COMIC strip?

wahaha first page of the comic is done(?) tell me if you want me to change something..honestly im tired :(
hey we still need to make up a title for this and their names.

and here's some character design!

haven't inked it in yet.. :) i might

TABLET!!

and no, it's not the kind you eat. LOL
I finally have a graphic tablet!!! so AWESOME! here are some simple  drawings i've made with the tablet. :)

CUTENESSSSSS :<

and now a more complex drawing: ( click for higher res)

Oh SIGH

Heeeei everyone.
Today I went to the dentist. Then got my lower jaw braced - is that a word? Anyway, now I've got elastic thingies that look like leftover pieces of gum. And I skipped Danny's dannylicious practice for these.
Came home at around 2 in the afternoon. Decided against going back to school since there wouldn't be much to do anyway. And also cuz I was dead tired. Weird.

So i slept for like...3 hours. Woke up at 5 pm. YAWN.

On other news, we have a new I.P. I'm not sure which is more tiring - catching mosquitoes or making a 1 hour movie. At least the movie doesn't have a high chance of failure right? But then again, we might not meet the deadlines. YIKES. T. King gave us this program called Animation-ish. It's pretty easy to use, but also quite basic. I think Flash is better if you want more options.

So for this new "I.P." I bougth a bunch of tracing paper and this clearbook thingy. Well, it's not really a clearbook but let's not get into such minute details. Anyways, tracing paper - check. Clearbook - check. Photoshop - check. I plan to scan the drawings i made in tracing paper to Photoshop and color it there. Then I can import the colored image to the program I wanna use. Genius, eh?

I've got this cool idea for the movie, and I'm just gonna put it here before I forget. It's a love story with a scientific-y background - genetics. So a guy and a girl(obviously bf-gf) are in a secluded forest one a date. Don't ask me why it's a forest. Then suddenly they get captured by this hovercraft thing and brought to a secret lab facility somewhere. Turns out it's filled with a bunch of mad evil scientists who are into genetic mutations, and they plan to experiment on our lovely couple. So the girl gets taken away first. There's a struggle, yada yada, but she gets taken anyway. So the guy is now alone. His life is bleak, and he sees no sign of her afterwards. Soon it's his turn to be experimented on. Turns out that this was some sort of "angel experiment" wherein the scientists graft bird DNA into human DNA (it's so max ride.)

So now the guy has wings. He still feels really depressed since he hasn't seen any trace of the girl. So in order to keep himself busy he does whatever the scientist tell him to do. Soon he becomes trusted. One day the scientists tell him to head into the experiment cells and pick something up. As he walks by the cells, he spots the girl. She's behind a glass wall and he asks her why she isn't out and about like him. She tells him it's cuz she's a failed experiment. He promises her he will get her out and they'll be free together. So the guy starts making plans for escape. One day when all the experiments are out in the yard for exercise, the guy puts his plan into motion. It works. So they fly up into the sky - the girl in the guy's arms, the guy with  black wings extended. (girl can't fly) They soar through the clouds and they're really happy. They're really high up, smiling at each other...when the guy's wing gets shot. So of course they start to plummet. The girl starts crying and asks the guy if they'll be okay. Guy says I love you to her. She buries her face in his chest, and cries even more. Then the guy whispers "I'll protect you - always" as he wraps his wings around her and they fall through the sky.

Series of scene changes - they land in a lake, guy gets brunt of impact. Underwater, guy lost lots of blood, struggling to surface. Hands extended, but never touching. Girl near the shore, coughing up water. Guy nowhere to be seen.

Final scene. Girl is on top of a building in the city. She looks at this pic of the guy, then she looks at the sky. It's sunset. She tucks the photo in her pocket, then she jumps off the building.

Her wings are extended, and she's flying towards the sun.

Blackout. FIN

I hope this lasts at least 30 minutes. >.<

Speaking of animations, here's a really good one I love and hope to equal:
(please watch in full-screen)

P.S. Shine, if you're reading this, I wanna use music by AI OTSUKA for the film. Japanese songs, but really dramatic. I like "Cherish" you should hear it. You can imagine the film na jud while listening to it.

