Posts
1.
I yearn for the mellifluous songbird
Her dulcet melody; tranquil, empowering
Oh, the irony.. You have me lured!
As I languish in this kindled longing
2.
Alas, leaves rustled and branches shook
Echoing the miracle I cannot partake
For a flutter of wings was all it took
To leave me but a feather in your wake
3.
You were present by day, absent by night;
Your vacancy melancholic and blue
Oh, why taunt me so with your flight?
If only God had endowed me wings too...
4.
But enough of stacking boxes to the moon!
I have moved forth, abandoning visceral dreams
Yet the desolate branch perpetuates my gloom
Such is the agony of denial, it seems...
5.
You have graced all; be it chasms, be it clouds,
You pursued the concord of sun and sea,
Gaping in your splendor, my inferiority shrouds
For I am but a man, undeserving of thee.
______________________________________________
That monster energy drink left me tossing and turning in my bed and I somehow felt the poet in me spring to life. :S
So yea, one of my very rare pieces.
And no, I have not gone crazy.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Book Review: The Lost Symbol
"The only difference between you and God is that you have forgotten you are divine."
Pg 492, The Lost Symbol
The two youths dashed into Dymocks BookShop, mere minutes before it closed for the day. Scanning the front shelves, they each grabbed a thick tome, cashed out and left the store, brimming with anticipation with each passing step. The smell of freshly-minted pages of a new novel filled their car..
But it wasn't any novel.
It was Dan Brown's epic 2009 installment; The Lost Symbol.
Okay, highly exaggerated but regardless, the main point is... I bought the book, read it AND finished it within 2 days! All 509 pages of its glory despite having university commitments! :D
And now, for the long awaited... BOOK REVIEW.
---------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: While this review will NOT contain many (if any at all) plot spoilers, it may influence your perception of the book. Therefore, I would not recommend reading further if you do not want your reading experience to be tampered with. You have been advised.
---------------------------------------------------
I have always been an ardent fan of Dan Brown and his works. Having read and enjoyed all 4 of his books before the Da Vinci Code-frenzy even began plaguing the world, I can safely say I'm not one of the bandwagon boys (self praise IS better than no praise, afterall :D ). Therefore, you can imagine my exitement when my 5-year wait for his next sensational thriller finally ended last Wednesday.
As you could've guessed, The Lost Symbol brought together an exciting mix of symbology, conspiracy theories, Masonic folklore, intriguing puzzles, esoteric knowledge and a cat-and-mouse chase to locate a mystical treasure. Throw in a spanner or two in the form of a deranged antagonist, severed body parts and ridiculous plot twists and you have a plot worthy of a Dan Brown book.
The Lost Symbol was not a far cry from his prior books in terms of style. Like his previous four, Mr Brown used the third-person perspective to his advantage and partitioned individual character plots into chapter-size segments. The first quarter of the book dealt with the synthesis of multiple character perspectives before each of them magically fell into place to complete the entire master plot. If you have read his other books, you will feel right at home with that 'Oh, now I get it!' sensation that entails every piece of the literary jigsaw as the grand picture began to materialize.
The sporadic bursts of humour were effective destressors from the seriousness of the plot. Phrases like the crude "...low tolerance for bullshit" and "Katherine solomon wants to pick my brain? It felt like Maria Sharapova had called for tennis tips" were examples of the instances of pleasantries that would make you smile in the midst of reading dark, intelligent thriller.
As expected, the book sucked you in right from the start; a mysterious prologue that was bound to make you go WTF, Robert Langdon's reintroduction in the first chapter and a transcontinental flight on the third. It was Dan Brown at his best; a cliffhanger at every chapter and a revelation in the next. A potent page-flipping combination indeed.
The story develops at a brisk pace; by the hundredth page, you could literally feel the suspense burning under your skin as every particle in your body craved for more surprises. However, many of the plot elements were still very deeply veiled, as if to provoke and entice you to further discover what was in store. After the halfway mark, the book was literally, as The Washington Post described it, unputdownable. As the plot exploded and brought along a surprise at every corner, The Lost Symbol looked destined to be another Dan Brown masterpiece.....
