Exercise Challenge: Triceps Dips (week 3 into week 4)

Jon Bear:

DAY 19 THURSDAY FEB 19 2015 65 REPS

I did my 65 reps today by breaking them up into two sets of 25 and one set of 15 reps.  I also rode the stationary bike.  My stationary bike is actually one handed down to me by my family.  It was at our home on Long Island for about 15 years or from the time I was about 10 years old until the time I turned 25.  Then it was shipped north to my brother Robert's house.  I'm not sure how much use it got there.  I know Robert, Shirley and Katrina all exercise but they do a lot of outdoor activities.  After they had it for a decade, a couple of years back they told me I could have the bike if I like, when I was talking about trying to get into better shape.  I took it, and it mostly sat on the floor in my living room for a year.  The past year though I've been getting much more frequent use out of it.  Especially this Winter with the horribly cold weather in the north east United States.  So it's not the shiniest or fanciest or most modern exercise equipment, but it serves it's purpose. 

DAY 20 FRIDAY FEB 20 2015 REST DAY

YAY!  Rest Day.  Always a fun day.  I rested. 

DAY 21 SATURDAY FEB 21 2015 65 REPS

I see that Carlyn out-repped me today as I did only the required 65 reps, once again in two sets of 25 and one of 15.  No exercise bike today.  I've been keeping up with my healthy eating and sleeping though, so even on the days I don't do too much exercising I feel like I'm making progress towards good health. 

DAY 22 SUNDAY  FEB 22 2015 70 REPS

I cheated and did not do any reps today.  I am always a bit of an excuse maker when I don't get something done.  And it being the Lord's day, which should be a day of rest and all, I am a bit nonplussed about missing my Reps today.  Look to Jon Bear of course to find a way to use religion as an excuse to get out of exercising.  Okay (confessional), I admit it.  I was a bum.  >.<

 

DAY 23 MONDAY FEB 23 2015 75 REPS 

Oh noes!  I did not do my reps again.  I did some mild exercising and rode the stationary bike a bit, but did not really feel like doing the triceps dips.  I need to have a bit more discipline as I admittedly have become a bit bored with the whole triceps dip.  How do people do this faithfully through the whole challenge? 

 

DAY 24 TUESDAY FEB 24 2015 80 REPS

Back on track today!  I did my 80 reps, even though I broke them up into four separate intervals of 20 during the Islanders hockey game.  The Islanders had their struggles early but coasted to a 5-1 victory with 4 goals in the 3rd and final period of the game.  That made the reps easier to do. 

 

DAY 25 WEDNESDAY FEB 25 2015 REST DAY

I was feeling a bit guilty about the days I missed and did one set of 20 triceps dips today, but not feeling guilty enough to do any more than that.  Other than my 20 tricep dips I rested.

 

DAY 26 THURSDAY FEB 26 2015 80 REPS

Oh well.  I must not have been feeling too guilty I guess because I missed my reps again today.  That's the 3rd time this week.  And it's not like I even did any extra special exercising to speak of to make up for it today.  I am still eating well.  Getting my greens and my fruits and veggies and staying away from the Pizza and alcohol and other enticements.  Yes... I'm trying to build myself up a little.  Much like Carlyn's ashamed Cat, I must also face the music and fess up to a poor week.  Next week is the last week, so there is still a chance to finish strong!  Wish us luck!

Exercise Challenge- Week Three

DAY 16 MONDAY 16 2015 50 REPS

Felt better today. Did 50 reps. Did 50 Reps!!

DAY 17 TUESDAY 17 2015 55 REPS

I didn’t do any exercise today.

DAY 18 WEDNESDAY 18 2015 60 REPS

I didn’t do any exercise today.

DAY 19 THURSDAY 19 2015 65 REPS

I didn’t do any exercise today.

DAY 20 FRIDAY 2015 REST DAY

As it was a rest day, I didn’t do any exercise today.

DAY 21 SATURDAY 2015 65 REPS

I did 67 reps today.

DAY 22 SUNDAY 22 2015 70 REPS

Didn’t do any reps today.

I have been a bum all week. 

