Incomplete Melody

[pimp post] Percy Jackson and the Olympians

wad — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:16:41 GMT

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a 5 volume series (complete) and the first book was recently made into a movie. I don't like to get into spoilers, I think you can glean most of this from the back of the first book. In fact I think the summary on amazon may be more spoiler-y xD;; but I'll cut this just incase.

The star of the series Percy Jackson is a 13 year old boy that has been kicked out of every school he has ever been in. Percy is dyslexic, has ADHD and trouble always seems to find him. At his new school he makes a friend named Grover whom he protects from bullies and is the favorite of a history teacher that expects more out of him despite his obstacles which frustrates him. And then his math teacher tries to kill him.

Percy learns that not only do mythical monsters exist but they want to kill him and kids like him. Kids like him? That's right because Percy's absentee father turns out to be one of the Greek gods, making him a half-blood (half mortal half god). The gods are still very much real and still having flings with mortals. The only safe place for their offspring is Camp Half-blood which is sort of a Hogwarts-like setting on a much smaller scale. They just have to stay alive long enough to make it to that protected area.

The kids are in a constant battle for survival so they have to be trained to fight. Instead of classes in magical self-defense they learn to fight with sword and shield, instead of being sorted into houses they are put into cabins based on who their immortal parent is. The Athena kids are smart, the offspring of Hermes are prank-loving thieves while the children of Ares are pretty much bullies. They have violent chariot races and capture the flag competitions. However Percy doesn't get to spend a whole lot of time at camp before he takes up a quest with Grover and another camper to prevent a war between Zeus and Poseidon.

Why I like this series:
The use of greek mythology (the gods, medusa etc). It never over explains everything so it doesn't feel like you're getting a history lesson. It's fun when you can recognize certain monsters or settings but if your knowledge is rusty you can still enjoy it without needing to look anything up. The plot doesn't drag, there is lots of action but also a little romance that doesn't feel forced *coughHARRYGINNYcough* because it develops more realistically (I actually like the het pairing though I do have a slash one too). The gods have interesting personalities and have modernized to some degree and the characters have real plausible motivations for what they do, you will probably change your mind about several of them before it's done. There is closure of the plot but it's not the "and everyone lived happily ever after" kind. They still have problems like surviving outside of camp that isn't going to go away just because someone saved the day.

Harry Potter fans, if you liked the whole house sorting thing you will probably like the cabins idea. Like Harry, Percy has talents that he never knew he possessed and must learn how to use them in order to save himself and his friends. There is a big bad guy like Voldemort but he is far more manipulative and doesn't go out lame like him. There are probably a few more similarities but you'll just have to read to find out. Personally I think Percy Jackson and the Olympians gets more things right. LOL I swear I liked Harry Potter, I just think it didn't quite live up to its potential.

Greek mythology fans, expect the myths to be a bit toned down. What I mean is that they don't mention that satyrs are super horny (lol I made a funny) and mermaids are made out to be mischievous maidens instead of ones that drown people. However the author makes most of the non-human characters like centaurs, nyaids (tree nymphs) and water nymphs interesting and even some of the bad ones have depth.

You don't even need to go to the library. Here is a zip file of .pdfs for all 5 volumes :D And now I don't know what else to say except read it! Please? I need more people to spazz with me. Also let me know if I did a good job XD my persuasive skills are a bit rusty.

Books & Movies (2009)

wad — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:41:13 GMT

I saw that crinkledpaper had a book list and wanted do one as well. I haven't read as many books as last year but I love making lists even if it ends up being a short one. For things I've previously read check here.

BOOKS
01. Wicked by Gregory Maguire (this sucked)
02. Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley (this also sucked)
03. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett (couldn't get into it)
04. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
05. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
06. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
07. Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind (too damn long)
08. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (A+)
09. Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs (unexpectedly good after the disaster that was vol 3)
10. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
11. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (more sequels pls!)
12. Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (confusing at first, mentions an event that made me think I had missed something but it's just the author failing at flashbacks)
13. The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan (interesting, looking forward to reading the next volume)
14. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and some dude (amusing, all classics should have ninjas and zombies)
15. The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan
16. Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
17. My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding by various authors aka short story anthology (nothing special, more like adverts for their own series)
18. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (better than the first, I'm enjoying this series)
19. Death Masks by Jim Butcher
20. Many Bloody Returns by various authors (another short story compilation about vampires and birthdays, not bad)
21. Living Dead In Dallas by Charlaine Harris
22. The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan (this series gets more interesting, a pity it ends so soon)
23. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan (damn I need to read the last book asap!)
24. Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
25. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (somewhat satisfying ending, though it seems like it will be continued in another series)
26 Blood Price by Tanya Huff (boring, irritating character quirks, didn't finish it)
27. Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde/Body Snatchers/Ollala (much shorter than I expected)
28. Dead Beat by Jim Butcher (heh, title makes so much more sense now)
29. Real Murders by Charlaine Harris
30. Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher
31. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (eh, it didn't hook me)
32. Picture of Dorian Gray (made my eyes glaze over, watching the movie might be better)
33. White Night by Jim Butcher
34. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
35. Small Favor by Jim Butcher
36. Backup by Jim Butcher (ooh Thomas pov)
37. Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan
38. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
39. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
40. The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan
41. Tunnels of Blood by Darren Shan
42. Turn Coat by Jim Butcher (still digesting it, quite plot heavy)
43. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris (...well that explains the harem of supe men)
44. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris (a bit confusing and rushed at the end)

