Sorta Cinderella!

Well, this is not part of the otaku culture, but I'm just posting it for the sake of highlighting this issue. And because it's quite funny.

Well, this morning, was presentation day for our so-called drama. And the title of our story or play was called "Sorta Cinderella". Well, if have guessed it right, I picked the title thanks to Furuba. Haha. But our play was different from the one in Furuba. It was a more "modern"version of it. Haha.

With loan sharks and lottery sellers that is.

So, due to some reason, I was late for our rehearsal. But still had enough time to prepare our props and other adjustment before heading to our last OSE lecture.

After lunch, around 1.50pm, our lecturer showed up and started to evaluate our dramas and English speaking skills. This more or less, how the story went.
(Complete with pictures of course~!)

[the lines are not properly labeled as to who said what, so please refer to the cast below. Sorry for the confusion]

Good afternoon to Miss Pritam, and fellow friends. Today, I will be your narrator for a little sketch my peers and I and about to perform, titled
"Sorta Cinderella".

Firstly, I'll introduce the main stars of today.

Now as you can see there is a depressed person over there, so depressed he is about to commit suicide.

"I want to die, I don't want to live anymore!"

So, why does he want to die? Well, a long long long long long long time ago, which just happened yesterday, a tale of Cinderella happened. Well "sort of" Cinderella that is...

(Prince was standing around until the he saw the Princess pass by)

"Oh my Princess, you look so feminine today! (Princess digs her nose)"

"How I would do anything to marry you"

Oh my! Did I hear you want to marry me? If you would want to marry me, please show me your wealth and handsomeness at my birthday party.

But you must be famous and rich to do so

I will find a way then!

And with that, the prince sets off on a journey to find a way to get rich! So first, he had to start his fortune from somewhere. And where does a kid get money? From his parents of course!




Dad!

(Prince holding a hammer behind him)

Yes, Prince my son?

I heard you recently bought a life insurance policy!
How much would I get if you "accidentally" die?

Huh? If I "accidentally" die? Well, since we are very poor, I couldn't buy any policy.
Even my agent said it's better if I die...

Oh... damn..... then can I have a 10?

'Kay. Take my wallet then. Since were so poor, that all I have in there...

So, the Prince has just increased his "fortune" by... 10 bucks. With his "fortune" he decided the quickest and easiest way to get money. He went to buy lottery tickets!

Everyone! Please come and try your luck to win millions at Toto!

Thousands of people have lost so much money to TOTO, but still come the next day~!

*Hmmm.... Maybe I'll try my luck then*

Ah Boi, yea you~! At the corner trying to hide. What do you want? You lost your mummy?

Ermm………. Uncle...... err…… errr……….. I want to buy super and mega one..

I can’t hear you. Please speak louder. I am a very old man

I WANT TO BUY SUPER AND MEGA ONE~!

Hah????? You siao ahhh?? Don’t lie to me~! You are so young. SHOW ME IC~!

(give father’s IC)

(reading from IC)

So your name is “Father of the Prince”?

Yea…

And you are 53 years old?

Yea…

And you have a very nice IC no. 131313-66-6666

Err… yea. So I’m 53 years old. Can I buy some tickets now?

Oh, ok ok. I thought you were a small boy who wants to get rich fast to marry a princess.

No la, only idiots will do that..

(prince buys the ticket and checks the results board)

Oh, too bad, you didn’t win. There goes your only 10ringgit bet.

Poor prince, losing his only fortune he had left to lottery.

With no other choice, Prince seeks the help of the local loan shark.

(prince knocks on the door)

Who is it?

err, hello.. dai long, I would like a “loan”.

how much is this “loan”?

errrrrrrrrrr………………. Maybbb………… errrmmmmmmmmmm… a 100?

Borrow more lah.. the interest is very very very superbly low..

(without thinking a second)

’kay 2 million then~!

Wahh, you really know how to do business huh? But, unfortunately, Someone else recently borrowed the first million so I can only offer you the rest, 1 million only.

(Snaps Fingers)

(Assistant of loan shark bring two suitcase)

There’s 500 thousand in each suitcase. Since it’s is a rather large sum, we will need to ensure we can contact you for further services. Now please provide me your details and IC name. We don’t want you end up running out of the country! Hahaha (sarcastic look)

(write down the details)

Ah…but one more thing, if you don’t pay, I will find you. And trust me, on my illegal money lending services, we WILL find you and take you very far away… Well, that’s IF you don’t pay, that is. (smile)

Ahh…. Sure….

