My Blogging Dinner Party

These days, everyone seems to have this little fantasy going on about hosting a celebrity dinner party and sharing who they would invite along to theirs.

I thought of something a little bit different...

The whole point about blogging (besides writing,) is to connect with people from all over the world. So today, I'll be sharing my fantasy list of all of the bloggers I would adore to one day have around my dinner table all at once! Although... I may just need to invest in a bigger table as it was incredibly hard to narrow this list down!!!

Firstly: Zoe, over at: http://www.zoella.co.uk/

I pretty much owe my entire blog to her. I stumbled across her after a distressed visit on google in order to find out what to do for my birthday many years ago. I found one of her old posts which shared a photograph of this incredibly divine cake as seen below... and I just fell in love with her blog and the overall idea of blogging.

Thanks ZoZo.
This obviously means she'd be sitting head of the table.


Second on my list is Whitney over at: http://www.iworeyogapants.com/. 

This makes up already and Brit and an American and I'd just like to point out here that is the beauty of it all!

No other blog makes me laugh the way that hers does. After Zoella's, Whitney's was the first blog that really grabbed my attention and hooked me as something special. I've been following her (in the non stalkerish way!) for over a year already and I just love her blog.

She's so fun-loving and looks like a stunning person. I could imagine an incredibly delightful time devouring copious amounts of wine, dancing, and hilarious banter... plus the probability of kareoke is definitely high.
She'd sit next to me, because she'd have the right idea and sit right by the wine and the music! Soul sisters, we just get each other.

Thirdly, there would be Haley over at: http://haleyspace.blogspot.com/.... 

(now there would be a Brit, an American and a Canadian! Faaaaaaabulous intercontinental friendships!).
Haley and I have been in touch for a long time now. It started via leaving sweet little comments on each others blogs, as one does.. but then we decided to step it up and begin writing letters.
If we lived in the same country, I have no doubt that her and I would be great friends.
She's just wonderful. Her writing is funny, real and open. She doesn't sprinkle things with unnecessary icing to make it seem fancy and admirable... and that makes her admirable! She's got a beautiful little daughter and a stunning husband and together they go through life, learning and living and sharing and I just absolutely adore her.
She would sit on the other side of me because she, I feel, would be the third muskateer when it comes to the wine and dancing along with Whitney and I!


Fourth, Tina has got to be next, over at: http://tickledpinkwoman.blogspot.com/.

To me, Tina is just such a glamourous, incredible woman and I think all of us could learn from her. In the absolute best sense, I feel she is like the mother-hen of my little Blogging friendships. She is SO insanely stylish. She is so brilliant at writing - she keeps beautiful journals and I just hope to be half of the woman she is today one day.

I feel Tina would have to be sitting at the other end of the head of the table. Like a blogging queen should!

Fifth would be Leanne from: http://arumlilea.blogspot.com/

is next, simply because she's a fellow South African and it would be amazing to meet and get in touch with other bloggers from my part of the globe.
Sadly, I hardly know ANY South African's that care about writing, blogging and fashion as much as us.... it makes me see South African's differently in general. Our Christmas times and Halloweens etc are so un-festive... it's heart-wrenching!!

So here's to her, for being unique! And for having one of the most amazing fashion senses (and hair!) I know. She's a fresh breath of South African air!


Sixth is Sonia, next to be invited to my little dinner party shindig: http://www.daringcoco.com/

Purely for the fact that she leaves me the most beeeeeeeautiful long comments on every single blog post I have. You know when you can just TELL someone has read absolutely everything you write? She is just so genuine. A beautiful soul and someone that I'd feel privileged to call a friend.


Seventh: Sylvia you can find here: http://www.spanishmuse.com/

She's another absolute fashion icon of mine.

A stunning Mexican girl living in LA, who speaks fluent Spanish. She's SOOO exotic and quite a foodie too. She's such a sweetie, so down-to-earth and charasmatic. I'd be so excited if she were to attend my shindig.

Eighth would be Dayna: http://www.princessburlap.com/

 I'd say that in most friendships groups, you'd always find the one that is far more emotionally, spiritually and mentally connected than everyone else - and I mean that in the absolute best way. 

