The Simoqin Prophecies II

I'm reading The Simoqin Prophecies again. Parts of it really crack me up. Sampler:

"You must remember that he's a very new Death"
"A new Death?"
"The old Death died"
"The old Death died?"
"He was a very old Death"

:). Also read "Keep the Aspidistra flying" by George Orwell. A book about a young poet who declares war on the Money God. Pretty good.

The Simoqin Prohecies

An SFF novel from the 23-year old Samit Basu, the Simoqin Prophecies is extremely witty and engaging. The book is about Asvin -a hero who is chosen to defeat the rakshas Danh-Gem if and when he rises from the dead, Maya - a really smart spellbinder, Kirin -the only ravian left on Earth, and Spikes - Kirin's pashan bodyguard. The book is full of cheeky references to practically every action fantasy- Robin Hood, Ramayan, the Mahabharat, Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings.

The best feature of this book is the blurring of lines between good and evil, quite unlike traditional SFFs like the LOTR. I cant wait for the sequel to be published.

Van Helsing

Finally managed to see Van Helsing this weekend. A singularly bad movie. Even the extremely sexy Hugh Jackman in a loin cloth cannot save this movie. Count Dracula looks, and acts, like a big joke. And as for the script and dialogue, the lesser said the better. Van Helsing? Give me Anthony Hopkins any day! If Jackman wants to live up to the hype that he's been generating, he'd better start choosing his movies with more care.

Smashing Pumpkins

Playing the Smashing Pumpkins on my player today. Some numbers are pretty neat. Sampler:

If emptiness is loneliness, and loneliness is cleanliness
And cleanliness is godliness, then God is empty... just like me
Intoxicated with the madness, I'm in love with my sadness
Bullshit fakers, enchanted kingdoms
The fashion victims chew their charcoal teeth
I never let on, that I was on a sinking ship
I never let on that I was down.

Azkaban

Loved the third Harry Potter movie. The movie is clearly the best Harry Potter adaptation so far. There were a few disappointments - no explanations for Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, the stag conjured up by the Patronus charm - but its pretty dark, and stays true to the spirit of the book. The Dementors were really scary, and Snape in drag was a riot. Must see for all movie goers.

Use Prozac to get rid of the blues - and Cupid!

Prozac and its cousins work by boosting the effects of the chemical messenger serotonin in the brain, and take weeks to relieve depression-- with side-effects ranging from indigestion to sexual dysfunction. These anti-depressants can also disrupt neural circuits involved in romance and attachment. Read on...