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Monday, June 30, 2008

3. Sōjirō: Reminiscence from the past


Chapter III: A bloody night in Kyoto

A young child should do no more than grow and learn and live. But young Sōjirō was no ordinary child: He broke his back for two square meals a day and got manhandled by his own blood. Those coarse young hands knew no warmth and affection, only pain and suffering. Even so, he always smiled, pretending that he was happy and never broke down even when his step-brothers and step-sisters and step-mother thrashed the strength out of his body and mind. Any other ordinary child wouldn’t survive such an ordeal.

Of course Sōjirō had considered running away from home but he had no where to go and no one to take care of him; he was on his own from the day his father left him. Nevertheless the thought of escaping enslavement excited him. He could only wonder what life would be beyond the rice fields and the hills on the horizon or to be treated for once as a human being and not an animal.

It was midnight.

“Sōjirō! OYE Sōjirō! Get your shabby little butt to the market and get me some more sake! We’re completely out of it.”

Sōjirō twitched at the sound of his eldest step-brother’s thundering voice. “But b-brother, i-it’s so late. The liquor s-shops will be c-clos…”

His step-brother’s dominating voice gobbled his words up. “Then wake them up you incompetent fool! Do I have to think of everything?”

A hiss of a voice interrupted the conversation. “Maybe he’s the one stealing all the sake.” One of his step-sisters wanted a piece of the on going action. “Maybe the little runt should be whacked a couple more times and maybe he’ll confess.”

An already drunken man was enraged by the knowledge of such a possible crime. He shattered several empty bottles of sake in the process of reaching for Sōjirō’s neck.

“I’m going to kill you boy, if you don’t tell me what you did with all the sake in the storehouse.”
Sōjirō’s reply was weak and helpless. “b-but s-sir, I haven’t stolen any s-sake, y-you d-drank it all.”

“Shut up you little runt! Go and get me some sake. NOW!” The large man with his large fist finished his sentence with a clean blow to Sōjirō’s small face. For a fleeting moment, Sōjirō felt like he was floating in air and felt a familiar numbness in his face. It was the taste of blood on his lips that jolted him back to the reality of pain.

An even weaker Sōjirō panted. “Y-yes, Sir I’ll go right now” He bowed and hurried towards the market.

It was one hour past midnight.

How on earth was he going to buy a bottle of sake at this hour? Did his brother want him to steal some?

His frivolous mind wasn’t meant to make such frantic decisions but still he limped to the nearest sake store, which would probably be closed.

As Sōjirō left the main gate, he couldn’t help noticing how beautiful the night was. The sky was decorated with a million bright stars except none of them compared to the dim brilliance of the moon. That misty grey ball hovering slowly across the sky was the only guidance Sōjirō had as he walked through the ghostly streets that led to the market. Sōjirō’s ears rang with an eerie silence which was only disrupted by the scratchy sound of his footsteps.

“It’s impossible.” He thought. “Maybe I should go back.”

He was a turn away from the closed sake store when the silence of the night was shattered by a bloody scream. An unfamiliar sound of metal hacking something hard came next. It was followed by a sickening thud and more people screaming, as if they were steeling themselves for death. Sōjirō followed the screams although his movements were partially immobilized by a cold fear running through his whole body.

It was long past midnight.

As he reached the next turn, his eyes widened with absolute terror. A tall man covered sloppily from head to toe with dirty, yellowish bandages stood next to two bloody bodies in police uniforms, both missing their heads. He was raising a Japanese sword pointed skywards. He looked like a mummy, out for revenge Only one other man, another police officer, was still standing: he was shaking uncontrollably and he sounded like he was muttering his last words. And in the blink of an eye, the man in the bandages sliced the policeman’s body in half, starting from the head. Blood splattered all over the walls and the street but not on the man’s bandages. Sōjirō had never seen anyone move with such power and speed in his life. He speechlessly gaped at the man, horrified. Then, Sōjirō’s heart stopped as the murderer turned around and faced him. The man’s demon-like red eyes which glistened like blood fixed themselves on young Sōjirō.

What will the mysterious murderer do to Sōjirō? Find out in the next chapter of Sōjirō: reminiscence from the past.

