South Island Trip - In a Nutshell

Be advised: This is going to be a long text.

It has been a long time since I have last updated my blog, mainly due to Japanese animations and Japanese comics taking up my time.  But now that I have finished most of it, it is time for me to kick back and start explicating my trip towards the South Pole.  Alright, my friends and I started things off at Christchurch, the once magnificent town that has been devastated by the earthquake.  Ironically, it is also referred to as the "Garden City", credits to its splendid meadows and natural scenery.

We were received warmly by our friend and she gave us an elaborate tour around Christchurch, elucidating its foundation and showing us the beautiful view of Christchurch's night scenery.  Even though Christchurch is in the process of recovering from the calamity, it still has some very attractive views to offer.  Sadly, I was forced to part with Christchurch the following day as we needed to stick with our original schedule.  Due to some engineering issues on the flight company's part, we took a bus down to Queenstown from Christchurch. It was a tedious 8 hours drive through winding roads and mountains.  The bus itself wasn't half bad but because of the distance traveled, I felt like throwing up  between intervals of the trip.  However, the pretty views along the way to Queenstown made up for the sick feelings.  I passed scenic mountains and crystal clear lakes, as well as heaps of sheep and cattle.

When we reached Queenstown, the first thing I noticed was how cold the weather actually was.  It didn't come as a surprise as I knew we were somewhere south in the island and a temperature drop is to be expected.  From the place my friends and I were dropped, we took a 20 minutes taxi to our accommodation which was located in the central in the city, making our future endeavours more convenient.  As everyone was dead tired after the bus trip, I went and hit the sack after our dinner.  Before we had dinner, my friend and I went up on the Gondola and were able to take a good picture of Queenstown's twilight view.  The following day, I went for my Nevis Ledge Swing at a place located in between 2 canyons.

The drop off part was extremely scary but other than that, it was extremely fun!!  Basically, now I know why children love to play on the swing even if you tell them not to.  Children have good sense of fun and thrill.  Miraculously, after the swing, my height phobia dissipated too and that was unexpected...Lol.  Okay, moving on.  I concluded my day with an oriental dinner.  The owner of the shop was very friendly and we chatted for a while in the shop.  I got to know that due to certain circumstances, people chose New Zealand as their perfect getaway and at the same time, as a place to relax and nurture their health.  On the third and final day at Queenstown, I went snowshoeing!!  Basically, it is a new form of sports that was introduced to New Zealand exactly 2 years ago and is still very new in the vicinity.  My group consisted of 5 people including me and a reporter.  We went up "The Remarkables" mountain and as we departed early in the morning, I got the chance to take a glimpse at the sunrise and it was simply majestic.  The sun rising from the horizon and illuminating the dark earth with its warm beam and graceful banquet certainly was a sight to behold.

As it turned out, the mountain which we hiked was used as a shooting spot for the trilogy "Lord of the Rings" and I had the honour to actually drink tea at nearly the peak of the mountain.  We stopped at a frozen lake to have our morning tea and sipping tea in the cold was an amazing experience!

"The mountains through the eyes of the tea! :3"

Sadly, all good things must come to an end.  My Queenstown trip was blissful and sure worthed the investment.  After finishing at Queenstown, I proceeded to Otago, once again, by bus.  As we were traveling along, I got to meet fellow Malaysians who were making the same excursion as I am to Otago for the Malaysian Games held once a year.  I simply went there to support my friends and cheer for them.  When we arrived, I was amazed by the sight of Otago.  It was marvelous!  The setup was exactly like that of the Scottish country, untouched and untainted by urbanization.

I went to the Museum and was perplexed by the amount of artifacts and wonders it has to offer.  It has an array of antiques that was collected from across the world and the descriptions that came along with these antiques enlightened me on the history and "experience" of each of these antiques.  Touring around the museum took up more time than I had anticipated and when I was done, it was almost closing time.  However, the knowledge I have acquired far superseded my sense of fatigue at that particular point of time and I was contented despite my head throbbing like mad.  On the second day, I signed up for a wildlife tour near the Otago Peninsula and our tour guide, Sean (hope I got the name correct), gave us info on the founding of Otago and how it became the Otago it is today.  I had the grace to witness all the amazing wildlife in South Island which included the rare Royal Albatross, Yellow-Eyed Penguin, Blue Penguin, Fur Seal and Sea Lion. Of all the animals viewed, I like the penguins best as they were so adorable and petite! 

The tour was sublime and my highest compliment to the tour guide for giving us such a wonderful time.  The subsequent day was filled with cheering for my friends at the games and hoping that the opponents would make a blunder and lose.