Except that it wasn't.
After the revelation of a few catalytic events, the conviction in the plot began to disintegrate. You could feel that the characters, especially the antagonist, have somewhat lost their sense of motives and that subsequent events happened because Mr. Brown wanted them to occur. At best, Mal'akh was a wee bit confused but quite frankly, he's probably the most retardedly senseless villain in all of Dan Brown's books.
Although credit must be given for the neat converging of multiple plots, the grand magnificent revelation that I had come to expect from a Dan Brown book... wasn't very magnificent at all. Bluntly put, I found myself saying 'meh' and 'ceh' a lot.
Also a first in The Lost Symbol was its predictability. Never in any of his prior 4 books have I been able to accurately take a swing at the big-twist piñata... except this one. Maybe I've grown to discover the fickle minds of authors or maybe it was just a fortunate guess but really, I expected something less cliche' from a person as accomplished as Mr Brown.
After finishing the book, countless unanswered questions were ringing in my head;
Is that all Noetic Science is about?
Why did event A,B and C happen?
Why are there so many coincidences?
Where's the sex?
Part of the satisfaction of reading his books were the detailed revelations of esoteric knowledge and ground-breaking conspiracies that were incorporated in the plot. Instead, only the skeletal framework of plot-binders were explained and the remaining gaping hole was left for the readers to fill by themselves. Granted, budding curiosity is highly subjective and could be a good or a bad thing but it definitely wasn't pleasant to have to Wikipedia what should and could have been explained convincingly in the book.
All in all, I could not help but to feel slightly disappointed with the failed delivery of a book that was so full of promise. Granted, it wasn't exactly a literary train-wreck and there were indeed many positives but I would certainly have expected more from someone of Mr Brown's calibre. I guess it's back to Digital Fortress and Deception Point for me.
3/5
Let's just hope the movie turns out well.
Yea right.
Pg 492, The Lost Symbol
The two youths dashed into Dymocks BookShop, mere minutes before it closed for the day. Scanning the front shelves, they each grabbed a thick tome, cashed out and left the store, brimming with anticipation with each passing step. The smell of freshly-minted pages of a new novel filled their car..
But it wasn't any novel.
It was Dan Brown's epic 2009 installment; The Lost Symbol.
Okay, highly exaggerated but regardless, the main point is... I bought the book, read it AND finished it within 2 days! All 509 pages of its glory despite having university commitments! :D
And now, for the long awaited... BOOK REVIEW.
---------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: While this review will NOT contain many (if any at all) plot spoilers, it may influence your perception of the book. Therefore, I would not recommend reading further if you do not want your reading experience to be tampered with. You have been advised.
---------------------------------------------------
I have always been an ardent fan of Dan Brown and his works. Having read and enjoyed all 4 of his books before the Da Vinci Code-frenzy even began plaguing the world, I can safely say I'm not one of the bandwagon boys (self praise IS better than no praise, afterall :D ). Therefore, you can imagine my exitement when my 5-year wait for his next sensational thriller finally ended last Wednesday.
As you could've guessed, The Lost Symbol brought together an exciting mix of symbology, conspiracy theories, Masonic folklore, intriguing puzzles, esoteric knowledge and a cat-and-mouse chase to locate a mystical treasure. Throw in a spanner or two in the form of a deranged antagonist, severed body parts and ridiculous plot twists and you have a plot worthy of a Dan Brown book.
The Lost Symbol was not a far cry from his prior books in terms of style. Like his previous four, Mr Brown used the third-person perspective to his advantage and partitioned individual character plots into chapter-size segments. The first quarter of the book dealt with the synthesis of multiple character perspectives before each of them magically fell into place to complete the entire master plot. If you have read his other books, you will feel right at home with that 'Oh, now I get it!' sensation that entails every piece of the literary jigsaw as the grand picture began to materialize.
