From the Journals of PureOnyx

Testing video

2007-03-24T19:19:00.000Z

Here is a little video I am testing:

New clothes!

2005-04-25T13:38:00.000Z

Just in time for summer eh. Somehow it actually feels like spring is overdue, with all this rain and cloudy weather here in Oxford. I went to Bicester yesterday, and got myself some new clothes, since some my other ones were realllly worn out. Bicester seemed like a nice, quaint little place, with a good shopping village. The prices were much cheaper than in Oxford anyway, but it can't compare with the volume you'd get in somewhere like Birmingham or London. I got a nice brownish Diesel hoodie, a few tees, and a great looking Ralph Lauren black jacket, which looked sophisticated and cool at the same time! ...that still cost me an arm and a leg though, even at Bicester prices. Didn't need jeans, so I didn't get anything else.

Raining again. This weather...

2005-04-25T13:32:00.000Z

My first post since I got back to England. Well, whats been happening over here? Finished all my coursworks and now just getting ready for the finals in June. Hopefully they will go well. ( I REALLY HOPE SO!) I can't believe I miss driving around so much now! Although I did manage to get seriously darker than when I got there, hehe.

I started watching a new anime series (for me), which is quite popular now, known as Naruto. I think its brilliant. Its got a good plot line, great animation and artwork, also some nice humour and fightscenes in it. Although sometimes the flashbacks get a little too much, I realise that you needed them to realise a lot about each character's history. And its also one of its finer points that almost all the characters are connected, either by just a coincidential meeting, or something even more significant. Right now I'm on episode 130, and its still going strong! Its got quite a fan base now. If anyones interested in it, try Naruto Chaos.

By the way, what episode is Smalleville upto, I wonder. I'm on 4-16 myself.

Pictures?

2005-04-11T05:20:00.000Z

I should probably post some more pictures. This place is getting pretty drab eh. Soon...soon.

We had a suprise birthday party for my cousin Rani, who just turned 14. I'm pretty sure she was quite oblivious to the fact that there were about 20 ppl running around the house getting everything ready! Must have been the sleeping pills mum popped her with. :D We actually got the wrong cake first, and I left with another cousin (yes I do have many cousins, its a lot of fun really) to get our actual cake. On the journey to the cake shop (appropriately named Nice In Ice, or Ice is Nice..I forget which) I almost dropped the cake as another motorbike almost hit us! Stupid idiot (the other guy) was wavering from side to side on middle the road, and then mouthed off at us afterwards...

Luckily it all went without a hitch and Rani was quite surprised (shocked more likely, that we would even get a cake and let it stay that way without tasting it) and we all enjoyed cramming 20 people into a table for 6. Good fun I say!

In a few minutes....

2005-04-11T03:28:00.000Z

....I'll be getting my driving licence! Whoooo! They'd better have it ready by the time I get there...or I'll...just have to wait I guess. Went for a ride in a mate's new car last night. It was a Hyundai some model, a nice car really, handled really well.

Also, counting down to when I have to leave again. Its only 4 days left! (or 5, depending on how you count)

Too common for my own good?

2005-04-03T05:51:00.000Z

As per regulations, I'm contracted my (almost) monthly dose of Rhinovirus, resulting in another meeting with my life-long companion, Common Cold. Sigh. I wonder if I have a defective immune system, or maybe it just doesn't exist as far as colds are concerned! I guess I'll just have to wait till this passes, just in time for the next. AAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTCHOOOOOOOOO!

Good news. Passed my driving test on thursday. It might be a while before I get the licence though. I'm also still waiting to retake my motorbike test. I committed a slight error on my first try. Don't ask. :D

Easter Holidays in Maldives..and what do you know...

2005-03-29T02:31:00.000Z

Its been ages since my last post, I 'think' I was busy. Maybe it was my Internet Connection. :S
Anyway, I decided to come back home for Easter Hols, so I arrived on the 26th in Male'. Barely 4 hours ago, I heard that there had been an earthquake in Sumatra. It's now 2 am and I still can't sleep. Strangely I was downstairs at the time of the quake, at about 9.40 pm, but I didnt feel it, although my brother in law and cousin upstairs said that they did. Either way, I'm just grateful that we haven't heard about a tsunami on its way, or one having struck Indonesia.

