Girl vs. Boy

My lovely friends have recently enlightened me to the fact that I can be quite boyish in my behaviour. See, I like to think that it's quite common for girls to take on typically male characteristics (and vice versa), but nonetheless, I figured listing my stereotypically girly traits against my boyish ones:

I giggle far too much. I can't stand 'bimbo' girls.
I love shopping. I also love watching/playing pretty much any sport. Especially footy.
I am very organised and neat. I drink milk from the bottle.
I know nothing about cars. I'm great at poker.
I always read the instructions. I can't stand women's weekly trash magazines.
I'm good at English but terrible with Maths. I'm great at Chemistry but terrible with Art.
I love to cook. I love the gym.
I get really, really excited about Christmas. I hardly ever cry.
I am excellent at remembering birthdays, names, dates. I can't remember what I had for breakfast.
I love to talk and talk about nothing. I'm very rational in dealing with problems.
Fashion really interests me. I hope to study Science at uni.
I love The Notebook. I love Die Hard.
I love people. I get annoyed easily.
I love blog comments! I love blog comments!

Child of the 90s

So I found a spare few minutes in my crazy life and decided to blog again after a FIVE MONTH HIATUS! I don't even know if anyone will read this, but I just wanted to get something out and get a feel for the old bloggy world I have missed being a part of!

I was a child of the 90's in every sense. I loved watching Blossom and Saved By the Bell, I wore denim overalls and I said "As if!" and "Talk to the hand!" Here are I few of the things my friends and I were obsessed with in our younger years, inspired by recent nostalgic conversations...

1) Cabbage Patch Doll
Mine was called Willa Rhonda and I still have her! And her hair still smells of delicious baby powder like it did when I first got her in 1995.

2) Transformers
OK, so these were pretty much just for the boys but I loved them! My first crush Brad had a dark blue one that transformed into a car. IT WAS AWESOME!

3) Tamagotchi
I'm talking about Version 1 here. I was in Grade 3, Tamagotchis had been around for about a year and then my school BANNED THEM. To use a very 2000's phrase, we were devo.

4) Tiny Teddies
Oh my gosh, along with Roll-Ups, these little babies were the coolest things to have in your lunchbox. My faves were the choc-chip or honey flavours. Silly was the cutest. No-one liked Grumpy.

5) Hanson
So I heard a little while back that apparently all of the brothers are now married (I thought they were all still like 17!), and I started singing the good old "Mmm Bop". My little sister had NO IDEA what I was singing, and even after I showed her the video on YouTube, she still said she had never heard of the three brothers. Kids these days. (BTW- I know two of the brothers were named Issac and Zac, but can you remember the name of the third brother? My friends and I couldn't, so the answer is at the bottom of the post.)

6) Muppets
Treasure Island One of the first movies I ever saw at the cinema, this sparked a continuing love for all things Miss Piggy and Kermit. I heart Fozzie Bear for ever.

7) Capri pants
I had a pair of denim ones and a khaki pair and WORE them to DEATH! Of course, you had to wear them with either a 3/4 length shirt or a super-cute button-up floral blouse. Adorable.

8) Baby Born
I was SO JEALOUS when my best friend Cathy got one of these for Christmas. But we already had my little sister and Mum said we could only have one thing in the house that cried and needed feeding and cleaning up after constantly. I secretly still want one.
9) Adidas Three-Stripe Tracksuit Pants
I think every single person at my netball club had a pair of these in either black or navy. You know the ones- parachute material, rustled when you walked, three white stripes running down the left leg. Then markets started selling cheap knock-offs with only two stripes. But if you wore those, you were just sad. Get the real thing or go home.
10) Friendship Bracelets
The type you made from plaiting coloured wool and then tying it around your best-friend-of-the-week's wrist. Couldn't take it off, so it stayed on until it fell off. Number of friendship bracelets on your wrist at any one time= your popularity

xoxo bubblygirl
(The third Hanson brother is named TAYLOR! OF COURSE! The cute middle one! Ahhh, memories.)

