How Tolkien and Peter Jackson changed my life 11 years ago

So I was casually flipping through Tumblr on my phone when I came across this post:

The first girl is Katie Jackson, Peter Jackson's daughter. The second girl is Alexandra Austin, Sean Austin's daughter. Both appeared in the LOTR movies. Katie in Fellowship of the Ring, Alexandra in Return of the King.

These girls are around my age, both being 17. Then it occurred to me, that these pictures perfectly reflect my entire growth process since I was a child. 

11 years ago, I sat in the theatre with my mom watching the opening scenes of The Two Towers, my little heart filled with excitement and trepidation at the thought of an adventure much greater than my 8 year old self. I even remember the man in my row who got up and left midway through the movie and never came back (the only explanation for that I conclude, is that there was a medical emergency coz why else would you leave LOTR). When Return of the King premiered the following year, I was smitten. 

By the time I left primary school, I'd written my own LOTR book, learnt Elvish, studied the history of Middle Earth, memorised the calligraphy of the One Ring inscription, read the Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R.Tolkien's biography, and a number of Tolkien's other works. Now, at 19 years of age, my love for Middle Earth has not been assuaged. No matter how many times I watch the movies (over 1000 times, I counted. Even broke a couple VCDs coz I watched them so much), I learn something new about it. Sometimes I even learn something new about myself. 

People ask why I love Lord of the Rings so much. There's no one answer to that. How do I explain the better portion of my life? My childhood, my entire teenage life? How do I tell them that this "movie", this "book", has helped shaped me into who I am? I can't. I can only say that I do, and hope that one of my babbling rants may cover just the top of that very titanic iceberg. 

I may grow out of it, I may not. Who knows? In 50 years when I look back I may laugh in embarrassment, or I may glow with pride at my unwavering loyalty. For now I will continue to wait in gargantuan anticipation for The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug to premiere in Singapore, and attempt to bridle the unadulterated exhilaration that comes with seeing Tolkien's work on the big screen. 

And also Orlando Bloom as Legolas again. OMG.

2001

2013