Perth Edutrip: Day Seven: School Excursion

In the Monday, all ten of us, plus our buddies and the teachers, went out of the school for an excursion around Margaret River. Being the tourist town it is, there were many other attractions in the place that were constructed by man, and not nature, which I have visited through the weekends.

All photos taken with my Canon EOS 600D, and sadly, I still have no time to go over all my handpicked photos (still a thousand remaining of two) and edit them.

The first place we went to was Amaze'n Maze, a place where there are mazes and puzzles all around. First we went to the big hedge maze, where we must find the center, plus several garden benches dotted around.

Shame I have no pictures good and proper enough to share here. There were only green mazes and embarrassing pictures of our group. That being said, we still had some interesting time in getting lost and retracing our steps--and failing, where finally we exited through an emergency exit. 

We also played some of the more puzzling games, including one which even our math teacher could not solve, before coming to the cafe for a snack of more scones. Funny, some of our Aussie friends do not know the traditional way of eating scones: split in half, a dollop of jam, then smear cream.

The second place, one that I liked best for its... let's say, alluring beauty, was Lake Cave.

Lake Cave is the deepest cave system in Western Australia. By judging the age of fallen trees around the mouth of the cave where the ground had crumbled down, it’s over seven hundred years old.

Now, at this point I just realized that I forgot to charge up my battery the previous night, and it had two bars left--I should only be able to take some more pictures, say a hundred or two.

Along that time, rainwater seeped in slowly, depositing dissolved calcium carbonate as stalactites, which hang tight to the roof, and stalagmites, which might reach the ceiling, and countless little hollow stalactites known as straws.

Where the stalagmites and stalactites meet they form columns, this one already broken of age. In the light of the flashlight, we could see the white calcium, which we aren't allowed to touch of fear of being discolored.

This formation is called Dragon’s Head, for an apparent reason: it does look like a dragon drinking from the puddle beneath. From where we stood, looking at the dragon, our guide switched the lights off, producing a total darkness. It’s not often you could experience nature’s handicrafts such as this cave, which made the cave so interesting for me.

After a lunch of soggy chicken and chips (with flies buzzing around in the park, instead of birds), we headed to the Margaret River Chocolate Factory. We were only given twenty minutes to pick our chocolate.

The free samples were immediately attacked by us and other visitors. Some of them barbaric.

Until now, I really hoped I bought more chocolate. They were freshly made from pure chocolate there, but as I said before, food there is expensive.

Finally, there was the Sunflower Animal Farm. I have no idea why they only gave us 25 minutes there to run around and see all sorts of animals. We rushed to grab a bucket of animal food--veggies and grain and bread--then immediately looked at each pen. The one immediately next to the entrance was some little goats.

There were also all sorts of avian creatures: ducks, turkey, some geese too, I believe, and more Aussie birds I didn't have the honor of identifying. 

Now, this was the moment where my camera battery died. Thankfully, I could still squeeze around two dozen shots by ejecting and re-inserting the battery.

More goats, which I fed. Think I took too long here, so that I rushed several of the last pens.

Aww.

And surely, I need to spend time with the kangaroos. There were some in my homestay, but they were quite far away, and photographing with binoculars is out of question.

Yet another must-see animal: the emu. This one was quite hard to take a picture, always moving around, seemingly always about to break into a run, such the flightless bird it is.

These two similar animals, the camelids, llamas, and alpacas. I put down my bucket of food to take a picture of the emu, who was in the same pen as the llama, and it just emptied that bucket while I wasn't looking. Dang.

The alpaca could be differentiated by that tuft of hair. I got lucky to get a good shot of Alf as my battery became really critical.

And, while entering the bunny pen, my battery died for good. People were all there, hugging several bunnies and some guinea pigs, who were munching at veggies. I had none remaining.

Meanwhile, some went to the pigsties. The pigs were massive. Even the little ones--a dozen of them--were the size of big household dogs. And stinky, and eats everything that smells, including their own digestive remnants, and your hand if you're not careful. No pictures of them, sadly, for the camera must rest.

We went ten minutes overtime, when we must return or be left behind (though it is not that long of a walk to the school). That was an immensely fascinating trip, though, seeing more places of interest in Margaret River. Shame our time was crunched and my battery was dying or dead.

Grimgar - Episode 12: Finale

Finally, let us see how far Grimgar has come (spoiler: not too far just yet) in this final episode, the twelfth: See You Tomorrow. Having infiltrated the mine and gave Mary closure, they now rescue Ranta, trapped below. Spoiler alert, intentional or otherwise.

Ew.

Whoever crossed a pig and a worm has a pretty strong imagination--and stomach.

Anyway, for some reason, apparently Ranta escaped on his own. Then the whole thing of him being trapped on the level below in the first place was useless. Also, that little demon of his is also useless, merely saying "Die, die, die!" and no other importance to the story whatsoever.

