I watched New Moon today.

For the few rare city-people-who-haven’t-heard-about-the smash-hit-Twilight-series-by-Stephenie-Meyer-and-were-probably-raised-in-a-cave…well, it’s basically a vamp romance story. Visualize Romeo with fangs and Juliet as a trouble-magnet chick…and you’ve got the gist of it. New Moon is the sequel to the first book/movie, Twilight.

Anyway, I watched it today at Times Square with Liew, Lilian, Deen and Charlene. And I gotta say they make pretty awesome mall-crawling mates =)

So what can I say? If you’ve read the book before watching the movie, then in my opinion you might react in one of two possible ways, mostly depending on whether you’re a action freak or not. Guys: you’d find it largely disappointing, except for the cool-as-hell action scenes (especially when Jacob Black does that awesome-cool werewolf-phase in mid-air thing. And admittedly, Taylor Lautner makes a pretty good Jacob Black). Girls…you’ll find it disappointing. Period. Unless, of course, you like action as well.

Why disappointing? From how I see it, the story isn’t well told. The emotion conveyed in the book is followed to-the-letter in terms of expression, but somehow does not get across. Too fast-paced, too many important aspects were left out. Sure, Edward Cullen looks oh-so-emo. But the movie kinda devolves him from well-meant anxious guy to a total wuss (considering his vamp strength and all) who just needs black greased hair and a blade across his wrist to complete the picture. I suspect that it’s not Pattinson’s fault. He’s a pretty good actor. But to my mind, some of the other sides of his character could have been fleshed out as well in the movie script.

If you haven’t read the book, however, you’d probably enjoy it. I think.

Oh well, still a good watch, nonetheless.

And for those Twilighters out there who disagree with my review, do bear in mind that this is only how I see it. You wanna argue, go find someone else. There are lots of mamak stalls out there for you to haunt and have a good talk over a couple teh-tariks. That’s what the mamak stall exists for.

excelsior.

As I said two posts or so earlier, I managed to get a pretty haul of thirteen books from the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale a couplefew days ago at Amcorp Mall. And dang, they were good. They say thirteen is unlucky, but hey, it’s my lucky number seven =)

Anyway, here’s a review of one of the books. I’ll be posting up a series of the others later, so…enjoy.

———————–

Realms of War: The Twilight War Anthology is a collection of twelve short stories, all set in the well-known (as far as fantasy buffs are concerned) world of the Forgotten Realms^TM. As the book synopsis says, “a dozen tales from millenia of war taht helped define the Forgotten Realms^TM world.”

So what do I think? Basically: good stuff. The tales contained are, to list:

1. Continuum, Paul S.  Kemp
2. Weasel’s Run, Lisa Smedman
3. The Last Paladin of Ilmater, Susan J. Morris
4. Black Arrow, Bruce R. Cordell
5. Too Many Princes, Ed Greenwood (yes, the founder of it all)
6. The Siege of Zerith Hold, Jess Lebow
7. Mercy’s Reward, Mark Sehestedt
8. Redemption, Elaine Cunningham
9. Changing Tides, Mel Odom
10. Chase The Dark, Raleigh Johnson
11. Bones and Stones, R.A. Salvatore
12. Second Chance, Richard Lee Byers

The stories are far-ranging and rather poignant. My favorites were the last two, namely Bones and Stones by R.A. Salvatore and Second Chance, Richard Lee Byers.

R.A. Salvatore is at his usual best, mixing poignancy and his trademark skill for fighting scenes. Unsurprisingly, the main character of the story is Thibbledorf Pwent – you fantasy nuts out there should recognize him as the dwarf from the Legend of Drizzt book series. Anyway, the story deals with loss on both sides of the war and is at its core a commentary on the harshness of war.

Second Chance, on the other hand…I mainly liked it for its theme. As the title suggests, the story is about a boy, an acolyte of the temple of Kossuth who was given a second chance after he ran away from battle during an attack on the temple. The story may seem like any other, but I particularly liked it =), especially the final battle in which the boy proves his worth, even with a hellish demon in the fray. And the writing isn’t half bad either.

The other stories are similar, all tales of the conflicts, both external and internal faced by the people of the Forgotten Realms in times of war.

My verdict? A must-buy for any Forgotten Realms fan. And even if you’re not, it’s still worth a very good read.

tomorrow.

new moon.

wheeee.

mentally prepared.

for the throngs of female insanity and general silliness.

“oooh, isn’t that lautner guy hawt?”

“naaaah, I prefer pattinson.”

“no waaay!”

man.

wish me luck.

and oh, as a friend would probably say: “I’m just sayin’.”

hahahahahahaaaaa.

excelsior.

I think this is one of the only times I have spontaneously experienced a sugar high – without the sugar.

I went with my dad and bro today to Amcorp Mall in PJ for the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale. And yes, that was where I got my sugar rush. I arrived at the mall in a rather lousy mood, but the moment I saw all those books…

“Woooh! Attack!”

