Who would want Charles on their postage stamp?

My one claim to fame in life is that I once played rugby with Prince Harry ... 

Many of you won't believe me, mainly because the image of me playing rugby in your head is utterly ridiculous, but it's true okay. Back in 2003, he came to my school to do some coaching with young people. If you don't believe me here's the picture: 

Okay it's pretty small but that's me in the blue jumper and that tall ginger guy in the middle, I swear on my life is Prince Harry. I have this photo as an A4 print out if any of you need any further evidence ...

That's right, he came to that grotty little place called Aylesbury that everyone hates, so yeah, jealous? 

Now at this time, I didn't really take much notice of the Royal family but I found a lot of respect for this guy that day.  There were no diva moments, for two hours in the pouring rain, he played with a group of kids who didn't have a clue about rugby, got covered in mud, slipped over and laughed about it, and didn't care about his hair getting wet. He was genuinely such a nice guy. 

Ten years later, and the Royals are in the media much more regularly, what with the Jubilee last year, Prince William's engagement to Kate and now their baby on the way. It's sad Harry sort of gets over looked; he doesn't have a beautiful princess for a wife (although I'd be willing to fill that position given the opportunity), he's not next in line for the throne and if he is in the newspaper it's because he's dressed up as a Nazi or has got pretty drunk, but do you know what I say: 'fair play'. 

He's young, and represents his country in a much more important way like fighting in Afghanistan and his charity work. This has brought him to the news this week whilst in South Africa. He's touring all of the schools supporting his charity Sentebale. However, he doesn't just engage in a flying visit, have some photos taken and move on. No. He engages with the children, attempting to read Braille, watching them play football, dancing with them, and this is not the only charity he supports. 

The media can't seem to make a story without mentioning his Mother, but why can't they look at him in his own right.

He's down to Earth and I think he'd make a brilliant King of England. It's a shame he probably won't get the chance, not that I'm wishing the Queen, Charles or William dead or anything, more that they step down. William's not too bad but he's just not half as entertaining as Harry and he looks like his Dad already.  

I'd much rather have Harry on my postage stamps. 

Kamikaze Pheasant

POLICE CALLING FOR WITNESSES OF FATAL COLLISION

"There was a collision on the Buckingham Road this week, involving one vehicle. 

Phyllis Pheasant, jumped in front of a Ford KA at approximately 10.37, Monday morning. Emergency services were called but Phyllis died at the scene. 

The KA was travelling at approximately 60mph, when Phyllis, thought to have attempted to take her own life, jumped out of no where. The driver tried to swerve but was unsuccessful. 

Police are calling for all witnesses and family members to come forward to identify the feathers."

*****

Jokes aside, I could not feel more awful about this. I've been driving for just under 18 months and I hadn't experienced any road kill until New Years Day this year when I hit a pheasant. Monday saw my second victim, another pheasant, who we'll call 'Phyllis' for ease of reference. 

Now many of you are probably thinking 'yeah right, bit of a coincidence, definitely a murderer' and that I was playing human Angry Birds or something, but I risked my life and the lives of others trying to save this bird; an emergency stop from 60 mph is no mean feat. Let's just say it was lucky there was nothing behind me ... either way, there was genuinely nothing I could have done. 

I personally believe it was suicide. One minute Phyllis was innocently at the side of the road, the next she was a cloud of feathers behind me. She literally just jumped out of no where which leads me to believe maybe she was depressed and trying to take her own life.  This doesn't stop me feeling any less guilty though. She might have had a husband, several young children and I've killed her... 

With this being my second victim already this year it worries me that this is going to become routine each month and before long, I will be the cause of a pheasant extinction ... 

It took me a good few hours to come to terms with what I'd done and the way it affected me got me thinking how much of a hypocrite I am; I eat meat and yet I clearly couldn't personally take an animal's life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not thinking of turning vegetarian or anything; bacon and KFC are an integral part of my existence and equally, I'm not criticising those who do kill animals, on behalf of the squeamish of us, I thank you. In all seriousness though, the majority of us eat meat, and clearly don't know where it comes from, in light of the horse meat scandal, and we couldn't do the deed ourselves; it's quite literally just handed to us on a plate. Do we really have the right to consume animals with this frame of mind? 