All characters are based on the Anime Samurai X

Click for Chapter 2

Click for Chapter 1


Sunday, June 29, 2008

A Hero's Side-effects


I was positive that I could glide my way in a Micro from Patan all the way to home sweet home. It was 2 in the afternoon and vehicles had run out of petrol; it meant no traffic! Pure bliss. But to my utter surprise, vehicles had started piling up from Kupondole itself. Now, I have been plying on this route for 5 years now and being quite familiar with the traffic, I immediately sensed something different; the vehicles started clogging exactly 75.5 meters ahead of the Traffic Jam point. Something is wrong I thought, so I ventured to walk till Thapathali in high hopes that the turn to Tripureshwor would be less congested...10 minutes of walk, smoke from Kerosene + Petrol + Diesel, dust, and the never alleviating stench of the Bagmati; I reach Thapathali. But still no vehicular movement; it was clogged like the drainage system of Kathmandu valley.

So I continued my stroll towards Tripureshwor, thinking how this was one of the worst day of my life, battered with CO2 and bruises I reached Tripureshwor what I saw angered me to the very core of my internals...

First it seemed like a rally of some sort, I saw the jeep decorated with the painfully bright 'Yellow' poster with 'Rumpum Noodles' moving at the pace of a snail. Then I moved closer, on the side of the jeep was the picture of no other than....Kamal Nepali (the 'monkey kid' who rescued a little girl from a 60-feet gorge).

*Steam out of my ears.*

Please, end this stupidity. What is Khulla Manch for?

Friday, June 27, 2008

2. Sōjirō: Reminiscence from the past


Chatper II: An older stronger Sōjirō

“Kill the runt; he’s a waste to society .”
“Please! No! Forgive me, I-I didn’t mean to! please, somebody! help! HELP! THEY'RE GOING TO KILL ME!”

Sōjirō’s eyes thrust wide open. His heart was pounding in his ears and his whole body was drenched in sweat: It was just another dream about his childhood. It had been a while since he had dreamed of the past. Of course he hid all his emotions behind that boyish smile of his and if anyone asked if he was feeling alright, he’d just smile it off. No one could possibly find traces of the sadness or the brutality in that bright and innocent smile.
It had been ten long years since Sōjirō had last seen his family. In fact, he wasted little time thinking about them.
“My, it’s been so long since I left my home town”, Sōjirō muttered as he picked up his katana. “Well, I’d better go summon the members of the Jupongatana. Maybe Mr. Shishio will feel better when he’s around those men-not that he needs any protection.”

The Jupongatana, headed by Makoto Shishio was made out of the best fighters in Japan. They were a group of elite fighters who had survived the horrors of the Meiji revolution. No matter how strong and skilled these fighters looked, Sōjirō would always be known as the strongest of the Jupongatana. Sōjirō had learned a technique that reached extraordinary speeds: Indeed, Shishio had taught him well. He moved so fast that the naked eye couldn’t even roll fast enough to see him. Thus, earning himself the nickname Sōjirō the Tenkin.

It was a bright sunny summer day in Kyoto. Sōjirō usually went to the market to buy fresh deacon radish and some tofu for lunch but even though it was a perfect day for shopping, Sōjirō would have no choice but to follow Mr. Shishio’s orders and go meet each and every member of the Jupongatana. As he walked by the ferocious fish traders along with the subtle flower sellers, Sōjirō couldn’t help feel lucky to be able to breathe the fresh morning air and see flowers blossoming with life. Ten years ago he couldn't even smell the sweet fragrance of white plum after a hard days work. In fact, if it wasn’t for Makoto Shishio, Sōjirō would have been sleeping under the flowers.
“I’m glad I met Mr. Shishio, even though he was scary at first. He he.” Sōjirō thought, walking faster than usual but calmly smiling as always.
Ten years ago Shishio taught him one thing, ‘Those who are strong will live and those who are weak will die’. And that fateful night, when young Sōjirō fought for his life, he understood what Shishio meant.

Makoto Shishio was an assassin during the Meiji revolution who was later shot and burnt alive by the Meiji government because he knew too much. He miraculously survived the attempt on his life and after that, he spends the rest of his days plotting against the Meiji government until he is stopped by the Battousai, ending his reign of terror. Shishio saves young Sōjirō from his evil family and molds him into one of the strongest swordsmen in the history of Japan.

Next time

The story of how Sōjirō fights for his life and becomes cursed with a smile...

All characters are based on the anime Samurai X

Click for Chapter 1

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Kung Fu Panda vs The Hulk; the ultimate battle?

