A Postmodern Love Story

Favourite colour? Blue. Favourite animal? That's easy, cats. Favourite movie? Errrr....

I love movies. They transport you to another world and make for an excellent excuse to eat popcorn. As much as I love the movies, I never had that one movie I can watch over and over again until I knew it off by heart. I would always get bored somewhere in between.

 

I do, however, like many other girls, appreciate a good love story. In actual fact, I have a bit of a weakness for them. It’s not something that should be proud of, but I love the cheesy romcom that makes the rest of my friends groan, or the classic romance that everyone has seen a million times before. It just gives me this warm fuzzy feeling inside. Immersing myself in The Notebook, Titanic, Gone with the Wind and any movie that has something to do with a wedding is a perfect way to spend any lazy Sunday afternoon. My family trips to the video shop usually end with my sister choosing a horror and me picking the latest offerring from Drew Barrymore or Jennifer Anniston.

 

I might not have a favourite movie but I have a favourite rom com. Last year I watched 500 Days of Summer and it not only gave the warm fuzzy tingles, it also made me think. The movie was about a failed relationship this guy Tom, had with his girlfriend Summer (hence the title). It shows his heartbreak in a beautiful way which many can relate to. It shows how he begins their relationship thinking she is the one. We see him reminiscing over each day they spent together. We also see how this shapes what he does with his life after Summer until he eventually meets a new girl called Autumn and asks her out. Day 1 of Autumn is when the credits begin to roll.

 

Ok, the whole Summer Autumn thing is a little bit cheesy, but it’s nice to see a story not ending on happily ever after but rather a new beginning. Reviews say that it is a postmodern love story. And just like postmodern love it is depressing yet real. It just shows how the heady romanticism in The Notebook has been swopped for something more relateable. It seems Hollywood is not only showing the story where the girl is swept off her feet, but the story that really happens. It is the one where hearts get broken and fix themselves again. It’s kind of beautiful. Plus the soundtrack is amazing. I especially love this song Hero by Regina Spector. Here is a video showing it being played in one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the movie.

 

 

The lazy girl's guide to losing weight.

Handing in multiple amounts of essays in the same week leaves little time for anything else, besides finding ways to procrastinate. The Rhodes University gym's fan club slowly begins to dwindle as the ever-present pressure of exams and that psychology that has to be handed in tomorrow begins to take over our need to torture ourselves with exercise. After all, don't we have enough things to worry about other than keeping the scale from groaning under our weight? That cold walk to the gym and back is just too time-consuming. I would rather spend half an hour on facebook instead.

Anyways, since there is no time for anything but dedication and procrastination, I have come up with some easy steps to do two things at the same time. These are a few short, easy exercises that you are probabely doing anyway to delay starting that essay that is due tomorrow. It really is a win-win situation. You fit exercising into your schedule while coming up with brand new ways to procrastinate. So here it is, winter's brand new workout created by yours truly.

1. Cardio

Since you are going to be up all night, why not take a quick walk to pick n pay? Just be careful that you don't allow the big bag of chips in aisle three to distract you. An easy remedy is to buy two litres of that wholesome and healthy drink we all love: diet coke. Also don't forget your sugar-free red bull. Allow yourself to feel the burn of the sugarless taste.

2. Weights

While training your eyes on the stuff you need to study for your test, always remember that the hefty stack of notes piled neatly on your desk, well, ok, strewn across the floor, makes for very good weight-traning. Proceed to lift this pile of paper until you realise that your test is in an hour and you have not studied a single word.

3. Endurance

When your back is aching and your legs are cramping, stand up and proceed to jump on your bed until you feel like doing your essay. Warning: make sure a friend is around to help just in case of the high possibility that you never feel like doing your essay.

With all these wonderful tricks up your sleeve, who wouldn't look fantastic just in time for exams. A wise person once told me that if you are going to rock up and fail an exam, well, you better look good while doing it.

Warning: I am not responsible for a new-found addiction to coke light and sugar-free red bull. I am also not liable for any broken beds.

TV is Educational

Computer screens, files of uncompleted work and no money replace beach sunsets, 12 am breakfast and late night movie marathons. Sigh, my holiday has officially come to an end.

Like any other holiday, this holiday saw an embarrassing amount of time spent sitting in front of the TV set, no matter how much work I needed to do. I am therefore writing this blog post so I can feel like my hours spent in front of the TV was actually for something. Like reading, TV series are so exciting because, well, it is like having a bunch of friends without ever having to actually talk to them. The writers behind hit TV shows spend a good deal of time coming up with three dimensional characters just like the people you know in real life. The best thing is, while it takes months for something exciting to happen in you and your friend’s lives, in less than half an hour, your small screen friends have given you a month’s worth of real-life drama and/or side-splitting comedy.

Hell, there is even a whole series called, well, Friends. And who wouldn’t want Rachel, Monica and Phoebe as your friends? If they start to annoy you,closing the book or pushing a button on a remote will sort that out. While books make my life, TV shows admittedly take less time to watch than a book does to read, so what more could you want? I therefore choose to dedicate this blog to my fabulous friends of the small screen and what they have taught me over the years.

Teletubbies taught me to always have a hoover handy- you never know what might go wrong. It also taught me that a purple man with a red handbag is a perfectly nice person so you should not judge or hate him (Homophobics clearly did not watch this show). Hannah Montanna taught me that pop-stars have fake hair. Pikachu from Pokemon taught me that, if I ever got into a fight, sneezing noises always help.

Friends taught me that one day you will end up with the love of your life, even if it takes ten seasons for it to happen. And even if you don’t, your friends will always be there for you anyway. Big Bang Theory taught me that nerds have a lot of fun. New Girl also taught me that it is ok to be that weird sort of borderline annoying roommate. (Well, they still haven’t kicked her out yet so that counts for something). I also saw that I am not the only one who watches Dirty Dancing over and over again and sings at inappropriate moments. Downton Abbey taught me that you should marry for love and not money because even great estates don’t last forever. It also taught me how to lace up a corset if all those three course meals (or our modern version: McDonalds) make your stomach poke out. Desperate Housewives taught me to always be wary of your neighbours because you never know how crazy they are. Grey’s Anatomy taught me to always make sure my hospital sheets are clean because you never know which doctor is now getting lucky at work. Jersey Shore, taught me, well, nothing except that I should be grateful I am not that stupid.

I could go on for much longer but that is all I can think of right now. Oh and I am about to miss my show and we all know that I might miss out on some valuable or not-so-valuable lessons. So pop another bag of popcorn in the microwave but remember that although TV friends are the best, real ones are always more important so make it a bowl of popcorn for two.