Book Review : The Gemini Contenders by Robert Ludlum
FROM THE PUBLISHERDead of night. Salonika, Greece, December 1939. A clandestine order of monks embarks on a desperate mission: to transport a mysterious vault to a hiding place high in the Italian Alps. Its sinister contents, concealed fro centuries, could rip apart the Christian world. Now, as the Nazi threat marches inexorably closer, good men and evil will be drawn into a violent and deadly hunt, sparking a relentless struggle that could forever change the world as we know it.
This is a gripping story spanning 3 generations. It begins with a train transporting an important cargo that is handed over to the Savarone Fontini-Cristi. Yes, a powerful man deserving a 'the'. Savarone fears the worst and wants to share the secret with his eldest son, Vittorio who is a brilliant business man but an indulgent character. Before father and son meet, the son witnesses his family - his brothers, their wives and children, their father - all gunned down. His life is saved by an old stablehand. Before dying his father is able to send across some clues that make no sense to him. He flees the scene, country. The British forces rescue him; but they have their own reasons. They believe he knows what his father hid and where he hid it.
A few years later, after the war is over, Vittorio heads back to the old family home. But his enemies are waiting for him and beat him to pulp, leaving him to die a slow and painful death. He survives.
Years later, he gets a letter from a priest and decides to relaunch the operation. But on his own, the old handicapped hero is almost done in. He survives long enough to pass on the mission to his twin sons - Adrian and Andrew. One of them has noble intentions the other has not. One is strong, the other is weak, and both are headed towards a one-to-one final encounter.
Who wins? How? What happens in the end? I cannot tell you the story. If I told you, I would have to kill you. ;-)) hehehe
Another must read Ludlum book. I just picked up one more at Page One. Tell you about it later.
The yellow ferrari for Gary and Priscilla
That ghost is Jessica!! She is faster than the shutter! ;-))
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Ken Sir is back!
This is getting more and more exciting by the day. I almost missed this one. He is back. And this time its a cool pose!@o@ hahaha
The sea monkeys
Mark is having a hard time finding the sea monkeys in their miniature world. So the rest of the gang jumps in to do their bit. ;-))
Currently Watching : Love Story In Harvard
This Korean drama has kept me awake last night. After much coaxing from Rita, I borrowed the dvd set (16 discs = 32 X 1 hour episodes). I am not sure how I can finish all of them. My attention span is very short in anything and everything. But this is something that has kept me seated with patience. So what's it all about?
Love Story in Harvard is a love story set in the famed Ivy League school. Kim Hyung Woo is a 1st year law student at Harvard Law who enters into a rivalry with classmate Hong Jung Min for the affections of a beautiful medical student, Lee Soo In. Both men are from prestigious families, while Soo In is from a poor family. Can the trio resolve their differences, stay friends/lovers and chase their dreams at the same time?
You also get a glimpse of how tough the competition is at studies...at least for the law school students. :-P By the way, thank GOD for subtitles. Their English SOCKS!
You can view some pics here.
And read some fan posts here.
Is that really Sachin Tendulkar?!!
There is resemblance but what on earth was he doing in a saree!!
And this is a key I would love to have. hehehe ;-))
So much to do, So little done
Hello!
This weekend was pretty painful. Of all nights to get tipsy after a few vodka limes...nay just kidding. Hehehe. DNG bought his first ipod photo. Too bad we could not see it in action. Hush hush!
But Saturday was night out at a disco which played the lousiest of music and the DJ hadn't even heard of the latest hits. If you don't know the BEPs then you better quit your job. I wish I were driving last night :-)) Anyways what a waste of money though its the second time in 7 months. All's well thats a new beginning. And a lot seems to be happening around the times square area. Thanks Stan for the drop off and the video clip that should never be shown to anybody. Cher! Those two specks on the left slope are actually window-cleaners!! At a height of 60 floors?!!
By the way it was great to see Lara Croft at the QG open house. She really seemed to be able to feel it and have fun! Lets see if we can translate all the material for her so that she can join in November!
