Then, comes the iPad, the revolutionary Apple tablet computer. OMG. I was hooked, line and sinker. I wanted one really, really badly. We are talking about a small computer, the size of a netbook but thinner without the keyboard and yes, fully touchscreen. How cool is that?
So, there I was lusting after it on ebay and casually bidding for it when I won in one of my bids. Yep, it’s meant to be.I got an iPad 64gb with wifi and 3G capabilities. I was elated.
Nah, here’s my new toy…

Confused?

I meant Supernatural the series la. Not as in real ghosts, demons and the supernatural. Much as I have had experiences in such things, I don’t feel at all inclined to blog about it. But if it’s about Sam and Dean Winchester. Woooo….

Heck. I know I am married and a mother. But I am not blind, man.  Now that I’m on Season Four, I think I prefer watching Dean and his swagger and his cheeky grin. But then I simply love the deep timbre of Sam’s voice. Ahhh… Now, that’s what you call fodder for some tired sore eyes and ears.

Oh, what about the scary demons and ghosts and whatever they go around hunting?

Ceh. Who’s scared of those special effects anyway? I find them mildly amusing at most. And at other times, I’d say Supernatural is more like a Sitcom than a horror series.

I mean the way they splash ‘holy’ water on people is funny. Especially when the people they splashed on are not demons. Or how Dean always ask Sam this question ‘How gay can you be?’ and are always making snide gay remarks about Sam.

And I’ll always remember the time they poked fun at Ghost Whisperer with Dean asking Sam ‘Are you trying to pull a Jennifer Love Hewitt there’ or something along that lines. I have watched the Ghost Whisperer series and it is way, way, WAY lamer than Supernatural.

I mean it already takes a lot to swallow the whole ridiculous salt, Holy Water, some latin chant and iron against demon thing but talking to ghosts to make them go away? Yeah. Right. Say, a robber came to your house to rob you. Can you talk the robber out of doing it by telling him you will help him solve his problems? Right.

Not that the way the brothers go about ‘killing’ demons and ghosts are any more logical. I mean aren’t ghosts already dead? So how do you actually kill something that are already dead? As for demons, it turns out they are also ghosts who have been to hell and escaped (according to the series la!). So, that means they are already dead too. And again, how can you kill something that’s dead? Now, if they are talking about sending them back to hell, I guess, I’ll still accept it…pretty much like Constantine.

Anyway, as lame as it is, I still like the humour and the two eye candy that goes with the series. What can I say? They are definitely preferable to the Charmed girls. Hey, I am no lesbian so I don’t go around salivating over hot nubile female actresses in lame movies.

But then I guess that’s the whole point of supernatural series like this. Nothing is logical and nothing makes sense. That’s what we all call fiction. And I sure do love fictional movies and series, especially with wonderful rippling muscles and damn delicious hunks to salivate at….

So, if you LOVE hunks, go feast your eyes on the Winchester brothers in Supernatural. If you prefer boobs, go watch Ghost Whisperer or Charmed reruns. If you prefer boobs and rippling muscles, you are one sicko but don’t worry…you can watch Heroes they have plenty of rippling muscles, boobs with even some geeks thrown in.

Who cares about the lame story line anyway, eh?

But I digress.

Let’s talk about Marley & Me – The Book. Did I hear a gasp? Yes, my dear non-bookworm people. Marley & Me is a book first and foremost. And frankly, I’ve not seen the movie. I think it would have spoilt my enjoyment of the book. The fabulous, fabulous book. And did I mention that I hate non-fiction? Well, Marley & Me made me change my mind. It is probably the first ever non-fiction sorta autobiographical book that I loved. Not that I went out to buy it, mind you. It was a Christmas present.

So, what’s the book about?

It is exactly about the Marley the dog and his owners, John and Jenny (and later, their three children). That’s in a nutshell. Now, lets dissect it a bit, since this is a book review and all (and no, I am not being paid to do the book review).

The whole premise of the book is mostly based on John’s perspective and his yuppie life with his wife Jenny. Right before they think of starting a family, they decided to get a puppy. After all, everyone knows, having a pet is great training for parents wannabes before they become actual parents. Right? Wrong.

