For those of you who don’t know about it. Six of crows is really hyped (and it completely deserves it) duology by Leigh Bardudo about a group of anti heroes, the convict (Matthias), the wraith(Inej), the sharpshooter (Jesper),the demolitions expert (Wylan), the heartrender (Nina) and the truly skilled thief (kaz).
Now I am gonna start with the review. So first of all if you haven’t read it yet, all I have to say is please read it (you will thank me later), it’s an amazing book. It might seem a little confusing at the start but trust me after that phase is over you will love it. From my personal experience I can tell you that it is not compulsory to read the Grisha Trilogy to read Six of Crows, I haven’t ever read the trilogy and I still love Six of Crows.
World Building
In this world there are some people with what we might call magical abilites called grisha. There are 3 types of grisha etheralki , coparalki and fabrikaters, though let me tell you in this world the “magic” can’t really do everything, your life is still gonna be at tough as anybody else’s, which according to me makes the book more realistic. This series is mostly takes place in a city called Ketterdam, it’s probably one of worst places in the world, it’s a place full of gangs, thieves, convicts and runaways. it sucks but some how Liegh manages to make us feel attached to it. We also get to visit other places like Fjerda, Ravka and Novyi Zem (some only in our characters memories though). It almost feels like you have always known this world. Lieghs world building is really amazing.
Characters (SPOILER ALERT)
The characters are probably the strongest point of the book. Usually when you read a book with multiple main characters, you know there are some characters you love and some you don’t but the author somehow manages to make us fall in love with all of them, really. So, I am gonna give my opinions on each character:
Nina Zenik (our waffle queen!): she is such an amazing character. She is flirtatious, sarcastic, strong and confident. She is such a baddass but at the same time so sweet and caring, just take for instance the fact that she ate jurda parem to save everybody even though she knew how brutal the consequences of her action could be or her desire to help the grisha to get out of the city even when her own life was at risk. Her friendship with Inej is just beautiful and her love for Matthias is so damn pure (I will elaborate more on relations in the coming section probably). some of my favourite quotes by her:-
“You are better than waffles, Matthias Helvar”
“No, i don’t mean in the big ways, I mean the little rescues. Laughing at my jokes.Forgiving me when I was foolish. Never trying to make me feel small. It doesn’t matter, if it’s next month, next year or ten years from now, those will be the things I remember when I see you all again”
“They were twin souls, soldiers destined to fight for different sides, to find each other and lose each other too quickly. She will not keep him here. Not like this.” (it’s not exactly a quote but I wanted to add this)
Leigh Bardugo
Wylan Van Eck (our Merchling): He is like the baby of the group.He is sweet, smart and so lovable.He is soft but at the same time so strong. And though we don’t really get to see this side of him much, I think he can be pretty sassy when he wants to be, for instance when Kuwie was kind of flirting with Jesper, and Wylan was just like “how about I throw you in the water and see how far you can swim” with as Jesper says “a pretty passable imitation of Kaz’s glare”. And I also loved his character development throughout the books, how he had finally started to accept himself the way he was, accepting his strengths and weaknesses. Some of my favourite quotes by him:-
“Only girls?”
“Who’s mark?”
“Until this moment, Wylan hadn’t quite understood how much they meant to him. His father would have sneered at these thugs and thieves, a disgraced soldier, a gambler who couldn’t keep out of the red. But they were his first friends, his only friends, and Wylan knew that even if he’d had his pick of a thousand companions, these would have been the people he chose.”
Leigh Bardugo
I’ll probably upload the full review/discussion later if I ever finish it.
Six of crows is a duology about a group of thieves and misfits who come together to pull off a big heist which could change the future of their world. These books truely take you through a rollercoaster ride. The world building done by Leigh Bardugo,the author, is just fabulous. In this series,there are people with magical abilities called Grisha. Yes, they have magical powers BUT their powers don’t allow them to do just anything, the magic has both advantages AND disadvantages, making it even more amazing.
Now, coming towards the plot. The plot of these books is just ‘ wow’ , there were so many plot twists which I had not seen coming and it just kept me wanting to read more and more.
Though the plot of the series was definitely one of it’s strongest points, I still think it’s best part was it’s characters . There are six main characters, the highly skilled thief and the leader of the group Kaz Brekker; a spy also known as the wraith, Inej Ghafa; the Grisha Heartrender, Nina Zenik ; the convict, Matthias Helvar; the sharp shooter, Jesper Fahey, and the chemist and the runaway, Wylan. These characters are truely diverse in terms of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, relationships, personality, colour and even powers and abilities . One might think that they are horrible people at first but the author somehow manages to make us fall in love with each of them as we get to know and understand them.
The relationship between these characters is also really great, and I don’t mean just romantic relationships (which are totally amazing too, we have love-hate, slow burn and teasing-flirting) but also their friendships and other relationships.
