Entertainment Monday: The Second Best Marigold Hotel ( Monday 16, March 2015)

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is one of my favourite movies so I was delighted when a sequel was made. You can read my review on the first movie here.The movie is about six retirees who move to India to spend the rest of their days. The place they move into is the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Old and Beautiful. This movie follows the characters eight months on from the end of the first movie.

source

Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel)- The hotel manager is preparing for his wedding to Sunaina and looking to buy another hotel to accommodate more guests. He’s more preoccupied with his business which causes problems with his fiancé.

Evelyn Greenslade (Judi Dench) - She gets a new job as a buyer for a textile company and has a budding romance with Ainsley. The trouble is that she is not sure she is ready to start a relationship.

Douglas Ainslie (Bill Nighy)- He is in love with Evelyn but he is aware that she’s afraid. The matter is further complicated when his estranged wife returns to India.

Norman Cousins (Ronald Pickup)- He continues his relationship with Carol Parr (Diana Hardcastle) who he met in the first movie. He is a former womanizer and misses the single life.

source

Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith)- She is the co-manager of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and it is a success because of her. Everyone comes to her for advice but she has her own troubles.

Madge Hardcastle (Celia Imrie)- She came to India to find a rich man to marry and in the new movie she has two suitors.  She is delighted when they both propose marriage but doesn’t know which one to accept.

Guy Chambers (Richard Gere)- A handsome new retiree who wants to write a novel.

source

It was fun to see what happened to the characters after the first movie. Although, I think that a sequel wasn’t necessary as most of the storylines were resolved in the first movie. What I liked about the movie was the message about how life is short and to make use of opportunities presented.  The movie illustrated that life doesn’t end in old age. The characters were still growing and learning. Many of the characters were hesitant about leaving their comfort zones but did so as they knew they didn’t have much time left in the world.

I found the movie to be predictable and I think it would have been better if everything wasn’t so obvious. The movie didn’t flow as organically as the first movie and the storyline was weaker.

source

What I did like was the deeper bonds between the characters. I hope I have such good friends when I am as old as them. It also makes me wonder what my life will be life in my retiring years. I wonder who will be with me and where I will be.  I also want to go to India some day; it looks like an exotic and adventurous place to go.

The characters may be seniors but that doesn’t mean it’s just for older people. This is a fun feel good movie perfect for families with older children and for watching with friends.

Underwater World Sea Life Mooloolaba

On the second day of my family vacation, we went to Underwater World. Underwater World is a small aquarium which has a wide variety of sea life on display. It has tropical and native fish, jellyfish, octopi, stingrays, sharks and seals.

source

When we got there we were already tired from our trip to Australia Zoo. The first thing I asked at the Reception Desk was whether they had a café so we could have some coffees. The receptionist was in good humour and said that of course they do and how did I think he got to such a portly size.  We paid for our tickets and they took a photo of us at a photo wall so we could purchase them later.

The first thing we saw on entering was section of rock pools that people could reach in and touch the sea life in them. I don’t remember everything that was in them except that there starfish. Next was a section of small tanks that had tropical fishes such as the clown fish and tiny seahorses.

The exhibit I was most impressed with was the jellyfish. There were lots of tanks of jellyfish and there were LED lights that shone down on the tanks projecting different colours. The jellyfish were white naturally so the colours from the lights added an interesting element to them. The display was mesmerizing. One of the interesting things about jellyfish is that they are not self aware because they don’t have a brain. They don’t think or feel emotions at all, they are just alive.

We also went to see the outdoor tanks which had huge fish. There also other aquariums inside that had fish as large as watermelon. I wonder if they are good eating?

I also liked walking through the underwater aquarium where the sharks and stingrays were housed.

At the end of the day we caught the last seal show. The seals are big creatures, it’s what I picture an aquatic dog would be like. They are agile and intelligent too.

I recommend Underwater World for people visiting Queensland and local tourists. For a small aquatic centre, it has a good variety of sea life on display, the staff is friendly and everything is very clean.

You can read the rest about my holiday here:

•  Holiday at the Sunshine Coast
• Sunshine Coast Holiday Story part 1
• Australia Zoo

Entertainment Monday: Irish Tunes in celebration of upcoming St. Patrick's Day (Monday March 9, 2015)

My twin brother Clifford and his wife Tracy are scheduled to have their second baby boy, Grayson Sawyer today.  So if all stays according to the doctor's schedule then I would like to dedicate this Entertainment Monday to my new nephew Grayson.  =)  Welcome to the world! 

This Entertainment Monday is a bit of a hodgepodge of more modern Irish music and a link to music my father loved.  So while Grayson and his brother Tristram will never get to know their grandfather, our lives are built upon the lives of those who came before us, and as such, the men that Grayson and Tristram grow into will be influenced by their grandfather and his ideals as passed down to them through my brother Clifford.

On this special day, perhaps the music shared here might represent a small link between the past, the present and the future.

