Friday Fun: Life Lately (what’s happening right now) and responses to two award nominations

Hello! Happy Friday! Have we all dealt with the fact that we are half way through the year (I did a mid-year review here if you want to go check!). I know I’ve only semi accepted that half of this year is gone. Sigh. But anyhow, here is a rundown of everything going down in my life right now as well as responses for two awards I was nominated for.

Life:

It is slightly better and I’ve learnt to deal with my father’s not so great health. Mostly. It is still particularly hard, but I’ve kind of desensitized and that has helped me so much.

Planning to do a 10km walk in August for Women’s month. FYI – I’m not fit enough to do a 10km walk so I better get my ass into exercise mode.

I am obsessed with crocheting. It started out mildly – my older sister, mom and my sister’s mom-in-law started crocheting and I joined because it gets rather boring when everyone crochets and you are just sitting there twiddling your thumbs. Then I got obsessed and now I can’t stop. It is insanity. I crocheted a skull on Zoë’s request (pic below). I was so damn chuffed! I’m busy with a blanket and should finish up this scarf I am nearly done with. So.much.fun.

Books:

Nothing worth mentioning on here actually. I am reading all my favorite Nora Roberts books for the umpteenth time and I love it. I still need to read most of the books I listed here. Zoë loved the Rosie Project and recommended it to me, so that is my next avenue to explore.

Movies and Series:

I got to go to the cinema twice recently, and enjoyed both Jurassic World and Inside Out. I finally chose a movie to review for my Sugar Pappy’s Shitfest. Hopefully by next week you will have it, Sugar Pappy Giuseppe!

I tried watching Pretty Little Liars Season 5… Let’s just say NOPE. It’s cheesy and lame and every time I think the season is improving it slips again.

Have you seen the new Sherlock posters doing the rounds? I am so excited. Right now I will take any morsel they throw my way. I want to do a complete run of the show before they start again. #cantwait #sherlocked

Also – the new Hunger Games posters! ERMAGHERD If you haven’t read the book, or know what happens in the last section of the books, good luck. That is all I’m going to say.

Some moral questions:

Can we for a second ponder the incredulous world we live in? Where ratbags like Ariana Grande and Donald Trump gets more attention than Greece defaulting on its debt – or the war in Syria – or the AIDS pandemic?

Really world, get your priorities in order. FFS

1^st Award Answers

Thanks to Christina from My Tiny Obsessions for nominating me for the Sisterhood of the World blogger’s Award.

The Rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.

Put the award logo on your blog.

Answer the questions the tagger has given you.

Nominate ten other bloggers

Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.

Questions (lets go with a theme, shall we?! Quick and easy!):

1. Favorite book?

It changes from time to time – I fall in love with good books the way a teenage girl falls in love with boys – all the time. My most recent favorite book was Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. The Classics – Emma by Jane Austen. Epic Fantasy – Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince – JK Rowling.

 

2. Favorite TV show?

Downton Abbey

 

3. Favorite Movie?

Crazy, Stupid Love

4. Favorite Book-Movie/TV adaptation?

The Lord of The Rings – JRR Tolkien

 

5. Favorite Actor?

On looks – Chris Hemsworth

On talent – James McAvoy (and his looks are gorgeous too!)

 

6. Favorite Actress?

Emma Stone

7. Favorite Author?

Nora Roberts

8. Favorite Book ship?

Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter – Harry Potter

Eleanor and Park – Eleanor and Park

Gus and Hazel –The Fault in Our Stars

 

9. Favorite TV Show ship?

Michael and Mary Crawley

10. Favorite Movie ship?

Alley and Noah – The Notebook

As for nominating, I’m just listing some awesome blogs – go check them out (the blogs are listed below the last nomination)(. If you want to answer these extremely random questions I chose as a separate post or just in the comment section of my blog, feel free 😀

Questions:

Favorite Superhero

Most Hated Actor

Most Hated Actress

Favorite Animation

If you had to be stuck with Joffrey Baratheon or Justin Bieber, who would you choose?

What is your favorite car make?

Do you like chocolate?

Would you wear Crocs?

When you are in traffic and people are being dumbasses, are you the person who gives the death stare or are you the person looking like you are going to explode, get out of the car and go Hulk Smash on them all?

If you had to change your nationality, to which country would you move?

Then Drew from Drew’s movie reviews nominated me for a Liebster award. Thanks Drew!

The Rules:

Thank the blog who nominated you and link back to them.

Nominate up to 11 other bloggers to receive the coveted award.

Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.

Tell your readers 11 random facts about yourself.

Give the nominees 11 questions to answer on their blog when they post their nomination.

Can you wiggle your ears?

No haha. I really admire people who do!

Do you watch any web series? If so, what’s your favorite one?

I have no idea what that is. So I guess not 🙂 or I probably do, I’m just not aware of it haha.

