Your favourite movie and what's it about

The lovely bones.

It's about a girl named susie salmon, like the fish who is murdered within the first ten minutes of the movie and she's the narrator who sees both what is going on in her world and in the world she left  behind. She's in a place called the in between and she can't move on until she gets closure. Meanwhile her family are trying to find out what happened to her and who killed her.

It's a pretty dark movie, I'll agree and I would not recommend it to impressionable children but it's so good. You know the killer and how he kills the victim but the story line still manages to capture your attention. The book is way more graphic but the movie did a very good job of portraying what went on without to much detail because it's gory. It's definitely a thirller that will have you at the edge of your seat. The movie does tackle some heavy subject matter but with grace and fluidity like very few movies have. The screenplay is also excellent and casting is on point.

If you like thrillers and are above the age of thirteen and don't mind heavy subject matter (it's not that heavy just at times and it's mostly implied so if you don't get it then you don't) then I highly recommend this movie. It's amazing.

Post five pictures of famous people you find attractive.

The instructions are so unclear. Five pictures of one person? Five people a picture each? Five pictures of the people I find attractive regardless the number? I've done the second option because it seems the best. 

In no particular order;  

1) Stana Katic 



She has such model like features and the build for it that even playing a though-as-nails-cop they can't help but say that she was once a model. She can pull off any outfit too. And when I say any outfit I mean even the horrible burn this now outfits. 

I mean look at this. 



The dress was horrible and believe me Castle fans everywhere sighed in relief when it was destroyed. She still looks pretty in it though. Her hairstyle can completely change how she looks though. With longer hair she appears to have softer features and shorter hair you can really see how sharp her features are. With darker hair she looks more mysterious and you get my point. 

2) Tom Hiddleston 



Almost every girl has a crush on him though am I right? He does the smouldering look so well and the eyes are gorgeous and his accent. It helps that he's such a cutie pie too.  

3) Dan Howell 



I feel like there are better pictures out there but he looks like such a cuite pie. For those wondering, yes he is famous. He's a popular youtuber who's been on talk shows and written a book okay. 

He has that typical punk look and I don't know there's just something about his adorkable personality that makes him so loveable and he does the whole my soul is black like I do and that makes him perfect. I have the hugest crush on him and I'm not the only one. 

4) Harvey Specter 




Does it look like I care that he's fictional? Of course I'm going to mention my husband. And keep in mind I mean Harvey and not Gabriel Macht. 

5) Cobie Smulders 



She's pretty and she plays Robin on HIMYM which is my first introduction to her and i just have a soft spot for the broken characters okay? Also her hair is on fleek. 

So that's my list of beautiful people for this time but they're not the only people who I find gorgeous. Looks are only skin deep and you are beautiful in your own way as well. 

One of your favourite TV shows

I feel like I should talk about Castle because of all the backlash that surrounds it now with season 8. *warning, this is not spoiler free*

It's basically a show written by a writer and his muse about a writer and his muse writing about a writer and his muse. Yeah, talk about writerception. It's seriously starts out from that simple of an idea.

The shows starts of with a crime scene with a body laid out with flowers on her and roses on her body and it's an homage to 'Flowers from your Grave' by murder mystery author Richard Castle. At the crime scene we're introduced to Detective Kate Beckett, a city girl from Manhattan that should have been a lawyer but "something happened to you and you could have let it go but it happened to someone you loved and that's why Detective Beckett you do this" to quote Castle, Detective Kevin Ryan and Javiar Esposito who are lovingly refereed to as the boys and ME Lanie Paris, Kate's best friend. These four are essentially the main characters that are always on screen and they're a good cast. There's also people like Alexis- Castles daughter, Martha his mum and Captain Montgomery. Together they make a solid cast and the characters work well with each other and they can stand alone which is important because there are some characters *coughs* Meredith *coughs* that need supporting characters to make them likeable and interesting but here everyone is their own person and they have their own stories that intertwine with the main story line. 

Yes, the nature of the show is a procedural crime show but what draws you in isn't the cases. No they just set the background for the main characters to interact. It's about the tension between Castle and Beckett, the teasing and hazing from the boys, Castle and Alexis's relationship, his relationship with his mother, Lanie and Kate's relationship. The heart of the show is in these characters and why they're doing what they're doing. It's endearing and entertaining but the angst between Castle and Beckett is so painfully good. It draws you in and makes you want to strangle the characters when they do something stupid, protect them when they're afraid and cuddle them when they're sad. They grow on you and they make the show. 

The writers of the show are also amazing. They really are. They have callback to their pervious episodes and they write some of the most well written episodes. I mean sure there are some episodes that aren't as good and what are shows without the cheesyness at times but Castle does have a solid writing cast. After all, it's a writer and his muse as the front liners. 

