The Best Novels That I've Read

After previously speaking about The reading Habit, I have decided to compile a list of the best novels I've read all these years. After having a look at it, feel free to share your favourite novels by leaving a comment below.

Cryptid Hunters

Read this novel when I was 14. The story centres on a brother and sister who are twins, and they are in for one heck of an adventure when they fall off their plane into the dense jungle of Congo. Creatures of all sorts roam the jungle, and they have to fight for survival. With am immersing storyline, the author, Roland Smith, captivated my imagination. I have read some of his other works too, and he is one of my favourite authors.

Special Operations: Dogfight

Set during the harsh times of the WWII in Norway, this story is based on the Resistance movement, which is led by the Allied forces against the German forces. The main figure in this novel is Finn Gunnerson, a zealous teenager who would give his every bit for his country. Before long, he is drafted in as a replacement for an injured secret agent and the story is full-blown from there on. Currently reading its sequel – Special Operations: Eagle Eye.

Inspector Singh Investigates

This is the first book that I have come across in which a Sikh man plays the leading figure in a story. Inspector Singh is a Singaporean who is working his last years in the police force when a high-profile murder case involving a Singaporean citizen blows over in neighbouring Malaysia, prompting him to be a part of the investigation of the case. His uncanny wits keep him one step ahead of his Malaysian counterparts, whom he doesn’t quite like.

Library of the Dead

Written by Glenn Cooper, this is arguably my favourite novel of the lot. ‘Library of the Dead’ follows the life of Will Piper, a FBI Special Agent. He is tasked to solve a case, in which victims mysteriously get ‘murdered’ all round New York City. The murderer on the loose is dubbed the ‘Doomsday Killer’. However, all is not as it seems – there are no murders. It is all a tinge of fate and destiny, with someone already knowing the dates of death of people beforehand and using it to his advantage.

The Book of Souls

This is a sequel to ‘Library of the Dead’, and it centres on finding the truth behind ‘the library’. Will Piper is sent to England to find out clues regarding the history of ‘the library’, and with every new discovery, they are able to put two and two together. Additionally, historical figures such as William Shakespeare, Nostradamus and Jen Cauvin play fictional characters in the plot of the novel, and this only makes things more interesting.

The Reading Habit

Reading is a part of everyone’s lives, or rather a part of almost everybody’s lives. I would say that it is a part of my life too. We read stuff ranging from newspapers to online materials to novels. Whatever it is, reading is a good habit – no doubt about that – as reading opens up our mind to a whole lot of stuff.

If we read, we would be articulate on historical and contemporary happenings, and as such, our general knowledge would be of a commendable nature. That aside, reading improves our command of the language. Say if we read English materials often, then it can be assumed that our usage of the language would be good.

The best part about reading though is none of the above – it is the satisfaction and joy that you get out of it. This sense of satisfaction isn’t gained through reading newspapers or magazines, for usually people, me included, get pleasure and joy by reading novels and story books because they are interesting; be them thrillers, fantasy, romance or mystery.

I have been reading since a very young age and this has helped me tremendously in life. It has made me a more knowledgeable person, and has given me a broader perspective on a myriad of topics in addition to making me a tad more imaginative, giving me creative ideas on how to go about doing things.

Though I like to read novels, but I’d have to say that I rarely read them now. I used to read tens of novels each year when I was younger, but now I read a novel something like once every six months. However, I do read loads of other stuff – most notably newspapers and materials from online resources.

Having said that, I find that my newspaper reading has been on the decline lately, mostly due to the fact that there’s barely any worthy news to be read these days. I'd rather read magazines, of which my favourites are the Time Magazine and the National Geographic Journal.

Still, even if it is infrequent, whenever I get my hands on a novel, I can never wait to finish it. Better still, if the story isn’t finished, my mind will continue to throw up possible scenarios for its ending. Sometimes, I’d take a long time to finish a novel because for every other sentence that I read, I’d pause for a moment and picture the scene in my mind, and will then read the sentence once again.

