The Makiav3llian Enchantment…

I just watched Drillbit Taylor and it actually is a recommendable teenage comedy movie. However some aspect of the movie actually is a bit disturbing as the movie’s main plot centers on school bullying. The protagonist actually hire Drillbit (who happens to be an ex-military homeless guy) to teach them to protect themselves or get even. Everything actually is funny until the last part where the three protagonist decide to fight it off. The antagonist go to such extremes that it drives the guys of the edge and this is where things become scary and an eye opener.
The 18-year old bully tries to run them over with a car, publicly humiliate them and the sorts that would make your blood boil. The worse thing is that the school system doesn’t seem to take matters seriously when the boys bring their parents in. At the end, no one gets killed, Drillbit loses a pinkie, bully gets sent to Hong Kong to see his parents.
I just hope that people actually understood the message portrayed here that we need to stand up against school violence and these types of bullying in to lower levels of our school system. It all starts there as well as proper intervention by parents or guardians at home. Bullies are mostly adolescents having problems with their up bringing and so they release this rage and feeling of power up on their schools. This should be sorted out before it goes out of hand. School shootings that have happened in the past may have had bullying or school humiliation as a catalyst and these are things which are preventable.

For the entire month of March and April, I have enjoyed my best month of attendance. It is the first time in my entire tenure in Tawam that I have not gone over the 15 minute allowance. Work starts at 7AM and I had the maximum IN time of 706AM. My daily average would be 3 minutes past seven o’clock and I think it good thing for me as a professional. I am earlier than most of my colleagues and gives a very favorable impression on my manager. I am very proud indeed because I have eliminated tardiness at work for 2009. I know it’s too early for me to summarize but its the positive attitude that moves me forward.
Now for the past few weeks I do see that the time I move from my house is getting past 650 and so, for my best interest, I am planning to set my alarm to 525 until I can actually speed up my movements. I’ve actually been thinking a lot of things such as getting things done in the least possible movement from one room to another, maximizing energy and dress up time. It is true that trying to look good will take up a lot of your time and it does, but punctuality is more important to me than looks. I can fix my looks at work. I guess I will need to bring in provisions to work like an extra tie, a shoe brush, a comb and some gel. Oh, lets not forget the tooth brush for those really rushed up breakfast attacks. Oh what the heck, I think better to bring the entire kitchen sink while I am at it.

People keep testing the religious tolerance of the United Arab Emirates particularly in Dubai. We know of the underground things that is happening there and the not so underground things have also shown up and is now being taken notice off. It actually is a blessing that this place does not have the strict regulations of Saudi Arabia where mingling with females is strictly forbidden and punishable by law. Unfortunately, many people have crossed the boundary of indecency (for them). We couldwallow in our own countries and enjoy leg revealing shorts, plunging necklines, arm over the shoulders, sweet kisses on the cheek and so on, but this isn’t our country. For the past year though, this system has been abused and now, the system is fighting back. Below is an article in Al Arabiya about this issue. So it is best to make sure to keeps your lips to yourselves and hands inside your pockets.

Dubai issues list of prohibited public behavior

Playing loud music, wearing short shirts, dancing, nudity, kissing and even holding hands in public are all considered inappropriate behavior under new guidelines laid down by the authorities of Dubai, according to a press report on Saturday.
The Dubai Executive Council issued a list of special standards governing public behavior that requires Dubai residents and visitors to respect the customs of the Muslim country and avoid what the council considers inappropriate behavior, the Arabic-language Emarat al-Youm reported.
The rules, which apply to all public places, include a ban on all forms of nudity, playing music loudly, dancing, kissing between men and women and unmarried couples holding hands. In addition, the council ordered that anyone caught under the influence of alcohol—even a small amount—outside designated drinking areas would be fined or imprisoned. Any breach of the guidelines, by nationals or expatriates, carries a possible prison penalty or deportation, the paper said, adding that the guideline have been distributed to governmental departments and private companies. The order also requires all visitors of public places, such as government buildings, shopping malls, streets and restaurants to dress in “appropriate” clothing, otherwise they would be denied entrance. “Pants and skirts have to be of appropriate length and outside clothing should not expose body parts indecently and should not be transparent,” the guidelines stipulate under section “public behavior.” Slogans or pictures considered “insulting” to any group or religion were also prohibited.

