Christmas month... Couldn't be happier!

December has arrived and I couldn't be happier. 

It's the perfect time to be jolly, to grab hot wine, hot chocolate with Baileys, Christmas songs and movies, the Christmas shopping and the obvious Christmas market...

Edinburgh Christmas Market 2018

Since it's December and we all have to wait for Christmas Day to arrive, I went through the list of my favourite Christmas films. One for each day... I started with my all times favourite which I'm sure is a classic....

Day 1- Love Actually! 
A classic that will always take everyone into a loving, joyful mood, and how can we forget the famous dance of Hugh Grant. 

Day 2- The Nightmare Before Christmas!
Famous Tim Burton's got it right with this film. Perfect for a family film... After Halloween... It's just perfect!

Day 3- Elf!
This one is most likely to be a favourite with the humour and Will Ferrell's acting is brilliant, everyone falls for the cuteness.

Day 4- How The Grinch Stole Christmas!
If you want to fall in love with a cute movie with an adorable child who saves Christmas then this movie is for you!

Day 5- The Santa Claus!
Growing up with this film made me fall in love with Christmas and the hot chocolate! 

Day 6- The Santa Claus 2!
If you watch the first might as well continue!

Day 7- The Santa Claus 3!
After two movies, let's finish the trilogy!

Day 8- Home Alone!
Full of laughs and cute moments, it's one of the classics...

Day 9- Miracle on 34th Street!
One more classic, many versions, and all of them are just amazingly cute! A family film for sure!

Day 10- Scrooged!
The story is beautiful, the lessons are powerful!

Day 11- Angela's Christmas!
A 2018 Irish Christmas film which is beyond adorable! How can I not put an Irish film on the list? It's adorable and everyone is falling hard for it. How can you not?

Day 12- The Polar Express!
I remember watching it with my brothers when I was younger and each year we had to watch the film and read the book!

Day 13- A Charlie Brown Christmas!
An American classic, one I will surely watch for the first time... I needed to add it to the list because I found it pointless not to put it. 

Day 14- White Christmas!
Classics are always best especially during this season! 

Day 15- Home Alone 2!
Another great movie, one you cannot skip!

Day 16- The Grinch!
A 2018 movie, Dr.Seuss always had wonderful books, and the film will be just as delightful to watch. 

Day 17- A Christmas Carol!
Same as Scrooged, but more a family style film. 

Day 18- Bad Santa!
If you are looking for more adult fun, go for it!

Day 19- It's a Wonderful Life!
One classic at a time, this one deserves more credit!

Day 20- Frozen!
I mean it's not specifically Christmas but it has snow and long lasting songs. We all know how 'Let It Go' get stuck in your head for days.

Day 21- Rudolph, the Red-Nose Reindeer!
Used to watch it when I was a kid, cute cartoon that made me think about my red nose when I was sick. 

Day 22- One Magic Christmas!
It's been a while since this movie, but a Disney film nonetheless!

Day 23- Gremlins!
If you want a spooky Christmas film, this one will be perfect! 

Day 24- 
Anything you want... I know I'll probably end up watching 'Love Actually', 'Angela's Christmas', ' Angela's Ashes' or 'The Snapper', an Irish classic which if it comes on the tele, you will end up watching it again no matter.

This year, Netflix is taking down Love Actually so if you are a fan, watch it sooner than later!  But it does reserve us amazing new films, and I cannot wait to get through the list of films and songs myself... After all, even if you are an adult, you will watch cartoons and family films because Christmas has the power to let everyone become a child all over again!

~Bella

Break is over and reality hits you!

Hello back...

As you can tell, I'm back and running again! 
Lots have happened since my last post back in June... From quitting both my jobs, getting an online job and moving back to Europe! I spent a little over a month in Ireland, mostly in Waterford and I'm currently in France living at my friend's place until things calm down... 

What I mean by calm down... I started my new job not too long ago, so financially I'm unstable as I had to pay my friend back for my flight to France and other things... Europe is cheaper than America but when things don't turn out for the best, money runs away from you! It hides into the shadows and disappears fast! 
A dream came to an end for multiple personal reasons, if you want to read more about it, here is a blog post which I wrote not too long ago https://wander.media/what-i-want-and-what-happened
Not too long but it does talk about how my dream came to an end and what's going on at the moment. Nothing too excited but a small depression is sneaking around the corner, waiting for me to crack into millions of pieces... Not looking forward to it at all. 
Not the best came out of my situation but I truly wanted to make that dream of mine work, maybe one day. For now, I'm in France, I'm enjoying some time with my friend and her friends. Much older, mature and responsible despite the partying and the alcohol, but we always make it home... I never thought I would come back to France and here I am!

I have my whole life in two suitcases, books for days and notebooks... I ain't sure where everything is leading me, every day is a new day... But not knowing what's the next step or where to go isn't easy. I'm still waiting for me to cry my eyes out on the whole situation, still haven't. Still, haven't gone through much to say the list. 