It's just a coincidence, that I happened to go back home just two days before the asian earthquakes, twice. One of my friends actually told me not to go back. Hehe. How was I supposed to know? :)

When the news first started to spread in Male' there was a widespread concern, as people scurried for their phones to call relatives and friends. And the ever reliable Dhiraagu Mobile Services made sure that half the calls didnt make it through to their destinations. Typical. They disgust me. I immediately looked around online for any reports, while watching BBC out of the corner of my eye, while my family was dialling madly on the phones. I admit, so was I. Scared, a lot of people were. And there was reason enough to be. It had been only 3 months since the last disaster, and I think that this was the news that all those survivors had been dreading all this time.

There was an expectant wait, as everyone in their homes crowded around the television, continuously switching back and forth between BBC and CNN (the local TV station just telecasted the CNN reports until they had received a statement from the President asking for people not to panic) trying to get any information about the possibility of a tsunami. Maybe it is a miracle, that there hasnt been any reports of massive destruction as of now. The last time I DIDNT expect huge waves, they came. We were all being just careful. When I looked around my street, I saw people hurrying to carry sandbags out to their front doors, to try and block any icoming water. It would have been but pitiful in the face of a tsunami, but it was all the protection that we would ever have, not being a country with any ground higher than a couple of feet above sea level.

In the midst of all this, I remembered the conversations I had with an Italian couple I met on the plane journey on my way home. They had been frequent visitors to the Maldives, and were horrified at the news of the tsunami in December, while they were in Rome. They were coming back because they loved Maldives so much. I can't imagine what they would think when they got the news about the Sumatran Earthquake, after having thought that most of the risk had long passed. They must have been so worried, as were countless other thousands.

I can only know now that just for now, we are safe. Hopefully tomorrow will reveal itself as a safe day too. I shudder to think what might have happened, if a tsunami had come thundering into all these coastal villages and communites dotted along the asian coastlines, while they were peacefully sleeping at two in the morning. Here's hoping that it never happens. I guess now we have to learn the lesson that nowhere on this world, can we be safe from the unknown suprises of Nature's destructive power.

Ah, the wonderful world of wireless...

2005-02-28T19:17:00.000Z

Wireless LANs are great aren't they? Ofcourse, if you haven't used one before you wouldn't know. Well, when they work fine, I think they are brilliant. Right now, I've got a Wireless Router/ADSL modem from BT, which gets me my internet, and my notebook connects to that wirelessly. Cool. Allows me to walk around with my notebook (as if I run about lugging it around. There were a couple of problems setting it up. Well, actually, just one. The really fancy 'user-friendly' installation wizard (which also tells what you have to do out loud, hence asking you to increase your speaker volume)crashed right after restarting the computer...big surprise. So I ended up having to set it up manually, which actually wasn't that hard.

Then my landlady asked me to help her with HER wireless LAN for internet. Yay. How could I say no, I was living in her house! No really, it was fun. :) I thought to myself, how hard could it be? I've already done one! So. on and on. I got it hooked up to the main computer and got the connection working, but for some reason, I couldn't get any of the other laptops to connect to it. They could connect to mine downstairs, but not this one. So..troubleshooting..there we go. I ended up spending about 3 hours on the whole thing, even installing WinXP SP2 on the computers that didn't have it on. Also, one of the guys upstairs, Christian, had a german laptop, naturally, everything was in German on that one. So my SP2 installer didnt work. Hmm. Just to speed things up a bit, I decided to connect to a neighbouring house's Wireless network, (Ah, the wonderful world of wireless..now you know) and download a German version of SP2. It was only for half an hour anyway. :)

So SP2 on. Still no good. Grrr. Still more time spent on it. My frustration grew. I tried everything....and then, suddenly...VIOLA! It worked! Turned out that there was a wrong digit entered at the beginning of the installation that identified the router exactly, and when I rentered all the ID keys and WEP keys..it began to work. Whew! I actually felt a certain sense of elation at having managed to get it to work. However, my Wireless Adventures (as I'd like to start calling em now) were not over. There was a lovely Powerbook that needed to be connected to the LAN wirelessly and I couldn't even begin to start to understand how to get that to work lol. That's in my 'IN' tray now.

