Aite, bestselling author of the Lionboy Trilogy Zizou Corder made another eye-catching cover on shelves recently, Halo. Finished in a few months ago.
I absolutely adore how Halo was made to be a young, fresh, innocent, filled with strong spirit and courage, unbeatable by male components, yet so feminine. Halo reminded me of myself so much, I fell like denying it. Leonidas was brought in well, so as the centaurs, and my favourite, Arko the centaur (Halo's brother). Corder brought in the plot very well, as baby Halo washed ashore in ancient greece in a turtle's shell up to the end of her quest, partly living in disguise, the plague and the war and how she ended up meeting her biological mother.
It's one of the best books of the year, a must get copy. I think it's a really good book in the firmament of children's literary. You'll get good sense of suspens,betrayal, courage and some other stuff you might sense out in a book. Awesome.
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Riordan Fans! Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero
It's official! Today, Disney-Hyperion announced that the second series of Camp Half-Blood adventures will be called The Heroes of Olympus. The first book, The Lost Hero, will be published Oct. 12, 2010.
The image above is not the final cover. That will be revealed this summer, along with more information. Who is the lost hero? Which characters from the first series will you see? Who are the new demigods? For now, I can't drop any hints, but here is a short book description from the official press release:
ABOUT THE BOOK:
After saving Olympus from the evil Titan lord, Kronos, Percy and friends have rebuilt their beloved Camp Half-Blood, where the next generation of demigods must now prepare for a chilling prophecy of their own:
Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.
Now, in a brand-new series from blockbuster best-selling author Rick Riordan, fans return to the world of Camp Half-Blood. Here, a new group of heroes will inherit a quest. But to survive the journey, they’ll need the help of some familiar demigods.
-Taken from Rick Riordan's Blog-
Cant freaking wait!!!
New adventures with Percy and friends, the strawberry fields in Camp Half-Blood...absence of Luke Castellan :( ....
Friday, July 16, 2010
Riordan Fans!
KANE CHRONICLES OUT NOW
As promised by Riordan
Been waiting for years,finally!
Got my copy, how 'bout you?
Friday, June 11, 2010
A must get poetic edda by Tolkien
I remember buying this after hearing HarperCollins releasing it, on May 5th 2009. It was written by Tolkien in the 1920's and remained unpublish till the very recent. Those who are interested in poetic edda, traditional poetry or a Tolkien maniac should have a copy. His son did a good job on the commentary.
You'll understand it better if you're familiar with german mythology. Remember the legend of Sigurd and the fall of the Niflungs?Without my middle english vocab revision, I was able to catch most during Signy.
I've gone through this work of Tolkien's four times. Thought of starting a poetic edda myself, but I laughed at that thought...myself.
I shall post a summary written by myself, with my notes and references I make to the usage of the language of the middle earth for anyone's convenience, but will do after I restart posting "Fingery Usage for the modern English language", you'll see it now and then.
Dont worry, I will slot some fingeries for middle english usage (I could see faces of concern among my old readers).
