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Despite the title of the book, Nineteen Eighty-Four (also referred to as 1984)was actually first released more than 50 years ago, way back in 1949, just 4 years after World War II was over. Considering the time period, it was a pretty bold move for George Orwell to write such a book as it contains many radical ideas and themes. It generated so much controversy up till the point where it was banned in several libraries around the world.

However, along with a few other books, 1984 has often been cited as one of the most famous dystopian novels out there. Having not only left a profound impact on English Literature as a whole, till the point where even the author’s name is now an actual english word. “Orwellian” has come to be used to describe actions or organizations reminiscent of the totalitarian society depicted in the novel. As if adding a new word to the English dictionary wasn’t enough, 1984 has been translated into 62 other languages, so that no matter what language you read, you can still enjoy this book.

As it was written in 1949, Orwell tried to depict what life would be like in the year 1984, and it is a really frightening world to live in to say the least. The story mainly focuses around the life of Winston Smith, who works at the “Ministry of Truth”. His job? To re-write history every single day. Yes, literally, he does all sorts of things, from editing a few sentences, or removing a picture from somewhere, or at times rewriting an entire newspaper article to replace the current one in the archives. All for the sake of ensuring that history is what the Party wants it to be. Furthermore, people are constantly monitored 24/7, as there are “telescreens” all over the place that serve to keep track of every action and every word that is spoken by the citizens of Oceania, which is the fictitious country this novel is set in, through cameras and microphones. They are found in every street, every building, and even every single home. People don’t even have any privacy at all when they’re in their very home. The telescreen also doubles as a television, but there is only one channel, which keeps on spewing out propaganda. Every single citizen is brainwashed to believe that the Party is something like the “almighty god”, and that whatever they do is right and nobody should ever question the authority or position of the Party. If anyone is caught having rebellious or revolutionary thoughts, or in other words committing “thoughtcrime”, they would be severely dealt with by the Thought Police. Even the children are encouraged to report their very own parents if they were found to have any anti-Party thoughts. There have been incidents whereby people just suddenly disappear from the face of the earth, without any explanation why he/she went missing, and nobody would dare or bother ask what had happened. Every single record of him/her would be erased and it would be as if the person hadn’t existed. The worst part is that the people are brainwashed till the point where the process of having sex with one’s husband or wife is merely for reproductive purposes, and is commonly referred to as the couple’s “duty to the Party” to produce even more children. That is the amazingly frightening world of 1984.

It’s hard for me to really describe what the world is actually like, because the only person that can really do it is Orwell himself. I don’t want to give away any of the plot either, as it would take me too long to summarise it all anyway. Let me just state here that the plot is absolutely full of twists and there is no way at all to guess what will happen next. Anyone who reads it for the first time will definitely get many many shocks and surprises along the way. The way Orwell manages to describe everything really strikes fear into your heart if you were to imagine yourself living in such a society, where you had no freedom, no privacy, and couldn’t even think what you wanted to think. The first part of the book might be a bit boring for some, as the plot never progresses at all. Orwell describes EVERY detail about the world of 1984, from the telescreens, to the nature of the party, the Thought Police, and even Newspeak, which is a supposedly “new” form of English used in 1984. However, once he’s done with those in part one, the plot really begins to kick into high gear, as events occur one after another. Readers will definitely be engrossed in the plot and cannot wait to turn the page to find out what happens next. Yes, the plot is that good.

One of the reasons why I wrote a review on this book is because it is freely able for download to read. The copyright has expired or something, and it’s legal to share the book online now. The link to the ENTIRE BOOK can be found below. Unfortunately, it’s a soft copy, so unless you print it out, be prepared to stick to your computer screen for quite awhile.

All in all, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a definite must-read book for people who enjoy dystopian novels, and everyone else who enjoys reading once in awhile shouldn’t miss out on it either.

In short,
Pros: Practically everything
Cons: Practically nothing

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Since it was introduced more than 20 years ago in 1984, the 4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have certainly become a mainstream success and till this day are still one of the most popular super-heroes. Besides countless number of comic books, they have also spawned 4 seasons of television shows, which date back as far as 1987, and with the release of TMNT, 4 major motion pictures.

