50 Books Challenge 2013 Update - October

I've been super busy and I really don't have the energy to read much. So I only read two books, and they were actually very small books too. I'm not proud of myself and I already know I'm probably not going to reach my goal this year. But if I can't find the joy of reading now, it's better to slwowdown a bit.

# 36. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick - 5/ 5
# 37. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk - 5/ 5

Average: 5

Favorite of the month: The Silver Linings Playbook

Because I only read two book in october, I'm continuing that theme in novemeber.

50 Books Challenge 2013 - # 37: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Title: Fight Club
Author: Chuck Palahniuk
Story: Every weekend, in the basements and parking lots of bars across the country, young men with white-collar jobs and failed lives take off their shoes and shirts and fight each other barehanded just as long as they have to. Then they go back to those jobs with blackened eyes and loosened teeth and the sense that they can handle anything. Fight club is the invention of Tyler Durden, projectionist, waiter, and dark, anarchic genius, and it's only the beginning of his plans for violent revenge on an empty consumer-culture world.
Start: october 14th 2013
End: october 31st 2013
Comment: Off course I've seen the movie, which is amazing, but I was Always curious about the novel. How was the story initialy told? The plot basically revolves around an insomniac. Our unnamed protagonist goes to support groups to cure his insomnia. He soon get addicted to those support groups and meets another person, Marla, who 'fakes' to get into the groups. When he meets Tyler, he joins fight club. The movie skips about a third of the book. Even if you think you know the movie, you really need to read the book. Especially when it comes to Tyler Durden, his philosophy becomes more clear. Conclusion, both book and movie are awesome!
Rating: 5/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Movies from 2002

I’ve done top fives for movies in the 1980’s and 1990’s, but I’m going to the 2000’s this time. 2002 to be exact. I don’t know why I choose this year, I just picked one and went with it. It turned out 2002 had some memorable movies.

5. Signs
I know the ending is a bit weird, but this is a great movie. I remember seeing it in theatres and that one scene, where Joaquin Phoenix is watching TV where you first see the alien. It freaked me out! It still excited me.

4. Orange County
Such a sucker for this movie. It’s easy on the eyes, really light for any time of the day. I really wished we could see more of Colin Hanks, because he’s great (like his dad). And off course Jack Black as Lance, scene stealer!

3. Equilibrium
Call me a fool, but I’m probably the only person that thinks this is better than “The Matrix”. I don’t know why they compare them actually, because in “Equilibrium” things make more sense… I always liked this film.

2. Whale Rider
This is one of those movies someone recommended me and I didn’t know what to expect. It totally blew me away, what an amazing performance by the young Keisha Castle-Hughes.

1. Catch Me If You Can
I love this film, it’s a real treat for me. Off course because it stars Tom Hanks, but also the great performance by Leonardo DiCaprio, the amazing and unbelievable true story and Steven Spielberg directing it. It’s phenomenal.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Phone Booth, The Bourne Identity, John Q, Gangs of New York, 25th Hour

Quotables: "The Big Lebowski"

One of the greatest movies of all time and the Coen brothers created one of the most unforgettable and coolest characters ever: The Dude. Here are some of the great quotes from “The Big Lebowski”.





Walter Sobchak: You want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me. There are ways, Dude. You don't wanna know about it, believe me.
The Dude: Yeah, but Walter...
Walter Sobchak: Hell, I can get you a toe by 3 o'clock this afternoon... with nail polish. These fucking amateurs...

Jesus Quintana: Nobody fucks with the Jesus!

Walter Sobchak: Fuck it, Dude, let's go bowling.

The Dude: What's in the fuckin' carrier?
Walter Sobchak: Huh? Oh, that's Cynthia's dog. I think it's a Pomeranian. I can't leave him home alone or he eats the furniture. I'm watching him while Cynthia and Marty Ackerman are in Hawaii.
The Dude: You brought the fuckin' Pomeranian bowling?
Walter Sobchak: What do you mean brought it bowling, Dude? I didn't rent it shoes. I'm not buying it a fucking beer. He's not taking your fucking turn, Dude.
The Dude: Man, if my fuckin' ex-wife asked me to take care of her fuckin' dog while she and her boyfriend went to Honolulu I'd tell her to go fuck herself.

The Dude: God damn you Walter! You fuckin' asshole! Everything's a fuckin' travesty with you, man! And what was all that shit about Vietnam? What the FUCK, has anything got to do with Vietnam? What the fuck are you talking about?

The Dude: It's like what Lenin said... you look for the person who will benefit, and, uh, uh...
Donny: I am the walrus.
The Dude: You know what I'm trying to say...
Donny: I am the walrus.
Walter Sobchak: That fucking bitch...
The Dude: Oh yeah!
Donny: I am the walrus.
Walter Sobchak: Shut the fuck up, Donny! V.I. Lenin. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov!
Donny: What the fuck is he talking about, Dude?

The Dude: And, you know, he's got emotional problems, man.
Walter Sobchak: You mean... beyond pacifism?