The sporadic bursts of humour were effective destressors from the seriousness of the plot. Phrases like the crude "...low tolerance for bullshit" and "Katherine solomon wants to pick my brain? It felt like Maria Sharapova had called for tennis tips" were examples of the instances of pleasantries that would make you smile in the midst of reading dark, intelligent thriller.
As expected, the book sucked you in right from the start; a mysterious prologue that was bound to make you go WTF, Robert Langdon's reintroduction in the first chapter and a transcontinental flight on the third. It was Dan Brown at his best; a cliffhanger at every chapter and a revelation in the next. A potent page-flipping combination indeed.
The story develops at a brisk pace; by the hundredth page, you could literally feel the suspense burning under your skin as every particle in your body craved for more surprises. However, many of the plot elements were still very deeply veiled, as if to provoke and entice you to further discover what was in store. After the halfway mark, the book was literally, as The Washington Post described it, unputdownable. As the plot exploded and brought along a surprise at every corner, The Lost Symbol looked destined to be another Dan Brown masterpiece.....
Except that it wasn't.
After the revelation of a few catalytic events, the conviction in the plot began to disintegrate. You could feel that the characters, especially the antagonist, have somewhat lost their sense of motives and that subsequent events happened because Mr. Brown wanted them to occur. At best, Mal'akh was a wee bit confused but quite frankly, he's probably the most retardedly senseless villain in all of Dan Brown's books.
Although credit must be given for the neat converging of multiple plots, the grand magnificent revelation that I had come to expect from a Dan Brown book... wasn't very magnificent at all. Bluntly put, I found myself saying 'meh' and 'ceh' a lot.
Also a first in The Lost Symbol was its predictability. Never in any of his prior 4 books have I been able to accurately take a swing at the big-twist piñata... except this one. Maybe I've grown to discover the fickle minds of authors or maybe it was just a fortunate guess but really, I expected something less cliche' from a person as accomplished as Mr Brown.
After finishing the book, countless unanswered questions were ringing in my head;
Is that all Noetic Science is about?
Why did event A,B and C happen?
Why are there so many coincidences?
Part of the satisfaction of reading his books were the detailed revelations of esoteric knowledge and ground-breaking conspiracies that were incorporated in the plot. Instead, only the skeletal framework of plot-binders were explained and the remaining gaping hole was left for the readers to fill by themselves. Granted, budding curiosity is highly subjective and could be a good or a bad thing but it definitely wasn't pleasant to have to Wikipedia what should and could have been explained convincingly in the book.
All in all, I could not help but to feel slightly disappointed with the failed delivery of a book that was so full of promise. Granted, it wasn't exactly a literary train-wreck and there were indeed many positives but I would certainly have expected more from someone of Mr Brown's calibre. I guess it's back to Digital Fortress and Deception Point for me.
3/5
Let's just hope the movie turns out well.
Yea right.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Hiatus Terminalis
Yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you.
Yes, I'm alive.
Yes, this is a new post on A Dose Of Madness.
And yes, I'm so totally screwed.
Today was the NS mid-semester test and needless to say, it was excruciatingly hard. Terms I've never heard before, body parts I've never seen in my life, physiological reactions that I have no clue about. All that DESPITE studying my fucking balls of for the last 2 weeks.
I finally realised what Professor Stuart Bunt meant when he said "Set your expectations to 65%" and "the average mark is 50%", despite the fact that the batch was literally oozing intelligence and dilligence (the average TER is 99). Fuck, that test was hard...
A 1 hour 10 minutes theory paper from hell and the need to go through 40 stations in 1 hour for the practical exam, not to mention that close 30% of the test's content has not even been taught yet; Truly the test from hell... And you know what? It's only the mid sem test; the final year test is supposed to be harder. :S Seniors in second year and above, I respect you.
Yes, I'm overreacting. Yes, I know everyone else probably feels equally crappish after that test. Maybe it's just because I'm so used to being the typical overachiever that I am in high school, college and even during the first semester of university. It's just a very rough and abrupt wake up call to realise that you're struggling to pass instead of gunning for a High Distinction or some mark in the upper 90s.
