Author: Wilfrid

Categories
Diary Photography

Supertrees And Gardens By The Bay, Singapore

For many months, as I drove by the site in construction daily, on an elevated highway overlooking the marina, I have always been wondering: What on earth are these things?  From afar, these work-in-progress chimney-like tall structures looked like factories.  Or perhaps helipads.  I had no idea.  Until one day, I read about this new city gardens in CNN.  These are Supertrees!

Note: To see more photographs of Gardens by the Bay, don’t miss this link to an album of 48 pictures.

I was born in Hong Kong.  As a city boy, I love city gardens.  There is a certain charm visiting a garden with the city center as the backdrop.  Paris has plenty of gardens in the city.  Many famous cities too.  While I was thrill that Singapore has put aside 101 hectares of prime land to build a garden (in comparison, Singapore Botanic Gardens has an area of 74 hectares), I was not too sure what to expect.

Gardens by the Bay appears to have built with tourism in mind.  Contrast that to other city gardens I have visited in other parts of the world, I saw way more tourists in Gardens by the Bay than locals.  Maybe time will tell, if this new garden will win the residents’ hearts.  My wife Cynthia seems to prefer Singapore Botanic Gardens.  As for me, I think my heart still belongs to Sentosa as a family hangout location, if I have a whole day to spend that is.  Otherwise, I concur with Cynthia.

These Supertrees are majestic.  They ranges from 25 to 50 meters and besides being amazing to look at, they are functional too.  The ‘trunks’ of these Supertrees are home to unique and exotic plants, though I must say, I can’t tell one plant to another.  I don’t know where the photovoltaic cells are located.  They could be on the top where I could not see.  These Supertrees are capable to collect solar energy during the day and light themselves up during the night.  They can also collect rainwater and serve as a air cooling system to the two conservatories nearby (don’t ask me how).

To get to the 1 minute treetop walk, you have to pay S$5.  As for the two conservatories, it is S$28 for the foreigners and S$20 for the locals.  Not a good enough discount I must say.  If you are feeling rich and have some money to spend, you could also dine in a treetop restaurant.  I bet you could even book the entire restaurant for you and your loved one, for a romantic evening dinner, especially if you are looking for a place to ‘pop’ the question.  Yes?  Another option – equally expensive I bet – is to book the entire capsule at the Singapore Flyer.

Besides the Supertrees and the conservatories, within this new city garden, there are four mini gardens – to denote the four cultures in Singapore.  There are also six areas, each comes with a unique theme: Secret Life of Trees, World of Palms, Understorey, Fruits and Flowers, Web of Life, and Discovery.  These areas still look to me like work-in-progress.  Or they are made more for kids to enjoy (like small man-made mushrooms and pictures built using painted pixels).  There is also a lake in Gardens by the Bay too.  It is called Dragonfly Lake that overlooks Singapore Flyer as well as one of our two Integrated Resorts Marina Bay Sands (see picture below).

Parking at Gardens by the Bay is as expensive as parking in Sentosa.  It does have more food choices than Botanic Gardens though.  I can’t wait to bring my niece Bethany to this city garden and see what she thinks.

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

So We Have Finally Watched Pitch Perfect (And It Is Good!)

It all started with one of my friends in Google+ and his YouTube sharing of Anna Kendrick’s live performance in the David Letterman show.  I remember Anna in the Twilight Saga.  I had no idea that she can perform a cappella while playing with a cup.  And she looks so socially awkward in front of the public.  Adorable!

Our dear friend TK has watched Skyfall.  I sort of regretted not attending the blogger event that showcase a full private home theater setup playing Skyfall.  In any case, Cynthia and I can watch that 007 show with no babes and gadgets later (so I’ve been told).  We really wanted to watch Pitch Perfect.  So, the three of us watched that on late Friday.

This movie lasted for 110 minutes.  I couldn’t feel that.  The story ends so soon.  I want more!  I don’t even like GLEE.  But this one is hilarious.  The core set of all-female a cappella group comprises of a team of unique characters.  All bizarre in their own ways.  One called herself Fat Amy who totally embraces her physical appearance.  A girl who looks like a man.  An uptight leader who tends to puke a big way under stress.  A rather voluptuous girl.  A co-leader with a throat problem.  A Japanese girl who whispers all the time, even when she performs.  And finally, the socially awkward Anna Kendrick.

