Don't Look Behind you by Lois Duncan

This is a flashback of the events that changed April Corrigan's life forever. Everything in her life seemed ordinary until one day her father's friend told her and the rest of the family that they have to leave everything behind because someone was hunting for them. April finds out that her father father worked for the FBI. Now he's involved in a trial that endangered his life and so they have to hide and start over with different names.

You would not find a lot of action in this book but most of it involves April's insights and feelings about their situation. Sometimes she could be irritating, but as the story develops, she starts to mature. Slowly she began to accept that things have changed and that not all stories have a happy ending. I like how she was portrayed as a normal teenager - stubborn and emotional. The book could make you feel how desperate and helpless the characters are. There are no easy solutions and miracles that will solve their problems in an instant. I'm glad that the author didn't force a happy ending.

This is very well-written. Duncan could describe the scenes very well. This is great for anyone who likes a short suspense novel.

Bejeweled 2

Bejeweled 2 is a puzzle game in which the objective is to swap one gem with another near it to form a chain with three or more of the same gem. The chain created then disappears and more gems fall into place.

There are four modes available. One is Classic where the objective is to never run out of possible chains. If there are no more moves available, the game is over.

Action mode is the timed version of the Classic. The player has to keep creating chains so that the score bar becomes full or does not go down.

In Puzzle mode, the player has to solve several puzzles to move on to the next level. Different problems will be presented and some of them will include special gems like the Rocks and Bombs. The Bombs have a timer and the player has to make sure they explode at the right moment, while the Rocks have to be near a Power gem or a Bomb to explode.

Endless does not have a timer and will not run out of moves.

There are also secret modes than can be unlocked when you play the other four mentioned above. Twilight is like the Classic mode but the gems fall either from the bottom or the top. Hyper mode is a faster version of the Action mode. When the player completes the Puzzle mode, Cognito is unlocked. It's also similar to the Puzzle mode. Finity mode is like Endless but it will include Bombs and Rocks. The score will also come from the explosions or Hyper Cube reactions and the player has to watch out for the timer. It's only infinite in the sense that the player will not run out of moves.

There is also another secret mode that can be unlocked by hovering the pointer on Classic, Action, Endless and Puzzle (in that order) eight times.

This is a fun and relaxing game. I recommend this to anyone who likes puzzles in general. The Puzzle mode might seem easy because there is no limit to the number of times you can use 'hint'. But there is a sort of limit that is applied in Cognito, so it's still a challenging game. Action and Hyper modes are also very challenging and I admit I panic whenever I get to the higher levels.

The trophies are easy to get except for the last one called Dimensional Rift. Overall, this is a good test on how fast your eyes can spot a combo.

I give this a 10 out of 10 rating.

Toll the Hounds

Steven Erikson's masterpiece series continues with Toll the Hounds. Characters from the first and third book reappear in this eighth installment, which tells stories of inner struggles, triumphs and sacrifices.

There are two main stories in this book. One is centered in Darujhistan and the other in Black Coral. Although this can be read as a stand-alone novel, some of the events leading to the convergence might be a bit confusing for anyone who has not read the previous books in this series. It's heavy on character introspection and most of the action can be found in the later chapters. Overall, the mood is dark and most of the characters contemplate about past failures. However, they are all talking about many variations of one theme - freedom.

For some characters, freedom means privileges. These people believe they should have the things they want simply because they deserve it. For them it's freedom. They try to take advantage of every opportunity given to them and would try to rise up from everybody else because they know they're smarter and more capable. By taking advantage of things, they could free themselves from the ignorance and poverty that surround them. This is the kind of freedom the bullies and Gorlas Vidikas enjoys.

The others are longing to have the liberty to make decisions and actions without the influence of other people. Challice is the best example of this. But even when she somehow achieved that in the end, it was a freedom that was tainted.

For most of the characters, freedom means exemption or release from obligations, burdens and ties. Seerdomin's resolve to not use murder again to serve justice is one. An extreme example is the death that the Dying God offers.

In that sense, redemption can also be called freedom. In this book, a young god emerges. He is called the Redeemer because he's willing to take the sufferings of other people. But the name Redeemer doesn't seem to fit him according to Salind. She said so because he just takes the burden off other people and he's the one who has to pay as well. But that does not make the people become more responsible for their actions. There is no retribution on redemption. He releases them but does not change them in any significant way. Anomander Rake can also be considered the redeemer of his Tiste Andii. I'll just let the book provide all the details for that.

