So I've figured out that typing stuff in "title" doesn't work. Great feature.

Shaun and I have officially expired. Best Before 3-08-07. But in this death, we find new life. It's because we're actually Phoenix Gods that came to earth in human form.

Okay, not exactly, but that's the general idea. When a phoenix dies, it bursts into flame. From the ashes, a new bird is born. The legend is said to have originated from ravens that held their feathers over smoking ash, as a way to defend against parasites. This gave the impression of a bird rising from the ashes, thus the phoenix legend was born. That's what I read anyway. There are probably many different theories, but I like this one.

Apart from that, today was interesting enough. We managed to get a few thoughts through, came up with a few ideas. We're not going to tell you, though. It's 'cause it's a secret(shh). So ahem, umm, LOOK OVER THERE! I'M CHANGING THE SUBJECT! Inconspicously, too. Just look away.

Need... topic... thinking... umm... uhh... BOOK REVIEW!

Yes, yes. I recently obtained a copy of Angels & Demons, by Dan Brown. The same guy who wrote the controversial The Da Vinci Code. Again, it was about the Catholic Church, a bunch of scientists, and a very insane group of people. Plus Robert Langdon. Who doesn't love Langdon? An aging Havard symbologist who has eidetic memory and wears Harris Tweeds! And the image portrayed by Tom Hanks in the movie was very fitting, if you ask me.

The basic plot was that a physicist had just found a way to prove Genesis, the creation of the universe, the world, and us. But this is no ordinary physicist. As a devout Catholic, he believed that physics is God's language, the way he interpreted the universe. But his method of proving religion, which involved creating tiny universes, also had a curious by-product: Antimatter. The exact opposite of everything around us. When antimatter comes into contact with matter, it instantaneously annhilates itself and the matter it touches, releasing phenomenal amounts of energy with it. The maker of this amazing substance was murdered, and a deadly sample of antimatter was stolen from him, apparently by an ancient group known as the Illuminati. WOAH THEY DIDN'T RED-LINE THAT. The Illuminati were a secret group of scientists that existed centuries ago, and were enemies of the Catholic Church. Because the Catholics didn't like science, saying that it was blasphemous and untrue. They still do it today, which annoys me...

So Robert Langdon and the daughter of the physicist flew to Vatican City, where the stolen sample of Antimatter was supposedly hidden. Some plot to crater St. Peter's Basilica. By the Illuminati, or so it seemed. The Illuminati had a rather wicked yet amazingly impressive way of showing their power. This day was the day when the papal election thingies began. Four cardinals were kidnapped, and each brutally murdered with such clever methods. The ancient scientists believed that the four elements were Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. One for each cardinal. The Wind one is the best. Yes, I'm a sadist. But you can't deny the cleverness of it.

Oh, but at the end... A twist! Apparently there's someone on the Church's side... who's behind it all! It's all a giant, yet elegant plot, designed to convert people to Christianity.

The excellent use of ambigrams(symbols that look the same when rotated 180), the clever application of quantum physics, and the reference to the Hassassin, make Angels & Demons a wonderful read, especially if you love hidden paths and mysteries. If you havn't already read this novel, just go pick it up and begin reading. Excellent plot, excellent wordplay, great description and full of mystery. It's like, Harry Potter 7, where Harry is a middle-aged American and the Catholic Church somehow finds its way into the story.

Rated unprofessionally, Angels & Demons gets a
9/10 for plot
9/10 for character development
9/10 for description
10/10 for being written by Dan Brown.

In short, excellent book. *Waves hand in the style of Obi-Wan* Get the book, and read it, you will. /Jedi Mind Trick.

And to close off, here's a lovely Haiku for everyone:



Trying to encompass the world,
Joe