Seeing things through: A Hikkigaya case

      Perhaps one of the more interesting animes, albeit underrated, is "I knew my high school love comedy isn't real."  The anime follows the life of a self-proclaimed loner extraordinaire, Hikkigaya and his experiences in high school.  The other characters that played a more prominent role in this anime were Yukinoshita and Yuigahama, they provided a clear contrast between a loner, an egoist and a vocal person.  Throughout the anime, we could see the gradual change in Hikkigaya as he embraced the idea of being a group person but towards the end, we could see that Hikkigaya's compassion towards others simply wouldn't allow him to do so.  Don't get me wrong, in terms of cognitive ability, Hikkigaya outshined all the others and because of this, he could give valuable advice and opinions in the most crucial moments.  However, all these were done at the expense of his own reputation.

     The anime's usage of background music, setting and cast was excellent!  All these gave the anime a very humble atmosphere while maintaining its vigour.  The anime doesn't contain any action scene, so if you're a fan of action animes, then I'd suggest you sit this one out.  Nevertheless, a few valuable lessons could be reaped from this anime and perhaps the most important one is "you have to see things through", like literary.  Hikkigaya truly portrayed that quality as he helped those in need and saw to that he kept all his words.  This may be less important to some people but to me, this quality defines a person whom you can truly confide in.  We could also see in this movie that sometimes the most outgoing person may not be the most helpful, endless facades and enactments in society could be observed in this anime as it exposed human's most derogating behaviours.  

      The plot by itself was very solid too.  No sudden "power up" or "misconduct" was visible throughout these 12 episodes and I must say, for an anime veteran like me, I was truly impressed.  If there's one complain, then I guess it would be the one where the main character didn't get the recognition he should have gotten otherwise in the end.  It is truly disheartening to see that people who stood by their principles get shunned by the society and not even given a chance to explain himself.  Then again, this anime is based on the Japanese culture, so whether it holds true to the other cultures in the world is still a question mark.  

     All in all, I would definitely recommend this anime for anyone who wants to watch something that is close to the heart and has excellent story telling.

"Some scenes from the anime"

Worth of a person

    Every so often, I hear people condemning others in front of me and not surprisingly, usually those who hold a higher position in society are the greatest offenders.  Just the other day, I heard someone of such status comparing and derogating the worth of my friends and I.  At that time, I thought to myself that this person probably doesn't understand the phrase "worth of a person".

     Every person's worth is different, depending on the circumstances and the environment the person is in.  For instance, a burger may cost around $10 in any fastfood outlet but, try imagining you are on a plane and suddenly, you have this craving for a burger.  You find one on board but it costs $20.  Most people will not think twice before purchasing the burger just to satisfy their desire but at that time, the worth of the burger has changed.  Although this example is quite clumsy and not very detailed, but I think you get the picture here.  As educators whom I believe everybody here is capable of becoming, we must not commit ourselves to the sin of depreciating a person's value, especially our children's, so that we can properly harness the potential in each individual.  Even the gangsters on the streets have worth, because of them, people understand the true value of peace and harmony.

      I will not dwell much on this subject as I believe that this is something we all need to experience before we can draw our own conclusion.  I just pray that you will not end up becoming one of the villains who undermine a person's worth.  Think critically, observe objectively.

New anime season

I will hold off posting about Chihayafuru for the time being as I found that the competition's focus is mainly about how Chihaya and Arata are fast.  I am now more keen on the upcoming animes that will be released this season.  Some of the more notable ones, harems especially, are ore no imouto season 2, date a live and  the one about a kid joining a club with many cute girls.  The other, though gory and dark, that should be nice is the invasion of the giants.

And, another thing, I have gone back to playing Yu-Gi-Oh!  Woohoo!  Good times.  I am now only playing one deck though, which is dark world feat. archfiend!  Waiting to see the new archfiend releases in the judgment of the light.  Hoping that the set would provide more firepower for dark world.

Stay tune for the next releases. :)

Chihayafuru 2 episode 7

   Once again, I am dumbfounded by how much this episode presents in terms of its character development.  On one hand, we see how Chihaya's sister is influenced by her younger sister, and on the other, we see how Chihaya's mother wants to make up for all the time she has not spent on Chihaya.  Then again, that just comes to show how influential Chihaya's frank nature is.  However, better scenes come in the second half of this episode.  We see how a club that just popped out of nowhere gave their utmost support and gratitude to Chihaya and co after receiving their kindness.  Only after watching that scene, I realised how Chihaya and her friends never got any support aside from their advisor and karuta society's colleagues.

