A survey to listen to...

Try this lovely survey. It's a good boredom buster, but a great boredom causer. Using only song names from one artist, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 15 people you like and include me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think!

Pick Your Artist: The Cat Empire
Are you a male or female: Voodoo Cowboy
Describe yourself: How To Explain
How do you feel: Sly
Describe where you currently live: Protons, Neutrons, Electrons
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: In My Pocket
Your best friend is: Down at the 303
You and your best friends are: Fishies
What's the weather like: Panama
If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: Days Like These
What is life to you: The Night That Never End
Your last relationship was: Nothing
Your fear: No Mountain
What is the best advice you have to give:Know Your Name
How I would like to die: Motion
My soul's present condition: Party Started
My motto: Wont Be Afraid

Cat xx

Let me take you down...

Last night I watched "Across the Universe" for the seventh or eighth time, and my intense love for it is not wearing off even one tiny bit. If you've never heard of it, "Across the Universe" is a movie musical about a bunch of young people in America during the Vietnam War. It's set to the music of The Beatles, so the word "awesome" comes to mind just writing about it.
A simple version of the plot would be that a group of young boys and girls in America get sucked in to and changed by the war and the revolution surrounding it. Lucy and Jude are the main characters really, closely followed by Max. As you can probably guess, there's also a love story between them(SHOCK). If you don't really like The Beatles I definitely think you can still enjoy it. The versions in the movie are extremely different to those by The Beatles, and the film has much more to offer than just the songs (though obviously they play a big part.
The acting in the film is also realllly good. The main characters are played by Evan Rachel Wood(Lucy), Jim Sturgess(Jude) and Joe Anderson(Max). Before the movie I'd only heard of Evan Rachel Wood (she was the lead in "Thirteen", another very good film), but they all do an incredibly good job. The boys are not at all bad looking either.
I won't give any of the details of the plot away. I will say that anyone of any age, either gender and with any interests should get up right now and go and buy/rent "Across the Universe". Why are you reading this? You should be getting up. GOGOGO!!!
Cat xx

The best day of 2009 is here...

Yes, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" was released in Australia today. Sadly, there are four whole days between when it comes out and when I get to see it and I doubt I'll be able to relax until I have. Those I know that have seen it seem to have enjoyed it. They had the same complaint that comes out each movie: they cut that out/ changed this. But I just thought, while reading a Miss Moi blog, that the Australian release of Harry Potter was the perfect occasion for a list. Here we go...
Reasons I Love Harry Potter"

Number One: It appeals to a large audience. Not just age wise, but gender wise and just personality wise in general. This means that I will be able to read and re-read, watch and re-watch the books and movies...forever.
Number Two: It's a great conversation piece. Awkward silence? Easily peasily fixed. Just bring up Harry Potter. Everyone has something to say: they love it, they hate it, they think it's overrated and wont dignify it by reading it. Whatever a persons view, there will always be some kind of conversation to be had, whether it be a squeal fest about how much you both love it or a debate.
Number Three: It created its own universe of magic and fantasy. I mean, until my twelfth birthday I was hoping that maybe, just maybe, Hogwarts existed, and maybe I would be accepted. I've also had the occasional Voldemort nightmare. Its just a completely new and beautiful world.
Number Four: The characters are loverly. I mean, Harry Potter himself annoys me a bit, but Ron, Hermione, Tonks, Luna, Ginny, Fred and George, Lupin, Sirius Black, Dumbledore and my lord the list goes on; these are people we(hardcore fans) have come to love. The boys are gentleman(I'm excluding Malfoy from this), and the girls have actual personalities.
Number Five: As an aspiring author, JK Rowling rise to fame and wealth has really given me hope. It's one of those inspiration things that I hold onto when I feel absolutely hopeless. If she can do it, so can I. That was not meant as an insult to JK, by the way.
Cat xx

Jane Austen, you crafty lady...

I've decided that I'm going to make myself a promise. For a long time I've been trying to make my way through "Pride and Prejudice". I find it difficult because the language confuses me quite a bit and it stops the flow of the story. As with so many other things though, I am determined. I find the most effective way of making myself do something is to have a specific goal. Generally when I set a goal I become quite stubborn about it. So, I Cat promise that by the end of the year I will not only have finished "Pride and Prejudice", but I'll also have read Northanger Abbey" and "Mansfield Park".

Maybe that doesn't sound too hard, but factoring in the time I'll need to read another book in between each and homework plus extracurricular commitments, I think that's all I can handle. Set a goal for yourself today. It's exciting, really.

Cat xx

Harry Potter...

Yesterday I attended a "Harry Potter" marathon at the Nova, and I have to say it was one of the greatest things I've done in ages. It ran from 9am to 11:20pm, however I had to leave at 5:05, after the third (a shame, but it was still a serious undertaking). I kind of assumed that by the end of the third I would be pretty much over it, but I absolutely wasn't. In fact I think I could have happily watched all five. It was really nice to be able to see the older movies that I haven't sat down to watch in ages.
Previously, I'd thought that the first two movies were pretty, well...bad. I feel shameful even saying it. Watching them again I see what a fool I was ever to doubt any film. It was awful of me. I'd say that out of the three I watched, my favourite was "Chamber of Secrets" (I'm a sucker for a flying car), but the third is a pretty close second. Not to say I didn't like the first. It's great too. And yes, the more recent ones have a few advantages over the earlier ones, but there's a certain charm that they are lacking. At this point I warn anyone who likes the Harry Potter movies but hasn't read the books to stop reading. Spoilers are ahead. I would also like to tell those people that they should read the books ASAP.
Having said that, I am SO excited for the release of "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince". It is after all the movie which brings together Harry and Ginny (Oh. My. God), as well as Ron and Lavender, which is an important step in Ron and Hermione's iconic relationship. The sixth book is also the book in which Dumbledore dies (I have tears in my eyes just typing it), so I know that even if it is bad, the next movie will be full of events. I. Can't. Wait.
Cat xx
PS- By the way, I'm a Harry Potter fan. Just a tad.
PPS- I would like to say that although I made little reference to them here, I really love the books. More than the movies.

I know of meaning, but what does that mean?

People so often talk about the meaning of life. This amazing secret that sums up our entire existence, but that we don't understand. Personally, I never understood that kind of thing. It feels natural to me that there is no meaning of life. It's not just my atheism that forms this view , although that probably plays a part. It's just that I think that if there was a meaning of life, ironically enough, that would take the meaning out of life. What if we found out our life had a single meaning? So many things would then seem trivial, things that we previously loved. I like to think that I have complete control over my life and that I choose the meaning. That in itself is mind blowing.
Cat xx

Beaches in winter...

I realise this is incredibly belated, but I'm so glad the holidays are here at last! The reason I've been absent for the past week or so is that I've been in Queensland! It was awesome. I never realised winter could be so warm. It was actually in the 20 degrees all the time. When I got back home to Melbourne I spent the next hour shivering!
I'd have to say that the highlight of the trip was Australia Zoo (because "Dreams come true at Australia Zoo!"). I saw a crocodile feeding presented by the Irwin family. It was actually really scary, I was close to standing up and screaming "I DON"T WANT TO BE ONE OF THE WITNESSES OF TERRI IRWIN'S DEATH". Luckily I controlled myself and even better: everyone was fine. I also got one of those snake photos with the snake around my neck with my auntie and sister. It was awesome.
Cat xx
P.S- You know what else is awesome? The word awesome. Awesome...