It's really okay to tip over, in fact it is very normal to feel tilted from time to time, especially in our current times. What I mean when I say tilted is a state of feeling, well... just a bit off really. You're not really yourself in totality if that makes sense. You aren't upset or angry or depressed,  you're just a bit tilted - left of centre, misaligned, not on target.
You may feel a little tired or you could be recovering from a recent illness. You may be trying to manage too many things at once and feel a bit torn between tasks or expectations. You aren't quite firing on all cylinders and it can be a bit annoying, concerning, confusing or perplexing when it happens. 
Generally, the tilted feeling doesn't last all that long - just a couple of days. Just long enough for us to notice that we aren't feeling like our usual selves and hopefully set about rectifying the imbalance. The tilted feeling, when I get it, is a gentle nudge from my body to say that something needs my attention. It's a gentle nudge at first and if I ignore it, it becomes something much harder to ignore.  It stops being a list and starts to become a problem. 
I don't know who coined the phrase - listen to your body when it whispers so that you don't have to hear it scream, but they were certainly on to something. This whisper that they speak of is the tilted feeling that I am speaking of; a gentle listing just to remind me that I have gone off course and am heading in a bad, troubling, unproductive or dangerous direction.
Often I experience 'tilting' when I have failed to replenish my own needs and my personal battery is beginning to run low. I feel tilted in the early days leading up to an illness, when I have done too much in too little time or I have given myself too many social interludes without any time to diffuse in between. Being an introvert, this can happen to me very easily.
My listing feeling may start like a headache or a bit of brain fog. It can be a tired feeling where I will just desperately feel like I need to be alone or withdraw. It can be an ache in my shoulders or my legs or my back that doesn't stop me from doing things but is as annoying as hell. It can present as little melancholy and low in energy and I can seem aloof, bored, disinterested or short. It's not black, it's blue; it's not dark it's slow moving and dull, like a tone running in the background. It can be ignored, but it never should be because as I said, it's whispering not yelling yet. 
Over the years I have become an expert at knowing what to do when I start to 'list' and I am very good at catching myself before I go full tilt overboard these days. Check out my top tips:
TIRED?

• Go to bed early for at least 3 days straight - duh!
• Clear the weekend, and stay home from Friday evening to Monday morning - full reboot. 
• Turn off the TV early and go read a book in bed. 
• Nap - get into the habit of napping when you can, it's awesome to nap. 
• Skip the gym/ workout for a day or two, you'll be fine!
• Meditate, it's super rejuvenating. 
• Wear peppermint essential oil. 
• Drink less coffee and eat more apples - it does work!

ACHING?

• Book a massage asap.
• Take a couple of Panadol/ Ibuprofen. 
• Have a long soak in the tub. 
• Lie down and put your feet up. 
• Splash lavender  and bergamot in your diffuser to soothe anxiety and stress. 
• Cut out the alcohol and clean eat for a few days to reset your system. 
• Make a doctors appointment if this a repeated/ persistent pain. 

OVERWHELMED WITH RESPONSIBILITY?

• Order in for a couple of days, you're too tired to cook. 
• Say no to people until you can manage more. 
• Farm the kids out for a night of peace and quiet. 
• Listen to an audio book when you are in the car to unwind and change your thought patterns after work. 
• Do what needs to be done only, fuck the rest it can wait. 
• Delegate, are you sure this is all yours to do? Are there other people who could take a bit of the load for you? 
• Reprioritise, what is more important? Your health and wellbeing are always the most important thing, so listen to your body!

I seriously suggest that you do listen to your body when it is trying to speak to you, and trust me when I say that your body is communicating with you at all times - because it is! Those little twinges, they don't stay little if you ignore them. Those aches gets tougher, the tiredness gets bigger and the feelings get stronger, so do not pretend that you can't hear those early warning signs that you are getting from your body - act swiftly and get on with your life! 

BRINGING OUT THE DEAD
Release Date: 1999
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 121 mins 
An American psychological drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader and based on the novel of the same name by Joe Connelly. Bringing Out The Dead is easily the most original and unique film of 1999 and with a stellar ensemble cast, there's a lot to like here. 
An exhausted Manhattan paramedic (Nicholas Cage) fights to retain his sanity under the strain of his demanding and stressful job. A double graveyard shift tests his fortitude further as things for him, and his three co-workers, continue to escalate.
Nicholas Cage is really 'bringing out his dead' here, delivering a believably strung out and exhausted paramedic as he convincingly meanders around the edges of a complete meltdown. He is incredibly well supported by Ving Rhames, John Goodman, Tom Sizemore and Patricia Arquette, and although it isn't pretty, Bringing Out The Dead is genuinely interesting and thought provoking material. 
FINAL SAY: Saving someone's life is like falling in love. The best drug in the world. 
​3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

Mother's Day always gets me thinking about all of the wonderful women that I have shared my time, my triumphs and my tribulations with. I reflect on the women that have inspired me with their wisdom, kindness, generosity, patience and genuine care, not only for me but also for the the world around them. In my mind, Mother's Day is not just about whether you are an actual mother or not, it's also about whether you are the type of women who can demonstrate the qualities of being a good mother to others. 
Some women may never actual become mothers themselves, but they spend a great deal of their time caring for others. They bring out the best in others, they inspire and engage us with their mere presence and they nurture and develop the wellbeing of others. If that isn't embodying the qualities of a mother then I don't know what is. However, what I do know is that you certainly do not need to carry a child in your womb to embody the essence of motherhood and become a role model or inspiration to others. 
According to psychologists, in order to be be a good mother (or parent) you need to have a few skills and traits. These traits (not surprisingly) have nothing to do with how much money you have, how big your house is or how many toys or designer clothes you can afford for your family. In fact, most of these traits come from the wellspring of emotional intelligence - you know the stuff that I am always banging on about on my blog? Yep, turns out that emotional intelligence not only makes you a great person, it also makes you a kick arse parent as well. So let's take a closer look at the top ten great parent traits.
1. Patience: a bit of a no-brainer right? As mothers we need to have patience in buckets. Kids are messy and noisy and are often really annoying as well and this requires the patience of a monk to navigate. If you aren't meditating yet, I suggest that you do asap!
2. Multi-tasking: this is a hotly contested topic these days, because mindfulness teaches us that doing lots of things at once isn't actually that good or productive, but whoever said that clearly hasn't had a couple of kids to wrangle! If you can't deal with lots of things going on that you mostly have zero control over then motherhood probably isn't for you! 
3. Encouraging: Just like adults, kids are riddled with self doubt and fear. They need a lot of propping up and guidance and they also need to learn early on that it is okay to make mistakes and get things totally wrong. Encouraging resilience instead of perfection is a terrific way to support your kids and be a super mum. 
4. Intelligence: Hard to teach them if you don't know yourself. Having mental, physical, emotional and social intelligence is not only going to make parenting a shitload easier, it's gonna make you a bloody legend! Get smart and be smart!
5. Flexibility: As a mother you will need to be adaptable and resilient. When kids are around things can (and will) change in a heartbeat and you need to be able to adapt and accept that whatever will be will be, just like Doris Day said. 
6. Leadership Skills: Okay, no matter how much you want to, you can't boss the kids around, but if you have strong leadership skills then your kids are more likely to want to do the right thing on their own steam without you having to bark orders at them like a drill instructor. With positive role modelling and leadership, children will generally be able to lead more efficiently themselves. 
7. Dependability: You have to be good to your word if you want to be a good mother. Kids can smell bullshit a mile away and they do not take kindly to being let down by wayward or unreliable adults. They will also be more honest and trustworthy teens if you set a good example in the early years.
8. Compassion: Kids need comfort, they need a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear to confide in. Regardless of whether they are wrong or right, Children need to feel like their parents are in their corner and their feelings need to be validated just like adults do, so offer compassion without the side of judgement or shame. 
9. A Sense of Humour: Laughter is the best medicine - it's true. Teach your children to laugh at the world, themselves and their worries. By keeping things light you will reduce the stress and anxieties of the world and allow your children to find the smile in any situation. 
10. Self Awareness: Kids have no idea how to act, mostly they just go with whatever they think will work at the time, often they are way off the mark. Many times they will just mimic whatever you do, or your reactions to situations so you need to have a handle on your own modelling and choices. Work on your own self awareness so that you can be the best role model for your children. 

Now have you got all that? Easy right? 
There is no doubt that being a good mother/parent is a tough gig that requires your utmost attention and effort, but my god - the rewards! The rewards of having a wonderful relationship with your children far outweighs any difficulty or challenge that may arise along the way.
And as I said earlier, I have experienced all of these beautiful and loving things from many other women in my life and some of those women are not even mothers yet. So don't despair if you never got these things from your own mother because there are millions of amazing, loving, generous and nurturing women in the world that can offer you all of these things and so much more. 
So go on, be a great mother, or be like a great mother, or be a great woman or better yet, be all of those things - just be great! And on that note I will say - Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful women in  the world who give over of themselves to support, teach and nurture the lives of others. You are bloody amazing! 

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
Release Date: 2019 
Rating:  M
Running Time: 122 mins 
Every now and then, if you're lucky, you will happen upon a movie that is so enchanting and so beautiful that every frame feels like a piece of art, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is that movie. When it comes to romance, passion, adoration and fascination this historical French language film wins on all fronts, delivering something that is not only deeply contemplative but visually stunning as well. 
Marianne, a painter, is commissioned to paint a portrait of a troubled young woman named Heloise. Heloise's mother has been unsuccessful in getting her to pose for paintings and encourages Marianne to act as a hired companion, and encourages Marianne to try and keep her portrait painting a secret. It is not long before Marianne becomes enchanted with Heloise, who is betrothed to another and the two women begin a controversial love affair.  
If you are looking for something that captures the subtilties and beauty of affection and love then this slow burning romance will sweep you away completely. It certainly swept me away, I was deeply moved by this film and really loved how powerful it made the simple act of observing another person. 
Noemie Merlant and Adele Haenel are unforgettably gorgeous as the two intertwined women and they are well supported by Valeria Golino  and Luana Bajrami who portrays another convincingly troubled character named Sophie. The film depicts women in various states of joy and peril and it is all delivered perfectly through the poised eye of director Celine Sciamma. This is truly unforgettable film. 
FINAL SAY: When you're observing me, who do you think I'm observing?
5 Chilli Peppers ​

I always feel like I have so much time when I start a school holiday break, but two weeks is never really as long as you would think, especially when you have lots of people to catch up with and appointments to keep. However, I am certainly not complaining, I am always deeply grateful for the respite and reset time and having a couple of weeks off to gather my bearings and reboot my system every 10 weeks or so is truly a god send. 
​In the last two weeks I have really used my time efficiently, swinging between obligation, organisation and pure indulgence, and I have loved every single moment of it.
The highlights for me were:

• Having cocktails with friends.
• Enjoying afternoon tea in the sun at the botanical gardens.
• A freshly baked morning tea at a dear friend's house.
• Walking the neighbourhood most fine days.
• Spending Easter with my loved ones.
• Hosting a pizza/movie night.
• Catching up with far away friends for brunch.
• Going to the ELVIS exhibition in Bendigo with the family.
• Sipping a 'Dark and Stormy' in a swanky bar with a buddy.
• Getting my hair and eyebrows tizzied up.
• Finally organising the the cable guy to hook up the Ethernet to my TV - so long Wi-Fi drop outs!
• Enjoying two meat smoker events.
• Going to the movies.
• Watching 16 films and finishing eight TV series.
• Reading four books.
• Cleaning out my jewellery cupboard and wardrobe - long overdue!
• Eating out at delicious restaurants four times.
• And I also took Craig to pick up his new whip for his 50th birthday - a brand new cherry red Mustang.

Never was there a happier man than Craig when he pulled up in our driveway in that car, smiling from ear to ear and more gleeful than I have seen him in an age. Craig has wanted a flashy car for as long as I have known him, which is almost 30 years now. He has saved and worked his arse off to make it happen and to see him get something that he has wanted for so long made my heart so full of joy. It was the icing on the cake of my already incredible holiday break. 
And so, like it does at this time every year, a new term begins and I return to the hamster wheel of work  for another couple of months, refreshed and relaxed after my epic break  but still always longing for the days ahead that offer me another round of respite and indulgent joy. 

