Watching : Anna Karenina

I might be a little slow on the uptake, it says that the US release date was November 16th but I could've sworn I never heard about it till now! This had been on my to-read list forever, but now that it's a movie, I'm afraid i'll have to watch it first! Have you seen the size of that book??? Anyway, Jude Law is in it. So I think I'll override my usual "read-the-book-before-the-movie" rule. I totally love Jude Law! Has anybody watched it?

The birding begins...(again)

One thing I miss about moving out (from the in-laws), other than using the very convenient washer and dryer, is watching the birds outside the window.

I was all enthusiastic about building my own bird feeder, checking out ideas on Pinterest and going to the stores. But finally I caved, I went and bought a feeder from the garden store 2 houses down the street.




I bought some black oil sunflower seeds from the store and set the feeder up this past weekend. Just in time for the Great Backyard Bird Count 2012! If you're interested in joining in, here is the Facebook page for more details!




I spent a very lovely weekend watching birds from my window. The above is a tufted titmouse (left) and a male house finch (right), very common birds found at the feeders. Sorry, not very fantastic pictures. I didn't want to get too close to the birds, and my camera sucks. I also went to the local library and got myself 2 birding guidebooks to help me out. The most exciting thing this week was spotting a new bird (for me at least) - a House Sparrow. My list grows to 26 now, that is, I am able to identify 26 different types of birds!! At least, for Eastern America.

And I think my feeder is positioned just right. I have yet to see the squirrel attempting to eat the seeds. Instead, I watched it go crazy jumping up and down the next tree, as if racking its brains to find a way to get at them seeds.

Chewy - 1 Squirrel - 0





I also watched a movie about birding, starring Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson, titled "The Big Year", that came out last year. In the movie, the three men set off to set a new record of spotting the highest number of birds in a year. Wilson's character is the defending champion of 'The Big Year' event and is partaking in it again to make sure nobody beats his record. Black and Martin are two avid birders who decided that this is the year they are going to win it.

All in all, if you're watching it for laughs, it's not a spectacular comedy. And I know these three names certainly leave people expecting more. It is first and foremost, a movie for birders. If you're a bird lover, this movie is a MUST watch. I certainly found myself wishing I could take a year off just to travel and bird watch.




Finally, what good is a birder without his/her most valuable tool - a pair of binoculars! My set came in the mail about a week ago. Whee!!! Can't wait till i stop working weekends, then J and I can go on hikes in the state parks!!

My Day in a Nutshell

On the very rare occasion I get a weekend off, this was what my day looked like:



8:00 AM - I got to sleep in till 8!! And i rolled out of bed and onto my yoga mat.




9:00 AM - I made myself some coffee while I got started onto some early morning crafting!


11:00AM - I didn't get done until about 2 hours later and then continued with some chores like sweeping and cleaning the bathroom.




12:00PM - We haven't got our washer and dryer yet so we drove to J's parents' to do our laundry!




1:00PM - While a load was in the wash, we trudged outside to do some mushroom foraging.




2:00PM - We trekked over to see the neighbor's (very friendly) cow. Poor sod, she is always so happy to see us, I suspect she is really lonely. She bellows real loud when she sees us coming, and bellows again when we leave.

4:00PM - The laundry didn't get done till now, and then we drove home.




Via

5:00PM - It started to pour, but we were getting ready for our movie night out! J was going to see Underworld with his dad and brother while my friends and I got tickets for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.



Via

6:00PM - It was growing darker by the minute and still pouring. Even so, Birkdale is a pretty place at night! There were only parallel parking lots available. I aced the parking bit, even though I held up the traffic for a good while.



Via

9:00PM - After we cried buckets, the movie ended. I got home and read a bad review about the movie here. Didn't think it was very fair, but certainly spot on about Hanks and Bullocks' non-contribution, as well as stellar performance by Von Sydow. I still think it's an ok watch, certainly a standard Hollywood tear-jerker.


Hope you had a productive weekend like I did!

Christmas Traditions: Reel time!!!

Going to the movies seems like a pretty big Christmas tradition here. Everyone has a list of Christmas movies to watch whether new or old. I was driving to work a few days before Christmas and the radio DJ was talking about a top 10 all-time must-watch Christmas movies, half of which I've never heard, and almost all I've never seen!

So, while spending a lazy turkey-coma-Sunday at the in-laws, I decided i must at least watch ONE of them. Starting with A Christmas Story. Not that I would have missed it, it was playing ALL DAY on Sunday.

The movie came out in 1983 but set in the 1940s, a little boy named Ralphie tries to convince his parents to get him a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. It was such a feel-good, funny and heartwarming tale that made me go all gooey inside. But there were also hilarious moments like when Ralphie's friend's tongue got stuck to the frozen lamp post ("I triple DOG-DARE YOU!") or when Ralphie turns to the camera to give the audience a cheeky wink. I think the best part about the movie was the off-screen narration!




Then i watched Elf, starring Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel! Two actors i really like! Now THAT makes for a really good movie! Doesn't she look so different with blonde hair?

So two movies off my checklist. Next up -- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. And I'm saving that for a movie night with the J-man, while eating our leftover popcorn balls from the weekend.

Hope you had a great Christmas! What are your Christmas traditions and do you have a Christmas movie to recommend?

This girl's got style!

Source: img242.imagevenue.com via TaHe on Pinterest

Source: None via Kellie on Pinterest

Source: weheartit.com via Jasmine on Pinterest

Just finished watching 500 Days of Summer for the 2nd time. I love this movie for its killer soundtrack (lots of Regina Spektor!) and awesome Zooey Deschanel looks.

She's too cute! She always manages to pull off such gorgeous outfits that range from vintage chic to simple elegance. And her hair! *super envious* It always falls perfectly in place - curls and fringe and all!


Via. Effortless hair. *eek*


And did i mention Zooey's the 'She' in the musical duo She&Him? I want to catch them live in performance! i know they played in NC once. Just checked out their website. Sadly, no touring news. :(

BUT they've just finished a Christmas album. can't wait for that to be released. And the girl has a new TV show on Fox called The New Girl which premieres in September so if you're a fan don't forget to catch it!

Here's a goofy little video of Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt to my favorite She&Him tune! Enjoy!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

:: July 15, 2011 ::

J and I plan to make it a date night.

We're so excited! Are you?

Movie Wedding Dress top picks!

I just pinned a whole bunch of wedding gowns on my Pinterest! It's always fun to daydream about flouncy dresses and wedding gowns. And plain simple white gowns are always the prettiest and most elegant.

I may not have watched a whole bunch of movies, but here are some of my all time faves!



Beautiful Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face


Vivian Leigh in Gone with the Wind -- Scarlett O'Hara's wedding dress


Keira Knightley in Pride & Prejudice


Claire Danes in Romeo and Juliet in her masquerade dress! Love the elegance in its simplicity!



And finally, Amanda Seyfried in Mama Mia. Her dress was so ethereal and fairy-like. LOVED it!

Don't they make you just want to pull out a white dress and prance around in it? What is your favourite movie wedding dress?