Just a little food for thought ...

RIP Phyllis. I hope you'll be my last road kill for a while. 

Eco-Friendly iPhone Covers

There are a lot of products out there meant to enhance the iPhone. SD cards, headphones, bluetooth devices… things you add on to make the most of your mobile. Cases are probably the most popular, as they can be entirely customized to your specifications. I know I have seen some really cool ones over the past few years, as the demand has grown. Even independent sellers are making them on sites like Etsy and eBay.

But many of us don’t want to buy anything if it is going to add to the increasing problem of mass industry hurting the planet. Many of these accessories are cheap to buy, but they come at a massive environment price. Wouldn’t it be great if you could get iPhone cases that were truly eco-friendly?

Look no further, because you can. These are all companies that make cases from recycled materials, which can them be recycled once more when you are done with them.

TRTLBOT

This amusingly named company makes what they call “shells” for various Apple devices, such as the iPhone and the iPad, including ones that allow you to slip your ID and credit cards into the back for safe keeping, reducing your need to carry around a wallet when you want to travel light or keep things close to your body. They have several different styles, including the KidSafe, which allows your little ones to mess with your iPhone without worry of cracking it with a drop, or spilling anything on it.

Innovez

All products here are fully biodegradable and made of recycled materials. But they are also really cool looking. There are regular or glider series phone covers available, in a ton of different materials. They are affordable, at $19.95 each. They have cases available for the iPhone 3G/3GS, iPhone 4G/4GS, and the iPhone 5.

True Bamboo

Bamboo is a beloved material for many things, and the iPhone case is no exception. These cases are gorgeous, made of smoothed and polished sustainable bamboo, an entirely biodegradable substance. Plus, it is a well made case that will be sure to last for years, and is solid enough to dampen the force of drops.

Tube

Tires are one of the hardest materials on the environment, and burning them releases a ton of nasty stuff into the air. These cases are really just portions of bike tires that have been reconfigured to make a pocket for your iPhone. They are the perfect size, pliable, and water resistant.

Bioserie

These are extremely cool, as there is no plastic in them despite the way they look and feel. They are made entirely from plants and renewable materials, and even the production is more eco-friendly than other styles. Plus, they are attractive and customizable. Most are priced at just under $35. And don’t miss this list of iphone 5 cases as well!

Miniwiz

This China-based company has quite a few products available in different categories, including various things made from recycled wine bottles. But they also have iPhone cases that are made from other cases, which have been reformed to make new ones. They come with clips, pockets for ID’s and credit cards, and a unique design you won’t find anywhere else.

Tick tock.

The concept of time frustrates me: getting up early in the morning, being late, not having enough time to do something ... I hate the confinement. It is frequently argued that we as humans are the most powerful beings and that we have free will, but ultimately, time rules us; we are governed by a tiny ticking sound, physically and metaphorically.

The dictionary defines time as 'the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole' but it seems to me to be a constriction of our own creation of which we can no longer escape. 

It's something that's always been there. Even before the first clock was created in the 1300s, people were working out the time from the stars and the seasons. However, these predictions were much less precise and flexible in comparison to the modern human's introduction of definitive numbers. 

When I was little, everyday when I came home from school, I would sit down and watch Bernard's Watch on CITV. It was fascinating as it consisted of a boy who had a watch that had the ability to pause time. Can you imagine the possibilities? I'd have five extra hours in bed a day and still get to uni on time. I'd probably give myself a weeks extension on my current assignment. I wouldn't have been late for work this evening but most importantly, I'd give myself more time to do the things I enjoy whilst I have 'my time' here on Earth.

Everybody's always in a rush and although I desperately try not to be one of these people, I still don't get time to do the things I love such as reading for pleasure, pursuing illustration, even something as simple as spending time with the people I love.  

