Dedicated to my birthday!

Whenever anyone asks when my birthday is I always say, “Two days after Christmas.” It’s become tradition.

My dad’s family is coming over today! And a few of my best friends are coming tonight : ))). I cannot wait! I haven’t seen my friends in foreeeeeeever! My mom made two cakes (!), one for the family and one with Michael Jackson feet for friends. I’ll bring pictures soon, via my new camera!

I am currently listening to Susan Tedeschi’s most recent album Back to the River. I ended up giving it to my dad for Christmas. Here’s an excerpt from the song “People”:

People, People
Don’t you know you have a voice?
People, People
Don’t you know you have a choice?

TV screens and corrupt magazines,
Man on the radio
Says he knows what you need.
Planting seeds that just mislead
Can’t be taken back.
You watch them grow and then you’ll know
How much you’ve been lead.
Oh how can you say there’s nothing wrong,
when it’s gone on too long?

I have a soft spot in my soul for lyrics that raise social questions. Awareness is very important to me.

For Christmas this year I got possibly the best material gift I’ve ever received: The Official Michael Jackson Opus. It’s over 400 pages of pictures, words, tributes and memories. It weighs about 3,000 pounds and can only be touched with gloves (although it came with only one glove, for obvious reasons). It’s divine and heartwarming and what I needed this year. Thanks mom and dad.

I also received Ben Harper’s first album Welcome to the Cruel World. : ))))))))) Enough said.

Photo Credit: birthday muffin

As a kid, I used to love watching Christmas themed movies during the holiday season. Any movie that has a Christmas tree at some part of it or snow would be considered a Christmas movie. Since watching TV is something that I do only for the daily news or Glee or Gossip Girl recently, I didn’t catch that many movies on HBO or Star World.

Here’s just a few:

Alvin and the Chipmunks

Alvin and the Chipmunks

This one we watched twice just the other day. Two consecutive days, that is. For that, the hula hoop song has been humming like a bee in my head since Mom keeps on singing just that first line! LOL

The Holiday

The Holiday

Another fave even if it’s not the holiday season. Hihihi.. Jude Law is just haawt. Funny and sweet.

Jingle All the Way

Jingle All the Way

Arnold Schwarzenegger, action or comedy or governor. I dunno how many of his movies I’ve watched as a kid because of Dad.  :) Sweet family time movie. Turbo man!

Serendipity

Serendipity

Destiny and a lil bit of stupidity makes this so much fun to watch <3

So far, that’s it for these past few weeks. I have just been watching Sex and the City and other new movies. I miss watching old Christmas movies. I’m still trying to get a hold of Love Actually. Home Alone wasn’t aired on HBO this time around. I missed Fred Claus showing, too. Will see what’s up next for this week. A week more to go and it’s gonna be a new year. Wow. Just whoa.

It’s  Christmas day! And we have SNOW! Tons of it… I’m actually one heck of a snow hater, but I can deal on Christmas day. It’s kinda awesome. I couldn’t remember the last time we had a white Christmas in good ole MO.. But then a friend of mine, who’s a month younger than I am, posted a Facebook status saying she was excited about seeing her first white Christmas. I didn’t think it had been that long, but we moved here 8 years ago… so the last white Christmas I saw, was most likely in the last city we lived in! SO anywhooo… it’s been awhile! And today we’re getting a LOT. We’re actually under a blizzard warning right now. I’m sure the roads are covered. And we can’t see the grass anymore. I would go out in it to take pictures, if I wasn’t scared! haha.

The other day I was at my friend’s house, watching The Holiday (You know… the one with Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Cameron Diaz and Jude Law?). The story was set around Christmastime and Kate Winslet wished someone a “Happy Christmas”. Instantly, my best friend and I said “I HATE it when people say that”. Then she jinxed me… and even though I was supposed to stay silent until someone said my name… I didn’t. For some reason, (that I can only guess is due to the fact that I’ve grown up, hearing and saying “merry Christmas”), I hate it when British people say “Happy Christmas”. Although… If I wasn’t partial to either one in particular, using the term ‘happy’ as opposed to ‘merry’ sounds more American to me. And ‘merry’ just sounds more English-like. (over-clarification.. got it.)  Maybe that’s only me! Either way, when I hear “Happy Christmas” I always think of Harry Potter. Without fail. I saw this incredible time turner necklace, that someone posted a picture of on DailyBooth…. and I WANT it. It’s like this… http://www.noblecollection.com/catalog/product.cfm?id=NN7878&catID=0 Beautiful, huh?

Well… I’m gonna end this here post. I have books to read! I got The Last Song from my bestie and My Sister’s Keeper and Breaking Dawn from my parents! Also… I got some dvds, such as The Proposal and The Family Stone! And a huge coffee mug from my older sister to sip coffee and hot cocoa out of.. So. I have plenty to do today! (:

Don’t forget the reason for the season! (Yes, I find that term somewhat tacky, but I have no better way of putting it! I mean. Really. That pretty much says it.) Not just celebrating Jesus’ birth, but remembering the reason for Him coming.. ultimately being, to die on the cross and save us from our sinful selves/ways. His love for us is SO great. And it amazes me, every time I think of it.