I find Dayna fascinating and beautiful. She writes incredibly. She is whimsical, quirky and different. I think she'd add an entire different element to the party, bringing in an undeniably hilarious sense of humor combined with this ability to make you shudder and get goosebumps from her raw and real demeanor. I just love her (in a non freaky way).

She's the person you'd learn things from. Every little thing she says would be taken into consideration; and every little thing is so wise and true. 


Nine is Pooja, all the way from India: http://www.beingbeautifulandpretty.com/

Pooja is such a sweetie. She's so chic and fabulous. Her style is out of this world and she's just wonderful to everyone that stops by her blog. She really is a true friend. The dinner wouldn't be the same without her.

Ten is Lia: http://fashionhappenss.blogspot.sk/

She is stunning. Not only does she show us her amazing style - but also some really great DIY tricks! This lady has lots up her sleeves and I'd be so excited to get to know her too. 


Eleven has got to be Lisa-Jade:  http://voodoochildlaw.blogspot.com/

She is another fellow South African, with an absolutely fabulous sense of humor and so down to earth. She's family orientated, sweet, funny, kind - pretty much everything you could hope for in a friend! She's just great and has touched my heart a number of times since we've been connected via the blogging world.

She's the sort of person that has a smile that lights up the room. She's happy and loving and the sort of person you really want in your life - because she's bound to be loyal and there for you through thick and thin.

Twelve had to be June: http://www.junewantsitall.com/

June brings a little something different to the proverbial table. She lends a helping hand to us, with all these great little blogging tips and advice... how to make our blogs better! Above that, she also great at just sharing her experiences with us. She has this incredible way of making you feel like you were right there with her when she was out to dinner and she is showing us photographs and describing the food.
She's just so diverse and interesting. Every time that I wander over to her lovely blog, I'm pleasantly surprised. There's always something new and different to be seen.

Lucky number Thirteen is Corinne: www.skinnedcartree.com

From blogging tips to a guaranteed laugh, you have to have Corinne in your life.
I find her inspiring. She is confident, funny, real and true to herself. She is stylish and quirky and just full of life.

I find it impossible to visit her site without leaving with a smile on my face and some chuckles in my pocket.

Fourteen is the fiery redhead Laura: http://laurathinksabout.blogspot.co.uk/

This glamorous Londoner with the envious hairstyle is just marvelous.
You can just tell how much she loves life and the experiences that it throws her way.
She is so relate-able and gorgeous... chatting about everything from after payday wishlists (we all have them!), fashion, product reviews, all the way to serious topics such as bullying and the hardships we all face.

Fifteen is the stunning Jessica: http://sweetloveandginger.blogspot.com/

Pre-warning: do NOT visit her blog if you are hungry. She's a wonderful foodie from the North-East. She shares it all, from amazing recipes, inspiring quotes, DIY, Gardening. . . Once again, she's someone who you just couldn't possibly get bored around. There would just be SO much to share and learn!

She'd have to sit right in the middle - so we can all be enthralled by her!


Sixteen is the lovely Mingaile: http://www.minsbeautyequipment.com/

She's the beauty product queen in  my eyes - as well as sharing incredible facts about the horrors of what women have gone through for anti-aging. She offers amazing alternatives to that of botox and fillers.. but discusses these scary thoughts well.
She writes for the every day regular woman - not glam celebs or picture-perfect supermodels. Just us - and she makes us feel like that's enough.

Last but not least, the Seventeenth person at my dinner table would be Meghan:  meghansilva.blogspot.com

This shoe and fashion crazy South African (another one!) describes herself as a girly girl with a twist. God.. why does it seem like I'm suddenly doing an online bloody dating post!? haha

OK.. Meghan is so wonderful and sweet... plus Man-United is her football team, so I just know we'd be fantastic friends!
She has fantastic photography skills, her instagram is amazing! She's just the whole package.

That's quite a full table as it is!

I've been so lucky to meet (electronically, of course,) the above ladies, as well as many others of you too! My hope is that my little dinner party list just keeps on growing - although if that happens I may just need to hire a hall!

Ah well, C'est la Vie!


Who would you invite along to your blogging dinner party?
I'd love to know! The great thing about this is that it's such a fun way to also be introduced to bloggers around the world - the above are the ones that have really stood out to me.... so I hope that you find as much joy in their blogs as I clearly do!