Conflicting reports

Nasser al-Hamali, the council spokesperson, refused to comment on the report. “We are not authorized to give any interview now and do not have any comment on this issue. We don’t care what is published in newspapers,” he told AlArabiya.net. “Let the press and the people talk.” But an official government source familiar with the matter who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter denied that such guidelines had been issued and said that if the report were true other newspapers would have received a copy of it.
Dubai, a member of the seven-emirate United Arab Emirates, has a diverse culture as it is home to a foreign population made up mainly of low-skilled workers from Asia and white-collar, mainly Western, professionals. Unlike most of its neighbors in the conservative Gulf region, the emirate tolerates a relatively relaxed dress code and hosts dozens of hotels that have bars and clubs, where alcohol is legally served. However, a series of incidents, including crackdowns on cross dressers and the expulsion of two British expats found guilty of having sex on the beach, has thrown the clash of local and foreign cultures in the limelight.

Despite not having a single tear drop from my eye, a heart streaming with grievous agony is calling and crying out. Within the past two days, March 6 2009 and March 7, 2009 will be both remember for one reason for two distinct individuals that have changed the lives of many. March 6, 2009, at twelve noon, Francis Magalona, the King of Pinoy Rap, Kiko, The Man from Manila, The Master Rapper succumbed to complications from a very life threatening form of leukemia. The Philippines has lost a national icon and a man who has spoken to the youth and the people of the Philippines through his nationalistic and thought provoking lyrics. I honestly could not believe it and it was difficult for me to believe because I really never paid attention with his batle with leukemia. A person, who in more ways than most politician have, tried to spread the message of oneness and better change for the land of the Three Stars and a Sun. It is so ironic that a person who has been so instrumental to change and nationalism be taken away from us while there are so many people who have no morals, with greedy intent that waste their lives away. It really is a sad day not just for the music industry but for the Philippines as the Pearl of the Orient has lost a true son!
I just want to also take time for everyone to view an Eat Bulaga tribute to Francis M. G-Loc 9 , singing the last verse to the song “Lando” brought so much emotion to this song. I couldn’t help but feel really sad. The song itself also had the rough touch of reality about losing someone which made it even more powerful knowing that my grandfather also passed away.

G-Loc 9

March 7, 2009, at around 7:40AM, my grandfather, Juan Martinez passed away with battles arising from complication of prostate and bone cancer. My Gramps fought this out for more than a year, we thought that he got well after his prostate cancer subdued but then it had spread particularly the bone area. It was really difficult for me to see my Gramps in pain. He was always having pain in his leg area and having his care taker stroke his leg, a feeling of helplessness sets in. I also learned that my Gramps was also taking morphine to subdue the pain and it was just difficult communicating with him because the medication was just playing with his senses. He kept mistaking me for my father.
During all this time, my aunts came home to the Philippines because there were indications that my Gramps was giving in. At the end, everybody knew what to expect. Somehow, despite our loss we were relieved because we know that my grandfather is no longer in pain, no more medication, no more injections and trips back and forth of the hospital. I won’t remember how he died, my Gramps tried valiantly to stay till his 90th birthday on May, he kept talking to my dad and my dad said he would come and visit but he told him that he could make it on his birthday. My Gramps tried so hard, unfortunately, fate had other plans.
Despite this, all I can say is that Daddy Pogi has done so much, not just for 11 kids he left behind but for the generations after that. My cousins and their kids, one way or the other have been brought up and instilled with Martinez family values. Raising 11 children is no easy task, I cannot help but take pride at the things he has done. I may not know all of it or may even know my grandfather so well but I see him in the way that my father brought me up. Living with the Martinez family is living in a very big community, we’ve stretched to most parts of the modern world, the seeds of the Martinez virtues have grown and blossomed and although it isn’t perfect, the world did become a better place. To Daddy Pogi; Thanks for everything. I miss you and I love you. I know that you live within me and through my brothers and sister, my parents, my family, through the entire Martinez clan! From your roots we’ve spread like branches with fruits. You’ve done a great job Gramps, now it’s time to rest… =(