Places I Must Go and Things I Must Do When I Go to New York

I am obssessed with New York City. I love love love everything about it, from the little cafe's and bars, the diverse range of shopping (high-end Chanel or bargain-basement flea market), the music, art and fashion, the amalgamation of historic buildings with modern architectural triumphs, the melting pot of hotties, characters and hobos... everything!

The only problem- I haven't been yet. But I know, for sure, I WILL get there one day!

Inspired by the travels of my fellow blogger, frangipani princess, here is a list of things I will do, see and visit when I get to the beautiful NYC. Some are weird, some are classic, and some are just unashamedly tourist-y, but I don't care! When I get to New York, I'll be singing Frank Sinatra's classic... "I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps, To find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap. These little town blues, Are melting away, I'll make a brand new start of it! In old New York! If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere! It's up to you, New York, New York!"

In no particular order:

1) Visit Serendipity III, the cafe in which John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale drank frozen hot chocolates and slowly fell in love in the film Serindipity

Address: 225 East 60th Street, New York, NY 10022

2) Visit Tiffany and Co- who can forget the opening sequence to Breakfast at Tiffany's, in which the gorgeous Audrey Hepburn eats her take-away breakfast and drinks her coffee out the front of Tiffany's Fifth Avenue store. Oh, what I wouldn't give to take home one of those little powder blue boxes...

Address: Fifth Avenue At 57th Street, New York, NY 10022

3) See the Statue of Liberty- Oh, that beautiful beacon for all that is New Yorkian :) A gift from the French celebrating 100 years of American independence, there are not one, but TWO other Lady Liberties, both found in France and symbolising friendship, freedom and peace between the US and France.

4) Visit Union Square Greenmarket- this gourmet farmer's market sells EVERYTHING food-related. If it's fresh and it's tasty, you will find it here -homegrown produce, pretzels, meats, cheeses, jams and honeys. I hope to get some of the, shall we say, interesting varieties of jam and peanut butters available, such as the dark chocolate peanut butter that a friend of mine bought back recently.

Address: Union Square Park, 17th St. at Broadway, New York, NY 10003

5) Visit Murray's Bagels- this quaint store sells that NYC institution, the bagel. They supposedly do it well, with one review saying Murray's sell their bagels "crusty and chewy enough to dislocate your jaw, flavorful enough to eat plain" and "aggressively old-school and traditional". What better place to eat my first New York Bagel?

Address: 500 Sixth Ave., New York, NY 10011

6) Walk Down 34th Street- I am a great lover of Christmas movies and Miracle on 34th Street is my all-time favourite, particularly the original version starring Natalie Wood. To stroll down the street that inspired a movie title, even stay in a hotel along the street that sits in the heart of the city would be literally unbelievable.

7) Stand Atop the Empire State Building- Too many film references here, but the two most notable are, of course, An Affair to Remember and Sleepless in Seattle. That along is enough reason to get up there, close my eyes and pretend I'm madly in love with some dashing young actor, when in reality, I'm falling in love with this city...

8) Hit Up A Cocktail Bar (Or Two, or Three...)- Wow, too many to choose from here! Whether it's the fabulous margarita's from Dos Caminos Soho (475 W. Broadway), the mojito's at Milk and Honey (34 Eldridge St) or soaking up the atmosphere at Prohibition- inspired Death and Co. (433 E. 6th St), New York is famous for those fruity, fabulous drinks.

9) Visit Central Park- This 843 acre monument to the magnificance of New York attracts all those who make the trip here. I want to do and see it all! Skip through strawberry fields (inspiration courtesy of a current fascination of mine with The Beatles), row a boat on The Lake, see Belvedere Castle, visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, attend a Shakespeare In the Park play, visit Central Park Zoo (yay for Madagascar!), eat at Tavern on the Green or just find a big old tree to sit under and people-watch. Ahhhhhh.

