BurstSpeed: Speed when you need it the most ...

Hello.

Internet has become an integral part of our daily life. We use the internet to consume all sorts of information from catching up on our daily news headlines, connect with our family and friends, listening to music or watch videos.

Though the usage pattern may differ across a wide spectrum, its a given that almost everyone spends a fair amount of time on the internet everyday. While everyone wants the best internet connection with breakneck speeds, most of us settle for the lower home plans with limted speeds and allowances. There is nothing wrong with home plans. I've been using a home plan for several years now and I'm quite happy with it. It has been stable, reliable and quite speedy most of the time.

However, there are times when I wish my internet was a bit faster for at least a few hours. There are certain days when I would be more than happy to pay for higher speed internet. Like the days when I upload lots of photos and videos to share with my family abroad. The days when I'm backing up my files to a cloud-based service, days when I'm downloading an update for my current operating system.

A quick google search showed me that this service does exist in other countries. SpeedBurst, BurstSpeed, TurboBoost, PowerBoost, different internet service provioders call the service different names, for obvoius reasons, but it basically serves the same purpose. It gives you more speed when you need it the most.

A "burstable" internet service is one that allows you buy a certain amount of bandwidth, usually on a prepaid model. In theory, it essentially enables you to utilize higher speeds without paying for the bandwidth you do not use.
It is a service that increases Internet speed temporarily when your online activities require higher speed Internet than usual. This service is cost-saving and supports the heavier usage of Internet. You can request for the extra speed for certain periods from your service provider.

I wish we had a smiliar service in Maldives. I would gladly pay for a such a service. What say you?

Laterx.

A creative writing workshop with Ashok Ferrey ...

Hello.

About a week ago, I attended a one-day creative writing workshop organized by National Center for Arts of Maldives and Open Mind Workshops based out of Colombo. The workshop was hosted by Mr. Ashok Ferrey, one of the best English Language writers in Sri Lanka. He has three published books and is about to publish his fourth.

I was not supposed to be attending the workshop. I wasn't the least bit stoked about attending a lecture where almost everyone in the seminar hall could write circles around any tripe I could ever write.

I just went there in the morning to help out my friend Simon in arranging the whole thing. When Simon asked me to join in for a few minutes and listen to what this Ashok guy had to say, I reluctantly sat down hoping I could sneak out unnoticed when the attendees break out for morning tea. I was sleepy and I wanted to go home!

Ashok started the workshop informing us that he is old fashioned and that he would not have any slide shows or visuals up on any screens and he'd just use pen and paper. I chuckled silently at this and started mentally planning the shortest and safest route to the exit.

Half hour in to the lecture, after the introductions, Ashok started talking about and pointing out things that I didn't even know I did when I sat down to write something. Ashok had some insights about all the stages of the lengthly process of writing and he patiently dumbed it down and shared it with us. I was hooked.

He talked about professional writing techniques. How to tap in the the inner voices in our heads, how to control it and turn it on and off on demand. He told us it is a trick that every writer should try to master, and that some would master it sooner than others. I'm sure I'll be the last person to master this, if I ever do. Perhaps because listening to voices inside your head and trying to interact with them is, in my book, a good working definition for insanity. With a febrile imagination like mine, I'd definitely try this technique very carefully.

Ashok went on to explain how we should properly plan out our writing, how we should write something, bury it, and return to work on it after a few days. Ashok explained to us how we should break down our work to short manageable paragraphs, how we should try and describe people without using adjectives and how we should try to limit the commas we use in our writing because they have a tendency to slow the reader down.

I really enjoyed the workshop. After the Q&A session towards the end of the day, I stood in line to purchase his books. I picked up Colpetty People and The Good Little Ceylonese Girl, both collections of short stories. I also stood in line to get Ashok to autograph my books. It was a good day and I was one the last to leave seminar hall. I had an enlightening and fun time!

A well planned and well executed creative writing workshop can elevate your work exponentially. You can take away a lot from these kinds of workshops to help you improve your writing skills. I'd definitely recommend any of Ashok's workshop to any of my friends who wants to improve their writing. Be it journalism, magazine articles, business letters or novels.

If you think I've become slightly better at getting my point across to you in this blog, all thanks to Ashok. If not, I must have dozed off in class again. I really need to stop doing that.

Laterx.

PS: Ashok Ferrey is a pseudonym.

Sentiments about the concept of liberty ...

Hello.

Seems America is waking up. This is good. Check out this poem.

In Arlington we lay to rest
our bravest and our very best.
We send our children off to war
defending what we soon ignore. 

“You’re free to worship,” so we say.
“But if you’re muslim, go away.”
Is this what they were dying for:
Intolerance, and nothing more? 

Must one be christian to obtain
the liberties that we proclaim?
These soldiers died for liberty.
They didn’t die for bigotry. 

So look upon this hallowed field,
not only crosses are revealed.
For you’ll see stars and crescents too.
They also sacrificed for you. 

In Arlington we lay to rest
our bravest and our very best.
They knew what they were dying for.
It’s something that we can’t ignore.

Words of a soldier, written by Joe G. A 27-year veteran of Strategic Air Command, United States Armed Forces.