MOVIES
01. Antique Bakery (korean) omfg I loved this so much ♥
02. weird French movie about a masked villian :| I feel the name should be obvious but memory fails hardcore.
02.5 X-Men (this was a rewatch but I felt like mentioning it anyway)
03. Boy Meets Boy (short korean film, weird but adorable in a way)
04. Wall-e
04.5 Aladdin (hey it's been around 15 years since I last saw it, almost everything seemed new xD love the songs)
05. You, Me and Dupree (pretty funny!)
06. Mr. Vampire (parody of Chinese vampires)
07. The Princess and the Frog (actually saw this at the theater! I give it a B)

I can't tell if I really haven't watched any others or if I'm just forgetting some ._.

Drama Masterlist

wad — Wed, 14 May 2008 03:23:44 GMT

This list is to keep track of what I've seen and what I'm currently watching. It's slowly getting longer :D/

Currently watching

Ohitorisama
my status: 1
When an all-girls high school hires a clueless part-timer who is awkward and has no confidence as a substitute teacher, the happily single Akiyama-sensei gets assigned as his mentor. Okay maybe not-so-happily single after all. I liked it even though the male lead reminds me of Baby/Hyungjun. He's kind of precious though. I might have a crush on Akiyama-sensei, I was afraid she'd be a man-hating cold bitch but she has more depth than I expected. I'm interested to see where their relationship goes as their personalities are quite different. I don't really care about the 10 year difference.

Guren Onna
my status: 1-5
This is pretty amusing, a meek school teacher dresses up as the vengefull spirit of a burned woman to scare people. What I like is the effort she puts into it and then she encounters real ghosts XD it's short but I think it works well. If you're in the mood for something light and entertaining I'd reccommend this!

KO One
my status: 1-12
I love Jiro so naturally I had to watch it. I hate the teacher but the trio of Jiro, Calvin and Arron is good enough for me to keep watching. Plus there's Danson! Also there's this food stall guy that's pretty funny XD this was my first twdrama. I'm working on downloading more now, I want to complete it before moving on to X Family.

Invincible Shan Bao Mei
my status: 1
A girl that works at her father's restaurant can never get a boyfriend because of her weird strength, flat chest and she always smells like roast pork while on the other hand "Invincible" Wu Di drives people away with his cruel and arrogant behavior and when the two of them cross paths chaos ensues. This is almost like a spin off of Fated To Love You, it has some of the same cast and there's cameos by Cun Xi and Xin Yi, however you don't need to have seen FTLY first to enjoy it. What you can expect is over-dramatic acting and characters put in very awkward but very amusing situations XD

So I'm Not Handsome
my status: 1-2
JJ Lin plays a guy that is utterly convinced that he's hot stuff until he gets rejected by the school beauty queen. he has two best friends who are not above making money at his expense (they sell memorabilia of his rejection). I found it cute and promising, I'm looking forward to watching more. Also I dare anyone to resist JJ Lin XD

Trick
my status: season 1, season 2 (completed)
A magician and a university professor set out to prove that people with spiritual powers are frauds. This is my guilty pleasure xD;; the plot isn't great but just about everything is phallic and they like to make fun of Ueda's big peen. Also the two cops are so wacky/stupid XD I'm almost done, just have the 3rd season and two movies left.

Will continue later

9 ends 2 outs
my status: 1
I liked it, kinda sympathized with the main character. I'd like to have a younger man courting me too ;D though my taste runs more towards her friend, the sophisticated businessman.

Hachi-One Diver
my status: 1
Having loved Hikaru no Go it was easy for me to follow along, the world of go and shogi isn't too different. They even place pieces on the board in the same way. I love having a woman as the shogi master, though I wonder why she needs to work when she is making so much money. Haha all the special effects is like a live-action version of Hikago XD

Here is Greenwood
my status: 1-7
It's a pretty lighthearted drama about a dorm at an all-male academy that houses the weirdest students. It's based on a manga that also has an anime, both of which I've read/seen. The drama is amusing enough and I'll keep watching it if more gets subbed.

Kurosagi
my status: 1
Ugh the main female lead is SO annoying D: I don't know if I can stand her even with Yamapi there to distract me. stfu already, I didn't hear you coming up with a solution. I see that Yamapi has an allergy to underwear though so I might continue this later.

