Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Free Ricochet Xtreme until 15 November

Did you use to like breakout games from the 80's. Well this is one of the best versions around these days and it is only availble till 15 November. So go download now...

>> Go here <<





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Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Quote of the Day

Thought I'd put a quote on something this blog direly needs... action.


"We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action."


- Frank Tibolt

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Quote of the Day

Like a beautiful flower, full of color, but without perfume, are the fine but fruitless words of him who does not act accordingly; but like a beautiful flower, full of color and full of perfume, are the fruitful words of him who acts accordingly.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Quote of the Day

"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice."

Friday, August 11, 2006

Quote of the Day

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it - even if I have said it - unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."

Thursday, August 10, 2006

The Real Meaning Of Peace

"There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.

But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest - in perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?

"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

Friday, August 04, 2006

Quote of the Day

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing in at someone else -- You are the one who gets burned."

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Electric Universe

"The Electric Universe model is a coherent "Big Picture" of our situation in the universe, spanning many disciplines. It highlights repeated electrical patterns at all scales that enable laboratory experiments to explain the strange, energetic events seen, for example, in deep space, on the Sun, and on Jupiter's moon, Io. The Electric Universe works backward in time using observations rather than forward from some idealised theoretical beginning. It provides simple answers to problems that are now clothed in fashionable metaphysics and mysticism. It is more interdisciplinary and inclusive of information than any prior cosmology. It points to practical possibilities far beyond the limits set by current science.

The Electric Universe model grew out of a broad interdisciplinary approach to science. It is not a technique taught in universities. The Electric Universe is based more on observations and experiment than abstract theory. It recognizes connections between diverse disciplines. It concludes that the crucial requirement for understanding the universe is to take fully into account the basic electrical nature of atoms and their interactions. Strangely, this is not the case in conventional cosmology where weaker magnetism and the infinitely weaker force of gravity rule the cosmos. Such a simplification may suit a theoretical physics based on electrical neutrality of matter in Earthly laboratories but it does not apply in space where plasma dominates."

Further Links :
Main Site
Thunderbolts Pic of the Day
Book and video

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Quote of the Day

"In his ignorance of the whole truth, each person maintains his own arrogant point of view."

Monday, July 10, 2006

PANSPERMIA – Life Everywhere

Here is the latest newsletter from Michael Tellinger :

PANSPERMIA – Life Everywhere



I have often wondered why so many depictions of aliens from space carry such resemblance to us humans. All those who claim to have been abducted, or those who have been contacted by aliens, mostly describe them in very similar fashion. The strange thing is that these aliens seem to have features similar to humans and not some other insect-like monster from space. Is it because the individual who claims to have seen these aliens may simply be hallucinating? Or could it be the influence of mass media and the many movies which have graced our screens depicting aliens mostly in a humanoid form? Or could there possibly be a more logical or possibly even scientific explanation for this curious phenomenon? Since we have come to know that the Earth is not the centre of the universe, we can start opening our minds to new possibilities. But like many things we 'seem' to have dis covered in the last two centuries on Earth, we find out that they have already been discovered by our distant ancestors. It is especially true for the subject of astronomy. The ancient Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese and Americans, all had a superior knowledge of the cosmos to us. They knew things about the planets and our solar system which we only rediscovered in the latter parts of the 20 th century.



One such cosmic phenomenon which was reintroduced into modern cosmology in the 1970's was the ancient Greek concept of Panspermia. This word can be translated as 'seeds everywhere' and its first recorded advocate was a Greek philosopher known as Anaxagoras of Clazomenae in Asia Minor, born about 500 BC. He was from a noble family, but wishing to devote himself entirely to science, he gave up his property to his relatives and relocated to Athens, where he lived in intimacy with Pericles. Shortly before the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War he was charged with impiety, which was, 'denying the gods recognized by the state'. He not only had the honor of giving philosophy a home in Athens, where it flourished for a thousand years, but he was the first philosopher who introduced a spiritual principle which gives matter life and form. Anaxagoras laid down his doctrine in a prose work entitled 'On Nature' of which only fragments are preserved. Anaxagoras postulated the idea of independent elements which coexist in space and air, creating life. He called them 'seeds'. They are the ultimate elements of combination and are indivisible, imperishable 'primordia' of infinite number, and differing in shape, color, and taste. Later writers referred to these seeds as 'omoiomereia' which was an expression of Aristotle, meaning 'particles of like kind with each other and with the whole that is made up of them'.



It is fascinating how the ancient 'gods' seem to make their appearance in the strangest places at the strangest times. And while we are trying to unravel the origins of humankind, a completely different subject, we find that our protagonist's life was greatly influenced by the ancient gods who must have had a great hold over the Greek authorities. The fact that a philosopher was jailed because he disobeyed the gods, goes a long way in supporting the outlandish theory that these gods must have had a real hold over the ancient Kings. In "Slave Species of god" this subject is covered in much greater detail and we find out that their control was absolute.



When panspermia was reintroduced in the 70's by a handful of serious scientists, it was met with loads of criticism and the kind of ridicule which has been experienced by most visionaries throughout human history. But fortunately they could point to Louis Pasteur who in 1864 shocked the scientific world with his landmark experiment, disproving the concept of spontaneous generation. Pasteur's discovery also had a practical impact on medicine, proving that germs are the primary causes and carriers of disease.



If this principle had been accepted as the fundamental theory on the origins of life way back then, today we may still be unsure how life on Earth began, BUT at least we would approach the question differently. We would assume that life here had to be 'seeded' somehow and we would investigate the possible mechanisms for such seeding. Is it possible for bacteria and other microscopic organisms to come to Earth from space? Can they survive harsh conditions, radiation, extreme temperatures for long periods of time? Maybe even millions of years? All this has now been proven beyond any doubt and generally accepted by the scientific world.



But to argue the possibility of life arriving on Earth from space requires some proof of life in space…and if it does exist, how does it reach Earth…and once it has reached Earth what kind of role can it possibly play in the creation of life, evolution or the speeding up of evolution.



This is what Hoyle and Wickramasinghe proved in the early 70's. By using spectroscopic analyses of light from distant stars, they showed that there was evidence of life in the interstellar dust. This dust exists throughout space as leftover matter from the creation of stellar systems and contains microscopic organism like bacteria. It is also possible that there may be viruses and other organic material present in this so-called dust. It got there as a result of cosmic collisions of space bodies like planets and even supernovas, which is when a star explodes spreading its content over vast distances of space. By definition this really means that the universe must be filled with life of all kinds.