Till then...like my golden badge would always say my boys, "read"
Monday, May 10, 2010
Dedicated to all Gaiman fans
I can believe things that are true and I can believe things that aren't true and I can believe things when nobody knows if they're true or not. I can believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and Maryln Monroe and The Beatles and Elvis and Mister Ed. Listen- I believe people are perfectible and that knowledge is infinite, that the world is run by secret banking cartels and is visited by aliens on a regular basis, nice ones that look like wrinkley lemurs and bad ones who mutilate cattle and want our water and our women. I believe that the future sucks and I believe that the future rocks and I believe that one day White Buffalo woman is going to come back and kick everyone's ass. I believe that all men are just overgrown boys with deep problems communicating and that the decline in good sex in America is coincident with the decline in Drive-In movie theatres from state to state. I believe that all politicians are unprincipled crooks and I still believe that they are better than the alternative. I believe that California is going to sink into the sea when the big ones come, while Florida is going to dissolve into madness and aligators and toxic waste..I believe that antibacterial soap is destroying our resistance to dirt and disease so that one day we'll all wiped out by the common cold like the Martians in War of The Worlds. I believe that the greatest poets of the last century were Edith Sitwell and Don Marquis, that jade is dried dragon sperm, and that thousands of years ago in a former life I was a one-armed Siberian Shaman. I believe that Mankind's destiny lies in the stars, I believe that candy really did taste better when I was a kid, that it is aerodinamically impossible for a bumblebee to fly, that light is a wave and a particle, that there's a cat in a box somewhere who's alive and dead at the same time (although if they don't ever open the box to feed it it'll eventually just be two different kinds of dead) and that there are stars in the universe billions of years older than the universe itself. I believe in a personal god who cares about me and worries and oversees everything I do. I believe in an impersonal god who set the universe in motion and went off to hang with her girlfriends and doesn't even know that I'm alive. I believe in an empty and godless universe of causal chaos, background noise and sheer blind luck. I believe that anyone who says sex is overrated just hasn't done it properly. I believe that anyone who claims to know what's going on will lie about the little things too. I believe in absolute honesty and sensible social lies. I believe in a woman's right to choose, a baby's right to live, that while all human life is sacred there's nothing wrong with the death penalty if you can trust the legal system implicity, and that no one but a moron would ever trust the legal system. I believe that life is a game, life is a cruel joke and that life is what happens when you're alive and that you might as well lie back and enjoy it.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
The Greatest Disappointment
In June 2004, 20th Century Fox acquired feature film rights to the book. In April 2007, director Chris Columbus was hired to helm the project. Filming began in April 2009 in Vancouver. Portions of the film were shot at the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee, a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens. Filming wrapped up on the morning of July 25, 2009 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Digital intermediate work began in San Francisco in November 2009. Christophe Beck composed the score.
Columbus has stated that the cast were chosen specifically with sequels in mind. " I think with Percy Jackson it was a matter of finding the right cast to fit into these roles, sort of the perfect cast for these roles, because hopefully, God willing, we will go on to do other Percy Jackson films and you want the cast to grow with their characters."
Reviews for the film have been mixed, as indicated by a weighted average score of 48 out of 100 from Metacritic.The film currently holds a 47% 'Rotten' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 78 reviews; the site's general consensus being that although the film "may seem like just another Harry Potter knockoff, the film benefits from a strong supporting cast, a speedy plot, and plenty of fun with Greek mythology". Kenneth Turan of Los Angeles Times described the film as "standard Hollywood product... unadventurous and uninteresting." The Washington Post reviewer thought "the movie suffers by taking itself a little too seriously. It's not just that it's a lot less funny than the book. It's also a lot less fun."
If Columbus were to touch another decent book, I swear upon The River Styx, I will pulverise him. He just ruined my life.
Columbus has stated that the cast were chosen specifically with sequels in mind. " I think with Percy Jackson it was a matter of finding the right cast to fit into these roles, sort of the perfect cast for these roles, because hopefully, God willing, we will go on to do other Percy Jackson films and you want the cast to grow with their characters."
Reviews for the film have been mixed, as indicated by a weighted average score of 48 out of 100 from Metacritic.The film currently holds a 47% 'Rotten' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 78 reviews; the site's general consensus being that although the film "may seem like just another Harry Potter knockoff, the film benefits from a strong supporting cast, a speedy plot, and plenty of fun with Greek mythology". Kenneth Turan of Los Angeles Times described the film as "standard Hollywood product... unadventurous and uninteresting." The Washington Post reviewer thought "the movie suffers by taking itself a little too seriously. It's not just that it's a lot less funny than the book. It's also a lot less fun."
If Columbus were to touch another decent book, I swear upon The River Styx, I will pulverise him. He just ruined my life.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief movie....