Sad to say that sometimes, the converse it true too!

Laterx.

Contemplating Disqus comment system ...

Hello.

Just a quick note to tell you that, I'm contemplating installing Disqus commenting system on this blog. It seems, Blogger is not showing up comments as it should, there are signing in problems, and I've been told by people on twitter that they have tried commenting on this blog, but the comments just disappear after submission. Well, that is not good. Not good at all!

Disqus seems like a good alternative anti lets you manage comments from multiple blogs in one central location. This is going to be a real time saver. The one killer feature Blogger lacks is the ability to reply to comments from the admin panel. Disqus lets me do this and lot more. Also, I have been hearing a lot of good things about Disqus lately, a lot of high profile people are implementing Disqus commenting system on their blogs. I take this as a good sign, I don't want to make the switch and learn that the service is going away soon.

Disqus is importing all my Blogger comments to its database as I write this post. Check out the blog, see if you like the new commenting area, leave a comment, tell me what you think.

The one caveat I have with Disqus is that, it is trying to do more than what is necessary, too many features, and the commenting area looks a lot busier than what I am used to. Distraction?

Anyway, let us see how it goes.

Laterx.

The Batmobile: Which one is your favorite ???

Hello.

The Batmobile. Every kid's dream car. Every man's fantasy ride. You have to admit, it is one smoking cool car!

The Batmobile is the automobile of DC Comics superhero Batman. The car has evolved along with the character from comic books to television and films. Kept in the Batcave, which it accesses through a hidden entrance, the Batmobile is a gadget-laden vehicle used by Batman in his crime-fighting activities.

The Batmobile has gone through a lot of changes over the years since I started reading Batman comics when I was kid. One after the other, The Batmobile has progressively become more tough, more high-tech, more sleek, more bad-ass and a lot more weaponized! The latest iteration of the The Batmobile, the Tumbler, looks wicked cool and completely different and unique from any other Batmobile we have ever seen, and we have seen a few over the years in comic books, cartoons, games and live action films.

Here is a picture illustrating the history of The Batmobile. Take your pick!

Everyone has their favorites, and my favorite Batmobile yet is the version Michael Keaton drove in Tim Burton's Batman movie which came out in 1989, That was one good movie and the car was pretty amazing! For me, there has never been a Batmobile to beat this one.

I know that this version looks less tough, less bad-ass, less high-tech, less military, less intimidating, less practical and maybe even less realistic than the current Tumbler Batmobile and I don't really know why I like this better than others. Maybe because it was damn sleek, darkest black and dead silent. All in all, pretty gothic looking and awesome!

What is your favorite Batmobile? Seems, everyone has one!

Laterx.

Twicca: The best Twitter app on Android ...

Hello.

What Twitter app do you use on your phone?

Everyone has their preferences when it comes to apps they use on their portable devices. Its quite natural that you've your own set of reasons to use a particular app for doing something on your phones or tablets. There are thousands of apps on the market and they pretty much do the same thing. So, I think, it all boils down to just personal preference. Nothing more.

When I had my Nokia E71, I swore that Gravity was the best twitter client for the Symbian OS. It had its shortcomings but it was the best I ever got to use. I even coughed a bit of my hard earned green to buy it. That must have been the only app I ever bough the whole time I had a Nokia.

Since I got my Google Nexus S in January this year, I've tried almost all popular twitter apps available for Android OS. I've tried the official Twitter app. Tried Seesmic, TweetCaster, TweetDeck and even Plume. I didn't like any of them. Then I stumbled upon Twicca,

Twicca is a full featured twitter client for Android phones. It is highly customizable and has very good plug-in support. I love how I can set color labels to specific people and view most photos in-line. Also, The user interface is beautifully simple, and I kind of like the dark theme. Its nice.

If you have an Android phone, check out Twicca. Its a pretty neat twitter app. I'm sure you'll like it, just give it a go. Its free!

Laterx.

Goodbye, Steve ... you'll be missed !!!

Hello.

Steve Jobs, 1955 - 2011.

You were a man with an extraordinary vision. You were almost single handedly responsible for the huge come back apple made last decade. You were a great CEO and gave us world class computers and magical gadgets. Somewhere in there, you also managed to make Apple one of the most successful technology company on the planet.

As a Mac evangelist, you will definitely be missed. You will continue to be in our machines and gadgets, memories and backups. Goodbye, Steve.

Laterx.

Hitting it up at the Farmers Market ...

Hello.

I’ve been hitting the local Farmers Market quite frequently for a few months now. Exploring, learning, and shopping at the Farmers Market has been something that I've wanted to do for a long time, but I guess it took me a few years to really get into the habit.

Farmers Market (or local market, as its popularly known here) is a public place where farmers and growers interact directly with buyers and other members of of the community. It's become an important service in most cities, where farmers can make a decent profit by selling retail and buyers  have access to fresh locally grown produce. Farmers Markets are critical for the survival of small family-owned farms and preservation of the agriculture oriented island communities across the country.

Yes, some items may be slightly pricier than what you'd pay at your local grocery store, but if you think about the quality, flavor and freshness you'll totally agree to spending a bit more. Besides, a lot of stuff is also cheaper and still of higher quality and freshness, especially what is in season. The last time I went there Papaya was in season and being sold at MRF 5/- a Kilo. I bought a few, naturally.

