Simple, Pure, and really, really cute - Lively Innocence: October 2009

Additional Revenue, etc.

I won't expect much profit though, but meh.

I hope these ads will not interfere with your blog hopping experience. thank you.

people who hate reference animu are not funny, either.

http://www.srsfkn.biz/2009/10/04/reference-animu-isnt-funny/

sup Koda. see title

Anime Reviews - Winter 08/09 to Fall 09

Yep. It's almost the end of the year, but before we end this year, let's look back at the anime that have aired in the past few seasons. I've watched some anime for the past 10 months, and I've been downloading new and old series like crazy.

Time for me to give my verdict on some of the more prominent anime (1 per season):

1. Toradora!

Generic Romance animu with a generic tsundere voiced by TEH RIE KUGIMIYA. It's enjoyable, but meh, last few episodes were too predictable. Although I did cry a bit when Taiga and Minori~n cried at episodes 19 and 24 respectively.

2. K-On!

Need I say more? too bad Yui lost in SaiMoe. ;_; Damn you Taiga X( But regardless, the anime is about 4 girls (later 5) who are in a light music club, and their daily activities in it. It's cute and funny and the music is really nice. Also, the mini album sounds cool too. And Japan loves K-On! too! Me thinks the only animu that surpasses K-On! is:

3. Bakemonogatari

Yay Hitagi Senjogahara. She is one face that I will never forget. Bakemonogatari is good. Although it looks a lot like a powerpoint slideshow but meh. The story looks decent, although some claim it to be a harem anime. Plus there's a loli vampire too. So Yeah, it's good. Also, the impressive ED song made my heart melt.

4. A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun

Kuroko is awesome. Hands down. I only watched around 4 episode of Index and 4 episodes of Railgun, but they're both impressive. I loved the way JC Staff animated the fight scenes scenes. Also, Biribiri x Kuroko and Index x Touma. 'nuff said.

Well, that's it for now. These animu really made my year, especially K-On! and Bakemonogatari. I know there are anime to watch out for, but for now, in my view, these anime really defined this year.

And.. don't worry, I'll make a separate post for Gundam 00, Darker than Black 2 and Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood later. haha.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

The Aftermath of the Storm (Part 2)

You might be wondering, who is responsible for this mess? As in, much of Luzon has been ravaged by this typhoon, so it's no surprise that people are now starting to passing the blame because of the apparent failures and errors that happened before, during and after the typhoon struck.

The initial response of the people will be "blame the government! they have done nothing to help those who are in need! In fact, some of their agencies even failed at doing their tasks right". Well, admittedly they can be blamed for failing to prepare for this kind of disaster. After all they should have seen this coming, even in the previous typhoons. They should've done preventive measures to avoid these kinds of things to happen. At the very least, they should have discouraged people from living near rivers/under bridges and become more responsible in leading advocacy campaigns regarding taking care of the environment and our surroundings. Even in city planning, the government should have done something. Now look what happened, 80% of the metro was underwater and areas in the reclamation areas in Laguna de Bay and nearby towns sank under the overflowing lake.

In particular, the government failed to have modernized Pagasa. The one agency that would be heavily involved in things like these have failed to determine the amount of rainfall Ondoy has until it was too late. If only the government gave more funds to Pagasa to modernize their equipment, they may be more accurate when it comes to forecasting as well as they can be able to utilize modern equipment to determine accurate rainfall and wind speed so that people can already prepare for the worst.

However, it's not only the government who should be held responsible for what happened. Those who keep on polluting and destroying nature, those who keep on throwing their waste and garbage on rivers, lakes and creeks, those who keep on clear cutting forests just for profit, those who destroy nature for their own selfish needs, they are the ones who have caused this disaster. If these people would have stop destroying and start cleaning up their act, none of these things would have happened.

So, how can we prevent these things form happening again? Let's start first from what the citizens can do. It's as simple as segregating trash and using clean and eco-friendly materials and fuels. People can also recycle materials such as plastic and glass bottles, paper, and other reusable materials. Those who live along the river/lake should opt to move out and find some higher place to live in, or just move back to the rural areas where they once came.

For the government's side however, things can be a bit more complex. They can range from legislation with regards to controlling emissions to laws concerning cleanliness of the environment. They can also opt for the halting of urban immigration, and instead convince people not to live in the city, specifically near rivers, lakes, creeks and canals. That way should heavy rains flow, the water can pass through smoothly and will not cause further flooding to the metro.

Also, a good emergency response plan would work too. Most of the LGO's are unprepared for what Ondoy and Pepeng brought upon, so it would be best for those government agencies and organizations involved to come up with an emergency preparedness plan in order to protect their citizens from all sorts of calamities, not just typhoons.

A good thing that could be considered completely important is the upgrading of PAGASA's current weather monitoring infrastructure. Some of the forecasting equipments of PAGASA are dated and might not give an accurate background on what is really going on, that would've made a difference. I hope that in the near future, the government will allot more funding and give more equipment to PAGASA to further enhance their forecasting capabilities.

In conclusion, this tragedy that has fallen upon the Filipino people had proved that the bayanihan spirit amongst Filipinos is still alive, and people from all walks of life will still be affected by what had happened during these past few days. There are many causes as to why this has happened, but regardless, may we learn from these mistakes, so that these kinds of things will not happen in the near future. I do also hope that the spirit of camaraderie, unity and bayanihan will remain within the Filipino people, even after the storm has passed.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

The Aftermath of the Storm (Part 1)

Two storms attacked the country in the past 2 weeks. First was Ondoy and the other is Pepeng. Both typhoons are quite devestating in their own way; Ondoy brought nearly 80% of Metro Manila underwater, while Pepeng swept across northern Luzon, wreaking havoc with it's fierce winds, and even now, threatens to return to the country.

Here in the Metro, Ondoy's wrath was felt even more. Although it was not as strong as Peping in terms of wind speed, it brought nearly 400mm worth of rain within a few hours. That's already a month's worth of rain. Even now as we speak, there are still towns and barangays that are flooded, families are displaced and thousands are suffering the effects. Worst part is that the floods will not recede until around December.

Peping on the other hand, did not actually affect the Metro. But it caused widespread damage up north. The agricultural sector was badly hit, with rice fields and corn fields either uprooted or flooded by the wind and rain brought by Peping. Landslides were commonplace in the mountainous parts of the north and many people, specifically farmers, were affected by this calamity.

In my case though, our house is not hit by the floods, thank God. But the nearby creek overflowed and some of the squatters have evacuated from there. Also, the only entrance to our village was flooded chest-deep as well. There was also a part of the street we're in that is flooded as well, but thankfully, the water didn't reach our place.

Although me and my family were lucky, other familys were not. Some lost their homes, others their loved ones. The damage not only to property, but to the hearts of the people is so severe that it would take months to heal.

However, I am thankful that there are people who are still willing to help those affected by the recent calamities. The TV stations who have worked day and night to cover what happened during the past few days, the numerous charitable institutions who worked tirelessly to deliver relief good to those affected, and the countless people who have rekindled the spirit of "Bayanihan" and helped those who are affected. If only we express this spirit everyday...

(to be continued)