STOP WITH THE SLOW MOTION

I know I disappeared for a while, yet again. I don't even have a good excuse for it, I'm just lazy and keeping my weekly routine emptied out the story land in my head. But lucky you! I have found something to complain about, and let me begin by admitting that I might have mentioned this before, in passing.

During the last month, I have gone to the cinema twice. Once to see a Marvel movie and once to see a DC movie. Yes, I am about to talk about Marvel versus DC, yet again. Sorry, but this is a topic I like and feel some sort of a connection towards as I really enjoy being a geek, most of the time. 

I will try and keep this as spoiler free as possible, but I might slip up.

The Marvel movie I saw was of course Thor 3: Ragnarok. If I'm honest, Thor is one of my least favourite Avenger. He's been quite boring in my humble opinion. Maybe the movies made the character too serious for me or not serious enough. Well, they have turned me around with this film. I think it was awesome. I'd give it 8/10, which is high for me. The humour and action were well written and choreographed. The storyline did have some issues, but what film doesn't? I liked the new characters, I liked the old ones even more. There was something really special about the fact that Chris Hemsworth's older brother Luke played Thor in a play performed in the beginning of the film. I don't think everyone noticed that little piece, but I almost shot up from my seat when I recognised him. All we need is the youngest Hemsworth to join in and we've got a nice family movie. 

The DC film I saw was Justice League. After Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman, I wasn't really looking forward to any more DC movies, but Wonder Woman gave me so much hope that things were about to change. I know it's not a secret that Batman is, or maybe now was, my favourite superhero. I honestly have never been a Superman fan, but he was the best part of this one. Finally smiling and being somewhat normal. I really don't like this Batman. But I gave it my money and sat through it. I honestly wanted to sleep through some parts, the story kept jumping around, trying to force too many origin stories into it. What Marvel did right was give all his Avengers solo films before putting them all together. And now their talking about a Flashpoint movie, which could change everything. And Ben Affleck might not do the Batman solo film. DC is a mess. 5/10, which isn't that good...

But that's not the point of this post. I have ranted about how DC let's me down before. This time my topic is more general. 

As the title reads, I am sick of slow motion. I get it, superheroes are too fast. But come on! Justice League was full of it. Suicide Squad's final act was almost all done in it. I don't like it. It's like Trash Sky Beam 2.0. People need to stop! I tried, I really did, to remember if I was disturbed about it during Marvel movies and I honestly cannot name one instance. Maybe I need to re-watch some things. The only film I can name at this point is Deadpool, but even in that, it didn't bother me. DC seems to rely on it too much. Yeah, the heroes look awesome , or at least they would if the CGI weren't so cheap looking. Slow motion seems to make it extremely obvious. I am done with it. Please move on to TSB 3.0.

Well, I guess I'll sign off here. A bit sudden, but maybe it will leave you with something to think about. 

Until next time,

Reggie. 

BACK TO SCHOOL

As you might have guessed, I have changed my path in life in the past three years quite drastically. 

From 2010 up until 2015 I was sure I was going to become a teacher and take upon my shoulders the heavy burden to shape the next generations. I might not have actually ever explained why I got off that train and fell into this limbo mode for a while before I fell into my current occupation and path. Well, let me just say, that my decision to change my life's heading did not come lightly. I actually suffered with my wants and needs for a while. I think I first started questioning my choice in 2013, right after my first real practise. I had fun, the kids were awesome and so was my instructor. It was mostly due to the changes in my university, that I felt as if maybe this isn't actually for me. 

In 2013 a new faculty member joined my small university and to this day I have no idea how she got the job. I don't want to sound mean, but given that she had actually been a teacher and handled young kids, I felt that something must be wrong in our educational system if people like her can get their claws into children. She was immediately off put by my ability to share my opinions and the way I am not shy to point out mistakes and help fix them. I find her unreasonable dislike towards students like myself very intolerable. And she kept pointing out how much of a Christian she is. Aren't Christians supposed to be forgiving and loving and understanding by nature? She was a hypocrite in more ways than one. And that's something I cannot stand. What you see is what you get with me. I take pride in that. 