I have the knack to read novels that are thrillers or mysteries in nature, and therefore, I’m not much a fan of fantasy or romance novels among others. Some of my favourite novels include Cryptid Hunters and Library of the Dead, with my favourite authors being Roland Smith and Glenn Cooper.

Everybody has their own reading taste. Hence, some people like reading magazines more than novels, while others would choose a comic book over a newspaper. Whatever it is, the benefits of reading are glaringly apparent. If you are the non-reading kind a type of person, I reckon you buck the trend and start reading this very instant.

Do you like reading? Do you feel that reading is an essential part of our lives? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

The Tallest Buildings in the World

Centuries ago, the greatness of cities were measured based on the unique artistic values of their buildings, among others. But now, that is not the case anymore. It seems that to be a classy city, the city has got to have high-rise buildings.

So, as the competition of high-rise buildings and towers has stiffened over the years, we see more and more records of such structures tumbling, and faster than ever that is. Here, I have compiled a list comprising of five of the tallest buildings in the world. I am sure you would be amazed after reading about the following mega-structures.

Burj Khalifa

This is by far the tallest building on planet Earth. It measures a staggering 828m and the building is located in downtown Dubai. The project reportedly cost US$1.5 Billion! The ‘Burj’ functions as a hotel, residential unit, tourist spot and also houses corporate offices. All in all, it took about six years for the completion of the building. The building has undoubtedly become the image of the wealthy United Arab Emirates.

Taipei 101

This building sports a unique design, and also not forgetting that it is the second-tallest building in the world, measuring 509m in length, though some 300m lesser than the Burj Khalifa. It has become an icon of the modern Taiwan. The building was officiated on New Year’s Day in 2005 and cost some US$1.76 Billion. Among its uses are as a communication hub and observation deck. Additionally, the Taipei 101 is able to withstand strong earthquakes and typhoons.

Shanghai World Financial Centre

This is another structure with a distinctive design. Located at the populous city of Shanghai in China, this building has multi-purposes. It was opened to public in April 2008 and its length is 492m.One record it holds is that it houses the tallest hotel in the world, which is the Park Hyatt Shanghai hotel. The expenditure of this project amounted to some US$1.2 Billion. As proof of its grandeur, it has won numerous international awards.

Petronas Twin Towers

This was once the tallest building in the world. Though it still is the tallest twin towers, it has now dropped to fourth placing for the overall category. Opened in the year 1998, the Petronas Twin Towers has been a constant source of pride for Malaysians. Standing at 452m, it took six years to be completed, and cost US$1.6 Billion. The building mainly leases office spaces to many global companies, besides serving as the headquarters of Petronas.

Willis Tower

Previously known as the Sears Tower, the Willis Tower was erected in the year 1973. For more than two decades, it held the recognition as the world’s tallest building. It is located in Chicago, USA, and could have been taller but for the limitations imposed to protect air traffic. In 2006, the authorities foiled a plot by terrorist organisations to destroy the tower.

Which is your pick as the best tallest building? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Random Facts for Random People

Hey folks! This is going to be a short post on a few facts that I have compiled from all over the web. I tried to get as many unique facts as I could, and I have decided not to post too many facts, just in case so that there is no overload caused to your brains!

Feel free to share some other unique facts that you know or comment on what I have presented here.

Here goes...

> Shanghai, China is the largest city by population in the world. (13.3 million)

> The banana fruit first originated from Malaysia.

> The lowest death-rate in the world is in the United Arab Emirates. (2.11/1000)

> Japan is the largest exporter of frog legs.

> Mongolia is the least dense populated country in the world.

> Luxemborg is the richest country in the world, with an annual GNP of $ 45, 000.

> A German World War II submarine was sunk due to the malfunction of a toilet.

> Russia has the most movie theateres in the world.

> Iceland consumes more Coca-Cola than any other nation per capita.

> Finland has about 60, 000 lakes.

