Monday, August 29, 2011

Movie Monday

It has become a weekly tradition for Tim and I to make the short drive over to the shopping center each Tuesday (better known as Cheap Tuesdays) and rent movies and order pizza.  Given that the movies are discounted to $2 each on Tuesdays, even the new releases, we always end up with more movies than it is probably healthy to watch in one week.  At any rate, here are some reviews of the movies that we watched this past week.  I will give each one a rating out of 10 and write a short blurb about what I thought of it (except for the first one because it was just too ridiculous to keep the review short).  I know very, very little about film so don't be surprised if these reviews are a little less than professional.

1. Red Riding Hood  (4/10)


This movie was so bad that it was actually kind of funny.  Don't get me wrong, it had its entertaining aspects.  And for $2 (of Tim's money) I don't really feel like I was cheated out of too much time or money.  The movie had plenty of beautiful imagery from the weird spiky trees to the neat little wooden houses.  It also seemed to be always snowing in this movie but nobody seemed to feel it since they all wore short sleeves anyways.  There was little to no character development in the movie.  There were two leading men, both equally hot: the dark, mysterious, poverty stricken woodcutter, Peter, who was Valerie's not-so-secret childhood love and the rich blonde blacksmith, Henry, who Valerie was engaged to by choice of her parents.  Why being a blacksmith made Henry so rich, I will never understand.  It was obvious that, as the viewer, I was supposed to be rooting for Peter for the simple fact that he was the poor one.  But he seemed to dwell on his poverty way too much and instead of seeming sad and haunted, he mostly just came off as a total asshole.  Sweet, caring, wealthy Henry, on the other hand, seemed like a much better choice despite the fact that he really needed to grow a pair.  Here is a list of some of the many things about this movie that I found stupid:


1.  Both Henry and Peter got stabbed pretty thoroughly at some point during the movie.  I guess these guys have special healing powers that they forgot to mention because after about 5 seconds of laying on the ground, they were both able to hop right back up and continue their vendetta against the werewolf.


2.  The scene where Valerie had a dream about her grandmother pretty much just made me go WTF.  The producers managed to shove in the whole "what big teeth you have" bit without it making any sense in the context of the movie whatsoever.


3.  The whole thing about the dad being the werewolf and wanting his daughters to run away with him was just stupid.  It was a very badly thrown together justification for slaughtering a village and a very unsatisfying conclusion to the movie.


The movie did manage to keep me guessing about the identity of the werewolf but only because it deliberately pointed fingers at every other character in the movie except the one that it actually was.  In conclusion, if you are bored and have nothing better to do, then watch this movie.  It will give you some pretty scenery, a few laughs, and lots of WTFs.



2. Paul (6/10)

This movie was pretty cute and moderately funny.  The characters were very likable, especially Paul the alien.  The plot was a bit cliche but I'm pretty sure this was deliberate.  Kristen Wiig, as always, was a comical genius.  I think that, without her, the film would have been a little lackluster.  Overall, I think that Paul is worth watching on a rainy day if you don't have much else to do, but I wouldn't really consider it a must-see.


3. Megamind (8/10)

Megamind was a clever twist on the classic tale of good and evil.  I thought that the development of the main characters was quite well done.  The movie was witty, entertaining, and very well-animated.  The plot was well-paced if a little predictable.  If you are a fan of animated movies and enjoyed Up, then you should definitely check this one out.

4. Horrible Bosses (7/10)

This movie was a fun and light-hearted comedy.  Jennifer Anniston was great as the sex-crazed dentist.  The plot was pretty far-fetched but the movie flowed pretty smoothly from one scene to the next.  I thought the movie was well-cast and had some unexpected twists.  My favorite scenes were the ones involving "Motherfucker" Jones played by Jamie Foxx.  It was not particularly intelligent and certainly won't win any awards, but it's definitely funny, and a must-see for fans of comedies like The Hangover and American Pie.



Well, that's all for now.  I hope you liked my movie reviews!  I will try to post more each week.  Take a moment to tell me about some good movies that you have seen lately.

Cheers,

Amanda

Thursday, August 25, 2011

10 Things I Love #1

Hey everyone!


It's another dreary sort of cloudy day here in Sippy Downs.  I've been wanting to go on a photography adventure around the neighborhood and the university, but the weather has been so yucky lately that I haven't been able to.  I want to be able to capture the beauty of the area on a sunny day so I guess I will wait.  So in lieu of a photography adventure post, I will leave you all with this: my very first "things I love" post.  I know, I know, it seems like every blogger does these things.  They do.  So I thought I would jump on the "things I love" bandwagon too.  Enjoy!


