"It's always night in the Nightside. It's always three o'clock in the morning, and the dawn never comes. People are always coming and going, drawn by needs that dare not speak their names, searching for pleasures and services unforgivable in the sane, daylight world. You can buy or sell anything in the Nightside, and no-one asks questions. No-one cares."

Our man is John Taylor, not your typical hero. He's on the run from a world he's known since childhood and he's dirt-poor, living in his office which has a bullet hole on the window. He has no idea who his mother is - a plot devise you know will kick ass once it finally shows its head. But while he's literally nobody in our world, he's close to celebrity or royalty stature in his world.

You know - the one he's running away from. And I don't think its from paparazzis.

Now, I have very mixed feeling with this book so let me just start by saying: I quiet like the Nightside as a whole. BUT. But.. well, let me tell you what bugs me about this series.

I can't help but feel that the characters are a little bland.

I wont touch on the other characters as that would be a spoiler. So here's what I think about John Taylor.

John Taylor - supposed bad ass, shows weakness in a way that doesn't really convince you he's actually a bad ass. Just possibly someone who insists on it, but doesn't quite have what it takes. Of course he keeps saying that he likes letting his 'rep' speak more than his own actions, and how everything was exaggerated but that it helps when people fear him. I feel like Simon R. Green justifies his characters actions just a little too much by spelling things out.

Here's a little spoiler: His relationships with people from the Nightside.

He keeps insisting he has no friends, but just close enemies.. Well reading the two books I own, makes me think that he does have some very loyal friends. It would probably have packed more of a punch if John Taylor never mentioned that he had no friends, but casually mention acquaintances he has who have in turns helped then stabbed him in the back (or in one case, as we, the readers, find out very early on - shot him in the back).

And while I feel there's a huge need for character development, there's a whole cast of people I'm dying for you to meet. Shotgun Suzie, Razor Eddie, Cathy Barrett, and Alex Morrisey. Lovely people you wont want to meet in a dark alley, but fascinating all the same.

As I said before - I do think it was a good read.

I liked the whole noir feel of the novel, and how he was all Dick Tracy in the beginning. Complete with a dingy office, and your quintessential dame (limited to the very first story, but I liked her so much, I thought I'd mention her). Note; not damsel in distress. But kick ass snotty dame.

I also adored the whole idea of a world within a world. Of course it was very Neverwhere-ish (Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere).. But I think it distinguished itself enough with the whole range of inhabitants available for viewing.

I know, I know.. The whole hidden world thing isn't quite new (Of the top of my head: Neil Gaiman, Joss Whedon, LJ Smith, Eric Kripke - and those are only from the ones I've touched recently. Not to mention a whole host of others that I haven't read/watched/whatever..), but it works. Its an intriguing world to peek at.

Plot-wise, I enjoy the fact that the stories aren't quite novel length. Three stories to a book works for Simon R. Green. And there's a wide range of cases, showcasing the sheer absurdity of the Nightside. It never quite delves into the macabre though, he seems to lack the words to describe the blood and gore and to turn it into something which turns your stomach, so you're sort of left detached to it all.

To be honest it does feel like a half assed effort at times, but its saving grace is the sheer number of possibilities available in the universe Green created. And the potential you can see peeking from the corner. At times I feel like I should maybe coo at the book and try to coax out the ability of writing horror I think Green possesses.

On the whole? Read it. The genre needs more stuff like this.

Digital SLR Guide is a wonderful, wonderful website for beginners just delving in to the world of digital SLR photography! Chris Roberts - the owner of the site manages to explain the sometimes.. Scratch that, the often complicated terms in photography that often intimidates someone who has just started testing the waters.

Truth be told, I took classes one summer because I was bored, and my cousin was looking for someone to accompany her. Don't get me wrong.. I love love love photography, but the idea of classes - Meh. In the end I enjoyed meeting new people, and managed to retain some knowledge on how to operate my camera at an acceptable level - but often the explanations given by the instructors just got me crossing my eyes and groaning in semi-pain. And since I tend to be very shy/stupid (depending on your points of view) when it comes to questions in classes, I generally kept my mouth shut.

I've searched the internet, high and low, and usually forums are filled with already knowledgeable senior photographers, who aren't very good at explaining things. Sure they're helpful, and I usually come away learning something.. But there are always question marks over the simplest, basic things I feel I really should know about by now. (I've only started using DSLR since 2007, nonetheless - 2 years is a long time to familiarize oneself with one's camera. But this might be because I'm by nature someone who jumps in first, and end up trying to think much, much later on).

Searching for a glossary of terms was my first instinct at trying to understand, but that's like reading a dictionary to learn a language! And I could have of course read the manuals - but alas, I always fell asleep five minutes into it. Chris Robert's site is very, very helpful. And as he puts it - he tells stories. Well, not really stories, but semi stories.. *shrugs* take a look and you'll see what I mean.