> The Jedi concept, derived from Star Wars, is an official religion in Australia.

> Wearing a hat is a sign of disrespect in Fijian culture.

> The best selling ice-cream flavour in the US is vanilla.

> Colombia is the biggest source of the precious rock, Emerald.

> The world's largest diamond was found in South Africa in the year 1905.

> The earliest known modern ancestor of the humans was found in Ethiopia.

...and maybe I will share more facts some other time...

-The End-

Why Tennis Is More Lucrative Than Badminton

In case you hadn't known, tennis and badminton are from a similar sporting family – they are both racquet sports. However, tennis is played using a round, bouncy ball whilst badminton is played using a shuttlecock. The style of play for both games also vary.

I used to wonder some time ago, “Why is tennis more lucrative, as in it offers more prize money, compared to badminton?” I mean, an international badminton tournament would offer around $20, 000 to the winner whilst winning a tennis tournament would offer in excess of $200, 000 at the very least, not including the appearence fees.

Now, I know the answer to my question. The facts and factors are disclosed below, and I believe some facts are pretty apparent, while the others are not. But do keep in mindthat I am not saying tennis is more fun to watch or nicer to play, I am just merely answering my question above.

The Popularity Factor

Who is more popular – badminton world champion and Olympic gold medallist Lin Dan of China or the Swiss world number one, Roger Federer, the greatest sportsman to have graced the tennis courts? If you are to speak on a regional basis (East Asia) of course Lin Dan is to be the answer, but speaking on a global platform, the obvious answer would be Roger Federer. Since the finest tennis star is more popular on the global stage, the conclusion is that tennis has more star power over badminton.

The Marketability Factor

Where do the traditional badminton powerhouses hail from? Apart from Denmark who are from Europe, the others are from the Asean and East Asian region. On the other hand, many tennis stars come from economically sound backgrounds such as from the United States, Russia, Australia and Belgium. So, if sponsors want to market their products, they would pay more to the tennis fraternity as there lies a wider market reach, much unlike badminton.

The Viewership Factor

How many global, internationally-acclaimed sports network broadcast live badminton matches? A handful only, if you compare such statistics with that of tennis. Major sports networks, such as Sky Sports, ESPN, ITV Sports and Star Sports almost never telecast any international level badminton games on their networks, but it is a direct contrast with the hours of airtime devoted to tennis tournaments and championships held week in week out all around the world.

The Match-time Factor

Ever heard of a tennis game stretching up to an epic four hour battle? Of course, but the same cannot be said of badminton games as the longest that badminton games last is around the hour-mark. On average, tennis games take around 2 hours to complete whilst badminton games take around 40-minutes. This results in more airtime for tennis on televisions, and therefore, tennis makes much more bucks if compared to badminton taking into account this aspect.

The Fashion Factor

How much does Maria Sharapova earn for parading different earrings each time she steps onto the courts? News reports state that she could earn up to millions for just that. But it doesn’t stop there. Tennis stars are paid tons of money to parade the latest in fashion – ranging from necklaces to watches. And they love being talked about their fashion sense every much as being talked about their playing skills. In contrast to that, I have never heard of these things in the badminton world.

The Verdict

All the factors stated above inevitably result in more money being pumped into tennis, and only a fraction of it being pumped into the international badminton circuit. By taking into account all those factors too, we can come about the conclusion that tennis has more star power and a wider global appeal. Henceforth, those are the underlying reasons as to why tennis is a more lucrative sport and offers bigger prize money as compared to badminton.

A Singer Like No Other

Ever heard of songs such as ‘How Do You Do’, ‘Hold On’, ‘Runaway’, or ‘Why You Had To Leave’? I guess the answer is a blank NO! Well, that is only to be expected as I do not blame you for these are songs that I find to be the ‘best of the best’, so to say, but sung by a not-so-popular artist named Cascada.

