The 'Pegasus' Symbolism....
HISTORICAL PEGASUS
Pegasus is a flying horse from Greek and Roman mythology. He is generally pictured as white, sometimes with golden wings. Pegasus appears again and again throughout mythology. His name is possibly derived from 'springs of the Ocean' (pegai) or 'of the wells.' It is a variant of the Greek word pege which means "spring" or "fountain" and the form sus is pre-Greek in origin - it means "bridled horse" referring to the figurehead of a ship. Thus Pegasus can literally mean "Fountain Horse." Pegasus is a symbol of knowledge, glory, and inspiration.
Pegasus was born of the great sea god Poseidon and Medusa, who was at one time the most beautiful woman in the world. Poseidon approached and made love to Medusa in the form of a horse. The couple foolishly consummated their relationship in the temple of Athena, the shrine of the goddess of war who sprang from Zeus' head. Athena, enraged at having her temple defiled, turned Medusa's beautiful tresses into snakes and made her face so hideous that anyone who was unfortunate enough to look upon her was cast into stone. She became a cruel monster, unmerciful to everyone but the Gorgons with whom she came to live. Some time later, the great hero Perseus promised Medusa's head as a wedding gift to the king, Polydectes. With the aid of Athena, Perseus slew and decapitated the monster Medusa, using a mirror to safely view her. With one blow, the great hero struck off Medusa's monstrous head and the blood sinking into the earth produced the magnificant winged horse, Pegasus.
The mating of Medusa and Poseidon as horses represent strength and sexuality. Horses are a recurring symbol in Greek mythology as heroic and loyal, displaying bravery and courage such as the hero's spirit. When Medusa is cursed by Athena, one might say she is set free from her punishment when Perseus slays her. Through flight, Pegasus symbolizes the ability of one to transcend the weight of earthly burdens and rise above them into the air. Medusa, who was once the most beautiful woman in the world is now freed from Athena's cruel punishment of turning her into a hideous monster.
Ancient Greek legend tells us that Pegasus often wandered, stopping to rest on Mt. Olympus. One day, when his hoofs touched the ground on Mount Helicon, four sacred springs of water formed and from these springs the Muses (goddesses of inspiration) were born. The Muses were the nine beautiful chosen goddesses that reigned over the liberal arts and sciences, especially music, poetry, and all of the visual arts. Athena caught and tamed the wild Pegasus and kindly presented him to the Muses. One day the muses began to sing on Mt. Helicon. The mountain, so filled with ecstasy, it rose to the heavens until Pegasus, under Poseidon's command, kicked his hoof, stopping the mountain's upward progress. A fountain of water gushed forth called the Fountain of Hippocrene. The fountain was sacred to the Muses and is believed to be the source of music and poetic inspiration. According to legend, the birth of both wine and art occurred when Pegasus' hooves unleashed the sacred Spring of the Muses.
Pegasus, being the horse of the Muses, has always been at the service of the poets. Schiller tells a story of his having been sold by a needy poet and put to the cart and the plough. He was not fit for such service, and his clownish master could make nothing of him. A youth stepped forth and asked leave to try him. As soon as he was seated on his back, the horse, which had appeared at first vicious, and afterwards spirit-broken, rose kingly, a spirit, a god. He unfolded the splendour of his wings and soared towards heaven. He can still be seen as the star constellation, Pegasus.
Urania, the Muse of Astronomy and Universal Love (also an aspect of Aphrodite) showed the most interest in his rearing. Prophesying of his future heroic deeds and eventual celestial honor she grieved the most when Bellerophon, at Athena's beckoning, came to take Pegasus away from Mt. Helicon.