You should have been there to see my expression when I finished the book. You should have seen the expression on my face when I have complited the 4th book last year. You should have been there to see the look on my face when Chris Columbus decide to make a movie out of one of my favourite books by my favourite author...You're not even close when I found out my dad's Zeus!! (oh, and the Oracle told me I'll die..soon)
And boy, you should have seen how i reacted when I found out who were the casts....
NOT SURPRISED
Percy Jackson...though he looks older than the real Percy Jackson. But they do ace at one part...his hair. Anyway, there was this scene, he was in a pool, and Grover was counting out how long Percy lasted underwater...well...Percy could never get wet...seriouly...hollywood, do your homework!!
Yes people, meet Luke. Yes, Luke does look like this, but with a scar across his face.I knew i could never doubt my suspicions when i was first introduced to Luke. I totally love Luke, and became the saddest person in the world when he decided to follow Kronos.I just cannot accept his fate in the end, and I felt sorry for what happened to his mom.Hollywood scored a point though.
Meet the Lord of the Underworld, Hades (woops, I better be careful with names...I might cause a storm, online!!) Thumbs up for choosing Steve Coogan as Hades. Very much matched the real one too..well, once you see him in his black robe...chill Hades, Hell was pretty good...
Meet Medusa..wait!! Don't look at her head!! You don't want to end up being a member of her garden deco. Anyway, Uma was born to do this.
Meet Chiron. Please don't call him a pony. Tyson did it once, in The Sea of Monsters. A good choice choosing Pierce. Hollywood did their homework after all....a portion of it...
Sean as Zeus. Good choice...great...after taking that stupid "Who's you daddy" thingy,now I knew how my dad looks like...Imagine this guy with lightning bolts. Great image for a man with bad temper...
Meet the biggest time stopping, egg craking shock of my life!! Luke as MR.D!! The God who dresses funny, has drinking problems and serving punishment, just plain mean, with his grape veins and all ,and the most annoying part is that he kept calling Percy 'Peter Johnson'...till the very end!!!,...oh my Gods!!! Hollywood, BOOOO!!!!!
This particular satyr is not black in the first place.Get your facts right. I can't imagine seeing this face, craving for soda cans!!!Brandon looks so brave and....cool!! Brandon is definitely not Grover. Hollywood lost a point.
And to my biggest disappointment, this guy DOES NOT look like my uncle,Poseidon...doesn't even look like Logan!! I prefered that seaweed surfer dude with bad highlights that kept bugging everyone when they consult The Oracle....I hate Hollywood sometimes...
And boy, you should have seen how i reacted when I found out who were the casts....
NOT SURPRISED
Percy Jackson...though he looks older than the real Percy Jackson. But they do ace at one part...his hair. Anyway, there was this scene, he was in a pool, and Grover was counting out how long Percy lasted underwater...well...Percy could never get wet...seriouly...hollywood, do your homework!!
Yes people, meet Luke. Yes, Luke does look like this, but with a scar across his face.I knew i could never doubt my suspicions when i was first introduced to Luke. I totally love Luke, and became the saddest person in the world when he decided to follow Kronos.I just cannot accept his fate in the end, and I felt sorry for what happened to his mom.Hollywood scored a point though.
Meet the Lord of the Underworld, Hades (woops, I better be careful with names...I might cause a storm, online!!) Thumbs up for choosing Steve Coogan as Hades. Very much matched the real one too..well, once you see him in his black robe...chill Hades, Hell was pretty good...
Meet Medusa..wait!! Don't look at her head!! You don't want to end up being a member of her garden deco. Anyway, Uma was born to do this.
Meet Chiron. Please don't call him a pony. Tyson did it once, in The Sea of Monsters. A good choice choosing Pierce. Hollywood did their homework after all....a portion of it...
Sean as Zeus. Good choice...great...after taking that stupid "Who's you daddy" thingy,now I knew how my dad looks like...Imagine this guy with lightning bolts. Great image for a man with bad temper...SHOCKED
Meet the biggest time stopping, egg craking shock of my life!! Luke as MR.D!! The God who dresses funny, has drinking problems and serving punishment, just plain mean, with his grape veins and all ,and the most annoying part is that he kept calling Percy 'Peter Johnson'...till the very end!!!,...oh my Gods!!! Hollywood, BOOOO!!!!!
