Chariot: From Chariot to Tank, the Astounding Rise and Fall of the World's First War Machine by Arthur Cotterell

This comprehensive book on the chariot is comprehensive, engaging, reader-friendly, and well-organized. Casual readers need not worry about the names and events mentioned in the book because the author provides the necessary information. While students will find the notes and references section helpful for further studies.

The book covers three continents and historical events and mythological scenes of the three epics, Iliad, Mahabharata, and Ramayana. It has eight chapters and several illustrations. The author discussed the possible origins of the chariot; its uses; modifications and variations of the chariot in each region; impact of the chariot on warfare; the use of weapons, armor, and;domestication of animals used for pulling, the formation of the armies in consideration of the chariots; the symbolism of the chariot; and finally the gradual decline of its use. 

The following are the chapters included in this volume:

I. Chariot Battle

II. The Rise of the Charioteer

III. West Asia and Egypt

IV. Europe

V. India

VI. China

VII. The End of the War Chariot

VIII. Survivals, Ritual and Racing

For a history and mythology enthusiast like myself, this book is a treasure trove of information. The author provides a brief background before proceeding to discuss the battle scenes. He uses narration and comparison when describing not just the chariots but the leaders/warriors and people involved. 

Consequently he is able to go into further details without making it too boring. The only thing lacking is a basic illustration of a chariot and its parts, but overall the book has accomplished its purpose.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

John "Soap" MacTavish and John Price are back in the final installment of the three-part series after they survived the schemes of Lt. General Shepherd in Modern Warfare 2. They are now outlaws but that doesn't stop them from pursuing and putting an end to Vladimir Makarov's plans.

The Campaign mode is divided into 3 acts. The player gets to play through different characters, mainly as Yuri, Soap's and Price's new ally against Makarov. The gameplay is the same in previous games. The player has to fulfill several objectives to get to the checkpoint and complete each campaign.

Special Operations also features the same gameplay although the missions have more variety this time. The ranking system is a new feature where the player earns experience points and unlocks items and missions. There are two types of missions in Spec Ops; survival and mission mode. Both have 16 missions each which can be played co-op or single player.

Although some people complain about the repetitive gameplay I love this game for its familiarity (the characters, and yes, the gameplay as well). The difficulty level isn't high if you've played the previous games and it's not as emotional as some scenes in MW2. It's more like a wrap up of the 3-part story but when you're familiar with the characters, it's hard not to feel sad. I loved the ending. Simple yet poignant. I enjoyed Spec Ops as well because of the new ranking system. If you think the mission mode was too easy, spec ops is more challenging.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Mr. Brain

Ryusuke Tsukumo  used to be just a chick magnet until he had an accident. After his brain operation he became a different man. In order to understand more about himself he pursued neuroscience and became foremost in that specialty. He was offered a job at the National Research Institute of Police Science. His resourcefulness and analytic skills were put to the test as he goes head to head with the most baffling cases.

This 8-episode series is a must-watch. I got hooked right away in the first episode. Tsukumo's brilliant skills in putting together puzzle pieces of a case that don't exactly fit at first glance is intriguing and fun to watch. Add to that his antics with co-worker Kazune Yuri and the police/investigators Hayashida and Tanbara he continuously annoys and helps in the investigations.  

It's a good mix of comedy, mystery, and drama. There are plenty of funny scenes but the more emotional scenes were delivered expertly. Viewers can also pick up trivia about the brain. Takuya Kimura is such a good actor and is supported by an equally great cast and powerhouse guests (Gackt, Nakama Yukie, Sato Takeru, and more). Each case is unique and becomes more difficult as the story progresses. The only downside is that it's too short for a great series.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Cast:
Takuya Kimura as Ryusuke Tsukumo
Haruka Ayase as Kazune Yuri
Hiro Mizushima as Toranosuke Hayashida
Teruyuki Kagawa as Tomomi Tanbara

Sei Hiraizumi as Junpei Funaki
Osamu Shitara as Junichi Kanda
Shigenori Yamazaki as Koichi Ochi
Shiho as Mariko
Yukina Kinoshita as the cleaning lady
Shunya Isaka as Katsumi Namikoshi
Yasufumi Hayashi as Kiyoshi Iwabuchi
Katsuya Kobayashi as Ippei Seta
Yuji Tanaka as Mitsuo Natsume
Tortoise Matsumoto as Jotaro Nanba
Mao Daichi as Miharu Sasa

Thank You to the San Antonio Spurs of 2012-2013

It has been fourteen days since my San Antonio Spurs lost for the first time in a finals series. I admit I cried after game seven although game six was even more painful. We almost won. Almost. Both teams played really well and it was only a matter of who made the most mistakes and which team would capitalize on those mistakes. What makes this loss even harder is that I didn't not know how to deal with it. Losing in the playoffs was easier to accept because it's not that close to the final goal. I was always so confident that we'd never lose. 

When I learned that Miami Heat won against Indiana Pacers in the ECF I was a bit apprehensive. I've been hearing rumors about rigged games and stuff like that but I'd like to believe all teams have a fair chance at getting the championship. After all three of the last four teams that remained were low-market teams including the Spurs. I also thought it would be a great opponent for the Spurs. The last four times they went to the finals they didn't get a huge audience. It was a great opportunity to go against a popular team and with everyone saying the Spurs would be beaten completely. For the last six years people have counted out this team saying we're too old and boring. It was unfair knowing my team is better than most. The Spurs has been consistent and competitive. I don't know why people think they're boring but the way this team plays is such a joy to watch. The beautiful passing, the great defense, the talented and humble players and coaching staff who can get things done without showing off too much --- those are the things I've enjoyed in this team.

