An Entry for Cartoon Villians

Hello There!

I am quite aware that dust has been forming up on this blog o' mine. Weeks are flying by very fast and I find myself on the verge of another weekend. Big news, my Bro's back from Beijing but will be going off soon. It's great that he is back and I am sure he will have a good time here with the family :)

Cartoon Villians

Anyway, I have been carrying the same thought with me sometimes. It's got to do with the infamous villians we know of the 80s! Yep those guys that show up at the wrong time and mess up the heroes's picnics and stuff. Here are 2 photos to refresh those memories:

A really nice drawing of Cobra Commander by David Michael Beck.

'When the Evil Shredder Attacks...'

Well, people usually choose to support the hero as he wins at the end of the episode. Following the crowd isn't exactly my thing sometimes, and I differ here. I grew up looking forward to seeing the bad guys! I drew Cobra tanks and liked Shredder's iconic cartoon form.

WHY? Don't worry, I am not a paranoid and I had a healthy childhood.

My 2 Cents

I pictured the middle advertisements as the credits, while the credits signalled the middle of the episode.

From watching my fair share of cartoons, they follow a general pattern. Only if the bad guy had a better plan, it will be 2 parts or more.

Aim of Good Guys:

Keep General Public/City/Country safe by beating their threat - The Bad Guys at expense of Bad Guys's well-being.

Aim of Bad Guys:

Keep their empire/army safe by beating their threat - the Good Guys, at expense of General Public/City/Country.

Part A

Starting Sequence

1. Aim of Good Guys achieved and/or Good Guys have some time together.
2. Bad Guys come up with nefarious plan (against Good Guys, scientists, General Public etc.)
3. Bad Guys initiate the plan and are at the brink of victory.

Part B

4. Aim of Bad Guys achieved as Good Guys are outdone.
5. Good Guys devise a plan to get back at them.
6. Good Guys win and Bad Guys go back to form the next plan.

Credits.

Now, if you shift A to B or B to A...an episode will be like:

Part A

Starting Sequence

1. Aim of Bad Guys achieved as Good Guys are outdone.
2. Good Guys devise a plan to get back at them.
3. Good Guys win and Bad Guys go back to form the next plan.

Part B

4. Aim of Good Guys achieved and/or Good Guys have some time together.
5. Bad Guys come up with nefarious plan (against Good Guys, scientists, General Public etc.)
6. Bad Guys initiate the plan and are at the brink of victory.

Credits

--------

Haha don't you think the Bad Guys look like the heroes? It takes some imagination to picture it...and I theorized the Bad Guys appear bad because they ended up on the wrong side of the advertisements and they were pictured as evil by cartoonists who had to appeal to the public's taste.

Furthermore, the Bad Guys had a spirit that Good Guys lacked - perseverence. They had many things going against them:

- Good Guys must have the looks, smarts, good voicing, skills and moral appeal. Bad Guys can't have that, maybe they can look cool instead though...

- Good Guys had to succeed when the credits are up, and that meant Bad Guys had to lose or even die. That would certainly not fit well in a result-orientated society.

- Bad Guy toys tend to fare worse in sales or 'fights' with Good Guy toys. (who wants to be seen holding onto a Shredder action figure?)

- Their kids won't want to follow their job (If Cobra Commander had a kid, the kid would rather be a successful lawyer than a failing army commander).

- Kids around the world don't want to play as a 'Shredder' or 'Megatron', because they knew they had to lose too. Who likes winning?

- No one praises Bad Guys when they succeed. Doing so would seem immoral.

Regardless of these factors, they continue to scheme against the Good Guys in an undying hope of succeeding. They throw themselves against the prevailing attitude that Good Guys have to win.

Conclusion

Heh I have to admit here I am not condoning evil acts or condemning good. The point is these cartoons are fun, and it's just me having some fun thinking too much about them.

We have to be careful not to judge people based on the prevalent view based on that person. They only appear to be who they are based on what we know about them. Rarely do we look from the other person's point of view, and appreciate where he/she is coming from. That is one important facet that is repeatedly ignored nowadays.

Try it, leave the judgement to God and put yourself in another's shoes. The world might look drastically different.

Time's getting late...I better turn in soon. Thanks for reading up to here if you do, I really appreciate your reading.

Hope I didn't bore you too much with my musings, and I wish you all the best in the future ahead.

Be Happy
Joshua

Tardy Blog Bug

Hello People!

Yes my tardy blog bug has bitten again in the midst of my 'free-ness'. I have no school to attend, no work to sweat for, and yet I barely find myself anytime to cast a breath freely in the comfort of my home.

Preparation for college, visa applications, attending the Dale Carnegie Course (I recommend it for anyone), meeting up pals, going to Church, eating out regularly with dad, attending an open forum on intelligent design, downloading a couple of game demos for fun, succumbing to terrible diahoera for a few days, and a couple of minor stints in volunteering for my church's kindergarden are some of the highlights of what I have done so far.

Also, it goes without saying that much has happened to my fellow peers. The closure of UNSW Asia, escapades in foreign lands (be it for work/school/fun), exams ending (with results), concerts, lastest happenings back in my unit have recently shaped the lives of those I am honored to have known.

And this picture? I'm a nerd and that's what I actually wore in ICA! Well I was taking photos on that day to apply for a biometric passport. It was my dad's idea to do so and I didn't feel awkward walking around like that either.


Right here, I profess that you are definitely better than me at something. That gives me (or anyone) no reason to have the lordly right to think I'm superior to you. Don't you think there's some truth in that? It's one of the many things that the Dale Carnegie Course teaches, and most of them are simple and yet escape the vision of many. I haven't finished the course yet and I can't tell you all about it yet. But what I know...it is a course that draws upon the participant's willingness to stretch his/her comfort zone, and not the adroitness of the instructors themselves.

I have been thinking...what is the number 1 priority in your life? Can such a priority take precedence over all areas of your life? Is its status granted by quantitive or qualitative means? It is a question that popped out of my head when I began reading Ravi Zacharias's 'Jesus Among Gods', a book about the validity of the absolute claims of Jesus.

In the beginning chapter, he examines the significance of Jesus's beginnings and compares it to the other figures of major religions. This chapter did strike the 'no.1 question' in me when Zacharias touched upon Jesus's humble background and the thoroughness of His exclusivity of truth. Do we place wealth, status or friends ahead of an eternal perspective demonstrated by Jesus? It has serious implications if we do not consider it thoughfully.

I agree that it just represents a point of view, and I am not out here to convince anyone about Jesus. I have just started a very brief scratch on the realm of apologetics. I'm still young and yet to be exposed to a great many things. I thank God for bringing me to where I am now and I am indeed excited to know more about Him (and not simply swallow without digestion).

Well, I have to hit the sack soon and I do hope I didn't bore you to death! I wish you all a good day as I retreat back into my abode. More updates to come as my life goes on.

Take care,
Joshua