The reader might also notice the constant shifts in the POV. Some of the passages are told through Kruppes point-of-view.

Although the book seemed kinda dragging, it's worth reading 'til the last page because of the awesome finish. The arrival of Hood and Anomander Rake in Darujhistan and the events that would follow is something that you wouldn't forget (I won't provide spoilers this time). Some characters who are only mentioned in the other books will appear too.

I admit one death in particular saddened me but it was already foreshadowed in the first few chapters. It has also resolved some of the complications that were presented in the series.

It's still a great read. It was getting boring towards the middle but at least the last three chapters were worth it.

Heroic Age

This series is inspired by elements and characters from Greek mythology. Age in particular has similarities to Hercules because of the Twelve Labors assigned to him by the Golden tribe and his seemingly herculean abilities. The names of the characters like Deianira and Iolaus, as well as the spaceship Argonaut, have connections with Hercules too.

At the start of the series, it is explained that the universe was ruled by the Golden tribe. Before they left the galaxy, they passed on their knowledge to the younger tribes. The following tribes answered their call: Silver, Bronze, Heroic, and later on the Iron tribe or the humans.

The Silver tribe saw humans as a threat and so they decided to annihilate them. The humans were forced out of earth and are now scattered across the galaxy.

In the later episodes, the origin of the Nodos was explained. The Heroic tribe waged war within themselves. They destroyed each other until only five were left. They were punished by the Golden tribe by letting them serve the other tribes.

In wasn't very clear from the start why the humans needed a savior but it was explained later on in the next few episodes as it became apparent that they were fighting against the Silver tribe.

They eventually found this savior, a Nodos, in a ruined planet called Oron. The innocent and child-like Age was raised by the Golden tribe and was already told of his labors. He meets the talented princess Deianira (spelled as Dhianeila in romaji). She uses her psychic and telepathic abilities to aid her crew in their journey.

The people were skeptical of Age at first but when they saw how he and Bellcross (Age's Nodos) were like in battle, they started to trust him.

Throughout their journey, they were repeatedly attacked and pursued by the Silver tribe. The Bronze tribe was also utilized during the battles. Age manages to defeat the enemies even when he had to face another Nodos.

Bellcross

Age first encountered Karukinos (and his Nodos Lernaea) which resulted in the latter's defeat. The Nodos also had contracts to fulfill. It wasn't explained in the first half of the episodes what these were and what the tasks were for. The other Nodos are the following: Mehitaka (Nodos is Arutemia), Lekti (Nodos is Erymanthos) and Yuti (Nodos is Cerberus). Each one has a special ability unique from the others. They will later find out what their 'true powers' are in the final episodes.

The other characters will also influence some of the events that will take place during the battles. Deianira's brothers made some decisions that caused the death of a planet and will further strengthen the resolve of the Silver tribe to destroy the humans. The nature of the Silver tribe will be revealed bit by bit. The viewer has to take note of the exchanges between Purome and Lekti while they try to make sense of the labors. It will be revealed later what labors were assigned to each of the four Nodos opposing Age and Bellcross.

The humans decided to officially fight against the Silver tribe. They managed to take the Bronze tribe's home. Later on, Deianira decides to talk with the Silver tribe, hoping that some sort of compromise will be reached. Purome was impressed with her talents and the extent of her knowledge. She decided to share her memories of the Golden tribe's home planet in hopes that the princess will use these to find the Elysium and gain the knowledge of the Golden tribe. The battles between the two tribes temporarily stopped.

Viewers will also witness more battles among the Nodos. In the last two episodes, Cerberus' mental chaos peaks and so the other four had to stop her. It was at this point that Lekti realized what role each one of them has to take. This discovery opened a path that will take them to where the Golden tribe has gone.

The ending shows Deianira and Age reunited once again.

This 26-episode series won't disappoint if you're looking for fight scenes with less talk and more action. They don't have the usual chants and lengthy transformations scenes like most series with characters that needed to change costumes before a battle. The Nodos don't have lengthy and boring conversations as well when they're fighting. Those two points has already made this anime more than mediocre to me.