Initially I thought it was just called the Big Bad Book Sale, minus the ‘Wolf’, but hey, the name still fit =)

It was simply awesome. Books were stacked everywhere and the place was packed with people wall-to-wall, all opportunists looking for their prized books. The prices were amazing – RM8 per book! whether hardcover or softcover, nearly all the books (with the exception of a few thick tomes) had the RM8 tag stuck on them.

What could I do? I went crazy like the nut I was, along with my brother. we stalked the whole freaking place, searching for books. And boy, did we get a catch =)

locked and loaded.

13 books total! along with the ones my dad got.

all the king's books, and all the king's...oops, wrong line =)

To list:

1. The Fledgling of Az Gabrielson, Jay Amory
2. Jedi Twilight, Michael Reaves
3. Street of Shadows, Michael Reaves
4. Kaimira, Monk & Nigel Ashland
5. The Legacy, R.A. Salvatore
6. The Gabble, Neal Asher
7. Dragonfrigate Wizard Halcyon Blithe, James M. Ward
8. Heroes: The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne
9. Tunnels, Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams
10. Deeper, Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams
11. The Lazarus Vendetta, Robert Ludlum
12. Daring To Live On The Edge, Loren Cunningham with Janice Rogers
13. Building Agreement, Roger Fisher & Daniel Shapiro
14. The Asian Renaissance, Anwar Ibrahim
15. Every Single Man’s Battle, Stephen Arterburn & Fred Stoeker, with Mike Yorkey
16. House Of Serpents, Lisa Smedman
17. Realms of War: The Twilight War Anthology
18. Obsidian Ridge, Jess Lebow
19. The Roar, Emma Clayton

Anyway, it was awesome. And yes, I am extremely happy right now. Yay for book clearance sales!

excelsior.

I am beginning to loathe the holidays.

No, I do not need a doctor. No, I do not need to go to the nuthouse. But the holidays they are killing me T-T

Yeah, I am studying. I’d have to be a nut not to study after my end-year fiasco this year =P But the rest of the day just drags by and by…

Anyway, I’m reminding myself that hey, Christmas’ll be in a few weeks time. My birthday too…hmmm, maybe I’ll organize something to coincide with Christmas. The Inventors will be coming to town. Hah, maybe I’ll go get the PK guys together for Christmas.

and by the way, what the heck is wrong with the weather? switching from freezing cold to sweltering hot all of a sudden…

excelsior.

Haih.

Just got a very good reminder today of how much I suck at fighting games.

Went to Lilian’s place today with Liew for a session on the PS3/PS2. We mostly played SoulCalibur on the PS3 and Tekken 5 on the PS2. Both of them gave me a good thrashing. Well, mostly Liew, although Lilian wasn’t too bad herself.

On the other hand, I got to see MGS4! yippee. I must say – the game is *IwannaPS3* sweet! Heavenly graphics, wicked storyline, killer cutscenes…ahhh, finally got to experience it for myself.

Thanks Lilian! We ought to do this more often =)

excelsior.

————————-

She told him she’d rather fix her makeup
Than try to fix what’s going on
But the problem keeps on calling
Even with the cellphone gone
She told him that she believes in living
Bigger than she’s living now
But her world keeps spinning backwards
I’m upside-down
Don’t say so long, you’re not that far wrong
This could be your chance to wake up
Cuz today will soon be

Gone, like yesterday is gone,
Like history is
Gone, just try to prove me wrong
You pretend like you’re immortal

She said he said live like no tomorrow
Every day we borrow
Brings us one step closer to the edge (infinity)
Where’s your treasure, where’s your hope
If you get the world and lose your soul
She pretends like she pretends like she’s immortal
Don’t say so long
You’re not that far wrong
This could be your big chance to wake up
Today will soon be

Gone, like yesterday is gone,
Like history is gone,
Just try to prove me wrong,
You’re going going gone,
Like summer break is gone,
Like Saturday is gone
Just try to prove me wrong
You pretend like you’re immortal

(you’re immortal)

We are not infinite
We are not permanent
Nothing is immediate
We’re so confident
In our accomplishments
Look at our decadence

Gone, like Frank Sinatra
Like Elvis and his mom
Like AL Pacino’s cash; nothing lasts in this life
My highschool dreams are gone
My childhood sweets are gone
Life is a day that doesn’t last for long

Life is more than money
Time was never money
Time was never cash,
Life is still more than girls
Life is more than hundred dollar bills
And roto-tom fills
Life’s more than fame and rock and roll and thrills
All the riches of this life
End up in wills

we got information in the information age
But do we know what life is
Outside of our convenient, 7-11s, Lexus cages

She said he said live like no tomorrow
Every moment that we borrow
Brings us closer to the God who’s never been short of cash

Thank God, Grandma’s OK.

But the trip was still good, nonetheless. Mom managed to speak to Grandma again and share one more time about our Lord Jesus with her bro and sis-in-law (my uncle and auntie-lah xD).

