Sunday, March 28, 2010

Anime to watch in the next 2 months

NEXT paper aku lambat lagi. Jadi aku dah pegi jumpa member, ended up mengutip dalam sedozen anime. anime yang aku kutip in dilabel anime top tahun 2009. tapi aku belum tengok lagi. so personally aku tak tahu best ke tidak anime2 ini. Anime ini akan ku simpan untuk ditonton selama 2 months and 2 weeks, iaitu tempoh practikal aku. Yang mana agaknya yang akan aku paling suka, nanti kita lihat selepas 2 bulan nanti. Antara anime2nya ialah:



Title: Bakemonogatari

Synopsis:

The short stories in the two volumes of Bakemonogatari deal with a high school boy named Koyomi Araragi and strange students he encounters. (”Bakemonogatari” is a wordplay on the Japanese term bakemono for supernatural creatures and the term monogatari for stories.) One student, a girl named Hitagi Senjougahara, almost literally falls into his lap, only to have him discover she has no weight.

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Synopsis:

Events in After Story take place between Tomoyas final year of high school and after graduating. After declaring his love to Nagisa, they begin to have a close relationship. But Nagisa and Tomoya’s life together will be faced with unexpected challenges.

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Synopsis:

In the sequel, Hei (the chink) and Yin are now on the run after betraying the Syndicate in the previous season, cause they da bomb. After leaving Japan, Hei encounters Suou Pavlichenko, a 13 year old Eurasian girl who becomes embroiled in the war and politics of the various factions and Contractors vying for power (and a bit of cock). Meanwhile, Hell’s Gate remains standing in Tokyo, after Hei’s efforts to stop the Saturn Ring anti-Gate particle weapon from activating. Although Contractors are safe from the danger of having their existences erased, this does not prevent new and old Contractors from abusing their powers, did someone say rape?. As Misaki Kirihara and her team in the Public Security Bureau deal with the increasing Contractor cases, she also has to keep the Syndicate at bay (they like her boobs), who has major positions in the Japanese police and intelligence bureaus around the world. The storyline setting primarily takes place in both Japan and Russia. Walk it off.

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Genre: Action, Drama, Mecha, Sci-Fi,

Synopsis:

A year has passed since “The Black Rebellion” and the remaining Black Knights have vanished into the shadows, their leader and figurehead, Zero, executed by the Britannian Empire. Area 11 is once more squirming under the Emperor’s oppressive heel as the Britannian armies concentrate their attacks on the European front. But for the Britannians living in Area 11, life is back to normal. On one such normal day, a Britannian student, skipping his classes in the Ashford Academy, sneaks out to gamble on his chess play. But unknown to this young man, several forces are eying him from the shadows, for soon, he will experience a shocking encounter with his own obscured past, and the masked rebel mastermind Zero will return.

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Synopsis:

Set in a city of scientifically advanced superhuman students, but in a world where magic is also real. Toma Kamijo’s right hand, the Imagine Breaker, will negate all magic, psychic, or divine powers, but not his own bad luck. One day he finds a young girl hanging on his balcony railinchrome://scribefire/content/scribefire.xulg. She turns out to be a nun from the Church of England, and her mind has been implanted with the Index-Librorum-Prohibitorum – all the magical texts the Church has removed from circulation.

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Kebanyakan season 1 dah kluar sejak tahun 2008 lagi. Kemudian sambung dengan season 2. so kalau nak faham dari mula, kena la kite tengok dari season 1 kan adik2? Tapi ade satu anime ni aku memang tengah tengok dari semasa ke semasa. Yang ni memang confirm best. tapi belum complete lagi. Tak tau la lagi brape episod baru nak habis. Setakat ni dah 49 episod aku tengok. Looking forward untuk tengok anime ini sehingga tamat. Hait!

Genre: Action, Magic, Shounen,

Synopsis:

In this world, there exists people with special abilities to manipulate objects and transform one object into another. These people are known as alchemists. This process does come with a cost though, the basic law of alchemy states that to gain something you have to sacrifice something of the same value.chrome://scribefire/content/scribefire.xul

The main character is the famous alchemist Edward Elric – also known as the Fullmetal Alchemist – who almost lost his little brother, Alphonse, in an accident. Edward managed to contain his brother’s soul in a large suit of armor. While he did manage to save his brother’s life, he had to pay a great price himself.

To get back what they’ve lost, the brothers embark on a journey to find the Philosophers Stone that is said to amplify the powers of an alchemist enormously.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a re-telling of the story from the manga point of view.