Marley proved to be more difficult than having babies. He was probably the worst dog ever. He slobbered everywhere. He destroyed everything and has this mortal fear of thunder, which means he goes into a violent frenzy at a hint of thunder. That’s not bad enough, he has this uncontrollable energy which means he jumped, run, bounded and leap all the time every where and anywhere and was practically untrainable. Yeah, he got kicked out of dog obedience school, so you can imagine how bad he was.

John Grogan went into quite a lot of details about Marley’s many misadventures and then interspersed it with details of his life with Jenny and their attempt at having children. Right from the start, the book is gripping as John has a style that draws his readers in with his conversational tone and the real-as-life feelings he poured into it.

The most heartwarming part about the whole book is how John and Jenny took every bad behaviour, every misadventure, every damage Marley caused in their stride. Even when Jenny was struggling with postpartum issues and had wanted John to get rid of Marley, the dog was never cast out or left at the pound. Instead, John furtively hid the dog until Jenny recovered from her postpartum blues.

What really touched me about this book is that this couple and their children loved Marley as one of their family, slobber and all. This is so unlike many Malaysian pet owners who wouldn’t even think twice about abandoning their pet dog as soon as the thought ‘it is inconvenient to have a dog’ crossed their mind.

And that is the BIG difference. For the Grogans, Marley is a family member. But for many pet owners here, dogs are merely pets and an amusing ‘live’ toy and nothing else. If a pet dog die, they happily dispose of it and go out and get another one. However, for the Grogans, having Marley around for 12 years is like having a close family member with them.

As with any real life book, of course, this ended on a not-so-happy note. What can you expect when a dog reach 12 years? Marley left for doggie heaven but the poignant moments of Marley’s departure was so well-written and pregnant with emotion, it had me in tears. It made me want to hug my dog and made him promise that he won’t go to doggie heaven just yet.

My verdict: Marley & Me is a must-read especially for dog lovers or any animal lover. It is not merely about a dog but a family and a dog’s undying devotion to each other that will not fail to touch every single animal lover who reads this.  Just remember to read it with a box of tissues next to you.

Rating: 9/10 (definitely worth the stolen time spent curled up on a couch reading it)

Was he so disillusioned by religion that he considered it as a delusion?

I’m sure plenty of religious people are dead against this book and the arguments within it. Reviews are aplenty about this book and just reading these is enough for me to know that the book argues about the existence of God and that God almost certainly does not exist.

Far from being miffed, annoyed, furious or jumping up in an all-consuming hatred at the author, I feel sad for him.

It is sad that a man could become so ‘learned’ that he considered religion as mass delusion.

It is sad that a man could be so bitter and disillusioned by the evil doings of men done in the name of God that he decided that religion must be a delusion.

Of course, he backed his theories with science and the evolution theory.

But I think he forgot one main thing. It is all fine and very well that things could evolve into what it is now but can science fully explain it all?

Can science truly explain how two cells could multiply and form into a human being? Can science even explain the mere existence of life? So, if it is all due to evolution, can a rock evolve into a living, breathing being? And even if it can, where did the rock come from? Can a rock evolve from nothing?

Can thin air evolve into something? And if yes, where did thin air come from?

It all boils down to the ultimate question, where did all things come from.

Nobody has the answers. The most brilliant of scientists could not answer this.

But religion did.

And yes, I do agree with Dawkins that sometimes, many terrorists are into terrorism ‘in the name of God’. But these are not because of God per se. More like it is because of humans and politics.

Religion is such a wide and yet sensitive topic. Your believes may not be mine and vice versa. It has sparked wars and a lot of spilled blood. And yet, did God want this?

I seriously doubt it.

It is really sad that scientists and atheists like Dawkins have become so disillusioned with God that they decided that God does not exist.

Perhaps they were not looking in the right direction.

Perhaps they were plain blind.

Perhaps they thought they are smart and so they are above this God ‘delusion’

Well, I guess, they are entitled to their believes as all of us are entitled to our own religious believes. It is such a waste that they will never know the serenity and joy of having a strong faith could bring you.