Much to my delight, my friends did get champion for the activity they participated in albeit they didn't perform as well in others but that is a given as the adage goes, "When God gives you something, he takes something away from you too".  Can't do much about that.  On the second to last day of my South Island trip, I went to the Cadbury chocolate factory and got to see, not to mention eat, the most heart-filling fill of chocolate any mortal has ever seen!  Our guide, Joe, was a jocund person and he showed us around the factory while all the time, gave us free chocolate samples.  My bag was literary stuffed when the tour ended but the more the merrier so I had no complain about that.  After the chocolate heaven, I went to the Chinese Garden which is one of the few oriental paradises that are located outside China.  Drinking tea while marveling at the view of the garden is truly relaxing and for those few minutes, it was as though all my worries and anxieties vanished into thin air and my mind was totally blank, not subjected to any earthly desires nor apprehensions, just peace and more peace.

On the fifth and truly last day of my trip, I went to watch my friends play basketball and I had full confidence that they would prevail in the game.  There were some tough times when the team almost lost but thanks to their chivalrous captain and excellent teamwork, they were able to pull through and emerged victorious in the end.  

All in all, the trip was, without a doubt, tiring and exhausting but the excitement, exhilaration, joy and gratification felt transcended all those negative elements.  If I have to summarize this trip into one word, then it would be none other than, "Delightful"!

"So that humans remember, a proof is always left behind."

Master Hyperion, Angel's Boss

This is the hottest boss monster in Yu-Gi-Oh! at the moment.  With the invigoration of agent angel, this monster has become the staple in all agent angel decks, being played in 3.  So, the question is, what makes this card such a beast.

Okay, let's review its effect shall we.  "You can remove one "agent" card from either your hand, field or graveyard to special summon this card from your hand.  Once per turn, you can remove one angel monster in your graveyard to select and destroy one card on the field.  If "sanctuary in the sky" is in play, you can activate this effect up to twice per turn."

Its summoning condition is extremely simple considering the fact that it is a 2700ATK beatstick when summoned and you can remove from play 1 "agent" monster from literary any part of the game (excluding your removed from game pile obviously).  Moreover, you can use this card to blow away all your opponent's cards and with "Archlord Kristya" in play, your opponent will be begging for mercy all the way to their demise.  If you have sanctuary in the sky in play (if you even bother to run it), you can use this effect up to 2 times a turn.  Now we can see why agent angel is dominating the OCG realm.  Just imagine, 3 Hyperions with their field card in play equals 6 cards a turn.  The best thing is, you can use this effect to blow up cards you don't want too.  For example, your opponent gives you lava golem and lock it down with "sword of revealing light".  All you have to do is blow up that hindering golem and go in for the kill.

Alright, in the event that you can't SS this card or have no agents in any part of the game, you can tribute summon this card or release it (in Jap's term).  So, this card is actually extremely versatile with minimal risks.

Gellenduo is a good way to go if you opt for tribute summon.  Firstly, this adorable little thing is immune to battle destruction and can be treated as 2 tributes for the summoning of an angel monster.  Really worth it if you have nothing on at the moment.  Well, basically, that's the strategy for summoning this card.  Now, let's take a quick glance at its trivia and origin.

Hyperion is actually one of the twelve Titans in Greek mythodology.  Hyperion is essentially the Titan of Light and the ring around it actually stipulates its light and divinity as an angel.  The solar system in its palm comprises the "agents" monsters that are available in Yu-Gi-Oh! contemporarily. 

Alright, that's all for today's post.  Next post will be about some spectacular view of New Zealand.  Actually, I am on a trip from Auckland to Queenstown and now I am in Dunedin.  I will try to upload the photos with as much description as possible.  See ya.

The Big Boss of the Dark World

Now there's a hype going around the OCG Yu-Gi-Oh! world and if you are a player, then you guessed it right, the advent of the latest structure deck, rumoured to change the course of how Yu-Gi-Oh! is played.  Now, this latest structure deck is, in its own way, devastating.  It has all the required monsters, spells and traps to swarm your own field with monsters while leaving your opponent's field literary empty.  If you follow this link, you will know why I said that: http://shriek.twoday.net/stories/29757872/

Alright, without further ado, let me introduce you to the boss monster of this deck: Grapha, Dragon God of Dark World.

This mean looking bastard is the key to making an amateurish dark world (zero) into a killing machine (hero).  So, what is its effect you ask?  Taken from yugioh.wikia, it can be translated as, "You can return one "Dark World" monster you control to your hand to special summon this card from the graveyard.  When this card is discarded by a card effect, you can select and destroy one card on your opponent side of the field.  When this card is discarded by your opponent's card effect, select one card in your opponent's hand and reveal it.  If it is a monster card, you can special summon it to your side of the field."