I WANT YOU BACK
Release Date: 2022
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 111 mins 
A romantic comedy directed by Jason Orley from a screenplay written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger that actually delivers just the right mix of rom/com to work. 
Two recently dumped strangers team up in attempt to win back their exes through unscrupulous and underhanded methods. 
The storyline here is simple enough, but the cast are truly terrific and deliver their roles with tonnes of humour and likeability which really elevates this rom/com from predictable and basic to the halls of genuine enjoyment.
Charlie Day and Jenny Slate play the roles of the two devious and heartbroken friends with a plausible onscreen chemistry and they are very well supported by Scott Eastwood, Manny Jacinto, Clark Backo and Gina Rodriguez whom all believably fall into the messy love entanglement that ensues.
I Want You Back is no game changer, but for a rom/com this is a solid and enjoyable watch. 
FINAL SAY: We're each others sadness sisters. 
3 Chilli Peppers ​

When you are in a healthy relationship, things just seem to work. They aren't taxing, you don't have to compromise yourself or alter yourself to be accepted and appreciated and even though you may argue from time to time or occasionally traverse some troubled waters, you can generally bounce back, talk it out and move along with grace. 
Not all of our relationships in life are that good, in fact some of them can be downright toxic. Toxic relationships will test you, trial you and leave you feeling deflated and defeated and they can turn up in many different places. You could be in a toxic relationship with a partner, a sibling, a parent or even a work colleague. And these unpleasant relationships could be literally draining your resources and leaving you completely depleted.
Unfortunately, depending on the nature of the relationship, signs for toxicity can be subtle or very obvious and you may not even be noticing the red flags popping up because you are too close to the source to see what is going on. It's kind of like a 'can't see the woods for the forest' type of scenario. 
So, what are the signs to look for when it comes to identifying a toxic relationship? Well, let's get down to brass tacks and identify some things that you need to be on the lookout for. 
1. Lack of Support
Healthy relationships are supportive and caring, there is usually a desire to see others succeed so if there is competition or a lack of encouragement or care, this is cause for concern. Basically, if the time that you spend with someone no longer feels positive, if there is a lack of trust or care or if the other person is only ever worried or concerned about their own needs, then this is a red flag. 
2. Toxic Communication
If conversations are mostly filled with sarcasm, condescending tones and snide remarks then odds are the relationship is toxic. There will be a lack of kind or respectful talk and much of what is said will be delivered with contempt. You may find yourself avoiding contact with this person, avoiding their calls or doing other things just to avoid further argument or hostility. 
3. Envy or Jealousy
If you are constantly suspicious of someone's motives or have a feeling that you cannot trust someone, then you may have a toxic relationship on your hands. If someone treats you with suspicion, displays envy or jealous around your actions, choices or successes this is considered to be a serious red flag that should not be ignored. Controlling or manipulative relationships are extremely toxic and can be also become very dangerous and/ or abusive. 
4. Resentment
Healthy relationships let go and move along after problems or hiccups. Toxic relationships do not. Holding on to grudges and not letting go of things chips away at peoples ability to be intimate and trusting. Over time this gap becomes a chasm that cannot be crossed. Any relationship that nurses grievances and makes you feel unsafe to speak up is toxic. 
5. Disrespect
Any patterns of disrespect are cause for concern. Always being late, forgetting events, speaking to you poorly in front of other people, gaslighting you or saying provocative or insulting  statements are all part of a toxic relationship demographic. Consider patterns in these behaviours and how they affect your ability to have a healthy relationship with the person in question. 
6. Constant Stress
It is not normal to always fight with someone or to always have tension. Sure life happens, sometimes things do get stressful: a family member is ill, job loss, financial stresses happen, but if someone is always stressed without much reason and projecting this on to you, that is considered to be a toxic relationship trait. 
7. Ignoring Your Needs
Going along with whatever someone wants and says all the time is not healthy.  If you feel like putting forward your needs is going to trigger an argument then you have a toxic relationship on your hands. Also, if you clearly outline a need or boundary that needs to be respected and the person in question continues to ignore or disrespect that need, then is safe to say that this is a toxic one-sided relationship.
8. Walking on Eggshells 
Any relationship that laves you feeling like you are walking on eggshells is seriously toxic. if you worry about bringing up things, you feel like you'll provoke tension if you speak up and you always need to go out of your way to avoid conflict then you are in a very toxic relationship.

However, it is important to know that although many people assume that toxic relationships are doomed, this isn't always the case. The deciding factor? That both people in the relationship want to change. If only person is invested in creating healthy patterns, than there is unfortunately very little likelihood that things will get better. In order to move forward look for these positive signs that your relationship still has a chance:

• An ability to accept responsibility 
• A willingness to invest in the relationship
• An ability to shift from blame to understanding
• Openness to outside help and support

With time, patience and diligence, toxic relationships can be improved, so don't be afraid to acknowledge if you are struggling with a toxic relationship that requires further support or intervention. Make sure that what you are experiencing isn't an abusive relationship rather than a toxic one and again seek support and guidance if you feel like this may be the case. 
We aren't all blessed with high functioning, loving or supportive relationships and no-one has to tolerate being treated poorly or being disrespected. Toxic relationships are extremely hard work and can be exceptionally detrimental in the long run, so always remember your worth and the importance of healthy relationships. You deserve to have good healthy relationships, so don't settle for being treated poorly by the people who should treat you better. 

PALMER
Release Date: 2021
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 111 mins 
An American drama directed by Fisher Stevens, written by Cheryl Guerriero and released on Apple TV+ streaming services, Palmer delivers a simple story that offers just enough heart and honesty to not feel forced or cheesy. At it's centre, Palmer is all about people being given permission to just be themselves and it is delivered in the most touching way. 
Eddie Palmer returns to his home town after a 12 year stint in jail. Staying with his grandmother and desperate to find a job and improve his station, Palmer attempts to walk a straight line. However, in a small town, people don't forget easily and he soon finds himself involved in the problems of others, especially his problematic neighbour and her flamboyant son Sam. 
Touching is an understatement, this film is deeply moving and heartfelt. And although it isn't necessarily delivering anything new or original, what is lacks in artfulness and mastery it makes up for with good intentions and likeable characters.
Justin Timberlake proves that he can do a lot more than sing and dance by shining in his lead role as Eddie Palmer, and he is well supported by Juno Temple, June Squibb and Ryder Allen as the delightfully colourful character, Sam. 
Make sure you have a tissue at the ready, this film will get to you.
FINAL SAY: I know you're mad at me. It's okay. I'd be mad at me too. 
3 Chilli Peppers ​

Your mind, like mine, consists of three different modes of thinking. When we are doing mundane or neutral types of activities like driving, brushing our teeth, shopping or running errands, we are usually engaging our Rational Mind. And when we are having times of high fear, excitement, sadness or joy we are engaging our Emotional Mind and coming in third place  is the ideal state of mind that we don't engage as often as should, and it is called our Wise Mind. 
Let's take a better look at these three states of mind because doing so will help you to understand yourself a whole lot better. In fact, if you can identify when you are triggering automatic responses from these modes of thinking you're going to able to to save yourself a lot of heartache and worry down the road. 
Firstly, let's examine the Emotional Mind. Basically, this mind kicks into gear when our thinking gets triggered by our external experiences of the world, for example:

• When you are arguing or disagree with someone.
• When you are fighting the urge to have a drink .
• When you procrastinate.
• The feelings you get from certain people, places or events. 

In general, the emotional mind is not impartial, it is reactive and it can be crippling. It can hijack our thoughts and sweep us over like a tsunami with dread, anger, sadness, fear, anxiety and many other big and often unhelpful thoughts and feelings. 
Next comes the Rational Mind which is pretty much opposite to the Emotional Mind. The rational mind bases all of its decisions on facts, evidence and things that worked well for us in the past. Situations that engage the rational mind may be things like:

• Deciding what to cook for dinner.
• Driving to work.
• Planning an event or social gathering.
• Learning a new language.
• Fixing a leaky tap or changing a flat tyre. 

The Rational Mind is straightforward, logical and thinking and because it is quite polarised to the Emotional Mind it can create great inner turmoil within people when they are trying to be decisive or precise. 
Enter the third state of mind - The Wise Mind. The Wise Mind is the ideal mind because it takes into account both the Rational and the Emotional mind without allowing them to conflict or overwhelm each other. Rather than allowing the Rational mind to wag its authoritarian finger at the sensitive Emotional mind, it instead seeks to build a bridge between the two and encourages a sense of harmony and acceptance. 
The Wise Mind honours and accepts emotions whilst taking into account the facts by working in a manner that is reasonable. 
A Wise Mind is mindful, aware, observant, patient and kind to us and that is why is we need to try and engage it as often as we can. 
Another way to conceptualise the three Minds, is to imagine how they might form a dialogue with one another. 
Rational Mind: You should get out of bed and go to the gym, you have a lot to do today.
Emotional Mind: I don't feel like getting up, you're stressing me out!
Wise Mind: I can feel stressed out and still get to the gym, I know that I will better once I have gotten my workout done for the day. 
Good old Wise Mind always finds the happy medium that is required to get the job done! And that's why we need to try really hard to recognise which state of mind we are using most of the time by being mindful and aware. This allows Wise Mind to take the reigns and make far better choices, decisions and pathways so that we can stay calm, focused and fresh. 
Being mindful about your 'mind state' will make your life easier and has been proven to assist in the management of anxiety and also to help individuals to identify unhelpful and hijacking thoughts that they entertain within themselves. Engaging your 'Wise Mind' is deeply self empowering, try it for yourself!

FRESH
Release Date: 2022
Rating: R18+
Running Time: 114 mins 
An American thriller film adapted from a screenplay by Lauryn Kahn and directed by Mimi Cave, in her directorial debut. Fresh delivers a unique blend of storytelling that is part American Psycho and part Silence of the Lambs with a sprinkling of Delicatessen and a side of How to be Single, and somehow it works!
Noa is struggling to find a suitable partner when she bumps into Steve in the fruit and vegetable aisle of the supermarket. Steve is handsome, smart and romantic and after several dates the new couple decide to go on a holiday together. Whilst on holidays, Noa discovers the truth about Steve; who he really is and his extremely disturbing appetites.  
This film is greatly strengthened by the terrific performances. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan are really solid here which adds a lot of credence and jet black humour to the story. There's plenty of gripping and disturbing interludes, some nice little twists and some pretty nasty behaviours to wrangle, but overall it's an enjoyable ride. 
FINAL SAY: It's about giving. Giving yourself over to somebody. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

Everyone in our home has now popped out the other side of our gross Covid-19 experience and we are making solid attempts to resume some normality and get back into the groove of daily life again. A little easier said than done though, because the post-Covid drag is real and you do tend to wear out easily and feel like you want to lie down a lot more than you normally would. This tendency to want to get horizontal a lot more than you typically would is, as you would imagine, really inconvenient and not very conducive to getting shit done. This has proven to be really annoying for me because I generally like to burn the candle at both ends and get a lot of bang for my buck when it comes to my everyday routine. 
​Unfortunately, my post-covid body doesn't really seem to like 5.30am yoga and it certainly doesn't seem to like much of anything after 9.30pm in the evenings except sleeping.  It also seems highly reluctant about doing 10,000 steps a day and it isn't nearly as invested in meal preparation as it was pre-covid, which has made dinner, lunch and breakfast periods feel like their own form of fresh hell three times a day as I try to navigate even the simplest of tasks in the kitchen with a heady mixture of disinterest and exhaustion.
As a consequence, our meals have been basic at best, my fitness has dropped off and I am not beating the alarm with anything except my fist in the mornings at the moment. And it's fine, I know that this level of reduced energy is to be expected and is completely normal but I am quite impatient and I have found the frailties, fragilities and failings of my body genuinely frustrating. 
According to Tania Mucci-Elliot, a doctor and expert on infectious diseases, the reason that we feel so fatigued during and after Covid-19 is because our immune system goes into overdrive, releasing chemicals called cytokines that trigger inflammation, fever and tissue death. Covid-19 is a systemic illness and affects many parts of the body, such as the respiratory mucosa, the kidneys, the fat cells and even parts of the brain. After this type of stress response, your body needs to go into rest-and-recovery mode, which causes the severe post-covid fatigue that people complain about.
Basically it's like your body has just run a marathon and it needs to reset. Signs of fatigue and tiredness is the way that your body prompts you to rest and take a break and you need to respond by putting up your feet. So doctors are recommending lots of rest, lots of water to flush your system out and being super vigilant about leaving things that aren't a priority for the first few weeks after infection and just getting the important stuff done. 
Easier said then done for someone like me who usually likes to race about like a rocket, but I really don't have a lot of choice, my body isn't wiling to allow me to go much faster than a snail at the moment anyway, so feet up and chilling out as much as I can is what the doctor is ordering and who am I am to argue with the experts? 

