Love That Hurt... Part 2

He is late yet again. It has been a week since the last doctor visit. Her condition has been getting progressively worse. I don’t know what the lab test results say. I hope everything is ok. We should be leaving else we will miss the appointment.
On reaching the hospital we make our way to the examination room.
“Yes, what seems to be the problem” asks the doctor looking through his spectacles, silently judging me.
Disregarding his piercing gaze I reply, “The symptoms have become worse. She now has nightmares during the day. She wakes up screaming during her afternoon naps. She somehow doesn’t seem to have that problem in the night. Her fever is back, and the medicine you gave just isn’t working.”
“Is that all? Or have anymore symptoms presented themselves?”
“Yes, there is one other thing. Her left hand pinky keeps twitching every now and then. Doctor, I am really worried, please, I beg you …..”
“I will certainly look into it. The new symptoms make this a very serious case. The lab test results are completely normal which makes this case all the more dangerous. It could be an unknown infection. We better admit you daughter immediately and keep her under observation. I would very much like it if you could provide all her previous medical records”
I nearly let out sign of relief but satisfy myself with a smile. Ammu is finally going to be admitted and treated well. Thank God! Her efforts are not in vain.
Vicky hands over her file to the doctor who on examining it exclaims, “Good God! I am your tenth doctor in six months.”
Vicky says, “My wife sometimes worries too much about Ammu. She says none of the doctors take a good look at Ammu, everyone is always sure that there is nothing wrong with her. So she practically has searched out all the doctors in this city.”
“That I must agree.” Says Narayan who then turns to me and says, “You know your daughter is actually fine. I was going to admit her for your satisfaction.”
I was both shocked and enraged. I say, “What the hell do you mean? My satisfaction!? Ammu is sick. She is so sick, she has nightmares. She is in pain, just look at her. Can’t you tell that she is in pain? How can all of you people be so insensitive?”
“I don’t mean to offend you, but surely you must understand that no doctor can treat the deadliest disease that never existed! After last weeks visit, I did a little probing myself and found quite a few interesting things.” He then turns to Vicky and asks, “Is she normal otherwise? As in, with regard to matters that do not involve Ammu and her health is she rational?”
Vicky at first looks surprised by the doctor’s behavior but calmly replies, “No, she is otherwise fine.”
Narayan lets out a small snigger of victory and turn to me and says, “I’ll tell you a small story. Baron von Munchausen a German who served in the military until 1750. After returning home he supposedly told a number of outrageous tall tales about his adventures. According to the stories, as retold by others, the Baron's astounding feats included riding cannonballs, traveling to the Moon, and escaping from a swamp by pulling himself up by his own hair. Well, the moral of the story is that a disorder has been named after the Baron, called……”
I can’t take anymore of this, so I yell, “This is bullshit. What has this got to do with anything at all? Are you even a doctor?”
Narayan coolly says, “I am perfectly sane, are you? Tell me, what are you feeding Ammu? Why are you poisoning her yourself and then saying she is ill? Is it the attention? Do you feel that your daughter needs sympathy from everyone?”
Vicky looks at me confused and in a quivering voice asks, “Please explain your self Dr. Narayan, this is not something to joke about.”
“This is not a joke, there is only one patient here, and that is your wife. She is suffering from Munchausen syndrome by proxy. It is a dangerous disorder wherein injury is deliberately and gradually inflicted upon someone to gain attention or for some other benefit.”
Vicky still quivering, “Even if what you are saying is true, you imply that my wife poisoned Ammu just to get her treated again!? That’s more messed up than most serial killer movies I have seen!”
Narayan says, “Believe me or not, but eventually you will have to face the facts. Why the symptoms almost never appear when you are around. Even if they do, it’s mostly one or at most two of large list of symptoms your wife provided me with and in lesser intensity. If you would have monitored the usage of my prescribed medicine you might have noticed the over use, which would explain why the lab reports show toxins and over use of the medicines. Your wife is sick, its best you save your daughter before she eventually kills her!”

What do these people think I am? Some kind of monster? They don’t understand how I feel. Ammu is my precious daughter. She is special. Such special kids must be looked after very well, not by me in this germ filled home. But those doctors would not take her in. I had to get her to a safe place until she would be strong enough to take on these infections, bacteria, fungi, virus, etc. Our world is not safe for Ammu. How would these imbeciles understand this?
How can a mother’s love hurt?