Walter Sobchak: You have got to buck up, man. You cannot drag this negative energy in to the tournament!
The Dude: Fuck the tournament... Fuck YOU, Walter!
[pause]
Walter Sobchak: Fuck the tournament? All right, I can see you don't want to be cheered up here, Dude. Come on Donny, let's go get us a lane.

Jackie Treehorn: Interactive erotic software. The wave of the future, Dude. One hundred percent electronic!
The Dude:Yeah well, I still jerk off manually.

The Dude: Let me explain something to you. Um, I am not "Mr. Lebowski". You're Mr. Lebowski. I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.

Walter Sobchak: That's right, Dude, they peed on your fucking rug.

Walter Sobchak: Donny was a good bowler, and a good man. He was one of us. He was a man who loved the outdoors... and bowling, and as a surfer he explored the beaches of Southern California, from La Jolla to Leo Carrillo and... up to... Pismo. He died, like so many young men of his generation, he died before his time. In your wisdom, Lord, you took him, as you took so many bright flowering young men at Khe Sanh, at Langdok, at Hill 364. These young men gave their lives. And so would Donny. Donny, who loved bowling. And so, Theodore Donald Karabotsos, in accordance with what we think your dying wishes might well have been, we commit your final mortal remains to the bosom of the Pacific Ocean, which you loved so well. Good night, sweet prince.

The Dude: Walter, I love you, but sooner or later, you're going to have to face the fact you're a goddamn moron.

Weekly Photo Challenge 2013 - Theme # 43: Mail

Here is this weeks theme.

As you might know I'm a postcrosser and I love receiving and sending snailmail. Because my mailbox isn't exactly the prettiest thing, I decided to take a photo of my box filled with mail. Postcards that I've received while participating in the postcrossing project.

Movie Moments: "The Bucket List"

Two of Hollywoods finest actors team up for this feelgood dramedy. “The Bucket List” really gives me a good feeling every time and always makes me cry in the end. And here are my favorite scenes from the movie.

Moment # 1: Edward and Carter meet
Both Edward and Carter are diagnosed with cancer and end up in a hospital room together. When they first meet, Edward isn’t the nicest man, but it already looks like they are going to share more than just a room.

Moment # 2: The list
Edward finds a list that Carter made, it’s called a bucket list. All the things you want to do before you kick the bucket. Edward writes some things on it as well and together they decide to actually do all the things on that list.

Moment # 3: Skydiving
The first thing on the list Edward and Carter do, is skydiving. Carter regrets it immediately.

Moment # 4: Africa
Edward and Carter are driving through Africa and they are visibly enjoying themselves. They start singing ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’.

Moment # 5: Laugh until I cry
Carter tells Edward where his favorite coffee comes from and they burst into laughter. Another wish from their list can be scratched, because they laughed until they cried.

Moment # 6: Carters letter
Edward reads the letter that Carter wrote him. He decides to go and see his daughter and finally kiss the most beautiful girl in the world: his granddaughter. Carter dies and not much later Edward follows.

Favorite Moment: Moment # 5: Laugh until I cry

Movie Trailer Sunday (110)

Here are this weeks trailers.

At Middleton
Description: A man and a woman fall in love while taking their kids on a college admissions tour.
Director: Adam Rodgers
Starring: Andy Garcia, Vera Farmiga, Taissa Farmiga, Spencer Lofranco, Nicholas Braun, Peter Riegert, Tom Skerritt
Trailer: Trailer "At Middleton"
Comment: I love Vera Farmiga and I really like to see her in a more comedic role.

Captain America: Winter Soldier
Description: Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier.
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Hayley Atwell, Emily VanCamp
Trailer: Trailer "Captain America: Winter Soldier"
Comment: I really enjoyed the first movie, so I'm very excited about the second installment.

Expecting
Description: After years of struggling to conceive with her husband, Lizzie (Radha Mitchell) has given up hope of having a baby on her own. But when her best friend Andie (Michelle Monaghan) finds herself pregnant after a one night stand, an unexpected solution arises: Andie offers to have the baby and give it to Lizzie.
Director: Jessie McCormack
Starring: Michelle Monaghan, Rhada Mitchell
Trailer: Trailer "Expecting"
Comment: I don't knnow about this one. Looks fun, but I think it's not going to be as fun as shown.

The Immigrant
Description: On the mean streets of Manhattan, Ewa (Marion Cotillard) falls prey to Bruno (Joaquin Phoenix), a charming but wicked man who takes her in and forces her into prostitution.
Director: James Gray
Starring: Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Renner
Trailer: Trailer "The Immigrant"
Comment: Looks beautiful...

Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Description: Using his most ingenious invention, the WABAC machine, Mr. Peabody and his adopted boy Sherman hurtle back in time to experience world-changing events first-hand and interact with some of the greatest characters of all time. They find themselves in a race to repair history and save the future.
Director: Rob Minkoff
Starring: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Alison Janney, Stephen COlbert, Patrick Warburton, Leslie Mann, Stanley Tucci, Lake Bell
Trailer: Trailer "Mr. Peabody & Sherman"
Comment: Some cool history lessons!

In My Mailbox (119)

Seven cards this week. The first one came from Katowice, Poland. It's a card from a zoo.