By shopping at the Farmers Market I get to buy locally grown fresh fruits, vegetables and stuff while doing my bit to support local commerce and agriculture. Local farmers work pretty hard and I think they need all the help that we can give.

My local Farmers Market is situated at the busy marine drive near the old Fish Market area. On my first visit the market looked like a busy, loud and chaotic place with people shouting indiscernible stuff at each other and laughing at their inside jokes. I had no clue what they were saying. I remember I was overwhelmed by the scene, especially seeing buyers who possessed almost a cult-like knowledge of exactly which stall they wanted to go to, what they wanted to buy and where all the bargains are at. I almost felt like a trespasser, it was definitely not a very inviting place.

Fortunately for me, it was a just a phase, it soon passed. Now I feel quite confident shopping at Farmers Market. I can never be as good as some people I know or who I see there regularly, but I don't think I will be lost in the crowd anymore either.

My local Farmers Market has recently been cleaned up, renovated and reorganized. Its quite family friendly now and I've seen kids enjoy their outing there. If you have never been to your local Farmers Market, I sincerely suggest that you check the place out. You might find some stuff that you have always wanted to try but not normally available at your favorite grocery store. You might even discover something that you like that you've never seen or tried before. Who knows, you may even enjoy shopping there.

See you at the Farmers Market!

Laterx.

Have you read all Tintin comics yet ???

Hello … 

Today I saw the trailer for the upcoming movie The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn and I have to say, it looks pretty darn interesting. I think its going to be huge.

I wrote here before about reading Adventures of Tintin comics when I was younger and reading them again recently. As kids, me and my friends tried collecting all Tintin books. None of my friends were able to collect them all, and neither did I. There were always a few titles missing.

Times have changed since when we were kids, and now, every Tintin comic ever published is available for download on the internet. I list below all the titles I found online. You can easily download the PDFs here if you ever want to read any of the Tintin comics.

01. Tintin in the Land of the Soviets [PDF, 33.5MB]

02. Tintin in the Congo [PDF, 25.7MB]

03. Tintin in America  [PDF, 13.9MB]

04. Cigars of the Pharaoh [PDF, 16.8MB]

05. The Blue Lotus [PDF, 15.7MB]

06. The Broken Ear [PDF, 16.5MB]

07. The Black Island [PDF, 17.1MB]

08. King Ottokar's Sceptre [PDF, 16.1MB]

09. The Crab with the Golden Claws [PDF, 14.2MB]

10. The Shooting Star [PDF, 15.1MB]

11. The Secret of the Unicorn [PDF, 14.8MB]

12. Red Rackham's Treasure [PDF, 15.8MB]

13. The Seven Crystal Balls [PDF, 15.5MB]

14. Prisoners of the Sun [PDF, 16.1MB]

15. Land of Black Gold [PDF, 15.8MB]

16. Destination Moon [PDF, 16.5MB]

17. Explorers on the Moon [PDF, 16.1MB]

18. The Calculus Affair [PDF, 16.2MB]

19. The Red Sea Sharks [PDF, 16.4MB]

20. Tintin in Tibet [PDF, 17.0MB]

21. The Castafiore Emerald [PDF, 16.7MB]

22. Flight 714 [PDF, 18.8MB]

23. Tintin and the Picaros [PDF, 18.0MB]

24. Tintin and Alph-Art [PDF, 15.0MB]

25. Tintin and the Lake of Sharks [PDF, 9.8MB]

26. Tintin in Thailand [PDF, 2.9MB]

27. The Freelance Reporter [PDF, 2.0MB]

28. Tintin and The Mysterious Visitor [PDF, 1.4MB]

29. They Explored the Moon [PDF, 2.1MB]

30. The Voice of the Lagoon [PDF, 5.3MB]

Here is the link to my Tintin folder at Minus. You can browse through all the covers with descriptions and download any and as many you want.

Hope you enjoy the comics. I know I did. Good times!

Laterx.

Minus: An impressive file storage service ...

Hello.

Heard about Minus, yet?

I'm big on backing-up my files. I've had hard drives die on me before, I've had a few hard drives fail on me without any kind of warning. I hope it hasn't happened to you yet, but I'm sure you have heard these stories before from your friends. Its not a pleasant experience to have your hard drives fail, nor is it any fun to lose your precious data. Since my last hard drive suddenly died on my a couple of months back, I've been backing-up my files online as fast as my limited internet connection allows me.

So why back-up online you may ask? Well, redundancy! First, I think big name companies offering "could storage" can do a better job of keeping data safe than you or me can ever think of doing. Also, there are other factors to consider, like offsite data storage, security, reliability, easy setup, process of backing up, automation and the list goes on. I don't know about you, but I seriously don't think I can ever keep on top of all these. I want to spend more time creating my data and less time backing-up and safe guarding my data, so personally, I think online storage is the way to go. I hear people saying, the future is in the cloud, and slowly but surely, I'm beginning to see their way of thinking.