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It Cuts Both Ways by Jack Tate- Review by Carlyn

Last year, I won a book off goodreads which was Jack Tate’s debut novel Causality . I was also approached by Tate to review his latest book It Cuts Both Ways. Jack Tate is an Australian author who specializes in writing thrillers about anti-heroes who deal with people who have wronged them in ruthless and bloody ways.

In this new book, the story centres around a young anatomy professor named Alex Rain. Alex Rain had a turbulent childhood where his father frequently beat Alex and his mother. Fortunately, the violence stops when Alex’s father suddenly dies. What people don’t know is that Alex could have prevented the death.  His father’s death starts off Alex’s fascination with death and punishing bad people for their crimes.

In the midst of Alex’s dark dealings, Alex falls in love with a young woman named Claire Daniels. Suddenly, Alex has to juggle leading a normal life with Claire and fighting off the urge to kill. Unbeknownst to Alex, he is also pursued by Detective Belmont and Adams as they investigate the gruesome killings.  They believe that victims were killed by a serial killer because of the ritualistic nature of the deaths.

The crimes usually involved the victims offending Alex in some way and ending with them dying in some graphic and disgusting way. Only the beginning process of the murder is shown before the novel cuts to the detectives examining the crime scene. I found Alex to be a likeable character despite his evil intentions, mostly because I didn't associate Alex with the crimes. In the novel, there is no part where Alex prepares or cleans up after the crimes or even thinks about them after he is finished. As I didn't really see Alex’s thought process through the murders meant that I didn't really think of him as a bad person.

The people murdered in the novel didn't deserve to be killed except for one man. The rest of the victims were inconsiderate people when Alex met them but that doesn't mean they deserved to die. In each killing in the novel, the victims are posed in a way to symbolized what they did wrong in the world. For example, one victim had their eyes cut out for not looking where they were going.

There are lots of autopsies in this book as Alex dissects bodies for class and the police investigate the killing spree. I believe that Tate must have done some research into anatomy and cadavers because of the details in the book. I was a bit uncomfortable reading through the autopsies but I know some might find it fascinating.

I enjoyed reading the book towards the middle of the story where Alex’s life starts to unravel. In the book, it is mentioned that Alex hears voices however his evil thoughts aren’t included into the narrative. It would have been good to have read Alex’s thoughts to get a deeper understanding into his character.

On another note, I liked the changing perception that people had about Alex in the novel. In the beginning, Alex seems like a down to earth and decent guy. To his students he is seen to be exciting and theatrical because of his interesting teaching methods. At the end of the novel, people describe him to be a creepy weirdo loner who they always suspected of being evil. I think that’s typical of people to say that they always had a bad feeling about someone after a terrible event is uncovered.

At the end of the story, I thought Alex’s downfall was too convenient however there is a plot twist that changes everything! I thought the plot twist made the story more dynamic and changed the perspective of everything in the novel. As a result, I think it would interesting to re-read it with the new knowledge as it brings a different feel to the novel.

I enjoyed reading It Cuts Both Ways. I think the book would suit people who like crime novels and thrillers. I don’t normally read books in that genre but I did like reading this book. I look forward to reading other Jack Tate books and seeing the development of his writing.

Entertainment Monday: Modest Mouse (Februray 23, 2015)

Modest Mouse is a band that I've known of for several years now.  They originate out of Washington State, but they are not a Grunge band like many of the bands of Washington State Music fame like Nirvana, Sound Garden, Alice In Chains or Pearl Jam.  I've always thought their lead singer, Isaac Brock had a unique voice that makes the band distinctive and easy to pick out whenever they come out with something new.

Modest Mouse has been around since the mid 1990s.  My niece Katrina recently, this past Summer, had the good fortune of seeing them and Frank Turner perform live at the Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, NY.  Modest Mouse is coming out with a new album less then a month from now called Strangers to Ourselves.  It will be the bands first release in almost 8 years. Their Single, Lampshades On Fire has hit the airwaves this past month and is getting a lot of buzz for the bands new album. 

