Yupki Girl

I woke up early this morning for this.

CHANGE I quit

This being the last episode, it comes full circle. Mojakura's students pay him a surprise visit in Tokyo. All the other important casts like Onoda and the campaign staff in Fukuoka all make an appearance. Ubukata, Keita's loyal ally at the Diet, even becomes temporary PM while he was recuperating. And of course, we have the highlight of the episode, Keita's 30-minute speech (I didn't watch the time but that was how Fuji TV hyped the finale: "a half-hour live broadcast") where he recalls his accidental foray into politics three months ago and ending, not only with taking responsibility for the corruption scandal, but going a step further and surprising everyone by announcing that he was dissolving the House of Representatives and calling for snap elections.

CHANGE by my side

The romance between Keita and Miyama is played ala-HERO. Very subtle. Is this how Japanese do their courtship? Like you bow your head to your fiance and say something like "please take care of me"? But it's quite cute the way Keita held her hand as they stood looking at the facade of the PM's office.

And so we come to the elections. And that's where it ends. But Keita's message in his emotional speech resonates. Like how important your vote is. We always say that every elections. But do we really realise the significance of that? "Your vote can change politics and society," he said, adding that the power of the land lies on the people and not on politicians.

But I suspect that this is possible only in advanced, developed countries like Japan whose democracy has reached a certain level of maturity. Sure, there is still a prevailing patronage politics but the people know what their rights are and what is due them. They live their lives not dependent on dole-outs and politicians' "help" that in truth come from public coffers. For poor countries like the Philippines, can you blame those who gamble their vote in exchange for five hundred pesos? I'm not justifying that but that is the reason why Philippine politics is nowhere. And why are there still people living in poverty when the country has so many resources and its growth rate has been steadily growing? It's because of the people who run it and who propagate poverty to serve their interest. The poorer the people are, the less empowered they are, the more dependent they are on politicians. Look at European countries where people are empowered and are not dependent on the government, they have a system that works. What I'm saying is, let's not depend on our government for giving us a decent life. We have to fend for ourselves in the best possible and decent manner.

But I digress. Keita said that by calling for general elections, he is able to squeeze out the puss in politics. I wonder when we can do that in the Philippines?

CHANGE Asakura Keita desu

At last, the finale's ratings topped the season's per episode record at 27%. Taku has been justified and he won the Drama Grand Prix for best actor. Like he said, he will make his critics eat their words. Mojakura hairstyle notwithstanding.

I'll miss Taku. I'll miss Hiroshi Abe's Niracci. I'll miss Team Asakura.

I dunno but this CM really gives off the aura of the Taipei I so love. Jerry's not much of a singer but I like the song.

I recently discovered this website that allows you to save and download videos from YouTube and other sites. My Jielun concert files problem solved. And it's quite fast! Faster than MU. This is the site: KeepVid.