Have a Merry Christmas, and keep warm! (:

Dedicated to the world.

I can’t lie, Wham! is a guilty pleasure of mine. I have their Make It Big album on cassette and love listening to it when I’m in the shower!

Here is Wham! bringing you Christmas joy 1984 style:

George Michael’s voice is a favorite of mine; It’s high and soft and angelic.

Let us not forget that today is the six-month anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death. I woke up around 1 a.m. this morning and couldn’t stop thinking about the joy he’s brought into my life. This day will not be in vain as many fan sites have been discussing.

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas day if you celebrate it! Otherwise, Happy Holidays!

I’ll probably be back later today to cover my day, but I wanted to start everyone off with Wham!

awesome! luv this film! sedikit merasa ada kesamaan dengan “Love Acctualy”.. belum tau apa script writter-nya sama?! bukan sama dengan arti mirip.. soul-nya sama. ato music director-nya yang sama?! entah lah… all i know, it’s awesome!

graham.. you are so… fatherly?! hahahaha… benar2 duda ditinggal mati yang menakjubkan! “i’m sewing and i have a cow in my backyard” hahahaha.. your two daughters, both of them are lovely..

hai Iris! “i know how’s your feeling”

two thumbs up for this film…

Vafalls! Inget GREMLINS i juletablån?? Här sitter jag och ska planera min film- och tv-rutt för den närmsta veckan, och vad finner jag? Jo, att juletraditionen ej skall komma att bibehållas. Den enda kanal som visar Gremlins är tyska RTL2, och det är högst osäket om jag har den. För övrigt är tyskar roliga. Man har lagt till bititeln “kleine Monster”, ifall någon skulle ha svårt att placera dessa tvetydiga varelser i rätt livsformskategori. Jaja, det blir till att rusa till videobutiken och hyra, alternativt – ve och fasa – ändra jultraditionerna.

Tack och lov går i alla fall både Ett päron till farsa firar jul och Fanny och Alexander. Min sambo, som är paniskt rädd för filmer över 90 minuter har (av förklarliga skäl) aldrig sett sistnämnda epos. Jag överväger att plåga honom igenom hela härligheten i jul, bara för saken skull.

För övrigt önskar jag att tv4-sporten hade uppesittarkväll varje dag fram till jul. Jag undrar när Patrick Ekwall gick från utskällt, stekaranklagat hatobjekt till glidig mediedarling? Han var hursomhelst fenomenalt rolig igår, precis som han alltid är på sin Twitter som jag rekommenderar å det varmaste. Kameramännen förstod att konstant återvända till en huvbeklädd Martin Mutumba som agerade dj/tomte/dj-tomte med ett konstant flin på läpparna, medan Ekwall och Lundh släppte missnöjd tävlande efter annan genom telefonslussen bara för att lotta ut ännu en skitful resväska och ytterligare oönskade innebandybiljetter till besvikna La Liga-pris-aspiranter. Bäst under kvällen? Det står mellan den hemgjorda julpriskalendern (ikeabokhylla, crepepapper och julgransglitter) och Ekwalls lila kavaj (som han för övrigt twittrade om innan sändning, och på så vis lät oss följa hans beslut beträffande sändningsklädsel all the way. Det är precis det här man ska ha Twitter till!).

Nä, nu har jag tamejfan julstök att ta tag i. God jul på er, och se för ALLT i världen inte The Holiday, hur starkt julemys-suget än blir. Ni kommer att kräkas upp ischokladen.

/E

Brokadkavajen var close runner up i kampen om julsändningen. Men till slut blev det den lila.

The Holiday, starring Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Eli Wallach, among others.  It’s interesting to see that Jack Black can be romantic and comical and serious — his game with the movie scores in the video store is fantastic.  I love Kate Winslet’s character, because I’ve been there: you keep going back to the person who is completely wrong for you, then one day you wake up and realize you’re better off without him, and you feel completely free — that moment when she cries out with joy and puts her hands up over her head in celebration, I know exactly how that feels.  At the same time, I can really identify with Cameron Diaz’s character, because she’s high-strung and organized to a fault just like me.  Then, of course, there is Jude Law, who manages to be disgustingly sexy even though he’s a completely typical guy who goes out and gets drunk and sleeps around — but at the same time he’s the completely endearing widower / single father.

