For those of you who grew up watching the Doraemon or sometimes called "Xiao Ding Dang" in these parts.. this is a sad story which has been circulating through the web recently.. about the end of the series... I just thought i'd share it..
As you know, Doraemon is a story with no ending, but this small story is about the "last episode" of the famous cartoon.
Someone made this story and uploaded it to his homepage, and it is now widely spread all around Japan through the internet. Here it goes;
[b]One day,a very normal day, Nobita came back from school and went upstairs of his house. Doraemon was there sleeping, just like the other normal day.
"Hey, Doraemon, please wake up, lets play!" but Doraemon does not wake up. Nobita thought that Doraemon is tired, so he went out to play with Shizuka-chan and other folks. After few hours, he returned to his home, but Doraemon was still sleeping. Nobita felt something strange, and tried to wake him up. But there was no reply. He became to feel afraid, and tried to wake him up, but whatever he does, Doraemon did not wake up. Nobita exactly knew that something was different. This never happened before.
He began crying, but though he screamed or cried, the famous fat-cat- robot did not make a single move at all. He came up to one idea, and jumped into his desk-the time machine-and went to the future to meet Dorami-chan, Doraemon's sister. He begged her for help, and forced her to go with him back to 1998.
After a short trip again back to 1998 by the time machine, Dorami- chan looked all over his brother Doraemon to see what was wrong with him. After few minutes, she said "the battery is out" Nobita was relieved, and said,"battery? so he is not broken right? please replace or recharge his battery, and put him back like before" But Dorami-chan shook her head and said,"Nobita-san, should I really do that?"
Nobita said "what? what do you mean?" Dorami-chan replied; "His main battery is here, close to his pocket. And it ran out. But originally,he had a back-up battery in his ears, but as you know, his ears were eaten by a rat very many years ago, so he does not have a back-up battery now" "so what do you mean?"
"I mean, if I replace his battery, every memory of you will be eternally lost from his brain program" "WHAT?????" "Shall I do that?" Nobita closed his eyes. He cried, but after few minutes, he stopped crying,and quietly told Dorami-chan;"Dorami-chan, thanks for coming here. I will take care of the rest. You have to go back to your future time now" Dorami-chan could not decide what to do, but anyway she hugged Nobita quietly, and she went back home. After she went back,Nobita carried Doraemon and placed him into the shelf. .........TIME FLIES.......... Year 2010, Nobita grew up. Since that day, he changed. He studied hard,did not cry anymore, and he lived without Doraemon. He told Shizuka and other folks that Doraemon had to go back to his future, and could not meet him anymore. Shizuka was impressed to Nobita's mysterious appearance which became completely different from 10years ago.
They fell in love, and married. Nobita became a scientist. He made a laboratory in his room, and was studying hard with his job all day. He told Shizuka not to come into the room, as it is very dangerous inside. But one day,he called Shizuka and told her to come in to his room. It was the first time for her to enter his husband's room. The moment she went in, she lost her words .....There was her friend Doraemon, who she used to play in her childhood days. Doraemon was not moving. It seemed as he was sleeping. "Look, Shizuka, I will plug in from now" Nobita turned on the main switch on Doraemon.
Doraemon quietly, very quietly started to open his eyes. It was the moment the inventor of Doraemon became clear. It was Nobita. He studied hard and hard just to meet and talk with his old friend again. Going back and forth of time,Nobita was the one who made Doraemon. He discovered all the programs and architecture of Doraemon- type-robot. Nobita and Shizuka was crying gently.
Doraemon opened his eyes. He looked around, and finally said,"Nobita- kun, did you finish your homework?" There was the same white clouds in the sky like the times they used to spend together. [/b]
A few weird things can happen when you're up at 430 in the morning trying to study for your exams.. One of them is that you may end up writing your blog instead. Everywhere you go.. life at 430 am is generally the same.. Cockroaches finally reign supreme in kitchens.. coming out of the nooks and crannies of our ovens.. they love hiding in ovens as they prefer high temperatures and can survive temperatures of up to 49 degrees centigrade.. So the next time you bite into your muffin.. you know where the crunching sound is coming from..