Given its size and age of the universe, there have been cosmic collision occurring for billions of years and life must exist everywhere throughout space. Space dust settles on Earth every second of every day, carrying with it all kinds of organisms, sometimes deadly to humans.



This also means that comets, asteroids and meteors become the carriers of life as they travel through space picking up these microscopic organisms, which could even include larvae and spores. When they crash into planets like Earth, they deposit these seeds of life, initiating a whole new chain reaction of evolution and life. There will be much more information available when the results from NASA's Stardust project are revealed.



Read more about NASA's Stardust project: http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html



Michael Tellinger

May 2006.

www.slavespecies.com

Monday, July 03, 2006

Love

A long time ago, before the world was created and humans set foot on it for the first time, vices & virtues floated around and were bored, not knowing what to do. One day, all the vices and virtues were gathered together and were more bored than ever.

Suddenly, Ingenious came up with an idea:

"Let's play hide and seek!"

All of them liked the idea and immediately Madness shouted:

"I want to count, I want to count!"

And since nobody was crazy enough to want to seek Madness, all the others agreed. Madness leaned against a tree and started to count:

"One, two, three.."

As Madness counted, the vices and virtues went hiding. Tenderness hung itself on the horn of the moon... Treason hid in a pile of garbage... Fondness curled up between the clouds...and Passion went to the centre of the earth.... Lie said that it would hide under a stone, but hid at the bottom of the lake... whilst Avarice entered a sack that he ended up breaking.

And Madness continued to count: ....

"seventy nine, eighty, eighty one..."

By this time, all the vices and virtues were already hidden - except Love. For undecided as Love is, he could not decide where to hide. And this should not surprise us, because we all know how difficult it is to hide Love.


Madness:

"...ninety five, ninety six, ninety seven..."

Just when Madness got to one a hundred ......... Love jumped into a rose
bush where he hid. And Madness turned around and shouted:

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

As Madness turned around, Laziness was the first to be found, because
Laziness had no energy to hide. Then he spotted Tenderness in the horn of the moon, Lie at the bottom of the lake and Passion at the centre of the earth.

One by one, Madness found them all - except Love. Madness was getting desperate, unable to find Love. Envious of Love, Envy whispered to Madness:

"You only need to find Love and Love is
hiding in the rose bush."

Madness grabbed a wooden pitchfork and stabbed wildly at the rosebush. Madness stabbed and stabbed until a heartbreaking cry made him stop.


Love appeared from the rose bush, covering his face with his hands. Between his fingers ran two trickles of blood from his eyes. Madness, so anxious to find Love,
had stabbed out Love's eyes with the pitch fork.

"What have I done! What have I done!"
Madness shouted. "I have left you blind! How can I repair it?"

And Love answered:

"You cannot repair my eyes. But if you
want to do something for me, you can be my
guide."

And so it came about that from that day on, Love is blind and is always accompanied by Madness.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Thought of the Day

If you want to have friends, you must be friendly. If you want to make peace, you must be peaceful.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Chromosome Fusion

The latest newsletter from Michael Tellinger :

"Evidence of DNA manipulation in our distant past?

The Human Genome Project has dished up some real surprises to scientists. The first surprise was the vast percentage of the human DNA that is inactive. It is estimated that at least 97% of our DNA is in actual fact a waste of space, as it does not contain any active genes that actually carry the code for any of our physical makeup. Then within the genes there are Introns – parts that do not carry any code; and Exons - sections that carry some sort of genetic code. The full length of our DNA is made up of some 20 000 genes that have now been identified. These genes carry the blueprint for the structure of our entire body. What is very puzzling is the fact that Homo sapiens, as the supposed pinnacle if civilized evolution on this planet, should have such large parts of unused DNA. We seem to have the longest DNA molecule among all other species, but we use the smallest part of it in proportion to the other species. In other words, all the other creatures use much more of their DNA than humans do. Some species use as much as 98% of their DNA.

This flies directly in the face of the principles of evolution. Humans should have the most complex and evolved DNA of all creatures, to have reached levels of civilization seemingly much higher than any other species on Earth over millions of years of evolution. What is even more curious is the predicted number of genes in species. The numbers seem to increase steadily from basic organisms to the most advanced. We would expect that humans should end up having most genes, but strangely this is not the case. Here are some examples of the predictions for total number of genes in species. Fruit Fly 21 000; Zebrafish 50 000; Chicken 76 000; Mouse 81 000; Chimp 130 000; Human 68 000.

Can you see the problem here? The Chimp is our closest know genetic relative and yet it has almost twice as many genes as humans. And then we get to the anomaly of the chromosomes. Our DNA is broken up into 23 pairs of chromosomes. By comparison, all apes have 24 pairs. One would expect that Homo erectus, our immediate evolutionary precursor would then also have had 24 chromosome pairs.

Just one year ago on 6 April 2005, researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute announced that "A detailed analysis of chromosomes 2 and 4 has detected the largest "gene deserts" known in the human genome and uncovered more evidence that human chromosome 2 arose from the fusion of two ancestral ape chromosomes" as reported in Nature. It is also the second largest chromosome we possess and it seems to make no sense why 2 primordial chromosomes should have merged to make us human, if this new chromosome gives us no apparent advantage for survival.

So when we read in the Sumerian tablets that humans were cloned as a sub-species between Homo erectus and a more advanced human-like species that arrived on Earth some 400 000 years ago, it suddenly makes a little bit more sense. The tablets describe how our maker removed certain parts of the "Tree of life" to trim the ability of the new "creature" and how they struggled to make the perfect "primitive worker" so that it could understand commands but not be too smart to question their existence. Similar suggestions of genetic cloning are made in The Koran and Hindu Laws of Manu.

The Koran:

• Ya Sin: "Is man not aware that We created him from a little germ?"
• The Believers - God says almost verbatim what the Sumerian tablets tell us. "We first created man from an essence of clay; then placed him a living germ in a secure enclosure. The germ we made a clot of blood, and the clot a lump of flesh. This we fashioned into bones, then clothed the bones with flesh…"

Laws of Manu:

• 19. But from minute body (-framing) particles of these seven very powerful Purushas springs this (world), the perishable from the imperishable.
• 20. Among them each succeeding (element) acquires the quality of the preceding one, and whatever place (in the sequence) each of them occupies, even so many qualities it is declared to possess.


