tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11196974512836409112024-03-13T17:06:36.331+00:00B o r d e r l i n eImmiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07952414246548675572noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1119697451283640911.post-70992096852742561612022-08-04T01:22:00.000+01:002022-08-04T01:22:25.222+01:00Hectic Holidays!Holy cow, the snow here is up past my ankles! We got a very sudden snowstorm at about nine tonight, and the snowflakes are super thick and fluffy, so the ground is coated in just over two inches of the grand white stuff! (´∇`) I'm a very happy snow bunny, I love the snow, even though it can cause a lot of trouble. There's just something about it that stirs up childish excitement! I can't photograph it well enough, you can't comprehend the depth from the photo...poop! But Ren did manage to snap a photo of me bogged down with christmas shopping as the snow started to chuck down!
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_87pL7G8RIAs/TQrNlWPmn5I/AAAAAAAAAC0/dCjJHkQatY0/s1600/snow.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551475532197437330" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_87pL7G8RIAs/TQrNlWPmn5I/AAAAAAAAAC0/dCjJHkQatY0/s320/snow.png" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a>
We had an awesome day today though, despite the cold weather! I got a lot of Christmas presents in, so now I only have small pieces to buy to complete everyones presents! I'm finally starting to feel very christmassy and content with the winter weather - it just adds to the effect (^ω^)
I did some shopping for myself too, which is always good! I finally got a decent winter coat - I had a light coat from Newlook which is nice but not at all suited to cold weather! This one is soooo freaking cosy, and wasn't at all expensive!
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_87pL7G8RIAs/TQrUYyNEIQI/AAAAAAAAAC8/5KltQM9o7tc/s1600/coat.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551483012946075906" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_87pL7G8RIAs/TQrUYyNEIQI/AAAAAAAAAC8/5KltQM9o7tc/s320/coat.png" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 236px;" /></a>
I loves it I do. I also bought myself a little necklace.
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This isn't it, it's just something very similar (゜д゜;) I could not find my one...My one is that little bottle, with a tiny red gem heart inside it. I used to have the same little bottle with the words "Once upon a time..." written on a little scroll inside it, but I lost it ('A`)
Anyway, in muchly AWESOME news, in the very early hours of December 14th I took part in <a href="http://frecklednest.typepad.com">Freckled Nest</a>'s live crafty blog (<a href="http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/11424101">which you can watch here!</a>) during which I conversed and laughed with the awesome Leigh-Ann and the adorable <a href="http://www.kylaroma.com">Kyla</a> while making a cute journal. My journal failed, but I really didn't care, because now I know how to do it, and now I know two awesome new people.
Thanks so much to Kyla for her little mention of me on her blog - I do feel a little weird being the "one sweet lady from Ireland who stayed up until 3am" though...
As you may notice, I don't sleep well!
Be excellent to each other!Immiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07952414246548675572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1119697451283640911.post-50622562957762450292018-07-18T07:21:00.001+01:002018-07-18T07:21:13.013+01:00"I think we ought to live happily ever after."Diana Wynne Jones was the author of many books, but arguably the most recognisable was Howls Moving Castle, the book-turned-movie, directed and brought gorgeously to the big screen by Hayao Miyasaki of the Studio Ghibli.<br />
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<a href="http://www.impawards.com/2005/posters/howls_moving_castle.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://www.impawards.com/2005/posters/howls_moving_castle.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 532px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 358px;" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rz7v2_cIww8/TZ442ZxfONI/AAAAAAAAApc/ZRJk0ZTMYn8/s1600/howls-moving-castle.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rz7v2_cIww8/TZ442ZxfONI/AAAAAAAAApc/ZRJk0ZTMYn8/s1600/howls-moving-castle.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 263px;" /></a>Much to my disappointment, I can't remember when I first saw the film...I just remember falling head over heels for it. I watched it over and over when I bought the DVD; it was literally on every time I was in my room doing something or just relaxing. Sort of like Spirited Away and Pokémon (and Digimon!), it will remain a part of me, long after my DVD has completely worn out (it already skips and jumps on certain parts from being played so much...)<br />
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Studio Ghibli, as always, made such a beautiful and memorable film. But for now, this is all the limelight they'll get in this blog post.<br />
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The book is so different than the film, but in a way that it's like having two separate stories with the same beautiful, lovable characters - it's a joy to watch the film and read the book and feel like they go hand in hand together, rather than rage pointlessly about what was changed, left out and added.<br />
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I think I'm finding it hard to express my love for this book - I was going to review it, but I can't find the words at the minute. I'm completely out of sorts and sad, so I will say what I can for now, and perhaps return to the book when I'm feeling a little better...<br />