Introduction

I'm gonna put this here in case i lose the file.
♫♫♫♫      ♫♫♫♫      ♫♫♫♫     ♫♫♫♫       ♫♫♫♫      ♫♫♫♫

Introduction

Background of the Study

Mosquitoes are one of the most common insects belonging to the family Culcidae. Through evolution, they have developed mouthparts that are adapted for piercing the skin of plants and animals. Males feed on nectar and plant juices, while the females need to feed on animals for their “blood meal” in order to obtain nutrients needed for the development of their eggs. Due to their need to drink human blood, they have become vectors of many diseases that affect millions of people around the world each year.

Dengue has become a constant threat in the Philippines, especially during the rainy seasons. Tens of thousands of Filipinos are admitted into hospitals each year due to dengue, and not all of them survive. It is a common belief that prevention is better than cure, but some methods of prevention have adverse effects on the environment and ecosystems. The researchers seek to find an easier, “fuss-free” way to eliminate mosquitoes, therefore lowering the risk of transmission.

The researchers decided to test the effectiveness of static electricity in eliminating mosquitoes. They believe that the use of static electricity would be a big benefit for all, since it is not harmful to humans while it provides an easy way to trap and kill mosquitoes.

A moderately sized piece of plastic is mounted on a wooden frame of the same dimensions. This plastic would then be rubbed with different materials, producing static electricity. This is achieved when the two materials exchange electrons, which leaves an excess of positive charge on one material, and an equal negative charge on the other. The researchers would test which materials produce charges more powerful and effective in catching mosquitoes.

The researchers believe that static electricity would be useful, since it is easily generated and it does not pose any immediate dangers.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to discover the effectiveness of static electricity in catching and eliminating mosquitoes. The researchers wanted a method that would be easy and safe. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions:

1. What materials would generate enough static electricity when rubbed against plastic?
2. How effective is static electricity in trapping mosquitoes?
3. Is the generation of static electricity in order to catch mosquitoes a feasible method?

Significance of the Study

The researchers seek to find a new method of eliminating mosquitoes, without any negative effects whatsoever. They intend to test the effectiveness of static electricity in trapping the mosquitoes in a charged area, thus providing an easier way to kill them. Static electricity is known to provide enough electrical energy to attract small particles, while at the same time be relatively safe for larger organisms. The researchers believe that the static charge generated would be enough to capture the mosquitoes, since they are small and light organisms.

If the use of static electricity proves to be a feasible method, the risk of a surge of mosquito vector populations would be controlled.

Scope and Limitations

The exact mosquito population in a certain area cannot be calculated; it can only be estimated. Even then the estimation could be wrong, and therefore there is no way to be sure of the density of the mosquito population. Due to this, the threat represented by mosquitoes will never be totally eradicated, only minimized. Therefore, prevention and control is key to safeguarding ourselves from mosquitoes.

There is only a slight probability of mosquitoes landing on the set up unless there is a person or object nearby which can attract the attention of the mosquitoes. Furthermore, only certain specific materials can produce a charge adequate enough for the set up to be effective. Although the charge may be adequate, it is easily discharged as well.

Review of Related Literature

The Mosquito

The mosquito is an insect well-known throughout the world. It belongs to the family Culcidae, which means midge or gnat. A mosquito goes through four stages in its life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult or imago. Adult females lay their eggs in areas where stagnant water is present. The first three stages after the egg is laid is aquatic, and can last for 5 – 14 days, depending on the species and the environmental conditions. The eggs hatch to become larvae, which in turn become pupae. After a brief period, the adult mosquitoes emerge from the pupa as it floats to the water's surface. The adults have a life span between 4 – 8 weeks.

The mouthpart of a mosquito is adapted to piercing the skin of fruits and plants in order to obtain the juices that serve as its food source. Both males and females feed on nectar but as soon as they mate, the females need to feed on human or animal blood so they may acquire the necessary proteins and nutrients for the development of their eggs. After taking a “blood meal” the midgut of the female synthesizes proteolytic enzymes that hydrolize the blood proteins into free amino acids, the building blocks of egg yolk proteins.