Ain't that a mean effect or what!  Its summoning condition is extremely simple, taking into account that other dark world monsters can be special summoned via their own effect or if you feel like it, just normal summon a lv4 or below "Dark World" monster and bounce it back for Grapha.  What makes this effect formidable is the fact that it is recurrent and not limited to once per turn.  A good way to abuse this effect is by special summoning a dark world monster, bouncing it back for grapha.  Then, you activate either one of the viruses in meta and normal summon a dark world monster.  Then, rebound it again for grapha to deal a direct blow to your opponent's life points.

Now, let's talk a bit about the big boss itself.  Its name is derived from the mineral "graphite" and holds some resemblance to its predecessor "Armed Dragon Lv10".  When I mean resemblance, I mean its stance, posture and even ATK power once empowered by Gate of Dark World.  A lot of you must be wondering why they call it dragon albeit it being a fiend-type monster.  The reason is actually quite simple, it is rooted in the Japanese's (descendant of Chinese) blood that deem dragon as a sacred and mystical beast.  In ancient folklore, it is said that dragons can maintain the peace of a certain place and ward off evil spirits.  That's why you can see a lot of dragon paintings and sculptures on temples and shrines.

So, this wraps up today's post on "Grapha".  Next time, I will do a post on the angel's boss, "Master Hyperion" with a few thoughts of my own.  Till then, see you.

Hobby

Everyone needs to have a hobby.  It isn't something sophisticated nor it is time consuming.  The most important thing is you have a passion for it and doesn't deem it as something inappropriate or useless.  For some, it may be playing music or collecting stamps but for me, it is something way above all of those, Yu-Gi-Oh!

Yeah, you may think this is a childish game that is meant for children but let me assure you, this card game goes far.  It tests your mental calculation as well as how you plan your strategies.  For example, two persons using the same deck may have different interpretations of their own deck and this will ultimately lead to one's defeat.  That's why having a hobby is important, it keeps you occupied and at the same time, allows you to enjoy yourself.  That's all from me, starting from the next post onwards, I am going to post mostly yu-gi-oh related stuff.  Look forward to it.  Cheers.

Exam

Alright, it has been quite some time since I have last posted here.  I apologise to any avid readers.  First of all, since there was a gap between my last paper and my next paper, I decided to slack off and this means that I did not do a single thing during this interval, literary.  So, my next paper is in three days time which is considered short as I have another function on tomorrow.  Speaking of exam, I guess I will go with that topic in this post.

The word, exam, abbreviation of the word "examination" brings much worries and anxieties to both students and teachers.  For the students, it means days of grinding and sleepless nights just to run through all that have been taught in class.  For teachers, heck, it means tonnes of paper to mark.  If you are a math teacher, then the load will be lighter as there is only one correct answer but if you are a language teacher, God Bless You.  Most of the time, we see people failing their exams or don't know what in the world should they do for the exam and trust me, this is a common scenario no matter which part of the world you are in.

So, how do you cope with exams stress and ensure that you don't fail that freaking paper and later get reprimanded by the teachers and most likely, your parents.  The most important thing of course is preparation.  When I talk about preparation, I don't mean half-assed preparation such as daydreaming there with a book open in front of you for 1 hour and later convince yourself that you have studied, that's bullshit.  Go to the library or find a place where you know you can study, be it the classroom or the living room.  It doesn't need to be for a few hours or so as I believe that you need to be a monster to be able to study 5 or 6 hours consecutively.  Manage your time, spend at least 1 or 2 hours a day revising the course materials so that you will get the hang of it before entering the exam hall.  Yes, most students hate studying as it is a chore but persist, don't give in to the "I am gonna fail anyway no matter how hard I try" thinking.  At first, you may not see the results but when you persevere and work diligently, you will be able to see improvements in the next paper.  Different people have different learning competence, so you need to know yours.  Are you the one who can read through everything and understand it immediately (if yes, you can probably start off at a later time than others, say 1 or 2 weeks before the exam) or are you the one who needs to read something repetitively to fully comprehend it (if yes, then brother, it's about time you get on with that studying.  1 month or 2 before the real deal should help)?

Secondly, get enough rest.  Eat healthy.  No point going to the examination room feeling like a load of shit.  Get plenty of rest so that your brain can work in its prime during the exam and nutritions ensure that you don't fall sick on that life-or-death day.  Scientific research has shown that eating fish can boost your learning capability (thanks to the omega3) and this should improve your learning time significantly.  Lastly, stay calm.  In the heap of nervous chit-chattering before the exam, you must maintain your composure.  I have been to countless exam halls and an honest advice, stay away from the girls cause they will go "Have you studied?" "I don't get this part." "I heard the past year paper was difficult" and the sort that will scare the shit out of you.  Just relax (provided you have done the necessary revision) and go sit the thing.  A wise woman once told me, "Do your best and leave the rest to fate/god/destiny/luck or whatever you want to call it."  

