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  • My December 2013 Reading List

    Last November/December, I read five insanely great books: Oblivion by Anthony Horowitz, On Writing by Stephen King, and The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games trilogy was one of my most favourite reading experiences in a long time – you can read more about it in my review of the trilogy here.

    So with yet another long holiday, I’ve decided to set out a list of books I aim to get through. Being an avid reader with limited time during most of the year, I’ve been looking forward to devouring these titles for some time now.

    So without further ado, here’s the 2013 December Reading List:

    • Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
    • Russian Roulette by Anthony Horowitz
    • David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
    • Story Physics by Larry Brooks
    • The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith/J.K. Rowling

    I’ve been wanting to read Fight Club ever since I saw the film; Russian Roulette is a must, being a die-hard Alex Rider fan; David and Goliath stems from my interest being piqued by Gladwell’s writing and insights after reading Outliers; Story Physics is a must after reading Story Engineering, and I hope to learn more from it about the intricate process of crafting novels. And then there’s The Cuckoo’s Calling, a surprise entry which I have to read after finding out that J.K. Rowling, one of my all-time favourite writers, was behind the mask of Robert Galbraith. Oh, and it’s apparently a brilliant thriller too.

    This list is as much a public commitment and a tracker for myself, as it is a way of sharing my reading interests with you, dear reader. Be sure to check back on this blog to read my thoughts on these books as I finish them. Also, if you’re on Goodreads, you’re welcome to add me (https://www.goodreads.com/rahuldowlath <– that’s me on the reading social network ;)). And leave a comment below if you have any suggestions for good books to read.

  • From Cape Town to Durban

    Photo ©Yajur Chotai, en-route from Cape Town to Durban (N2 motorway).
    Photo ©Yajur Chotai, en-route from Cape Town to Durban (N2 motorway).

    Another year over, and another three month holiday begins. Being a bit more experienced at dealing with the longer year-end vacation that meets many a weary university student, I’ve decided to enter this period of respite well prepared.

    Followers of Pixelated Thinking would’ve noticed the lack of updates here in the past few months; I’ve been really busy with coursework. Now that that nightmare is over, I’ll be back to my usual blogging ways, tapping away at the keyboard on new stories, blogs, thoughts and code.

    A Tale of Two Cities

    For the first time since I began studying in Cape Town, I decided to drive back to Durban. It was tiring, but also a great deal of fun (my cousins made the trek with me – read: they did most of the driving :P). Only when you make an arduous journey by land from city to city do you truly appreciate the beauty of your country. Yes, South Africa post-1994 isn’t the utopia everyone envisioned it would suddenly become. There’s still a lot to be done politically and culturally, but when you experience the country, truly seeing its magnificence manifest over 2000km of road, the bickering and trivialities of local politics fades away.

    The South African landscape is remarkable. The stretch from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, shifting between coastal routes and more inland forays, paints a beautiful portrait of  tree-lined highways. The vineyards and lush vegetation transitions almost seamlessly into futuristic, sci-fi-like open fields dotted with enormous wind turbines characteristic of the windy region that is the Eastern Cape. This again quickly gives way to the rolling hills of the KwaZulu-Natal topography, guiding one gently back to the eastern coast of this country. These rapid metamorphoses of the landscape are telling of the juxtapositions prevalent in South Africa, both physically and metaphorically. It’s difficult to imagine you’re still in South Africa at times. These places are hardly seen by the average South African, and my cousin Yajur was able to perfectly capture this beauty with his way-too-complicated-for-this-blogger-to-understand Nikon camera, in the photos below (and above).

    Sunrise in Port Elizabeth
    Cathedral in Grahamstown
    Open roads between PE and Durban
    Bridge between Cape Town and PE

    After the long trip to Durban, I’ve begun planning the projects and books to be tackled in my free time. Look out for my annual Reading List in the next blog post, and my 2014 in Film overview of notable movies coming out next year.

    All for now.

  • Apple’s October Event Wishlist

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    Apple sent out press invites for their next event – the much-anticipated iPad one, a follow-up to last month’s unveiling of the iPhone 5S and 5C. To be honest, this is the one I’ve been looking forward to the most.

    I don’t currently own an iOS device, and I feel I’ve been holding out for too long now. With iOS 7, and the general stability of the platform, plus my rekindled love for reading blogs and growing interest in e-books, an iPad is definitely on the cards for me.

    iPad 5 rumours suggest a redesigned form factor – one in line with the iPad mini and iPhone: thin side bezels, filleted edges. I love the iPad mini design, but its lack of a Retina screen (which rumours suggest will be added in the expected update at this event) and smaller screen size diminish it as a choice for my first iOS device. I want something that is a little more “all-purpose” – great for casual gaming, reading blogs, books and magazines, and watching the occasional film or series. Perhaps even a spot of writing when I’m away from my laptop. The “normal” iPad’s screen size is thus a perfect fit for those needs.