Notice the reference to "We" by the creator. The cloning of humans as a more primitive worker or "lulu amelu" suddenly does not seem so far fetched and the strange genetic anomalies seem to support some genetic manipulation in our distant past. The modern-day researchers go further to say that this "fusion" of our chromosome 2 is what makes us human.

Are we getting closer to proving that humans were created by his MAKER as slaves to work in the early gold mines on Earth? It certainly seems like it."

Monday, June 12, 2006

'Hobbit' hominids

This is an interesting find that adds to my previous post that may bring more of the puzzle pieces together:

"'Hobbit' hominids trigger giant row

Thu, 01 Jun 2006

Anthropologists have traded new blows over the remains of dwarf humans whose discovery on a remote Indonesian island blasted a hole in theories about the Ascent of Man.

Dubbed "hobbits" after the wee folk of J.R.R. Tolkien's tale, the hominids, discovered in 2003, measured only about a metre tall and had a skull about the size of a grapefruit.

The bones of at least nine individuals were found in a cave in the island of Flores, lying in sediments carbon-dated to around 18 000 years old. Near these remains were sophisticated stone tools and butchered animals, including a now-extinct miniature elephant.

Their discoverers claim the hominid, which they have honoured as Homo floresiensis, was a separate species of human who descended from Homo erectus, which is also the ancestor of modern man.

That assertion ignited a fierce row.

If true, it would mean that Homo sapiens, who are believed to have been around for 150 000 — 200 000 years, would have shared the planet with rival humans far more recently than anyone had thought.

And it would raise the vexing question as to whether H. sapiens and H. floresiensis interbred, which would presumably have left "hobbit" genes in our genetic code today.

In the past months, the scientific journals have blazed with debate. The exchange has sometimes seethed with barbed accusations about denial of access to the Liang Bua cave and to the now-famous fossils themselves.

Three weeks ago, primatologists led by Robert Martin of the highly regarded Field Museum in Chicago savaged the Flores claims as "media hype" and — the thermonuclear insult in anthropology — as bad science.

Martin said the Flores hominids were not a separate species but quite simply Homo sapiens who suffered from a pathological condition called microcephaly, which results in a small brain and body.

And he rubbished the notion that the large, complex tools found in the cave could have been created and used by a species with such tiny brains.

Given the dating of these tools, only H. sapiens, who presumably came to the cave after the pint-sized hominids had left or died out, could have had this ability, he said.

The rebuttal has been almost instant.

In a paper published on Thursday in the British science journal Nature, a team led by Adam Brumm of the Australian National University in Canberra take aim at what they call "lingering doubts" about the tools.

Their team — who include Mike Morwood, a University of New England professor who directed the original dig — examined 507 artefacts found at Mata Menge, 50 kilometres from the Liang Bua cave and dated as more than 800 000 years old.

Even though hundreds of thousands of years separate the Mata Menga and Liang Bua artefacts, there are remarkable similarities in the flint tools, in the choice of material and the angle and shape of the blade.

For Brumm, this means that H. floresiensis picked up the tool-making skills from their ancestors, H. erectus, who lived on Flores before changes in food supply forced the hominids to gradually downsize, becoming the little people found in 2003.

The study fires an appropriately lapidary volley at Hobbit-doubters.

"Pronouncements that H. floresiensis lacked the brain size necessary to make stone artefacts are... based on preconceptions rather than actual evidence," it says."

View Article Here

More on Slave Species

I quote the other interesting comment on Slave Species of God here as well :

"Michael Tellinger has started a monthly newsletter where he sends out information of the latest discoveries regarding the topics he talks about in his book. I found a few articles this week myself on Google news that slowly makes the puzzle of our murky past seems like it is not so far fetched after all?? I strongly suggest that you go to the Slave Species website and subscribe.

I include the article from the Washington post to wet your appetite. Keep exploring.

HUMAN ANCESTORS MAY HAVE INTERBRED WITH CHIMPANZEES

When Nick Patterson of MIT and his colleagues at the Broad Institute compared the genes of humans and chimps, they found that one of the chromosomes -- the female sex chromosome X -- was 1.2 million years younger than the others. It appeared the two species shared a common ancestor who gave them both their X chromosomes, and did so more recently than the ancestors who gave them all the other chromosomes.
The best explanation, the scientists think, is that ancient humans and chimps broke away from each other not once, but twice. The first time was more than 6.3 million years ago. The second time was at least a million years later. What probably happened was that some of the evolving human ancestors bred with the evolving chimps. This was perhaps not as strange as it seems, for although there were some physical differences between the two groups, "the early humans must have looked pretty much like chimpanzees," said Mallet, the London geneticist.

Males have only one X chromosome, which is necessary for reproduction. As is often the case with hybrids, the male offspring from these unions would probably have been infertile.

But the females, which have two X chromosomes, would have been fertile. If some of those hybrid females then bred with proto-chimp males, some of their male offspring would have received a working X from the chimp side of the family. They would have been fertile -- and with them the hybrid line would have been off and reproducing on its own.

The evolutionary clock indicates this happened no more than 6.3 million years ago, and perhaps as recently as 5.4 million years ago. In that case, the fossils of older species -- such as Toumai, or Sahelanthropus tchadensis, a proto-man from Chad that had a humanlike brow and probably walked on two feet -- must have belonged to descendants of the first human-chimp divergence.

That line must have died out. If it had not, modern man's X chromosome would look as old (or nearly as old) as the other chromosomes.
"I think the most interesting thing [is] this idea that long, extended gene flow seems to have occurred and that this might be a creative mode of evolution," said David Reich, a geneticist at Harvard Medical School. He is one of the authors of the study, which appears in today's issue of the journal Nature.
The idea that new species emerge in a slow and stuttering fashion was favored by Charles Darwin, Mallet said. But in the early part of the 20th century, biologists came to favor the idea of clean breaks, with the "pure" lines of emerging species being stronger and fitter than hybrids.
In fact, Mallet said, about 10 percent of animal species are capable of interbreeding with related species, even though the number that do so in any population is very small.

By David Brown Washington Post Staff Writer - Thursday, May 18, 2006"

Friday, June 09, 2006

Slave Species of God Revisited

I have recently been honored by a few great posts on my previous reference to Michael Tellinger's book "Slave Species of God". I have read through to whole book and couldn't wait to pass the information on. I will be reading through the boook again. It has some great content for the free mind. Please note as well that Michael has his own great website now. Click here to go there. I repeat some of the post content here :

"podcast intro - Slave Species of God

Hi Everyone please come and have a listen to my first Pod cast .Its an introduction to my book and will help get you into the debate that the book is stirring up around the world.

