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Dienstag, 16. Juni 2015

Why the Game of Thrones Season 5 Finale was Perfection

Warning: If you haven't seen episode 5/10 of Game of Thrones yet, this post contains major spoilers! (even if you've read the books)

Last night I watched the Game of Thrones Season 5 Finale and man, it was a ride! Like always GOT didn't dissapoint and showed some truly unexpected twists and turns. In my opinion it was one of the best episodes of the entire show because every scene was a total mindblowing revelation and I had no second to catch my beath because it was that brutal and that crazy and most of all that good.

So let's jump right into the action.

Stannis Baratheon looses absolutely everything



I have to say throughout the last season my opinion of Stannis Baratheon went from "I couldn't care less" to "Hey he's not that bad". When he came to the Wall and saved Jon Snow and Westeros I even labeled him as a (selfish) hero for a split second. I even thought that he might have a chance (and definitely a right - he's the king's only living relative, his brother, after all) at winning the throne.

Well obviously I was a fool. In the season 5 finale Stannis first looses his wife (after having burned his own daughter the episode before), then half of his army who desert him, then the other half because they die in battle and then he almost looses his own life. Except we technically don't see that happening. And something tells me Stannis might have survived. But he's still left with nothing.

Obviouly the reason for his quick downfall is the read headed priestress of the Fire God Melissandre. I could preach you all now what I've always known (Don't trust witches!) but I guess at this point everyone learned the lesson.

Sansa Stark and Theon Greyjoy run away together



While Stannis' army fights Ramsey's army, Sansa wants to use the chance and run away. Unfortunately Theon Greyjoy and a girl (who I believe is in love with Ramsey) stop her. Just as Sansa's misery started to get really annoying, Theon suddenly throws the other girl down a wall, takes Sansa's hand and the two of them flee together.

Well this was a really unsuspected and very welcome suprise. Finally something good happens, a glimmer of light. I mean if Theon Greyjoy can overcome his master's control after everything he went through and can finally man up and protect Sansa, then what's isn't possible? This is really a sign of hope and I'm curious what will happen to the two of them. I would expect them to become lovers if it wasn't for Theon's little misfortune in that area.

Myrcella dies after Jaime has succesfully rescued her from Dawn



So Jaime Lannister is finally allowed to take his daughter home. And then the two of them have a heartbraking conversation about how Myrcella's tottaly fine with her uncle being her Dad. Finally Jaime gets some good news. I mean sure Jaime and Cercei's relationship is really weird, but I do believe that Jaime is a genuinely decent guy and that he's willing to do anything for the ones he loves.

Just when I wondered how Myrcella turned out so goodlooking though her parents are siblings (but equally goodlooking ones)... she dies. Honestly this was the biggest shock of the episode for me. It turns out that the Viper's widow poisened her and she just dies right in the arms of her father. Man, that scene sucked and broke my heart.

Cercei walks the Walk of Shame



Cercei confesses that she slept with her cousin (but NOT that she slept with her brother because she would do anything to protect her kids and her brother). Before she is released, she has to do atonement. For that they cut her hair, strip her naked and she has to to walk back to the castle.

This is the most intense scene of the whole episode. We see Cercei's entire Walk of Shame. People yell at her, spit at her, call her whore and slut, show her their genitals and throw something that looks a lot like feces at her. Cercei is totally broken and terrified but she keeps walking, her eyes fixed on the price, the castle which she calls her home. She proves to be an incredibly strong woman. Also even with her hair cut, naked and with spit and feces all over her, she looks fabolous.

Arya kills the guy who killed her fighting teacher



Remember when Ed Stark hired a swordfight teacher to teach his rebellious daughter Arya to fight? That seems a millenia ago. A time when Ed Stark was still alive, as were all the other members of the Stark family. Oh sweet nostalgia. Well now he's dead, just as Cat Stark, Robb and his wife.

But Arya finally gets her sweet revenge. Turns out the murderer of her fighting teacher goes to the local whore house regularily and asks for young girls who he then beats up. Arya is one of these girls. Except that she doesn't cry out when he hits her but instead brutally murders him, stabbing him repeatedly including in his eyes.

Then Arya goes back to the strange place where she learns to serve the Many Faced God where her master is disappointed in her because she killed the wrong man, then kills himself, just to come walking in again revealing that the person he killed apparently was someone else who wore his face. And then Arya goes blind. That was some really crazy shit!

Tyrion becomes Warden of Mereen



After the rebellion in the previous episode from which Danaerys flew riding her dragon, we find Tyrion, Sir Jorah and this handsome guy Danarys has sex with thinking about what to do left. Finally Sir Jorah and Mr. Handsome leave to look for Daenarys and Tyrion is left with the task to rule over Mereen during her absence.

Well they found the right guy. Tyrion has proven to be the most able and even kind of fair ruler so far. This little guy knows politics and he's smart and honestly don't we all  root for him to end up on the throne? Yes, he killed his father but he stood by his family long enough and I think that he truly wants the best for Westeros. Whatever that is.

Danaerys meets a Dothraki army



So Danaerys is stranded in a wasteland with her wounded dragon. When she wanders aroung, a huge group of men on horses, I'm guessing a Dothraki army, gallops towards her and then circles her in a wild and crazy horse dance kind of thing. I'm not sure if this is a good or a bad sign but honestly I couldn't care less about Danaerys anyway.

