Movie Reviews - Snow White and the Huntsman + More

So as of late, I've been watching a few movies.

Snow White and the Huntsman 

I was really excited for this movie since the preview. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about Kristen Stewart since she seems to only have one set character she plays. I feel that some scenes could have been more emotional, but overall she was good.
The real star of the show was Charlize Theron. She was amazing as the Queen.

The Queen's backstory is also included and it was so much more than just vanity and self-centered-ness. In order to save her, her mother put a spell on her and told her that her beauty would save her. However a steep cost of consuming the youth of young women. In order to save herself from this curse she would have to have the heart of 'The Fairest One' - Snow White.

Chris Hemsworth also did a wonderful job as the Huntsman. He's a widower who when his wife died, sought comfort in drink. Snow White escapes from her prison and ends up in the Dark Woods. Since the Queen cannot go into the woods since she has no powers there, she commissions the Huntsman to find her and bring her back.

I think the best part of it all was the fact that the story was not as focused on Snow and how (irritatingly) perfect she is or the whole Prince Charming coming to rescue her. It's about rebellion and the fight to be free.
This rendition of Snow White is a lot closer to the fairytale than Mirror Mirror which was slightly more whimsical and non-sensical. It's slightly darker and I enjoyed it a lot more.

Mirror Mirror

Another Snow White rendition! Starring Lily Collins and Julia Roberts. 

This version of Snow White is quite quirky and a little non-sensical.
The Queen in this version is shallow and materialistic. Due to the fact that she spends so much on her appearance, she taxes the population dry and is now required to marry someone wealthy. A Prince from another kingdom pays a visit and she is determined to marry him in order to get to his wealth.

Snow White sneaks out of the castle to see the kingdom which is rightfully hers and is appalled to find that everything is drab and no one is ever happy. Although in this scene, I can't imagine the Queen's right hand man could be so blind as to see past Snow in her bright yellow cape and her enormous dress.

When the Queen asks her right hand man to kill her, he lets her go. The dwarves find her and let her stay with them. They train her to be like them - thieves. However, they agree to steal from the Queen and give whatever they steal back to the people of the Kingdom.

To be perfectly honest I didn't really enjoy this as much. It was pretty shallow and not very thought provoking. I guess it's one of those light, silly movies.

I couldn't help but notice how dark and prominent they made Lily Collins' eyebrows...

Hachi: A Dog's Tale

Featuring Richard Gere, this one's a touching movie about a dog's loyalty to its owner. It's based off the story of the real Hachiko who waited for his owner to come home every day at the train station even after his death.

I could not stop crying throughout the movie. Richard Gere, as always, gives an outstanding performance.
Definitely a must watch movie!

Post Exams Life

Exams are done! 

Really at this point, I don't care if I've failed (and there's a very good chance I've failed at least 2 units...).

Pretty much after exams, I got straight back into work - full time. 

So now I'll be loaded, but with no time for myself. 

So other than working, I've been eating and playing LoL (League of Legends).

Stuff Tim Tams! These are hands down the best chocolate biscuits. They're hazelnut so already they're so much better than Tim Tams.

Dinner at Box Hill near the tram stop - I can't remember the name?! 

I don't care much for seafood so I didn't really enjoy it, but if you enjoy it then give it a try. Everything comes out super fast. 

New cafe at uni - Pork belly and brie roll and chai latte. I wish there was more crackling. Crackling is pretty much the only reason why I bought this haha. 

Frozen yoghurt from Cacao green. I don't understand why they gave me two spoons... I walked into the store alone. Way to rub in the fact that I'm #foreveralone.

So I've been getting back into League of Legends lately. I left it for a while because of study and now I'm back. So much rage in games lately.

This was pretty much me when my friend dibs support when it was pretty obvious that my role in our group of friends is support. 

Listening to all my troll friends play is pretty funny. Especially if they play ARAM.

Pony xx

Foodly Pleasures

Today I had my 2nd exam out of three. 

My "healthy" breakfast.  Considering how little breakfast I eat on most days of the week, this is a LOT. 

Shin Ramyun with greens and sausage, some egg mayonaise, Yakult, Matcha latte and a mandarin. Needless to say I was ready for the day. 

I had some last minute revision with creme brulee with ice cream from the cafe next to the racecourse. 

... The exam was a disaster. I couldn't really answer any of the questions with any conviction. I knew the material, but because it's about wording and what not I couldn't recall some of the more important points.

So after the disaster that was my Marketing exam, I was in desperate need for food. 

So with my dear Eggy and Spermy, we went to eat Korean at Big Mama. 

Cheese deokbokki! So yum. 

Spermy then took us to a frozen yoghurt place called Tutto along Grattan St. 

They sell all sorts of different sweet treats as well as frozen yoghurt. The person at the counter was nice enough to let me take photos ^^

Green Tea, Biscottini and Original flavour.

