Manx For The Memories!

Taking my Queue from Michael and Amys' stroll up on Marine Drive, I decided to venture ever onward. I like to ride the coat-tails of the previous adventurer. So I continued past my previous best (the solemn mooring stone dedicated to the Solway Harvester tragedy - all hands lost in a gale force 5 storm off the coast of Ramsey). The remains of the queenie harvesting vessel is still moored against the Douglas quay south wall, and believe me, it looks like folks died on that thing.
Any-weez, I rode ride up over Douglas Head, down Marine drive for 4-something miles until I connected to another road which parallels Marine Drive and the "highway" route from Douglas to Castletown. I totaled roughly 10 miles round trip. Exceedingly gorgeous and dramatic all the way. Got the iPod working to Lonnie Liston Smith and some Phish and I'm rolling along somewhere between Big Sur and Big Bliss. The turn off from the coast rode brought me back to Douglas through some really spectacular country roads. Roads that made me homesick for New England in the Fall and that doesn't happen every day. "A late milder" which is late season clement weather (if I may use a retronym, Chris. Not trying to be smart-assy and all). After DAYS of shit, glum weather which admittedlty had me packing my bags early, this day was a fine example of how magnificent this island is. If the weather wasn't shite a good portion of the time, unconscionable developers and opportunistic greed mongers would have exploited this gem of and island long, long ago. Believe it or not I have pictures, but they will be posted once I get a handle on our new, much more practical camera. Ciao from Gaia central. Happy Birthday Mom - I love you. Metta.


Cool red kicks in the forground...Artsy yea? actually i just slipped onto my ass and said bullswartz, this is the view i wanted anyway.


looking down Marine Drive toward the victorian overpass thingy.

We went on a lovely walk down the coast along Marine Drive. This is the view near the origin of the walk, above Douglas' lighthouse. I'm quite fond of this place.

Here's some more trees. These are from outside my Grandfather's house in Guam. My Grandfather, Anastacio, past away last month (Sept. 5th, 2005), about a year after my Father, Villamor Sr. died (Aug. 5th, 2004). (Jason and Susan at Kickstart were kind enough to let me go back for the funeral. Many Thanks.) Shortly after I returned from Guam, a good friend, Kathy past away. And just before I left the island- my uncle Pete past away as well. I just wanted to say how much I loved them. They have given me so much. So many memories... I will remember them... always.

"Is-a Nice? Yes? You a-like, No o' yes? You no Know. You have no idea, yes? Yes."

Chris Rice asked me earlier today to e-mail him with a brief history of the Manx Flag....... and I suddenly realised I didn't actually know the story at all (I can name every episode of Will and Grace but know nothing about the National Flag - my generation is just priceless)

So here it is, a brief run-down of the three legs of Mann....



Why the three leg (Trie Cassyn) symbol was adopted by the Isle of Man is unknown, but its existence can be traced as far back as the thirteenth century. It was first used as the coat of armours or armorial bearings by island kings from Norway.

By the fourteenth century the symbol was to be found on the Manx Sword of State and by the Seventeenth century it was to be seen on the coinage of the Isle of Man. A red flag with a 'trinacria' emblem in the centre.

The three leg (Trie Cassyn) symbol has many potential origins. It symbolises the Sun, a seat of power and life. The symbol is closely related to the Sicilian legs (naked legs with the head of Medusa in the centre) representing the island of Sicily.

Also there is the Norse connection where the three legs (Trie Cassyn) symbol can be found on tenth century Norse coins.

And now back to pictures of trees.

Well we're not really raiders, but rather pleasant seekers of the Crystal. You can't tell, but it's raining hard at this point. We just got out of the trucks and have to hike the rest of the way. Paul was nice enough to be our guide on this adventure. Nikki was nice enough to drive us out there. And since there wasn't enough room in the truck for all of us, Joe, Cathy, and Dave were kind enough to stay behind and let Sammy, Bao, and myself to go on ahead. Thanks guys! No really, Thanks!



Here we are at another circle. No one seems to know what it was for but according to Paul, there are scientists researching it.

Pictured above starting from the left is Paul, Sammy, Nikki, Ramon, Bao, and me, Vill. (I just ran over from the camera and nearly fell on Bao).