1. Passionfruits:



They look kinda gross right?  That's what I thought too.  The first time I saw an open passionfruit was in a brekky buffet on Daydream island during spring break last year.  Of course I opened my big mouth right away and shouted "eeewww it looks like puke!"  I think I deeply offended an Australian lady who was standing in line behind me.  As soon as I tasted one, however, I instantly fell in love.  You eat the seeds just like you would a pomegranate, except passionfruits a a little bit juicier so you end up kinda slurping it all down instead of chewing the seeds individually.  They are sweet and tart and an essential part of my daily breakfast. Australians use them in all kinds of things: yogurt, ice cream, baked goods, etc.  I think soon I will try making a passionfruit cheesecake like this one:




2. Accordion pleats:






As soon as I saw this outfit post on Coury's blog, Fancy Treehouse, I fell in love with accordion pleats.  Just look at it.  I also love this dress.  Accordion pleats are one of those retro vintage things that is still so wearable today.






3. The Eumundi markets:  



Australia has so many markets, it's unbelievable.  My favorite ones so far have been the Eumundi market and the Brisbane markets (I don't know the name of the exact location of the market I went to in Brisbane).  They sell a little bit of everything at these markets but my favorite things are the handmade soaps, original artwork, and the fresh local produce.  I can't show you any of the pictures that I took at the Eumundi market last year because my external hard drive has eaten them.  I am going to try to convince Tim to take me this Saturday so maybe I will have some new pictures to show you soon.


4. Tea



That's right, I love tea.  I love red tea, green tea, black tea, white tea, flowering tea, loose leaf tea.  I love tea pots, tea cups, tea cozies, tea kettles.  I love tea with milk, tea with sugar, tea with honey.  I even love the dainty little foods that fancy people serve with tea.  I have a cup of Australian black tea with milk and sugar every morning with brekky.  My mom recently gave me a gorgeous little tea pot with my initials on it that she brought back from China.  Sadly, I couldn't bring it with my to Australia.  I miss my pretty little tea pot.  On the upside, we have a tea kettle that makes boiling water in a matter of seconds.  What an amazing invention!

5. This slideshow of fall's new nail colors







Although I rarely ever paint my finger nails due to the fact that I always mess it up am too impatient to let it dry before touching things and then I paint over the mess ups and end up with nail polish half an inch thick that peels off within 2 days, I love this fall's new nail colors (phew, that was a long sentence).  Maybe I will just stick to painting my toe nail


6. A good heavy rain shower:






There is just something so comforting about the sound of heavy rain.


7. This bedroom look by Anthropologie:




















8. This photo






Source


9. Funny cat videos






I love cats and their crazy antics.  Watching videos like this cheers me up instantly when I'm feeling down.  Sometimes they make me laugh til I cry.  Is that weird?


10. Vintage dirndl dresses





Cute right?

Well, that's all folks.  Let me know what you think about my first "things I love" post!  I'm off for a jog.

Cheers,

Amanda!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Oz Adventures: Biker Babe

G'day everyone!


It's Amanda here, with my very first post full of awesome photos of beautiful Australia.  Despite my dad's many warnings against it, I have been taking frequent rides with Tim on his blue Kawasaki Ninja.  It really is the best way to tour the coast.  Sitting on the back of a bike with my arms around my man and the wind rushing past is really one of the most invigorating feelings.  And without further ado, here are some photos from two of our recent motorcycling adventures:








The above photos were taken during one of our very first moto-adventures.  We drove through the beautiful, hilly hinterland, through Maleny and Mapleton.  We made a short stop in the third M-town of Montville. Montville is such a cute little town with one main street which is lined with lots of boutiques and cafes. We stopped in at our favorite candy store, Candy Addictions, and bought a pack of the off-cuts, which are all crazy shapes and unpredictable flavors... yum!  Check out the super cute Candy Addictions website.  Also, check out my awesome shoes.  They are vintage mocs from the '70s and I love them!



This next set of photos was taken at the very beautiful Coolum Beach.  We just stopped at a little lookout area off to the side of the road to take in the view.  It was just before sunset, and the light was really perfect for photos.  The ride back home was pretty cold though... it is winter here, after all, even if it isn't 'real' winter.








Tim climbed up on the railing and wouldn't get down until I took a picture of him.






I know that one was a bit picture heavy, but I haven't posted any pictures on here since arriving in Australia so I think it's ok.  

Anyways, that's all for now.