Jon Snow is murdered by his brothers



I have to admit that a couple of hours before I watched the episode last night I accidently read an interview with Kid Harrington who plays Jon Snow (and by accidently I mean that I couldn't resist). In this interview he said that Jon Snow is defintely dead and will definitely not come back. So Jon's death was no surprise to me. Actually I expected his death for a while now because of two reasons.

First, Kit Harrington cut his hair and I've read before that he's per contract forbidden to cut his hair as long as he plays Jon Snow. Second, Jon Snow was the last real hero of the show. He has always been one of the good guys, the type who is always trying to do the right thing and usually suceeds with it, and the good guys tend to die on Game of Thrones. I mean first Ed Stark, then Robb Stark and now Jon Snow. George R. R. Martin obviously gets tired of heroes really fast.

What I didn't expect was the way Jon Snow died. I always imagined him dying in battle, dying as the hero he always was. But of course this is not the style of Game of Thrones. In GOT characters die in the most shockin way possible. Ed Stark was beheaded by Joffrey. Robb was betrayed at his cousin's wedding and stabbed together with his mother and pregnant wife. And Jon Snow too was betrayed by his own family. The members of the Nights Watch (at least some of them) lured him into a trap and then stabbed him one after another. And he's definitely dead.

I liked Jon Snow a lot. Of course I did, not only because he is absolutely hot, but mostly because I have always been a supporter of the good guys. I'm into heroes. I'm a "Superman yay, Batman nay," type of girl. Well, it's my downfall with Game of Thrones. Now my favourite character who's still living is Jaime Lannister. That's how low my standards have sunk.

So R.I.P. Jon Snow and now it's more clear than ever that Winter Is definitely Coming hard.

Mittwoch, 10. Juni 2015

Last weekend I crashed a car. And I'm proud of myself.

Just to clarify: I am not proud of myself because I crashed a car. This was not a rebellion or a political statement of some kind. It was really nothing but stupid as hell.

I spent 4 days in another German city to take part in a book fair and hold an evening event. Two hours before the big show, I picked up the dancers and musicians at the train station and drove them to the location they were performing at. When I attempted to park, I crashed my bosses car right into a stone pillar. Yes, there were several people in the car who talked all at ones. There were suitcases piled up to the roof. I was stressed out. But most of all I was incredibly stupid and apparently at least partly blind.


You know what they say: When something bad happens, there are two options: Fight or Flight. My instinct told me to run away, move to Scandinavia and never talk to anyone from my company ever again. I wanted to leave it all behind so badly. But I was standing right in front of the concert hall where an event I had organised was taking place two hours later. This was my responsibility. A lot of people depended on wether I'll throw it all away right then and there or I'll be a grown up and keep on going.

I called my boss and explained her what happened. Then I parked the car in a parking garage. Fortunately it was still working and the damage was only cosmetical, but it was still a huge damage. After the car was parked and my boss informed, I called my boyfriend mumbling unintelligible sentences and crying for 5 minutes straigtht. He told me to calm down and keep going with the event preparation because there was no way I could fix the car. So I said "okay" about 15 times, got some napkins from a bakery, wiped my tears away and carried on.



I literally carried on. I carried a big box with hundred books (among them photography books which are heavy as hell) on a 15 minute walk from the parking garage to the event location. At least I tried to. After a couple of minutes, I was so desperate, I yelled at a guy walking in front of me and begged him to help me. He helped me because there are still some decent people in this world.

I build a selling table with my hundred books on it, changed my clothes, talked with the technician. I read several text passages during the show, accompagnied by a cello player. All my friends were there, even my Mum was there. And though all hell broke loose before the show, I can still say, that the show was a success.



So no, I am not proud of myself because I am apparently too stupid to drive. But I am proud of myself because I didn't follow my instinct and fled. I chose to fight instead. I went on going though I was freaking out inside. And this is the only reason I am still standing.

Dienstag, 2. Juni 2015

Ask people if they like what they're doing

On thrusday I'm off again to a different city to organize and hold a small bookfair and an evening event. The best thing about my job is that I meet a lot of people with fascinating jobs and glamorous lifestyles: professional dancers, musicians, authors, comedians. And I love talking to them and hearing about their extraordinary work lives.

But not everyone is a performing artist. Most people have less glamorous jobs. They're nursers or waiters or teachers or cashiers or cleaning personal or janitors or construction worker. Or maybe they're the people who change the posters on train stations when noone is watching (seriously, have you ever actually seen someone exchange the posters in public spaces? they just seem to change magically).

At the moment I am obsessed with jobs noone talks about, with duties that have to been done but noone really knows who does them. So whenever I meet a person with a job I don't know much about (which are really most jobs), I am excited.

When we meet someone knew, one of our first questions is probably: What do you do for a living? And when they tell us, we usually say something like: Oh that's interesting! Or, if it's not interesting, we say something lame like: Ah okay.

I have a friend who everytime someone tells her what they do for a living, she asks them, if they like it. And some people are so taken back by this question, that they need a moment to think about it. Because noone ever asks people if they like what they're doing. We either just assume they do or (and sadly this is often the case) we couldn't care less. Well, we should . By asking people if they like what they're doing, my friend challenges them to think about if they're happy where they are and about what they really want out of life. And I tell you, it totally blows people's minds.



So the next time a person tells you their job, ask them if they like it.

And also: Do you like what you're doing?