Bellerophon, the prince of Corinth wanted to ride the magnificent but untamable Pegasus, but he knew it was impossible. Each time he approached the creature, Pegasus quickly galloped away, avoiding capture. With the advice of the seer, Polyeidus, the ambitious man spent a night at an alter to Athena. That night, Athena, also the goddess of reason, appeared to Bellerophon in a dream. She said to him, "If a human wishes for something impossible, he will not get his wish. But, a goddess or god can make the wish possible." A golden bridle which would tame Pegasus was given to Bellerophon by the goddess soon afterward (Chalintis: Gift of Athena). Bellerophon found Pegasus drinking at the well of Pirene and was able to capture and tame the creature easily.
Pegasus became the horse of Bellerophon, and they had many adventures together, including the slaying of the Chimera. Horse and rider seemed a perfect match, and the two were a familiar sight in the sky. Many exciting and successful adventures took place, but unfortunately for Bellerophon, he was determined to be a god himself. One day he leaped onto Pegasus and dug in his stirrups. "To Olympus!" he cried, and urged the horse upward to the home of the gods. Pegasus was wiser, and for the first time would not obey. He threw his rider to the ground and flew way. Bellerophon, whose ambition had grown too great, wandered on foot for the rest of his days.
After the many long years of heroic deeds Pegasus had accomplished in the companionship of Bellerophon, Urania was enraptured by Pegasus' triumphant arrival to Mt. Olympus. Contrary to the unfortunate fate of Bellerophon, Pegasus was permitted to spend the rest of his days in Mount Olympus in the presence of the gods. He was entrusted with bringing lightening and thunderbolts to Zeus, the most powerful of all gods. It is said that Pegasus' own hooves could be heard thundering across the skies in a storm. As a tribute to his exceptional life and heroic deeds, Zeus honored Pegasus with a constellation in the sky. He was also used occasionally by Eos (Aurora) for her drive across the sky at dawn and Apollo (Phoebus) during his daylight drive across the sky. According to a collection of myths from Cheiron's progeny, Pegasus continues his story by obtaining a wife, Euippe, and two children, Celeris and Melanippe.
Today, Pegasus, is still honored for his earthly and heavenly deeds, as a constellation in the sky. The transformation of Pegasus into the stars represents the evolution of change, a natural occurence in everyday life. The cluster of stars is located in the Northern Hemisphere near Aquarius. However it must now share the northeast corner of the square with Andromeda: delta Pegasus was given to Andromeda, to provide the lady with a head. Pegasus, the Winged Horse, is visible from August through December. Ancient astrologers believed that all the stars of Pegasus protected horsemen in battle. The winged creature is seen as the symbol for the immortality of the soul, and as the carrier and protector that guards the spirit in its journeys into the stars.
The Winged Horseshoe is the sigil (graphic cypher or symbol) of Pegasus.
PEGASUS TATTOOS
While the horse remains one of the most popular animal tattoo designs, the winged horse Pegasus stands out as a particular favorite with equine tattoo enthusiasts. Not enough for some people the beauty, grace and speed of the ordinary horse, they must add wings and magic and stories of Gods to the tattoo - we speak of course of Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology. The birth of this mythical winged steed went something like this -- the Greek hero, Perseus, son of Zeus, slew the fearful Medusa with his magical sword, and from the blood gushing from her neck emerged the wild and magnificent Pegasus. Poseidon (Neptune), god of the Ocean, was Pegasus’ father.
It was Pegasus who carried Perseus to rescue Princess Andromeda when she was chained to the dragon-guarded rock. Hero and Princess married, and together with Pegasus they became a constellation of stars twinkling in the heavens. As it says in the 5th century B.C. Greek lyric -- "Pegasus dwells in the ancient stalls of Zeus upon Olympus."
It’s not surprising that other heroes coveted the fearless flying Pegasus, but capturing such a wondrous creature required divine intervention. When Bellerophon, another son of Poseidon, pleaded to the gods for help in taming Pegasus, it was the Greek goddess, Athena who provided Bellerophon with the necessary golden bridle. Legend tells of Pegasus drinking at the well when he was captured, while some say it was Athena herself who tamed Pegasus and brought him to Bellerophon.