What is the first movie you remember watching in the theaters?

Liar Liar.

Do you prefer 3D or 2D movies or are you indifferent?

2D. I think 3D is a waste of money and it is often not even that effective.

Do/Did you play any sports? Which ones?

I used to play Hockey. It is the best game ever

What is your favorite card game?

I am a master in Rummy

What is your favorite board game?

30 Seconds, teamed up with my sisters

What is your favorite video game?

If I play, Super Mario.

If you had a time machine and could go back in time without consequence of messing up the future, where and when would you visit and why?

I would love to travel back to see the discovery of major things – Fire, the wheel, electricity, etc. I would like to see the wonder and triumph on the faces of people who couldn’t even begin to realize that they had changed humanity for always.

Do you have a motto or mantra?

Everything becomes nothing. Depressing, I know, but it is the truest thing.

What is your favorite thing about blogging or being a blogger?

The first would be getting my opinion on things out there – it doesn’t feel that I’m just shouting my opinions into a void. The second would be is coming into contact with people I would never have met in my life without the blogging platform.

11 Random facts about myself?

Sheesh. I am not that random. I will try though.

I have a “Keep Calm and Carry On” mug in my office. I always look at it before I answer stupid questions. I think the mug has saved many lives as well as my job.

I love stationery. Papers, pens, books, sticky notes. I get so excited about it.

I want the word “insultment” to be added to the dictionary. It is beyond me that it hasn’t been added yet!

I’m a pretty aggressive driver.

I’m very open to people’s choices in life. I really don’t care what you prefer, as long as it brings no harm to other people. I can’t stand people who think they can tell other people who to love or what to believe.

I have a very bad habit of hiding someone’s feed on Facebook and then going back to their page and still looking at the annoying things they say. I don’t even know what is wrong with me.

I work in the third largest hospital in the world. It is… interesting to say the least.

If I only visit one other country in my life, I would choose France. I desperately want to see the Eiffel Tower. After that, I would head to Germany to go visit my ancestral homeland.

I used to really hate ginger cookies but now I love them.

I try to visit a new place in South-Africa each year. I live in this really picturesque country with such vastly different scenery. It is gorgeous and breathtaking here.

I am ridiculously amped to finish my pretty blanket

Tranquil Dreams

The Sporadic Chronicles of a Beginner Blogger

Emmakwall (Explains it all)

Film Grimoire 

Cinema Parrot Disco

Justine’s Movie Reviews

Movie Rob

The IPC

Alex Raphael

July 17, 2015July 12, 2015 by Natasha Categories: UncategorizedTags: Chris Hemsworth, Crazy Stupid Love, Downton Abbey, Eleanor and Park, Emma Stone, Friday, fun, Harry Potter, James McAvoy, Liebster Award, Nora Roberts, The Fault in Our Stars 5 Comments

Movies of 2014: Part One

If you’ve taken a peek at your calender, Facebook feed or internet, I am sure you know that 2014 is done. I won’t go in to how I’ll be better with stuff in 2015, because let’s face it, I won’t be 😀

2014 was a relatively successful year for movies, but it also contained a truck load of disappointments. Today’s post is a run down of about half the movies I saw this year (that was also released in 2014), with the second installment to follow. Please let me know, what you thought, and all that you loved and

Vampire Academy

I had such hopes for Vampire Academy. I’ve read all the books and when I heard it was made into a movie, I was very excited. It turned out to be one of the greatest disappointment of 2014. Not only is it a horrible book adaption with terrible directing, it didn’t capture the essence of the story or any of the characters.

Captain America: Winter Soldier

Marvel has had its ups and downs with their Avenger series, but the first and second installment of Captain  America has just been so superb.

Maleficent

I really enjoyed this Disney movie. I thought it had a beautiful message and refreshing take on a very old story.

Lego Movie

Hmmm. I’m not really a fan of any animation but this was quite well for what it was. (except for that wildly annoying and addictive song)

How to train your dragon Part 2

This movie could have worked with Toothless flying around the entire time, but I enjoyed the storyline as well. Very cute considering the big plot twist which was the equivalent to Robb Stark’s death in the animation world.

That awkward moment

Since watching Zac Efron cancels the need for a good storyline, I enjoyed this despite its flaws.

The Fault in Our Stars

Yeah, I cried like a baby. It was well adapted from the book and several levels of unfair.

Guardians of the Galaxy

It may not have been worth the hype, but it was good all around.

Grand Budapest Hotel

This is one of my favorite movies of 2014. Ralph Fiennes’ acting and the whole extravagance of the movie made for a wonderfully entertaining time.

What was your favorite movie of 2014?