About 3, 500 known species of mosquitoes are known throughout the world. Some of the females of certain species feed on humans, and are known vectors of many infectious diseases that affect millions of people each year.

Mosquitoes have become adapted to extreme climates and are found far north of the Arctic Circle, where they “hibernate” as larvae floating in the ice. They are more common in tropical areas, especially in countries located on or near the equator. They thrive in places that are hot while at the same time humid and full of water. Because of the mosquitoes' adaptability they are found throughout the world (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito; August 23, 2010).

Feeding Habits

Both male and female mosquitoes feed on nectar from plants, but it is only the females of some species that are capable of drinking blood. Females do not need the blood for their own survival; instead they use the supplemental nutrients such as iron and protein taken from a host's blood to develop eggs.

Taking into account the host location, carbon dioxide and organic substances produced from the host, humidity, and optical recognition play important roles. Mosquitoes prefer some people over others. It is the sweat of the host that attracts a mosquito. If a person's sweat “smells better” than another, then it is more likely that the person with the better smelling sweat will get bitten by the mosquito. The difference of smell is due to the proportions of the carbon dioxide, 1-octen-3-ol and other compounds that are produced by the host. Of the 72 types of odor receptors in a mosquito's antennae, at least 27 are tuned to detect certain chemicals found in the host's perspiration.

Most mosquito species are crepuscular feeders; they feed during dawn or dusk. Some species, like the Asian Tiger mosquito and the Aedes aegypti, are known to fly and feed during daytime. Prior to feeding, mosquitoes inject their hosts with saliva. The saliva serves as an anticoagulant: without it, the female mosquito's proboscis would become clogged with blood clots. It is also their saliva that anesthetizes the host, but leaves him feeling itchy where he was bitten afterward.

( http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/mosquito.aspx; August 23, 2010)

Diseases Commonly Transmitted by Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are feared because of their roles as vectors of disease. They carry disease-causing viruses and parasites from person to person when they feed without catching the disease themselves. The more common mosquito-transmitted diseases are the viral diseases yellow fever, dengue fever and Chikungunya, transmitted mostly by the Aedes aegypti, and malaria transmitted by the genus Anopheles.

Other diseases carried by mosquitoes are the Eastern and Western encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, La Crosse encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis,Rift Valley fever and the West Nile virus.

Mosquitoes are estimated to transmit diseases to more than 700 million people annually in Africa, Central America, Mexico, and Asia. At least 2 million people die annually due to these diseases. (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/list_mosquitoborne.htm, http://www.mda.state.md.us/plants-pests/mosquito_control/mosquito_info/mosquitoes_disease/index.php; August 23, 2010)

Dengue and DHF

In the year 1997, dengue was the most important mosquito-borne viral disease affecting humans, and an estimated 2.5 billion people live in areas at risk of epidemic transmission. Dengue is caused by one of the four closely related, but antigenetically distinct, virus serotypes, of the genus Flaivirus. Once the mosquito has bitten a person, the virus has an incubation period of 4 – 7 days before the symptoms start to show. Dengue may produce very mild to serious illness, and it is characterized by the sudden onset of fever, headache, general malaise, bone pain, and muscular pain. Seldom will a person exhibit rashes and vomiting. Symptoms may last for 5 to 7 days. Patients may develop a drop in platelet count and blood pressure.

Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, or DHF, is more likely to occur in patients who have secondary infections by another one of dengue's four serotypes. It occurs in the tropics, and cases of DHF have been reported in the Philippines. The disease is also known as breakbone fever since it can be extremely painful. Cases of DHF also show higher fever, variable hemorrhagic phenomena including bleeding from the eyes, nose, mouth and ear into the gut, and oozing blood from skin pores, thrombocytopenia and hemoconcentration. The disease has a high mortality rate, therefore it is better to prevent the disease from occurring rather than hoping to be cured.

