LETTERS TO JULIET… My thoughts

Spoiler Alert! Do NOT read if you haven’t seen the film!

There’s nothing like time well spent with one of my best girlies and a good romcom to pull my heartstrings, especially when it’s more rom than com. This past weekend Miss JD and I went to see Letters to Juliet, which to her surprise she actually enjoyed, even if I almost had to drag her there… well, not quite.

Apart from the breathtaking Italian scenery which has given me recurring daydreams about visiting Verona, Vanessa Redgrave’s performance was flawless and the love/hate chemistry between Amanda Seyfried and Christopher Egan gave me as many giggles as it did sighs.

Of course the storyline was absolutely predictable, but who wants to see a romantic movie without a happy ending? Besides, sometimes it’s not the destination, it’s the journey.

Romeo and Juliet may have never existed but the story of their love is, to some, the holy grail of love stories. Never mind that they both committed suicide because they couldn’t bear to live without one another, that’s not really the part of the story we (hopeless romantics) pay attention to, it’s the roads that led them there, their story, not their ending.

So what is the appeal of Romeo and Juliet? Well, I can’t speak for all women in the world but for me it’s the passion, or at least it starts there, the passion they had for each other and the fact that they sacrificed everything to be together. Their commitment to their emotions and the feelings of selflessness that are so uncharacteristic these days, because you hardly ever see that kind of love anymore, not as a two way street anyway.

I guess the reason this kind of love stories are so legendary is because they are short lived. That kind of feeling can’t last a lifetime, or can it? Nevertheless, Romeo and Juliet may not have had a happy ending but Claire and her Lorenzo did, it may have taken half a century but in the end they found each other. So I guess there is still hope after all.

Until next time… Smooches to all! xXx

SEX AND THE CITY 2... My thoughts

Spoiler Alert! Do NOT read if you haven’t seen the film!

For days I’ve been reading reviews about the long awaited Sex and the City 2 and as you all may have noticed, they’re not good. Two stars here, no stars there, everyone with a bit of space to write on has trashed this movie and to them I say: take a chill pill!

I wouldn’t go as far as to put it at the top of my 10 favourite films list but I have to say I definitely enjoyed it. I went in there with the expectation that it would make me roll my eyes in dismay but instead I found myself with a smile plastered across my face throughout most of the movie, although all the eye candy may have had something to do with that!

The film may lack substance and a storyline for that matter but let’s be honest, what did you expect? It’s Sex and the City for crying out loud! It’s not based on a true story, it’s not documenting the journey of some world leader and it’s not meant to make some big life altering statement that will touch the hearts of millions and change a generation.

It’s a film about women who love shoes and know the meaning of true friendship, they stand by each other through the good times and the not so good times, they go on a holiday and have some fun along the way, haven’t we all been there? Granted we don’t all get to do it in fabulous designer clothing and jaw dropping footwear but that’s the whole point of going to see SATC2, why would I want to sit through a film that mirrors my life? I’m living it! I want to see something a little more fabulous, even if people think it was pointless which I don’t think it wasn’t.

Carrie was dealing with feelings of loss in her marriage, loss of herself, how many couples get married and end up merging into a variation of their partner? Sacrificing the things they used to like to please the other? What’s wrong with wanting to keep your identity? I don’t think being in a relationship means having to change for the other person, after all, they did fall in love with you in the first place didn’t they? Carrie deals with it in her own way, so let her be.

Miranda struggles with the eternal debate of the working mother, trying to balance her family life with her job, add to that a sexist, chauvinistic boss and it doesn’t exactly make the balancing any easier. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be successful and being there for your child’s important moments, you may not be able to have it all but with the right balance and priorities you can make it work and kudos to her for trying!

Charlotte, oh Charlotte. I’ve read a lot of criticism about her in this film. Charlotte struggles with parenting and I don’t blame her! Having two screaming, attention seeking children can’t be easy and I’m sure there are many overwhelmed mothers out there who can agree, and yes I know she has a full-time nanny (who’s hot and doesn’t wear a bra) but that doesn’t mean she’s not allowed to struggle, everyone copes in their own way and a little time for herself is all she needs, don’t judge her for it!

And finally, Samantha. Menopause or not here she comes! For someone as sexually liberated as Samantha Jones is it really any surprise that she tried to hold on to her sex drive like she’s holding on for dear life? Just because women get older doesn’t mean they have to stop doing the things they enjoy and personally I applaud Sam for that! Maybe she should’ve tried being a little more discreet in Abu Dhabi but hey, you can’t change a leopard’s spots! If at 52 I look like that and still have the energy and drive to get down and dirty then bring it on!