This is the show that made me believe in love. If you know me then you'll know that I have always been a skeptic. Marriage? That would just end up in tears and hell no and I'm coming close to that but now, watching them fall in love and eventually get married, it just made me believe that with the right person falling in love, having someone there 24/7 and getting married may not be so bad. I mean I still have my issues with the whole white veiled occasion but it has lessened. They've shown me what true love is. It's about facing the odds and overcoming all the challenges, together. It's admitting when you made a mistake, forgiving and showing mercy. It's about compromise, mutual respect and understanding. Are Castle and Beckett a perfect couple? No. They fight, make mistakes and have their own issues but they work through it and put in the effort. And they both love each other so fiercely and intensely that it just overwhelms you at times and you can't help but want someone who loves you like they do each other. It's a stable and loving relationship one that isn't your typical hollywood generated romance. It's real and it just fills me with so much hope. 

The other great thing about the show is the Castle and Alexis moments. Castle is a big kid and Alexis is shown as the adult in their relationship more often than not but even a blind man can tell that Castle is most definitely the dad in their relationship. He loves and worries over her only like a dad would and he really is a great father and it's so underrated. 

There are some really great life lessons to learn form Castle as well. I mean I've learnt a lot. I won't go in detail about it cause what I've learnt needs it's own post. One of the most important is this one. 



You really need to watch the whole scene (link here ) to get the whole message behind it but it's basically dealing with Kate's ptsd and how she has to accept that she was shot, she's damaged but that's not all that she is and that's powerful to me. Watching someone as extraordinary as Kate struggling to cope and being so vulnerable broke me. It also thought me that even our greatest heroes are their own enemies and they too have stuff to deal with. It's inspiring and helps bring me to my next point. 

Their acting is flawless. There are little moments where Nathan might look at Stana or Stana does a little gesture that makes the scene so much more than it is. The whole cast and even background cast does an amazing job. And this is not me being biased, they really are that good at their jobs and for the scene above, actually the whole episode Stana deserved an Emmy. She really did. And all the characters have their moments when they really shine and you just want to give the actors all awards because their acting is boss. 

There's so much more that I can go about Castle but it's a great feel good show for the most part. You just need to watch it. I guarantee from the first episode you'll be hooked and if not watch the first season you won't stop after. 

How have you changed the past two years

I really want to say I've grown taller but sadly, I don't think that's happened. 

I've become more accepting of my hair that's for one. A year ago I had straightened it and I didn't like my curls but now I wear it natural. There are some days when my curls are annoying and I just want straight hair but I've come to accept that a head full of curls is what I've got and it's up to me to rock it. I'm still learning to be proud of it and own it but for the most part, I'm at peace with my thick, frizzy locks of curls. 

I'm better able to ask for help. Two years ago, I didn't need any. I was doing just fine on my own and that was good- great even but a year ago was when I probably started realising that maybe I do need help. I did eventually ask for it and got it but it's not something that comes easy to me. Asking for help is a huge thing and it takes a lot for me to admit that I need it. I'm better at asking now. 

I've learnt that it's my life and I can't allow myself to be a victim of circumstances. Like the wise words of J.K. Rowling "there is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you". I was listening to her speech at Harvard and she mentioned this and it just stuck with me. I did blame my parents for a few things that have happened in my life- A Level to name one but like she said, I have to stop blaming them and I have. I've come to the realisation that everyone gets dealt a set of cards it's what you do with them that makes a difference. 

I'm also starting to accept the fact that I'm broken. I say this a lot of the time and people think it's a joke but I'm being serious. I was not okay for a long time. There are things that happened that just broke me and I don't talk about it but I've acknowledged them. It's what made me who I am today. It's a part of me and I can choose to make it a strength. I may be damaged but that's okay.  

Friends have also played a huge part in why I'm so different today and it's because I've found a group of people that I have and love for life. They've thought me that there is such a thing as unconditional love out of the context of religion and they've helped me learn that I don't need to try and be perfect because they'll still love me despite all my flaws. For me that's huge. 

My tongue is slower to argue and I'm less likely to judge. I've come to the shocking realisation that I used to judge people so severely. Partly it's because society has conditioned us to think that way but I've taken the phrase "you know my name, not my story" to heart. 

Maybe there's more to the list that I've not added but for me, these are the big differences. 

How important you think education is

Seeing as I have completed my basic education qualification and have applied for Uni, my answer should be along the lines of "it's of somewhat importance". To be honest right up till now, I've never thought about how important education is. For me it was never a question of do I go to uni, only where? In my culture and country, you get a degree and that's that. It's nothing to be proud of. It's a requirement, something you just do.

My personal beliefs? 

Let's talk about education itself first before making a value judgment on it.