The plot is predictable.  What makes this movie exception are the lines and the songs.  I like it that the scriptwriter has given each of the core team member an equal character development opportunity.  To quote Cynthia, “I really love this show!”  If you have the chance, check out the soundtrack too.  It is amazing what artists can do with their mouths making sound, beats, and all.  I mean, you really have to be pitch perfect in order to pull those stunts.

If you are into Spanish, Cynthia has written a post in her website.

Categories
Diary

Für Elise (And Formula One Racing Game)

When I was sixteen, maybe younger, I managed to convince my mother to buy a piano.  I had no idea if I could play one.  But I enjoy playing the wind instrument.  By my naive extrapolation and rudimentary research, I could see myself playing a piano.  When I was young, there was no such thing as cost benefit analysis, or risk assessment.  The question of whether or not I have the right talent did not come across in my mind either.  I had a desire to play the piano and the stubborn determination to get there.  That was all that it counted for me back then.

I did not engage a piano teacher at first.  I would practice the music scores on my own, deriving ways to articulate the music through this brand new instrument, which smelt divine by the way.  I would sit by the piano for hours practicing the same scale on my right hand, then my left, and finally together.  I would dissect a musical piece into segments, practice the melody, then the harmony, and finally put them together, with the foot petals all in.  It was a long and tedious process without a teacher.  But the joy of working things out all by myself is indescribable.

Of all the piano pieces I have practiced and self-taught, I enjoyed playing Für Elise the most.  It is a beautiful piece written by Beethoven in three parts.  Each part has its challenge.  The crescendo, the diminuendo, the change of tempo, the speed run of notes across multiple octaves, and the solemn harmonic chords that accentuate the mood – all while documented clinically as black and white in the form of a musical score is a sum of a unique interpretation by the pianist.

Für Elise is a rather short piece of music compares to say The Blue Danube that I self-taught later on.  It lasts only a couple of minutes and it can be therapeutic practicing  Für Elise on repeat.  I would try to run some of the faster segments as close to the original intend as possible.  And then I would hit a roadblock due to a lack of consistency.  To improve, I would slow the notes down and examine each closely, string the notes together aiming to keep them consistent while gradually increasing the tempo.  This might take hours, days, weeks, or not ever.

The bottom line is, back then, I believe that through persistence, nothing is impossible.

Recently, I have spent much of my limited gaming hours into a F1 racing game.  My blogging tempo to you may seem to have slowed down.  The truth is, I have been adding new content onto an old post as I journey further into the game.  That entry becomes a micro-blog by itself.

Now, how does a F1 racing game relate to Für Elise?  To me, it does.  Playing the game reminds me of my piano practicing days.

You may notice that quite a few classical pieces have a three-movement structure.  On every F1 track, there are three sectors with a distinct theme too.  To me, tackling a F1 track is like playing the piano.  There is a rhythm to the circuit.  While the circuit design defines the track’s characteristic, no two drivers tackles the track the same way.  Each driver articulates the track in a way that works for him or her, according to one’s interpretation.  To perfect the track, one needs to push the limit to see how far one could go.  It is all about understanding the track and to consolidate the maneuvers so as to bring consistency to the driving.  It feels extremely satisfying when a perfect lap is strung together, just like when Für Elise is played beautifully in one go.

One evening, as I spent hours going through the same F1 track in circle for the umpteenth time, I suddenly thought of Für Elise.  I was overwhelmed by the childhood sweet memory of my piano practicing sessions.

No wonder I find the game so enjoyable to play.

Categories
Diary

You are a Good Person (Because You are Born This Way)

*     *     I     *     *

I took this picture during an evening Mass at our local church Christ the King. Our church has a contemporary design with a huge glass cross and bronze status of Jesus hanging from the ceiling. It is a sight to behold.

