Realistic Resolutions

Posted in Lifestyle by bngillies

Hello again my friends and HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!!

I have no doubt that many of you made some wonderful resolutions at midnight; drink less, smile more, get fit, etc. I also have no doubt that many a resolution was broken by 12:15. Don’t stress about that though, you can always try again next year!

I personally don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions. I think that making a grand statement like “this year I swear to be less of a bitch” when you’re five million shots of tequila into the night is just setting you up for failure later on in the year. We use this time to make excuses for our shortcomings the year before; smoking less in 2014 won’t reverse the effects of the pack-a-day you smoked last year and even if you decide to quit drinking today your liver is two-thirds fucked already.

Couldn’t have said it better myself!

Instead of making a resolution for myself (although ‘Be less of a bitch’ is on top of my 2014 To Do list), I came up with a list of realistic resolutions we should all put into practice this year.

Floss Daily. I know you’re all mentally quoting the world’s second favourite black woman and shouting ‘Aint nobody got time for that!’ because only dentists can stick to that plan, but honestly, it’s time to take dental hygiene seriously. You can’t make a resolution to Eat Healthy if you don’t even have teeth to chew your steamed quinoa.
‘Think before I speak.’ This wasn’t my resolution, but I can’t help but relate to it a little bit. It’s only human to say the first thing that pops into our heads at any given moment. We don’t have a whole crew of underpaid workers in our brains censoring all the swear words and inappropriate jokes. In 2014, we should all think back to our year 7 lessons in elocution and start speaking like classy fuckin’ ladies.
Rid your life of enemies, exes and fuckwits. You want to be a better person in 2014? Brilliant. Surround yourself with better people than the ones who were bringing you down last year. You’re amazing and it’s high time the people you surround yourself with know it!
Spend more time with family. I know it’s harder than it sounds, but blood is definitely thicker than water. 2014 is the time for you and your family to clear the air, resolve some grudges and generally talk though the shit that brings tension into the relationship. You can’t choose your family, but you can choose to put the effort in.
Pay It Forward. Forgetting that the film was actually dreadful and a bit depressing at the end, the message is pretty important. Help a stranger, smile more and make the world a better place. You’ll be surprised how good it can feel to do a good turn without expecting something back.
Stop being shallow. Also known as Stop it with the goddamned selfies. Outside the realms of Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flikr, Instagram and Grindr for those of you who are so inclined, there is a world of real people having real conversations and making real relationships. I know- shocking! When your life revolves around the number of likes you get on a photo of yourself pouting in a bathroom mirror, you’ll find you’re missing out on so many amazing things. Live for yourself- the real version, not the creepy duckfaced version- and suddenly the cyber world will become insignificant. Measure yourself by the number of things you like, not the number of people who like you.
On a related note, get out of the house. Not because ‘we’ve just traced the call and it’s coming from the attic’ but because a) fresh air and sunlight are good for you and b) the world is an amazing place. You don’t even need to travel to another country to see the beauty. There are special things everywhere you go. Yes, you may have to look harder to find them in the concrete jungles, but that’s half the fun. This year, immerse yourself in the world. You’ll be amazed at what you can find.
Use the stairs. Let’s face it, you’re not going to stick to a fad diet or go to the gym every other day (neither am I, so don’t think I’m judging you). What you can do though is make the decision to take the stairs instead of the lift. It’s simple and yet so effective at staying trim and feeling healthier. You can also make the effort to walk around the office every now and then rather than staying glued to your desk all day. You burn twice as many calories standing up than you do sitting down and you’ll save money on the chiropractor bill. Being healthy is easier than you think.
Do something amazing. Something that you wouldn’t have even dreamed of in 2013. Big, small, totally outrageous, whatever. Just make it count.
Finally, conquer the fear. I know how hard this is and I know that none of us can do it alone. This final resolution is a team effort, and we, the amazing readers and writers of Solstice Satisfaction, are going to do it together. I call it ‘The SolSat Super Support System’ (say that then times fast!). We’ve all been drawn to SolSat because we’re likeminded, slightly eccentric and very unique people. Together, we can conquer the fear.Come at us 2014- we’re ready for you!

– by Blaire Gillies

27Dec2013

Review: American Hustle

Posted in Entertainment, Movies by roro1010

With the hype surrounding the now not-so-new release of American Hustle and the consequent criticism it’s acquired (though to a much lesser extent), curiosity eventually got the better of me so I decided to go and see it for myself to consider whether both the positive and negative reactions surrounding it are justifiable.

Such an attractive cast…

*Warning: Some mild spoilers are included here.

American Hustle is a drama film based on a true story; it begins with some onscreen text stating, “some of this actually happened.” A little surprising that the usual “based on a true story” isn’t employed but heck, it still works. It follows on with quite a few flashback scenes with alternating voice-over narration from two of the main characters; Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams). In fact, a little less than half of the film consists of some of their past moments and it gets a little tiresome at first – mainly because you just want to see what’s happening in the present, but it soon becomes clear that the flashbacks are crucial in understanding the present scenes. All in all, it starts off a little slow but soon smoothly eases into an intriguing ride.

