One GIANT comeback, two reviews and three stunning pics...

So you thought you could get rid of me, right?
Well... WRONG!

Yep, I admit that I've been out of commission for a while for a bunch of reasons completely unrelated to my blog, which I love and always have loved. It's not about the blog, people! But in a funny way, I'm glad I took a break from blogging, because it's given me a chance to think about some new ideas and what I'd really like to do with my "15" (... minutes of fame, duh).
So, yeah. I have a couple of ideas to keep things fresh and exciting in this new year of 2009. I do realise that I've wasted three months of it being the silly banana that I am, but yeah. Bygones.
So that takes care of the "one giant comeback", and now for the 2 reviews.
Not only have I rediscovered the joys of blogging, but I've also rekindled my love of the big screen. This weekend saw me catching two movies that everyone seems to be talking about, Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Slumdog Millionaire: ****


As I said to my best friend in an email earlier today: Go and check out Slumdog Millionaire if you get the chance. Some are calling it the feel-good movie of our time, but... WOW! I found parts of it very hard to watch. The poverty and child abuse in India are just so bad. If you stick it out and get to the end it IS actually very uplifting, but be prepared for the rough bits.
Readers, you have been warned!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: ***


In the same email: I also caught that new Brad Pitt movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. And you know... I actually really dislike Brad Pitt as a person. I could very easily drop-kick him and his superficial wife right off the face of the planet. I try to avoid watching his movies, but whenever I accidentally do, I am always surprised at how breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL he is on screen. I mean... The camera f***ing LOVES Brad. For great special effects and a nice storyline AND some DAYAM nice shots of Brad here and there, go check it out. If it's value for money you're after, it’s certainly worth the price of a ticket when you consider it’s almost THREE HOURS LONG!
I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Hmmm.
In any event, the editing team certainly could have sharpened their scissors and knocked a good hour off the running time.
I will also mention that I have a new girl-crush. I've always thought that Kate Blanchet is beautiful, but she totally took my breath away in this movie. Her moonlit solo jazz / ballet dance in the one scene had me aching to take ballet again. (Why did I give it up at the ripe old age of FOUR? WHY??!!)

Finally... The three stunning pics.
As I was racing out of the door this morning to get to work on time, yacking to myself about what I need to get done, trying to remember everything I needed to pack and take to work, not stopping for a second, Sabrina helped me remember what it's really all about. She was sitting in silence on my rug on the living room floor, in a patch of golden sunlight, listening to the birds, eyes half-closed, just living in the peace, joy and simplicity of the moment...


I had to stop, put my bags down and take a few pics to help me never to forget.
How many mornings have a raced around without stopping to love the feeling of the sun on my face? Thank you, Beena.
These little pics hardly do the big ones any justice. But you get the idea...