Love That Hurt… Part 1

He is late again. I wish he didn’t do that, not when there was so much going on. Now that granny had passed away, for the last eight months I have had to take care of Ammu all by myself. I wish he would be more supportive, at least now when the symptoms were repeating themselves. Ammu was coughing out so loud that I thought, God forbid, her intestines would burst out. There was some blood as well, on the inner lining of her mouth. Well, when a two year old is so sick, you put her in ICU and make sure she is safe. But no! When granny was here she would always shoo off the symptoms as very minor issues and sometimes even say that I was exaggerating. I was exaggerating! Could I be cared for any lesser? I wish that now that granny was not around, not that I had hoped for her death, it would be much easier to get my word through to him and those doctors. Those damn doctors who wouldn’t care to take a second glance at Ammu. Those self-assured, heartless, bas…. God! Even I have been forced to stoop down to this level. Anyway, I hope at least today my voice is accounted for. After all, the blood, the coughing fit and her twitching fingers ought to convince him and those doctors how sick Ammu is. I think he is back, I hope he hasn’t forgotten to pick up the cooking supplies I ordered through the phone this morning.

“Hey, how was your day? Oh look what we have here Ammu. Do you like your new toy?” says Vicky who is overly cheerful.
“Terrible”, doesn’t he realize how pale Ammu is. I yell, “Vicky, are you even a human being?”
“What? What’s gotten into you?”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed how sick Ammu is! She coughed so much that she bled out of her mouth. She was running high temperature and she looks so pale! You don’t need to look so surprised. Just help me take her to the hospital; we have an appointment with the doctor at seven.”
“Ok. Let’s leave immediately” says Vicky.

We didn’t talk on the way. I was worried sick of Ammu. It looked like she wanted to tell how much pain she was in, but just couldn’t because the pain silenced her into suffocated sobs. Just looking made me depressed. Why the hell wouldn’t the damn doctor take a proper look at her? If only she had been properly diagnosed six months back, all this trouble would have been prevented.

“We are here for the 7 o’clock appointment with Dr. Narayan.”
The receptionist monotonously replies “You may take this corridor. It’s the second last door to the left.”

“Yes. What seems to be the problem?” enquires a very obese bespectacled doctor who must be Dr. Narayan.
I reply, “Ammu has had a severe coughing fit today. I noticed blood on the inner lining of her mouth. She has had high fever in the morning.”
“Has she exhibited these symptoms before?”
“Yes, in fact she has had on and off episodes for the last month.”
“Then why wasn’t this brought to my notice earlier? Anyway, let me examine her. She seems to have normal temperature now. Her breathing is quite stable. Has she coughed in the last hour or so?”
Vicky interjects, “No doctor, I don’t believe so.”
I plea, “But doctor, this is perhaps the third time this week. I have also observed difficulty in her breathing, like asthma.”
Vicky whispers to me “You didn’t tell me that!”
Yeah right! When will he learn to see what is obviously in front of him. God save this family. I wish that Ammu gets through all of this.
After a few minutes the Doctor announces, “Ammu might be showing rudimentary signs of asthma, I will prescribe medicines for the breathing problem. As for the fever, since she has no sign of it now, in case the temperature crosses 100 degrees give her this tablet dissolved in water and a sponge bath.”
We didn’t talk much on the way back. I only wished that Ammu was taken in by the hospital. It was perhaps the best thing for her at the moment, but the doctor yet again had sent her back; at least this time with some prescriptions.

On Oil Prices, Inflation and Sustainable Development

This article is the child of a discussion me and a few of my friends had recently. The arguement was basically about whether oil prices in India should be subsidised or not and are these prices and inflation related.

First a few graphs:




First graph shows the inflation pattern over the last few years, the second shows where we are compared to the world and the third is perhaps what caught my attention the most; credit and deposits variation over the years. Clearly they point out the same thing; that somehow whatever stock markets rises we have experienced in the last 10 years has not been out of sustainable development. We suddenly opened our doors to the global contenders and that has had an adverse affected our economy. How many students today opt for courses like B.Sc in Agricultural Sciences? We are a big nation, we cant possibly mimic countries like Japan, France, Germany etc. They can forgo agriculture and concentrate completely on processing industries. We on the other hand have such great raw material resources which are now left to waste silently or exported to some other country where they add huge value to it and sell it back to us. The students cant be blamed either, they want job safety and will take up paths that get them there. Nobody can worry about the nation with a hungry stomach unless its a revolution. The way I see it, we are not amidst any revolution, rather we are caught in global currents and being drawn into serious troubled waters.

