The Hobbit: An Unexpected Movie

I remember when I watched the first movie of the Lord of The Rings franchise, back in 2001. I was fresh out of the equally first of the Harry Potter movies, and at the time the two franchises were placed against one another in a form of media rivalry ( as it will be later in the future, for Harry Potter vs. Twilight, Twilight vs. the Hunger Games and so on)

The story of the Hobbit

The Hobbit is an extension of The Lord of The Ring, its prequel. Before Frodo set off on his journey to the pits of Mount Doom, the story of Middle Earth wasn't always about the Dark Lord Sauron or the One Ring, though as one may found out, they're interconnected with every other tale in that land. Before the Elves, Men, Dwarves, Hobbits and other creatures of the Light joined forces to protect the kingdom together from their mutual enemies, they very much minded their own businesses. Elves stayed in their forests or valleys, while Hobbits keep to their Shires. Wizards roamed the land, but precious little is known about this unique kind.

Gandalf & Radagast

Dwarves lived in the mountains, as fiercely protective of their domain as Elves were coolly hostile to intruders. In the War of The Ring, dwarves were featured very briefly as an active force against Sauron, taking part in the Battle of Dale alongside the Men of Dale against the Easterlings, but little elsewhere. This, of course, is with the exception of Gimli, a member of Durin's folk which represented the Dwarves in the Fellowship of Nine, and also forged a friendship with the Elf Prince Legolas, personifying the end of the age-old Dwarves-Elves hostility.On the other hand, Dwarves took center stage as the most prominent race throughout the Hobbit.

The Hobbit was set years prior to the events in the Lord of The Rings. We see Bilbo Baggins (far younger than we know in the LOTR movies, played by the delightful Martin Freeman), a well-off hobbit who was enjoying his bachelorhood and the comfort of his home. He encountered Gandalf (still the Grey at present), who unwittingly introduced him to a band of 13 dwarves. These dwarves were led by the grim leader Thorin Oakenshield, on a quest to reclaim their home under the Lonely Mountains, which had been pillaged by the dragon Smaug during the reign of Thorin's grandfather Thror. Bilbo was then hired as their burglar for a particular task of their expedition.

The first part of The Hobbit trilogy, in general, pretty much goes along the same line as The Fellowship of The Ring, in which it was the story of a group of people on a journey. I was, however, pleasantly surprise because the vibe is a lot less depressing and benign than it had been for the Fellowship of the Ring. Here are some of the thoughts that I had throughout the movie.

1. Martin Freeman is an excellent choice for Bilbo.

A young Bilbo Baggins

I love Martin Freeman as John Watson in BBC's Sherlock. He was fun to watch, the exasperated-yet-faithful partner of the belligerent, eccentric Holmes. In the Hobbit, he was often bewildered by his surroundings and his companions. But that does not seem to hinder his easygoing ways, not even when the imposing Thorin brushed him off as weak and homesick. Bilbo has a good heart, he is a Hobbit of the Shire through and through, but he does not hesitate to use trickery and even threat to save himself. I find him a nice balance of humour, simplicity and cunning, which is a nice change to the previous hobbits (which I will not criticize in this blog).

2. Gandalf had a lot more sense of humour before the One Ring was found.

Don't be fooled by that serious look

Gandalf is a wizard. So it is expected for a wizard in Middle Earth to be benign, even in light occasions  Tricking people and talking in ways that made other want to tear off the long white (or grey) hair is more reserved for wizards in another dimension (cough*Dumbledore*cough). So it's refreshing to see him talk in riddles and sending dwarves into a shocked Bilbo's house, just so they would clean off his (Bilbo's) larder.

3. Return of familiar characters

Thought you won't see me again eh, precious?

We all know Gollum is coming back, so is Elrond, Saruman and Galadriel. Even through previous press releases, we know Elijah Wood will make an appearance, even though the Hobbit is set before his time. But it still makes me smile when I see each and every one of them onscreen. Some scenes make you feel like you're living in time backwards, other scenes (like when Bilbo and Gollum were playing the Riddle game) makes you want to cry out "Don't go there!

Slight hitch: Where on earth is Legolas Greenleaf? We want more Legolas!!