And now the prince has become a very rich man! With his millions, he bought many things to show his wealth to everyone. The next day, he went to the Princess party to show how rich he has become.

Princess! I have come to marry you! I am now a rich man!



Oh really? Prove it to me!

Didn't you see my Ferrari? Here, i'll show your on my security video.

Wow. Nice Parking...

Err... yea...still getting my license.

So…. where did you get the money huh?

Money? I...err......ermm.....won it...at...TOTO~!

(loan sharks appear)

So! You won back the money at TOTO huh? Then it's time to pay up!

After borrowing 1 million, PLUS interest.

All 2 million of it!

So you actually borrowed from Ah Longs?

Huh? Why 2 million? I only borrowed 1 million!

Interest mah...

But....I...I dont have the money!

Then we will take everything from you, starting with the person who wrote his name on our form.

According to the IC name given, we will take away "Father of Prince". Wow! You wrote your father's name instead of your own?

What a bad person. Oh well, we will sell him then

Since your father is quite old, we shall sell him at a "vintage" price. Take him away boys!

YES SIR!

(carrying father of prince away)

Huh? WHAT? You're selling me? Your only father?! NOOO SONNN NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Oh, okay then. Since it's only my father, I still have a place to stay! Bye Dad!

By the way, your father doesn't cover the cost of 2 million. So we will take all his savings and belongings.

And you're house too.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Disgusting! You actually borrowed all the money! Get out of my sight!

Unfortunately for the Prince, everything he had gained within a second was also lost in the blink of an eye. Now, with nothing left, he decides to end his life which brings us back to the present.

(on a very,very,very....errr...forget it, just keep reading)

I want to die, I don't what to live anymore. I have nothing left!

Well, he's not the only one

I want to die! I don't want to love anymore. I have nothing left!

Excuse me, but who are you?

Who am I? Who are YOU?

Err... I'm trying to die in peace here. So could you please go away?

But I was planing to die here first!

Hey! I had planned everything already! I even came with a rope!

No! I want to die first!

No! Me first!

NO! Ladies first! And you're a guy! Be a gentlemen!

(fight over rope but ended up tangled in it)

Hey. I really don't feel like dying right now.

Yea. It suddenly feels stupid to die when living seems much harder.

Let's try to live on then. I will find a way to get my house and father back.

Yea. After borrowing all that 1 million, I actually forgot how to actually repay ti back.

Huh? You borrowed 1 million too? So you're the other person who borrowed from the loan sharks.

I guess this is fate for us to meet then.

Somehow, due to some twisted fate or plan by a crazy script writer, the Prince and the other suicidal person found each other in the end. Together, they tried their best to live happily ever after.



THE END

Well, that's how the story went. Sort of... haha. Now a few side scenes while the drama was conducted and a view of the cast after it was over.

Had to prepare slides for the audience to actually see what happened. So I just keep pressing the button next....next...next.....



Our actors and actresses taking their sweet time back stage. Guess they can't hear me well enough to know their part is coming up.



One of those candid moments the class was having. Haha. Can't believe I wrote and came up with that weird plot and all those crazy lines....



Yea that's me. And no, I'm not lazying around. Was standing up for most of the time, so I needed a break =S



Now, the cast line-up!



Btw, that's a wig, just in case you thought the princess was a fag. haha. GO LA LA~!



Thanks for reading along, hope you enjoyed our small sketch!

| ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam | Full Burst Mode |

ZGMF X20A Strike Freedom Gundam

Of the whole Gundam universes, there are hundreds and hundreds of models to choose from, including the hero models. But out of all, I truly found Strike Freedom the best among the rest. Design wise and weaponry, I have yet to be disappointed by the features of the strike.

From the universe of Cosmic Era, Gundam Seed Destiny, sequel to the first season, Seed, Strike Freedom appeared really late into the show as it was unveiled before the finally battle with Legend Gundam, Destiny Gundam and Messiah.

Piloted by ace Kira Yamato and created, courtesy of the Lacus Clyne Faction, it really is a beautiful masterpiece.


