All posts tagged humour

Avengers

What Do I Have To Say About The Avengers ? Well for starters…

April 29, 2012

The Fab 2 and I are massive movie buffs, if there is a new movie out, we will most likely go watch it given it is age-appropriate and the reviews are decent enough … I suppose it is our ‘thing’ to do as a family and we make it a pretty grand “thing” ,popcorns, choc tops, frozen drinks(throats permitting), lollies et al…So in keeping with tradition and seeing there has been much hype surrounding the movie, so much that the Fab 2 had been counting sleeps to its release date, I figured The Avengers warranted a first weekend viewing , so off we went to the movies yesterday and am I glad we did !

 I will admit , I have never read the comics and the only character I distinctly recognize is Iron Man from the previous movies.I went in to the cinema with not much context except a girly, goo goo eyed crush on Tony Stark aka Iron Man aka Robert Downey Jr but boy was I in for a surprise ? 24 hours later and still reflecting on what is being touted as “the best super-hero” movie ever , here is what I have to say about The Avengers. For those who haven’t seen the movie yet, I will TRY not to give too much away.

First things first, The Avengers confirmed once again what I have already known for a while,  Robert Downey Jr  is an extremely handsome man who just gets better with age….And that’s putting it mildly(this being a family friendly blog and all y’ know ). That confident cockiness he pulls of with his character of Tony Stark, a persona that is simply larger than life and with his almost criminally good looks , RD Jr steals the show and truly deserves no less…. I mean just look at the man…

Sigh

Speaking of larger than life, the Incredible Hulk is truly INCREDIBLE. We have the DVD at home ( of the previous movie ) and it is played often but I don’t think I have ever paid attention to the sheer magnitude of the guy. You know one of those movies your kids love and eventually it just becomes background noise. But seriously, I was quite taken aback with how real he looks , hats off to the director, Joss Whedon and his special effects team.You can tell how much work has been put into making The Hulk look so believable.

And then there is Thor played by Chris Hemsworth, who knew a guy could look so good with long hair…. Umm sorry this post wasn’t meant to be a swoon-fest but I can’t quite help it if The Avengers packs some of the most good looking guys in Hollywood. While we are on the subject of swooning and good looking, I must ask where has Chris Evans (Captain America) been hiding all this time and why doesn’t he do more movies ?

Okay I will stop there !

Now ladies , I am afraid there is some bad news for us in The Avengers, actually really,really bad news. I think we should just all quit dieting/gymming and go back to enjoying life because you know what? No matter what we do, we are never going to look like Agent Romanoff aka Black Widow aka Scarlett Johansson, we just aren’t… so why bother ? Yep I hereby allow you to eat that bar of chocolate you have been hiding in your purse all week…Just eat it before it melts…or rots..spare yourselves the agony because the moment you lay eyes on Scarlett in that catsuit, you will spend the entire next week agonising over your tarnished self-image anyway.

See what I mean ?

But perhaps the biggest clincher of all for me was the fact that along with my 6 and 8 year old sons, I too was laughing my head off at some very well timed comic scenes, a welcome injection to a screenplay that could have been tricky and heavy had it not been treated right. When I wasn’t awe struck with the brilliant technology and special effects, I too, like my sons was on the edge of my seat when we thought we’d lost of one of the characters forever ( doing a pretty bad job of not giving anything away aren’t I ?). Infact at one stage during the climax, I even caught myself muttering a commentary. I greatly appreciate the fact that the movie ( and I may add unexpectedly) manages to create a wider appeal than the usual kids and sci-fi/super hero fan base.Inspite of its grandeur, The Avengers is very human. We left the cinema smiling, knowing it wasn’t just any super-hero story, we had just witnessed a 2012 blockbuster, together .

As for The Avengers , looks like they have a new fan !

So , will you be watching The Avengers ? Have you read the comics ? Do you have a favourite ?

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Comments: 2 Posted by: Categories: Fabulous Finds, Musings, Quotables Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The best piece of toast in the world.

March 31, 2012

So I have had a severe eye infection the past couple of days .How do I know its severe ? Well anything that compels a doctor to push a paper clip up your eye to flip your eyelid over is classified severe in my books , and I am usually quite a resilient person . Although I am tempted to share a picture of my swollen , crusty , freshly punched in the eye look , I will spare you the agony.

When the swelling initially came up , the fabulous two were quite thrilled at the idea of mum adopting a piratey look , FS2 went all out and found me a pirate patch from a party we had a couple of years ago. There was also some banter between the two about the possibility of skipping school because mum was too sick to drive. Didn’t happen !

We somehow shuffled our way through the week and come Friday evening , I requested the Fab 2 to be on their best behaviour for the rest of the weekend. We had a mature conversation about my visit to the doctor ( paperclip and all the gory details included ) and that I had been asked to rest my eye as much as possible . There were nods all around , although I had my doubts about the credibility of those nods because moments of peace in our house are few and far between. You can read more about such moments here .

FS1 though can be quite sage and sensible … sometimes …and this morning was one of those “sometimes” . FS2 was already up and pottering around with his toys when FS1 woke up and came over for cuddles, I said to him , ” FS1, darling , my eye feels very sore, please give me ten minutes , I’ll make us some breakfast soon , why don’t you go brush your teeth in the mean time ? ” He nodded and slipped away leaving me to drift a little bit longer. The next time I woke was when I felt FS1 tap my my head , I opened my eyes to a wonderful little surprise.