We did a whole day on saturday but not very productive. Rik picked up my guitar as a swap for sound boxes. Hmm. There was actually a layer of dust on it!! Last time I had picked it up was Last Christmas!! Chi Sin!! I admit I gave up. After a caged-animal performance, I tore my daily use contact lens while taking it off my right eye at 3 something in the AM. And one piece just stayed in the eye and got us thinking that it was probably an infection. But the good looking doctor took it out in a matter of 1 minute! It cost me $180. :-(
I watched Flight Plan and Batman Begins on sunday. And I liked both of them.
Whoever wrote bad reviews about them are crazy. Both of them are good movies. Jodie Foster shines in the former while the story line is interesting in the latter.
I am gonna be very very busy these coming few days as I have to do an advanced course. Tell you about it later. Until then, take care!!
Show a leg!
It was a great wedding. I slept late and almost missed the reception. I had to find a cab to get me there on time. I was wearing my Indian dress. What a shock to the people in the lift when I got in and out ;-)). There were many friends took pictures with me :-)) at the dinner. So nice of HMY to have dropped us home. Thanks!!
I got up real early on the next morning and rushed to Queen's Theatre @ Central. I could not locate the entrance and kept walking around until I found some people from SPCA. We carried a lot of stuff indoors and I hurt my back trying to push the trolley around. Too bad! Not even one guy came forward to offer help to the ladies. And though I knew I would hurt my delicate back again, I pitched in. What has happened to the gentlemen? Cannot be that all of them have a bad back :-P May be they do. Bless them :-)
We were ready for the children and their parents when they walked in. It was not a difficult task. Just usher them in with a drink to the right seating zone, help them by pointing out the toilets. And play with the handsome ah-fei who looked like faye mui's brother!! :-) He kept running around following his mistress.
The team was kind enough to let me leave early.
By 11:30am I was already at Sha Tin New Town Plaza. It's amazing how the ads of the Tutorial Schools make me laugh. My personal favourite funny looking guy is Ken Sir. :-)) I really enjoyed the funnyland email calling each other sirs. It was a fresh approach on a boring chain.The event started 1 hour later. This time the judges looked more professional and sang horribly!! All the 10 participants sang better than last time. You could tell that they had prepared well. And yet again, Mars was the best amongst the lot. But they gave him the 3rd prize. The first two had already been selected from another competition sponsored by NOW.
So amazingly fixy! If they just wanted to advertise by sending their winners to Taiwan what was the need to hold such a competition. Anyways, the crowd's and judges reaction to Mars was superb! He had redone the dance steps and looked more professional than last time. We did a lot of cheering and that resulted in a noisy and shaky video. He didn't win the chance to go to Taiwan but he did his best and we are happy and proud of him. Hehehe. If you want to look at the sloppy videowork then let me know.
The pink hat guy impressed this time with his professionalism to carry on singing even though the music system f***ed up the song he was performing. Which reminds me...where do these guys rent their hardware from? No one would give such equipment even for keeps! Chi Sin!!In India, most of the singing / performing competitions give you 2-3 items to perform. It is rather surprising that in such an entertainment driven city, the semi-finalists were chosen after they sang half a song and the finalists from one song. If I were a sponsor I would ask for more. Simply because I want to be fair to all participants and have an open competition and not a fixed one. Well, open up the category for foreign songs and I shall kick some a** real time for you - I would love to do a Sonu Nigam. And yeah my range has opened up from what I had during the college days. Too bad that we don't have proper K videos in Bollywood.
Well, look at the tired and sleepy and bored me in the back ground. This picture comes courtesy apple daily news :-))
The KOOL Pic
Yeah that is what I wore to the wedding. Its the official Indian costume to wear to someone's wedding.
Oct 15 - A Wedding
Yes! Yuki and Albert said their wedding vows today! Here are the pics. More to follow. Stay Tuned.
