barbenheimer: oppenheimer/barbie movie review (minor spoilers)

21st July 2023 - lives were changed.

I, of course, am referring to the release of the films OPPENHEIMER (Christopher Nolan) and BARBIE (Greta Gerwig). 2 films, 2 audiences, same day.

Sadly, due to the fact we live in a capitalist society whereby we must seek out regular employment in order to pay our bills and afford silly little lattes, I couldn't go to see either film on release day as I was working but we booked the double feature for the following day. It was a weekend of great cinema and witnessing the triumph of human perseverance to find the fun in absolutely anything.

To mark the occasion, my fiancé and I bought ourselves t-shirts from etsy which formed the base of my outfit. However, this was only the first step. I also sported a very-pink makeup look and as Oppenheimer was the first film of the day, a black trench and black sunglasses completed the 'fit. It just so happens that the weather was absolutely horrendous with rain all day so the coat was a practical choice but mark my words- the trench was a non-negotiable regardless.

There is nothing wrong with our local indie cinema, but we wanted to see Oppenheimer in IMAX of which required us to make a 2hour drive to Plymouth. As fiancé is a cineworld unlimited member, we got 10% food and drink so this is why I am marrying him really. I did not get any food as I think seeing Oppenheimer fasted, in IMAX, shattered from getting up early to drive to the cinema is what Nolan would have wanted.

As we stood in the queue, I saw masses of pink and black outfits, suits, cowboy hats, and it was beautiful. I felt truly at home.

12pm: Oppenheimer.

Review to follow but in short: Christopher Nolan made me sit through a 3 hour film where nothing fun happens and I thanked him for the privilege. That takes an incredible film to achieve. Plus, the real bomb that was dropped in the screening was a slight inconvenience but my god, it added to the escapism for sure. (BTW: if you're looking for a toliet-break because again, THREE HOURS, but don't want to miss anything, go when Oppenheimer asks to visit his brother. If you go then, all you need to know when you return is that Oppenheimer got his security clearance.)

After a quick trip to the hospital to recover from my injuries, our next stop was some much-needed fuel as a double-feature is no joke and requires serious endurance. There was only one place for it- five guys. A bacon cheeseburger and biscoff milkshake later, I had finally shaken off the existential dread that humans are going to destroy the world and it was time for an outfit change. Black trench and black glasses were ditched, fun white sunglasses were on and we were off to BARBIE.

4:50pm: Barbie.

WOMEN ARE AMAZING and I love being a woman. What a lovely film full of beautiful people and a beautiful message. Humans are still awful but I feel less sad about it now.

REVIEWS (minor SPOILERS)

Oppenheimer

Controversially, and a massive surprise to myself, I enjoyed Oppenheimer more. It took me a while to get invested, I guess that is one benefit to a three hour film but again, THREE HOURS?. Sorry. Anyway, in terms of performances, I honestly do not think anyone gave a dud and I would even say everyone was fantastic, though a lot of big-hitters only had a handful of lines so there was not much to play with. Cillian Murphy gives quite possibly the best performance of his career and given his showreel, the bar was VERY very high. RDJ is also standout, but my favourite singled-out performance is Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer, specifically in the hearing scene toward the end of the film. Suddenly, a relatively lacking character TRANSFORMS and gives the BEST dialogue delivery of the entire film. The performances well deserve oscar-buzz, however I also wanted to highlight the sound design. The way sound is used in pivotal scenes such as the Trinity Test is astounding, but it really shines throughout the entire movie.

Rating: 8/10. One point off for the length (SORRY NOT SORRY I will not explain my hatred for long runtimes any further) and one point off for the female characters as I understand this is a film based on  heavily male history, but I do wish the female characters were fleshed out a lot more

Barbie

I don't know what I expected this film to be like, but I don't think anyone else did either. It certainly is not my favourite Gerwig film, however I will say that for the other Gerwig films I have seen, I always grow in my fondness of them overtime and upon reflecting about them, their messages, etc. I am already looking back at the messages of Barbie and finding myself respect the script and the movie more and more than my immediate reaction once the credits rolled yesterday.

The casting is perfection. Robbie and Gosling are, as expected, absolutely charming but my personal favourite cast member is Rhea Perlman who emerges as Ruth, inventor of Barbie.

Whilst the plot I think is perfectly fun, it was certainly the message I enjoyed much more than the actual performances. It is a bit complicated, there are certain scenes and moments of dialogue that I think are some of the best I have seen but as a whole I think the performances are overshadowed by the message, which isn't necessarily a bad thing and is certainly a credit of the screenplay. I do hope that men will understand what Gerwig is trying to do with this film and hopefully the film will have a positive impact on how they interact with the women in their life.