So I'm back, not sure if I'm going to post every week, but I will try to share some of my time in Ireland with you as well as France... Share the last bits of me next time...

~Bella

Come on, let's get ready to ...

To watch some movies...

I'm quite the little film fan, and my taste is quite odd, uncommon... I mean my favourite movies are Amelie and The Beautiful Fantastic so you may already know how odd I can be!

Since 2018 has started, I went back in my little routine of watching films, Disneys, and even new shows.

I wanted to share the films that have marked me, the ones who touched me a little deeper than the other ones. Do not expect to see any recent except maybe a few from last year, but nothing from this year!

To start off the little list, I want to share the one which I personally adore...


Ondine!
You may have heard about the movie if you have read http://onemorecupidtothelist.blogspot.com/2018/02/lisa-hannigan.html
An Irish romantic drama based on a stranger rescued in a fishnet by an ex-alcoholic father/fisherman.
I won't get into details about this movie, but being Celt myself and part Irish, I felt like home, I felt like it was talking to me in many ways. This film mixed legends, reality and amazing thoughtful life lessons. Expect to cry, to be confused and touched! This isn't just your ordinary romantic film, it shows how someone can impact your life deeper than you may expect, shows how love can be powerful, and how your past can resurface at any time. Top of my five favourite! If you are into romantic drama (not too romantic as it is quite mythical), this is the right movie for you. Do not stop watching it even if you are not into it at first!


To the next stop...


Coco!
A cute Disney/Pixar movie based on the day of the dead in Mexico. A little boy who cannot play music because of some family issues. He wants to become a musician despite his family's wishes and ends up going in the world of the dead where many adventures and truths come to life.

This adorable family movie might be for children, but I couldn't miss the opportunity of seeing it. I'm a sucker for Disney! Whoever, my concern was the Mexican tradition that I was not into, not going to appreciate as it is not my own tradition, and despite my absurd concerns, the tradition they filmed was beyond any of my expectations. It was well up, well described and I couldn't hold tears even after watching it four times. A river came down my cheeks! If you haven't watched it, concerned because it's a children's movie, get over it, and watch it under warm blankets, tea, and chocolate! You will not regret any of it!


Let's continue with...

Shetland!

Not a film, but a TV series. Not your typical one as this one is based at the Shetland Isles. Also based on the famous books written by Ann Cleeves also the writer of the Vera Stanhope series which I started reading and watching as well. Clever, mysterious, and well the accent is beyond fun to hear! I love it, feels like "home" in a way even though I pick up the accent myself right after, not so funny anymore.  Murders, family secrets, great investigations, and twists, I mean, it's for everyone! You like some family drama, a twist of unexpected murder mysteries, and an amazing plot, you can't go wrong with this show. You will have to adjust to the accent though; like I said, there's quite an accent, not the typical one!


To the fourth stop... We've got...

When We First Met!
This romantic comedy had me and my housemate laugh our asses off. The actors are hilarious and the plot, despite being very cheesy in many ways has everyone hooked up. Summary wise, it's about a magical photo booth that sends Noah (funny romantic cheeseball of guy who has a massive crush on a girl he met at a party, back into time when he wished to. He has the opportunity to change whatever mistakes, whatever he wants. Will he persuade the girl of his dream to love him back? I'll let you discover what is in store for him. This movie is on Netflix if you really want to enjoy this comedy, I know I enjoyed every bit of it with my housemate. A nice movie to watch with another friend, cozy on the couch.

And to the next one...


Babylon Berlin!
Another TV show, also on Netflix, new one actually... I only started not too long ago, not interested in the subject at all, but I gave in... An inspector from Cologne transfers to Berlin to investigate a ring of pornography during 1929. But that also means the war is right there as well, and the Soviets are around... Not a disappointing show at all, and I would recommend it!

For the final one...

Leap Year!

Not a recent movie and I have talked about it before in a previous post. A young American is traveling to Ireland to see her charming boyfriend and surprise him on leap year, February 29th, to propose to him... Sounds like another cheesy movie, but since I've been homesick, the movie reminds me of everything I miss! You must see it if you want to have a night in, comfortable in bed after a warm bubble bath. Each time I watch it, I cry, I laugh, I get all emotional at the same time as before.  


Films have a way to escape you from reality, from issues by transporting you to a new adventure, to someone else's life. This new year will be full of new movies, and I'm excited to see the new comings. Despite the obvious fact that I do love my books, films are also another little guilty pleasure of mine... 
So instead of going out every night, just have a nice bath or shower, get cozy with a cup of hot cocoa, tea, blanket on you in bed, and voila, a nice evening in with a good movie...

"If I could wake up in a different place, at a different time, could I wake up as a different person?" -Fight Club.

~Bella