I must say, though, my favorite aspect of this movie is Eli Wallach’s character, Arthur Abbott.  An adorable little old man who shuffles around on his own and reminisces about the old days when movies were made for the art of it, when acting was great, when actors were multi-talented, when the industry wasn’t so commercialized.  “This was some meet-cute!”  Ah, love it!

h

IT SEEMS THAT SKY & SNOW HAVE CONSPIRED together today to show off the newly restored and renovated east wall at St Michael’s Bramhall. My childhood dreams of Christmas holidays involved snow like we’ve seen in the last few days (with adult apologies to all those who can’t stand the stuff, and many of them with good reason). A favourite rom/com at this time of the year is The Holiday (Cameron Diaz, Jack Black, Kate Winslet and Jude Law) with its Christmassy romance, cottages, frost, snow, and fabulously haunting Ennio Morricone. So a few snaps and a touch of Morricone (courtesy of You Tube’s Audio Swap). Enjoy

IT SEEMS THAT SKY & SNOW HAVE CONSPIRED together today to show off the newly restored and renovated east wall at St Michael’s Bramhall. My childhood dreams of Christmas holidays involved snow like we’ve seen in the last few days (with adult apologies to all those who can’t stand the stuff, and many of them with good reason). A favourite rom/com at this time of the year is The Holiday  (Cameron Diaz, Jack Black, Kate Winslet, and Jude Law) with its Christmassy romance, cottages, frost snow, and fabulously haunting Ennio Morricone. So a few snaps and a touch of Morricone (courtesy of You Tube’s Audio Swap). Enjoy

Hát elég rég írtam, mert többeközt nem volt kedvem, de a tegnap esti film annyira tetszett, hogy rögtön tudtam ezt meg kell írnom, ez pedig nem más, mint a Holiday.

A filmet 2006-ban forgatták, rendezője, producere, forgatókönyvírója Nancy Meyers. A film 138 perces, ami elég hosszú, viszont én nem vártam, hogy vége legyen ennek a romantikus, könnyed filmnek. Szereplők:

• Cameron Diaz – Amanda Woods (annyira tetszik a mosolya)
  
• Kate Winslet – Iris Simpkins (igen végre egy olyan film amibe az egyik szereplőt úgy hívják ahogy engem )
• Jude Law – Graham Simpkins (most fedeztem fel, mennyire jól néz ki )
• Jack Black – Miles Dumont (eddig vígjátékokban láttam, de símán megállja a helyét itt is)
• Eli Wallach – Arthur Abbott (ahhoz képest milyen öreg jól játszik)
• Edward Burns – Ethan Ebbers (nem sokat játszik nincs mit hozzáfűzni)
• Rufus Sewell – Jasper Bloom (idegesítő személy a filmben )

Nagyjából ennyi róluk. A sztori:

Amanda egy filmelőzetes készítő Los Angelesben, Iris pedig egy szerkesztő Londonban. Mindketten a pasik miatt bánkódnak karácsony közelében. Amanda barátja, Ethan, megcsalta őt egy titkárnővel, Iris szerelme, Jasper, aki bár nem szerelmes belé, eljegyzi az egyik kolléganőjét, így mindketten egyedüllétre vágynak. Iris frappáns ötlete: felteszi a házát egy internetes oldalra, hátha akad valaki aki szeretne vele otthont cserélni egy kis időre,hisz úgyis ez a trendi. És ki talál rá? Persze, hogy Amanda, így már másnap repülőn ülnek és várják azt a helyet ami otthonukul fog szolgálni két héten keresztűl. Amanda nem ilyenre számított, ezért másnap délben vissza akar repülni L.A.-be. Így is tenne, ha éjjel nem állítana be részegen Iris bátyja, Graham, aki mellesleg nagyon megtetszik Amandának, így az éjszaka történik egy-két dolog Graham miatt Amanda nem utazik vissza és minnél több időt töltenek együtt annál jobban megkedveli, bár tudja, hogy a búcsúzás így sokkal fájdalmasabb lesz. Eközben Iris megismeri a szomszédban élő Arthur-t, aki mellesleg 90 éves és forgatókönyvíró volt Hollywood Aranykorában és Amanda egyik haverját, Miles-t, aki pont megfelel korban, jól is néz ki és még film-zeneszerző is, bár van barátnője. A férfimentes vakációból végül mindketten újból belebonyolódnak az érzelmek különös világába. Miles-t dobta a barátnője, így Iris-szel ketten vígasztalódnak, amikor beállít Jasper, hogy utazannak el ketten valahova messze. Grahamról kiderül, hogy van 2 lánya, Sophie és Olivia, Amanda meg akinek nincs gyereke fogalma sincs mit kezdjen egy ilyen helyzettel…

A folytatást rátok bízom remélem ennyi kedvet ad ahhoz, hogy egy unalmas délután megnézzétek

Kivel nézd meg?

• barát/barátnő – egy romantikus filmet kivel mással mint egy barátnővel? baráttal inkább nézzél akciót
  
• pasi/csaj – nemhinném, hogy pasiknak bejönne, de a csajoknak tuti
  
• anyu/apu – anyuval ha olyan viszonyban vagytok, mert ágyjelenet is van benne, apu viszont nemhinném hogy élvezné
• nagy baráti társaság – ha a nagy baráti társaságban nincsenek fiúk igen

Ennyi lenne majd még jelentkezem.

puszi, Irisz

It’s that time of year again and in only four days the jolly fat man himself will be sliding down chimneys everywhere and delivering presents to all those who have been good, or that have bribed him (this means you Calvin).

It’s a time for family, although in mine that’s not a huge deal, all we do is gather round and watch The Holiday and Love Actually. Funnily enough, they are two of my favourite movies.