One of the first songs I ever heard from Modest Mouse that really peaked my interest in them was the song Float On, which came off of their 2004 album Good News For People Who Love Bad News.  They were one of the first Indie Bands I took to when I moved to the Albany, New York area back in September of 2002.  So they along with a few other Indie bands kind of re-introduced me to a musical genre that my sister had first introduced me to when I was a teenager growing up in Mastic on Long Island.

Another of my favorite songs from Modest Mouse is Dashboard, and my favorite song of theirs is a tie between Missed the Boat and We've Got Everything, all tracks off of their 2007 Album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.

 

 

I'm glad that Modest Mouse is coming out with some new music after so many years without a new album.  I'm hoping I'll enjoy the rest of Strangers to Ourselves as much as I've loved their past albums.  I really look forward to next month's release and hope that perhaps some of our fans here might become fans of Modest Mouse.   

30 Day Triceps Dips Week 2 into Week 3 (Jon Bear)

DAY 12 THURSDAY 12 FEB 2015 40 REPS

I made sure to do my dips today as I'm going to visit my mom after work tomorrow and doubt that I will do the dips while I am visiting her for a few days.  I started breaking the dips up into sets and not doing them consecutively.  I know the actual challenge calls for them to be done consecutively, but I figure at least doing the required total broken up into sets is better then not doing it at all. >.< 

Day 13 FRIDAY 13 FEB 2015 45 REPS

I did not do any dips today.  I drove to mom's house after work (about an hour and a half drive) and had a nice dinner with my family.  I did not do any real work out to speak of. 

DAY 14 SATURDAY 14 FEB 2015 50 REPS

No dips again today.  I did help shovel the driveway with Mom as we are getting a moderate snowfall today.  The snow piles off the side of her driveway are getting close to going above my head now.  I meant to take a picture but forgot to.  So I got in a little bit of exercise albeit mostly cosmetic shoveling today with nothing too tough. 

DAY 15 SUNDAY 15 FEB 2015 REST DAY

Good thing it was rest day as I did not do any dips again today.  Once again I did more shoveling with mom.  We definitely got a good little snow fall last night which made today's shoveling harder work then yesterdays.  We also had a lot of wind, so the snow drifted into some larger piles in certain parts of the driveway.  Mom accurately pointed out how the larger snow drift piles decided to fall on my part of the driveway.  Oh well, I guess that's a bit of penance for not doing my triceps dips. >.<

DAY 16 MONDAY 16 FEB 2015 50 REPS

Back from mom's house.  I had to work today but got in my 50 triceps dips reps with two separate sets of 25 each.  I also road the stationary bike for about a half hour while watching t.v..  To try and make up for my absence of reps the last few days I also did some push ups and sit ups. 

DAY 17 TUESDAY 17 FEB 2015 55 REPS

Went to work again today.  When I got home I did my 55 triceps dips but broke it into three sets this time.  I usually do them when I watch the weather on t.v.. That way I can focus on the exercise and half pay attention to the next snow storm or bitter cold outbreak heading our way.  That's been our Winter this year in the Northeast  United States.

DAY 18 WEDNESDAY 18 FEB 2015 60 REPS

I did my 60 Reps today.  No other exercise to speak of really.  I have been eating a lot better though the past week and a half or two weeks now and am starting to lose some weight.  I'm not starving myself.  Just eating smart and smaller portions.  Ironically I broke my belt.  The buckle broke off it, so now that I'm losing a little weight, my pants are kind of sliding a bit and I have to make sure I hike them up every so often.  I'll buy a new belt this weekend, but perhaps a size down from where I was to help encourage continued weight loss.

Australia Zoo

Australia Zoo is owned by the Irwin Family who are famous for their wildlife conservation and love of crocodiles.  The most famous in the family was Steve Irwin who was known as The Croc Hunter. Steven Irwin had a TV show where he went around the world to learn and interact with different animals. He loved all animals and wasn’t afraid to get close to wildlife. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm for animals led to his downfall and he died after getting stung by a stingray in 2006. Steve Irwin’s legacy still continues through his family. Steve’s widow Terri and their children Bindi and Bob continue to promote animal conservation.

