Cloud Atlas

Every cloud has a silver lining even atlassian ones, I thought when I was right in the middle of it. Surely the 6 disparate stories, separated by time, must come together in momentous finale, all the pieces fit together for an ‘Ahhhhh’ instance. Arrghh that moment never came.

If you don’t know, this movie was based on a book that has six stories set in six different eras ranging from 1850 to the 24th century. The six stories are supposedly interwoven somehow. I urge you to google the movie’s synopsis if you are interested.

Watching the movie, I was unconscionably confused as the movie flips through all six time zones building each story in tandem. That is a pretty migraine inducing exercise. I did some research, and found that the book instead has a very unusual approach to telling these six stories. The stories are nested, all except the sixth story is told in two parts. The first story is the earliest while the sixth is in some fictitious future. The stories that have two parts break at some critical point in their lives. It follows the pattern 12345654321, the story ends where it began.

In the book, the connection between six stories is that the protagonists in each story (second to sixth) were reading or watching some legacy that was created by the earlier protagonist e.g. a book, journal, music, video broadcast and motion picture. Also all protagonist bear a comet shaped birthmark. Critics mostly agree that the author insinuated that all six protagonists are reincarnations of the same soul. However this writer believes that the six stories are poorly stitched together, they lack meaningful connection and most stories by themselves aren’t very good. Hence I was duly disappointed by the lack of a grand finish.

The Wachowski’s movie on the other hand also borrows the reincarnation theme. However, their reincarnation does not follow the comet birth marked protagonists in each story. Instead the siblings chose a few actors to replay certain characters in each time zone. So the soul of Tom Hanks for instance has a story arc of its own, reincarnated from story one to six. He played the protagonist once, but in the other stories he played supporting characters as well as short cameos. Some characters were evil, some good.

This all may sound interesting but meticulously following seven characters through six stories is an exercise in futility. I’ve found a gaffe too, one character cannot be reincarnated because he has to exist twice within the same time. I’m referring to Hugh Grant’s characters in the 1970’s and the present.

The fifth story is set in Korea, with all Korean characters. Since they decided to recast the same actors in all 6 stories, they resorted to using facial prosthetics which are at times laughable, just to make Caucasians look Asian. Exhibit A, Hugo Weaving aka Mr. Smith in yellow face.




I waited till the end. It was neither meaningful nor rewarding. The connections between the six stories are flimsy. The Korean makeup was annoying. I rate this only as a 3/10, don’t waste your time, and take a rain check.

Right Time for Benedict’s Exit

Pope Benedict XVI has announced his resignation, the first resignation in 600 years, as is often said. However the papal office is unlike monarchies, it is a position, and not reign. He is a working bishop, the Bishop of Rome. The past few hundred years of history have indicated otherwise, where an ailing pope is no longer able to perform his duties lingered on the throne as his duties were taken over by others. Perhaps the best legacy this pope may leave is the practice of abdicating.

Admittedly I am not a fan of Benedict XVI. During his tenure, he promoted Gregorian chants during mass. It was to create a more solemn atmosphere but also boring compared to the uplifting evangelical churches. Unfortunately he encouraged more Latin in music, which most of the congregation find it hard to follow (they were used to English hymns).

He rewrote the entire missal for non-Latin languages, which is the instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass. His intention is to bring all the vernacular language masses closer to the original Latin literation. He likes to think he’s making things holier for Catholics. In Europe he tried to fight the growing faithlessness, where atheism is a growing trend. I reckon those atheists will run further away from the church with the changes he has made, even if he is more twitter friendly.

On the more secular front, Benedict appears to me as a zealous conservative as opposed to his passive conservative predecessor. He is anti-science (opposed to embryonic stem cell research), he is a poor PR manager (the sex/rape scandals remain unresolved as many more cases get uncovered), opposed to contraception (a tool to prevent the spread of disease made out as a weapon against Christianity), cannot accept female priests etc.

Quite simply Pope Benedict is too conservative and antiquated for our times. And unfortunately since his successor will be picked out of a group of like-minded people, would likely be no different.

Cashback Credit Cards

Credit cards are the Achilles' heel of many. Like loan sharks, banks lure in prey with easy credit and enticing offers. I roll my eyes whenever I see platinum cards being approved to people earning a lot less than RM5000. Foolish young ones rack up debt which banks delighfully charge the exorbitant interest rates on.