The predecessor to this model was Freedom Gundam, thanks to the Z.A.F.T Faction, only to be stolen/presented to Kira, as this is common knowledge of those gundam geeks out there (yea i'm one of them =D) .

ZGMF X10A Freedom Gundam

Even though it pawned every mobile suit in Seed, ended up loosing a leg and arm and other bits (LIKE ITS HEAD) in the final battle of Seed, it was no match for the next generation gundams in Destiny, as it was closely defeated by the Destiny. Scrapped back from it's water grave by the Archangel, it was modded...well, that's an understatement. Overhauled~! is more like it.

In appearance wise, not much of a change here and there, but as for the weapons.... definitely a boost in the stats, several times the original capabilities of the Freedom.

The Phase Shift armor has been added, along with x2 MMI-GAU27D31 CIWS at the temples of the head unit.

After some panel-lining. Maybe I overdid it. But satisfactory to me~!

On the main body unit, there is the famous MGX-2235 "Callidus" Multi-Phase Beam Cannon at the center of the unit which rivals the Destiny's version. Also, in the unit is the main power core that empowers the suit, Ultracompact Hyper-Deuterion Nuclear Fission Reactor. Well, its more crude name is Neutron Jammer Canceler, as it utilizes nuclear energy and powers the suit.

I can imagine how hot the cockpit seat must with a nuclear reactor warming up your ass...

How they compacted it and placing it right below the cockpit is still a wonder to me... The Mutli Phase beam feature was also added with the Destiny but it the form of a ridiculously huge beam cannon. So, economic wise and spacing, Strike wins of course~! (well, that part was biased. Moving along!)

As for side-equipment, x2 MMI-M15E "Xiphias 3" Rail guns have been attached to the waist part, along with x2 MA-MO2G Beam Sabers for close combat usage.

Designed to show of those hips~! And Railguns~!

On the arm unit, a MX2200 Beam Shield Generator can be deployed near the forearm for defensive purposes.

A nice pose, courtesy of Dalong.net~! (Korean based btw, so don't bother unless your fluent in it)

On each arm unit, x2 MA-M21KF Beam Rifles take up their position in strike's hands. Like in the show, they are able to combine and form the longer beam rifle.

A well-known finishing pose to cease functions of other mobile suits at the end of the barrel~!

The fly-unit is attached to the back, with eight wings to fan out to reveal the famous EQFU-3X SUPER DRAGOON System.

Extendable to the tip. Very nice art work there *clap**clap*

These are the launching pads for the MA-80V Mobile Weapon Wings and will strike any target within the targeting system. When deployed, they leave the shell of the wing, displaying the golden frame and all it's galore~!

Very flashy golden frames where the assult cannons rest during standby

There's a slight difference comparing the regular 1/100 Strike Freedom and the 1/100 Strike Freedom FBM

• Gold gloss injection on visible skeletal parts of the Strike

• Removable mobile DRAGOON weapons with posing features.

• Improved mobility with arched back
  

Well, I will admit, it was the model I wanted do badly and hey! Full burst mode is available~! Haha. So if was gonna get it already, might as well get the best there is out there~!

Packaging came like this~! Well you can compare to how large with the scale of an A4 paper.

After ordering it and FINALLY arriving by courier (felt like forever, like waiting for your Sunday show to be subbed but finally uploaded only on Wed =S), it was exactly as I expected. So for the most part of Day 1, no modeling was being done yet as I was too engrossed with the beauty of the cover art. Yeah, well I'm a simple that's simple to satisfy~! =P

I love it. Don't you?

Well, a lot of planning and tutorial-reading was conducted. (like hell a lot....) When I finally had the "Nike" attitude in me, construction went under way.

Some insides of the box and painting guide. Guess I'll get red and black paint then

Well, as recommended and a very good tip, is too wash all my parts as there is some chemicals on it to prevent molding and preservation until bought.

Use running cold water. Then dry it out. Try not to just leave it as dust might accumulate.

And standby with gundam markers at the ready. Really useful. I recommend panel-lining while building to prevent extra work later on.

Very handy indeed. Just watch out of the ends breaking and splitting up.

After a few hours, the main body unit was completed to my satisfaction (after numerous cuttings made to the gate bits left)

The hatch is open-able to reveal Kira sitting in it

After many more hours, the top section was complete.