My Boss My Hero
my status: 1
I had no idea of the plot going into it so I was a bit surprised when it turned out to be about a young yakuza forced to go back to high school. It hasn't hooked me but Makio is good looking and it has Tegoshi so I'll keep watching. And uh.. whenever I go to fill Sirius's water dish I think "WAAAHTAAAAHH!" xD;;;; damn you Makio.

My Lucky Star
my status: 1
crappy video quality D: it kept macroing and blocking. It's a pity because the plot seems good, the rebel son of a rich jewelry business guy gets handcuffed to a fiesty jewelry theif and then his troubles really begin XD

Queen's
my status: 1
This guy is desperate to win the affections of the girl he likes and since she is into cosplaying and sewing he takes that up in order to get closer to her. unfortunately she only sees him as her best friend and instead has a crush on a jerky basketball player. Unwilling to give up he turns to a manga to help him become a real man and get the girl of his dreams. this is pretty amusing, specially since the basketball player has a crush on the dude when he's in drag XD lol weird love triangle.

Rolling Love
my status: 1
It's not as bad as I expected it to be after I heard it had low ratings. There seems to be a love triangle developing between Michelin (Jiro) a local cook of fried rice, Leng Lie (Danson) who is a famous young chef and a blind popstar. Screw that, gimme some WangTang! Anyway I like it enough to keep watching.

Say Yes Enterprise
my status: 1
Not sure what to make of it, there seems to be 7 parts. I'm only interested in the first part which has Vanness Wu playing an elite businessman possibly finding love with a dancer.

Wayward Kenting
my status: 1-3
I'd like this better minus the Endless Rain part. Han We and Liang are adorable though, not to mention Ethan ;D I'll probably keep watching it though I'm still trying to figure out what the plot is.

Witch Yoo Hee
my status: 1-7
The pairing of strict no-nonsense Yoo Hee and the freespirited wannabe chef is nice. I'd totally hit Johnny though 8D mm-mmm. What is it with dramas that have side characters that are hotter/better than the main lead?

Yukan Club
my status: 1
lol I thought this was based on a manga because it seems like all the popular dramas are nowadays. when I first saw Miroku I thought "....Hyunjoong?" xD;; and is it me or does Bidou look like Changmin? anyway it was amusing so I'll keep watching it.

Not continueing

A Game About Love
I wanted to watch this because the lead actress plays Xin Yi in FTLY. I'm disappointed that she plays yet another pushover woman. Said person gets dumped by her boyfriend and while drowning in misery she spots a painting of a flamenco dancer and decides to take dancing lessons. I'm guessing the artist and the owner of the art gallery will be making up the love triangle. Not sure if want.

Brown Sugar Macchiato
This kinda sucked balls. Normally I'd love the idea of 6 guys being forced to spend a year living together and one pairing was obvious (to me), the dude with the expensive car and the one with the motorcycle. UST right from the start. However it is ruined by a bunch of bitchy girls who seem to be the guys' potential love interests. Oh, and the maid's voice is extremely babyish and annoying! I think this has a sequel too, wtf?

Chu Chu My Daddy
It's about a guy that is very gullible and desperate for money so he gets roped into playing foster dad to 3 sisters. I don't like the eldest sister but the two younger sisters are amusing. One is a Naruto fangirl who always carries around a ball jointed doll that looks like her. However there's really nothing about it that makes me want to see more.

It Started With A Kiss
I found this one hard to stomach. I don't like the heroine at all, she has zero endearing qualities. I'm also getting tired of heroines rejecting perfectly good men in favor of jerks. Sorry Jiro, I tried to watch it but my newfound hate of Ariel Lin won out :|

Love Is Full Count
I don't know wtf was up with this drama. There's this girl who is obsessed with those cheap little toys you get in plastic balls and she tries to kill herself after getting dumped by her boyfriend -_- then there's a slacker employee with the hots for his lady supervisor and she's kinda into him too but now there's a rich young manager who wants to persue her. I've seen my share of over the top plots but this was just lame.

Marry Me!
It hasn't been subbed beyond the first episode T_T wtf it has Mike He! Doesn't everyone go nuts over his dramas? Anyway he plays a star that gets stood up at the altar and he has to go into hiding to avoid his fans who are rioting xD;; I can see this happening in real life *coughCASScough* if only someone would sub the rest of it.

When Dolphin Met Cat
I decided to check this out because of Eddie Peng. I was interested to see him in a more serious role but this was a bit too serious. There are several story lines which the first episode introduces and a large cast, it's confusing to say the least. I got bored not even halfway into the episode and tired of trying to keep up. Eddie looks damn good though, I'd still hit it.

Zettai Kareshi
It's different from the manga, not really in a good way. I like the chief of the bakery company, the one who is a playboy and slacks off at work, but none of the rest made an impression on me :\ but if it gets better do let me know!

