Japan = Big ?

I'm not trying to insult Japanese, this is just a stereotype I noticed throughout so many Japanese originated shows. In my childhood, I have been exposed to the Power Rangers series on the regular RTM TV1 show on Saturday evenings. At that time, the Power Rangers on television was the US adaption of the famous Super Sentai series, which was the beginning of my observation.

Just during my holidays last year, I was streaming through some videos on Youtube when I stumbled upon this video called Japanese Spider Man from the 1970s. I compared it with the 1970s US version and noticed another difference. Spiderman uses Megazords in Japan!!!

Japanese entertainment industry is filled with BIG ideas. Godzilla and Ultraman are big. Super Sentai have huge robots. Does that mean the BIG = POWERFUL?

The first few BIG characters in Japan named Ambassador Magma (1965)

This huge guy started the trend which lasted almost half a century now (I think?). Many shows have dudes in costumes, normally one human/robot-looking and another monster-looking fighting in some city in Japan which never seem to be destroyed despite having heated climatic battles with characters tossing each other on buildings in almost every episode.

If you are thinking these is just my speculation, take a look at these photos from the old shows.

Godzilla (ゴジラ in Japanese)(1954) walking through high-tension wires

The Original Ultraman (1966) battling with a monster in the city

Japanese Spiderman's Mecha (1978)

The first Super Sentai to have big monsters and mecha, Battle Fever J (1979)

This also applies to animated shows. Where did you think Transformers and Gundam come from? Japan! duh

the original Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) are big too!

Yup! that was Optimus Prime from Transformers Generation One (1984) designed by Japanese toy company Takara

For those born during my time, you would probably know the classic US version, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

sometimes I don't seem to understand why kids like these shows. When I was 7, I would force my parents to stop watching the television every Saturday for my "Power Rangers Time" without fail. The show starts with lots of talking, then the baddies send a monster to terrorize the city. So the rangers (as civilians) will be sent to fight the monster with some soldiers (calefe actors who die in a second) and usually look weak at the start, but suddenly morph and get a higher ground. Then the monster is killed using a combo technique but is later resurrected and becomes as big as King Kong. So the rangers will call for their Megazords through some very elaborate transformations and will try to fight against the monster. The rangers will follow the previous lose-then-win scenario and as the monster dies, the Megazord will make a gaya pose for the camera.

Sounds familliar?

Ultraman is very similar. When the monster comes, weird looking fighter jets (I doubt they could fly at all) will try to kill the monster but always fail to to so. The Ultraman-to-be takes his magical wand and makes a pose to be enlarged. He then fights with the monster by throwing each other around the city, destroying everything in its path. Before he can finish off the monster, an alarm starts ringing on his chest to tell him that he needs to use the superpower (should have done that at the start!). Surely the monster dies and explodes as he make a gaya pose for the camera like the Megazords.

signature move for his superpower, done since 1966 till now (still not sien yet!!!)

So this is all I can say, Japan is a very dangerous place to live in! Monsters appear all the time!!!

this is what Americans think of Japanese films

lalanandaFRY 22/11/09

蕭敬騰， 你最棒！

假如你是一位超级星光大道节目的忠实粉丝，你一定不会错过这个美声。超级星光大道这节目的确是为演艺圈增添了许多新歌手如林宥嘉，潘裕文，周定纬，卢学睿，杨宗伟，神木与童，梁文音，魏如匀，徐佳莹，林芯仪等等。但是超级星光大道最厉害的不是比赛参赛者，而是第一届前来PK的年轻驻唱歌手。他虽然才去PK三次，而且不是次次都赢，但是他确实是参加这比赛得到收获最多的选手。

他就是被称为省话一哥的蕭敬騰！

当时的他并不帅，发型不断的变（都是奇奇怪怪的），我在心里想 ‘他哪会红？’。他竟然出乎我意料之外，到现在就要在台北小巨蛋办演唱会了！PUB到台北小巨蛋，真是180度转变啦！

转变太厉害了吧！

最新专辑，王妃

连头发也变帅了啦！

是技巧？还是运气？那还要说吗？当然是两个都有啦！我真的很喜欢他的快歌如王子的新衣，Blues，王妃等。我还把几首歌的歌词记下，当洗澡时可以唱一唱！

蕭敬騰！我的广告费呢？

Walk, Don't Run

Hey everyone, Anwar here! No la! It's just that my beard is kinda long like the real guy only... lolz Should I shave or not leh?