They were all super yum. I'll definitely come back to try some of their other things!

Definitely a good food day.

Pony xx

Road to Pescetarianism

My ass is on fire. 

My exam is in two days and I still don't understand all the material. 

Saturday
It's back to work for me. I've turned down a lot of shifts the past week or so because of study. I did a pretty long shift - 9 hours. I was very ready to leave at 5pm. Co worker wanted me to stay another hour, but I refused.

For my afternoon break I decided to get some fries and a smoothie. Boost has Cookie and Cream for a limited time and I thought, why not? It's not too bad. I thought it'd be a bit funny because they use sorbet, but it doesn't make it weirdly tangy or anything.

I also tried Burger Edge fries with chicken salt. I love chicken salt. I don't care how bad for you it is, it tastes so good. I like these fries a lot more than KFC because in my experience, KFC fries tend to be soggy.

No study.









Sunday
Today, I slept all day. I was feeling pretty pooped after work on Saturday, so I took a "nap" and woke up on Sunday.

This might be TMI for some of you, but I've been experiencing a weird bladder thing. I'll have to get up to pee and I can't hold it. I have to go. It's not a daily thing, but the last time it happened I had to pee pretty much every 10 minutes.


Lamb and scalloped potatoes for dinner.
I still haven't told my parents that I'm trying to cut out red meat from my diet. It's not because I dislike red meat - heck I love it - but it's mainly for health reasons.
I look around and I see a lot of people overweight. I am determined NOT to become one of them.
I'm also concerned about diseases linked with health - diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure. My grandparents and mother have high blood pressure and have poor cardiovascular health. I really want to avoid that in the future.

I'm planning on cutting it out fully - avoiding any red meat at dinner time - before telling them.

Eventually, I plan on cutting out all meat with the exception of fish in my life. I'm not sure how long it will take, but I want to pace myself so that it'll stick.

I did enjoy dinner tonight though. Lamb with mint jelly is really yum. 

I can't wait for total freedom from educational commitments on Thursday. It means I can really get into the things that I've been wanting to visit and get into.

Pony xx

Lazy Pony

My level of laziness astounds me. 

I finished a drama today: Daddy Good Deeds. It's a Hong Kong drama staring Ha Yu, Linda Chung and Steven Ma. It's super funny, very light drama. If you can understand Cantonese I'd definitely recommend it!

My hard case for my Macbook came in today .

At first I didn't know how it stayed on, but there's a little ridge that helps it stay on. I spent a good 10 minutes trying to put the bottom half on. 

Tonight we went to a Malaysian restaurant called Rasa Malaya near my place.

It was yum, but I'm not a fan of Malaysian cuisine to begin with. 

Roti Chanai with extra roti! I love roti. I swear I could just eat roti all day.

Okay, I'm going to try and study.

Pony xx

Childhood Idol

Feeling sick is the worst. Especially when you feel like you're sick of food, of studying, of anything and everything in your life.

I did get a package in the mail today.

I was really happy to get this in the mail because I've had these pens since I was little. They bring back so many memories.

When I was in Chinese school, I sat next to a girl who was 3 years older than me. As a kid, she was really mature, hardworking and intelligent. She knew what she wanted to do in life (compared to me who didn't really know what she wanted to do the next day let alone for the rest of her life). She also had these pens and I loved smelling them.
Eventually I got some for myself too.
These pens remind me of her and how hardworking she was. She never complained about school and was very cool about everything.
I pretty much idolised her.

But alas, this was me today.

I spent the day writing (random scenes of stories I would like to eventually write), planning out a piece of artwork I had a dream about and other artsy things I want to do before next semester begins.

I wonder if she ever had days like this?

Pony xx 

I Ran Into A Door

Another super cold day in Melbourne. 

I ran into a door the other day. I sometimes have trouble judging distance so it's little wonder I walked into  a door. 

It doesn't help that I bruise like a peach. 

It's strange because I can see all the pores (?) in that area.
I didn't know until a few weeks ago that "I ran into a door" was the standard excuse that kids told to people when they showed up with bruises - from being hit by their parents. But I assure you that this bruise is definitely from a door.

Face of the Day.

I spent the day studying with Eggy, Spermy and her cousin, Stella. 

We like to bring lollies and stuff to snack on during our study sessions. This is all our snack food, coffee and energy drinks. Sugar overload much?

Admittedly I was being annoying in the library, breaking one of my own golden library rules. 

I have no idea what got into me today, I just felt so chatty. I feel really apologetic to all the people around me because while we were trying to keep our conversation to whispers, I'm sure they were getting quite annoyed. 

I think I broke all my rules. I feel kind of disgusting for it.

That was probably what everyone was thinking.

I'm going to be silent tomorrow. I'll write/type whatever I have to say to my buddies. If you try and sit next to me, I will death stare you, but I won't try and save a seat. 