For most countries in the world Christmas means snow, snowball fights, snow men, egg nog and ice skating. In Australia it means hot, dry weather, a cold beer (or just anything cold) and wearing nothing but boardshorts all day. Thankfully it’s looking like rain this year.

I’m not even close to being old yet, but some of the magic of Christmas already feels to have past. We slowly do less everywhere but that’s partly my fault for not bothering to help put up the Christmas tree. I do however have the joyous job of vacuuming afterwards. Nothing brings out Christmas Spirit like a spot of hoovering.

Don’t you just love being at the shops though, and seeing all the trees and tinsel? Or driving past someone’s house and seeing it all lit up? I just smile and think that’s going to be a lot of hard work taking down.

Of course though, it’s not just those things. It’s all the Christmas specials of shows like Drake and Josh (Drake Bell does the best Jingle Bells cover by the way) that make it a Merry old time, and the Christmas gimmicks everywhere you look, like the Santa hat in the Avatar Marketplace.

Having said I don’t feel Christmas as much anymore,I am still on a high leading up to the day until the New Year sucker punches you in the face, reminding you school’s around the corner, like when you wake up on a Monday. Next time I see Monday I’ll beat him up.

Get ready to rip into those presents and soak up all the good times this Christmas because it still is the most magical time of the year.

Merry Christmas everyone!

With less than a week until Christmas, my input on the subject of holiday films seems a little tardy, but because there is seldom an occasion in my household that isn’t celebrated in part with the viewing of a related movie (or two, or three, or… well, you get the idea), it seemed downright unnatural to neglect contributing my own list of Christmas favorites to the hoards of others floating around out there.

As I get older, I’m finding myself increasingly disenchanted with the commercialism, consumerism, and materialism associated with Christmastime, so this year I’m finding myself drawn to films associated with the holiday in more subtle ways or to those with deeper thematic content than that of some of the conventional Christmas favorites.  You may also notice my tendency toward the sappy here, and I apologize.  Christmas makes me sentimental.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

10.  Love Actually

© Universal Pictures

I’ll just come right out and say it.  I’m a sucker for romance during the holidays, and on top of that, I can’t resist an all or at least mostly British cast.  If you’re particular about your romantic comedies (as I tend to be), this one could be for you.  It follows the love lives of eight very different loosely interrelated couples during the month before Christmas, so it has a little bit of something for everyone.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

9. Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas

The Jim Henson Company

IT guy introduced me to this enchanting product of Jim Henson’s imagination five years ago during our first Christmas together.  It’s a musical muppet spin on the “Gift of the Magi” story and includes some catchy bluegrass tunes.  I always catch myself singing along when Emmet’s jugband practices the song “Barbeque”.   The original TV special was narrated by Kermit the Frog, but good luck tracking down a reasonably priced copy.  We settled for the cheaper version, sans Kermit.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

8.  Home Alone

What can I say?  I’m like George Castanza.  The old man gets to me.  This was the first Christmas movie I saw in the theater, and my dad almost forced us to leave because he thought it was too violent.  Who doesn’t love watching Macaulay Culkin in all his badass kid-ness beat down Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern?  But I also love the spiritual undertones and the emphasis on the importance of family, forgiveness, and never judging others.  Seriously though.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

© Disney

7. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

Ok, so I know this isn’t technically a Christmas movie, but the majority of it is set in a land where it is perpetually winter and Father Christmas does make an appearance.  Oh, and in case that doesn’t qualify it, it’s also chocked full off biblical metaphor.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the 1966 version) 

Dr. Suess had a knack for tackling adult themes with children’s literature, and this book-turned-made-for-TV-movie is a great example.  Those blasted Whos never fail to bring me to tears when they hold hands in a loving circle at the end and sing “Welcome Christmas” as the Grinch dangles all of their earthly possessions treacherously from the peak of Mount Crumpet.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

© Columbia Pictures

5.  The Holiday

Friends dragged me unwillingly to this movie two years ago for a girl’s night out, and to my intense surprise, I loved it. Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) find themselves alone and lovelorn at Christmastime, so when they meet online at a home exchange website, the two impulsively agree to switch homes for the holiday.  As they adjust to the extreme change in lifestyle (Amanda moves into Iris’s rustic cottage on the snow-covered English countryside, and Iris moves into Amanda’s mansion in sunny L.A.), they meet and fall for a couple of local guys.  It’s a feel-good seasonal romance with a couple of interesting subplots, and Jude Law is completely irresistible as Cameron Diaz’s love interest.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

4.  The Muppet Christmas Carol

Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf, Fozzie Bear, and company bring the characters from this Dickens classic to life in a way only the Muppets can in my favorite film version of A Christmas Carol.  I especially love Michael Caine as Scrooge and Gonzo’s narration (with help from Rizzo the Rat), some of which is taken directly from the actual book.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. The Small One

This obscure 1978 animated Disney Christmas short is a highly underrated little gem about a Judean boy who is forced to sell the old donkey he loves because his father can’t afford to keep him.  The boy struggles to find someone who will care for the donkey (“Small One”) as he does, and just as things begin to look bleak, a kind and mysterious man buys the gentle donkey to carry his pregnant wife to Bethlehem.  The implications are pretty obvious.  Fictional, yes, but charming and poignant.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

