It was an awesome weekend because nothing special happened. We just hanged around like we used. I really missed the good ol’ lazy days, when time was on our side and we were able to get bored.
Of course the first thing I wanted to do was to go out to the park and just enjoy Spring.
It was really nice these last few days. It was sunny and warm, it only rained one afternoon but it wasn’t enough to bother us.
What I do like about this weather is that with the sun coming out cats are also more likely to come out and bask in the light. And that means, more cat photos for me.
Now I have a good camera to take good photos even from a distance. So I will probably have a blog with a lot of stray cats in the near future.
Another thing that I enjoyed this weekend was the good food. We went out to eat at our normal dinning spot. We’re just creatures of habit and its hard to break a habit when it involves good food and good company.
Of course I am the one with the soup and Johnny is the one with the meat and mashed potatoes. But I really do like cow belly soup (ciorba de burta) and there are very few places that make it really good.
Then there was also the coffee. Honey coffee, the best way to get sick! It looked so nice but it was really sweet. Basically, espresso with lots of honey. But after you drink one glass of that, you don’t need another cup of coffee nor a desert.
We even went to the movies (saw “A good day to die hard”) , had a little bit of shopping (got new shoes), went out with friends (from work, and I got tipsy), went out with family, watched cartoons and anime, played Sims, got new books and the most important thing, we spent good quality time together.
I think that was the best part of them all, having a good time with Johnny. No quarrels or anything of the sort. Just the two of us enjoying our free time together.
Barfi! is the best Bollywood movie I’ve seen so far and one of the best movies out there.
It’s simple, beautiful, funny, and just uplifting.
I saw a lot of good reviews on the Internet and I was amazed when IMDb showed 8.2 as it rating. That’s something to brag about, especially in Bollywood where most movies average a rating of 6.
And I was not disappointed. The long wait really paid off.
There are no villains and no heroes, no long songs with many people dancing around the main characters, nothing of the regular flashy Bollywood movies. Instead there are 3 good actors, a beautiful story, beautiful scenery and lovely songs that complete the movie.
The 3 good actors that I mentioned are Ranbir Kapoor as Barfi, Priyanka Chopra as Jhilmil Chatterjee and Ileana D’Cruz as Shruti.
The plot is simple, Barfi (birth name Murphy) is on his death bed. Feeling that the end is near, he tries to take a good photo of himself to send to his good friend Shruti (which always complained she doesn’t have a good photo of him). And from there, a flashback in their youth where they met.
Barfi, a deaf and mute boy, lives his life with his father in a small town. He is not a character that would make you feel any pity. In fact, he seems more alive than the people with no disabilities. He always causes mischief, always has fun, yet people love him because he brings a smile on their faces.
Then comes Shruti who moves with her parents in the small town. She is set to marry a very handsome and rich man and live a comfortable life. That until she meets Barfi.
He tries to court her and they even share a kiss but Shruti, convinced by her mother that their relationship will not last long and she won’t have an easy life, stays with her fiancee which she eventually marries.
Barfi, heartbroken, tries to cope with the loss of his first love. On top of this, his father gets sick and they don’t have the money for the operation. So, Barfi tries to get money from friends but is unable to get the full amount he needs. He then plots to kidnap Jhilmil.
Jhilmil is a girl that has autism. She and Barfi are good friends, and Barfi doesn’t intend to harm her, he just thinks of it as an innocent way to get money for his father. The only thing is that Jhilmil is already kidnapped. By chance, Barfi manages to recover Jhilmil and get the money for his father, but its a bit to late since his father passes away in hospital.
And he also ends up with Jhilmil who doesn’t want to go back home to her parents (which were never that nice to her).
They spend almost half an year together and they fall in love. From there, Barfi is set to meet again Shruti and their lives go on a downhill. Jhilmil goes missing for the third time. Barfi is devastated because everyone believes she’s dead. Shruti leaves her husband and tries to replace Jhilmil but cannot take her place in Barfi’s heart.
Eventually, it all turns out well in the end.
Jhilmil (who was being hidden by her family all this time) and Barfi get their love story, Shruti learns the importance of being honest and making the right decisions even if that means to be left alone. And we go back to the old Barfi on his death bed surrounded by his friends and family.
This was a heartwarming story and it was a nice way to start the Spring.
Oh, last day of work than a 4 day weekend. I can’t wait to just slack around and do whatever I want. I think a walk in the park would do me me good.
Even Marlanu’ likes this weather.
I tried a little Spring cleaning in my closet and when I was trying to put the clothes back he wouldn’t let me. So, for an hour or so I let him have his fun. And I had my fun as well. I like taking photos, so what better subject than a fat cat.
Been there, done that. Waiting for a real convention to come!
I’ve never been so disappointed in my life. I was so excited regarding this convention, I thought that it will be something considering the amount of publicity it was done for it but it wasn’t.
I bought my tickets in December and they weren’t even tickets for the first day, they were tickets for the second day of the event. Go figure, I was first from 400 people to buy them and they couldn’t send me tickets for the first day, yet when the first day of the convention came you could find tickets for sale in from of the building. At first I didn’t thought that it will matter that much but it did.
