Ruby Sparks.

I don't usually tend to write film posts, because I usually spend my time moaning or debating, but this film really caught my eye. Now I'm a little bit of a feminist. I believe women should have their own rights and aren't classed as the weaker sex of the two. I don't want a boyfriend to spend his money on me, because I want to earn my own. I don't want to be the one doing all of the cooking while he does typical "manly" things etc. Taking this into consideration, I was a bit unsure about this film, because he has complete control (since he created her) over a woman named Ruby.

The film starts off with a lonely, single man named Calvin. He writes about his perfect woman, thinking that this will help him to find her. The next morning, his creation magically comes to life. I have no idea how that happened, but it's pretty cool anyway. The two start a relationship, which goes well at first. I still find it a bit strange though, because surely he's sleeping with his self conscience? Who am I to judge.

The relationship starts to go wrong when Ruby becomes distant. Calvin has the power to change her, and writes that Ruby should become upset when they aren't together. This takes a turn for the worst, because Ruby becomes too clingy and won't leave Calvin alone. He then changes her again, saying that she should become herself. Problem is, Ruby becomes depressed and almost sleeps with another man. Calvin's digging a hole which is becoming bigger and bigger, for the wrong reasons.

If you don't want to see the plot unravelling, then skip to the last paragraph. Towards the end of the film, Ruby ends up hating Calvin because she feels she is being controlled. Calvin decides to reveal to her that she is his creation and he is able to control her, before giving her freedom into the world by releasing her from his book. They meet again later on in life, and she has not recollection to who he is, but suggests they have "met before, maybe in a previous life". Ironic huh?

Overall the film was so strange, I'll always remember it. Imagine having the power to create your perfect person, exactly how you want. They wouldn't have any irritating flaws, and would look just how you want them to. This could be fun for a while, but wouldn't it get a bit boring? There would be nothing to work on in the relationship, because it would already be perfect. They wouldn't surprise you because you already know everything about them. I'm sure the appearance thing would have doubts, but I can't think why! I like the idea of having to find one person in the world which I want to spend my life with, remembering that the world is huuuuuge. It's a challenge.

October so far.

My flatmate says that a guy who works in Starbucks has a crush on me. I didn't believe her, until he started giving me larger drinks than I'd ordered, which has happened twice now! To be honest, I couldn't drink all of it, but I guess it's the thought that counts. Thank you Mr Starbucks, but it will never happen between us.

I love my bed at university, it's the comfiest thing in the world. I love the fact I can starfish across the entire bed. This is brand new bedding, so I thought I'd take a photo. I think it's pretty! Not a bad job from M&S. My dog (DoggyWoggy) always sits at the bottom of the bed, he guards my room and cuddles me when I need him. He does a good job, bless. 

 I took this photo whilst being at Hardwick with Tom. We decided to get out the house and have a walk around. The weather was cold, but the sunset was lovely. There was this one, lonely tree along the horizon. It made quite a statement, and was a nice contrast against the sky. It'll remind me of our random trip to Hardwick, and the fact we had to drive round and find some eggs for tea afterwards :)

Here's me and the lovely Tom ready for a night at Engine Shed. The theme was "Where's Wally". We don't look very "Wally-ish", but between the two of us we had the right colour scheme. We had fun and it was a good night. He knows what I mean. He's a lovely boyfriend! :)

Also new on the agenda was my trip to Sheffield Arena, to see the amazing comedian Michael Mcintyre. As always, he was hilarious. He had me and my mum in tears. He's such a good comedian because he's down to Earth. He doesn't take himself too seriously, and makes jokes about his life and our society. He says things which we can all relate too. He describes simple things like going to the dentist in a hilarious way. I read his biography, and he had a hard time making it big. He's a great inspiration to our generation.

So far October has been a pretty good month, if I do say so myself.

                                         

The Scarlet Letter.

University make me read some pretty dull books. You know, the ones where nothing actually happens within the plot. Every now and again, a cracker comes along. Quite shocking really. One of these books is called "The Scarlet Letter", which is by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I actually want to take my time and read it, instead of my usual "let's go on spark notes and learn the plot summary" approach.

Basically, it's an American novel which is set during the 17th century. A woman called Hester Prynne (an unfeminine name, I know) awaits for her husband to return from a long voyage. However whilst he is away, Prynne cheats on her husband with a younger man. She is then imprisoned, and when released, is forced to wear a large letter "A" (for adultery) on her clothing until death. To make things worse, she becomes pregnant from the adultery, and has a daughter called Pearl. The two characters are outsiders, and are frowned upon by their community. The public believe Pearl is a creation of sin, and is doomed like her mother.