After my practise abroad in France, I felt even more out of place. Again, the practise was amazing and I would do it again in a heartbeat. It's just that I felt out of place. I could fake it, I'd learnt enough in school to manage the educating part of my mission. I just felt no warmth or love towards it. And as I mentioned in my previous paragraph, I don't like hypocrites. I had become one . I actually wanted to quit way before that point in my life, but the pressure I received from home to finish was so immense I was afraid to let my parents down. To let my whole family down as it had become the main topic at family gatherings. My grades were actually pretty fucking great. My motivation was just to please my family and that should never be the reason to do anything. They actually teach this in the university I attended. You need to have inner motivation to be successful. I did not have it anymore. 

The final straw to break the camel's back was an exam at the end of spring semester 2014. I did all my assignments on time, fixed what needed fixing. I participated in every lecture, openly shared my opinions. My homework might not have been the best but I spent hours doing it. I worked like crazy to succeed. And then comes the exam. I am the last one to go in, as everyone needed to be somewhere and I was in no hurry. I walked in and was told I only get 5 minutes as one of the teachers needs to catch a bus. All the other students got a minimum of 15 minutes. Unfair. To make matters worse, the teacher had not checked my fixed work and claimed I had not done it. I argued back, she finally checked her e-mail and confirmed that I had sent them in. She then glanced at it and gave a hurried review. I got the lowest grade out of everyone, even the ones who didn't do the exam on the right day. Even those people who used others' work as their own to pass. I felt furious, I cried. I cry when I get angry. And I was done. I had no motivation to suffer through more of this. I went on a sabbatical and that's that. 

In June of 2015 I was offered the chance to be a chef in the restaurant of the hotel I had worked at for the past 4 years. I accepted the challenge, because honestly, I wanted to learn something new. And the rest is kind of history. I love my job. I get enough excitement and rest to feel refreshed every day. Every day is different from the last. I could never put into words how thankful I am to my boss for thinking of my and taking the time to teach me some tricks to survive in our kitchen. I learn something new from her every day.

Finally, we get to the real topic. I have been working in the kitchen for the past 2,5 years, almost. I still love it. I want to keep doing it. I know I might one day want to leave Haapsalu and move back closer to my family or somewhere else new. But to continue my new career I need a piece of paper that proves I can do it. So, here's the thing. I went back to school. I am currently studying to be a chef in my local vocational school. I know there are people who will look down upon it and think that I have more potential or that vocational education is some lower level bull crap. I disagree. I just spent an entire day writing a paper for school and it felt just as challenging as university. So, if everything goes according to plan, I will be an official educated chef in about two years. I really want this. 

What I would like to add lastly to my post here, is that changing your mind is perfectly understandable. Especially if you just apply to a school, either vocational or university, to study something, not knowing if you actually want to do it. I say, if you find something better, don't waste your time suffering, make the change and take a leap. Here in Estonia, higher education is free. Just make sure you don't live your life for some one else, like I did. As long you feel happy doing whatever it is you're doing, it must be right for you. This goes for everyone. Even the serial killers among us, a necessary evil. Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with your "career path", but I get it, it's what you were made for. This just got really weird, I should just stop before I dig myself an even bigger hole. 

Fingers crossed and I'll see you in my future eatery. 

Regina.

P.S. Happy 200th post!!! Balloons, whistles and cake for everyone!

READING IS THE BEST WASTE OF TIME

As I spent some of my time this summer reading, I thought I might as well pimp out some good series and authors. I used to be an avid reader, but I've taken quite the break. It was about time to get back into it. Here's a few examples of stories, that deserve your time and effort to read.

1. Mark Lawrence "The Broken Empire" trilogy. This series belongs to the dark fantasy genre. The novels in this trilogy are: "Prince of Thorns", "King of Thorns" and "Emperor of Thorns". I have always enjoyed fantasy more than any other genre. I mean I swallowed all the "Harry Potter and ..." books. Also C. Paolini's "Inheritence" cycle and T. Prattchett's Disc World novels. This was somewhat a new venture for me. I have never read this particular genre before, but I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised about how much I enjoyed myself. The main character is Jorg, a young prince, whose childhood would leave anyone damaged. I will not spoil the story for you, but I must say, that having a 14-year-old douche as the main protagonist, a young man, who does as he pleases, and he pleases to murder and rape, was somewhat disturbing and very compelling. The author writes with total confidence in his readers, that they are not idiots and I find that refreshing as so many best selling authors over simplify the language so that vocabulary wise we as readers learn very little. He taught me many new words and as someone who is not a native English speaker, I am thankful for that lesson. His other series "The Price of Fools" is on my bucket list, right after I finish my current reading assignment.