One more interesting graph would be :

Education has been the worst hit. Inflation in tuition fees means people will opt out of higher studies. With engineering colleges springing up like mushrooms all over cities, how many students can actually be employed? Though loans are available, without jobs students can do nothing but see the interest piling up.

Thanks to the banking policies where getting loans are often more easier than opening a savings account. They play on our disires and we make our lives more and more miserable by giving in.


At the end of the day, if this were to be just a phase, then we could have held on tight to the ship. But if were have been sailing without a bottom all along, then what element of truth exists in all the passionate statements made about our country's progress? I still feel, though with all the emotionless policies, China has done much better. Sustainable development has lost its meaning completely. Bangalore has had such a huge influx of the poor from Bihar, UP etc that I am tempted to say that slums in Bangalore will surely compete with Mumbai, soon enough. With growing disparity, if the economical policies are not balanced then there is no hope for more than 70% of the population. Only a small class of city dwellers have had such a hike in their purchasing power that even if oil prices are doubled they would still be coughing out smoke with their sedans.

A few methods we thought were reasonable were:
1) Remove subsidy on oil for private use, but subsidise public transport and household LPG. That way we could reduce unnecessary usage of oil for personal comfort yet keep common men afloat.
2) Increase the taxes in MNC's.
3) Improve the food storage. So much of food material rots in basements while people go hungry in India. The distribution and storage is incorrigible.
4) We are going for N-Deal but we have so much scope to improve our powere distribution grids. The the transmission losses if reduced can light up many more villages and reduce load shedding.

Suicide Bomber, Terrorist, Nuclear Silo, America and our Future.....

Referring to the movie Freedom Writers, though it may be only about kids from a ghetto, in the light of recent events in Bangalore, the unrest in people in different parts of the world has a similar motivation. Be it terrorists or the kid in school brandishing a gun or anybody for that matter, human beings always fight to protect what they believe is their own. Many times the cause is far too trivial and is even forgotten in the years of animosity. People have been fighting wars since the birth of life, the battleground is the only thing that has changed in thousands of years of civilisation. It is disheartening to realise that till today we haven't been able to solve the differences that motivate people to go to the extent of suicide bombing. I agree that sometimes the reasons are complicated but definitely most of them arise from the shortsighted narrow outlook people harbour. The physical or religious differences being the most often ones. I suppose sustained tolerance may be impossible but indifference isn't a bad option either.

One way of looking at this could be that we are made this way and will remain this way so that we perish eventually, because of ourselves. One could argue that being part of nature, how can we put human beings above its laws. True, the animals inside us may never die, but that doesnt mean we cave into a shallow arguement like that and give up.
The philosophy of the movie Freedom Writers as I understand is to take stock of things for ourselves rather than be caught up in a web of war where everything we do adds to the tumbling pile of mud sinking us deeper and deeper. Even today places like Kashmir, Jerusalem, Tibet, etc are war ridden. The one thing our planet cannot bear are nuclear scars. Racism, money and now OIL! I definitely feel that the youth today are in the dark, where tomorrow can be a paradise or a battlefield. All the development we boast off is only the bright happy side of the coin. The other face is always left in shadows.

The form of colonialism openly practiced in the last few centuries is now in a different disguise. Economic oppression has left countries with lesser resources or developing/under-developed countries hugely dependant on other countries. America, I feel are no different from the Islamic terrorists, as they too find ridiculous excuses to wage wars (In the name of democracy! Thats a load of BS) or they already have made the countries economically dependant so the Government there bends to their wishes. Infact I wonder who is to be blamed more for the current turmoil, America or the Islamic terrorists.

America even go to the extent of saying that they would go ahead with the N-Deal with India even if there is a minority Government! As long as they get benifitted, let the world rot, who the hell cares?
One can only hope that people settle their differences rather than pile up hatred into another world war.

There are a few lines from the movie that are really touching:
Miep Gies: You are the heroes. You are heroes every day. But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room.

