A Runescape Christmas!

I came across a cute little glitch on Runescape today. A player named Sylphiel had a snow imp following her around. Unfortunately she couldn't see it herself so this is to show her.

Coincidentally, there were two players dressed up as Mr. and Mrs. Clause right there when I saw it. What are the odds?!

Screenshot starring:
Master52589 as Mr. Clause
Rock2Star as Mrs. Clause
Sylphiel as herself
Marcus the Snow Imp as himself
Omzig89 (me)

Untitled

It's snowing.
Fat flakes gently land all around me. It's totally quiet.
My shoulders are heaving under the weight of my pack. It was a good catch.
I am warm under my coat.
I stop to admire a frosted tree. I move on.
I hear a familiar barking and a wagging tail appears. It's good to see him again.
The cabin in the distance is closer now. Someone important is waiting inside.
I am a few more steps from the door. Something smells delicious.
The door swings open and suddently, I am caught in her snug embrace.

I'm home.

Google Chrome Woes #1 #2

The title sucks because it doesn't explain the kind of frustration I feel with Google Chrome. What if I told you that I hate Google Chrome because it is the most perfect browser yet but not quite 100% good? This browser is such a capable platform! Every little convenience is available to users of all tech levels and it's a Google product for goodness' sake! Why isn't the whole world caught up in every detail of this project's progress? Anyway, what are my #1 and #2 woes with Google Chrome. I think it would be appropriate to note here that I'm using an XP SP3; 1.5GB; 1.86GHz not that it matters in this context anyway.

#2 No addons like my favs for Firefox
Yea... no Adblock plus, Mouse Gestures, IE Tab (for annoying Microsoft update websites), or themes. Apparently, Java doesn't work in Google Chrome either. I haven't tried, but I'll be pissed to fire up a firefox process just to play a daily 30 seconds of Dragon Court or just to log into Runescape to satisfy the itch. The one redeeming value is the smart design choices that went into Google Chrome. Features like "most visited site thumbnails" on new tabs, the download progress shown in the status bar as opposed to a dialog box... These were all features I had loved since Opera 8 and Firefox 1. Google really knows how to find out exactly what people want and so they can focus on delivering the best product.


#1 Facebook doesn't work properly on Google Chrome!
I tried posting a photo on my Facebook wall but clicking submit didn't do anything! BAD! But I kinda like how instead of a text field to type in a filename, I got a button saying choose file that went directly to an explorer dialog. But then again, I don't use that particular feature much and Chrome is still in BETA, so I shouldn't be judging too hard here.

Overall, I hope my tone was "they got so close to perfection that experiencing that level of software satisfaction made using other browsers seem... painful." Chrome's like a solid roof above your head with a tiny hole in it right above your head and it's raining damn hard. I don't expect anyone to quite understand my thoughts on this.

Minnalgal Koothadum (மின்னல்கள் கூத்தாடும்) from Polladhavan (பொல்லாதவன்)

My most important comment on this video is about the motorbike - it's a Bajaj Pulsar. Kollywood has really caught on with product placement but I think fans are mostly unaware of what's going on. I first noticed it in the movie "Ghajini" but it's starting to become very apparent in most new Tamil movies.

As for the music, what can I say? I'm a sucker for mellow duets like this one. I love the audio but the visualization is so-so. Here's "Minnalgal Koothadum" (min-null-gull koo-THA-dum : "lightning dances") from the movie "Polladhavan" (poe-LAH-the-vun : "an atrociously wicked man"). I'm fairly confident about my translations this time because I found a great Tamil-English online dictionary.

Anticipating the Release of Kanthaswamy (கந்தசாமி)

I just got done looking at a fan site for the Tamil movie Kanthaswamy (kun-the-SVAW-mee) and I can hardly wait for it to come out. The stills and trailers from the movie are nothing short of orgasmic. The movie's main actor Vikram (விக்ரம்) does an amazing job molding into several different types of costumes.

Another thing that really drew me in was a TV interview with Susi Ganesan (சுசி க்ணேசன்), the director of Kanthaswamy. If you understand Tamil, I highly recommend that you watch this video. Ganesan speaks very thoughtfully about the widening gap between the rich and the poor in India and practical remedies to the problem. He seems to be a firm believer in hard work (aka Capitalism), but he also talks about helping those in need (as in Socialism).



Oh, did I mention that Shriya Saran (ஷ்ரேயா சரன்) looks absolutely stunning in this movie? This is one movie I really wish I could watch on the big screen back home in India. I will miss the noisy theaters full of roaring Vikram fans.

First Impressions about Bheema (பீமா)

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/v/7H2PerXfYP4


I've been looking forward to Bheema (பீமா) ever since the audio track for "Mudhal Mazhai" (முதல் மழை) came out. I finally got the chance to watch it today and I just got done with it.

As with most modern Tamil (read thumill) movies, this one just mushed together a bunch of generic story elements common to most Kollywood movies. As usual, there was plenty of bubbly romance, situational comedy and awkward fight sequences. Parts of the story seemed to be inspired by movies like Ghajini (கஜினி), Saamy (சாமி) and many others. However, the ending was unexpected and discomfortingly different from what I'm used to seeing in Tamil movies. Overall, Bheema was pretty good.

One thing I didn't like was that the heroine (played by Trisha) was introduced pretty late - about 15 minutes into the movie. Also, the video for "Mudhal Mazhai" did not measure up to what I wished for ever since I first heard the song. I will be writing an entire entry on how bad I felt about that alone. However, the thing I liked least in the movie was the ending because it was so unsettling.

The last five minutes of the movie were so shockingly different from what I've seen in other Tamil movies and what I was expecting to see here. Even now I feel a little overwhelmed but I just get attached to characters more than the average person would. Also, the plot leading to the ending is pretty awkward. If you want to know what happens, read past the spoiler warning.

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All the main characters that you may become somewhat attached to like I did and care about in the story get killed in the last five minutes. The only reason I could see for that was because the director felt like sharing a moral with the audience. That moral was that all violence leads to a tragic ending even when the intentions behind some violence is good. The moral is told in a really thoughtful way. So I won't write it here even though I already spoiled the ending. Watch the movie!

Kids in Afghanistan

I read an article in Time magazine today about the Hazara people of Afghanistan and the life they live today in a society that hates them. It stirred up a lot inside me. One thing in particular, a photo of a 15-year-old schoolboy just burned into my eyes.

There wasn't anything especially saddening about his appearance. I don't want to sound heartless, but he wasn't severely famished, orphaned or maimed. What caught my eye was the intensity and focus in his eyes to succeed in school and rise above the socio-economic barriers holding back his people. It totally renewed my mental picture of what determination looks like.

Looking at the picture, I felt disappointed in myself. It seemed like I never fully took to heart what my parents used to say about their struggle to become who they are today. It took a picture in a magazine to help me connect the dots: hard work = success.

Here I am, the average college student in the United States living my comfortable life and complaining about upcoming midterms. What is my goal in life?

Life gives you a finite amount of time. Ultimately, we each have to die. So what do I want to be remembered for when I've passed on? I've got some thinking to do...