December 30, 2014December 28, 2014 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: Captain America: Winter Soldier, Grand Budapest Hotel, Guardians of the Galaxy, How to Train your Dragon Part 2, Lego Movie, Maleficent, Movies, Reviews, That Awkward Moment, The Fault in Our Stars, Vampire Academy 5 Comments

The Fault in Our Stars (2014): The movie that broke my SOUL

After a week of rushing around like a mad person at work, I decided to treat myself and go and watch The Fault in Our Stars with my little sister, who is turning 18 this week (FML I am OLD), since she is the only one who was willing to enter a movie with me that had became known as a tear fest.

You all know by now what happens: Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) is living with lung cancer. Her mother and doctor are convinced she is depressed and encourages her to attend a cancer support group at the local church. The group is led by a strange man, but on the persistence of her parents Grace still attends.

A few meetings in, Grace stumbles into Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort) at the door of the church. He is immediately taken with her and she is amused by his views on everything. When she notices that he smokes after defeating the cancer that took the bottom half of his one leg, she is disappointed and furious. He quickly assures Grace that he never lights the cigarettes he puts between his teeth, and by doing that he puts something between his teeth that could kill him, taking away its power.

They don’t kill you unless you light them. And I’ve never lit one. It’s a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don’t give it the power to do its killing. A metaphor.

Their friendship develops and Augustus makes no secret that he likes Grace. He even reads her favourite book, An Imperial Affliction, written by Peter van Houten, a recluse that now lives in the Netherlands. After reaching the end, he is furious that the book ends in the middle of a sentence, and Grace tells him it is part of the book’s charm. Grace tells him that she herself has written to Van Houten many times without answer, but Augustus finds a way around the red tape by contacting his assistant, and they get some answers. Grace is ecstatic when Van Houten invites them to come to Amsterdam and meet him, but needs to accept the fact that her parents just don’t have the finances for it.

Once again, Augustus saves the day. He uses his wish with the Genies, a company that grants wishes to cancer patients, to book a flight for him, Grace and Grace’s mom to Amsterdam. Grace is very excited, but their trip starts to fall apart when Grace is hospitalised after her lungs fill up with fluids.

A miracle happens – Grace gets better and they are allowed to visit Amsterdam. Grace is still treating Augustus as a friend after she told him that she feels like a grenade, destined to blow the things closest to her apart when she finally detonates.

The meeting with Van Houten (William Dafoe) is a disaster but the two young lovers manage to have a good time nonetheless, and a visit to the Anne Frank house makes Grace realise that even though life is bad, she should still embrace the beauty in it.

After finally entering the relationship that is way overdue, Augustus has news for Hazel – that his cancer has returned in most parts of his body. How will they handle it now that Gus is becoming sick again? Can Hazel cope with the grief that comes along with it? What is Van Houten’s big problem with them?

Rating: 8/10

This movie has been reviewed frequently and excellently over the last few weeks, so I am going to try and write something fresh here. Firstly, I am not a stone cold bitch – sorry, ladies. I cried my eyes out. Well, I did cry twice. A few little tears, but they were there and they were real. I cried when Augustus told Hazel Graze his cancer had returned, and when the inevitable happened and Grace’s reaction to it. Both scenes were filled with grief and executed perfectly by Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley.

I think every actor or actress has a defining character in their career that brings their abilities to light in the best possible way. Ansel Elgort met his character in Augustus Waters. I couldn’t have found a better actor for him if I had looked at every single seventeen year old boy on the planet (which would have been weird). He did that charming confident cancer survivor perfectly and was full of attitude and cocky as hell. There is only one scene that shows a chink in his confidence, and it was so beautiful and sad and I think that few moments were so perfectly done my soul finally shattered.

Hazel Grace Lancaster became one of my favourite heroines after reading the book. She is sure of her fate and although not altogether at peace with it, she accepts that it is going to happen and there isn’t much she can do about it. Her courage, determination and intelligence set her in a class of her own and her whole persona is something young girls desperately need today in a world full of Kardashians. Shailene Woodley was perfectly cast here as well. The chemistry between her and Elgort is very strong and they made a realistic, plausible couple. Woodley seems to get her character perfectly and what Hazel is made up of, and portrayed the scenes in the book with the correct amount of humour, anger and grief.

The movie also achieved the same as the book – it made me so angry for a variety of reasons. I was angry because two teenagers who are in love should NOT have to deal with telling each other that their deaths are inevitable. Peter van Houten is another reason – I get his animosity towards Hazel and Augustus, but you have to be a truly low human being to treat a girl hooked on an oxygen tank like that.

My only (very slight) issues with TFiOS was that they completely underutilised Isaac (NatWolff), who was charming, fun and very well cast. I thought that they should have introduced Hazel’s friend who she meets at the mall once or twice in the book (I can honestly not remember her name or the frequency of her presence), as it would have showed the little sad bit of a social life that Grace did have.