The banks are putting ideas in heads that having credit is the same as having cash. It is not. But consider the alternative; debit cards, they have hardly the same benefits as normal credit cards and are not acceptable everywhere. Credit cards still hold the edge.

I’ve had it with banks and their credit card traps. I wish I could exploit them instead. So it heartens me that in recent years a new category of credit cards has emerged: the Cashback credit card.

Follow my lead ONLY if you can:

1. Control yourself and your spending with purse strings tighter than a monkey's nuts.
2. Calculate your expenses on a daily basis (or before and after every time you make a purchase)  
3. Pay all your bills in full and still save money month after month, for a rainy day of course

There are quite a number of cashback credit cards in the market, many trying to outcompete each other. But all, sadly, trying to make you spend more than you should and hoping you don’t pay your bills on time.

So, generally the best cashback credit cards are ones that:

1.  Don’t have many conditions e.g. minimum spent before cashback kicks in
2. Are the least complicated and sneaky which deliberately makes you spend more
3. Offer continuous cash back unconditionally, avoid those short promotional term ones
4. Cover a broad range of products and not just petrol or groceries
5.  Should have easy waiving of annual fee (and also govt. tax)

New cash back credit cards get issued every now and then. This is a good guide to get started.

For myself, I have chosen not one but three cashback credit cards each with its own scope of use. Sounds a bit much? I assure you that I have done the math (including yearly govt. tax of RM50) and factoring my current credit card usage (I’m not a heavy roller) it is sustainable.

Maybankard 2 Gold Card

• Annual fee: Lifetime fee waiver
• Minimum annual income:RM30,000
• The benefits of two cards, Maybankard 2 American Express® Card and Maybankard 2 MasterCard, in one sign up, one service tax, and one statement.
• 5x TreatsPoints for all spend on your Maybankard 2 American Express Card in Malaysia or anywhere else in the world except Government Bodies, Education Institutions and Insurance Provider.
• 2x TreatsPoints for every RM1 spend on your Maybankard 2 American Express Card at Government Bodies, Education Institutions and Insurance Providers. 1x TreatsPoints for all spend on your Maybankard 2 MasterCard/Visa Card.
• 5% Weekend cash back when spend on Maybankard 2 American Express Card.
• A cap of RM50 per customer (Principal Cardmember) per month

Comment:

The American Express card is the one with all the benefits although you get an extra credit card. As long as it is accepted, at 5x points, you get 10000 points for every RM2000. Based on Maybank’s redeemable vouchers, 10000 points can get you approximately RM50. The RM50 govt. tax can be waived with 10000 points as well. Best of all Maybank’s treatspoints never expire. That is approximate additional 2.5% cash back with a total of 7.5%. Drawbacks: Weekend Amex use only.

OCBC Titanium

• 5% Rebate on Dining
• 1% Rebate on everything else
• 5% Rebate on Groceries
• Zero Annual Fee with 12x swipes
• 5% Rebate on Petrol
• 33% Cash Back on Interest Paid
• 5% Rebate on Utility Bills
• Annual Usage Bonus – Govt. Tax offset with RM10k annual usage

Comment:

Best all-around card best used as a primary card unless they accept AMEX. Also best to be used for all bills that include Astro, telecoms and electricity bills. So if you’re paying bills like most of us, switch to this credit card instead. Only 12 swipes a year regardless of amount to offset annual fee.

RHB Evo

• 20% Cash Back* on selected Amusement & Entertainment MCC categories (ie. cinemas, ticketing agencies, bowling alleys, commercial sports, tourist attractions, amusement parks, karaoke centers and much more)
• 2x Reward Points for all E-commerce transaction and RHB Now bill payment
• Card annual fee waived with minimum of 12 swipes per annum
• Maximum cash back is RM50 per month, per customer. No RHB Reward Points awarded for transactions entitled for Cash Back.

Comment:

No kidding, it really is 20% for any establishment that matches their merchant code category. It works for me as I watch quite a lot of movies and go for the occasional karaoke. For that rebate to be maximized fully, your expenditure can’t exceed RM250 a month.

I know what you may be thinking. Three cards, so many, when to use what. It’s not easy, I won’t lie. But saving money isn’t easy. So I've made a flowchart to help decide which card to use and when. I’m gracious enough to share it with you so thank me.

  

Chinese New Year and Not Lunar New Year

In Malaysia, the Spring Festival (春节) is known as Chinese New Year. This is correct. However there is a growing number of Malaysians calling the Chinese New Year solely as the Lunar New Year. I will soon explain why this is incorrect culturally and terminologically.

