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		<title>When Music Turns EPIC</title>
		<link>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/when-music-turns-epic/</link>
		<comments>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/when-music-turns-epic/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 May 2012 10:44:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rachel MD</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[MUSIC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[E.S. Posthumus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[epic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[epic music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movie sounds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thomas bergersen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trailer music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Two Steps From Hell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unstoppable]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[zack hemsey]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/?p=212</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What I enjoy most about internet surfing is when you stumble on things you absolutely don&#8217;t give a hoot about before, and then in less than 5 minutes you become its minion. One particular day I was searching the theme of the TV Show, Cold Case, in YouTube.  While reading comments of the video and trying [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com&#038;blog=9621050&#038;post=212&#038;subd=fictionlaboratory&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What I enjoy most about internet surfing is when you stumble on things you absolutely don&#8217;t give a hoot about before, and then in less than 5 minutes you become its minion.</p>
<p>One particular day I was searching the theme of the TV Show, <em><strong><a class="zem_slink" title="Mark Schulman: A Day in the Recording Studio" href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mark_schulman_a_day_in_the_recording_studio" rel="rottentomatoes" target="_blank">Cold Case</a></strong></em><strong></strong>, in <a class="zem_slink" title="YouTube" href="http://www.youtube.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank">YouTube</a>.  While reading comments of the video and trying to make sense what the frickin&#8217; argument was about, an adjective &#8220; <strong>EPIC</strong>&#8220;<strong> </strong>keeps popping up in their sentences. The sidebar contained several <em>related</em> videos, which contain family photos of your neighborhood Nazgul, their cousins from Mordor, and scantily-clad fantasy women your nerds can imagine .</p>
<p>I made the <strong>EPIC</strong> move of clicking to these links.</p>
<p>Some call it<strong> EPIC MUSIC</strong>. This is a type of orchestral music fused with some elements of any  kind of music out there (electronica, pop etc.). Some people call it <strong><a class="zem_slink" title="Trailer music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_music" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Trailer Music</a> or Soundtrack Music </strong>because more often you&#8217;d actually hear these pieces in movies, trailers, <a class="zem_slink" title="Television program" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_program" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">TV show</a> themes, and video games.</p>
<p>A fine example is <a class="zem_slink" title="E.S. Posthumus" href="http://www.esposthumus.com" rel="homepage" target="_blank">E.S. Posthumus</a> &#8220;Unstoppable,&#8221;</p>
<span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='420' height='315' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/UvV-SE3dDZ0?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span>
<p>&#8230; which was used in Sherlock Holmes: <a class="zem_slink" title="Game of Shadows" href="http://www.gameofshadows.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank">Game of Shadows</a> Trailer</p>
<span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='560' height='315' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/9-e-3deUiG4?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span>
<p>Read the comments of these EPIC MUSIC videos in YouTube and you will most likely observe that:</p>
<p>1. Chuck Norris <strong><em>owned</em></strong> something.</p>
<p>2. A mediocre task just got intense.</p>
<p>3. Mass Effect, Skyrim, and other stuff that keep your brothers in the basement are always involved.</p>
<p>4. Something small turned into something huge. Like <a class="zem_slink" title="Hulk (comics)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulk_%28comics%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Bruce Banner</a> turning into The Hulk.</p>
<p>5.  <a class="zem_slink" title="Live action role-playing game" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_action_role-playing_game" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">LARP</a>-ing (live action role playing) in the thread gets out of hand.</p>
<p>Now why am I giving a hoot about this thing? <strong>Because it really is EPIC</strong>.</p>
<p>Experiment <strong>one album</strong> of E.S. Posthumus, <a class="zem_slink" title="Two Steps From Hell" href="http://www.twostepsfromhell.com" rel="homepage" target="_blank">Two Steps From Hell</a>, Thomas Bergersen, Zack Hemsey, Position Music, and the likes while doing something (working out, reading a book, washing the dishes). And then try to understand what the heck just happened. <img src='http://s0.wp.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif' alt=':-D' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p>(I listened to Thomas Bergersen&#8217;s album <em><strong>Illusions</strong></em> while I was driving, I felt I was hurtling into the far reaches of space in the <a class="zem_slink" title="Millennium Falcon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Falcon" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Millennium Falcon</a> &#8230;  or my car was about to transform into an Autobot.)</p>
<p>I suggest Silmarillion, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Songs of Fire and Ice, Wheel of Time, Chronicles of Narnia, or any DC, Vertigo, Marvel superhero comic book while listening to some of the music below.</p>
<span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='420' height='315' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/kVLiw8kvBRg?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span>
<span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='560' height='315' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/V37qBATOuLM?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span>
<span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='560' height='315' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/IwRPc2041Sc?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span>
<span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='560' height='315' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/VzgYqiOjc4Q?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span>
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			<media:title type="html">Rachel MD</media:title>
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		<title>The Supernatural Hex</title>
		<link>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/the-supernatural-hex/</link>