It occurred to me recently that this is just the start; I am aiming for a high flying career, but do I really want to be driven by time and deadlines for the rest of my life? It's a scary concept but it's reality. No matter what I decide, it's always going to have an inevitable hold over me, but this won't stop me trying to defy it. So, in order to get this assignment finished this week, I may have more than a few sleepless nights and I will extend my day into the night, I will find more time to do the things I love, and I will find a way to appreciate time, rather than resenting it, not everyone gets this luxury. 

Back away Bowie ...

So it's been a whole decade since David Bowie last released any new music. This year however saw his 66th Birthday, and he marked this occasion with a new single, 'Where are we now?' This is to be followed by an album, Next Day, due to be released in early March. 

Now although, I wasn't even born when Bowie was at his peak, I'm still a fan. I love his eccentricity, his confident, androgynous style, but mostly his diverse range of music. He's truly a superstar and his three decade career is testimony to this.  

However, I'm disappointed to say his latest song didn't exactly grab my attention.

I was hoping that he would bring back a small part of those seventies and eighties parties for those of us who missed it, but there is no sign of quirky Ziggy Stardust, no fascinating, striking videos, no sign of energy, vibrancy or colour. All that's left is a grand piano, laboured lyrics and an overwhelming sense of tiredness. 

If this is a flavour for his new album, I doubt I'll be rushing to download it. It's slightly too comfortable, and if it wasn't for his distinctive vocals, it would simply have blended into a blurry backdrop of 'easy listening'. 

What happened to the legendary Jean Genie and Rebel Rebel? It's a sure certain fact I won't be putting on my red shoes and dancing the blues to this ...

I have a lot of respect for Bowie. He looks great for his age and his vocals are as strong as ever. To come back after ten years and at 66, I think is a brave and admirable move. I only hope he's making a come back for personal enjoyment, and if this is the case, I will continue to look on him fondly and say, 'fair play'. 

However, I can't help feeling it is an attempt to regain the success of his hey day. For me his reputation was enough. His songs have exceeded his career already, they're timeless and generation after generation will enjoy them. You only need to look at the popular BBC TV series Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes; these enjoyed great success, largely due to the soundtrack of which Bowie was a significant part. I'm slightly concerned his latest album may be the ink splash on his clean white page and I would hate for this to overshadow the legacy he has made for himself.

I will be interested to see the finished product when it's released, through loyalty if nothing else, but I personally will remember Bowie as the genius of the 70s and 80s: the catchy melodies, the synth sounds, the deep, narrative lyrics, the legend. 

Amazing Video of Coronal Rain Released By NASA, Beautiful Solar Eruption And Flare, MUST WATCH (VIDEO)

Video of the coronal plasma rain on the Sun that we reported on earlier has now been released by NASA. The amazing video shows the event throughout its formation and duration, it’s awesome. There is a very wide variation in the types of eruptive events that occur on the Sun, even if you’ve already watched videos of solar eruptions before this one stands out.

“On July 19, 2012, an eruption occurred on the sun that produced all three. A moderately powerful solar flare exploded on the sun’s lower right limb, sending out light and radiation. Next came a CME, which shot off to the right out into space. And then, the sun treated viewers to one of its dazzling magnetic displays – a phenomenon known as coronal rain.”

“Over the course of the next day, hot plasma in the corona cooled and condensed along strong magnetic fields in the region. Magnetic fields, themselves, are invisible, but the charged plasma is forced to move along the lines, showing up brightly in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength of 304 Angstroms, which highlights material at a temperature of about 50,000 Kelvin. This plasma acts as a tracer, helping scientists watch the dance of magnetic fields on the sun, outlining the fields as it slowly falls back to the solar surface.”

The film was gathered by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory’s Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) instrument. “SDO collected one frame every 12 seconds, and the movie plays at 30 frames per second, so each second in this video corresponds to six minutes of real time. The video covers 12:30 a.m. EDT to 10:00 p.m. EDT on July 19, 2012.”

The best part of the video is watching how the magnetic lines gather and direct the Sun’s energy in those twisting patterns. Very cool.