First all varieties of calendars can be categorised as solar, lunar and lunisolar calendars.

Solar calendars are calendars that annotate with dates pertaining to the Earth’s rotation around the Sun. They have months that only approximate the moon’s cycle which means the moon does not factor in at all. Examples: Gregorian calendar (the one everyone is using)

Pure Lunar calendars on the other hand based its months precisely on the moon’s cycle. An actual year in a pure lunar calendar is eleven days short of an Earth Year. The famous example is the Islamic calendar where they don’t even bother to sync with the solar year.

Most calendars are in fact Lunisolar. Months reflect the lunar cycle but a leap month is added to synchronise with the solar year. Since the moon cycle really only affects the tides and werewolves, people have less need to know about the moon cycle than say the solar cycle which marks when the seasons like joyous spring and dreadful winter will arrive. The Chinese Lunar calendar is one of many examples, but today it is used more to calculate holidays, festivals and fengshui.

In the Malaysian context, there are other lunar calendars like the Islamic calendar and Tamil (and other Indian subcontinent) calendars. It would be unfair to refer to the Chinese New Year as the Lunar New Year because it may cause ambiguity as to which calendar you are actually referring to. Unless you’re speaking in Chinese which would then make sense. Otherwise just stick to Chinese New Year.

Happy Chinese New Year.

Second Dubai Report

Well it’s about time. I’d thought I would return to Dubai a lot earlier. It has been over a year since my last visit, which was pretty much a stopover. But in November 2012, another chance to visit Dubai surfaced because the Arabs want another demo, but this time I will conduct more fact finding and requirement gathering. Euphoria aside, just as the deal was nearly clinched middle of January, HQ pulled the plug on my poor some-saw-it-coming project. Had I known of this gloomy outcome, I’d be a little less excited.

So this marked the second and possibly last trip I would make to Dubai. This time I had 3 things to look forward to. One, I was travelling alone, which also meant performing the demo alone, a big step I might say. Two, my trip would be for five days, four nights, so it’s unlike the short layover like last time. And three, A380 baby! I skillfully scheduled myself aboard the A380 from KL to Dubai.

You can’t go wrong with Emirates. But apparently economy class is all the same, A380 or not. I thought there would be lounges, bunk beds, and bars but apparently they were reserved only for business and first class passengers. Passengers travelling coach get the usual cattle herd treatment. To be fair A380 economy class seats are probably an inch wider. And the aisles a couple inches wider or something. Hooray for economy.

Dubai in autumn is a much better place. The air is a lot drier, and temperatures lower than the summer. This time I got to see more of coastal Dubai, the thin strip of land fronting the sea and the manmade ginormous palm island which also cradles the development boom that Dubai is so well known for. From far in the desert inland, the coast is marked by a jagged wall of gleaming pinnacles all arranged along the coastal Sheikh Zayed Road.

I didn’t get much time in the day to visit Dubai’s tourist spots, I was either in the company’s Dubai office or the location is the desert where the client was. My excursions were mostly limited to the night. My hotel was located in Dubai Media City, one of the many ‘city’ developments that are actually industry specific free zones intended to suck in foreign investments like a straw.

There is one observation, or rather fact I’d like to point out. Dubai is not friendly to the budget traveler. Every tourism project is catered to the extremely wealthy. Every taxi I saw was a Toyota Camry. 7 star beach resort hotels mushroom out of every corner. The only place that could be considered cheap is downtown where Dubai’s older character can be uncovered. Old Dubai is kind of like Kuala Lumpur’s Chow Kit with the occasional museum here and there.

In Dubai’s old town, there are Arabian bazaars called souks bearing informal names like Textile souk, Old souk, Gold souk and Spice souk. With the exception of the gold souk which is basically a road full of jewelry shops, the other souks carries that griminess and character that we associate with third world market places. The souks are a great place to visit at night especially in summer when temperatures are intolerable.

Other attractions accessible at night are of course the malls. I visited Dubai mall before (at the base of Burj Khalifah) and I did it again but this time round I managed to visit the aquarium within. Another mall I visited was the Mall of the Emirates, which is the one with the artificial ski slope, SkiDubai.

