This is why i could never do it...

One of my friends recently showed me this of Rachel McAdams auditioning for the part in The Notebook (probably one of my all time favourite movies)... the sheer emotion of it, without anything other than herself to work with (apart from Ryan's voice - which admittedly is pretty H-O-T!), gave me goosebumps! I could just never ever do that so freely and unselfconscioulsy... acting is such an amazing talent i reckon! AH-MAZE! Totes ah-maze!      

Soooo beautiful it takes my breath away....

Uniquely Unique Uniqueness

So, here’s the thing. I don’t believe there’s enough uniqueness in the world. It’s not really something that’s encouraged in your childhood like say, getting good grades or being well mannered. And since most of us never actually leave the playground anyhow, that means that there is a hell of a lot of us running around out there pretending to be the same cookie-cuttered person as the next cookie-cuttered person. I mean, God forbid anyone stands out too much.

Me? I celebrate it. I love it. I seek it out. I’m not as brave as I’d like to be so i look up to those that are with a barefaced respect and admiration... and a teeny pinch of jealousy for their braveness. To just be who you are, in all your glory, is a wonderful place to come from if it’s genuine, sincere and not forced... and not to just shock the hell out of everyone (at least not completely!).

A few Sundays back, i had a decadently lazy afternoon (i say that like it doesn’t happen very often, but it totally does!) and got out a whole clump of girly movies that i watched back to back. The list included ‘One Day’, which, as expected, was average... although i will say that i thought Anne Hathaway did a much better job with her character than Jim Sturgess... quite contrary to the reviews. And my pg 385 experience was no less shocking albeit not as beautifully crafted. But there were STILL tears.  

Then there was ‘Jane Eyre’, which since i don’t (can’t) read classics, was only vaguely aware that some dark secret was lurking in some dark attic. The scene where he begs her to stay  was completely goose bump worthy...  only watch if you don’t mind a bit of a spoiler – it’s here! Mia Wasikowska (from good old Canberra, Australia!) is breathtaking in this! And we all know that Michael Fassbender is, like, the next George Clooney they say.   

But the movie that’s most relevant to this post (although Mia is pretty unique!) is called ‘Waiting for Forever’ with Tom Sturridge and Rachel Bilson. I adored the manner in which the main character, Will Donner, was so comfortable in his own skin and uniqueness. Admittedly, he pretty much got there by eluding some rather large home truths, but i loved it all the same. It did leave me wondering though if  i only loved this unique boy who wears pyjamas in the day because it’s not actually real and he’s really quite beautiful to watch. Would i love it so much if it was my brother??  Or mate? I’m too scared to think about it in case i don’t like the answer.



Photo courtesy of Gala Darling



Which brings me onto a real person, living a real life, and doing real things  in such a funkylicious manner that i writhe with equal measures of jealousy and wonder. Meet Gala Darling. You may know her or have heard of her (she gets about half a million hits on her blog a month) but this wee girl from Wellington is totally living the dream and getting paid for being nothing but her very unique self. NZ Herald did a piece on her here and she was not so long ago interviewed for TVNZ - very interesting! Plus, she wants others to join her and love themselves exactly as they are - check out her TEDx video on her site, some thought provoking stats . She's totally rockin' and i'm sure you'll enjoy her quirky ways and loving messages just as much as i do.

I'm volunteering at The Auckland Writers & Readers Festival this weekend... there are so sure to be stories from that!  Stand by please caller....  

Kiss kiss love love

BBx

PS Forgot to mention that i just finished 'The Secret lives of Dresses' by Erin McKean. I loved the idea... but to be honest, i got a bit bored! You might enjoy it... give it a go and see. Beautiful cover.   

PSS While i was blogging, this was on TV and it was FASCINATING (i was watching the suit one)... so in line with my post - The New Old