2.  It’s a Wonderful Life

I know a lot of people think of this one as the quintessential Christmas movie, so I guess it may seem a little trite to list it as a pick, but I love Jimmy Stewart and the character of George Bailey.  There is something universal about this story -  about investing in people over time and hitting those dark periods and being broken and rediscovering the most important things in life – that makes this movie a classic.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

1.  A Charlie Brown Christmas

This short and sweet 1965 classic was one of my favorites as a kid, but as I settle into my late twenties, it means more to me now than it did back then.  Watching the annual television airing this year, I realized how much I relate to Charlie Brown’s plight.  It’s hard not to get a little down during the Christmas season.  The general pace of life seems to pick up, our schedules fill up, and it’s rare to find moments in which we are able to reflect on the reason for all of the chaos with the people we love.  Like Charlie Brown, sometimes I just need Linus to remind me what Christmas is all about, purely and simply.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

*Honorable Mention – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

I feel  it’s necessary to include this one because… 1- It’s kind of hilarious, 2- IT guy made me, and 3-  I know I have faithful readers who will appreciate it.

Well peeps, the Patio Sale was a success! All in all, we made $677!! Not bad, ay? That should pay for a few Christmas presents…

But I am EXHAUSTED!! Geeeeeeezzzzzz…

Last night it was blowin’ a GALE, and I was so worried it’d still be kickin’ this morning, but luckily for us, when we got up at friggin’ 5am, the wind was much calmer. So, like I said: 5am, we were out in my driveway unfolding tables and setting up all the crap we had to sell. Benji’s mum sent a couple boxes of kids/tweens/teens clothes that didn’t sell at her shop in Spanish Wells, and so we sold a lot of those as well. Actually, if we didn’t have that stuff, our Patio Sale might have been kinda sparse.

Apparently most people that frequent these sales are looking for kitchen goods and we didn’t really have any. Despite the signs saying the sale didn’t start til 7am, our first customer showed up at 6.20am as we were hanging the last of the signs around my neighbourhood! Bahamians! I swear…

Anyway, we wrapped things up about 10.30am cuz I was just so tired, no food in my belly, or caffeine in my blood, and it was starting to get HOT! (yes, people, it IS still hot in The Bahamas, in December) Ha, in the end, we had a table left of books and puzzles, a full set of encyclopoedias and other crap that didn’t sell, and the last 2 ladies (with a car full of tiefin’ kids-I’m certain they stole 4 PS2 games, took them out the cases!!! Sneaky bastards…but I digress) Back to the 2 ladies, they had $5 left, and we had this table full of unsellable garbage, so we were like, take the whole table for $5. Can’t beat that. It was a real relief to me, cuz I did not want to deal with disposing of all that rubbish. Win-win.

So now I’ve had me a cuppa tea, a grilled cheese, and I’m about to doze off while I watch The Holiday on TBS. Sounds like a pretty successful Saturday if you ask me….

The Holiday -- one of my favourite Christmas movies

We are each the love of someone’s life — Andrew Sean Greer, from “The Confessions of Max Tivoli”

Virginia Woolf

No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself – Virginia Woolf (via Shawna) 

BAAAAAAAAA!

The heart set to do the Father’s will need never fear defeat. His promises of guidance may be fully counted upon. Does it make sense to believe that the Shepherd would care less about getting His sheep where He wants to go than they are about getting there? — Elisabeth Elliot (via Diane) 

This picture has nothing to do with the following quote; I'm just in love with it!

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things only hoped for – Epicurus 

This week is a breakthrough of sorts, for me. I had a conversation that finally eased some guilt and created closure from my last relationship. I felt free when I woke up on Saturday, and it was a great feeling.

I finished my last semester of undergrad with good grades. I was social three nights in a row (and it wasn’t even painful). I also, and I know this will sound unbelievable, but I plucked my own eyebrows. for the first time. Yeah, yeah, you can snicker.

But do you want to know why I plucked those eyebrows? Because on Friday, I have to be a family-friendly-version of a vixen. for the office Christmas party. The idea is to play with the idea of the reindeer names. Dasher, for example, is a little boy dressed in the Incredibles uniform who runs into the room. Antlers and a jingle-bell necklace are a required part of the costume.

The purple boa is for my costume only, if you can picture that.

The problem is that I am a shy, cute girl. In other words, vixen I am not. I am Iris from The Holiday, but I am not yet to the point where I am “knockout” at the end of the movie (or to the point where I have an adorable Jack Black asking me out on a date).

Except, Kate Winslet is always gorgeous. But you get the point.

When I think of a woman that is sexy, seductive, basically the epitome of vixen, well, I think of the six women in the picture up there. Gorgeous hair, lovely figure, clear face, and perfect makeup. Definitely not me. I don’t even wear makeup most of the time and I have a lot of work ahead of me to make that lovely figure happen.