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We all would like to leave something behind to be remembered by when we die. If you can, please take the time to read Howls Moving Castle, or any of Ms Jones' books, and join me in enjoying the imagination of someone who wrote to allow us to escape to somewhere and live happily, if only for a few chapters a day.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwj3Ax3uLkQ/TbNhx_Tk68I/AAAAAAAAAFc/Rg0i1mcrtyQ/s1600/Calcifer.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598926273186687938" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwj3Ax3uLkQ/TbNhx_Tk68I/AAAAAAAAAFc/Rg0i1mcrtyQ/s320/Calcifer.gif" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;">Calcifer the Fire Demon, by me a few years ago...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">DFTBA.<br /></span>Immiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07952414246548675572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1119697451283640911.post-33469353332579997892018-07-18T07:19:00.000+01:002018-07-18T07:19:11.823+01:00Paper Towns by John Green - an honest review!My love for reading is perpetual, but it is often pushed back to make way for the millions of half-finished projects and little time-wasting obcessions that eat up my free time between work, friends and sleep. After a time my stack of unread books begins to tower over me while I sleep, making me feel guilty and triggering my unfortunate habit of feeling sorry for inanimate objects (yes, I'm that weird). Into drawers they go, out of sight and out of mind...<br />
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Every now and then, though, I'll get a book in my head and it will niggle at me until I've read it and loved it.<br />
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Papertowns is the perfect and most recent example of this. [<span style="font-style: italic;">Warning: I am going to gush about this book...I effing love it. I'm also relying on some pretty rusty A-level English critical-viewing skills...beware, this will be rambly!</span>]<br />
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The third award-winning book from Nerdfighter-leader and personal (part one of two) hero <a href="http://johngreenbooks.com/bio-contact/">John Green</a>, Paper Towns is like a book written by your best friend in the entire world - it reads like a nostalgic session with your platonic soulmate, reminiscing about old times spent worrying about things which, at the time, consumed your entire attention and energy. On top of that, you read it feeling like you've lived each rebellious moment, each witty comeback and every hilariously rude remark a thousand times over. I caught myself quite a few times smiling like a person would smile when their best friend has had their first book published - I felt like John Green was my age, in my group of friends. He'd succeeded in doing what many amazing authors had failed to do - relate to its target audience on a level that treats them like the intelligent human beings that so many of them are.</div>
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Quentin Jacobsen is neither geek nor jock (Green wisely sidesteps that over-used trick of slotting fictional teens into labelled pigeon-holes) but a comfortable in-betweener in love with the magically mysterious Margo Roth Spiegelman, who (after a night of ninja-themed anarchy with the otherwise straight-laced Quentin) disappears one day, leaving a paper trail for the one person she seems trust. But her clues are cryptic - highlighted lines in a poetry book, tiny notes folded and inside the door frame; everyone who was once close to her start to realise that they truely never knew Margo and time seems to be running out to find her alive.<br />
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Q - as he's known - is instantly recognisable as that one friend you always had over for movie/game night and liked a great deal. You want him to succeed and be happy...actually, you wish this for everyone in the book, when it comes down to it. Margo, in the beginning at least, is portrayed as everyone else in the book sees her - quirky, hilarious, beautiful and Queen Bee of the high school. But as Q tries desperately to find her, Margo is slowly revealed as a record-collecting, breaking-and-entering, journal-writing, spray-painting, unstable girl, simply troubled yet infinitely confusing and confused all at once. She's like all of us, really - a layer of normality, with which we fit comfortably into our groups of friends and perceived enemies, glossing over the messier, sometimes sadder inner person that we all are when we're alone.<br />
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On the face of it, Paper Towns can be cast off as just another well-written, enjoyable and relatable "coming-of-age" story about a geek trying to catch the attention of the most popualar girl in school. However, as Q discovers about Margo, the book isn't a mirror. A mirror will reflect anything you want to see from it, or maybe even what you've been told so many times what you <span style="font-style: italic;">should see</span>. No, this book is a window, something that lets you see many different aspects and variations of the one "view" - ultimately, you should never judge a book by it's cover.<br />
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If you have a moment, pick up Paper Towns. I highly recommend it for a quick read <3 br=""><br />Don't forget to be awesome (I love you John Green!)<br /><br />P.S. I'll be making this a regualr thing, so I've inserted a little image link in the side bar to a page I hope to fill with books I've read and short thoughts on how I found them...please check it out when you can! How did you find my first review? Please let me know ^_^</3>Immiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07952414246548675572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1119697451283640911.post-64180515290450416872012-02-29T10:00:00.000+00:002018-07-18T08:07:01.455+01:00A Love Letter to Fog.Let me tell you something...<br />
