The Prayer

This entry has been a long time coming, but I've been listening to this recording for ages now. It deserves it's rightful place as one of the best recordings I've ever heard of the original duet by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. However, there have been many others who have sung this song, like Josh Groban and Charlotte Church (the worst ever duet recording I've heard, probably due to Charlotte's irritating vocals!) and well, some others who I don't care to name.

Originally this song was written by David Foster for the movie Quest For Camelot, it's an animated movie in 1998. Celine Dion sang the original solo version in the OST (Original Sound Track) for the movie, with slightly different lyrics. Then it was re-written both lyrically and musically for Celine Dion's and Andrea Bocelli's duet at the Grammy Awards a few years back to great success. Although I did also enjoy the live version at a concert of Celine Dion singing it with her original duet partner Josh Groban, who was brought in to replace Andrea Bocelli during the Grammy rehearsals because he was ill.

After which, it became the bread and butter song of all duets to come. Everywhere you go, famous duets wanted to sing it, most were hideous and paled in comparison to Celine Dion's and Andrea Bocelli's amazing vocal performances, until this solo version by Anthony Callea of Australian Idol fame came along. This version amazed me to the fullest, the vocals were incredible and although a shorter version musically, it sang volumes to my heart and gives me goosebumps every single time I listen to it.

On top of that, it was a hit when the single was released in December 2004. This version debut at number 1 and was number 1 on the charts for 5 consecutive weeks. Within 7 weeks it was the highest selling Australian single of all time. It was certified 4 times platinum, selling in excess of 280,000 copies.

I've included the Youtube.com Australian Idol version of it below, complete with lyrics, enjoy!

I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go.
And help us to be wise in times when we don't know
Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way
Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace
To a place where we'll be safe

La luce che tu dai nel cuore resterà
A ricordarci che eterna stella sei
Nella mia preghiera quanta fede c’è
Lead us to a place guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe

Sogniamo un mondo senza più violenza
Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza
Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino
Simbolo di pace, di fraternità

La forza che ci dà
We ask that life be kind
And watch us from above
And hope each soul will find another soul to love
Let this be our prayer, just like every child

E la fede che
Hai acceso in noi,
Sento che ci salverà

Amazon Dot Fucking Com

I've to apologise first for the strong title, but it says it all. I like to review stuff, especially things that I've bought. This always helps others decide whether or not to buy the same item I've bought and appreciate it, or not to buy it because someone else has warned them not to because of defects or that it's bad in other ways. Even if they're not things purchased through Amazon.com, when reviewing it, it all comes down to the same thing isn't it? People write reviews, because they feel strongly about something they've read or seen or done.

Like watching a movie for example, after that, you'll definitely have your own opinions about whether or not the movie was fantastic or it was fucked up or it isn't worth watching. Some people like me, review it on a blog, others who don't have blogs write an online review on mega-online websites like Amazon.com or Barnes & Nobles etc. Some don't even bother at all, but that's not the issue here.

I recently finished with Sandworms of Dune in a previously review written below and gave it 1 out of 10 stars on my blog. It was a horrible and hideous novel, written by incompetents idiot authors who don't know what they're dabbling in, on the hidden pretext that Frank Herbert left notes in a secret safe deposit box saying that he left an outline for the rest of his epic saga.

Well, here's the thing, I tried to write an online review, already omitting several strong paragraphs before sending it off to Amazon.com to publish it. After 2 days, Amazon.com didn't publish it. There have been problems before with writing reviews online and not getting my reviews publish has been a previous problem. Perhaps they blacklisted my account. So, after not hearing from them, I write another online review, again omitting even more strong words and here's their reply:

"Your review of Sandworms of Dune was removed because your comments in large part focused on your personal opinions of the subject matter, rather than reviewing this item."

I really thought that a review is suppose to be about personal opinions. At the same time, I tried not revealing too many spoilers along the way. There's no point in spoiling the plot for people who haven't read it. However, the people at Amazon.com, who seem to have time to read reviews and edit/omit them from being posted (I wonder why they even bother with this?) seem to have another different opinion of how reviews should be posted. Perhaps they've had too many complaints from customers with people who write too many online reviews with their personal opinions of the subject matter.

Occasionally, I do get emails from Amazon.com asking me to review the stuff I've purchased from them. In doing that, I guess they're trying to give me a choice to review it online. Well, it looks like there's absolutely no point in doing so anymore. And don't think that this is a small matter. I'll be emailing all my friends to boycott reviewing stuff on the website. In any business, I always believe that word of mouth is the best kind of publicity, or in this case negative publicity. And word of mouth, no matter how accurately or twisted it gets when it's passed out, will spread like wild-fire, and somehow, strangely enough, people believe it like gospel.

Amazon.com's standard has dropped through the years. Previously, after I've sent them an email, I'll get some kind of auto-acknowledgment email to tell me that they've received it and will get back to me in a few working days, now there's no such email anymore. Well, if they're not interested to post or publish my reviews, to hell with them. I'll just post it on this blog.

Addicted

78%How Addicted to Blogging Are Yoffsadf
Gee, and to think that me blogging away like that was already on the tame side! HA!

A Vision Completely Twisted: Dune Read This Book!

