[Ellie's Blog] Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Lately there's been a slew of Snow White themed media...Once Upon a Time (a TV show filmed in Steveston, Richmond), Mirror Mirror, and Snow White and the Huntsman. It's as if Hollywood is running low on comic books and best-selling novels, and has turned its sights on fairy tales instead I already follow Once Upon a Time and Mirror Mirror seemed a little silly, so I opted for Snow White and the Huntsman last weekend.

Unfortunately, a classic story, big names and flashy visual effects didn't quite hold my attention for two-hours plus. Each scene had interesting bits, but in between the scenes I found myself wondering more than once what time it was and whether I had received any email. Perhaps part of the boredom was related to Kristen Stewart and her default expression - blank.

On the positive side though, Charlize Theron was a superb evil queen, and her makeup artist was even better! Charlize managed to look gorgeous in one scene, then old and haggard, then young and beautiful again. I realize the movie is not shot in one continuous take, but it was enough for me to almost identify with the queen...after all, what lengths would you go to to look like a young and ravishing Charlize Theron?

Verdict: 2.5 / 5; Save your energy and money for other summer blockbusters "coming soon to a theatre near you."

[Ellie's Story] Take Care, Ellie

     Hi Simon,

Sorry for not having responded sooner. It’s been sort of a rough week and even the simplest things have been taking twice as long to complete. I hope your week has been going well. Did you settle that case that you were stressing about? And how was your weekend Frisbee tournament? Hope your team won!

My week has consisted of mainly work and eating. I’ve been binging on ice-cream, mandarin oranges, and high-end pastries lately, and trying to enjoy some of the spurts of sunshine that we’ve been having. I’ve roamed around Stanley Park, and even made it out to QE park with Madison last weekend. (Have you seen any of the ducklings swimming in the ponds and waddling about the city? Super cute…) So despite the tough week, I’ve been trying to stay positive and relax whenever I can.

Anyway, I hope next week will be an improvement. Only time will tell! Let me know what you’ve been up to lately – chat soon.

~ Ellie

I double-checked my spelling before sending the email. Simon and I had still been emailing intermittently. I've noticed that his enthusiasm had dwindled with my apparent lack of enthusiasm. In the beginning, he had reached out a lot to try to get to know me. I honestly tried to reciprocate, but some part of me always held back a little, not wanting to expose too much of my inner world to a stranger. He seemed to notice, and subsequently, he too held back. So for the past while, we've only chatted like pen pals would - with any undertones of romance forgotten. Somehow, this suited me much better.

I felt a bit guilty, as he seemed like a nice guy – worthy of any girl’s attention. I just couldn’t bring myself to muster any more energy, especially recently, with my new-found angst over David being back in town.

[Ellie's Blog] Soirette Maracons and Tea

Last weekend, I happened to be in Holt Renfrew (only because I am a sometimes-believer of its therapeutic abilities, and boy, did I need the therapy last weekend!), and ran into (figuratively) a macaron and tea stand setup by Soirette. I had heard of the name while researching macarons in Vancouver, but never visited the store, so this was pretty much fate in my mind. And don't get me wrong, I would never consider myself a macaron connoisseur, nor would I consider the macaron my favourite dessert by any means, but they are cute, tasty and have great texture. Plus, they are very much the "it" treat right now...as a matter of fact, one of the pictures up on Sephora's website features a girl holding a green macaron (my, however did I know that off the top of my head??).

Anyhow, I (somewhat sarcastically) digress. The point being, I could not pass up the chance to try some macarons when I saw the stand. Here is what I purchased:

Chocolat Chocolat, Raspberry, Caramel Fleur de Sel, Passion Fruit, Malibu, & Rocher

[Ellie's Story] Remembering...

October 2004

Fallen leaves lined the concrete path that led from the main road to one of the old residence buildings at the university. My feet kicked them away as I walked briskly down the pathway. Panting as I rushed, my breath created smoky billows into the crisp autumn air. Looking up, I could see that the trees had already begun changing colours to a wide spectrum of red, orange and brown.

I entered the lobby and into the activity room that was directly adjacent to it. There was no way I could have missed it – the music and conversation blasted out of that room like an uncontrolled children’s birthday party, breaking the silence of the lobby. Walking tentatively into the cacophony, I searched for a familiar face, finally finding Madison after a quick circle around the room.

“Hey Ellie,” Madison greeted me, all smiles. “Meet Dean – we have Biology together.” Madison’s cheeks were red, and her breath smelled like the beer that she held in her hand. Looking at Dean, it seemed like he was as tipsy as Madison.

