Their eyes were watching God

It is another day and with another day, comes another movie that I have passed the day watching. I am off timetable at university due to my exams so I have been very bored with little to do to pass the time. I can’t even seem to find the motivation to catch up on work that I have missed. This is bad, I know. But today I watched two movies. The first of which was called their eyes are watching God.

It follows the story of a young , free spirited African American girl who lives in the early twentieth century and dreams of finding love and living life. It follows her through the ups and down of her life and relationships as she tries to find happiness. It is based on the 1937 novel by Zora Neale Hurston.

This is a romantic story which leaves you thinking about love and life long after watching it. Set in the late 1920s, it highlights a lot of the social issues that were significant at the time, most importantly the expectations that were held of women and the way that they behaved in society. I studied a module on African American History back in lower Secondary School and found it extremely eye opening and humbling. Since then it has been one of my favourite topics of history partly due to the wonderful cultural and musical heritage which has stemmed from the events and experiences of the people. Music in particular has heavily influenced much of popular music in the Western World today. The sound track to this film is fantastic. It’s so soulful and beautiful in its rawness.

This film really makes you think about what is important in life and has made me think about my ideas of love and living life. I have always had dreams of living life. I hoped that I would take life by the horns and seize the day but I haven’t found the courage to do that. I have fears of putting myself out there. I feel right now that I am simply existing and not quite living. Yes I am doing the degree I want which will hopefully lead to a great new life of opportunity but what about university itself? They say that it’s the ‘best time of your life.’ That’s not how I would describe it. It’s a means to an end for me. In other words, I am here to get my degree and hopefully make some friends for life but it’s to give me a foundation for life. It’s a place where I can gain the skills that I would need to build a career and then I would live my life. Maybe I am putting off the ‘living’? Maybe I should be living now. Maybe I should be like the main character of this film and just ‘live.’ But a life of upset and disappointment has engrained a fear that is quite deep rooted and will take a very skilled gardener to remove.

There is a wonderful quote from this film that I love.

‘Love is like the sea. It’s a moving thing and it’s different on every shore…’

I have even written this quote on a piece of paper and blue-tacked it to my wall. I guess I identify with the main character. I too want to live life and find love. The latter has yet to materialise and it’s something you can’t quite look for. But the former – hmmm…..until I gain the confidence to seize the day I will have to continue to just exist.

Adventureland

I watched the film Adventureland today. It was on BBC I player and my flatmate watched it yesterday and said how it was making her slowly fall in love with Jesse Eisenberg so I thought I would give it a go. I must admit I have a bit of a crush on Jesse Eisenberg. I fell for him after watching The Social Network. In my not so widely shared opinion, I think he is really cute!

Adventureland is an American independent comedy film and having been disappointed by a few of these I didn't have high expectations. But I was mildly surprised. The humour wasn't laugh out loud but more subtle in that respect. And I really liked the Romantic aspect of it. The story followed the relationship between Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg's characters as they spent the summer working together in an amusement park. However everything isn't as rosy as it seems and soon a few hitches bring some deeper issues to light. I liked this aspect to the film as this isn't common in RomComs. I am quite a fan of RomComs in general. However they are unlikely to yield OSCAR winners anytime soon. But sometimes I like something easy going, where you don't have to think too much...something that is light hearted, funny and enjoyable. And I don't mind cliche or predictability.

Rom Coms are my favourite genre, I guess. But I like all genres. It depends on the induvidual film really. But when I am at home, I love to make myself a cup of tea or a mug of hot chocolate, sit down with a packet of biscuits and a blanket around my shoulders and watch a RomCom. It's one of my favourite things to do. I have seen so many now. But for me there is a comfort in the predictability and the happy endings that RomComs have which I love.

This wasn't a conventional Rom Com. It had a bit of a twist but nonetheless it was enjoyable. Kristen Stewart played the female lead here. As a not so closet fan of the Twilight films, I love Kristen Stewart and feel that she suits the role in this film. She plays another awkward tomboyish girl with insecurities. Kristen seems very comfortable playing this role. The only other film I have seen her in is Panic Room which was released back in 2002 when she was much much younger. She showed much more potential as an actress in terms of versatility there.

The film has a quirky and diverse supporting cast, each of which give this film more dimension and make it differ and bring something new to it's genre. If you are looking for a generic RomCom this isn't it, you will much prefer something with Jennifer Aniston in, but nonetheless I really enjoyed this film and would definitely recommend it. 4/5

Natalie Imbruglia

I am listening to Natalie Imbruglia at the moment. Ever since I bought a second hand copy of her debut album Left of the middle for £1.49 at a charity shop I have been a big fan. I had heard of her song 'Torn' before but didn't realise how underrated an artist she really is. For those of you who have not heard of her, she is a 90s pop singer from Australia who has had considerate success around the world with her debut back in 1997. Her music to me defines the 90s. Her songs are very 'easy listening' and have a sad happiness about them. They are very uplifting but melancholic at the same time. I guess she appeals to the same audience as Adele does today. Her songs are less intense but still follow the theme of the ups and downs of relationships.