ROCKETMAN 
Release Date: 2019
Rating: MA 15+ 
Running Time: 121 mins 
A musical biography film directed by Dexter Fletcher and written by Lee Hall and based on the life of singer/ songwriter Elton John. Rocketman received huge critical acclaim and a number of awards largely due to Taron Egerton's incredible portrayal of John, but also for the unique and creative use of music, costume design and engaging choreography. 
At an addiction rehabilitation session, Elton John recounts the events of his life from childhood to present day. Through a series of musical numbers Elton recalls his troubling childhood, his rise to fame, his struggles with addiction, his relationship to best friend Bernie Taupin and his often traumatic love life. 
​Taron Egerton is dynamite as Elton John, delivering a powerhouse and mesmerising performance. The entire film feels fresh and original in structure and delivery, which is why I felt like it was more art house than drama, but to be clear there is plenty of drama going on here. The music is hypnotically good and it was almost impossible to not sing along with some of the numbers as I watched.
Like all good musical tributes you're left with a sense of just how much great music Elton John has delivered to the world. However I also found this film quite sad because it so clearly highlights how no amount of fame or money can ever fill some very deep holes that some performers seem to harbour inside of themselves, and Elton John's story certain demonstrates that. 
​FINAL SAY: You've got to kill the person you were born to be in order to become the person you want to be. 
​3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

On 28th January 2020 the first case of the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in Australia. And for over two years I have been blogging on and off about it. I've written about lockdowns, vaccinations, self care and mental wellness around the pandemic and although it had touched many around me, I had been fortunate enough to avoid contracting it myself. 
Well, on March 9th 2022 that all ended when that crusty bastard known as the Omicron variant finally made it's way all the way out to bum fuck nowhere (aka Enfield) to track me down, slap me down and steal my lunch money.
Poor Seth was the first to succumb to it, then I contracted it four days later and then just when Craig thought he was going to have a little freedom from his close contact isolation, he got it on day seven of exposure. Yep, we all got a go around, aren't we lucky? Thank goodness that we have all had three vaccination boosters, which meant that our symptoms were mostly moderate and thankfully also short lived. The middle two days were definitely the hardest, which for me coincided with my birthday which made it all the more painful to be honest. I mean no-one wants Covid-19, but they especially do not want it on their birthday; talk about a Debbie downer event. 
I became a proper Moaning Myrtle for a few days there. I felt tired, achy, melancholy and when I wasn't burning up, I was shaking with the chills. It was the pits! Seth was still in recovery himself, Craig was working from home so he was busy which meant that I was pretty much left to my own whiny devises for a few days, getting sadder and sicker by the hour. It was so gross and yuck! Worst still was my complete inability to move around a lot because it hurt to do that and my complete brain fog that prohibited me from being able to focus on any one thing for more than 5 minutes at a time. 
I couldn't go for a walk, or do yoga, or watch a movie, or read, or draw, or hold a conversation and I certainly could not complete even the most basic of tasks like cooking or cleaning (even myself - what a pong dog!). It was hard, and so many people were calling me for my birthday and making a genuine effort to be delightful for me and I was just like...what?...huh?...I can't focus right now....I need to lie down. And of course all of the cool plans that I had to go out for dinner on my birthday and the trip to Melbourne to see Moulin Rogue that I had planned were all kaput! Everything gone up in a big puff of covid-fuck-you -smoke! So, yep, I got low for a couple of days. I got run over by a bus, rag dolled down the side of a mountain and lay there at the bottom having a big fricken sook for a couple days and feeling desperately sorry for myself. 
Not my best days, I am willing to acknowledge that. And then on day four I thought, yeah fuck this shit, I am not doing this shit anymore. And I got up, got showered and pulled my shit together because I haven't come this far to only come this far. I haven't worked my ass off on myself, on my wellbeing and my zen to let some pandemic come and take me down. So I said no to all of my whiny first world bullshit problems and did a big turn around, I looked for the positives:
1. I am not going to die (big fricken plus right there)
2. I have people here to keep an eye on me
3. I have loads of people offering me support and love  
4. I am isolating in lovely Enfield where the birds are singing and the green is on fleek
5. I have more than a week off work mid-term 
6. I can watch crappy reality TV because I have good streaming services
7. I have plenty of food, toilet paper, clean water and cosy/comfortable places to rest 
8. I am over the worst of it and I am doing fine
9. Nothing is lost, it's just on pause 
10. There will be other birthdays...lots more of them. 
And then boom, a shift in my mindset occurred and I dusted myself off and realised that although painful, sometimes 'going wrong' can actually be a deeply cathartic experience. There's nothing like a little comedown to make you appreciate your usual health, vitality and capabilities so much more. As I said in my last post, I had been living my best life this year, going out every weekend and having a lot of wonderful and fulfilling experiences, and every intelligent person knows that if you eat high on the hog every damn day then eventually you'll get sick. It was just our turn, it happens to us all, it was a setback and nothing more than that. The fact that I can even have Covid19 and still find a silver lining makes me a pretty lucky person in my eyes, I got this. 

RON'S GONE WRONG
Release Date: 2021
Rating: PG -13
Running Time: 107 mins 
A computer animated, science fiction/ comedy film directed by Sarah Smith and Jean- Phillipe Vine. This is the first animation feature film from Locksmith Animation and TSG Entertainment; and a mighty fine effort in my opinion. 
A tech giant known as 'Bubble' has created the B-Bot. A robot companion that is designed to help children to make friends. Pretty soon everyone has one, except for Barney, a struggling social outcast who is desperate to fit in.  Barney believes that everything is finally going to change for him when he gets a B-Bot for his 12th birthday. However,  unbeknownst to him, his B-bot called Ron has been damaged, making it unlike any of the other bots on the market. 
This is some seriously funny material, I was laughing out loud a lot of the time. The voice actors, who delivered their material remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic are all genuinely terrific, especially Zac Galifianakis who brilliantly voices Ron and pretty much steals the entire show. However strong performances must also be acknowledged from Jack Dylan Grazer, Ed Helms and Olivia Colman. 
​Aside from all of the humour, there is also a super strong message here about friendship, acceptance, understanding and the gross misuse of social media platforms by young people today that I think that many children would benefit from hearing. 
Overall, Ron's Gone Wrong is a  hidden gem that you may have overlook amidst the giants of 2021, but it is definitely worthy of your time. 
FINAL SAY: A bird has commented on your face. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

So, I have happily been living my best life. Doing lots of things, getting out amongst the people and having a bloody lovely time. Dinner with friends, a big live music event, an athletics event, a day at the spa and woohoo, with my birthday coming up I was getting pumped for a few nights out, a long weekend (which always occurs around my birthday) and a visit to Melbourne to see Moulin Rogue. 
And then on Saturday poor Seth tested positive to covid-19 and everything had to come to a grinding halt and we were all thrown into seven days of isolation. Oh well, no point crying over spilt milk as they say. Such is life - c'est la vie! Things happen and I have clearly had a very good run over the last couple of months so I have nothing to complain about, and besides as yet (fingers crossed it stays this way) Craig and I have both been testing negative so far; so as long as I don't contract the virus myself over the next four days, I could still make it to Moulin Rogue and all will not be lost. 
​This is the first time that Craig has had to work from home and it's a whole new world for him. Finally, he is getting to see that not being on site is far from ideal and that things are actually ten times harder and twice as annoying to co-ordinate from a distance. Also, I am not sure how I am going to put up with his crazy antics for the next week because, although he is amusing himself around here being loud and a boisterous, he is actually annoying the shit out of Seth and I  who just want to chill out, rest and watch movies.
I don't have to work from home this week, because I really can't, so I have taken the week as sick leave. So I just want to enjoy the down time to be honest. However, it's a bit hard to do that when you've got a bear sized man meandering about the house shouting out random things, talking to himself about work and just generally poking everyone in the ribs because he can't manage being locked up at home and it's only Monday for fuck sake! 
God only knows what state we all be in by Friday if he doesn't manage to calm his farm a bit. Because although a week of no work and relaxation sounds like heaven, it is anything but when you have to be locked in with someone who is not coping well with the situation and cannot read the room and gauge their actions based on the people around them. 
This could actually be a very long week....

BO BURNHAM: INSIDE 
Release Date: 2021
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 87 mins 
Written, directed, filmed, edited and performed by comedian Bo Burnham during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown of 2020, this unique film is a collection of Burnham's songs and skits in response to his deteriorating mental health and the world's obsession with social media during isolation and enforced lockdowns. 
This entire film feels deeply personal, and that's because it is. We literally get an intimate glimpse inside the head of Bo Burnham, delivered through original music, stand up comedy and meta-commentary. What Burnham manages to do in 87 minutes is take his audience on a ride, delivering something that feels so fresh and genuine that you can't look away.
It's a little bit theatrical, quite heavy on the sarcasm, with a smattering of dark humour and some beautifully bleak and honest storytelling about the social and emotional effects of isolation, in a word it's riveting!
Critics lauded the special's presentation of the Covid-19 pandemic, which he never actually mentions by name at any stage during the film, and he became the first person to win three Emmy's individually in a single year after he took the directing, writing and music direction awards in 2021. 
Bo Burnham: Inside was definitely my favourite comedy of 2021 and it shouldn't be missed.
FINAL SAY: White woman's Instagram!
​4 Chilli Peppers ​

Over the years I have invested in a number of ghost hunting experiences. I have done the ghost investigation tour at the Aradale Lunatic Asylum in Ararat, the Ballarat Walking Ghost tour, the Melbourne Walking Ghost tour, a tour of J Ward in Ararat, the Old Melbourne Gaol tour and I have even been to Monte Christo in Junee which claims to be one of the most haunted sites in Australia as well.
In fact, all of these sites and tours claim to be in very active and haunted places and all them failed to deliver any ghostly activity that I would consider to be significant or particularly memorable. Now I am not saying that these sites aren't actually haunted, many if not all of them probably are, but I myself failed to have what I would consider to be a  significant ghostly encounter at tours of this nature; that was until this week.
Seth had desperately wanted to do a ghost investigation for his 17th birthday and we were all booked in to do just that on his birthday in January.  However, the God's did not smile upon this and not only did the tour guide get Covid-19 and have to isolate, but the actually site that we were going to investigate got totally flooded the week prior to us attending and had to close for refurbishment. Seriously, if that's not a sign that you're not meant to go then I don't know what is really. Anyway, we had to withdraw and reschedule for a future date and not wanting to leave it too long after Seth's birthday to get the ghost hunting rolling, I booked the two of us in to a ghost hunting experience and investigation session at the Blackwood pub last Wednesday night. 
The Blackwood pub is a small venue about 15 minutes outside of Ballan in Victoria. It was once a morgue for the graveyard that is adjacent to the venue and it's history is speckled with both tragedy and mystery which our guide and host "Dolly" informed us of whilst we enjoyed a hearty pub meal before embarking on two hours of ghost investigating. 
Armed with an array of ghost detecting equipment (that had been kindly supplied by our host) and an extensive knowledge of the history of the venue, we were allowed free reign to the venue and graveyard to explore at will. And I am not going to lie, I was not really expecting to experience anything much and had pretty much agreed to do the tour with Seth for a few shits and giggles. And how wrong I turned out to be. 
I can say without any hesitation that the Blackwood pub is haunted, very haunted. And I am not sure if it was the combination of people that were in attendance that evening, if it was just the right pace at the right time or if this place is always running this hot but both Seth and I felt  and saw a lot of odd phenomena that night. From scary shouting ghost box messages, flashing lights, EVP activity, orbs caught on camera, sensations of feeling compressed, dizzy, disorientated and listing from side to side to photos that appear to depict full apparitions, unseen movements and even ghostly faces - we had it all going on. Other people in the group of around 20 people claimed to being touched and grabbed, which thankfully Seth and I did not experience and one poor woman was even struggling to stay upright throughout the night. It was weird beyond all explanation and was easily the most significant and active ghost investigation tour/experience that I have ever been involved in. 
This was both good and bad. Good because if you are going to invest your time and energy in to doing a ghost hunting tour then you do want all of the bells and whistles and this certainly delivered on those fronts. However, it was also kind of bad because when you are around that much activity you need to make sure that nothing is latching on. I had to burn a shit tonne of sage and Palo Santo and do lots of white light meditations after the effect to make sure that nothing came home with us or had latched on to us. And I have never felt compelled to be that thorough when I have been doing a ghost investigation with a tour group before because they just aren't usually that active or significant. 
So would I recommend doing a ghost investigation of Blackwood pub? Yes, I would. But as I said before it is always hard to say just what it is that makes these kind of supernatural experiences amplify, because in all sincerity I have no doubt that someone else could do this tour and experience nothing at all. I personally do think that Blackwood pub is haunted and I do think that there are active spirits at the venue. Can I guarantee an experience if you go? Of course not, but when you stack it against the other ghost related tours that I have been on, it's the best experience that I have had in a tour group thus far and that is worth noting. 
Even if you are a total sceptic, at worst you'll still enjoy a decent pub meal and a little intrigue and a bit of local history. At best, like Seth and I, you'll be shocked and surprised by the levels of activity and creeped out for days to come about what you just experienced first hand. I don't know why I like this kind of stuff so much, at heart I have always loved ghost stories and the unexplained and having had lots of supernatural and eerie experiences all on my own I suppose that it is just nice to have a shared experience with like minded others as well. It is not only affirming but also very bonding, and what's not to like about that? 

