In between freaking out about the Leadership essay question that I have absolutely no idea how to complete (how is knowing what the different practices for leadership development in Asian organizations beneficial to my future?), my hormone-induced mood swings and puffy face that make me look like a distorted cartoon character, and trying to figure how the hell I am going to find another 90 participants for this experiment (I am never doing another empirical research ever again. It is too much work I swear), watching Sex and the City and stuffing hazelnut cookies in my peanut butter jar is bringing me much needed comfort and satisfaction. 

SY: Thank you for spending time with me and letting me on good French food on my birthday!

SJ: I had quesadillas. It's Mexican. You had linguine. That's Italian. 

I'm caught in the midst of freaking about the length of my to-do list, upcoming assignments - some of which are absolutely pointless and no use to my education whatsoever(which is your favorite, and least favorite dance couple, and why?)- that make me weep with angry tears, my desire to want to read the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit & the increasing arguments I'm having with the mother about, well, the usual things that make me want to cut someone's throat.

I've got to get up at 8am in the morning later, but I just want to mention that I managed to catch The Hobbit last Saturday night. I  sacrifice a night of good sleep - I slept at 4am, holy bejesus - because Darren begrudged me for not watching it despite my love for The Lord of the Rings. 

 I must admit the entire movie is spectacular in terms of how grand the fantasy is, something that only Jackson, and maybe James Cameron can pull off. It helps that it was filmed against stunning landscapes, but  I was terribly distraught with these few aspects.

1. The visual effects were frankly speaking, poor and quite unrealistic to the point that it looks almost animated. The Dwarves were fine, and so were the Hobbits and the Shire. But let's take a closer look at the film's antagonist, Azog, the Defiler, otherwise known as the Pale Orc, who looks so very familiar. I can't put my mind to it, like he's appeared in another before...

The Engineer in Prometheus

Azog, the Defiler. 

Oh wait, there it is. Azog looks to be the Orc-brother of the Engineer in  in Prometheus. And all through the movie I just kept looking at this orc and couldn't think of anything else but how it resembles the Engineer. Plus, the orcs in The Hobbit look nothing like the Orcs in LOTR. These Orcs look animated and have less of the realism of an Orc in LOTR. You'd think Jackson would make them the same

Trolls with working-class British accents. Oh yes its so charming. Trolls grunt. Not talk like they're a bartender in southwest London. Monstrous creatures dreaded and feared for all in the trilogy are now seen as witty and comical  morons arguing over cooking dinner over the fire. This horrendous mismatch begs the question of "how can one fear something who can't even use a spoon?" The scene was just too incredibly draggy and was frankly very pointless. I could see how the scene was meant to have Bilbo emerge as the intelligent and unlikely hero for being quick-witted and intelligent to save the Dwarves, but the fact is, Jackson could have done that with a shorter scene  and use the time for more chapters. 

The Goblin King with working-class British accents. Oh yes so charming as well. Spiteful creatures that screech and  breed faster than rabbits feared in the trilogy are now talking, dumpy fat things ruled by an equally bone-headed Goblin King who can't even fight to save his own life. Combined with uch campy dialogue that borders on being lame and cliched and quietly frankly, reflects a poor attempt at making the audience laugh. 

There seemed to be no pressing urgency throughout this movie and I suspect that if Jackson had deleted some scenes, like the trolls scene for one and the goblin scene, he would have incorporated more chapters of the book in the movie. In LOTR, you could sense the urgency in each movie: we need to get to Rivendell, we need to get out of Moria now, we need to fight at Helm's Deep to stop the orcs, we need to draw Sauron's Eye away from Mordor. But here, it feel Jackson put too much butter over too little bread. 

The trolls, the goblins and the horses the Elves rode on. Their animation lacked in quality and realism as opposed to that in LOTR. Just compare the troll in LOTR and the troll in the Hobbit. And do the same for the goblins and every horse in both movies. The horses in the Hobbit look nothing like a real horse! I understand that its a fantasy movie, but if the ponies the Dwarves rode on look like real flesh and blood, what about these damn horses and orcs? The ones in the Hobbit look like they're drawn for an animation movie, or something that belongs on a video game and I just felt like I was watching a cartoon instead. 

I'm quite upset that despite the grand entrance of the Dwarves in Biblo's house, the writers discredited their role in the later half of the journey instead of bringing out each of their characters. All I see are Dwarves running, Dwarves sleeping, Dwarves eating, Dwarves fighting, Dwarves arguing and Dwarves burping and snoring. Perhaps the characterization was done so in the book, and if it was, then Jackson wouldn't have done the book justice.  I'll give Jackson the benefit of the doubt and perhaps this will be done so in The Desolation of Smaug, but regardless, leaving the characterization to second movie instead of the first movie seems a bit of an iffy thing to do. 

And finally, the absolute greatest disappointment was that Jackson had taken some scores from LOTR for light use in the Hobbit, making the Hobbit seem almost too familiar for comfort when all I wanted was something new and exciting. For instance, He used "Concerning Hobbits" from the Fellowship of the Ring for the scenes in the Shire which I was all right with. He used " The Hornburg" from The Two Towers for the scene where the Elves hunt the Gundabad Wargs. He used the score for Aragorn's coronation scene (The Return of the King) in the scene where Thorin embraces Bilbo and admits he was wrong to doubt Bilbo, and I half expected Aragorn to emerge with his crown and sceptre clad in his kingly robes.  

As you might imagine, I went to bed with disappointment, and I can't say I'd watch the Hobbit again, though I do hope Jackson will change my opinion of the Hobbit with the second installment. 

Its been a crazy-ass long week. What a way to start school again after the mid term break. I've been rushing to complete assignment at the very last minute instead of "getting them done over the mid term break". 

Oops. 

I've just been watching videos and movies, eating, and sleeping the entire week. 

What's happened with me? I used to be such a good student, and now I'm falling into the chasms of laziness and procrastination. 

Serene, get a grip on yourself and start work now. 

OOH I just spied a Lord of the Rings special on National Geographic's YouTube channel!

A man proposes to his girlfriend via lib dubbing Bruno Mars' song!

So thoughtful and amazing!

The only song I've ever lib-dubbed to another is Milkshake by Kellis, because we both agreed my milkshake will definitely bring more boys to the yard that her milkshake, but that's beside the point.

I can't believe the effort that's gone into making this proposal and they managed to pull the entire thing without a hitch! 

Literally the cutest thing I ever saw. I smiled all the way when the song started. 

iPad or Paper? The debate is finally over.

Here is what my name would be if I were to live in Middle Earth. 

If I were an elf, I'd either be Seredhiel (sare-ay-thee-al),  Ainasirwen, Luthien of Dorothien or Palia of the House of the Golden Flower 

If I were a dwarf, I'd be Myryan the Simple, or Larin, the Lightningrage. 

If I were a Hobbit, I'd be Nissa, the Magnificent Moresby of the Bree, Bella Tussock of Tighfield or Ysaecla Worrywort

If I were a wizard, I'd be Olorin, Durin's Bane. 

If I were a Man(female), I'd be Damwen of the Firimar or Rhiandria

If I were an Orc, I'd be Lugkrut the Stutterer or Guol. 



I like Luthien better so henceforth, I shall be known as Luthien of Dorothien.