Chronicle No. 2: CGI and Mascot Mentors

" 'Cause I'm all alone and there's no here beside me. My problems have all gone, there's no one to deride me. But, you gotta have friends..."

The above lines were sung by Donkey in Shrek - one of the movies that my niece obsessively and repeatedly watch. I also have the irresistable compulsion to watch a movie over and over again until I can memorize every line and vocal modulation. This is something that my niece and I have in common, but the rejoicing would have to wait until she grows up.Aside from Shrek,my two-year old niece also likes to watch Barbie, Dora the Explorer and Barney.

Barbie is fun to watch, but, I only got to see Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus and Fairytopia. My niece always insists on watching "katong horse(the horse)". At least once a day, I am lectured on the virtues of courage, friendship and love. I also know how to make the Wand of Light -"a measure of courage, a gem of ice lit by Hope's eternal flame and a ring of Love".

Poise is synonymous with Barbie. While walking in the Forbidden Forest, while trying to jump out of a giant pot amidst humongous carrots, or while trudging through the snow, she always manages to do them in a graceful and elegant manner. The most important lesson that one can learn from Barbie is: Posture is everything.

It is also essential to do some singing while exploring. "C'mon, vamonos! Everybody let's go! I know that we can do it. There's nothing to it!" I have become very familiar with the topography of Dora's world, thanks to the Map. The places,through which Dora conducts her explorations, usually consist of a river, rock, lake, hill, mountain and forest. For variation, they may be icy, slippery, tall, thorny or infested with snakes or crocodiles.

Sometimes, I couldn't help but recite along to Dora's instructions. My favorite recite along is:" Swiper no swiping!Swiper no swiping!Swiper no swiping!" I also envy her for her regurgitating Backpack. Who wouldn't want a backpack like that? You tell it what you need and it just spits out the desired object. There would be no need to painstakingly arrange the things in your backpack.

Surreal, is how I describe my Barney-watching experience. Barney, teaches his audience to make believe and to use their imagination. The point is delivered by the program producers by transforming a tyrannosaurus rex into a cute and purple stuffed toy that comes to life.I was horrfied and fascinated, at the same time, while watching a T-Rex prancing around in various costumes. But, I laud Barney for advocating Denial and Escapism. We should use our imagination to escape reality. That is what I always do.

Now that I have learned a lot from Shrek, Barbie, Dora and Barney, there is only one thing to do: Get a life.