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A roughly folded piece of toast generously spread with jam and butter , the best piece of toast in the world followed by cuddles. I had tears in my eyes when FS1 said , ” Mummy , I wanted you to have a rest , I know your eyes are hurting”

Children; the truest form of love , capable of so much more than what we give them credit for.

Share a thought : Have you , as a child or a child close to you ever done something that truly surprised you and touched you deeply ?

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thirty

The big 3-0 , home truths and all that jazz…

March 14, 2012

The age of 30 has something ominous associated with it , people avoid the subject like the plague and don’t be too surprised if you get a dead panned stare when you ask your bestie what they’re planning to do for their 30th , this is a serious faux pas particularly in the land of oestrogen  … seriously ! There are cruel jokes on the internet about how women start looking for wrinkles instead of pimples once they hit 30 . Clearly , the people who came up with these pot shots have never heard of yummy mummies and rejuvenation creams !

For me , the big 3-0 was like a homecoming and with that , it brought a flood of strength and resilence. I felt ready to take on fresh challenges and face life with renewed vigor , perhaps there was also the realisation that we only get one shot at life and I HAD to stop myself from drowning in survival mode and start LIVING !

Here’s a piece I wrote just after I had turned 31 , very much unedited and straight from the heart .

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
At the not so tender age of 31 , there are many things I have learnt or atleast pretend to know….There are also certain home truths that hit well……home…What I didn’t know at 21 , I know at 31 and what I don’t know now , I will know at 41 , I will make mistakes along the way , I will say things I will later regret , I will not always make the perfect decisions and there will always be things that could’ve been done differently….having said that , there will also be some wonderful memories , moments shared , breathtaking new bonds, unexpected revivals , long awaited closures , some dreams abandoned , some fulfilled and many others born….
Ofcourse there is also the acknowledgement of the age old adage “Life is not a bed of roses” ( hang on , I knew that at 19 ) but there is then the serene acceptance that life doesn’t have to be perfect , to be wonderful….
 
Then there are those cold hard truths that strike you deep…
 
Circumstances alter faces…..you can count your closest friends on your finger tips….all others are mostly invaluable debris you could do without…
The truth , no matter how obscure, usually has a way of catching up with a lie…..
You learn that the family you always took for granted can be staunchly pitted against you in your darkest hour…
 
But its not all bad , home truths can be sweet….
 
When most stop believing in you, your mother shows you in her subtle ways that she never stopped believing….
She also never stopped loving you….and you mentally smack yourself for being a right nightmare to her in your teens….when all she wanted you to do was clean your room…..Oops !
Its not so much about what you say but its all about how you say it….
There isn’t much a bit of chocolate and retail therapy won’t fix…
Life offers you a second chance ….you just have to recognise the signs….
Love is not over-rated , it is just rare…
 
What were some of your thoughts when turned 30 ? Those who have not turned 30 yet , do you dread it or will it just be like any other birthday ?

 

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Comments: 8 Posted by: Categories: Musings Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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it’s time for Chicken Soup …

March 2, 2012

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Brrrr the temperature is plummeting , the heaters have been turned on again and since the rain shows no signs of respite ,it might just be time to make that soothing concoction I have been raving on about . The thing is when you hear chicken soup , you think winter , you think coughs, colds and that dreaded flu.And if your taste buds are anything like mine ( as in you don’t even know what the word ‘bland’ means ) you are right this minute thinking Chicken Soup ? Me ? Never !

Well all that’s about to change , you see just like you, I would turn my nose up at the very mention of chicken soup or broth and thought that sort of food should be confined to hospitals , it would be a heinous crime to bring it to our dinner tables.

Until one fine day a featured recipe online caught my eye and I decided to give the dreaded Chicken Soup one last go , ofcourse with a bit of fine tuning of my own . Would you believe , that little bit of fine tuning has come a long way and this Chicken Soup is still a family favourite . It has the added benefit of boosting your immunity and relieving colds and flus, but I promise you , you absolutely do not have to be sick to have this soup !

Here’s how :

Serves 3-4

You will need :

  • 300 grams chicken pieces ( preferably wings, necks and drumsticks)
  • 2 medium carrots , peeled and cut into chunks
  • 2-3 stalks of celery , washed and cut into chunks ( you can also add in the celery leaves for additional flavor )
  • 1 medium potato , peeled and cut into chunky quarters ( optional )
  • 1 large onion coarsely chopped
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
  • 2 tbsp chopped garlic
  • 8-10 black peppercorns
  • 6-8 whole cloves
  • 1-2 small cinnamon sticks
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp salt ( or as per taste )
  • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
  • Lemon juice ( optional )

Preparation :

  • Wash chicken pieces thoroughly and add to a heavy based medium pot. Combine chicken, carrots , celery , potato , garlic , ginger , black peppercorns , salt , turmeric powder , cloves and cinnamon sticks .
  • Add about 4-5 glasses of water and bring to a boil on medium heat , once boiling , let your soup slowly simmer for atleast an hour until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender .
  • You may prefer to take the chicken out at this step and debone it , cutting into smaller pieces before adding them back to the soup.
  • Ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish with coriander leaves ,fresh lemon juice and cracked black pepper .

Hot Tip :

Serve with saigon rolls , steamed rice or even over a bed of over cooked noodles.
Apart from being a popularly used culinary ingredient turmeric has immense healing properties.

Yummy !


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