		<comments>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/the-supernatural-hex/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 May 2012 20:21:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rachel MD</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Supernatural]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[angels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bobby singer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[castiel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dean winchester]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[demons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horror]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jared Padalecki]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jensen Ackles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leviathan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sam winchester]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[supernatural]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tv series]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Winchester]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/?p=186</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s one of the worst addictions I have acquired for the past few months. (And I thought coffee was already a bad enough habit.) If you haven&#8217;t heard of it, it&#8217;s a CW television horror series. Supernatural (or SPN) centers on two brothers, Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) Winchester. They are off-the-grid characters [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com&#038;blog=9621050&#038;post=186&#038;subd=fictionlaboratory&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/supernatural-header.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-189" title="supernatural header" src="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/supernatural-header.jpg?w=300&h=169" alt="" width="300" height="169" /></a></p>
<p>It&#8217;s one of the worst addictions I have acquired for the past few months. (And I thought coffee was already a bad enough habit.)</p>
<p>If you haven&#8217;t heard of it, it&#8217;s a CW television horror series.</p>
<p>Supernatural (or <a class="zem_slink" title="Supernatural" href="http://www.tv.com/shows/supernatural/" rel="tvcom" target="_blank">SPN</a>) centers on two brothers, Dean (<a class="zem_slink" title="Jensen Ackles" href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jensen_ackles" rel="rottentomatoes" target="_blank">Jensen Ackles</a>) and Sam (<a class="zem_slink" title="Jared Padalecki" href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jared_padalecki" rel="rottentomatoes" target="_blank">Jared Padalecki</a>) <a class="zem_slink" title="Sam Winchester" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Winchester" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Winchester</a>. They are off-the-grid characters (bordering on felons) travelling across America, hunting and killing supernatural creatures such as vampires, werewolves, ghosts, etc. While conceptualized as a weekly horror show, its main theme is about family, demonstrated by the brotherly (and sometimes disturbing) bond between Dean and Sam. (They have &#8220;slash&#8221; fans, if you know what I mean).</p>
<p>Aside from the story, SPN features classic rock music, a 1967 Chevy Impala which doubles as the Winchester&#8217;s home while on the road, and enough inside jokes which can render the non-watcher completely bewildered on why &#8220;pudding&#8221; is hilarious.</p>
<div id="attachment_188" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/supernatural.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-188" title="Supernatural" src="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/supernatural.jpg?w=300&h=300" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The Winchesters</p></div>
<p>** WARNING: I will tell my version of their story. It will be filled with details which may induce yawning (&#8216;cuz you know them already) or may make you strangle me for over-sharing. Don&#8217;t tell me later I didn&#8217;t care about your feelings.**</p>
<p>So aside from the regular monster of the week killing spree, the entries below will describe the seasonal dilemma and the implied bitchy hellatuses/hellati (?) in between that the super-fans had to endure while watching this show.</p>
<p>Season 1:  Dean and Sam searches for John Winchester (their father) while figuring out the connection between the mysterious demise of Sam&#8217;s girlfriend, Jessica, and their mother&#8217;s death 22 years earlier. Fast forward several monsters later and blah blah blah, THEY FIND DAD. Only in the end all three of them figure in a car crash. (Such a happy reunion.)</p>
<p>Season 2: To save Dean&#8217;s life (badly injured in the crash), John Winchester makes a deal with the same demon who killed his wife. So by the end of episode one, Dean lives and dad goes to hell.  Meanwhile, Sam starts to develop psychic powers. This troubles Dean because these &#8220;powers&#8221; seem to be connected to the Yellow-Eyed Demon (or YED) Azazel, who was responsible for their mum&#8217;s and Jessica&#8217;s deaths (and technically speaking, dad&#8217;s death as well).  They were able to eliminate YED.  But whilst battling YED, the Winchesters (along with friends, <a class="zem_slink" title="Ellen Harvelle" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Harvelle" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Ellen Harvelle</a> and <a class="zem_slink" title="Bobby Singer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Singer" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Bobby Singer</a>) failed to prevent the opening of The Devil&#8217;s Gate. Hence, unleashing hundreds of scary demons on earth. Oh by the way, before all these things happened &#8230; Sam died. And in true Winchester tradition, Dean makes a deal with a crossroads demon in exchange for Sam&#8217;s life. Sam is resurrected (hence, was able to help in defeating YED), and Dean has one year to live before he goes to hell.</p>
<p>Season 3: Sam tries to find a way to save Dean from his fate. At the same time, they try to send some escaped demons back to the pit. After a writers&#8217;s strike and only 16 episodes (which is roughly less than a year&#8217;s work in TV series world), <a class="zem_slink" title="Dean Winchester" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Winchester" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Dean Winchester</a> goes to hell. (Fan girls cry throughout the hiatus).</p>
<p>And then something interesting walked in the neighborhood &#8230;.</p>
<div id="attachment_191" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/angel-of-the-lord.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-191" title="Castiel" src="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/angel-of-the-lord.jpg?w=300&h=169" alt="" width="300" height="169" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">If it&#8217;s not the wings, it&#8217;s the trench coat.</p></div>