Rating: 6.5/10, but the jury is still out. Fiancé hasn't stopped playing "I'm Just Ken" so maybe that is bringing the score down a bit. He's had it on a loop for a week, send help.

solo date - finding calm at the café

For the most part, I am an extremely independent person. I also don't shy too easy, so the thought (and act!) of taking myself on "solo-dates" shouldn't really be new territory, but it so is! To be honest, as I live with my fiancé and he gets home from work earlier than I do, there is rarely any time I am alone. Therefore, I never really think to take myself out as on the rare occassion I am alone for a few hours, I normally open up YouTube/Netflix, pour a glass of pepsi max and crack on with work/cleaning/something else boring. However, today my fiancé is going to the cinema with a friend to watch the new mission impossible film (again, this is something we normally do together but we *also* watched it at the weekend, he just wanted to go again and the showing started before I finish work). I automatically, subconsciously assumed that I would just be in the flat on my own for a few hours and chill on the sofa until he gets back but then I thought to myself, why not go out by myself? One thing I am really hoping to make more of an effort with is making the most out of my evenings rather than just 'living for the weekend'. I could be utilising the hours after work so much better than I am currently and as the sun was shining, I thought that I'd also make the most of that too.

There is a café/restaurant not far from my flat called Muddy Beach. It takes me about 15 minuites to walk and as a bonus, it is right by Penryn harbour so the view isn't bad either! I drove home from work to dump my stuff then I put my airpods in, grabbed my journal, phone, laptop, and camera, and set off on a nice sunny walk to Muddy Beach.

It was surprisingly busy for 5:45pm, but it is graduation season so Falmouth/Penryn are busier than normal at the minute. Originally I sat outside to listen to the harbour sounds and I overheard a couple from America chatting to a waitress about Cornwall. The American lady was here for her masters graduation-amazing!! The waitress was a student herself and very kindly offered to help me with my things when I asked to move inside as I did start to feel a little cold.

I enjoyed an iced oat latte as well as a diet coke and a side of cheesy fries. I had my airpods in at first to listen to a self-help podcast, but then I decided to set that aside and just sit for a while and honestly, that was a good decision. I have never regretted the decision to just take a moment to be in the present and find a moment of calm. At this point, I found it apt to do a bit of journalling and reflect on my goals. As I had just finished work, I decided to focus on my career goals as this was what I could visualise the best.

I'll be honest, I felt a little bit sick after those fries and I did not finish them. They were not bad by any means, I think my eyes were just bigger than my stomach! Once I’d paid up, I stuck on another podcast and had a quick walk around the harbour before walking back to my flat.

I’m already thinking of more ways to make the most of my time and I feel like I’m truly shifting to an abundance mindset. If you have any other solo date ideas, please leave a comment!

my dream life - part one: my vision board

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you had a fun weekend. Mine was really nice, I watched mission impossible with my fiancé and one of my best friends (it was actually her birthday!). I don't particularly know much about the series but I did enjoy the film and think Tom Cruise movies are always really engaging. This weekend, me and fiancé are doing the "Barbenheimer" double feature and I am SO excited. There will be a full blog post of everything we do in the day so stay tuned.

If I had to describe my 2023 in one word so far, it would be: stuck. I feel stuck career wise, finance wise, happiness and wellbeing wise, I feel stuck in my flat, I feel stuck with my studies, I have felt really lost about where my life is going and it has got me really down to be honest.

As a naturally pessimistic person, I never liked to think 'manifesting' or law of attraction was real as I am SUCH a negative person so I don't like to think how much bad energy I am putting out there! However, I got so deep into my rut, and did not have an idea on how to progress, and I watched freddymylove's "How to Manifest your DREAM Life" video and in it, she says something along the lines of "even if manifesting turns out to be complete rubbish, at the very least, you would have lived life much more happier" and that really stuck with me. I already follow some of the principles of "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***" (read or watch it!) and that has had such an influence on me. Essentially, I let go of things a lot easier now, I truly believe indifference, or even kindness, is the best way to treat those you don't see eye-to-eye with, especially when you feel they are out to get you. Not caring about many things is honestly so freeing. However, I am now questioning what if instead of just paying things no mind and detaching myself from situations that don't matter or I can't control, what if I was ACTIVELY trying to live my best life and changing my mindset of what I am capable of?

Manifesting, I find really hard. To be honest, I think this is because for a while I have been massively overthinking it. You see so many tiktoks and youtube videos on BEST WAYS TO MANIFEST!!! DO THIS EVERY NIGHT!!! with long, complicated, and time consuming mantras, scripts, you name it, to supposedly help you manifest your dream life and I found it really overwhelming. Freddy's video as well as this one by Tam Kaur gave me a lot of inspiration on how I can implement manifestation and positive thinking into my everyday life without it feeling like a chore.

The first step I have taken was to make a vision board! I found this to be a really good starting point and I am surprised I have never done this before. I actually really enjoyed looking through pinterest (PINTEREST IS YOUR BEST FRIEND!) and would honestly recommend it to anyone. IT'S FUN! You're basically allowing yourself to visualise your dream life and collect all the prettiest pictures that represent this, what is the downside?

So, I have attached my vision board here for you to see. This is not just for the blog post but is actually part of how I am using the vision board to manifest. I have already made it my laptop desktop background and my phone lock-screen wallpaper so by putting it on my blog, that it just one more place I can see it and be reminded of my dream life! I know it can sound silly but again, what is there to lose by having unwavering faith?