Change is as Good as a Holiday

Last night, after copious amounts of red wine - I dyed my hair (and half of my face...), black.

After rinsing it out and looking catastrophically like this:

I hauled out the hair-dryer and GHD to get it looking somewhat normal. 

Then this morning, going along with my new found craze with all things red... I put on my brand new Oasis shirt and posed for a selfie. Lame in all senses of the word . . . but thought I'd just share my little home dye job with you all. 

Not too shabby if you ask me... 

I'll be taking myself out on the town tonight to flaunt it and have a laugh with some friends. 

 

Tomorrow or later in the week there may very well be a slightly more 'Carrie Bradshaw' post. A fashionable writers memoir of her week in a tiny little town, filled with wine, the occasional salad to try and keep up a healthy appearance in public when in reality I'll hide behind closed doors and scoff my face with pastries and Pringles... Lucky Strike cigarettes (me!? No. Never....), season 1 of Calafornication, an endless supply of divine bath bombs, books for days, Whackhead Simpson (a prank caller on a popular South African radio station,) who has been making my days worthwhile whilst driving to and from work (he's the funniest man to have ever graced the planet. No lies...), spending as much time as humanly possible on my surf board and paddling out into the beauts of waves that have been rolling in lately, sitting in local pubs reading books and meeting people and getting merry on beer... 

That, ladies and gentleman, right now, is my little life. It's not half bad, either.

Hope you're all having a fabulous Tuesday, too... and keeping up the sunny.

Confessions

I’ve got a confession to make to you all.

Lately I’ve been developing this big fear that my blog is getting increasingly boring. I just don’t have as much to say as I once did. This is because I now save an entire half of my salary away each month. I used to save a lot less, which enabled me to buy a whole bunch of materialistic bullshit that I never actually needed and now I’m kicking myself for it.

I mean, I bought myself a brand spanking new MacBook Pro which I’ll be paying off for the next two bloody years yet all I have done is open the ‘Pages’ application and begin writing a new novel. Granted, it looks sexy as hell, but did I really need such a snazzy ass laptop in order to write a book? No. No I didn’t. It may seems glamorous and comforting to have such luxuries, but my other little laptop wasn't bad for what I actually use a laptop for.

We all make mistakes when it comes to our money and sometimes we decide to spoil ourselves with something to make ourselves feel good. That’s fine – that’s normal. But now I have seen the bigger picture. The faster I save up, the quicker I’ll be able to hop back on-board an aircraft (hopefully one that actually lands up to wherever it needs to go!) and jet off overseas.

It was a big decision to make because after splitting my salary in half plus then still needing to pay all of my bills, there is close to zilch left to play with at the end of the day. This could in theory start to make my already rapidly diminishing blog a complete and hopeless mess.

All along, I’ve been known as the free-spirited and exciting blogger filled with life and fun – but I think this blog is heading for a big change in that department now as I won’t be getting out much until I eventually reach my travel goals. As soon as that happens of course, I’ll be back to the old me! But for the meantime, I think if I have any hope of keeping this here blog running to some extent, it is going to have to adopt a new ‘style.’

From now on, it will probably based on book reviews and movie reviews… and the occasional whimsical thought that inspires me that I decide to share with you. I'll throw in some recipes and vlogs here and there should I have anything worthwhile to share - but just know it is heading for a big change.

Sadly, this blog is going to be about the South African version of bloody Sleeping Beauty. I’ll be locked up in my bloody tower, waiting for the day I can finally be set free.

Seriously, the highlight of my week will be plopping a bath bomb (can you believe I've only just discovered them!?!?) in the tub and enjoying a candlelit aromatic soak while reading a book.

It isn't exactly the most endearing and exotic life of a mid-twenties woman with a supposedly popular blog - but I am working on it. Nothing in life comes easy - and if I put enough hard work, passion and dedication into achieving my goals right now (AKA traveling the world,) then I have no doubt that one fine day 'Bohemian Muses' will be back up and running as its former self. 

Until then, you'll just have to excuse my random and sporadic blog posts - but know that I will not be abandoning your blogs. I'll still read them regularly and stay in touch, try my best to pry some inspiration from you guys! We all need a boost in that department occasionally and right now, that's where I'm at.