    Now onto the two main catches of this episode.  The first one is probably the one where they head off to the nationals.  We can see how much this means to them since they did not make the cut last year (from Chihayafuru 1st season) and how they are all prepared to face the hurdles.

    The second one is probably the part where Chihaya discovered she liked Arata.  It may seem foolish but more often than not, those around us have a better view of how we behave and what ticks us.  Then again, my heart goes out to Taichi.  How I see it, he will never secure a spot in Chihaya's heart.  She does not even realise the affection Taichi has been showing so obtrusively.  I seriously can't wait for next week to watch the next episode as they are going to participate in the competition and perhaps we'll see more of the queen and her relationship with Arata.

Chihayafuru Episode 5 & 6

     Have you ever experienced a feeling that is so powerful that it can be compared to having an orgasm?  If you haven't, then watching these two episodes will provide you with such an ecstasy tantamount to the experience described.  Now, on to the pictures:

     So, what makes these 2 episodes so nice that I had to post them side by side?  You see, these two episodes have to go hand in hand if they were to present a clear picture.  On one hand, we see how the true aces face off each other in a battle of wits; on the other, we see how each character progressed in the past year they had been training.  Out of all the characters, Chihaya and Taichi showed the most improvements, especially Chihaya who transcended to a totally new level!  The battle between each character was demystified so clearly that you will be glued to the screen literary to find out the result of the battles.

    However, a good anime should have another element that gives it an edge over the others.  For chihayafuru, nothing could be better than pure honest romance.  To be honest, it breaks my heart to see Taichi continuing his unrequited love.  Chihaya must have sensed the affection emanating from Taichi and yet, she shows her adoring face whenever Arata's name is mentioned.  In that sense, I really admire Taichi for being so fixated on one person only and not showing off despite his popularity with girls/women.

   Chihayafuru sure keeps me on the edge of my seat as I await the next episode and see what it brings to the current development of the story, especially the relationship between Arata and Shinobu.  Until next week, cherio.

Chihayafuru Season 2 blogging

      It has been quite some time since I sat on the edge of my chair while watching an anime.  Chihayafuru S2 blasted off with the introduction of the lovely and memorable members from Mizusawa Karuta Club as well as some new faces.  However, after coming so far, this episode nailed the development of one of the main characters perfectly!

       For those Chihayafuru fans out there, it does not come as something new knowing that Taichi has been struggling to get into the A-class players list.  However, as pointed out in this episode, he does not lack the skills, he simply lack the conviction that he is great!  Towards the end, he was brought to full realisation by his teammates as well as his friends that he is not alone.  The part where Chihaya offered her handkerchief to Taichi was simply magnificent, considering that Taichi has had an eye for Chihaya since he was young.  That must have given him a huge boost in mental support.

      As far as the character development goes, we can see that Oe is very particular about the rhythm of poems and Shimizu has found another new passion for Karuta if she ever wants to win the favour of Taichi.  Chihayafuru was good but Chihayafuru is even better!  I am looking forward to reviewing the subsequent episodes this anime has to offer!  Take care guys.

境界

悲哀呀，有时和一些没有文化的人谈天真的是让我想作呕。他们一不爽就用粗口或是贬低你的家庭/宗族。庄子公元前298年说的话至今还是很中用的，在陆地上蹦跳的麻雀是不会懂得鹏鸟的执着的。和朋友或亲人谈话时也会发现同样的症状的。当你看到的东西多了以后，接触的东西多了以后，理解扩繁了，你会察觉到有些对话你是在是应付不来。并不是说你不懂，而是你会发觉那些人说的话根本毫无意义。举个例子，我上个星期和一些朋友谈话时，发觉到有某个人不停的抱怨。当时我就对她说了，“人间必定有不满足的地方，要懂得体谅。”然而，她还是不停的唠叨。后来就发现了，跟境界低的人，怎样都是无法和他们说道理的。

所以呢，我老爸虽然比我年老，但经验也比我丰富多了。他当我还在读高中时就和我说过了，我会跟着成长找到不同的朋友。现在想想，还真是呢。有时跟以前的朋友谈世间的东西他们根本完全不懂，难矣哉。算了，人非圣贤，孰无能过。只要他们做人能堂堂正正就行了。所以呢，读者们，提高自己的境界吧！正如学习如逆水行舟，不进则退。保重！

Time beyond time

Time 时钟 時間 Zeit temps...