Turn that frown upside down.

It's a proven fact that it takes less muscles to smile than it does to frown; a mere 17 to be precise. So why do some people find it so difficult? 

On a day to day basis I encounter miserable people. Don't get me wrong, everyone has those 'down' days and in some cases, I have no doubt that there is more of a reason to cry than laugh, but I really feel people should be making more of an effort to be more smiley, mainly because their grumpy face dampens my mood. 

I get this a lot at work, both customers and staff. You get couples who sit there in silence, no conversation, no laughter, not even a smile. Why do you honestly bother coming out of your house? You make me grumpy and make my job a lot harder because I find it difficult to make an effort with people who very clearly don't want to be there. Equally, if one of your colleagues are miserable and short tempered, for no apparent reason, it's going to extend to everyone, and all in all, you're all going to have a thoroughly awful day thanks to one single person. 

Similarly, just walking along a street, why don't people smile at strangers any more? Probably because you'd be accused of some form of mental disorder but it shouldn't be that way. It should be common courtesy to smile and even say 'Good Morning' to random strangers; my neighbours don't even say 'hello'. They say strangers are just friends you haven't met yet; you're never going to meet them if you ignore everyone else in the world. 

I just don't understand it, everyone has so much to smile about. We don't live in a third world country, the majority of us are blessed with at least some family or friends and quite frankly, life could be a whole lot worse. 

Now I won't lie and say a smile a day keeps the wrinkles away because that'd be a lie, you're still going to get wrinkles. However, they're going to be good wrinkles. Wrinkles that tell a story. Stories worth laughing and smiling about for years to come. So for those conscious of ageing,  if you've got 'crows feet', be proud of them, you've smiled enough, if you have those deep crinkly ones on your forehead however, I have no sympathy, you're simply a grumpy person. 

So smile more. It doesn't take much, just a little tweak of that crooked mouth of yours. If not for yourself, for others, you're currently that big black cloud blocking the sun. Smiling is contagious. Start spreading the smiles and that grumpy old man you encounter regularly, might break the habit of a lifetime and smile with you. 

'Oi , put that graffitti back?'

I bet none of you thought you'd ever see the day when people were protesting to have graffitti back on a wall. However, this is currently the case on the art scene, with an iconic Banksy piece, being mysteriously removed from a wall last week.

Slave Labour appeared on a wall outside Poundland in North London last year around the time of the Queen's Jubliee. It now however, is sitting awaiting auction in Miami, and is thought to fetch around $500,000.

Unsurprisingly, many have been up in arms about this. What's evoking most controversy however is the way it's been taken. It was shiftily moved during the night, and the seller is remaining anonymous, leaving his auctioneer in Miami to take the abuse.

The auctioneer's argument started with him trying to justify his client's actions in that they were 'preserving' the work (surely you've caused more damage by cutting the lump of concrete out of the wall and flying it to Miami?) but after eventually realising he was clutching at straws, he stated that it was a private wall and it was therefore legal for them to take it. Legal, maybe. Moral, no.

There were several things that annoyed me when I heard this story, one being the nerve of people to claim ownership over it, it belongs in England: fact ... and secondly, the people of North London are now left with an ugly crater in the wall.

Now Banksy remains anonymous, and there was never any solid evidence that this particular piece was by him, only art expert's opinions. In my eyes however, even if it isn't by the infamous Banksy, it is still a British piece of art, by a British artist, making a social comment on Britain. Thus, for it to be sitting in America, ready to make them money, is disgusting. Remaining anonymous, Banksy clearly does not create his art for financial gain. He offers his creative expressions free of charge for the public to enjoy. The fact there's such controversy about this shows that he's changed the way people view street art and for that, who ever he is, he must be admired.

His work is a social comment. It is powerful, sometimes moving and genuinely forces society to address it's faults; to move this work out of it's context, for me, makes it meaningless and indeed worthless. It is one of the many symbols that make Britain truly 'great' and to take it under such circumstances really poses many questions of security for artists.