But, today I made a decision. I am going to wear my pretty red dress (empire waist does wonders to create a great shape) and maybe learn to walk in heels. I’ll do my hair (straight or curly, who knows?) and get up early enough to put on some makeup. Maybe I can fool myself into thinking that I am like one of those women who gets called beautiful for a few hours.

Either way, I am going to walk with a spring in my step and remember that, like Iris, it is time to get some gumption.

Advice for the week: have a sit down with Lisa Hannigan and a glass of tea with cream and sugar.

You’ve all had that evening of disappointment where your guy is enjoying the chick-flick you’ve picked out as much as he likes hanging outside the dressing room in New Look. He’s already had several attempts to get Bruce Willis back in the selection before you put you use your puppy dog eyes to get your way and then he resents you for it. To avoid the conflict and allow him to enjoy the DVD, some tips:

• Try flicks with realism. NOT the Hollywood romance that couldn’t be replicated in anything less than a perfect world. If the women wake up with full make-up and kiss the guy next to her, then forget it – Hollywood has proper spooned it.

• Movies that use sentiment sparingly – not beat us over the head with it, we need it in doses.
• It has to not depress us and make us feel like we need a beer to feel better about life.

So here’s three movies that we masculine men will either secretly or openly actually enjoy.

Dan in Real Life

Dan is a middle aged widower with three young daughters who writes a life advice column for a paper. The loveable protagonist finds himself challenged by his own advice when a woman named Annie coasts into his life in this beautifully fated story. The script, the acting and the rich characters make each minute of film a delight to watch. His three daughters very nearly steal the show, with enough relatable teenage angst to make you sympathise with Dan’s predicaments as a father.

I find Carrel funny when he’s just standing still, but there are moments of comedy genius in this movie. And while there are few laugh out loud moments, the subtle and well timed casual humour make you smile throughout, leaving you on a high that you will be sure to reflect on afterwards.

Steve Carrel may be typecast as a purely comical actor. This little film just snuck below the radar of the public sphere and denied many of us the pleasure of Steve Carrel’s most impressive and layered role yet. It’s that underdog that just didn’t quite get the success it deserved and should please the most hard-heartened of males.

Checklist: Realism? – absolutely        Emotion? – in prefect doses.        Depressing? – Not at all,  but moving

The Notebook

Even by its cover, The Notebook doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is; an intense and empowering love story. The characters Noah and Elly played by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams display some of the most realistic and actually quite beautiful on-screen chemistry to date. The reason it works is because, true to life, nothing is perfect. The complications and character flaws that ruin relationships are all here, showing that if you really want someone, you fight for them right where you stand. There are certain scenes that captivate your entire attention and basically, you become putty in the hands of the director. The direction, screenplay, script and ultimately the acting is second to none. The phrase has been used as to whether a guy has been ‘notebooked’ by his girl. Let her. It’s worth seeing past the sterotype of a love drama to witness the best romance since Juliet shouted from the balcony.

Checklist: Realism? – right up there, yes.        Emotion? – heavy but the good kind.        Depressing? – No, but you’ll cry

The Holiday

This feels like a strange choice, but I really wanted a Christmas movie in here. And while this movie fails to tick the realism box, it’s designed for comfort and ease. If you’re not feeling like being overly emotional, The Holiday plays that happy medium of an enjoyable but light romantic comedy.

The story is of four people whose lives cross over in a random sequence of events, allowing fate to offer them something unexpected and new over Christmas. Jack Black is a welcome asset to the cast who helps ground the movie seen as everyone else looks like they’re fresh off a catwalk. There are plenty of funny moments and the occasional moment where you may find a tear in your eye.

We’ll forgive its predictable ending, everyone loves a happy ending at Christmas.

Checklist: Realism? – uhhhh, no, but it works.        Emotion? – the light and enjoyable type.        Depressing? – in no way, shape or form

Dedicated to my Dad.

Today is my Dad’s birthday, and for the first time in 19 years, I won’t be able to see him. Grrrrr…finals…

Last Christmas with the girls

When I think of the music Dad likes, three subjects come to mind: U2’s Joshua Tree, the blues, and “Danny’s Song” by Loggins and Messina.

Joshua Tree is not only my father’s favorite album, but also our family anthem. Each time we travel by car, my mom automatically puts the album into the CD lineup.

It’s never questioned as we all sing each lyric word for word. I’m not sure how this became our family’s favorite, but I can’t remember a time when we didn’t listen to it in the car. Both my parents, and my sister and I have unique tastes in music. However, this album never fails to create a bond.

(My sister’s friends and my friends can tell you how Dad will sing and dance to this album on the way to the beach. It’s like he comes alive during that 50 minutes of music.)

He’s never had the greatest singing voice or rhythm, but I can’t hold back a smile whenever I hear and see him in his element.

Dad has always been very in tune with the blues. Some genres just touch people.

Whenever my parents come to Memphis, we make a tradition of going to Beale St. Both of my parents love the raw music created there, and truthfully, I do too. I never experienced it much when I was here for school, but it is captivating and I will miss it dearly.