Podcast Intro to Slave Species of God

just copy and paste it into your browser

best wishes

Michael Tellinger"

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Discarding of nonsensical worries

Once upon a time, there were two monks who went on a pilgrimage across the country together. One day, they came to a river bank and saw a beautiful girl who was unable to cross the river.

Seeing her difficulty, the elder monk volunteered to carry her across the river on his back while the younger one looked on in consternation.

When the sun went down, the monks came upon a dilapidated shack and decided to stay there for the night. The elder monk quickly fell asleep while the younger one twisted around, unable to calm his mind. Finally, he woke up the elder monk and reprimanded him for what happened during the day, "As monks, we are supposed to keep away from women. I am really ashamed and troubled by what you did today!"

The elder monk looked at his friend and a smile broke up on his face, "Oh, so that has been bothering you! Brother, I have left the girl behind by the river bank, why are you still carrying her around?"

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

A mouse's tale

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.
"What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.
Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning.

"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said,
"Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me.
I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The pig sympathized, but said,
"I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray.
Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."
So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap
catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.
In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.
The snake bit the farmer's wife.

The farmer rushed her to the hospital,and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever
with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock.
To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; she died.
So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.
The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember --
when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.
We are all involved in this journey called life.
We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Because I'm here

An old man was sweeping the yard in a courtyard under the scorching sun.

Another man passed by and asked him, "How old are you?"

The old man replied, "I'm seventy-seven."

"You are so old! Why are you still working so hard here?"

"Well, because I'm here."

"But why are you working under the scorching sun?"

"Because the sun is there."

Act without worrying about the results, and strive for excellence without dwelling on it.

Friday, May 26, 2006

Ridding ourselves from stress

“In this modern world, people are constantly saying, "Life is too stressful!" Why are people so stressed out? How can we rid ourselves of stress? Students feel stressed because of heavy schoolwork; parents feel stressed because they have too many chores and family obligations; policemen feel stressed because they have too much work; and workers feel stressed and are unhappy because their work hours are too long.

Stress—it is the same for everyone, regardless of age. We all feel the impact of stress in our daily lives. Tenants cannot afford to pay rent at the end of the month. Parents think their children do not listen to them and feel pressured by the task of raising them. Actually many things around us contribute to stress in our daily lives; for instance, stress from disappointments, obstacles, poverty, our jobs, ailments, relationships, and even death. Stress is everywhere. There are even sources of stress inside us; for example, stress from feeling emptiness, jealousy, depression, hatred, ignorance, evil thoughts, and vengeance. Taken together, the stresses of everyday life seem insurmountable.

However, stress does not only result from negative matters. Good things in life can also be stressful, such as stress from possessions, beauty, power, gratitude, success, and so forth. The seemingly endless universe is limited, but stress is truly limitless. Some people are overwhelmed by stress and yield to physical fatigue, poor motivation, suicidal tendencies, or mental confusion. If you would like to rid yourself of stress, the following are some recommendations:

  1. Enhance your knowledge and wisdom by observing and learning from what happens around you. By gaining further knowledge and deepening your understanding, you can reduce stress.

  2. Be optimistic, cheerful, and carefree. Open your heart as wide as the ocean, so you can embrace the universe. Be optimistic about everything and do not overburden yourself, and you will eventually alleviate stress.

  3. Develop the ability to let go. Like a piece of luggage, carry it only when you need it. However, when you do not need it, put it away and let go. Do not compare or calculate, and you will eventually dissipate stress.

  4. Befriend stress. Be willing to accept stress as a part of you and a part of life. Why bother fighting it?

  5. Make use of every opportunity to rest and go with the flow. When you do not ask for stress or resent it, stress will eventually disappear.

  6. Place more emphasis on enhancing patience, compassion, and wisdom by cultivating the self. Let us train ourselves to challenge and take on stress. Then, it will eventually be dispelled.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

All in a Thought

“Our minds are not limited by time and space. Our mind is our master, for from our minds arise views. If we change our views and outlook on life, we can change our destiny. A thought can change tears into smiles; it can transform foolishness into wisdom. A thought of compassion to help others elicits the mind of sages, but a thought of jealousy to hurt others brings forth the mind of the wicked. A thought of selfishness to profit oneself can only result in limited accomplishments, but a thought of initiative to benefit others can attain limitless merit.

Throughout history, a simple thought has changed the destiny of many countries. Kings and emperors have risen and fallen as a result of a single thought, and their countries have followed suit. In this world, many people change their entire lives on the basis of a hasty decision. Many take their own lives for lost love, leaving their families in pain and grief, while some steal and kill for profit, bringing others great harm, and ruining their own lives as well. All of these things can happen in a single thought.”

When we have no worries everything is possible and our mind is an ocean, but when we have trouble on our minds, our world becomes very small and focused.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Karma and Effect

“Where is justice in nature when only the fittest survive? Where is justice in society when the wealthiest and the most powerful have all the advantages? In this world, it seems natural for the strongest to exert undue power over the weakest. It is no surprise that the rich oppress the poor, the smart ridicule the dumb, the old bully the young, and the healthy insult the disabled. Where do we find justice in all of this?

Someone once said, "Unreasonableness cannot win over reason, rationality cannot take precedence over law, legality cannot defeat power, and nothing is more superior than universal truth." What is the universal truth that reigns over everything else? It is the law of karma, based on the principle of causation. No matter who or what you are in life, no one can escape karma or death, for the law of cause and effect applies equally to every living being. Karma or volitional activity bears fruit in accordance with whether one's actions have been wholesome or not. It is a natural process, unsupervised and undisturbed by any supernatural power or force. By increasing our credit balance of good deeds, we alone have the ability to modify the course of karma.

Therefore, it is imperative that everyone understands how karma works, for true justice resides in karma. Neither money nor power can alter the course of karma; neither fame nor fortune can change the result of karma. A doer of bad deeds will always reap the fruit of retribution, while a doer of wholesome deeds will always reap the fruit of goodness. In the end, no one is exempt from the universal truth of karma and causation.”

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Law and Order

“In a country of law and order, in an organization of rules and regulations, nothing is more important than respect for and adherence to the rules. A traffic light is of no value if everyone chooses to ignore it. A crosswalk is of no use if everyone chooses to overlook its existence. Only when we stop for a red light or for a pedestrian can traffic lights and crosswalks serve as a means for public safety and a symbol of law. As law-abiding citizens, we must abide by the law and any of its representations, without lapse. As law-abiding citizens, we must act in accordance with the law, without reminder. For without rules and regulations, our nations will not prosper, society will be lawless, and our character will be flawed and weakened.”