From the flashbacks, we learn that Irving and his mistress and partner in crime, Sydney, are two con artists who cheat money out of their clients (or perhaps victims is a better word) through the ruse of a loan service business (of sorts). Having met a while back, they had decided to join as both lovers and business partners. On the sideline is Irving’s wife, Rosalyn Rosenfeld (Jennifer Lawrence) and their son (hers from a previous relationship whom Irving chose to adopt), although Irving does seem to be a doting father to the boy. To cut to the chase, one day their client/victim happens to be an FBI agent by the name of Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). He eventually finds out about the illegitimacy of their “business”, and gives them the alternative of either facing an arrest or helping him arrest others (whom he suspects of obtaining illicit money). For fear of revealing too much about the film, I’ll stop there with the plot and storyline.

As it’s set in the 70’s (1978 to be exact), there’s a lot of typical fashion of the era – and very convincing it is too. There’s also plenty of glam attire and style – bar Irving’s comb over and Richie’s perm (although I will admit Bradley Cooper looks rather cute with those tight curls – don’t judge). Apart from the glam fashion, the film itself is rather glossy and suave – and I suppose this is where some of the criticism sprouts from. For, although it ticks just about every box for me – great acting from a great cast, absorbing plot, perfect filming in terms of pace and technique, and all the finer details such as accurate depiction of the surroundings etc – it feels as though there’s a little something missing. It could be that too much attention was paid towards creating a somewhat swanky feel to the film; at times it feels like it’s a little too polished or clean-cut, which doesn’t seem to suit the more serious tones that the plot would otherwise impart, or perhaps there isn’t as much depth and/or history behind some of the characters, leading to a slight lack of substance to the film as a whole. It could also be that there are a little too many injections of humour throughout (which again somewhat detracts from the more serious tones). Although I will say that some of the humorous dialogue included is pure gold in its simplest form, and provides a refreshing dose of comic relief (although again, I’m not sure if it’s needed). Or maybe I’m just being a little too nit-picky…

Nevertheless, this is still a must-see for those who love a good old drama movie; as aforementioned, the acting from the majority of the cast is top-notch (for those who have yet to see it, watch out for Jennifer Lawrence especially, who does an excellent job of portraying an emotional, stubborn, ignorant, slightly neurotic (and sexy) wife), the filming execution is great (one of the best I’ve seen in a while), and the plot – although a little seemingly dull and slow at the start – slides and then propels with a bang into an escapade that you just can’t stop watching until you’ve reached the end (where there’s a clever, spun out twist that’s either satisfactory or unsatisfactory – it’s a matter of opinion). Because of all this, it’s a true winner with some very minor faults in my opinion, and that’s why I give it a solid 8 out of 10.

– by Rosemary Nguyen

24Dec2013

Merry Christmas!

Posted in Lifestyle by bngillies

ONE MORE SLEEP UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

The swaggiest dog in Aus also wishes you a Merry Christmas!

The swaggiest dog in the world also wishes you a Merry Christmas!

The twelve magic days of Christmas are coming to a close. As I write this, Carols by Candlelight is playing on the TV and I’m onto my sixth piece of shortbread of the day. I’m hiding from my extended family in the front room of our house because I can’t handle having all twelve of us in the same room at the same time (even though I’ve downed a few Gin Lime twists and I’m breathing like a zen master).

For those of you who enjoy spending time with your families (that are no doubt a million times more normal than mine), I hope you make the most of this magical time together. To those of you whose families are out of town or overseas, I offer you this cliché; Home is where the heart is. And I mean this in two ways. Firstly, your family knows you love them and they know you’re thinking of them. You are no doubt with them in spirit this festive season. Secondly, your home can be with be with the friends and family you have chosen to be with this Christmas.

Now, it may be the last day of Christmas (for SolSat at least, tomorrow is technically the real last day), but I hope you all remember to keep the spirit of Christmas in your hearts throughout 2014. Being kind, generous and caring towards one another is so important and yet we so often let our busy lives and our own irritations get in the way of that. I know I’m guilty of that myself, but I have my fingers crossed that together, we the amazing readers and writers of Solstice Satisfaction can make the world just a little bit cheerier in the future!

With that said, for the twelfth day of Christmas I simply want to wish each and every one of you a very merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year. I’m taking a break from the blogosphere to enjoy this time with my family and allow my hands time to relax after typing like a mad-man for twelve days straight.

Thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement these last few months.

All my love to you and your families this Christmas,

Blaire xx

– by Blaire Gillies

23Dec2013

Christmas Film Favourites

Posted in Entertainment, Movies by bngillies

Christmas movies are, without a doubt, my favourite. While living in Australia means that we miss out on the picturesque “sitting by the fire drinking hot chocolate in matching cable-knit cardigans” thing, it seems that everyone has a favourite Christmas film that features in their festive traditions.

For example, every year on Christmas Eve, my sister and I settle in to watch Love, Actually together. We eat a ton of chocolate and ice-cream and we swoon over a charmingly awkward Colin Firth stuttering his way through a Portuguese proposal. Then, depending on mood and the amount of remaining junk food, we move on to The Holiday and The Grinch.

As a cinema studies Major, I spend a lot of time watching movies and have come up with this list of the best Christmas scenes from movies.