Occasionally.. at 430 in the morning.. people suddenly find reason to pick a fight.. out of the blue.. a wife curses her husband for coming home from yet another business engagement at the karaoke lounge ..with his zip undone.. The verbal abuse develops into physical abuse as chairs start to fly.. Neighbours wake up with a fervour which belies the sheer lateness of time..Not to help but to document yet another interesting anecdote to share with their friends and families..their prying eyes and ears lapping up every action..every word said..as the cockroaches below them lap up every crumb on the floor.. At last, a story worthy of telling and retelling..to break them out of the monotony of their own lives.. Perhaps in their hearts, they secretly wish someone might get killed or at the very least paralysed for life.. to make for spicier gossip material.. But to their disappointment.. the police arrive to break up the fight and peace reigns yet again.. at least until tomorrow night.
Running day again today.. I've been running consistently again.. starting from 4 times a week.. Hope to get back to that period where i used to run everyday.. regardless of the weather.. Running also means running INTO my old arch-nemesis.. yes.. [b]THE MAN IN THE BERMUDAS[/b] yes.. If i were James Bond, he'd be the Man with the rusty gun in his bermudas.. haha..actually i wouldnt know..but you get the idea of the rivalry between us..and i apologise for being so bitter but you have to understand our history...
I've been back on the running circuit after a 3-year hiatus owed to the military. The first day i went back to running at the track in front of my house, HE was there.. running effortlessly.. he could run for hours and hours at an extremely fast pace.. and even today, 3 years after that day he can still run at that speed..I confess, i cannot run the way i did when i was in the army.. where running was a way of life.. I even completed the half-marathon when i was still serving.. Today? well let's just say it'll be a good day if i completed 4 clicks... Anyway nowadays he has this annoying habit of doing 20 pull-ups before and after he runs as well.. sigh.. To give me a leverage.. i brought my mp3 player along, sort of like.. a battle hymn.. a war-cry of sorts to inspire me to run faster and longer than I usually do.. Careful selection and arrangement of the tracks in the player is vital to attain VICTORY over the Man in the bermudas. And thus i have compiled a total of 10 songs to help me through that half-hour or so of running..
[b]1.Yubiwa by Maaya Sakamoto[/b] Maaya Sakamoto's soulful yet sweet voice in Yubiwa, sang in the soundtrack for "Vision Of Escaflowne" is a great way to start.. It gives me a certain peace even though dont know that much Japanese.. it left me in the right frame of mind as i was stretching and about to begin my run.
By the time i went downstairs to run and finished a bit of stretching.. Yubiwa's 3 minutes and 37 seconds were up.. and i began jogging slowly accompanied by
[b]2.Beautiful-by Christina Aguilera[/b] The song opened with a sad whisper.. "don't look at me" then suddenly showed Christina's impressive vocal prowess..I quote Christina.. "hmmm hmmmmmm... mmm..ooahh.. hmm hmm..haiii heay.. " and continues with "Every day is so wonderful.And suddenly, it's hard to breathe" yes.. the day is beautiful and im finding it hard to breathe because im running.. BUT..i know that "I am beautiful no matter what they say Words can't bring me down I am beautiful in every single way Yes, words can't bring me down oh no So don't you bring me down today" and suddenly..im not that breathless cos I AM beautiful..and the rest of the runners are not? oh no..why did that suddenly come to mind?? this track had better end soon..and so it did..after reminding me for 4 minutes how beautiful i was.. [b]3.Tonight,tonight-Smashing Pumpkins[/b] Yes!! smashing!! It opened with a symphony of symphonies.. Slowly rising to a crescendo.. At this point, I could feel myself floating on the running track.. my legs suddenly finding a rich reservoir of energy powered by the Pumpkins.. Initially it maintained a steady beat..though at times, the drum beats accelerated the tempo..and my feet to exhilarating speeds.. Indeed.. a song worthy to be an anthem for runners around the world.. True, I understand Billy Corgan's lyrics as much as i understand Japanese but still..I was so tempted to repeat that track but i refrained as it finally came to an end after 4 minutes and 14 seconds..the highs and lows of that song left me so tired and deflated... i need a.. [b]4.Miracle-by Bon Jovi[/b] Ahh.. Jon Bon Jovi.. my hero.. and he knows how to make you