So after thirty eight days of vacationing, I am finally on my way back to the place I also call home. Being away again from my wife, daughter, mom and loved ones, I kind oftook this trip back in a less dramatic manner. Was it because I would not miss them that badly?
Thetruth is that my wife and daughter will be back with me within six months time so it isn’t as bad as before where I had to wait for a year or even more at times. As for my mom and my sisters, I guess you can say that we are a bit parted. I will miss mymom and I already miss my dad. However, my mentality is set that he is still in Dubai although we know that he has already moved to Indonesia. I do know that there is still a lot to do particularly with my brother and sister who is back in Dubai. Marlon,with the ideas of entertaining marriage and moving out of the apartment we’ve called home for more than 15 years and Myra, although we can’t see the mess she is in right now, I am hoping that we can help her in getting back on track, she is taking this bachelorette thing a little bit too far and I am very concerned about her. I guess this will be the family projects I will be working on for the first half of 2009. I do have little side missions as well, completing the change of my passport to machine readable as per requirements of the Philippine DFA, I think the deadline for this is set to April. The next thing is to also get UAE National ID which has a deadline by the end of this year.
As for major things coming up ahead, I have to deal with the flights of Angie and Isa this coming July. Priorities first, to get the appointment that Isa needs for her right eye. Unfortunately a small cyst has formed up on the upper eyelid which can be surgically removed within 20 minutes. It isn’t life threatening at all but of course we would like to make sure that Isa gets the best for her health and appearance. I would like to extend my thanks to Fahad, the clerk in Opthalmology in Tawam who has helped me arrange the appointment with the good doctor.
As of right now, I am not really sure if the wait to July would be long. Travel and communication has really made this world a smaller place to live in. Sometimes, I feel that my wife and daughter is a stone throw away from me. It’s so easy to get in touch with them that sometimes I feel that I my wife is watching right behind me. Hehehe. I love my wife. Shesalways been there for me even though I am such a bum when I get back home in the Philippines. If it weren’t for the computer games I play, I could actually pay more attention to Isa and her. Unfortunately, this is how I am as a father. It does suck and when you are put away from the things you take for granted you sometimes realize the chances I’ve screwed up. It almost seems to be a crime but somehow, my wife has understood how I can be such an @$$, for this I love the way my wife cares for me even if sometimes I prefer that she give all her love to Isa who needs it more than I do. I’m a lucky son of a gun, to have a wife life her, in-laws who really don’t hate me for being like that, although I don’t send a lot, I just hope somehow they know that I care.