First, the Ancient secrets of Kung Fu straight from China and then a US Military experiment gone green; just this week I was fortunate enough to watch two movies, you can guess both...Its the Kung Fu Panda and The Incredible Hulk.

Watching both the movies in the same movie hall and from the same seat, I think, puts me in a 'fine' position to judge them both. I'll do that now.

First, a brief intro on both;

Kung Fu Panda: staring Jack Black as the chubby Panda 'Po' and other actors like Jakie Chan, Dustin Hoffman and Angelina Jolie, this animated feature follows the story of a Panda in China who dreams to become a famous Kung Fu warrior. The panda's dreams come true when he 'accidentally' gets selected to be the dragon warrior and fight the powerful and evil snow leopard warrior Tai Lung, voiced by Ian McShane. The only problem is that Po's 'to be master' Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) doesn't want to train him and he wants one of his four disciples to be the dragon warrior. However, the tortoise Master Oogway insists that Shifu train the Panda. The Panda does learn Kung Fu, in somewhat a very short period of time, and the fights begin...

The Incredible Hulk: Staring Edward Norton as Hulk or Dr. Bruce Banner and the lovely Liv Tyler as Betty, this movie is the sequel to film Hulk (2003). This movie continues the story of the Hulk who is now hiding in Brazil and is on the run from the US army for 5 years. He attempts to control the transformation through yoga and meditative techniques and also takes help of the then mysterious 'Mr. Blue'; However, his location gets compromised and he is forced to transform into the green monster...

While both of the movies are big-budget and are from the daddy of studios, I think that The Incredible Hulk hasn't been able to make the most of the talent and money spent on it; part of the dislike is credited to the fact that I'm not really a fan of Superhero movies (That's right, I don't like Spiderman). I found an immense lack of emotions in the movie; while attempt has been made to make it a love story too, I must say, it didn't work out. More, the inner conflict that Bruce Banner should have experienced isn't potrayed effectively which leaves a great hole in the vibe of the movie. But, it does deliver more than the first feature, Hulk (2003).

Kung Fu panda is by far, I think, totally my view, what I felt, the best animated film I've seen. The humorous, vivid and entertaining plot and the cast of incredible actors like Jack Black, Jakie Chan and Dustin Hoffman, makes the film a must see. The animation is incredible and isn't at all like Shrek (That's right, I don't like Shrek either). This release comes at a time when China is to host the 2008 Olympics and after the Sichuan Earthquake, which has had both received positive and negative feedback from the Chinese. Also, there where calls for a boycott for the film as its produced by Dreamworks which is owned by Steven Spielberg who resigned from the post of an advisor to the Beijing Olympics.

So, here are my ratings:

Kung Fu Panda: 4 and 1/2 stars
The Incredible Hulk:- 3 stars

Who wins? I say Kung Fu. Haiiiyaaah!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

1. Sōjirō: Reminiscence from the past

Based on a character from the anime, Samurai X: Romantic tales from the Meiji era

Chapter I

He was a small boy, a normal boy who liked to eat sweets and play with his toys. But he couldn't eat sweets and he didn't have any toys. This boy, instead of growing up, worked all day long for his meal.

It was a cloudy day when Sōjirō turned eleven. It was really unfortunate that it had started to rain on the day of his birth. He had just finished carrying the last barrel of rice into the store house when a monstrous thunder cracked the dark clouds, bombarding the rice fields of Osaka with rain. Yet, Sōjirō smiled:Five years ago on this day, his mother was alive.

The cold rain fell gently on his rough little hands. He felt the piercing pain as the water passed through his engraved palms; but it was okay. Instead of breaking down like a petulant child he smiled as the rain mercilessly gobbled him up.
"Thank you Ma, for giving me such a refreshing gift. I just wish you were here, with me, dancing in the rain."
Sōjirō's thoughts were invaded by a loud unstable voice."Sōjirō! OYE Sōjirō! I thought i told you to bring me some more sake!"
“I’m coming, s-sir! p-please wait, I’m on my way!”
Sōjirō dashed over with a bottle of sake only to be treated as always.
“You little runt. After all we’ve done for you, looked after you even after your mother died, you still dare to delay your work?”
Sōjirō, dressed in his half torn-half patched up kimono, looked up at his step-brother and stretched a skinny smile.
“I’m s-sorry brother, I didn’t mean to…”
The sound of the rain drowned the cracking sound of timber hitting bones. It was as though even the rain was punishing Sōjirō but no one would scream or cry on that awful, very unfortunate night.