Anyway, today we got Grandma discharged from the hospital where she was  previously. It was honestly lousy service that they gave her, to be, um, honest. Arrogant doctors, hidden charges…ah well, she’s out of there now.

By the way, I’m home. Yeah, fast, huh? Two six-hour trips in two days. That seriously wasn’t cool. Still feel kinda stiff. And driving non-stop like that? I took over from my dad later during the trip, after sleeping for the first part of the trip. Hah, thought the sleep’ll refresh me for the drive. Note to self: Deep sleep before a driving stint is not a good idea.

Like yesterday, we stopped in Kampar again for beef noodles (Mmmmm. Delish.). While we were eating and chatting, the conversation turned to my previous stay here in Kampar with Pastor Nicky during the Empower ‘09 program. Remembering the time we had together – Joel, Edmund, Deborah and I…that was really cool.

It may be kind of dorky, I don’t know, but suddenly I wished that Joel, Ed and Debs were there with me, eating and laughing together. Is that weird? Missing them? Hahahahahaaa. Joel was the leader of the bunch, Ed the consummate planner, Debs the big sis (because calling her the mother would probably be fatal for me lololol equal-sign-D) and me the tagalong. Yeah, tagalong. But hey, what can I say? I grew up a lot through that trip. Thanks, guys.

Anyway, gotta go study. Cheers.

excelsior.

Houston, we have a problem.

Well, not really =)

But to be honest, yesterday (and as it turned out, today) was not a good day for me. A lot of things happened, whether in my mind or out of it.

First thing: the moment I got home yesterday from school, my mom got a crazy call from my aunt back in Kedah that my grandma was, once again, hospitalized. And to top it off, Po Po (what I call my grandma) was saying stuff about not being able to make it this time, apparently. At first, I was rather cynical when I heard about it, wondering if she wasn’t just being depressed. But my mom, well, she said that people can, in fact, sense when they’re about to kick the bucket, and that grandma might not be wrong. Granted, they could be just depressed, but well. The possibility was there.

The call threw a rather chilly bucket of water over my spirits, reason being that Grandma was not sure of her salvation in God and had not met God really and truly yet. You could say I was a little resentful, moronically enough; I probably was subconsciously comparing her to my long deceased paternal grandma, Ah Ma, who was a vibrant Christian and God-lover and lived a full and impactful life, blessing those around her. She was the first Christian in the family after my dad, and much to the joy of many, she became one of the most fiery people for God that I have ever personally known.

Yes. I loved her.  And well…yeah. There it was. Later I had to ask God to forgive me and change my attitude. AFter all, Po Po’s somebody else. Not Ah Ma. So yes, I love her as well. And I pray that before she passes on, she’ll meet God.

Anyway, all this came about much later, as I mulled things over in my mind today. But yesterday, my spirits were down. And to make things all the more depressing for me, after that call came one from Auntie Elsa for my mom. I didn’t know what they were talking about, but later on in the conversation I couldn’t help but overhear her asking how a certain friend of mine, whom I miss dearly, was doing. My mom had to tell her the truth of course, regarding a series of events which I won’t record here. But when I heard that my friend was now itself working in Sg. Chua…this did cut my heart.

I’ve managed to let it go since. After all, my friend’s life isn’t mine. His/her life is his/hers to decide. So yeah.

Back to the call from my aunt; after that we basically decided that the following day we’d quickly pack up and balik kampung to Kedah, which is where I’m currently typing from. I made a few phone calls to my friends, asking them to tell the teachers, if they asked for me the next day, where I had went. The trip was supremely boring; six hours in a car? Sorry, not my cup of tea. We stopped in Kampar at lunchtime for a meal with good ol’ Pastor-slash-taikor Nicky Ling, along with Steven L and housemate Ray. That was nice. Pastor Nicky…well, he’s been my kai kor (godbro) of sorts for ages, so seeing him was a blast.

Halfway through lunch, I decided to make a quick call to my friend Deen, just to quickly ask her how the day was. The answer…wasn’t good.

I’ve been laid off as a prefect.

Well, I sure can’t say I didn’t see it coming. Apparently what happened was that while I was away, the prefects today decided on the final prefects for next year. Being a probationary prefect this year, I was sure looking forward to this. But anyway, word came from above that I was to be laid off. Yap Norman stood up for me, so it goes, saying that I was a committed fellow and all, and other stuff I don’t really need to repeat here – you get the drift. That was nice, but the teachers said that I slept in class too much, and they couldn’t use me.

Ouch.

Anyway, for the rest of the day, I was kinda depressed, and yes, a little P.O’ed with myself. I mean, what kind of prefect sleeps in class? He can’t really talk about controlling school discipline, can he, if he can’t stay awake in class and pay the proper respect the teachers undoubtedly deserve.

There. I’ve said it. The little rant that was going thru my head this afternoon. Anyway, I guess I have to forgive myself, and freaking move on. Thankfully, our God is a gracious God. I just need to humble myself, accept my failure, and get back up. He says, after all, that He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Time to trust, time to move on.

excelsior.