Though it is remotely possible that you may have heard of Cascada, but it is all too common that most people know her for her hits only, namely ‘Everytime We Touch’ and ‘Evacuate The Dancefloor’ that have made it to mainstream channels that play music such as radio FM’s and television programmes such as MTV Hits.

Truth be told, I am no music maniac. I listen rarely to music, and am not overtly obsessed over it. But during those rare times that I listen to my music playlist, it is constituted of mainly all her songs. Her style of singing is genrely classified as Eurodance and electronic, with awesome fast beats and engaging choruses, but maybe with lyrics lacking in deep meanings.

Actually, I have been disseminating some wrong information here. And this fact – I am sure none of you are aware of. Cascada is not a female artist’s name. I repeat, Cascada is not a female artist’s name.

All along the way, I thought it was a solo thing done by her only. Indeed, Cascada is a band’s name, made up of vocalist Natalie Horler who is widely perceived to be Cascada herself, and Yann Peifer and DJ Manian, who are German producers.

Still, it makes me wonder why is it a band, and not a solo act as I have never heard the two producers sing. To make matters easy though, Cascada = Natalie Horler. So, when I speak of Cascada, it simply means I am speaking of the German-born Natalie.

She debuted with the album Everytime We Touch in the year 2004, and her hit single is of the same name too. This album is made up of 14 tracks. This was rated the best dance album of the year 2006. For me, I like the hit single, along with How Do You Do, A Neverending Dream, One More Night and Wouldn’t It Be Good.

Next, after finding her footing in the music industry, she released her second album, titled ‘Perfect Day’. This album had many versions and each version had a song that other versions didn’t have, but roughly, there were 13 tracks with a further 3 bonus ones. My favourite tracks from this albums are Runaway, I Will Believe It and Could It Be You.

Then, late last year, she released her latest album, titled ‘Evacuate The Dancefloor’, which is also the title of her hit single. But any avid Cascada fan can tell that she took a different approach for this album made up of 11 tracks as her songs had a different feel to it. I , for one, do not find her hit single good. However, I do like the other practically unknown tracks such as Hold On and Breathless.

I got to know of Cascada from a CD that I bought in the year 2006, and since then, I have grown to like her songs more and more. But what perplexes me is that not many know of her and her masterpieces, or so I think. She deserves more recognition, that’s for sure. And she also deserves to win some Grammy Awards, at least for dance hits.

So, if you haven’t had the pleasure to listen to some of her amazing work, I reckon you download some of her songs right away. And I’d be prepared to get booed of you find her songs tantamount to nonsense or anything of that sort.

The Season Thus Far

One of the most enthralling Premier League seasons in recent years has just passed the halfway mark of the 2009-2010 season. In the first five months of the season, we have witnessed many shocking results, agonies, disappointments, beautiful goals and state-of-the-art passing.

If anything is to come by, this season has seen the so-called ‘Big Four’ not being an exclusive club traditionally reserved only for Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. Aston Villa, Manchester City and Tottenham have in particular dramatically upped the ante on the big guns.

Furthermore, the number of goals that clubs have shipped in, or rather the strikers have scored, is also a tad greater as compared to previous seasons. That basically means that in terms of viewership, the Premier League is more appealing since there are more goals scored this season.

Interestingly, it seems that the Premier League table resembles a tale of two halves. The pursuit for the coveted top spot is on in pretty intense fashion, but so is the race to avoid the ignominy of being relegated from the Premier League which appears to be another title race in itself.

As you can see from analysing the league standings, only five points separates the ninth placed team from the cusp of relegation – which brings us to the fact that no team can rest on their laurels, for they would be done with if that is the case.

Moreover, there is growing concern that due to financial complications, rock-bottom Portsmouth could be expelled from the Premier League. They would go bust if they don't sell their players. It is quite strange that it has boiled down to this as they have had three owners in the past year alone.

Besides that, there is something for us to learn from – that money does not necessarily guarantee success. Just ask Manchester City. They spent lavishly in the transfer window but have not been able to deliver successfully which undoubtedly was the final blow that led to the sacking of their manager, Mark Hughes.