2. Anthony Ryan "Raven's Shadow" trilogy. Another fantasy series, with novels as follows: "Blood Song", "Tower Lord" and "Queen of Fire". It's a fascinating tale of one man's life as someone who is forced to enforce laws he might not even truly believe in. The first book takes us on journey through his childhood and how he becomes someone whose name is a household item. It's a story full of epic battles and relationships between people with many a sacrifice here and there. Honor is the key ingredient and also reading about characters who are selfless when it comes to the greater good, is good for anyone's morals. I just wish we had more people like that in real life. This might seem as the total opposite from my previous recommendation, but I find it refreshing. Forgive my sentimental comments, I really loved this series. I read it with amazing speed, even if the novels are considered thick and time consuming. Good stories are always more enjoyable when they take time to eat through. I am definitely going to read more from this author, as my first encounter with his writing was such a pleasant experience.

3. Sarah J. Maas "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series. More fantasy, novels included so far in this series: "A Court of Thorns and Roses", "A Court of Mist and Fury" and "A Court of Wings and Ruin". I am actually still reading the third one. I think I've mentioned this author before as I am strangely addicted to her other series: "Throne of Glass". Both of these series share one key ingredient: the main character is female. I am surely not a big feminist, I don't go around screaming about equal rights and how men holding doors open for me is sexist (I actually consider it very polite). But having such a strong main character is refreshing. Of course one should point out that romance is very much a key ingredient in these series and if that's not your thing, feel free to avoid them. I am still a girl and sometimes it's quite lovely to read about true love and discover how much someone is willing to sacrifice for that. Language wise, this is one of those literary pieces that doesn't teach the reader too many new things. Easy to read and to pass the time with.

4. Andy Weir "The Martian". I know I am like super late with this read, but I also watched the film only this year. And I found it very interesting and fun, therefore I needed to read the original source. And I was not disappointed. I must point out, that the film did a pretty good job translating the pages onto the silver screen. I know it's something a real fan of books cannot usually claim (for example "Eragon", which was more than a massive let down), but they managed it somehow. I get why they awarded this film the best comedy award, but there's just so much more about hope and human nature that gets discovered in this story. I cannot recommend this enough and unlike the rest of my recommendations, it's a one off. Therefore you get the payday much easier and faster. If you are not a big reader, this might very well be perfect for you, as the story progresses on a rather fast pace and leaves you on the edge of your seat. If you've read it, then maybe you can understand my wish for it to be a bit longer. Andy Weir's writing is very compelling. 

5. Kazue Kato "Blue Exorcist". I have a soft spot for manga and animes in general, so I decided to try something that doesn't get enough attention in my opinion. I have read through the first five mangas and I've already purchased the next five to speed read through. Manga is an incredible way to fill my Goodreads yearly reading challenge. But I should point out that it's also simply a good story. As Estonians in general are not that well accustomed with this genre, I had some trouble gathering the novels, but after months of trying, I got 1-10 in my book self. I need to point out, that every book I have recommended has claimed a prized location in my room. I buy books, which this day and age might seem like a waste, but I mostly buy my books as used from Amazon. Therefore I am saving them from the trash and one day I will have quite an impressive collection to pass onto someone else. But back to this manga series. Manga in general has characters who seem quite impulsive, in my opinion, and this one is no diferent. The main character Rin is very emotional and all sorts of fun and exciting adventures happen when he's around. Never mind the fact that he's the son of a demon named Satan. Being raised in a monastary whose main goal in this world is to destory demons, his life takes an interesting turn. If you can get your hands on this series, try it out. It's no worse than "Tokyo Ghoul" or even "Death Note". 

There are some other books I'm still going through that really deserve a try: "White Oleander" by Janet Fitch, the Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay and obviously George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. I know I'm late to the party with the last two as the latter is maybe the most famous TV show as of date currently and the former is a completed show, but I should point out that I started watching "Game of Thrones" when it was on season 4 and the show "Dexter" is very different from the novels. 