Yes, it probably IS wishful-thinking to expect to score absurd marks when you're learning all the major blood vessels (I counted over a 100 new terms for anatomy alone), their locations, their interactions with each other and the intricate physiology of the cardiovascular system in a mere 2 months. It's just.. disturbing to know that THIS much is expected from us.
Either way, I just hope I fucking pass first year.
FML!
PS: To a certain girl- I know you're having a hard time too; maybe harder so compared to me. Just hang in there and I hope things clear up for you too. :) Anger doesn't suit your pretty face. XD You know who you are.
And PPS: I'm going to start blogging again.. Slowly but surely.
Yes, I'm alive.
Yes, this is a new post on A Dose Of Madness.
And yes, I'm so totally screwed.
Today was the NS mid-semester test and needless to say, it was excruciatingly hard. Terms I've never heard before, body parts I've never seen in my life, physiological reactions that I have no clue about. All that DESPITE studying my fucking balls of for the last 2 weeks.
I finally realised what Professor Stuart Bunt meant when he said "Set your expectations to 65%" and "the average mark is 50%", despite the fact that the batch was literally oozing intelligence and dilligence (the average TER is 99). Fuck, that test was hard...
A 1 hour 10 minutes theory paper from hell and the need to go through 40 stations in 1 hour for the practical exam, not to mention that close 30% of the test's content has not even been taught yet; Truly the test from hell... And you know what? It's only the mid sem test; the final year test is supposed to be harder. :S Seniors in second year and above, I respect you.
Yes, I'm overreacting. Yes, I know everyone else probably feels equally crappish after that test. Maybe it's just because I'm so used to being the typical overachiever that I am in high school, college and even during the first semester of university. It's just a very rough and abrupt wake up call to realise that you're struggling to pass instead of gunning for a High Distinction or some mark in the upper 90s.
Yes, it probably IS wishful-thinking to expect to score absurd marks when you're learning all the major blood vessels (I counted over a 100 new terms for anatomy alone), their locations, their interactions with each other and the intricate physiology of the cardiovascular system in a mere 2 months. It's just.. disturbing to know that THIS much is expected from us.
Either way, I just hope I fucking pass first year.
FML!
PS: To a certain girl- I know you're having a hard time too; maybe harder so compared to me. Just hang in there and I hope things clear up for you too. :) Anger doesn't suit your pretty face. XD You know who you are.
And PPS: I'm going to start blogging again.. Slowly but surely.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Back To BM
BREAKING NEWS
Language-switch policy scrapped
The government has admitted that the policy of teaching Science and Mathematics in English has failed to meet its objectives and will be scrapped.
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also education minister, said beginning 2012, the two subjects will be taught in Bahasa Malaysia at national schools.
As for national-type schools, the subjects will be taught in the respective mother-tongues. The policy was initiated by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2003, despite vocal protests.
Muhyiddin said the cabinet today approved the ministry's suggestion to revert to use of the Malay language and to strengthen the teaching and learning of the English language at all levels of schooling.
"This strategy was drawn up based on the study and monitoring carried out by the Education Ministry on the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English since the policy was implemented in 2003," he said at a press conference arranged to make this announcement.
The first batch of pupils who studied science and mathematics in the English language since Year One sat for their Ujian Penilian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination last year.
Reversion in stagesExplaining the mechanism, Muhyiddin said reversion to the Malay-language policy will be carried out in stages in Year One and Year Four in primary schools and Form One and Form Four in secondary schools beginning 2012.However, he said, the change will not involve students in Form Six and matriculation class.
In order to ensure that implementation does not affect the performance of students who have been taught the two subjects in English, the teaching and examination of the two subjects will be conducted in both languages up to 2014, to cover the final batch of students taught in English.
He said the government made the decision after scrutinising the findings of studies and surveys carried out on the teaching and learning of the two subjects in English. These have shown that implementation has left a lot to be desired.
Muhyiddin also said not all teachers have taught the two subjects fully in English, and that they have used a combination of English and Bahasa Malaysia.
"On average, English usage is between 53 and 58 percent of the total time allotted for science and mathematics," he said.