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My family and I decided to go Australia Zoo on our December vacation. I had purchased a two ticket combo for Australia Zoo and Sea Life Underwater World for my family. We decided to go to Australia Zoo because it was the most well known out of the two. We were a bit too eager so we were the first people to arrive at the zoo before opening times.

Once it got closer to opening time, we had about a hundred people lining up to go in. When the gates finally opened, nothing majestic happened, we all just scrambled in. My dad wanted to go on the tour guide circuit so that we could see everything so we did that.

We got off at the Africa animal enclosure which was the farthest part of the park. There giraffes, rhinos and zebras who were in a very big enclosure and were munching on some trees. It was my first time seeing those animals in real life and it was surreal to see them.

Afterwards, we saw the tigers and we were fortunate to being in time to watch the demonstration from the keepers. The tigers seemed skinnier than I imagined. I'm sure that were healthy and well looked after though.

We also saw snakes, otters, kangaroos, koalas and crocodiles. The different zones in the zoo were nicely decorated with statues and plants and each zone was themed. I wish there was more signage though as sometimes we wondered if we were heading in the right direction to see certain exhibits. There were signs but I would have appreciated more.

We were in a hurry wandering around the zoo because we didn’t want to miss the Wildlife Warriors Show which only come on once a day at 12pm. The show is the most popular event at the zoo and it features crocodiles and various birds. The show is hosted in the Crocoseum which is a huge arena where Steve Irwin did many of his crocodile demonstrations for his tv show. It is also where they had Steve’s funeral.

First we decided to have lunch before the show. The Crososeum is attached to the food court. It’s a really big food court which could easily seat 1000 people. They had a variety of food available, everything from burgers, sandwiches to sushi. We had hamburgers which were alright.

After we finished lunch it was time for the Wildlife Warriors show. There were lots of people already at the stadium but there was plenty of room. We sat at the top level, behind a railing which had rope wound around it. I later found out that the rope around the railing was for the birds in the show. When the show began, they had some little birds fly around the arena onto the perches.

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The most fascinating bird was a hawk which had an impressive wingspan. It was a powerful and graceful animal.  When the bird showcase was finished, they brought out the crocodile which was what people were anticipating since crocodiles are the speciality at the zoo. The keeper talked about how crocodiles are stealthy creatures that sense their prey through the vibrations in the water as they live in murky water that is difficult to see in. What I liked most about the show were the birds and the parts where the hosts interacted with the audience. I thought the show was average and I would give it a miss if I went to the zoo again. I was a bit disappointed with Australia Zoo, as I was expecting more animals and I thought the zoo didn't live up to the hype surrounding it.   

30 Day Triceps Dips Week 2 (Carlyn)

DAY 9 MONDAY 9 FEB 2015  35 REPS

I was pretty sore from yesterday’s hike that I didn’t do any exercise today.

DAY 10 TUESDAY 10 FEB 2015 REST DAY

I did the 35 reps from Monday.

Day 11 WEDNESDAY 11 FEB 2015 35 REPS

 Didn’t do any exercise today, must add to tomorrow. Today I feel a bit sick, my throat is sore and I don’t have a lot of energy.

DAY 12 THURSDAY 12 FEB 2015 40 REPS

Today I was very tired from being up all night. I had a feverish night and didn’t sleep until 6am.

Day 13 FRIDAY 13 FEB 2015 45 REPS

Today I went to see a doctor who says I have enlarged tonsils. I have to get a blood test done on Monday and see the doctor again on Tuesday.  I didn’t do any exercise today.

DAY 14 SATURDAY 14 2015 50 REPS

Well I got some antibiotics to deal with my tonsils. As my tonsils are enlarged they affect my breathing and my speaking abilities. I am still not sleeping well and I have strange voice where I sound like I have a stuffed nose. No exercise today.

DAY 15 SUNDAY 15 2015 REST DAY

Today I went out with my family. Didn’t do any kind of formal exercise.

