Patung Kamen Rider di tengah Gempa Jepang

Kamen Rider adalah tokoh pahlawan televisi anak-anak Jepang yang sudah ada sejak 30 tahun silam. Kang Kamen Rider ini adalah tokoh "tokusatsu (special effect)" paling senior, kalau dibanding Ultraman, Super Sentai (alias Power Ranger) dan Metal Heroes (Gavan, Sharivan, Shaider cs.).

Di kota Ishinomaki prefectur Miyagi, di tengah reruntuhan kota akibat terjangan tsunami dan gempa, sebuah patung Kamen Rider tetap berdiri selayaknya pahlawan. Di kota ini terletak stasiun KA yang dihiasi patung-patung superhero, nama jalannya adalah Manga Road dan di sinilah patung Kamen Rider standing still undefeated by the tsunami.

Di tengah berita kurang menyenangkan akibat bencana ini, masyarakat Jepang memberi banyak pelajaran berharga untuk dunia. Pelajaran bagaimana sebuah bangsa metropolitan harus berdiri kembali setelah diterjang tsunami, pelajaran bagaimana harus menghadapi musibah nuklir abad XXI, tapi pelajaran terpenting adalah, bagaimana harus tabah menghadapi cobaan gempa. Anak-anak dan orang tua berbaris rapi menanti antrian bahan baku dan makanan. Tidak ada jarahan, amarah (cuma dipendam) dan politikus saling mendukung. Kata orang inilah contoh hasil mental masyarakat yang sudah terdidik selama ratusan tahun. Bangsa Jepang adalah salah satu dari pemilik rata-rata IQ tertinggi di dunia.

Mari kita mengamati dari jauh, di tanah nusantara yang katanya pertemuan dua lempeng tektonik, serta ada baiknya segera memungut sedikit-sedikit pelajaran dari negeri matahari terbit. Dan yang paling penting mencontoh bagaimana harus bertabah ... ala Kamen Rider.

Album Baru Stryper The Covering 2011

UFO, Iron Maiden and Van Halen in one album? That's right, it's all in Stryper's new album, The Covering. Surprise little for a Christian Metal Band also covering Black Sabbath 'Heaven and Hell', no other reason because it is more Metal and kick X>< classic. Songs are very close to original, but with re vocal by Michael Sweet it is sound Stryper as usual.

See Stryper The Covering here.



Band:

Michael Sweet (vocals)
Robert Sweet (guitars)
Oz Fox (drums)
Timothy Gaines (bass)

Track listing:
1. Set Me Free (Sweet)
2. Blackout (Scorpions)
3. Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath)
4. Lights Out (UFO)
5. Carry on Wayward Son (Kansas)
6. Highway Star (Deep Purple)
7. Shout it Out Loud (Kiss)
8. Over the Mountain (Ozzy Osbourne)
9. The Trooper (Iron Maiden)
10. Breaking the Law (Judas Priest)
11. On Fire (Van Halen)
12. Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin)
13. God (new studio track)

Cap Go Meh Singkawang 2011 Video

Here uploaded Cap Go Meh Singkawang 2011 video. Showing Tatung street festival and "Jelangkung" / Basket Ghost attraction.

Cap Go Meh 2011 Tatung

2011 Tatung festival in Singkawang, photo impression. For other posting see here.

Tatung Festival on Tribune Diponegoro

Ethnic dance in Chinese, Malay and Dayak costume.
Photos by "H"

Cap Go Meh 2011 in Singkawang

Singkawang,120km away from Pontianak City, this small city is even more famous than Pontianak for its Cap Go Meh celebration. For this 2011 year, the city put in even more solid attractions to attract more national and international tourist. The attractions includes : Tatung festive, Old Singkawang Photography Exhibition, Lantern Eve. Festive etc. The final attraction and closing ceremony happened in local football stadium. Here're some photos from the events :

Tatung parade in Singkawang 2011

Tatung Parade

The Closing Ceremony, children wearing ethnic costume to celebrate the
diversity of Singkawang

Thousand Palms Kwan Im Dance in Closing Ceremony

Korean Arirang dance

The lions ushered in the year of Rabbit

Singkawang city decoration

Memoar Orang Singkawang Photo Exhibition

Chinese New Year in Pontianak City

Pontianak City (="Khun tien" in Chinese dialect) is a capital of Indonesia's West Kalimantan (Borneo) province. Home to a large Chinese community, it is no doubt prepared himself ready to celebrated the 2011 Chinese New Year. The festival was especially celebrated in the city's signature street, Jl. Gajahmada, where lots of Chinese cuisine decorated in the street side. To ushered the Lunar new year, the less than a kilometer street also has additional decoration, the red lanterns.

