OPPORTUNITY IN A CRISIS

I am a strong believer to the age old idiom "Every dark cloud has a silver lining". The idiom literally means difficult times are like dark clouds that pass overhead and block the sun. When we look more closely at the edges of every cloud we can see the sun shining there like a silver lining.

In times of crisis and hardship, there will always be hidden opportunities if we look hard enough to find them. One good example which definitely applies to us all is the current global economic depression. While we have been taking things for granted by living our lives in material comforts, we will never know how long this trend will last. Thus this economic depression period teaches us to spend wisely and establish the much needed emergency savings fund to prepare for the worse times ahead.

dNeero has posted up a conversation covering the changes in lifestyle that people take to lessen the burden of the economic crisis focusing more towards financial institutions. There are some great ideas from others so do take a look.

HATSUNE MIKU - WORLD IS MINE

Recently I find myself fascinated with Hatsune Miku. I am going to get my hands on my very own figma Hatsune Miku soon and I will post up a review on that in the future.

Hatsune Miku is my favorite vocaloid idol because she is so darn cute and unique. Some may find that her vocals can be a bit squeaky at times but Hatsune Miku is well suited to perform Japanese songs. That being said, she will have trouble doing renditions of English songs, making them sound more artificial and less accurate in the pronunciations.

My current favorite song of Hatsune Miku is 'World is Mine' which the vocaloid wiki explains as follows:
"The song is about a spoiled girl who believes herself to be a "princess" that the world revolves around, and her struggles with falling in love with a standoffish boy. There are many PV variations for this song, but the narrator is almost always portrayed as a short-tempered and fickle Miku (interesting because of the meek and sweet-tempered manner that Miku is often portrayed with.)

In addition to the Miku version of World Is Mine, called the "Women's Side", there is a "Men's Side" performed by Kaito telling the story from the "prince's" point of view. There is also a version that mixes both the Men's and Women's Sides, making a complete story.

"World is Mine" is very popular among female singers on Nico Nico Douga and Youtube, and has received multiple covers."

Here is the video for Hatsune Miku's World is mine.

BARACK OBAMA ON TWITTER

I think Barack Obama marks a new generation of American leadership which Americans have been longing for quite a while now (ever since George dubya's presidency). This is also the first time an African American become the President of the United States of America. I became interested in Obama after watching the following video of him telling who he is and why he decided to run for president.

Unlike previous candidates Obama can easily connect with the people with his views and ideals. He speaks and thinks from the same perspective of the American people and most importantly he listens. I have been following Obama on twitter ever since dNeero covered the subject in one of their conversations.

dNeero recently has compiled all the best responses from their tweets regarding Obama and ignited a conversation which I have joined gladly to express my views. Check out my replies below and feel free to join in yourselves.

CELEBZ ON TWITTER

I have been using twitter for some time now and I find it a great social tool to tell my followers what I am up to and also keep myself abreast of their happening as well. One of the more popular feature of twitter is that you can keep tabs on celebrities as well. Do not be shocked to find out that Britney Spears, Robin Williams, 50 Cent and even Mariah Carey is on the twitter network!

But truth to be said, I seriously don't think that they are personally behind their tweets, most probably they hire someone to do it to boost their popularity. Nevertheless there are a few who seem genuinely personal behind the tweets like Ryan Seacrest (Sadao team Seacrest!) and my current favorite Jason Mraz (Love Lucky!).

Lucky -Jason Mraz featuring Colbie Caillat


If you haven't done so join twitter today and follow me on what's going on in my life and I'll do the same for you as well. You watch my back and I watch yours! This is all thanks to dNeero for starting the conversation on whoCelebsTweet.com and introducing me to this interesting site. Here are the results of the conversation that I took part in.

AMERICAN IDOL SEASON 8: ADAM LAMBERT

It is the high tide for American Idol fever and fans already have their own winners this season. One of the noteworthy contestant this season with outstanding talent and prowess is Adam Lambert. He has so far wowed the audiences and impressed the judges with superb performances and customized renditions of popular songs to match his own styling. One of the most heated controversies surrounding Adam Lambert was the emergence of photos showing him kissing another man which he confirmed, saying that he has an open life with nothing to hide.