While I am primarily of Russian decent, I am in truth quite the mutt when it comes to my family lineage.  My great grandmother on my father's side of the family was Irish, and the small part of me that is of Irish lineage always enjoys listening to some traditional Irish music this time of year.  Well, the rest of me likes it too, in truth.  My father loved listening to the Irish born lyric tenor,  John McCormick.  This youtube clip wishes everyone a Happy St. Patrick's day for 2014, so I would like to just kick that up one year to 2015. 

Another fine traditional Irish folk tune as sung by John McCormick is It's A Long Way To Tipperary!

One of my favorite Irish singers when I was a teenager was Enya, whose 1991 Album Shepherd Moons really vaulted her into the public spotlight.  Songs like Book of Days and Carribean Blue are just some of the wonderful music sung by Enya.  

My sister Heather and brother in law David's wedding song was the now classic Fairy Tale of New York by the Irish band The Pogues with Kristy MacColl.

So whether you're of Irish heritage or not, I hope all will enjoy this St. Patrick's Day and take a little time to appreciate some of the wonderful culture and heritage of Irish music.

672 by J.S Lee - Review by Carlyn (Contains Spoilers)

source

I was asked by J.S Lee to review their book so here is my review. 672 is a fantasy story set in the future where people live in giant towers after a world war. The towers were built to protect people from attack from other nations. The rich and important people live at the top, the middle class are at the centre and the lower classes are at the bottom. People are allowed to travel around the tower but it depends on their rank on how high they can go. Most people never leave the tower and spend their whole lives in it. The towers are wonderful places to live in for everyone; there is free food, floors devoted to entertainment and free healthcare.

Outside the tower live the piggies , uncivilized people who live out in the wild. Piggies are known for their low intelligence and large weight. The tower inhabitants hate the savages, viewing them as murderous people who would kill tower citizens if they had the chance. The tower inhabitants regularly slaughter piggies and hope to one day kill them all. However, the piggies may not be their enemies at all.

There are two main characters in the story, the first is a teenage girl named Emilia who doesn't remember her past or how she came to the tower. She lives with a room mate named Annie, a sensitive girl who loves watching soap operas. Emilia also has a caretaker named Silver who looks after her welfare. Emilia spends her time by exploring the tower; her favourite places being the zoo and conservatory to view plant life. At times, she is suspicious about life in the tower and fears that something underhanded is happening in secret.

The other main character is John who is a scientist. He  lives in the upper floors of the tower. The president of the tower assigns him the role of creating perfect humans that are beautiful and intelligent. John is married to Penelope who desperately wants a baby and begs him to steal one of his specimens.  

I thought the John character was more developed than Emilia and I liked John more. I thought John’s attitudes, actions and feelings were well described particularly his feelings towards his wife and the women in his life. I did not like how he patronized the women but they were a bit silly and naïve. 

 I found that there was a lack of detail on Emilia’s background story. When Emilia learns the truth about her place in the tower, she suddenly has new skills that make her into a good fighter and strategist. I think a flashback needs to be added into the story of Emilia’s past to make it more fleshed out. At first, I liked Emilia for her curiosity and bravery and as the story progressed I found her to be less believable.

I thought 672 was a novel when I first downloaded it but it’s actually a short story. So I was surprised when it ended abruptly and with unfinished business. Overall, I feel that the story is well written and has potential if a few things were fixed. The story feels like it is a very good draft for a novel.  I actually hope that the story is developed further. I would suggest the writer work on putting a bit more realism and detail into the story.

For example *Spoilers*

Emilia, Annie and Eli have never been in the wilderness before and have no camping equipment. Yet, they never complain about being cold or dirty. I thought it was surprising that Annie who is a very sensitive and sheltered person would enjoy camping in the forest.

I was also surprised that Emilia didn’t have the urge to rescue or take revenge. She abandoned the other cropplings and had no interest in the piggies once she was free.

John is ordered to take Emilia and Eli back to the tower after he captures them. The president knows how dangerous Emilia is so why doesn’t he send an armed guard to go get her?

Also , another aspect of the story I found jarring was how the president ordered for baby Olive to be sterile. To achieve sterility, she must drink a substance called milkwood so that she can never fall pregnant. The president orders that Olive will under guard to ensure that she does drink milkwood in the future. I think a better solution would have been to order a hysterectomy or have the child killed because then you don’t have as much doubt. I was surprised that such a ruthless president would not have murdered John, Penelope and Olive and be done with the mess.

I would have liked to have read more about the piggies.  They seemed like really interesting people and it would have been good if there were more interaction with the tower people. The tower people think the piggies are unintelligent but they are actually smarter than they look.

Despite these criticisms, I do believe that J.S Lee is a talented writer. I think J.S Lee was successful in creating a vivid world that is fascinating and sinister at the same time. I just think this story has some flaws that diminish the potential for a great read. 

Blogs of the Month: February 2015- Oops Forgot to post this-Better late than never. .....