A series I would have recommended until the last novel came out is C. Harris' "Sookie Stackhouse" series. You might have watched the show "True Blood", and the first novel was pretty mucha straight copy from the novel, with a few changes made, but the rest of it was so completely diferent, it didn't resemble the books at all in the end. Why I won't recommend this series to you, is simply due to the fact that the final novel, the conclusion to this massive series of books, pretty much made books from 2-13 unnecessary. I did not appreciate it one bit.

As for something else than fantasy, I will always recommend throwing in some old classics. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's "Little Prince" is my favourite. Also I find Dostojevsky to be rather pleasant. 

And here's my little list of books to read. These are series and books I have read this year. I am a bit behind schedule, since I cannot knit and read at the same time, but I am trying to take a break from that and focus on educating myself with some good literary works of art. And before you bash my choices, claim these are not art, remind yourself that this world is huge and art is a general term that describes a lot of diferent things. For example, for me, personally, Picasso's master pieces are not pleasant to view. I am old school and I rather enjoy Monet or Renaissance artists. 

Let's all get reading glasses and seem sophisticated. With love,

Regina

Next week: I'm talking about my educational and career changes. 

THERE'S NOTHING ON TV!

As promised, my short list of shows I plan to or am watching this season.

1. LUCIFER - they have already started the season. It's this shows third season and so far so good. I don't know what it is about supernatural things, that I just cannot say no to them. This one is quite addictive for me. I have been watching it religiously (haha!) since it first aired and have no plans to abandon it any time soon. The acting does annoy me sometimes, especially when they are all serious and yelling at each other or trying to be very emotional. That's when I can see the lack of real experience with some of the actors. But, since the comedy and supernatural aspects are really entertaining, I am willing to turn a blind eye to it and keep supporting this show. I hope they knock this season out of the park. 

Season 3 began airing on October 3rd

2. SUPERNATURAL - as per usual, this is still on my list.  I might never quit this show. As a dedicated fan since 2007, I hope they don't drop the ball. Every year I am of course prepared to hear these final words: concluded, but so far, nothing of the like. About start season 13, this is truly the longest running show I have ever watched, no matter the genre. And as this list is super short this year, I'm quite content with keeping it on it. No matter who I am or what I am doing, Dean Winchester will always be apart of my daily routine. I actually got a friend of mine hooked on the show this summer. She binged through seasons 1-6 in about two months. Currently taking a break from it, I'm sure she will keep watching. And I'm not even sorry about sharing this disease with someone else.

Season 13 began airing October 12th

3. VICTORIA - a British show about the life of Queen Victoria. The second season began weeks ago and it will soon be over, but I need to mention this show, because it deserves fans all over the globe. When it comes to history, it's no secret I am a big fan and this show has so many factual truths in it, I'm amazed of how well it's made. I might have a small obsession with Prince Albert and his life in general, his relationship with the Queen was something odd for it's time period. And I do love the British accent. 

Season 2 began airing August 27th

And sadly that's about it. I fell off my TV wheel in the middle of the season last year, so I need to binge Arrow, The Flash etc before I even consider watching these shows this season. I did warn beforehand that my list is short, did I not? The second reason is that I've been enjoying my Netflix shows and a lot of them post the entire season in one go, therefore I am usually done with them with a couple of my days off. I know it's not healthy, but that's the best way to knit all my blankets and teddy bears. 

As for shows I will not be watching, I must mention Marvel's Inhumans. I tried the first episode, did not finish it, because why would I shove that garbage down my throat. If someone thinks that I should give it another go, please, comment down below with at least 3 reasons why it doesn't suck. Why Marvel fails with this format, I have no idea, but maybe they should just leave the TV universe to DC, it's not like they have a lot going for them in the movie scene (except for Wonder Woman, in recent years... I think we all know how's it been). 

Anyway, here's my list, like it or not, that's what's up with my life. 

Next week I will share my list of books to read,

Regina.

SUMMER DREAMS

Time to get back to our regular schedule. As per usual, here's my recap of this summer. Not all my plans happened as things usually change. There's a saying: we plan and some god laughs. In my case, he/she/it laughed a lot this year.

