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

All The Things I Am

At this exact moment in my life, I am a...

Daughter
Sister
Granddaughter
Cousin
Niece
Friend
Buddy
An Australian
Melbournian
Camper
Student
Lover
An occasional fighter
An ex-girlfriend
Someone's future lover
Footy lover
Crush
City-dweller
Country-lover
Chemistry lab partner
Food Tech partner
Blog writer
Blog reader
Slave to homework
Lover of Lost
Part-time worker
Sometime-bitch
Debutaunte ball partner
Crazy kid
Serious young adult
Gym junkie
Frequent insomniac
Lover of handbags
Hater of shoes
Peace-maker
Heart-breaker
Netball player
Recovering OC addict
Confident grown-up-in-the-making
Scared, confused little girl

That's me. Who and what are you?
-bubblygirl

What I Really Need More Of In My Life

1) Sleep
2) Good dresses
3) Love- in all it's forms and glory
4) Cute stationery
5) Clarity
6) Self- forgiveness
7) Relaxation
8) The beach
9) More time with my adorable cousins
10) Bread
11) Walks with my dog
12) Winter boots
13) Gummi bears
14) Winter hats
15) Laughs
16) Cups of English Breakfast tea
17) TIME
18) Water
19) Time with my family
20) Blog comments!



Coming soon... what I really need LESS of in my life!
Please comment,
Love bubblygirl
xoxo

Qualities I Look For In A Boy

Let me just preface this by saying that there is a difference between guys, men and boys.
Guys are your friends, or the smelly, noisy, silly males in class. Guys never appear on your romantic radar because, well, they're the guys (sometimes referred to as 'the boys', not to be confused with just 'boys')! Guys are either idiots or good buddies- nothing more.

Men are your Dad's mates, the construction workers down the road and the teachers at school. They are also never (or should never be) seen in a romantic sense. Boys can turn into men but guys are always guys.

That leaves us with boys. These are the ones that make your stomach do flip-flops, send your heart beating two million times a minute and somehow manage to turn your knees to jelly and tongue tie itself into more knots than you'd see at a scout convention.

It is this third group on which I shall be focussing this post today. I have been noticing a crazy amount of couples blossoming around me and it's starting to worry me. As happy as I am for my buddies to be pairing off, it does magnify just how much I am lacking in the luuuurrrvve department. This has inspired me to write a list of the qualities I personally look for in a potential suitor, a beau, a better half, a lover or more simply, just a boy...

1) Sense of humour- life is so often depressing and overwhelming that you need someone in it to make you laugh and see the lighter side of things.

2) Confidence- I've never been one to be attracted to the brooding, silent type hulking in the corner of the room. Give me a boy who loves to have a good time with a loud personality any day. I love to have fun, so someone equally fun-loving is vital to my sanity! I don't want to be dragging him onto the dancefloor or up to the kareoke machine everytime we go out!

3) Loves his family- this one is non-negotiable. If you don't love your mum and sister, don't bother coming over to this side of the room. The way a boy treats the women in his family is so indicative of the way he will be treating you in a few short months or even years.

4) Communicative- I'm not asking for him to share his deepest, most inner-most feelings with me every night. I just want him to talk to me about everything and anything he wants to share- silly, serious or scary. I want him to want to talk to me, and to feel as though he can talk to me.

5) Loves AFL- I'm sorry, but this is another non-negotiable point. I couldn't stand to be with someone who doesn't understand why I love watching 22 men pull on their black and white Collingwood jumpers and kick an oval-shaped ball through over-sized matchsticks called goals every week. (On a side note- one reason (a very, very minor reason in a multitude of much more serious reasons) my last relationship ended was that the guy (yes, I call him a guy now- see above definition) thought that Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley was a St. Kilda player. My jaw hit the floor. That's a deal-breaker right there.)

6) Loves kids and animals- Clearly I am just a soft, soppy girl at heart! But these characteristics show a lot about a boy.

7) Treats his female friends well (see point 3).

8) Is opinionated- I want someone who I can argue with, who will get me angry and fired up and passionate about a cause. A meek, agreeable-type is not for me.

9) An adventurous spirit- I'm looking for a boy who wants to experience life and have stories to tell, one who is looking for an adrenalin rush and wants to travel the world so we can tell our grandkids about the fun we had that time in Peru... perhaps I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself now, but you get the picture!