We took a walk after a few hours of studying because the library was getting stuffy and Eggy wanted food. So I got a Magnum Gold. One of my favourites because it's got a double layer of chocolate :D

Came home to find this for dinner. My parents realise now that in order to make me eat fish, it has to be salmon and it has to be raw. My dad always cuts some up for me :)

Tomorrow, I promise to be good.

Pony xx

All Work, All Play, No Study

I had work today. I have to say, it's a nice change. I've learnt not to think while I'm at work - just concentrate on work and not on things I'd rather be doing. I've been daydreaming quite a lot at work when there's nothing to do. 

These were meant to be for my study session tomorrow... but I've already started on them. And they're super good!

And these were 2 for $5. My old one was starting to look really strange...

Winter reading. I bought these a week or so ago to add to my (ever growing) list of "To Read" books. So far I've finished only one - Madame Bovary - and that took me a year to read on and off. I'm determined to finish the books before next semester starts.

I'm a fan of Let's Plays. It frustrates me to play a game and try and find secret endings or hidden treasures. I'm not very good at finding awesome combos in games or anything, so I almost always play with some kind of guide. The Let's Play I've been watching is Radiant Historia. I've started it, but because of exams, I've put it off. 

All Work, All Play and no study makes Pony a very lazy student.

Pony xx

Exam 1

Exams are never easy, especially for someone like me. 

I know I have the ability to do well in exams, I don't know why I don't bother studying. It feels like I need to really study hard to do acceptably well. What I do not understand, is how people who do not study at all do so well. Perhaps they have a higher IQ? 

My bed has now become the place where I study. I really need to clean out my room and maybe even rearrange it. The desk I have now is too old and it encourages hoarding. I really need to de-clutter my life.

Met up with my Commerce girls for some lunch before the exams. I enjoy Commerce so much more with Eggy and Spermy (don't ask...). I'm hoping that my friendship with them won't ever end. They're super special to me...  

Post accounting exam dinner with Annie, Eric and Maggie. Annie wanted to eat cheese deokbokki, so we went to Let's Bab Cafeteria in Homesglen. I love cheese and deokbokki, so it wasn't too weird for me. 

I'm going to try to blog everyday from now on. It's hard to find things to write about, but I feel like if I don't write something everyday, I might forget things about my life I want to desperately remember.

xx Pony.

(Pony is my nickname from Eggy and Spermy)

Maybe I should change the name to Pony Town?

The Library Demographic

It's exam period now and many students are using the library to escape their dungeons of procrastination (otherwise known as their room). However, it's this time of the year that brings the worst out of people from the annoying to the felons. I like to visit the library during the semester (makes for good study area) but I hate it during SWOTVAC season.

The Annoying

• Loud People: These are the general nuisances of the library. People who go to the library to "group study" and end up just talking all day to their friends. 
• Stupid Loud People: Like above, but with an extra dollop of stupid. You feel less intelligent by the minute sitting nearby. Plan of Attack: Find a new seat. Immédiatement.
• Couples: Constant chatter, occasional PDA. Sometimes even extreme PDA. These people need to get a room. They'll study better there than in the library, and they won't be all up in your face with their saliva. 

The "I want to throw a knife in your face" Annoying

• The Haulers: People who show off things to their friends, like new ASOS purchases.
• The Insecure: People who sit next to you when the library is abound in empty tables.
• The Chair Stealers: You leave your chair for a few minutes and some magpie has stolen your precious chair.
• The Removalists: People who physically move your things so that they can squeeze their fat asses on the table.
• The Sleepers: People who come to the library and just sleep. No books. 

The Felons

This particular group you really need to be wary of. They take any opportunity to take your things if you leave them unattended for even a second.

• Take ALL valuables with you when you go to the bathroom. Phone, wallet, any electronics. Pack your bag with your laptop if you brought that along.
• Keep an eye on any small electronics even if you're not at your table - some very nimble fingered thieves try and steal things from under your nose if you're not careful and observant. 
• Pack a lunch and lots of snacks - this also takes care of The Removalists and Chair Stealers.

General Etiquette
This is the sort of "list of rules" I try to stick by.

• By all means, save your seat if you're going out for a quick bite to eat or a coffee, but it is very rude to save seats for people who actually haven't arrived at the library. They can save their own seats. I'm quite reluctant to save seats for others, especially because I get quite frustrated by it myself.
• A Quiet Area means that you don't talk. Or at least not at a volume where everyone sitting in the vicinity of you can hear what you bought online or what "that bitch" did.
• If someone has their charger in a powerpoint before you, it means that they get priority. Don't bother asking because how would you feel if they asked you for the same?
• Keep your stuff on your own table. Simple enough.
• If you have to answer your phone, leave the area before you go into a lengthy conversation.
• Be a decent human being.

The conclusion: Study alone or quietly with one other friend. In the area where other people study alone. Or in the Law library.