    So without further ado, in classic Pixelated Thinking tradition I shall speculate on what I want to see revealed at the keynote on October 22:

    Certain:

    • iPad 5 with new design, A7X processor, probably M7 motion co-processor, and maybe even Touch ID (though not great certainty on that)
    • iPad mini 2 with Retina display, performance improvements
    • OS X 10.9 Mavericks launch date, pricing revealed (it’s gone Gold Master, so release is inevitable soon)
    • Mac Pro launch date

    Possible:

    • iWork updates: new versions for both iOS and, what I’m really hoping for: iWork updated for Mac. Seriously, Apple: this thing needs a feature bump.
    • The iPod classic finally gets axed: sad, but we must face reality. As a classic owner myself, this will be a depressing moment, but hey: the future is touch. And the future is always better, right?

    Hey, I Can Wish, Right?

    • New versions of iLife, with new iLife apps, centred around things like blogging, social media etc. For both Mac and iOS. (Maybe they bring back iWeb as blog-centric tool, similar to Windows Live Writer? I know one blogger who’d get that app in an instant ;))
    • An updated iTunes for Mac: iTunes got a major UI overhaul last year. I love it, but feel that a dark theme is needed, along with a few new features and UI tweaks. This might actually happen, as it’s been about a year since iTunes 11 was revealed.

    Well, that’s my list. I’ll definitely be watching the keynote live streams on my favourite tech blogs, and be sure to get my thoughts on whatever transpires shortly after.

     

  • 40 000 Words Up

    This is going to be a short post – I just felt I needed to write it. It’s about the manuscript I’m working on. I promised myself I wouldn’t talk publicly about it until I’d finished it. But right now, I’m quite proud of where I’ve gotten. Amidst severe bouts of procrastination, I’ve managed to get to 40 000 words on it.

    And no, I still won’t tell you what it’s about just yet.

    But in the words of the great Bard himself:

    “I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.”
    ― William Shakespeare

    Flying at the 40 000 word altitude is both scary and compelling. Scary because it means I’m crossing the Rubicon here – there’s no point of return, I need to get it done. I’m almost, almost there at the target mark now. Compelling because, well, this final set of 10 000 words is going to take me to the place I’ve been yearning to be at for years now, as I’ve struggled with the challenges of writing on a much longer form than I’m used to. But hey, I do like this place in the writing journey, and I could indeed see myself wasting a lot of time in it. Which is a reminder that I should actually get on with it, and finish the damn thing already.

    I’ve got the wisps of an idea for another book – totally unrelated to the one I’m currently writing, and once I finish this manuscript, I’ll probably begin plotting that one.

    I’ve learned a lot from this process, from the many false starts and frustrations, to the actual sitting-down-and-reading-reading-reading-reading a lot about the craft, to the act of writing itself. I feel a lot more confident approaching the next project, but I’ll cross that bridge after I’ve completed my trek through the murky waters of this current book.

    All for now.

  • 4 Future Box Office Giants

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    Every year I compile a list of film releases that I’m looking forward to seeing. So this is a mere interlude (I’ll still write the 2014 list either at the end of this year, or early next year), but I felt compelled to write it since there have been some major announcements for franchises that I enjoy, many of them remakes that I’m curious to see the modern interpretations thereof.

    These movies are also sure to be box office smash-hits, given that they’re from existing (and successful) franchises. Whether they’re going to be cinematic masterpieces (highly doubtful in this realm of popcorn cinema) doesn’t matter: because they’re going to be damn fun to watch. I can’t wait.

    Batman vs. Superman, or Man of Steel II

    Starring Ben Affleck (aka Batfleck). ’nuff said. Also, it’s going to be the first time Batman and Superman share screen time together. I’m not expecting  Christopher Nolan-eque quality here, but I did enjoy Man of Steel and a sequel is much appreciated from this blogger.

    Jurassic World

    I’ll admit I was terrified of those CGI dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. But I was just a kid then. And the news that a new film in this franchise is under way is great news; it gives me a reason to re-watch the old ones (and marvel at how far we’ve come in CGI tech… and how inaccurate our ideas of dinosaurs were back then. Granted, they still won’t be 100% scientifically accurate in Jurassic World, but they’re sure to be 100% better animated this time round).

    Star Wars Episode 7

    Probably the most-contested film on this list, Star Wars Episode VII will be the first film produced under the Disney banner, without Lucas directing. There’s so much that could go wrong here (and as the picture above notes, “It’s a Mouse Trap”). But there’s also a lot to look forward to: J J Abrams, director of the reboot of Star Trek is, in my opinion, a good choice – as long as he lays off the lens flares. Lucasfilm is still involved (albeit with heavy steering from Disney this time), and hey – more Star Wars! That’s a good thing, right? I recently read that they’ve chosen to film it on 35mm film, and use physical models in lieu of CGI, in attempts to keep this sequel trilogy as visually consistent with the original trilogy. That’s a bold decision, but one I’m sure many fans will welcome after the smorgasbord of wham-pow! effects in the prequels. Whatever transpires, one thing is certain: this particular Star Wars film will be one of the biggest releases of 2015.

    Godzilla

    The kaiju to end all kaijus is coming back. And this time it’s set to be even better: this film will tell the origin story of the famous monster as a “terrifying force of nature.” Set to release on May 16, 2014, we can be sure to expect spectacular CGI. According to Legendary Pictures:  “An epic rebirth to Toho’s iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world’s most famous monster hero against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.” Sounds like fun.

    So those are the films I’m really looking forward to in the long run. Be sure to check out my “2014 in Film” list, which I’ll post on Pixelated Thinking around December 2013/January 2014.