I am not a religious fanatic but I do believe in God. It is this believe that sometimes bring me comfort, bring me joy, bring me the bit of sunshine on dark days and bring me peace of mind I could not find elsewhere.

I just can’t imagine a life without God to fall back on for comfort, for an understanding shoulder to lean on (metaphorically speaking lar!) and just for being there.

We don’t need to see Him to know he is there much like we do not need to see the wind to know it is there. We can feel His presence everywhere if we look closely and I am pretty sure, people like Dawkins have been touched by God but they don’t know it.

So, is there a God delusion? Sure. There is when the delusion is that there is no God.

Note: This is not a book review in any way, just my opinions of this thought-provoking book.

So, it is goodbye to my old, clunky, bulky Nikon Coolpix5400. It had served me well.

My old Nikon camera

But it is old and getting cranky. So, I guess it is time to put it into retirement and get a brand new model! And I decided on the:

No, I didn’t get the Nikon Coolpix P80. Simply because the P50 is much cheaper. Heheheh…I did say I want a cheaper compact camera, considering I may be spending much, much more on a DSLR in the near future. So a pretty basic compact for now should be good enough. Although it was released last year and not exactly new in the market, it suits my needs perfectly.

Now, let’s look at the specs of this compact which offers more than any basic compact:

• 8.1 megapixel
• Electronic VR
• Up to 4x digital zoom
• ISO 2000 capability
• Macro shooting from as close as 5cm
• Face-priority AF
• Uses SDHC card
• Wide angle of 28 – 102mm
• It has several modes from Auto to Scenes to P (programmed auto) to M (manual settings where aperture and speed can be set)
• uses AA batteries

I especially like its internal basic photo edit function where I can resize the pictures, crop, lighten or even ‘sharpen’ if the picture was blurry due to shaky hands. This means I can edit the pictures on the camera and then download the pictures straigth to my computer. Since it uses the SD card, it is more convenient for me too because my computer has an SD card reader. No need for additional card readers and no need to bring around the troublesome cable.

The top of the Nikon Coolpix P50 where you could change the modes

It has more functions than the basic point and shoot compacts as in I can choose the M mode and play around with the settings such as the aperture and speed. It is a way for me to experiment and learn more about the effects of aperture and speed settings when taking pictures. But when I am too lazy to bother adjusting the settings, the auto mode is really good enough with the perfect settings.

The functions are pretty much easy to get the hang of so you don’t even really need to read through the manual to learn how to use it. That is if you are used to Nikon digital cameras, of course. Since , it’s my second Nikon Coolpix, I get familarised with it pretty quickly.

Take a look at some of the pictures it has taken:

Seaview

A view of George Town

Goldfishes in our little pond

As you can see, the photo quality is pretty good and the colours amazingly accurate and lively.

My verdict: The Nikon Coolpix P50 is a pretty good buy and for a compact camera, it sure do have loads of functions to play around with. I bought it for only RM600 with free mini tripod, camera casing and a 2G SD card.

If you’ve never been to the Lost World of Tambun, well, good for you. You didn’t miss a thing. In fact, you saved your money and yes, your time! We took a trip there for a short weekend getaway and did we regret it…Lost World of Tambun is indeed lost. A LOST case!

Let me show you some pictures…

Lost World of Tambun

The water theme park entrance looks interesting enough but it belies what lies inside…

The almost empty parking lot

We should have realised that something must be wrong when the enormous carpark lot only have about 30 cars ON A WEEKEND…

Inside, it is beautifully landscaped with nice ornaments

I suppose the landscaping and decorations and ornaments they put in the Lost World of Tambun is quite impressive but that’s about it. Entrance is RM25 per adult and RM18 per child. My son entered free because he’s below 90cm.

The 'beach' and tidal wave pool

Again, looks nice and impressive for a water theme park. But heck, we didn’t pay RM50 for beautiful scenery! We need beautiful scenery we’d go for FREE walks in the national park or something.

The children's wading pool

Which is absolutely pathetic. My son got tired of it after a full 10 minutes.  Wanna see a REAL children’s wading pool in a water theme park? Feast your eyes on this!