The most important aspect of online storage for me is access to my data from anywhere in the world, at home, at office, while away on vacation, a business trip or even on the cell phone! The ability to access my data and the comforting thought of having it just a few keystrokes away, eliminates a lot of hassles, problems, and delays. You never know when you would be asked for a copy of that document. When you would want to show someone that picture. When you might need a copy of your identity card or passport to submit with that form you need to fill out.

I have previously written about Upload Robots and Dropbox. Now, let me introduce you to a relative newcomer on the cloud storage and file sharing scene, Minus.

So, with so many companies to choose from why Minus.com? What sold me was individual file size (2GB) and bigger free space when you sign up. You get 10GB of free space to start with when you sigh up, compared to 2GB from Dropbox and 4GB from Upload Robots.

Minus may be a new, but I like what they have done so far. They have made uploading as easy as drag and drop. Their user interface is simple, intuitive and very user friendly.

Also, they have this new social feature so you can "follow" your friends on Minus, letting you know if they have shared or uploaded anything. I think it's pretty nice.

Give Minus a try, It only takes a few seconds to sign up and start uploading files. If you sign up using my referral link, we both will get 1GB of bonus space for free.

And remember, back-up, back-up, back-up! I'll go now and try practicing what I preach.

Laterx.

This service needs to go mobile ... now !!!

Hello.

So, you are riding your bike, wind in your face, probably enjoying the ride rather than being stuck in traffic. Suddenly, you feel that your bike is becoming a bit hard to maneuver and it starts to wobble. You dread to think, what are the odds of getting a … and bam, realization hits, you have got a flat! Every rider's nightmare. As lucky as you are, your luck is going to run out sooner or later. Mostly, Moore's law plays out really well in these situations, and your tires blows out at the worst possible moment!

This happened to me a few days ago. I was out to run some errands at 8 in the morning. I felt that it was getting difficult to pick up speed and negotiate turns. I felt something was not right, but did not exactly know what, so I looked down and checked my front tire. It was OK. After trying for a few more minutes I stopped and checked my rear tire. I had a flat. Darn it!

As incredulous as it may seem, I was stranded near the carnival area with no repair shops nearby, and I had no cell phone on me. It was so early in the morning and I've planned to be out for 15 minutes, tops, I had left my cell phone at home. Stuck so far  away from home, with no way to call for help, I weighed my available options, there were none!

So, with the rising sun behind my neck, I started to push my bike to the closest place I knew, a row of repair shops on a narrow lane behind ADK Hospital. I was kind of relieved it was not the front tire that blew out, that would have made it more pushing the bike more daunting a task, may be even a bit treacherous.

Anyway, I made to the shop in about 15 to 20 minutes, and as luck would have it, it was too early in the morning, and all of the shops were closed. I asked around and found out that they opened around 9:30. I thought against waiting there for more than an hour, so I parked my bike, and walked home. Later that morning, I took the bus, went to the repair shop, and had my bike fixed in less than 20 minutes. Cost me MRF 145/-. Apparently, they don't do patching anymore, they just replace the inner tubes.

So, it got me thinking, wouldn't it be nice if we had a number to call in situations like these. Something like a towing, bike repair, road assistance service? Wouldn't that be great?

I don't know if a service like this exist in Malé, but I do know that this service is available in Addu and Fuah Mulak. I have used the service myself in Addu a few years ago, when I some how managed to puncture my tire riding on the famous Link Road. I called a number advertised all over town and two guys came on a motorbike with all the necessary tools. I had my tire patched up and my bike ready to go in less than half hour. I think that time it cost me MRF 25/-.

If this service is available in Addu and Fuah Mulak (and probably other atolls) I wonder why it is not available in Malé, with more vehicles on our roads, and seemingly more hazards on our roadways? Also, how about an insurance policy to cover unfortunate incidents and unplanned expenses like these? I'd definitely buy such insurance! Wouldn't you?

Your thoughts?

Laterx.

Goldies: To keep or not to keep ... ?!?

Hello.

I grew up in a home where pets, lots of them, were the norm, but it’s been ages since I’ve had a pet. Mostly because I've been living in rented spaces for the last several years and most of my landlords tend to frown upon at the idea of having pets in the building.

Anyway, I’m back home now, and I thought, I wanted a pet. I wanted to learn and enjoy the responsibility that comes when one gets a pet. Also, I needed some kind of interior decoration piece in my living room to try and make it a bit more homely and inviting. So I made up my mind to start small and get a simple Goldfish bowl. Could be a great starter kit, I thought? Also, the Feng Shui of it didn't sound bad either. the goldfish symbolizes wealth and prosperity in ancient Chinese culture. Am not Chinese, but that can’t hurt, right? One more thing, it is said that having an aquarium in the house helps in the relaxation process, I don’t know, I can’t confirm that!

So, I headed out to my local pet store and bought a medium sized Goldfish bowl, two Goldfish and a packet of food pallets. Cost me around MRF 300/-. Not bad, eh? I came back and set them up in my living room right next to my cactus plant.

It looks good! Visitors to my place seem to enjoy it, especially kids. Kids love feeding the fish.

But here comes the messed up part, some people I know don’t like Goldfish being kept in a bowl.

