PIFA 2010

PIFA (Pacific Islander Festival Association)

Website: PIFA Website

Dates: September 25 & 26

Location: Ski Beach, San Diego, CA

Fee: Free

Restrictions: No outside food/drinks allowed

PIFA is a celebration of the islands (Micronesia, Polynesia & Melanesia) and a chance for islanders across the U.S. to gather and enjoy a weekend of great food, music, cultural displays and shops. The event is held annually by PIFA of San Diego and features a variety of entertainment to include bands, dance groups, singers and performers. PIFA also features a variety of foods as well as merchandise, souvenirs and artwork for all to purchase. The area in which the event is located has great weather and is big enough to accommodate all that attend.

This years theme is UNITY and in the poster above, the different men around the center logo represent the different islands in the Pacific (the one on the left corner with the LATTE stone tattoo represents the Chamorro people... my people). The event is sure to be a great time for all those who attend. For many, this is the one event of the year that they look forward to and plan around. Islanders and visitors from across the U.S. make the trip to Ski Beach for this annual event. For islanders, it's a chance to enjoy ones cultures as well as experience the cultures of other islands. For the "non-islanders" or "stateside islanders", it's a chance to see life as we islanders do. The sense of community, friendship and appreciation for the different cultures and traditions is evident at all PIFA events and this years is sure to live up to it's expectations.

For a glimpse of past PIFA events, check out the photo gallery on the website: PHOTOS

Movie Review #1: The Tattooist

Title: THE TATTOOIST

Release year: 2007
Rated: R

Time: 89 min

Genre: Horror/Supernatural

Director: Peter Burger

Cast: Jason Behr, Mia Blake

Website: WEBSITE/TRAILER 

Synopsis:

When American tattoo artist Jake Sawyer (Jason Behr) visits a Singapore tattoo expo, he is exposed to the exotic world of traditional Samoan "tatau". Interested in exploring and exploiting ethnic designs from around the world, Jake steals an ancient Samoan tattooing tool and unleashes an angry spirit that leads his art to take on frightening new dimensions that expose those he tattoos to mortal peril (including his soon to be love interest, played by Mia Blake). Sensing the solution can only lie with the Samoans, Jake follows them to Auckland, where he runs into an old adversary, tattoo artist Crash (Michael Hurst) and a new one, the respected Samoan elder Aleki Va’a (David Fane). His investigation takes him on a devastating journey into the dark heart of Pacific mysticism. There, Jake must recover his own soul if he is to save the woman he loves and escape with his life.

My take:

The movie is set in and filmed in parts of New Zealand that most have never seen complete with gang activity and poverty. The main character, Jake (played by former Roswell TV star Jason Behr), is an American tattoo artist who travels the world in search of exotic designs and uses them in his artwork. Before tattoos became the fad of today, it was used for medicinal, religious and spiritual measures. The art of tattooing was a way to connect your body with your inner soul or a way to release the inner part of you to make you a better person. The movie has its share of action and surprised me with the amount of suspense and horror it provided. Some points seemed to drag on but the movie still kept me on my toes. For anyone, this movie dives into the mystic and "majik" of tattoo from a cultural perspective and gives us a chance to see some traditional tattoo techniques. The artwork in the movie alone is pretty intense and the production is not lacking in any way. As an islander, my interest was struck when I read it was a tattoo movie that looked beyond what's done in tattoo shops and more of what the original meaning of tattoo is. I believe any island boy (or anyone looking for a good scare, a good movie to watch or inspiration for artwork) will enjoy this movie. The underlying love story isn't too mushy that it takes away the real plot of the story (like some other movies tend to do). All in all, I rate the movie:

WARNING: The world "haole" is used in this movie for those who understand what it means or what it's used for.

Blogging Majik?

Blog
(n) a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer; also : the contents of such a site (http://www.merriam-webster.com/)

The "majik" of blogging is said to reap countless benefits to those who invest the time and effort  into blogging about what people are interested in. I have done my research, read countless articles and blogs about how to start blogging, what to blog about and what I can hope to expect should I be one of the few who benefit from the blogging world. Then I ask myself: "Do you have what it takes to be a blogger?"

The one thing these "How to" sites have in common is the idea of picking a target audience and directing your time and effort towards writing to them. They also tell you to use your experience to write your blogs. Now, I don't have a lot of experience nor do I have a target audience in mind BUT I've decided to give this a shot. Why not right? If it doesn't work out then it doesn't work out. If it does then I'd be more than happy to continue doing this.

So, here's to my first blog as a "wannabe" blogger and let's hope that this reaps the benefits I desire (or need, depending on how you want to look at it.)