I believe that our education system is flawed. It's designed to test how well a student can answer a set of predetermined questions and not to test if one can actually comprehend and understand the subject. I've seen students get A on papers though they talk absolute rubbish and clearly misunderstand the subject matter just because it was a question they've prepared for. I've also seen good students do badly on papers because the one thing they didn't prepare for, came out. Our testing does not take into account exam anxiety and panic. It does not work for people who understand something really well but can't answer exams because it's too intimidating for them. Their results may say that their a C student but their understanding may be better than those with an A.

So how do I value something that is obviously flawed?

My culture and country tells me that it is not and that education is the most important.

The TV and tumblr tells me that I am not defined by my grades and essentially education is not important.

I believe that it is.

Education is defined as "the art of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing powers of reasoning and judgment and preparing oneself intellectually for matured life." This is something I believe that everyone should have and take part it.

Education to me is not defined as learning in a school for a certain amount of time. It's about learning in general and gaining information. The opportunity to learn is all around us if you just open your minds and heart. You can learn from anyone and anything. I've learnt a lot from watching shows. Okay some pretty useless information but I've learnt things nonetheless.

I value intellectually smart people. Those who can carry a conversation and even those who are willing and ready to learn. I couldn't care less about the level of your education. That's not important. But your ability to hold yourself in social situations and how you carry and present yourself that's important.

Learning and willing to learn is vital. Receiving formal education is a necessity because it teaches you a set of skills but it's not everything.

Your biggest regret

This goes against my policy of living a life of no regrets but if I really had to pick; probably not taking my A Level more seriously. No, that's not the right way to put it but not tackling it the right way and not dealing with my emotions properly. 

I constantly talk about my A Level and if you've been reading this blog then you'd probably be wondering why I can't just shut up about it. Well for starters, it really did a number on me emotionally. It was exhausting because I didn't deal with my core emotions properly. Or rather at all. I would be the person that burst into tears randomly when I was alone because of something that could have happened weeks ago. 

My first regret was not taking a day or a few to chill and process my IG results. It was full steam ahead and let's not talk about this or deal with it despite the fact that I'm obviously unhappy and disappointed in myself. I was doing okay, well even my first few weeks of college and I threw that all away over a grade. You've probably heard this one before too but it is, was the first time I had wanted something hard enough and not gotten it. I'm the kind of person who has never taken much education wise seriously and it has all come relatively easy to me. This is the first time I had faced a blow and a loss and I didn't deal with it well at all. I let it sit and fester and it grew into this huge thing that I couldn't deal with later on. I developed a Maths mental block and I don't think I'm 100% over that. Not yet at least.

To say I didn't take my A Level seriously is not exactly true because I kinda did know that I wasn't going to be able to scrape through if I studied last minute. But after not dealing with your emotions and letting it blow up at random inopportune times it can really take away from your whole learning and desire to do well. I was drifting and it wasn't necessarily because I didn't take it seriously. I did but when you have an overwhelming desire to quit and you just hate yourself and everything, trying to study and do well is not exactly easy. 

I should have gotten help sooner. It took me a long time, almost too long before I sought out help that I desperately needed. In my mind asking for help was a sign of weakness. It meant that I was not good enough. It requires you to swallow your pride and I was not having any of it, in the beginning. I did it eventually in the end and I'm so glad I did. 

So my biggest regret? It's probably wiser to say not dealing with my emotions properly but then again, I don't think I've mastered that art yet.

A book you can read over and over again and never get tired of

Bitter Melon by Cara Chow. 

Without a doubt this is the book. 

I can read it from any page and any phrase and still get into the story like I did when I first read it. It's the book that convinced me that writing and speaking up was worth it. That it meant something. It's the book I read when I need a little reminder that I too have the power of truth and no one can take that away from me. It's such an amazing book and more people should read it. 

Here's the summary from good reads 

"Frances, a Chinese-American student at an academically competitive school in San Francisco, has always had it drilled into her to be obedient to her mother and to be a straight-A student so that she can go to Med school.  But is being a doctor what she wants?  It has never even occurred to Frances to question her own feelings and desires until she accidentally winds up in speech class and finds herself with a hidden talent.  Does she dare to challenge the mother who has sacrificed everything for her? " 

The book does take it from an Asian perspective and being Asian myself, it makes it more relatable. I've been reading books about British school girls or American teens and tweens my whole life and this is the first time I'm reading a book and seeing the character face and deal with struggles that mimic mine at times. It's a refreshing change but it's not limiting. Anyone can read the book and still get it and understand the context. Personally, I think Cara does a good job of writing and explaining the character and the reasons behind her actions. The writing is simple which makes it easy to read and understand and the tone is in first person which would normally bug me but this is different. It's like you're listening to a story with Frances as the narrator. The main message of the book when you get to it is amazing and it really hits you. You'll definitely be inspired after you out down the book. Cara also does a wonderful job of showing the reader the struggles and thought process of Frances and I definitely recommend this book.