<p>Season 4:  After spending summer in the pit, Dean walks out of hell. And no, Sam did not deal with a demon (he was just semi-dating a Ruby).  A <a class="zem_slink" title="Castiel (Supernatural)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castiel_%28Supernatural%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Castiel</a> happened. And while we&#8217;re at it, the angel (the picture explains it) tells Dean he&#8217;s got some heavenly work to do (hence, why the saving of his butt in hell).  This job happens to be stopping the rising of Lucifer.  How the heck to manage it? Prevent 66 seals that hold the Fallen&#8217;s cage from being broken by the demon, <a class="zem_slink" title="Characters of Supernatural" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Characters_of_Supernatural" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Lilith</a>. Add to Dean&#8217;s laundry list, prevent Sam from going Vader. (C&#8217;mon Sam, dating a demon? Really, what did you expect?)  Meanwhile, Dean tries to dodge the other angels (who happen to be &#8220;dicks&#8221;) with the help of Castiel (who sided with Dean and rebelled for Dean). After all this, Dean fails in preventing Sam from going darkside and killing Lilith (who happens to be the last of the 66 seals to be broken).  In the end, Castiel gets blown into smithereens. Lucifer rises. The Apocalypse starts. Sam and Dean &#8220;dies.&#8221; (Clap your hands anyway, Dean killed Ruby).</p>
<p>(I love season 4. It was the most fantastic of them all, in my opinion).</p>
<p>Season 5: Sam and Dean gets magically transported in a plane, thanks to God. So they&#8217;re resurrected (again). Angels (and demons) try to get to them because the Apocalypse just started and the title fighters, <a class="zem_slink" title="Michael (archangel)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_%28archangel%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Archangel Michael</a> and Lucifer, will be needing their &#8220;vessels,&#8221; which happens to be &#8230; you guessed it, Dean and Sam. (The universe seems to revolve around these two).  Castiel, also not dead, searches for God in order to stop the end of the world. He fails, so he goes drinking.  Meanwhile, aside from refusing to be <em>prom dresses</em> for the warring Archangels, the brothers have to stop the four horsemen: War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. After acquiring three rings from War, Famine, and Pestilence (and losing some friends), the Winchesters finally get some reprieve by gaining Death&#8217;s help and assistance from a demon named Crowley. The brothers hatch up a plan which inevitably separates them. Lucifer was able to body-snatch Sam and faces off with Michael (who was <em>wearing</em> Adam, the Winchester&#8217;s half-brother &#8230; one episode, just watch it sometime).  Anyway, in the last minute Sam was able to control Lucifer and hurls himself (and Lucifer) along with Michael into the waiting cage. Castiel appears again (after being killed by Lucifer because he threw a Molotov at Michael and yelled &#8220;Assbutt&#8221; &#8211; yes, you have to know these things) and tries to comfort Dean. Dean gives up hunting and moves in with a former flame, Lisa, and her son, Ben.</p>
<p>And then at the end of the whole finale, Sam watches Dean across the street.</p>
<p>(Everybody goes WTH?!)</p>
<p>Season 6: Sam is alive.  Half of the season is devoted to answering the mystery of his return and why he acts strange. And then to the discovery that he is missing his soul (which is still left in the cage with Lucifer and Michael). Furthermore, how Dean plans to retrieve Sam&#8217;s soul, and while doing so how to defeat The Mother-of-All monsters &#8211; and we&#8217;re not talking of Lady Gaga.  (That was a long half season.) Meanwhile, Castiel is fighting a civil war in heaven against Archangel Raphael.  In the process, he teams up with Crowley to get souls from Purgatory to have an upper hand in the battle. Somewhere towards the end, Sam gets his soul (&#8220;undamaged&#8221; as long as the brain &#8220;wall&#8221; built by Death remains intact). And they kill the Mother-of-All monsters. However, Castiel double-crosses Crowley, betrays the Winchesters, goes darkside and claims to be the new God.</p>
<p>With the exception of The French Mistake (hands down, the funniest episode in SPN history), Season 6 is not exactly my kind of pie. Though I don&#8217;t agree with some of the opinions, I think the Youtube video of Hitler said it best:</p>
<p><a href="http://youtu.be/gu9-Fdpb46Y">Hitler&#8217;s Reaction to Supernatural Season 6 Finale</a></p>
<span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='560' height='315' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/gu9-Fdpb46Y?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span>
<p>(Kudos to iluffKakashi for making this video hilarious enough.)</p>
<p>Season 7: Castiel&#8217;s sudden rise to power resulted in an equivalent downfall. He had to return the souls he took from Purgatory, died in the process, and unfortunately released the suckiest villains ever &#8211; the Leviathans, monsters which eat people with extra cheese and gets killed off by borax (alright, beheading too). Meanwhile, Sam starts seeing HaLucifer (hallucinations of Lucifer) as the &#8220;wall&#8221; put up by Death slowly gets breached because of Castiel&#8217;s betrayal.  Adding more injury: the beloved Impala gets hidden while they keep a low profile from the powerful Leviathan, Dick Roman. Adding more more injury: Bobby Singer, the boys&#8217;s foster father, dies and turns into a ghost. So don&#8217;t blame Dean when he became more alcoholic. Castiel finally returns only to become crazy and useless after transferring Sam&#8217;s hallucinations to himself (as redemption to what he has done) &#8230;.</p>
<div id="attachment_194" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/castiel-sorry.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-194" title="Sorry Castiel" src="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/castiel-sorry.jpg?w=300&h=199" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The board game of redemption.</p></div>
<p>(While I join some fans in a collective facepalm and pray to God for a Season 8 renewal, the unexpected finale strolls along waking me from alcoholic coma.)</p>
<p>&#8230;..  After finally killing Dick Roman (yes!), Dean and Castiel find themselves in Purgatory while Sam is left alone (and clueless). So what the heck happened? Boys and girls, let&#8217;s all thank &#8230; CROWLEY! Desperate to get rid of the Winchesters, Dick Roman made a mistake by dealing with the king of hell. Unfortunately, the boys also committed the same mistake semi-trusting the demon. So in the end, the Winchesters &amp; Castiel and Dick Roman got double crossed by Crowley.</p>
<p><strong>Damn it, I love this show.</strong></p>
<p>Postscript: I was late in joining the Team Winchester bandwagon. The series was already in the middle of the seventh season airing on Fridays (an indication that it was headed to the graveyard) when I started watching it.  I barely had 5 months &#8211;  from Season 1 and to catching Season 7&#8242;s finale last week. Imagine my glee upon hearing the news that this show is renewed for an 8th season and moved to a Wednesday.</p>
<p>This is my first time to experience &#8220;hellatus.&#8221; It&#8217;s been less than a week and I had to deal by blogging about it.</p>
<p>Waiting for October 10th will be painful.</p>
<p><a href="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/my-boys.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-195" title="my boys" src="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/my-boys.jpg?w=300&h=166" alt="" width="300" height="166" /></a></p>