Cynthia, her mother from Indonesia, and I have celebrated All Saints’ Day Sunset Mass at Christ the King last Wednesday evening.  During the sermon and to my surprise, the priest quoted Lady Gaga’s Born this Way.  Cynthia and I, together with the younger crowd, laughed as we saw him all energized at the altar.  As though he was going to dance.

We are born as good people.  Being good is the most natural thing we do.  There is nothing extraordinary being a good person.  Being good is not something that we shall expect reward.  Because it is what all of us should do.  It is not a matter if we can be good.  Do we want to be good?

How to be good?  First, start with our families.  Be good to our spouses.  Be good to our parents.  Be good to our children.  Live our life as a good person.  And I would like to encourage you to look into the mirror from time to time and remind yourself, “I am a good person”.

The priest did not drill too deep into Lady Gaga’s song.  But I think he has successfully once again, made his sermon memorable.  When the Mass has ended, before the priest left the altar area, he paused, looked at the ground, and spoke softly, as though he was speaking to himself.  He said, “I am a good person”.

More on this Catholic tradition can be found in here.

*     *     II     *     *

Open canals like this in the city is slowly being covered up making way for more roads here in Singapore.

At a not too far distance in this photograph taken by a phone is a Catholic Church.  A wake awaited.  A dear friend of my Godmother has passed away on Oct 3.  She has devoted all her life in serving the community.  I remember her child like smile and powerful prayers.  She even prayed with and for the doctors and nurses whenever she was hospitalized.  At 80+, the Lord has called her home.  While sad I am, I am delighted for her completing her mission on Earth and into Heaven she would be.  Her inspiration lives on.

Her last word to the doctor was: My work here is done.

Today, Catholics around the world celebrated All Souls’ Day.  It is a day to commemorate all the faithful departed.  And I am saying a little prayer for one of the most devoted Catholic I have met in my life.

*     *     Footnote     *     *

These two entries have been shared in my Google+ social networking site last month.  I wish to add them onto my personal website too.

It is strange, come  to think on it.  Earlier on this year, one high profile Google+ user has made a bold statement saying that very soon,  bloggers would prefer to write in Google+ instead of in their individual sites.  Back then, I disagreed.  Because Google+ is a social networking site, not a blog site.

But is it not?

Now, I think Google+ is more than a social network.  The environment encourages writing quality entries.  It is so much easier to engage with readers over there, rather than here.  I am now writing in Google+ more than I write here.

Don’t get me wrong.  I am not dropping my personal website.  It is still good to ‘own’ a piece of virtual real estate and have direct control over my content.  But I can smell the wind of change, feel the shift.

Categories
Diary For the Geeks

My “New” PC And That Extra Motherboard

Imagine my surprise when I discovered a brand new motherboard (that I did not buy) among the empty boxes returned by the shop.  You see, here in Singapore, assembling a new computer is as simple as ordering food from a restaurant.  You walk up to a shop.  They present you with a long list of components in the form of a pricing list.  You put a tick to each component you want.  They add up the numbers.  You pay the bill.  An hour later you return to the computer assembly area inside one of the back alleys.  You present the proof of purchase.  And they pass you the newly assembled computer, together with all the empty boxes and spare parts.  You bring the computer home with the empty boxes and that’s the end of the story.

This is my new computer that is aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. I was happy with my purchase until Kevin my buddy in Google+ said that this reminded him of a dustbin.

Except, in my case, when I returned home and went through the boxes, I found a brand new motherboard!  No wonder the boxes seemed heavier than I expected.  I am not a saint.  So, for a good ten seconds, I fantasized what I could do with an extra motherboard.  Perhaps for my wife’s computer upgrade?  Pass it to my brother-in-law?  Sell it?  I mean, the same shop was being very mean to me when I wanted to exchange for a new webcam due to a faulty product.

I called the shop the next day.  The store manager turned up at my home in the same evening looking all jolly and happy as I returned to him the new motherboard.  He lingered for a bit telling me that he should have brought a souvenir for me.  He paused for a second or two and he told me that he would extend my assemble warranty for one full year.  I doubt he would remember my face even though I am a loyal customer for more than a decade.  My Guild Wars 2 group was waiting as we were in the middle of a dungeon outing.  I bid him goodbye and quickly jumped back to my online game.  End of story.