4. There are actually some pretty good looking dwarves in Middle Earth
Look, in my defense, aside from the 30-second appearance of the dwarven representatives in Elrond's council in the Fellowship of the Ring, the only visible dwarf all throughout the trilogy had been Gimli. While I adore Gimli (he is funny as hell), I would not exactly trade Legolas or Faramir or even Aragorn for him in the looks department. The Hobbit actually showcases a pretty impressive lineup of dwarves, some even decent-looking too. My opinion is, if Snow White had seen these guys, she would have ditched Prince Charming, pronto.

Someone Called for a Good-looking Dwarve?

 In a way, I see it as a catch-up lesson on these mountainfolks. We have so much exposure to the Hobbits, Men and Elves in LOTR (even orcs have their share of glory in there), it's time to shine some spotlight on this race.

5. Oh Eagles! Where were you for the past two and a half hours of the movie?
Towards the end of the movie, at the very edge of mortal peril, Gandalf summoned his Eagle friends to carry their group away from Misty Mountains and from the group of orcs attacking them. And before that, they almost got eaten by Trolls, got in between a Stone Giant fight, captured and escaped a community of Goblins and, yes, being chased left right and center by Orcs on Wargs, its leader being Thorin's old foe. And here you are, at the edge of a cliff, the dwarves a slip away from falling to their deaths, the dwarven king nearly dead, with a hobbit between him and his Orc enemy, and...

Oh, wait a minute let me summoned my trusty gigantic winged friends. Really Gandalf, it's not as if there's the Eye to worry about this time around. Would have saved a lot of trouble if you had whistled for those birds way earlier.

But then, the movie would have been reduced to five minutes, plus credits, instead of the usual 3-hours.

 Great movie. I like how it's a lighter vibe than LOTR had been.

What the heck are you people doing in my house??

My New Favourite Song- But it has nothing to do with "You-Know-Which-Movie"

Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone?
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

[Chorus:]
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this

One step closer

[Chorus:]
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

One step closer
One step closer

[Chorus:]
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

I think this will be an awesome first dance song... along with 'All This Time" by OneRepublic

10 Myths about Introverts

Myths about introverts (According to The Introvert Advantage (How To Thrive In an Extrovert World), by Marti Lane, PsyD.
Credits to Carlkingdom.com

Myth#1–Introverts don’t like to talk.
This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.
Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.
Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.
On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.
Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.
Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.
Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.
Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.
Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.
A world without Introverts would be a world with few scientists, musicians, artists, poets, filmmakers, doctors, mathematicians, writers, and philosophers. That being said, there are still plenty of techniques an Extrovert can learn in order to interact with Introverts. (Yes, I reversed these two terms on purpose to show you how biased our society is.) Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

Challenge Marathon!

These days I've been looking around other people's blog, as a silent reader and picture browser. One of the websites that I went on (credits: Ruffles Not Diet) mentioned that there's a 30 Day Book Challenge going on in tumblr. Sounds like something right up my alley.

So, I've decided to make this Challenge Marathon a staple to my blog and facebook page. There are ounces of it! Check this out if you're interested!.

Here are some of the Challenges I'm planning to do:

1) 30 Day Book & Literature
2) 30 Days of Television
3) 30 Days of Supernatural
4) 30 Day Hunger Games
5) 15 Day Story Writing
6) 30 Day Film
7) 31 Days Harry Potter

Oh there's too many! We'll see!

Life @ Work: Part of Something Special

Everyone goes through life the way they want it to be.

Some people goes through it searching for the meaning of something, while other take the easier route, living one day at a time and taking each step in a slow and steady pace.

But in the end, everyone wants to know that they have done, or at least been part of, something special.

That something special, is sitting together in one room, all eight (previously nine) of us and grinding our teeth on that tedious assignment. Some of us would be quiet in our seats, going through our notes for the nth time and arranging our scripts so we won't mess up in front of our bosses. Other would be working on the slides, discussing the designs and structures and whatnot so said bosses won't fall asleep when they look at our presentation (which they do anyway, no matter what). Occasionally there would be those profoundly obscene words tossed here and there, and most of the time the poking fun, corny jokes and all around merry laughter that healed us from that dreadful feeling of having our necks dragged into the slaughterhouse.

That something special is, telling off one another when we took things way too far, but in the end patching things up because we all know it was for the best. It is how we turn to each other for support, or rally together to defend one of our own. It is the comfort of knowing that no matter what it is, we're in this together, and we will get out of it as a team.

That something special is, learning something new everyday, no matter what it is, and knowing that each day is a new beginning. It is about understanding each other's quirks and habits and restrictions, and accepting them even if they are not what we're used to.

That something special, is being part of here and now.