So we took the bullet by the tooth and decided to visit Hong Kong. It was my first time without my parents around. I have been to Singapore and Baguio during the late 80s and early 90s and it was my great adventure, something that pushed me to become a pilot, which unfortunately, never materialized. Anyway, after summoning up enough guts and cash, Angie, Isa and I took flight PR300 on an early February 9 morning going to Hong Kong. We took the Econolight of Philippine Airlines and as a word of advise, bring some food because the food at the airport is quite expensive (paid 50 PhP for a bottle of water) and that they do not serve food on the “budget” flight. While the passengers were having breakfast, we were having peanuts,
When we arrived at Hong Kong and went through their immigration, we had to immediately get our things sorted out as we need to make the most of day 1. The thing about Hong Kong is that they have designed this place for tourism. From the airport, brochures lined up the arrival area. It had information on where you want go depending on the vacation you want, whether you are on an adventure trek, a family outing, a nature trip or shopping spree, there are brochures for you to use. It is fairly easy to say that Hong Kong has been prepped up for tourism. The brochure have clear details on where to go, where to get off and what to ride, there are details on the brochure as well as maps with an itinerary of sites to go on foot. It isn’t really that easy to get lost in Hong Kong with train stations and street signs have markers to point you to where to go. Unlike in the Philippines, you really have to rely on the taxi drivers (who like pirates, will hijack your wallets) as well as asking people around of directions. As for Dubai, sign boards on the streets will be your only indication, that is if you are driving on the road, there are maps but it just isn’t as easy finding where you want to go since the places are a bit difficult to reach with public transport except for taxis (which also rip you off but in a legal sense), until the DURL in the UAE gets built, it still has a long way to go for adventuring tourists. The nice thing about Hong Kong is their MTR (Mass Transit Railway) which is very accessible and is all over the city. There are around 10 lines, mostly run underground and majority are walking distance to tourist destinations. What this means is that it is so easy to go around Hong Kong by yourself, you’d make a little mistake here and there but it wouldn’t be a major issue at all.
A word of advise when landing in Hong Kong is to immediately purchase an Octopus card. It’s a card which you can load credit into as it is being used by most, if not all, transport systems and small stores like restaurants, 7-11 and other facilities. You get discounted rates when travelling the MTR unlike using a single fare ticket. You need to pay around 150 HKD when getting one, 50 HKD as deposit and 100 HKD as your credit. Each one of you has to have one, you can not use one Octopus card for all members of your party. Children also have their own Octopus cards. The cards you usually have is a “loan” card which you will return when leaving HK, otherwise, you lose your deposit. You can claim your deposit from the same place you bought it from the airport or in train stations. From the airport, you can take their buses headed to the city called “Air Bus” because they came from the airport or the Airport Express Line, which is a train dropping you off to the MTR stations within the city, the tricky thing is that the Airport Express has a higher fare going to the City which is more than 60 HKD, however, you can expect lesser travel time, nice seats and avoiding confusions and scenarios of getting lost for the first time. You can also use the Airport Express to do an early check-in and still be able to visit the rest of Hong Kong. This is what we actually did on our last day since our flight was at 6PM, we decided to do an early check-in and visit Hong Kong Disney for the second time from 11AM till 4PM. You can check in your luggage at Kowloon station and enjoy the rest of the day, just make sure that the places you visit are near any MTR stations.

I’ll add more stories as we go along but for the mean time I hope these pointer can help you get started.

Ngong Ping 360

• This visit will take 3/4 of your day. This place is huge and will be very very tiring. If you are bringing a child, have a stroller or a strong back.
• There are two types of tickets, a package ticket and a trip ticket. The package ticket includes a return trip via Sky Ride to Ngong Ping Peak by cable car and entry to two shows which are really for kids, Walking with Buddha and Monkey’s Tale Theater. The trip ticket is a return ticket via Sky Ride. If you are under budget, just get a return ticket, you will have access to all facilities except the shows. There is an optional bus route but the cable car ride is just too difficult to refuse.
• A very nice place to eat and will cost less than other eateries in Ngong Ping would be Taiwan Zen Bistro. Serves great noodles, real solid toppings and affordable prices, around 28 HKD than the others which goes up to 45 HKD.
• Bottled water within the Buddha statue costs a lot. Better to buy from the vending machine or the small shops before getting to the Buddha steps.
• Ngong Ping closes at around 6 to 7PM so I would suggest that you leave the place at around 3PM. There are a lot of people going there in the morning and a long line is there. These people return at around 2PM to 4PM so returning at an earlier time will help you out in planning your trip.

Ocean Park Hong Kong

• This visit will take 3/4 of your day. This place is huge and is divided into two part, the Lowlands (Soon to be named WaterFront) and the Headlands (Soon to be named The Summit).
• Always check show timings and their locations.
• Lowlands have the Dolphin academy and the show for the seals.
• The Headlands is a 15 minute cable ride from the Headlands.
• Bus 629 from Admiralty Train Station took around 20 minutes.
• All adult rides are located at the Headlands, children rides located in the Lowlands.
• Try to plan the trip going UP then DOWN, don’t do the opposite, it will be very tiring. Unfortunately, the Ocean Park Theater show takes place at 330PM and 530PM which is a must see for all but it is located in the Headlands.
• Always take the 330PM show on the Ocean Park Theater so you don’t get caught in the rush to go down to the Lowlands. There is a long queue going by cable car, we had to stand in line for 45 minutes.
• There is a small aviary behind the Headlands, try to visit it before going up.
• Wear COMFORTABLE shoes, you will need it.
• We were able to bring a bottle inside Ocean Park, bottled water there is expensive.
• Visit Atoll Reef, it is a must!