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I love bad weather.<br />
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Sure, I'd probably prefer to watch the rain beat down from inside my room, but there's something about being caught in a storm or getting an extreme "wind-swept and interesting" make over from some ice cold winds - it's almost as though we can run for shelter, run away from the unpleasantness of wet clothes and cold noses but every now and then nature will just throw something unexpected our way. It's like a little reminder that we can't control everything...and we shouldn't try to either.<br />
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Life is full of little surprises.<br />
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Fog is definitely my favourite little uncontrollable element of weather...there's just something so dramatic and inescapable about it that I can't help but fall in love with. It's this atmospheric blanket that falls over everything, muffling the sounds of the world and making it peaceful. It can make the most everyday scene become instantly romanticized and mysterious...<br />
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...or blot out the light so that your favourite sunlit forest walks become cold and uninviting. To be honest, I'd just as likely run into this kind of foggy landscape as any other. It really does something to my imagination, kicking it into overdrive and telling me that fog rolls in to hide the magical and mystical, even if it is a little scary. When I think of fog, I think of long skirts, bare feet and an inquisitive mind, running into the unknown as the fog smothers the path behind and ahead.<br />
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I have this irresistible urge to walk into a thick forest filled with
roiling fog and keep going, as though if I walk far enough I'll come to the edge of the blanket of grey. I guess fog and woods are generally featured
in horror films with skinny blondes scrambling through the undergrowth
trying in vain to escape the fog-hidden murderer…but it makes me feel
safe and like there’s something amazing to be seen before the sun burns
the fog away.<br />
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I love the way fog retreats from open spaces as the sun gets higher, as though there's a door closing ever-so-slowly on a world only accessible on foggy mornings...<br />
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I think it would be amazing to get lost for a while and just wander, soaking in what could easily be things I've seen every day but that have now taken on a new life in the filtered, hazy light. That is probably my favourite thing about fog. It has this amazing, goose-bump-inducing ability to transform everything into something that just seems that little bit...<i>wrong</i>. Like taking a photo, then putting a filter over it; it's the same scene, but there's something so slightly different, something out of the ordinary and almost other-worldly about the trees or roads or even people that loom up suddenly as you walk along.<br />
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It's a big creative dream of mine to catch a dawn fog in my city long enough to get a photoshoot out of it. I'm in a sea-side city but our climate doesn't really gift me so much as a light mist...but I still keep hoping. It's happened before (Christmas Day, two years ago...yes, I remember!), but then again, it's so unpredictable. I guess I'll just have to be ready to snap photos at the slightest hint of swirling grey amongst the trees ;)<br />
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Do you like fog? <br />
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xo!<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Credits [</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/63746750/foggy-oaks-woodland-trees-fog-green?ref=hp_tt_yt" target="_blank">❤</a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dyrkwyst/5280022436/" target="_blank">❤</a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjjohn/2210598414/in/faves-rannbran1209/" target="_blank">❤</a><a href="http://printshop.urbanoutfitters.com/product/157973/prints?cl=1" target="_blank">❤</a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50937904@N03/6472423001/" target="_blank">❤</a>]</span></span></div>
<br />Immiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07952414246548675572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1119697451283640911.post-66899628420089413362012-01-11T11:33:00.000+00:002018-07-18T08:06:00.627+01:00The Fault in Our Fangirls.It's a weird feeling, being a huge fangirl for an author. I mean, if I love a band, you can go to their concerts and scream and wave banners like an idiot with all the other fans, but often the experience of going to get the first print run of a favourite authors new book is a lonely experience.<br />
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Yesterday, John Greens new book The Fault in our Stars was released worldwide, and boy was I excited. I didn't preorder it [I don't know why!] so I was a little panicky about missing out on the signed copies.<br />
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But I guess I underestimated the Nerdfighter [don't know what that is? <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyQi79aYfxU" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Click here!</a>] presence here in Belfast...which is a little sad, I guess. Then again, most fans here probably preordered it...Anyway! As you can see from the iPhone photo above [yep, I joined the iPhone club! More on that soon] I picked up a copy! I had to ask for it because it actually wasn't even out on the shelves yet, but it wasn't an easy request. It went something like this...<br />
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Me: "Hi, do you have the new John Green book, The Fault in Our Stars?"<br />
Cashier: "We should have ten copies in the delivery, let me run up and get them..."<br />