Monday, May 22, 2006

Magnanimity

“Few people in the world today are willing to practice the art of forgiveness in appreciation of the beauty of magnanimity. Instead, they choose to take their anger out on innocent victims or severely punish those who have wronged them. If a parent cannot forgive a child's wrongdoing, how can there be love in the family? If a teacher cannot react properly to a student's mistake, how can there be respect in the classroom? If a judge cannot decide a case justly and swiftly, how can there be faith in the legal system? If a policeman cannot be fair and honest, how can there be trust in the police force?

How then can we dissolve hatred and animosity? It is only through loving-kindness and compassion that we can find room in our hearts to forgive others. It is only through our willingness to let go of resentment that we can find a way to magnanimity. Words alone will not bring about change. It is only with hearts that are both tolerant and forbearing that we can inspire others to follow our lead and realize the beauty of forgiveness.

Those who cannot forbear in small matters will spoil great undertakings" is an old saying that we should take to heart. In order for society to have peace and harmony, each and every one of us must practice the virtue of forbearance and learn to appreciate the beauty of magnanimity. We must not harbour grudges toward others; we must not turn every situation into a federal case. If we can have a heart of forgiveness for our families and friends, our employers and employees, and our governments and society, the world will be a wonderful place to live in, a place of goodness and kindness.”

Important Day

"Even when you are uncertain, do not use this one day wastefully. It is a rare treasure to value. Do not compare it with an enormous jewel. Do not compare it with a dragon’s bright pearl. Old sages valued this one day more than their own living bodies. Reflect on this quietly. A dragon’s pearl may be found. An enormous jewel may be acquired. But this one day out of a hundred years cannot be retrieved once it is lost. What skillful means can retrieve a day that is passed? No historical documents have recorded such means. Not to waste time is to contain the passage of days and months within your skin bag, without leaking. Thus sages and wise ones in olden times valued each moment, day, and month more than their own eyeballs or the nation’s land. To waste the passage of time is to be confused and stained in the floating world of name and gain. Not to miss the passage of time is to be in the Way for the Way."

Friday, May 19, 2006

Your body

Your body is the only one you going to have, until death parts you from your current way of being. It makes sense then thus to respect your body. One must listen to what your body craves to make it live optimally in this world. The problem is that most people listen to what their mind craves.

People do drugs, too much drinking, smoking, eating etc. All just to pleasure their mind. Meanwhile back at the ranch your body needs none of these things to improve it and these rather degrade its performance. The mind is a sneaky thing and convinces the body it needs it but the poor body must then suffer for the mind's cravings. To achieve control ofver your mind and listen to your body's signals while improve your health and wellbeing. Ignore the mind's protestations as it will only care for itself and not your body.

Sharing

“Unfortunately, in today's society there are too many people who take pleasure in the misfortune of others. Instead of practicing the virtue of shared joy, they choose to criticize at will and impart unwarranted abuse. Instead of praising the charity of others, they remark sarcastically that it is just a drop of water in the vast ocean or it is just a boastful act. It is indeed very sad to see that society in general has become so deprived of amiable feelings. It is not surprising that there are very few virtuous people and even fewer virtuous acts.

What we need to do is to cultivate and practice the virtue of shared joy, to give encouragement and exaltation as often as possible. Instead of feeling jealousy or envy, we should instead feel happy for others when they encounter good fortune. Instead of pity, we should be compassionate and helpful toward those who are less fortunate. Instead of criticizing, we should praise other's good deeds no matter how trivial they might be.”

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Humour

"In today's society, a good sense of humour is the foundation of a happy life, the lubricant of a successful relationship.

Only through humour can one be charming and witty; only through humour can one have wisdom and the ability to enjoy what is amusing or comical. However, we must bear in mind that humour is not sarcasm, but a language of wisdom. A humorous gesture conveys an immeasurable amount of genuine affection and concern.

The intent of humour is not to create embarrassment for others by being overly forward, but to bring happiness to others by lightening or dissolving embarrassing moments. Hence, to have a good sense of humour is to have an enlightened mind, a mind complete with ingenuity, vivacity, and intelligence. It is indeed a mental state of unsurpassed carefreeness, without attachments or worries. It is an attitude of complete optimism, when all things past and present can be humorously perceived.

Humour is like a mountain spring, for it can cleanse our minds.
It is like a cloud in the sky, for it can wander at will without obstruction.
Humour is sometimes like a gentle breeze that can soothe a person's pain and misery.
Humour is also like a spring blossom that can warm a person's heart and awaken his or her mind."

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Positive Side of Things

"To overlook another's good deeds and publicize his wrongdoings is a common practice in today's society. It is a social disease that needs to be cured by praising the virtues of others instead. Many wonderful things occur in society every day, events that are worthy of our attention. What we really need to do is to promote the good and to instill a sense of morality in a rapidly degrading world."

Monday, May 15, 2006

Time

"For a person who is exhausted, the road is long; for a person who cannot sleep, the night is endless; for a person who does not understand the truth, the reality of birth and death is far-reaching." We must understand that the past will never return, the present is gone in the blink of an eye, and the future is fast approaching and will become the past in a moment. An eminent master once said, "A day's time is more precious than the treasures of the universe."

Thursday, May 11, 2006

The Monk - The Last Part - Live Life

Don’t fool yourself that you will start to enrich your mind, care for your body and nourish your soul only when your bank account grows big enough and you have the luxury of more free time. Today is the day to live from your imagination and harvest your dreams. And never forget the gift of family. Few things are as meaningful as being part of your children’s childhood. What good is it to have the biggest house if you have not created a home ? What use it to be famous if your kids down even know their own parent ?

The size of your bank account and the size of your house have nothing to do with living life with a sense of joy and wonder. The world is full of unhappy millionaires. There is a huge difference between making a lot of money and making a lot of life. Even the birds singing outside appear as a gift to the wise person. We all have something that we are meant to do. Your genius will shine through, and happiness will fill your life, the instant you discover your higher purpose and the direct all your energies towards it. Once you are connected to this mission, whether it is being a great teacher of children or an inspired artist, all your desires will be fulfilled effortlessly. You will not even have to try. As a matter of fact, the harder you try, the longer it will take you to reach your aims. Instead, follow your dreams, in full expectation of the bounty that is certain to flow. This will allow you to grow your destiny.