Completed

Devil Beside You
Rainie Yang is ADORABLE OMG D: I've heard of her ofcourse but this is my first time seeing her in a drama. This is a romantic comedy where girl chases boy but ends up attracting the attention of a bad boy (played by Mike He). Meng is a total softie on the inside XD the whole gang is pretty amusing and Ahrang is super adorable! I just wanna squish him. I can't stand chocolate fetish girl though.

Evil Spirit 05
Uh don't go into this expecting much of a plot or sense for that matter. There's ghosts, vengeful spirits, an evil buddhist master and three people tied together by fate. See these two monks fell for the same girl and their sacred relics were stolen. Now reincarnated they search for the relics. Unbeknownst to them the girl has also been reincarnated. There's also the Other Guy who is cute, too bad he never stood a chance.

Fated To Love You
This one turned out way better than I expected. Initially the plot sounded lame but then I ~~saw a screencap of Dylan~~ decided to try it and I'm glad I did! Xin Yi's family is hilarious, Ethan can be really adorable and ofcourse there's Baron <3 definately reccommended. It's not completely light hearted though, beware tearjerkers from around ep 11+

Goong
This series is one that is always recc'ed and it was my first kdrama. It's pretty amusing however at times it's like a trainwreck that you can't look away from xD;; I have to say it was pretty good. WHERE IS GOONG 2?!

Liar Game
My first jdrama! It's about a really naive girl who gets involved with a game where you have to lie, cheat and steal to win. She finds a expert swindler to help her out of the mess but they won't let her out of the game so easily. I love it a lot because it's unique, never boring with lots of twists and I was always looking forward to the next episode.

Miss No Good
I still don't know how it hooked me but it did. It's about a woman named Xiao Hua (Rainie Yang) who likes to wear every color of the rainbow... at the same time. Her old friend Jia Si Le comes back from Japan about 100 pounds lighter (not to mention rich and handsome) and wants to date her, however she realizes that she'll need to change in order to fit into his high class world. Tang Men (Wilber Pan), a hot young stylist, is enlisted to give her a makeover so she can win over Si Le's family. I adored Wilber Pan in this! He was great as the cold stylist who slowly opens up. He's also a giant dork behind the scenes XD the supporting characters were pretty good too, I laughed so hard at Tang Men's assistant. It's just really unfortunate that most people will get turned off by the voice Rainie uses :\

Remote
First time seeing Koichi as an actor <3 I'm a big Kinki Kids fan. It's about a genius detective that never leaves his basement so he gets assigned a lady meter reader to help him solve crimes, she has to investigate crime scenes for him and be his eyes and ears. Anyway it's enjoyable enough and I liked the ending even though it's open ended.

RH Plus
Shounen ai and vampires, what could be better? There's 16 year old Makoto and Ageha, college student Masakazu and their guardian Kiyoi. Makoto is adorable but has trouble opening up to people while Ageha is goofy, outgoing, cheerful and protective of Makoto. Masakazu is obsessed with going to group dates and meeting girls, it's so funny when he meets his match. Then there's Kiyoi who cooks and takes care of them, he is caring and wants them to be a real family. The series deals with Makoto's past and the bonds between all of them. It's a cute, fun series to watch if you're tired of angst-filled dramas.

50 books challenge (2008)

wad — Wed, 14 May 2008 02:18:58 GMT

Same as with the movies challenge: 50 books read within 2008. Each book shall be linked to amazon, rated and reviewed.

total: 14/50 (lol failed)

Daddy's Little Girl
by Mary Higgins Clark
rating: 1 1/2 out of 5
I don't quite know what it's supposed to be, mystery? thriller? You know who did it from the start so the only question is if the heroine can prove it. I couldn't really get into the story and the heroine was pretty boring. I think the best thing I can say about it is that it helped pass a few hours of an otherwise boring day.

The Father of Forensics by Colin Evans
rating: 3/5
This was an interesting read. It's about a british pathologist named Bernard Spilsbury who, through research and experimentation, found new techniques to solve crimes in the early 1900s. He was also an expert witness in many high profile trials. I picked this book up on a whim and expected it to be a dry/boring recounting of his life but the author kinda wrote it like a story. Each chapter starts with the setting (events at the time) then presents the first details of the murder then it takes you through the steps Spilsbury took to discover who did it and how. It flows well and was easy to read despite being about forensic science XD if you like CSI and Law & Order you'll like this book. However I do have to warn that the author seems to worship the ground the doctor walked on >>; like he made a comment about a "god amoungst mortals". lol fanboy.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
rating: 4/5
The Historian is about a series of events that lead one person after another across the globe searching for Vlad (Dracula's) tomb. Roughly 80% of the book is told via flashbacks, it's odd to have so many perspectives. The amount of detail can be overwhelming and caused my eyes to glaze over a few times. Despite that I couldn't stop reading and now I kinda want to visit all the places mentioned. I have to deduct points for the ending though, I'm left with a bunch of questions and feeling unsatisfied. Is it too much to ask for people to tie up loose ends? My most burning question is "what happened to the library?" and I guess I'll have to assume that it just hasn't been found :\