Children's wading pool at White Water World, Brisbane

See the difference? Let’s look at what else is at the Lost World of Tambun…

Spend RM10 to keep your things in this tiny locker or risk losing it

Yep. On top of the RM50 entrance fee, we have to fork out RM10 to rent the locker and if we want to use the big giant tube (float thingy), the rent is RM8 with RM2 deposit = RM10. We didn’t rent the stupid tube thingy.

Guess what this murky, slimy, oily pool of water is?

It is supposed to be a…

Can you guess by now?

Yep, it’s supposed to be a pond for people to paddle around in those giant Swan water-cycle thingies but ewwww….

Surprisingly, the fishes inside aren't dead yet and pretty darn hungry too

Look at them grabbing at some fish food we fed them (which we bought for RM1 at the ticketing counter outside). Some even wriggled to the ground to swallow the pellets before wriggling back into the murky slimy water.

The 'needle' of Tambun or so it's called 'politely' by the brochure

That’s what nature lovers get to view up close if they take the ‘nature walk’ path which leads right to the virile male symbol of all time….So, men, if you have an inferiority complex, please avert your eyes. But hey, maybe if you go there and hike there and touch it, it may help you to grow bigger and longer too? lol… just saying…

The only thing I like about this theme park is the Tiger Valley

We happened to talk to the tiger trainer, Nathan, and the park has 11 Siberian tigers. They only put four in display and they have tiger feeding time and show at 3pm and 4pm.

Nathan, the tiger trainer

Nathan is actually an MBA holder who used to be an ISO consultant before making a career change to train tigers. His rationale for the total about change?

“It is easier to handle tigers than to deal with people,”

How true. At least tigers don’t stab people on their backs. They don’t gossip. They don’t plan and plot your downfall. They don’t go into politics nor play politics. They only attack because of two reasons, either because they are hungry or because they feel you are threatening them. They generally do not eat humans and our Malayan tigers are on the brink of extinction, not that our Forestry Department care since they always LOVE to go on a shooting spree to kill tigers because of ONE rogue tiger when it is HUMANS WHO ARE ENCROACHING INTO TIGER TERRITORY and not the other way around. Don’t even get me started on that…

Let's not forget the Hot Spring Pool too

This is another redeeming quality of the park. They have a hot spring pool which is darn relaxing but be careful, it is so hot it may just melt your synthetic swimwear!

The things I don’t like about this place are:

No outside food allowed

Ridiculously, they charge you RM1 to store your food outside (if you happen to bring any) and you can collect it when you go back. And yes, you can’t smuggle it in because they check your bags at the entrance! We brought some dry biscuits in a tupperware for my son and they said we are not allowed to bring in the tupperwear but it is okay to bring in the dry biscuits. So, we took out the dry biscuits, put it in a plastic bag and left the tupperware in the locker outside. Yep, no tupperware allowed BUT plastic bags are okay. Why? They are worried that we’d smuggle some of their murky pond water in our tupperware? Or is it the sand? Perhaps we could fit the tiger into our tupperware?

The food sold inside SUCKS big time and DARN expensive too. And yes, did I mention not much choice except for some limited choice fast food, chicken rice, waffles, garlic bread and mee mamak?

Three lousy pools littered with dirt, leaves and floating objects – one hot spring, one tidal wave pool and one children’s pool but LOADS of leaves, clumps of hair and yes, dirt and grime.

They have that ‘river’ thingy but with no fake current and since it is more fun to go around with the tube, we didn’t even bother to try it. Besides, it is only a short distance and does not go around the three other pools or anything.

Oh yeah, they have the giant slides too but I didn’t even bother. It looks boring as ever and yes, it doesn’t look very safe. Hell, if they can’t maintain the cleanliness of the pools and the pond, what makes you think they maintained those slides?

It is NO fun at all. Water theme parks are supposed to be FUN. Not boring.

So, Lost World of Tambun is indeed a lost case. They lost the plot on how to be a fun water theme park somewhere. Other than fabulous landscaping and scenery and the tigers, they don’t have anything else. Blardy waste of time. Better to go to Sunway Lagoon. Strangely, these two water theme parks belonged in the same company but I don’t know why it is so lousy in Perak. I don’t mind paying the entrance fees though, since I know it’d go towards feeding those tigers…

Wanna get lost? Just don’t do it at the Lost World of Tambun or you might regret it.