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE 
Release Date: 2021 
Rating: PG 
Running Time: 124 mins 
Made for kids and playing out with as much youthful energy as The Goonies and enough sentimentality as any good Spielberg film, Ghost busters: Afterlife directed by Jason Reitman, delivers a simple and sweet supernatural tale that the whole family can enjoy together.
Egon Spengler, one of the original ghostbusters, passes away and leaves him weird home to his estranged family. Upon moving in, the youngest child of the family Phoebe discovers that Spengler is communicating with her from beyond the grave and is trying to warn her about an impending doom that lies ahead. A supernatural doom that consumed his entire life and now threatens the lives of everyone on the planet.  
There are plenty of call backs to the original film for die hard fans and all of the original gang make appearances at some point during the movie, except of course for Harold Ramis who originally played Egon Spengler in the first Ghostbuster film and passed away in 2014; and there is a tribute to him at the end of the film. Along with the old Ghostbusting crew, the new recruits: Finn Wolfhard, McKenna Grace and Logan Kim are terrific here and Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd fill in the shoes of the supporting adults nicely as well. 
I won't lie, it is a little sappy at times and super sentimental, but it is also a PG rated film, so it kind of needs to be. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is not a life changer, but it is wasn't a bad way to spend a couple of hours either. 
FINAL SAY: I don't remember this job being so painful. 
​3 Chilli Peppers ​

At the moment I have been doing a lot of work and putting a lot of consideration into the ways that I can support the children in my workplace to become more emotionally intelligent. First and foremost, for anyone to become more emotionally intelligent they need to understand what it means to be emotionally intelligent and what being aware of and in control of your emotions can offer you in the long term.
I myself have spent a great deal of time over the last five years practising, refining and building my own levels of emotional intelligence and it has really made me a much kinder, more patient, more accepting and generally better person that I used to be. When I think back to the way that used to behave and the things that I used to say, I practically flush with embarrassment! The way that I chose to present myself to others and how little tolerance I had for, not only my own emotions, but also the emotional needs of others, was actually quite disgusting and unacceptable. 
Unfortunately, I was not taught to be tolerant, kind or aware of my own emotions or the emotions of others when I was younger and as a consequence I turned out to be a bit of a judgemental asshole in my teens and early adult years. It actually took me many years of deprogramming and reprogramming to eventually arrive at where I am now. And now, I value emotional intelligence, kindness and patience above everything else, but I had to work hard to understand that and I wonder every day who I may have become if only I had learned these things a lot earlier. 
As a society in general, we teach children from a very early age to value intellectual intelligence (book smarts) and physical intelligence (sporting prowess) over spiritual intelligence and emotional intelligence. Even though we all know that we need all four intelligences to live a balanced and joyful lifestyle, we just don't really spend a lot of time fostering children with their ability to be spiritually or emotionally intelligent. And why do we do this?
Honestly, I think that it is because a lot of adults themselves are not very spiritually or emotionally intelligent, and you can't teach what you don't know. We also as a society don't generally see those attributes of spiritualism and emotional awareness to be as valuable as being book smart or physically put together, so we tend to feel comfortable with not teaching children these skills directly.  However, I do see some fundamental problems with this thinking, and I also see a lot of children struggling to find meaning and strong relationships in their over stimulated and over-informed worlds. 
Children today have abundant and never ending access to information thanks to devices, social media and high speed Wi-Fi. Which is great, but they also have, as a consequence of this and all the COVID-19 lockdowns and shut ins;  less face to face interactional ability, less understanding of feelings, thoughts, and appropriate emotional responses within themselves and others, less connection to community and less of a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves. In short, kids today are becoming more confused, jaded and unaware of how they present in the world than ever before. And in my opinion it is the responsibility of all parents, caregivers, educators and support people to up their game around educating young people about their emotional intelligence and emotional wellbeing. 
There are five main areas that I have identified as areas of great need in children today and I believe that we all need to shift our attention and teachings towards these key points if we want to improve emotional intelligences. 
Self Awareness: The ability to recognise and understand your moods, emotions and drives, as well as their affect on others. Hallmarks - Self confidence, realistic self assessment ability and a self depreciating sense of humour. 
Self Regulation: The ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods. The propensity to suspend judgement - to think before acting. Hallmarks - Trustworthiness and integrity. Comfort in ambiguity and openness to change. 
Motivation: A passion to do things for reasons that go beyond reward or status. A propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence. Hallmarks - Strong drive to achieve. Optimism in the face of adversity. Organizational commitment. 
Empathy: The ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people. An ability to treat people according to their emotional reactions.  Hallmarks - Expertise in building and retaining friendships. Cross cultural sensitivity. Calmness in the face of adversity/ discomfort. 
Social Skills: Proficiency in creating and maintaining relationships with peers and adults. An ability to find common ground and build rapport. Hallmarks - Acceptance of change and differences. Understanding of the nuances of friendships and the 'give and take' dynamics of strong relationships. 

However, as I said earlier, you can't teach what you don't know. So I suppose as adults and stewards for future generations, we must first look at ourselves and address what types of emotional strengths we are delivering and depicting at the front line of society ourselves.
Are we being emotionally intelligent?
Do we meet the key 'emotional intelligence' criteria listed above? 
Are we helping or hindering our youths to become the best version of themselves?
These are questions that we need to be willing to ask ourselves and address if we are to set a respectable standard. The days of "don't do as I do, do as I say" aren't going to cut it for our highly informed young people, they demand and expect better than that, and why shouldn't they? And in response to that, we adults now need to lead by exceptional example, which means that each and every one of us has a responsivity to improve our own emotional intelligence so that we can teach, empower and educate others. 
So please, do yourself a favour and start working on your own emotional intelligence now, you are going to need it in days to come, trust me!

DUNE: PART ONE
Release Date: 2021
Rating: M
Running Time: 155 mins 
Easily the most anticipated movie of 2021, Dune: Part One was originally scheduled for release in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic which only served to heighten the hype around this blockbuster science fiction film. The third attempt at an adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic novel, Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part One sports a massive ensemble cast and some unforgettably spectacular visuals whilst also managing to deliver something that could best be described as ambitious and seriously intriguing. 
Paul Atreides has valuable magical abilities that he inherited from his mother, but he is also the heir to a noble family bloodline. The House Atreides has been tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is "spice," a magical substance with many uses that is also capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the universe, spice is sought after and killed for, making Paul's destiny treacherous and deeply  important. 
Set in the distant future where inhabitants can access interstellar travel, this is an  exciting and emotionally charged hero's journey tale. There is a lot going here, both visually and audibly. Quite beautiful to behold, Dune looks incredible in every way and the actors are all perfectly cast here, especially Timothee Chalamet who just shines as Paul Atreides.  What this movie does do is set up a really strong and sound foundation for future Dune movie efforts to ride upon, and for that reason it feels a little slow at times, but I honestly believe that the pay off is yet to come here. 
What I did see, I liked a lot. What I heard, I also really liked a lot because Dune's soundtrack  is definitely Oscar worthy. Bottom line is that I definitely want to see more of this, so well done Villeneuve, you now have my full attention. 
FINAL SAY: Dreams make good stories, but everything important happens when you're awake. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

The whole gang congregated upon Enfield for a Chinese New Year's celebration and feast that stretched out for two days and forced everyone into stretchy pants due to the copious amounts of eating that we undertook. We ate and we ate and we ate, it was crazy! But it was also so lovely to come together and celebrate something a little different, festive and fun. 
This year is 'The Year of the Tiger', which happens to be my Chinese astrological sign so it was a little 'extra' celebratory for me. Chinese New Year has become quite a tradition in our home. Generally, we do something every year to celebrate this event. We all love to read about our Chinese horoscopes, feast upon an array of Chinese goodies and get together in February for a relaxed time in the mellow warmth of late Summer.
This year the cuisine went above and beyond and saw Craig and I preparing components the evening before and well into the next evening. It was over 24 hours of prep and cooking! In fact it was such a huge effort and undertaking that I have flat out refused to cook at all today because I am just all cooked out for a little while now.
​
Here's what we managed to come up with all on our own for a mighty Lunar New Year feast:
DRINKS AND NIBBLES: 
Melon and coconut cocktails 
Peach and Raspberry Iced Teas
Aloe Vera Water
Milk tea
Shrimp jerky
Prawn crackers
Panda biscuits
Coconut biscuits 
Ball cakes 
ENTREES:
Prawn gyoza
Veggie Spring Rolls 
Mini Beef Dim Sums 
Coconut and Lime Panko  Prawns 
MAINS:
Char Sui Smoked Pork
Sticky Chicken and Trout 
Special Fried Rice
Prawn and Mushroom Udon Noodles 
DESSERTS:
Coconut Milk Junket 
Fresh Mango
Raspberry Jelly
Mango and Green Tea Pocky 
Fortune Cookies

Now can you see why we needed stretchy pants and I cannot bring myself to enter the kitchen today? Hardly surprising that we were still eating Chinese food the next day right? It was a mammoth amount of food, and of course there are still a lot of leftovers to enjoy over the coming days because it was such a huge feast. 
But what a delightful celebration! Sure the food is amazing, and we are very fortunate to be in a position that we can have such an extravagant spread at our home - that alone is great cause for celebration. However, it is mostly about having the opportunity to gather the whole family together for a shared meal and experience that makes these kinds of events something to cherish and appreciate; especially when we have had to have so much time apart over the last few years because of the pandemic restrictions.
It's wonderful to share time together and be in the good company of those that we love most and I think that is what I like most about celebrating Chinese New Year as a family. 

I've always loved films that don't follow a linear path. I love strange and eccentric films, honestly, I think that I like 'strange and eccentric' anything really but movies, music and literature that pushes the boundaries has always had a special place in my heart. 
Who doesn't like a bit of bizarre and surreal speckled into their everyday lives? Well, I'm sure there are actually quite a lot people who don't like material that challenges, confuses or disturbs them, but boy, they are really missing out on all of the fun, aren't they? Some of my favourite films of all time are weird as hell!
Some film makers and directors have practically specialised in producing absurd, unusual and inexplicable films, they've made a household name for themselves out of it. Take David Lynch, Harmony Korine, David Cronenberg or Yorgos Lanthimos to name but a few. If people weren't into weird, then these guys would never had made it big in Hollywood. And I for one, love to ask myself 'what the fuck did I just see?' after viewing a movie because then I know that what I have seen will leave me thinking. It will leave me pondering for days, going back to it in my mind and turning it over like an unsolvable puzzle box. 
And isn't that what we want from artistic and creative film making? Something that makes us think, something that will stretch our boundaries and push our limits. Well, maybe you don't, perhaps I am part of a small group of weirdos that does enjoy this type of cinema, but over the years I have reviewed an array of edgy, unusual, confronting and just plain weird films. Films that weren't just odd, but were, in my opinion also very, very good. And today I am sharing the pick of the litter here for you. 
If you are looking for something quite left of centre but also deeply engaging, then I suggest that you take a look at these beauties.
Full reviews can be found in the appropriate genre list tab. 
ART HOUSE/ MUSICAL/ INTERNATIONAL

• The Lighthouse
• Sorry to Bother You 
• The Ballad of Buster Scruggs 
• The Killing of a Sacred Deer 
• Dave Made a Maze
• Swiss Army Man 
• The Lobster
• The Mermaid
• The Brand New Testament
• The Skin I Live In
• Kung Fu Hustle 
• I Heart Huckabees 
• Dogville
• Mulholland Drive
• Hedwig and the Angry Inch
• Being John Malkovich
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 
• Pi
• Delicatessen 
• Wild at Heart 
• Blue Velvet 

GRITTY/ CHALLENGING

• Titane
• Swallow
• Mother!
• Enter the Void
• Dogtooth
• Requiem for a Dream
• Irreversible 
• Dancer in the Dark
• Gummo

HORROR

• Saint Maud
• Possessor
• Midsommar
• Mandy
• Hereditary 
• Susperia
• A Dark Song
• The Neon Demon
• Kill List
• Martyrs
• Jacob's Ladder

SCIENCE FICTION/ FANTASY

• Color Out of Space
• Vivarium
• Annihilation
• The Cell
• The Endless
• Predestination
• Under the Skin
• Melancholia
• The Fall
• The Fountain
• Mirrormask
• Donnie Darko
• eXistenZ
• 2001: A Space Odyssey 

​TITANE
Release Date: 2021 
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 108 mins 
A French language film written and directed by Julia Ducournau that got tongues wagging, not just because it won the 2021 Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival, but also for its intense, jaw dropping concepts and striking imagery. 
Alexia, a dancer with a metal plate in her head due to a childhood accident, has an unusual affinity with cars. She also has an affinity to killing and does so ruthlessly. However, after a sexual encounter with a vehicle (yep, you read that right, a car) she finds herself pregnant and on the run from the law.  Alexia decides to take on the persona of a child that went missing a decade ago in an attempt to go into hiding. The lost boy's father Vincent, a lonely fire captain, is also desperate for a new beginning and he takes Alexia in and allows her to charade as his son. 
This is a seriously provocative and original film. However, it is also not an easy watch by any stretch. There is a lot of graphic body horror and some deeply disturbing depictions that some people may find too much. However, for all of its ugliness, Titane is really about desperate, lost people that genuinely crave love and meaningful relationships, which makes it equal parts distressing and emotional. 
Agathe Rousselle is giving everything here as Alexia and spends much of the movie involved in awkward, weird and revolting interludes. Vincent Lindon brings the term 'damaged' to new light with his misogynistic firefighter crew antics and desperate need to hold back the ravages of time on his body. 
There's a lot to like and also a lot not to like in Titane. I suggest that you see it for yourself and be the judge. 
FINAL SAY: It's very solid. It's titanium. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers

I never wanted to live an ordinary life. I never wanted to just get by, survive or 'get on with things,' even when they may not be very enjoyable or exciting. All my life I have longed for adventure, experience and growth; in every aspect of my life. I love to find new things, new sounds, new flavours, new ideas and new ways of being. I love to travel, I love to discover and I desperately try to improve my intelligence, my station and myself in some way, shape or form every year that I am on the planet. I never signed up for average and I refuse to live a mediocre life. 
There are millions of ways that you can support a more meaningful life that isn't difficult, expensive or hard to incorporate into your current routine. And these things will guarantee you a more enriched, fulfilled and interesting life. I have done a lot of these things myself and I can say without a shadow of hesitation that I live an extremely abundant life.
I eat well, sleep well, drink well, exercise, meditate, study, share, laugh, read, write, absorb and indulge myself on the daily.  I love to socialise and I also love being alone. I love to get things done and I love to waste time smelling the flowers and watching the clouds and the stars in the sky. I take time to watch sunsets, sip coffee and eat at the table with family and friends. I love to cook, take daily walks, watch movies, draw, listen to music and dance. I may not be great at these things, but I love to do them and they bring me joy. I have a very rich lifestyle and I am not ashamed to say it. And to do that, I had to stop being average. 
You can stop being average too you know. 
So many people are happy to just get by and go through the motions day to day, not really getting into it but not really getting out of it either. Some people are happy with average, and that's cool, 'go you' I say. But I am not happy to live my life in that way, and if you want some tips on how to enrich your life, say farewell to dull and kick average living to the curb, then I have some great tips for you that you can start to do right now. 
​So, let's get cracking!
1. Start spending some time each day reflecting on how things went and how you feel. That doesn't mean wallowing in your poor choices over a glass of wine everyday, it means writing your thoughts and feelings down daily in a journal. This will allow you to track habits, discover your triggers and open up some space for you to express yourself. It's very liberating to know yourself. 
2. Read. I mean it, you have to read. Even if it just a few pages of something a day. Get into the habit of reading and expand your vocabulary and knowledge a little each day.
3. Learn to love being alone. Spend at least half an hour alone every day. What you do with that time is up to you, but do it without the need to communicate with anyone and without interruptions. It's easier said than done for many people, but be vigilant. You'll be surprised where your mind will go and how much you'll gain from being able to sit with yourself. 
4. Find an exercise that you like and start doing it regularly. That doesn't mean you have to be sweating it out at the gym (but it's also great if that is your thing). It can be as gentle, mild and as innocuous as a walk if that's all that you can muster. Just find something you like to do that gets you moving and commit to doing it regularly. Exercise releases loads of feel good endorphins and hormones and will move you from average to awesome very effectively. 
5. Challenge yourself to learn something new at least once a month - preferably not related to your work. Not only will you be learning a new skill and improving yourself on the daily, you will also stave off boredom and early onset Alzheimer's, and you'll boost your mood and your brain health.  It can be as simple as a card trick, a board game or a new way to save money. Or you could go hard and learn something that takes up a lot more time and energy like learning how to fly a plane, speak another language or even scuba dive! Find something that excites you and go for it!
6. Take care of yourself! You have one body, its got to last you for the duration so respect it! Find out how to eat a healthy balanced diet, how much water you should drink, how much sleep you need and how to take care of your skin, hair and nails. Take a multivitamin, meditate, stretch and minimise your body trauma by cutting back on nicotine, alcohol and junk foods. Your body will thank you for your efforts for many years to come!
7. Surround yourself with great people who inspire, support and/or love you unconditionally. Start to put boundaries around how much time and energy you invest in people who make you feel used, exhausted or undervalued. It's your life, share it with people who are deserving of your time. 
8. Reward yourself every single day with something that you think is marvellous. Could be as simple as a good cup of coffee, a long hug with a darling, a favourite TV show, a piece of excellent chocolate or an extra ten minutes in a good hot shower. And it could be something more consistent that you can look forward to, something that you could add to your regular routine like a monthly massage, a weekly yoga class, a fortnightly dinner with a friends. In short, find what gives you joy and 'get ya some' every damn day. 
​
Quitting average is one of the best things that you can be doing for your life right now, so why wait? Go find your joy, go find it today I say!

CODA
Release Date: 2021
Rating: M
Running Time: 111 mins 
A unique coming of age drama, written and directed by Sian Heder, CODA premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival before being released on Apple TV+ in August of 2021 and quickly winning over audiences with it's emotionally engaging story. 
Ruby Rossi is the only hearing member of her family, making her a CODA - Child of Deaf Adults. Ruby is shy and a bit of an outcast at school, but she decides to join the school choir in an attempt to develop her hidden talent - singing. Ruby shows exceptional promise in the subject and is encouraged by her music teacher to apply for college, however with a family that depends upon her heavily to manage their fishing business and livelihood, stepping aside to pursuit her own dreams proves challenging.  
Nominated for a Best Motion Picture Golden Globe and a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for Troy Kotsur who portrays Ruby's deaf father in the film, CODA swiftly became a must see movie for 2021. 
And there is certainly no lack of feels to be felt in this movie, I got teary a few times as I watched this genuinely lovely and touching tale. The deaf people in CODA are genuinely deaf and the cast is very solid. Marlee Matlin delivers her usual levels of likeability and talent as Ruby's mother, Troy Kotsur give the term 'sensitive dad' new meaning and Daniel Durant gives us a believable and likeable older brother portrayal. Emilia Jones is utterly delightful as the sweet and often misunderstood teen Ruby, and the entire films swings between family loyalty and independence in an unforced and deeply tender way. 
CODA is a wonderfully heart-warming film that is definitely worth a watch. 
FINAL SAY: I really love to sing.  
4 Chilli Peppers ​

Sadly, because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was mired in racial controversy, The Golden Globes annual event was completely devoid of all stars and all cameras this year. Which also meant that it couldn't be televised - I mean, not a lot of point televising an awards ceremony if the stars aren't even going to be there right? So, for the first time in years, I didn't get to enjoy the glitz and glamour of it all from the comfort of my couch with a champers in my hand, I just had to wait to hear the results like everyone else did - via the media. 
It’s was a unfortunate downgrade of what used to be one of the glitziest awards shows in Hollywood. But after investigations by The Los Angeles Times and New York Times revealed a series of ethical lapses within the H.F.P.A. and a membership devoid of Black voters, Hollywood’s major publicity firms cut off the show’s access to stars. How on earth this has happened in this day and age seriously perplexes me, but at least the scandal has been brought out into the light for rectification. 
Naturally, the H.F.P.A. has since announced its new rules and has now admitted 21 new members, including journalists of colour; which is better late than never I suppose, but its pretty damn hard to make amends now.
And it still remains to be seen if Hollywood will even acknowledge Sunday’s awards ceremony, which is a genuine shame for the recipients, because in my opinion they were all most deserving of their wins. 
Below is the complete list of winners. 
Best Motion Picture, Drama
“The Power of the Dog”
Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
“West Side Story”
Best Director, Motion Picture
Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Rachel Zegler, “West Side Story”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Will Smith, “King Richard”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick … Boom!”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog”
Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”
Best Original Score, Motion Picture
Hans Zimmer, “Dune”
Best Original Song, Motion Picture
Billie Eilish, “No Time to Die”
Best Motion Picture, Animated
“Encanto”
Best Motion Picture, Non-English Language
“Drive My Car”
Best Television Series, Drama
“Succession”
Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy
“Hacks”
Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
“The Underground Railroad”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, “Pose”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Jeremy Strong, “Succession”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Kate Winslet, “Mare of Easttown”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Supporting Role
Sarah Snook, “Succession”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Michael Keaton, “Dopesick”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Supporting Role
O Yeong-su, “Squid Game”

THE POWER OF THE DOG
Release Date: 2021
Rating: M
Running Time: 126 mins 
An intelligent and genuinely intriguing film; written, produced and directed by Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog is mesmerising and disturbing in equal measures. With marvellous sweeping landscapes and enough sideways glances to make anyone uncomfortable, its hard to look away from the screen whilst you are watching this. After winning the Best Motion Picture - Drama at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, The Power of Dog swiftly gained attention and became the buzz film of early 2022.
The Burbank brothers are wealthy ranchers from Montana. One is a mild mannered gentleman named George and the other is a severe and intimidating cowboy named Phil. When George falls for a widow named Rose and brings her and her impressionable son Peter to their ranch to live, tensions rise as Phil attempts to assert himself over the newcomers. 
This is a slow burning western drama, so it isn't going to appeal to everyone, but it certainly appealed to me.  The cast is unbelievably good here, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons delivering their finest, but it was young Kodi Smit-McPhee that stole the show here with his  unassuming observations and contemplative behaviours as Rose's son Peter that really engrossed me. 
I loved this film from start to end, it explores the hardest of the hard and also the tenderest of souls, which is a contrast that I am always drawn to, and just like all of Jane Campion's efforts, this was a total winner for me.  
FINAL SAY: Deliver my soul from the sword. My darling from the power of the dog. 
5 Chilli Peppers ​

It was another strange year of cinema to say the least. I cannot deny that the home viewing opportunities in 2021 grew so fast that I found myself juggling all of my streaming services and an abundance of new release movies to no end. There was a head spinning amount of material to absorb and we were certainly spoilt for choice. If you couldn't find something to watch in 2021 then you just weren't trying hard enough!
I devoured 213 movies and 142 television series this year. Basically I was flat out watching something every day of the year and I still didn't get to half of the material that is on my 'to see' lists. The task of seeing everything has become arduous beyond anyone's means, and unless you are willing to permanently strap yourself to the couch and do nothing but watch movies and TV, there is just no way that you can manage to see it all. 
However, like I do every year, I did give it my very best shot and I did see a great deal of incredibly good things. 2021, just like 2020 managed to deliver greatness across all of the genres, for which I am always grateful. In particular I really appreciated seeing so many excellent horror and science fiction films this year; most of which boasted stunningly good visuals and terrifically original storylines.
And so, without further ado....here is my selection for the best viewing experiences of 2021. 
BEST MOVIES (2021 release):
The Power of the Dog - Drama  5 Chilli Peppers (Hall of Fame) 
Dune - Sci-Fi 4 Chilli Peppers
Nomadland - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Promising Young Woman - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Don't Look Up - Sci-Fi 4 Chilli Peppers
CODA - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
Pig - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
Saint Maud - Horror 4 Chilli Peppers 
Bo Burnham: Inside  - Comedy  4 Chilli Peppers
The Last Duel - Action/Period  4 Chilli Peppers
Encanto - Kids 4 Chilli Peppers
The Dig - Drama   3.5 Chilli Peppers
Nobody - Action 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
The Mitchell's vs The Machines- Kids  3.5 Chilli Peppers
Fear Street Trilogy - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Cruella - Kids 3.5 Chilli Peppers

2021 HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
Palmer - Drama 3 Chilli Peppers
The Conjuring 3 - The Devil Made Me Do It - Horror 3 Chilli Peppers
Army of Thieves-  Action 3 Chilli Peppers 
Finch - Sci-Fi 3 Chilli Peppers 

Here are my top recommendations for pre-2021 releases that I didn't see until 2021:
Portrait of a Lady on Fire - Romance 5 Chilli Peppers (Hall of Fame) 
The Father - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
The Trial of the Chicago 7 - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always - Drama  4 Chilli Peppers
Another Round - International  4 Chilli Peppers
One Cut of the Dead - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers
The King of Staten Island - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Possessor - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers
You Were Never Really Here - Gritty 3.5 Chilli Peppers  
Host - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
On the Rocks -Drama  3 Chilli Peppers
The Dry - Drama  3 Chilli Peppers
Hillbilly Elegy- Drama 3 Chilli Peppers
Blinded by the Light - Drama 3 Chilli Peppers 

BEST TELEVISION SERIES 2021:
Ted Lasso S2 - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
Midnight Mass - Horror 5 Chilli Peppers 
Succession S3 -  Drama 5 Chilli Peppers
The White Lotus - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
Mr Inbetween S3 - Crime 5 Chilli Peppers
Britannia S3 - Fantasy 5 Chilli Peppers 
EVIL S2 - Horror 5 Chilli Peppers
It's a Sin - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Wandavision - Super 4 Chilli Peppers 
Reservation Dogs - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
American Gods S3 - Fantasy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Black Summer S2- Horror 4 Chilli Peppers
Mare of Easttown - Crime 4 Chilli Peppers 
SEE S2 - Fantasy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Brand New Cherry Flavour - Horror 4 Chilli Peppers 
What We Do in the Shadows S3 - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Love on the Spectrum S2 - Reality 4 Chilli Peppers 
Resident Alien- Sci-Fi 4 Chilli Peppers
Ghosts S3 - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Foundation - Sci-Fi 4 Chilli Peppers 

2021 TV HONOURABLE MENTIONS: ​
Master of None S3- Drama  3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Young Offenders S3 - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
BUMP - Comedy - 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Behind Her Eyes - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Cowboy Bebop - Sci- Fi  3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Loki- Sci-Fi/ Comedy  3 Chilli Peppers 
Scenes from a Marriage - Drama 3 Chilli Peppers
Valley of Tears - Drama 3 Chilli Peppers
Nine Perfect Strangers - Drama 3 Chilli Peppers 
Mr Corman - Art House 3 Chilli Peppers 
The Kominsky Method S3 - Drama 3 Chill Peppers 
AHS Double Feature - 3 Chilli Peppers 

PIG
Release Date: 2021 
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 92 mins 
An American drama, written and directed by Michael Sarnoski in his directorial debut. And I think that it would be fair to say that the subject material here certainly had people raising their eyebrows with scepticism, but in all honesty, Pig is one of the most unexpectedly heartfelt and affecting films of the year, so don't be mislead.
A hermit truffle hunter named Rob (Nicholas Cage) has his truffle hunting pig stolen and will stop at nothing to get it back again, even if it means venturing back into a world that he abandoned long ago. 
As far as the storyline goes, we have all seen this before; a damaged, lonely man becomes attached to his pet and it gets taken from him, hello John Wick. However, it isn't very far into the movie that we see that this is not just a film about avenging a stolen pig, it is actually about having the courage to choose what you really want out of life and the pure joy of simple pleasures. 
Nicholas Cage is bringing his all and hasn't been this good since Leaving Las Vegas, he is actually that good. It's a riveting performance and testament to the fact that he still has it. Alex Wolf is equally good along side of Cage and the two are a powerhouse of emotion together.
I adored the contemplative tone of this film from start to end, I thought that the film's strength dwells in its simplicity. In my opinion, Pig is definitely one of the best drama offerings of 2021.
FINAL SAY: We don't get a lot of things to really care about.
4 Chilli Peppers ​

