Music Box & an Electronical Idiot

The 6th day of holiday...hmph...still haunted by the upcoming exam. Yes, Microbiology final exam. The exam is due on January 5th...but I haven't studied anything...just printed out some chapters (yet to be read). I need to make something in order to bring my energy back (thus bring the energy to study)!!!

At first I planned to make a customized music box. I started up by buying a cheap music box to understand the mechanism. I unscrewed the parts, and saw electrical circuit instead of mechanical movement (which I expected). Then I realized they don't sell any mechanical music box in this country. Great. But the mechanical ones are harder to customize than the electronic ones, anyway. So then new idea sparked on my little grey cells to make an electronic music box. I have the PCB image in my head. But the board is just for one note, not the full tune. With my limited mind on electronic matters (I'm an idiot on this) I'd end up with board after board connected by tentacle-like wires to produce 26-notes tune. Why? The mental circuit board is without any IC, so basically a circuit is just for one note. I thought, "I can change the frequency of a tune by adding a different resistor into each circuit. So a tune needs one resistor." Imagine the space needed. Then I came across a shortcut idea. I'd use a recording IC, so it can be connected to play and stop bottom and just done! Great was my joy when I discovered such IC actually exists. I wanted to buy it instantly, but unfortunately it's too pricey (also there's no guarantee that I'd succeed. Most likely I'd screw everything). Until now the project is still pending...

I need magic!

Necroscope: A (Late) Review

I actually bought it in 2006, read it several times, confused, but undoubtedly attracted. I found out that it was written in 1986 by Brian Lumley. I remember I bought it at used books market. It was like waiting for me :p because it was at the bottom of a cardboard box, hidden, not yet sorted by the seller. I hated (or was afraid of) the cover so much so I wrapped it with lime-coloured paper & plastic. I wrote the title, author, owner (me), excerpt (on the back cover) in RUNES. Right, that's stupid, but I wanted to make it less gruesome. But my friends think it's the real cover :D but I haven't made anyone read it, they usually say, "I have another book to read...maybe later" or "It's in English? Yikes...I won't understand" or "Morbidity isn't allowed to enter my brain cells, dear." Okay...

And about the story...it's a parallel between the 2 main characters (the hero & the antagonist), Dragosani & Harry Keogh.
Dragosani is a KGB's ESP agent. His special talent is draining informations from corpses through a morbid, gory mutilation-like process. He got that skill from his 'acquaintance.' When he was a kid, he (sort of) befriended a vampire. This vampire is chained under the hill near Dragosani's home. Dragosani can't see him, but he hears the vampire's voice that teaches him the art of necromancy. It creates tension everytime he visit his vampire friend to learn the nature of the Wamphyrii (vampire in this series, very diverse from your traditional vampire, I assure you). I love the mystery surrounding Dragosani & the Wamphyrii, it's all new concept for me.
Harry is the hero (at least in this book). We first meet him in his elementary days as a daydreamer, hopeless kid. But the math teacher discovers his math-freak brain (through a series of questions, which is one of my fav part in the story)...but the teacher can't understand how Harry suddenly acquires this 'special method of math.' He only knows that Harry's fond of doing his homework in the graveyards. The teacher begins to suspect the truth, but consider it impossible. Then we know his suspicion is true, Harry got his jaw-dropping knowledge from his former dead headmaster! He can speak to the dead, and the dead are willing to speak with him, as he is the only one they can speak with. I guess the dead are bored...

So...the dead love Harry & loathe Dragosani. The two don't even know each other until the (almost) end of the book. But I love the interactions between Dragosani & the vampire the most. Needless to say, Dragosani is my fav character. He's a very complex character, you got vast of his background. Well, everyone got deep backgrounds in the book, that makes the characters believable. Everyone has their own motives. The book's very descriptive. There are murders, schoolboys matters, vampire, espionage, history, maths, all in this book. I hope Mr. Lumley write about Dragosani in his following books, but I know that the hero is Harry (hey, not that I don't like him. I'm planning to buy the 2nd book). Some parts must be censored :p don't mind it, don't mind it, I usually skip it, but not for the morbid parts. I'm used to it now that I'm also a skilled necromancer (rats & toads are my 'patients' for being a pharmacy student) :D

Happy trailing the Mobius contimuum!