On the other hand, the surprise package of the season have been Birmingham. They remain unbeaten since October, and should any of the top seven teams slip up, they would be ready to pounce on the opening to a Europa League ticket.

Speaking of players, there have been many who have revelled. Wayne Rooney has taken up the mantle as Manchester’s leading frontman quite well. Didier Drogba is as lethal as ever for Chelsea. The fit Fernando Torres can be a pain for opposition backlines. And at the same time, Darren Bent of Sunderland and Jermaine Defoe of Tottenham are in the form of their lives to propel their respective clubs up the standings.

On the signings made during the summer transfer window, there have been a number of value-for-money buys. One such instance is Thomas Vermaelen, the Belgian defender who has shored up a previously flimsy Arsenal backline. Carlos Tevez has also been a good buy for Manchester City. However, there is the void left by the record-grossing departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid to comprehend with at the same time.

On a separate note, I reckon that the most outstanding manager thus far has been Tottenham’s Harry Redknapp as he has used his squad to great effect, but Birmingham’s Alex McLeish is worth a mention too while the new manager at Eastlands, Roberto Mancini, has the chance to prove his worth after fruitful stints in Italy.

Based on my opinion, the most amazing goal is certainly Maynor Figueroa’s rocket-launcher into the top corner from a quickly taken free-kick inside his own half when Wigan played Stoke. It wasn’t like as if the goalkeeper was off his line – it was just pure brilliance, or perhaps luck. Whatever it is, that doubles up as my goal of the decade too.

Now, the football maniacs and bystanders alike will await the conclusion of the season in earnest fashion. It could be Chelsea, it could be the blue half of Manchester, it could be the red half of Manchester, or it could be Arsenal – or any other team for that matter. Still, whoever triumps at the end of the season will definitely be the most worthy of champions.

My Prediction

Although I only watch the Premier League on rare occasions, but me being me, I feel the itch to prematurely predict the conclusion of the Premier League. Above, I have drawn up a table, and who knows, if what I predict becomes a part of reality, I might take on the job of a football pundit. Fine – I know that's wishful thinking. -

The Year in Retrospect

At the end of each year, we tend to look back and analyse what had happened throughout the year. There would be happy incidents, inspiring moments, hint of sadness and the drop of a tear. Whatever it is, we would have come across a whole lot of challenges and obstacles throughout the year.

The moments that we want to forget and not dwell upon are those that bring pain and sorrow to us, while we would want to cherish every bit of the times that brought us joy and satisfaction.

After reviewing the year in general terms, here, I look back at the worth-to-be-noted events that took place in the hectic, fun-filled year of 2009 in my life. As I post this, there is only about an hour to go to the new year.

School Change

After previously being in Sri Dasmesh school for a good seven years, I decided the time had come for me to move on in life. What better way to do so than to shift to a government school. Many teachers and friends alike asked me, “Why did you shift from a private school?” However, there was no definite answer to that.

At first, it was a little difficult to settle in. Make no mistake that I was the ONLY new student in the school in the whole of Form 4. But slowly, I got to know people, joined the clubs and societies, and before long, I realised that indeed it was a good move.

Squash Tournament

I first picked up a squash racket at the turn of the year only. It had always been my desire to play squash, and my new school offered just that. I joined their Squash Club, and later, I also joined the Kuala Lumpur training academy. In February, I represented my school in the Selangor Open but got nothing.

It was an annual affair for our club to organise the Kepong Open tourney and I was excited. I was not the favourite, but I was hard-pressed on causing an upset. I made my way past the preliminary rounds and almost lost it at the semi-finals stage. In the finals, I came up against a much bigger opponent in physique but thanks to God I won it.

Perfect Score

I loved my Form 4 academically for one reason – that I was able to do Add Maths. I sucked at all my other exams, notably failing in Physics and Biology, but I always found a lease of life doing Add Maths. I was gunning for a perfect score in the Mid-Year exams, but callousness took its toll.