Pegasus then carried Bellerophon on a mission to rid the countryside of the people-slaying, fire-breathing, lion-headed Chimera. With that mission accomplished, Pegasus was steered heavenward by his grateful hero, but a gad-fly infuriated Pegasus and he tossed his rider, sending him back to earth. It is said that the fly was Zeus’ dirty work, since he did not favour Bellerophon. Pegasus continued his riderless flight skywards, and was welcomed by Zeus into the realm of the gods to become their divine steed. As the one who delivered Zeus’s thunderbolts, Pegasus could be seen thundering fearlessly across the skies.
As a tattoo symbol, Pegasus represents much of what a Horse does, loyalty, stamina, endurance and speed, but with the added dimensions normally associated with Wings and Birds-freedom, and a soaring spirit, mind and heart. Pegasus speaks to the poet in us, of the magical and mystical and the divine world of Gods among the clouds and Mount Olympus. Pegasus will carry us to new heights of imagination, inspiration and aspiration.
.Pondering. Thinking. Wondering.
Went to Cleo Party @ Cafe Del Mar on Sat and did a airbrush tattoo (see below pic) there. I think it's really nice lor... I had initially decided on doing an extention to my existing tattoo (refer to previous posting here), but after I see this, it make me wanna do a Pegasus tattoo instead!!! How how how?????
Anyways, me & winnie decided to go down to Sharktattoo next Monday and seek the tattoo artist's opinion... If he can come up with a nice artwork for my extensions, then I'll go ahead with that... Otherwise, I'll just do a Pegasus... In the meantime, before next Monday, I will extensively search for the pic of a Pegasus that I really love!! (well, tattoo is permanent, so of cos have to choose a design tat I really really really love)... But I seriously doesn't mind this one below....
Well well.... I do have up till next Mon to decide....I will look-see-look-see if there any other designs that I really love, then can put in for consideration... Else, perhaps I'll just take whatever the artist's suggest, so long as it's nice... Afterall, they are the 'experts' in this area.. Like the previous I did, same, I chose from the tattoo artist portfolio and then I got it done! And I totally love my tattoo!!!!
Any suggestions or recommendations, anyone??????
Movies I've watched in June!!!
28 Jun - Transfomer: Revenge of the Fallen
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 American science fiction action film. It is the sequel to 2007's Transformers and the second film in the live action Transformers series.
In 17,000 BC, ancient Transformers called the Dynasty of Primes scoured the universe with the intention of draining the energy from stars to create Energon and power the AllSpark, the life source of the Transformers, using a machine called a Sun Harvester. The Primes agreed that life-bearing worlds would be spared, but one of their own betrayed the others and constructed a Sun Harvester on Earth. Unable to beat their brother, the Dynasty sacrificed their bodies in order to hide the Matrix of Leadership, the key used to power the Sun Harvester. The treacherous Prime was dubbed the Fallen, and vowed to seek revenge upon Earth.
In present day, set two years after the events of the first film, Optimus Prime leads NEST, a military organization consisting of American and British troops and his own team of Autobots, which includes newcomers Arcee, Sideswipe, Jolt, and the twins Skids and Mudflap. NEST ventures into Shanghai, China. Sideswipe chases and kills Decepticon Sideways. Then before getting killed by Optimus, Demolishor, one of the Decepticons, declares that "the Fallen shall rise again."
Sam Witwicky heads off to college to continue a normal life, leaving behind his Autobot guardian Bumblebee and his girlfriend Mikaela Banes. He finds a piece of the Allspark, which he gives to Mikaela for safekeeping. Wheelie attempts to steal the shard but is captured by Mikaela. Sam meets his college roommate, Leo Spitz, who runs an alien conspiracy website. He also meets Alice, who makes aggressive advances towards him.