Enjoy your life and enjoy living it each moment. Begin living each day as your last. Starting today, learn more, laugh more and do what you truly love to do. Never sacrifice happiness for achievement.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

The Monk Part 5 - Kindness

Your quality of your life is directly correlated to the quality of your contribution to it. A little bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives you roses. When you take care to practice acts of kindness daily, your own life becomes far richer and more meaningful. When you work to improve the lives of others, you indirectly elevate your life in the process. To cultivate the sacredness and sanctity of each day, serve others in some way.

You entered the world with nothing and you will leave with nothing. Thus the only reason for you being here is to give yourself to others and to contribute in a meaningful way.

Build your friendships. Friends add humour, fascination and beauty to life. There are few things more rejuvenating than sharing a belly-bursting laugh with an old friend. Friends keep you humble when you get to self-righteous. Friends make you smile when you are taking yourself too seriously. Good friends are there to help you when life throws one of its little curves at you and things look worse than they seem. One needs to share thoughts with friends on say the latest book you have read.

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

The Monk Part 5 - Time Management

One must make careful use of ones time. Spend time on improving knowledge, enriching relationships with your family. Spend time renewing, your mind, body and spirit. Direct your time to those activities that count. Not sitting in lunch rooms, gossiping or watching television.

Be wary of time thieves. These are the people that call you at inopportune times or drop by your office just when you are about to collect your thoughts after an hectic morning. Learn to be ruthless with your time – learn to say no. Don’t pickup the phone every time it rings. It is there for your convenience not other people’s. People will learn to respect your time, only if they see you respect it.

The best time to plant a tree was 40 years ago. The second best time is today. Don’t waste even one minute of your day. Stop acting if you have a hundred years to live. And remember to never take life too seriously, one must be able to laugh. Laughter opens your heart and soothes the soul.

Don’t be a prisoner of your past but rather an architect of your future.

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.

Monday, May 08, 2006

The Monk Part 4 - Discipline

To improve your mind’s strength and discipline, focus on controlling your thoughts. Thoughts can be controlled and are not as spontaneous as people think they are. Make use of a mantra at least 30 times a day.

For example “I am more than I appear to be, all the world’s strength and power rests inside me”. Blend this mantra with the process of creative envisioning. Go to a quiet place and close your eyes while sitting down. Don let your mind wander. Keep your body still, as the surest sign of a weak mind is a body that cannot rest. Repeat the mantra aloud over and over. While you do so see yourself as a disciplined, firm person, fully in control of your mind, your body and spirit. This technique has been taught by the spiritual teachers of the East for centuries. It is still around today for one reason : because it works.

Start using your willpower on a regular basis. If you don’t feel like doing something – have the willpower to do it. Try maybe to keep silent for a day if possible. This will discipline your mind. Don’t walk the path of least resistance. Build up momentum via smaller victories.

Friday, May 05, 2006

The Monk Part 3 - Soul of the Universe

Don’t be afraid to go into the unknown. Most people are afraid to try something new and don’t know their own potential.

Art of Kaizen : Nourish your spirit. Do the things you fear. Be the person you dream of being.

Life/Luck favours the prepared mind. Satisfied people are more thoughtful then others.
Saying that you don’t have time to improve yourself is like driving a car and not stopping for gas because you are too busy driving.

Follow the following for at least 21/30 days :

  1. 5 - 15 minutes of silence on your own. Preferably a beautiful environment. Try and do it the same time everyday as in a ritual. (heart of the Rose)

  2. Commune with nature daily, even if it is only a quick walk. Try to be aware of everything in the environment.

  3. Do exercise in at least 5 hours of the 168 hour week. Nothing specific but to be just active.

  4. Check your breathing 2-3 times (for about a minute) a day to make sure you breathe effectively. Your belly should move out slightly.

  5. As you nourish your body you nourish your mind. Eat live natural foods – food that are not dead e.g. vegetables, fruits, grain etc.

  6. Lifelong learning and expanding of knowledge. Read regularly for at least 30 minutes a day. Preferably something mind nourishing. Books do not teach you anything new spiritually they simply help you to see what is already in yourself. That is what enlightenment is all about.

  7. Get time to know yourself. Think about all you did today everyday.

  8. Don’t sleep too much. Six hours is all one needs. One needs quality sleep not quantity. Before you go to sleep don’t watch news or argue or even go over the day’s events in your mind eye. Relax. Drink maybe some herbal tea and listen to soft classical music.

  9. Listen to music everyday.

  10. Use mantra’s during the day. A mantra is nothing more than a collection of words strung together to create a positive effect. In Sanskrit ‘man’ means mind and ‘tra’ means freeing. So a mantra is designed to free the mind. Example ‘I am inspired, disciplined and energized’. Repeat often.

  11. Build your character. Try and improve your principles : industry, compassion, humility, patience, honesty and courage. Act with integrity. Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be string to live as well as to think.

  12. Live a simple life. Focus only on your priorities, those activities that are truly meaningful. Your life will be uncluttered, rewarding and exceptionally peaceful. Reduce your needs.


Even though rituals are built for at least 21 days, true life change is actually spontaneous. The very moment you decide from the deepest core of your being that you will raise your life to its highest level. In that instant, you will be a changed person, one set on the course of his destiny. More energy, less worries, more creativity and less stress in every aspect of your life.
These methods are not a quick fix. They are ageless methods meant to be applied daily. If you stop applying them and return to your previous way of thinking all will be as before.

Within us lies the sun, the moon, the sky and all the wonders of this universe. The intelligence that created these wonders is the same force that created you. All things around you come from the same source. We are all one. All souls flow into one, this is the Soul of the Universe.

When you nourish your own mind and your own spirit, you are really feeding the Soul of the Universe. When you improve yourself, you are improving the lives of all those around you. And when you have the courage to advance confidently in the direction of your dreams, you begin draw upon the power of the universe.

Don’t fear trying these techniques. Failure is not having the courage to try, nothing more and nothing less. The only thing that stands between most people and their dreams is the fear of failure. Yet failure is essential to success in any endeavour. Failure tests us and allows us to grow. It offers us lessons and guides us along the path of enlightment. The universe favors the brave.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

The Monk (Part 2)

People spend their whole lives dreaming of becoming happier, living with more vitality and having an abundance of passion. Yet they do not see the importance of taking even 10 minutes a month to write out their goals and to think deeply about the meaning of their lives, their Dharma.

People set financial and material goals. There is nothing wrong with this, if this is what you value. However, to attain self-mastery and inner enlightment, you must set objectives in other areas as well.

