The Twilight Series

Vampires. Werewolves. Dragons. Witches. Wizards. Elves. Goblins.

Stuff that nightmares are made of - for some folks. After all, one man's meat is another man's poison.

Not for me though. I'm a sucker for fantasy novels an all things mythical. Perhaps not many people know this, but I've always been fascinated by Gothic creatures, inspired largely by exposure to Gothic Literature during my NUS days.

So no one should be remotely surprised that I lapped up Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series which is all about, well, vampires, humans and the wolves.

I completed reading all four books in slightly over a week. That's an average of one in 2 days.

Did I really enjoy reading the series? Well, yes and no.

The novels were obviously written for teenagers - crushes, love, lust, identity crisis, dates, insecurities etc. I honestly wasn't too intrigued by the simple plot, but was curious about when and how the teenage heroine Bella Swan was going to undergo the transformation from weak, puny human to almost-invincible, powerful immortal. And all for the sake of everlasting love. It's another Romeo and Juliet vehicle with a twist.

The Twilight series spawned the movie which catapulted Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen, the extraordinarily handsome yet tortured vampire, to fame. (I guess having played the young wizard Cedric Diggory in the fourth Harry Potter movie The Goblet of Fire helped in his preparation for the role in another fantasy film). Naturally, the world now is abuzz with hordes of screaming young girls who're smitten with him.

However, the character in the book I enjoy most is that of Jacob Black: the second-finishing best friend who carries a torch for the heroine. Despite being continuously spurned and toyed with emotionally, the wolf-boy is angsty and fiercely loyal to his loved ones. Plus, I'm also a supporter of the under-dog. (No pun intended).

Although the movie adaptation of Twilight wasn't oscar-winning material, I found it a pleasant experience. Here's the Twilight movie trailer:

And here's the sequel, New Moon. The movie will be released in November 2009:

Looks promising. Having read the books, it's always interesting to watch how the script writers tackle the print-to-screen transition.

Maybe it's just me looking at the academic perspective of things. Especially since I've been hearing talk that I'll be teaching Film in the coming semester or the following one.

The Hobbit Template's Wonky!

For some strange and unknown reason, The Hobbit template that I've been using for this blogspot has gone wonky!

Even after reloading the template, the header picture disappeared. I'm no HTML guru and am illiterate in IT-related programming language, so I guess for now my only option is to change this into a classic, simple template.

*Sigh*

I really do love the The Hobbit template - it's in line with my LOTR theme. Will need to spend some time to figure out what went wrong!

Michael Jackson: Gone Too Soon

By now, many people would have know that the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died yesterday on 25 June 2009.

He suffered a cardiac arrest and paramedics were unsuccessful in their attempts to revive him.

Such a tragic end to the world's greatest performer and entertainer. The iconic superstar garnered numerous awards and many accoladesfor his music and dance. His signature "moon walk" was unique, and his creativity knew no bounds, especially his music videos.

Despite his waining popularity over the last decade and his infamous child sexual abuse scandals, marriages-of-conveniences and general weird behaviour, MJ still has hordes (millions) of die-hard fans.

Here's a song "Gone Too Soon" which he dedicated to Ryan White, a young boy who was infected with AIDS through blood transfusion. In an ironic twist, these very words would echo the thoughts of every faithful MJ follower.

"Gone Too Soon"

Like A Comet
Blazing 'Cross The Evening Sky
Gone Too Soon

Like A Rainbow
Fading In The Twinkling Of An Eye
Gone Too Soon

Shiny And Sparkly
And Splendidly Bright
Here One Day
Gone One Night

Like The Loss Of Sunlight
On A Cloudy Afternoon
Gone Too Soon

Like A Castle
Built Upon A Sandy Beach
Gone Too Soon

Like A Perfect Flower
That Is Just Beyond Your Reach
Gone Too Soon

Born To Amuse, To Inspire, To Delight
Here One Day
Gone One Night

Like A Sunset
Dying With The Rising Of The Moon
Gone Too Soon

Gone Too Soon

MJ, a million thanks for the music and memories.

Resurrection

Resurrection: the act of rising from the dead.

And that's obviously what what I'm trying achieve here.

Over breakfast with Pooh this morning, she commented that my blog's "dead". And I couldn't agree more.

Work's been hectic. I've got 2 classes running events (as part of the subject requirements and assessment) and both have met with hiccups with the clients, event planning, programmes and disputes amongst themselves. Although I'm supposed to deal approach the situations with a "hand-off-let-the-kids-learn-the-hard-way" attitude, it's not in me to just completely let go. After all, I can't watch them fumble and tumble through the entire experience without offering some assistance, can I?

I do empathise with the kids as they need to juggle other subjects while working to plan, organise and run their respective events. it's a steep learning curve and to be fair to many of them who've put in loads of effort, they are doing as well as to be expected of students without the necessary working experience and exposure to the business world.

They all remind me of my own struggles when I first stepped into the corporate world over a decade ago, fresh from studies, brimming with ideas and bursting with boundless energy. And I remember how quickly my flames of enthusiasm were doused after getting hit repeatedly by what I perceived then as inept supervisors who weren't receptive towards new initiatives and resistant towards change.

In fact, it took me a few years to resolve my battles of frustration over these old-fashioned and regimented processes. But it was only when I was provided the opportunity to move up to a management level that I realised my folly in the early years.

Nonetheless, those beginning years were crucial in forming and shaping up my career, and I benefited greatly from all the different supervisors and bosses (the good, bad, ugly) who influenced me in many aspects.

I believe such life experiences can't be sought from textbooks and no amount of academic research can prepare anyone to face the challenges of the working world. I reckon that the most important lessons will come from The School of Hard Knocks.

On the home front, we celebrated many birthdays over the last few months, including the birth of Peni's beautiful puppies. But that's for another entry.

Ah.

I had almost forgotten how I loved writing.

Alas, work cruelly beckons.