A huge round of applause should to the director of TFiOS because this movie was not written to be a tear fest. There is plenty of outrageously grief stricken moments, but this wasn’t Nicholas Sparks that deliberately tried to make you cry every damn five seconds.

Recommendation: You should definitely see this at least once.

July 14, 2014July 13, 2014 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: Amsterdam, Ansel Elgort, Augustus Waters, Cancer, Genies, Hazel Grace Lancaster, Isaac, movie, Nat Wolff, Peter van Houten, Reviews, Shailene Woodley, The Fault in Our Stars 15 Comments

The Iconic Book Scene – The Fault in Our Stars

Today’s book scene was sent to me by Zoe, who blogs over at the Sporadic Chronicles of a Beginner Blogger. She has an amazing blog full of reviews on books, movies, and series. Go head over to her page and follow her if you haven’t already 🙂

The Fault in Our Stars is such an amazing book to read. You can read my review here and Zoe’s here. I can’t wiat to see the movie

If you want to take part in this – please send me your favorite book quote at natashastander@gmail.com

April 23, 2014April 22, 2014 by Natasha Categories: Books, The Iconic Book SceneTags: John Green, The Fault in Our Stars, The Iconic Book Scene 19 Comments

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars (John Green)

Book: 85/100

Zoë recommended that I try out The Fault in Our Stars. After her successful recommendation of the Great Gatsby, I knew I had to try it out.

I am so happy I did. It is an amazing book. It is powerful and funny and sad and excellently written. I cried and laughed so much I probably looked a bit bipolar.

Hazel Grace Lancaster meets Augustus Waters at a cancer support group. Hazel has Stage Four Thyroid cancer and Augustus is in remission after amputating his right leg to osteosarcoma.

Hazel is immediately drawn to Augustus. He is funny and knows where she is coming from. She tries to distance herself from him because she is scared what her death will do to him if he comes to love her. Her parents try to make her understand that she is not a grenade, and that they are all incredibly lucky to be able to love her.

Grace shares her favorite book with Gus; An Imperial Affliction by Peter van Houten, an American author who moved to the Netherlands. Her greatest wish is meet him and hear what happens to all the other characters after the protagonist dies. Gus finds a way to make this happen. He uses his wish “The Genies” give to dying cancer children (Grace used hers to go to Disneyland with her parents) to fly him, her mother and Grace to the Netherlands. He admits on the plane that he loves her.

On their first night in the Netherlands they go to a fancy restaurant courtesy of Van Houten and his assistant Lidewij. The next day they meet Van Houten, who is a raging, rude alcoholic. He is extremely rude to them and seems to have a particular grudge against them. Lidewij resigns as a result and together they go to the Anne Frank house. Grace kisses Augustus in Frank’s house and to the applause of the rest of the visitors. Later that night they sleep together.

Grace finally understand the “loving a grenade issue” when Augustus tells her that his cancer has returned to various parts of his body. He promises to fight the cancer. Will Augustus survive? How much time does Grace have left? What is Van Houten’s problem?

Rating: 9/10

I don’t have the ability to say how much I liked this book. Nothing I write will do justice to the Fault in Our Stars. It is truly powerful. The story is so sweet and unfair. Two teenagers facing cancer is probably the saddest thing to read about it but I didn’t even care.

The book is being made into a movie this year, and I seriously suggest you read the book then watch the movie too.

February 11, 2014 by Natasha Categories: Books, ReviewsTags: 100 books, Augustus Waters, Cancer, Hazel Grace Lancaster, John Green, Reading, The Fault in Our Stars 10 Comments

5 Things Friday: 5 Movies I’m totally excited about for 2014

Happy Friday!

For today: Five Movies being released in 2014 I am so excited about.

Enjoy!

Vampire Academy

So you thought the Vampire craze was dead? Nope. It is here and it is happening. Based on the best selling series of the same name by Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy focuses on Dhampir Rose Hathaway (Zoey Deutch) and Moroi Princess Lissa Dragomir (Lucy Fry). I am really excited that it is being released within a respectable time frame in SA (next week).

Divergent

The Fault in Our Stars

It is definitely Shailene Woodley’s year. Starring in both the FiOS and Divergent, Shailene is set to rocket to stardom. I haven’t seen anything of her yet, but since both these movies are being made from two of my favorite books, I am putting a lot of trust in her acting abilities.

The Mockingjay Part one

Captain America: Winter Soldier

What movies are you excited about for 2014?

PS: I linked the respective movies to their books, so go take a look 🙂

 

February 7, 2014 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: 2014, Captain America, Chris Evans, Dhampir Rose Hathaway, Divergent, Jennifer Lawrence, Lucy Fry, Mockingjay, Movies, Princess Lissa Dragomir, Richelle Mead, Shailene Woodley, The Fault in Our Stars, Theo James, Vampire Academy, Zoey Deutch 2 Comments