Cheers,

Amanda



A New Goal

Ever since I was a little girl, I always wanted to have long hair like the princesses in the movies.  Unfortunately, for most of my life (since my mom stopped giving me bowl cuts and let me choose my own hair styles) I have been far too impatient to let my hair get very long before getting bored of the style and having it all cut off.  This year, however, I have decided to really dedicate myself to growing myself a head of long, soft dream hair.  I'm a little over six inches from my final desired length (right at the boob).  Naturally, I turned to the internet for guidance and re-discovered this very helpful website.  The long-locks site is full of wonderful tips for ladies who want to grow their very own Rapunzel hair.  


Here are a couple of my favorite hair-care products that I have discovered to work well for my hair:


John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Shine Release Moisturizing shampoo and conditioner:


 

Redken Outshine Anti-Frizz Polishing Milk

I am also ordering a Turbie Twist and a wide-toothed comb as recommended by the Long-Locks site.  I am on the lookout for a good, inexpensive deep conditioning treatment.  Eventually, I might invest in a silk pillowcase, which is supposedly gentler on the hair and the face.  If you have any tips or recommended products for wavy hair, please let me know.  I can't wait to have my dream hair!

Cheers,

Amanda

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

New Playlist!

I know it has been a long time coming, but I finally have a new playlist up.  There is no theme here at all, these are just a bunch of songs that I happen to like.  Please let me know what you think, and if you like my music choices, please suggest some bands for me to check out!


Ciao for now,


Amanda

I'm Back!!!

Hi everyone!


After over two weeks of waiting, my computer is finally back and repaired.  For those of you who don't know, I have a Lenovo Thinkpad T410.  It was definitely not the computer I wanted but It was a gift from my mom this past Christmas, so I guess I can't really complain.  Right away, my brand new, very expensive computer started having way too many problems.  The screen would flicker like crazy and turn lots of colors.  I did try to tell her that I wanted a Mac, but I digress.  Of course I just left it alone and hoped the problem would go away.  It didn't. It got worse.  It got to the point where my computer would shut itself down and restart every 10 minutes.  I called the support hotline and a technician connected remotely and downloaded some updates but the problem never got fixed.  About a week after my arrival in Australia, the problem got so bad that the computer was pretty much unusable.  I finally gave in and had it sent off to a repair center.  Exciting story right?  This being Australia, where it takes ages for anything to get done, I didn't see my precious computer again for two and a half weeks.  Crazy.  Anyways, my baby is back, safe and sound, and I am saying hello again to the blogging world.  


Did you miss me?  I missed you.


Many kisses,


Amanda

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

My first ever sort-of outfit post

These photos were taken about three weeks ago now, but late is better than never, right?


One night, when I was in Kiawah with my cousin, Kaity and her family, the whole lot of us got all dolled up to go out to dinner at a nearby restaurant (it was called Red Sky something).  I had Kaity snap some pictures of me before we left the house.  Most of my family isn't in on the whole blog thing yet so they don't really get how important it is to get good outfit photos.  I call it a sort-of outfit post because I wasn't able to get Kaity to take pictures of the outfit details.  Oh well, here goes nothing:






What I wore:

Dress: Milly, bought at Revolver Consignment
Earrings: Christmas gift from mom
Shoes: Nine West
White bracelet: can't remember
Purple eyeliner: Physician's Formula Custom Eye Enhancing Eyeliner Trio for green eyes
Purple mascara: Benefit Bad Gal Plum

Kaity's first reaction when she saw me in this dress: "You look like a Stepford wife."

Should I take that as a compliment?  I thought the Stepford wives looked pretty even if they were forced to dress that way by evil men who turned them into robots.  Do you think I resemble them?





Anyways, I hope you liked my first outfit post.  Let me know what you think, and look out for some updates on my new life in Australia coming soon (hopefully later today).


Cheers,


Amanda!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Refinery 29

So, I recently became a member of the mailing list for Refinery 29.  Refinery 29 is an awesome website that gathers up all of the juiciest bits of fashion and beauty news, trends, tips, and more from all around the world wide web.  So, given the awesomeness of this website, naturally their mailing list is just as awesome.  One of the best little tidbits it has sent my way so far is this slideshow called The Hottest Nails for some Mani-Spiration.  It showcases some of the season's coolest nail trends as well as some fun, quirky designs done by everyday girls just like me.  Check it out, and then check out the rest of Refinery 29's website.  And, here are some images from the slide show for your viewing pleasure:





The ones with the little fruits are just to die for!  I hope you are having a delectable day!

<3<3<3

Amanda!