Friend: You shouldn’t keep fish in a bowl.

Me: Say, what?

Friend: You should never keep fish a bowl, especially Goldfish. It’s not healthy.

Me: They look pretty healthy to me.

Friend: No, seriously, you shouldn’t keep Goldfish in a bowl. It’s not healthy, they will not have enough space to swim around and they will not have enough oxygen. Also, the bowl will get dirty pretty quickly and that will harm the fish. Fish in a bowl are never happy. It's animal cruelty!

Me: What are you on about? Goldfish bowls are the most popular pets. Every other kid has a Goldfish bowl at home. Also, can you imagine a pet more iconic than a goldfish in a simple glass bowl? If it was animal cruelty, don’t you think PETA would get involved? I’ve never heard of PETA going after Goldfish bowls! I’m not killing a crocodile for leather, nor m I skinning a bear for fur, I just keep a fish in bowl! I don't seem the harm in it.

Friend: It’s basically the same thing. It's animal cruelty.

Me: Bro, I feed them and clean the bowl regularly. They are well cared for.

Friend: Doesn't matter, you should never keep fish in a bowl. Do you have any HD movies I can copy?

That was several weeks ago, and I am still keeping the fish. I feed them a pinch of pallets and flakes regularly. I make sure they gobble it up in under a minute so I don't overfeed them. I clean the water every 3 days, and scrub the bowl every other week. The fish look OK, they seem happy.

I can understand one's dismay towards irresponsible pet owners, but what I don't understand is advancing a holier-than-thou ideology that large-scale heinous crimes committed against animals is morally equivalent to keeping a pet at home. Thats hypocrisy, and I find it amazing what people are ready to believe after reading a slogan on a brochure from an animal rights organization.

What do you think? Should I get advanced aquarium system with a bed filters and oxygen pumps just to keep two Goldfish, or would that be an overkill?

Laterx.

Calculating mileage for my Honda Wave S ...

Hello.

Being the curious type, I often wondered what kind of mileage I can get with my old Honda Wave S. With petrol prices sky rocketing (it has gone up 6 times so far this year), so I really wanted to know.

I set out to do a little experiment to calculate the fuel consumption of my bike. I am sure there will be more scientific and much more accurate methods to calculate a bike's fuel efficiency. I describe below the method I went with.

Step one. Log odometer reading with a full tank.
I filled the tank up to the brim. According to my bike's specification, my fuel tank capacity is 3.71 liters. I managed to pump around MRF 55/- worth. To log in my reading I took a picture of my odometer. It read 38,638.2 Kilometers.

Step two. Ride!
I rode the bike as I normally would, checking the odometer every now and then, and keeping an eye on my fuel gauge. On the 9th day, low fuel indicator started blinking. I wanted this test to be as accurate as possible, so I had to ride until the I completely ran out of petrol, but what if my bike runs out of petrol in the middle of main street? I rode out and bought a half liter PET bottle of petrol and kept it in my U-Box for emergency refilling.

Step three. Log odometer reading with empty tank.
On the 10th day, while coming back home from IGMH, my bike choked, stalled and died. I took a picture of the odometer again. It read 38,776.0 Kilometers. Lucky I had some emergency fuel supply, eh?

Step four. Arithmetics.
Previous odometer reading = 38,638.2 Kilometers.
Current odometer reading = 38,776.0 Kilometers.
Fuel tank capacity = 3.71
Using this data, you can calculate:
Distance traveled since last fill = 137.4 Kilometers.
Fuel consumption usage = 37.14 Kilometers per Liter.
Fuel direct expense = MRF 0.44 per Kilometer.
Fuel fill expense (full tank) = MRF 60.06.

My milage turns out to be 37.14 Kilometers per Liter, thats about 2.7 liters per 100 Kilometers.

My fuel consumption is 37.14Km/L while Honda claims 56 km/L for 125 cc fuel injection type. A difference of more than 60 percent.

This sucks!

There are a few things to be taken in to consideration here. First, I could not find the official mileage for Honda Wave S. The one I'm comparing to is Honda Wave S fuel injection type engine.

Second, for marketing reasons, Honda may have given the highway mileage. Fuel efficiency in urban environments tends to be much lower.

Anyway, my bike's performance seems to be really low. I need to service my bike more often and be more regular about it. Also, I think I need to read some fuel economy tips on this automobile sites and club forums!

Laterx.

Jog station: Tuning in slowly ...

Hello.

After months of procrastination, I have taken up going jogging again. Need to get back in shape and lose some weight.

The frequent coffees that we Maldivians keep having everyday is making us carry a few extra kilos. It kind of creeps up on you. So, the last few years, I have tried my best to do some form of exercise, be it jogging, swimming or going to the gym.

First, I tried the gym, but soon realized that it was not for me. I can not seem to stick to the schedule and I did not want to pay the monthly fees if I cannot make it to the gym on time for every session. I have heard that gyms give you huge discounts if you pay for 3 months or more, because statistically, you are not going to show up for all sessions, if at all!