A lot of people were probably really happy to see the back end of 2021. It was another year of COVID-19 madness wasn't it? From vaccinations to pandemic variants, we were subjected to more lockdowns and interruptions than ever before. Communities, workplaces and even families were divided by the decision to vaccinate or not vaccinate and we all tried very hard to keep our heads and our kindness in check as we navigated through another very strange year indeed. 
However, I don't want to whine on about all of the bad things that happened in 2021, I would much rather celebrate the great things that happened and reflect on all of the joys that I managed to squeeze into my time. 
Craig and I were just saying how blessed we were to be operating in virtual 'business as usual' mode during 2021. Unlike many people, we survived relatively unscathed. We didn't have any cut backs to our paid employment, we didn't have to navigate much work from home because we were both considered to be essential workers, we also thankfully did not catch COVID and neither did anyone else in our families and we all managed to get vaccinated with minimal side effects. I would say that these statistics alone would make us more fortunate than 70% of the people on the planet and certainly places us in no position to whine about just how bad 2021 was.
So, there will not be any complaining from me about 2021, instead I am counting my blessings, thanking my lucky stars and acknowledging just how grateful I am for all of the tremendous endeavours that I did get to enjoy  this year.
Here are some of my personal highlights from 2021:

Pretty fair to say that I have had a really lovely year actually.
There is a lot here to celebrate and appreciate that's for sure. And on top of all of that, I have also managed to squeeze in:

• Daily meditation.
• 61 books.
• Yoga 5 times a week.
• 213 movies.
• 10,000 steps a day.
• Nine trips to the cinema.
• 142 TV series.
• 30 delicious restaurant meals with family and friends. 
• A daily French lesson on Duolingo
• Brain Gym everyday for 10 minutes a day.
• And.... I lost 5 kilos and drank 1.5 litres of water a day.

Oddly, 2021 may well have been one of my most productive and focused years to date, go figure. 
Now, let's see what 2022 will bring my way!

DON'T LOOK UP
Release Date: 2021 
Rating: M
Running Time: 138 mins 
An American satirical science fiction film, written, produced and directed by Adam McKay that hosts a massive ensemble cast of Oscar winning actors and comedians. After receiving mixed review from critics upon it's release in December 2021, Don't Look Up went on to become a cult favourite, receiving four Golden Globe nominations and making the top ten movie list of 2021 from The National Board of Review and American Film Institute. 
Two astronomers attempt to warn humanity that a giant comet is on a collision course with Earth that will set about the total destruction of human civilization. However, with a world that is more invested in what pop culture icons are doing with their spare time, the fatal news is not properly received or heard. 
In my opinion this is one of the funniest and sadly also one of the most depressingly accurate films of the year. Slammed for being too heavy handed about total world annihilation, I think that this film was lost on people that don't have a good sense of humour, because it made me laugh out loud so many times. Sure it's not joyful material and the overall message about what the general population have the capacity to digest is undoubtedly provoking, but it is a science fiction comedy for goodness sake, so just have fun with it! 
The cast is insanely good here, from Meryl Streep to Leonardo DiCaprio to Jennifer Lawrence; to name but a few, the performances are solid and the story is genuinely engaging and entertaining. I really liked this movie and it will probably make my top ten of 2021 as well. 
FINAL SAY: You guys, the truth is way more depressing. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

Officially had my final Christmas gathering yesterday, after an onslaught of festive get togethers that saw me at eight separate Christmas events in a row, in short, it was an insane amount of season celebration this year! Over the last eight days, I've had two brunches, three lunches, one afternoon tea, two dinners and a Christmas movie night and I personally hosted seven of these events at Enfield! Needless to say that after my last guest left yesterday I exhaustedly fell onto the couch and had a well earned nap. 
Over the festive season I have eaten my body weight in shortbread and gingerbread, I have feasted on pork, beef, trout, chicken and lamb, I have drunk countless cocktails, champagnes and wines and I have opened more than my fair share of lovely and thoughtful gifts. Needless to say, the house is now full of leftovers, I have gained at least a couple of kilos and as we round the bend towards New Year 2022 instead of thinking about drinking and celebrating, I'm actually just dying to hit the yoga mat, start some clean eating and zen out with a few long meditation sessions. 
Was it delightful? Oh my goodness, it was absolutely lovely to share so many laughs, treats, tipples, meals and tales with my nearest and dearest. I got some marvellous gifts; everything from a kilo tub of manuka honey (might sound weird but honey is one of my favourite foods), some earrings, gardening gloves, ceramics, fancy teas, plants, books, body lotions, a spa gift card and.... the most exciting gift of the season? Tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Melbourne on January 22nd, which I will be seeing with Zoe and my best friend Helen, and I cannot wait! It was definitely the season to jolly and jolly I certainly was and I am extremely grateful to have been able to have such a lavish and joy filled Christmas season. 
The last few days of the year will be casual now, nothing too big or strenuous and no hosting any big events at Enfield for a little while now. I need a recharge and that will probably involve some reading, sleeping in, a trip to the movies, some binge re-watching of the Harry Potter series in preparation for The Cursed Child and a few long walks with a good audio book.  Still the season to be jolly for sure, just in a more peacefully joyful way for a spell I think. 

​THE HARRY POTTER SERIES
1. Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone
2. Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets
3. Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire 
5. Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince
7. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1
8. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2

Release Dates: 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011
Rating: The first three - PG The rest - M 
Running Time: Total - Approx. 1200 Mins (each film is approx. 2.5 hrs)
If I was reviewing the books instead of the movies here, it would be going straight to the Hall of Fame because the Harry Potter series is my favourite book series of all time. Not that I want to take away from the movies at all, because they are an incredible body of work produced over a full decade and I did go to the cinema to see each and every one of them. 
We watch Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe)and his trusty best friends Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) grow up and develop throughout the series; witnessing all of their trials and triumphs from childhood to adulthood. The films are beautifully set against the backdrop of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, London and the British countryside, all of which are visually pleasing in every way. 
The story line is just epic, the characters are incredibly extensive and each movie journals another year of the children's lives and another set of challenges that ultimately lead us closer and closer to the inevitable battle of good vs evil - Harry vs Voldemort. Each movie gets a little darker and clearly more complicated, ending in a very adult two part finale. 
When it comes to magic, this series wins hands down, everyone that watches will be longing to go Hogwarts and get their first wand. The cast is strong and diverse, the CGI is effective and not overdone and the whole experience is just...well, dare I say it....magical!
FINAL SAY: The best magical series ever made. 
4.5 Chilli Peppers

As everyone starts to wrap up their affairs, finish off at work and start to unwind for a well earned Christmas break, it is not unusual for people to also start thinking about the measure of their success for the year. Just before we all pop the champagne for New Year's, we often find that the period between Christmas and January 1st offers us a moment of introspection to stop and consider how much we have achieved, what we did well and what we wished we had done differently. 
Sometimes this pondering begins to happen when we open up our Christmas work bonuses (or lack thereof), or when we clock out of work for the last time in that year or when we get together with family and friends and hear all about their achievements, losses and wins throughout the year over the festive season. However it occurs, it generally happens around this time of the year. And wherever we recognise the deficit in our current lives at that point can be indicative of what we will tether out resolutions to for the coming new year. 
The reason that I am even thinking about this is because of a poster that I saw yesterday. At the top of the poster in big lettering it said: HOW TO SUCCEED IN LIFE. Naturally, I stopped to read that poster that was hanging in the window, because let's be honest, who doesn't want a very clear road map of how to succeed in life? Was I actually expecting to find the answers to life on a poster hanging in a shop window? Nope, of course not. At best I was hoping to get a giggle or maybe a snort out of it, I mean, as if a poster with gigantic ugly lettering was going to have anything useful to tell me! 
And this is what it said - I still know because I took a picture of it on my phone:
Talk - Softly
Eat - Sensibly
Breathe - Deeply
Sleep - Sufficiently
Dress - Smartly
Act - Fearlessly
Work - Patiently 
Think - Creatively
Behave - Decently 
Earn - Honestly
Save - Regularly
Spend - Intelligently
At first I really questioned Act - Fearlessly, because if you did that then you would be acting fearless all the time, which is both reckless and stupid, however Behave - Decently cancels that out, because no decent person would act recklessly or stupidly. Also, acting is not necessarily doing or being, so if you are behaving decently, then you really could act fearlessly without being a dangerous asshole. 
Anyway, after some serious scrutiny, I had to admit that it really was pretty sound advice for a shop window poster. As far as being the elixir for HOW TO SUCCEED IN LIFE, well it's hardly that now, is it? After all, it is missing some very important life ingredients in there like love, kindness and humility; but overall, I had to admit it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting and it does have some useable elements to consider if you are looking to get on board with a new resolution for 2022. 
And perhaps if we did all spend a little more time measuring our levels of success based on the ways that we talk, eat, breathe, sleep, think, act and behave, rather than how much we weigh, earn or have, then maybe we would all be a lot happier and healthier overall.
​It is certainly something to consider. 

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
Release Date: 2019
Rating:
Running Time:
A British drama/ comedy that was inspired by the real life coming of age events of journalist Sarfaz Manzoor. With enough Bruce Springsteen hits to sate any die hard fan, Blinded by the Light uses the power of music to deliver a truly heartfelt, feel good tale about growing up in difficult times.
Javed Khan and his Pakistani migrant family are living in Luton, England in 1987. Times are tough. Javed's strict father has just lost his job, his mother has to work all day and night to support the family and Javid faces constant cultural prejudice and social isolation. When he discovers the music of Bruce Springsteen, he believes that he has found a kindred spirit and his life is changed forever. 
Although this film presents as a feel good hit, it isn't afraid to address some really tough topics either. From politics, racism and family tradition to social exclusion and isolation, there is actually a lot going here. Sure it's a little cheesy and at times over the top, but it is also insightful, inspirational and unexpectedly touching, and for those reasons it shouldn't be missed. 
FINAL SAY: You can't start a fire without a spark.
3 Chilli Peppers ​

I have no idea what happened to the last two weeks of my life. Last time I blogged we were only heading into December and now we are almost half way through! Seriously, the time is just flying by and I really need to slow down and allow myself to smell the flowers because things are getting very busy and I don't want to miss the fun of the journey, particularly the last couple of weeks before Christmas. 
So, at this point all of the important things are done, like the Christmas shopping, which is 95% completed. The tree is up, some decorations are out, the Christmas cards have been mailed and I have celebrated the season over a couple of pre-Christmas dinners and tipples with my friends. I have one week of work left and then I get an almost 6 week respite from all work responsibilities, which is exciting beyond compare. I have a couple of lovely day trips and events planned over January but I am sporting a mostly free calendar for the better part of the Summer and I have serious plans to start 2022 happier and healthier than I was in January 2021, which I feel very confident that I will do.
And now the really fun stuff starts! Like menu planning for my Christmas gatherings and putting all of the finishing touches on the joyful and time consuming things. Things like table decorations, gift wrapping, baking treats, spoiling my friends, colleagues and neighbours with goodies and just generally spreading happiness and good cheer. Like I said, the best stuff!
I have a pre-Christmas dinner, a wreath making session, two brunches and a Christmas movie night planned in the days leading up to Christmas with my dear friends and I am sure that a few more delightful events will crop up before the big day as well. As for Christmas, well my mother will be joining us for Christmas brunch, Zoe and Ben will share a dinner feast with us, Craig's folks will spend Boxing Day with us and my nephew and his family will see us on the 27th of December for post Christmas luncheon. A busy, lovely, exciting and wonderful Christmas to look forward to this year. 
I have actually been doing a lot of things in the last couple of weeks that have nothing much to do with Christmas at all if the truth be told. Things that I have been doing just because they make me happy, like going to the movies (twice), restocking the bar and learning how to make some new cocktails, chatting on the phone for hours with friends, taking long walks in nature, doing yoga every morning, catching up with people who will be busy over the silly season for an early Christmas dinner and drink, having cocktails at a local bar with some friends, making cupcakes for my work colleagues because it's good to give treats, going shopping in Daylesford, travelling to Bendigo with Seth and experimenting with various forms of meditation practise. And, maybe most importantly of all, trying desperately to be kind and gentle with myself during this hectic time of the year, which can sometimes mean saying 'no thanks' or 'not right now' and putting boundaries around what you can physically or mentally manage at this time of the year. 
However you may be travelling, do remember to be kind, gentle and caring with yourself at this time of the year. Keep in mind that there is no such thing as a perfect Christmas, there is no ideal gift and there is absolutely no need to stress about any of it. Just do you, be you and enjoy the ride to the finish line, the holiday season is just around the corner!