This particular satyr is not black in the first place.Get your facts right. I can't imagine seeing this face, craving for soda cans!!!Brandon looks so brave and....cool!! Brandon is definitely not Grover. Hollywood lost a point. This is just gross. Alex as Annabeth?! First of all, Annabeth's blonde.
Secondly, she's 12, not...old. But, since I hate Annabeth, all the way, I don't care much.
Secondly, she's 12, not...old. But, since I hate Annabeth, all the way, I don't care much.
And to my biggest disappointment, this guy DOES NOT look like my uncle,Poseidon...doesn't even look like Logan!! I prefered that seaweed surfer dude with bad highlights that kept bugging everyone when they consult The Oracle....I hate Hollywood sometimes...Additional fact, I could not find who's playing the role of Clarisse, Daugther of Ares, God of War. She plays an important role, and if she's missing in the movie, you guys are just wasting money and time.Man, I'm an unhappy fan!! I felt like throwing the entire nation into the depths of Tartarus... Where is Andrew Adamson when you need him? Hollywood, never pulverise the hearts of all fans and demigods...or we'll send some monsters....
Thursday, January 14, 2010
PUSINGAN !
Post ini mengisahkan keakraban hubungan Ah Chong dengan seekor angsa bernama Pusingan.
Pada suatu hari, Ah Chong (versi pelajar sekolah rendah) sedang berjalan kaki pulang dari sekolah. Hari itu merupakan hari yang paling panas di kampung tersebut. Kesian Ah Chong, terbengah-bengah dia sepanjang jalan itu, menahan panas terik dan suasana yang bahang itu. Dalam kepala otaknya, teringat pula makan tengah hari yang disediakan oleh ibunya. "Apa yang dimasak oleh ibu hari ini?Nasi ayam? Kalau nasib aku baik, mesti ada teh'O ais".
Pada masa yang sama, terdengarlah Ah Chong akan suatu bunyi. "Bunyinya seperti seekor angsa", katanya dalam hati. Bunyi tersebut datang dari arah sebuah benteng kecil berdekatan sawah padi. Tanpa membazirkan masa, Ah Chong bergerak ke arah bunyi tersebut. Alangkah terkejutnya Ah Chong apabila terjumpa dengan seekor anak angsa yang kecil.
"Kesian anak angsa ini, dimana ibunya? Baik aku bawanya pulang sebelum dibaham haiwan lain".
"Ah Chong!! Kamukah tuh? Ah Chong, kenapa balik lewat hari ini? Ada hal di sekolah?" tanya ibunya.
Ah Chong tidak mempunyai banyak kawan di sekolah, jadi tidak biasalah dia meluangkan banyak masa di kawasan sekolah.
"Tidak mak, Ah Chong terjumpa anak angsa ini dalam longkang. Ibunya tidak tahu dimana. Oleh sebab Ah Chong kesian akan anak angsa ini, Ah Chong bawanya pulang, mungkin boleh berinya makan minum".
Anak angsa itu sangat comel. Dengan serta merta, Ah Chong terus sayang akan anak angsa itu. Oleh kesayanganya yang sangat mendalam, Ibu Ah Chong membenarkan Ah Chong pelihara anak angsa itu. Pada suatu malam, sebelum Ah Chong masuk tidur, Ah Chong menjenguk ke dalam kotak yang disimpannya anak angsa itu untuk mengucap selamat malam.Lepas itu, diciumnya anak angsa itu. Tiba-tiba, kepala anak angsa itu berpusing 365 darjah. Ah Chong bisu terkejut.