This movie is set right after the first movie simply titled “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” released in 1990. The basic plot is that after Splinter disappeared, the turtles have drifted apart, they’re no longer the team that you’d expect them to be at the beginning of the film. However, when strange beasts start to run rampant all over the city, Leonardo returns to lead his brothers once again. However, besides trying to solve the mystery as to why those beasts are appearing, the team faces other problems as well. There is some friction between Leo and Raphael, with Raphael challenging his authority. There is a major side plot involving the 2 of them, which ultimately led to the both of them dueling on a rooftop, before finally being able to settle their differences. I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone, but the lessons one can take away from this side plot are really something, as it is a much more mature theme than one would expect in a TMNT movie.

I wish that could be said for the main storyline. Beasts, stone generals and immorality. Really, couldn’t they think of anything new for a TMNT movie? I mean such a plot could easily be found in any single one of the many TMNT cartoons on saturday mornings for god’s sake. Yes, it’s the typical “save-the-world-using-punches-and-kicks-against-stone-generals” type of plot you’d expect in any cartoon show about superheroes. Sure, you could say that TMNT is trying to “stick to its roots”, but considering how this is a theatrical release, I think the storyline could have been a more mature one as compared to simply “fighting evil-doers” and winning so easily.

Setting the plot aside, this movie LOOKS really good. The whole movie has been done in CGI, without a single human actor involved, except for the voice acting of course. This makes it the first ever TMNT movie to be completely done using CG, and I’m pleased to say it looks pretty good. The characters don’t exactly look realistic, but it really does fit the overall style of TMNT. For example April has unusually skinny arms, and Casey Jones looks like he could do with more muscles. Still, I’m not complaining about the overall art style of the film, since it does help to make it look more “comic-like”. However, the turtles themselves do indeed look the way you’d expect them to, with all 4 of them carrying their own unique weapons and with bulging muscles. The fighting scenes are really the highlights of the show, with the 4 turtles going at it against a huge furry thing, or a few hundred ninjas fighting onscreen at one time. The fast moving action during all the fight scenes really do make your blood pulse faster. There’s really nothing much for me to comment about the graphics, except that they’re more or less near top-notch quality, and I highly doubt any TMNT fan will be disappointed with them.

For the first time ever, the movie soundtrack really caught my attention. Most of the songs chosen for the movie not only fit with whatever scene it’s currently playing, but it sounds really good too. Halfway through the film when Raphael was fighting the small little impish thing, my friend beside me in the cinema suddenly turned and asked, “What song is this?” The soundtrack is really so good that it’s almost better than the movie itself at times I guess. A soundtrack is supposed to compliment whatever is showing on screen at the moment, not steal everyone’s attention away from the movie themselves in order to think about what song is currently playing or where they heard it before. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing that the soundtrack is good, I’m just saying it’s a bad thing that the soundtrack overshadows the movie itself at times.

In my opinion, this movie was targeted at the young adult audience, but I think that the only group of people that will come out of the theater absolutely loving the movie are probably 6-10 year olds, who might not even understand the plot but rather just enjoy the fighting scenes. This movie really had a lot of potential to be an absolutely brilliant one, with a great soundtrack, excellent graphics, a stellar cast and a really mature side-plot. However, it was really let down by the absolutely horrendous/childish main plot.

If you’re a person who usually watches a movie just to enjoy the action, this movie is for you, but for the rest of us who want to see a great storyline complimented by action, I’d suggest you stay away from this movie.

In short,
Pros: Excellent graphics, great soundtrack, blood-pulsing fight scenes, really mature side-plot for a TMNT movie
Cons: A REALLY BAD MAIN STORYLINE. (honestly, I can’t stress enough how bad it is)

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On October 4 2006, I got myself a Dell Inspiron 640m purchased online from Dell website. What?! Dell Inspiron?! I know it’s not a favorable brand for most people, everyone seems to go for Apple Macbook, Sony Vaio or at least an Acer. I was on a tight budget and Dell Inspiron 640m seemed to be the most value-for-money laptop that I could afford.