Now, why do I write a post on my computer configuration every time I upgrade my PC?  Two reasons really.  My friends often ask: Tell me more about your new PC!  And I would reply: Check out this link and scroll to the bottom!  The second reason is that I know for sure some time in the future, I would want to upgrade some of the components.  Like adding new RAM or getting a new graphic card.  And I would all of a sudden, somewhere not at home, want to know my existing configuration and see if the parts are right for me.  Hence this post.

If you are assembling for a new computer today, I would recommend two items for your consideration.

  1. Get a SSD (solid state drive).
  2. Get a sound proof case.
This is my PC sitting at the assemble area. These guys work so fast! Kudos to them.

I install my operating system into the SSD.  The start-up time is like less than 10 seconds.  The shutdown time is a second or two.  You may say, SSD is expensive, and may breakdown.  And you really don’t mind the longer waiting time for start up, software and OS update, and shutdown.

To that, I would say, the ability to switch on my computer in less than 10 seconds whenever I want to do something with it is priceless. I bought this computer on Sept 18.  I am still feeling the joy every time I switch it on.

I invest good money in my new case too.  Some may be taken aback by the fact that it is just a case.  Well, it is not just a case.  The Scandinavian design is beautiful.  It has an internal dust filter covering the entire front panel.  On top of that, the entire case is sound proof.  My PC runs quiet.  Very quiet.

With these two items, I am happy from the moment I switch on my computer, all the way till it is shut down.

OK.  That is just about all that I wish to talk about in this post.  The specification of my “new” PC is as follows.

  • Intel i5 3570 3.4GHz 6MB LGA1155
  • Asus P8H77-V
  • Corsair Vengence 1600 8GB Kit CL9 (2 x 4GB) Black
  • Corsair Force Series GT 120GB SSD SATA 3
  • Sapphire HD7850 2GB GDDR5 PCI-E (OC Edition)
  • Fractal Design Refine R4 White USB 3.0
  • Corsair TX750M Broze PSU
  • WD Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5″ 64MB SATA 3
  • Samsung SH-S222 22X SATA Internal DVD Writer
  • Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
I thought for 10 seconds if I shall keep this, hehe.
Categories
Blu-ray / DVD Review

Adele – Live at the Royal Albert Hall – It’s Beautiful

Like quite a few Blu-ray discs I own, this Adele Live at the Royal Albert Hall recording has been sitting at the shelf in its unwrapped pristine condition collecting dust for more than half a year.  I didn’t even know that this package comes with an audio CD too.  Cynthia and I are huge fans of Adele.  One day over lunch, I bought this live recording thinking that one day we would watch it together.  And that day was yesterday.

In case you don’t know, Adele is a young and talented British singer-songwriter.  She has started recording her debut album 19 at the age of 19.  And 21 at the age of 21.  Because of her mature and confident outlook, it is easy to overlook the fact that she is still very young.  I love her music.  Such power and emotion.  It is said that you can know an artist better by attending a concert live.  Certainly true for Adele.

I have not been to Royal Albert Hall.  It looks like a prestigious venue.  Despite the rather large crowd, Adele appears to stay close with the audience.  She talked about her songwriting journey and gave a brief introduction to some of her songs.  What the inspiration behind the song was.  How some of these songs are still changing her life everything time she performs it.  Her best friends were in the venue too and they formed part of the story Adele told on stage.  The entire concert was charged with emotion.  Off the camera, couples were kissing, hugging each other close.  The ambient appears to be cozy and loving.

Adele’s tone of conversation may seem casual, perhaps a bit too casual in this prestigious venue.  But that is her, in her genuine self.  She giggled, spoke the first thing that came into her mind, cracked jokes, and laughed at her own jokes.  Her vocal performance is pitch perfect.  That is phenomenal.  One song, she did not like how she started it.  So she stopped and restarted again.  I seriously cannot tell what is wrong with her first take.  This shows how much a perfectionist she is.

I have not watched Adele’s performance live yet.  Through this concert recording, I felt as though I know her as an artist a little bit better.  Below is the trailer for Live at the Royal Albert Hall.

