Happy Hump Day! I’ve been so busy at work that I had zero idea what to write about for today, so here’s a quick little post on my reading recommendations:
Yes Please. If you still haven’t read Amy Poehler’s hilarious book, you are seriously missing out. It stands out from all the other celebrity part-memoir-part-blog books with its sincerity, hilarity and just plain wonderful-ness.
The Night Circus. I had been holding off on reading this book but I finally succumbed to peer pressure. The consensus was right. It has mystery, romance, magic…how is this not a movie yet?
Paper Towns. Read it before the movie starring Cara Delevingne comes out (the poster just got released). Just like The Fault in Our Stars, this book features a quirky but cool lead characters that you’ll fall in love with.
Happy Friday everyone! Finally, it’s Friday. I don’t know about you, but for me, this week went by at a snail’s pace. My boss is off to Mexico next week, lucky her. Meanwhile, winter is getting on my nerves. Hopefully she’ll bring some warm weather back with her. Here are a few things that are getting me through these dreary months:
An alternative to Jenga, this hit Korean game is surprisingly fun:
Definitely enjoyed staying at the Eaton Chelsea for our last conference:
Our close friend’s awesome board game-themed birthday party:
Currently finishing up this beauty of a book:
I wish we can have these pancakes every weekend:
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Experiencing Flash & Arrow withdrawal? Look, no further.
In what may be our best episode yet, we’re slowly but surely getting the hang of this podcast thing, here is our roundtable discussion of the mid-season finales of The Flash & Arrow. It must’ve been hard to follow the awesome crossover episodes, but the Berlanti-verse delivered. Click here to listen.
Inspired partly by this post and partly by The Hundred-Foot Journey (just read the novel and am planning on watching the film), I got to thinking about what movie and food pairings I would actually take the time to prepare then consume while watching. The important part for me would be that I’d need to really like the food that went with the movie in order to go through the effort of making it, instead of just microwaving some popcorn. I’ve narrowed it down to three movies, two I’ve seen, one I haven’t but heard good things about, with food pairings that range from beginner to expert. Here are my top three recommended movie + food combinations:
Beginner Drinking Buddies + Beer
This requires little to no effort. You just need to buy beer, open a bottle and turn on Netflix. I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this movie yet. Watched it a couple months ago when we were bored and it is such an amazingly underrated gem. It’s just a funny and honest film with a terrific cast. Go watch it. Here are some new beers out this month at the LCBO.
Intermediate The F Word/What If + Fool’s Gold Loaf
My love for this movie is no secret. It’s coming out on DVD this month so I suggest you grab a copy and follow this recipe. They talk a lot about Elvis’ favorite snack in the movie and I’m dying to test it out. Bread, good. Jam, good. Peanut butter, good. Bacon, best. Put them all together and it has to work, right?!
Expert Chef + Cuban sandwiches
Ever since I missed out on seeing this film in theaters, I’ve been waiting for it to come out on DVD. Finally my wait is over and I can devote an entire date night to making Cuban sandwiches, since apparently you can’t watch this movie without craving one. Here‘s a recipe I might try…or if all else fails, I’ll just head to La Cubana to get my fix.
Happy Halloween one and all! Looking forward to a relaxing night, playing board games and watching my go-to Halloween movies. But first, here are a few of my favorite things:
The best co-worker ever left a surprise on my desk!
A trip to IKEA to replace our bedroom lamp wasn’t complete without having Swedish meatballs (complete with chocolate milk in honor of our close friends, Chris & Megh, getting engaged)
The boyfriend says “I’m sorry” with books (comics included)
Two very good and very Halloween-appropriate brews that I recommend (for more, click here):
And last but not least, this week, I encountered the legendary ghost train during rush hour. I had a seat! There was this much empty space:
Happy Friday! It’s looking to be a sunny weekend which is great since last one was kind of a bust. I’m super excited since I’m helping out at Toronto’s Festival of Beer on Saturday then watching my first Toronto FC game that night, plus having brunch with a girlfriend that I haven’t seen in years on Sunday. This week has also been pretty eventful…
First off, it was Batman Day on Wednesday to celebrate Batman’s 75th Anniversary. Naturally I watched Batman: The Animated Series and raided my boyfriend’s comic book library for some of the best Bat books ever written. I’ll definitely gush about some of them in a review later on…
I also attended Crystal Luxmore‘s last Beer School of the summer and learned all about saisons aka farmhouse ales. Loved tasting all the different beers with the cheeses and charcuterie, especially Goose’s Sofie, which is available in the LCBO.
And as if the universe was in tune with my new soccer obsession and impending first TFC game, the World Cup coin that I won on Twitter from CIBC arrived in the mail this week as well. I don’t collect coins but it’s still a pretty nice memorabilia from my first World Cup experience.
This series is really growing on me because when I sit down to compile all of my favorite nerdy news stories of the week, I get to read them another time and become more excited. And boy did we get some cool stuff these past few days…
…in Starling City
More casting news! Last week, we found out one of my favorite comic book characters will be joining Season 3 of ARROW. This week, another superhero has been added to the roster.