Carlyn: A blog that I read regularly is A Cup of Jo by Joanna Goddard. Joanna is a lifestyle blogger from New York who write about relationships, food, childrearing, travel and home life. My favourite thing to read from her blog is posts about motherhood around the world from American mothers living abroad. I love that series because it offers insight about other cultures from a western perspective. Although I am not a mother, I appreciate the advice on childrearing in other countries as I may be a mother someday and I work in the education industry.  

Jon Bear's Site: I know that we do some book reviews on our blog site... well... mostly Carlyn as I have been a bum about the book reviews for a while now, but I still enjoy finding other sites that review books and give me a little insight into something that might peek my interest.  I Really like the breakdown of a synopsis when separated from a review in an easy to read and direct fashion as is the case at http://readingforsanity.blogspot.com/ .  I think the blog authors (as there are several reviewers on the site) of Reading for Sanity do a great job of making it easy to pick out books I might like to read.  The blog has something for everyone too.  While there are lots of children's book reviews, there are also books of interest for adults on the site.   Of course, I myself am a bit age-blind as a reader and could care less what target audience the book might have.  I'm just looking for fun and interesting stories to read.  Another feature I really like about the site is how they list other books the reader might like if they are interested in a particular review.  I have actually yet to put the site to use with regards to a book purchase of my own, but I fully intend to find a book or books reviewed at Reading for Sanity and give them a try.  =)  ---- Jon Bear

Fitness Challenge: Week 4 Final Week

DAY 23 MONDAY 23 2015 75 REPS

I was not a bum today. I did 75 reps!

DAY 24 TUESDAY 24 2015 80 REPS

I did 80 reps. Yays

DAY 25 WEDNESDAY 25 2015 REST DAY

Yay  Rest day!!

DAY 26 THURSDAY 26 2015 85 REPS

I did 85 reps

DAY 27 FRIDAY 27 2015 27 85 REPS

I only managed 40 reps today.

DAY 28 SATURDAY 28 2015 90 REPS

I didn’t do any reps today. I was going to do them after work but I decided to go to a Chinese New Year celebration and I went to watch a movie.

DAY 29 SUNDAY 1 2015 95 REPS

I did 95 reps today!

DAY 30 MONDAY 2 2015 100 REPS

This was the last day of the challenge. I did 100 reps.

SUMMARY

I thought this challenge would be easy but I did find it hard to be motivated to exercise. There were times when I didn’t want to do any tricep dips. I didn’t see much difference in my arm muscles during the challenge but that can be attributed to my not doing the challenge that often. What I did take from this experience is that an exercise diary is a good way to keep track of your progress. It helped me to see that I could be more active.

Entertainment Monday: Kingsman: The Secret Service (Monday 2 March, 2015)

Kingsman is a British action comedy film about a secret spy organization known as the Kingsman. After one of the Kingsman dies in a failed rescue attempt, the society needs a replacement member. Harry Hart (Colin Firth) reaches out to Gary "Eggsy" Unwin (Taron Egerton) to be the new Kingsman. Gary or Eggsy as he prefers to be known in the film is a hooligan who sees getting into the Kingsman to be a way out of his dismal life. Eggsy has to compete with other candidates to become a Kingsman in a series of dangerous challenges. In the meantime, Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) is plotting to cleanse the world in a most evil way.

source

The movie is a celebration of the British spy genre, all the Kingsman are aristocratic and dressed in tailored suits with gadgets built into their accessories. My favourite gadget would have to be Harry Hart’s bulletproof umbrella that is also a shotgun. Eggsy is a wonderful contrasting character to the other upper class spies as he’s a working class lad. There are plenty of snide remarks made against Eggsy about his background but he refutes them easily because he’s use to being insulted.

source

I thought Taron Egerton was engaging as Eggsy and it was nice to have a newcomer in the lead role. I always associate actors with their previous roles so it was good to have a fresh face and not know what to expect. I thought he was the ideal choice for Eggsy because he looks ordinary and unassuming yet he’s strong and intelligent.

Taron Egerton as Eggsy

There were other newcomers in the film as well such as Sophie Cookson who played Roxy, a fellow Kingsman candidate. She reminded me of Emma Watson because of her small figure and brunette hair. Another standout newcomer is  Sofia Boutella who plays Gazelle, the henchwoman to Valentine. Sofia Boutella is a professional dancer so she excelled in the fight sequences.

Sofia Boutella as Gazelle

Colin Firth was perfect in his role as a gentleman spy, walking tall and talking in clipped tones. Firth was able to balance the upper class mannerisms without being a snob.. Samuel L. Jackson was an interesting villain, although his characters actions were bad, he had a likeable personality.

Colin Firth as Harry Hart

The action scenes are pretty good although the scenes are sped up in some instances and some victims get some awful blows. The only thing I didn’t like about the movie was a part in the ending which was a sexual scene which I think cheapens the movie and was unnecessary. It would have been better if they used the end clip when the credits rolled up as the end of the movie. Kingsman is a fun action movie with a bit of everything. It’s definitely a good movie to see with friends and for date nights.  I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a sequel in the future or a possible franchise.