The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

A year long wait for the more exciting sequel is already agonising enough. But what made it even harder to endure is that the ending wasn't what I expected it to be. Yes, I was referring to The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug which finally reveals who & how the dragon looks like, hibernating in Erebor for years with mountainous gold.

In Desolation of Smaug, we get to see more elves in action as Thorin's group travels pass Thranduil's Hall in order to reach Lake Town. Orlando Bloom fans, unite! He reprises his role again as Legolas, looking gorgeous with platinum blonde hair & strikingly blue eyes. In my opinion, he looked a little mature in this film compared to his similar role 10 years ago, which doesn't sit too well wit the idea of ageless elves. I still remember gushing over Bloom appears in each scene just because he looks so boyishly handsome. Now no longer but still hot nonetheless. After all, there's still Kili to swoon over despite being vertically challenged XD.

I wouldn't bother giving you a gist of the story. Otherwise, it would rob the excitement of watching it yourself. This kind of movie is best enjoyed with your own eyes rather than living it through the eyes of others. There are several new additions to the film which are not found in the book. Peter Jackson defended his actions against critics about the need to expand the Tolkien's works for a more immersive & better understanding of Middle Earth.

I'd have to agree in some way when it comes to film adaptation of literary works. The 2-3 hour length of each film is crucial to capture the essence of the book, something that filmmakers can't afford to waste every minute. In contrast, a book involves imagination from the readers & each individual interpret Tolkien's literature in different manner at their own pace. Hence, no one blames each other for their own Middle Earth whereas filmmakers feel the pressure of recreating that universe ideal to Tolkien's fans.

Glad that those new twist to the plot turns out pretty exciting, thus jacking up the whole interest level on certain characters' development. Just to tease you guys, look out for Kili & Tauriel. Meanwhile, the rest of the movie is awesome so please don't ever miss it.


Pic courtesy of MoviePosterDB.com

The Heirs

Recently, I've caught on the kdrama bug again & couldn't keep my eyes away from this new drama starring Lee Min Ho & Park Shin Hye. The title drama title is 상속자들 or loosely translated as "The Heirs" or "The Inheritors".

The drama started airing on 9 October in Korea on SBS channel, Wednesday & Thursday at 10pm (Korean time). Scheduled for 20 episodes, the story follows a group of privileged, rich & elite high school students who are groomed to succeed their families' business empires. On the surface, these students may have everything under control except their love lives - family, relationship, friendship. Things turn topsy turvy when chaebol heir, Kim Tan (Lee Min Ho) fell in love with lower class girl, Cha Eun Sang (Park Shin Hye) & later entangled in a love triangle with Choi Young Do (Kim Woo Bin).

The series' main theme of forbidden love between a rich lad & a poor girl bears a lot of resemblance to Min Ho's previous work, Boys Over Flowers but takes on a more realistic storytelling approach. While I enjoyed both Boys Over Flowers & The Heirs for its entertaining elements, I preferred the former for its stronger female protagonist. It irked me that modern Korean society still dwells in the age old traditions that favours male dominance & portraying females as weaker beings. I was especially annoyed by the writer penning Eun Sang's character as someone who gets pushed around & being told what to do by her boyfriend, Kim Tan. In these days, women are equally capable compared to men.

Personally, I thought the plot was developing rather well at a decent pace; introducing significant characters at the right time. Not to forget the beautifully shot scenes in US on summer love really does tug the heartstring. Who can ever forget the scene at the almond farm when Kim Tan looks up to Eun-sang with tearful, lost puppy eyes while drenched by water sprinklers? Poor boy.

As the series progresses, instead of allowing sufficient airtime for each character's story unfold, the writer opted to focus more on Kim Tan-Eun Sang's tormented love story. No doubt the couple forms the core of the series, other equally crucial side stories lack development, leaving much to be desired with 2 episodes wasted. After watching yesterday's finale episode, it was just as I predicted that the writer rushed to tie up the loose ends in 1 hour. It almost felt like some of the characters had a 360° attitude change within a short span just so the plot could go in favour of the main couple. And c'mon, why only start building on the intimate romance between Kim Won (Choi Jin Hyuk) & Jeon Hyun Joo (Im Joo Eun) towards the last episode??

Overall, I believe this series is enjoying high ratings due its stellar casts' great performance & popularity. It's their fantastic acting skills that filled up the gaps in the lacklustre script. Otherwise, it would be a boring piece to follow through. Nevertheless, The Heirs was still an entertaining watch despite all its flaws. After all, the casts are fine looking men & women - a definite eye candy feast! Yum...

Jobless (again) yet a new chapter awaits

I could barely believe that today was my last day of working at my current company. Serving two months was agonising, more so the workload that I intend to complete or pass on to someone else, just keeps flowing in like a burst water pipe. For the first time in my working life, no one bothers to have a proper handover session. Yes, you read it right. NO ONE. Not even my own boss.

So, how did I endure the last 2 months? I continued to work my ass off as if I didn't tender my resignation at all. Even to the extend of covering a portion of next year's project. And my boss didn't even bother to take over those tasks until my very last day. Can you imagine staying in the office until 8pm on your last working day? Unbelievable!

Now I'm sitting here happily blogging about this with a sense of relief that I'm finally off the hook. I look forward to my less stressful days ahead as I focus on developing skills in areas of interest that is close to my heart. No doubt the thought of being jobless again while worrying about necessary expenses still linger. But, this is part & parcel of sacrificing something in order to focus on building what I'm truly passionate about.

I've been told that I hop in between jobs too often, which I shamefully admit it. Although I enjoy being a marketer, the companies I worked for, sadly, does not believe in marketing initiatives. As an individual, why would I want to be involved with an organisation (being insulted, belittled, yet expected to work non-stop) when they do not value marketing itself? What more people like me in this area of expertise? After all, marketers are spenders & they're hired to spend efficiently & bring extra returns. Above all of that, the situation worsened when I had a cynical boss with an identity crisis, whom I couldn't trust. The next question remains, do you want to work for someone who asks you to jump into the cliff first when he/she smells trouble?

Many people told me countless times that I just have to accept & deal with the problems if I want to continue staying in a corporate environment. I guess I've lost the battle again in dealing with a bunch of pretentious people who lacks integrity & expertise, yet still able to leave a life outside work full of lies & deceit. God bless you! Karma will soon come.

I've finally realised that I'm not the type who works for people. I'm pretty sure of myself that I should be self employed. Hence, I've decided to pursue my passion seriously without turning back. Definitely not jumping into the business bandwagon as of yet but I'm making plans. I'll still search for a job & work until I'm ready. Wish me luck!