That done, I wanted to get my Linux OS to connect to the internet too. Wirelessly. Now that is, frankly one heck of a task, as far as my skills are concerned. I'm still working on it, and will be updating when I have actually accomplished something more than reach the closest hurdle (which is obviously just waiting for me).

Long Weekend

2005-02-26T11:43:00.000Z

Nothing to do..

Gmail Invites...Got Lots More!

2005-02-25T16:27:00.000Z

Well, I have 50 to give away, and if anyone wants one, just comment with ur email address to send the invite to!

Have fun!

Teleportation? What gives?

2005-02-25T01:48:00.000Z

I had a random discussion with my mates today. Strangely enough, the topic involved "teleportation". oooo. Right, maybe its not yet 'Beam me up, Scotty' quality, but hey, I've heard that scientists are now able to recreate few atoms some distance away from their originals, (ofcourse the originals cease to exist after the 'teleportation'). This was what prompted various opinions from the guys about the subject of whether it would be really you that comes out of the other end of the, teleportation booth, if you will.

Let's say there is a booth on Earth into which you step in. You press a button, all sorts of stuff happens, and out you pop from a similar booth on Mars. At that very instant, you 'disappear' from the booth on Earth. The human being that comes out of the booth on Mars, is exactly you, with your memories, your consciousness, and has your body down to the position of an A-T band of your DNA. Now the question is, is it REALLY you that comes out of the booth on Mars? The striker is that, in this method of 'teleportation', the atoms which make up your whole body (on Earth) are entirely disassembled, going back to being just random particles. Meanwhile on Mars, random particles are assmebled together in the exact and only way of which the result is..YOU. The fact that upon teleporation, a 'part' of you ceases to exist, makes you wonder if it will really be you that appears on the other one, although that person (whether he is you or no) will not feel the moment of non-existence. My original opinion was that yes it would be you, because there is no other way that the certain combination on physical appearance and memory and conscious thoughts would NOT result in YOU. But then I thought, what if by some chance, the booth on Earth fails in a way, and although you are recreated (or teleported) on Mars, your original self comes out of the booth thinking that the teleportation didn't work? Now that would a dilemma wouldn't it? Which one would be the real you then? I suppose it depends on whose point of view you look at, in a way.

So, when it eventually happens, (ofcourse, they are doing fantastic stuff today, who knows what's next) teleportation is certainly something to give thought about, not just spend time playing with :) Similar implications to cloning, I suppose. :)

This is just...

2005-02-23T16:59:00.000Z

To move those HUGE pictures down hehe. I didn't think this would happen. Formatting glitch. eesh.

UPDATE: Added "Peek-a-boo" Comments + "Read More" Links to each post, so that way the pictures problem does not mess up the main page.

Edinburgh. A Short Stumble.

2005-02-23T16:28:00.000Z

Here are some selected pictures from my time in Edinburgh! I also had my caricature drawn, and I'm trying to find a scanner big enough to scan it, hehe.

That's Edinburgh Castle, one of the main tourist attractions and historical sties in the city. I can tell you it was a strange feeling to stand by the gates, looking upto the great ramparts, where hundreds of years ago, Kings and Queens dwelt, along with Knights and Lords of old.

This is St. Giles' Cathedral, which I passed on my way upto the Castle. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to take a look around the cathedral, as I was in a hurry to get to the Castle.

I took this while on a bus, going around a famous hill in Edinburgh (I forgot the name :D). There were these little lakes(or ponds) of water, with ducks and swans milling about looking smug 'n fed.

Edinburgh Castle again, a closer shot.

This is just some street in Edinburgh, I was trying to take a cooler looking picture than the normal ones :)

Another picture of the side of the Castle, showing the hill which it is upon.

Some random building in the city, which shows some Roman-type architecture? Odd.

Wehey! Benches and more benches!

This must be a gunner's view just before firing? Hmm, I suppose he would move away though :D

This must be part of the main keep of the Castle.

Here's a view of the city from on top of the walls of Edinburgh Castle. The Kings must have had a great view. I say the guy who planned where to build it has thought this through, eh.