Admittedly though, Age and Deianira are almost god-like. They're almost flawless and everyone seems to end up liking them. Maybe if they had some sort of weakness, it would have made the series more interesting. But then Deianira's near-perfect personality was balanced by the appearance of her brothers and her reluctance to take action in the middle of the series.

I like the Greek elements in this series, although besides Age, they don't resemble the original myths at all except the names. I liked the ending because it showed that Age's power has limits after all. Like Hercules, the ending was a bit tragic but it showed his dedication and determination to fulfill what was needed to be done.

I kinda felt sorry for the Bronze tribe too because it seemed like they were being used.

The story and the characters didn't touch me but I'm still giving this a 9 out of 10 rating for the following reasons:
1. The story was built up nicely. The tensions between the tribes and the mystery surrounding the labors given to the Nodos led up to an exciting conclusion.

2. The fight scenes, although not the best I've seen so far, are better than most series. I've already mentioned earlier that they're not too big on names. Also, they didn't dwell too much on the technical stuff and didn't try to explain everything in the end. They still left a few more mysteries even when the series was over.

The Lost Bladesman

The tale is inspired by the Three Kingdoms period, specifically taken from the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

The story, told from Cao Cao's point-of-view, are the events that took place during Guan Yu's stay with Wei and his crossing of the five gates on his way to rejoining Liu Bei.

The first scene shows the preparations for Guan Yu's burial. The rest of the movie is a flashback of the events. Cao Cao is shown here on a more positive light. His conversations with Guan Yu showed his understanding of the concept of freedom, prosperity and peace. Guan Yu always opposed his ideas and sought to challenge every concept that Cao Cao puts forth. Cao Cao however is intent on bringing him to his side and would try to appease the famous warrior with gifts.

Guan Yu has a love interest in this movie. He met Qilan in the distant past and fell in love with her. It was also shown that he killed several men who attempted to do her wrong. Qilan, now Liu Bei's concubine, and the rest of her family were under Cao Cao's protection.

When Cao Cao learned about Guan Yu's feelings for the lady, he instructed Xu Zhu to place an aphrodisiac in Guan Yu's food in hopes that the latter would defile his brother's concubine. The plan failed and soon thereafter, Guan Yu decided to leave.

Cao Cao instructed his officers to let Guan Yu walk away. But they felt that it was an unwise decision and so they sent instructions to stop Guan Yu. The resistant forces all claimed the order came from the Emperor.

Cao Cao decided to intervene and and clear things up. He even managed to convince Guan Yu to kill Yuan Shao for him. But the plans didn't come to fruition when Guan Yu and Qilan were attacked by assassins. He was on his way to sending Qilan home but the lady confessed her love for him. Guan Yu refused because he didn't want to betray his brother. Qilan stabbed him.

After confronting the assassins, he had a chance to talk to Cao Cao again. He decided not to stay and told Cao Cao that he won't succeed in bringing peace to the country.

The final scene shows again Guan Yu's funeral. It was not shown how Guan Yu was killed but if the viewer is already familiar with the story, s/he will understand Cao Cao's claim that it was the others that killed Guan Yu.

The fight scenes in this movie are awesome. Guan Yu however seemed almost invincible even when he was facing several men. The only time he got injured was when he didn't dodge the poison thrown at him by a friend. Then again, it's fitting for a god. The film also showed Cao Cao's practical side, which most people often misinterpret him as being a scheming and exploiting leader. But it didn not sacrifice his image as an intelligent and revolutionary leader. I liked how the contrast of their ideals was made the focal point of most of the scenes.

Cao Cao

I highly recommend this movie to those who are already familiar with the story of the Three Kingdoms.

***
Cast:
Donnie Yen as Guan Yu
Jiang Wen as Cao Cao
Betty Sun as Qilan
Shao Bing as Zhang Liao

Directed by Alan Mak and Felix Chong

Ancient Egyptian Myths and Legends by Lewis Spence

The book is divided into nine parts. The introduction by Lewis Spence provides some information on how the cults and religions of ancient Egypt might have started. He briefly discussed animism, fetishism and totemism. He also discussed the different versions of the creation myth and introduced the importance of the pyramids and mummification. It is important to note that Spence has already stressed at this part of the book that the burial is important for the Egyptians. The last part of the introduction differentiated the ka and ba, meaning the spirit and the soul, respectively.