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			<media:title type="html">Rachel MD</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">supernatural header</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Supernatural</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Castiel</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Sorry Castiel</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">my boys</media:title>
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		<title>Comett &#8211; Once Upon A Time/City of Lights</title>
		<link>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/comett-once-upon-a-timecity-of-lights/</link>
		<comments>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/comett-once-upon-a-timecity-of-lights/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:11:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rachel MD</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[MUSIC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[city of lights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[comett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[once upon a time]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/?p=174</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I don&#8217;t really post music videos on this blog, but I&#8217;ll make an exception for these guys, Comett.  Really cool video and this particular song can be my blog&#8217;s theme. Enjoy!<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com&#038;blog=9621050&#038;post=174&#038;subd=fictionlaboratory&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I don&#8217;t really post music videos on this blog, but I&#8217;ll make an exception for these guys, Comett.  Really cool video and this particular song can be my blog&#8217;s theme.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='560' height='315' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/PIKhXNJNglY?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span>
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			<media:title type="html">Rachel MD</media:title>
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		<title>The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune</title>
		<link>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/the-lost-hero-and-the-son-of-neptune/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:50:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rachel MD</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Rick Riordan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Camp Half-Blood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Camp Jupiter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Demigods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goddesses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greeks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heroes of Olympus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Grace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leo Valdez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lost Hero]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nico Di Angelo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Percy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Percy Jackson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Piper McLean]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Romans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Lost Hero]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Son of Neptune]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/?p=117</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[TEAM GREEKS Jason Grace finds himself in a field trip to the Grand Canyon with his &#8220;girlfriend&#8221; Piper McLean and &#8220;best friend&#8221;  Leo Valdez. Unfortunately, he does not recall both of them or where and why is he there in the first place.  Suddenly attacked by monsters which captured their guardian satyr Coach Gleeson,  Annabeth [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com&#038;blog=9621050&#038;post=117&#038;subd=fictionlaboratory&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align:left;"><a href="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/the-lost-hero.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-127" title="The Lost Hero" src="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/the-lost-hero.jpg?w=202&h=300" alt="" width="202" height="300" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>TEAM GREEKS</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Jason Grace finds himself in a field trip to the Grand Canyon with his &#8220;girlfriend&#8221; Piper McLean and &#8220;best friend&#8221;  Leo Valdez. Unfortunately, he does not recall both of them or where and why is he there in the first place.  Suddenly attacked by monsters which captured their guardian satyr Coach Gleeson,  Annabeth arrives to save the three teenagers and transport them to Camp Half-Blood.  The mystery deepens as the three newcomers get claimed by their respective parent god; Piper is the daughter of Aphrodite; Leo is the son of Hephaestus; and Jason Grace had previously been claimed by Jupiter, Zeus&#8217;s Roman persona. Chiron tells Jason that he should be dead but explains no more.  Complicating matters, Hera has been captured by unknown forces bent on waking Gaea, the goddess of the earth. The three demigods rush into a quest to save Hera. Unknown to both Jason and Leo, Piper wrestles loyalty and betrayal to her friends as she was initially visited in her dreams by Enceladus, who demanded that she deliver Jason Grace in exchange for her father. Encountering unhelpful gods and popular Greek personalities along the way, the three just arrive in time before the giant Porphyrion gets raised from Tartarus, and finally solve the mystery of who really is Jason Grace.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><a href="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/the-son-of-neptune.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-128" title="The Son of Neptune" src="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/the-son-of-neptune.jpg?w=195&h=300" alt="" width="195" height="300" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>TEAM ROMANS</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Percy Jackson, Son of Neptune, finds himself in Camp Jupiter after being chased by Gorgons. The monsters seem unable to die and kept coming back.  His arrival raised suspicions among the Romans.  Unlikely patrons, Juno and Mars, apparently vouched for the demigod to lead a quest to free the death god, Thanatos; prevent Alcyoneus&#8217;s horde of giants from attacking the Roman camp; and then lull Gaea back to slumber. Aided by friends Hazel (daughter of Hades) and Frank (son of Mars), Percy leads his team to Alaska where the gods have no power.  Percy&#8217;s friends discover little by little the meanings of their tragedies and attributes as they surge on to their goal. meanwhile, Percy gets his memory back after foiling Phineas in a deadly gamble.  As they get closer to Alaska, Percy receives hazy pictures from Grover, Tyson, Annabeth, and three other demigods, who have been searching for him for months.  After defeating Alcyoneus and freeing Thanatos, celebrations in Camp Jupiter was cut short with the arrival of their mortal enemy, the Greeks.  Reyna, the praetor, is put in an sticky situation on whether to attack their sworn enemies or accept them as allies to fight Gaea.  The two camps now face the question: will they be able to trust each other work alongside each other at all?