Briefly trying to survive the urban development, the lanterns found themself enough space to blend into the street's facade. The Jl.Gajahmada street facade is signatured with many chinese-style "ruko" or shop house, now being in a danger of being vanished. Shop owner choose the modern yet uninspiring metal cladding to covered their building as a decoration. Quite a shame, but for this little concern, the red lanterns still provide enough evidence, that the street will never in danger for its lack of excitement over Chinese New Year.

Come to the City, briefly an hour flight from Singapore and Jakarta, it is a home of multietnis town and exotic food.

35th Super Sentai and Sentai's Top List

It's super hero time!!!!!! Once again rise by unknown power of good, a five (or more) teenages (in Japan) choose to sacrifice their live and wear a costume of magic, to be come .... the Super Sentai.

2011 is a year more to celebrated for Super Sentai fans, the new issue, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger will celebrated as 35th edition of the series, right from Goranger in 1977 till now. It's older than me, and supposed to be... older than anyone interested to read this post (LOL).

I am going to compiled my personal Super Sentai List... a big project biting my office hours ..!

Top 10 Favorite Super Sentai:

1. GoGo Sentai Boukenger  - this is a new millenium Sentai series, using latest digital 3D rendering to capture the best imagination. But what made this one my overall favorite sentai series are:
a. story line : about adventurer trying to collect precious (artifact) similar in Indiana Jones-style
b. excellent characterization : all five members are well written with excellent background story
c. enemy design : perhaps the first and only sentai to have more than one group of enemy party
d. casting : Haruka Suenaga, Chise Nakamura... !
e. others : excellent basecamp design, I love the interior. Footage of previous sentai in the end of episode.

2. Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger - two series before Boukenger, the series is top for its uniques:
a. story line : adapting space police theme, simple and straightforward per episode story
b. characterization : one of most memorable and complete characterization for all members
c. enemy design : most unique, using independent enemy per episode but also one "ultimate nemesis"

3. Dai Sentai Goggle-V  - prototype for SE Asian sentai lover. the story is classic and simple to understand for kid! Classic series with memorable character

4. Mahou Sentai Magiranger - has excellent storyline through the series. a complex series not exactly can be understood well without watching the whole series.

5. Gekisou Sentai Carranger - are you kidding? no, if you're watching super sentai in your adult form, you are actually looking for a parody, and Carranger is the best super sentai to entertaint you. And notable female cast (!)

6. Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman - classic sentai that more advance than Google V. memorable family theme
7. Chōjin Sentai Jetman - best of sentai adopting more mature theme, classic excellent design as well.
8. Choudenshi Bioman  - perhaps most popular sentai worldwide, so breakthrough in design for the 80s
9. Hikari Sentai Maskman - best robotic design of the classic sentai that make all children cried for it
10. Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger - a breakthrough series, imported to US, nice story and new sixth member


Top 10 Favorite Sentai Costume (and Helmet)
mostly from the 80s but Dekaranger win in overall design:
1. Dekaranger
2. Flashman
3. Abaranger
4. Timeranger
5. Bioman
6. Maskman
7. Liveman
8. Changeman
9. Jetman
10. Google V

Favorite Songs:
mostly because I forget the old sentai series, and not watching in detail for all series
1. Dekaranger
2. Boukenger
3. Google V
4. Hurricanger
5. Magiranger

Favorite Red Male character and casting:
1. Google Red
2. Boukenger Red
3. Deka red
4. Red Carranger
5. Five Red

Favorite Female character and casting:
do yu really need recomendation?
1. Jasmine - Deka Yellow
2. Sakura - Boukenge Pink
3. Miki Momozono -Google Pink , our big sister
4. Umeko - Deka Pink, the only bath scene in sentai
5. Nanami Nono - Hurricane blue

Favorite Themes:
1. Adventure - Boukenger
2. Police - Dekaranger
3. Pirate - (current) Gokaiger ( pre emptive..)
4. Ninja - hurricanger
5. Martial art - Gekiranger (but quite weak storyline)

For (almost) complete list of Super Sentai fan subs to English check this BLOG.