On the second day all the merchandise, the good one I mean, was sold out. The remaining merchandise was either deteriorated, poor quality or just expensive. I mean, the pictures they put on the official site were far from reality. I could’ve found better plushies in a second hand shop.
The so called Japan Wing was a major let down!
I was expecting to buy some manga’s, maybe a plushie. Something nice, like the last year when I went home with a Chopper plushie and a notebook with Totoro.
Instead all that I bought were 2 posters (from One Piece, one of them was ripped but for 5 Ron a piece it didn’t matter) a bookmark (One Piece again), which was fan made and a t-shirt with Mo&Foca from Robotzi, which was probably the best thing there. And just to clarify things, the t-shirt was for Johnny.
Now, I know most people will criticize me for focusing only on the material side and they will probably say that this convention was for fans to meet and have fun, even to meet celebrities and such.
I know that. I know many people go there to hang out and just enjoy their fandom, but I’m more of the loner type when it comes to fandoms. I like to enjoy a thing but not necessarily share my thoughts and hang out with other people.
There was also an incident that made me laugh: when I was looking for a poster to buy so I wouln’t leave empty handed, I heard a girl saying to her brother “If you see a poster with Luffy just grab it!“. I was like “Really now, I’m going to have to fight with a 12 year old for a poster“.
There were and nice things, the artists that sold their sketches, the kids running around in costumes, the red carpet at the entry, the food and the hope that on the next convention people will actually bring more merchandise!!!
I believe this year will be Hercule Poirot year, in terms of books. I’ve been reading Agatha Christie’s books like there’s no tomorrow.
I must admit that stitching and audio books go hand in hand with me. I cannot stay still and listen to a story without doing something with my hands.
And yet, I am afraid that very soon I’ll finish all the Hercule Poirot books and I will have to satisfy myself with Miss Marple stories (which aren’t as addictive as the ones with the little Belgian detective).
Books are really addictive, detective books I mean. But not all of them, I tried to see if other detectives will have the same charisma as Hercule Poirot but I was disappointed.
For example, I read “The two cases of Danwel Strong” by Juan Angel Cardi and I barely made it to the end. It took me a month or so to finish a book that, in normal conditions, would’ve taken me a day or two.
Then, there were the Maigret books which are a step or two above normal detective books. But even the Maigret books don’t come close to Agatha’s Christie little Belgian.
In no particular order:
The Mystery of the Blue Train
This book was first published in 1928; that’s 85 years ago. The story resolves around the death of Ruth Kettering, an American heiress that gets murdered on the Blue Train (Le Train Bleu).
After the murder, it is also discovered that the famous “Heart of Fire” diamond also is missing from the possession of the late Mrs. Kettering.
On the same train there are Mrs. Katherine Grey (a 30 year of companion that comes in a large sum of money and decides to visit the French Riviera), Derek Kettering (which is following his wife, trying to reconcile with her and save the marriage for financial reasons more than for the sake of love), the dancer Mirelle (Derek ex-lover, who is after the Heart of Fire diamond rather than Derek), Ruth Kettering maid, Ada, and of course Hercule Poirot.
Rufus Van Aldin, Ruth Kettering father, employs Hercule Poirot to solve the mystery of his daughter’s death. At first, all the suspicions are directed towards The Comte of Roche and Derek Kettering. The Comte of Roche is well known for approaching married women’s and making their precious diamonds disappear and Derek Kettering is known for having financial difficulties.
After many twists and turn and a little help from Mrs. Katherine Grey, Hercule Poirot resolves the case and the famous Marquis (a famous burglar) and his accomplice is found guilty for the murder of Mrs. Ruth Kettering. As for the Heart of Fire diamond, well it is believed lost … but there is a certain dancer that is very proud in her new necklace.
Time of reading: 1 day. Stitching while reading interesting books is bad for one’s needlework.I believe I made some mistakes since I was wrapped up in the story so much, but it was worth it nonetheless.
Dumb Witness
This was a very well played plot by Agatha Christie. Basically you go through all the characters and believe at some point or another that they must be the murderer.
And in the end, the murder is the the last person you would think of. I won’t give any details of this book, because its more fun this way than having an idea of what you are getting yourself in.
This is a classic when it comes to detective books. Well played Christie, well played.
Time of reading: around 2 days. I have to take breaks from time to time and works comes into as well.
Appointment with Death
I’ve noticed in most of Agatha Christie’s books that there are some characters that just deserve to slapped silly. And in this book there is one character that is so annoying that you are just happy to see her die.
The action takes place abroad, Hercule Poirot tries to take a vacation from death, but death just has a different agenda.
Mrs. Boynton is the annoying character that I was speaking about, the step mother of a large family who just enjoys keeping her children in line and basically bullies them into submission. And this “lovely” lady finds a tragic end on what should’ve been a “vacation” with her family.
All of her children are suspected of murder, and the question is: did they all act together or was just one of them that decided that enough is enough?
Well, it was fun to read and the ending was very satisfying.