Whether Britain gets this work back or not, whoever has taken it upon themselves to attempt to sell it, has stolen a truly beautiful piece of work from the entire population and should be ashamed of themselves.

It was acceptable in the eighties.

This week has seen the release of plans for a PlayStation 4. What does this have to offer that the previous PlayStation doesn't? Apparently not a busting lot besides a couple of GB more potential data, and a worryingly realistic portrayal of gang culture available to mere five-year-olds ... 

 

It's the first new PlayStation in seven years, so for avid fans, I guess this is a big deal,  I however will remain in the eighties, with my Super Nintendo and Super Mario World.

 

This game repeatedly blows my mind more than any modern, technical PlayStation. Despite the fact we have a limited number of games, on account that they don't even produce them any more, I have wasted significant hours of my life on this console and will continue to do so for as long as it lives.

 

Some may find my fascination difficult to understand but here's what keeps me coming back for more: you don't have to wait half an hour for your game to load; I still find myself humming the theme tune from time to time; there is no violence with the exception of throwing a couple of shells and fire balling some tortoises here and there, and the 2D graphics are just irreplaceable.

 

I have never been a gamer, nor have my brothers to be fair. We lived in the country for the majority of our childhood and making dens in fields and trees was much more appealing. However, this has been the game, if any, that I have played. I've lost count how many times I've completed it but it's given me no end of joy and entertainment over the years; you can never save Princess Toadstool too many times from Bowser's kingdom.

It didn't cost the price of a car and it hasn't broken despite the fact that it's 25 years old. Given the choice, I'll always favour Nintendo. Although the DS and Wii in recent years seem to have been five minute wonders, their eighties products are undoubtedly the ultimate video games. When I was sixteen, my Mum brought me Super Mario Bros for our Wii and I can count on one hand how many times I have played it; the controller is just not the same, nor is the life like, animated graphics; nobody wants to see little 'Pavarotties' running around. 

 

The graphics don't need to resemble real life. It's a world where little Italian men can fly. They ride green dragons and they seem to have an indispensable amount of lives. If you ask me, it sounds like the effect of an evening of hash cakes but this is why I still revel in it: escapism. I don't want to kill people, I don't want to race cars in Japan or fight wars in COD. There's too much horror and suffering daily on our news screens. I want to climb up bean stalks, save the princess and live happily ever after. Simple.

So, no matter how  many versions PlayStation introduce, they will never top Super Nintendo. It disappoints me that  I now struggle to find a TV old enough to accommodate the fuzzy graphics but I won't let it die until it's ready. My Mario has several green mushroom lives left yet. 

Jeremy Kyle Juries?

So many of you may have heard that the Vicky Pryce trial was thrown out of court this week due to a 'fundamental deficit in understanding' among the jury. In other words, the jury who held the key to a person's freedom, were too stupid to make a fair judgement. 

For those that don't know, Vicky Pryce is alleged to have taken driving points for her MP husband Chris Huhnes, which would have resulted in her husband losing his licence. They have since split and he has pleaded guilty whilst she denies perverting the course of justice and claiming 'marital coercion'.

The judge demanded a retrial after ten questions posed by the jury highlighted a severe gap in understanding. Here are some of the most worrying: 

1. Please expand upon the definition, specifically "was will overborne".

2. Can you define what is reasonable doubt? 

3. Can a juror come to a verdict based on a reason that was not presented in court and has no facts or evidence to support it either from the prosecution or defence?

4. Can we speculate about the events at the time that Vicky Pryce signed the form, or what was in her mind at that time?

Now I've never been called up for jury service but how stupid do you have to be, not to understand that you are there to make a judgement purely based on the evidence given in that court room? Why would you speculate or infer anything; you have the responsibility of the rest of someone's life in your hands.

This is incredibly worrying but I have to say it doesn't surprise me when you think that these kinds of people could potentially be on the jury ... 

Equally, this isn't the first time that the validity of juries has been questioned; in 1993, a group of jury members consulted a ouija board to contact the murdered victim, to make their decision ... enough said. 

