Birthday Post!

Currently listening to: California King Bed (Rihanna) All I Want For Christmas (Mariah. again)
Currently pondering: Graduation, snow, paaaaiiin

This was never meant to be a Birthday post. I'd written something completely different, then remembered it's MY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW, and supposed I ought to commemorate the occasion. I can now say that my dad forgot how old I was turning, mum wasn’t sure when it was my birthday, and I just full on forgot it. Runs in the family, clearlyWhat better time to write something semi-philosophical and thought provoking- There is none! So, I'm stumped..

 <.<                           >.>                  >.<

No I'm not, of course I'm not. I'm not going to bore you with some soppy " this year has been so amazing..." post, I'm better than that. And it hasn't been all rosy and amazing, but a pendulum swing between extremes and back, and I won’t divulge the gory bits without a strong drink or a huge chip on my shoulder.What I am going to do is talk about 2 things from my childhood that are revived around this time of year every year, and why. The two most played video tapes I owned as a child were Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland, and I was SO HAPPY when both of them were remade in the last few years- it’s like the world was woken up to their brilliance and the stories were growing up with me. 

I have now put on  the Peter Pan film... I LOVE THIS FILM, it’s so good, the kids are so cute, and I have a thing for the guy who plays Pan. Ahem. That doesn’t make me sound good...He just has this really cute impish charm! Can I clarify I dig the charm, not the 12 yr old boy? I’m moving on now before I cause any more damage. Eeesh.

My love for Peter Pan does run deeper than physical attraction and fairytales though, I liked the sense of adventure and childhood crushes. I took the notion of love very seriously as a child. Probably fuelled by Disney’s portrayal of it. Then I actually started dating and it was like "WHOOOOAA Nelly! This isn’t how it’s meant to be!" Plus the idea of growing up always has scared me...so every year I end up going through Peter Pan Syndrome! -as I call it. This is the phenomenon I usually experience this time of year, where I defy Father Time, ball my hands into little fists, and thrash around until he agrees not to let me age this year. He usually wins, he has a very forceful manner of debate.  But I don’t have it this year! I’m quite looking forward to turning 21, I have an array of celebrations to see me through (I love hosting, it makes me feel quite satisfied with my little self), and my first act as a 21 year old is gonna be a scream. But I’m keeping that a secret, don’t want to ruin the surprise after all!

Alice in Wonderland is one of those things that if you read with an open mind, the nonsense soon makes sense. Par example

The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, "Why is a raven like a writing-desk?"
"Come, we shall have some fun now!" thought Alice. "I'm glad they've begun asking riddles. — I believe I can guess that," she added aloud.
"Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?" said the March Hare.
"Exactly so," said Alice.
"Then you should say what you mean," the March Hare went on.
"I do," Alice hastily replied; "at least--at least I mean what I say--that's the same thing, you know."
"Not the same thing a bit!" said the Hatter. "You might just as well say that 'I see what I eat' is the same thing as 'I eat what I see'!"
"You might just as well say," added the March Hare, "that 'I like what I get' is the same thing as 'I get what I like'!"
"You might just as well say," added the Dormouse, who seemed to be talking in his sleep, "that 'I breathe when I sleep' is the same thing as 'I sleep when I breathe'!"

Be sure to say what you mean and mean what you say! These are indeed two totally different concepts no matter how similar they may sound. I read the book again over the summer, and I think it's one of those books that releases a little bit of philosophy with every reading. This time I picked up on the above quotation and liked it very much. I said it last week, I'll say it again, I'll say it forever more: Be straight with me! I have no time to be messed about with, especially if there's no good reason. And I found it's the only way to keep friendships going. Alice usually makes an appearance about this time of year when I want to check that I still find the world around me interesting and full of wonder (yeh I went there) and as far as I can see, it is!

I took this picture of the moon a few nights ago, it looked absolutely huge! B-E-A-ootiful!

This was taken last year, and it reminds me of that bit in alice when she's been shrunk and is walking amongst the flowers!

Sophie as my own personal Alice, just before she joins the Caucus race

Now, I'll get back to some real work before I spend my night having a pint and playing pool, I intend to have a big cocktail in my hand as the clock strikes 12!
Lovelove xxx (and apologies for a sub-standard post, the next will be an audio-deeelight)

16/11/2010

Currently listening to: Sentimental Heart (She & Him)

Currently pondering: Christmas

Yes, I realise it may be a little early for a festive post (what with it being my first and NOT December) but I can't help myself! In the last week I've booked my Christmas trains home (ooohhh...home...*yearn, yearn*), which lead me to think of how amazing my last Christmas was, which lead to me putting on the playlist of songs I made for last Christmas, I got all hyped up, I calmed down, went to Edinburgh, and then this happened:

and I'm sure it's only too easy for those of you who know me (even vaguely) to imagine me then flying off the handle of sanity, twirling round and round with the euphoria of romantic Christmas notions... Not romantic as in typical bog-standard romance, but the idea of warm fuzzy dining rooms, tables decorated with holly and candles, lavender glass champagne flutes with the gold trim, serving platters spilling over with food, Mum serving up everyone's plates, Dad pouring a generous glug of wine, Sis whipping out a bottle of Bailey's from whatever this year's hiding place was- True Bliss. (Are you feeling festive now? You better be)

And this is what's getting me through the arctic temperatures and ridiculous workload up here.
That and the fact my birthday hits in 15 days! Last year's epic "Peter Pan" syndrome is, so far, nowhere in sight, turning 21 officially does not freak me out. In my mind, it means I'll carry the air of metropolitan sophistication with me, drop little pearls of wisdom here there and everywhere like dandruff (nice imagery right?) and make myself known to the world of business through internships and job applications. What I am freaking out about is the idea I'll be inching ever closer to that "marrying age", middle-lifedom, and wrinkles. Watching my niece applying make up over the summer was enough to make me breakdown at the sight of these teeeny tiny little creases under my eyes where powdery eyeliner deposits towards the end of the day. I need to buy a better eyeliner. 

But I digress.. Hopefully this puts you in a cheery Christmassy mood. If it doesn't, get yo'self some Christmas music on, let me help you out      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpvB1IgekUY     if that doesn't work, think about what you'll gift your nearest and dearest with, and if that doesn't work, go retire to a comfy armchair Scrooge, and wait for the Christmas spirit to beat you with a stick come December.

Love, 

Moi.