Freedom Writers (2007)

Freedom Writers is a 2007 movie starring Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey and others. Erin Gruwell (Swank) gets the job of teaching English for freshman year in Wilson High School. She is faced with a group of students racially divided who have mutual hatred and also disrespect her. In one of her classes she catches a few students making fun of an African American student by drawing a caricature of him with a fat lip. She then describes how Jews were suppressed in the same way and talks on about how a holocaust happens.



The exact words being:
Maybe we should talk about art. Tito's got real talent, don't you think? You know something? I saw a picture just like this once, in a museum. Only it wasn't a black man, it was a Jewish man. And instead of the big lips he had a really big nose, like a rat's nose. But he wasn't just one particular Jewish man. This was a drawing of all Jews. And these drawings were put in the newspapers by the most famous gang in history. You think you know all about gangs? You're amateurs. This gang will put you all to shame. And they started out poor and angry and everybody looked down on them. Until one man decided to give them some pride, an identity... and somebody to blame. You take over neighborhoods? That's nothing compared to them. They took over countries. You want to know how? They just wiped out everybody else. Yeah, they wiped out everybody they didn't like and everybody they blamed for their life being hard. And one of the ways they did it was by doing this: see, they print pictures like this in the newspapers, Jewish people with big, long noses... blacks with big, fat lips. They'd also published scientific evidence that proved that Jews and blacks were the lowest form of human species. Jews and blacks were more like animals. And because they were just like animals it didn't matter if they lived or died. In fact, life would be a whole lot better if they were all dead. That's how a holocaust happens. And that's what you all think of each other.

When she asks the class if they knew what that holocaust was, except for the sheepish yes of the only white student in the classroom, nobody had any idea. The movie then is mostly about how she gets the students to read Anne Frank's Diary amongst other books. The students finally begin to relate to all these literary works and slowly calm the anger built into them over many years. She also encourages them to write their thoughts in a diary and finally compile is calling is The Freedom Writers Diary as a reference to Freedom Riders (who were the black and white civil rights activists who were the first to test out the U.S. Supreme Court decision to desegregate the interstate buses in 1961) and Freedom Fighters.



The movie has been based on a book The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them by The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell.

There are many quotes in the movie that leave a deep impact. Some of my favourite one's were:
Jamal: At sixteen, I've seen more bodies than a mortician. Every time I step out my door I face the risk of being shot. To the rest of the world it's just another dead body on a street corner. They don't know that he was my friend.

Brandy: In every war, there is an enemy. I watched my mother being hlaf-beaten to death, and watched as bloodand tears streamed down her face. I felt useless and scared, and furious at the same time. I can still feel the sting of the belt on my back and my legs. One time he couldn't pay the rent. That night he stopped us on the street and pointed to the concrete. He said, "pick a spot."

Marcus: Clive was my boy. He had my back plenty of times. Me and him was like one fist. One army.
[Clive pulls a gun out of a paper bag and accidentally shoots himself]
Marcus: I sat there until the police came. But when they come, all they see is a dead body, a gun, and a nigger. They took me to juvenile hall. First night was the scariest. Inmates banging on the walls, throwing up gang signs, yelling out who they were and where they from. I cried my first night. I never let anybody know that. I spent the next few years in and out of cells. Every day I worry, when will I be free?

On the whole, it is a very touching and an inspirational movie. A must see.

The Killers - Hot Fuss (2004)

After leaving Blush Responce (a synthpop band), Brandon Flowers (vocals, keyboards) teamed up with David Keuning (guitars, vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass, vocals), Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums) formed The Killers. Often described as the "Best British band to have come out of America", The Killers is a post-punk rock band influenced by british bands and the music from the 80s.

Their album Hot Fuss, released in 2004, peaked the Billboard Top 200 albums at #7 with the smah hits Somebody Told Me and Mr. Brightside both peaking at #3 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks.

Two of the songs on the album Jenny Was a Friend of Mine and Midnight Show are a continuing story along with Leave the Bourbon On The Shelf from their 2007 compilation album Sawdust, are known as the Murder Trilogy. The band have also said they may expand this in the future.

Hot Fuss is one of those rare albums which contain very simple music and poetic lyrics that get stuck in our minds. The kind of tunes that you would hum on and on and on. They use an interesting processesor patch for the vocals and their instruments. It gives a slight retro touch to the recording.