10) He must love me for me. OK, let's look at the first part of that. "He must love me"- I have no interest in wasting any more time pining over a guy who doesn't know I exist. It's just not worth it, when there are soooooooo many other great boys out there just waiting for their chance to meet me and fall in love. The second part of that- "love me for me" is huge. If he wants or tries to change me in anyway, it's adios amigo faster than you can say no way Jose and helllllooooo to the next nice boy in line.

So there you have it, the ten qualities that (off the top of my head) are some of the most important for the lucky boy who will get to have me to possess (:

Have a great night, love and kisses to all.

Love from,
(a loved-up) bubblygirl
xoxo

Words I Love

I'm tired. I'm grumpy. But I wanted to give you a list, my lovely loyal blog readers. So here it is. Short, sweet and speedy:
Words I love:
1. succinct
2. gleaming
3. nuance
4. dazzle
5. perambulate
6. pedantic
7. fusion
8. homely
9. pianist
10. lovely
11. confabulate
12. synergy
13. logorrhoea
14. strengthlessness
15. twelfth
16. voyeurism
17. pungent
18. tranquility
19. onomatopoeia
20. quarrelsome
21. utopia
22. obfuscate
23. philodox
24. apodyopsis
25. abhorrent
26. brouhaha
27. connoisseur
28. conglomerate
29. clishmaclaver
30. love


There you have it- 30 words, that either sound or look great, or just have a great meaning.
Interesting words that I hope will pique your interest- do you have any words that you just love?

Love bubblygirl
xoxo

Things I Want For The People Around Me

I was going to write a post about the things I want at the moment, but then I realised that that is so incredibly self-indulgent and unnecessary- the problems in my life are so trivial compared to those of the people in my life. So instead, I have taken the compassionate slant and am writing about things I want for the people I love- be it things they themselves are pining after, or things they are too blind/proud/scared to see for themselves that they need.



Mum- I want my mum to be over her flu so she can get to work tomorrow because she really needs to get out of the house! Plus, a healthy mum is a happy mum.



Dad- I want Dad to stop stressing about the fact that he is starting a new job soon, after 19 years at the same job. I know he will be great there if he just trusts in his knowledge and people skills!



My sister- I want my sister to stop straightening her hair. No, that's not because I want to use the straightner, it's because she needs to see that her naturally curly hair is gorgeous. I just want her to be happy in her own skin.



The Energiser Bunny*- I want my bubbly buddy to accept in herself that the feelings she has for a certain Sporty Tool* are real and she needs to act on them! He feels the same way- he told me so! Even though I don't get along with him, that doesn't mean she shouldn't!



Dancing Queen*- I want this friend to take a breath. Between school everyday, three hours homework every night, work three nights a week and dancing five times a week trying to squeeze in a life is practically impossible. But my tall dancing friend- trust me hun, life is only gonna get better! We just have to tread against this knee-deep mud for the next year-and-a-half and then we are home free, skipping through the fields again! (Whoever said our high school years are the easiest of your life has clearly not met myself or the Dancing Queen!)



Footy Spunk*- I want him to know that he won't be broken by this injury- he needs to keep his spirit up and we will all be right there beside him to help every step of the way of his recovery. 12 months will pass in a flash and he will come back to the game better than ever.
I want him to know that I think I feel the same way as I think he does (but I think he may know this already...).



Silly Boo*- I want her to let herself stop and grieve. The death in her life is a big loss and pushing through and remaining her upbeat, silly self won't help her get through and past this. I'm here for you.



Miranda* (I call her Miranda because she could be Miranda Kerr's younger sister, she is stunning)- honey, you are such a beautiful, clever, charming and sweet young woman. You deserve so SO much better than the User* and the horrible relationship he has trapped you in. We are far too young to be caught up in possessive, disturbing relationships. Don't let this ruin your relationship with your parents and all your friends, he is so not worth it. We can't help you anymore, it is now all up to you. Honey, get out of there before something worse happens. We all love you and care about you so much.

Adventurer- Darling girl, you don't need those walls any more. The Man* is practically out of your life and so many great people (yes, guys included) will be able to see just how gorgeous and charming and hilarious you are BUT ONLY IF YOU LET THEM. Relax honey!