To be Continued...

Monday, June 16, 2008

Problem with Internet Explorer

I wasn't aware of this problem until yesterday. When I tried using Internet Explorer 7 to check this blog, I could only see 1/3 of the page. No side bars and some posts. ??

Works superb with Firefox. Get it here. Or if you live in Nepal, get it here.

If you have problems or don't with IE. Leave a comment. :D

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Bandhs: A New and Improved Formula

[b-awN-dh] adj.;
Bandh, also a Nepali word meaning 'closed', is a form of protest. While often means the closing down of markets of a city for the day, there have been instances of the entire nation coming to a standstill.
From www.nepalbandh.com

by Shraman and Saral.

[shraman]There was a time when people were people, bygons were bygons and bandhs were bandhs. If one wanted to elongate study leaves and project deadlines, bandhs were the answer. When was the last time you stayed home, relaxed and watched a whole innings of test match cricket? And before you know it, those leisurely times are long gone (sadly).

If history serves me correctly, it was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who started this method of protesting 'non-violently'. The old man inspired and captured the hearts of millions of people worldwide: even the great John Lennon wore the same spectacles that Gandhi wore. The protesters in Nepal needed a tool to fight with and Gandhi gave it to them by his means of 'non-violent' protest.

But if all I've said is nearly true then why the hell is everyone doing nothing? Nepal is going down a deeper and darker path than before. The country that I so dearly love is being run by dish washers and porters! This humble and honest writer isn't blindly being discriminant. But any sane person would agree with me when I say that the keys to the country should be held by people who are at least well educated, don't you think so? With that said and done, the fact still remains that www.nepalbandh.com 's visiting rate has plummeted drastically. (You must be thinking, what? Is there a website like that? Oh, yes there is. And its updated daily.)

This crap ain't cool. [saral] Especially if you have that hot date (not the same people like here, they have a different problem) and now, the date is bandhed! Not exactly the right grammar but it makes the point. So, why even after the horrid torture and the 'wooga booga', adverse effects, of bandhs, do we need them today?

The answer is simple, we need to keep ourselves warm in the winter, and burning tires does it best...Nope, that's not it. At least not entirely. The correct answer would be fuel; Yes, petrol, diesel, petrol + kerosene, and every expensive 'accessory' that goes into our vehicles. A change it vital my fellow brothers and sisters, we need to change our life styles. No more, racing that jaguar..car..., or going for long rides to the countryside. Save fuel save money, environment...

So, where does Bandhs come in all this mayhem, well let me do some maths;-

Nepal needs 126000 kiloliters, yes kiloliters, of petroleum products in a month! And the demand is rising.

So everyday, the demand in the market is 126000/30 = 4200 kilo liters everyday.

One day of bandh, we save 4200000 liters, 2 days 8400000 liters, 4 days of bandh? You do the math.

So bandh's not all, grumble grumble, uff uff, folks, a few here and there does help. Plus, think how we will be contributing to stop global warming...! Its a small effort but it is an effort.

Like always, you don't need to have the same views as I do, after all we are all different creatures. Now if we all had the same thoughts, the world would be peaceful, wouldn't it?

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Cloverfield, Manhattan

Manhattan, New York, May 22, horrors far beyond the events of 9/11 come alive.

Cloverfield (2008, monster/horror), tells a story of a group of young New Yorkers who throw a surprise party for a friend leaving for Japan and during the party tremors start to be felt, there are blackouts and suddenly a huge explosion takes place.

It doesn't have the fancy camera angles like you would expect in Spiderman but the film is shown as being shot by a hand held camera which is then later recovered by the American Military; it is stated at the start of the film that the footage was "found in US-447, area formerly known as Central Park". The point-of-view (POV) camera settings, which would generally work great for 'other' materials, does give the film a feel of being right there at the center of action. However, if you don't like shaky video or have trouble playing First Person Shooter (FPS) games like Quake 3, the film might end up giving you a headache.

The thing that makes you stick to the movie is the suspense about what actually is happening, which, however, isn't explained in detail. We know what causes the destruction but nothing about what it was or who created it.

The best scene has to be when the head of The Statue of Liberty comes crashing down on the street, simply awesome and vivid.

The film Jimmy and Judy also has the same POV style as Cloverfield.