Entertainment Monday: Eric Nam ( 16 February 2015)

I've been watching a lot of Asian entertainment lately through watching Taiwanese and Korean dramas and eatyourkimchi. Along the way, I discovered kpop singer Eric Nam’s song Ooh Ooh featuring Hoya. Eric Nam is an American Korean pop singer who rose to fame from singing on Youtube. He gained further attention when he entered into a Korean talent show called Birth of a Great Star 2 in 2011 where he lasted up to the top 5. Afterwards, he joined B2M Entertainment and début as a solo artist in 2012.

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Ooh Ooh is Eric Nam’s third single and was released last year. It’s a feel good, upbeat song that is perfect for dancing. The song is about falling in love and being so happy about finding someone to love.  The video clip is cute and Eric Nam looks adorable in it.

Eric also sings in English which gives him a greater international reach. 

Happy Valentine's Day

30 Day Triceps Dips Challenge Update (Jon Bear)

Carlyn Girl and I have been doing the Triceps exercise challenge as a way to try and improve our fitness.  For me it has extra special effect as I am currently participating in my workplace's health and wellness initiative. 

Quick synopsis of Jon Bear's Days 1-8 of the triceps challenge!

I have not yet been giving updates relative to the challenge, but have met my required number of  successive triceps dips every day.  I don't know that I will be able to do the full sets in the next couple of weeks and I may have to break up my dips, but thus far I have been able to complete the required number of consecutive dips per given day, plus a few, as I am usually doing multiple sets during the day when time allows. 

As we are in the heart of Winter here in the Northeast United States I have not done too much organized exercising to supplement my dips as part of the dips challenge.  I do ride my stationary bike most days though and I like to do some sit-ups push-ups and stretching exercises every other day at least.

Probably the best workout I have received has come from all the snow shoveling I have been doing.  We currently have around 3 feet or roughly 92 centimeters of snow on the ground in and around Albany, NY.  Piles go higher then that but the level ground snow totals are close to 3 feet.  Several times this month I have spent over an hour a day and up to as much as 3 hours one day, shoveling snow, which can be quite the work out.  Even in our bitter cold temperatures my under shirts have been soaked through when I have come in from shoveling.

Day 9: Monday, 9 February

We were hit with Winter Storm Marcus during the last couple of days here and I had Monday off so I spent about 2 hours shoveling snow today.  I completed my 35 dips as required under the guidelines of the challenge.  I also rode the exercise bike for a half hour or so.  I continued to do sets of 10 or 15 dips while watching Gotham and did some sit-ups, push-ups and stretching exercises.  All in all a pretty productive day.  I noticed Carlyn is a little bit ahead on her expected reps totals at least, as we are supposed to repeat the total we had prior to our rest day on the day after our rest day.

Day 10: Tuesday, 10 February (Rest Day)

With Tuesday being rest day I did not plan on doing any dips, but ended up doing a couple of small set reps anyway after work.  Outside of my dips reps I did not do any fitness workout.

Day 11: Wednesday, 11 Februrary

I have yet to do any exercising today as I have been at work all day again and am currently at the local Library.  It was a very busy day of work and I am the only person in my department so I do not really have the ability to exercise unless I go for a walk on my lunch break.  I try to go for walks around the local community during my lunch break sometimes when the weather is a bit nicer.  The -20 degree Celsius temperatures and snow covered sidewalks make that a bit treacherous this time of year.  I do plan on doing my 35 dips tonight when I get home.  Otherwise I don't have too many exercise plans.  I have off on Wednesday so I might try to think of something different and fun to do to get in some "different" exercise tomorrow. 

Entertainment Monday (Retro Version): Monday Februrary 9, 2015 Indigo Girls

I've mentioned in the past how my sister Heather played a rather large roll in my musical influences relative to much of the alternative branded music that I listen to today.  It seems that alternative music as a genre really began to get a foot hold in the early 1980s.  So what is alternative music?  I think there are probably several different definitions out there, the thing that always comes to mind first when I think of alternative music though, are bands that produce music off an independent label.  Now there are some bands today that might be described as alternative who are signed to major music production labels.  So I think the idea of alternative being defined by production off an independent label has changed and evolved a bit over the years and to fit the definition sometimes alternative music might be described as a "sound" or "vibe" which is outside the mainstream popular music. 