One day I will get married and I will go the extra mile to not fall in a rut, I will have children and I will try to cope with raising them and advancing my career, there will be times when I’ll need a little time for myself and I will do my best to feel then the same way I feel now at 25, and thanks to Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha I will definitely try to do it all in style.

Sex and the City 2 wasn’t perfect, if anything it was flawed, but then again… aren’t we all?

Until next time… Smooches to all! xXx

The story so far...

I’ve done it. After numerous unsuccessful attempts on the ‘starting a blog’ plan, I finally sat down and did it. So what’s my first blog about? Simple! All the things I could’ve blogged about if I’d actually gotten around to it sooner, so here goes…

Eurotrip 2005

Starting with my first trip to Marbella and ending a few weeks later in Belfast with a certain artsy Northern Irish belle (that would be you Miss McK), most of this trip involved exploring some of the most breathtaking sights of Italy, Paris, Austria and Germany with the beautiful soul that is Mikah M.

Bournemouth 2005

Leaving the nest and spreading my wings came to be when I uprooted my life in the beautiful (and hot) country that is Venezuela and began my future in the UK at Bournemouth University where not only did I start my career through the awesomeness that was BAMMJ but I was also part of the amazing Bournemouth Bright Stars Cheerleading squad (our uniforms had BBS on the chest area, get it?) and met some of the most fantastic people who will unsuccessfully spend the rest of their lives trying to get rid off me (I’m not that easy to shake off!), also known as Miss JD, BESCH and the man that turns my frown upside down, Pigge.

America 2008

In the Summer of 2008 BESCH (Beynon, Ejnar, Smith, Coombes and Huerta) went on tour. Starting in the East Coast with none other than the city that never sleeps, the great and glorious New York City, we had just six weeks to get our backpacking tooshies to LA and I have to say, had a hell of a blast along the way. Going into detail would probably keep you here reading for about a week so I’ll go with the highs and lows…

Loved: standing in the middle of Times Square and the massive M&M shop in NY; zooming in on snipers on the White House roof with Smith’s crazy camera skills in DC, the kosher ex Iranian military Mr J in Miami and his unparallel choreographic skills (check us out on youtube!); Sea World and the Shamoo dance in Orlando; VIP treatment at Hooka bar in College Station with the little bro, the $5 limo ride in Vegas that landed us in a Hard Rock Café pool party with Paolo Nutini performing and free drinks all night; the ‘rape for the eyes’ (quote courtesy of Smith) experience that was Chippendales in Vegas; Alcatraz in San Fran; hooker names in California (I’m Candy), our first surfing lesson and swimming with Leon the seal in LA (totally unplanned and I FREAKED when I realized what the floating black thing in the water was) and Mikey Jerome the dreamy actor/bartender who made the yummiest Strasberi Stoli coctails.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaXjShqcnks&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6es6C0fPkg&feature=related

Hated: Greyhound (highly recommended if you have poor hygiene and a death wish); the hostel in New Orleans which needed a broom, some serious antibacterial action and had curtains instead of doors in the toilets/showers; the annoying guy from Tennessee who tried to chat me up by claiming he was responsible for Jack Daniels Whisky; forgetting my student card and not being able to catch a Broadway show because full price was the same as a down payment on a flat (well, not quite); taxis in NY refusing to take us back to our hostel in Harlem and finally… saying goodbye to BESCH’s summer adventures and our travels coming to an end.

Utah 2008

After nearly a decade of not seeing each other I finally reunited with my BFF and hetero soul mate Mibbs. A week was nowhere near enough to make up for the years of distance and the countless ‘have a nice life’ fights, but after racing electric shopping carts in Wal-Mart, shopping for my graduation princess dress, Build-A-Bear clones of ourselves and some funky DC shoes it was like we were never apart. Still going strong!

Cancun 2008/2009

New Year at the Grand Mayan resort in Cancun, the rogue fashion show in the beach, water paragliding with the sis, swimming with dolphins at the XCARET eco park on the first day of the year and the feather shaped mother of pearl earrings I got from a street stall.

London 2009

Six months of unpaid work experience in London. Enough said.

Alrighty then, guess that’s it for now, until next time… Smooches to all xXx