As of recently, more than 50, 000 cases of dengue have been reported in the Philippines.

(http://www.oasisdesign.net/health/dengue.htm; August 23, 2010)

Control

Many methods have been used in mosquito control. Among these are source reduction, biocontrol, habitat modification, pesticides and insecticides, natural predators and trapping.

Static Electricity

The build of electric charge on the surface of objects is known as static electricity. A static charge only remains when at least one of the materials has a high resistance to electrical flow(an electrical insulator). The phenomenon of static electricity is achieved through the separation of positive and negative charges. When the two materials are in contact, the electrons move from one material to the other, leaving an excess of positive electrical charge in one material and an equal negative charge on the other. Even after separation the two materials maintain this charge imbalance.

Materials with weakly bound electrons tend to lose electrons while materials with sparsely filled outer shells tend to gain them. This is known as the triboelectric effect, and it is the main cause of static electricity as observed in everyday life. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_electricity; August 23, 2010)

Triboelectric Effect

Two materials need only to come in contact and then separate for electrons to be exchanged. A chemical bond is formed between some surfaces after contact, and this bond is called adhesion. This creates the net charge imbalance between the objects. The triboelectric effect is greatly enhanced by rubbing the materials together, as they come into contact many times. For surfaces with differing geometry, the rubbing between the uneven surfaces may lead to heating, thus causing pyroelectric charge separation which may add to the existing contact electrification.

Since the surface of the material is now electrically charged, any contact with an uncharged object or another object of opposing charge will result in an anelectrical discharge of the built-up static electricity. Simply put, a spark. This discharge is often harmless as the energy produced by the spark is very small. The energies released in a static discharge may vary over a wide range. Low relative humidity increases the charge buildup; dry conditions are desirable when one intends to produce a static charge. Relatively small amounts of energy is powerful enough.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triboelectric_Effect; August 23, 2010)

Applications of Static Electricity

Static electricity is most commonly used in xerography, air filters, automotive paints, photocopiers, paint sprayers, theaters, flooring in operating theaters, powder testing, printers, static bonding and aircraft refueling. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_electricity; August 23, 2010)

Empty

Empty

Something's always missing. 

It's never there.

 It leaves you empty, frustrated. 

You don't know what to do. 

Your thoughts are all a mess. 

What to say? 

Where to go? 

There's never any answers, only dead ends. 

You don't belong anywhere, you're lost.

Your mind's running in circles, and it drives you crazy. 

Empty, empty. 

Nothing to make you feel better.

 There's always something missing. 

And you won't ever know what it is.

Words can never describe what you feel.

You can only hope,

that someday, 

one day,

your life's gonna mean something.

Free verse by bekka

First emo thing i've written in ages. And no, this isn't the result of the thing you're thinking of. Seriously.
More angsty than emo, i think. 

ATTENTION SHAINNA

Hey hey people. It's been a while since I've last blogged.So here i am! :) But this is only for Shainna. As for the story, Flytrue, it's on an indefinite hiatus right now. Yeah. IP must come first. (sadly)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shine dear, here's what we have come up with so far. I typed in the statement of the problem and significance of the study. Maybe you can add more. Whatever. XD Uhm, scope and limitations and review of related lit nalang ang kuwang. In case you need the file with all the info, I've sent it to your email. 


Accdg to nemi dear, statement is like the questions we want to answer daw while the significance is... well, the significance. :) So I've tried to make it that way. I think we need to add more sa statement. I dunno what else to put. Ikaw na sad. Uhhh.. Review of related lit will be the longest i guess, as well as the most detailed. :) So if the whole thing is double-spaced, as I think it is, then our Introduction would fill up about 5-10 pages. Somewher there. YAY. That's good right?