We made to the top where the wind blew my lens cap away as well as my hat. I didn't care and we all sat there and enjoyed to fantastic veiw and company. We also got energized by the crystal itself. Very Cool!


The sun burning through the quick flowing blanket of clouds overhead. This was definitely one of the better days on the island for me!

Hey you guys remember this one? Our first group photo at our first production meeting. 'Member? You 'member. I'm not in it 'cause I'm the one taking the snapshot.

Ahhh... Here's the latest one of well, most of us. (October 13th, 2005) That day we all got very nicely printed posters of BaoWow's great paintings of us. We all signed eachothers posters. That was my last day at the "office". I'll tell you one thing's for sure, I won't be missing that carpet! The expression on my face says it all. By the way, I got to be in this one because, I finally remembered to bring my sticks or tripod. Oh, and a nice lady from next door was kind enough to push the button. She actually pushed several camera buttons, since a bunch of us brought our cameras.

"Once, a poet said that no man is an island. In order to fight the good fight, we need help. We need friends, and when the friends aren't nearby, we have to turn solitude into our main weapon. We need the help of everything around us in order to take the necessary steps toward our goal. Everything has to be a personal manifestation of our will to win the good fight. If we don't understand that, then we don't recognize that we need everything and everybody, and we become arrogant warriors. And our arrogance will defeat us in the end, because we will be so sure of ourselves that we won't see the pitfalls there on the field of battle."

-from Paulo Coelho's "The Pilgrimage"


Hang in there. Come home safe. Call me if you need me.

-Vill

SO many great memories with each and every one of the great people on this crew. Tonight we say goodbye to Dave, Vill and Bao (Chris already gone but soon to return for a night). Saturday Clint will go and Sunday it will be Dan. Emily will depart in late November as well as Cathy and I. Michael early December and that will leave Doug to bring up the rear. Emma, well she legally can't leave the island for reasons unknown. Something to do with Interpol, quite vague actually. This has been a fantastic adventure chock full of memories, fantastic travel, magnifiscent friends, and thousands of photos. Matthew and Kieran and Emma will continue to forge the way in our stead until our paths cross again.

Some of the great characters we've had the pleasure to get to know; Shane Our irrepressible barman at The 'Ol Bailey, Katie our skillful chef at Indigo Red (ask Vill about the brunch), Martin the scottish pizza chef at La Laconda italian restaurant; Sammy our spiritual masseuse, Peter the delivery man (it's never toooo laaaate baby), Gisella the cutest Portugese waitress ever and her boyfriend Hugo, Father Fagan the Iconoclast (lives in a 400 year old chapel), Truman Falls (acoustic wonder boys of the IOM), Back Door Slam (18 year old cranking out 60 year old chicago blues), Mary the one competant teller at Barclays, Frederica our martini master at Apperativo, Brian the relocated Oregonian at Ginger Hall pub in Sulby (coolest pub around), Sarah, who has Billy Holiday and Janis Joplin bottled up inside her somewhere, Bev Dan's lady friend and all around sweetheart, Mandy and Elizabeth, Matthew and Kieran's girlfriends respectively (rrrooowwwwr), Little Britain, League of Gentlemen, The Fast Show, and many many more characters, who I will update into the blog as they pop into my head.

We are all proud of the show we helped bring to Fruition and are thankful , amidst all the occasional sniping and grousing, to be part of such a memorable life experience. I will continue to elaborate on said adventure in the days to come to carry on the spirit of this blog. Good luck and lots of love to each one of you. NAMASTE.

adios amigos


Looking down the west coast toward port erin. That's the Calf of Man at the very tip. I call this "mini sur".


Sometimes rocks have holes in them. Suits me sir.


I snapped this across the street in the flower beds. There is beauty everywhere - you only need to 'see' it.

So we storyboard artists have reached the end. It’s been a great journey. I’ve had such a wonderful experience that will forever be imbedded in my “favorite” or “bookmark” section of my memory. The Isle of Man has treated us very kindly and we would like to thank the Isle for that and the wonderful Manx people who made our stay pleasurable. And the friends we’ve made along the way have just been…how can I put this…LOVELY. We will miss you all.