Firstly, I did work as a chef, still am. And it's something I really love, therefore, I am heading back to school to actually be a certified chef. That might be more like a plan for my future, but it also represents how my summer went. I had more fun with it this year, felt more comfortable with my job description. 

I don't really remember what my actual plans were for this summer, but I do know a rock/metal festival in Latvia was one of them and as I recapped it earlier this year, I went to Metalshow.lv. It was alright. I had fun hanging out with my friends and for me that's even more important than enjoying the music. I did find one band that I really like to listen to. Amatory from Russia is a constant in my current play list. I may not understand their lyrics, but I like the music a lot. The voice of the singer is awesome, the beat amazing. I wouldn't mind seeing them live again.

I did not get to got on a road trip in Latvia this year as my friends from Latvia had other big events happening and funds were therefore scarce. Totally understandable. I am a bit sad it never happened, but that doesn't take anything away from my love for my friends. I'm actually really happy about their opportunities and I support E.M's band. Sidenote: CHECK OUT ONCE UPON! They will take the world by storm one day and wouldn't it be nice to be able to say you were a fan before they got famous? You can find them on Spotify.

I did see Bonnie Tyler in Haapsalu with my parents and K.K. And even though it was obvious she was getting old, I really liked it. I am a big fan of "old school" music. The 80s were so much better in my opinion. Nowadays mainstream music is so focused on buts, that I cannot stand to listen to it. Maybe that's why I prefer to listen to rock music. Pop is stupid, it wasn't like this before, but now... Well, if you listen to it you should know.

In August I went on a small road trip to Rakvere and the surrounding areas. It was due to Once Upon performing in Rakvere. I went with K.P and her boyfriend K.T. I think we had fun, seeing the sights, having a nice picnic and listening to two metal bands from Riga. I got to see my Latvian, Ms Bunny and that's always an added bonus to any experience. I did discover that people in that general area are not interested in tourists. Nobody wants to say hello or be polite. I think I will not visit that part of Estonia any time soon. Once was quite enough. Also, the museum prices were a bit annoying and steep. 9 € for the castle in Rakvere. For that exact amount I purchased a hand made beer jug for my dad. I understand prices for hand made crafts, since I used to work as a souvenir sales person. I also know that making something with your hands is hard work and takes commitment. We did not visit the museum, as it was supposed to be a budget holiday and that was just too much.

The next day I attended my family's reunion. As per usual, I spent it with my immediate family, catching up with their lives. I was extremely tired, only having slept for about 5 hours in total, but somehow I managed to enjoy myself. Later that day I went and saw a play in central Estonia. It was based on my favourite Estonian author's work: A. H. Tammsaare's "Kõrboja peremees" ("Master of Kõrboja" could be a good translation). I loved that play. It was so well done. And the ending... My dad cried. 

And I think that's about it. I managed to knit quite a lot. Made my future family member all sorts of things he might need or want. I'm really excited to meet him, when he is born, later this month. I also found time to read a few interesting books. Mark Lawrence's "Prince of Thorns" trilogy is an interesting dark fantasy trilogy. I never thought I was the kind of person to root for someone who does horrible things. The main character was interesting, the language was educational, as the writer uses words I have never heard before and I love to discover new things like that. If you're ever bored and would like to read a bit of a twisted story, I recommend this series, this author in general. 

As for my other hobbies, mainly watching TV and movies, it was an interesting season. I obviously saw both Spider-Man and Wonder Woman and I really liked them both. Wonder Woman was such a pleasant surprise for me. Hitman's Bodyguard was really entertaining, as silly action comedies are supposed to be. The latest season of Game of Thrones left me jonesing for the next season and finally got me to read the books, which I purchased quite some time ago. I know the show is well ahead, but everybody knows the books are always the better version. 

All in all, I know a lot didn't happen and somethings I didn't plan did. I am not sad or disappointed, I'm content with what I did do this summer. It wasn't the hottest summer and it also wasn't the coldest. For me it was pretty much perfect. 10 out of 10, would got through it again.

Next week I will release my rather small list of shows I plan to watch or am watching, so stay tuned. 

Also, I will be posting on Fridays for the time being. 

All my love,

Regina.

WHY WE ALL NEED A BREAK?

I haven't posted anything for a few weeks now. It's summer time, so I took some time off. And honestly I didn't have anything informational to share with the world. I will continue my break this week and maybe even the next one. I will have something to write about after next weekend, as now all I'm doing is working hard. 

