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There is something inexplicably cool about recognising locations in films. Particularly the big budget ones. I still love seeing London on screen. Any part of London. On any type of screen ... be it film, or tv. I don't think it will ever get old. I get all squee-ish and homesick inside ... I just can't help it. Being able to recognise a far away location, and for it to be so innately familiar - it's a fabulous thing. Especially when you come from somewhere like Brisbane - a city which barely ever makes it into any form of tv or film.
Even more exciting than recognising London though, is recognising somewhere else. Somewhere that wasn't home for a year and a half. Somewhere that I 
visited while travelling ... somewhere familiar purely from a tourist perspective. Because let's face it ... London is hardly an unfamiliar sight on tv or film. As much as I love seeing it, it's not an entirely uncommon occurrence.
Last night however, I saw the much anticipated "Made of Honor" ... a fun, light hearted, romantic comedy starring the ever-fabulous McDreamy and set for the most part in New York - somewhere I'm yet to have the opportunity to visit. Little did I know though, the amusing story line eventually takes the lead characters on a journey across the atlantic to Scotland ... and somewhere entirely familiar and recognisable.
By now, you may have recognised that the photos here displayed are of the very locations in Scotland that are visited in the film. I was so excited while watching ... my poor friends must have been entirely sick of me squealing in recognition. Eileen Doonan castle has been a favourite of mine for years though ... since well before I visited in 2004. I had a photo print of the castle on the wall of my room at uni in Melbourne. I have ancestors who once worked at the stunning place. The connection is a special one for me.
And seeing the familiar locations on a massive screen during a relatively big budget film ... all the more exciting as a result! Surely I'm not the only one to find such familiar film locations so thrilling?
We're less than a month into the new year, and I suspect I've already found my favourite movie of the year. This afternoon I saw 27 Dresses for the second time, and loved it just as much as I did the first time around. The second viewing wasn't entirely planned, but I caught up with a couple of friends today, and while trying to decide on a movie it became apparent that they were both rather keen to see it, and I certainly had no objection to seeing it again ... so it seemed a logical choice. So glad ... reminded me just how much I loved it! Kevin is absolutely one of those fictitious guys that just doesn't exist in real life. Add him to the ever-growing list.
Meanwhile, in a completely irrational line of thought ... it also made me realise how much I miss my filofax! It makes absolutely no sense for me to keep using one ... I have a gorgeous PDA which I love, which effectively runs my entire life, contains my diary, my contacts, my email, my notes, a lovely collection of photos and random word and excel files, and conveniently synchronises with my computer. And it fits in my pocket! I can take it anywhere, and I don't need an oversized bag to carry it around in. It really is a far more practical option!
But I still miss my filofax! Being able to open it up, and flick through the pages, scribble notes wherever I want, add stickers and drawings, slip things inside the cover or behind the pages, attach post-its and store business cards. It's so handy! It's so personalised. And then there's all the handy filofax info ... international information, notable dates, weights and measurements, clothing guides, time zones, temperature guides. Ooh, and I had the most handy London and World maps.
Hehe, it's amazing what you find when you pull out an old diary! I've got all kinds of things still stored in my filofax. Loads of stickers ... those photo ones, that you used to be able to get in photobooths in shopping centres. Some so old I barely recognise myself! Way back to high school. Crazy! And a numerology chart that a friend of my grandparents did for me. A bunch of travel tickets from London. Old photos. Tube maps. Scribbled notes. So many memories! It's like opening a time capsule into a past life!
I can't wait to see this film ...
I read this book before embarking on my nanny adventure. I won't pretend it inspired me to nanny in the first place - I'm hardly naive enough to think life will imitate a fictional story. But it perhaps contributed to planting the idea in my head. And while nannying, I could certainly relate aspects of my life to the book.
Sadly I never found my own Harvard Hottie ... instead I had a creepy stalker who worked in the local park. On the upside, my bosses were never as freaky as Mr & Mrs X ... and as far as I know I was never subjected to a nanny cam. Such a fun book ... can't wait to see it the screen.
Meanwhile, I'm spending a Friday night procrastinating and avoiding study. What a ridiculous waste of a Friday night. Hmph.
I just ordered the complete box set of Teachers!! Series 1 to 4 ... four entire series of the fabulously entertaining British comedy. I love it! So much!! And it was only £37 including postage to Australia! For four series! Hurrah! I can't wait!! How long does postage from Amazon.co.uk to Australia take? Hopefully not too long.
Meanwhile, today I went to Borders. Always dangerous. Very rarely can I go into a Borders store without coming home with something. Today, despite my rather dire need to save money, I picked up a CD and two DVDs. On sale though!! The latest Powderfinger album for $15, Harry Potter 4 for $15 (reduced from $44!!) and The Holiday for $18 (which I'm yet to see, although have been told many times that I'll love it). I think I did well!
Hurrah for random CD and DVD purchases! Such a fabulous distraction from studying.
Is there really any good reason to see a film in any way other than Gold Class? I always seem to forget just how much more enjoyable the movie-going experience can be. On Friday night I finally saw Pirates 3 in a regular Senstadium cinema ... and I spent the entire almost three hours fidgeting and trying to get comfortable. Admittedly, I have just spent the vast majority of five weeks sitting in a car ... so my usually quite well behaved back probably isn't at its best at the moment. The semi-comfortable, high-backed seats of the regular cinema just don't compare to Gold Class though.
Today, by contrast, I joined a group of friends and friends of friends to see the fabulous new Harry Potter film in the luxurious comfort of Gold Class. I haven't been to a Gold Class cinema since the last Harry Potter film came out ... and I just can't work out why not. I seem to have just plain forgotten how good it is.