So, now began my search for alternative broadband internet service providers….Here’s the few more known ones in the market and what I’ve gathered about these services:

Celcom

- the broadband service runs on its 3G and HSDPA (also known as 3.5G) network

HSDPA is an evolution of the 3G standards, and increases the data download speeds for mobile devices with capability to offer data transmission speeds of up to 7.2Mbps (in Celcom we offer speeds of up to 3.6Mbps). – taken from Celcom’s website

The packages available are:

1. Pay Per Use for those who only access the internet occassionally at 10sen per 10kbps, max charges of RM250 per month. Usually comes with Celcom 3G Postpaid / Prepaid line. Speed is up to 3.6Mbps.

2. Lite User – for those who needs to use internet only several days (not more than 9 days a month) and each use involved heavy surfing. Price is RM8 for 24 hours but speed is up to 384kbps.

3. Broadband basic package – for those who uses the internet daily but do not need very fast connections and only uses it for simple internet surfing. Cost is only RM68 per month with speed up to 384kbps.

4. Broadband advance package – for those who needs broadband internet connectivity with very fast connections for heavy downloads/ internet surfing. Cost is RM98 per month with speed up to 3.6Mbps.

Reviews: There’s been bad reviews of this service (is it any wonder considering it is the same company as Streamyx???) but in recent times, it has improved quite a bit. Some of my friends swear by their Celcom broadband and they claimed that it is much more reliable and better than Streamyx. Which is really strange considering both are under the same TM company. Perhaps different management, different service? It is still worth considering since the high speed package is only RM98 and I am paying more for stupid Streamyx (including the phone line which we never use!!).

Maxis

- comes with wired broadband and wireless broadband

- has 3G and also HSDPA too so the internet speed could be up to 3.6Mbps.

Wireless broadband

- the USB modem package price is darn expensive at RM138 per month. If you are a postpaid customer, you get a RM20 discount, wheee.. (got this info from their damn lousy website with VERY LITTLE information on their wireless broadband packages so don’t even know whether they update it or not). No mention of connection speed anywhere too.

- They have a starter package of RM68 for 384 kbps, advanced package of RM78 for 640 kbps and power package of RM98 for 3.6Mbps.

- Their Maxis 3G package is RM99.

Wired broadband

- only available at selected areas so you will need to check first before subscribing.

Reviews: I hear a lot of bad reviews of this broadband internet service provider. I’ve personally used it before, trust me. Steer clear of Maxis, at least until they fix the speed and connectivity. It’s what I’d call dis-connectivity and speed? HAH. For once, I can say Streamyx is better.

Digi

Sadly, they only have EDGE which is 224kbps. A tortoise compared to the others.

The packages:

Pay as you use – its from 10sen/10kb to  5sen/10kb but if your usage is above RM149, the rest is free.

Data basic plan – RM6 for 2MB and subsequently, 8sen/ 10KB. The max cap is RM149.

Data lite plan – RM22 for 8MB and subsequently, 5sen/10KB. The max is also RM149.

Data unlimited usage – DiGi HighSpeed Mobile Access EDGE (224 kbps) for RM66 per month.

- need to use bluetooth enabled phones as the modem to connect to the internet

- otherwise, you can also use the EDGE PC card Modem. No USB modem.

Reviews: Strangely, I’ve heard bad and good reviews for Digi. Some say it is darn slow and no connections in most places and some say it is quite good. Since I have a Digi phone line, I’ll say the yellow rubber suit man is NOT everywhere. It has quite bad reception at certain places and yes, even absolution no connection at all. If the phone line takda, that means the internet also takda lor.

U Mobile

This very new service just only made an appearance in the broadband internet service scene with 3G and HSDPA too. It is boasting connectivity of 1.8Mbps to 3.6Mbps.

- RM78 per month for up to 3.6Mbps and USB Modem is included (contract 24 months).

- It is only available in Selangor so those in other states

Reviews: Since it is so new, I don’t hear anything yet. Considering it’s in Selangor only, I probably won’t hear much about it anyway…

Jaring

I’ve used their dial-up service before and finds it quite good. For their broadband internet service, they have speeds up to 1Mbps only.