Also not-to-be-missed is the tacky Ibn Battuta mall which has themed districts like Sunway Pyramid. The mall designers got their inspiration from the travels of Ibn Battuta, a Muslim Moroccan explorer in the fourteenth century. So they distinctly separated the mall into Andalusia (Muslim Spain), Tunisia, Egypt, Persia, India and China zones. What’s impressive is that they have a whole Chinese junk in the Ming dynasty courtyard.

None of these places, I could visit conveniently without the Dubai metro, which is a God send considering the vast expanse of Dubai and that the major thoroughfares although very wide are chock-a-block with traffic at peak hours. As of 2012 there are only two lines, the red line (52km) which follows the coast and connects the airport and the green line (22km) that horseshoes around the airport and Old Dubai. The architecture of the stations is impressive to say the least. Its futuristic curved golden shell like roof wraps the station in air conditioned comfort against the harsh Dubai heat and occasional sandstorm.

If I had time during the day, I would love to have visited Atlantis on Palm Jumeirah, possibly a waterpark, the Dubai creek, maybe take an abra or boat across the creek and definitely museums. But I made good on the time I had. Dubai is definitely a manufactured tourist attraction, but the catch is that it is specifically targeted at high net worth individuals and not the average salaried tourists. Places such as Burj al-Arab are exclusive to guests and are strictly off limits.

Our office in Dubai got downsized from the last time I was there. There are only 5 people supporting an office in charge of the whole Middle East region and bearing in mind the nature of our business, it does not suffice. Anyway I made friends with whoever was there. Altogether three Arabs and two Indians but none of the Arabs were local Emirati, but all three spoke French. It’s always interesting the things that a resident can share with you.

For example, there are many churches in Dubai but only one Hindu temple although there are 1.7 million Indians in Dubai, 85% of the expatriate population are of Indian descent. There are zero Buddhist temples. The churches probably cater to European and Filipino residents. If we compare to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where Islam is also the predominant religion, we would see a startling difference. The ratio of Hindu temples to the Hindu population is highest among the minority religions. New churches in Peninsular Malaysia on the other hand find it hard to get official approval and have to resort to setting up at shoplots or industrial plots. So there exist divergences of thinking in the Malays, who are more afraid of Christianity, in comparison to the Arabs who find Hinduism too pagan to allow for Indian migrants to practice their religion freely. Generally Arab Muslims regard Christians and Jews as “People of the Book” who basically believe in their same monotheistic God. Food for thought indeed!

 

Dubai is quite Americanized. Little known American fast food franchises, GM pickup trucks, right down to pavement design all contribute to the American inclination. However one aspect is absent, the rigid grid like road layout is sorely missing in Dubai. Despite my Dubai colleagues being longtime residents of Dubai city, I proved my geographical skills once again when I helped them navigate the maze of roads while using GPS. They were of course lost while I’m just a tourist. Score!

And so concludes my second and possibly final report on Dubai. Dubai is an incredible place. Construction is at full swing again, the 2008 financial meltdown was merely a speed bump in Dubai’s race for world domination. A country whose local inhabitants are outnumbered 4 to 1. A country where business is good, tax does not exist and life’s a beach. A monarchial country which, compared to its immediate neighbours, is open and tolerant. Dubai I wish you the best in your future projects and whatever form you may take.

 

 

 

 

Propecia and Me

I’ve been losing some hair gradually over the past 10 years. My affected region is the crown, or the top of my head. So with a doctor’s prescription I tried Propecia, or finasteride. I took 1mg of finasteride everyday (almost) for six months. I am well aware of its most conspicuous side effects which include impotence, abnormal sexual function, gynecomastia (male boobs) and other sexual symptoms.

So after subjecting myself to a self guinea pig test, I’d like to report the following symptoms. I did not experience any side effects of the sexual nature. However:

• More hair grew on my crown region
• My scalp was less itchy and less oily
•  No untoward side effect seen until 4th month, where I experienced unusual random muscle twitches and slight muscle pains all over my body. I also experienced pains in my ribcage, leading me to believe I had chest pains
•  Fatigue. I find myself sleeping a lot more than I’m used to. I got tired easily at the end of the day.
•  I did not gain any muscle although I worked my ass off at gym

After the six months I decided to stop treatment. My muscle pains and twitches and fatigue went away. Muscle mass noticeably increased after stopping Propecia, although diet and workout regimen had not changed. No despite what reports indicated, my hair did not immediately fall out. I wouldn’t take Propecia again for more than 3 months in duration given the side effects I encountered.

