I'm comin' back...

Alright folks, sorry for the huge-ass delay in this post. I'll try to be more regular. Many changes in my life including a steady source of income and a graduate's degree. So, I was happy for a few days. I'll return my self-loathing self criticizing the political leaders for their puny little concerns and not solving the bigger problems.. Anyway, if anyone has U2 tickets to Atlanta can I come with you?? :) They are having a wonderful drive to increase the voice of support to eradicate poverty and hellish living conditions (esp. in Africa). Please support and sign your name there at One.org.

A very sad day!

Grave news from North-Eastern India. 35 people have died in a Naga separatist bomb blast. These separatists have been trying to separate the tiny state of Nagaland from the Indian Union for the past many years. However, their activities have gotten more and more blatant and destructive in the past 7 years. This is definitely one of the worst. It killed people in a train station as well as a nearby Chinese market.

Our hearts and thoughts go out to the people who have lost their loved ones in this blast. This is real terrorism that India lives with day in and day out. Many people around the world do not understand the magnitude of problems India faces with terrorism. It has terrorists who are tring to prove a point in almost every state of the union. This is not just one enemy. This is several different enemies who use different tactics and who are fighting for different reasons. It is almost unthinkable how such a society can survive without collapsing in on itself.

I hope these terror mongers are brought to justice, but as is often the case justice is almost never served in India. It is a sad state of affairs when terrorists can get away with such acts by paying off politicians. It not only cuts a sorry picture for the country as a whole, but it also ensures that the people will never rely on the government to help them. I just hope the situation can get better with better economic growth and some good news.

CNN article

Kopete, The KDE Instant Messenger

Kopete, The KDE Instant Messenger is absolutely one of the best clients I've seen. I don't think they come any better than this. Though it doesn't have all the bells and whistles that native clients have I think this does its job pretty well. It keeps the fuss to a minimum and works like a charm. I highly recommend it. Please try it out and post your experiences. I can help you get started if you need...

This is gettin' really stupid...

Though I would vote for Kerry this time around if I could vote... he is acting like an idiot. First off stop attacking Bush about that Air National Guard thing. We all know he fucked up and we all know that we forgave him for this the last time around. They are going with a strategy that doesn't work and they're beating it down to death. It is stupid I tell ya!

Anyway, they need to attack Bush on what he has done wrong in Iraq and what he will do to the economy. Someone explain to me how you can rack up debts and still live the life of a millionaire. That is how Bush is expecting the US to live for the next 4 years. If I did that Credit Card companies would be knocking my door day in and day out and I would be in jail within the month. How the fuck is that supposed to work out. Explain the math please!

Talking about lighter things, I found out that people get depressed by watching TV. Maybe, I'm watching too much TV. I mean do only about an hour or so everyday (well, really its about 3!). Anyway, I'm reducing this TV diet to as small as possible and do other things like practice my Sax everyday. That should help right?!

A little plug for firefox...

Well, as everyone knows the age-old netscape browser is out with a new name, new bodywork and a lot of changes under the hood. It's new avatar is called "Mozilla Firefox". It's a heck of a browser and wouldn't mind plugging for it up here in my blog.

Check it out, download it, fire it up and see how it fits you best. I haven't gone back to IE in nearly 2 years after that. I don't think I can because every time I start using IE I get completely disoriented and have to get used to it. It is really frightening!! Check it out at http://www.mozilla.org/. More news at http://www.mozillazine.org/. Or you can just scroll down and click on the little Get Firefox button.

That's the plug for today!

Hero: The only Jet Li movie I might ever watch

Well, the opening says it all. This is probably the only Jet Li movie that I actually sat through and watched it all the way. The dude is supposed to be a gifted martial arts man, even better than Bruce Lee in many matters. But, he has done some amazingly stupid movies until now and I have ignored most of it. Though I had to go to the movie theater and sit through the movie I still enjoyed it very much. I doubt that had much to do with his acting, because the director definitely knows how to make movies and Jet Li is not the main focus like his other movies.

Though the movie is marketed in the martial arts (sort of fictitious, out-of-this-world genre) it definitely bears its roots in reality. The premise of the story is very good though it is far-fetched in the real world. But, the essence of the idea is brought forward beautifully. It takes me to a time when things such as loyalty, sacrifice and friendship are the qualities that define a person's reputation.

The gist of it is that Jet Li is a great warrior who has perfected his art for one and only reason, to kill the emperor of his kingdom. Jet Li was born to parents from a neighboring kingdom whose warriors have been fighting the king's armies all their lives. There are 3 great warriors of his time, Sky, Flying Snow and Brokensword, who have tried and failed! He consults with them and hatches a plan to get close to the king and kill him. He has perfected an art of fighting where he cannot miss his target if it is within 10ft of his body.

This plan brings him to 10ft of the king and that is where the story is told and that is where all the twists and turns in the story happen. Its rather exciting and I would advise any first time viewer to not miss any parts. Preferably don't be distracted by others and try to imagine that you are a spectator inside the story. Once you do that, the director transports you to a magical era and place where you can just sit back and watch these great warriors and their stories unfold.

The end has a wonderful message to it and I would definitely recommend this movie for people of all ages. This is a good story though not a great one. But, it can definitely compete with the likes of LOTR and other fantasy movies. Some parts of the story such as the premise of the Qin dynasty and so forth are actually part of real history. So, this makes for a fascinating little story in the larger scheme of things.

Will definitely give 4.5/5 stars.

Successful transition

Well, if anyone noticed then my blog happens to be on a new server. It is my cable company's free hosting service. But, anyway I think it's better than that tripod thing that we had before with all hte advertisements. Anyway, that's just an update.

This semester's going to be a killa'. I can see it now. I've got no time to waste at all. Well, I'll see y'all soon with my review of "Hero". Good movie tho!