At least 1 of my predictions came true when trying to foretell how Sandworms of Dune was going to end. Which prediction was that? The one where the Thinking Machines, with the help of the Oracle of Time, was exiled into the starless universe where the Ithaca started out at the end of Chapterhouse: Dune.

I was completely, totally and utterly disappointed with how the story ended. At least the Harry Potter series ended better than this. I can now say for certain that Frank Herbert's outline was the most basic, in which his son, Brian Herbert and that absolute moron Kevin J Anderson, decided to twist beyond recognition.

I have personally read and confirmed the contents of Frank's final notes for Dune's finale from his secret safe deposit box, which goes:

From: Frank Herbert (aka dad)
To: Brian Herbert (aka son)
Subject: My Most Secret Outline For Dune's Finale...

(1) The mysterious enemies are Thinking Machines.
This probably spawned the prequels and pre-prequels that were written to explain humans hatred of machines.

(2) Honoured Matres are Tleilaxu females aka axolotl tanks.
For the idiots to connect the dots if they haven't seen it already.

(3) Gholas will [illegible scribbles and doodles, unintelligent drawings of spirals]
This probably spawned all those stupid little ghola cast of the original Dune characters.

(4) Use your imagination for the rest, my son...

Love,
Signed,
Frank Herbert (aka dad)

When I first read that Frank Herbert left notes for his Dune novel finale, I was jumping for joy that Dune will finally be completed in the way that he wanted it to be. How wrong I was then. Perhaps, it was foolish to hope that it would have ended the way I wanted it to end.

There is no such thing as ultraspice, Frank Herbert would have had a heart attack or a brain aneurysm if he even learned such an appalling sacrilege. Genetically modified sandtrout (the larvae stage of sandworms), created to live in the oceans of Buzzell as waterworms by a semi-retarded Tleilaxu? Lead character gholas from all of Frank's original 6 books with, strangely enough, the Bene Gesserit sisters who were most important, missing?

I don't even know where to begin to poke holes in the story or to tear the story apart. Even with 2 people writing, they still couldn't capture the essence of the Dune novels that Frank wrote. Granted, they got the sand, the worms and the gholas right, but that's about it. The rest was just pure fantasy added to a rich and amazingly well-woven universe, riddled with unnecessary pretext that convey superior positions of power.

I've always believed that all the Dune novels were, to us who read them, a complete history of the planet Dune. In trying to fumble through writing the prequels and pre-prequels, Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson lost sight and became blind to this very fact, thus losing sight of where Frank's Golden Path was leading them, if they were even following it in the first place. I'm surprised that Dune fans haven't taken up arms, gone to the their homes and murdered these 2 authors. Conversely, I'm also surprised that these 2 authors haven't committed suicide yet to escape death at the hands of their fans on the streets.

I've made the mistake of reading several of Kevin J Anderson's novels and was appalled by the complete lack of substance in his books. He destroyed the X-Files, the Star Wars novels and now Dune. On top of that, he's written some horrid sci-fi novels of his own. Brian Herbert, I can't say for sure, but I dare not try to even read his novels.

The real person I pity is Frank Herbert, who started something so beautifully written with such magnificent scope and potential, only to have it torn down by his son and collaborator, out to write utter crap to sell for their personal gain. Sure, I was the fool to have read and followed the Dune series, to see how it ended - I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. But if I didn't, I wouldn't have known how shit read like.

If you read my earlier review of Hunters of Dune, I did end it by saying that I burnt that book, and to wait for Sandworms of Dune with a flamethrower. Where's that flamethrower? I think I'll reinvent the recipe for greek fire, or black napalm in order to ensure that these hideous books burn its way out of our universe forever!

I also propose that Dune fans unite, gather all copies of this novel and launch it into our sun. And then ensure that Frank's 6 original Dune novels remain forever the ONLY canon to the Dune universe!

1 out of 10 stars

Simpson-ized!

I've managed to immortalize myself as a Simpson character!

If you want to one too, go to the following website
and follow the instructions there. It's fun!
http://simpsonizeme.com

Supplemental:
Chris, I gave up on the eyes, I couldn't find eyes that look like mine!
I added sunglasses while I was at it, it's a Ray Ban!

Everything

One of my favourite songs of all time from my favourite band Lifehouse, is the song Everything. Here are the lyrics of this incredible song:

Find me here
Speak to me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That's leading me
To the place where I find peace again.

You are the strength,
that keeps me walking.
You are the hope,
that keeps me trusting.
You are the light
to my soul.
You are my purpose...
you're everything.

And how can I stand here with you
and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be
any better than this?

You calm the storms,
and you give me rest.
You hold me in your hands,
you won't let me fall.
You steal my heart,
and you take my breath away.
Would you take me in?
Take me deeper now?

And how can I stand here with you
and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be
any better than this?

And how can I stand here with you
and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be
any better than this?

Cause you're all I want,
You're all I need
You're everything, everything
You're all I want
you're all I need
You're everything, everything.
You're all I want
you're all I need.
You're everything, everything
You're all I want
you're all I need,
you're everything, everything.

And how can I stand here with you
and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be
any better than this?
And how can I stand here with you
and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be
any better, any better than this?

And how can I stand here with you
and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be
any better than this?

Would you tell me how could it be
any better than this?