Then I prepared harder and in the following exam I got 100 marks for the first time for any subject in a long long time. However, I couldn’t sustain the momentum for long and hence I missed the 100-mark by a bit in the final exam.

Writing Stint

For some reason or another, I loved writing so much this year. It might have something to do with a different schooling environment, or maybe a sudden jump in my interests. I first started out by writing in the school magazine.

Then, towards the latter half of the year, I joined the Niexter team, a group comprising of young journalists and it is a New Straits Times pullout. I have interviewed some promising talents thus far, and hopefully, next year will pave for a better time writing in Niexter.

A Blogging Newbie

As my school holidays approached, I pondered on whether was it feasible to embark on my own blog. After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to go for it. No doubt I am a still a ‘newcomer’ to this sphere, but in the past two months or so, I have learnt a lot of stuff, and visited many cool blogs.

Deciding that I wanted to give my perspectives on happenings in the world was a bit baffling for many people that I knew, but I hope sooner rather than later, it will catch the public’s eye. I intend to vie for some honours in the blogosphere and gain a name next year.

...and a whole lot of other stuff...

What's In a Name?

Have you ever figured out of what value is your name to you? Have you tried to research and delve into the meaning of your name, if your name has a meaning in the first place? And lastly, have you wondered why was THAT chosen to be your name?

You must come upon the realisation that your name is your title. Your name is your heritage. And your name has the potential to be your legacy. However, such statusus can be obtained if and only if you portray yourself in an aura of positive imagery.

Contrary to that, I have heard some rare cases whereby one dislikes his or her name. These clowns who suffer from this atypical disorder are hell-bent on changing their names. But ask yourself. Does that make the slightest bit of sense?

Leaving that aside, you must also realise that there is a reason as to why your name is such because every name has a deeper meaning to it. Hence, study your name, and you will receive adequate amount of answers. For now, I will take my name as an example.

 Himmat Singh. Himmat here stands for bravery, courage and the itch to stand steadfastly for the truth. Singh, on the other hand, means a majestic lion. In case you were wondering, Singh is used by Sikh men as their last name because our tenth Master proclaimed that all Sikh men’s name had to be followed by Singh whilst women’s name had to be followed by Kaur.

Then, after recognising what the deeper meaning of your name is, live your life on its basis. Use your name’s meaning as a compass that leads your life. It should mould you into a unique individual. Therefore, for me, I should live my life by being a brave man as well as being as kingly as I can. Yet, at the same time, the value of compassion has to be etched in myself to go vis-a-vis with my bravery, and humility must accompany my perspective of being a king.

I must however own up that many a times, such is the situation that I fall short and fail to keep up my good name. At times, I get frightened, and at other times, I appear not humble. But then, with my name being my compass, I hope to get myself out of this mess before long. You should  try to do the same things in your life too.

Moving on to looking at the big picture in a broader spectrum, you will have known that the hallmark to a successful novel or even a feature movie is an engaging title. A mind-boggling title undoubtedly creates a good first impression, vital in wanting to get readers or movie-freaks to buy their product.

Besides that, merchandises have to have good brand names in order to be sold. The rule of thumb here is that the more powerful the brand name, the more likely it is to perform better than other contemporary products. Take Mercedes-Benz as an instance. Its brand name is so powerful that it is a leading carmaker on a global scale.

Coming back to the topic at hand, an engaging title and a good brand name can be fungible with the word 'name'. 'Name' here as in YOUR name. So, make your name associated with such high level of respect that people will revere you. Create a brand whereby people are in awe of you.

A good name that you maintain with care will in turn lead to good first impressions because people need not need to know you. They would have heard from others that ‘so and so’ is bla bla bla. People will think highly of you. And before you know it; your name will be the next thing to graciousness.

In short, be PROUD of your name and LIVE your name. After all, your name is YOUR name!