10) Have a Coffee From the Best Non- Starbucks Coffeeshop in the City: The Sensuous Bean- So according to one reviewer, this place has cheap, tasty and surprising coffee, with super-friendly staff and sweet snacks. Apparently their gourmet, flavoured coffees are to die for, and we're not just talking caramel and chocolate here, people- they have Pumpkin Spice, Coconut, Raspberry, Banana Nut and White Chocolate Mousse. My personal pick of the bunch? Chocolate macadamia decaf. Sweet. Best bit? They do tea as well! Now, I pride myself on my tea, and love to start the day with an English Breakfast or Green Tea, have an Earl Grey or Peppermint after school and a Camomile or Daffodil before bed. The Sensuous Bean's tea list on their website is making me drool on my keyboard- Organic Peach, Vanilla Jasmine, Mango With Pieces and their personal brew, Sensuous Breakfast. I can see myself spending far too much money and time here... but coffee and tea would make great gifts to bring home though, no?

Address: 66 W 70th St, New York, NY 10023

11) Spend An Afternoon in Housing Works Bookstore Cafe- After reading Chelsea's review of this quaint little place on Guidespot.com, I can't help but want to go. She says, "This bookstore/cafe has new, used and rare books that you can read while munching on a sandwich, drinking vino, listening to live music or a reading. Also, you can feel good about spending the dough, 100% of the profits go to a non-profit organization benefiting New Yorker’s living with HIV/AIDS." Let's go!

OK, so I realise this list is a very romanticised vision of the great city, but come on! It's New York! It's been the backdrop to more movies than Hollywood itself, it has literally something for everyone, it has a pulse and a heartbeat and it's New York! "Start spreading the news... I'm leaving today!" I wish!

Where in the world do you want to visit more than anywhere else?

Love bubblygirl

xoxo

Childhood Obsessions

So I found a spare few minutes in my crazy life and decided to blog again after a FIVE MONTH HIATUS! I don't even know if anyone will read this, but I just wanted to get something out and get a feel for the old bloggy world I have missed being a part of!

I was a child of the 90's in every sense. I loved watching Blossom and Saved By the Bell, I wore denim overalls and I said "As if!" and "Talk to the hand!" Here are I few of the things my friends and I were obsessed with in our younger years, inspired by recent nostalgic conversations...



1) Cabbage Patch Doll

Mine was called Willa Rhonda and I still have her! And her hair still smells of delicious baby powder like it did when I first got her in 1995.



2) Transformers

OK, so these were pretty much just for the boys but I loved them! My first crush Brad had a dark blue one that transformed into a car. IT WAS AWESOME!



3) Tamagotchi

I'm talking about Version 1 here. I was in Grade 3, Tamagotchis had been around for about a year and then my school BANNED THEM. To use a very 2000's phrase, we were devo.



4) Tiny Teddies

Oh my gosh, along with Roll-Ups, these little babies were the coolest things to have in your lunchbox. My faves were the choc-chip or honey flavours. Silly was the cutest. No-one liked Grumpy.



5) Hanson

So apparently one of the brothers got married a little while back (I thought they were all still like 17!), and I started singing the good old "Mmm Bop". My little sister had NO IDEA what I was singing, and even after I showed her the video on YouTube, she still said she had never heard of the three brothers. Kids these days.

(BTW- I know two of the brothers were named Issac and Zac, but can you remember the name of the third brother? My friends and I couldn't, so the answer is at the bottom of the post.)



6) Muppets: Treasure Island

One of the first movies I ever saw at the cinema, this sparked a continuing love for all things Miss Piggy and Kermit. I heart Fozzie Bear for ever.



7) Capri pants

I had a pair of denim ones and a khaki pair and WORE them to DEATH! Of course, you had to wear them with either a 3/4 length shirt or a super-cute button-up floral blouse. Adorable.



8) Baby Born

I was SO JEALOUS when my best friend Cathy got one of these for Christmas. But we already had my little sister and Mum said we could only have one thing in the house that cried and needed feeding and cleaning up after constantly.

I secretly still want one.



9) Adidas Three-Stripe Tracksuit Pants

I think every single person at my netball club had a pair of these in either black or navy. You know the ones- parachute material, rustled when you walked, three white stripes running down the left leg. Then markets started selling cheap knock-offs with only two stripes. But if you wore those, you were just sad. Get the real thing or go home.