Now this picture, unfortunately, is a bit blurred, but I wanted to show it anyway. These are swords, known now as Scottish Claymores. It is said that Sir William Wallace had carried a weapon such as this. And I can tell you that if he did, you wouldn't want to face him ! These blades were almost 4 feet long! And looked menacingly sharp. Brrr. Cool too :)

These should have been more impressive, but I guess I was too excited to be able to take proper pictures lol. The sword, crown and sceptre (behind crown) are replicas of the Scottish Crown Jewels. I know these aren't much to look at, but cameras weren't allowed in the Jewel Room (or whatever its called). Those actual Crown Jewels were .....wow....dazzling! Gold, silver inlaid with precious jewels, polished and cleaned till they shone like lamps... Even the scabbard of the Sword looked unbelievable... The blade of the Sword was also inlaid with some kind of writing, I couldn't read it, but the whole get-up looked awesome!

And the last one, just a bit of Scottish humour I suppose. If you don't get it, follow the arrow, and I promise I never touched the arrow or manipulated the image. Hehe. First time I heard I went "Say what?" to the guy who was giving me directions.

As always....

2005-02-23T00:52:00.000Z

....I should post more regularly, no? Yes, I mean. Er. Right. Yea I will. Promise. Honest!

Finally!

2005-02-23T00:47:00.000Z

Ah, I finally got my web-browsers working again. I was having trouble with Firefox and IE as they didnt load pages correctly, and I could never sign in to anything, especially blogger.com. Grr. Well its been an interesting few weeks so far.

I've just had half-term holidays, and went to Edinburgh for a day. Actually it was for the University's open day, but I kinda ended taking a look around the beautiful city the whole afternoon. I think the long train ride was certainly worth it! I'll be putting up some pics here soon.

Reason: None

2005-02-04T02:10:00.000Z

Yea. I know. It's been more than a while. My fault really. Nobody held me back. I guess it was just me being angry with myself on that fateful day. I decided that I wouldn't brood over it after a few days. I didn't. But I just didn't have the heart to talk about it, for some reason. Either it was too much of a shock to me, or it was something I had long expected and feared.

Sigh. Got that habit from her. You know I'm talking about you. :P

In one way, I hate the cards that fate has dealt me. But only the bit where it says that I have to get a cold every other week. Damnit. Those viruses just cant get off me. Hmpf. Meanwhile, I'm losing a lot of valuable time trying to recover from this godforsaken incurable annoyance of an illness.

If only the line from A to B was clear as crystal...

2005-01-04T01:45:00.000Z

I wonder often, how it would be...if there were no complications in this world. Would my life be perfect? Would there be no troubles? There would be no problems, as I would see my choices clearly. There comes a point in time, where you lose sense of what you really want, and what you think might be the best for the future. What decides these things....who decides these things? If only there were no complications in this world, then maybe I would be able to make the right choices...

Happy New Year!! (Official)

2005-01-03T02:50:00.000Z

A very happy new year to everyone, my family and my friends. May 2005 be better, funnier and more easier to live in than silly ol' 2004. I didn't make any resolutions, though. Coz I never can think about them until the next new year, by which time, its too late anyway.

Feel the Hurt

2005-01-01T02:57:00.000Z

When hearts start crying.
The world weeps too.
For so many are dying.
So many, gone forever.

When tragedy strikes us,
It hits where it hurts,
Taking away that matters most,
The spirit of our lives.

See a crying mother,
Who lost sons both.
For she had only two arms,
With which to grab the other two.

When countless lives become,
Like the glass shattered in homes.
It's hard to even imagine,
Such things as this going away.

Tragedy such as this,
Brings out everything within us.
From the best to the worst,
To live upto the challenges.

For someone who lost everything,
He knows not where to start.
To pick up the pieces of a broken world,
Or to sit in one corner and cry.

See a child wail in fear.
She sees no face she knows.
To see her parents faces she yearns.
Who will tell her their fate?

When God made it so,
To show us this day.
He tests our will,
Our courage to stay.

This takes away no value,
Of those never to come back.
But only makes us believe,
That they are in heaven forever.

So spread the word my fellow people,
To give and help, no matter the size.
To show our humanity, in time of need.
To show our caring, our understanding.
To feel the hurt, as so many do now.

-pureonyx-

Of Loved Ones Lost...

2005-01-01T02:53:00.000Z

Dedicated to all those who have suffered because of the tsunami disaster of 26th December 2004.