If you are looking for some music to jump around to, or just sing along with, Hot Fuss is a great album for that. Their music can be found on http://www.index-of-mp3.net/artist/Ki/Killers/

or a few are up for direct download at http://over93.free.fr/MUSIQUES/

Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side (2006)

Amon Amarth is a swedish death metal band who usually use Viking themes for their songs. They get their name from one of the places in Tolkien's Middle-Earth. It translates to Mount Doom in Sindarin (one of Tolkien's Elvish languages). Like any other death metal band, the songs are punctuated with deep growls and powerful lyrics. Backed by decent guitarists and one kick ass drummer, their music definitely leaves an impression.



The album With Oden On Our Side released in 2006 was their 6th studio album and the 1st to make it to Billboard Charts. Like most Scandinavian metal bands, their listeners were limited to scandinavian countries only. But they gained a lot of popularity in the U.S. with this particular album.

Their lyrics tend to be quite poetic, simple yet fitting. Personally I don't usually enjoy growling, but I guess this band along with Wintersun are the exceptions. The drumming in the song With Oden On Our Side along with others is very impressive.

When Johan Hegg (vocals) was asked what the album's name meant. He said "Well, it kind of has several meanings to it. Oden is of course the highest god in Scandinavian mythology, and he's the god of warfare, wisdom, poetry and artistry. The reason we chose the title is that it suited the lyrical concepts of the album and signified the feeling we had during the writing and recording of the album. We literally felt as if we had the Gods on our side."

Album Art: the three overlapped triangles (valknut) points to the Germanic Alamanni tribe's flag insignia. The font seen on the sides of the triangles show ancient Runic letters that were used by Germanic tribes, showing strong relation to the Dark Age warring tribes.

You could check out thier songs at: http://www.jumpgates.com/matthias/music/music_gothic_angel/Amon%20Amarth/With%20Oden%20On%20Our%20Side/
Also a very interesting Lord of the Rings video with Gods Of War Arise as its background can be found on youtube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0XcZAuTZNM
If not the whole album I would suggest any rock lover to atleast listen to Gods Of War Arise. Its one awesome song.

4 Non Blondes - Bigger, Better, Faster, More... (1992)

Consisting of four women: Linda Perry (vocals), Shaunna Hall (guitar), Christa Hillhouse (bass), and Wanda Day (drums), 4 Non Blondes is a pop rock, one hit wonder. Their song "Whats Up!" peaked at 11 on the Billboard Top 200. Formed in 1989 following an ad by Linda Perry in the newspaper looking for female musicians, it didn't last long beyond their first album. 1995, Linda Perry released her solo album "In Flight" and went on to release another solo album "After Hours" in 1998. Linda Perry is still an active song writer and composer.

The album Bigger, Better, Faster, More .... has very impressive vocals. Linda Perry has always been acclaimed for her variations and high pitched vocals. Songs like Superfly, Whats Up!, Pleasantly Blue and Dear Mr. President have a pop rock and blues touch to them. Influenced by Led Zeppelin, 4 Non Blondes have a unique style of their own. The music itself is quite rich unlike most all girl bands which tend to sound like other regular mainstream pop bands. Sadly the band could not use its potential, swaying too much with the popularity currents and not capitalizing opportunities it remained a one hit wonder.

A few of their songs can be found at http://ironwarez.info/mp3z/indexed4/

Farewell....

Rustling leaves, a cool breeze;

Life passed on with ease.....

All the rules were meant for fools.

Mischievous, weren't we?".

Excited 'bout the days with no school...

Just waiting for a chance to break free.

Some might consider them wasted years,

But others remember them with joyful tears.

We bid Adieu, this one last time......

For each of our songs will always have a new rhyme.

Good friends we've made over the years....

Will now part ways in tears.

For a new future; the past, we must sell.

With solemn faces we bid each other farewell....