Merlin

The story of Merlin and King Arthur has been told countless times, sometimes together sometimes apart. But I was drawn to this BBC produced television series, a fantasy reimagining of a classic legend, from the first season or series as they call it in the UK.

It is only after the finale aired that I realised great it really was. I initially liked it because of its youthfulness, humour and the magic. But the producers had more adult undertones for just an ordinary children's programme. Over five seasons, I noticed a solid story progression ticking off all the major milestones of Arthurian legend. It bears more likeness to a miniseries rather than an aimlessly wandering fantasy TV drama hoping for a season renewal with a great pilot but no end in sight.

There are a few running themes in this series, among them are the chemistry between Merlin and Arthur, the elevation of Guinevere from servant girl to queen and associated unlikely fairy-tale romance, the prohibition of magic in Camelot, Morgana’s transition from nice to naughty and last but not least the whole magic-old religion-destiny enigma. But it's really the finale that shows you what Merlin is really about. Finale spoilers later.

True, Merlin follows a formula almost every episode. Something magical happens, Merlin sweeps in and saves the kingdom, despite the fact that his efforts go unrecognised. That is what makes it fun, and it meets the returning fans’ expectations. Merlin’s motivation? To fulfil his destiny as told by a great dragon, to be by Arthur’s side, fighting to uniting the kingdoms of Albion (old name for Britain) and returning magic to the land.

But first, a story arc summary of all the five seasons of Merlin

Season 1

Merlin, a young warlock is sent to Camelot under the charge of court physician, Gaius. Gaius becomes mentor to Merlin not only in medicine but also in witchcraft, as Gaius has dabbled with it in the past. Camelot is under the reign of King Uther Pendragon, a tyrant ruler who has outlawed magic and would execute anyone who has it or practises it, so Merlin practises it in secret.

Merlin meets a caged dragon who tells him that it’s his destiny to protect and serve the king’s son, Prince Arthur Pendragon. Merlin soon becomes Arthur’s personal man-servant who becomes a little too personal as we see the beginnings of a budding bromance.

The Lady Morgana is under Uther’s guardianship, and lo and behold her personal servant is the not too attractive Guinevere or Gwen for short. Lancelot arrives in Camelot and has the hots for Gwen. We find that the lady Morgana has the power of premonition through her dreams which Gaius tries to ‘treat’. Morgana showed signs of rebellion against the king’s punitive measures against magical persons. It was triggered when Uther tried to kill a small druid boy called Mordred.

The main magical villain this season is Nimueh, a high priestess of the Old Religion. The Old Religion is what they call all the magic we see on screen. Nimueh was involved in King Uther’s past which is related to Arthur’s birth itself. Merlin ultimately defeats Nimueh but the lives of Arthur and Gaius were put at risk.

The common consensus is that Uther is over zealous and irrational when it comes to magic. Sorcery is not evil but instead good or evil lies in the heart of the practitioner. Gaius believes that Merlin is the only one who return magic to Camelot.

Season 2

While Gwen reveals that she has feelings for both Lancelot and Arthur. The season’s main villain is Morgause, another high priestess of the Old Religion who has a serious grudge against Uther. Morgause approached Morgana, befriending her, and slowly turning her against the King. In the end Morgause kidnaps Morgana, leading Uther to launch a nationwide search.

Merlin releases the caged dragon, but it takes revenge on its former captors in Camelot. Merlin becomes a dragonlord, with the ability to summon, command and kill dragons in order to save Camelot. And finally Merlin falls in love for the first time, but she dies and becomes The Lady of the Lake.

Season 3

After a year of being missing, Morgana is now in league with Morgause and lays siege to Camelot. However Uther prevails in the battle but was duped into thinking that Morgana’s loyalties are still with him. She has fooled all but Merlin (and Gaius) so they are ever vigilant of her every move. Also Morgana learns that she is really the King’s illegitimate daughter, which would give her rights to the throne. And she conveys all of this to Morgause which she secretly sees from time to time.

At the end of the season, Morgana manages to overthrow King Uther with an army of immortal dead, locks him in the dungeon and takes the crown for herself with Morgause at her side. But her reign would be short lived as Arthur heads the knights and forms the legendary Round Table. Lancelot one of the few people who know of Merlin’s wizardry, becomes a knight under Arthur though he is not of noble blood. Arthur then retakes Camelot but Morgana and Morgause managed to flee.

