Discovering more about Japan's culture

With so many things to love about Japan, the country has become a popular place for people to flock in. One would just wish he or she would live there to relish the delicacies of Japanese culture.

Speaking of Japanese culture, I just watched the TV show entitled "Culture: Japan", hosted by popular blogger Danny Choo and K-On voice actress Satomi Oda. The show features some of the stuff that make the land of the rising sun very famous. Here are a few of them featured in the episode:

Cosplay: Popular Pinoy cosplayer Alodia Gonsiengfiao was featured there, with a sneak peek about her home which is also a workshop for her cosplay sorties.

Anime Figures: Mr. Choo was granted permission for a tour about Good Smile Company, the guys behind some of the most renowned anime figurines. The show even featured a few of the figure collectors and Amiami rated the top 10 best figurines to look out for.

Anime: DigitalHolywood was included there also, which served as a training ground for all future animators all over the globe.

Student Life: Fujisawa High School was indeed a school of its own kind, which allowed students to create their own time tables to suit their interests. 

I sure hope there will be another episode of the show, so that viewers everywhere would savor more about the Japanese pop culture. I hope this will spark your interest... ^^

For more about Danny Choo's blog, you can visit dannychoo.com

Oh, and here's Alodia's website for an added bonus: alodiagosiengfiao.com

The 39 Clues: A dangerous hunt

 If you ever heard or watched The Amazing Race before, then you've been familiar with the scene: teams competing for clues which serve as keys to reach their destinations, accomplishing various tasks. It serves as a test to see who gets there first, because those who get left behind will be eliminated.

 But what if the competing teams are composed of relatives who will do more than just get the clues, obliterating every obstacle that comes in their way, even if it means to strangle their other relatives who aim for the same goal? After all, treachery and distrust are abounding in the competition, and that's what happens in the series entitled The 39 Clues, a series introduced by Scholastic Inc. 

The 39 Clues focuses about the Cahill family, the most influential lineage in the world. Yes, you may have heard of famous people like Benjamin Franklin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, George Washington, Edgar Allan Poe, and others, but in The 39 Clues, they all have Cahill blood. The family is split into 5 branches. There are four known branches: Ekaterina (scientists and inventors), Janus (artists, painters, composers, dancers), Lucian (leaders and spies) and Tomas (athletes and explorers). The remaining branch, the Madrigals, were a group of Cahills with unknown intentions as of now, although they are also involved to stop the other branches from getting the Clues.


But the main event commenced when after Grace Cahill died, during her funeral, it was stated in her alternate will that in order to find the secret to the Cahill lineage's ultimate power, one must accept in joining the competition to search for the 39 clues (hence, the title). But in order to do so, one must surrender the check containing $1,000,000. Among the group of people who were selected to hear the will, only seven teams accepted the challenge.

Amy and Dan Cahill were orphans under the care of Grace's sister, Beatrice, who was strict and overprotective. They were considered as the underdogs due to the fact that their competitors looked down on them, thinking that they're just a bunch of rag-tag travelers who won't stand a chance to survive in the dog-eat-dog competition. But still, it was due to their talents and strengths that they managed to overcome obstacles and go in the lead, accompanied by their au pair Nellie Gomez and Grace's Egyptian Mau, Saladin.


There will be 10 books that focus on the their adventures. Each book contains 6 cards that, if one types the code printed on the bottom, will appear on the online card gallery, and unlock the same clue mentioned in the book. Yes, one can also collect cards to unlock combos and get more clues, by buying more books and card packs.

If you want to know more about the series, and to see more of the good stuff, check out this site:


The 39 Clues Official Website


Oh, and in order to do the unlocking stuff, card collecting and all that jazz, you must register for an account there. It's worth trying it out.

So far, I've finished reading Book 1, and started reading Book 2. Gotta buy more books and card packs to unlock more combos and get more clues... ^^


That's all for now... Time to unleash the inner Lucian within me now! *evil laugh*