Life @ Work: Introduction

Now that I've two and a half months into my new job, I finally have the time and mood to sit down and reflect on what is happening and how and why. All my previous attempts have been half-baked, but I really, really want to sit down and sort out my thoughts and feelings about this new place, the people and the environment.

Being honest, I am grateful and happy to be here. Because compared to the junkyard that I was in back then, this place is paradise. The job is brilliant- I got to blend together finance duties and management assignments, so it's really like being back in university again. The environment is great- large office space, my own huge desk (though I'm still clueless about what to furnish in all that space), full air-conditioning and green outdoors. The people are wonderful as well. I walked with a group of what my father called 'Young Urban Professionals', which really opened a whole different world to me. They are an elite group, one which sin is subjective and not really considered, but their minds are exceptionally brilliant. And yet at the same time I'm friends with my fellow colleagues in Finance, who are more on the conservative side. In short, I walk a fine line between two worlds where good and evil are defined very differently, a grey area. 

Put all of those in together, it is an interesting mix. Everyday at work is an adventure, something new to learn, something challenging to face. I think I learned more in two months here than I ever did for a year in my last job. And here, I begin to know where I truly stood. There's so much that I haven't learned, that I have not achieved. With the friends that I have now, each day is a question of how I'm going to catch up with them. It made me think constantly about what I'm going to be in two, three years' time, because I began to have the fear of not being able to be equals with them one day.

If anyone ever question my fears, I will tell you here why: two of my closest friends at work, two guys whom I had come to know since Assessment Day, were graduates from Australia. One of them was offered a post in General Motors before he chose to come here. The other one is a GENIUS plain and simple. Super pro-active and smart, he just knew his stuff. I remember when I got my job offer, I knew in my heart that this second guy had got the job as well, because I would be shocked if he didn't and I did. 

Then there's a third guy, who made up the fourth member in our batch. He previously worked for Malaysian Airlines, and I heard that he actually got the offer to further his studies in Aviation in the UK. 

As if those aren't enough, let me tell you bout my seniors. Although technically they're all relatively younger than me, I still consider them seniors because they came into the company earlier than me and the three guys. One of them, from what I heard, was a certified MENSA member. Another has research as a hobby, and I think he's an overseas graduate as well. The third graduated from Australia while another I think used to study in the UK. And the only other Finance person in this elite group aside from me, he used to work for one of the top four audit companies in the world, and graduated from a top university in France. France!!

Intimidated yet? Cos I sure am.

Movie Rant: Lessons learned from watching the Avengers.

I never thought I'd go and watch the Avengers the second time in a row. I mean, the movie was alright. In my opinion all the hype has sort of diminished the WOW effect it could have had should it been more low-key. But unlike The Hunger Games, I never had the weekly urge to go and see it every chance I get. Watch it once, get it out of my system, and there done.

However, when a colleague of mine had an extra ticket from her friend, she invited me to come along to watch last Friday night. I decided to say yes cos, come on, it's a freebie to one of the year's biggest blockbusters! Since I didn't write anything about my first impression of the movie, I decided that this time around I'm going to list down the stuff that I learned about our favourite avenging superheroes.

1) Keep it short and simple for the green guy, please.

HULK SMASH!!!!

     I like all the members of the Avengers, but Hulk always has a soft spot inside my heart, purely because he's the most amusing character in the movie. Indeed, Mark Ruffalo is probably the best actor to have ever portrayed Marvel's version of Jekyll and Hyde, playing up Bruce Banner's mild mannered persona as the key to his struggle to keep the green monster in check. But once he transforms, even his fellow Avengers and wary of him (except maybe a certain Tony Stark). Despite being the main character who mainly grunts and roars when he's green, Hulk was amusing in his own way. He is the one they're all waiting for to save the day, and when he does, he comes in riding a putty little scooter. That's the image Hulk carries with him throughout the movie. Sure, he's gonna smash his way around and will probably destroy half of New York City while he's at it, but that doesn't mean we won't cheer for him all the way.

Note to any future villains looking to destroy/conquer Earth: make your acceptance speech as brief as possible. Otherwise you're going to get flailed like a piece of laundry by our favourite temperamental hero. Long prolonged essays makes him angry, and apparently nobody likes it when he's angry.

Oh, and Loki? Here's what Hulk thinks about your plan to take over earth: "Puny Gods."

Hah.

2) Captain America is a class monitor in previous life.