According to Deadline, Ray Palmer aka The Atom will be played by none other than Superman aka Brandon Routh. Now we know he played the Man of Steel in that abysmal movie that shall not be named, but he was not the problem. I think he’s a great actor and I’m happy he’s back in the DC family. Hopefully he crosses over with The Flash show.
But wait, there’s more from Starling City. TV Guide reports that they have cast another actor to play Count Vertigo. If you watch the show, you will know that the previous Count is no longer with us, so who better to play this Green Arrow villain than Peter Stormare. I can definitely see it.
…in Central City
Now let’s take a look at the newest addition to the cast of The Flash‘s premiere season. DC announced that Robbie Amell, yes, Stephen Amell’s cousin, will be playing Ronnie Raymond aka 1/2 of Firestorm. If you’re wondering what I mean by 1/2, then click on either link above. One thing’s for sure, he’s got that smouldering thing down pat. What? I had to do it. It was right there.
…in Westeros
Westerosi Wine is coming! Yes, you read that right. The Wines of Westeros will be hopefully coming to a liquor store near you (PLEASE COME TO CANADA). There’s going to be 12 wines for 12 different “Houses”, except Wildling and Night’s Watch aren’t exactly “Houses”, but who cares?! Yay for wine. I also love how they adapted one of Tyrion’s best lines: “A mind needs wine as a sword needs a whetstone”.
…in the TARDIS
As much as I’m annoyed by this super short trailer, it’s longer than the last teaser by a couple of seconds, so I’ll include it. But I still think it’s high time that the BBC releases an actual trailer. August aka Doctor Who month is almost upon us!
…in the galaxy
Marvel gives us an extended Guardians of the Galaxy trailer! BBC take notes. This new trailer just confirms what I’ve known all along after seeing the first one, I’m definitely going to love this movie. August is gonna be an awesome month.
Hope you enjoyed this week’s news. Happy Thursday!
In case you don’t own a calendar or haven’t looked it up on Google, this Sunday, June 15th, is Father’s Day. My dad lives in the Philippines so I can’t exactly spend it with him in person but luckily I visited him a few months ago. For those of you lucky enough to be able to see your dad on Father’s Day, here a few gift suggestions:
1. When my dad came to Toronto for my graduation, I took him to a Jays game and he loved it. It remains one of my fondest memories.
Last Saturday, I made the mistake of watching Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. As a fan of the books, I was looking forward to the adaptation, but I made the mistake of not checking the reviews online that warned against the movie since it’s absolutely nothing like the source material. I was so furious while watching it that I was almost grateful for the franchise to be discontinued after the sequel. Almost. It got me to thinking of other adaptations/franchises whose first films weren’t so successful that they decided not to continue with the property anymore. Here are the top three that I feel deserve a second chance on the big screen:
1. Percy Jackson & The Olympians
Poor Percy, he had a lot of problems that weren’t necessarily his fault, particularly timing and the right screenwriter. The first movie came out the same year as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. The whole world was hooked on Harry and the comparisons between the two raven-haired heroes didn’t help Percy at all since he came after. Sure there are some similarities, like the fact that both discover they’re special and are part of a prophecy then try to save the world with their best friends, however as someone who’s read them both, trust me when I say that they are very different. Now that the Harry Potter film series is over, the time for Percy Jackson to be either rebooted completely or revamped starting with the third film has come. The Sea of Monsters was not as bad as the first one, but it still needed work, which is why I think a full reboot would be better. Percy’s story is too good to be left on the wayside. I mean come on, Greek mythology becoming reality, gods and goddesses re-imagined for a modern audience, a cast of characters you’ll fall in love with, what more can Hollywood ask for? I’m confident that with a screenwriter that actually respects and sticks to the source material, the franchise will not only survive but thrive.
2. His Dark Materials
As someone who gravitates more towards His Dark Materials than Chronicles of Narnia, although I enjoy them both, I was super bummed when the sequels to The Golden Compass were scrapped. There were probably many reason for this decision. I mean the first movie had its share of problems but it wasn’t as bad as other franchises’ first films. Pullman’s novels are granted more complex than other Young Adult properties but I feel like with the success of Game of Thrones, which also has a ton of characters and a lot to follow, we’re ready to be challenged. Plus the new pope probably won’t call for its boycott this time around.
3. Avatar: The Last Airbender
Alright, The Last Airbender was horrible, yes. Let’s not rehash the gory details. We can hold screenings solely to make fun of it, but it’s time to move on. After four years, there has been enough reviews and analysis that pinpoint exactly what went wrong so it shouldn’t be too difficult to reboot the series into something that stays true to the cartoon. There is a lot of interest to put it lightly, especially since its sequel The Legend of Korra blew up.
One can only hope that Hollywood already has these ideas in motion. I know I’m not alone in wishing to see better versions of these properties reincarnated on the big screen. A little something to think about for throwback Thursday!
Fashion, Food & the Fortress of Solitude 