He also revealed that only a small group of mathematics and science teachers in secondary and primary schools who took the English- language Proficiency Level Evaluation test last year had attained the required standard.He said the percentage of students who scored grade A, B, and C for science in the UPSR last year had dropped from 85.1 percent to 82.5 percent in urban schools and from 83.2 percent to 79.7 percent in rural schools.
And for mathematics, the performance of urban schools dropped from 84.8 percent to 80.9 percent while the performance for rural students dropped from 80.9 percent to 77 percent.
The government has also decided to strengthen the teaching and learning of the Malay language and English at all school levels.
For this, the education ministry will implement comprehensive measures to enhance the command of both languages among students.
And in line with this, there will be a major transformation at primary and secondary school levels, in terms of focus on enhancing language skills among students.
"It will be implemented through an integrated, balanced and holistic modular approach. It will cover skills like listening, speaking, reading and writing as well as grammar and proficiency."
At primary school level, the Malay language curriculum will focus on fun learning and the appreciation of the language. "In secondary schools, the Malay-language curriculum will focus on appreciation of the Malay literature as well as bolstering the students' skills in grammar, reading, listening, writing, speaking and overall fluency."
The emphasis on Malay literature is to enrich the students' command of the language as an art, apart from demonstrating the Malaysian people's value system, culture and thinking," the minister said.
On the teaching and learning of English, he said the ministry will appoint an additional 13,933 language teachers - 1,000 from abroad, 600 who are retired and who will be re-employed and 12,333 from the Malaysian Institute of Teachers' Education, as well as from private and public institutions of higher learning.
"The ministry will also provide DG41 English assistant teachers for Year One and Year Two classes which have more than 35 pupils, to increase the contact time between teachers and pupils," he said.
The English period for Years 1-3 will be increased by 90 minutes a week to make it 330 minutes. For Years 4-6, there will be an additional 90 minutes a week to bring the total teaching period to 300 minutes.
From: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/108073
_____________________________________________
God save Malaysia.
Language-switch policy scrapped
The government has admitted that the policy of teaching Science and Mathematics in English has failed to meet its objectives and will be scrapped.
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also education minister, said beginning 2012, the two subjects will be taught in Bahasa Malaysia at national schools.
As for national-type schools, the subjects will be taught in the respective mother-tongues. The policy was initiated by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2003, despite vocal protests.
Muhyiddin said the cabinet today approved the ministry's suggestion to revert to use of the Malay language and to strengthen the teaching and learning of the English language at all levels of schooling.
"This strategy was drawn up based on the study and monitoring carried out by the Education Ministry on the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English since the policy was implemented in 2003," he said at a press conference arranged to make this announcement.
The first batch of pupils who studied science and mathematics in the English language since Year One sat for their Ujian Penilian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination last year.
Reversion in stagesExplaining the mechanism, Muhyiddin said reversion to the Malay-language policy will be carried out in stages in Year One and Year Four in primary schools and Form One and Form Four in secondary schools beginning 2012.However, he said, the change will not involve students in Form Six and matriculation class.
In order to ensure that implementation does not affect the performance of students who have been taught the two subjects in English, the teaching and examination of the two subjects will be conducted in both languages up to 2014, to cover the final batch of students taught in English.
He said the government made the decision after scrutinising the findings of studies and surveys carried out on the teaching and learning of the two subjects in English. These have shown that implementation has left a lot to be desired.
Muhyiddin also said not all teachers have taught the two subjects fully in English, and that they have used a combination of English and Bahasa Malaysia.
"On average, English usage is between 53 and 58 percent of the total time allotted for science and mathematics," he said.
He also revealed that only a small group of mathematics and science teachers in secondary and primary schools who took the English- language Proficiency Level Evaluation test last year had attained the required standard.He said the percentage of students who scored grade A, B, and C for science in the UPSR last year had dropped from 85.1 percent to 82.5 percent in urban schools and from 83.2 percent to 79.7 percent in rural schools.