     It's really funny in an ironic way when Steve Rogers and Tony Stark have a go at each other, and Stark would call Rogers "old man", given the fact that Robert Downey Jr. is obviously far older than Chris Evans. But looking at their characteristics, it's not really that surprising. While Tony Stark is, in effect, the star of the movie, nobody can contest Captain America as the leader of the pack.

Why won't you guys listen to me????

Being designed as the perfect soldier, he is always the one to tell the others to quit messing around, to keep them in line and stick to the given mission, whatever misgivings he has with the entire S.H.I.E.L.D.S operations. He broke the fight between Ironman and Thor while the two were having at it after Loki was captured, and told Stark to stop poking Bruce Banner just to test the length of the latter's endurance. Oh sure, some might see Rogers as the wet blanket, but in truth he was just trying to keep order. In the crazy world of being part of a superhero team, there aren't many things that stays put and grounded. Things change in an abnormal speed and even the things they felt they're sure about can be a variable. In a way, Captain America sets out to keep everything together no matter how insane their mission turns out to be.

Keeping a firm head above crisis is one of the key things to being an effective leader, thus it's hardly surprising that despite their constant friction and differences, when the going gets really, really tough, the "don't play well with others" Ironman still turns to Captain America and said, "Captain, orders?"

3) If you're the good alien being, then you'll probably take the most hits (Sorry Thor)

From the moment Thor first appeared on the screen, he seemed to be the one who came out the worst. Out of three Avenger-vs.-Avenger fights in the whole movie, he is in two of them- one against Ironman and (partly) Captain America, and then the other against the Hulk (I know, ouch). His younger brother is bent on taking over the world, and when your brother is Loki (which is the Trickster God in some myth), obviously you're going to get hurt in some ways. In Thor's case, he was locked inside a highly durable capsule and plummeted down to earth, barely escaping a fatal fate, and then Loki went and stabbed him as he tried persistently to reason with him.

I have a hammer. And people still throw me around. $%^%^%#&^*&&&^878!!!

Worst part is (or was it the best?), even after working together to bring down a colossal alien monster, Hulk couldn't resist punching him off the screen.

Don't take it personally though, Thor. Maybe Hulk just doesn't like alien beings. At least you worked really well with Captain America.

4) Be careful when you make a girl cry.

More often than not, the female characters served as the sex appeal in the movies. They are there to spice up the romance elements, the center of our heroes' tender looks and gentle words. The Avengers' individual films have shown this, be it Pepper Potts, Jane Foster, Peggy Carter or Betty Ross. No matter how they all tried to emphasize that these women are strong-willed, intelligent and can hold their own, the fact remains that they are merely there to watch in dismay as our heroes charged into danger.

Hang on a sec. There's this guy who won't take a hint.

In the case of Natalia Romanov, however, the science of female leads in comic book adaptations is being challenged. Natalia Romanov is a spy, first and foremost, and a woman second. It is not to say she did not display any womanly characteristics, it is more the fact that she is acutely aware of certain things that a woman can do, and used them to get her way, and I don't mean this in a disgusting, sexed-up way. She played up a female's vulnerability to a point where the man feels like he's in control and has broken her, when in truth, she's just out there to get what she wanted.

Case in point? When she came in to speak to Loki, it seemed like she was trying to negotiate to save Hawkeye. Then Loki threatened to have Hawkeye kill her, before taking the latter's life himself. Everyone (including me) thought that the Black Widow was cracking at the intense picture Loki was painting, but in the end... she was just getting information for Loki's next plan.

Bravo, Black Widow. Who says girls can't play just as well as boys?

5) I don't care what anyone says, Hawkeye has the coolest skills/weapon.

So I don't get that much screen time huh?

Sure, we've got Ironman and his cool suit, Captain America and his cool shield, Thor and his cool hammer and Hulk and his cool, er, right hook. But regardless what people say about the character Hawkeye, I still think that Hawkeye, with his keen senses and bow and arrow, is the superhero I would like to be if I were to join the Avengers. I mean, who doesn't want to be able to shoot a bullseye arrow to the enemy's neck while looking the other way? Really?

6) Errr.... I didn't really notice Ironman. 


Will not elaborate further on this.
*Ducking laser-fires from Iron fans*

Say that again???

A shoutout to Loki, for being one of the most amusing supervillains I have ever seen. Indeed, some funny scenes wouldn't be funny without him in it.

Ahem, aren't you forgetting someone??

No, Mr Fury. Now, goodbye!