Went to catch the Terminator Exhibit being held at the  National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation/ Miraikan in Odaiba, Tokyo last Saturday. In conjunction with the Terminator Salvation release and I suppose as a celebration to the fragile bond between Man and Machine, an exhibition of the robots, artworks and actual costumes used in the Terminator movies and series are being displayed until June 28.

I was expecting more props and robots to be showcased but nonetheless, the exhibit was still interesting and the robots and production tidbits were enlightening. It was a cool experience to see the actual robots and artworks used in some of the most unforgettable movies of all time. I’ll be back.

Terminator Exhibition – Battle or Coexistence?

Appearance: The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Terminator Salvation

“Death rendered in steel” as James Cameron would put it. The T-800 is designed to look and act like human. Made of a yet undiscovered, ultrastrong alloy, the T-800 likes to wear dark glasses and has a knack for spilling unforgettable, comical one-liners.

Appearance: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

The T-X appeared in the what I think is the worst Terminator movie in the pack. A combination of the skeletal T-800 and the mighty morphing T-1000, this Terminator is the first to bring future weapons back to the present. T-X portrayed by Kristanna Loken is also the hottest Terminator to date.

Appearance: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Named after  Terminator’s creator, James Cameron, Cameron Phillips/TOK715 is the Terminator sent to protect John and Sarah around 1999. The TO715 is disguised as a beautiful, petite, teenage infiltrator.

Appearance: Terminator3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation

The T-1 is an autonomous military robot with a rather anthropomorphic head, sensor eyes, gatling guns for arms, a torso that swivels like a human and caterpillar tracks for legs.

Appearance: Terminator Salvation

Hydrobots are serpentine aquatic units that move in swarms and patrol the waters.

Appearance: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Terminator Salvation

The sinister-looking T-600 units are covered in a sheet of rubber skin meant for espionage and infiltration purposes. The T-600′s are superseded by the newer and more advanced T-800s.

Appearance: Terminator Salvation

Moto-Terminators  are high-speed pursuit units using motorcycle chassis. In the Terminator Salvation scene where John Conner reprograms a Moto-Terminator for use, I just can’t help but think of Batman’s Batpod and wait for Christian Bale to spill his line: “I’m Batman.”

By the way, In the movie John Conner also uses a Vaio UX Micro PC.

Other highlights of the exhibit were the Actroid DER3 and a creepy, almost real-looking moving arm. The Actroid DER3 is a humanoid robot with strong visual human-likeness developed by Osaka University and manufactured by Kokoro Company, Ltd. The Actroid DER3 can move and talk – like, whoa!

Isn’t this robotic arm just amazingly creepy!

More pictures can be seen here.

UP Naming Mahal

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The clip above was sung by The UP Concert Chorus and I think is one of the best renditions of the UP anthem. The last time I sang this song was during my sister’s graduation from law school and I remember feeling smug rising from my chair as this song was sung while the othersians, unworthy, stayed seated on their chair. I am also filled with pride every time I raise my right fist in sync to the song as the anthem ends. I just love UP!

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Anyway, I suppose I just miss UP and all the wonderful things there is in the campus like isaw and fishball, the sunken garden and my college friends that I was prompted to make this post.

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And maybe because I also want to share my pictures of UP too

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I took this picture early April when the wind was still chilly and spring was just about on its way to start. I was taking the daily route from my apartment to my office when I found these beauties growing between the cracks of a concrete wall. It was a cold, cold morning. I had woken up on the wrong side of the bed… or should I say futon and I was practically grumbling about everything there is to life. I was taken aback when I saw these flowers. It must have been hard for these flowers to survive given their harsh environment but they are alive and they are beautiful nonetheless. Their grey, solid and rough background makes them stand out more. How is that for beauty amidst adversity!  I went to my office with a lighter heart and a spring to my step. Didn’t know flowers could have that effect on me but I’m glad I was inspired

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