Last week we all escaped to the countryside together. In contrast to the sights and sounds of our beloved Enfield homestead, we headed into the Dandenong Ranges to explore the mountains, waterfalls and forests of Victoria. It's an area of the state that I have really not spend much time in at all and with Seth's exams ending, Craig and I clocking our  27th wedding anniversary and Zoe and Ben just needing some respite from work, it seemed like a good a time as any to escape the rat race for a few days and recharge the batteries in nature. 
This short break offered everyone the opportunity to be outdoors, commune with nature and see some fresh, new sights. We witnessed cascading waterfalls, climbed steep mountains, gazed at rushing river waters, admired grand redwoods and breathed in everything that is good, clean and rejuvenating about being in the wilds. 
​2021 was a very restrictive year in general and we hardly wandered very far from our homes for over a year, so it just felt good to be able to be out and about, and the down time was certainly welcomed by all. The only problem with having a short break in November is the need to return to work and re-establish a routine. I found that I very swiftly got accustomed to being off the clock and living a life of leisure and abundance, but we are only another three weeks away from the school term ending, so I honestly think that I've got this. 
And as always, now my attentions are drawn to Christmas which is only 27 days from today. Every year it sneaks up on me and every year I sit down and write on my blog about how much there is to accomplish before Christmas Day arrives. And just as unsurprisingly, the day always does arrive and I am always prepared and ready when it does, so there is really no point in fretting about it or being concerned about how much will be done because it is really quite safe to say that it will all be done, like it always is and it will all go swimmingly well and we will all have a lovely time. 
So I now happily turn my attentions to Christmas with a joyful form of anticipation. As a family we have so much to look forward to in 2022 and I feel like things are only going to move from good to great from this point forward.
The future is looking super bright. 

Sometimes I love to be challenged by the films that I watch. I want something that pushes me to focus and delivers something fresh, artful, controversial and masterful. The problem with watching films that challenge or inform you is that you can't watch them all of the time. I absolutely love a great documentary, a convoluted multi-dimensional science fiction, a uniquely challenging arthouse film or even some gritty tale that is going to terrify or upset me, but I don't always have the attention span or energy for those films.   
Sometimes I just need to balance it all out with material that is sweet, easy, simple and delightful. I don't mean mindless crap like reality TV, that is for when you really need to be in 'not thinking' mode (and yes, I go too there from time to time). I am talking about movies that are still interesting, insightful and definitely worthy of your time but they also don't require you to have the focus of a brain surgeon to enjoy. They are easy to digest, pleasurable to watch and will generally leave you with a feeling of pleasantness after they are finished. Kind of like Disney and Spielberg movies do. 
Luckily, I have plenty of films just like this on my genre lists that are all 3 chilli peppers or more and are also most worthy of your viewing time. So if you want something simple and sweet, then look no further. Here is my top 20 'sweet and simple' film list that is guaranteed to leave you with all the warm and fuzzy feelings you will be able to handle. So grab your cuddly blanket, cosy slippers and a hot chocolate and strap in for some some super sweet movie feels. 
DRAMA:
1. Palmer - 3 Chilli Peppers 
2. The Peanut Butter Falcon - 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
3. Little Women - 5 Chilli Peppers 
4. Hidden Figures - 4 Chilli Peppers 
5. The Way, Way Back - 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
6. Little Miss Sunshine - 4 Chilli Peppers 
COMEDY:
7. The Hunt for the Wilder People - 4 Chilli Peppers 
​8. The Grand Seduction - 3.5 Chilli Peppers
ACTION: 
9. Enola Holmes -  3.5 Chilli Peppers 
SCIENCE FICTION:
10. Stardust - 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
11. The Lady in the Water - 3 Chilli Peppers 
12. It's a Wonderful Life - 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
INTERNATIONAL/ ART HOUSE:
13. Patti Cake$ - 3 Chilli Peppers 
14. Kung Fu Hustle - 4 Chilli Peppers
15. Amelie - 4 Chilli Peppers  
ROMANCE/ MATTERS OF THE HEART:
16. Under the Tuscan Sun - 3 Chilli Peppers 
17. Shirley Valentine - 3 Chilli Peppers 
KID FRIENDLY:
18. Paddington 1 and 2 - 4 Chilli Peppers 
19. Soul - 5 Chilli Peppers 
20. The Little Prince - 3.5 Chilli Peppers 

Halloween came and went for another year. This year we all gathered in Enfield to carve pumpkins, eat our body weight in candy and various sugary substances and watch as much horror as we could squeeze into one weekend.  And boy am I am paying for it this week, not the horror binging but the candy overload.  My poor struggling system is working overtime in an attempt to remove the high sugar, chemical shit-storm that I have willingly smashed into my face over the last 48 hours.
I can still easily digest hours and hours of horror but my ageing body cannot process the filth that is put into lollies these days. What am I saying? That filth has always been in lollies, my body just doesn't know how to process it anymore because I don't eat that kind of shit anymore. I haven't really eaten sweets and ice-cream for the better part of a year now, probably not since last Halloween if the truth be told, and my system is giving me major push back for re-introducing toxins at such a high and furious rate. I have had bloating, cramps, headaches, insomnia and stomach aches like I haven't had in a very long time; a type of horror that I am glad to be seeing the back end of that's for sure. In the future my Halloween's are going to be squarely focused on the horror films and not at all on the candy, and I can assure you of that!
So back to the movies, I did manage to digest 6 horror films in total over the weekend between Friday and Sunday evening. We even managed to get to the cinema - God it has been an age! However, due to more relaxed COVID restrictions and the fact that we are all vaccinated I was thankfully able to receive my first cinematic embrace in 6 months. And did it feel good to slide back into those squeaky faux leather seats with the huge plastic drink holders and smell that buttery popcorn smell again? Oh yes, yes it did! How wonderful it was to be embraced by the darkness and noise of a cinema and how marvellous it was to be swallowed up in 100 minutes of mindless slasher horror that came in the form of (most appropriately) the latest offering in the Halloween franchise - Halloween Kills. 
Okay, not going to lie here, the movie was not great, however the experience of being back in the cinema for a full surround sound, big screen adventure most certainly was. And it seemed timely and extremely appropriate to engage in a Halloween film on the actual day of Halloween. Anyway, it may not have been my favourite offering in the Halloween franchise, but it did get us all out of the house and laughing a lot more than screaming in our seats, which for me is definitely a win and a mighty fine way to spend any Halloween. 

HALLOWEEN
Release Date: 1978
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 91 mins 
Anyone that knows me well also knows that slasher horror films are my least favourite of all the horror sub-genres. However, although Halloween is technically a slasher it was also the first film to launch a long line of other slasher films that followed, including the 13 instalments in the Halloween franchise. It also spawned the 'final girl' storyline through the long enduring character of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) whom we have all come to know and love, and it has an unforgettable soundtrack that could give anyone the chills. So it is fair to say that Halloween is probably the best, most genuinely original and renowned slasher horror film of all time, and for that reason it would be downright negligent of me to not acknowledge the contribution that it has made to the horror movie industry over the last forty plus years. 
Directed by John Carpenter, (who incidentally also wrote the movie's  haunting soundtrack) Halloween tells the story of a deranged mental patient named Michael Myers. Myers  was committed to a sanitarium for brutally murdering his baby-sitting sister when he was only six years old. Fifteen years later, Myers escapes the hospital facility on Halloween night and returns to his home town. Donning a bleached out William Shatner mask, Myer's swiftly commences 'getting his stab on' and embarks on a bloody rampage. 
With a penchant for baby sitters (particularly Laurie Strode) and bloody big kitchen knives, Myer's has managed to stab, strangle and mutilate his way through 13 Halloween movie instalments, a video game, a novel and even a comic book series, and has become one of the most iconic horror figures in history. Are all of the films great? Absolutely not, in fact are some are downright comical because they are so bad, but as far as the original 1978 Halloween film goes, there is no denying that it was certainly horrifying in it's time and it does deserve at least one viewing in every serious horror fan's repertoire. 
FINAL SAY: It's Halloween. Everyone's entitled to one good scare. 
3 Chilli Peppers ​

I failed to write on my blog last week because I was doing a major overhaul of my review materials. Not only did I re-sort all of my reviews into chronological order, I also did a massive statistical review of my website. This was hours of work, but also a labour of love. 
In total, I now have 888 reviews completed on Spicywatch and only 60 unreviewed films left in my catch up (back log) of movies to review. That may sound like a lot of reviews to catch up on, but when you have managed to already do so many, it is actually quite manageable and it will give me a project to work on over the Summer break. 
My wish list of movies that I would like to see is, in contrast to my 'to review' list, ridiculously long with 493 movies currently starring, and it just continues to grow longer and longer by the day. I have to admit that I may never actually get around to seeing all of the films that I would like to see in this lifetime, but at least I will never run out of viewing options. 
Below is statistical break down of the reviews that I have joyfully completed on my website so far, which may not be that interesting to you but was very interesting for me as the reviewer. I clearly watch a lot more Horror, Drama and Art House movies than any other genres and when it comes to Romance films, I obviously struggle to find ones that I like enough to review. 
I have reviewed movies that span across a 100 year gap and most of the films that I have enjoyed enough to review have been between 1997 and 2020.
I cannot accurately estimate how many movies I have actually seen in my lifetime, however if I use my statistics from the last five years as a base line and only count the last 20 years then I think that I can safely guess that I have already seen around 5,500 films to date, with only 880 of those making it onto my lists so far. 
​At this point it would also be fair to say that I probably only like around 16% of what I actually watch, which I think probably makes me a pretty fussy reviewer!
Anyway, as always thanks for your continued readership and I hope that placing my reviews in chronological order on their genre lists will make them more user friendly for you to peruse in the future. Happy viewing!
DRAMA:
Total - 130 
Oldest Film - Citizen Kane 1941
Newest Film - Nomadland 2021
​Year with the most reviews - 2014
HORROR, THRILLER, SUPERNATURAL:
Total - 113 
Oldest Film - Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror 1922
Newest Film - Fear Street Trilogy 2021
​Year with the most reviews - 2016
COMEDY:
Total - 92
Oldest Film - Duck Soup 1933
Newest Film - JoJo Rabbit 2019
​Year with the most reviews - 2007
ACTION, CRIME, WAR:
Total - 101
Oldest Film - Seven Samurai 1954
Newest Film - Nobody 2021
​Year with the most reviews - 2019
SCIENCE FICTION, SUPER, FANTASY:
Total - 110
Oldest Film - It's A Wonderful Life 1946
Newest Film - Love and Monsters 2020
​Year with the most reviews - 2017
ART HOUSE, MUSICAL, INTERNATIONAL:
Total - 112
Oldest Film - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Oldest film reviewed) 1920
Newest Film - Another Round 2020
​Year with the most reviews - 2004
GRITTY, CHALLENGING, DOCUMENTARY:
Total - 95
Oldest Film - Deliverance 1972
Newest Film - Swallow 2020
​Year with the most reviews - 2010 and 2011
ROMANCE, MATTERS OF THE HEART:
Total - 68
Oldest Film - My Fair Lady 1964
Newest Film - Palm Springs 2020
​Year with the most reviews - 2013
KID FRIENDLY:
Total - 67
Oldest Film - Wizard of Oz 1939
Newest Film - Cruella 2021
​Year with the most reviews - 2009 and 2016 

​THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI
Release Date: 1920
Rating: PG
Running Time: 67 mins 
Considered the quintessential work of German Expressionist cinema, this classic silent movie is arguably the first horror film to have ever been made, and although it may not have the same clout that it had back in it's day, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari still has punch when it comes to unnerving its audience. 
A man retells his horrifying experiences after meeting Dr. Caligari at a town fair. Dr Caligari has a cabinet that contains a creepy somnambulist that can predict the future, but Dr. Caligari's arrival has also brought about a series of grisly murders to the town.  
There is a stark and twisted visual style to this movie that is absolutely amazing. Sets are askew, landscapes are jagged and the characters are all ghostly white with big black eyes. It is easy to see where Tim Burton may have gotten inspiration, because the odd angles and oblique lines are uncannily similar. 
Since you can watch the entire movie on YouTube for free these days, there is no excuse for not having seen this masterpiece of German cinema. I think it is a movie that everyone should make an effort to see for its vision and uniqueness, there really is nothing else like it. 
FINAL SAY: Dr. Caligari, you are one twisted sicko! 
3.5 Chilli Peppers

Ageing is a cruel and unavoidable process. It makes bones ache, hair grey, muscles weaken, wrinkles appear and perhaps the worst of all is the devastating and detrimental effect that ageing has on our ability to recall facts and remember fragments of our lives with clarity and meaning. The exact amount that we will remember and how much we will recall is completely unique to each and everyone of us, just as much as our appearance and fingerprints, there is really no way of knowing how accurate your recall will be or how much of your past you will be able to clearly remember when you are 85 years old. 
So, what is normal to forget and what rate of forgetfulness is considered to be concerning? Generally, as we approach old age we do see what is called a normal level of memory loss. We may miss a monthly bill, forget what day of the week it is, fail to place a name to a face and sometimes even struggle to recall a word when we are in the middle of a conversation. And none of these things are any real cause for alarm if you are 70 years or older.
In fact, studies have shown that up to 50% of adults over the age of 50 have some mild forgetfulness, and scientists are arguing that people from as young as 45, especially if they are not working their memory or strengthening their brain functions regularly, will have a noticeable drop in their ability to hold onto facts, recall events with accuracy and remember details. 
However, don't despair because if you aren't having any serious or significant problems with your memory then you can easily build it back again and vastly improve your brain functions by following a few simple recommendations. However, before I list these, I think that it is really important to note that if you are suffering from any of these significant memory loss symptoms in relation to your memory or recall abilities then it may be worth seeking some advise from your doctor.
SIGNS OF SIGNIFICANT MEMORY LOSS INCLUDE:

• Making poor judgements and decisions 
• Problems managing money
• Problems managing household tasks eg. keeping the yard tidy, supermarket shopping etc.
• Losing track of time, dates, years.
• Trouble recalling the names of significant family members and friends.
• Struggling to hold a conversations because you struggle with the words. 
• Misplacing or losing items and belongings.