So many terms to describe the one thing that has been known to us since the prehistoric age, time.  Men are slaves to time; beasts are at the mercy of time; success is determined by time; time is always of the essence.  No matter what we do, time will always be there to bind us and move us towards our destruction.  Even the most successful person in the world is nothing more than a bacterium in the face of time.  So, the only thing we can do is to struggle within the time frame allocated to us and make the most of it.  Other than that, demise abounds.  That being said, how can we escape the clutches of time?  Simple, we master time itself!  I believe a lot of you have watched sci-fi movies whereby time machines were made to alter the designation of time.  But the message in between the lines is, control time itself.  When one can successfully control time, one will be able to become the master of life and death.  Fast forwarding an event, going back in time or even halting the flow of time itself will no longer be a fantasy but a reality.

However, the day a person can do that, that person will become God.  In the Christian's creed, no human can come close to God.  So I challenge you young minds now, become God and overturn any doctrine that you were exposed to!

A good animation

Alas, a good animation, so hard to come across and yet, when you do, it ends so abruptly as it has come.  Once again, the season of new animations has arrived, this time bringing with it heaps of novelties and inspirations that may leave you in awe.  However, as we are all well aware of, not all animations are good and worthwhile to watch.  So, the major question is, how do you identify a good animation?

Well, this is a very subjective question and everyone has their own criteria for determining whether an animation is good or not.  Personally, I like animations that have a story to tell.  It doesn't have to be action packed or thrilling, a good story will automatically capture the viewer's attention as well as deliver something that the viewers will not forget.  Furthermore, a good animation, by virtue, must have good and intricately drawn sketches.  Colourations must be awesome too!  If not, why bother calling it an animation.

Finally, since I am a guy, the girls in the animations must be cute!!  However, the definition of cute has been changing for quite some time now in the animation world.  Before the 21st century, girls with big eyes were considered cute, but towards the 21st, the demand for anime girls increases, more realistic looking anime girls were introduced into the spectrum and has been like that since.

 In short, a good animation comprises different standards but at the end of the day, you will set your own standards for a good animation.  I will leave you with my favourite animation up till this day.

Decisions

Do you believe in fate?  More often than not, we will come across a situation whereby we need to make a decision and usually, this decision will directly affect the later steps we take.  Thus, I urge you all to think things through before giving an answer.  You have to always bear in mind that life is a one way road, there's no U-turn.  If, somehow, you screw up, what should you do?  You proceed and make sure that the next decision you make is not as shitty as the previous.  Life will find a way.

It's about what you can, not what you can't.

Today, I had a little chat with a very intelligent man.  We were having some idle chit chat when suddenly he brought up the new iOS6 which improved the overall usability of apple products that support the platform.  It happened in an instant!  What was supposed to be an idle chat between two best of buds quickly became a debate about humans' dispositions.  I argued that due to certain environmental constraints, humans, albeit being equipped with all the necessary resources, will not be able to shine and cast away the shell of oppression.  However, this intelligent man argued that blaming one's impotence on the environment is a lame excuse.  He proceeded to saying this, "It's not about what you can't do, it's about what you can.  Throughout civilizations, empires rose and fell.  Particular individuals shone and paved the way for a brighter tomorrow.  Is it because they were born in such an environment that they were able to succeed?  NO!  It was because they had the determination and conviction to become better!"

He talked about how Steve Jobs went to India to learn Zen and Buddhist's teaching when he was retrenched from apple.  He did not lose hope, he persevered and by doing what he could do, seizing every available opportunity and experimenting, he was able to come out on top and beat his competitors.  "Gates wanted everyone to use Windows; Jobs envisaged homes with their own personal computers."  Due to this, the world changed.  When I heard his points, I was perplexed.  Who is this person I am talking to?  Just a few weeks back, he still sounded like me, an immature kid who didn't know the reach of his arm but within a few trials, he has grown to become such a wonderful person!