Hong Kong Disney

• This visit will take an entire day, extending till 7PM if you want to see the fireworks show. It opens at 9AM. Train ride from Hong Kong Station will take at least 45 minutes. You will transfer to another train once you get to Sunny Bay.
• We were able to bring a bottle inside Disney although it really is prohibited, bottled water there is expensive.
• There are long queues when you want to take pictures with Disney characters, you will find them in Fantasy Land. There is an entire area for them sponsored by KODAK. As always, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse always gets the longest line.
• I loved Stitch Encounter. Make sure you visit it.
• The Disney Parade started at 330PM.
• It would be useless to visit after 2PM, there just isn’t enough time for you to visit or enjoy all the facilities of Disney, besides there are long lines on some rides and some Disney character picture taking.

Tram to Victoria Peak (The Peak Tram)

• This visit will take you no less than 3 hours.
• You are not required to purchase pictures printed out after you pay for the ticket, it is just a thing for tourists, you can simply decline.
• When you get to the last stop, the Peak, you can still venture on top of the Peak building. You have to pay an additional 15 to 22 HKD. The view there is spectacular. If you are carrying a powerful camera, I suggest you pay the extra quid and start shooting away at the Hong Kong Skyline.

I have started out the month of love and my birthday by adopting a dragon. At DragonAdopters.com, you are given a chance to pick a dragon and nurture it from an egg. Think of the movies Dragonheart or Eragon, this is basically your plot without some thing trying to eat you or burn you for breakfast. The secret to this game though is that you need people to visit your Dragon website every now and then. I haven’t really played or got into the groove of Tamagochi (yes, remember that crazy egg that you need to feed, pee and all) but I think the Makiav3llian Forest needs a protector… and her name is Scorch the Lizardus Dragon, check her out!.