 

That, my friends, above, is my ever-growing reading list, in which I plan on writing book reviews on every single one. It really is high time that I invested in an actual book shelf, as these are just the ones that I have yet to read. My room is absolutely scattered with books, on the floor, on the desks, on my bed... in pretty much every nook and cranny I can find. I cannot bring myself to give books away after devouring them (unless they are really shitty,) I just love keeping my sentimental reads regardless of if I'd ever actually read them again. 

Alrighty... I guess on that note it is time to sign off for now. 

Have a fabulous week guys - and don't worry, I'm sure I'll be out of this little rut soon. 

Very soon, in fact. 

Ian and Nikki

Now, I'm not normally one for gossip... I actually can't even remember the last time I picked up a magazine and checked out what was happening in the world of Hollywood (seriously, I'm so far behind and to be honest, I couldn't care less!). 

But - I think that the majority of the female species have had their hearts crushed recently: 

Our much loved Ian Somerhalder, the disgustingly attractive bad boy from Vampire Diaries, has gone and found himself a new girlfriend after the recent split with co-star, Nina Dobrev. 

Seems like my Saturday night perf-fest, Ian, has a type! And that suits me just fine. Let's hear it for all the tanned, brunette's of the world! 

There's definitely an uncanny resemblance between old queen B and new, Nikki Reed on the scene.
Dark hair, bronzed skin, chocolate eyes...: 

But seriously, who even really cares whose dating who in Hollywood anyway??? It isn't interesting at all! Whatever you see on the television isn't actually real! At the end of the day, these people are just normal souls too and they deserve to date whom they choose, when they choose- and they deserve to be left alone.

I wish them the very best and a happy future together - and I'm sure Nina won't have a problem moving on either. 

But... just for the record. I for one think Nikki is a far better actress than Nina! Ooops,,,,, did I really just say that? 

As for me? I barely felt a sting from this new blossoming relationship between two Hollywood stars because I am far too busy being smitten with somebody else right now. 

Yip. 

That's right. 

So long Saturday night perv-fests accompanied by wine and Pringles as I drool hopelessly over Ian Somerhalder. 

This old girls gone and found herself a match of her own! It's early days... so I don't want to jinx anything just yet but what's important to know is that I'm happy - and not just because of my own blossoming love life. Generally I just feel happier and better about everything lately.

I appear to have found the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. 

A Fresh Start

I feel I need to play catch up with ya'll.

I'm not going to bother saying how super sorry I am for not only not updating Bohemian Muses in a while but also for being so slack at reading your blogs..... Sometimes things just get crazy in life. Chaos erupts and you just need to take a bit of a breather. 

Things have been going crazy this side of the globe. 

I said that already didn't I? 

Let me fill you in:

When I was born, I was blessed with a brother who is four years older than I am. On Thursday last week we celebrated his 27th year of life. He made it that far... who would have guessed!? With barely a scratch. A few broken bones and busted liver along the way... to be honest I don't think he's done too badly. 

Today, a chilly and stormy Saturday, we are celebrating his aging in style with a little birthday party.  I'm sitting at work right now (in the art gallery) and shivering away while a massive storm is rolling in outside - counting down the hours for when I can uncork a bottle of red and scoff my face with salt and vinegar crisps. 

SO healthy.. I know. 

Don't judge me. 

I try..... a bit.

I think I will be heading out on some travels again soon. It has been nearly a year now since I last stepped out of South Africa and it is slowly and painfully killing me. 

For those of you who don't know this about me, travel is my life. It is my True Love, so to speak. 

But, as with everything in life, traveling costs MONEY. So I have been working my little tush off for the better part of this past year to be able to venture back out into the world and gain some more experience from what this beautifully majestic place has to offer.

I'm not going to be disclosing information as to WHERE I'll be jet-setting off to just yet - as there are plenty of things that need to be said and explained first. But in all good time, my friends, the world shall be my oyster!

Let me start from the beginning - which is where this unstoppable force to move on with my life started:

I went on a date with a bearded fellow recently. 

My date with said bearded fellow went great. 