Snake Agent by Liz Williams
rating 3.5/5
I liked the asian/supernatural setting and the partnership of the human Chen and demon Zhu. I have some nitpicks though. Was the demon-hunter really neccessary? He didn't add anything to the plot beyond finding the dorms. I had an inkling that it had something to do with them anyway. Same thing with Inari. She could've turned out cool but she was more like an afterthought. I hope the rest of the series focuses on Chen and Zhu, I feel that's where its strength lays.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
rating 2.5/5
This was a 400-something page book that felt like a 600+ one. It took forever for the plot to get going. Neil must like to use the word penis a lot cause he does. His characters are always peeing! It was an interesting concept of old gods versus new gods though, he just needed to make the story tighter. It seemed to drag on and on. I do have to admit he tied up just about every loose end. I was like "oh the story is over. no wait there's more... and more... and an epilogue..." XD When I finished this I had no questions left but I actually prefer that over things left open-ended like The Historian. That drove me crazy! Anyway I only know Neil Gaiman from his Sandman comics (which I liked a lot) so maybe my expectations were too high.

Dead Man Rising by Lilith Saintcrow
rating: 2.5/5
I liked the first book of this series better. I could have done without all the times it is pointed out- no, beaten into your brain, that Dante has changed. It was fine at the beginning of the book, a reminder of previous events. But did I really need to be reminded like 6 times (and that's a conservative estimate) that she can't get drunk? Okay we get it, Dante is near perfect now but not happy about it. She is never happy and I'm just getting sick of it. At the end of the first book I couldn't wait for the next one since I liked Japh and hoped he'd be brought back. At the end of the second one, not so much eager for the third installment :\

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
rating 3.5/5
Much attention is paid to detail and words, focusing on a famous author's lifestory being slowly unraveled for a biographer. Lots of twists and turns. It can be a bit dull sometimes though, like watching an indie movie when you're used to watching action flicks XD there were some little things I saw coming but the majority was a surprise, especially the conclusion of the author's story. I still have no idea how the girl made such a leap in logic. I am satisfied with just about everything being nicely tied up at the end except ofcourse for the identity of the burned twin. This isn't my usual type of story though, not quite sure if I would read another like it.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
rating: 3.5/5
It's about a guy who involunteerily jumps around in time and how he meets his wife at various ages. It's not too hard to keep track of the timeline, I just wasn't that into the story. LOL not quite a glowing review. Good for a rainy day?

Perfume by Patrick Suskind
rating: 1.5/5
This is set in 1700ish France, it's about a depraved dude with a hypersensitive sense of smell who at various times wants to create the best perfume, gets repulsed by human scents enough to live on a mountaintop for 7 years then goes back into society intent on creating a perfume that'll help him rule the world. In order to do this he kills young girls in order to steal their scents. When I reserved this I thought it was based on a true story but sadly it's not, specially thought it was cheesey when the guy uses special perfumes to avoid being caught. I would have liked a more realistic story.

The Demon and The City by Liz Williams
rating: 3/5
I don't know how I forgot to add this here but I did D: it's been about 3 months since I read this so my impression of the book is kinda fuzzy. I liked that Zhu got more of the spotlight and when Chen finally showed up it was to chase after demons and once again find themselves in a demon brothel XD the angel dude was nice, wish he'd dump the girl though. I'd love for him to hook up with Zhu ;D

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
rating: 4.5/5
Another book I forgot to list. I really liked this one, it was unique enough to keep my interest. The main character is a woman named Mercy who can shapechange into a coyote (I think that's what it was). Mercy grew up in a werewolf pack but got her naive heart broken by one. Years later she is a mechanic with her own shop, she's a tough cookie but there's a possible romance with her werewolf neighbor. That is, if her ex moving in doesn't screw things up XD There's some run ins with magic users and vampires but the main focus was on the werewolves. I heard the next book deals more with the vampires, I can't wait for it!

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
rating: 4/5
I read this in one sitting xD;; The werewolves were mostly a disappointment with the majority of them spending their time glowering or being territorial. I don't find a bunch of dudes acting like cavemen a particularly interesting read. I did kinda like Honey and I still like Warren and Kyle from the first book. However the clear winners here were the vampires. I love Stefan with his scooby doo obsession XD I'm not too sure I like the possibility that he has feelings for Mercy but still he's a rather unconventional vampire and I'd love to see more of him in future books. Not to mention The Wizard aka Wulfe *is totally not a pedo* as for the Adam vs Samuel issue, I was actually happy when it seemed like Mercy was leaning towards choosing Adam but ofcourse things could never be that simple :\ though I'd find it really ironic if after all this she chooses neither of them.

