Kawaii in a box

I was looking at bento boxes when I saw this:



Here's the full description: "A great two-tiered bento set with bottom lid and chopsticks featuring Totoro from the wildly popular My Neighbor Totoro anime. This is a very well made sealing bento that will fit nicely into your bag or compartmentalized lifestyle because of its handy vertical arrangement. Includes elastic strap for keeping your sauces and surrounding stainables safe from leakage. Awwwwingly cute with two 3D Totoros on the front, and of course the effervescent soot sprites. Approximately 3 inches by 3.5 inches. Microwave safe!"

Three inches! $24 para sa lalagyan ng Dewberry ito.

But, no, kahit nagrereklamo sa kamahalan ang lola, may I look pa rin at the other products. Candidate sa usefulness ito:



Maliit pa rin at 5.5 by 3.5 inches. Para kang kumain ng second to the smallest sized index card.

Like, I totally dig this more understated one:



Might be the aluminum. At any rate, $18 is still a huge amount to pay for a lunch box. So this remains in my wants, but not necessarily needs list.

But while looking at that website, I came across something almost inexplicable:



It's not just oil blot paper, it's the Hello Kitty Oil Absorption Paper *Gem*:

Sanrio helps you maintain your peak and shiny cuteness with these Hello Kitty Oil Absorption Paper sheets -- because, after all, how can you be cute when your face is all oily? A popular Japanese health care product, Aburatori Gami (literally "Oil-Taking Paper"), are commonly sold in convenience stores. An essential cuteness care item. 50 sheets. Easily fits into any bag or purse for your convenience. This purchase is for the pack with an illustration of Kitty-chan with gems in the background.

Sa halagang $3, puwede mo nang punasan ang anumang mantikang inilabas sa mukha mo ng kinain mo. O di ba bongga? Kasi yan lang talaga ang rason na naisip ko kung bakit kasama yan sa webpage na puro lunch boxes. Feeling ko nga naligaw ito, dapat pang-Hello Kitty Hell siya.

Frilled Shark

For this post, I will let CNN's own report highlights do the talking:

• Rare frilled shark videotaped by staff at Japanese marine park
• Shark normally lives at least 2,000 feet below the sea
• Scientists believe it came to shallow waters because it was sick
• Shark died shortly after it was caught

The frilled shark is supposed to be a carryover from ye olde days--it's really almost prehistoric that the scientists call this species a "living fossil." When they said "frilled," I had in mind a shark wearing ruffles and frills, like Lenny in Shark Tale or something. But look at that mug, doesn't it remind you of dinosaurs?

On another note, what's up with these Japanese scientists? It seems like they've been busy filming weird creatures from the deep. Or perhaps, what is it with the waters south of Tokyo? Last month it was the giant squid. Now an ancient shark. Maybe next month we'll have a face-to-face encounter with Godzilla na talaga. Nyar.

Giant Squid Live!

A team of Japanese researchers had successfully filmed a live giant squid in the waters of Ogasawara Islands south of Tokyo. The female squid measured 24ft. long and still not fully grown. The scientists, lead by Tsunemi Kubodera of the National Science Museum, said it was relatively small in terms of giant squid standards. "The longest on record is 60 feet," Kubodera said. (O di ba may kung beauty pageant ito ng mga giant squid di siya mananalo dahil bansot siya. Shyet.)

According to this report by the Associated Press, giant squid (genus Architeuthis) are the "world's largest invertebrates. Because they live in the depths of the ocean, they have long been wrapped in mystery and embellished in the folklore of sea monsters, appearing in ancient Greek myths." The giant squid is perhaps related to the myth of the Kraken, or the many-armed sea monster.

The Japanese team's video is said to be the first. There weren't too many sightings of these giant squid, although its existence is accepted in the scientific community. The researchers also said that the giant squid aren't really going to be extinct, just hard to document since they live really far from the sea surface. But this particular squid they got by following a sperm whale. The report from Washington Post also said that by finding an area where whales fed, he believed he could find the animals. He also said that, judging by the number of whales that feed on them, there may be many more giant squid than previously thought. Here's a photo of a sperm whale fighting off a giant squid:



The news of the squid's capture (and eventual death) brought back memories of reading Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." And since it really just had to be Japanese, it made me think of Godzilla or even Shaider. Or the Biomen. Anything with big monsters fighting robots or boys in huge flying mechanical parts.

You can also read more about giant squid sightings here.