I got this album over a year ago to help me through a tough time and it helped me so much. I used to listen to this in the mornings on my bus journey to work. I would sit looking out of the window in the early morning darkness and feel so down about life and my future and this album would make me feel something. Even if it didn't make me feel better it helped me feel something instead of frustrated all the time. It was nice to know that I wasn't the only person to feel like this. Now I find her music relaxing. My favourite of her tracks are 'Torn', 'Shiver', 'Smoke,' 'Wishing I was there', 'Big mistake' and 'One more addiction.'

I had my practical exam today

I had my practical exam today. It went much better than I thought it would. I even ended up enjoying it. That is strange right? Who enjoys exams? I'm not sure if I have passed or not. I will find out in a couple of weeks or so. I hope I have. I did so much prep and spent so much time stressing over it. I had never been so scared before an exam but after a few stations, I felt much better and more confident and the fear slowly ebbed away and I could think more clearly and do the best I could. I couldn't even sleep properly last night because I was so scared. The exam was made up of several five/ten minute stations and you go into each and do a different task and then move onto the next one. I find practical exams much better and more enjoyable than written exams but the big drawback is if you forget something you can't go back. It's too late and you have to move on to the next station.

Mock exam Tomorrow!

I have another of my mock exams tomorrow. This one is a practical exam which I am more nervous about than a written exam because there will be an examiner as well as the patient whom I am performing the examination on. I am terrified. Due to my lack of confidence in how my first two exams went I did so much revision since then for this one. Hoping to pass at least one of these mock exams. So hopefully I am more prepared for this one. This exam has a simple pass/fail grading which makes it more scary.

I get nervous before an exam anyway but I have never done a practical exam before with an examiner watching my every move. I hope under pressure my mind doesn't go blank... that's my biggest fear! Usually when I do a written exam, I open the paper, have a little silent panic phase, calm down then get on with it. I can't do this in a practical exam. I just have to get on with it. On top of that, the exam is over three hours long which is just ridiculous really? But hopefully after the first few tasks I will have settled into a rhythm and become more comfortable and not be so scared. I will let you know how it goes.

How do we get noticed?

Boyfriends. Some people have them some people don't. What gets a girl noticed by the opposite sex? At university I have noticed that it's the girls that parade around like peacocks wearing tight minimal clothing and bag loads of make up are the ones that get the most attention. Obviously. you may say. But in the world we live in where technology has aided the ease and flexibility of communication why is it that so many people go unnoticed? Why do so many people find it difficult to find a partner? You can see the increasing numbers of dating websites which are becoming increasingly popular with younger people. Surely when you are 'young' you are at your prime and most likely to find a life partner than when you are older. So why are younger people using dating websites?

I am 20. I have had male attention but never the right kind of person that I want to be in a relationship with. I am not fussy or anything. Just a nice laid back down to earth guy. No one has yet to notice me in that way for my personality or who I am. Sometimes I fear that I may spend my life alone going unnoticed with no one to share my life and experiences with. In the film shall we dance, Susan Sarandon's character says that we get married and have relationships so that there is someone that is a witness to our lives. Someone who takes an interest in you to share your life with so that you do not go through your life jounery unnoticed. I guess in a population with over 7 billion people, it can be easy to get lost in the hussle and bustle of life. Some times when you see someone on their own - there is an elderly woman who lives alone across the street from me and it makes you think - is there a witness to her life? Does she have anyone to look out for her, to protect her or is she alone? That's what we really want isn't it? Someone that cares for us and looks out for us, to share thing with. Someone that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside and the thought of whom makes us smile and makes our hearts beat faster. Can we really get all that from someone based purely on their aesthetics. Surely not? Hence why I do not understand the obsession with looks.

Today facebook, twitter and texting have replaced face to face conversayion and people feel much more comfortable 'messaging' their friends as opposed to speaking to them. I don't have facebook. I am not one of those social networking haters or anything like that but I just don't feel comfortable with my social life displayed for everyone to scrutinise. I don't want my life to be a page on a website. Surely our life means more to us? I have a small group of friends that I love to bits and I like to spend time with them face to face. If that makes me strange or a social freak so be it!

The therapeutic benefits of Mamma Mia

I spent this evening watching Mamma Mia on my laptop! Who knew one film can make you so happy, joyful and positive all at once? I needed a bit of a boost after a bad day and Mamma Mia did it for me! I was singing along to all my favourite ABBA classics including dancing queen, mamma mia, gimme gimme gimme and sos.... often going back and watching some of the scenes again and again. I put on my pyjamas and danced around my room pretending to me Meryl Streep singing along with her.

My favourite bit is when all the women stop what they are doing and start following Meryl Streep and her friends singing Dancing Queen. Then they all dance together on the pier. This bit always brings a tear to my eye. It's such an uplifting part of the film that makes me feel so alive! It is such an empowering song!

Right now I am listening to my other happy song of the moment - Pocket full of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield. Anyone who has seen the film Easy A knows this song and its another cheesy happy cute song. This is another song that I like to dance around my room to just like Emma Stone does in Easy A!