Cheating is wrong, but this sort of punishment is unnecessary. The character Prynne was lonely. How did she know if her husband was alive? So, she fell in love with another man. Who can blame her, us woman have needs. Consequently for her actions, she remains an outcast for the rest of her life, with help from the large letter "A". For example, children claim they want to "throw mud at her", and Prynne doesn't have any human communication apart from her daughter, Pearl. In my opinion, that's harsh. She wouldn't have been able to escape from her marriage, as divorce back then was hard to attain. I'm not making excuses for any type of adultery, but the members of her society are naive. They do not know the true reason behind her actions, because Prynne refuses to speak the truth.

It just goes to show how judgemental society actually is. Even though this book is based within another century, it just goes to show that times have not changed. Our society is still incredibly judgemental today. It's sad to say that we all do it, especially with something like cheating. We automatically think that person is terrible, but do we really know the reasons behind it? Don't get me wrong, I think cheating is an awful thing, but maybe there's two sides to every story?

Life Update

It's Sunday already. The most boring day of the week. The day where you wait for the upcoming busy Monday. The "Friday feeling" has long gone! Tomorrow I'm in university from 10am until 5pm. That is such a long day! Luckily, the rest of the week is a breeze. I only have another two hours, so it's pretty easy.

I've just received my first assignment which is due in two weeks time. It's the strangest thing ever. I had to edit the first chapter of "Hound of the Baskervilles" down to 1,000 words. It still has to make sense grammatically, and the plot cannot change. It seems like quite an easy task, but that might not be the case once I start. It's worth 15% as well, so hopefully I'll do quite well!

Aside from university, I've been trying to find the perfect cardigan. Problem is, I can't find one anywhere. The fashion is just dreadful at the moment. It's just black, everywhere. Crosses, skulls and studs have also made their way onto the scene. It's plain and boring. The nice cardigans I see are covered in studs. This season is not going my way, at all.

I'm also looking forward to going home this weekend and having a night out with some close friends. I haven't seem them in a while, so it'll be nice to have a catch up. Going on a night out brings out the dreaded question; "what are you going to wear?" answer being I have no idea. I want a really nice dress that I can wear around the christmas period. Hopefully I'll find something!

The weather really has become colder. It's so hard to get out of bed in the morning, because our house is always freezing. Apparently there was a frost this morning, and I can now see my breath whilst walking to university. Winter is coming! I love it. Time to wrap up warm and bring the scarves and gloves out.

Winter is coming.

The weather has suddenly become colder. It won't be long until you're able to see your breath in the cold air. It's time to put away the summer clothing, and bring out the knitted cardigans. I've started to look forward to Christmas. I enjoy seeing the pretty lights hung within the trees. I'm looking forward to seeing some snow, as long as it doesn't disrupt everyday life. It's nice being warm and snug in bed whilst it's freezing outside. Or even coming in from the cold and sitting infront of a fire to warm up. This time of year is one of my favourites. I think seeing the leaves change colour on the trees is beautiful. I especially love it when it's incredibly sunny, but still cold outside. It makes my walks to university more bearable. I'm looking forward to spending the Christmas holidays with my favourite people. I can't quite believe how fast this year has gone, and it's only two more months until 2013, the year I turn 20. I know people say that 20 is young, and it is, but I still think it's a huge step in life. I actually have to start thinking about things. Over the next ten years I want to get married, buy a house, have a good career and eventually have a family. Life seems to be moving very fast. Childhood is long gone. 

But for now, we're still in 2012. A lot has changed this year, but I know that I'm the happiest I've been in a long time, thanks to my friends, family and a certain someone :) Hopefully it will continue in 2013, because I wouldn't change anything for the world. 

University Life

I've realised that I haven't wrote a blog post in weeks now. University has taken over my life. I'm two weeks in, and I'm already finding it difficult. The university has high expectations, which I understand, but they think I'm a super human, which I am not. I cannot read four ginormous books a week, it's impossible. The plot lines are hard to understand, and the language is unbearable. For the text to mean something, I would have to read the book three times over, which I do not do because I actually have a life. Aside from the reading, I also have to research, so I can understand what the hell they are talking about. The books somehow fit into each of the modules, which can be difficult to figure out. To be honest with you, I feel really dumb. I don't feel clever enough to be at university. Half the time I don't really know why I'm here. I took the module "creative writing" to improve my writing skills, and release my creative side. I feel like that was a mistake, because I'm not good enough at it. I just want to sit in the corner and not say anything, because whatever I write is not a good enough standard. Reading back, this is a massively depressing blog post, but I question myself most days. Why am I here?

Aside from university, I'm happy. My cooking skills have improved this year. I've been getting more adventurous. I've managed to cook a BBQ chicken salad, Sunday dinner and egg fried rice. To you, that probably sounds pretty lame. Cooking meat used to make me feel nervous, but now it seems simple. Just call me chef Ramsey. I'm looking forward to going home next week, I think it's what I need. I need to clear my head. A cuddle from my cat will make me happier. Also, I'm seeing the amazing Michael McIntyre on Thursday. I know I'll be crying with laughter. Hopefully university will pick up a bit, but I think it's going to get even harder. Not sure I'll cope!