Before starting the review, let me show you the basic specs of my Dell Inspiron 640m, because there are different specs for the same Inspiron 640m model as Dell constantly refreshes and replaces its specs and system accordingly:

• Intel Core Duo Processor T2050
• 1.60GHz, 2MB Cache, 533 MHz FSB
• 14.1″ WXGA TFT Display (1280 x 800 resolution)
• 1024MB (2 x 512MB) DDR2 SDRAM
• 80GB SATA Hard Drive
• Internal 24X Max DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
• Genuine Windows XP Home Edition
• Weight starts from 2.41kg
• Width: 330mm
• Depth: 244mm
• Height: 31.75-38mm

For a price of RM2,999 (US$860), I get a decent laptop incorporated with the enhanced specs and latest technologies. I received the laptop 3 days after the online purchase made. It was wrapped up nicely in a big Dell-branded box. I couldn’t resist the excitement, quickly I opened the box, and YES, the laptop that I’d been longing for was finally in front of me. It’s visually appealing with its precious silver metal especially the unique white trim on both sides. It feels solid and expensive. When I opened up the laptop, everything looked almost perfect, and the keyboard struck me the most. It’s nicely positioned and the keys are not too noisy. Dell has done a very good job on its keyboards, I’ve used many different brands of keyboard, but I have a special predilection for Dell’s, it is a true pleasure and comfort to type on Dell-made keyboard.

Inspiron 640m is indeed not as bulky as most people claim. Although it’s a little thick, it’s fairly light and very easy to carry around, especially good for those who are always on the run and for those who plan to use it on the plane. It has good multimedia capabilities but what impressed me most was the high-resolution display. It is bright and sharp for video and text. The screen is a widescreen 14.1″ with WXGA resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels, which is ideal for watching DVD movies on, supported by its internal 24x Max DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive. Besides the screen quality, what really matters when you watch a movie? The audio, of course. The sound is satisfactory, it’s loud and clear enough to watch a movie or listen to your favorite music. However, when you increase the volume a little, it’s so obvious that the bass is limited. There’s a little trick, use headphones. I got it a nice pair of headphones for less than 10 bucks, and it helps improve the sound dramatically.

Of course there are complaints about the laptop too. First of all, it does not come with Microsoft Office, which I think it is a basic software or system for every home user, I’ll need to pay few more hundreds in order to get the software. Secondly, there’s no built-in bluetooth module, which I think it’s a little outdated, ’cause most laptops nowadays come with a built-in bluetooth device, although I can get an inexpensive external device. Last but not least, the laptop does not support PCMCIA cards! It only has an ExpressCard slot. I didn’t know this until I tried few times inserting my 3G data card, a PCMCIA card, and it didn’t allow me to, ’cause the sizes are different. I had no choice but to cancel my 3G subscription and to return the data card. However, I don’t think I should put the blame on Dell, ’cause ExpressCard is the upgraded version, or 2nd generation of PCMCIA card, meaning that, I’m, in fact, using the latest and updated technology although I need to forgo my 3G. Besides, there’s no built-in microphone and there’s some glare and reflection when ambient lighting is strong. Nevertheless, these minor complaints are not enough to affect my overall view of this laptop.

I hesitated before purchasing the laptop, however, after using it for 6 months, I think I made the right choice. Overall, Inspiron 640m is indeed a powerful laptop, it somehow manages to provide good portability, pleasurable viewing and high performance, particularly given the price. If you’re looking for a mobile entertainment PC at a low cost, but not sacrificing performance, you should consider Dell Inspiron 640m from Dell.

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No, I didn’t spell the title wrongly, “happiness” is indeed spelled with a “y” in place of an “i” in the actual movie title. Why? Well, this film follows the real life story of Christopher Gardner, who is currently the CEO of Gardner Rich & Co. He has had an estimated net worth of over 1 million US dollars in 2006. However, if the facts presented in the movie are to be believed, he was worth a mere 20 odd dollars roughly 25 years ago. He recorded his amazing life story in an autobiography released in 2006, entitled “The Pursuit of Happyness“, due to a piece of graffiti on a wall that Christopher saw during his period of homelessness, and thus the deliberate misspelling in the title of the movie as well.