</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">For those who haven&#8217;t read these books, I advise you to read it simultaneously.  It was good fortune I read The Lost Hero right just after The Son of Neptune came out.  Excellent timing because I could have tore my hair  out just thinking of what happened to Percy Jackson.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">The Lost Hero was a bit alien to me, maybe because the focus is on the new characters.  Even with the familiarity of Camp Half-Blood and its inhabitants, I felt lost like Annabeth because I also missed Percy Jackson. Percy, though not in the book, was often discussed and alluded to and I felt like wringing a tree or banging my head just thinking where on earth was he.  Of  the three new characters, I liked Leo because of his McGyver-ish/ Inspector Gadget capabilities. Piper and Jason Grace didn&#8217;t make much of an impact to me because I feel like looking at a prom queen and king. Yes there were funny moments, but mostly it felt more like high school with the bickering and popularity thing going on in the Aphrodite cabin and the lovey-dovey angle between Jason and Piper. I guess if you put a daughter of the goddess of love in the plot, it can&#8217;t be helped. Thank God for Leo, because he supplied the humor and the action. He is one cool dude. As for the damsel in distress of the story, like everybody else in this series, I don&#8217;t like Hera. So like Annabeth, I don&#8217;t feel the need saving her. Unfortunately, the fate of the world&#8217;s existence depended on it. So grudgingly I had to say &#8220;okay, let&#8217;s go along with this.&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">When I finally moved on to The Son of Neptune, the first pages did not disappoint. I wanted Percy Jackson in all his glory and yes, I got it. With gorgons on the side.  But what made this book better than The Lost Hero was the other two demigods &#8211; Hazel and Frank. Maybe it&#8217;s because their parents, Hades and Mars, are both difficult and unlikeable characters in the mythologies, and they presented more complications to their children. Sharing a blood line to these two gods seems a curse.  Hazel&#8217;s situation was particularly interesting as a daughter of Hades because she controls the riches of the earth. Her powers sound wonderful yet it&#8217;s actually more of a tragedy &#8211; it made her life more miserable.  On the other hand, Frank&#8217;s mysterious family history will make you wonder. His powers comes out near the very end of the book (and I agree with Percy when he complained) because it is so cool.  Then there is of course the one who needed saving &#8211; Thanatos. The idea of not saving Death is tempting, but as you read along you have to agree there is a need for death &#8211; unless you want the monsters coming back at you after blowing them up to smithereens.  Percy understood this pretty much after the constant pestering he got from the gorgon, Stheno (samples of Cheese n&#8217; Wieners, anyone?).  I like the premise. Aside from our major characters,  there are extras like the adorably funny, Ella the Harpy, and cameo appearance of Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">There was one scene in the book I particularly love:  Nico puts his finger on his lips and all the ghosts shut up. So cool.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">I hope Mr. Riordan&#8217;s next book comes out soon.  The ending was a cliffhanger.</p>
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			<media:title type="html">Rachel MD</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">The Lost Hero</media:title>
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		<title>The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey</title>
		<link>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey-2/</link>
		<comments>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:52:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rachel MD</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[JRR Tolkien]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Middle Earth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bilbo Baggins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gandalf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gollum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hobbit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lonely Mountain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lord of the Rings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lotr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[precious]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smaug]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Hobbit film project]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/?p=142</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Bilbo Baggins life  changes when the wizard, Gandalf the Grey tapped on his door one morning.  Wanting to be left in peace, the poor hobbit found himself in a quest.  Thirteen dwarves  and several dangers later (orcs, Gollum, spiders, and wolves),  Bilbo faces the great dragon, Smaug, who&#8217;s been terrorizing the town of Dale.  Will [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com&#038;blog=9621050&#038;post=142&#038;subd=fictionlaboratory&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/the-hobbit.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-147" title="The Hobbit" src="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/the-hobbit.jpg?w=645" alt=""   /></a></p>
<p>Bilbo Baggins life  changes when the wizard, Gandalf the Grey tapped on his door one morning.  Wanting to be left in peace, the poor hobbit found himself in a quest.  Thirteen dwarves  and several dangers later (orcs, Gollum, spiders, and wolves),  Bilbo faces the great dragon, Smaug, who&#8217;s been terrorizing the town of Dale.  Will he be able to crawl back to his hole in the Shire after this encounter?</p>
<p><strong>YES, he will. Because three books followed after this! </strong></p>
<p><strong>This is the prequel to Lord of the Rings. If you haven&#8217;t read it, well, YOU SHOULD.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Postscript:</strong></p>
<p><em>Attention Shire-folks!</em></p>
<p><em>It has come to our attention that The Hobbit will be released on December 14, 2012. You can now come out of your holes and gather at the tree on The Hill at Bag-End and start the countdown. I can&#8217;t promise cakes or tea. It&#8217;s going to be a long wait before the party begins. Anyone from The Green Dragon at Bywater is welcome to donate their ale.</em></p>
<p><em>Sacksville-Bagginses not allowed.</em></p>
<p><em>For the younglings who don&#8217;t know whatever we geeks are talking about here,  watch the </em><em>official trailer or click the link to the official site for more news:</em></p>
<span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='560' height='315' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/Uxrbpe-Jpqs?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span>
<p>The Official Trailer for The Hobbit Movie. The Hobbit movies news and information via <a href="http://the-hobbitmovie.com/official-hobbit-trailer-released/">Official Hobbit Trailer Released!</a>.</p>
<p><strong>PSS:</strong></p>
<p><em>According to my sources, this will be the 1st part of the movie. They (Peter Jackson and company) divided the movie into two parts:</em></p>
<p>Part One: The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey (2012)</p>