After twenty days since 2009 showed up, there are a lot of things I have to be thankful for about the year past. It’s been 12 months of ups and downs, a roller coaster of emotions. New thing discovered, disappearances of old friends and introduction of new ones. I can’t really say Oh-Eight has been amazing but the relative quietness has been a welcome sight.
On the dance and music scene, I got introduced to hardstyle music and the dance, a scene you’d never want to see me perform, was something I got addicted to early last year. I thought there wasn’t anything that could top techno, I was proven wrong and the energy it brings, revitalizing. I also fell out of grace with music from Japan. Oh-Eight brought in Koharu and the rest of the girls, their addictiveness factor was like a sugar high and they are must on my daily playlist.
The first half of Oh-Eight also ushered a new era in my life as I moved to a new job. As reluctant as I was to move out of Stargate, I finally decided to call it a day from my multi-positioned job. On March 8, I moved to Tawam Hospital as a User Support staff which had me moving on a more onsite job. It wasn’t really about moving from my previous job but it was more of moving locale. Being so comfortable in Dubai for more than 13 years was one thing but I know had to actually move in Al Ain, roughly 150 km from the city I used to call home. A change of environment for a more quiet life, same old job and an increase of 500 AED on my salary, definitely worth it when I say that I have 2 days off, 40 days worth of leave, medical benefits, gym facilities and getting to work with more than 1000 people. Oh and I forgot to mention it was a government facility and working hours from 7AM to 3PM. I’d be giving up partying in Dubai and the likes but I think it’s time for me to be in a more relaxed atmosphere.
My overall Al Ain experience was not so tragic. Although I had to sleep on my first night without a blanket, I also had the pressure of finding a place to stay within a one month period or else get forcefully expelled from Tawam accommodation quarters. I did find a place to stay and had a horrible time doing so. Had my first experience staying with people I hardly knew. Not the best of places to stay but it was an eye opener and at the same time a loud victorious cry of independence.
I lost a few friends and gained new ones. As promiscuous as I am, it’s pretty cool that there are friends who open up to me in such a way. Unfortunately, these are the people who pretty much are undecided how to move forward with my antics. I did gain new ones as well and regardless, I used my charms to actually get my message that I am a playful SOB. Being in Al Ain and with nurses actually encouraged me to be a bit more natural with my approach. A disarming smile should be accompanied with an unpredictable sense of humor is a must and thankfully a weapon of choice in the 21st century.
On the anime scene, I was re-introduced to Initial D by my friend Khaled and also got to experience the rebirth of two other legends in the field of Japanimation. Evangelion Rebuild is a small part of a revitalized retelling of Neon Genesis Evangelion with an alternate ending to be shown in the future. And then there is the never ending Macross saga, Macross Frontier which carried concepts of the original. It paid homage all of the Macross series in its own way and establishes its own love triangle and the battle of protoculture. I had so much fun watching it and it was worthy of a sequel especially when 2008 rendition Ai Oboete Imasu ka? (Do You Remember Love?) was played. Awesome isn’t enough to describe the feeling you get when you hear it. If you think you’ve seen it all, this was spine tingling.
This year also brought in the economic recession. This brought a lot of negative vibes and the shockwave of events was felt throughout the world. Without banks being able to lend money, everyone held onto their money with closed fists. Jobs were lost left and right, unfortunately, my father was a victim of this economic downturn. My father lost his job late last year because of lack of projects. Despite the downturn, my father was still optimistic and a week after his entrenchment, he was able to land a job in Indonesia with better salary. Thank goodness that God always opens a window when he closes a door. It has always been like this, God really watches over my family. It’s an end of a legacy and it is going to be my brother and sister leading the charge. To some extent I do feel sad and somehow I lost a little sense of security. This is the opportunity that Marlon and Myra pray to happen, independence. Although it sounds good on paper, it’s a bit difficult because I always saw us as a cohesive unit. I guess we’ll now be the typical OFW family.
I’ll end this Oh-Eight memoir with my Oh-Nine shout out… “This is Ten percent luck, Twenty percent skills; Fifteen percent concentrated Power of Will. Five percent Pleasure, Fifty Percent Pain and a Hundred Percent reason to remember my name.“

To all the avid readers who have supported me throughout the years and continue to read through my struggles and truimphs, you guys deserve better. So I’ll be trying out new things every now and then to make the site more lively. I’ll be making snips here, cuts there and hopefully be an eye pleaser.

After a short hiatus, I am finally glad to say that I am back on the online scene! For almost a month I have been out of circulation and after so many hard fought battles with cable providers (Etisalat and Orbit), I finally have some legs to stand on. Keeping in touch is one thing and being back in circulation is another and now that I have internet connection, I am able to vent out some of my frustrations about the services I got in Al Ain. Being a small place doesn’t actually mean that you don’t have the capacity to accomplish your job, it actually is a place to measure efficiency, the smaller the area, the better your coverage but the wayI was handled by the two biggest cable providers in the UAE was nothing short of disappointing.
Orbit, one of the biggest cable TV providers took two weeks to process my application. OK, I had the cheapest package but that shouldn’t be an excuse. I had to follow up a total of 4 times to get the service due to me. I gave all the details over the phone and closed the deal there which was really a great convenience, just give my credit card details and it’s a done deal. Receiving an SMS the following day that I would be contacted within 3 days for installation was actually an excellent sign of things to come. After 3 days I decided to contactthem regarding my issue, to make the long story short, I had to call them 4 times in a span of two weeks to get things done. I was pretty pleased that on my last call that someone did come right away after I emphasized that my job order was older than a week. I guess you just have to blame the third party area distributor. Finally got the thing installed a day before my wife and daughter came back to the UAE.
Then after one frustration I was then at the mercy of Etisalat! These guys took a total of three weeks (even more) to help me out. I mean I’ve worked on meeting all of their requirements to the point that I even knew that there was no DP to use. It took a total of three weeks for them to tell me that there is no drop point and that I have to subscribe to WiMax. I had to go and check with them on getting a new registration number and then after two days, I finally got internet. So much time was lost, imagine how much internet I could have downloaded, the recipes I could have cooked, but alas I just couldn’t have both during that time.
The only positive thing about this whole episode is that I have cut the ropes that bindme to the internet. I actually feel free and dependent from it. During this time, I actually learned to appreciate the things I have, I began to miss people, I appreciated cooking and pretty have balance in my life. I never realized how much time I had in my hands and despite being offline this entire time, I never felt so online with myself.

