At school

Breaking into the computer school lab... Feels good!

The Bourne Objective

Uh I was sorta disappointed with Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne trilogy(Identity, Supremacy and Ultimatum) simply because their time settings were out of date and it had a plot so different from the films. So I checked out the later books written by Eric Van Lustbader.

Like the critics say, Lustbader re-tuned the books to a timeline similar to the films and to please fans of the movie franchise who were displeased with Ludlum's books.

The Bourne Objective marks Lustbader's fifth Jason Bourne novel and signs show he's not slowing down any time soon.

The plot picks up from The Bourne Deception which I wasn't able to buy in which Jason Bourne continues his struggle with fellow Treadstone agent Leonid Arkadin who was mentioned in The Bourne Supremacy and appeared in The Bourne Supremacy film version as Kirill, the dude who kills Jason's girlfriend.

It turns out CIA wants to resurrect Treadstone and pitches their two agents Arkadin and Bourne against each other to see whose training program is more effective. It turned out Alexander Conklin, the Treadstone mastermind dissolved the original program after Arkadin went insane and subjected a more delicate module on David Webb who later became Jason Bourne.

Yet the story unfolds into more than a CIA plot and brings in Russsian mobsters on the hunt for Arkadin, CIA sending spies after Arkadin, Arabic clandestine movements and a terrorist organization known as Severus Domma who are hot on the trail of Solomon's gold.

Hold it! This is a book about Jason Bourne, not National Treasure or some adventure crap. Still this book will satisfy fans of The Bourne franchise. It has alll those awesome action, car chases, footchases and gunfights loyal to the films and of course Robert Ludlum's novels. Lustbader is also able to replicate Ludlum's brilliant ability to catch the reader when they least expect, resulting another subplot or gunfight etc. So this novel will also please hardcore thriller fans. But this trick backfires in this specific novel, it keeps us reading only to be disappointed at the very end. So it was no surprise I finished it in 5 days despite being considerably longer than regular novels.

Sadly, aside from Leonid Arkadin, his dead girlfriends and references to Alexander Conklin's involvement with the Arabs and Arkadin there is little character development for Bourne which is why they should've finished the story instead of continue milking the cow. Jason Bourne's character arc has gone full circle in The Bourne Ultimatum although Lustbader managed to pull it off in his first three novels Legacy, Betrayal and Sanction.

Although it's not a bad book, I hope it'll be the last we see of Jason Bourne because the character is in a decline.

Books, books and more books...

In chronological order,Hannibal is the last piece of the puzzle of everyone's favorite genius cannibalistic serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter.

Stephen King rated it as the best in the series however I still consider Red Dragon to be far more superior although this one is still much better than Hannibal Rising which makes it a damn good novel.

In this piece, we get a piece of Dr Lecter's genius-nes. His intellect and knowledge of history enables him to secure a job as a museum curator after he killed and ate the original curator. What a genius, one of the youngest men ever admitted to medical school, his analysis on serial murder is among the pinnacles of criminal psychology, vast knowledge of wine, good cook, and very cunning at freeing himself from traps, running from authorities and concealing his identity. I wish I was like that.

It does live up to it's name to be part of a critically acclaimed thriller. Spawning Oscar winning movies etc. Like it's predecessors, Hannibal gets you in your seat. Obviously Harris has talent at scaring his readers.

Recommended...


I'm not a fan of British literature so Empire Sun gets the honour as the first British novel I've read.

Unlike the American literature of Stephen King, Robert Ludlum, Thomas Harris or Mario Puzo. British novelist have the tendency "just to tell the story" without any love scenes or grubby dialogues. Nevertheless, it's more boring than the American storytelling because British literature has it's roots in Shakespear's work.

I read this one because I was a big fan of the movie directed by Steven Spielberg starring a young Christian Bale as12 year old Jamie, the boy torn from his wealthy family during the height of the Sino-Japanese war in World War II. But wait there, the Japanese aren't the villains.It was Basie, a war torn American played nicely by veteran actor John Malkovich in the film. He used Jamie to test for landmines, tried to sell him to Chinese and used him in stealing Japanese goods.

Despite being the reason for his hardship, Jamie maintained a strong admiration and respect for the Japs even befriending a Japanese teenager aspiring to be a kamikaze pilot much to the dismay of the British prisoners in Lunghua prisoner camp. Slowly, with bad hygiene and hunger, the British and American prisoners dying but Jamie kept himself alive with the thought of seeing his parents again and his friendship with the Japanese seargent of the camp.

Nevertheless, he came to a point where he forgotten his real name "Jamie" after being called Jim by Basie and the British for years. He even forgotten the face of his parents.

A sad and morbid novel yet the worse it gets, the better you know it'll turn out in the end.


The last mobster novel by the author of The Godfather. Omerta refers to the Sicilian code of silence, the #1 rule of Cosa Nostra hierarchy. The novel portrays the criminal society in chaos after Don Raymonde Aprile, the LA Godfather was assassinated.