Okay, so it's expensive. Quite ridiculously expensive really. But at least you can see what you're getting for your money. The improvement is so significant, so obvious ... you really do appreciate it! Well, I did anyway. Those seats are the most comfortable seats ever ... I want one at home. There is no more comfortable way to lie back and watch a film. And the cute waiter people bringing food and drinks throughout the film is so lovely! Amongst other things, I had a sundae today which was quite possibly the best sundae I have ever had. So yummy.
I must question the decision to open it up to children though. When it first opened, I did wonder why they restricted it to 18+ ... but I've come to appreciate it. I love kids, clearly! But there are times when you'd rather they weren't around. Like, for example, in a movie ... when they often have a tendency to talk and ask questions in a rather annoying fashion.
Or, even more frustratingly ... they are foolishly given packets of chips or lollies which they then proceed to rustle noisily throughout the movie, as the three young girls in our session did today. Reminded me very much of the Sound of Music experience during the final performance in Sydney, when a huge row of annoying children sitting immediately behind us were given chip packets, leading not only to complaints by other audience members, but by the actors on the stage as well. It's one thing to open Gold Class up to children, but can these children not be reminded of polite audience behaviour? Grrr, so infuriating!
Oooohhh, and one more thing! Whose idea was it to allow babies into Gold Class!? Seriously, whoever made that decision deserves to be shot! If we're paying $36 for a ticket, we expect uninterrupted viewing! I certainly don't want to be hearing a baby crying, no matter how briefly. That's what babysitters are for, or the designated babes in arms sessions. Babies are lovely, but not in a Gold Class screening. Really.
Anyway, a fabulous afternoon all the same. The three young girls were quite well behaved, and the baby was impressively quiet for almost the entire film. My complaints are, for the most part, based on a matter of principle. And the film ... incredible, of course. I'd forgotten how much I love the world of Hogwarts and muggles. Bring on the excitement and anticipation of next book!
Freakish coincidence! Maybe I'm grasping at straws here ... but it seems freakish to me. This afternoon, I was browsing through my "on this day" posts ... and read about my night at the theatre in London in 2004 when I saw Julia Stiles and Aaron Eckhart in Oleanna. The name jumped out at me ... Aaron Eckhart ... because it sounds awfully similar to Aaron Echolls, Logan's villainous father on Veronica Mars. Yes, I make bizarre connections like this. Let's link the serious theatre actor from a real life West End show to a dead, fictitious, Hollywood actor on a tv show.
Anyway, the connection was made, and the name as such was remembered. Aaron Eckhart. Not an actor I knew particularly well, or would have any hope in recognising ... but a name I would now at least recognise given the bizarre connection. So imagine my surprise when tonight, while at the movies with my friends, I see a preview for No Reservations - the new Catherine Zeta Jones film ... starring none other than Aaron Eckhart himself!
I hadn't even heard of this guy outside of the London theatre. He was completely unknown to me when I saw the play, and I'd barely thought of him since then (three years ago to the day!). When I read my post this afternoon, I had to double check what I was reading to make sure I'd read the name right. And mere hours later ... there's his name flashing across the screen at the cinema. Freakish, right? I think so.
When did day to day life become such a mad rush? When did it become so hard to fit everything into a day? Who is responsible? Or what, perhaps? What caused us to speed up our day to day lives so much? From where comes this insane need to do everything at such a frantic pace?
It's no longer enough to just work, or just study, or just volunteer, or just raise a family ... we have to do everything at once. As though trying to do just one is a waste. A waste of what though? A waste of time? A waste of a life? A waste of potential energy? A waste of ability?
I'm easily one of the worst offenders. I'm the first to admit that. It's a little hard to deny. I try to cram far too much into my life ... as though if I don't do it all now, I might miss out. Which is entirely possible I guess ... who knows what lies around the corner.
But is it wise? Is my enjoyment and commitment to each aspect of my life diminished because it is shared with so much else? Or is it strengthened? Does each somehow contribute to and build on the others? I have no idea. Is my life as a whole better or worse because I do so much? There must be a happy medium somewhere, but where is it? Have I surpassed it? If so, by how much? How do I know?
And what am I missing out on if I don't do everything? The experiences. The friendships. The memories. The fun. The learning. The satisfaction. Okay, a lot. But if I do less, would I get more out of the things I keep doing? Would I get enough to make up for what I miss out on by not doing some things? That, my friend, is the question.
The inspiration for this line of wonder ... I just watched Pride & Prejudice, again. And I love how they have time to wander through the woods and just think about things; or how they can sit under a tree and read a book; or decide on a whim to walk into town to check out the men. It's so relaxed; so appealing.
Perhaps a lot of that has to do with environment ... it's not like I live anywhere near the gorgeous woods of Derbyshire. And to be fair, there are many things we do now for the same purpose that would never have been done in Jane Austen's time. But somehow everything we do now seems far more hectic than the activities of Elizabeth Bennett, and Mr Knightley, and the Dashwood sisters. Or is it just my imagination?
The IMDB has had a facelift! I have no idea when this happened ... it may well be old news, as I can't even recall when I last looked something up. It's all looking fancy and redesigned though ... I must say, I'm rather a fan! On top of which, I just discovered the trailer for The Nanny Diaries ... such a cute book! With Grayer, and Mrs X, and the Harvard Hottie ... I hope the movie lives up. Scarlett Johansson and Laura Linney are a positive inclusion, surely.
Meanwhile, Hugh is tipped to play Rhett Butler in a Broadway production of Gone WithThe Wind. How thrilling, but why does he have to be so famous and popular? Broadway is such a long way away ... I liked it when he did stuff a little more locally. ;) Seems this reporter paid a little less attention to that time of his life though. Clearly not a true fan. Or perhaps London and Australia are interchangeable?
Okay, must do some uni work. What a thrilling prospect for a weekend day.