Significant memory loss is sometimes reversible but it rarely improves at all without proper  intervention, so please do seek medical advice if you have concerns. 

For the rest of us, we can get cracking at turning back the hands of time on our brain functions and can begin to improve our memory immediately by following these 12 simple, natural and scientifically proven guidelines.
1. Eat Less Sugar.
Sugar has been linked to a swag of health issues but it is like cyanide for your memory and brain functions. Research has shown that people who regularly consume lots of sugar have poorer memories and lower brain volumes than those who do not. 
2. Try a Fish Oil Supplement
Rich in omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, fish oil supplements will help to strengthen your short term working and episodic memory. They can be purchased at most supermarkets and are relatively cheap and convenient. 
3. Meditate
Meditation isn't just good for your brain and your memory, it's also super good for your whole body as well. Meditation increases the grey matter in the brain and improves your spatial working memory. Make time to tune out a little every day.
4. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Obesity is a risk factor for cognitive decline. Maintaining a body mass index in the normal range will assist you with a host of issues associated with obesity, including poor memory. 
5. Get Enough Sleep
Studies have consistently shown that insufficient sleep affects memory. If you get enough rest you will not only consolidate your memories, you'll perform better on tests as well. 
​6. Be Mindful
Practising mindfulness techniques has been associated with increased memory performance. Mindfulness is also linked to reduced age-related cognitive decline. 
7. Drink Less Alcohol
Alcohol has neurotoxic effects on the brain, including reducing memory performance. Occasional moderate drinking isn't an issue, but binge drinking can damage the hippocampus, a key area in the brain associated with memory. So keep your alcohol consumption in check. 
8. Train Your Brain
Games that challenge your brain and make you think may help you strengthen your memory and may even reduce the risk of dementia later in life. So, do more crossword puzzles, play Tetris or download a brain training app and challenge your thinking. 
9. Cut Back the Carbs
Like adding sugar, refined carbohydrates lead to a spike in blood sugar levels, which can damage the brain over time. Diets high in carbohydrates have been associated with dementia, cognitive decline and reduced brain function. 
10. Make Sure You Have Enough Vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency is very common, especially in colder climates. It has been related to age related cognitive decline and dementia. If you think that you may be deficient in vitamin, see your GP for testing as soon as possible. 
11. Exercise More
Exercise is clearly beneficial for your entire body, including your brain. Even moderate exercise for a short period has been shown to improve cognitive function across all age groups. A 30 minute walk a day will help to keep your brain matter in tip top order. 
12. Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Anti-inflammatory foods are great for your brain, especially berries and other food that have high levels of antioxidants. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables and drink green tea. And try to add a little cocoa to your diet as well because small amounts of dark chocolate that has 70% cacao will really help to boost your concentration and memory and best of all, it tastes delicious!

​STILL ALICE
Release Date: 2014
Rating: M
Running Time: 101 mins 
Julianne Moore gives a convincing and Oscar worthy performance (Best Actress worthy actually) in this harrowing tale about a middle aged woman that is struggling with Early-Onset Alzheimer's. 
Renown linguistics Professor Alice Howland has started to forget words and minor details, but when she starts to forget where she is, she decides to visit a neurologist to ease her mind. Unfortunately, Alice actually has Early-Onset Alzheimer's and it is rapidly altering her ability levels. Alice must rely on the support of her loving family to help her as she loses more and more of her memories along the way. 
This is one of the saddest movies that I have ever watched, mostly because it is so real and tangible, and also because the levels of hopelessness were so truly heartbreaking to witness. I was literally sobbing on the couch as I watch this once highly intelligent and independent woman lose herself. It's a real tear jerker, have the tissues at the ready. 
FINAL SAY: Hi, Alice. I'm you. And I have something important to say. 
4 Chilli Peppers

Just spent the last fortnight in a state of complete and utter holiday bliss. The sun was out almost everyday and when it wasn't, well it really didn't matter because it just gave me plenty of opportunity to laze about at home and do all of the things that I love to do. I have read seven books, binge watched entire TV series, done 40 minute of yoga each day, slept in for at least half of those days and also watch a movie everyday for 14 days straight and I don't feel even slightly guilty for indulging my passions or getting as much rest and relaxation time in as possible. 
I brunched with friends, picnicked in the local gardens, played tennis twice, walked 10,000 steps a day, meditated for hours, had my first restaurant lunch in months and caught up with family. I baked, cooked, drew, journaled and sat about on Pinterest to my hearts content and I have loved every moment of it. I have zero regrets and tonnes of gratitude for just how rejuvenating and rested I am feeling right now. 
I could mention how out of hand the COVID numbers are and how depressing it is to still be in a pandemic, but I'm not going to go there. Instead I am going to draw your attention to the mighty fine Emmy Award Winners for 2021 (which just happened to air on the very first of my holiday break- just to add a little icing to my happy time cake). And if you haven't seen the list yet, it's impressive and will definitely give you something to turn your attentions to if you need some distraction from the miserable state of the world right now. 

​Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
Aidy Bryant, Saturday Night Live
Rosie Perez, The Flight Attendant
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
WINNER: Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
Juno Temple, Ted Lasso

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
WINNER: Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
Brendan Hunt, Ted Lasso
Nick Mohammed, Ted Lasso
Jeremy Swift, Ted Lasso
Paul Reiser, The Kominsky Method
Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Hacks

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Jean Smart, Mare of Easttown
WINNER: Julianne Nicholson, Mare of Easttown
Kathryn Hahn, WandaVision
Phillipa Soo, Hamilton
Renee Elise Goldsberry, Hamilton
Moses Ingram, The Queen's Gambit

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Daveed Diggs, Hamilton
Jonathan Groff, Hamilton
Anthony Ramos, Hamilton
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, The Queen's Gambit
WINNER: Evan Peters, Mare of Easttown
Paapa Essiedu, I May Destroy You

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Boys (Rebecca Sonnenshine, Episode: "What I Know")
WINNER: The Crown (Peter Morgan, Episode: "War")
The Handmaid's Tale (Yahlin Chang, Episode: "Home")
Lovecraft Country (Misha Green, Episode: "Sundown")
The Mandalorian (Dave Filoni, Episode: "Chapter 13: The Jedi")
The Mandalorian (Jon Favreau, Episode: "Chapter 16: The Rescue")
Pose (Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Steven Canals, Janet Mock, Our Lady J, Episode: "Series Finale")

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Bridgerton (Julie Anne Robinson, Episode: "Diamond of the First Water")
The Crown (Benjamin Caron, Episode: "Fairytale")
WINNER: The Crown (Jessica Hobbs, Episode: "War")
The Handmaid's Tale (Liz Garbus, Episode: "The Wilderness")
The Mandalorian (Jon Favreau, Episode: "Chapter 9: The Marshal")
Pose (Steven Canals, Episode: "Series Finale")

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
WINNER: Gillian Anderson, The Crown
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Emerald Fennell, The Crown
Ann Dowd, The Handmaid's Tale
Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid's Tale
Samira Wiley, The Handmaid's Tale
Madeline Brewer, The Handmaid's Tale
Aunjanue Ellis, Lovecraft Country

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Michael K. Williams, Lovecraft Country
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid's Tale
Max Minghella, The Handmaid's Tale
O-T Fagbenle, The Handmaid's Tale
John Lithgow, Perry Mason
WINNER: Tobias Menzies, The Crown
Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian
Chris Sullivan, This Is Us

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
The Amber Ruffin Show
A Black Lady Sketch Show
WINNER: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Conan
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Jimmy Kimmel Live
WINNER: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
A Black Lady Sketch Show
WINNER: Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
The Flight Attendant (Steve Yockey, Episode: "In Case of Emergency")
Girls5eva (Meredith Scardino, Episode: "Pilot")
WINNER: Hacks (Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky, Episode: "There Is No Line")
PEN15 (Maya, Erskine, Episode: "Play")
Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Episode: "Make Rebecca Great Again")
Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Episode: "Pilot")

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
B Positive (James Burrows, Episode: "Pilot")
The Flight Attendant (Susanna Fogel, Episode: "In Case of Emergency")
WINNER: Hacks (Lucia Aniello, Episode: "There Is No Line")
Mom (James Widdoes, Episode: "Scooby-Doo Checks and Salisbury Steak")
Ted Lasso (Zach Braff, Episode: "Biscuits")
Ted Lasso (MJ Delaney, Episode: "The Hope that Kills You")
Ted Lasso (Declan Lowney, Episode: "Make Rebecca Great Again")

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Aidy Bryant, Shrill
WINNER: Jean Smart, Hacks
Allison Janney, Mom
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
WINNER: Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
William H. Macy, Shameless
Kenan Thompson, Kenan

Outstanding Competition Program
The Amazing Race
Nailed It!
WINNER: RuPaul's Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Hamilton (Thomas Kail)
I May Destroy You (Sam Miller, Michaela Coel, Episode: "Ego Death")
I May Destroy You (Sam Miller, Episode: "Eyes Eyes Eyes Eyes")
Mare of Easttown (Craig Zobel)
WINNER: The Queen's Gambit (Scott Frank)
The Underground Railroad (Barry Jenkins)
WandaVision (Matt Shakman)

Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
WINNER: I May Destroy You (Michaela Coel)
Mare of Easttown (Brad Ingelsby)
The Queen's Gambit (Scott Frank)
WandaVision (Chuck Hayward, Peter Cameron, Episode: "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!")
WandaVision (Jac Schaeffer, Episode: "Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience")
WandaVision (Laura Donney, Episode: "Previously On")

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
WINNER: Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown
Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen's Gambit
Elizabeth Olsen, WandaVision
Cynthia Erivo, Genius: Aretha

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Paul Bettany, WandaVision
Hugh Grant, The Undoing
WINNER: Ewan McGregor, Halston
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Emma Corrin, The Crown
WINNER: Olivia Colman, The Crown
Uzo Aduba, In Treatment
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid's Tale
Jurnee Smollett, Lovecraft Country
Mj Rodriguez, Pose

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Regé-Jean Page, Bridgerton
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Billy Porter, Pose
Jonathan Majors, Lovecraft Country
Matthew Rhys, Perry Mason
WINNER: Josh O'Connor, The Crown

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
Celebrating America – An Inauguration Night Special
The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards
The Oscars
The Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show Starring The Weeknd
WINNER: Stephen Colbert's Election Night 2020: Democracy's Last Stand Building Back America Great Again Better 2020

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)
Bo Burnham: Inside 
David Byrne's American Utopia
8:46 - Dave Chappelle
Friends: The Reunion
WINNER: Hamilton 
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote

Outstanding Comedy Series
Black-ish
Cobra Kai
Pen15
Emily in Paris
Hacks
WINNER: Ted Lasso
The Flight Attendant
The Kominsky Method

Outstanding Drama Series
The Boys
Bridgerton
WINNER: The Crown
The Mandalorian
Lovecraft Country
Pose
The Handmaid's Tale
This Is Us

Outstanding Limited Series
Mare of Easttown
I May Destroy You
WandaVision
WINNER: The Queen's Gambit
The Underground Railroad

​AND...the best movie I watched over the spring holiday break was...

ANOTHER ROUND
Release Date: 2020
Rating: M 
Running Time: 117 mins 
A Danish film originally entitled Druk or "binge drinking" that was directed by Thomas Vinterberg and premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.  Another Round went on to great acclaim; winning the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards and then two BAFTA's in 2021. 
Another Round cleverly uses a mixture of dark humour and drama to address sensitive topics like alcoholism, mid-life crisis and pressure in the workplace to create a thought provoking and affecting dialogue.
Four teachers undertake an experiment to test the Finn Skårderud theory that human's are born with a blood alcohol content (BAC) that is 0.05 deficient. By imbibing just enough alcohol to maintain a 0.05 BAC reading, as long as they don't drink after 8pm and abstain altogether on the weekends, the four friends make a pact to see how this experiment will affect their lives. 
As you would imagine, getting partially drunk at work on the daily is challenging, especially when you are a teacher and the results are somewhat amusing but also quite disturbing.
Mads Mikkelsen delivers another solid performance in the lead role and he is very well supported by the Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe and Magnus Millang as the drunken brotherhood. This film says a lot about our social attitudes towards drinking, our tolerance and acceptance of it as a readily available and social stimulant and just how easily excessive drinking can destroy lives and relationships. Another Round is truly food for thought and it really made me reassess the way that I approach alcohol in my everyday life. 
FINAL SAY: We're not alcoholics. We decide when we want to drink. An alcoholic can't help himself. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​