My parents and I went to the Beale St. Festival last May. Dad and I agreed that Susan Tedeschi was our favorite show, but I remember him going back to the “blues tent” a few times on his own, just to sit and enjoy.

I think he feels at home in the blues.

“Danny’s Song” is a story about Kenny Loggins’ brother, who became a father at a young age during college. It does not directly relate to my father in any way.

We listened to this song in the car one time, just he and I. He started singing almost word for word. Being surprised by someone’s song knowledge is almost breathtaking. I love finding that bridge between people.

I always associate that song with Dad whenever I hear it, solely because of that one moment.

Have a great birthday, Dad!!!! I’ll see you in a week.

P.S. Today is also Jermaine Jackson’s birthday!!!!!! Happy Birthday, brother!

Photo Credit: U2,The Blues, Danny’s Song

I remember when I saw the trailer of this movie, I was curious to watch it. So when I found out that my colleague has it, I grab the opportunity.

Between the story of Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz, I like the former . I like Kate ‘s acting, especially when she arrived in the house of Cameron in L.A.( not sure). That’s the first time that I can feel excitement of a character over something. She’s really cute and realistic.

I also like the presentation of her story and her love life there, though I don’t like the actor. Her character has heartwarming appeal.

On the other hand, on cameron’s affair with Jude Law’s character that’s also cool. though I’m not satisfied with her portrayal.  Some of my friends have crush on Jude Law but for me, he’s manly, that’s all.

Cheer up for The Holiday! I was entertained while watching it.

Breathe In – Frou Frou

watched a bit of The Holiday last night…heard frou frou and imogen heap and it got me in the mood to listen to her music.  for some reason, my blog title is one of my favorite lines. have this thing with songs that talk about breathing.

anyways, monday monday. today seems to be complicated and my head is elsewhere (along with amanda’s …we shared lots today).

my phone died a bit ago. sad day. i feel untethered without it.

my side thought seems to being going better than i thought it would. we’ll see tho. haven’t pushed it too far yet.

my dvd player is sitting on my desk. and now on my floor. =D

very much of what i expect is dictated by what society expects and conditions us to expect. i forget that and then something randomly reminds me. this is mainly in terms of gender biases/”expectations.”

i love not having homework. but i miss the classes, professors, and learning.

one of the journals janel gave me is a book of lists. specifically Love Listology: Your Love Life in Lists. it’s awesome and fun. it has everything from “People You’ve Kissed” to “Your Favorite Positions” to “Weirdest Places You’ve Had Sex” to “Mix Tape Songs” to “Pet Names You Call Your Lover” to “Honeymoon Destination” to “Favorite Romantic Movies” to “Worst Dates” and everything betwixt and between.

i have a strange oppositional affinity to christmas music  until fairly close to christmas.

“To write well, write what you know.” but what if you don’t know anything worthwhile?

to what extent does high school foster many days of regret or arrogance?

i told brianna that my favorite holiday movie was the holiday…but really its love actually.

FLIPPIN’ COLD. -5 degrees when frankie biked to work. i’m only a penguin at heart, mother nature. warm your ass up!

this makes me happy! =]

eva out. ;]

]]> http://fittoindulge.com/2009/12/07/weekend-recap/ Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:43:48 +0000 fittoindulge http://fittoindulge.com/2009/12/07/weekend-recap/

This weekend has been a lot of studying. I’ve pretty much been homebound since Friday night. I haven’t even taken a break to  peruse the aisles at Whole Foods. So tomorrow after my food science final I am definitely making a market trip! Meals have been pretty standard: oatmeal, apples, and salads. I’m going through an apple-cranberry butter phase. My breakfast looked like a BP+J mess both yesterday and today. And this morning I had a a flash of anxiety when I was out of ground coffee. My brother was so sweet that when he came for Thanksgiving he brought me two big bags of coffee from Starbucks (where he works). I didn’t realize until this morning when I went to open the bag that they were beans, and I don’t have a grinder. So, desperate times call for desperate measures. I pulled out the good old Magic Bullet. To my surprise the Bullet did an awesome job of grinding coffee beans. However I didn’t want to push it. I just ground enough for today and took the rest of the bag with me to Starbucks later. I spent several hours in a study group there today. Had I known I would be there so long I would have packed a lunch. But just ask me anything about emulsifiers, gluten, eggs, milk, meat. Food science knowledge is pouring out of me.

Before blended

Blended

1/2 cup oats
3/4 cup water
1T vanilla creamer
spoonful of apple-cranberry butter
spoonful of almond butter
apple and banana slices

I went for a nice 8-miler down by the Puget Sound yesterday afternoon.. admiring the bright sunshine that was gleaming off the water the whole way. Afterwards  me and Sara drove up to the Magnolia bluff and took some sunset photos. Absolutely beautiful.

Theeeeen it was time for arts and crafts!! We ran up to Target and got all the stocking necessities, came home to personalized them and hung them on the mantel. It just makes our little home that much cozier. We also watched another Christmasy movie with the fire on, all snuggled up under blankets on the couch. The Holiday. It’s a cute movie, but I can’t say I’d like it as much if it weren’t for Jude Law. He’s easy on the eyes, but also such a good guy in The Holiday.. widower, great dad to two little girls, totally smitten with Cameron Diaz. All qualities that definitely make a man more attractive.

