friends - the second

There is no one else in my life that I can say absolutely anything to without hesitation. She and I have had our ups and downs, but mostly we've had a whole lot of wonderful experiences. We've spent time in four countries together and found something in each place to laugh about the way that no one else would be able to. Raw meat never made ketchup taste so good, and no other pair of friends would've been able to grin and bear it the way we did... I truly believe that.

She is kind, sensitive, clever, beautiful and brave. She is opinionated, open-minded and extremely curious and these are just three of the things that make her such a wonderful woman. There is no one I'd rather bitch with, no one I'd rather shop with, and no one I'd rather sit and cry in front of sappy movies with. She is truly my twin soul and that is why I know that no matter how much distance there is between us, we'll always be connected.

movies

one of my favourite things to do in my spare time (which i have a LOT of at the moment) is go to the cinema. now, generally i enjoy a trip to the cinema even if the movie is horrible (for instance, when emily and i went to see SHOOT EM UP last month - terrible movie, but the combination of clive owen as eye candy and emily as great company, made for a very nice evening). but some films make the trip that much more worthwhile... below are the movies i have seen recently and my viewing recommendations.

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SHOOT EM UP

dont waste your time, not even on dvd... if its on tv one night in a few years, MAYBE take a peak during commercial breaks of whatever you're actually watching that night. the worst part of this film is the cheesy accent paul giamatti has put on. honestly, i dont even know why he bothered.

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THE DARJEELING LIMITED

yes, see it. i really like wes anderson's films, so i am a bit biased here. but really, it's quite good. see it on a big screen because the scenery is lovely.

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ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

erm, this is a tough call. the film has a nice soundtrack (Beatles tunes sung by the film's stars) and some visually pleasing elements, but the plot is a bit... overdone. there's a very simple love story buried underneath a lot of other stories. i can sort of see what the director was trying to do, especially with some of the images that go along with certain songs, but i didn't buy it.

however, JIM STURGESS is a fox and made the long film very, very enjoyable.
(note to Bono: please don't attempt to act or put on an american accent ever again.. please)

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THE HEARTBREAK KID

cute, funny, but its certainly not necessary to see it on a big screen. ben stiller is his usual funny self, his dad is also quite funny, but yea, not fantastic.

The longer I stay...

The more time that passes here at home, the more items I seem to have left behind in England... they are now either in the safe hands of my dear friend Allison, or they are in some pile of rubbish in the South of England. More likely than not, they are in the latter. The sad tossing of many loved items of clothing and books came about after five pints on a relatively empty stomach.
This sad reality (that my black trousers are NOT going to be resurfacing from the heaps of piles in my bedroom in Toronto anytime soon) has inspired me to compile a list of rules for people moving halfway around the world:

Rule # 1 - NEVER attempt to pack when drunk or hungover.
After drinking loads of beer in London, and taking an hour long tube and train ride back to Brighton, one would think that I would have my wits about me to pack the entire contents of my bedroom... think again.
I started by neatly folding all of the clothes I had already decided to keep and after about twenty minutes of that felt the need to pass out.
Two hours later (and only 3 hours away from my estimated time of departure to catch my coach to Heathrow) I was nauseous and in need of a clean toilet to be sick in... charming, I know.
After that I forced myself to toss about half of the clothes I had decided were coming home with me, and the same with books, shoes, etc. I even left my newly acquired Coca Cola glasses for the trash. :(

Thankfully, Allison listened to me being weepy and offered to hang on to some of the irreplaceables that I wasn't willing to lose. Thankfully, Bernardo also helped us get my three massive bags to the coach station. Thankfully, I made it to the airport in plenty of time to catch my flight home.
This leads me to my second rule....

Rule #2 - Don't mope about being home.
If you moan about being somewhere that you aren't thrilled about being, you'll never get settled, you'll be forever unhappy, and nothing will make you smile. Just make the most of the situation you're in and start working towards a goal that will get you back to where you want to be - hence me looking for a job to get me enough money to get back to England.

xx
P.S. Saw Shoot 'Em Up tonight with Emily. Bad movie, WONDERFUL night out with my favourite girl. If it wasn't for the lovely Clive Owen I don't think I would've made it through the gruelling 93 minutes that was that film.