"Boleh buat lagi?" tanya Ah Chong. Berpusing lagi kepala anak angsa itu 365 darjah. Ah Chong begitu kagum dengan kebolehan anak angsa itu, begitu juga dengan ibubapa Ah Chong. Oleh itu, anak angsa itu dinamakan 'Pusingan'.
Sehingga besar anak angsa itu Ah Chong peliharakan. Setiap hari masanya diluangkan dengan Pusingan. Ah Chong tidak mahu berkawan dengan budak-budak yang lain. Antara Ah Chong dengan Pusingan terdapat pertautan yang aneh. Jika Pusingan sakit, Ah Chong juga akan sakit. Ini menimbulkan rasa bimbang dalam ibubapa Ah Chong terhadap anak mereka yang leka melayan anak angsa itu buat bertahun-tahun. Apabila Pusingan tidak mahu makan makanan yang disediakan, Ah Chong akan memarahi Pusingan. Kemudian, Pusingan akan bermanja dengan Ah Chong. Menurut bomoh di kampung itu, Ah Chong dan Pusingan merupakan anak kembar tetapi tidak dipercayai oleh ibubapanya. Mereka hantar Ah Chong ke sekolah yang jauh dengan harapan Ah Chong dan Pusingan akan berenggang. Namun, harapan itu tidak menjadi kenyataan. Perhubungan mereka tetap akrab dan mesra.
Menjelang Hari Tahun Baru Cina, ibubapa Ah Chong telah menyimpan Pusingan di dalam dapur belakang rumah mereka. Ketika itu, Ah Chong berada di sekolah. Apabila Ah Chong pulang, dia terus menyedari kehilangan Pusingan dan segera mencari Pusingan sambil menangis. " Ibu, Ibu nampak tak Pusingan?"
"Tak, rasanya Pusingan sedang merayau di kawasan sawah. Pergilah carinya di sana".
Ah Chong lari sekuat hati menuju ke kawasan sawah. Sehingga petang dicarinya Pusingan, namun tidak dijumpai. Hari semakin gelap. Dengan hati yang penuh gelisah, Ah Chong terpaksa pulang ke rumah. Apabila sampai di muka pintu depan rumahnya, Ah Chong terbau akan masakan ibunya untuk makan malam Tahun Baru Cina. Ah Chong terus masuk dan duduk di meja makan. Ibunya sedang berkemas di ruang dapur. Ayahnya sedang melipat surat khabar yang baru dibaca dan menuju ke meja makan.
"Ayah, Ayah ternampak Pusingan? Sudah sehari saya tidak berjumpa dengannya"
"Kau cari Pusingan sepanjang hari ini?"
"Ya Ayah, masih tidak dapat dijumpanya"
"Errm...tak tahulah Ah Chong...ummm...sudah, jangan risau banyak-banyak...nah, makanlah angsa ni yang dipanggang oleh ibu kamu...."
Pada suatu hari, Ah Chong (versi pelajar sekolah rendah) sedang berjalan kaki pulang dari sekolah. Hari itu merupakan hari yang paling panas di kampung tersebut. Kesian Ah Chong, terbengah-bengah dia sepanjang jalan itu, menahan panas terik dan suasana yang bahang itu. Dalam kepala otaknya, teringat pula makan tengah hari yang disediakan oleh ibunya. "Apa yang dimasak oleh ibu hari ini?Nasi ayam? Kalau nasib aku baik, mesti ada teh'O ais".
Pada masa yang sama, terdengarlah Ah Chong akan suatu bunyi. "Bunyinya seperti seekor angsa", katanya dalam hati. Bunyi tersebut datang dari arah sebuah benteng kecil berdekatan sawah padi. Tanpa membazirkan masa, Ah Chong bergerak ke arah bunyi tersebut. Alangkah terkejutnya Ah Chong apabila terjumpa dengan seekor anak angsa yang kecil.
"Kesian anak angsa ini, dimana ibunya? Baik aku bawanya pulang sebelum dibaham haiwan lain".
"Ah Chong!! Kamukah tuh? Ah Chong, kenapa balik lewat hari ini? Ada hal di sekolah?" tanya ibunya.
