Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Conditioned reflex

I'm, not really sure the phrase does mean or describe what I wanna say, …

I'm talking about mentally coupling two different things, specific food with specific days, specific movies with specific memories, and in particular specific books with specific songs. I do that all the time, … and it's great, ... I'll give an example:

While reading The Wheel of Time, I was hearing some specific songs for Fadl Shaker, which became mentally coupled with the novel, so that whenever I hear those songs, I suddenly remember parts of the novels, and feel the general feelings of it.

It didn't stop there, it continued through almost all the novels I read, … it works best when the novel contain strong feelings and the songs are really nice and new, meaning you haven't heard them a lot before. And of course it would help if the mood of both did match, although not necessary.

And thus, … some songs instantly put me in the Da Vinci Code, some in Raymond Feist's world, some Robert Ludlum's, etc. It's really cool, and let's you duplicate the experience easily at any time simply by hearing some old songs.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

More on those novels

Well, ... ok if someone's interested, ... I'll give brief comments then full reviews if still interested, ...

The wheel of time is very special to me, the whole fantasy thing started with it (excepting LOTR)... it's huge, ... really epic in scale, ... and I have skipped some parts of it, bt hell, ... I have read some other parts more than once, sometimes three or four times, ... ten times in the case of the prologue to the first book.

I got tears more than once while reading it, and got really excited for a long long time, ... .

The sword of truth followed, and while there are similarities, it is really very different than WoT, ... I wrote a simple comparison once HERE.

SoT is philosophical, ... complicated, and very heroic, ... with two too perfect protagonists, and a very lovable grandfather, Zed.

Reimond E. Feist is very entertaining, ... Pug, Arutha and especially James (Jimmy the Hand), are very interesting indeed! with a very sophisticated philosophical view on magic and gods, that I don't think I completely understood!

Emperor is a very worthy read, ... if not for the novel, then for the astonishing life of Julius Caesar, ... simply inspiring.

Dan Brown, ... well, ... most of you know him, Angels and Demons, The Davinci Code, Deception Point, ... etc, ... he is very crafty at cteating suspense, and surely does a hell of research before writng, but hell, ... the characters are the same, even if their names changed, ... the general theme is the same, .. the plot is very similar every time (or rather the premise, as some would say) I like his work, ... but do not consider it literature of high value.

Now the Malazan book of the fallen is a real piece of great work, ... I'm sure to write more about it soon, ... the sheer amount of different characters that you are inclined to love, like or at least have interest in, is wonderous, ... simply fascinating.


Now for some reason, ... I seem unable to finish any book for Stephen King, Robert Ludlum, or Paulo Coelho ... , sure they are great, seems I have some problem, can anyone help??

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Novels I've read through the last 3 years:

  • The Wheel of Time (11 books till now) Robert Gordan
  • The Sword of Truth (11 books till now) Terry Goodkind
  • Most of Raimond E. Feist's
  • First one of George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire
  • 3 of Conn Iggulden's quatro Emperor (waiting the fourth)
  • 4 of R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf stuff
  • Most of Dan Brown's (couldn't complete Digital Fortress)
  • The Rule of Four

Currently reading: Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen (which is very very promising and satisfying till now)

Thursday, September 14, 2006

الحشيش

"العمل, إيه العمل, ماتقولّى أعمل إيــــه تارارا .. , والأمل, إنت الأمل, تحرمنى منك ليه ليه تارارا" --- يا سلام يا ست

الشىء الغريب, إنى كل ماشوف حد اليومين دول أو أقعد فى أى قعدة, إلا وتيجى سيرة الحشيش.

والكلام عليه دايما بـ استحسان, فلا هو إدمان, ولا بيبوظ الصحة, ولا هوحرام ولا حاجة أبداً.

بس ماهو بعد الحشيش, الناس بتفوق, وانا مش عايز افوق. وبرضه مش عايز اتسطل, أنا بس عايز انبسط, ... حرام؟ كتير؟ بلاش!

هىء هىء ... "أنا شربت حشيش يا سعاد!!"

!أنا طماع قوى, طماع بجد

عايز أعيش حياه مش مملة, فيها أهداف محترمة وذات قيمة, وفـ نفس الوقت مش متعبة, و لا فيها عذاب ولا كفاح شنيع, وعلى ذلك برضه تكون مسلية و متوازنة نفسيا وعاطفياً, وده معناه انى الاقى إنسانة محترمة, بتفهم وعندها شخصية وفـ نفس الوقت طيبة و حنينة, والأنيل من ده كله إنها لازم تحبنى كمان (مع إن ده هينفى عنها صفة إنها بتفهم و يمكن كمان صفة الاحترام) مش بس كده, انا كمان عايز يبقى عندى موارد غير محدودة, أبنى بيها صناعات عملاقة, و أيّد بيها الإصلاح السياسى, كمان أقرا كل الكتب اللى فالدنيا وافهمها كويس, و يبقى عندى رؤية و بصيرة الاقى بيهم ربنا, ده غير كمان الـ .....

أنا تعبااااااااااان

آه ه ه ... أنا تعبااااااااااان

تعبان مالشغل و تعبان مالوحدة, و تعبان من كونى مش فاهم نفسى ...

أحياناً بحس انى عايز اسيب كل حاجة ورايا واطفش, أروح وانام سبع قرون واقعد لوحدى سبع قرون, والف واسيح فى أرض الله وبلاد البشر سبع قرون, و ساعتها .. هاقعد و أكتب سبع قرون, وأموت وحيد, حزين شريد وراسى عالكتاب أو لوحة المفاتيح.

!!وحلمت بيها

وحلمت بيها ... , ياااااه .. , من إمتى مافكرتش فيها؟! لألأ .. دانا لسة شايفها قريب, و كلمتها كمان, ... ماحستش بحاجة ساعتها, غالباً كنت رافع الدروع!


حتى فـ الحلم كنت رافع الدروع النفسية و راصص المتاريس. وهى كانت بتقرب, .. طبعا خبطط فـ المتاريس!


طبعا ده عمره ما حصل فى الواقع, على الأقل مش فى السنين الأخيرة, ومش معاها هية ... حصل من سنين, وحصل مع ناس تانيين. لو حصل فى الواقع أكيد كنت هاشيل الدروع, .. أكيد!! مع إنّى كل ما بنزّلها باتبهدل, بانبسطلى شوية و بعدين اخدلى خبطة مـ اللى هية! فـ الصميم!