Household help would usually be housemaids or people who serve the host of the homes whom they work for. Today, however, it has taken a completely different term. These are people who have taken their time to assist me in getting my home up and running. Except for those three”patan-clowns” who screwed up my refrigerator, I would to thanks Kuya Danny, Johanna, Khalid and Rona.
Kuya Danny was gracious enough to accept the repair job I asked him to do. Since the landlord AKA natoor wasn’t really up to the task to make changes in my shaabiya, I had to do my own modifications. Cost me a couple of quid but I’ve power outlets here and there.
Thanks go out to Khalid, the K-Man, for helping move my stuff out. He helped me a lot particularly in movingmy smaller things out. For crying out loud he brought out the Family Fortuner to assist me in moving. Although, I had very little help moving out, I’m glad there was help for me moving in.
Rona also had a chance to visit me and even though the moving part was already finished, a little female criticism is an added benefit. I designed the place that it looked like a bachelor pad. Basically she told me that there is no indication that I was a family man. Her advice does go a long way even though implementation is seems no where of happening. A little female opinion is what I needed and that is what I got.
My final batch of thanks goes to Johanna who really took a lot out of her busy schedule to help me move and shop around. Not to mention giving me her table at such a throw away price. Jo was there on every big movement I took and saying “thank you” just doesn’t really do justice for all she’s done. Being there for her kids, being on time with her husband online and nurse ER duties are the little things she has put aside to aid me. I’ve never really been able to find a home suitable but these friends who’ve helped me, helped me out as if I were family and at the end of the day, that is all that matters.

Lynn Minmay is one of the oldest anime heroines to ever grace the world of anime. I remember watching her in Macross: Do You Remember Love? and how her songs helped in repelling the invaders away. Then, I guess the idea of “idols” came into play. I mean Japan has so many unique things and ideas, anime and idols are just one of the unique blends they have introduced into this world. Click on the play button below to hear this timeless Macross: DYRL classic. You may not understand it but in your heart you know what it means.

Now ever since seeing Macross: DYRL, I’ve always been trying to find out who would be a real life idol should in case aliens attack and music their weakness. Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears… Potential idols that can save the universe? Well since we all are entitled to an opinion and this is my blog after all, I think no one else is worthy to play the part of Lynn Minmay other than Kusumi Koharu.
Yes, she is the girl from Morning Musume and I think she’d be perfect for that role. She has a couple of songs and they are all catchy and up beat. OK, so she’s Japanese and only 16, maybe some of you will say why not Utada Hikaru or these other singers I have mentioned who are more experienced. Personally, I just don’t think they have the same appeal as Koha-Chan. She’s young, she dances and knows how and when to be cute. But what makes her distinct is being able to create a positive and happy emotion in her songs. Unfortunately, a lot of people criticize her for not singing live often, singing anime oriented songs, being a brat in Harmoni@ with the Morning Musume girls and rumors of her breathing problems, and I just still wonder how she manages to sing at such a level. What if she did take this singing to the next level? She is still a diamond in the rough. Anyways, check out these Youtube videos below and who knows she might really save the universe one day? By the way… Benjie and Mike, wipe that smile off your faces, this is not some under-18 girlie obsession, she’s just a great performer.

Balalaika

Happy

Papancake