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
rating: 3/5
So the first book was all about werewolves, the second about vampires and in the third the focus is on the fae. I didn't like this one as much as the previous two. The only good thing is that it finally put the love triangle to rest unless the author brings back Stefan. It was an alright read, I liked learning some of Ben's backstory. However it was pretty much ruined for me when the author used the old sexual healing gimmick that non-con fanfic writers love to use :\ also the main plot lacked suspense, perhaps she ran out of steam or was too busy writing that spin off about Samuel's brother to properly focus. I think there is a 4rth book out now but if it's more of the same I probably won't continue with the series.

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
rating: 4/5
I saw this on Missa's list and it sounded interesting. Strong female lead, lots of political intrigue and an enemy like the Ori, not to mention the type of prince charming Disney would like. The only complaint I have is that Serene started annoying me halfway through the book. Ofcourse we the readers knew what was going on while she didn't but her bristling at everything and everyone got old real fast. Also two men falling for her in the span of only two months? Otherwise I thought it was pretty interesting. I sense a potential set up for a sequel so we'll see.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
rating: 1/5
I felt like reading some classics but I have to say that my eyes haven't glassed over so much since the Odyssey/Illiad D: I had to keep taking breaks but I eventually forced myself to read it all. I really have no idea why, except maybe because I've never left a book unfinished and I was hoping to discover why people liked it. Well I don't see it :\ I didn't like it at all. Healthcliff made everyone miserable, including me.

other book lists:
Missa
Phasera

50 films challenge (2008)

wad — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:43:17 GMT

The goal is to watch 50 movies within 2008. Each title will be linked to it's imdb page, rated and reviewed. I'm a tough grader so don't be expecting any 10s.

May contain spoilers!

total: 25/50 (more than I've seen in the past few years combined xD)
01) Stardust
02) Spiderman 3
03) Enchanted
04) National Treasure
05) Shaolin Soccer
06) Stargate SG1: Ark of Truth
07) Pirates of the Caribbean 3
08) Jumper
09) National Treasure: Book of Secrets
10) Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
11) A Dog's Breakfast
12) Stargate SG1: Continuum
13) The Dark Knight
14) The Forbidden Kingdom
15) REC
16) Pathology
17) Serenity
18) The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
19) Kill Bill vol 1
20) Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
21) The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Beginning
22) The Librarian: Quest for the Spear
23) The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mine
24) Lilo & Stitch
25) Iron Man
bold = newest

Stardust
rating: 6.5/10
It was enjoyable. I loved the pirate guy and the ghosts XD LMAO @ pervert ghost! The romance parts were kinda meh and I really can't believe Tristan learned how to use the sword like that in only a week or so. Still I found it amusing, specially at the end when the ghosts were watching the fighting.

Spiderman 3
rating: 6/10
I can't say I remember much about the first two films. I was interested by the pictures I had seen of the black costumed Spidey though. I think the movie can be summed up with Peter and Mary Jane acting stupid. Man did Peter get so full of himself with all the Spiderman posters, costumes etc. I knew his overconfidence would bite him in the ass. I'm a little glad Harry came around in the end though. However it is a sequel and you know how those get worse with every installment. I watched this while my net was down so atleast it was a nice timewaster.

Enchanted
rating: 6.5/10
Okay the little girl in me loved this xD;; specially with all the references to cinderella, snow white and sleeping beauty. Then there was Patrick Dempsey from Grey's Anatomy in it :D and the trademark Disney optimistism, singing and helpful animals. Overall it wasn't a bad way to spend an hour.

National Treasure
rating: 7/10
Who doesn't like Indiana Jones type movies? Although Indy has to travel to exotic locales to find treasure while Ben finds it closer to home. I loved the historical bent to it with the Declaration of Independance, Liberty Hall etc. I loved the treasure room, I couldn't help going :O when I saw it. Anyway the movie has a nice bit of action, could have used more comedy but overall I was pleased and I'm looking forward to the sequal.

Shaolin Soccer
rating: 1.5/10
Of all the Chinese movies, why this one was chosen to be not only imported but also dubbed is beyond me. I've heard it mentioned before so when I saw it at the library I decided to check it out. I mean it's not everyday you find a Chinese film in a tiny library branch. It got like one chuckle out of me, the rest was complete fail.

Stargate SG1: Ark of Truth
rating: 8/10
I really wish they had skipped the last episode of SG1 and just gone straight to this movie which was just about everything I could've hoped for. I'm satisfied with how they wrapped up the Ori and based on how the first movie turned out I am pretty excited about the next one 8D

Pirates of the Caribbean 3
rating: 5/10
Lots of action scenes and everyone betraying everyone. Nice touch with showing Jack's dad. I'm a little sad that it's over, I would've given it a higher rating except the ending was very wtf-y for me. Where's my disney ending?!

