I am all for owning and indulging in your guilty pleasures, and come on, let's put it out there...they're only guilty pleasures if you actually feel guilty about them, right? So rather than calling them 'guilty' pleasures let's just call them straight up pleasures, aka the things that you love to indulge in that other people may not (probably won't) know about. And let's be honest about this, we all have them, so there's no point in acting like you don't. And they could be as innocuous as eating chocolate in the bathtub whilst listening to Cindy Lauper CD's or they could be as dangerous as snorting cocaine off the back of a dunny seat everytime that you go to a Melbourne nightclub; whatever your pleasure (and as long as it isn't harming anyone else) I say that it's okay to indulge in your pleasure vices from time to time.
I find that as I get older, my choice of 'pleasures' has changed substantially, and that's not because I don't have anything that I desire enough to warrant the effort because I most certainly do, but I find that I am much busier and more financially restricted as the time in my life marches on; so what I can afford to indulge in, and also what I can afford the time to indulge in, has altered quite a lot. Perhaps I just have more expensive pleasures than I did say... fifteen years ago, which is probably closer to the truth and that would generally mean that I just can't afford to indulge in them as often as I would like to.
When I say expensive, I also mean indulgent and I think that, like most of us, there is a certain level of guilt associated with indulging in your pleasures, especially if you know that they are expensive, dangerous or not really considered to be good for your health - hence the title guilty pleasures. However, if there is one thing that I have learnt thus far in this life, it's that restricting yourself from the things that you really love and genuinely crave is not only extremely cruel, but it's downright oppressive to your soul as well. One must never forget the age old adage - you can't take your riches with you when you die, so you may as well make the most of them while you can.
Over the years the topic of guilty pleasures has come up from time to time when I have had people around, it is certainly one of the more interesting topics that you can discuss at a dinner party or friendly gathering. As interesting as your own pleasures are to you, I find it way more interesting to hear about the guilty pleasures of others. Other people's pleasure choices can reveal another dimension to their person that you may have completely overlooked, and although I am not going to out anyone here for their specific desires, I have heard some pretty interesting and even salacious pleasure choices that have raised a few eyebrows in the room when they were revealed.
Check out these rippers:
Some of those were actually mine, but I am not going to tell you which ones...you'll just have to guess! In the meantime, raise a glass to your own (guilty) pleasures, partake in them and explore what gives you genuine and unbridled joy, because life's too short not to indulge in the sillier, simpler and saucier bits and bobs. And, as long as 'it harms none' then I say go in hard and celebrate being alive everyday!
I find that as I get older, my choice of 'pleasures' has changed substantially, and that's not because I don't have anything that I desire enough to warrant the effort because I most certainly do, but I find that I am much busier and more financially restricted as the time in my life marches on; so what I can afford to indulge in, and also what I can afford the time to indulge in, has altered quite a lot. Perhaps I just have more expensive pleasures than I did say... fifteen years ago, which is probably closer to the truth and that would generally mean that I just can't afford to indulge in them as often as I would like to.
When I say expensive, I also mean indulgent and I think that, like most of us, there is a certain level of guilt associated with indulging in your pleasures, especially if you know that they are expensive, dangerous or not really considered to be good for your health - hence the title guilty pleasures. However, if there is one thing that I have learnt thus far in this life, it's that restricting yourself from the things that you really love and genuinely crave is not only extremely cruel, but it's downright oppressive to your soul as well. One must never forget the age old adage - you can't take your riches with you when you die, so you may as well make the most of them while you can.
Over the years the topic of guilty pleasures has come up from time to time when I have had people around, it is certainly one of the more interesting topics that you can discuss at a dinner party or friendly gathering. As interesting as your own pleasures are to you, I find it way more interesting to hear about the guilty pleasures of others. Other people's pleasure choices can reveal another dimension to their person that you may have completely overlooked, and although I am not going to out anyone here for their specific desires, I have heard some pretty interesting and even salacious pleasure choices that have raised a few eyebrows in the room when they were revealed.
Check out these rippers:
- Staying a work late to use their internet to game.
- Looking at photos of Kamal and listening to him sing - and getting turned on!
- Getting drunk and binge watching bad reality TV.
- Enjoying McDonald's breakfasts regularly.
- Dancing in the loungeroom to songs from Dirty Dancing or Grease.
- Stealing luxury pillows from hotels.
- Eating a (free?) handful of grapes or nuts from the produce section of supermarkets.
- Drinking a whole bottle of good champagne alone.
- Eating raw cake mixture or biscuit dough.
- Stealing soaps.
- Watching Steven Seagal movies and loving them.
- Getting professional massages on your lunch break.
- Following Justin Bieber on Instagram.
- Watching 'weird topic' porn.
- Reading Mills and Boon novels.
- Impulse travelling or road tripping.
- Sunbaking without sunscreen.
- Eating things straight from the jar or drinking out of the carton.
- Smoking joints.
- Squeezing pimples on other people's backs or faces.
- Not showering on the weekends.
- Stalking people on social media platforms.
- Talking to your pet like it's a real person that understands you.
Some of those were actually mine, but I am not going to tell you which ones...you'll just have to guess! In the meantime, raise a glass to your own (guilty) pleasures, partake in them and explore what gives you genuine and unbridled joy, because life's too short not to indulge in the sillier, simpler and saucier bits and bobs. And, as long as 'it harms none' then I say go in hard and celebrate being alive everyday!
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Release Date: 2008
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 96 mins
A romance-drama, written and directed by Woody Allen. Shot in Barcelona, Spain and premiering at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Vicky Cristina Barcelona gained critical acclaim and landed Penelope Cruz both the Academy Award and the BAFTA for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
The story focuses on two American friends, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), who are spending their summer in Barcelona. Whilst there, they encounter an artist named Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) who is attracted to both of the women, but still has a rather unconventional relationship with his mentally and emotionally unstable ex-wife Maria-Elena (Penelope Cruz).
This film is a bizarre love triangle on overload, the people are all ridiculously gorgeous and the strange love dynamics are on overload. However, for all of it's flaws, I cannot deny that I really enjoyed it. The beautiful locations, the impossibly beautiful characters, the passionate interludes and the stand out performance from Cruz, it really worked for me. It's hard to say if I was longing for a Juan Antonio experience or a Spanish Summer after viewing this film, but either way, I was seduced, so it's a winner for me.
FINAL SAY: Only unfulfilled love can be romantic.
3.5 Chilli Peppers
Release Date: 2008
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 96 mins
A romance-drama, written and directed by Woody Allen. Shot in Barcelona, Spain and premiering at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Vicky Cristina Barcelona gained critical acclaim and landed Penelope Cruz both the Academy Award and the BAFTA for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
The story focuses on two American friends, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), who are spending their summer in Barcelona. Whilst there, they encounter an artist named Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) who is attracted to both of the women, but still has a rather unconventional relationship with his mentally and emotionally unstable ex-wife Maria-Elena (Penelope Cruz).
This film is a bizarre love triangle on overload, the people are all ridiculously gorgeous and the strange love dynamics are on overload. However, for all of it's flaws, I cannot deny that I really enjoyed it. The beautiful locations, the impossibly beautiful characters, the passionate interludes and the stand out performance from Cruz, it really worked for me. It's hard to say if I was longing for a Juan Antonio experience or a Spanish Summer after viewing this film, but either way, I was seduced, so it's a winner for me.
FINAL SAY: Only unfulfilled love can be romantic.
3.5 Chilli Peppers
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