Later, I tried swimming. I went to go to the track area behind STELCO. When I started, I was just clumsily dog paddling across the track. After a few months I learned how to streamline my body, how to keep my head just below the water level and breath by turning my head sideways. Managed to learn all this by watching Total Immersion videos on YouTube. However, I was not able to practice these techniques for long. The track area where everyone in the island goes swimming got so polluted that I started getting rashes. My doctor made me stop when I got my second ear infection. That track area is heavily overused and miserably under-maintained. Not to mentioned all sorts of oils they keep dumping around there.

My latest attempt at exercising is jogging. Actually, I used to go jogging quite regularly about two years ago. I stopped because people kept telling me that swimming would be twice as effective than jogging. Now that swimming is out, I am back jogging, and this time around, I plan to stick to it. One good thing about jogging is that I can listen my "motivational" music when jogging, it kind of gives me the extra boost I frequently seem need. It is nice.

I jog around the outdoor cricket pitch in front of the sports complex. Back in the day, I could easily do at least 11 laps. Nowadays, I can barely do 9, that is on a good day. I am trying to slowly increase my lap count to 13. May be add a lap every week or so. I have it on good authority that 13 laps around the pitch is equivalent to one round around the whole islands of Malé. That is around 5.2 Kilometers. The general idea here is that these runs should whip me back in to shape in no time. I am hopeful, but it is not going to be that easy or that soon. It never is.

I am also contemplating the purchase of some kind of monitoring device to keep track of my runs and workouts. I am researching Nike+iPod and Adidas MiCoach. I want to keep a record of my runs and analyze it in a visually appealing fashion. Those health websites have some good looking graphs showing all sorts of information which I probably will never need, but they sure look good.

Though I have to admit that swimming got me the best results, I am going to keep up jogging. It would be nice if anyone of you decides to takes up jogging, or any form of exercise. Our blogger friend and personal trainer is of the opinion that exercise is good for us. He is usually right about these things.

Laterx.

The all new Blue Bloods …

Hello.

Several days ago, a friend introduced to me to Blue Bloods. Not the book, but the TV show. I have watched the first few episodes, and I have grown to like it very much.

Blue Bloods is a bit different from other police procedurals I have seen lately. It does not have over the top technology or animated laboratory works. It does not have dialogue scripted with seldom used police jargons to attempt a sense of reality. What is does have however, is a good cast headed by Tom Selleck, hard grit and a good amount of valor.

The show revolves around the Reagan family. Dad, Tom Selleck is Police Commissioner of New York. His sons Danny is an NYPD detective and Jamie is a rookie police officer fresh out of the academy. Daughter Erin is an Assistant District Attorney. Together they work to make a difference and put the bad guys away, while trying make sense at the dinner table, which does not always go as planned.

As this is the start of the show, a few plots are being set up across the season. While the family is mourning the loss of their brother in an undercover operation, FBI wants to recruit Jamie to investigate a secret club in the Police Force called the Blue Templar. Apparently, the some of the Reagan family are members of the club. Erin is going through a hard divorce and learning the ropes as a single parent. Their grandfather, who was the former police commissioner, now retired, watches over the family and advices them based on his numerous decades of service to the fine city of New York.

Danny does not always stick to the book or rules, but his heart seems to be in the right place. He walks a fine line. His talk, routines, and "enhanced interrogation" techniques makes me think about Jack Bauer. A little too much, actually.

It is a good show. A fresh police drama with a good cast, good dialogue and  a few good action scenes. Recommended.

Laterx.

The speakers story ... what is good ???

Hello.

I have had this Yamaha TSS-10 5.1 Home Theater System for a few years now. It is a good system and I have enjoyed many movies and songs on it.

Here are the main features:
• Decoding of Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro Logic II (Movie/Music) for stereo sources to 5.1-channel sound
• 32-bit, high precision, high sound quality DSP LSI (YSS-938 Yamaha original LSI)
• SILENT CINEMA for headphone surround sound enjoyment
• Remote control unit
• High sound quality spruce cone driver for 5 satellite speakers
• Yamaha’s unique YST for powerful bass response (subwoofer)
• Angle adjustable satellite speakers for optimum positioning
• Two optical digital input and 2-channel analog terminals
• Magnetic shielding allows placement near a TV (all speakers)
• Slim, vertical standing amplifier.

You can find more information here and here.

It is not top of the line, but good for a living room or a bedroom.

However, I've had it with 5.1 systems and wires running across and all over the room. I am now thinking of getting myself a good 2.1 system. Hence I have listed my Yamaha TSS-10 5.1 Home Theater System for sale in iBay.

Give me a call if you are interested in buying it.

Since, I am "downgrading" myself to a 2.1 system, I went to Bose show room at Reefside to have a look an available option. I was surprised (and a bit annoyed) that almost all sub-7,000 Rufiyaa Bose system suck really bad. I mean seriously, I am no sound engineer, but my years old Yamaha sounds pretty good compared to Bose systems in the range. I am not saying this just because I am selling my Yamaha, I just was bit let down by Bose. Maybe I was expectation for Bose was a bit high when I walked in to that shop.

I am going to go to Island Music and check out the JBL systems there. I am sure they will sound better than Bose. They have to.

If you have any suggestions or recommendation for a good 2.1 speaker system,  please let me know. Thank you.

Laterx.