feel like one too..especially in this song taken from the Young Guns 2 OST.. "A penny for your thoughts now baby Looks like the weight of the world's on your shoulders now I know you think you're going crazy Just when it seems everything's gonna work itself out They drive you right back down" Yes.. they drive me back down! who? erm.. the government? i dunno...whatever it is..it's "Gonna take a miracle top save us this time (ooh... ) And your savior has just left town Gonna need a miracle 'cause it's all on the line And I won't let you down (No I won't let you down, ooh... ) The river of your hope is flooding And I know the dam is busted If you need me I'll come running I won't let you down... no, no" At this point i panicked a bit as i.. saw (horror of horrors) the Man in the Bermudas! Unintentionally..i clicked on the "Next" button on my mp3 player.. which led me to the song... [b]5. Russians by Sting[/b] Sting's relaxed style of singing belied the gripping and threatening political undertones of this song.. starting with the ticking of a clock to signify the fleeting quality of time.. it begins with a grim warning.. "In Europe and America, there's a growing feeling of hysteria Conditioned to respond to all the threats In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets Mr. Krushchev said we will bury you I don't subscribe to this point of view It would be such an ignorant thing to do If the Russians love their children too" And i could feel myself gripped with anxiety as i know the Man in the Bermudas will catch up to me in no time at all..The unrelenting beat of "Russians" is akin to the relentless march of a Russian soldier.. or the Man in the Bermudas.. I forced myself to run faster.. fear-induced speed.. that's what this song does for you.. "How can I save my little boy from Oppenheimer's deadly toy There is no monopoly of common sense On either side of the political fence We share the same biology Regardless of ideology Believe me when I say to you I hope the Russians love their children too" Ahh.. how can i save myself from the Man in the Bermudas...perhaps a different song? maybe.. [b]6.Santa Fe by Bon Jovi[/b] Splendid! opened with a symphony too like Tonight... With a ferocious drum beat to keep the legs moving.. and angst-filled lyrics to make you feel the whole world is against you..and that you're the only hero in the world..perfect song.. im running faster already..
"But the things I hear are there just to remind me Every dog will have his day The spirits, they intoxicate me I watched them infiltrate my soul They try to say it's too late for me Tell my guns I'm coming home I swear I'm gonna live forever Tell my maker he can wait I'm riding somewhere south of heaven Heading back to Santa Fe It's judgment day in Santa Fe Once I was promised absolution There's only one solution for my sins You gotta face your ghosts and know with no illusions That only one of you is going home again" yes! that'll be you, Bermuda boy!.. Im going home a hero.. you're going down! I could see it now.. the final straight.. only 25 metres before im home free.. he hasnt overtaken me yet..the song continues.. "Now I ain't getting into heaven if the devil has his way I swear I'm gonna live forever Heading back to *bzzzzziuuuuuuutttt* ...... My heart skipped a few beats..as a sudden gust of wind blew by.. It was him.. the Man in the Bermudas.. he had beaten me..again.. the loud drum beats made me oblivious to his catching up on me.. and my steps became smaller..and meek.. and after the final straight.. the music stopped..and so did I. It's back to the drawing board..
What goes around comes around.. if you keep this philosophy close to your heart nothing can really affect you that much.. I guess even when you do lots of planning, and when your expectations exceed the eventuality.. an anticlimax is on the cards.. Sometimes I wonder why I cant just let my anger loose.. more like a lion.. than an old pair of gym shorts which has lost its elasticity.. But I find it incomprehensible to behave like that..even reprehensible to a certain extent.. But the lion must be free to roam one day..
Relationships are made to be that way.. complicated.. I have a few friends who come to me when they're troubled or need help with something.. Case in point is a friend who i shall refer to as "L" who had invited me over for a cup of coffee near a train station just to reminisce over the past.. Instead I discovered the only reason why he had brought me there was to introduce me to his multi-level marketing scheme.. yet another get-rich-quick scheme.. Under the spotlight, I gave in to pressure and surrendered a good portion of my NSF pay to him..