“Hi Dean,” I quickly said before turning back to Madison. “Sorry I’m late, Mad – I was held up at the Chem lab. I had to put in an extra hour because the stupid experiment didn’t work….” My voice trailed off. I realized Madison wasn’t even listening. Her attention was focused on Dean and whatever he was saying to her. I placed my hand on her arm to get her attention. “I’m going to get something to eat. I’ll be right back.”

“Mmm hmm,” she replied with a distracted smile.

I walked to the food table and analyzed the scraps that were left – nothing looked particularly appealing. I reached for the last can of Coke that was left on the table.

Another hand got to it first, and I pulled mine back.

“Sorry,” he said. He offered me the can. “Do you want it?”

“It’s okay. I guess I can just find something else…” I said, looking at the table to see what else there was.

“Here, you can have it,” he said, handing me the Coke can. “There’s not much else left that’s…edible.” He was eyeing the empty table too.

“I guess that’s what I get for being late,” I muttered.

“Yeah,” he said slowly, nodding and studying me. “You must be a first year student. Otherwise you’d know that food goes fast around here.”

I smiled and shook my head melodramatically. “Busted. So much for pretending to know what I'm doing.”

He smiled at me. “Looks like you missed the BYOB memo too.” 

[Ellie's Blog] Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascaras

Occasionally, I foray into Asian beauty brands, and after hearing good things from a girlfriend and online, I ordered a couple of Kiss Me mascaras from Sasa.com to try them for myself. The ones I picked were Impact Frame & Curl Mascara and Volume & Curl Mascara.

Impact Frame & Curl Mascara:  This was priced at ~$16 CAD (before shipping) and is marketed as the brand's blackest and glossiest mascara. In that respect I totally agree, as it is indeed a very glossy black...think tar. The brush only has bristles on about 1/4 of the wand, and it is a sparse, course, bristly kind of brush. It reminds me of those shoe brushes you see on people's doorsteps. You would think that such a brush would result in excellent definition, but in actuality the tar-like consistency of the mascara itself is too thick for even the bristly power of the brush. As a result, I wasn't a fan of this mascara because of the clumping...to the point where there were large globs of product at my lash line. While I'm pretty sure this could be remedied by a nice comb-through with a mascara comb, I really can't be bothered to add an extra step to my morning routine, nor do I think it's wise that said step, performed when I'm at my groggiest, involves sharp prongs held close to my eye. In conclusion, would not repurchase, and truthfully, don't think I will use it up.

[Ellie's Story] Fears

Hi Ellie,

Technically, we haven’t met yet, but I’m glad that we are chatting now and I hope that we’ll have an opportunity meet in person soon!

To answer some of your burning questions: I work for a law firm downtown that specializes in environmental law, but perhaps I’ll wait until I get to know you better before I bore you with the mundane details. :)

I did grow up in Vancouver, after my family moved here when I was four. As for hobbies, I like to play racquetball in the winter and a bit of ultimate Frisbee in the summer. I listen to all sorts of music, ranging from contemporary pop to classical. Sometimes I might even indulge in a little country. Hope that doesn’t scare you ;)

And now I somehow feel like we’ve just played 20 questions, so as the game requires, what about you? What are your hobbies and what do you do for work?

Regards,
Simon

And that is how the email exchanges had begun with Simon.

[Ellie's Story] Unfamiliar Territories

 I sat down at my desk with a hot cup of matcha tea and turned on my computer. As I waited for it to boot up, I turned in my swivel chair and looked at my apartment, which recently has taken on a new ambience.

Jung, my new roommate, an English student from Korea, was all moved in as of three days ago. The whole process went a lot quicker than I had anticipated once I had decided to accept him, especially considering how long the phone screening process took with the other candidates. I had shown Jung around the apartment, asked him a few more questions about his background and his plans for the upcoming year. Five days later, he moved in from his relative’s house, where he had been temporarily staying since his initial arrival to Vancouver. Jung was from Incheon, which is Korea’s third largest metropolitan area, as I have come to learn, amongst other tidbits of information about Korea.

Jung’s English was quite proficient. I found it easy enough communicate with him, and he had a mild-mannered way of speaking. His accent was noticeable, but not detracting in any huge way. He told me that he came to Vancouver to make sure that his English was fluent, so that he could return home and strive for a job in an internationally-based business. (And no, he didn’t have three eyes, as I gleefully told Kyle later.)