His guide for searching for your "perfect" lens (aka the lens you want/need/crave) is helpful and friendly, and I devoured every word. I also like his reviews on DSLR cameras, some sites are biased towards one type of camera - often dissing other cameras, just because. So I really enjoyed his detailed reviews of pros and cons, from the way the camera performs, to the lenses available with the kit. I might have ended up wishing I bought other types/makes/etc.. But he made me feel good about my choice in the end.

All in all I would really recommend anyone who wants to get started with DSLR photography to have a look at his site, hey take a look even if you've waded up to your knees but still find certain terms difficult to understand.

Photos courtesy of my brother.

The Whitest Boy Alive had their show in Jakarta on the 29th of Nov, and what a show it was! Erlend Øye is fantastic! He really got the crowd cheering and moving, and generally grooving along to his awesome tunes. The Whitest Boy Alive sounds so very good live, they played some of the songs exactly as you'd hear it on the record, and some they added stuff to. God I forgot which song, but they played one with a reggae feel to it, still electronic-y though, dunno if you can imagine how that sounds. But it was fantastic!

And you know what, the one time I don't stand right in front of the stage, the act jumps down! Damn! Erlend Øye was jumping around in the crowd, and getting everyone to dance! HE WAS IN THE CROWD! Eeee! Actually.. He was in the crowd a lot. He went and saw Goodnight Electric, Santa Monica and Efek Rumah Kaca. Basically, he saw all of the opening acts.

Seriously, they were awesome, and they really worked the crowd. I mean, Indonesians can be pretty "cool" as in.. They'd sing along and not move, or they nod their heads along to the music, but most people danced at the Whitest Boy Alive's show. It was so cool! The dude on the keyboard actually climbed on top of his keyboard and danced for a while. Erlend Øye did these really cute dorky moves that I don't think many people can pull off. Hahaha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAWurnyKZUM -> The video of my fave song.. Although I don't think its Erlend Øye dancing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9r9sQ6PHOM -> The video for 'I'd Rather Dance With You' from Kings of Convinience - Erlend Øye's other bnd. He's the guy in the red tracksuit top, his dance moves here should give you an idea of what he does live :D

I LOVE European bands. They're just so awesome! I can't wait for the next bands to come along. (Fingers crossed D'Sound will come again Hiihihihiihih!)

"The biggest problem with the movie is the way Edward looks. It's hard to take him seriously when he resembles like an emo-Eddie Munster."

"He's a 100ish-year-old albino who likes classical music and deer blood. She's a quiet teen from a broken home who likes sweaters, ballet and alone time. Together, they make movie romance and suspense all at once"

Those are my favorite reviews from rottentomatoes.com

MWAHAHAHA!


*giggles uncontrolably*.. EDDIE MUNSTER!! (God I loved that TV series.. xD)

I shouldn't be mean. I really shouldn't. I love vampire-novels with a passion. Vamps are awesome (in fiction, mind!). I have LJ Smith's Nightworld series, all the nine that are available. So I really shouldn't snark on Stephanie Meyers fans. But please. Seriously.

The vampire sparkles in sunlight. They play baseball in thunderstorms because the sound they make when the play resembles thunders. They're hundreds of years old, and yet.. Still in high school! Do I really need to list more reasons why I couldn't get through one whole book, let alone the series?

THEY SPARKLE. Like.. GLITTER. I have a glitter-y Hello Kitty in mind for some reason!

At least when they're devastatingly good looking in LJ Smith's novels, she doesn't go on and on and on about it. That's why you get one Twilight book for every two LJ Smith's Nigtworld books. And sure LJ Smith has purple-eyed witches, and vampires with ever-changing eye colours.. But they don't have rock hard, marble-Greek-God-like bodies. *giggling*

I howled with laughter for at least half an hour when I read Meyer's vampires sparkles. HAHAHA! No wonder they're all emo, and feeling sorry for themselves. What self respecting guy who is hundreds of years old stays in high school, and can't participate in any sports which might expose him to sunlight because of sparkles..?

MWAHAHAHAHA!!!

And talk about paedophilia? What the hell are they all doing in high school? They have supernatural powers. Why can't they just be all 'too cool for school'. They're there for the nubile young bods available?

Can't. Stop. Making. Fun. Of. Weird. Vampires. *giggles and wheezes*

But its a box office hit. *sigh* No surprise really. How much do you want to bet the cast is off making the second movie already?

I haven't personally seen it yet. I might go just to piss off random teenyboppers as I laugh and snort at the wrong moments. Hee :D I really shouldn't act all superior, as I did fall for some really cheesy stuff when I was a teenager. And the target audience for Twilight are teenagers.. But.. sparkles! HAHAHA.. I guess this review, also from rottentomatoes.com sums it up really..

"Twilight is silly and melodramatic and hard to dislike in much the same way as its target audience, with a distinctly teenage sense of tragedy."

Except.. Okay I might not despise the book.. But I sure do pity the vampires. And the fans.

SPARKLES. *giggle* (Yes I'm fascinated by this itty bitty tid bit about Meyer's vampos) *giggle*