I hope they listen to me, the tiny little voice in their heads' that is always ther to support, love and cheer for them in so many ways. I love them all and I hope that this anonymous cyberspace message in some way impacts on thier lives in the way they need it most. Let's call it a Non-Specific-Religious Internet Prayer.

I really just hope it is answered.

Love, (not-so-) bubblygirl

xoxo

*I have decided to give all my friends nicknames that relate to thier lives and personalities- it maintains anonymity and it's fun! A win-win for all involved!

Songs I Really Love

Here is a simple list, the type of list which began this sort of list-writing. A list of songs I love. Really, truly love. So here it is. And in the interest in saving time (both mine and yours) I won't provide a commentary for each song as 1) I'm actually supposed to be getting ready to go out and 2) you don't want to waste your time reading another ridonkulously long post of mine! In no particular order:
1. Vienna- Billy Joel
2. When A Man Loves A Woman- Bryan Adams
3. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own- U2
4. All I Wanna Do- Sheryl Crow
5. Burning Ring Of Fire- Johnny Cash
6. Seven Years- Norah Jones
7. Life Uncommon- Jewel
8. Working Class Man- Jimmy Barnes
9. You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling- The Righteous Brothers
10. Stop This Train- John Mayer
11. (I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles- The Proclaimers
12. Bohemian Rhapsody- Queen
13. Deeper Water- Paul Kelly
14. Life Is A Highway- Tom Cochrane
15. Jessie's Girl- Rick Springfield
16. Torn- Natalie Imbruglia
17. Travelin' Soldier- Dixie Chicks
18. Travelin' Band- Creedence Clearwater Revival
19. Piano Man- Billy Joel
20. Ever The Same- Rob Thomas
21. Samson- Regina Spektor
22. All Apologies- Yellowcard
23. I Wanna Dance With Somebody- Whitney Houston
24. A Thousand Miles- Vanessa Carlton
25. The Way You Look Tonight- Michael Buble or Tony Bennett or Frank Sinatra
26. Why Does It Always Rain On Me- Travis
27. We're Not Gonna Take It- Twisted Sister
28. The Others- TV Rock vs. Dukes Of Windsor
29. Love Is A Battlefield- Pat Benatar
30. Paradise By The Dashboard Light- Meatloaf
31. The Nearness of You- Norah Jones
32. Mixdown- Holiday Parade
33. How Can I Help You Say Goodbye- Patty Loveless
34. To Her Door- Paul Kelly
35. Put Your Records On- Corrine Bailey Rae
36. Easy Like Sunday Morning- The Commodores (with Lionel Ritchie)
37. Banana Pancakes- Jack Johnson
38. Bare Hands- Delta
39. Leaps and Bounds- Paul Kelly
40. Do You Remember- Jack Johnson
41. If The Rain Must Fall- James Morrison
42. Ironic- Alanis Morissette
43. Dirty Little Secrets- All-American Rejects
44. Take On Me- A-Ha
45. I'm No Good- Amy Whinehouse
46. I Don't Want To Miss A Thing- Aerosmith
47. So Nice So Smart- Kimya Dawson
48. Sweetest Goodbye- Maroon 5
49. Happy Alone- Kings Of Leon
50. Chicago- Sufjan Stevens

There it is, a list of 50 of my favourite songs (not my favourite 50 songs- there is a big difference!).
Have a great day and tell me, what do you agree with here? What do you disagree with? What would you add?
Love bubblygirl xoxo

What's In My Bag? A.k.a A Very Long List!

Ok, so here is an idea I totally stole from Lady, author of a blog I have just discovered and am madly in love with! She recently had a post detailing every item in her bag and its significance. I loved it and have decided to do the same thing with my bag, which my friends often tease me about because my bag and I are attached at the hip (or shoulder?) and I as am one well-prepared chicky, there was a lot in there! More than even I excpected! Maybe this technically isn't a list but regardless it's a fun idea! So here we go:

The bag:

Roxy summer satchel from Jetty Surf, bought at the Boxing Day sales for $23 (was originally $59.95- gotta be happy with that!).

The contents:

Green Bag: the green rectangle at the back there is actually one of those environmentally-friendly green bags for the supermarket, but this one zips up into a little rectangle as seen above! I bought this at a discount shop for $1 and it's so perfect because I always forget to take a green bag when I go to work, and my lunch/dinner break is the time that I go to the supermarket and pick up the bits and pieces I need. This way, I always have a bag on hand!