The story goes on when his adopted son Astorre Viola comes out with an ingenious and ultimately successful plan to capture all the perpetrators including a corrupt FBI official whom at the beginning I thought was the good guy. Somehow FBI are worse scumbags than mobsters. At least the mobsters show courtesy and respect. FBI scumbags only care about "justice" in the hands of equally corrupt bureaucrats.

The Silence of The Lambs

Although it took longer for me to finish this than Red Dragon, I finished The Silence of the Lambs rather quickly compared to most other novels.

Like it's predecessor, author Thomas Harris again brilliantly brings back one of entertainment's most alluring villains, Dr Hannibal Lecter. For those who crave to have Dr Lecter in their pages after reading Red Dragon, it's your lucky day. Harris manages to keep his prized man-eating genius exposing more of himself although at a minimal.

The novel also gives hint of Lecter's medical history, something omitted from the prequel Hannibal Rising. It turns out after killing the nazi war criminals, he became the pioneer of the study of serial killers. Of course, he knew so much because in secret he killed and ate people.

Unlike Red Dragon, we get to see Dr Lecter actually killing two security guards in horrific fashion in an ingenious plan to display his brilliance outside the medical school. He also displays a wide taste of books(like me) and classical music.

Alas, much of the surprise I experienced with Red Dragon was lost due to the fact I've already watched the Oscar winning film adaptation featuring Anthony Hopkins in an academy award winning role.

The Hannibal Lecter Quadrilogy Part I

To gain a better understanding of literature, books are best read in chronological order.

Although it is considered by many to be the weakest novel in Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter series, it is still a goo novel to me. Any novel that I read till the end are always considered good. Like it or not, Rising is probably more important than it's predecessors. It's like X-Men Origins sorta.

The book made me feel sorry for Hannibal the Cannibal. C'mon, every normal man would snap when your baby sister is eaten alive by hungry Nazi's. Quoting from the novel,

The man is not Hannibal Lecter. The little boy Hannibal died in he snow when his sister died. He is now a monster

I've always believed that an evil man is the fault of evil parents, bullies and all that. There is no fault in the "mass murdering psychopaths". they were just simply emotionally shattered, broken and driven to insanity against their will.

But after finishing Red Dragon, the second story in chronological order, Rising lacks from Red Dragon and probably The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal as well is it fails to deliver good suspense and thrills. Here, Hannibal Lecter is given the spotlight so the reader knows what he's gonna do next. The "Jump-out-of-nowhere" move present in most thriller novels is completely absent.



Red Dragon was the only novel which finished reading in a mere four days. Even my prized Star Wars novels, The Godfather Novel Quadrilogy and The Bourne Identity took at least two weeks.

This is the only book I've read so far worthy of all the praises in the front and back covers and flaps. Red Dragon is such a deep psychological novel such that it's like getting into a complicated maze of a delusional psychopath. And being trapped in a maze, you definitely want to see the end of it.

Similar to it's successor The Silence of the Lambs, although Hannibal Lecter is the main character, he is rarely shown. But you can say his presence is felt in every page.

The main killer in the novel is Francis Dolarhyde aka The Red Dragon aka The Tooth Fairy. A slightly disabled man(crooked lip and irregular teeth) tortured by traumatic childhood nightmares including an abusive grandmother, a mother who never wanted him and aggressively mean stepsisters and stepbrothers. Like in Rising you will sympathise with Dolarhyde. Having felt no love in the world and inflicted only pain, he shows no love to others and inflict only pain to others in return.

Dolarhyde is actually a nice guy when he's fine. The Red Dragon is his alter ego due t his obsession with the painting Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun. He fears that "The Dragon" will slowly consume him and take control. it is also implied that his alter ego enslaves and tortures Dolarhyde constantly.

The Dragon's killing spree comes to a halt when Francis Dolarhyde meets Reba McClane, a blind woman ad the first to show affection and appreciation to Dolarhyde. He sorta killed himself so The Dragon won't kill Reba McClane.

Due to it's graphically psychological nature. I'd interpreted the dragon as Satan. It kinda fits though.

The ofter protagonists include the character of Will Graham, the retired FBI officer who arrested Hannibal Lecter but was stabbed and half gutted in the process. Forced to play mind games with his former nemesis Dr Lecter, he tries as hard to find the dreaded Tooth fairy/Red Dragon but is slowly going insane too.

Like in the movies, Hannibal Lecter slithered into me. He talks slyly but intelligently, mocks law-abiding citizens with truths etc. He's more or less like a slithery and nasty serpent.

Red Dragon is beautifully written in a way that you can't wait what happens next. And unlike Rising, it has classic "jump-out-of-nowhere" parts especially when the last few pages where we think Dolarhyde is really dead.

Lets hope Silence and Hannibal will continue this streak.

