Checkit! Top 101 sites

Here be the top 101 websites for autumn 2004. Some good stuff here. Must look through all...gaaah.

Arg. Got a 17 hour journey tomorrow. Blasted planes..I wasn't able to get a seat on the shorter journey to England...Anyways, holidays are over . Back to work, onyx.

Gmail may not be as safe as you think it is....

Apparently an Israeli hacker has discovered a loophole in Google's Gmail webbased email system, which allows a malicious cracker to access a gmail user's account without even the need for a password! Google says that its working on the problem...I'm worried!

More info here.

oOo Driving Licences!

Meh...My cousin got his driving licence just today, one day after his birthday. Probably a nice birthday present to himself! I've finished my lessons as well, but I can't take the tests yet 'coz I'm not going to be here for long...Leaving for England on the 31st. Aha! But an added incentive! I've finally been boosted up to Skywards Silver! This means that I get to relax in the super amazing business class lounge in Dubai anyway! Mwaahahahha....(eh, call me silly :D )

The roads of Male' are becoming quite crowded nowadays. It seems like everyone who is 18 has procured a driving licence and are whizzing away on those very popular 110cc motorbikes....I heard someone even died in an accident! In what used to be such a quiet, quaint little island-city! Oh what are we coming to....

Half-terms and Birthdays...

Grr...maybe it's too late to talk about this, but what the heck eh? It's my blog :) It was my 18th birthday on the 10th. Seems like a while ago, but I don't think I will forget it, for the unusual reason that there seems to be nothing to remember it by. Sad, it wasn't a really good day for me. I was down with a darn cold, feeling awful...and my own brother forgot my birthday! Arrrggg !!!! The only thing which made me happy was the card that my best girl drew for me! How sweet of her...

Well right now, I'm back home in Male' again. It's halfterm, but with exams looming over the horizon I don't think I can take any chances with my work. Hehehe. Gotta hit the books so hard I crack my knuckles and break the pen in my hand.

Alexander: The Ends of the Earth by Valerio Massimo Manfredi

The final conclusion to the great trilogy about Alexander the Great. I have to say without a doubt that this is one great book. Alexander's journey with his Macedonian Army is leading him through the Persian empire, paving the way for his great but unfulfilled dream. A journey to an unknown east takes place, where India awaits them, along with uncharted territories of the north and far east, towards the great Ocean, Alexander's ultimate goal. We eventually see the darker side of war, politics and power, how the greatest friendships can waver, and the greatest bonds of brotherhood may be broken. We see the insidious plots hatched behind the King's back, and the anguish and fear that Alexander and his fellowship go through in experiencing some of the worst times of their great venture. Times that make them believe that success in battles, is not exactly everything.

Manfredi brings about the end to the trilogy by waving a complex story, full of heroes and bravery, as much as traitors and deceit. In a clever way he describes to us, the amazing war that had become a journey. We also realise how quickly the greatest things may come to an unexpected end, as history shows us how the once greatest of all empires, the Macedonian Empire under Alexander, eventually crumbles into nothingness and ruin.

The Alexander series has been a wonderful read, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves to read about ancient heroes and their epic struggles and journeys through civilisations.

Alexander: The Sands of Ammon by Valerio Massimo Manfredi

This is the second book in this amazing trilogy. The book starts off where the first one left off, and Alexander, King of Macedon, is at the gates of Asia, ready to take the war to the Persians. The Macedonian Army has its first open confict with the Persians, and we see the how the mind of the great strategist Alexander worked, in bringing victory to his side. Through his battles, Alexander also discovers that he has also met a match in the commander of the Greek mercenaries hired by the Persians, known as Memnon.

The bitter conquests of war is also closely followed by the politics that stride behind it, showing us the state of affairs in ancient history is pretty much similar to what we see today. Alexander faces enemies, even off the battlefield, enemies who will forever try to bring an end to his glorious Kingdom. We eventually see the toll that war takes on Alexander, interms of personal losses as well as in the ever present scars that remain on his body and mind. In The Sands of Ammon, the Alexander's quest is to reach the holy oracle in Ammon, Lybia...very much past Persian territory. It is said that there lies the words of the future of his life, and so he seeks it, with nothing he fears, nothing will stand before him.

A great follow-up to the first book, I have to say. I enjoyed it a lot.

Alexander: Child of Dreams by Valerio Massimo Manfredi

The first book in the Alexander Trilogy by the Italian historian and linguist Valerio Massimo Manfredi, this book tells the epic and wonderous tale of the great ancient Macedonian leader, Alexander the Great. Lending his creative flair to the historical legend, Valerio Manfredi has written a great book which would be of great interest to anyone who likes to read about heroic figures in ancient history and classical civilisations. This book describes Alexander's childhood, with his parents King Philip of Macedon and the sensuous Queen, Olympias...to how he grew up, surrounded by tales of heroes and epic battles. Such stories fueled his desire to see the known world when he came of age.

Alexander of Macedon, a descendant of both Achilles and Heracles, is tutored by the famous philosopher Aristotle, he himself a student of Plato. He grows up to be a leader of bravery and intelligence the world had never yet seen, and in this book, embarks on fulfilling his father's quest of uniting all of Greece and freeing Greeks from the Great King of Persia. With his loyal friends and companions by his side, and a great army of allies, Alexander sets out in his conquest to eventually conquer one of the largest empires in ancient history. Child of Dreams takes us from his childhood at Pella, Macedon to the first conquest into Asia, the land of the Persians.

A must-read book, for anyone who likes reading about heroic adventures and epic tales....