<p>Part Two: The Hobbit There And Back Again (2013)</p>
<p><em>To all LOTR geeks everywhere! Cheers!</em></p>
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			<media:title type="html">Rachel MD</media:title>
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		<media:content url="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/the-hobbit.jpg" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">The Hobbit</media:title>
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		<title>You Have To Stop This &#8211; Pseudonymous Bosch (Strikes Again)</title>
		<link>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/you-have-to-stop-this-pseudonymous-bosch-strikes-again/</link>
		<comments>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/you-have-to-stop-this-pseudonymous-bosch-strikes-again/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:23:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rachel MD</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Pseudonymous Bosch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Location is Secret]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the secret series]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[You Have To Stop This]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/?p=113</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I know I haven&#8217;t been too responsible with this blog for quite some time. But this prompted me to climb out of the hole I was buried under (there was a huge rock blocking the entrance/exit, it took me sometime to dig out of it) : How the hell did this happen?! It&#8217;s exactly 21 [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com&#038;blog=9621050&#038;post=113&#038;subd=fictionlaboratory&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I know I haven&#8217;t been too responsible with this blog for quite some time.</p>
<p>But this prompted me to climb out of the hole I was buried under (there was a huge rock blocking the entrance/exit, it took me sometime to dig out of it) :</p>
<p><a href="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/you-have-to-stop-this-pb.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-118" title="You Have To Stop This by Pseudonymous Bosch" src="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/you-have-to-stop-this-pb.jpg?w=645" alt=""   /></a></p>
<p>How the hell did this happen?! It&#8217;s exactly 21 days since the book came out and I just ACCIDENTALLY discovered this? Where was the media coverage on this? I haven&#8217;t even finished investigating  THIS ISN&#8217;T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE  and now this comes out?!</p>
<p>If there&#8217;s someone who needs to be stopped it should be PB himself!</p>
<p>Mr. Bosch, YOU HAVE TO STOP THIS.</p>
<p>You are causing too much distraction to everybody (not the just kids), with your amusing, demented, and well-plotted dramystery/mysteryma (whatever) of a girl who could not be named Cassandra in the first place.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll be watching you!</p>
<span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='645' height='393' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/sh8zycTwfxg?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span>
<p><a href="http://thenameofthiswebsiteissecret.com/home">http://thenameofthiswebsiteissecret.com/home</a></p>
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			<media:title type="html">Rachel MD</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">You Have To Stop This by Pseudonymous Bosch</media:title>
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		<title>The Place Where The Hobbits Run Free</title>
		<link>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/the-place-where-the-hobbits-run-free/</link>
		<comments>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/the-place-where-the-hobbits-run-free/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:23:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rachel MD</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[JRR Tolkien]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[earthquake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hobbits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lotr]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new zealand]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nz]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/?p=103</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you&#8217;re an LOTR geek (like me), then you have been waiting for the movie version of The Hobbit for quite some time now. The precious movie adaptation have seen directorial changes and production stoppages you&#8217;d wonder if it will grace the silver screen at all. But I&#8217;m not here to complain about that. (Though [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com&#038;blog=9621050&#038;post=103&#038;subd=fictionlaboratory&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you&#8217;re an LOTR geek (like me), then you have been waiting for the movie version of <strong>The Hobbit</strong> for quite some time now. The <strong><em>precious</em></strong> movie adaptation have seen directorial changes and production stoppages you&#8217;d wonder if it will grace the silver screen at all.</p>
<p>But I&#8217;m not here to complain about that. (Though sometimes I feel like it).</p>
<p>Days ago I was watching the Breaking News in CNN. My heart stopped when I saw the images of crumbling buildings in Christchurch, New Zealand.  A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck that part of the country costing some people their lives and injuring the rest.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve always had a soft spot for New Zealand.  NZ is my Middle Earth personified (thanks to the LOTR movies).  Visiting the country is in my bucket list. It&#8217;s one of the future pilgrimages I plan to take. Pictures of the country is tattooed in my brain, accessed when I zone out to go to my place of Zen. It&#8217;s the place where the hobbit in me runs free.</p>
<p>With so many books piled up in my <em>to read</em> corner floor, my hands ventured to the shelves instead. I picked up and re-read J.R.R. Tolkien&#8217;s works.  NZ&#8217;s countryside was the backdrop for the scenes played out in my imagination.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8230;.  in a hole in a ground somewhere in NZ lived a hobbit.&#8221;</p>
<p>Help if you can. Prayers work wonders too. God bless NZ.</p>
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		<title>Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief</title>
		<link>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/percy-jackson-and-the-olympians-the-lightning-thief/</link>