To write out your goal will help focus your mind to make it more important than the other 60,000 odd thoughts a day.

5 Step process to achieve a goal (for example losing weight) :

  1. Form clear mental image of the outcome. In example every morning after waking up, envision yourself as a lean, fit person, full of vitality and boundless energy. Goals include : Physical, Financial, Personal Empowerment, Relationship and Social. Write them down. Pictures help as well, for example in the goal of being a great father get a picture of womeone who represents this (perhaps your own father). Review this note book daily.

  2. Get positive pressure on yourself. In example tell people what you will achieve. Associate your mind with pleasure in achieving good habits and punishment for bad ones.

  3. If possible set a timeline to it.

  4. Perform activity for 21 days in a row.

  5. Have fun while doing it.


Never forget the importance of living with unbridled exhilaration. Never neglect to see the exquisite beauty in all living things. Stay focused on your purpose. The Universe will take care of everything else.

Monday, April 24, 2006

The Monk Who sold his Ferrari

I recently started reading this book after a friend gave it to me. Sofar I have found the following points of interest :

  • One would not put toxic waste in one’s garden why do one do it to your mind.

  • 60% of thoughts in a day are the same thoughts you had yesterday.

  • Most of those thoughts in most people are negative.

  • Mind management is the essence of life management.

  • One must stop viewing events as positive or negative but rather as lessons. Every crisis may be an opportunity.


Secret of Success : Find what you love to do and put all your energy towards it.
Exercise : Heart of the Rose

  1. Quiet room or preferably natural surroundings and a rose.

  2. Start to stare at the center of the rose. It’s heart.

  3. Notice the rose colour, texture and design. Savour its fragrance.

  4. Only think of the rose. The mark of an untrained mind is other thoughts trying to break in. Don’t worry improvement will come quickly.

  5. Soon your mind will become strong and disciplined.

  6. Practice everyday for at least a month. Start of for at least 5 minutes. After a week or two you should be able to do it for 20 minutes.

Also : Opposition Thinking

  1. Make use of opposition thinking. The mind can only handle one thought at a time.

  2. If a negative thought enters the mind try and replace it with another thought as quickly as possible.

  3. If you worry about something touch something around you to remind you that you still need more time to master your thoughts.

Also : Secret of the Lake

  1. Use positive envisioning of yourself.

  2. If you want to be the greatest father or mother. Envision yourself laughing and playing with your kids, responding to their questions with an open heart. This positive imagery can help in anything you want to achieve in life.

  3. Any negative thoughts must be viewed as a poison to the process.

  4. This exercise may be practised anytime throughout the day for a few minutes.

  5. Remember every second you spend thinking about someone else’s dreams you take time away from you own.

Remember control your mind or it will control you.

A worrisome thought is like an embryo – it’s start small but grows until it has a life of its own.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Giving good causes and conditions

“Giving good causes and conditions is simply helping others in any possible way. If you water the plants in your garden, they flourish beautifully. If you offer grain to birds, they sing wonderfully. If you give encouragement to students or praise teachers, then you provide them with good causes and conditions.”

“It is through building ties and relationships in this way that we are paving the way to our own success, for in giving others benefits, we are also benefiting ourselves.”

Quran

O yeah... almost forgot found something inetersting on Scott Adams blog comments today. It is 3 side by side translations of the Quran. I should really find some time to read this one day.

Check it out here : Quran Link

.NET

Been very busy learning these days. I haven't found time to really play games, but when I do I play either Cthulhu or Oblivion. Having a bit of a struggle with Cthulhu tough. On Oblivion I was suddenly labelled a murderer. It seemed I had hit one of the friendly soldiers in a battle by mistake and killed him. I could have sweared it was the monster but some invisible judge decided it was me. Now everybody is pissed at me except the Dark Brotherhood - go figure. I think I will have to find a mod to set this right.

Anyways currently I am learning C# and .NET 2.0 and enjoying it quite alot. Currently I am learing remoting in C#. The book I am learning from is Proffesional C# 3rd edition from Wrox Press. It is a very good book even though the text discusses .NET 1.1. I will finish this book before moving on to C# 2.0 books and Web services.

At home I am currently learning to make my own animations in Toon Boom Studio 3.0. It seemed easy in the tutorials but now that I am trying my own original things it is a lot more difficult. It doesn't help that my drawing skills are a bit rusty. I think I 'd better start with a stick man or something. Watch this space.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

More Cthulhu

After swotting up some C# for an upcoming project, I went home and talked a bit with the kids and my wife. Didn't get any exercise due some rainy weather and gone to plonk myself down for watching some CSI. My wife and I has worked through the first 2 seasons now and I have ordered the 4th season now (3rd one was out of stock).

Before I went to sleep I tried playing Cthulhu again. But I am at a difficult part now near a jailhouse. One misstep and you're done for... At least I found my first weapon - a crowbar. Kicked the asses of at least two of the stupid townfolk before they got me... To my shame had to go look at a walkthrough to understand what I was required to do near the jail cells. I went wrong by just continuing on and finding a sewer. On the other end of the sewer you find a car but you can't use it until you get the other guy out of his jail cell. Oh well ... will try again tonight.

If the weather keeps I will go jogging tonight. I am currently afraid to venture anywhere near a scale currently.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Rough Week

Ok so a rough week followed the weekend. I hardly had time to blog last week. I had to complete coding on my POS system as well as my Lodge system. Went to see clients on integration with the SAP system. Didn't get time much to play Cthulhu unfortunately. But this was not only due to work. I got Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion last week. Oh man what a brilliant game. It really pulled me into its world. I have played its predecessor but this one just blew me away. I am very happy that I got the collector's edition - apparently it is sold out all over the world. It's got an actual coin with made according to the ingame currency called septims. The graphics are very good but it is the intrigueing gameplay that makes this game tick. I am currently playing a dark elf spellsword. I have already put 7 hours into the game but have only finished one quest as part of the main quest. this is due to the many side quests this game has. I ofteen just explore some of the wilderness just for the fun of it.

To top this off I got a 10 day trial on Dungeons and Dragons Online to check out. I enjoy the missions of D&D Online and the graphics are not that bad. But I must say it pales in comparison so far to Oblivion. If I had gotten this sooner then the D&D may have been interesting but currently I rather be playing Oblivion.

Hopefully this week will be less rough although one of our developers left for greener (hopefully) pastures. So I am not sure what to expect. Got Guild Wars Factions Pre-Order pack today a well but luckily I won't be playing it until the 27th of April - whcih is just as well as between games, social commitments and work I am currently not getting anywhere...