The second and third parts introduces life in ancient Egypt in general and the different concepts the Egyptologists used in classifying information. The third part gives us a glimpse on how the sacred places look like and what encompassed the duties of the priests.

Chapters four and five are the most important parts of the book. Part four is about the cult of Osiris. It retells the journey of Osiris and it also provides us some information on the other gods and goddesses. Spence also gave interpretations and analyses on how the the pantheon has evolved. Apparently, the Egyptians weren't hostile to foreign gods and they usually incorporate them with the local deities. Spence has also provided examples from other myths in comparison to those of Egypt. Chapter five covers all the major deities worshipped throughout Egypt. Some of the myths involving specific gods are retold.

Chapter six contains some of the legends that have survived. There are a few stories that are incomplete but Spence retold them anyway. Meanwhile, part seven provided us the Egyptian idea of magic. Spence distinguished sympathetic magic from 'magic of wonder'. Like all primitive men, and even religions of today, we find similarities in how people deal with their god or gods. There is an interesting part discussing medical magic and alchemy. It is argued that alchemy possibly originated and was heavily influenced by Egyptians. Chapter eight provides information on foreign gods that have had a huge impact on the Egyptians. Although the royal and priestly organizations spend their energy in one religion, the middle and lower classes are free to worship any deity.

Chapter nine is a brief introduction to Egyptian art. Spence did not go on to discuss the different periods and styles but instead emphasized that there has been confusion as to what separates Egyptian art from ordinary artifacts. He said that there are very few pieces that can be considered art but the public generally views everything that comes from Egypt as part of art and architecture of that nation as a whole.

The book was easy to understand. Even Spence's explanations of his and others' theories are clear. However there are some examples he provided that I did not recognize. It did not help too that the glossary does not provide a brief description of the places, names and artifacts that are not Egyptian. The divisions of different sections seems unclear as well and the reader might get a bit confused the first time s/he sees it. Overall, it is still a good introduction to Egyptian mythology because he provided sections for the major deities and dedicated a chapter to Osiris' cult, the most recognizable figure in ancient Egypt.

Death Note

Human and moral laws both insist that taking human life is wrong. But for victims and their relatives, what could be more satisfying than knowing that justice was served and karma has done its job. Most of the people who are directly affected by a crime, say murder of a loved one, would not think twice that death penalty is the only way to ease the grief.

Imagine if you had the power to punish those people for the victims and their families.

Light Yagami, a brilliant student and the son of a police officer, saw an unusual notebook lying on the ground in the schoolyard. While examining the book, he learns that he could see the shinigami who supposedly owns the Death Note. He also finds out he can use it as a weapon to kill people as long as he can see the faces and know the real names.

He began experimenting with it and it was not long before he thought of using it to cleanse the world of criminals to build a new one where he can be proclaimed god. A world where there is true justice. Ryuk, the shinigami, who thought of the plan of dropping the Death Note into the mortal world was glad he could finally watch something interesting.

As the series went on, more rules in the notebook will be explored. Light's actions caught the attention of the public and soon they nicknamed the mysterious murderer or saviour "Kira". The authorities however condemned him as a criminal that must be sought out and punished. It wasn't soon when a gathering of detectives and other police officials was called. It was here where Light's arch-nemesis was introduced. Like Light, the well-known detective was cloaked in mystery. He was known to everyone as L. After introducing himself and pledging to help them catch Kira, he orchestrated a demonstration to prove that Kira is in Japan and he can kill people without physical contact. Light saw all this on television and took it as a challenge.

The first half of this 37-episode series showcased the battle between Light and L. L soon narrowed down the primary suspects and finally set his eyes on Light. He was intent on proving that Light was Kira. Along the way too, Light meets another person who also possessed a Death Note.

It was exciting to watch the two trying to outwit each other. I was also impressed with the fact that the series did not dwell on the moral issues that it has certainly touched. It focused more on the abilities of Light and L. It showed that the public had divided opinions about Kira. Some of them approved of killing the criminals while the others pointed out that he was no different from murderers.

The first half of the series was fast-paced. I could not force myself to stop watching. Midway through the series, Light outmaneuvered L by tricking another shinigami. At this point in the series, L was almost convinced that Light wasn't the culprit and he even gave the latter a chance to help in the investigation. It was an impressive move and yet it also marked the change of the pace in the series. Without L, who would be able to stop Light?