Jumper
rating: 5/10
It wasn't too bad, not too great either. It's about this dude who discovers an ability to jump/teleport which he puts to good use but then the shit hits the fan and suddenly he's got enemies on his ass. I liked the whole team-up thing he tried to get going with the other dude. I get the sense that it's open-ended enough for a sequel but I've no idea if that is in the works. Probably not. This had the potential to be a really cool action flick but didn't quite make it there. Should've ditched the girl and focused on the team-up thing. Btw don't read the full synopsis at imdb, it basically outlines the whole movie.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets
rating: 7.5/10
I found this to be as enjoyable as the first one, maybe even a bit more. Action packed chases around the world, following clues, doing the unthinkable and getting away with it. As with the first movie my fav part is the grand sets specially the scene where they're standing inside with water pouring down around them. I laughed when stuff started breaking because that's pretty realistic given how old it was. I wish it was real, I would love to see all that for myself! And something said at the end leads me to believe there will be a 3rd movie. Just what the hell was on page 47? Hurry up sequel!

Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
rating: 9/10 (fangirl bias :D/ not 10 though because it was way too short!)
I loooooooooove Babylon 5 so I was estactic when I found out JMS was making these "lost tales" aka new material. The opening footage nearly killed me, didn't expect to see that again plus the opening monologue is by G'kar T_T but the station looks great. Everything looks great with the new CGI. I didn't realize how much I missed the background music, just really beautiful stuff. First tale is about a test of faith. What happens when enlightened space-faring people are faced with proof that evil exists? Second one is focused on Sheridan returning to the station after 10 years. Tons of references so you have to be on your toes in order to catch it all. Overall it makes me crave more and I'm excited that more is likely on the way. I know there are plenty of stories left to tell, I just hope JMS gets to tell them all.

A Dog's Breakfast
rating: 8/10
This is probably funnier to fans of Stargate due to all the cameos but it's good on it own too. The main character Patrick does not react well to his sister getting engaged. He is so much like an alternate universe Rodney, he has weird quirks like seperating his fruit loops by color. Paul McGillion is in it too! LOL Paul's character is an actor on a "space show". Oh geez, who let Teyla in? Strangely enough she acts better on the fake space show than she does on SGA :\ ROFL THE LEOPARD PRINT ROBE!!!!! Missa you'd love that part. Oh Patrick you are so much fail. These surprise cameos are awesome btw. And is that... Paul in drag O_O haha David needs to write more movies!

Stargate SG1: Continuum
rating: 7.5/10
As much as I loved seeing old familiar faces (Hammond, Jack etc) I think I liked the first movie better. First off for a plot centering around Ba'al he doesn't get much screentime does he? There were quite a few things that were left unclear, you can puzzle them out yourself but it would have been nice if they had just explained it. I was also hoping that they would've rebeled and tried to fix the timeline despite being ordered not to. Still it was enjoyable enough and hey, it's SG1 :D I still think it'd be really cool if one of the pilots had been John though.

The Dark Knight
rating: 6/10
To be honest I was bored during the first hour or so. Batman was barely around. I think I expected the film to get more into Bruce's head, not ignore him. I was a little irritated that he'd give up being Batman so he could hook up with the woman. Could he really just stop like that? As for the Joker I liked the part where he says that he needs Batman cause it's true. Reminds me of a comic where he gets rid of Batman then realizes how boring it is without him. LMAO @ the mayor's eye makeup. I would've liked to have seen Batman lose control after a certain event happened. Mostly I'm just displeased that they teased me with the 5 seconds of Scarecrow :\ wtf?

The Forbidden Kingdom
rating: 6/10
Karate fanboy gets swept into epic adventure where he has to rescue the Monkey King. I liked that they had a lot of dialogue in Chinese since most of the film is set in China. The monkey king was amusing and crafty. I liked Jackie Chan's character in this. There is a lot of fighting choreography but I'm not into that so I wouldn't buy it but overall it was a nice way to pass the time.

REC
rating: 3/10
A spanish horror flick. It's about a television reporter and cameraman that are filming what firemen do and while following them to an emergency everyone gets caught up in some freaky shit. You see everything from the viewpoint of the camera. I didn't find it scary but there were some ewww moments. If seeing crazy people biting other people isn't your kinda thing then I wouldn't reccommend this. Lol I don't even know what prompted me to watch, it's def not my thing. Also having a snack while watching = not a bright idea.

Pathology
rating: 3/10
horror/thiller about a group of medical students trying to create a perfect murder that would stump the others. It didn't scare me in the slightest, though I didn't like the part when they crack open ribs with what looks like a huge pair of shears. Other than that I've seen too much csi to be squicked by body parts. I'd say the only thing worth watching this for is the nice looking dude and getting to see his ass.

