Bits and bobs #1

Dirty Dancing 2, Lime Coolada Body Butter from Byron Bay,
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

• I'm so close to finishing The Name of the Wind, only thirty pages or so to go. On the one hand, this makes me happy, but it also makes me kinda sad, because I don't have The Wise Man's Fear yet and I just really want to know what the next part of Kvothe's life is all about!
• Rewatched Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights. I was a bit shocked to find out this film is from 2004 and almost ten years old... Whilst that makes me feel a bit old, I really like this film and it just makes me wanna dance all around the living room. Maybe I should sign up for a salsa course...
• Even though the summer is coming to an end and autumn is almost here (I <3 autumn!), I still use the Lime Coolada Body Butter from Byron Bay. It has a heavenly pina colada scent to it, and it turns out I love nothing more than smelling like I've bathed myself in a cocktail. It's a great summer scent, but to be honest, I'll probably still be using this in wintertime. 
• And a final guilty pleasure: What About Love by Austin Mahone. I only discovered this song after he won the VMA for Artist To Watch this week, but I already love it. If this song entered the Eurovision Songcontest, it would be top-ten material for sure.

The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers (2011); Arthos (Matthew MacFadyen), D'Artagnon (Logan Lerman), Porthos (Ray Stevenson) and Aramis (Luke Evans)

With work slowing down a bit again, I've managed to find some time to continue reading my book and relax in the evenings whilst watching a film. I bought The Three Musketeers a long time ago, so I decided to finally put it on. After all, a film about swashbuckling Frenchmen, what's not to like?

The story follows the three older Musketeers Athos, Aramis and Portos and their new, young member D'Artagnan in their quest to keep France out of trouble. As Cardinal Richelieu tries to undermine the young king Louis XIII by trying to frame his Queen Anne as an adultress, the Musketeers must retrieve the queen's expensive necklace from the Tower of London, placed there by Milady de Winter and now under the guard of the evil Lord Buckingham.

The film is filled with famous names; Matthew Macfadyen, Orlando Bloom, Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich, Mads Mikkelsen and Christoph Waltz, to name but a few. It's clear that these actors had fun with their parts and most definitely did not take their roles too seriously. Though to be honest, with a wig like Orlando Bloom's it is hard not to have fun with it.

The humor with which the actors play their parts is the same attitude a viewer must have when watching the film: this film was not meant to be taken seriously, it is just meant to be fun and entertaining. It's over the top, out there and filled with amusing fight scenes. The addition of the steampunk-like airships and weapons to the story, set in the seventeenth century, is an example of this and should be seen as another source of entertainment.

On IMDB, The Three Musketeers has only got a 5.7, which I think is a bit harsh. It's probably due to people having the wrong expectations of the film, because I really enjoyed watching it. And if you like a film that's over the top, doesn't take itself seriously, is a bit silly and doesn't ask for much brain activity (I mean this in a good way), then you will probably enjoy it too.

Ratings: 3.5 out 5 stars

Shine bright like a diamond... Aussie Miracle Shine Shampoo and Deep Treatment

Aussie Miracle Shine Shampoo and 3 Minute Miracle Shine Deep Treatment

I'm currently reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Well, I say 'currently reading'. I've been so swamped in work lately, that unfortunately I haven't gotten round to much reading. However, so far I'm loving it and the world Rothfuss creates for his characters is amazing.

Whilst I haven't had much time off, some things always need to be done. Like washing your hair. And who knew that the right shampoo and conditioner can make so much difference for your hair? When my hair looked like it belonged on a hay bale a couple of weeks ago, I knew it was time to change my shampoo. Luckily I still had these two products waiting on a shelf: Aussie Miracle Shine Shampoo and 3 Minute Miracle Shine Deep Treatment. I've used Aussie products in the past and loved them, and the same goes for the 'Miracle Shine' line. After just using them a couple of weeks, I know there's no going back for me. My hair looks so much more nourished and a friend of mine even complemented me on my hair, saying it looked velvet-like. So if you want smooth, shiny and velvety hair, give these products a go. I can especially recommend the 3 Minute Deep Treatment, it's amazing!

The Order of Odd-Fish - James Kennedy

The Order of Odd-Fish by James Kennedy. Published by Laurel-Leaf / Random House, 2008.

The Order of Odd-Fish by James Kennedy is about a thirteen-year-old girl named Jo Larouche. Jo lives with her aunt Lily in the Californian desert, where she was left as a baby with the following note: "This is Jo. Please take care of her. But beware. This is a dangerous baby." When a series of events takes Jo and Lily to the magical place of Eldritch City, it slowly becomes clear why Jo is so dangerous.

It took me a while to really get into this book. Jo is a likeable character and easy to identify with, but the story makes weird little jumps and when they are still in California, it is all a bit unclear as to what exactly is going on. Once they are in Eldritch City, however, it all started to make more sense and the writing style seemed to fit this environment much better and became more engaging. The environment of Eldritch City really saved the story and I loved all the descriptions of this weird and wonderful place. All the bits about the customs and history of this place are so much fun to read because they are so incredibly random.

To me, the Order of Odd-Fish, where Jo stays, is one of the best things about the book. The Order's mission is to make an appendix filled with pointless and 'properly dubious' information. All the knights of the Order have their own specialty, like dithering, absurd animals, improbable botany, and ludicrous weaponry. They pursue knowledge for knowledge and no other reason. I think this attitude is great; even though you know it will never be useful, random things are the most fun to learn about and to amaze your friends with.

Eldritch City is a great place to read about, and I wish I could visit it. It is the place to go to if you want to have an adventure, and Jo constantly falls from one adventure into the other. Besides adventure, the place is filled with wonderfully weird characters who are a joy to read about. Despite its slow start, I've become incredibly fond of this book and was sad to turn the last page. I hope James Kennedy will bring out another book soon, preferably set in this magical place again.

Ratings: 4 out of 5 stars