The rest of the series was a frantic race to prove and disprove that Light really was Kira. Then Mello and Near, L's heirs (or so each one claimed), showed up and took over the investigation. Light was forced to devise methods not to get caught. He still had success but some people who working with him in the investigation were already very suspicious. Light sought out help from other people. However, a mistake from one of Light's followers gave Near an opportunity to finally reveal who Kira is. Light managed to flee but in the end Ryuk wrote down the former's name in the Death Note.

I liked the series a lot. Light himself was a very interesting character. It was also unusual to have that type of character as the protagonist of the series. His rivalry with the equally-brilliant L is definitely worth watching. The second half of the series was disappointing. Both Mello and Near's intellectual prowess were exaggerated in my opinion, although it can be argued they have just picked up from where L left off. It was disappointing how fast Near found out who Kira's followers were by looking at multiple TV screens. It wasn't explained how he did it and it almost seemed like the series just wanted to hurry off and finish Light.

When Misa entered the scene, it provided another perspective to the word 'justice'. Misa's family was a victim and it so happened that one of the criminals that Kira executed was the one who had done her wrong. She claimed it was true justice. I have to admit I agree with her. Although I have seen a lot of viewers claiming that Light's actions morally wrong, from a victims point of view I can understand why Misa saw this as retribution. Kira was a hero. What the justice system cannot serve, a insensitive man was able to deliver. I say Light is insensitive because he did not show any flicker of remorse for any of his actions. He felt he was on the right path. And to kill, you need to be detached. I must admit I like how his mind works no matter how twisted his methods might be. I think even L was not doing the investigation for the purpose of serving justice. He liked it because of the challenge it gave him. Sure in one episode, he claimed that Kira's methods are unforgivable, yet what reasons can you give to your co-investigators but the most accepted one.

It's more fun to watch without all the moral issues it entails, so I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who is sensitive about such things. I liked this series a lot and if it was not for the early death of L, I'd have given it a perfect score. I'm giving this series a 9 out of 10 rating.

3 Idiots

The movie retells the adventures of three college friends, Rancho, Farhan and Raju, who had to endure the presures of academic life and problems within their families. Rancho's deviant ways always got them in trouble, which started a rivalry with one of their instructors, Professor Viru "Virus" Shahastrabuddhe. It is a tale of friendship, love and learning.

Near the end of the movie, Rancho was challenged by Chatur. He is the complete opposite of the former and is a typical hardworking, studious student. Rancho always topped the exams however and one day one of Rancho's pranks pushed him to the edge. Chatur told him that whoever becomes successful after 5 years win. So what happened to Rancho after graduating? You just have to watch the movie to find out.

The movie shares a valuable lesson. That going to school should be fun. In our race to get high-paying jobs, we forget that going to school also involves learning. People study hard not to learn but to earn good grades so they can get good jobs. Rancho says that success follows if you enjoy learning and not just memorize everything that's written in the textbooks. Memorizing but not understanding anything won't increase your knowledge.

Unfortunately, as noble as it may sound, it's undeniable that for most of us money is more important than knowledge. A lot of people tell me what good will my being intelligent do if I can't back it up with hardwork and obedience. Hardwork meaning, doing everything the teachers tell you, and obedience meaning conforming to the norms of the system. I've seen a lot of classmates (specifically my classmates from high school) over the years who are so diligent in studying. They read and reread textbooks but if you ask them if they understood what they read, most of them can't even give clear examples. Not to mention, the majority of those classmates I know can't even get high scores during exams. Sure, they're good students but they haven't learned anything.

I like the message of this movie and I wish some of my classmates from high school will see this and recognize themselves as the machines that Rancho pointed out.

It's a 3-hour movie but I guarantee you'll enjoy it.

***
Cast:
Aamir Khan
Kareena Kapoor
R. Madhavan
Sharman Joshi
Boman Irani
Omi Vaidya


Directed by: Rajkumar Hirani
Based on the novel Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat

LittleBIGPlanet: Game of the Year Edition

When I first saw the cover of this game, I thought it was just another no-brainer, relaxing game with a cute character. I was wrong. The first few levels were really fun but as I progressed through the story mode, some levels got trickier. Now I know why this game got good reviews.

The opening video explains how the world was created - through dreams. But even such creations were threatened by a greedy Curator called 'the Collector'. The Curators, composed of eight, are responsible for creating the different levels.