So one of the first alternative music bands that I listened to growing up, was the Indigo Girls.  Of course, my exposure to their music came largely through my sister's love of the band.  I decided to go retro this Entertainment Monday and share some of the songs from the Indigo Girls that made me fall in love with their music. 

Virginia Woolf by the Indigo Girls

Closer To Fine - Which was one of the Indigo Girls biggest hits

Romeo and Juliet - A Cover of the original song by the Dire Straights

I've mentioned this song before and I love both the original version and the Indigo Girls Cover.  The emotion of the song and lyrics are simple awesome. 

 

 

 

 

Ghost

 



The Indigo Girls are such and organic band, and while I do love a lot of electronically produced music, I still think it's incredible when a band can just break out the guitars and jam.  Lyrically they are a great band too. I could have posted entire albums of there's here and there are not too many bands I would say that about.   There are stories with depth to them, not just a catchy tune.  Forever they will be one of my all time favorite bands and I am so grateful for my sister's influence when it comes to a lot of the music I listened to growing up and the music I now love today.

30 Day Trciep Dips Challenge

DAY 1- SUNDAY 1 Feb 2015: 5 Reps

Today is the first day of the 30 Day Tricep challenge. I did 5 reps of tricep dips this morning and they weren’t too hard to do. I know it will get a lot harder when I have to do more triceps. Today I’m not in the mood to exercise in a formal sense but I know that I will get some exercise today. On weekends, my family goes out to some outdoor event or we visit a local attraction. It usually involves long walks so I’ll be getting some exercise.

My brother and I did go the Gallery of Modern Art today in Brisbane. We took the train and we walked some of the way as well.

DAY 2-MONDAY 2 FEB 2015:10 REPS

I did 10 reps today. I could have done more but I’m sure further along I will no longer agree to do more than necessary. I also did some pilates today which is something I haven’t done in years. I stopped doing exercise when I was about twenty so I’m a bit rusty about it. There were some exercises that I still cannot do otherwise I’ll hurt myself. I have a smart t.v so now I can put YouTube on and find some aerobics or Zumba to do.

Day 3 TUESDAY 3 FEB 2015:15 REPS

I did 15 reps today and it wasn’t bad. I tried pilates again and attempted some of the harder moves. I like getting back into exercise again.

DAY 4 WEDNESDAY 4 FEB 2015 20 REPS

Today I didn’t exercise because I got a call for a job interview for tomorrow. I was too excited about the interview that I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. I spent the day, making a portfolio and practicing for my interview.

DAY 5 THURSDAY 5 FEB 2015 REST DAY

Today I didn’t do any exercise today as I was mentally exhausted from my job interview. I really want a job. When I was asleep at night, all I dreamt about was interview questions.  My job interview was a bit far away from where I live so it was a journey to get there. I came back home a bit tired from the experience.

Tomorrow, I don’t think I will be doing any formal type of exercise. I am taking my dad to the hospital so he can have some tests done. He had a heart attack last year but is still being recuperated from it.  I am going with him to tomorrow mainly to keep my mum company. 

DAY 6 FRIDAY 6 FEB 2015 25 REPS

Today I was out with my dad and mother. We went to the hospital so dad could have some tests done on his heart. My mum and I walked around at the shops while my dad had his check up. Afterwards we went home. I didn’t do any exercise today.

DAY 7 SATURDAY 7 FEB 2015 30 REPS

Nope still didn’t do any tricep reps. I will have to do 110 reps tomorrow to make up for all the ones I missed. Next week, I’ll just do them when I wake up so I won’t have any excuses.

DAY 8 SUNDAY 8 FEB 2015 35 REPS

Today I went on hike with my friend Mika, we hiked up a mountain in Brisbane. We walked 5 kilometers and it took us 2 hours to reach the summit. We didn’t actually reach the top of the mountain as I felt that it was enough. I didn’t manage 110 reps, just about 40-50.

Sunshine Coast Holiday Story Part 1

Last year, my family and I went on vacation to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia which I mentioned here. We spent the last December holidays entertaining relatives and friends who came to visit from interstate and overseas.  So, my parents wanted to book a holiday before anyone could come to visit us.