Me: "OH! Can you please check if they are signed?"<br />
Cashier: "Sure."<br />
Me: "And also! Also, can you check if any of them have an extra little doodle on them? John Green signed all of the first run, but his brother also doodled angler fish on a few and his wife also doodled some people! Can you check them and can I buy the one with an extra doodle, if there is one?"<br />
Cashier: "Er....yes?"<br />
Me: "THANK YOOOOU!"<br />
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Pretty sure I terrified the poor guy. It was very weird when he brought the book down from their storeroom - I wanted to jump around and squeak like the excited fangirl I was but people were looking at me weirdly already. I bought the book and ran out, smiling all the way. I can't wait to read this book ^______^!!<br />
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John Green means a lot to me, even though we've never met. That's the weird thing about authors - they end up speaking to you through their stories, giving you comfort when you need a little escapism, and they don't even know who you are ;)Immiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07952414246548675572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1119697451283640911.post-60813694771377785752012-01-06T06:55:00.000+00:002018-07-18T08:05:38.357+01:00The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [movie]- A Review!I recently went to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [American version!] on a whim - boy am I so glad I did. Let me preface this by saying that I never bought into the hype surrounding this film franchise [there are original Swedish films] and the books just did not appeal to me - they are shelved in the thriller section of the bookstore I work in and are constantly flying off the shelves into the hands of people much older than me. I am largely a fantasy/sci-fi reader [trying to branch out this year!] so my only exposure to this franchise was completely media/consumer based. Usually, I shy away from popular books and films, but I am slowly learning that it's not always a bad thing to give into it and reach out beyond my comfort zone!<br />
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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo definitely would take anyone out of their comfort zone - let me make it quite obvious that this will not be the film for everyone, so this little review/impression of the film won't be to every ones taste. Read if you like, after the jump! ^_^<br />
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Lisbeth Salander [played by the ethereal <a href="http://www.bestyule.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Rooney-Mara-Vogue-nu.jpg" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Rooney Mara</a>] the unique, angry young woman with a famous talent for hacking and research. Her talent soon sees her entangled in the covert hunt for a serial killer hidden within the damaged, wealthy Vanger family who live together on a secluded island community. The elderly, good humoured head of the Vanger family business hires disgraced investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist [played by the surprisingly likeable <a href="http://www.selectspecs.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/daniel-craig-glasses-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-1.jpg" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Daniel Craig</a>] to solve the mystery of his niece who had went missing over forty years ago. Blomkvist, having been thoroughly researched and violated by Salander, recognises her ability and hires her to help him solve the case. But the Vanger family history is full of twists and turns - Blomkvist and Salander are plunged into a world where a killer would do anything to keep a secret.<br />
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As usual, my synopsis is awful, so please forgive me! I always struggle between explaining the plot and fighting to not give anything away that might influence any ones experience of the thing I'm reviewing, so I feel like the flow of things is a little disjointed...anyway!<br />
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Literally from the get-go, I loved this film. The opening credits were so engaging - it's so rare to not want to look away from the screen while peoples names are just scrolling by. It's a dark, detailed and disturbing introduction to the film - computer generated images of people composed of black oil suddenly burst into maggots and flies, or a girl is consumed by dozens of grasping black hands set to loud music I recognised immediately from the teaser trailer, which brought the surge of excitement I felt when I first saw the trailer rushing back again. The Immigrant Song is a particular favourite of mine, but this version [by <span class="st">Karen O with Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross] is now my most played on my iPod! It's really the only proper 'song' in the whole film, but the general score is really fitting and understated, with just a few creepy music notes playing at tense parts.</span><br />
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<span class="st">The plot of the film is, at its most base, pretty simple and easy to follow. There are clues to follow and shocking twists are abundant [though a little predictable for me]. Had this been just some generic murder-mystery-thriller I would not have even considered buying a ticket, but the character of Lisbeth Salander really attracted me to this film. </span><br />