Last night’s salad: a bed of arugula with pesto chicken, onions, sauteed mushrooms (in wine of course), tomatoes, olives, raisins, walnuts and olive oil. More or less a ‘kitchen sink’ salad. I used up the last of all I could find in the fridge.

Tonight’s salad was a bit more simple. Again, a bed of arugula, salt and pepper, olive oil, topped with mahi mahi. It was fabulous. I forgot how tender and flaky mahi mahi is. So delicious. I also had a plate of sweet potato fries while throwing together my salad. I ate them all before I could take a picture. Yum. Homemade are the best! Just slice a sweet potato into matchsticks, drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and broil on a cookie sheet for about 12 minutes.

Now I should get back to studying. Between my study sesh at Starbucks and preparing the above meal I did squeeze in a 6 mile run at the gym while watching the second half of the Seahawks game (and weight training). Sometimes I love having a tv while I run. I mean, talk about killing two birds with one stone. I would never have allowed myself to run and watch football today if I had to choose. What a treat. It was also a treat that my beloved Seahawks won today! Yahoo.. now I’m getting updates on NFL.com on how my other beloved team is doing, the Vikings. If I turn the game on there is no way I’m getting anything else done tonight, but I can be somewhat productive while still following the online play by play. Go Adrian Peterson!!

Sunday night snack: Fuji apple w/almond butter

I hope everyone is enjoying the end of thier weekend. Buona notte.

I understand feeling as small and as insignificant as humanly possible. And how it can actually ache in places you didn’t know you had inside you. And it doesn’t matter how many new haircuts you get, or gyms you join, or how many glasses of chardonnay you drink with your girlfriends… you still go to bed every night going over every detail and wonder what you did wrong or how you could have misunderstood. And how in the hell for that brief moment you could think that you were that happy. And sometimes you can even convince yourself that he’ll see the light and show up at your door. And after all that, however long all that may be, you’ll go somewhere new. And you’ll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again. And little pieces of your soul will finally come back. And all that fuzzy stuff, those years of your life that you wasted, that will eventually begin to fade – Iris (Kate Winslet), The Holiday

At first this seems like an extremely simple question: chartered flights are obviously more expensive than normal scheduled flights. Most people get scheduled flights, why would you do anything else?

However, while this is obviously the case if you were to charter a flight yourself, in actual fact chartered flights are often chartered by holiday companies making them considerably cheaper. These flights have published schedules but the tickets cannot be purchased independently; they must be bpught direct from the holiday company itself. These chartered flights are the reason that holiday companies are able to provide such extremely cheap holidays.

What is a chartered flight? Flight charting is done by every airline and is required by airports before any aircraft can be given permission for takeoff. It basically refers to course plotting for the plane including scheduled take-off and landing times as well as the flight route. Many of the major well-known airlines charter their flights independently and publish schedules months or years ahead of time. Such companies are scheduled airlines. A chartered airline is an airline that specifically caters to individual customers and charters a flight for them. Such companies do charter flights for the rich and can cost a small fortune for a single flight, but this is not all that they do. By far the more common occupation for chartered airlines is chartering flights for large holiday companies. These companies charter much larger planes far further in advance, on a much more regular schedule. As such the flights chartered by holiday companies often appear similar to scheduled flights but with one important difference: the airline has no ability to sell individual tickets, the holiday company already owns all the seats on the flight.

Why choose chartered flights? The economics of the holiday chartered flight are actually fairly simple – at certain time of the year the demand for flights to key holiday destinations is much higher. This demand is amplified if the holiday company can assemble a package with a resort for cheap accommodation. It results in an ongoing cycle: the holiday company charters many flights and provides cheap accommodation at a resort; prices thus drop because of the enormous bulk purchases, and then demand rises further. In order for it to work every seat on the flight has to be taken. Scheduled flights usually cost more because they are compensating for the inevitable shortage of customers. Holiday companies can match demand and thus provide extremely cheap flights.

The benefits of the chartered flight are thus easy to see; while it at first appears that chartered flights may be more expensive, in reality they often work out to be considerably cheaper than anything a scheduled flight can offer. When you combine this with the cheap resort accommodation it equals extremely low prices for an extremely relaxing and easily organized holiday.

image credit

I finally watched A Christmas Story the whole way through and I loved it. I wanted to be a little kid again and laughed at the many funny parts in the movie from Ralphie saying the queen mother of dirty words (**fudge**) to the lamp in the shape of  a woman’s leg and to “I triple dog dare you…”

This is such a family movie and brings back my childhood memories of Christmas. I am just getting into Christmas and hope to take some pictures here in NY of Rockafeller Plaza with the tree before I head home. Oh yeah, Christmas sort of came early for me because I purchased an (Product) Red iPod Nano and I just love it. I will try and post a review of it soon.

Back to films…I am on to my next movie…The Holiday and this is a movie I watch throughout the year and cannot get enough. I mean Jude Law–need I say more?