Thursday, March 25, 2010

How to feel happier BY THE END OF THE DAY: Your menu of options

by Gretchen Rubin, on Sat Mar 6, 2010 9:09am PST
Do you need a happiness boost—right now? If so, take a look at this menu of options and make your choices. Remember, the more you tackle, the bigger the boost you’ll receive.

When you’re feeling blue, it can be hard to muster up the physical and mental energy to do the things that make you happier. Plunking down in front of the TV or digging into a tub of ice cream seems like an easier fix.

However, research shows (and you know it’s true) that these aren’t the routes to feeling better. Try some choices below. The more you push yourself, the better you’ll feel; but if you can’t tackle a big task, just do something small. Even a little step in the right direction will give you a lift.

According to my ground-breaking happiness formula, to be happy, you need to think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth. What’s dragging you down? Is it a lack of fun, of connection? Do you feel a lot of guilt, boredom, or anger? Do you feel that something’s “not right” about your life? Do you feel stagnant or stuck? Focus your efforts on the choices that will do the most to address what’s not working in your life.

Your menu of choices -- commit to doing as many items as you can:

Friends __ call or email one of your closest friends __ call or email three friends to whom you haven’t spoken in a while __ track down an old friend who has drifted out of your life (I just did this a few days ago, zoikes)

Fun __ add a fun thing to your calendar __ add a fun thing to your calendar that involves other people __ add a fun thing to your calendar that involves other people doing something outside

Recommended software: Rainlendar

Challenge __ think of a subject that you wish you knew more about (be honest! something that really interests you!) and spend 15 minutes on the internet reading about it __ take a step toward acquiring a new skill that you want – research Italian classes in your neighborhood, order Photoshop for Dummies __ if you absolutely can’t think of one single subject that interests you, visit two bookstores (one huge, one independent) and browse until some book catches your attention – and buy it

Do good, feel good __ sign up to be an organ donor, and remember to tell your family __ give $25 or more to a worthy cause __ sign up to volunteer or participate in an organization

Energy __ walk around the block __ take a twenty-five-minute walk __ go the gym or go for a run

Order __ clear out the space around your computer __ clear out a closet __ walk through your house with a garbage bag, and clear clutter until the bag is full of trash; then walk around again and fill a new bag with things to be given away; repeat

Guilt __ make a dentist’s or doctor’s appointment that you’ve been putting off __ reach out to a family member whom you’ve been neglecting __ make something right: apologize, confess, repair, replace, or return something you borrowed

Nagging tasks __ clean out some old emails that you haven’t answered __ stop off at the drugstore to buy supplies you need __ stop off at the hardware store to buy supplies you need __ fix something broken

Good citizen __ Throw away someone else’s litter __ Be helpful to an elderly person or a person with small kids __ Be friendly to a store clerk who seems grouchy

Gratitude __ Reflect on the following quotation, from Marjorie William’s Woman at the Washington Zoo:

We could hear her friends pull up to the curb. As her momentum carried her to the top of the stairs, Alice looked back and tossed me a radiant smile. She had become my glimmering girl: She looked like a rock star. She looked like a teenager. She looked absolutely stunning. She thundered down the stairs in those shoes, and as the front door slammed behind her, it came to me—what fantasy I had finally, easily entered this Halloween.
I’d just seen Alice leave for her prom, or her first real date. I’d cheated time, flipping the calendar five or six years into the future. The character I’d played was the fifty-two-year-old mother I will probably never be.

It was effortless.

Editor’s Note: A month after Marjorie wrote this, her oncologist concluded that there was no further treatment to recommend. Marjorie died, at home, on January 16, 2005, three days after her forty-seventh birthday.

__ Reflect on the following quotation, Winston Churchill to the House of Commons, June 4, 1940:
We shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do. … Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender; and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and liberation of the Old.
__ Reflect on the following quotation, from Thomas Arnold, diary, June 5, 1842:
[Of reading the newspaper] “So much of sin and so much of suffering in the world, as are there displayed, and no one seems able to remedy either. And then the thought of my own private life, so full of comforts, is very startling.”

At the end of the day, look back on your list. Did you hit all the items you checked off? Do you feel happier?

Food Companies Face "Healthy" Competition


By Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., C.D.N. - Posted on Tue, Mar 23, 2010, 3:05 pm PDT

Some healthy, sodium-slashing competition has broken out among food companies, and consumers are the ones benefiting. Last week, Kraft Foods Inc. announced it would cut the salt in its North American line by an average of 10 percent in over 1000 products over the next two years. On Monday, PepsiCo unveiled a global nutrition initiative to reduce sodium in food products by an average of 25 percent by 2015. The company also has a 10-year plan to decrease added sugar in beverages by 25 percent and saturated fat in foods by 15 percent. Other companies, such as ConAgra, Sara Lee, and Campbell Soup, already have plans underway to reduce salt in key product categories.