Memoir Of A Memory: Chapter 1 - Cube

The weather was really bad. Night was not the problem; in fact it was of great help, but the rain could become troublesome. He knew that this was not going to be easy, especially with the downpour.
It was a little after 10. He had less than two hours to get the job done because at 12 was the end of the day he thought. “End of the day” he mused; yet he knew it was no joke. Nobody could laugh at time and get away with it.
The wall was not going to be a problem, nor was the way to the main chamber. He had been here many times, but for legitimate reasons. This time was different. He still couldn’t believe what had happened that evening. Nobody in his position would have.
How could The Root be compromised! It was the inner core of The Delta. He silently cursed his luck as he slowly looked beyond the ditch that had been his hiding place for the past half hour. A flash of lightening illuminated TBRS Headquarters written on the granite board next to the eastern gate. Another damn cliché, I must stop watching those spy flicks he thought. A couple of guards who had been there for the last 15 minutes smoking were now moving away. This was it. He checked the battery charge on his equipment. It should last for a couple of hours. He removed a small remote with a touch screen and activated his suit that closely resembled a scuba divers suit. He started to slowly blend into the background until a point when only his eyes were decipherable when open. He started moving swiftly yet soundlessly towards the wall. He knew he was the only one who could pull this off. He had been trained for this after all!
Luckily, The TBRS never really had any sense alarms, which would go off if anyone spoke or touched anything important nor did it have any heat sensors or surveillance cameras. It was the headquarters for the Time Balance Regulation Services, TBRS in short. Surely nobody with the right mind ever planned on breaking into the TBRS. They were, in layman terms, called Time Police who regularly traveled through time to catch criminals. They were the best there was and known to be quite ruthless. If people traveled through time the world as we know changes. Their mere presence creates a parallel universe. But that was before TBRS came into the picture.

He quitely scaled the wall and landed softly on the other side. He had counted 5 officers scouting the perimeter and an officer stationed on the first floor and the terrace. They were all armed with automatics and night vision equipment. What use did it have when the enemy was a chameleon! He walked calmly towards the nearest door absolutely undetected, entered the access code and swiped a fake id in the slot next to the keypad. The door slid open. He thanked his paranoia for the hundredth time that evening.
He quickly moved through the atrium and entered a door almost hidden in the recess at the left corner. Nobody could have spotted the door unless they knew exactly where it was. The narrow passageway took him into the main chamber. There was nobody there. This was unusual, something was wrong. He knew there was no way in hell that this could be so simple yet right at the other end of the atrium was the safe box in which was what he sought.
The Cube.
Dr. Arielle Andréa and her team had developed the Time Cube to solve that problem. Now people could travel through time without disturbing anything as long as the traveler stuck to the certain rules. In fact she was the sole reason for Delta to even have a fighting chance. As he thought about the Cube his mind started to get clouded by the thoughts about Delta, The Root, his friends…. and Arielle. A bitter train of thoughts. There was no happiness in them. He has lost them all. In his reverie he almost destroyed the only hope left, if it wasn’t for a guard’s loud snore. For a moment his heart froze. He slowly surveyed the ceiling only to see that it was transparent like glass unlike during the day and also somehow even sound of the snoring guard sitting on a desk in the corner could also be heard. Immediately he realized that the ceiling was not transparent, in fact it was absent. The guard’s table was the only thing to be supported. This room amplified sound. The roof that was present by the day would absorb the sound waves making it a normal room. But without it even a pin drop would be like ringing a doorbell. The snore that he had been listening to all this while was just the guard breathing, he could now see him slowly scan the outside through a small window next to him. He turned on his anti-gravity shoes again thanking his paranoia for saving him from trouble. Though they were called antigravity shoes, they actually were variable polarity magnets that would align itself opposite to the earth’s magnetic field thereby using the repulsive force to slightly rise above the ground.
He moved to the other end of the chamber and slowly lifted the safe box from its place in a small compartment in the wall. He had to be very careful not to make any sound. The soft padding on his gloves helped muffle even the slightest of the sounds. The guard was still looking out of the window. Its time to get out of here he thought as he looked into his watch. 10:40. He quickly started to head back through the way he had come in.
Within no time he was over the wall and away from the headquarters. The guard had still not noticed the missing box. That was too easy he smiled uneasily, this must be where luck turned its tide he thought when suddenly the alarm went off. The guard must have realized that the box was missing. He cursed under his breath as started to sprint towards his transport, a mini jet.

It was only by 11 that he was with the box in his jet and at a safe distance from the headquarters. They had not picked up his trail. Putting the jet on autopilot he started to hack the code to open the safe box. Within 10 minutes he was through. Proclaimed the best, not for nothing eh, he mused. He now had less than 50 minutes to do whatever was left to do as per the plan. That would be more than sufficient. He still couldn’t believe it, how could this have happened to The Core? How did it come down to this? Well he had to put the plan into action. There was no turning back now. He was going to use the cube to go back in time. But this time he was not going to do it by the book. He was going to break the rule on purpose.