My apologies for breaking the streak, but hey! I usually disappear completely during the summer months. I think I've been awesome this year. 

Until next time,

Reggie

EXPECTATION VS REALITY - SUPERHERO FILMS

As most of my friends and maybe even some of my more regular readers will know, I am a big movie lover, especially this over-created superhero movie genre. I think I have seen every superhero movie, that has come out since 2007. And a bunch that came out before that, obviously. 

I never seem to miss my money if I spend it on a superhero movie. Even if the movie sucks really bad. 

But this post is going to be about the expectations and reality I have experienced in the cinema, when it comes to these types of films. 

I will only write about the films that were massive let downs or amazing surprises. All those mediocre films they make, those can fade into oblivion. 

The most anticipated film, so hyped up that you just need to believe it’s going to be amazing, in the recent years, would be Batman v Superman. I mean they started showing us trailers way too soon, building up their film as their answer to Marvel’s dominion. Fans, myself included, were excited to see Batman go head-to-head with Superman. It divided the fans. It created discussions and arguments alike. And then it came out. And it was such a let down. It wasn’t a horrible film, but it wasn’t the film they promised and what I as a Batman fan expected. I was actually quite angry afterwards, but I remained hopeful, that at least Suicide Squad could make me believe in DC again. 

And then that monstrosity came out. I don’t really have anything nice to say about it anymore. You might just want to read my post about that film, I think I did point out some forgiving qualities in that. It’s just that, there more time passes and the more great films Marvel makes, the worse it seems. The more heart broken I am that they promised something amazing and failed to deliver. It was like a online purchase from eBay. You see this amazing prom dress and you order it, what you receive is nothing like the image promised. Maybe the colour is accurate, but the rest of it is just insulting to the eyes and ears. Putting out an extended version with most of the scenes people were excited to see, that doesn’t help either. DC just comes out as a money crabbing asshole, who promises the world, delivers a piece of it and then holds the rest of it hostage. “Pay me more money and then you will get the movie you wanted!” That kind of behaviour will not be tolerated forever. 

As I’m beating on DC, I should just point out the one film, where they actually exceeded my personal expectations. Wonder Woman. I was so let down and hurt by all those recent films they produced, I really didn’t have high hopes for this film. I am glad to report, that I was wrong to expect shit and found myself really enjoying a DC film for the first time since Nolan’s Batman. Well done, I must say. It wasn’t boring or overly sappy. Well acted, directed and edited. No space beams with trash, thank heavens. Sacrifice is also something I really like, I don’t particularly gravitate towards sorties that have a sappy happy ending. My friend M.K was a bit ticked off about the lack of it, but I think it made sense. 

As for some other reality exceeding the expectations, Marvel did it originally with Iron Man. Then there’s Guardians of the Galaxy. And I am really hoping that Spider-Man: Homecoming doesn’t end up in the let down pile. So far the feedback is positive and I will see it tomorrow evening. I’m sure I’ll tweet out my first impression afterwards. 

Another series that firstly exceeded expectations and sadly then totally let me down, was the latest X-Men trilogy. They really got my hopes up and then they ruined it. I will not dwell on the sadness I experienced watching that. 

Movies that delivered as promised, they are such a rarity in my opinion, that I just need to point them out: Deadpool, Avengers (the first one), Captain America: Civil War and Fantastic Four (2015). 

Before you lynch me, I did say delivered as promised. Who in their right mind expected that film to be anything but the shit storm it was? I knew it was going to suck from the first trailer. And yet, I payed money to see it. I must admit, I deeply regret doing that. But I suppose what doesn’t kill you…

All in all, Hollywood needs to stop with the catfishing and just give us what they promise. An awesome trailer makes shitty movies seem even worse than they actually might be. Raising our expectations sky high simply to get some seats in the cinema sold, just to let us down… eventually people are going to grow sick of it and your films will not bring in the big bucks. 

I am going to end this rant for now. I think this might become a topic I will revisit with different types of situations. Let’s say once a month I rant about something that raises our expectations and how the reality of it is simply lacking in all aspects. We’ll see. 

As of now, I bid you farewell and I might see you again next week!

Regina.