THIRD TIMES A CHARM....
hopefully, cause i had 2 posts b4 this one. Im especially kinda smad (sad and mad, taken from Chris, another fellow CalBear, hehe), since those posts reflected on something i thought long and hard about while staring out at the seemingly dark skies of berkeley. And for the life of me, i cant quite recall the realization i had then. So, due to unforseen circumstances, all i can muster is a little excerpt from my little mission statement... to myself.
In effect, what i wanted to do is reverse the fortunes that ive received this past semester. Academic-wise, this semester was really horrible. I couldnt quite get my finger on it, but i lacked the sort of concentration and focus that i had in what seems ages ago, the sort of focus that was at its peak when needed most. Well, taking on 3 science pre-req courses might not have been the most insightful of choices ive made (and will never happen again), but even then it was no excuse. The courses are gettin tougher, and im not gettin the material as readily as i used to. So, what i needed then was a shift in how i approached my work, which was to do more of it. And, i guess i didnt do this to the fullest extent. Thus, i blamed many sorts of various external factors for my misfortunes, too numerous to mention here. I became something that wasnt me. At a certain pt, i knew that how i acted wasnt me. I needed to regain what was lost.
I stared into the gray skies, fixated on what was before me. All around me, i could only c what was dirty and bleak. Those gray clouds choked the sky, wringin forth rain that turned everything into a muddy mess. Ppl scurrin about their business, only concentrating on one thing, which was to carve out their own niche at the expense of others (stupid bio 1B...). In the reality in front of me, beauty escaped my grasp. Then, i happened to notice a solitary tree, losing most of its leaves in preparation for the winter, with a few leaves clingin onto the branches, as vibrant as it was basking in the spring sunlight a few months back. Something so frail, yet still persists through the harshest of weather. Something so fleeting, yet so strong, is something that fits that sort of beauty ive been looking for. What i realized then, in order to achieve the sort of calm serenity within myself, i needed to look beyond what was before me, find something hidden and deep within this world. In order to do that, i have to go back to the basics, to kno what i must do and not to neglect my duties in the seduction of sloth. In order for me to live the way i want, i need to act, to constantly search for that hidden existence. Basically... i need to be more hardcore. Wushu is one of them. I have made it a part of my life, and my lack of hard practice has withered my body to a sad state. I will have to change the way i approach my studies. Doing these things will help me to find that.
"Why do you look up at the rainy skies?" some1 might ask to me. My response would be, " If i can find a sliver of light piercing through the clouds, then i kno that sunnier days are ahead. Besides, the rain isnt all that bad to begin with."
With that said, lets move onto why LOTR is hardcore. For those of u who havent seen the new Two Towers movie, do not read further. This is ur only warning. Disclaimer: I have not read any of the trilogy. This rant is based upon what ive seen in the movie alone.
GIMLI-
The Dwarf warrior of the Fellowship. Pretty much provides comic relief throughout the movie. What he lacks in height, he makes up for in tenacity and brute force. Example: Kills one of the orc's wargs. It falls on him. As he tries to get that off, an orc prepares to slice him in his vulnerable state. He snaps his neck. Another example: Aragorn launches him in a pack of Orc's that lay siege to the keep at Helms' Deep. Lays waste to them alongside Aragorn.
GOLLUM-
Being an entirely CG character, i thought he would share the same fate as one Jar-Jar Binks. To my surprise, he was an interesting and fairly deep character. His internal conflict over the ring essentially splits his personailty into 2.
ARAGORN-
His hardcoreness is self-evident. Master of swordplay and natural leader, he inspires the king of Rohan to stand up to the orchish onslaught, down to the very last man. Example: When the orcs have breached all but the last room of the keep, he holds a steady faith in his old friends word, and convinces the king to charge through the orcish army on horseback. Again, they lay waste to every orc on the way down to the battlefield... which leads us to
GANDALF-
who is now known as Gandolf the White... the other White Wizard. Again, very hardcore. He battled the inferno monster from the 1st movie down great depths, into a shallow pool, up to the peak of the mt, where he finally slay him. After being revived once more, he helps out the Fellowship to accomplish their task. Example: During the final charge led by the king of Rohan through to the heart of the orcish army, Gandalf appears on the hillside, accompanied by an army of thousands. Leading the charge w/ a brillant flash of blinding light, they turn back the orcish onslaught on Helms Deep.
ENTS (MAGICAL TREES)-
If u played WC3, these are those buildings used by the Night Elves. Intelligent and ancient, these beings wish not to involve themselves in a war until Saruman and his minions destroy a patch of old growth forest, fellow companions which the leader tree knew. That was the last straw, and the trees rise up against Isengard, Saruman's war-machine. Example: They anihilate everything in their path, throwing massive rocks, stomping and punting minions left and right. The final blow was causing a massive flood, extinguishing Saruman's flames of war. Dont mess w/ the trees... they hit back.
LEGOLAS-
Arguably the most hardcore of all the Fellowship. A sharpshooter from the Elf race, he never misses his mark. In the Two Towers, he has numerous scenes that compete w/ his "omg, he stabbed an orc with his arrow and shot another with the same arrow" scene in the 1st movie. Example: On the way to Helms Deep, he holds off the orcish warriors until help arrives. As his horse rides by full speed, he grabs hold of it, swings around the neck, and mounts it on from the other side! WHOAS. Example: In the siege of Helms Deep, he counts the number of orcs he kills along w/ Gimli. (Jus funny, hehe). In the same siege, he rides down some stairs on an orc's shield, shoots down 3 orcs on the way and kills another w/ the shield. Hardcore... truly hardcore.
There are more examples, but those are the ones i can think of right now.
Side Note: With the release of LOTR's 2nd installment and of Hero back in China, i have to say something. With movies such as Hero, LOTR, and Matrix, u have to have some sort of suspension of belief. Sometimes in order to get the true feeling of the movie, u have to believe. In regards to Hero, this also holds true. Dont get into ur head that Hero is based upon real history or fact. Its wuxia, fantasy in the context of history. Approach it in the same way. Also, its not trying to be a CTHD clone. Its very different. And seeing all the new releases... it jus sickens me. How could movies like that be shown... while others are hacked to pieces, delayed in releases, and sometimes not even exposed to the US? Its a sad state indeed. I might jus have to get the DVD....
With all that said... its good to have some time to post my little rants yet again. Take care yall, and more to come soon.