Edit :: 27/12/2010 11:54
Yamaha TSS-10 5.1 Home Theater System has been sold out and marked same on iBay.com. Thank you.

Big One: Dexter season 5 finale ...

Hello.

It seems like only a few days ago that I wrote here, all excited, about Dexter season 5 was about to begin. Last night I watched the "Big One" season finale. It was a amazing and gripping season. Season 5 was great, I really liked it.

Dexter was great, juggling the role of single parent and knife-wielding vigilante serial killer. The way he protected a victimized girl, the way he opened up for her, spilling all his secrets, and later taught her the secrets of the trade and teamed up with her was great. I liked them as team. Too bad that did not last. Guess this vigilante is not getting a sidekick, and is destined to roam the world alone. I did not like Dexter evolving, starting to show normal human emotions. He is supposed to psychopath, disconnected from all human emotions. That is what rationalize his "activities". It will be hard to root for a normal human serial killer, no matter who he kills.

I admit I was not fan of Julia stiles, but that may be changing. She was spectacular playing the the victimized girl, Lumen. I am guessing this is her frost TV role, I may be wrong. I liked how Lumen starts broken bad, but manages to pick herself up, learned the ropes fast, to take revenge on people who hurt her. Something like a modern day avenging angel. Her relationship with Dexter was like healing process for his wife'e brutal murder. And I think it worked out great, too bad Lumen had to leave. I think she deserves her Golden Globe Award nomination for this.

Johnny Lee Miller was creepy as hell as Jordan Chase. It was a good performance. I have not seen Johnny Lee Miller since Aeon Flux and he always reminds me of the movie Hackers. Though the tick-tock thing went a bit far, I liked him giving all those life lessons even at the last moment. He is no Trinity killer, not by a long shot, but he was OK.

So does Deb know about Dexter and what he does? What was she saying to Dexter when she said "all is over for you"? I personally do not think she knows what Dexter is up to, thought in the novels she knows very early on.

This was good season of Dexter. It was shot, but a good ride. Cant wait for season 6.

Laterx.

Got a Visa card? Good. Don't let it expire !!!

Hello.

Bank of Maldives Plc Ltd, the state owned bank, has issued a statement informing its customers that expatriates and foreigners with a BML Visa Electron debit card linked to local Maldivian Rufiyaa account will not be able to use their visa debit cards overseas from November 1st, 2010. No transactions can be made with the Visa Electron debit card outside of Maldivies, either on an ATM or at a POS terminal.

The statement goes on to say that Maldivians who has already been issued with a Visa debit card can continue using the debit card worldwide, with a controlled spending limit of US Dollar 600/- daily, until their cards expire. New cards will only be issued against a US Dollar account, even for Maldivians.

In short, if you want to use your old Visa or apply for a new Visa debit card, you should have a US Dollar account with BML, and sufficient funds in your US Dollar account.

Bank of Maldives says it was a necessary decision to survive the US Dollar crisis. It seems that the Bank just does not have enough foreign currency to settle foreign bank charges for increasing debit card transactions abroad.

Bank is having tough time, that is understandable, by why did BML issue this statement in local language Dhivehi, when almost all banking communications and services are in English? Especially when this decision affects expatriates and foreigners more than locals? Weird.

Everyone traveling to mecca this season for Hajj bought US Dollars in the black market for a highly inflated rate because the banks in Maldives could not keep up with the demand. Everyone who is traveling abroad for the year end holidays will have to do the same. Thousands of students abroad are going to feel the pinch as well.

Black market for US dollars has been expanding at an alarming rate for the past months, and this decision by the bank will make the market explode.  Maldives is a small country, she is not self-sufficient, and depends heavily (exclusively?) on foreign imports. This US Dollar shortage will further strain the relationship businesses have with Bank of Maldives, will take it toll on the business relation locals have foreign parties, and it will definitely drive up the prices of almost everything.

This decision by bank will not go down easily with the general public, not to mention the uproar in the business community. Some say this is the worst years in the Bank's history.

So what is the solution?

The short answer would be to simply find another bank. There are other banks in the country, where you can apply for a Visa credit or debit card, so switching banks does make sense. The problem is Bank of Maldives is the largest bank in the country, it is well established, its operation is wide, and they have a branches across the nation. The other banks cater mostly to a niche, and specialize in corporate banking. Visa may be by far the most commonly used debit card around, but there are other alternatives. MasterCard? Maestro?

If you must have a Visa card, I am sure there will foreign banks which can offer Visa cards to us Maldivians. The procedure may be a little disheartening, but you can get it.

Long term solution? I do know now enough to comment on the countries monetary policies. But I would like to hear your thoughts on this.

I have one question, this may sound stupid, but if US Dollar is on a decline and at an all time low, why is it becoming increasingly hard to buy it? Are people abandoning US Dollar and starting to trade in other currencies? That would be bad for us Maldivians, since in this country, foreign currency is synonymous with US Dollar.

Laterx.

So, about the foul-mouthed wedding ceremony video ...

Hello.