A peaceful life, a world of joy.
Broken apart, like a child's plaything toy.
How Life change, oh, so quickly.
When with no warning it came so swiftly.
A bringer of sorrow, a breaker of souls.
The grim reaper of the sea, it pulled lives away.
A bringer of misery, like no other before,
Has come through us, scarring all forever.
It came like lightning, in the early light.
A feeling of darkness, it quickly wrought.
Our flimsy walls, our heartfelt homes,
Were not much of match for Nature's wrath.
To see What's in our hearts being washed away,
No few words can ever easily say.
For no one can show their true feelings,
In light of all that's been revealed now.
For all we have, we could do nothing,
Save keep watching, and still keep calling.
The names of those who were swept away,
Returns to us, as a memory everyday.
There is no price, to get back those gone,
No matter how much the help arrives fast.
For nothing can ever take the places,
Or fill the empty spaces, of loved ones lost.

-pureonyx-

Strolling back to the UK

2005-01-01T02:48:00.000Z

Just arrived in England today after another 12 hour flight. I'm feeling really exhausted, even after the 7 hour nap just now. College starts in a couple days, exams in almost a month. An ominious feeling of impending doom fills my heart.

Meanwhile, Happy New Year to myself! And everyone else out there! Let's hope that 2005 brings for us something much much better than the pitiful sad year that '04 has been.

Fear. Shock.

2004-12-28T13:10:00.000Z

The after effects of Sunday's killer waves still lingers in a lot of people's minds and hearts. I can still see the fear in people's words, the pain in their eyes as they think about their lost loved ones..almost too much to bear.

Still no word from Yasir, a guy I know who heard that his home island had been devastated by the waves. He had left his wife, 2-year old frail son and ageing mother at that home, while he was working here in the capital. Imagine hearing that 17 had died from that island alone, and that a child was missing from his house. Last I heard from him, he had literally jumped onto the next 'dhoni' (slow moving diesel engine boat) to the island of Kolufushi in Meemu atoll, filled with fear, anxiety and overcome with tears, thinking about his family's fate. Still no communications to the island, so no word from him.

A lot of people's lives have changed so much. Peaceful communities replaced by broken ones, lost homes, hearts filled with anger and pain.

Grrrr....

2004-12-28T13:08:00.000Z

Don't you just hate it when the computer crashes at absolutely the WORST possible time? Like maybe, after I had written an insanely long post, and was just about to publish it. Arrrrgh.

Just when you thought things were going fine....

2004-12-27T18:58:00.001Z

Sunday, 26th December 2004. Time: 06.22 am.

I had been awake since 4 am that day. For some unknown reason....maybe providence. Who knows. At the specified time, I was just lying on my bed, thinking about some ghost movie when my bed started to tremble. "That can't be right, maybe I'm dreaming." I thought to myself. Then it started shaking really bad...Getting out of bed, I held onto the walls of my room as I tottered to my parent's room and banged on the door, shouting "Earthquaaake!!! GET UPPP!!", which was my conclusion as to what was happening. Not too many people felt it, they say.

3 Hours Later. Tsunamis.

Possibly the worst thing that has happened to my little country of Maldives, tsunamis wreacked havoc on the tiny islands. The earthquake which originated off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, set off these massive underwater shockwaves which had caused enormous waves to come crashing upon Sri Lanka, India and Maldives as well. Thailand and Aceh of Indonesia were seriously struck as well.

The sheer shock of seeing the water rushing down my street, as I started at the sea from my balcony on the first floor was enough to take away any words that I expected to come out of my mouth. At the apex of the flooding, there was water higher up than my knees on my street alone..A large part of the capital flooded, communication links between islands spread over 800 km lost, electricity cut off. And then...what had happened to the rural areas, sparsely populated islands with little or no protection against the sea.

In my opinion, Male', the capital was only saved because its sea wall, although not formidable, managed to stand fast against the brunt of the waves. Tourist resorts, and countless inhabited islands had been severly hit and damaged. The worst was knowing that there were people I knew in some of those islands. Luckily, my family back in the Addu atoll, the southernmost one were relatively safe, as the waves had not done much damage. I then remembered that my friend was at Kanuhuraa resort, and was due to come back yesterday. I couldn't get through to him on the phone until late today. It was the best news ever...finding out that he had escaped any injury and was in good health. The same could not be said for so many other people. I can not even begin to imagine the feelings of those who have lost countless loved ones on that tragic day.