Ah Chong tidak mempunyai banyak kawan di sekolah, jadi tidak biasalah dia meluangkan banyak masa di kawasan sekolah.
"Tidak mak, Ah Chong terjumpa anak angsa ini dalam longkang. Ibunya tidak tahu dimana. Oleh sebab Ah Chong kesian akan anak angsa ini, Ah Chong bawanya pulang, mungkin boleh berinya makan minum".
Anak angsa itu sangat comel. Dengan serta merta, Ah Chong terus sayang akan anak angsa itu. Oleh kesayanganya yang sangat mendalam, Ibu Ah Chong membenarkan Ah Chong pelihara anak angsa itu. Pada suatu malam, sebelum Ah Chong masuk tidur, Ah Chong menjenguk ke dalam kotak yang disimpannya anak angsa itu untuk mengucap selamat malam.Lepas itu, diciumnya anak angsa itu. Tiba-tiba, kepala anak angsa itu berpusing 365 darjah. Ah Chong bisu terkejut.
"Boleh buat lagi?" tanya Ah Chong. Berpusing lagi kepala anak angsa itu 365 darjah. Ah Chong begitu kagum dengan kebolehan anak angsa itu, begitu juga dengan ibubapa Ah Chong. Oleh itu, anak angsa itu dinamakan 'Pusingan'.
Sehingga besar anak angsa itu Ah Chong peliharakan. Setiap hari masanya diluangkan dengan Pusingan. Ah Chong tidak mahu berkawan dengan budak-budak yang lain. Antara Ah Chong dengan Pusingan terdapat pertautan yang aneh. Jika Pusingan sakit, Ah Chong juga akan sakit. Ini menimbulkan rasa bimbang dalam ibubapa Ah Chong terhadap anak mereka yang leka melayan anak angsa itu buat bertahun-tahun. Apabila Pusingan tidak mahu makan makanan yang disediakan, Ah Chong akan memarahi Pusingan. Kemudian, Pusingan akan bermanja dengan Ah Chong. Menurut bomoh di kampung itu, Ah Chong dan Pusingan merupakan anak kembar tetapi tidak dipercayai oleh ibubapanya. Mereka hantar Ah Chong ke sekolah yang jauh dengan harapan Ah Chong dan Pusingan akan berenggang. Namun, harapan itu tidak menjadi kenyataan. Perhubungan mereka tetap akrab dan mesra.
Menjelang Hari Tahun Baru Cina, ibubapa Ah Chong telah menyimpan Pusingan di dalam dapur belakang rumah mereka. Ketika itu, Ah Chong berada di sekolah. Apabila Ah Chong pulang, dia terus menyedari kehilangan Pusingan dan segera mencari Pusingan sambil menangis. " Ibu, Ibu nampak tak Pusingan?"
"Tak, rasanya Pusingan sedang merayau di kawasan sawah. Pergilah carinya di sana".
Ah Chong lari sekuat hati menuju ke kawasan sawah. Sehingga petang dicarinya Pusingan, namun tidak dijumpai. Hari semakin gelap. Dengan hati yang penuh gelisah, Ah Chong terpaksa pulang ke rumah. Apabila sampai di muka pintu depan rumahnya, Ah Chong terbau akan masakan ibunya untuk makan malam Tahun Baru Cina. Ah Chong terus masuk dan duduk di meja makan. Ibunya sedang berkemas di ruang dapur. Ayahnya sedang melipat surat khabar yang baru dibaca dan menuju ke meja makan.
"Ayah, Ayah ternampak Pusingan? Sudah sehari saya tidak berjumpa dengannya"
"Kau cari Pusingan sepanjang hari ini?"
"Ya Ayah, masih tidak dapat dijumpanya"
"Errm...tak tahulah Ah Chong...ummm...sudah, jangan risau banyak-banyak...nah, makanlah angsa ni yang dipanggang oleh ibu kamu...."
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