This season's roster is very talented. Tim is reliable as always. Manu, although he is not the Manu he used to be, still is a big factor; while Tony is at his prime and is the best point guard in the league right now. Then there are the younger players, the future faces of the Spurs. The supporting players also stepped up, showing everyone who haven't watched the Spurs closely for the past years that this team has been so good at developing talented players.

In the first few days after game seven so many things came to my mind. So many what ifs and whys and should haves. It hurts to see people criticizing some of the players for making mistakes. But pointing fingers won't change the outcome. There might have been some bad decisions and silly mistakes that cost us our fifth championship but I'd also like to believe we just got unlucky and the championship wasn't really for us. I hope, as a devoted fan of this amazing franchise, that the team would use this experience to work harder and stay healthy next season. The younger players can also learn from this experience and the example set by Tim, who I think was the only player who's been consistent in the playoffs and finals.

It isn't easy to ignore all the criticisms, especially all the bad things people say about Manu. If the Heat lost in game six I'm sure a popular player from that team would be the one to suffer the kind of treatment Manu's getting now because of his mistakes. But my team lost and they won. Whatever mistakes the other team made would just fade into history and people would just keep telling us we "choked."

If you ask me if I'm ashamed of the Spurs, no, definitely not. This is a great team and they had a great season. And even if they lost, at least they lost to a great team in an epic seven game series. I'm still proud of the San Antonio Spurs.

Go Spurs Go!

2012-2013 Spurs Roster

Tim Duncan

Tony Parker

Manu Ginobili

Kawhi Leonard

Danny Green

Gary Neal

Tiago Splitter

Boris Diaw

Matt Bonner

DeJuan Blair

Cory Joseph

Tracy McGrady

Patty Mills

Nando de Colo

Aaron Baynes

Coach: Gregg Popovich

Assistant Coaches:

Brett Brown

Chip Engelland

Chad Forcier

Ime Udoka

Mike Budenholzer

Strength-and Conditioning Coach: Matt Herring

Athletic Trainer: Will Sevening

Operation Love/Proposal Daisakusen

Ken Iwase is the most miserable man in his best friend's wedding. Rei Yoshida is getting married to Tetsuya Tada, their former student teacher, and Ken cannot do anything about it. For years he has always loved his best friend but never got the chance to tell her his feelings. As Ken watches the newlyweds he is filled with regret for all the missed opportunities and misunderstandings with Rei over the years. During the slide show  in the wedding reception, he became even more despondent. Looking at the pictures reminded him of his happy days with Rei. Luckily for him, a fairy or yosei noticed his despair and offered help.

From left: Eri, Mikio, Rei, Ken, and Tsurumi

Ken was given several chances to travel back in time to change the events leading to each picture on the slide show. As the story progressed and more pictures were shown, Ken realized that he had wasted so much time and so many opportunities all the while thinking he was secured that Rei would be by his side for a long time. A few times he succeeded in changing the outcome of the photo but he still could not tell her his feelings. It was only a matter of time until he runs out of pictures.

Ken's savior, the yosei/fairy

This 11-episode comedy/romance series (and one SP) got me hooked right away because of Ken's unusual dilemma. In most love stories where the girl is getting married to someone else, the guy usually gets a chance to change things before the wedding. In this series, the woman Rei is already married and the guy who's after her, Ken, never had a chance to do anything.

Ken's character can make you feel frustrated sometimes but you can't help but love him for both his stubbornness despite his futile efforts and his genuine love for friends. 

Tomohisa Yamashita isn't exactly a very good actor and he didn't have much chemistry with Masami Nagasawa. However his skills is offset by a superb supporting cast and an interesting twist in the story. He's not a terrible actor either. He had some great moments especially in one episode when he was about to give up on Rei.

Rei and Ken

I enjoyed this series a lot. I couldn't stop watching after two episodes because I was too anxious to see Ken's progress. Suckers for romance will find plenty of cheesy scenes as well as funny moments especially when the high school friends get together.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Cover for the SP

Main Cast:

Tomohisa Yamashita as Ken Iwase

Masami Nagasawa as Rei Yoshida

Nana Eikura as Eri Oku

Yūta Hiraoka as Enokido Mikio

Gaku Hamada as Hisashi Tsurumi

Naohito Fujiki as Tetsuya Tada

Hiroshi Mikami as the Yosei/Fairy

Battle Studies: Ancient and Modern Battle by Ardant du Picq

du Picq gives insightful ideas on some ancient battles and the campaigns he witnessed during his lifetime. The book, which is both a commentary as well as a treatise on tactics in ancient and modern war, is divided into two major sections and includes a supplementary section of the author's related works.

The first part is about ancient battles. du Picq highlights the major battles of Hannibal and Julius Caesar by differentiating the battle formations and the value of morale. However du Picq's main focus is the importance of understanding man's mind under pressure. The second part is more technical. It discusses combat methods, weapons, cavalry and infantrymen. This part of the book might be confusing to the reader not familiar with the battles and names in du Picq's time.

The book does not focus on technical stuff like the correct battle formations, weapons, and others. The author emphasized several times that although the weapons and times have changed, even the reasons for fighting, the heart of man is still the same. Casual readers will not easily appreciate the second part but it has more specific discussions by the author. The appendix also has an interesting section about the development of small arms. du Picq's approach to explaining how battles were and can be won showed that the understanding of man's psychology is more effective than looking at what can be improved in the weapons and formation used by the men.

Rating: 7 out of 10