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<span class="st">Rooney Mara is hauntingly beautiful and looks so fragile and hurt in this film that it would be a hard task to not sympathise with and love her, even when she's sodomising her abuser [oh, yes, there's that and more!] or asking for permission to kill [at least she asked?]. Her image and style is a shock to the system - when is the last time you saw a scarily thin, bisexual, punk, cyber-bitch with a love of shirts like <a href="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx8ylpugfA1qb2nclo1_500.jpg" target="_blank">this</a> on the big screen? Her anger is obvious from the get-go and she is genuinely frightening to behold when you learn that looks aren't everything. I found myself cheering when she takes her revenge because she is just around my age and the abuse we are forced to witness is just so awful, but it was an uncomfortable, "did that really just happen?" cheer. Lisbeth obviously has severe problems coping with the world and most of the people in it - at twenty three years old, she's still a ward of the state and is deemed mentally unable to survive in society. This film gives away little of what makes her who she is, but her personality is blatant and forceful - she's <i>very</i> hard to ignore. Also, though I don't want to make comparisons between the American version and the original Swedish version [I haven't seen the original adaptation], the actress who played Lisbeth in the Swedish one [<a href="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01580/dragonmain_1580831c.jpg" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Noomi Repace</a>] honestly seems a little old to me. Images of her look a little bit over-dramatic, like she's a woman trying to play a goth-type teenager. It's a little odd to me, but I'm sure I'll give the original movie a watch soon. </span><br />
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Daniel Craigs character, Blomkvist, is portrayed in a much more transparent way. As his professional life crumbles under the weight of a successful lawsuit against him, we see his personal life and his passion for his work quite clearly. His relationship with his devoutly Christian daughter is awkward but obviously loving and protective; he sleeps with his boss, but it is clear that they depend on one another for the comfort they cannot get in other aspects of their lives. When he retreats to the frozen north to the Vanger estate, he quickly grows attached to a cat and ensures that it's safe and warm with him. He is extremely likable from the beginning - though flawed, he genuinely seems like a good, honest person who simply makes mistakes. When he meets Lisbeth for the first time, he is immediately personal [he bursts into her apartment like they are life long friends, one of the few funny scenes in the film!] and upfront about things, buying her food and insisting she eats in a fatherly sort of way. The contrast between the two characters is really pleasant and I loved the chemistry between them. It's a really refreshing change here, when the hardcore or unsavoury half of an on-screen duo is the female and the softer or more conventional of the two is the male. Lisbeth does find her comfort in Blomkvist [a scene which I feel came across as a lot more natural for the characters than most scenes like it in other films!] but I really loved that she fought so hard to protect him from the harm that as literally all around them - it's not that she was showing her soft side, it was more like she viewed Blomkvist as some<i>thing</i> worth protecting, like her laptop or her money. It's only when things are on her terms does she ever open up and show a loving side.<br />
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I really felt like the characters made this film for me. Like I said, if it weren't for amazing portrayals, I wouldn't have liked it very much. This is probably where I could begin to find faults with an otherwise flawless movie. I feel like the plot was too simple - I honestly figured the mystery out within twenty minutes and although that was a little annoying, I do understand that the simplistic plot allowed for more character development. Another thing which more confused than annoyed me was that some seemingly important and potentially interesting scenes were rushed through at the end in favour of the Vanger storyline and conclusion. Lisbeths skill gets a whole montage after she is released from her assistant duties with Blomkvist, but it honestly flew by me and I really felt a little cheated by how it seemed so glossed over in terms of how she pulled things off. Having said that, the final scenes are genuinely touching and after all the excitement on the island, we're granted a glimpse into Lisbeths life post-Blomkvist and it's gratifying to see how much she has been impacted by him - "I've made a friend" is possibly the sweetest line of the film. But, of course, when she reaches out to make a permanent connection, she is left literally in the cold - the ending is so unsatisfying that I'm itching for the sequel and I've bought all three books ;)<br />
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I really recommend this film and I have been doing so to all my friends and family [though I did tell my mum that if she did go see it, we're never to speak of it xD]. Definitely don't see it on a first date or with a family member though....*coughs uncomfortably* <br />
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As you can see, this is less of a review and more of my impression of the film. I know it's sort of all over the place and I'm sorry! I also want to say that this is just my thoughts on the American film - I haven't read the Millenium Trilogy yet [the author is Steig Larsson] and though I plan to, I want to keep this experience separate and unaffected by reading the original material ^___^ I really like doing this...it's important to me to view characters as other people interpret them and appreciate them as separate things. To me, getting angry about perceived 'misinterpretations' between books and film versions is silly and a waste of effort! I really like taking things as they are and enjoying the differences - they add to the experience!<br />