Categories
Book Reviews Fiction

Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War By Christie Golden

In recent days, books published by Blizzard Entertainment are more in line with the pace of the popular online game World of Warcraft‘s lore development.  At the end of Cataclysm, the age of the Dragons has passed.  Now, we are onto the age of the Mortals.  The so-called lesser races have proven themselves that they can and they will rise up and guard this world.  Dragons – the previous guardians since the age of the Titans – have lost their immortality in the battle against Deathwing who was corrupted by the Old God.  They have stepped down from the guardian role.  Slowly but surely, Blue Dragons have lost the notion of a dragonflight and now seek the concept of individuality.  Nexus – home to the blue dragonflight – is turning into a ghost town.  The world is indeed changing.

Human and Orc have been at war with each other for years.  Over time, Human has gathered other races namely Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, Draenei, and Worgen and formed the Alliance.  As for the Orc, Horde is formed with Troll, Undead, Tauren, Blood Elf, and Goblin.  The Horde and Alliance are technically at war with each other.  But they have briefly joined force with the Aspects of the dragonflights in the battle against Deathwing who threatened to destroy the world.

Now that Deathwing is vanquished and the world is on the path of healing, Horde is in a much stronger position compares to where they were years before.  No longer the orcs are enslaved by the humans like they have in the past.  Led by Thrall – the ex-Warchief – the peoples of the Horde have left Eastern Kingdoms and settled in the opposite continent, Kalimdor.  Due to Cataclysm, Thrall has answered his calling, dropped his mantle as a Warchief, and has become a shaman who has a key role to play in saving the world.  Before his departure, Thrall has named Garrosh Hellscream – son of Grom Hellscream who once succumbed to the demonic power but died a heroic death – as the new Warchief.

In the Universe of Warcraft, while good and evil is as clear as black and white, it has nothing to do with the races’ appearances.  Horde are as honorable as the Alliance.  They have bad seeds, just like the Alliance do.  During the Cataclysm era, there are disgruntle voices within our online community: Do Blizzard flavor Horde?  Thrall has turned into a savior while his counter part King Varian seems to have been sidelined.  Horde appear to have gained ground against the Alliance across the world.  Supporters of the Alliance have made a long list in justifying their claim that Blizzard has indeed flavored the Horde.

I am concerned, of course.  Because it seems to me that Blizzard is making a U-turn in order to please and retain the fans.  In the online game, we know that the fall of Theramore once ruled by Lady Proudmoore is the trigger of a new war between the Horde and the Alliance.  We also know that at the end of this new Mists of Pandaria expansion, the Horde capital Orgrimmar will be raided and Hellscream will be defeated – by Alliance and Horde alike.  As a keen observer of the lore, this a very bold plot development.  Blizzard is going to upset a lot of people.  This is a big gamble.  But, if played right, this plot twist may well bring the entire franchise back to its very root.

War.

As a fan of this franchise – be it as a Horde or Alliance supporter – I welcome this twist.  Let’s put war back to Warcraft.  In order to fully appreciate this wind of change, Christie Golden has written an excellent book called Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War.  I have read quite a number of her novels.  This book again moves me to tears.  The scale of war is nothing like what I have read before (within this franchise that is).  Garrosh Hellscream has a plan.  He is not agreeable to the ex-Warchief’s vision of peace.  Garrosh wants to bring glory to the Horde.  More specifically, he wants to be the leader who finishes off what Thrall – in his eyes – has failed to do.  Readers of Christie Golden would immediately recognize that while Garrosh is hotheaded, he is one great tactician when it comes to warfare.  He would sacrifice all that he has in order to achieve a goal.  But he would also retreat if the tactical advantage is no longer viable.  He does not listen.  But he values loyalty and he does not hesitate in exerting authority over his people and other Horde races.  Horde leaders such as Baine and Vol’jin do not agree with Garrosh’s thirst for war.  Both have secretly negotiated peace with the Alliance in the past through diplomacy means.  But for their peoples’ survival’s sake, they answer to Garrosh’s call for arm because Horde units, even when it is fragmented within.  Such is the political difference between the two factions.