		<comments>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/percy-jackson-and-the-olympians-the-lightning-thief/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:20:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rachel MD</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Rick Riordan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adventure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[greek tales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mount Olympus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mythology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Percy Jackson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Lightning Thief]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/?p=98</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[His name is Percy Jackson. And he is a half-blood. If you don&#8217;t know what that  is, it just means the person is dyslexic and suffers from A.D.H.D. He or she possesses strange talents one cannot explain. Moreover,  half of his or her genes comes from a god. An Olympian god. This revelation came in [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com&#038;blog=9621050&#038;post=98&#038;subd=fictionlaboratory&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/pj-and-the-lightning-thief.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-99" title="PJ and the Lightning Thief" src="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/pj-and-the-lightning-thief.jpg?w=200&h=300" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a></p>
<p>His name is Percy Jackson. And he is a half-blood.</p>
<p>If you don&#8217;t know what that  is, it just means the person is dyslexic and suffers from A.D.H.D. He or she possesses strange talents one cannot explain. Moreover,  half of his or her genes comes from a god. An Olympian god.</p>
<p>This revelation came in quite late for Percy.  Aside from the above-mentioned &#8220;afflictions,&#8221;  Percy is hunted down by creatures of mythology best left for nightmares. Finding refuge in Dionysius&#8217;s Camp Half-Blood, Percy trains for a quest to save the world from the warring gods. His Herculean tasks are to find Zeus&#8217;s master lightning bolt (which he allegedly stole), catch the  real lightning thief,  decipher the riddles of the Oracle, and save his mother from Hades. All of that to be accomplished in 10 days. Then he has yet to face his father-god, who abandoned him and his mother.  Sometimes, one could only wish that the strange would just stay shut inside a book.</p>
<p>Honestly, I thought this would suck rocks. I&#8217;ve read and watched too many Greek-inspired stuff that it made me quite lukewarm to the material.  When I read this book a day ago, I wasn&#8217;t expecting much. That was until I found myself stuck on my chair. This book is a page-turner. I devoured this like I haven&#8217;t eaten for days and a magical buffet suddenly appeared in the middle of the desert.  After a few short butt-aching hours, I had to run to the bookstore to get the next books of the series. It&#8217;s that addictive!</p>
<p>Rick Riordan is a great storyteller. He takes in the old, mashes it up with the new, twists it with humor, and voila! A Greek mythology of his own. It takes an imagination to revisit old tales and create life from its embers.  I specially love how he modernized his gods &#8211; Dionysius the Camp Director, Ares a Harley biker, Poseidon sort of a surfer guy, and Hades an overwhelmed landlord. It cracks me up.  His heroes &#8211; Percy, Grover, Annabeth &#8211; are fantastic. I like how he made them as outcasts because they become more real and hilarious.  The story can be quite predictable in a few chapters as it touches on several of the tales of old Greek mythology, but who cares!?! It&#8217;s a fun read! (Don&#8217;t get me started with the chapter titles &#8211; intriguing if you&#8217;re starting to read it, laugh out loud afterwards.)</p>
<p>This is definitely a wonderful re-discovery of old Greek. And a new frenzied adventure worth following.</p>
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			<media:title type="html">Rachel MD</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">PJ and the Lightning Thief</media:title>
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		<title>This Book Is Not Good For You</title>
		<link>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/this-book-is-not-good-for-you/</link>
		<comments>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/this-book-is-not-good-for-you/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:32:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rachel MD</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Pseudonymous Bosch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Location is Secret]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cass]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chocolate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Max-Ernest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Midnight Sun]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terces Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the secret series]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[This Book Is Not Good For You]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yo-Yoji]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/?p=81</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is the third installment of the the Secret Series.  I had to skip reviewing the 2nd book (If You&#8217;re Reading This, It&#8217;s Too Late) because it WAS indeed too late for me  (&#8230; I had to sign THE CONTRACT, the gall of Mr. Bosch!).  After THAT experience, I developed a skill counting backwards. Anyway, [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com&#038;blog=9621050&#038;post=81&#038;subd=fictionlaboratory&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/this-book-is-not-good-for-you1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-91" title="TBINGFY" src="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/this-book-is-not-good-for-you1.jpg?w=204&h=300" alt="" width="204" height="300" /></a></p>
<p>This is the third installment of the the Secret Series.  I had to skip reviewing the 2nd book (If You&#8217;re Reading This, It&#8217;s Too Late) because it WAS indeed too late for me  (&#8230; I had to sign THE CONTRACT, the gall of Mr. Bosch!).  After THAT experience, I developed a skill counting backwards.</p>
<p>Anyway, we follow the pursuits of Cass and Max-Ernest.  This time trouble came a-knocking on Cass&#8217;s life when her mom gets kidnapped by Senor Hugo, a chocolatier in league with the Midnight Sun.  In exchange for Cass&#8217;s mom, Senor Hugo wants a magical instrument called the Tuning Fork.  Joined by Max-Ernest and their new friend, Yo-Yoji,  Cass plans a daring rescue. Will she be able to collect her mother from the vile hands of Ms. Mauvais and Dr. L?  Read on and find out if that bite of dark chocolatey gooey-ness is worth it.</p>
<p>The book promises to crash diets everywhere.  True enough, my chocolate consumption increased by 30% due to the chocolate recipes found in the appendix of this demonic piece of literature. As expected it was better than the 1st and the 2nd book. Probably because we already know who the characters are (thus diminishing the need for pages of introduction) and the author was able to move the story forward (backward if you&#8217;re basing on the 2nd book).  I love that the so-named &#8220;Cass&#8221; (HE said he&#8217;s not giving REAL data, so Cass is 100% not her name) is growing up before my eyes and discovering who she is through her past and through her family and her friends. &#8220;Max-Ernest&#8221; goes through advanced puberty thanks to &#8220;Yo-Yoji,&#8221; and probably had  fun being Sanse for awhile (See book 2 to know about Yo-Yoji and start at page 316 of book 3 to understand what I&#8217;m talking about). The villains roster also got interesting with the participation of the &#8220;Senor Hugo,&#8221;  a chef who specializes in the devilry of chocolate cuisine (just shows what kind of religion Mr. Bosch practices).   Notable performances in the book:</p>
