paper, as pictured above.  Best of all, this one needs only six square pieces of paper, compared with Kudusamas that usually require 30 modules.

I used A4-sized coloured paper which I cut into squares for the above Omega Star.  This is roughly the same size as the one in the video tutorial by jonakashima below.

I thought of making bigger stars and so I used A3 paper and brochure ads, which I cut into squares.  The A3 paper was ok, but in the case of the brochure ads, it was too soft to hold the shape for long.  Perhaps smaller stars for these will be more successful.

Below is the tutorial I used to make the Omega Star.  It might look like almost 15 minutes of instruction is too long, but you will notice that when the modules are joined together, a pattern will reveal itself which you can repeat with ease.

I enjoyed making this modular origami and it's satisfying to see the star form from the assembled base.  Have a go at it too!



Technorati tags: origami

Jonakashima's Origami Channel

I recently found this Origami channel over at Youtube. Jonakashima has some really nice stuff in there. And it's not just your traditional folds. There are a number of fun animal patterns that are surely going to be fun to fold.

I have not tried yet (weekend activity!), but I am going to have a go at the Chocobo (those gigantic birds used for transportation in the hit video game Final Fantasy). The cat also looks cool, as well as the frog. There's also a number of modular origami patterns called Kudusama which I was searching for when I stumbled across this site.

What's even nicer is that instructions are video-based! That's a bonus for people who sometimes get confused with the origami diagrams (like me).

Check out Jonakashima's Origami channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/jonakashima

Technorati tags: origami

Improv Everywhere

I'm sure that at one time or another, you have seen either on YouTube or someplace else these seemingly impromptu dance/song numbers where one person would start it, and then people who seem to be part of the onlookers suddenly join the fray and dance/sing to the beat.

The group who started it all is Improv Everywhere.  It's simply composed of a group of people who like to "create a scene" in the name of clean fun, and have the spectators have a good time too!



I most especially like "The Best Game Ever" mission where they invaded a local kids' baseball game and turned it into a spectacular event, complete with TV coverage and Goodyear Blimp!  It sure is one game the kids will never ever forget.

The Mobius Strip mission is also very clever... subtle (compared with the other gimmicks) yet intriguing, like you're trapped in a time warp!

I wish that there is something like this here... and though I surely would be too timid to actively participate, I would certainly love to experience being a spectator of one of their antics!


Visit their website to see more ingenious work!

Technorati tags: ImprovEverywhere

How to make a tail for your paper parol

Here is a photo illustration on how to make the tail for a traditional Christmas lantern (or parol).

Start with a square piece of Japanese paper.

Hold on to the centre of the paper, then give it a couple of quick swishes.  Get some more Japanese paper (white is best but I've run out for this project), measure the length of the tail, then cut strips.

Put inside the skirt, then staple onto the top.  Then attach to your parol.

The paper parol is a Kudusama, the pattern of which I posted here previously.

Technorati tags: Christmas craft