The only thing I would like to warn you about is that it could seem a little confusing and slow at first but it was probably necessary, plus it was totally worth it (atleast for me). I would give it 5/5 stars and totally recommend it to anyone who wants to read a good book.
Worth it? Definitely.
By the way, I am also probably going to publish a detailed review/discussion of the series at some point.
Ocean’s 8 is an extremely engaging story, ensembled with an incredibly talented cast like Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Cate Blachett, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter, Awkwafina, and of course, Rihanna (looove ‘Believe It’, by the way). This set of charming ladies acted under the directing of none other than Gary Ross.
Freshly paroled Debbie Ocean (Bullock) is on a mission: to steal the Toussaint, a $150 milllion necklace. She arranges to use movie star Daphne Kluger (Hathaway) as a carrier during the upcoming Met Gala. She and her old time friend Lou (Blanchett) put together a dynamic team of 6 other women; Tammy (Paulson), mother and secret smuggler, gemstone expert Amita (Kaling), hacker Nine-Ball (Rihanna), fashion designer Rose (Carter), pickpocket Constance (Awkwafina) to pull off this clever heist.
I’m in love with this film, not only because I have a passionate interest in heists (not that I intend to do so!) but also because I simply enjoyed watching the heist unfold on front of me. Each and every movement was a surprise, never knew what’ll happen next. The number of powerful women in this movie awed me. Their acting was impeccable. Every piece of the puzzle was put carefully. This film (and the heist) simply had no flaws. Such diverse characters working together so beautifully just amazed me. Lastly, I’m ready to watch this flick a thousand times if asked to. I’m ready to be enchanted again. Just find me a temple for these gals. I certainly think this is worth your time. Trust me, it was for me.
-Ra
oceans 8 is available on amazon prime
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QUESALUPA: GOD BLESS THE PERSON WHO INVENTED THIS.
*NOT A SPONSOR!*
Ok, so I’m no food expert, but I know a good food when I see cheese in the poster. This snack, is filled with the freshest of veggies, which is quite rare judging from my past experiences… or maybe I was just lucky. Anyways, the shell was filled with cheddar and mozzarella cheese (then deep-fried) and it did stretch a lot. But beware, it won’t stretch if you eat it cold. All the hype will vanish along with the taste. I took the chicken version, which means that the flavors would fuse a lot better than the veg version. After the first bite, I noticed the arrangement: chicken, their “signature” sauce, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, corn, topped off with cheddar cheese. I added hot sauce too, and it was nothing but lit. But y’know, the sad part was when I finished it, because unlike a sub or a roll, it doesn’t fill you up as needed.
Yes, it’s worth the hype, but no, not as much for the money because it doesn’t fill you up. But that’s not even a point compared to its taste. I certainly would recommend this heavenly madness to everyone, but not as full-on meal for when you’re starving. I’d recommend this as a snack. But, cheese lover or not, everyone should try this once in their lifetime. I insist.
As I watch this movie during the infamous Covid-19 pandemic, the cough at the start of the movie alone gets me alert. Contagion eerily shows the current situation of 2020 in 2011 as if it were warning us that we might be at the receiving end of something no one, absolutely no one -except Scott Z. Burns and Steven Soderbergh- could have even imagined.
Contagion opens up with Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) is on her way home from Hong Kong to Minneapolis and is pale, coughing, and evidently feverish. Of course, we all can guess what it is but Beth puts it down as jet lag. Soon after reaching home she dies, her son following suite. She is among the many other people who died worldwide from an unknown virus. Her husband, Mitch Emhoff (Matt Damon) is fortunately immune but struggles to keep his daughter and himself quarantined. What follows next is fear, panic, and anxiousness. This movie also juggles between different tangents like: the blogger Alan Krumweide (Jude Law) as he claims to be cured of the now declared MEV-1 virus using forsynthia, a homeopathic medicine; Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet) as she risks her life to go back to Minneapolis to trace possible patients, carriers and have them quarantined; Dr. Leonara Oranes (Marion Cotillard) the epidemiologist who travels to Hong Kong to determine the index patient; Dr. Ally Hextall (Jennifer Ehle) who researches on the virus and struggles to find and antidote; Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurance Fishburne) who leads the matters in the WHO team. The fun part is that we only know as much as the WHO officials know, no more- no less.
What blew me out of my mind was the uncanny resemblance between the current situation and the film. Especially the scenes where they show empty churches, halls, airports, etc. and also when Dr. Cheever says “Stop touching your face Dave, don’t talk to anyone, don’t touch anyone. Keep sanitizing your hand and maintain social distancing” and one more shocking resemblance between the virus that is mentioned later in the movie. But in some scenes when panic-stricken people break into shops and homes for supplies were not relatable for me as in my country, such incidents were never mentioned.
This film is directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Z. Burns and consists of the star studded cast of Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Ehle, Laurance Fishburne, and many more.