Sackboy goes through the seven levels before finally meeting the Collector on the eighth. Each has a different theme and difficulty level. Each level also has bonus games which can be unlocked by collecting the keys.

Sackboy also meets different characters who tell him what to do on each level. Most of the levels require Sackboy to jump, grab, run, push/pull, use vehicles and mechanisms, and solve puzzles to get through. The player also has to collect items such as stickers, decorations, and other paraphernalia needed to create a level. These are found in bubbles, some of which are hidden and can be acquired by activating a switch using a sticker. The player also gets to dress up Sackboy and decorate the pod.

Not only does this game have puzzles, but also requires Sackboy to race (on foot or in a vehicle), use explosives, fight bosses, fly using contraptions, climb a fortress, use jetpacks to get to high places, and use the paintinator to beat enemies.

Level-making sounds complicated but the game has provided a comprehensive tutorial. Also, by going through the different levels, players will have an idea on how some contraptions work. The game also provides a lot of materials that can be used. The only thing that is needed is a good imagination.

I really liked most of the songs used in the game. Most of them blend in properly with the specific theme of each level. Even the character voices are cute and funny. The graphics are awesome. You could almost feel the texture just by looking at the materials. Taking note of the properties of each is important in level-making as well as getting through obstacles. Some jumps are tricky and there are levels where items are found in places that are hard to reach.

It is definitely a game that is worth playing over and over again. There is also enough challenge to make experienced gamers happy. The Collector level for example is not to be taken lightly. The Bunker level specifically has a really tricky part that is difficult to perfect. The player has to master the controls, including moving Sackboy from front to back. The reward system also makes playing it again more enjoyable and worthwhile. You get bonus items for collecting everything or without losing lives.

The Game of the Year Edition, which is the one I have, includes 18 LBP community levels and the Metal Gear Solid level. It also has three costume packs.

I have tried looking at the online community and my experience with it wasn't so bad. I like the idea of letting the players create their own levels, even if admittedly some of them are too hard or too easy.

This PlayStation exclusive is very addictive and I could not put it down the first few hours that I played it. It's  one of those few games that you'd really enjoy with or without a huge, ambitious story. I'm giving this a 10 out of 10 rating.

Mythology

Recently I've read Lewis Spence's Ancient Egyptian Myths and Legends. But instead of writing a review about it, I would like to talk about how reading myths became a lifelong obsession.

I never really read a book from cover to cover until I was thirteen. When I tell people that, they're surprised because they thought it has always been one of my passions. Three years before that, I read in my English textbook four short stories about people who are well-known figures in Greek and Norse mythologies. I still remember how fascinated I was when I first saw that section, which is a hard thing to accomplish because my attention was always elsewhere. And I never liked to read. I didn't discover the joys in it yet.

The book was called Language Arts for the Filipino Learners and it was a 2-part book filled with short stories. I loved it. I kept those books for years until I forgot where I placed them. I kept going back to those four stories. Sometimes I'd just stare at the drawings of Adonis, Narcissus, Pandora and Sigmund. I once drew their faces in my notebook. After that I tired searching the book for other stories but didn't find anything. I wanted to read more but I didn't know where to look for such stories. And then I found out that Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess were airing on a local TV station. I didn't watch them religiously but soon I got an idea about what it's like, aware too that everything isn't really accurate. I learned some names and popular stories. But both shows didn't appeal to my taste. Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) seemed too mature for my taste and I was never into warrior-princesses.

The year after that, me and my sisters started watching Young Hercules. We were really excited when it was announced in an advertisement that it will be airing soon. The TV station cut off the series a few months later and I was heartbroken. We really liked it because the characters were much younger and it was dubbed in our native Tagalog.

I never got any opportunity to read more. I never bothered looking for books too and soon forgot about it after a while.

When I got back home here in Davao City in time to start high school, I asked my mother to get me a book about Greek Mythology. At that time, I had already learned the value and gift of reading. I even started writing poetry and essays too. My mother was surprised. When my birthday came, we went to National Bookstore, and there it was -  Edith Hamilton's "Mythology". I was so happy I almost cried. My younger sisters were pretty excited too. We devoured the book like it was going to disappear if we stopped reading. I read it again and again and again.