I’ll try to leave out some details as far as possible, as I wouldn’t want to ruin the movie for anyone who’s about to watch it. However, I must say that it is quite a touching story. In the beginning, he’s a salesman struggling to meet his quota of selling at least 2 bone-density scanners every month. He can hardly make ends meet, which eventually causes his wife to leave him and to leave their son under his care. He eventually pursues an internship at Dean Witter, training to become a stock broker. He was met with many obstacles along the way, such as being evicted from his apartment due to his inability to afford the rent and thus roaming the streets looking for free places to stay, all the while trying to take care of his son. He was also arrested for not being able to pay his parking tickets, which amassed when he was rushing from one place to another to meet with potential clients for his bone-density scanner, and eventually had to go to the interview for the internship with tattered jeans and a singlet with a shirt over it. At one point in the film, he and his son even sleep in the toilet at a train station, which was an actual event that occurred, according to Christopher himself in an interview. His eventual success is truly an inspirational and remarkable story, from having only 20 dollars in his bank account to the millionaire he is today.

If there is anything I have against the plot and story, it’s that the story is a bit TOO sad at times. Honestly. There are many inconsistencies between actual events and those portrayed in the film, some of which were exaggerated or altered for the film. For example, he did not have a wife at that point in his life, instead he had divorced twice. However, scriptwriters decided to include Linda (his wife) into the movie, to make the situation at that time seem all the more worst with his wife leaving him. Also, in the film, Gardner did not receive any pay at all during his 6 month long internship, but in actual fact he was paid 1000 dollars every month (while this might seem like a lot, it was far from enough for Christopher at that point in his life), which further caused him to look even more pitiful. However, some facts have also been altered for the better in order to fit those events into the overall storyline of the film. For example, Christopher spent only 1 night in jail in the film for not being able to pay his parking tickets, but in actual fact he had spent 10 days in jail. Also, Gardner never owned a suitcase, unlike what was portrayed in the film. Instead he stored his personal belongings in plastic bags. However, the facts that were exaggerated do sometimes make people wonder how in the world Gardner managed to push on without pay at all for 6 whole months, it really seems impossible.

Christopher Gardner is portrayed by Will Smith on screen, who does a remarkable job of portraying the fear, loneliness, determination, and gratification at different points in the film. As you watch the film, you’ll feel sad for him when he is evicted, feel just as shocked as he was when he realised that he was not going to be paid for 6 whole months during his internship. You’ll feel scared for him when he has to sleep in a toilet, and eventually you might even want to clap as well when he succeeds. Will Smith really makes you “feel” the character, instead of having you watch him just act out the entire show. Christopher Gardner’s 5 year old son, who’s also an extremely important character as he is almost always by his father’s side, is portrayed by Will Smith’s real life son, Jaden Smith. He really seems to have inherited his father’s genes, as he will definitely charm you with his smile, sadden you with his frown, and make you laugh with his endearing character despite the occasional childish joke he’ll tell throughout the film. This being his debut film, he obviously has a very long way to go, but he’s starting off on the right foot with his portrayal of Christopher (Gardner’s son) in this film. There are also other more minor characters such as Gardner’s wife Linda (Thandie Newton) and Jay Twistle who first recommended Gardner for the interview to the internship (Brian Howe), both of which do a good job of acting out the characters. On the whole, the acting in the show (especially by Will Smith) is really really good.

On the whole, this movie is extremely inspirational, once you see how Christopher Gardner manages to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in order to reach his goal, you’ll really appreciate his determination. The plot summary I gave above was ridiculously short, considering how much more detail there is in the film, which makes his eventual success an even more greater feat. If you’re feeling down right now because of various problems in your life, rent/watch/buy this film NOW. It will definitely spur you on even when things seem to be drastically bad.

In short,
Pros: Amazingly inspirational story, with great acting to back it up.
Cons: Film could have stuck closer to actual events that took place in order to make it seem slightly more realistic, instead of altering them for the sake of Hollywood

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