We went to this cozy little pub and sat next to a crackling fireplace and spoke non stop for hours. We then traipsed to a video rental store and got the absolute WORST movie in the history of films.. I've forgotten the title now, but it was a horror, in more ways than one. We then went back to his beautiful log cabin that he built himself, with the movie and a bottle of red wine in tow and snuggled up on his couch. After a few more hours of more talking, we fell asleep and the next day he woke me up with tea and a biscuit. We then parted ways. Nothing happened besides a delicate little kiss - and it felt great. To be treated like a woman and not feel pressurized into doing anything you aren't really ready for yet. 

He said he wanted to see me again but he's JUST gotten out of a three year relationship and the wound is still quite raw. He doesn't want to hurt her by moving on so quickly which is understandable and he doesn't know if he's entirely ready either to just jump straight back into something.
So although we were supposed to see each other last Friday night, that was cancelled and I haven't seen him since.

Instead, last Friday evening I went out to a bar with two of my very best friends and that's when my world changed forever. 

There's this 50 year old (well, he looks that ancient anyway) gay 'man' who lives in this tiny town of ours and at the bar we were all at he had apparently had a fight with his Toy-Boy a little earlier on. One of my friends knows the guy and went up to say hi... after a few minutes I also went up to the table and said hello and this gay man (who also has a HUGE reputation for drug abusing and trouble-making!) started calling me awful names repeatedly. I don't know him from a bar of soap at all and was really shocked. I could see that he was very drunk though so I backed away, put my hands up and said, "Have a good night!" A little later I returned to the table, completely ignoring him and wanting to tell my friend something. As I was walking away after talking to my friend he shot up from his seat and punched me through the face four times. As soon as my friend managed to get him off of me, the guy ran away and didn't even pay his bill. The swelling and the bruising was immediate but only worsened as the night progressed. I have a black eye, a bruised jaw and a swollen lip.
I told my dad when I got home and of course my dad went MAD. Who wouldn't if someone beats their daughter up?? We went to his house to confront him but he was too scared to come out... so we filed a case against him. It's now being investigated by the police and he's claiming I attacked him and jumped on his back and  scratched his face!! It's so stupid because if I had managed to leave a mark on him I'd be pretty proud to admit it. He is claiming that he elbowed me in the face accidentally! He's lying through his teeth and I just cannot believe it. BUT I have witnesses plus I went to a doctor to get a written letter to prove it was definitely caused from a fist several times.
So now there is a summonings on the 12th of August..... aiiii....... drama drama :(
I just hope that he gets what he deserves.

SO anyway... I've decided that I am pretty over this town, and this country. So I am busy looking into relocating and having a fresh start. It's really heart breaking to be leaving my animals... but it wouldn't be forever. I'd like to just try it, get some experience for 6 months or so at first. Plus, to be blunt, someone recently told me that 'Animals don't give you experience'. It's harsh, but true. My animals are my children, I love them endlessly but you cannot base your entire existence and future around them. They will be in good hands with my family anyway, which is what they are used to anyway.
 

I have friends and family in the country I am thinking about heading to anyway, which funnily enough is no where I have ever previously had any interest in visiting.... there may also just be a British blue eyed man with the most rugged accent I have ever heard there and he has said I could crash with him and over the past two days we have been exchanging text messages and flirting a fair bit :) 

We've been mates for a while though so who knows where the world will take me.
Being single is fun but I am so ready to BE with someone.. spoil someone and fall in love, slowly, carelessly and happily. I just want to focus on Right Now. Not the future. I don't want to put pressure on anything in life, particularly relationships. In the past I'd always be in this massive hurry to meet 'The One' and plan a big future together but that isn't how it should be. I've learned that now. I just want to focus on solely falling in love with someone - and let it take its course.

So watch this space...

As for right now, I'm just enjoying my life with my good friends and looking forward to all of the chaos blowing over.

I am looking forward to a new and interesting start across the globe... 

To just Be.

Reading the most incredible book right now (book review to follow soon,) called Into the Wild by Jon Kraukeur, I stumbled across the most beautiful quote - and it has really inspired me to take that leap into the unknown and start anew:

"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a person than a secure future. The very basic core of a persons living spirit is their passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." 

Counting Sheep...