After another quick talk that they will rescue Ranta while they hate him--pretty cliched stuff--they met Ranta shambling away from Death Spots. That one is also a cliche, a boss just following around through levels of the dungeon.

Indeed, they all miss each other, as a big team they are. Think the show already hints this.

Oh, and as usual, more name-calling. 

As they climbed up, once again, Haruhiro thinks that he couldn't be equated with Manato, but now he must be the leader.

Really? This far, and he still goes on with about the same thought. The character development is quite minor, here.

And, as expected, just as they went up a level, the boss must follow. However, truthfully I didn't expect Haruhiro to fall to the pit below, and the others shall escape while he buys time.

From there, though, it's pretty much predictable again. Sadly, the final battle was nothing special for me. The injured Haruhiro just swiped his dagger through the magic guidelines, and the kobold was dead. Shame it wasn't like the usual fight scenes of Grimgar, which could be quite tense.

Well, it did bring me to the edge of my seat. An injured man versus a huge monster. No wonder he passed out.

Thus, this season draws to a close. Wasn't a satisfying story by any means, where at the end they only managed to get a fat bounty, and Mary welcomes Haruhiro back from unconsciousness--which was quite a nice scene. Then, also as expected, there's a party at the pub. One where they strangely said, "Australia!" for no apparent reason. Fitting as I had just came back from there.

Next up, the beautiful trees. Oh my, that was indeed something.

Then, no ending for Grimgar is complete without a visit to Manato's grave. It did make us think, when he returned the question, whether it was hard being the leader, to Haruhiro. It would have been nice if he didn't complain that he's not Manato all the time, and just have this scene at the end.

I wouldn't forget the art of Grimgar. Nor would I forget the less-than-brilliant storytelling. Its pace is quite erratic, moving through unnecessary plotlines then slowing down for insert musics--and art. Oh well, seems this could be set up for a second season.

In the end, a 6 out of 10 would be fitting. Bonus points for... you guessed it, the watercolor style.

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Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is originally a light novel by Ao Juumonji, and adapted into anime by A-1 Pictures.

GATE S2 - Episode 12: Finale

After eleven episodes, finally we reach the end of the second season of GATE, and judging by the title: Thus the Self-Defense Force Fought, this might very well be the final episode of GATE, where Itami and co. mounts a rescue for Princess Pina. So, spoilers ahead, intentional or otherwise.

Upon arriving at the capital's Red District, Itami met his squad, always ready to follow him, and drafted a plan to sneak in the palace, get the Princess and the Emperor, and rush out. This is going to be an exciting episode, then, if all goes well.

One thing, though: it seems that GATE tries too hard to convince us that Itami is very charismatic, and that the others will just follow him. Some should have dissented, at least. But oh very well.

After quite some nice sneaking around (plus, unfortunately a bit of fanservice by Yao, the dark elf, who met some guards on attention) a spectacular entrance to the palace's main hall, Zolzal called upon a giant ogre to kill the intruders.

This once, they didn't use guns to beat the ogre, but Rory's acrobatics, plus Lelei's magic bolts, which again she summoned like Fate's Archer using his Noble Phantasms through portals. Shame it ended too quickly. There wasn't any sense of danger.

No danger at all. Itami threatened Zolzal with a bullet, traumatizing the prince, and retrieved Pina. That look on the Prince's face was just priceless, not being able to do nothing. That said, he really couldn't do anything in the face of technology. Once more, subtle messages that Japan is far more superior--which is a fact, in this case--is conveyed.

Once they found the Emperor, they made their escape, with Rory on Itami's lap, for some reason. Once more, they tried hard to make the scene have a sense of urgency, however we all know that with explosives, everything could be solved. The difference in technology was just too great, that we know that the JSDF must win.

With his father and sister out of his custody, Zolzal was left with nothing to oppose Japan, and broke down, leaving the capital and all the chaos that may follow. Meanwhile, Tyuule has become a tragic story, with her plans to avenge her clan by having Japan invading the Empire foiled. Really, this is all about 'good versus evil, old versus new', nothing else.

The Emperor awoke, and proudly appointed Pina as his successor.

Just wait a moment here. What is the Emperor thinking, appointing a princess as successor, during those times? He never even mentioned his other son. Indeed, Pina was pro-peace, but didn't the Emperor himself ordered the attack on Japan?

I guess, emancipation wins.

Thus, the lovers in the series, however awkward they are, were shown. Just fan servicing, I guess. Even Bozes, who cried when she can't rescue her princess, didn't say a word about the Pina's return.

The final scene for the season: Itami pursued his hobby as an otaku by travelling to the year's festival, just when Itami arrived, the three girls came and invited a huge crowd with them, forcing Itami to flee. Oh well, comic relief.

So, what can I say about GATE. It had a nice premise, of a gate opening in Tokyo, leading to Japan invading an empire of fantasy.... however, during its run, it tries too much to impress us with Japan's technology and prowess in comparison with the medieval people, so that it loses its sense of excitement and conflict, and becomes almost like a propaganda, but with fan service. But, I still should praise its action scenes, which are still something to be seen: magic, guns, and swords. What more could you ask?