Jaina Proudmoore’s Theramore is of a strategic military importance to the Alliance.  The city is located by the sea, in Kalimdor, south of Orc Capital Orgrimmar, and has a key route to Night Elf’s home land up north.  Garrosh’s vision is clear.  Destroying Theramore is only the first step.  His military plan is to barraade Kalimdor from Alliance’s reinforcement, and ultimately drive out or exterminate the night elves in the north.  Both the Undead and the Blood Elf are uneasy about Garrosh’s plan.  Because their capitals lie in Eastern Kingdoms.  Alliance will retaliate and they will be the first to suffer.  But like Tauren and Troll, it is either follow Orc’s command or face isolation.  That leaves them little options.

While Garrosh vision is sound, the execution can be less than honorable.  Slowly, we can see how power corrupts Garrosh and turns him into a tyrant, a dictator who will stop at nothing unless his goal is attained.  This time, there is no demonic corruption to be blamed.  Nor the Old Gods.  It is pure greed and ambition of the mortals, which is something new in the lore.

The center figure of this new book is of course Jaina Proudmoore.  I have been following Jaina’s story for years, mainly because in the early days of this online game, I enjoyed role playing as a human.  Jaina is one of the – if not the – most powerful living human mage.  If you roll a mage class like I do, she is the role model to look upon.

Due to her heritage, she rules Theramore and was romantically linked to the then-human prince Arthas who turned into Lich King.  While her family was slaughtered by the Horde, she believes that most Horde are as honorable as the Alliance and that diplomacy is the key to peace.

Imagine her emotional shock when Garrosh has launched an assault to Theramore.  As an attempt to halt the assault, she has to plead for help from the neutral organization Kirin Tor residing in the magical city of Dalaran, from her new friend Kalecgos the ex-Aspect of Blue Dragonflight, and from King Varian the leader of Alliance.  This is one spectacular battle when we get to see first hand the transformation of Jaina as well as King Varian stepping up as a war strategist.  This war does not end when the book does.  It is going to be escalated as more stories unfold in the World of Warcraft.

Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War is a must read for the fans and the lore lovers.

Categories
Book Reviews Fiction

Of Blood and Honor by Chris Metzen

Chronologically speaking, Of Blood and Honor is the last book of the Warcraft: Archive series.  This book is written by the esteemed Chris Metzen, generally regarded as the father (or one of the fathers) of Warcraft.  It is of an honor to finally read his work.

Of Blood and Honor, on the surface, is a rather short story.  Lord Tirion Fordring, a human paladin and a follower of Light, one day finds an old orc in his province.  In his days, every orc is a monster and must be eliminated.  Tirion fights the old orc and is being defeated.  As the tower collapses threatened to kill the unconscious Tirion within, the old orc saves his life, binds him onto his horse, and sends him back to his Keep.

Deeply affected by how the situation turns out, Tirion has decided to return to abandoned tower and confront the old orc once again.  Why would a monster save its enemy’s life?  To his surprise, this old orc speaks his language and has a name.  Eitrigg further enlightens Tirion on how some orcs have decided to leave their ranks because they do not wish to be corrupted by the demonic power and lose their way of life.  Do orcs have honor?  This one seems to have, so thinks Tirion.  In return to Eitrigg’s saving his life, Tirion has vowed to leave Eitrigg in peace and never seek him out.

Unfortunately, words are out and people now know that there are orcs in the area (although there is only one).  Is Tirion willing to risk losing everything he has in order to uphold his honor and his vow with an enemy?  To those of us who have been playing World of Warcraft since the beginning, the interaction between Tirion and Eitrigg marks a pivoting moment in the history of Warcraft – Horde and Alliance can collaborate.  They can fight side by side if a situation calls for.  This is exactly what we do today, when we face the worse adversity the world has yet to face.

Of Blood and Honor may not be rich in complexity.  However, without a doubt, it is a book that is rich in honor and sacrifice.  The path to heroism is not easy.  Especially when most don’t see that you are one.

