I have really been trying to be mindful and fully engaged with every aspect of my life at the moment. Whether it's work, rest or play, I'm giving it 100% (or as near to that as I can muster) as often as I can. And I have to say that it really does have so many advantages. Mindfulness is not just a fad or a trend, it actually works and if you can master it, the results are super impressive.
The first and most obvious of those results is a bit of no brainer, but it turns out that when you give 100% effort and attention to any task, you tend to get excellent results. No shit Sherlock! But really, it has made me realise that I did spend so much time flitting about between tasks that I was really just doing a lot of things half arsed and also robbing myself of better results. Pretty much everything that I am doing seems to be turning out better than it did when I was trying to multi-task everything. By just doing one thing at a time to the absolute best of my ability I have, in the long run, actually saved myself time and effort because nothing needs to be re-done, re-visited or re-designed, it is great the first time around! Amazing!
Also, and I don't quite know why this is, but time seems to move slower if you are mindfully aware of what you are doing. You know the old saying - a watched pot never boils, well that's kind of what happens when you are mindful of the moment, by giving something 100% of your attention it sort of makes it feel like it is going for a lot longer than it actually is.  The hours really feel like hours, not minutes because you are observing every part of it. Every meal is special, every conversation is filled with meaning and every exchange has purpose. Start thinking like that and nothing will ever feel ordinary or pointless. 
And it shouldn't because (and this my favourite thing about mindfulness) nothing is meaningless, well at least it isn't if you are mindful about about it. Every minute becomes filled with possibility and potential, not one moment is wasted. Everything in your life is purposeful and intentional and suddenly, that makes everything very bloody awesome. 
I can't really explain it, but mindfulness has changed my life massively. So much so that I have been doing mindfulness sessions at work for my colleagues because I am absolutely blown away by how much I have gained from doing mindful practises and being more present in my daily activities. I seem to have so much more time on my hands, so why not share what I found with other people? Seems like a logical outcome to me. Now, I don't know if these sessions are doing anything for anyone else (I  hope they are) but I am really enjoying just doing them anyway, so that feels like a win. And people's attendance is voluntary so it's not like I'm forcing anyone to come along, I am just offering - nothing more, nothing less. I prepare a session, I trial the session on myself and then I share the session; feels kind of lovely really. 
Anyway, I am loving what mindfulness has done for me. It has changed my habits, made me more present in my relationships and friendships, helped me find joy in the mundane and given me pause to smell the flowers, share a cuppa and exchange a kind word with more people; and that is all gravy to me. 

ALL OF US STRANGERS 
Release Date: 2023
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 105 mins 
A fantasy love film written and directed by Andrew Haigh and based on the 1987 novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada. With a kick arse 80's soundtrack and a tale to tug at your heartstrings, All Of Us Strangers delivers a unique, magical and deeply ponderous love story. 
Screenwriter Andrew lives a lonely life in his high rise London apartment, that is until he meets Harry, his drunken neighbour who sets in motion a collision course of love, self- discovery and impossibilities that will change Andrew forever. 
This is a haunting script that explores the ghosts of the past, the present and the future. It is beautifully carried by Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal who both shine brightly in this dazzlingly and unforgettably romantic tale that will certainly bring a tear to your eye.
FINAL SAY: The power of love. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

Because I have a movie blog, people often ask me how many movies I watch in a year. And I usually just say - a lot. Spicywatch.com only reflects my top 1,000-ish movies, but I have to wade through a lot of movies to find titles that I believe to be 3 Chilli Peppers or more. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. On any given year I can watch anywhere from 250 to 500 films, depending on what else is going on for me and also the quality of television programs on offer that year. Some years I watch more television than movies, and some years it is the other way around. And I also like to read quite a lot of books and listen to music as much as I can as well, so I often find that I am torn between my media passions. 
However, cinema is my first passion and will always hold a special place in my heart and that is why Spicywatch.com is primarily all about movies and not television programs or books or music, even though I do regularly offer my opinion on all of those things well.
​All together, over the course of my lifetime I estimate that I have watched around 10,000 movies, and that is only counting from 15 year of age because before then I know that media was a lot less accessible than it is now, and we never had a VHS tape player until I was 12 years old, so I've not counted my first 15 years of viewing; even though I know that I was already well and truly cinema obsessed by the time I was 10 years old. But, if we calculate say 300 films a year, as an average for 35 years, we land on 10,500 and I think that I sit around there somewhere. 
So, if I have only reviewed around 1,000 worthy cinema choices on Spicywatch.com, then we can safely assume that I have only really enjoy around 10% of the movies that I have ever watched, and I think that is probably a fair statement, not just for me but also for many other people. One in ten films is a stand out and the rest are either so-so or stinkers. I don't review mediocre, and I certainly don't want to review hall of shame offerings, because cinema is like art for me. It's subjective and open to interpretation, and if someone went to the trouble of making it into a movie, then someone really loved it, and who the hell am I to shit all over that? No-one, I'm nothing more than a lady who likes movies and my opinion is no more valuable than yours or anyone else's. 
So, it really doesn't matter how many films I have seen, it's kind of irrelevant really. What I can say for sure however, is that in order to get through around 300 odd movies a year you need to be a bit of a night stalker. And I do love a late night movie marathon! 

LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL
Release Date: 2024
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 93 mins 
A supernatural horror; written, directed and edited by Colin and Cameron Cairnes that uniquely uses elements of documentary filmmaking to deliver a found footage energy to a wickedly fresh script, and the result is just mesmerising. 
It's 1977 and Night Owls, a variety talk show hosted by Jack Delroy is having a special occult themed Halloween episode.  Special guests include a self proclaimed psychic, a sceptical former magician, a parapsychologist and a 13 year old girl called Lilly who is reportedly possessed by a demonic spirit. What could possibly go wrong? 
This is a delightfully twisted offering, cleverly hinging on 1970's America and its obsession with late night talk shows and all things occult related. David Dastmalchian is just exceptional, and perfectly cast  as talk show host Jack Delroy; and with a strong supporting cast bringing all of the cheesy banter and silly antics of talk show TV to life perfectly, Late Night with the Devil delivers on all fronts. A must see for horror lovers looking for something different. 
FINAL SAY: We met amongst the tall trees...remember? 
4 Chilli Peppers ​