Calvin wears the Indian Look
He is just back from a holiday in Malaysia...A week full of sun, sand, nudity (hahaha) and this is the result. He looks darker than me now!! Hehehe!Its great to have him in the same building. And the kind he sneaked out in the evening to watch me hog the Hainan Chicken Rice Set at Canteen. I am getting tired of the food options there. Its like they don't know what vegetables are. :-(
@@CHI SIN@@Someone told me that there is a Pret nearby, so I may just sneak out during lunch hours to get me a salad/sandwich. And yeah, Calvin had to go back to work after I finished eating.Why do we guys have to work so hard all the time when others hardly work and get away!!
ICICI Bank pulled up for 'goondaism'
ICICI Bank pulled up for 'goondaism': "The fact leaves us aghast at the manner of functioning and goondaism in which the bank is involved for a petty amount of Rs 1,889... such attitude is deplorable and sends chills down the spine", Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (North) president K K Chopra, members N Mittal and S C Jain said.Dheeraj Jain had got his scooter financed from the ICICI Bank. On February 12, this year he got an overdue payment notice from the bank giving him seven days' time to pay the outstanding amount of Rs 1,889.
But just two days later, Jain was stopped while travelling on his scooter by four persons near Mori Gate Bus Terminus and was told to hand over the vehicle to them as he had failed to make the payment on time.
They even pointed a pistol at him when he tried to resist, forcing him to give in to their demand. The bank later sold the vehicle. The bank argued that they had taken peaceful possession of the vehicle "after due intimation to the complainant as he was irregular in remitting the monthly instalments".
The New iPod
Witness the evolution of the revolution. First it played songs. Then photos. Then podcasts. Now iPod plays video, changing the way you experience your music and more. Again. In lighter, thinner 30GB and 60GB models starting at $299, the new iPod is music to your eyes.
High! High!! Into The Sky!!!
Flu. Shock. Depression. Desperation. Hours of crying. Exhaustion. 4 slabs of chocolate. Coming to terms with life and what shit it dishes out on every corner. I have seen depths before. And I have recovered before. I have salvaged before. Only this time it seemed too frustrating until I decided to be myself and focus on myself. On what I want. And learn to let go. From then on, it has been a bumpy ride. But Yeah! Upwards. I discovered Qi. And I rediscovered myself. And then happiness returned amongst friends. And I gotta get rid off the damage done by the chocolate. But that’s not what I am writing about over here.Last Tuesday some of us friends gathered at Sha Tin New Town plaza to watch the Top Idol contest. It’s a talent search contest organized by a Taiwanese TV channel (surprisingly you find no mention of it on the web – in English). It’s a singing and dancing talent search. The winner will go to Taiwan to compete at international level. Hmm. What was I doing there?
No, if your memory fails you this fast – read the first line of this paragraph.
I was there to watch. ;-)) I had no idea that Sha Tin could be so crowded. I felt like a tourist again. I don’t know why I feel this way whenever I enter those districts. A lot of mobile technology helped navigate my legs to the show area. As promised we did manage to get seats. Right behind the judges’ back and I was centered right in the middle of the floor plan. ;-)) The judges and the *stars* (a boy band that played their own music from a CD and lip-synced to it, a ‘oh so professional’ singer that refused to perform her own song simply because the karaoke version would not play – ha, she didn’t dare to perform without music and boy was she a b****, a very handsome new singer who did perform very well – Alex something [I AM SO POOR WITH NAMES] and two quiet gentlemen from the sponsors). It was amazing to watch the ugly girls trying to sit next to the boy band (who did look competition themselves. HAHAHA). The crowd started building up and the cameramen got very busy. I am sure the Indians had quite a coverage as they were sitting right behind the boy band. Correction. The boy band sat in front of us. ;-)) The unwanted photo-shoot involving the *stars* got over in just 25 minutes. I wonder whether they got all the angles or not. Soon enough the lovely MC (hahahahahahahahaaaaaahahahahahhahahha) got busy with her lovely and soft voice (hahahahahahahahahahhaahahaha die lah hahahahaha) and started asking the contestants to come on stage one by one. The contestants were as young as 15. It took them sometime to warm up but the show started getting better and better by the passing minute. Some of the singers sang very well. But none really performed until……drums rolling…..spotlights…..baited breath….a Mars landing took place. That was the defining moment of the whole show. He not only outperformed the others with his energy but also with his preparedness to make an impact. He had been sitting in the middle of the crowd and yet far away listening to the song he was going to perform which did come as a shocker to a few people. But that is our Mars. If he were not Martian how could he be so different and yet so loveable and alien at the same time?!! I take the liberty of posting the first official pic of the next superstar on my blog! Sue me if you want to. I have the copyrights! ;-))
It was so mesmerizing that I forgot to press the record button on my cam. SHEESH!!