10) Friendship Bracelets

The type you made from plaiting coloured wool and then tying it around your best-friend-of-the-week's wrist. Couldn't take it off, so it stayed on until it fell off.

Number of friendship bracelets on your wrist at any one time= your popularity
xoxo bubblygirl

Actors I Am Currently In Love With Based Mostly Just On Looks

Here's a fun little list for you, now with pictures! Yay! Pictures have been so seriously lacking lately on this blog, so it's movie madness AND it's eye candy. Yum...

1) Jake Gyllenhaal

My first movie crush, I've loved Jake since The Day After Tomorrow. And how could you not? He seems funny, smart, serious, sweet, chivilrous, adorable and, of course, completely HOT.

Two words for you: BLUE. EYES.

Three more: deep ocean tides.

He actually looks like this guy I'm friends with...

2) Shia LeBeouf

My lastest love, Shia was the star of Transformers and played the hilarious-dork-who-saves-the-world-and-gets-the-girl to perfection. Plus he's friends with Heroes' Hayden Pannannannatarianism (she has a really long last name).

3) George Clooney

Ah, one of the originals and still the best. Yes, he's older than my dad, but still, the guy is incredible. Not only is he ridiculously good-looking, funny, self-depricating, charming and an all-round nice guy, George is also a humanitarian and doesn't take fame at face value.

Two words: brown eyes

Three more: molten chocolate pools

4) James Marsden- you fell in love with him in 27 Dresses, but did you catch him as Corny Collins in Hairspray and Lon Hammond (Allie's rich fiance) in The Notebook? Look again. He's worth it. Coming up for James, a thriller with Cameron Diaz called The Box then a romantic comedy with Jessica Biel and JAKE GYLLENHAAL called Nailed. When that movie comes out late next year, I think my tiny little mind will EXPLODE with the hotness of having the two hottest dark-haired, blue-eyed actors on the big screen at one time. I. CAN'T. WAIT.

5) Adam Brody- Yes, I know The OC has finished, I know he hasn't been seen on screen for a little while and I know no film he makes will ever live up to my memories of the unforgettable Seth Cohen. But just look at the guy. He's tall and scruffy and loves dogs and is hot without knowing it and we know he is so incredibly cute and funny. How could you NOT love him? I know I am just looking for a little Seth Cohen magic in my own life....

love bubblygirl

Who would make your hot list?

Relationship Tips I Have Learnt From The Movies

Ah, my favourite kind of list- one involving movies!
As I lie here on my brand new, incredibly comfy couch, on a freezing mid-week afternoon working busily during my free periods from school, sipping a green tea, watching Oprah the idea for another list hit me. It goes something like this:

Relationship Tips I Have Learnt From The Movies
1) Love Can Overcome Any Obstacle
Whether your girlfriend has short-term memory loss (see 50 First Dates), terminal cancer (Walk to Remember), overbearing parents (Dirty Dancing), is from the wrong side of the tracks (Honey), your boss (Top Gun) or a total psycho (Wedding Crashers) you can pull it together and prove that love really does conquer all.

2) Singing Always Brings Couples Together
This one is just a given, proven in countless films- High School Musical, My Best Friend's Wedding, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Shrek, An Affair to Remember. The couple who sing together will make sweet music for the rest of their lives. See also dancing couples- Centre Stage, Strictly Ballroom, Step Up.

3) Blind Hatred Always Turns Into Love
No matter how much you think the guy is a total loser/junkie/derro/creep/weirdo/doofus, no matter how angry/freaky he makes you, you WILL end up together. See 10 Things I Hate About You, Cocktail, Mission Impossible II, Runaway Bride, Georgia Rule, Titanic, In Her Shoes and Casino Royale (actually any James Bond movie- the Bond girls know he's bad and they really don't like him but he is James freakin' Bond! How do you say no to that man!)