Forgive the crappy quality. This was taken with my phone cam. Will note with *pcam*

As you can see, its pretty stable and flexible.

*pcam* Doing a one-leg stand to test the stability. The other tests the knee joints. Really flexible after all.

Continued much later after finger tips were given a rest (for some reason, it always hurts after doing a modeling marathon for 6 hours straight. wonder why...) and finished ONE WING~! AWESOME~! JUST 3 MORE SETS TO GO~! =(

The result of finishing ONE pair... One set.... Long night people......back to work....(snip,snip) *pcam*

After much time contributed (I would have liked to say "wasted hours" but for modeling, that another story), all wings were completed. Main body, wings and backpack thruster completed~!

*pcam* I think this was around 4am? Really worth the time, but I can feel my fingertips acting up again. Owww....


A better quality of the Strike. Nice right?

Well, it took another 2 days to completely finish up Strike as the weapons and armaments need to be carefully finished.


Ignore Shin (he was a lucky draw thing) and Lucky Star petits. Concentrate on THE GUNDAM~!

Now it can join the rest of my gundam family~! Say high to big daddy, kids~!


Yea, its a lot. So sue me...haha.
From L to R; GNX A-Laws type, 00-Raiser, Cherudim,Strike Freedom, Seravee, Seraphim, Arios, Archer. All are HG expect for the big guy whose a MG figure

Well this is the only nice shot of Strike that I have uploaded. I don't really feel like sharing the better photos though =P


Love the gleaming eyes~! Definitely gives off a "superior being" aura~!

So I hoped you enjoyed my review of Strike Freedom. Sorry if you were disappointed in the lack of construction detail, but please do check out these site at the bottom for better and in-depth modeling methods.

Will review on the rest of my "family" soon from the 00 Series. Look forward to it~!

Gundam Modeling Tutorial
Complete FAQs on Gundam model kits
Tutorials and Tools

Reference;

• www.dalong.net
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strike_Freedom

XN-Raiser~! Better than 0-Raiser~! Uso~!

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It has already been a few months since Kidou Senshi Gundam 00 S2 ended (yes, well, very sad indeed. lol) with the rest of the world living their own lives, Setsuna still fighting some unknown "disturbance" or maybe acting as the universe's police along with Celestial Being.

But, hey, I think some some forgot to mention the merchandising of Bandai products are still being launched. And there's no end to it now. Since the final-battle ver. of Cherudim and Arios are gonna come out soon. Merchandising was expected since these are part of the storyline afterall.

But this is ridiculous.....

The latest add-on for the 00 Gundam, XN-Raiser is debuting and gracing model stores in August.

Its part of the V series this time. Part of the movie I guess?

And I thought 00-Raiser was the strongest. Well it still is.

But it kinda makes me wonder, what the heck does it look like? Well, take a look.

Awesomely shaped. Lots of unnecessary wings here and there but what the heck!

If thats the end result, like hell, i'm pre-ordering it immediately!

As you can see, it has improved capabilities. The whole hull of the fighter is designed for a more battle-backpack for the 00 Gundam with the added weaponry.

NOTE: This 00 Gundam is a custom build. Not for sale. But the XN-Raiser is more or less accurate. Ignore the outline and weaponry of the Gundam until an official release is made.

Seems 00 got a makeover too. (custom design)

Love the interchangeable swords. And it seems the 00 Gundam looks a bit different too.

Getting the right blade to cut the right metal. Kinda like sashimi~!

As you can see, or noticed it by now, it is more suited for close combat fighting features compared to the 00. I have yet to see or notice any beam/projectile/missle type weaponry in the upgrade.

So it has purged all ranged attack weapons to excel in close-combat. Sounds kinda right.
And it should be that way. Exia and 00 have a history of close fights rather than long ranged shots which suits them well.

I wonder if it will come with a free action base stand this time.
Those stands ain't cheap you know?

Well, from this, I guess they added another sword to the line up. Now there's 8~!

x2 Buster swords
x2 Spear-like swords
x2 Beam sabers
x2 Short beam swords

Perhaps this time, it will be the Eight Sword Gundam~! Haha.

Note; all images came from another source. forgive me but I could not link them as I had these photos for a while now. All info and facts are assumed until official release from the company is presented.