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Thanks for reading! <3Immiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07952414246548675572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1119697451283640911.post-52238328325456123702011-11-26T02:40:00.001+00:002018-07-18T08:02:02.662+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A couple of days ago I finally got a day to go out and explore with my new camera! It's a Canon 1000D and it's beautiful, haha. It was a gorgeous day, just one of those times where the weather is cool enough to wear layers but warm enough to spend a good amount of time outdoors. I think our autumn weather only lasted for a few weeks, because it's most certainly winter now! *shivers*<br />
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Probably for the first time, the seasonal change was completely obvious - everything was golden brown outside and the trees were clacking their bear branches together in the wind. Autumn is definitely my favourite season!<br />
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<a href="http://renny-baelentyne.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white;">Ren</a> and I headed to The Botanic Gardens here in Belfast wrapped up in cardigans and scarves and had a really awesome little day just wandering around the greenhouses and grounds, snapping photos every now and then ^_^ Here are a few I took on our autumn adventure!<br />
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The Botanic Gardens are a large area owned by the Ulster Museum here in Belfast, and mainly the grounds are park-land with huge gnarled trees, squirrells and grassy fields. The Museum itself is tucked in a back corner with the grounds sprawled out around it - there are two greenhouses [one for tropical flowers, the other for large tropical trees], a large rose garden and little hidden walkways all around it. Since the grounds are usually bare this season, we headed into the flower greenhouse. It's so beautiful and there are so many colours - a strange contrast to outside!<br />
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When it got a little too stuffy in the greenhouse we headed out into the crisp air and spent some time just watching people go by with their cute dogs :) I was too shy to ask for a photo of them though...maybe next time! We decided to head into the museum and wander around - it's a place I visit more often than is probably normal xD It's an amazing place to spend some time wandering around. I've been going to our museum dozens of times every year since my early teens and I still find things to learn about or admire!<br />
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This beautiful stained glass window runs along an entire wall near the precious gems and rocks section - it's actually hidden behind a display of the rocks of our earth and I can't count how many times I've admired it and walked on without snapping a photo. No more! ;)<br />
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The image beside it is of a tiny, unassuming little powder compact. But I think its one of the most beautiful things in the collection! The image of a river winding through a forest landscape is handpainted on crushed butterfly wings! That slight blueish purple iridescance comes from the reflex pigments in the powdery wings of the butterfly. A little sad, I suppose, but I'm kind of amazed at how someone thought of doing this! <br />
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The powder compact was in a little display cabinet beside other handmade things, like this cute little carved Japanese man. He's carved from oxbone. I thought it was a little funny how he's holding his sword - surely that's not comfortable!<br />
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Rens little doll, Sophie, came along for the day too, but I only managed to get this small photo of her cute little face before we headed off home! Along the way we stopped in at a charity shop which usually has great stuff, but we were disappointed...until...<br />
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We spotted this amazing old Singer sewing machine amongst the furniture at the back!! I've never seen one, so I was kind of obcessed with how detailed and pretty it was. All the bobbins and accessories were still in the drawers underneath!<br />
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It was such a good day ^_^ Spent with my best friend just wandering around one of my favourite places in the city! I think I'll make an effort to photograph more of my favourite places...it's on my checklist to get some photos of the snowy landscape here...fingers crossed for a white Christmas!<br />
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How is everyone? ^____^ Thanks so much for stopping by!<br />
<br />Immiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07952414246548675572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1119697451283640911.post-81901853998741559082011-08-01T00:11:00.000+01:002018-07-18T07:48:54.168+01:00Little things...<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="color: #e69138;"> </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b style="color: #e69138;">All photos in this post are courtesy of Ciara ^_^!</b></span></div>
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Last week I took my two little cousins to the Ulster Museum here in Belfast. I was <i>ridiculously </i>excited to do so, considering that Ciara is eight and Caitlin is five -- not exactly the age little children become super interested in anything old and musty ;P But they're just such great kids with such inquiring personalities that I decided to chance it and take them, armed to the teeth with little cameras and sweeties!<br />
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Admittedly, I'm probably (maybe!) slightly biased considering they are my family and I see them every week...nevertheless, I was so impressed by how completely interested and caught-up in everything they both were. Caitlin was fascinated by anything colourful and/or scary-looking and would stand staring at said things until she deemed it appropriate to move along. She loved the taxidermy animals and insects but had the most fun in the Gemstones exhibit (she likes shiny things!).<br />