Never felt so happy and stupid at the same time.Especially for a perfectionist that was a cruel joke. Thank God for Jess! She got it on video and now he is working on improving that performance. We wait in anticipation to see how it goes! Back to the rest of the competition. There were 5 guys singing the same song (浮誇) from Eason’s latest album(陳奕迅\陳奕迅-U 87) one after the other. It felt like crazy. Were the organizers sleeping or what? Its so much pressure on all of them. Anyways, the fat guy with frizzy hair got it. Reminded us of Eason’s truant days. And not to forget the pink hat circus magician act done by a Leslie fan. The moves reminded me of cheap circus magician act of rolling the wrists and taking off the hat and bowing to the audience. This guy must have done it at least 20 times. EEEK! And he got through! At least he didn’t touch himself like one of the girls did. Her attempt at looking vamp end up making her look like Michael Jackson. And the b**** judge liked her so much – she made it too.
So! 10 finalists. All set for next Sunday. Sha Tin New Town Plaza. Time should be around 2pm. Be there or be left out like always :-P
Sudoku - This is a Japanese game that has taken our office by storm :-P
Courtesy BOSSYCO.Click HERE - > SUDOKU
So Happy! ;-))
I am so happy. I got back to where I wanted to - finally. I love it!!Here is the bungee jumping - Jeff Jr. :-) I was happy to find Ritakins still has it.
HM announced her second baby to us. I think I was the first to know in the office ;-)) hehehe. Now I have one more brother/sister to play with it. :-) I have not seen Arjun since KH's wedding. Helen says that he runs around the house and is quite loud. Can't wait to see him on one of his official trips. :-D
Work can get very tiring indeed. So its not unusual to take a short break. It helps to stay focussed! Try it! Though I am too afraid that I would start snoring (I do sometimes when I am very tired!!) and disturb everybody around. So the short 10 min nap in the small cabin with dimmed lights was a blessing. I should do more of those during lunch.
Bob is supposed to start in 2 weeks time. Its a bit crazy that he is in HK and still not clubbing. By the way, DH and RA joined me and MD at the Manhattan Club ING. RA and myself did 2 nights on the trot. He got an email saying that they are closed for renovation from 09 Oct onwards and will not reopen until Dec 05. It was packed, smoking and sweaty! The DJ is a nice chap (though I find that he sometimes gets the tempo too low and I have to add extra energy into the crowd to keep it up). Hmmm. It was nice to pose for a shot on his DVC - farewell video or what? ;-)) He did play my requests almost everytime. Too bad that the dancing queen is back in the UK. Birmingham, if I remember right.Something strange about Korean girls on HK dance floors. Surprisingly self-involved slow steps. If you didn't see their smile you would probably think they are too drunk to shake a leg. May be they are! RA had recommended that I try the Marriott in Seoul last time. I did. It sucked! Nobody there!! WS and I were like - "Gau chha!!"
Too bad, I felt, having left without saying bye to DH. I thought he had left already. But he was actually lost in the crowd. It was great fun finding CL's phone last time...just hope nobody loses their phone on the dance floor again...I cannot stop my detective instincts to go look for it. ;-))
And, guess what? Its Stan Gun's birthday today! Too bad he is too busy today. :0) Will treat him next time..may be wednesday? We need to watch - The Myth...long pending...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLE!!