After we talked, we talked some more about how we were faring with our current lives and what we had planned for the future.  When we parted, the words he said kept reverberate in my head, "It's not about what you can't do, it's about what you can."  That's goddamn right!

"You are what you choose to be!"

The Calming Breeze

Shudder...Shudder...
It doesn't matter,
Winter is fading,
The winds are changing.

Outside my house,
Not a squeak of a mouse.
Wonder if I was doused,
Whilst fumbling on my couch.

I can see the light
of the morning blinding my sight.
It feels so nostalgic
and I can't help thinking it's magic.

Spring is here.

The calming wind,
The blossoming buds.
The warm feeling that permeates
into my soul and whispers
in my ears:
"Lift up your head
and move forward"

What is Teaching?

More often that not, people perceive teaching as the teacher does the talking and the students listen.  This has been the definition of teaching since ancient times and until this very day, some society still perceive it as so.  However, a great lecturer once told me, "Teaching is learning.  You learn what the students have to teach you."  When I first heard this, I was also confused since I am one of those "orthodox" person and listening to this simply left me baffled.  I mean, what could the students possibly teach you that you don't know right?

Fast forward to today when I was teaching, I finally understood what my lecturer meant.  Students are constantly learning something new, not just from the teacher but also from their interactions with their surrounding.  What teachers teach to them is technical knowledge from books that abides by the social norms but what students teach teachers is the knowledge about how to respond to a human being.  Students are all living beings and the teacher's everyday behaviour will be observed by the students and they will react accordingly.  For example, if you are constantly happy in class and you always use a soft voice to teach them, they will infer that as you are a friendly person and they can get to know you without any fear.  This also applies otherwise.  Hence, after years of teaching, a teacher will swiftly advance to becoming a professional psychiatrist.

So, what is teaching?  Teaching is learning and what you learn will ultimately shape what you teach and what you can become.  Cheers.

The Start of A New Day

When things take a turn for the worse and you feel like you do not want to wake up tomorrow, let me tell you something, bygone be bygone.  A new days will always come, and in that new day, there will always be new sensations to experience.  So, whenever you are feeling frustrated or lethargic, just calm down and think and understand that, no matter how bad things may seem, a new day will always come.

Reliving The Past

People say that the past can make one stronger.  In historians' eyes, the past can either make or break a person as societal expectations and pressure come into play.  Nevertheless, regardless of the past we had experienced, I firmly believe that reliving the past is what defines us humans.  We have seen in movies often the characters just pushed on even though something bad happened to them.  Let's face it, if all of us could do that, then there wouldn't be terms such as "developing countries" and "third world countries".  It is exactly because humans fail to understand the severity of their own actions that lead to blunders happening time and again throughout the course of history.  Reliving the past will not only help people to understand their mistakes better but it will also serve as a reminder that they have lived through it.  No matter how difficult or painful, be it happy or jovial, that part of the past makes us who we are today.

That is why, to you readers out there, don't discard the past please.  The greatest past one could ever see in one's family is his/her grandparents and parents.  They are literary walking fountains of knowledge and experience.  I won't say wisdom here as some adults are completely negligent to it.  That aside, listening to a few advice they have to give will never hurt but only benefit us.  I am not saying that we need to conform completely without cogitating but more often than none, the advice they give is worth the while.

With that, I would like to bring the curtain down on today's topic by sharing a fabulous music with everyone.  This musical score comes from a very heartwarming movie I watched when I was still a child, please enjoy it.

Mysteries...

Today, our world is filled with mysterious happenings and some of them are completely out of the humans' interpretations.  Often, we find in newspaper and magazines cases which involve murders, assaults and abuses. And this really gets you thinking, why do all these mysterious things happen?  Humans are said to be able to make justified discretions based on their innate intelligence but from what I can see, some of these humans lack that and portray, albeit not explicitly, signs of acute moral insanity.

So comes today's main topic, are extraterrestrial lifeforms more bizarre than humans?  The answer, from my perspective, is obviously no.  Humans are by far the most complicated and elusive creatures I have ever laid eyes upon.  Every action they take, every word they utter and every motive they have completely defy the rules of relativity.  Sometimes the consequences are so covert that you contemplate the likelihood of scandal.  So before we even dwell into the 4th dimension or outer space, it is imperative that we get to know ourselves first. Only then do we have the right to disseminate our principles and thoughts.