Serenity
rating: 4/10
Serenity basically ties up loose ends from the canceled series Firefly much like how the SG1 movie finishs the Ori plot. It also leaves room for them to continue. With all the hints they kept dropping about the reavers I had already guessed how they had come about. My biggest complaint is the dialogue, some of it made me roll my eyes. As did the scene with River standing over the dead reavers because the door somehow opened on it's own. I was like "lol ~*~dramatic~*~" XD anyway it completes the story which makes me satisfied.

The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
rating: 5/10
Alex is kinda cute. I don't really like the replacement actress for Evey and the sequel is pretty boring. I only laughed at the part when the Yeti kicked a soldier over an arch, looks back at his fellow Yeti and they're like "goal!" XD anyway it's pretty much something I'd save for when I've got nothing else to do.

Kill Bill vol 1
rating: 5.5/10
It was a little too artsy for me. I didn't like the random animation or the long conversations in Japanese without subtitles. The sword fighting was nice. Not too sure about the plot, I'll probably edit this once I've seen the sequel.

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
rating: 6/10
I didn't enjoy it as much as the first movie, it was alright. This one has a darker tone, lots of death and violence. Ofcourse there's the religous bent to it, Lucy was the only one who believed without needing to see proof. There was a LOTR feel to it with the fighting trees which are always awesome to see. I really hope the actor playing Caspian is legal age >> and we get to see him in the next movie, woohoo!

The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Beginning
rating: 4/10
I am such a little girl at heart xD;; the original was my fav disney movie when I was little. I haven't seen the sequel yet but this my friends is a prequel. Basically after Ariel's mom dies her father banned music from the kingdom and Ariel, rebellious as always, fights to bring the music back. It's not outstanding but it sure brings back memories.

The Librarian: Quest for the Spear
rating: 6.5/10
I knew the main actor from another show and I love movies like Indiana Jones and National Treasure so I knew this would be a safe bet. Plus I saw a commercial for the 3rd movie and figured it was high time I finally watched this series. It's about a guy in his 30s who stayed in college earning degree after degree until he was forced to find a job. He recieves an interview with a library and surprisingly gets the job where he discovers that he'll need to look after the most important artifacts in the world, ie the holy grail, excalibur etc. A job I'd kill for XD anyway the movie actually isn't that bad. I like the National Treasure ones a bit more but it was still enjoyable.

The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mine
rating: 6/10
Not bad. Pretty much something you'd watch if you had nothing else to do. I forgot to mention the Librarian series is toned down for families which equals boring to me, yet I have a soft spot for this genre so I'll be watching the next sequel.

Lilo & Stitch
rating: 8/10
Yes I finally watched the whole thing xD;; I've only seen about 5 minutes of it before, the scene where Stitch reads about the ugly duckling but it was enough to hook me. I kinda don't like the way the humans are drawn though. The crossdressing alien always cracks me up XD I really loved how Stitch changed and grew throughout the film. One time when I was at Disneyworld we watched one of their artists show how they draw and I remember seeing a wall with posters of upcoming films. One of the posters was for Lilo & Stitch, I thought it was a dumb concept at the time but they definately proved me wrong. I'll never doubt Disney again!

Iron Man
rating: 4/10
Is it bad that at the very beginning the music reminds me of a Supernatural episode? Uh what can I say... I didn't particularly like Stark. I mean another rich playboy? The plot didn't wow me either. I actually paused a few times to do other things, play a game etc before coming back to finish it. I did sorta like the end though.

other lists:
missatralissa
spinspiderspin
zeehondpunk
(anyone else doing this, drop me a link!)

Attack of the Fangirls blog crew

wad — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:19:27 GMT

I really shouldn't be encouraged XD

ELF driving you crazy? Cassiopaeia threatening to cut your fav singer? I could come up with lots more examples of fangirls behaving badly but I'm lazy. Anyway you know what to do. It can be a fanclub or something general like "fans of TVXQ". Think certain jpop or anime fans are douches too? This is multi-fandom and there's no limits! GOGOGOGO!!!

example: wad + golf club ~vs~ E.L.F.

We have a code now! Thanks to missatralissa ♥

Cassiopaeia (fanclub of TVXQ/DBSK)
-run down by hoyah + taxi cab
-blasted by kind_of_life + megaphone
-flattened by gyuche's stampede of mysteriously large animals
-24'ed by summernap + Jack Bauer

Club H.O.T. (fanclub of H.O.T.)
-incinerated by jinjja's nukes

CSJH/TSZX fans
-whacked by kind_of_life + frying pan

E.L.F. (fanclub of Super Junior)
-eated by krissasaur's smoke monster Smokie
-drop kicked by busha69's hero Chuck Norris
-feasted upon by fuminshou_neko's army of zombies
-clobbered by kyoumei + lead pipe
-rolled by missatralissa + katamari
-garroted by sketchglitch + violin strings
-poisoned by summernap + cookies w/arsenic
-gassed by vanillacat + chlorine gas
-beaten by wad + golf club
-pulped by jinjja + chainsaw