And yeah, the bluetooth fever seems to have caught most of my (ex-)colleagues' fancy. Almost everybody has one. Whenever they call me, I have a feeling as if they are in outer space or inside a well...or a whale :-)). And most of the times I get confused whether they are talking to me or someone on the BT. chi sin! :D
It was great fun to attend the month-end drinks. Only that I was too scared to drink or eat anything. Why? You need to wait for some more time before I finish working on that one, when I shall let you know the reason.GW suk suk attended an ultra-urgent phone call during the presentation. You can see him in the background here. He was also the official photgrapher (showing off his hi-tech camera). Good to see my friends volunteering! Thanks!
The case of the missing library was very beautifully narrated by the students. The cute 10-year olds had excellent command over English (at least for their age - and in HK!!). They stole our hearts :-).
The funny part was the way in which the Indian girl read out her piece. She had a very heavy canto accent, probably been born and brought up here. Funny. I always find mixed race people (though she was not one) very exciting and fun to be friends with. :-) Loads of people mistake me for one. Is that the case of the missing accent and hot spices or what?!! NO! I am Indian! PROUD TO BE ONE!!
What were they thinking?
M & S - With models like him, are they really kidding us? Who would go to there?!! Most of the stuff is overpriced just because it is a brand name. Though that is the only place in HK where I can buy shoes my size (UK no. 13).
Jeff, Yuki and Jessica share a birthday
Dearest Jeff was thousands of miles away and received two electronic egg tarts from Ritakins.
Here are the dark pictures from Neway CEO. Glad to see Jess join in on the I Believe (original Korean version). :-) I hope Come Undone was not very rough on people.
They have all turned 50 this year. ;-) Just kidding.
ODI changes: revolutionary or gimmicky?
Cricinfo Those new one-day rules explained ...Will these two new rules really make a difference? Me says -
Rule No.1 - Powerplay - Not much
Rule No.2 - Supersub- YES!!
Hong Kong Asian Film Festival 2005
Hong Kong Asian Film Festival is on. Click for more details on the schedule and movies. And whether I can go there? No. Not possible. And I will tell you the reason why I am so busy that I hardly have time to blog during the week (excepting today of course). I mean, I will tell you soon.
SPCA : " Love With Animals" Charity Movie Show
Going to the cinema is easy for children who have parents tocherish them. For underprivileged children from poor families, or
those of pre-school age with mental disabilities, it can be impossible
without a kind sponsor. Going to the cinema is more than just
watching the movie itself.
The SPCA is screening “101 Dalmatians” in October. Your help will
bring the movie to a group of children who would otherwise have
only the slimmest chance of going to a theatre. We invite you
to sponsor a Ticket and Gift Pack for a deserving child—and
let their dreams come true!
“101 Dalmatians” has been chosen for its universal appeal and also
its anti-fur message.
Please be generous and share your good fortune! Help bring happiness
to an underprivileged child in Hong Kong.
I will be there. Please donate towards this noble cause. I hope I do get a chance to take pictures with the animals...;-)
When Kids Lead The Way...
***********************
Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a
picture of a family.
One little boy in the picture had a different color hair
than the other family members. One child suggested that he
was adopted and a little girl said, "I know all about
adoptions because I was adopted.""What does it mean to be
adopted?" asked another child. "It means," said the girl,
"that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy."
***********************
Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and
think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a
part in a school play.His mother told me that he'd set his
heart on being in it,though she feared he would not be
chosen. On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her
to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her,eyes
shining with pride and excitement. "Guess what Mom," he
shouted,and then said those words that will remain a lesson
to me: "I've been chosen to clap and cheer."
***********************
A lesson in "heart" is my little 10 year old daughter,Sarah,
who was born with a muscle missing in her foot and wears a
brace all the time. She came home one beautiful spring day
to tell me she had competed in "field day" that's where they
have lots of races and other competitive events.