In terms of the details of my vision board, I have some specific images on there (like the marc jacobs bag, the ipad, the audi q3, the canon powershot camera) which are things I would like as well as generic images of the lifestyle I want (like first-class flights, a toned figure, a high net-worth). On my phone I took this further and added some images onto my home screen along side affirmations of my goals, which are as follows:

-I finished my PhD and wrote a groundbreaking thesis

-I have widely published my research

-I have £50,000 in my bank account

-I have 50,000 instagram followers

-I am one of the top managers at my company

-I have reached my goal weight

These are more specific goals that I am actively working towards and I know most of them are very materialistic, but the whole idea of this is to imagine and live an abundant life. As I kickstart my blog and socials up again, expect to see more posts about my manifestation journey and how I am changing my mindset for the rest of the year and beyond. Series "my dream life" has officially begun!

holiday to menorca: insotel punta prima resort&spa review

Back in May, my fiancé and I spent a week in Menorca (one of the Spanish Balearic islands), staying at the Insotel Punta Prima Resort&Spa. We had a fantastic time and there is much to say about our trip, so read on to find out what we did and if you’re thinking of going to Menorca or staying at the Insotel, you will hopefully find this useful!

Insotel Punta Prima Resort&Spa

Details: We paid around £540 each for a week, all-inclusive stay at the beginning of May 2023, I think this was a really good deal. We booked through TUI and this included flights, luggage, and transfers.

Before we left: I read a lot of reviews before we left and I wouldn’t say I become worried, but I definitely had some concerns. Firstly, a lot of people said that this was very much a family resort and that there were kids everywhere, this was not necessarily an issue as we knew this and were happy be around children, I was just worried there may not be much to do for couples. Secondly, I am SO squeamish when it comes to creepy crawlies and I saw a LOT of comments about ants and wasps being EVERYWHERE!

First impressions: Our first impressions were GREAT! We were queuing for check in for a little while, but this was not a deal breaker to us. The rooms are laid out in apartment-complexes across the resort and we were placed in a quiet area. I didn’t take any photos of our apartment (urgh!) but it was really lovely and seemed to have been updated from the booking photos. We had a balcony, a living room with a sofa, and a kitchenette, so oodles of space for the two of us!

The positives: I can honestly say the resort exceeded my expectations. Our room and the resort in general was kept clean and the staff were very friendly and attentive. There are 2 outdoor pools (plus kids pool) and both were gorgeous. I’m not sure if we just went at a good time but for the entire week, it was never busy around the resort and there were always plenty of sun beds no matter the time of day. In terms of children, as we didn’t go in school holidays, most children were younger than 3 and I noticed most families remained at the kids area, so we did not really notice. We took part in a few activities and did not find ourselves bored at all, but to be honest we spent most of our time reading by the pool and this was exactly what we wanted. The spa (additional cost) was also really nice, I wish I had booked to go more than once. Also, I saw NOT ONE wasp!

The negatives: There was nothing wrong with the food and there was decent choice, but it was nothing to rave about. I did not find myself overly impressed but I guess all-inclusive is hit and miss anyway. All-inclusive drinks were so convenient, but again I wasn’t blown away. Apart from the buffet, there are a number of other restaurants but unfortunately they were closed until June so we missed out. The Italian was open, and this was AMAZING BUT only one visit was included in our stay, we didn’t realise you could also go to the Italian for table service lunch everyday but this was our own fault. Also, we did get ants in our room but this only happened if we left our crisp packets etc, so don’t do that! Oh, and the bed was two twin beds pushed together as opposed to a king but we actually liked this, but something to bear in mind.

Final thoughts: If you’re looking for a good value all-inclusive and just want someone nice for a week to switch-off, I would say Insotel is a fantastic place to stay. However, it seems experiences vary depending on what time of the year you want to go, so bare this in mind! I think it is perfect for families, but just as good for couples too. If food is a BIG priority, or you want tons of activities without having to leave the site, then I would look elsewhere.

Value for money: 4/5, we really had a great time!

Menorca

We mainly stayed within Punta Prima and our resort was very close to a lovely little beach as well as many restaurants and shops on the front. We took a little walk outside the resort every night and it was really nice to be able to do this, especially as we felt very safe.

On our second-to-last day, we took a day trip (excursion through TUI) into Mahón. We had a boat tour, which was my highlight of the holiday as I learnt so many fascinating facts! I did not know much about Menorca so was happy to immerse myself a bit more, especially as a history nerd! We then visited a gin distillery, with tastings of course. Gin is the most popular spirit on the island and the Menorcans drink it neat! We also bought a lot of "Pomada" from the distillery, this is pre-mix gin and lemonade which is a popular summer sharing drink and it was soooo nice. Even my fiancé, who does not drink any alcohol, had a few glasses of this stuff!

After a bit of shopping and visiting the rest of the city, we returned to Punta Prima and though I have so many places on my bucket list, if situations allowed I would absolutely return as I have fell a little in love with the island. If you had never thought of going before, definitely look into changing that.

Adios!