Packages are:

Basic – RM40 at 384kbps

Starter – RM70 at 512kbps

Standard – RM80 at 1Mbps

Reviews: Again, unfortunately, it is only available in Selangor and not other states. The speed is quite slow compared to the HSDPA networks available but since it is not available in Penang, I couldn’t say how slow or how good it is.

Then we also have fibre optic internet service providers…

PenangFon

It is only available in Penang island and provides internet speed of up to 2Mbps.

The residential package is RM60 for unlimited access of up to 2Mbps. However, the service areas are quite limited and as far as I know, it is not available at my apartment yet.

Reviews: So far, all I’ve heard are pretty good reviews from friends using this service. Another disadvantage to this service is that you need to put in cables when installing it and only if it is available in your area.

So there, these are the few alternatives I am looking at to replace the stupid Streamyx connection at home. What with all those bad reviews, it looks like we are all screwed either way! Seems like we do not have any high quality broadband internet service provider at all.

And they (you know who) like to spout the phrase ‘we have first class infrastructure’. Yeah, right. Where? We don’t even have a decent broadband internet service provider. Multimedia Super Corridor? HAH. What a joke.

Now, let me go back to stressing out over the super slow speed of the contender for the lousiest broadband internet service provider – Streamyx. Grrrrrrr…..

And then Apple have the nerve to dangle their shiny new soon-to-be released iPhone 3G in front of me. Crap. They must know one of my weakest point is the temptation of shiny new technology gadgets with tonnes of wonderful sounding specs and features (not that I will use most of it!).

Besides, it is soooo…pretty. Just feast your eyes on this:

The size of the phone is an issue with me since it is 4.5in high by 2.4in wide and 0.48in thick which means it is a good 1inch taller than my current phone. However, it is due to this size that it is able to provide a wider screen to fulfill your ‘entertainment’ needs. And the surface is much too shiny because it is prone to ‘capture’ a lot of fingerprints..uggh…however, on the bright side, mirror anyone? heheheh

Let’s look at the differences between the new iPhone 3G and the old iPhone:

- both comes in 8GB or 16GB models

- size is the same

- the new one is supposedly cheaper retailing at USD$199 (8GB) and USD$399 (16GB) while the old iPhone used to sell at USD$800 and USD$899. In Malaysia, the old iPhone was such a flop that its original price of almost RM3k dropped and it now costs around RM1,800 to get one, if you can find one in the market.

- the old iPhone doesn’t have 3G capability and but the new one obviously does so it is supposedly faster

- the new iPhone 3G will also have GPS

- the new iPhone will also feature newer softwares such as different languages support, App Store (for you to easily download third party applications), push email, contacts and calender with MS Exchange Activesync, ability to view more attachments in emails, better email management, scientific calculator and the iPhone 2.0 software.

- other than that, it is the same as the old iPhone as in it is a three-in-one phone where it is used as a handphone, an iPod and you can even go online on it.

- due to the App Store, you can also download games and you can use it to play a lot of new games available for download.

My verdict:

I have tried the old iPhone and I especially liked the smooth multi-touch user interface which my HTC Touch tried to emulate with its TouchFlo system but I have to say the iPhone multi-touch system is far more superior!

Also, the display is simply amazing and since it is also an iPod, I don’t have to tell you that the sound quality is exceptional too.

However, I feel it is too clunky and big and heavy. I suspect the new one won’t be any lighter. Also, no point using the built in camera because it is only 2 megapixel and it is about the same quality as my HTC Touch, nothing great to shout about. However, if you load you own pictures into it, it will display all the colours amazingly. No dullness here.

Oh, no external memory available for both, thus the two different models of either 8GB or 16GB. Although I personally feel 16GB is more than enough without the need for external memory.

Also, since it is an Apple product, the system is slightly different from a PDA phone running on Windows platform. You will need to learn how to use the interface or else you will feel darn frustrated with it and think it is a lousy phone.

