catching up..

Iron Man is the latest Marvel comic book hero to be made into a movie. The movie story is somewhat similar to the comic book origin of Iron Man, but adapted to the present day and age. The 2 hour long movie is rated PG-13 and has already made a killing in the box office. It has also gotten mostly favorable reviews, for the simple fact that it is an entertaining action film. Robert Downey Jr. makes a good Tony Stark/Iron Man and the rest of the cast give adequate support. Stan Lee also has his usual cameo appearance.
If you are planing to watch it, finish the credits because there is still a scene at the end (hinting at a sequel)...


I also watched the animated DragonLance (Dragons of Autumn Twilight) DVD movie recently. It features the voices of Kiefer Sutherland, Lucy Lawless, and Michael Rosenbaum among others. Being a fan of the DragonLance series as well as being a D&D gamer, I was able to tolerate the low-rate animation and instead focused on the story itself. It has been ages since I last read the book it was based on but the movie really tried to stay true to the original. I was thinking that the probable rationale behind this animated movie was really to see how it would look like if it was made into a real action movie (remember the animated LOTR movies before the Peter Jackson's blockbuster Trilogy?)...


I received this book as a birthday gift... Now, Discover Your Strenths Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton. I don't really understand why I was given the book but I read it anyway.

This (management) book essentially states that "each person's greatest room for growth is in the area of his or her greatest strength". Based on the authors' research at the Gallup Organization on more than a million respondents, they were able to glean this management strategy that has been employed by most successful managers. Instead of focusing on one's weaknesses and trying to overcome these, the book focuses on how to know your strengths and then how to put these to work in a strength-based organization. There is a online component of the book at www.strengthsfinder.com where answering a questionnaire can reveal your top 5 strengths/talents.
According to that online survey, my (top) 5 strengths and a short description of what they mean:
1. Restorative - I love to solve problems.
2. Input - I am inquisitive.
3. Learner - I love to learn.
4. Analytical - I challenge other people to prove their ideas.
5. Intellection - I like to think.