This film, alongside the virus repeatedly reminds us to stay home, wash our hands, avoid touching the face, and doing many other things which can prove fatal in these times. Please, social distancing is the only way to contain the virus.
I think it’s worth a watch, especially during this period. I’ll give it a solid 5/5. Also, if you have alot of time in your hands, you can also watch ‘Virus’, a Malayalam film released in 2019 based on the Nipah outbreak in 2018 in Kerala, India. I’ll give that 5/5 anyday too. But I do have a request: Please don’t compare these flicks as they are poles apart. Of course, the theme is the same, but one is fiction, and the other is fact. My take on Contagion is that this is not just a movie, it’s a prediction.
I finished GFM last week with……. considerable opinions. I initially started GFM to pass my time but as the plot thickened, I had to give in to temptation and bingewatched 3-4 episodes in a day. But still, that doesn’t change the fact that I have a lot to say.
I don’t want to complicate things or give any spoilers, so ill say this: GFM revolves around Miles Finer, an atheist, who on one fine day starts getting friend suggestions from an account called GOD, which later on leads us to think whether, “the only difference between God and The God Account is the word ‘account’”. And gets us crazy for who’s behind The God Account. Miles’s friends are Cara Bloom, a great journalist, and Rakesh Singh, his colleague (and expert hacker) at IdentitySeal.
The plot is real interesting, no doubt, has a ambiguous theme, and does make one question whether there is really a superior power above us all or not. Plus, there is a lot of diversity and representation in this show too.
BUT
I have criticisms too…
The script felt…. Unrealistic and not alive enough, and the jokes too seemed overused and (sorry sorry sorry sorry) childish.
This show partially passes the Bechdel Test. Why? Because in every single scene where two women come together, they only have one topic: their partner. How things are going, what to do when there’s a problem and so and so.
Please don’t tell me I’m the only one who finds it annoying that everyone (mostly Parker, Cara’s friend) is so interested in (surprise, surprise) Miles’s and Cara’s lovelife?! It almost deviates the original plot and turns the show into a rom-com, which I’m not a fan of.
And also, frustratingly for me and conveniently for the show, it somehow ALWAYS manages to exclude the awkward situations. (you’ll get me when you watch the show). For example, there’s a scene in the 2nd season, wherein Miles’s hater comes up and blames him for ruining his life in front of his fans, and then storms out. I wanted to know how he would react afterwards, what would he say to his fans, would he shush it up and move on, or would he go after the hater, and whatnot. But all I see is Miles’s shocked face and a black screen, which moves on to a completely different scene. And that’s what frustrates me, I don’t know about you guys.
Okay, so basically every friend suggestion that Miles gets needs some kind of help and is in a big problem. That’s good right? Helping? Not until the problems get repetitive.
I don’t think its “worth a watch”, but if you have nothing else to watch or have nothing to lose, feel free to watch it. I say that cause if you get too involved like me, you’ll only be disappointed in the end. Why? Spoiler alert: This show gets cancelled, and ceases to answer aloooot of questions.
I’m giving a a 2/5. I’m not here to trash this show or downgrade the amount of hard work done to make it, as I’m sure I won’t be able to do any better. And I’m sure there may be more ups then downs, but I just couldn’t see them…. help me. But I made this to help people like me decide whether to watch it or not, and that’s that.
So this blog is going to contain some of our most random and crazy thoughts which are so unbelievable that even we don’t have much faith in them, but still they seem interesting for some reason, so here we are, sharing them with you guys, we hope that you are going to enjoy them 🙂
Our whole life is a dream: I mean, just imagine, what if our whole life is just a dream and our family, our friends, our enemies and even this blog that you are reading right now is just a part of that dream, and death is the end of the dream and that is when you actually wake up… Well, so make sure to make it your best dream ever and hence never give up!
Everyone is crazy: OK so imagine what if we all are just a part of a mental hospital and the world beyond our earth is actually where the normal people live….OK calm down it’s just a stupid theory and you are a completely normal person (probably… but anyway if you have a pure heart it doesn’t really matter that much)
Everybody is a robot: I mean, only people with a mind like us would come up with something like that, but just bear with us for a sec. With this theory, we could say that the Robot Apocalypse is happening right now!!! Trying to kill us by means of global warming, communal conflicts, overpopulation, etc. I mean, it does make sense with all of the stupidity we humans are up to nowadays….
Our siblings are actually a figment of our imagination: What if our siblings (or maybe some of our family members too) are just imagined by us and the “real” people around us just try to make us believe that they do exist to not make us feel depressed? Another stupid theory…right?
Anyway…. Congratulations! You made it till the end. Now please comment your favourite theory and give feedback to help us to improve, thank you!
NOTE: all these theories are just some of our random thoughts and are NOT real at all. (it’s just a formality, we know that you are not stupid enough to actually believe in them and just in case you had actually started to believe in them then thank you for taking it so seriously but they are NOT real)
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