Paramount Pictures had a very good viral marketing strategy for this film. The teasers before the release of the movie focused on developing this suspense and some even came without the titles!

Click to View Trailer

3 1/2 stars.

iPhone SMS(es) Overload!


I was wondering how many it could handle. Got tired after the 1000 mark, just beyond it, and stopped after getting a phone call...it took 50 secs just to load the thread. No, actually, my phone froze. Not so tough, eh!




Update:- Turns out, the iPhone can only handle 1000 SMSes per contanct or thread. Hmmm... what would that extra 'one' be?

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Rage against the fuel-less machines

Its fascinating that only a few decades ago a "first four wheeled beast" rolled into Nepal. And here we are, after only a few decades later, queuing up in endless fuel lines. Blame the sinking-sunk NOC, Indians or Man-Bear-Pig but when the shit hits the fan its us common peasants who have to suffer. Of course His Maje- I mean Ex-King Gyanendra's probably never even seen a candle in his life or worried about filling his jaguar up. Well one things for sure, he's not going to cram his flabby buttock in a pathetic old shack like Nirmal Niwas. So why don't we forget the Shah dynasty ever existed and move on about our crappy lives, shall we?

A Kathmanduite female calls her boyfriend up:
"Hey sweetie, what are you doing today?"
"Lets see...ill drop by the office at around 10:00 am and head straight to Sajha Petrol Pump. After that we'll go for dinner at 8:00pm.

Yes, humble citizens of Nepal, this is our daily routine. Even insane young boys have quickly caught up to this new trend of queuing up in line for fuel: They race each other to the petrol pump and if they run out of fuel before they reach the pump, they'll resort to running, pushing. dragging their bikes. Last one has to kiss Sugarika K.C.

I know what you are thinking, let the NOC burn in hell. The NOC does this, the NOC does that. They cant help it if prices are blasting skywards! Tell me, would you rather wait 6 hours in line and pay 80 rupees per liter or would you prefer to hand over 100.5 bucks a liter and zoom in and out of the pump? Seems like we prefer to wait in lines and complain than solve our basic problems. Its the Nepali way, that it is.

The most fascinating thing is that the pumps are infested with so called "mileage wala" bikes such as XCD's and splendors while fuel guzzlers like Pulsar 200's fly around impervious of the fuel crisis. I even saw this dude rocket through the Hariharbhawan straight on an XR 400cc bike.

In reality, if problems like these never existed then Nepalis wouldn't have an excuse to drink carelessly, smoke weed and gossip. Until the next episode, I beg all our petrol hungry riders to go easy on the throttle 'cause life's like a fake Zippo lighter: some days it glows, some days it wont. Keep flicking it and never lose hope.

Photo: Mercantile

What Crowd? The IT Crowd.


So, I've...no...had been fumbling between the TV remote and my textbooks during the exams and I happened to bump into a really nice sitcom called "The IT Crowd", IT pronounced as the same old 'it'. It is set in London at Reynholm Industries, and is about 3 Bristish office workers, Roy, Moss and Jen who work in the IT department of the firm.


Roy and Moss are the computer geniuses and are potrayed as the 'geeky' socially inept types while Jen who is a new recruit knows nothing about computers.

The IT department is at the basement of the building and is, absurdly, in a bad shape, while the rest of the company enjoy magnificent views of the city. The jokes at first might feel a bit weird but they get funnier and its very interesting if you are the 'tech' type.

They deal with problems like stress, fire and spiders with rather absurd consequences.

It airs every Thursday at 8.15 PM Nepali time on Star World.

Photo: www.radiotimes.com

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Ex-King of Nepal Leaves Palace


In a press meet at the Narayanhiti Palace today, the former King of Nepal, Gyanendra Shah, delivered a speech about the monarchy in Nepal, his family and his 7 year as head of state. The press meet which was held at the Kaski Hall, the hall right after entering the main door, was over crowded by the press, both national and international.

The former King could be hardly heard among the 200 or so journalist in the room; the room was noisy and the media-men could literally be seen fighting among themselves for a better view and coverage of the Ex-King's speech.
The main things he mentioned was the Palace Massacre 7 years ago, his personal property and about his ancestors. The Ex-King stated in front of the 'rowdy' media men that his family had nothing to do with the Massacre and he was hurt that people blamed him for having a hand in it.
Also, he added that he didn't have any property or money abroad and that he would stay in Nepal.
The Media was allowed in the palace for the first time and many TV station covered the speech live.
As I mentioned earlier, the Ex-King's mother and grandmother are staying in the palace for now.