He was going to create a parallel universe....

Shawn Lane - Powers Of Ten (1992)

Shawn Lane (1963-2003) born in Memphis, Tennessee; began learning guitar at the age of 10. By then he had spent quite some time learning piano, but decided that guitar would be his natural instrument. He along with bassist Jonas Hellborg have worked on many album between 1995 and 2003. This guitar virtuoso suffered from psoriasis and arthritis through out his life, which made walking very difficult. In 2003 he passed away in a hospital in Memphis.


Shawn Lane is best know for his solo album Powers Of Ten released in 1992. Most of the music was composed on Piano initially as he considered it his main writing instrument. Like most virtuoso guitarists Shawn Lane's compositions are very vivid. Unlike regular virtuoso instrumentalists he had 2 instruments with which he was proficient. The Piano compositions on Powers Of Ten are very impressive. He preferred keeping the music quite soft, using distortion in a very pleasant manner. The composition very often have jazz and progressive elements in them. Songs like Not Again, West Side Boogie and Paris cover a wide range of musical styles. To me, he is an artist who closely resembles Eric Johnson. On the whole a must try for people interested in instrumental music.

Shawn Lane auditioned for the lead guitarist spot in the band Black Oak Arkansas at the age of 14. Youtube has a video of him shredding at the age of 16. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXADYMCreLg Shawn Lane matured from that point on and went on to be a virtuoso.

The Tri-Tone Fascination is another of his solo albums that is quite interesting. Unlike Power Of Ten this album is slightly less palatable, although the album lives upto ones expectations.

Spheric Universe Experience - Anima (2007)

Vince Benaim (guitarist) with his friends Sam (drummer) and John Drai (bassist) came together to form Gates of Delirium in 1999. It was only by 2001 that keyboardist Fred Colombo and vocalist Alex joined in to form a complete band and was renamed as Amnesya. In August 2002, the band split because of musical disagreements leaving Vince, John and Fred to continue under the name of Spheric Universe Experience (S.U.E.) with Franck Garcia as the new vocalist. Thus an awesome, yet unheard of, French progressive metal band was born. Influenced by bands like Dream Theater, Symphony X, Angra and even older progressive bands like Pink Floyd, S.U.E. has magically combined progressive metal with a tinge of jazz and classical to produce something brilliant. Keyboardist Fred Colombo adds a symphonic touch to complex riffs built in very interesting time signatures.

Their album Anima (2007) is perhaps the best progressive album in recent times. The songs have deep lyrical sense and are quite poetic. Songs like The Key and End Of Trauma have odd time signatures while Black Materia has Fred running along chromatic scales. It takes some time to actually get used to their sense of music, which at first might appear absurd. On the whole, it is a treat for the progressive metal lovers but it may not be very palatable for the newbies.

A montage on the song Being uploaded on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWs52NTkJp8 is a must see.

They have an older album called Mental Torment (2005) which has always been unavailable to me untill now. I've heard to the song Burning Box Gala for which is an instrumental and it definitely speaks tons about the album itself. With great expectations I leave its review pending for now.

Wintersun - Wintersun (2004)

Wintersun is a band conceived and nurtured solely by Jari Mäenpää (ex-Ensiferum frontman). He employed only a session drummer (Kai Hahto) to perform the drums and percussion, while he himself performed the vocals, bass, guitars and synthesizer alone in the self-titled album Wintersun released in 2004.
This Finnish band could be superficially classified as melodic death metal, but the musical interludes and lyrics have a progressive touch in them. Jari is pretty crazy to try and do a nearly one man album by ditching Ensiferum (as the dates for the Ensiferum tour and recording dates of Wintersun clashed), but the result is an outstanding album full of harmonic progressions of the guitar and synthesizer, some simple yet elegant riffs and some quite complex. One the whole its a must try for melodic death metal lovers.

In 2008, Wintersun is expected to be back with an album titled Time. This time Jari is not alone. The band now consists of:

• Jari Mäenpää − vocals, guitar (studio keyboards, bass on Wintersun)
• Teemu Mäntysaari − guitar
• Jukka Koskinen − bass
• Kai Hahto − drums

Well I am definately waiting for this one.

http://capo-linux-box.no-ip.org/wintersun/