I can’t believe six months has passed by already for me. I’ve come to know my coworkers fairly well. They’re just a bunch of great people and I’d like to thank them for making me feel comfortable and fit right in…and for all the pints and shots we shared. Those memories will last forever. For those who don’t know the “Finley the Fire Engine” crew, allow me to give a brief rundown…


Joe - Director: I don’t care what everyone says or even what he says, he’s one great guy. He’s cool, calm and collected. Really easy-going guy. He’s a wonderful guy to get to know. He just loves nature and appreciates every bit of Mother Earth. I enjoyed going on hikes with him.


Mike - Director: He’s a kind and generous guy. A gentle giant, standing at 6’5”, is a fun-loving guy and has a great sense of humor. I was lucky enough to be his roommate where he shared many interesting stories while having a home-cooked meal.


Em & Em sisters
Emily - Production Manager: Sweet southern belle from the state of Louisiana. A brave soul to come thousands of miles across the world to live and work among strangers. But she overcame the obstacle and became a sweetheart to everyone.

Emma - Production Coordinator: Lovely Irish girl from Belfast. Quick and smart, she helped us settle in when we all first got on the island. She’s a sweet girl who always made sure that we were taken care of and comfortable on the island.


Doug - Designer: Well…he’s some character. Really cool guy from New York. Speaks his mind and everyone in the pub will hear him. He’s a well-read guy and knows a lot about everything, whether it may be music or movies or artists.


Matthew - Animatic Master: One of the nicest guys. Originally from Liverpool, he grew up on the Isle of Man. He filled us in on the details of TT and the best spots to watch the race. Besides the girls, he’s the sweetheart of the crew.


Kieran - Animatic Master: Don’t call him a rocket scientist…he’s an astrophysicist. He’s like a walking encyclopedia. He just does animation cuz he gets to be a kid again. We’ve swapped movies and games and tips and tricks. He’s just ACE.


Dan - Storyboard Artist: He’s one smooth operator. Charismatic guy from Manchester who can serenade any woman and sweep her off her feet on the dance floor.


Clint - Storyboard Artist: Clint, also from Manchester, is the ultimate character. I’ve never met anyone who can converse with so much sound fx. He’s like Larvell Jones of Police Academy mixed with C3PO of Star Wars.


Chris - Storyboard Artist: Knowledgeable guy from Georgia. Really quick and witty. You gotta be on your toes when you talk to Chris. His wise cracks are funny, just as long as it’s not aimed towards you.


Dave - Storyboard Artist: Dave is just a great guy to chill with. He tells great stories and always has us cracking up. I was privileged enough to hang out with him and swap stories and jokes.


Vill - Storyboard Artist: Vill is very inspiring. He has a calm demeanor and fun attitude. I turn to him for motivation and sanity. He also does fantastic impressions of people to make us laugh.


Baowow - Storyboard Artist: Well, what can I say. I’m just a small element of this crew that consists of so many great people. I will going back home to Los Angeles but Isle of Man will always be in my heart. Thank you everyone on the crew, thank you to all my new friends I’ve met on the island, thank you Balley Beg, thank you Kickstart Entertainment, and thank you Isle of Man. It has been a pleasure.

HA! Ha, ha, ha! It's to late! I'm going home baby.

All I can say folks is... "I'm O.K. to go! I'm O.K. to go! I'm O.K. to go!"

Have you seen scooty's dialog. Perhaps you can adlib your own banal and/or inane scooty banter.
Amuse yourself and your friends!

This was the last time that Chris would walk with us on the famous Strand. We all went and had the last supper with Jesus Chris(t). Have a good time in Europe, buddy.

So how about another picture of Amsterdam...

SOme more shots of Liverpool and Amsterdam...because of my camera being misappropriated by some unfortunate bastard destined to suffer an insignificant, karmically wrenching existence, until his untimely natural demise...These are the only photos I have. Oh well

This is that Chris guy moonwalking across the Queen's dock in Liverpool. He sure is wacky when he's not tearing someone a new one with his biting, derisive humor. Oh yeah ...he left us. Et Tu CHris? Et Tu?

This is Amsterdam looking down one of the many canals, just off of the Amstel.

Somehow when ever I see Bush's face it somehow reminds me of this.

Some sort of snack they serve up in Amsterdam. A turd under glass perhaps. So exciting!