For the past year or so I have been having the worst trouble with sleeping.

I fall asleep easily - but as soon as the clock strikes between 12 - 3am I am wide awake. so as soon as I fall back asleep I have barely shut my eyes again before my alarm rings violently throughout the room.

 

I'm the sort of person that tries to do everything naturally.

I refuse to take pain killers if I can help it, am extremely stubborn against anti-biotics unless it is 100% necessary and even vitamin supplements are things foreign to me.

 

Therefore, there is no option to take on board sleeping tablets.

I'm completely against them.

 

The first thing you need to do is figure out why you're waking up during the nights or early mornings, particularly if you notice a pattern in the times you're waking up.

 

I went onto this website which gave me a chart of throughout 24 hours and lets you know where your problem lies.

 

(mine apparently being in the liver.... which probably isn't far off! I found this chart scarily accurate. Not only does it correlate for me the liver, but also portrays anger, frustration and resentment which I am not in the least bit shy to admit I suffer with from my past): 

 

 

 

Furthering my research to get me to sleep through the night or simply help me fall back asleep easily... this post is a helpful list that I compiled together in order to hopefully assist you with natural sleeping remedies:

 

• Develop a Routine: going to bed at a certain hour each night will put your body into recognition with it. You will become used to the pattern.
• Get Your Full 8 Hours: Studies have shown that everyone 18 and older need at least 8 hours sleep a night.
    
• Make a Lavender Sachet and Place it Under Pillow: Lavender has a relaxing effect on your body and will help you to feel sleepy.
• Exercise: Get those endorphins flowing. Exercise will give you energy throughout the day and is also a fabulous form of annihilating any depressive symptoms you may suffer from.
• No Nightcaps: I didn't know this before beginning my research, but apparently as much as a glass of wine helps you to drift off at night, by the time the alcohol wears off it wakes you back up and makes it difficult for you to fall back to sleep.
• So instead of a Nightcap, go for Chamomile!
• No Smoking: I'm sure you don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that smoking is BAD for your health.  
• Cut Back on the Caffeine.
• Look Carefully at Your Diet: Eliminate foods / drinks that are actually harmful to your sleep, such as protein rich and high-fat foods. They are hard to digest.
• Go Black: Your brain needs complete darkness to be able to know it is time for sleep. If there is light of any form, it triggers something to wake you back up.
  For the past few months I've needed a light in the hallway to remain on at night after a bad experience, so in a situation like this I'd suggest that you leave the light on and just have a sleeping mask over your eyes so if you hear anything at night and need to look around, you can just slip the mask off and the room around you will be visible.
• Temperature Control: I love my electric blanket and hot water bottle, but overheating can really effect your sleeping! So instead of switching on the heat to the max, rather just wear warmer clothing or have an extra blanket when you're cold.  
• Music: Some people like to listen to relaxing music to fall asleep. Rain, wind, water are common noises that ease people into sleep.
  For me, I'd recommend Enya. It always works for me.
• Don't keep your cellphone and other electronics close to your bed: Electronics will distract you. You'll be woken up with a message or a flashing light. Cellphones also emit radiation which makes it harder for you to reach a state of deep sleep.
  I use my phone as an alarm clock so what I do in this instance is keep it across the room at night, not only does that help the prevent the radiation but it also makes me get up in the mornings to turn the alarm clock off!!
• Read: I read every night before I go to bed. It really helps me to relax and get drowsy. That's not to say the books I read are boring!! But reading can be so calming as well as aiding to escape your own thoughts for a while.

 

 Now that I've given you some great tips and advice to help assist you to sleep better tonight, feel free to share some of your own tricks that have helped you throughout your restless nights!

Sleep well!

A Case of You | Movie Review

I know this is cliche, but I kind of love movies based on quirky girls with pixie hair-cuts and a vintage fettish. 

I also adore movies based on writers, considering I am one and all.

I've also never been disappointed by anything starring Evan Rachel Wood - so for me, this movie was a must see. It seemed to be the complete package - and you know what, it didn't disappoint. 

Sam (Justin Long), spends his days writing novels in a local Brooklyn coffee shop and falls for a quirky barista called Birdie (Evan Rachel Wood). 