 Oh and did you make a set-up na? I forgot to ask you kanina. Heehee. I made na, pero it keeps getting wet in the freakin rain! So far I've tried wool against plastic, wasn't able to check results. And my house ain't exactly a mosquito haven with the fish and dragonflies all around. So we'll see. We might have to rely on your house or other places to test the study. T. King asked me regarding this bya kanina. >.< 


Ok, i think thats all I've got to tell you. As I'm typing this, I'm trying to type out the scope and limitations, though only a few come to mind. You've got to help me with this one, woman!!! Oh and please, PLEASE if you can, bring a copy of IP from last year...? If you can. :) Okay, so I'll just copy-paste the stuff we've typed out so far. 


here yah go:

Introduction

Background of the Study

Mosquitoes are one of the most common insects in the family Culcidae. Through evolution, they have developed mouthparts that are adapted for piercing the skin of plants and animals. Males feed on nectar and plant juices, while the females need to feed on animals for their “blood meal” in order to obtain nutrients needed for the development of their eggs.

About 3, 500 known species of mosquitoes are known throughout the world. Some of the females of certain species feed on humans, and are known vectors of many infectious diseases. These diseases affect millions of people per year. Examples of these diseases are malaria, yellow fever, encaphalitides, rift valley fever, West Nile virus, and, the most dangerous, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF).

The researchers chose this topic because dengue is the most prevalent disease transmitted by mosquitoes in the country. Dengue is a tropical virus affecting thousands of people in the Philippines alone. Every year, the number of cases increase, with fewer survivors.

It is a common belief that prevention is better than cure, but some methods of prevention have adverse effects on the environment and ecosystems. The researchers seek to find an easier, “fuss-free” way to eliminate mosquitoes.

Statement of the Problem

The researchers seek to find an easier, alternative way of eliminating mosquitoes in the immediate environment (e.g. home) without having the same harmful effects brought about by the use of repellants.

The researchers intend to use static electricity in order to “trap” the mosquitoes with the electric charge generated, thus leaving the insects vulnerable and ready for elimination.

Significance of the Study http://www.greens.org/s-r/31/31-14.html

Millions of people around the world are infected with mosquito-borne diseases every year. More and more die as newer, stronger strains of the diseases appear. Due to this threat, humans have developed numerous methods of getting rid of the culex. Conventional means of eliminating mosquitoes, such as the use of pesticides, sometimes have adverse effects on the environment as well as endangering the health of organisms exposed to the chemicals used to formulate the pesticides. One of the more common pesticides used against mosquitoes is DEET, a popular brand, and despite the claims of the manufacturers, DEET does pose a risk to one's health.

The use of toxic compounds is not the most effective way to control mosquito vector populations, and the compounds are also toxic to certain birds and fish, thus affecting the balance of the ecosystem. As for its effect on humans, pesticides an cause serious illnesses, and it was stated that the “cure” was worse than the diseases brought on by the mosquitoes themselves.

Knowing this, the researchers sought to find a new method of eliminating mosquitoes, minus the negative effects. They utilized static electricity, hoping to trap the mosquitoes in a charged area, thus providing an easier way to kill them. Static electricity is known to provide enough electrical energy to attract small particles, while at the same time be relatively safe for larger organisms. The researchers hope that the static charge generated would be enough to capture the mosquitoes, since they are small and light organisms. 

please proofread. thanks.

Howl's Moving Castle

Have any of you seen the movie? You ABSOLUTELY must! It's a Hayao Miyazaki masterpiece! I love that guy. And the wizard, Howl, is pretty cool. He's really charming. :)


The movie was released on 2004 i think..but there's something about it that makes it timeless and magical. And I've just finished reading the book version by Diana Wynne Jones and I must say, the movie was like..100x better. And the plot is just...wow.
I shall show you a trailer! :)


I wanna watch Ponyo next. It's another movie by Miyazaki. Oh and you must watch Spirited Away too! Totally worth it.


Oh try this! When a youtube vid is loading, a circle thingy pops out, right? And it moves in a circle. Click on the arrow keys and the circle straightens out. Then you can play snakes!! And eat a solitary circle thing. Wahaha newest discovery!


Dear John was boring. I don't plan on finishing it. Too sappy and army-y i guess.


Time to study... T^T