Because of her leg support, my mind raced as I tried to
think of encouragement for my Sarah, things I could say to
her about not letting this get her down, but before I could
get a word out,
she said "Daddy, I won two of the races!" I couldn't believe
it!
And then Sarah said, "I had an advantage." Ah. I knew it. I
thought she must have been given a head start...some kind of
physical advantage.
But again, before I could say anything, she said, "Daddy, I
didn't get a head start...My advantage was I had to try
harder!"
*****************************
An Eye Witness Account from New York City, on a cold day in
December:
A little boy about 10 years old was standing before a shoe
store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the
window, and shivering with cold.
A lady approached the boy and said, "My little fellow,why
are you looking so earnestly in that window?"
"I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,"was the boy's
reply.The lady took him by the hand and went into the store
and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for
the boy.
She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a
towel. He quickly brought them to her. She took the little
fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her
gloves, knelt down,washed his little feet, and dried them
with a towel. By this time the clerk had returned with the
socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him
a pair of shoes. She tied up the remaining pairs of socks
and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said,
"No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now?"
As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the
hand, and looking up in her face, with tears in his eyes,
answered the question with these words: "Are you God's
Wife?"
***********************
Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a
picture of a family.
One little boy in the picture had a different color hair
than the other family members. One child suggested that he
was adopted and a little girl said, "I know all about
adoptions because I was adopted.""What does it mean to be
adopted?" asked another child. "It means," said the girl,
"that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy."
***********************
Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and
think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a
part in a school play.His mother told me that he'd set his
heart on being in it,though she feared he would not be
chosen. On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her
to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her,eyes
shining with pride and excitement. "Guess what Mom," he
shouted,and then said those words that will remain a lesson
to me: "I've been chosen to clap and cheer."
***********************
A lesson in "heart" is my little 10 year old daughter,Sarah,
who was born with a muscle missing in her foot and wears a
brace all the time. She came home one beautiful spring day
to tell me she had competed in "field day" that's where they
have lots of races and other competitive events.
Because of her leg support, my mind raced as I tried to
think of encouragement for my Sarah, things I could say to
her about not letting this get her down, but before I could
get a word out,
she said "Daddy, I won two of the races!" I couldn't believe
it!
And then Sarah said, "I had an advantage." Ah. I knew it. I
thought she must have been given a head start...some kind of
physical advantage.
But again, before I could say anything, she said, "Daddy, I
didn't get a head start...My advantage was I had to try
harder!"
*****************************
An Eye Witness Account from New York City, on a cold day in
December:
A little boy about 10 years old was standing before a shoe
store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the
window, and shivering with cold.
A lady approached the boy and said, "My little fellow,why
are you looking so earnestly in that window?"
"I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,"was the boy's
reply.The lady took him by the hand and went into the store
and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for
the boy.
She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a
towel. He quickly brought them to her. She took the little
fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her
gloves, knelt down,washed his little feet, and dried them
with a towel. By this time the clerk had returned with the
socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him
a pair of shoes. She tied up the remaining pairs of socks
and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said,
"No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now?"
As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the
hand, and looking up in her face, with tears in his eyes,
answered the question with these words: "Are you God's
Wife?"
Stage set for Super Series
A new concept gives Australia a chance to scratch a new guard. Following a winter of serious discontent the team will attempt to dissolve their Ashes memories and start answering some of the pages of questions from a series that highlighted gaping chinks and forced changes. The squad that the World XI will face in the first of three one-day games starting in Melbourne on Wednesday carries players unknown and untried - these are characteristics similar to the Super Series.
Apple - iBook G4 - My latest possession
I never knew I would fall for another white. But I did. I am thinking of redoing the entire drapery to brighter colours. No patterns. Just the shades of green, orange. No more blues. Pink? on white walls? Don't know how it will look.
As usual a lot of the access to apple products is possible through our dearest friend - DNG. I wonder again about his upcoming blog...
PS. PS. - I saw his lovely daughter this time and she was so scared of me. :-( when DNG asked her to call me AD brother. ;-)