And for mathematics, the performance of urban schools dropped from 84.8 percent to 80.9 percent while the performance for rural students dropped from 80.9 percent to 77 percent.
The government has also decided to strengthen the teaching and learning of the Malay language and English at all school levels.
For this, the education ministry will implement comprehensive measures to enhance the command of both languages among students.
And in line with this, there will be a major transformation at primary and secondary school levels, in terms of focus on enhancing language skills among students.
"It will be implemented through an integrated, balanced and holistic modular approach. It will cover skills like listening, speaking, reading and writing as well as grammar and proficiency."
At primary school level, the Malay language curriculum will focus on fun learning and the appreciation of the language. "In secondary schools, the Malay-language curriculum will focus on appreciation of the Malay literature as well as bolstering the students' skills in grammar, reading, listening, writing, speaking and overall fluency."
The emphasis on Malay literature is to enrich the students' command of the language as an art, apart from demonstrating the Malaysian people's value system, culture and thinking," the minister said.
On the teaching and learning of English, he said the ministry will appoint an additional 13,933 language teachers - 1,000 from abroad, 600 who are retired and who will be re-employed and 12,333 from the Malaysian Institute of Teachers' Education, as well as from private and public institutions of higher learning.
"The ministry will also provide DG41 English assistant teachers for Year One and Year Two classes which have more than 35 pupils, to increase the contact time between teachers and pupils," he said.
The English period for Years 1-3 will be increased by 90 minutes a week to make it 330 minutes. For Years 4-6, there will be an additional 90 minutes a week to bring the total teaching period to 300 minutes.
From: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/108073
_____________________________________________
God save Malaysia.
Monday, July 6, 2009
A Bit Of Original Disney Magic (Hopefully)
Disney has made a stupid bold transition from classic, animated musicals into what they deem to be the 'new-age' form of Disney magic; tween movies. Long gone were the days of Lion King, Snow White, Beauty & the Beast and Aladdin as they were mercilessly replaced by High School Musical 1, High School Musical 2, High School Musical 3 and all the other HSM money-making spin-offs.
Everytime Disney announced a new movie, I would quiver in excitement, wishful of an animated masterpiece that was capable of living up to the standards of their classic predecessors. Alas, more often than not, I end up being grossly dissapointed with their idea of entertainment; gay-ass movies with pretty boys, retarded girls and pricks who can't sing to save their lives.
That formula, coupled with equally pathetic cash cows (namely The Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus) turned out to be highly successful as Disney managed to turn the tween generation (8-12 year olds) into mindless zombies who would love nothing more than to fork out precious cash to buy Zac Efron lollies and HSM school bags. Yes, money-making and marketing at its best.
I was starting to lose all hope in Disney.. I began to doubt that I would see another Aladdin-esque (my personal favourite) animated film emerge fromthe depressing, mind-control power source Disney's studio...
Until I set my eyes on this trailer..
Credit to my dear friend, Shobini (who credits her sister) for showing me this traier. :)
To everyone who grew up watching Disney classics in the bygone era, do not lose hope.. It is only a matter of time before we conquer the HSM minions.
Everytime Disney announced a new movie, I would quiver in excitement, wishful of an animated masterpiece that was capable of living up to the standards of their classic predecessors. Alas, more often than not, I end up being grossly dissapointed with their idea of entertainment; gay-ass movies with pretty boys, retarded girls and pricks who can't sing to save their lives.
That formula, coupled with equally pathetic cash cows (namely The Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus) turned out to be highly successful as Disney managed to turn the tween generation (8-12 year olds) into mindless zombies who would love nothing more than to fork out precious cash to buy Zac Efron lollies and HSM school bags. Yes, money-making and marketing at its best.
I was starting to lose all hope in Disney.. I began to doubt that I would see another Aladdin-esque (my personal favourite) animated film emerge from
Until I set my eyes on this trailer..
Credit to my dear friend, Shobini (who credits her sister) for showing me this traier. :)
To everyone who grew up watching Disney classics in the bygone era, do not lose hope.. It is only a matter of time before we conquer the HSM minions.
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