Soundwave, a Decepticon intelligence officer, hacks into a satellite to eavesdrop on the NEST forces, learning the location of the dead Decepticon leader Megatron and another piece of the AllSpark. He deploys Ravage to retrieve the shard, which is then used to resurrect Megatron. Megatron flies through space to a Decepticon spacecraft, where he is reunited with Starscream and his master, the Fallen. The Fallen instructs Megatron to capture Sam, as his mind now contains the Allspark's knowledge, including the location of the Sun Harvester. Sam has a mental breakdown in his astronomy class, writing Cybertronian symbols on the chalkboard. Mikaela comes to his aid just as Alice attacks, revealed to be a Decepticon Pretender, a Transformer in a human guise. Sam, Mikaela and Leo drive off, running over Alice in the process, but are then captured by Grindor. Scalpel, a Decepticon doctor, prepares to remove Sam's brain, but Optimus and Bumblebee appear and rescue him. In the following battle, Optimus takes on the Decepticons on his own, killing Grindor, however, he is ultimately killed himself, stabbed from behind by Megatron.
Megatron orders a full-scale assault on the planet. The Fallen speaks to the world and advises them to surrender Sam to the Decepticons or they'll continue their attack. Sam's parents are captured by Rmapage. Sam, Mikaela, Leo, Bumblebee, the Twins and Wheelie regroup, Leo believing his online rival "RoboWarrior" may be of assistance. The man is revealed to be former Sector Seven agent Simmons. Simmons reveals his hidden alien archive and explains that the Transformers have visited Earth before, as their language is written on ruins all over the world. Wheelie identifies the language as that of the Primes but only a Seeker can translate it; Seekers being used by the Primes to locate suitable stars for harvesting. They find such a Seeker, an aging Decepticon named Jetfire, who defected to the Autobots.
Upon learning the situation, Jetfire teleports the group to Egypt via a space bridge and explains that the tomb of the Primes is located in the surrounding desert, and only a Prime can kill the Fallen. By following the clues, the group find the Matrix in a tomb in Petra, but it crumbles to dust in Sam's hands. Believing the Matrix can still revive Optimus, Sam collects the dust and instructs Simmons to telephone Major William Lennox to bring the other Autobots and Optimus' body.
The military arrives in short order, but are tracked by the Decepticons, resulting in an intense battle. During the battle, Bumblebee rescues Sam's parents from Rampage, killing both him and Ravage in the process. Devastator is then formed and unearths the Sun Harvester in one of Egypt's pyramids before being blown to pieces by a railgun fired from a nearby destroyer. The airforce carpet bombs the Decepticons, but Sam is caught at the edge of the blast and killed. In a vision, Sam meets with the other Primes, who tell him that the Matrix of Leadership must be earned, which Sam has done. Sam is brought back to life and the Matrix reforms from the dust. Sam uses it to revive Optimus, but the Fallen, with aid from Megatron, steals it shortly thereafter to activate the Sun Harvester. Jetfire, having been mortally wounded by Scorponok, gives up his life and parts to give Optimus the strength he needs to defeat the Fallen. Optimus destroys the Sun Harvester and then fights both Megatron and the Fallen, destroying the Fallen and leaving Megatron heavily wounded. Starscream convinces Megatron to retreat.
The film concludes with Optimus stating that the Transformers and humans are now connected by their histories and Sam returning to college.
No need to say much, this show is.... amazing!!! I can watch it over & over & over again and I don't think I'll get tired of it!!! 2007 Transformers is already a super nice show and this 2009 Transformer, SUPERB!!!! I'm gonna watch it again, probably sometime this week.. MUST MUST MUST WATCH!!!!
21 Jun - The Taking of Pelham 123
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 is a 2009 American thriller film directed by Tony Scott, and starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta. The film is based on the thriller novel by Morton Freedgood (writing under the pseudonym John Godey), and is a remake of the original 1974 film adaptation, which was also remade in 1998 as a TV movie.
