Sfouf is a lebanese cake that I like very much. This is my grandma's recipe:
Then you mix and you bake.
Next time I bake some Sfouf, I'm taking a picture of it to put here.
Yesterday is the day I created this website. I’m probably not going to work on it consistently, but, right as I’m writing this, it feels pretty empty. What you’re reading is therefore nothing more than forgettable filler. Why are you still reading?
These last few days, I’ve been watching the live-action Avatar The Last Airbender remake from Netflix. So far, is it good? Well, the dialogue can be really on-the-nose and unnecessarily prolonged, but I’m a fan of the extra lore and characterization as well as the mixing of different episodes from the original. Is it better than the animated series that aired almost 20 years ago?... probably not. But it’s not bad either.
I personally don’t like their interpretation of Aang. I find him rather obnoxious in this version: he’s always the one to explain to the audience (of mostly young adults revisiting their childhoods) the moral of the story. I also miss him goofing around, asking Katara to penguin slide with him.
The other characters are well-executed. And some aspects of the series diverge from the original in ways that are neither good, nor bad. For example, the excessive horniness in Soka’s romances... I’m sorry, but you must be blind if you couldn’t see the sexual tension between Soka and Suki in episode two’s “training” montage. I mean, the girl spent a whole ten seconds straddled on Soka crotch, panting like a dog and staring into his eyes. Don’t tell me!
Even in other moments, and with the northern-princess-whose-name-I-always-forget, the air is filled with (non-sexual-)teenage hormones. Some might get sick of it, and the awkwardness might put some people off, but I see it as cute. It reminds me of my own social and romantic failures and... [DEPRESSION INCOMING].
Anyways, what I’m talking about probably did exist in the original, and were blocked out by my innocent momeries, but I’m pretty sure it’s more exaggerated here.
But then there’s Zuko and his whole “capture the Avatar” thing. I can’t imagine what kind of psychotic person would seriously watch the series and not root for Zuko. As wrong as it feels to secretly wish for the kidnapping of a twelve year-old, it also feels...right? Not because it’s the moral thing to do but because Zuko is a lovable character. It’s like being a criminal’s mother. That, in itself tears the viewer apart. They love the Gaang and want the fire nation to fail, but they also love Zuko, Prince and Rightful Heir of the Fire Nation. Add to that our hatred of Zhao and, by association, the fire nation, and that leads to the one conclusion that makes sense: Zuko will switch sides, lest the viewer be irreparably disappointed. Someone has to win.
Also, I got pretty sentimental at the “Division 41” backstory.
Now, to my other point, the length. Series with long episodes aren’t essentially bad, but most don’t make good use of their allotted time, I feel. It’s not that bad with Avatar and I’ve definitely seen worse [traumatic flashbacks]. Listen, if they could cut down the length of the episodes by 15%, if only! I think it would force the writers to be more careful with the time they do have. While watching, I would literally fantasize about booting up the series in an editing software and cutting it down into smaller pieces.
All in all, the series is not bad. I’d even say it’s comparable to Avatar The Legend Of Kora (if you forget the headache-inducing love triangles in Kora), quality and enjoyment-wise. The first two episodes were bad, in my opinion, but after that, it picked up the pace and I started actually liking it.