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We decided to go the Sunshine Coast as we hadn’t really explored the area before. The trip was also the first time we had booked a hotel as my parents prefer staying over at relatives or friend’s houses when on vacation. Personally, I don’t like staying over at other people’s houses because you always have to be on your best behaviour and there is little privacy.

View of Kings Beach from our hotel

We booked an apartment so we could save on cost and do things ourselves.  We stocked up on groceries for the trip so that we could cook dinner and breakfast. Dad even bought a small rice cooker so that we could always have Asian meals at home. 

My parent's bedroom

My brother and I also brought two big suitcases because we didn't have smaller ones so we filled it with a lot of clothes. My brother Paul pointed out that we might have a problem with fitting all our stuff into our car. Thankfully, we did manage to fit everything in the car. It was a bit of a tight squeeze as we had stuff by our legs as well. At one point, an alarm went off in the car and it turned out that dad had packed a smoke alarm in case the hotel went on fire!

My room with my brother

The hotel that we booked was a small family business and we were greeted by the owner when we arrived. He was really nice and helped us carry our bags to the third floor. There was no elevator so it was sweaty work hauling all our things up the stairs. The owner was very strong and he carried our suitcases on his shoulder. It was impressive considering he looked about sixty.

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I was pleasantly surprised that the apartment had modern décor. It was generic and sparse but better than I expected. I had looked at their website and the rooms were outdated but clean looking. It had two bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom/laundry, living area and balcony.  It was nice having a place for ourselves and I could see how we could live with less stuff.

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We mainly spent the first day, settling in our new home for the week. I think the hotel must have excellent sound proofing or maybe we had quiet neighbours as we didn't hear much noise from anyone.

Kings Beach

After we had recovered from our long journey we decided to go to Kings Beach. Kings Beach was just a short walk away from our hotel. All we had to do was get out from the back gate and walk in a straight line to the beach.  The beach had rock pools and boulders on the outskirts and it was fun to walk around on them. 

Entertainment Monday: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Monday, 2nd February 2015)

One of my favourite movie genres is the travel destination movie where a character goes to a foreign country and becomes rejuvenated again. Most of the time, the characters leave their country because of a break up, student exchange or winning a holiday. Sometimes, they are resistant to the cultural norms but eventually they change and are happier.

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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Elderly and Beautiful as it is known in some parts of the world is a movie about seven elderly people moving to India to spend their retirement years. It features an all star British Cast:

Judi Dench plays Evelyn Greenslade, a recently widowed woman who learns her late husband has left her penniless.

Jean (Penelope Winton) and Douglas  Ainsley (Bill Nighy) are broke after investing in their daughters business that went bust.

Murial Donnelly  (Maggie Smith) a racist former housekeeper who goes to India to receive hip surgery.

Madge Hardcastle (Celia Imrie) a gold digger looking for a new man.

Graham Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson) a retired High Court Judge who goes to India to make amends for something he did there in the past.

Norman Cousins (Ronald Pickup) who is a womanizer looking for his latest catch.

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The hotel is run by Sunny Kapoor (Dev Patel) who describes the hotel to be a palatial estate from the British Colonial era with first class facilities. In reality, the estate is more run down than luxurious thanks to his inept management. Sunny is an enthusiastic dreamer who wants the hotel to succeed but does not know how to do it. He is also hassled by his mother to sell the hotel and get married. Sunny loves the Marigold Hotel and he has a love interest that his mother says is too modern and has no proper family connections.

The retirees become closer as they learn to adapt to India. Most of them embrace the new culture while others are fearful and stubborn. All of them face the problems that led them to India and become stronger people. I enjoyed seeing the growth in the characters and how they adapted to India. I particularly liked the friendships that formed between the characters.

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The movie is a comedy so there are plenty of funny moments, mainly one liners relating to their time in India. The acting is superb which is to be expected from such an experienced cast. The Indian landscape was beautiful in the film the Indian people featured in the movie were charming people.

When I watch this film, I feel like going to India. I feel like being spontaneous and taking my chances in all the places that I want to go to someday. There is actually a sequel to this film which will be released later this year called The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.