Yildiz Palace

One of my middle-eastern dream holiday destination is Turkey. I've never been there, but from what I've heard, the place makes me think of acetylcholine...er I mean it works as a neurotransmitter for the nervous system and also works as a hormone (just having anatomy exam on endocrine :D). Call it double agent, then. Turkey works as an Eastern country, and also a Western one. Probably has been said thousand times. But I love one particular place in Turkey, the Yildiz Palace.

Yildiz Palace was built (or completed) under Abdulhamid II's reign. Modern views on him are much diverse from what people'd see him in his days. 19th century Western papers often cue him as a notorious ruler (but still very clever). Probably because of his Panislamic propaganda, opposing European christendom. Umm...he might also have rather morbid hobbies...decapitating Ottoman nobles (particularly those on the liberal side)...and put prisoners in his underground lairs. Everything you'd expect from reading Poe :p
But today most historians view him as religious, gracious and a generous man. Hmm...amazing to see what time can do for your reputation.

Okay, I'm not much into him, but I like his Yildiz Palace. Abdulhamid II ruled from a nice secluded headquarter, never stepped out of Yildiz, it seemed. So he formed a web of secret agents (kinda like KGB, CIA, British MI6, etc) to bring him news. Polices, spies, special agents in and out the palace through tunnels, secret pasageways. Under the palace is a labyrinth of dungeons, prisons, torture chambers, trapdoors, mysterious rooms, all witness the executions of Abdul's enemies (or maybe his subordinates used it, unbeknown by him). Wow, doesn't need a makeover to make it one of the most sensational residence in the world. There are also these mysterious boxes, perhaps used for safety boxes to hid his money and treasures? Papers buzzed around with rumors of his hidden treasures. After all, the Ottoman was very rich, all that arabian nights lovers dream. Only Abdul and his workmen (Abdul was a skillful carpenter, he made a studio for carpenters to work for him) knew the hiding places. People said there's a chamber under Yildiz lake (a circular lake in the palace ground, it has an island full of animals). Oddly, his workmen died suddenly (or at least people were informed so) after hiding the money. Some money was found inside the furnitures, closed rooms, safety boxes at the beginning of 20th century. Of all his carpenters, Abdul had his favourite, a German carpenter (I've been trying to track his name, but still can't find it) whom he regarded as one of the most amiable and gentlest men he ever met. I have a curious feeling about this mysterious carpenter...or any carpenter worked for Abdul...

I can't post any pictures...unsure of the copyright thingy. But everyone can use Google, and there aren't many pictures on Yildiz. Mom said we'd do umrah next year so I hope I can go to Turkey too, but I don't want to take a tour. I want so much to see the secret passageways and take pictures of them! I'm a bit confused on how do I get to Istanbul from Saudi...the cheapest way...but also safe...?

Preface (no this isn't going to be a book)

Okay...this is my first post. Just testing, I think I'm going to use this blog for my personal use, as a scrapbook of important informations (for me). So it won't be completely my experience. But if other people can take advantages from this I'd be very happy.

As for what I'm going to post, it'll be mostly about lighthouses. Yes, lighthouses. I love it, don't know why. One of my goals in life is finding the perfect lighthouse for a special purpose. I will say it later, but don't laugh because it can be ridiculous. I like travelling too. So I'll post about interesting places I want to go and 'been there, done that' places. It may become subjective, yes. I'm also a pharmacy student. It's very tiring and sometimes (and so all my fellow students) I want to get rid of it ASAP because of the hard pressure. But it also gives me some interesting experiences. I will post about it too. Also ignore my...sometimes obscure...grammar.

So much for introduction. But it won't be just about the above things. Expect random things about various topics. Enjoy!