<p>&#8220;Ms. Mauvais&#8221; for her performance as a NUN.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Skelton Sisters&#8221; for being who they are.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yo-Yoji&#8221; for turning Japanese.</p>
<p>And &#8220;Owen,&#8221; for having multi-personality disorder.</p>
<p>Though this book is not good for most of us, it can be quite handy as a travelling tool (Translation of &#8220;HELLO&#8221; in 100 different languages &#8211; friendly!).  But still be warned, do not read after midnight. Recipes will cause excessive binging and craving. Nigella Lawson would be jealous (or maybe not).</p>
<p>PS: For those trying to find out who Mr. Bosch is &#8211; you&#8217;re in the wrong place. I don&#8217;t know him either. I suggest you go attend a chocolate convention or bait him with a dark chocolate sale  (70% discount &#8211; That&#8217;ll get him out of hiding.)  I read somewhere though that Lemony Snickett and Pseudonymous Bosch can be brothers or is the same person. They share the same publisher, you can start there. Pretend to be someone from the IRS. They might start talking, hehehe.</p>
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			<media:title type="html">Rachel MD</media:title>
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		<title>Harry Potter and The Sorcerer&#8217;s Stone (Revisited)</title>
		<link>http://fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com/2010/01/21/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone-revisited/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:13:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rachel MD</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[JK Rowling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Cupboard Under The Stairs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[diagon alley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[harry potter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[harry potter and the sorcerer's stone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[j.k. rowling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[magic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[philosopher's stone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sorcerer's stone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[witches]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wizards]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m am quite certain most people know who Harry Potter is.  I&#8217;m also certain that you know him well enough than your classmate seated on your left, or your co-worker on the right cubicle, or the neighbor at the end of the street, or maybe the man who delivers the milk in the morning. Unless [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=fictionlaboratory.wordpress.com&#038;blog=9621050&#038;post=61&#038;subd=fictionlaboratory&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/hp-sorcerers-stone.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-68" title="hp sorcerers stone" src="http://fictionlaboratory.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/hp-sorcerers-stone.jpg?w=215&h=300" alt="" width="215" height="300" /></a></p>
<p>I&#8217;m am quite certain most people know who Harry Potter is.  I&#8217;m also certain that you know him well enough than your classmate seated on your left, or your co-worker on the right cubicle, or the neighbor at the end of the street, or maybe the man who delivers the milk in the morning. Unless you live in the boondocks, under the sea, or maybe off this planet.</p>
<p>It would be time-wasting to write Harry&#8217;s biography and it would even be more futile to write a review.  We know <strong>what</strong> he is and what happened to him in the end, and yes, we all love him.  If you don&#8217;t, there is something seriously wrong with you.</p>
<p>On June 30th 2010, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer&#8217;s Stone celebrates its 13th year of publication. I know I&#8217;m six months early but just for fun, I&#8217;ve decided to revisit our favorite wizard by re-reading the series. I&#8217;m gonna post some things that crossed my mind while Harry was in his first year in Hogwarts.</p>
<p>I recall when I first stepped off from the world of Muggles, the place that captivated me the most was Diagon Alley. Maybe it&#8217;s the inherent female-shopping gene kicking in (but strangely I don&#8217;t really shop that much in real life), or probably just the out-of-this-world coolness of the stuff that&#8217;s been sold in that place that attracted me (Yes, robes are sexy.  LOL!).  So I made a shopping list of the 10 things I&#8217;d like to buy in Diagon Alley if there would be a crack in the space-time-reality-fantasy continuum.  (Some things listed are not necessarily mentioned in the series, but given the chance, maybe it could exist in Harry Potter&#8217;s world!)</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>10 Things I&#8217;d Like to Buy in Diagon Alley</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;">1. <strong> The trendy witch hand bag.</strong> Like a bottomless pit, you can fill it in with all your knick knacks without worrying about space or weight.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">2. <strong>Rita Skeeter&#8217;s notepad.</strong> Very handy for dictations.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">3. <strong>The wizard&#8217;s version of a camera. </strong>Wouldn&#8217;t it be cool if your pictures are moving? <img src='http://s0.wp.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':-)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p style="text-align:left;">4. <strong>Self-stirring cauldron (or pot). </strong>Saves time and effort on cooking.  If there&#8217;s a self-frying frying pan that&#8217;s sure not to burn what you&#8217;re cooking, everybody will be gourmet chefs!</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">5.  <strong>Rememberall. </strong>Very handy for people who forget names or places .. like me!</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">6. <strong>Nimbus 2000 broom.</strong> Your hybrid&#8217;s got nothing on this baby. It&#8217;s greener with zero carbon emissions.  Saves 1/4 of your life by reducing time spent on mind-numbing traffic, and its parking space is just a closet.  Also, you can probably use it in manual cleaning activities too.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">7. <strong>Love potion. </strong>Self-explanatory.:-D</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">8. <strong>Wizard&#8217;s Tent. </strong>Making your outdoor travel comfy.  If I have a tent like what they have, I probably wouldn&#8217;t buy a house anymore.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">9. <strong>An Owl.</strong> Yes, we have real owls here on Earth, but these owls in Harry&#8217;s world seem smarter than dogs. Plus they make sure all your correspondence reach the person, they&#8217;re more reliable than e-mail (Mailer Daemon error blah blah).  And I think they&#8217;re good pets as well.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">10.  <strong>Skele-Gro</strong><strong>. </strong> I can now attempt all the stupid sports I&#8217;d like to try without worrying about breaking my bones &#8230; I just have to make sure though I won&#8217;t get killed or this thing will be useless.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">
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