American Idol is about talent and Adam Lambert has got lots of it. This season will be interesting if he manage to snag the winning post even though he is shadowed by the controversy. Here is a video showing his performance of "Mad World".

Adam Lambert - Mad World AI season 8


For those who support Adam Lambert you can show your dedication by taking part in the following dNeero conversation which asks fans on how to ensure that Adam Lambert will win this season's AI. Every little bit helps in the long run.

DNEERO FOR CHARITY: LUNG CANCER

Dneero has been contributing to charity with their conversations and each time they do so I'll be sure to help out anyway I can by participating in them. You can do the same too by just joining in the conversation and the earnings will be donated to charity.

The latest charity conversation is about lung cancer. I must admit I didn't know 60% of lung cancer patients are non smokers! That comes as a shock to me. Anyway do check out other interesting facts by going through my results of the conversation below. Thanks for caring.

FIGMA MADNESS: HARE HARE YUKAI

I recently caught Figma Madness right after my Gundam Fever and ordered a few Figma figures from Ebay. I just hope those Figma figures are authentic instead of fake since I have been hearing about fake Figmas though I have no idea how to differentiate between the two.

Anyway I have come across a very cool stop motion video featuring Figmas performing the Hare Hare Yukai dance from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I present you the original animated version of the video first. Its really well done!

Original video sequence of Hare Hare Yukai


Figma version of Hare hare Yukai


I am impressed! It is hard work to produce that video which can closely mimic all the movement of the characters in the Hare Hare Yukai dance sequence.

MUSIC CONCERT MANIA

Have you ever been in a concert where the crowd goes into mania frenzy? The sudden uncontrollable burst of frenzy causing music mania. These occurrences can be unsafe at times causing injuries to the audiences. Music is a powerful form which greatly affects the human emotions.

dNeero recently launched a new conversation on Concert Mania which piqued my interest on the subject. Quite an interesting conversation and I am looking forward to the results!

LWDRAGON GUNDAM SANDROCK ASSEMBLY PART 1

Previously we took a look at the unboxing of the LWDragon Gundam Sandrock. Now we are going to have a closer inspection of the runners before the actual assembly process of the model.

First up is the runner which contains parts for the head, shield, arms, feet, chest and torso of Sandrock Gundam. Try to spot which which parts goes where in the pic. The head parts should be pretty obvious, the two parts at the top left corner.


Next we have the runner with parts mainly for the legs. There are parts for the torso, chest exhausts and the head too. One can easily spot the part for the head's V fins which comes uncolored.


This runner unlike the others is molded in purple. Parts for the shoulders, front skirt, backpack and weapons (beam machine gun and twin heat shotei blades) are housed on this runner.


Now this runner comes in metallic gold. I think this is an extra runner thrown in for good measure by the Chinese manufactorer LWdragon. THis contains the parts for a bazooka type weapon though not compatible with the Sandrock Gundam to use.


This runner made from rubbery PVC contains the joints of the gundam which allow for movement of the limbs for poses.


Here is the stickers which come with the gundam model kit. Notable are the stickers for the shield, front skirt and the head. Try to spot which 1 is for the eyes (hint:bottom right corner!)

I think the number of runners for this NG (no grade) 1/144 scale Sandrock Gundam is ok, nothing to shout about though you do get the extra metallic gold runner for an extra bazooka weapon which once assembled cant be used by Sandrock Gundam :(.

BEYONCE - IF I WERE A BOY

When I first heard "If I Were A Boy" I totally got hooked! This single release from Beyonce's latest album I am Sasha Fierce is definitely a prominent showcase of Beyonce's singing prowess. With lyrics that most can relate to about love relationships between a man and a woman, "If I were a boy" is a great hit with the masses. Go ahead and take a look at the video below!

Beyonce's "If I were a boy" music video


Coincidentally I found out that dNeero is running a new conversation with major tie ins to this song and I joined in straight away! Take a gander on how I answered and feel free to join in too.