Blue Checkered Umbrella: also from a discount shop, this is an absolute necessity in Melbourne, where the weather literally changes in the space of five minutes. This cost me $3 and has saved both my friends and myself (and my hair!) on many occasions.

Lip glosses: I found six -yes SIX- lip glosses in my bag and sadly I do actually use them all regularly! I have two Lancome Juicy Tubes (one pink, one clear), two Nivea Lip Care Glosses (one pink, one red), one Bayonelle gloss in Nude and one Palmers Lip Butter in Dark Chocolate and Mint.

Wallet: bought on sale for $9 from an often-expensive handbag shop. Unfortunately it is pink (urgh!) but it has many, many card-holder spots and two windows so I can show my student ID card and my driving learner's permit at the same time.

Mobile Phone: It's a Nokia 6120 Classic and it is the BEST phone I have ever had. Love, love, love, LOVE this stylish and sexy little phone.

Make-Up Bag: The pink and black zip-up purse behind the teddy there was free with an issue of Girlfriend one month, and it contains: four mascaras (Lancome Paris Great Lengths in Black, jemmafatlash in Kalahari which is a metallic brown, jemmafatlash in Eskimo which is clear and Max Factor More Lashes Multiplying Mascara in Black/Brown), a CoverGirl Liquid Eyeliner in Onyx, Coastliner Fine Kohl Eyeliner in Medium Brown, Max Factor Nautural Brush-On Satin Blush in Subtle Amber, Bobbi Brown Blush in Rogue, two eyeshadow applicators, one blush brush and an eyelash brush. The black compact next to my phone is an Art of Makeup eyeshadow compact in shades of brown.

Pink Nail Set: The pale pink case behind my phone contains: a nail file, nail clippers, nail scissors, orange stick to push cuticles back, tweezers (can't live without!) and I also keep a strip of Panadol and Nurofen and two Band-Aids in there. As I said, I'm always prepared! That also explains the paper bag under my sunglasses which is in fact a sick bag. I want to be ready so if anyone is ever ill, headache-stricken, or bleeding, I'm there to help!

This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff: This is a book for my English Lit class and I am desperate to finish it by Friday. Whenever I'm on the train or bus I try to read a few more chapters. I'm almost finished!

Perfume: I have a small-sized bottle of Britney Spears Curious in my bag at all times (you can see the little blue lid behind my sunnies). I don't usually wear this scent (I currently prefer Kylie Minogue's Darling) but on the way back from the gym (which I just joined! Yay for me!) it's nice to smell nice, ya know?!

Moisturisers: anyone who knows me knows that I am obssessed with moisturisers, whether it's for face, body, feet or hands. I can't ever have a dry skin moment it freaks me out! Currently travelling with me everywhere is a small tube of Palmers Extra Virgin Olive Oil Butter, The Body Collection's Mango and Shea Butter Hydrating Hand Cream and The Body Shop's Shea Body Butter.

Mirror: The purple compact in front of my book is a little mirror which flips open to reveal a regular mirror on one side and a magnified mirror on the other. This is great for checking lips, teeth and eyebrows!

Sunnies: Ok these are from Thailand, cost me 50baht ($AUD2) and are based on a pair of Gucci sunglasses. According to my sunnies, the label is actually Gocci. Close I know, but definitely no cigar.

Flirt Mints: These are the cutest little things ever! Got this pink little tin from Sportsgirl, it cost $7, and inside there are tiny mints and a mirror! Love it.

Earrings: These are great for those times when I am going out, usually after having been at work/school all day, and I have forgotten to put earrings on (which I often do!). These are great and go with almost anything.

Collingwood Teddy Bear: Ok, this isn't usually in my bag, but I had to take it out with my yesterday to show a mate of mine who didn't believe that I had a tiny little teddy with it's own knitted Collingwood scarf and beanie. I truly believe this bear is good luck- every game I attend a footy (AFL) game I take him with me and 9 times out of 10 we have won with teddy in attendance!

OK there you have it. You have received a glimpse into the sacred land of a young woman's handbag, where no man has gone before. Maybe this has piqued a voyeristic interest in you, maybe you couldn't be bothered reading all this, but there is our post for today! What's in your bag?

Have a great night,

Love Bubblygirl

xoxo