4) Even Though The Whole World Is Falling Apart, A Natural Disaster/Other Such Crisis Is The Perfect Time To Strike Up A Relationship
Yes, the world may be in the midst of the next Ice Age (The Day After Tomorrow), experiencing extremely high winds (Twister), under threat of being dominated by evil men(Superman, Spiderman, Batman), about to turn from a ship to a submarine (The Posidon Adventure) or about to be hit by an asteroid (Armageddon). But that doesn't mean we all shouldn't be getting some lovin'! Everyone, quick, stare deeply into someone's eyes, you won't even see the tornado coming up behind you! Yes, it seems a crisis is the time to get together, and often gives you the opportunity to talk to that special guy or girl and most likely save them from a falling object (eg, not a movie, I know, but in The OC when Ryan jumps in front of Taylor to stop her getting squished by the dresser during the earthquake in Season 4 and then he gets that massive shard of glass in his back and it's all so sad but Taylor loves him coz he saved her life :) . Bless.)

5) Awkward Moments= True Love
In real life, if you have an awkward moment with a guy in which he accidentally brushes your hand weirdly or you catch him staring at you, etc., chances are you are gonna stay away. Coz he's weird and all. But in any teen movie you can think of, these awkward (and generally high-school-based) moments become something the lovers laugh about by the end of the 90 minutes.

6) A Drunken Night and the Resulting Encounter You Initially Regret Will Eventually Result in a Fabulous Relationship
OK, so we all know movies aren't the best role models when it comes to accurately representing love, life, sex and what it feels like to be drunk. Let's take this last point- it's not all giggles and stumbling into his arms, as seen in What Happens in Vegas. But, as this is a movie list and as I really need some sleep (it has been two weeks since I first saved this post as a draft, I keep coming back to it and it's now 11pm on a Sunday and I reallllllllllllllllly need to sleep!), let me cut to the chase: margaritas/tequila/other shots + two people who have until this point been "just good friends" + a night of dancing and singing at a bar (See the "Benny and the Jets" scene in 27 Dresses) + night of passion you regret when you wake up the next morning with vomit in your hair, your head weighing five tonnes and the stale taste of vodka still in your mouth will eventually = love you never knew you had and that you never want to lose. Yeah. Right.

7) If You Love Them, Let Them Go. A) If They Come Back, They Love You. B) If They Don't, They Probably Still Love You.
For Part A, see one of a million romantic comedies and other genres, including dramas, such as The Bodyguard, The Notebook, Dirty Dancing and The Wedding Singer).
For Part B, see My Best Friend's Wedding, Casablanca.

So basically all this point proves is that movie love is just as confusing and mysterious and enigmatic and elusive and intangible as real life love.
We all just have to feel our way along, make mistakes, have fun, choose to laugh instead of cry, do the best we can, and keep powering on.
Just like the rest of life, really.

-bubblygirl xoxo

And Now For Something Completely Different

Here's a different kind of post- it consists of all the songs which were number one on the charts at key moments in my life so far. Music and lists- yay!
You may have seen this doing the rounds in e-mails and myspace, and here is my version...

The Number One Song on:

The day I was born:
December 31, 1991
"Black or White"- Michael Jackson


The day I took my first step:
Early 1993
"I Will Always Love You"- Whitney Houston (loooove this song!)


The day I turned 5:
December 31, 1996
"Un-Break My Heart"- Toni Braxton


The day I started primary school:
Early 1997
"Wannabe"- Spice Girls


The day I turned 10:
December 31, 2001
"U Got It Bad"- Usher


The day I graduated primary school:
December, 2003
"Shake Ya Tailfeather"- Nelly feat. P. Diddy



The day I started high school:
Beginning of February, 2004
"Hey Ya!"- Outkast

The day of my first kiss:

Early 2004

"Crazy In Love"- Beyonce feat. Jay Z (haha how appropriate!)

The day I turned 15:
December 31, 2006
"Sexyback"- Justin Timberlake

The first day I went overseas:
September, 2007
"Big Girls Don't Cry"- Fergie

My sixteenth birthday:
December 31, 2007
"Apologise"- Timbaland feat. One Republic

Well, that was a walk down memory lane! What would your list look like?
-bubblygirl