I was young..I was foolish.. am i still a fool now? who's to say.. i've definitely become wiser.. but I also realize that Im more foolish now than ten years in the future.. who can we really trust in this world..other than God? who knows.. some friends have shown that they can be trusted.. but they too have admitted that they have lied to me at one time or another.. and I too admit that I've told my fair share of lies too.. Hmm..how about parents then? well.. to find out the truth, just look under your beds.. if you could see the boogeyman, then i guess they're pretty trustworthy then.. The thing is, though they may not realise it..and maybe neither can we.. they may at one time or another interpret a situation and totally turn it around.. and extremely reducing the absolute truth in their statements.. they may have done so to protect us.. and indeed white lies are about the only lies that are justifiable.. but to go down that slippery slope down the hill of truth has always been dangerous.. for you may never find the strength to climb back up again..Instead.. we just wallow in the muddy pool of lies below..
To lie..or not to lie.. trust is something fleeting for me.. should you keep the anger caged and throw away the key.. or should you let it loose.. and let truth guide your way.. Either way, it is inevitable that the pandora's box explodes open.. To decide when to tell the truth and when to tell a lie is akin to walking the tightrope that separates the mighty..and the fallen...life can be quite a bitch sometimes.
The other day, I had bumped into an old friend of mine.. from way back in primary school.. I hadnt seen him for a long long time..Beyond the small talk that was uncomfortably thrusted upon us by societal pressure.. I learnt that he had taken on a new job as a security officer at a nearby factory..
As we parted ways on the very same pavement that we used to part ways going back from school, my thoughts drifted back to those days when I was still in primary school.. Ah.. those were the days.. after our exams..we were all allowed to bring all manners of toys and board games to school just so the teachers can do their marking in relative peace without having to teach something new.. My friend used to bring his MASK toys which in those days were all the rage.. a flip of a switch and the car doors flipped open..and suddenly the car's able to fly.. how cool is that! And he always used to share whatever toys he had with the friends around him..including me of course..
But one toy i had always wanted to play with.. or at the very least.. just touch were the Silverhawks.. there used to be this rich boy.. who would bring the complete collection of Silverhawks figures.. and display them on his table.. but he would never let anyone touch them.. He used to say "see no touch" as if he was pimping them or something.. But they were so shiny.. and when you push the legs inward.. their wings will fan out..enabling them to fly.. at least in the cartoons.. But they were awesome..
One toy which i DID manage to get though was Optimus prime from the transformers series.. which i got as a present from my dad..even though i only came in fourth in standard that year... But it was the best.. the transformers..for those who are not in the know are a bunch of robots with the ability to transform into amongst other things, vehicles, radios, cameras, microscopes, even animals.. It was like buying two toys for the price of one.. and the challenge was in figuring out how to transform the plane into a robot and vice versa.. a wrong step might result in a decapitated robot.. or a plane with broken wings.. I used to love playing lego when i was younger but then again the round heads and blunt swords gradually challenged my imagination which was becoming less vivid by the day..
Enter optimus prime, soundwave, dirge, the aerialbots and slag.. which rescued my then dwindling interest in toys.. and kept it preserved until this very day.. In fact I was given a transformer for my last birthday.. But nowadays i've had less and less time to play with my transformers.. and most of them are kept in the storeroom..and it's quite difficult getting them out too.. But I'll always love them.. a reminder of a childhood that used to be mine.. today i see kids with their cellphones and girlfriends by the age of 10.. well, to them i say, I'll choose transformers over those any day..yeah..try transforming your cell phone into a car.. =http://img11.photobucket.com/... Optimus prime =http://img11.photobucket.com/... Soundwave
[b]A picture of Hikaru Ichijo aka Rick Hunter and Misa Hayase aka Lisa Hayes[/b] I used to love watching the robotech series on television during the the '80s and early '90s as well... One of the best animes i've seen.. with an engaging love affair blossoming during a global war.. The world unites against the common enemy, the Zentraedi.. Amazing how soap opera romance does so well amidst a backdrop of amazing aerial dogfights.. Check it out if you can.. it has even been condensed to a single movie.. albeit with a few changes here and there.. but the series is definitely worth the watch.. =http://img11.photobucket.com/...
For those of you who grew up watching the Doraemon or sometimes called "Xiao Ding Dang" in these parts.. this is a sad story which has been circulating through the web recently.. about the end of the series... I just thought i'd share it..