Bravo! I applaud these industry leaders for voluntarily taking a step in the right direction. Regardless of the companies' motives—I'm not delusional, I realize these moves are probably in response to customer demand, government pressure, and potential for market expansion—I welcome all health changes to the food industry.

Doritos, Easy Mac, and SpaghettiO's will never be classified as health food in my book, and obviously I much prefer that people get the majority of their calories from whole, natural foods. But the realist in me says processed foods are a part of our modern lifestyle and here to stay, so a gradual yet consistent trend among food companies to take out more of the "bad stuff"—first trans fats, now salt, and in the future perhaps more sugar, refined flour, and artery-clogging saturated fat—is a definite improvement. 

For heavy consumers of packaged foods, these changes could have a considerable impact on heart and overall health (for more information on the health risks associated with a high-salt diet, read my blog: Hold the Salt). Kraft's initiative alone is projected to eliminate more than 10 million pounds of salt from the food supply over the next two years. When you factor in all the other multinational companies making similar reductions, that adds up to a significant, population-wide decrease in salt intake (assuming consumers don't make up for the sodium deficit in other places!).

Companies are using their full arsenal of tricks—even a few new ones—to make better-for-you snacks and foods that still satisfy America's spoiled taste buds. PepsiCo has developed a new "designer salt" with a unique crystal shape that delivers more bang for the buck, so consumers get a saltier sensation from less salt. The company specifically created the ingredient to lower the sodium content of their original Lay's potato chips, but hopes to integrate it into other products across their brand portfolio. Other food manufacturers are replacing some of the traditional salt—sodium chloride—in their products with salt substitutes like potassium chloride. This allows companies to season food while using less sodium, the component of salt responsible for raising blood pressure.

Of course, when food manufacturers eliminate key flavoring agents like salt, sugar, and fat, you have to wonder what they'll be adding back in to preserve taste. Dave DeCecco, spokesperson for PepsiCo, says the company is moving towards shorter, cleaner ingredient lists, so they're relying on clever flavorings like their new couture salt and other natural seasonings to deliver great taste without using boatloads of additives and fillers. Rest assured, companies will do plenty of consumer testing to make sure their improved generation of products still meets customers' taste expectations—after all, your loyalty and their bottom line are at stake.

All of this product innovation and reformulation costs money. For instance, PepsiCo has increased its research and development budget by more than 40% over the past 3 years, partially to fund the creation of healthier products. But most companies say they don't expect these expenses to be passed on to consumers, which is good news for shoppers (and eaters!).

As pressure mounds to create healthier products, the packaged food world may be turning a corner. I personally await the new-and-improved version of caramel flavored Crunch ‘n Munch.



Recommended: Eden of the East

Sekarang musim exam. Tiba-tiba hilang mood nak study. Rasa seperti ditinggallkan pon ade. Lalu rasa nak tulis sesuatu di blog ini. Dah lama xdiupdate. Nah la korang tengok anime ini. Best. It makes you curious. Lagipon 11 episod sahaja. Satu hari boleh habis. sesuai untuk mereka yang baru sahaja selesai satu exam paper dan sukakan anime series yang pendek (supaya cepat habis). Tapi ade something yang aku tak nak bagitahu kat korang tentang anime ini. Nanti lepas korang tengok sampai habis, korang tahulah. By the way, kalau ada diantara korang boleh reach aku secara face-to-face, feel free untuk pinjam external hard disk aku dan copy anime ini.
Sinopsis aku copy:
Ten missiles hit the territory of Japan. However, this unprecedented terrorist act, later to be known as “Careless Monday” apparently did not cause any victim, and was soon forgotten by almost everyone. Then, 3 months later… Saki Morimi is a young woman currently in the United States of America on her graduation trip. But just when she is in front of the White House, Washington DC, se gets into troubles, and only the unexpected intervention of one of her fellow countrymen saves her day. However, this man, who introduces himself as Akira Takizawa, is a complete mystery. First of all, he appears to have lost his memory. Secondly, he is stark naked, except for the gun he holds in one hand, and the mobile phone he’s grabbing with the other hand. A phone that is charged with 8,200,000,000 yen in digital cash. Who is Akira Takizawa? What are the secrets behind his extraordinary mobile phone? What got lost with his vanished memory?
Ini pulok trailernya. nice. korang tengok tau. tapi tak de sub. nanti dah xde keje aku buat sub dia eh. sekian...
Download link: Eden of the East