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Ciara is a genuine know-it-all and she flew about every exhibit reading all the information plaques, asking questions when she didn't understand the words but otherwise keeping quiet so she could "appreciate the things" - as she put it! She loved her little camera and picked up the basics really quickly, half-pressing the button to focus before she took a photo and putting the flash on when there wasn't enough light. I had a really hard time picking the photos I loved the most to put into this post - they may not be technically correct or framed right, but looook how awesome some of them turned out!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ciara loved the old shoes...especially the cowboy boots!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside a cannon!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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I know that some people aren't exactly fans of little children. I love kids and kind of always have, so days out like this, especially when the weather is brilliant, are probably as fun for me as they are for them.<br />
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Ciara even made it into the <a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/in-pictures-ulster-fries-were-bakin-16028591.html?action=Popup&ino=27">local newspaper</a> with the touchable bubbles we bought from the museum! </div>
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It's been a good week!</div>
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Clare x</div>
Immiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07952414246548675572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1119697451283640911.post-49672772540773172022011-06-30T03:53:00.000+01:002018-07-18T07:45:22.472+01:00The Forest of Hands and Teeth.In my <a href="http://shimmyimmie.blogspot.com/2011/04/you-will-go-to-papertowns-and-you-will.html">last little attempt at a book review</a> I mentioned that I had a weird sympathy for inanimate objects. In the case of a book, this often doesn't come up as books are rarely alone, bought in bookshops as they are (bookshops selling a single book are few and far between, right ;P?) However I think I've now developed a different layer to my weird sympathy-onion: <i><span style="color: #0b5394;">feeling sorry for books that no one seems to read, even if I wouldn't read them either.</span></i><br />
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The Forest of Hands and Teeth caught my eye in work one day about a year or so ago, simply because it looked really interesting. The title sounded a little disturbing, the cover was eye-catching, so I picked it up and read the blurb. <br /><br />And then...I put it down and walked away. <br /><br />Though I'm generally mistrustful of blurbs, this one held my attention like trying to hold a wet bar of soap. Three words were mentioned a bit too often "SECRETS...LOVE...DEATH"...er...was I holding a Twilight-esque book?!<br />
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A couple of months later, having completely forgotten about it because no one brought it up to the counter, I walked down an aisle in my workplace to see it lying on the floor, half-tucked under the shelving unit. Oh no. Poor thing!<br />
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I bought it at the end of my shift and spent the next few days reading it on my breaks at work. See? I felt sorry for the book, so <i>naturally</i> it had to come home with me. <i>Naturally.</i><br />
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So, here follows my review! It's a doozy!<br /><br />
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The Forest of Hands and Teeth is narrated by Mary, a young girl living in a village surrounded by a dense forest filled with the Undead. We are led to believe that it's the only civilisation in the world. Fences built by ancestors long forgotten keep the zombies out, but they are always there and wailing sirens warn of the frequent break-ins. She is a relatively strange girl in comparison to the other girls of her age who are already marrying the few boys who remain there, quietly obcessed with the stories her mother old her of the Ocean and the times before the Undead. She finds herself being pursued by a boy she doesn't want and falling in love with a boy who has proposed to her best friend, Cass. Within days of the story beginning, their world falls apart and the group is forced to venture into the Forest of Hands and Teeth, using fenced ancient trails which seemingly lead to nowhere. Slowly they discover that they have all been lied to, that they can never return to the safety of their village and that love will make you do horrible things...<br />
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*insert dramatic music here*<br />
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I will happily admit that I was really into this book at the beginning. I'm a bit of a sucker for a good old Zombie book (do we capitalize 'zombie'? I feel like I should...)and this one was so tense and genuinely scary at the beginning. Without giving anything away, things go very wrong from the second page onward, and I found myself squirming with the shock of things. Poor Mary has a hard life! I found liking her as a protagonist really easy - she was quiet and strong willed as a heroine should be...but she was also in love. And for some reason, the author apparently thinks that when a young girl is in love, she is incredibly idiotic and achingly sorrowful, even when the only males in the story are completely besotted with her. This daze apparently strengthens when disaster strikes and she must run away. It was like watching an old stabby-stabby horror film, like Scream. Why do they always go into the scary houses and act surprised when the killer attacks!?<br />