I had the joy of seeing my 2 sons learning to ride horses last Friday. It was great seeing them learning to stand and balance on a horse. They probably already ride better than me ...

Monday, April 03, 2006

Rough Weekend

Okay so I didn't get to play much this weekend. My oldest son Pierre had is 7th birthday this Sunday 2nd April. My wife Hannelie had to go to work on Saturday and that left only me to get all the stuff ready for Sunday. When I got up Saturday I immediately went to fix the tap that broke on our bath. Then I found out that it is a very old sortof tap and to fix it I had to buy a new tap set as well as the innards 'cause otherwise the taps wouldn't fit. This took me 2 trips to the plumber to sort out. Then I cleaned my desk as well as my kids which took about an hour. We then rushed of to the shop to get the groceries and salads fo the next days braai. Both my kids tagged along and let me tell you - there is a thousand things a 7 year old and a 4 year old can argue about. From the shop whe went to the video shop to get them some cartoons to watch. Then we went on to the butchery to get meat for the braai. Then next over to the ice cream and sweet shop and last stop was the liquor store (for the adults obviously)... Finally I had everything and went home. We ordered a Gladiator jumping castle which was dropped off and the kids went jumping while I tried to bake a cake. While baking the cake I helped my wife's computer to understand that it should have a new version of her office software installed. Whew ! All in a days work. But it was worth it - we had everything the following day...

The Sunday my son Pierre and his brother Jean was up bright and early to enjoy Pierre's birthday. All the people that came was my Mom, my brother Gerhard and his girlfriend, Pierre's girlfriend (also 7) Leoné and her sister as well as her parents Luellen and Melanie, my sister Nadia and her husband Allen and their son Simon. The people who couldn't make it was Pierre's 2 favorite buddies Greyling and also another Pierre at school. Also 1 of our nearby neigbours couldn't make it with their kid. This didn't stop us having lots of fun... It was a great day and my son built up a bit of money to buy himself a radio controlled car - although he did miss getting some presents immediately. Luckily my Mom brought him some cool stuff. We had a great chat with evrybody and ended the day dead tired. So sorry old computer maybe we will play again tonight.

Friday, March 31, 2006

Call of Cthulhu

Finally I got the new Call of Cthulhu game Dark Corners of the earth. Being a horror fan I looked forward to this. There is very little good horrors made these days in movies nevermind games. I got kinda into the the Cthulhu genre of horror by way of the Evil Dead movies following the book of the dead story back to the Necronomicon of H.P. Lovecraft's stories. I find his ideas intriguing although I find his books very difficult to read. He has lots of implications in his stories without all the gore we kind of expect nowadays from horror stories.

Anyways back to the game. I was at first surprised with the blocky designs of rooms and textures. It reminds me of much older games not one released in 2006. The character designs also seem a bit unnatural - I was expecting a bit better from the same company that is bringing out Elder Scrolls : Oblivion. But I know, yes it is a different team and probably an old engine due to the long time it took to be developed. So anyway before I started the game I made sure my kids were tucked in bed and my wife was busy and then I went and switched of the light for a spooky atmosphere. The start of the game is a bit confusing as I couldn't really understand what I was supposed to do. First thought was I had to stop a bunch of guys shooting from inside the house. But rather the game expects you to investigate the bottom floor rather than rushing the assailants. Okay that aside there is one creepy part in this prelude, but nothing to really get me anxious or anything.

So a bit dissapointed I continued the next evening (You'll note I don't play much on a game per night as I have lots of other responsibilities as well). So I arrived at the town InnsMouth. Now I know a bit about this town seeing as I saw the movie Dagon (pretty good horror movie but a bit gory...) which also told about this same town. OK so the town didn't look anything like the one in the movie but I knew there was something going on with its citizens. As a matter of fact only an idiot will be walking around not thinking he/she is in severe danger in this town. Luckily in the beginning the citizens doesn't seem to want you as their next sacrifice. They seem quite placent during the day. You catch glimpses of stuff and get knocked over by something that used to be someone's mom. The story line slowly gets you closer to your yet undeterminable fate. So far that night I can't really say that the game has anything really scary even playing in the dark as I was.

So last night I continued playing and then my idiot of an character actually wanted to go and sleep in this obviously demented town. This is when all hell broke loose. The game doesn't let you go to sleep until you bolted the room's door. No surprise then as you are woken up to a few citizens coming to collect body dead or alive for their next sacrifice. The game makes good use of that feeling of blurriness when waking up - which adds to the tension of getting out of the room as fast as you can before they break down your door.

What follows is probably one of the scariest things I have ever experienced on a computer (expect for a blue screen of death). You have to make your way from room to next room bolting doors and moving cupboards as you go along. This chase is quite a long (I mean this a relative too how long you can stand the tension and not being able to save your game...) and you'll have to do it a few times before getting it right as you need to figure out where to go as well while running shit scared. I read in some walkthrough there is periods you can actually wait a bit and that they don't always actively chase you. But it is so well done you feel like you have to scramble for it the whole time. This obviously makes for stupid mistakes as well (guilty as charged).

Finally I found my way away from the gang and through a warehouse were you gotto walk real slow and hide from the thugs. There also seem some other thing that is looking for you but you look as from its viewpoint so you can never get to see it. The scariness of the game dropped again. I went through some sewers with nothing much horrible in them - just a dead little girl insisting she is alive but always on the other side of an grating you can't get past anyways - so there is no scary "follow me" kindof routine used here. A pity it could have worked well for the game. The sewers hints of something being there but not showing you really anything. You finally meet up with a woman you met before earlier in the game. She somehow has not had any problems with the citizens while living there and go wherever she pleases - which seems quite unlikely. She helps you get into a church that the strange citizens are repelled from. Unfortunately she snuffs it before you can get a bit of cop and feel, so much for the sex scene - oh well ... which leaves you alone in the church.

One funny thing to me about this church was that although the people won't chase you into it, the priest has been crucified and disembowelled inside the church. Now how did they get this right if they couldn't enter ? Anyhow this is where I am currently with the game...

To Blog or not to Blog

Okay here I have been wasting away my blog and not updating it. I decided to start again but rather than having a little wisdom blogged, I thought it better to just blog about stuff I am currently doing. This will allow me in the future and look back at what I did when and what (if anything) I have accomplished. This will make it probably more useful to me than anybody else but what the hey !