Photo:- KTV

Ex-King leaves Narayanhiti Palace, Now to live in Nargarjung Palace


Nepal's politics is very intriguing and dramatic. From the struggle of power among the then ruling Shah to the Rana Regime, the overthrowing of the Rana Regime, Multi party Democracy, one Party Democracy, Democracy, Absolute Monarchy and 'finally' a Republic; However, its not yet sure if this is 'it' and the change in ruling systems is over.

Leaving the drama apart, the focus today remains on the Ex-King Gyanendra. As for now, the king is formally moving out of the Naryanhiti Palace. In a press meet today at the Palace, which now is to be turned to a museum, he'll make it official.

Apart the joy of being a republic, which is yet to be evaluated and justified in terms of what really changes, the Nepalese people can finally get inside the palace and see for themselves what a modern day Nepali Palace looks like. I think this is, for now, what excites everyone.

This is the bit that just doesn't fit in. The Ex-Royals, Gyanendra's mother Ranta and grandmother Sarala will, however, still live inside the palace grounds. So much for a republic. And it doesn't end there, the Ex-King will be living, 'for the meanwhile', at the Nagarjung Palace, one of the Palaces owned by the former Monarchs. It just doesn't make sense. To let the Ex-King live on government property and that too with security is a direct attack on the the mandate given by the Nepali people. There is no need to be so nice.

The people's mass moventment in 2006 ended the King's absolute rule and paved a way for a new Constitution. In the constituent elections, the former Maoist Rebel secured the most seats and they along with other political parties decided that the King should be removed. As a result Nepal was declared a Federal Republic by the first meeting of the Constituent assembly on 28 May, 2008.


Tuesday, June 10, 2008

iPhone 3G


Apple unveiled its next version of the iPhone, or the iPhone 3G yesterday. Amid chaotic re-enlightenment of the internet after a nearly 4 month's exam fever, I did happen to stumble upon the Apple WWDC 2008 event and by pure luck, the event had just begun, so I did a quick search for live feeds and the guys at iphonealley.com were just there to fulfill the need for live info for all the apple junkies or just any tech enthusiast with a live audio broadcast. How lovely.
In addition, I could catch the things I missed at the live text feeds at macrumors.com, although it lagged excruciatingly later. Engadget.com also had live blogging and huge pics which immensely alleviated the craving.


However, I am quite disappointed with the new iPhone. Hey, GPS and 3G is heaven, no doubt but it actually the same old phone...! Few changes in the look, more sexier with the glossy backs and metal buttons. But, no front facing camera i.e. no video conferencing (one of the main feature of 3G or 3G handsets) no MMS, still no copy/paste (i mean come on!), still no video recording, basically the same old phone. And it is the only phone to beat the iPhone but not by a bang as it was supoosed to. (Check the iPhone 3G ad at www.apple.com/iphone)

I don't see the urgency to upgrade right now.

If you don't own the 'apple that can make calls' right now, I say get the new phone i.e if u are living in the 70 countries that apple plans to get the 3G rolling. India being the closest to me. No 3G iPhone for me yet...

Well this, which should have been the first thing I mentioned, is the most exciting 'thing' about the iPhone 3G; its just $200. Half the price of the old iPhone!

$199 for 8 GB only in black
$299 for 16 GB also available in white.

A huge change in the marketing strategy of Apple, make the iPhone affordable to almost everyone. Although, it does come with a catch, since the phone is subsidized, apple and most carriers might adopt the policy of 'compulsory activation at the store' (AT&T already implementing this scheme). This would mean that a two-year contract will come with the new iPhone, even if you don't want it unlike the home activation which was allowed for the old iPhones. Definitely an attempt to stop unlocking.

It'll be rolling out on July 11 in 22 countries and later for the rest of the 70 countries.

A second attempt at web-blogging...

Alas, the really long final exams are over...nearly. Its funny what 1 months of exams can do to you, I still have one more paper left!...and I don't care. So, now that I squeezed fun back into my life, got the life-lines up and running, by which I'm referring to the Internet, I'm ready to go.

This would be my second attempt conquer the niche market of web-blogging and hope this doesn't wear out and disappear in cyberspace, a place which many of us call home.