She doesn't seem to notice him so when all else fails, he reverts to her Facebook page and scopes out all of her interests, transforming himself into what he'd like to believe is her 'Dream Man.' From French cuisine, judo and strumming on a guitar - Sam does everything to win her heart.

When Birdie does fall for Sam's ploy, he must now keep up the tiring façade to keep her. 

The situation is both drastically sad for him but also fabulous, as he manages to gain inspiration for a new book from his time with her. He writes a memoir of their time together and I for one think that it was really a very special film.

Wood and Long have an undeniable on-set chemistry that is so likable and easy to watch. The concept is great and it focuses on a lot of current society-driven issues. Love, not being good enough, trying to be good enough... you name it - and to top it all off, it's done with the perfect sprinkle of humor.

I wouldn't go as far as to say this movie WOW-ed me silly - but it was good. 

There's also a few appearances of the much love Vince Vaughn who plays Sam's crude and appalling publisher. 

Peter Dinklage (from Game of Thrones) makes a brilliantly creepy role as Birdie's gay co-worker too which had me in fits of laughter.

 Have you seen any good movies lately? 

I'd love some recommendations.

Happily Ever After by Harriet Evans | Book Review

"At twenty-two, Eleanor Bee is sure about three things: she wants to move to London and become a literary superstar, she wants to be able to afford a to buy a coffee and croissant every morning, and she doesn't believe in happy endings. Ten years on, and Elle's life has changed in ways she could never have predicted. Because the past has a funny way of catching up with you, and Happily Ever After comes in all shapes and sizes."

This is the second Harriet Evans book that I am both reading and reviewing. The first book I read of hers also happened to be my first book review on this blog back in May 2012 : I Remember You by Harriet Evans | Book Review

Her first book completely underwhelmed me and I had no intention of ever reading her work again. That being said, I had absolutely no idea that it was the same author when I picked up this book in the shop.

I read the back and it stood out to me as something that I would really enjoy considering it was the perfect cocktail mixture.
A dash of London.
A twist of New York.
A sprinkle of the glamorous world of the publishing industry.
A slice or two of the sweet and sourness of sex and relationships.
And a hearty lug of real life problems that one can easily relate to.

So I bought it without even realizing it was the same author I had previously picked apart!

Once I had figured it out (it took me a while,) I found that I was really pleasantly surprised. 

I adored the way she described every intricate detail so beautifully - though at times I felt like because the book was written over a series of years through the key characters life, that the author slid in a lot of unnecessary things relating to the year in which the chapter was supposed to be based on. That was its only downfall - oh; and it be brutally honest I must admit that the key character did annoy me a bit. She seemed clueless to me at times - not a 'strong' heroine to me nor someone I'd look up to even when she was reveling in her successes.

I couldn’t have read this book at a better time in my life – I probably say that about the majority of books I read but I guess that you pick up exactly what you need to from every book you come across.

This book takes you all throughout Elle’s life, from the dreaded days of teenage school life all the way up to her thirties.

It touches on the years in between those times, on the trials and hardships she faces as well as the successes and saucy secrets of an independent female.

It takes you on a journey from a messy, sporadic girls situation in life where she can barely afford lunch - where she is practically bowing down to those she works with (sound familiar to anyone???), she's at the bottom of the food chain… to blossoming into a woman. 

A woman with power and confidence. 

A woman who inevitably still has problems – like we all do.That's a good message I picked up from this book.

As a woman in my mid-twenties, falling out of bed at 7am each morning and procrastinating against gym, then feeling guilty and doing squats in the shower while brushing my teeth at the same time; scarpering around the gallery I work for making coffee for everyone and typing out the bosses handwritten letters – it was a perfect read.

It’s just a great book to read when you’re at that sort of stage in your life; just trying to get by. 

Neither here nor there. 

Dreaming of something big but needing to make ‘Right Now’ work as best you can.

It reminds you that you have no idea where you’ll be a year from now – even a month from now.

Every tiny thing that happens in life, sets you on a different course that you could never have thought of. 

No one knows where they’ll end up. 

And that’s the beauty and the excitement of life.   

 

Even in our darkest moments - there will be light at the end of the tunnel. 

Even Cinderella eventually got her happy ending...