Everything will turn out for the better in the end.  Don't sweat it if you didn't get a good mark at the start of the term, just persist and voila, before you know it, you have become a better man/woman.  That's all for today, I apologise for not having any pics as blogger is having some godknowswhat issues at the moment with picture uploading.  So, to those who have exams soon or in the near future, all the best and knock that confounded thing dead! =)

"Success comes to he who strives"

The Pursuit of Wealth

Firstly, I sincerely apologise for not updating my blog for quite some time.  Exams and stuff are crashing my timetable.  Due to this, I will keep this post brief and sweet.  "Money isn't everything in this world."  Inspired by this saying, it is undeniable that people indeed know this proverb, at least its syntactical meaning.  

"The pinnacle of wealth and power"

Just the other day I watched this movie from Singapore saying that Singapore's lifestyle revolves around money.  I must say, it does not only apply to Singapore, most of the Asian countries are pursuing wealth and those pieces of papers as if there is no tomorrow.  As the adage goes, "Money can buy you anything."  Clouded by this belief, people try incessantly to procure immeasurable amount of wealth so that they can live a life filled with glee and joy.  However, unknown to these people that doing so demands a huge sacrifice.  I won't go far, just look at my home country, Malaysia.  It has reached the peak of corruption and deterioration.  What was once a glorious empire is now an unsightly struggle for being the main party without the knowledge that Malaysia is heading towards its demise.  The government is now trying its best to gather votes by means of lies, deceptions and scandals.  Why do they resolve to such underhanded methods, you ask.  It's simple.  Money.  I don't know how it works but one thing is for sure, once you have accumulated enough money, your soul is as good as the devil's.  

"Sign the contract and all earthly desires will be yours."

Well, that's all I have to say for this post.  Contemplate before you accept a lucrative deal, it might just be the end of the "you" you once knew.  With that, over and out.

What we like to believe is real...

Let's begin with a real time experience, just the other day I had a discussion with my friends regarding animes and reality.  Well, for some obvious reasons, my friends told me that what I watch in animes differ greatly from the real life and it is about time I wake up from my delusion.  Basically, after hearing that statement, I was kind of upset as I really adore animes and heck, to me, those who don't like animes simply don't know what they are losing out on.  Hence, I stood up to my belief and argued that animes don't differ that much from reality.  The only difference is how you conceive it.  Why, even the focus isn't that great of a difference.  For example, in any anime, the focus will usually be on the main character with support from side characters and they usually embark on an excursion to acquire something or to achieve something.  For your information, the same also applies for the reality.  We are the focus of our own life and nobody but us can decide which route to take and what course of action that follows.

"How different is the 2D from the 3D"

Alright, enough said about the discussion.  Let's move on to the real topic of the day, "what we like to believe is real".  Ever had one of those days when you woke up from an awesome dream and just wished that it would continue.  Rest assure, shit like that happens all the time.  That's why we have people committing suicide and all the other obnoxious happenings in the world.  People, most of the time, refuse to accept what is the truth and just want to end their miserable lives.  So, does this have any relevance to anime?  Glad you ask, the answer is most definitely YES!  Otakus, or if translated anime geeks, like to fantasize about the girls of their dream coming out of animes and I don't know whether this is something to be proud of or ashamed of but I am one of these otakus.  More of the time, I find that the real girls are anything but perfect and what they have to display to the world is simply eye-wrecking.  Get me right, I am not stipulating that all girls are so, there are a few who live up to the title of being a "girl" and actually gets me thinking of chasing after them.  I will leave the term "mother" out of this one since our mothers are always perfect and beautiful in our eyes.  Just the other day, I came across a girl who was dressed in all sorts of expensive clothes, make ups and perfumes just to make her look good or attractive.  Heck, these girls have nothing to display.  They are only being ostentatious and downright displaying their affluence.  That being the case, it's not so uncommon now to spot girls like this, just go to China or America and I'll bet with you that the boyfriends are crying over there.

"Sometimes, in the pursuit of perfection, we need to deny the truth!"

I guess that's about it for today's post.  Last but not least, let me reiterate that I am, by no means, berating or disparaging girls from the 3D world, it is just that most of the 3D girls I have encountered up until now all have imperfections and flaws in them.  You can argue that GOD made us so but I would like to rebut by saying, "That doesn't mean you can't try to be perfect."  I am in pursuit of perfection myself and clearly, I lack a lot of things which girls dig in a boy such as looks etc but I truly believe that my perfect girl, more beautiful than any of the anime girls which I have come across, is out there somewhere just waiting for me to find her.  Guess that wraps up today's post.  Don't try to shun the reality, if you are having a hard time and feel like there's no place to turn to, animes are always there for you.  

Until next time, stay safe and stay sexy.  Signing out...

Reality is never any different from animes!