Monthly Archives: January 2009

They Live!

John Updike is dead. The brutal and unjust Israeli military assault of Gaza continues. I just read The Brothers Karamazov and I’m still reeling from the aftereffects of the powerful novel. Meanwhile, my friend Dada, postgraduate philosophy student of the

They Live!

John Updike is dead. The brutal and unjust Israeli military assault of Gaza continues. I just read The Brothers Karamazov and I’m still reeling from the aftereffects of the powerful novel. Meanwhile, my friend Dada, postgraduate philosophy student of the

Novel of Life: Lethe in Vegas

Lethe in Vegas by Chris AlAswad, which is part of the series called Novel of Life, is my recent first foray into exclusively web-based fiction, the last and first one being Penguin’s We Tell Stories. I’ve read a few ebooks

Novel of Life: Lethe in Vegas

Lethe in Vegas by Chris AlAswad, which is part of the series called Novel of Life, is my recent first foray into exclusively web-based fiction, the last and first one being Penguin’s We Tell Stories. I’ve read a few ebooks

A Better World is Possible

The United States has a new president. I stand by my initial reading last November. No fundamental change is coming with the presidency of Barrack Obama. The same old imperialist agenda pursued by his predecessors will continue. “It would be

A Better World is Possible

The United States has a new president. I stand by my initial reading last November. No fundamental change is coming with the presidency of Barrack Obama. The same old imperialist agenda pursued by his predecessors will continue. “It would be

On Dubliners

I’ve always associated James Joyce with the Modernist game of the unbridgeable gap between cognition and meaning. Many others consider Joyce to be obscure and unreadable. After my friend Dada, who owns a beautifully done hardbound set of Joyce’s complete

On Dubliners

I’ve always associated James Joyce with the Modernist game of the unbridgeable gap between cognition and meaning. Many others consider Joyce to be obscure and unreadable. After my friend Dada, who owns a beautifully done hardbound set of Joyce’s complete

Pan’s Labyrinth

I’ve been stuffing myself with films these days to familiarize myself with the wonderful world of cinematic fiction. Last evening, I finally watched another movie that I’ve been meaning to see for some time now (well, actually my third after

Pan’s Labyrinth

I’ve been stuffing myself with films these days to familiarize myself with the wonderful world of cinematic fiction. Last evening, I finally watched another movie that I’ve been meaning to see for some time now (well, actually my third after

Good Bye Lenin!

I’ve been meaning to watch Good Bye Lenin! for some time. Finally, I got the chance to see the film the other day. It is a funny and at the same time very moving film that is certainly worth all

Good Bye Lenin!

I’ve been meaning to watch Good Bye Lenin! for some time. Finally, I got the chance to see the film the other day. It is a funny and at the same time very moving film that is certainly worth all

Happy-Go-Lucky

I watched acclaimed director Mike Leigh’s lighthearted comedy Happy-Go-Lucky last weekend. I do not know how to talk about it now except that it is extremely entertaining. Anyhow, I posted a trailer up there. That should do the trick. Everyone

Happy-Go-Lucky

I watched acclaimed director Mike Leigh’s lighthearted comedy Happy-Go-Lucky last weekend. I do not know how to talk about it now except that it is extremely entertaining. Anyhow, I posted a trailer up there. That should do the trick. Everyone

Che and the Cuban Revolution

To watch or not to watch the first part of Steven Soderbergh’s Che was one of the questions I wrestled with last Sunday. I haven’t read anything about the new film and haven’t seen any of the trailers. How will

Che and the Cuban Revolution

To watch or not to watch the first part of Steven Soderbergh’s Che was one of the questions I wrestled with last Sunday. I haven’t read anything about the new film and haven’t seen any of the trailers. How will

The Inversions in Benjamin Button’s Curious Case

I watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with my brothers and sisters at home. The film is adapted from a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald of the same title where a man played by Brad Pitt is born

The Inversions in Benjamin Button’s Curious Case

I watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with my brothers and sisters at home. The film is adapted from a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald of the same title where a man played by Brad Pitt is born

A Clockwork Orange, Salò, Bladerunner

I do not watch films often. I do not even watch TV. But last weekend, I finally found time to watch three movie files that Dada gave for Christmas, among others. They are as follows: 1. A Clockwork Orange’s philosophical

A Clockwork Orange, Salò, Bladerunner

I do not watch films often. I do not even watch TV. But last weekend, I finally found time to watch three movie files that Dada gave for Christmas, among others. They are as follows: 1. A Clockwork Orange’s philosophical

Unfair to Goliath

The terrible massacre of innocent civilians in Gaza by far superior Israeli military forces had me looking for any book related to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unfair to Goliath by Ephraim Kishon is a collection of satirical short stories about

Unfair to Goliath

The terrible massacre of innocent civilians in Gaza by far superior Israeli military forces had me looking for any book related to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unfair to Goliath by Ephraim Kishon is a collection of satirical short stories about

It’s Not a War, It’s a Bloody Massacre

It’s been a week since the Israeli state began it’s brutal airstrikes of Gaza followed by a ground invasion the other day. According to the United Nations, the wanton destruction have rendered 80% of the 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza

It’s Not a War, It’s a Bloody Massacre

It’s been a week since the Israeli state began it’s brutal airstrikes of Gaza followed by a ground invasion the other day. According to the United Nations, the wanton destruction have rendered 80% of the 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza

New Year Plans

Due to the realization of my being ignorant and unread, I’ve read over a hundred books last year, more than thrice the number I read in 2007. This year, I plan to slow down a bit to give space to

New Year Plans

Due to the realization of my being ignorant and unread, I’ve read over a hundred books last year, more than thrice the number I read in 2007. This year, I plan to slow down a bit to give space to

Inspector Montalbano and The Terra-Cotta Dog

Andrea Camilleri’s The Terra-Cotta Dog starts out like any other good detective novel. The Sicilian sleuth Salvo Montalbano staged the “arrest” of a notorious Mafiosi, who was said to have strangled his own brother to death, as a face-saving cover

Inspector Montalbano and The Terra-Cotta Dog

Andrea Camilleri’s The Terra-Cotta Dog starts out like any other good detective novel. The Sicilian sleuth Salvo Montalbano staged the “arrest” of a notorious Mafiosi, who was said to have strangled his own brother to death, as a face-saving cover

The Year of Magical Thinking

Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking is one of the books that I didn’t plan to read but did. One day last month, I had to do an errand and passed by the secondhand bookshop. I took this book

The Year of Magical Thinking

Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking is one of the books that I didn’t plan to read but did. One day last month, I had to do an errand and passed by the secondhand bookshop. I took this book