For the next two years, I scoured the school library for more sources. I was mainly interested in Greek. I didn't even bother reading the Roman version. I found a few (it's really hard to look for such books in my country) but every piece of information was a treasure. I gladly shared some of it with my friends. This obsession also inspired me to expand my reading. I started reading books that are partly related to myths and legends. Soon I was reading pre-history, archaeology, anthropology and philosophy. I didn't even study my current lessons anymore but I knew more than my classmates did on those subjects. I even started reading journals and National Geographic Magazines. Soon I started reading books that are not related to myths.

There was a time I could recite names of gods and demigods. My favorite was Homer's Iliad. Although I didn't read the full version, I managed to put together bits and pieces of information from various books.

Then one day, I let a classmate borrow Mythology. A few days later I asked her for it, but she said it wasn't with her. I asked around but they all pointed to the same girl. She insisted she doesn't have it and claimed I was accusing her of being a thief. My friends told me to let it go because the girl could cause me real trouble. I cried for days before going to sleep. I loved that book and it was a gift from my mother. I could easily just buy a new copy but I didn't.

When I got into college, it opened up more opportunities for me to do research. I could always look everything up in the Internet but I'm more comfortable with a book in hand while lying down. I started expanding my horizons. My classmates find it funny I read books that aren't related to my degree, but who cares, I enjoyed it. However, it is still hard to find books like Mythology. I wanted to find a compilation of the important myths and legends of specific cultures. Not just a compilation of everything. The Lewis Spence book is the only other book I found. I can't afford yet to order something brand new online so I scour the used bookshops whenever I get the chance.

I got another copy of Mythology. Although it's not the one given by my mother it still has the same content. My boyfriend gave it to me when he heard about my story. I still consider that book to be one of the best ever written. If Adonis, Pandora, Narcissus and Sigmund did exist, I'd thank them for opening up this opportunity to discover worlds of wonder and magic.

Samurai Champloo

Fuu, Mugen and Jin met in the most unfortunate circumstances. What with being harassed in a tea shop, getting caught up in a brawl and being arrested and beaten up for killing a government official's son. Mugen and Jin managed to escape with the help of Fuu, but the young energetic woman did so on one condition - that they help her find the samurai who smells like sunflowers.

This 26-episode series featured the adventures of the trio as they searched for Fuu's father, revealed later by Fuu to her companions, in Edo Japan.

Fuu always seems to get into trouble with thugs and other troublemakers. She is always hungry too and in fact joined an eating contest where she almost won. Mugen too attracts a lot of trouble and he's always trying to instigate a fight with anyone who wanted to get in their way. Jin on the other hand was the quiet type and always seems to hold himself with dignity and composure. Both men differ in their style of fighting as well. Jin leaned more to the conventional style while Mugen had more flash and unpredictability. All in all it's a perfect formula for a whacky adventure.

But the series isn't all just laughs. Underneath all the comedy lies the stories of the characters. Jin made a name for himself when he killed his master. Mugen had a rocky past. And Fuu wanted to settle a score with her father.

The series also referred to historical events, places and people. Some of the supporting characters added more color, as well as the inclusion of hip-hop culture from time to time.

The fight scenes didn't disappoint. There were less conversations and more actions. I liked the match between Mugen and the blind musician/assassin Sara.

There were two episodes that didn't seem to make sense to me though (I haven't read the manga so if you did, kindly fill me in). One was episode 11: Gamblers and Gallantry where Jin fell in love with a woman. It seemed out of character for his type. I can't really be sure if it was love or just pity. Episode 22: Cosmic Collision seemed like it wasn't part of the story but it was still funny and weird.

There were hints of romance too between Fuu and her two bodyguards but that area wasn't explored fully. Can't really tell what Fuu felt for each of the guys (though she wrote in her diary that Jin is handsome)  and what Jin was about to say in episode 24 after they gathered around the bonfire.

From left: Mugen, Fuu and Jin

I would have loved to see more of their adventures together and the ending was somewhat bitter-sweet for me. Did they meet up again eventually at some point? Who knows. What I do know is that this is definitely one of the best series I watched and it's only right that I write this review after re-watching it for the second time. It has memorable characters, great adventures, hilarious episodes and good, short fight scenes. What more could I ask for? I'm giving Samurai Champloo a 10 out of 10 rating.

Trivia (taken from Wikipedia): Champloo or chanpuru means "to mix" or "to hash".