People are now questioning if juries are becoming less intelligent. Evidence says not, but in my opinion, more investigation is definitely needed when you look at the potential candidates. If I had these people judging me, I'd be pretty concerned. The extension to get a more 'representative' sample of the population is definitely having an effect to say the least.

Equality. Fairness. Unbiased. Yes. This is great in an ideal world but in reality, look at what you're left with when you treat everyone 'equally'. The world is not ideal, people are not of equal intelligence but in my opinion listening to what is explicitly put in front of you does not require intelligence but mere common sense and manners. There are a minority which currently don't hold these traits and this is only going to turn to a majority in years to come. 

People may not be becoming 'less intelligent' but certainly 'more ignorant' to intelligence and education and this definitely needs to be addressed before allowing the likes of Jeremy Kyle regulars to determine someone's fate. It makes a mockery of the whole judicial system and you may as well leave it to Judge Judy. 

I rest my case.

Cold turkey

My name's Aimee and I've been clean for seven days now.

 

It's been tough, really tough ... the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.

 

I knew I had a problem from a young age, but it took me a long time to face up to my problems. The turning point for me was when I woke up on the kitchen floor, face down, in a bag of Doritos. I couldn't remember what had happened or how I'd got there, but I knew I couldn't let people see me like that. I was ashamed. I was scared. I looked in the mirror and I didn't recognise myself; beneath the crumbs and the orange cheese powder on my face, there was a ghost of who I used to be.

 

My life had just started getting out of control, I'd started falling behind at uni, skiving work, getting in debt, isolating myself from my friends ... I was feeding my habit with change from down the back of the sofa or loans.

 

There have been moments of weakness this week I have to admit. I've been longing to hear the rustle of the foil packet, or the pop of a Pringle pot; to breathe in the flavour of a freshly opened packet; to feel the crunch between my teeth. The first two days were the hardest, it was very emotional, like a part of me was missing. I haven't been sleeping very well and the headaches are the worst. I still dread when the clock strikes twelve, I feel the shakes and the cold sweats coming on. The patches and the gum are really helping though and thanks to the support of my therapist and the group, I'm finally making progress and rediscovering who I used to be.

 

For the past seven years I've been in an incredibly dark tunnel, but now I can see the light: I'm on the way to recovery.

 

My name's Aimee and I'm a crispaholic.

Jokes aside, I've never lasted more than two days when I've given up something for Lent, so hello new-found willpower. Here's to hoping I can apply it to other areas of my life.

Real Women

Sometimes, I look around and I just hate girls. Often, they're judgemental, obsessed with their looks and are quite frankly, pathetic. More often than not, I'd rather socialise with men; at least you know where you stand. 

 

For hundreds of years, legendary women sacrificed blood, sweat and tears in the fight for equal rights and yet some girls of today, are exactly the reason it was such a tough battle. They play up to stereotypes of weak, vulnerable females who need rescuing. What happened to the girls who wanted to be Prime Minister? Now, the most common aspiration is to be a model or a TV star. They act stupid for attention, put on a poor American accent and get through life by fluttering their eye lashes.

I feel lucky and privileged to have been born into a family of strong, confident women. My Nan, hasn't had the easiest life, but has worked her fingers to the bone and is a fighter to this day. She brought my Mum up with the same attitude; she rolls her sleeves up in the face of adversity, isn't afraid of getting her hands dirty and was always more likely to have a dribble-laden dummy in her handbag than a pair of hair straighteners: truly Super-Mum. I can only hope to do them both proud by becoming strong and independent myself. 

 

When I'm at work I see a clear divide between women and 'girls'. On one side you've got all the rich 'girls' who look down their pampered noses at you; who elegantly sip wine and whose laugh just grates you the wrong way. Those who allow their husbands to pay for everything and whose biggest worry is that they can't fit in a manicure between their hairdressers appointment, and their yoga class tomorrow. 