Overall... around 6 to 7 out of 10 would be proper for GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri. But there is still a civil war to go through. Also, where did Zolzal's brother go? Perhaps there's a third season? 

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GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri is originally a light novel by Takumi Yanai, and adapted into anime by A-1 Pictures.

Star Wars Rebels S2 - Episode 19: Arachnid-Infested Base

It's time to settle in the base that they found last episode. Apparently, they named it after the one that found it, according to the name of this episode nineteen: The Mystery of Chopper Base. Now, we'll prepare for Ezra and Kanan's final face-off with the Inquisitors with a one-off story concerning the false safety of the new base. Spoilers, intentional or otherwise are ahead. 

Arachnophobes beware as well.

The episode kicked off with Kanan and Ezra sparring. Apart from the action, which was fluid as usual, we could see the apprehension in Hera's eyes as Kanan seemed to be drilling his apprentice a little too hard. Also, later we shall learn that a part of her reluctance of those drills was because she would hate to see her friend go off in a dangerous journey. Nice subtle clues.

Then there was the sunset scene. Actually, this scene came after part of the story that comes after, but this one also showed that Zeb will indeed miss Ezra when he is away.

The one thing that I'll comment in this scene is the art. Wow, the sunset. Also, this gives a different kind of vibe than the usual Rebels, just relaxing and listening to music.

Meanwhile, scouts are missing, so Sabine and Rex went to search for the culprit. Apparently, they found that there are spiders, huge ones. They took Rex, so they must stage a rescue.

During the rescue, they ventured in the spiders' nest. Zeb becomes comically and stereotypically afraid of spiders.

Again, we see Hera's dislike of Kanan's ideas, where she forces herself to let the non-jedi on one team so that they could be used to them not being there. Meanwhile, once again Kanan scolds Ezra too harshly as he fails to connect with the spiders.

With Rex found, as predicted, they must blast through many spiders to get out of the nest.

One thing with the gunfights this episode is that they weren't fighting stormtroopers with guns. They fought these monsters which were almost impregnable--again, a different kind of sequences compared to the usual Rebels, except for that one other episode in Season One.

And, unfortunately, they seem to have only recycled the plot of that season one episode, by having them fear the sensor beacons this time, instead of the light.

Thus, they made Sabine fetch the beacon to distract the spiders while they cut the Ghost free, which was stuck on spiderwebs.

In the end, as expected, Kanan and Hera made peace with each other, and ended in the embrace which tells us that they do concern for each other, but Kanan still needs to do his job.

Another thing this scene reminds us is that they aren't part of the Jedi Order proper, as now romance is not regulated. This could turn into something later on.

One last thing: that sunset. I am indeed a sucker for sunsets, and this one nailed it.

Ezra failed to connect with the spiders once more, and Ahsoka said that there are many things about the Force unanswered.

There are still many things unanswered for Ezra, and the next episodes will be the climax of the season. Well, this episode reuses a season one plot. However, upon closer inspection, it did have layers of meaning in preparation for the final duel.

Also, it had beautiful sunsets.

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Star Wars Rebels is a series by Disney Lucasfilms.

Perth Edutrip, Day Six: Lunch with Birds, Plus a Rocky Beach

It was Sunday, during the sixth day on my edutrip to Margaret River. There was also really nothing to do back then, thus once more we traveled around the town.

My buddy and his mom brought me to The Berry Farm near Margaret River, the town where we were staying, to eat lunch. We ate scones, with cream and jam freshly made there. They serve the scones, these semi-sweet bread, plain, and the traditional way to eat it is to slice it in half, then give it a big dollop of jam, and an equally big dollop of cream.

It would have been lunch as usual, but then this little bird, this cheeky black-white-and-yellow honey eater, flew straight to our table, and perched on top of my glass of milkshake. It helped itself to the milkshake, then flew down to the plate, and used this long tongue of his to lick some leftover pie.

 

The honeyeater was not the only bird that came. There was also this beautiful blue wren, these birds with a blue plumage. Shame it wasn’t their mating season, where their tail turns an even more brilliant blue. Anyway, after this one came, two more came, begging to be fed. Well, less food for us, but to see these birds up close is truly a one-of-a-kind lunch. Shame I couldn't get a good picture of the third blue wren.

There was one more place we visited: Redgate Beach, just north of Contose Beach. The wind was picking up, and the waves did roll. No wonder this is a surfer's tourist town.  

Shame I came in autumn. The winds were quick, but not quick enough to make them smash spectacularly into a big rock at the middle of the bay. Well, it was spectacular enough a spectacle.

Shame it was still hot. If not, we may have been able to stay a bit longer, when the winds pick up. Oh well, I am already safely back home in Indonesia now.