Sent: october 14th 2013
Received: october 20th 2013
Distance: 924 km (574 miles)
Travel Time: 6 days

Harry, Ron and Hermione were send to me from Bathurst, Canada. Always love a good Harry Potter postcard.

Sent: october 13th 2013
Received: october 22nd 2013
Distance: 5,003 km (3,109 miles)
Travel Time: 9 days

Sometimes it's the simplicity of the card that makes it beautiful. Like this one from Krakow, Poland.

Sent: july 20th 2013
Received: october 22nd 2013
Distance: 994 km (618 miles)
Travel Time: 94 days

A view from the sky from Macapá, Brazil.

Sent: october 5th 2013
Received: october 22nd 2013
Distance: 7,796 km (4,844 miles)
Travel Time: 17 days

I like this drawing, from Taichung City, Taiwan. It looks like a watercolor detailed with a fineliner pen. Nice.

Sent: october 10th 2013
Received: october 23rd 2013
Distance: 9,511 km (5,910 miles)
Travel Time: 13 days

I really like this add card, although I don't have anything with cars. It was send from Lippstadt, Germany.

Sent: october 18th 2013
Received: october 23rd 2013
Distance: 171 km (106 miles)
Travel Time: 5 days

This is a card from the New York, send to me from Bamberg, Germany. The senders made the photos and card themselves. And this is my first card with a view from New York on it, yeah!!

Sent: october 22nd 2013
Received: october 26th 2013
Distance: 376 km (234 miles)
Travel Time: 4 days

Thanks Magda, Jannie, Mart, Ana Regina, Luke, Sabrina and Thomas & Jutta for your postcards this week!

Top 5 Thursday: TV Brothers

There have been some great TV show with some awesome brothers in it. Here are my five favourite on screen brothers.

5. Vincent and Johnny Chase in “Entourage”
Both actors, one more successful than the other, but they are inseparable.

4. Charlie and Alan Harper in “Two and a Half Men”
Charlie the ladies man and Alan the loser. Two brothers couldn’t be more different, they constantly mock each other and they hardly ever have a serious conversation.

3. Lucas and Nathan Scott in “One Tree Hill”
They hated each other in the beginning, because their douche of a dad kept them apart. But their bond was stronger and they became good friends and close brothers.

2. Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows in “Prison Break”
Michael made the ultimate sacrifice for his brother. He went to prison so he could get Lincoln out. Two strong brothers, one intelligent, one tough, together undefeatable.

1. Dean and Sam Winchester in “Supernatural”
Definitely the hottest brothers on screen and although they are very different, they are close and they would give their lives for eacht other. They actually did, a couple of times.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Peter and Nathan Petrelli in “Heroes”, Damon and Stefan Salvatore in “The Vampire Diaries”, Darryl and Merle Dixon in “The Walking Dead”

Weekly Photo Challenge 2013 - Theme 42: Flowers

Here is this weeks challenge.

I love flowers, those beautiful colors always put a smile on my face. This photo was made in Entebbe, Uganda. I think such a simple thing can look so amazing and stunning. I love this photo.

Pic Spam: Benedict Cumberbatch

"Sherlock" is one of my favorites of the moment and I have to say, of all the people who portrayed Sherlock Holmes this man did the best job. Benedict Cumberbatch has a certain sexyness and charm that I just can't resist.

Movie Trailer Sunday (109)

Here are this weeks trailers

Belle
Description: Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mabatha-Raw) is the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral. Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), Belle's lineage affords her certain privileges, yet the color of her skin prevents her from fully participating in the traditions of her social standing. Left to wonder if she will ever find love, Belle falls for an idealistic young vicar's son bent on change who, with her help, shapes Lord Mansfield's role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England.
Director: Amma Asante
Starring: Gugu Mabatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, Sarah Gadon, Penelope Wilton, Miranda Richardson, Tom Felton, Matthew Goode
Trailer: Trailer "Belle"
Comment: I always like costume dramas, because of the romantic atmosphere.

The Awkward Moment
Description: Three best friends find themselves where we've all been - at that confusing moment in every dating relationship when you have to decide "So...where is this going?"
Director: Tom Gormican
Starring: Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Imogen Poots, Meckenzie Davis, Jessica Lucas
Trailer: Trailer "The Awkward Moment"
Comment: Looks like fun.

Non-Stop
Description: An air marshall must spring into action aboard an international flight.
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Nate Parker, Michelle Dockery, Scoot McNairy
Trailer: Trailer "Non-Stop"
Comment: Since "Taken", Liam Neeson has turned into a respectable action hero.

Endless Love
Description: The story of a privileged girl and a charismatic boy whose instant desire sparks a love affair made only more reckless by parents trying to keep them apart.
Director: Shane Feste
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Gabriel Wilde, Robert Patrick, Bruce Greenwood, Joely Richardson, Rhys Wakefield, Emma Rigby
Trailer: Trailer "Endless Love"
Comment: A story that has been done a billion times, but still seems to find my interest.

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Description: The adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson
Trailer: The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Comment: My favorite of this week. This looks hilarious, typical Wes Anderson kind of humor. Love it already!