Then you have the women. The real women. Those who the 'girls' laugh at. They come in and proudly drink pints of ale. They have clearly forgotten to brush their hair that day, or have dirt under their nails but they don't care. They will happily buy a drink for their husbands, and although they are clearly worried sick about their daughter suffering with cancer, they still manage to find something to smile about and don't moan about life's trivialities.

 

If you got in a fight with these women, they wouldn't pull your hair or scratch you with their nails, they'd punch you in the face because they are strong, independent women. These are the kind of women I admire. 

 

When I left school, I thought I'd left the Mean Girls culture behind me, but I'm coming to realise that no matter where I go, I'm always going to encounter that annoying minority of 'girls' who bring shame to fellow females. 

All I know is, I will smile in the face of their critical glares, I will work for everything I own, I will proudly drink a pint in public and I will eat Yorkie bars. 

 

Cheers to all the amazing women everywhere, I'm proud to say my friends and family are some of them. 

Aishiteruze Baby anime review

English: Love You Baby

Synonyms: Aishiteru ze Baby

Type: TV

Episodes: 26

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Apr 3, 2004 to Oct 9, 2004

Producers: TMS Entertainment, Animax, Toei Video, Sunny Side Up

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Shoujo

Duration: 25 min. per episode

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

I'll first do recommendation for those who are too busy to read all of a review. I recommend this anime for everyone who wants to watch something touching. Not really a romance, its more of a slice of life anime that should be able to find itself on everybody's list. Its an anime without grand events or drastic plot turns, its just goodness that keeps on going.

Kippei, an highschool goofy kid who spends most time slacking out and flirting with girls suddenly is entrusted with a 5 year old kid to take care of. This setup evolves into an incredibly heart warming story to cherish and rejoice, dealing with everyday problems of raising a child and struggling with his own carelessness and ineptitude Kippey becomes attached to yuzuyu quickly and tries his best to make her happy. Dealing with a child everyday brings many worries and consumes most of his time but also makes him grow into a mature responsible person. 

The innocence of a child and how they perceive the daily events creates an amazing charisma towards this relation, dramatic scenes further enhances the feelings creating an intricate empathy towards the situation and drawing the viewer into it. Further along theres a touch of romance that fits perfectly as a symbiotic situation to the main plot. The main female characters (yuzuyu and Kokoro) are just overflowing with cuteness, their sad hearts makes you want to comfort them understanding perfectly how kippey matures for the sake of them.

Another strong suit of Aishiteruze Baby, the three main characters involved are all characters that you can root for and most importantly beleivable. There are many anime's that try to oversell certain characteristics of characters, sometimes almost to the point of overkill but there is nothing like that in Aishiteruze. The characters were just great! I don't want to spoil anything for anybody but I just wanted to add that Kokoro is, I think, the only main female character that I haven't found annoying in some aspect. Her character plays her personality very well and everything is fitting. Definently not some simple female character with some haunted past or one dimensional issue that in a big turn of events get solved and falls head over heels for the main male character

Technically the characters have a particular drawing style in which the drawings and animation are watchable but not on par with the latest animes. I enjoyed personally some still shots on key moments that portrays how a sweet memory is engraved into the mind in my opinion.

Like the animation, the in anime sound track is very simple. I hardly noticed it while watching it. Music is used very liberally but enhances certain scenes. The voice actresses/actors? for Yuzuyu and Kokoro were perfect in my opinion and made the anime that much better. Titled Sunny Side Up is one of the best opening songs I have heard. I never, ever, fast fowarded past it and listening to it gave me feelings akin to the opening song of Fruits Baskets. 

I really, really enjoyed this anime. Its a type of anime that you can just watch at anytime and in any mood. It should cheer you up! Its a pity that more people haven't watched this anime so hopefully this review can change that.

Opening titles:

L DK manga review

Synonyms: L♥DK, L DK, L.DK

Type: Manga

Volumes: Unknown

Chapters: Unknown

Status: Publishing

Published: Mar 2009 to ?