Season 4

A year since the end of last season, Uther is ill and depressed about Morgana betrayal. Morgause dies leaving Morgana as the ultimate magical baddie. Arthur is governing Camelot on behalf of his father with the assistance and council of his maternal uncle, Agravaine. But unbeknownst to all, Agravaine is secretly colluding with Morgana.

After much magical plotting and scheming, Morgana manages to kill Uther. Prince Arthur becomes King but still takes advice from Agravaine.

Morgana learns a prophecy that Emrys is both her destiny and her doom. Emrys is the Merlin’s magical name that only a select few people like druids know, but not Morgana. So Morgana tries hard to discover and destroy this mysterious Emrys.

At season’s end, Morgana conspires with a warlord and the mole Agravaine to conquer Camelot castle and installs her as Queen for the second time. The Sword in the Stone scene is re-enacted and with that, Arthur confidently leads the guerrilla attack on their sieged castle. Arthur reclaims Camelot, and takes Guinevere to be his queen in the grandest ceremony Camelot has ever seen.

Season 5

An unspecified number of years have passed by since end of last season. During that time, Camelot experienced its golden age. The defeated Morgana however faced imprisonment with a baby dragon at the hands of some foreign king. But she rose to power eventually, becoming a dark queen herself.

The once druid boy, Mordred showed up early in the season, but now as Arthur’s saviour and ally. He soon joins the other knights at his famed Round Table. But Merlin receives a prophecy that Arthur will die at the hands of Mordred after an underhanded betrayal, so Merlin remains distrustful of Mordred throughout.

There is a subplot where Morgana captured Gwen and psyched her into an extreme case of Stockholm syndrome, forcing Gwen to be her double agent. But that problem was resolved with Merlin’s help.

But then, as it was foretold, Mordred turned against Arthur when his childhood crush, a druid girl was sentenced to death by Arthur. Mordred went running to Morgana and revealed secrets about Merlin and Camelot. They soon joined forces and launched an attack on Camelot with the aid of Saxon kingdoms.

Finale Spoiler and Review

For what may have begun as a children’s series certainly has a very dark ending. As each season passes, villains become unyielding in their viciousness, and the consequences of actions become graver. But in the end, there is no happily ever after ending, but left us with a James Dean ending, a star struck down in his prime. I guess that makes the best legends, when the young die, they live forever.

I thought Merlin was about magic. How Merlin discovered his powers, but after the he became dragon lord, the magic was same old same old. I hardly even mentioned any magical story arcs in my summary of the seasons above because it was pretty much inconsequential. How about a long drawn out war between two magical adversaries, Merlin and Morgana. No, Morgana didn’t even know who Merlin really was until near the series end. Others thought it was the forbidden love between the African servant and King. But their marriage was over and done with in Season 4. And, if Merlin is the really about King Arthur, they would name the series Arthur, wouldn’t they?

The finale sets the story straight. Like most prophecies in Merlin, they usually come true. Merlin kills Morgana as foretold. Mordred did hurt Arthur in the final battle at Camlann. But he didn’t die straight away, Merlin was to take him to Avalon where a possible cure may be found. All this runs according to standard Arthurian legend.

The final episode wasn’t epic like it’s penultimate one. It was a very intimate duologue between Merlin and Arthur on his way to Avalon, during which Merlin finally reveals himself as a sorcerer, practising outlawed magic right under his nose. Arthur felt betrayed but ultimately sees the hidden hand of Merlin throughout the years. They arrived at Avalon, but it was too late Arthur had passed on. The dragon then told Merlin “This is not the end. Arthur will rise again when Albion needs him most.” Where was that unified Kingdom of Albion the dragon promised? Are the magical peoples truly been liberated at the time of Arthurs passing? No.

And then we see the last scene of Merlin in modern times. Old and haggard but very much alive. Thousands of years later, still waiting to serve Arthur during his second coming. So that’s what’s Merlin’s about. It is the story of destiny, friendship, loyalty and unending love – not the romantic but the ‘bromantic’ kind. In one episode alone, we see Arthur having to come to terms with Merlin’s years of ‘betrayal’ and Merlin coming to terms (or not if you see it the other way) with Arthurs death, a destiny unfulfilled.

The Adventures of Merlin to me represents one of the best fantasy story arcs on TV ever. And no other series can ever have a finale so tragic, so predetermined and so afflictive as the story of Merlin and Arthur. A fitting end to a truly magical series.