Four heavily armed men, led by a man who calls himself "Ryder," (John Travolta) board a New York subway 6 train (aka the Pelham Line, hence the title), then proceed to take control of the train. Meanwhile, MTA dispatcher, Walter Garber (Denzel Washington), is assigned to the Rail Control Center due to an ongoing investigation that he took a bribe to recommend a Japanese car manufacturer for the next subway car contract. The group then uncouple the front car from the rest of the train and hold the passengers of that car hostage. One of the hijackers, Bashkim (Victor Gojcaj), kills an undercover police officer in the course of the action. Ryder and a former MTA train operator named Ramos settle down on the front car, while the other hijackers watch the hostages in the back. They demand $10 million in ransom money to be paid within the next 60 minutes. For each minute past the deadline, one passenger aboard his car will be killed.
Garber and Ryder exchange conversations though the microphone, while his men set up a wi-fi booster apparatus to enable Ryder to access his laptop in that tunnel to watch the stock market plunge nearly 1,000 during the course of the next hour. Unknown to him, one of the male passengers has an active laptop with a webcam, that was casually knocked to the floor facing the car's interior previously when they took their hostages which simultaneously reconnects using that same wi-fi link; reestablishing the feed to his girlfriend's desktop with whom he was videochatting with; when she returns to her PC, she sees the hostage situation through her webcam and provides the live feed to the police stationed at RCC. Garber agrees to have the city pay Ryder the $10 million ransom while the Mayor (James Gandolfini) is intercepted by his staff aboard a train in the Bronx and is transported back to RCC.
NYPD Emergency Service Unit Lt. Camonetti (John Turturro) enters RCC, and Garber's boss, who has a rocky relationship with Garber, orders Garber to leave the premises. Camonetti takes over the hostage negotiations, infuriating Ryder who demands that Garber be put back on the mic and that he will speak only to Garber. When Camonetti refuses explaining Garber has already left the building, Ryder shoots and kills the train operator, who was Garber's classmate in motor school. Camonetti immediately has Garber brought back on the mic, talking to Ryder while he sets up a sniper unit in the tunnel where the car is stuck, ordering all officers not to fire upon any hijacker until told to do so (Ryder is fully aware of their presence, which he proves by giving the middle finger to one of the officers).
Camonetti is puzzled as to why Ryder will only talk to Garber but when he learns about Garber's bribery investigation, he asks Garber in consenting to search his home, which Garber agrees and tells his wife about it. Ryder learns through news reports about Garber's alleged bribe in Japan and forces him to confess by holding the boy with the laptop at gunpoint, saying the reason for taking the money was to pay for his daughters's college education. While the police stand down in the tunnel, one of the many rats on the roadbed slithers inside an officer's leg, causing him to lose control of his sniper rifle and fire off a shot, killing Ramos who was sitting in the motorman's position.
The money is transported uptown to Grand Central, which Ryder demands Garber to personally deliver it within 8 minutes. Garber calls his wife to inform her about his new responsibility in order to save the hostages, but she cares only for his own safety. She makes him promise to pick up some milk on the way home, owning to the fact that he must come home safely. Garber delivers the money with the aid of a 9mm gun loaned to him by Camonetti, then is ordered to operate the train to another location where the hijackers will exit. Ryder uses a special mechanism to lock the driving lever in the full speed position, bypassing the dead-man's switch and causing the train to accelerate out-of-control down Coney Island at high speeds. As the MTA are unaware of the mechanism holding the driving lever down, they believe the hijackers and Garber to still be inside the train. Garber manages to escape from the hijackers while picking up his gun, and then follows them to emergency exit inside an abandoned subway station underneath the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Inside the hotel, Ryder splits away from Bashkim and Emri, who are surrounded outside the hotel by police, as they both reach for their guns, the police open fire on the two of them, killing them instantly.