"So what are you?"

An Amazing Song!

Well, as the title suggests, I just came across an absolutely marvelous song!  Days of searching and continuous effort finally paid off, I got my hand on the full version of the song and I must say the full version is incredible!  Where is this song you may ask, sadly I cannot reveal it to you as it is copyrighted but it can be found on youtube.  The song is called Sora wa takaku kaze wa utau and it is currently used as Fate/Zero's ending theme.  My previous post talks about the power of music but this will be focusing on songs.  Indeed, once in a while, we will come across incredibly powerful songs that can touch the soul and this is one of them.  It may appeal to some and appear totally loathsome to the rest and I perfectly understand this logic as no two men are the same.   Babbling aside, I present to you the cover of this song.  Enjoy.

The Sound of Music

Today, I would like to talk about something that's very close to the soul.  I believe disregarding our cultural differences, everyone must have had listened to songs that have touched their heart and some, their very core of their existence.  Hence, in today's post, I will be touching on the very topic that I have introduced.  My brother just introduced me to a song of desperation and despair by Secondhand Serenade, "Your Call".  The intriguing part was how both of us interpreted the song.  While he interpreted the song as a love confession, which quite obviously it is, I interpreted it as a craving for something that is lost.  But there was one common ground in our interpretation and that was this song really touched us.  Hats down to Secondhand Serenade.

Sorry, I have digressed from the main topic.  Songs, regardless of our predisposition, are a gift that humans created for themselves.  While most of the time we read people saying that it was God who created music and stuff but they forgot one key essential thing.  Even if God really did create music, it is humans who materialised that music and disseminated it to the world.  A wise person once said, "God depicts, humans make happen."  That's why credits should always be given to the songwriter, if not, that would be so depressing.  Songs are an amazing window that can alleviate the predicament one is in and give hope to one who's in despair.  I am sure most of us have watched Shawshank Redemption.  In that movie, Andy personally said "Music is something that lives within you", meaning to say when we have acquired the essence of a song or music, it cannot be taken away from us, even by God.  That's why we always see people who have lost their memories or those who have suffered serious injuries can still react to the music they like.

Indeed, a good song can definitely wash all your sorrows and worries away.  So people, please listen to some good music/songs.  Life is so much more vivid with its presence.

Easter Is Coming~

Oh Frabjous Day, Caalo Calay~  Easter is on its way and by golly, it's Good Friday here!  Woohoo!  I hope all of you have your plans planned for the Easter break.  I, for one, am going to travel to Wellington and Rotorua!  Sadly, I will be on a solo mission to these places as my parents instructed me to go by public transport and I totally understand their concern.  Well, these places have a lot to offer including the mudspa, geothermal walk and mutton bird FTW!  I always believe that if you want to go traveling, make sure you can pay for the tours and whatnot because usually, they have elaborated explanations about the local attractions.  Well, I am not saying you must go for them but if you can, don't hesitate!

Now, for a little background story about Good Friday and Easter Monday.  Good Friday commemorates the death of Jesus as he carried the sins of his people (as they say) on him and went to get crucified (Amen Jesus).  He was said to be resurrected after 3 days (cause they saw a hole at the burial site) and all the people there were jolly and proud to that their preacher had gone back to the realms of the Gods.  Well, that's about it.  So, Happy Easter everyone and have a pleasant break~ ^^

Something Wonderful...

Today I just finished an extraordinary movie titled "Hear Me" or "听说" in Mandarin.  This movie demystifies the bond between sisters and the tenacity of a man to chase after the girl he likes.  Now here's the catch, one of the sisters is actually deaf and due to that, her sister had to use sign language to communicate with her.  Our hero saw this at the beginning and misunderstood the situation, thinking that both of them were deaf.  So, in the end...I will leave the rest for you to find out.  Anyway, back to the topic.  After watching this movie, something just welled up inside me, something alien that has never appeared in me before.  Like a surging wave that rushes up my brain and jolts every single nerve in my body.  A tear slided slowly down my cheek before I knew it.

In short, this movie has shown me the power of love, hope and perseverance.  I highly recommend this movie to everyone who wants to have a good laugh and at the same time, a good lesson.

"As I pray, I hope the world will be filled with hope"