It is all over the internet. I am sure you would have already seen the amateur video of the foul-mouthed wedding ceremony by now. The video shows celebrants of a muslim wedding ceremony reading some nasty stuff in local language in a prayer like fashion to the unsuspecting foreign couple in a tourist resort. Foreigners cannot get officially married
in the Maldives, this was a celebration to renew vows. Nevertheless, it was a shameful and a derogatory act by the celebrants. It should not have happened.

A lot have happened in the week following the release of the amateur video on YouTube. The celebrants of the ceremony have been taken in to police custody for further investigation. Government authorities have issued official apologies. The tourist couple have been identified and promised full compensation. I am also of the opinion that the management of the tourist facility should also be investigated for lack of proper care to their clients.

I was shocked and deeply saddened that something like this happened in my country. A country which relies heavily on tourism, where the market for foreign "weddings" is on the rise. Articles on local blogs and social networks show that most Maldivian share my sentiments. I was equally shocked and flabbergasted that an incident like this was reported in a local English language newspapers, with word to word translation of the reading at the ceremony, ensuing which, the story
was picked up and reproduced in several major international newspapers.

It is a fact that a free media is important to a democracy. The media plays a crucial role in todays world. It is the conscious keeper, watching over the functionaries of society and it attempts to attend to the wrongs in our system by bringing them to the knowledge of general public, hoping for rectification.

But there is an often neglected but an important aspect to media, it is called responsible journalism. No content should be published in the sole intention of expanding readership. The editors of online newspapers know well that regional readership is a thing of the past and anything that they publish on their website can and will be viewed globally. If the media aspires to become a respected institution, it should make a genuine effort to strike the precarious balance between engaging content, entertaining the reader, and possible consequences of their reportage with national interest at heart. There are certain domestic issues that do not need to be broadcast world over.

This particular incident happened in a secluded tourist resort, and could have been handled without it being reported on BBC, CNN, The Telegraph, The Independent, China News and all big name news outlets of the world. Just because an article can attract traffic to a website does not justify its publication. It is quite evident, the approach of some branches of the media to this story was not only irresponsible but also positively damaging to the dream destination image of this
country.

I also found it hard to believe that heads of government offices were giving out interviews about the incident to foreign media. I thought the government would be doing everything that they possibly could to contain the problem and mitigate the damages. Top level government officials answering questions by foreign media in the hope of lessening the impact may have just attracted more attention to the event.

I hope this is the last incident of this kind to ever happen in this country. We need to make people more aware that tourism is no fair game, but each and every tourist should be treated with care and respect. It is the money that they spend here, that drives our economy. It is the revenue from the tourism industry that help us survive as a nation and as a country.

One more thing. I got married a few years back, and like all Maldivians, I had a muslim wedding ceremony. A good share of the
ceremony was conducted in Arabic, and like most Maldivians, I have absolutely no clue what they said. Hmmm.

Laterx.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo …

Hello.

Months ago, I read a book called The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and weeks later managed to watch the movie based on the book. The book was really good. The movie was okay. The novel is a few years old and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the book has now become an international phenomenon and has climbed to the top of most best-seller lists in the world.

The book starts with two story lines, going back and forth, one about Mikael Blomkvist and the other about Lisbeth Salander. Both are struggling with personal demons, both wants the truth, both wants justice, but one wants revenge!

Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist falsely convicted of using forged evidence to libel a businessman is sentenced to three months in jail and forced to resign from Millennium, the magazine he founded with his friend and occasional lover, Erika Berger.

Blomkvist has six months before he serves his sentence and in the meantime  he is hired by a wealthy magnate Henrik Vanger, who wants to get to know more about the forty-year-old disappearance and possible murder of his niece Harriet. The Vanger family is full of dark secrets, and Henrik thinks one of them is responsible.

Young, pierced and tattooed, Lisbeth Salander is an interesting character and a brilliant computer hacker. She is fierce, antisocial, and very direct. She does not trust many people, and there appears to be trauma in her past.

Lisbeth is first hired to investigate Blomkvist, but ends up helping him with his case instead.

I enjoyed reading the book very much. A girl murdered, unspeakable family secrets, contractual obligations, corporate warfare. What's not to like, right? It was suspenseful, intense, violent and sometimes very graphic, I zipped through the pages in no time.

The book has been criticized for violence against women. I do not think that is the case here. Generational statement on sexual violence against women and society's acceptance was tackled realistically and in the end "justice" served.

This is the first book of a trilogy often known as the Millennium Trilogy and was written by the Swedish Author Stieg Larsson. The second book is The Girl Who Played With Fire, which I am reading now (kindle version) after watching the movie few days back. The third is The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest.

Stieg Larsson was a journalist and a politician, and wrote the novels in his spare time. Some say he never planned to publish the novels but later changed his mind. We would never know, as Larsson passed away a year after this book was published. He never saw his other books published, nor did he see any of his books taking the world by storm.

It is worth noting that, Stieg Larsson also became the first author to sell more than a million e-books on Amazon.com.

It seems Hollywood is making a remake of these Swedish movies, and Daniel Craig has been cast in the role of Mikael Blomkvist. Some people are not comfortable with this, as Hollywood has a tendency to mess up remakes. Time will tell.

If you like contained murder mysteries, you will definitely enjoy this book. Highly recommended.

Laterx.