The last update told us that over 20,000 killed in the region. In Maldives, there were 52 dead and 68 missing. And a huge, huge portion of the population without any shelter, having lost what meagre possessions they had.

It was heart-wrenching, to see the videos taken of islands that once held small but friendly communities, reduced now to just rubble on a sandbank...nothing more. The tears never ebbed from the eyes of those who had been 'rescued' from their own homes and birthplaces, probably never to set foot their again. Indeed, it had been widely discussed that settling a lot of the homeless in a new island would cost much less than rebuilding the ruins.

Aid continues to flow in from commoners and foreign governments. But will they be enough? Already reports say that Male' is running out of fresh drinking water, as a lot of the mineral water supplies are being sent to many of the islands. Even those, probably will not be enough to quench the thirst of those with only contaminated wells to look at in misery.

My prayer goes out to those who have lost their lives, every single person from every single nation, and also to those without homes, food and a sense of embodiment...Words cannot be written to express condolences for such things. It is only our belief in our hearts, and our actions in togetherness to help the victims, which can properly spell out how much the disasters have affected our minds and souls, an eternal scar, of memories not to be revisited.

Dusting off the cobwebs...

2004-12-25T08:50:00.000Z

Whew. It's been a while. Back to the blog. I realised that I should really talk on this thing more than I do now. So, let's see.....

Interviews went well, infact, I think I might have been quite lucky as well....so there is a chance I might get an offer from Cambridge...Right now, I'm waiting for their reply.

So I'm back home for Christmas holidays again. Feels nice to be back home.

Sigh.

Anxiety and nervousness begins to set in

2004-11-30T02:32:00.000Z

Oh man, I have an interview at Imperial College like....tomorrow. I am so nervous! I really want to get into a place like Imperial to do my first degree. I hoping ....hoping....hoping so much that it goes well. Not to mention the Cambridge interview is on the 10th !!! And Manchester on the 14th !!
O_O

God please let me be successful in my interviews :) (Hmm...praying in a blog, that has to be a first time for me)

Lost the view of the path ahead

2004-11-29T02:29:00.000Z

Lately I feel that I have lost my way. Strange, it has never happened to me before. I feel that I am not doing something I love. I feel that there is an emptiness in my life, a void, which I do not know how to fill. For the first time in my life, I have become unsure of my future, because the present is so unstable. Life doesn't seem as clear-cut as it seemed before.

Complications do rise at the worst times. I cannot imagine another time when having such a crisis would affect me in a worse way. The most frustrating thing about all this is, everyone I speak to say that I'm not concentrating enough or that its normal. If its normal then I wouldn't be concerned about it would I? .....Grrr.....

I suppose I can take solace in talking to myself, namley on this blog right here, strange as it may sound. It seems like the only place I can find comfort nowadays is where no one rarely looks....

Suffering from the cold.....

2004-11-29T02:22:00.000Z

There is a funny story that my brother once told me when I was younger. One day Kuda Ahammadhee (common name in Maldives, often one of an elderly person) boarded a plane for his first aerial trip. His command of English was not so strong, however, he was confident that he would be perfectly fine, as was really excited about the trip. Once he was settled comfortably in his seat, he waited for the plane to take off. The seat next to his was promptly occupied by a young caucasian woman.

Soon after take off, Kuda Ahammadhee noticed that the young woman next to him was shivering visibly, even under her blanket. He looked at her questioningly, not knowing what to ask. The young woman guessed his intentions and quietly said in-between chattering teeth, "I am suffering from cold." To this Kuda Ahammadhee smiled, and extended his right hand towards her, and says calmly, "I am Kuda Ahammadhee from Maldives."

Sure made me laugh my guts out first time I heard it. Then again, I was only like 10 then :)

Earth Needs a Hero; You're It....

2004-11-22T23:25:00.000Z

I'm speechless...well, almost. Halo 2 is absolutely breathtaking! I actually bought an xbox just to play this amazing game as well! (My birthday gift to myself ...heheh) I started playing it a few weeks ago (so sorry for not updating the blog) and it is sooooo good! The story-line is so captivating as well as exciting, and the multiplayer, both online and system-link just ROCKS!!!!
This has truly got to be one of the best games ever. Right now I'm quite a bit through the campaign on Normal, and after I finish I will try the famed (and almost impossible) Legendary mode.