This is the last day of my holiday and I'm still wasting my day on this old computer. So what am I doing?  With MSN switched on, browser switched on, speaker switched on, my responds will be "What else lah...!" 没有啦，是超级无敌无聊罢了！新学年就要开始，我并没有做什么准备。嗨... 真惨！说实在，假期真的太长了，长到我连普普通通的东西都给忘记了，不要说complex systems啦，我看genetics的基本资料也从脑里删除了。But no choice, life must go on. The only thing I can do is slowly slowly learn to walk again, running is out of the question.

几天前，我把炸乱的书柜整理的时候发现几张个很令我怀念中学时光的card。当中还含有一封贺年片，是我以前一个很要好的朋友送的。它虽然是一片2006狗年款式贺年片，但是里面有一句是我和他之间的"秘密象征“。 隔了这么多年，我想这戏剧主题曲也不是什么秘密了吧！当时的我是一个很懒撒的中二学生。我承认当时的我是一个很爱玩，很爱叛逆的废物。就在我的数学月考落到面临不及格的地步时，他就是我的救星，是他把信心传给我，是他把这个烂摊子做成现在的我。我学了他的学习方式，从课程里找出欢乐。他竟然把我原本45分的数学提升至80分。如果他开补习中心，肯定叫我当他的代言人了。虽然我不知道他现在的情况如何，我只能祝福他未来成功。这封贺年片的意义就算是我起死回身的象征，也是纪念这位伟大的朋友。哈哈，还记得他的中文名字是我编给他的。谢谢你，郑庆翔！

Throughout the whole holiday, I have been having lots of interesting dreams. Those fantasies can really fall under any sweet dream or nightmare category for they seemed like placing me in some TVB drama with fellow actors acting out the show. Almost every night is an entirely different story, my character ranges from James Bond type genre to 溏心风暴-like genre. Sleep is very nice at night, when the Astro, TV and computer are all switched off, and yet I get to continue watching dramas in my dreams which are totally self-made, self-directed and most interestingly, I'm acting in it too. Sometimes I even refuse to wake up from those exciting stories. Too bad I can only get this during holidays since I normally have to wake up earlier. Is this a result of watching too many Hong Kong TVB dramas and Hollywood movies?

Thats all lah...
lalanandaFRY
8/11/09

Uni-2-disaster SUM.Up

This must be the longest time I didn't update my blog already. I have been so busy updating the Buddhist Society's blog and also busy watching shows during the holiday that this blog has just been one of the least updated blog of P109 :-( . It is quite obvious that this semester is much like the last semester, except for the shorter classes, lesser practicals and 2 languages to study. However, life does not get easier here. On the contrary, other subjects got more difficult, notably Physio and Bioscience.

Good news is that I've passed all the assessments. Bad news is that Sem 3 is coming. So what do you think I have been doing throughout the holidays? Youtube has my best friend. Around the beginning of the holidays, I've visited Youtube and out of curiosity, I clicked on the "Recommended for You" section and guess what I saw? 吳宗憲's 憲在不準笑 of 齊天大聖. That show is really really funny and yet they force the contestants to hold their laughter. I thought it was quite easy, but like they say, you wouldn't know until you get it. The videos I watched were quite old for Youtube, some from 2006 and 2007. But jokes are still jokes, as long they are funny, who cares?