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School, Shoujo

Authors: Watanabe, Ayu (Story & Art)

Serialization: Bessatsu Friend

LDK is an abbreviation frequently used in the world of Japanese real estate to describe apartments. It stands for Living, Dining and Kitchen area, and is preceded by the number of rooms. If you're fond of complicated relationships and is patient, then you will like this kind of manga. There are lots of teasing parts that can make you excited. Its typical romance? yes, but it has a hot guy who's hard to understand but sweet, nice girl who doesn't cry all the time, good art, great romance scenes, everything a shoujo reader needs.

Shuusei Kugayama is the "prince" of his high school, but he always turns down confessions—including one from Aoi Nishimori's best friend. Although she initially hates him for this, when Shuusei moves in next door to Aoi, who lives alone, she starts thinking that he might not be such a bad guy after all...

Yes, we've encountered this many times before, girl and the prince of the school living together but there's sexual tension almost immediately and the guy has a wicked sense of humor and the girl is cute, plus new characters are introduced often who are fun and have their bad points in their own way.The story continues as their feelings for each other change. I found it addictive to read and completed all 30 chapters in a flash. 

As for the characters, they are not shallow and each one has some unique story. Shuusei is a bit hard to understand but I'm hoping future chapters reveal something about his past. Aoi is not a typical cry baby so I'm happy about that too. She's a little indecisive but  no body's perfect.

Art is also good. You don't mix characters because they are not too similar physically and the details are not less. They don't wear the same clothes or the same hair styles all the time so i found it lively to read. Overall, the manga balanced the comedy and romance very well. I highly recommend reading this manga

Stardust wink manga review

Type: Manga

Volumes: 10

Chapters: 49

Status: Finished

Published: Dec 29, 2008 to Dec 28, 2012

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School, Shoujo, Harem

Authors: Haruta, Nana (Story & Art)

Serialization: Ribon Magazine

Intriguing manga. Who does she ends up with! To tell you the truth. A love triangle between childhood friends. I stopped after chapter 17(that was more than 1 or 2 weeks ago), because I thought it was boring. I thought that way because I craved for more romance. But I picked it up again now.. I find it intriguing now. Doesnt appeal to all of the audience but yeah girls will like it. Our normal shoujo.

Anna Koshiro has been friends with two handsome guys, Sou and Hinata, since childhood. She has a crush on Enamoto, a first-year high-schooler, but she has difficulty finding a boyfriend as everyone always wonders about the relationship between Anna and Sou and Hinata.

One day, she goes to Sou's house and finds out that Sou has a girlfriend. She is not jealous, but she feels like she has lost him. On the other hand, Sou's girlfriend is upset about how Anna comes into Sou's room so freely and asks Sou not to let Anna into his room again. However, Sou disagrees and ends their relationship. Anna decides to overcome the odds and confesses to her crush. Enamoto accepts, but upon finding out that Anna has a boyfriend, Sou gets upset.

On their first date, Anna finds herself in her room with Enamoto. She tells him about something that happened in the past: She once had a chipmunk named Coco, and when it died, Sou and Hinata brought her another chipmunk and telling her it was Coco. Her mother had told her to treasure Coco as the two of them had used their own money to buy Anna another chipmunk.

Enamoto then shocks Anna by asking which one of them she likes. After she replies that the one she likes is him, Enamoto tries to kiss her but Anna gets scared. She wants to call for Hinata and Sou but she can't. They both suddenly appear after Anna kicks Enamoto away. Of course, she cannot continue dating him after what happened.

Although she can't get what Enamoto asked out of her head, Anna is sure that the she will never be anything more than friends with Hinata and Sou. But what will happen when Sou confesses his love to Anna and asks her to go out with him? 

The progress is slow. The confusion state of Koshiro Anna is so long. It'll be hard for you to figure out or guess to whom she'll end up with.I want her to end up with Sou~ It's really hard to surpass their dilemma. Each one of them(3) tries to balance friendship and love. But, that makes this manga a good manga.  The art is Cute! Cool! BUT, I had a problem with some characters. I interchanged them because they looked so a like, except for their fringe line's direction.