The timing for Halo 2 is actually quite bad for me...hehe. My exams and my university interviews are just around the corner, so it's taking some willpower to limit my xbox frenzies to the weekends.Things are looking alright in general :)

Waiting patiently is going to pay off....

2004-11-10T01:10:00.000Z

Halo 2 is coming to UK!!! Really can't wait till wednesday when it comes to gaming shops. I've already pre-ordered my collector's edition version (with a pimping metallic case) and am setting up an xbox live account. Although there are certain obstacles which I do not wish to mention (obstacles, u know I'm talking about you thingys) I think I can get it working soon :)

Got my exam results.....They were okay, I guess. Maybe if I tried harder in Maths that would have helped....Don't know what's happening to myself these days. Some days I feel so depressed about nothing I cant even hit the books when I'm supposed to...

Checkit! Top 101 sites

2004-10-30T21:33:00.000Z

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....

2004-10-30T21:25:00.000Z

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!

2004-10-27T19:26:00.000Z

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...

2004-10-27T19:20:00.000Z

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

2004-10-26T14:09:00.001Z

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

2004-10-26T14:09:00.000Z

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

2004-10-26T14:05:00.000Z

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....

Back to posting again

2004-09-27T20:04:00.000Z

Whew, it's been some hectic weeks, with school starting and having to move out of my boarding room into my own flat...Tiring days, and then the work begins to pile up. Other than that, everything is good. The flat looks cool, and I've got temporary internect connection now, and broadband hopefully soon afterwards. So I will be able to post more often :)

I've just started reading a trilogy of books, called Alexander. Written by Valerio Massimo Manfredi, these books depict the great but short life of Alexander the Great, King of Macedon...It's a very interesting story, and I'll post a final view on it once I've read all three, only one left now.

What is Love?

2004-09-17T01:22:00.000Z

Love is what we often crave,
Love is also what we always lose,
But Love is not something that comes too soon,
For Love is beautiful, like a bright and sunny noon.

Love is eternal, some may say,
Love is forever, in unseen ways.
But is Love that easy to find you may say,
For Love to be true, is so rare today.

Love has no meaning, the hurt complain.
Love is all suffering, as broken hearts feel none but pain,
But Love is something that is hard to gain,
For Love is a test, which we may first fail.

Love can stay, only through care,
Love will burn, but do not despair.
But is Love worth all, the lover may ask.
Yes, For Love gives life, that shines in the dark.

So what is Love, we all do wonder?
The answer lies within, not beyond us.
As Love needs two, to understand ever,
That in valuing each other, does true love blossom forever.

-pureonyx-

About the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

2004-09-16T23:16:00.000Z

This is a good book, and I liked it a lot for its uniqueness. Mark Haddon has taken a creative point-of-view in looking at murder mysteries, and by involving the complex mind of a socially-inept but scientifically-mature teenage boy, he makes it even more captivating. Since I like problems myself, I enjoyed readong about the thoughts and feelings of a young boy as he tried to make sense of the complex world around him in the only way he knew how..by making it simpler for himself...

Christopher Boone, 15, finds his neighbour's dog killed, and then decides to start his own 'murder' investigation into the matter, after getting no help from grown-ups. He goes through this endeavour by writing a book about it, after a kind, understanding teacher asked him to. This book is also made more interesting by the occasional mathematical problems and puzzles that Christopher includes, as they are things that he likes to talk about. In the end, Christopher's brave journey into the unknown ends up with the realisation of many hidden secrets....some which hurt him very much...

All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone as a good piece of writing and ingenuity in the storyline.

More later on Alexander: Child of Dreams by Valerio Massimo Manfredi

Hectic Times....

2004-09-14T18:42:00.000Z

Just finished moving to a new place from my old boarding house, along with my sister. But I'm still not able to move into the actual flat that I'm supposed to be staying at. Hmph. School's just started and its great to be back with my old friends. We just had our first session of XBOX gaming at school as well! It was fun, but I miss the old Upper Sixth friends, who've already left school. So many funny memories from last year....