I have also found some cold jokes (冷笑话) from his shows:

1. 如何把林依晨的名字融入一段句子?

台湾的最高建筑物有一百林依晨（零一层）。

2. 那种动物是可以贴在墙上的？

猜到壁虎吗？不是啦！是海豹（海报）!!!

3. 数学题：小白 + 小白 = ？

小白two（兔）！

4. 哪一个卡通人物最爱帮人？

小叮当（哆啦A梦）？因为他的手是圆的！伸出圆手（援手）吗！

I know they aren't funny at all, thats why they call it cold jokes.

Darkness Is ARound You

Just a couple days ago, I suddenly remembered that it is the last week of the semester break and as promised, my junior's orientation video shooting was supposed to start. I have done all essential plannings for the introduction video and borrowed a video camera from Jo Lene. **Thank You Very Much** I've even SMSed everyone involved about the shooting! But things didn't work out as planned *haiz...* Since many weren't free, we had to postpone the shooting to Sem3.

I almost forget about my role in the Buddhist Society already! I was placed in-charge of the last 2 Friday Gatherings of the semester. I had lots of fun preparing those sessions at home and taking my time in searching for materials. For my first gathering, I utilised the game we played during the 4th Ehipassiko Camp conducted by Bro. Mui Han. I changed the rules slightly for the theme of Harmony. My second gathering was rather simple since it was the last gathering for the semester. I made a short 5 minute video showcasing the past activities organized by the society. I've also prepared a simple powerpoint presentation of several coming activities of the society. I think activities for next semester will be worth anticipating, so stay tuned.

I don't think I've anything else to say here... Sayonara!

lalanandaFRY 4/11/09

Uni-2-disaster week 14 report

Wow!!! it has been more than 2 months since this blog is dead. I have been so lazy and busy** with all my assignments and Buddhist Society's stuff that there was not a single movement in this blog till now!!!

I don't have much to say actually. Being Buddhist Society's Newsletter Manager looks easy, sounds easy, but... it isn't easy to me. I'm not complaining at all, in fact I'm very very greatful to be chosen to serve the Buddha Sasana and to bring Buddhism to more people. So far the IMUBS team are working very well and getting overwhelming response from new and also senior members. As a relatively new member myself, I feel a sudden wake up call has rang in the society. I wouldn't know whether it is a usual response every year, but what I can say is, I'm contented already. As Newsletter manager, I have created 2 issues with a style very different from that of my predecessor, hopefully everyone likes it. I've also created the IMU Buddhist Society blog which takes a larger step to increase circulation than the dying/dead Friendster account.

As semester 2 is ending, despite only having 2 posts talking about it, I would not be saying much. EoS has only 2 subjects, 2 big and extremely technical subjects. But with 2.5 weeks to study, I can't complain about anything. I just gotta get all my notes, find a nice spot in IMU's freezing library, and snooze on the books with hopes that the vast knowledge can diffuse into my head. yup! That was a joke by Prof PP when I entered semester 2. I just can't wait for the 4.00pm of 6 October, the time when semester 2 truly ends.

That does not mean that holidays have started, at least not for me. Preparations for our juniors, specifically the P110's orientation has started and as part of the video team, I would have to be starting work on the stuff for our juniors. I expect it to be fun all the way for everyone or at least for me *I kinda like making videos*. ***For those in the P110 orientation BOD who have a video camera, camcorder or anything equivalent, can you spare it for our shooting? Thnx***

By the way, I came across a very nice video from Youtube with a bunch of guys singing a medley of Michael Jackson's famous songs remixed. I has a mixture of The Way You Me Feel, ABC, I'll Be There, Man In The Mirror, Smooth Criminal, Billie Jean, Thriller and Beat It. Enjoy it!!!

Before I go, I'll like to wish all Muslims in the World, "Selamat Hari Raya Aildilfitri!" Enjoy your holiday if you have it!!!

lalanandaFRY 19/9/09