Categories
Book Reviews Fiction

The Last Guardian By Jeff Grubb

For those who have played Warcraft 3, the real time strategy game released decades ago, you may recall a black raven that transformed into a human prophet at will speaking to both the Horde and Alliance.  It was the prophet’s plan to bring both sides’ attention to the looming danger of the demonic invasion – The Burning Legion.  The game ends with the glorious battle of all races of Azeroth against the demons’ final assault to the World Tree.

Perhaps the name Medivh means something to you.  The Last Guardian tells the story of Medivh, the most powerful mage known in Azeroth, before he has become the raven that some of us are familiar with in Warcraft 3.

To my best knowledge, The Last Guardian is the only Warcraft novel written by Jeff Grubb.  I do not know why he no longer writes for the Warcraft series.  I happen to enjoy his writing style – slower pace no doubt, but with a certain mysterious underlying to the overarching story.  The Last Guardian almost reads like a detective story.  Magic is explained in the finest technical detail.  The entire book is written in such finest detail.  I feel as though I am living inside the tower of Karazhan, together with the visions within and all.

Medivh is an enigmatic character.  His tower of Karazhan holds many secrets of the past and the future.  To tell the story, Jeff Grubb relies on the young Khadgar – a human mage highly recommended by Kirim Tor (an organization of mages residing in Dalaran) to be the apprentice of Medivh.  Khadgar has an inquisition mind and his undying curiosity makes him a perfect spy to learn the secret of the tower.  Medivh knows of Kirim Tor’s intend but is confident that by building trust, Khadgar may one day stand by his side.

The stories told within Karazhan are epic.  It goes all the way when Medivh’s 800 years old mother Aegwynn battled the evil Titan Sargeras.  Throughout my interaction with the Warcraft franchise – be it as in-game or the bits and pieces of lore scattered in books and at Blizzard’s website – it is the closest moment I have read about the Titans.  There are plenty of visions that explain what the past was, and what the future is to be.  The stories further explain Medivh’s background and why the most powerful mage in Azerorth is going insane.

After reading The Last Guardian, there are still many questions in my mind.  If Medivh is the Guardian of Order of Tirisfal, how does he relate to the Aspects of the five dragon flights – who are also named as the Guardians of Azeroth?  If the Aspects are empowered by Titans, what empowered the Guardian of Order of Tirisfal?  Sargeras appears to be one tough Titan to defeat – though it does not seem impossible – would this Titan be the ultimate villain in the online game World of Warcraft?  If so, when would that be?

The Last Guardian is the third book coming from the Warcraft Archive series.  It reads differently from others.  A worthwhile read nonetheless.

Categories
Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

Taken 2: Entertaining Albeit Less Intense Than Previous Installment

A group of us at Google+ – though not everyone has met everyone in real life – have at least two things in common.  We love the movie Taken and we live in Singapore.  So, when one of us suggested a Taken 2 movie outing, we have decided to make it yet another Google+ real life hangout.  It was fun.  We have a great time and followed through with an Indonesian dinner buffet.

I have almost forgotten how I felt about Taken until I read my post written three years ago.  Our movie buddy TK with his superhuman memory at the end of the show commented that Taken 2 has a slightly slower pace.  Now that I have read what was written, I agree.  But that doesn’t make Take 2 any less entertaining.

Initially, I was skeptical on this sequel.  In Taken, the daughter was taken.  Liam Neeson’s character has killed everyone in the story and saved her daughter.  In Taken 2, the parents are taken.  Relatives of the deceased are now seeking revenge.  What can an untrained daughter do?

Turns out that the daughter does have a role to play in saving her parents.  Clever script the film has.  Is that realistic?  I would say for someone who was been taken before, the survival instinct must have kicked in.  The backdrop of this installment is Istanbul.  To those who have yet to see the country, this backdrop looks exotic.

The challenge Taken 2 has is that there is little surprise when you have already watched the previous installment.  The only cliffhanger to me is that knowing Luc Besson, he may let the hero dies (like in Léon: The Professional).  The intensity then comes not from the would be surprises but the clever execution of the rescue mission.  To me, Taken 2 is a worthy follow up to the original movie.  It looks as though there will be Taken 3.  Now, it would be great if this Google+ real time hangout group continues to keep in touch and have a Taken reunion for the next installment.