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As the book progresses, the undead are a constant, grating presence; rather than being threatening and horrifying, for some reason they just become really annoying. Each serious encounter with them had me skimming over the supposed "action" scenes (the characters were confined in long corridors, perfectly protected by the fencing) and rolling my eyes at one-emotion-Mary. She is perpetually curious about everything, as you'd expect of someone thrown into an unknown world. However, her narrative is so filled with pining that any hint of interest in something else is short-lived or eventually loops back to thoughts of Cass.<br />
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The majority of the book takes place in these protected corridors....as you can imagine, nothing exciting happens in corridors. The characters are completely one-dimensional and self-obcessed. Every tidbit of secrecy, lies and corruption fade away slowly as though the author is saying "Why would you want to know the answers when you can read about a boy and a girl being painfully awkward with one another?"<br />
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I know I seem to be really harsh on this book - that's just how <i>frustrated</i> it made me. I kept wanting to grab Mary and point her at a zombie or an unexplored route - the book has so many little flashes of really great world building that just simply gets pushed aside in favor of the watery romance forming behind the fences.<br />
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The Forest of Hands and Teeth is the first of three books, and I figured that things would improve as the series went along. But when I finally reached the final pages, my disappointment was so great that I won't be picking up the second - everything is anti-climatic, and you're left feeling like the journey really was not worth it, a sentiment actually shared by the main character! If the protagonist doesn't feel like their time was well spent, why would I want to continue the story into the sequels?<br />
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I would genuinely love to know if anyone has a different opinion on this book - please comment below and lets get talking! <3 p=""><br />
Clare x</3>Immiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07952414246548675572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1119697451283640911.post-45131671518500480892011-06-20T01:26:00.001+01:002018-07-18T07:23:57.172+01:00Homebird.If you were to say to me that I had to spend a year alone on any island in the world with all the supplies I needed (and perhaps my camera, a Kindle and a Wifi connection for my phone...), I would pick Ireland every time. I may be the tiniest bit biased, given that it's where I live and have done for my entire life, but I don't need to listen to all the tourist advertisements or my American friends wishing they could visit this beautiful island to known that Ireland is one of those rare, legend-filled places -- and the best parts are a two-hour bus journey away for me!<br />
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My friends took me to Ballycastle for my birthday, a small, gorgeous town in County Antrim that I spent twelve summers in as a child. I missed it so much!!<br />
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You know you've reached the countryside when tiny, adorable ponies frolick in fields of buttercups!</div>
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About ten minutes after hopping off the bus into Ballycastle for a few days holiday I felt like I was home and the worries of the city were a distant dream. It's a combination of sea air, clear light and familiar yet astonishing views (oh, how I sound like those adverts I hate!) that make you go "Nothing else matters more than going to a field and flying a kite, RIGHT NOW!"</div>
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I actually did just that, for about an hour. Woo!</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimmyimmie/5837532651/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Breeze. by ShimmyImmiex, on Flickr"><img alt="Breeze." height="500" src="https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5065/5837532651_3a4ac8864a.jpg" width="282" /> </a></div>
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Though I was with my group of amazing, hilarious friends for most of the two days and had so much laughter and fun, the most memorable moment for me was staying up until four in the morning, pulling boots and a hoodie over pyjamas, slinging my camera around my neck, grabbing my girlfriend Ren and hiking up to the edge of the cliffs (yes, right to the very edge!) just to see the sunrise.</div>
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Ignore what very much looks like my "Holy crap, I am pooped!" face - it's a happy face indeed!</div>
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I really hope everyone has a place like this that just blows a strong breeze through the mind and clears out all the cobwebs, even if it's just for the time it takes for the sun to come up...</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimmyimmie/5838076120/" title="SilverCliffs. by ShimmyImmiex, on Flickr"><img alt="SilverCliffs." src="https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2440/5838076120_c490a190bc.jpg" /></a></div>
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Clare x<br />
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P.S. I've never been to any other islands...but I think once I can travel, I'll always come home. I belong here!</div>
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Immiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07952414246548675572noreply@blogger.com1