In conclusion, the new iPhone 3G is basically still like the old iPhone with only a few added features, namely the software. If you already own the old iPhone, might as well just upgrade its softwares and you may just have your own new iPhone except without the 3G and GPS capabilities.

So, will I buy the new iPhone 3G? Well, since I just bought my HTC Touch, probably not. But there’s nothing wrong with salivating after it right?

And no, this is NOT a paid review. Only doing this out of interest.

I was hooked the moment I realised it was not a horror movie. It was more than a mere fantasy movie (which originated from a graphic novel by Alan Moore) set in the future where the threat of bird flu and worldwide terrorism is very real. It was a really meaningful and great movie! And the dialogue and phrases are good too.

The ‘hero’ of the movie who calls himself ‘V’ is treated like a terrorist by the government as he made his existence known by bombing a public building and then going around killing individuals from the government. At first it seemed like he was out to kill all the government’s people but then later, it was revealed that he was killing those who have wronged him.

Anyway, what I find most fascinating about this show is that it reminds me too much about the state of affairs of our federal government. There were too many similarities and though not as extreme as the government in the movie, ours is heading that way. Just take this quote for example:

From V for Vendetta:

Words will always retain their power.

Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth.

And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there?

Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission.

How did this happen? Who’s to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you’re looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.

It touches a familiar chord and it certainly rang true. And yes, how did the tyranny of Umno and BN happen? Well, aren’t we, the voters, the ones who turned them into the monsters they are today by voting for them year in year out for the past five decades? I especially find the phrase which is in bold fits very well with our government and their beloved ISA.

Other wonderful quotes from the movie:

That the world needs more than just a building right now. It needs hope.

Yes, hope shall keep us all alive but we sure do lack hope…And this quote is what Makkal Sakthi is all about:

People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.

The movie has quite a lot of wonderful quotes. If I was to rate this movie, I’d give it 8/10 at the very least.

I recently read three of Angie Sage’s Septimus Heap books, Magyk, Flyte and Physik, and thoroughly enjoyed it so I thought I might as well do a review starting with the first book, Magyk.

The book starts with Silas Heap finding a newborn baby girl in the snow and took her home despite being quite poor and having six other sons. On the same night, his wife Sarah delivered their seventh son, Septimus, but the midwife pronounced the baby as stillborn and hurriedly whisked him away.

So, they named the baby girl Jenna and brought her up as their own.

Fast forward ten years and the Extraordinary Wizard, Marcia, told them that Jenna is actually the surviving princess of their queen who was assassinated. Marcia came and took Jenna to protect her from possible assassins. Marcia also happen to save a young army boy from freezing to death, called Boy 412.

And so the adventure begins of how Marcia , Jenna and the Heaps, along with the reluctant nervous Boy 412, escaped to the marsh with the enemy in hot pursuit. The enemy is DomDaniel, the necromancer and former extraordinary wizard who is out to reclaim his title.

I do not want to spoil it for you so I will just say that what follows is a battle between good and bad, which is normal in any fantasy book. A dragon boat was found, a dragon ring was found, the seventh son of the seventh son was found and the book ended with a cliffhanger as to how Marcia’s new apprentice fared and what’s next.

This book is charming in the sense that it is full of magyk about magykal families in a fantasy world set in a timeless period where castles and wizardry and magic is the norm of the day. Although it may sound Harry Potter-ish, it isn’t all that similar except for the wizard and magic part. But I would say it is a definite spin-off from the famous Harry Potter series.

What is amazing about it is that this place merely called The Castle which consists of the palace and the wizard tower and that it is ruled by Queens and not kings. Sure the queens have husbands but often, the husbands were not mentioned. So, the throne is often ascended by the princesses and if the Queen do not have any daughters, it will go to the next female relative in line.

The tone of the writer is also quite light and often humorous which will have you grinning at certain chapters. However there are sad poignant moments too and as is needed in any good fantasy book, the page-turning thrill is also there. It is slow in the beginning but the pace picks up real fast and nearing the end, you will find that you could hardly put it down!

The only thing I find a little off-putting about the book is the bold words for spells and magical things such as Magyk or Caused.

In conclusion, if you are into some light fun reading of the fantasy genre, it is worth picking up this book.

Rating: 7/10