Ressurect!!!

I thought it would've been a good idea to return to blogging to polish up my writing skills. I hope this won't be the last post in a long time.

There are many things happening right now.
- My faith is eroding.
- I'm starting to get scared for SPM.
- I haven't played my bass guitar for quite sometime.

Well I wasn't dead yet so I guess my blog must continue as long as I'm alive.

But it's not all bad. Something good happened too.


For the first time in an extremely long time. I was back to being a kid. Toy Story was the first film I can recall watching on cinema as a toddler. I missed Toy Story 2 because it was sold out but at least I grabbed the third and final Toy Story film.

But third installments have a bad history. Jurassic Park III was a load of crap, The Godfather Part III wasn't bad but it wasn't good either, the third installments of Die Hard, Rambo and Indiana Jones placed the series on hiatus for more than 10 years. The only good part 3 I remember watching is The Bourne Ultimatum.

Sadly I didn't get the chance to watch it in 3D but well anything will do.

I won't leak the plot because it'll spoil everything. The best bits are the ones unseen in the trailer. The Latin Buzz Lightyear was unexpected but fun in it's own way, the villain is not who you think it is and Mr Potato Head turns into Mr Tortilla Face and Mr Cucumber sorta.

Like the previous Toy Story it was flawless yet extraordinary. I tried hard to remember anything bad or wasn't good but can't find em. But how does it sums up to Toy Story and Toy Story 2. I happily describe it negatively. Not as good, not even close but BETTER.

A perfect 10 movie. This one does go TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!!!




I've finished a few novels recently. And my adult novel collection ballooned. I've brought 7 Jason Bourne novels, 2 Star Wars novels, 3 Hannibal Lecter novels and a few others.




Being a fan of the Bourne movies, I tried out the book. To my surprise(unsure if it's good or bad) it has a very different plot compared to the movie.

There are two villains in the novel. Alexander Conklin, the chief operative of Treadstone and Carlos, a rival assassin who is bent on killing Bourne. While Conklin remained in the film version of The Bourne Identity as the villain, the novel counterpart is somewhat not as villainous and is revealed to be a former ally to David Webb(Bourne's real name).

The film makes no reference to Bourne's military past in Vietnam probably to update the character. The novel also has the romance element between Jason and Marie which doesn't give you the lovey-dovey feeling and quite lurid as a romance material. But Robert Ludlum isn't a romance writer and Jason Bourne isn't exactly Romeo.

Well at least the film version of Jason Bourne is parallel to the novel. It's easy to read it with Matt Damon in your head.





Star Wars: Death Troopers is nothing but Left4Dead + Resident Evil + Alien(first film) with Han Solo, Chewbacca and a few others in the mix. The plot is basically a damaged prison shuttle forced to dock on an abandoned Imperial Star Destroyer filled with thousands of zombies.

I guess the novel represents a desperate attempt from Star Wars to cash in the zombie craze stimulated by Left4Dead probably. But it has plenty of blood, guts, gross-ness but what makes it particularly scary is that everything's dark. However, the element of the zombies' ability to learn is kinda silly. Imagine playing L4D where zombies LEARN how to shoot and drive stuff.

Inch by Inch...

Finally I got it!!! Al Pacino's motivational speech from the film Any Given Sunday which is a more aggressive version of Nick Vujicic's message...


---------------------------------

I don’t know what to say, really. Three minutes till the biggest battle of our professional lives all comes down to today. Now either we heal as a team or we’re gonna crumble, inch by inch, play by play, 'til we’re finished.

We’re in hell right now, gentlemen, believe me. And, we can stay here -- get the shit kicked out of us -- or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell one inch at a time.

Now, I can’t do it for you. I’m too old. I look around. I see these young faces, and I think -- I mean -- I made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I, uh, I pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who’s ever loved me. And lately, I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror.

You know, when you get old in life things get taken from you. I mean that's...part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out life’s this game of inches. So is football. Because in either game, life or football, the margin for error is so small -- I mean one-half a step too late, or too early, and you don’t quite make it. One-half second too slow, too fast, you don’t quite catch it.

The inches we need are everywhere around us.

They’re in every break of the game, every minute, every second.

On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch, because we know when we add up all those inches that’s gonna make the fuckin' difference between winning and losing! Between livin' and dyin'!

I’ll tell you this: In any fight, it’s the guy who’s willing to die who’s gonna win that inch. And I know if I’m gonna have any life anymore, it’s because I’m still willin' to fight and die for that inch. Because that’s what livin' is! The six inches in front of your face!!

Now I can’t make you do it. You got to look at the guy next to you. Look into his eyes! Now I think you’re gonna see a guy who will go that inch with you. You're gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team because he knows, when it comes down to it, you’re gonna do the same for him!

That’s a team, gentleman!

And, either we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals.

That’s football guys.

That's all it is.

Now, what are you gonna do?