The runaway train is tripped by a red signal one station away from Coney Island. Ryder boards a taxi with Garber in pursuit. Ryder checks his laptop where it is revealed that he has short-sold the market and invested in gold, earning him a profit far larger than the ransom money. Ryder goes to the Manhattan Bridge where he leaves the cab due to heavy traffic, and uses the pedestrian walkway on the bridge. Garber confronts Ryder on the bridge; Ryder demands Garber kill him before the police do, or else he will take out his gun and kill Garber himself. Ryder gives Garber 10 seconds to shoot him. When Ryder got done counting to 10, he takes out his gun, but Garber gets the first shot out. Before Ryder dies, he calls Garber his hero, as Camonetti watches from an NYPD chopper flying above the bridge.
The Mayor thanks Garber for saving the hostages, and vows his staff in representing him in the bribery investigation the next day. The Mayor then offers Garber a ride home in his car along with the escort service. Garber refuses the offer saying the subway is faster and is his lifeblood. He then heads home with the last shot of the movie being Garber walking into his home holding a half-gallon of milk in a grocery bag, then the credits roll. 
Two amazing sctors, a show of great intense! It get so interesting throughout the whole show, but I was a little disppointed with the ending....
18 Jun - Land of the Lost
Will Ferrell stars as has-been scientist Dr. Rick Marshall, sucked into one and spat back through time. Way back. Now, Marshall has no weapons, few skills and questionable smarts to survive in an alternate universe full of marauding dinosaurs and fantastic creatures from beyond our world--a place of spectacular sights and super-scaled comedy known as the Land of the Lost. Sucked alongside him for the adventure are crack-smart research assistant Holly (Anna Friel) and a redneck survivalist (Danny McBride) named Will. Chased by T. rex and stalked by painfully slow reptiles known as Sleestaks, Marshall, Will and Holly must rely on their only ally--a primate called Chaka (Jorma Taccone)--to navigate out of the hybrid dimension. Escape from this routine expedition gone awry and they're heroes. Get stuck, and they'll be permanent refugees in the Land of the Lost. 
Typical nonsensical comedy... Fun of humour in their adventure and nothing but just funny.. Great entertainment for a no-need-to-think-just-relax-watch-and-destress kinda show.. Will Ferrell is really damn funny.. Worth watching if you are looking for ultimate humour!
16 Jun - Ghost of Girlfriends Past
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is a 2009 American romantic comedy film that has a plot based on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Marl Waters directed a script by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. Filming spanned February 19, 2008 to July 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts with stars Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner and Emma Stone.
Celebrity photographer Connor Mead loves freedom, fun and women...in that order. A committed bachelor who thinks nothing of breaking up with multiple women on a conference call, Connors mockery of romance proves a real buzz-kill for his kid brother, Paul, and a houseful of well wishers on the eve of Paul's wedding. Just when it looks like Connor may single-handedly ruin the wedding, he gets a wake-up call from the ghost of his late Uncle Wayne (MICHAEL DOUGLAS), which he delivers through the ghosts of Connors jilted girlfriends-past, present and future taking Connor on a revealing and hilarious odyssey through a lifetime of failed relationships. Together they attempt to find out what turned Connor into such an insensitive jerk and whether there is still hope for him to find true love...or if he really is the lost cause everyone thinks he is. 
I love this show!!!!! I wanna watch it another time... Good thing is this show's not just for 'the girls', guys will enjoy this who too, for sure!!! The show really relates to the actual world that we are now living in.. About how many men are thinking and behaving right now... Men nowadays are always so 'commitment-phobia', 'anti-marriage', 'freedom extremist' etc etc.... (of cos there some women who are the same, but percentage of men like these, are of cos much higher...) If you are such kinda guy/gal, this show will make you really re-think about your actual prioritied in life and whether it is worth giving up the-love-of-your-life (the feeling of it is at least 95%) just because you are not willing to put down everything else in your life and start a new one with this person... I am sure, many of us have actually been through what goes on in the movie, so it'll make us think about our own encounters, reminisce about it too... There were some parts during the show, it somehow relates to what I've experienced before (even those parts that doesn't) I dropped tears... *sniffs sniffs*