I'm really interested in learning how to really customise either this template for a blog, or making my own cool-looking blog. If anyone knows where I can get some support, guides, or help on HTML, XML or PHP involved in doing so, please let me know. I know its not gonna be a walk in the park, but I'm interested in learning.

New Book!

2004-08-29T20:56:00.000Z

Just got the book, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time" by Mark Haddon. This book won the Whitebread Book of the Year Award, and has good reviews. Lets see if the book is as interesting its title. I'll get back with the info on this book as soon as I've finished reading it. Right now, its for reading on the long plane journey ahead!

Wow! Never thought a business class lounge could be so cool!

2004-08-29T20:22:00.000Z

Hiya! I'm coming to you live from the Emirates business class lounge in Dubai. I must say I'm impressed ! Apart from the gread free food and drinks, the huge comfy chairs and plush cushions, the great service and those huuuuuge bathrooms......WIRELESS AND BLUETOOTH INTERNET!!!! (Did I mention this is the first time I have travelled on business class in a looooong time?) I'm on the wireless network right now, and its pretty cool. Gonna try out the bluetooth one as well...Anyways, I'm going to be in London in about 8 hours, and then onto my home away from home, Oxford. Yeap, it's the start of a new academic year, and more work for me. I've also joined a very new forum created by a group of Maldivians, called Forum Maldives. Although it is very new and doesn't have a lot of members, I think it has a great future, and I would recommend any Maldivians or others who are interested in Maldives (or just anyone interested) to join this forum ...I'm a moderator ;)

I recently added a Google searchbox to my blog page, but I'm trying to get it just under the header, but above both the sidebar and the main blog area. Can anyone tell me where in the HTML code to put the Google Searchbox Code? Or if anyone one knows how to reduce the length of the textbox in the Google Searchbox, thats great too. Let me know (that is, if anyone ever reads this, hehe)

What does your taste in music tell about you?

2004-08-28T11:32:00.000Z

This is a nice site, where you can find out how your taste in music reflects your personality.

Check out your Music Personailty!

Here are my results, although I don't know exactly what to make of it...hehehe

My Music Personality

2004-08-27T06:19:00.000Z

My favourite lion cub picture!

1 Gmail Invitation left!

2004-08-26T11:29:00.000Z

Good news, there is 1 Gmail invitation left. This will go to anyone with any good offers. :)
Gmail is pretty darn good, most of all its huge 1000 mb capacity. Anyone who wants to experience this, come on out with an offer for a swap!

Interested in changing your boring looking Windows XP to look like Mac OS X?

2004-08-26T11:01:00.000Z

If anyone has any interests in changing the same old look of Windows XP to that of the sleek Mac OS X, check out these links.

http://www.engadget.com/entry/8828351836181248/

http://www.osx-e.com/articles.php?action=show&id=4

If you need any help just ask.

Going back to oxford

2004-08-26T10:48:00.000Z

Aaaah, there go the summer holidays. It's as if they never even started. How time passes. I would say that this summer has been a great time for me. I met some people that I have wanted to meet for a while, and made new friends as well. Still, as much as I would miss leaving home, I think I actually cant wait to get to England. Miss my friends...hehe. I'm actually supposed to have done some work over the holidays, and I almost had it finished....:) ......emphasis on 'almost'...Guess that will have to wait now. When I think about it, I feel that there are somethings I will really miss when I go back. You never know, how much you miss home, till you leave it. I hope I have better luck with my results than I had last time, lol. Have a great time, all you special people!
PS. The special people know that they are special to me.

Hmmm, feeling very sick

2004-07-20T13:40:00.000Z

Maybe its because I likeEngland more than home, because as soon I got home Ive started to get really ill...Is this some kind of curse? I dont know. Gotta get back to where I belong, methinks.. Right now with my brother and sister in Malaysia, and Im still sick. Aaaaa the agony....

Welcome, to the thoughts and words of PureOnyx

2004-07-08T09:45:00.000Z

Oh wow, my first blog ever. I wonder how this is going to go. Frankly, I haven't got much of a clue as to how whats going to happen. But, oh well, lets wait and see. This ought to be really interesting, since I really wanted to keep a diary of some sort, but was never able to spend the time on it. I think I'm going to enjoy doing this. Thats all for now, o WebLog!!